AUGUST 9, 2009 – Erin
"Grandpa, may we be excused?" Jack asked his grandfather.
Frank looked down the table. His grandsons had eaten some of their dinner, but not as much as usual. Probably due to the tension radiating from each of his children.
"Let them leave, Frank. There's two cartons of ice cream in the freezer just waiting for a nice summer evening and a back porch. Nicki, why don't you join them?" Henry suggested.
"Take your plates to the kitchen first, boys," Linda instructed. Jack and Sean quickly stood up and headed for the kitchen, with Nicki reluctantly following behind.
Frank glanced around the table again. Danny was glaring at Jamie, as he had been throughout dinner. Jamie was studiously ignoring Danny, also as he had been throughout dinner, and there was that unexplained bruise and abrasion on his forehead. And Erin had uncharacteristically hardly spoken one word through the entire meal. "Okay, who wants to go first?" Frank asked.
"I have…" Erin began, only to be interrupted by her brother.
"Jamie has something he wants to tell us. Don't you, kid?" Danny said, anger still evident in his voice.
"Most everyone here already knows," Jamie retorted.
"Fine. So tell the rest of us. Make it official."
"Should I stand up?"
Danny waved toward Jamie. "Whatever you want."
"Stand up. I told you I'd stand behind you, so you have to stand up." Joe moved to stand behind his brother's chair.
Jamie got to his feet. "Family, fiancé, friends. As most of you already know, I'm quitting Baker McKinney and joining the NYPD. I'm giving my two weeks notice to Baker tomorrow and I'm starting at the Academy in September. Any questions?"
Beside him, Sydney dropped her fork to her plate. On his other side, Erin sucked in a rapid breath, then burst into tears. Jamie quickly turned toward his sister. "Erin?"
"You see? You see what a dumb idea this is? Look what you did to Erin!" Danny demanded.
"Danny, shut up," Erin choked out. "It's not that. Not just that."
"So you're not upset about your baby brother leaving his law career and going on the job? You think he can do it? You think he has any chance of surviving even one day on the streets?"
"Really, Danny?" Jamie protested.
"Yes to every one of those questions," Erin answered. "But that's not the problem. John left me yesterday. He's filing for divorce on Monday."
Frank stood up and pulled Erin out of her chair and into his arms. Jamie moved to rest one hand on her shoulder. Danny quickly walked around the table to also comfort his sister.
Joe ruffled his fingers through his sister's hair. "You don't need that weenie anyway," he encouraged. "Want me to go haunt him, Sis?"
"Want us to go beat him up, Sis?" Danny asked. "Jamie's gotta start somewhere with learning how to kick bad guy ass. Jack could be his first."
Erin managed a gasping chuckle in response.
"Can I get in on this? Because any weasel that hurts my granddaughter deserves the biggest Reagan ass-kicking he can get." Henry commented.
"Pops, why don't we take Erin into the study for a nice stiff drink." He turned to his sons. "You two can clean the kitchen. Any broken dishes come out of your inheritance," he added.
"And Sydney and I will join the kids out on the back porch. I hear the carton of mint chocolate chip calling me." Linda motioned for Sydney to follow her, leaving the two brothers staring angrily at each other in the dining room.
Jamie quickly scooped up a few dishes and headed for the kitchen.
"You really lucked out there, didn't you?" Danny followed behind his brother.
"Danny, go get some dishes. I'm not doing all this work by myself. And everyone except Erin, Linda and the kids already knew."
"And they were okay with it. Grandpop; I can see him supporting you. But Dad was okay with you changing careers like this?"
Jamie busied himself scrubbing the corner of a serving dish. "He's not happy about it, but he accepted my decision. I'd hoped you would, too."
Danny leaned back against the counter. "What about Joe?"
"What about Joe?" Jamie felt his heart tighten as the grief hit again. Three months, and still it could come back as sharp as the first day.
"Did he know?"
"Of course 'he' knew. Because 'he' is not as oblivious as you, you big doofus," Joe told his brother. "Anyone could have seen Jamie wasn't happy being a lawyer."
"He knew. I told him last November. He completely supported my changing careers, but made me promise to finish law school before I told the rest of the family."
Last November! Anger suddenly flared even hotter in Danny's chest, this time at both his brothers. Why hadn't Jamie talked to him? Why hadn't Joe talked to him once he learned of Jamie's plans? He was the big brother in the family; his younger siblings were supposed to consult him first on this kind of thing.
"Chill, Danny. Jamie didn't plan to tell me either. I found out by accident. And I decided he should wait to tell the rest of you. That's not his fault. Besides, Jamie was always my little buddy."
Danny forced down the anger. Of course Jamie would have gone to Joe with a decision like that. The two of them had been best buddies for all those years after he and then Erin had grown up and moved out of the family home. "Last November. So that's what your little trip back from Harvard was about. I didn't buy that you missed our company. Not when you were going to be seeing us a few weeks later at Thanksgiving. I could tell you and Joe were hiding something."
"He was going to help me tell the family, once I'd graduated," Jamie said, his voice strained.
"But you hadn't found an opportunity before…"
"We'd planned it for that Sunday."
Danny knew without further explanation that 'That Sunday' was May 17th. Two days after their brother's death, and one day before they'd buried him. Danny reached up and rested one hand on Jamie's shoulder. "I'm sorry, kid." He paused for a minute as a thought hit him. They'd both lost their brother, but Jamie had also lost his confidant, his best friend, at a time when he most needed someone to be in his corner. Danny tried to push aside his anger. He could be more understanding, like Joe had always been with Jamie. He could. At least, he could try. "Listen. I'm still angry with you about this, but I'll try to be more supportive, okay? Your news just hit me out of the blue yesterday."
"Okay." Jamie handed Danny a dish to dry.
Danny swiped the towel around the dish. "Don't think it's going to be easy, Harvard. It's a whole different set of skills you'll need to learn. Not just that book learning you're good at. And whatever homework the Academy has for you, I'll have more. You're going to be the best trained Reagan the NYPD has seen."
"Fine, Danny."
"Starting with some fighting skills. That tackle yesterday was good, but your follow-up needs some work. You want to go practice on Erin's soon-to-be ex?"
"I would, but I don't want to end my NYPD career before it gets started by getting arrested for assault."
"Aw, come on, kid. We could make it look like self-defense."
"Danny." Jamie shoved another dish into Danny's hands. "How about we focus on the dishes?"
"Fine. But tomorrow, you meet me at the gym after work. You've got a lot to learn."
"Fine," Jamie agreed. "But no basketballs." He gestured to his scraped forehead.
Danny smiled slightly and gripped his brother's shoulder. "No basketballs, or other intentional injuries."
Half an hour later, Erin made her way to the kitchen, where Jamie was finishing drying the last few pots and pans. She hugged him from behind. "I'm sorry for cutting in on your big announcement."
"It's okay. Danny forced that scene. That wasn't how I was planning on telling you."
Erin perched herself on the kitchen table. "You know I have to try to argue you out of this decision."
"Yes, Counselor. But it's not going to work."
"Don't underestimate me. I'm good at winning arguments."
"Try your best." Jamie focused intently on drying the last saucepan.
"Isn't Danny supposed to be helping you with those? Don't tell me he roped you into doing his chores for him."
Jamie looked over at his sister, amused at how ready she was to pick a fight with Danny. "He did his part. He and Lin needed to leave to get the boys in bed for school tomorrow. Speaking of, don't you need to get Nicki home?"
"We're staying here tonight. Grandpop gets a couple of drinks in me, then Dad tells me I'm too buzzed to drive," Erin pouted.
Jamie smirked. "You can't trust those two."
"And you want to be just like them. Another cop in the family."
Jamie put the dried pan into the cabinet and turned around to lean against it. "Yup."
"You have thought about what you're giving up. A nice salary in a nice, safe office where the worst thing that happens is your clients get angry at you?"
"I've thought about it. And who says offices are safe?"
"I do. I've worked in one for years with no injuries."
"Stress. Coronary artery disease. Carpal tunnel. Paper cuts."
"Paper cuts?"
Jamie shrugged. "They happen in offices."
Erin shook her head at her brother's logic. "You know Mom wanted you to be an attorney."
"I know. And I tried to make it work. I really tried. But it's not right for me."
"It was obvious you didn't like working for Baker last summer. But you don't have to leave the law just because you don't like working at a big firm, you know. You'd make a great DA. I could use the help."
"Gosh, it's like I had this conversation before. Maybe because I did! Already tried each and every one of those arguments." Joe informed his sister from his position leaning against the table beside her. "Didn't work."
Jamie chuckled weakly. "Joe made those same arguments. Didn't work for him. Won't work for you."
Erin stood up and hugged Jamie again. "Little brother, as long as you're happy, I'm happy for you."
"And I'm really sorry about Jack… about your marriage. I'd offer legal advice, but…"
"You're not a lawyer," Erin stated. "Speaking of lawyers, how did Sydney take the news?"
"I'll find out tonight."
Erin put her hands on Jamie's shoulders and shook him. "Jamie! You hadn't told her yet? She found out at dinner?"
Jamie sheepishly rubbed the side of his nose. "She knew I was seriously considering changing careers. I hadn't told her it was official yet."
"No, you hadn't." All occupants of the room turned toward the back door, where a perturbed Sydney stood.
Joe abruptly stood up. "Oh, no, little brother. I told you I'd stand behind you when you told the family. I didn't say anything about fiancés. You're on your own for that one."
Erin gently squeezed her brother's shoulder. "I think I'll leave you two alone, and go check on Nicki and that ice cream." She head out the door Sydney had just entered.
"Kiddo, it's time for me to leave, too." His promise to his little brother kept, Joe followed his sister outside. There was one other promise he had made to a sibling. 'If Jack ever hurts you, we'll make sure he regrets it,' he had told Erin on her wedding day. "Sis, before I go, are you sure I can't go haunt Jack? Come on, Sis. Say yes."
.
Author Note: And that brings us to the end of this story. Thanks to all who have read and enjoyed (and reviewed...) this story!