Chapter 82: The Emotions of Moving

"Okay." Jamie breathes out as he puts yet another box on top of a stack of boxes near the apartment door "I think that's the last of it."

Eddie sighs in relief then moves to sit down on the couch and slowly put her feet up on the coffee table "So that's it. Our last night here in the apartment – tomorrow, we move."

"Yup." Jamie agrees as he moves to sit down next his wife and also put his feet up. A moment later he takes his feet down and moves to grab a pillow off the couch but finds it isn't there "Right." He mutters out as he just puts his feet up again.

"What?" Eddie prompts.

"Was going to grab a pillow to put under our feet but they are all packed up in the boxes."

"Right." Eddie notes with a nod of her head "It's just us and our overnight bags now." She adds as she tilts her head and leans it on her husband's shoulders "What time are the movers coming?"

"O eight hundred." Jamie replies.

"Right." Eddie repeats as suddenly Jamie's phone rings. He shifts slightly so he can pull it out of his pocket to answer it "Hello?"

"Hi." Mia frantically greets "Did I leave Reagan's silver ball there? I can't find it here!"

"Hang on." Jamie replies as he gets up disturbing his wife's resting position causing her to unhappily sigh as she lifts her head from his shoulder and watches her husband head towards the door to open a box marked 'CAT'. He looks inside. "Yup." He confirms into the phone when he sees the toy.

"OKAY I LEFT IT AT UNCLE JAMIE AND AUNT EDDIE'S!" Mia calls out in relief to her Mother causing Jamie to slightly move the phone away from his ear.

"YOU CALLED THEM?" Jamie hears Rosa's voice chastise in the background and slowly get closer and more clear "Mia, they are trying to pack up their own apartment! Stop bothering them! It's a stupid cat toy!"

Picking up on the stress radiating off of Rosa's voice, Jamie sighs as Mia replies "But it's his favorite!"

"Mia…" Jamie begins "…let me talk to your Mom."

Eddie gives her husband a quizzical look so he lowers the phone and puts it on speaker as he walks back to the couch.

"Uncle Jamie wants to talk to you." They hear Mia tell her Mom right before they hear Rosa let out a frustrated grunt.

Jamie and Eddie exchange an apprehensive look.

"Hi." Rosa's clear but curt voice sounds through the phone "What's up?"

"Rosa…" Jamie slowly begins "Everything okay? You… you sound a little stressed."

"Stressed?" Rosa sarcastically returns as the inflection in her voice rises "Why would I be stressed?"

"Rosa." Eddie interjects "Take a deep breath and breathe please. You sound like you are about to hyperventilate."

The couple hear Rosa take a deep breath.

"Okay." Eddie accepts in satisfaction "Good. Now tell us what's wrong?"

"What's wrong?" Rosa's voice sounds – again laced with stress "What's wrong is we are moving tomorrow and I am sooooo not ready! How I ever thought I could work all week out at Heather's and then come back to finish packing up in one night is beyond me and… MIA DO NOT OPEN THAT BOX! I DO NOT HAVE TIME TO DO THINGS TWICE!"

Cringing, Jamie hands Eddie his phone then reaches to grab hers off the coffee table. He unlocks it and pulls up her contacts. He dials his brother.

"Rosa." Eddie soothingly continues on "If you need help all you have to do is ask."

"Ask?" Rosa counters "Ask who?" She rambles as Danny answers the phone "Hi Eddie."

"No, it's me." Jamie corrects "Listen." he simply adds before lowering Eddie's phone to put it on speaker and hold it close to his own phone.

"You?" Rosa continues on "You have your own apartment to pack up. There is no one else to help. I'm going to be up all night and – what time are the movers coming again?"

"8am." Jamie replies.

"8am." Rosa whimpers out in defeat "Perfect. Just prefect."

"You like pepperoni?" Danny's voice suddenly interrupts causing a moment of silence to come from Rosa's end of the phone.

"Come on Rosa." Eddie prompts "Answer the question."

"Um… yes?" Rosa slowly replies out in confusion.

"Great!" Danny's voice sounds "We'll see you soon with a pepperoni pizza in hand then." He adds before simply hanging up.

Silence as Jamie blacks out Eddie's phone, triumphantly smiles at his wife then moves to place it on the coffee table as Eddie smiles in love and appreciation at her husband.

"Who was that?" Rosa questions still confused.

"The cavalry." Jamie replies before getting up, leaning over to give his wife a quick kiss then swipe his phone out his wife's hands before heading for the door himself.

"Oh don't think you're leaving me here." Eddie counters as she swipes her phone into her hands and gets up to follow "I want pizza too!"

….

Rosa opens her door to see Danny and Sean on the other side.

Danny holds up a pizza box and grins "Somebody order up a pie?"

Suddenly Eddie and Jamie appear behind them.

"Thank you!" Eddie quips as she scoots under Danny's arm and expertly takes the pizza out of his hands into hers "I'll just take that!" she adds as she moves to take a step into Rosa's apartment causing Rosa to have to take a step back and to the side opening the door wider for her guests.

They all barrel in.

"Alright!" Jamie announces as he clasps his hands together "Just tell us what you want us to do and consider it done!"

A look of absolute relief appears on Rosa's face and for a moment Jamie could swear he sees tears forming in her eyes but then the next second Rosa plasters a smile on her face and clears her throat refusing to go there "Boxes. Wrapping. Tape and markers." She instructs as she points to the items in a corner of the room "If it's not packed, just packed it and label it."

"You got it." Danny accepts as the three guys head off to begin.

Suddenly Eddie appears at Rosa's side and slides a disposable plate with a slice of pizza on in in front of her "Here, eat because I have to tell you, you sounded a bit hangry over the phone." she jokes.

Rosa huffs out a breath of air in stress relief "Thank you." She sincerely states as she takes the plate being offered her "Just… thank you!" She announces to everyone in the room in true appreciation.

"How come I smell pizza?" Mia's voice sounds as she comes into the room "OH!" she adds in surprise at the sight of everyone.

Eddie turns towards her god daughter "Because when you move, you order pizza." she replies as she points in the direction of the box on the kitchen counter "It's a time honored tradition!"

Mia's eyes go wide in happy joy "COOL!" She quips as she makes a beeline for the box while tossing something in her hand onto the floor behind the couch out of view of everyone else "Moving is so much fun!" she adds causing Rosa to groan and hang her head.

Eddie lifts her arm and drapes it around Rosa's shoulders. She lightly and reassuringly pats her arm "There, there." she muses "The cavalry is here."

Soundly a ruckus is heard behind the couch. Everyone turns and moves to look to see Reagan playing in a sideways moving box swatting at a cat toy.

"See." Mia reiterates as she gestures with her hand to her cat in the box "Fun! I found another toy." She tells her Mother as she moves to grab a slice of pizza and take a bite perfectly content and satisfied that she just solved the greatest problem of the night.

….

Jamie and Eddie walk back into their apartment – both yawning and tired.

"Did you want…" Jamie begins but Eddie cuts him off,

"No." She replies as she tosses her purse onto a pile of boxes "Whatever you were going to say, the answer is no. The only thing I want right now is the bed and sleep."

"Fine by me." Jamie admits as he and Eddie both head in the direction of their room.

They silently go about getting ready for bed, pulling what they need from their side by side over night bags.

They both crawl into bed exhausted and settle in on their sides away from one another.

"Goodnight." Jamie offers.

"Goodnight." Eddie returns.

Silence.

"Not exactly how I thought our final night in the apartment would go." Eddie suddenly admits with a melancholy sigh.

Picking up on her tone, Jamie turns and scoots closer to his wife settling himself against her back.

"Oh that's better." Eddie admits as Jamie wraps his arms around her and they again settle in for one last sleep in their first official home together.

...

"Alright." Derrick states as he comes back out into a now completely empty main apartment area from the archway to a waiting Jamie "Everything looks good. Keys?"

Jamie holds three sets of keys out to Derrick.

"Perfect." Derrick accepts as he takes them "I'll let management know they are clear to return your security deposit back to you."

"Thanks." Jamie states in appreciation "So I guess that's everything?"

Derrick nods.

"Okay." Jamie breathes out as he turns and heads for the door. He pauses in the open doorway then can't help but turn and take one look backwards into the empty space "Bigger and better." he reminds himself before turning to face the hall again and walking away closing the door on that chapter of his and Eddie's life together.

...