Chapter Twenty Nine

"Waah…Waah…" Max fussed as he and Henry waited for Jamie to come back home. Henry picked the baby up out of his playpen, "I know buddy…You want to go out with Daddy. He should be back very soon, yes…"

Henry cuddled the tiny boy, he had the biggest brown eyes Henry ever saw, and curly nearly black hair. He didn't look like a Reagan that was for sure, he was the image of his mother. Still, with his endearing smile and gentle little laugh, Henry loved him, they all did.

Henry tried his best to keep Max busy. They played peek-a-boo, they played tickle monster, but Max kept looking for Jamie. It wasn't like him to be gone so long without calling or texting at least that he'd be late. A little after noon, three and half hours after Jamie left, Henry called his precinct.

"Twelfth precinct, Sergeant Renzulli."

"Tony, it's Henry Reagan," the older man greeted. "Did Jamie come by the 12th today for anything? To complete any paperwork or anything?"

"No, I haven't heard from him," Renzulli replied. "He wasn't supposed to come back until tomorrow."

Henry's heart dropped, they all knew Claudia was unstable, and Frank wanted to go with Jamie but Jamie insisted on doing it himself. Henry placed a call to Frank, and he reached out to Danny. As soon as Danny heard Jamie was with Claudia it made his stomach turn. "I'll go by the apartment, Pop. Don't worry…"

Danny turned to Baez, "We need to take a side trip, I have to check on my kid brother. He went to tell his wife that he wanted a divorce and that woman is nuts…"

"Let's go then," Baez replied and they headed to Jamie and Claudia's apartment.

Danny knocked twice but didn't' get an answer. "You have a key?" Baez asked as Danny fished in his pockets.

"Yep, it's a brother thing," Danny replied and inserted the object undoing the lock.

Danny's stomach turned when he saw his brother lying so still, the apartment completely turned upside down. "Jamie!" Danny dropped to his knees. "Jamie, wake up, Kid come on. Wake up."

"Central, 5-4 Detective requesting a bus forthwith at…"

Baez giving the details faded to black for Danny as Jamie gave a wet cough producing blood from his lips. "Come on, Kid, I'm here. I'm here. Hang on, Jamie. I'm here."

Jamie moaned, trying to pen his eyes. One was swollen shut, the other open only to a slit. "Ooooh…"

"There we go, wake up, what happened? Huh?" Jamie fell unconscious again. "Damn it, how long on the bus?"

"Just a few minutes, crime scene is coming too, and they are…" Jamie moaned again and whispered something to Danny.

"Eddie…Ed…" he slurred the shut his eyes.

"I'll get her little brother," Danny promised. "I'll get her…" Danny sighed in relief as he heard the sirens in the distance.

"Oh, what a big burpee!" Eddie cooed to April as she patted the baby's tiny back. "Big girl, burping so much for Mommy. Did you have a good time playing with Daddy while Mommy was away?"

April watched her mother speaking and watched her eyes. Eddie loved her baby's bright blue eyes. "Feeling better this morning, Ms. Edit?" Anita asked. "Mr. Tom, he told me not to disturb you, that you were not well last night from your long trip."

"I am feeling a little better, yes," Eddie smiled, 'Thank you, Anita. Some tea and toast please would be nice."

Anita went to make Eddie's tea while Eddie played and got reacquainted with her daughter. During a game of pat the baby, Eddie's cell phone rang. It was unsettling when she saw it was Danny's cell. "Hello…"

"Eddie, it's Danny. Somethings happened to Jamie, he's rushed to Lutheran hospital and he's asking for you."

"The hospital…why what happened?" Eddie asked beginning to pack April up as she spoke to Danny.

"Looks like a break-in but he's in pretty bad shape, come as soon as you can okay?" Danny hung up and Eddie headed out with April, not even telling Anita where she as going. Of course, the traffic was terrible, but Eddie did her best to get to Jamie as fast as she could.

Danny was waiting at the entrance near the parking lot when Eddie arrived, "How bad is he?"

"He's bad, he's got broken ribs, broken arm, maybe a concussion, he's bad…all he says is your name." Danny heard the baby coo and looked down. "I'll get Linda to take her if you need to stay. How long can you sit? He's unconscious."

"As long as he needs me," Eddie replied. "As long as he needs me."

Eddie had seen a lot of beatings in her time but seeing her Jamie like this. His left arm was in a cast to the elbow, a pillow was positioned near his right rib cage…and his right eye was so swollen that there was no way it would open. Carefully, Eddie reached out and took Jamie's uninjured hand into her own. "I'm here, Jamie," Eddie whispered. "I came as soon as I could come…I know you hurt very bad, but please wake up. Please open your eyes."

Jamie moaned at the soft sound of Eddie's voice and turned his head to the side. "Eddie…"

"I'm here," she sighed. "Jamie what happened…"

Jamie was not ready to talk. Eddie was wearing a bright blue blouse and black slacks, she was supposed to be at a lunch that afternoon, but Jamie took precedence over everything. She looked pretty, even Danny thought so, but all Jamie could see was the cameo pin he gave her in Montana pinned above Eddie's heart. Weakly, Jamie lifted his good hand, but cried out in pain when his ribs protested.

"Yes," Eddie replied. "I'm wearing your pin, over my heart where I promised I would. I'm here with you now, you sleep and get better. I'm not…" Jamie's hand clamped down on Eddie's holding her in place. "I'm not going anywhere."

Jamie sighed and fell back to sleep. Eddie looked up at Danny, "What happened to him?"

"It looks like a robbery, some valuables were missing, but my gut says it's not that. He told Claudia he wanted a divorce this morning. I think, I hope not but I think…she's not answering her cell right now,' Danny sighed.

Eddie turned back to Jamie, "He'll tell us…he will." Eddie carefully placed a soft compress on Jamie's eyes. "I'll find out…can you see to April for me. I need to take care of…I'm sorry Danny."

"You're the best medicine he could have, the absolute best."

The other members of the Reagan family began to arrive, Henry remained home with Max, they didn't want to expose the little boy to seeing his Daddy like he was. Danny kept his eye on April while Eddie nursed Jamie's wounds. "I'm concerned about his eye…there's puss coming out of it…and those ribs, he's going to end up with a collapsed lung one day from this crap."

Danny nodded, "You don't think this was a robbery, do you?"

"No," Eddie replied. "No, I don't and neither do you, at least not exclusively. He might have been there if there was a break-in but…He didn't defend himself, if it was a robbery why didn't he defend himself?"

"Hit too hard too fast?" Danny speculated.

Before they could continue, Jamie stirred again, the pain becoming almost too much. He tried to sit and ended up crying out. "Ssh, Ssh…" Eddie cooed. "Lie back, stay still. Stay still, take a long shallow breath okay?"

Jamie sighed again, "Eddie, what are you…Danny, what happened?"

Danny moved to Jamie's bed, putting April's carrier down on the floor. "We're hoping you can tell us. Did you get a chance to talk to Claudia?"

Jamie thought back to the events of that morning, "I went to see her, to tell her I wanted…She got so mad…Max! Danny, where is Max? Eddie…"

"Ssh," Eddie soothed. "Ssh, Max is with your grandpa, he's in good hands. Ssh…Did she do this? Did Claudia do this?" Eddie's voice was soft and even, her touch gentle and steady.

"I…she kicked me…threw…she was just so mad…" Jamie faded again, just in time for Eddie's Serbian temper to flare. She let go of Jamie's hand and started for the door. "I'm going to kill her. I'm going to kill her myself! How…she beat him, she…beat him again and he's…We don't even know if he's going to be okay, we don't know!" Eddie was to the door before Danny caught her.

"Eddie, I know you are angry, I'm angry too, that's my little brother, but Jamie needs you here with him, and Max needs Jamie. We must be careful. We have to be,' Danny sighed. "I'll handle Claudia, focus on Jamie, please. He needs that, he needs you."

Eddie took a deep breath, her eyes dripping with tears. "She…He's the gentlest soul I know, he doesn't deserve this Danny, he doesn't."

"I know," Danny replied. 'I know. Take care of him as long as possible, I'll deal with the rest of it. Keep it between us until we know how Jamie wants to go ahead. For now, it's a robbery outside this room."

Eddie nodded and wiped her tears, she'd keep her tongue now for Jamie, but God help Claudia if she ever got the chance.

Danny never got the chance to confront Claudia, her CO finally reached her and she headed over to the hospital to give the performance of her life. "I want to see my husband, he's Jamie Reagan, the Commissioner's son. He was beaten in a robbery and I want to see him please."

Danny stepped out of Jamie's room, "He doesn't want to see you Claudia, he's in a lot of pain. He wants to rest."

"I'm his wife," Claudia replied quickly. "I want to see him, he's hurt…"

"You're right he is," Danny replied. "What did I tell you I was going to do if you laid a hand on my brother again? I'm going to smear your name all over this city, if I don't kill you myself, which I might."

"I don't know what you're talking about, I was working, pull my sheet," Claudia challenged.

"I'll do that, Jamie might remember the attack wrong, but he's not remembering that he asked you for divorce wrong, you're no longer his wife in my book. Go home."

"I want my son, you can't keep my son from me!" Claudia exploded. "I'm getting my son."

Claudia left in haste to retrieve Max, Danny sighed, there was nothing he could do about that legally. For now, he had to protect his brother, Claudia would never harm Max, that he knew in his heart.

"Sip a little water," Eddie encouraged as she stroked Jamie's leg through the sheets. "You know what I was thinking about the other day?"

"What?" Jamie asked quietly, he had slipped back into his depression again.

"That Alex guy in Montana…" Eddie replied. "You just took him down with one punch, he was all over me and touching my arm and…there you were. My hero…"

Jamie looked at his body, about to speak but Eddie was still talking. "I felt so safe with you, Jamie. I always feel so safe when we are together. I think that's why I'd take risks as a cop, I knew that you would protect me, I knew that you would always be there for me…"

"I can't be there for you like this…" Jamie sighed. "I can't be there for anyone…"

"Stop that…Jamie, we are going to have a future. We are going to make a new family I promise you that," Eddie replied. "You took the first step and I'm so sorry you hurt. Do you want to still be with me? Do you want to make our dream come true?"

Eddie gently petted the clear side of Jamie's face, "I want to…I do…" Eddie assured him. "I want to sleep in your arms and feel safe every night. I only feel safe when we snuggle up close and tight."

"You have everything with Tom, Eddie," Jamie sighed. "Even this precious sweetie…What do you want with me?"

Eddie met Jamie's eyes and held his hand to her heart, "To be home, Jamie. I want to be home. You're my home…"