221.

Calls from school were rare, so Olivia immediately answered when she saw the number flash on the screen. She assumed the worst, for it was almost dismissal time and she was only a couple of blocks away from campus. The voice on the other end of the call was not Noah's teacher, but the lower school counselor. Noah had been sent to her office that afternoon after becoming agitated in class, or, rather, he sat at his table in silence and refused to participate or even speak. "I'm almost there," Olivia said, "Will he be in your office?"

"Yes. We'll be here."

The counselor, who Olivia had never met, sounded like a kind, compassionate woman-two qualities which were obvious prerequisites for the job-but Olivia quickened her pace, desperate to get to her boy. He had never once needed to visit any of the school's student support staff, so this was unfamiliar territory for her as a parent. In her SVU days, she had had too many interactions with school social workers, teachers, and counselors.

The front desk attendant appeared confused when Olivia presented her ID and told her where she needed to go. "Do you need me to get someone to take you to the suite?" She asked in a sweet, albeit concerned voice.

"No…well, is it…" Olivia looked at the directory on the wall. "Okay, I think I know where I'm going. Thanks."

She flashed a quick smile and breezed past the desk. Two turns later she found herself facing a suite of offices and caught a glimpse of the top of Noah's head. The door, labeled "Mrs. Sheffler" was slightly ajar and Olivia tapped on it before entering. She smiled at the woman she assumed was Mrs. Sheffler and sat down beside Noah. The large armchair made him look small, and the pout on his face made him look pitiful.

After a brief round of introductions and pleasantries, Olivia reached over and ran her fingers through Noah's hair. "What happened, honey?"

Mrs. Sheffler leaned forward. She, too, was interested in Noah's account since he'd barely said a word since his teacher ushered him in an hour ago.

"Da biomes were due today," Noah began, "And…when it was time for science we got to present, to tell all about our work. But I didn't get a turn! Da time was up! And tomorrow we're starting learning something new!"

After a wave of relief washed over her, a different point of concern invaded Olivia's brain and heart. Noah typically greeted disappointment with optimism. He almost always looked on the bright side of every problematic, challenging scenario. Why was this seemingly minor blip upsetting him so much?

"Oh, sweetie," Olivia replied softly, "You worked so hard on your biome. I know you're proud of it."

Noah nodded and wiped away a couple of tears.

"I'm sure your teacher is going to take a really close look at it and you'll get a lot of nice notes when you get the rubric back."

"But I wanted to present," Noah said, "You stand up in front of da class and tell all about what you did and your biome gets pr'jected on da screen! And you use da laser pointer!"

Olivia desperately wanted to rush to the classroom, find the teacher, and beg her to allow Noah to present Monday morning. However, she was certain Noah was not the only student who had fallen victim to time, and her son had to learn how to handle situations like these. "That sounds so cool!" Olivia said brightly.

"-It is-"

"I'm sure there will be other times when you'll get to present. You're starting a new unit tomorrow-what's it about?"

"Water."

"Ohhh," Olivia murmured, trying to sound fascinated by the extremely vague response. "I bet that'll be interesting. And I also bet you'll get to use maps. You love maps."

No matter how irritated he was at being sidelined for biome presentations, Noah could not deny the truth of his mother's statement. He did love maps. He loved unfolding the tattered gas station maps that Grandma Caroline kept in her kitchen drawer by the phone on the wall and tracing the roads and routes with his index finger. Electronic versions were acceptable, too, but Noah preferred having everything laid out before him on the floor or on the wall. He imagined himself traveling to both well-known and obscure locations and kept a list of places he wanted to visit in one of his notebooks he kept in his nightstand drawer.

"They have maps of all da rivers in da world…" Noah said, sounding like he was emerging from his funk, "In da Atlas in da library."

"You might have to use them starting tomorrow!" Olivia smiled at Mrs. Sheffler who had no purpose at the moment other than providing the office space for Olivia to work her magic. She felt a bid bad for the counselor, but Olivia wasn't surprised Noah didn't open up to her. His emotions probably scared him, and, in crisis, he turned inward. He needed his mother.

"Mommy, we're prolly jus' gonna have notes tomorrow. Cause that's what we do at the beginning."

Now he sounded like his old, matter-of-fact, confident self. Olivia reached over and patted his hand. "You're right," she replied, "I forgot you have to ease into the new units and get the basics first."

Noah smiled and nodded, almost condescendingly, at his mother.

"Are you ready to go home?" Olivia asked. "It's Friday…movies and pizza."

Noah jumped out of the chair and plucked his backpack from the floor. "I'm ready."

"Thank you, Mrs. Sheffler," Olivia said. She was eager to leave school and the biome drama behind, if only for two days. By Monday the incident would be long forgotten in Noah's mind, but Olivia did make a mental note to follow up with the teacher. Mrs. Sheffler told them to have a good weekend.

"You, too!" Noah said.

Mrs. Sheffler smiled, gave him a little wave, and probably wished all her cases were this easy.

….

Lucy wasn't a stranger and she and Ed had met several times, but Ed always felt awkward around Noah's nanny. Her polite, sunny disposition did not disappear when in Ed's presence, but he sensed she was more on guard around him, maybe due to the church scandal. Cousin Eugene's stench would always be detected by some people and Lucy seemed to fall into that camp. At least she wasn't possessive with Noah and never appeared reluctant to hand him over to Ed.

"I was just about to feed him," she told Ed as she pulled on her coat and got ready to leave. He and Olivia had left their respective offices at about the same time, but he'd beaten her home. "So, um, do you want to me to get his dinner ready before I go?"

"Nah," Ed replied, "I'll get it. Just out of curiosity, what was on the menu?"

"Chicken, rice, and vegetables."

Noah was on the floor playing with his toys and didn't react one way or another to the bland-sounding meal. After Lucy left he was going to play hero and offer to order pizza and turn on Netflix.

"Sounds good," Ed replied. "Thanks. Have a good night. And a good weekend."

"You too."

Lucy waved goodbye to Noah and blew him a kiss on her way out. Ed locked the door even though he was certain Olivia was almost home, if not in the building already, but she never left the door unlocked. Ed hung his coat on the rack and crouched next to Noah. "Whatcha playing with, bud?"

"Trains and farms," Noah replied without taking his eyes off of the red barn.

"What animals you got down there?"

One by one, Noah put his animals on the coffee table. "Horse, cow, pig…" And then, as he added duplicates, he counted them off. "One, two, three horsies, one two cows…"

"Whoa! Are they going on the trains somewhere?"

Noah shook his head in the negative.

"Are the trains bringing the animals food and supplies?"

Noah nodded, smiled, and added. "An' toys!"

"That's an important train."

Solemnly, Noah nodded again. At the sound of keys outside the door, he jerked his head toward the foyer, smiled, and exclaimed, "Mommy!" Saddled with two bags and looking weary, Olivia entered and dropped everything to hug her son. She picked him up and swung him around, cooing I love yous and asking about his day. Noah babbled a few details and concluded by wiggling around and pointing. "Ed here!"

"Yes he is." Olivia put Noah down and greeted Ed with downcast eyes. "I am so sorry," she said, "I had to bring work home. Again. If I can knock it out tonight I can enjoy the weekend. But I have at least a couple hours of computer time ahead of me." She could tell Ed was about to ask if she wanted him to leave. "Stay," she implored softly, "Not the most exciting night, but, stay if you don't mind?"

"Sure." Ed glanced back toward the bedrooms. He had a few articles of clothing in Olivia's room and he was eager to get out of his suit. "I'll go change. Then…how about we order pizza? You can work. Noah and I'll watch a movie and hang out?"

Noah's eyes brightened.

"Minus the work," Olivia replied lightheartedly, "Sounds like a perfect night."

"Unless a movie'll be too distracting?"

"Not at all." Olivia smiled, picturing herself working at the small dining table while Ed and Noah ate snacks on the couch and watched whatever animated entertainment Noah chose. Later on, after completing her work, she would join them. Noah could stay up a little later. Maybe he'd fall asleep in Ed's lap. The normalcy of it all was comforting and filled her heart with joy. She gave Ed a kiss and a playful shove. "Go change. I'll be right behind you after I get these things organized," she said, gesturing to the more overstuffed of the two bags.

"Okay."

Ed turned and started walking to the back of the apartment when Noah shouted after him. "DO'GO'ED!"

"Sweet boy," Olivia cooed, picking him up again, "Ed's not leaving. He's changing clothes so he can play and be comfortable."

"You stay, Ed?"

"I'm stayin', bud. Don't worry."

Ed stayed. He stayed to accept the pizza and help Noah choose the movie. He stayed and didn't blink when Noah, tired and nodding off, fussed and cried at Olivia's attempts to peel him away from Ed's side and into his bed. He stayed after Noah eventually conked out and did the dishes while Olivia continued to type furiously. And he stayed through the night, holding Olivia close as she fell asleep, and then finally falling asleep himself with a smile on his face.

….

When Olivia was upset, worried, or stressed, Ed's first instinct was to take her into his arms and hold her until she didn't feel bad anymore. He remembered feeling this way as early as the days following William Lewis' death. In the interrogation room, despite being in the company of Draper and Calhoun, he'd first experienced the urge to physically comfort her. So, when she gave him the long version of what had happened with Noah earlier on Friday afternoon, he poured them each a glass of wine and motioned for her to follow him to the couch. There, he sat on the chaise end and she settled in at his side and under his arm.

"He came back around fast," Olivia said, "But, Ed, isn't it strange how he got so upset over something that really isn't that big of a deal? I mean, a lot of people would have felt lucky to be skipped over!"

"Definitely was me," Ed replied. "But you told me he said something about a big screen and a laser pointer?"

"Yes."

"Maybe he was more upset about missing out on all the cool tools."

"Maybe…I guess I need to drop it. But…he shouldn't be responding that way. Totally shutting down? Did Sarah or Brooke ever do that?"

Ed took a moment to think back to when the girls were in grade school. Neither of his older daughters ever had much trouble in school. Sarah was less diligent about her work than Brooke, and it frustrated Brooke that her younger sister so effortlessly earned good grades. "I suppose, looking back, it was Brooke who would clam up like that more often. But it wasn't school-related, it was me and Angela related. And they went to schools that were huge, a lot of students, I think teachers and everyone else are better at recognizing out-of-character behavior and nipping it in the bud."

"I just don't want Noah being stuck with some label now…"

"He had a bad day," Ed kissed the side of Olivia's head, "And we'll keep an eye on him for the next time things don't go his way. It's weird, though…it's not like the kid has never been disappointed in his life."

"Exactly."

"But I really think it had more to do with the tech tools than actually presenting."

"You think?"

"Yeah, but…that biome was really well done. It deserved to be presented."

"You should know," Olivia said, patting his chest, "Since you helped…a lot." Ed smirked and she kissed him. "You're a great dad. We're all so lucky for that. Thank you."

Ed kissed her again, this time, more deeply and for quite a bit longer. He could have brushed off the compliments, for they were all lucky and grateful for each other, but there was no way for him to understand the depths of Olivia's gratitude and feelings of good fortune. Though she had divulged everything to him, the deep pain she'd endured was uniquely hers, and, consequently, all of the ensuing bliss they enjoyed hit her with enhanced, intensified force.

Olivia was breathless when the kiss finally ended and her chest heaved as she reached for her wine. She noticed two magazines sitting in the center of the coffee table among the coasters, toy cars, and other small items the twins left everywhere. "Hey," she said, "What are these?"

Ed glanced over in her direction. "Oh…picked those up this morning. That Italy trip? It needs to happen. There're some pictures in there of the Amalfi Coast…spectacular." He let his eyelids droop and asked, "You gonna go to Italy with me, Olivia Margaret?"

She grinned and replied, "I wouldn't miss it for the world."

….

In between flipping and spinning Sofia, Sarah paused to examine the almost-two-year-old's facial features. She squinted and twisted her lips and tried to figure out who Sofia most resembled. "In a way she kind of looks like mom," Sarah said. "But then again, so do you. And Sonny, well, she definitely has his smile. She looks exactly like him when she smiles."

Brooke, having already determined with Sonny that Sofia favored his side of the family, grinned at her daughter and shrugged. She was slightly surprised Sarah mentioned their mother because she seemed to take great pains to forget her, but Brooke didn't press the issue or disagree with Sarah's assessment. It wasn't worth potentially starting an argument, and Brooke was in too good of a mood to argue with anyone.

"Can you believe she's going to be two?" Brooke asked. "It's so weird…I don't remember her growing up, but I've been with her practically every day since she was born."

"I feel like I hardly know her," Sarah said. "I think I need to start a Sofia afternoon like I have a Noey afternoon. Damn. I'm going to have to move to part time."

Brooke saw an opening and took it. "When I start school in January, it would be great if you could take her a couple of afternoons a month. Nothing too regular, just…I know I'm going to have weekends, but, I don't want to-"

Sarah put up a hand and stopped Brooke's fumbled and unnecessary explanation of why she needed some alone time. "I'll figure something out," she said. "And a lot of the people in my division are doing a remote day once a week. I can certainly spare some time. And so can Justin if need be."

Brooke chuckled. "You love volunteering him."

Sarah bit her lip. "I guess…I do do that a lot. I wonder if he realizes it. Do you think he does? If so, he doesn't seem to be bothered by it."

"I think he loves you," Brooke said, "And I don't think you volunteer him for anything he wouldn't want to do. You're considerate in that way."

Sarah rolled her eyes and grimaced, but didn't protest. Brooke was telling the truth.

"How's Carmen?" Brooke asked.

Sarah sighed, "She's healing but I feel terrible for her. She's so used to being independent and running around, like Grandma. Justin's worried she's going to get bored and push herself and hurt her leg again before it's even healed."

"Have you considered bringing her to your place?"

"Yes, but I don't know if that would be much better. At least she has neighbors and Justin's brother and sister around. Actually, living with us would be worse now that I think about it."

"Ugh," Brooke groaned and looked out at the quiet street below. A few brown leaves hung from trees, but, otherwise, the branches were bare. "I don't want to get old."

"She's not old, Brookey," Sarah said, "She has a broken ankle."

"Still…"

"I know. I always wonder if Daddy and Livvie think about how they'll probably die when Noah and the twins are really young."

"Sarah!"

"What?" Sarah held up her arms innocently, "It's true. And you brought it up-"

"-I brought up getting old, not dying."

"Same thing."

Brooke shrugged. "I don't know if Dad and Olivia think about it…"

"They must. Every once in a while."

Sarah relented. "Maybe they do. But it's not like they're wallowing in that reality. They seem to be doing okay."

"They are," Brooke replied. She gazed again at Sofia. "Maggie and Wyatt are growing up so fast, too. I wish we could bottle all of these memories. Or slow down time."

"Speaking of memories," Sarah said, "How would you feel about making some in Texas this spring?"

"Texas?"

"I promised Noah I'd take him like fifty million years ago, but, of course, he hasn't forgotten. He really wants to go."

"You may have to do that solo," Brooke said, "I have school and also I'm really not interested in going to Texas."

"Why not?"

"There's nothing I want to see there."

"The Alamo? Cowboy hats? The Gaines Family?"

"I think you and Noah are going to be in for a reality check," Brooke said good-naturedly, "But I sincerely hope the two of you have fun."

Sarah grinned. It was of little worry to her that one of her best friends was an almost-eight-year-old. "We shall," she said as she picked Sofia up again and twirled her around, "Say yee-haw!" She said to the toddler.

"YEEEEHAW!" Sofia shouted.

"Well, well," Sarah said, "Maybe we're adding a third member to our party!"

Brooke shook her head. "I don't think so," She said, "Maybe next time."

"Oh Brookey," Sarah replied, "Do you honestly think I'm going to Texas twice?" She started laughing and Brooke joined in. "Omigod…we are such snobs."

…..

It was dark by the time Ed and Maggie finished their last lap at the new Go Kart track. Maggie's hair was windblown, with strands flying out from her ponytail. Beaming, she skipped along beside Ed. Alone time with one parent or another was rare in their family, and Maggie especially relished one-on-ones with her parents, especially if they were out of the city and doing things her brothers weren't doing.

"That third turn," she said, "That's gonna get Wyatt and Noah. They're not gonna know it's so sharp 'cause it doesn't look like it." Maggie looked smug, "That's where I'll get 'em."

"Just don't beat 'em too badly," Ed replied, knowing Maggie would scowl at him. She did and he chuckled. "C'mon, let's get an ice cream before they close."

"Don'tcha wanna go get a pina colada at the shack?"

Ed chuckled again this time incredulously, wondering how he and Olivia had somehow conveyed to their kids that a bar was a better place for a post-go-kart nightcap than an ice cream shop.

"How about we save the pina colada for tomorrow night?"

"You're tired?"

"Not really, but I want to call Mom."

"And you don't want her to know we're out having fun?" Maggie looked up at Ed with wide, curious, blue eyes.

Ed smiled. "She knows we're having fun," he said, "We always have fun. But I haven't talked to her today, so I want to hang out on the porch, listen to the waves, and hear about her day. And I want to hear about Noah's trip and Wyatt's swim meet and she'll want to know that we're ready for the guys to come and finish up the kitchen floor tomorrow."

Maggie sighed. She remembered how stressed out her parents had been when they learned about the burst pipe and flooded kitchen and how Ed had driven down the next day to inspect the damage. After cleaning up the mess and repairing the pipe, the floor started to warp, and the best course of action was to completely replace the hardwoods. Now that the work was almost complete, Ed wanted to be there for a final inspection before he submitted payment, but his plan didn't quite fit with Noah's and Wyatt's schedules. So, he and Maggie made the trip solo and the rest of the Tucker clan would arrive in a couple days.

"Daddy, have you everrrr went one whole day not talking to Mom?"

"No. Never."

"Well that's like, super definite."

"Yup."

"Are you gonna tell her we went to the park?"

"Probably."

"But she won't tell Wyatt and Noah?"

"Probably not."

Maggie groaned.

"Relax," Ed said, jostling her shoulders, "Even if they know we went, it doesn't matter. You still have a leg up. You know the course and they don't."

"But Wyatt's gonna ask."

"I don't know about that. He might think it's like every other Go Kart track."

Maggie shot a doubtful, almost annoyed, look at Ed. Her brothers paid more attention to detail than anyone she knew, even teachers, so there wasn't much of a chance that they would stay quiet and try out the new track without prying for information.

"Or maybe they won't," Ed added, "But…there's no substitute for experience."

Maggie considered this for a minute and replied, "That's a good quote, Daddy."

"It's true."

"Well, it's good. I'm gonna write it in my book."

Ed proudly puffed out his chest and said, "I'm honored."

Maggie tugged on his wrist, "C'mon, the ice cream shop is over there. We can walk."

"Alright, my dear," he said, "Following you."

….

The twins discovered Pop Its via a preschool friend, and, without thinking, Ed bought them a set when he saw them on a shelf near their local pharmacy's check-out line. The toys were in the shape of french fry boxes, hot dogs, hamburgers, and pizza, so they fit in well with Maggie's kitchen. However, later on Saturday night, all three Tucker kids and their new gadgets filled the Tucker home with popping sounds.

"Hey, how about we make a rule?" Ed suggested, "Pop Its are only for your bedrooms."

"POP EVERRWHERE!" Maggie shouted.

Wyatt bopped his head from side to side and announced, "I'mma Daddy an' I say POP EVERRWHERE!"

"You're the Daddy?" Ed stood over his youngest son, arms akimbo, and smirked.

"I'mma BOSS!"

Ed looked over his shoulder at his wife. "Liv, we're in trouble."

"We are outnumbered."

Noah ran over with a slice of Pop It pizza, "Here, Daddy! Try it! It's fun!"

Ed took the pizza and popped a few sections. "Yeah, I can see how it could be addicting. But, still, it's time to put 'em away."

Maggie, Wyatt, and Noah sprinted from the living area to Noah's room and closed the door. Ed and Olivia followed, opened the door, and, with great exaggeration wondered aloud where the kids were while ignoring the muffled giggles coming from under the bed.

"Liv, I bet they can't stop popping those things for any extended period of time, so I think we should just wait."

"I think you're right," Olivia replied in a sing-songy voice.

They waited a minute, maybe less.

POP!

"MAGGS!"

"Sawwy."

Wyatt erupted in giggles.

Noah audibly sighed.

Ed and Olivia dragged their trio out from under the bed and deftly collected the Pop Its. "C'mon, kiddos," Ed said, "Let's find something else to do. Like the dishes."

"BUBBLES!" Wyatt exclaimed.

Noah and Maggie shrugged. If Pop Its were off the table, then the dishes and bubbles seemed like a perfectly acceptable second option.

….

#Tuckson