Chapter Thirty Five
Jamie's eyes widened hearing his father's words, the actual meaning not registering. Jamie's mind went to the worst. "Dad, what?"
"I'm so sorry Jamie. She just…It was more than she could take, I think," Frank said softly with a concerned look to his youngest son.
This time the words did register. Tears sprang to Jamie's eyes, his stomach wretched forcing him to swallow before her threw up then and there. Jamie's knees shook uncontrollably sending him to the floor. "Oh, Eddie…" Jamie drew a shaking breath. "Eddie. Do the kids know? What hospital did she go to? I have to see her."
Frank's brows knotted then he realized Jamie had no idea about what happened. "Jamie, oh son I'm sorry. I didn't think you would go there. Eddie isn't dead, Jamie. She's not dead, she just moved out to Lila's."
Jamie struggled to get off the floor, his body shaking. Frank helped him into a kitchen chair, "Take a breath, Jamie," Frank soothed. "I'm sorry, I had no idea you'd think she was dead, son. I assumed you had an idea that she was angry with you when she left 1PP."
"Eddie never was at 1PP," Jamie replied. "I never saw her at 1PP."
"She went," Frank replied. "She went down there to help you get ready for the press conference, Jack told her they called a press conference."
"Brenda helped me get my shirt changed for that, I thought Eddie was home… I never saw her Dad."
Frank nodded, "I think perhaps she saw Brenda helping you and being so sensitive. Besides, there's something I want to talk to you about."
"Dad," Jamie protested beginning to stand up slowly. "I have to see Eddie, I have to talk to her."
"Yes," Frank confirmed. "But not until you see this, son. You have the wool over your eyes."
Frank led Jamie to living room and turned on the DVR of the press conference. "Look at your assistant and tell me what you see."
Jamie looked at Frank, "Dad, I have no idea what you're talking about. Eddie is over at Lila's with her bags packed and you want me to watch TV?"
"Yes, because what is on the TV is part of why she is at Lila's," Frank argued. "Watch the tape like the cop I know you are."
Jamie watched the video again and again until he finally saw it, Brenda's gaze was fixated on him, but not as his assistant, she was looking at him like a man. "Okay, so it appears she finds me attractive, but she's never acted on it and neither have I!"
"I know that Jamie," Frank sighed. "But this is inappropriate. It is really not appropriate."
Jamie sighed, "I'll deal with it but I have no choice now but to try coax my wife back home. I will not lose her over nothing Dad."
"It's not nothing to her," Frank replied quickly.
Jamie took a few deep breaths, "Well I just have to prove it don't I. Was she very upset?"
"Lila wouldn't let her carry the babies, they took the backup stroller home she was shaking so much," Frank replied. "I hope she put her to bed with a cup of tea. Eddie tries to be tough, but you know since the renal problems…"
Jamie ran hand over his face, "They made her stamina weaker and it changed her Dad. She is not who I married."
"Are you who she married?" Frank asked. "She married a very healthy, able bodied thirty-two year old man, that now she has to dress and sometimes wash or help to feed…That's part of marriage. You take the good with the bad."
Jamie nodded, "Wish me luck."
Jamie headed out of the using the short walk to gather his thoughts. Usually a misunderstanding like this would clear with a hug, a kiss, and a good old fashioned chat, Jamie wasn't holding out much hope of that.
Lily sat on the bed handing her mom a cup of tea she made. "Thanks Lila," Eddie said with a smile accepting it. She took a slow sip but it seemed nothing would make her feel better. Eddie's hands still shook.
"Mom, it'll be okay just relax here. When you're feeling calmer I'll give you the twins." Lila watched her mom, she had never seen her like this and hoped this was the last time she saw it. Lila rubbed Eddie's arm, if her father really did cheat on her Mom what would she do?
Eddie gave a slight nod sipping her tea, letting her daughter and the tea calm her down. When she finished Lila took the mug smiling. "Get some sleep mom, it's the best thing right now to get your body to even itself out. I'm downstairs if you need." Giving her a hug Lila brought the mug down.
Lila put her babies down after she was sure Eddie was sleeping soundly, her emotions exhausting her. Lila came downstairs just as the doorbell rang sighing. She'd just put the twins down and didn't want them waking up. She opened the door quickly surprised to see her father, he usually worked until at least six. "Dad, what are you doing here?"
"I need to see Mom Lila, where is she? I need to talk and explain to her," Jamie breathed out panting.
Lila shook her head sadly at him. "Mom is too sick Dad, she can't see you right now. I know you didn't do the things she thinks you did, but she's…I've never seen her get like this."
"Lila, step aside and let me see my wife right now," Jamie said in his firm father tone.
Lila stepped to the side, she knew this had to be hard on her father too. "You can come in and sit down, catch your breath, but I am not going to have you upstairs to see Mom right now. I just got her to lie down and be still, you'll make it worse right now. When she's calmer and feeling more herself you can probably reason with her."
Jamie sat down and put his head in his hands. "If I can't talk to her, I can't fix it," Jamie replied. "I need to talk to her and try to fix it. How is she Lila? Please tell me."
"She's devastated," Lila replied. "She's lying in bed upstairs right now, she just caught her breath. You know how stress is with Mom now. I got her to lie still and I gave her some tea. She's asleep and I don't want to tax her system anymore."
"I didn't do anything wrong," Jamie replied. "I didn't. I don't know what she saw. I think she might have seen Brenda fixing my shirt collar at 1PP before the conference. My hands were fumbling and I needed help getting my shirt situated. That's all it was. That is all. My stupid hands. I love your mother, she's beautiful, she's smart, she is my heart and soul." Jamie stood up "I need to go to her, I need to explain..."
Reagan began to wail as if she empathized with her grandfather's pain. "Just sit tight and drink some water, I'll be right back."
Lila jogged upstairs to retrieve her crying baby girl. Eddie had heard her granddaughter and got up to pick her up. Lila smiled seeing her Mom holding her little girl. "Hey, Mom, you need to be lying down."
"She's wet, I'll just change her…"
"Mom, I know you heard the bell. Dad is downstairs. He really wants to see you and straighten this all out…"
"There's nothing to straighten out, Lila. If you love something let it go…and I love your father so I'm going to let him go."
"Mom, that is not what Dad wants," Lila replied. "It's not. He loves you. When you feel better, at least hear him out."
Eddie sighed, "Not now, I just can't now."
"I know," Lila empathized. "I know. You go rest, let me change her diaper and I'll try to make him go but you need to at least talk to him."
Eddie sighed, "I will but…"
Lila smiled taking Reagan back after Eddie insisted on changing her. "Go lie down, your feet up, no arguing, go on."
Lila took Reagan down with her to try to lift her father's spirits. "Go see Grandpa?" Lila handed the girl going to her father as she began to doze off again.
"I have to see her, Lila," Jamie all but begged a half hour later. "I won't wake her, I need to see her."
Lila sighed, "She's awake now, she's not wanting to see you now. Give her a couple days to settle down and give me time to talk to her. I will take good care of her Dad, you know I will. You have to remember, what we see and hear right now, is not what Mom sees and hears. Her medications…"
Jamie sighed, "I know…" Defeated he handed the baby to Lila. "Those medications are supposed to be keeping my wife alive, they are killing everything that makes her who she is. What the Hell good is it if I have a wife I don't even recognize?"
"Dad," Lila sighed. "It will get better, we can talk to Sean. He can help. Sean loves Mom more than anything, he will help, okay? Don't give up okay?"
"I'm not the one giving up, I'm not the one that is hiding upstairs thinking the worst of the person that has been there from minute one. The day I met your mother, I ended up holding her hair while she threw up in a dumpster after we held a fellow cop's intestines in with our bare hands. I never turned my back on her, not for a minute!" Jamie seethed. "Thick and thin, I was there and she sees me needing help and hey she wasn't there…Not her fault, it was work, but to act like this, to think I would betray all these years…"
"Dad, calm down, she's just really upset," Lila replied.
"I need to get out of here, take care of her. I do still love her."
Lila watched her father leave, broken in spirit and a bit in body too. Lila sat down and looked at Reagan. The baby was awake again looking up at her Mommy. "What am I going to do baby girl? What is Mommy going to do?"
The last person Danny expected to see at his front door was his brother, and he certainly did not expect to see him in tears. "Jamie, what happened Kid? Is it Dad?"
Jamie stepped closer to Danny, shaking his head as the tears began to run down his cheeks. Danny couldn't do anything but open his arms and hold onto the younger man. "Is it Eddie? Is she sick? Dead what?" Danny rubbed his hand back and forth, "Linda! Come here!"
Linda hurried in from the kitchen as Danny tried to calm Jamie down. "She left," Jamie managed finally. "She just left…"
Linda got Jamie some water and picked up the phone trying to get Frank. If something went down between Jamie and Eddie he'd have the scoop.
Danny sat with Jamie, "Why did she leave? Did you act like a meathead again?"
"She thinks I'm cheating on her Dan, she actually thinks I'd cheat on her and it hurt, it hurts more than if she cheated on me herself."
"Ah, man," Danny sighed. "She's just upset, that press conference with you assistant making cow eyes at you…"
"But I'm not…" Jamie protested.
"Jamie, you work with her daily, and Eddie is so insecure right now. Make a gesture and get her transferred. That will go a mile trust me," Linda replied having receive the details. "You stay here tonight, you and Danny talk and you relax. I'm going to the house to take care of Frank and I'll go around and check on Eddie too. This is a huge misunderstanding, but you are the rational one right now. She's not, she can't be. Sean is going to help with that, Jamie. He just promised me on the phone he was going to, so trust that. We'll fix it. We're a family and we'll fix it."
Jamie nodded, glad to have the support of his older brother in what could prove to be one of his darkest hours.
A/N: Well Sean is on the case now so hopefully we can get the old Eddie back before poor Jamie implodes. There are always so many sides to these things. I have been on some medication combos over the years that have made me totally wacky, I thought the sky was green and the grass was blue, that's what's going on for Eddie, but even our calm patient Jamie is battling with it. I promise, when Sean is done, it's worth it for the Jamko shippers out there. Thanks for reading and going on this ride with our favorite family.
Next Updated – October 25th - Lila arranges for Jamie and Eddie to talk, which backfires…Eddie goes to Jamie when a call from Molly has Joey worried for his Dad.