Notes: Thank you to Mari and Sammy for being such real and true friends, at any time of the day or night. I count myself very fortunate to have you both in my life.

Esther, the same goes for you. Thank you for your support and friendship.

Readers and REAL McRollers, thank you for your unflappable enthusiasm and support. It is truly appreciated.

I hope you enjoy!

Count Your Blessings (A McRoll in the REAL World Story)

Steve and Cody were sitting on the bench across from Cody's apartment building after they finished shooting baskets.

As Steve took a long drink from his water bottle, Cody glanced at him and said, "So, I guess it was your birthday a couple days ago."

Steve wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. "Yeah, it was." He raised his eyebrow with a smile and cocked his thumb back toward the court. "Is that why I won this time? You were going easy on me 'cause it was my birthday?"

Cody gave him a little smile. "Nah. You went first and killed me with lay-ups."

Steve nodded and paused, watching as Cody's gaze drifted to the ground in front of him.

"How'd you know?" Steve asked.

Cody glanced back at him. "Grace told Kaitlyn, and she told everyone. They all made a card."

"Did they?" Steve asked with a hint of surprise in his voice.

"I mean, I signed it, too."

Steve smiled. "That's very nice. Thank you," he said sincerely.

"They wanted to wait till everyone was home to give it you." He winced a little. "I probably shouldn't have said. Maybe you could act surprised?" he asked, raising his eyes to Steve's.

"Okay," Steve said with a little chuckle. "I can do that."

He took another drink and watched as Cody kicked at the dirt with the toe of his sneaker.

"Hey, I'm sorry I didn't tell you it was coming up," Steve said.

Cody shrugged, his gaze still on the ground.

Steve shifted forward to catch Cody's eyes. "That had nothing to do with not wanting you to know, I just don't really make a big deal out of it."

Cody looked at him.

Steve shook his head and continued, "I never have. So I don't think about telling people when it is." He shrugged. "If it was up to me, it'd be another day that comes and goes."

"It's okay," Cody said. "I don't care that much about mine either."

"You're turning sixteen in May. That's a pretty big deal. You only turn sixteen once."

Cody paused, then raised an eyebrow. "You only turn every age once."

Steve laughed. "Yeah, that's a good point. You're right about that."

After a moment, Cody said, "So you didn't do anything for your birthday?"

"I said if it was up to me, it'd be another day that comes and goes." He smiled. "But I'm a pretty lucky guy, because it turns out it's not totally up to me."

When Cody looked at him expectantly, Steve continued, "Grace and her dad came over for dinner on Tuesday, and Grace and Catherine made a cake . . . with 38 candles."

Cody laughed.

"Then Catherine and I went camping on Wednesday with Cammie. And we're going to dinner with friends tonight. So . . . I guess I'm doing a lot this year." He smiled. "It's kind of nice."

Cody paused again before asking, "Why don't you care much about your birthday? Is it because of . . . you know . . . your dad sending you to the mainland and everything?"

Steve took a breath.

"Yeah," he said finally. "For a few years there it was just a day that came and went." He shook his head. "I didn't tell anyone at school so they didn't know. I'd get a card from my aunt Deb. That's who my sister lived with, and Mary signed the card. My dad would call but . . ." He shook his head again. "I was so angry because that was about the only time he did call, and he wasn't telling me what I wanted to know so he'd . . ." His voice trailed off and he sighed. "He'd wish me a happy birthday, and after about two minutes of mostly silence, he'd say goodbye and we'd hang up."

Cody was quiet, looking at the ground again.

"My dad hasn't called on any of our birthdays since he left for good four years ago," he said quietly.

Steve kept his eyes on the teen's profile and asked, "How's that make you feel?"

Cody shrugged unconvincingly.

"I don't care," he said. "I'm used to it. The other kids . . . I think they get more upset about it. But Mom always makes it a really great day, and that takes their minds off him. I mean, Jacob and Kaitlyn don't really remember much about him anyway. But I think Casey and Dylan think every year that he might call."

"But you know better."

Cody sat back against the bench. He looked briefly at Steve before focusing on the water bottle he was holding.

"Even when he was around, I don't think he'd have known it was someone's birthday if Mom hadn't made a big deal out of each one." He looked at Steve again. "Card said 'From Mom and Dad' but it was Mom's handwriting, and it's not like he knew what was wrapped up. Sometimes he wouldn't even be there. Said Mom would do a better job and just left or whatever." He looked back at the bottle and continued quietly, "That's the only thing he's better at. Leaving."

Steve paused.

"From what you and your mom have said, that seems like an accurate assessment."

Cody shrugged. "We're better off without him."

"I think that's true," Steve said.

Cody looked at him.

Steve held his gaze and said, "But that doesn't mean it won't make you mad when you think about him."

Cody's eyes dropped down.

Steve leaned forward. "You don't have to pretend it doesn't matter, because it does. And you get to be mad at him." He waited until Cody met his eyes again. "Just don't ever let that anger take over. Don't let it become an excuse." He shook his head. "It doesn't seem to me like you have, and that's impressive, Cody. You're young, but you've got people who depend on you and I can tell you take that seriously."

Cody looked down, but nodded.

After a moment, he quietly admitted, "It does make me mad."

"Good," Steve said, nodding.

Cody looked at him.

"It's good to acknowledge that," Steve said. "It's important. And then you think about the people in your life who care about you instead."

Cody nodded slowly.

"Mom says . . . that they're our blessings. The people who care about us, I mean."

"I think your mom's right."

When Cody didn't speak again, Steve flashed a quick smile and asked, "So what does your Mom do . . . that makes your birthday so great?"

A small smile appeared on Cody's face.

"She makes a special breakfast. No matter what day of the week it is. And she always says, 'I have five favorite days of the year, and this is one of them.' And it's because one of us was born."

Steve smiled. "Your mom is pretty amazing, you know that?"

Cody looked down, but he was smiling. "Yeah."

Steve exhaled and took a drink.

Cody looked over at him. "You said for a couple years your birthday was a day that came and went. What changed?"

Steve looked at him.

"Catherine."

March 10, 1997

Steve was already seated at the restaurant in Annapolis when Catherine arrived. He stood as the hostess led Catherine to the table.

He smiled and said, "Hey."

"Hey." Catherine smiled her thanks to the hostess. "Thank you."

"Enjoy your meal," the young woman said with a friendly nod before disappearing.

"Thanks for coming," Catherine said to Steve as they both sat.

"Thanks for the invite."

"Absolutely. And remember, it's my treat."

Steve started to speak but stopped as their server stepped up to the table with two glasses.

"Here we are, two waters," he said, setting a glass in front of each of them.

"I figured you'd order a water," Steve said, "but did you want anything else?"

"No, water's perfect, thanks," she said. She smiled up at the young server with 'Cole' on his nametag. "Thank you."

"And I was right," Cole said as he took out his pen and check holder. "I thought I recognized you, and now that you're both here, I'm sure I do." He pointed with his pen at Steve and then Catherine as he said, "Steak . . . and a whole rack of ribs."

Steve nodded, impressed. "It's been months since we had dinner here. You have a good memory."

Cole shrugged offhandedly. "Well, let's face it, you are a very memorable couple. In or out of uniform."

Catherine shook her head. "Oh, we're not a . . ." She glanced quickly at Steve before looking back at Cole. "We're friends."

Cole's eyes widened slightly. "Oh, um . . ." he cleared his throat and tapped his pen against his lips awkwardly. "You looked . . . er, that is . . . I shouldn't have . . ." He shook himself and smiled brightly. "Should I give you a few more minutes to look over the menu?"

"What about it, Rollins?" Steve asked with a smirk. "You going for the ribs again?"

"I don't have anything to prove to you, McGarrett," she replied in kind.

His expression softened. "No, you don't," he said quietly.

She held his gaze for a beat before looking back at their server. "I think I do need a minute. Thanks."

"Of course. Take all the time you need. I'll be back to check on you soon."

After he left the table, Catherine looked back at Steve.

"So," he began with a knowing smile. "Your treat, huh?"

"That's right. Order whatever you want."

"What's the occasion?"

She shrugged. "Start of Spring Break. What more of an occasion do we need?"

He raised his eyebrows.

She sighed and smiled. "Okay, I know it's your birthday," she admitted. "I wanted to treat you to dinner."

He gave her a small smile and glanced down at the table. He looked back up. "How'd you know?" he asked quietly.

"Freddie."

He nodded.

"When he found out I was staying in town during Spring Break, he told me." She opened her purse. "He also said you don't really celebrate your birthday. But I was hoping something low-key would be okay."

She reached across the table and put a blue party blower in front of him. He chuckled and picked it up, rolling it between his thumb and index finger.

"And I know for a fact they don't sing here, so don't worry about that," she added with a smile. "I checked."

He was silent, staring at the party blower as he continued to roll it between his fingers.

"I'm sorry," Catherine said. "I probably should have asked first. I wasn't even going to bring that out or say anything unless you brought it up."

"It's okay," he said quietly. He looked up at her. "I haven't . . . I haven't really celebrated my birthday since . . . since before my mom died." His gaze drifted back to the blower.

She stayed quiet and waited.

He smiled softly, looking at her again. "But this is nice," he said, motioning with his head at the restaurant around them before refocusing on her. "I like this."

She smiled.

He put the blower down and gave her an earnest look.

"Thank you, Catherine."

Steve looked at Cody and said, "I knew after that she would always do something to make it special. And that's taken some . . ." He sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. "Well, it's taken some getting used to."

Cody kept his eyes on Steve.

"We weren't together often," he continued, "so most of the time that meant a phone call, as close to the day as possible." He shrugged with a little smile. "Try to make up for it when we did see each other again. When we were stationed together we could usually grab a couple days' leave either on her birthday or mine. And now that we're both on the island . . ."

His smile grew fond as he paused.

"Well, like I said, it's kind of nice."

Cody smiled back and nodded.

Steve glanced at the court. "Well, what do you think? One more game?" he asked. "You can go first this time."

Cody's smile widened. "You sure about that?"

Steve cocked an eyebrow.

"You're a little bit of a smart aleck, you know that?" he said, his lip twitching with mirth.

Cody laughed and bent to pick up the ball.

Steve smiled. "I told you we had a lot in common."

That evening, Steve sat at the head of the long table at Japengo with Catherine on his left and Grace on his right. He looked down the expanse of the table where twelve people had gathered to celebrate his birthday.

Carrie and John were next to Catherine, with Leilani, Chin, Jerry, and Lou Grover also on that side of the table. Beside Grace sat Danny and Gabby, followed by Adam and Kono, with two empty chairs still on the far end.

Grace was examining the menu, her lips twisted in thought.

"I think I'm going to get something from the Kid's Menu," she said.

"You don't have to do that, Gracie," Steve said. "You can order whatever you want."

"Hey, hey, hey," Danny cut in with hand waving. "Might I remind you that you are not the one paying tonight?"

Steve grinned at him.

"But he's right, Monkey," Danny continued, looking at Grace. "You can order whatever you want."

"I know," she said. "But I have to save room for dessert. They have a special one here that comes inside a coconut."

"Ohh, yes," Leilani said. "Their Crème Brûlée. I saw a picture of that on their website, it looks fantastic."

"Are you going to get that, too?" Grace asked.

Leilani smiled. "I just might."

"Any plans to share that dessert?" Chin asked.

She turned her smile on him. "I could probably be talked into sharing . . ."

They were distracted by the arrival of the last two dinner guests.

"Hi, everyone!" Esther said with a beaming smile. "Sorry we're late."

"No problem. We'll assume it was Kamekona's fault," Steve teased with a wink at the man beside her.

"Hey, I had to change my shirt, you know," Kamekona said.

Steve nodded, grinning at him. "I appreciate you not showing up in the shrimp shirt."

"Well, it's your birthday, brah, I didn't want to distract anyone with the merchandise. But as soon as dinner is over . . ." He unbuttoned the top few buttons on his shirt to reveal the familiar logo on the t-shirt underneath.

Laughter rang out from everyone at the table.

"Esther, it's good to see you," Chin said as she sat in the chair beside Kono, and Kamekona took the seat on Esther's other side.

"You, too," she said. "I tried to insist I would stay with Cammie tonight, but those two are pretty stubborn." She pointed down the table at Steve and Catherine.

"Because we wanted you here," Steve said.

"Your birthday, your choice, right, Uncle Steve?" Grace put in.

"Right, Gracie."

"And Cammie will be okay for a couple hours," Catherine said. She smiled down at Esther. "We're glad you could come."

"Me, too," Esther said.

"I don't know if you've met Jerry," Chin said, motioning to the man beside him.

"We met at the Halloween party," Esther said.

"Oh, that's right," Chin said.

"Yeah," Jerry said. "You were Trixie Belden."

Esther beamed. "Right. That was one of my best costumes ever."

Chin smiled. "And you've met Lou Grover."

"Good to see you again," he said.

"No Samantha tonight?" Esther asked.

"Afraid not," he said. "My family got a little jump on Spring Break and left for Chicago yesterday. I have a few things to do first, but I head out on Monday to join them."

"Oh, good," Esther said, smiling at him.

Kono motioned to the man beside her and said, "Esther, this is my boyfriend, Adam Noshimuri. Adam, this is Esther Lee."

"Nice to meet you," he said, reaching across Kono to shake Esther's hand with a warm smile.

"You, too."

Kono pointed further down the table. "And that's Gabby Asano. I don't think you two have met either."

Gabby smiled brightly and waved. "Hi, down there," she called.

Esther laughed and waved back.

"Maybe we'll have to do musical chairs later," Gabby said.

"Maybe," Esther agreed as everyone laughed.

"You met Carrie at our house last month," Catherine said. "This is her husband and our friend John Parker."

"Good to meet you," John said.

"You, too," Esther returned.

Danny smiled and said, "Okay, I think everyone knows each other now, and only Grace knows what she's getting for dinner, so . . ."

"Good idea," Steve said, picking up his own menu as everyone else did the same.

After they finished ordering, the conversation at the head of the table turned to Steve's birthday the previous year.

"I still find it hard to believe you guys actually managed to surprise him with a party," Carrie said. She smirked at him. "You losing your edge, McGarrett?"

He returned her smirk. "My edge is just fine, thank you." He smiled proudly at his niece. "Gracie is very good at organizing surprises."

Grace beamed, and Danny squeezed her shoulder with a smile.

"Takes after me," he said.

Steve rolled his eyes but was smiling.

"We worked so hard to keep it secret," Grace said.

"We did," Catherine agreed.

"You did a great job," Steve said. "I had no idea."

Grace's smile grew even wider.

"And I was very surprised when Nonna showed up." He stopped and gave her a suspicious smile. "She's not about to appear again, is she?"

Grace laughed. "No. Not this year."

"Well, maybe next year," he said with a wink.

"So did Cammie have fun on her first camping trip?" Gabby asked.

"Oh," Catherine said, waving a hand and smiling broadly "You should have seen her. It was fantastic. She couldn't keep still. So much to see and smell."

"She found this day gecko when we were hiking up the trail," Steve added. "I think she spent the rest of the day trying to find it again."

"It was such a beautiful spot, we'll definitely have to go back there," Catherine said.

He nodded his agreement.

"Maybe you and Scout can come next time, Grace," Catherine suggested.

Grace straightened, her eyes widening in excitement. "Could I? I have my own tent!"

The adults around her laughed, and the conversation continued companionably around the table throughout dinner.

After the checks were paid, Kono motioned for everyone to be quiet.

"Okay, Boss, we know you said no gifts . . ." she began.

"Yeah . . . ?" he said, glancing around the table suspiciously.

"So, we didn't," she continued.

He nodded. "Good. The fact that you all came out tonight is present enough."

"Not to mention that rather expensive meal you just ate," Danny added with a smile.

Steve acknowledged the point with a nod.

"Thank you for that, too," he said with a little grin.

"Instead," Kono continued. "We all got together and made a contribution to the Navy SEALs Fund in your honor."

She took an envelope from her lap, and as they passed it down to him Steve glanced at Catherine who smiled.

"You knew about this, huh?" he asked quietly.

She gave a little shrug and nod.

He accepted the envelope from Grace and pulled out the card from inside. He opened it and inhaled, his eyes widening.

"Wow. That's . . . that's . . ." He paused and swallowed with some difficulty. Looking up, he said, "Thank you. All of you." He motioned with the card. "That means a lot."

He looked back at the card, and Catherine slid her hand on top of his on the table.

Steve flashed her a grateful smile and turned his hand to hold hers. He looked back at his friends seated around him.

"I've been really . . ." He cleared his throat and tightened his hand around Catherine's. "Thank you. Everyone. This has been a really great birthday. This whole week. One of the best." He looked around to make eye contact with everyone at the table. "Thank you."

Steve and Catherine were the last to leave the restaurant after the meal.

As they walked to their vehicles hand in hand, Catherine said, "We've been so busy today I didn't get a chance to ask . . . how was it with Cody this afternoon?"

"Good," he said. "Really good. I uh . . . I told him about the first time we celebrated my birthday."

"Did you?"

"Yeah." He smiled at her. "That was an important day to me, and I wanted to share it with him."

"I'm glad," she said sincerely.

"What about you?"

"Jacob wanted to go to the library again. We spent most of the time reading together." Her eyes lit happily. "He reads really well already and can also tell a great story just from the illustrations."

He grinned. "I can believe that."

They reached her Corvette and Catherine said, "Well, I've got my keys back from Carrie. I need to make a quick stop, but I'll see you at home, okay?"

"Okay." He bent and kissed her quickly. "See you in a bit."

They went their separate ways, and when Catherine returned home a half hour later, Steve was out back with Cammie as the dog did her final yard patrol of the night.

Steve waved his understanding when Catherine motioned from the lanai that she was going to change her clothes.

He was standing in the dining room with Cammie beside him when Catherine came back downstairs. She entered the room as he placed the card with the information about the donation on the sideboard. It now stood amidst the cards he'd received from Nonna, Elizabeth and Joseph, Grandma Ang, Aunt Deb, Colonel and Mrs. Mills, the Allen family, and Mary and Joan. He touched the macaroni necklace in front of the card from his sister and niece, then took a step back, his gaze still on the array of birthday wishes.

"What are you thinking about?" she asked from beside him.

He paused.

"A blue party blower. In a restaurant in Annapolis."

"You mean like this one?" she asked as she held one up.

He looked at her with a small surprised smile. "Quick stop, huh?" he asked, taking it from her.

She smiled and said, "Yeah."

He stared at it and rolled it slowly between his thumb and index finger as he had so many years ago.

After a moment, he placed it on the sideboard and surveyed everything once more.

" 'Count your candles, count your years, count your blessings,' " he said quietly.

"Can't say it any better than Nonna," she agreed as she slid an arm around his waist and rubbed slow circles on his back.

He lifted his own arm around her shoulders to pull her closer though his gaze stayed on the items atop the sideboard.

"That's a lot of blessings right there," he said.

"Yes, it is."

She paused and leaned her head against his chest.

"Happy birthday, Steve."

Hope you enjoyed the entire birthday trilogy!

Links to all three stories can be found on our Tumblr page: mcrollintherealworld at tumblr dot com

Information about the Navy SEALs Fund can be found at navysealsfund dot org