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When Danny's Ma had asked Steve to open the front door to whoever had rung the bell, he hadn't known he would be bowled over by a crowd of people, all talking loudly and excitably.
Nor had Steve known that he would be hugged from left, right and center, strong hugs and gentle hugs and hugs by little humans that mostly all looked like Danny, with greetings of, "Nice to see ya, Steve," and "Hey, big guy," and "Uncle Steve!" swirling in the air and around his head.
The greetings were over just as fast as they had started and the flock of people moved toward the back of the house and the family room, where more loud and exciting talking meant that two out of three of Danny's sisters and their families had found Danny's kids and Ma and Pop.
He stood by the open front door, one hand still on the cold brass knob, for just a second longer, trying to regain his bearings and recover from the assault of his senses, a sweet and loving attack, yet still a little unexpected.
Closing the door, Steve wandered down the hall to stand in the threshold of the kitchen and watch as two young women helped take off children's coats and hand them off to their husbands, who piled them on the kitchen table.
He recognized Ruthie, who was slightly taller than Danny and resembled Matt, with darker hair and rounder face.
He also recognized Becca, who was practically Danny's twin, with her blond hair cropped short, and her blue eyes just as piercing.
He had spoken with them both over Skype when Danny was still in the hospital and at other times since then if he had happened to be around when Danny had gotten in touch with them, making plans for the holidays.
And even though he had said hi to Ruthie's girls and Becca's little boy, he had never formally met their husbands.
He knew that Ruthie's husband was named Scott, an engineer and that her twin girls, Sophia and Olivia, both about a year older than Gracie, were avid soccer players.
He also knew that Becca's husband, Josh was in the Air Force and worked on the flight line and that their little boy Josh Junior, JJ for short, was about a year younger than Grace and was really into ice hockey.
Still, he felt confident he knew who was who judging by the way one man carried himself-military men could recognize another military man.
When the kitchen had finally quieted down and all the children, directed by their grandmother, had moved toward the family room and the big-screened TV playing, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer on a loop, all eyes slowly turned to him.
Mel stepped toward him, tentatively holding out her hand, as if he may have been scared to move more fully into the kitchen.
And maybe he had, but just a little, so he took her offer and followed her closer to the table, piled high with winter coats and scarves and mittens, listening as she told her family, "most of ya have met Steve."
"Of course!"
"Yes!"
"So nice to finally see you in person, man!"
They all hugged him again, which was…nice?
'You guys sit and get to know each other a little better," Mel told them as she and Jim went about gathering up the coats, so he pulled out a chair and sat at the kitchen table, followed by Danny's sisters and two brothers-in-law.
Becca said, "it's great to finally get to meet you in person," as Ruthie began, "we're glad you could make it this year."
He nodded his agreement, still a little taken aback about how much they all favored each other.
They all seemed to talk with their hands and over each other.
And the way that they made him feel like he had been a part of this family right from the beginning, instantly excepted and included.
The conversation turned to the upcoming weekend Christmas party and little Bee's arrival.
Whether she would bring a plus one, "she's been dating a Rep from the Pharma company for a few months," Scott whispered toward him, kindly keeping him in the loop and up on family gossip.
He suddenly realized he had probably been the topic of many a phone call too.
Then Ruthie spoke of the party's dinner menu, something called, "the Feast of Fishes-it's the best. You'll love it, but I'll let Danny explain its meaning to you later."
"Forget Saturday," Josh piped in, "I am starving now, and I can smell Ma's lasagna."
Becca scolded, "I told ya to eat lunch," but Josh was already shaking his head, saying, "and risk not being able to have enough room to stuff myself with Ma's cooking…and movie-watching snacks. You're mad, woman!"
Which started up a round of bickering, which Steve found he had equally loved about this family.
One of the girls, Olivia, he thought, interrupted, saying, "Mama, can we have a snack?"
Then all the parents looked toward the family room and the rest of the little faces looking back at them, and her mother said, "sure, Livvy. Come help me hand out juice boxes and how about some popcorn and maybe a cookie to hold you over to dinner."
Becca stood too, and the Williams women got together the drinks and snacks, leaving the men at the table.
"So," Scott said, "we were thinking of coming to visit with Danny in the spring… I'll be our fifteenth anniversary…"
"You know what that means," Josh told them, "We'll have to visit too… I'll never hear the end of it if you all go to Hawaii, and I don't take my beautiful bride too."
Steve told them, "you guys are always welcome," while he started to mentally calculate if he could host them all, or if he would have to farm some of them out to other homes, like Chin's and Malia's or Kono or Lou.
It took him a few minutes to realize that not a one had asked about Danny yet.
He wondered if maybe Jim or Mel had called them to warn them that Danny had developed a stomach ache and had stayed in bed after their afternoon nap with a bottle of Pepto and some saltines and a glass of Ginger ale.
A little before Danny's family had arrived, he had checked on him, had found him sleeping peacefully and fever-free, but still worried that the stress of the trip, the time change, and food variety and lack of schedule would throw his baby's body for a loop.
It had seemed that all those things were finally catching up to Danny.
Mel and Jim came back down the stairs then, probably finishing up some last-minute wrapping of gifts, so that they could relax the last two days before Christmas morning.
Jim went past the kitchen, to sit in his recliner to watch the cartoon still playing, getting a lap full of grandbabies for his troubles.
Mel sat at the table with the guys, leaning toward him to say, "me and pop looked in on him when we took the coats upstairs, but why don't you go see if he is ready to get up, visit with his sisters?"
To her girls, who were cleaning up the children's snack mess, she said, "Becca, can you please set the table, chill the wine and get the garlic bread ready for the oven?
Ruthie, please make the salad and cut the desserts, and set out the
hors d' oeuvres for those that can't wait for dinner," she gave a pointed look toward Josh, but then said, "can you men can make sure the walk and driveway are shoveled and salted so we can make it out to the ice rink later."
Everyone went about their assigned tasks as their mother went to the fridge and pulled out a deli container, but Steve couldn't see what was inside the plastic tub as he passed her and went up the back staircase to his and Danny's room.
When he cracked open the door, letting in a stream of light from the hallway, he could see that Danny was still lying on his side.
He turned onto his back and rubbed a hand over his stubbled chin as Steve moved to the bed and perched on the mattress.
Steve laid his hand on Danny's cheek, satisfied that there was still no fever, so this belly ache was probably a combo of too much food variety and being overtired with the travel and shopping and visiting.
Good stress was still stressful.
When Danny opened his eyes, Steve leaned in and kissed him softly, asking against his slightly chapped lips, "how are ya doing, baby?"
Danny pushed up a little and moved over, making room for him, saying, "I am feeling better…I think I was just mostly tired."
Steve turned his back to the headboard and stretched out his legs and slung his arm around Danny's shoulder, pulling him in close and kissing his head, "I'm glad you are feeling better…your Ma said to ask you if you were feeling up to coming down and visiting before dinner."
"My sisters are already here," Danny asked, checking the display on his phone for the time. "I can't believe I didn't hear them coming in…I am sure that wasn't a quiet affair."
Steve snickered, assuring him, "it was not…but I guess you needed the downtime. We got to visit a bit, but your mom has put them all to work, so we better get a move on."
Danny nodded and yawned at the same time, but slid over and swung his legs down off the bed, scratching at his stomach as he stood, swaying just a bit, as he slowly moved toward the bathroom, shucking his boxers as he went, then leaning over the tub to turn on the water for a shower.
Steve would have liked to have joined him, but then they may have been late for dinner, so instead, he decided to rummage through the drawers and pull out a pair of boxers and elastic waisted track pants and matching tee that covered Danny's stoma bag nicely.
He piled the clothes onto the bed, hearing the water stop only moments after it had started, smirking, enjoying that some of his habits had begun to rub off on Danny.
Danny, in a cloud of steam, came from the bathroom a moment later, wrapped in a soft blue towel, slung low over his hips, rubbing at his hair, drying with a hand towel of matching color.
Steve watched him, as he had tossed the hand towel in the direction of the hamper and let the towel around his waist drop too, picking it up with his toes and kicking it into the basket to land on top of the other.
"Impressive," Steve teased.
"It's a skill," Danny joked, finding the pile of clothes Steve had left for him, pulling on his boxers and then looking around, asking, "have you seen my ostomy belt?"
Steve knew that the black one, his favorite because it was his first and more worn-in, was currently in the laundry and told him so, "but the one Kono gave you as part of your Christmas gift is in the drawer."
Danny sighed, but opened the drawer and pulled out the garish red belt, printed with Christmas Lamas, frolicking in the snow and wearing Christmas hats. Steve reached for his phone, but Danny's stern, "don't even think about it," stopped him in his tracks.
He said, "come on, Danno…you promised her a picture as proof that you would wear it."
"Maybe," Danny told him, "but not a half-naked picture."
"Ah," Steve agreed. "Excellent point."
Danny pulled Steve up from his seat on the bed a kissed him then, saying, "maybe I can just persuade you to vouch for me."
Steve leaned in for more playful kisses, a little tongue, a little nipping of teeth, and told Danny, "I am not an easy man to persuade."
"Hmm," Danny moaned against Steve's parted lips, his hands wandered the plains of Steve's chest, cool fingers working under the bottoms of his shirt.
He shivered, feeling all resolve melting away, but then Danny abruptly pulled away, telling him, "okay then…I guess we better get downstairs then."
He dumbly nodded, morning the loss of the warm body so recently pressed against his own and did a little mental calculation of how much time they had before someone came looking to them.
He thought about what he would like to do to Danny, but Danny had already pulled on his pants and tee, padding toward the door in bare feet, asking, "you ready, babe?"
"As I ever will be," Steve told him, pulling him in for another quick hug and taking up his hand in a tight grip.
Steve hadn't know if that was for his benefit or Danny's, but the noise volume went up several decimals as they both descended the stairs, and a multitude of people crowded them.
Danny hugged each one of them, the good hugs too…hugs that let you know that you were loved and dearly missed.
Mel cleared her throat a few minutes later, and the group of people broke up and headed into the dining room, a room Steve hadn't been in before because they ate their meals in the kitchen and sometimes the family room.
Jim and Mel took a chair at each end of the table and everyone else, wherever they wanted, so Steve found himself across from Danny and in between Danny's two brothers-in-law.
The table settings were everyday, plain white dishes, and glasses.
Two large salad bowls were placed on each end and in the middle was the most massive lasagna that Steve had ever seen, but he had noted a large piece missing from one corner.
Danny's mom then put a bowl of broth and noodles in front of Danny, and a plate with a few pieces of buttered white bread, kissing his head, whispering something in his ear.
Danny said, "Thanks, ma."
No one mentioned the bowl in front of Danny, or the missing piece of lasagna that Steve knew was tucked away in the fridge for whenever Danny felt up to enjoy it.
Jim picked up Gracie's hand, which prompted everyone else to take the hand of the person on either side of them, and even though it could be weird, holding the hand of two near-strangers, it just wasn't.
Once Steve realized that the others had bowed their heads, he quickly followed suit and listened as Jim said a blessing over the family meal.
Danny's dad asked for health and prosperity for his children and grandchildren and a special request for Matt, wherever he may be and then, most surprising to Steve, a special thank you to him.
"And thank you, Lord, for Steve, the newest member of our family.'
He gave Danny a startled glance, but his lover just grinned back, and even though Steve wasn't especially religious and hadn't thought that Danny was either, for that matter, found himself saying, "amen," with the rest of his family.
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