Chapter Fourteen

                                    

                                          
Y'all are getting 14.5K words because I didn't want to leave the end of one of these episodes hanging to conclude next time. And I really wanna get back to Law & Order episodes, so . . . crunch time! XD
Greg and Jason are dogs chasing a bone on this case, a police captain two detectives and a patrol officer take over a case, it's Nolan's turn to be the interrogator, Pelham can be a mother hen, no one should ever put Owen Olivia and Elliot in the same car, and as the New Yorkers prepare to head home, Wendy learns something that's going to send her on a course that readers have asked me about since last book.
Enjoy "Whom Shall I Fear?" and the rest of "Child Care!"
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The mood in the firehouse once the sun had risen was melancholy, and while no words were said, the actions of the firefighters spoke volumes. They all seemed to join their own little groups: TK had somehow commandeered Judd's attention, and Frank watched with fond amusement as the 2IC of Ladder 126 kept the 2IC of Squad 9 to his side like a big brother would do with his little one. Buck and Eddie had crashed in the bunks at once, and he had seen Nancy's bun peeking out from the covers of another one nearby. The captains had vanished to their offices to write their reports, and Marjan, Paul, and Mateo were whispering together as they restocked their rigs, always gravitating to each other during their breaks.
Lily had curled up on one of the couches with her arms around her legs, her eyes fixated on some random spot on the floor. Not long after Frank had sat next to her, she had plastered herself to his side, her nose buried in his shirt. He wrapped his arm around his daughter and held her close, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. He had known when he agreed to let Lily observe the shift that there was a chance they could roll up to a call that did not have a happy ending. He just wished that call hadn't involved the death of a child.
Shortly after Lily had sought his comfort, he felt the couch ever so slightly jolt with weight being pushed against it, and Frank realized what it was when he peered down to the floor. Griffin and Ben had dropped to sit against the couch at Lily's feet, the boys each with a mug of what smelled like cocoa cradled in their hands. They sat on either side of Lily, Ben checking to make sure he wasn't in Frank's way before he scooted back against the couch. No sooner had they sat than did Sylvie appear, a small smile on her face as she looked at Lily. "May I join you?" she asked softly. Lily sniffed and nodded, and Sylvie sat on her other side, two mugs in her hands. She offered one to Lily, and the girl raised her head from Frank's chest to examine what was being offered. "Lieutenant Herrmann back in Chicago swears by this cocoa recipe," Sylvie explained. "And he has an entire clan of kids, so . . . "
Frank saw a ghost of a smile on Lily's face as she carefully took the mug, and she was quick to settle back against him as she sipped the drink. Frank rubbed his hand up and down Lily's arm as she began to settle, and it was only when Nolan sat on the other side of Sylvie that the homicide detective spoke. "Thank you, Sylvie."
"You're welcome," Sylvie smiled, taking a sip of her own cocoa. "I'm just sorry that's how the call ended. I hoped neither Lily nor the Dardens would see something like that."
"It comes with the job, Sylvie," Griffin shook his head as he looked down at his drink. "Our dad died because of it. We know it can happen."
"Does it get any easier?"
Lily's whisper somehow was louder than any other words, and Sylvie sighed. "No," she shook her head. "It doesn't."
"Especially not when it involves children." Frank looked up at Kelly's words, and the squad captain was followed by Matt, both men's green eyes full of exhaustion. "But we keep doing this job in hopes that in the next call, we stop that fate from happening," Kelly continued as he gestured to the arm of the couch next to Frank.