Chapter 112: Acceptable Risks

Eddie walks into breakroom of the 5-4 to refill her water bottle.

"Well look at you!" She hears someone say "You mean you haven't popped yet?"

Turning towards the voice, Eddie sees a Detective from the squad looking at her so she plasters a pleasant but fake smile on her face "No, still pregnant." She returns.

"You must be getting close though right?"

"Close." Eddie confirms.

"Is the baby kicking up a storm?"

"Yup. Well that is what babies do." Eddie deflects trying to keep the annoyance out of her voice "Sorry." She then apologizes "I have a stack of files on my desk I really need to get through."

"Sure sure." The Detective accepts so Eddie simply turns to leave and the second her back is turned she drops the smile from her face and scowls instead.

…..

Eddie walks out of her office at the 5-4 with a file in her hands and up to a couple of Detectives sitting at their desk "Bishop, Vega…" She greets as she holds up the file "Which one of you completed…"

"Hey!" Bishop pleasantly interrupts as he looks up "How's pregnant life?"

Eddie pauses from speaking and plasters a forced smile on her face "It's fine." She deflects "Now… which one of you…"

"Oh you're lucky then." Bishop continues "My wife was miserable near the end and…"

Eddie gets an annoyed look on her face "You sure it was because of the baby?"

"What?" Bishop questions not following.

Eddie takes a deep breath "Nevermind." She dismisses before simply plopping the file in her hands down on the desk "Whomever completed this, it's wrong. Fix it." She states no longer caring before simply turning to walk back towards her office "Baby, baby, baby…" She mutters to herself in frustration "Always about the baby." She adds as she walks back inside her office in a huff.

Without looking up Jamie at his desk inquires "Do I want to know?"

Eddie abruptly stops walking right inside the doorway and looks over at her husband. The next second, she turns and shuts the door to give them privacy. "I am so tired of everyone asking me 'How's the baby?' 'Are you still pregnant?' 'Haven't you popped yet?' We are at work!" She insists as Jamie lifts his head to look at her "Can we please just get some damn work done?"

There is a moment of silence as Jamie eyes his wife. Once he's sure she is done ranting he simply inquires "Feel better now?"

"Yes!" Eddie huffs out as she moves towards her desk.

Jamie watches as she sits down and once he sees she's settled in he inquires "Hey Eddie?"

"Yeah?" Eddie returns as she turns to face him.

"How's pregnant life?"

Eddie picks up a pad of sticky notes and hucks it at him.

Jamie laughs as his arms immediately spring up in defense.

"I'm serious!" Eddie huffs out "It doesn't matter where I go or what I'm trying to do, it seems all anyone ever wants to talk about is this baby!"

"Okay, I'm sorry." Jamie apologizes.

"You should be." Eddie accepts "Because this is your fault."

"I know." Jamie agrees "I knocked you up."

"I bet when you go to talk to someone out there about work, no one says those kind of things to you!"

"No they don't." Jamie admits "But they do say my wife is amazing at her job and they are so proud to be able to work side by side with you everyday."

Eddie simply stares at her husband in silence at his words.

"No they don't." she finally rejects "You just made all that up."

"I did not make that up!" Jamie insists.

"Jamie, nobody out there says that."

"Well what if someone in here says it?" Jamie counters "Doesn't that count?"

The beginnings of a small smile plays at the corners of Eddie's mouth "You don't count."

"On the contrary…" Jamie arrogantly counters "…I count the most, I'm a Lieutenant remember."

"And my husband and father of this baby…" Eddie points out "…so that's not being biased at all."

"Oh now who's bringing up the baby huh?" Jamie tosses back "Here I was trying to compliment my wife on how great a job she does at work and you had to go bringing up the baby! Unbelievable." He dramatically adds for effect.

Eddie shakes her head at her husband "You're real happy with yourself aren't you."

"I'm happy with you." Jamie corrects "And the work you do around here – in fact if we handed out gold stars I'd give you one right now."

"Well now my day is complete." Eddie deadpans.

Jamie laughs "That's what you think! I heard Gee has a whole other stack for you to go through."

Eddie groans in defeat.

…..

Eddie sits in her office reviewing files when Sheehan walks up to the door and knocks.

"Enter." Eddie calls before looking up "Hey." She greets.

"Hey." Sheehan returns "You made an arrest a while back for shoplifting – Sarah Parker right?"

"Yes." Eddie returns "Why?"

Sheehan offers the folder in his hands out to Eddie "She's dead."

Eddie's eyes widen as she takes the file and opens it up "Oh god." She breathes out at the sight of the gruesome photos before her "What the hell happened?"

"Still trying to piece it together." Sheehan admits "Can you tell me anything that wasn't in your arrest report?"

Eddie sighs "Yeah, she lost her job because she was pregnant and was struggling to make ends meet. That's why she stole the clothes." She explains "She couldn't afford them."

"Okay thanks." Sheehan accepts "That might actually make sense."

"What do you mean?" Eddie presses.

"Just a hunch for now." Sheehan deflects "Thanks for the info." He adds before turning to exit the office. He takes a couple of steps then turns to look back at Eddie almost as if he wants to say something.

"Anything else?" Eddie prompts at seeing his look.

"No." Sheehan replies as he bites his tongue, turns again and leaves.

…..

Jamie is walking down the hall of the 5-4 when his cellphone rings. He pulls it out to see 'Dad' so he answers it "Hey Dad."

"Are you somewhere you can talk a minute?" Frank prompts.

Jamie immediately tenses up and heads into an empty room "Yes…"

"Listen I need you and Eddie to come to 1PP." Frank instructs "We have a bit of a delicate dilemma on a case that should really be discussed in person."

"O…kay…" Jamie pensively replies "When?"

"Forthwith if possible." Frank replies.

"Well... you are The Commissioner." Jamie slowly counters as his mind tries to figure out what's going on.

"Great." Frank accepts "Security will be expecting you both."

"K." Jamie accepts before hanging up and as he does, he crinkles his forehead then heads out of the room and up to his and Eddie's office to see her working at her desk "Um hey…" he greets "…we both just got summoned to 1PP but to be honest I'm not entirely sure if it was my Dad or The Commissioner doing the summoning."

Eddie's face scrunches up "He called you personally?"

Jamie nods "And he said – and I quote – 'forthwith if possible.'"

"If possible?" Eddie repeats as she stands and starts gathering her things.

Jamie nods "Hence my confusion. The Commissioner would say forthwith but only Dad would add if possible."

"Well only one way to know for sure." Eddie counters "Let's go."

…..

The elevator dings and opens up onto the 14th floor of 1PP and Jamie and Eddie walk off.

They are immediately greeted by Baker "Right this way." She instructs as she leads them to Frank's door, reaches out and opens it "They're here Sir."

"Thank you Baker." Frank accepts as he stands and watches Jamie and Eddie enter.

"Um just for clarification…." Jamie begins "…are we here as officers or family because your phone call kind of blurred the lines."

Frank heavily sighs "Unfortunately both." He replies as he dismissively waves his hand "No need to salute."

"Unfortunately." Eddie repeats as she, Jamie and Frank all move to sit "That can't be good."

Frank lifts a file on his desk and holds it out to Eddie "Eddie, you've seen this before from Detective Sheehan."

Eddie takes the file and opens it up "Sarah Parker." She announces "She's the shoplifter Mia caught." She explains to Jamie before turning her attention back to Frank "But I don't understand why you have this file. Isn't this still an open case?"

"It is." Frank confirms as he watches Jamie request the file from his wife.

Eddie hands it over.

"The detective on the case…" Frank begins "…believes Sarah was only one of a multitude of victims in a baby snatching ring being run by a clinic on the upper east side."

"Okay." Eddie accepts "What does that have to do with us?"

"We need to get in the clinic but can't." Frank replies.

"Why not?" Jamie inquires.

"Security is extremely tight." Frank answers.

"So we're the police." Eddie points out "Get a warrant."

"We tried. Don't have grounds." Frank explains "Judge would not approve it so… we need someone to go inside and see what we are dealing with. Someone who wouldn't draw suspicion and fit right in with all the other pregnant women in there."

"Whoa." Jamie immediately and very apprehensively breathes out in realization "You mean Eddie."

Frank just kind of tilts his head "Yeah. Hence the delicate dilemma."

Jamie immediately gets his back up and slips into complete professional mode "Rule book states pregnant officers must be placed on desk duty… Commissioner…" Jamie emphasizes for effect "For the safety of both Mother and Child."

"I know that Lieutenant." Frank tells his son "But there is no other way in. It's been looked at from all different angles."

"Yeah well I haven't looked at it." Jamie bites back "And neither has Danny!"

But then Jamie gets another thought "You know we are about to command this squad – how come this is the first I'm hearing about this case?"

"Because you aren't in charge yet." Frank answers "Gee is still running it."

"What would I have to do?" Eddie suddenly interjects as she takes the file back and opens it to study it more carefully.

Jamie turns his head to look at his wife with wide eyes "Eddie!" he chides in disbelief.

"What?" Eddie counters "I want all the facts."

"Would just need you to get past the gate as it were." Frank explains "…and see if you can find anything."

"Well I can do that." Eddie admits.

"No!" Jamie immediately rejects.

"I'm sorry…" Eddie indignantly challenges "…did you just tell me no?"

"Eddie!" Jamie chides "It's dangerous!"

"We'll you'll be there to have my back!"

"He can't." Frank quietly admits "You'd have to go in alone as a single expectant mother with no one else they can turn too – that's their targeted demographic."

"Oh no, absolutely not!" Jamie immediately rejects at hearing that "Find somebody else."

"Jamie there is nobody else." Frank counters.

"In 35,000 cops…" Jamie heatedly challenges "…you have nobody else?"

Frank sighs "I can't ask…"

"Oh but you can ask us?" Jamie bites back.

"Jamie…" Frank sighs in frustration "…I don't have another pregnant major crimes officer with undercover experience at the moment so no, I can't ask anyone else."

"Is this you asking…" Eddie tries to clarify "…or is this an order?"

"It's asking." Frank assures her.

"Because he knows he can't make it an order." Jamie challenges back "If he did, it would in fact be going against the rule book."

"That is correct." Frank confirms and for the first time in his life he looked across the desk at his son and he could swear he sees contempt in his eyes…

...