Author's Note: And the plot thickens…
Disclaimer: No profit. Poor college student. Characters belong to Dick Wolf. You know the drill.
Title: Keeping It Together
By: Marion
Chapter: 78:30 pm Thanksgiving Day
"Well, here we are," said Alex. They were pulling up to her parents' house. The snow had stopped for the moment.
Sam came outside carrying a sleepy, fussy Caleb in his arms. "The munchkin was refusing to go to sleep until you got back," said Sam, handing the two and a half year old to Alex when she got out of the car.
"Hi there, little man," said Alex, bouncing the child in her arms. "Why aren't you at home, asleep? Its past your bedtime."
"He's staying with Grandma and Grandpa tonight because Lizzie is crazy enough to hit those 5am sales on Black Friday," said Sam. "And once he heard you were coming back, he didn't want to settle down until you got here."
"Boy, has he gotten big," said Bobby, coming around the car to stand beside her. "Hi, Caleb."
Caleb buried his head in Alex's shoulder, shy and cranky with the hour. Bobby smiled. Sam held his hand out to Bobby. "Hey, Sam," said Bobby, shaking his hand.
"I'm sorry about your mom, man," said Sam. Bobby nodded in thanks.
"Sam," Annette Eames called from the doorway. "You and Caleb let them get inside."
"Who all is still here?" Alex asked her brother, heading for the porch with her nephew.
"Ted and Janet are trying to put the girls to bed upstairs. They are going back to Pennsylvania tomorrow. Lizzie and Justin went home, but the munchkin's still here, obviously," said Sam.
Just then there was a commotion at the door. "Uncle Bobby," shouted Cassie, Ted and Janet's oldest daughter. The little girl ran down the porch steps in her 'My Little Pony' footie-pajamas and launched herself into Bobby's arms. "You came after all. Happy Thanksgiving!" She threw her arms around his neck.
"Hi, Cassie," Bobby said, almost shyly. The little girl's fondness for him was a new experience. "Happy Thanksgiving."
"Cassandra Eames," Ted called from the porch. He was carrying his five-year-old daughter, Sarah. "I said you could come tell Uncle Bobby goodnight, not attack him."
"She's all right," said Bobby. He reached the porch with the girl in his arms and shook Ted's hand.
"My condolences, Bobby," said Ted.
"Thank you," said Bobby.
Sarah reached for Bobby from her father's arms. Bobby adjusted Cassie to one arm and held the other out for Sarah. She climbed into his arms. Bobby hugged the girls goodnight. "All right," said Ted. "Let Uncle Bobby go inside. It's past your bed time."
Bobby set them on their feet and ruffled their hair, sending them off with their father.
"Aren't you popular," Alex teased gently at Bobby's side. Bobby chuckled softly.
They made it inside to the living room. Bobby looked from Annette Eames to her husband, to his old captain, to his best friend Lewis and stopped in his tracks.
"Good lord, is this an intervention?" Alex snarked, surprised to see Captain Deakins and Lewis.
Bobby laughed.
"Well, if you can laugh, I guess you'll be okay," said Lewis, getting to his feet and pulling Bobby into a hug.
"What are you doing here, man?" Bobby asked, hugging his friend.
"Alex asked me to bring you some clothes," said Lewis. "And then her mom invited me to stay if I wanted to see you. I did, so…"
Bobby gave him a small smile. "Thanks." He looked sideways at Alex.
"I'm going to go put Caleb to bed," said Alex, quickly making her exit.
Deakins stood up and put a hand on Bobby's shoulder. "It's good to see you, Captain," said Bobby.
"Bobby, please call me Jimmy. I'm not your CO anymore," said Deakins. "How are you doing?"
"I'm… I don't know," said Bobby. "I don't think it has really sunk in, yet. I'm… I'm going to stay with Alex for a few days while I sort out how I'm doing."
"If you need anything, call me," said Jimmy. "I mean it, Bobby. And Angie wants you and Alex to come to dinner sometime next week."
"Okay," said Bobby. "Thank you."
Johnny Eames patted Bobby's other shoulder. "The same goes for me and Annie. You let us know if you need anything. You're a part of our family, you know."
Bobby could hardly think of what to say. "Thank you, sir," he choked out.
"All right, back off," said Annette Eames. "Give the boy some room. Bobby, are you hungry?"
"Not really," he said, turning to face her.
"Let me rephrase," she said in a tone he had always thought was unique to Alex. "Have you eaten today?"
Bobby thought about lying, but given Alex's perceptiveness he feared her mother would be able to tell. "No ma'am."
"Come on, let me fix you a plate," she said, leading him to the dinning room. She bustled him into a chair and disappeared into the kitchen.
When she set the steaming plate of food in front of him he felt his stomach growl. Maybe I am hungry after all. "Thank you," he said, and dug in.
xxx
Alex had just gotten Caleb to sleep when her phone rang. She managed to answer it before it could wake the sleeping child. "Eames."
"Hi, Alex. It's Mike."
"Hey. You got something for me?"
"Yeah. Sit down. Richard Goren Jr. is doing time… in Rikers."