Trouble
by: MacKenzie Creations
Beta: I've asked Ircam to beta this for me. Thanks, sweetie, you're the best!
Author's Note: Ok, something in the news sparked an idea and it wouldn't leave me alone. So I had to write it down. I was going to wait for a couple more weeks, but then I heard about the Birthday Challenge from Runner043 and well, I pushed some things up.
While this is independent of Hou Ho'omaka 'ana/New Beginnings, I have kept Catherine's past the same. Her father is RADM Howard Sidney Rollins. And while some of the Steve/Catherine past is the same, not all of it is. In my other story a year before 5-0 started, Steve had asked Catherine to marry him. That did not happen in this story. In this story they have never talked about the future. This would fit into cannon up to the current episode.
Summery: A Steve Birthday Fic
~H5-0*~H5-0*~H5-0*~H5-0*~H5-0*~H5-0*~H5-0*~H5-0*~H5-0*~H5-0*
"LT Rollins," Ensign Allen called out.
Catherine put her magazine down and followed the nurse into an examination room. She didn't know why she was ordered to get a check up, but orders were orders and she obeyed. She knew something was wrong because this was her third appointment in a week. It wasn't long before the doctor came in. She saluted him and he saluted back. "At ease, LT," he said. "Have a seat."
Catherine did as she was told.
"How are you feeling?" the doctor asked.
"I feel fine, sir. What is this all about?"
"I have the results of your blood tests that we took a few days ago." Catherine started to get nervous, but didn't interrupt the doctor. "We had to call you in because the birth control that you were taking was recalled. Before we gave out any new birth control, we wanted to do a pregnancy test. We did blood tests, because they are more accurate. Lt. Rollins, your blood test came back positive. According to the hormone levels, you're three weeks pregnant."
Catherine thought back. Three weeks ago was Valentine's Day and she had leave. The next week, Steve was aboard serving his Reserve Drill Duty. Oh Boy. I'm in trouble. Deep trouble and this could get Steve in trouble too. Damn birth control. Why did I have to get the ones that were recalled? Wait. A baby. We've never talked about this. Is he going to think that I did this on purpose to trap him? Or worse…will he think that I did this on purpose because I wanted to go home early?
"LT. Rollins, did you hear me?" The doctor asked.
"I'm sorry, sir." Her mind was elsewhere.
The doctor smiled, "It's alright. You're not the first one that I've had to give this news to today. I said that you have a few choices. You could terminate the pregnancy."
"No. I can't do that. I … I just couldn't do that, sir." Catherine interrupted.
"Alright. The captain will need to know where you would like to serve your shore duty."
"Sir?"
"You had leave three weeks ago, right?"
"Yes, sir. But how did you know?"
"The captain handed me a list of sailors to test. All the women on the list had leave within the last couple of months. He's giving everyone of you the benefit of the doubt. He's assuming that you got pregnant while on leave and that you were taking your birth control as prescribed and that none of you tried to get pregnant. Since the birth control was issued by Navy doctors and it was recalled, he's giving you the choice of where to be stationed until you can come back. This was a manufacturer recall and though the Navy is not directly responsible, we will do what we can to support our sailors."
Catherine's head was swimming. Not only was she going to have a baby. A baby. Steve's baby. A baby with Steve. A baby. WOW. A baby. But she was being given the choice of where to return to. She didn't have to go back to Norfolk, where the Enterprise's home port was. "Pearl," she heard herself say as she kept thinking about the fact that she was pregnant. She just hoped that Steve would be happy about this. Or at the very least, not walk away from her. Although she doubted very much that he would do that. His past actions just didn't lead her to believe that he would do that.
"The captain thought that would be where you wanted to go since your father's stationed there. He's already put in the request."
Daddy. Oh no. What will Daddy say about this? I'm in trouble. Deep trouble. And Steve is just dead, not to mention court-martialed. When Daddy sees the paper work, he will kill Steve for sure. Just call him into his office and shoot him. Wait a minute. I don't get to tell Daddy myself? "He's already started the paperwork? I mean, I don't get to tell my father about this before he reads in a request?"
"I'm sorry, LT. Rollins. Maybe you can talk to the captain about letting you make a phone call before you father can see the request."
~H5-0*~H5-0*~H5-0*~H5-0*~H5-0*~H5-0*~H5-0*~H5-0*~H5-0*~H5-0*
With the pregnancy confirmation letter in hand, Catherine rushed to see the Captain. Her father and Captain Charles "Charlie" Swain had become friends when they were at the Academy. Maybe the captain would do this for him. He didn't need to learn of her pregnancy through a request for her to be stationed at Pearl. She would be there for the next twenty-one months. Nine months of pregnancy and one year of shore duty after the baby was born. Baby. WOW. She was just trying to get used to that. It was unbelievable.
When she reached the Captain's cabin, she knocked on the door and was told she could enter. "Captain," she saluted.
"At ease LT. What can I do for you?" The captain smiled, knowing why she was there.
"I just got my blood test results back." Catherine answered with slight embarrassment.
"And?"
"I'm pregnant."
"I'm assuming you want to be stationed at Pearl?"
"Yes, sir, but could I call my father before you send in the request?"
"You want to tell him yourself?" He guessed.
"Yes, sir."
"You can do that in person, when he gets back from San Diego on Monday. His assistant will be handling the paperwork. Your father won't see it and I'll make sure she doesn't tell him."
Catherine was relieved. She wanted to tell her father herself, but she also felt that Steve deserved to know first.
The captain looked at the woman standing before him. He remembered the day that she was born. Her father and he were on the base in Florida, when Mary had called to say that she was going into labor. Their CO had given Howard permission to go to the hospital to be with his wife. However, Howard couldn't find his keys, so Charlie had to drive his friend to the hospital. He was able to see Catherine when she was just a couple of hours old.
"Catherine, sit down. I know that the Navy frowns on familiar relationships between subordinates, but I've loved your father like a brother for far too many years now. Talk to me. I promise that I won't say word to anyone, not even your father." The captain had considered Catherine family and was always someone that she felt she could confide in.
"Well, it's just that Steve and I haven't talked about any of this. What if he's not ready to become a father?" She hated to admit it, but she was scared.
The captain smiled, "Catherine, he loves you more than anything. He's not going to leave you. And if you haven't talked about the future, it's because he's scared that you'll reject him. Listen, go get some rest. When I get the confirmation that you have been assigned to Pearl I'll let you know. I'll have the helicopter transport ready to leave as soon as the confirmation gets in my inbox."
"Aye, Aye, sir."
~H5-0*~H5-0*~H5-0*~H5-0*~H5-0*~H5-0*~H5-0*~H5-0*~H5-0*~H5-0*
Steve pretended to be still asleep when he felt someone crawl into bed with him. He carefully and immediately reached for his side arm, only to find nothing on the table. His eyes popped open.
"Happy Birthday, Sailor. I moved the weapon, so I wouldn't get shot." Catherine smiled proudly to the fact that she knew him enough to know that his first reaction would be to reach for his weapon.
"Cat? How?" Steve was confused as he looked at the clock on the bedside table that read 2:00 am.
"How did I get leave again so soon?" Catherine knew that he wasn't asking how did she get in. He had given her a key to his place last year.
"Yeah," he said as he pulled her into his arms.
"We need to talk." Her expression was serious.
That's never good. "Can it wait?" He smirked.
"Yeah. It can wait for a couple of hours," she said before Steve kissed her passionately.
~H5-0*~H5-0*~H5-0*~H5-0*~H5-0*~H5-0*~H5-0*~H5-0*~H5-0*~H5-0*
When the alarm went off at six-thirty, Steve reached over and shut it off. He opened his eyes and thought to himself, It wasn't a dream. She's really here.
"Best birthday present ever." He smiled as he looked at the woman next to him.
Wait until you hear why I'm back. "We still need to talk." Again her expression grew serious.
When he saw her worried face, he asked, "You didn't go AWOL, did you?"
"No. Gosh no, Steve. How could you think that?" She playfully pushed him.
"Why are you so worried?" Steve was beginning to think that whatever it was that she was going to tell him was not a joke.
"Because I don't know how you're going to react to what I have to say."
"Cat, whatever it is, just say it." He was growing impatient.
Catherine took a deep breath and said, "I've been reassigned to Pearl for the next twenty-one months or so."
"That's great," Steve smiled. He leaned in for a kiss, but Catherine stopped him.
"Steve, I wasn't able to finish my deployment."
"Catherine, what are talking about?"
Catherine looked down and started to pick at a nonexistent loose thread on the comforter as she said, "The doctor called me in for some blood tests, and told me yesterday that the results were back. He said he had run a pregnancy test because my birth control was recalled." She looked up to see Steve just staring at her. She gave him a minute to digest what she had just told him. "He said that according to the hormone levels I'm three weeks pregnant."
With no expression or reaction, Steve commented, "I was wrong. You coming home this morning wasn't the best birthday present ever." Catherine started to try to get out of his arms, but he held her tight, "This. You telling me that you're pregnant is the best birthday present ever." He kissed her as a smile erupted on his face.
~H5-0*~H5-0*~H5-0*~H5-0*~H5-0*~H5-0*~H5-0*~H5-0*~H5-0*~H5-0*
Two hours later, Catherine and Steve still hadn't gotten out of bed. "So, did you have any plans for today?" Catherine asked.
"No plans. And I just turned off my phone so I can't get called into work. I say we stay right here and celebrate our baby."
"And your birthday. Steve, there is one more thing. I haven't told my dad yet. He's in San Diego and won't be back until Monday. Captain Swain said that all the paperwork went through his assistant."
"That's ok, we can tell him together." Steve was actually looking forward to telling him.
"He's going to kill you. You know that, right?" Catherine joked, but knew that it could be a possibility.
"Not if we tell him that we're getting married."
Catherine rolled her eyes, "But, that's not the truth."
"It's not? Are you telling me no?" Steve was surprised.
"How can I tell you no if you don't ask me. And who said I would say no?"
"Would you?"
"Would I what?"
"Would you say no?"
"Would I say no to what?"
Steve rolled over and put his hands over his eyes. "Catherine!" He was frustrated.
"Oh no, you're not getting off that easy. You're going to have to ask. And besides, I don't want to get married just because I'm pregnant." She needed to make sure that he was doing this because he wanted to and not because of an obligation.
"Who said that was the reason I would ask?" Catherine gave him a look that said that was the only reason she knew that he would ask her. He reached inside the drawer of the bedside table and pulled out a small black velvet box, "I bought this two and half years ago. I've always had it with me, when I knew that I would see you. I just never had the courage to ask."
"You're a SEAL, you face a storm of bullets almost daily. And you can't ask me a simple question?" she shook her head in disbelief.
"It's not a simple question. Sure it's only four words. But if you say no, there's a lot of heartbreak that I'm not prepared to deal with. So, even after talking with your father and asking his permission to ask you, I still haven't found the courage to ask."
He asked my father? She thought to herself.
"So, Captain Swain was right. We haven't talked about the future because you're too scared."
"Captain Swain said that? Yes, Catherine, I'm a coward." He smirked.
"Well, you're just going to have to get over it and ask me. Cause you won't get an answer until you do."
"Catherine!"
"No, sailor. You need to ask. I'm not going to let you get out of asking. Like you said it's just four words. They're not even big words. They're little words. Even a two year old could say them. Do you want our child three years from now to be able to say the words that you are refusing to say right now and you still not able to? You know how little boys ask their mothers to marry them. If this is a boy and he asks me the question that you obviously want to ask me, what do I tell him then? Huh?"
Steve smiled at her.
"What are you smiling at?"
"I just loved hearing you speculate about our baby."
Catherine smiled, "Yeah it's nice. I was afraid that you wouldn't want it."
"Of course I want children with you. I know that this wasn't something that we talked about, but I think it's a happy surprise. How do you feel about it?" He watched her reaction.
Catherine thought about it. "Well, I've been mostly in shock since finding out and I've been trying to wrap my head around it, but, yeah. It's a happy surprise. And you're right, we haven't talked about the future, but when I think about the future, you're the only one that I see myself with."
"You won't just take the ring, will you?"
"Nope. You're going to have to ask. I refuse to be robbed of being proposed to just because you're scared."
Steve took a deep breath, "LT Catherine Aileen Rollins, will you marry me?"
"I'm not going to marry you just because I'm pregnant, Steve."
When Steve heard her say that she wasn't going to marry him, he hung his head down.
"I'm going to marry you because I love you. I wish you would have asked me two years ago, when you bought the ring." She needed him to know that she loved him.
When she finished her speech, he looked up at her. "So that was a yes?"
Catherine smiled, "Yes, LCDR Steven Jared McGarrett, I will marry you."
Now this is the best birthday present ever. Nothing can ruin this day for me. This is the best birthday ever.
"But, you will have to explain to my dad why I got pregnant out of wedlock." Catherine's father was an old fashioned guy, with old fashioned morals. He wanted to believe that his daughter felt the same way he did.
Oh shit, I'm in trouble, Steve thought. "I'll be lucky to get out of it with a court-martial, huh?"
"Yep. He'll probably shoot you, though," she said with a bit of sarcasm.
"Probably," he laughed, though deep down inside he wasn't sure that it was a joke.
~H5-0*~H5-0*~H5-0*~H5-0*~H5-0*~H5-0*~H5-0*~H5-0*~H5-0*~H5-0*
A/N #2: This was intended as a one shot. However, I might be able to continue, but updates will be slow since I have some other works in progress. In your reviews, let me know if you want to see the Admiral's reaction to the news that he will be a grandfather.