Chapter Thirty Six

Two weeks later, Eddie was still at Lila's and still refusing to see Jamie. She would go home when Frank called that Jamie had gone to the office and was long gone before Jamie returned. Every other day, Jamie came over to Lila's to try to talk to Eddie and to visit his grandchildren. Lila always was gracious to her father and socialized with him, but did not allow him access to Eddie at Eddie's request.

"I need to see her, Lila," Jamie said after nearly two weeks. "I need to see her."

"All right," Lila finally relented. "Tomorrow come over a few minutes earlier, Mom will be babysitting with the twins, you can see her then."

Jamie smiled, "Thank you honey. We have to resolve this, we have to."

Lila hugged her father, "I love you, Daddy. Mom loves you too, she cries…I hear her at night but she's determined Dad. Mom is convinced that you hired Detective Antunes to replace her in more than one way. The resemblance is uncanny, Dad."

Jamie sighed, "I have transferred Brenda to another command and I have another assistant, Margaret Brooks. She's brunette, tall and does not resemble your mother at all."

"That's a good step," Lila replied. "Say bye bye to Grandpa," Lila told the babies. Both twins looked up at Jamie and made their baby sounds, each one playing in a bouncy chair. "Bye my little ones," Jamie smiled kissing both the babies heads before heading home again defeated.

"Not again?" Frank asked.

"No," Jamie sighed. "At least Lila is willing to try to set up a meeting tomorrow. My own father is meeting covertly with my wife, not telling me when she is coming home…"

"I'm doing what is best for your both," Frank replied. "Eddie is not ready to see you, she's not herself for you to see, it will be a surprise to you tomorrow, I assure you."

"I'm her husband, Dad," Jamie sighed. "If she's struggling, I should be helping her whether she is angry at me or not!"

"It's not anger, Jamie," Frank reiterated at dinner that night. "She's hurt, she is unbelievably hurt and that is what you have to address with her when you see her. Acknowledge it as a fact, don't try to make her feel like she is wrong to be feeling like she's feeling. Even if you did not feel there was a reason to be upset about it, Eddie was upset and you have to accept that."

Jamie nodded, taking his father's advice. He knew that in order to fix things he had to understand Eddie's feelings, even if he didn't agree with them.

The next afternoon, Jamie went by Lila's house early. She would be out at least another ten minutes at least, enough time for Jamie to talk to Eddie. Eddie sat on the couch holding Finn on her lap smiling as she watched him. She'd been happy to spend the past few days with Lila and her grandbabies. Reagan was asleep in her swing, but Finn had other ideas. He wanted to be awake and focus on all the fun things around him.

Finn squirmed, the twins were at the age where they enjoyed their tummy time and wanted to be free rather than held. "Okay," Eddie cooed lifting him as the bell rang. Shifting the little boy in her arms tickling him Eddie went to open the door.

Her eyes narrowed seeing Jamie standing outside. "I knew sooner or later she would be out when you showed up," Eddie sighed. "You can wait for Lila in the SUV." Eddie told Jamie turning her back to him.

"Eddie, please I want to talk," Jamie pleaded reaching for her arm.

Eddie turned, eyes wet with a sad look shaking her head. "Talk about what Jamie?" Eddie asked setting Finn on the floor for him to play. "Talk about my replacement? That's what she is right?"

"Eddie," Jamie sighed taking her upper arms into his. He could feel her left was swollen. "Are you doing your stocking? Is Lila doing the creams?"

"What do you care?" Eddie asked. "I'm the old cow…"

"Eddie," Jamie sighed. "You're not. You are my wife, the one I chose to spend the rest of my life with. There is nothing there with Antunes so much so I transferred her out and brought in someone new. I do not want to hurt you. I don't want to be apart, please…Come home honey."

Eddie felt the tears spill over, "She was touching you, Jamie. She was dressing you, why was she doing that? It wasn't because you spilled, the look in her eyes…it was not because you spilled…"

"It was because I spilled," Jamie replied. "I spilled and I couldn't go on TV looking like that. My hands were shaking…I needed help. She helped, that's all she did was help."

"The way she looked at you, Jamie…" Eddie squeaked out. "She looked at you like…like you were hers." Eddie melted down then, covering her face, sobbing into her hands. "I'm sorry I got sick okay? I'm sorry I'm not beautiful, that I'm not young or thin, I'm sorry…but don't do this to me okay? Don't leave me for her, please don't do that…"

Finn heard Eddie's stress and he began to kick and cry. Reagan heard her brother and she started to cry. Eddie took the opportunity to run before Jamie could counter, she headed upstairs leaving Jamie with two screaming babies as Lila walked in.

Lila took her children into her arms, "I guess that didn't go very well."

"I don't know what to do, Lila?" Jamie sighed. "She started apologizing to me for getting sick, for gaining weight. That's not her fault, I don't hold her responsible for that, it's insulting frankly for her to say that to me. That hurt! I'm sorry, I'm going home. I'm sorry." Jamie kissed Lila's head then each baby before heading to the house.

Lila sighed and dialed her brother, "Get over here," was the message of the day.

"What's the matter, Joseph?" Molly asked seeing the look on her fiancé's face. "Is your mother okay?"

Joe sighed, "Mom's flipped her lid and Dad…I'm over there literally daily helping him with something. They need each other, but my mother is convinced that my dad has a thing for this assistant and that she has a thing for him. Now my sister calls, the babies are screaming, Mom is upstairs locked in her room, and Dad left in tears."

"I will go check on yer Dad," Molly comforted. "You go tend to your Momma. Give her a hug tight and help her calm down okay?"

Joe nodded and got into the car with Molly by his side. As he drove, he hoped he would never face this kind of thing in his own marriage. The wedding was three months away now. Joey hoped his parents finished this rough patch before that day.

Jamie dropped Molly off at his father's house and headed to his sister's. "Thank God, Joey, I can't get her to come out. She's crying and she won't come out."

Joey sighed, "Okay, sit down. Snuggle the babies, calm them. I'll be back."

Joey jogged up the steps and knocked on the guest room door. "Mom, it's Joe, open the door."

Joey could hear Eddie's sobs and ragged breathing. "Mom, open this door now, because I'm coming in one way or another."

While Joey knocked and pushed Steven arrived home to the chaos. "What in the name of God Lila?" he asked reaching down to pick up Finn.

"Mom's locked herself in the bedroom," Lila sniffled. "I fixed it so she and Dad encountered each other and it backfired. He left in tears, Joey's going to have to break down the door."

Steven gave Finn back to Lila, "Let me try."

Steven jogged up the steps and gently moved Joey, "Eddie, it's Steven. Please open the door and come down. The babies are so scared their grandma is crying…"

Nothing worked.

"Let's get you settled and relaxing, it's not helping anyone you get so upset," Molly gently told Jamie as she handed him and Frank some Irish blend tea. "I'm sure Joey can calm his Momma down and then you can speak as a family again and fix it."

"There's no fixing this," Jamie sighed. "I really destroyed us. I saw the warning signs, I just never thought she would go there. I never thought we had disintegrated to this point."

Molly nodded taking Jamie's blood pressure, "Jamie, you're pressure is very high. I need you to lie still."

Molly got on the phone with Joey, "Joseph, your father's pressure is 185/115. I am trying but I think we're going to have to call the ambulance if it doesn't go down. I don't want it going any higher."

"Okay, let me talk to my mother and I'll call you back." Joey knocked on the door again, trying to get through to his mother. He explained that Jamie's blood pressure was elevated and the Molly thought he might have to go to the hospital. There was a pause from behind the door on Eddie's side, the locks unclicked allowing Eddie to open the door. Her eyes remained downcast but Joe could see the red rims around her puffy, bloodshot eyes.

"Mom," Joe mumbled taking a step closer wanting nothing more than to hug her. Eddie allowed it comforted by her son's embrace.

"Will you take me to see Dad? Eddie asked quietly pulling away slightly. Seeing Joe nod, she followed him downstairs.

Joey held Eddie's arm and quickly drove her to the house. Molly had Jamie lying on his back, legs elevates, shoes and brace off. She had ice on his feet and on his neck trying to get the pressure to drop. Frank was hovering and smiled seeing Eddie, "Eddie, you're just what he needs now."

Eddie sat on the couch beside Jamie, eyes burning and swollen. "Jamie, none of this now. Shut your eyes, take a breath." Eddie stroked Jamie's brow. She was angry and hurt, that was for sure but she didn't want her husband stroking out either. "Just be still, I'm here. I'm right here."

Joe watched Eddie soothe Jamie, she gently stroked his cheek and spoke in gentle tones until Jamie was asleep on the sofa and Molly was satisfied with her readings. Joey sighed, "Are you going to be home tonight Mom?"

"I'm going to stay until he's doing better," Eddie replied. "He might think it's okay to replace me, fall out of love with me, but I'm not going to let him get sick."

Joey sighed, "Mom, Dad is in love with you. He loves you to pieces and this separation is killing him. It's killing him, Mom."

Eddie looked up, "It's killing me to see him with that other woman. He might not have acted on anything but he's tempted. Why else won't he retire? I honestly feel that someone could be standing there with a knife to my throat and say Eddie or your job and he'd think about it. I'm tired of being behind in his life. I'm not staying beyond tomorrow, our marriage is ending and I think it's time we face it."

Eddie got up and headed to the kitchen, shaking as she took a sip of water. She was resolved, the marriage was over unless Jamie really convinced her otherwise. Even at that they had their work cut out for them.

While Eddie drank her water and made Jamie blueberry tea for when he woke up, Joey called his cousin. "Hey, Sean, call me when you get this. I am in great need of help with Mom. Maybe you can help out and give her an evaluation or something. I can't take it anymore, please help."

Joey hung up an sat in the easy chair, head down. He felt Molly put a soft hand on his back then wrap him in her arms, "It'll be okay, Joseph. I promise ye it'll be okay." Joey didn't know if he believed her, all he knew was he wanted to.

A/N: Eddie realizes that her behavior is hurting Jamie and that is the last thing she wants. Thankfully it seems Joey is going to take matters into his hands and try to force a proper diagnosis on his mother. Just a glimmer of hope, I know but I do have a lot more of this story to tell.

Next Update – October 28th – Jamie and Eddie finally talk, Joey and Molly disagree and Joey puts some verbs in his sentences with Jamie.