Notes: Hello, Readers and REAL McRollers! I feel like it's been a while :-)
Thank you for your amazing support of the marathon and all throughout the year. We always say it because it's always true – your support and enthusiasm mean the world and we're so grateful. I know many of you have been anxiously awaiting the gift exchange. Hopefully this is worth the wait!
Please indulge me in a slightly longer than normal author's note. I want to say a huge thanks to Mari and Sammy for doing the heavy lifting last week and getting the marathon off to such a stupendous start. And I want to give special thanks to Sammy who, like the superhero she is, swooped in for the rescue and posted three days straight so that I could travel and enjoy some stress-free time with my family over the holiday weekend. I can't fully express how grateful I am for that, but I hope she has an inkling by now.
And now, without further ado … I hope you enjoy today's story!
Belated Christmas (A McRoll in the REAL World Story)
Catherine rolled to her back, stretching slowly as she came awake. Smiling, she turned to face Steve and was surprised to find his side of the bed empty since his movements in the morning nearly always woke her. A quick look to the corner showed Cammie was also gone but before she could even get up to investigate, footfalls could be heard coming up the stairs and Steve appeared a moment later, Cammie at his side.
"Merry Christmas," he said, holding a tray with a covered plate and water glass on it.
She tilted her head, looking up at him curiously. "It's December 27th."
He shrugged. "Yeah, but it's our Christmas." Grinning, he moved toward her with the tray.
"Hold that thought," she said, swinging her legs over the side of the bed and standing. "I've gotta pee."
He snorted, but dutifully backed up and waited patiently while she went to the bathroom. A minute later she returned and looked at him expectantly. He nodded back toward the bed.
"Oh, we're really doing the whole breakfast in bed thing?" she asked.
"You're my pregnant wife, isn't this what I'm supposed to do?"
"Yeah, when I'm too big and too tired to do it myself."
He rolled his eyes. "Would you just sit down before your ketchupy eggs get cold?"
Her eyebrows shot up with interest. "Ketchupy eggs? Why didn't you say so?"
He laughed as she hopped back into bed and pulled the quilt over her legs.
"This really is very sweet, Steve," she said sincerely. "Thank you."
"You're welcome." He set the tray down over her legs and pulled the cover off. "There you go. Christmas ketchupy eggs."
Catherine's hand flew to her mouth as she gagged. She shut her eyes tight, shaking her head frantically and leaning as far back as she could. "Uh uh," she groaned from behind the hand still over her mouth.
"Wh–" he started but stopped when she waved her other hand.
"Can you–" She gagged again as she pushed the tray back. "Can you move that?"
He quickly re-covered the plate and lifted the tray, putting it across the room on the dresser before returning and sitting beside her, a hand on her leg.
"Are you okay? Do you need to …?" He nodded toward the bathroom.
She inhaled deeply through her nose and exhaled slowly through her mouth a few times. He watched anxiously until she finally shook her head.
"I think I'm okay."
He sighed contritely. "I'm sorry, Cath."
"Don't," she stopped him, reaching for his hand and squeezing it. "You couldn't have known."
"You sure you're okay?"
"Yeah."
He studied her a moment before nodding. He leaned over and kissed her head, then rose and went over the the dresser to grab the glass of water from the tray. "Here," he said, returning and giving it to her. "Drink this."
She took it gratefully, sipping the cold liquid.
He winced. "Do you still want breakfast?"
She gave him a small smile. "Yeah, just … not eggs."
His lip quirked in a half-smile, still feeling bad about her sudden nausea. "Okay, hang on. I've got a contingency plan. Back in a minute."
After he took the tray out of the room, she looked down and addressed her abdomen. "Seriously, Niblet? No ketchupy eggs for the next six months?" She sighed and glanced at Cammie who was sitting beside the bed, her whole attention focused on Catherine. "That is disappointing."
Cammie gave a soft commiseratory chuff in response. Catherine smiled, rubbing her head fondly and sipping some more water, then took a few more slow breaths to calm her stomach.
Steve returned a few minutes later and paused in the doorway. "Okay?" he asked hesitantly.
She smiled and nodded. "Yeah. What'dya got, Commander?"
Cammie backed up as Steve came over and put the tray down over Catherine's legs again. "Contingency plan," he said, sitting by her hip. "These shouldn't be a problem." He lifted the cover and she grinned at the replacement breakfast.
"Pop Tarts."
He nodded. "Brown sugar and cinnamon."
"Those are the best."
"So you've said."
She smiled and touched his cheek, bringing him closer for a gentle kiss. "Thank you."
He smiled back and watched as she took a small bite of one of the warm Pop Tarts. They both waited to see if it would stay down. After a moment, she sighed and smiled, nodding all was well.
He rose and crawled carefully over her legs to settle beside her as she happily continued eating her breakfast.
Glancing at him, she swallowed and asked, "What time is it?"
" 'Bout seven thirty."
Her eyes widened. "Seven thirty?" She started to shift the tray off. "I've gotta get ready for work."
"Relax, relax," he said, stopping her. "Check your voicemail." He nodded toward her phone on the nightstand.
"Voicemail?" she asked. "I didn't hear my phone …"
"You've been out cold since just after midnight." He kissed her temple. "You clearly needed the sleep."
"What about you? You were going for over twelve hours straight. Not to mention the better part of the last week."
"Yeah, but I'm not growing another person inside me," he stressed. "Check your voicemail, Cath. Should be one from Lea. She texted me a few minutes ago since you hadn't answered her yet."
She picked up her phone and pulled up her voicemail. "Good morning, Catherine," Lea's voice came through on speaker. "Steve called last night to tell me they'd wrapped up the case. I know you were going to come in for half a day today, but I also know you two have barely had any time together since the Vanovers went missing. I bet you haven't even celebrated Christmas yet. So take the rest of the week off. There's nothing urgent to get done before the swearing-in on Sunday and you're already scheduled off Thursday and Friday. We'll call it my Christmas present to you both. Enjoy!"
The voicemail ended and Catherine hit the screen to call Lea back.
"Hi," she answered. "Did you get my message?"
"I did. Are you sure? I can come in, it's not a problem."
"I'm positive. You don't have any meetings scheduled, right?"
"Nothing scheduled, no."
"Then enjoy the rest of the week. The extra work with the Vanover case had to be exhausting and I'm sure Steve will enjoy having you to himself for an extra couple days."
"Yes, he will," Steve agreed.
Lea laughed. "Hi, Steve."
"Hi, Lea."
"I just don't want to leave you shorthanded …" Catherine said.
"Tara and Marliyah are both in today, we'll be fine. And you're only a phone call away if something does come up. Which it won't, because I'm going to tell everyone not to call you."
"I just–" she started again.
"Catherine, there are going to plenty of times I need you at all hours or on the weekend," Lea stated. "Take advantage of the days off when you can so we can hit the ground running next week. The first month is going to be a sprint and I'm going to need you."
Catherine sighed finally and smiled. "Okay, if you're sure."
"I am. I'll see you on Sunday."
"Okay. Thank you."
"You're welcome. Bye, Steve."
"Bye, Lea. Thanks."
"You're very welcome."
The call ended and Catherine put her phone back on her nightstand.
"Okay, now that that's out of the way, are you ready for Christmas?" he asked, grinning.
"Belated Christmas," she corrected wryly.
His smile faded and he sighed, taking her hand. "I'm sorry the case sidelined things."
"Steve, don't even–" She stopped, putting her other hand over his. "I didn't mean it that way. You don't have to apologize. Come on," she said, looking at him earnestly. "One, there was nothing more important than finding the Vanover kids. Nothing. Two, I know the jobs we have are sometimes going to mean our lives don't happen on normal schedules. I've always known that because it's always been that way. Ever since the Academy. That's who we are. This certainly isn't the first holiday we've celebrated late, and I have a feeling it won't be the last. And it doesn't mean that we're putting our jobs ahead of each other, or our family, it's that we know what's right and what needs to be done." She squeezed his hand. "Your sense of duty is one of the many things I love about you."
"You, too," he replied seriously.
"Okay?"
He gave her a half smile, nodding. His smile widened and he waggled his eyebrows. "One of the many things,' huh?"
She laughed, releasing his hand and pushing his shoulder. "Oh, stop. Come on, where's my present? It's Christmas."
"Ohh," he scoffed, "now you're willing to play along?"
She smirked. "To get my present, yeah."
"Presents," he corrected.
"Presents?"
He shrugged. "I had a little …" he paused, searching for the right word, "theme this year."
"A theme," she repeated, a touch of incredulity in her voice. "You."
He held up his hands. "I know, I know, who am I and what have I done with Steve McGarrett," he said. "But I'm kinda proud of this so don't make fun of me."
"I would never," she insisted, trying to keep a straight face.
He rolled his eyes, chuckling, and nodded at her plate. "You done?"
"Yep," she said, and he started to lift the tray. "Wait wait wait." She reached for the second Pop Tart and snagged it off the plate.
"You're gonna get crumbs in the bed," he complained as he stood with the tray.
"You're the one who brought me breakfast in bed," she countered, taking a bite.
"That's a good point," he admitted.
"And we've gotta wash these sheets soon anyway."
"Right. Okay, presents. You finish your Pop Tart, I'll go get 'em from under the tree."
"I really am getting the royal treatment today," she said with a laugh.
"You better believe it. Stay put." He grinned at her before walking out the door and down the stairs.
He returned a minute later with two wrapped boxes, a festive bag perched on top, and a fresh water bottle under one arm. He stopped by her side of the bed, leaning toward her so she could grab the bottle, then walked around and sat back down, putting the presents between them.
She took a drink then set the bottle on her nightstand. She turned back and picked up the bag.
"Wow," she said. "Christmas wrapping this year."
He shrugged, grinning. "I'm learning."
"Well, Christmas bag anyway. There's even tissue paper in here. And it matches the bag." She gave him a suspicious look. "Tell the truth … they do this for you in the store?
"No!" he balked, then admitted, "Salesgirl did offer, though."
"Ha! Of course she did."
"And I did take her suggestion on the tissue paper."
She laughed, shaking her head. "Still a far cry from finding festive wrapping paper and getting out the scissors and tape."
"Mine's more environmentally friendly," he replied. "Reusable."
"Not as fun to open, though."
"Well …"
She pointed at his gifts. "And I'll have you know that paper is 100% recyclable. And if you're careful where you rip, it's reusable, too."
He smirked, shooting her words back to her. "Not as fun to open, though."
She rolled her eyes, grinning. "Just open your presents."
"You open yours."
"Fine." She started to lift the tissue paper excitedly.
"Wait," he said, stopping her and tilting the bag toward himself.
"What are you doing? This is my present."
"Presents," he reiterated. "And there's an order …"
"Oh, right," she said, grinning. "Your theme."
He gave her sidelong glance then smiled and pulled out a small velvet box. "This one first."
"Jewelry?" she said as he handed it to her. "Good theme."
He chuckled. Growing more serious, he said, "I was thinking how … this has been a really big year for us."
She paused, watching him.
"I mean, a lot has happened in the last twelve months," he continued. "A lot of really good, life-changing things. So I wanted to … I don't know, to reflect all that, I guess."
She reached over for his hand, her eyes growing misty. "Steve, that's beautiful."
He smiled softly, running his thumb along the underside of her rings. He nodded at the box in her other hand. "Go on."
Giving his hand a final squeeze, she released it and opened the box. Her mouth opened slightly. "Oh, Steve … speaking of beautiful."
Nestled inside was a diamond and sapphire necklace that perfectly matched her engagement ring.
He gave a little shrug. "I'm cheating a little on that one since we got engaged before Christmas …"
She gently removed the necklace, holding it up. The light from the window reflected off the sparkling gemstones. "This is really beautiful," she said, leaning forward and kissing him. "Thank you, Steve. I love it."
He smiled, pleased at her reaction.
She tilted her head suddenly, thinking. "You know … we actually didn't find my ring until December 30th. Remember? Because everyone saw it first on New Year's Eve."
"Hey, that's right," he said, nodding happily.
She grinned. "So you're still within your year on that one."
"Excellent," he said, chuckling.
She held the necklace out to him. "Will you put in on me?"
He unfastened the clasp and she leaned forward, lifting her hair once he'd put his arms around her neck. She leaned back, fingering the pendant against her skin.
"Beautiful," he said.
She looked up to find his gaze on her face. She smiled and kissed him again.
"Thank you," she repeated.
"You're welcome." They shared a smile, then he reached again into the bag. "These next two kind of go together, like they did in real life." He took out a small object and handed it to her.
"What is this?" she asked, turning the miniature chair around in her palm.
"A small version of your actual present, which is probably being delivered as we speak."
"Delivered where?"
"To your office. I got you a new chair."
"A new chair?"
"New job, new chair."
"What was wrong with my old one?"
"I was reading–"
She laughed. "Of course you were."
He smiled at her teasing and continued, as if reciting what he'd read, "You need a chair with good support, especially for your lower back. This one's got adjustable lumbar support so it will still be comfortable as the pregnancy progre–" He stopped, shaking his head at himself and smiling down at her slightly swelling abdomen. "As Niblet gets bigger."
"You're adorable." Before he could protest his least favorite adjective, she continued, "And very thoughtful."
"If you hate it we can take it back and find something else," he said.
"I'm sure it'll be great. Thank you for thinking of that," she said sincerely. With a wink, she added, "I'll definitely be sitting a lot more than at my previous job."
He grinned, nodding his agreement.
She looked at the tiny chair figurine. "Where did you find a miniature office chair?"
"That was actually pretty tough. I was gonna just put a picture of the chair in the bag, but I was talking to Esther and she told me about this toy store where she used to buy dollhouse furniture for some kids she babysat."
"Esther to the rescue."
"As usual."
She laughed at that.
He took out a rolled up piece of paper next. "Speaking of Niblet …"
She slid off the rubberband and unrolled the paper. Her mouth opened slightly as she studied it. She looked up at him. "Is this …?"
He nodded. "Plans for the baby's room. Just preliminary but … I took all the ideas we've talked about – the bookshelves on the wall and the extra storage in the closet …"
"Room for the rocking chair in the corner." She sighed happily, tears in her eyes. "This is wonderful, Steve."
"We can change anything you want …" he started.
"It's perfect," she assured him. "Just how I pictured it."
He smiled. "Good."
"I gotta say," she began, "great theme, Commander."
"Oh, we're not done, Lieutenant."
"We're not?"
"You're forgetting possibly the greatest event of 2016."
Her brow knit as she thought. "Marriage, job, baby … what am I forgetting?"
He pulled out a small square box.
"More jewelry?" she asked.
He grinned. "This is more of an everyday piece."
She opened the box and bark laughed at the contents. "Okay, you're right. That was a great event." She slid the bright blue band with the Cubs' World Series win logo onto her wrist. "Now I know why you volunteered to finish the order when we were getting Mom and Dad and Grandma Ang's stuff on the website."
"Couldn't resist."
"Matches my Year of the Cubs shirt from Gram perfectly."
"How 'bout that," he said, grinning.
She smiled at him and nodded to the bag. "Am I forgetting anything else?"
He chuckled. "No, that's it."
"This was incredible, Steve," she said sincerely, wiping a tear from her eye. "Thank you."
"This was a great year," he said. "I wanted to … commemorate that."
"Mission accomplished, Commander."
He smiled. "Merry Christmas, Cath."
She kissed him. "Merry Christmas." Her smile morphed into a grin. "Hey, you're pretty good at this. You should do themes more often."
He laughed. "We'll see. I might have peaked with that one."
"I kind of have a theme, too," she said, "now that I think about it."
She shifted the bag and tissue paper out of the way and placed the miniature chair and nursery plans on her nightstand.
"Open the big one first," she told him. "Leave it face up."
"Yes, ma'am."
She watched his face as he concentrated on opening the large square-shaped gift. He was completely silent as he finally pulled the paper away to reveal a wooden shadowbox, identical to the one hanging on their bedroom wall.
Identical except for the memories within.
The box on the wall contained special mementos of Steve's grandparents' life together. The one he now held in his hands was filled with small treasures from the past twenty years with Catherine.
In the center was a picture from their wedding day: a candid moment the photographer had captured of the two of them looking at each other rather than the lens.
The edges of the box were filled with sand, and he was certain he knew exactly where it had come from.
His eyes flitted around the contents, his heart swelling at the memories each item evoked.
Their wedding invitation. The simple, straightforward, beautiful, lasting design they'd wanted to commemorate their marriage.
The placecard with "Auntie Catherine and Niblet" from Thanksgiving, made with love by Grace and Grandma Ang, and possible because he'd blurted out their wonderful secret to their family early.
A bubblegum shampoo label. So innocuous, even mundane, but symbolic of the love and care they'd shown each other without words for years.
He looked up at her to see she had tears in her eyes as she gazed back at him, waiting for his reaction.
"Cath–" he started, his mouth suddenly dry. He swallowed thickly. "I–" He shook his head, lost for words. "I–"
"I thought we could start a different kind of wall in here," she said, her voice filled with emotion. "A memory wall."
"A memory wall," he repeated quietly. He looked back at the box. "Is that–" He stopped. "Is that napkin really from …"
"Iron Fairies," she finished, smiling and nodding through her tears. "In Bangkok."
"When did you …?"
"Snagged it when you went to pay for the drinks."
"You can still see the ring from …"
"Your glass, yes."
His eyes shifted to another corner of the box. "And this is a receipt for a chocolate milkshake from August 31st, 1996." He looked at her, full of awe.
"I found it in my pocket the morning after we met. I was gonna toss it, but … something made me keep it. I folded it up and used it as a bookmark in my Reef Points." She smiled softly. "Told myself it was so I wouldn't waste paper. But that wasn't why."
"And you kept it all these years. You kept … all of these things …" he said in amazement.
She shrugged, smiling. "Not so hard to keep the small things like that. Not when they're important."
He leaned over, raising his hands and holding her face gently to kiss her deeply.
"This is incredible, Catherine. This is our life together."
"And we're nowhere near done," she said firmly. She sat back and picked up the other, smaller present. "So my theme is our past … and our future." She put it in his hands and encouraged him to open it.
He tore his eyes away from the shadowbox and put it on the nightstand so he could open the second gift. Inside was silver stethoscope. He looked up at her questioningly.
She smiled softly. "In case the app thing doesn't work out."
He carefully lifted the medical instrument from the box, staring at it in his hands.
Without a word, he put the ear tips in his ears then leaned down to place the chest piece on her stomach.
"Steve, it's too early, you won't be able to–"
He shook his head. "I can hear it," he said earnestly. "That's a sound I'll never forget."
She put a hand to his head, tears running down her cheeks.
Silently, she shifted to lie back, guiding his head down with her to keep it in place. She ran her fingers through his hair gently, looking down at him.
"Merry Christmas, Steve," she whispered.
"Merry Christmas, Cath," he replied before placing a gentle kiss to her stomach. "Merry Christmas, Niblet."
Hope you enjoyed!
It's a big shadowbox, REAL McRollers! What mementos would you like to see inside? Send your ideas to realmcroll at yahoo dot com, tweet them to Mari at Mari21763, write them in a review, or send us a message on our Tumblr (mcrollintherealworld dot tumblr dot com). We'll post the finalists next week on Saturday, January 7th.