Mari & Ilna- you guys are the absolute best. Thanks for EVERYTHING!
REAL Worlders-I can never fully express what all your amazing support means to me. All I can say is that in our fourth calendar year your support and encouragement keeps me as enthusiastic as I was about this project day one.
No End (1/1)
"One last thing. Miliani Onakea's assistant called. He'd like a meeting with the governor next Tuesday. I checked and she has 1:30 open," Tara reported as she sat with Catherine in the chief of staff's office going over the schedule for the following week. The office received dozens of meeting requests daily and one of Tara's duties was to cull the names down to a manageable number then run the shortened list past Catherine for approval.
She was just about to put the name of the head of one of Hawaii's largest crushed stone mining companies on the schedule when Catherine's words stopped her.
"No, he can't have that slot. What's available on Thursday?"
Tara consulted the calendar. "11:00 A.M."
"Give him that one," Catherine said decisively as she skimmed a small stack of documents her assistant had placed on her desk for her signature.
"Okay." Tara added him to Thursday's schedule. "His office was pretty adamant he wanted Tuesday though. He may not be happy."
Catherine looked up. "I'm sure he won't be. He must have heard that the governor is meeting with State Senator Laemoa on Wednesday and he wants to get to her first."
A look of understanding appeared on Tara's face and she nodded. "Because Senator Laemoa is the head of the Energy and Environment Committee."
Catherine touched the tip of her finger to the end of her nose. "Onakea wants a variance so he can expand some of his quarries well passed what the current regulations permit. Which the governor is open to considering but not until after she talks to Senator Laemoa."
There was a knock on the door and when it opened Marliyah poked her head in. "I'm sorry to interrupt but I'm getting in lots of feedback on yesterday's meeting with the school districts and the teachers' union and I wondered if you might have a few minutes to go over it later."
"Sure," Catherine smiled and looked at her watch. "I have an errand to run over lunch but how about right after?"
"Perfect," Marliyah replied. "That'll give me some time to try to organize my notes. See you then."
No sooner had her face disappeared than it was replaced by Catherine's assistant, Jen.
"Angelica Keller from the social secretary's office called. Virgil Collins, who usually handles any gifts sent to the governor, is out with the flu and she's covering for him. She's just been cataloging the gifts and putting them aside for him to handle when he gets back but apparently someone sent a pair of veiled chameleons and she has no idea what to do with them."
Catherine couldn't help but smile. "Someone thought an appropriate gift for the new governor would be chameleons?"
"So it seems." Jen chuckled. "They're causing quite a commotion in the social secretary's office. She sounded kinda desperate on the phone."
Catherine stood. "We're done, right?" she asked Tara. When her deputy nodded she headed for the door. "Call Angelica and tell her I'm on my way over then push my next appointment back fifteen minutes."
"Will do," Jen replied but by that point a fast-moving Catherine was already halfway down the hall.
"Why are we stopping here?" Danny asked as Steve pulled the Camaro into a parking spot outside of a small convenience store.
"I wanna grab a cup of coffee before we head over to the motel to see if anyone remembers talking to the victim." Steve leaned his head first to the left then to the right in an effort to stretch out his neck. "You want anything?"
"No, thanks. But what's up with you and the coffee this morning? Are you making up for all the caffeine Cath isn't drinking?"
Steve rolled his eyes as he exited the car.
"I have no idea what you're talking about."
Danny thought back over the events of the morning as he watched his partner enter the store. At 5:00 A.M. a 9-1-1 call came in with a report of a dead body dumped on a pile of dirt at the site of a new office building under construction on Aaliamanu Place. The early arriving workers who first spotted the dead man said they had no idea who he was and as far as they knew he had no known connection to the project. A cursory search of the body by the first officer on the scene turned up a wallet containing a California driver's license in the name of Orville Brady and a receipt for a room at the Pagoda Motel.
Danny remembered clearly that Steve arrived several minutes after he did carrying a cup from a local drive thru coffee place, which in and of itself was unusual. As they interviewed the shook up workers who discovered the body Steve refilled the cup from a fresh pot in the foreman's trailer. A short time later he tossed the now empty cup in a garbage can as Max arrived with a team from the medical examiner's office.
Danny's eyes narrowed as Steve made his way back to the car, placed a cup of hot coffee in the drink holder and buckled his seatbelt.
"I'm just saying," he picked up as though there hadn't been a break in the conversation, "the last thing I need is an over-caffeinated Steve McGarrett. I shudder to think about what that would look like."
Steve took a deep breath.
"I'm just in the mood for coffee this morning. Would you drop it, please?"
Before Danny could reply his phone buzzed with an incoming call. "Hey, Max. What have you got for us?"
"As I began to examine the body I observed the presence of fragments of invertebrate exoskeleton embedded from the patella to the talocrural joint of the victim."
"English, please," Danny growled.
"He has seashells embedded in his legs from the kneecap to the ankle."
"So he was killed somewhere closer to the beach and dumped at the building site?" Danny guessed.
"That would be a logical conclusion to draw. I will know more once I've had a chance to examine the body further."
"Thanks, Max. Keep us informed."
"Ah, so now I see what the errand you needed to run at lunch was," Marliyah teased as she noticed the familiar looking pink striped bags on the front seat of Catherine's car.
"Some of my things are getting a little tight," Catherine grinned. "I won't be able to fit into their stuff much longer but I picked up a few things I can get some wear out of for the next month or two."
Marliyah tilted her head in thought. "I don't think I even own a nice set of matching underwear anymore. I'm usually in such a rush when I'm shopping I just grab something … practical."
"Really? We'll have to remedy that." Catherine closed and locked her car door and the two women headed towards the building. "Pick a day next week and we'll go the mall on our lunch hour."
"It would be a waste of good lace," Marliyah chuckled. "No one besides me and my doctor have seen my undergarments in quite a while."
"That's beside the point." Catherine waved her off. "There's something very empowering about wearing a slightly sexy set of underwear under a business suit when you have an important meeting."
As they reached the door Marliyah regarded her new boss. "I'm really glad you asked me to stay on."
"I'm really glad you accepted," Catherine smiled then slid seamlessly into work mode. "So, tell me what you've been hearing from the participants in yesterday's meeting. Am I gonna like it?"
"You're gonna like it very much," Marliyah predicted. "Both sides seem to feel as though the other actually listened to their concerns which is a good sign. We still have a long way to go to reach a consensus on how to move forward but this was a great first step."
"I'm glad to hear it," Catherine replied enthusiastically.
"I was thinking maybe I'd come in tomorrow and finish putting together the final report for you to present to the governor," Marliyah offered as they entered the elevator.
Catherine pressed the button for the third floor. "You don't mind coming in on Saturday?"
The deputy chief of staff shook her head. "Not at all. I worked almost every Saturday when Governor Denning was in office. And a lot of Sundays for that matter. Chas was here so he expected me to be, too."
"Things are different now," Catherine pointed out. "You need to take a little time for yourself. Do something fun. Lea and I agree that a happy, well-rested staff is a more productive staff."
The elevator doors opened and the ladies stepped out.
"Grab your notes and meet me in my office," Catherine said. "Bring your schedule so we can find a good time for you to present your report to the governor."
"Oh … am I … what I mean is I usually just turned my reports in to Chas and he presented them to the governor."
Catherine frowned slightly. "So you did all the work then he took the credit?"
Marliyah shrugged. "That was just the way we did things."
"Well like I told you," Catherine called over her shoulder as she headed for her office, "Things are different now."
After chasing down a few leads based on information they picked up at the Pagoda Motel Steve and Danny stopped at Kamekona's for lunch before heading back to Five-0 headquarters to meet up with Chin and Kono and compare notes.
As soon as they took their seats a smiling waitress approached. "Hi, Commander. Hi, Detective Williams."
"Hi Carmen," they said in unison.
"How do you like the new job?" Steve asked.
"I love it!" Carmen bubbled. "Thanks again for recommending me."
"My pleasure," Steve replied. "We're in a little bit of a hurry today so can I get a couple of fish wraps?"
"Comin' right up. How about you Detective Williams?"
"I'll have an order of coconut shrimp and a bottle of water, Carmen. Thanks."
The young waitress turned to walk towards the shrimp truck but Steve called her back.
"Can you ask Kamekona to make me one of his special smoothies, please? He'll know what you mean."
Carmen made a note on her order pad. "Sure thing, Commander," she smiled then headed off to place their lunch order.
Danny looked at Steve suspiciously. "A special smoothie?"
"It's green and has lots of vegetables in it. You'd hate it," Steve said dryly.
"Seriously," Danny's voice took on a concerned tone. "What is up with you today? Extra coffee … special smoothies? Are you feeling okay?"
"I'm fine, Danny."
"If there was something going on you'd tell me, right?"
Steve started to make a sarcastic remark but stopped when he saw the look of real concern in his friend's eyes.
"I'd tell you," he promised.
"I'm just … well … I feel responsible for guiding you through the expectant daddy minefield and getting you to the birth in one piece. I can't have you stumbling this early in the process."
Steve chuckled. "I'm not stumbling. I promise."
"Good." Danny crossed his arms over his chest. "Because I love Catherine but I have no intention of being in the delivery room with her. There are some things a best friend should never see."
"Don't worry," Steve assured him. "I'll be there."
Both of their phones dinged simultaneously with an incoming text.
'Check your email. I sent you some very preliminary findings.'
They were only partially finished scanning the contents of Max's report when Carmen returned with their food.
"You're right." Danny wrinkled his nose at the sight of Steve's thick green drink of choice. "That looks terrible."
"I gotta be honest," Carmen grimaced slightly. "It doesn't smell that great either."
Steve rolled his eyes as Danny raised his hand and high fived Carmen.
"Any big plans for the weekend?" Lea asked as she and Catherine met to review the events of the previous week and outline a plan for the one coming up.
"Hard to say," Catherine replied. "Five-0 got a murder case this morning so it depends on how that goes. If it wraps up quick Steve and I might go to the baby store to look at cribs."
"I remember picking out furniture before Liam was born," Lea smiled. "It was one of my favorite parts of being pregnant the first time."
"I'm looking forward it." Catherine couldn't conceal her excitement at the prospect of decorating the nursery. "How about you? Do you have an exciting weekend planned?"
"Indeed I do," Lea grinned. "Since Lance and I were at the party last Friday and then spent the rest of the weekend unpacking boxes we decided this weekend is kids' choice. They get to pick all activities and meals from dinner tonight through bedtime Sunday."
"That sounds like fun!" Catherine said sincerely.
"I anticipate many chicken nuggets in my immediate future," Lea laughed. "Oh hey, I've been meaning to ask, now that you have a couple full weeks under your belt how are you feeling? Still good? You'll let me know if you need anything, right?"
"I feel great." Catherine's smile was genuine and put Lea's mind at ease. "In fact, I can't believe how much energy I have."
Lea closed her laptop and put a few files in her briefcase. "I'm jealous. I felt like a wrung-out dishrag with all three of my pregnancies. Don't get me wrong," she added, "I loved every minute of it. But high energy was not an issue for me."
"I'm trying to take advantage while it's here," Catherine admitted candidly. "In case it doesn't last."
"Well I hate to sound like a mother hen but … "Lea trailed off with a chuckle.
"I'll be sure to let you know if I reach the wrung-out dishrag stage."
As the women stood Catherine's phone buzzed with an incoming text. She glanced at the screen and smiled.
"Good news?" Lea asked.
"Great news." Catherine typed a reply then slipped her phone back in her pocket. "Turns out the murder victim from this morning got into a beef with some of the people he was travelling with and they killed him. One of the guys was so guilt-ridden he confessed everything."
"That's fantastic." Lea took off her heels and slipped into flats for the walk to the car.
"It'll take a couple hours to wrap up the paperwork." Catherine spoke from experience. "That's plenty of time for me to get home and make a special dinner. I'm kinda anxious to show Steve what I picked up at the mall during my lunch hour."
"Enjoy yourself," Lea smiled. "But if you get a craving for chicken nuggets you know where to find me."
Danny finished up a conversation with a young officer he'd met on a case several weeks earlier and headed for the parking lot. The suspects in the Brady murder had been processed and were set for arraignment first thing Monday morning. He was headed home to enjoy a quiet weekend with Gabby while Grace spent some time with her mother.
As he stepped out of the building he noticed Steve's truck was still parked near the edge of the HPD lot. When he approached he saw his partner sitting in the driver's seat with his head back and his eyes closed.
He knocked on the passenger's side window and Steve's head jerked up.
"Unlock the door," he demanded through the closed window.
Steve sighed and pushed the button.
Danny climbed into the passenger's seat with a look that left no room for negotiation. "I'm gonna ask you once more and this time I want an honest answer. What is wrong with you?"
"Danny … "
"Don't Danny me. And don't accuse me of being a mother hen. I just found you sitting in the parking lot, half asleep in your truck, and that is not like you. What's going on? Tell me right now or I'll be forced to ask Catherine."
"No!" Steve was adamant. "Don't say anything to Catherine."
Danny could sense he was gaining the upper hand and softened his tone slightly. "Then you better start talking."
"It's nothing abnormal." Steve exhaled deeply. "According to that book you gave me a lot of women go through it."
"Go through what? Is Catherine ok?"
"She's fine," Steve said quickly to reassure his partner. "She's just … "
"Just what!" Danny practically screamed.
"I want you to remember you insisted we talk about this," Steve warned.
"Duly noted. Now tell me."
"She … well we … actually her … the fact is Catherine's libido has increased dramatically now that she's in her second trimester."
Danny stared at his friend in disbelief then dropped his head to his chest. "Are you freaking kidding me?"
Steve put one hand on the steering wheel. "You asked."
"I repeat." Danny pinned his partner with a glare. "Are you freaking kidding me?"
"I was up half the night," Steve said defensively.
Danny was incredulous. "I wouldn't have thought it was physically possible for either of you to have an increase in libido."
"Oh, it's possible," Steve assured him. "And it's happening."
"Unbelievable," Danny muttered, as much to himself as to Steve. "So you were just … what … catching a quick nap?"
Steve scoffed. "I wasn't napping. I just needed a few minutes to re-energize."
Danny shook his head. "Is there no end to your luck?"
"Catherine made lasagna for dinner and she said she bought some things at the mall this afternoon she thinks I might like."
Danny shook his head. "Apparently there isn't."
"I just want to make sure I'm ready when … you know … called upon," Steve smirked.
Danny opened the door of the truck. "I hate you."
"See you Monday," Steve called after him. "I'll bring the coffee."
THE END
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