Chapter 19

Veteran Officer Charlie Notaro pulled the radio car up along the curb of West Eighty Fourth Street east of Amsterdam Avenue and shut off the engine so he and his partner could enjoy a quick meal before they had to radio back into service. He pushed his sunglasses off his face and onto the top of his head, cracking the window open to let in some of the brisk fall air as he looked expectantly at his partner.

Eddie was rummaging around the inside of a white paper bag and pulled the first of two large sandwiches wrapped tightly in parchment paper. She glanced at the writing on the wrapper and held it out to her left. "Turkey pastrami, extra mayo for you," she announced as she gave Notaro the brick-sized hoagie while digging for her own roast beef on whole wheat with her other hand.

"Thanks," he replied and promptly unwrapped his lunch.

They ate quietly for a few minutes, each one enjoying the few moments of peace after a busy morning tour.

Notaro was halfway through his meal when he glanced at Eddie who was washing down her lunch with a long sip from her coffee cup. He lowered his sandwich and decided now was as good a time as any to bring up something that had started floating around the department. "So word around the precinct is that you're dating the PC's kid," he mentioned casually as he wiped his hands with a napkin.

Eddie was caught off guard by the unexpected statement, her cup dropping from her mouth so quickly, a few drops of coffee dribbled down her chin and threatened to stain her uniform. She dabbed a napkin across her lips and cleared her throat before meeting her partner's eyes. "Yeah?" she asked with a hesitant smile and a light blush on her cheeks. "Where'd you hear that?"

Notaro snorted at the look on his partner's face - like that of a kid caught with her hand in the cookie jar. "Just in case you haven't noticed, the NYPD is worse than a high school full of hormonal teenagers when it comes to scuttlebutt and works faster at getting the word out too," he warned. "So it's true?" he asked curiously.

Eddie cleared her throat again nervously as she wrapped up the remaining half of her sandwich, her appetite suddenly gone. "Yeah, I mean, we're seeing each other, but we're not exactly advertising it to the world," she advised, eyeing her partner to gage his reaction. "We're not hiding it either," she shrugged. "Is that a problem?" she wondered out loud. Up until now, she and Notaro hadn't had very many conversations about their personal lives while killing time on tour. So the fact that he was bringing this up now - out of the blue - made her think he had a specific reason for doing so.

Notaro's lower lip jutted out as he shook his head. "No. Of course not. Not for me, anyway," he replied as he set aside the remnants of his lunch and turned slightly to the right. "Listen, Eddie, you're a good kid and I'm telling you right now that you have what it takes to be a damn good cop, but people love to talk and assume things that aren't true, especially when it makes for juicy gossip to fill their pathetic lives," he said and paused to make sure she was paying attention. "The NYPD, even though it's changed over the years, can still be the good 'ole boy's club it once was. And the gossip concerning the female officers can be a little more crass than the rumors that get spread around about the guys. I just don't want you to get blindsided or hurt by some of the things people might say, especially since you're a female rookie cop who's suddenly dating the commissioner's son."

Eddie could only stare at him with wide eyes. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. He wasn't kidding, this was like high school all over again. "Is that what people think? That two months out of the academy, I'm dating Jamie Reagan to get to the top or something?" she asked in utter disbelief.

Notaro grimaced at her PG-rated interpretation as he recalled how he'd actually heard the rumor phrased in the locker room. He'd shut down the discussion pretty soon after it began, but it was out there and he thought his partner should at least be forewarned before she actually heard any talk herself. "They're putting it a little more crudely than that, and..." he paused to cough nervously, now wishing he hadn't brought this up, but he knew it was the right thing to do.

Eddie's eyes widened even further, which Notaro didn't think was possible. "And!?" she urged him along. "What exactly are they saying, Notaro?" she demanded.

Notaro inhaled deeply. "Just, you know, that you got your hooks into him real easily becuase he's got the whole the sad widower thing going on," he confessed.

"Jesus," Eddie gasped, turning to stare out through the windshield before snapping back around to face her partner. "Do you believe that?" she inquired, hoping he knew her well enough in the few months they'd been riding together to know she wasn't that type of person. But then another thought popped into her head that caused her stomach to roll: had Jamie heard that rumor? Would he believe something like that?

"Of course not!" Notaro exclaimed and looked her in the eyes to make sure she knew he was being sincere. "I know we haven't been riding together a long time but I can tell you're a stand-up person, Janko. And I know of Jamie Reagan too. His sergeant at the Twelfth and I came on to the force together and he thinks highly of him. He was his TO for two years and if you know Renzulli, thats saying a lot. I just wanted to give you the heads up."

Eddie nodded, believing every word he said, but it was still upsetting that people were saying something like that about her and Jamie, belittling what she thought was a pretty good thing they had going on. "Okay. Thanks, I guess," she said distractedly as everything swirled around in her head.

"Listen, I'm sorry if I upset you," he apologized. "You're personal life is none of my business. I just didn't want you to get blindsided but it."

Eddie shook her head and smiled tightly. "No, Notaro, don't apologize. I appreciate you trying to watch my back," she replied, grateful to have a partner who would do that both on and off duty.

Jamie and Eddie strolled up along New York's High Line, appreciating the deep reds and golds of the park's carefully designed landscape. They were making good use of a rare day off that they both managed to land during the week. Eddie had convinced Jamie to make it a lazy day, free of the schedules, chores and stresses that normally filled their lives. If there was one thing that Eddie was learning quickly about her boyfriend, it was that he hated to waste a minute of the day when he could be spending it being productive somehow. But it hadn't taken much to convince him to spend the day the way she wanted as Jamie had benefited from letting the morning pass lounging in bed with his very persuasive girlfriend.

After they'd dragged themselves out of Eddie's apartment and ventured outside, she had led them on a crusade to a hip, new burger place in the Meatpacking District. Jamie had gone along with it, knowing not to get in between Eddie Janko and the food she was craving. His only request - after they'd stuffed themselves silly - was that take a leisurely walk on the High Line to both get some exercise after a glutonous meal and to enjoy a uniquely New York landmark on a beautiful fall day while the rest of the city hustled through another hectic workday.

Although Eddie had been in good spirits, Jamie had found her somewhat pensive at times. As they walked along the path, hand in hand, Jamie glanced over at her, noticing the same faraway look he'd seen several times since he'd arrived at her apartment the night before. And one thing he had learned about his girlfriend, from even before he considered her his girlfriend, was that if something was troubling her, it would take some pushing to get her to talk about it. "What's up with you, Janko?" he asked.

Eddie kept walking along, turning confused eyes onto Jamie. "What do you mean?" she asked.

"You're distracted," he said while giving her hand an affectionate squeeze. "Come on, Eddie. The only time you're ever quiet is when something's bugging you, so what gives?" he asked with a gentle smile, wanting her to know that she could open up to him about anything.

Eddie sighed and stared straight ahead as she thought about her conversation with her partner. She knew Jamie was no dummy and if her intentions were anything but genuine, he'd see that right away and wouldn't be with her now. But knowing that didn't stop her insecurities from rising to the surface and she worried that an ugly rumor could ruin everything somehow. When she glanced at Jamie, she saw the concern on his face. "You know I really like you, right?" she asked with some trepidation.

Surprised by her question, Jamie came to a sudden stop, his arm pulling Eddie back while she continued walking. "I would certainly hope so," he laughed nervously. "Should I be worried?" he asked with some hesitation. His stomach clenched when that old familiar feeling resurfaced - the one that told him to be careful of the doom that could be lurking around every corner.

Eddie shook her head emphatically, not wanting him to get the wrong impression. "No, it's just...," Eddie trailed off, unsure of how to explain everything to him while also completely embarrassed by the whole situation.

Jamie could see the battle raging in her mind and the discomfort it caused her. He led her over to the side of the trail and to a nearby bench. "Come on, let's take a load off," he said while taking a seat. Eddie sat right up against him and Jamie's arm easily went around her shoulders. "What's going on?" he asked softly and reached across his body take hold of her hand.

"Just something that Notaro said keeps going through my mind," she admitted as she looked down to where their hands lay on her lap, fingers intertwined with each other.

Her partner? he wondered. "What'd he say?" Jamie prompted.

Eddie chewed on the inside of her cheek as she contemplated how best to tell him. "So, I guess word's getting around that we're dating," she began slowly.

Jamie's brow creased. He knew how bad the department gossips were; he'd been fodder for many a rumor already, mainly because of who his father was and because of what had happened with Sydney. Overall, no one really had a pass from being the subject of department gossip. "Okay, well, that's no surprise. There's nothing people in the department like to do more than spread gossip," he told her. "Did you not want people to know about us?" he asked, thinking that maybe she preferred to keep their relationship a secret for some reason.

"No, it's not that, it...Notaro warned me that some of the talk is that I'm sleeping with you just because you're the PC's son," she said quickly, the idea of it making her cringe in his arms.

"Seriously?" he said with some relief as one corner of his mouth curled up into a smile; he had been expecting something worse. That was obviously a totally unfounded and ridiculous rumor to spread, which was why people were talking. He didn't appreciate that it was Eddie's integrity that was being questioned, but he knew there wasn't much they could do to fight the department gossips. "That's just stupid, Eddie. Is that what's bothering you?"

Eddie was confused by his question. "Well, yeah! How can that not bother me?! Apparently I'm some floozy who's got her hooks into the lonely widower just so I can climb some ladders!" she said a little louder than neccessay as her arms waved around in frustration. Then she froze, grimacing when she realized how she had just described Jamie to his face. She turned to face him with a look of regret; she had planned to leave that part out, but seemed to lose her filter when she got upset.

Jamie's expression was hard to read. He knew there was talk about him after his wife's death, and to be honest, he wasn't surprised to hear that some were describing him that way. "Wow, so you're the floozy and I'm the pathetic widower? We make quite a pair," he smirked.

Eddie was thrown off by his reaction and her face fully reflected that. "Don't joke about this," she ordered.

"Why would you let that upset you?" he replied with a shrug.

"Because, if everyone else is saying that, then what are you thinking?" she asked. A second later her eyes widened as she realized who else could hear about this. "And what if all that gets back to your brother and father? What are they gonna think, Jamie?"

Eddie was looking off into the distance when Jamie reached up to gently turn her head in his direction. "I'm not thinking that nor would I ever," he assured her as soon as they made eye contact. "And if it gets back to my dad or Danny, they won't either," he confirmed.

Eddie knew he was telling her the truth and it eased her fears. She nodded subtly and gave him a small smile in return. "Does your family even know about us?" she asked curiously.

Jamie looked down at his lap as he answered, "No. At least I don't think so." When he looked at her again, he could see the question in her eyes and took a deep breath before explaining himself. "It's not that I don't want to, it's just that," he paused as he sorted the thoughts in his head, "I haven't been with anyone since Sydney and I guess I just wanted you to myself for now. This part was still kind of new and I didn't want the interrogations that come from my family with anything and everything having to do with my personal life, especially after the accident." Jamie kept his eyes focused on her face, hoping that she would understand.

Eddie nodded and squeezed his hand. "They probably just worry," she offered.

Jamie snorted. "I'm sure they do, but they're relentless. Maybe it's because we're a family of cops, but everyone's gotta know everyone else's business. You'll see what I'm talking about."

"I hope to someday," Eddie replied, hoping that didn't sound too forward. She was enjoying their time together and hoped she'd have a chance to get to know more about what made Jamie Reagan tick and she knew that meant getting to know his family. He had what seemed like a pretty perfect one, despite his arguments to the contrary, one that was far from the type of family she had.

Jamie smiled before moving in to kiss her. "You will. I promise," he whispered.

Last chapter up tomorrow morning...