A/N: Told you the updates would take a bit longer now, but I didn't mean for the chapters to get longer. Ha! Thanks for reading and reviewing.
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Late April
This weekend, they were getting prepared to travel to Chicago for the adoption proceedings. She kept pushing thoughts about why they were taking the trip to the back of her mind. Well, until she called Stan a few days ago to tell him about Annie's adoption being finalized.
They kept in touch, but their conversations were still a bit stunted-on her part more than his. Though, he was excited about the news that they would be in Chicago for the hearing.
"Reese, make a weekend of it! Why don't you guys drop in and visit? Meet your new nephew!"
Karen gave birth about a month ago, and Stan called her, over the moon, at the fact that the Lisbon name would continue. She could care less, but she congratulated her younger brother all the same.
"Stan, I don't know." Not that she didn't want to meet her new nephew, but they weren't entirely sure how Annie would handle this trip, especially if it included exposure to other family members.
"Come on! It will be fun, and it will be great to see you guys. I doubt we will make it out to California before you pop!"
He laughed, but she wanted to hang up the phone. Quietly, she searched for reasons to get out of this visit with her brother. But she couldn't find any-and he was right. It was a nice opportunity to come meet her new nephew and for Annie to meet her new cousin.
So, she agreed to a cookout on Saturday. Patrick was not entirely thrilled.
"Teresa, I wish you would've talked to me about this first. We don't know how Annie is going to react in Chicago."
"I know that, honey, but we are talking about family. Don't you think Annie should meet her new cousin? I'd like to meet my new nephew."
He sighed. "Look, I'm not trying to keep you from your family. Annie either for that matter. Are you sure you're up for this?"
She shook her head. "I honestly don't know."
In some ways, she still felt resentful at the fact that no one bothered to tell her what was going on with Tommy. Literally everyone else knew except her. She loved her daughter and was happy to make her part of their family, but someone could have let her in on what was going on before it all fell apart. Though, the reality of the situation was that Tommy made terrible choices he would have to live with that had made her beyond angry-not Stan, not Karen, and certainly not their new son.
"Fine. Why don't we just see how things go leading up to Saturday? If she's not taking it well, we fly back immediately. If we get to your brother's on Saturday and she doesn't take that well, we won't stay."
"That seems fair."
Once they worked that out, everything else about the trip seemed fairly straightforward.
She wasn't sure when this particular aspect of her need to control things kicked in, but she determined that she would pack for all of them. They needed clothes to wear to court and to wear if they wanted to go out somewhere. This time of year, the weather in the city was tricky. Patrick wouldn't pack appropriately. And besides, she wanted to make sure they all had their outfits lined out to wear for their first official family photo.
As she was packing, she felt her belly start to flutter. At first, she wondered if she had just imagined it-but then it happened again. She set the pile of clothes in her hand down and looked down at her belly, smiling as she brought her hand to cover her bump. She was kicking! Their little girl was kicking!
"Patrick!" She yelled his name in reflex, but then, she immediately felt a pang of guilt as he ran into their bedroom panicked.
"What is it? Are you ok?"
She smiled, reaching for his hand. "I'm fine. I think she's kicking."
He grinned as she placed his hand over the area where she felt the latest round of fluttering. "Wow."
"Yeah. Honestly, I wasn't sure what was happening at first, but she's moving, right?"
"I mean, you're the best judge of her movement, but I think we could have another soccer player on our hands."
She met his wide grin with one of her own as she held their hands firmly in place.
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"Hey boss!" Cho was rapping on her door. "We're getting lunch from the deli, do you want something?"
"Yeah. Can you get me a turkey sub...no, maybe I should eat a salad. A Cobb salad! No! Get me a turkey sub! Or a salad. That's probably better, right?"
Cho simply raised his eyebrows. "How about I get you a sub and a salad? One of them can be your snack later."
She grinned at him as though he'd just made an extraordinarily wicked suggestion, but she liked the way he was thinking. "Sounds great to me!"
"Ok, I'll let you know when it's here."
"Thanks, Cho."
Moments after he left, there was another knock on her door. "Lisbon, you wanted to see me?"
"Hey, Bosco! Close the door and have a seat please."
He nodded, following her instructions. "So what's going on? How are you doing?"
She shrugged her shoulders. "I'm ok. My baby girl has started kicking like crazy. Patrick thinks she's going to be another soccer star just like Annie."
Talking about their daughters brought a smile to her face. Perhaps her husband didn't say that exactly, but she already knew their girls were more than capable of anything they wanted to do. She brought her hand to her belly, and Sam met her smile.
"Well, that sounds like an adventure that I'm glad you're having and I'm not."
She laughed at that. Since his apology last month, they'd started mending fences. As she suspected, it took a bit of time rebuilding the kind of trust and working relationship they had before the weirdness of his crush or whatever. Even so, she hoped she could trust him with what she was about to ask him.
"So I asked you to drop by because…."
She paused for a moment. In any case, she felt slightly guilty doing this, and she had spent hours deciding if she even should do this. She had her own team, and they were all good cops. Madeleine was with them most of the time, even though she'd gone back to San Francisco for the week. She could just as easily ask them for their thoughts, but Sam had an eye for these things. After all, his eye for detail helped train her own. Indeed, it got them both into this gig.
She sighed as she picked up the stack of case files. An opinion from a fresh set of eyes couldn't hurt.
"If you have time, I'd like you to run through these and see what we're missing. I would consider it a personal favor."
He raised a brow. "A personal favor?"
"Yeah."
"Why don't you just tell me what you think it is you're missing?"
"If I knew that, I wouldn't be asking you to review them, would I?"
"Perhaps, but there is a reason you're asking me to review them. Something you want me to confirm?"
She looked down at her desk. "I think we have a serial."
"Ok, so what makes you think that?"
"Well, they're all in different counties-but all near Napa County. So, it's regional. All of the victims are young women, and some of them share a manner of death. We have five of these cases now that we've not been able to solve, and maybe it's because we're looking at them the wrong way."
"Is there any sort of calling card left at the scenes or any other markers?"
"Not that I can tell, but…"
"What is it?"
"Do you remember what you told me about trusting your gut?"
He huffed with a bit of pride in his eyes. He loved when she acknowledged something he told her actually stuck. "Yeah. Trust your gut, but don't let it lead you off a cliff."
"Well, I get this eerie feeling at all of these crime scenes. They were some of the most gruesome scenes I've ever been to. That we've stacked five unsolvable, gruesome killings of young women in less than a year...I think we are looking at a serial killer who's perfecting his craft. The last one...well, it was especially heinous."
"How so?"
"He left a pregnant woman to suffocate and die in a barn, after sexually assaulting her and cutting her. And before you say I'm just sensitive right now…"
"I wouldn't say that."
"It just seemed like it was almost personal. I don't know. I just have a feeling about this, but I don't want to raise the alarm or put my team on chasing shadows that don't exist if I can't confirm my suspicions. Alleging there's a serial killer roaming Northern California is serious business."
"Lisbon, you're a seasoned investigator. I'm happy to take a look at those files, but you know what you're looking at when you see it. Trust your instincts."
Cho was back at her door with her lunch order-and a warning glare for Bosco. While the two of them were mending fences, the rest of her team still regarded him with a good amount of suspicion. Seeing as how Bosco's unprofessional behavior got them here in the first place, they could ride that out a little longer. Though, if it didn't end soon, she would have to get involved and remind everyone about the bounds of professionalism.
Bosco grabbed the files from her desk. "Yeah, I should go. I'll let you know what I turn up."
"Thanks, Bosco."
"I'll get back with you by the end of the week."
"Oh! Actually, I'm out after today. We have to go to Chicago."
"Oh?"
She nodded. "Annie's adoption is being finalized on Thursday."
"Well, enjoy your trip home. Eat a real meatball sub for me, huh?"
She laughed at that. "I'm no longer in charge of that particular ship, but sure."
He rubbed his chin. "But if your kid had good taste...ah! Fair enough! I'll see you when you're back in the office."
xxxxxxx
"Mommy, can I sit by the window again?" She looked down at Annie who was looking at her with sweet eyes as they waited to board the plane.
"Of course, sweetheart." She couldn't tell those sweet eyes no-even if she and Riley got into some shenanigans at school yesterday that resulted in a letter being sent home.
After they were seated and belted in, she took her husband's hand and leaned her head against his shoulder. She felt him kiss the top of her head as she snuggled into his side. By no means was she afraid of flying, but there was something about the comfort that he brought to the experience-well, especially this one.
Tomorrow, they would finally take permanent legal custody of Annie until she was an adult. That was a very big deal to her. Annie had been with them for nearly 9 months now, and almost 6 of those months were spent dealing with the fallout of Tommy and Melanie's poor decision making. She wished he'd been a better father for Annie, like the kind that the sweet, caring little girl deserved-but wishing wouldn't make it so. As such, she was glad her husband was here with her.
After they landed, Patrick hired a car service to take them from the airport to their hotel. Her eyes went wide when she realized Patrick had put them up in a fancy hotel downtown. She'd never frequented this area much when she lived here, let alone thought of ever staying somewhere like this. And the suite he booked...well, it was bigger than her old house. Maybe someday she would stop being shocked by the things he paid for.
The next morning, they were both up rather early. She wagered Patrick was up early in anticipation of getting on with today's events. While she was excited at the prospect of the adoption being final, she was also incredibly nervous about being here. She wondered how things would go with Stan and Karen, and admittedly, throughout the night she toyed with the idea of telling Patrick they should just get on the redeye.
"Mommy, look at this French toast!" Annie flashed her a toothless grin. She lost her first tooth a few weeks ago, and of course, the Tooth Fairy paid her a very generous visit. "It's ginormous!"
"It is a big piece of French toast!"
Patrick grinned at her. "You better eat up, Annie. That there is a fine vacation treat."
She wrinkled her nose. "But we're not on a vacation. We're here for business!"
"Sure, we have very serious business! But do we have these fancy robes at home with ginormous French toast?" She shook her head as he twisted her nose. "And you don't have to make your bed? I didn't think so!"
That made Annie laugh as she worked through her French toast. Maybe it's that they were both awake and in front of her now, but she felt much less nervous this morning than she did last night.
After breakfast, they all got ready for their day. Patrick had a car set to come pick them up to make sure they arrived at the courthouse in plenty of time, so she nudged Annie to get ready. They picked dresses last weekend. They weren't exact matches this time because it was increasingly hard to find things with her growing belly, but they were the same shade of green. She also managed to find a tie for her husband in that color.
She caught Patrick grinning at her as she held onto the wall to slide into her heels.
"What?"
"I can't believe you're wearing those, but I guess it's a good thing I've been lifting." He raised his arms to flash his muscles with a huge grin on his face.
"Oh please! I'm fine."
"I know you are. You look beautiful, baby."
"Oh, don't try buttering me up now!"
He just laughed before exposing his elbow for her to slide her arm through.
"I'm ready!"
Annie came running into the common area, holding onto Charlie. When Annie first came to live with them, Charlie was her lifeline. Now, she mostly held Charlie at night when she was sleeping...or when she was scared.
She met Patrick's eyes. He noticed it, too. He took his arm back so that he could kneel and meet Annie at her eye level.
"Hey, Annie. Are we bringing Charlie with us today?"
She nodded. "Yes."
"Are we bringing her because you're scared?" Annie was quiet as she looked down at her shoes. "It's ok to be scared, but do you want to tell us what you're scared about?"
There was a brief pause as Annie struggled to speak. "What...what if the judge decides I can't go home with you?"
Patrick placed his hand on her back before speaking. "Sweetie, I don't think that's going to happen, but if it does we will think about what to do next. Whatever happens, we're here with you."
"I know. Do you want me to leave Charlie here?"
"No." She answered automatically, making Patrick turn his attention toward her. He probably hadn't expected her to speak. Usually, he swooped in to handle these conversations with Annie. After all, he was gifted at hard conversations and great with her. However, she knew how to handle this one. "Bring her with you. It's ok to be scared, and it's better to feel as safe as you can when you do."
"But you wouldn't take something with you because you're scared, right?"
She paused for a moment. It didn't take long into this adventure to realize that Annie looked to her for answers she didn't always have. But today, she had the answer.
She grabbed her mother's cross between her thumb and index finger before bending over a bit closer to Annie's face. "Do you know what this is?"
"Your cross! Sister Mary Jean said we get one next year if we take community. And we even get to have a party!"
She could sense her husband holding back his laughter. Annie was sweet, but she was still in a stage where she didn't quite understand religious obligations beyond the celebrations that accompanied them. On that front, he was not much help.
"Well, that's part of the story, but we will work on that later. This one is special, though."
"How?"
"It belonged to your Grandma Annabeth. Do you know why I wear it?"
She scrunched her face up. "Well, no. Don't you have your own?"
"I have another one that she gave me at my first communion, but this one is mine now, too."
"Because she went to heaven and doesn't need it there?"
She felt her eyelids get heavy. She wasn't afraid to cry-well, not anymore. But they didn't have time for her to break down here or explain to Annie the full gravity of the words she had just said. For her, the loss of a grandmother she'd never met seemed less real than the loss she felt the day her father came home without their mother. Indeed, Annabeth Sarah McGarry Lisbon would never meet any of her grandchildren or be there for her while she gave birth to her own daughter. And maybe that last part was selfish, but it didn't make the pain of becoming a mother without her any less real.
She did her best to pull things back together and focus on their future. After all, that's why they were here today. "That's right, but when I was little like you, my dad…"
"My Grandpa!"
"Right." She was not as choked up over Annie not getting to meet him. She shuddered at the idea of letting her children be near him. "He liked to watch scary movies with Tommy, but they scared me. They always laughed at me for running away crying sometimes because I was the oldest. So, Grandma Annabeth would say 'come here, little Teresa.' She would hold her arms open wide, and I would go snuggle up in her lap. She would say, 'It's ok. Mama has you.' And I loved it because Stan and Jimmy were little and usually got all of her attention, but they were in bed. I didn't have to feel scared anymore because I had mama with me. She made me feel so safe, so after...she went to heaven, I found it one day. It still smelt like her perfume even. When she went to heaven, I was so scared to be alone-but this cross helps me remember that I am not alone and scared. I don't have to be."
Annie was looking at her, but so was Patrick. She didn't know exactly when, but he had taken her hand at some point while she was talking. She appreciated it because the part of the story that she held to herself was that when her father saw her wearing the cross, he beat her for the first time, asking her if she thought she was in charge now and telling her she would never be anything.
No, he was the one who would never be anything. Maybe he existed in her mind, and that was bad enough, but mama's memory lived on. Her tears started to fall.
"So, you wear Grandma's cross because it reminds you that you don't have to be scared?"
"Yes."
Annie nodded, indicating she understood her point, as she put the stuffed bear into her arms. "It's ok, mommy! Don't cry! You'll ruin your pretty face. You take Charlie!"
She rolled her eyes at that, but Patrick intervened, getting up and bringing his handkerchief to her face. "Oh, Annie, mommy's always pretty. Sometimes, the things we remember make us a little sad. Even then, all faces are beautiful no matter what."
A bit of rage surged through her, helping her tears taper off. She had no idea who the hell put that phrase in Annie's dialect, but if she found out, there would be words.
She gave the bear a squeeze before handing it back to Annie.
He leaned in and whispered. "Do you want me to grab your makeup bag? You look beautiful, by the way."
"You already said that."
"Annie…"
"Is six and heard that God awful phrase somewhere. Is my makeup running? I have some things for a touch up in my purse. I can fix it in the car." After all, if he was asking, maybe there was a problem.
He shook his head. "Not that I can tell, but just let me know what you need. I am happy to do whatever you need me to do."
She found his fingers before squeezing them between her own. "I know you are. We should get going."
He extended his arm for her again. With her other hand, she took Annie's hand, walking to the car with her family.
At the court, everything seemed to fly past in a blur. They only waited about 30 minutes or so for their case to be called. The judge read through the formalities and asked if they were willing to accept this responsibility. They agreed, and before she knew it, she heard the woman behind the bench look at Annie and say: "Congratulations on your new family, Miss Annabeth Jane."
And that was that. The judge came off of the bench and took a photo with them. As much as she fretted over this the day before, it was just a formality. Annie already had her family. Now, it was a matter of law, and she had a new name: their name.
Patrick took them out to a nice dinner that evening, pointedly referring to them as "my wife" or "my daughter." She always smiled when that bit of possessiveness he held came through. He wasn't obnoxious about it, but it felt nice to belong and feel wanted. She just kept their fingers linked together under the table when they weren't eating.
Later, he held her in bed long after they had put Annie to bed. They were watching Two Weeks Notice on some cable channel. Patrick was scrolling through the guide, but he must have caught her glint of recognition and admiration for the movie...or perhaps he took her cue seriously when she exclaimed: "I love this movie!"
In any case, he ran his fingers through her hair with their hands linked over their baby girl.
"You know, that was a kind thing you did for Annie today."
"Hmm?"
"Telling her the story behind your mother's cross. She looks up to you."
"Yeah, I'm not sure why I told her that story. I've never told anyone before. Well, I've never told the details."
"I can understand that, but it was also a kind thing for yourself."
She found his eyes. "What do you mean?"
"We're a family. We share our burden, and a burden we've shared for a while is a connection to our pasts. Connections that are hard for us to leave."
Now, he was being kind. She knew exactly what he was talking about. He didn't want to upset her.
"Okay?"
"Well, you did it."
"What exactly?"
"You called him by his name."
It took her a moment to catch up, but she realized what he meant. When she spoke to Annie, she mentioned Tommy by name.
"I don't…"
"He was just your brother. Nothing else. Not Annie's father, and not a way to prove your own father wrong. Just Tommy."
Just Tommy. She sighed. "I know that I can't be responsible for him."
He shrugged a bit. "That, and it was the first time I ever heard you tell a story about your family that featured your own feelings front and center. You deserve to be seen, Teresa."
He kissed the top of her head. They spent the rest of their evening in silence as she thought about his words until she fell asleep.
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The next day, they took their time getting ready, just enjoying some down time in their hotel room. It was a free day and they had nowhere to be...well, at least she didn't think they had anywhere to be.
While she read her book on the sofa, Patrick came walking out of their room holding her Cubs jersey.
"Hey, is this yours?"
She narrowed her eyes. "Yes, but I don't remember packing it. I must have just thrown it in my bag by accident!"
He tapped the side of his head. "Ah, my dear sweet wife, that's because you didn't pack it. I did. I thought you might need it for when we go see the Cubs play at Wrigley Field tonight."
Her mouth hung open as he held up their tickets. "Are you serious? Don't screw around about this!"
"I'm not! I thought we might need an activity for today, and being the attentive husband that I am, I know how much you love your Cubbies. And if they're playing at home tonight, and we're in Chicago, it only makes sense that we go see them!"
"Honey!" She tossed her book down, jumping up to hug her husband and temporarily knocking the wind out of him.
"Oh, be careful there. Don't want our baby girl to come out right here."
She swatted at his chest. "I love it! I'm so happy you thought of this. It's a great surprise."
"I'm glad you like it. Consider it an early Mother's Day gift. Well, part of it at least."
Mother's Day was only for remembering her mother, but not anymore. Her eyes grew wet as she looked at him.
"Are you ok, baby?"
"I'm a mother now. Mother's Day is my day."
"It is. And on Father's Day, I get to commit crimes against fashion, grill outside, and make terrible jokes or something." She snorted through her tears as he squeezed her tight.
"I love you."
"I love you, too."
Later that evening, the three of them descended upon the ballpark. Annie had never been to a live baseball game before, so she was teaching her all of the traditions. She had a ball during the seventh inning stretch. Patrick recorded them singing. Surely, that would become blackmail material later on.
After the game, she found one of her favorite spots to eat near the ballpark. Of course, it was packed. There was always a lot to celebrate when the Cubs won.
Annie struggled to keep her eyes open in the short car ride to the hotel. By the time they were inside, she crashed before Teresa even pulled her book out. She just kissed her daughter's forehead. After all, it was an exciting day.
She stood in the doorway, staring at her husband for a moment. He was standing there scrolling through his phone, and she couldn't help but think how good he looked. She had to have him.
Shutting the door and closing the distance between them, she found his lips. Seemingly, that surprised him a bit as his hands went behind him and he sat his phone on the nightstand as she started to work on his pants.
He leaned back just a bit as she continued to kiss his neck. "Teresa, are you sure we should...we don't know how thin the walls are."
She bit her lip as she looked up and found his eyes. "Then, I guess you'll have to be quiet."
He flashed her a sly grin. "It's not me that I'm worried about."
"Yeah?"
"Yeah." He captured her lips again as she slid her hand into his boxers. He gasped into her mouth just a bit, but he continued their kiss. Knowing exactly what each other needed, they were pros at this by now. As she took him in her hand, he leaned out again. "Maybe we should take this to the shower. Would you like that?"
Admittedly, she wasn't feeling that right now. The ways she experienced intimacy had changed over the last month or so. She was trying to think of what to say when he slid his hand onto her cheek.
"That's ok. We don't have to do that. You know I'd never want you to do something like that to please me."
"I know."
"And I'd never be upset if you declined."
"I know."
"So maybe we should just get comfortable right here. How does that sound?" Their lips found each other again.
"I love that idea."
He took her hand from his boxers and placed it into his before turning her around. While she brought her hand behind his neck, he ran his hands over her body.
"So beautiful." He whispered into her ear, making her shiver a bit as he started to roll down her pants. "My beautiful wife."
"Husband."
He started to kiss her neck. "Want to see who can get undressed the fastest? I'll race you to bed!"
Without any warning, he took his hands off of her and started to quickly undress. She wanted to protest, but also, she wasn't going to lose to his underhanded methods. She quickly got undressed, sliding into bed a second before him as she worked on her bra.
"I won!" She exclaimed.
"Oh come on! That's cheating!"
"You know, for someone who creates underhanded challenges, you're not very good at being precise. You never said I had to be naked when I got in bed."
He brought his arm over her. "No, but it was certainly implied."
"Implied doesn't really mean anything though. Now, does it?"
He grinned at her. "Fine. What does the winner want?"
She raised her brows. "I can have anything I want?"
"You can always have anything you want, baby."
"In that case, I'd like to make love to my husband."
"In that case, you can absolutely have what you want."
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She woke the next morning with only a slight feeling of dread at going to Stan's today. At breakfast, they decided to check in with Annie and see how she was feeling.
Once again, the little girl was chowing down on her French toast when she mentioned their plan for the day. "Annie, Uncle Stan and Aunt Karen invited us over for a cookout today."
"Okay."
"They want to introduce Stan Junior to us."
"He's my cousin."
"Yes, he is. Does that sound like something you want to do today? Do you want to go for a cookout over there?"
She shrugged indifference. "I guess. Is he going to be there?"
She didn't have to ask to know who "he" was. Annie was still finding ways to talk about her biological parents. "I don't think so."
If Tommy somehow managed to show up today…well, she wasn't sure what she would do. From her phone call with Stan, it seemed he had not talked to Tommy in almost as long as she had.
"Okay. When are we going? Oh! Are we supposed to give Stan Junior a present?"
Her eyes lit up at that as she looked toward Patrick. He started that little habit of buying Annie something, even if small, when they shopped for presents for other kids. He always seemed happy to oblige her; she was just there to make sure he didn't go overboard.
She smiled a bit. "Well, he's a little baby in Annie. We might buy some clothes or something to take over. Aunt Karen might like a gift." If Stan hadn't changed his ways, Aunt Karen might enjoy a bottle of wine.
After breakfast and a quick shopping trip, they made their way to Stan and Karen's. Thankfully, Patrick agreed to cancel the car service for today. She would not be showing up to her brother's house that way. She'd never heard the end of it!
"Reese! Annie!" Stan was waiting for them in the front yard as Annie ran into his arms.
"Uncle Stan!"
"You've gotten so big on me!"
She scrunched her face up. "That's because she makes me eat vegetables."
"Yeah, that's kind of always been her thing. I think it works though."
"I guess so. Where's my new cousin?"
"Well, he's asleep right now. I wanted to talk to Reese really quick. You remember the corner store, don't you?"
She nodded in excitement. "Yeah, they have those push pops! Can I have one?"
He put some change in her hand. "You sure can. On me!"
She exchanged a curious look with her husband. At first, she thought it was nice that Stan met them out here, but something seemed off.
"Come on, daddy. Let's go." Annie was ready to be off for her push pop, but Patrick waited for her approval to go. He obviously noticed it too.
Before she could nod for him to go, she heard yelling coming from inside the house. Stan spoke again. "I think you'd like Annie to show you the store, Patrick."
That was definitely a coded message for him to take Annie away, which could only mean one thing. She knew why there was yelling in the house.
"I'll see you guys when you get back!"
Her husband took Annie's hand, and she led him away. Thankfully, she remained aloof to what was happening-happy to go get a push pop with Patrick.
As soon as they were far enough away, she turned to Stan. "Ok, what the hell is going on?"
"I'm really sorry about this, but Tommy just showed up about 15 minutes ago. Teresa, he's on something. As messed up as he is, I didn't want Annie to see him like this. I was hoping he'd go quietly, but he's been ranting and raving. I've got no fucking clue what's going on with him. Frankly, I don't care. Karen is freaked and wants to call the cops."
She closed her eyes. "Well, then, you should've just called the cops and got him out. She's your wife, and this is her home too. If she doesn't feel comfortable, you should have found a way to get him out!"
"I know. I don't have him over because Karen isn't comfortable around him, and he's only ever looking for money when he does contact me."
"I just...wish you would have told me before we came over. I wouldn't have brought Annie here. She doesn't need this, especially right now. I wish you would communicate these things with me!"
"I do my best, Teresa! I don't always know what you want to hear from me. Do you want to hear how he has been fighting? Wracking up warrants and charges? Who he's running with at the moment? That he's a piece of shit like dad? I have to tell you that it's not good! I mean, I don't want to know, but word always gets back to me. It's why my wife doesn't want him around. I just thought you'd rather not know what your favorite brother has been up to. Sure wish to hell that I didn't know."
There was an edge to his voice as he brought his hand to rub the back of his head. As shame washed over his face, guilt washed over her own. Without a doubt, and in spite of everything, he didn't want to call the cops and make more trouble for him. She'd been doing the same thing from California: trying to clean up after and mitigate things for Tommy. After all, it's what the Lisbon family had always done in a time of crisis.
But from Stan's point of view, he was also protecting her. She and Tommy, by virtue of age and temperament, had always been as thick as thieves. For years, they were best friends. After dad finished beating her, he'd bring her the first aid kit and an ice cream sandwich from the corner store. She never did find out how he could afford them all the time, but they talked about what they would do when they got out-because he promised her they'd make it out no matter what. Only, he didn't make it out; he stayed in.
She reached out for Stan's arm. "Stan, I…."
Another series of shouts came from inside of the house, catching their attention. She squeezed his arm. "Let's see if we can get him to leave. She shouldn't be alone with him while we argue over something that's not our fault on the front lawn."
"Why are you such a judgmental bitch, Karen?"
He roared with the same venom that dad always had when he was drunk. Nothing could actually prepare her for seeing Tommy. He looked completely haggard and reeked of alcohol. She wanted to be sick.
"Hey, man! Don't talk to my wife like that! We asked you to leave."
Karen, cradling her infant son to her chest, took off when she heard Stan. Clearly, she was afraid of Tommy.
"No, she wants me to leave. We're family. You can't just throw me out!"
He hadn't registered her appearance, but she definitely had words for him on that front. "Oh, does that actually mean something to you then?"
"Reese? What the hell are you doing here?"
She paused for a moment. Did she tell him she just became the legal parent of the daughter he abandoned and that was her literal purpose for coming to town?
"I'm here because Stan and Karen invited us over."
"Oh. Is Annabeth here? Annabeth!"
"Don't. Patrick took her to the corner store. You need to leave."
"You're still seeing that rich guy? Doesn't seem your type."
"He's my husband!"
Tommy laughed. "He managed to tie you down? Now, that's funny. But I guess your belly is getting a bit big there. Are you pregnant or something?"
"Yeah, Tommy. I'm six months pregnant."
He harrumphed. "Marry rich, and he convinced you to get knocked up."
"You'd know all of this if I had been able to reach you at any point during the last seven months or so. Just like you'd know she prefers to be called Annie now."
"Oh, come on! Not you too!"
"Yes, me too. If Karen and Stan would like you to leave, I think it's best you go."
"Well, I didn't even get to say hi to Annabeth."
"And you're not going to."
"She's my kid! If I want to say hi to her…"
"Not anymore! You signed papers putting her into the system, which has to be the dumbest fucking thing you've ever done."
He slammed his beer bottle on the table before shooting up and getting in her face. "Hey! Don't talk to me like that. Just because you let some rich prick domesticate you doesn't mean you're better than me."
"No, Tommy. I am better than you because I'm not a deadbeat that shows up at my brother's house and makes an ass out of himself in front of his entire family. What the hell happened to you?"
Maybe it's that she didn't expect it that made her not react in time, but he drew his hand back and slapped her across her face. Like when dad hit her, she felt herself leave her body for a moment as she brought her hand to the spot on her cheek where his hand had just landed. Only, now she seethed and held back her instinct to pummel him to the ground and start wailing on him. That wouldn't help the situation.
"You don't hit pregnant women! What the hell is wrong with you?"
"Why does she get to talk to me like that and keep me from my kid?"
She steadied her voice. "You did this, Tommy. You. No one else. You're not seeing Annie. Not today. And maybe not ever. Because you are not good for her. Not like this."
"Spare me all of your bullshit. You think you know everything now. You're always on some high horse or another. You're just like me."
"Hey! You've been asked to leave." She turned to see Jimmy standing behind her. She had no idea when he showed up. Frankly, she was still pondering whether it was worth tackling Tommy to the ground and beating the shit out of him.
"Nah. I'm going to wait until Annie's back. You got another beer?"
Stan rubbed his face. "Tommy, you are way past the need for another beer."
A loud knock on the door startled her. "Chicago Police! Open up!"
She shared a knowing look with Stan. Karen must have called the police when she fled to their bedroom.
Stan walked to the door. "Afternoon officers."
Two uniformed officers stood at the door. Clearly, the man was a rookie as he looked toward the female officer to speak. She found that a bit amusing, even given the circumstances.
"We received a call about a domestic dispute and possible a home invasion. Are you the owner?"
Stan looked back at her sheepishly. When they were kids, she handled all of their troubles. No doubt, he wanted her to do the talking and make them go away. She wasn't inclined to do that right now-not to spite him but maybe spending the day and night in a cell might help Tommy.
She nodded at him to answer. "I'm one of the owners of this house."
"May we come in?"
"I guess."
Tommy just laughed "You don't have to let the cops in your house, you fucking idiot."
"So what's going on?" Upon hearing the woman's question, Karen emerged from the bedroom with her son.
"He won't leave."
"Karen, honey, I've got this. Why don't you take…"
"No, Stan! I am sick of it! I want him out of my house!"
"How does it feel to be married to a narc?"
The female police officer cleared her throat. "Well, I have an idea of who the problem is here. Sir, is this your residence?"
"I'm not talking to the cops."
The woman looked back at Stan. "Does he live here?"
"No."
"Do you want him gone?"
Karen shouted. "Yes! And he hit her! That's assault, right?"
The woman turned to her now as her partner took notes. "Honey, are you alright? Your face is looking a bit red, like it's starting to swell."
Silently, she cursed Karen. They just needed him gone. She didn't actually want to have to press charges and testify against him.
Tommy cackled. "One pig talking to another pig."
She just looked at her pathetic excuse of a brother. "Go fuck yourself. Officer, it was just a domestic dispute. He was asked to leave multiple times, and he won't go."
"Well, I'm asking if he hit you. You see, that's a different crime. And with your state..."
She was asking her if she wanted to press charges. "I know what you're asking me. We just want him gone."
"You know what? Let me save you. Yeah, I hit her. She was acting like a bitch. She won't let me see my kid."
"Ok, sir, you can't hit the mother of your child…"
The room filled with a bunch of gasps and sharp exhales. She quickly stepped in to correct her. "No, I'm not his wife. I'm his sister. He's our brother."
"Oh, I'm sorry. Then, why can't he see his child?"
"Because he doesn't have custody of her."
"You're keeping her from me!"
"You abandoned her!" He shrunk in his chair a bit at that.
"Sir, how much have you had to drink?"
Once again, Karen chimed. "I'm not sure if it's the drink. I mean, look at his pupils. They're the size of saucers!"
"Very smooth, Karen! I want to see my kid! She's kidnapping her!"
She brought her forehead into her hands. Whatever he was on let him spin a tale. "Tommy, I am not kidnapping her. Do you even know why I am in town?"
"No, but you were supposed to be helping me out with Annie. Now, I can't even wait til she comes back to say hi?"
"Tommy, we adopted her. We finalized it Thursday. We are her legal parents. I have the right to say that she is not setting foot in a house where you are out of your mind on whatever."
"You adopted her?"
"Yeah. It was either that or let the State of Illinois shuffle her around to different homes. What did you think I'd do?"
He shrugged. "I don't know, but you always know how to fix things I guess."
The officer looked at her once again. "So, you have custody of the child?"
"My husband and I do. He took her to the corner store, so she wouldn't have to see this." She looked back at Tommy, completely disgusted.
"And the owners of the house want him gone?"
Stan nodded as Karen exclaimed "Yes!"
"Ok, sir. I need you to leave. It doesn't seem like anyone here is jumping to file any charges. If you don't leave willingly, I will have to place you under arrest."
"Teresa, help me out, please?"
She shook her head. "No. Absolutely not. You were asked to leave, and you are still being given the chance to just walk out of here not in cuffs. Go!"
"Fine! You're all just a bunch of stuck up pricks!"
He started to leave when the officer put out her hand to stop him. "Actually, wait a moment. Do you have any warrants that you know of?"
He scoffed. "Not that I know of. Besides, why would I tell the pigs to take me to the farm?"
"I don't know, but it sounds like that's exactly what you're telling us to do confessing to beating up on your pregnant sister, trespassing, and all but admitting you have live warrants."
He spat at the woman, and her partner swooped in with cuffs. "That's enough. You're under arrest. Right now, for assaulting a peace officer. We will see what else we turn up when we run your name."
She put her hand in her palms. He was free and clear. She had no idea what his problem was, but it made him act like an asshole and a fool.
"Oh, come on! Reese! Help me out! Don't let them take me in."
"You just spat at a cop, Tommy!"
"So? Can't you talk to them?"
The female cop looked at her. "Why does he want you to talk to us?"
"I'm a cop. I work for the California Bureau of Investigation. But I'm not inclined to do what he wants me to do right now."
The woman gave her a knowing look, as they led Tommy away, still screaming and cursing for her to come help him. She stood on the porch hugging herself, unable to look away as they put him into the back of the car and drove away. Just like that, he was gone.
Stan went inside, trying to console Karen, but she stood there until she felt Jimmy wrap his arm around her shoulder. "You ok, Reese?"
"Yeah, I'm fine."
"You wouldn't just tell your baby brother that because you don't want him to worry, would you?"
"I'm fine."
"Just because you say that doesn't mean I'm not still worried."
She sighed. "He just slapped me. I've been hit harder. Believe me. I'm fine." She'd definitely been hit harder, but they didn't land quite as deep.
"Look, I know it's not like us to talk about these things, but maybe we should."
She turned to face him. "Jimmy, it's not that I don't want to talk about it. I have to process what happened, so I can tell Patrick the full story later. Meanwhile, I have to act like nothing important happened around Annie because she can never know what a true piece of shit her father decided to become."
"Right. Well, I know you've got Annie. But we are all in it together, you know? Stan was so happy that you were coming to town. Even if Tommy is a piece of shit, it doesn't mean we don't miss you too. We still care."
"I know, Jimmy. I care, too."
"Besides, what's this situation you've got going on here?" He pointed to her belly. "Apparently, I wasn't clear enough last time I talked to Patrick."
She grinned. "You see, that was before he was my husband."
"And if this situation wasn't brewing before then, my name isn't James Lisbon!"
She punched him in the arm. "Shut up, Jimmy!"
Just then, Patrick came walking up the sidewalk with Annie. "Uncle Jimmy!"
"Annie Bananie! You've grown so much since I last saw you!"
Annie ran into Jimmy's arms. He lifted her in the air and spun her around. She was truly happy this was the part of the day Annie would get to remember.
Patrick nudged her hand. "Are you ok?"
"I'm fine."
"Your face is red."
"I know. Tommy slapped me."
"Ok, I'm going to keep my voice down. But what the fuck?" Even with his voice above a whisper, she could hear the anger and disdain seeping into her husband's voice. "Is he gone?"
She nodded. "Karen called the cops. He got arrested."
"Did you press charges?"
"No. He was able to get himself arrested without my help. Can we talk about it later? I'd like to try to enjoy the rest of the trip." He nodded, taking her hand.
Stan and Karen emerged from the house. She was still holding Stan Junior. In the chaos, she had not been able to properly lay eyes on her little nephew until now.
She reached for his little hand. He took her finger and squeezed it, drawing it toward his mouth. She smiled at him. "Hi, baby!"
Karen smiled back at her. "Would you like to hold him?"
"Of course!"
She handed Stan Junior to her. He had the tell tale Lisbon green eyes with hair a few shades lighter than her own. He was gorgeous.
"Oh, I think he likes you, Reese." Stan smiled.
"Because she's the best!" She hadn't noticed that Annie came to stand between her and Patrick until she spoke. Now, Annie was smiling up at her. She brought her left hand down to rest in the little girl's hair. "Are we going to eat soon?"
Karen gasped at the question. "I...I didn't get to make food...because...I'm so sorry." She looked completely panicked, and in spite of everything that happened today beyond their control, she probably felt like a failure in her own home.
She nudged Patrick with her elbow before meeting his eyes. He immediately caught the drift. "Hey, what would you say is the best restaurant in the neighborhood?"
In true Lisbon fashion, the answer to that question took some debate. In the end, they ended up at the steakhouse near their hotel. Patrick footed the bill for taxi rides and dinner for everyone. When she elbowed him, she thought maybe he would just buy pizza or something-but of course, that wasn't his style. No one complained about a steak dinner.
After they hugged their family goodbye, they retired to their hotel room to make sure their bags were packed and ready for their early morning flight back to Sacramento. It was time to get back to their lives.
After their day out, Annie was out quickly. Of course, Patrick was ready for the unabridged version of today's events, which she gave him.
He let her tell the entire story before he finally spoke. "I'm sorry."
"For what?"
"That you had to go through that. As much as we want to protect Annie from that, I wish I could have protected you from that as well."
"Honey, you don't have to protect me."
"I know the indomitable Teresa Lisbon Jane can take care of herself because she don't need no man…but that doesn't mean her man doesn't want to protect her."
She laughed softly before meeting his lips. "Very smooth."
Though, that did make her think about something else she'd learned today. For years, she carried the burden of being the Lisbon who carried the burden. But perhaps others protected her too. What she took as standoffishness from Stan and aloofness from Jimmy were their own special ways of doing what she'd always done-but in a different way.
Patrick took his chin in her hand. She looked into his eyes. "After the day my green eyed girl has had, I think this calls for a turn or two around the dance floor. Don't you think?"
She grinned at that, as he popped up from the bed and reached his hand out to her. He pulled her up and directly into his tight embrace. Without putting any music on that might disturb Annie, they began to softly shuffle around the bedroom floor.
Sometimes, life could make love look hard, but they still didn't need any music for this dance.