Playtime with the Reagans.
You are 4 years old and you want to play. No biggie. You have two brothers and a sister who are older than you and are usually more than happy to play, but only when it's on their terms and schedule. Jamie Reagan always wanted to play, why didn't they, they were kids too, weren't they?
"Danny! Danny!" yelled Jamie in his singsong voice as he came running into his big brother's room.
"Wha? Jamer it's 530 in the morning! What you doing up?" groaned Danny as he tried to hide under his covers.
"No! My bed all wet! You help me change it, pwease!" begged Jamie as he pulled his brother's covers off his bed. "Me need cwean pjs too! C'mon! Mommy is still sleeping" he shouted as he stood at the door.
"Mommy is now awake, young man!" announced Mary, sternly as she walked into Danny's room and picked up her youngest. "It's a little early to be annoying your big brother on a school day." She added. Danny just smirked at his little brother while Jamie stuck his tongue out at him as he was pulled by his mother out of the door.
"Peace!" sighed Danny as he threw the covers back over his head and went straight back to sleep. His peace and quiet didn't last long. In fact, Jamie was back in his brother's room within half an hour telling him it was time to get up for school. "Jamer!" yelled Danny as he threw his pillows at the little boy.
"Pillow fight!" squealed Jamie, who picked up the tossed pillow and jumped on top of his brother and started to bash him over the head with it.
"Jamer! You asked for it!" groaned Danny with amusement as he grabbed his little brother and started to tickle him.
"Careful, Danny! He's liable to leak on you, if you tickle him too much!" smirked Joe as he sauntered passed Danny's room.
"Eh?" stammered Danny as he continued to tickle Jamie.
"I will not!" yelped Jamie as he squealed under his brother's hands. "Ooops!" he gulped as he sat still suddenly.
"No way! Ma!" yelled Danny as he jumped off his bed in disgust. "Jamer! How could you?" he cried as he pulled his covers off his bed.
"Sorry! It was an accident" he sobbed as he hugged the pillow he was holding. Danny saw the look of fear on his brother's face and melted.
"It's alright, kid. It was an accident. I really should know better by now." Sighed Danny and he took Jamie's hand and lead him to the bathroom. "Let's get you all cleaned up!" he smiled.
"Thank you Danny. I sorry. I am a big boy now, i won't do it again, promise" sniffed Jamie. Danny couldn't stay angry at the little one for long. Soon he and Jamie were washed and dressed for the day and headed down for breakfast.
"Sorry ma, Jamie had an accident. I had to change my sheets," shuffled Danny as he brought his bed sheets down to the laundry.
"More work for me to do today!" she smiled kindly to her son. "Never mind. I had to strip the sheets today anyway. Now get your breakfast, the bus will be here shortly. Jamie? Would you like something to eat?" asked Mary.
"I want waffles please," he smiled sweetly. "Can Danny make them?"
"Sorry, Kid. I gotta get the bus. C'mon Joe! Erin!" called Danny as he gathered up his school backpack and lunch from their mom and headed to the front door. "C'mon! Chop chop!"
"Chop chop!" mimicked Jamie as he followed Danny to the door, "Chop chop!"
"We hear you, Jamer!" laughed Joe as he ruffled the little boy's hair as he went by him on the way out the front door.
"Loud and clear! Be a good boy for mom!" insisted Erin as she cuddled her brother.
"EErrrriinnn!" he squealed as he tried to wriggle out of her arms. "Lemme go!"
"Leave the monster, we'll be late!" snapped Danny as he grabbed Joe by his backpack and pushed him out the door.
"I'm not a monster! I'm a mega-monster!" growled Jamie as he chased his brothers and sister out of the house as they ran down the path, screaming in mock fright from the mega-monster.
"Jamie! Come and give me a hand and i'll make you some waffles" called Mary as she walked through the house after closing the front door.
"Yeah! Waffles. Waffles. Waffles!" he sang as he trailed behind his mom.
The day was a busy one. First there were the beds to strip and remake and the house to clean. Once that was done, it was time to head to the grocery store for the weekly shop.
"Can you help me get the fruit and vegetables, Jamie?" smiled his mother.
"Aww, i wanna sit in the basket!" he sulked as he sat on the ground.
"You're getting too big to sit there now. Remember, you got stuck there last week?" sighed Mary as she tried to get Jamie on his feet again but he wriggled out of her arms and ran off. "Jamieson Henry Reagan! You get back here!" she called as he hid behind the fruit stall.
"Hey there, Jamer!" smiled the shop assistant who was stocking the apples. "Mrs Reagan,"
"Hello Zack. Can you reach in and get that boy of mine out before he knocks over the apple cart?" wheezed Mary. The assistant smiled and nodded his head.
"Sure thing, Mrs Reagan! C'mon Jamer. Your ma needs to get the shopping done. You wanna come out now?" asked Zack.
"Nope!" huffed Jamie as he hid further under the stall.
"I'll get you a candy cane, if you come out," smiled Zack.
"Show me the candy cane first!" retorted Jamie. Mary had to laugh. Only 4 years old and already he knew how to work an angle better than any bad guy!
"Here you go," smiled Zack as he took a candy cane from his pocket. Jamie's eyes lit up and he moved towards the candy only he stood up too soon and tipped the stall. Zack was left to run after the apples while Jamie stood in the middle of the chaos, unaware of the young assistant's constant cursing.
Mary grabbed her son and left the store hurriedly and embarrassed. "Only you, young man. Only you!"
"Ma! I got a candy cane!" smiled Jamie as he toddled behind his mom.
Eventually, Mary managed to get her shopping completed and back to the house without anymore mishaps. Jamie crashed on the sofa after his lunch and Mary was able to sit down with her mother-in-law for a well-earned coffee break.
"He looks so angelic just lying there!" smiled Betty Reagan as she watched her youngest grandson wriggle in his dreams. "Does he ever sit still?" she laughed.
"There are days when i could just super glue him to a chair but then i wouldn't have as much fun as i do when he's getting into everything. I mean, you need more than one set of eyes on him at the best of times..." sighed Mary as she looked to her mother-in-law.
"He'll be a handful to the girls!" winked Betty.
"I hope not! He's my boy!" scoffed Mary. Just then she heard the school bus break at the bottom of their drive and saw her other children rush up the path. "Ah! There goes the peace and quiet!"
"Hey Ma!" yelled Erin as she rushed in through the door. "Oh, sorry!" she stopped as she saw her little brother asleep on the sofa and she tried to tell her other siblings to be quiet but without any luck.
"Erin! Joe! Dannnnnny!" squealed Jamie as he jumped up when he heard them.
"Take cover!" smiled Danny as he dropped behind the sofa as Jamie started to throw the scatter cushions. Jamie started to giggle as he jumped off the sofa and on top of his big brother's back.
"Horsey ride time! C'mon! I'm the Sheriff. It's time to catch some injuns!" he yelled as he cracked his imaginary whip.
"Whoa!" called out Mary. "Dobbin needs to do his homework first!" she announced as she pulled Danny up of the floor.
"Ma!" screamed Jamie as he was unceremoniously dumped back on the sofa.
"It's ok, kid. I'll be back later!" smiled Danny as he picked up his backpack and headed towards the kitchen. Looking behind him he could see Jamie's face was about to break into tears. "Promise, i'll come back! You go get your trains out or something till i get back."
"Joe! Will you play too?" called Jamie as his second brother walked passed too.
"Sure! I'll get you the conductor's hat!" he winked as he lifted his father's old police hat from his beat days. Jamie loved to wear this hat, it was cool.
"That is not a conductor's hat!" scoffed Erin, as she took it off Jamie's head.
"It's mine!" screamed Jamie as he launched himself off the sofa at his sister.
"Whoa! Superkid is flying!" laughed Danny as he caught the youngster mid-flight and put him back on the sofa. "Get the trains and then you can have a horse ride!"
Jamie scowled at Erin as she walked passed but he did as Danny suggested. Danny was his hero and Joe was the sidekick. He always knew that they would come to his rescue whenever Erin got a little too, Erin!
By the time the older kids had done their homework and their chores, it was time for dinner. Erin went to find her little brother to help him wash up for the meal but he was refusing to come out from under the desk in their father's den.
"What you dong now?" asked Erin as she lay on the floor to speak to Jamie. "You know you're not supposed to be in here, it's Dad's space."
"Why is Dad still at work? He always comes home for dinner," said Jamie as he pushed one of his toy trains around the floor. It had been a long week with Frank Reagan having to pull longer tours than normal due to the murder of two well-liked detectives.
"It's just that they need all the police officers available at the moment," sighed Erin as she crawled under the desk, careful not to hit her head.
"I miss Daddy," he said with a small sob.
"I'm sure he'll be home soon," smiled Erin as she looked at the little boy. He was such a cutie when he looked ready to cry. "C'mon, Grandma said you can sit next to her at the table tonight,"
"Ok," mumbled Jamie as he slid out from the desk with Erin. As he moved out of the way, Erin noticed a small, pale blue box next to the toy trains. "Well, Erin, i thought it was dinner time?" said Jamie as he pulled at her leg.
"Yeah, just coming!" she replied as she quickly grabbed the little box and put it in her pocket. "Jamie, where did you find the little blue box?"
"In daddy's desk drawer, he always keeps some candies in there for me," smiled the boy as he took his sister's hand. Erin groaned inwardly. "What's wrong Erin?" asked Jamie as he looked at his sister's face. Erin couldn't bring herself to tell him, she would have to talk to Danny and Joe first.
"Pop! We have a problem," sighed Joe as he sat next to his father on the stairs. Frank had been home only an hour when his three oldest came to him with a problem. "Jamie thought this box had candy in it,"
"Tell me he didn't?" smirked frank as he took a look inside the box. The three kids looked at one another; Jamie was a monster and a half. He didn't care what it was, if it was small enough to go in his mouth it went in!
"We got them for mom, for her birthday," cried Erin.
"You got what for my birthday?" asked Mary as she came down the stairs from Jamie's room. Everyone looked at her. "What did he eat?" she sighed.
"Your birthday present. We got you some beautiful pearl earrings and he ate them," exclaimed Erin as she hugged her mom.
"Oh dear," sighed Mary as she and Frank shared a secret smile. "I was hoping that he'd be growing out of that phase by now!"
"Ma! Ma! My tummy's sore!" groaned a voice from the top of the stairs.
Danny had to laugh, "Perfect timing as always!"
"What's so funny? I got a sore tummy!" sobbed Jamie, not realising he was the source of amusement due to his bad habit of eating things he shouldn't. Frank ushered the other children to their rooms while Mary dealt with Jamie.
"They really are nice earrings, Frank." She sighed later that evening as she lay with her husband in bed. "It's either going to be a blessing or a curse for him but he has got to stop doing that!" she said with a smile.
"He'll grow out of it, Mary. What use is a skill for eating earrings, coins or keys?" laughed Frank as he hugged his wife.