"One more word out of you, and you'll be enjoying my hospitality," Judge Petrovsky spat at an infuriated Alex.
"Ma'am, I urge you to reconsider, or you will force me to file a grievance," Alex decided she didn't care any more. Petrovsky was being unjust, and she was not going to file against an innocent woman, regardless of what the judge had instructed.
"You're in contempt," Petrovsky banged her gavel. "Bailiff!"
Alex angrily shrugged off the bailiff's hand, as she stalked down to the cells. Part of her wondered what she had done to her career, but the rest of her didn't care. This was wrong, and she was not going to be a part of it.
She had been locked up, with only a wooden bench for comfort, for over three hours, when she heard the clack of Liz Donnelly's heels. This, she mused, was going to be good.
"Lewin is making nice with the judge to get you out of here, so be prepared for that ass-chewing phone call," Donnelly greeted her cheerfully.
Alex felt her hackles rise again. "I'm not going anywhere," she said. "Petrovsky crossed a line. I want to get her censured, or thrown off the bench."
Donnelly smiled. "At least you're not dull. I'll say that for you."
"Are you ordering me to file charges?" Alex wanted to cry, but there was no way she would allow herself to lose control in front of her boss.
"No," Donnelly replied. "I already did it for you."
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Alex opened the door to the apartment just after 6pm, to the smell of freshly brewed coffee.
"I knew you'd appreciate a cup," Carolyn smiled as she handed her a mug. "I hear you had a bad day."
Alex took the cup, hugging her sister with one arm. "You," she smiled, "are a lifesaver."
"So how was life behind bars?" Carolyn teased gently.
"It got better when my wife came to visit," Alex gave a small smile. "Made the next couple of hours bearable. And then they let me out. I had to do it, Caro. It wasn't right."
"You always were a crusader for lost causes."
"Enough of my life as a jailbird," Alex said. "How are you? Have the girls been good for you?"
"Everyone's fine, though Lily's been very quiet. I think she may have had a bad day at pre-school. I asked her if she wanted to talk about it, but she said no. I think she's waiting for one of her mommies," Carolyn smiled. "Go talk to her."
Alex nodded. She stepped into the living room, where she saw Lily sitting on the couch, a half-asleep Wiggle in her lap. Maisie sat on the floor, playing with her bricks. Maisie gave Alex a huge grin, which only grew wider when Alex lifted her into her arms and kissed her on the cheek. "Hey, baby girl," Alex said. "Have you had a good day?"
Maisie held a wooden brick out to her, a look of triumph on her face.
Alex took the brick gingerly, not wanting to get drool on her work clothes. Carolyn stepped forward to take Maisie from her, subtly handing her a towel to dry her fingers on. Alex smiled gratefully at her.
"So," Alex settled herself on the couch next to Lily. "How is my other baby girl?"
"I'm not a baby," Lily sounded glum.
"No," Alex agreed. "You're a big girl now. But you'll always be my baby. Even when you're 40," she teased.
Lily smiled. "That's silly, Mommy."
"It might sound silly now. Wait until you have your babies, and you'll see what I mean. So, do I get a hug from you?"
Lily gently moved Wiggle to the side, and crawled into her mother's lap.
Alex loved the way Lily would always come to her. She ran her hand through her hair, and held her close. "So Lily. It seems to me something is making you sad. I'd really like to know what it is. Do you think you can tell me?"
"I got in trouble," Lily sounded so miserable.
"For what, honey?"
"I pushed Lisa Decker. I pushed her over, Mommy."
"Why did you do that, baby?" Alex knew that there wasn't an aggressive bone in Lily's body. There had to be more to the story.
"She was being mean. She was teasing Alec. Just because he has a poorly foot."
"Alec Reynard?" Alex remembered the boy with cerebral palsy. He wasn't badly disabled, but he wore calipers on his left leg, and he had some difficulty walking. She had explained that to Lily when Lily first met him, and had wondered about the metal.
Lily nodded. "She told him he was a cripple. And that he was dumb, just because his foot doesn't work. He's not, though, Mommy. He's real smart. He showed me how to make a frog by folding a piece of paper. But she wouldn't stop," tears came to her eyes. "I told her to stop."
"Where was the teacher in all this?"
"I don't know. Mrs Campanelli didn't see. I think she was at the other side of the room. But she saw me, when I pushed her over, and she did tell me it was a horrible thing to do. I'm sorry, Mommy. I was mean, and I'm sorry," Lily was sobbing now. "I didn't want to be mean, but I couldn't get her to stop."
"Did you tell the teacher why you did what you did?" Alex asked softly.
Lily shook her head. "No. Mama told me I shouldn't be mean to anyone, even if they are being mean."
Alex hugged her. "Your Mama is right. We should always try to be nice. But sometimes, very occasionally, some people do some things that are so bad that we have to try to stop them. And Mama and Mrs Campanelli are right. We should never push anyone. If it happens again, if Lisa is mean to Alec, I want you to go and tell Mrs Campanelli, or whichever teacher is nearest, and then they will stop Lisa."
"I'm so sorry, Mommy," Lily was inconsolable. "I was bad."
"No you weren't," Alex said softly. "You stopped someone being bullied, and you protected them. And if it happens again, you will know what to do, won't you?"
"Tell Mrs Campanelli," Lily sniffed.
"Right!" Alex smiled. "I'm proud of you, though, Lily. Maybe you didn't do exactly the right thing, but your heart was in the right place. And it makes me so happy to know that my daughter is one of the good guys."
"You think I'm one of the good guys?" Lily was over-awed. She had been so frightened that her Mommy and her Mama would be horribly disappointed in her.
"One of the best," Alex said. "We all get into trouble sometimes. I got into trouble today," she said, with a smile.
"You did?" Lily was astounded. Her Mommy didn't do bad things. "What did you do?"
"I was naughty. I wouldn't stop talking when the judge told me to. She wanted me to do something that I didn't think was right."
"Did she tell you off?"
"Even worse than that. She put me in jail!" Alex grinned, at the shocked look on Lily's face. "Only for a few hours. Just to make me feel bad about what I'd done."
"Did it make you feel bad, Mommy?"
"Honestly? No it didn't. I knew I was doing the right thing. And sometimes it's worth it, to let somebody tell you off when you know that you are standing up for what is right."
"What was jail like?"
"It wasn't very nice. It was uncomfortable. And it doesn't smell very nice. And I was lonely. But then," Alex smiled. "Then your Mama came to visit me, so that was nice."
"Did Mama break you out of jail?" Lily liked the idea of her Mama as a crusader.
Alex laughed. "No, baby. But she came and sat with me. She laughed, too. She even took a picture of me on her phone. I'll let her show it to you, though I had made her promise she wouldn't show anyone."
"Are the police going to tell you off?" Lily was a little concerned.
"No baby, it's all done now. The judge wanted me to know she was cross with me. And now I know," she hugged her. "Just like Mrs Campanelli wanted you to know you shouldn't push people."
"I won't do it again, Mommy, I promise."
"I love you, Lily. You're a good girl. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise. Now, shall we take Wiggle out for a tinkle? Maybe a little walk? Your Auntie Carolyn will stay here with Maisie."
Lily sat up, and wiped her eyes. "Okay, Mommy. C'mon, Wiggle," she rubbed his tummy. "Time to wake up."
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"I wish I'd been there," Olivia was pissed. "I'd have pushed that little bitch to the floor, too," she was indignant on behalf of their daughter.
"And just what would that have taught her?" Alex teased.
"And just who are you to talk? A convicted felon!" Olivia relaxed and smiled at last.
"I wasn't convicted," Alex protested. "I promised Lily she could see the photo. We'll show her tomorrow. She was so sad, Liv."
"She's okay now?" Olivia wished she had been back in time to see her before she had gone to bed.
"She's good. I told her I was proud of her."
"I think I'm gonna go see that teacher of her's on Monday," Olivia said.
"No need," Alex said mildly. "I emailed her just before you got back. I was very tactful, and said that we agreed that Lily shouldn't be allowed to push anyone. But I just filled her in on what had happened. Lily says she's a nice lady."
"We'll do something nice with them both tomorrow," Olivia said. "As a Saturday treat."
"Great idea. We'll get Wheels to come along too," Alex agreed.
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Jay fought her way through the smoke. She could hear the ominous creaking of the staircase.
"Jake, we gotta get out of here," her crewmate Chris called. "That staircase is gonna go!"
Jay turned, and was about to follow him down the stairs when, out of the corner of her eye, she saw movement in the room. "You go, I'll be right there," she turned and entered the smoke-filled room. She adjusted her mask, as her eyes made out a crib. She could immediately see that the baby in the crib was dead. With her heart heavy, she picked up the body of the baby, and wedged it into her jacket. At the very least, this child deserved a decent funeral. But it was the bed at the other side of the room that drew her attention. The blanket moved again.
She was quickly at the child's side, and realized that it was a small boy, no more than three years old. He was clearly sick; he was barely conscious, and there was a pile of vomit on the floor next to him. Quickly, she bundled him up in the blanket, hearing his moan as she did so. She strode to the door of the bedroom, but she could see that there was no way they were going to get down the stairs; it was an inferno.
So fought her way through the smoke to the top of the building. The boy's breathing was erratic, so she went against all her training, and took off her mask, putting it over his face.
Five minutes later, she made her way out on to the roof, her lungs screaming. The building was an old one, and the brickwork was sturdy. She knew that they would be safe there.
She thumbed her radio. "On the roof," she gasped. "West corner. Dead baby, sick toddler. I'm fine."
The radio crackled. "We'll get a cherry-picker to come get you. Hang tight," her captain replied.
Jay sank to the ground, relief flooding through her. Gently, she lay the sick toddler on the ground. Gingerly, she removed the baby from inside her jacket. The child's pink onesie made her want to cry. "I'm so sorry," she whispered, as she laid her reverently on the ground.
The boy whimpered pitifully. Jay picked him back up, and settled him into her lap. He was delirious, pouring with sweat, and shaking horribly. She pulled the blanket around him, and held the mask over his face, turning up the oxygen. "Kid's real sick," she spoke into her radio. "We've gotta get him off this roof."
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Saturday
It was after 11pm that Sarah heard a key in the lock of the apartment. She sprinted to the door, and saw her devastated wife come through the door.
Jay had changed into her jeans, but she had not bothered to shower, or even change her shirt. She had never before come home to Sarah without showering, but she couldn't wait a second longer to be in her beloved's arms.
Sarah led her gently to the couch. She could see by Jay's expression that she had had the day from hell. She took her in her arms, and held her close. "I'm so sorry," she whispered, as Jay clung to her as if to a life preserver.
"It was kids," Jay said, eventually. "Dead baby," she started to weep. "Younger than Maisie. And the toddler, he's real sick. They've taken him to the hospital," she was almost incoherent with misery.
"But you got him out?" Sarah said quietly.
Jay nodded, clinging ever tighter to her wife. Nothing made sense any more. The only thing that made any sense at all was Sarah. All the time she was on the roof, trying to comfort the sick boy, she could only think of Sarah. She was the only thing that could make all this better. She needed to feel her, to hear her. To taste her. "Kiss me," she sobbed.
Very tenderly, Sarah cupped her face, wiping away her tears with her thumbs. She kissed her gently, deepening the kiss as Jay responded.
Jay moaned into her, needing to feel as close as she could to her. She pushed her robe aside, and fumbled at the buttons on her pajama top. She started to cry again as her hand grasped a full breast.
Sarah continued to holding her, alternating between kissing her softly and whispering to her. After a half hour, Jay's shaking lessened a little. "I'm sorry," Jay said.
"You have nothing to be sorry for," Sarah told her.
"I'm making you all dirty. I should have showered. I just …," her breathing hitched again.
Sarah stood, and put out both hands, which Jay took, allowing Sarah to pull her to a shaky upright position. "We'll shower together," she told Jay.
It only took a few minutes for Sarah to coax Jay to a powerful climax in the shower, as the water pounded over both of them. She held her closely to her, as she started to weep again.
Sarah stood with Jay in her arms for almost ten minutes, saying nothing. "Okay," she whispered. "Bed now, huh?"
Silently, Jay let Sarah guide her to the bedroom, where she dried her off lovingly. She reached for her pajamas.
"No," Jay's voice shook. "Just wanna hold you."
Sarah nodded, understanding what she meant. She helped Jay to lie down, and quickly towel-dried her own hair. She slid, naked, into bed, next to her naked wife. She pulled Jay into her arms. "I love you, sweetheart," she whispered.