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Out of Sorts
Steve ran a hand through his hair as he paced the upstairs hall, eyes glued to the bedroom doorway.
"And what's the E.T.A. on a call back? Seriou– it means estimated time of … nevermind. How long until someone calls me back?"
He ended the call and moved into their bedroom where Catherine was cradling Angie, rocking her gently and whispering, "It's okay, Mommy's got you," over and over into her ear.
"They said Doctor Hiroya's not on call tonight but her associate will get back to us within the hour," he huffed. "What the hell kind of answer is that? An hour's a huge window. I'm giving them twenty and calling back."
"I'm sure she'll call soon, they're all very good, but ..." His wife's eyes were shimmering as she kissed Angie's temple and his gut clenched when their daughter let out another wail.
Cammie was looking between them as if to say, "Help your tiny human, she's crying."
Steve bent to scratch the dog's ears and said, "Good girl, we know you hate to see her cry, too." Before he reached for Angie. "Let me try again, you've been walking her for half an hour." He took the baby and tried to place her against his chest, but she was having none of it. Her arms flailed and her little legs pumped the air.
"Angie, Angie, Daddy's right here. Mommy, too. We know you're sore, but the shots are so you don't get sick later on, baby. Mommy and I have had a hundred vaccines between us, we know …" he said as though explaining to the two month old would soothe her.
"She's never cried like this … or for this long." Catherine bit her lip. "The doctor said she might be sore and cranky, but …"
"I know … here, take her back for a second." He pulled out his phone. "I'm calling Danny."
"Good." She nodded and cuddled Angie who was making staccato cry-hiccup noises. "I thought about calling my mom - but they're still in the theater, I don't want to scare them but …"
He nodded. "There's no way we're letting her cry like this till a doctor calls back." Steve finished her sentence as he hit speed dial 2 on his phone.
Danny Williams turned the washing machine on and hoisted a laundry basket of clean clothes just as his phone rang. Seeing his partner's name, he answered, "I'm about to watch the game I DVRed - don't tell me we caught a …" but his voice changed immediately when his best friend's tone reached his ears.
"Danny."
With one word, he knew something was up. Something non-work related. "What's wrong?"
"Angie got her shots today … I … we can't get her to stop crying. It's two hours, Danny. She never cries like this, she's gonna exhaust herself if she keeps it up. They said the on call doctor will get back to us in an hour, or we can go to the ER if we think it's an allergic reaction." His frustration colored every word. "I've seen an allergic vaccine reaction, that's not what this is."
His normally stoic partner's words came out in a rush. Danny could hear the baby wailing in the background and he asked, "Is she running a fever? Put me on speaker."
"99.5," Steve answered in a less anxious voice as he hit speaker.
"Respiration normal?"
"Normal. And no swelling at the injection sites."
He knew getting his best friend into a mindframe where he felt more control would get the new father in a better place right away. "Good. That's good, she's sore and she's got a little fever. Do you want me to come over?"
"No, no. We're okay, I just … should we give her the Tylenol drops? The book said 99.5 doesn't require medication and the doctor's supposed to call me back, but we don't think we should wait …"
"You're right." Just the absolute certainty in Danny's voice reassured both new parents. "Give her the Tylenol. And take off whatever she's got on, leave her in a diaper till her temperature's normal. I can come …"
Steve's exhale was audible and Danny could hear Catherine murmuring to Angie before she said, "I'll grab the Tylenol."
She passed Steve the baby and was back in under a minute. He placed Angie on their bed and she measured the dose and administered it while he held onto their now whimpering daughter. Capping the bottle and placing it on the dresser, she removed her onesie and said, "Okay, there we go. C'mon, baby girl, let's walk a little more."
While Cammie, who had been glued to her side, followed Catherine, she rubbed little circles on Angie's back as she paced the room humming quietly.
"How long till it works?" Steve retrieved the phone from the bed.
"By the time the doctor calls, I bet she's asleep."
The experienced father sounded so calm that they shared a small, hopeful smile.
"Steve, listen." He took a breath. "I know how much it sucks. She'll be fine in an hour. Keep up with the Tylenol till tomorrow. And seriously, if you want me to come …"
Steve shook his head in a gesture his partner couldn't see. "No, Danny, thanks, really. We wouldn't have called but she's … hurting." His voice conveyed exactly how much the thought was tearing him up. "I couldn't let her hurt … I figured you'd know what to do."
"And what did I say from the minute I knew she was coming? Uncle Danno is always at your service."
"Thank you, Danny," Catherine said from across the room. "We'll let you go, but we may …"
"Call me back anytime," he finished her thought. "She's gonna be fine, Cath, you guys are doing great. I bet she'll be asleep by the next time I check in," he said. "Actually, if it's before I do, you call me when she's asleep or she takes a bottle. Then we'll know you're over the hump."
"Okay, promise." Catherine kissed the baby's head and placed her in Steve's outstretched arms.
"Thanks, Danny," he repeated and ended the call as he went to the balcony and walked Angie outside. Turning to his wife, who was following so closely she'd have bumped into him if he stopped short, he said, "Maybe the breeze will help," as he paced the outdoor area in the night air. "You like the breeze, don't you, sweetheart? Look, we can see the ocean from here. Daddy's gonna take you swimming soon and we'll have so much fun." He caught Catherine's eyes in the light spilling out from their bedroom. They were pained but a little less worried now that they'd implemented a plan. Catherine always liked a plan.
Fifteen minutes later they were walking a whimpering Angie in the living room when the sound of a key had Cammie alerting and both of them facing the door.
"Danny, you didn't have to …" Catherine began but her tone was full of gratitude for their friend's thoughtfulness and dedication.
He shushed her protest away. "Grace is at a sleepover, Gabby's on the big island at a conference, Nonna's at the show with Grandma Ang and your folks … I was bored anyway." His grin gave him away. "Besides, you couldn't call your mom, if she saw you were calling while they were still in the theater you'd scare her."
He moved to place a hand on the baby's tiny forehead. "Hey, beautiful. Not feeling so well, are you? That's okay, Mom and Dad are gonna make it all better." He looked at Catherine. "She's quieter already. The fever's down, too? She feels normal."
Catherine nodded just as Steve's phone rang.
"Finally!" He connected the call. Without a greeting he said, "Doctor? Steve McGarrett. We took our daughter in this morning. She saw Doctor Hiroya for her first shots. Yes. Angeline Elizabeth. DTaP, Hib, IPV, PCV, HBV and RV."
Catherine gave Danny a small smile when he shook his head at his best friend knowing every vaccine off the top of his head. She kissed the baby's cheek as she listened to her husband detail Angie's day for the covering doctor.
"She was a little sluggish this afternoon but my wife said she slept and ate …Yes, I understand that's normal…" His waning patience was in his voice. "She even took a whole five and a half ounces for me at six. Then she woke up screaming from a nap over two hours ago and she's been inconsolable."
He switched the phone from one hand to the other and back. "We already gave her Tylenol, I couldn't stand … okay. Yeah. Quieter. 98.7 right now. You're sure? Um okay. You, too."
He ended the call and turned to Catherine. She'd sat down on the sofa and was offering Angie the bottle she was about to try when Danny came in.
"She's eating!" Her voice was as happy as he'd ever heard, and probably the most relieved.
"The doctor said the same thing you did," he told his smiling partner, then faced Catherine. "Tylenol's fine through tomorrow and it's working if she quiets down and eats." He wiped a hand over his eyes and sighed. "You didn't have to come over, Danny, but … thanks."
He waved a hand. "Grace had a little upheaval after her first shots. I remember feeling like the most worthless dad in the world when I couldn't calm her down." He clasped Steve's shoulder. "It gets less scary. I promise. Not that there aren't a thousand other things to scare the shit out of you along the way, but it really does get less terrifying."
Steve looked at his daughter, who was clutching Catherine's finger as she held the bottle. She was sleepy-eyed and eating hungrily. Running a hand behind his neck, he shook his head. His partner often busted him about having no fear. Of anything. And aside from Catherine's safety, for a very long time he'd had none. Right now, however, he couldn't imagine what having his daughter in real danger would be like, but his understanding of his best friend's protectiveness just grew again. Exponentially. He shared a knowing 'totally worth every second' look with the other dad and returned his eyes to his wife.
His heart soared when Catherine held up the empty bottle and smiled.
Three hours later, Steve and Catherine were lying in bed with Angie fast asleep on her father's chest.
Her temperature had remained normal and she was dressed in a lightweight onesie, sans socks. Catherine touched her feet, then her forehead, feeling for any traces of fever. "She's nice and cool," she whispered.
Steve took her hand and kissed it. "Looks like we got through it." His smile was tired but happy. "Together. As usual."
"With a little back up. That was very sweet of Danny to come check on Angie."
"I think he was checking on us." The corner of his mouth twitched up. "But yeah, he's a good uncle."
"Good brothers make good uncles." She nodded. "I think we can put her down."
"Hmm, another minute." He splayed his fingers over the tiny body. "Did you see when she was really upset, how she pushed against me? She's gotten so strong already."
"She was definitely not giving in. Just like you." She smiled to see how pleased that made him, and they fell into a contented silence.
Another five minutes had passed when Steve sighed. "Okay, let's get you to bed." He shifted and kissed her head before Catherine took Angie and as gently as possible, placed her in the bassinet. Not wanting her to get too chilly, she put a pair of tiny red polka dot socks on her feet to pair with the short-sleeved onesie and put her into a light sleepsack.
When the baby gave a little cooing sigh and continued to sleep, she slid back in bed and cuddled against Steve's side. He had something to say, she could feel it, so she waited.
He laced their fingers and rested their hands on his chest. "I've stitched a guy up with sewing thread and didn't break a sweat, but when she was full-blown screaming I could feel my heartbeat in my ears."
She nodded. "I've felt less helpless during artillery barrages."
"We did good, Cath."
She stretched up to kiss him. "Together."
"Together. What do you say we sleep in tomorrow? I'll run Cammie while Angie eats and we can come back to bed?"
"That sounds amazing. I feel like I ran five clicks with a sixty pound pack." She shifted to glance at the sleeping baby and grinned at the 110 pound dog who hadn't settled until the baby did. "Good job, pretty girl."
"Looks like all's quiet at the front."
"Thank God." She looked up at Steve from where she'd rested her head against his shoulder. "Got any energy left?"
Her voice was playful, but he knew after the evening's tension and worry she craved the physical and emotional comfort being with him would provide as much as he did.
"Always. I'm thinking it's your choice tonight. What'd you have in mind?"
She pushed up and kissed him slowly. "Whatever we decide. Together."
# End thanks for reading
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