This is my first venture into CSI NY fandom. I just happened to watch this past episode with Detective Lovato, so I went back and watched all of season 9. All I have to say- it's about dang time they give Flack a love interest! I really do like this new Jamie ccharacter, even if she is a lot alike Jess.
Jamie Lovato was intent on powering through her paperwork. She never much was one for paperwork and there seemed to be even more paperwork involved, in homicide. Didn't help that Flack did absolutely not do his fair share of the paperwork, leaving Jamie to do it all.
And then she heard a voice and it made her put her pen down. "Auntie Jamie!" Luckily she had enough time to prepare herself as her four year old niece threw her body at Jamie, wrapping her arms around her aunt.
"It's so good to see you, baby," Jamie said, as her niece pulled back.
"Auntie Jamie, I never want you to leave again," now there were tears coming down the four year old's face.
Jamie rocked her. "I promise I won't leave for that long again. Remember what I told you before I left?"
"I love you?"
She nodded. "I love you. More than anything, Amelia."
Somehow that answer satisfied Amelia. "I love you too, Auntie."
Jamie looked up to see her sister-in-law, Dina Lovato standing beside her desk, smile in her face. "Dina," Jamie said warmly. "I'd hug you, but," Jamie motioned to the bundle she had on her lap, refusing to let go.
Dina smiled. "She missed you."
"I can tell," Jamie laughed, looking around the bull pen and finding Flack just walking in. "What are you doing here?"
Her sister-in-law looked around. "Amelia wanted to come. I wasn't sure if it was a good time. Heck I wasn't sure where your new precinct was."
Jamie smiled. "It's always a good time for my favorite niece," which got a giggle out of Amelia, who continued to bury her head in her aunt's shoulder.
Flack was standing by the desk. "Lovato. You didn't answer your phone. I was waiting outside."
She motioned to Amelia. "Kinda busy, Flack. Meet my sister-in-law, Dina. Dina, meet my new partner, Detective Don Flack."
Flack nodded at Dina. "Nice to meet you, Dina."
"And this is my most favorite niece in the world, Amelia," Jamie continued. "Baby, are you going to say, hi?"
Shyly, Amelia lifted her head up and looked at Don. "Hi."
"Hi, Amelia," Don said, crouching down to the four year olds level. "I know that she's your favorite auntie, but I need to borrow her for a minute."
"No. I don't share Auntie Jamie. She's all mine," Amelia said, defiantly.
All the adults got a chuckle out of that. "Come on Amelia. Auntie Jamie is at work," Dina said, hoisting Amelia off of Jamie's lap.
Jamie stood up and walked closely to Dina's side. "I'll come by for dinner. I promise."
Dina lifted an eyebrow. Although Jamie was a stickler for punctuality, the promises she made for dinner, usually didn't happen. Dina recognized it was a hazard of the job. Unfortunately, Amelia didn't.
She laughed. "I will try my absolute best."
Flack nodded. "I'll make sure she gets there."
Amelia looked up at Auntie Jamie. "When I am going to see you next? In a couple months?"
That broke Jamie's heart. She had hoped Amelia had been too young to understand that Auntie Jamie wasn't going to be around for awhile, and not notice, but apparently she did. "Amelia. I'll see you this week. I promise," Jamie said. That was a promise she could make.
"Okay," Amelia answered and Dina smiled at Flack and Lovato and dragged Amelia out of the precinct.
Flack crossed his arms. "You didn't tell me you had a niece who is a dead ringer for you, Lovato."
"I don't tell you a lot of things. We have a new case?"
He nodded. "Yeah. Somewhere on the West Side. Do you want to drive?" Flack never let her drive. Ever.
Jamie laughed. "That your way of trying to make me feel better?"
"Is it working?"
"Not really," Jamie answered.
Flack didn't really say anything until they were half way to the crime scene, Lovato content at looking out the window. "You want to talk about it?"
"Not really."
"First time your niece has seen you since you've been back?" Flack asked.
Lovato nodded. She didn't really want to speak anymore on the matter, especially with her new partner. They may have had a "thing" going, but Jamie was nowhere near ready to let him in on her personal and family life. She wasn't even going to go there. And if she had it her way, Flack wouldn't have met Dina or Amelia for a very, long time. She was the type of person who wanted her professional and personal life very separate. Although, a certain detective was trying to change her mind on the matter but Jamie was stubborn and she wasn't completely willing to let that line cross. Yet.
Flack made good of his promise and made Jamie head to her brother and sister-in-law's place at six. She pulled up to the drive and remembered the last time she was here. It had only been 3 weeks ago but so much had changed since then. Three weeks ago she was still Anita. Now she was just Auntie Jamie.
Knocking was not needed and Jamie walked into the house. Her brother, Mario, was watching TV, Dina was in the kitchen, Amelia in the living room and her nephew, Alex, in his highchair.
Mario noticed her first and got up off the couch. "Amelia, guess who's here," he said in Spanish.
Amelia got up and walked around the couch and noticed Jamie. Once again, Jamie prepared herself for the onslaught but still winced as Amelia crashed into her. "You're here, Auntie Jamie!"
"I am, baby doll," Jamie said. She crossed over to where Mario was and gave her brother a huge hug. "It's been awhile."
"You mean to say that it's been 18 months since I've seen you in the daylight," Mario joked.
Jamie winced. "Sorry about that."
Dina came over to where Jamie and Mario were standing. "He meant to say that you are always welcome here. Even if it is 3 in the morning."
After Benny told her that he knew she was a cop in that bar, Jamie panicked. It had been 1 in the morning. She had nowhere to go. No boyfriend, no partner to call up. The only family she had was Mario and Dina. After driving around for 2 hours, she ended up inside the house. She knew where the spare key was hidden and where the blankets were kept. She had only planned on crashing on the couch, leaving before Mario left for work. But the baby had woken up Mario and he came into the kitchen, to see Jamie making herself a sandwich.
"Of all the people that could be in the kitchen at 3 in the morning, I certainly didn't expect you," Mario said.
Jamie laughed. "I guess Rafael would have been a more likely suspect."
Mario raised his eyebrow. "You didn't hear?"
"I've been back for 3 weeks, Mario. Hear what?"
Her brother rolled his eyes. "Rafael got popped again."
All Jamie did was sigh. Predictable. Rafael was nothing but predictable. Getting busted was one of his normal routines and there was nothing that Jamie or Mario could do about it. Nothing. And they had washed their hands of him. Just like their oldest brother, Armando.
She then turned her attention to the toddler in the highchair. Her nephew who she had never met. Again, hazards of the job. Dina picked up Alex and looked at Jamie. "Alex, that's your Auntie Jamie. That's who Amelia has been talking about."
Alex just giggled so Dina just handed him over to Jamie and she kissed his blonde head. She did laugh, he definitely looked like Dina, whereas Amelia was definitely Latina. "You are so cute," Jamie cooed at him.
"He's such a happy baby. Nothing like little miss Amelia," Dina commented. Amelia had not been an easy baby. Actually that was an understatement. Amelia was the baby from hell, honestly, and Jamie would not have blamed Mario and Dina for stopping at one. However, as Dina explained, birth control never worked 100% of the time.
Mario grunted. "She's turning into you, everyday," he directed towards Jamie. "I'm scared. I don't want my daughter turning into you."
"Hey, I'm a good role model," Jamie defended. "There's worse people she could be like."
He shrugged. "Actually, she's more like Armando. But we don't like making that connection, so we say she reminds us of you."
"Awe, how sweet," Jamie said sarcastically at Mario. "What's for dinner? I am seriously starving."
Dina raised an eyebrow. "Jamie Lovato. When was the last time who had a decent meal?"
Jamie had to think. 3 weeks ago. Benny had made her dinner and it had been very good. "A long time ago," she admitted. "I'm glad to be back."
"We're glad to have you back," Mario said. "Amelia definitely missed you."
"I missed her."
Dina returned to chopping up vegetables. "So, Jamie, your new partner?"
"What about him?"
"Anything going on between you two?"
Jamie's mouth dropped as Alex squirmed in her arms. She put him back in the highchair. "What makes you think there is anything?"
Dina laughed. "Call it a woman's intuition."
Mario looked between his wife and sister. "What partner? What guy do I have to go beat up now?"
"I think I can take care of myself, Mario," Jamie reminded him. She had taken care of herself for 17 months, where nobody trusted her and she could trust nobody else. That wasn't completely true, she trusted Benny to a degree. But she was glad she was back in her old life where she could trust the people around her and they loved her unconditionally, even if she did vanish for 17 months.
Thoughts?
