Chapter Six

Joey and Jack stepped back after pulling open the door for their ladies as they were taught from a young age, that's what was done in order to be gentleman. After the girls went inside the boys followed them to a table. Jack moved to pull out the chair for Rita giving her a smile.

"Ahem," Molly cleared her throat waiting for Joey to do the same.

With both girls seated Jack took the chair between Joe and Rita. "So would you like drinks to start?" Not waiting for an answer Jack signaled the waiter ordering drinks for the table.

Rita leaned in folding her hands on the table feeling her heart speed up anytime she looked at Jack.

"So Molly how's work?" Joe asked after sipping water from his glass. Molly gave a noncommittal shrug of her shoulders looking past him at the next table. "What's wrong?" Joey asked his detective sense smarting.

"Those are the family of a boy I am caring for now," Molly replied. "And has me to wonder if they are here, who is there?"

Rita smiled, "You must have a very hard job, Molly. I can't imagine how difficult it must be to work with so many sick people."

"Actually," Molly replied. "It's something very special, being with a person in their final moments, helping their families understand what is going to happen so they are not afraid…"

Their bottle of wine arrived. Jack poured for each lady then for himself and Joey. "Let's have a toast, to a new and upcoming marriage and a new upcoming relationship, maybe both bring happiness."

"Here, here," Molly replied and toasted the glasses. They ordered some calamari and their main courses. "So Rita, how is the wedding coming?"

"It's good," Rita replied. "My assistant is a huge help in planning these things. She's going to do the cake, she does fantastic work. We're having a hard time setting a date."

"Yeah," Jack laughed. "You think you can have a chat with your Dad about that?"

"You have his ear more than I do," Joey laughed. "You know how long it took him to sign off of special victims."

"Well, I'm glad he thought it through," Molly replied. "You don't need to be exposed to all of that horror. Babies being attacked by men on the streets and he's running head first at it like it's the pot of gold at the end of a rainbow."

Jack took a sip of his wine, "Special Victims takes a special man, Molly. I firmly believe Joey, as my cousin and a detective, is that kind of man, but I have to ask you, what is it like working for Captain Benson, she's been with SVU since God was a boy. Commissioner Reagan is getting ready to force her retirement if she keeps interfering with the field work."

"He should talk," Joey rolled his eyes. "My mom is trying to get him to retire but he won't. I'm hoping when my sister's babies come."

"That is such a blessing," Molly beamed. "Is she going to call a boy Peter after your Grandfather?"

"If she did that our mutual grandfather would flip his lid," Jack replied. "There was no love lost between Peter and grandpa. He only accepted it because of Aunt Eddie."

"Jack, I'm surprised with your mother's background she is not taking care of your grandfather, that when he got sick that they didn't shift things around," Rita observed.

"My father and grandfather have a very similar temper," Jack explained. "Believe me Uncle Jamie is the right person to be there, my mom is going to help out now that he's getting worse. We pull together."

"Well, I'll be happy to help out," Molly piped up. "I love your grandpa, oh, the stories…" Molly smiled and clapped her hands.

Joey looked at the beauty next to him. It had been a long time since her felt this way. He had really cared for Debbie but she hadn't made his heart skip a beat like Molly did.

The talk turned away from family back to Jack and Rita's wedding. During the meal, Jack asked Joey to be a groomsman and he agreed. "I'm going to ask Steven too, to make him feel a part of the family."

"If he still is, if Lila had a say in this…" Joey laughed remembering the look Lila was shooting at her husband. "You know that look my dad gets right before he explodes?"

"Yeah…the one that tells the entire room to duck and cover?" Jack laughed.

"That's the one, Lila inherited it, in spades. She is not her mother's daughter. After that little even on Wednesday…I'm surprised Steven isn't singing soprano."

"The dinner went that well?" Rita asked remembering Jack having to cancel a date because of the dinner with Steven's parents.

"It was a disaster," Joey laughed. "But you got to hand it to grandpa, for a man the doctors are saying might be on his way out he's a tough old Irish mutt that goes without a doubt."

"Dad!" Jamie said firmly. "You have to keep the cannula in your nose! It doesn't do any good blowing oxygen on my floor."

"Jamie, calm down," Eddie soothed. "It's hard to wear those things, you know that."

"It's hard to wear it and I don't need it!" Frank snapped. "I got all upset at those idiotic people, it was my own fault. I'm not sicker than I was Wednesday!"

"Dad," Erin interjected gently. "Yes, you are. We all heard the doctor, and it upsets all of us, but you have to use the oxygen when you are resting or sleeping so it's easier to breathe when you are up and about. Now, if the nasal one is bothering you…"

"It's not bothering me! You are all bothering me!" Frank snapped slapping at Jamie's hands as he tried to put the oxygen back on. They three younger Reagans decided to let Frank be for the moment, he's settled down then one of them would try again.

"All right, fine choke to death all night long, I'm not getting up to help you!" Jamie yelled as they left the room.

Eddie sighed. Erin moved to go after Jamie, "Let him go," Eddie advised. "He'll calm down. He's still steamed over the dinner, he hasn't spoken to Steven since they left. When Jamie called to tell Lila about Dad, Steven answered, Jamie hung up and called back until Lila picked up the phone."

"That's not like Jamie at all," Erin commented. 'Maybe he needs to see his neurologist."

"No," Eddie replied. "He's fine that way, he has always had that Irish ice in his veins. I think you and Danny just never saw it, he was always the baby, but when it came to protecting me, protecting our kids, Jamison Reagan was sometimes the hardest man you could ever meet."

Eddie fixed tea for herself and Eddie, "The fact is, he's scared. He knows that if we lose Frank he's going to have to compete with Danny over being head of this family. Frank is grooming him to be the Reagan Patriarch but Danny, he's always seen himself as the leader."

"I don't want to debate any of this, I want to live in the little girl fantasy that my father will live forever."

Eddie sighed, "It's nice, but when you do that you fall pretty hard. I'm fortunate in some ways, when it hurts too much I can just pretend, I didn't see my father that much, but for you, Jamie, Danny…me too it's going to be a significant loss."

Erin reached across the table and rubbed Eddie's hand, "This looks a lot better."

"Yeah, it's getting there. When you have cancer as badly as I did and you get the surgery I had, you don't get a full recovery, you know? You live with it, my arm will never be normal, they don't tell you that stuff a lot."

Erin nodded, "I never told anyone this, but I had a scare a few years back. Thank God it was nothing but I thought of you the entire time. Lesser women would have died, but you…I know we had our differences, most of that was my fault, but I admire you, Eddie. And there is no one I'd rather have looking after Dad on a daily basis, even with Linda's training, you have the fire…"

Eddie smiled, "That means a lot to me Erin. You want some of the best ice cream in the world?" Eddie got up and went into the freezer. "I hide this from Jamie, the cholesterol is ridiculous but he never looks behind the beef patties so…" Eddie produced a carton of Belgian chocolate ice cream.

The ladies indulged while Jamie laid on the bed upstairs. He'd been tied up pretty tight since Wednesday dinner. Upsetting Lila was enough for him, but to learn from Joey that Eddie had been reduced to tears while Steven said nothing was too much for him. What kind of man did he entrust his Kitten to? He would never let his Eddie hang out to dry like that. It hurt his father's heart…

Laughter from downstairs made him smile, Eddie and Erin getting along…that was music to his ears.

Eddie came up an hour later, "Hey, you all right?" she asked sitting down on the edge of the bed.

"Yeah, just a little tired," Jamie sighed. "Did you get Dad to…?"

"He put the cannula in himself and was sound asleep when I checked him," Eddie informed Jamie. "You need to apologize to him for taking your fear and your anger at yourself out on him." Eddie stood up and began her nightly routine.

"You know me so well," Jamie sighed. "I'm sorry but that would be the day when I would leave you hanging like Steven left Lila. I'm really questioning his love for her and his ability to be a good husband and father."

Eddie sighed, "Jamie, you are the perfect husband and father, not everyone had a good role model like you did, honey. Lila loves him, you think my father was thrilled when I married a cop. He wasn't…"

"No, but I was good to you. When anyone stepped out of line with you, I was there for you Eddie. I would die for you, I don't know if Steven would for Lila and it bothers me."

Eddie laid down and snuggled up to Jamie's side, "Talk to her, babe. She's coming tomorrow to see your dad, just talk to her and tell her what is hurting your heart."

Jamie sighed. Eddie was right, he looked down at her and stroked her cheek. "We have Dr. McLean, remember?"

"After Dr. McLean," Eddie smiled. "We'll have reason to come home happy, I'm sure of it. I love you so much, Jamie."

Jamie tried to sleep, but it was elusive. He has far too many worries to relax, but with his wife in his arms he knew when he was ready to share the burden, he wouldn't have to do it alone.

A/N: Papa Jamie is still stewing over his baby getting hurt. Does anyone else think that when Jamie's temper flares it's worse than the others? Hope you all enjoyed this chapter. I tried to use some of the newer characters we'll get to know through this series. Pillow Talk will be updating later tonight.