Greg looked at Danny across the table.
"You looked over Eddie's notes. What do you think?" Danny took a deep breath.
"I think that Eddie is right." Greg ran his hand over his face as he fought nausea.
"What do you think we should do." Greg finally said.
"We have to tell her."
"They have never done anything in recent years. We didn't even know that they were ever there." Greg waved his hands. "She is finally moving on, Danny. This could put her right back at the beginning."
"I get that, but she has a right to know." Greg slammed his hands on the table.
"I hate this. This is going to kill her the thought that there's another guy out there." Danny leaned forward.
"How do you know that she doesn't already."
Alison spotted Erin walking in her direction.
"Whose that." The woman she had just finished taking evidence from asked. Her voice growing tense.
"That's the ADA. She probably just as a few questions." Alison picked up her gear. The woman grabbed her arm.
"Will you stay." Erin walked up to the end of the bed. Alison looked between the two of them.
"Yes." Alison stuck her hands in her pocks. Erin nodded.
"Ms. Wright. I'm Assistant District Attorney Erin Reagan." She showed her badge keeping her eyes on the woman. "I know you've already given your statement, but I have a few questions, Okay?" The woman nodded. "Did you see your attacker? Anything distinctive about his voice, or physically, like his skin color?" Alison had to bite her lip to keep from snapping at Erin.
"He was wearing, um, a mask. I didn't see his face." A door slammed on the other side of the ER, and Alison jumped, and they all turned to see what was causing the commotion.
"Olivia!" A man's voice called out. A man appeared a few feet from the bed, officers pushing him back. He was calling out to the woman, asking if she was okay. They were finally able to get him out of the room. Erin turned back to the woman.
"Everything's gonna be okay. All right, I'll be back." She glanced up at Alison. "Can you stay with her?" Alison nodded, letting a slow breath.
"Do you know who that was," Alison asked, trying to keep her voice light?
"My boyfriend," Olivia said.
"Do you think that she will be able to help me?" Alison smiled.
"She's one of the best." Erin walked back over to them.
"Sorry about that interruption. I'll let you rest." Erin signaled for Alison to walk with her. She said goodbye, grabbing her bag and taking out her headphones. She walked with Erin down the hallway.
"What's going on." Erin's jaw was set.
"What are you doing here?" Alison stopped looking at her.
"My job Stella took the evidence back already. I was just packing my stuff up when you got her. She asked me to stay, so I stayed. I'm fine. I've worked on cases like this before. What's your problem." Erin stopped getting in her face.
"That look of absolute fear on your face when that man came in. You have too much baggage to work this case." Alison's blood boiled, and she shoved past Erin.
"That is not your call to make."
"I'm right, Al," Erin called after her. Alison wanted to say that she was wrong. It has been 3 years since he died, but a small part of her knew that she would never be over it.
Greg walked into the computer lab where Alison was working through the security cameras from Erin's case. He signaled for Adam, working on one of the other computers, to give them a minute. He got up, patting Greg on the shoulder as he walked by. Greg took a deep breath slipping into the chair next to her.
"Hey, how's it going." If looks could kill, Greg would be dead and 6 feet under.
"Did Erin send you?" She asked, turning back to her work.
"No." Her hands paused over the keyboard.
"Stella mentioned something when Lindsay and I got back from our scene." Greg watched her hands. They were shaking ever so slightly. He wanted to reach over and hold them but knew it wouldn't be helping her. "I wish everyone would just leave me alone!" She snapped. Greg pushed his chair back, giving her space, holding his hands up.
"Hey, I'm on your side." Alison gripped her hair in her hands. Her eyes squeezed shut.
"I flinched not because of the case but because of the sudden noise. But Erin just assumed that it was because…." Greg rolled his chair closer, leaning his arms on his legs. Normal, she needed to have a normal conversation.
"What were you able to find on the cameras." Alison took a deep breath, slowly letting it out. She turned her monitor so he could see it.
"I," Her voice cracked, forcing her to clear her throat.
"I was able to find footage of the VIC being thrown out of a car. The car matches the vic's boyfriend. She pointed at the screen. But no plates." Greg nodded again, scooting closer so their knees were touching.
"Have you talked to Erin about this?" She glanced over at him.
"After the way she talked to me. No, I'm going to call Antony. He can give her the bad news." Greg tilted his head.
"Something tells me that Sunday dinner is going to be interesting." Alison gave him a wicked smiled.
"It's my week to cook." Greg shut his eyes.
"You know Ethen, and I have to eat to food, so poison isn't an option." Alison laughed.
"I know I'm going to make Corned Beef." He rubbed his forehead.
"Which conveniently is Erin's least favorite food." Alison held up her finger.
"But the rest of the family loves it."
"You know that means you're going to get lasagna the next time she cooks." Alison rested her hand on his chest.
"That Greg is a small price to pay. Now you better get going. I have a phone call to make."
"Fine, I'm going to finish up some reports, then pick Ethen up from daycare. Say hi to Antony for me." He walked out of the lab. He couldn't ask her, not today.
Greg walked into the back door.
"Put the bag on the table, buddy." He said to Ethen, who had a salad bag in his hands. Greg carried all the other ingredients for Alison's dinner. Frank walked into the kitchen.
"Hey there." He called out to Ethen, crouching down. Ethen ran over to him, giving him a big hug. Frank looked over at Greg. "What are you two doing here." Greg set his bags down.
"I thought I would bring the food today that way. We don't have to make a trip later in the week." Frank patted Ethen on the head.
"I wanted to show you this." Ethen pulled out a car. "I got this."
"Wow, that's so cool. You know Great Grampa's in the front room. I think that he might want to see your car too." Ethen didn't wait a second before running out of the kitchen. Frank walked over to Greg.
"How's Alison." Greg held a bag of carrots in midair.
"Erin called." Frank pressed his lips together.
"She's concerned about Alison." Greg shut his eyes, biting his tongue.
"Alison is fine."
"We are just." Greg held up his hand then froze at the gesture.
"No, she's not fine she's mad because everyone is assuming how she is feeling. This case wasn't triggering her. Erin bringing up the past and forcing her to think about it is."
"But Erin…"
"A man came into the ER making a lot of noise. Alison has a hard time in the hospital as is. Erin is the one looking at this case from the perspective of Alison's past. Now I going to put the corned beef in the freezer. If you or Henry could take it out to thaw Saturday, that would be great." The corner of Frank's mouth turned up.
"Corn Beef?" Greg smiled.
"It's Alison's way of getting back at Erin." Frank shook his head.
"Well, you can tell her that revenge will have to wait a week as we have company joining us on Sunday, and they are bringing dinner." Greg looked down at the bags of food.
"Maybe I can get Ethen to tell her." Frank batted him on the shoulder.
"Where's the bravery in that." Greg smiled, looking down at his hands. Frank should know, but he couldn't tell him before talking to Alison about what Eddie found. "Is everything alright with you?" Frank's voice pulled Greg from his thoughts.
"Uh Yeah… I'm just trying to think of what we're going to do with all this corn beef." Frank laughed, patting him on the back.
"We'll just have to cross that bridge when we get there."
Alison stood in Frank's kitchen doing the dishes with Greg.
"I'm sorry that you didn't get to make dinner Lenny told Frank he wanted to bring something other than an empty stomach." Alison handed him a plate to dry.
"It's fine. Where's Ethen." She glanced behind them for their son.
"Sean Jack and Nicky are helping him build a racetrack with Henry's books." Greg paused.
"You know I think I'll go make sure they haven't gabbed any first additions off the shelves." He set his towel down walking away. Alison opened her mouth to say something but stopped when Erin slipped in next to her. The two sisters didn't say anything staring out the window while they cleaned.
"You know that I'm never going to stop trying to protect you." Erin said. Alison handed her a plate.
"I know, but sometimes your attempt at protecting me does more harm. When I choose to work a case, it's not just out of happenstance. If a case gets to be too much, I pass them off to someone else at the lab. I can handle you wanting to protect me in our personal life. But you, in front of a hallway full of cops and your investigator, implied that I was too broken to work this case. I can't have that. No matter what your intentions are. That could be detrimental to my ability to testify in court." Erin put a plate in the cabinet, taking another one.
"I'm sorry, Al. This defense Lawyer has really gotten under my skin. And when I saw you jump, it just reminded me of when you first came home, and Danny and I got into an argument." Erin shook her head, leaning against the counter. "Joe had to convince you to come out of the hallway closet." Alison smiled.
"He sat on the floor not saying a word, for I didn't know how long." The two grew quiet as the memory of their dead brother washed over them. Alison looked up at Erin. "Do you think that we can get a conviction?" Erin shrugged her shoulders.
"As long as Oliva testifies against him."
Alison was sitting in her office at the lab looking over an old case when her cell rang.
"Erin, what's up? Shouldn't you be in court?"
"She backed down." Alison stood up.
"Wait, what."
"Olivia, she couldn't testify against him." Alison pinched the bridge of her nose.
"So now what."
"I'm going to go talk to her." Alison looked around her office.
"Stop by the lab. I'll go with you." She said while grabbing her bag.
"I don't know."
"Erin, I was there when she was first brought in. It might be helpful to have someone she knows there." There was another long pause.
"Okay, I'll be there in 15 minutes." Alison met her out front, and the two of them headed over to Olivia's apartment. They were walking down the hallway when raised voices reached their ears.
"Al, her door's open." Alison pulled out her phone, calling 911. While they walked up to the door, she gave her info and the locations of the apartment before hanging up. Erin opened the door and watched as Olivia came into view. She was screaming at her boyfriend to get out while pointing a knife at him. Her face had blood on it. They both pulled their guns walking into the room.
"John! Step Back!" Alison called out. "Olivia, put that knife down. I already called 911. Now back off!" Erin looked at Olivia.
"Put the knife down, Olivia." She said, keeping her voice even.
"He tried to kill me."
"All right." Olivia's eyes locked on Erin's, and John shot toward her shoving the knife into the woman's stomach. Alison shot him in the shoulder.
"Erin, you check on her. I got him." Alison called out, running over to him. She pulled out her cuffs while applying pressure to the wound.
"Get it out, get it out," Olivia screamed out as Erin reached her.
"Stay still Olivia, we can't take it out until we get you to the hospital." Erin looked over at Alison. "You're going to be alright."
Alison unlocked the door to her apartment. Tossing her bag on the hook.
"Hey, the family room," Greg called out. Alison looked at the clock. It was late. She walked into the family room and stopped, and smiled. Greg lay on the floor with Ethen wrapped in his arms, asleep. She walked over, sitting down next to them. Ethen's face pocking out from under his PC hat. He was sucking his thumb.
"Why isn't he in bed." Greg pointed at a ball that had rolled under the couch.
"I told Ethen that he needed to clean his toys up before he went to bed like normal. He didn't want to, and when my back was turned, he kicked the ball at me." Alison nodded her head.
"And why are we sitting on the floor." Greg pointed down at his knee that was already swollen.
"The ball hit the back of my good knee in just the right way to cause it to bend. My arms had some of his other toys, and when the weight was put on my bad knee." Greg rubbed Ethen's back. "I fell. Ethen felt so bad that he cried himself to sleep. I didn't want to wake him, but I don't think I can get up without help. So, we sat here and wait until you got home." Alison leaned her head against his.
"I'm sorry." Greg kissed her.
"It won't be too long before he doesn't want to be held like this, so I don't mind. Danny told me about what happened with Erin." Alison closed her eyes.
"Let not talk about that." Greg smiled. "What did Danny have to say other than fill you in about Erin and me." Greg looked over at her, opening his mouth then closing it.
"Nothing really. What do you want to do tomorrow?"
"I think that we should go to Dad's tomorrow and Make the corn Beef for dinner. I can make something else on Sunday."
"Like what?"
"Lasagna."