Greg sat next to Alison at the dinner table. She was going to have a meeting with Mac this Friday to see if she could go back to work. However, given the tension around the table, they would be lucky to live that long.
"SO, how's the case against the guy who shot our cop?" Henry called out to Danny.
"Not good enough for the DA's Office," Danny said around a mouth full of food. Erin shot her eyes up at that.
"You know it's not Danny." He set his fork down.
"You know we could use a little support, Erin."
"Looking for love in the wrong place." Jamie chimed in. Greg glanced over at Alison. She had her hand in her pocket. She caught his staring and winked at him.
"We're doing our job." Erin replied.
"Yeah, well, Russell and Hayes were doing just that, their jobs, and now they're looking at losing those jobs." Jamie shot back at her. Greg didn't blame Danny and Jamie for feeling the way they did. But there just wasn't enough evidence for the case. Messer and Adam were working on it.
"Santana had to pay for shooting a cop. All hands should be on that deck." Henry pointed his roll at Erin.
"Okay, but that's not the way it works, and you all know that." Alison started chewing on her bottom lip, and Greg resisted the urge to grab her and make a run for the exit. She had asked him to stop smoothing her, and he had to respect that.
"Search of his apartment came up empty. The guy's good at covering his tracks." Jamie explained to Henry.
"Look, we all get charging him with circumstantial evident could push this city over the edge." Frank said. "but you start letting the court of public opinion hold sway." Erin tried to respond, but he cut her off. "You pretty much-telling justice to take a hike."
"That is not what is happening. The standards for evidence have not been met."
"The same standards that kept HIM! out there." Alison shot out. The table went silent. "I'm sorry, I need some air." Alison set her napkin down, walking into the kitchen. They all turned to look at Greg. He ignored them, walking after her. He shut the kitchen door behind him. She stood at the sink, looking at the water flowing over her hands. He gently placed a hand on her back to rub it. She jerked back, shoving him back, fear filling her eyes. He clamped his hand on the counter to keep from falling over.
"Don't touch me." She whispered out. Greg shut his eyes.
"I'm sorry." They stood in silence, looking at each other.
"Do you want me to make you a cup of tea?" He looked at her. Her hand over her mouth to stifle a cry so no one in the family could hear her. Giving him a small nod. The raised voice in the other room matched the tension in this room.
"I'm sorry, Ally. I didn't think."
Alison balanced on the rolling chair, reaching for the top shelf of the closet. Greg was still at work, and she wanted to grab out some of the fall decorations. He had done a great job remodeling the apartment. It barely looked like it did before she was taken. But until she got her decorations out, it wouldn't feel like home. Her meeting with Mac was tomorrow, and she was getting nervous. Decorating would hopefully help her keep her mind off of things.
"Ally," Greg called out, causing her to jump. The chair slipped out from under her. Causing her to fall back. She landed into his arms. They both froze, looking at each other. "Uh…" He set her down, pulling his arms back. Alison smiled, stepping back.
"Thanks." Greg looked at the chair.
"You should have waited for me." he reached up, grabbing the box.
"That chair was perfectly fine until you scared me." She picked up his cane from where he dropped it on the ground. "Are you alright?" Greg carried the box out into the family room.
"Yeah, don't worry about it. I'll probably ice it this evening, but it shouldn't be bad tomorrow. Did you hear that Adam got Danny the evidence he needed?" He called over his shoulder.
"Yeah, I talk to Lindsey earlier today. I wanted to set up a time that I could go and meet Lucy." Greg looked over at that, smacking his forehead.
"I'm sorry, Ally, I completely forgot. I see her when they're at work, and…" He set the box down.
"It's alright. Lindsey is coming over on Thursday. Since you will be gone." Greg raised his eyebrow.
"And where will I be." Alison smiled.
"Out with the boys something about house remodels, and apparently, you haven't been pulling your weight for the past few months." Greg rolled his eyes.
"They're just going to call me an old man." He said, taking the cane from her hand.
"Yeah, our kids will have a hard time explaining that to their friends." Greg stopped at that, looking at her. A smile spread across his face. She held up her hands. "I'm…" He cut her off.
"We don't have to talk about it. It's just nice to know that you're still thinking about it." Alison grabbed out some fake pumpkins.
"Yeah, I think about it."
Alison sat across from Mac. She was holding her breath. He looked up from the file in front of him.
"You have been cleared for works." Alison let out a breath closing her eyes. "But I want you working with Stella or me for the next few weeks." Alison nodded, getting to her feet.
"Sure thing." She grabbed her bag, heading for the door.
"And Alison." She turned, looking at him. "It's good to have you back." She smiled, heading down the hall to her office. Greg stood by the window, looking out over the city. She smiled. It looked like something her father would do. She slipped up behind him, wrapping her arms around his waist.
"How did the meeting go?" Alison smiled, breathing in his sent.
"Mac cleared me." She felt him tense. "I'm going to be alright. He or Stella are going to shadow me." He relaxed.
"I'm going to turn around." She nodded, loosening her grip so he could turn around. Greg looked down at her, smiling.
"I'm proud of you." An idea crossed her mind, and she smiled.
"You could kiss me and show me how proud you are." Greg bent over, gently caching her slips. She melted into it. It had been so long.
"I don't believe this. I thought you two were professionals." Danny called out to them. Alison waved him away, but Greg pulled back, earning a jab in the side from her.
"Your report is on the desk." Alison walked over to her desk, tossing her bag in the draw.
"Hey, what are you doing." Danny said, watching her. she raised an eyebrow.
"Putting my things away." Alison responded while logging into her computer. The formality of it making her relax.
"Mac cleared her this morning," Greg explained, pointing out the information Danny was looking for in the report.
"But it's only been 3 months since you were found." Alison leaned her head forward.
"Yeah, and I've been trying to get him to let me back for the past 2." She crossed her arms, leaning back in her chair. "I'm still going to therapy. It's not like I'm jumping into this. I just need to be doing something good for a change." Danny looked at Greg. "Stop doing that. If you have a question, ask me, not Greg." Danny flinched, walking over to her desk.
"I'm sorry, I just…" Alison stood up, putting her hands on her hips.
"You care, I get it, but you're smoothing me isn't going to change anything. I'm going to be fine." She grabbed her lab coat off the back of her chair, walking out of the room. She slipped behind the corner, leaning against the wall letting out a low breath. Her hands were shaking. Reaching into her pocket, she grabbed the small lockpick that she kept. The security the small object gave her was silly. Especially considering she never got to use it. But at this moment, she didn't care was just glad to have it. She was healing; she could tell in the way she was interacting with Greg and the rest of her family. She just wished it would go a little faster.
