The team stayed on the scene until the last injury was treated and everyone was accounted for. Wreckers cleared the mangled vehicles, and the old ferry system was back up and running, moving cars and people back and forth to the base.
Chin shook his head at the destruction. "How long, do you think, before the bridge is repaired?"
"Army Corps of Engineers is going to take on the project. It won't take long. Have to admit, they're the best at what they do." He stopped and looked at his team. "Good work today, everyone. Mary's got beers and sandwiches ready at the house, if anyone wants to stop by, settle in a bit before heading home."
They climbed wearily into their respective vehicles and headed back to the palace. The bare minimum of paperwork was completed, and they showered and changed in the locker room. Kono stood, her damp hair twisted up on her head, and examined her jeans. She sighed and tossed them in the haz-mat bin.
"Filing an expense report for those," she informed Steve, as he wandered, finally, the last of them, into the locker room.
"I'll sign it," he promised. He had already planned on everything but his boots going into the bin, and now, looking down at them in the fluorescent light of the locker room, he wasn't entirely sure they could be salvaged. Damn it. They were good boots, too, broken in just right. He sighed and put them into a clean trash bag; maybe he could deal with them later. The shower felt wonderful, and he indulged past his usual three minutes, trying to wash away the grime and some of the superficial scratches and cuts from his multiple encounters with twisted metal and concrete.
"Yo, Steve," Danny's voice came over the sound of the water. "You okay, babe?"
Steve turned off the water and grabbed for his towel. "Yeah, Danny. Guess I lost track of time."
"Nah, it's only been a little over five minutes. That's just long, for you," Danny said. "I've gathered up everyone's paperwork. It's all on your desk. Take your time."
"Thanks, Danny," Steve said. He pulled on the last of the clean clothes from his locker and made a mental note to restock.
True to Danny's word, papers were stacked neatly on his desk. He sighed and started plowing through them, signing his name on autopilot. If he'd needed to check behind his people, they wouldn't be on his team in the first place.
"Chin went to pick Malia up from the hospital," Danny said, folding into a chair across from Steve's desk. "He said they'd swing by the house - Malia wanted to check on Jax, see how they did at Tripler. It's nice they can share that, you know?"
Steve nodded absently as he continued signing off on reports.
"Grover was going to stop at home, check the kids homework. Said he'd definitely come back over for a beer," Danny continued. "Kono was going home. Might see her later, depending." Danny stopped and grinned.
"Depending on -" Steve said, a half smile on his face.
"Yeah, depending on whether an evening getting Caviness to kiss her assorted boo-boos is an option, or not," Danny chuckled. "Speaking of - we would all understand if you and Jax wanted your privacy this evening. It's been a long day."
"She misses the team," Steve said. "I sent her a text, asked if she was up to it, and she said definitely. I'm taking her at her word. I think she'll want to see for herself we're all okay. Apparently there was news footage . . ."
"Oh, great," Danny muttered. "I better go call Rachel . . ."
#*#*#*#*#
Master Chief Ingersole had drifted into a troubled, fitful sleep. Jax sat quietly in the chair next to his bed, watching his vitals carefully. The floor nurse assigned to his room knocked softly on the door and came in.
"I know your shift is over," she said. "It's okay, I've got it."
"I'll wait a while longer," Jax said. "I don't want him to wake up in a strange room with no one familiar around. Once he wakes up and we're sure he's aware of where he is, I'll clock out. Thanks."
She went back to waiting, quietly, squeezing his hand and murmuring to him when his brow furrowed and his head moved in agitation on the pillow. Finally, he opened his eyes.
"Hey, Master Chief," Jax said softly. "We're in neuro now. How's your pain?"
He stared at her, wild eyed, without the faintest glimmer of recognition.
"It's Jax, your nurse from downstairs, in the emergency room. We're at Tripler, you're safe," she said, wrapping her hand around his forearm.
He moved quickly, reaching up and wrapping his beefy hand around her throat.
"Where the hell are my men?" he hissed. His monitor beeped wildly as his pulse ox monitor was forced off the end of his finger by the motion. "It's a trick, I know it's a trick, sending you in here. I'm not gonna fall for it. Not gonna give anything up. Take me to my men -"
The door flew open and two orderlies rushed to pull Ingersole away from Jax. The nurse was close on their heels.
"I was at the station, I saw," she said, wrapping an arm around Jax's shoulders. "You okay?"
Jax nodded, numbly, as the orderlies fastened soft restraints around Ingersole's wrists, as he struggled weakly against them.
"Please, he was just startled, please don't use restraints," Jax said.
"It's policy, ma'am," one of the orderlies said kindly. "It's for his safety, too."
"The doctor is on the way with a sedative," the nurse said. "Let's get you out of the room."
"You think I'm upsetting him," Jax said, her shoulders slumping. "God, what a rookie mistake. I shouldn't have touched his arm . . . he knew me, down in the ER. He did, he knew who I was, it -"
The neurologist walked past them swiftly, his footsteps measured and controlled. Jax could hear him speaking with the master chief, his voice firm but kind. She stood on tiptoe to peer anxiously through the glass of the door. The doctor was bent over the bed, one hand on Ingersole's shoulder, speaking to him.
"He's very kind," Jax murmured.
The nurse smiled. "He is. We see this constantly. The master chief is in good hands, I assure you."
"He didn't mean to hurt me," Jax said. She could feel the skin of her throat heating, imagined it was probably turning red by now.
"Of course he didn't," the neurologist said, joining them just outside the door. He closed it softly behind him. "We understand that -" he stopped, glancing at her name tag in confusion.
"McGarrett. Medic," Jax said quickly. "I'm a medic in the emergency department, they hired me to work with patients with PTSD . . . for whatever it was worth."
"Ah," the nurse nodded. "Stop beating yourself up. That wasn't PTSD."
"It wasn't?"Jax asked, confused. "I mean, it looks like what -" she stopped. It wouldn't do to say that it looked like a lot of the nightmares she'd coaxed Steve through. "It sure looked like a flashback."
"It was, partly," the neurologist explained. "The master chief has a traumatic brain injury. It's even more complicated. The flashbacks are more sudden, more vivid . . . much less predictable. And there's the added factor of amnesia - he may or may not remember anything that happened in the emergency department. He may remember all of it, the next time he wakes up."
"So, how -" Jax shook her head, frustrated. "What do you do? How can you help him?"
"Lots of testing, to see if we can determine the exact location of the worst of the damage," the doctor explained. "And then lots of trial and error to see if we can find a treatment that helps."
"So, he's . . . what, he can't go back to work?" Jax asked.
"He's going to be with us a little while," the nurse said gently. "And then, probably, a rehabilitation facility. Occupational and physical therapy . . . behavioral and cognitive therapy."
"And then?" Jax whispered.
"It depends," the doctor said. "Sometimes we have a fantastic outcome."
"Sometimes you don't," Jax said.
The doctor was silent, and Jax felt a prick of tears rush to her eyes.
"Why don't you check in on him next time you're on shift?" the nurse suggested gently. "I think, probably, you should go home. Ice that throat, it's going to bruise. Do you think you should check in with your OB?"
Jax shook her head. "It didn't compromise my airway, not even for a moment. Just superficial. I'm fine. I'm - I'm really sorry. I should have known better."
"Not to worry," the nurse said. "I promise you, we're going to take excellent care of him."
"He's afraid of pirates," Jax blurted. "Somalia. He served, off the coast."
The nurse nodded. "We'll take care of him. Go, take care of yourself."
Jax nodded mutely and headed for the elevator, moving on autopilot until she found herself blinking, standing in front of her locker in the emergency department locker room.
"McGarrett, what the hell -" Gus muttered, her strong hand tilting Jax's jaw. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine," Jax said. "Turns out if you add a brain injury to PTSD it gets even dicier. I knew better. It was my fault."
"Your shift was over an hour ago," Gus said. "Clock out, go home, put your feet up. I want a note from your OB before you come back."
"Gus, I -" Jax started to protest.
"Zip it," Gus said, her tone firm but not unkind. Her eyes softened as she looked at Jax. "No one - and I mean, no one - gets it perfect every time. Not even you. So, get over yourself, rest up, get back on the horse. Got it?"
"Got it," Jax said. She grabbed her backpack out of her locker. "Thanks, Gus."
"Hmm, get out before I have to sign off on your overtime," Gus groused. "Note. From the OB."
"OB nurse okay?" Jax bargained, prompting an eyeroll and a grin from Gus.
"Get, before I call the Commander to come get you," Gus said.
#*#*#*#*#
Steve was just starting to pace when his phone buzzed with a text from Jax. He read it, sighed in relief, and sat down hard on the front porch steps.
"She's just now getting off work," he said, as Danny sat down next to him, wrapping a hand around his shoulder. "I mean, I should have expected - I did expect, honestly, with the number of sailors and airmen we saw shuttled over there today - that she'd run late."
"I'm glad she thought to text," Danny said. "Okay, now, let's grab a beer, hunh?"
Steve nodded and followed Danny inside the house, his bare feet silent on the old wood floors. Mary was in the kitchen, setting out bowls of pretzels and chips, and unwrapping the sandwiches she'd assembled.
"This is perfect," Steve said, wrapping her in a hug. "Thanks, Mare, I mean it. None of us were up for going out tonight but . . ."
"I get it," Mary said. "I remember. When Dad . . . do you remember? Sometimes, there'd be half a dozen cops here, just sitting, looking out at the water, drinking a beer. I never understood."
"I didn't either," Steve admitted. "I do now. I'm going to watch for Jax." He headed back toward the front door.
"I'll take a plate out to Chin and Malia," Danny said.
"I'll help," Mary offered quickly. "Is Steve okay?" She stopped and looked at Danny. "Shit. Are you okay? Are any of you okay?"
Danny chuckled. "It was just an intense day, Mary. There was a lot of chaos . . . a lot of people hurt. A day like that, your body just churns out the adrenaline, you know? So you can keep up, stay focused, stay sharp, do what you gotta do. And then -"
"The day is over but the adrenaline isn't," Mary guessed. "Your eye looks like shit, by the way."
"Thank you for that astute observation," Danny said, piling a plate with food.
Steve smiled at the sound of his sister and best friend sniping at each other in the kitchen. It felt right, and safe, and like home. He could easily picture them taking food out to Chin and Malia, who had headed straight for the chairs closest to the water. Malia, no doubt, needed to decompress as badly as the rest of them, and while their house was charming, it wasn't near the ocean - and the sea was as much as part of their blood as it was his, as it was Kono's. He chuckled to himself. There'd been a quick snapshot text from a smiling Kono and Brian, thanking him for his offer of hospitality but taking a rain check. Kono was the one member of the team who still needed a different kind of decompression from time to time - the kind involving tequila, loud music, and a considerate and capable boyfriend to ensure that she got what she needed - and got home safely.
It was just dark enough now that the headlights of Jax's Supra cut through the twilight as she turned into the drive. Steve stood, waiting patiently, as she turned off the car engine. Moments passed, and she still hadn't emerged from the vehicle. He padded out to her car, slowly, and braced one strong arm on the hood of the car, opening the door with the other.
"Jax," he said softly. "Hey, ku'uipo, you okay?"
She turned her eyes up to his, and shook her head silently.
"Hey," he said urgently, crouching down next to her. "Hey, what happened?"
"I've never done patient care, not really," Jax said quietly. "I've patched people up, held them together - literally - and turned them over to surgeons and doctors and . . . he woke up, in neuro -"
"The master chief?" Steve asked.
"Yeah. He was disoriented, and I thought - I guess, I thought, like with you or Danny, if I reminded him, he'd - but he didn't remember me. Not at all. He's going to have to be in a facility, Steve - therapy, long-term, and - I don't know. I don't know if he'll be able to stay in the Navy or -" her voice broke, as tears spilled over onto her cheeks.
"Oh, I'm so sorry," Steve murmured. "I'm sorry, Jax. But he'll get the best care, you know he will. I can look into his case myself, make sure it's accounted for as a base-related accident, I -"
"It could have been you," Jax blurted. "Any number of times. You. Or Danny. It's not just PTSD, it's more, it's - his actual brain, is damaged, it's - they might not be able to fix it. It could be you."
His hands were sliding under her back, her knees, and pulling, lifting her out of the car. He nudged the door shut with his hip and in a few long strides was sitting on the front steps, holding her.
"He didn't recognize me," Jax whispered. "What if - what if I get called to Tripler, or Queens, one day, and it's you, or Danny, and you don't -" she broke off, pushing her fist against her mouth.
"Shh," he whispered, cradling her head against his shoulder. She pressed her face into his neck, and he could feel hot tears splashing against his skin. She pulled back, cupped her hand around the bruise on his jaw, and then pressed her lips against it. He stayed still, allowing her to kiss over the fresh bruise, sat patiently as her lips traced up to the old scars across his eyebrow, his temple, into his hairline.
"It could have been you," she said, her voice hoarse with fatigue and emotion. "It could be you."
"Yeah, it could," he said slowly. "It was a radiator hose, Jax. A radiator hose blew, caused the driver of the fuel truck to wreck, set off the pile-up that almost pushed the master chief off the bridge. So yeah, it could be me, or you, or anyone. But it wasn't. Not today."
He held her, murmuring soft phrases of pidgin into her ear, until he felt her relax.
"You good?" he asked softly.
She sighed and nodded. "Yeah. I'm hungry."
He chuckled at that, stood up, making sure she was steady on her feet. "Come on, Mare's put out a spread in the kitchen. Danny, Chin, and Malia are here."
"Explains their cars in the driveway," she said dryly. Steve followed her inside, as she paused at the hall table, stowing her stethoscope, shears, and hospital ID.
"Geez, you carry almost as much crap now as you did with Five-O," Danny said, coming through to check on the long silence from his best friends. "Holy shit, Jax, what the hell - who did that -"
Steve took in Danny's alarmed expression and grabbed Jax's shoulders, turning her around and looking over her frantically under the soft light of the entry.
"I didn't see - it's almost dark outside -what -" he fell silent as his eyes fell on the faint bruise forming at her throat.
"It was my fault, I made a rookie mistake, and I'm fine," Jax said. "The master chief woke up disoriented, and I thought - I was too close. I wasn't being careful."
Steve's fingers were tracing over her throat, his eyes wide. She shivered under his touch and smiled up at him.
"I'm fine," she said softly. "Really and truly."
His hand slid down to her stomach, not pausing this time, possessively splaying over the curve.
"They're fine, too," she assured him.
He waited until he felt the now-familiar flutter under his fingers. A soft smile spread over his face.
"We're all fine, and we're all hungry," Jax reminded him. "I was promised food . . ."
She puttered off toward the kitchen while Steve took a moment to collect himself, shaking his head at Danny.
"Sorry, babe," Danny said. "I didn't mean to - I just saw that bruise and all I could think about was -"
"That first day she got off the damn plane," Steve said. "Same here. But she's fine."
"Is she really?" Danny asked quietly. "Took you guys an awful long time to come inside."
"The master chief was more seriously injured than she'd realized at first," Steve sighed. "She took it hard. Especially when he didn't recognize her."
"Shit," Danny said softly. "I didn't mean to blurt all that out, by the way - that was pretty unfiltered of me."
Steve laughed, a little shaky, but genuine. "Danny. Buddy, I don't think you could filter if your life depended on it."
#*#*#*#*#
By the time Grover stopped by, they were sitting around a small bonfire on the beach. He grabbed a beer from the ice-filled kitchen sink and ambled toward the small glow.
"Lou," Steve said, raising a bottle in salute. "Family doing okay?"
"They are," Lou said. "Little shaken up, apparently, by the live footage. Especially the part where you shimmied over the side of that bridge."
"There was shimmying?" Jax said, curious.
Steve waved his hand dismissively. "Just helped attach a cable to the master chief's pick up truck. It wasn't a big deal."
"It's on youtube now," Mary supplied helpfully. "There are lots of hits. And girls leaving, um, messages. I bookmarked it."
"Oh, hell yeah," Jax said. She started to stand up, struggling a bit to find her balance. Mary bounced up and grabbed her hands, laughing.
"Come on, I'll show you," she said. "Malia, come on, you too."
Malia dimpled, pleased at being included. She kissed Chin quickly on the cheek and followed Mary and Jax into the house.
"Okay, so I'd be prepping for a royal butt-chewing about irresponsibility," Danny said, watching the women file into the house. They could see them, through the glow of the window, standing around Steve's desk, Mary's fingers on the laptop. "You, my friend, are sitting there with your usual lack of self-preservation."
Steve took a long swig of his beer. "Well, Daniel," he drawled, "maybe Jax has a different perspective than Rachel."
"Oh dear Lord," Grover mumbled. "Are you saying - never mind. I don't need the visual."
Chin chuckled and shook his head.
"It was a pretty risky stunt," Chin said. He started to gather up his and Malia's plates and bottles. Danny moved to help him, grabbing Steve and Jax's plates as well.
"Thanks," Steve murmured, as Danny waved him back into his seat and followed Chin into the house.
"Appreciate the time to chill out," Grover said. He stretched his legs out in front of him. "Quite a day. Wasn't sure you and Danny were going to be able to subdue that injured sailor."
"He was disoriented," Steve agreed. "Came up swinging."
"That he did," Grover said, nodding. "Kono was a little shaken up."
"Yeah?" Steve asked, surprised. He turned to look at Grover in the dim light of the bonfire. "She's seen me and Danny take much worse hits before."
"True, true. What if you had been the one swinging, though?" Grover asked quietly.
"What are you getting at?" Steve asked, picking at the label on his bottle.
"I think you know," Grover said. "Someday, it could be you, yeah? Take a hard hit to that hard head of yours, you don't know your ass from your elbow. Don't know your present from your past. Don't know your friend from your enemy."
"Kono . . . worries that I'm gonna hurt someone on the team," Steve said quietly. "Like the master chief hurt Danny . . . hurt Jax. Hell, like I hurt Jax, that time -"
"Could we take you down, Steve? The four of us," Grover mused. "I'm not sure we could."
Steve pondered for a moment, then shook his head slowly. "I'm not sure you could," he said. His voice was low and serious. "I've thought about it. From the very beginning, to be honest. When I first got back to the island, I was . . . my head was in a pretty screwed up place. Thanks to you, and Danny and Jax - and therapy - it's better. But even then . . . I hurt Jax. Could've killed her."
"Didn't come here to bring up ghosts and guilt, McGarrett," Grover said.
"I know, Lou, but . . . Kono's right to be worried," Steve said. "Shit, is that why she didn't -"
"Now, don't you go adding completely needless guilt," Grover said quickly. "That girl was practically buzzing. She needed to go out and blow off some serious steam, and that's why she's not here. But, she raised a concern. Mentioned a tranq gun. I told her I'd share with you."
"I appreciate it," Steve said. "I'd never want any of you to worry and . . . and not tell me."
"So, you take some time, think about what you need to tell us to do, should we find ourselves in a situation with you injured and confused," Grover said. He put a huge hand on Steve's shoulder. "Now, I'm gonna go home and get some much needed rest."
"Take your time coming in tomorrow," Steve said. "Rest, spend some time with Renee. Drive your kids to school."
"I'll take you up on that," Grover said. He ambled up toward the house, leaving Steve alone, staring into the fire and past it to the water.
#*#*#*#*#
"Give our love and goodnights to Steve," Malia said, as she and Chin gathered their things and headed out right after Grover.
Mary was smiling at her phone. "I'm going to join Kono and this guy of hers while the night is still relatively young. You know, for people who didn't save lives today."
"Saved my life with those sandwiches," Danny declared, giving her a hug.
"Tell my brother I'm in good hands and not to worry," Mary said, grabbing her bag. "Oh. Um -"
"Take the Supra," Jax said, smiling. "Be safe. Uber home and I'll get Steve to fetch the car tomorrow if that's an issue."
Mary stopped, looked at Jax, and then past her, to the pictures of their parents on the wall of Steve's study. "I'm done with reckless behavior," she said. "Fun? Yes. I'll go out and have a blast. But . . . this family has enough loss, and God knows, enough risk, already. When I say to tell Steve not to worry, I mean it."
"Thanks, Mary," Jax said softly.
Mary gave her a jaunty salute and dashed out the front door.
"So, your Neanderthal animal husband played Tarzan today," Danny said, tilting his head toward the laptop. "Did you enjoy the footage?"
"Wish I could have been there," Jax sighed.
"You're both crazy," Danny declared, as they went into the kitchen to clean up. He wasn't surprised when Jax's small, strong fingers caught at his jaw, tilting his head under the light to examine the stitches over his eyebrow. "How's it look? Some renegade medic stitched me up in a military hospital."
"Looks damn good," Jax said. "Nice even stitches. Will barely leave a scar. How's the headache? Any nausea?"
"A dull throb, but that often accompanies a day with my delightful partner," Danny said. "No nausea. I'm not concussed, babe. How's that bruising?"
"If I didn't have this whole Irish freckles and fair skin thing going on, it wouldn't even have bruised," Jax said. "No pain, no big deal. Nothing like . . . other times. Really and truly. It was an accident, all the way. One I caused, by not using common sense."
She looked out the window, at Steve, who was sitting motionless by the fire.
"He said you took it hard, that your patient was seriously injured," Danny said softly. He started filling the sink with soapy water, collecting dishes and slipping them into the suds.
"I can't do this without him, Danny," Jax said quietly. "I can't. I . . . I barely can imagine myself with kids as it is, but trying to do this, if he's not . . . damn it. I swore, I promised myself that I'd never let myself be this dependent on anyone, and look at me."
"Yeah, look at you," Danny said. "Married to one of the best men I've ever known, about to start a family, surrounded with friends and family who love you. And looking damn good."
Jax rolled her eyes. "Looking like a baby whale. I couldn't even stand up without help."
"It's the sand," Danny declared. "No one can stand up gracefully from the sand."
The two of them watched as Steve proved Danny wrong, unfolding his long frame with ease. He stood, his arms crossed over himself protectively, and stared out at the water.
"Okay, the obnoxiously muscled and agile Super SEAL can stand up gracefully from the sand," Danny groused. "And I'm gonna go, before the two of you start being all -" he gestured helplessly. He wrapped his arms around Jax and kissed her gently on the forehead.
"Thanks, Danny," she said, leaning into his solid strength.
"You're going to be great parents, babe," he whispered. "You'll see. And as far as the dangers of our job .. . you gotta stay past that. You know as well as I do that all of life is a risk. Those people on the bridge today, the people in the World Trade Center, on those airplanes that day . . . they weren't cops. Or SEALs." He tousled her hair affectionately, then grabbed his things from the hall table. Jax could hear him, faintly, on the phone with Rachel as he closed the front door behind him.
She finished up the dishes quickly, watching as Steve still stood, looking out over the water.
"He's brooding," she informed Pupule, who sat at the back door looking out. "It's been kind of an intense day."
Pupule watched as Jax headed out the door toward Steve. Satisfied that his humans were looking after each other, he headed up to the landing and curled up in his bed.
"Hey, sailor," Jax said quietly. No day was a good day to sneak up on a SEAL, but especially not a day that involved an adrenaline crash.
He turned his head and looked at her, then glanced back at the obviously quiet house.
"Shit, I lost track -"
"No worries," she said, wrapping an arm around his waist and leaning into him. His arm wrapped around her protectively. "Everyone said to tell you thanks for hosting. Danny and I cleaned up. Oh, Mary went out to catch up with Kono and Brian. She'll be safe."
He nodded. "Good. She needs to have fun, but . . . anyway. Good."
"And you? Are you good?" Jax asked quietly.
"Adrenaline crash," he shrugged. "Was thinking another hot shower, honestly."
"I'll make you some tea," Jax suggested.
"That'd be perfect," he said.
She looked up at him, searching, but didn't press. When they reached the kitchen, she puttered around with the tea kettle and tea while Steve kept moving, slowly, steadily, toward the stairs. She could still hear the water running as she reached the bedroom, carefully carrying two steaming cups. She placed them carefully on the dresser and went into the bathroom.
He was leaning against the wall of the shower, the water beating down on his shoulders. She stepped deliberately into his peripheral vision, hoping to avoid startling him.
"You're being careful," he said, his voice muffled by the water.
"I've startled one sailor today," she said lightly. "Don't need to do it again."
"Kono's afraid of me," he blurted out. He turned his head toward her, water dripping from his lashes. "Danny and I, took both of us to subdue the master chief. Us and a couple EMTs. Kono's afraid I'll lose it on a case, take out the team."
Jax slowly peeled off her scrubs, tossing them into the hamper, and then slipped into the shower. Steve's fingers traced over her shoulders, up to the faint bruise on her throat.
"I damn near killed you," he said quietly. "The master chief, today, he coulda killed you. Danny had to have stitches. Kono's afraid of me. Of what I'm capable of."
Jax put her face in the water, tilting it up until her hair was soaking, and water was dripping off her lashes as well.
"I'm afraid I'll lose the plot and hurt the babies," she said, looking up at him. "I want you to teach Mary how to take me down, if she needs to."
He reached for her shampoo, putting some of it in the palm of his hand, and then gently working it through her hair. When he was done, he tilted her head back, cradling her head in his hand, as the water rinsed the suds away.
"We're a little bit screwed up," Jax said. "I think we might need, I dunno, professional help."
He looked at her, at the twitch of a smile hovering on her lips, and felt a small sense of relief.
"Yeah. I hear the Navy has some really kick ass therapists," he said, reaching for the shower gel. She was soon relaxing under his touch.
"I mean, they have to," she said, shaking her head in mock distress. "Those sailors, they're a handful. But I'm pretty sure the SEALs are the worst."
"Oh, the worst?" he asked, turning her gently under the water to rinse off the gel. She shivered. The water was turning cool. He turned off the faucet and grabbed a fluffy towel, wrapping it around her, then grabbed another for himself and wrapped it low around his hips.
"The worst," she confirmed. "In fact, I have solid evidence of a certain SEAL rushing ahead of the local fire department today, using his personal climbing gear to go over the side of a bridge, and attach a stabilizing cable to a pick up truck. I mean, that kind of recklessness. It is a concern."
He smirked at her in the mirror as they brushed their teeth.
"Recklessness? Hm. Were you concerned?" he mumbled around his toothbrush.
"Very," she said, nodding. "I think I need to check you over, very thoroughly, make sure there aren't any injuries from that stunt that have been overlooked."
"Well, you're the professional," he said. He turned to look down at her, and tossed his toothbrush into the cup without looking.
"Show off," she murmured, and then his lips were against hers, and there might have been something else she was going to say, but she couldn't remember.
#*#*#*#*#
Steve grinned down at her, propped on one elbow and tracing the fingers of his other hand over her bare shoulder. The moonlight filtered into the otherwise darkened room, splashing patterns from the blinds onto the walls.
"You okay, there?" he asked. "A little dehydrated, maybe?"
"You're so smug," she groaned. "It's infuriating. Why do I find you so attractive?"
He grinned even wider. "I do have a certain skill set."
"They teach you all that in SEAL school?" she murmured. "Or did it come with the abs? Oh, I know - the ink."
He ducked his head down and kissed her, slow and unhurried. "It's you."
"Ugh, me," she sighed, pulling the sheet up to cover her stomach.
"Yes, you," he said. "Why do you find that hard to believe?"
"Because I'm thirty two weeks pregnant and I look ridiculous," she said. "Come on. I mean, there are two little tiny humans floating around in there. It's absurd, when you think about it. And I don't think my belly button is ever going to be the same. I look ridiculous."
He brushed her curls away from her face. "Say I thought you looked ridiculous. I wouldn't care. Because, in about eight weeks, we get to meet these little humans, hold them in our arms. If you did look ridiculous, it would only be temporary, and totally and completely worth it."
"Okay," she shrugged, "that I could believe. Maybe."
"But I happen to think you look incredible," he murmured. "It's not ridiculous to me, it's pretty much the most amazing thing I could imagine. I like the way you look. You've always been tiny and curvy at the same time and . . . holy hell, it's always turned me on. That hasn't changed a bit in thirty two weeks. It's not going to change in eight more, either."
She looked at him dubiously.
"Okay, you need references," he said. "Ask Danny. I dare you. Ask Danny if he was turned on by Rachel when she was pregnant with Gracie and Charlie. You don't believe me? Get another guy's perspective."
"You're crazy," she said, but a small smile was playing over her lips. "You - really? Even now?"
"Hell yeah," he said. "Pretty sure I just demonstrated that. Like, repeatedly."
She laughed, snorting indelicately. "I think I need another shower," she commented. "That was - you were - um, athletic."
He beamed down at her and helped her get untangled from the sheets, and then whistled on his way into the bathroom.
#*#*#*#*#
Mary slipped quietly in the front door, and Pupule staggered down the stairs to greet her. He liked this extra person, he'd decided. Sometimes she let him sleep on her bed, which was nice. He looked up at her, hopeful.
"Hey, buddy," she whispered. He followed her down the hall. She opened the door to her room and let him in. "I'm just gonna grab a shower," she informed him, still whispering.
The hot water felt blissful . . . for about three minutes. Then it turned cool. Mary shivered and grabbed her towel, shooting dark glances at the ceiling above her.
"One would think it would be safe to take a nice hot shower at two in the morning," she muttered, as she slipped into her pajamas. "Smooth Dog my ass. Horn Dog, more like it. Geez."
Pupule blinked at her sympathetically. His other people had been exceptionally noisy, after all, and it was high time everyone got quiet enough to let him sleep.
#*#*#*#*#
"Oh, shit, I think Mary tried to take a shower," Jax whispered, as she slid under the covers for the second time.
"Oops," Steve said, completely unrepentant. He slid in behind her, wrapping an arm around her and kissing the back of her neck.
"She's here to help us," Jax protested. "We have to take good care of her. Seriously, I'm seven kinds of relieved that she's willing to stay here to help figure out the baby stuff."
"I'm glad too," Steve said. "Not because I doubt you - not for a minute - but, simple logistics says that an extra person is going to mean a lot. And . . . I'm glad she's here. I didn't know how much I missed her. I wish . . . I wish our dad had found a way to keep us together, you know?"
Jax turned, awkwardly, until she could face him. Her fingers traced over the bruise on his jaw, and then threaded through his hair.
"I'm sorry," she said. "I'm sorry you missed out on that. And I'm definitely sorry that Mary did. I wouldn't have made it through those years without Billy."
He stroked her hair away from her face. "Your dad . . . was a master chief," he said hesitantly. Bringing up the subject of her parents rarely went over well. But she was drowsy and content, and went along with his conversation.
"Yeah," she said. "I mean . . . I guess, not my biological father, since I don't know who that was, but yeah. By the time he was stationed at Earle, he was a master chief, and it was good, you know? Things just seemed . . . I don't know. Easier. Our mom was less stressed all the time. We had a nice house . . . got to go to the shore so much, which I loved . . ."
"He would have been making a really decent salary," Steve commented. "That probably did make things easier. Maybe . . . maybe some of your mom's stress was about money, earlier?"
"Probably," Jax said. "Don't get me wrong, she was never satisfied. Always inexplicably jealous of 'officers' wives'. I didn't understand . . . everyone seemed to think highly of my dad."
"Hell yeah," Steve said. "Jax, a master chief is . . . hell, I salute them first."
"He always said the true officers respected the enlisted," she murmured. "Backbone of the Navy, he liked to say."
Steve nodded in agreement. "So, you have good memories of your time at Earle, then?"
"Yeah. Like Master Chief Ingersole said today, it's a good place to raise a family. Dad wasn't deployed but a couple short times while we were there, which meant he was around to -" she broke off short.
Steve thought for a moment, piecing together the small bits of information he'd collected about Jax's family life, and filling in the blanks.
"To protect you?" he whispered.
"To help our mom," Jax said. "I've told you - Billy was amazing, he was such a good kid, good student. I was a handful. I was just a lot of trouble. When Dad was around, I . . . I seemed not to get in as much trouble. We had a few good years."
"Only a few?" Steve asked, stroking her cheek with the back of his fingers.
"Things just . . . it just would have been better, for them, if I hadn't been in the picture," Jax said. "Once I moved out, with Billy, they could put all of the problems between them, behind them. Move on."
"They moved on while you were in the hospital, barely surviving 9/11," Steve said angrily. His hand moved to wrap protectively around the scar on her side. "Their problems were never your fault, Jax. And no one - no one, would have been better off if you hadn't been in the picture. I'm really, really glad that you're in the picture."
He could see her eyelashes fanning slowly over her cheeks.
"Get some rest," he said. He shifted onto his back, pulling her close to nestle her head on his shoulder.
She curled against him, and hummed in satisfaction as she found a comfortable position with one leg tossed over his.
"Are you using me as a pillow?" he whispered, brushing his lips against her forehead.
"Yes."