Wedding Day

As part of their wedding gift, Frank and Henry had engaged a photographer. Danny would dress at the family home and the men would get their pictures done. Then, the professional would go to Carmen's home and take photos of the bride and her family before heading to the church. Jamie and Eddie would provide transportation for the bride's family after bringing their guests to the family home.

Danny drove to the church with his sons and their dates. Henry and Frank followed in Frank's car. When they arrived, Erin and Jack were already there supervising the flowers. A bridal bouquet awaited Maria in the Bride's room where she was waiting with her mother and sister. Erin pinned boutonnières on Danny and his sons as well as a small corsage on her daughter and Maria's sister, Ana. Then, she pinned a larger corsage on Carmen, mother of the bride. Frank walked over to the Bride's room and knocked on the door to tell them it was time. He would escort Ana down the aisle to her pew. Then, Maria would come down the aisle with her mother.

The organist provided appropriate music for the wedding service including the prelude and postlude of classical selections and not the secular music that is often played. Ana, Nicky, Jack and Sean performed their duties impeccably and the Monsignor's homily was both poignant and had bits of humor from his years of being with the Reagan family and the time he spent with Maria. Danny and Maria performed their vows flawlessly and then it was the moment Maria had been so anxiously awaiting - their first kiss as husband and wife. The Monsignor pronounced Danny and Maria to be married in the eyes of God and His Church and they kissed. It was just as magical as the kiss on her doorstep so long ago. The friends and family loudly applauded and cheered while the photographer snapped his pictures. They proceeded down the aisle and stood outside the chapel with her mother and his father. They greeted their family and friends as they exited the chapel and finally, Maria's feelings of dread evaporated. No one had interrupted the service and she and Danny could begin their married life. Friends were invited to walk to a nearby restaurant while more pictures were taken.

As the couple finally entered their wedding luncheon they were greeted by cheers and applause. The guests had been nibbling on some appetizers and chatting with each other. Danny and Maria walked around the room greeting each guest and thanking them for sharing this special day. Frank walked around encouraging everyone to find a seat. Carmen stood by him as he prepared to address the group.

"Family, friends and loved ones, I would like Monsignor Donahue to please come and say Grace before we continue with the festivities.

The Monsignor stood between the two tables, "Let us pray. God our Father and Lord of all Creation: We gather here to celebrate the love and commitment of Maria and Danny as they share their first meal together as husband and wife. We thank You for giving your Holy blessing today upon their marriage, and ask that You continue to bless them with Your love and mercy throughout their lives together. Let this be the first of many loving meals shared together with their family and friends, and blessed by Your amazing grace. And with Maria and Danny, as we are their family, friends, and loved ones gathered here in Your presence, we ask for Your Holy blessing upon this meal as together we say: Bless us oh Lord, and these Thy gifts, which we are about to receive from Thy bounty; through Christ our Lord, Amen."

"Thank you, Walter. Now, Carmen has a few words she would like to say." He turned the floor over to her and stepped back.

"Hello, in case you don't know me, my name is Carmen Baez and I am the very proud mother of the bride, Maria Elizabeth Baez-Reagan." She paused as the group applauded. "I am so happy for my daughter and am proud to call Danny my son. He brings a light into my child's eyes that I haven't seen for a long time. I would like to thank the Reagan family for their help in getting the wedding and reception organized so quickly. Everyone helped, exactly as family should be. Thank you for joining in our celebration. And now, I believe I am to turn this over to our emcee, Danny's son, Sean Reagan."

Sean stepped up and kissed Carmen on her cheek. "Thank you, Carmen. This is a day my brother and I thought might never happen. My dad doesn't always see what's right in front of him but he finally saw the light and now has not only his partner at work but also his best friend as his wife. If everyone would find a glass I would like to propose a toast to Maria and Danny, may you grow old together, may you live each day as your last and each night as your first. To Maria and Danny!" He raised his glass and everyone joined in. Danny was kissing his bride and could have lit the room with his smile. "And now, for your dancing pleasure, Joe, Nicky, Jack and I worked on some music for you. This dance will be for the bride and groom." Music started up; it was a song from the childhood of the Reagan family - Elvis Presley singing I Can't Help Falling in Love With You. When the music finished everyone applauded. "And now, Dad, if you would bring Maria over to Grandpa and then walk over to Carmen, you'll be dancing to Through the Years by Kenny Rogers." The two couples danced around the room giving the photographer plenty of picture opportunities. After the music finished, Sean spoke again. "And now, please join Danny and Maria as we play some music for your dancing pleasure. Music filled the room, not too loud but easy to dance music. The staff removed the appetizers and started to bring out the luncheon items. When they were finished, the music reduced in volume and Sean announced that the buffet was open. People wandered over and filled their plates and enjoyed the soft music still playing. Danny walked over to Sean and hugged him.

"You, your cousins and brother did this? You did a great job, thank you."

"Well, we wanted you to be able to have a dance, as I've heard from a confidential source that you two love to dance. Now, go get something to eat. And by the way, love you Dad."

Just then, Maria appeared. "Sean, this is great! Thank you." She kissed him on the cheek and Sean blushed. "Danny, I'm hungry, are you ready?" They walked off hand in hand. Sean turned to find his girlfriend waiting for him and they joined the family at the buffet. After everyone had been sated at the buffet, dancing resumed. This time the music included music more familiar to the younger attendees. During a slower song Maria requested a dance with Henry, delighting him. She also danced with Joe, Jack and Sean while Danny danced with Ana, Nicky, Erin and Jill.

At one point in the afternoon Jill came over to chat with Danny. Between Jamie and Danny, Jill had been enrolled in a rehab program some time ago. She had finally graduated from the program and had a good job with the VA waiting for her. She was able to use her skills and help other veterans get the assistance they needed in a timely manner. She told Danny about her progress and wanted to thank him for not letting her spend her life the way she had been living. Jamie saw her at least once a month and was happy she was doing so well. Maria came back to the table and between them they set a date for Jill to come and visit with them after the honeymoon. Danny understood that for Jill it would always be one day, one step, at a time but the Reagan family would always be available if she needed help.

Finally, it was time for the cake to be cut. But first, Danny and Maria had their own wrinkle for the traditional tossing of the bridal bouquet and garter. Given that Danny had no wish to see either of his sons married yet and Erin felt the same about Nicky they decided to instead gift the bouquet to Erin and the garter to Jack. The music was turned down for the moment and Sean brought a chair out to the middle of the floor. Danny and Maria joined him there and Maria sat down and permitted Danny to remove the garter she had worn just above her knee. Then she stood up and waited for Nicky to bring her parents to the center of the floor. Danny asked Erin to have a seat and for Jack to stand next to her.

"For those of you who may not know this couple, this is my sister, Erin and her ex-husband Jack Boyle. They are both attorneys and are considered by their colleagues to be excellent in their chosen fields. Rumor has it that they are getting closer together and Jack may become my brother-in-law again. My lovely bride and I thought we'd give them a hand." Maria handed the bouquet to Erin while Danny handed the garter to Jack and encouraged him to place it on Erin's leg. "And Jack, in case you hadn't noticed we've gained three more cops in the family. Be nicer to my sister than I was or we'll get you." Jack performed his deed to the satisfaction of the bride and groom and then kissed his former wife. Then he escorted Erin and Nicky back to their seats accompanied by loud applause.

By this time the cake was ready to be cut. Danny and Maria posed for pictures and then made the first cuts. A piece of cake was placed on a plate and handed to the bride along with a fork for each of them. Maria carefully placed a small piece of cake on the fork and fed it to her husband. Danny also used a small piece of cake and deftly placed it into the bride's mouth and then they kissed. The cake was removed to be cut and served to the guests along with tea and coffee.

There was time for some more dancing and picture taking. Maria pulled her husband to the dance floor and they began to dance. "Danny, I couldn't have imagined a more wonderful wedding than we've had. This puts all my little girl dreams to shame. Thank you."

"This is no less than you deserve. I'm glad we could work things out and have this reception. But, we have one more item that requires our attention. As soon as this song is done?"

"Maybe one more dance, please" Maria asked as she kissed Danny deeply with a promise of things to come. Danny signaled to Sean to play one more dance and then cut the music. Gradually people were leaving the dance floor so they could watch the happy couple. They danced as if they had practiced for hours and hours. The song had ended and Danny walked over to Frank and Henry and brought them to the center of the room. At the same time, Maria brought her mother and sister to the same space.

"Ladies and gentlemen, if we could have your attention for a moment, please?" asked Danny. Slowly, everyone sat down wondering what more surprises there might be. "Without these two gentlemen and these two wonderful ladies, we probably would not have been able to have this fabulous celebration of our wedding. So, Dad, Pops, Carmen and Ana thank you for everything you have ever done for us." Danny hugged both men, causing them to blush, then kissed Carmen and Ana. Next, it was Maria's turn.

"Dad, Pops, you welcomed me into your family as if I had been born into it. I truly felt like a beloved family member from the first time I sat at your table. We've had some pretty loud discussions and differences of opinion but with five cops and three lawyers, Jamie counts twice as he's both a lawyer and a cop, that is going to happen. But, at the end of every event everyone is made to feel wanted and loved regardless of the result of the loud conversations. Mami, Ana, tonight I can tell you along with everyone here that in about six months you will be able to hold your first grandchild."

The room exploded in congratulations as Carmen and Ana hugged Maria. At the same time, Frank and Henry shook hands with Danny. Frank whispered into Danny's ear, "Guess you've still got it, right?"

"Dad, you have no idea how much fun we had these past few months. She was told it would never happen but they were wrong. She was so elated and did three different tests before she believed it. She's going to be a great mom. I never thought I could be this happy after Linda…" He paused, "but these months we've been together working on us I'll remember for the rest of my life. She's just what I need and want. She's so smart and as much grief as I might give her when we're on a case she gives it right back. If she thinks she's right about something we can't stop until we know what the truth is. I would go to hell and back for her, any day, any time, anywhere." People finished their cake and coffee and before departing said thank you to Maria and Danny for having a wonderful time and then said thank you to their hosts: Frank, Henry, Carmen and Ana. The room was finally emptied of guests and both families gathered the gifts and cards that had been brought to the reception. The men carried the items out to Frank's car and once the happy couple returned to the area they could come and pick up the booty. The grandchildren would be heading off with their dates but Jack and Sean had orders to bring the ladies to Jamie before midnight and they would spend the night with Frank and Henry.

The honeymoon was delightful but ended too soon. They returned to work at the 5-4 and continued to lead all teams in cases solved and convictions. The months passed and Maria was at the halfway point in the pregnancy. So far, she was doing well. Danny worried but kept it to himself. They quickly developed routines to handle daily and weekly chores. To remain close to her family, they would have dinner with Ana and Carmen two or three times every month.

As per department policy, Maria would now be reassigned to desk duties for the duration of her pregnancy. She would be permitted, on a case by case basis, to assist with interviewing witnesses but not suspects. Another officer would accompany Danny for interviews with possible suspects. She was reviewing several cases that hadn't been solved when she found discrepancies in the interview forms for the suspects in those cases. When she checked further, this only involved one officer - Matthew Vanderberg. She brought this to Lieutenant Gee's attention and he assigned Maria to review cases where he and his partner had been the primary investigators. She noticed that the interview documents were consistent between the partners in each case. Discussing the matter with the boss, it was decided to have Danny record the conversation next time he and Matthew interviewed a suspect and bring it back to Maria to compare with the written reports.

After presenting their information to the boss, Matthew was called into the office. The boss presented the complete documentation from the officer then played the taped conversations. He was asked about the discrepancies but had no explanation. The lieutenant called for the detective's union representative. Once he had arrived, Mike called Danny and Maria into his office. They discussed what could have caused the issues but Matthew refused to say anything. At this point, the matter would be referred to the Commissioner's Special Assistant, Sid Gormley.

The meeting took three hours but was resolved. For whatever reason Detective Vanderberg was jealous of the success Danny and Maria seemed to enjoy and decided to take them down. It was time for another team to take over first place. After meeting with the commissioner it was decided that the detective would be suspended for two weeks. During that time he would be given four choices regarding his position in the NYPD. He could move to another precinct, he could transfer to another department or he could resign from the NYPD. Lastly, he could remain where he was and work with Danny to improve his skills and see how the team of Danny and Maria were so successful. He would ponder his choices and notify his lieutenant by the end of the week.