24 hours earlier—
She sits in her kitchen on a stool staring at a bottle of scotch. The worn black label glares back at her, daring her to acquaint herself with an old friend. She stares at the empty glass before her, and her mind begins to wander. She thinks of baby Emilia who is suddenly motherless. A gulp accompanies the consideration of a childless mother who never was. Her thumbs drum on the counter as she tumbles head first down the rabbit hole.
December 19th, 1975—
It is bitterly cold as she steps out on the sidewalk. Her brow is furrowed, and her lip is busted as her partner meets her gaze. He shoots her a questioning look as she corrals Micah O'Rourke in to the back of a cruiser. As her partner moves behind the car he catches a glimpse of Micah's face. His is by far worse than Vera's. The door slams, and the elder officer looks down at his young partner.
"You good to go?"
"Aye," she nods knowing it is a bold faced lie.
"You've reeled him in after many have failed."
"Well pin a rose on my nose."
"Can I give you a lift home?"
"I prefer to drive myself."
She returns home, and doesn't disturb her old man, who is passed out in an armchair in the living room. She collects her pajamas, and makes a beeline for the bathroom. Hot water from the shower head sprays until it runs cold. She's still reeling from the events of that night as she steps outside for a smoke. In the cool air her wet hair practically freezes in an instant. Her hand trembles as she attempts to light the match. It isn't the cold that has set into her bones.
July 3rd, 1976—
The entire trial has been expedited. In the blink of an eye the entire ordeal is over. Vera is fresh off a 48 hour shift working a double homicide when the verdict comes down. Her DCI sends her home after the verdict. She refuses to engage in small talk as she passes her father in the kitchen. She locks herself behind the safety of the heavy wooden door to her bedroom. Hastily she takes a seat on the edge of the bed. Tired fingers run through her hair.
She wills away the sudden urge to vomit. She scoffs at herself, since it is hardly an irregular occurrence these days. The walls of denial violently crumble around her. Her hand comes to rest on her midsection.
"Ah, pet I am truly sorry about all of this. I've not mentioned your existence to anyone. I've hardly come to acknowledge it myself."
September 11th, 1976
The room has fallen silent after hours of activity. Vera lifts the newborn from her enclosure as she awaits the arrival of the adoptive parents. A rosy-cheeked babe with a bald head stares up at her.
"I can admit that you are certainly the most beautiful little creature I've ever laid eyes on. Your parents will be coming to meet you."
Present Day—
An elbow to her side draws her back into reality. Her colleague shoots her a questioning glance.
"Did you hear what I asked you?"
"You asked me what level of detail you should offer."
"I received zero response."
"Aiden I have sacrificed everything for this job. If my reputation goes with it I can't say I would be surprised. When have you ever known me to care what people think?"
"Perhaps you don't, but I do. It isn't as if Maggie was the result of some fling you initiated whilst undercover with a married man who was the ring-leader in an organized crime scheme."
"It hardly matters now," Vera insists as she peels baby Emilia from her restraints. She glances at the infant who has begun to stir.
"You can't put her in your car, you know. It is a death trap for an infant. You didn't drive her over here in that thing, did you?"
"I met Laura downstairs."
"Are you sure about this?"
"You are concerned about my ability to handle such a task at my ripe old age?"
"That is the least of my concerns in the matter. I take more issue with your lack of support in your isolated little neck of the woods. Of course there is the matter of your automobile. I fret what impact this might have on your mental health. Are you certain about this?"
"I never met Maggie as an adult. She only had half of the picture. She hadn't a clue that I was little more than a terrified kid. Maybe chronologically I was an adult, but at that age you still don't know much about the world. What does a twenty-three year old really know? I never wanted to let her go, despite the circumstance of her conception. I would have chosen differently if I had believed I could raise her without sacrificing her happiness, and well-being, or mine. It hardly would have been fair to her to have a mum married to her job, and no father to speak of. Aiden, I'm on the other side of all of it now. I've paid my dues, and now it is time to quit staring at all of the darkness, and ugliness out there."
"I should take you home before your little cherub turns into a howler monkey."
"I shan't be heading to my home this evening. We are staying at one of Maggie's vacant rental properties temporarily, until we get our bearings."
"Just tell me the address, and I'll happily chauffer you ladies to your destination."
Vera secures Emilia in her car seat once again, and offers a genuine smile.
"Just head toward your neighborhood, and I'll point it out."
He furrows his brow, "Come again?"
"It is a block from your place," Vera reveals.
"You're really jumping into this feet first, aren't you?"
She winks at him, "When have you ever known me to do things by halves?"
