The Big Weekend

It was early Saturday morning, and Frank was on his favorite pier, fishing. He never caught anything, and never thought he would. Rather it was a way to clear his mind of everything that had happened during the week. Today though, he also had another purpose in mind, for his fishing expedition.

After the late night talk with Jamie, Frank had looked up the case on the internet. He agreed with his son that he had no reason to complain about the press in New York, having read what came out of New Orleans. Lurid details were favored, and he wondered how many of the reporters moonlighted for the tabloids. Frank had a good chuckle thinking about how Garrett would deal with the southern reporters.

Henry Talbot's trial coverage had a soap opera quality to it that a TV show would have loved. Frank called a contact down south, to see if he could get an objective opinion of the matter. What his contact had told him was pretty much what he'd remembered, and told Jamie. However, after reading everything he understood Teddy's fears about more press coverage.

Frank was thinking those thoughts when a soft voice with a southern accent said "Commissioner Reagan?" He turned around to see a very beautiful woman looking at him. She had glowing red hair that was casually pulled back in an up pony tail, intense blue eyes, and creamy skin. Frank mentally gave Jamie high marks for good taste as he looked at her.

He noticed that she was dressed for actual fishing, and not just standing around. The woman was wearing a well worn pair of khakis, a navy plaid shirt, and some kind of light weight, waterproof jacket in a camel color. It was cold and windy early in the morning on the pier, in spite of it being summer, but she was prepared for it. She had on some waterproof moccasin type shoes that were also well worn.

"You must be Dr. Talbot. It is nice to meet you!" Frank said, extending his hand. She took it, and he noticed how tall she was. "Please call me Teddy, Commissioner." She said in her soft accent, and Frank remembered his son's reference to honey being poured over warm bread. "Fine Teddy, but then you need to call me Frank!" She smiled, showing her dimple, which enchanted him.

Frank decided to start the conversation out slowly and asked "It looks like you've been fishing before." Teddy laughed and said "No one with my coloring sits out in the sun! I used to hunt when I lived in Louisiana, so I figured the clothes would work for fishing." Frank looked at her with interest and asked "What type of hunting?"

It turned out that she'd been a bird hunter, mostly ducks in the marshes of her home state. They chatted about different birds, and he could tell that she was very accomplished, and a good shot. Frank was impressed that she was willing to sit in a duck blind, and not fuss about the bugs. He showed her how to bait the hook, and cast, which she managed to do after a couple of tries.

"So, you've been seeing my son, Teddy." Frank said, deciding to get on with business. He knew he would have been happy to talk to her all day, between her accent and that dimple when she smiled. He now understood why his son was upset at the thought of losing her. And that wasn't taking into account everything else about her.

Teddy sighed sadly and said "Frank, if I'd known Jamie was your son, I would never have gone out with him! Really!" She was still mentally kicking herself for not finding out who Jamie was. Frank heard the sadness in her voice and asked "Why did you go out with him?" He wanted to hear the story from her point of view.

She looked at him, not understanding what he was asking. Frank smiled and said "You are a beautiful woman, whom I'm sure has any number of very successful men who want to take you out! My son is a police officer." Teddy got a soft look on her face, as she said "Your son is nice, kind, and cute. When I met him he didn't tell me how important he was, or what his bonus last year was, or the kind of thing those successful men tell me!"

"He didn't even tell about Harvard law until I was out with him! It is rare to meet someone who is truly a good person! It's nice because we have the same values too!" Teddy finished, and Frank looked at her with an approving smile. "Frank, I'm not going to ruin his career! That is why I can't see him anymore!" Teddy declared, looking off into the distance.

Frank adjusted his fishing rod and said "I looked at the coverage of your Father's trial, just so you know." Teddy's shoulders sagged, and she hung her head. He went on "Your Father's story was very sad, and the coverage very tawdry. However, I noticed something very important." Teddy looked at him, and waited for him to go on.

"You and your siblings went to court every day during the trial. You sat there hearing things a son or daughter should not have to hear about their Father! I admire you for that, Teddy. I've seen cops do much less than what your Father did, and their families abandon them." Frank told her in a serious tone, and then added "Jamie tells me you've been to see your Father in prison too."

Teddy looked away for a moment, and then said "Emily, Harry, and I, after we got over our anger, felt very bad for our Father. He loved our Mum very much, and he was lonely with all of us out of the house." She added "Our Mum would never have forgiven us if we'd turned our backs on him when he was down."

He smiled at her and said "Your behavior shows me that you are a very loyal person, Teddy! Loyalty is greatly prized in the Reagan family." She looked up at him, and for a minute he wondered if she was going to cry. It came to him that she'd probably not had anyone, besides her family, who'd told her they admired her behavior. Frank saw that she was not only loyal, but strong too.

"Is the only reason you don't want to see Jamie anymore is because you are concerned about the scandal?" He asked her, and Teddy nodded her head. Frank smiled and said "This is not New Orleans, and our journalists do not go in for the kind of reporting they do down south." She was all set to say something, but Frank went on. "Yes, when it gets out that Jamie is seeing you, your Father's name will come up. I won't lie about that, Teddy."

Frank hoped he would phrase this next part right, for Jamie's sake. "His tenure as police chief in New Orleans will be mentioned and the fact that he is serving time in a federal prison. If any details are given, it will be the bare minimum because at the end of the day it is yesterday's news!" Teddy thought about that, and then said "But all the old coverage is out there, for anyone to look up!" He nodded his head, and then said "Teddy, it is tabloid journalism, and most people will see through it. At the end of the day, you are a cop's daughter, and you stood by him. That is what is going to count in Jamie's world!"

He laughed and said "Trust me when I say that we have more than a few cops here in the big apple that are living in glass houses themselves!" Teddy remembered what Jamie had told her, and she smiled at that, knowing it was true. She got serious and said "But what about someone who reads it all, and gets really upset about it?"

"Those people are loose cannons, and you can't do anything about them! Hold you head high, and know that Jamie and I will stand by you!" Frank told her, meaning every word of it. He then said "My last word on this subject is that I hope you will reconsider seeing Jamie. I think you two were meant for each other!"

Teddy thought about that, and looked at the distinguished man standing next to her. He reminded her of her Father, before everything had happened, and her Grandfather Peter. "Thank you for what you've said Frank! I will think about it really hard!" Teddy said in a low voice. Frank decided to change the subject and asked "Maybe you, as a Cajun, can explain the whole crawfish eating thing to me! Do you really rip the heads off, and suck out the inners?" She laughed, and Frank liked how the sound carried out over the water.

They enjoyed a nice chat for another half hour, and when they parted Frank hoped that he would see Teddy at Sunday dinner. She would be a welcome addition to the family! He was also looking forward to his Father's reaction when he met her. Frank finished his fishing with no fish, but in a happy frame of mind. Only later would his remark about loose cannons come back to haunt him.

It was Sunday morning, around 7:00am and Jamie had already worked out and gotten dressed for church. The problem was that Mass was at 10:30am, and he had nothing to do for the next three and a half hours. Teddy had sent him a text message, last night, saying she wanted to talk to him after all of his Sunday activities. Jamie was hopeful that since she was reaching out to him, she had rethought her decision not to see him again.

He'd given a lot of thought to what his Father had said, about her being surprised by finding out who his family was. Jamie saw how he spent so much time waiting for the reference, from whomever, about his Father, that he was hypersensitive. He'd been way too wrapped up in himself to realize that not everyone thought about his family all the time. Jamie, by Friday, really wanted to talk to Teddy and compare their experiences. They were both saddled with their Father's actions, but for different reasons.

Jamie had missed her so much, but had tried to do what his Dad had said, to give her space. When the message had come through Saturday night, he would have raced right over to see her. However, he didn't get off until 9:00pm, and thought it was a little late to show up unannounced! Instead he'd gone to the gym and worked out, and then had come home and fallen asleep. The next morning, at 7:45am, he was jumping out of his skin, without having had any coffee at all. He decided to go see her, knowing she got up early every day.

He was dressed in a well tailored pair of fawn colored trousers, a muted plaid shirt of blues, greens, and creams, and English tasseled loafers. It had been his second year of law school when he'd found out how lacking his wardrobe was. Hamilton Dundon had been a visiting student from Bermuda, via Oxford University. He was black, but from an old colonial family that had been knighted after World War II for their service.

Jamie always enjoyed meeting people, and Hamilton was fascinating and lots of fun. He was gay, but that didn't bother Jamie in the least. Jamie had seen it all, between living in the city, and his family's stories of life on the streets. He showed Hamilton New York, and Hamilton educated him on how a gentleman dresses.

Hamilton spent a year at Harvard, and by the time he left, Jamie knew about good shoes and proper tailoring. They still communicated all the time, Hamilton now being an upcoming player in the Bermudian legal system.

The lobby attendant in Teddy's building recognized him with a smile, liking how the kind Dr. Talbot had such a well mannered gentleman interested in her. This young man never stayed past 11:00pm, or acted stuck up. "Would you like me to buzz her, or is she expecting you?" Before Jamie could answer an older woman wearing too much makeup and jewelry, clutching a small bulging eyed dog came up to the desk. She was upset about something, and Jamie gave the attendant a knowing smile as he headed to the elevator.

Once he got upstairs he knocked on Teddy's door and waited for an answer. He saw the door open barely a crack, and a soft voice said "Can I help you?" Jamie liked how slow her accent was, and he said "Well honey, I hope you'll talk to me!" He heard the intake of breath, and the door close for a minute. He heard some chains moving, and then it opened wider.

Teddy was standing there, in a sapphire blue camisole trimmed with lace, and some shorts that were the same blue and pale pink in a floral print. Her hair was loose and rather curly, falling to below her shoulders. She looked totally adorable, and he suddenly decided that if he had to go be a lawyer to be with her, it would be worth it.

"Jamie, what are you doing here?" Teddy said, puzzled why he was at her door this early in the morning. "Teddy, I've missed you, and you said you wanted to talk to me!" He told her, and hoped that he'd not done the wrong thing by showing up like this.

Teddy had given Frank's comments a lot of thought, and then had talked to her Grandparents, especially her Grandmum. There was nothing like being slapped up the side of the head by a seventy year old woman with a tart Aussie accent. Teddy realized that Jamie and his Dad didn't care about the mess her Father had made. Grandmum had told her to get over herself and make up to her young man, for she'd never find another one like him.

Teddy looked at Jamie standing there, hopeful and worried at the same time. It had been an awful week, knowing that she couldn't see him again. Frank's conversation had helped her, and she'd had the whole conversation planned out, to take place on Sunday evening in a controlled location.

However, having Jamie at her door, looking so handsome, her logical thought processes went out the window. She started to cry as she fell into Jamie's arms, just wanting him to hold her. He felt her warm body against his, as her arms wrapped around his neck. He pulled her against him, as he came into the room, closing the door behind him.

Teddy felt herself being lifted up, and then they were on the sofa, and she was sitting in Jamie's lap. He was kissing her deep and hard, while their tongues dueled with a hungry intensity. Her hands were ruffling his hair, while his were slowly moving up and down her back, enjoying the response he was getting.

They broke to take a breath, and Jamie asked her "Does this mean you have reconsidered going out with me?" Teddy was breathing hard, and said "Yes, I have reconsidered, and I don't want to lose you Jamie!" He smiled and asked "What caused this change of heart?" She giggled as she nuzzled against his neck. "I went fishing with your Father yesterday! And then my Grandmum slapped me up the side of my head!"

Jamie was enjoying her nuzzling against his neck, feeling her eyelashes and soft breath on his skin. It was affecting him on a deep, primal level, and he knew that he wanted her with an intensity he'd never felt before. Sydney had never touched him at the level that Teddy was, and he suddenly understood what love really was.

"You and my Dad went fishing? I'm quite impressed Teddy, hardly anyone gets invited to that!" Jamie was awestruck that his Father had reached out to Teddy like he had. He knew that his Dad must have decided that Teddy was special enough for the honor. Jamie was thrilled that his Dad had done it, and that Teddy had understood the significance of it.

Jamie played with her hair and said "My Father is a good judge of character, and it sounds like your, what did you call her?" Teddy had her arms around Jamie's neck and she raised her head saying "Grandmum! It is rather British, but she is from Australia. I always called my Mother Mum, for the same reason!" Jamie smiled and said "I think your Grandmum is an awesome person, and I want to meet her!"

"Oh, she so wants to meet you too! As does my Grandfather!" Teddy told him with a smile. Then she got serious and said "My Father and I write each other all time." She left it hanging out there and Jamie asked "What does he think?" Teddy looked him in the eye as she said "He thinks that a son of Frank Reagan must be a good man, and that I need to give you a chance." Jamie thought about that, and then Teddy said "At some point, he'd like to meet you!"

Jamie smiled at her, liking how worried she looked as she said it. "Honey, I will go with you to visit your Dad! I want to meet him because he is your Father, and I understand that he was a good cop!" By now Teddy was overcome with emotion, and moved closer against him in happiness. She was amazed that everything was working out so well.

He was enjoying having her on his lap, those deep emotions hitting his body. Jamie started putting light kisses just below her ear, and moving down to her neck. He loved the way she smelled, and started licking a spot before he lightly kissed it. Teddy arched her neck to give him more space, and at some point he realized that she'd been asleep before he'd woke her up.

Jamie started thinking about how wonderful it would be to wake up with her in the morning, knowing if he put his hands under her camisole what reaction he would get. Teddy was moving against him in the way that a woman moved against a man she loved and trusted. He realized that she was very innocent, and he needed to honor that.

Teddy heard Jamie groan as he pulled back, and for some reason it thrilled her core even more than what they'd been doing. "Teddy, if I'm going to keep to my good intentions, you need to get out of my lap and get dressed! She looked at him, breathing hard with narrowed eyes, and she realized what she was wearing!

She jumped up, blushing a deep red as she did so. Jamie saw it and laughed "Honey, don't be embarrassed, I think it is wonderful! However, I think we need to table it until another time! Would you like to go to Mass with my family, and then come to Sunday dinner?" Teddy looked at him, suddenly enjoying how he was looking at her, with desire.

"Yes, I think going to Mass is a very good idea, Jamie Reagan!" Teddy announced in a firm tone as she tossed her hair. Jamie thought he was the luckiest man in the world as he looked at her. "The coffee pot is set up, so help yourself. What time do we have to leave?" She asked Jamie. He told her, and Teddy tossed her flame colored curls again before she left the room.

He got some coffee, and remembered seeing the New York Times outside the door. Jamie brought it in, and sat down at a beautiful round table in the dining room. He was on his second cup of coffee and almost done with the paper when Teddy came into the room. Jamie looked at her and got a big smile on his face. His Grandfather was going to be over the moon with Teddy.