Lee
He was feeling taken aback. He was feeling guilty. He was feeling a lot of things. He couldn't believe he'd told Norah what he did, and he didn't hang around to see what her reaction was going to be after. He had to get out of there as fast as he could. Rupert had trotted alongside him as he went to the house. Instead of going inside with Rupert (he'd shut the door on the dog and got whines in return), he jumped on his bike and tore off. He needed to feel speed.
Now, he was parked near the edge of the ocean, and he watched the waves. His emotions were all over the place, and he kept clearing his throat. He looked down at his tattoo on his arm and wondered for the hundredth time if he'd be there if things had gone much differently.
"Stop it," he told himself. "It's done. It's in the past. You can't change it."
The wind played against his skin as he looked at the waves. How easy would it be to walk out into them and be swallowed up forever? He exhaled shakily. He didn't like it when his mind went to that dark place. He gave himself a shake and went back to his bike. He was usually okay for the most part, but then something would happen that would trigger these thoughts and feelings. He didn't like it.
He also didn't like how much he'd enjoyed Norah laying on top of him or the fact she found rolling down a damn hill to be fun. Something about her was tugging at him in ways he was afraid of.
And he had no idea what to do about it.
Toll
Victoria stayed in her room all day. Toll had tried to think of a million different things to say to her, but each one sounded stupid the more he thought about them. In the end, he decided to leave her alone completely and went to hang with the guys. He found Gunner nursing a beer and giving him a bit of a scared look. He figured he should probably deal with that before it got out of hand.
"Hey," he said, sitting down beside Gunner. "About last night..."
"I'm sorry," Gunner blurted out. "I didn't mean to, honest. It just happened."
"Gun, it's okay," Toll interrupted, putting a hand on the big man's shoulder and giving him a friendly shake. "I was more worried about you than her."
"Oh."
"She...she's got a record," he went on, "for breaking a guy's heart because she thought she could love them and then pulling away without a warning because she thinks she can't. I just don't want that for you."
"I appreciate that," Gunner said, sounding genuinely grateful. Toll clapped his back and gave him a smile before getting up and heading over to Barney, who was clamping a cigar in his teeth while cleaning his pistols.
"We got a job coming up?" Toll asked.
"Yea," Barney answered. "Four days. Brazil."
"Sounds good to me," Toll said, feeling relieved. Some space from his sister might be good for them both.
"You call that therapist yet?"
"Not yet."
"How's your sister?"
"Pissed at me," Toll answered. He'd let Barney know she was at home so he wouldn't worry.
"She'll cool off," Barney reasoned. "She knows you're just looking out for her."
"I hope so," Toll muttered. "When do we leave?"
"Tomorrow," Barney answered. Toll just nodded. He found himself thinking about Norah and her first shift at the bar tonight. He was planning on going to check in on her. He felt bad for ditching her the night before. He'd realized too late that she had no ride home, but he figured she must have called Lee for one since he hadn't heard from her. He knew he owed her an explanation, and he found himself wanting to tell her everything. He had a feeling she'd accept it all easily. He hoped so, anyway.
Gunner
It was a couple hours later. Gunner was reloading his pistol when a hand squeezed his shoulder. He turned to see Victoria standing there smiling back at him. He removed his headphones quickly.
"Hey," she said.
"What're you doing here?" he asked dumbly.
"I figured you'd be here, and it's been a while since I fired a gun," she answered, shrugging. Gunner kept in mind what Toll had talked to him about earlier. He liked Victoria, but he didn't particularly want to get hurt. He had enough hurt in his life.
"You can fire this one if you'd like," he offered, not knowing what else to say.
"Sure," she said happily, taking it from him. She put on the headphones, and Gunner covered his ears with his hands. She aimed and fired, and Gunner admired her shots. She certainly knew how to aim. She lowered the gun and pulled the headphones down around her neck when she finished, looking at him.
"Well, that was fun," she said. Gunner said nothing as he took the gun back from her. She handed him the headphones as well. Then she leaned against the wall and crossed her arms, smiling at him. He felt confused. Her attention to him seemed genuine, but he couldn't stop hearing Toll telling him she broke hearts.
"You wanna get something to eat?" she asked him. Gunner looked at the clock. It was mid-afternoon.
"Like lupper?" he said.
"Ha! Lupper. I love it," she snorted. "Sure. I didn't eat lunch today yet. Might as well combine it with supper."
Gunner didn't see anything wrong with having something to eat with her. Friends did that.
"Okay," he agreed. He easily got lost in her smile, and she was a great distraction from the voices in his head. What would be the harm?
Joe
"Snap!" Oscar shouted, making Joe jump slightly. He groaned again as Oscar took his cards. The kid was fast...too fast. Joe was starting to feel his age when he was being bested at a game of reflexes.
"You're slaughtering your poor grandfather," Joe pointed out. "The decent thing you could do is let me win a little."
"You just have to be faster," Oscar said with a glint in his eye. Joe sighed.
"Fine, but if I lose, you're not getting any ice cream," he warned. Oscar's eyes widened.
"That's not fair," he complained.
"That's life, sonny," Joe said with a shrug. He looked at the clock. Rose would still be on the plane. He hoped seeing Norah would help her feel better. He wished again that he'd just noticed his wife's deteriorating mental health. He knew those girls needed a mother, and he felt bad for them missing motherly support all these years because of his failure to see she'd been struggling still.
"I'm your grandson," Oscar went on. "You can't blackmail your grandson."
"Well, I'm your grandfather, and you can't pick on me for not being fast," Joe countered.
"Oh," Oscar said, realizing. "I'm sorry."
"It's all right. Tell you what, how about we just skip finishing this game and go get ice cream?" Joe offered.
"Deal," Oscar said, dropping his cards. They stood and went to put their shoes on. Joe ruffled Oscar's hair fondly. He loved his grandson very much. He hoped Oscar would never endure the kind of pain Joe had in his life.
Norah
She tried not to feel nervous as she stepped into the noisy bar and made her way to where Dino was. She waited for him to finish serving a customer before waving to get his attention. He grinned.
"She showed up!" he joked, lifting the bar top so she could walk behind it and join him.
"Of course I did," Norah laughed.
"Well, let's just say it wouldn't be the first time I had someone bail on me before they even started," Dino advised. "This job ain't for everyone."
"I will do my best," Norah promised.
"It's all I can ask for. Let's see how you do tonight, and we'll go from there, eh?"
"Okay."
Dino set to work showing her the ropes. Norah was a quick learner. The problem was that if the job wasn't interesting, she couldn't focus, and if she couldn't focus, she made a mess of things. So far, this job was intriguing to her. She liked Dino, and she liked the environment. She knew how to make drinks, and she knew how to have conversations. Three hours into her shift, Toll arrived.
"There she is," he said with a smile, leaning against the bar top. "How's it going?"
"Pretty good," she answered. "So far. I haven't set fire to anything or dropped something. Gold star for me." She grinned.
"Well, beer me," Toll said, hopping up onto the stool now. "I'll keep you company for a bit, if you want."
"Sure."
Norah pulled out a beer and slid it to him. He caught it easily. She noticed he looked a bit stressed and tired. She wondered how things went the night before.
"Hey, about last night," he said on cue. "I'm sorry for ditching you like that...wasn't cool of me at all."
"It was for a greater cause," she said dismissively. "Is your sister okay?"
"Oh, she's pissed at me, but that's not new," he sighed.
"I'm sorry."
"It is what it is."
"If it helps, my sister is pissed at me too," Norah offered. He gave a snort of laughter.
"What did you do?"
"I burned down an entire house that she had no insurance coverage for," she answered matter-of-factly. Toll choked and spewed the bit of beer he'd been sipping. He wiped his mouth, gaping at her.
"What?!"
"It was an accident," Norah said defensively. "I had lit candles to help with the smell. Then Sassy ran from the house scared, so I went to rescue her, and when I turned around, the house was on fire. I tried to put it out."
"What were you doing there? What job was it?" Toll asked.
"Oh, crime scene clean up," she replied. "That's what my sister does. Dad sold the house and helped her get the business back up and running just before I left. He works with her now."
"Wow," Toll said. "Crime scene clean up. I can only imagine."
"It's disgusting," Norah replied. "But in a way...we connected with the victims, you know? It was weird, but a good weird."
"Weird," Toll teased. She made a face at him. "So, were you all donned up in those plastic outfits? I bet you looked cute."
"I looked like a smurf," she said. "Or someone from Blue Man Group."
Toll kept chuckling as he folded his hands and rested his chin on them. Norah felt like he was flirting with her, but she wasn't entirely sure. It was the same kind of vibe she got from him last night.
"So, Drifter Norah," he said after a moment, "do you feel like you're settling in here at all?"
"Oddly enough, yes," she answered truthfully. "There's something about this place that's alluring, you know?"
"Oh, I know," he agreed. "It's why I've hung around."
Norah caught sight of Gunner then, and he was standing with a woman, who was staring point blank at Toll's back. The striking resemblance to Toll was uncanny, and Norah just knew this was his sister. Gunner looked scared.
"What?" Toll asked, catching on that Norah was looking over his shoulder. He turned and froze upon seeing them.
"Hey, Nick," the woman said.
"Victoria..."
"I'm grabbing something to drink with a friend, is that all right?" Victoria asked, moving to the bar and waving her hand at Dino.
"You're not supposed to..." Toll started.
"Relax, it's water," Victoria cut him off. "I'm not stupid, Nick."
"Nick?" Norah echoed, looking at Toll. She felt confused.
"My birth name," Toll dismissed.
"He likes to be all macho with his cool nickname," Victoria smirked, looking at Norah now. "They all do. It's amusing."
"Don't," Toll warned, his eyes sending his sister some kind of message. This piqued Norah's interest. What was he trying to tell his sister? Victoria had a knowing look on her face suddenly and gave a curt nod. Whatever it was, she seemed to understand and stopped talking. Norah wanted to know what was going on. Why did they all have nicknames?
"Come on, Gunner," Victoria said, taking both glasses of water and handing Gunner one. "Let's go play some pool, eh?"
"Okay," Gunner agreed. Norah noticed he still looked nervous, his eyes flicking back and forth between Toll and Victoria. Toll said nothing as they walked away. He watched them for a moment as they got the pool game set up, and then he turned back to Norah.
"She is definitely pissed at you," she commented.
"Yea," he sighed. "Oh well." He drank his beer slowly, not saying anything else. Norah had to go and serve other customers who had come in at this point. It was getting busier. She found herself doing well, though, which surprised her. She watched Gunner and Victoria play pool and jest with each other. She noticed that Gunner kept looking over at her quite a few times, and she wondered why. Toll eventually left, and Norah couldn't wait for the end of her shift. Her feet were killing her.
Lee & Barney
They were going over the schematics of their mission, and Barney was jotting down notes while Lee sharpened his knives and listened while Barney made the odd comment here and there.
"You're gonna want to come in here," Lee noted, pointing the tip of his knife at the one section of the map. "Take them from behind."
"Yea," Barney agreed. "Where they'd least expect it."
"I get more money this time?" Yang asked, coming in then.
"What for?" Lee asked.
"For my family," Yang answered. Barney rolled his eyes. This was a regular conversation it seemed. Lee was pretty sure Yang didn't have a family.
"It's equal pay," Barney said, following the script.
"But I'm shorter. I work harder. Thus, more money."
"Talk to the boss," Barney dismissed, peering at his map again. That was his signal he was done with the conversation.
"Tool said talk to you," Yang insisted.
"Well, I'm saying talk to Tool."
Yang made a sound of frustration before throwing his hands up in the air and walking away, muttering to himself. Lee smirked.
"You gonna complain about the pay too?" Barney asked without looking at him.
"Nope."
"Thank God."
Lee pulled up a new blade and started sharpening it. All his guns were cleaned and ready to go. They'd be leaving fairly early in the morning. Lee hadn't told Norah he was leaving yet. He'd felt strange around her for the rest of the day until she'd gone to work. She hadn't asked him where he'd gone or why he'd tore out of there like he was on fire. He was grateful for that.
"I'm sure she won't burn your house down," Barney commented.
"I wasn't thinking about that," Lee said.
"You trust her?"
"She lives in my house. I kind of have to."
"What if she snoops and finds your weapons?"
"They're all right here," Lee said, patting the bag next to him. "Most of them I store here anyway."
"If you say so."
"I don't leave my guns and knives lying around like toys," Lee growled. The idea of Norah knowing he was a mercenary didn't sit well with him. There this air of innocence around her, and he didn't want to shatter it. Granted, she did crime scene clean up, so she had seen some gruesome things, but he didn't want her looking at him like the bad guy if she knew what he did. He didn't want her looking at him and picturing him as the person who caused the need for the crime scene clean up. It was bad enough she knew he used to be in the SAS; that itself had changed her facial expression when she heard it. He wasn't going out and killing innocent people, though. Barney only took jobs with certainty that something bad was going to happen if they didn't take the mastermind behind the plan out.
"She might understand," Barney said, reading his mind.
"Get out of my head," Lee ordered, making his friend laugh.
"I just know you so well, Christmas," Barney replied. "You think I haven't thought of it? I've never even met her, but from the sound of things, she's an innocent, so to speak."
"She used to do crime scene clean up."
"Okay, innocent to the idea of the guy doing the killing but not to the victim."
"I don't think you can have one without the other..." Lea reasoned.
"You know what I mean."
"Hey, guys," Toll said, coming in then. He dropped his bag loudly and ran a hand over his head.
"What happened?" Barney asked, knowing something was wrong.
"Vic was hanging out with Gunner again," Toll answered with a sigh. "She said as friends, but I know her."
"Gunner's a big boy," Barney reasoned. "You've warned him. It's all you can do."
"I guess," Toll muttered.
"I'm gonna head out," Lee said, feeling Toll would talk more if he wasn't there. He knew about Victoria and some of the troubles, but he also knew Toll kept some things back from the rest of them that he shared with Barney.
"Get some sleep," Barney called to him as he walked away. Lee just raised his hand in the air in response. Then he was gone.
Caesar
"Why do you have to go away again?" the boy asked. Caesar held in his sigh as he looked at his ten year old son. Will was getting to that age where saying he was going on a business trip just wasn't cutting it anymore. He wanted details. He wanted souvenirs. Caesar couldn't very well hand him some shrapnel and call it good. His wife would murder him herself.
"It's for work," Caesar said.
"You're always gone," Will complained. "I hardly see you."
"I've been here for three weeks," Caesar pointed out.
"Yea, but other dads are here all the time," Will countered. Caesar held his annoyance in check. He wasn't winning this argument, not tonight. He heard a noise and turned his head to see his wife, Charlena, in the doorway. She had a slight smile on her lips.
"Look, it's bedtime," Caesar said, bringing it back to the case at hand. "No more talking." He reached and pressed Will's eyelids down, making the boy laugh.
"Dad!"
"Sleepy night night," Caesar said, playfully chopping at Will's neck with his hand in a karate fashion.
"I'm not tired..."
"Yes, you are," Caesar said, putting his hand on Will's forehead. "Oh dear Lord, you're burning up with tiredness! You're gonna fall asleep at any second! Quick, fall back on your pillow!"
"I'm not five anymore," Will insisted, brushing Caesar's hand away. This cut Caesar hard. He knew this, but hearing it didn't make him feel better.
"All right. Goodnight then," he said, patting Will's arm. He didn't dare try to kiss his forehead. The last time he'd done it, Will had "ewwwed" and "yeched" loudly for five minutes straight afterwards. His son still surprised him, though, when he least expected it. Like now.
"Love you, Dad," Will said.
"Love you too, Will," Caesar replied. Then he got up and turned the light off, stepping into the hall and closing the door behind him. Char was still smiling at him.
"What?" he asked.
"He puts the tough guy act on, but he's really scared inside when you're gone so much and doesn't know why," she pointed out.
"I know," Caesar said, knowing what was coming next. He wasn't wrong.
"When are you gonna call it quits?" Char asked on cue. "Haven't you had enough?"
"I'm going to say goodnight to our daughter," Caesar said, ignoring the question. He stepped past her and went down the hall where his six year old daughter was sleeping. He went in and kissed the side of her head. She stirred briefly but didn't wake up. He watched her breathe for a bit and wondered what the hell he was doing. His job was dangerous. Every time he went out, he didn't know if he'd come back. This was who he was when Char met him, though, and they'd gotten together knowing they weren't going to change each other. Char herself used to work with the CIA, which was how she had met him, but had retired after Sasha was born. Having one child to send to a grandparent's house was easy, but having two was a bit more challenging, and they didn't want to wear out her parents.
"I love you," he whispered to Sasha before backing away and leaving her to dream. He stood in the hall for a moment, thinking. Then he walked towards his waiting wife. Char didn't say anything else as she took his hand and walked to their bedroom.
Lee
He got home to find a woman sitting on his front steps. He faltered, not recognizing her and instantly had his guard up. She had lighter brown hair that looked almost red, and it was in a ponytail just past her shoulders. She had sharp features and blue eyes, just like Norah's.
Norah.
Lee suddenly suspected this woman was related to Norah.
"Hi," she said, standing up. She looked nervous. "Um, Norah lives here, right? Norah Lorkowski?"
"Yes," he answered evenly.
"Oh. I didn't...I had no idea she was living with...with someone," the woman stammered.
"She rents out the lower level," Lee explained. The woman muttered something that sounded like "I should have known" before smiling at him.
"Well," she said. "I'm her sister, Rose. I know this is unexpected, but I...I don't really have a reason to be here." She was rambling now. "I mean, I do, but it's stupid. Well, not stupid, but just...complicated. I don't even know, really, why I came. I'm still mad at her for burning the house down. Not our house!" She corrected quickly. "The house we were doing a job at. It was an accident. It was my fault for not having insurance." She started to go red in the face as Lee just kept staring at her. Norah had burned down a house? Barney's comment was ill placed then. Apparently Norah could burn down a house. It didn't make him feel better leaving her alone there now.
"I'm sorry," Rose said. "She wouldn't burn down this house. She's not an idiot. I mean, sometimes she can be, but that's not unusual. Everyone can be an idiot."
"Do you want to come inside?" Lee asked, ending this rapid fire session of words being strung together and thrown at him. It was giving him a headache.
"Um, sure," she nodded. "If...if that's okay."
"It's fine. Head down to her place. She should be home soon."
"Great. Thank you."
"You're welcome." Lee held out his hand to gesture her going inside, and she obeyed. She picked up her bag on the way and made her way down the stairs hesitantly. Lee knew she was probably wondering if he was gonna come down there and murder her, that he'd lied about Norah living there after all to lure her inside. He hoped she wasn't thinking that. Rupert came out of his room, missing out on the excitement of a newcomer. Lee gave him an affectionate pat down before going to finish packing for his trip.
Gunner
Norah was starting the clean up process when Gunner offered to help. Dino didn't seem to care, so she let him. He picked up chairs easily and turned them over on top of the tables. Norah started sweeping. Dino was rattling things in the back and locking up his cabinets.
"Good first shift?" Gunner asked her.
"It was," Norah answered. He felt like she didn't know what to say to him. He understood. He looked intimidating. He continued tidying up while she swept around him. Then she started tidying the pool table, collecting the balls and hanging the sticks back up.
"Who won?" she asked.
"I did," he answered proudly.
"You're good then?"
"The best."
"We'll have to see about that," she joked. He raised a brow.
"You play?"
"A little."
"Don't hustle a hustler," he warned, and she laughed.
"All right," she caved. "I think I'm pretty good at it."
"Well, maybe one day we can have a game," he offered.
"Sure." She smiled. Gunner smiled back. He felt that pitter patter in his heart again, and he didn't understand it. She wasn't as hardened as Victoria, and she was a bit younger. He wasn't even really sure why he was hanging around with her, if he was honest.
"Well, that's that," she said, dusting off her hands.
"Here's your tips for the night," Dino said, handing her some cash.
"Holy crap!" she exclaimed. He winked at her.
"I told you that you'd do well for business," he teased.
"And I didn't even have the girls showing," Norah said. Dino clicked his tongue.
"That won't be necessary around here," he told her. She nodded, understanding.
"When would you like me to come back?" she asked.
"How does Monday, Tuesday, Friday, and Saturday nights sound?" he countered.
"Sold," Norah agreed, reaching to shake his hand. "Thank you again for this opportunity."
"Glad to have you aboard."
"Have a good night, Dino," Gunner said, deciding it was past the time he should be leaving. He lifted his hand in a wave and walked out. He was climbing onto his bike when Norah came out to her car.
"Do all of you guys have bikes?" she asked. "Are you a gang or something?"
"Something like that," Gunner answered with a grin.
"You'll tell me one day?"
"Maybe."
"Ugh, fine. I'll see you later?"
"Yea."
"Good night."
"You too."
He started his bike as she got into her car, and he waited for her to leave first. It was a habit to make sure the lady got away safely. He went in the opposite direction, and then he just drove for a while.
Norah
She got home to find Lee leaning against the counter. He looked annoyed again. That's when Norah spotted someone sitting at the kitchen table.
"Rose?" she asked, shocked. "What are you doing here?"
"I came to say hi," Rose answered.
"She felt the need to keep me company," Lee added. "But I'm going to bed now. I'm leaving tomorrow for work for a few days, all right? No candles." He pointed a finger at her almost accusingly.
"You told him?!" Norah exclaimed, glaring at Rose. It had to have been her unless Toll texted him right away. She doubted it, though. She didn't see Toll as the kind of guy who would rat someone out, unlike her sister.
"It...it just slipped out," Rose said, sheepish.
"The first time," Lee corrected. "Then she told me the whole story while we were waiting for you."
"Oh my God, Rose," Norah groaned. She just knew Lee's confidence in her plummeted. "Lee, it was an accident. I swear..."
"Relax," he said, interrupting her. "It's fine. I'll see you when I get back."
"Okay," Norah agreed. He left them alone then, and Norah grabbed Rose's hand and hauled her downstairs to her room. She shut the door behind her at the top of the stairs.
"Okay," she said, once they were at the bottom. "Why are you really here?" She knew there was a reason. Plus, her sister's face hid nothing. Rose burst into tears.
"I just need my sister," she choked out. She got up and moved into Norah with such force that the wind got knocked out of Norah's lungs a little bit. She instinctively wrapped her arms around her sister into a hug.
"What's going on?"
"I'm...I'm pregnant."
Norah felt those words hit her hard and fast. At first she thought Winston, but then she recalled Mac. Oh no.
"Is it...?" she tried. Rose nodded hard into Norah's neck. "Shit, Rose. What are you gonna do?"
"I'm keeping the baby," Rose answered. "I just can't tell him. I shouldn't. Right?"
"You think he won't figure it out?" Norah challenged. "What if he wants custody? What if he wants to be a part of the baby's life? What then?"
"I can say it was some guy I had a fling with after we broke up," Rose reasoned. "He wouldn't figure it out."
"Is that fair to your baby? To lie about who their father is?"
"I...I know..." Rose hung her head.
"This is crazy," Norah said, pacing now and gripping her head. "Rose, what are you doing?"
"I'm having a baby," Rose answered stubbornly. Norah just gave her a helpless look. She didn't know what to do or what she could say that would even remotely help in this situation.
"Okay," she eventually said. "Okay. You're having a baby." She sat down on the end of her bed, hands resting in her lap. Rose sat down beside her. She had stopped crying.
"It'll be all right," Rose promised, taking her hand.
"Who are you trying to convince here?"
"Both of us?" Rose answered with a slight wince. Then she chuckled lightly before groaning and falling onto her back, staring at the ceiling. Norah joined her.
"Have you told Dad?" Norah asked.
"Not yet. You're the first person I've told," Rose replied.
"How do you think Oscar will take it?"
"I'm hoping he'll be excited. I know it's been him and I for eight years, but he might like having a younger sibling."
"Another lil' bastard," Norah sighed. Rose reached to smack her in the chest, making her exclaim in surprise and start coughing.
"Don't say that," she chastised.
"Sorry."
"I know you think I'm crazy, but I feel calm about it," Rose went on.
"Good. As long as you do."
"Why are you living with a man?" Rose asked, completely changing the subject. Norah was honestly surprised it took this long.
"I'm not living with him," she answered, affronted. "I'm renting his basement. Big difference."
"You share a kitchen..."
"So what? He's out for work a lot, so it's just me here."
"And what does he do for work?"
"He does construction part time and some other job where he travels," Norah said dismissively.
"Doing what?"
"It's none of my business," Norah answered.
"I think it is," Rose argued, looking at her. "What if he's a killer?"
"Pfft," Norah snorted. "Now you're just being paranoid."
"He has a killer's build."
"How do you know what a killer looks like?"
"There's just something about him that says he kills people," Rose insisted. "I know I'm right."
"Whatever," Norah said, giving her a shove. She didn't share that Lee used to be in the SAS an probably killed lots of people. There was no need to stoke the flames of Rose's paranoia.
"I don't suppose there is an extra bed down here?" Rose asked after a moment.
"Nope."
"Sharesies?"
"If I have to," Norah sighed.
"I am pregnant," Rose reminded her. Norah rolled her eyes but smiled. Sharing a bed with Rose. It would be like old times. They got ready for bed and were soon tucked under the covers. Norah grunted when Rose put her cold feet on the back of her legs. Some things never changed.
Norah had a hard time falling asleep, though. She kept thinking about Lee. She wondered where he was going. She wondered if he still killed people. She hoped not. She couldn't imagine it. She convinced herself he was a journalist or something who traveled the world to document things that were happening. It seemed silly, but it was better than imagining him bulked up with weapons and shooting people.
She soon fell asleep, her last thoughts being of how Lee had looked at her and Rose with almost a hint of longing, like he was missing something he no longer had: a sibling.