Chapter Twenty-One
Eddie got to group early, leaving the girls with Hailey. She wanted to find Steven and tell him that he was not to contact her anymore, it was a mistake...she did not expect Jamie to come in while they were talking.
He paused looking between them, "oh sorry to interrupt your conversation."
"Jamie..."Steven moved closer to Jamie and extended his hand. That lit Jamie's fire and he exploded. "You have some nerve extending your hand to me. You slept with my wife! You and my wife..."
"Jamie wait let me explain, please let me explain," Eddie turned to him.
Jamie didn't hear her, he pulled back his fist and punched Steven square in the jaw. Stephen fell back against the wall, he couldn't recover before Jamie hit him again and then again. He was in a white hot rage, similar to when Eddie had been knocked down on the beat by a domestic abuser. He couldn't see anything but this man on his wife, 'You were our friend, you slept with my wife!" he shouted again.
"Jamie stop! Listen to me,' Eddie yelled louder hoping he'd hear this time.
The rest of the group was staying out of this, it was clearly very personal. Eddie pulled on Jamie's arm trying to stop him, "Jamie, please stop this! Please, what's done is done!"
Jamie stopped, stepping aside, now turning to Eddie, "You did this too, he was my friend."
"Jamie, let's go home and talk..." Jamie shook his head. "No, no, I can't go home tonight." Steven stood up and wiped the blood from his face. He was reaching for his pocket, "Oh great, he's going to call the cops,' Eddie was on the verge of tears. Steven shook his head, "No, no cops, no charges, I understand..."
Jamie shook his head, "I'm not going home tonight Eddie I can't."
The rest of the group watched as Steven stepped away, his eye was already turning black and blue and his lip swelling. "Where will you go Jamie?"
"I don't know yet but I need some time to think this through in my head," Jamie said.
Eddie was nearly in tears again as she watched Jamie's retreating back.
Eddie cried all night. She couldn't stop thinking of how enraged Jamie was beating on Steven. She felt terrible...terrible that deep down inside she was glad he was feeling something...anything. They would talk again, Jamie had promised Mary. He would never hurt their little girl, not ever.
The morning after that terrible fight, Eddie sat in the exam room at the obstetrician's office waiting for him to come in for her 12-week checkup. The nurse came out to get Eddie bringing her back to an empty room. "How are you doing Eddie?"
"Okay," she replied. "Bella is the best nurser I have had, she is so easy, and I was worried about the milk flow but that all seems okay."
The nurse smiled, "I'm glad to hear that. How is Mary and you and Jamie?"
"Mary has her good days and bad days," Eddie replied. "We all do. It's very hard."
"I can't imagine…We are all very sorry and if you need anything just ask."
Eddie waited for her doctor, when he came in she smiled. "How are you, Eddie?"
"I'm day by day doctor," Eddie admitted.
"Well, let's see how you are doing?" Eddie laid back and held still for the doctor to examine her. "Looking really good. Why don't you get dressed and come to my office, we can talk for a few minutes."
Eddie agreed and slipped into her clothing before stepping a few doors down to her doctor's office. "This is the time you usually want to discuss birth control." Eddie shook her head, "No need."
"No? Is everything okay Eddie you always mentioned you and Jamie."
"Jamie and I aren't intimate anymore," she confessed. "I made a mistake, a big mistake, and between that and losing our Joe..."
"Ah things are rough between you and Jamie. Have you talked to Jamie, seen a counselor?"
"He barely speaks to me," she sniffled. "We talked about moving right after Joey died, but not since."
"Have you seen a counselor? Sometimes therapy helps you break the wall down."
"No," Eddie replied. "No, he won't, and I can't...can't do much more..." She began to cry again. She was so depressed.
The doctor placed a hand on her shoulder, "I'm sorry Eddie. I'm going to give you the name of a good counselor, please think about calling him. If there's anything else I can do please just ask."
She nodded, "Thanks, doctor...I..." She didn't finish her sentence before the smoke alarms started to wail.
Eddie ran with the rest of the patients and staff out of the office, bumping into people all over the place. It was panic with everyone trying to escape but she managed to get outside running into a crying mom.
"My baby!" She was crying. "Where is my little boy? He's only three. Where is he?" The day care was in the same building.
"Ma'am I'm a cop, talk to me, so I can help you. Your boy is in that building," Eddie pointed.
"He didn't come out," she sobbed. "His class got out but he isn't with them. My little Jaxson."
"Okay, stay here ma'am I'm going to get your boy out" Eddie turned heading back to the building.
She ran into resistance from FDNY and the officers on scene, but she was on a mission. Another little boy was not going to die, not today. Eddie waited for them to turn before slipping inside and heading upstairs
The day care was on the fourth floor. She covered her face and mouth as she went. The roar of the flames and the sprinkler made hearing impossible, but she yelled for the child anyway.
The small sobs led her closer. "Jaxson, it's the Police, you're okay, I'll help you."
Eddie coughed and heard the boy crying. He was hidden somewhere but she couldn't quite place it. "Jaxson I'm here to help, where are you?" Eddie called.
He didn't come out but she heard him cry for "Mommy" Eddie remembered her Joe doing that.
"I'm here to take you to Mommy." Eddie sighed rethinking her plan. Where would Joey hide if this was her boy crying for Mommy? What place would he identify with her? Then it clicked, the kitchen, the play kitchen!
Face covered she started to the play kitchen area peeking inside.
Hey Reagan," Charlie spoke up. "Huge fire on the east side, they have like five trucks."
"Wow any word on the cause or if there's any casualties?" Jamie looked up from his paperwork.
"No, not yet, but wow... it's all over the news"
Jamie put aside the papers and got up to watch too. "He recognized the office was the complex where Eddie had her doctor and immediately called her cell. The phone rang finally getting her voicemail to leave a message.
"Eddie, call me and let me know you left the doctor please. There a huge fire..."He sighed ending the call then turned back to watch the news again.
Eddie was gasping for air as every passage she tried was cut off by fire.
She held Jaxson tight looking back and forth for a way to get him out. "It's okay I have you."
She heard the firefighters coming and thrust the little boy at them, "Get him out...just get him out."
The firefighters rushed in towards her voice taking the boy. "Here take the oxygen."
"Tell my kids I love them..." Eddie gasped. "tell my...my Jamie I'm sorry...save the boy, I'll go to my own boy..."
Frank got the notification first that Eddie had been rushed to the ER. He called the 12th immediately, speaking to a very wet desk Sergeant.
"12th Precinct, Sergeant Mikes, how can I help you?"
"Sergeant, please get me Sergeant Reagan," Frank said. "Forthwith."
"Yes sir," Mikes set the call on hold personally searching for Jamie. "Your father is on the phone."
Jamie picked up, "Commissioner?"
"Jamie I received a phone call Eddie is being rushed to the hospital."
Jamie felt his knees go out. Things were so bad now between them. "Was she in the fire?"
"Yes son she has smoke inhalation and is being rushed to the hospital. I'm on my way there now."
Jamie was shell shocked. It was so hard to hear this.
"Jamie did you hear me? Can Charlie drive you?"
"Yes, yeah I'll be right there. Who has our girls?" Jamie asked. "I do," Frank replied.
"Okay thanks dad." Jamie put the phone down going to find Charlie.
"Hey, Jamie you look like crap, man. You okay?"
"No I have to go Eddie is in the hospital she was in the fire," Jamie said quickly
"Okay," Charlie replied. "Let's go, come with me and we'll go to her. Come on." Jamie followed him still dazed the entire ride to the hospital.
Frank was alone at the hospital, he didn't have the girls with him. "Dad did the doctor come out yet. How's Eddie? Where are the girls?"
"Baker has them," Frank replied knowing how sensitive they both were to anyone but him being with their girls.
Jamie let out a breath, "how's Eddie? Has the doctor come out?"
"Yes," Frank replied. "He needed my permission to sedate her she uh...has some flash burns on her arms and her face, and muscle spasms in her chest from the smoke. The pain..."
Jamie's breath turned sharp, "I want to see her dad I have to see Eddie."
"Come on," Frank said taking his arm. "They just put her in a room. She looks so fragile."
Jamie sighed walking with him to the room. "Oh Eddie," Jamie whispered seeing her. Jamie sat in the chair beside her bed and took her hand. "I'm here, can you hear me?" Jamie stroked her hair. "Why didn't you get out? What were you doing?"
Eddie had her eyes closed she didn't respond an oxygen mask over her face. The door slowly opened and the young mother that Eddie helped stepped into the room, "I'm sorry, I don't mean to intrude. Are you her husband?"
"Yes, can I help you?" Jamie stood up staying by Eddie's side.
"I'm Laura Logan," she replied. "My little son Jaxson was too scared to go with his class during the fire and your wife ran back in to save him. He's doing well, and can go home tomorrow. I wanted to see if she was all right."
"Oh I'm glad your boy is okay. Eddie has some burns and smoke inhalation."
"Jax told me you have a little boy too," Laura replied. "He's very lucky to have such a brave mother." Jamie felt like he was going to be sick. "Our son...passed two months ago."
"I'm sorry it must be incredibly hard," Laura said. "I just came by to see how Eddie was feeling."
"I'll let her know you were asking about her," Jamie replied. "Thank you." He turned back to Eddie, "That had to be so hard honey...to go in and rescue that little guy. I know where your heart was, with our Joey."