Tomász snuggled into Sarah's arms, as she carried him back to her room, accompanied by Jay who rolled herself along in her wheelchair.
"You're real sleepy now, aren't you Tomász?" Sarah said, as she settled him on the stool in the small bathroom and reached for his toothbrush.
He nodded. "Mommy always calls me Tommy," he said in a small voice.
"You want us to call you Tommy too?" Jay asked. He nodded.
Sarah stood back and watched as Jay tucked him into bed, and kissed him gently on the forehead. "We'll see you tomorrow, Tommy," Jay whispered.
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"Nuh uh," Olivia swatted Alex's hand away. Alex had awoken uncharacteristically early, and was in a playful mood.
Alex mock-scowled. "You told me if I put a ring on it, I would have free and unfettered access," she tried to sneak her hand up Olivia's pajama top again.
"Put a ring on it?" Olivia squeaked. "Are you kidding me? That's it. You're never getting access to these again," she teased, folding her arms over her ample chest. She laughed at Alex's crestfallen look, and leant forward to kiss her softly. "God, you're beautiful," she whispered.
"Beautiful enough for you to...?"
"No!" Olivia was firm. "You only have yourself to blame. "You're the one that organized our trip to the park. If you hadn't invited every single person we know, I wouldn't have to get up now to make the picnic."
"It's just a few friends," Alex defended herself.
Olivia smiled. "I know, baby," she kissed her again. "And it's gonna be great. The girls will love it. They haven't seen Wheels in over a week, and they always love it when Casey comes along. But," she looked at the clock on the nightstand. "We really should get up, we have a lot to do. We can maybe shower together, as long as we're quick?" she compromised.
Alex grinned. "Oh I can do quick, detective," her tone was sultry.
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"Who knew Novak was such a hit with kids?" Caryn marveled, watching Casey being run ragged by all the children, including her own son.
Olivia smiled, as she followed her gaze. "Our girls just love her. And it's good to see her so … carefree," she chose her words carefully. It seemed that everyone was aware that Casey's domestic arrangements were not ideal, but there was a fine line between caring and interfering – and she certainly didn't want to start gossiping.
"That's because the dickhead boyfriend is still away," Caryn said bluntly. "When does he get back?"
"Wednesday, I think."
"Let's just hope she dumps his sorry ass, then, HC."
"HC?" Olivia chuckled. "You don't think I'm getting kinda old for the Hot Cop nickname?"
Caryn grinned. "You, my dear detective, get more delicious as each day passes."
"She certainly does," Alex flopped on the ground next to Olivia. She leaned over and kissed her thoroughly. "You don't think flirting with my wife when I'm right here is a bit tactless, Caryn?" she teased, gratefully accepting a bottle of water from Olivia.
"Hey, if my lady can take it, I'm sure you can," Caryn was unrepentant.
Abbie looked up from her seat, where she was pretending to sleep under a floppy sun hat. "Oh I'll make you suffer for that later, CW," she drawled. "That is, if you haven't already got your head jammed down the toilet."
"Still bad?" Alex looked over at her, a sympathetic expression on her face.
"Better than it was," Caryn said. "Just sneaks up on me sometimes. I blame your children," she glared humorously at Abbie.
Abbie snorted, not even bothering to open her eyes. "Hey, Teflon," she called from under her hat. "You're a boob girl. What do you think of my girl's assets? Isn't she magnificent?"
Caryn swatted her, and Alex spluttered on her water.
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"You look wiped," Alex said, as she stood to clear their plates from the table. "I'll give Lily her bath, okay peanut?" she smiled at their elder daughter. "You feeling okay?" she noticed Olivia's slight pallor.
"I'm okay," Olivia reassured her. "Just cramps." She tried to be nonchalant, but she and Alex both knew what that signified.
Alex nodded. "You wanna go get your PJs, Lily? I'll be right with you."
Lily nodded, and scampered off.
Alex slid a warm arm around Olivia's waist. "Hey, it's okay," she saw that Olivia was close to tears. "We didn't realistically expect anything to happen the first time, did we?" she kissed her tenderly. "C'mon, you relax," she guided her to the couch, and pulled the afghan over her. "I'll be right back," she headed toward the kitchen. She saw Lily coming toward her with her pajamas in her hand. "Hey sprout, you wanna come with me? Your Mama has a sore tummy, let's get her a hot water bottle, shall we?"
A few minutes later, Alex passed the carefully wrapped hot water bottle to Lily. "You go take that to your Mama, and I'll run the tub."
Lily carried the bottle over to Olivia, who was snuggled up on the couch, with Wiggle at her feet. "Here you go, Mama," she said.
"Thanks, baby girl," Olivia gave her a smile.
"You sick, Mama?"
Olivia shook her head. "No, Lily, I'm not sick. I'm just a little sore, but I'll be fine by tomorrow morning. And I have Wiggle here, to make me feel better."
"I thought Wiggle wasn't supposed to go on the couch," Lily tried to whisper.
Olivia grinned. "We'll just have to hope Mommy doesn't notice," she said.
"I noticed," Alex said drily, as she emerged from the bathroom.
Lily giggled.
"Oops," Olivia said, with a smile.
"You're lucky I love you," Alex teased.
"And you love Wiggle too, don't you Mommy?"
"Most certainly not," Alex lied, her eyes twinkling with mischief. "But we have reached an understanding. He won't tinkle on the furniture, and I won't lock him in the filing cabinet when he comes to work with me."
Olivia snorted. "So is that luxury bed and bag of toys you keep for him in the office part of the deal too?"
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Alex felt Olivia getting out of bed at 2am. She gave her a half hour, and then followed her into the living room. Olivia was sitting in her usual 'thinking chair', by the window. She was clutching a mug of herbal tea.
Alex sat on the arm of the large chair. She slid an arm around Olivia's shoulders, and felt relieved as Olivia leant into her. "I'm sorry," Olivia whispered. "I just … I hoped, I guess." She moved across in the chair, and pulled Alex down next to her, so that they sat snugly in the seat together.
Alex tucked a strand of hair behind Olivia's ear. "I like your hair this length," she mused. She kissed her softly. "I'm already the luckiest girl in the world. I get to look at you whenever I want. That alone would be enough for me. But to know that you share my life. My bed. It doesn't get better than that. Except it does. You are such a wonderful mother to our girls. I was watching you today, and it made me want to marry you all over again."
"Right back atcha, Counselor," Olivia tried to pull herself together.
"I need you to promise me one thing," Alex said.
"Anything you want. Anything at all."
"When this gets to be too much for you, you'll tell me, and we'll stop."
"Alexandra, I'm fine. I really am. I ..."
Alex reached over a put a finger gently against Olivia's lips. "I know it's rough," she spoke softly. "I can remember exactly how it makes you feel. You don't have to do this at all, Liv."
"I want to do it," Olivia said evenly. "Just a few more tries. I'm really okay, Alex. It would be fantastic if we could do this."
Alex nodded. "It would," she agreed. "But not if you're suffering because of it. We'll try for six months, and then we'll talk seriously. Can we do that?"
Olivia snuggled into her arms. She nodded. "Can we stay like this for ever?" she felt Alex's strong arms holding her, keeping her together. Keeping her sane.
"Yeah," Alex smiled. "For ever. Or at least until one of your daughters wakes up," she teased. "Though it might be better for both our backs if we head back to bed."
"Always trying to get me into bed," Olivia smiled.
Alex got to her feet and put out both hands. "C'mon detective. I like our bed. I can hold you better there."
Olivia blinked back a tear. To her, there was nothing better than being held by her wife.
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3am
Casey sat up, startled awake by a loud noise. Someone was in the apartment. She reached for her phone, but it was too late, as the door to the bedroom opened. She looked up in horror, and then relaxed.
"Charlie! You're not supposed to be back until Wednesday!" relief made her sound sharper than she intended.
"Well isn't that a nice welcome," Charlie sneered. "I bust my ass getting back early to be with my girlfriend, and she doesn't even want me here."
Casey leapt out of bed, keen to appease him before he got angry. "Oh no, honey. I didn't mean that. I was just scared. I thought we had had a break-in." Her heart sank as she saw Charlie's stubble. It was never a good sign when he stopped shaving. She also worried that the apartment wasn't as tidy as he liked it. It was by no means messy, but she knew that Charlie had very particular views on where everything should go, and she had planned to spend Tuesday night making sure it was all in order.
"So you did miss me?" he reached out for her.
Casey tried to relax as he pulled her into an embrace. She couldn't detect any alcohol on his breath, so maybe it would all be okay. "Of course I missed you," she replied. "I would have met your flight if I had known you were coming."
"I wanted to surprise you."
"Well you did that," Casey gave an awkward smile. She tried to suppress a yawn.
"Am I boring you already?" Charlie asked, snappily. "I thought you would be pleased to see me."
"I am pleased. Really I am. It's just kinda late. Come to bed, we can talk in the morning," Casey kept her tone light.
"But I don't want to talk," Charlie took her hand and pressed it to his crotch. He had been dreaming of Casey's beautiful body all the way home, and had worked himself up into a state of excitement.
"Charlie, it's 3am," the words were out before Casey could stop herself.
"So you don't want me?" his eyes narrowed.
"No. It's not that," Casey said, hurriedly. "Of course it's not that. I always want you," she swallowed, hating having to pretend a desire she didn't feel. But she thought it would just be easier to go along with it; she didn't have the energy for a fight.
"Show me," he said, as he pulled at her camisole top. Roughly, he dragged her pajama pants down. "Why are you wearing these? You know I hate these."
"I know, baby," Casey tried to mollify him, as he clutched clumsily at her breast. It was then that she smelt weed on his sweater. Oh shit, he was high. And he never stopped just at weed, so God only knew what else was coursing through his system. "But I didn't think you would be back tonight," she tried not to wince as he jammed three fingers hard into her.
"You're so dry," he sounded pissed.
Casey reached over to the drawer on the nightstand, and silently passed him a tube of lube. He threw it angrily on the bed. "Doggy style," he instructed her. "You like that, huh?"
Casey nodded. "I love it," she gulped. "Whatever you want, Charlie. I'm all yours."
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Jay struggled to control the walker; with her damaged hand, it was hard to get it right. But she was determined to get out of the wheelchair before she got home. Hell, the sooner she could throw out the walker, the happier she would be. She knew that, if she worked hard, she would soon be able to walk with just a cane – and she fully intended that one day in the near future, she would be walking unaided.
Sarah took her in her arms as she reached the end of the room, smiling widely. "I knew you could do it!" she exclaimed.
"I had a good incentive," Jay grinned, as she stole a kiss.
Sarah's heart leapt. She loved that Jay was regaining her playfulness, and was clearly doing her very best to be as cheerful as she could. She knew how hard it was for Jay to adapt to her new-found disability, but she also knew that if anyone could overcome the odds, it would be Jay. And, in a way, the time she was spending with little Tommy was making her even more positive. She knew his disability was so much worse, and she didn't want him to see her moaning about her own situation.
Sarah looked at her watch. "I have to go," she said reluctantly.
"I know. Go! And let me know how you get on."
"I'm coming right back to tell you," Sarah promised.
"No, sweetheart, you don't have to do that. I know they're gonna work you hard, they're bound to, it's your first afternoon back."
"I'm coming back," Sarah was firm. "Unless you don't want me to."
Jay grinned. "Okay. I guess I can call that sexy nurse, tell her we'll have to take a rain check."
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Sarah felt slightly nervous as she pushed the revolving door to get into the offices where she worked. It had been over a month, and she wondered what had been happening in her absence. Her boss Eleanor had told her to take all the time she needed, and they spoke regularly, but never about what was happening at the office. Eleanor had wanted to know only about Jay.
So Sarah's heart was in her mouth as she approached her office, and saw her nameplate being unscrewed from the door. At that moment, Eleanor stuck her head out from her own office just along the corridor, and smiled broadly. She ran up to Sarah and hugged her tight. "How is she?" she wanted to know.
Sarah nodded. "She's great." She remembered that that was the only thing that mattered. And if they had had to replace her at work, she would understand that. What they were doing was so important, and she knew it was unreasonable to expect them to hang around for ever for her.
Eleanor saw Sarah's eyes wander to the handyman removing the plate from her door, and she laughed. "Oh God, Sarah. No. No. Absolutely not. Whatever you're thinking, stop it. Come in," she pushed an unprotesting Sarah toward her office. "Sit," Eleanor instructed. "I'll get you coffee."
A minute later, a cup of coffee was pressed into Sarah's hand, and Eleanor sat behind the desk. She was still smiling.
"Look," Sarah started. "You mustn't feel bad. I know..."
Eleanor held a hand up. "With the greatest of respect, Sarah Kazinsky, just shut up for a moment."
Sarah looked startled.
"We're not getting rid of you. God, that's the last thing we want to do. Sarah, it's good news. Things have really been taking off, and we're opening a second laboratory. And Gary has offered me a promotion. I'm gonna be in overall charge of both labs. So," she smiled. "We're gonna need someone to take over from me here. I'm banking on you saying yes. I know moving offices was a little premature, but we had the movers in anyway to fix the new refrigerated units. I know you'll need all the details, but I know you can handle it. And I'm also guessing that a 40% pay rise won't be unwelcome, am I right?"
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Sarah tapped on the door of Tommy's room; she had already spotted her wife, sitting at the table, doing a jigsaw with the child on her lap.
Jay smiled as she came in, and Sarah was pleased to see that Tommy also looked pleased to see her. She put a hand affectionately on his shoulder. "Hey champ, that looks real difficult."
"Jay is helping me," he looked proud at his achievements.
"It's an old one of Lily's," Jay said. "She just came in with Alex, she brought a whole stack of her old toys."
Sarah lifted a toy truck. "She still plays with this, doesn't she?"
Jay nodded. "Alex said she had talked to her and explained how important it was to share. This was all Lily's idea."
"She's sweet. So, Tommy, have you had a good day?"
He nodded, and then yawned.
A nurse entered the room. "Time for this young man to hit the hay," she said, kindly.
"I want Jay and Sarah to tuck me in," he said, looking at her pleadingly.
The nurse laughed. "Who could say no to those eyes?"
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Jay let Sarah help her onto the bed. She was suddenly exhausted. "I'm so proud of you," she caught Sarah's hand and brought it to her lips.
"Not near as proud as I am of you," Sarah said. "So," she smiled. "Are we ever going to talk about it?"
"About what?"
"Adopting Tommy, of course!" Sarah laughed.
Jay looked startled. "I … I mean … is it ..."
Sarah took her hand. "I can see it in your eyes. You've fallen in love with that little boy. And he doesn't have any family. And we've just found out I'm gonna be bringing a lot more money home. What could be better?"
"He doesn't have anyone," Jay's voice cracked.
"He has you," Sarah said.
"And you. You wouldn't believe how much he talks about you."
"Then it makes sense." Sarah took both of Jay's hands, careful not to jar the injured one. She looked at her closely. "What do you say?"
Jay opened her mouth to speak, and shut it again. Tears streamed down her face. She nodded.
Sarah stroked her cheek tenderly. "We can do this. I know we can do this."
Jay nodded again.