Chapter 19

Kate rolled over and pulled the blanket up over her shoulders, snuggling in. Frannie had woken during the night and Kate had brought her to bed with her. She reached over to make sure Frannie was still covered, but her hand dusted across empty mattress.

Opening her eyes, Kate saw an empty space next to her. Her heart stopped, then pounded, moving to her throat to start a frantic pace. She jerked the blanket back as if Frannie could be hidden. She half dove off the couch bed, looking around the apartment.

Frannie's giggle and babble was answered by a low voice. Kate could hear the smile in the Carlos' voice when he spoke to Frannie, and sank back down on the edge of the mattress, her knees weak with the sudden reassurance that her daughter was safe.

"She was up early," Carlos said quietly, looking over at Kate. "I thought I'd let you sleep. I didn't mean to scare you."

Kate nodded, curling her fingers around the edge of the mattress rather than show how scared she had been. Getting herself steady enough to get up, she made her way toward the kitchen table. She glanced at Joe, sleeping in the recliner. She had heard Lacey a few times during their short night, waking Joe quietly and checking on him before tiptoeing back to the bedroom.

Kate sat down in the chair next to Frannie's highchair, across from Carlos who was seated on the other side of the highchair.

Frannie shoved a soggy graham cracker at Kate and Kate thanked her with a smile. Frannie's hair stuck up with a mixture of applesauce and ground up graham crackers.

"I hope it's ok I got her breakfast. My nieces always loved applesauce and crackers at this age," Carlos said, smiling at Frannie before he looked at Kate.

The lump in her throat annoyed her and she tried to swallow past it. Carlos' hair was wet, his face and hands cleaned up, though he still had on his dusty clothes. She studied the dark lashes that framed his eyes, the stubble covering his jaw, straight nose, tan skin…it all added up to someone becoming too familiar to her, something she had avoided at all costs for the past two years.

"Is Joe doing ok?" she asked, needing distance from the feelings that threatened her when Carlos looked at her.

Carlos nodded. "I think so. I told Lacey to get some sleep. I'll wake him up again soon and we'll head out."

The emptiness that came with the idea of him leaving was worse than the painful lump in her throat.

"Do you want to come to lunch with me tomorrow?" she asked suddenly, her need for him making the words spill out without her consent.

Carlos didn't look as startled as she felt by her sudden invitation. He smiled. "Sounds good."

Kate took in a deep breath and looked on Frannie, safer than trying to look at Carlos again. "I'm supposed to go to my dad's for lunch," she said shortly. "It won't be good."

Carlos tickled Frannie under her chin and laughed when she responded by spitting applesauce on him. He looked at Kate. "I'll be there."

#

Joe rang the doorbell of the imposing brick house. He rubbed his palms against his black pants and stepped back.

He couldn't imagine what his father's family was like. It wasn't like the Reagans weren't in the public eye, so he didn't have to imagine what they looked like, what they sounded like. But sitting down to dinner with them—

The door swung open and the police commissioner stood there. Joe got the feeling that even though he was expected, the PC was caught off guard seeing him in person again.

But Frank recovered quickly and stepped back. "I'm glad you could make it."

Joe gave him a nod. Frank reached out to take his jacket and Joe handed it over. Frank—his grandpa—was wearing a checked shirt and vest and Joe was glad he hadn't worn the jeans and t-shirt he would normally wear to Carlos' family's Sunday meal. With his hair already overgrown for the current assignment, it wouldn't take much for him to look like a bum.

"Everyone's looking forward to meeting you," Frank was saying, leading him toward the back of the house.

Everyone. Joe took a deep breath.

Frank didn't have to announce their presence. Joe got the feeling everyone had been waiting for him. When he came into the room, they were all on their feet.

Frank's hand landed on Joe's shoulder, just for a brief moment, before he motioned to the family. "Everyone, this is Joe Hill. Joe's son."

Joe looked up at the man who was his grandfather, having the connection to the father he never knew mentioned making his throat tight with emotion.

"Hi Joe, I'm Jaime. My wife Eddie."

Joe turned back to the family. He nodded and reached out to take the hand Jaime was offering.

Jaime paused, his eyes looking at Joe more carefully. "Detective Joe Hill. Renzulli's partner, right?"

Joe nodded.

Jaime let out a short laugh under his breath. "And we met already."

"We did, Sargent."

Jaime shook his head. "Just Jaime. And nice to meet you officially now." He turned to his wife. "Joe was in that…bar fight that went bad."

Recognition dawned on Eddie's face. She glanced at Jaime, then at the rest of the family, not saying anything more about it. The look she and Jaime exchanged was loaded with undercurrent. Joe wondered if she was trying to protect his cover by not saying more about the knifing and gunshot that had killed Hux.

A woman, he supposed Erin was his aunt, was standing nearby. Joe could see the emotion working over her face and tried to be gentle when he shook her hand, trying to make a joke about her not being in the family business. He met his cousins, all younger than him by a few years or more, his great grandpa, and Danny. Another uncle.

Frank cleared his throat, Joe suspected more to clear the emotion than to get anyone's attention, and invited everyone to sit.

Joe moved to the place they had set for him and sat. He looked at the empty seat next to Jaime, a place setting there, but no one taking the chair.

Frank noticed Joe looking at it. "My daughter Katie," he said. "We thought she might turn up today."

Joe didn't know what to say at the sudden silence that descended at the mention of the missing family member. Thankfully Henry took charge.

"Well maybe next week," he said. "Francis, why don't you say grace."

The family bowed their heads around him, but Joe couldn't join them. He looked at each of the people that were related to him. Erin was watching him and met his eyes with a small smile even as he saw her swallow hard at the emotion that threatened.

#

Carlos could tell Kate was on edge. She was more uneasy at the prospect of a meal with her family than she had been walking into a meeting with the Latin Aces. He could only imagine what she was running from in her family to make someone as tough as her fidget.

He didn't mention it to her, though, pretending he didn't see her hands curling into fists, uncurling, rubbing her palms together, curling into fists again. She looked straight ahead, the passenger seat not far enough away to keep him from feeling the tension vibrating off her.

"You don't have to do this," she said suddenly, still staring straight ahead, the sharp line of her jaw raised slightly, stubborn as ever. "You could go to your own family dinner. Joe's probably missing out on your mom's cooking because of this."

Carlos kept one hand on the wheel, but moved the other closer to her. "He has his own family thing today. He's meeting his dad's family for the first time."

Kate glanced at him then.

Carlos closed the gap between his hand and hers, letting her hand rest in his, giving her the chance to pull away. "Guess it's family day for everyone today."

"I guess," Kate sighed, sounding none too happy about that. She leaned back in the seat, pressing her lips into a thin line. But she didn't move her hand from his.

Kate didn't speak again as they crossed onto Staten Island, but she stopped fidgeting.

Carlos followed the directions she mumbled until they pulled up in front of a large brick home. He parked behind a car with a NYPD shield on the back window.

"You have a cop in the family?" he asked.

Kate slanted a look at him before opening her door. "Yeah."

She got out and stood next to his car, not making any move toward the house.

Carlos stood next to her, not pushing.

Kate finally spoke. "You don't have to do this." She shoved her hands into the pocket of her coat.

"Neither do you," Carlos answered, glancing down at her. He couldn't imagine what the situation was with her family that she didn't want to set foot in her father's home, but didn't flinch at facing Johnny and Wes.

Kate heaved a sigh. "Let's go." She moved toward the house with all the enthusiasm of a death row march.

#