Chapter 2

Soft shafts of sunlight cut through the dusty air that greeted Jamie and Eddie as he turned the key in the lock and opened the front door. Dark curtains had been drawn across the windows and he instinctively reached for the light switch, flipping it several times before it occurred to him that the electric may have been turned off. Ella Peterson had restricted herself to the kitchen and living room areas as her health had declined, and all of the other rooms were closed off. The space in front of them was cluttered and very messy. She had apparently given into her hoarding tendencies after the death of her husband. Jamie remembered though, how it had once looked as his grandmother had prided herself in keeping a well appointed home. Things like the beautiful wide plank wood floors were now hidden jewels under layers of dirty carpets and boxes.

"Wow," Eddie commented softly. "It must be so sad for Mrs. Peterson to be here all alone and sick."

"Yeah," Jamie agreed. He took a few more steps inside, feeling like an intruder. "What are we doing here, Eddie?" he asked. "We... I mean we've never even had a chance to talk about something like this." He looked down at the paper Henry had given him, trying to make sense of it. "I mean we can't... it's too much to accept. And this place..." he trailed off, lovingly running his fingers over the dusty oak balusters of the stairway. He couldn't count the number of times he had slid down that railing as a little boy while chasing after his older brothers, much to the great ire of his grandmother. He smiled as he remembered her strong Irish consternation, and her forceful "Jamison Henry Reagan!" when he was in trouble. There was still a small dent in the plaster of the wall at the foot of the stairs where his head had connected after a particularly ill-fated slip, resulting in one of many trips to the emergency room for stitches and a slight concussion. Danny was the one that had caught hell that day for pushing him. "This house is not the same as it was back in the day."

Eddie was in full agreement as she looked around. She wandered over towards the kitchen to find cabinets missing doors and newspapers stacked in piles. "It must kill Pop to see it this way," she observed.

"He never wanted to sell," Jamie admitted. "But after Grandma Betty died, and then mom… with Pop needing a hip replacement... somehow Dad talked him into it. I guess they both needed each other. He could have ended up living this way if it hadn't been for the family," he added sadly.

Eddie continued on and glanced in the pantry out of curiosity, and then leaped back in terror as a large angry ball of black fur shot past her head, hissing and snarling before bouncing off the countertop and alighting on the top of the refrigerator; regarding her with shimmering green eyes, a smudge of white offset on one side of his nose and a fiercely twitching tail. "Oh, God!" she screamed and held her hand to her chest as she leaned up against the wall. "Cat!" was all she managed to follow with as her heart thumped madly.

Instead of running to his wife's defense, Jamie had collapsed to his knees on the floor, shaking with laughter. He finally looked up with tears running down his cheeks. "Janko, if you could have only seen the look on your face… I mean it was priceless," he gasped for air as he sat back and fought to compose himself. "Cat!" he mocked her, throwing up his hands and busting into a new wave of convulsions as he struggled to get back to his feet. "Oh, thank goodness you weren't carrying your off duty piece this morning…" he continued, wiping his eyes. Eddie meanwhile shot him a glare worthy of his dearly departed grandmother.

"When are you going to stop calling me Janko?" Eddie sputtered as she managed to catch her breath. "And... I hate cats," she added indignantly. She'd decided to take the last name of Reagan after they were married. Janko held too many bad memories of her father's financial indiscretions. She glanced at the surface beneath her hand as she pushed herself away from the doorway. There were uneven lines scratched into the wooden frame with letters and dates written next to them. "JHR," she said as she fingered one. "October 92," she smiled. "This was you, wasn't it? At what? Six or seven?"

Jamie had settled himself to a degree and joined her to look at the markings. "Yeah," he smiled as he traced the lines. "I sure was a little guy for that age, wasn't I? Here's Danny's and Erin and Joe…" he trailed off as a lump rose in his throat. "JCR, that was Joe's," he said hoarsely as he turned away and leaned heavily on the counter. No matter how many years had passed he was still surprised at how fast unexpected little things like initials scratched into a height chart could drive the grief straight back into his heart and rip it open like a dull dagger. He would miss his brother until the day he died himself.

"I'm so sorry, Jamie," Eddie said as she came over and slid her hand comfortingly along the small of his back. "This place holds a lot of ghosts for you. Maybe we should leave."

"No," he countered roughly as he gathered himself back up and cleared his throat. "This might be the last chance I have to be in here. Let's at least look upstairs. We can go after that." He took her hand and led her gently up the staircase; all the while noting the water stains and cracked plaster along the ceiling. Obviously the roof needed repair. It had probably sustained damage during Superstorm Sandy, as had many of the other homes in the area. That had been just about the time Mr. Peterson passed away.

"How many bedrooms are up here?" Eddie asked as they made their way down the hall. Judging from the thick layer of dust coating everything, the cat had been the only visitor to wander past the bottom of the steps recently.

"Oh, um, four I think," Jamie answered absentmindedly as he peeked in the hall bathroom. All the fixtures had been shut off. "One master and three smaller rooms. Two full baths."

"Three extra bedrooms, huh? Do you think Pops is giving us a hint?" Eddie smiled. "This is a lot of house for one newly married couple."

Jamie grinned as he wrapped his arms around her waist from behind and kissed her neck. "We've never really discussed numbers before, Eddie. Only that someday we both agreed we would like to start a family."

"Two," she said as she sank back into his grasp. "I think two. I hated being an only child, but I don't think I could handle being outnumbered. You'd have to have my back," she added seriously.

"Of course, two it is then," Jamie agreed, remembering the way his mother had been run ragged trying to keep up with the four of them. He wasn't sure if he could do that. "Whenever you're ready. That is unless the first child comes out like Uncle Danny. I don't know for the life of me how Dad talked Mom into more after she dealt with him as the firstborn." He smiled, "I was an 'oops' I think. They didn't plan on having me. Even tried putting Erin and Danny together in one bedroom to make a nursery out of hers. That lasted all of one day before they separated them again and moved me in with Joey. They went as far as looking for a new house until Dad had the addition built and we all got our own room. Joe always took care of me though," he sighed. "God, I miss him, Eddie. In two weeks it will be seven years already. Seems like yesterday sometimes. I wish you could have known him."

"Me too," she said as she swung around and looked at his face. His sad hazel eyes reflected back. Her hand gently cupped his cheek as she gave him a soft kiss. "Let's go now. I don't know what we are going to say to Pop, but I need some fresh air. It's hot in here, and I'm getting queasy on an empty stomach." Jamie agreed, and they turned to make their way down the steps and out the front door, careful not to further disturb the already irate occupant who continued to glare at them from his perch high in the kitchen.

Jamie locked up behind them and carefully slipped the keys into his pocket before turning to look back at the house wistfully. Eddie slipped her hand in his and gave it a gentle squeeze. "We'll figure it out Jamie, we always do," she added.

"I know," he replied. "Let's just go grab some breakfast, Janko."