Eighty-one.

The rumbling of heavy machinery caused Olivia to awake with a start. She lifted her head and squinted at the master bedroom's open, south-facing window. The noise hadn't bothered Ed. He was next to her, breathing heavily, almost snoring, deeply asleep. Olivia could not deny she was showing signs of aging. She had to have her roots colored more often, she needed stronger reading glasses, and, in the mornings, it took several full-body stretches before she worked out the kinks in her muscles and joints. Nevertheless, there were two things that age had not yet come to claim. The first was her skin. It was still smooth and firm and her face was miraculously mostly wrinkle-free. Second, she was still powerfully attracted to her husband.

"Ed." She whispered his name and kissed his bare shoulder. Last night, after the family movie, popcorn, and sodas, she and Ed made the nightly rounds through the house. They checked locks, bathroom nightlights, made sure stray items on the porch were put away, and set the thermostat. On this night they also made sure the ceiling fan in the converted sunroom was on so Maggie, Wyatt, and Noah could sleep comfortably. Maggie had won her case for bunking there and the kids were already dozing off when Ed and Olivia checked on them. On the way upstairs Ed swatted at Olivia, and, once they were on the landing, he kissed the back of her neck while they made their way to the bedroom.

Olivia shivered as she recalled the lovemaking, especially when she pictured Ed's face-the way he stared into her eyes, the way he looked at her as if he'd never seen anything or anyone more beautiful and precious in his life.

She kissed Ed again, this time making sure to press her body more firmly against his. "Ed, honey, wake up."

He turned his head to her, eyes still closed, and smirked.

"No," Olivia said, shooting him a grin of her own, "The guys working on the driveway are here."

Ed groaned. "Not why I thought you were wakin' me up."

"I know. Sorry."

In one quick, deft motion, Ed lifted himself push-up style and propelled his body on top of hers. His hands were on either side of her head. Olivia grinned at the impishness in his expression. She sighed with both pleasure and disappointment when she gripped his arms and felt his biceps flexed, firm, and strong.

Outside, the Bobcat revved and roared.

"I don't really need to be there," Ed rasped into Olivia's neck.

"No?"

"They're gettin' rid of the gravel then leveling everything," He switched to the other side.

"What about the flagstones?"

"Droppin' em off this afternoon. With the mortar mix."

"Are you sure they don't need to talk to you now?"

"Liv," Ed slowly tugged at her pajama shorts, "There's only one thing in the world anyone needs right now."

"Ed…"

"Shhh…"

Olivia giggled. Ed hadn't shaven in a few days and his whiskers tickled her neck. He growled and teased her more by running his fingers along the side of her torso. Olivia laughed again, louder, and Ed started to slide the shorts down but the morning intimacy was destined to be short-lived.

The doorbell rang.

Someone bounded up the stairs.

"Daddy! The guys are here!" It was Wyatt. His raspy, eight-year-old voice warmed Olivia's heart. She was also relieved, because Wyatt was probably not going to burst through the bedroom door and she was sure she had a flush that could not be easily explained in child-friendly terms.

….

The days after Ed's "episode" were filled with check-ins from almost every member of his family. Caroline gave him a lecture over the phone, Brooke stopped by, Sarah sent a fruit basket and a cheeky note, and both Justin and Sonny sent text messages. Even Ed's brother and sister called which made him more annoyed than comforted.

"One thing's for sure," he muttered to Olivia, "If I die you'll have plenty of support."

"Don't joke about that," Olivia passed by him in the kitchen and kissed his cheek, "And what everyone is doing is called being caring. It's part of being a family. And also human."

Ed grunted and stabbed a piece of melon with a fork. He chewed and smiled at Maggie and Wyatt who were eating their own breakfasts in their booster seats at the table. Both twins had mastered the use of a fork, yet the process was slow and each bite had to be taken carefully. A few stray blueberries fell beneath their seats, but they had both developed into tidy eaters.

It was a school day, and Noah had already eaten his berry-covered waffles. Ed heard him switch off the battery-powered toothbrush and open the cabinet for the mouthwash. Noah gargled and spat into the sink. He half-skipped from the bathroom to his bedroom and emerged clad in his school uniform-tan pants and burgundy oxford. The shirt was impeccably pressed. They'd picked up a fresh batch from the dry cleaner the previous night.

"Ready, bud?"

"Ready!"

Olivia checked the contents of his backpack and made sure everything was where it was supposed to be. The thick plastic blue folder was stowed in the interior pocket, his pencil pouch and art supply case were secured with elastic straps in the main compartment, and his water bottle was tucked in one of the side pouches. Last year's shark backpack wasn't very durable, so Noah upgraded to a dark blue Patagonia bag embroidered with his initials. He chose the bag because of its red-and-white zig zag piping. "Looks like shark teeth," he'd remarked approvingly.

As soon as Noah tied his sneakers and zipped his fleece jacket, he went to the refrigerator and held the door open. "Daddy, your lunch is here."

"My lunch?"

Noah tapped a covered plastic container. "Yep. Ri'here."

"You made my lunch?"

"Uh-huh! Last night when you were runnin' errans!"

Ed glanced at Olivia. She passed by him again and patted his stomach. "We made Daddy and me a good healthy lunch, didn't we sweet boy?"

"Uh-huh!" Noah proudly exclaimed, "It has brown pasta and 'sparagus and some other veg'bles and red sauce!"

"Wow…"

"You can have a salad for dinner," Noah added.

Ed picked him up and gave him a firm hug. "Thank you, pal," he said softly. He sat Noah on the island, "But you don't worry about me, okay? Daddy's healthy and strong."

"When ya eat dat food," Noah jerked his head toward the fridge, "You gonna be SUPER strong!"

"That's right."

"Like a superHERO!"

"Yep."

Noah giggled. "SUPER DADDYYYYYYY!"

…..

Olivia was a few blocks away from the bar when she remembered Ed's "call me when you get a chance" text she'd read a few hours ago. She wasn't ignoring him, but the day had been hectic and she forgot all about calling him back until now. After four rings, Ed answered. Olivia could immediately tell their plans for the night would have to be postponed.

"Hey," he said in a nasally, congested voice.

"Hey to you," Olivia said, "Everything alright?"

"I feel like hell," Ed replied, "Gonna have to cancel tonight. I'm really sorry."

Most people, when nixing plans for whatever reason, did so with a cursory apology. After all, the reasons-illness, injury, work or family-related emergencies-were almost always unforeseen and not one's fault. However, Ed's "I'm really sorry" was so earnest it almost made Olivia cry.

"That's okay," Olivia said, "You shouldn't be doing anything if you're feeling miserable. Have you taken anything? Eaten?"

"Nah...just need a night's sleep and I'll be good to go tomorrow."

Olivia clicked her tongue reprovingly. Being sick seemed out of character for Tucker. He was so steady and predictable and it was difficult to picture him suffering from even the most mundane illnesses. On the other hand, Tucker sick and thinking a simple good night's sleep would cure everything was completely in line with his personality.

"Are you achy?" Olivia asked.

"Am I what?"

"Achy. Do your muscles and joints hurt?"

"No."

"Probably a cold then," Olivia surmised, "Why don't I bring you something to eat, some meds? You really should take something."

There was no way Ed was going to turn down the offer. "Well, uh-" he continued after two sneezes, "If you don't mind…"

"I'll be there in a little bit," Olivia said, "Don't fall asleep."

…

There was so much pasta, Ed and Olivia couldn't finish it all, so Ed snapped the lid back on the plastic container and placed it on the same refrigerator shelf. He predicted Noah would come home from school and immediately inspect the contents, and he took a second glance at the container to make sure it showed he and Olivia had made a dent.

Most afternoons at the Tucker home unfolded identically each day. The twins polished off their lunchtime sweet treat, usually a pudding cup or a small scoop of ice cream, and they squirmed while Ed or Olivia wiped their faces and hands. Once set free, they dashed to the sofa. Sometimes they watched a thirty-minute cartoon show, but most days they read books before naptime. On this particular afternoon, Olivia narrated the stories. Maggie and Wyatt were curled up at her sides, listening intently. Occasionally, one or the other would point out something interesting or humorous on the pages.

Ed used this time to check his email. His inbox contents were consistently dull and deleted without having been opened. Today, though, the report from his recent doctor visit was there and he eagerly opened and read it. When he walked into the living room triumphantly carrying the laptop, Olivia was leaving the twins' room.

"I'm perfectly healthy," he reported in a low voice even though he was excited to deliver the news. "Got the results from the doc."

"What did it say?"

"Everything's in the normal range except good cholesterol. Need more of that. Not really sure what exactly that entails, but…"

"...Cholesterol, like fats, are good and bad. LDLs are bad. HDLs are good."

"I have no idea what language you're speaking."

Olivia rolled her eyes and opted not to explain further. Ed was clearly elated and trying to be difficult and cute. It was working. It always worked. "Is that all? What else?" She asked.

"He said I need to have as much sex as possible."

"Mmmhmm," Olivia droned skeptically.

Ed placed the laptop on the island and slowly approached her. "It's true," he said in a low, extra-raspy voice, "Good for the NHLs."

"That's a hockey league."

"You know what I mean." He started on the left side of her face, kissing her neck behind her ear, sucking gently, waiting for her to either stop him or urge him to keep going. "I'm so, so healthy Liv," he whispered between kisses. "It's been four whole days. I can't wait any longer."

Even if she'd been tired or irritable, or not in the mood, Olivia would not have been able to resist him. He was desperate to prove there was nothing wrong with him and that the "episode" had been an anomaly. "I can't wait either," Olivia sighed. She threw her head back and put her arms around his neck.

Making love, for Ed, was a production, and he almost always began at a slow pace unless circumstances required something more frenetic. It seemed he was content to stand there and kiss every millimeter of Olivia's neck and collarbone for an indefinite amount of time, but that didn't make Olivia's body respond any less quickly. She tilted his head back and kissed him on the lips. Suddenly, they were tangled in a desperate, ferocious liplock. Their arms flew everywhere as they tried to both remain glued together and walk to the bedroom. Once there, they made quick work of disrobing and falling onto the mattress.

Ed knelt above Olivia and gazed down at her body. Olivia recognized the look in his eyes-a combination of awe, appreciation, and respect. She knew he'd like to bottle this moment and the emotions that came with it, seconds before they became one, when he realized for the millionth time that he was the luckiest man in the world.

…

The reason why Wyatt didn't burst in to his parents' bedroom was two-fold. First, he was polite and regarded closed doors seriously. Second, he was much more interested in getting back downstairs to watch the contractors work. He sat on the porch, elbows on his knees and head in his hands, marveling at the way the Bobcat operators zoomed back and forth. The first machine scooped gravel and the second smoothed the dirt. Soon, the driveway would be ready for its makeover. The gravel had always annoyed Olivia, but other house-related projects took precedence over the years. Now that the backyard, deck, and interior were all exactly how she wanted them, the driveway was finally getting its renovation.

When the men were close to finished, a second truck arrived and the flagstones were dropped into neat piles on the lawn. Wyatt skipped from the porch and walked among the stacks, running his hands over the smooth surface. One of the workers finally noticed him, killed the engine on the Bobcat, and asked Wyatt if everything looked okay.

"Looks great!" Wyatt said.

Ed joined him soon after with a coffee in his hand. He and Wyatt watched the Bobcats put the finishing touches on the driveway and then load the unwanted gravel in the dump truck. Ed chatted with the men a bit before they took off. When they were gone, an almost eerie silence replaced the rumbling. Wyatt giggled, "It's super quiet!"

"Sure is."

He skeptically eyed the stones, "We gotta put those together like a puzzle?"

Ed understood Wyatt's question and concern. There was no consistent pattern to the edges and, if they were all supposed to dovetail into one large piece, the task was daunting at best.

"No, bud," Ed peeled back the wrapping from one pile. He placed two stones at his feet, "See? We're gonna space 'em apart like this and then we'll pour the mortar, that's the stuff between bricks on buildings, and let it set up. Then we'll be done."

"And Mommy'll be really happy!" Wyatt said gleefully, recalling the numerous complaints he'd heard from his mother during his young life.

"She sure will," Ed replied, "Why don't ya go get some regular shoes on and grab the gloves from the shed? Then we'll get started."

"Okay!"

Wyatt returned minutes later looking every bit like a miniature Ed. They both wore tan khaki cargo shorts, no shirts, sneakers, and dark sunglasses. The pair got right to work. The stones were too heavy for Wyatt to lift, so he told Ed where to place them and turned them to the perfect position once they were on the ground. They were soon joined by Noah and Maggie. Olivia made sure everyone had cold water and sunscreen, and she ducked out to the porch every so often to check on the progress.

"You like the rocks, Mommy?" Maggie asked at a point when they were just about finished. The work gloves she wore belonged to Olivia and they looked comically large hanging from the ends of her skinny arms.

"I love them," Olivia said, "You all are doing a great job! Ed? Justin wants to know if you're ready for him yet?" J

ustin had volunteered to mix and pour the mortar since he'd briefly worked in construction as a teenager.

"Not quite," Ed jogged over to the porch and downed an entire glass of water.

"Want more?" Olivia asked.

"Sure, thanks," Ed replied.

"Anything to eat? Why don't you take a lunch break and cool off and come back later?" Olivia looked up at the clear blue sky. The cool, breezy morning had given way to a scorching hot afternoon.

"Nah," he said, "We'll get these all laid out, pour the mortar, and it'll be dry by tonight."

"Okay…"

"But maybe, wanna bring me a handful of those blueberries?"

"Sure," Olivia smiled. She was standing on the top step and Ed two steps below her. She leaned down for a kiss. Ed stuck his lips out, graciously trying to avoid his sweaty body coming into contact with hers.

"Daddy!" Wyatt called from the driveway, "We have more stones but they're too big! They won't fit in these spaces!"

Ed grinned at Olivia and she darted inside. He assured Wyatt this challenge was not a problem and went to the shed. He returned with a sledgehammer, tossed one of the flat rocks onto the lawn, and swung the hammer over his head with both hands.

Olivia returned to the porch right as Ed hit the stone with a crushing blow, splitting it in two. The kids cheered. Wyatt and Maggie ran over to pick up the lighter pieces, and Ed tossed another full size one on the lawn. Mesmerized by her husband's strength and ability to quickly problem-solve, Olivia stood, slack-jawed, and watched him split another stone. Every single one of his upper-body muscles tensed and flexed. His skin was ruddy and glistening. She was so entranced she didn't hear Sarah until she was standing next to her with Mari in her arms.

"Don't mind that view, huh?" Sarah said, nudging Olivia in the side.

Well past the days of being embarrassed by Sarah's teasing, Olivia held out her arms for Mari. "Grandpa's strong, isn't he?" She cooed to the baby, "Lookit that! There's one rock...then there's two! Boom!"

Mari squealed and smiled. Olivia bounced her on her hip. Ed smashed three more rocks. He wiped his brow with his forearm, glanced at the driveway, and split one more in case he'd underestimated.

Sarah let out a long, high-pitched sigh. "Livvie...I know he's my Dad...but...you're the luckiest woman this side of the Mississippi," she turned to go back inside but paused and added, "And the other side, too."

Olivia hugged Mari and nodded. It was hard to argue with that.

…

Noah did not immediately inspect the refrigerator when he arrived home from school, but he did remember to check after he'd changed clothes and was searching for the perfect snack. Ed told him the food was excellent and thanked him before he asked Noah about his day. The first-grader's highlights were all Halloween-related.

"We're makin' pumpkins in art and we learned two new songs in music," Noah said, "I'm gonna teach one of 'em to those babies!"

"Why not both?"

"The other one's kinda hard."

Noah ate his snack at the island then joined his siblings on the floor. Maggie and Wyatt mostly followed his instructions for adding to the circus they were constructing. Ed opened the contents of the shopping bags Olivia had dropped on the counter. Pork tenderloin. A bottle of thirty-minute marinade, and two plastic bags-one containing potatoes and the other holding a horde of Brussels Sprouts.

"Brussels sprouts?" Ed asked her with exaggerated disgust.

"Yes," she replied, unaffectedly, "We needed something green and the lettuce didn't look good."

"Brussels sprouts?"

Olivia swatted at his back, "Stop. They're good. Olive oil, salt, pepper, a little lemon…roast at four-hundred."

"Fine." Olivia shot him an annoyed glare and he grabbed her hands. "What I meant to say was, thank you. Thank you for taking care of me. For taking care of all of us."

"I think we do a good job of taking care of each other," Olivia kissed him, "Don't you?"

"Yeah I do."

…...

If Ed had wanted to pretend he was well, he couldn't have. When he opened the door Olivia was greeted with a peaked, red-nosed version of the IAB investigator. The sight was, admittedly, a bit heartbreaking. He was clad in sweatpants and an old Yankees hoodie and he sniffled violently as he followed Olivia into the kitchen.

"Soup," she said, sliding him a quart-sized container from a nearby Chinese restaurant. She also brought crackers, ginger ale, seltzer, two types of over-the-counter cold medication, and another, unfamiliar bottle.

"Pedialyte?" Ed scrunched up his face, "Noah sick too?"

"No, that's for you," Olivia replied breezily, "Supposed to help with hydration," she passed Ed a spoon, "Athletes swear by it."

"That so?" Ed blew into the soup and took a bite. "That's good." Hungry all of a sudden, he crumbled crackers into the broth and consumed half the container within minutes.

Olivia opened the Pedialyte, "Drink," she said, handing it to him.

"Yes ma'am."

"Well...I should let you rest," Olivia said after a few minutes of watching Ed alternate between taking bites and blowing his nose.

"Can you stay awhile?" Ed turned over the boxes of medication in his hand, selected one, and popped two pills into his mouth. He washed it down with the Pedialyte and complimented the cherry flavor.

"Ed, you didn't read the directions. I think you only take one of those."

He shrugged, "All the more reason for you to hang around a bit. In case I just ODed."

Olivia grinned.

"C'mon, watch the six news with me? Unless you have to get home…"

"The news?" Olivia asked, clearly amused at the weak attempt to entice her to stay.

"Forgive me," he shrugged, "I'm sick."

Olivia agreed to stay and Ed trudged to the sofa. She helped herself to a small pour of bourbon and took the glass and the Pedialyte to the living room. Seeing the alcohol, Ed grinned, "Now that's my kinda remedy."

Olivia shook her head and set the plastic bottle in front of him. "This is yours."

Ed took another bite of soup and downed more of the drink. "I feel better already. Free tomorrow?"

Olivia put her feet up on the coffee table and laughed. From the opposite end of the couch she turned toward him. Even sick, he was handsome, charming, and a little bit pathetic which only made him more desirable. "I can be," she replied.

"Then it's a date," he flipped to his preferred news channel but paid it no attention, "Thanks, Liv," he said softly, "This was really nice of ya."

"You know I can't stand to see anyone suffer."

Ed's stomach flip-flopped and it wasn't due to illness. His head was fuzzy, he couldn't stop blowing his nose, and there was an annoying scratchiness in his throat. But he was now in the category of people for whom Olivia Benson considered worthy of her care.

He smirked.

All was right with the world.

…..

The song's chorus went like this:

Ghosts and gouls and scary vampires;

A witch with her nose crinkly and green!

Kids in masks and Oh! The Black Cats!

Candy, candy, candy, and Trick or Treat!

Get your pumpkins! Get your sleep!

Because it's Hall-o-weeeeeeeeen!

Noah taught the song to Maggie and Wyatt and they did their best to sing along. There were two parts, however, that they sang clearly and with a shout-"Trick or Treat" and the elongated "Halloween" at the end. Eventually, they added a dance to the lyrics complete with jumps and twirls. It wasn't unusual to find Maggie or Wyatt absorbed in play but also humming the tune. Olivia was getting more and more excited to see her little ones actively participate in this year's festivities.

Two days before the big day, Olivia lifted Maggie out of her crib and answered the same question the toddler had been posing each morning for a week.

"It tickorteet?"

"No sweet girl. Two more days." She laid Maggie on the changing table. "I know you can't wait!"

"I EmEM!"

"Yes, sweet girl! You're the purple M & M!"

"Wy BOO!"

Olivia thought Wyatt was still half-asleep, but, hearing his name, he popped up and bounced on the mattress using the railing as support. "I BOO! I BOO Emem!"

"Yes!" Olivia blew air kisses at Wyatt and finished changing Maggie's diaper. "You are going to be the cutest candies!"

"EmEM, Mama!"

"Sorry Maggs, the cutest M & M's."

"No GEEN!"

After much deliberation, Noah chose two separate Halloween costumes. For regular trick-or-treating, he was going to join his siblings as the green M & M. For his school party he broke ranks with Mia, who wanted to be something scary, and chose to be a doctor. Olivia pointed out he'd been an EMT the previous year, but Noah didn't mind the similarity. "Dis way...if someone eats too much candy, I can make 'em better," he said with a knowing giggle before shifting to more serious tones, "And, if Daddy gets slumpy again I can help him!"

The latter part of the explanation made Ed's entire body clench. Since he'd been transported to the emergency room, he'd been giving Noah reassuring pep talks before bed each night. It was heartbreaking to see his son so troubled, but he also knew Noah would process everything in his own time and own way.

From the island, Ed watched the twins run into their room and dive right into their toys. They were dressed in matching orange pajamas printed with smiling ghosts. Sensing eyes on him, Wyatt whirled around, grinned, and said, "Hi Dada!"

"Mornin' bud! Morning, Maggs!"

"M'nin, Dada!" Maggie ran to the island, "Dink? Juice, pease?"

Ed had already poured their juice and he handed over the two sippy cups. "Give one to your brother."

When Olivia came into the room, Ed slid her a mug. "I put that french vanilla stuff in there."

"Oh, thanks!" Olivia said, clearly delighted, "I thought we were out and it's impossible to find."

"Not impossible. I picked some up yesterday."

Knowing Ed probably had to visit several markets before he found the particular brand of coffee creamer, Olivia gave him a more-than-chaste kiss on the lips. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." Ed leaned over for another kiss.

"You look so happy."

"I'm happy whenever I can give ya what you want."

"Even something as simple as french vanilla cream?"

"Even then," he said, "Especially then."

…..

#Tuckson