Chance for a Better Life

Chapter Three

Mary went into school with Jamie on Monday. They'd received the official paperwork, and she and Frank were officially Jamie's foster parents. Frank had gotten more information that Mason was looking for Jamie and he'd ventured away from Bitterman. Mary gave the school office an official list of people who could pick Jamie up and a picture of Mason stating that he's dangerous and not allowed near Jamie. They were to call the NYPD and either Mary or Frank if something were to happen.

Danny was the only one of their kids old enough to be on the list. They knew if it came down to it Danny could get Jamie out of school and taken to a safe place. Sunday after his Patricia's funeral had been a long stressful day for everyone. Mary, Frank, Betty, and Henry were all trying to explain to Jamie why he had to stay inside and only go to school and back home. Jamie understood, but it was hard for him to understand when he'd been living in an abandoned warehouse just over a month earlier.

Frank had been working overtime trying to find Mason. He'd been spending a lot of time looking for his son. He'd even dared to enter a precinct in Brooklyn acting fearful for Jamie's life. Frank was furious that no one had arrested him when he'd been in there giving his statement to the detectives. He'd put out multiple BOLO's for him. The BOLO specified that he was a person of interest in a murder and had a history of domestic abuse.

The family had been surrounded by the stressful situation for a week. They were at their second Sunday dinner since Mason had started aggressively looking for Jamie. Everyone was quiet but kept glancing at him. Jamie had always been calm and collected. Jamie shocked everyone by standing up and looking at everyone. "I can't do this anymore. I want to help get my dad!"

Everyone was shocked. They had a hard time getting Jamie to speak loud enough to be heard sometimes. In the time Jamie had been with them, they'd never heard him raise his voice at all. "Jamie, that will be dangerous, and you could get hurt." Danny worried. He felt bad for the kid.

"I don't care. I miss things the way that they were, and I can help." Jamie yelled again.

"Jamie, stop. We don't yell at this table. Let's finish dinner then we'll talk about this." Frank said hoping to calm Jamie down.

"I'm sorry. Can I please be excused?" Jamie felt bad about yelling and that his dad was after him. Everything was his fault. He just wanted to help.

"You didn't eat much. Are you hungry?" Mary worried. Jamie had finally gained some weight and was close to where he should be. She was worried that he was going to lose too much weight again and they would be back where they started.

"No, I'm not hungry and my tummy hurts." Jamie was holding back tears.

"Okay. You can go up to your room after you take your plate to the kitchen and put it away so you can eat it later." Frank made it clear what had to be done. He would not reward bad behavior.

"Thank you." Jamie took his plate and wrapped it in aluminum foil and placed it in the fridge and then washed his spoon, fork, knife, and water glass and put them all in the drying rack. He didn't want them to be angrier at him. Once he was done, he quietly went to his room and let his tears out.

"Dad, why can't Jamie help catch his Mason?" Joe was curious.

"Do you want him to get killed Joe? Really!" Erin stressed. She'd overheard conversations between her mom and dad, but they didn't know she'd been eavesdropping.

"Do you really think that this guy will kill his own kid?" Danny could see Joe's reasoning.

"We don't want Jamie involved because we don't want him to get hurt." Mary said calmly. This dinner wasn't going the way she'd hoped.

"Mom isn't that Jamie's choice. He wants to help." Joe wanted to help Jamie. He knew Jamie hadn't had a normal childhood and wanted him to be able to have one now.

"Joe, go up to your room, now!" Frank could see how much this conversation was upsetting Mary, and he needed to get the situation under control.

Danny and Erin just stared at each other and kept eating. This dinner wasn't out of the norm for the family, but it was odd that Joe and Jamie were pushing their parents' buttons and not either of them.

"Danny, Erin, why don't you both finish your meal in the kitchen." Henry pointed to the door behind him.

"Okay." They said at the same time and grabbed their plates.

Once they were gone the adults looked at each other for a moment each taking a deep breath.

"Francis, what are you doing to find this guy?"

"Pop, we're doing everything we can."

"What if Jamie came and stayed with us. That way the kids could get back to their normal lives."

"Betty, I appreciate it, but he's comfortable here. Frank will find this guy and life will go back to normal."

"Mary, we just want what's best for the entire family. We can tell the situation is affecting everyone."

"We know it is. We're not blind to it, but he is seven years old. We can't use him for bait."

"Francis, have you even brought it up to your Captain? He wants to do this. We can keep him safe." Henry's ready to get involved in the situation.

Mary couldn't believe her father-in-law was thinking about risking Jamie's life in this way. She could see her husband considering it, and it was making her angry.

"Frank, you can't possibly agree with him?"

"Mary, he's right, we can keep him safe."

"Mary, they know what they're doing." Betty's trying to help convince Mary. She doesn't think her son will move forward if his wife doesn't agree.

"If this was your son, would you be okay with him being put in this situation at seven-years-old?" Mary was angry. She couldn't lose Jamie.

"No. I wouldn't, but my son, and your sons would never be in this situation. Jamie's father wants to kill. We need to get this situation resolved so he can find a good home and move on with his life." Betty didn't know that they had been talking about adoption.

"He's found a good home. He's meant to be a Reagan. We want to adopt him and have already started the process. If your convinced that you can bring him home safely then do it." Mary got up and went upstairs. She was done.

"Francis, are you ready to sit down with your Captain now?" Henry was getting involved. This operation would have more than enough support.

"Yes. I'll meet with him tomorrow." Frank was worried about his family. Work didn't usually hit this close to home.

While Frank and his parents were talking Mary went to Jamie's closed door and her heart was broken when she heard him crying.

"Ma, I couldn't get him to stop crying. I tried but thought I should just leave him alone for a bit." Joe said before going back into his own room. He didn't want to get into more trouble.

Mary knocked on Jamie's door. "Jamie, can we talk a minute?"

He just shook his head yes. She could see fear in his eyes. This was the first time he'd been afraid of her. She never wanted him to be afraid of her. "Jamie, why is this so important to you?"

"Because I want my dad to go back to jail, and I'm not bad like my dad is."

"No one has ever thought that you're like your dad."

"But people will think I am, and no one will want to adopt me because of it."

"I just want to help. I know I can, and I know Frank will keep me safe. I trust him."

"You trust him. Why do you trust him?" This made Mary's heart melt. Since Jamie had been with them Frank had been able to break through Jamie's walls.

"He hasn't hurt me at all since I've been here, and he's made me food. He's really nice. We talk about stuff too. He cares what I think."

"Did your dad hurt you a lot?" They hadn't talked to Jamie a lot about his past besides what they knew from his dad's arrest record.

"Yeah. I never did anything right. He always said that I'd be lucky to be as smart as he is."

"If we let you help, will you listen to Frank and any of the officers and detectives that will be involved." Mary was searching his face for any indication that he might be lying.

"Yes. Even if I'm afraid of them. I'll do what I'm told." Jamie was serious and he was looking Mary straight in the eye when he said it.

Mary's impressed. Jamie hasn't made a lot of eye contact with anyone in the house.

"Okay. You can help. Are you still hungry?"

"No. Can I just stay up here and read until it's time to go to bed. I'm kinda tired."

"Yes, but you need to let someone know if you're hungry." Mary was worried. He hadn't eaten much over the last couple days. His teacher had called and let her know that he hadn't been eating much at school too.

"I will." Jamie popped off the bed and grabbed the current book he was reading.

Mary went into Joe's room before heading back downstairs to talk to the family.

"Joe, we are going to let Jamie help. You need to know that we had our reasons and concerns for what was being said at dinner."

"I know mom. I just worry about him. Getting to know him has really made me realize how lucky we are. He's so young and had such a hard life."

"He has, but from here on out things should get better for him. We don't want anyone to hurt him."

"I'll help anyway I can."

"Thanks Joe."

Once downstairs she sees Danny and Erin working on their homework in the living room after they finished their dinner, and she can hear her husband and his parents whispering.

"I'm sorry." Mary said and sat down next to her husband.

"It's okay. It's a hard situation. He's so small." Betty walked around the table and put her arm around Mary's shoulders in a show of support.

"Mary, if you are adamantly against him being involved then we will find another way, but I think this is our best strategy to arrest Mason." Frank said without a second thought.

"I was, but Jamie and I just had a really good talk, and as long as you can keep him safe, he can help." Mary explained. "I let him know that he can do it as long as he listens to everyone involved in the operation."

"There's something else." Henry can tell.

"Frank, he trusts you. He doesn't trust anyone."

"Really?" Frank's shocked, he thought the only person in the house that Jamie would trust is Mary, and maybe Joe. "Did he say why he trusts me?"

Mary had to hold back tears. "You haven't hurt him, you've given him food, and you're nice to him. Things he's never had from Mason before."

They all knew that Jamie came from a rough background. One that Mary and Betty only ever came into contact with because of their volunteer work, and Henry and Frank had both seen with their time on the streets.

"I hope he never has to deal with abuse and hunger ever again. It still amazes me how sweet he is despite everything he's been through. He has such a kind heart." Frank thought aloud. At that moment he decided that he was going to do everything he could to bring Jamie home permanently.

"So, you told him yes?" Henry gave Mary as questioning look.

"Yes. I know that you guys will keep him safe, and I made him promise to listen to anyone who tells him to do something."

"And he agreed?" Frank knew that most people who would be helping were other guys.

"Yes, he said he would even if he was afraid of everyone. He wants to do this so badly."

"Okay. Francis, let's go talk to your Captain and get this started."

"Pop, it's Sunday night. He's not working."

"He is. He's been called in to deal with an important case." Henry smiled.

Ten minutes later Frank and Henry leave to plan the operation so they can get it over and arrest Jamie's dad. Betty and Mary know that they won't see either of their husbands until the following day.

Mary has Danny take his grandma home and goes to check on Jamie. It's only seven, but he's fast asleep. All of the emotions of the day had exhausted him. His book was covering his face and he doesn't even move when she takes the book or puts his pajamas on.

The next few days go as the week before. Jamie was focusing on school and making sure his homework was done so he was ready when he was told he needed to help catch his dad.

Mary and Betty were busy preparing for Christmas. It was only two weeks until Christmas itself and the entire family had decided that they were going to make it a great day for Jamie. Everyone was hoping that his dad would be back in jail before the holiday.

The following Saturday all pieces fall into place. There's a Christmas event at the local mall for the local group home. The event focuses on kids who need a new home. They have updated some of the material used for the event and Jamie is front and center. Once the event is over Henry promised that the NYPD would help them find new homes for as many kids in the group home as they can.

Once Saturday arrives Jamie's excited and nervous. He's listening intently to everyone and what he's supposed to do. To Mary's horror they want Jamie to run to his dad when he sees him and act happy about seeing him. She's scared that he's going to be able to get away with Jamie and that he's going to kill him.

Mary, Betty, Danny, Joe, and Erin are all at the house anxiously waiting for Frank and Jamie to come home. Erin decided that they would bake to keep her mom's mind off of what could happen to the kid that they've all come to love over the last month. She was worried too but didn't want to add to her mom's anxiety. Betty said that they should bake strawberry short cakes because they know it's Jamie's favorite. At this point Mary doesn't care if that's all Jamie eats for dinner as long as he's home to eat.

At the mall, Jamie is with the rest of the kids from the group home and he's having fun. He's beginning to realize that life after the Reagan's may not be so bad. The kids are all nice and they understand what his life was like before because many of them had been through similar situations.

All of a sudden Jamie freezes. He heard his dad's voice. He knew Frank and Henry were close, but he couldn't see or hear them, and that scared him. He would rather get on the bus with the other kids than run to his dad like planned. He takes a couple deep breaths like Mary showed him and put a smile on his face and ran over to his dad.

"Dad, you're okay!" He screamed like he'd been told to do. He gave his dad a hug.

His dad was shocked. Most of the time he was around Jamie was cowering in a corner. It made him wonder where he'd been the last two years.

"Jamie, I'm so happy that I've found you. I've missed you so much." He was laying it on thick so he could get out of the mall with the kid.

"I've missed you too."

Frank and Henry were listening in and couldn't believe that this was the scared little boy that had come into their lives. He was smiling and confident. Neither one could lie, they were worried about Jamie actually being able to do this.

"Let's go home kid. I got us a great new apartment in Queens and guess what you're mom's waiting there for us." He lied but knew that Jamie would do anything for his mom. He had no idea that Jamie knew his mom had been killed.

"You found mom!" Jamie was struggling. His mom's funeral was still fresh in his mind, but he had to swallow and just push through.

Frank had to take a deep breath when he heard the lie. He knew Jamie was still struggling with his mom's death and had asked to visit her grave before going to the group home to get on the bus. He just wanted to go and give Jamie the biggest hug and he knew a hug coming from him would mean something.

Jamie and his dad were out the door when they were stopped by the cops.

"Mason O'Hare, you're under arrest for kidnapping and murder." Frank said, and it felt good.

Mason had a knife at Jamie's back that no one could see until he grabbed Jamie and placed the knife at his neck.

"Let me out of here or he's dead." Mason yelled at the dozens of officers that were surrounding him.

Jamie saw the knife and knew if his grip loosened at all he needed to go low and get away from him. Danny and Joe had given him some tips on how to defend himself or if he couldn't defend himself how to get out of the bad situation. He'd learned that there were some advantages to be small and fast.

The next few minutes are tense. Frank is doing everything he can to get Jamie away. He could see that the things he was saying were getting to Mason. Finally, Mason got flustered and loosened his grip. Jamie slid away and ran to Henry who was by the van. Jamie was determined that he wasn't going to cry while his dad could see him. He learned that he didn't need to be afraid of him anymore.

Henry crouched down and looked Jamie over. Jamie's adrenaline was going so strong that he hadn't realized he'd been cut. He had a vertical cut on his left arm. Henry was getting Jamie into the van when Frank came over.

"How is he?"

"He's got a cut on his arm, and he's cold. We need to get him to the bus. I think that he needs stitches." Henry says looking at Jamie, who's being taken care of by another detective.

"Okay. I'll let Mary know to meet us at Kings County." Frank wasn't looking forward to that call but knew once she saw him that she would be okay.

A half hour later they were at Kings County and Mary was back with Jamie. She'd brought a brand-new winter coat that she knew Jamie would love. Betty and the kids were back at the house waiting for everyone to get home.

"Jamie, are you okay?" Mary had been back with him, but he was with the doctors and nurses getting his arm cleaned up. It was a mess.

"Yeah." Jamie smiled. "I'm okay. I met a lot of nice kids today too."

Mary was shocked that Jamie wasn't more upset after today. She wondered if things were going to change later.

"Did you enjoy the event? What did you ask Santa for?" Mary was very curious. He was a hard kid to buy presents for.

"It was nice to be with other kids who grew up like I did. None of them were mean to me because I didn't know what something was or because it was the first time, I had it." Jamie was remembering the lunch that they were served at the mall. He hadn't had lasagna before and thought it was cool. He liked all the layers.

"Do kids make fun of you at school for stuff like that?" Mary wondered why she hadn't heard from the school.

"Sometimes, but it's okay. I can handle it."

While Jamie and Mary were talking the doctor was stitching Jamie's arm up.

Jamie winced when the doctor tied a knot. "Sorry Jamie. I'm almost done. Just a few more and we will be done okay." The doctor said. He was amazed that Jamie had been sitting there while he gave him twenty stitches and he had only winced once. He knew the stitches and shots that he'd given him would have hurt.

"It's okay. They don't hurt too bad." Jamie smiled again but was getting tired.

Ten minutes later Mary had a directions to keep the stitches dry, and that he should have them out before Christmas.

Frank had been allowed to go home and he and Jamie would go into the 5-4 the next day so Jamie could give his statement. Frank could just see that Jamie was fading fast.

"Jamie!" Erin, Joe, and Danny all ran to him. Happy that he was home safe and mostly unhurt.

"Hi." Jamie's surprised at the greeting. "How are you guys?"

"We're good. How are you? Does your arm hurt?" Erin rattled off questions.

"Erin!" Frank said. She needed to settle down.

"What dad?" Erin was surprised that her dad spoke next and not Jamie.

"Jamie's had a long day. Let's go and get dinner so Jamie can go to bed."

"Okay."

Dinner was grilled cheese and tomato soup with strawberry short cake for dessert. Jamie ate more than anyone thought he would. He'd been given pain pills but hadn't taken any yet.

Joe was happy that Jamie seemed okay. He was worried that he would retreat into his shell after the stress of the day. Other than not moving his arm a lot, which led everyone to believe he was in pain he was talkative and happy.

Frank and Mary could see Jamie was exhausted but trying to keep up with the older kids. Mary told Jamie that he had to take a bath because of his arm, and he was okay with that and even asked for help. Jamie didn't ask for help.

Once he was clean and ready for bed, he found Mary and Frank waiting for him. The only reason that he thought they'd be there was to tell him it was his last night with them.

"Jamie, does your arm hurt?" Mary knew it had to hut and Jamie was moving like it hurt.

"A little, but it's okay. I don't want to take anything for it."

"Why not?" Frank was curious. No one liked being in pain, more so he knew his kids hated pain.

"Because my dad would take pills and then he would get mean."

"How about you take a regular pain pill. It will help you sleep." Mary was worried he wouldn't get a good night's sleep for many reasons and didn't want something simple to add to it.

She went and grabbed a child's aspirin that she'd picked up earlier in the week.

"Am I leaving before or after church tomorrow?" Jamie asked a surprised Frank.

"What do you mean?" Mary asked walking back into the room.

"I know I can't stay here forever. Now that my dad's back in jail means that I don't need to be in protective custody." Jamie had been eavesdropping and knew why he was staying with them.

"No, you don't need to be in protective custody anymore, but we like you being here." Mary said waiting for Frank to say something.

"Why?" Jamie understood even better after today that he didn't belong with them.

"You fit in with our family, and I know Erin likes having a little brother, and not being the youngest anymore." Frank said surprising Mary.

"But I belong with the kids in the group home. I don't have any family and I'm too old to be adopted." Jamie had talked to a couple of other boys his age that told them they were too old to be adopted. They had told him that families only wanted babies or little kids.

"Who told you that?" Mary gave a worried look to Frank.

"One of the kids I met today. I told him I would probably be at the group home with him soon. I told him I hoped to get adopted by a nice family and he just laughed and said I was too old. He said we only had eleven more years and then we could live on our own." Jamie looked between Frank and Mary with a look that told them he was resolved to that being his future.

"Do you like living with us?" Frank asked. He and Mary had talked adoption a couple times now, and only told Frank's parents so far.

"Yes. It's amazing here and I love going to school. Joe says he's like an older brother, but I don't want to get used things here."

"What if it could last?" Mary asked hoping he wants it to.

"You mean like I stay and pay rent or work for you?"

"No. What if we adopted you?" Frank couldn't believe a seven-year-olds brain went there.

Jamie's eyes grew big, and he looked between them quickly. He couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"You do…" Jamie was shocked. "Why?"

"Because we love you and want you to be one of our kids. We think you fit right in." Mary said with a big smile and gave him a light hug, so she didn't hurt his arm.

"But you know about my dad. What if I'm like him?"

"You're not like him. You're kind and caring and really smart. You're helpful and the quietest kid I've ever seen."

"Does that mean I'll get to celebrate my birthday, and Christmas and other holidays like we did for Thanksgiving?"

"Yes. Everyone gets their favorite food for Sunday dinner, and you get to pick and activity that you want to do on your birthday or the weekend around your birthday." Frank smiled. He was looking forward to Jamie's first birthday with them.

"When is your birthday?" Mary knew that they should have asked before or paid more attention to what it said in the paperwork when they became his foster parents.

"It's November 30th. I can't wait until next year if I'm still here." Jamie smiled. He didn't notice the look of shock and sadness on Frank and Mary's faces.

"I know you're tired son. Go to sleep and sleep as long as you want okay. Don't worry someone will be here when you wake up."

"What about church?"

"We try and go every week, but sometimes we have to miss after days like today, and that's okay. We will go next week."

With that Frank and Mary kissed Jamie on his forehead and closed his door most of the way. They left it open enough that they'd be able to hear him.

Once downstairs they called a quick family meeting.

"Okay everyone, we have two things to tell you, and we will need some help." Mary said to get everyone's attention.

"Is Jamie, okay?" Henry asked. He and Betty were ready to go home when the meeting was called.

"As okay as he can be, I guess. We just learned that Jamie's birthday was November 30th."

"Why didn't he tell us?" Joe wondered.

"That's a loaded question. He asked me if he was leaving before or after church tomorrow." Frank said making everyone give him questioning looks.

"Monday morning, we are going to petition the court to adopt Jamie." Mary waited for anyone to say anything.

"What do you need from us?" Betty jumped in ready to help.

"Just what you're doing now. Be available to babysit if needed and explain how you can help to the court."

"What about his dad. Will he cause issues? Can he cause issues?" Danny could see how badly his mom wanted this to happen.

"He might try, but Jamie's mom was able to take his rights to Jamie away last time he went to prison. We were able to get him on a kidnapping charge because of it." Henry stated proudly.

"I hope that in a few months he'll walk into the house as a Reagan. Until then can everyone reassure him that we want him here?" Mary looked at Danny when she said the last statement. Everyone else was acting like Jamie had always been with them, but Danny had an obvious apprehension when it came to Jamie.

"Yes." They all said at once and it made Frank and Mary very happy.

"Now I know it's a couple weeks late and Christmas is right around the corner, but do you think we can do a birthday dinner for Jamie tomorrow?" Mark knew it was short notice, but it was important that Jamie didn't have to wait a year to celebrate his birthday.

"What does he like to eat?" Erin would cook him anything that he wanted.

"He loves fried chicken and mac and cheese. He told me a week ago. He said he's only had both a couple times, oh and he likes broccoli." Joe smiled. He had a way of getting Jamie to open up to him and he was proud of it.

"Jamie loves to read, and he reads books you wouldn't think a kid his age would be could." Erin said remembering the first time she saw him reading anything. Neither one of her brothers really read all that much.

"Okay. He needs so much anyway." Betty was going to have fun. She missed when the kids were smaller.

"But he needs some fun presents. No kid wants a lot of clothes for their birthday." Danny said trying to set the adults straight.

"What are you thinking Danny?"

"He likes geeky stuff. Think Star Wars and Star Trek. He was talking to me about something in space when I was working on some homework the other day. I think he likes sharks too."

"That's great. What about an activity?"

"His mom promised that they would go to New York Public library, and he was really excited about it. I think he would still want to go." Joe said unsure that he'd want to go with them instead of his mom.

"A library. He's eight. There has to be something else he wants." Danny did not want to go to the library.

"I heard him say something about that too." Erin spoke up.

"He told me the same thing." Betty said and watched Danny's face fall.

"Okay, Frank are you off Saturday?"

"I will be, or I'll work around the time everyone goes."

"Great. Thank you everyone. Now he knows about the adoption, but please don't say anything about the birthday stuff. He doesn't think he'll get a birthday until he's been adopted, and he thinks he needs to wait until next year." Mary said sadly.

"We won't."

"I'll go to the bakery and get a cheesecake for dessert tomorrow. I know he likes that with fruit." Betty said thinking that was the best option.

"Thank you!"

Henry and Betty left excited that their family was going to be gaining a new member.

Frank and Mary told the kids to not stay up too late. They all had to go to church in the morning.

"That was a hell of a day. I thought we were gonna lose him for a minute."

"I'm glad I wasn't there. I couldn't take seeing him in that position."

"You should have heard him. He sounded so confident. Not at all the scared little boy that we're used to."

That got Mary's attention. "Really?"

"When I heard him speak up, that's when I knew it was going to be okay. He didn't even realize he'd gotten hurt either."

"I don't want him to be a cop." Mary said without thinking.

"Mary, he's eight. I don't think that you need to worry about that now. He has a while before he needs to decide his future."

"I think it's a possibility because he wants to be nothing like Mason. What's the farthest thing from a criminal. A cop."

"He could be a DA. Put the bad guys away that way."

"I just don't want him to be a cop. I already have too many people to worry about."