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Think of it Like the Batmobile (1/1)
Pearl Harbor-Hickam
Friday 9:00 A.M.
Steve was halfway across the parking lot to his truck when his phone buzzed with an incoming text. He squinted his eyes to read the screen in the morning sunlight and smiled when he saw it was from Catherine.
"You still at Pearl?"
"Just leaving now," he typed in response. "I got tied up talking to Morris about a new training method he wants to implement."
"Can't wait to hear about it. Are you heading to the office?"
"For a little while at least." He reached his truck, unlocked the door and tossed his duffel bag in the back seat. "Danny texted me last night that they wrapped their case."
"Good to hear. Abusers like Linwood belong behind bars."
"Agreed."
"Do you have a few minutes to stop by my office before you head to the palace?"
"Absolutely. That was the plan all along." He grinned.
"Perfect. Also, are you going to be available to give me a ride home later?"
"I'll make myself available. Something wrong with your car?"
"I'll explain when you get here. Drive safe. Love you."
"Love you."
He tossed his phone on the seat beside him and put the truck in gear. It had been a long two weeks apart and even though they'd gotten to spend some time together on their anniversary he'd missed seeing her every day, waking up beside her, eating dinner together, relaxing on the deck as the sun went down.
He was grateful they got the chance to Facetime every night before lights out. It was a vast improvement over the times when they often went months without actually seeing each other's faces.
Still, it wasn't the same as seeing her in person.
He was ready to get back to his normal life.
Well, at least what passed for normal in their world.
Fifteen minutes later, he parked the truck outside the capitol and practically jogged towards the building. He held the door for a woman struggling with a bulky stroller and, after watching for a minute to be sure she made it safely to her car, headed for Catherine's office with his smile firmly in place.
State Capitol Building
9:15 A.M.
Catherine looked up as her office door opened and her face immediately split into a wide smile as she jumped up from her chair.
At least as much as possible in her current condition.
"Jen said I could come right in." Steve smiled as he crossed the office in several long strides and wrapped her in his arms.
"Always," she bubbled a split second before their lips met.
Steve kissed her softly, cognizant of the fact they were in her office and the real celebration would have to wait until later when they were at home, in private. After a few seconds he pulled back and looked at her, his eyebrows creased in confusion.
Something about her was different.
Catherine watched his expressive eyes, the ones that always told her exactly what he was thinking and feeling, as he tried to work it out in his head. She could tell the exact second he figured it out.
Even though she didn't think it was possible his grin got wider.
"You can't fit behind the wheel of your Corvette anymore?" he guessed with a chuckle.
"Not comfortably," she acknowledged. "Or safely."
She'd hoped to have another few weeks before it became an issue but Niblet had other plans.
Steve ran his hands over her tummy almost reverently. "She's growing."
"She certainly is." she placed hands in top of his.
"She's getting ready to come out and join us," he said with unbridled enthusiasm.
Catherine's eyes grew damp both at the thought of Niblet's arrival and Steve's excitement at the prospect of it. "Won't be long now."
She could see him running through scenarios in his head, looking for a solution.
"You can drive the truck for the next few months." He took a seat on the edge of her desk as she lowered herself back into her chair. "There's a lot more room in the cab."
"That will work temporarily but, as much as I've been trying to avoid the idea, we really need to think about getting another vehicle." She sighed. "Once Niblet is born I'm not gonna be able to use the truck every time we leave the house."
"I can drive the Corvette whenever you want," Steve offered.
Catherine smiled softly. "You hate driving it. There's not enough leg room."
"A small sacrifice to make," he said and the sincerity in his tone took her breath away.
"I appreciate it, we appreciate it, but it's just not practical in the long run." She patted his thigh. "I was talking to Lea and she told me that in lieu of the transportation allowance I'm eligible for as chief of staff, which I haven't been taking before now, I can get a pretty substantial discount on a new vehicle."
"Really?" Steve was a little surprised. "That's a nice perk."
"Also," Catherine continued, "I was talking to Mom and she said since she and Dad are going to be spending long stretches of time here summers and holidays they'd probably be looking to buy a car to leave at the condo so they don't have to rent something every time."
"Makes sense." He nodded
"She said that they would be happy to kick in on the cost and then, since we'd have three vehicles available, we'd be able to figure something out when they were in town."
"Would that work for you?" He was perfectly happy to go along with whatever made Catherine happy and suited Joseph and Elizabeth.
"Well, I'm definitely not selling the Corvette," she said adamantly.
"Absolutely not," he agreed.
"Let's give it a try and see how it goes." Catherine said decisively. "We can always make adjustments later if we need to."
"So, we're going car shopping?" He grinned.
"It appears so." Catherine made a mental note to do some research on vehicle safety. "Mom said to get something with plenty of seating because in addition to Niblet she may want to transport some of the other kids places from time to time."
Steve snorted. "Something tells me she's looking forward to embracing the grandma role with both hands."
Five-0 Headquarters
9:40 A.M.
"Hey what are you doing here?" Danny looked up from the smart table as Steve entered the bullpen.
"Nice to see you too," Steve snarked.
"Well, of course it's good to see you." Danny turned his full attention to his partner. "I just wasn't necessarily expecting you today."
"Catherine's only working half a day since Lea in on the mainland for a conference," Steve explained. "I'd planned on just dropping in to check on things here then meeting her at home later but it appears we have a new plan."
"Ah, yes, the car situation," Danny smirked.
"She told you?"
"She called me two mornings ago for a ride," Danny nodded. "I've been taking her back and forth to work since then."
"Thanks, Danny," Steve replied gratefully. "It really helps knowing if I can't be here you're around to keep an eye on things."
Danny waved him off. "My pleasure. Anything I can do to help Catherine and little Danielle."
Steve rolled his eyes as he turned towards his office. "We're not naming her Danielle," he called over his shoulder.
"Just try it out for a few days," Danny requested.
"No!"
"You might get used to it," Danny called as Steve pulled open his office door. "It's a good name."
Steve turned back. "Then why isn't Gracie named Danielle?" he asked.
Danny huffed. "I hate you."
"So nothing's changed in the last two weeks then?" Steve teased.
"I'm heading to HPD to do some paperwork." Danny gathered a few folders from on top of the smart table. "In case you're gone when I get back I'll see you on Sunday for breakfast."
Five-0 Headquarters
Steve's Office 11:30 A.M.
"I spent the last couple of hours researching the safest vehicles out there in all three categories. SUV's, compact SUV's, and … " Steve's throat tightened, "minivans."
"It sounded like that last one hurt you to say."
Even over the phone Steve could hear that Joseph Rollins was trying not to laugh.
"I just never thought of myself as the minivan driving type," Steve sighed. "Catherine either."
"Parenthood makes you do strange things."
"So you think a minivan is the way to go?" Steve put the call on speaker and placed the phone on his desk so he could use both hands to sift through the information he'd downloaded. "There are a few that have really good safety ratings."
"I think there are a lot of things to consider but I'm confident you and Catherine will make the right decision."
You're gonna be driving this too," Steve reminded him.
"Yes, but things look a whole lot different from where I'm sitting."
"Where's that?"
"The best seat in the house. The grandpa chair."
Steve could hear the genuine happiness in his father-in-law's voice and gave thanks yet again that Joseph, Elizabeth and Grandma Ang would be spending so much time on the island once the baby arrived. "I just want something that will be safe for Catherine and Niblet," he said earnestly.
"I know you do. And I'm 100% confident you'll make the right decision."
"Thanks." Steve was touched by Joseph's faith in him.
"Besides, try not to think of it like a minivan. Think of it like the Batmobile."
Steve snorted. "The Batmobile?"
"Yes. A vehicle specifically designed to meet the needs of a superhero, in this case my granddaughter, and to transport her and all her necessary equipment where they need to go. And to do it safely and efficiently."
"It sounds like you've put some thought into this," Steve chuckled.
"Elizabeth mentioned Catherine couldn't drive the 'vette anymore so I knew this was coming."
"I called an old teammate of mine who works at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. He's gonna email me some statistics on vehicle safety."
"Sounds like you're on top of this. As if there was any doubt you would be."
"I appreciate the vote of confidence. I'll email you possibilities as soon as Catherine and I start to narrow this down."
"I'll look forward to it."
Capitol Building Parking Lot
12:20 P.M.
"What's all this?" Catherine asked as she picked up a pile of papers from the console of the truck.
"I decided to do a little research while I was waiting to pick you up," he smiled as he climbed into the driver's seat and buckled himself in. "I stuck to vehicles with seating for at least seven which I figured would be big enough for your mom. The top pages are safety ratings and the ones underneath rank other things like efficiency and ease of operation."
"Looks like I'm rubbing off on you," she grinned.
He waggled his eyebrows. "I like the sound of that."
"We're really doing this?" She exhaled deeply. "We're buying a minivan."
"Not necessarily a minivan," he responded with a small shudder. "It could be an SUV, regular or compact."
"I just never pictured myself driving any of those." Catherine shook her head.
"I was talking to your dad earlier and he said we should think of it like the Batmobile. A specialized vehicle designed to meet a specific set of needs."
Catherine snorted. "He's so excited to be a grandfather we could buy a school bus and he'd be all in favor of it."
"I ruled out a school bus," Steve smirked. "No seatbelts."
Catherine smiled as she flipped through the pages of research. "There's certainly a lot of things to consider."
Steve nodded and smiled. "The whole process might be easier to swallow if we think of it as searching for the Nibletmobile."
"I like that," she smiled brightly. "Like the Batmobile … only better."
As he pulled the car to a stop at a red light he leaned over and kissed her. "That's the spirit."
THE END
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