A/N - Set in the closing scenes of episode 1.21. Refers back to a conversation between characters in 1.16 and incidents in 1.18. Quick references to chapter 4 & 5 of this story.
"What?" Abbey blinked, awake. "Is he alright?"
"Yeah." Garrett confirmed over the line, "He refused medical treatment at the scene. But the car is totaled."
She sat up in bed, pulling Brian's hand away. "You calling the Commissioner?"
"That's why I'm calling you." Garrett explained, "My thought is to leave it until morning. But if Frank finds out that I knew beforehand, once he sees the police report, if Jamie doesn't already tell him…"
Abbey sighed, "He can't get mad if you don't call him in the middle of a Sunday night if no one is hurt."
"How sure are you of that?" He asked, "Cause if he does I'm telling him it was your idea."
She rolled her eyes and sighed. "Whatever, Garrett. Goodnight."
She hung up the phone and placed it down on the end table, tucking herself back into bed.
"What was that?" Murmured Brian, readjusting behind her.
"Garrett." She muttered, "The Commissioner's son ended up on a police report after a car accident. Garrett wanted to wake him up to tell him."
"Car accident?" Brian murmured, "He's okay?"
"Yeah." Abbey answered into her pillow.
"So why Moore tied up over it? The kid drinking?"
"Nah." She shook her head, "Not Jamie."
Brian buried his face behind her neck, wrapping his arm back around her waist. "That's a pretty bold endorsement. Even good people do dumb things.
"I know." Abbey nodded, "But I just don't see drunk driving as even in the realm of possibility for Jamie."
She sighed, reflecting over what she knew about the youngest Reagan.
"What?" Brian looked up, feeling her tense.
She bit her lip, "I still can't imagine it, but the commissioner's been worried about Jamie for a while."
"How so?"
"I'm not entirely sure." She rolled over to look at her husband, "Just a number of little things I guess. He's just…been concerned."
Brian shrugged, "From what I've heard, Reagans seem to have pretty good intuition."
She frowned, "Yeah…they do…"
Brian smiled at her, "So now you do want to call him."
She rolled her eyes, "It'll annoy Garrett after I just told him not to."
"Who cares?" Brian smiled, "I know you, this is going to fester and you won't be able to sleep otherwise."
"So I should disturb the Commissioner's sleep so I can sleep better?" She volleyed, "I already suspect he hardly sleeps most nights."
Brian shrugged, "So maybe he's already awake."
She exhaled and Brian rolled over onto his back, "Look, I think you should call him and I'm pretty sure you will eventually but if it's going to take long to make up your mind could you please do your worrying routine in a manner that allows me to sleep?"
She rolled her eyes, "Fine. For your precious sleep I'll just get it over with."
She picked up her blackberry from the nightstand and clicked to the second name on her speed dial.
The phone rang three times before, "Reagan." The familiar voice was thick and whispered.
She sighed, he probably had been asleep, "Sir, it's Baker."
"What's wrong?" His voice immediately cleared and there was shuffling of fabric behind him.
"Everyone is okay." She started with the important part. "But a report just came in that Jamie was in a car accident."
"What?" The background noise stilled.
"I don't know any details other than he was fine enough to refuse the paramedics but the car didn't fare so well and it happened over by the Navy Yard." She winced, wishing she had better details. "Garrett may know more."
On the other end of the line the Commissioner exhaled and cleared his throat. "Thank you."
The phone disconnected.
Abbey looked at the device in her hand.
"Feel better?" Brian smiled.
"Not really." She shot off a quick text to Garrett before putting the phone back down and curling up to her husband again.
The next afternoon Abbey answered the desk phone without taking her eyes off her computer screen. "Baker."
"Detective, this is Marcocci from downstairs, I have a young woman here trying to see the Commissioner."
"Does she have an appointment?"
"She says she doesn't need one."
Abbey rolled her eyes, "That's special. Who is she? Is she saying she's with anyone?"
"She's not with anyone. Her only ID is a school ID, Nicole Boyle."
Abbey hung her head and smiled, "Officer, That's the Commissioner's granddaughter. Please let her up."
She hung up the phone and sighed. She typed a few last lines in the email, hit send and closed down the program just in time to hear the ding of the elevator. She stood to intercept the young teen.
"Nicky." She greeted when the doors opened.
The Commissioner's granddaughter seemed startled to see her and stepped stiffly off the lift, "Um, Hi. I'd like to see the Police Commissioner please."
Abbey smiled. Nicky had been up to the office several times when she was younger but never alone and not at all in the past year.
She tilted her head, "I know. I'm Abbey. Do you remember me?"
Nicky nodded, "You work for my Grandfather. You came to the Rockefeller tree with us."
"I did." Abbey grinned at the memory. "Your Grandfather is still on his way back from the Bronx. But he should be coming up any minute. Would you like to wait in his office?"
"Can I?" Nicky asked uncertainly.
"Of course." Abbey assured, with an encouraging smile, "I'm pretty certain the Commissioner would prefer it."
Nicky's eyes roamed the surroundings as Abbey guided her into the office at the end of the hall.
They entered and Nicky stood awkwardly in the middle of the room.
"Want anything while you wait? Soda? Water? You don't do coffee yet, right?" Abbey asked, finding herself more uncomfortable with this girl than with any of the powerful figures who came through the office on a daily basis.
Nicky just shook her head, eyes tracing the various items around the room, "Thanks, I'm fine."
Abbey hesitated, she knew the Commissioner would like to have Nicky wait here instead of in the hall but she wasn't entirely certain about leaving a 14 year old unattended in the office.
She let the door fall shut and clasped her hands in front as she watched as the girl began to explore the room, thumbs hooked behind the straps of her backpack.
She paused at the bookshelf "Are all of these Grampas?"
Abbey stepped closer, looking at the medals in the shadow box Nicky was staring at. "I believe so. These are from the Marines, I don't know much about him from back then."
"Neither do I." Nicky frowned.
She stared for a moment longer then turned to point to another display case, "What about those?"
Abbey looked at the familiar NYPD commendations. "Yes, those are his. You know the bars above the shield on his dress uniform?"
Nicky nodded.
"They come with real ribbons and medals." Abbey explained, gesturing to a few others throughout the office.
Nicky nodded solemnly, stepping up to read the text of a framed certificate. "This is from Berlin?" She questioned, looking back to Abbey. "Like in Germany?"
She smiled, "The Commissioners of big cities have a lot of things in common and your Grandfather often works with departments all over the world."
Nicky turned around, her eyes bouncing across the room. "I remember when I was younger I thought all this stuff just came with the office." She bit her lip.
Abbey took a moment to look around for herself. "Some pieces did." She gestured to the large picture of Roosevelt, "And some things were gifts to the office rather than the Commissioner himself." She indicated the bronze police statue and a few trinkets.
"And some are because of Uncle Joe." Nicky commented, touching the wooden frame around the folded green and white flag on the bookshelf.
"Yes." Abbey confirmed, unable to keep the melancholy from her tone.
Nicky looked back to her, "You knew my Uncle?"
Abbey nodded, "A little." She gave a small smile, "He would come in a lot after your Grandmother passed; he was a really good guy."
Nicky smiled wistfully, "I miss him."
Abbey looked down and Nicky took a quick breath and moved away from the bookshelf.
She stopped to read the few honorary notes and commendations on the wall and side table, eventually making her way behind the Commissioner's desk, tilting her head and smiling at the various family photos.
She paused, picking up an inscribed tablet from the Governor. "It's just kind of strange, you know?"
Abbey stepped closer, finding herself curious as to Nicky's observations. "What is?"
The teen shrugged, "I don't know. Uncle Danny says Grampa is the best cop the NYPD ever had…but that's just family being proud of family. These things…" She read over the text to herself, "It just doesn't sound like him, I mean I guess I agree that he's honorable and brave and dedicated...but just the way it's put..." She frowned, "It's almost like some of this stuff is talking about someone else."
She picked up the picture Frank and Mary with her other hand, "But it's all here besides pictures like this."
She looked at the picture of her grandparents for a long moment.
Abbey struggled for the right words, "Lots of times, adults inhabit different roles at home and at work." She gestured to the tablet, "Those commendations and honors sound very much like the Police Commissioner who I see at work everyday." She pointed to the picture in Nicky's hands, "This guy, in a comfortable shirt and easy smile is someone who looks familiar but isn't really the man I know." She frowned, "Does that make sense?"
Nicky pursed her lips and furrowed her brow, "I guess so." She looked back and forth between the tablet and the picture, "Two sides to the same person?"
Abbey side, "I wouldn't say exactly that, two sided sounds almost devious." She bit her lip, "I'd say, when you picture your grandfather at home on a Sunday, and everything you know about him and his personality; that's probably the most genuine version of him." She gestured to the picture again, "But, he has an obligation and a responsibility to his work so just like he puts on a suit to come to the office he also puts on other traits that help him do the job. Especially with your uncles working in the department sometimes there needs to be a clear difference between Frank Reagan and Commissioner Reagan."
She looked over to see the young woman staring thoughtfully back at her, "That sounds oppressive."
Abbey couldn't help but smile, "I'm not sure he'd disagree with you. It's certainly not always easy." She glanced over the glowing praise on the tablet Nicky had been looking at. "For what its worth, your grandfather also doesn't always agree with the honors people try to give him; he actively tries to find ways to dodge many of them."
Nicky looked up, eyes pinched in thought, "I guess that's another thing."
"What?"
"There are so many." Nicky looked around the room again. She shrugged, "It's a little overwhelming to realize that he's like, really important. Because he is, isn't he?"
"The Police Commissioner is an important job." Abbey agreed. "And he's really good at it. You should be proud."
Nicky grimaced in thought, turning around again and putting the picture frame back on the shelf. She paused, "Why does he have a fireman's helmet?"
"Because I have a soft skull." The familiar voice answered jovially from the doorway.
"Grampa!" Nicky smiled, coming out from behind the desk and allowing herself to be enveloped in a bear hug.
He pulled back, smiling cheerfully at his granddaughter, "I heard we had an intruder. What's up, kiddo? Where's your mom?" He gave her cheek a soft pinch and pat.
"She's still at work. We had a field trip to Federal Hall today so I thought I'd see if I can ride back home with Mom but she was still in court so I came over here."
"Well, I always love to see you," He grinned then turned serious, "But you know I have to work too."
"I know." She nodded, "I just thought I could do my homework here while I wait for Mom? Then maybe we could get dinner together?" She smiled sweetly, "Please? I hate sitting in her office alone."
"Of course," Frank assured sympathetically, hugging her with one arm, "I'll be happy for the company."
He gestured to the coffee table, "Just keep the files stacked together and that side of the office is all yours." He shrugged out of his coat and Abbey stepped over, catching hold before he could dump it on the chair.
"Thank you, Detective." He tossed over his shoulder, turning his attention back to his Granddaughter.
Nicky was watching Abbey hang the jacket on the hook with thoughtful scrutiny, "You're a detective?"
Caught off guard, Abbey blinked, "Um, yes."
"Like, a real cop?" Nicky tilted her head.
"Nicky." Frank chastised from behind his desk, "Of course she's a real cop."
Nicky didn't look at her grandfather, head still tilted in Abbey's direction, "I guess I just am confused; you're a detective just like Uncle Danny?"
Frank looked to Abbey expectantly, giving her the space to explain.
"Well…yes and no." Abbey stepped away from the coat hook as she tried to articulate the difference, "I am a Detective First Grade which means in the eyes of the NYPD your uncle and I are the same. We've had similar training and for a little while I operated out of a precinct with a partner just like him."
She shifted, "But I've been working for your grandfather since he was Chief of Department. You're uncle is a Detective-investigator and I'm a Detective-Specialist because of the work I do here."
Nicky dropped her book bag on the couch and settled next to it, "Do you still solve crimes?"
"Sometimes." Abbey shrugged, "If I'm asked to." She flashed a grin to the Commissioner.
"Most of the time I manage the information and people that come through the office." She explained, "Sometimes, a case will end up on the Commissioner's radar and if there isn't adequate background I'll get a team together and we'll do some investigating to fill the holes."
The Commissioner nodded, "And special projects. She worked with your Mom to find and arrest the ADA who was involved with the gang that kidnapped Aunt Linda last month."
"Wait a minute," Nicky frowned, "An ADA helped get Aunt Linda kidnapped?"
She looked to her Grandfather who winced, "I thought you knew?"
"No." Nicky shook her head. "Mom told me about the kidnapping. She said it was people who didn't want Uncle Danny to testify."
"Right." Frank nodded. "But they wouldn't know who your Uncle was or any of the protections we tried to set up for him and Linda if it weren't for someone on the inside."
"And a lawyer in Mom's office did that for them?" Nicky asked, agape.
Frank confirmed with a doleful nod, "Yes he did."
"But…" Nicky shook her head, "Why?"
"Money." Frank replied simply.
"The gang would pay him for information on witnesses so they could avoid indictments." Baker explained.
"That doesn't make any sense!" Nick stood up. "Why would you become a District Attorney if all you cared about was money? Someone in that job is supposed to care about justice."
Frank smiled tenderly at Nicky's idealism. "Sometimes people's demons shout down their better angels. No one is immune to temptation and no job is exempt from people who give into it."
"Even cops?" Nicky asked.
Frank nodded, smile fading, "Even cops."
Nicky sat back down putting her chin in her hands, "I thought cheating cops were something from the movies and the old days that Pops talks about; like the wild west."
"I wish that were true." Frank commiserated.
Nicky looked back up, "But you're the Police Commissioner. You can stop it."
The Commissioner sighed, "I can try."
Abbey smiled encouragingly, "There's a lot that's been done since your Grandfather took this office. There were a number of cops who are no longer on the force because of their questionable activities."
"Why were they allowed on to begin with?" Nicky questioned.
"Bad people don't always start bad." Frank explained, "And the PC before me was more likely to look the other way on a lot of things."
Abbey snorted at the understatement.
Nicky stared at her Grandfather, "But you don't."
He shook his head, "What do you think?"
She smiled at him, "I think that you care about justice. And I think that cops that break their oath probably make you angry."
"They do." He nodded, "For someone to break their oath is a betrayal to all the good men and women who put themselves out there every day. A dirty cop disrespects all other cops and the sacrifices they make."
"I can't imagine any amount of money that would be worth that." Nicky reflected.
She leaned back on the sofa, and looked back to Abbey, "I think I might want to be a cop." She explained.
Abbey grinned, glancing to her boss, "Somehow, that doesn't surprise me."
Nicky tilted her head, eyes looking Abbey up and down, "I don't know a lot of other female cops outside of Uncle Danny's partner."
Frank smiled, "Well there's more and more females in the department; every year they are a larger percentage of the academy class."
"Really?"
"Really." He nodded. He leaned back, "And, just like Detective Curatola, most of them do exactly the work of your uncles."
"How'd you get your job?" Nicky looked curiously to Abbey.
Abbey blinked, "I…" She glanced to the Commissioner, "Your grandfather asked me to do it." She shrugged, simplifying the story, "I wasn't sure if I wanted to keep doing what I had been doing so he offered that I could work here instead."
The Commissioner smiled, "That's why it's important to always work hard, you never know who is watching or where an opportunity may come from." He looked to Abbey, "Detective Baker helped work the President's visit to Ground Zero after 9/11. She stood out from everyone else that day because she was so organized and managed her assignment so well. It was a big part of why I offered her the job."
Abbey blinked back to him, "You never told me that."
He shrugged, "Well, I did mean what I said when you asked why; I liked your attitude." He smirked, "But it takes more than attitude to run an office."
She grinned, "Yes sir."
Nicky was still sitting thoughtfully on the sofa, "So no matter what I'd still have to start out on patrol?"
Frank grimaced, "Likely." He sighed, "TARU has some positions you could slide into if you are specifically looking to work on cyber efforts and the CSU team will have officers who never were on patrol, but that would still involved going to some pretty grisly places."
Nicky frowned.
Frank sighed, "Nick, honey, like I said before, you have plenty of time to decide what you really want to do. Work hard in school and pursue things that interest you. The NYPD takes people from all college majors. If you still want to be a cop at the time you're ready to graduate, the NYPD will still be here."
Nicky nodded, "I know. I just wish I knew now."
Frank grinned, "You may use the name Boyle at school but that impatience is pure Reagan."
Nicky beamed. "Dad always said I was more Reagan than Boyle."
Frank chuckled, ignoring the phone as it rang, "Well he got that much right."
Abbey smiled at the banter as she crossed the room to answer the phone by the couch.
"Police Commissioner's office."
"Baker, I need to get through to my Dad." Danny Reagan's tight voice came through the line.
"Sir," She caught the Commissioner's attention, "Detective Reagan is on the phone."
He broke away from whatever joke he was sharing with Nicky, "I'll call him back."
She smiled into the phone, "He's with your niece right now; can he call you back? Or can I pass something along for you?"
"I don't care if he's with the Pope." Danny ground out, surprising Abbey with his intensity, "I need to talk with him."
"O,okay Detective." She stuttered and looked back over to the desk.
"Sir?" She tried to inject as much gravitas as possible into the short word.
The Commissioner picked up on it right away, the amusement shedding from his face as he picked up the handset on the desk, nodding for her to hang up hers.
"Detective." He greeted sternly, waiting a beat.
He glanced at his watch and replied to an unheard question, "I don't know, sometime after 7. Maybe 8 or later. There's a chance the girls and I will get dinner in the city."
His brow furrowed, "Why?...Danny, what's going on…" He stood up from his chair, bracing one hand against the desk, "What? What about Jamie?...What does Joe have to do with…"
He glanced to Nicky and frowned, "Okay, I'm on my way. Don't either of you go anywhere and don't start in on any of this with Pops until I get there."
He put the phone down and grabbed his coat, "Baker, tell my detail I'm going home." He gestured to the paperwork on his desk, "I'll come back in and deal with this later."
He grimaced to Nicky, "I'm sorry sweetheart, looks like dinner's out of the works for tonight. Come on, I'll drop you at your Mom's office, it's after 4, she should be done in court any minute now."
Nicky frowned, "I can't come with you to meet up with Uncle Danny?"
He shook his head, "Not this time."
Nicky pouted but put her notebook back in her backpack.
Abbey looked him over as he waited, the grim face he wore now contrasted starkly with the lighthearted moment he had just been sharing with his Granddaughter, "Everything okay?"
He heaved a heavy sigh and bounced his eyebrows, "We'll see." He answered forebodingly, opening the door and following Nicky out, leaving Abbey alone in the empty office, the setting sun reflecting off the medals on the walls.