"I'm pretty sure you got more toppings than actual frozen yogurt." Mac grins to her sister in the back seat. She misses days like this. Days where it was just the two of them hanging out. She knew that attending college soon would take most of those days away from them.
"Why can't I have real ice cream? Mom always buys yogurt and says it's ice cream, I can read, you know." Kate swings her legs while sitting in her booster seat, waiting for her sister to unbuckle her.
"Because you're lactose intolerant." She smirks, looking down at her phone, reading the voicemail that was transcribed into a text. Her smile slowly fades, but she takes a deep breath, closing her eyes. She deletes the message.
"It means I like toast and I'm tol...tolerant." The toddler nods, looking out the window, "What does tolerant mean?"
"It means you accept something for what it is."
"I accept toast for being toast."
Mac rolls her eyes, smiling, "Lactose intolerance, also called lactase deficiency and hypolactasia, is the inability to digest lactose, a sugar found in milk and to a lesser extent milk-derived dairy products."
Kate tilts her head to the side, staring at her sister through the rearview window for a moment, "Does all that mean something?"
"It means you can't drink milk that comes from animals. You can drink soy milk or almond milk. That's what your Mom buys you. Same thing with frozen yogurt."
"FroYo." She nods, swinging her feet still, "Why are we waiting?"
"One second." The young woman nods, finally finishing her fingers quick glide over the screen. "Okay, can you unbuckle yourself?"
"No. That's why I'm still in my seat." Kate watches her sister, "Why were you laughing earlier when you were driving?"
Mac smirks, "No reason."
"There has to be a reason to laugh and a reason to cry."
The young woman grins, climbing from the driver's seat to the passenger door behind her own, "You're ridiculously smart, you know that?"
"Yes," Kate returns her smile, emerald eyes sparkling.
She rolls her eyes, "My mother called and left a message on my cell phone that..." Mac pauses, not wanting to confuse the young girl, "Was really stupid, but I'm ignoring her and not calling her back because I don't want her in my life."
"Was your mommy not nice to you?"
"Not really, no."
"My mommy is nice. You can share my mommy with me. Then you can be a sister with Eve and Chad and Rusty." Kate grins to her, proud of her offer.
"That's very sweet of you. Thanks, Katie." Mac grins broadly to her. She picks the toddler up, carrying her to the door. She fiddles with her keys a few moments before dropping them onto the plain welcome mat. She sighs, setting Kate down before leaning down to get her keys.
The door opens, Eve standing before them. "Could have told me you were on your way. I would have opened the door for you."
Kate grins, launching herself at her eldest sibling, "Mac-y, Evey is here."
"I see that." Mac smirks, "What's up?" She walks into the house. "In other words, why are you here and where is my fat niece?"
"Not nice!" The toddler calls out.
"Long story." Eve gives her step-sister a knowing nod, "Katie, can you go upstairs and see what Mom and Freya are doing?"
"Mommy is here too? My whole family!" Kate pumps her arm down to her side, grinning and running off in the direction of the steps.
"Something wrong?" Mac furrows her brow.
"Listen, they are upstairs asleep, so she isn't going to take long. Apparently, your mom showed up at the station today. Your dad went down to meet her or get rid of her, I don't know. Julio said they were all watching from the security cameras in the murder room. You mom and Andy started kissing and-"
"Sharon saw the entire thing." Mac finished for her, the blood draining from her face as her skin turned pale.
Eve swallows, "Yeah. Apparently he agreed to go to dinner tonight. He hasn't come home yet."
"In going to kill him." She whispers.
"It could all be a misunderstanding."
"Or he is thinking with his dick instead of his brain." Mac mumbles, bluntly.
"Rusty left here a few hours ago to...I don't know. I haven't heard from him. He was so pissed, Mac." She says softly, "Believe it or not, Andy is a good man. I have faith that he is not that stupid."
"Then you have more faith than I do." The younger woman sighs, reaching into her pocket when her mobile phone vibrates, "Rusty." She listens intently the disconnects the call with a swipe of her screen. A blank look on her face.
"Well?"
"He's...he's at the hospital with Dad."
Eve's eyes widen, "What did Rusty do exactly?"
"I don't know. He didn't give specifics. Just that they are there." The younger woman swallows, "What do I..." She shakes her head, "Should I tell Sharon?"
"No, you go. I will let her know. She isn't...She is kind of down right now, so...I don't know how she will react." The brunette sighs, "Are you okay to drive?"
"I'm fine." Mac runs a hand through her hair, "You said he was with Trudy?"
Eve nods, "That's why Rusty was so pissed."
"Call Uncle Louie. Let him know, but don't tell Sharon yet. I will text you when I find out what's going on." She tugs the front door open.
"Be careful." Eve turns when she sees Mac pull off. She glances to the stairs, wondering what is taking her sister so long.
Kate lies in her mother's California King sized bed, next to her niece who was between she and her mother. She reaches her small hand over, touching Sharon's face. Letting her tiny finger trace around her eyes. The wetness alarmed her, she knew the woman was crying. She doesn't like when Mommy cries.
Sharon opens her eyes slowly, letting the emerald orbs adjust title glowing ambiance of the room due to flameless vanilla lavender candles around the room. She smiles softly.
"Why were you crying?" The toddler asks, her voice hushed.
"I'm fine, honey." Sharon whispers, "I was napping with the baby." She bites the inside corner of her mouth.
"People cry when they're sad."
"I said I'm fine, Katie." She darts her tongue out, licking her dry lips, "How was your time with your sister? Did you eat dinner?"
"Yes and FroYo." Kate grins, looking down at her niece and letting the baby hold her finger in her sleep.
"FroYo? Frozen yogurt?" Sharon smirks.
"Yes and I put the crumbles on top and the cookies and the gummy bears and the beady things, Mac says they're Mango beads...Beads of Mango, Mom!"
"Quiet, don't wake her." She keeps herself from laughing, listening to her daughter, "Was there any yogurt with that?"
"Yes and it was...Mommy, get ready...it was birthday cake flavor. It isn't even my birthday, Mommy." The precocious toddler grins broadly.
"I am quite aware of when your birthday is, trust me." Sharon glances down to the infant still tucked comfortably in the nook her arm. The baby's large eyes watch her aunt, who wasn't much older than she was, "She's listening to you too, now. Continue." She sighs softly.
"Then we went to the akarum. It's where all the fish live."
"Aquarium?" She grins, quickly able to decipher her daughter's ramblings, "Well, they really live in the oceans and the lakes and-"
"No, they live at the akarum." Kate nods, positive in her convictions, "And I asked about where the mermaids were. They said they weren't real." She makes a face.
"And what do you think?"
"I know they're real. You read me the story about them and I was one for Halloween and I saw the movie too."
"Then believe what you want. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise." Sharon chuckles softly, noticing the baby bring her fist to her mouth, "I think she's getting hungry. Should we go downstairs?"
"Yes." Kate nods, standing and jumping off the bed.
"God, Katie. Please, be careful." Her mother gives her a look.
"I am so happy."
"Why are you so happy?" Sharon climbs off of the bed, the baby propped up on her chest, as she leans her free hand down, knowing her daughter would clasp onto it.
"Because I have the best family in the whole world." Kate hops down the hallway.
"I am going to kill your sister for all that sugar." She smirks, shaking her head. She looks at the bottom of the stairs, noticing her elder daughter on the phone, biting her nail. She knew the telltale signs that her daughter is worried. Slowly descending the stairs with her daughter and granddaughter, Sharon watches as the toddler runs off and waits for Eve to touch the screen of her phone, "Baby's hungry."
"Have a nice nap?" Eve tilts her head to the side, stuffing her hands into the pockets of her thin cardigan.
"What's wrong?" Sharon offers the baby to her mother, "Let's sit in the living room so you can feed her and I can have her back."
The younger woman raises an eyebrow, "Milk machine? Dispense when needed?"
"That's what I was for two of you. Chad had colic."
"I remember." She takes the baby, walking to where her mother requested, "I'll wait for you to sit down."
"This can't be good." Sharon sighs, sitting slowly in the high, wing back chair, "Go on."
"You want the good news or the bad news first?"
"Good news."
"Andy isn't cheating on you. I just got off the phone with Lieutenant Provenza, he was keeping an eye on the situation for you. Trudy Wilson is in custody and Rusty didn't do anything he'd regret." Eve nods, watching as the baby suckles from her breast.
Sharon hums with a nod and a soft smirk, "I'm guessing the bad news is to why Trudy is in custody?"
"Yes. As you can see, Mac isn't here."
"Okay."
"Rusty and Mac are at the hospital with Andy. Trudy slipped him something, made him pass out. They're pumping his stomach and keeping an eye on him there."
Sharon brings her knuckle to her lip, swallowing, "Did...did they say anymore?"
"Rusty said he's fine." Eve nods.
"I...I need to be there. Will you keep an eye on Katie?"
"Of course, Mom. Want me to drive you? I know you're terrible when you're emotional." She smiles softly to her.
"I..." Sharon catches her hand trembling and shoves it in her pocket.
"Mom, he's fine. Rusty wouldn't lie about this. You know that. He wouldn't be sarcastic and he wouldn't feed me bad intel." Eve watches her mother, "Let me finish feeding her and we'll go."
"Of course. I know they'd have everything under control." She shakes her head, "I don't know why I ever doubted him."
"Katie, get your shoes on." The younger woman calls out, causing the baby to jump slightly, "Sorry, sweetheart." She whispers to her daughter, bring her hand up to smooth back her peach fuzz hair.
"I'm wearing the snow boots!" Kate calls, running past them.
"It's eighty and sunny out, perfect snow boot weather, obviously." Eve rolls her eyes, "You can't wear snow boots."
"But they match my clothes. They are purple and my shirt is purple." The toddler places her hands at her hips.
"Well, that is true. Wear the snow boots then." Sharon offers her youngest child a smile, watching her run off, "Something my mother always told me, pick your battles. Some things aren't as important as others. That's why you wore ruby red cowboy boots for an entire year when you were about her age."
Eve grins, switching sides with the baby, "You just don't want to hear a song about snow boots in the car."
"You have me there." Sharon grins more, relaxing in the seat.