Chapter Forty Eight

Joe pushed opened the front door smiling at the quiet house. Joey was thankful Jamie had gone off to work and Lila took Eddie with her to Frank's appointment, this way he could gather as much as he needed for the slide who and not tip anyone off.

Joey stepped into the living room and looked at the pictures on the wall. There were so many members of the Reagan family there including many of his parents as a younger couple. Joey took a couple of photos on his phone of his mother's painted wedding portrait and his father's academy graduation picture. "They're going to be so surprised," he grinned happily taking a picture of his father's swearing in as Commissioner.

After finishing with the larger portraits, Joe started upstairs, stopping to snap pictures of his parents at Lila's wedding and at his grandpa's 90th birthday party. In the last one, Jamie had his arm around Eddie, both beaming like Christmas trees looking at one another like they shared a special secret.

Joe walked past closed doors that led to his old room and Lila's, stopping in front of their parents' bedroom. Eddie kept photo albums from when she and Jamie first met to the last year in the bedroom. She liked to look at the old photos at night sometimes. As Joey got closer, he heard a shrill cry, there was no mistaking his mother's voice. "Mom?"

Feeling his pulse speed up and all his cop instinct start to go off, Joey reached out to jiggle the handle on the bedroom door. The door didn't move, so when Eddie shrieked again, all Joey could think of was something was happening to his mother on the other side of the door. Joey took a deep breath, "Hang on, Mom, I'm coming," he called before backing up and shoulder charging the bedroom door.

Jamie heard Joey's voice calling out and took a sharp dive off the bed toward his pants. "Jamie be careful," Eddie admonished as he landed awkwardly. Jamie barely had the time to get back underneath the blankets before the door flew off the hinges revealing an adrenaline drowned Joey with his off duty weapon drawn.

Joey's eyes fell on the bed. His mother lay amongst rumpled covers, both arms bare and visible over the sheets, her face flushed and her hair mussed. Beside her, was his father, red in the face breathing heavily. It didn't take an SVU detective to know what just happened behind that locked bedroom door.

"Mom! Dad!" Joey gasped. "What? You? Oh my God!"

Joey turned on his heel and ran as fast as he possibly could out of the bedroom, down the stairs, and into kitchen. "Molly, let's go! Let's get out of here!"

"But I was just getting a glass of juice. Ye said ye needed more time to get the pictures…"

"I know but we're not alone and we need to go right now." Joey practically dragged Molly to the door. "Joseph Patrick Reagan, I demand an explanation as te why yer having a nutty on me when you were so excited…"

"I just walked in on my parents…" Joey gasped. "Afternoon delight…"

"Ye walked in on them having a cocktail…" Molly asked confused.

"No, no…" Joey pulled Molly closer trying to get her out of the house. "Afternoon delight…they were together…all the way together…" Joey's face was beat red.

"Oh, oh…" Molly wrinkled her nose. "In the middle of the afternoon! Oh my goodness. Well, ye got her somehow didn't ye? What did ye think, the stork brought ye and yer sister? Joseph…" Molly shook her head. "Honestly, Joseph." Molly placed a hand on Joe's shoulder unable to hold back a smile. "Let's just go we can always come back another time."

Joe nodded wide eyed reaching for her hand. They no more took a step before Jamie's voice filled the hallway. "Joe wait."

Jamie rushed downstairs in a robe hurrying to catch up. "Hey oh hey Molly."

Molly turned and smiled, "We were just leavin," she told him gently. "Enjoy the rest of your afternoon." Molly all but pushed Joey outside. She could tell he was too embarrassed to deal with Jamie, as we Jamie himself.

Jamie headed back upstairs with two bottles of water. When he returned to the bedroom, Eddie was still laughing her butt off. "I haven't seen you move that fast since…I can't even remember…"

"Molly ushered him out of the house," Jamie replied. "What was he doing here anyway and the door was locked…"

Eddie reached out and pulled Jamie closer to her, "He thought maybe I was hurt in here. I'm sorry our family is so concerned, especially our son. At least we know they'll go to the line for us," Eddie replied smiling. "Lie back down, catch your breath."

Jamie pulled Eddie closer, "How was it besides our rude awakening?"

"We need to do this more,' Eddie replied. "Not just the sex, which was great and fun and all other wonderful things but this time together, special time together."

Jamie slid his arms around Eddie, "I agree. A few more months now…then I'm all yours."

Eddie rolled over so she was lying on top of Jamie, "Promise?"

Jamie kissed Eddie's lips twice, "I promise."

Joey was still smarting over the encounter later that afternoon. "You're going to have to get Grandpa to get the pictures and set up the dinner because I'm not going back to that house unless I know a ton of other people will be there. I can't believe they still do that."

"Joey, you'll realize when you get married," Lila advised her older brother. "It changes when you are married, it's even more special. You'll see. I'll get the pictures tomorrow, just text me with the pictures you took on your phone. We only have a really short time to make this video. It has to be perfect."

"It will be, Sis," Joey replied. "Hug those little ones for me. I'll text you that stuff now."

Lila hung up and heard her phone begin to beep with the texts. Lila picked up the babies and prepared them for a bath, a sleepy time bottle, and finally their bedtime. While Lila rocked Finn, reluctant sleeper that night she felt Steven come up behind her, kissing her neck. "Hello, Mrs. Tenney."

Lila smiled, and turned so she could kiss Steven. "You're home early."

"Yeah, pretty quiet so he Captain let a few of us head home early. Is he almost off?"

Lila nodded, "Yeah, he just needed a little more Mommy time tonight. Reagan, she's good at sleeping on her own but Finn, he needs the occasional cuddle."

"You think they'll be the only two kids we have?" Steven asked. "We never even really talked about them and they were hear so…"

"Well, I'll tell you this," Lila replied. "I'm only 25 so I don't want to restrict myself but for now we are not ready for more kids. We can hardly handle the two we have already."

Steven leaned over and took Finn from Lila placing the sleeping boy in his crib. The baby fussed a little bit, but Steven gently rubbed his belly and put him back to sleep.

"What brought that question anyway?" Lila asked as they headed into their bedroom.

"One of the guy at the fire house," Steven replied. "His wife had a baby today and it reminded me of the magic when these two showed their faces."

Lila sighed and looked at Steven, "I know your work keeps you incredibly busy and you don't have a lot of time to spend with them, but the twins bring their own magic into every day. I don' have to have a new baby just to have that feeling. I have that feeling every time I look into their eyes or when I see what they do for my Grandpa's health or when they make Mom smile. Love what you have already, there's time and room for us to have more, but now is not that time and you know it."

Steven pulled Lila closer and rubbed her up and down. Things were hard for them, his work and their immaturity making it doubly so. "How did Frank's appointment go today?"

Lila smiled, "It was good for the most part but…" Lila held a little tighter to Steven.

"What honey?" Steven asked knowing this was the most affection he was getting tonight. Somehow though, with the way Lila was holding him, which was okay.

"He had this horrible spasm while we were there doing the ball exercise," Lila told Steven. His entire chest just stopped with the air inside. He looked so scared trying to blow that air out. The therapist and the doctor were both trying to help him, oxygen did nothing because he was deadlocked, couldn't get the air out so no new air could come in…"

"That's end stage," Steven sighed. "I know, it's hard seeing him like that sweetie, but you know it's only going to get worse."

Lila admitted she knew that was true. "Yes, but never underestimate what love can do. In this case, Grandpa's love for our little ones. Reagan felt my anxiety, she began to cry, and Finn, he was cooing and kicking so I put him with grandpa in the chair. The nurse helped Grandpa hold him and he relaxed. He relaxed and the air started to move out. The doctor was sure he was heading for the ER but he's home now eating mom's pork and apples. Doctor said that he figures Grandpa has a year, six months before he's bedridden, Grandpa said Joey and Molly would be having a baby by then and he had to see it."

Steven laughed, "When that man finally goes to Heaven his bed is going to be full of great grandchildren. Frank's tough, he's not going anywhere for a while."

Lila prayed Steven was right. She curled around her husband wanting to be as close as possible. There were some elements of jealousy earlier when Joey reported what he'd witnessed back at the house. Her parents, with their age and their health issues had a much healthier sex life than she did. "What are you thinking?" Steven asked seeing the far off look that was all too prominent lately.

"I'm thinking about the party for my folks, thirty five years as a team," Lila sighed. "You think we'll make five?"

Steven dropped a kiss on her head, "I love you, Lila Joy…if that is all we need we'll make 55 or 65…I'll get more tenure built up soon, I'll have better hours, the babies will grow into kids and things will feel better, I promise. Please stop doubting I love you. Is it going to take you in a hospital bed for me to prove that, like what happened to your Dad?"

"Mom needed Dad to listen to her," Lila sighed. "And Dad needed more to trust him. I think we have the same issue without the foundation to fall back on."

"I am listening to you, Lil," Steven replied. "That's part of why I came home early tonight. I miss you and I want to be with you and the kids more often. I promise I do."

"After the party for my folks is behind us, and the wedding, we can ask your parents and my parents to share the babies for a weekend, but for now…Can we just lie like this and hold onto one another?"

Steven tightened his grip on Lila and rubbed her arms, "You bet we can, sometimes that's all you need."

Lila settled down into Steven's arms feeling warmer and safer than she had since the twins were born. Then and there, in that moment, Lila had to admit Steven was right, all they needed in that moment or any other was the love they shared for each other; love Lila often doubted but at that moment wholeheartedly believed was in existence.

A/N: I just didn't know how to preview Jamie and Eddie get caught by their son in bed, lol. Hope you all enjoyed that twist.

Next Update – December 4th – Eddie shops for a wedding dress with the Reagan women, plans for the surprise party continue.