Chapter Five

Triumph To Tragedy

"First of all I won't let you quit, you'd be unbearable to live with." She leaves the room, takes a wine glass from the cupboard, and pours him a glass of wine, "Here." He takes the wine glass from her, "Thanks." She places the bottle on the coffee table and resumes her seat on the couch. "Ok. Tell me what happened."

He takes a sip. "This is good, did I buy this or did you?"

"Never mind that," she waves her hand at him. "Tell me what happened between you and Ross."

He takes another sip, "Well Ross got the word from upstairs," he points in the air. "And suggested that we not talk to this person again and well... we did anyway." He downs the rest of the wine in the glass. "A call from upstairs came downstairs." He holds his glass out and she refills it. "He talked a lot of bull with them…………."

"Admit it Bobby he caught your back."

"No," he shakes his head. "Not the way I see it, he did it so he wouldn't lose face, and the assholes upstairs wouldn't think that he was losing control of his command, that's all, he never backed me up."

His cell phone rings. He picks it up and checks the number. "It's Ross," he frowns as he sets it down on the table.

Alex picks it up and flips it open, "Eames."

"How long have you been waiting to say that?" She holds her finger to her mouth. "Shhhhhh."

"And what happens when you return to work? What name are you going to use?"

"Eames how are you?"

She holds the phone down for a moment, "You bring that up now."

Bobby points to the phone, "He's waiting, don't keep the ass kisser waiting."

She brings the phone up to her ear, "Very well Captain, and you?"

"Fine thank you, I suppose Goren has told you about what happened here, today."

"Yes Captain, he did."

Bobby sits back in the couch and props his feet on the coffee table. Holds up his glass, "Tell him to go to hell."

She covers the phone with her hand. "Would you stop, you're not helping and I'm not getting in the middle of this."

Bobby takes a long sip of wine, "Then you shouldn't have picked up the phone."

She responds but not with words, Bobby chuckles as he says, "Obscene finger gesture. Moms are not supposed to do that."

She lightly smacks him on the arm then she returns to the phone, "Captain could you please hold on for a moment."

"Certainly."

"Bobby you have to talk to him. The two of you are going to have to work this out by yourselves." He makes no effort to accept, the phone. Through clenched teeth she says, "Take the phone Goren."

He looks up, "Ok, ok." He sits up and takes the phone from her hand, "Captain."

"Detective, we seemed to have had a gap in communication. I didn't listen to what you had to say, but then you and your partner did ignore my ord…suggestion."

"Just because a witness or in this case I feel a suspect is a friend of a friend of the mayor he should not be given any special treatment. You and the…….." he bites his lip. "Can talk till you are blue in the face but if the situation should arise again I will do what I have to do to do my job."

"I agree with you Detective. I have to remember that all the men and woman in my command do their jobs to the best of their ability and I have to learn to listen."

"See you in the morning, Sir."

"Goodnight Detective."

He closes the phone and tosses it on the table. "That wasn't so bad."

"Yeah, what would you do without me?"

He does not respond he holds out his arm and waves her over; she snuggles in and lays her head on his chest. He drinks down the rest of the wine in the glass, leans forward and sets it down on the table, "This is nice."

She nods her head.

A Few Weeks Later

Bobby received an early call this morning. It was the first time in weeks that he hasn't had breakfast with his family. He keeps strange hours, but she is familiar with that part of his job. She misses the challenge of being a police officer but she also loves staying home with her son. He seems to grow and change everyday. She watches him and smiles in amazement; he'll be four months old next week, wow that went fast. He is lying on his back in his playpen this morning, stretching and kicking the Fisher Price Pop Open Play Gym that her parents gave him.

She pours herself a second cup of coffee and events of the past few weeks come to mind. That night when Bobby and Ross had their disagreement, he had mentioned the name change. They hadn't thought about it or discussed it prior to that night. Being the unconventional guy he is, he told her that the decision was hers. A few weeks later and she is still not sure of what to do. Every member of her family has a different opinion about it, they were no help. She is determined to return to work that has never been an issue. I'll keep my name, no I'll change it. Shit. I don't know.

She turns when she hears the mail carrier slipping the mail into the box. She opens the door, "Good morning."

"Morning," the dark haired man says. She closes the door and as she walks back toward the kitchen she shuffles through the mail, bill, bill……good three more responses.

She takes the pile and tosses it on the kitchen table, sits down and picks up her coffee mug, raising the mug to her lips, taking a quick sip. "That is good," she smiles to herself. Lying on the table is her list. She takes a quick glance at the pad. The only items not checked off are the name change, where to have the rehearsal dinner and the beauty appointments for the bridal party. She shrugs her shoulders well the beauty appointments don't need to be made four months prior, or do they? She highlights the notation.

Bobby's attitude toward the preparations has been very agreeable. The only thing that he seemed adamant about was having a band instead of a DJ. She smiles, he was right that band was awesome.

Two weeks ago, they attended a wedding for one of her cousins' children. They gave each other a look when she threw the bouquet, that was something that they were going to do but the garter part, he said no way. It took an hour or so but she finally persuaded him that they have to do the bride and the groom cut the cake. She promised him that she would not, under any circumstance, stuff the cake in his mouth, she chuckles to herself.

After his explosion a few weeks ago, things have started to calm down and everything has been running smoothly at work and at home. She is very proud of him, he has learned to be a bit more diplomatic and Ross seems to appreciate that. Ross has backed off and Bobby appreciates that.

They, after a week of discussion, have decided that they would spend their ten day honeymoon, ten days out of the city, she thinks to herself, at The Sandals Grande on the Caribbean Island Saint Lucian.

Arrangements have been made that Laurie and her sister-in-law, Theresa, would care for Robby during their absence.

Alex finishes the coffee in her cup and begins to clean up the kitchen. The phone rings, she turns off the faucet, grabs a dish towel and dries her hands, "Hello."

"Hey Alex, it's time for an afternoon out."

"What do you have in mind?"

"Remember when Matthew was an infant and you, Mom and I would go out for lunch and a Broadway matinee."

She smiles, "Yes I do that was fun."

"Well it's my turn to treat you."

"When? That sounds fantastic."

"How about next Wednesday it's easier to get tickets for weekday matinees, anything in particular you would like to see?"

"Anything, anything at all. Your choice." She pauses. "How about we ask Theresa if she would like to join us?"

"Great idea, I'll call her as soon as I hang up with you."

"I'm going to need a babysitter, Ashley has been watching Robby when we need her but she'll be in school on a Wednesday afternoon."

"One of the mom's at the day care gave me the number of a sitter, very reliable. Get a pen, you can………No wait I'll call her for you."

Wednesday

"Misses Walters, I'd like you to meet my sister Alex."

Alex opens the door wider so the two women can enter. "It's nice to meet you, Misses Walters."

Alex shows the 40 something woman around the house, she points out the little things that Robby seems to enjoy during the day. She informs the sitter that he is due for his next bottle at noon. "My fiancés Mom gave us the high chair and we were bored one day and put it together. We found a perfect place for it in the kitchen but he is not quite ready for it. After his bottle, we feed him a few teaspoons of applesauce. We use the bouncer." She points, "We prop it up on the couch and feed him."

Lunch was fabulous and the show was wonderful, Laurie did the driving that afternoon and when she turns the corner to the house an ambulance is in the driveway and two police cruisers are on the street. Alex's heart, along with her sister and mothers', who are in the car, begins to beat fast. She opens the car door before Laurie stops. She tears up the driveway and opens the front door quickly and it hits the wall. Laurie and Sara follow Alex into the house.

"What the hell is going on? Where's my son?"

An EMT turns, "Who are you?"

Her first thought is to brandish her gold shield; however, that is upstairs on her dresser. "I'm a police officer," she looks at his nametag. "Gus, I am Detective Alex Eames Major Case Squad, I live here, where's my son? I won't ask again."

"Ma'am, he's in the kitchen. We were called when the he fell from the high chair."

"The high chair?" Alex walks into the kitchen. "Misses Walters I told you that he was too young for the high chair." Misses Walters is sobbing in the corner of the room. Alex has no desire to comfort her. Her view of her son is blocked, she takes another step forward, a hand grabs her arm, she looks up and a young red haired uniformed officer says, "No Ma'am stay back, let them do their job." She looks back at the men, one EMT and two paramedics are tending to Robby. The young officer has released his hold and says, "When we arrived he was having a seizure and vomiting."

Flashes of memories fill her mind, how many times has she been on the other side of this event. Laurie and Sara walk slowly through the maze of EMT's and the uniformed officers. They could help but hear the cause for all these professionals being called in. Laurie takes a comforting hold of her mother's arm.

Gus the EMT speaks, "Now he has lost consciousness. There is definitely an injury to his head. If he is suffering any other injuries we can't tell because he is too young."

His partner stands, "He's ready for transport Gus." They lift him tenderly onto the stretcher.

Gus turns toward Alex, "You may ride with us in the back, and your friends can follow."

Saint Peter's Hospital

Robby is whisked into the emergency room; she wants to be with him but she is forbidden to enter. "Alex do you want me to call Bobby?"

Alex turns to her sister annoyed that she has asked her a question, which she did not hear. "What?"

"Bobby, do you want me to call Bobby."

The color drains from her face; as she holds her face in her hands, "Oh my God, Bobby. Yes…………No. I'll call him." She searches for her cell phone. "My phone. Where the hell is my phone?"

Laurie opens her bag and retrieves her cell phone, "Here, use mine."

Alex grabs the phone and stares at it. "I….I don't, I can't see the numbers." She looks up at her younger sister and tears are in her eyes and streaming down her cheek. Laurie gently takes the phone from her and hits the preset code for the MCS. If she is lucky, he is in or around the squad room.

The phone rings three times, "Detective Wheeler, major case."

"Detective, this is Laurie Daly, is Bobby………Detective Goren available?"

"One moment."

One Police Plaza

Major Case Squad

"Bobby, phone."

He is leaning over Dannis' shoulder looking at information that she has accessed on the computer. He looks up as he hears his name. "It's a Laurie Daly," Megan says.

"Thanks Wheeler," he walks over to his desk, pulls out his chair and hits the flashing white button, "Hey Laurie, what's up?"

Silence for a moment. "Laurie, are you there?"

"Yes Bobby, I'm sorry. I'm not sure…………….Oh God. There's been an accident and Robby is in the hospital."

Danni takes a glance at her partner. His face has now lost it's color, "What?……Where? Where is he? Wha….where is Alex? Is Alex hurt also?"

"Saint Peter's, Alex is here, she is……." She looks at her sister and Alex has not taken her eyes off the ER doors. She sniffles back tears when she thinks of the little boy behind those doors. "No, Bobby……….. Alex is here with me, when we came back to the house the police and the paramedics where there and………"

"I'm coming, I'm leaving now," he rubs his forehead. "I'll be there as soon as I can." She hears the phone click.

TBC