Chapter 12
The Honeymoon (Part I)
As promised, here is the first chapter of the three-part honeymoon addendum to "It's all in the name…" since I figured it was fun to find out what came of our little Jamko pair's Nordic adventure before diving into the extended details which have sparked my own interest in Iceland and a plan to visit there myself is now in the werks (ha!).
7:10 am Sunday
Waldorf Astoria Hotel, Park Avenue in Midtown Manhattan
"Good morning, Mr. Reagan," a soft, sultry voice cooed in Jamie's ear as he lay in exquisite comfort between the silk sheets of the bed in their room at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel during the early hours on Sunday morning after the wedding.
"Shh, don't let my wife hear you… just in case you didn't know I'm married now," came the cheeky reply as he rolled over and drew her in closer, reveling in her touch once more as he sighed and closed his eyes in sheer happiness. It was over... all the stress and anxiety of the last four months had finally been put to rest and now it was time to relax and truly enjoy the start of their new life together. Their overnight flight to Reykjavík, Iceland, was due to leave at 9:15 that evening from JFK.
"I'm so glad we have this day to ourselves to recover from the past few weeks," Eddie added as she traced his lips lightly with the tips of two fingers. "I think I could stay in this bed all morning until we have to checkout and head for the airport tonight… well except for the fact that…"
"Let me guess, you're hungry," he chided as they shared some more kisses. While it felt strange to be here in the city on a Sunday away from the family… away from Kaylin… they decided it was best so as not to upset her with another goodbye, plus it was important for the two just to connect away from everyone else without distraction after the recent whirlwind of events.
"I was gonna say I need to pack some different clothing… wiseass," she smirked. "I still can't believe you of all people want to go somewhere cold after…" she closed her eyes as she relived the terror once more from the building collapse at Bridgewater the previous December when he had nearly died of hypothermia. "You know… you had a really tough time with the winter after what happened last year. Why Iceland?"
"C'mon, eventually I thawed out after a few months," he admitted lightheartedly as he deflected and searched her worried eyes while he formulated an explanation. "We've both been to the regular places with other people… the beaches and resorts. I wanted to share a trip with you to somewhere neither one of us had experienced before so it was new. A place that is so staggeringly beautiful and otherworldly… just like one Edit Katalin Reagan," he smiled with great self-satisfaction as he slid that perfect compliment in there while he brushed the hair back from her face. "It just seemed to fit, lambchop."
"Oh, Reagan," she gushed like a giddy schoolgirl as she batted those baby blues right back at him. "That's so romantic, baby… and such a complete and utter load of bull," she huffed as she grabbed her pillow and batted him with it. "I was warned… you and your father have some kind of obsession with this place… now the truth, spill," she demanded.
"Okay, okay," he laughed as he grabbed it and returned the favor. "It's the boats… the wooden schooners… the sailboats. Dad has all these novels about sailing in his library. When I was little we would read those stories together at bedtime or if I was sick or anything… they were all about the adventure of putting yourself up alone against the best and the worst that Mother Nature could offer. I've just always wanted to really live it… to hear the sound of wind in the rigging, the water lapping at the bow of the boat…"
"And you can't do that on the Hudson? I mean I see people out there in sailboats all the time."
"Not the same, you need the ocean and an old wooden boat without all kinds of crazy technology to think about what it must have been like to have the courage to set out on your own like that, just one man and a boat against the sea. I never..." he trailed off.
"You never what, Jamie?" Eddie's eyes sought an answer as she had the sense that some of this was connected to part of what he was still working through… things had been so much better since the events had unfolded after Quinlan, but every so often there was a little wrinkle that brought just a touch of it back to the surface… that hidden insecurity that he felt about himself all these years. Despite her encouragement, he had never returned for a final wrap-up session with Dr. Meherin, insisting as always that he was 'fine' now and had put that all to rest.
"I never felt like… well, I mean I never imagined that I would ever really have the guts do something that," he finally admitted. "Everything for me was always so safe and ordered, but I used to daydream about what it would be like to be brave and adventurous instead. This trip… I know it's not the same, but we get to take an afternoon sail out around the Snæfellsnes Peninsula in a restored wooden schooner and then come back and spend that night in a cottage by the ocean… hopefully with a spectacular view of the Northern Lights and a few other wonderful things," he added suggestively as his hands roamed under the sheets once more to excite a few other precious items he had been dreaming about for a long time and the resulting laughter and passion took their minds off of everything else for the rest of the morning.
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9:35 pm Sunday
Icelandair Flight 306, somewhere over the North Atlantic
"You sure you're all settled now?" Jamie asked as he eyeballed his wife and her very particular ordering of blanket and pillows as she adjusted the questionably comfortable first-class seat back right after takeoff and arranged herself to sleep.
Eddie sighed in contentment as she fluffed everything and snuggled in happily like a beautiful little bird in a warm nest. "What did you expect with an overnight flight, Reagan? I mean you told me it's like five and a half hours from here, but somehow we leave New York after nine and get there when it's already almost seven in the morning, and then knowing you we'll have a whole day of stuff planned for us… plus I'm tired after all the eating and shopping and other things we did the whole day," she laughed suggestively as she reached for his hand… the one that struck her as looking so different now with that smooth platinum wedding band adorning it. "Unless you were planning on joining the mile-high club as well… I think the stewardess is on to us though."
"Down, girl," he smirked and shook his head at her impetuous spirit. Despite the fact that they were both lifelong New Yorkers, the two had spent the day feeling more like a pair of lovestruck newlywed tourists as they wandered around the city for the afternoon while taking in some of the typical landmarks and purchasing a few more essential items for Eddie's northern wardrobe to go with some of her own warmer things from home that Jamie had knowingly included in his own suitcases which had been picked up after their checkout by a car scheduled to retrieve them later after their afternoon jaunt and deliver them to the airport. Now they were really on the plane and in the air on their way to their Nordic destination of 'unspoilt nature, breathtaking landscapes and vibrant culture'… at least that's what the travel magazine said as Jamie occupied himself since he was far too excited to sleep.
If he had known what the fates held in store for him and his adored little sleeping lovebird over the course of the next few days, weeks and months, Jamieson Reagan would have had many other things to think about and consider... and more than one truth that would have kept him awake all night.
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Day 1: 9:45 am Monday
Blue Lagoon Spa, Grindavík
"Oh my God, is this place really real?" Eddie's eyes popped as she took in the steam rising from the milky blue waters of the Blue Lagoon Spa with the black lava fields covered in snow evident around them. After a short ride from the airport where they were met by a private chauffeur, the pair had showered and changed after arriving and now joined each other outside for a healing bath in one of the warm geothermal pools amid a spectacular winteresque landscape. "Jamie, this is just…"
"Breathtaking," he answered with wide eyes that were more focused on a particular promised bikini and the treasures it barely contained than the other sights around him at the moment.
"Down, boy," she chided with a beaming and satisfied smile. "Pace yourself. I don't think that's allowed here either, sport," although he could not help but slip behind to cradle and nuzzle her with a few kisses as they floated out towards the center of the pool together. "What makes it so blue?" she wondered as she relaxed in his arms.
"The sky," he answered in his official capacity as the appointed tour guide for the trip. "The water actually comes from more than 2,000 meters below the surface where freshwater and seawater combine at high temperatures. A geothermal plant drills for it and uses the steam to make electricity and hot water for the community then pumps the cooler remains over here. The water is actually white from the silica, algae and minerals, but it looks blue to our eyes from the reflection of the sun and sky."
"So beautiful," Eddie murmured as they bathed in the warm water while the air temperatures hovered seasonably in the mid-forties. "I have to be honest, lambchop… when we turned around in church and I heard those words come out of your mouth to let me know we were going to Iceland instead of someplace warm for our honeymoon, I was ready to turn around and demand a do-over, but this… I could stay here the whole time. Can we do that? What's on tap for the rest of the day and how are we affording all of this after the wedding?" she wondered as he continued to hold most of the itinerary close to the vest, insisting that she be surprised throughout the week. "You're not on the take at work are you?"
"No, silly," he replied and then laughed at the continuing anti-Addie twitches that invariably popped up at that word. "It was actually more reasonable than some of the places you were looking at," he added. "Plus we saved having the ceremony at Tom and Lillian's… they wouldn't take a penny for anything as long as we took care other the other expenses. I used some of the retainer from Sevinnova, too, and they've actually been keeping me kinda busy with work on the side. We're fine," he assured. "This is our trip of a lifetime… I wasn't going to scrimp for once… and for you, after lunch you're all booked for an in-water massage right over there, complete with a scrub and wrap for 'two hours of rejuvenating wonder: a cleansing, nourishing, strengthening, revitalizing experience' while I just float around and watch," he quoted from the little guidebook in his brain. "After that we go to the hotel in downtown Reykjavík where there will be champagne and chocolate from 'Iceland's finest chocolatier' waiting for us. This evening we can explore the city and eat at Ostabudin, one of Reykjaveík's most exclusive restaurants. They have a dessert called skyr mousse that has your name written all over it. Nothing but the best for you, Mrs. Reagan."
"Don't get me wrong, I love that you're pampering me like this… and skyr mousse, whoa, is it chocolate too? Whatever… that does sound fabulous," she allowed herself to be distracted momentarily with that thought before getting back to her point. "But I hate the fact you felt like you needed to take a second job as a lawyer to support us," Eddie admitted as she turned over for a serious searching look in his eyes. "Jamie, you love being a cop and you'll be moving up through the department now that you've got your stripes. I've got a rabbi in the 12th now to work on getting my gold badge. That sergeant's test isn't my thing and patrol's not the same without you and Wilson around for partners all the time," she revealed a little sadly at that lost connection of her two favorite carmates. "I wanna try to make detective this year instead, and I don't want to see you working so much we can't enjoy other regular stuff. It's only going to get worse as Kaylin gets older."
"Skyr mousse is like cheesecake served with blueberries, cream and caramel. Besides, I'm just reviewing corporate contracts mostly from home at night after Kaylin goes to bed or on my days off," he reminded. "It's not like I'm out in a suit in a courtroom or travelling all the time. For now it's what I need to do to make sure that you and sweetness are provided for… plus the house, her schooling… someday maybe another baby when we're ready…"
"Yeah well, that won't be for a while, Reagan," she relented and turned on her back once more to float above him, satisfied with the knowledge that he was at peace with his decision to return to law, even if it was part-time, and that there were no longer any nefarious fears about their safety driving him towards it. "Obviously, it won't be easy for me to get a promotion now either with Reagan as my last name, but I really want to try for that before we decide to do anything else. I know your family expects something different, but I think we should enjoy this time with Kaylin when she's still little… at least the next year or so, then we can see where we're at and talk about another baby."
"I'm good with that plan," Jamie murmured as he paddled them around with a contented sigh. "Right now I'm just interested in enjoying you," he emphasized as his hands slipped down to caress her underwater. "I'll just have to stock up on a few things so we're careful until then, especially when you look like this."
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7:30 pm
Ostabudin Restaurant, Reykjavík
"Wow, this is so mm hmm good... try some, Reagan," Eddie insisted as she basically inhaled the rest of her scrumptious dessert when he declined with a smirk to stir his coffee. Getting between her and that cheesecake would be akin to stepping between Bear and his tuna bowl... and well, given the results with Quinlan, everyone knew not to go there.
"I've got to watch my figure," he replied while wondering how things were going for the cat who was also on an extended sleepover at Grandpa's house to keep his favorite toddler company. Although they were able to talk to her several times a day, he found himself missing that sweet little girl more than he could have imagined and felt guilty once again about those days they had spent apart from Eddie under threat to leave for California. "Not all of us have the metabolism of a D1 football-playing frat boy," he reminded as he considered the fact that his will needed to be updated since he had a wife to consider now and a child who had already been through the loss of two parents.
"Oh c'mon, you had a salad and fish, bunny boy," Eddie chided, unaware of where his mind was at the moment. "Live it up for once."
"Goose meat salad, the paté, poached Arctic Char with basil-tarragon mayonnaise," Jamie offered in return. "Hardly diet fare. This keeps up and I'm never gonna be able to run in that St. Jude marathon next spring," he admitted as he thought about his rookie new partner's obsession with taking a group of officers to Tennessee in late April to represent the NYPD in the benefit for the children's cancer center. "Annabel has a training schedule posted for all the guys back at the 3-5 starting this week. I'm gonna fall behind on my times after this and she'll send her pop out to chase after me again in that old truck of his."
"Puhlease!" came the expected return as Eddie considered this new energetic redheaded addition to their professional family. "You rode with her for one week so far and she already has half your platoon promising to run a marathon," she sighed. "Those guys, seriously? What? Is she gonna be up for Commissioner by the time she's thirty?" she huffed with a little unconcealed envy as even her own bubbly personality would have failed to convince any of those officers to do the same, well maybe with the exception of their sergeant sitting before her.
Jamie grinned as he considered the force that was Annabel Anderson, his handpicked rookie from the latest Academy graduating class… thirty was pushing it, but forty… he wouldn't put anything past this little fireball of enthusiasm. "Why Edit Katalin, is that a little jealousy I hear in your voice? I thought you'd be happy I have a partner who can run down perps faster than me for a change," he baited while watching in anticipation for that little twitch he had come to expect and adore… perhaps Addie would be off the hook soon. He smiled when he wasn't disappointed.
"Humph," she huffed and pursed her lips before breaking out in a laugh. "You just wait, Jamison Reagan… one day I'm gonna be able to beat you in a fair race. Those rabbit legs of yours won't last forever no matter how much salad you eat. Remember, you're older than me and tend to be a target for trouble. Now what do we get to do tomorrow?" she asked without realizing how true those words would ring in just a few more months. "Hopefully, there's some physical activity to go with all this scrumptious yummy yum food or I'm the one that's gonna go home looking like one of those whales we saw out in the bay this afternoon."
"Tomorrow's the big day!" Jamie admitted with hardly contained excitement. "We take the car and drive 150 kilometers out to Snæfellsjökull National Park on the Snæfellsnes Peninsula. In the morning we can go hiking and birdwatching around the Snæfelsjökull glacier… it's believed by many to be one of Earth's seven major energy centres and was the backdrop to Jules Verne's famous novel "Journey to the Centre of the Earth" among others," he added in near perfect Nordic inflection. "Oh, Eddie isn't that great? Then in the afternoon we take the schooner 'Hilda' out for our sail around the point on Breiðafjörður Bay and if we're lucky, we might be able to see some seals by the coastline under the glacier. Then at night we stay all by ourselves in a remote little cottage by the ocean near Stykkishólmur… it has a real fireplace and two-story floor-to-ceiling windows so we can watch the Northern Lights! I can't wait, lambchop!" he added as he was practically vibrating with excitement now as his life's quest was finally within reach.
"I'm sorry, I don't have a clue as to what you just said," Eddie admitted with a laugh as she was finding the Icelandic dialect miles beyond her comprehension and speech capabilities in spite of her mother's Hungarian roots and her own Serbian language skills. "All I got out of that was car, drive, Snuffleupagus and glacier... oh, and sailboat!" she nodded. "'Nuff said, Mr. Reagan. I'm sure it's gonna be the best day of the whole trip!"
Oh, if that were only so for our little honeymooning Jamko lovebirds. Of course the readers who have already finished the last few chapters of "It's all in the name…" know exactly what comes of their somewhat off-scripted afternoon on the water and follow up evening in that little cottage, but the truth will not be revealed to our pair until nearly a month from this point as one moment in time will decidedly change the course of their lives together including the plans they had agreed to that very afternoon. This will all set us up for the action in "Resurgence," the third installment in the second series. Next up tomorrow, Honeymoon (Part II), picks up the following day to walk us through that little misadventure.
