Fifty-eight.

Maggie was out of her booster seat for less than five minutes when her breakfast came back up in the form of heaving, projectile vomit. Frightened at what her body was doing, Maggie froze and screamed. Her arms went rigid and she balled her fists so hard they turned a deep crimson.

"Sweetheart," Olivia ran over and cradled Maggie to her chest.

Ed grabbed a rag and disinfectant wipes and cleaned up the mess. "Not a ton of splatter," he remarked good naturedly, making quick work of the cleanup. He tossed the wipes in the trash, rinsed the rag, and went over to Wyatt. "You alright bud?"

Wyatt's eyes were bright and his cheeks were their normal, healthy, pinkish hue. "No, Dada! Where No?"

"Noah's comin' home on the airplane tonight."

Wyatt squirmed to get down and sprinted for the toy box. He found his airplane and flew it around and around in exaggerated swoops.

"He seems fine," Ed smoothed Maggie's hair and peered at her. "She seem hot?"

"No," Olivia said, "Maybe something didn't agree with her. C'mon, sweet girl, let's get you cleaned up." Olivia kissed Maggie's forehead and took her into the bathroom.

Ed realized Wyatt was no longer in the room and called, "Wyatt? Where are ya, bud?" He waited for a response but the only sounds he heard were those of Olivia, Maggie, and running water. Ed checked the twins' room and the beanbags, but Wyatt was nowhere to be found.

"Ed?"

"Yeah?"

"I think Wyatt's crying. Noah's room."

Ed hustled back there and, sure enough, Wyatt was in tears and frantically pacing the floor between Noah's bed and his desk. "Bud, what's wrong?"

Wyatt crouched and looked under the bed. "Where NO?"

"Aw, bud, Noah's in Florida with Sarah. He'll be back tonight. After dinner."

"Want NO!" To emphasize his point, Wyatt ran to the nightstand and grabbed a framed photograph of Noah and Caroline taken on his last birthday. "NO!"

Ed gently took the picture from Wyatt and sat down on the bed with his young son in his lap. "C'mere, pal. It's okay. Shhh."

"Where Nooo…" Wyatt moaned.

"Hey, how 'bout we play something until it's time to go get Noah?" Ed tried to sound as cheerful as possible.

"Tane?" Wyatt asked, his eyes hopeful and wide. He pointed at Noah's train table-the one exclusively for his use. "No, Tane?"

"Yeah, let's play trains." Ed took out his phone and snapped a picture of the table so he could return the set up exactly the way Noah had left it. "C'mon." Ed's face filled with pride as he watched and listened to Wyatt work. Not even Noah took such care in dismantling the track. Wyatt moved around the table thoughtfully and, in his soft, sweet toddler voice mumbled words like tunnel and bridge as best he could.

"What color should I use, bud?" Ed held up the green locomotive. "This one?"

Wyatt bit his lip and, after a few seconds, plucked the blue engine from the middle of the table. "Here, Dada! Boo! Boo choo choo!" Ed didn't notice Olivia in the doorway. She looked on with a smile on her face as Ed and Wyatt made the whistles, sounds, and engine roars necessary for playing trains. Maggie, still reeling from the effects of her upset stomach, was immune to the fun and burrowed herself into Olivia's chest.

"Maggie's all cleaned up," Olivia finally said in a voice soft enough so as not to startle Ed. "No temperature, but she's not a hundred percent."

Ed jumped up and kissed the back of Maggie's head. "I think we have some Pedialyte."

"Yeah we do." Olivia puckered her lips for a kiss. "Play," she said, "We'll be on the couch."

"Mommy's gonna take care of you, princess," Ed whispered, rubbing Maggie's back.

"Ma...ma," she murmured.

The dreamy, blissful look Olivia always got when her children showered her with affection filled her face and her eyes. Ed squeezed her hand. "We won't be in here long."

"Maybe it's better to keep them apart."

"It's not better for me to be apart from you," Ed replied, "But...I'll take one for the team."

…

Sarah expected the women who ran the orphanage to be more emotional than they were when they relinquished custody of Anthony and Mari. Rather than send the two children off with tear-filled expressions of love, the nun gave each child a quick hug, gave Sarah and Justin two bags full of their "personal belongings", and wished them all good luck. Justin took Anthony's hand, Sarah held Mari to her chest with both arms, and they began the short walk from the church to their hotel. Anthony neither looked back nor did he seem impressed at the sights and sounds of San Juan's bustling city center. He looked around, but his face remained expressionless. Even so, Justin reported the little boy's grip on his hand did not loosen until they were inside the room.

Anthony walked around, apparently enthralled by the way the carpet felt on his bare feet. He touched the bedding and the pillows and peered out at the ocean through the sliding glass doors.

"Want to go outside?" Sarah asked in Spanish. She kept her distance and was careful not to make any sudden moves. She was terrified of scaring her new son. Anthony gave her a small, crooked smile, so she opened the door and led him onto the balcony where she switched to English. "Up?" She held out her arms and Anthony stepped into them. "Look," she said in her softest voice, "Look at the pretty waves and the palm trees. And the beach! Would you like to go there?" She poked her head inside and said to Justin, "I bet they've been within a mile of the beach their whole lives and never gone."

"Very possible."

Sarah sighed. "I can't...wow...I, we, I need to take some pictures and send them but...I kind of want to not do that right now."

Justin carried Mari onto the balcony and kissed the side of Sarah's head. "Let's take it minute by minute," he said, "But, I'm kinda hungry. Want to order in or go out?"

"I really want to take them on the beach," Sarah said, "Let's go out and then for a little walk?"

"Yeah." Justin held Mari out in front of him. "You gonna get chilly, baby girl? We gotcha a sweater…pink like Mommy's."

Chills traveled up and down Sarah's spine induced by Justin's sweet demeanor toward his daughter and him describing her as "Mommy." She ran her hands up and down Anthony's arms. He was warm enough, but the evening breezes were cool. Sarah was grateful Justin had thought to buy some warmer clothes for them.

During dinner and their walk on the beach, Mari came alive. She smiled and squealed and babbled baby talk. Anthony, however, showed little emotion other than a few hesitant smiles. Late that night, unable to sleep, Sarah and Justin fretted about their new son's psychological health. What had he seen? What did he remember? Did he remember his mother? Miss her? Miss the neighbors from their ramshackle neighborhood?

"Jus," Sarah whispered, "Are we sure he wouldn't rather be...at the orphanage?"

"He doesn't wanna be there," Justin said. "It's gonna take him some time, Sare, that's all. He's not crying and he doesn't seem upset, he's just gotta know...we're not gonna leave him. That's huge. But it's gonna take a while to build that trust."

"At least he ate…" Sarah said weakly.

"He sure did."

Anthony had eaten healthy portions of mashed plantains and roasted chicken at the restaurant. The food as well as the mango juice they'd ordered for him seemed unfamiliar. At the first taste his face filled with consternation but he continued to eat and drink. On the way back to the hotel they stopped for ice cream and Anthony eagerly opened his mouth for bites. Sarah thought she had won him over, but when it came time to go to bed, Anthony was distant and resistant to any type of affection.

"Good night, sweetheart," Sarah whispered as she put him in the crib. She and Justin thought he was too big for one, but he was used to sleeping in a crib at the orphanage. Anthony stared up at Sarah and Justin wide wide, dark eyes. "We love you, Anthony. Mommy and Daddy love you." She tucked the blanket around his body. Sarah smiled when she saw his eyelids immediately begin to droop.

"I wish he had a bear or something," Sarah whispered to Justin as she joined him in their bed.

Justin cupped her face and kissed her. "We'll get him one."

"They said Mari sleeps through the night but is up really early."

"You wanna get up with her?" Justin grinned at his joke.

Sarah smiled as well, but replied, "I don't think I'm going to sleep much tonight."

"C'mere," Justin stretched out and guided her head to his chest. "Close your eyes. Another big day tomorrow."

….

Hours after getting sick, Maggie showed no signs of fever, but she was lethargic, clingy, and far from her bubbly, rambunctious self. She spent most of the day in Olivia's lap watching animated shows, and she managed to keep her lunch and the Pedialyte down. Nevertheless, she refused to be apart from her mother for long; she even burst into tears when it came time to change her diaper.

"Sweet girl," Olivia had said in her most soothing voice. "Mommy's right here." Olivia expertly swapped the soiled diaper for a fresh one. "It's about time to seriously start going on the potty, Maggie May."

"Potty, No…"

"Yes. Noah goes on the potty. Don't you want to?"

"Magg!" Maggie tugged at the diaper's waistband. "Magg! D'per! Magg BAY!"

"Oh honey," Olivia lifted Maggie to her shoulder and hugged her tightly, "You'll always be my baby."

After dinner, Ed and Wyatt left for the airport. Ed had briefly considered taking Sarah up on her offer to return to Manhattan via taxi, but as he and Olivia talked, Wyatt ran to the foyer and dragged Ed's shoes to the table. "Get No!" He said adamantly. "Dada, GET NO!"

Ed smirked. "Well, that decides it," he said, "C'mon, bud. We'll go get No."

At the airport, after Sarah let Ed know they were almost to the point where passengers entered the waiting area, Ed put Wyatt on his shoulders. He instructed Wyatt to watch for Noah and smiled when he felt his son's little fingers determinedly grip his ears. As soon as he spotted his brother, Wyatt kicked, bounced, and squealed Noah's name.

"Hi Daddy!" Noah hugged Ed around the waist and then tugged on Wyatt's foot. "Hi, brother!" Face filled with consternation, he looked around, "Where's Mommy and Maggs?"

"Maggie got a little sick earlier," Ed replied, "She's not feelin' great so Mommy kept her at home."

"What's wrong with her?" Sarah asked.

"I dunno. She puked after breakfast." Ed put Wyatt down and Noah wrapped him in a tight bear hug.

Sarah's eyes sparkled with mischief, "Hungover?" She said so Noah couldn't hear.

"Stop."

"Sare Bear, I gotta show Wyatt his present!"

"Let's wait til we get in the car," Ed picked Wyatt up again and ushered everyone toward baggage claim. "Plenty of time to show Wyatt everything on the way back."

"I told you we didn't mind taking a cab," Sarah said.

"Wyatt wasn't havin' it."

"He's two."

Ed raised his eyebrows, "Interesting criticism for someone who gets a six-year-old whatever he wants."

"Wait until small sister, Wyatt, and Sofia can make requests," Sarah said, "It's gonna get cray-cray."

….

The cab stopped in front of Olivia's building. She paid and clutched the handles of both her bags while impatiently waiting for the receipt. Her plan to spend the day with Noah had been ruined by flight delays, and her son wouldn't even be awake for her to kiss him goodnight. Always aware of her surroundings, Olivia's shoulders tensed as she stepped onto the sidewalk and sensed another person's presence. She looked one way then the other and jumped at the sight of a figure propelling himself from a perch on a neighbor's stoop railing until the street light illuminated a familiar face.

"Tucker," she said, her lips curling into a smile. She had been sending him frustrated text messages all day while she and Fin were stuck at O'Hare. Realizing she hadn't returned his last inquiry about a drink, she winced and groaned. "We boarded and then I...forgot to text you back."

"I figured," he said a bit sheepishly, "Sorry for showin' up like this. Seemed like a good idea but now...it's kinda creepy."

"Especially with it being so cold," Olivia sassed. "It's not like you were out for a walk enjoying the evening and decided to wander over here."

Ed grinned, "Total bust." He reached for her leather overnight bag, "At least lemme get this. Save some face. That is, if you're inviting me up?"

His shoulders slumped pathetically, and the embarrassment in his eyes wasn't completely the product of jest. Olivia jerked her head in the direction of the entrance. "I am," she said, "Under one condition."

"What's that?"

"No cop talk. I need a break."

"You got it."

Inside, Olivia apologized to Lucy and profusely thanked her for being so flexible. She mentioned she would be going in late the next day and would drop off Noah at day care; the details pleased Ed, for it meant there was a chance, if Olivia wasn't too tired, that their evening together would last at least a few hours. After Lucy left, Olivia gave Ed a quick peck on the cheek and went to change clothes. She returned in an old, oversized sweater and blue jeans. She tucked her bare feet under her body when she sat down next to Ed.

"How was your day?" She asked.

"Not bad."

"That all?"

"You said no cop talk," he replied, his blue eyes sparkling.

Olivia grinned and shook her head with mock shame. "That I did, Tucker."

"Why all the flight delays? Weather seemed fine."

"It seems the flight gods did not want us back home," Olivia said, "The first time it was a mechanical issue and the next the plane was delayed coming in from...somewhere...I don't remember."

"Well, I'm certainly glad those gods let ya get back." Ed leaned in for a kiss. "I missed you."

"When I had a free second to think," she said, "I missed you."

"Someday we'll go to Chicago, in the spring, not now. Go on the Ferris Wheel at Navy Pier. Go a weekend the Yankees play the Cubs. Bet Noah'd love it."

"Ferris wheel…" Olivia murmured.

"Heights?"

"Not afraid of heights...afraid of…" Olivia scrunched up her face searching for a word, "Engineering?"

"I'm sure it's safe, Benson."

"Well," she patted his knee, "If you're sure, then I'm sure." They gazed at each other, smiling. "I really should make it a priority to travel for pleasure more. Especially with Noah getting older...the last time we went to the Children's Museum he was so much more engaged."

"Gettin' to be a fun age."

"He is...and I'm relieved he's starting to talk more, I've been so worried about his language development...not knowing what he went through, early on, his pediatrician can only guess at so much."

"She say she thinks he needs to see a speech therapist?"

"Not yet."

"If it makes you feel any better, my daughter Sarah was alarmingly quiet until she was in Kindergarten."

"Really?" Olivia asked incredulously.

"Yup. After that the teachers never stopped calling about her talking too much."

Olivia sighed. "I think I'd definitely prefer that problem."

"And also, for what it's worth, Idda never thought something was wrong if you hadn't said anything," Ed put one of his hands over hers. "But then again, I'm not exactly qualified to make a diagnosis."

"Maybe not," Olivia squeezed his fingers, "But knowing that makes me feel a lot better." The last two words were spoken through a yawn.

Ed downed the rest of his drink and put the glass on the coffee table. "I better go," he said, "You gotta be exhausted."

"Stay for one more," she implored. "I can sleep in tomorrow."

"Little guy gonna cooperate with that plan?"

"Probably not, but, when he wakes up, if I put him in bed with me he'll doze a little longer."

Ed grabbed his glass again. "You want another one?"

"Yes." Olivia grabbed his wrist and looked up at him with desirous eyes. He leaned down and kissed her. She smiled. "I'm glad you showed up tonight."

"That mean I'm forgiven?"

"You didn't make a mistake," Olivia countered.

Ed smirked and kissed her once more. He quickly refilled their drinks and sat down again, this time a couple of inches closer to her than he'd been before. "So," he draped his arm across the back of the couch, "What else is on your travel list?"

"Some place tropical," Olivia replied, thinking about the frigid February cold snap they were currently dealing with, "And Europe of course...London, Barcelona, Paris…"

"Paris, huh?"

"Have you ever been?"

"No. Sarah and Brooke have. They've been all over."

"Good for them. I hope Noah wants to get out there and see the world while he's young."

"He seems to really like the planes in his toy box."

"That's because they make fun noises."

"Maybe," Ed shrugged, "But maybe it shows a precocious love of travel."

"I hope so."

"Ya trusted me on the Ferris Wheel and the amateur speech analysis…"

"Yes I did." Overwhelmed by the serious underlying meaning in their words, Olivia took a deep breath and ended up yawning again.

Ed moved even closer, close enough to run his fingers through the strands of hair that fell on the side of her face. "I really should let ya get some sleep. Feel bad keepin' ya up."

Olivia tilted her face into Ed's hand and closed her eyes. Seconds later, she positioned herself so her back was against his chest and her head under his chin. He put an arm around her and she put her hand over his.

"I might fall asleep," she mumbled.

"Okay."

"Wake me up when you're ready to leave."

Ed kissed the top of her head and repeated the "okay" knowing there was zero chance he'd ever be ready to leave her side.

…..

Noah burst through the door and marched into the living room without removing his shoes. Leaving footwear on past the foyer was a rare occurrence, but he had serious business to investigate.

"Maggs? Mommy?"

"Noah!" Olivia appeared from the back hallway, hugged Noah, and swung him around in a circle. "How is my sweet boy? How was your trip?"

"Great! Small sister still sick?"

"She is, honey," Olivia said, "She's in our bed sleeping right now." She glanced at Ed and told him she'd started to run a fever. "I gave her some medicine though," Olivia said to Noah, "So she'll be feeling better soon."

"I'll go back and lay with her so Noah can tell ya all about the trip."

"Okay."

Olivia smiled at him and grabbed a handful of his t-shirt as he passed. Ed gave her a kiss, stopped in the kitchen for a bottle of water, and went to the bedroom. Wyatt busied himself on the floor with a set of wind-up frogs he'd been gifted, so Olivia sat Noah on the island and listened as he relayed the details of the past two and a half days.

"Me an' Sare Bear were verrrry busy!" Noah described the lawyer's office and signing the papers, "But after da buis'ness we could chill and we went to da beach and saw da huge birds-Mommy, they were all diff'rent colors, I show you on my phone-and we danced with da cowboys-I wanted ta go to Texas but Sare Bear say dat's too far for this time-den we went to da bonfire and sang songs and den we came home and we watched movies and had cherry Coke on da plane!"

"Well, that sounds like a fantastic trip," Olivia hugged him again, "But I am so glad you're home. I missed my boy!"

"I missed my Mommy!" Noah batted his eyelashes at her, "I like you readin' da stories to me, Mommy."

"Oh, honey," Olivia kissed his head as her heart swelled, "I love reading you stories. What are we going to read tonight?"

Noah shrugged. "I'll look…" he glanced over at Wyatt, "But, Mommy, can Wyatt sleep in my bed? He gonna be all by himself if Maggs is with you!"

"Sure."

"Kay, den, I read one of da Irish stories and we read a train one and den I think Noon B'loon 'cause Wyatt love dat one and it's about flying and I loooooove flying in dose airplanes!"

"Sounds like a plan. I'm going to give Wyatt a quick bath. Will you take your clothes out of your suitcase and put them by the washing machine?"

"Yup! I taked a shower b'fore we left, Mommy!"

"I can tell. Your hair smells so good."

"S'coconut shampoo!"

"I love it. We'll have to get some for here."

"Tell Daddy to buy some when he goes to da store!"

Olivia smiled, but she experienced some mild qualms about Noah making the connection between household necessities and the fact Ed always purchased them. He ran most of the errands and did the majority of the chores. Olivia plopped Wyatt in the tub, and, as he played with the boats and funnels, she looked around at the built in shelves where the towels and washcloths were neatly folded and ready for use. Extra toilet paper was stacked in a wire cylinder. The kids' toothbrushes were lined up in the holder which was always free from dried collected toothpaste. Paper cups decorated with Peanuts characters were loaded into the adjacent dispenser. All of this was Ed's doing and Olivia had never thought twice about it. Now, though, confronted with routines that had been going on for years without her participation, she began to feel some trepidation about the days, weeks, and months ahead. How did retired Olivia fit into her family's well-oiled machine?

"Mommy!" Noah came running in, rolling his suitcase behind him, "Case is all empty, but," he held up a small bag, "Here's your present!"

Olivia opened the satchel and peered inside at a bar of handmade soap. "Sweet boy…"

"I knew ya'd like it!" Noah grinned and bounced from foot to foot. "S'a little scratchy but it makes your skin nice and smooth! When we were in da beach store we were smellin' all da stuff and I picked dis one 'cause when I went like dis," Noah sniffed and closed his eyes, "I saw ya!"

Later, when Olivia replayed the conversation for Ed, she would remark she had no idea how she didn't break down into a ball of sobs. She hugged Noah again, apologized for squishing, and, by the time she, Noah, and Wyatt were snuggled together for story time, questions that had been swirling in her mind an hour earlier were nowhere to be found.

…

#Tuckson