THE TALK WITH ERIN REAGAN
Frank Reagan sighed as he watched Baker hurriedly leave the room.
This last week and a half had been hard on them both. But being discovered by another Reagan was especially intimidating.
"Dad! What the heck?!" Erin hissed at him her eyes flashing angrily.
Frank suddenly felt very tired. Too tired to fight with his own daughter.
"Erin, please understand -"
"Understand what? That she's basically the same age as me? That you work together?"
She paused for a moment as the thought came to her, "Does your Team know? Does Garrett know?"
"Yes. They found out as well," he almost laughed as he thought how ludicrous the discoveries about him and Abigail had gone.
"Look Erin. This is not how I wanted this to come out. This is not how I had planned anything in the last week…but, see things from my perspective for a moment."
Erin was still fuming but she answered, "Well go ahead, enlighten me."
Frank pulled out a chair at the ktichen table and gestured for her to do the same. She reluctantly agreed.
"This job is tiring me out." he spoke with a heavy heart.
Erin looked up at him and realized it herself. Some of the "fight" had gone out of him. She could see it herself now that she paused.
"I mean one mayor after another trying to shame me and my department, one terrorist threat after another, the hatred for cops that seems to grow by the hour these days…Abigail has been the support for me when I wanted to give in."
He paused for a moment. "And she didn't even know that. Maybe I didn't either. Not consciously. But she's stuck by me. When it got tough. When we all wanted to give up. And I didn't know what I didn't know. Things just…" he waved his hands about, "happened between us. I don't know."
"But Dad, she's my age…" Erin protested feeling uncomfortable even mentioning it again.
"I know this," he stared her down. "But that just doesn't matter here. And besides, when have you ever listened to relationship advice given by your family?" He reminded her of just about everyone in the Reagan family did not care much for Jack Boyle.
Erin managed a tight smile. "True."
She took a hard look at him and realized her father had given up the majority of his life to service for his cops, the NYPD, and to his kids. In the years after their Mom had died he had scarcely even been seen near another woman let alone in a serious relationship.
He rose up from the table, "We were just about to eat if you wanted to stick around."
Erin sighed feeling like she wasn't going to win this one. "Thanks but I'll pass. I'll see you on Sunday."
Frank nodded and she headed out the back door.
He sighed again running a hand through his short dark hair as he turned to go into the dining room.