Disclaimer: I do not own or make any money from Blue Bloods or the use of their characters.
Chapter Two
Chapter Two
With Eddie's plate safely in the oven for when she woke up, Jamie helped Erin and Linda clean up the kitchen before going outside to play a game of touch football with Nikki, Jack, and Sean. Linda went outside to watch and Henry to referee leaving Frank and Danny inside to watch Sportscenter.
"Is Eddie feeling okay?" Frank asked Danny. Perhaps Jamie mentioned something to him about why the girl was so tired. He was concerned, normally Eddie ate her weight in Sunday dinner and never failed to volunteer to help.
Before Danny had a chance to answer, Eddie's screams broke the silence. "JAMIE! JAMIE!"
Both men instinctively headed for the steps, Danny using his crutch as he hurried to free Eddie of her dream. Frank reached the door only seconds before Danny did, fearing his newest "daughter" was in real danger.
When Frank realized it was just a dream he turned to go and get Jamie. "Give me a minute with her Dad," Danny said sitting on the bed. "Eddie, it's all right. Wake up. It's just a dream." He shook her lightly until she woke up gasping for air, still crying Jamie's name.
"It's all right, it's Danny. Ssh. Jamie's fine, he's outside with the kids."
Eddie was shaking in Danny's arms. "I'm sorry, I…keep having them."
"From the job?" Danny asked as Frank pulled back to get her some water and alert his younger son that he was needed upstairs.
"No, I don't know. This one was the same as the last one. I was held down, being groped, and I saw Jamie. I needed him to come and help me. I screamed and screamed but he never came, he just stood there and didn't come to help."
Danny started to ask probing questions trying to figure out the source of the dreams. "When you were attacked last year, did you see the department shrink?"
Eddie shook her head, "No, that was nothing. I had Jamie, I worked it out with Jamie."
"Was that your first time being a victim of a crime?" Eddie nodded again. "You know what's funny? My hair, in the dream my hair is shorter…not like it is now, it's like I wore it in high school."
While Danny continued to try to decipher the puzzle, Frank poked his head out of the house, "Jamie, it's Eddie. I think Danny's got it but I know she'll want to talk to you."
Jamie dropped the ball and headed inside as quickly as he could, taking the stairs two at a time. When he got into the room, Eddie was in tears. She sobbed pushing at Danny's chest, "I don't know, I don't' know…"
"Danny, leave the room!" Jamie snapped as he came at Eddie from behind. "It's all right, I'm here. I'm here…You are fine. Danny, please you are scaring her."
"I'm not scaring, her, Kid, I'm trying to help her. What you're doing there is nice but it's not gonna make the dreams stop."
"Well, questioning her like a suspect isn't going to make them stop either. Thank you for taking care of her."
Danny knew he was dismissed, he wasn't used to that from his kid brother. "She's got something locked up in there Jamie, until you find out what it is she won't get any peace. I know you like her needing you…"
They erupted into a classic Reagan argument at that, shouting at each other over Eddie's head. "You think I like this!" Jamie exploded. "For the last week, this has been happening night after night, and I can't do anything to stop it. I'm not the one that needs to control everything!"
"Then why won't you help her find out why…"
Eddie pulled out of Jamie's arms, "She is right here and I don't need either one of you to help me or do a damn thing for me. I'm fine alone, just like I always was."
She headed down the steps hoping to just escape and get a taxi to take her to her apartment. Jamie, of course was heading after her but Frank, who had witnessed the entire thing, put his hand up. "I'm going, you two did enough as it is."
Jamie turned back to his brother, "It's pretty amazing that you got up here. Thanks for trying Danny, but I know Eddie and hammering on her about anything just isn't going to help. She's a good cop, tough as they come, but when that uniform is off she's not like that at all."
Danny sighed, "She soft?"
"No, not soft. She's very insecure in her own skin. This thing with her old man, it embarrassed their entire family. Eddie was ostracized like it was her fault. She was bullied by her sorority sisters and the other kids in her school. Most of them had their families' savings stolen by her dad, but it wasn't Eddie's fault.
"Then in the academy, she was pretty, blonde, and had a good body so she was the butt of all the jokes or unwanted advances. She wears the uniform like a coat of armor. I was able to see around it and get in under it, but she's not going to let you in like that Danny, not yet."
"If I made it worse, I'm sorry. My gut is telling me there's something locked deep inside and it's trying to come out. She won't have peace until it does."
"Then until she is ready I will have to give her all the peace I can give," Jamie replied. "I can't have you hammering on her trying to break the memory open. I won't allow it, I'm sorry Danny."
Frank caught Eddie as she ran outside the house. She was crying again, this time from embarrassment and anger.
"You know my two boys, they have my temper," Frank said as he approached her." And when they see someone they care about in pain, all bets are off until they get it fixed."
Eddie sighed. "I'm not broken. I'm having some bad dreams, that's it. I had them on and off since I was younger. Never had anyone to hold me when I had them before, and I'm grateful for it. Jamie is the best boyfriend I've ever had. He's such a gentleman…too much sometimes." She blushed.
"A hundred years ago, at this family's table, one brother or uncle would have been a priest. I always said that if that was true today, that would be Jamie. Danny, I think he's like a guard dog in a person's body. He cares about you and Jamie, he sees you are hurting and he wants to know why right now and fix it right now so it stops. So he'll attack and attack until he gets the result he wants."
"I don't know what it is. It happens and as fast as it comes, it goes. This isn't the first time since I joined the NYPD that it has been a problem. They only reason anyone knows is because I wake Jamie up when I have them."
"Jamie's instinct is always going to be to protect, same as Danny's. Difference is Jamie would rather wrap you up in a little cocoon and chase it all away while Danny just wants to bust it wide open. My boys will never see eye to eye that way. Jamie has just a touch more of my Mary in him than Danny does."
"They don't have to disagree over my head and they don't have to talk about me like I have no say. I like it when Jamie holds me after, it feels nice, but I don't need him to do it."
Frank laughed, "No, you don't. You are an exceptional cop. I read your jacket from the academy the day Renzulli put you with Jamie. I saw how you had his back while the two of you were partnered up. You can handle anything that comes your way." Frank turned to face her, "But you don't have to. I know my son, he plays for keeps and that means that you have a brother and a sister and a dad and a granddad that will be in your life, ready to help when you need it."
Eddie had turned about sixteen shades of red. Over the six months she'd dated Jamie, she got close to the entire Reagan clan. They had welcomed her into their fold just like she had been born with the same blue blood as they had, but it was still difficult for her to see Frank in any capacity other than the PC.
"How about you come inside, Pop kept your plate warm. After you eat and we have dessert, Jamie can take you home and you get some rest before your tour."
Eddie agreed, and let Frank take her back inside with his arm around her shoulder. Henry came over to her, "Are you all right honey?" he asked. When she nodded he smiled, "Come on then, I have your plate all heated. You can sit with me in the kitchen."
Frank turned toward his sons. Jamie was helping Danny get down the steps. He could see pain etched in his older son's face. That hadn't mattered at all when they heard Eddie screaming, he had leapt into action, all of his cop instincts firing. His boy had to be a cop, it was ingrained in him.
"Breathe a little slower," Jamie coached. "Just lean on me and breathe a little slower so you don't pass out. Do you want me to get Linda?'
Danny shook his head, "No I'm good. Just need to sit down. Linda will yell at me for being on the steps."
"You're right, I will," Linda said coming into the living room. "Put your leg up now and let me see what damage you did."
Jamie let Linda tend to Danny. He looked up at his Dad, "Is she okay?"
"Pop is feeding her, she's gonna be fine. What the Hell was that Jamie, chest pounding like that."
"I'm sorry Dad, I told Danny too. All I saw was Eddie crying and Danny was just pushing and pushing on her. I know Eddie, if she doesn't feel safe with you, she'll lock up on everyone. I can't get through to her if she starts to shut me out Dad. I see her waking up so scared, I don't know why and she doesn't either. I don't know what to do."
Frank nodded, "You love her Jamie. You love her until she's ready to talk or able to forget. You love her until, Jamie. You love her until."
A/N 2: This story is coming to me as easily as Tough is. If anyone has some prompts or suggestions they are welcome through review or PM. Thank for reading.