A Fresh Start Chapter 7

Change Begins at Home

Two months later Jamie had finished helping implement the training program at the other PDs that requested him, and he was back to working in the critical case division and hostage negotiation and rescue team's full time. Eddie had recently accepted a promotion to an LAPD analyst. She'd been surprised with the promotion. She like Jamie was always focused on her job. She didn't realize how much her work was getting her noticed. She reserved those thoughts for her overachieving husband. Her first month was interesting and she was learning so many things and getting to work with many more people in different areas of law enforcement. This wasn't something that she would've gone looking for, but she was happy that she'd been given the opportunity to grow.

Jamie had little time for anything but work and was living life similar to his older brother Danny, where it seemed as if the only way that his family could see him was to visit him up at the station. It seemed he was either working a case that stopped him from having time off or it seemed like every time he got a rare day off a hostage call came in that he had to take. Fortunately for Eddie, her new job had set hours and she no longer had to contend with rotating shifts, and she didn't miss them at all.

Betty was great, she missed seeing her dad, but Jamie always did the best he could and would spend as much time with her because he knew how important it was to have a present father in your life. She was looking forward to summer vacation that would start with being a flower girl in Dana and Spencer's wedding. Eddie was the maid of honor and Jamie the best man.

Spencer was the only one who was worried because of Jamie's recent schedule. He was worried that he'd end up at the wedding without a best man. Eddie was constantly reassuring him that Jamie wouldn't do that to him and that she'd make sure that her husband was in attendance and got a few days off in the process.

Two weeks later Spencer's big day went off without any issues, Jamie was there and wasn't interrupted once. He'd even been able to enjoy one night away in Vegas.

The next week everything changed. Jamie was called into a hostage situation involving two children and their mother. The two cutest little kids and their mother were in danger. Their father wasn't a good guy. He'd been in and out of prison and when he had a bad day, the entire family had a bad day. This was one of those bad days as he had just lost his most recent job.

While Jamie was talking to him, the man lost it and killed his wife. At that Jamie gave the word and entered to save the children. Jamie already knew that he was going to beat himself up over the loss of the mother, but what he didn't know yet was that those sweet little children had both just lost the only two people they had in the world.

After the call was done and the reports were written Jamie headed over to the hospital to check on the children. He hated that they saw their mother killed in front of them. That's something no child should ever have to see or experience.

"Hi, are those the children from the hostage situation?" Jamie asked a nurse he knew well from time he'd spent here for himself or for other cases that made his way onto his desk.

"Yes, neither child has said much. CPS should be here soon, hopefully they have a relative that can take them in. They need to go into a loving home, not a group home. They are both okay physically, but mentally they will need some help." The nurse said knowing that Jamie was a cop that cared and would do anything he could to help the children if he could.

"Okay, can I see them, or do you think that could hurt more?" Jamie worried. The kids looks so scared sitting on the gurney.

"No, detective, please go and visit with them."

Jamie walked up slowly to the gurney because he didn't want to frighten them even more.

"Hi, my name's Jamie, what's your name?" Jamie asked quietly.

"Francis and this is my sister Arabella."

Jamie could tell that he was trying to be strong for his little sister, but he could see how afraid he was. After watching their mother killed by their father it was understandable that they were afraid.

"Are you two okay, do you hurt at all?" Jamie was worried that their dad had hurt them before things escalated out of control. He wasn't sure if the hospital had time to check them over yet.

"We're scared, but we'll be okay." Francis said. "Thank you for saving me and my sister."

"Arabella, that is a really pretty name. My daughter's name is Elisabeth, but we call her Betty and she's six, how old are you?"

She held up four fingers and blushed.

"How old are you, Francis?" Jamie's heart broke for these two cute little kids.

"Five, I'm older so it's my job to take care of her." He tried to look brave.

Jamie sat for a few minutes while Francis spoke to Arabella in Spanish. He knew that he was trying to comfort her, and he was thankful that he'd learned Spanish in high school and college.

"I have two older brothers and an older sister. They all protected me when I was little."

Fifteen minutes later CPS was there and was working on finding a home or homes for Francis and Arabella. Jamie found out that this wasn't the first time that they'd been in the system. The social worker from CPS informed him that they didn't have any other family and now that both of their parents were dead, they were headed to a group home until they found someone to foster or adopt them, and there was a good possibility that they would be split up.

At that point Jamie made a call and hoped that someone could watch Betty for a little while because he needed Eddie to come down to the hospital as soon as she was able. Fortunately, Dana was home and able to hang out with Betty for a while. An hour later Eddie was at the hospital.

"Jamie what's wrong?" Eddie worried being called to the hospital even though she'd spoken with him directly. Her husband was a hero and had a bad habit of forgetting that he had a family to come home to each night. She knew this when she married Jamie, but it could be hard to handle sometimes.

"I know that we've talked about having more kids, but never a timeline or how we wanted to do it." Jamie was nervous and he knew he wasn't hiding it well.

Eddie just stared at him for a minute unsure of what was going on. "Yes."

"I had a hostage call today and there was a little boy and girl involved. Eddie, would you ever consider adoption? I know that this is really short notice, and I should have talked to you more about this." Jamie rambled because he was nervous, and he'd really made a connection with the kids and was afraid that they would be split apart in order get them into homes faster or at all.

"Yes, I would consider adoption, how many, what are their names and how old are they?"

"Francis is five and Arabella is four. They watched their father kill their mother and then LAPD shot their father in order to save their lives. It won't be easy, but they need someone to love and care for them and I think that both children could really benefit from coming into our family and Betty will be an amazing big sister. I know that she'd love to have a sibling too." Jamie smiled at the last comment.

"Really and how do you know that?"

"She's asked me for sibling a couple times. Usually when I tell her a story about something I did with one of my siblings."

Eddie laughed at that. She'd heard a lot of those stories too. "Hmm… I'm not opposed to it; I do worry about Betty though."

"I worry about Betty too, and I don't know how this will affect her. Which it will. With three kids I think that we need to find our own place. Will you meet them?"

"I agree, we should start looking for our own place too. Three kids this is going to get interesting fast."

Jamie and Eddie spent the next few hours talking and playing with the kids, although it had only taken Eddie a few minutes with them to come to the same decision as Jamie, she wanted to take the leap and make them part of their family. Both of the kids had fallen asleep, and they were still in the room just watching them.

"I want to do it, Jamie. What do we need to do next?" Eddie said still looking at Francis and Arabella.

"I already filled out the paperwork to foster, and we'll have a class to take and then we can start working through the adoption process." Jamie smiled. He was hoping that they would get to come home with them tomorrow.

"Ok, when and what do you want to tell our families?"

"The truth, they were involved in a case that I was working, and they have no one else in the world, and I, no we thought that we could bring them into our loving home, hoping to give them the love support and opportunities for a bright future."

Eddie couldn't do anything besides smile. She married one of the best men in the world who, she wished paid a little more attention to himself, but always took care of everyone around him, with his family being at the top of that list.

They went home and told Spencer and Dana about the new additions they would be adding to their family. Eddie went and woke Betty up so they could explain what would be happening the following day when Francis and Arabella would be coming home.

The next morning Betty woke up excited and ready to help getting things ready for her new siblings. Both Jamie and Eddie did warn her that it's not certain that they would get to stay until the adoption is finalized.

Once home Betty took them all over the house and showed them all the cool things about living there. Spencer had yet again put his foot down and didn't want them to leave, he and Dana switched sides of the house with them, so they had enough bedrooms for everyone and a larger gathering space for the family upstairs.

Lena, Armin, and Alex all jumped in to help. Lena found out Francis and Arabella's sizes and had a bunch of clothes waiting for them. Armin, Alex and Betty had gone toy shopping, so they each had some of their own toys to play with in addition to sharing with each other. Spencer and Dana made sure that they had anything in the house that a little one would want to eat. Beyond what they already kept in the house for Betty. Jamie made everyone promise to not say anything to his family. He needed to tell them about his two new additions himself on his own time.

Jamie had great respect for his mom and dad after the first week with three kids. Bella, as she had come to be known in the house had a rough night every night and would wake up crying or screaming. As soon as she was up Frankie would come running into her room to try and help calm her down. It was hard for Jamie and Eddie to get him to understand that they were there to take care of them and that he could just be a kid now. Betty understood what was going on and helped keep Frankie busy so Jamie and Eddie could take care of Bella.

A month later they were in court and the adoption was official. Now the plan was to travel to New York so everyone could meet the new family members. Jamie was hopeful that everything was going to go well because Bella's nightmares seemed to be getting better and Frankie understood that it was mom and dad's job to take care of both of them. Both of the kids were in therapy to help them deal with the terrible things that they saw, and their pasts. Therapy seemed to be helping, and that made everyone very happy.

Jamie was trying to think through how he was going to tell his family. He loved his family, but he still loved the space he had living three thousand miles away from his family.

"Hey dad, we were thinking of visiting New York at some point in the next month or two." Jamie said while ignoring, his real reason for the call.

"Great, we can't wait to see the three of you." Frank always loved when his youngest came home. He missed him and really hated that Jamie had moved so far away. He wished that he could have all of his family close by.

"Well dad, actually there's five of us now." Jamie wanted to wait to tell his family about the change until it was finalized.

"Why didn't you tell us that Eddie was pregnant? Congratulations, and twins." Frank tried to sound happy but was disappointed that his son wasn't sharing things about his life with them. This was one of the things that concerned him with his son living so far away.

"Dad, Eddie isn't pregnant. We adopted a little girl and boy."

"Oh, have you two been thinking about that long?" Frank wondered out loud. He was glad that he hadn't missed one of his grandchildren being born, but still felt left out.

"Actually, they were involved in an incident that I was involved in at work. They didn't have anyone left in the world, and their case worker didn't think it was likely that they would be able to stay together, and I couldn't let that happen. Dad, as soon as I saw them, I knew that they belonged with us, and Eddie agreed after she met them."

"Okay, tell me about them." Frank didn't know which way was up right now. He'd helped a lot of kids along the way, but they very seldom came home and as badly as he may have wanted to, he knew he couldn't save them all. This is one of his concerns when Jamie joined the force. Jamie wanted to save everyone when he knew that was impossible and was going to eventually eat his son alive.

"Francis is five, we call him Frankie and he is the great protector, he's learning what it's like to just be a kid and to not be the oldest anymore. Arabella is four, we call her Bella, and she is loving having another girl to hang around with all the time. Both of them are great kids, that have really found their way into our hearts over the last month."

"Francis huh? So how is life with three kids?" Frank couldn't help but laugh. This would only happen to his youngest.

"Well, they just became Reagans earlier today, but they have been with us for a month. Betty has always been an easy child. I understood that after all the time I spent with Jack and Sean, but all I could think about when I went back to work a week after Frankie and Bella moved in was how much I respected you and mom for what you went through having the four of us."

"You were our easy kid. Joe wasn't bad, but he could be easily riled up by Danny or Erin." Frank said remembering several times Erin or Danny succeeded in getting Joe into trouble.

"Danny and Erin were capable of getting us all in trouble," Jamie laughed.

"I can't wait to meet them. Send me pictures so I can show everyone the new family members at dinner on Sunday."

"I'll have some emailed to you later tonight."

Jamie knew that his dad wasn't happy that he didn't know about the kids earlier, but he knew it came down to his dad being protective over him despite the fact that he had long been an adult.

Sunday dinner that week was exciting to say the least. Jamie had sent him about three-hundred photos after their phone call. Between the things he heard about his son's work and now having three kids he seriously wondered when he slept. Frank had Detective Baker over to set up his computer to the tv so everyone could see the photos more comfortably.

"Ok, everyone to the living room." Frank said preparing for all of their reactions.

"What's going on dad?" Erin asked curiously. Normally they would eat and then either leave or do their own thing until they decided to head to their own homes.

Henry was excited about the news and was ready to buy a plane ticket and sleep on the couch once he arrived in LA.

"We're hoping that your brother and his family will be in town in a few weeks, but we don't know for sure yet." Frank said knowing they missed Jamie too, but giving them a hint as to why they were all gathering after dinner.

"I thought it was set that the kid was bringing Betty to stay with us for a month?" Danny questioned. He and Linda were planning on spending a couple of days with her and the boys.

"Things have changed." Frank said and turned on the tv to show two cute little kids. "The little boy is Francis, and the girl is Arabella."

"Are they babysitting them for a friend?" Nikki asked.

"No, Nikki earlier this week Francis and Arabella became Reagans. They are now officially Francis Joseph Reagan and Arabella Margret Reagan. Francis or Frankie as they call him is five and Arabella or Bella as she is called is four and Betty is loving being a big sister and getting to care for and help them grow and learn."

Erin started crying. She wished that she had been there in the courtroom to support them for the adoption hearing. She was upset that Jamie was hiding so much of his family's life from them. She always hated that her baby brother was so private, and it was easier for him now that he lived so far away.

"So, we have two new cousins! Cool!" Sean shouted.

"Grandpa when do we get to meet them?" Jack asked excitedly.

"I don't know for sure; your uncle and aunt have to work that out, and they are adapting to life with three kids under ten, and Frankie and Bella had a rough start to life, so they are working through some things." Frank said hoping they understood why they may have not heard much from Jamie lately.

"And Eddie started a new job not too long ago too." Linda said remembering when Eddie told her that she accepted a job as an analyst.

"But the kid and Eddie are all, okay?" Danny worried. He always thought being the oldest that he would be the one that they went to with the kid questions, but Erin ended up with a family before he did.

"Yeah, honestly, I know that things are crazy for Jamie right now, but he sounds happy. Happier than he has been in a very long time. It seems like everything has fallen into place for Jamie now." Frank said happily.

The next few weeks go as they had been. They have their new normal. Things had been crazy at work for both Eddie and Jamie. Eddie was enjoying her role as an analyst and was already getting accolades that were getting her noticed by other agencies. Jamie had been working on the joint terrorism taskforce with the FBI for over a month. He found that he was ending his days at the FBI building each night instead of his own office. Most nights he was getting home in time to put the kids to bed.

Changes were coming. The plan had morphed into a family trip to New York for a week and then the entire family was going to head up to Montauk for a few days.

The kids had been enjoying summer vacation. They were just waiting for their trip to New York. Betty couldn't wait to go back and she was excited to show her new brother and sister all around New York where their dad grew up. She had a lot on her mind and didn't hear her husband or friends come in the house.

"Hey Spencer, hey Dana, how was work my father treating you both well?"

"Hey Eddie, everything's fine at work, what about you? You seem a little distracted tonight?" Dana said concerned for her friend.

"Yeah, I just need to talk to Jamie."

"Well, I think he needs to talk to you too because he asked us to watch the kids tonight, so go get ready for dinner on the beach. Jamie should be home soon." Dana said giving her friend a hug and taking over the dinner duties.

Ten minutes later Jamie arrived home and headed to his room to change into shorts and get ready for a walk on the beach and a serious talk. It was only ten minutes later they were in their car and on their way to the beach.

The weather was beautiful, but neither Jamie or Eddie really noticed. They were both lost in their own thoughts.

"Are you okay Eddie?" Jamie was concerned. They decided early on in the relationship that they wouldn't have secrets from each other. Honesty was important.

"Yeah, something happened today that I need to talk to you about." Eddie said looking out at the ocean.

Jamie was worried, and he was trying to think about all the things in their world that it could be, and he had no clue. "Are you okay? Are the kids, okay?"

"Yes, the kids are fine, and so am I." Eddie paused. "Ya know how I've assisted the FBI a couple times of times in the last few months."

"Ya. Do they have a big case that they want you to assist with?" Jamie worried because he knew his news could hurt his wife.

"No, they offered me a job." Eddie finally just blurts out.

Jamie has the biggest smile on his face.

"Babe, I couldn't be happier for you. Do you want to accept the job?"

"I do Jamie. I know that it means that I could get transferred anywhere in the country, and I was worried about what it might mean for our family."

"Well, I wanted to talk to you alone because I was offered a job as an agent with the FBI today." Jamie watched her face to see for her reaction.

Eddie's eyes were bright. She was so happy. She hoped if they were both working for the FBI that they would be transferred together when the time came.

"Do you want to accept the job?" She had to ask. She wasn't sure that he wanted to work for the feds instead of a PD.

"Yes. I want to take the job, but I know that I'll have to spend five months in training in Virginia, and I don't know where we would be heading after that." Jamie worried about the impact that the moves would have on his family.

"Okay, so let's accept the positions and figure out what's next. We need to discuss priority places we would like to go if we are given the opportunity to." Eddie smiled.

After accepting the positions Jamie and Eddie turned in their notice. Jamie was called into Chief Arbogast's office the following day. Jamie had three good years with LAPD and was offered some opportunities that he would have never gotten if he'd stayed in New York, and he knew that.

"Thanks for coming in Jamie." Arborghast said sadly.

"Yes sir." Jamie said unsure of how much he knew.

"I understand that you're leaving us in a couple of weeks."

"Yes sir."

"I heard that you've accepted a position as an agent for the FBI, and your wife as an analyst."

"Yes sir. I've recently been working with the joint terrorism task force with the FBI and have learned a lot from them. When the opportunity arose, it was too good to pass up." Jamie said waiting for his mentor to be upset.

"I know, I've heard about the excellent work that you've been doing. Jamie, I knew when you accepted the job here that you may not be here long if you were given the ability to spread your wings. You have immense talent, and I'm glad that it is being utilized. I wish you and your family luck. I'm sure that you will rise through the ranks of the FBI quickly."

"Thank you, sir."

They talked for a while longer about missing New York and the things that they were looking forward to in the future.

Jamie and Eddie had a month off after they finished with the LAPD and when their respective trainings would start in Virginia. Their original plan was to road trip across the country and then stay in hotels until their living accommodations were figured out in Virginia. Eddie's parents hated the idea. They had movers come in and pack everything and they were going to have their belongings along with the Chevelle and Eddie's brand-new Tahoe that they got her after the adoption was finalized stored on the east coast. The Janko's flew the entire family to New York first class and had another Tahoe waiting for Jamie to celebrate his new job.

Jamie had let his grandfather know that his entire family would be at Sunday dinner. Frankie and Bella still had yet to meet Jamie's large family and they were feeling nervous. It was their first time in New York City, and they were both amazed. Betty was pointing out everything that she knew and trying to help them stop being so nervous.

"Ok, this is grandpa Frank and great-grandpa Henry's house, you're going to get to meet your cousins Nikki, Jack and Sean, and your Aunt Erin, Aunt Linda, and Uncle Danny. Whenever we are in New York on a Sunday we'll be here for dinner." Jamie said as they sat in front of the house.

"Did you grow up here dad?" Frankie asked trying to understand everything going on around him.

"Yes, I did."

"Daddy, if it's scary can you hold me?" Bella asked already feeling scared of meeting all the new people.

"Yes, and I know Betty and Frankie will help you if you need it too okay. In case mommy and I are not in the room."

Will his and Eddie's new jobs they knew that they could be moving around some over the next few years and meeting new people was going to be a big part of Bella's life. Frankie had been handling it better since he had to finish off his school year in a new district with new teachers and make new friends.

"Ok."

With that Jamie and Eddie got the kids out their car seats and grab everything that they would need to stay for the night.

"Jamie! It's so good to see you, and you too Eddie." Henry said grabbing items from them to set on the stairs. "And is the sweet little girl, Bella?"

"I Bella, you Frank or Henry?" she said shyly and then hid her head in Jamie's neck again.

"I'm Henry, but you can call me pop-pop, okay, and you must be Frankie."

Frankie gave Henry a hug. "Hi pop-pop!"

Once they were all inside Betty started telling Henry about all the new things in her life since they had last talked.

"Okay pop, we've had a long day, we are going to figure out sleeping situations upstairs and take a nap before dinner if that's okay with you." Jamie stated knowing all three of his kids were having a hard time keeping their eyes open.

"Go for it. Everyone should be here by two, so come down any time after that."

Two hours later the family has arrived, and Jamie and his family make their way down to dinner. What his dad and grandpa think will be the most exciting part when Jamie introduces his two new family members to his brother and sister isn't even close to the fireworks that are about to happen.

Introductions had been done and the kids enjoyed playing together before dinner and dinner overall was pleasant. Danny had gotten in some of his regular ribbing and a couple of times Bella got upset because she thought that he was being a bully to her daddy. Jamie had asked Nikki to take the kids and play after dessert. He made sure that Bella would be okay with her and found that they got along great, and Betty was being the amazingly helpful big sister too.

"So kid, how are things working the big cases?" Danny asked wishing Jamie was working the big cases out of his precinct with him so he could help him be a better detective.

"Things have been good."

"Jamie's been working some really big cases with the FBI. This vacation is much needed because he hasn't been getting home until right before the kids go to bed, and he's been leaving really early in the mornings." Eddie said with pride.

"Working with the feds, that sucks kid. I've heard how good you are it must suck having to follow their lead on everything." Danny laughed. He hated working with any of the federal agencies. They all had too many rules for him.

Jamie sighed. "It hasn't been bad. I've gotten to work with some really good agents. Eddie's gotten to work with them too."

"Yeah, working with some of the analysts in the FBI has been great. I've learned so much, and I'll be learning a lot more next month." Eddie said knowing Jamie was nervous about telling the family.

"What happens next month Eddie?" Linda was curious. She could tell something was up.

"I start my new job as an analyst with the FBI. I have a three months of training in Virginia." She watched everyone's expressions in the room gauging them for when Jamie said his news.

"Congratulations Eddie! That's wonderful news, dear. Any idea where you're going to be located after training?" Henry worried about the impact on his grandson's career. LA was the second largest department in the country. Going to a smaller department could hurt his career.

"No not yet, I have a feeling that it won't be LA though."

"Jamie, how do you feel about this?" Frank had the same worry as his father.

"I feel great. I can't wait to see where we end up."

"But what about your job?" Henry asked.

Danny was just watching and listening, he couldn't believe that his overachieving little brother was so okay with giving up a very prominent career in LA.

"I already got a new job." Jamie said letting that sink in.

"You're a fed?" Danny said not being able to believe what he was thinking.

"Yes." Is all Jamie can say before the room erupts.

Ten minutes later the room went quiet again.

"Congratulations Jamie, will you be an agent?" Frank said happy that his son was offered this opportunity but upset that he may never return to the NYPD.

"Yes, I start five months of training at the beginning of next month. Once Eddie's training is done, we'll find out where we are both headed."

"We found out that there are a lot of married couple working in the FBI, and anytime Jamie's gets transferred I'll get one too. Since my training is much shorter, I can get everything situated and get Betty and Frankie started in their new school and he can hit the ground running." Eddie squeezed Jamie's hand under the table as a show of support.

"Kid, I can't believe you're working for the FBI after what they did to Joe." Danny shook his head.

"Danny, you worked the Templar case and found out that the FBI took care of the dirty agent before they started talking to me. Besides it was IA that tipped Sonny off to set Joe up. All NYPD." Jamie said angerly. Sometimes Danny liked to create his own version of the truth to fit his own narrative.

"Ok, fine, you're right. I still don't like it." Danny huffed. He wasn't sure what he didn't like about it, but he didn't like it.

"I know, and I knew you wouldn't, but this is my life, our lives, and we are both excited for this change. The only thing I'm worried about is Bella. She's still not great around new people. Betty and Frankie both adapt to new situations easier."

"Jamie what are your plans for this month until you start, you're training?" Frank asked hoping that they would stay with them.

"We're still figuring that out." Jamie said trying to think of a plan for the next four weeks.

"Stay here!" Henry said excitedly.

"Pop, that's a generous offer, but we don't want to interrupt your peaceful home for too long." Jamie smiled.

"Jamie, we both remember what it's like having three little kids running around the house better than you. We want to do this." Frank said hoping the answer was yes.

Jamie and Eddie looked at each other having a silent conversation that they had perfected over the last three years since they had been together. They both knew if it was too much for either Frank or Henry, they could always make alternate plans.

"Ok, thanks dad and grandpa." Jamie smiled.

"Jamie, congratulations on your new job. I know that you're going to be a great agent. Work on getting close to home I know that Nikki would love to babysit." Erin smiled. She had more hope that her baby brother might be home again someday.