Marietta set her phone down and leaned back against the sofa. "It's over."
Vivian frowned. "Or just beginning. Depends on how you look at it."
Marietta looked out the window. "The patrol unit is gone."
"Should we wait for Eleanor to wake up?" Vivian asked.
"Probably. Or we could just let Helen know we are leaving."
"No need. I'm up." They both looked toward the doorway to see Eleanor standing there. "You both go on home. It's been such a long day and you have already done so much for us. Mom is here if I need anything."
Marietta stood up and slipped her shoes back on. Vivian did the same.
"Are you sure?" Marietta hugged her friend.
Eleanor smiled. "Go. Take off your pantyhose and relax."
"Tony!" Vivian called up the steps. "Come on, boy! We're going home!"
"Be right there! Just gotta finish this race." Tony yelled back.
"That boy and his games." Vivian shook her head as she grabbed her coat from the hall closet and slipped it on.
"I think you mean those boys," Eleanor said. "My two are just as involved."
Tony came bounding down the steps. "Okay, I'm ready."
"How nice of you," Vivian said. "Get your jacket. You're driving. I'm tired. You should be an expert behind the wheel after all the hours you've spent on that game today."
"Mom!"
"Yeah, yeah. I know. Everybody's doing it. Blah, blah, blah."
"Bye, Ellie. Bye, Mari." Vivian hugged her and left with Tony.
"You sure you don't need me to stay?" Marietta asked as she put on her jacket.
"I'm good. I think I'll take a shower and maybe read for a bit. I think I'm actually tired enough to sleep some tonight too."
"Okay. Call me if you need me." Marietta gave Eleanor one last hug then left.
The drive home was quiet and cold. The house felt the same when she walked in. Locking the front door behind her, she went straight to her bedroom, undressed, and went to bed.
The longest day ever had finally ended.
Chapter Ten
Vivian
"This was a pretty intense day," Tony commented as Vivian unlocked the front door. "I wasn't sure what to say to Ms. Ellie at first but the twins were the same as always so that was okay at least."
She pushed open the door and they walked inside. Vivian flipped a switch, flooding the foyer with light. Taking off her coat, she hung it up and dropped her purse on the table in the hall. Tony followed her to the kitchen. "Ms. Eleanor is going to be pretty sad for a while. Jackson and Jameson may seem like they are fine now but they just lost their father and it will hit them eventually. When that time comes, just be a good friend to them, okay?"
Tony opened the refrigerator, pulled out an apple and took a bite. "Okay, Mom." He headed toward the hallway and stopped, turning back to look at her. "How do I feel sad for them yet happy for us that it wasn't Dad?"
"Oh, Tony." She walked over and wrapped him up in a hug. "I have the same issue. I'm brokenhearted for Ms. Eleanor but beyond grateful that your father didn't die. All we can do is just be there for them."
"At the funeral, I couldn't look at the casket. I just kept thinking, it could have been Dad in there instead."
"It's okay to feel that way, baby. I kept looking at Ms. Eleanor thanking God that it wasn't me standing up there talking about my dead husband."
"Dad's been a cop my whole life. I never even thought he could get hurt or die. Then Mr. Gary died and—" He stopped talking, turning away and wiping at his eyes.
Vivian pulled him in for another hug. "I know, baby. I know."
"When are they gonna get the guy, Mom?"
She reached up and pushed a piece of hair out of his eyes. "They already did. This evening. That's why Dad's been gone so long. They had a lead and the chief let him be there for it."
Tony tipped his head back and let out a long breath of air. "So, it's over."
"It's mostly over, yes."
"So, maybe Dad will get back to normal then."
Vivian nodded. "I really hope so."
"I've got a math test tomorrow I better go study for." He kissed her on the cheek. "I love you, Mom."
"I love you too!" she called after him as he bounded up the steps.
Vivian pulled a bottle of wine and a brick of white cheddar cheese from the refrigerator. She filled her favorite wine glass to the brim and sliced several pieces of cheese that she lay on some crackers she took from the pantry.
Tony had been right on, this had been one long day. She took a drink and ate a cracker and cheese. The silence in the house hit a stark contrast to the activity of the day. Leaning back in her chair, she took another long sip of her drink. On the refrigerator across the room hung a picture of her and Antonio. He had his arm around her, kissing her cheek. Gary had taken that picture a couple of summers ago at a barbeque at the Hart house. They'd had such a good day. It was the day they all met Marietta, right after Ricky joined their precinct.
Nothing would ever be the same again. None of them would ever be the same. Gary's death truly had irrevocably changed all of their lives. Her conversation with Tony proved that.
Vivian sat in the family room watching the eleven o'clock news when she heard a car door slam outside. A few seconds later, the front door opened and Antonio appeared in the doorway of the family room. His grey button-down shirt hung loose and untucked. The tie he'd worn to the funeral hung out of his shirt pocket. There was a smear of dirt on his cheek and his normally perfectly styled thick brown hair stood on end like he'd run his fingers through it a hundred times.
Vivian muted the television. "You look like hell."
Antonio shrugged and tossed his jacket on a chair. "We got him."
"I know." She got up and went to him, wrapping her arms around his waist and resting her head on his chest. "I won't lie. I was a little bit scared."
Antonio wrapped his arms around her and kissed the top of her head. "I'm sorry to put you through that. We didn't think he'd go after you or Marietta but no one knew for sure. When we caught up with him he was high as a kite on spice. Pretty sure he has been since that night."
"So, what now?"
"I'm back on administrative leave indefinitely. Oh, and I have to go back to IA. They have more questions."
Vivian stepped back and looked at him. "Everything is on video, right? Can't they just look at that?"
"I'm sure they have. Many times." Antonio dropped into his favorite chair, kicking his feet out in a wide v. "Can you get me a beer, babe?"
She stepped in between his legs. "How about we just go to bed instead?"
He picked up the remote and reached around her to turn on the television. "You go ahead. I'll be up later."
Vivian sighed. "Fine. What time do you have to go in tomorrow?"
"What?" Antonio asked.
"I said, what time is your appointment with internal affairs?"
"Nine," he replied without looking at her. "Get me that beer before you go upstairs?"
Without answering, she grabbed a bottle from the fridge and put it on the side table, a little more forcefully than necessary then walked away.
The sounds of some sporting event sounded from the television as she headed to her bedroom, knowing full well Antonio would crash right where he was for the night and she'd sleep alone again.
She lay in bed for a long time listening to the sound of the television downstairs. It worried her that IA wouldn't let things drop and she knew it worried Antonio too. She wouldn't get her husband back until it was over. That was a definite given.
As expected, when Vivian woke the next morning, Antonio's side of the bed was untouched. The clock read seven twelve. She got up and hopped in the shower. The hot water felt good on her aching body. The stress of the last week had begun to take its toll and now with Antonio's second visit to internal affairs, the tension headache had begun to set in.
As she rinsed the conditioner from her hair, the door to the
bathroom slammed open, a panicked Antonio entering the steamy room. "You didn't wake me up!"
"Dude, I just got up myself. You've got plenty of time."
"You know I have that meeting!" She heard the toilet flush, like she wasn't even in the bathroom. His attitude pissed her off.
"Then you should have slept in our bed and I would have known you hadn't already left."
"Move over, I'm coming in." Antonio pushed the curtain aside and stepped into the tub.
"Um, hello? I'm in here. No one invited you."
"I'm sorry. I just freaked out when I saw how late it is."
"Doesn't mean you have to snap at me." She finished rinsing the conditioner from her hair. Vivian stepped out from under the spray, offering the warm water to her husband. "When did you get naked?"
"Sometime last night, I guess. I woke up in my jockey shorts." Antonio picked up the bar of soap and worked up a lather on a wash cloth.
"I missed you. The bed was empty without you."
He gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. "Sorry. Passed out. Long day. I really didn't mean to be an ass a minute ago."
His attitude and his nakedness meant he'd had more than the one beer. Several more. "Do you want breakfast before you go? Maybe some coffee?"
It wouldn't do him any good to show up hung over and nasty to the meeting with Internal Affairs.
"No time." He scrubbed the cloth over his body, spraying soap all over her.
"Gee, thanks."
"I told you I'm in a hurry."
"I know, because it's not like we don't have another bathroom. You just had to take over my shower."
"Not now, Viv. I said I was sorry."
Vivian stepped out of the shower, grabbing a towel to wrap around her body. She used a second one to contain her wet, wild hair. "The meeting isn't until nine."
"I need to go over a few things before I go in. As soon as I finish here, I'm gonna get dressed and head to the station."
"How about I get a pot of coffee while you dress and put some in travel cup?"
"Whatever. Thanks. Just be quick. I'll be done here in a sec."
"Yes, sir," she mumbled, giving him the middle finger. Even though he couldn't actually see it, the action made her feel better.
"You say something?" Antonio called from in the shower.
"Nope." Not anything she planned to repeat anyway.
Vivian went in search of some clothes. Pulling a pair of leggings and a long-sleeved shirt from a drawer, she dressed quickly and headed to the kitchen. The last thing Antonio needed was any residual hangover symptoms at an IA question session.
She'd just snapped the lid on the travel cup when the fragrance of Antonio's cologne wafted into the kitchen. The hall closet door opened and then closed. A few seconds later, her husband appeared in the kitchen.
"I'm out of here, babe."
"I made you that coffee." Vivian handed him the cup and kissed him. "Good luck. Just keep your cool and you'll be fine."
"Are you implying I'm not a cool guy?" Antonio tried to joke but it fell flat.
"I'd never suggest any such thing." She followed him to the door.
"Gotta run." Antonio left the house without kissing her goodbye.
"Love you, Viv. Love you too, Antonio. Oh, and you're welcome for the coffee. Hope you spill it all over yourself," she said to the closed door. Jack off couldn't even say good bye?
Vivian tried to pretend none of it mattered, knowing how stressed he was. She stood in the window and watched him drive away until the car disappeared from view, sadness weaving its way around her heart. She missed her husband.
"Hey, mom, can you drive me to school today? I've got my gear bag and I'm just not in the mood to lug it onto the bus."
"Maybe you ought to think about getting your license sometime soon?" Tony'd been dragging his feet on that one for much too long. Most of his senior class could drive and he'd had no interest in learning.
"Yeah, I know. But not today. Can you drive me?"
"Okay, fine. But we will continue this conversation tonight. It's time you learned to drive."
He scowled. "Fine. But I don't understand why you are in such a rush to get a new car."
"What?" Vivian asked, confused.
"Statistics prove that I'm going to be in a car wreck within a year of getting my license."
Vivian shook her head. "Stop with the ridiculousness. You need to learn how to drive."
"I don't understand why. With public transportation—"
Vivian put a finger to his mouth. "Hush, child. You're learning to drive, now go on and get ready. Leave in ten minutes?"
"Fine. If you insist," Tony called as he ran up the steps.
Vivian tossed a load of laundry in to the washer and cleaned up the coffee pot. By the time she'd finished, Tony was ready to go.
"Here." She tossed him the keys. "Go warm up the car. I'll be out in a minute."
Once she had her coat on, Vivian grabbed her purse and joined Tony in the car. "Practice or game tonight?"
"Game. Away though. You and Dad don't have to come."
"You don't want us to?"
Tony turned to look out the window. "You can come."
"But not Dad?"
Tony didn't reply.
"Tony."
"You were there last time. The kids have been talking about him and how he started a fight."
"You do know your father didn't start that, right?"
Tony shrugged. "It doesn't matter. Everyone's been talking since the shooting. They think—forget it." He crossed his arms over his chest.
"No. I'm not going to forget it. What are they thinking?"
"Nothing."
They pulled up in front of the school. She stopped the car and turned to look at her son. "What's going on, kid?"
"There's a lot people talking crap about Dad. Stuff about Mr. Gary too."
"What kind of stuff?"
"About the whole shooting and everything."
"Honey, people like to talk about things they don't understand. I'd hoped you wouldn't be affected by it and I am sorry you are having to deal with it. Just remember, it's easy to say what should've been done in hindsight, a whole lot harder to make a split second, life dependent decision."
"I know, Mom. I just want to stay focused tonight. Scouts and all. I gotta go. Thanks for the ride." He reached for the door handle and pushed the door open.
"We can talk more later if you want."
Tony nodded as he stepped out of the car. "Sure, Mom. Bye."
"Love you!" she called after him but the door slammed shut too loudly for him to hear. What was with all the men in her life and slamming doors?
After a couple of quick errands, Vivian headed home. Antonio should be there soon and she really wanted to know what happened at the interview with Internal Affairs.
She'd just finished folding a third load of laundry when the front door slammed.
"Antonio? That you?"
"You expected someone else?" His tone was way too serious.
Vivian met him in the hallway. "No one else I'd rather see. Let me hang your coat up for you while you go change."
Antonio stomped up the stairs without replying.
"I guess the meeting went well." Vivian hung up the coat. "Thanks honey for hanging my coat," she muttered then went to the kitchen to warm up some left overs for lunch. Just as she pulled the dish from the microwave, Antonio stomped his way into the kitchen, growling.
"You want to talk about it?"
"Not really." He pulled open the fridge and took out two bottles of beer.
Vivian set the dish on the table. "Here, why don't you eat something first."
"I'm a grown ass man. Don't tell me what to do."
She took a deep breath, searching for a way to diffuse the situation before she lost her temper. "I'm sorry, were you actually talking to me? The woman who bore your child and serves you all your favorite meals?"
"I'm not in the mood, Viv."
Sh
e leaned back against the counter and crossed her arms over her chest. "Obviously. You gonna tell me why?"
He popped the top off the first bottle and downed the entire contents in one swallow. "Nope."
Antonio slammed the bottle down on the table and popped the top of the second one. He finished that in two gulps. "Can you pick up some more of this when you go out?"
"You've been hitting the bottle pretty hard lately, baby. Maybe you oughta take a break?"
"My best friend just died. I don't think a few beers under the circumstances is a terrible thing. It's not like Internal Affairs is investigating me or anything."
He slammed the second empty bottle at the trash can, but missed. The amber glass shattered against the tiles, sending hundreds of shards of glass scattering across the floor.
"Fuck!" He turned and punched the door to the pantry, shoving his fist halfway through the wood.
Vivian crossed the room, thankful she still wore her shoes and wrapped her arms around her husband. He leaned down and buried his face in her hair. They stayed that way for a long time, and when Antonio finally stepped away, she felt the moisture of tears against her scalp.
He walked over and sat down, resting his head on his arms folded on the table, careful to avoid the knuckles he'd probably just bruised. Vivian grabbed the broom from the utility closet and slowly began to sweep the floor. "You want to talk about it now?"
"I'm sorry about the glass." He motioned to the small pile she'd begun to gather.
"Don't worry about it. Accidents happen." She knew it wasn't an accident. So did he, but she'd pick that battle another time.
"Apparently the various body cam videos have convinced the powers that be that I could have done more to prevent the shooting. They want to know why I didn't try to intervene."
"You didn't have an opportunity." She stopped sweeping to look at her husband. "Did you?"
"No. I don't think so. Maybe. I told you I thought I fucked up." He laid his head back on his arms and shook it slowly. "It's my fault Gary's dead. That's what everyone thinks."
"The man was high and crazy and shooting like a mad man. What do they think you should have done?"
"Shoot him, I guess."
The Line That Binds Page 13
