AN - Hello! Last chapter in this mini-fic. I hoped you like it. Got another fic up in my sleeve, I promise I'll post it soon. And you, will have to promise me, to enjoy this chapter. I think, I might have gotten some words wrong, but please correct me, if there are any inconsistencies. C-ya! /K.
Sunday, 6.00 pm, Bay Ridge
Silence around the Sunday dinner table was a rarity at best. Not an angry or feisty silence after a dispute like normal, but a more tired and exhausted silence. They probably had something to talk about, but they were all to irritated at something to begin an argument with a family member. Jack, Sean and Nicky looked around suspiciously, catching on to the deflated mood.
"What's the matter, kid? You've been so quiet all week," Danny said, finally breaking the silence, and inhaled another portion of the mashed potatoes. Jamie had done nothing but pushing his food around on the plate, not really eating anything, even if it was mashed potatoes. The whole family turned their heads to look at Jamie and he just shrugged.
"It's nothing to worry about… just haven't had the best week. Can we, please, just leave it there," he asked around the table and took a sip of his water.
"All right," Danny settled, surprising the family with his willingness.
"What? No snarky comeback from you?" Erin asked, astonished. Linda turned to look at him in amazement.
"Do I need to check your temperature?" Linda asked and looked at her husband with a smile.
"Nah, come on… I've had one of those weeks myself, I know how the kid feels," Danny explained with hunched shoulders.
"That's a first," Henry grunted from the other end of the table.
"You haven't caught the bad guy yet, dad?" Jack asked curiously and Danny shook his head.
"I'm still working on it, but the lead has been cold for a week now. Not even OC has come up with something," Danny complained and sighed. They had turned to Organized Crime midweek, hoping for a breakthrough, but nothing had happened. They still hadn't identified the two victims, nothing in the DMV to point them out.
"Have you tried running their prints or the tattoos through Interpol?" Frank asked and Danny stopped chewing for a second. Frank had been keeping taps on the investigation, of course, through Lieutenant Gormley. Danny hadn't even thought of going outside the state, let alone to Interpol. He swallowed and shook his head.
"They have a database for ink?" he asked surprised and Frank nodded.
"It's based on every single department across the world's intel, so theoretically you can look up a prison gang across the Atlantic," Frank replied. Danny nodded, impressed.
"That's why he's in the corner office on the 14th floor," Erin said with a proud smile.
"What about that friend of yours, the one that needed help?" Henry asked Jamie, after a few moments of silence.
"That's part of it, but yeah, I got through," Jamie replied and finally stabbed a piece of carrot onto his fork.
"What's that about?" Nicky asked and looked at her uncle with curiosity in her eyes. Jamie contemplated for a moment before answering.
"A friend of mine needed help, but wouldn't let me interfere. We're all good now," Jamie responded.
"Am I right, if I say this is about your partner?" Danny asked and shoveled a mouthful of broccoli into his mouth. Jamie's eyes shot across the table and he cringed involuntarily.
"What makes you think that, Danny?" Jamie asked and Danny shrugged, mouth full of food.
"Gender neutral… and you're close," he replied after swallowing.
"Officer Janko?" Nicky asked remembering the blonde officer she had met.
"Really? That's all you base your conclusion on?" Jamie asked, not answering Nicky's question.
"Well, I do have a gold shield, kid," Danny said and smirked, the mood had lightened a bit.
"Excellent detective work," Erin commented dryly and Danny shot his sister a glare.
"Maybe you could apply those skills on your case instead of me," Jamie replied, a bit more sourly than he had intended.
"Cut it off, you two," Henry broke in before Danny could respond and the two brothers became silent at once, concentrating on their food.
"Can I ask something?" Sean asked after a moment.
"I don't know, Sean, can you?" Frank replied and reached for the butter.
"Why would anyone not want help? I would always want help with my homework, that's for sure, especially in math," the youngest of the Reagan's said.
"Well, some people think they would look weak, if they asked for help," Frank replied, after thinking for a second.
"Other people are just too proud. Especially if they are very independent," Jamie continued.
"No one likes to feel indebted, and asking someone to help can shift the balance of a friendship," Erin said.
"So if I ever need help, I can just ask?" Sean said curiously.
"Sure," Danny said.
"As long, as it isn't cheating," Linda continued.
"But remember, as you make your bed, so you must lie on it," Henry said, harvesting a few laughs from around the table.
"Self-sufficiency is a good thing, boys, but isolating yourself is not good," Frank said.
"If you do the right thing from the start, maybe you don't need the help," Jamie said and Henry smiled.
"Hear, hear," the oldest Reagan chanted and lifted his glass.
Sunday, 10.00 pm, Flatiron District
Jamie had just turned off his computer and was heading for the bathroom when his phone pinged. He walked back to the table and retrieved it, looking at the text from his partner. 'He's here. Need help. Hurry.' Jamie felt his hands go from cold to clammy in a matter of seconds. He had to mentally kick himself in the behind to rush out the door, almost forgetting his keys. His driving would have been called reckless, and he didn't know what to do if had he been stopped by a squad car. Still holding his breath, he screeched to a halt not far from Eddie's building less than ten minutes later and continued to run up the stairs were he finally retrieved some rationality and called it in, using his shield number to rush the back up. He stopped in front of the closed door, not hearing anything, and it felt like his heart had jumped up in his throat and stopped. Carefully, he pushed the handle down and opened the door, saw all the coats and jackets on the floor instead of on the coat hangers just inside the door.
"Really, do I need to have a talk with your father, Edit?" a man's voice asked, quiet but strong. Jamie instinctively went for the weapon on his hip, but realizing he wasn't armed, he looked around for an alternative. He grabbed the umbrella, the only half-decent thing in reach, Jamie thought distantly and crept silently forward. Peering around the corner, he saw his partner sit on the floor, back against the wall, clutching her left wrist tight and her eyes were red and puffy. The tall man was on the couch, rubbing his eyes, getting nowhere. Jamie couldn't see any weapon, fortunately.
"Everything okay here?" he asked and the tall man jumped to his feet and turned around. Jamie noticed the scar on his face and Eddie's eyes shot up and rested on Jamie's. He saw a small glimmer of a smile in them. Still holding the umbrella, Jamie walked in, casually looking around to inspect the surprising amount of damages.
"Yeah, we're fine, man," the taller man said. By Eddie's account, his name was Ivan Maslov, his accent less defined, than Jamie would have thought. "My girlfriend and I are just having a disagreement, you can go," he said. Jamie nodded and changed his gaze from the man to Eddie behind him.
"Eddie, you okay?" Jamie asked and when he tried to move forward the taller man stepped in front of him, blocking his way. Eddie said nothing at first but then nodded carefully.
"I said, you can go now," he repeated. Jamie sized him up and then peered around him at Eddie.
"Is this the guy?" Jamie asked and noticed the man flinch, but covered it up nicely. Once again, Eddie nodded and swallowed.
"Yeah, it's him," she said hesitantly. Jamie turned to the tall man again.
"If you don't want any trouble, you should walk out of here now. Police is on the way," Jamie informed him and saw how his face turned into a shade of white and then red.
"What? You called the cops?" the taller man growled and Jamie nodded, unaffected. It had taken him all his strength to not just tackle the guy and read him his rights.
"Yeah, you've got less than a minute, before this place is crawling," Jamie said. "Now, you should reconsider the opportunity I'm giving you, before I arrest you myself," Jamie said and stepped aside, giving him room to pass. Except he didn't. When hearing the approaching sirens, Jamie saw how the man's eyes changed from angry to those of an animal trapped in a corner only a second before he reacted instinctively to the fist coming at him. If it hadn't been for his training, he was sure the punch would have been well placed, but Jamie turned away and ducked back, delivering a merciless jab to the man's exposed ribs. He then danced away when another punch came at him and swung the umbrella at the man's head. It didn't do much damage, quite the opposite, actually, when it was torn out of his hands and hurled at him. Jamie twisted around and pulled his head down before he felt the sharp whack on his upper back. The umbrella broke in half and the only thing stopping Jamie from falling to his knees was the man, as he was pushed against the wall, head first and with the lower arm pinching his throat. Eddie had scurried away but was close enough to lash out with her foot. The taller man's scream in agony when his knee cracked out on the wrong side was mixed with the newly arrived officer's yelling and his legs buckled beneath him. Jamie almost fell to the ground, only supported by the wall, coughing and spluttering.
"Reagan? Janko? You two okay?" one of the officers asked while securing the assailant, recognizing his two coworkers from the neighboring precinct.
"Yeah, I think so… my wrist hurts," Eddie answered after looking at Jamie, who nodded, affirmatively, before letting himself slide down the wall next to her.
"Never better," Jamie rasped and coughed once again when looking at Eddie. The tall man was now whimpering endlessly from the floor, handcuffed while one of the officers explained him his rights. "Nice kick, partner," he acknowledged and looked from Eddie to the squirming man on the floor.
"You owe me an umbrella, Reagan," Eddie said, trying to lighten the mood.
"Let's get you out of here, there's a bus waiting downstairs," the officer said, offering a hand to Jamie and pulled him up to his feet.
"I'll get you a new one," Jamie reassured her with a tired smile and pulled her up. "You sure, you're all right?" Jamie asked when she tenderly held her wrist.
"Yeah, it's just strained," she said when they walked out of her place and headed down. Outside the air had gotten colder and a few squad cars were scattered around Jamie's, next to an ambulance.
"Kid, what the hell happened?" Danny shouted from across the road when he jumped out of the car. Jamie looked at his brother and his shoulder's fell down.
"Go get your wrist checked out. I'll be over in a minute," Jamie told Eddie and she nodded distantly. The fatigue was starting to show in her face as the adrenaline disappeared and her wrist started to thump again.
"Danny, what are you doing here?" Jamie said, meeting Danny halfway.
"I could ask you the same thing," Danny countered irritably and squinted his eyes at his brother when he got closer. Redness around his neck, a little bit cloudy eyes and walking tenderly. "You good?" Danny continued and glanced over Jamie shoulder at Eddie, sitting on the back of the ambulance.
"I'm fine… your guy's inside. Name is Ivan Maslov," Jamie said, hoping to brush of Danny quickly. He really didn't need a lecture right now.
"I know, I figured it out," Danny said uptight. "She all right?" he asked and nodded towards Eddie, whose wrist was now being bandaged. Jamie looked over his shoulder and nodded.
"She'll live," Jamie only sighed, relieved.
"Right… I'll catch you later, kid. Stay out of trouble," Danny said and padded Jamie on the shoulder when he passed him and moved to the building, in search for his person of interest. Jamie looked after him for a few seconds, before ambling over to Eddie.
"What did he say?" Eddie asked curiously, when Jamie was ordered to sit next to her by the medic.
"I don't even think, he is mad…" Jamie said hesitantly, but with a smirk. Eddie leaned sideways and bumped his shoulder with hers.
"Too busy worrying about you?" Eddie joked and Jamie shrugged. They fell silent for a few moments, contemplating the night's events. The medic pushed an icepack into Jamie's hands and he raised it to the back of his head, where it had connected with the wall. They saw Danny walk out of the door and headed over to them.
"Hey Janko, you're all right?" Danny asked and she nodded with a smile.
"I'll be fine, Detective," she answered gratefully.
"Your place is a mess, but you can go back up if you feel like it," Danny mentioned after nodding. Eddie shoulders fell down and she bit her lip.
"Thanks," was her only reply.
"Right," he mumbled and looked around for a second. "I'll catch you later," he said and nodded before going back to his car. His person of interest would be transferred to the hospital to get the knee fixed and he and Baez would have access to interrogate him in the morning.
"Eddie?" Jamie asked when Danny had disappeared around the corner.
"Hmm?" she replied and turned her head to look at him.
"Need a place to stay to night?" he asked and glanced sideways at her.
"You offering?" she asked and smiled when he nodded. She nodded her own response after a second and smiled. "Thank you, Reagan," she said.
"Don't make me regret it," Jamie joked and received a punch to his arm. He yelped and laughed and Eddie grinned at him.
Monday, 2.00 am, Flatiron District
After the final checkups at the hospital, Jamie and Eddie could finally walk through the door to Jamie's place.
"I'm beat," Eddie stated and yawned to prove it. She dropped her bag on the floor as Jamie closed the door behind her.
"Let me grab some blankets, then I'll stay on the couch," Jamie said and lifted a hand when Eddie was about to protest. "No 'buts', Eddie," he sighed and walked past her. Eddie clamped her mouth shut again, not bothering to comment. "Make yourself at home," Jamie said when walking into the bedroom to retrieve a pillow and a blanket. Eddie looked after him for a second before walking to the fridge in the kitchen, hunting for something drinkable.
"Hey, Reagan, you want a beer?" she called over her shoulder when she pulled one bottle out of a pack in the bottom of the fridge. She popped the lid of, while waiting for an answer and pulled out another when he confirmed. She left the caps on the counter and trailed to the couch with both bottles in one hand.
"You're all right?" Jamie asked when he walked out of the bedroom with an armful of pillows and blankets. Eddie had leaned back into the soft cushions and stared profoundly at the bottle in her hand. She had turned the TV on and found an old classic western she had muted. The other beer was standing on the coffee table. Eddie nodded distantly and sipped at her beer when Jamie tossed the pillows and blankets in the bottom and took a seat next to her, grabbing the lonely beer on the table.
"I just can't believe, that he would do that," Eddie said frustrated and sipped the beer again. "I should've known better," she continued faintly and sighed.
"Maybe," Jamie said, pondering. "I think, I would have done the exact same thing, if I was in your place," he admitted and Eddie glanced sideways at him.
"Really? You? Mr. By the Book? Ha," she huffed and grinned at his expression. Jamie shrugged and smiled.
"All right, maybe I would have given him the benefit of the doubt for just a day or two," Jamie confessed with a laugh.
"Sounds about right," Eddie agreed and went quiet for a beat, before turning her head to look at him. Their eyes locked and she smiled softly at him. "Thank you, Jamie," was the only thing she said and Jamie nodded in appreciation.
"Your welcome, partner," he said and clinked her bottle with his. Their eyes fell on the TV it didn't take long before Eddie nodded of, head resting on Jamie's shoulder and snoring lightly. Jamie fell asleep not long after, trying to concentrate on the movie, but gave in to the sleep.