All The Things That Once Were| Four Brothers

Part One

"Ma, go, I will be okay," Vivi commented with a yawn, she had an emergency c-section to deliver her daughter Evelyn Grace, and her mom got a call about Darnell, one of the neighborhood boys being caught stealing at the store down the street.

Evelyn frowned, Vivi had been through hell and back with this pregnancy, and with her husband who was missing in action, she didn't want to leave her alone until Jerry and his wife got there.

They had been tag teaming up with Vivi, making sure her husband couldn't get to her and the baby.

"We will keep an eye on her Mrs. Mercer." Angela the nurse said they had seen the bruises and seen the scars that littered Vivienne's body, "No one will get near her." Angela had been one of Vivienne's best friends in junior high and had been one of the only friends Vivi had.

"Ma, go help Darnell. Evie and I aren't going to be doing much." Vivi said, "You can come back afterward." Evelyn looked at her daughter and then her granddaughter who was laying on her chest, getting skin-to-skin contact.

"I will be back. I will get that stuff for those cheesy potatoes you love so much." "Thank you, mama," Vivienne said softly as Evelyn kissed her forehead and the top of Evie's head.

~*~

It was almost three hours later when Josh came into the hospital room followed by Greene, his partner. "Excuse me, Detective Fowler. Visiting hours don't start until 8 am." Angela said, standing up from her chair.

"This is police business." Josh returned, before stepping into the room.

"Is she okay?" Greene asked Angela who was now by the door. "For the most part, Evie was breech and they had to go in and do a c-section."

"And the bruises?" Greene had figured out that his partner had been abusing his wife and was trying to help Vivi when he could. He owed that to her brothers. "Healing, she was with her mom when her water broke. Is Evelyn okay?"

The man shook his head and stepped into the room, in time to see his partner pick up the baby who was screaming her little head off, and Vivi who was trying to pull herself out of bed begging him to give her the baby. Angela rushed to her friends and pushed her back onto the bed, "Vi, you can't get up like this."

"Josh give me the baby." Greene ordered, "We are here to talk to Vivienne not to do this." Josh looked between his partner and his terrified wife and handed the baby to Greene, who settled the baby quickly and handed her to Vivienne. "What are you doing here?" Vivienne asked cuddling her baby to her.

"We have some bad news." Greene started. "Your mom is dead," Josh said before Greene could say anything else. "What? No! She was just here with me and Evie 3 hours ago," Vivienne said, she pushed herself up with her free hand and stared at them wide-eyed. "She was at the corner store."

"Yeah, one of the neighborhood boys got into trouble and she went down to talk to him." Greene nodded his head, he had gotten an Evelyn Mercer talk once or twice. "Two gang bangers went in and shot up the place."

"No. No. No." Vivi said as she handed Evie to Angela and pulled herself out of bed. "You are lying, you are following his lead." Greene was by her side in an instant to help steady her. He had been through enough births with his wife to know how much it hurts and how long it can take to get back on her feet. "I am so sorry Vivi, but it's true." He said softly, pulling her up when she started to crumble to the ground. Josh threw pictures onto the bed and his wife broke into sobs seeing her mother's dead body.

"Vivi!" Jeremiah, her second oldest brother exclaimed as he and Camille came into the room, he went over to his sister and hugged her while Camille went to the nurse to take her niece. "Jerry! This is my fault! I shouldn't have let her go help out Darnell.' "No, it's not your fault at all." He assured his sister before glaring over her head at Fowler. "We will leave you guys alone.' Greene said, grabbing a hold of his partner's arm and leading him out of the room muttering angrily to him. "What are we going to do without her Jerry?" Vivi asked once the room was quiet. "I don't know. I don't know."

~*~

3 days later

"Vivi, I am so sorry about your mom." One of Evelyn's coworkers said to the younger Mercer who was standing quietly next to her brother and his wife. She had slipped into the quiet Vivienne she had been when Evelyn first brought her into the house and only talked to Jack or Angel. She was too spooked to speak to anyone else. "Thank you." Jerry said for them, "You'll have to excuse my sister, she is still recovering from the birth of her daughter." The woman went to hug Vivienne but she stepped back and then rushed across the snowy terrain and into their younger brother's arms.

"Hey Vi," Jack greeted as he hugged her back tightly, "You good?" "No. You?" Jack shook his head even though she couldn't see it. "Look at my two little sisters together." The all too familiar voice of their oldest brother Bobby came from behind them causing Vivi to pull back and look at him, her eyes full of tears. His eyes studied first the tears and then the faded bruises. "Later." She said, "I will tell you everything after." With a heavy sigh, Bobby nodded his head and pulled her and Jack into a hug. "We are going to handle this."