Sorry it's been a little over 6 months since my last update. I've had writer's block for this story like you wouldn't believe and no matter how many times I re-read what I'd already written, I couldn't figure out the filler chapters so that I could get to the ending.
I've got a rough outline for chapter 20 and chapter 21 may or may not be scrapped and turned into a time stamp – it all depends on how I end chapter 20.
"You got a job?" Danny and Steve asked at the same time.
Mary nodded her head. "That's kind of why I'm back in town now," she paused and tucked some of her hair behind her ear, "for good."
"That's great Mare!" Steve said as he moved to hug his sister. "Where will you be working?"
"I'll be a clerk with Child Welfare Services until I finish my degree and then I'm hoping to become a permanent social worker."
"I'm proud of you, little sister," Danny said with a smile. "I'm sorry I ever doubted you when you said you were going back to school."
Mary laughed. "Well I didn't exactly prove to you guys that I was serious about it."
Steve and Danny nodded in agreement. Steve took his seat and picked up his beer to take a sip.
"So if you're back here, where are you going tomorrow morning?" Steve asked.
"There's a six month position on the Big Island and that's where I'll be," Mary said.
"What about your classes?" Danny asked.
"They're online and extension courses. My counselor gave me the name of a counselor there who can help me if I have any questions."
"So, six months on the Big Island, then what?" Steve asked. "Will you be coming back here or staying there?"
"The position there is temporary so I'll be coming back here and hopefully the permanent I have my eye on in Waipahu will still be available."
Steve couldn't help but smile at Mary. She had turned her life around so much the last year, despite, or maybe in spite of, the vote of confidence from him and Danny.
"You want me to make a few calls to make sure it stays open?" Steve asked.
"He will do it too," Danny added with a laugh.
"That's okay big brother," Mary laughed. "If it's not available, I'll go back to the Big Island and work temporary positions until a permanent one opens back here."
The trio continued talking for a few hours. Mary filled them in on her classes and everything she was learning both in class and on the job. Steve and Danny filled Mary in on how Keilana and Grace were doing and the status of their trip to New Jersey. Mary managed to talk Steve and Danny into having a celebratory barbeque on the weekend since they hadn't told anyone else about their engagement.
They eventually parted ways. Mary already booked a hotel room for the night because of her early morning flight and said she would see them on Saturday but would call or e-mail them when she had a flight finalized. Danny and Steve left to pick Keilana up from her day with Rachel.
When Steve and Danny get to the Edwards' home, it was late but the lights in the front room were on as were the lights on the second floor in Grace's room and the room Rachel used for Keilana. Steve became worried by this because at 11 p.m., both girls should be asleep. Steve parked the Camaro, got out and headed for the front door.
"Steve…Steven…." Danny said as he rushed to get out of the car and catch up to his clearly worried fiancé. "Would you just wait a minute?!" Danny finally reached Steve and grabbed his arm to keep him from busting into the house.
"What Danny, what?!" Steve asked. "What's so important that you stopped me from going inside to see if there's something wrong with our daughter?"
Danny had to fight to keep the smile from his face when Steve referred to Keilana as their daughter. He looked at Steve and held up his phone. "Got a text from Rachel. It came while we were at dinner but I didn't hear it. She says that she and Grace came down with something and Stan was watching Lana in the front room."
Steve let out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding. His baby was okay, but Grace and Rachel were sick. It had to have been from something they had for dinner because Danny would have said something if it happened while he talked to Grace earlier.
Danny knocked on the door and they could hear Stan's muffled voice as he made his way from the front room to the door. A few minutes later, there was a clicking as the door was unlocked and opened.
"I told you it was your daddies," Stan whispered to the little girl he was holding. Steve smiled and reached for his daughter and Stan handed her over.
Stan moved to the side to let them enter. "Grace and Rachel are upstairs. I think they just went to sleep." Stan closed the door when they entered and walked to the front room; Steve and Danny followed.
Danny walked to the couch and sat down. "I got Rachel's text from earlier. I'm sorry I didn't call, but I didn't feel or hear it. What happened to them?"
Steve sat on the recliner that had Keilana's baby blanket and covered her with it as he rocked her back to sleep.
"Rachel ordered from this new Thai restaurant on Ala Moana by the Grand Waikikian for dinner," Stan began, "they had that, but I had just returned from a dinner meeting and didn't eat with them."
"How long after they ate did they get sick?" Danny asked as he glanced up the stairs. Steve could tell he was itching to check on Grace.
"It couldn't have been more than an hour after. They had dinner, Grace went for her bath and to get a book to read to Keilana and came back down here," Stan said. "Rachel went up for her shower and when she didn't come back after 30 minutes, I went up to check on her." Stan ran his hand through his hair and sighed. "Not five minute later Grace was calling out for me. I got half way down the stairs and saw her throwing up in the hall between my office and the stairs."
By this time Danny had given up on any semblance of staying in the room. He stood up and made his way from the front room to the stairs.
Steve looked at his watch. "Fifteen minutes." Stan gave him a confused look. "It took Danny 15 minutes to stop fighting his desire to check on Grace."
Stan nodded his head in understanding and began to clean up the toys and other objects that belonged to Keilana. He knew that after Danny checked on Grace (and Rachel), Steve would go up to check on them then they would head home. Steve looked down at his daughter and noticed she'd fallen back to sleep, so he placed her in her carrier, locked it, and then helped pack away the rest of his daughter's things.
"I'm gonna head up to check on them. We really need to be going soon." Steve said.
Stan nodded his head, "I'll watch the baby."
Steve smiled his thanks and headed up the stairs in search of Danny. When he got to the landing, he heard Danny's deep voice coming from Grace's room. Steve went to the room and saw Danny sitting on the bed and reading to Grace.
Steve lightly tapped on the door to get Danny's attention. "D, we really have to be going. Keilana is sleep and so is Grace now."
Danny bit his lip and looked at his daughter who was indeed sleeping. "Yeah, you're right." He kissed her forehead, closed the book and placed it on the night stand.
Steve walked into the room to give Grace a kiss as well then followed Danny back down the stairs to gather up Keilana's things.
"Please call if there's a change in how they're doing," Danny requested.
"Of course," Stan agreed as he walked them to the front door.
Danny loaded up the car while Steve buckled Keilana into the car seat base. With a final wave to Stan they left and Stan locked up the house.
The following morning, Danny called to check on Grace and Rachel. Stan said they were doing better and had just finished eating toast and apple sauce. Stan explained that Grace wouldn't be going to school, but if she was feeling better later, she could be picked up for her weekly dinner with him, Steve and Keilana. Before the call ended, Danny told Stan about the barbeque they had planned for Saturday and that if he and Rachel were up to it, they were welcome to join them. Grace would already be with Danny as it was his weekend to have her.
Sorry this was a short chapter. The next one will be longer and there will even be some special guests!