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Reserved
Danny glanced at his partner as they sat in the car waiting at a stakeout. "I know you're not texting Catherine like a lovesick teenager, what are you Googling?"
"Hm? What?" Steve's eyes didn't leave his phone.
"What are you Googling? You look like you're possessed, hey, wait, is Cath late?"
"What? No." Catherine's name had gotten his attention.
Danny shrugged. "I thought you were looking up 'early signs of pregnancy' or whatever. Been there, too, my friend."
"No. It's just something occurred to me when I saw a thing on Zika this morning."
"Zika? We've got a non travel related case here?" Danny sat up straighter.
"No, no." Steve shook his head. "I mean, there've been the few that were travel related but we don't have any locally acquired cases."
"So what -" He was unable to finish his question when the suspects they'd been waiting on appeared out of a warehouse and started walking toward the dock. "Steve, there they are -"
Both men were out of the car before the next part of the sentence left Danny's mouth.
Steve had gotten done several hours after Catherine and arrived home while she'd been out running with the dog. She entered the kitchen with Cammie, planning on asking what he felt like doing for dinner and found him at the counter, engrossed on his tablet. When he looked up to greet her, she tilted her head in question.
Noticing her expression, he nodded towards the screen. "You're up for service soon."
"Yeah." Their reserve duty included a two-week annual period where they'd be sent out to a location depending on their specialties.
His brows were knitted as he said, "I need to see where before you get orders."
She sat at his side and he kissed her quickly before returning to his task. "You're not trying to get us the same location, are you?" Catherine smiled. In the past, sometimes that had worked, sometimes not, but with Cammie, they actually preferred not to leave at the same time.
Steve sat back and looked at her. "No, yes, I mean keeping it local is always best case scenario, but I saw a report, then I talked to Max …" He ran a hand over his face. He looked tired and his pants were splattered in dried mud from what she assumed was a chase. He'd gotten in and gone right to the tablet, not stopping to shower or change. "I don't want you pulled into Florida or one of the outlying high risk Zika virus areas."
"Oh." She blinked at him as realization hit her. "You - but that's … you shouldn't be in those places either, if we're -"
"We might have to stop trying for a baby for months." Steve's look said he was in full mission mode. "I'm thinking we try to pull favors. I contacted Makris and a few other people. Wanna see what you can do?"
The Navy wouldn't change anyone's orders for a virus risk, but if they could use their contacts and possibly influence location pre-issue, Catherine was all in. Her cell phone was already in hand. Checking her watch and calculating the time in Washington, DC, she nodded. "Absolutely." She kissed him lightly. "I'm on it. Go shower and change, then we'll eat."
He regarded her for a few long seconds while she was scrolling through her contacts after taking his vacated seat at the counter. Bending to place a kiss on top of her head, he patted Cammie's shoulder and headed for the stairs with the dog in tow.
Catherine glanced up as she waited for an old friend to answer the phone half a world away. Her eyes followed Steve's form as he strode out of the kitchen - a surge of love at his concern and determination she be safe made her smile as the call connected and she said, "Hey, there, it's Catherine Rollins, am I catching you at a bad time?"
Next evening
Catherine ran a hand over Cammie's fur as she smiled into the phone. "Thanks, Sophie. Whatever you can find out." She didn't want a 'Steve McGarrett and Catherine Rollins are having a baby' rumor to explode, and that's likely what would have happened if she even mentioned the 'trying to keep out of Zika range' scenario. It would go from 'they were thinking about it' to 'they must be trying' to 'she's due in a week' by the time it got through to the end of the scuttlebutt funnel. "It's just hard having Steve off island, task force wise, and I know quite a few people owe him favors, but I figured I'd start out calling you, since you know pretty much everything coming up."
Lieutenant Commander Sophie Makris served with Catherine for several years, and was at Pearl when she had reserved her commission. Her current duty station being TAD in D.C. she had a hand in knowing assignments and assigning reservists, both retired and regular. She'd also been in Naval Intelligence when Steve was, before his days as a SEAL. When she'd gotten his call, she'd been happy to try to help.
"I told Steve I'd look into it, and he said he was gonna be unavailable this afternoon so I should call you if I had anything or needed more info. Let me see what I can find out. Give me a few hours."
"Yeah, we caught a case and he's still out with his partner. Thanks, Sophie, really, we owe you."
"Not keeping score, but I'm back at Pearl in October, thank me then with lunch." There was a smile in her voice.
"Dinner at least," Catherine insisted. "We'll talk to you later." She smiled at Cammie as she ended the call. "C'mon, pretty girl, Steve's gonna be another couple of hours, let's go for a walk."
Steve parked the truck and started towards the house with a slight frown. He'd thought of Catherine's reserve duty as soon as he'd seen the report on the virus. He knew it existed, the risk, but before they'd decided to have a baby it wasn't a direct threat to Catherine. Now he saw it in a whole new light.
He was prepared to pull in every favor ever owed either of them to try and keep her out of an infection zone. He had a while before his own duty, he was hoping she'd be expecting by then, and if that was the case he was prepared to request a deferment until after the baby was born. There was nothing he hated more than the idea of leaving for two weeks and missing a second with the baby - their baby - his features morphed into a small grin at the thought; but he'd do literally anything to keep Catherine safe.
She was at the door when he opened it. "Hi, you."
"Hey." He gathered her into an embrace. "You know, I was thinking," he said as he led her to the sofa and they sat.
"Steve, what?"
The concern in the clear brown eyes made him shake his head, "Nothing's wrong, I was just considering options. If we get you clear of a virus zone then, like you said, we have to think of my duty. If I'm anywhere in a zone I can get the virus and infect you. I can't risk - we can't risk that, ever. By that time you may already be pregnant. I can ask for a deferral. I'll come up with a reason, pull in whatever other favors I need to."
She covered the hand he'd rested on her thigh with her own. "I know you will. We'll figure it out.
I read all the data today, if you're exposed and I'm pregnant we'd have to use condoms again."
"The CDC data said that's not a hundred percent safe, though." He ran a finger over her knuckles. "If I couldn't get deferred, we shouldn't have sex at all till the baby comes."
Her eyes watched his. He was in that protective mindset and they glinted with determination. "Steve, that's - I read the CDC info this afternoon, too. It recommends protection for expecting couples. And you'd get tested if you went into a sketchy area."
He shook his head. "I don't know, Cath. They don't even know how long Zika can stay in semen or how it actually spreads through sex. And I asked Max." At her expression he added, "I said I needed to be informed in case any cases happen on the island." At her nod, he continued, "Max said there's still a lot they don't know about the virus and how to interpret test results. The tests may not even accurately identify the presence of the virus or a person's risk of passing it on." His jaw was set in a familiar way. His look said he was ready for battle. "That may mean no sex of any kind if you were pregnant." He looked pained but so determined she squeezed his fingers. "I'm not even sure if I could kiss you. What if we put the baby in danger?"
"Oh, Steve, you've…" Her breath caught at how much research, how much thought he'd already invested and the lengths he was willing to go to keep her and the baby they hadn't even conceived yet safe at any cost.
He didn't even blink. "We'll do whatever we have to do."
"No." She shook her head and smiled sweetly. "It's not coming to that, because," she kissed him gently, "we'll figure it out. Together."
"I know. Always."
He looked so concerned, so serious, she leaned in and kissed him. Softly at first, then deeper, resting her forehead against his when they pulled apart. "I love you. So much, I-" She was interrupted by her cell.
She glanced at it. "It's Gilholley."
"Get it." He nodded as she reached for the phone and indicated Cammie who had been quiet during what she sensed was a serious moment between her humans, but was now circling at the door. "Cammie's gotta go out, I'll take her."
"Gilhooley, you are awesome." Catherine's voice contained a smile he could hear when he reentered the house as she ended the call with words of thanks. He knew before she turned to face him.
"You did it?" He felt his gut unclench at her look.
She clapped and grinned. "We did it."
"More likely you did." He matched her expression and his smile broadened. "Where are your orders?"
"Here."
She rushed up and hugged him, and he held her as he said, "Here, stateside, or here, here?"
"Here home. At Pearl. My NI reserve unit is going to be attached to a group leading teams of enlisted experts who identify enemy targets for US or coalition forces. The drills are local. I'll be at Pearl." Even though she'd be barracking at the base with the other reservists, she'd be close enough that Steve could even stop there to see her between drills.
"Perfect." Steve pulled back enough to kiss her. "Always perfect when it's on the island, but, God that's great news this time." His heart lightened, he teased, "Who'd we have to promise a Hawaiian vacation to?"
"No one, actually. Gilhooley pulled the order log and called me back. I was assigned here before I even inquired. But …"
"But, what?" Steve's smile dimmed.
"But, you were up for the Center for EOD/Diving."
"Shit." He ran a hand over his neck. "Panama City, Florida."
She took his fingers in hers. "But …" Her expression was relaxed and Steve's muscles unclenched. "We owe Sophie Makris a dinner and a favor to Bert Wu because you, Commander, are gonna be at SDVT-1."
Steve's smile was back. "Have I told you you're amazing?"
"Not in the last ten minutes," she teased, relieved and happy to see he was as well. SDVT-1 was home to the Navy's only SEAL Delivery Vehicle Team. The command conducted underwater delivery and insertion of SEALs using flooded mini-submarines. Since Steve had more time before his reserve duty - hers was coming up first - she'd hoped he's get sent out on sea duty or maybe to Coronado, but SDVT-1 was in Hawaii. "Sophie was all you. She called while I was on with Gilhooley and said the orders were individual so you've been redirected."
"Well, my beautiful wife is amazing." He kissed her and she smiled. "And brilliant." Another kiss. "And has unparalleled people skills."
"And you didn't have to strong arm a single soul to get rerouted. Look at that." She grinned up at him then sobered. "Seriously, thank you, I hadn't thought of our reserve assignments in relation to Zika until you mentioned it."
"Thank me? I just want you safe, and I absolutely don't want to stop trying for a baby because of an exposure." He kissed her. "Besides, you know Sophie Makris and Bert Wu better than I do. I'm sure they put in extra effort for you - hey, what did you tell them?"
"That is was hard for you to be off island, but of course duty came first. I figured maybe we could keep you close to home or get you on a carrier. Then Gilhooley called and said my orders were at Pearl so I just concentrated on yours when Sophie called back."
"That's why you're the brains of this outfit." Steve's smile lit his eyes.
"Pretty good brain you've got yourself." She leaned up to kiss his cheek. "Hungry?"
"Always." He pulled her close.
"Excellent, how about we celebrate with pancakes for dinner?"
# End thanks for reading
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