Chapter 7
For the first time since he had been home from the hospital, Jamie was able to sleep soundly through the night in his bed. When he awoke on Sunday morning he felt almost refreshed. Almost, that was until he remembered the circumstances he was facing. That continued to leave a bad taste behind. Still it was a huge improvement to feel even a little bit better; perhaps things had finally turned the corner with his health. He prayed that would continue and that the news from his upcoming cardio appointment would be good. He was determined to do his best between now and then to make it so.
As he made his way downstairs, he noted that his father's briefcase was missing from its usual perch near the front door. Frowning, he walked into the kitchen to find his grandfather alone again. Frank never missed Sunday Mass if it could be helped unless the city was under siege. "Where's dad?" he asked.
"Went back into the office early this morning." Henry replied. "Something big must be up, you know your father. He did say he would meet us at the church for services though." He turned to look at his grandson, "Don't tell me you actually slept through the night upstairs? Feeling okay?"
"Yeah, better today I think," Jamie said. "Definitely less coughing for a change. Felt good to actually sleep in my bed."
"I still wish you would reconsider going back to your place tonight," Henry frowned. "Why not give it another week? I hate to think of you alone over there. You know I'm an old man and worrying is what I do best."
"I know Gramps, and I'm sorry," Jamie said sincerely. "I appreciate all that you've done for me. I just feel like I need to get some part of my life back. I hate being so dependent on other people."
"That's what family is for Jamie, to see you through the hard times," Henry said. "One day soon I will be in those shoes myself. Hell, it's already to the point where I don't drive anymore. Another few years..."
"Don't go there Grandpa, please!" Jamie knew his grandfather's health wasn't the best anymore; the heart attack he suffered a few Thanksgivings ago had undeniably highlighted that, but it was too much to think about now. Jamie just couldn't bear the thought of losing another family member he loved so dearly.
"Now don't you worry about me, son," Henry said, sensing Jamie's alarm. "I'm too stubborn to go anywhere anytime soon." He smiled and added, "Besides I've been waiting long enough to see you with that pretty girl of yours. Eddie's a good woman, Jamie. She's the one for you. Don't you make her wait too much longer. You two were meant to be together, just like my Betty and I. Now I don't agree with you leaving the force, but I understand why you are considering it."
"Yes sir," Jamie shrugged. It was still difficult to talk about without a lump forming in his throat, especially to the man who had always been a larger-than-life hero to him. He continued, choked with emotion, "I do love her, Grandpa. More than anything. I... I still see myself as a cop, but if being a lawyer is what I need to do to make the right life for her, well that's what I have to do."
His grandfather looked at him, well aware of the irony of that statement. Sydney had broken the engagement and left because she could not handle Jamie being a cop instead of a lawyer. Now here he was, ready to give that up and go back to law for Eddie when was she happy to support him on the job. "You're a good man, Jamie," Henry reached over and gave him a squeeze on the shoulder. "Never doubt yourself for a second. Now how about we eat and get ready for church. A little birdie told me you're allowed to drive again and your car could use a spin around the block. With your father gone already this old man needs a ride."
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For Jamie, this was the first Sunday service he had been able to attend since he had fallen ill in June. It brought back just a little bit more normalcy in his life, which felt like a great blessing. He had always been the most spiritual of all the Reagan siblings, and he spent the hour sitting next to his family; contemplating the events of the past two months and seeking guidance for the decisions he knew he needed to make. He wasn't naive though, to the looks and whispers from the people around him. Even Father McMurray could not hide his shock at the young Reagan's frail appearance as they shook hands outside of the church.
"Jamie," he said as he took his hand, "so good to see you looking so... It's so good to see you here today."
"Thanks Father," Jamie replied. "It's good to be back," he said politely and then gritted his teeth a little as he slowly walked down the rest of the steps, carefully holding the railing to be sure not to fall. So many weeks of struggling in physical therapy had still left him a little paranoid about stairs. Danny was waiting for him at the bottom.
"You okay, kid?" he asked worriedly.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Thanks, Danny." At this point Jamie figured it was just easier to indulge his older brother than to put him off, even though the constant hovering was starting to grate on his last nerve.
"You look tired," his older brother observed. "You want me to drive you home? I can't believe Gramps had you bring your car. Linda can take..."
"Danny," Jamie said a little more firmly as he began to make his way to the parking lot. "I'm fine. The doc cleared me to drive and Dad's house is only four blocks away. I can handle it. Okay?"
"Yeah, alright," Danny said without any conviction as he walked along aside, ready to steady his younger brother if needed. "If you're sure. I guess we'll see you in a little bit for dinner. Linda wants to go pick up a few things at the store before we come over."
"Sounds great," Jamie sighed as unlocked the driver's door on his Mustang and looked up to see Henry hurriedly making his way towards them. "Besides I have Gramps with me. It's not like he's going to let me go off for a joyride through the city just yet," he said as he turned to see his father's SUV idling at the corner. "Plus it looks like the batmobile will be escorting us anyway."
"Okay, good. That's good," Danny breathed as he watched Jamie climb behind the wheel. He was not at all confident that his brother was ready to be out on his own just yet, and despite what Linda had told him; he planned to make it a main topic of conversation around the dining room table that afternoon.
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Jamie and Henry drove back home without incident, pulling into the garage just as Frank's car arrived at the front of the house and he dismissed his detail. They all walked into the back door together. Henry set about putting the roast in the oven while Frank made his way into the den, which he used as his home office. Jamie puttered around helping in the kitchen, taking his medicine and straightening up for a few minutes before popping into the doorway to see what his father was up to.
"Hey, Dad," he said as he shoved his hands into his pockets and leaned up against the frame. "What's been up with you working so much this weekend? Something going on?"
"Jamie, come in and have a seat," Frank replied, seeming a bit distracted. "Close the door. I wanted to have a few minutes alone with you before the others get here anyway."
"Okay," his youngest replied, doing as he was told and slowly sinking into the nearest leather chair. No matter how old he was he didn't think he would ever get over the nervous feeling of sitting in front of his father's desk when he had that tone in his voice. It was a hundred times worse than being called into any principal's office. "You gonna tell me I'm still too sick to even think about driving on my own or moving back to my apartment? Because Grandpa and Danny already covered that pretty thoroughly this morning."
Frank looked up and smiled. "No, son," he said gently. "I wish you would stay a bit longer but I know you are getting tired of the hovering and are maybe wanting a little bit more privacy than we can offer around here." He paused, and then added, "That doesn't mean I'm not worried about you, but I can understand your feelings."
Jamie nodded, reading his father's eyes. "There's something else then," he prodded. "Something about those numbers in the budget proposal."
Frank gave him a tight-lipped smile. Jamie had always been perceptive, even as a small child. Back then, as a major case detective he had always tried to leave his work behind at the precinct, but his youngest would never failed to pop up in this very office with his infectious smile whenever he had a tough case. Times, it seemed, had not changed. "Yes, although yesterday when I first started to consider this I had absolutely no idea that it would lead back to the issues I was having with the spending proposal," he said.
"What is it, Dad?" Jamie asked quizzically.
"Son, I know what you said about leaving the force to go back to law," Frank started. "I respect your feelings about that, but I just felt like I needed to see if there was some way we could work something out so that you didn't have to make the decision to leave the NYPD right away; not until you knew for sure whether you had to or not."
"Dad, I appreciate what you are saying, but I can't just wait around until December or longer to see what happens. I have bills coming in and..." Jamie blinked hard as he thought about the right words to use, "and I have to have a reason to get up everyday and push myself to get better. I have to move on. The longer I dwell on this the harder it will be."
"I know that, Jamie," Frank said softly, "but the more I thought about it... about you and the unique skillset you would offer any other employer... the more I realized that every other company or law firm would pull out all the stakes to keep you on board. How can I run the best police department in the country if I am willing to allow someone with your talents to just walk out the door?"
"What are you talking about, Dad?" Jamie puzzled. "I've seen the guidelines. I can't even work the desk or answer the phone at the precinct for more than four months. What else can I do?"
"You said you would be willing to work as a legal consultant until the right offer came in," Frank explained, pushing a paper across the desk for Jamie to see. "The NYPD Legal Bureau has an open position for a temporary consultant starting September first through the end of December. You would be listed as a private contractor so you don't have to adhere to the departmental health guidelines."
Several seconds of pure silence went by before there was a response. "Oh, for real?" Jamie asked as his gaze sharpened. He picked up the paper and scanned it, a little surprised at the money that was being offered, and not at all expecting his father was serious. He was astounded by what Frank had just said. "But Dad, I couldn't even get a regular promotion before because people would think I was pulling in my hook with you. Now you want to blatantly hand me a job?" His hand went to his forehead and then dragged over his face as he silently wondered if he was hearing things because he was too tired or had accidentally overdone it with the new medication he just took.
"Jamie," Frank continued, "Someone with your resume, a decorated cop, a top Harvard Law graduate... anyone would be crazy not to hire you for a position like this. And yes," he added, "for once I was prepared to say to hell with perceptions and put you first beyond that. You deserve it, son. You have for a long time."
"You were prepared," Jamie said, backtracking and latching onto those words. Suddenly he was mentally tying up some of the loose ends in the scenario his father was presenting. "But now..."
"And now I am asking you to do it for another reason," his father admitted. "I'll completely understand if you say no, but I need you..."
"You need me to go in there and somehow find out where the money from the legal and disability departments is hemorrhaging from," Jamie finished as he met his father's eyes with an intense stare. He shifted back in his seat as he contemplated what was being requested of him. Another undercover operation, something he swore he would not be interested in after the fiasco with the Sanfino family. The responsibility he felt for other's lives was just too great, and it was hard for him to only see the bad in people. Yet this time he was being asked to help stop other cops from being hurt financially or taken advantage of. He didn't think he could live with himself if he said no to the assignment.
Frank could see that his son was conflicted. In all truth, he honestly wondered to himself what he was doing soliciting this from Jamie. Corruption of this magnitude had surely drawn in some desperate conspirators and he was asking his son, the one that was just barely recovered from near death, the one he had promised Mary to protect not so long ago... he was asking him step into possible danger again on behalf of the NYPD in much the same manner that Joe had walked into the Blue Templar investigation which led to his death. "Jamie, I would never even consider this if I thought there was anyone else who could handle the job. You know that, right?"
"Yeah," Jamie responded, still a bit numb. On one hand he was immensely proud that his father had such faith in him, yet on the other hand he was still terrified of the consequences and he had someone else to consider this time. He wondered what Eddie would think. "Something like this hits close to home, now doesn't it?" he admitted. "Injured cops getting shafted. Can't really say no, can I?"
"Yes, Jamie," Frank quickly answered. "You can absolutely say no and this conversation never happened. Right here and now. I will find another way." He stood up and placed his hands on the desk for emphasis. "I mean it, son. There is no shame in walking away from this. We all know too damn well what the costs can be. Especially you."
There was a long silence while they both considered the gravity of those words. An empty presence emphasized that point succinctly at every single family gathering. "Well," Jamie said finally with a bit of the sideways smile he always used to diffuse tension, "at least I wouldn't have to remember to call myself Jimmy Riordan this time, would I?"
Frank stifled a small laugh. "No, as far as undercover goes you wouldn't need too much prep work on your alias." He sat back down in his chair. "How do you want to handle this?"
"Let me think about it this afternoon," Jamie said. "If I decide to go ahead, I want to bring the rest of the family in on it after dinner... I'll need Danny and Erin and I have to let Eddie know what's going on. I wouldn't really be able to use any other NYPD resources for backup without risking the whole thing, and I'm for sure as hell not going in with IAB."
Frank pursed his lips and nodded. "If you do decide to tell them, we'll need to get the kids out of the house before you say anything to your brother."
Jamie knew he wasn't kidding. "Given the fact he was ready to carry me to the car and drive me back home this morning after church, I think you're probably right about that, Dad," he said honestly, taking in a deep breath. Even with his father on board, facing Danny was probably the scariest part of the whole plan at this point.
Next up one of my favorite chapters from the whole story. ;-)