One thing I would like to see is more interaction between Frank and Eddie...I mean, we got the super sweet moment at the wedding, which I totally thought would lead to more between them as father/daughter-in-law, but nope. So, in my story, we'll get a little sweetness between them eventually, just maybe not in this chapter yet.
Jamie had just finished getting ready and was loading the car with the groceries to take over to his dad's when he walked back into their apartment to find Eddie resting on the couch. She sat up as soon as she heard the door but she still didn't look like she felt very well, and Jamie didn't want her to have to endure four or five hours with his family if she wasn't up to it.
"Are you sure you want to go today? I can call dad…" he says as he walks over to the couch and sits down beside her.
"No, don't do that. It's Father's Day. We have to go," she says. She means it because Frank has been a better father figure to her in the last two years than her own dad has, and he deserves to be honored today, along with Pop and Danny.
"Okay, but you don't have to go. If you don't feel up to it, I'll just tell them you're sick or something. You know, there isn't really a list, but I think this gets you out of family dinner," he winks.
"I'll be fine," she smiles at his mention of a list and reaches for her shoes. "I'm already feeling better and I was able to keep down the crackers and ginger ale you brought back," she says.
Even after her first bout with morning sickness, she still really wanted the pancakes and bacon, partly because she was starving even more after emptying everything from her stomach, but mostly because she wanted to know for sure what exactly triggered it. Was it her favorite breakfast, or was it Jamie's nasty kale smoothie, because that she would be okay with. It kind of made her want to gag before she was pregnant, so maybe that was it, and she would be just fine with her pancakes, but Jamie convinced her to go with something lighter and ran to the bodega down the street for some crackers and ginger ale. Eddie gave in this time, but she was determined to try the pancakes and bacon again soon to see for sure.
"Okay, if you're sure. We better get going then," he says as he reaches for her hand to help her off the couch.
Eddie was starting to feel a little nauseous again on the ride over to Bay Ridge and was getting nervous about it the closer they got. She really didn't want to spend the day running back and forth to the bathroom in her father-in-law's house, with the rest of the Reagan family asking a million questions. Even if they did get suspicious, she could handle breaking the news to them earlier than she and Jamie wanted, she just really didn't want to vomit in the police commissioner's house.
As Jamie pulled up in front of his dad's house, he could tell Eddie was looking a little paler than when they left their apartment and he reached across the center console as he put the car in park.
"You okay," he asks Eddie as he takes her fingers in his hand.
"Yeah," she says through a nervous sigh. "I'm feeling a little nauseous again though. Jamie, what if I throw up at your dad's house?" she asks as she makes a disgusted face at the thought of it, which Jamie finds adorable.
"What's the worst that can happen? They all figure it out a couple weeks earlier than we want," Jamie says, trying to offer some encouragement.
"Uh...No. The worst that can happen, is I throw up in your dad's house," she emphasizes slowly, making sure Jamie understands her biggest concern at the moment.
"Eddie, they've all been around pregnant women before. Look, last chance to bail. Do you wanna take the car back home? I'll get Erin to drop me off later?"
"No. I don't want to do that," she says through another long sigh. "Okay, let's just go in," she adds as she pushes open the car door.
Eddie was able to deal with the nausea throughout the day, and grateful that it never progressed to anything more embarrassing. Jamie and the rest of the guys were in the backyard while Jamie cooked the burgers on the grill and Erin joined Eddie in the kitchen as she prepped the side dishes for dinner.
"So, how have you been feeling, Eddie?" Erin asks as she approaches the counter next to Eddie and reaches for the cutting board, a knife, and a few tomatoes.
"What do you mean," Eddie stammers as she turns towards Erin, wondering how the hell she figured it out already.
"You were on full duty this week, right? First week back after the accident?" Erin says as she glances at her sister-in-law with a bit of confusion trying to figure out why her question needed clarification.
"Oh...Right. Yeah. I'm great, it's been great...Everything's great," Eddie stumbles all over her words as she realizes she's on the verge of giving herself away because Erin is glaring at her through suspicious eyes right now.
"Okaayyy…" Erin drags the word out, wondering what the hell is up with Eddie as she begins to slice the tomatoes in front of her and watches Eddie desperately try to avoid eye contact with her.
Erin is suspicious, but she's not sure exactly about what just yet as she reaches for the bottle of wine in the cabinet above her head. Eddie hides a nervous exhale as she watches Erin pull down two glasses. Erin pours the first glass and slides it over in front of Eddie.
"Thanks...Oh, you know what...I better not actually," Eddie says as Erin's eyebrows crease in confusion again. "I'm pretty sure I just saw Jamie open his third beer…" Eddie stutters again. God she can't wait to get out of this kitchen, she thinks, and tears the lettuce a little faster as she fills the garnish tray to her side.
"It's just one glass, Eddie."
"Yeah...better safe than sorry though, right," Eddie says as she hurries out of the kitchen with the tray in her hand, leaving Erin alone with the rest of the sides.
Eddie knows if she stays in the kitchen with Erin any longer, her sister-in-law is going to figure it out. She definitely didn't think about the fact that they would be trying to keep their secret in a house full of detectives, and an assistant district attorney raised by the top cop.
Eddie walks out to the backyard as Jamie is pulling the burgers off the grill and she sets the platter on the table on the porch. Erin follows her out with the rest of the sides, and Eddie walks over to stand next to Jamie, her eyes nearly bulging out of their sockets.
"Burgers are done….what's wrong," he says as he notices the plea for help on his wife's face.
"I think your sister might be on to us...maybe...I don't know," she whispers as she leans into Jamie's side.
"Why...what did you say," he whispers back. He's not as bothered about them finding out now as Eddie is, but he does understand why she wants to wait.
"How you coming on those burgers, Jamie," Erin hollers as she walks up behind them, and Jamie nor Eddie are oblivious to the look on Erin's face. A look that says I know you two have a secret and I'm going to figure it out.
"They're done," Jamie responds, and he and Eddie share a smile towards his sister.
"What's up with you two," Erin asks bluntly with her hands planted firmly on her hips.
"Nothing," Jamie and Eddie respond in unison.
After they ate, the family hung out for a couple hours longer and Eddie stayed glued to Jamie's side for fear that if either of them were cornered by Erin, she'd break them, and she figured they were stronger together than apart.
Everyone said their goodbyes, and Frank went back to the kitchen for a round of Scotch and another piece of pie when Erin walked in and sat across the counter from him.
"Hey dad," she says with a tinge of excitement in her voice.
"Hey. I thought you were leaving with everyone else," Frank responds as he cuts into the desert in front of him.
"Did Jamie say anything to you today," she questions with anticipation. She figures her dad probably knows whatever it is that her brother is hiding.
"What are you talking about," Frank says as he sets his fork down and leans back in his chair, looking Erin in the eyes.
"I just got the feeling that he and Eddie were hiding something," Erin admits, and it's just like her to feel the need to butt into someone else's personal business, especially her little brother's, and Frank knows exactly what she is fishing for.
"If Jamie and Eddie have a secret, it's theirs to keep. You should stay out of it," he tells his daughter as he reaches for this glass of scotch and takes a quick sip.
"Dad?"
"Erin, leave it alone." Frank insists in his fatherly voice and Erin knows that if her dad does know something, he's not about to tell her tonight.
Frank knew exactly what Jamie and Eddie's secret was. He'd watched his own wife go through four pregnancies and he could tell the second he saw Eddie today. She had the pregnancy glow, but he also knew that his son and daughter-in-law would tell the family when they were ready, and they had every right to enjoy their secret between just the two of them for as long as they wanted to. He couldn't be happier for them though, and couldn't wait to hear the news from their mouths.
"That was a close one," Jamie says as he reaches for Eddie's hand across the console of the car on their way back to their apartment.
"Do you think your sister knows? I think she knows," Eddie says as she fidgets with a loose thread on her jeans with her free hand.
"Maybe she has an idea, but if she knew for sure, she wouldn't have let us out there tonight without letting us know she knew," he assures her.
"You're probably right. Just a couple more weeks and we can tell everyone," she smiles.
"I can't wait," he says as he squeezes her fingers. "Hey, I snuck out with an extra pie for us," he tells her as his eyebrows dart up suggestively and Eddie laughs, anxious to get back home and realizing that her nausea has seemed to subside for now.
"Hey Eddie...I was thinking...I need to apologize to you," Jamie says, fumbling over his words a little as they turn down their block.
"For what?"
"Well, I didn't even think about your dad...and that maybe you might have wanted to go see him instead of spending the entire day with my family," Jamie says.
"Jamie, I know it's like your thing to try and mend other people's broken relationships, but I told you last year, I'm done with my dad. I can't deal with him anymore," she says as she watches a tiny frown appear on her husband's face and she really doesn't understand why he thinks she would want anything more to do with her father after they went to see him before the wedding.
"Look, he lied to you and he manipulated you, and he tried to manipulate me again. I lived most of my life that way. I mean, I also lived in denial trying to pretend that my own father wasn't the kind of jerk who would manipulate his daughter, but I can't look the other way anymore. I've tried to forgive my dad, and make things better between us over the years, with your help of course, but when he treated you the same way he treated me and my mom for so many years, that's where I have to draw the line," she adds.
"I guess I can understand that," Jamie says as he pulls the car into his parking spot outside their building.
"Besides, I have your family now, and spending Father's Day with your dad and the rest of your family is right where I want to be. And next year, we'll be celebrating you too, and that's all that matters to me anymore, okay."
A/N: I can sort of relate to Eddie when it comes to her own father. My father, although never rich, did spend most of his life in and out of jail and never really had much to do with me. I didn't miss it though, because I have a super amazing mother, but when I met my husband, his dad, my father-in-law (rest in peace now), was more of a father to me than my own dad ever was, and I guess that's why I would love to see a sweeter relationship between Frank and Eddie. BUT, we all know it's a procedural drama, and we just probably won't ever really see that much family interaction outside of work-related issues or family dinners. Oh well, thank goodness for fanfics, right?