A more emotional Steve than we typically see on the show. Hope this doesn't bother anyone. This is the side of Steve that I think the show doesn't show often enough. Alex kills these scenes and should be given more meat to work with sometimes. Bad ass Navy SEALS can be sensitive too, right?
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Tripler Army Medical Center – 1:30 PM
As Steve and Danny entered the hospital, the first person they saw was Max. What was Max doing here already? It couldn't already have happened. All sorts of negative thoughts ran through Steve's mind as they approach each other. "Max, what are you doing here?"
"Commander, I heard about Lieutenant Rollins and came to help."
"I'm not sure what you can do here, Max. She's been poisoned with something we encountered on a mission six years ago. Somehow our guy has gotten his hands on it and wants revenge. Catherine only has a few hours left before…" He looked ashen and couldn't finish the sentence.
Seeing how distraught Steve was getting, Danny threw him a lifeline, sort of speak. "Hey, let's go find her, ok babe?"
Max yelled at Steve as he walked away, "Commander, Lieutenant Rollins is up on the third floor in room 121."
Danny smiled at Max and started waving at Steve's retreating figure and impolite manners. "Thanks Max. Steve's just worried about Catherine. I'm sure he appreciates your concern." Max gave a simple nod in appreciation. Danny then set off to catch-up with Steve.
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As Steve walked out of the elevator on the third floor, the first thing he noticed was how quiet it was. This floor cared for the seriously-ill and it had a very eerie feeling to it that made him a bit uncomfortable. The walls were painted an off-white color that looked more like death than the comforting feeling of the rest of the hospital. Along the outside corridors stood room after room. In the middle of the floor was a huge nursing station with a 360 degree view of all of the rooms. Quiet activity was going on. Steve must've been sporting a 'deer-in-the-headlights' look, because one of the nurses gave him a small smile and nodded towards Catherine's room.
Steve quietly approached her room and stopped just outside the door. As he paused for a moment, he noticed his hands were sweaty and had a slight tremor to them. He knew he needed to be strong, so he took a moment to collect himself before pushing on the door.
The door was heavy and creaked slightly, but Catherine didn't stir. She looked so peaceful, even though Steve knew how the poison was raging inside her, just waiting to strike. He quietly approached the bed and sat down on the edge next to her hip. He found himself just staring at her for several minutes before he picked up her hand that had been resting on her stomach. He bowed his head and closed his eyes as he started to subconsciously caress the back of her hand with his thumb. Her hand was still warm which gave him some relief.
Danny had finally caught up to Steve and now stood in the doorway and didn't make a sound. He rested against the doorway with his arms and legs crossed and his head leaning against the door jamb, and admired the vulnerability his partner revealed. For all bad-ass Navy SEAL Steve was, he was a real softie when it came to the people he loved. It was a side of the stoic SEAL that rarely anyone got to see, except those intimately close to him.
Steve was lost in thought about how far he and Catherine had come and endured in their relationship over the past eighteen months. He couldn't believe how fast the time had flown by. When Cath got permanently stationed at Pearl, she had become a constant in his life. For years, he had a hard time calling her anything more than "a thing," but he now hoped she knew how so much more she meant to him. Somewhere along the way she had become more than a "not my girlfriend" to someone he couldn't imagine living without.
That day when "El Condor" kidnapped her was the day it all started sinking in. And then, not even a month later, when she got shot the night Billy died, his heart hurt knowing he hadn't been there to protect her. Deep down, in the part of his heart and head that he doesn't talk about, he was glad it was Billy and not Catherine that died that night.
Since then, life had gotten somewhat back to normal. He took a deep breath and sighed as he remembered the desperation and anguish he felt.
At this point, Danny felt like he was intruding on a very private moment. His heart ached for his best friend. Steve had suffered through so much loss in his life. He knew this would devastate him if he lost Catherine. He quietly backed his way out of the doorway and found a chair outside of her room and began his vigil and tried to come up with a plan to get the sicko that was trying to take away the best thing that had ever happened to his best friend.
Steve still had his head bowed as he quietly prayed for the lead that would help find Tommy Green and save Catherine's life. Tommy had obviously succeeded in developing the antidote or he wouldn't have mentioned it on the phone, which meant there was still hope.
He couldn't help but think about earlier that morning, how they both hadn't spoken much to each other, wrapped up in their own morning rituals, both knowing they'd have more time together after work. Neither of them was big into the Hallmark traditions like Valentine's Day, having spent most of them apart and in different parts of the world. On rare occasions they'd spend the day together.
Steve slightly grinned at a more recent memory, remembering two Valentine's Day ago when Catherine's leave and their weekend plans had been interrupted with the Governor's black tie event and eventual case. However, Steve made up for it by scheduling his reserve drill so he could go back with Catherine when she returned to The Enterprise.
However, this being their first Valentine's as a traditional couple, Steve had planned a romantic dinner behind their house on the beach with luminaries softly lighting up the backyard. He wanted to show Catherine how important she was to him.
The clock was ticking and Steve knew how horrible this was going to be for Cath if they didn't find the antidote soon. The thought of Catherine going through what Andy did, caused tears to form in his eyes and a sniffle to escape.
Steve looked up right then and saw Cath staring at him with her dark brown eyes that always spoken volumes without uttering a single word.
"Hey…" Steve whispered and donned a small smile.
Catherine knew exactly what was going on. She had been there when Green died and saw what happened to Steve and the guilt that he felt for being his CO and not being able to help him. The look on Steve's face, the tears in his eyes, and the hoarseness to his voice told her that he was taking full responsibility for everything, even though all of it was out of his control. This strong man that, on a typical day, wouldn't let his emotions get in the way of doing his job, was now broken. She squeezed his hand reassuringly and grinned back.
"You know this isn't your fault, right?" Cath's throat felt like it was on fire and was hard to get the words out. She swallowed, trying to coat her throat with saliva, but there wasn't any. The dryness caused her to cough and squeeze Steve's hand like a vice. Steve stood, not letting go of her hand and with his other one, brushed her hair back from her face and placed a feather-like kiss to her forehead. She felt feverish and was shaking. "Oh god, Steve," Catherine gasped as Steve looked down and saw that Catherine had taken her free hand and wiped at her mouth, pulling back bloody fingers.
It had started.
