We are shocked and horrified by the unimaginable tragedy in Nice. Our hearts go out to everyone affected by the attack with the hope that that can bring some small comfort in the days ahead.
Shift (A McRoll in the REAL World Story)
"The Secretary of State," Gabby said again, shaking her head in amazement as she, Danny, Catherine, and Steve walked through Kakaako Waterfront Park. The four had gotten together for brunch and opted to enjoy the sunny day a little longer. "That's incredible, Cath."
"It was a team effort," Catherine insisted causing Steve to shake his head with a small smile.
"I'm sure it was," Gabby said. "But he called you so he obviously recognized those women wouldn't be safely on their way home without all of your hard work."
"Exactly," Steve and Danny agreed simultaneously.
"That's the most important thing," Catherine said. "All of the women are finally healthy enough to travel and are headed home after their ordeal. They've shown amazing resilience throughout everything."
"Amazing," Gabby repeated. "And I'm glad you didn't get a worse infection after your exposure."
"I'm completely fine," Catherine assured her. "The antibiotics did their job."
Gabby nodded in relief.
"And speaking of jobs," Catherine went on, "Danny said you're headed to D.C. next week?"
"That's right. I'm presenting at a conference."
"She's a very highly sought after speaker," Danny said, smiling proudly.
Gabby tried to brush off the compliment. "Well, I'm one on a long list at this conference."
Steve chuckled. "What's with you and Catherine not wanting to accept compliments when they're well-earned?"
"Pot, kettle, Commander," Catherine retorted.
Danny puffed up his chest, grinning. "Well, I happen to very good at accepting compliments."
"Clearly," Steve deadpanned. "You're also very good at giving them to yourself."
Danny balked. "I'll have you know–"
"Catherine!"
They all turned at the sound of the voice behind them to see a man with a toddler on his hip and a smiling woman approaching slowly. Catherine, Steve, and Danny recognized the small family immediately, and the four headed toward them.
"Cindy, Gary!" Catherine called back, smiling broadly.
The reason for the slow pace became apparent the closer they got.
"Whoa, look at you," Danny said and grinned. "I don't need to go boil water and find clean towels, do I?"
Cindy laughed, running a hand over her prominent belly. "Oh no. This birth is going to go much smoother than last time around. I plan on camping out in the hospital waiting room starting around 35 weeks," she joked. Her eyes twinkled teasingly. "Although, those towels Steve bought us are pretty worn by now … we could use a new set."
"The sheets, too, while we're at it," Gary added with a grin.
"Cindy, Gary, this is my girlfriend Gabby Ansano," Danny said, motioning between the three. "Cindy and Gary Rogers, and this little angel is, of course, Grace Catherine."
The little girl buried her head in Gary's neck as all attention went to her, but she peeked out at them shyly.
"Hi there, sweetheart," Catherine said warmly. "I love your sunglasses."
Little Grace touched the bright yellow plastic sunglasses, a small smile appearing on her face.
"Oh my goodness," Gabby said, her eyes widening in realization. "This is the little baby you guys delivered in the rain storm."
"Yep," Gary said, brushing back his daughter's dark hair. "Two and half years ago."
"It's so nice to meet you all," Gabby said genuinely. "And congratulations! When are you due?"
"Not soon enough," Cindy said immediately, earning a sympathetic smile from Catherine and Gabby.
"September 2nd," Gary clarified, putting a supportive arm around her shoulder. He looked at Steve and Catherine. "Hey, congratulations to you guys as well! We saw the Navy Times article about the wedding."
"Thank you," Steve said, an easy smile lighting his face. His hand found Catherine's between them, and he laced their fingers together.
Cindy smiled knowingly. "I won't ask when you'll be hearing the pitter patter of tiny feet. I got awfully tired of hearing that question, and it started … oh … before we even got married," she said, glancing at her husband.
He nodded his agreement. "Early and often." He chuckled. "And if you can believe it, it doesn't stop after you've had one," he added, nodding at little Grace.
"Do you know what you're having?" Gabby asked. "If you don't mind me asking."
"Not at all," Cindy said, running a hand over her belly again. "It's a boy." She shared an amused smile with her husband. "At least, according to the second ultrasound."
"That was the case last time, too, until little Gracie came out." He smiled at his daughter before looking back at the others. "But it did seem pretty definitive, if you know what I mean."
"Are you excited to have a baby brother soon, Grace?" Catherine asked the little girl.
"Baby in Mommy's tummy," she said quietly.
Danny smiled broadly. "That's right. And you are going to love being a big sister, just like my Grace."
"Actually, I'm really glad we ran into you," Cindy said. "We've been meaning to get in touch."
"Oh?" Catherine asked.
Cindy and Gary exchanged a quick look, and he nodded that she should continued. "We've been narrowing down names …"
"... for a while," he put in.
She chuckled with a little eye roll of acknowledgement. "Right. And, well, the only name we can agree on … is Daniel Steven."
Catherine and Gabby's eyes flew to the two men who both looked momentarily shocked at the pronouncement.
Danny recovered first. "Wow, I'm … I'm honored …" He looked at Steve. "I think I can safely say we're both honored."
"Absolutely," Steve said, sounding slightly awed. Catherine squeezed his hand, and he cleared his throat. "That's … wow. Thank you."
"Thank you," Cindy stressed. "We'll never forget what you did for us that day." She looked at Steve, Danny, and Catherine. "All three of you."
Gary shook his head, his face clouding briefly. "I don't want to think what might have happened if you hadn't been there with Cindy and Gracie."
Catherine gave a small smile of understanding. "Well, fortunately you don't have to." She glanced at Steve whose eyes had grown unfocused. She placed a gentle hand on their joined ones, recalling him to the conversation.
He looked back at Cindy and Gary. "That really is an incredible honor."
"It is," Danny agreed genuinely before grinning. "And hey, if that ultrasound turns out to be wrong again, Danielle is also a very lovely name."
Steve was quiet on the way home, the meeting with the Rogers leaving him more pensive than he could remember being for a long time.
They had wished the family good luck, and received assurances of a September birth announcement in return. Steve and Catherine had parted ways with Danny and Gabby shortly after and headed back to the beach house in a mostly silent drive.
Once home, Steve took Cammie out while Catherine purposely remained inside. Cammie, too, seemed to sense his need for quiet reflection, and rather than insisting on a game, followed him as his feet were drawn to the beach.
After a moment, he took a seat facing the ocean, and Cammie sat silently beside him. His eyes stayed on the water even as he picked up handfuls of sand and let the grains fall through his fingers in a gesture that would seem idle if it were anyone else doing it.
But this wasn't just any spot of beach. He had felt the emotional pull of this particular patch of sand. This spot where his life had shifted not once, not twice, but three times.
This was the spot where he'd told Catherine he loved her. Where she told him she'd always known, and that she loved him, too.
This was the spot where he'd asked her to marry him. Where they'd exchanged private vows the morning of their wedding day.
He'd given her a necklace filled with sand from this spot that same morning. She wore it often and whenever she did, he felt the same swell of emotions he felt now. The same feelings of love, of home, of completeness.
But this time there was more, a growing feeling inside, and he needed to sort out all the thoughts swirling in his head in order to share them with the woman he loved.
It was several minutes later but he was still in the same spot when Catherine finally came out and sat beside him. He felt her expectation but wasn't surprised when she remained quiet. She never rushed him. In all their years together. She always gave him time to compose his thoughts, knowing instinctively when he was ready to talk. He didn't think he could ever express how grateful he was for that.
He turned to look at her, leaning forward and kissing her deeply when she met his gaze, conveying his thanks for her patience without a word yet certain she understood.
When they parted she smiled softly, and he knew he was right.
He found her hand between them as he had earlier in the park, and laced their fingers together. He rubbed his thumb across her engagement and wedding rings, a motion that had the power to center him like few things he'd ever experienced. Every one of those things, he realized, was related to Catherine.
And with that, he was ready.
"Seeing the Rogers today …" he began, "it got me thinking."
She tilted her head, listening intently.
"That day with Cindy and," his lip lifted in a small half smile, "little Gracie, that was the first time I really let myself … imagine it. You and me having a …" He paused and took a breath, changing tack slightly. His brow furrowed and, licking his lips, he continued, "Everything that happened with my family when I was younger … I didn't think I'd ever …" He sighed, and she tightened her fingers around his. "Family wasn't something I expected for myself. And then I met you, but our lives, our jobs, our … our priorities … everything was so uncertain and I wasn't … ready to go there. So I didn't let myself think about it."
She nodded slowly, keeping her eyes locked on his.
He swallowed. "And then that rainy day two years ago, with Cindy in labor … when I wasn't sure what to do or whether I'd be able to help the way she needed, Danny said if it was my baby wouldn't I want someone there helping things go smoothly, and I … I thought of you."
Her mouth opened slightly, inhaling, but she stayed quiet.
"That was the first time I really thought of you and me having a baby." He shook his head. "We weren't ready then but … I could see it happening. Someday. I could see it." His eyes drifted to the water, seeing it once again. "And since then … the picture in my mind has gotten clearer." He looked back at her. "Which brings us to today."
Releasing his hand, Catherine shifted to face him more fully. The conversation was by no means out of the blue. They'd talked about expanding their family several times now, but this ... this felt different.
Finally speaking, she decided to begin with today. "Seeing the Rogers brought all this to mind?"
"Yeah." His brow creased slightly. "It wasn't just seeing them, though. This has been on my mind more and more. I mean, we talked on Father's Day about having a plan by Thanksgiving."
She nodded, every word of that conversation etched in her mind.
"And actually, Aaron and I talked about it some when they were here a couple weeks ago," he continued.
She raised her eyebrows, a small, pleased smile on her face at that. Steve and Aaron had come a long way since the background check, and it made her incredibly happy that Steve had confided in his sister's boyfriend.
"It's like everything is pointing us this way," he said. "Joanie flushing your pills, now seeing the Rogers …"
"The antibiotics for the respiratory infection, and the pharmacist reminding me they could affect my birth control," she added.
"Right."
She paused, searching his face. Steve was like her, believing you made your own path and your own decisions. Yet here he was, pointing out signs.
Licking her lips slowly, she reached for his hand again and asked, "What are you saying, Steve?"
"You think someone's trying to tell us something?"
Her lip quirked in a smile. "What? The universe wants us to have a baby?" she teased, expecting him to reply in kind. Even in the middle of their serious conversations, their natural banter always shined through, so she was surprised when he cocked an eyebrow and gave a little shrug in response.
She took a deep breath, feeling the enormity of the moment.
"Forget the universe for a second," she said and looked at him steadily. "What do you want?"
He shook his head slightly. "Whatever you want."
"Steve," she said simply, not letting him revert to his standard response. This wasn't like the wedding. It couldn't just be whatever she wanted.
He paused, but only to take a slow, sure breath. When he spoke, his voice was absolutely certain.
"I want to have a baby with you."
Her breath caught, tears pricking at her eyes.
"I'm ready," he continued. "I think we're ready. As ready as anyone can be." He swallowed, his brow creasing. "What about you?"
"I'm ready," she said immediately, a smile growing on her face. "I want this. I know it's gonna mean changes for us. A lot of changes. At home, at work … but I want this. I want a family with you, Steve, I've known that for a long time, and I want to try to have a baby. Everything else, we can figure out."
"Yes, we can," he said firmly. "There is nothing the two of us can't do together."
Together. Her heart leapt at the word. Together they had faced challenges, shared triumphs, and overcome obstacles. As strong as they were individually, they had shown unequivocally that they were stronger together, and now they would enter this new chapter in their life the same way. Together.
Their lips met, signaling the monumental shift in their lives.
When the parted, Catherine beamed, flushed with excitement, her eyes bright. "We're gonna do this."
Steve smiled broadly. "Yeah, we are." He kissed her again. "We're gonna have a baby."
She grinned, her heart full but unable to resist teasing him. "It won't happen overnight."
"I know," he said, chuckling.
Her expression softened. "But you and I both know that good things are worth the wait," she said and touched his wedding band meaningfully.
He smiled back, his face alight with joy. "We're ready."
Raising a hand to his cheek, she stroked it gently with her thumb and pulled him close.
"We're ready," she breathed against his lips, and sealed the heartfelt declaration with a kiss that was full of love and promise for the future.
Hope you enjoyed!
Note: Cindy, Gary, and Grace Catherine Rogers are from the AMAZING first collaboration between Mari and Sammy, Special Delivery.
Mari and Sammy – Thank you for ALL the help and feedback and for trusting me with this story. You know what your responses do to me, and you know how grateful I am for you two every single day.
Readers and REAL McRollers – We know many of you have been waiting for this moment, and your trust in us is something we never take for granted. Thank you for the amazing support you continue to show. We are truly touched by it … always.
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