Restoration

Chapter 25

"Did you choose a movie?" John asks, pouring melted butter over a bowl of warm popcorn.

"I think I'm out of touch," Grace confesses. "I have on-demand, Amazon, and Netflix, but most of the time, the only movies I run here, have to be appropriate for Oliver. I don't remember the last time I watched something with a rating over PG or even G. It would be nice to see something that doesn't star animals or Pixar characters."

"I remember that stage with Henry," John recalls. "Of course back then, it was about what Sarah and I could rent. Now almost everything streams. Between studying for my rookie exam and working on my house, I haven't had much time. I haven't seen it, but Lucy and Jackson were into 'A Star is Born' because they liked singing the duet. They liked 'Bohemian Rhapsody,' 'Rocketman,' and 'Yesterday' for the music too."

"The only movie music I've heard lately has been from 'Frozen II,'" Grace confesses. "Anyway, you remember what I sound like when I sing."

John winces. "Fortunately, the music we made together wasn't vocal. How do you feel about superheroes?"

"Like I see them every day at work."

"So do I," John agrees. "So that leaves romances and documentaries. What's your all-time favorite movie?"

"It's ancient."

"So am I," John points out. "What movie?"

"'Same Time Next Year,' with Alan Alda and Ellen Burstyn. It's about two people whose lives are always totally out of sync, but somehow they manage to love each other. I find that hopeful."

John quirks an eyebrow. "It's probably on Amazon, almost everything is. You want to watch it?"

"You don't mind?"

"Why should I mind?" John asks. "If I didn't look for the hope in things, I couldn't get up for work in the morning."

"Me either," Grace admits.

John leans in for a kiss. "Then I guess we've picked a movie. You want to make the floats before we watch?"

"That would be perfect."


"Are you trying to destroy the equipment or your knuckles?" Lucy asks as Bradford attacks the heavy bag. "What happened while you were working with Armstrong?"

"An asshole kicked loose because of Del Monte decided to beat up his wife, and not for the first time. If Armstrong and I hadn't been watching his place, the jerk would have killed her. And that's just the tip of the iceberg. We could be cleaning up Del Monte's mess for years."

"How about the wife?" Lucy asks. "What's going to happen to her?"

"I don't know. We took her to the hospital, and Armstrong called Victims' Services to send someone to sit with her. She was still terrified."

"Of course she was," Lucy spits out. "She still feels helpless. Until she realizes she can fight back, she'll spend her life afraid. She and women like her need someone who's worked past feeling helpless, and can teach her to kick some ass."

Bradford pulls off his gloves. "Still think you can save the world, Chen?"

"I think I might be able to save part of it, and not just with what we do on the street."


Armstrong peers in the door of the hall in the church basement. A few women are sitting in folding chairs arranged in a circle. A coffee pot and a tray of cookies sit on a table, with a man and a woman holding paper plates and cups and chatting nearby. At least Nick won't be the only man in the room if he decides to go in.

He was dealing with Rebecca's death, more or less, until he let Rosalind get under his skin again. But the minute he isn't completely absorbed in his work, the grief and the guilt come crashing in. He needs to do something, and the cookies don't look half bad. He takes a step over the threshold.


Angela Lopez slams two plates down on the table in the apartment she shares with Wesley Evers. "Are you still upset about me defending Lawson?" Wesley asks.

Angela grabs a beer out of the refrigerator and downs a long swallow. "I'm upset about all the scumbags that are out on the street because of Del Monte. And I'm upset that the D.A. never caught on to what was going on, and that Del Monte helped Rosalind go on her killing sprees and train apprentices like Caleb. What happened to Lucy never should have happened. What happened to Margie Lawson shouldn't have happened either. Del Monte sh*t on the whole city."

"The system sh*ts on this city, Angela, that's why I'm doing what I'm doing instead of using family money to set up a plush corporate law office somewhere," Wesley explains.

Angela wraps her arms around him. "I know. And I'm proud that you're still in there fighting instead of taking the easy way out. It will just be frustrating if all the Lawsons go free because of Del Monte. We've got enough to deal out there without the do-overs. But that's the way it is. Other than me and the other cops being pissed off, did you have any problems today? Flashbacks or anything?"

"No, I was good. The meds and the therapy are helping. Things seem better when I'm busy, and I think I'm going to be busy for a long time."

Angela lays her beer on the table and pulls a plastic tray out of the microwave oven. "I guess that's something."


Grace snuggles into John's shoulder as the final credits roll. "I never want this story to be over."

"If it went on any further, they'd be banging each other in heaven, assuming they could get past the adultery clause," John comments. "I mean, the way the story was structured, I was cheering for the love story, but they were still cheating on their respective spouses."

"But they still loved them." Grace insists. "I'd like to think there was enough love to go around so that nobody was cheated."

"That is a sweet way to look at it." John allows. "Did your ex cheat on you?"

"I honestly don't know, at least in the physical sense. Emotionally he was elsewhere long before we separated. We didn't see things the same way anymore and didn't want the same things — except the best for Oliver. We've always agreed on that."

"Sounds like Sarah and me. We were looking at separate paths for two years before we divorced. We just agreed to stay together until Henry was old enough to be on his own." John closes his eyes and shakes his head. "The ironic thing is that Henry recently confided to me that he resented being the one that made us think we had to stay together. He would have rather seen us split and be happy apart than miserable and married. There must be a lesson there somewhere, but I'll be damned if I know what it is."

"Maybe it's that there comes a time when it's better to follow your heart," Grace suggests. "You just have to be able to figure what that time is."

John pulls her close. "Do you think that moment has come, Grace?"

"I don't know yet, John. You're at the beginning of a new career. I'm still struggling with the challenge of being a good mother and a good doctor. We've both got a lot going on in our lives."

"Then I guess we take it day by day and see what happens."

"Or night by night."

John grins. "Even better."