"I miss you like everyday, I said I miss you, missing you insane"
Holly was hard at work on her article on the tenth night. She had a court appearance first thing that morning which had gone quickly and smoothly. She arrived back at the morgue a little after ten thirty. Her interns immediately came to her like moths to a light. Check this, check that, help, help, help. It was expected, but still overwhelming. However, the day turned into a welcome distraction. By the time Holly had gotten them all settled away it was nearly noon and she had yet to touch any of her own work. She had barely breathed by the time six o'clock rolled around. She judged it to be an acceptable time to clock out; wouldn't want to end up with free time tomorrow. When she got home Holly made herself some toast and got to work on the final revisions for her article. She'd been staring at the same sentence for ten minutes when she was snapped out of her daze by a heavy knock on her door. She checked the time on her phone. 7:30. Weird. She wasn't expecting anyone. It couldn't be? Could it? As she made her way from the office through the living room to the door there was another loud bang and a bellowed "Holly Bolly, I know you're in there!" Summer. Holly swung the door open and yanked Summer inside before quickly closing the door.
"I don't live in a dorm ya know. I have real live neighbors who aren't accustomed to hearing shouting in the hallway."
"Hol," Summer rolled her eyes, "you have like two neighbors who could have heard me. Rich McHotty is always at work and Globetrotter is rarely within city limits. Chill."
Holly sighed, "I was already on my to the door when you so elegantly beckoned."
"Yeah, I kinda figured since you opened the door so quickly. Anyways," Summer raised and gently shook the pizza box and brown paper bag she had brought with her, plastering a huge smile on her face, "You love me. But, just in case your forgot why, I brought pizza and booze." Summer walked backwards off to the kitchen baiting Holly to follow the food. Holly resisted for a second but played along, "what kind?"
"Tequila and one fifty one. I figured you'd have the old man liquor accounted for," Summer put the pizza box and brown paper bag down on the counter.
"I was actually referring to the pizza," Holly opened the box to see for herself. "What is this?" Holly's head shot up to look at Summer who had fished a couple limes out of the grocery bag and had busied herself cutting them up.
Summer narrowed her eyes and a smile played across her lips; "Extra tomatoes." She sounded as if the tomatoes on the pizza were revenge, as if she just said she had keyed Gail's car.
Holly's eyes went wide, "yum?"
"I mean, I got extra cheese too, and basil so it's basically a low carb Margherita pizza. But it does have extra tomatoes." Holly side eyed her sister and smirked as she turned to grab a couple plates from the cabinet. "Also," Summer sang out, "I brought my boyfriends along," she smiled and produced three pints of Ben and Jerry's ice cream from the bag. "For later," she added as she spun around and put them in the freezer. Before Holly knew it Summer had transferred the pizza, tequila, limes, and salt onto her deck. They were two tequila shots and a slice and half in when Summer brought it up. "Hol," Summer reached across the table and planted her palm down on the wood surface, looking Holly in eye, "I love the geeky-nerdy-sciencey-I-have-a-real-job stuff, but we both know that' not why I brought the good stuff."
Holly tried to play it cool. She leaned back in her chair and said, "you're fleeing mom and dad's," in a knowing voice.
Summer rolled her eyes, "I admit I am super pumped not to be spending the night at home, but we both know that's not why I'm here." Summer reached across the table and poured each of them another shot of tequila, "spill sister." She pushed Holly's shot over to her.
"You're staying over?" Holly mocked distress.
"Don't try to change the subject," Summer responded flatly.
"There's not really anything to spill," Holly spoke quietly before she raised the glass to her lips and tipped it back. Summer followed suit. The sun was setting and the sky was ablaze. It looked like Holly's throat felt. Her eyes burned and she couldn't be sure if it was from the alcohol, staring at the sun, or...Gail.
"Soooo, what? You were both like, 'meh, wanna just be friends? K cool?' Get real Hol."
Holly dropped her head back and exhaled loudly, "she ended it okay? I don't really know why, I guess. I came home and she had packed up her stuff and she gave me my key back." Holly popped the rest of the slice she had been working on into her mouth. It was a huge bite but she forced herself to chew.
"That's rough," Summer conceded, contorting her face as if the words would sting them both. She poured them each another shot as Holly plopped another slice of pizza onto her plate. "So what happened?"
Holly rolled her eyes, "I just told you what happened." She was starting to slur her speech a little bit; definitely getting a little drunk.
"You better be super thankful that I'm here because otherwise mom would be." Holly groaned and dropped her head onto her forearm that was resting on the table. "She was on me like white on rice the second she spotted me at baggage claim. You have me to thank for whatever semblance of distance she's giving you."
Holly peeked up from the table top, "thanks."
"You're welcome," Summer smiled cheekily, "I am a pretty great sister. Wonder where I learned that." Summer pushed her plate aside and mirrored Holly by resting the side of her face against the wood, "I'm sorry, Hols." Summer paused before adding, "but you know I'm gonna get it out of you one way or another."
Holly blinked in agreement. "I don't really know, but I think she kinda freaked out about everything that comes next, ya know?"
She seemed to be waiting for Summer to answer so she gave in, "I'm only twenty and I've never had a serious romantic relationship, so no, not really. But I'll imagine; continue."
Holly poked her pizza crust, moving it randomly around the plate. "I don't know, a bunch of us where joking about what their bosses are gonna name their baby. I think it might have spooked her. And by spook I mean totally petrified."
Summer righted her head but rested her chin on the table, "so go tell her to stop being such a scaredy cat!" Summer grabbed Holly's hand.
"One day, when you're older, you'll realize that eventually relationships come to a point where you're either going in the same direction or you're not."
Summer lightly slapped Holly's hand, "you guys love each other so much it makes me so ill that it feels good."
"Sometimes that doesn't matter."
"Bullshit!" Summer exclaimed loudly.
"If you like," Holly lifted her head off the table and raised her hand to the sky, "needed to spend the rest of your life in a pool swimming to actually be happy, and you were like," Holly paused and burped, "in love with a hockey player, he couldn't be in the pool with you. He'd drown with all his gear on. And you couldn't run around the skating rink in your bathing suit; you'd freeze. So it doesn't matter how much you love each other. It just wouldn't work. And you can't change him and you wouldn't want to anyways. And you can't change who you are either, and he wouldn't want to you to, if he really loved you," Holly rested her head in her palm and reached for the shot glass Summer had filled up.
"That is literally the most depressing thing I've ever heard," they both took a shot.
Holly leaned back in her chair, "yeah, well, that's adulthood for you."
"Fuck that shit, I'm a Toys R Us kid," Summer rose from her chair and stepped through the sliding glass door to fetch the ice cream from the kitchen. Holly seemed to want to stop wallowing so they spent the rest of night talking about pretty much anything and everything else. Summer told Holly about the time she had spent in Ottawa with their dad's parents but then she changed the subject when she realized that was also making Holly sad. Their family had lived in Ottawa until Holly was six. Evan was only one when they moved so he and Summer don't have any memories of their home there. Holly however looked back on that time fondly. She spent most of her days with their grandmother while their parents were working. She spent almost more time at their grandparent's house than she did at the house her parents owned there. She was still very close with them but definitely didn't get to visit as much as she used to. Throughout her schooling she had been able to spend a good portion of her breaks with them but once she started her residency that had all changed. Holly definitely missed them. When Holly finally started to doze off on the couch Summer made her brush her teeth and put her to bed. Summer clicked off the light on Holly's nightstand and was turning to the leave when Holly patted the top of the comforter next to her.
Summer's face lit up, "really Hol?" Ever since Summer had learned how to escape from her crib the first place she would always sneak off to was Holly's room. She'd jump up and down on her older sister's bed telling her it was time to get up and play. Holly usually dragged Summer down under the covers with her and forced her to let her sleep for a few more minutes. Even though she was eight by the time Holly went off to school when she was home on breaks it was still the first place Summer would go in the mornings.
"Why not? It's not like you're gonna cock block me."
Summer slid under the covers next to Holly, "wait, wouldn't you want me to cock block you? Like, if the situation ever arose?"
"Shut upppp," Holly tossed a pillow Summer's way.
"Anyways, Hol, I'm really sorry. I don't really have anything to compare it to, but I can only imagine what it would feel like if Ben and Jerry broke up with me."
Holly rolled away from facing the nightstand to look up at the ceiling and sighed, "you'd probably have to start eating Haagen Dazs."
"That would suck. I don't want to eat Haagen Dazs. No one has flavors like Ben and Jerry."
"Ben and Jerry do have the best flavors."
Summer turned her head to look at Holly, "do you want to eat Haagen Dazs?"
"No. No, I don't," Holly admitted sadly.
Gail pushed against the table in front of her as Frank dismissed the group from parade. It was the eleventh day. "Meet you by the car in five?" Chris had been sitting next to her but he was already standing behind his chair that he had already pushed in. Gail gave him a thumbs up as acknowledgment so Chris walked briskly back to the locker room to grab his duffel. "Hey Diaz," Oliver approached Chris carefully as he double checked he had everything in his bag, "I need you to do me a solid."
Chris zipped his bag and stood up, "sure, what's up?"
Oliver placed his hand on Chris's shoulder, gearing up for his pitch, "Diaz, I've been partnered with Cross for the past four shifts. Great kid, great cop, lovely company. As you can imagine Celery and I eat pretty healthy at home?" Oliver raised his eyebrows to accentuate his point. "Lunch is my food time. If I have to go to one of Cross's vegan, gluten-free, fun free sandwich shops for lunch today, I will actually die. And Diaz, I might take a coupe other people out with me. Are you picking up what I'm puttin' down Diaz?"
Chris's face scrunched up, "you wanna switch with me so you can eat junk food with Gail?"
Oliver beamed and squeezed both of Chris's shoulders, "yes! Yes, I do Diaz." Oliver started backing out of the locker room, "thanks buddy, you can take 15-19," he pointed a finger at Chris, "I owe you one brother," and disappeared out the doorway.
"Peck!" Oliver caught up to Gail as she headed down the hall towards the parking lot, "you're riding with me today," he put his left arm around her shoulders and swung his bag over his right.
She looked up at him with stone cold confusion, "I am?"
"Yup, gave Cross to Diaz. I need a real meal."
"So Izzy's turning eighteen on the twenty ninth," Oliver returned his iced coffee to the cup holder.
"Does she have her tattoo picked out?" Gail kept her eyes on the road even though she wasn't driving. Uh oh, where is he going with this?
Oliver wagged his finger at her from the driver's seat, "ahh, she better not. I was just thinking about my first day back at work after bringing her home." Oliver looked over at Gail to check that she was listening. Does he know? She kept her head straight forward but looked at him from the sides of her eyes. "It was scary ya know? Because all the sudden everything that's happening to you is also happening to your baby, ya know? I mean, there was Zoe, sure. She's a though cookie though," Oliver adjusted his grip on the steering wheel, "she knew what she was getting into. Kinda. But Izzy didn't ask for that. I was still basically a rookie." Oliver looked over at Gail to make sure he still had her attention. He knowsss. She was awake at least and her eyes were open so he continued, "it changed me, sure. But that's bound to happen. You get used to it; sort of. But it's made me a better man, a better cop, a better friend, a better person. And things with Zoe didn't work out," Oliver sighed, "but I wouldn't change a thing," he looked over at Gail to make sure she didn't miss it, "and letting my job get in the way of that would have been the worst thing I could have done, because if there was only one thing in my life I was allowed to keep it would be my three little girls." He waited for Gail to say something but no response came. "Do you get what I'm saying Peck?" He stopped at a red light and looked across the car at her.
God, how did he know? He always knows. Did he have Celery put a spell on me? Make it stop. Gail turned to face him, "fine, I'll get her a gift! God, no need to be so dramatic." Oliver's mouth turned into a closed lip smiled. He knew Gail would never acknowledge what he told her beyond making a joke. It was the best outcome he could have hoped for. "So, what's her favorite kind of tequila?" Gail asked, "or is she more of a vodka and cranberry kinda of loser?"
"Ah, cash or check only, please," Oliver turned and gave her a toothy grin, "you can make the check out to 'Izzy Shaw'. That's O - L - I - V - E - R, Shaw."
"I miss you like everyday, I said I miss you, missing you insane"
- Beyoncé "I Miss You"
A/N: More of the Oliver and Gail show coming up. We're almost there guys, almost there!
So much love for all of you that read and review! Noelle's having her baby like, the chapter after next so if you want me to name it after you, you best get crackin' with sending me your suggestion ;)