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She stirred the chicken around the pan watching it slowly turn brown as Stella sat by her feet chewing her favourite toy. As she reached for the cutting board full of piles of chopped vegetables she heard the doorbell ring. Stella started barking excitedly and took off running, she took the pan off the heat, wiped her hands on a tea towel and walked out of the kitchen.
When she got to the foyer Stella was barking and pawing at the door. She scooped her up, tucked her under one arm and unlocked the door. When she turned the handle and opened it she found one of the last people she would ever have expected standing on the other side.
"Carlo?" She gasped, shocked to see the brother she hadn't seen in thirteen years.
"Hey B." He smiled warmly calling her by a very familiar nickname. Lizzie stood there stunned and concerned but before she could speak a car pulled into the driveway. She and Carlo watched as Jamie drove into the garage, parked the car and headed over to them. As soon as he got to the porch Stella began wriggling excitedly, instead of fighting it Lizzie just handed her to Jamie.
"Hey." He greeted Lizzie, giving her a quick kiss before turning to look at their visitor.
"Hey. Jamie this is Carlo, Carlo this is my husband Jamie." She uncomfortably introduced them.
"So this is my brother in law, nice to meet you." Carlo smiled and extended his hand to Jamie. Jamie shook his hand and smiled politely.
"And who's this?" Carlo asked as he smiled down at the puppy.
"Stella." Lizzie answered watching as her brother reached over and gave her a pat.
"So, what's going on?" Jamie asked Lizzie.
"I don't know. What are you doing here?" She asked Carlo.
"It's Nonna, she's sick." He paused and took a deep breath.
"B, she's dying." He told his sister and watched her blink slowly.
"She's only got a few days left and she wants to see you." He explained.
"What's wrong with her?" She asked quietly.
"Liver cancer. She refused treatment. Said she was too old to go through all of that." Carlo sighed.
"She's ninety two now right?" She checked with Carlo, who nodded.
"So, here's the address of the hospice place she's in. You should head down as soon as you can." Carlo told her as he handed her a piece of paper. The three of them stood on the porch in an uncomfortable silence, Jamie shifted Stella from one arm to the other and Carlo realised he should probably go.
"Anyway, it was good seeing you. You turned out pretty good kid." He smiled and embraced his sister in a hug, Lizzie was surprised but softly hugged him back.
"Take care of her." He told Jamie before turning and heading back down the driveway.
Lizzie and Jamie watched as he climbed in his car, pulled away from the kerb and drove off down the street.
Once he was out of sight Lizzie turned and headed inside, Jamie followed and locked the door.
"Dinner will be ready in about fifteen minutes." Lizzie told him then headed back to the kitchen. Jamie stared after her surprised, he dropped his bag and jacket by the stairs and went to the kitchen. When he entered he found Lizzie staring out the kitchen window absentmindedly stirring a pan of chicken stir fry. He put Stella down, grabbed a water from the fridge then walked over to stand beside her, he waited for a minute but she didn't speak.
"So when are we going to drive down to Jersey?" He asked and took a sip of water.
"What?" She asked snapping out of her reverie.
"To see your grandmother, when are we going to go?" He repeated.
"I'm not." She told him staring at the food in the pan.
"What?" He gasped stunned.
"I'm not going." She confirmed.
"But she's your grandmother. Lizzie, she's dying." Jamie struggled to understand.
"Jamie, I can't." She said softly, tears welling in her eyes. Jamie just stared at her hoping an explanation would be forthcoming. She glanced at him, saw how confused he was and sighed.
"Despite who they are, leaving my family was the hardest thing I've ever had to do. I can't do twice." As she finished tears began to roll down her cheeks as what her brother had told her finally sank in. Jamie took the spoon from her and rested it on the side of the pan. He turned down the heat and took her into his arms. He felt her arms wrapped around him and hold on tight as she rested her head on his shoulder and cried.
After a few minutes Lizzie began to calm down, Jamie handed her his water and she took a sip. She looked up at him grateful and he wiped away the last of her tears and tucked a lock of hair behind her ear.
"I think we should go." He told her gently.
"Jamie…" She began.
"Just hear me out. Carlo gave us the address of a hospice. That means, if we time it right, you can go and see her there and avoid the rest of your family." He explained.
"Figure out a time when no one else will be visiting." She suggested, coming around to the idea.
"Yeah, we can go to tomorrow. We'll take the day off and drive down tomorrow morning. Okay?"
"Okay, but you keep saying "we", you're going to come with me?" She asked surprised.
"Of course. It's that whole being married thing. Anything one of us goes though we both go through." He said with a smile and got a small smile back.
Early the next morning Jamie and Lizzie were driving through the streets of Lizzie's hometown on their way to the the hospice Lizzie's grandmother was in. Jamie glanced over to see Lizzie staring out the window lost in her thoughts.
"You ok?" He asked as he pulled into the street the hospice was on.
"Yeah, it's just really weird being back here." She said.
"Is it like you remember?" He asked curious.
"Yeah, pretty much." She gave him a small smile. They pulled into a parking space and Jamie turned off the car. Lizzie watched as he got out and headed inside, a couple of minutes later he jogged back to the car. He opened the door and stuck his head in.
"All clear."
Lizzie felt Jamie take her hand as they walked the corridors of the hospice. They rounded the corner and walked a little further before coming to a stop outside one of the rooms.
"Ready?" Jamie asked looking at Lizzie. She nodded, took a deep breath and opened the door. As she laid her eyes on her grandmother her heart broke. The old woman looked so tiny lying in bed, propped up by a couple of pillows, staring out the window.
"Hi Nonna." Lizzie spoke quietly. The woman turned her head, her eyes widened and a big smile spread across her face as she recognised her granddaughter.
"Betty!" The woman cried with delight and held out her thin, frail arms as best she could to Lizzie. Lizzie walked over and very gently hugged her grandmother, Jamie smiled at the reunion and joined Lizzie by the bed.
"Let me look at you." She told Lizzie, a very slight Italian accent to her voice, as she released her from the hug.
"So beautiful." She smiled as she patted Lizzie's cheek.
"Nonna, there's someone I want you to meet. This is my husband Jamie, Jamie this my grandmother Betty." Betty smiled and extended her hand to Jamie.
"It's nice to meet you Mrs Moretti." Jamie smiled as he shook her hand.
"Please call me Betty. Such a handsome man." She told him before turning to Lizzie.
"Sit. Sit. I want know everything." She commanded. Jamie and Lizzie each took a seat beside her bed and Lizzie told her grandmother about everything that had happened since she had left home. When she got to the part of the story where she met Jamie, he joined in, helping her to tell her grandmother how it all happened.
"…so everything's pretty good now, except with his sister, we're still working on that." Lizzie finished. Betty looked at the pair for a moment before speaking.
"You must really love my Betty." She told Jamie.
"I do." He confirmed smiling.
"And you, marrying a cop, you really are the black sheep aren't you?" She said turning to Lizzie. At her grandmothers words Lizzie face fell, seeing her granddaughters reaction she reached out and took her hand.
"Fragolina, listen to me. I understand, I know you had to leave. You could never have been happy here. You are good person and you deserve happiness and I'm glad you've found it, even if he is a cop." She teased. Lizzie smiled and looked up at her grandmother.
"I love you Nonna." She told her getting emotional.
"Ti amo anch'io." She replied as the Lizzie stood and the pair hugged.
"Jamie, could you do me a favour?" Betty asked as Lizzie retook her seat.
"Sure." He smiled.
"See those drawers over there." She pointed to a set of drawers across the room.
"In the top left hand drawer, at the back, there is a small velvet bag. Could you please get it for me?" Jamie nodded, stood and walked over to the drawers. He opened the top left one, found the bag, took it and handed it to Betty before retaking his seat.
"I want you to have this." She held it out to Lizzie. Lizzie took the bag, opened the drawstring, held out her other hand and tipped the bag upside down. On to her palm fell a necklace, she picked it up and held it by the chain. She immediately recognised it as one her grandmother had wore all the time when she was a child. She stared at the large emerald surrounded by diamonds glinting in the sunlight as it hung from her finger on a pale gold chain.
"I remember when you were a little girl you would sit on my lap and just stare up at it." Betty recalled fondly.
"Oh Nonna, thank you." Lizzie stood and gave her grandmother another hug. As Lizzie sat back down and put the necklace back in the bag, a nurse stuck her head in the door.
"Excuse me, you said you wanted to know when Mrs Moretti's family arrived. They just pulled in to the carpark." The nurse told Jamie.
"Thanks." He told the nurse.
"We have to go." He said as he turned to Lizzie, she nodded and turned to her grandmother.
"I'm sorry Nonna. I can't see them." She explained as her eyes began to fill up with tears as she realised this was the last time she would see her grandmother.
"Come here. It's ok fragolina, I understand." Betty reassured Lizzie as she took her in another hug.
"I love you." She told her grandmother for the last time through her tears.
"I love you too." She replied as she let go. She then took Lizzie's head in both hands, tilted it down and placed a kiss on her granddaughter's forehead.
"It was nice to meet you Betty." Jamie smiled as he took Lizzie's hand. He lead her out of the room and they went out a different way than they came in.
As they crossed the carpark Lizzie couldn't resisted the urge to look back. She turned her head and saw her family walking through the foyer. She saw her mother and her father, both of her brothers and two women she didn't recognise but guessed were her brothers wives as her brothers and the two women were walking together and all four were wearing wedding rings. What caught her eye and made her slow to almost a stop were the children. Two of them, a little girl of about five and and a little boy of about three ran around and through the group of adults. Another, a girl that looked to be a year and a half was being carried across the foyer by Tony Jr. and she couldn't help but notice the woman walking next to Carlo was at least eight months pregnant. As she walked slowly through the carpark, watching her family disappear down the hallway, she had a bittersweet realisation: she was an aunt.
Jamie turned to see Lizzie several feet behind him and turned to look at what she was looking at. He looked just in time to see her entire immediate family turning down the hall to Betty's room. He slowed to a stop and waited for her to catch up. When she caught up to him he could see it all over her face.
"You didn't know?" He asked referring to her nieces and nephew. She shook her head and started quickly walking the last few meters to the car, they climbed in and Jamie quickly drove away. They drove for about five minutes before Jamie found a spot, pulled over and turned off the car. He then turned his attention to Lizzie who had her head down and was silently crying. He undid his seat belt, leaned over and wrapped his arms around her. They remained that way for awhile until she began to calm down. He let go and she reached down and grabbed some tissues from her handbag.
"Thank you." She told him as she dabbed her eyes, he just smiled.
"I mean it. Thank you for convincing me to come here and for coming with me. I'm really glad I did." She told him as she calmed down. Jamie leaned forward, brushed her hair off her face and placed a gentle kiss on her lips.
"So, what does fragolina mean?" He asked.
"It means little strawberry. It's a term of endearment." Lizzie explained.
"Oh, that's sweet. She was really nice." Jamie commented.
"Hard to believe she's Tony Moretti's mother huh?" Lizzie smiled.
"Not as hard as it is to believe your his daughter."
Two days later Jamie and Lizzie were at the Reagan family dinner table listening as Henry said grace. After they all said amen everyone began passing around the plates of food, it was quiet as everyone started eating.
"Lizzie, I wanted to say, I'm sorry for you loss." Linda spoke first.
"Thank you." Lizzie replied. The whole family looked between Linda and Lizzie wondering what they were talking about.
"I read in the paper this morning that Tony Moretti's mother died yesterday." Linda clarified. Hearing this everyone offered their condolences as well.
"What was she like?" Asked Sean as he snuck some food under the table to Stella.
"Like any grandmother I suppose. When I was really little she used to take me to the park to feed the ducks and when I got older she taught me to cook. She always had candy in her handbag and was forever slipping me some when my parents weren't looking." Lizzie smiled sadly as she fought the tears welling in her eyes and subconsciously touched the emerald necklace.
"She was a nice lady." Jamie agreed. Jamie realised his mistake when he heard the sound of cutlery hitting plates.
"You met her?" Asked Frank surprised.
"Ah, yeah, we were told she only had a few days left and that she'd been asking to see Lizzie. Friday morning we drove down so Lizzie could see her before she passed." Jamie explained.
"You went to New Jersey? To see the Moretti's?" Asked Henry incredulous.
"Yes we went to Jersey, but just to see Betty. She was in a hospice so we were able to go and see her without running into anyone else." Jamie explained sharing a look with Lizzie as they both recalled seeing her family through the glass front doors of the hospice.
"Betty? First name basis, huh?" Danny couldn't resist taking a jab and the two brothers traded looks across the table.
"Who told you?" Erin asked Lizzie breaking the silence. Lizzie did not answer instead she glanced at Jamie.
"Carlo. Carlo dropped by to tell us." Jamie sighed deciding on the truth. The whole table stared at Jamie and Lizzie in stunned silence.
"They know where you live? The Moretti's know where you live? Does anyone besides me have a problem with that?" Erin asked horrified.
"I've always assumed they knew." Lizzie confessed and felt everyone's eyes on her.
"My family a very powerful people. I'm sure as soon as they realised I was gone they sent someone to find me. They could have had sent some heavys to come and get me and physically take me back home. They could have kept me in my room or never let me leave the house, but they didn't. They knew, my parents knew that doing that wouldn't change anything. They know I'm not like them and I never will be. I may have left in the middle of the night but I didn't escape my family. They let me go." Lizzie looked around the table to see all the Reagan's silently processing what she had just told them.
"And we're just supposed to be okay with that? We're supposed to be okay with some mobster turning up at Jamie's door every time someone in Lizzie's family dies?" Erin asked angrily. Everyone look at Erin aghast, before quickly turning back to Lizzie when she stood up.
"Excuse me." Lizzie told the table, excusing herself as she started to well up. Nicky immediately stood and followed Lizzie in the direction of the kitchen. Seeing this Jamie stayed and turned to yell at Erin.
Lizzie made it to the kitchen just as the first tears started to fall. She leant on the kitchen counter as she tried to make them stop. Seconds later she heard footsteps behind her and turned towards the source.
"Hey, I am so sorry about my mom." Nicky told her upset to see Lizzie crying.
"It's ok. I just miss her." Lizzie told her as fresh tears streamed down her face.
"I know, I'm sorry." Nicky said as she stepped forward and gave Lizzie a hug. It was at this moment that Jamie made it to the kitchen. He smiled at his niece's caring gesture and at the close bond that had formed between the pair. Not wanting to interrupt he stayed by the door and watched. Once they had finished hugging Lizzie started to wipe her eyes with her hands, seeing this Nicky went over to the pantry. She grabbed a box of tissues, walked back and held the box out to Lizzie.
"Thanks." Lizzie said as she took one and began to wipe her eyes.
"Was that hers?" Nicky asked admiring the necklace Lizzie was wearing.
"Yeah, how did you know?" Lizzie asked surprised.
"Every time you talk about her you touch it." Nicky smiled.
"You're very observant, ever thought about being a cop?" Lizzie grinned and Nicky laughed.
"I really am sorry about my mom, I can't believe she could be so insensitive." Nicky shook her head.
"I understand, she's just worried about your family." Lizzie reassured her.
"That no excuse." Nicky argued.
"No, it's not." Lizzie conceded.
"How do you do that? How do you not let it get to you?" Nicky asked.
"Oh it does. I find it helps to think about the people who accept me when I'm hurt by those who don't." She explained and Nicky nodded.
"There's was something my Nonna used to say, non v'è rosa senza spine. There is no rose without thorns. You have to take the bad with the good." Lizzie smiled.
"I like that." Nicky smiled.
"Me too." Jamie added from the doorway.
"Hey." Lizzie said as she spotted him. He walked over and pulled her into a hug.
"You okay?" He asked after he kissed the top of her head.
"Yeah, I'm okay." She confirmed.
"We can go if you want." He told her as he leaned back enough to look at her.
"I'm okay, really. Seriously, what do you have against dessert?"