FYI: I 'guesstimated' the date of Katherine Sloan's death from a scene in
the movie __A Twist of the Knife__ where Mark tells Dr. Rachel Walters
(Suzanne Pleshette) that his wife died about three years ago. Since the
movie aired in 1993, if we assume this story is taking place in 2001-2002
that would make it "about twelve years ago." Now, any purists who say,
"But Susan shouldn't be in the story in 2001-2002," to you I say, "artistic
license." I am the author. I am allowed to be anal with dates and liberal
with characters. :-)
(Chapter 19. November 22. Malibu.)
Steve and Olivia strolled slowly southward on the beach. She was wearing the backpack Amanda's boys had given Steve at his welcome home party the night before, and she was carrying her stuffed turkey under her left arm. Her right arm was looped loosely through Steve's left, but she was careful not to hold so tightly as to interfere with his use of the walker. The 'sand shoes' were working beautifully, and though walking on the shifting sand was a bit of a struggle, Steve found it exhilarating. Just a month ago, he wouldn't have been able to stand this long, let alone walk so far.
They'd been walking in companionable silence for quite some time, when Steve suddenly had to ask a question. "So, why'd you bring the turkey?"
Olivia thought a moment and said, "I don't know, but I think he's jealous."
"He's jealous?"
"Yeah," she said with a grin, "just five minutes ago he asked the same thing about you."
"I am so amused," Steve told her in a less-than-amused voice. "I'm glad you decided to come out today. I enjoy spending time with you."
"Well, I enjoy your company, too," Olivia assured him, "but I don't know if I'll be staying for dinner."
"Why not, Liv?"
"Like I told your dad, sometimes I'm just not much fun on holidays."
"Oh, come on, Liv. What's the big deal?"
She stopped walking and turned to face him. "Look, Steve, this is not a matter for discussion. If I feel like staying, I'll stay. If I don't, I'm leaving. I will not stay around and ruin someone else's holiday."
Steve opened his mouth to protest, but she cut him off, "That's the end of it."
They walked a little longer, but the silence between them was less comfortable than before. This time Olivia broke it. "So, tell me about yourself."
Steve laughed and said, "You already know me."
"Barely. I know what's in your medical records. You've been through quite a few battles. I know you're one of the toughest men I've ever met, and one of the kindest and most compassionate. Still, there are a million and one things I don't know about you."
"Like what?"
"Oh, little things," Olivia said, "like what's your favorite color? How old are you? Why did you become a cop? Why do you still live with your dad?"
Steve shook his head and said, "Blue; old enough to know it's on my medical chart so you'll catch me if I lie to you; because when I was a kid I spent some time getting into trouble and thought this was a way to give back to the people who helped me out; and because I love him, we get along, and you can't beat the rent or the view."
They had walked behind some dunes, and the beach house was hidden from sight. "Let's stop here," Olivia suggested.
"Already?" Steve was disappointed. "I've barely begun to tire."
"We've got to walk back, too," Olivia pointed out as she took the beach blanket out of the backpack, "and you've got the whole rest of the day ahead of you. Besides, I thought since it was such a beautiful day we could sit on the beach and chat some. Maybe get to know each other a little better."
"I suppose," Steve conceded, "but when I said on the phone that we could do something else on the beach, I didn't mean talk."
Olivia giggled a little as she shook out the blanket. "Do you want to sit with me, or should I unfold the chair?"
Steve considered a moment and said, "With some help, I should be able to get back up off the sand. I think I'll need some help down, too, though."
"Not a problem," she said.
Steve walked to the edge of the blanket and set the walker aside. Then he took Olivia's arm and let her help him walk to the center of the blanket. With her assistance, he sank gently to the blanket and got comfortable. He used the stuffed turkey she'd been carrying as a backrest. Olivia sat cross-legged beside him, took his hand, and held it in her lap. For several moments, she traced the scars there. There were many.
Finally, very seriously, she said, "Being a cop is such a hard life, especially in a city like LA. Why would anyone choose it?"
Steve was silent for a long time as his heart sank. He'd dated other women who couldn't handle his being a cop. He had thought Olivia was different. Instead of answering, he asked, "Does it bother you?"
She looked at him, but his eyes were downcast. She caressed his cheek, ran her hand under his chin, and lifted his face to make him look her in the eye. "Sweetheart, if it were a problem, we wouldn't be here now. Like I told you last night, I'm here because I'm following my heart. I can live with you being a cop. I'll just say my prayers every day and trust God with the rest. I need *you* to trust *me* to stick around. I only asked because I really want to know, why did you decide to be a cop?"
Steve smiled and breathed a sigh of relief. "I'm sorry, Liv. It's just happened so many times, you know? I like someone and we get along great. She says she's ok with it, but then something happens and she's not. I...I don't know exactly why I'm a cop, really. I don't enjoy danger, and I'm not a thrill seeker. It's just so much a part of me I couldn't be or do anything else."
She squeezed the hand she still held in her lap and asked, "What you told me before, about getting into trouble as a kid, was that the truth?"
Steve laughed a bit and said, "Yeah, it wasn't anything violent, just stupid. Dad and I weren't getting along, then, so he couldn't talk any sense into me. I was in that 'I-know-everything-you-know-nothing' phase so Mom couldn't even get through to me. They were at a total loss."
"So your mom was alive then?" Olivia asked.
"Uh-huh. She died about twelve years ago."
"Cancer, right?"
"Yeah."
"I'll bet you still miss her."
"Every day." Steve sniffed a bit and continued his story. "Anyway, one day I got caught doing something stupid, dangerous, and illegal. Dad came down to the station and they brought him into the interview room where they were holding me. I was acting tough, like it was just a waste of my time. The officer who had busted me told Dad what had happened and then told him he could pay my bail and take me back."
A silence grew between them for several moments, then Olivia prompted, "And....?"
"And Dad said he didn't want me."
Olivia gasped, "Oh, my God, Steve! That must have hurt. I can't imagine Mark doing that."
Steve grinned, "Neither could I." The smile fell from his face, and he continued. "That's why it hurt so much. He said that he'd rather have me alive in jail than dead on the street and that if I wouldn't keep myself out of trouble, he couldn't do it for me, but maybe the county could. He gave me a hug and a kiss and said he'd visit, but he refused to bail me out. I swear he was crying when he left."
Olivia brushed his hair back and wiped away a tear Steve didn't know had escaped. "Then what happened?"
"The cop who had busted me talked to me for a long time about growing up and taking responsibility for my actions and respecting my parents. He said that it was the hardest thing my dad had probably ever had to do and that if it worked, he'd saved my life. I had a long time to think about where I was headed. I was busted on a Friday night, and my hearing wasn't until Monday afternoon."
Steve smiled again. "By the time I got to court, I was a different kid. The first thing I did was to apologize to my dad and mom. Then I told the judge I knew there was no excuse for what I had done and that it would never happen again. I explained how and why I had decided to straighten up, and I asked my parents to help me. They agreed, the judge let me go with a light sentence that seemed like torture to a kid like me, and he assigned the cop who busted me to check in on me now and then and report on my progress."
Olivia gave him a peck on the cheek and said, "Somehow along the way that confused kid became a man of pride, integrity and guts, huh?"
Steve gave her a peculiar look and said, "Yep. That's what P.I.G. stands for among cops."
She kissed his hand and said, "I know that. I used to date a cop, remember?"
"Oh, yeah. Well, I don't really know exactly when I decided to join the force," Steve continued, "but it's always felt right. It fits me like a good suit, you know?"
Olivia smiled and said, "Yes, I think I do."
Steve an Olivia spent hours talking that day. He found out that her favorite color was not green but yellow, and she only wore green because it brought out her eyes. He told her about his mom and his sister Carol, and she regaled him with stories of her childhood. They tried several times to make out, but every time they got started, Olivia started to giggle. She learned that Steve's grandfather had disappeared when his dad was only ten and that Steve had never known the man, but that just last year they had discovered that he'd been murdered by another cop who had been paid to cover up the adulterous affair of a powerful newspaper publisher and to kill the publisher's mistress. She told him how one day when she was eleven and looking for old family photos for a school project, she found a suicide note written by her grandfather who had never recovered from his experiences in World War II.
"That's why Daddy didn't want the boys to enlist during Viet Nam. He and Mama and the three oldest boys gave blood as often as they were able, and we flew the flag all the time. Once a month we all wrote and sent "Any Serviceman" letters to soldiers we didn't even know, but he forbade the boys to sign up."
Steve nodded his understanding, "My dad wasn't thrilled when I signed up, but he was proud of me."
"Well, Daddy couldn't stop the boys. I was just three years old when Benny, my oldest brother signed up on his eighteenth birthday. Daddy went nuts. Threatened to beat him so bad the Salvation Army wouldn't even enlist him."
Steve laughed at that. "You get your sense of humor from your dad, don't you?"
Olivia smiled. "I guess. Benny left in '69, a month before my sister Josephine was born. Daddy wouldn't even say goodbye to him. Then John- John went in '70 and Pauly shipped out in '72. Everything was different after Pauly left. There were only three years between him and Benny, and there were nine between Pauly and Andy. The big boys were gone, and since we were poor, country kids at school, Andy and I took a lot of abuse that Benny, John-John, and Pauly would have deflected. It was my first year in school, and I had never known other children to be so cruel. Every day I tried to find an excuse to stay home. I hated school."
She wrinkled her forehead in thought for a moment and continued. "It's ironic, you know. We had more money then than we had ever had before. Daddy didn't have to support the three oldest boys and they were sending most of their pay home. Daddy actually had some money to invest. He even bought us a television. We got three channels, and two of them were nothing but static half the time. Still, Andy and I were relentlessly teased for being poor farm kids."
When Olivia paused for a long time, Steve asked, "Did they all come back all right?"
Olivia nodded. "They all came back anyway. Benny spent two years as a POW, and that changes a man. John-John contracted malaria, and he was so weak when he came home. Pauly got into heroine over there. Mama and Daddy eventually got him straightened out, but it took its toll on all of us."
Steve wrapped his arms around Olivia and said, "I think Viet Nam took its toll on everyone. I can remember being spit on and called all kinds of horrible names when I came home." He felt Olivia's head nod against his chest and said, "If you need to keep talking, I'll listen, but if it's ok with you, I'd rather change the subject."
"To what?" Olivia asked.
Steve was about to make a suggestion when his stomach growled like an angry animal. Olivia jumped and burst out laughing, and with a grin Steve suggested, "How about lunch?"
She looked at her wrist, and said, "It's about time, isn't it?"
Steve laughed and asked her, "Still no watch, huh?"
Olivia shrugged and said, "I'm still holding out hope that I'll find it." She helped Steve to his feet, gathered up the blanket and shook out the sand, stuffed it in the backpack and headed back to the house with him.
"You know," Steve told her, "one of these days when you start giggling, I won't stop."
"I never said I wanted you to stop, did I?"
Steve stopped in his tracks and stared at her for a long moment. She just grinned and nodded toward the deck. "Who's that?"
Steve looked toward the house and saw a lean blonde woman watching them from the deck. "Carol?" he called.
His sister waved at him and shouted, "Hey big brother! I heard you were home! How's it feel to be a free man again?"
Steve would have given the world to be able to run to his sister right then. They'd had a difficult relationship for a long time, but had made up a few years ago when he investigated the death of her husband. He was so happy to see her right then that he couldn't get to her fast enough. He stopped short at the foot of the stairs. "Dammit! Liv, what do I do?"
He felt her hand, warm and soothing, in the center of his back and saw his sister beaming at him from the top of the steps, and he felt torn in two. Olivia was there, though, to help him. "Set the walker aside and use the rail for balance. I'll be right behind you just in case. If you need to stop for rest, just stop. It's no big deal."
He did as she instructed him, and while the last couple steps were a struggle, he made it in one shot. At the top of the steps, he threw his arms around Carol and leaned heavily on her for support. She stood firm and hugged him back tightly before helping him over to a deck chair where he could rest. He was about to introduce Olivia when he noticed that she had vanished. In just a moment, she came to the top of the stairs carrying the walker.
He impatiently waved Olivia over and said, "Sis, this is Dr. Olivia Regis. Liv, this is my sister Carol."
Steve beamed as Olivia and Carol grinned at each other. Finally, Carol asked, "Do you want to tell him or shall I?"
"Tell me what?" Steve asked.
"Be my guest," Olivia said.
Carol looked at Steve and said, "We've already met."
"Huh?"
Olivia said, "Last night."
"Last night?"
"Actually," Carol corrected, "It was this morning."
"*Early* this morning," Olivia supplied.
Steve made the universal time-out sign and said, "Stop! Someone please explain this to me."
Olivia waved at Carol to indicate that she should explain. "Dad wanted to surprise you. I had to work until ten, but he convinced me to fly down from Portland after work. He couldn't slip out with you in the house, and since Jesse had to work early and Amanda had the boys, he asked Olivia to get me at the airport."
"I see," Steve said, though clearly he didn't. "Why didn't you come out this morning with Olivia?"
"Steve, I'd only had about two hour's sleep when you called. Olivia left me a note and some breakfast, and I came along when I woke up."
"Well, how'd you get here?"
"Olivia left me the keys to both her other cars."
Steve grinned. "You didn't need to sleep, you just wanted to avoid being seen in that pink monstrosity."
Carol agreed, "Yeah. Almost as much as I wanted to drive that Corvette."
Olivia gasped in mock horror and put a hand to her chest. "I'm hurt! That 'monstrosity' is my baby!"
Steve reached out and took his sister's hand. "Carol, it's really good to see you. Thanks for coming."
Carol leaned over and kissed her brother on the cheek. "Stevie," she used the name she had called him when they were children, "I'm sorry I didn't do better at keeping in touch, but Daddy kept me up-to-date on your recovery. It's good to see you're doing so well. I wish I could have been here for you."
Steve kissed the hand he held in his and said, "It's ok, Carol. You really couldn't have done anything for me anyway. I had to do all the work myself. Even Dad had to stay away." Steve gulped down a lump in his throat before continuing. "It was really hard for a while, but you were here," he said, tapping his chest.
"Well," Olivia said. "You two can entertain each other for a while and I'll help Mark get some lunch together." She gave Steve a peck on the cheek as she passed him and whispered in his ear, "It's good to see you so happy."
"Thanks, Liv. It was a great surprise." After the sliding glass door closed, he turned to Carol and said, "So, you two had some time to get to know each other last night, huh?"
"Yeah, we talked for two or three hours. She's very sweet and thoughtful. She met me with flowers and balloons, and she's a great conversationalist."
Steve laughed and said, "That she is, and a great story-teller, too, with an amazing sense of humor."
Carol agreed. "She kept me in stitches last night. My ribs were sore from laughing and my face hurt from grinning."
Steve became serious very quickly and said, "Do you approve?"
Carol's smile disappeared as she said, "Stevie, you ask that like it matters."
Steve nodded and said, "It does. I think I'm going to marry her someday."
Carol was obviously stunned. She stared blankly for a long time, then answered carefully. "Promise me you'll remember that anything I say is motivated by my concern for your happiness."
Steve wrinkled his brow and said, "Ok. I promise."
"She's sweet and funny and very attractive, Steve, but I think she's too young for you."
Steve nodded, but said, "She's in her mid thirties."
"I know, big brother, but you're somewhat beyond that. Not to be rude or anything, but she seems a bit immature, too. Are you sure her interest in you will last?"
Steve thought for a while before he answered. "I don't agree with you. I know she's had a hard life, and I think if anything that has made her more mature than most people her age. She's funny and silly and a bit...chaotic sometimes, but I don't think that's immaturity. I think she's made a choice to...be joyful. She's too thoughtful and sensitive, and she's too comfortable with herself to be immature."
"Ok," Carol agreed. "You know her better than I do, so I can't argue with that. Are you sure her interest will last?"
This time Steve didn't have to think. "She's made it clear that she loves me, Carol, and just today she reassured me that she doesn't mind my being a cop. She was engaged to a cop years ago, but he broke it off. There's a long story behind it, and it didn't have anything to do with his job. I think she'll be around for a good long while."
Carol smiled brightly at her brother and said, "Then I hope she makes you very happy, Steve. You deserve it, and you could use someone to lighten you up a bit. She could be just the one to do it."
Steve grinned back at her and said, "Thanks, Carol. That means a lot."
Just then Olivia came back with at tray full of food and said, "Mark's coming with drinks in a minute. So, did I pass muster?"
Steve and Carol exchanged a look, and Steve said, "Uh, what do you mean, Liv?"
Olivia raked her fingers through his hair and said, "Sweetie, it's the family thing. When two people become an item, everyone in the family has to be consulted. Besides, the window was open and I heard words like approve and love. I didn't mean to eavesdrop, but I couldn't help but hear."
Steve sighed and said, "That's ok, and yes, you passed."
Olivia laughed and said, "Good. Carol, my life is *not* an open book, but if there's anything you want to know, I'll try my very best to answer."
Carol pegged Olivia with a hard stare that made Steve's heart skip a beat. He was sure for a moment that they were going to get into it right then and there. Carol said, "I have one question. Do you love him?"
Olivia looked down at Steve and he smiled up at her. She took his hand and smiled back, "Yes, oh, yes."
Carol smiled again and said, "Then that's all I need to know."
Mark came out with a tray of drinks and sat down to join them, oblivious to the little drama that had just transpired. "Well, what are you all waiting for? Lets eat!"
(Chapter 19. November 22. Malibu.)
Steve and Olivia strolled slowly southward on the beach. She was wearing the backpack Amanda's boys had given Steve at his welcome home party the night before, and she was carrying her stuffed turkey under her left arm. Her right arm was looped loosely through Steve's left, but she was careful not to hold so tightly as to interfere with his use of the walker. The 'sand shoes' were working beautifully, and though walking on the shifting sand was a bit of a struggle, Steve found it exhilarating. Just a month ago, he wouldn't have been able to stand this long, let alone walk so far.
They'd been walking in companionable silence for quite some time, when Steve suddenly had to ask a question. "So, why'd you bring the turkey?"
Olivia thought a moment and said, "I don't know, but I think he's jealous."
"He's jealous?"
"Yeah," she said with a grin, "just five minutes ago he asked the same thing about you."
"I am so amused," Steve told her in a less-than-amused voice. "I'm glad you decided to come out today. I enjoy spending time with you."
"Well, I enjoy your company, too," Olivia assured him, "but I don't know if I'll be staying for dinner."
"Why not, Liv?"
"Like I told your dad, sometimes I'm just not much fun on holidays."
"Oh, come on, Liv. What's the big deal?"
She stopped walking and turned to face him. "Look, Steve, this is not a matter for discussion. If I feel like staying, I'll stay. If I don't, I'm leaving. I will not stay around and ruin someone else's holiday."
Steve opened his mouth to protest, but she cut him off, "That's the end of it."
They walked a little longer, but the silence between them was less comfortable than before. This time Olivia broke it. "So, tell me about yourself."
Steve laughed and said, "You already know me."
"Barely. I know what's in your medical records. You've been through quite a few battles. I know you're one of the toughest men I've ever met, and one of the kindest and most compassionate. Still, there are a million and one things I don't know about you."
"Like what?"
"Oh, little things," Olivia said, "like what's your favorite color? How old are you? Why did you become a cop? Why do you still live with your dad?"
Steve shook his head and said, "Blue; old enough to know it's on my medical chart so you'll catch me if I lie to you; because when I was a kid I spent some time getting into trouble and thought this was a way to give back to the people who helped me out; and because I love him, we get along, and you can't beat the rent or the view."
They had walked behind some dunes, and the beach house was hidden from sight. "Let's stop here," Olivia suggested.
"Already?" Steve was disappointed. "I've barely begun to tire."
"We've got to walk back, too," Olivia pointed out as she took the beach blanket out of the backpack, "and you've got the whole rest of the day ahead of you. Besides, I thought since it was such a beautiful day we could sit on the beach and chat some. Maybe get to know each other a little better."
"I suppose," Steve conceded, "but when I said on the phone that we could do something else on the beach, I didn't mean talk."
Olivia giggled a little as she shook out the blanket. "Do you want to sit with me, or should I unfold the chair?"
Steve considered a moment and said, "With some help, I should be able to get back up off the sand. I think I'll need some help down, too, though."
"Not a problem," she said.
Steve walked to the edge of the blanket and set the walker aside. Then he took Olivia's arm and let her help him walk to the center of the blanket. With her assistance, he sank gently to the blanket and got comfortable. He used the stuffed turkey she'd been carrying as a backrest. Olivia sat cross-legged beside him, took his hand, and held it in her lap. For several moments, she traced the scars there. There were many.
Finally, very seriously, she said, "Being a cop is such a hard life, especially in a city like LA. Why would anyone choose it?"
Steve was silent for a long time as his heart sank. He'd dated other women who couldn't handle his being a cop. He had thought Olivia was different. Instead of answering, he asked, "Does it bother you?"
She looked at him, but his eyes were downcast. She caressed his cheek, ran her hand under his chin, and lifted his face to make him look her in the eye. "Sweetheart, if it were a problem, we wouldn't be here now. Like I told you last night, I'm here because I'm following my heart. I can live with you being a cop. I'll just say my prayers every day and trust God with the rest. I need *you* to trust *me* to stick around. I only asked because I really want to know, why did you decide to be a cop?"
Steve smiled and breathed a sigh of relief. "I'm sorry, Liv. It's just happened so many times, you know? I like someone and we get along great. She says she's ok with it, but then something happens and she's not. I...I don't know exactly why I'm a cop, really. I don't enjoy danger, and I'm not a thrill seeker. It's just so much a part of me I couldn't be or do anything else."
She squeezed the hand she still held in her lap and asked, "What you told me before, about getting into trouble as a kid, was that the truth?"
Steve laughed a bit and said, "Yeah, it wasn't anything violent, just stupid. Dad and I weren't getting along, then, so he couldn't talk any sense into me. I was in that 'I-know-everything-you-know-nothing' phase so Mom couldn't even get through to me. They were at a total loss."
"So your mom was alive then?" Olivia asked.
"Uh-huh. She died about twelve years ago."
"Cancer, right?"
"Yeah."
"I'll bet you still miss her."
"Every day." Steve sniffed a bit and continued his story. "Anyway, one day I got caught doing something stupid, dangerous, and illegal. Dad came down to the station and they brought him into the interview room where they were holding me. I was acting tough, like it was just a waste of my time. The officer who had busted me told Dad what had happened and then told him he could pay my bail and take me back."
A silence grew between them for several moments, then Olivia prompted, "And....?"
"And Dad said he didn't want me."
Olivia gasped, "Oh, my God, Steve! That must have hurt. I can't imagine Mark doing that."
Steve grinned, "Neither could I." The smile fell from his face, and he continued. "That's why it hurt so much. He said that he'd rather have me alive in jail than dead on the street and that if I wouldn't keep myself out of trouble, he couldn't do it for me, but maybe the county could. He gave me a hug and a kiss and said he'd visit, but he refused to bail me out. I swear he was crying when he left."
Olivia brushed his hair back and wiped away a tear Steve didn't know had escaped. "Then what happened?"
"The cop who had busted me talked to me for a long time about growing up and taking responsibility for my actions and respecting my parents. He said that it was the hardest thing my dad had probably ever had to do and that if it worked, he'd saved my life. I had a long time to think about where I was headed. I was busted on a Friday night, and my hearing wasn't until Monday afternoon."
Steve smiled again. "By the time I got to court, I was a different kid. The first thing I did was to apologize to my dad and mom. Then I told the judge I knew there was no excuse for what I had done and that it would never happen again. I explained how and why I had decided to straighten up, and I asked my parents to help me. They agreed, the judge let me go with a light sentence that seemed like torture to a kid like me, and he assigned the cop who busted me to check in on me now and then and report on my progress."
Olivia gave him a peck on the cheek and said, "Somehow along the way that confused kid became a man of pride, integrity and guts, huh?"
Steve gave her a peculiar look and said, "Yep. That's what P.I.G. stands for among cops."
She kissed his hand and said, "I know that. I used to date a cop, remember?"
"Oh, yeah. Well, I don't really know exactly when I decided to join the force," Steve continued, "but it's always felt right. It fits me like a good suit, you know?"
Olivia smiled and said, "Yes, I think I do."
Steve an Olivia spent hours talking that day. He found out that her favorite color was not green but yellow, and she only wore green because it brought out her eyes. He told her about his mom and his sister Carol, and she regaled him with stories of her childhood. They tried several times to make out, but every time they got started, Olivia started to giggle. She learned that Steve's grandfather had disappeared when his dad was only ten and that Steve had never known the man, but that just last year they had discovered that he'd been murdered by another cop who had been paid to cover up the adulterous affair of a powerful newspaper publisher and to kill the publisher's mistress. She told him how one day when she was eleven and looking for old family photos for a school project, she found a suicide note written by her grandfather who had never recovered from his experiences in World War II.
"That's why Daddy didn't want the boys to enlist during Viet Nam. He and Mama and the three oldest boys gave blood as often as they were able, and we flew the flag all the time. Once a month we all wrote and sent "Any Serviceman" letters to soldiers we didn't even know, but he forbade the boys to sign up."
Steve nodded his understanding, "My dad wasn't thrilled when I signed up, but he was proud of me."
"Well, Daddy couldn't stop the boys. I was just three years old when Benny, my oldest brother signed up on his eighteenth birthday. Daddy went nuts. Threatened to beat him so bad the Salvation Army wouldn't even enlist him."
Steve laughed at that. "You get your sense of humor from your dad, don't you?"
Olivia smiled. "I guess. Benny left in '69, a month before my sister Josephine was born. Daddy wouldn't even say goodbye to him. Then John- John went in '70 and Pauly shipped out in '72. Everything was different after Pauly left. There were only three years between him and Benny, and there were nine between Pauly and Andy. The big boys were gone, and since we were poor, country kids at school, Andy and I took a lot of abuse that Benny, John-John, and Pauly would have deflected. It was my first year in school, and I had never known other children to be so cruel. Every day I tried to find an excuse to stay home. I hated school."
She wrinkled her forehead in thought for a moment and continued. "It's ironic, you know. We had more money then than we had ever had before. Daddy didn't have to support the three oldest boys and they were sending most of their pay home. Daddy actually had some money to invest. He even bought us a television. We got three channels, and two of them were nothing but static half the time. Still, Andy and I were relentlessly teased for being poor farm kids."
When Olivia paused for a long time, Steve asked, "Did they all come back all right?"
Olivia nodded. "They all came back anyway. Benny spent two years as a POW, and that changes a man. John-John contracted malaria, and he was so weak when he came home. Pauly got into heroine over there. Mama and Daddy eventually got him straightened out, but it took its toll on all of us."
Steve wrapped his arms around Olivia and said, "I think Viet Nam took its toll on everyone. I can remember being spit on and called all kinds of horrible names when I came home." He felt Olivia's head nod against his chest and said, "If you need to keep talking, I'll listen, but if it's ok with you, I'd rather change the subject."
"To what?" Olivia asked.
Steve was about to make a suggestion when his stomach growled like an angry animal. Olivia jumped and burst out laughing, and with a grin Steve suggested, "How about lunch?"
She looked at her wrist, and said, "It's about time, isn't it?"
Steve laughed and asked her, "Still no watch, huh?"
Olivia shrugged and said, "I'm still holding out hope that I'll find it." She helped Steve to his feet, gathered up the blanket and shook out the sand, stuffed it in the backpack and headed back to the house with him.
"You know," Steve told her, "one of these days when you start giggling, I won't stop."
"I never said I wanted you to stop, did I?"
Steve stopped in his tracks and stared at her for a long moment. She just grinned and nodded toward the deck. "Who's that?"
Steve looked toward the house and saw a lean blonde woman watching them from the deck. "Carol?" he called.
His sister waved at him and shouted, "Hey big brother! I heard you were home! How's it feel to be a free man again?"
Steve would have given the world to be able to run to his sister right then. They'd had a difficult relationship for a long time, but had made up a few years ago when he investigated the death of her husband. He was so happy to see her right then that he couldn't get to her fast enough. He stopped short at the foot of the stairs. "Dammit! Liv, what do I do?"
He felt her hand, warm and soothing, in the center of his back and saw his sister beaming at him from the top of the steps, and he felt torn in two. Olivia was there, though, to help him. "Set the walker aside and use the rail for balance. I'll be right behind you just in case. If you need to stop for rest, just stop. It's no big deal."
He did as she instructed him, and while the last couple steps were a struggle, he made it in one shot. At the top of the steps, he threw his arms around Carol and leaned heavily on her for support. She stood firm and hugged him back tightly before helping him over to a deck chair where he could rest. He was about to introduce Olivia when he noticed that she had vanished. In just a moment, she came to the top of the stairs carrying the walker.
He impatiently waved Olivia over and said, "Sis, this is Dr. Olivia Regis. Liv, this is my sister Carol."
Steve beamed as Olivia and Carol grinned at each other. Finally, Carol asked, "Do you want to tell him or shall I?"
"Tell me what?" Steve asked.
"Be my guest," Olivia said.
Carol looked at Steve and said, "We've already met."
"Huh?"
Olivia said, "Last night."
"Last night?"
"Actually," Carol corrected, "It was this morning."
"*Early* this morning," Olivia supplied.
Steve made the universal time-out sign and said, "Stop! Someone please explain this to me."
Olivia waved at Carol to indicate that she should explain. "Dad wanted to surprise you. I had to work until ten, but he convinced me to fly down from Portland after work. He couldn't slip out with you in the house, and since Jesse had to work early and Amanda had the boys, he asked Olivia to get me at the airport."
"I see," Steve said, though clearly he didn't. "Why didn't you come out this morning with Olivia?"
"Steve, I'd only had about two hour's sleep when you called. Olivia left me a note and some breakfast, and I came along when I woke up."
"Well, how'd you get here?"
"Olivia left me the keys to both her other cars."
Steve grinned. "You didn't need to sleep, you just wanted to avoid being seen in that pink monstrosity."
Carol agreed, "Yeah. Almost as much as I wanted to drive that Corvette."
Olivia gasped in mock horror and put a hand to her chest. "I'm hurt! That 'monstrosity' is my baby!"
Steve reached out and took his sister's hand. "Carol, it's really good to see you. Thanks for coming."
Carol leaned over and kissed her brother on the cheek. "Stevie," she used the name she had called him when they were children, "I'm sorry I didn't do better at keeping in touch, but Daddy kept me up-to-date on your recovery. It's good to see you're doing so well. I wish I could have been here for you."
Steve kissed the hand he held in his and said, "It's ok, Carol. You really couldn't have done anything for me anyway. I had to do all the work myself. Even Dad had to stay away." Steve gulped down a lump in his throat before continuing. "It was really hard for a while, but you were here," he said, tapping his chest.
"Well," Olivia said. "You two can entertain each other for a while and I'll help Mark get some lunch together." She gave Steve a peck on the cheek as she passed him and whispered in his ear, "It's good to see you so happy."
"Thanks, Liv. It was a great surprise." After the sliding glass door closed, he turned to Carol and said, "So, you two had some time to get to know each other last night, huh?"
"Yeah, we talked for two or three hours. She's very sweet and thoughtful. She met me with flowers and balloons, and she's a great conversationalist."
Steve laughed and said, "That she is, and a great story-teller, too, with an amazing sense of humor."
Carol agreed. "She kept me in stitches last night. My ribs were sore from laughing and my face hurt from grinning."
Steve became serious very quickly and said, "Do you approve?"
Carol's smile disappeared as she said, "Stevie, you ask that like it matters."
Steve nodded and said, "It does. I think I'm going to marry her someday."
Carol was obviously stunned. She stared blankly for a long time, then answered carefully. "Promise me you'll remember that anything I say is motivated by my concern for your happiness."
Steve wrinkled his brow and said, "Ok. I promise."
"She's sweet and funny and very attractive, Steve, but I think she's too young for you."
Steve nodded, but said, "She's in her mid thirties."
"I know, big brother, but you're somewhat beyond that. Not to be rude or anything, but she seems a bit immature, too. Are you sure her interest in you will last?"
Steve thought for a while before he answered. "I don't agree with you. I know she's had a hard life, and I think if anything that has made her more mature than most people her age. She's funny and silly and a bit...chaotic sometimes, but I don't think that's immaturity. I think she's made a choice to...be joyful. She's too thoughtful and sensitive, and she's too comfortable with herself to be immature."
"Ok," Carol agreed. "You know her better than I do, so I can't argue with that. Are you sure her interest will last?"
This time Steve didn't have to think. "She's made it clear that she loves me, Carol, and just today she reassured me that she doesn't mind my being a cop. She was engaged to a cop years ago, but he broke it off. There's a long story behind it, and it didn't have anything to do with his job. I think she'll be around for a good long while."
Carol smiled brightly at her brother and said, "Then I hope she makes you very happy, Steve. You deserve it, and you could use someone to lighten you up a bit. She could be just the one to do it."
Steve grinned back at her and said, "Thanks, Carol. That means a lot."
Just then Olivia came back with at tray full of food and said, "Mark's coming with drinks in a minute. So, did I pass muster?"
Steve and Carol exchanged a look, and Steve said, "Uh, what do you mean, Liv?"
Olivia raked her fingers through his hair and said, "Sweetie, it's the family thing. When two people become an item, everyone in the family has to be consulted. Besides, the window was open and I heard words like approve and love. I didn't mean to eavesdrop, but I couldn't help but hear."
Steve sighed and said, "That's ok, and yes, you passed."
Olivia laughed and said, "Good. Carol, my life is *not* an open book, but if there's anything you want to know, I'll try my very best to answer."
Carol pegged Olivia with a hard stare that made Steve's heart skip a beat. He was sure for a moment that they were going to get into it right then and there. Carol said, "I have one question. Do you love him?"
Olivia looked down at Steve and he smiled up at her. She took his hand and smiled back, "Yes, oh, yes."
Carol smiled again and said, "Then that's all I need to know."
Mark came out with a tray of drinks and sat down to join them, oblivious to the little drama that had just transpired. "Well, what are you all waiting for? Lets eat!"