A/N: It seems afternoons might now be my window for posting new chapters - its when I come home from spending the mornings at the hospital before I head back there in the evening - we'll see...
Chapter 39: Tried and Sentenced
The drive back to the city for Jamie and his handcuffed nephew in his back seat is full of nothing but utter silence and tension that you could cut with a knife and that knife is the semi regular ding of Jamie's phone due to a flurry of back and forth texts that he would periodically pull over to answer. It's actions that prolong the agony for Sean as he once again shifts in discomfort in his seat. He wrists and hands hurt from the cuffs but he knew better then to ask his Uncle to undo his restraints. He knew full well that feeling and Jamie's constant stops were likely the entire point…
It is only once Jamie turns the Chevelle towards Bay Ridge that Sean completely understands what is happening "Just take me to jail." He mumbles.
"Don't think that's not still an option." Jamie snaps back.
Sean takes a deep breath as Jamie pulls the Chevelle up behind his father's car parked in front of his grandfather's house "Let me guess. The entire jury is here."
"I'd check that attitude." Jamie warns before opening his door and exiting his car. He walks to the passenger's side, opens the door and moves the seat forward "Out." He commands as he reaches in to help his nephew out of the back.
"So you're really going to make me walk up those steps handcuffed?" Sean questions.
"Yup." Jamie simply replies.
From inside the house, Danny stands at the window watching as his younger brother helps his handcuffed son out of the car and begins walking him up the steps. He reaches for the doorknob of the front door and swings it open just as Jamie and Sean begin walking up the final steps of the porch.
Sean lifts his head at hearing the door and locks eyes with his father. The look Danny gives him says it all – disappointment, frustration, anger, sadness.
Without saying a word, Danny turns and walks into the house – it's a move that makes Sean cringe for his father is not known for holding back on his emotions…
Jamie and Sean enter and Jamie shuts the door. Jamie then guides Sean towards the dining room and when they get to the entrance, Sean sees Frank, Henry, Erin and Danny all seated at one end of the table.
Jamie stops Sean from walking when they reach the opposite end of the table from them. Jamie finally pulls out his key and undoes the cuffs "Sit." He instructs as he guides his nephew into Henry's regular chair then moves to sit at the other end of the table with the rest of the family.
Rubbing his wrists, Sean sits down.
"Well." Frank sighs.
"I know." Sean states "You're all extremely disappointed in me."
"How the hell could you do that Sean?" Danny finally explodes.
"It's not like I was hurting anyone!" Sean counters.
"Sean, you realize if it had been any other cops that found you, you'd be in real trouble right now right?" Erin points out.
"What do you mean?" Sean questions.
Jamie sighs "Sean we informed the local precinct that the house is unoccupied so if a patrol happened by and saw the lights on they would have investigated and those officers would not have known you were my nephew. They would have arrested you for real for break and enter."
Sean rolls his eyes at the small likelihood of that happening "Did you really have to pull your guns on us though?" He throws back in annoyance "Do you know how embarrassing that was?"
Erin, Frank, Henry and Danny all make shocked expressions.
"Whoa…" Henry exclaims.
"Wait a minute…" Danny backtracks "You pulled a gun on my son?"
"We kept the safeties on." Jamie dismissively explains.
"What the hell were you thinking?" Danny demands of his younger brother.
"I was thinking we needed to teach him a lesson!" Jamie answers.
"Not by pulling a gun on him!" Danny retorts.
"Because the patrol officers wouldn't have done that if they had found him first?" Jamie tosses back "You should be happy we found him instead because he committed a class D felony Danny - criminal trespassing in the first degree – that's up to seven years in prison."
"I know what it is!" Danny bites back in frustration knowing his brother is right while Sean's eyes nearly bug out of his head "wwwwwwhat?"
"Or you could get probation." Erin chimes in as she addresses her nephew "But yes, the maximum sentence could be as high as seven years."
Suddenly the sound of the front door opening and closing can be heard and a couple of seconds later Eddie walks into the dining room "Here's the evidence." She states as she walks up to the table and tosses Sean's keys onto it with one hand and then uses her other hand to place the now capped open bottle of booze down with a thud. "His girl is only 18."
Everyone at the table sighs as Jamie with one hand reaches into his pocket to pull out his keys and reaches with his other hand to grab Sean's keys while Eddie sits down beside her husband.
Jamie takes the house key on both sets and lines them up together "Oh look a perfect match."
"Sean!" Danny chides.
"Where's Beth?" Sean mumbles.
"I dropped her off at home." Eddie replies "Which incidentally is not too far from our house." Eddie reveals "I think someone was trying to impress his rich girlfriend by making it look like he comes from a family with a bit more money."
So we're an embarrassment to you now?" Henry inquires of his great grandson in hurt and disappointment.
"NO!" Sean immediately rejects.
"Then what Sean?" Danny demands as he jump up from his chair and paces a bit "Because I thought I raised you better then this! Stealing? Break and enter? Underage drinking? Embarrassment from where you come from?"
"No drugs though." Eddie offers "We checked."
"Oh well that just makes it all better then!" Danny tosses back.
"He turned up the heat." Jamie suddenly announces as he focuses his attention on and plays with his keys in his hands trying to remain calm.
Frank looks over at his youngest son. He notices him trying to hide his agitation and he thinks about his words. Suddenly realization hits him and he groans. Frank knew how much the bill was for his house and Jamie and Eddie's house was bigger – and they made less money. He sighs "How high?"
At his father's question Jamie can't help but manically laugh a little "High."
"REALLY high." Eddie tacks on as she looks down at her hands.
Erin and Danny both get slightly quizzical looks on their faces while Sean looks around completely confused "It was room temperature." he again defends.
Frank shakes his head at his grandson "No. They don't mean the temperature of the room."
Suddenly Henry gets it "Oh boy." He breathes out with his own shake of his head "Sean, Sean, Sean."
"What?" Sean presses still confused.
"How much?" Frank presses Jamie but Jamie's face just twists and contorts not wanting to actually say it out loud.
Danny looks back and forth between his father and younger brother "If you're not talking about the temperature then…what's high?"
"The heat bill." Henry clarifies.
Danny looks at his brother and sister in law and studies their subdued demeanor and his Detective mind starts filling in the blanks - he knew the cost of a heat bill for his own place and Jamie and Eddie's house was much, much, MUCH bigger "How high?" He carefully and cautiously questions really afraid of the answer he's going to get.
Jamie finally looks up and meets his brother's eye "REALLY…" he emphasizes "high."
"Ah Damn it Sean!" Danny curses out.
"WHAT?" Sean prompts in exasperation yet again "It was almost freezing in that house!"
But Danny is too overcome with frustration to even try to explain "I'll pay you back." Danny promises his brother and sister in law.
But Jamie shakes his head in rejection "If the two of us…" he begins as he gestures between himself and Eddie "Can't afford to heat that house. You can't afford it."
Sean's eyes go wide in concern at hearing that and suddenly, he gets it.
For a moment, Danny squeezes his eyes shut and cringes before looking directly at his son " I clearly failed you as a father. Your Mother would be so disappointed in both of us."
A heavy awkward silence fills the room at hearing that and as Eddie looks over at Sean, she can see the stinging affect his father's last words had on him and the complete regret now in his eyes knowing it's the truth…
"Press charges." Danny suddenly decides as he looks at his brother and sister in law.
Everyone at the table looks over at Danny in surprise.
"What?" Sean breathes out in a panic.
"Well I haven't heard any regret or apology or even an explanation…" Danny reasons "so maybe spending some time in the system will help."
"Look I am sorry." Sean sincerely states "And I do regret it and yes fine I was trying to impress Beth! It was stupid… and wrong. I get it. I was just… just…"
"Being a young man." Frank sighs in understanding.
"A stupid young man." Henry chuckles.
"Too late." Danny rejects as his hotheaded emotions get the better of him "And you're only sorry because you got caught." He decides before shifting his look to his brother "Now are you cuffing him or am I?"
"No." Eddie interjects "No one is cuffing him because no one is pressing charges."
Danny turns his head to glare at his sister in law.
"I'm pretty sure he's learnt his lesson." Eddie gently reasons as she looks at Danny then over at Sean.
"I have." Sean sincerely promises her.
"So you just want to let him off scott free?" Danny tosses back "Absolutely not. He's my son! I get to decide!"
"No actually you don't." Eddie counters "It's our house and we are not pressing charges." She reiterates.
Danny looks at his brother "Did you want to talk some sense into your wife here please?"
"There are other ways he can pay restitution." Eddie suddenly points out causing Sean to look at her a bit sideways.
"Like?" Erin curiously inquires.
Eddie shrugs "If he wants to spend so much time there pretending he owns the place maybe he should also take on all the responsibilities that come with what that means by spending his time there fixing it up… and working off the heat bill."
Frank, Henry and even Jamie get thoughtful expressions on their faces.
Danny's face however scrunches up in rejection "He's not exactly Mr. Handyman."
"Pretty sure he can figure out how to shovel the driveway." Eddie points out "If he does that it means we no longer have to pay a service to do it plus its going to be spring soon – he can mow the lawn, trim trees, weed the garden."
"Fix the lattice work, paint the fence…" Jamie adds in before turning to look at his wife as she turns to look at him in realization.
"Dig the dead thing out from under the deck!" they both say in unison.
Slowly a smile creeps up onto Danny's face as Sean's mouth curves downward into a disgusted frown.
"I can supervise." Henry chimes in "Maybe teach him a thing or two."
"First time offender so Community Service." Erin pragmatically notes in agreement.
The look on Sean's face says he isn't exactly loving this idea but suddenly he gets a great thought "Can I actually live there now then?" He hopefully inquires.
"NO!" Jamie and Eddie and even Danny immediately reply.
Sean again frowns but then raises an eyebrow in thought "But if I have to work there, I get to keep the key though right?"
"No." Jamie flatly rejects as he picks up Sean's keys and removes the house key from the ring before sliding that across the table to Henry "And the fireplace needs a good cleaning."
"Don't worry. We'll make you a list." Eddie quickly promises causing Henry to chuckle as he swipes the key up "It's a very looooong list!" She adds in satisfaction with a big bright smile causing Frank to shake his head slightly, thoroughly impressed with his daughter in laws solution.
"And I want to meet this girl that has my son committing crimes." Danny sharply adds.
Sean groans "Any other conditions to my sentence?"
"Only that we reserve the right to add more conditions." Jamie counters.
"Well that's not fair." Sean replies.
"You could always take your chances with the real justice system." Eddie warns.
Sean looks at his Aunt "I thought you were on my side?"
"We are all on your side Sean." Frank points out "But you should be thanking your Aunt and Uncle for not pressing real charges."
"Mostly your Aunt." Jamie pointedly reiterates "Because I was heavily leaning towards your Father's recommendation."
Sean takes a deep breath "I'm sorry." He sincerely offers Jamie and Eddie "And thank you."
"Better." Danny grumbles.
Suddenly Erin gets a thought "Wait. How did you even catch him?" She wonders "I didn't think you guys headed out that way that often. What made you go out there today and so late?"
Eddie points at her husband "He had a gut feeling."
"Oh." Erin replies as a smile creeps up onto her face "That Reagan gut feeling."
"A blessing." Danny adds with a nod.
"And a curse." Sean mumbles with a frown while Frank and Henry both smile proudly.
...