AUTHOR'S NOTE: I'm so sorry I've been taking so long to update. I just try to make these chapters the best quality I can, and sometimes that takes a lot of time. And sometimes, as you guys know, life gets in the way and I don't have time to write and bang out a chapter quickly. Anyway, this one isn't super long, but it's eventful, and the end was inspired by a dream I had. I hope you enjoy it. Don't forget to visit my writing blog: . . You can discuss anything you want with me there, especially the latest Blue Bloods episodes!

Chapter Eleven

Eddie

Going back to her apartment was far more difficult than Eddie had ever imagined. Jamie, of course, had to clear the apartment first, just in case Brian or somebody he had enlisted had come back, but Eddie found that even once the apartment was cleared, she didn't want to go in.

Jamie was understanding as always, and he coaxed her inside by reminding her gently that she was more at risk out in the hallway than she would be inside her locked apartment. Too exhausted from climbing the stairs to argue, she stayed close to Jamie, who gingerly put his arm around her. She leaned into him as he locked her apartment door behind them, punching in the default alarm code that TARU had set up, a temporary one until Eddie could choose another herself.

Exhausted, Eddie fell onto the couch immediately and wolfed down the rest of her burger, chasing it with Dr. Pepper and her pain medication. Jamie eyed her with worry written all over his face, and she avoided his gaze. She couldn't help but think about how he had found her on the very couch she was sitting on, drenched in blood, raped and nearly beaten to death. It made her sick to think about, and she was glad she didn't remember all of it, even though what she did remember was bad enough. She also felt badly that Jamie did remember, and that he would probably be haunted by it for a long time, despite the outcome.

"You do know you don't have to stay here with me, right?" Eddie asked. Truthfully, though, the last thing she wanted – or needed – was for him to leave. The thought struck fear in her, and that in itself scared her. She knew she shouldn't need him, her work partner, for consolation or to feel safe, and she tried to convince herself that it was because it was him who found her, who got her to the hospital, saved her life, and stayed by her side through it all.

Jamie shot her a 'who do you think you're fooling?' look and an amused smile. "Eddie, come on. I'm not going anywhere, and you know it. I still have a week of vacation time left, anyway."

Eddie nodded, pursing her lips. "I just don't want to put you out anymore than I already have." She had taught herself to not need anybody for anything, and now it bothered her that she had come to depend on Jamie so much. "And I don't like that you're blowing through all your vacation time because Brian decided to try to kill me that night. It's not fair to you." Her response sounded blunt even to her own ears, but it was the reality. Brian had tried to kill her, plain and simple, and there was no way to sugarcoat it to make it sound any better.

"Honestly, Eddie," Jamie began, plopping down on the arm of the couch, "there's nothing I would rather blow through my vacation time for. You're my partner and one of my best friends, and I'll always be here for you."

Eddie's blue eyes filled with tears at Jamie's words, and she felt Jamie's cool fingers on her back through her thin t-shirt. She wanted to utter a "thank you" but she couldn't find her voice. It was like everything that had happened was hitting her out of nowhere, and Jamie's words had just facilitated it.

A lot of men – ones she'd dated, even – said they weren't good or didn't know how to deal with crying women. Jamie definitely was not one of those men, no matter what he said. He always knew exactly what to say or do when she cried, and it was one of the things she loved about him, though she would never admit it for anything.

Eddie swiped the tears from her face and the ones out of her eyes before they could fall, and when she looked at Jamie, he was smiling a little, his hand still resting on her back. "You okay?" he asked her, and she could still feel his cool fingers on her skin.

She nodded, and when she spoke, her voice was shaky. "I'm fine. Just had a moment. Sorry," she said apologetically, although she didn't feel embarrassed like she would if she had cried around other men. She had been so embarrassed when she'd cried around Renzulli, but it wasn't that way with Jamie at all.

Eddie could have sworn she heard Jamie chuckle, as if her apologizing for crying was absurd. "Eddie, you don't have to apologize. You've been through a lot. You have every right to cry, and you can cry to me anytime you want."

Eddie smiled, nodding. "Thank you. Not just for this... For everything."

Jamie smiled back, giving Eddie's shoulder a slight squeeze. "You're welcome, partner."

Even though Eddie was smiling a little now, tears continued to fall anyway, and Jamie continued to sit by her silently with his hand still resting on her back. After a few more minutes, Eddie swiped the tears from her cheeks and sat back against the couch, trying to take everything in. Of course, all the blood had been wiped from the floor, but the couch was still stained, and Eddie found herself looking at the rust-colored smear no matter how much she tried to ignore it. She covered it quickly with her leg, trying hard to resist the pull to stare at it.

Probably only trying to break the silence and get Eddie's mind off everything as much as possible, Jamie said, "Don't be mad but I looked at your phone while you were asleep to make sure Brian hadn't texted you and there was a message from that psychiatrist or counselor or whoever. Doctor...?" he trailed off, obviously spacing on the doctor's name.

Irritated about the "invasion of privacy" thing, Eddie shot him a sideways glare. "Dr. Ackerman," she said, remembering that Dr. Ackerman had no idea that she had been in the hospital and was probably mad that Eddie hadn't showed. "Shit. I'll call her later."

"Language, Janko. Jesus," Jamie said with a smile and a wink that melted her completely and made her feel a little lightheaded. Or maybe that was the pain medicine. Either way, she needed a nap, and Jamie seemed to read her mind. "Are you tired?"

Eddie nodded. "I think I want to take a quick nap." But I don't want to be alone, she wanted to add but couldn't bring herself to.

Luckily, she didn't have to. "Do you want me to stay with you? If not I'll just stay out here."

Eddie smiled, relieved. "Can you stay with me?" she asked, her voice quiet, her cheeks flaming as she looked down at her hands.

Jamie said nothing and instead answered by pulling her up from the couch by her good wrist, once again holding her steady as she wobbled on her feet. Slowly, Eddie walked down the hall to her bedroom with Jamie close behind her. And that's when she saw it.

On her bed was the folder that had been missing last time her and Jamie had been here, the folder that contained all of the records of text messages and phone calls from Brian over the course of the last month or so.

"What is that?" Jamie asked, even though Eddie was sure he had an inkling. "Is that...?"

Eddie nodded, feeling like she'd been kicked in the gut. "Yeah. The records." The realization hit them both like a ton of bricks. "He's been here. Somebody has been here," Eddie said, her voice tight with fear. Carefully, she picked the folder up, handling it like it was a bomb.

Jamie walked up directly behind her and she felt his hand on the small of her back, his fingers absentmindedly running over her skin through her t-shirt as he looked over her shoulder. "Is it all there?"

Eddie opened the folder and looked through it, grateful that she had numbered all the pages, and noticed immediately that page nine, a letter from Brian that was waiting for her one night when she got home from work, was missing. "No. There's one page missing." Then, it hit her, and anger ripped through her. "The only page where his letters passed creepy and went straight to threatening. He threatened to beat me to death and throw my body into the Hudson." She swallowed hard, a lump forming in her throat. A chill rocked through her, and she felt like she may pass out.

Eddie wobbled on her feet again and her knees gave out. Jamie called out her name, his voice full of panic, and caught her, cradling her against his side until he could lower her to the bed, dropping to his own knees in front of her. "Eddie, I need you to breathe. It's okay," Jamie soothed, rubbing his hands up and down her arms. "Everything will be okay. We can worry about this when you wake up."

Too tired, terrified, and lightheaded to argue, Eddie kicked off her shoes and slid under the covers, which were already pulled back. Jamie pulled the covers over her and just for a minute, his hand rested on Eddie's cheek, his fingers leaving her skin tingling. "I'll be right here, okay? It's gonna be okay. I'm not going anywhere," he reassured her, and all she could do was smile and nod in response, too tired to really say what she felt.

Finally, as Eddie fell asleep, a slurred "Thank you" slipped from her lips, and she was out.

Jamie

Jamie watched Eddie sleep for half an hour, making sure she stayed asleep before he quickly ran to get his cell phone from the living room, returning to the room to find Eddie still sound asleep. He immediately texted Danny to tell him about the sudden reappearance of the missing records and the missing letter, and his phone quickly vibrated with phone call. It was Danny.

Silencing the ringer quickly so as not to wake Eddie, Jamie slipped out into the hall and answered. "Hello?"

Jamie could hear Danny breathing heavy in the background, and when he spoke, his voice was riddled with anxiety. "How the hell did he get in?"

"It must have happened before TARU installed everything and before the security was downstairs," Jamie concluded, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Either way, Eddie is terrified, and I don't know how to make her feel better."

Danny sighed deeply. "What did the missing letter say? Did Eddie tell you?"

"Yeah, apparently Brian said in the letter that he would 'beat Eddie to death and dump her in the Hudson'." The words sent chills down Jamie's spine. "Danny, he nearly did beat her to death, and we're constantly one step behind him. I truly don't know how much more Eddie can take before she loses it completely."

"Eddie's strong, kid. She'll make it," Danny assured him, and deep down, Jamie knew he was right. Eddie was one of the strongest people he knew, and most people would have broken down long ago. But he also knew that even before Eddie was nearly killed by Brian, she had dealt with him and his minions stalking her for weeks, and all of it together was starting to bring her down.

"I just hate it, Danny," Jamie said, shaking his head. "She hardly sleeps and when she does, she has nightmares. She's scared and jumpy all the time now. He didn't kill her, but he's taken her life still. She's not the same." The more Jamie thought about it, the more furious he got, and he knew he needed to end the conversation. "Anyway, Eddie is finally asleep, so I probably need to go before she wakes up and panics."

"Baez and I will be by in a few hours to pick up those records," Danny informed him, and Jamie could once again hear phones ringing in the background. "Dal still isn't cracking. We're still trying, though. And hey, if you or Janko need anything, please let Linda or I know. We're here for you."

Jamie smiled and thanked Danny before pressing the END button. He stuck his cell phone in his pocket before returning to Eddie's room, thinking he would find her sleeping soundly. But that wasn't what he found at all. She was tossing and turning, bunching the comforter up in her hands and whipping her head from side to side, obviously in the midst of some horrible nightmare. In that moment, as Jamie ran to comfort her, he wished Brian dead for what he had done to Eddie.

Jamie quickly took a seat on the edge of Eddie's bed and put both hands on her shoulders in an attempt to still her, but it backfired and she only thrashed worse. He called out her name. Once. Twice. Three times. Finally, his voice penetrated the nightmarish bubble she was apparently in, and she opened her eyes. Her face was full of panic and confusion, but when her eyes focused on him, the tension in her body seemed to drop away and she melted into his hands.

"Jamie?" Eddie asked, her voice raspy and full of an emotion he couldn't quite identify.

Jamie put one hand to the side of her beautiful face and smoothed the hair back from her forehead. "Yeah, it's me. You're okay. I think you just had a nightmare."

Eddie nodded, and tears formed in her eyes. "It was so real," she cried, shaking her head as tears spilled from her eyes and down her cheeks. "Will this ever stop? Will I ever be able to sleep again without constantly having nightmares?" There was undoubtedly anger in her voice, but her face was full of pure heartbreak.

"I don't know, sweetheart," Jamie said, surprised as the term of endearment, which he had never used, slipped from his lips. "I hope so. But no matter what, I'll be here for you every step of the way. You won't be alone."

Eddie smiled a little, but the smile was broken, and that in turn broke Jamie's heart. Quickly and thinking about it, he pulled Eddie off the bed and to his chest, and her arms wrapped around him tight as she buried her face in his shoulder. He gently rubbed her back and let her cry until her cries were nothing but hiccups and sniffles, and then nothing at all.

Eddie slowly pulled back and swiped the tears from her face with the back of her good hand. Jamie pushed strands of hair back that had stuck to her face from the tears, and Eddie leaned into his hand. "Do you think you can go back to sleep?" he asked her, his hand still resting on her face, his fingers subconsciously stroking her skin.

Eddie shrugged, her face leaned into his palm. "I can try." She looked down for a minute and then looked back up at Jamie with tired, bloodshot, haunted eyes. "Will you stay?"

Jamie smiled gently, nodding. "Of course. I'll be right here, I promise."

Eddie nodded and turned over on her right side, her back to Jamie. Jamie stayed where he was and put his hand on Eddie's back, rubbing it gently so as not to hurt the wounds on her back.

Jamie stayed directly next to her until her breathing evened out and her eyes slipped closed before he took a seat in the corner of the room. He promised Eddie he would stay by her side, and that's exactly what he did.

Eddie

Three Hours Later

When Eddie awoke, Jamie was sitting in the chair in the corner of her bedroom, sound asleep, hands clasped in his lap, head lolled back. Eddie smiled at the sight and stood up, but her smile quickly disappeared when pain shot through her legs and back. She yelped, and Jamie awoke immediately and was by her side.

"Eddie, what's wrong?" he asked her, looking over her for any additional injuries.

Eddie shook her head, waving him off. "I think I just need my pain medicine. My legs and arms hurt."

Jamie nodded, his face pinched in concern. "Okay. I'll go get it."

Eddie shook her head again. "I'll come with you. I need a snack or something anyway."

Jamie agreed reluctantly and Eddie followed him to the kitchen, slow and halfway limping. Jamie watched her carefully as he opened her medication bottle, and Eddie was about to take the pills from his hand when there was a knock at the door. Her heart leapt into her throat, and from the look on his face, Jamie's did, too.

Jamie dropped Eddie's pills on the counter and frantically ran to the door after grabbing his weapon, looking out the peephole while Eddie cowered behind him. Apparently unable to see anything, Jamie opened the door carefully and even though there was nobody standing there and nobody in the hallway, there was something on the floor in front of the door. When Eddie tried to see, Jamie gently pushed her behind him, holstering his weapon, clutching the object in his hand, and closing the door tightly behind him.

The object in Jamie's hands was an envelope with EDDIE written in bold, thick letters. Heart pounding, Eddie took the envelope from Jamie and ripped it open with her thumb, hands shaking violently.

Inside was something the size of an index card, and Eddie read what was on it twice before she processed what it said. In bold, capital letters were the words GET DOWN.

Eddie's heart once again leapt into her throat and she managed to shout "Get down!" to Jamie before two loud pops sounded and Eddie and Jamie hit the floor.