Lennie knew Anita would probably be upset with him for letting her sleep in, but they'd talked until the wee hours of the morning and he wanted her to be rested for the sake of the baby she might be carrying. He knew he could get through the day by downing lots of coffee, but that wouldn't be a good idea for her. Lennie had been amazed that he'd been able to slip her off her normal pillow, his right shoulder, and slip out of bed without waking her, probably an indication of how tired she really was. He turned off the alarm and got ready to go into work as quietly as he could. He'd leave her a note on the bathroom mirror. He made sure there was orange juice made up and put out some non-perishable things on the kitchen table that she might find interesting for breakfast - cereal, English muffins, jam, fresh fruit. He put out a place setting for her and put a multi-vitamin in the middle of the plate. Then Lennie sat down and tried to think what to write in his note.
Anita,
I know you're probably mad at me for letting you sleep in, but your getting enough rest is very important now and you really can't substitute coffee for sleep anymore. I'll cover for you at work so don't worry. Call me on my cell phone and let me know when you're going to come in or maybe you can take the day off? And please no matter what have a healthy breakfast.
Love,
Lennie
"Where's Lt. Van Buren," Sweeney asked as he filled his coffee cup.
"Haven't seen her here yet, maybe she's got a meeting at the Plaza or One Hogan. Did you need her for something?" Lennie asked.
"Uh, no I was just going to run an idea past her on this investigation my partner and I are in the middle of, but I guess I can show it to you. Give you some practice for Friday," Sweeney said.
Lennie listened to Sweeney's idea. It was one of those police tricks that were in the grey area. Lennie thought about it for a while, he was well known for cutting corners himself but if he was going to pinch hit for Anita he needed to think a bit more like her and rein Sweeney in. He advised the other detective to try and find a more legitimate way to get the evidence he was after. Sweeney looked at Lennie like he'd grown another head or something.
"Look I know that advise doesn't sound like it's coming from Lennie cut a corner' Briscoe and maybe it's not. I'm pinch-hitting for the lieutenant here and I'm trying to think of what she'd have you do or not do. Go out and work some other leads and maybe something will let you get at this in a totally legitimate way. If not, well then you can do it your way," Lennie said and Sweeney reluctantly agreed.
Anita stretched and instinctively felt for Lennie. He wasn't there, that realization brought her wide-awake and she became aware of the light level in the bedroom. It was far too bright to be any where near the time she normally awoke. She checked the alarm clock by the bedside, it was almost 9 AM, she was late for work and the alarm had been shut off. She'd wring Lennie's neck when she saw him.
She got out of bed and at the insistence of her bladder made a beeline for the bathroom. That's when she saw his note. How was she supposed to stay mad at the man when he was so sweet to her? She finished up her business, took a shower and dressed, and then decided to give in to his insistence that she eat a good breakfast, that's when she saw all the food choices he'd left her and the multi-vitamin on the plate. God love the man but he was cute. He was also probably going to be one of those men who drove his woman nuts during a pregnancy by being overly protective. As she sat down to eat her healthy breakfast she placed a phone call to Lennie's cell phone from hers.
Lennie's cell phone rang. He hoped it was Anita, and in case it was, he started walking towards an empty interrogation room so he could have some privacy to talk to her.
"Briscoe," he said as he reached the empty interrogation room.
"Hey you, how's it going? Are all the mice playing?" Anita asked him
"Nope. I told you I'd cover for you and I already have," Lennie answered.
"Oh how'd you do that?" Anita asked.
Lennie explained about redirecting Sweeney away from a dubious police technique on a case he was working on.
"You told him not to do it?" Anita asked with disbelief.
"Yeah, and man did he give me a weird look. But I told him if I was substituting for you I had to try to do things the way you would," Lennie replied.
"So how do you like running the circus?" Anita asked.
"Uh, well if I said please come in, so I can just be one of the clowns would you get my drift?" he asked.
"Yes, and I will be in as soon as I finish my breakfast, and Lennie-"
"Yeah?
"You ever let me sleep in again, you will be doing your sleeping on the couch. Do we understand each other?" she asked with a teasing menace.
"Yes, I love you too, baby," Lennie answered.
Ana Cordova hadn't been sure what to do when she walked in, in the middle of Lennie talking about Sweeney. He hadn't noticed her and she was afraid if she left then he would notice. So she just stood still and listened to his side of the conversation. She'd have to be brain-dead not to know he was talking to the Lieutenant, and of course the tone of his voice and some of what he said just confirmed what she already knew about Lennie and the Lieutenant, but as of yet they didn't know that she and the rest of the squad knew about them.
"I missed having you next to me this morning," Anita told Lennie.
"Yeah, well I always find it hard to leave you in the morning, but I really did think you should have more sleep," he replied.
"Well, I guess I probably did need it. I'd better get off now. I'll call my PAA and let her know I'm OK and will be in. I'll see you soon.
"Ok, love you," Lennie said before he ended the call and put his cell phone away.
Ana tried to pretend to have just entered the room, "Oh, there you are. Sweeney said you were covering for Van Buren."
Lennie had spent more years figuring out when people were faking things than Ana had been alive. He knew she hadn't just walked into the room. He was torn, should he call her on her eavesdropping or pretend it hadn't happened. Maybe this was a 'don't ask don't tell' situation. He sighed.
"How long have you been standing there, Ana?" Lennie asked, suddenly deciding to just 'take the bull by the horns'.
Ana realized from the quiet tone in Lennie's voice that he hadn't bought her act
"A while, look don't worry. I've known about you and the Lieutenant since the night Eddie was shot," Ana told him.
Ana was sure she'd never seen that much of Lennie's eyes before, he was truly startled.
"You've known about us? How?" Lennie asked.
"Mark and I went down to the hospital after shift that night to see how Eddie was and we saw the two of you kissing," she answered.
"And you decided not to say anything?" Lennie asked, a bit disbelieving.
"Yeah, I convinced Mark that there wasn't any reason to say anything. I mean I felt sure that you and Anita could have a relationship and do your jobs and, well keep the two things separate," she explained.
"And you didn't have a problem with the fact that Anita's still married?" Lennie asked.
"Well, I knew her marriage had been over for a long time and she was finally getting around to a divorce. I figured it was that and the case you were working that finally got the two of you together," Ana answered.
"You knew about Anita's divorce?" Lennie asked incredulously.
"Sure. Women talk about those kind of things sometimes, you know," she answered off-handedly.
Lennie still looked skeptical.
"Hey, I not only knew about the condition of her marriage, but I'd been pretty sure for the last couple of years that you had a crush on her," Ana added smugly.
"Oh really, how'd you come to that conclusion?" Lennie challenged.
"Well, for a tough New York City cop, you have this sort of old-fashioned courteousness, particularly where women are concerned. At first I thought that was all it was, but then I realized as polite as you were to most any woman, the lieutenant received an extra measure of attentiveness from you, and well, you're just not the type to suck up to the boss," Cordova explained.
"Working with a bunch of detectives it's pretty hard to hide anything. I suppose eventually everyone will figure it out," Lennie said with a sigh.
"What makes you think they haven't figured it out already?" Ana asked.
"Huh?" Lennie asked inarticulately.
"The whole squad knows," Ana told Lennie.
"How'd they find out?" Lennie asked, clearly accusing her of something.
"Well, after they figured out you had a new girlfriend they started pressing everyone about what they knew and…"
"And you sang like a canary," Lennie concluded. He couldn't be mad at her because she looked so contrite, so he shook his head and grinned at her.
"Look, everybody is cool with this, we were going to let you know on your birthday anyway," Ana told Lennie.
Lennie sighed. "Now there's a thought, everyone in the squad room saying 'Happy Birthday Lennie, and oh, by the way, we know you're sleeping with the boss'," he said with a touch of his patented sardonic humor.
"That's not how we were going to handle it. Would you prefer everyone knew but didn't let you and the lieutenant know they knew?" she asked realizing at the last second how awkward the question sounded.
"No, I guess it's better this way, but now I think I'm beginning to know why so many organizations have anti-fraternization regs," Lennie answered.
"What? Are you saying you think you and the Lieutenant are wrong to be involved?" Ana asked very surprised.
Lennie shook his head; he'd never say that his loving Anita was wrong. "No, it's just that I'm beginning to see how two people in a small work group being involved could have an impact on how the others in the group interact with them and each other," Lennie admitted.
"Yeah, for a little while people will think twice about things they say or do because they wonder whether you or the lieutenant might take offense, but as soon as everyone gets used to the new situation things will go back to business as usual," Ana assured him.
"Maybe," Lennie said thinking his colleagues might not be so comfortable if Anita was pregnant.
"Now did you actually come in here to ask me something or not?" he said and soon they were enmeshed in a discussion of the Cameron case.
When Lennie returned to the squad room he looked around at the other detectives as they worked. Some were writing up DD5s, others were working phone leads or sifting through financial statements and LUDs for clues on the various active cases in which they were involved. Over the years the faces in the squad room had changed, just as the face across the desk from him had changed. He liked this group of detectives but he didn't socialize with them much. With the exception of Sweeney, they were all young enough to be his kids, but he didn't really feel fatherly towards any of them, maybe he did feel a bit protective of them, like a much older brother or an uncle would, and he was always willing to teach them things and give them the benefit of his years of experience, if they wanted it. He'd sure raise hell if anyone hurt one of them or so much as suggested they were guilty of being anything but New York's finest. He'd trust any of them to take his back, and, although he didn't like to admit it, the one thing that worried him enough to give him nightmares was that one day one of them, most likely Ed, would get hurt because he was just getting to old to be on the streets anymore, too old to back them up like he ought to.
"Everything OK, Lennie?" Dworkin asked.
"I don't know. I'm trying to get used to the idea that all of you know way too much about my personal life," Lennie answered. At his comment several heads shot up.
"What do you mean?" Patterson asked nervously.
"The squad's pretty little canary told me you all know about me and the Lieutenant," Lennie answered motioning towards Ana Cordova with his head as he did.
"Cordova! I thought we were gonna wait and tell him at his birthday party." Sweeney bellowed.
"Tell him what at his birthday party?" Anita asked as she walked into the squad room.
"That they know about us," Lennie answered and Anita blanched.
"We're all OK with it Lieutenant," Mendoza quickly interjected to try and ease Anita's obvious distress.
"Yeah, well we're OK with it as long as Lennie treats you right," Dworkin added looking right at Lennie. Lennie wasn't entirely sure that Dworkin was teasing
"And as long as you avoid PDAs and TMI," Johnson chimed in with additional conditions.
"PDAs and TMI?" Anita asked in confusion.
"Public Displays of Affection and Too Much Information," Ana translated.
"We'll try not to scare the horses," Lennie promised.
"Yeah and if you don't ask we won't tell. Will we, Lennie?" Anita added.
"Whatever you say, baby," Lennie answered with a grin.
"God, is he whipped," Sweeney said softly to his partner Dworkin.
"I heard that," Lennie announced.
"All right, you clowns, recess is over, get back to work," Anita said with a chuckle as she opened her office door.
As it was now public knowledge in the detective squad that Lennie and Anita were an item they felt OK about going to lunch together and leaving together after work. They talked a bit about feeling awkward about their coworkers knowing about them, but admitted that would probable ease with time. They were actually looking forward to having dinner with Bobby Garcia and Nicole Miller so they could discuss the matter with them.
They arrived at the Garcia-Miller apartment about 7pm with a bouquet of flowers in hand.
"Hello, please come in," Nicole Miller said with a very big smile on her face.
Bobby Garcia took their coats and Nickie took the flowers.
"Oh Lennie, I found out something today that I just have to tell you about, I just can't believe it," Nicole said, almost gushing.
"Well by all means do," Lennie said, amused by the young woman's obvious enthusiasm.
"Uncle Johnny stopped by and I realized that we know each other, I just didn't remember, cause I wasn't used to thinking of you as Detective Lennie Briscoe, and I'm sure you weren't use to thinking of me as Sergeant Nicole Miller either," Nickie said animatedly.
"OK, I give how were we used to thinking of each other?" Lennie said.
"Well, you probably thought of me as your partner's niece and I thought of you as Uncle Johnny's partner. Sometimes I called you Mr. B but mostly I thought of you as Cathy's Daddy," Nicole said.
"Jenny?" Lennie asked in shocked disbelief.
"Yes, " she answered excitedly. "When I was little I was called Jenny. When I got older I decided to go by my middle name," she explained.
"What's this all about?" Anita asked.
"Remember I told you that when Cathy was about 4 Gloria and I lost a baby? Well about then we needed help taking care of Cathy because of Gloria's depression. My partner's mom volunteered to take Cathy a couple days a week, my mom and Gloria's mom took the other days. Jenny, my partner's niece was also staying with her grandmother, and the two girls just hit it off. Jenny became like Cathy's big sister. Cathy would beg me to go see Uncle Johnny's Jenny as she called you," Lennie looked at Nicole fondly.
"When you and Cathy's mom divorced and she took her off to Florida and we lost contact. I haven't seen her in like 25 years. How's she doing?" Nickie asked.
Lennie got up and hugged his arms to himself. He couldn't bring himself to talk about Cathy, so Anita told Nickie that Cathy had been dead since the spring of '98.
"Oh Lennie, I'm so sorry," Nickie said.
"Yeah, well Cathy inherited her old man's addictive behavior and got in trouble with drugs. When she got busted for possession with intent to sell she cut a deal agreeing to testify against her ex-boyfriend dealer, but thanks to an incompetent DA up in Brooklyn they didn't put him away and the scumbag killed her," Lennie explained obviously still in pain.
"Hey I think dinner is ready," Bobby said to try and change the mood.
The mood improved during dinner and Lennie began asking Nicole about her family.
"Nicole, your old man was a cop too, right?" he asked.
"Yeah, my dad Frankie and my Uncles Johnny and Jimmy too," she answered.
"Right, the Miller boys," Lennie said nodding his head. "So was your uncle just visiting today or did he want something?" Lennie asked curiously.
"Oh, he wanted something alright but I didn't get it for him, just on general principles," Nickie answered obviousl peeved at her uncle.
"What did he want?" Anita asked.
"Lennie's personnel file," Nickie answered.
"Well I'll be," Lennie said and sat back in his chair.
"Look, I didn't give it to him 'cause back when I was a rookie, Dad and Uncle Jimmy told me, that Uncle Johnny had done something no cop ought to do, and as far as they were concerned, he was persona non gratis anywhere, except at home, and then only because blood is blood" Nickie explained.
"When did you join the force?" Lennie asked, seemingly out of nowhere.
"In '88, right after I graduated from the academy" Nickie answered. Wondering what difference that made.
"That's when Johnny beat you up right, Lennie?" Anita asked understanding completely. Lennie nodded.
"Uncle Johnny beat you up?" Nickie asked, hoping she wasn't hearing what she was hearing. "Why would he do that?"
"Because of your Aunt Katie," Lennie answered.
"That's what I was afraid of," Nickie said as though she understood completely and wasn't happy about it.
"Somebody care to clue me in?" Bobby requested.
"Just about the same time I got out of the academy my Aunt Katie got dumped by some guy and she was so broke up over him she took an overdose of sleeping pills," Nickie looked daggers at Lennie.
"Nickie it wasn't that way. Katie and I were both coming out of bad divorces and we started dating. She was getting too serious, too fast. I told her I wasn't ready for another serious relationship so soon and I broke things off. She was upset sure, but she didn't try to commit suicide because of me. It was an accident. She was drinking wine and taking sleeping pills and she lost track of how much she'd taken. Look when I quit drinking and went to AA, I talked this out with your Aunt Katie. She and I are square on this, you can ask her," Lennie suggested to her.
When Nickie didn't answer right away Lennie added, "Why do you think your Dad and your Uncle Jimmy were mad at Johnny? Frankie and Jimmy both know me and they know even in my drinking days I wasn't that big a jerk," Lennie added.
"OK, yeah. I guess I know that. I can't figure out why Uncle Johnny doesn't know that too," she added.
"Ah, Johnny always did have a quick temper and a stubborn streak a mile wide. Thing is, he's mad at me for dating Katie in the first place, but I didn't know she was his baby sister. I mean she didn't take back her maiden name after the divorce and she never said, oh and by the way the Miller boys are my brothers. And you know your Uncle Johnny, once he's done something , well he's never gonna back down and say he made a mistake, you know. So as far as he's concerned I'm always going to be in the wrong." Lennie said trying to explain the situation.
"Well, that does sound like Uncle Johnny," Nicole admitted with a sigh.
"What I want to know is why your Uncle wanted Lennie's personnel file," Anita said.
"Uncle Johnny is a PI now and he said someone wanted him to do a background check on Lennie," Nicole answered.
"Did he say who?" Anita asked pressing for more information.
"I asked him, he said he hadn't met with the person, just had a phone conversation with a woman, a Mrs. Mabel Harris," Nicole answered tentatively.
"Damn it!" Anita swore.
Bobby and Nicole looked back and forth between Anita and Lennie with questioning glances.
"Anita's mother," Lennie answered their unspoken question.
"I can't believe she's doing this!" Anita said obviously very upset.
"Oh I can. I told you she was going to have quite a list of reasons why she didn't want her daughter with the likes of me. She's just making sure she's got all the ammunition she needs to convince you, that you shouldn't be with me," Lennie told her.
"This is so wrong, so unfair. She said she was going to reserve judgment and that as long as I was happy that was all that mattered," Anita said heatedly.
"Yeah, well that's what any parent is going to say when he or she is trying to sound reasonable. But eventually a parent is going to be sure that they know what's best for their child, and that's when they pull out all the stops and do what ever it takes to put a wedge between their precious baby and the mook who thinks he's good enough for her," Lennie said.
"Nickie, Bobby, I hate to cut the evening short but I need to go home and have a conversation with my mother. Come on Lennie let's go," Anita said as she started towards the door.
"Sorry, we'll make this up to you some time, OK?" Lennie suggested as he followed in Anita's wake.
"Yeah, no problem," Bobby said as he and Nickie watched the older couple leave the apartment.
All the way home Anita smoldered and Lennie tried to calm her down. He was trying to convince her not to contact her mother while she was still so angry.
"Baby, please, just sleep on it, OK?" Lennie cajoled.
"Oh all right," Anita finally relented.
Lennie sighed feeling like he'd dodged a bullet. Or maybe they had. He knew they were going to have to confront her family's preconceived notions about his relationship with Anita at some point but he thought it would be better later, particularly after her divorce from Don was already filed.
Anita grumpily packed a small bag for the trip she'd take tomorrow evening to Santa Domingo and then got ready for bed. Lennie settled into bed next to her, holding her close to him. His feelings were jumbled. Ever since he heard that Johnny Miller was sniffing around about him he'd been feeling uneasy, but there was more to it than that. There were emotions he was experiencing that he wasn't sure it would be safe to share with Anita. If he told her he was having second thoughts about their having a baby, he thought he might lose her. The thought of possibly losing her made him desperate to make love to her while he still could. He moved over her and began kissing and caressing her, causing her to moan and writhe beneath him.
"Please Lennie, please I need you! I need you inside me now!" she begged him.
"Yes baby, I need you too," he said as he joined their bodies, rocking them quickly to their climaxes.
Afterwards, as they lay in the afterglow, Lennie fought to keep his emotions in check. He didn't want to bring the subject of the baby up because if she weren't pregnant he'd risk ruining their relationship for nothing. He kept trying to remember what his grandma used to say about not borrowing tomorrow's trouble.
Anita was aware of almost a desperation in Lennie's lovemaking but she was afraid to ask what was disturbing him. She was frightened that whatever it was might have the power to disrupt their lives. She knew they were temporarily living in a fantasy. They weren't going to be able to keep their relationship a secret forever; especially if she were pregnant, because if she were they were going to have to make some decisions about their child's upbringing and that could greatly impact their careers, but right now she didn't know whether she was or she wasn't so she wouldn't worry about it yet. Anita was becoming a true believer in each day having enough worries of it's own.
When the alarm went off Anita found it hard to roust herself from bed for her Thursday morning run, it didn't help that Lennie was all too willing to rollover and go back to sleep too.
"Come on sleepyhead," she said as she shoved him in the side. "Or are you gonna let me go running by myself this morning?"
"Oh, No," Lennie replied around a rather large yawn as he sat up in bed and stretched his arms above his head.
Anita tried to stifle a laugh.
"What?" Lennie asked rather sharply.
"Some mornings you've just got the cutest bed head," she told him between giggles.
Lennie hauled Anita down into bed and began tickling her mercilessly.
"Uncle! Uncle!" Anita cried.
Lennie let her up but smacked her on the butt as she walked away.
"That's for the cute remark," he said as he scanned the bedroom for his sweats and sneakers.
Soon they were dressed, stretched, outfitted with bottles of waters, IDs tucked into shoes, keys in hand and headed off to the nearby park. As they headed onto the cinder track for their normal run, the scowling black man who had become a permanent fixture on their morning runs showed up. Lennie decided in the mood he'd been in lately, he wasn't going to put up with this guy any more.
"Baby, you go on. I'll catch up with you," Lennie told Anita firmly.
"Lennie," Anita said by way of warning.
"Go on Anita, we aren't at work here," Lennie said in a tone of voice that said he wasn't going to take orders from her.
Finally, Anita shrugged her shoulders and took off at a slow jog.
"Mister, you've made it real clear you don't like my being with my lady. But that's too bad. Because she and me aren't breaking any laws here by being together, of course you're not breaking any by disapproving either. Now if you and I get a little physical in our disagreement that might break the law. And you could call the NYPD and try to get them to throw my sorry ass in jail. There's just one little problem with that. You see I happen to be a member of the NYPD and so is my lady. And New York's finest have a tendency to stick up for their own. So I think they'd tend to let me pound your worthless carcass into the ground and not say a thing. Do we understand each other?" Lennie asked the black man.
"Yes sir," the other man nervously said as he nodded.
"Good, now I'm gonna join my lady for a run and if you know what's good for you, you'll be gone when I get back around the track and you won't ever let me see you here again when I'm here with my lady," Lennie said. It might not have been the PC way to handle the guy but it sure felt good to Lennie.
Lennie looked up the track and then down and then swore. In the time it had taken for him to deal with the man Anita had gotten two thirds of the way around the track. It would take him a couple of laps to catch her and he'd really have to push to do it. As he got almost all the way through the second lap he'd closed the distance and he realized she'd picked up the pace quite a bit in the last bit of the second lap trying to hold him off. He also realized he liked the view from where he was quite a bit. Anita had a fine ass.
Anita threw a look over her shoulder when she realized Lennie had closed the distance between them but was now just easily jogging behind her at a comfortable pace.
"Aren't you going to pass me or at least come up her and run next to me?" she asked.
"No, I like the view from here just fine," Lennie said.
Anita stopped suddenly and Lennie almost bumped into her.
"Anita, are you all right? Why'd you stop?" he asked with some concern.
"You, you're incorrigible," she spluttered. She laughed and he kissed her.
"But you love me, right?" he asked and she nodded.
"Come on, let's finish our run and get home," she suggested.
"OK," he said and smiled one of those big beautiful smiles of his that she so loved.
To Anita the day seemed to fly by and before she knew it, it was time for her to catch the limo to JFK so she could make her 5 o'clock flight to Santa Domingo. She asked Lennie to walk her to the limo and then she pulled him into its back seat to talk for a moment and to give him the kind of kiss she wouldn't dare give him in front of the precinct. She promised to call him on his cell phone when she got to the hotel, and then Lennie gave her a few last kisses before getting out of the limo and telling the driver to take his lady safely to JFK.
Lennie went back up to the squad to finish of his shift and to solve a personal dilemma. He was supposed to pick Ric and Stefan up outside Ric's dorm at Columbia at about 5:30. He realized he'd made a big mistake. He hadn't seen Anita's boys in ten years. And then they'd been two scared out of their wits grade school kids who had just seen their Mom shoot a boy who was about 5 years older than them. Well, maybe they'd recognize him. He hadn't changed that much. He was still a tall white guy in a suit driving a big car. Car - that was it. He'd just call and tell them what sort of car he'd be driving and ask what sort of clothes they'd be wearing and what corner of Amsterdam and 114th they'd be on. Now if he could only remember what he'd done with Stefan's cell phone number.
"You OK, Lennie?" Ana asked, as she watched him shuffle through some papers.
"Yeah, just a little nervous," he said, when he saw the puzzled look on Ana's face he added.
"I'm suppose to take Anita's boys out to dinner tonight to get to know them better," he explained.
"Oh," she said realizing why Lennie was feeling nervous. "Where are you taking them?"
"Stefan said he'd like to go to Dave & Busters in the Palisades?" Lennie said not sounding too sure.
"Oh, that sounds like a great idea. They've got all sorts of stuff to do there and they've got good pool tables," she said trying to make the latter sound enticing.
"Yeah, well I'll never get there if I can't find what I did with Stefan's cell phone, aha - here it is," Lennie said, snatching up a piece of paper that looked like it had been torn from one of his notepads.
"Well good luck, oh just be sure to take plenty of money" Ana said, and Lennie nodded and favored her with a grin.
"Hi Stefan, it's Lennie, look I'm due to knock off here in about ten minutes. I thought I'd pick you guys up near Ric's dorm. Nearest cross is Amsterdam and 114th, is that right?" Lennie asked
"Yeah, look this is kind of embarrassing, but last time I saw you guys you were like grade schoolers. So you want to clue me in, other than two young black men, what am I looking for?" Lennie asked teasingly.
"OK, and you're looking for a - let's see how do people usually describe me," as Lenny paused a flurry of adjectives were offered up by the other detectives in the squad - tall, scrawny, lean, lanky, old, mature, middle-aged, sleepy-eyed, bed room eyes, wise ass, "That's enough of that" Lennie said to the detectives.
"Did you get all that?" Lennie asked with a laugh.
"Look I'll be driving a dark blue 2002 Crown Victoria, so just keep a look out for the car. It shouldn't take me too long to get up there but sometimes traffic this time of day can be brutal," Lennie said.
"Yeah right, and get in trouble with the boss lady, I don't think so, see ya in a few," Lennie said and ended the call.
"You guys are bad," Lennie said as he turned to face his fellow detectives.
"Hey relax and have a good time with Anita's boys. Don't get to thinking you have to impress them or win their approval or something. You've got the only approval that counts – hers," Sweeney told him.
"When did you get so damn wise?" Lennie asked.
"It's been rubbing off over the years," Sweeney replied with a grin.
Lennie shrugged into his suit coat and left.
He took off his badge and holster and stuffed them into his glove compartment. Then checked the map he kept stashed in the car.
The traffic wasn't too bad and soon he was coming up Amsterdam to 114th when he saw Ric in a Columbia Sweatshirt and Stefan in a Giants Jersey. He stopped and powered down the passenger window and unlocked the doors.
"You guys need a ride?" Lennie said with a grin.
"Yeah man," Stefan said, as he slid into the front seat. Ric sullenly slid into the back.
"Hang on gents, next stop Dave & Busters," Lennie said as he began maneuvering through traffic.
"So Lennie, how's a cop afford a great ride like this on a cop's salary or should we be worrying about you being on the take?" Stefan asked with a grin.
"Nah, don't worry. I get a new car about every 10 years and it just so happens this was the year. I got this old army buddy that's a car salesman and he gets me last years demo model or in this case a car that was in the owner's family. This was his boss' wife's car. She gets a new car every year, hardly uses the thing and has it in the service department for every little rattle and knock she hears. The car depreciates a ton when you drive it off the lot and Harry gives me really good money on my trade-in, because he knows I treat my cars pretty good, well other than having a lead foot at times. So all I had to do was finance this car for about 10K at the credit union, and I've got a nice - just about brand new car at a steal," Lennie answered Stefan's grin with one of his own.
He was relieved that he and Stefan hit it off as well in person as they had the couple of times they had talked on the phone, but it bothered him that Ric was sitting silently in the back of the car. He wondered if he should try to draw Anita's older son out or just let him brood. He sighed inwardly. He knew Sweeney was right, he didn't need the boys' approval but he badly wanted it. He wanted approval from both of them, just as Anita had craved Julia's approval and probably wanted his Mom's and his brother's, not that Lennie gave a rat's ass what Bernie thought of Anita.
"Earth to Lennie," Lennie heard Stefan say with a laugh.
"What? Sorry, guess I got lost in thought. What did you ask me?" Lennie said with a laugh.
"When's Mom's flight get in to Santa Domingo?" Stefan asked.
"Uh, I think about 9:30 and then of course she's got to go through customs and get to her hotel room, so I bet it will be maybe 10:30 before she can get a call through to us. She said she'd call my cell phone," Lennie answered and Stefan nodded.
Lennie and Stefan continued to talk and occasionally made attempts to pull Ric into the conversation as they traveled to the entertainment center. By the time they got there, a silent pact had been established between Lennie and Stefan to win Ric over. Lennie bought the three of them Power cards that would allow them to play all the video games and other games in the place that they might care to. As they wandered through the arcade area Ric challenged Lennie to skee ball and shooting hoops. Ric was surprised to find himself outmatched in both instances.
"How'd you get to be so good at shooting free throws?" Ric asked.
"What you think they don't ever foul the old white guy?" Lennie answered the question with a question.
Ric shrugged and then answered. "No, I was thinking that for an old dude you're awfully tall. I figured they probably made you play center back in your day, and centers are notorious for not being able to shoot free throws," Ric answered with disdain.
"Well, I suppose if I'd been 6'2" in High School you would have been right, but I was only 5'9" when I was a senior, so I played forward and I had a pretty good free throw percentage," Lennie answered.
"Man, you grew 5 inches after high school?" Stefan asked sounding astounded.
"Yeah, well I was only 16 when I graduated, well, actually as I always said 16 and a half. I always had a chip on my shoulder in those days about being the youngest in the class," Lennie said with a laugh.
"Hey, you guys hungry?" Lennie asked and they both nodded. Lennie thought maybe Ric was thawing just a little.
"Well, as long as your Mom's not here to watch my cholesterol, " Lennie said as he began perusing the menu, then he glanced at Ric and Stefan, "or are you guys gonna tell on me?" he asked.
"I won't tell," Stefan answered.
"Me neither, I figure a man ought be able to eat what he wants, " Ric said.
"Yeah, well your Mom looks at me and says 'but Lennie I want you around for a long time', now how's a man suppose to argue with that?" Lennie asked mimicking the boys' mothers voice almost precisely.
"She's got you wrapped round her little finger now don't she?" Stefan commented.
Lennie didn't answer just went back to perusing the menu. After they'd ordered their dinners Ric asked Lennie to explain how he graduated from high school so young.
"Oh, my Mom started me in school in the fall just before I turned six, and then when I was in third grade my school was being renovated and they taught third and fourth grade together in this great big room. I just did all the work for both classes at the same time, so at the end of the year they let me take the regent's exams for both grades, except I had to take the fourth grade exam on a Saturday. They said it was when they let kids take it who had been sick when the exam was originally given or had some special situation like mine. Well, I passed it and so they skipped me to fifth grade.
My Dad got really mad at my Mom for having me take both tests because they charged an extra fee, and I wasn't all that keen on skipping ahead because all my friends were back in fourth grade. I guess when I skipped a grade that's when I got to be such a wise ass. I mean, I learned that if you could make people laugh, they usually wouldn't hit you or maybe they wouldn't hit you quite so hard," Lennie said around mouthfuls of his dinner.
"Why would people hit you?" Stefan asked.
"You know, just stupid stuff. The kinds of things that kids hit other kids over," Lennie said a bit uncomfortably.
"Like what?" Stefan pressed.
"Like I don't know. Lot's of reasons, I was younger, smaller, I got better grades, my Dad was Jewish and my Mom was Polish. You know stupid stuff like that," Lennie said.
"So what did you do after you got out of high school?" Stefan asked.
"I worked at my uncle's liquor store as a stock boy until I was old enough to join the army at 17. I did a two year hitch so I could use the GI Bill to go to college, then I came back here and started at John Jay College. I started on a degree in Criminal Justice until I was old enough to get in at the Police Academy, and then as soon as I was old enough that they'd hire me I joined the NYPD. Been there ever since," Lennie answered.
"You must have been pretty smart to skip a grade and finish high school so young. Did you ever finish that Criminal Justice degree?" Ric asked.
"Yeah, eventually. It was a little harder after I started working and had to try to get the classes through night school and correspondence," Lennie replied.
"Look, I'm sure you've noticed I haven't exactly been falling all over myself tonight to welcome you with open arms," Ric said with a sigh.
"No kidding, hadn't notice that," Lennie said sarcastically.
"Well, I'm gonna be straight with you because so far it seems like you've been pretty straight with me. Grandma Harris had you checked out," Ric told Lennie.
"I know, by my old partner Johnny Miller," Lennie said.
"How'd you find out?" Ric asked, a little surprised.
"Well for one thing Johnny came snooping around the 2-7, and for another one of the Internal Affairs Officers who did the Officer Involved Shooting Incident report for the undercover operation your mother and I were involved in a couple of weekends ago happens to be Johnny's niece, Nickie Miller. Nickie also happened to be a very dear childhood friend of my daughter Cathy's. Anita and I had dinner with Nickie Miller and her boyfriend the other night and she told us her uncle was doing this background check on me," Lennie explained to Ric.
"You ought to know that report makes you out to be a drunken womanizer, so I really don't see any reason I should be too thrilled about having you in my mother's life," Ric said flatly.
Lennie smiled, "Well, there have been times when I've described myself as a skirt chasing drunk," Lennie paused, took a breath and continued. "Look Ric, I've got no illusions here. I'm not a kid like you. I've lived well over half a century and some of that living was pretty hard. I've been married and divorced twice. I've fathered three children that I know of and only one of them is living. One of my children was stillborn for reasons I never knew and one was murdered by a drug dealer for daring to testify against him. I spent over a decade inside a scotch bottle because my Jewess American Princess decided I wasn't the prince Charming she thought I was and she went stepping out on me kissing other frogs. But I've finally got my life back together and I've finally found a woman who loves me for me just the way I am. She's not out to change me, not trying to make me over and you've got absolutely no idea how good that feels," Lennie finished his declaration of love for the boys' mother and suddenly realized what he'd done and ducked his head down a bit and looked to see if anyone was looking at him in the restaurant.
After they finished their meals the boys drug Lennie out to the video games and were amazed that he was pretty good at some of them, but lousy at the games that featured some sort of gun shooting. Lennie tried to explain that as a cop, pulling one's gun meant you'd messed up big time, so his not being great with the gun games meant diddlysquat as he put it. Finally he steered them towards the pool tables.
"Come on, time for me to teach my boys a few lessons," Lennie said with a big smile.
"I know how to play pool," Ric said a bit petulantly.
"You do, do you? Well, then rack and break, Ric," Lennie suggested.
Lennie watched Ric. He was athletic but had little technique and even less strategy.
When he missed, Lennie chalked his cue, walked up to the table and ran it in about 90 seconds.
"Now, would you like to start those lessons?" Lennie asked.
The boys nodded like a couple of bobble head dolls and Lennie began teaching them the finer points of pool. Both of hem were quick studies and even though Ric with his rangier build would seemed to have had the natural advantage Stefan was actually the one who grasped the finer points of the strategies Lennie was trying to teach.
Just as they were about to start a real match Lennie's cell phone rang.
As soon as he heard Anita's voice a sweet smile broke over his face and he said in a soft voice "Hi baby, been waiting for your call."
"Yeah, the guys been teaching me to play video games and I've been teaching them a few things about pool," he answered.
"Now would I do that to your boys? Hey you want to talk to them first?" he offered.
"OK, here's Ric," he offered the phone to Anita's oldest son, "Talk to your Mom," he ordered.
"Hey Mama," Ric said as he took the phone from Lennie and a very genuine smile broke over his face.
"Yeah, I guess so," Ric said as he looked at Lennie like he was measuring him.
"Well, he's pretty cool for an old white cop, and I'm pretty sure he could whip the old man's ass at just about anything," Ric declared, Lennie shook his head in mild disapproval.
Ric chatted with his Mom about inconsequential things for a minute or so.
"Here Mama, looks like baby brother wants to talk to you too," Ric said as he passed the phone to his brother.
"Hey mama, how you doing? Don't worry about Lennie. We've been keeping him busy, so he doesn't miss you too much, and we're keeping the pretty women away from him too. Never had any idea that they'd flock to him like they do," Stefan teased. Lennie shook his head at Stefan.
"Hey, give me that phone," Lennie commanded.
"Are these two always such jokers?" Lennie asked when he got back on the line with Anita.
Lennie started looking for a more private place in the pool hall area as he began talking to 'baby' telling her he missed her and couldn't wait for her to be home. He listened to her recount how her flight went and explain what she'd done since landing and what she planned to do that night and the next day. He explained what he and the boys had been up to and what they would do with the rest of the evening. He told her that Ric seemed to be warming up to him and he thought that he and Stefan were really going to be pretty good friends.
The boys wanted to give Lennie some privacy, so they racked up a game of eight ball and played each other. They tried very hard to ignore Lennie's conversation with their mother, partly just to avoid the ick factor of 'but she's our Mom!' Of course it was nearly impossible. They could hear this very tough, no nonsense, NYPD detective talking in a very soft, warm voice. Stefan missed a shot when he heard the catch in Lennie's voice as Lennie said he wasn't looking forward to going home tonight because 'I'll be all alone in our bed and it will seem so big and cold and lonely without you'.
Lennie looked over to the table the boys were playing at, he could see they were looking at him. He turned his back to them for a second and said goodnight to Anita and then walked over to take in the guys' game.
"So who's up?" he asked
"Me, I've got stripes." Stefan said.
"Uh huh," Lennie said, sizing up Stefan's best shot and then waiting to see if the young man would see it too.
Stefan sank the fourteen with enough draw on the cue ball to bring it back to leave him a good shot on the twelve. Lennie smiled. Stefan then called and easily sank the eight ball in the corner pocket. Lennie walked over to Stefan and slapped him on the back.
"That's the way to shoot pool," he said.
Ric was surprised that he felt a bit jealous of his younger brother. He wanted Lennie to be as close to him as he was to Stefan. God, just a few hours ago he was bristling at this man, not wanting him to be with his Mom and now he found he liked and maybe even admired him.
"So, can we get a few more lessons in or did Mom say we have to get you home before your bedtime?" Ric asked.
Lennie reversed his cue stick in his hand and with a laugh that belied his words said, "You get your butt over here and I'll teach you another kind of pool hall lesson, kid."
"You lay a hand on me and I'll tell Mom, and then you won't get yours," Ric teased back.
"Damn, now there's a threat with teeth in it," Lennie said.
"Hey, cut it out you two, that's a visual I really don't need," Stefan said as he racked the balls for another game.
"What?" Lennie asked, not quite realizing what Stefan meant.
"Look, I realize you're in love with my Mom, and that she's in love with you but, she's my Mom, you know?" Stefan asked in a way that begged Lennie to understand, but for a few moments Lennie stood clueless.
Ric decided to give it a shot.
"Lennie are both your parents living?" he asked.
"No, my Dad died quite a few years ago why?" Lennie asked.
"How would you feel if some guy wanted to date your mom?" Ric asked.
Lennie thought about that for a second, then laughed.
"Ric, my Mom's eighty years old. Who would want to date an eighty year old woman?" Lennie asked.
"An eighty year old man? Come on how would you feel about it?" Ric pressed Lennie for an answer.
Lennie crossed his arms in front of his chest and scowled. " I guess I wouldn't like it much," he finally answered.
"Yeah, well sometimes neither do we," Ric said taking upon himself to speak for himself and Stefan. "I mean, I think we're both getting used to the idea that you're an OK guy, but it's just - weird for any guy to think about some guy wanting to be with his mom. God knows I'm glad Mom's too old for you two to be thinking about having a baby, that would really freak me out," Ric explained.
"You know what, let's stop talking about mothers and sex and just play some pool," Stefan suggested.
"Good idea," Lennie said, as he wanted to steer the conversation as far away from the last couple of topics as possible.
They stayed and played for another couple of hours, Lennie teaching the boys how to do masse shots and combinations and how to use the cushions when they didn't have open shots. Finally, Lennie realized how late it was, when he considered all the driving they still had to do.
When they got out to the parking lot he decided to let Ric drive. He felt letting Ric drive his car would be a way to show him that he trusted him. Maybe if it hadn't been so late, he would have realized it was probably not a smart thing to do. Lennie had just stretched out in the back seat and was resting his eyes when trouble found them, in the form of two very conscientious uniformed cops.
The cops saw a late model American sedan being driven by two African American teenagers make a lane change without signaling first. They followed the vehicle checking the license plate with DMV. It came back registered to a Leonard W. Briscoe. The older of the two cops was sure that Briscoe was a white cop with the detective squad in the 2-7. That made him certain the car had to be stolen by these two "punks". So they hit the lights and sirens and pulled them over.
"What the hell?" Lennie said as he started to sit up in the back seat.
"There's a third guy in the back seat!" the younger cop shouted excitedly.
"Stay in the car! Keep your hands in plain sight!" the older officer said using the PA system of their radio patrol car.
"Ric, put your hands on the steering wheel. Stefan put your hands on the dash. Be as polite as I'm sure your mother has taught you to be," Lennie ordered the boys as he reached his hands up onto the headrest behind Ric.
The officer approached the driver's window and asked Ric to lower the window.
"Ric, make a big show of slowly moving your hand to the control that powers down the window," Lennie instructed Ric.
"May I see your license and registration?" the officer asked.
"Officer, this is my car, the registration is in the glove compartment," Lennie said.
Stefan started to open the glove compartment to get it out.
"No! Stefan!" Lennie yelled.
Stefan stopped and looked at Lennie very startled, even a little hurt.
"I'm sorry Stefan," Lennie said gently. "I didn't mean to startle you, but my service revolver is in there. And I don't think these officers would take it too kindly if a gun were suddenly introduced into this scenario," Lennie explained and Stefan nodded understanding.
"Officer, would you mind if I get out and go around to the passenger side and get out the registration for you," Lennie asked.
"No, that would be fine sir," the senior of the two officers replied.
Lennie retrieved his badge and the car's registration and then after making sure the two officers could clearly see what he was doing and that they were ok with his actions he also retrieved his gun and holster. He then asked the two officers to accompany him away from the car.
"Officer Delgado," Lennie paused, suddenly surprised after reading the officers name badge, then continued "Officer Werner, why did you stop this vehicle? And you had better have a damn good reason," Lennie told the two officers.
"The young man made a lane change that he didn't signal and we did a DMV check on the car, when it came back to a Leonard Briscoe, I remembered hearing my old man talk about an officer Lennie Briscoe, who among other things was a hell of a pool player before his captain made him stop shooting stick, and well the guy my old man was talking about sure wasn't a young black guy, so I figured the car was stolen," Officer Delgado explained.
"So this wasn't a DWB stop?" Lennie asked a bit more relaxed.
"No sir! Being a Mexican American I don't stand for that sort of shit!" Delgado said angrily.
"Good, because you know who those two young men are?" Lennie asked.
Delgado and Werner shrugged their shoulders.
"Those happen to be the sons of the Chief of Detectives of the Homicide Division 27th Precinct," Lennie informed the two uniforms. He could have sworn he could hear the two officers gulp.
"Oh, and officer Delgado, tell Manny, I mean your Dad, that uh," Lennie paused, trying to recall the least objectionable of the Delgado Sr.'s nickname's for him, "Chico says Hi," he added with the hint of a smile as he walked back towards the car.
"Yes sir, and Detective Briscoe?" Officer Delgado said.
"Yes?" Lennie said as he turned back towards the officer.
"Tell your young friend that in the future he should remember to signal before changing lanes," Delgado said with a smile.
Lennie gave Delgado an imaginary tip of his hat.
Lennie continued back to the driver's side of the car.
"I think I better drive," Lennie said and Ric slid over in the seat.
"Yeah. Hey, how did you like having black 'sons' for a little while Lennie?" Ric asked hotly.
"I suppose you think this was a DWB thing don't you?" Lennie asked as he pulled the car back out into traffic and got back up to highway speed.
"You saying it wasn't?" Ric challenged.
"Believe me, I thought it was at first too, and I was all ready to tear those guys new ones, until I found out who the officer was that was involved, and what initiated the whole thing. You didn't signal a lane change back there, so they did a simple DMV check. They saw that the car was registered to me. The senior officer happens to be the son of a guy I used to work with back when I was a rookie. Delgado knew the car was supposed to be driven by a white guy his dad's age not a young black man. He figured the car was stolen, that's why he pulled you over, not because you're black," Lennie said and looked over to see if Ric understood or bought what he was saying.
"You're sure that wasn't about him seeing two black guys in a nice car and figuring there was no way it could be their ride?" Ric said challengingly.
"I'm pretty sure it wasn't that. Didn't you happen to notice that the lead officer back there was Hispanic?" Lennie asked.
"Yeah, I guess I did," Ric grudgingly admitted.
"Hispanic teenagers get just as much grief as black teenagers, so Delgado's not going to pull that sort of crap, he said so himself," Lennie told Ric.
"Look, one thing you have got to do if you want to live a long and healthy life, is not walk around with a chip on your shoulder. There are enough people who will give you grief for being young and black without you projecting an attitude about it," Lennie counseled Ric.
"Oh, so now you think 'cause you're banging my Mom you got the right to give me advice," Ric said acting tough.
"Ric," Stefan started to say something.
"Shut up, Stefan," Lennie said as he pulled the car over on the shoulder and turned off the engine.
"Get out of the car, Ric, now!" Lennie ordered as he got out of the car, slammed the car door and walked around to the back of the car.
Surprisingly Ric did as Lennie said without a word of protest.
"Now what, old man. You gonna teach me some manners or something?" Ric said.
"Damn, I really thought we had gotten past all this childish crap. Look Ric, I'm not bucking for the job of your step-dad here. You've got a father and you're about as grown up as you're gonna get. As to your Mom, I don't need your permission to be with her. I love her, she loves me and there's not a damn thing you can do about that. So you may as well shut the fuck up about that. All I was doing back there was trying to give you some good advice because I like you and because, as the son of the woman I love, I'd like to save you some hard knocks in your life, 'cause that will save a lot pain for her," Lennie finally wound down and let out a sigh.
Ric shuffled his feet a bit and then he sort of coughed. "Look I'm sorry, I don't know why I said that to you. I just do stuff like that sometimes. I mean I know,"-
"Yeah, you're a lot like Dad in that way, You say hurtful stuff just 'cause you can," Stefan said. Lennie and Ric both whirled around not realizing that Stefan had joined them at the back of the car. All three men were rubbing their arms in the coolness of the late hour.
"What the hell are you doing out here. I told you to," Lennie began,
"I know to shut up. Well, you're not my dad either, so I don't have to obey you if I don't want to. Look, I like you and I respect you, maybe my coming out her and sticking my nose in here doesn't seem to say that, but it's getting late and it's cold out and I really just want you two to get back in the car and work this out in there where it's safe and warm, OK?" Stefan said.
Lennie walked up close to Stefan and curled his right hand around the back of Stefan's neck and leaned his forehead against his and sighed "Yeah". He let go of Stefan and then walked back to the car and got in the driver's side of the car and sat down but he didn't start the car.
Ric got in the passenger's side and Stefan got in behind Lennie. They sat in silence for a while.
"I'm sorry, Lennie," Ric said softly.
"Yeah," Lean said clearing his throat, "It's OK, Ric," he started up the car's engine.
The three men traveled back to the city quietly. Lennie drove up to the front of Ric's dorm.
"Why don't you come sit up here Stefan and I'll run you out to your house," Lennie said.
"No, I'm gonna crash on Ric's floor tonight, that way you don't have to do all that extra driving. You've got to take Mom's place at the squad in the morning, don't you? I'll just catch a bus to school in the morning," Stefan said.
"Are you sure?" Lennie asked concerned.
"Yeah, I'll be fine and it will give me and Ric some time to talk," Stefan said.
"All right. But call your Dad, so he doesn't worry, OK?" Lennie reminded him.
"Yeah, sure thing. Drive safely and call us when you get home," Stefan called out as Lennie was leaving.
"Drive safely and call us when you get home?" Ric mockingly repeated to his brother after Lennie drove off.
"Yeah, you know this is the man my mom loves. I'd like to know he made it home safely. Is that ok with you, big brother?" Stefan asked Ric impatiently as the two brothers made their way up to Ric's room.
"You know I'm beginning to wonder if our mom's the only one who loves Lennie Briscoe. I mean, maybe you're shopping round for a new Daddy, huh little boy? You tired of our Dad?" Ric asked derisively.
"Well I tell you one thing, if you had been living at home with him this last couple of months like I have, you'd be plenty tired of him and his attitude, especially of late. And maybe you hadn't noticed but this Lennie Briscoe's a pretty nice guy," Stefan added.
"Yeah, and maybe you hadn't noticed he's also pretty old and pretty white," Ric added in a challenging voice.
"You got a problem with that?" Stefan asked.
"You don't?
"Man, I wish you'd make up your mind. You run hot and cold. One minute you like Lennie, the next you don't, what's the problem?
Lennie got back to his apartment and placed two calls one to Stefan to say he'd made it safely and to ask if Stefan had remembered to call his Dad (he hadn't) and one to Anita to say he thought he'd screwed up royally. Lennie told her about the rest of the evening with her sons. She reassured him that to her it didn't sound like it had been a total disaster but he was sure it had been, and then she told him he simply had to get off the phone because they both had things to do bright and early in the morning. And then before he could hang up she told him the one thing he needed to most hear, "Don't you ever forget, I love you, Lennie Briscoe!"