Cops' Kids

C31

"It's in the news!" Warren hollers, but quietly. They'd parked the cars in the garage, hoped no one had seen them arrive. Serena and Tyson, who had been talking in the kitchen, run to the living room. Ross sits up from the couch with a yawn. Even out of Elmers grasp he hasn't talked. He just reverted into himself more when Tyson told them what had happened. They all sit down quietly, Serena putting Jeremiah on her lap. He sucks his thumb, something Elmer hated. Serena runs her hands over Isaiah's burgundy afro and kisses his forehead. Displays of affection to the boys were a big problem with Elmer.

"Who took these pictures?" Serena asks, tears coming to her eyes. Warren shakes his head, Ross shrugs. She turns to Tyson, leaning on the living room wall behind them. Tears slip out of her eyes. The son she thought would kill then all is the one that saved them. Their faces are blurred, thankfully but their names are still written on the screen.

"Wait," Warren frowns. "Is that Aunt Kylie?"

"How did she get these?" Serena asks. Ross flinches from the next picture that is portrayed. It is of him the time Elmer shoved him into the wall. Warren had to dig out all the pieces of dry wall and Serena had hung a tapestry there for years until Elmer finally fixed the hole.

"I sent them to her," Tyson answers. His voice is shaky but his words are steady. He'd done it, he'd gotten his brothers and his mom out safe, just not all of them. Just not the one that should have escaped, the one who loved so selflessly. Tyson will carry that regret with him until the day he dies. Warren stands up, his lips wobbly. How many times he'd underestimated Tyson, even that day.

"Thank you," he throws himself into his brothers arms. Tyson clears his throat. He wants to cry with them but he remembers the doubt they'd all thought of him and it still stings painfully in his chest, pulling him away from them. Besides, he'd cried while they all slept from exhaustion and finally having a safe space to rest their heads. He'd cried for all those hate filled years they'd endured. He'd cried for Colin, the sweetheart of a boy who will not age another day, who will not have his dreams fulfilled: to live at least one day free from a flying fist.

They all turn back to the TV. Aunt Kylie is giving a report of one of the incidents and on the screen beside her is Dr. Delluci. Kylie explain what happened and Dr. Delluci shows the medical proof. They are both very convincing. Next the the news station shows a video of Benjamin being led into the police station, cuffed. The publicity officer explains: Benjamin Carr-Hardwood, firstborn son of Chief Elmer Carr-Hardwood, is being arrested on manslaughter charges for his fathers death. Tyson sighs in relief. Benjamin actually had his back. All Tyson told his mothers and his brothers was that Elmer killed Colin and Elmer was dead and Benjamin refused to leave.

"Who's that?" Warren asks, pointing at the screen. Replacing Aunt Kylie is a man that looks vaguely familiar. On the other half of the screen is a picture of Colin, it's this years school picture. He's dressed in his favourite red shirt, his curly black hair reaching just over his ears. Ross angrily wipes away tears from the sight.

"That's your Uncle George," Serena states softly. Her heart aches for all her boys but especially for Colin, her baby boy Colin that was a replica of his late father, the only love of her life. It feels as if she is loosing Caleb all over again. "He's, he was, Colin's godfather."

"... we always knew there was bad stuff going on." Uncle George is saying onscreen. "Junior may have passed on but we still treated Serena as family, still looked after his boys. But once Serena married that man we couldn't drop by, couldn't even call. I wished I'd tried harder. I wish we all did because now I'm burying my godson. I'm burying my baby brothers baby boy..." Uncle George can't hold his composure any longer and bursts into sobs. They all sit in silence for a moment, collecting their thoughts. Ross is silently crying. Isaiah leans into their mothers embrace and Jeremiah tucks his head under her chin. Tyson runs his hands over his cornrows.

"I know this isn't the best time," Warren speaks up as he cautiously looks around the room. "But it is sort of good news so I might as well share."

"Of course, honey," Serena smiles at him, encouraging him to continue talking. Just about anything will be a welcome reprieve to all the loss they are feeling.

"Hallie Powell's gonna have my baby," he shoots Tyson a good natured grin. "And it's not a false positive. We've been to the doctor already."

"Oh, I'm so happy about that!" Serena motions for Warren to join her group hug with the younger boys. Ross blinks before looking away. A baby might be a happy thing but he just lost his best friend. None of them did.

"What the fuck?" Tyson gasps, finally entering the living room with his family. Serena opens her mouth to reproach him but closes it when she sees what captured his gaze. On the TV in big letters is BREAKING NEWS: Benjamin Carr-Hardwood, son of the police chief and arrested for manslaughter, is pronounced dead. The publicity officer adds more: "Benjamin was charged with the self defence killing of his father and was found earlier this morning dead in his jail cell. The cause of death: a hanging. He was isolated in his own cell so his death is ruled as a suicide."