23

Jamie stood in front of his dresser, clad in his BDUs and a new uniform shirt as the same question repeated over and over in his head: is this really happening?

He still felt like he needed to pinch himself and make sure this was his reality. That feeling hadn't left him since he got the news...

Jamie walked into the downtown burger joint for the last-minute lunch invitation. He rolled his shoulders while he searched for a familiar face, hoping to ease the tension that had permanently settled between them. Despite completing STS and getting a full week off, he was having trouble relaxing during the downtime as he and the other remaining candidates waited anxiously for confirmation of their admission to ESU. As of now, he had no way to know for sure where he woud be repoting for work next week.

Once he found him, Jamie joined the seasoned vet, offering the older man a smile...or so he thought. "Hey, Sarge."

Jones laughed to himself at seeing the stress all over the kid's face. He went through it himself, so he knew all about it. The ESU instructors were sadists - instead of confirming your admission to ESU after you passed the final qualification, they made you wait a few days to 'tally scores' and 'present the candidate to a panel for final approval.' It was all baloney; if a candidate failed qualifications or wasn't fit for the position - either physically or mentally - they were released from STS well before now.

Jones pitied the kid, but it didn't mean he couldn't have a little fun. "Reagan, you look like you're wound a little tight there," he commented before bringing a large, icy glass of cola to his lips.

Jamie grimaced. He was usually better at hiding his emotions, but the possibility of returning to patrol after the last eight months had him on edge. He kicked ass in STS, but past experiences with higher-ups weary of promoting him made him nervous. Everybody and their mother told him to chill, that he'd get in, but they weren't the ones waiting around for news on the future of their career. "Is it that obvious?" he sighed.

Jones remembered their first meeting, so he knew Reagan had issues with bosses passing on him. It seemed to weigh heavily on the kid which was why he had to give him props for doing this on his own.

Jones waited until the waitress took their orders before he continued. "Don't worry. It happens to all of us when we're waiting to hear whether we're gonna get booted back to patrol."

"Yeah. We should know by the end of the week," Jamie said.

"What are you so worried about? From what I heard, you didn't get any lonely van rides back into the city after qualifications."

"No, thank God for that. That would have been something awful," Jamie cringed. And thankfully, none of his close STS buddies had suffered that humiliation either, but other trainees had and the class size had dwindled down more than it already had before finals. Jamie was more stressed for McCoy during firearms qualifications than he was for himself; he didn't want to see the poor guy fail twice, but McCoy passed with flying colors and was ready to pass out from the relief it brought him.

"But we still have to wait for everything to be tallied and get across-the-board approval from the panel."

Jones snorted at the line they kept feeding them. "I know. I remember those days."

"Everyone's on pins and needles," Jamie rambled.

Jones couldn't take it anymore. He kind of wanted to put the kid out of his misery. "Yeah, about that," he sighed, pausing because a part of him still wanted to have a little fun with this. "I talked to some of the instructors earlier today," he went on in a more serious tone.

"Ohh-kaay," Jamie drawled, suspicious of his tone. He began preparing himself for what might come next because Carey Jones had connections with the instructors at STS, so maybe...

"They kinda gave me a feel for how you did," Jones said. He had to break eye contact with Jamie or he would lose the struggle to keep a straight face. Especially when the kid was now looking back at him with big, round eyes.

Jamie's heart pounded in his chest. "Alright," he breathed out. It sounded like he was going to learn his fate sooner than he thought.

"Yeah, so, uh...I guess I'll break it to you," Jones continued, but he couldn't continue with the charade, because just as he expected, as soon as their eyes connected again, a big grin stretched across his face.

"It's official, man. You made it!" he announced.

Jamie said nothing, he could only blink back dumbly at the other man. The words weren't registering.

"You hear me, Reagan?" Jones asked worriedly. He might have just given the young officer an aneurysm.

"Yeah, I, uh," Jamie finally replied, followed by a nervous and uncertain burst of laughter. "Finding it hard to process what you said."

Jones chuckled at the shock on Jamie's face.

"Are you sure?" Jamie added in a breathy voice.

"What? You think I'd tell you that and then say, 'nah, just pulling your leg, kid?' Jeez, Reagan. I may have been trying to mess with you a bit, but I wouldn't do that!"

Jamie shook his head in disbelief. "I'm in," he said to himself as he sat back in his chair. All of the tension in his back melted away.

"Yeah, man! You're in!" Jones congratulated Jamie, reaching across the table to pat him on the shoulder. "And I got a good idea of where you'll land too."

ESS1 is where he landed, right in Jones' unit and Jamie couldn't be more excited. He finally got his rabbi; the man had become a mentor, keeping tabs on him throughout STS and consistently offered him encouragement and advice on every aspect of training, backed by years of his own experience. And it seemed that would continue as Jones brought him under his wing to work Lower Manhattan.

The rest of that day went by in a flash as he delivered the good news to Eddie and his family. Once he was done, he'd crashed hard, but the work wasn't over, by any means. Training was a part of the everyday life of an ESU officer, but at least that fear of never having the chance to be a part of something bigger was gone.

Jamie's fingers worked on the last buttons of his shirt as a pair of masterful hands slid around his waist. His smiling eyes looked up at the reflection in the mirror to find Eddie positioned securely behind him.

"Are you ready for today?" she inquired, resting her head against his shoulder to admire the sight. She would always be a sucker for a man in uniform, especially this man in uniform. Eddie tightened her arms around his strong, muscular frame while she waited for his response. She knew the answer already, but felt compelled to ask considering the nervous energy radiating out of him since they slid out of bed.

Jamie had a moment of deja vu as his mind traveled back to a similar occasion from his past - dressing in front of a mirror just like this on another big day, making sure his uniform was impeccable while someone else stood proudly behind him. But this was different. It was better because he had a woman by his side who accepted him, regardless of what he did for a living.

He let out a breath that, to Eddie, was evidence of his excitement, but in reality, it was simple gratitude for all he had in his life.

"Yeah, you have no idea," he proclaimed with a shake of his head, knowing exactly what she was referring to.

"Oh, I think I do," Eddie snorted. She had been witness to the hard work he put into his training during these last several months and she had no doubt he put in the same effort from day one.

Jamie spun around in her arms, sliding his hands along the satiny, blue robe she wore. He pulled her closer, amazed by how the physical contact eased his nerves. It was just the two of them now, but the rest of the day was jam packed with ceremonies and the obligatory family gathering. He was sure there wouldn't be time to even catch his breath in between it all.

Eddie rose on her bare toes and planted a kiss on his lips, careful not to smear her lipstick. "So I've heard what these graduations are like but I've never been to one in person," she said. If she was honest, she had her own butterflies fluttering around in her stomach about today, but it had nothing to do with seeing Jamie graduate. Meeting the Reagans was making her as nervous as Jamie, but she wasn't going to bring that up to him now. She just needed to put on a brave face and get over this meet-the-parents (and brother and sister and grandfather, etc.) phase of their relationship.

"It's different than our academy class graduation, that's for sure. Less pomp and circumstance, more dog and pony show," he said.

"How so?" Eddie prodded as she reached up to straighten his collar. He seemed more relaxed now, so she kept him talking.

"Only 44 graduates compared to...what was it again? Six hundred….twenty-four in my academy class, I think."

"Mine was five seventy-two."

"We won't be at the Garden, but at the department's aviation hangar at Floyd Bennet Field," he shrugged. There was a special reason for that.

"I'm still looking forward to all of it. I can't wait to see you in action," Eddie beamed. She was proud of Jamie. Despite the break up of their partnership, he challenged himself and came through on the other side, headed to bigger and better things within the department.

Jamie downplayed the first part of the ESU graduation activities. The class would be demonstrating some of what they'd learned during training. It was a chance for friends and family to witness their new skills. And although Jamie was proud of all he was capable of, he preferred to pass on the performance the department had them put on mostly for the benefit of the news cameras covering the event.

"I wouldn't exactly call it action. It's basically putting on a show for everyone."

"Some show," Eddie scoffed. "I wouldn't call jumping out of helicopters and opening cars like a can of tuna a show. It's what you're really going to be doing everyday." He hated the extra attention and she agreed it was more for the cameras than for the families, but she didn't want him to downplay any part of his responsibilities now.

Jamie slipped out of her embrace and sat down on the bed, careful of his dress blues laid out to one side. He reached for his work boots and began to get them on his feet. "Yeah, well, I guess it's tradition born out of the brass wanting to show off the unit. I'd prefer just to get it over with and get to work."

"They should show off the unit! Stop being so modest, Reagan. This is a really big deal. You just did what ninety-nine percent of the rank and file never could," Eddie said. She leaned back against the dresser and thought of the truth of that statement - the ninety-nine percent included her. Eddie wouldn't hesitate to save a life, but she drew the line at jumping out of hovering helicopters.

"I know," Jamie assured her while tying his boot.

"You should be proud. You've worked hard," she added.

Done with his boots, Jamie sat up and smiled back at her. "Thank you. I'm glad you'll be there."

"I wouldn't miss it for the world. Plus, I want to see what you've been doing without me all these months," she grinned.

Jamie stood up and walked over to Eddie, firmly pressing her up against the dresser while his hands grasped her hips. "I'm much more interested in what you've been doing with me all these months," he whispered as he leaned in for another kiss.

Eddie cupped his cheek, savoring the moment, but they had somewhere to be. "There will be plenty of time for that later, Romeo. Finish getting ready, I'll be done in ten," she declared and playfully pushed him back so she could return to the bathroom to get dressed.

"Talk is cheap, Janko," Jamie complained, but she was right. Time was limited.

Today was going to be a good day.

Last chapter up next! it's been a long journey.