Chapter 9

Steve was getting better day by day. Slowly he was getting restless and wanted to get out of the hospital. Just once, when no one was with him, Catherine slid into the room with Steve. She was worried. Mel seemed to still be preoccupied with the letter and the story surrounding it, and Catherine, unlike Danny, felt that Steve should know everything.

"Catherine."

"Hey, Sailor, how are you?"

Carefully, she pressed a kiss to his forehead.

"Fine, thanks."

Inquiringly, he looked at Catherine.

"Okay, Cath, what's going on? I mean, I'm glad you're here, you know that, but there's more. And Danny's acting all weirdly mysterious, too. And Mel too, she seems kind of glum."

"Busted."

Then Catherine told about the letter and how much it had hit Mel and that they had suspected him in Afghanistan and how Mel had rescued him. Shocked, Steve looked at her.

"Now I understand. Oh my god. And why isn't anyone telling me this?"

"Danny thought it was better this way."

Steve rolled his eyes.

"Steve, he only means well, you know him. But Mel is still hurting, she won't admit it and she wants to work it out with herself. She's a lot like you in that way. She blames herself for taking the letter in stride when she should have known better and you almost..."

Steve swung his legs out of bed.

"Do you know where she is?"

"Steve, what are you doing?"

"What do you think this is going to be? I'm going to my fiancée and be there for her, as I should be."

"I'm sure she'll be here in a minute."

"Catherine, where is she?"

"I don't know."

He paused in his movement and looked at Catherine.

"What do you mean?"

"I haven't seen her since last night."

"And where are Danny and the others?"

"At the Hawaii PD, still trying to get something out of Hesse, but he's silent as the grave."

Steve stepped over to the closet and got dressed. Catherine knew she couldn't hold him back, the only thing she could do was keep an eye on him.

Ten minutes later, the two left the hospital. Steve pondered where Mel might be, he didn't know Big Island all that well, but he knew a few places nearby.

One by one he had Catherine pull up, then they spotted Mel's Rubicon in a parking lot.

When Steve saw the bullet holes in the rear, he had a change of heart.

Catherine parked her rental car next to it and Steve got out. From a distance, he saw Mel's red curls glowing in the sun. She sat in the warm sand and stared out to sea, lost in thought. Steve stepped up beside her and sat with her.

Startled, she looked up, "Steve, what are you doing here. Why aren't you at the hospital?"

"Because I'm needed here."

He put his arm around Mel and pulled her close.

"Catherine told me about the letter."

Mel closed her eyes.

"I'm sorry, Steve, I should have known, my heart should have known, ... I ..."

Steve gently placed his finger on her mouth. Then he took her face in his hands and looked her firmly in the eyes.

"Shh. No, honey, you have nothing to be sorry for. I am sorry.

I'm sorry that the past keeps catching up with me and hurting people I love, whether physically or emotionally.

I'm sorry that I apparently haven't shown you enough of how much I love you that you could even be in doubt.

I'm sorry that I've always kind of kept Catherine a secret after all, and yet you've never had a chance to get to know each other. I ..."

This time it was Mel who interrupted his flow of words.

"Steve, stop," tears were in her eyes, "we both have pasts that belong to us. Be it people we care about, like Marc, Conor or Catherine. Or things we've done that catch up with us again..."

"And it's human to falter sometimes, Mel. It's all the more important that the other person catches you, and that's why I'm here and not in that stupid hospital."

"And, because you hate hospitals."

There was a flash in her eyes.

"Yessss, and because I hate hospitals."

Lifting her chin a little with his index finger, he gave her a gentle kiss.

"I love you, Mel."

"I love you too."

They sat there for a while, holding each other tightly, then Mel looked at Steve with concern.

"And, now I'm taking you back to the hospital."

"Mel, I'm fine. Really, I am. Besides, the best doctor in the world is sitting next to me after all."

"I'm a medical examiner."

"So, I'm not going to list the number of times you've saved lives in the last few months? Especially mine."

"All right, but as soon as I notice you getting worse, I'm shipping you back to the hospital, understand?"

"Yes, doctor."

Catherine watched Steve go after Mel. She still loved Steve, too, and always would. An arm went around her shoulders.

"Have you actually told him yet?"

She nodded.

"Yes, he was happy for me, as I was for him. Mel's great, Ian, just right for Steve. But Greer's action has knocked her cold."

She looked up at him. His steel blue eyes were smiling. Ian was slightly shorter than Steve, but just as well-toned, his blond hair usually sticking out in all directions and curling when it got too long, and he wore his beard longer than Steve.

"I guess we'll pay Greer a visit then."

She broke away from him and looked directly at him.

"Did you find her?"

He nodded.

"You know me. Mind you, I didn't have to look very hard at all. That Hesse played with marked cards and took the money back from her. Now she's stuck penniless in Taizhou."

Catherine nodded.

"So it was one hundred percent her?"

Ian nodded.

"Good, then let's get this done right away. If Greer gets wind that Steve is still alive, she'll leave no stone unturned to achieve her goal after all. And it was already pretty damn close this time."

Her gaze drifted back to the beach. Ian's gaze followed hers and he nodded.

"That's true, if Mel hadn't shifted gears so quickly... Are you sure she doesn't have a military past?"

Catherine laughed.

"No, she just has an unwavering drive to help people."

Now Ian had to laugh.

"I see. Do you still want to let them know?"

She shook her head.

"I'll text Steve later and tell him we'll be back in time for the wedding."

He laughed again and two dimples formed on his cheeks.

"Same as always, then. But then, Steve's used to that."

Catherine stood on her tiptoes and stole a kiss.

"Don't be sassy, Lieutenant Commander Kendrik."

"Yessir, Mam."

He saluted and she punched him in the side.

"Ow."

"Now get going to the car."

Laughing, she ran after him.

They had just arrived at the airport and were getting their things out of the trunk when Ian's cell phone made a sound. Ian pulled it out and his forehead clouded over.

"Shit! Catherine get back in the car. Greer's on the Big Island."

Horrified, Catherine looked at him.

"How so?"

"I have no idea. We've got to get back to Steve and Mel. Let Danny know where they are. Maybe they'll get there faster than we will." Briskly, the two got back into the car and no sooner had the passenger door closed than Ian stepped on the gas pedal to the floorboard.