Mari & Ilna- you guys are the absolute best. Thanks for EVERYTHING! There are no two people I'd rather be on this ride with.
Sandy-what would I do without you?
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.
Our thoughts are with all of those in the Caribbean and in Florida dealing with the effects of Hurricane Irma, all those in Texas still cleaning up from the devastation of Hurricane Harvey, and with all Americans today on this somber anniversary of the 9/11 attacks.
First Day Back (1/1)
"Well, don't you both look beautiful this morning." Steve beamed as Catherine entered the kitchen carrying a wide awake and cooing Angie. "Is that yet another new outfit you're wearing?"
Catherine glanced down at her slate gray pencil skirt and sleeveless black silk blouse. "No, I've had this for a while," she grinned.
"Very funny." Steve smiled as he leaned over to kiss first his wife, then his daughter. "Your mommy is very funny. I mean this new …" he tilted his head as he studied Angie's attire. "Is it a dress?"
"It's a skirted onesie." Catherine held the baby up so Steve could get the full effect. The top was that of a standard white onesie but at the waist it flared out into a pleated skirt in a gray and white chevron pattern. A gray fabric flower attached the black satin waistband finished the look. On her feet were white ruffled socks and a tiny pair of black patent leather shoes. "Mom thought Angie needed some new 'work clothes'. For when she goes to the office with me."
Steve chuckled. "I thought she'd used every excuse there is for buying things for Angie but apparently not."
"She's very resourceful." Catherine handed the baby to Steve so she could make herself a bagel. "I was going to remind her again about spoiling Angie but … well, come on … that outfit is adorable."
Steve shook his head and smiled indulgently as Danny's reminder that 'you can't spoil 'em when they're babies' ran through his head. "Are you ready for your first day at the office?" he asked as he tucked Angie into his side.
"I think the bigger question is 'is Mommy ready?'" Catherine said as she reached into the refrigerator for some fresh strawberry jam she'd purchased at the farmer's market.
Steve cocked his head to the side as something in her tone caught his attention.
"Are you ok? Is there something you want to talk about?"
"No, everything's fine." She sighed as she leaned against the island and waited for her breakfast to toast. "I'm excited to go back to work. It's just … leaving her is going to be an adjustment."
"Luckily you have a very accommodating boss," Steve said as he bounced Angie gently. "And we have a nanny we trust. And your parents and grandmother are close now. But if you ever feel like the situation needs revisiting …"
His voice trailed off. They were incredibly lucky Catherine would be able to take Angie to work two or three days a week and that they had trusted childcare with Esther when she couldn't. Still he knew she was torn. He'd had very similar feelings when he returned to work after Angie's birth.
"I'll let you know," she promised. "I'm sure we'll be fine once we all settle into the new routine. Speaking of …" She pulled her bagel from the toaster, "Mom is gonna pick Angie up about 11:00 and she's gonna take the Highlander so I'll need to get a ride home with you after work."
"Danny and I have that meeting with the DEA this afternoon and I'm not sure how long it'll be," he replied. "How about if I drop the truck off at your office and I'll catch a ride home from Danny. That way you can leave whenever you're ready and won't have to wait for me to finish up."
"Sounds good." She popped a bite of bagel in her mouth.
Steve caught sight of the time on the microwave clock. "Uh oh. Daddy needs to get going." He kissed Angie then placed her in her carrier which was sitting on the island. "Frank Kaewa is coming to the office to do some prep for the Benizo trial next week." He kissed Catherine then licked his lips and smiled. "Yum, strawberry."
"Have a good day," she grinned happily. "We'll see you when you get home. Love you."
"Love you both." He smiled. "You girls kick some butt at work today."
Catherine reached her hand out and stroked Angie's soft cheek. "We intend to."
Catherine and Angie stepped off the elevator and were greeted immediately by Catherine's assistant Jen.
"Welcome back," she bubbled as she clapped her hands softly. "We've been looking forward to this day. We're so happy you're both here."
"Thanks," Catherine smiled, somewhat puzzled by the hallway greeting. "It feels good to be back."
She turned to walk towards her office but Jen stepped into her path.
"And how are you, Miss Angie? Look at your pretty dress. And those shoes." She looked Catherine with a dreamy expression. "Are those the cutest thing you've ever seen?"
"They're adorable," Catherine agreed as she once again headed towards her office door.
Jen held her ground. "Where'd you get them?"
"My mom bought them for her," Catherine answered. "I'm not positive where."
"Could you maybe find out for me, please?" Jen's tone held an air of forced casualness. "My cousin is having a baby girl and I'd love to get her a pair like this."
"My mom's coming by a little later to pick up Angie," Catherine said. "You can ask her then."
"Excellent. I'll do that."
Catherine was just about to ask if there was a reason they were still standing in the hall when she heard Jen's phone buzz. Her assistant glanced the screen then looked up with a wide smile. "Well then, I think it's time for us to get to work."
They made their way a short distance down the hall and Jen stepped aside as she opened the office door and allowed Catherine and Angie to enter first. They were greeted immediately by a soft chorus of "Surprise" from Lea, Tara, and Marliyah.
"We didn't want to scare the baby," Lea said, explaining their muted shouts.
Catherine smiled appreciatively as she accepted a hug from the governor followed in quick succession by her two deputies.
"Isn't she adorable!" Lea said excitedly as she grinned at Angie. "Look at that outfit."
"Picked out by her grandmother especially for her first day at work," Catherine explained.
"Elizabeth has great taste," Lea pronounced as the other women nodded in agreement. "And this outfit goes perfectly with a little surprise we have for you too."
Catherine looked around the office and saw nothing unusual.
"Right this way." Lea indicated the door to the small private conference room off Jen's office. In the previous administration Chaz Silver had used it for meeting with senators and other lawmakers but Catherine much preferred the more casual feel of meeting in her office. Since they'd arrived she and Jen had used the room mostly for storage. There was a second door that connected directly to Catherine's office and a nice sized window that let in a lot of natural light.
Lea opened the door with a flourish and stepped aside so Catherine peer in. As soon as she did she gasped softly and her hand flew to her mouth. "What did you do?"
All of the furniture had been removed from the room and replaced with a Pack 'n Play with a Newborn Napper station just like the one she had at home. In the corner was a wicker changing table and rocking chair. The walls, which had been painted a soft yellow, were adorned with pictures of cartoon animals.
"We wanted you both to know how happy we are to have you back and how committed we are to make this situation work," Lea said.
"There's one more thing," Marliyah said excitedly as she handed Catherine a small gift bag.
"I'll hold her while you open that," Tara offered as she took the baby.
Catherine reached into the bag and extracted two small metal nameplates.
"There's one for the door from your office and one for the door from Jen's office," Lea smiled.
Catherine's eyes moistened as she read the engraving on both.
'Angeline McGarrett's Office.'
"This is absolutely beautiful," Elizabeth said as she looked around Angie's new "office". "What a thoughtful thing for them to do."
"I'm very lucky to have such great co-workers," Catherine agreed as she cradled a lightly dozing Angie in her arms.
"You certainly are. But now it's time for this little angel to come with grandma," Elizabeth cooed to the infant. "You can finish your nap in the car and then we have big plans for the afternoon. Were gonna meet grandpa for lunch, then stop at the mall, then have a play date with Grandma Ang when she finishes her senior fitness class."
Catherine arched an eyebrow. "The mall?"
"I have a meeting on Thursday with Lea about creating a new tutoring program and all my business attire is still back in New York," Elizabeth replied guilelessly.
"Uh-huh," Catherine face showed her skepticism. "Just stay out of the baby stores."
"I'll do my best," Elizabeth replied. "But I make no promises."
"I heard you were here, Elizabeth," Lea said as she entered Angie's "office". "I wanted to stop by and say hi and tell you I'm looking forward to hearing your thoughts on how we can get an effective tutoring program in place as soon as possible."
"I'm excited to talk to you about it," Elizabeth replied. "Using things I've learned in setting up previous programs I think we can get something in place and established before the end of the year."
"That would be amazing." Lea smiled gratefully. She knew it was important to intervene with students who needed some extra tutoring help early in the school year before they fell too far behind. "Catherine, are we all set for the budget meeting after lunch?"
Absolutely." Catherine nodded. "I pulled at the infrastructure expenditures for the last five years to show Senator Tanaka that what we're proposing is actually an increase in spending, even though it might not be as much as what she was hoping for."
"Great," Lea replied. "Make sure you have a good lunch. I have a feeling she'll be coming in here ready for battle."
"I'm sure she will," Catherine agreed.
Lea turned to Elizabeth. "What about you and Angie? Big plans for the afternoon?"
"We're headed to the mall," Elizabeth replied with a sparkle in her eye.
"To get some things for mom, not for Angie, who doesn't need any more clothes or toys," Catherine insisted.
"What about books?" Elizabeth asked, aiming directly for something she knew her daughter couldn't say no to.
Catherine sighed. "You can't buy her something every time you're in a store."
"You're exaggerating, sweetheart," she scoffed. "I went to the grocery store twice last week and didn't buy her a thing."
Lea covered her chuckle with a cough and smiled knowingly at Catherine. "Boy does this conversation sound familiar. Take my advice, Catherine. Do not try to get between a grandmother and her desire to spoil her grandchild. It's a battle you can't win."
Danny looked up from the smart table when he caught someone entering the office out of the corner of his eye.
Hey," he smiled brightly, "I didn't know we were getting a gift from my gorgeous goddaughter this morning."
Elizabeth crossed to where the team was reviewing a new case as Angie looked around at alertly.
"There's Daddy's girl," Steve said and the baby immediately turned towards his voice and smiled.
"I swear she gets prettier every time I see her," Chin said as he pressed a button to extinguish the graphic pictures on the overhead screens.
"I may be biased," Steve smiled as he lifted Angie into his arms, "but I think you're right."
"Look at how she notices everything that's going on," Kono chimed in.
Steve said proudly. "She's brilliant as well as beautiful."
"And apparently completely recovered from her unhappiness over getting a shot," Danny said, the memory of the helpless tone in his best friend's voice on the phone still fresh in his mind.
"Wish we could say the same for daddy." Steve flashed a self-deprecating smile. "That one may take me awhile to get over."
Elizabeth placed her hand softly on Danny's back. "It's a good thing Uncle Danny was available to offer advice and support."
"My pleasure," Danny said sincerely. "I'm available 24/7. I remember very well what a scary feeling that is."
"That's for sure," Elizabeth agreed. "I'm taking Angie to the mall and I might buy her a little something to reward her for being such a brave girl."
"Did you run that plan by Catherine?" Steve asked.
Elizabeth's eyes twinkled. "As a wise man once said, it's easier to ask forgiveness than permission."
By the time Steve and Danny wrapped up their day and Danny dropped Steve at the beach house, Angie was just about ready to eat. Steve gave her a bottle and enjoyed some daddy/daughter time while Catherine showered and popped a lasagna Nonna had sent over into the oven.
"So, how was your first day back?" he asked when she joined them in the living room.
"Great. We had a very productive meeting with Senator Tanaka, met with the budget committee and tentatively hashed out some new numbers, gave Marliyah the go ahead to fill some staff vacancies and approved the plans for the Christmas light display."
"So, in other words, you hit the ground running," Steve smiled. "Just like always."
Catherine pulled her feet up under her. "It felt good to be back. I missed Angie this afternoon but I really think this arrangement is gonna work."
"Did your mom and Angie have fun at the mall?"
Catherine pointed towards three bags sitting at the bottom of the stairs waiting to be carried to the nursery. "What do you think?"
"I think," Steve cradled Angie to his shoulder and tried to coax her to burp, "That we are very lucky our daughter has so many people in her life that love her so much."
Catherine snorted. "Remember that when we have to add on to the house to build a closet that will fit all her clothes."
THE END
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