Chapter Two

"Be careful of her arm," Jamie warned the massage therapist as they each laid face down on heated adjustable massage tables.

"Jamie, Manny is my usual therapist he's very well aware of my arm," Eddie laughed. Jamie was trying very hard to be solicitous. He woke her with a steaming mug of coffee, her cranberry juice, and a bowl of their favorite breakfast concoction, oatmeal with peanut butter, preserves, and a splash of cashew milk. While they ate, Jamie discussed wanting to shop for their new grandchildren now that they knew the sexes.

"After our massages and lunch?" Eddie asked. "You don't want to go to the office at all?"

Jamie sighed, "I made you a promise, baby. I know you are feeling neglected and shut out. I know how much you want me to retire so we can travel and spend time with the kids and the grandkids."

"It's not even the travel," Eddie sighed. "It's your health and mine. We don't know how much time we are going have together. Nikki was right, if I can't get my weight down, I could have a heart attack…"

"Eddie, when you get control of the other issues, you will get control of the weight," Jamie soothed. "And please, if you weigh what you did when we got married or what you do now or what you did when you were so sick. I don't care if you have no breasts, no anything…"

"Well, I had to make sure," Jamie replied as he selected menthol and rosemary as his aroma therapy. Eddie chose her usual lavender ant the two therapists began. Manny used a heavier pressure along Eddie's back and hips, "How's that sciatic nerve doing?" he asked. Jamie reacted to that, Eddie hadn't mentioned that being a problem.

"It comes and goes but the numbness is much less," Eddie replied. "It's sore around the hip."

Manny nodded and began to work on the area Eddie was talking about, stretching her legs and spending time on her ankles and feet to stretch all her leg muscles. Jamie's therapist was very busy on his back and neck, "Jamie, you hold too much tension in your shoulders. Do you have migraines?"

"Sometimes, but I only had about three since my stroke two years ago. My wife takes excellent care of me." Jamie looked at Eddie, she was taking in long deep breaths, something she did when a stimulus was painful for her. "Go gentle, you're hurting her," Jamie advised.

"Mr. Reagan, I do Eddie once a week and this is our routine, I know she's tender but this will help her a lot."

Jamie shut his mouth and held his opinion trying to enjoy his own massage. The rest of the hour passed quickly. While Jamie and Eddie dressed, Jamie was a little pensive.

"What's wrong? You didn't enjoy it?" Eddie asked.

"I did, but I didn't enjoy learning about my wife having sciatic nerve pain and hip pain from your massage therapist. Also, why are you coming once a week now?"

Eddie sighed, "I'm getting older, I want to stay mobile but working out is something hard because of the lymphedema. I am going to start running though, that's why I am having Manny work so hard on my legs and feet."

"Well, the next time you are having that kind of trouble, I want to hear about it," Jamie told her firmly. "There was a time you would have told me not a stranger."

Eddie sighed, "I don't want to worry you about something silly. Let's get dressed, get some good lunch and go shopping. I paid the Visa, it can take a work out."

Across town at the 2-7, Joey was staring at a case file. He was trying to focus on work, but his thoughts were on Molly and their appointment after work to select her ring. "What are you looking at? Anse asked him.

"Robbery case," Joey replied. "Actually six robbery cases, all of them around midtown, all of them men 35-50 with prosperous careers, and none of them have any idea what happened until they wake up tied to a bed or a chair. None of them were in bars or anything like that, they remember being at or near their offices."

"Joe, it's a robbery case, let major case handle that. We have an SVU case," Anse reminded him. "Four year old girl down at child services, bruises on her inner thighs. Benson said specifically to send you."

Joey sighed, he had a way with little kids, "Of course she did." Joey put the reports aside but something made him believe those cases would end up SVU property, he had inherited that gut from his father, grandfather, and mostly his Uncle Danny.

Joe got up and followed Anse to their car. Anse drove to the family services facility. Joey smiled at several children thinking about his new niece and nephew and the babies he would have with Molly. "She's over here, her name is Mia."

Joey nodded and got out Mr. Rabbit and Mrs. Bear from his pack, he did this all too often, but someone had to speak up for these little victims, might as well be him.

Joey knelt down by the shy little brunette girl, she hid her face from him. Joey tapped her leg, "Well, Mr. Rabbit, it looks like our little friend Mia is shy, maybe you can say hi to her."

Anse watched as Joey did his thing with the little girl. The rabbit toy opened the child in minutes and soon Joey was getting a statement. The man was talented, there was no denying that. A few more collars and they would both be in line for Detective First grade. Anse hoped that Jamie's position didn't delay things, he knew it had for Joey individually in the past. Still, most of the time Joey was a great partner and Anse wouldn't trade him for a non-Reagan any day.

"Jamie, look at this one!" Eddie held up a pretty lacy dress with a pink slip underneath. "And it has this cute bow!"

Jamie smiled at his wife's enthusiasm. They had been in the baby story for an hour and she was still selecting new outfits. "Eddie, you know that Maura and Josh are going to buy things and the firehouse is going to send a ton of things right?"

"Yes, but we are their maternal grandparents, it is out job to spoil these babies rotten. My father managed to spoil our kids just the same as yours did. Two more things each and we'll go."

Jamie nodded. The truth was he was getting tired and wanted time to snuggle his grandchildren before having to go home and talk to Eddie about replacing Detective Meyers. He wanted for his wife to come back at least part time as his personal assistant, but he knew she would decline. Still, if he didn't ask her, he was afraid she would be upset. It was so easy to upset Eddie these days.

Jamie ended up being the one to select the final two items, two very soft sound soothers, one shaped like a sheep and the other like a rabbit. "They will love those," Eddie smiled at Jamie. "They are so cute. You see you are still a good spoiler."

Jamie smiled, "I still intend to spoil you some more when we get home."

Eddie tended to not think about such things when she was in grandma mode. "Oh you do, do you?" she laughed. "Well keep those thoughts to yourself when we are visiting."

Eddie and Jamie went through the check out and packed their items in one large back. They got into the car and headed for Lila and Steven's house. They could hear both babies crying as they approached the front door.

Jamie and Eddie exchanged looks, was it possible the Tenneys were right and Steven and Lila were too young for this. Jamie could handle their financial problems but if they weren't able to sooth their own babies, perhaps he had been wrong to argue so fervently.

Eddie let them in with the key Lila gave her when they moved in. Lila had both babies in their bouncy chairs using her hands to rock them. One was crying louder than the other.

"Oh Mom, Dad, thank God. They won't stop and when I called the house Grandpa said to put the babies in the dryer!"

Jamie laughed, "Not IN it, on it and it does work. Worked for you." Jamie leaned over and picked up his granddaughter. "What's this fuss about?" Jamie positioned the girl on his shoulder and walked evenly in a 4 by 4 inch square. "What is it?" Jamie hadn't had Reagan in his arms for a minute before her cries died down to mewls. Eddie was having the same results with Finn.

"They hate me," Lila whined. Steven went out, they were crying so much it was keeping him up and he has to go back to work tomorrow.

"They don't hate you," Eddie soothed. "But if you were trying to make Jiffy Pop out of me, I'd probably be screaming at you too. Soothing motions, calm voices…"

"I had been walking them since their feedings and they didn't stop crying since they finished."

"Did you burp them?' Jamie asked. "Sometimes they need to do more than one burp."

"I did and they both did burps then cried some more." Lila was starting to cry now herself.

"How often are you changing them?"

"Finn had three wet diapers and a dirty and Reagan had two dirties and two wets," Lila reported.

"Then they are fed enough," Eddie replied. "Really honey, just relax more and maybe the don't like to bounce just yet."

Eddie handed Lila a now sleeping Reagan. "Just hold her still, don't' move her so much. You might have two very calm babies."

Lila sniffled, "They aren't calm for me. They just cry all the time, Mom. That's when Steven is home. I don't know how I'm going to do this tomorrow night."

Jamie and Eddie shared a knowing look. They loved Lila to pieces but they had sheltered her, especially after Eddie got sick. "Mom and I will come over and held you with their bedtime and bath," Jamie said. "You'll get the hang of it the hard you try. Stop being afraid, Kitten."

Jamie placed Reagan down in her bouncy chair but left the chair still, the baby slept on. "Can't I stay over at your place just for the first few weeks?"

"We'll have to talk about that honey," Jamie replied. "You have to learn to handle the babies. Mom and I will be here tomorrow night to help you all right?""

Lila sighed, "Thanks, guys. I'm just so tired they are up all the time to nurse."

Eddie nodded, "They are sleeping now, why don't you stretch out on the couch, you'll hear them if they cry. I'll come over later to check on you. I love you." Eddie gave Lila a big hug. "Oh I almost forgot, Jamie the bag."

"Mom and I decided to spoil the twins a little," Jamie smiled handing Lila the bag of goodies. "But I think you should rest now and look later. They won't be sleeping for long being breast fed. Joey was and you weren't…he ate a lot more than you did." Jamie gave Lila a hug and kiss before taking Eddie and heading home holding her arm.

A/N: Thanks to everyone who read and reviewed the first chapter of this story and added it to favorites or alerts. Special thanks to Lawslave and Yanks20 for their help with this story.

Next Update – July 19th – Eddie learns some hard truths from Linda.