Author's Note: I have written two stories for 'Voltron Force' and am working on the sequel for one of them. 'Blue Bloods' is another favorite show of mine, and this plot bunny has been in my head for the last couple of weeks. I don't plan on this being a very long story, maybe six chapters at the most. I hope you will be patient with the story, as the first couple of chapters are about establishing the relationship. It will mostly be Jamie and the 'OC' but other Blue Blood characters will appear. In order for the plot to work, I need to set the stage.
I do not know if the NYPD has their own veterinary unit or not, but the facility at Pier 76 is real.
To My Voltron Readers: I will probably start posting 'A Knight's Journey' towards the end of June. I have some research I need to do first.
The title for this story comes from the song 'I'll never find another you' by The Seekers!
Disclaimer: I don't know Blue Bloods, characters, etc. This is a work of fiction.
I appreciate reviews, and hope that I do right by the characters!
Springtime in New York
Jamie Regan was sitting in the morning roll call of the 12th precinct, listening to the day's assignments, and bulletins. He was looking forward to getting outside, as spring had arrived and New York was in full bloom. He was thinking of what he would've been doing if he was working as a lawyer, so not paying full attention to what the Lieutenant was saying.
"That's it for the assignments!" Lt. Harrison said, and then added "Regan, you'll join your partner on patrol in progress. First I need you to take some items up to Capt. Randolph, at the horse barn!" That drew lots of comments from the other police officers including "Did you wear your shit kickers?" The comment was delivered by an officer who had been in his class at the academy, and had taken pleasure in tormenting him from day one.
Jamie sighed and went to get the items from Lt. Harrison. 'At least I'll be outside' he reasoned to himself, as the Lt. explained what the file contained, and had him sign for it. "Regan, I know you think this is a bullshit assignment, but it isn't!" Lt. Harrison said, and then smiled as he realized what he had said. He was a decent police officer and always treated Jamie no different than any other cop.
Jamie appreciated that and smiled at the older man, who continued on "This is an old file that has not been computerized yet. Capt. Randolph wanted to review it in connection to an ongoing case they are working. He wanted it handled discretely." Jamie smiled and said "Not a problem! Actually it is a pretty day to go up to the barn."
It wasn't long before he found himself at the main barn for the mounted unit, at Pier 76. The whole project had been dedicated several years earlier by his Father. Jamie didn't know a lot about horses, but could tell the facility was well thought out. A patrol man on duty told him that the Captain was in the main barn, and pointed out the building.
He walked across a grassy area and entered the spacious barn that was cool and dim, after the bright sunlight outside. It took a bit for his eyes to adjust to the lower level lighting, and he didn't think anyone was around. However as he walked further into the building he saw a woman with her back to him.
She had black riding boots, buff colored breaches, and a blue oxford cloth shirt. Around her trim waist she had a black leather belt that was decorated elaborate tooling and silver Conchos. Jamie admired fine leather work, and knew the belt was a one of a kind piece. When he saw her hair though, he forgot about the belt. She had the most gorgeous red hair he had ever seen, from what he could see of it. It was pulled back in a French braid, and Jamie was busy admiring how the darker red pieces from underneath were woven with the bright, fire red strands.
Jamie was so caught up in admiring her hair that he didn't hear the woman say "Can I help you, Officer?" She said it twice, and he realized that she had turned around was looking at him. He was all set to say something when he saw her face and lost his train of thought completely.
She had a heart shaped face with creamy skin and the most incredible deep blue eyes he had ever seen. They reminded him of the intense blue of the delphiniums that his Mother had planted in her garden. She smiled as she asked the question, and Jamie saw pretty pink lips and a dimple in her cheek. Not realizing what he was doing he walked over to her until he was next to her.
He was surprised to see how tall she was, and just how perfect skin was. Jamie was pretty sure she was wearing almost no makeup, which was a rarity in the city. He was also interested in the cross around her neck that he could see barely above her demurely buttoned shirt. The chain was old gold interspersed with seed pearls, while the cross was of the same old gold, but set with old fashioned diamonds. He was willing to be they were diamonds, based on the workmanship.
It was as he was noticing how the cross that he saw the NYPD shield embroidered on her shirt, and realized she was a mounted officer. Jamie decided he had better stop gawking and get on with what he came for.
"I have a file for Capt. Randolph, from Lt. Harrison at the 12th Precinct." Jamie said, hoping she would smile again for him. "Capt. Randolph is getting a horse from the back barn. He should be here momentarily." As the woman said it, he realized that she had a soft southern accent that reminded him of honey being poured on warm bread.
Jamie smiled and asked "You probably get tired of hearing this, but you're not from around here, correct?" As he said it, he decided it was the dumbest thing he could have said. He was rewarded with a small bit of laughter, along with the dimple, as she replied "Keep those kinds of observations up and you might make detective by the time you retire!"
He started laughing too, liking the woman's attitude about what he was sure became tiresome after a while. She said "I'm from New Orleans." Jamie told her "I've been there! It is a beautiful city!" The woman smiled, and then frowned as she said "You're not going to tell me you threw up on Bourbon St. are you?" He looked surprised, and she went on "You would not believe how many people tell me those kinds of stories!"
Jamie could see her point, and said "I was actually at Baton Rouge for a seminar and then we went down to New Orleans for the weekend." He wasn't planning on telling her it had been a law school event, because he didn't want to go into his whole history. However, she didn't question him about the seminar, instead saying "I went to college at LSU, so I know that city well too!"
They spent the next couple of minutes chatting about various places he had been, and what he had done. Jamie then asked "What brought you to New York City?" She smiled and said "Job, what else? And how about you?" He smiled and said "Born and raised here! My name is Regan, Jamie Regan." She tilted her head to look at him and said "I'm Teddy Talbot. It is nice to meet you!"
He'd been enjoying just listening to her talk, between her accent and her smile. She had a good sense of humor, and he was pretty sure that she was a very kind person. Jamie was wondering whether he should offer to show her around the city, when an older man, wearing the uniform of the mounted unit with a lot of decorations, came up.
"Dr. Talbot, I have your patient here." The man was leading a big black horse who was walking with a slight limp. Jamie was trying to process the 'doctor' reference when he saw the Rod of Asclepius within the embroidery on her shirt. She wasn't a mounted officer, but a member of the Veterinary unit that was charged with looking after the horses and dogs used by the NYPD.
She turned to the horse and said "I was starting to wonder whether Black Bart was going to stand me up!" Jamie saw her stroke the horses head, and rub behind his ears. The horse looked pretty happy, but Jamie couldn't blame him. He would've enjoyed the attention too. Teddy turned to smile at him before she got busy tying up the horse.
"Officer, do you have business here?" The older man asked in a cold tone, and Jamie said "I'm looking for Capt. Randolph. I have some material for him from Lt. Harrison at the 12th Precinct." The man softened his tone some as he said "I'm Capt. Randolph. Come with me to my office and I'll sign for the file." Jamie wanted to laugh as he turned to the pretty vet and said in a much nicer tone "Dr. Talbot, I'll be back in just a minute!"
Jamie followed the Captain over to his office, and watched as he signed for the file. Before Jamie could say anything else, the Captain received a telephone call and dismissed him. On the way back to his precinct he thought about the beautiful vet he had just met. She looked very young to be a member of an elite team, and he wondered about her background.
Almost two decades earlier there had been a scandal about the care the animals, used by the NYPD, received. The contract had been farmed out to local vet clinics, and the low bid always won. Only a lawsuit from the American Humane Association, along with a strike by the mounted officers brought the practice to an end. The NYPD established their own veterinary corps, and it was by recruitment only to get a job.
It took a special set of skills to work for the unit, and the screening was rigorous. It wasn't just horses, but dogs also, and experience with working animals was mandatory. The result had been top of the line care delivered to the animals that kept New York City safe. Jamie found it very interesting that a young woman with a southern accent had made the cut.
He also wondered about her belt, having taken the time to notice the intricate cut silver buckle on the front. Several years ago he and his ex-fiancée Sydney had taken a four day trip to Santa Fe, New Mexico. Jamie had been blown away by the wide open spaces, and the quality of the light. They had stayed on the plaza in a four star hotel, in a historic building that cost almost what the Plaza Hotel in the city charged.
On Sunday morning, after Mass at the beautiful old Cathedral they had pursued the various artists who sold their wares from blankets laid on the ground. Jamie had already been out to the Indian reservation, and seen pottery and leather work that was first rate. He had seen the amount of detail in the belt, along with the quality of the silver work. His first impression had been correct, and it was a one of a kind piece. He spent the rest of his patrol trying to figure out how the beautiful Dr. Teddy Talbot came to be in New York.
He was at his Dad's house after Mass on Sunday, talking to Danny who had shown up with his family. Danny and Linda liked to go to Mass in their home parish, and usually joined the family at dinner. Once a month they went to Mass at the Regan's home parish of St. Mary, where they had received their sacraments. Jamie went to Sunday Mass with his Father and Grandfather, because he was used to it.
They didn't know it but he went, if his schedule permitted, to morning Mass at Our Lady of Lourdes, his neighborhood parish. After he and Sydney had broken up he'd had to give up the loft they had shared, so he had moved to a one bedroom apartment in a decent west side address. Jamie was very religious, and he knew that his Mother had always hoped that he would hear the call of a religious vocation. She died being happy that he was going to be a Harvard educated lawyer.
It had been almost two years since he and Sydney had broken up, and he was still amazed at how far his thought processes had changed. At the time he had been devastated that she would turn his back on him, his decision, and ultimately his family. However, after the initial shock had worn off he had started to see the warning signs that had been there from the first day of their meeting, at a law school function.
He was an Irish catholic son of a police officer, while she had been a WASP from Greenwich Connecticut. She had a trust fund from a great-great-grandfather who made money in the thirties. It took him a while to realize that it meant profiting off of prohibition and the depression, but by then he was in too deep.
Jamie had always thought he would not have sex until his wedding night, in spite of what most of his generation did, because of his faith. However Sydney had laughed at that, and said that religion had nothing to do with sex! He had gone along because he was in love with her, and the possibility of what their life was going to be.
They had moved in together because of the whole 'two can live as cheaply as one' saying, and looking at rents in the city he had gone along. Of course he had proposed to her, presenting her with a ring that he knew her mother, with five carats worth of family heirloom diamond on her left hand, was not impressed with.
By now Jamie had come to terms with everything, and was actually able to understand the saying that sometimes God's greatest gift was unanswered prayers. Jamie was happy with his work, he felt close to God, and could go to Confession with a clear conscience. He was lonely at times, but never as lonely as he had been the last month with Sydney.
Jamie brought himself back to listening to Danny talking about his neighbor who had spent thousands getting rid of a couple of trees. "So he hates the way the trees block the view from his patio, so he takes pays someone to take them down. All of a sudden he is being raked over the coals because of the EPA!"
He and Danny had been working on being closer, so Jamie was glad that Danny was sharing some of his 'family life' with him. They had never had an easy relationship, and Jamie joining the police department had not helped. He really wondered what Danny had seen in the Middle East, but suspected he would never know.
It was when dinner was done, and the grandkids were clearing the table, that he old Danny had come up. Jamie used to wonder if it was alcoholism, but Danny could be stone cold sober and deliver a zinger. "So I saw in the paper that your old fiancée is engaged! And to quite the catch too! Full partner in the law firm, and from an old Rhode Island Family! His ancestor signed the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution on behalf of Rhode Island!"
Jamie already knew all about, Sydney having given him a heads up a week earlier. She had spent a year in London, honing her legal skills and perfecting her ability to drink tea. She had been working in Boston for the last year, and had met Campbell Alden Scott V at a social event at Newport. Jamie could only imagine how over the moon Sydney's Mom was with the engagement. He had privately wondered whether Campbell had been smart enough to present Sydney with a diamond that was bigger, and older, than what her mother was wearing.
"Yes, she is engaged, and they sound very happy together! She told me about it two weeks ago." Jamie made it a point to deliver it in a neutral tone, as if he was commenting on the weather. Harvard Law School had taught him a great deal more than just law.
Nicky saw how white her Uncle Jamie's knuckles were, contrasting against the tone of his voice, and she felt bad for him. He was so cute, and so nice, and really deserved better than this. She was all set to say something when Grandpa Henry said "So, I've been following that mess with the FBI and the Port Authority, Francis. What is going on?" That launched a discussion that went on through dessert. Jamie excused himself at the end, saying he had an early morning shift.
The ride back to Staten Island was long, and Linda wished they could have a Sunday at home! However, about the time she was ready to put her foot down about it, Danny got involved in a case that kept him too busy to do anything else. It was at that point that she really appreciated the Regan family ritual.
Tonight though, she was more upset about what Danny had done. She looked in the back seat, and saw that her younger son was asleep, while her older one had his video game headphones plugged in. Linda took a deep breath and said "Danny was that necessary tonight?" She was regretting pointing out the engagement announcement to him earlier that morning, from the newspaper.
"Oh please! She was a hoity toity bitch, and the minute the going got tough she bailed on Jamie!" Danny said with vehemence. He had never cared for the porcelain doll that his Brother had brought home three years ago. "It doesn't matter what you thought of her, he loved her! He doesn't need his brother turning the knife in his back!"
Danny didn't say anything, knowing that it had really been wrong of him to announce that. He wished everyone understood how much he loved his brother, and only wanted the best for him. He also knew that he and Jamie were so far apart, that could have been in different hemispheres. He understood that he would have loved to have had the connection with Joe that Jamie had.
There was a part of him that wondered what his life would have been like if he had not gone to Iraq. Danny also wondered what his childhood might have been if he had not been so resentful of Erin, and he really wanted to know it would be like not to be haunted by ghosts. Danny wanted to protect his brother, but he was starting to see that all he was doing was pushing him away; like everyone else he loved.
Erin was trying to figure out why Nicky was so quiet on the drive home. Lately she never knew whether it was school, friends, or her parents' situation. Erin took a deep breath and decided to see what might be going on, and would her daughter share it with her. "You quiet; can I ask what you are thinking about?" Erin ventured, wondering what the response would be.
"I feel so bad for Uncle Jamie!" Nicky declared, and Erin glanced over at her before putting her eyes back on the road. "Is it because of Sydney's engagement?" Erin asked, mentally wanting to slap Danny for what he had said. "Mom, Uncle Jamie is so nice, and he was always so good to Sydney! I don't understand why she felt a job in London was more important than that!" Nicky said with passion in her voice.
Erin was proud of her daughter for her statement, and realized that this was a chance to indirectly address the problems that had led to the divorce. "Sydney fell in love with an up and coming Harvard lawyer, and the life style that went along with it. That life style does not involve work at all hours, or being shot at. It also doesn't pay well!" As Erin said that, she thought about her childhood, growing up the daughter of a police officer.
Nicky was not dumb and smiled as she said "Rather like you and Dad. You want to save the world, and he wants to make a lot of money!" Erin got a wry smile on her face, realizing that her daughter had seen through her spiel. "Yes, rather like your Dad and me, peanut!" Erin said, using the nickname that only she could use.
"Uncle Jamie does so much for everyone, and makes sure that they are all happy! He needs someone who is going to make him happy!" Nicky said. Erin agreed with her and smiled. Nicky said "In music we are studying the sixties, you know?" Erin nodded her head, thinking about the video of Woodstock her daughter had told her about.
Nicky had been horrified to have to listen to 'old people' music, but one song had stuck with her. The singer's voice had captived her at first, but then the lyrics had spoken to her on an almost spiritual level. She said "There is this one song that I just loved! I actually put it on my IPhone, because it was so incredible!"
Erin wanted to laugh, remembering Nicky's wails of protest that she had to listen to folk music. "What was the song?" Nicky smiled and said "I don't remember the title right now, and my phone is almost dead. The lyrics were about someone for everyone, and what a long journey it was but with someone by your side you could make it." Erin thought about what Nicky just said, and then felt like she must be doing something right when her daughter said "Honestly, I think I would rather have someone who was going to be nice to me, than someone who was going to make a lot of money!"