Chapter 6

She was officially exhausted. The last week had been a whirlwind of drama and now she was expected to actually be productive on the job like everything was fine. Everything was not fine though. At this point, she couldn't even remember the last time when things were even remotely close to fine.

Breathing heavily, Sarah observed the mess she had made in only a fraction of a second. She could easily recognize herself in it. All the sharp, broken pieces resembled the shambles of her life. It was all too much. She needed a fix and she needed it now. It was the only thing that could help her catch her breath and stop her racing mind at this point. She reached blindly for the phone on the coffee table and hurriedly punched in the numbers she had memorized. She had a craving and there was one person she knew that could help fix that problem.

She continued to pace as the dialling began in her ear, waiting impatiently for the line to connect. A click sounded, letting her know that the other person had finally picked up their bloody end.

"Hey, what's up?"

"Beth," Sarah croaked out hoarsely, only then did she realize that tears had begun pooling in her eyes. The lump in her throat made it difficult to get even the single syllable out.

Across town at an active crime scene, Beth's entire body tensed upon hearing her sister's tone. All the background noise and commotion around her faded in that moment. "What's wrong?"

"I need you to come."

"Okay, yeah," Beth nodded more to herself than anything else. She noticed Art looking at her strangely and turned her back. "Can you tell me what's going on?"

"Siobhan fuckin' stopped by is wha's going on!" Sarah practically screamed out, her accent growing thicker as she became more agitated.

"Jesus Christ," Beth groaned out and ran a hand through her hair in frustration.

Obviously any sort of confrontation between Sarah and Siobhan at this point would only be a complete blow out. The fact that Sarah was actually calling her in the middle of the day nearly in tears was enough to let her know that things had not gone well at all. Her sister was never much of a crier so whatever S said to her must have been serious as hell.

"You gotta come, Beth. I-I don't wanna mess up," Sarah stuttered and Beth swore her heart broke in two at the sound and the words.

"I'm coming, Sarah, I promise. Just, don't go anywhere, okay? Stay inside and I'll be there as soon as I can."

"Yeah," she heard Sarah respond quietly before the line went dead.

Beth turned back around to see that Art was still glancing at her curiously. "Something wrong?"

"Yeah, actually," she nodded tensely. "I've gotta get out of here. Sorry to bail on you, but family emergency."

"Right," Art drawled with clear confusion in his voice.

"What?"

"Just, in all the years we've been partnered together I don't think you've ever once put your personal life before the job. This job is your life."

"Yeah well, my sister needs me right now. My family's always come before the job Art, I just never had to prioritize them like this."

He chuckled softly and began ushering her toward the nearby parked car. "I feel like I'm getting to know a whole new side of you. All this family loving shit is so unlike the Beth I've known."

"Whatever man, doesn't mean I'm going soft on you," she grumbled but the smile remained on her face as she hopped in the passenger seat. "Just drop me off at my place."

"Sure thing," he complied and drove silently to their destination.

Beth sat with her lip tucked anxiously between her teeth. All she could do was hope that Sarah could remain strong for just a few more minutes until she got there. She would pray but she never really was one for religion and there was no point starting now. Asking some big dude up in the sky to keep her sister from snorting blow didn't seem like it would prove to be very effective.

She noticed Art glancing at her every so often but couldn't find the sarcasm in her to make a comment at the moment. All her energy was focussed on her apartment and somehow trying to get Sarah to keep clean. She had only been clean for a couple weeks now but she'd been doing so well, a relapse isn't something either of them could handle.

So caught up in her thoughts, Beth didn't even realize they had made it to her neighbourhood until the car came to a halt outside her apartment. "Thanks for the ride. Cover for me back at the station?" she asked as she opened the car door.

"Of course," Art confirmed and it was all she needed to remove herself completely from the vehicle and walk quickly into the home.

She found Sarah hunched over on the couch, cradling her head in her hands. Beth at down gingerly next to her and squeezed her sister's shoulder softly. "Hey, Manning."

Sarah took several deep breaths in and lifted her head. The tear stains were still evident on her face but she didn't appear to be crying anymore. She looked at Beth brokenly and let out a strangled, "Hey."

"Alright?"

"Better now," Sarah nodded. "I'm sorry for callin' your first day back."

"Hey, no. Don't apologize. Your health comes first so I'm glad you did call instead of trying to deal with this shit alone."

Sarah smiled slightly and nodded in understanding. She remained silently playing with her fingers in her lap. Beth's worried gaze didn't waiver as she began rubbing soothing circles on Sarah's back. "What happened, Sar?"

"Me and S kind of got into it," she shrugged in frustration. "She told me she isn't gonna let me see Kira."

Beth tensed and fought the urge to call her foster mother and give her a serious piece of her mind. Of course she knew the older woman stopped by in the middle of the day because she would catch Sarah without anyone else around. That was enough to have her pissed off. Add to the fact that Siobhan was now dangling an eight year old little girl's custody in front of a recovering addict's face – it had Beth practically steaming. It felt like Siobhan deliberately set up the entire conversation, knowing exactly what effect it would have on Sarah and what it would drive her towards. She had always recognized the strain in the relationship between Sarah and S but she never thought her foster mother behave so vindictively toward her sister. Despite all the drama over the years, Sarah was still a daughter Siobhan loved.

"I'm not gonna let that happen," Beth vowed to her sister quietly.

"Yeah? I dunno how you're gonna pull that off, Childs. S knows that I got back on drugs and she doesn't want me anywhere near Kira."

"You trust me?"

Sarah looked at her sister quizzically but nodded in affirmation anyway. There wasn't anyone on the planet she trusted more than Beth.

"Then believe me when I tell you that I'm not gonna let that happen, okay? You're already doing so much better than you were when you first got back. I don't think you being around Kira will be harmful to her at all. Actually, I think it'd be good for both of you."

"I miss her so much," Sarah said dejectedly.

"I know you do," Beth agreed. "You'll see her soon, I promise."

Sarah nodded, accepting her sister's words. She returned to focussing on her breathing – deep inhale, hold it for a few seconds, deep exhale. The more she did it, the more she felt her craving slipping further away. It still lingered, but it felt manageable. She could get past it if she focused and had her sister close by. Like a security blanket, Beth's presence just seemed to make everything feel safer for her.

She had sat on that couch with Sarah in near silence for hours that afternoon. Paul came home later in the evening and the three of them ate dinner in silence as well, Paul knowing well enough to not ask questions.

After Sarah finally fell asleep she called Siobhan and had it out with her foster mother. She didn't hold back in her lashing, needing Siobhan to know just how far she had crossed the line. The despicability of antagonizing Sarah when she had specifically asked the woman to cut Sarah some slack, hoping maybe for once she would show her foster daughter some empathy.

Siobhan had at least had the decency to inflect some remorse in her tone when Beth went off. She still wasn't sure how much of that she believed to be genuine though. Siobhan seemed to have a split personality when it came to her twin foster daughters – rough, tough, and unforgiving with Sarah; kind, loving, and supportive with Beth. As a result, she never could distinguish which version was the real Siobhan. She liked to believe that her tough love act with Sarah was a result of her sister's troubled ways throughout their child and teen years. Their foster mother did actually love them both and Felix unconditionally, she just had to handle each of them a different way.

She hadn't held back with Siobhan this time though. So many times before, similar events had arose and she only half-heartedly defended Sarah, the other half agreeing with S' handling of the situation. This time, Sarah needed the defense more than anything. Her sister's health and well-being depended on it. Somehow, Beth had managed to get Siobhan to change her mind about Sarah's relationship with Kira and agreed to let the mother and daughter reunite. Of course, she did it under the terms that they would not be permitted to be alone together and Beth immediately volunteered to be the one to supervise them.

Even giving her word that she would keep a watchful eye on Sarah and Kira wasn't enough though and S insisted that the meeting take place in her presence as well. Realizing she wasn't in a place for any further negotiation, Beth agreed to the terms and hoped Siobhan's presence wouldn't disrupt Sarah and Kira too much.

Here she was now, on her way back home to meet up with Sarah. They were walking to pick Kira up from school together and then headed back to Siobhan's for the evening. The whole day she had been anxious about the reunion, desperately hoping that everything would go smoothly for her sister. She had been doing so well with her recovery and Beth feared that anything going wrong with Kira would set her so far back and risk relapse. Sarah had made it through the most difficult part of withdrawal but being reunited with Kira was always going to be a very important aspect of a full recovery. It was so important that their relationship be healthy and stable, meaning Siobhan needed to let it actually take place or else Sarah would never fully escape the grips of the call to drugs.

She pulled up outside her house and saw that Sarah was already sitting on the steps waiting for her. Beth smiled in satisfaction at seeing her sister dressed in a pair of black jeggings and a blue sweater with black shoulder patches, of course her signature leather jacket pulled on and studded black boots adorning her feet. Before she left for work, Beth had warned Sarah to be dressed appropriately for the afternoon. The last thing she needed was for her sister to dress too much like a hoe and have Siobhan clucking in disapproval before they even got into the house. Sarah had done well though and Beth smiled widely at her as she got out of the car.

"Hey, you ready to go?"

"Yeah," Sarah swallowed thickly, the nerves and anxiousness shining through easily.

"Cool. It's only like a fifteen minute walk to Kira's school, I've picked her up before and it's not too bad."

"Le's go then," Sarah nodded and walked down the remaining steps that separated her and Beth.

Beth immediately threw a comforting arm around her twin as they began their walk. "You nervous?"

Sarah shrugged but remained silent as they moved.

"You shouldn't be. Kira's gonna be so excited to see you.

"Yeah," Sarah agreed half-heartedly, her head clearly not focussed on the conversation at hand.

Beth understood her sister's nerves over the impending reunion and allowed them to fall into a comfortable silence. They walked side by side through the city until they were finally waiting outside Kira's school. They had about five minutes to spare before the bell rang and the little girl would come running down the front stairs.

"Does she know I'm back?"

"Yeah," Beth nodded. "She doesn't know you're coming today though. I thought it'd be nice to surprise her."

"What if she hates me for leavin, Beth?"

"That's impossible, Sar," Beth disagreed. "We both know Kira practically idolizes you. You're like her favourite person in the world. It's actually kind of insulting considering how hard I try to be the super cool aunt."

Sarah chuckled softly under her breath. "I guess you can't compete with my coolness."

"Whatever man. At least I'm her favourite aunt."

"You're her only aunt, Childs," Sarah pointed out wryly.

"Whatever," Beth grumbled and punched her sister in the arm.

The sound of the loud bell ringing had both women turning their attention to the school doors. Within seconds the kids started pouring out and running in every which direction. Sarah's eyes were darting from face to face to face, looking for her precious daughter. For a moment, she wondered if there was a chance she wouldn't recognize Kira given that it had been ten months since she had last seen her.

Only another half second passed before Sarah knew her thought was completely untrue. Her heart nearly stopped beating in her chest at the sight of Kira exiting the school. She watched her daughter survey the parents standing around until she came to her and Beth. The smile that lit up the little girl's face was unlike anything she had ever seen and watching her take off down the steps, racing toward her had Sarah crouching toward the ground.

Before she knew it Kira was only a few feet away. Her voice emitting a gleeful, "Mommy!"

Sarah laughed joyously when her daughter was finally back in her arms. She hugged her tightly, pouring the last ten months of lost time into it. "Hi, Monkey."

They stayed clinging each other for several minutes, Sarah rubbing her daughter's back over and over. She sunk herself into the moment, needing to take everything about it in. She didn't think she had ever felt so happy in her entire life. Kira is and always had been everything to her and being reunited after leaving her for nearly a year was almost overwhelming.

"I missed you, Mummy." Kira said, her head buried deeply into Sarah's neck.

"I missed you too, baby. So much," Sarah sniffled back, removing a hand from her daughter's back to wipe away a stray tear from her eye.

They pulled away after another couple of moments. Sarah took the time to survey her daughter and laughed. "God look at you! You're so big!"

Kira giggled at the exclamation and swung her body back and forth. "I'm the smallest kid in my class!"

Wiping the tears from her face, the smile still wide on her face Sarah shook her head. "Well you're big to me."

Kira smiled widely back at her mother and took a moment to give Beth a quick hug in greeting.

"I told you you'd see her soon, kiddo," Beth smiled at the infectious grin spread across the young girl's face.

Kira giggled and nodded. She took a hand from both her mother and aunt, walking between them happily back to Mrs S' house. "Are you back for good, Mummy?"

Sarah glanced down at Kira and sighed guiltily. "Yeah, Monkey. I'm not goin' anywhere, I promise."

It nearly broke her heart when Kira glanced over to Beth, clearly looking for confirmation of her mother's response. Beth squeezed the girl's hand gently and nodded in affirmation. "She's here for good, kid."

"Good," Kira smiled widely. "I like it best when we all get to be together."

"We know you do, Monkey," Sarah replied.

"That's the way it's gonna be from now on, alright?" Beth added and threw a pointed glance at Sarah. She knew her sister wasn't about to just up and leave Kira again, but she also needed her to know that even if she got that urge again that she'd make it a hell of a lot harder for her to get out of town this time around.

They turned a corner and Siobhan's home came into view – the same home that both Sarah and Beth had spent their teen years living in. Siobhan was already standing on the front step, watching like a hawk as the three girls approached her. Her eyes were clearly zeroed in on Sarah and narrowed in a highly untrusting manner.

Kira looked up at her mother. "Is Mrs. S mad at you, Mummy?"

Beth let go of her niece's hand and continued down the sidewalk as Sarah and Kira came to a halt. Sarah knelt down in front of her daughter and smiled sadly. "Yeah, she is baby."

"Because you left us?"

"Yeah," Sarah sighed and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "She's mad because it hurts you. But I'm back now and I promise I'm goin to fix it all, yeah? You don't have to be sad I'm gone anymore and S won't be mad at me eventually."

Kira nodded in understanding and Sarah kissed the side of her head gently. She rubbed Kira's arms soothingly. "In the meantime though, I've gotta stay with Auntie Beth. We can see each other every day though, alright? And I'll always just be a phone call away."

"Okay, Mummy," Kira smiled and hugged her mother once again. "I'm glad you're back."

"Me too, Monkey, me too," Sarah replied peacefully, feeling completely at ease for the first time in over ten months.