Chapter Twenty – Five
"Beal and Reagan last radioed from here," Renzulli indicated the intersection on his larger map of their precinct. They were on a foot post, leaving their RMP parked near Elbaum's deli. I want all of yous to spread out, search allies, back roads, every nook and cranny, no one is going home until those officers are found!"
The officers from two shifts of the twelfth headed out to search for their missing comrades while Eddie napped in front of the TV with Ray faithfully at her side. The baby made her very tired, more so than the usual fatigue accompanying her condition. At home, Eddie had spent the evening watching TV with Ray remaining faithfully at her side. The next thing she knew Ray nudged her arm quickly, barking until he saw movement from the young woman.
"Hey Ray, is Jamie home?" Ray answered with a whine taking a seat next to her chair. Letting out a small yawn Eddie turned to check the window seeing a dark screen, the sun setting hours ago.
"Jamie is late, he should have been home already. Call Jamie..." Eddie commanded her phone, listening to the ringing until Jamie's voicemail picked up.
"Hey, Sarge," McKenna called out. "Just got a call from the deli owner, seems he found Beal and Reagan unconscious in the alley behind his place. Bus is on the way."
Renzulli sighed with relief and then inhaled with dread, they found them and that was good but in what shape. He hit the sirens on this own RMP and hurried to the scene.
At 1PP the call of two officers missing then two officers down, including Jamie, reached Frank. Thankful Henry was with Eddie, Frank headed to the hospital to meet the buses and assess the damage.
Frank's detail just arrived at the hospital when the buses pulled in. Frank could see that Marcus, while pale and bleeding, was conscious while Jamie was not. Frank hurried and approached Marcus' gurney. "What happened son?" Frank asked.
"Victim tried to stab the perp, got me…don't know about Jamie. Wouldn't wake up."
"It's all right, now he's in good hands, rest. We'll see your wife gets here," Frank told Marcus as the doctors pushing him away. Frank sighed, Eddie and Melissa both were still reeling from Baker's husband's death. Melissa was by herself, he would call her then send Baker to get her and the baby and bring them to the hospital.
"Eddie!" Jamie woke up with a gasp and tried to sit up straight. Two nurses held him down as Frank hurried to Jamie's side.
"Eddie is fine son," Frank soothed. "Eddie is fine. She's home with Pop."
"No," Jamie groaned. "No, Pop…poker."
"No, Jamie, remember today is Pop's day with Eddie," Frank stroke his son's hair. "I'll call him…"
"No, Pop was going to poker…Eddie is alone, she's by herself for hours, Dad please help!" Jamie begged.
Frank indulged Jamie, of course Henry was at the house, he lived for Eddie and the baby. "All right, lie still, listen to your nurses and I'll be right back."
Frank pulled out his phone and called Henry. He could tell from the noise when Henry answered that Jamie was right and he had not been at the house with Eddie. Frank gave Henry the news about Jamie and Marcus then hung up to call Eddie.
Before Frank could dial Eddie's number his phone rang. "Eddie, sweetheart," Frank began.
"Jamie's late, Frank," Eddie said firmly. "He's late and he didn't call or send someone to stay with me. Which hospital is he in?"
"St. Victor's but how…" Their connection would never cease to amaze even this seasoned gumshoe.
"I just know," Eddie replied. "I just know. If they can wait for me to get there…"
"I'm sure they can wait, he's got a slight concussion and maybe a broken knee but he knows what's what and he's not complaining of much pain just yet. I'll send my detail," Frank began but Eddie bested him again. "I already called the medical van and they'll be here in a few minutes. Ray is coming with me, he's really anxious so can you fix it with the hospital staff and sit with him if they won't let him back?"
"Of course, sweetheart. I'll send my detail after Melissa."
"Oh, I'll be all right," Eddie began then gasped. "Oh no, Marcus too. How bad is he? I know Jamie isn't too bad, I can feel that but Melissa…"
"He's been stabbed, he was conscious and talking though. I think they'll both be fine."
"The van is here I have to go, Melly is still skittish since we lost Baker's husband, if she arrives first…"
"Don't worry, I'll see you," Frank replied hanging up and smiling. That girl was something.
Eddie arrived at the hospital twenty minutes later. Frank promised both his officers to wait for their wives. Raymond walked by Eddie's side, clearing a path as Eddie drove toward Frank. "Where is he?" Eddie asked then commanded Ray. "Ray sit."
The dog sat while Frank put his hand on Eddie's shoulder. "He's this way, the won't let the dog back with him. I'll watch him while you speak to his doctors."
Eddie nodded and rolled to the desk, "I'm Mrs. Jamison Reagan, I'd like to see my husband now and his doctors as well."
"Yes, Mrs. Reagan, your husband is in curtain area three. The ER attending is with another patient but he'll be in as soon as he's finished. The orthopedic surgeon is studying your husband's films and he'll be in to talk to you."
"Thank you." Eddie turned her chair and headed for curtain area three. Jamie's eyes were closed. He had an ice pack bandaged to his head, and his leg was elevated on several pillows. It was already visibly swollen. Eddie knew they were going to face a substantial challenge if Jamie had indeed broken his knee. Still that was not the biggest worry at the moment. Eddie laid her head down on Jamie's arm, "I'm here, sweetheart. Can you hear me?"
Jamie stirred and opened his eyes slowly, "Eddie, oh God, Angel, I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry I was late…"
"Hush," Eddie commanded. "You stop this minute, you weren't off playing darts you were hurt. How do you feel?"
"Sore," Jamie replied. "Marcus got worse, blood all over the place. Oh, the lights…"
Eddie sighed, she couldn't help him by shutting them off. "I'm sorry, close your eyes and rest. The doctor is going to come in soon."
"Officer Reagan, Mrs. Reagan, I'm Dr. Peale. How's the leg feeling now, Officer?" Jamie had been given some contact analgesic before Eddie arrived.
"Kind of sore but not bad. Did I bust it, my knee?" Jamie asked.
"Good news is no, no bones are broken, but the bad news is that you've torn your quadricep muscle and we'll be taken you up to surgery in a few minutes to repair that. There's a little more internal bleeding than we would like, that's why the hurry on this. I'll give you a few minutes, then you'll be taken to be prepped. Don't worry Mrs. Reagan, we'll fix him right up."
"Now wait a minute," Eddie said quickly. "How long is he going to be in the hospital? Is there a risk of blood clots or anything like that?"
"There is risk associated with any surgery," Dr. Peale replied. "But no more so for this than any other routine surgery. As for down time, we'll keep him here tonight and tomorrow night for observation and then four to six weeks recuperation."
"Well that's not so bad," Eddie replied. "Can you please shut off his light, it's hurting his eyes."
The doctor turned the light off and left Jamie and Eddie alone.
Melissa arrived with Baker while Eddie was in with Jamie. Frank hurried over to the young mother who was cradling her baby boy to her chest. "Where is he? Is he dead?" There were so many cops in the waiting room it looked very scary.
"Oh, no sweetheart," Frank said quickly as JJ began to cry. Ray's ears perked up to the tiny human's distress and headed over to him and nudged the boy with his nose. "No, he's resting in his room. He's got a nasty wound, but it's just a flesh would. He's getting some blood and waiting for you. May I take the baby and you can go see him?"
Melissa bit her lip, "Is Eddie here?"
Frank saw Melissa shaking, "Eddie is in with Jamie but he's heading up to surgery soon. I'll send her in as soon as she's done, now give me this precious boy and go to your husband, he is fine. I promise you."
Frank lifted JJ and commanded Ray to follow him while Melissa went to see Marcus.
Melissa pushed back the curtain quickly just wanting to see Marcus. "Marcus.." She paused looking him over, the color drained from him face. He winced in pain despite the medication that attempted to reverse the effects.
When Marcus slowly turned his head he groaned hearing her voice. "Hey..."
Melissa moved closer breathing in sharply at his state, tears swelling in her eyes with worry.
She moved closer slowly reaching a hand up squeezing Marcus' slowly so their fingers rubbed together. A low sniffle escaped followed by another her eyes never leaving his.
"I'm fine baby," Marcus whispered. "I'm sewed up, just need a few days rest. Don't cry."
"I can't help it," Melissa sobbed. "You got stabbed, Marcus. You were stabbed and bleeding. No one knew where you were! You could have died, you could have died…"
Melissa began to cry harder, forcing Marcus to sit up against the pull of his stitches. Still, even that pain wouldn't keep Marcus from holding his sobbing wife in his arms.
Eddie kissed Jamie's hand as the doctor's a nurses brought him through the "Authorized Personnel Doors". Her stomach as in knots and her head ached, she was tired but she'd never let Jamie or Frank see that. Eddie drove to the commissioner's private waiting area, set up whenever a member of the family or department was brought in for something serious. Frank was holding JJ and talking to Renzulli with Ray by his side. Eddie called to her dog to follow her into the waiting room.
Raymond laid his head on Eddie's lap as she sighed. "I know, Melly is needing me but I need a minute to myself. It's so different, seeing Jamie in the bed. Usually he's in the chair, he's the calm one, telling me it's going to be okay. From the first day I got hurt he's been there, Ray. I want to be there for him, I want to tell him it's okay, you know?"
Ray raised his head as if he understood her. "I know he'll be all right, the family will help us. I just wish I would be able to do more. He's going to need help and I'm so limited."
Eddie bit her lip, the emotions of the day catching up to her. In a few minutes, she had to go hold Melissa up. She had to get herself together. Ray stood on his hind legs and licked Eddie's face. "I love you too buddy."
When Ray sat down again Eddie saw Frank in the room with JJ in his arms. "You holding up okay honey?"
Eddie nodded, "Yeah, just thinking how often this has been reversed and how I don't envy Jamie this position at all. Waiting stinks. Ray's been a pretty good listener though having you boy?"
Frank smiled, "I'll keep an eye on him if you want to go see Melissa and Marcus. Did they say how long Jamie is going to be in surgery?"
"About four hours," Eddie replied. "I better go to her, she hasn't been comfortable with Marcus being on the streets since Kevin."
"She's pretty shaken up but you take care of yourself and my grandbaby too," Frank told Eddie as she started to drive. Ray stood up and began to follow, "No, Ray, stay with Frank. Stay…"
The dog obeyed but not without a whine, he could sense the distress that was hidden in under her smile. "Frank, thank you so much for everything you have done…especially getting me Ray. He's so good to me and for me, a most precious gift."
"So are you, Edit. So are you."
A/N: Eddie and Melissa are facing the reality of being police officer's wives and they both have some tender words for their husbands coming up in the next update on April 14th….stay tuned. Thanks for much for the reviews and favorites!