"Hey, it's okay," Alex soothed, as Olivia jerked awake, breathing hard.
Olivia tried to focus on Alex, but her still pounding head was overwhelming. She tried to piece together recent events. "Baby?" she croaked.
"Right here with us," Alex nodded to the crib. "We've got a nurse coming in and out to check on him, so's you can concentrate of feeling better. You still feeling lousy?"
Olivia grunted. "Yeah," she said.
Alex dipped a washcloth in a bowl of cold water, and lay it over Olivia's brow. "They say you can have painkillers in a few hours," she spoke quietly. She heard their son whimpering gently. Olivia turned her head slightly in his direction. "Wanna see Oliver?"
"Please," Olivia's voice was weak.
Very carefully, Alex lifted the tiny baby from the plastic crib. She opened Olivia's scrubs and lay him on her front. Instinctively, he sought out a nipple.
"My milk's not in yet," Olivia sounded distraught.
"No, baby," Alex soothed, her hand still on the baby's back as she kissed Olivia gently. "But the colostrum is there. The nurses said he can start on that, and we can top him up with the bottle. Are you two okay there?" she pressed the call button.
Olivia looked down at their son. "Oliver," she whispered, her headache and nausea suddenly seeming less intrusive.
"He seems pretty chilled out so far," Alex spoke quietly.
"He's so beautiful," Olivia stroked his cheek.
"He looks just like you. Of course he's beautiful," Alex smiled.
"The girls?"
"Are very excited. I spoke to them both. I told them they could come in tomorrow afternoon, if you are feeling up to it."
"Afternoon? Can't we go home?" tears sprang unbidden to Olivia's eyes.
"Not for a few days, baby. They want to be sure that all the swelling's gone down," Alex touched Olivia's face gently. "And to be sure you're coping okay with your stitches."
"Stitches?" Olivia felt to the back of her head.
"Not those stitches, darling. This little man," Alex touched Oliver again, "came at such a rush you got a little bit of damage. Nothing serious," she reassured Olivia. "But they need to know everything's working okay before they let you out."
Olivia nodded, already fading. "So sorry," she slurred.
"You have nothing to be sorry for," Alex said softly. "And we're all okay."
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Carolyn heard whimpering coming from Maisie's room, so she went in to investigate. The two-year-old was sitting up in bed, her face streaked with tears. When she heard the door open, she looked up. "Mommy?"
Carolyn picked her up and held her tight. "Not Mommy, sweetie. It's just me tonight. Mommy's with Mama and your new baby brother."
"Want Mommy," the child wept, and snuggled into Carolyn's hold.
"I know you do, sweetheart. And we're going to see her tomorrow, and Mama," Carolyn reached for a warm blanket and wrapped it round the child as she sat in the large chair in her room, Maisie in her arms.
"Is Mama okay?" Maisie hadn't really understood all the commotion of earlier, but she knew enough to be unsettled.
"Your Mama's going to be fine. She just hurt her head a little when she tripped," Carolyn stuck to the story she had been told to use. "And then, all of a sudden, baby Oliver decided he wanted to join the party a little early. But Mama's great, and so's Oliver. And Mommy is staying to take care of them for a couple of days until they come home here."
"Harry?" Maisie looked round sleepily for her favorite toy, a cuddly hedgehog that had once belonged to Lily.
"He's right here," Carolyn passed him to her, smiling as Maisie tucked him under her chin. "You go to sleep, Maisie. That's it, good girl," she stroked her back lovingly.
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"I don't think I've ever been as proud of you as I am right this minute," Sarah told an exhausted Jay as they made their way late to bed.
"I didn't do anything special," Jay demurred. Her nerves were frayed; she felt like she had experienced every emotion in the past few hours – fear, pity, overwhelming sadness, joy at the safe arrival of baby Oliver. She didn't know what she would do without Sarah in her life. She tried to imagine what it would have been like if it had been Sarah lying on the floor of that bodega, bleeding and in pain. It had been bad enough that it was Olivia, whom she adored.
"You did everything," Sarah said softly as she sat Jay on the side of the bed, and started gently to remove her clothes. "That's it," she said, as Jay lifted her hips, allowing Sarah to slide her jeans down her legs. Jay had changed her overshirt earlier in the evening, as it had a lot of Olivia's blood on it, but hadn't noticed that her undershirt was caked too. "Arms up," Sarah instructed, as if she were getting their son ready for bed. Jay did as she was instructed.
Sarah kissed her softly, disappearing to the bathroom for a moment, returning with a warm washcloth. She unhooked Jay's bra and ran the washcloth over Jay's skin, to remove the remnants of blood and grime, evidence of the dramatic events of earlier that evening. When she was done, she dropped a soft kiss on Jay's bejeweled nipple, smiling at the sleepy grin of pleasure on Jay's face.
Efficiently Sarah slid a loose singlet over Jay's head. In minutes, she was next to her in the bed, wearing her own flannel pajamas. Jay snuggled into her.
"I've loved you since the moment I met you," Sarah said gently. "But the way you took care of Rick's family tonight, that made me fall in love you with you all over again. You have the greatest humanity, Jane Kazinsky. You," she kissed her tenderly, "are as beautiful on the inside as you are stunning on the outside." She felt dampness on Jay's cheek, and brushed away her tears with her thumb.
Without speaking, Sarah loosened her pajama top and brought Jay's head to her own, full breast, smiling as Jay took a soft nipple in her mouth. She knew that Jay needed to feel grounded tonight, and she knew that this always worked for her. She could feel the stress start to dissipate from Jay's body as she suckled gently.
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"Joseph Kazinsky, I am fine," Vanessa fixed Jay's father with a steely look after the lunch service the next day.
"You're not fine," Joe told his girlfriend. "Ness, you're exhausted. We need to get a manager in here, or somethin'. We're too old, Ness, the pair of us. We don't need to be doing 12-hour shifts at our age. This place has really taken off."
"Which is why I am not gonna retire," Vanessa said firmly.
"Nobody's talking about retirement. Just, maybe, seven-, eight-hour days, five days a week, instead of six and sometimes seven. Hey, we gotta grandson now," he smiled as he always did when he thought of Tommy. "Let's enjoy him."
"So just what do you suggest?" Vanessa eyed him suspiciously.
"I've been thinking..."
"Uh oh," Vanessa teased.
"I've been thinking," Joe refused to be deterred. "How great it would be if we weren't always the ones on call. If we got a live-in manager, they could stay in your old apartment upstairs..."
"But I like having that apartment there. We can take the kids up there if they need anything, fresh diapers, clean clothes, anything like that," Vanessa knew her argument was weak.
"The manager could live upstairs," Joe said firmly. "We could work five shifts a week without interruptions when we're not working. We could see more of Jay and Sarah and Tommy. Maybe even make it out to Texas more often."
Vanessa softened. She really missed her daughter who had moved to Texas. "Maybe," she said, grudgingly.
"So can we at least talk about it? Draw up some plans?"
"On the weekend," Vanessa hedged.
Joe laughed. It was never easy, trying to get Vanessa to ease up.
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Lily held Maisie's hand protectively as they walked alongside Carolyn in the hospital corridor. Lily knew that hospitals could be scary, and she wanted to make sure Maisie was okay.
As the door opened, Alex looked up, her face creasing with delight at the sight of their daughters. She bent down to hug them both.
"I hope I get a hug too," Olivia called from the bed, trying to be as jovial as possible. She still felt like hell, but she didn't want their daughters to know that.
Alex smiled as she lifted Oliver from Olivia's arms, and knelt by Lily and Maisie to introduce them. "Do you remember meeting Maisie for the first time, Lily?" she asked.
Lily nodded solemnly. "She was real small. He's real small too," she peered at him.
Oliver observed both of his sisters calmly, then closed his eyes for a nap.
"Is he sleeping?" Maisie asked in a stage whisper.
Alex nodded, and shooed the girls toward Olivia. They had pre-arranged that Alex would hold Oliver while the girls spent time with Olivia. They both knew how important it was that they didn't feel in any way pushed out by the new member of the family. So Olivia smiled when she patted the bed and Lily and Maisie climbed up to sit either side of her. She hugged them both close.
Lily eyed Olivia carefully. "You feeling bad, Mama?" she asked gently.
Olivia smiled. "I've got a bit of a sore head, peanut. But I'm fine, really. The doctors say we'll be home the day after tomorrow, which I'm real pleased about. I'm missing you two so much."
"We love you Mama," Lily said.
"Love you too, both of you. Now," Olivia forced a grin. "Tell me what you've been up to."
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"Arraignment's fixed for this afternoon," the clerk told a distraught Jay.
"But we haven't gotten him a lawyer yet!" Jay protested. "Look, he's just a kid."
"And that's why he's with Children's Services," the clerk said in a bored voice. "But he still has to face up to his crimes."
"He was trying to feed his family!" Jay tried to keep her voice even. She felt Sarah's hand on her arm.
"Thank you," Sarah said calmly, as she guided a protesting Jay out of the office.
"Sarah, we can't just leave him th...," Jay's agitation was palpable.
"And we won't," Sarah said calmly. "We're going to do what we can. God, I wish we could ask Alex."
"You really think she'd defend the guy who attacked her pregnant wife?" Jay was incredulous.
"Yes," Sarah said quietly. "I really do think she would. Don't you?"
Jay thought about it, and then nodded quietly.
"C'mon," Sarah had an idea. "There is somebody we can ask."
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Caryn laughed. "So, let me get this right. You and Foxy Firefighter want me to defend the kid that cold-cocked the delicious Olivia?"
Sarah nodded. "Well, not the full defense. We can fix that up later. But he really needs somebody to help him out this afternoon. He's not a bad kid; he just made bad choices."
"And just what do you expect me to do with the Terrible Twins while I'm up in court?"
"We can babysit," Sarah said. "We've done a ton of it. And Jay's so good with babies," she tried to soften up their friend.
"She can breastfeed too, huh?" Caryn smirked.
"Not quite... and I'm an ex-firefighter," Jay said with a smile.
"I'm betting you still look hot as hell in a uniform," Caryn teased, causing Jay to blush. "And what about your own son and heir? Where does he come into all this?"
"He's with Amy this morning. She was going to bring him back to our apartment, but yours is closer, and ..."
"Okay, I'll do it. Though I hope you know what this is doing to my reputation. You do know it's over 15 years since I worked for the defense? This is a one-off, I don't want anyone thinking I'm moving to the dark side, Abbie would never forgive me. Here," she thrust baby Laurel at Jay. "Since you're so good with babies, you hold Bert. And you," she gestured to Sarah. "Siddown. I need to know everything."
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Casey sighed as she shut her briefcase. She had told Alex that she had everything in hand, and had banned her from returning to the office that week. But this new case was unexpected, and she had at least three hours of work to do from home. She wanted to go home, though. Wheels would be there and, if she guessed right, would bring her a large whiskey while she worked. Wheels was such a comforting presence, she was like a second mother to her. No, scratch that, Casey decided. Her own mother had cut ties with her years ago, blaming Casey for a family tragedy that was nothing to do with her. Wheels was like a favorite aunt – non-critical, non-judgmental, loving, fun. And so supportive. Casey wasn't sure what she would have done without her in the past year. So she gathered up her stuff and made her weary way home.
Wheels greeted her warmly, excitedly showing her more pictures of baby Oliver on her phone.
"Did you go see them today?" Casey asked, as she shrugged off her coat. A headache was building; perhaps she would forego the whiskey tonight.
"No, I didn't want to intrude," Wheels said.
"But he's your grandson," Casey took her hand.
"That's what Alex said, she phoned to chew me out for not coming. But I want to wait until they are back home and settled. They don't need too many visitors."
"Wheels, you are so much more than a visitor. You're family now. Why else do you think they asked you to be the kids' grandma?"
Wheels shrugged nonchalantly.
Casey's phone beeped, and she laughed as she read the message. "See this?" she thrust the phone at Wheels, who read the message:
Hey, Novak, if you don't manage to persuade Wheels to visit us tomorrow, I'll report you to Liz for non-compliance, you clear?
Casey took the phone back, and texted Alex back.
We're just having that discussion right now. She'll be there, if I have to see to it personally.
We want to see you too Casey, though I know I've landed you in it with work. I've just spoken to Liz, she's drafting in some help, starting tomorrow. So get some sleep now. It's an order. ;)
Casey smiled, with affection and also in relief.
Thanks, Alex. Our love to you all.
Wheels looked over at Casey, and saw the tiredness in her eyes. "Whiskey?" she asked.
Casey shook her head slightly. "I'm okay."
"I'll draw you a bath, and I'll make you a snack. You need to sleep more," Wheels said gently.
Casey nodded. "I love you, Wheels."
Wheels grinned. "Only 'cos I made you go to that art class with the hot teacher."
Casey's cheeks flamed and she harrumphed as she turned away. She had barely even spoken to her new teacher, beyond giving her her email address and cellphone number, something she had asked of all the class. But she did seem so nice. Casey hoped that maybe they could become friends. It would be nice to have another friend of her own age to spend some time with.
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"You did it!" Jay kept her voice low as Caryn came back into the apartment, followed by a smiling Sarah. She was holding a sleeping Madeleine in her arms.
"Did you expect anything less?" Caryn was high on her triumph of getting the case thrown out before it had even begun, thanks to the refusal of Olivia and Jay to press charges. Even Dana Cartwright, the girl who had been caught up in the drama with them, had agreed not to push for punishment. "How have Bert and Ernie behaved?"
"Laurel and Madeleine have been angels," Abbie's voice came from the other side of the room where she stood with a sleeping Laurel. "Did you expect anything less?" she laughed. She went over to Caryn and kissed her soundly. "Christ, you're sexy in that suit," she let a hand roam over a full breast.
Jay and Sarah laughed, causing Abbie to start in half-embarrassment.
"Getting carried away again, Carmichael? What are you doing home anyway?" Caryn teased.
"I just picked up Danny from pre-school. He's not feeling too good, so he's sleeping now."
Caryn looked immediately concerned. She took off toward his bedroom.
Abbie smiled, as she adjusted the baby in her arms. "There's not much that distracts your Ma from the bedroom, Laurel, but making sure you three are alright is just about the only thing that does."
Caryn returned a minute later, looking relieved. She took Madeleine from Jay's arms. "Your big brother's sleeping," she cooed at her.
Jay shrugged on her jacket. She faced Caryn. "I know it was awful timing. But you've been wonderful. We promise we'll try to help him now. We won't let him become another statistic."
Caryn was unexpectedly moved by the sincerity in Jay's voice. She nodded. "Anything for you, Foxy," she joked to break the tension in the room.
Impulsively Sarah leant forward and kissed a surprised Caryn on the cheek. "You ever need anything, let us know?"
Caryn nodded.
As Jay's hand touched the doorknob, she called out. "That kid... he needs anything, any time, call me?"