Linda suggested 1001 things to Millie to try and get her excited about their day together when they got home. Millie wasn't really up for any of them. "I know," Linda said with a smile as her eyes brightened, "how about we get your paints out and paint Uncle Jamie a picture?"
Linda noticed Millie's countenance change. "I like that idea very much."
"Good." Linda covered the table with a disposable cloth and pulled out all the paints and paintbrushes.
"Run and put on some play clothes. I'll grab you an apron." Millie looked to Linda with worry in her eyes. She didn't want to go upstairs by herself, but luckily Linda was quick to read the signals. "I'm pretty sure you've got some in the laundry room." Millie wandered into the laundry room and dug through the clothes basket of clean clothes and found a tshirt and some athletic pants. She quickly got changed and made her way back into the kitchen where Linda had everything set up.
"Look, Mil," Linda smiled as she held up a bag from the craft store. "I bought these canvases the other day. You can paint them for whoever you want."
"Cool."
Linda began opening all the paints as Millie stared at the blank canvas. "Whatcha thinking about painting?"
"Hmmm…. What do you think about Gunnar?"
"For Uncle Jamie? Sounds perfect!"
"But I want it to look real. Not like a cartoon. Can we look up how to paint a real dog?"
"Sure." Linda grabbed her phone and searched YouTube for a tutorial on how to paint a pitbull. "Want to pick a color and go ahead and do the background color?" Linda asked as she studied the video. "What's Mr. Uncle Jamie's favorite color?"
"Well, I'm not 100% sure, but I think it's probably blue. He wears a lot of blue."
"Ok."
After Millie's background had dried, she and Linda began her masterpiece. They watched the video over and over until it was just right. By the time they had to go pick up Sean and Jack, Millie had completed her portrait of Gunnar and much to Linda's surprise, it was really good.
"Mrs. Aunt Linda, can we call Mr. Uncle Jamie and ask him to come get his picture tonight?"
"Sure," Linda smiled. "How about we invite him to dinner?"
They picked up the boys and waited awhile to ensure Jamie was off work before giving him a call.
"Hey, Linda," Jamie said as he answered his sister-in-law's phonecall.
"Hey! Are you off work?"
"Yeah. Just headed home. What's up?"
"Want to come eat with us tonight? Millie's been working on something for you all day."
"Well, I can't refuse an offer like that. Do I have time to go home and shower?"
"Yeah. It'll be ready by 5pm."
"Sounds good."
"Ask him if he'll bring Ms. Officer Eddie," Millie whispered, "and a red lightbulb."
Linda smiled. "Hey Jamie," she tried to get his attention before he disconnected the call.
"Yeah?"
"Millie says for you to invite Eddie."
"Ok," Jamie chuckled. "I'll see what she's up to. Anything else?"
"If you have a chance, can you stop by the hardware store and bring her a red lightbulb?"
"Not a problem."
Linda got dinner on the stove and rushed Millie upstairs to get a bath while Jack and Sean did their homework and played video games. "What jammies do you want tonight?" Linda asked.
"The grey ones with monkeys."
"Sounds good," Linda smiled as Millie got dressed and they ran back downstairs to finish supper. It wasn't long before they heard an ever-familiar knock at the door.
"It's Uncle Jamie!" Sean yelled as he and Jack ran to the door. Millie followed close behind.
"Mr. Uncle Jamie! Ms. Officer Eddie!"
"Hey!" Jamie and Eddie both grinned as they made their way inside.
"I believe this is for you," Jamie said as he handed Millie the shopping bag.
"You got me three red lightbulbs?"
"One burns out, one gets broken… you have an extra."
"Thank you." Millie reached up to give him a hug and he picked her up.
"Come look and see what Millie did for you!" Sean shouted. "It's amazing!"
He grabbed Jamie and Eddie's hands and pulled them into the diningroom.
"Whoa!" Jamie grinned. "Cricket, you did this?"
"Uh huh. Me and Mrs. Aunt Linda. It's Gunnar. Do you like it?"
"I love it!"
"Correction. She did it," Linda told them. "I just played the video. That painting is 100% Millie."
"Mil, that's amazing," Eddie gushed, somewhat in disbelief.
They all sat down and had dinner together, all waiting on Danny to get home. He finally called and said he'd be in shortly after 9pm, much to the kids dismay. His first day back to work was turning in to an incredibly long one.
"Mil, it's getting late," Linda said just after 8pm. "Ready to go hop in bed?"
Millie looked less than enthused. "How about me and Eddie read you a story?" Jamie offered.
"Will you stay until I fall asleep?"
"Of course."
Hesitantly, Millie looked to Linda, then back to Jamie and Eddie. "Ok. Will you help me put in my lightbulbs first?"
"Sure."
They made their way upstairs. Millie crawled into her bed while Jamie replaced the closet, lamp, and overhead light with the red lightbulbs. When he finished, he took a seat on one side of her and Eddie on the other. "What do we want to read, Cricket?"
"Doesn't matter. Just don't leave me."
"Oh, this one is my favorite!" Eddie exclaimed as she pulled out Where the Wild Things Are. "I loved this book! Let's read it first." Eddie took off her shoes and rested back against the headboard while both she and Millie looked to Jamie as if to hurry him along. He smiled as he took off his shoes as well and followed suit. As Jamie read the book, Millie tried her best to stay awake while Eddie enjoyed every single bit of it. When Jamie finished, he pulled out his favorite children's book, Babar. It was a bit longer than the other, so by the end of it, despite her best efforts, Millie was sound asleep.
"Hey Reagan, how many kids do you want?" Eddie whispered as Jamie put the book on the nightstand and looked over at her.
"I liked growing up with a brother and a sister so at least three. I wouldn't mind four."
"Whoa!" Eddie exclaimed.
"You wouldn't?"
"There was only one of me. I liked the attention. And the killer allowance. One's good. I mean, look at her!"
"Uh, and my two nephews are downstairs. What about them?"
"They aren't as cute."
Jamie rolled his eyes as they both slowly got up and tucked the covers in tightly around Millie.
"She out?" Linda asked as Jamie and Eddie made their way back downstairs.
"Yep. Babar did it."
"Thank you. I wasn't quite sure how that was going to go without Danny. She's still terrified."
"With good reason," Eddie sighed as she took a seat at the table across from Linda.
"I have a question that I don't want to know the answer to… but I think if I do know the answer to it, it may help me help her."
"Shoot," Jamie said as he filled both he and Eddie a mug of coffee and sat down beside Linda.
"How bad was it? I mean… how did you find her?"
Jamie and Eddie exchanged a glance, trying to decide who was going to tell what.
"Well," Jamie began, "when we got there and got the house secure, we started yelling for her and after a few seconds, we heard her screaming from the hallway closet. There was a latch on the outside of the door so that she couldn't get out. When Jim opened the door, she jumped about six feet in the air."
"Did it look like… I mean…"
"It was a mess," Eddie said so Linda wouldn't have to ask. "It was filthy. We could tell she had spent more time in there than not."
"They had taken out the lightbulbs, so it was dark, but she did have some blankets and a pillow. From the smell and the state of the blankets though, it had been a while since they had let her out of there."
"Poor little thing," Linda said as she clasped her hand over her mouth.
"The dark explains the want for extra lightbulbs but why red?" Eddie asked.
"I have no idea. She did the same thing when we first got her. We went on a shopping spree and all she wanted was a red lightbulb."
"Superman wears a red cape," Jamie offered.
"Maybe. But in her eyes, Superman comes dressed as Danny Reagan," Linda chuckled as Danny stumbled through the door, exhausted.
"Speaking of the Devil," Jamie grinned. "Hey Danny."
"Hey. What are you guys up to?"
"Leaving actually," Eddie answered. "It's getting late."
"Millie painted your brother a picture and wanted them to come to dinner. They so graciously put her to bed," Linda said as he leaned down and gave her a kiss before collapsing in a chair.
"Long day?" Jamie asked.
"The longest. When you become a detective, don't take two weeks off work. You'll never get out from the pile of cases on your desk."
"Noted."
"I mean, the people of New York City don't stop being stupid just because we need a vacation."
"Copy that," Jamie laughed as he and Eddie stood up. "We'll get out of here so you can get some rest."
"Thanks for coming over," Linda said as they headed out. "We'll see you at Sunday dinner if not before and Eddie, don't be a stranger."
"Thanks, Linda. Goodnight."
Linda got Danny a plate out of the refrigerator and heated it up while he ran upstairs and showered. He stopped by to check on the kids before heading back down. Millie and Sean were both sound asleep, but Jack was still up reading. "Hey Dad, long day?"
"The longest. Ten more minutes and lights out. It's getting late."
"Ok. Night."
"Goodnight."
Danny took a seat at the diningroom table as Linda placed his plate in front of him. "How'd it go today?"
"Good," Linda answered. "We painted, the boys got back into a routine… How was your day?"
"Long."
"Does long day equal long week?"
"Unfortunately, yes," Danny sighed as he took a bite of the lemon pepper chicken. "Babe, this is delicious!"
"Thanks," Linda chuckled at his look of surprise. "So tomorrow, we need to figure out a plan for the rest of the week. I have to go back to work Wednesday and seeing as how we have a six-year-old that won't go upstairs by herself, I don't foresee us being able to leave her here by herself."
Danny sighed. "I have no idea what to do. I don't think going back to St. Mary's is an option. She loves Mrs. Carolyn, but I'm pretty sure having to go back into that building will cause more damage than good."
"Agreed. I was looking online while Millie was painting. There is a very small private school near the 5-4 and tuition is less than we're paying at St. Mary's and they have an after-school program."
"What'd she say?"
"I didn't bring it up. I wanted to discuss it with you first."
"It would be nice if I were close by. Do you know if we can get her in?"
I made a call and they do have an opening. It's run by the wife of someone in 1PP, so I'm not sure if they really had an opening or if they made an opening when they heard the name Reagan. Either way, security is top notch."
"Perfect. How about we wake her up a few minutes early tomorrow morning and talk about it. If it doesn't go terrible, you two can take a trip over there tomorrow around lunch and I'll meet you there for a tour."
"Sounds good. But first…" Lind began to grin.
"What?"
"All the kids are in bed for the night…"
Danny's eyes sparkled as he picked up on her drift. "Let's go."
The following morning, Danny and Linda both headed to Millie's room after waking up Sean and Jack. "Hey Mil Mil," Linda whispered as she sat down on one side of Millie and Danny on the other. Millie's eyes darted open as she looked up into the smiling face of Linda and then over to Danny.
"Hey Sleepy Head, wake up."
"Mr. Uncle Danny," she grinned as she stretched and rubbed her eyes.
"Good morning! Sit up for a minute and let's chat before I have to go to work." Millie sat up and held Linda's hand as Danny wrapped his arm around her.
"Whatcha want to talk about?"
"Well, in New York, if you're six-years-old, you have to go to school." He could feel her tense up at the mention of the word school. "But I know the thought of going back to your school is pretty scary. Right?"
"I don't want to ever go back there."
"I understand."
"Mil, what if you went to a new school? One real close to where Daddy works?"
"Can I just stay home with you? I won't make a mess."
"Well, I have to go back to work. And like Daddy said, you have to be in school or we're going to get in trouble with the NYPD."
"Oh."
"I think if we just go look, you might like it. The lady that runs it is married to somebody who works with Grandpa so the whole place is super safe."
"And like Aunt Linda said, it's right beside the 5-4, so if you'll go look, I'll meet you there and I'll look too… just to make sure they are good people and it's a super safe building. Think you could do that?"
"Ok."
"Good. I think you might like it. And, I'll be right beside you every single day, so if you need something, I can be there in like two minutes."
"I do like that idea," Millie yawned as she stretched her arms up over her head.
"You do?" Danny laughed as he began to tickle her. And that, was the first time Linda had heard a genuine Millie laugh since before the whole kidnapping ordeal started. Her heart was warmed and her smiled went from ear to ear as she watched Millie with Danny.
"Dad! Are you picking on Millie?" Sean asked as he and Jack stuck their head in the door to see what fun was going on without them.
"Seany, help!" Millie squealed.
"Nope. Not at all," Danny answered as the tickle war ceased. "Last one downstairs eats rotten eggs. The rest of us, eat chocolate chip pancakes. Run!" The kids took off in a dead sprint as Danny looked over to Linda.
"What?"
"She laughed Danny. That's the first real laugh we've heard in weeks."
"Baby steps. We just have to take it one day at a time. She's going to be fine." He leaned over and gave her a kiss. "We gotta go. If not, the monsters will destroy the kitchen."
"I'll feed them and drop them. You get going."
"Nah. I've got time to make pancakes. Let's go have fun in the kitchen."
He wrapped an arm around her shoulders as the two of them made their way downstairs. Millie drug a step ladder over to the counter so that she could reach the griddle. "Can I help?"
"Sure," Danny smiled. "But first, we have to mix the batter.
"Already on it," Jack smiled as he cracked the eggs and Sean stirred them into the bowl. "Mil, want to dump in the pancake mix?"
"No, Jackers, you do it. I'll put in the chocolate chips."
"Ok," Jack laughed, knowing that if Millie were in charge of the chocolate chips, she'd probably use the entire bag.
"Let's pull that hair back, Sister," Linda said as she walked over and put Millie's hair into a sloppy bun.
"Batter's ready!" Sean exclaimed as he and Jack brought over the big, gooey, bowl.
"Ok. You guys go get dressed and me and my Soux Chef will have your pancakes ready when you get back."
"Jack you want a smiley face?" Millie asked.
"Sure, Mil."
"Seany?"
I want a crazy face."
Millie thought for a moment. "Ok."
The boys took off as Danny began to pour the batter onto the hot griddle. "Be careful and don't touch," Danny warned. "It's hot. Copy?"
"Copy."
By the time Jack and Sean returned, Millie and Danny had prepared a towering stack of pancakes with tons of chocolate chips making lots of different faces. "Mom, when we get home, can we go over and shoot basketball with Will and Wes?"
"Sure… if it's ok with Mrs. Laraby." Linda turned back to Danny. "I'll shoot you a text as soon as I get a meeting."
"Sounds good. Boys, grab your stuff. We've got to get going." Danny leaned over and gave Linda kiss as Jack and Sean jumped up and put their plates in the sink before running to grab their backpacks.
"Don't go," Millie begged as she got up and walked over to Danny's chair.
"I've got to, Silly. And you're going to come meet me for lunch." He wrapped her up in his arms. "Go get dressed. I'll see you in a little while."
Linda made the call to Providence Christian Academy shortly after Danny and the boys left.
"Hi, may I speak with Grace Patton, please?"
"Sure. May I ask who is calling?"
"Linda Reagan."
"One moment."
Linda looked over to Millie who was happily drawing a picture that looked big enough to be a mural for Frank. "Hey, Linda. How can I help you?"
"Hi Grace. I was wanting to see if we might could take you up on that offer for a tour. We talked to Millie and she's willing to go if Danny can join. He works at the 5-4 so he's close."
"Oh yeah, it's right next door. We can do it whenever you guys have a free moment. Want to come by today?"
"Could we?"
"Sure. How's 10:30am? Then maybe you can have some lunch with Danny."
"That would actually be perfect. Thank you so much, Grace."
"My pleasure, Linda. We'll see you and Millie in a little while."
"Alright, little one. We've got a meeting with a very nice lady named Mrs. Patton at 10:30am."
"Do I have time to finish the police car?"
"You sure do," Linda smiled as she started loading the dishwasher. "How about you tell Alexa to set an alarm for 9:30am? That way we'll know when we need to get ready."
"Ok." Millie hopped down and walked to the livingroom. "Alexa! Set an alarm for 9:30am!"
"Alarm set for 9:30am," the gadget replied.
Millie nodded her head, contently, and headed back to the kitchen table to continue her drawing. Linda got finished cleaning the kitchen then sat down at the kitchen table with a cup of coffee.
"So, Mil, you want to talk about anything?"
"No. I'm good."
"Ok. So when we go, we're going to take a tour of the school and you can ask Mrs. Patton anything you want to about it."
"Ok. And Mr. Uncle Danny will be there?"
"Yep. As long as an emergency doesn't come up that he has to deal with… he should be there. Can Mr. Uncle Jamie come too?"
"Umm… probably not. That's a little farther away from his precinct. Him and Officer Eddie are probably busy this morning."
"What about Grandpa?"
"Grandpa is definitely too busy. He's supposed to be holding a press conference in a few minutes."
"What's that mean?"
"He's going to be on tv."
"Can we watch?"
"He's just talking about some grown up stuff. I don't think you should hear all that."
"Can we watch him with no sound? I just want to see if Mr. Jim is there."
"We could do that," Linda smiled as they both got up and headed to the livingroom. "Alexa, turn on Danny's playlist." Millie grinned. "We'll listen to Daddy's music while we watch."
"There's Grandpa," Millie said excitedly as the sat down on the couch.
"Who else?" Linda asked.
"There's Mr. Garrett."
"Yep."
"What are they talking about?"
"Looks like there were some people acting silly at an apartment complex and Grandpa had to send in his police officers to make them act nice again," Linda said in the most kid friendly way as possible.
"Ooooh. Grandpa looks mad. Somebody's in trouble."
"I think you're right." About that time, the alarm starting ringing. "That's our cue. Let's go get ready."
The Reagan girls got ready and headed down to Providence Christian. "What are we doing if Mr. Uncle Danny isn't there?"
"We'll go on in," Linda answered. "We'll be fine."
When they pulled up, a flood of relief washed over Millie. Danny wasn't there, but a certain Reagan patriarch was standing at the front door waiting to go in. "Pop!"
"Henry!" Linda grinned. "What are you doing here?"
"If my granddaughter is starting a new school, I need to check it out first."
"Did Danny call you?" Linda whispered.
"He's running late. He'll be here in a few minutes."
"Commissioner Reagan," Grace smiled as they walked into the office, "what a pleasant surprise!"
"Hello," Henry said as he shook hands with her.
"Grace Patton. I'm the counselor here at Providence. And this must be Linda and Millie."
"It sure is," Henry said. "This little girl is very special to me. I thought I'd tag along on the tour if that's ok with you. I want to check security if that's alright."
"Absolutely. You know, my husband is Chief of Detectives at the Major Case Squad at 1PP."
Henry's face lit up. "Chief Patton! Of course! Well, Peanut, we're off to a good start! Chief Patton is essential to the safety of New York City. I bet he's been all over this place."
"He sure has," Grace smiled. "Want to go walk around and check it out?"
"Yes ma'am," Millie whispered as she grabbed Henry's hand. Danny flew in just as they were exciting the main office. "Mr. Uncle Danny!"
"Hey," he smiled, somewhat out of breath, "sorry I'm late."
"You must be the famous Uncle Danny," Grace smiled. "Grace Patton. Nice to meet you."
"You too."
Grace gave them the grand tour and explained the curriculum and daily schedules.
"Mil, do you have any questions?" Danny asked.
"Do the doors lock?"
Danny looked to Grace. "I guess you know…"
"Yeah. Let me show you something, Millie." Grace led the way back to the School Resource Officer's office. "Excuse us, Officer Whittman. I need to show Millie something."
"Sure," he said as he stood up and introduced himself to the Reagans. Grace took Millie's hand and led her over to several monitors on his wall. "You see this? Officer Whittman is here all day every day. All these cameras in the hallways and on the doors and he watches all of them."
"And watch this," Officer Whittman said as he radioed a teacher that was in the hallway. "Coach Balto, can you open that door for me so I can test the alarm please?"
"Sure," the coach radioed back as he opened the door and a buzzer sounded.
"Thanks!" He looked to Millie. "See that. When any of those doors open, I get an alarm that makes sure I know it's open."
"Oh, I like that very much."
"I like that too," Danny agreed. "What do you think about the rest of it, Mil? Think we could give this place a try?" Millie looked around and took a deep breath before nodding. "Good."
"Hey Millie, I heard that you are a real good reader," Grace said.
"Pop taught me."
"Good. Well, we still have some kindergarteners struggling with reading so they do extra reading every other morning for about thirty minutes. "What would you say if you came and hung out with me during that time? Just until you get adjusted and all? I sure could use the help."
"Ok."
"Good," Grace smiled with a wink to Linda.
"How about we finish up here," Linda suggested, "and you boys take Millie and go ahead and get lunch? I'll be right over."
Danny, having walked over from the precinct, took Henry's keys and drove them down the street to Little Marc's Pizzeria. Their extra-large pizza had just been placed on the table when Linda walked in. "
"Guess who gets to start school tomorrow?" she smiled.
"Got it all worked out?" Danny asked.
"Sure did. Millie, we need to go pick up a couple of uniforms this afternoon."
"I already have some."
"Yeah but those are too big. Besides, you don't have to wear plaid anymore. We've just got to find you some khaki skirts and some blue polo shirts."
"Cool."
"Hey Mil, you know what this means?" Danny asked.
"What?"
"You get to ride with me tomorrow."
"Really?"
"Yep."
Millie's eyes lit up as she leaned over and latched on to Danny's arm. "We'll be Carpool Karaoke Experts."
"Well, if you're going back to school, you ready to go back to the gym?" Henry asked.
"I don't know, Pop."
"Maybe next week," Henry offered. "Hey, how about we take Francis a sandwich for lunch? He loves this place."
"You think he has time for that?" Linda asked.
"For this princess, he will make time."
"Well I have to go back to work," Danny said as he kissed the top of Millie's head and pulled out some money to throw on the table. "Gramps, I'll see you Sunday. Ladies, I'll see you when I get home."
"Can I wait up for you?"
"Probably not tonight since you have school tomorrow. I'll try to be home early, but if not, go on to bed and I'll wake you up early in the morning."
"Let us drop you on the way," Linda said as they all got up and headed out. They let him out in front of the 5-4 and then headed to 1PP.
"Hey Commissioner Reagan," the policeman at the front door said when Henry entered with Linda and Millie.
"Hello. We need to visit the 14th floor if you don't mind."
"Sure, Sir." They called up to Baker's desk who was happy to oblige an all clear.
"Good afternoon," she smiled as they stepped off the elevator. "It's good to see you all. Especially you, Millie."
"Hi Mrs. Detective Baker," she whispered. "We brought Grandpa a sandwich."
"He will love that. He just finished a meeting with the Joint Chiefs." Baker opened Frank's office door. "Sir, you have a surprise."
"Better be a good one," they heard him say as the three made their way inside.
"Hi Grandpa!"
"Hey! It is a good one."
"We brought you lunch, Francis. It's a calzone from Little Marc's."
"Thanks, Pop." Frank walked over and hugged Linda. "Hi."
"Hey, Frank. Sorry we just popped in on you."
"Best meeting I've had all day."
Once Linda and Millie left 1PP, they headed to buy some uniforms. Linda didn't want to get too many. Since they had pin-pointed Millie's problem, she knew that she would be outgrowing them any day. By the time they finished, it was already time to go and pick up the boys.
Sure enough, Danny didn't make it in until 8:30pm. Linda had already put Millie to bed with the boys not far behind. "Hey Babe," he sighed as he dropped his keys and shield on the table by the door.
"Hey. Dinner's on the table."
"Kids in bed?"
"Yep."
He greeted her with a kiss before taking a seat at the table. "So how'd Mil do?"
"I think she'll be fine. She seemed to like it."
"What'd you and Grace talk about when you kicked us out?"
"Counseling. That story about thirty minutes of extra reading each morning was really just a way to get Millie into her office. She's going to work with her to see if we can get her back to her old self. She said once they get over this initial hump of being terrified, she would like to continue to meet with her to talk about Jackie."
"That sounds amazing. What'd the boys say?"
"I was so proud of them. They were so supportive. Jack did pull me to the side and ask who would look out for her if they weren't there, but I assured him you were close enough that you could handle it."
"That's my man," Danny smiled with pride.
"I know. I literally could not be prouder of those two. They are such good big brothers."
Danny finished up his dinner and dropped his plate in the sink. "Ready for a shower and bed?" Linda asked as she wrapped her arms around him. She could tell he was exhausted.
"Yep. Let me lock up and I'm headed that way."
"You know, an 8am to 4pm tour would be nice," Linda called over her shoulder as she headed up the stairs.
"Yeah. If only the crimes of New York City happened between the hours of 10am and 2pm," Danny sighed.
"Love you!"
"Love you more."
"Love you most."
