128.

Noah could only be a serious student for so long. After his class had their meeting and he finished a geography assignment, he shed his school attire and changed into shorts and a t-shirt. He opened the hall closet and lugged out the bag of bowling pins. "C'mon, babies!" He called. "Let's play bowling!" Maggie and Wyatt came running, and as soon as Noah set up the pins, the three were engaged in a boisterous competition. Noah rolled the ball properly, but the twins hurled it and hit the walls, narrowly missing picture frames. Despite the unconventional play, Noah complimented his siblings and they shouted "G'JOB!" and "YAYYNO!" when he rolled a strike or merely hit a pin. Because of its labor-intensive nature, the kids never played with the bowling set for very long, and, after about twenty minutes, Noah remembered he still had a Face Time call to make.

If Ed and Olivia thought their house was the most chaotic in the family, they soon realized they had competition. Justin picked up the call because Sarah was changing Sofia's diaper. The little girl was compliantly lying on her back, but she was also throwing a toy to the lab puppy who clumsily chased it down. Pearl crashed into tables and knocked chairs out of place in her quest to retrieve the purple tennis ball. Justin calmly stood in the middle of the living area and watched the dog run back and forth. Sarah hurried to get Sofia into her diaper and, as she often did with the twins, set her free without putting her pants back on. She murmured something about dinner and then bath time as justification then realized her phone was propped on the island and Noah and the twins were giggling at all the action in her apartment.

"Hi guys!" She grinned and, though she was clearly tired, was happy to see her little siblings. "Whatcha doin?"

"We were bowling," Noah said, "Den I 'membered I had to call Pearl! She's goin' crazy!"

"Yeah, we didn't go on a very long walk today because it was cold and rainy," Sarah said, "I feel bad for her, but Sof's doing a good job of keeping her occupied."

"Tell Pearl to come here!"

Justin grabbed Pearl and held her up in front of the phone.

"Hi doggie!" Maggie said.

"Puhl!" Wyatt shouted, "Hi Puhl!"

"Hey Pearl!" Noah said, "I miss you! I wanna play but there's da coronavirus so we gotta stay apart but I'm gonna bring you a toy when we can play again!"

Pearl barked and flailed and Justin had no choice but to put her back on the floor. "I'm gonna feed her." Justin was speaking to Sarah but Noah responded.

"What's she havin' for dinner, Justy?" He asked, sounding genuinely interested in the dog's menu.

"Tonight, we have Blue Buffalo Chicken formula," Justin replied, "And maybe a frosty paw for dessert."

"Pearl loves those frosty paws! We're prolly gonna have ice cream, too."

Olivia looked at Ed with questioning eyes. He nodded. Yes, they had ice cream in stock.

After Noah and Sarah chatted for a few minutes, Olivia took the phone and sent the kids to the kitchen to "help" Ed with dinner prep. She went to the bedroom and closed the door, leaving it slightly ajar and asked Sarah how everything was going.

She sighed, freed her hair from the ponytail elastic, and then twisted it back on top of her head. "Gawwd, Livvie, this is tough."

"I know, sweetie."

"I mean, it's not awful and I'm always glad to help and I'm relieved Brooke's feeling better, but her doctor said once she's symptom free she needs to stay isolated for at least two weeks, maybe longer. So this isn't ending, for any of us, anytime soon. And poor Sof, we Face Timed with Brooke and Sof was whining for her mommy...gawwwd…"

Tears welled in Olivia's eyes. Weeks of uncertainty lay ahead, but at least she had her family intact and in one place. She couldn't imagine how Brooke and Sonny were dealing with the pain of being separated from their daughter. Also, lying beneath Sarah's words were hints of self-consciousness. Olivia could tell Sarah was doubting her ability to properly care for Sofia.

"Any child is going to want his or her parents," Olivia said. She smiled as Sofia crossed the room and crouched next to Pearl while the dog ate. "But she's happy and healthy and being loved."

"That's for sure," Sarah said, "Especially by the dog. Pearl adores her."

"I should call Brooke later tonight," Olivia said, "We've both been trying to talk to her every day but, this all kind of hit so fast, we missed yesterday." She went on to tell Sarah about Noah's online class meetings and him dressing in his school uniform. Then she mentioned Ed's meeting with Gary. Olivia hadn't planned on bringing up the topic with Sarah and she felt a little guilty doing so, but sometimes, Olivia really missed having another woman in whom to confide. So, the girls, Sarah mostly, often unwittingly played the role of best friend and daughter.

"So what's next?" Sarah said in a low voice.

"The last I heard, Rollins was waiting for a judge to sign a warrant, and then we went from there. But I have no idea how it's all going to play out with everything closed. Under normal circumstances, a high powered guy like Gary? With money for a good legal team? They'd be able to drag things out for years…"

"So another thing that's going to stick around for a while..."

"Looks like it. There will have to be a grand jury, but I don't see how one can convene with the distancing requirements, so then we have a constitutional issue, speedy trial…"

"Fucking Constitution."

Olivia laughed. In this case, she wholeheartedly agreed with Sarah. Fucking Constitution, in his case, was a spot-on sentiment.

"So," Sarah said in a more cheerful voice, "What's the plan for this evening? It's Friday night!"

"Movie and pizza," Olivia said, "And hopefully early bedtime," she yawned and added, "Overdid it a little last night."

Sarah leaned into the camera, "Oh really."

"Not what you think."

"Livvie, I'll pretend I didn't hear that."

"What are you doing tonight?"

"Well, I think we're going to order in too. We're kind of running out of special ingredients Justin needs for his gourmet chef business he has going on here. We'll dunk Sof in the tub and maybe copy you with a movie. Then I think we're going to start rewatching Cheers from the beginning. We were too young to really be into it when I was young, but I remember my Dad and my Grandparents loving it." Sarah shrugged, "What else to do? I need something not too heavy right now."

The bedroom door opened and Wyatt toddled into the room. Olivia helped him onto the bed and he snuggled against her body. "We don't want anything heavy either, do we Wyatt?" She cooed into his cheek.

"Hi Handsome!" Sarah said. "Gawwwd, he's adorable. I hope he always has those cheeks. They're scrumptious."

"Sah you c'over?" Wyatt cocked his head to the side, toward Olivia, and raised an eyebrow. Olivia's arm was draped across his chest and he tapped her with his fingertips, one at a time. He may have been asking Sarah to visit, but the little boy was decidedly content in his mother's arms.

"Not tonight, Wy," Sarah pouted, "But soon, okay? Love you, cutie pie."

"Loveyou cue'pie!" Wyatt repeated. He smiled, shyly shoved his fist into his mouth, and burrowed his head further under Olivia's chin.

"Omigod, omigod, omigod…"

Olivia kissed Wyatt's head. She took a deep, calming breath and reminded herself that, even in the midst of crisis, her baby boy was always a source of heartwarming joy and comforting cuddles, and Sarah could always find reasons to utter her signature expression.

….

The restaurant clearly met Olivia's approval, but Ed asked anyway. Instead of immediately answering, she took a slow sip of her wine and smiled into the glass. While she did this, her leg drifted over and came into contact with his. Ed hadn't been thrilled at being relegated to the bar, but he changed his mind. The tables did not include the opportunity for this type of flirtatious gesture.

"I love it," she said, "Great ambiance...wine list...and the menu...I want to try everything."

"Wish they took reservations," Ed said, "So we coulda had a table."

Olivia saw no problem with their spot at the corner of the bar. They had a view of the brick-walled space, the street, and most importantly, each other. "I like us right here." She angled her head and gave him a kiss that lasted longer than the average peck on the lips.

Ed grinned. He felt his face flush but kept the conversation in more light-hearted waters. "I never did ask ya," he said, "Where'd you develop the palate for wine? Cause, I gotta be honest, unless it's sweet vs. not sweet, it all kinda tastes the same to me."

Olivia tilted her glass so it caught the light. A cocky smile formed on her face. "Non-sweet we typically call dry," she explained, "And, truth be told, I had no idea about the differences either, at first. But I started experimenting, trying different things, and eventually realized what I liked and what paired well with certain foods. And how is it you haven't developed a taste for wine yet, Captain?"

"Because I could never get past how well bourbon paired with the popcorn at my favorite bar by IAB." His reply made Olivia laugh. Emboldened, he leaned forward, placed his hand above her knee, and they kissed again. "It's good you're such a connoisseur," he whispered, "You're broadening my horizons."

Olivia grinned and opened her mouth to reply, but she sensed another person's presence. Looking up, sure enough, a comely woman, probably in her late sixties, stood just behind her shoulder. She was accompanied by a man, presumably her husband, whose facial expression indicated he didn't agree with her interruption.

"Hey there, Captain Tucker," she said. Her voice was deep and gravelly and did not at all match her petite stature.

"Gloria!" Ed rose and gave her a hug. "Wow. Long time no see. Good to see you! How are you?"

The way Gloria smacked Ed gently on the cheek and beamed at him suggested to Olivia that their relationship had existed somewhere outside of the police department, but Gloria replied, "Other than missing your smiling face at the office, I'm wonderful."

Ed didn't keep Olivia speculating for long. "Liv, this is Gloria Toddrick, she was kinda the Jack, or, I guess, Jill-of-all-Trades at IAB for years."

Olivia extended her hand to Gloria and then her husband. "Nice to meet you," she said, "I'm Olivia." To her relief, either the Toddricks were eager to leave or eager to politely leave them alone, because they exchanged a few more pleasantries and said goodnight in a matter of two or three minutes.

Finding themselves alone again, Ed explained, "She was a clerk at IAB, no big deal, I don't think-"

Olivia put a hand on Ed's wrist, "I'm not worried," she said, her voice dripping with sincerity.

"You're not?"

"No. I'm happy they were on their way out so they didn't join us-" Ed chuckled and Olivia squeezed his wrist more tightly, "That would have killed the vibe, just a bit, don't you think?"

"I think so."

Olivia glanced at the menu again and held up her near-empty glass. "Want to order the fondue and have another one?"

There was nothing more in the world Ed wanted at that moment than to share fondue with her. "Absolutely."

Olivia waved over the bartender, ordered one of the fondues, asked for a pairing recommendation, and chose the pinot noir he touted. The wine arrived and she lifted her glass. The gesture was confident, but she found herself searching for words. Ed waited patiently until the smile crossed her face again and she said, "To...a perfect evening of...not worrying."

Ed touched his glass to hers. He didn't say it, but he planned on many, many more nights like this one-the two, or three, of them sharing a meal, laughing, bumping into people they knew, and not giving one damn about who witnessed their happiness.

…...

The kids were piled together at one end of the sofa and covered with a combination of the twins' favorite blankets and the throw Ed brought back from Ireland. They had fallen asleep quickly, so Ed and Olivia copied Sarah's idea and found Cheers on Netflix. "This is fun," Olivia murmured at one point, "It's like we've traveled back in time."

"I can picture us, in the eighties, making sure to get home in time to watch it together...ya' know, back then, if you missed the show you missed it."

Olivia chuckled softly, "Yeah, I remember," she said with a hint of sarcasm, "But I'm not sure I can picture us, young cops, getting together to watch Cheers, or anything for that matter."

"No?"

"No."

"Because you wouldn't have watched the show or you wouldn't have watched the show with me?"

"I wasn't really a get-home-for-a-sitcom type of person," Olivia explained. "Especially not then. I was always working."

"Me too."

It dawned on Olivia that the era Ed was referring to was the time when he and Gary worked together. Other than Ed tolerating his colleagues' bawdy behavior, she wondered what single-in-his-twenties Ed Tucker was like. She imagined he was a little tentative, maybe even shy around women he found attractive, but, then again, she had only viewed him through the lens of how he approached her. Between the two of them, it was no secret Olivia brought out his uncharacteristic jitters.

"Did you date much then?"

"Nah. Nothing serious. That's probably why, when I met Angela and we actually stayed together for a while, well, I thought that was it."

"Ed," Olivia stroked his fingers and tried to sound as understanding and loving as possible, "Why do you always talk about Angela like it was a mistake?"

"Is that what I sound like?"

"Yes," Olivia was relieved he responded to the criticism calmly, "Almost like, you're apologizing to me for being married before."

"Maybe it's because...I dunno, Liv, it's so complicated. Sometimes I do think of it as a mistake, but only because now...I have you, but it's not like if I wouldnta married her you were right there for me to propose to-"

Olivia's body shook with silent laughter and Ed kissed the side of her head.

"-and, of course, I have Brooke and Sarah, I'd never want to alter history to take them away from me."

"And from me." Olivia kissed his fingers and curled more tightly into him. "Those two are so important to me, Ed. I was thinking earlier today as I was talking to Sarah, how lucky I am to have her and Brooke. They're such amazing people...from the second they showed up at my office that day, I loved them, I felt that bond. Which is why…"

"What, Liv?"

"Which is why I still kick myself for letting you leave that night. I wasn't thinking big picture. I was...scared, I was in self-preservation mode, I-"

"-Hey, hey," Ed was holding her with both arms now, "How many times do we have to beat ourselves up for that?"

"We?"

"Yeah. We." Ed felt Olivia shake with gentle laughter again. "What?"

"Nothing," she replied out of habit, "I don't know why I get so amazed when I find a new reason why I love you."

"What's the reason?"

"You always use we and us instead of I, you...me."

Ed's back straightened and took Olivia's face in his hands, "I promised you the days of fighting solo were over." Rather than offer additional verbal assurances, Ed kissed her deeply, keeping his hands on her face. His passion, the force of his unspoken statement, nearly brought Olivia to tears and when he pulled away he saw her eyes glistening. "Wanna go to bed?" He asked softly.

She peered over his shoulder at the kids, "Let's get them in their beds first."

"You don't think they'll be okay out here?"

Skeptical, Olivia replied, "I don't think they'll fall, but...they might wake up..."

Ed jumped up. "Say no more." He carefully collected Maggie, the riskiest, in his arms. There was no reason to intentionally leave the window open for late-night intrusion.

….

The next morning Olivia and Ed were milking their final minutes of morning alone time when a bang jolted them out of bed. Before they threw on clothes and yanked open the door, the sound of two more crashes echoed down the hall. When Ed and Olivia appeared they were greeted by a sheepish older brother and two giggly toddlers driving an empty double stroller.

"OUT, Mama!" Maggie was attempting to navigate the sharp turn from dining room to corridor and failing badly. "OUT!"

Wyatt stepped forward, and, smiling, said, "We go to payground!" He pointed to the stroller, "Inna stro'er?"

Torn between laughing and crying, Olivia poured all her emotions into picking up Wyatt and squeezing him tightly. "I'm sorry kiddos," she said, "But we can't go out. Not to the park or the playground. We have to stay in so we're safe."

"I told 'em there were bad germs out there," Noah said apologetically.

"Yeah, bud, but you understand germs," Ed replied, "He stepped around Olivia, cleared Maggie out of the way, and wheeled the stroller back to its place in the foyer. Noah followed and Ed continued to reassure him. Noah always took immense responsibility for the twins, and Ed hated that he seemed deflated thinking he'd let his parents down. "Maggs and Wyatt haven't been to school yet, so they don't get it. All they know is they want to go outside."

"I wanna go outside, too."

"How bout we go up to the roof in a little bit? We'll have to stay away from other people, but we can go up and get some fresh air." Even as Ed made this commitment he predicted the roof would be teeming with residents with the same idea. "Or, we can probably go for a little walk, we just can't stop anywhere, okay?"

"Kay. But," Noah grinned, "We haveta make those babies walk because they always think they're gonna go to da playground when we go in da stroller."

"Very true."

"Daddy?"

"Yeah bud?"

"How long's da c'rona virus gonna last?"

"Well, pal, I don't know," Ed leaned against the foyer wall and made sure to give Noah his full attention, "But, if we follow the rules about staying inside as much as possible and staying away from other people when we're out...it'll be over sooner."

He could tell Noah was wrestling with a millions different thoughts and reactions. As chance would have it, Ed remembered something from a Twitter thread he'd perused earlier that day. Maybe his Twitter habit was resulting in some good after all.

"Bud, lemme tell you something. When Brooke and Sarah were little, they watched a show called Mr. Rogers. It was a show for kids and it was all about doing good things and how to solve problems. And here's some advice he gave to people who were a little scared or worried. You know what advice is, right?"

"It's when a friend or a 'dult tells ya what to do when stuff is hard."

"Yeah. Well, Mr. Rogers said, when you're scared or you see something goin' on that's bad...look for the helpers. No matter what, there are always people helping. So, you gotta look for the helpers, bud, and you'll feel better about everything. There are people out there right now doin' everything they can so the virus can stop."

"But we can't see! We're not out dere!"

At the risk of unsettling Noah further, Ed grabbed his phone and found some clips of doctors and nurses and army personnel moving food and medical supplies from place to place. "See?"

"They gotta wear those masks to keep da virus out?"

"Yep."

"And all dat other stuff?"

"Yep. It keeps 'em safe. And, you know what I heard?"

"What?"

"Every night startin' tonight, at seven o'clock, we're gonna open our windows and clap and cheer for the nurses when they change shifts. The whole city's gonna do it. You want to?"

"YES! I love those nurses! And da doctors! Da doctors and nurses fixed my wrist when I broke it in basketball and they took care of Wyatt when he was jus' a tiny little baby-you remember when Maggs and Wyatt were super little? Like dis?" Noah held his hands about six inches apart.

"I remember. That was fun, huh? Havin' those little babies to take care of?"

"We gave 'em da bottles!"

"Yep."

"Now they're gettin big, but they're still babies."

"When do you think we should stop callin' 'em babies?"

Without taking any time to think, Noah replied, "When they can read."

Ed laughed along with Noah. That plan was fine with him.

….

When most of the house's windows had been covered with hurricane shutters, the Tucker family congregated outside more often than usual. As the storm slowed and also became less predictable, the family used the interior of the house less and less and only for the necessities. Most waking hours were spent playing in the water at the shoreline, building sand castles, grilling seafood, and playing various games on the large coffee table. A constant layer of low-lying clouds preceded the hurricane and dangerous currents swirled, so the public beaches were empty save for a few brave, or reckless, surfers. Save for trips to the market, the Tuckers soon felt like they were ensconced in their own private world.

In their late-night conversations, Olivia praised the kids for their bravery but understood they hadn't experienced a storm first-hand. As a result, their fascination was understandable. She hoped their honest obsession would not have to translate to terror. Meteorology updates continually predicted the storm's path would take it to the northeast with outer bands only brushing the Delaware coast, but Olivia and Ed were both skeptical. They'd lived through Sandy and knew predictions were, just that-best guesses and often overlooked broader impacts.

All throughout their lovemaking, Olivia did her best to mute her cries and moans. She was sure Wyatt was awake and reading everything he possibly could about hurricanes, or, as he had started to call them, tropical cyclones. Wyatt always used the more scientific or longer versions of commonly used terms, and Noah and Maggie good-naturedly teased him about his robust vocabulary. The twins were only eight-years-old, but Wyatt often spoke as if he were a high-schooler. Noah admitted he would have liked to have Wyatt on his academic bowl team. The kids-

Olivia lifted her head and buried her face into Ed's neck. Why was she thinking about the kids right now? Ed was grunting and panting and she could tell he was tempering his whole routine, waiting for her to catch up. He expertly moved his hips, flicked his fingers, and sucked at her neck. When he felt her tremble slightly, he intensified the pace and lifted his head to look her in the eyes.

"I love you, baby," he rasped before kissing her.

"Eddddd…"

All of the bedroom lights were on and they were not yet covered by any sheet or blanket, so Ed took the opportunity to admire, once again, how perfect they looked next to one another. He would never, ever, tire of the sight of them in bed together. He kissed at her shoulder, cheek, and collarbone. She pawed back at him, but he could tell she was either tired or, more likely, her mind was on something else.

Sure enough, minutes later, she rolled onto her back and asked, "Do you mind if I put the news on?"

By "news" she meant the Weather Channel. Ed nodded and grabbed the remote. The storm was still hundreds of miles off the coast and tracking away from the shore. "Good news," he murmured into the side of her head. "But you say the word and we'll leave. Go on home."

Olivia managed a laugh. "Now I'm wondering if New York will get hit worse than we will here."

"I really think we're safe, Liv. Got everything we need. Food, water, a generator...Wyatt."

Now Olivia burst into wholehearted laughter. "He's probably memorized the entire field guide to hurricane preparedness not to mention cookbooks...tide schedules…" Their little boy had a voracious appetite for the printed word and read anything he could get his hands on. Not only was he an excellent reader, Wyatt also had been gifted with a keen memory and would often pepper in obscure facts to family conversations.

Playing along, Ed replied, "So, we have the shutters-"

"-thank you for hiring someone."

"I coulda done it."

Hmph.

"We have the shutters," Ed continued, "Food, water, humor, Wyatt, games, batteries, two other kids, I think we're good."

Olivia turned to him again and wrapped her arms around his body, "We're good, honey," she said. "There's only one problem."

"What's that?"

Olivia grinned, for Ed looked ready to slay a dragon if need be. "Lights," she said. "That's all."

….

The floor-to-ceiling windows of the Tuckers' main living area did not open, so, at ten minutes to seven, the family gathered in the twins' room which boasted three windows situation north which was in the direction of the closest hospital. Since the plan had been circulated on Twitter, Ed was skeptical as to how the whole thing would transpire, but at precisely 7:00 in the evening during shift change, the air was filled with applause, noisemakers, and cowbells. Noah and the twins clapped vigorously and cheered at the top of their lungs. Ed and Olivia wiped tears from their eyes. They'd both experienced the city at its best and at its worst, and, right now, they had never been prouder to be New Yorkers.

"That was good," Noah said as he hopped down from the twins' changing table where he'd been situated.

"We'll do it again tomorrow," Olivia said.

"Tomorrow we should use da drums and da tam'brine."

"Good idea!"

"Can we go to da roof?"

Olivia winced.

Ed answered, "Bud, remember, we gotta stay apart from other people, so we don't wanna go up there, okay? So we gotta keep doin' this from the window. But, you know what? It sounded so loud, I bet all of the nurses heard us. All across the city. And they heard us so they know we're thanking them."

"I'm gonna make a card, too," Noah said.

"That's great, sweetheart, we'll send it-"

"-Lotsa cards."

"We'll send lotsa cards."

"I'll put thank you and 'den Maggs and Wyatt, you put your hand prints since ya can't sign your name, but I'll sign my name. In cursive."

"Cursive?" Olivia asked. "Who taught you that?"

"Justy," Noah replied matter-of-factly, "He was signin' stuff and I liked 'da way he signed it and he taught me. So now I c'do a sig-na-ture." Noah ran to his room and returned with a single piece of paper on which was scrawled his signature. It was scribbles, really, with the only two discernable letters being the "N" and the "T", but, then again, Ed and Olivia pointed out to one another that many signatures were less legible than his.

"Well bud," Ed said, "When we can sign things in stores again, you're gonna sign for us."

Noah grinned. "Thanks, Daddy!"

Olivia kissed Noah's head.

Hopefully that day will be soon, she thought to herself, but, as she eyed CNN's tallies, the light at the end of the tunnel seemed to fade.

….

#Tuckson