A/N: Long chapter here, it just kept getting bigger. My writing style is very foresight based. By that I mean I can picture everything I write as I work on a chapter, and I keep going until I reach a good stopping point. The length is more than double what I've written for the first two chapters.
Review if want, it really helps.
It was somewhere around one o'clock in the morning, Eddie was wide awake, nerves made it impossible to sleep, even though the assignment was not for eighteen hours, she just couldn't turn her brain off. In the time since her father's arrest, conviction and imprisonment, she went to great length to distance herself from a high-end lifestyle. Sure, she'd kept the Porsche he'd given her as a graduation gift, but that was more so because it was the last happy memory she connected with her father. When she found out the wealth, he'd amassed came at the expense of hardworking people she angrily swore off her father and while they were speaking again, wealth was not something she needed or wanted…as long as she could live comfortably that was enough. Trying to act like something she detested terrified her, it would be easier to act like a drug dealer or addict.
All she was feeling had evidently turned palpable, because Jamie stirred without opening his eyes, "I told him I would keep an eye on you."
She was caught off guard, "What?"
Jamie continued quietly, "Your father."
She glanced pointedly, "Your eyes are closed."
Jamie smiled, "You're always on my mind Eddie, whether we're next to each other or not, I don't need to have my eyes on you. to know where you are or what is happening to you."
Eddie was trying to parse his words. Her expression was an air of annoyance because she could not figure out his powers. "How are you in my head?"
There was amusement in Jamie's response, "You are an open book." His inflection was passive but obvious. "You're worried about playing rich again."
Eddie sighed before sitting up in bed. "Do you think the DEA knows about my dad?"
Jamie's eyes snapped open, he sat up looking at her with his arms crossed. He didn't look groggy at all. Rather like he'd been thinking with his eyes closed. He shrugged, "I learned after that incident with the protesters that the feds can dig to find anything, and your Dad's fraud conviction is hard to miss."
Eddie nodded agreeably, "I guess they can find anything." She wore a half smile, "And twist it around so your partner thinks that you threw him under the bus." Her smile became a dig through a grin. "My rookie year you must have accused me three or four times of wanting a different partner."
Jamie wore a guilty smile, "It had only been a bit since Vinny was killed, I was not in the right headspace to train a rookie."
Eddie looked somber, "I never asked how he died."
Jamie let the scars of pain wash over him before answering. "Sniper fire when we were patrolling the Bitter End. He caught one clean through his neck…blend out in my arms."
Eddie felt awful, "God, Jamie…" She squeezed in closer.
He looked at her kindly while his eyes seemed to contract, "I don't spend a lot of time wondering on the job, but I wonder every year if the only thing that saved me is my last name…PC's son on the receiving end of that shot is something no gang wants."
Eddie looked at him with her head pressed into his chest. "The life-altering stuff on the job is always the hardest to think about when the anniversary comes around. I have too many to count on and off the job."
Jamie continued almost chuckling from irony. "I used to get annoyed on patrol because he would flirt with women we questioned or were trying to help. He said that it was never a bad time to try to find a girl. He used to joke with me that all I needed was to land the right girl and I wouldn't be so uptight."
Eddie smiled, "Well I am uptight too, so I think it balances out. It did take you a bit to come around. At least now I know why you didn't come celebrate when I got off probation, I wish you wouldn't have been spooked by Renzulli's threat."
Jamie shook his head, "Actually, you are the one that made that impossible."
Eddie looked amused her gaze was ignorant. "How is that exactly?"
Jamie became blunt and emphatic. "End of the shift in the locker room, you were flirting like crazy."
Eddie was equally blunt, "I was not, you were flirting poking fun at how I look in my uniform."
Jamie chuckled defensively, "I don't think you realize how different you look in and out of it. Could put Clark Kent to shame." She shook her head to dismissively. He continued with a smirk. "Or maybe you do because you dressed down like you wanted to do a lot more than flirt with me, and you've got this, Jamie exclusive look, that in the right street clothes is a minefield. I should get the medal for valor just for resisting your sirens call that day."
She scoffed playfully, "All I did was ask you how I looked, and I wasn't wearing anything flashy."
Jamie chuckled absurdly. "You asked me like you wanted me to undress you, which I would have been thinking about if I had gone out with you. I had to get away from the pheromones, because I still needed my partner and I would have been a goner if I did not turn you down."
She sighed with amusement, finishing with a smile. "If you go weak when I'm in casual clothes how are we going to keep the cover for this assignment when I have to wear high-end stuff."
He was defensive, "it's a lot easier when you're eyes and inflection when you ask me how you look, are not inviting me to undress you in the precinct locker room."
Eddie smiled teasingly. "You can undress me now if want, it would be a nice distraction. She closed her eyes feeling frustrated. "I still cannot turn my brain off."
Jamie parsed the latter of her words with a smile, "Normally I wouldn't hesitate, but I know you are deflecting and stalling." He grabbed her hand locking eyes. "You are not your parents Eddie."
Eddie frowned, "Both my parents were obsessed with money and material things. I'm worried this assignment will bring that out in me…I saw the closet of the house in the Hamptons and the clothes in it, all stunning and flashy. That used to be me once the money started piling up, I just want simple and you, that's enough."
Jamie thought for a moment he responded promptly. "So, hold on to who you were before the money. The little girl in the childhood photos I've seen. As long as you have something to tether yourself to who you really are, you won't become a cover identity."
She looked at him seriously, "I hope I can do this."
He gave reassurance, "You can, and I will have your back, for now, we need to get sleep while we still can. These deep-cover assignments come with their own stress and we could find ourselves operating on minimal sleep."
She nodded putting her head on his chest as they laid down again. Her voice was subdued. "I'm staying like this."
Jamie shrugged stroking her hair, "how am I more comfortable than an actual pillow."
Eddie answered with a soft inflection" I'm always the most comfortable right here."
Jamie smiled before closing his eyes again, "I love you."
Eddie responded softly again as they drifted off "I love you too."
II
Frank summoned Jamie and Eddie to 1PP early that day, a move that was curious because as of today they were indefinitely removed from active duty. Compounding the uncertainty was the fact they had no reason to be there if they were effectively civilians. Jamie supposed the summons was about the deep cover assignment, Eddie was nervous about the summons and it peaked when they were not on the 14th floor.
Baker spoke promptly, "He's waiting for you inside." They nodded and then went through the roped off area she pulled back.
They stood firmly addressing him with a professional salute and greeting, "Sir."
He gave a dismissive smile waving his hand. "No need for all that, your indefinitely not on my police force." Both of them loosened up and sat down.
Jamie looked pointed, "What's with the cloak and dagger?"
Frank gave a blunt answer. "Means this conversation never happened. I just have a few things to discuss, first and foremost…" He handed them each identification. "Your aliases, their complete with public records to minimize suspicions."
Jamie opened the ID, he looked abnormally blunt here; no smile, his hair was more unkempt than usual and he was wearing his leather jacket. He commented with a bored inflection. "Jimmy Riordan mob and drug man with an attitude problem."
Eddie opened hers, it was a stark contrast to the last undercover ID she used. Her face seemed elegant and prominent and her hair was down. She was caught between being impressed and shocked." Ellie Riordan, I look like a socialite. The profile techs did pretty well." They put them in their pockets.
Jamie continued with an analytical expression, "You did not ask us here just for that."
He nodded promptly, "You need day jobs, Baker needs a break, so she can focus on Brian and her family while he recovers. She agreed under protest, but I felt that eight and a half years of putting up with me, she deserves a breather, especially now."
Eddie raised her eyebrows, "What?"
Frank smiled in a blunt fashion, "You're both on my detail effective starting tomorrow and you're both the new Baker until the assignment is finished."
Jamie gauged his father with indifference. "Why do I feel like you are keeping an eye on us?"
Frank smiled through his mustache. "Well, I can't just wait for the other shoe to drop this time. He sighed, "Plus it is much more believable from a public perspective than terminating my son and his former partner because as it's been pointed out to me, you two just don't seem to screw up often. Sid got curious and as it turns out you both have the lowest combined incident rate across the entirety of the NYPD."
Eddie chuckled with a dismissive expression, "I think you're exaggerating, sir. We've screwed up plenty."
He raised his eyebrows with a pointed expression, "Anything I should know about, besides Jamie's scuffles with perps who've attacked you, of course."
Eddie shrank with a quiet response as she and Jamie exchanged an awkward look. "No."
Frank looked as though he knew better but moved on anyway. "You both know you're in for the long haul with this thing. The Ortiz family could be the lynchpin an international incident if they are not caught and prosecuted."
Jamie asked promptly, "Any last-minute advice before we start?"
Frank stood up smiling again, his inflection was blunt. "Wear a suit, for some reason you and Danny just can't quite pull off a tux. Joe was the only one of you boys who could." He was almost gone when he stopped at the exit. "Baker will get you up to speed with 1PP operations." His last remark was tense, "Watch yourselves out there, things could get messy, and I am not talking about my detail."
Baker came in a few moments later. She sat down with a small folder. "Ready to be me?"
Eddie crossed her arms, "Do we have a choice?"
Baker smiled, "I didn't even have a choice and I have the perfect excuse to get an extended vacation. He's just trying to protect you in the most professional way he could think of, it'll be a nice change of pace for him and both of you."
Jamie nodded, "Alright then."
III
After careful consideration, Jamie and Eddie decided to limit their alias to evenings unless the targets dictated otherwise. It felt more practical given that mob families like these were more active at night anyway. Baker's walkthrough was not difficult to comprehend; mostly scheduling and convoy patterns, and of course taking calls. Evening came around eventually, Jamie and Eddie returned to the Hampton's a few hours before the art auction to prep for it, going over details, plan of approach and actually getting dressed.
Jamie called from the large master bedroom he was standing in; his voice was concerning. "You okay in there, I almost got lost the walk-in closet is so big. Even under normal circumstances, I don't see how anyone would need this much clothes." Taking his father's advice, he was in a plain black suit, complete with fancy cuffs and collar. It was plain sure but clearly expensive.
She shouted back through a chuckle. "Having things in excess is the biggest trait of being rich. Why do you think the house is so big?"
Jamie offered a cynical guess, "Federal overkill."
Eddie chuckled loudly, "All this time I was worried about myself if you start brooding, we'll be sunk for sure. I'm almost done. Took forever to find the right dress."
Jamie shrugged, "I don't see how you look great in any dress."
She sounded playfully suspicious. "Haven't even seen me yet and already trying to flatter me. You realize you don't have to charm me, right? I'm leaving with you at the end of the night."
Jamie sounded modest. "When would I ever pass up telling you that you look great."
Eddie came out a few minutes later. She looked at him expectantly. "Well, I'm waiting."
Great would have been an understatement. She was wearing a black moderately cut dress that seemed to emphasize her figure perfectly. From the way, it hugged her waist and made her hips pop, to how it emphasized her chest without flaunting it.
Jamie scanned Eddie from top to bottom. His response was in his eyes which dilated quite a bit. "Have I mentioned how glad I am that I actually get to show you off for once."
Eddie gave a grateful smile; her inflection was teasing. "Well, I do like being arm candy, and there's nobody that looks better on my arm than you."
She loved that all his reactions were in his eyes. When he was emotional or empathetic, he blinked a lot, when he laughed they narrowed, when angry (especially if she was attacked) they bulged and, if like now he was aroused his pupils dilated enough so that the green of his irises filled the rest of his eyes. That old saying about the eyes being the window to the soul was true with him.
Jamie smiled as they connected foreheads. "You're going to put the art, and the other people at this thing to shame, Mrs. Riordan…"
Eddie smiled with a longing gaze. "That's a decent placeholder for Reagan, now let's go practice being married. She finished with an air of a sarcastic afterthought. "And stake out an art gallery for a crime family." Jamie shook his head with a chuckle.
IV
The art gallery was pretty packed but not to the point that people couldn't hear themselves, about the size of a large lobby. A small bar was tucked in the far-right corner. The art was a mix of classic…Van Go, Picasso, da Vinci, Rembrandt, Michelangelo. Or more recent past; Andy Warhol, Claude Monet, Salvador Dalí…and more.
Eddie scanned the room momentarily. She turned to Jamie with a smile, "I'll follow your lead, Jimmy."
Jamie took her arm. "Let's get drinks." He dropped his voice slightly. "The first rule of deep cover assignments, observe then react, wait for things to present itself." She nodded.
Seated at the bar, they could observe inconspicuously. Elsewhere, Jamie and Eddie's arrival did not go unnoticed, a young man taller than both of them—over six feet—watched them all the way to their seats. His hair was black and similar to Jamie's, but messy.
His inflection was curious, "Who are they, better yet who is she?"
Someone else sounded rather irritated he was clearly older, and his hair was silver. "If you used your eyes to observe instead of just staring you would notice that she is with someone and they are married, quite happily I suspect. Pursuits are not a bad thing but, in this case, it is a clear waste of time. She only has eyes for him."
The younger man sounded indifferent, "So, she could just be putting on appearances, kind of like you and mom."
Ricky Ortiz grew an increased irritation with his older son. "Erik, your mother and I drifted apart, yet she still helps maintain what we have built. It is naive to compare others to us." He followed his sons' eyes to Jamie and Eddie's seats, continuing his blunt lecture with a sage-like inflection. "The sea would part for the first time since Moses did it himself before that woman would ever stray from her husband, and he casts an immense hammer and shield at her side. Like I said a foolish pursuit, easily the most foolish of any of yours."
Erik Ortiz shrugged looking annoyed. "Always with the philosophical lectures and comparisons."
Ricky's patience reached its end. His voice grew sharp. "I see they fall on deaf ears, learn the hard way then if you are so compelled; you and your brother could not be more different. I will have Ian check them, they seem promising, so don't screw this up Erik. Now I have to address the room."
Jamie was sipping whiskey when Ricky Ortiz addressed the room at its head. While everyone was focused on the speech, they talked amongst themselves. Eddie was alert, "I think that's the one."
Jamie nodded agreeably, "Seems to fit."
Erik's voice joined them he was light and friendly, "Something catch your eye?"
Eddie nodded, "it's all beautiful."
Erik sounded enamored, but not with the art. "Yes, it is."
Jamie was blunt. "Jimmy Riordan, and my wife Ellie." When they shook hands, Erik grimaced slightly which satisfied Jamie.
Erik asked pointedly, "so, how long have you two been married?"
They answered together. "Five years."
He was not able to hide his disappointment but recovered quickly, with a casual smile. "What brings you both here?"
Jamie turned casual, "we live in the Hamptons, close to the water. Saw this in the paper figured it would cheer her up a bit." He put his arm around Eddie.
Eddie sounded convincingly money dependent, "I wish we could afford to bid on something."
Erik was empathetic, "Money troubles?"
Jamie nodded stiffly, "Bankruptcy usually creates that problem."
Erik was blunt with veiled levity, "Wow Jimmy, bankruptcy and you still have her on your arm. Most guys I know, when the money goes so does the girl, pretty lucky. If I were you, I'd be worried that runs out at some point."
Jamie was equally blunt, "I'm Irish, we thrive on luck."
Eddie smiled but her inflection was light and airy. It was clearly not Eddie. She was obviously going for a specific impression with her alias, "Not that he needed it, he's worth the ten million." Erik Ortiz went monetarily pale.
Jamie continued with a casual smile, "Still, we need jobs and saw in the paper you were looking for help."
He nodded a little more calculatingly. "This is a public event, not the time to discuss new business hires. You'll have to wait until it's over." He smiled again, "But there is a bar with food and drinks, and music just started, now that my father's long-winded speech is over." He aimed for levity, "Lack of money doesn't mean you can't admire the art, most people here probably can't afford it any more than you, enjoy yourselves."
Jamie whispered as he left. "See things always present themselves, I guarantee you that he is putting up a front. Now, we just have to kill time."
Eddie's smile returned to normal, "That's okay, so was I; I figured steering into rich stereotypes was a good idea. It sets up a good trump card later. Now, let's dance unless you'd rather watch from the background and start a fight later." She grinned in a nostalgic sort of way.
Jamie shook his head wearing a falsely irritated expression. "Lead the way, Mrs. Riordan."
She pulled him into the middle of the room where a handful of other people were evenly spaced out. The music was slow tempo which Jamie appreciated, upbeat dancing was not his style. The absence of lyrically heavy music helped a lot. Music more focused on melody was much easier for him to dance to, and it helped that Eddie had more rhythm than him.
Eddie gazed intently at Jamie as she led slowly to the notes of the accompanying piano. She spoke quietly, "We both said five years."
He nodded with a smile, "Yeah we did."
She was still just above a whisper, "I didn't know you saw it that way."
Jamie smiled in surprise. "How else could I see it?"
Eddie gave a modest smile, "Wannabe cop playing dress up comes to mind."
Jamie shook his head as they continued to turn slowly with the music. "Maybe right off the bat when you peeled out onto the street, but as far as I'm concerned, we've been married at least 1825 days."
Eddie's face blushed, "Specific of you to pick the same number in days that we were partnered, give or take some."
He sounded complacent, "There was a time after my first engagement fell through, where I wondered if someone better would come along…turns out that it was you."
Eddie smiled sounding quizzical, "When did you figure that out?"
Jamie sounded reflective, "After the incident with Andy."
She was surprised, "I was a mess then."
Jamie nodded with admiration. "That was when I realized how alike we are, with what we do. When things come up or go wrong, it takes its toll. My brothers were always better at locking that stuff in a box…I needed someone who got that, got me, I know you're not big on soul mates, but you are perfect for me."
There was irony in her response, "I don't know, I think I believe in, right place right time and signs; though honestly, life has beaten me over the head with one sign in particular."
Jamie looked at her curiously. "Yeah?"
Eddie put her arms around him as the piano notes continued while they moved in a steady circle. Her inflection was gentle as she smiled. "You, through all the professional and personal stress…anytime I asked for help and even when I haven't. What happened with Andy broke me, you were there to pick up the pieces." The emotion in her voice climaxed right with the music. "you're always there to pick up the pieces no matter what makes me shatter: perverts, psychos or the ones that were insecure; my father, my mother… you always have my back."
Jamie grinned. "That's the point of vows."
Eddie smiled from complacency. "You never took advantage of me, not once. Even when I was a mess, so you are perfect for me, and I think that is the point of soul mates. If you had crossed that line, I don't think I would have refused because I knew and I still know, that you love me."
Jamie smiled modestly, "I do, and I did, but I didn't want to add to your mess, and I had it pretty good already. You needed a partner, not a boyfriend, and I needed a partner and not a girlfriend. So, I kept the line, until I realized it was a distinction without a difference. You forever is all I want, the way that is defined does not matter."
She rested her head against his chest, as the last notes of music ebbed away. Her voice was calm. "1825 days, and counting."
Jamie nodded as he looked beyond with his head resting on her shoulder. He was suddenly alert, "We need to move."
Eddie raised her eyebrows, he was a little pale and tense. She questioned pointedly. "Are they acting already? Can't be that easy."
Jamie was blunt, " it's not…" He pulled her to the other end of the room.
Eddie dropped to a whisper. "What is going on?"
Jamie sighed, "My ex-fiancée is here."
Eddie spun around quickly, "Really? Where?"
Jamie was strained, "She just came out of the bathroom, she hasn't spotted me yet."
Eddie quipped sarcastically. "Good thing, I've never seen you this skittish before."
Jamie hissed defensively. "that's what happens when you're basically told you aren't good enough for someone, apparently my job was a deal breaker. I always felt like she punished me for choosing to be a cop."
Eddie was blunt, "Josh was like that…I sort of figured she was a rich snob, looks the part."
Jamie shrugged, "She's not really, I just always wondered why I wasn't good enough. Linda was never a fan of Danny's choice, but she understood, supported him. He was enough for her…I just always wondered why I wasn't enough. It's stupid but I don't like things left hanging."
Eddie shook her head, "It's not stupid. I wondered the same thing about Josh, never got an answer. I'll get you one."
Jamie hissed sharply, "Eddie, we can't just break cover…it's been eight and a half years since I've even seen Sydney."
She smiled, "Who said anything about breaking cover, stay here, and when you see me head for the bathroom, follow."
He chucked hopelessly, "you really are my personal DCPI."
Eddie smiled appreciatively. "Sit tight."
Jamie hissed continual protests even as Eddie marched to the other end of the room where Sydney Davenport was standing. She was in a long red dress; her hair was elegant, and she wore lipstick and small hoop earrings.
When she saw Eddie, Sydney seemed to take on an expression of inadequacy. Eddie's greeting was light and casual. "Big art buff?"
Sydney's smile was small mostly from intimidation. She responded quietly. " No, not particularly…I'm here on legal retainer for the family hosting."
Eddie swore in her head while continuing with light inflection. She would have to break cover after all, but she would wait for the moment. "Art dealers need lawyers?"
Sydney sounded blunt, "They do when its high value, I make sure top bids are valid and can actually be paid."
She nodded, "Well, you won't have to worry about me, I'm just admiring. Are you here with anyone?"
Sydney laughed dismissively. "No, I'm married to my work, a freelance lawyer. I take all sorts of jobs as legal counsel for clients. I was with a firm almost ten years ago, but when an international trip went bad, I decided to go into business for myself. She chuckled ironically, "My ex-fiancé, rubbed off on me, wanting to help people."
Eddie looked sympathetic, "I'm sorry, that must have been hard."
She shook her head dismissively. "it was for him, I have been wondering how he is doing since I called off our engagement back then, probably found solace in his job." She smiled, "What is your name?"
Eddie dropped her voice to barely above audible, "That's complicated, I'm undercover right now, and you need to come with me Sydney, right now." Eddie shook her head warningly as Sydney started to protest, before walking with her into the women's bathroom.
V
Jamie always said that it was a necessity to expect the unexpected on all types of undercover assignments, but watching his current fiancée drag his ex-fiancée into the bathroom, he knew something had already thrown a wrench into this assignment. He waited until the coast was clear around the bathrooms before knocking on the women's in a very specific pattern.
Sydney was exasperated, "Who are you, what is this about?"
Eddie did not answer right away, she was listening intently and held up a hand to wait. Eddie heard the knocks and opened the door ajar. "I'm sorry Sydney, but you are right in the middle of a crime family. I wasn't even going to break cover until you said you were the Ortiz's lawyer."
She was no less exasperated, "How do you know me? What is your name?"
She answered reluctantly, "Eddie Janko, I'm with the NYPD on an undercover assignment for the DEA…"
Sydney was almost stuck, "Why should I trust you."
The door opened wide enough for Jamie to step through, he responded calmly closing it behind him. "Because she's my partner Syd." Eddie moved against the door to bar further entry."
Sydney was clearly thrown, "Jamie, you made detective?"
He shook his head, "No, patrol Sargent, but now is not the time. How did you get mixed up with an international crime family?"
Sydney frowned in exasperation. "I'm a freelance layer, kind of dabble in a little of everything…what do you mean, crime family?"
Jamie's inflection was almost painful. "Syd, they export drugs to Mexico, Canada and China…illegally."
Sydney nearly crumbled from exasperation. Her voice was shallow and panicky. "Jamie, I swear I didn't have any idea about this."
He tempered her calmly, "You have to get out, right away. Their soft public image is a front."
She bit her lip nervously. "I can't, their contracted, I'm supposed to go over every winning bid and transaction, probably more. They paid me in advance."
Eddie shook her head worrisomely. Her inflection was full of uncertainty. "Jamie, this is not good. If she ducks out, they'll come after her, and if she stays, she will be right in the middle of it all."
Jamie sighed deeply, "We can't leave or break cover, we'll miss our opportunity, she's already in the middle of it."
Sydney frowned irritably, "Almost, nine years later and you still put the job ahead of me."
There was tension in Jamie's voice. "Now is not the time to complain, Syd, I don't have a choice."
She was icy, "Complaining, is that what you think I was doing while you shut me out?"
He scoffed, "Either that or punishing me for being a cop, and Joe had been dead less than a year. I needed you to bear with me, I can't believe you threw salt in my wound."
Eddie grabbed Jamie's arm. She was blunt, "You really should not be in here, it's the girl's bathroom. I know you want answers but we've got bigger problems. Give us a minute, and cool down."
He shrugged again turning harsh. "You know what, I don't need them anymore, Sydney you did me a favor, we'd have just been dragging our feet for the next three years, you were just the warm up to the real thing. He kissed Eddie with emphasis, not in a heated way, but enough to drive home the point that his relationship with Sydney was exactly as he'd said. "I'll meet you back out there." Eddie smiled absentmindedly as she watched him leave.
She turned to Sydney apologetically. "Sorry, he's not like that too often."
Sydney shook her head dismissively. "Don't be, that was clearly aimed at me." Eddie's engagement ring visible now, her eyes stared at Eddie's left hand. She sounded indifferent, almost in disbelief, but not from jealousy. "Are you two engaged?"
Eddie noticed and was blunt, "You seem surprised."
She shrugged, "it's just when I knew him, he never really had time to be a boyfriend. Always focused on the job. I see that hasn't changed, but he seems to love you a lot, to the point that I wonder if he ever even liked me."
Eddie had to fight to keep from laughing, she grinned instead. "Jamie likes everyone, he must have seen something because you were engaged." She turned critically blunt. "He wondered the same thing about you…I don't think you understood or even tried to understand him, which baffles me, because you met his family, sat at the dinner table." She frowned, "it's sad really…what comes with him is a lot, but to not even try." The last of her words held clear pity.
Sydney showed irritation. "Why do I get the feeling your passing judgment?"
Eddie smiled with an air of harsh judgment that all but confirmed this. "Well, I am…mostly because Jamie somehow holds onto not being enough for you, but I've only known you briefly and know it's the other way around."
Sydney couldn't miss the critical analysis now. She was icy again, "What's your point, that you're better than me? The Reagans aren't exactly a picnic to deal with."
Eddie continued so bluntly it was a wonder she wasn't showing signs of escalation. Her inflection was noticeably angry now. "I guess Jamie really is a saint. What did you do when they called your code blue storm from the room crying?"
Sydney was stone-faced now, it appeared that was exactly what she'd done. "If you're just going to insult me…"
Eddie chuckled, "It's a wonder you're a lawyer at all and can spot anyone's mistakes, considering you don't see how badly you messed up here, you wasted his love for you and you can't even comprehend what he needed, that is a little pathetic don't you think?"
Sydney was rooted to the spot. She sounded defensive now. "It was hard measuring up to a family of Blue Bloods."
Eddie conceded her point with a casual nod but was no less harsh. She sounded angry by the lack of self-awareness currently on display. "I'll give you that much, but they tell the hard truth and seeing as I'm going to be one of them before too long, I may as well get some practice, so brace yourself. You quit when things get difficult, as most people do." There was harshness in every word as she continued. "You loved Jamie Reagan the layer, and never cared enough to understand Jamie Reagan the cop or more importantly just Jamie. He'd have been enough for you if you'd accepted the whole package…it's a shame, for his sake at least. She shrugged in a matter of fact way with a pointed expression." I should thank you for throwing in the towel so easily though, I would have felt guilty about stealing him. I don't know how long it would have taken but sooner or later he'd have broken it off. It was inevitable, the two of us. he's always been work husband, and soon I get him forever and not just on the job."
Sydney was irritated by Eddie's directness but did not object to it. "You don't beat around the bush do you, you're saying I took him for granted?"
Eddie leaned casually against the door. Her expression was politely blunt. "I think that's the point, but if there is one thing that I have learned since I met Jamie it's that the only person that can really understand a cop is another cop…he is my partner, my lover, my best friend. At the end of the day, he is the only person I want to see, and I didn't fall in love with him because we shared a squad car 40 hours a week, you loved a lawyer, shunned a cop and strung along the last person who deserved it." The last of her words held anger again.
Sydney seemed to be looking for answers. Her curiosity was palpable. "I guess I can stop wondering if he is okay… the way he is doesn't bother you? So, closed off and tightly wound, he can't ever just lock things in a box."
Eddie smiled more broadly than she meant to perhaps from some mix of irony and satisfaction. Her inflection was more of the latter. "No, he can't but…I've spent 10,400 hours on the beat with him more or less; coming back for more after shift, and somehow it still isn't enough. So, sure… he drives me crazy, but I wouldn't have it any other way. I just wish you wouldn't have accepted his proposal when you knew in the back of your mind that you were in over your head with his family." She was very blunt again. "Stay single, you're not cut out for marriage."
Sydney seemed unable to disagree. "I figured that out a long time ago." She circled back to the more pressing issue. She was quiet. "Am I safe after you just played public defender?"
Eddie's expression turned businesslike again. She was equally blunt, "I'm carrying a soundproof box, so we were not overheard. When we go back out just play dumb, our cover is married as Jimmy and Ellie Riordan. We will try to get you out somehow, but you could be in the middle for a while; especially if they insist on retaining you long term."
She grimaced, "I'm a lot of things but I am not the breaking bad type."
Eddie was harshly blunt again, "we cannot chance a federal operation with international implications for a single civilian. Even dragging you in here for this detour was risky, but Jamie cares about people, and I care about him…if you want to stay alive you might not have a choice."
She nodded, "I understand, agent Janko."
Eddie bowed her head awkwardly suppressing a laugh, it had such a nice ring to it that she did not clarify her credentials. "Go ahead of me, and remember our cover names, otherwise this will get even messier."
Sydney stopped by the door. She was again curious for whatever reason. "When is the wedding?"
Eddie gave a thin smile with a blunt response, "if you're that interested, I will send you pictures." Sydney left looking awkward, which gave Eddie satisfaction.
VI
The unexpected encounter left Jamie somewhat rattled, he was drinking Bourbon rather hastily at the bar, Angel's Envy of all things. Eddie, his real-life angel, sat down on his immediate right, he was clearly buzzed.
Eddie put her elbow on the bar, smiling in amusement. "You don't usually drink this kind of stuff."
He responded with sarcastic levity. "Jimmy Riordan is trying something new." She smiled in amusement for a moment.
Her response was gauging. "Jimmy needs to get ahold of himself and remember we came here with much bigger fish to fry and not drown in Bourbon over a nine-year-old break up that is her loss and not yours."
He sighed, feeling his buzz, "did she tell you that?"
Eddie smiled with a consoling expression, "No, I told her."
Jamie gave a half chuckle, "Yeah?"
She was gently insistent. "it's true.
He smiled, "Thanks."
Eddie leaned into him, "I always have your back."
Jamie's eyes narrowed "I know I just wonder why she didn't she just ran. Never tried, not really."
She dropped her head on his arm. "People fear what they don't understand, I don't think she gets it."
Jamie sounded full of solace. "I'm glad you do."
Eddie gave a half smile. "That's the idea."
He was trying to sober himself. "just give me a minute."
Eddie nodded touching his face gently, "If it helps, I have plans for you later." She handed him a bottle of water which he took with a grateful exhale.
Jamie gazed apologetically at her, "I'm sorry."
Eddie tilted her head almost beside herself with pity. It was nothing like the pity she felt earlier for Sydney, this was born of empathy. She could not console him the way she wanted because they were still undercover, but she would indeed take care of that later.
For now, she held his face in her right hand. Her response was as gentle as her touch. "I know, but you don't have to be…I get it."
He sighed, emotion in his voice as he started to blink with every few words. "I wish we'd met after Joe died, I needed you, instead…" The words died in the air like a scar that was very deep.
She nodded slowly meeting his forehead while responding barely above a whisper, not for the cover but just because Jamie seemed to be somewhere that he had not gone in a long time. "That is what this is really about with Sydney, why it bothers you so much."
He nodded bowing his head absentmindedly amid a sigh. "Dad buried himself in work, Danny overcorrected by trying to fill Joe's shoes and did an awful job. Erin was already fresh off a divorce and barely holding it together for herself and Niki, and pops way of coping—bringing up old stories—just made me numb…I needed the support, and all she ever saw was how everything affected her. He was breaking with emotion now blinking very fast. "I butted heads with Danny because he had what I needed most…I needed her to love me the way Linda loved Danny, the way you love me. I needed her to feel it, to understand it, to be present in it. I had nothing and no one to find solace in or with, I needed her support, but as soon as I chose the job as my way of coping the support ended and I was alone."
Eddie put as much condolence into her voice as she could, her face was full of sympathetic heartache. "It's okay, you are not alone anymore." He made to continue, but she held his eyes in hers responding gently, "I'm here now, and I'm not going anywhere, ever." She rested her forehead against his, sharing a kiss.
She so wished she could do more than that and would later tonight, but now was not the time, they had work to do…this was their way in and they could not miss it. So, Jimmy Riordan, gathered himself as the art gallery auction started to wind down and with the help of his wife on his arm, locked Jamie Reagan's troubles in a box.
VII
The auction ended half an hour later, at ten o'clock. Erik Ortiz told them to come to the family restaurant, called Rush Hour…which they found amusing because it was deserted right now. It looked more like a diner than a restaurant, or maybe it was both.
Erik guided them to the closet booth before they sat down. He greeted them casually. "Jimmy, Ellie thanks for coming here, figured it would be better since we're discussing business, see if we can get you making money again. Even if you've got that one in a million girl that sticks around for rich or for poor, poor is no picnic."
They nodded Jamie leaned casually against the booth, "The add in the paper was pretty vague." He had kept his leather jacket on for more of a street effect."
Erik smiled, "That's because we don't hire by an application. Dad always says if you want to hire the right help you've got to be more thorough with a background check than validating what is on paper. The liars never remember their personal info because they keep it on paper instead of in their heads, the smartphone has become a brain replacement."
Jamie was coolly blunt, "Smart man, what kind of help are you looking for."
He chuckled, "Not yet, I need more information first. So, Mr. and Mrs. Riordan, how did you manage to make $10 million, and then lose it."
Jamie responded casually, "The company I worked for went under after the CEO was convicted of large-scale fraud. He wasn't aware of it, but when the FBI discovered that Armin Janko was a crook and a rat, things went completely belly up. For most people associated with the company that wasn't too big of a hit but big investors like me had a lot of stock and I was one of few that didn't get out in time."
Erik laughed at the irony. "Another causality of Armin Financial, tough break Jimmy, although between you and me I heard the everyday middle class are the ones that really got screwed there."
Eddie sounded light and ignorant. "I didn't think this kind of thing went beyond the city."
Erik looked offended somewhat. "People don't live under a rock in Long Island, Ellie…it was breaking news. We never bothered with joining what somebody else built…too messy and unpredictable."
Jamie gave a stiff nod, "That's why I'll never handle stock again, selling art is a much safer way to make money."
Erik smiled tapping his hand. "Most of our wealth comes from something a little more complicated. Think Breaking Bad only much bigger."
Eddie leaned in faking excitement, "And it is profitable?"
He chuckled, "Makes that $10 mill look like chump change."
She tugged Jamie's arm for the show. "We could keep the house."
Erik chuckled, "She gets ahead of herself doesn't she Jimmy? Dad has the final say, and he'll want to make sure you check out and have rough skin."
Jamie shrugged her off for effect. "Babe, what do I always tell you about making money?"
She sat back looking convincingly sour. "Don't jump the gun."
He leaned into her more, "Yeah, let's make a good impression first."
Erick chuckled, "I guess we know who keeps the level head here, huh Jimmy."
Jamie smiled casually, "What's next?"
He tapped his hand again. Then grinned. "Follow me, out back I want you to meet my brother." They got up knowing full well this could be a setup.
Eddie responded casually, "What's your brother like?"
Erik shrugged, "oh he's the brains, I'm the muscle or at least that's how dad sees it."
Jamie sounded convincingly relatable. "You sound annoyed?"
He chuckled, "it's not all bad, Ian really is smart. He came to a stop in a long but dead-end alley, grabbing Eddie, turning dangerous. "Smart enough to know Jimmy Riordan used to role with Noble Sanfino who cut a deal with the NYPD and scurried off into witness protection." He was holding her aggressively at gunpoint.
Eddie had difficulty staying in character, why did these kinds of guys always touch her like she was an object. She could feel his breath on her neck and the fingers of his free hand using an excuse to slacken the straps on her dress. She would not stop moving, and it had nothing to do with the gun. "No, stop it." Jamie gave the slightest tilt of his head and locked eyes with her. She had to calm down.
He drew his own gun without hesitation, "Don't be stupid, this doesn't have to get ugly."
He chuckled harshly, "I think you should take your own advice, Jimmy. I would hate to splatter this fine piece's face against the alley wall. Remember that thing I said about lies, I find people tell the truth if you just—he pushed the gun hard into her clavicle—push the right buttons." He continued almost dryly. "I watched you both when you came into the gallery. Dad didn't know who you were still doesn't, but he more or less told me I didn't have a shot at pulling her away from you. That she'd die before she ever left your side, she just might…I just want to know where the hell you've been for seven years. Can't afford a snitch like Noble, messing up what we've built."
Jamie's grip on his gun tightened, "You should have listened to your dad, I won't hesitate to blow your head off if you pull that trigger. Now put the gun away or I will kill you slowly and painfully with my bare hands."
Erik was not swayed, "Start talking or Ellie is going to be red stains on these walls."
Jamie locked eyes with Eddie, and then remembered what Joe always said about telling a convincing cover story, the best ones use a measure of real facts, so you can calmly tell the truth even in weaving a total lie. "Noble's uncle put a hit on both of us, he went into witness protection. I survived on my own because I'm not just a rich punk like him, nothing was handed to me, I took it."
Erik relaxed slightly, easing the pressure of his gun on Eddie. "How does Sanfino's former thug buddy land Ellie here, and strike it rich?"
Eddie knew what Jamie would say and it was only that that kept her willing to wait for him to diffuse things. She could have overpowered Erik Ortiz without breaking a sweat now that he'd slacked off, but she knew this was not the time to drop her diva wife act. She needed to pick her moment to flip the switch carefully.
Jamie continued coolly passing individual truths as one complete lie. "I took freelance bodyguard security jobs, a few in the city, usually women, all turned into casual flings. I met Ellie two years later out here in the Hamptons during a stretch where I was keeping fans away from Jay-Z. We fell in love fast, got married once that ended and she taught me about the world of stock investment, worked for quite a while, but eventually got mixed up with Armin Financial, you know the rest."
Erik gave a reluctant exhale. He responded bluntly, "Better safe than sorry, Jimmy." They put their guns away. He patted Jamie gently on the shoulder.
Jamie smiled casually. He patted Erik twice on the back before elbowing him hard in the gut, whispering threateningly while he held him by the collar. "Like I said you should have listened to your dad, attack my wife again and I will mess up your face, permanently…got it."
He nodded weakly with a groan, "fine."
Jamie helped Erik to his feet and then turned to Eddie. He checked for bruising. "You good?"
Eddie nodded sounding uptight. "Yeah, thanks for handling him."
Erik sounded furious as he stood up again. "Handling me? No, that's what I would do to you! Don't go mouthing off just because your husband landed a cheap shot, see how you like it!" He drew his gun again, firing a shot that her.
She dove aside as he fired, but the bullet hit flesh. It pierced the narrowest portion of her chest on the left side and exited immediately, landing in the front of a nearby closed dumpster.
Eddie stood up, albeit gingerly, she was not gravely hurt but it was considerably more than a flesh wound. She was breathing heavily. To her credit, she stayed in character. Her voice was heated and winded, as she staggered. "What the hell is he doing? Thin-skinned moron, do you always shoot women who hurt your feelings?" Blood was falling steadily onto the ground from where Eddie was hit by the shot.
Erik hissed irritatingly, "Stuck up bitch, talk again I'll kill you!"
Jamie snapped reacting like lighting. His eyes bulged angrily, as he rushed Erik, grabbing him by his coat and ramming him up against the alley wall. His voice was a venomous shout. "I don't think you heard me!" He headbutted Erik, causing whiplash as he dropped his gun. He continued with an increased rage. "Did you think I was messing around!" He punched him three times in the face, each one harder than the last. Jamie lifted him well off the ground with adrenaline, a feat due to their height difference. Jamie's inflection showed superiority. "Take the loyalty test and shove it up your ass! The Sanfino's got canned because they are morons, at least Noble was smart enough to know when he was in over his head, I haven't heard or seen him since I saved his ass from being murdered! I'm not some petty, entitled snitch!" Jamie threw Erik back on his feet but kept a firm grip. He was still seething." If you're ready to stop screwing around and actually consider referring us to your family, exchange a phone number, but we're leaving whether you do or not, because I've run out of patience with you tonight and if I don't leave now, you'll end up in that dumpster over there!"
Eddie called impatiently from a few feet away. "Are we done?"
He responded coolly. "Yeah, I think he's got it, are you okay babe?"
Eddie sounded a little out of it. Keeping cover through the pain was difficult. "Been better." She stared down Erick walking gingerly. Eddie let this go once, not again. She was blunt. "I don't have nearly as much patience as Jimmy, and I can tell if you were going to kill me, you'd have done so already." She became irritated, "That stretch in the Hamptons we were both Jay-Z's bodyguards, and the biggest thing we came across, surprise attacks by crazed fans." She stomped hard on Erik's right foot; which thanks to sharp stiletto heels, made him buckle even worse than when Jamie punched him earlier.
Eddie was blunt. "That's for shooting me!" She fell to her knees, "we could have done this peacefully, stupid kid."
Jamie looked cross. "Did we pass the eye test, or should I throw you in that dumpster?" Erik nodded, and Jamie relented, holding Eddie to a stand again.
After they exchanged numbers. Erik sounded flat. "I will bring you to my father once we have a chance to check out your background info, we're detailed so it will be a day or two before you hear from me. I don't know how he will feel about hiring Ellie though."
Eddie scoffed, leaning against Jamie for support now. She'd taken off her jacket and was holding it in a clump against her wound which was bleeding moderately. "What, dad doesn't think women can get their hands dirty? Your foot should convince him enough, that's going to hurt for a few days, along with the rest of Jimmy's work on your face."
Jamie held her tightly, he knew Eddie was probably succumbing physically and mentally to the wound, but Erik Ortiz's literal cheap shot was not going to blow things. He smiled at her warmly as he continued. "Ellie plays overzealous on purpose when we're looking at special jobs and every time, she picks her moment to flip the switch from dense to smart and capable. She's taught me a thing or two about restraint…must be the Serbian in her. The next time you want to jump someone, you might want to actually bring your brother. We're a package deal, take as much time as you need. I'm sure the rest of your family is smarter than you were tonight, so we're content to wait."
Erik's face drained of color at the idea that what he'd just been subjected to was restrained in any way and for the first time in his life, he wished he'd listen to his father's warning.
VIII
Jamie and Eddie couldn't chance to go to the hospital,p as harsh as it was, gunshot wounds were reported to the police and that kind of attention could blow their cover. Sure, their cover identities were public record, but it was a chance they could not take. Jamie did have a choice of whether to drive back to the city and their apartment or stay on Long Island, he ultimately settled on the former because Eddie wanted the simplicity and coziness of their real home, even having sustained a gunshot she protested until he caved. She was lightheaded and woozy by the time they made it back, a little after eleven o'clock.
The journey from the car to the door sapped the last of Eddie's energy. She was somewhere between annoyance and exhaustion. Her voice reflected that when she spoke. "I can't walk anymore."
Jamie nodded holding her up, "Gunshot wounds will do that."
Eddie gave a weak laugh. "Ironically, it's these damn heels that really did me in, they make great weapons but they're terrible to walk in…"
Jamie laughed, "I've got it." He gingerly scooped her up in his arms and opened the door which he'd already unlocked.
Eddie responded to the sudden scoop pretty lightheaded. "Okay, getting shot is worse." Jamie chuckled as he carried her over the threshold, stopping to pull off her heels and toss them aside, neither of them cared where they landed.
Jamie carried her to the couch setting her horizontally, so she could prop her feet against the arm. He sat on the edge of his coffee table and gingerly unwrapped her jacket from the bullet wound. It was covered in blood.
Jamie stared at the wound through her dress, it seemed to be at her midsection, but he wasn't sure. He glanced at her apologetically. "I need to get a better look."
Eddie smiled in amusement, "I'm sure you do."
Jamie looked at her pointedly. "Eddie, the blood is still pretty fresh. Besides, it's not like I haven't seen what's underneath already."
She chuckled with a further amused expression, "Fine, but you better not use my attempt to cut out the fuss as an excuse to get handsy. I had other plans in mind with you tonight when I dressed in just this." Eddie loosened her dress from her shoulders before he carefully took it off, both of them disappointed it was bloodstained so badly.
Looking clearly, he saw that she'd been pierced in the left side of her midsection. Specifically, around the navel. The front of the wound was pooling with blood. He retrieved her dress and held it balled up, against the wound.
Eddie frowned dejectedly, her inflection sad, "What a waste, I looked hot in that."
Jamie smiled agreeably. "You still look hot, especially in the buff, and the bullet wound adds something to that."
Eddie smiled, "And yet, you're not even distracted by all my messy glory, chivalry at its finest." She sighed again, "Still, I really like that dress."
He smiled admittingly, "I'm preoccupied, not blind." She laughed as he continued checking the wound, now from the back, his couch was soaked with blood, it was bigger than they anticipated. " The dress was already a goner and I cannot stitch you up until the bleeding stops, it's worse than we thought, but at least it went right through in an ideal spot."
Eddie responded with irritation. "I still can't believe he was that thin-skinned."
Jamie nodded. "Luckily you're thick-skinned."
Eddie scoffed through a chuckle shaking her head, "kick a girl when she's literally wounded and vulnerable. Nice couchside manner Reagan. That's the last time I go undergarment free for you." She kicked him in the head with her right foot. Jamie was defensive, "Ouch, hey, I meant it literally because he shot you so close and it should have been worse, you could be unconscious, thank god you're not." Eddie recoiled suddenly, increasing pressure on the wound.
She was irritated at the pain and her breathing was briefly sharp. "Ugh, it hurts to move that much. I can't believe I'm dealing with this because a barely legal kid was overly sensitive."
Jamie moved to the half of the couch vacated by her legs and then propped her feet back up on the arm. He responded gently blunt with her legs resting on his lap now. "Don't move again until the bleeding stops, that's an order from your Sargent."
She managed a small smile. "Understood, sir."
Jamie stroked her hair slowly. He spoke absentmindedly as he watched her chest rise and fall slowly "Sorry we cannot go to the hospital, I really messed up, if you died I would never recover." Jamie took off his shirt and replaced it with the dress as a plug for the wound. Then he kissed her tenderly locking lips for a lingering few minutes.
Eddie shook held his face with her left hand. She was dismissive. "Jamie, I'm okay you beat yourself up too much. I was the one who opted to play self-centered diva…this is not your fault." She met his forehead again and they kissed again. She continued with a practical tone "Besides, a hospital is probably exactly what he was hoping for when he shot me. That family is extremely careful with the help they hire, the pitfall of a deep cover assignment is gunshot wounds get reported at hospitals, and we can't do that. It'll compromise our cover."
He sighed amid a nod, "Can't be much riskier than running into an ex-fiancée while you're trying to get in with a crime family and then finding out she is inadvertently associated with them."
She put her free hand on his chest. "We'll adjust on the fly when we need to, you did pretty well today."
Jamie grew a guilty expression. "Not good enough obviously." He kissed her tenderly on the forehead before he spoke again. You were fantastic though. Now, I will go get stuff to treat the wound and do a patch job, keep that pressure."
Eddie was surprised, "You can do that?"
Jamie smiled with solace as he squeezed her hand. "Yeah, Linda made a point to teach everyone in the family how to treat small and moderate bullet wounds, because of all she'd seen as a nurse. She always said it would be irresponsible of her not to make sure an entire family in law enforcement knew how to patch up gunshot wounds. Even Jack, Shawn, and Niki learned."
Eddie smiled she sounded happy despite the hole in her side, "I really lucked out with you Jameson Reagan. Lawyer, Cop, and Doctor…triplet threat. Sorry about the blood stain on the couch."
Jamie shook his head with a dismissive chuckle. "14 years combined on the job, I'm surprised it didn't happen sooner, I'm worried about you, not the couch." She laughed.
Jamie carefully maneuvered Eddie so he could get up from the couch and get medical supplies from the bathroom. Then he grabbed as many clean sheets as he could spare to use once and throw away, covering the bed in the bedroom with them.
Jamie gently roused Eddie who was in and out now, "Hey beautiful, time to take care of that hole in your side."
She smiled, "Is this where you put on scrubs?"
Jamie rolled his eyes as he wrapped his arms around her. "Even with a bullet wound Edit Janko is still cracking jokes. Hold on to my neck okay, I set up the bed to patch you up." Eddie draped her arms lazily around Jamie's neck meeting his forehead with hers.
She felt emotional now. It was the first time he'd ever called her Edit, and somehow, she didn't mind hearing him say it. Her inflection was sad again. "And to think I had something else planned in there tonight, instead you're being my medic, not that I mind but I wanted to take care of you for once, you always take care of me." She cried silently.
He was very quiet and soft-spoken. "You already have Eddie, you saved my life. I'm returning the favor." She couldn't believe that there was someone she felt this safe with, wounded and vulnerable he was nothing but gentle with her.
Jamie gently scooped Eddie from the couch and carried her into the bedroom laying her onto the makeshift sterile surface he'd set up. Then he washed his hands at the bathroom sink. Coming back, he grabbed what he needed from the supplies he brought: alcohol cotton swabs, bandages, sutures…the usual's for this kind of thing.
Jamie grabbed Eddie's hand looking at her tenderly, checking in before he started, "are you cold?"
Eddie nodded lazily matching her inflection, "No, just tired, and wishing I could take a shower."
He sounded sympathetic and yet practical. "When it hurts to stretch, I don't think that is realistic, but I will get done as quick as I can, so we can get you dressed and in bed."
Eddie sounded awestruck now. "You know what makes you so great? I'm laying here, wounded, in the buff no less, and your only focus is patching me up and getting me dressed. You're a perfect gentleman, unlike the majority of men I've known."
Jamie knew she was referencing the various assaults and other traumatic events where her body was exploited in humiliation. His inflection was gentle. "I'll be whatever you need me to be whenever you need it, and right now that is your medic." He cautioned her as he started. "I have to sterilize this first, this is probably going to hurt a lot, that hole you've got is pretty messy."
Eddie slipped in one more joke. "Why does this suddenly feel similar to that episode of handmaid's tale where June gives birth by herself, a lot of pain and screaming."
Jamie chucked again, "I think your missing something before labor, but when that labor thing comes you won't be alone. I've delivered a baby before remember, I'm an expert."
Eddie grinned ironically, "Well, I planned on doing that first part tonight, until this mess." She gestured to the open wound in the left side of her midsection. Her inflection turned dry. "Getting shot didn't kill me, but it definitely killed my mood."
Jamie rolled his eyes as he exhaled with laughter. "You are still so corny."
She smiled from ear to ear. "Yeah, and you know you still love it."
He smiled back, "yeah I do, now brace yourself." She nodded and began taking slow deep breaths. A moment later her medic set to work.
It wasn't labor pain but tolerating cleaning of the wound was excruciating. She struggled back when she was shot while wearing a vest, this was much worse, it seared as he worked alcohol-soaked cotton swabs in the wound and she couldn't keep from screaming every few minutes
Jamie held her hand tightly after finished cleaning her wound from both sides. He was very apologetic and consoling. "I'm done with the alcohol, you're a trooper Janko."
Eddie responded slightly exasperated, "Does it look as bad as it feels?" Now that was eye level Jamie noticed flakes present in the wound, tiny but had to come out.
Jamie sounded calculating, "There's debris inside, which explains why it hurts when you make sudden large movements. It is cutting the skin."
Eddie exhaled sharply, "I thought it went straight through?"
He sighed with a measured response. "Bullets are a bit unpredictable, they travel so fast through the body especially at close range the shells inside the case can break apart when it pierces the skin. Looks like that's what happened here. The alcohol must have brought them to the surface. I have to get the tweezers, it's the one thing I didn't grab."
Eddie looked at Jamie with exhaustion, "Jamie, I'm tired…"
Jamie nodded sympathetically. "I just have to operate a bit. Try to hang in there."
She gave a weak smile…" I hope you were good at operation when you were a kid. She frowned in frustration. "I would sit up, but it would hurt too much, and I would just fall over."
Jamie chuckled, "I was, never messed up, I actually got pretty fast." He kissed her before returning to a stand with a smile. "You are doing fine Eddie. Let me grab you some sweatpants too, I'm not working at or below the belt, so let's get that comfortable at least." He came back a few minutes later helping her into a pair of his Harvard sweats and then kneeled at her wound sight, tweezers in hand. Now that the bleeding had stopped there was no reason she couldn't be half dressed, so at least there was that.
She smiled with a chuckle, "Thanks, what's ironic is I wanted to take your mind off of Sydney tonight, but not like this…I wanted to try and get pregnant, so you would have been working below the belt."
He smiled from ear to ear. "I think you're jumping the gun, not that I would have minded taking a risk."
Eddie grinned sadly, Well now is not the right time obviously, because that plan literally got shot down and there is no bigger sign than that."
Jamie reassured her with a confident smile. "Don't worry, when we're ready it won't be hard, the only thing I'm better at than delivering babies, is making them, remember?"
She held his hand before momentarily before falling back on the edge of the bed with an amused look. "I didn't forget about that, Jamie."
He turned his attention back to her gunshot wound with a smile. "Good, they'll be time to test it out when things are less dangerous, for now, I have to play operation here." She exhaled slowly to brace herself.
Removing the bullet debris was tricky, and Eddie winced sharply several times. She happened to glance at the nightstand clock at some point while Jamie continued playing medic, it was just after midnight, she closed her eyes, succumbing to fatigue.
Quite sometime later…Eddie was wide awake again, fully dressed. She sat up on the spot. "Jamie!" Her mind was fuzzy.
Jamie appeared in the doorway of the bedroom a few moments later, concern on his face. "I'm here, take it easy, you'll pop the stitching and it will start bleeding again."
She sounded exasperated, "Where have you been?"
He came all the way into the bedroom kneeling against the bed as he held her hand. "I was scrubbing the blood stain out of the couch, my dad comes over here regularly if he catches something that obvious, I will never hear the end of it and his hovering will get even more irritating."
Eddie was breathing purposefully, she tried to cut through the fog. "Something feels heavy, did you finish with me asleep or something?"
Jamie gently squeezed her hand nodding with a calm expression, "You're all set, you've got a sweater on over some pretty layered medical band-aids."
She was clearly disoriented. "I slept through the rest of it?"
Jamie filled her in with a tired smile. He nodded, "The bullet debris in the front was what was causing you pain, it was metal flakes, remember? Once I removed all of that, you passed out."
Eddie nodded but vaguely. "I can't believe you finished patching me up and getting me in bed and dressed and I slept through it."
Jamie exhaled awkwardly. "That was interesting to say the least, especially when I had to patch the back of you. I rolled you on your side, you kept flopping back to your back. I finally just propped you up with a partially folded body pillow, so I could finish, by the time I stitched both sides you were snoring like a log." He looked apologetic now. "I must have stitched too tightly and got a little over cautious with the medical taping, the pressure probably woke you up."
Eddie got carefully out of bed and walked to the mirror lifting up her shirt. Sure enough, two or three medical band-aids were layered on top of each other on both sides. She ran her hand over the front in amazement, it felt funny but wasn't painful at all.
Jamie came up from behind smiling. "Checking my handy work, Mrs. Reagan?"
Eddie reached back with one hand touching his cheek as they smiled into the mirror. "We're not there yet, Jamie."
He shrugged dismissively. "maybe not, but the ceremony is just a formality at this point. Something to make it official."
Eddie smiled in agreement. She noticed the clock in the reflection of the mirror…close to 2:30 am. She had clearly lost track of time. She asked Jamie curiously, "How long have you been finished patching me up?"
Jamie was quiet. "Almost an hour and a half; I wasn't too far from coming to bed when you shouted for me, looked like you jolted awake." He was worried now. "I must've really gone overboard with everything."
Eddie turned around burying her head in Jamie's chest. She whispered quietly, "No, that's not it…I can still hear the shot, I went back there." Jamie hugged her tightly, guiding her back onto the bed where they sat down. Her response was drained, a tired plead. "Do you think that maybe, you could hold me the rest of the night? I don't mean to sound like I can't handle the PTSD, but… "
Jamie shook his head, gently silencing her. "No, I know." Eddie's ringed hand instinctively reached for his free one. She looked hard at him, emotion was welling behind her eyes and in her voice. "I need you."
Jamie suddenly had a redux of four years earlier, and the incident caused by Andy's reckless desire to play street cop. He wasn't an overly sensitive person, even his I love you wasn't overly emphatic. He always kept things to the point or else light and comedic, but when Eddie pleaded for him in this way… If he had a Kryptonite, something that cracked or else destroyed his typically stoic nature, it was those three words and the overwhelmed way she said them when close calls on the job finally caught up with her.
The inflection of those three words as she spoke them made Jamie's deja-vu very real. He responded quietly as he pulled her gently into his chest. "I'm not going anywhere." Just like back then Eddie fell apart sobbing quietly in his arms again, and much the same, they slept in each other's arms, once she finally stopped crying enough to fall asleep again.
A/N: More to come. Hopefully, the length extra length paid off for readers. I was the energizer bunny on this one.