Chapter 2

"Well, Jamie certainly looks more relaxed than he did last night," Henry commented as he sipped a little pre-dinner wine while standing next to his newest granddaughter-in-law after her late arrival while the pair watched from the porch as the annual halftime Great Reagan Turkey Bowl game wrapped up with Jamie, Erin and Sean's team holding a narrow one touchdown lead over Danny, Nicki and Jack as both Eddie and Linda decided to abstain from the action this year while Frank was serving as the referee and Kaylin was anything but an impartial cheerleader as she rooted wildly on the sideline for her daddy's team. "He seemed to have a good time at the parade today. I was surprised when Eva came with us, but then I take it things went okay with your mother? She sure had some unexpected news of her own to share though too."

"Yes, it seems that way," Eddie agreed with a nervous glance behind through the kitchen window where the older Janko woman and Linda were sharing some tea inside on the cool November afternoon. "She's definitely more outgoing with the family now. I just wish I could have been there with all of you… this is the second one I've missed with Kaylin, but Jamie insisted I go straight home to sleep after shift because he knows how tired I get these days," she admitted ruefully. "Sometimes he worries…"

"Too much," Henry nodded as he finished her thought. "That he does," he admitted as he considered his youngest grandson's propensity for carrying the heavy weight of over-responsibility.

"Pop, last night before I left for my tour… when Jamie came home from picking up Kaylin here he was upset about something, but we didn't have time to talk about it," she queried with regret and concern. "It's happened a lot lately since we've been working so many opposite shifts… he's been bottling things up again. I think because of the baby he's been trying to keep the worst away from me… If there's something bad happening at the 3-5..."

"No, no," the older man assured. "He opened up to me; you don't need to be concerned about that. It was just a long rough day with a lot of domestics for the platoon to handle… he was worried about his officers the whole time… you know those can be the worst calls to go on, and they ended with a bad one… a young man put himself off the Williamsburg and Jamie had to notify the family. He takes things like that hard."

"And then I was going out on a midnight again, right?" Eddie filled in the last blank with a frown as she considered her current needed schedule of first or third shifts to work around the daily afternoon sickness. She had caught hell about that again from the new unfriendly Desk Sergeant Alan Dexter at the 12th again last night. A noted long-time hardass towards the female officers, particularly those with children, he had recently transferred in from the 2-9 and had already threatened Kara with a rip when Brandon become ill at the babysitter and had written up third-year Megan Marsh for a similar offense when her child care failed to show and she was late to roll call. Eddie could guess that her new last name had probably spared her from his most obvious ire yet, that and the fact she was willing to trade all her second shifts for third which was the least desired, but now her plan was to try to get transferred upstairs to the detective squad for her modified assignment of desk duty as the pregnancy progressed, and it appeared from a probing conversation with Wilson last night on the topic that a seniority-laden Dexter and his dislike of offering pregnant officers privileged positions would be the main obstacle in her way. Eddie desperately wanted to stay in touch with her rabbi Detective Rivera to keep her dreams of a gold shield alive and had been so excited about putting all that in motion that she had left for shift early the night before even though she'd sensed a stressed Jamie needed her attention. The guilt from that action plagued her all night, and she promised herself she would handle this situation on her own and not add anything else to her husband's plate right now. If she was going to get there, it was going to be without a hook.

"Sweetheart, he worried about you when you were sitting in the car right next to him every day," Henry reminded as her thoughts returned to their conversation. "At least he has you and that little girl now to ground him and take his mind off of things," he nodded to the yard where the contentious game had ended and Jamie and his victorious teammates were being awarded the annual medals to wear with pride for the upcoming year. Kaylin was sitting on his shoulders and giggling while waving the prize at her Uncle Danny. "It's the best thing for him. Soon you'll be adding another little voice to the mix, and believe you me, that one won't be ignored for long either," he glowed with pride at the thought of another great-grandbaby on the way. "He may get inside his own head once in awhile, but this the happiest he's ever been in his whole life," he assured.

"I guess things have been going along so well the last couple of months since the wedding that I get nervous whenever there's a little ruffle," Eddie admitted as she watched her perfectly handsome husband flip his daughter down to the ground so she could continue to tease and chase after her favorite and only uncle until the pursuit ended up in loud laughter as Danny took her down in a big pile of raked-up leaves. Perfect was a good way to describe Jamie, she thought… athletic, responsible, smart, loving and such a good provider of everything else she, Kaylin and this new baby would ever want for. "I hate when he takes so much on himself though. He's even worried about Kaylin's reaction to the news about being a big sister… he wants to make sure she still feels special and doesn't get jealous about sharing the attention."

"Well get used to it; he's wired the same way as Francis," Henry admitted. "He won't change. The two of them can focus on the smallest details for everyone else, yet neither of them will accept a lick of help from anyone if they can help it. Now c'mon," he admonished as he hooked his arm in hers. "Enough of this talk. The big game is over for another year. Let's you and me take that little bitty baby whatever of yours this week and go inside to get warmed up before we eat. Seeing all those big turkeys Jamie chased around the street the other day on the float in the parade has me hankering for a juicy drumstick from that beautiful roasted one we've got in there, but as far as Kaylin's concerned for now we went with that tofurky nonsense," he chuckled.

###

"So Eddie tells us you are considering a move to Park Slope," Erin started the conversation after the prayer as the Reagan family and Eva began to pass the Thanksgiving Day food around. "I've lived there for years and love it," she added as she addressed their guest. "Where's the real estate agency located?"

"Union Street near Prospect Park West and the Grand Army Plaza," Eva responded with a small smile while she reminded herself once more to offer polite warmth as she had kindly been invited to this event at her son-in-law's family home at the last minute. It had been many years since she had felt much more than alone in this world on a holiday and not alienated from her own so was determined to make a concerted effort now to work on that, especially with a grandchild or two in the mix. A certain tiny blue-eyed blond girl had tugged on her heart to open it up once more and she found herself missing the little one and her own daughter from far away, hence the openness to a return to the city she had previously run from in shame after her husband's indiscretions were broadcast through the news cycles. "The offices are in a converted brownstone just a few blocks away from the entrance," she explained.

"Oh, it's very scenic over there with the arch, botanical gardens and the museum," Erin added with interest, having never really had such a good topic which to broach a conversation with Jamie's new mother-in-law and she was determined to use it to her advantage to make Eva feel more comfortable at their table. "I'm on the other end by 15th."

"Indeed," Eva agreed. "It is a very nice neighborhood with a European feel but quite a bit above my limited means for now. I'm afraid if I do decide to take the position I will have to commute a fair distance."

"Oh, Mom… you've always had a good eye for a bargain, and I'm sure you'll find someplace nice close by," Eddie admitted as the thought of her mother's possible move to the city had begun to sink in during the last twenty-four hours since her surprising announcement regarding a departure from Rochester, and the mention of it no longer gave her heart palpitations as Eva had been on her best behavior on this trip and even Jamie had been accepting of the news after the initial shock.

"Well, I think it's a wonderful idea," Frank responded with a welcoming trademark smile that caused his youngest son to raise an eyebrow as he passed the salad bowl. While the circumstances between his father and Eva's dinner meeting the night before had been explained away as an innocent gesture of thanks on her part for his good advice and help during the wedding, the notion of his dad on a 'date' with his mother-in-law still gave Jamie the instant willies… not to mention a rather unforgettable nightmare or two so he was relieved when the conversation turned away to a different topic near and dear to his heart.

"Humph! Who made the cranberry sauce this year?" Henry grumped a little as he tasted the red jelly, expecting his favorite mix of tart berries and sweetened apple sauce which had been a staple over the Reagan generations. "Erin! This isn't your grandmother's recipe! And what are these little orange wagon wheel-looking things in here? They're sour!"

"Sliced kumquats," Eddie smirked and looked up with a repentant smile as she glanced around the table and nudged Jamie. "See, I told you so. Sorry, Pop… that's my doing. Since we talk about it so much I thought I'd incorporate the fruit or veggie of the week into our dinner recipe for fun so everyone could see what size it actually was. I guess maybe I should have waited to start."

"Kumquat," Henry sighed as pursed his lips and studied the tiny orange-like slice on his fork with added interest now. "Eh… that small still, huh? If you say so Martha Stewart. What do you think, Eva? Got room on your plate for one of these?"

"I'm not sure I follow," the older Janko woman frowned as she had not recognized this as part of her new son-in-law's version of baby code words yet.

"The size of the bébiétel now, Anya," Eddie offered softly in Hungarian with a knowing nod towards Kaylin. "Until we explain. Our other option for this week was an olive, and Jamie wasn't too thrilled with that one," she revealed. "He's allergic," she added for her mother.

"So what do we have to look forward to on Sunday?" Nicki asked, still intrigued with this whole baby-making process.

"Arugula salad with guess what… figs, plus pine nuts, and radicchio," Jamie ticked off. "Linda mentioned making pan-seared chops, right?" he smiled at his sister-in-law, but then his face fell a little in puzzlement when he noticed her tight frown. There had been a lot of that lately at these dinners, and while he had assured Eddie just this morning that it was a figment of her imagination, now he wasn't so sure, especially with the way his own brother was picking at his plate again… something Daniel Reagan was not known for doing. Jamie offered his own frown back at that realization and made a mental note to confront his sibling about this since it was making Eddie uncomfortable and he could not for the life of him imagine what it was about.

"Well, speaking of things to look forward to," Frank offered in an effort quickly to steer the conversation away from what he was sure now was a touchy subject for Linda, having picked up on that pained, longing look she offered involuntarily whenever the subject of the new baby came up… that same one that had nearly torn his heart in half every time he had seen it on Mary's face in those years after Joe arrived before they had been blessed with the rather accidental birth of their fourth child despite the dire warnings of the doctors and two heavy losses. This was a difficult balancing act though as he in no way wanted to discount Jamie and Eddie's happiness over the presence of their kumquat, or fig, or whatever vegetation was about to follow, and he likewise vowed to have a talk with his oldest whenever the right opportunity presented itself. For now though Frank thought it prudent just to move the topic along to something totally unrelated, or so he imagined.

"Jamie, DCLM Chuck Miller cornered me in the elevator on the way up to the fourteenth at 1PP yesterday morning," he continued as he poured a little more wine in his glass. "Apparently he was contacted by the FBI regarding your vetting process for that round table panel discussion with the House Armed Services Committee in December that you and Rick are slated to attend. Wanted to know why I was allowing my Harvard-educated lawyer son to stay on patrol writing parking tickets when he's moonlighting back in the courtroom and rubbing elbows with the bigwigs in Washington. Says he has an opening for a counsel position in legal starting January first that's yours for the asking."

"Jamie's been working a few hours a week as a part-time legal consultant reviewing contracts for Spencer's company in California," Eddie explained to her mother. "And he's been asked to speak in Washington in two weeks to review the work of an NYPD committee he developed that has been helping the whole police department improve the response and the way we deal with people that are emotionally disturbed," she added with evident pride. "They've saved a lot of lives already, especially when it comes to military persons. We can all see it's working out on the street."

"Oh," Eva nodded as her eyebrows raised and she considered her new son-in-law in a slightly different light. "That's very impressive, Jamison, and would seem to be an excellent opportunity for you to move forward with your law degree," she added in reference to the job offer as despite her apparent recent acceptance of the Reagan family business, she still desired to see her own daughter, and by extension her husband, in a safer line of work.

"Co-speaker, actually," Jamie downplayed the honor in deference to his FDNY compatriot and former-Marine Rick Fellow's work on the project. "And Rick is really going to take the lead in the presentation. It's his insights into what the soldiers are experiencing at those times that have really fueled the changes for those initiatives."

"Well, that's pretty obvious, Harvard," Danny finally entered the conversation with just an edge of not-quite concealed dripping sarcasm evident as the fact that his ivy-league college-attending little brother had never worn his country's uniform and fought under the flag while he himself had seen two ugly tours in Fallujah was scarcely something he ever let go of, particularly now when the kid was receiving plaudits for it from the candy-striped brass in Washington DC. "Hard to understand something you've never personally experienced... you and those other liberal flag-burners."

"I would never burn a flag, and you of all people know that," Jamie hissed tightly before refusing to get drawn into that contentious debate over legal civil liberties with his brother once again. "Anyway," he cleared his throat with a frown that was more obvious now as he sensed Danny's distaste for his involvement in this work, but it was not the time or place for that tired argument either. "Dad, I hope you thanked Deputy Commissioner Miller for the offer, but I'm happy where I am on the street as a sergeant at the 3-5 now."

"Oh, don't worry, I told him that was probably the case," Frank replied, now sorry for his choice of subject as it had apparently only added to the tension at his holiday table instead of dispelling it. "But the DCLM is persistent, expect that Chuck will be following up with you on this again."

"Perhaps you should do more than consider it, Jamison," Eva pressed once more. "What with the baby… ouch! Oh, um... bébiétel now, excuse me!" she quickly corrected as Eddie kicked her a little harder than intended under the table. "Your schedule could be better managed that way with what I assume are more regular hours," she finished with an eye roll while crossing her legs and smoothing out her skirt with an added glare at her daughter for that not-so-subtle rebuke.

"We're doing okay with that," Jamie smiled at her as he likewise attempted to move on in an effort to keep things civil as the unrest today wasn't necessarily coming from the sources he expected. "Being a little higher up on the pecking order allows me to work my shifts around most things," he added. "One of our other sergeants prefers to take third because of his wife's schedule so it works out generally."

"It must be easier since soccer is over," Nicki added as she referenced her uncle's fall coaching responsibilities for Kaylin's new Police Athletic League team which had ended its season in a memorable game against their crossborough rivals the FDNY U5 Red Dragons. "The undefeated Blue Shieldz," she cheered with a "Number 22, woot woot," and a first pump for the laughing little girl aside of her.

"You would think," Eddie sighed with a shake of the head. "Except that the rest of the parents on the team got together and decided they would pay for an hour of turf time at that new indoor place up on Westmont every Tuesday night at six-thirty so Jamie and the kids can have a play date once a week through the winter," she smirked. "The dads all sit in the sports bar lounge upstairs and have a beer while they take in a game and he babysits, but Kaylin loves it there too."

"No buggies!" the little girl agreed as she remembered her run in with a number of evil wasps in that last soccer game and the rest of the table laughed as dinner continued in a more mannered fashion through dessert.

###

"There's a nice bag of leftovers in the refrigerator with your name on it before you leave," Frank advised as he was sitting in the kitchen having a second cup of coffee and paging through a few ignored sections of that morning's newspaper while the rest of the family was dispersed around the house in a post-feast stupor waiting for the second football game to come on. "Pop and I could never finish it all. I left out the cranberry sauce though," he smirked.

"That stuff was pretty awful," Danny agreed as he took a heavy seat across from his father, already well aware from the tone that there was more to be offered in a paternal way if he opened the door. Maybe it was time. "What makes you think we were going to leave soon?"

"Just a guess," Frank offered with a tight-lipped smile. "There's been a bit of distance with you and Linda lately whenever your brother and especially Eddie is around," he added as he turned the page and kept his eyes down since Danny was usually not receptive to a direct approach.

"Yeah, well we're handling it," Danny bristled just slightly as he wondered how his father did that… he always knew somehow. "It's nothing like it was before, anyway."

"I know that too," Frank sighed before turning the page and daring to take a look at his son's downturned face, knowing he was referring to the past summer's marriage woes instigated by that shooting at the hospital the year before. What he didn't know was that event had indeed revisited Danny's family in another form now as Linda waited to see her neurosurgeon to see if that retained bullet would be the ultimate blow to her wish for another child. "I know a lot about that, actually."

"It's not something…" Danny started with a heavy swallow as he glanced towards the sunroom where Linda, Erin and Nicki were gathered, laughing while plotting strategies for their annual Black Friday shopping excursion while Jamie and Eddie napped in the living room and Eva and Henry were busy going through some family picture books in the den with Kaylin. "We're looking into some things," he admitted in a low whisper. "But, it's ah… it's complicated," he admitted reluctantly without getting into any of the sordid details. "Linda's not ready to… um, you know… accept that, not yet. So seeing Eddie and hearing about it… please don't bring this up to her or anyone else."

"I understand," his father nodded in a sad way. "But I am here if either of you need to talk. I don't want to see any of this come between you and your brother," he warned lightly, sensing now that Danny still had more to say. "If it's not this, then something else has been," he observed.

"Jamie has no idea," Danny huffed as he sat back a little and considered exactly what was bothering him about his youngest sibling right now. Perhaps it was all intertwined… the fact that so many things that were being denied to his own family at the moment were coming incredibly easy at the same time for his brother… the beautiful house of their grandparents' in Bay Ridge that had been reclaimed, extra money from his consulting projects, advancement opportunities he was turning down without concern within the NYPD, a pregnant happy wife and that beautiful little girl that tugged on everyone's hearts. "He's got that damn Reagan idealism, but he's gonna find out someday it comes back to bite you…" he trailed off with a bit of jealousy of his own since his lack of focus on moving up the proverbial department ladder was one of the sticking points that had created this situation with Linda right now. If he had pushed his way forward earlier during his career, the money problems which had held them back for all of these years would have been a non-issue, but Danny had been content once achieving first-grade and sitting at that pay scale for more than eight years with minimal raises that had hardly been enough to keep a house and two children in private school as it were. "He should jump at that chance in legal instead of staying on the street… that he can understand with his big ivy-league brain."

"Daniel," Frank advised. "If your brother was concerned with such things, he could have walked out of Harvard into almost any law firm in the country. This work, it's in his blood like the rest of us… that and his regard for others at the most basic level. He likes being on patrol and the EDP committee… it's his calling, yet whenever it comes up you never fail to offer a rebuke like at dinner today."

"Because he isn't like the rest of us though, is he?" Danny demanded in a hushed tone as his father unwittingly peeled back yet another layer. "He never carried a rifle off a plane in some godforsaken hellhole or saw what goes on over there in places like Korea, Vietnam and Iraq like the rest of us did, and before you say anything, know that I thank God for that and always have. That's why I went over there," he insisted as he slammed his hand down on the table and a trace of long-held but repressed anger showed as Frank had always suspected that his oldest son had not completely dealt with his own demons from those two tours. "So soft-hearts like Harvard never had to be part of that and here he goes getting wrapped up in it, anyway. He was fifteen years old for God's sake when I was away and you want to know how many kids that age I saw over there that would have taken any chance to blow me or my buddies up? I never wanted him to be like that and know about the stuff I had to do… he should stay out of it," he added with a determined scowl. "Those military guys in DC are gonna see right through him and his peace, love and happiness ways, anyway."

"Jamie obviously knows his limitations," Frank frowned, unhappy that his oldest son would hold something like that against his brother and not suspecting he had been simmering on this too or it would have never been brought it up in the middle of a holiday dinner like that... he was on a real roll apparently and cursed himself for unwittingly opening all this up. "That's why he has relied so much on Rick in this aspect. You don't have to be a soldier to care about them."

"Yeah, but you do to understand them. Sometimes it takes one to know one. Has he ever asked you for help on this? 'Cause I see a lot of things that are wrong with what they're doing and my opinion doesn't seem to be worth his dime," he added with a scowl before getting up to retrieve that promised bag of leftovers from the fridge. "Thanks for dinner, but maybe it is time we get going," Danny offered before retreating to gather up his surprised family and take their leave early once more.

Suffice to say Danny and Linda have a good bit on their plates right now, and the discussions between them in the house on Staten Island have been a bit contentious lately once again, so his frustrations have given way a little unfairly to a focus on his brother, but there are deeper things that Danny himself has kept locked up for years that will play a role in how this all pans out. Next, Jamie and Eddie have little discussion of their own, and what starts off as a simple jog to de-stress turns into an early encounter with a certain old foe as the plaid man Mason Malevsky steps back into the picture in this one a bit earlier this time.