This story and all themes and ideas contained in said story are the sole
ownership of J.L. Scott. Any copyright infringements can be prosecuted in a
court of law.
To borrow a phrase: NYPD Blue no mine......no permission..no money, no sue, please?
One Month Later.
"Well I certainly didn't think that I'd be back in the hospital again this soon" Grace answered with a tired smile. Connie laughed a little and gave John a side ways look. He was all smiles. In fact, he hadn't been able to rid himself of the grin that was plastered over his face since she'd seen him two days ago. Grace was much recovered from her ordeal. Her throat muscles, according to John, were still sore but she was able to eat regular, if soft, food again. The large black eye that she'd had was faded to a slight yellowing and the finger bruises on her throat were completely gone. Flinch had been sentenced to 10 years of prison, with an option of parole after 8 years if he kept his nose clean. Somehow, no one in the squad thought they'd be hearing from that man again in the next decade or so.
"What did the doctors say?" Connie asked.
"They said I pulled through it just fine" Gracie answered with a vain little smile on her lips. "It was exhausting and painful of course" she added quickly, to leave no room for doubts, and giving her husband a meaningful glance. He just continued to beam. And he had good reason. Cradled in his big arms was a very small bundle of blue blankets, shaped much like a cocoon, which were disguising the very small infant boy that Grace had delivered 2 days ago. Connie had gotten a little peak at the sleeping boy when she and Andy had first arrived. He had his father's nose and brow, and Connie had a strong feeling that he would grow up to look exactly like John. She was assured that he had big blue eyes. His name was John Eric.
A second little bundle, this one wrapped in green (because Grace had ranted about stereotyping her daughter at 2 days old by wrapping her in pink) rested comfortably in Rosalind's arms, who was seated next to her mother on the hospital bed. There was a slight flurry of bright orange hair dusting the top of the little girl's head and the eyes that gazed up at her older sister were already starting to turn green, though all the brochures claimed that wasn't supposed to happen for another month.
"She can't hide the Irish in her" one of Grace's many older brothers had laughed when Connie had commented a bit earlier, just before he left. She had no idea which one it had been. The baby girl had high cheekbones under her slightly pudgy face. The red hair had determined which parent she would grow to resemble. Her name was Mary Hope.
"Oh, I almost forgot!" Connie exclaimed, "I brought a camera. Can we get a picture?"
"Sure" Grace answered and John, still carrying the sleeping Johnny, stepped closer to her side. Connie raised the camera and focused the happy family in the middle of the frame.
Click.
Epilogue.
"John!" A voice shouted through the crowd. There were young men and women swirling around him and he had to look above their heads to see the waving hand, about 10 feet away, attached to a body that was still hidden in the mass of bodies. He didn't reply but stood where he was as the waving hand grew closer, and then a smile erupted over his face as he saw who it was.
"John Clark!" the other man exclaimed and extended his hand for John to shake heartily, which he did.
"Lenny!" John greeted him cheerfully, "I haven't seen you since.what, college?"
"Yeah" Lenny replied, shaking his head with a bewildered kind of smile, "Where did the years go, huh?"
"No kidding" John replied. Lenny was a tall man, probably a couple inches taller than John himself, with black hair that now seemed to be receding away from his forehead.
"You still bringing the bad guys in?" Lenny inquired.
"Uh, well, actually, I'm a Lieutenant now" John answered modestly. Grace was forever condemning his pride.
"Congrats. So whatchya doing here?" Lenny asked. John looked behind him but didn't find what he was looking for so turned back to his friend.
"Oh, my daughter's graduating" he replied with a smile.
"No kidding!" Lenny exclaimed, "Didn't know you had a kid that went here!"
"Yeah" John nodded. He was extremely proud of Rosalind, but he was trying not to let it show too much. Ros had begged him and Grace not to embarrass her.
"Me too! What's your kid's name?"
"Uh, Rosalind Rodriguez. She's valedictorian" John answered.
"Really, that was your kid?" Lenny exclaimed. John was secretly pleased with the impressed look on the other man's face.
"Yep. She's the oldest" he replied, "Your kid around here?"
"Oh, yeah. She's around here somewhere" Lenny answered, looking a little bashful now. Then something behind John caught his eye and he whistled.
"Look what's coming our way" he said in a lowered voice. John twisted just a bit to see what was "coming their way." It was a lithe little red head dressed to kill in lavender and green, with two 10 year olds hanging one off of each hand, a red headed little girl and the other the spitting image of John himself. They reached him and Grace got on her tippy toes to give him a kiss on the cheek.
"There you are" she said pleasantly, "We thought we'd lost you" John smiled down at her. He was proud of her too.
"Uh, Lenny, this is my wife, Grace. Grace, this is a buddy of mine from a few years back, Lenny" He introduced them. He noticed the slight reddening of Lenny's cheeks as he realized what he'd just done.
"Hello" Grace smiled brilliantly at the other man.
"Nice to meet you" Lenny responded.
"And these two chimpanzees" John laughed at his own joke as he reached down to ruffle Mary's hair, "Are my twins, Mary and John Jr."
"Dad! You're ruining my hair!" Mary complained, sounding just like her mother. John just laughed. Before he could say much else, two burly red headed men came up behind them, each with a child in their arms.
"Gracie, Acushla" Paul said, putting down the 7 year old he carried, "Rosalind is looking fer ye"
"They're ready to take the picture" Peter added, setting down the five year old he had been carrying.
"Uh, Lenny, these my two oldest brothers, Peter and Paul" Grace made introductions, "And these are John and I's youngest two, Daniel and Gwen" Daniel, the seven year old, squatted down to examine a bug crawling across the cement, and Gwen (five year old) climbed up her father's side to rest in his arms.
"Well, where's Rosalind?" Grace asked, turning her head about, trying to locate her daughter through the throngs of blue clad graduates.
"She ran off with Theo" John answered, pulling his daughter's thumb out of her mouth. The two eighteen year olds some times seemed inseparable. Grace and Connie had both expressed their hopes, to their respective husbands only, that the two young people may develop a more meaningful relationship some day.
"Ach! The girl's gone crazy!" Peter sighed, but just then both Ros and Theo broke through the crowd to join her family.
"There you are. Do you realize we have all nine of your uncles, six aunts, grandparents, 12 cousins and four siblings ready to take this picture?" Her mother cried at her. Rosalind shrugged sheepishly. Her curvy 6 foot frame was draped under her blue robe, her long, silky black hair falling down her back. John feared every time she stepped out of the house that some man was going to fall madly in love with her and either ruin her life, or make her exceptionally happy. Either one was daunting.
"Sorry, Ma" Everyone thought it was funny that the Puerto Rican girl had a slight Irish accent.
"We'd better go before everyone decided to take off" Peter said. Grace threw a dazzling smile at Lenny.
"It was nice to meet you!" she said and then led the way through the crowd, which seemed to part for her.
"Hey man, it was nice to see you again" John said, shaking Lenny's hand once more and then taking off after his wife and children.
Lenny stared after them.
To borrow a phrase: NYPD Blue no mine......no permission..no money, no sue, please?
One Month Later.
"Well I certainly didn't think that I'd be back in the hospital again this soon" Grace answered with a tired smile. Connie laughed a little and gave John a side ways look. He was all smiles. In fact, he hadn't been able to rid himself of the grin that was plastered over his face since she'd seen him two days ago. Grace was much recovered from her ordeal. Her throat muscles, according to John, were still sore but she was able to eat regular, if soft, food again. The large black eye that she'd had was faded to a slight yellowing and the finger bruises on her throat were completely gone. Flinch had been sentenced to 10 years of prison, with an option of parole after 8 years if he kept his nose clean. Somehow, no one in the squad thought they'd be hearing from that man again in the next decade or so.
"What did the doctors say?" Connie asked.
"They said I pulled through it just fine" Gracie answered with a vain little smile on her lips. "It was exhausting and painful of course" she added quickly, to leave no room for doubts, and giving her husband a meaningful glance. He just continued to beam. And he had good reason. Cradled in his big arms was a very small bundle of blue blankets, shaped much like a cocoon, which were disguising the very small infant boy that Grace had delivered 2 days ago. Connie had gotten a little peak at the sleeping boy when she and Andy had first arrived. He had his father's nose and brow, and Connie had a strong feeling that he would grow up to look exactly like John. She was assured that he had big blue eyes. His name was John Eric.
A second little bundle, this one wrapped in green (because Grace had ranted about stereotyping her daughter at 2 days old by wrapping her in pink) rested comfortably in Rosalind's arms, who was seated next to her mother on the hospital bed. There was a slight flurry of bright orange hair dusting the top of the little girl's head and the eyes that gazed up at her older sister were already starting to turn green, though all the brochures claimed that wasn't supposed to happen for another month.
"She can't hide the Irish in her" one of Grace's many older brothers had laughed when Connie had commented a bit earlier, just before he left. She had no idea which one it had been. The baby girl had high cheekbones under her slightly pudgy face. The red hair had determined which parent she would grow to resemble. Her name was Mary Hope.
"Oh, I almost forgot!" Connie exclaimed, "I brought a camera. Can we get a picture?"
"Sure" Grace answered and John, still carrying the sleeping Johnny, stepped closer to her side. Connie raised the camera and focused the happy family in the middle of the frame.
Click.
Epilogue.
"John!" A voice shouted through the crowd. There were young men and women swirling around him and he had to look above their heads to see the waving hand, about 10 feet away, attached to a body that was still hidden in the mass of bodies. He didn't reply but stood where he was as the waving hand grew closer, and then a smile erupted over his face as he saw who it was.
"John Clark!" the other man exclaimed and extended his hand for John to shake heartily, which he did.
"Lenny!" John greeted him cheerfully, "I haven't seen you since.what, college?"
"Yeah" Lenny replied, shaking his head with a bewildered kind of smile, "Where did the years go, huh?"
"No kidding" John replied. Lenny was a tall man, probably a couple inches taller than John himself, with black hair that now seemed to be receding away from his forehead.
"You still bringing the bad guys in?" Lenny inquired.
"Uh, well, actually, I'm a Lieutenant now" John answered modestly. Grace was forever condemning his pride.
"Congrats. So whatchya doing here?" Lenny asked. John looked behind him but didn't find what he was looking for so turned back to his friend.
"Oh, my daughter's graduating" he replied with a smile.
"No kidding!" Lenny exclaimed, "Didn't know you had a kid that went here!"
"Yeah" John nodded. He was extremely proud of Rosalind, but he was trying not to let it show too much. Ros had begged him and Grace not to embarrass her.
"Me too! What's your kid's name?"
"Uh, Rosalind Rodriguez. She's valedictorian" John answered.
"Really, that was your kid?" Lenny exclaimed. John was secretly pleased with the impressed look on the other man's face.
"Yep. She's the oldest" he replied, "Your kid around here?"
"Oh, yeah. She's around here somewhere" Lenny answered, looking a little bashful now. Then something behind John caught his eye and he whistled.
"Look what's coming our way" he said in a lowered voice. John twisted just a bit to see what was "coming their way." It was a lithe little red head dressed to kill in lavender and green, with two 10 year olds hanging one off of each hand, a red headed little girl and the other the spitting image of John himself. They reached him and Grace got on her tippy toes to give him a kiss on the cheek.
"There you are" she said pleasantly, "We thought we'd lost you" John smiled down at her. He was proud of her too.
"Uh, Lenny, this is my wife, Grace. Grace, this is a buddy of mine from a few years back, Lenny" He introduced them. He noticed the slight reddening of Lenny's cheeks as he realized what he'd just done.
"Hello" Grace smiled brilliantly at the other man.
"Nice to meet you" Lenny responded.
"And these two chimpanzees" John laughed at his own joke as he reached down to ruffle Mary's hair, "Are my twins, Mary and John Jr."
"Dad! You're ruining my hair!" Mary complained, sounding just like her mother. John just laughed. Before he could say much else, two burly red headed men came up behind them, each with a child in their arms.
"Gracie, Acushla" Paul said, putting down the 7 year old he carried, "Rosalind is looking fer ye"
"They're ready to take the picture" Peter added, setting down the five year old he had been carrying.
"Uh, Lenny, these my two oldest brothers, Peter and Paul" Grace made introductions, "And these are John and I's youngest two, Daniel and Gwen" Daniel, the seven year old, squatted down to examine a bug crawling across the cement, and Gwen (five year old) climbed up her father's side to rest in his arms.
"Well, where's Rosalind?" Grace asked, turning her head about, trying to locate her daughter through the throngs of blue clad graduates.
"She ran off with Theo" John answered, pulling his daughter's thumb out of her mouth. The two eighteen year olds some times seemed inseparable. Grace and Connie had both expressed their hopes, to their respective husbands only, that the two young people may develop a more meaningful relationship some day.
"Ach! The girl's gone crazy!" Peter sighed, but just then both Ros and Theo broke through the crowd to join her family.
"There you are. Do you realize we have all nine of your uncles, six aunts, grandparents, 12 cousins and four siblings ready to take this picture?" Her mother cried at her. Rosalind shrugged sheepishly. Her curvy 6 foot frame was draped under her blue robe, her long, silky black hair falling down her back. John feared every time she stepped out of the house that some man was going to fall madly in love with her and either ruin her life, or make her exceptionally happy. Either one was daunting.
"Sorry, Ma" Everyone thought it was funny that the Puerto Rican girl had a slight Irish accent.
"We'd better go before everyone decided to take off" Peter said. Grace threw a dazzling smile at Lenny.
"It was nice to meet you!" she said and then led the way through the crowd, which seemed to part for her.
"Hey man, it was nice to see you again" John said, shaking Lenny's hand once more and then taking off after his wife and children.
Lenny stared after them.