Written by MichaelOctober 29, 2020November 5, 2020

Episode 1046

Previously…
– Travis confided in Landon that he is thinking of proposing marriage to Rosie.
– Finn suggested that Trevor rent out the Brooks home instead of selling it before he’s ready to do so. Jaq overheard their conversation and asked if someone might need a roommate.
– Tempest was hurt after Samantha decided to bring Jaq, instead of her, along to Sun Valley at the last minute. Neither Sam nor Tempest was aware that Diane purposely sent Jaq on the trip in order to keep Tempest and Sam from reconnecting.

The sky looks blacker than usual this evening, making the silvery moon appear even eerier. A steady avalanche of rain pours down, battering buildings, vehicles, and the landscape, and a wicked wind whips through the tall trees, which sway ominously back and forth. Suddenly, a crack of lightning flashes across the sky, accompanied by a frightening flash of thunder.

Brent Taylor, who is standing at the window of his office inside the King’s Bay Police Department, stiffens at nature’s latest outburst.

“Can’t believe how nasty it is out there,” a voice says from behind Brent, and he turns to see Officer Rosie Jimenez in the doorway.

“It’s spooky,” Brent says.

“Don’t be too jealous that I get to go out in it,” Rosie tells him as she steps into the office.

“I worked plenty of these kind of nights when I was a beat cop. Can’t say I miss them too much.” Brent rests his hands on the top of his black leather desk chair. “How are you doing, Jimenez?”

“I’m fine. I wanted to bring you the file on those robberies on the North Side.” She places a bulging file folder on his desk. “The real question is, how are you doing?”

Brent breathes in sharply, stunned by how ill-prepared he is to answer that question, despite having had weeks to do nothing but think about how he’s doing.

“Getting by,” he says wearily. “Not much to do but… keep going, you know?”

She offers a compassionate nod as she moves a loose strand of her black hair behind one ear. “I can’t imagine what you’re going through.”

“I just wish there were something I could do, you know? That’s the worst part, in a way. We got Molly to the hospital, she delivered the baby, and that was that. No chance to fight for our son, no chance to save him. He was there and then he wasn’t.”

“I’m so sorry,” Rosie says.

“Thanks.” He busies himself by quickly thumbing through the file folder, though he doesn’t process any of what he sees. “I’m just trying to be there for Molly and the boys.”

“Make sure you’re taking care of yourself, too.”

Brent’s only response is a light shrug.

“I’m serious,” Rosie says. “And if you ever need to talk… I hope it’s not awkward for me to offer that, but you’ve been a mentor to me, and you saved my ass when the D.A. wanted to come after me, so if you do need a friendly ear…”

“I appreciate that, Jimenez. Seriously. And it’s not awkward.”

Outside, another boom of thunder rattles the sky, causing both of them to flinch.

“I guess it’s that kind of night,” Brent says.

Rosie sighs. “Let’s hope not.”

—–

The front door of the bungalow creaks as it swings open, revealing the unusually dark interior of the house. Trevor Brooks steps inside carefully and wipes his shoes on the doormat.

“Alex?” he calls out as he removes his wet jacket and hangs it on one of the pegs beside the door. But there is no response, so he floats through the dark house, toward a faint light in the kitchen.

In there, he finds a single lit candle doing its best to illuminate the space in its warm but slight glow. The usual digital displays on the microwave, oven, and espresso machine are as blank and dark as the rest of the house.

“Boo!”

The exclamation nearly causes Trevor to leap out of his clothes. It takes a split-second — albeit one that feels like an eternity — for the voice to process, and he recognizes it as belonging to his husband.

“You scared the crap out of me,” Trevor says as he wheels around to find Alex standing there in a black hoodie.

“Sorry! I couldn’t resist.” Alex reaches out and places his hands on Trevor’s shoulders. “The power’s been out for over an hour.”

“Yeah, the storm is crazy out there. We had power at the office, but once I got into our neighborhood, it looked like everything was pitch-black.”

“Jason said we could go spend the night at his place if we need to,” Alex says. “His generator’s working.”

Trevor folds his arms across his chest. Between the lingering chill from the rain and the lack of heat moving through the house, he feels anything but cozy. “We might need to do that.”

“Let’s give it another hour or two, and then we can see. I managed to get Chase bathed and in bed, but we can try moving him without waking him up.”

Trevor cracks a wry grin. “What do you think the odds are of pulling that off?”

“About as good as the odds of us finding something to eat in here that doesn’t require cooking… unless you want peanut butter and jelly sandwiches with apple slices.”

“How about we use this to order actual food?” Trevor says as he pulls his iPhone from his pants pocket.

“Yes, please.” Alex’s fingertips linger on his husband’s free hand. “How was work?”

“Nothing too wild,” Trevor says, allowing the last syllable to trail off into the darkness like the flame drifting off the candle.

“But…?”

“But I do have some news,” Trevor admits a moment later.

Alex cocks an eyebrow. “What kind of news?”

“I talked to Lauren today, and we made a decision. We’re going to hold off on putting our parents’ house on the market.”

“Really? Are you sure holding onto an empty house is a good idea?”

“It won’t be empty,” Trevor says. “We’re going to rent it out.”

“Oh.” Alex reacts with surprise and then pauses, mulling over the idea. “Dealing with tenants can be a lot of work.”

“I know. But it all came together so easily.”

“How so?”

“We already have tenants lined up.”

“That was fast,” Alex says. “How’d you pull that off?”

“They actually approached me,” Trevor says. “It’s kind of perfect.”

Alex leans one hip against the kitchen counter. “So, who are these perfect tenants you’re about to take on?”

—–

“It’s gonna be great,” Jaq Pearson says excitedly as they huddle beneath an umbrella with Samantha Fisher. The couple crushes their sides together as they do their best to walk in step down the sidewalk, Jaq holding the umbrella above them as the rain pummels it mercilessly.

“It’s so weird that you’re going to be living in the house where Trevor and Lauren grew up,” Samantha says. “And with Finn. Are you sure you’re okay sharing living space with him?”

Jaq shrugs. “He seems nice enough, and we’ll have our own space. As long as he doesn’t throw huge parties or leave a giant mess in the kitchen, it’ll be fine.”

“At least you know you’ll be able to trust your landlord.”

“Trevor couldn’t be worse than my current landlord if he tried,” Jaq says with a laugh. “How long have I been trying to get that closet door fixed?”

“Legitimately as long as I’ve known you,” Samantha says.

“Longer!”

The two of them sigh with relief as they reach the entrance to 322 Bar & Grill. They huddle under the entrance, shaking off the umbrella and themselves, before Samantha pulls open the door to the eatery.

“I guess a toast to your new home is in order tonight,” she says as she holds open the door for Jaq, who swiftly moves inside.

In a booth inside 322, Tempest Banks sets her half-drunk beer on the table insistently.

“You’ve gotta promise me one thing,” she says with grave seriousness to her dining companion.

From the other side of the booth, Travis Fisher pauses, his burger in his hands. “What?”

“No corny-ass stunts when you propose,” Tempest tells him. “No firing shit out of cannons, no fireworks, and no flash mob. Leave the white nonsense at home.”

Travis laughs. “Okay, okay. I promise.”

“Good.” Tempest grins widely at him. “Then congrats.”

“Don’t congratulate me yet,” he says. “I haven’t asked Rosie yet. I don’t even have a ring yet.”

“She’s gonna say yes. You know that.”

“I don’t know that.” Travis sets the burger back on his plate without taking a bite. “That’s the thing. I love her. I know she loves me. But Rosie isn’t… she hasn’t always been open to taking the next step.”

“Seems like you guys got over that once her ex was outta the way.”

“We did. We have.” He breathes in deeply through his nose, as if steadying himself, reminding himself of everything that has transpired between him and Rosie since Diego Barrera died. “She can be hard to read, that’s all.”

“Well, she sure as hell can’t read your mind, so you’re gonna have to get down on your knee and ask if you wanna marry her,” Tempest says.

“I’m going to. And I swear there won’t be a flash mob.”

“Good.” Tempest picks up her beer again and raises it toward him. “And good luck, Travis. I’m pulling for you.”

Travis clinks his glass against hers. “Thanks. Here’s to nothing.”

They drink from their beers, and Travis is about to say something else when his focus is pulled toward the restaurant’s entrance. He stops mid-movement, his mouth slightly agape.

“What?” Tempest asks.

His pulse quickening, Travis does his best to shake off his reaction. “Nothing. I, uh, just…”

But Tempest swivels her head to see what has distracted him, and she immediately spots Samantha and Jaq at the host’s stand. And before she can avert her gaze, Samantha sees them, too.

—–

After she leaves Brent’s office, Rosie returns to the bullpen, which is abuzz with the usual activity that fills the station: phones ringing, keys clicking, voices chattering. She goes to the desk where she was working earlier and checks her cell phone, which she left plugged in so that it can be charged when she goes out; the thought of venturing out in this storm is anything but appealing, but she knows that she has to do it.

When she wakes up her phone, she sees a text notification from Travis. Her lips curl into a smile as she reads it:

Grabbing dinner with Tempest. Hit me up when your shift’s done! Love you

The message, so simple and yet so reassuring, sends a warm jolt through her. She never imagined that she could feel so at-ease thanks purely to the idea that someone is out there, waiting to see her again. Her youthful relationship with Diego was so chaotic, so rooted in dysfunction and power struggles, and she shied away from intimacy for so long afterward, that the plain comfort of being with Travis continues to surprise her each and every day.

She is contemplating the exact right response when someone shouts, “What the hell?”

Several heads turn, but Rosie springs immediately into action. Something about the tone tells her that this is more than a curiosity — something is wrong. She goes right to the open side door of the station, where the custodian is scrambling to pick something up as the rain pours down.

“What is it?” Rosie says. “Be careful.”

“Of course I’m being careful,” the custodian, a middle-aged man with a push-broom mustache, tells her, just as a plaintive cry cuts through the air. “It’s a baby!”

—–

Through the darkness in their kitchen, Alex furrows his brow at Trevor.

“Are you sure you’re not starting some kind of LGBTQ+ commune?” he asks with a grin.

“Shut up,” Trevor responds, laughing. “It’ll be good to have tenants who aren’t just random people.”

“Of course,” Alex says more gently. “If Diane approves of Jaq, I’d say they’re vouched for.”

“Yeah, Diane’s not letting anyone get away with anything.”

“Right. And how about this Finn? You think he’s trustworthy?”

“He’s been doing a great job at reception,” Trevor says. “Really friendly, on top of things…”

Alex narrows his eyes in mock-suspicion. “He’s cute, isn’t he?”

“What?”

“He’s cute. He must be. That’s why you were so willing to consider his idea to rent the house.”

“I have slightly more common sense than that,” Trevor says. “He’s responsible, he’s doing a good job… and yeah, he’s kind of cute.”

“A-ha!” Alex’s index finger shoots up. “I knew it. Trev, I don’t care. You’re allowed to think someone’s cute.”

Alex thinks he can see Trevor blush a little, even in the dim light of the candle.

“You’ll like him,” Trevor says. “It’d be nice for us to have more gay friends, wouldn’t it? We’re kind of out here in our married-with-a-kid bubble these days.”

“Very heteronormative. But yeah, let’s all do dinner once he and Jaq get settled in at the house.” Alex stares more seriously at his husband. “You’re sure you want to do this?”

“Do what?”

“Take on the responsibility of managing a rental and handling tenants. Especially with Lauren not being here, a lot of that is going to fall on you.”

“I know. I can handle it.”

“Okay.” Still, Alex chews lightly on his lower lip, indicating that he isn’t quite done. “I know the thought of letting go of that house is really difficult for you right now. I just don’t want to see you take on all this extra stress and responsibility–”

“It won’t be stress,” Trevor says.

“Stuff will come up. That’s all I’m saying. Something breaks, you have to handle getting it fixed.”

“And I’ll handle it as it happens.”

“Okay.” Alex takes a slight step backward, recognizing this tone of his husband’s all too well. “Then I’ve said my part.”

“Good. I’ve got this.” Trevor picks up his phone from the counter. “Now what do you want for dinner? Pizza? Thai?”

Alex looks around the dark room, the candle’s flickering light dancing all around.

“Overhead lighting, heat, and wifi?” he says with a chuckle, deflating the tension in the room once again.

—–

Recognizing immediately what an awkward position he is in, Travis raises a hand in greeting to his sister.

“Sorry,” he mutters to Tempest as Samantha and Jaq tentatively approach their booth.

“Hey!” Travis says, overly cheerily, as he gets up to give Samantha a hug.

Samantha’s eyes flash uneasily over at Tempest.

“How are you guys?” she asks.

“We’re good,” Tempest says flatly. Samantha feels the sting of their last encounter, when she tried to apologize at Patrick Brooks’s funeral and was summarily shut down by Tempest.

“Just catching up over some beers and food,” Travis quickly fills in. “How about you?”

“Getting some dinner since the power’s out at Jaq’s apartment and at Dad‘s,” Samantha explains.

Jaq beams as they add, “And we’re celebrating, too.”

Tempest affixes her face into a hard mask, somehow devoid of emotion but also clearly irritated.

“Celebrating what?” Travis asks.

“Jaq’s moving into a new place,” Sam says. “Trevor decided to rent out his parents’ house for a while, so Jaq and the new receptionist at Objection are going to rent it.”

“That’s awesome. Congratulations,” Travis says, but when he looks to Tempest for back-up, all she offers is a stern nod.

“Thanks,” Jaq says, seemingly oblivious to the thick tension. “I live in a tiny studio right now, so it’ll be amazing to have room — and for the two of us to have some space.” They reach down and grab Samantha’s hand.

Sensing Tempest’s discomfort, Travis quickly adds, “I bet that’ll be great.”

“Yeah,” Jaq continues, “although we survived however many hours it was going to and from Sun Valley in a car and didn’t kill each other, so I think we’re pretty good in close quarters.” They smile contentedly over at Sam.

Travis widens his eyes at his sister as subtly as he can, knowing that she must be feeling supremely on-edge right now.

“It’s crazy you got to go on that trip. Great timing,” Tempest comments, and both Travis and Samantha look nervously toward her. But all she does is grab her beer and take a long sip.

“Yeah, it was nice,” Jaq says. “I’m so lucky I got the weekend off work at the last minute.”

“Anyway, we should get a table so we can eat. I’m starving,” Samantha says.

Travis immediately nods along with her. “Good idea. We’re getting our bill soon, too. Have a good dinner. Sam — I’ll text you about hanging out this weekend.”

“That sounds great,” Samantha responds, all too ready to lead Jaq away.

“It was good to see you both,” Jaq says, and with a final flurry of half-raised waves, the two parties separate.

“Did you have to do that?” Travis asks once Samantha and Jaq are well out of earshot.

“Do what?” Tempest asks with mock innocence.

“Come on. Sam knows she screwed up by disinviting you at the last minute. Causing trouble between her and Jaq isn’t going to change anything.”

“I know,” Tempest says, but as she watches the couple waiting by the host’s stand, a new thought works itself persistently into her brain.

“What?” Travis asks, noting her expression.

“Nothing.” Tempest quickly reaches for her beer again, but her preoccupation is obvious.

Rosie lingers by a nurses’ station inside King’s Bay Memorial Hospital. She clutches her phone in one hand, scrolling through her Twitter feed without taking in much of it at all. Inside her chest, her heart is pounding as hard as the rain outside. Rarely does a case this seemingly sedate put her so on-edge, but as soon as she saw that poor infant wrapped in a blanket and tucked inside a cheap carseat, she could think about nothing else.

She stuffs her phone back into the pocket of her uniform pants as soon as she sees Claire Fisher emerging through a set of swinging doors in a set of pale blue scrubs.

“What’s going on?” Rosie asks nervously.

“She seems healthy,” Claire says in a calming tone. “I gave her a once-over before the doctor came in, and they’re doing a more thorough exam now.”

“She.” Rosie feels herself relaxing just a little bit, not quite smiling but at least loosening. “A little girl.”

“Yes. A seemingly healthy little girl. I can’t imagine someone leaving her outside the police station…”

“This definitely doesn’t fall under the Safe Haven law,” Rosie says. “That baby isn’t a newborn.”

“No, she’s much older than three days. Probably around six weeks.”

“Wow. She must be so scared — she was crying from the moment we brought her into the station and the whole drive here.”

“She seemed hungry, too. We gave her a bottle, and that seemed to settle her a little.” Claire uses two fingers to rub her temple. “Poor thing.”

“Yeah, really. I can’t imagine,” Rosie says. “I’m going to need to take the blanket and carseat into evidence. Whoever abandoned her outside the station could be in real trouble.”

“We’ll get that for you so you can take fingerprints and whatever else you need,” Claire tells her. “Someone from Social Services is on the way, too.”

“And then what happens? This baby just goes into the system?”

Claire’s head dips in a sad nod. “They’ll have to find a foster placement for her, too.”

Rosie feels her stomach sinking. “That poor kid. To be completely alone in the world like that…”

“I know. All we can do is hope that she finds a good home. Maybe this is how she finds the family that can really love her and take care of her in a way that her birth parents couldn’t.”

“Yeah,” Rosie agrees, though it is a limp, skepticism-laced admission.

“Let me go check on getting you those items to take into evidence,” Claire says. “And I’ll keep you updated on what the doctor finds.”

“Thanks, Claire.”

Out the hospital’s window, Rosie sees another flash of lightning crash across the sky. She can’t imagine what fear that baby must have felt being out in this storm all alone — or the storms that she will face from here on out, even if the child has no way of knowing any of that yet.

END OF EPISODE 1046

Will Rosie and Claire be able to help the abandoned infant?
What was brewing in Tempest’s mind after seeing Sam and Jaq?
Will Trevor regret renting out his parents’ home?
Discuss all this and more in the comments below!

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