If you missed Part One, you can read it here
The Phone Calls---Part 2 of 4
Steve glanced down at the car phone. It felt like old times, being able to call and ask Catherine to help on his case. That was one thing about their relationship, if someone was deployed or on assignment, they could always count on their connection to be there when they saw each other, no matter how much time had passed.
This time was a little different, though, with the things they’d said to each other before spending months apart. He pressed on the gas pedal, as the memory raced through his mind like it had a thousand times before. The phone in his hand. The relief at hearing her voice. The physical ache in his arms with wanting to hold her, wishing they weren’t on a phone saying those things to each other. “I love you, you know.” “I love you, too.” It was the first time he’d ever said that to her and he’d hoped it wouldn’t be the last. But waiting months to see her face to face hadn't been in his plans either. Had her feelings changed? Had his? Where did they stand now? The questions went round and round in his head with no answers. And from the looks of this case, he wouldn’t be getting any answers anytime soon.
He focused on the conversation and her voice telling him she’d reach out to her Navy intel contacts. He suppressed a smile. It felt like the team was back together again with everything as it should be. Even with her eagerness to help, however, he could hear the trace of exhaustion in her voice. He wanted to tell her to rest, but he knew she wouldn’t. She was too much like him---driven in a crisis.
“Nice to hear your voice, Catherine,” Danny chimed in before the conversation ended.
“You too, Danny,” Catherine said before she hung up.
Steve groaned inwardly, knowing Danny would interrogate him the moment the call ended. He sucked in a breath, preparing himself.
“So . . . how long is she staying?”
Here it comes. Steve glanced over at Danny, wishing he had an answer. “We didn’t discuss that.”
“Was her suitcase big or was it small?”
He thought about the suitcase near his front door and how happy it had made him to see that she’d brought it. That he’d been her first stop the moment she got off the plane. “It was medium.”
“She staying with you or she staying at a hotel while she’s here?”
Hopefully with me. But he didn’t say that out loud. Danny wanted answers that Steve didn’t have and more questions he wasn’t ready to talk about. “We didn’t discuss that either. Anything else?”
“Look, I like Catherine very much, okay, I’m just not too happy about the way that she left things and now she comes back without so much as a phone call. I think that for you it’d be good to find out what her plans are so she doesn’t rip your heart out again, that’s all.”
Steve’s fingers tightened on the steering wheel. How could he explain what he’d felt when Catherine stayed behind without him? Their connection hadn’t broken, he knew that, but it was like a SAT phone call to Afghanistan with spotty service---you’d be lucky to get an entire conversation in. That’s where he and Catherine were at right now. Things were fuzzy, but the connection was there. They just needed to get a conversation in. “Well, she didn’t rip my heart out, Danny, she went to do what she thought was right.”
“Right, she left you for a bunch of strangers.”
“She went to help people in need, but like I said before, Danny, I don’t expect you to understand.” And he didn’t. Danny had great qualities, was loyal to a fault, and always had his back, he knew that, but this was like an unspoken code in the military. You paid your debts. You did the right thing. You preserved honor. Catherine felt like she owed the people who’d helped her and she’d paid them back. The timing had been bad for their relationship, sure, but Steve understood it.
Danny was still talking and Steve half-heartedly pointed out that Danny needed to talk to his own girlfriend. But then Danny said the magic words and Steve echoed them, knowing it would end the conversation. “I’m going to talk to Catherine when the time is right.” And he would. He let out a breath, uncertainty pooling in his gut. If things went as he planned, they’d find this nuke today and he could go home to Catherine. But even one "if" was too many when they were talking about a nuke.
By the time he got to the office, Kono had caught a break and was bringing up the suspect’s info onscreen. Steve listened to her dissect the guy’s life. It never ceased to amaze him what motivated people to commit treason, kill others, and think they could get away with it. But it made it all the sweeter when the team brought them down.
His phone rang and when he pulled it out, he saw Catherine’s name come up. How long had it been since that'd happened? He put his phone on the table, knowing if she was calling him back this fast, she'd found something. “Cath, you’re on speaker. Go.”
She’d found the buyer. Sameer Hadad. Another guy with a grudge, but a dangerous one. He rubbed his forehead at what she was telling them, the connections to terrorism, the people that would be hurt if Sameer bought the nuke. This case had just gone from bad to worse, but at least they knew what they were facing because Catherine had come through for them. Again. How many times had she come up with the piece of information they needed to crack the case? Too many to count. She was solid---there for him. Always.
“Thanks, Cath. Now go home and get some rest.” She had to be exhausted by now. He’d made that flight from Afghanistan a few times himself and knew how grueling it was. And he really did want her to sleep at home, to be there when he got there. Maybe then, they could figure a few things out.
"Roger that." She'd signed off without argument. That alone was a sign she was really tired.
Steve stared at Sameer’s pictures and the intel they had on him popping up on the screen. The situation was so precarious with Sameer thrown in the mix. The potential for mass casualties was chilling. His hand hovered over his phone. Maybe he should call Catherine back and tell her to get off the island, to go somewhere safe. But, in his heart, he knew she’d stay right where she was in case he needed her. He’d do the same for her. That’s how it had always been between them.
And it gave him all the more reason to find Sameer before it was too late.
Steve groaned inwardly, knowing Danny would interrogate him the moment the call ended. He sucked in a breath, preparing himself.
“So . . . how long is she staying?”
Here it comes. Steve glanced over at Danny, wishing he had an answer. “We didn’t discuss that.”
“Was her suitcase big or was it small?”
He thought about the suitcase near his front door and how happy it had made him to see that she’d brought it. That he’d been her first stop the moment she got off the plane. “It was medium.”
“She staying with you or she staying at a hotel while she’s here?”
Hopefully with me. But he didn’t say that out loud. Danny wanted answers that Steve didn’t have and more questions he wasn’t ready to talk about. “We didn’t discuss that either. Anything else?”
“Look, I like Catherine very much, okay, I’m just not too happy about the way that she left things and now she comes back without so much as a phone call. I think that for you it’d be good to find out what her plans are so she doesn’t rip your heart out again, that’s all.”
Steve’s fingers tightened on the steering wheel. How could he explain what he’d felt when Catherine stayed behind without him? Their connection hadn’t broken, he knew that, but it was like a SAT phone call to Afghanistan with spotty service---you’d be lucky to get an entire conversation in. That’s where he and Catherine were at right now. Things were fuzzy, but the connection was there. They just needed to get a conversation in. “Well, she didn’t rip my heart out, Danny, she went to do what she thought was right.”
“Right, she left you for a bunch of strangers.”
“She went to help people in need, but like I said before, Danny, I don’t expect you to understand.” And he didn’t. Danny had great qualities, was loyal to a fault, and always had his back, he knew that, but this was like an unspoken code in the military. You paid your debts. You did the right thing. You preserved honor. Catherine felt like she owed the people who’d helped her and she’d paid them back. The timing had been bad for their relationship, sure, but Steve understood it.
Danny was still talking and Steve half-heartedly pointed out that Danny needed to talk to his own girlfriend. But then Danny said the magic words and Steve echoed them, knowing it would end the conversation. “I’m going to talk to Catherine when the time is right.” And he would. He let out a breath, uncertainty pooling in his gut. If things went as he planned, they’d find this nuke today and he could go home to Catherine. But even one "if" was too many when they were talking about a nuke.
By the time he got to the office, Kono had caught a break and was bringing up the suspect’s info onscreen. Steve listened to her dissect the guy’s life. It never ceased to amaze him what motivated people to commit treason, kill others, and think they could get away with it. But it made it all the sweeter when the team brought them down.
His phone rang and when he pulled it out, he saw Catherine’s name come up. How long had it been since that'd happened? He put his phone on the table, knowing if she was calling him back this fast, she'd found something. “Cath, you’re on speaker. Go.”
She’d found the buyer. Sameer Hadad. Another guy with a grudge, but a dangerous one. He rubbed his forehead at what she was telling them, the connections to terrorism, the people that would be hurt if Sameer bought the nuke. This case had just gone from bad to worse, but at least they knew what they were facing because Catherine had come through for them. Again. How many times had she come up with the piece of information they needed to crack the case? Too many to count. She was solid---there for him. Always.
“Thanks, Cath. Now go home and get some rest.” She had to be exhausted by now. He’d made that flight from Afghanistan a few times himself and knew how grueling it was. And he really did want her to sleep at home, to be there when he got there. Maybe then, they could figure a few things out.
"Roger that." She'd signed off without argument. That alone was a sign she was really tired.
Steve stared at Sameer’s pictures and the intel they had on him popping up on the screen. The situation was so precarious with Sameer thrown in the mix. The potential for mass casualties was chilling. His hand hovered over his phone. Maybe he should call Catherine back and tell her to get off the island, to go somewhere safe. But, in his heart, he knew she’d stay right where she was in case he needed her. He’d do the same for her. That’s how it had always been between them.
And it gave him all the more reason to find Sameer before it was too late.
