131. Hope everyone is surviving! Air Hugs! This is short, I wrote it real quick today so forgive typos and plot holes and everything else. LOVE!
Ed turned off the iPad baby monitor and practiced the day's phrase with the twins who were seated on the edge of the changing table. Ed preferred this spot because the two-year-olds could not run off without taking a dangerous leap. "Hap-py Val-en-tines Day," he said slowly, exaggerating the contortions of his mouth. A few practice rounds later, Maggie and Wyatt sufficiently mastered the pronunciation. "Good job," Ed cooed. He held their heads to his chest and gave them kisses until they were both giggling in his arms. "Ready to go wake up Mommy and Noah?"
"Ha'val'tine'day!" Wyatt exclaimed.
"Val'tine! Han'prin!" Maggie was referring to the cards they made with fingerpaint the day before.
Ed was extremely proud of himself for pulling off the artwork in clandestine fashion. "Your cards are in Noah's room," he said, "C'mon, let's go get him." He put the twins on the floor and they sprinted for Noah's room chanting his name over and over. It was no surprise he had slept in. The virtual taco night meeting coupled with unlimited Cherry Coke and a new movie kept him up much later than usual. Partially awake, he smiled lazily when Maggie and Wyatt clambered to climb on his bed. Maggie lifted one of his eyelids. Ed grinned, recalling how Noah used that same move when he was the twins' age.
"Mornin' bud," Ed said softly. "Happy Valentine's Day."
"Happy Valentine's," Noah slurred. "Happy Valentine's Maggs and Wyatt," he said with a tad more energy.
Wyatt and Maggie crawled on and over their brother. Maggie tossed Bernie in the air, and the bear hit the lampshade on its way to the floor. It didn't take long for them to become impatient with their brother. "G'UP, No!" Wyatt bellowed.
Noah sat up and rubbed his eyes. He glanced at the clock. Stunned, he scrambled to his knees. "It's nine o'clock!"
"Sure is pal," Ed grabbed Maggie before she tumbled off the end of the mattress and swung her over his shoulder, "You slept in."
"I slept in," Noah murmured.
"Want to give Mommy her cards now?"
Noah nodded.
"Then we're gonna make a little brunch."
"Brunch is lunch and breakfast together," Noah said.
"That's right."
"I miss goin' to brunch with Sare Bear and Brookey and Sonny and Justy."
"Me too," Ed replied.
"Why can't da virus just go away?"
"Everyone's trying to make it go away as fast as possible. We have to be patient for a little while longer. Then we can go out and do everything we're used to doin. But," Ed continued cheerfully, "We have all five of us here together and we have all kinds of stuff to do. And, today, we get to celebrate Valentine's all day. And I need your help with the heart-shaped pancakes."
The sparkle returned to Noah's eyes. "We gotta be really careful with dose, Daddy!"
"That's why I need your help."
"An' we can put strawberries on 'em so they're red."
"Great idea."
Noah bounced to the floor and took the cards out of his desk drawer. "Here ya go, babies!"
Though they had started the day on the hyper side, Maggie and Wyatt held their cards gingerly and stood still, waiting for orders to proceed. Their cards were a combination of neatly pressed handprints and crayon and marker scribbles. It was hilariously obvious where Ed's help had begun and ended. On his card Noah had written Happy Valentine's Day in his neatest print, and, on the inside, he'd cut out a huge red heart and added I love you, Mommy in the center and his name underneath. He'd taken extreme care in his spelling and capitalization.
"Daddy, where's your card?"
"In my nightstand," Ed replied, "I'll give to Mommy later."
"When you do private time?" Noah asked innocently.
"Yeah, bud," Ed smiled and tousled Noah's hair. "During private time."
….
On the last Valentine's Day of his life, Ed Tucker ignored his doctors' take-it-easy orders and his wife's pleas to stay inside. He wrapped himself in a scarf, hat, gloves, and his trusty parka, and walked a block to the neighborhood bodega to purchase fresh flowers for his wife. Instead of a card, he wrote a note on a sheet of their monogrammed stationery. He signed his name with a flourish and wedged the paper between two of the flower stems. When Olivia saw the elaborate bouquet, she smiled and gushed her thanks, but she didn't let the moment pass without gently scolding her husband for venturing outside and taxing his respiratory and cardiovascular systems. She found the note, and, Ed could tell by her reaction to his words that he was forgiven. A year later, Olivia spent most of the morning and part of the afternoon reading and re-reading the text. Occasionally she would pause and replay favorite memories in her mind. The exercise was, at once, torturous and therapeutic, and she was having trouble finding anything else to occupy her mind. So, she was immensely relieved when Noah arrived to pick her up for the late lunch they had planned.
He gave her a kiss and discreetly assessed the room for any alarming signs. Everything appeared to be in order. The space was clean and there wasn't too much clutter laying around. When melancholy struck, his mother had a habit of removing boxes of photographs and other mementos from the closet and examining the items one-by-one. Often, it would take her a few days to put everything away again. Nobody else thought this hobby was odd or unhealthy, but Noah worried it unnecessarily taxed and stressed his mother.
"Happy Valentine's Day," he said.
"Thank you. Same to you sweetie."
"Everyone's meeting us there," Noah said, "Ready?"
Olivia stood up and smoothed her rose-colored sweater. "I am. I just need my bag." In it contained cards and small gifts for the grandchildren including a colorful rattle for Wyatt's infant son, born only a month ago.
They walked the few blocks to the pub, the family favorite that had survived multiple rounds of gentrification and developers looking to modernize untouched parts of the west side. The Tuckers took up almost half the place, Brooke's and Sarah's broods joined them as well, and there was little time for Olivia to wallow in missing Ed. Noah's three kids and the baby cycled through her arms and the conversation was filled with laughter and the usual, good-natured ribbing. The only oddity was that, except for the pandemic year, Olivia and Ed always spent Valentine's Day on a date alone.
Like his siblings, Wyatt kept an eye on his mother and watched for indications of tears or even a total breakdown. Olivia had kept her outward emotions in check throughout Thanksgiving and Christmas, but after the celebrations were over and everyone went home, she struggled. Noah and Maggie were sure this first round of holidays and birthdays and seasons changing would be the toughest, that ensuing years would get easier. However, even though his mother was smiling and dialed into conversation, Wyatt saw her despair. Later, tears would well in his eyes as he rocked his son to sleep and reflected on the day. He was convinced his mother had no intention of soldiering through many more years of celebrations and festivities without her husband.
….
The first thing Olivia commented on was that Maggie and Wyatt were already dressed. Ed ditched their pajamas as soon as they woke up and traded them for jeans and long-sleeved shirts. Normally, Olivia would have picked up Valentine's Day themed apparel for the kids, but this year they made do with pink polos. "You're all ready to go, sweet twins," she cooed before catching her mistake, "If only we had some place to go."
"I know," Noah sighed, curling into her side. He held up the card. "Happy Valentine's!"
"Oh! Thank you!"
The twins chimed in.
"Ha'Val'Tines!"
"Hap'Valetine'sDay!" Wyatt said, enunciating almost all syllables of the phrase. They slapped their cards at Olivia and she collected all three in her hands as she sat up against the headboard.
She collected all three kids into her arms and squinted, straining to read, until Ed did her a favor and slid on her reading glasses. While his hands were near her face, she kissed at his fingers.
"Let's see," Olivia said, "This one's from Maggie and this one's from Wyatt. I love it sweet twins...those sweet little hands...and you signed your names!" She kissed their cheeks, "I love you two. Happy Valentine's Day, babies."
"Ha'Print!" Maggie said. She mimicked dipping her hand into paint and printing it onto Olivia's face, punctuating each point of contact with, "Boop! Boop! Boop!"
"Now," Olivia said, "Here's Noah's card. Sweet boy, you did such a good job with your writing! And this huge heart! I love this, Noah! Thank you!"
"You welcome," Noah smiled and hugged her. "You gonna put it in da box?" He asked, referring to the place Olivia kept all of her favorite notes and pieces of artwork.
"I sure am honey," she replied. "I'm so happy you made cards. And I didn't even know! What a nice surprise!"
Noah smiled and looked at Ed, silently acknowledging that his Dad had been right-a little fib when a surprise was in the works was, indeed, allowed. "And we have another surprise for brunch," Noah said, "Wait 'til you see-" he stopped himself before revealing too much information, "Well, you'll see!" He screwed up his face, "Is it school today?"
"No," Olivia said. "It's Friday, and, remember, no Google school on Friday." After the first week of digital learning, Noah's school and several others realized a five-day virtual learning week was difficult on all parties involved. Even though Ed and Olivia weren't working, they were elated to have the extra day free from schoolwork.
"Okay. S'hard ta keep track!"
"It sure is," Olivia replied, "Good thing we're all in this together so we can remind each other what day it is!"
Noah giggled, but with an air of longing, "I asked Daddy when this all gonna be over."
"What'd Daddy say?"
"Dat we haveta be patient."
Olivia smiled appreciatively at Ed as she snuggled Noah and nuzzled his head, "Daddy's exactly right." The twins started turning somersaults and Ed made himself useful playing backstop. When they started jumping, Olivia decided it was time to move into the living room. "Alright, Tuckers, let's start our day! You go with Daddy. Mommy'll be out in a second."
Noah ushered the twins out of the room. Ed followed them but stopped and took advantage of a quick moment alone. "I love you Liv," he whispered before kissing her gently. "Happy Valentine's Day."
"I love you, too, Ed Tucker," she said, "Thank you for already making this a perfect Valentine's Day."
"Wait til later," he said with a smirk.
She traced his cheekbones and ran her finger tip along his jawline, "You're an amazing husband," she said, "I am so lucky to have you. Happy Valentine's Day, sweetheart." As soon as she uttered the last word, a loud bang came from the living room followed by three distinct shrieks of joy.
"I better go see what they're up to," Ed said.
Olivia patted his chest. "I'll be there in a minute."
….
The city typically experienced a downturn in crime after Halloween. The first of November typically ushered in a predictable lull and was a popular time for NYPD employees to request time off. However, Fin and Rollins rarely did such a thing and, even with Carisi shadowing Barba, the presence of Mike Dodds left Olivia with more free time than usual and she was thinking about ideas for a date night with Ed. After a few months of him calling the shots, which she welcomed, she wanted to do something special for him. At times like this, she wished she had a close female friend with whom to toss around ideas. But, that wasn't the case, and she was on her own. After poking around the internet for a while, she found the perfect venue and called Ed right away.
"Hey," she said when he answered, "Are you free tonight?"
"Yeah," Ed replied eagerly.
"Want to meet me at my place at, maybe, six?"
"Sure, where're we headed?"
"It's a surprise."
She knew Ed would be thrilled and she could hear it in his voice. As soon as they ended the call, she left the office and went straight home. Lucy opted to stay rather than leave for an hour or so. She fed Noah his dinner and her heart swelled for her boss. Olivia rarely was so excited, and, until this point, had never asked Lucy for an opinion outside of Noah's care.
"Do I look okay?"
Lucy sized up her boss. Olivia was dressed in jeans, a black blouse, and a black leather jacket. Her makeup was dark and smokey and the deep mauve lipstick made the whole look pop.
"Wow," Lucy said, "You look gorgeous."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes."
"I'm so nervous," Olivia said, "This is the first time I've planned a date with Ed." All of a sudden it hit her that Lucy was the only adult who knew of her relationship with Tucker. "I want it to go well."
"I'm sure it'll be great, Liv."
"I'm sure it will be too," she replied, "I'm just not used to being the planner, in this context." Her phone, which was on the coffee table vibrated. Both she and Lucy looked at the screen. "Well, he's here. I'll, um, I won't be too late."
"Take your time," Lucy said, "And good luck."
Olivia smiled. Despite her initial reservations, she suddenly felt confident. "Thanks. Call me if you need anything."
….
Other than the dimmed recessed lighting in the kitchen, candlelight illuminated the combined living and dining room. The day had been busy-after brunch, Noah made Face Time calls to everyone he loved-Caroline, Brooke, Sarah, Mia, and even his teacher. The calls, including breaks for the bathroom, lunch, and snacks, consumed most of the day. For dinner, Noah had the opportunity to choose whatever he wanted, and, since they'd eaten tacos the day before, he opted for pizza and pasta from a favorite local joint. Ed and Olivia, trying to do their part to keep small businesses afloat, ordered extravagantly, and Noah burst into laughter when the delivery consisted of three large bags in addition to the extra large pizza. They all sat down to eat together, and Ed offered a toast.
"Happy Valentine's Day, family," he said, "No better Valentine's Day dates than these people right here."
Olivia started to say something, but Noah spoke up first. "Happy Valentine's," he said, "Thank you Daddy and Mommy for getting us dis pizza and having a fun day!"
Olivia was tearing up, but she added, "It was a fun day. Cheers to making the best of quarantine! Cheers!"
The kids shouted, echoing her "cheers" and Ed and Olivia touched their wine glasses to the kids' plastic cups. The kids ate hungrily, but Olivia and Ed picked at salads. They were going to finish their meals together, later on. The later on was difficult to achieve, especially since all three kids were used to loose bedtimes. But, finally, they were all asleep, and Ed set the mood.
"This is nice," Olivia took her seat next to Ed and kissed him on the cheek.
"It's not bad," Ed surveyed the room. He and Noah had decided to put up Christmas lights again and he was pleased with the ambiance. "Kinda hard to do Valentine's under these restraints."
"I think it's perfect," she said, "I love it. I love the food. I love that you ordered tiramisu and hid it from the kids.."
Ed dropped his fork and leaned over to start kissing Olivia's neck. He wasn't hungry and hoped she was willing to skip most of their dinner. He'd worked so hard to limit naps, run the kids around, and make sure they were sleeping like rocks. Surely, Olivia realized this.
"Mmmm," She backed up her chair, giving him room. "Yesss."
They kissed and touched and stood up and swayed around the room to music Ed played. Inevitably, they would end up in bed, making love, splitting their dinner and dessert into before and after portions, but the dancing part of the evening was, by far, the most romantic. Ed chose the playlist carefully and they stepped around and sometimes on the twins' toys, laughing, whispering, and, most of all, enjoying being together in this makeshift Valentine's Day date. They left the kitchen and dining table a mess, retreated to their bedroom, locked the door, and made love well into the night. At one point, Ed left the bed and returned, turning on more lights on his way.
"I didn't even notice you put them back up," she said.
He smirked. "When I saw how much you loved them out there I went and put 'em up real quick," he said.
"I love it," she said, turning toward him and situating her body flush with his, "And I love you. And I don't care how tired we are tomorrow, but I want this to be the best Valentine's Day of our lives."
Ed flashed a rare toothy smile. "We can do that."
"So I'll go grab the desserts and you…"
"...I'll put on some music."
She gave him a quick kiss and cocked her eyebrow. "Sounds perfect."
….
#Tuckson