145.

The research wasn't wrong. Olivia spent a full five minutes citing studies, naming scientists and doctors, and ultimately declaring she found no reason to argue with such esteemed scholars. She believed violence was the consequence of one's environment and pointed out much of the work Justin was doing in his doctoral program was aimed at ways to transform spaces and places to reduce poverty and, by extension, endemic violence. When she finished speaking, Brooke looked beaten down, weary, and Olivia switched gears to soften the edges of what she'd just said.

"I had the same questions," Olivia said softly, "Mostly because I've been a part of cases, decades apart actually, where the question came up, so I've had a lot of first hand experience, I've seen the evidence and the science up close. And, honestly Brooke? If I believed there was such a thing as a violence gene, I would have no business being Noah's mother...or anyone's mother for that matter."

Brooke raised her eyebrows.

Olivia continued in a lower voice. "My father raped my mother. She chose to keep me. She coped with alcohol. She could get violent when she went into rages. I don't know if her parents hit her, but, it doesn't matter. She would've been a different person had it not been for what my father did-"

"-but you wouldn't be here," Brooke meekly interjected.

"No, I wouldn't. But if we buy into the bad science theory, then I'm carrying bad genes, and so are Maggie and Wyatt, and so will their children."

Hearing the twins' names made Brooke cringe. They could get wild and hyper. Maggie had stubbornly ripped toys out of Sofia's hands before, but Brooke had never worried about Maggie like she did Noah and now she was feeling intensely guilty about it. It was a tough realization to swallow, and she kept it to herself. Instead, she posed another question. "How have you been able to be," she waved her arms around, "This wonderful, gracious, amazing person, to everyone, after what you've seen? After almost being killed? How is it some of the anger you must feel doesn't escape?"

"A lot of therapy," Olivia replied, "Acceptance. In some cases, learning how to forgive myself. Noah. After him, I had someone else to live for. I had a family. And now I have an even bigger family, like the ones I saw on TV when I was little. So, yes Brooke, there are times when I struggle, but I don't struggle alone. I know when I need help, and I'm not ashamed to ask."

Brooke rubbed her eyes. "I feel like I owe Noah an apology."

"No, you don't. But you do owe him an open mind."

"Hah," she grunted, "I owe that to a lot of people, don't I?"

"That's for you to figure out. It seems, today at least, you might owe yourself a decent meal and some sleep?"

"Yeah. I, uh…" Brooke trailed off. She knew she looked like shit. There was no reason to explain what Olivia already knew.

"How about we get some lunch and then I'll drive you home," Olivia studied the chalkboard on the far wall that functioned as the cafe's menu. "Want a sandwich here? Or a burger at the diner down the street?"

Brooke gathered her windbreaker and her bag. "A burger sounds really good," she scrambled to stand up quickly and the wrought iron chair made a horrible screeching sound against the tile floor. Awkwardly, she grabbed Olivia's wrist and gave her a hug. Unable to speak, Brooke clutched the material of Olivia's jacket. She had every right to be merciless and spiteful, and Brooke expected their conversation to be uncomfortable and testy. Yet, Olivia responded in the exact opposite fashion, showering Brooke with honesty and compassion. She loved Brooke like she loved the others, unconditionally and without hesitation. It was why Sarah so easily let Olivia be a mother figure. Brooke had always seen Sarah's fawning devotion to Olivia as annoying, childish, and disrespectful to Angela. But now, she got it. Sarah deserved Olivia. So did Noah and Maggie and Wyatt. So did their Dad. Brooke squeezed her eyes closed, forced back tears, and finally admitted to herself that she deserved Olivia, too.

…

Ed forked over eight dollars for a new shark's tooth bracelet. Maggie zipped this one into her shorts pocket and vowed not to wear it until Ed swapped the clasp for a sturdier version. Happy again, Maggie skipped out of the store. Ed trailed wearing a satisfied smirk and loving his little girl so much he felt like he was walking on air among the other amusement park families.

"Wanna get a float?" Maggie asked. She pinched her wad of mostly one dollar bills and held it in the air, "I'm buyin!"

There was no way Ed was going to turn down the offer. "Yup, I want a float. A large. With root beer, not Coke."

"Kay." Maggie went to the concession stand to order and pay. Ed found a spot at a picnic table and a few minutes later, Maggie set the gigantic float in front of him. "Here ya go, Daddy!"

"Whoa!" In addition to the ice cream and root beer, the drink was stopped with a spiraling tower of whipped cream and a cherry.

"Here's a super long straw so ya don't get it all over your face!"

"Thank you," Ed took a sip and watched, amused, as Maggie raised herself on her knees in order to take a drink. "Ya know, you could work here in the summers when you get older."

"Oooo, yeah, but I wanna work at the bumper boats. I don't wanna make food all day."

Ed chuckled. "What's so great about the bumper boats?"

"They're fun! And when someone gets stuck you haveta go out and rescue them! I hope a lot of people get stuck if I work!" Maggie ran an index finger along her bracelets which took up about two inches of her forearm. "Thank you for taking me back," she murmured, "I bet the first shark tooth is at the bottom of the bay."

"Probably down there at the bottom with the other shark's teeth," Ed replied, "And, you're welcome."

Maggie's eyes grew into saucers behind her sunglasses, "There's a bunch of shark teeth at the bottom?"

"Yup."

"Wow…well," Maggie shrugged, "I guess when da sharks die they sink and the other fish eat them and leave the teeth!"

"That's exactly what happens." Ed wondered how many months or years he had before Maggie figured out he was sometimes full of shit. "Hey, we left so fast, you didn't see what Mom bought you today. Whaddya think you got?"

"Prolly a tank top." Maggie wore tank tops almost exclusively during the summer and she owned at least twenty.

"Safe bet."

"I'm glad I didn't go shopping because we had so much fun!" Maggie grinned. Her adult teeth had come in straight as arrows and they were perfectly smooth and white. "And I did get to shop here!"

"Twice."

Maggie erupted in giggles. "Daddy, you're funny."

Ed was getting disgusted by the ultra-sweet float, so he stirred the rapidly-melting ice cream around in the glass while Maggie gulped down her treat. Making Maggie laugh was so easy. She was, by far, the silliest of the Tucker kids and even the corniest dad joke could send her into hysterics. Not many people would describe him as funny, but he was sure it was the first adjective Maggie would use if asked.

Maggie pushed away her float when it was half-gone and went to get a cup of ice water. While she was gone, Olivia called. Ed answered, expecting a "where are you" since he and Maggie had been away for over an hour on what was supposed to be a quick trip.

"Did you find the bracelet?" Olivia asked.

"Bought a new one."

"Oh, well, disaster averted."

"Yep," Ed replied, "A few bucks and a sour stomach later."

"Huh?"

"We're finishing up root beer floats now," Ed explained.

"Ohhhh," Olivia intoned, "Well, I hope you feel better by tomorrow."

"Why?"

"You'll never guess who called me this afternoon."

"Who?"

"Cragen! He and his wife have been sailing up from Florida and he heard we had a house here and they're docking tomorrow morning! They want to meet us for lunch. Are you up for it?"

"Well, yeah, of course. Kids too?"

"Yes. We can go to Mango's in case they want to go home after they eat."

"Sounds good."

Maggie plopped back down on her seat and asked, "What sounds good?"

Ed held up a finger and told Olivia they would be home in the next thirty minutes. "We're finishing up now," he said, "Be back soon. Love you."

"What sounds good?" Maggie asked again.

"Lunch tomorrow with your Mom's old boss."

"Mom was the boss."

"Before she was the boss, she had a boss." Maggie scrunched up her face. It was nearly impossible for her to picture anyone telling her mother what to do. Ed laughed. "We all have a boss at some point. You'll have one when you work at the bumper boats."

"What's this boss' name?" Maggie asked.

"Cragen. Don Cragen."

"Don? Like Donald Trump!" Maggie giggled. "My teacher said he was the worst president ever!"

"Well, yeah, that's probably true, but, let's just call him Captain Cragen, okay? We don't need to talk about the other guy."

"Yeah, my teacher said that, too."

Ed chuckled. "C'mon, kiddo. Let's go home."

…

Olivia returned to a quiet apartment and she closed and locked the door making as little noise as possible. Ed was stretched out on the couch, eyes half closed, but he lifted his head and smiled. Olivia hung up her jacket and wedged herself between his body and the back cushions. "Mmmm," she droned, "This is nice."

Ed held her with both arms. "It sure is," he said through a yawn.

"Exhausting afternoon?"

"Probably not as bad as yours," he replied, "But, yeah, it's impossible to get those two off the scooters."

"Wait until they start riding bikes."

"Oh, shit," Ed's body shook with laughter. He gave Olivia a kiss and asked, "How'd it go with Brooke?"

Olivia sighed. "It was good. She was almost skittish, like she expected me to completely go off on her. We had a good talk. An honest talk. And I think we're in a good place. She keeps things so bottled up all the time, I really hope she feels safe talking to me, especially when it's hard. I guess...Ed, what did I do so wrong that she doesn't trust me?"

"She trusts you."

"I don't know, maybe, but not the way Sarah does."

"She's not Sarah. Brooke's always been more reserved. And, remember, she grew up with a mother who didn't exactly pull the kids into her lap and have heart to hearts every night."

"True."

"Liv, uh, I have some news."

Olivia unwedged herself enough so that she could see his face. He didn't seem agitated and his jaw was relaxed. "What happened?"

"They're working out a plea with Gary. Probably right now."

"A plea? Really?"

"Yeah. I guess the grand jury spooked them enough to get them to the table."

"What are they offering?"

"Carisi said probably fifteen years."

"God, Ed, fifteen?"

"You know how it goes," Ed replied, "They gotta dangle somethin' attractive out there."

"I know," Olivia groaned. "Fifteen years sounds so ridiculous. But better than an acquittal I suppose. And, truthfully, selfishly, if you don't have to testify…"

"Yeah…" Ed turned to the television. It was muted but the news was on and he needed to see the time. "Want to start wakin' up the kiddos? Gotta get Noah soon. And I may have bribed them with ice cream earlier."

"Bribing two year olds? Uh oh."

"They're almost three."

"Wow, only a couple more months."

"Birthday party time."

"I'm so glad we'll be able to do the normal things," Olivia said, "Birthdays, Ireland, we can have a house full of people at the beach…"

"Not too many people," Ed half-joked.

Olivia kissed him on the lips. "Okay, grumpy, not too many."

"Grumpy, huh?" Ed growled and buried his face in Olivia's neck. He kissed and bit at her earlobe until she was laughing. "C'mon, we don't wanna be late."

…..

In his very limited spare time, Ed skimmed a few articles on the topic of raising kids in the middle of divorce. Some of the suggestions were unrealistic and others, he was certain, would make the girls even more unsettled. The one theme that held weight was the importance of maintaining as much normalcy as possible. During the school year that part had been easy. Now that Brooke and Sarah had moved to the suburbs with their mother, Ed saw them only on the weekends. They had a Disney vacation planned later in the summer and Ed was eagerly looking forward to it. Until then, he rearranged his work schedule so that he was free on Friday and Saturday nights as much as possible.

"Have a good week at camp?" He asked while they dug into pizza and soda. What could be more normal than dinner at one of their favorite restaurants?

"Yup," Brooke said, "It's pretty fun. There's lots to do and next week we're building a canoe!"

"Really? Wow."

"It's boring," Sarah grumbled. "I've never been more bored in my life."

"But at least we're not home with all the noise," Brooke pointed out.

"What noise?" Ed asked.

"We're getting a new kitchen," Sarah said, "And a new bathroom. Uncle Johnny's doing it."

The mention of his brother's name raised Ed's blood pressure. He felt his face getting hot. John owned a home renovation company and typically specialized in higher-end, luxury designs and products. Either Angela had money she hadn't disclosed or John was giving her a significant discount. Either way, he hadn't mentioned anything to Ed.

"I'm sure that is real loud," Ed muttered.

"They're done when we get home," Sarah said gleefully, "But once Uncle Johnny let me work the nail gun."

"You be careful with those tools," Ed replied sharply, "They're not toys."

"I know," Sarah shot back, "It was just one time. And it was heavy."

"We're going to have two sinks in our bathroom," Brooke said, "I can't wait! Sarah's so messy with her toothpaste! It gets all over the mirror."

The girls bickered about bathroom habits while Ed seethed and his spirits sunk. He no longer had to worry about messy bathrooms or bedrooms on a daily basis. In the fall he would have to make the trip out to Long Island to meet teachers and ensure they had his information. And, in the next few weeks, he had to hope John and his crew weren't leaving power tools in the house overnight. Actually, he thought, it would be responsible to warn him about this before any maiming occurred.

Ed held up his phone, "I have to make a call," he said, "I'll be right back."

…..

The twins played on the master bedroom floor while Olivia and Ed dressed for court. Had this not been the day Gary Wald would plead guilty to a single felony charge, they would have joked around about revisiting the early days when their relationship was a secret to everyone else and they would get ready for work in her small bathroom.

"You look nice," Ed said as he tied his tie.

Olivia looked down at her black blazer and pants and royal blue blouse. "Thank you. So do you. I do love Ed Tucker in a suit." She kissed his cheek and wiped off the lipstick. There was a knock at the door and she patted his hip. "That's G. I'll get it."

She and the twins greeted G. Their occasional babysitter picked up and hugged Maggie and Wyatt and commented on how much they'd grown. It had been a while since she last saw them. "I think it's been two months," she said, "wow they change fast."

"And there is no shortage of chatter," Olivia said. "So I hope you weren't planning on a quiet morning."

"Not at all," G said. "I'm glad I could help out."

"I'm afraid you won't get much work done," Olivia said, "But we shouldn't be long. These proceedings, well, everything's already ironed out. Today's a formality."

"The great thing about working from home is that my hours are flexible. And I need a little break. With all the school budgets taking such a hit, I'm busier than ever."

"I bet."

G watched Maggie and Wyatt unload their toy box. Wyatt scattered Duplo blocks in a circle and sat down in the center. Maggie found letter-shaped magnets and arranged them on their white board.

"It's really good to see you all again," G said.

Olivia smiled and gave her a hug, "Oh, honey, I know. These past few weeks have been hard."

"So, today, this is the cop, or former cop who raped the woman who killed herself in the park?"

"It is. He was Ed's former partner, so," Olivia glanced toward the bedroom, "It's weighed on him. A lot."

"It's good to know justice can come...eventually."

Olivia squinted at G. There was something in her voice, a twitch of heightened emotion or maybe a slight quiver, that told her the response was not merely pro forma. She was about to ask a follow up question when Ed strode into the room.

"Hey, G!" He smiled and gave her a hug.

G was surprised at how happy he was to see her and she stammered, "Um, hi, Mist, er, Capt-"

"It's Ed."

"Ed, hi…" G played with the ring she wore on her left pinky. "Long time no see."

"Right about that."

"You two match," G grinned, relieved to cast the attention on anyone but her.

Olivia grinned and straightened the knot in his tie. "You switched."

Ed blushed, embarrassed at being semi-publicly called out for swapping his gray tie for a royal blue one. It was G's turn to blush when Olivia kissed him and winked. They said quick goodbyes to Maggie and Wyatt and left after profusely thanking G for babysitting.

"GEEE!" Maggie shouted to her with an impatience in her voice reminiscent of a mother who had been repeatedly calling for her child's attention.

"Yes, Maggs!" G snapped to attention.

"Pay, Gee!" Maggie dragged triangular-shaped pieces of treaded rubber to the middle of the floor. G saw the rest of the set stacked in the corner.

"What are these, guys?"

"Ba'ance!" Maggie demonstrated. She bounced on the first triangle, and, her lips pressed in a determined line, stepped, one foot at a time, to the second. "See! Ba'ance!"

"Oh, okay, I get it. I'll get the other ones. Wyatt, are you going to balance with us?"

"I buil' a tower, G," Wyatt murmured.

She grinned and mussed his hair. "Oh, okay, sweetheart."

Wyatt grabbed a large red piece and held it up, "You build too!"

"Ba'ance, G!"

Olivia was right, G thought, this would definitely not be a quiet day, but a few hours with the Tucker twins was a welcome distraction from the grind of real life. She laid out the rest of the triangles and helped Wyatt build his tower in between her balancing turns. She cheered Maggie on and praised Wyatt's construction abilities. When the twins grew bored and asked G for their crayons, she found the large drawing pad in the closet and traced their hands. A little while later, Wyatt grabbed the iPad and they had a little dance party. After lunch, the twins sat in her lap while she read story after story. When Olivia called to say she and Ed were on their way home, G told them to take their time. The twins were almost asleep and she didn't mind staying longer.

"I'm going to take you to your beds," G whispered to the drowsy toddlers. It took all of her strength to lift them both at the same time.

"Nee'da tiger," Wyatt slurred.

"Yes sweetie," she smiled at the sight of his fist in his mouth, "I'll get your tiger."

….

#Tuckson