41. Something The Cat Dragged In

Riggs

Alittle after eight in the morning, Riggs turned into his lane.

Last night, he'd had about fifteen minutes to bring Gia back to the house and show Nadia and Ledger he was all right before he needed to head to the station to give his statement.

But while he was gone, Nadia had texted him to suggest he allow Ledger to stay home from school that day, and he agreed. So he'd called the school and texted Angelica to let her know everything was all right, and that Ledger was taking the day off. If she needed to know why, he'd call and explain later.

Which meant, as he came to a stop in the drive, the door immediately opened and Gia galloped out toward his truck, with Ledger following right after.

He'd jumped down from his truck, slammed the door, got a hand on Gia, but then had to brace as Ledger hit him like a rocket.

Riggs gave his son a hug, and Ledger tipped his head back.

"Told you, you and Gia would never let anything happen to us," he declared.

Christ, he loved his kid.

Riggs kept him held tight to his side as he walked to the front deck where Nadia was standing.

Ledger and Gia squeezed around her, but Riggs took her in his arms, gave her a tight hug, got one in return, and he kissed the side of her head.

After that, they went in.

"Hungry?" she asked.

He was…and beat. He needed sleep.

"Yeah," he told her.

"Eggs or pancakes, or something else?" she inquired.

"Whatever, honey," he muttered, taking a stool at the kitchen.

Ledger climbed up on the one beside him.

Gia slid onto her belly at his feet.

"Eggs, they're fastest," Nadia mumbled.

She set a cup of coffee in front of him before she got to work.

He took a sip, then aimed his eyes to his boy.

Ledger knew exactly what he was asking without verbally asking.

"Okay, Dad, so you were right. All the stuff going down, I was worried."

Nadia's hands stilled in putting the egg carton on the counter, but she got back to it when Riggs urged, "Hit me."

Ledger gave it to him.

"Since you said it might be dangerous, I haven't been able to sleep real good," he admitted.

Riggs took another sip of coffee before he prompted, "Go on."

"And remember when we were camping last summer, the day before we were going to go horseback riding, and I was all jazzed?" Ledger didn't give him time to answer, he kept talking, "And we were sleeping outside. And I couldn't get to sleep. You told me to count the stars, and it'd make me sleepy. So I did, and I fell right asleep."

Riggs nodded. "I remember."

"So when I couldn't sleep, and reading wasn't making me sleepy, I got out of bed to look at the stars, start counting them, and I'd get sleepy and then go back to bed. That worked the first few nights. But last night, before I even looked at the stars, I saw the lights by the lake, so I went to get you."

It made sense.

And it seemed Ledger understood why Riggs had been worried that same thing would happen if he stayed with them.

But Ledge seeing those lights meant they caught those fuckers, so it sucked his boy had to feel that for a few days, but it was all good in the end.

Therefore, he didn't say another word.

"You look tired, Dad," Ledger noted, studying him closely.

"I'm wiped," Riggs muttered his admission, and Nadia's hands stilled in beating the eggs, then got back to it, double time.

His lips twitched.

"You should take a nap," Ledger advised.

"You sleep after I took off?" Riggs asked.

Ledge shook his head.

Riggs turned his attention to Nadia.

She shook her head too.

"We should all take naps," Riggs decreed.

"No way!" Ledger cried. "I have a full day off school. I'm not gonna sleep it away."

Riggs sighed.

"Ledger and I can find something to do," Nadia said from where she was now, across the kitchen, dropping bread into the toaster. "You eat breakfast and hit the sack."

He'd rather sleep with her, but Riggs nodded.

He was halfway through his eggs and toast when there was a knock on the door, right before it opened.

His mom came in.

"Polly?" Riggs guessed at who told her, this being why she wasn't at work, but right there.

"I don't divulge my sources," his mother replied.

It was Polly.

She came in, set aside her purse, kissed his cheek and then gave his son a hug where he sat and kissed the top of his head.

"Coffee, Gail?" Nadia offered.

"Love a cup, darlin'," his mom accepted.

Riggs ate.

When he was done, his mother noted, "You look like something the cat dragged in."

"Thanks, I was goin' for that," Riggs joked.

"Go to bed," his mother ordered, and swept Nadia in that with a swing of her gaze, smart enough not to tell a woman she looked the same way Riggs did, which Nadia did. Exhausted. His mom then looked down to Ledger. "We're taking the boat out."

"All right!" Ledger cried, throwing his hands up.

Riggs needed no more encouragement.

He shot his mom a grateful smile, got up, hooked Nadia around the waist, then hustled her to the stairs, and up two flights of them.

His bed was made, something Nadia did every day when she was with him.

He hit it with a knee, taking her along for the ride, then hit the pillows, pulling her seriously belatedly back into their spoon.

"You're gonna have to tell me everything," she warned.

He heard the motor on his boat fire up outside.

"I will," he muttered, tucked her closer…

And then he was out.

That night,Riggs walked down the stairs after putting Ledger to bed. His boy had fallen asleep between them while they were watching TV, and he'd done this two hours before his bedtime.

Riggs had started to carry him up, but like a determined sleepwalker, Ledge had kinda woken and demanded to be put down. Still in hilarious sleepwalking mode, he'd gone through the motions of getting his pajamas on and making a pass at cleaning his teeth before he fell dead into bed.

Riggs pulled the covers up and tucked him in. Gia settled with a groan at the side of the bed, Riggs gave her a pat on her head, turned out the lights, and now he and Nadia could properly celebrate it was over.

But when he got downstairs, he saw the show they were watching was paused, she was stretched out on the couch, had her phone to her ear, and she was saying, "You were almost totally right, Maribeth. It was the assistant!"

After they woke from their naps, he'd filled her in.

Considering they were clearly going to celebrate later, Riggs changed trajectories to go get a beer.

He was uncapping it when his phone rang.

He pulled it out and looked at the screen.

He took the call, "Hey, Harry," then sucked back some beer.

"FYI, brother. Got word. Considering recent developments, Seattle PD is reopening the file on Lincoln Whitaker's supposed suicide."

Standing in his kitchen, hearing that, Doc Riggs smiled a very slow smile.