Chapter Thirteen
Jamie's detail dropped him off at the 2-7 precinct just before 3:30. "Ten hut!" came the order from the duty Sergeant as Jamie entered the room with his appointed bodyguards. "As you were," Jamie replied. He would never get used to the fanfare.
Joey was at his desk placing the small blocks of cheese into a bag. He had different color paper, crayons, yarn...all sorts of things his witness might be able to use to help describe the wretched person that attacked her.
Joey looked up at his father and smiled, "I don't know what she'll respond to besides the cheese," he explained. "Sean called a half hour ago, there's another victim. Anse went to check it out, 11 years old, stocking over her eyes, a silk, black stocking." Joey said it like it was dirty.
"Detective Reagan," Jamie said firmly. "Did we have a talk about this when I approved your transfer?"
"Yes, Sir, we did and this is not that," Joey assured him. "We'll be in the interrogation room in the back. I'm going to get it prepped."
Jamie nodded and stepped over to the Captain's office, "Captain, a word please?"
She would never not obey the words of her Commissioner, so Captain Benson nodded and waited until he sat. "I know Detective Reagan can be a challenge, no one knows it better than me. He has a lot of my brother Danny in him, that's the trouble. "
"He's running after a dead end, Sir," Captain Benson replied. "I want to get this guy as much as the next person, but this girl is severely socially delayed and is almost nonverbal. I advised him to spend his time on the five, now six other girls that might be able to offer us more."
"It's my understanding from both Detectives that none of the other girls are able to give an ID, that he wasn't as meticulous with Jenna Rollins because of her mental impairments. If Detective Reagan thinks he can get somewhere, as his superior we need to at least let him try. There are new ways, new techniques than anything you or even I have worked with. There's fifteen years between us, I do not advocate mandatory retirements for non-field officers, but you need to stay out of Joe's way and the other members of the squad. Joe never complained but others have. It's not your day in the field anymore."
"Are you saying if I don't let you son do what he pleases..."
Jamie shook his head, "I never gave Joe special treatment, I won't start now. I told him in no uncertain terms if he is going to continue to disobey you he will receive a rip and perhaps be pulled from SVU. I am telling you the same, you all must work together. A lot of people think because you're one of the oldest members of the NYPD that you can't do this job, prove them wrong."
Jamie rose and headed down the hall just as Jenna and her mother arrived for questioning.
Jamie carefully walked past the mother and child and went into the interrogation room being sure to remove his tie as Joey directed the day before.
Joey stepped out and smiled at Jenna. "Hi Jenna, do you remember me, Detective Joe…" He offered her his hand but she ignored him. "Come on inside this room, I have someone special friend for you to say hello to."
Joey led Jenna into the room and Jamie stood up. "Jenna, this is my Dad. This is Commissioner Reagan…but you can call him Commissioner Jamie."
"Hello, Jenna," Jamie smiled. "How about you have a seat in this nice chair right here?" Jamie watched as the girl, seeming to trust Joey, sat near him. Her eyes lit on the cheese in the snack bag. She reached for it.
"Jenna," Joey handed her two cubes. "I want to talk about the man that hurt you by the park. Now I know words aren't your favorite things, so how about we try this…I'm going to ask you a question and I want you to point to the right thing. Let's give it a try, okay?" Joey placed different shades of yarn on the table. "Point to the color that was like the man's hair."
Jenna considered the yarn that Joey had laid out. He had all sort of shades of each of the colors. Jenna pushed the reds, the browns, and the blacks to the floor immediately and quickly selected a sandy blonde colored thread with just enough yellow to keep it from being brown.
"Way to go, Jenna! You did a great job!" Joey handed her two more pieces of her favorite cheese. "Point to the skin color?" Joey showed her skin tone shaded construction paper. Jenna picked a piece of paper that was pale pink. Again, Joey smiled at the girl and rewarded her. Joey was meticulous, he showed Jenna papers for the eye color, shapes to ascertain if the perp had a round face, oval face, or squared jaw, and sandpaper and silk to determine skin texture.
Jenna picked each time with certainty and almost violently discarded the other choices. Finally Joey showed her a picture of a scar, freckles, a tattoo, and other body marks. Jenna picked the tattoo. "Good work, can you show me where that is on me? Point to the place?"
Jenna pointed to the left forearm and started to move her hand in a slithering like a snake. "It's a snake? His tattoo is like a snake?" Jenna didn't reply but reached for the cheese taking two pieces, her reward for an answer.
Joey beamed, "You did terrific, Jenna. How about we take you back to your Mom?" Joey offered Jenna his hand, this time she took it and followed him out to her Mom. "She did fabulous, in a few days, when she's calmed down, my partner and I will come out with some pictures for her to look at."
Ms. Dennis smiled, "Thank you for taking your time with her, Detective Reagan. I've been meaning to ask you…any relation to…"
Jamie stepped out of the interrogation room, "Yes," he replied. "I'm his father."
"You have a very special son," Ms. Dennis told Jamie. "Jenna wave goodbye to the detective."
Jenna offered a rare smile and waved.
Jamie and Joey didn't arrive with the Chinese food for Wednesday dinner until nearly six thirty. Eddie fixed her eyes on Jamie in a cold glare. "You are NOT supposed to be over doing it and here you are working a ten hour day!"
Joey looked at his mother, Jamie was right. The weight gain was obvious to anyone with eyes, her face was a little puffy as well as her hands and neck. She only wore slippers so perhaps her feet as well. "It's my fault, Mom," Joey piped up. "But Dad was relaxing while I did the questions, he was just was there in case my Captain had issues."
Eddie nodded, "It went well then?"
"It was great, we have something to work with now," Joey replied. "But now it's dinner time." Jamie and Lila were already unloading the bags. Joey stepped closer to Eddie and put his arms around her, "I'm sorry Mom. I overreacted, and I am so sorry I hurt you."
Eddie leaned against Joey, "It's all right honey, but you can't keep flying off the handle like this. Things are going to come up for me and for Dad too. I know when you hear about something going wrong with me and my health, you are seven years old again, scared and powerless…Maybe you need to talk about that with someone, maybe you and I should see someone together and talk about it."
Joey sighed and slid his arm around Eddie, "I'll think about it but I have to realize I'm not powerless, I can do things for you now I couldn't then, like take good care of you when you need me. I'm sorry I left you when you were sick and scared."
Eddie smiled, "Let's go eat, I am feeling better now and I'm hungry." They entered the dining room with their arms wrapped around each other.
That night, Eddie and Jamie both remembered why they instated their special Wednesday dinners. It was a time for them to bond with their children, for Frank to connect with his youngest grandchildren…it was just a special time.
Eddie carefully chose her food, she picked on what was on her plate. "Mom, you have to eat more than that," Lila encouraged. "It's so good too. Good pick, Joey."
"Hey, what am I chopped liver?" Jamie laughed. "Eddie, this moo shu pork is to die for, you really need to try some."
Eddie sighed, "Well, I'm fat no matter what I do," she sighed and loaded up her plate.
After Lila and Joey left to go home, and Frank was sound asleep in bed, the house sat in a hushed silence. Jamie walked into the bedroom where Eddie already started undressing, this time not obsessing over her body, all she wanted to do was rest her sore legs and feet.
With a smile Jamie went up to her from behind, as she slid on her nightgown and wrapped his arms around her waist allowing him to kiss her neck. He knew he was working beyond his promise lately. "I'm sorry Eddie. I know I'm supposed to be taking it easy. I love how you look out for me."
Eddie spun around facing him their bodies inches apart. She looked up meeting his blue eyes, worry and concern twinkling in hers. "Of course I do, Jamie. I love you. I don't want to go through what we did again. I am finally getting you back, I'm trying to get better too so we can have a life together when you finally retire. "
Jamie smiled pulling her waist closer so their bodies touched rocking back and forth never taking his eyes of hers. "I love you too," Jamie whispered, leaning in to place a gentle kiss on her lips. "And I promise you, we will have those things. Those special things…" He dropped another kiss on her nose.
"Jamie, let's lay down." Eddie knew she had to put her feet up. Jamie complied and slipped a hand around her waist under her nightshirt as they slipped into bed and settled into each other's arms.
A/N: Joey's made a break in his case and Eddie is slowly but surely starting to get better. For my Danny fans, there is more Danny and Linda coming in future chapters, but Wednesday dinner is just for the Jamison Reagan branch of the family, plus Frank because he rules the roost.
Next updated – May 8 – Lila and Steven make a crucial decision regarding their twins, Jamie and Steven have a father/son chat.
