Chapter 9

9

“Knock, knock. Can I come in?”

At the warm tone of Kris’s voice, Cath pulled her eyes from the computer screen and the situation report she was pouring through. The latest intelligence from one of their covert operatives alerted Special Forces of a possible shift in power among the remnants of the Black Dragon Clan that would have wreaked havoc on the operative network they worked hard to put in place. The last 96 hours had been an absolute blur of new information, tactical meetings, possible planning for an extraction of the operative if things went south and getting her squad ready to go on in case they had to peel out at a moment’s notice. After four and a half days on high alert, surviving on bad coffee and even worse sandwiches from the mess hall stuck in the familiar loop of not knowing if she was leaving or not, the whole operation had gone nowhere. The information proved false, Cath’s CO called a partial stand-down early that evening and she had come home to rest, only to remember she had a four-day stack of reports she had to burn through first, all of which had been neglected while she was in charge of the Emergency Command Center they set up.

She scrubbed a hand across her eyes and gave Kris an exhausted smile. He was standing in the doorway to her office in a t-shirt and pajama pants, a steaming cup of what she hoped was coffee in his hands. A quick glance at the clock told her it was after 3AM, she had been working steady since she got home, and that had been hours before.

“You should be asleep,” she admonished gently. “You’re still healing.”

“I’ve been lounging at home for over a month, and you’ve been up for four days straight.” Kris raised an eyebrow. “Which one of us do you think is more exhausted?”

“No comment,” she said, trying to hide a yawn behind her hand and failing miserably. “Especially since I can’t go to bed until I get these done.”

He crossed the room cautiously and she realized it was the first time he had ever been in her office. It was the only room in the house locked when she wasn’t in it, primarily because of the desktop connected to the Special Forces computer network and the large black gun safe that sat squat along one wall like a monolith. Other than that, the space was fairly utilitarian in its looks, sporting her desk, a series of low filing cabinets, a bookcase filled with a random assortment of books and knickknacks and an overstuffed armchair.

Kris approached her desk and set the cup down beside her, then came around behind her and began kneading her shoulders. Cath leaned back against him, resting her head on the solid wall of his abdomen and then after a moment, she reached for the mug and took a sip. She made a surprised face and then glanced up at him. “Chicken soup?”

“Yeah, you came home and got right to it without dinner, I figured you might be hungry. I also figured it was less like I was trying to feed you covertly and more like I was trying to bring you a hot drink if I put it in a mug.” His logic was sound; if he had showed up in the doorway with a bowl of soup, she would have told him to just leave it and then totally ignored it until it was cold and inedible. The simple kind gesture of putting it in a mug meant she could fool herself enough into thinking it was coffee and would wind up drinking it. Kris rested his cheek against her hair and then kissed the top of her head. “I’ll let you get back to work.”

He turned to walk away, and Cath reached out, snagging his hand and pulling him back to her. “Don’t go, keep me company for a bit.”

“You sure?” he leaned on the corner of her desk and nudged the mug towards her subtly. “I don’t want to interrupt you.”

“Absolutely.” Cath reluctantly picked up the coffee cup and took a sip. Her stomach growled in response as she realized how hungry she actually was. “You’re much better company then these reports and talking you will keep me awake and focused.”

Kris headed for the armchair, tucking himself in it and stretching his legs out in front of him, watching as she doggedly tried to push through paperwork. “So, it doesn’t look like you’ll have to take off then?”

“No, not unless the situation changes rapidly.” Cath shrugged with a sigh and returned her eyes to her computer screen. “Which can and does happen, but I highly doubt it this time.”

“Good, I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t glad to hear it.” Kris’s tone was emphatic, causing her to look over in surprise and consternation. He saw the expression on her face and raised a hand in conciliation before she could speak “Cath, I love you, I know how much your career means to you. I support everything you have to do for the Special Forces but that doesn’t mean I’m not going to worry about you being in danger or not feel relieved when you don’t have to be.”

“Smooth save.” She rubbed a hand across the back of her neck and flexed her shoulders, trying to cram the fatigue she was feeling into the small box she normally kept it in when she needed to pull hard.

“Yeah well, like you enjoy pointing out, I’m a pro with my mouth.” He leaned his head back against the chair with a self-satisfied grin and watched as she reached for another file. “Don’t you have to be up in like three hours?”

“Two and a half.” She yawned and tried desperately to focus on the screen. The words started swimming in front of her as a dizzy spell took hold and she swore softly, closing her eyes. Her stomach suddenly rolled, and she took a steadying breath through her nose. She had been running on adrenaline since the Red Alert sounded, and not for the first time she pushed herself to the point of her body crashing. Add to that the stress of worrying over Kris’s accident and injuries and she had been tired before the rise of this potential crisis, now she was redlining fast into extreme exhaustion. She stopped typing, balling her hands up into fists to stop the tremor that started in her fingers and tried not to vomit. Gradually, stilling her stomach, she began to run herself through the all too familiar breathing exercises she taught herself to try and stave off the worst of the obvious symptoms.

“Cath, are you okay?” She opened her eyes to find Kris squatting stiffly by the side of her chair. He reached up, cupping her cheek, running concerned blue eyes over her face as he assessed her condition.

“I’m fine.” She gently pushed away, vaguely aware that this was another first for him, the first time he had ever seen her like this, pushed to the extreme and not giving her body an ounce of compassion or leeway until her work was done. It was on the tip of her tongue to explain to him that this was her norm, this was how she got things done and impressed her CO with her work ethic. She firmly believed that hyper-vigilance was an asset and she pushed herself accordingly. “Do me a favor? Talk to me about something, anything, that doesn’t have to do with work.”

“Are you serious?” He made a noise of disbelief and turned her chair to face him fully.

“Yes, believe it or not. It helps.” She winced, a headache beginning to pound at her temples. “Something mundane, what are you doing tomorrow, appointments, plans?”

Cath could practically see him rolling through a mental list in his mind until his eyes lit up, and she knew he had remembered something. “Tomorrow night I have to go to LA and do some Christmas shopping.”

“A little last minute, isn’t it?” Christmas was five days away, what minimal shopping she had done had been done weeks ago. Kris’s main gift had been the hardest to acquire, and that was because it had only come to her while they had been laying under the Christmas tree the week before. She pulled strings to have it rushed through production and received it in her work mailbox just before noon the day before.

“No, I schedule it around this time every year, close to Christmas Day.” He smoothed her hair back and kissed her temple. “I was hoping you’d come with me. It’s kind of… special, something I really enjoy. I’d like to share it with you.”

“Count me in.” Cath leaned back in her chair and rubbed her temples. As she had predicted, his voice had a grounding effect on her senses and putting her focus on something besides her body had a stabilizing effect, the nausea began to abate, and her vision began to clear. “If I don’t get stuck in the office again.”

“You said no work talk,” he pointed out, wagging a finger at her.

“I’m just being honest.” She stifled a yawn and began to turn back to her desk, even as she felt her eyes droop.

“Okay, that’s enough for tonight.” Kris stopped her from moving and began to gently move her chair away from the desk.

“I’m fine, I’m almost done.” Even to her tired brain, the excuse sounded lame and when she looked at the stack of papers on her desk, she had no desire to do any more. Still her stubborn nature reared its head and she refused to budge; no one made choices for her but her and that was how it was going to stay. “Also, I’m perfectly capable of taking care of myself, thanks.”

“At this moment, that seems debatable.” Kris glared at her, meeting her stubbornness head on with his own.

“Go to bed, I’ll be there shortly.” She forced herself to reach for a file folder, only to have him gently intercept her hand and hold it. She stared at it and then gave him a warning look.

“Cath,” Kris tipped her chin towards him and stared her down. “I can’t carry you right now, but I will roll this chair all the way down the hall to the bedroom with you in it.”

“You wouldn’t dare.” She set her mouth in a firm line and mustered as much of a stern tone as she could.

“Is that a challenge?” He walked behind the chair and began to steer it with his good arm, nudging it towards the doorway. The look on his face told her he was absolutely willing to make good on his threat.

“Okay, okay, okay!” Cath glared at him and rose, throwing her hands in the air. “Fine, you win!”

She grumbled a lurid string of curses and stalked towards the door with him close behind her like a shadow. In her mind, she was ready to remain angry or at the very least annoyed at him for badgering her, however by the time she hit the hallway she was already flagging, and she knew the battle to stay awake was a useless cause. With little else to do but admit defeat, she stripped off, not bothering with any pajamas, and crawled into bed, letting Kris tuck the blankets around her then crashed into a heavy sleep.