192.

The final week of Day Camp arrived, and, after Monday's session, Noah could hardly wait to tell his parents about the week's final project. "We haveta interview someone special," Noah explained, "And then, we're 'posedta draw a picture or make a di'rama but, but, if we want, we can bring da person if they're close!"

"Who ya gonna interview, bud?" Ed asked from the driver's seat.

"Gramma!"

Olivia smiled and curled her neck around the seat to look at Noah. "Grandma loves to come to your school things," she said, "Remember? She went to Grandparent's day? And she goes to all of the concerts and -"

"-grad'ations!"

"Yes, and the graduations," Olivia replied while trying not to dwell on the fact Caroline would inevitably miss Noah's high school graduation. She continued brightly, "So, you'll need to make an appointment to sit down with Grandma for the interview. Have you written your questions?"

"We did 'zamples today," Noah said, "But I'm gonna ask Gramma more 'bout Ireland and da big ship she rode on to get to da United States of America!"

"I think that's a very good idea."

"Yep," Noah said assuredly before turning his attention to his siblings. "Babies? Whadja do at your camp t'day?"

Wyatt kicked his feet against the back of Ed's seat. "DINO DIG!" he shouted and proceeded, along with Maggie, to tell the family all about combing through the sand in search of bones which they then somehow crafted into a model dinosaur.

"Dinos inna sandcassa!" Maggie said.

"We'll have to look for some bones this afternoon," Ed told her. He looked down at Olivia's hand which had crept over to his side of the front seat and squeezed her fingers, feeling the diamond press into his palm.

"Were there dinos in Del'ware?" Noah asked.

"Yep," Ed replied without hesitation, to the clear amusement of Olivia. He continued the yarn, "We had T-Rexes, Stegosaurus, and the one, I forgot, oh, the Pterodactyls. They liked to get their food from the ocean, so they spent a lot of time fishing by the beach for their families."

"Do ya think dey ate sharks?" Noah asked.

"Nope, because there weren't sharks way back then," Ed explained, "In fact, sharks and dinosaurs are relatives."

"They are?"

"Yep." Ed grinned at Olivia who was doing her best to restrain her laughter. "So, I think we may find some bones layin' around if we're lucky."

"People prolly arready c'lected all of em!" Noah claimed with panic tinting his voice.

Unfazed, Ed replied, "We'll take the jet ski out and see if we can find some in the places where there aren't a lot of people."

"T'day?"

"Sure, bud. We'll do that today."

….

The surf kicked up and the wind was gusting when Ed and Noah arrived on shore with the jet ski. Ed had considered going over to the marina and docking the jet ski there, but it was quicker to drop off Noah on the ocean side and deal with the Jet Ski later. The high, suddenly violent waves sent the personal watercraft in all directions shortly after Noah was safely onshore. "I'll take it over to the marina," Ed said in a strained voice.

"You can't just- OW!"

The jet ski's stern crashed into Olivia's leg, leaving a dripping, bloody gash below her knee.

"Damn," Ed muttered. He rushed to his wife and half-carried her to the shore where Noah was waiting, still wearing his life jacket, looking on with shock and fear.

"Mommy!" He crouched and examined the wound, "Dat's really bad!"

"I'll deal with the jet ski," Brooke said, "Sare, Gramma, the kids?"

"Got 'em!" Sarah said as she rushed over and slung her arm around Noah. "It's okay, Noey," she said, "Daddy's good at fixing cuts."

"S'a big cut!" Noah protested, "Itsa gash!"

"Okay, Noah Webster, a gash," Sarah replied, "Still, Mommy will be okay. Let's go dry off." She led Noah over to their encampment, removed the life jacket, and made a big show of wrapping a towel around his drenched body. Knowing he was still startled from the accident, Sarah sat down in her chair, cuddled him in her lap, and asked if they found any good spots for finding dino bones.

While Noah rehashed the happier part of the last hour, Ed half-carried Olivia to the house. At the porch she stopped him. "Ed, I'm okay. Let's stop the bleeding out here."

"Oh, oh, right, okay," He stammered. "Here, sit down." He gently pushed her onto one of the chairs and retrieved a roll of paper towels from the cabinet adjacent to the grill. With one hand cupping her calf, he used the other to dab at the wound. "There we go," Ed said after using and tossing aside two bloody wads, "You're stable. Let's go upstairs."

"Okay."

In the bathroom, Ed instructed Olivia to sit on the vanity. She smiled and replied, "Yes, sir," hoping to get a reaction out of him, but he remained steely and focused on the task. He unwrapped an antibacterial wipe, warned it would sting, and carefully applied it to the cut.

"Y'okay?" He asked, looking up at her, concern etched on his face.

"Yes," she replied. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." He dried the skin and applied a wide bandage. "There ya go. All stitched up, well, not stitched, but you get the idea." He patted her thigh and stepped closer for a kiss. Olivia put her arms around him and kissed back with far more passion than he'd been expecting. "I did that good of a job?" He joked.

"You did," Olivia whispered before kissing him again. But her mood wasn't solely rooted in how well Ed had taken care of her-it was the simple fact he was there to take care of her. Seemingly insignificant moments like this one carried so much weight. She held him close and massaged his back. His skin was still damp and he smelled of sunscreen and sea air. "You feel tense," she said.

"Worried about ya."

"I'm all better," Olivia replied. She pressed her forehead to his and repeated, "All better."

Ed smirked and leaned in for another kiss. "All better, huh?" He rasped.

"Yeah."

Ed kicked the door closed, made sure to lock it, and went back to his position at the vanity. Olivia hooked her legs around his and they began kissing again, this time, with a different, more erotic purpose. Ed hated not having a lot of time, but he was turned on and the pressure in his midsection was unmistakable as was the building passion between the two of them. Minutes later, her bathing suit bottoms were on the floor and her back was arched over the sink. He made love to her, careful to hold her tightly until they were smiling and panting and attempting to get back to a normal appearance before they went back to their family.

"Your leg okay?" Ed asked.

"Leg?"

They shared a laugh and traded a few more kisses. Olivia touched an index finger to his nose and said, "The leg's just fine."

….

Ed eyed Olivia as she finished the rest of her drink and signaled for another one. "We're staying, right?" She asked. He nodded. She smiled and asked why he was staring at her.

"You're stare-worthy," he replied, "And also, wondering when you're going to ask me whatever it is you need to ask me."

Olivia groaned and gently shoved him. "I thought we agreed we wouldn't cop each other a long time ago?" She retorted with a great deal of sass.

"We did but I can't help my instincts." He squeezed her thigh and leaned over to kiss her cheek. "I am sorry," he said while intently gazing into her eyes, "But I wanna know what's on that mind of yours."

"Well," Olivia bent the red cocktail straw in half and worked it back and forth until it cracked. "Phoebe Baker, remember her?"

"Yeah."

"She and Fin have rekindled their relationship, and," Olivia bit her lip, "Wondered if we would like to have dinner at their place."

Ed raised his eyebrows, "They're living together already?"

"Yes." Olivia chuckled softly, "Sorry, I wasn't expecting that question."

"What were you expecting?" Ed asked, a smirk forming on his face. "A hell no?"

"Something like that."

"Liv." Ed's voice was as soft and sincere as it could possibly get, "If you and I can get along I think I can get along with anyone. We're all not that different, ya know."

"We're not?"

"You remember telling me how your squad most often shows up at the absolute worst time of a victim's life?"

"Yes."

"Well, the same goes for me a lot of the time. If I'm around, someone's either usually dead or badly injured at the hands of a cop-a double whammy-and if things get worse, if that person turned out to be innocent? At the wrong place or the wrong time? It's a whole bunch of people's worst days and another ding on the department's reputation." He grabbed her hand and added, "We all want the same thing."

Olivia tucked a section of her hair behind her ear and cocked her head in the way she knew drove Ed crazy. He was still holding her hand and she glanced down for a second, not long but long enough to see how perfect they looked together. "We do all want the same thing, don't we?" She said softly.

"Yeah. Might be a hard sell to Fin-and I won't try to make the case at dinner-but it's true if ya think about it."

"They did invite us," Olivia said, "So that's a good sign he's ready to put the old hostilities behind him."

"I know he feels like we targeted you," Ed replied, "But what he doesn't know is that for every time I had to call one of you in there were two dozen more cases we had to vet. The calls were constant for us, too. Still are." Ed wearily massaged his forehead.

"It's good work, though," Olivia said, "Necessary."

"And so heinously unpopular that I don't know who's gonna step in when Draper and I leave. Requests to transfer to IAB aren't exactly pouring in."

"It does take a unique person and a unique set of skills." Olivia bit her lip, "I'm sorry HNT didn't work out."

"Ah, it was a long shot anyway," he said, "I kinda figured budget cuts would pare down the team. I'm okay where I'm at for now. There'll be other opportunities for a move before it's time to call it quits."

Olivia raised her eyebrows. She and Ed could both retire if they wanted to, but the whole concept seemed almost foreign to her and hearing him allude to the end of his career was alarming. "I can't even picture the day I'm off the job," she said.

"I couldn't either until a few months ago." His eyes sparkled and he smiled, hoping she would pick up on the implicit meaning, "It's all-consuming, until you realize it's not."

Olivia returned his smile. "I still need help with that," she said.

"It's easier than you think. How many weekends have you let yourself disconnect so you could be present for Noah? Way more than before you had him, right?"

"Right." Olivia picked up the broken straw again and nervously played with it. "And now I have you, too."

"Yes you do." Ed studied her expression for warning signs. He expected her to be nervous-each step forward in their relationship brought various degrees of jitters-but what he didn't want to see was fear or hesitation. And he didn't. Not this time. But he also knew when to push her and when to pull back, and he sensed now was the time for the latter. "Wanna get out of here?" He asked. "Walk a little bit? Maybe pick up some food on the way?"

"I actually have a stocked kitchen," Olivia boasted, "Feel like cooking with me, Captain?"

Clearly delighted, Ed replied, "I'd love to."

…..

On the last day of camp, Noah arrived armed with his interview notes and his grandmother. Caroline marched alongside him dressed in blue linen shorts and a green tank top, for Noah insisted they both dress alike and wear the colors of Ireland. Ed was certain most of what Caroline had told Noah about the ride across the Atlantic was either family folklore or completely made up, but her stories of the crisp air and finally seeing New York for the first time enchanted and intrigued her young interviewer. Noah planned to introduce Caroline, share some highlights of the interview, and wrap up with Caroline telling an Irish folktale from the book which she did not need for reference.

While grandmother and grandson mingled with the other visitors to Noah's class, Ed and Olivia escorted the twins to their meeting area. Their final day was carnival themed and complete with face painting, balloon artists, and a few games. Before the festivities began, though, the kids stood in a circle and one of the camp leaders led them in their daily stretches. Ed and Olivia got a kick out of watching the toddlers touch their toes and turn at the waist to loosen up their backs.

"Okay!" The leader said, "Now that we're all stretched out, let's jump around!"

Hip hop music suddenly blared from a bluetooth speaker and the kids went crazy. They jumped, waved their arms, and, sure enough, Maggie and Wyatt crashed into each other.

Parents had been encouraged to attend today because of the variety of activities, but Olivia kept an eye on Noah's group so she didn't miss his presentation. For now, though, he and Caroline were sitting at a picnic table and patiently listening to a leader. The twins made a beeline for the bean bag toss.

"They're good at this one," Ed remarked to Olivia under his breath as if he didn't want to prematurely reveal the twins' skill.

Olivia smiled and nodded. She enjoyed watching the twins interact with other adults. Wyatt and Maggie listened intently to directions and followed them. Maybe they were ready for school after all, she thought.

Wyatt went first and successfully threw his beanbag through the goal. He turned around and grinned at his parents. Maggie clapped and jumped. "G'job, WY! My tuhn!" She picked up a beanbag and lofted it high in the air, missing the target by three feet.

"Here, Magg," Wyatt gave her another beanbag, Ty'gain."

It took two more tries, but Maggie eventually sunk the beanbag and she and Wyatt skipped away with their prizes-a bag of candy and more wind-up animals that were sure to be in the garden soon.

"Where to now?" Ed asked.

Maggie and Wyatt looked around. "Hoddog?" Maggie asked.

Olivia followed her gaze. Sure enough, one of the dads had fired up the grill. "A little early for lunch," she said.

Wyatt spotted a more enticing treat, "C'candy!" He pointed in the opposite direction at two machines, "Pah'corn!"

"Snack time," Ed murmured. "I'll handle this. Want to go see where Noah's at?"

Olivia nodded and jogged over to Noah's side of the large field. He and Caroline were next up on the platform and she waved Ed over. He arrived a couple of minutes later with two cones of cotton candy and two bags of popcorn. The twins' faces were already sticky and caked with blue and pink strands.

When it was his turn, Noah marched to the front of the pavilion and smiled at the audience. He introduced himself and Caroline with great fanfare. Olivia marveled at how comfortable he was when speaking in front of people, and she was sure he pictured himself dressed in a snazzy suit and fancy shoes and speaking to a crowd of parents in his school auditorium because he comported himself in the exact same manner.

"Gramma is from Cobh, Ireland," Noah said. "When she was young her parents took her to the United States of America on a big ship and it went to New York, dat's where we live, and when she saw da Statue she was the happiest girl on Earth!"

"Grandma's full of shit," Ed mumbled.

Olivia grinned and, in place of a verbal reprimand, nudged him.

Caroline stood beside Noah, smiling and nodding approvingly. At one point she found Ed and winked slyly at him. When it was time for her to tell the story, she frowned at the kids sitting at the picnic tables. "Come up here and sit by Grandma," Caroline said, waving them all over. The thirty or so rising second graders crowded around her and grinned and gasped as she told the story of the Children of Lir which Ed muttered was a little inappropriate before he realized Caroline swapped some of the more disturbing details. When she finished, the kids clapped, the leader thanked her, and Caroline walked triumphantly over to Ed, Olivia, and the twins.

"That was so sweet," Olivia cooed. "Great job!"

Caroline thanked Olivia and poked Ed's chest, "Don't look so shaken up, Eddie, for God's sake I wasn't going to give the children nightmares."

Before he could answer, Maggie and Wyatt clamored for Caroline's attention. "Cah'candy, Gamma?" Wyatt said, offering the partially-eaten blue cone to his grandmother.

"Pah'corn!" Maggie tossed a handful of popcorn in the air and attempted to catch it in her mouth.

"No, no, Maggs," Olivia said, taking the bag from her daughter. She shot Ed a stern look, for he had shown off earlier by successfully completing the trick much to the delight of the twins.

Wyatt circled the area picking up the popcorn his sister had thrown. "Here, Magg!" He said, "Yer pah'corn."

Caroline mussed his hair, "You are a good brother, Wyatt Edward," she said, "Give Grandma the popcorn. We don't want to eat it."

"Duhty?"

"Yes, it's dirty."

"Gamma! C'mon!" Maggie tugged on Caroline's hand and implored her to go back to the toddler area and the carnival games. Caroline complied and let Maggie lead her away.

Confused as to what he should do, Wyatt looked up at his parents. Even though he'd just gotten the haircut, his bangs threatened to fall into his eyes. The bright green camp t-shirt popped against his suntanned olive skin.

"I'll go check in with Noah," Olivia leaned down and kissed Wyatt's cheek, "Mommy'll be right back."

"Alright," Ed held out his hand to Wyatt, "Let's go back to the carnival, bud. Whatcha want to play next?"

"Beanbag!"

"Again?"

"Uh-huh! Gah'show Gramma!"

"You gonna win her a prize?"

"Yah!" Wyatt skipped along, "A pize a car!"

"A car?"

"Yah! Vrooooom!"

Ed smiled and let Wyatt run ahead to catch up with Maggie and Caroline. He ran up behind them, tapped Caroline on the back, and giggled when she turned around, startled, and saw him. Caroline gave him a side hug and the trio continued on to the kiosks. Ed breathed a sigh of relief. He had been trying to downplay his mother's obvious physical ailments, but today she appeared to be feeling perfectly fine. At some point he would mention a doctor's visit, but, for now, he was comfortable delaying the conversation.

"Hey," Olivia caught up with Ed and took his arm, "Noah's good. Did the other three ditch you?"

"Yeah, I guess they did," Ed said, pretending to be dejected.

"Cheer up," Olivia said, "Still got me."

"Oh, well," the cocky smirk returned to Ed's face and he gave her a quick peck on the lips, "Lucky me."

…...

Wyatt and Maggie exited one of their favorite Union Square retail stores, stopped for a coffee, and meandered across the park to the subway station. Before descending the stairs, Wyatt sent his mother a text to let her know they were on their way home. The warm fall day was quickly surrendering to a chilly evening, and Wyatt was glad he opted for a warm matcha concoction rather than his typical smoothie. He made sure to stay close to Maggie in the thickening pedestrian traffic in the subterranean corridors, and, once on the platform, the twins carved out a waiting spot for themselves against a girder and near a security booth as they'd been instructed to do ever since they'd been allowed to ride the subway by themselves.

On the train they remained standing even though there were seats available. They didn't have many stops, and, after sitting most of the day at school, they were happy to stretch their legs a little more.

At the first stop, a swath of people entered the car and Maggie and Wyatt moved more toward the center. As people passed them and jostled around, a man leered at Maggie and said, "Hey little mama."

Wyatt immediately scanned the car for a place for them to sit together, but it was now too crowded. Maggie ignored the man-the Tucker teens were savvy enough to do so-and continued staring at her phone.

"Not gonna say hi back?" The man asked, this time with more venom in his voice.

This time, Maggie looked up but only to shoot him a quick glare and return to her phone.

Unwilling to let the stranger take a third crack at his sister, Wyatt deftly grabbed her backpack and switched positions so he was now between the lecherous stranger and Maggie. The guy was scrawny and nothing about him was threatening other than his voice and the way he'd sized up a sixteen-year-old girl. So when Wyatt and his thick, six-foot-two inch frame intervened, the guy cowed a bit. His family and close friends knew there was absolutely no threatening or intimidating bone in Wyatt's body, but he was old enough now to understand his build and his sharp jaw and cheekbones could help him in circumstances like this one. His friends always teased him about how he was the most likely to look like he was going to kill someone but least likely to do it.

It didn't matter that he was dressed in preppy khakis and a sweater; no train skell wanted to mess with him.

Wyatt glared at the man and didn't let go of the gaze until the next stop where he skulked off and disappeared onto the platform. Wyatt and Maggie rode home and didn't say anything about the incident until they were in the elevator.

"Don't say anything to mom," Maggie said, "It's not a big deal but it will be to her."

Wyatt's face was clouded in agony.

Maggie groaned, "Okay, when you say something, just, don't be dramatic."

"I won't." Wyatt said.

"Facts only. And promise."

"Yeah," Wyatt said. "I promise."

…..

Olivia woke to a click and a floorboard creak. She opened her eyes and smiled when she saw Maggie tiptoeing into the room with a wry smile on her face. Mother and daughter locked eyes and Maggie clasped her hands to her mouth, stifling her giggle. It was early and she knew it. Being up this early was baffling.

Maggie's giggles quickly turned into grave concern. She saw Olivia's bare leg and the cut from two days ago and heaved half of her body onto the mattress. "Still an ouchie!"

"Yes, sweet girl," Olivia whispered, "But it's healing. It'll be all better in a few days."

"I'hurt?"

"It did, but Daddy made it all better."

Maggie lifted her head so she could see Ed. "Daddy seep," she whispered.

"Yes he is." Olivia lifted Maggie onto the bed, "Want to lay here with Mommy?"

Maggie burrowed herself into Olivia's chest.

Having received her answer, Olivia wrapped her arms around her daughter and alternated between closing her eyes and watching the sun brighten the blue sky through the window. She breathed in the scent of the kids' grape-scented shampoo and the lingering sunscreen which never seemed to leave their bodies. She could feel Maggie's heartbeat and her breath on her arm. Olivia knew how it was to love a child. She'd known since meeting Noah. But loving a daughter was different-not more or less than she loved her sons, but, different.

"I love you Maggie girl," she whispered.

"Loveooo, Mama," Maggie slurred. She burrowed herself more deeply into the pillows and covers and her mother and giggled.

Olivia sighed and blinked back tears and said a silent hope and prayer that, as Maggie got older, there would still be many more perfect mornings exactly like this.

….

#Tuckson