If you're reading this, then I have managed to upload the correct chapter today. ;)

I would recommend checking out chapter 9 again just to make sure you read the correct one yesterday.

Chapter 10

Jamie yawned into his hand for what must have been the hundredth time into the second hour of their midnight tour which not escape Vinny's attention. Not only had his partner been a little edgy and tired the past week, but he knew all was not well in Reagan-land when Jamie offered him a chance to drive without a second thought for the third consecutive tour.

"You sure you're okay?" Vinny asked with a quick glance to the passenger's seat.

"Don't start, Vin," Jamie warned as he straightened up in his chair. "I'm fine. Just tired."

Vinny knew his partner well enough see that he was lying but he was never good at backing off and letting things just be. "Eddie back from Long Island yet?" he prodded, pretty certain that whatever troubled his partner involved his recently injured girlfriend.

"No. Don't think so," Jamie replied while scanning the street.

Vinny shot Jamie a quick look of disbelief before refocusing on traffic. Those two were tighter than any couple he knew and if all was well, there was no way Jamie didn't know if Eddie was back. "You don't think so?" he asked for clarification.

"She's away with her mom, Vinny," Jamie sighed. Vinny missed the roll of his eyes in the darkened interior of the RMP. "She needed a break. She didn't say when she'd be back." I also haven't asked because I haven't spoken to her, he admitted to himself.

"I get that," Vinny said, understanding Eddie's need to get away, but not Jamie's claim of ignorance as to when she would return. "When's the last time you talked to her?" he asked.

Jamie pinned him with a glare that immediately had Vinny backing off. "Okay. Okay...none of my beeswax. Sorry," Vinny apologized and surrendered to the prospect of yet another long and quiet tour with his grumpy partner.

Jamie's cellphone rang from where it sat in a cup holder a moment later and the device lit up the inside of the car as Danny's name and number popped up on the screen. If not for the very late hour, Jamie would have let the call go to voicemail. Calls made in the middle of the night were never good, even when both the caller and recipient were on the clock. Jamie swiped the answer button and brought the phone up to his ear, praying he wouldn't be getting more bad news. "Yeah?" he answered.

"We got him, kid!" Danny's voice boomed through the line.

Even Vinny was able to make out the words and sent his partner a questioning look.

Jamie knew who 'him' was, but still felt the need to ask for confirmation. "Who, Danny?"

"Who? Who do you think, kid? Kendrick. We got him!" Danny confirmed excitedly.

"Where?" Jamie asked as he met Vinny's eyes.

"He was spotted in the basement of an apartment building in Harlem. We've had some plain clothes sitting on his location since earlier tonight. We were able to confirm it was him and sent S.W.A.T. in," Danny relayed.

Jamie could tell that Danny was still riding the adrenaline high from the takedown. He released a sigh of relief; it would be nice knowing they wouldn't be on pins and needles wondering if and when Kendrick would strike again. "Everyone okay?"

"Everyone's fine, but Kendrick took multiple shots. He's on his way to the hospital, but he's likely, Jamie. Whatever happens, he'll get what he deserves. I thought you should know so you could pass word on to Eddie. He's not going to hurt anyone else."

"Yeah," Jamie sighed. He didn't know what else to say.

"Jamie? You there?" Danny asked.

"Yeah."

"You alright?"

"I'm fine. I'll pass word along. Thanks, Danny," Jamie said and ended the call, staring down as the phone switched back to its home screen which was a photo of him and Eddie taken a few months back while they'd been out to dinner with Vinny and Carli after a shared bottle of wine, looking utterly relaxed and happy.

"What happened?" Vinny asked from the driver's seat.

Jamie shook his head, ridding himself of the fog that had surrounded him during the call. "Uh, they got him...Kendrick. He was shot in the takedown. He may not make it," Jamie answered.

"Thank God for that! I hope he burns in hell," Vinny exclaimed. "Eddie will be relieved to hear that."

"Yeah. She will," Jamie confirmed as he turned to stare out the window.

Jamie stumbled out of his bedroom, still groggy from a restless sleep after a long tour made even longer by the news Danny had delivered overnight. The department would be spared any more pain inflicted by Kendrick, but instead of seeing this as an end to a nightmare, the new pessimist in him just left him wondering about the other unknown dangers lurked around the corner. It was irrational, but he had one goal now and that was self-preservation.

Jamie was shuffling toward the kitchen when movement from the couch startled him, causing him to stumble back into a dining room chair. "Jesus!" he exclaimed as a hand shot up to his chest. His heart hammered away even after he identified his visitor.

Eddie stood from the couch and crossed her arms across her chest, turning to face him. Part of her was pleased about the fright she caused him...serves him right.

"Eddie. What are you doing here?" Jamie asked. He remained there and reached back to brace himself against the chair he fell into.

"This seemed to be the only way I'd get you to talk to me," she asserted. She'd been gone for four days and had not spoken to him once during that time, but not for lack of trying on her part. Even with how he'd been acting before she left and the argument they'd had after the funeral, Eddie was determined to get through to him. She wanted nothing more than to fix this, to be there for him just like he had for her the year before, the way he was always there for her since the day they first met.

"When did you get back?" Jamie asked ignoring what she was really alluding to.

"Yesterday," Eddie answered while she came around to the other side of the sofa closer to where he stood. She studied him, noting that he looked about as tired as she felt.

"How was Long Island?" Jamie continued with the small talk.

Eddie decided to play his game for a bit. "Peachy," she answered with a forced smile.

Jamie evaded Eddie's knowing eyes, landing on her left arm. "Where's your sling?" he questioned.

"I don't have to wear it anymore. Saw the doc this morning. He's clearing me for desk duty as of Monday. I'll be stuck at the precinct until I finish PT," Eddie replied. Her eyes bore into his despite their attempts to roam around the room.

Jamie pressed his lips into a tight smile. "That's good news," he said.

"Yeah, it is," she sighed. Eddie quickly decided she didn't have the patience for games. "You would have known that if you would have taken my calls," she said.

"I've been working nights," Jamie replied.

"That never kept you from calling me before...even a text would have been great," Eddie shot back.

"I'm sorry, Eddie. I've just been busy," Jamie said lamely.

"I don't think that's the truth," she accused.

"Eddie -"

"Jamie, I know the shooting brought up a lot of memories for you -" Eddie started to say.

"Don't," Jamie interjected with a shake of his head.

"But I'm here. I'm okay," Eddie declared. "I need you to see that."

"I don't want to talk about this," Jamie responded and stepped away into the kitchen.

Eddie didn't plan to let him walk away so easily. She had to fix this. "Jamie, I can't imagine what losing Sydney was like -"

Jamie spun arround, his expression angry, one he had never directed at Eddie. "You have no right to bring her up," he hissed.

Eddie was stunned by his response, but she would not back down today. "I think I do. I love you and if you can't talk to me about this, Jamie, then I'm not sure what we're doing." Eddie remained frozen, trying her hardest to read the man that up until a few weeks ago had practically been an open book...well, all except for that one chapter about his late wife.

Jamie leaned forward, gripping the edge of the countertop. His eyes were still averted and studying some point on the white linoleum floor. "You're right," he said.

Eddie was surprised. She thought this was going to be a lot harder and was flooded with relief. "Good," she said as she took a few tentative steps toward him.

"No," Jamie shook his head, "I mean...us, I...this was a mistake," he said sadly.

"What?" Eddie gasped. Surely she must have heard wrong, but tears still sprung to her eyes.

Jamie took a deep breath and finally forced himself to meet her eyes. "I don't think we should see each other anymore. It's not going to work."

"Jamie, you can't be serious," Eddie said as her stomach dropped.

"I've been thinking about this a lot since everything happened," Jamie explained.

Hurt battled anger as Eddie responded. "It's nice that you've been thinking about it because all it seemed to me like you were doing was avoiding it all. You still are. Why can't you talk to me?"

"I'm talking now. This isn't going to work," Jamie said.

"So, what? You're just going to keep running?" Eddie asked with an edge to her voice as tears broke free and ran down her face. "What's your plan? To keep pushing people away because you might get hurt again? I didn't die out there on that street in Brooklyn, Tracy did. I'm right here, Jamie," she shouted, desperate to make him understand.

"This time," he replied.

"What?" Eddie uttered in confusion, continuing when it seemed that Jamie had shut down right before her very eyes. "Jamie, just slow down. Let's talk about this," she urged calmly.

"I can't do this, Eddie. I'm sorry," he said, his jaw clenching shut at the pain he was causing her.

Eddie took big heaving breaths and she angrily swiped at the stupid tears; she wasn't going to start sobbing in front of him. Part of her was too proud to let him or anyone see that. "Yeah...so am I," she said when she was able to speak around the lump in her throat. "I wish I never would have met you, Reagan. Would have saved us both a lot of grief, apparently," she whispered and grabbed her bag from the couch on her way out of the apartment.

Jamie flinched when the door slammed shut behind her, closing his eyes as he released a shuddering breath. What the hell did I just do?

But he couldn't make himself go after her.