Catherine buried her toes in the warm sand, flexing them back and forth as she looked out over the ocean. It was another beautiful day in paradise, and she was content to be sitting in a lounge chair under the shade of a cabana. The pale skin of her very pregnant belly was poking out beneath her tankini top, a magazine perched across her own personal "shelf" as he had become fond of calling it.
She scanned the water, lowering her sunglasses down from atop her head. To her left, Steve, Kono, and Grace were sitting astride their surfboards, waiting patiently for the next good wave to arrive. Further down and to her right, Danny was sitting close to the shoreline with Charlie, helping his son build a sandcastle of some sort.
Satisfied that her overbearing husband was about to be preoccupied as he slid down onto his board and began paddling, the swell of the next set of waves starting to approach, Catherine took action.
Slowly she pulled the bright orange and brown wrapper up from her towel then quickly slid it under the magazine. Steve was up now, starting to ride the wave along the shoreline. Carefully, she reached inside and broke off a piece of chocolate and peanut buttery goodness. In a move that she hoped looked more like a hand to her mouth as she yawned she popped the tasty morsel into her mouth. The flavor burst across her tongue and she sighed as she savored every moment of it.
"You know-"
Catherine froze as she heard Chin's voice coming from behind her. Where the hell had he come from? Little rat. He was almost as sneaky as Steve, almost.
Chin continued as he plopped down into the lounge chair beside her, "You know there's going to be hell to pay if Steve finds out about that?"
Catherine cocked her head to the side, sunglasses disguising her narrowed eyes, "Well he doesn't have to find out, now does he?"
Chin chuckled as he shook his head, "He won't hear it from me."
Catherine gave up her pretense of hiding for a moment and licked the small amount of melted chocolate from her fingertips, destroying any evidence. "Mahalo!"
Chin smiled and raised his beer before taking a sip.
Catherine turned her attention back towards the surf just in time to see Steve dragging his board from the water. She slipped the candy back into her towel, tucking it away safely as Steve approached.
Steve jammed his board into the sand next to the cabana and then leaned over Catherine as he shook his head like a dog.
"Steve!" Catherine sputtered as the droplets of water rained down, soaking her magazine in the process. Steve stood back up, laughing as he slicked his hair back with one hand while wiping his face with the other. He quickly leaned back down and gave Catherine a peck on her check as she muttered about mangy animals.
Steve sniffed at the air and stood back up, the smile gone from his face. "Alright Rollins, hand it over."
Catherine smiled and shook her head at he use of her maiden name. Steve still called her by it at times, mostly when he was exasperated with her in some way. She slid the sunglasses back atop her head and tried to give her best innocent look, "What are you talking about?"
"Yip!" Steve cut her off, snapping his fingers, "C'mon, don't make me frisk you."
She gave an exaggerated sigh as she reached for her stash. Catherine glanced sideways towards Chin who only looked on in fond amusement. Traitor.
"Fine," she grumbled as she handed over the offending candy bar. Steve snatched it from her hand and took note. It had the big word, Reese's scrawled across it and the letters XL in the corner. It wasn't just a set of peanut butter cups, it was a bar of it!
"Catherine!" Steve squawked! "This thing is huge! It's bigger than a regular Hershey's bar!"
Catherine shrugged her shoulders and glanced back towards the sand, curling her toes again. If this was supposed to make her feel guilty, it wasn't happening.
"You do remember the doctor told you to watch your blood sugar, right?" Steve asked. He didn't even know why he bothered to ask. Of course she knew! But she didn't seem to CARE. Not like Steve had. He sighed, "It's not good for you or the baby, Cath."
"I know," Catherine whispered.
Steve looked upwards toward the sky, like he thought some divine power would intercede on his behalf. Catherine had developed an insatiable sweet tooth over the past two months. And Steve quickly realized that his wife was in serious danger of a sugar overload if he didn't take control of the situation. It was only reinforced by the blood work that came shortly behind and the doctor's concern that she might develop gestational diabetes.
While Steve had thought that news would have curbed her appetite, it only caused subterfuge. But Steve wasn't one to back down from a challenge so he'd combed the island, turning over every sugar shack and treat shop he could find. He'd issued a personal BOLO on his wife, depositing her photo and strict instructions to call him if she showed up.
Steve wasn't sure it would work at first, but it didn't take long before the first call came in and he had cornered his wife by her car. Catherine had turned beet red and sputtered indignantly as he took her stash and gave her strict instructions to return home or else.
Catherine shot him a look that would have sent most men running, but Steve simply shrugged and kissed her on the cheek before placing his hand on her head and pushed her down into the seat of her car like some sort of perp.
The second call came in a few days later and Steve couldn't help but chuckle as he watched his pregnant wife trying to run around the corner. All the grace and agility was gone, replaced by a sort of waddle that reminded Steve of a baby duck.
Steve took his time reaching the corner and then leaned against the brick and shook his head. Catherine was standing in the alley with one bon bon in her hand and another in her mouth. "You can' take ma choc!" she'd mumbled around the candy.
Steve pushed himself off the wall, sighing her name as she approached.
"You can't!" Bits of chocolate flew out her mouth, one sugar coated finger pointing at Steve.
Steve closed his eyes as specks of chocolate went flying before landing on his face. He grabbed the offending finger and slipped his hand into Catherine's. "Sweetheart," he opened his eyes, "This isn't healthy."
No more calls came in for a while, and Steve had thought maybe he'd gotten through to his wife. But that was short lived. The call came in while he and Danny were speeding down the highway in a car chase. "McGarrett!" Steve swore as he swerved around a car and into another lane of traffic.
"Uh, yeah is this Steve McGarrett?" a hushed voice came across the speaker.
"Yes, it is. Who am I speaking with?" Steve turned the wheel hard as they turned a corner onto another street.
"Uh, my name is Brian. I work at 'Scoop Me Up' ice cream parlor. " The guys voice was barely audible above the screeching tires and sirens.
"I'm sorry, you're gonna have to speak up or call back. I'm in the middle of something-"
"I said my name is Brian," the voice was a little stronger now but not by much, "My manager told me to call you. He said you left a message to be informed if a woman came in that matched a picture he had."
"Damn," Steve swore under his breath before speaking up again, "Yea Brian, I did." He glanced over at Danny who had one hand on the oh shit handle of the car and his other in a fist in his mouth trying not to laugh. Steve turned his attention back to the road as he spoke, "Is she there now?"
"Uh yea, she's here. She, uh, she-" a loud static came across the speaker, followed by a few explicatives. Steve thought he could hear a door close before Brian spoke up again, this time his full voice came across the line. "Look dude she is whacked!"
Steve laid into the accelerator as the car before them gained some distance, "Yeah what'd she do?"
"She's got Tina in some sort of freaky head vice and is threatening to call our district manager if we don't meet her demands. What am I supposed to do, man?! My manager Phil said I could get fired if I give this lady anything."
HPD cars started filing in around the Camaro and Steve eased up on the accelerator as he saw the chains being slung across the highway in the distance. He shook his head, "Yeah? Well what are her demands, Brian?"
There was another bout of static and noise before the voice came across again, "She says she wants a caramel turtle fudge sundae." There was a brief silence, then, "Make that a large she said."
Steve looked over at Danny who was in an all out battle not to give a full out chuckle. "This is funny to you?"
Danny wiped his eyes, "Yea. Yea it is."
"Alright, Brian what's your location?" Steve gave his best command voice.
Steve fumbled with the phone's GPS as Brian gave the physical address of the ice cream parlor. "Copy that. All right Brian here's what I want you to do. Sit tight. I'm on my way. DO NOT, I repeat, DO NOT give her anything with sugar in it. Do I make myself clear?"
"Yes, yes sir. But what if she-"
"Brian, I need you to stay focused. Can you do that for me?" Steve watched the HPD officers surround the suspect's car and threw the Camaro in reverse, ignoring the honks of the other drivers as he weaved through the traffic until he reached a side road. Steve quickly jerked the wheel and the tires squealed as he took off down the road. "Brian? You still with me, buddy?"
"Yea. Uh, yea I'm still here."
"Look, I promise you everything is going to be just fine. " Steve glanced at the GPS, "We're only five minutes out, okay? You're doing great man, I'll be there soon!" Steve disconnected the call before the boy could reply.
Once the call was dead, Danny let loose and started howling with laughter.
"You seriously think this is funny?" Steve growled.
"Oh God, Steve! Hell yes it's funny!" Danny was holding his sides he was laughing so hard.
"You do know this is dangerous right? If Catherine doesn't stop eating all this damn sugar it's going to make her sick. You can comprehend that, can't you?"
Danny wiped his eyes again, clearing his throat, "I know. I'm sorry, babe. I just can't believe that you two have turned this into an all out battle."
Steve couldn't believe it either if he was honest with himself. They drove in silence until they reached Scoop Me Up ice cream parlor. Steve got out of car first, motioning for Danny to cover the side of the entrance as he took point. He took a deep breath and opened the door, the tinkering of the bell signaling his arrival.
Steve scanned the tables, noticing the overturned chairs and half eaten sundaes and cones slowly melting down. He took one step forward, and then…
"Don't move, McGarrett." Catherine's voice was smooth and deadly.
He lifted his hands in mock surrender, "Catherine, do you really want to do this?"
Catherine materialized around the corner of one of the pillars scattered around the room. Poor Tina was trapped in a vice grip and looked like a deer caught in the headlights. "You're not leaving me any choice, Steve."
"What are you gonna do, Cath? Huh? Are you seriously going to tell me that you would hurt some poor innocent civilian over a scoop of ice cream?" Steve continued his sweep of the room, his eyes landing on the serving counter. A blond head bobbed up and down behind it. That had to be Brian.
"Well maybe if a certain someone hadn't treated me like a criminal, I wouldn't have to resort to such drastic measures," Catherine lifted her head in a challenge.
Steve moved fast and if Catherine hadn't been almost seven months pregnant she could have countered his move but between the shift in her center of gravity and the grip on the girl, Catherine couldn't and Steve had banked on it. "Gotcha," he whispered in her ear as he had her in the clutches of his own vice grip.
"God dammit, Steve!" Catherine cried out, "That's totally unfair and you know it!"
"Be a good girl and let go of Tina, alright?" Steve crooned in Catherine's ear.
Steve could feel Catherine trembling before she let her arm fall away. Tina scurried away like a frightened puppy.
"I hate you!" Catherine spat through grinding teeth.
"Of course you do," Steve kissed the top of her head. "Now, we're going to walk out of here slowly and never come back, is that understood?"
Catherine continued to seethe in his grip, "Fine!"
"Thanks Brian," Steve hollered over his paraded his wife out the door. Once they were outside Catherine began to struggle in his grip, "Steve I swear if you don't let go of me I'll-"
"What, Catherine, you'll do what? Go OD on sugar until you slip into a coma? Dammit, why do you have to be so stubborn about this, huh? What's it going to take to get it through that big brain of yours that you can't eat sugar!" Steve finally loosened his grip enough to let Catherine wiggle free.
Catherine simply sighed and began to waddle away towards her car, flipping the bird in the air as crossed the parking lot.
"Love you!" Steve called out, "I'll see you at home!"
"Bite me!" Catherine called back before she got her Stingray and sped out of the parking lot.
That had been the last major incident and Steve had thought maybe he had gotten through to his stubborn wife. The next doctor's visit proved him wrong and Steve could only shake his head in disbelief as the doctor gave Catherine a strong look of disapproval, "Mrs. McGarrett, I cannot stress to you how important it is that you watch your diet. Your fasting glucose is up another 3 points from the previous one and your A1C puts you in the pre-diabetic range."
Catherine simply scowled at the man.
"Now,' the doctor continued, "I've taken the liberty of enrolling you in a nutritional class that is designed for managing diabetes. I think it would be very beneficial for you to attend this course. It's not long. Just two days, and they meet right here in our medical towers. You will learn how to plan meals, differentiate good carbs from bad, and so on and so forth. This will help you stabilize your sugar and avoid spikes….."
Steve gripped the armchair and gave Catherine his best 'I'm gonna kick your ass if you don't listen' death glare. Catherine rolled her eyes and focused her attention toward a hangnail on her right hand.
"So, now that that's settled," the doctor nodded, "I want you back in my office first thing in the morning. No food or drink after midnight, are we clear?"
"Wait, what?" Catherine gestured her hands out, "I don't see you again for another two weeks."
The doctor sighed, "Mrs. McGarrett if you had been paying attention to what I was saying you would have heard me tell you that you are scheduled for a Glucose Tolerance Test starting tomorrow morning at 8 AM. " The doctor slide a packet of paperwork across the desk towards Catherine, "Please don't make this difficult on yourself. Read the information I've provided and attend the class. I only want what's best for you and your child. I hope you understand that."
Catherine reached out and took the paperwork as she maneuvered out of the chair, nodding to the doctor before heading out the door. Steve followed behind silently, but Catherine knew that wouldn't last long. Sure enough once they were out the front door of the medical building he let loose.
"You are going to take that test tomorrow, are we clear?"
"Yes," Catherine sighed as she made it to truck.
"Cath, I'm serious!" Steve opened the door for her, waiting patiently as she maneuvered her belly up and into the cab of the truck. "I know you are, Steve, I know." Catherine moaned.
The test had backfired spectacularly when the results showed Catherine did not have diabetes. She was still considered pre-diabetic but that little fact had rolled right off her shoulders. The test result gave Catherine the ammunition she needed to prove that she could have her sugars.
Steve had backed off after he'd found Catherine crying uncontrollably on the bathroom floor. She'd made herself sick eating a bag of caramel filled Hershey's kisses that she'd managed to sneak past him and spent the better part of an afternoon hanging her head over the toilet.
He'd waived the proverbial white flag and agreed to lift the sugar ban from the house, as long as Catherine would stop sneaking around and binging on the damn stuff. And for the most part, Catherine had complied. But every now and then, Steve stumbled across a hidden candy bar or bag of treats in the most insane places. He didn't get why she felt the need to hide.
Steve blinked against the glaring sun and shook his head to clear all the memories and brought himself back to the present.
"I'm sorry," Catherine gave her best-wounded puppy look.
"Catherine,' Steve sighed. He shook his head and walked behind his wife, depositing the candy bar inside the side pouch of the soft shell cooler before retrieving a bottle of water and a Longboard. He thrust the water towards Catherine and waited patiently for her to retrieve it.
Steve retrieved another lounge chair and twisted the cap off the beer as he insinuated himself between Chin and his wife. He took a drag from the bottle before turning towards Catherine, "It's not much longer now, you know?"
"I know," Catherine nodded as she played with the label on the bottle of water.
Steve reached over and slipped the damp magazine off her stomach. Catherine raised her arms as Steve placed his free hand atop her belly. Waving his beer around, Steve gestured towards Danny still playing in the sand with Charlie, "Soon, Cath, one day very soon that's going to be us."
Catherine smiled as she took in the scene before her, "I can't wait."