Karen felt a presence beside her. She lifted her head. Saw Kermit. He motioned a uniformed policewoman over to take Julia into custody. Julia looked at Karen, panicked. Karen soothed her. "Go with her. They'll take care of you. I'll come by to see you. Soon." Julia let herself be led way. Karen sat there. Drained. Kermit held out his hand; a lifeline to her present, away from her past. She took it gently. Stood to her feet. Reached out and did the one thing she had to do; take off his glasses. She held onto what she saw there. Knew that he'd heard every word that she'd said. They spoke without words. When she gave his glasses back to him, he tucked them in his breast pocket and walked with her to the stairway.

Karen walked down the stairs with Kermit at her side. She tried to imagine leaving her past behind with every step down, away from that roof. She knew she was deluding herself. She couldn't leave it behind. Never had been able to, really. The pain tucked into a pocket in her heart was still there. Strong as ever. It told her to go home. To see her baby. Her miracle child. To call Todd and ask him to come home and stay with her during his next break from school.

She sighed to herself, tired beyond all comprehension. Writing the dual reports for her files and Lasher's would have to wait till tomorrow. That was the problem with working with Lasher. His arrogance was an irritation; but, the real bother was more paperwork. You had to make dual copies of every report. Karen was tired of paperwork. Tired of everything. She knew this feeling wouldn't last. She loved her job. Had given up so much for it. But some days... Karen didn't get a chance to finish her thought. She was grateful for the interruption.

"Captain Simms?" Karen was surprised to see Brianna's mother still there. "I wanted to thank you." Karen could tell that she too had seen and heard everything. Could see it in her eyes. The empathy of another mother, all too recently faced with the prospect of loosing her own child. "I don't know how we can ever re-pay you. Herb took her back to the hospital for a check up. He just called. Brianna's fine. Thank you so much."

Karen took the offered hand, shook it firmly. She replied. "Just part of the job. I'm glad she's safe." She looked Brianna's mother in the eyes, hoping to comfort the still shaking woman. "I don't think that Julia Morgan would have knowingly hurt your child in any way."

Mrs. Thompson closed her eyes for a second and clenched her fists reflexively. "If you think so, Captain Simms," she whispered unbelievingly. "I'm just glad that we didn't find out." She shrugged weakly, "I hope that she'll get some help."

Karen smiled faintly. "I'm sure she will. She'll need every scrap of help she can get." Her eyes scanned the crowd until she spotted a uniformed officer, whom she beckoned over to their side. Moving her hand onto Mrs. Thompson's shoulder, she steered the relieved, but still in shock women to the officer. 'Please go with this police officer. He'll take you back to your family. Be well," she said in closing as they moved away. Karen turned to Strenlich, who was staring at her. She ignored his look and everyone else.

"Chief. I'm going home. I need to be...somewhere else. Take over for me, would you?"

"Of course, Captain."

Karen walked over to the nearest squad car. Spoke to the driver. "Stan, would you mind dropping me off by my house on the way back to the precinct?"

He too, spoke softly, "Sure thing, Captain."

Kermit put a hand on her shoulder, silently offering to take her home instead. Be with her. She shook her head, quickly. "Stay. Help the Chief. We still need to take statements from the people at the hospital and from around here who saw it go down." She turned back to the squad car and got inside.

Lasher, who had been uncharacteristically silent for the last several minutes, walked over to Kermit and Strenlich and put his hands on their shoulders. Together, they watched the squad car disappear into traffic. "That's one hell of a lady."

"Oh, yeah"
****************
Karen walked into her house and closed the door. Leaning back on the door for support, she put both hands over her face in sheer exhaustion, and called out to her daytime, live-in sitter. "Teri, are you here?"

"In the baby's room, Ms. Simms.", the young woman called back, cheerfully. Karen was so lucky to have found her. Teri Gross was studying early childhood development at the local university. Working her way through school, she decided that working with kids full time was the best way to earn money and experience. Karen was not the first city worker to become her client. Actually, Karen had heard about her from the public defender who had been so supportive towards her, during her homicide trial last year. Had jumped to be Teri's next client long before the baby was even out of hospital observation and certainly well before she even knew if that she would be awarded custody.

Karen walked into the baby's room, smiled at Teri, and reached for her child. Elizabeth Ruth Simms. Named for her mother and grandmother's first names. Teri looked at her intently and knew that something was wrong. She looked at Karen with concern.

"You're home early, Ms. Simms. Is something wrong?" She handed over the baby without another word, studying her employer silently. It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that Karen had been crying recently.

"It's been a long day. Too long to explain. I'm sure you'll hear some version of it on the evening news. You don't have to stay the rest of the day. You certainly deserve the extra time to yourself." She patted her baby's back and kissed her forehead, gently. "Don't you have a test next Monday?"

"I sure do. Her formula's in the bottle warmer. I was about to feed her, when you came in."

"Go on, home. See you tomorrow. And thank you"

Teri said her good-byes to Karen and "Holly", as everyone called her because of the circumstances of her arrival, making sure to lock the front door behind her with her key.

Karen went to take Holly to the rocking chair, humming a nonsense song softly to her daughter. The chair had been her mother's. She remembered being rocked to sleep in the chair as a child. In the family since before the turn of the century, when Karen's mother died six years ago, it had been bequeathed to her. She was glad that someday, she could give it to Holly.

*Mother. I wish you were here. You always knew just what to say. Just what to do.* With that melancholy thought in her head, she tested the formula on the inside of her wrist and started to feed her baby.

Her mother had been the only one who had truly understood when little Katherine-also named for her mother, her middle name- had died. Her mates on the force brought the customary condolences; and her husband had tried. But being lost in grief himself, it had fallen to her mother to come to her, take care of 11 year old Todd, and shake her out of her paralyzing grief. Elizabeth Katherine Grant had lost two sons to SIDS, herself. Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. Her mother knew all about her situation, her pain. Karen was so grateful to her.

Karen looked down at her gurgling child and wondered if the experience with Katherine's death and her subsequent divorce, four years later, had been the reason that she went so fiercely after custody of Holly. She hadn't really thought about it before. She knew that it was part of the reason. She had always wanted a daughter to go with her fine son. She had never believed in only children. Thought that they should have siblings, like Karen had. She and her sisters were very close.

So, when Holly came into her life. She pounced. Bullied her way into the hospital ward every day to see the tiny infant. And then, she'd called in every favor she could think of, to get custody. She wasn't ashamed of that. Not one bit. All of those years of snoozing with the Mayor, and all of the other civic leaders of the communities where she had been captain, had to have a reward besides interference, headaches, late nights and Alka-Seltzer.

She looked at Holly and knew that she would do it all again. In a heartbeat. Single mother? So? No husband? As Kermit would say, 'And, your point is what?'. She loved Holly with all of her heart and knew she was a good mother. She took the now empty bottle out of her daughter's mouth and listened fondly to her baby snore. She put her in her crib and soon fell asleep herself in the chair beside her.
****************
Karen woke up with a start. What time was it? She looked at the clock. 6:00. No wonder her stomach felt so empty. She rolled the crib into the kitchen, so she could keep an eye on Holly, and started to cook dinner. After putting the lasagna she'd made over the weekend in the oven and fixing a tossed salad, she padded over to the phone and called Todd's dorm room. Miracle of miracles, he was actually there.

She spoke to him briefly, gently prodding him about classes, his friends she'd met on Parent's Day, and whether he could come during his next break. She asked him home on every break now. Sometimes, he'd say no; he visited his father or hung out with the guys. But, this time, he must have heard the need in her voice because he said yes. Immediately. He had just been there for New Year's. Christmas, he spent with Dad; New Year's, he always spent with his Mom. They just exchanged presents late, often using the twelve days of Christmas as a guide for the festivities. It was a tradition that had served them well. A family needed traditions. Even families of divorce.

Sending her love over the phone, she hung up and went to check on the food and Holly, who was starting to stir. Though not necessarily in that order. No sooner than she had sat down to eat, then, the doorbell rang.

"Who could that be, Sweetheart. Hmm?", she asked Holly. Karen knew who she wanted it to be. She checked the peephole and was not disappointed. She opened the door and let in Kermit, who was bearing gifts - a bottle of their favorite scotch. "Hi", she said softly as she took off his glasses and placed them on the table next to the door. She kissed him for a long time, wrapping her arms around him for all it was worth. She suddenly laughed and pulled away as she heard Holly cry out demandingly for attention.

Karen left him to play with Holly while she set another place for dinner and set up Holly's high chair, so that she could see everything. Even though she knew Holly wasn't hungry, Kermit-watching was one of her baby's favorite pastimes. Must take after her mother.

"It's been a crazy day. Peter gone. This hostage crisis." She shook her head. "How'd the interviews go?"

Kermit brought Holly to the table. "No surprises." He looked over at Karen, "You okay? You never told me about Katherine."

"Why would I? It happened a long time ago. What you haven't told me about your past would fill the New York phone book. All five boroughs." She laughed to take some of the sting out of her words. Kermit winced anyway. Served him right. Answering his original question, she finally said, "I'll be all right. Really. I told Julia the truth. The pain never fully goes away. But, it's a sweet pain. Katherine lived and was a joy in my life. A great joy. My mother said that to me after Katherine died and I have never forgotten her words."

She touched her daughter's foot, softly. "And, it makes me all the more thankful for Holly. I thought that I would never have a daughter. Now I have her. I only hope that one day, Julia will feel what I feel now. It's good to be reminded of how lucky I am." She reached for his hand. "How lucky we are."

"I'll drink to that."

Karen & Kermit played with Holly for hours; but finally, after a diaper change and a back rub, Holly went to sleep. Karen looked at her girl. She often watched her sleep. She couldn't help it. Today, especially.

She felt strong hands rest on her shoulders, gently messaging out the day's stress. Accepting his care and concern, she tilted her head in pleasure, relaxing a little more with each knead of his fingers. "Where'd you learn to do that?" she said softly.

"State secret."

"Mmm. Any more state secrets you want to share?"

"I'll think about it." Kermit gently turned her around and pushed her out the door. Loosening her hair out of her topknot and moving it out of the way, he planted a kiss to the nape of her neck, all the while, guiding them to her room. "You should take a shower. Wash away that tension"

"You coming with me?"

"Want me to?" Karen turned in his arms and took off his tie in response. Pulled him by the waist of his pants towards the bathroom.

***

"I've been thinking. Why are you here with me?" Still flushed from lovemaking, Karen reached to play with the hair on his chest.

"Fishing for complements, again?" He kissed her lips, softly, moving even closer to her on the bed.

"I'm serious. I mean, here I am. A police captain, who just happens to be your boss. A woman with a baby, no less. Wouldn't seem likely on the face of it."

"Never been interested in what's likely. Or expected." He kissed her again. "Besides, you're the one who pulled my guard down, not the other way around. Lured me in." He touched her face, softly; let his hand linger. "Had no choice."

Karen turned her face toward his hand and kissed it. "You pulled mine down when you took your glasses off in that elevator. When you grabbed my hand." She paused and put her arms around him. "I needed you then, and you were there. You're always here, when I need you. Guess, I just wanted to know why."

Kermit moved to straddle her with his legs and look down into her eyes. "Because, you're Karen."

She smiled. "That's all?"

"That's enough."

Drawn together, they moved with one mind toward the place that was theirs alone.

THE END

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