Chapter Twenty

Jamie was back at Eddie's side the next afternoon after tour. He regretted leaving her when he promised he wouldn't but he has used so much personal time even Renzulli and his last name couldn't get him more.

When Jamie came in, in his uniform, Eddie was awake with Henry fussing over her. "What's going on Pops?" Jamie asked.

"Her legs," Henry sighed. "They are shaking and the nurses won't do anything about it."

"They can't, Henry," Eddie smiled through her mask. "It's a spasm, it'll pass."

"She's right, Pops, but if you want to help, you can rub her shoulders from behind like this…" Jamie stepped over and demonstrated. "Breathe deeply, try to relax all your bones and your muscles…"

Eddie relaxed all the muscles she could control and after ten minutes, the spasm ceased. "Do those hurt?"

Eddie nodded, "Yes, the make the nerves fire and I get a burning, shooting nerve pain in my legs and back." She took a long breath. "Any action today, Reagan?"

Eddie missed the job so much. She felt useless and like a leech most of the time. Sydney had filed all of her disability claims but they hadn't heard anything back about a hearing. There was no way she'd be declined.

"Not really, pretty quiet," Jamie replied. "Just this one domestic that was kind of a mess. CPS needed a hand pulling a kid. The poor little guy. There were pizza boxes loaded with maggots, fuzz in the nipples, it was horrible."

Eddie sighed, "I hated those, those were the worst. You always were able to get the kids to calm down and feel safe though. That's a gift even as a woman I never had, they love you."

"Jamie is going to be an amazing father someday," Henry smiled. "When do you and Syd think you might…"

"Oh uh…" Jamie sighed. "We probably won't for a while, Sydney is trying to make partner before we try."

Eddie looked down, "Hell of a way to raise a family with me there anyway."

"What? No, Eddie, believe me we will be glad to have you a part of our family. Really."

Henry smiled, "Who knows, Kiddo, you might find a man one day. You are so pretty, a real Serbian classic beauty."

"I don't think so, Henry, but thanks…" Eddie began to cough but only slightly. Jamie sighed, she wouldn't get better if she couldn't get the phlegm out. "Pop, move the bed down, I'm going to cough her and see if I can get her lungs to clear. Grab that basin in case I can."

Jamie placed his hands over Eddie's diaphragm, immediately below her ribs. "You ready, get a good breath and cough…" As Eddie coughed Jamie pushed inward and upward forcing a much more productive cough. Eddie began to expel some of the junk in her lungs into the waiting basin. "Again…" Jamie did this with her six times until she shook her head. "I need the mask." She was winded.

Jamie placed the mask back on Eddie's face. "That was really good. Are they coughing you and all when I'm not here?"

Eddie nodded, "Yeah, they did it this morning and they did the vest first so…They said if my sats stay above 85 I can go home but so far, they're still low." Jamie saw her sats were only 83.

"You'll get there, you're doing a lot better but maybe a nap won't be such a bad thing"

Eddie agreed it wasn't and shut her eyes quickly falling asleep.

Henry stayed until dinner time to make sure Eddie ate, then left her to rest under Jamie's watchful eye. Sydney appeared around 8, just before visiting hours ended. She found Jamie standing at the head of Eddie's bed, gently speaking to her as the doctors forced a suction tube down her throat. The apnea machine was beeping showing only an 81% on the screen. Jamie held up one hand to stop Syd at the door. This was not a horror that she needed to see.

"Hang in there, Eddie, it's almost over I promise." Jamie continued to stroke Eddie's hair and whispered soft nothings in her ear. "Any minute…they're almost done…"

The doctor instead pushed the tube further while Eddie choked and gagged desperately wanting to beg Jamie to stop them. Sydney stood in the hallway listening, her heart breaking. She took a breath and went to stand on Eddie's other side gently helping Jamie hold Eddie's head so she didn't fight the tube. Even under sedation her fear and her will forced her to be far too alert for the procedure to be even remotely tolerable.

Just when they thought the torture was over, Jamie turned back to see the doctor ready to begin again. He looked at Sydney for a minute, then winced looking back just in time to see the doctor placing the suction in Eddie's throat, seeing the fear in her eyes. He blinked having to look away while showing his usual calm demeanor for Eddie's sake but it was hard seeing her like that. "It's okay Eddie, it'll help you try and relax we're right here," Jamie soothed.

"I brought some cherry ice," Sydney told her. "You can have some for your throat when you're done. Jamie, how much more?

"I don't know, just keep her calm," Jamie sighed. "I'm so sorry, Eddie. Look at me, look in my eyes…"

Eddie lifted her eyes, tears running down her face. Finally after another ten minutes the doctor was finished. The nurse coughed Eddie, most of it was blood mixed with even more secretions. The doctor secured the mask on Eddie's face as Jamie moved in to offer comfort. "Ssh…you did great. You did so good and maybe you can come home now."

Eddie sobbed, the pain was horrible, the humiliation indescribable and the urge to vomit…well…Jamie was going to wash those pants anyway.

"I'm sorry," Eddie rasped.

"It's all right, what if Syd gives you some ice, okay?"

Jamie moved the oxygen and let Sydney step in, he had to step out. Holding Eddie's head still for doctors for shove tubes down her throat turned his stomach! He leaned down, hands on his needs when Linda approached to check on them before ending her shift.

"Jamie?" Linda reached over and touched his back. "Are you all right? Are you getting sick too?"

"I just watched as a doctor and three nurses repeatedly shoved suction tubes down Eddie's throat. She was scared and in pain and there wasn't anything I could do. Sydney's in with her now, I need to take a few minutes."

"Jamie, Danny and I…We are very concerned about you and how much stress you can take between the job, Eddie, your marriage…"

Jamie straightened up, "My marriage is fine. Sydney is totally supportive of this, it's the job she can't understand and Eddie is there for that still. I'll tell you what though, we are going to need to hire more steady help while we work. Can you get us some more names?"

Linda smiled, "Sure will. Take it easy Jamie. Do you need anything?"

"Just a minute, thanks Linda."

Jamie gathered himself the headed back inside Eddie's room. "She's gone to sleep. She took half of this ice."

Jamie nodded, "I'm going to stay the night, just in case she wakes up frightened. Do you want to go home and get stuff and stay too or…"

Sydney smiled, "I already went home. I have a new uniform for you and clothes for me. Let's sit down and watch TV."

Sydney sat in Jamie's lap as they watched mindless TV reruns. She dozed off for a while in her husband's arms as Jamie watched Eddie breathe. The wheezing was prevalent but the crackling was much less. Jamie felt himself dozing off his head resting on Sydney's hair.

They both must have been very tired because they managed to sleep through the night in the hospital chair. Sydney woke up and wiggled of Jamie's lap stretching her stiff muscles. She kissed his cheek as he stirred. "I'm in court all day but call me before your tour. Three to eleven right?"

"Yeah, I'll be here all day then Pop and Linda until you get off. Love you."

"Love you back," Sydney whispered. She gave Eddie's cheek a soft rub before leaving.

With Sydney gone to work Jamie turned his attention to Eddie, watching her sleep.

"You don't have to stare at me Reagan, I know I'm a mess." Eddie opened her eyes slowly giving him a quiet smile. Her voice sounded stronger today.

"Hey how are you feeling?"

Eddie groaned, groggily managing to bat her blue eyes at him. "Hungry," she admitted laughing.

"You must be feeling better, almost back to your old self," Jamie replied also laughing, relieved that the previous night's torturous procedure seemed to have had a positive result.

Jamie sat up checking the time, happy to see breakfast should be brought in shortly.

"Hope it's good, or I might ask you to get an egg sandwich."

"Extra runny," they said together smiling.

Jamie moved from the chair to the bed. "You never did finish those two cheeseburgers hot shot," he teased.

"Cause someone had us working through meal boy scout," Eddie teased back, smiling up at him.

Jamie reached out and brushed her hair off her face, "You're cool. Fever's broken. Eddie you've got to stop doing this to me, I can only take so many scares, thinking I'm going to lose my best friend."

Eddie sighed, "Jamie, we both know we're kidding ourselves. We won't…"

Before Eddie finished her breakfast arrived, one look at the oatmeal and fruit and Jamie laughed. "Keep it hot, I'll be back."

Eddie leaned back in bed taking the first deep breath she had taken in days. Jamie was too close, to involved. She had to talk to Sydney, together they had to convince Jamie to take a step back for all of their sakes.

A/N: Jamie is wound just a touch too tight, lol, and he does need to lighten up before he snaps! Eddie seems to be on the mend with Jamie and Henry keeping their eye on her.

Next Update – June 17th – Eddie returns home while the search for another caregiver begins.