Jamie stretched his tired limbs as he walked into the apartment almost a quarter to midnight. He was exhausted after a long day working with Intelligence, and was looking forward to crawling into his warm bed with his wife. They haven't seen much of each other for the past few days so he was ready to spend the weekend catching up with her.
He dropped his duffel bag and made his way into the kitchen, hoping that Eddie left him some food for dinner. Thankfully for him, there was a foil covered plate sitting on the stove with a folded note addressed to him laying on top of it. He picked it up and read.
Sorry if I fall asleep before you get here… it was a long day. I'll tell you about it later. Pop came over and left us some food. Wake me up when you get home. Love you.
He pulled up the foil to find a generous piece of lasagna and a few sides. Henry was known for impromptu visits to his grandchildren to drop off food. Jamie and Eddie were the ones who would receive quite a bit of it, especially since Eddie was a big foodie herself and always appreciated free food. He took off the foil and put it in the microwave, then went off in search for his wife.
He finally found her curled up asleep on the couch, covered by one of the many throw blankets they had. It seemed like she had been there for awhile, seeing the small red imprint on the side of her face. He couldn't help but smile with seeing her. She actually looked pretty cute sleeping, but he would never tell her that because she would be mortified that he was staring at her while she was asleep. But, he couldn't help it. She was beautiful and everyday he was reminded of what a lucky guy he was to be with her.
On his way home tonight, he was reminded of a special date that was rapidly approaching its tenth year. September 27th was the day that changed his life in the best way possible. He never thought that when he walked out of the twelfth precinct that night, he would meet the woman that would eventually become his best friend and the love of his life. She came at a time where he felt a little lost and didn't know how his life would end up.
Up to that point, he had experienced so much loss. First, losing his mother took him for a loop. They knew that it was imminent, but she left quicker than they'd anticipated. He didn't make it in time to say goodbye, which to this day still takes a toll on him. Four years later, he lost Joe. Joe's loss really cut him deep. He was his closest confidant and the person he trusted the most. He saw him more than just the baby of the family. They were truly the best of friends and spent as much time as they could together. Joe understood him more than anyone else could. Then, the year after Joe passed, Sydney left. But, if he's being honest, he saw it coming. Things had changed after Joe died and him deciding to switch careers didn't help. It would've only been a matter of time until one of them decided to call things off.
Two years later, he was partnered with Vinny. He didn't get a good impression from him at first and they had subsequent clashes in the first few months of their partnership. But soon after, they developed a friendship. They got along better than he thought they would.
Vinny's death was something that stayed etched in his memory. Being there for his last moments couldn't help but make him think about Joe. Even all these years later, he still wonders if there was something he could've done that would've changed the outcome of the day. He hates that it ended for Vinny the way it did. Some days, he finds himself thinking about him and wondering how his life would be if he was still around today.
After Vinny, there was a period time where he felt on edge. Losing his mom and Joe, Sydney leaving him, and then losing Vinny had him feeling like something else was bound to happen. He wondered if this was the way it would be for the rest of his life, just waiting for another tragedy to strike.
Eddie coming into his life was the breath of fresh air he needed. She wasn't like anyone he knew before. She came and changed his world in ways that he thought weren't even possible. The more he got to know her, the more he realized that there was a purpose of why she came into his life.
It was something that ate at him for years as he tried to figure it out. He knew that they were meant to be more than just partners. The signs were all there but it wasn't until she got shot that it finally knocked him on this ass as to what purpose she had in his life. Erin had asked him the question that started to make him think. "Consider this, what if it was Eddie who had been killed? Is there anything that you would regret for the rest of your life because you never told her?"
That's when it came to him. He would've regret not telling her how much he loved her. He would've regret not telling her how much she meant to him. He would've regret not telling her that she was the only person who would cross his mind day and night. He would've regret not telling her how much he needed her in his life. But, as he finally came to that conclusion, he didn't realize that Eddie was actually moving further away from him. Barry reached out to her after the shooting, and they started to hang out again. The weeks after that were tough, and it became really hard to hide his feelings.
The turning point came after they dealt with Alice. He had been due to go home after the shift, but instead found her waiting in the hallway. To hear that she would much rather spend the evening with him instead of Barry after the day they had gave him a glimmer of hope that there was still a chance for him.
After the Sorrento shooting, they knew that they couldn't go back to just being partners. Life was way too short. They knew they were kidding themselves with not being together. They went back to his apartment that night and had a long talk, then ended up falling asleep together in his bed.
Proposing to Eddie was something that he knew he wanted to do sooner rather than later but even he surprised himself that Sunday morning when he woke up ready and determined to do it. He knew that they both were in the relationship for the long haul. But, it wasn't until they arrived at Pier 25 when it finally occurred to him that there was a chance that Eddie could say no. Then, a lot of worries began to cross through his mind. Am I taking this too fast? Are we even ready for this? Should I wait? All of a sudden, he felt her warm, soft hand in his. She looked up at him with a look that she only had reserved for him. It was then when he felt his confidence rise and knew that it was time.
And now here they were all these years later, married and more in love than ever. He thanked his lucky stars every night for these past ten years and was looking forward to what came out of the next ten.
He walked back over to the kitchen and leaned back against the counter as he ate his food. The sleepiness had started to hit him so he knew that he would only get through so many bites before needing to go to bed.
"Jamie?" he suddenly heard. He looked over to the living room to find Eddie sitting up on the couch, rubbing her tired eyes. "When did you get here?"
"Like thirty minutes ago," he responded. He put his plate down and walked over to join her on the couch. She cuddled up to him immediately and laid her head down on his shoulder.
"How was work?" she asked.
"It was work," he said, wrapping his arm around her shoulder. "Much of the same. I'm happy to be home with you now though. How did it go for you?"
She sighed, "I had a perp swing on me. Actually left me a pretty gnarly bruise."
Eddie sat up and lifted her sweater to reveal a deep black and blue bruise going down her right side. Jamie's eyes widened at it and he quickly turned on the lamp on the side table to get a better look.
"I didn't feel anything until I got back here," she continued. "I didn't even notice it when I was changing after my shift. I was holding my ground pretty well but then he knocked me over and I fell against the RMP."
"You might have it fractured, babe," he said gently as he lightly brushed his fingers over the bruise. "Does it hurt when you move?"
Eddie nodded, "Not bad but I definitely feel it."
"Did you go get checked out?"
She shook her head to which Jamie responded with a look.
"We should go to the emergency room just to be safe."
She shook her head again, "It's late, Jamie. You're tired and I'm tired. It'll heal on its own anyways. Let's just go to bed. Please?"
The look she gave him broke his resolve and he let out a sigh. "Okay fine. But, if it starts to hurt worse, please say something."
She nodded, "I will. Let's go to bed now. We've missed a lot of time together these past few days. We have some catching up to do."
He smiled at the flirty eyes she was giving him, "We definitely do."
"But..." she drawled out, then flashed a smile. "We can do that after we've had a good night sleep and a nice big breakfast at Fratelli's diner."
Jamie let out a laugh, "Of course. Whatever you want."
"And some ice cream," she added.
"Absolutely," he nodded. "Anything else?"
She let out a yawn and laid her head back down on his shoulder as she shook her head, "No."
He kissed the top of her head, "Ready for bed now?"
Eddie nodded, "More than ready."
He stood up then held both of his hands out to pull her up. She leaned against him as he lead them over to their bedroom. The last ten years have had the highest of highs and lowest of lows. There was moments where he didn't know where their lives would lead but he was grateful that they ended up with them together.