Thanks for the reviews. Kinda nerve-wracking posting these chapters as I don't consider myself much of a fiction writer, but it was a fun challenge and kept me busy for a bit. Here goes...
Across town in a comfortable little home on Staten Island, Linda Reagan busied herself packing a cooler with enough drinks and sandwiches for small army. It was a beautiful calm Friday morning in mid-June, not a cloud showing in the soft blue sky as she glanced out of the kitchen window. "Perfect weather for a day at sea," she thought as she reached for a bag and some sunscreen. Truth be told, she was as happy as anyone else for a family day without distractions. After the shock and recovery of the hospital shooting, her focus had been on getting things back to normal as quickly as possible. With a sad smile, she acknowledged that fact her boys were growing up far too quickly and soon days like this would be more of a rarity than they already were. Family was more important than ever. Glancing over at the clock she realized she needed to get everyone moving if they were going to be on time. Erin and Nicki were picking up Henry and they were all planning to meet near the pier for a picnic before heading out on the boat for an afternoon tour.
Moving through the living room and over to the steps she called out, "Sean... Jack. Let's get a move on it guys, we have a big day today." Padded feet immediately hit the ground from the right side of the hallway and shuffled out into the open. Sean peeked over the top of the stairs with a hopeful smile.
"Is dad up yet?" Sean's biggest fear was that Danny had been called out to a scene in the middle of the night and would miss the big trip.
"Not yet bud, he's still in bed. Why don't you get dressed and I'll get him up and put him on pancake duty?" Linda smiled as her son disappeared. Judging from the muffled discontented noises emanating from above, she knew her youngest had instead made his way into Jack's room and jumped on his bed. Soon a series of thumps echoed down and that could only mean they were wrestling on the floor. Linda sighed. Jack was a teenager now and no longer interested in hanging out with his younger brother as much anymore, especially now that he had started to notice girls. He had protested when Linda informed him about today's special trip. Jack's friend Grant had invited him over to his house for the afternoon and he much rather would have spent his day playing video games with his buddies than sitting on a boat with his family hoping to see a whale swim by.
A soft clattering of a spoon stirring coffee caught Linda's ear and drew her attention back towards the kitchen. She frowned a little when she saw Danny's downturned disheveled face as he took the spoon out of the mug and set it down in the sink. He had come home late from work the night before and judging from his restlessness, it had not been a good night. Linda knew that sometimes it was better wait until he was ready to talk rather than to try to pry. Today though she wanted to clear the air before it carried over into their trip.
"You are awake, I thought you were still upstairs. What's going on with you? You look like you've just lost your best friend in the world," she commented and then immediately wished she could reach out and pull those words back as Danny's sad eyes met hers.
"I screwed up, Lin, with Jamie. Again."
Linda sighed knowing this was not going to be a quick fix. Jamie and Danny had been at odds more often than not the entire time she had known the Reagan family. Whether it was the age gap between the oldest and youngest siblings or just a clash of personal ideals, she was never sure. She did know that Jamie had always looked up to his older brother, searching for his approval, whether or not he wanted to admit it mattered greatly to him. Danny, on the other hand, had a penchant for being unrealistically hard on Jamie and had a difficult time acknowledging his younger brother was more than capable of excelling in whatever he approached. A high school valedictorian, top Harvard law school graduate, first in his NYPD Academy class and a kind and caring police officer who solved many problems with a different approach than the rather brusque one Danny was known for. They were indeed opposites and the moderate bridge that had connected them, their brother Joe, was gone for six years now. Still there had been a lot of progress in their relationship over the course of the past several years, but given the look on Danny's face at the moment, Linda could tell there had been a significant setback.
It did not escape her, the irony that upstairs her two young sons were following the natural progression of growing apart as they moved into the turbulent teen years while in front of her was a husband desperately wishing his own relationship with his brother was going in the opposite direction.
"What happened?" she asked, not sure if she really wanted an answer.
Danny paused to rub his hand over the day-old stubble on his cheek and take a sip of the much-needed caffeine. "I ran into Steve Eberts over at the 12th yesterday when I was dropping off some paperwork. He mentioned that he saw Jamie's name on the list of applicants for the next Sergeant's exam. It surprised me I guess. I thought the kid was set on being a detective like me and Joe." Danny swallowed hard at the mention of his deceased brother's name. "Instead it looks like he wants to stay out on the streets," he sighed.
Linda chose her words carefully. "Danny you know that Jamie is long overdue a promotion. He's been out of the academy for more than five years. No one will recommend him for detective for fear of it being seen as favoritism towards the Commissioner's son. It's been weighing on him for a while now. He probably sees this as an opportunity to advance without needing a supervisor to go out on a limb for him. Besides," she added, "Jamie likes working patrol. He's good with people. He would have never been happy behind a desk in a lawyer's office."
Danny frowned, knowing Linda was right. "I know, it's just… I just can't see Jamie as anything but my baby brother. I worry about him all the time. I'd rather have him safe in an office somewhere than out on the streets every day."
"I suppose you told him that. But Danny, he is nearly 30 years old. You have to see and treat him as the man he has become and not the little boy playing on the floor with his Legos," she paused before adding, "Jamie will always look up to you as his older brother, he wants your approval. When you cut him down like that it kills his confidence. That's what is going to get him hurt one day. He's had a lot of loss in his life the last few years. Your mom, Joe, changing careers, Sydney leaving, Vinny dying in his arms… he needs a reason to move forward. You need to start respecting his choices and supporting him. He's been successful at everything he has done."
"I know Lin, I regretted the words as soon as I said them," Danny confessed as he sipped his hot brew, "but now he won't pick up the phone. He's ignoring me," he added as his brow wrinkled. If there was one thing Danny Reagan hated, it was to be ignored.
"Well, give him some space and try apologizing tonight in person. Without making a scene in front of the rest of the family at your son's party." Linda emphasized the first word of the last sentence, knowing that it would not take much of a spark to set Danny off in the wrong direction. "Now come on and go get dressed and let's get the pancakes started. We have to be at the pier to meet Erin, Nicki and Pop before eleven."
With that Linda was gone, back up the stairs to prod Sean and Jack along. Danny sighed and placed his now empty coffee mug and spoon in the dishwasher, careful not to draw his wife's ire by leaving them on the sink. With a still heavy heart, he grabbed his phone off the counter and sent one last text before taking the pancake mix out of the cabinet and getting started on breakfast.
I'm sorry J, let's talk tonight.
