They'd been up for a half-hour and were already showered and dressed, so the couple was sitting at the kitchen table, each having a cup of coffee while one read the New York Times and the other played quietly with Sofía.
Thankfully, it was Saturday, and neither of them had gotten called into work for anything, which meant they were actually able to relax after a rather stressful week.
First coronavirus-related death reported in New York
The coronavirus claimed its first victim in New York this weekend, bringing more focus on the Big Apple.
Across the state, 524 cases have been reported.
An 82-year-old woman who tested positive for coronavirus died in a New York City hospital Friday, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said on a media conference call Saturday.
It was the state's first coronavirus-related death.
The woman was "long-suffering with emphysema," Cuomo said.
She was admitted to the hospital last week and had been in critical condition ever since, Mayor Bill de Blasio said in a statement.
He sighed as he glanced down at the paper. The situation was really getting out of control, in Rafael's opinion.
Broadway had recently gone dark, and museums and other tourist venues in the city were also deeply affected as Cuomo had directed that events in New York with more than 500 people be cancelled or postponed.
On the next page, New York-Presbyterian hospitals were announcing that all elective procedures and surgeries would be postponed until further notice, effective Monday. Something that didn't come as a surprise, unfortunately.
As in other cities, shoppers had cleared shelves of many grocery stores, the previous panicked shopping frenzies by a large portion of people forcing those who could to stock up just so they had some basic supplies as they wouldn't be able to get any otherwise.
Now, De Blasio had said at a news conference the day prior that he wanted to keep the city's schools open for as long as possible, but they weren't sure how long that was going to last. The reality was his mother was probably going to find herself temporarily out of work in short order.
Still, they were just trying to go about life as normal as possible and hope that things would actually start to improve soon. Not that federal administration was doing a hell of a lot to help matters, save for shutting down European flights.
He took a sip of his café con leche and looked up at his wife. "Well, this certainly isn't going to help with the panic buying."
His wife gave a little snort. "Remind me again how toilet paper is supposed to help?"
He made a vague gesture. "God only knows." He noticed her fidgeting with Sofía slightly, the baby girl refusing to calm. He took another sip of his coffee and held his hands out towards his wife. "Liv, pass Sof here for a bit so you can drink your coffee."
"Alright," she said with a small smile.
The eight-month-old babbled happily as she was seated on his lap and he started gently bouncing her on his knee, trying to hold on to her small stuffed bunny that his mother had bought for her some time go.
The little girl had gotten especially attached to it recently. She was 17.5 pounds of clinginess when it came to the teddy, but it was honestly rather endearing.
She'd recently started crawling as well, so it was becoming interesting to keep an eye on her as she'd try and take off on a whim if something caught her attention.
"Am I crazy for considering pulling Noah from school?" Olivia asked.
Olivia wasn't the only one getting worried about the children. And honestly, it was more than justified. Sofía was young and very vulnerable and Noah had had horrible respiratory issues when he was younger. He knew Carisi and Rollins were fairing little better, though, given little Billie and Jesse. Carisi had a young niece as well.
And, Rafael, had to admit to himself, his mother was getting up there in age as well, making her more vulnerable to the sickness as well. She was intending to retire at the end of the school year, but he'd prefer that to be because of choice and not health problems. He hadn't really grieved his father's passing, but the mere thought of losing his mother put a knot in his chest.
He eyed her. "You're not crazy Not with the bout of pneumonia he had as an infant and his other respiratory issues. And, if Sofía were to be exposed..." his voice trailed off. "We should wait a bit longer, as the schools might all close anyway, but if in a couple of weeks the situation doesn't improve I agree we should pull him."
Noah would be disappointed, especially if the school play was cancelled, but at this point, it came down to health and safety. It was what it was.
She nodded. "Glad you don't think I'm overreacting."
He gave her a soft smile. "Never."
Just then they heard a slightly muffled yawn and their seven-year-old walked in with some serious bedhead, still in his pyjamas. "Mornin'."
He gave the boy a small smile. "Good morning."
"Morning, sleepyhead," Olivia said, hugging Noah when he leaned into her for a quick snuggle, clearly not completely awake. "I'm hungry."
"How about I make some pancakes?" Olivia suggested, "and we ask your dad, really nicely, to go get some apple juice and milk? I believe we're almost out."
Noah hummed happily, snuggling into his mother. "Please, Papi."
Rafael chuckled, standing up. "I'll run to the bodega down the street and shouldn't be too long. We have everything for lunch, right?"
Carisi and the Rollinses were coming over for lunch later, everyone planning to have a BBQ and let Jesse and Noah have the playdate they've been asking for lately. And, of course, both Rafael and Olivia wanted to see their goddaughter.
The fourteen-month-old was walking now and definitely had an interesting personality, getting into everything under the sun. She was a sweetie, but definitely just wanted to go, go, go! Preferring to walk than be held.
"Yes," she said, not missing a beat. "But if you could grab stuff for dinner?"
"Sure," he said, wracking his brain for something he could make. Eventually, he settled on masitas de puerco, moros, and yuca, something he couldn't recall making them before, but figured Noah would like. "Do we still have pork?"
"No," she said, "I used the last of it on the stir-fry the other day."
He nodded. "Okay. I'll grab some while I'm out."
Noah looked at him, smiling, as the boy moved away from Olivia, standing up straight. Rafael walked over to Olivia, passing Sofía to her and going to grab his wallet and house keys.
He heard his wife call out from behind him. "Thank you!"
He raised his right hand, keys in hand, in acknowledgment as he walked to the entranceway to throw his shoes on and head to West 82nd Grocery. It was more than reasonably close to where they lived so he closed and locked the door to the home behind him and walked to the store.
