Logan and Goren were sitting on the front steps of the building, waiting for the bomb squad to finish. The bomb had been disarmed and was being dismantled while the rest of the apartment was being swept for explosives. The other residents had been vacated and sent to a secure area half a block away. "Yeah, this is my idea of a good time. Sitting in the friggin' snow after nearly getting my ass blown to kingdom come. We should do this more often."

"Shut up, Mike."

A car pulled up and Deakins stepped out. He stood on the sidewalk, hands on his hips, looking at the two detectives. Logan saw him first, nudged Goren and muttered, "Remind me again why we hang out together."

Shaking his head, Deakins approached. "What happened?"

"Somebody rigged a bomb in my apartment," Goren replied.

"Anybody see anything?"

Logan shook his head. "Not that anyone will say."

"How did you find it?"

Goren said, "I, um, smelled sulfur."

"Before you opened the door?"

"Yeah."

"How'd they get inside?"

"I have no idea."

The building door opened and a uniformed lieutenant approached them. "Hello, Captain Deakins. These guys yours?"

"Yes, lieutenant. They're mine."

"They're very lucky. All you had to do, detective, was turn that key and half the floor would have been in the next building. We'd never have found your bodies."

Deakins' face was grim. "Somebody is very serious about this, Goren. I hope you are taking it seriously. Both of you."

"I've always taken it seriously," Goren answered with a dark frown. "That's why Alex and the kids were not home."

Deakins rubbed his jaw. He leaned closer to his two detectives. "I'm going to talk with John Eames. I want surveillence on his house, but I don't want it getting out anywhere in the department that they're being protected. I think I'll talk to him in person, let him pick a couple of guys he knows he can trust. Your family will be safe, Bobby. As for you two..." He sighed and stood back up. "Go to Bellevue and talk to Bedford, then go back to the squad. Let me think about what to do with you guys."

"I, um, still need to get in to the apartment."

The lieutenant nodded. "Go ahead. It's secure."

Goren looked at his captain. "Um, Alex and the kids...tell them, I miss them. And give Maggie a hug for me."

"I will, Bobby."

Fifteen minutes later, they were headed toward Bellevue.

----------------------------------------

John Eames let Deakins into the house with a smile and a warm handshake. Maggie came running. "Uncle Jimmy!"

He picked her up in his arms and hugged her. This child has a way of wriggling her little self into a guy's heart, he mused. "How are you doing, Maggie?"

"Good. Did Daddy come with you?"

"I'm afraid not, sweetheart. He's working. But he asked me to give you a hug and let you know how much he loves you."

She pouted. "He's gotta stop working and come see me."

"He will. In a couple of days, you can see him, ok?"

Sensing she had no choice, she said, "Ok."

Giving him another hug, she slid from his arms and headed off into the living room. John shook his head. "She's always been that way with him. She loves Alex dearly, but everything revolves around her daddy."

"He's not any happier being away from Alex and the kids, believe me. We need to talk, John. Is Alex back yet?"

"Yes. She's feeding the baby."

"I need to see both of you."

"Is Bobby ok?"

"Yes."

John looked relieved. "I'll get Alex."

Deakins sat down on the couch, watching Maggie dig through her toybox. Not finding what she wanted, she went over to her bookshelf and pulled a book from it, bringing it over to Deakins and climbing into his lap. "Do you want me to read to you, Maggie?"

She nodded. "Yes, please. Daddy reads me this, and you know what?"

"What?"

"He even made me green eggs and ham. And I like it!"

Deakins laughed. "Well, we'll see if we can't get your daddy home so he can make green eggs and ham for you again." He opened the book "I am Sam. Sam I am..."

Alex set the baby on her shoulder and patted his back. A little burp sounded in her ear and she laughed. "Come on, little man, you can do better than that."

More patting and a bigger burp followed. "That's better."

She brought him down into her arms and held him in front of her so she could study his features. "You're gonna look like your daddy, Tom." She kissed his soft forehead. "That's a good thing. I hope you have his good heart, too."

"Alex?"

She looked over her shoulder and smiled at her father. "A little mother/son bonding time."

He returned her smile. "Deakins is here. He needs to talk to us."

Her smile faded. "Is Bobby ok?"

"Yes."

She sighed. Wrapping the baby in a receiving blanket, she followed her father from the den. As they approached the living room, she heard Deakins' voice. "I would not eat them here or there. I would not eat them anywhere."

She stopped. John turned toward her and, seeing the tears in her eyes, he drew her into his arms. "It's ok, honey."

She rested her head against her father and pulled her little son--Bobby's little son--closer to her chest. Taking a deep breath, she whispered, "I'm ok, Dad."

Deakins turned as they came into the room. Maggie took her book and said, "Thank you, Uncle Jimmy."

"Sure, sweetheart."

She bounced back to her toybox and Deakins turned his attention to his detective and her father. "Are you ok, Alex?"

She nodded. "I'm ok. I just...miss him. He is always reading that book to Maggie. Now she seeks comfort from hearing it."

John added, "I've been reading it to her at bedtime every night."

Deakins got up and approached her. "Do you mind?" He nodded toward the baby.

"Of course not."

She laid the baby in his arms. He smiled and talked quietly to the little bundle in his arms. "Just look at you...you look just like your dad. He's gonna have a lot of fun with you, little guy." He smiled at Eames. "Is he a good baby?"

"He's a very good baby. He seems to have his dad's good nature."

Deakins smiled, sitting back down on the couch. Maggie came over, setting a book on the couch, and climbed up next to him, gently smoothing her brother's hair. "He can't play yet," she informed Deakins.

"No, not yet."

She sat beside him and rested her head against his side. He looked at Eames. "She's moping, isn't she?"

She nodded. "Ever since he told her he had to be gone for a few days. She kind of just flits from thing to thing but she has no real interest in anything."

"Poor baby." He put his arm around her. He continued talking, not changing the conversational tone of his voice. "There was a small problem a little while ago. Mike and Bobby went to get some clothes and stuff because I don't want them staying at either apartment. Someone rigged your apartment..." He looked at Maggie. Even though she didn't seem to be paying attention, leafing through a book of Mother Goose rhymes, he knew better. He mouthed the word 'boom.'

Eames went pale. "No..."

"They're ok. It was close though. He had the key in the door."

"So what are you going to do?"

"I'm going to find someplace for them to stay. In the meantime, what I came out here to discuss with you, John, is Bobby and I would both feel better if someone was watching this place. I don't want anything going through channels and I figured you would have a couple of guys you trust who'd be willing to help us out."

John nodded. "I'll make some calls."

"They need anything, let me know and I'll get it for them."

"Thanks for watching out for my family, Jimmy."

Deakins nodded. "They're family to me, too, John." He looked at Eames. "You're still coming to my house for the weekend, right?"

"Yes. I...we need to spend some time with him."

"I know."

Looking at his little granddaughter, John said, "It will be good for them."

Alex leaned back into the chair she was sitting in. "Where are they now?"

"On their way to Bellevue to have a word with Bedford. Is there anything you can tell me about him, Alex?"

"Not much. He was Ricky's closest friend. They were inseparable since the Academy. He was Ricky's best man at the wedding, and he was with him the day they put Bobby in the hospital. He was behind the hit on the apartment and backed Ricky the whole way when they were harrassing Bobby. I'm sure he feels lost since Ricky died, and I'm not surprised he blames Bobby for it. He and Ricky both blamed Bobby and me because he got sent up." She shook her head. "You would think I'd have known my husband's best friend a little better, huh? I sure have gotten to know Lewis and Mike well."

Deakins gave her a small smile. "Hindsight is 20/20. We have the same information. Ok...I need to get back to the squad so I can be there when they get back from Bellevue."

"Keep them safe, Captain."

"I'll do everything I can, Alex."

He slid the baby back into his mother's arms, gave Maggie a big hug and shook hands with John. All the way back to 1 PP, he couldn't get rid of the image of the change in Maggie since her father went away, even though it had only been a day. They needed to get this resolved and behind them so Goren could go home to his family and his little girl could be happy again.


A/N: Green Eggs and Ham is by Dr. Suess (and a favorite of children everywhere, including mine).