INSIDE THE DETAIL CAR
You're on your own
Wanna fly to the stars
And then carry them home
Always climbing higher
It's who you are
Maybe we don't belong here
'Cause every time it gets hard
I feel like giving up
But somehow I keep on
Cause in this life
You've got to give it all
You've got to give it all
Satin Jackets feat Mandy Jones"In This Life"
Garrett Moore joined Sid and Abigail at the front of the hospital while Jim brought the detail car to the front.
"Hi Abigail, so good to see you back on your feet." Garrett smiled at her as held the rear passenger door open for her.
Sid sat beside her in the backseat and Garrett took the front.
Abigail held her injured arm which was put in a sling close to her chest. The bouncing of the Excursion over the notorious potholes in the city were jarring to say the least.
She stared out the window feeling her anger rising in her throat.
What was going on with the Commissioner?
I just don't understand.
One minute we're making out at the ball behind the curtains and the next he's dropping me like a hot potato.
Like it was too much for him to handle or something.
It got TOO real for him.
Well if that's how he shows his true colors when crap hits the fan, it's better I know this now.
A string of curse words followed her thoughts after that.
Several minutes went by and Abigail suddenly realized they weren't going in the direction of her apartment in Queens.
"Hey, what's going on? Where are we heading?" Her blue eyes flashed like ice shards in Sid's direction.
"Um…"
Garrett turned around in the front, "Just hold tight. We're headed to Bay Ridge."
"What?! Why?" Abigail said furiously as he said where Frank Reagan's home was.
Neither Sid nor Garrett would respond at first.
Abigail sent darts in Sid's direction until he crumpled, "Look uh, Abby, just let us take you there and it will be explained."
Abigail angrily crossed her arms.
Now the big jerk was having her taken HOSTAGE, seriously?
Without realizing it she was muttering angry and annoyed expressions under her breath.
Sid gently put a hand on her right uninjured shoulder. "Just relax, Abby."
She violently flinched him off and then groaned as she wretched her other shoulder.
Sid winced as if he could feel her pain too in her left shoulder.
Finally they pulled up to the Commissioner's house in Brooklyn.
Jim opened the door for her but Abigail shook her head.
There was no way she was getting out of this vehicle.
Let him come to her.
Jim sighed and turned to the other two men, "Maybe you two better get the Commissioner out here."
They nodded and went up the walkway.
Abigail sat un-moving in the backseat.
I don't know why he's brought me here but he better have a DAMN good apology she fumed inside.
Movement caught her eye and she looked out the rear door that was still open and saw the tall, broad figure of Frank Reagan coming down the walk.
It was odd seeing him not in his customary three-piece suit and tie. He was wearing a dark slacks and a navy dress shirt un-buttoned at the top.
Abigail silently cursed him again for still looking amazingly handsome even when she was incredibly upset with him.
He approached the vehicle and put his long arm across the top of the doorframe, peering in.
"Abigail," he said softly but she wouldn't even look at him.
She kept her eyes looking straight ahead, seething inside.
Realizing he was getting nowhere at the moment, Frank Reagan resorted to his commanding voice, "Baker."
As if by subconscious instinct she turned her head to face him. Her willpower couldn't hold it back. Years of responding to his every request by the simplicity of him speaking her last name.
Damn him. He has that incredible authoritative power over me.
His blue-green eyes searched hers.
Yep, she was incredibly pissed off at him. Her eyes were flashing angry arrows in his direction.
"Come inside." he ordered her.
Summoning up as much willpower and strength to resist his commanding power over her, she shook her head.
Who was he to order her around when he hadn't even bothered to visit? Forget that.
He sighed deeply and said, "All right then, scoot over."
He climbed in the Excursion and Abigail realized she better move over or he was going to be right on top of her.
She inched over as far away from him as she could.
He chuckled as she managed to wedge herself all the way over the broad benchseat to the other side of the vehicle creating a large gap between them.
"Alright then. If that's how you're going to be," And suddenly he was as close as he could get to her effectively pinning her against the rear doorframe in the backseat.
She had nowhere to go and it would have been incredibly difficult to open the door with her one arm as wedged as he had her against the door.
Despite crowding her in the backseat he was careful to not push up against her injured left shoulder.
He looked at her arm in a sling with compassion as she watched his gaze.
She felt the warmth radiating off of his body as he was incredibly close to her and she couldn't help but notice how wonderful he smelled. Darn him and that Old Spice.
Having no escape she waited to hear what he had to say.
He lifted his hand to her face and brushed back a strand of her blond hair. She wanted to fling him away but his gentle touch enthralled her.
"Abigail," he began suddenly looking pained. "I am so sorry I let this happen to you…"
Well I wasn't expecting that she thought feeling a combination of her fiery anger and the increasing emotion of her desire for this man starting to rise up.
"This is all my fault," he continued. "I never should have let you go into that store alone," he shook his head and she could empathetically feel the burden of weight he had taken on since she had been shot.
Without meaning to, her expression softened somewhat and she met his eyes.
She still wasn't speaking to him apparently so he continued, "And the only explanation I can offer to you about my disappearing act these last few days is that it scared the hell outta me. I couldn't mentally process almost losing you…" he said hoarsely at the end and broke his gaze with her.
Abigail was confused. She didn't know how to react to this.
And suddenly she remembered waking up and not seeing Frank.
The long day waiting for him.
The sleepless night before her release and no Frank.
And just as quickly her anger returned.
As best as she could she shifted in the seat to more fully face him.
"You don't know what it was like in that hospital. Being alone. Without you…" she broke off feeling the tears coming up.
He nodded and attempted to put his arms gingerly around her but she wasn't having it.
Instead she fought him off. Literally.
Frank Reagan's eyes widened in surprise as suddenly her right arm was pounding him in the left shoulder and chest.
"How could you? How could you leave me there all alone?" she cried as she beat him with her one good arm, her tears blinding her to any sense of direction. She didn't even know what she was trying to hit.
And then she was sobbing and despite her attack on him she found herself embraced into his broad chest.
Her face pressed against the open part of his dress shirt with tears streaming. His skin was warm and soothing.
"Shh," he comforted her, "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry I wasn't there for you. But I'm here now."
He held her close until her wracking sobs quieted to sniffles. He hated being the one that had put her in harm's way and on top of that, had hurt her so much emotionally.
She drew back and he offered her a handkerchief he pulled from his pocket.
She nodded in thanks and dried her tears. She looked down at his shirt and said "Oh your shirt…" she dabbed the dry end of the handkerchief where her tears had soaked through.
Frank held still and her gently touching his chest now encouraged him enough to try to kiss her.
He grabbed her hand that was dabbing to still her and leaned in. His lips gently touching hers.
Abigail knew a part of her was still as mad as hell at him but in that moment she forgot everything and felt the sensation of his kiss tingle her up and down her spine.
She melted as his warm lips set off the familiar emotions within her.
Lust. Passion. Love.
Withdrawing but still leaned in, he whispered huskily, "Will you join me for family dinner?"
Abigail had always been intensely curious about the infamous Reagan family dinners. And it just so happened that she had been released on a Sunday.
As far as she knew, except for maybe Jamie, all the other Reagans knew about her relationship with the Commissioner.
Still feeling emotionally choked up, she just nodded quietly in response.
Frank slid out of the backseat and helped her to climb down. As she was brought down to eye level he smiled at her encouragingly and wiped a stray tear from her cheek.
He grabbed her right hand with his left and walked her to the house.
A/N: Finally, a Reagan family dinner is up next! Buckle up it's gonna be a fun one y'all! Thanks Patrickpopp for the inspiration. I was actually going in a different direction somewhat but I liked the idea of her being brought to the Reagan house after her release ;)