Chapter 113: At Odds

There is an uncomfortable silence in Frank's office in 1PP as Frank watches his youngest son stare out the window trying to process everything that was just thrown at him and Eddie with her head in Sarah Parker's file trying to absorb all the details of the case.

Finally, Jamie shakes his head in disgust and breaks the silence "How could you do that?" he asks his father "How could you even suggest this?"

Frank sighs "Because Eddie is a Sergeant and the only person in this entire department that can do this."

"She's your daughter in law - 8 months pregnant with your grandchild!" Jamie spits back "My child!" he reiterates. "I just..."

"Jamie..." Frank tries again.

"Don't Jamie me. I'm not Jamie right now am I? Right now I'm Lieutenant Reagan in the Police Commissioner's office so just go ahead and order me to do it already, order me to send my wife and unborn child into a dangerous situation."

"Jamie, you know I won't do that." Frank reiterates "I didn't bring you both here to order you to do this. I brought you here to ask you but it's your decision."

Jamie just looks at his father in disbelief "And if I say no that proves that I'm not being objective as the Lieutenant and if I agree to it I put my wife and child in real danger. Wow. What a choice. You've really outdone yourself this time. Very impressive."

"Jamie…" Frank begins again.

"I want to do it." Eddie quietly states as she shuts the folder.

A sudden tense silence fills the room and you could hear a pin drop as Jamie slowly turns his head to stare at his wife with wide eyes next to him "What did you just say?"

"I want to do it." Eddie reiterates "Jamie, your Dad is right. I'm the only one that can. I'm the only one that can get in there and save those women – those babies."

Absolutely stunned by his wife's admission, Jamie just stares at her in shock "You… you want to do this? You want to put yourself and our unborn child in that kind of danger?"

"I don't want to." Eddie counters "But Jamie, if I don't how many other women and babies are going to be in harms way? I… I can't just sit back knowing I could help save them."

"Look Jamie…" Frank begins.

"Just don't." Jamie harshly interrupts in disgust – his head swirling from everything. "I… I…" he starts but it's all just too much so without waiting for permission he rises from his chair and heads for the door. He swings it open and just leaves in a huff.

From her desk, Abby looks up at the sound and watches Jamie storm out of the office. Immediately her eyes dart over to Frank in concern to see him and Eddie just sitting there – a look of defeat on his face as the door recloses.

Suddenly Eddie pulls out her cell phone.

"Who are you calling?" Frank inquires as he watches her dial.

"Danny." Eddie replies as she lifts her phone to her ear. A moment later she talks "Danny go find your brother." She instructs "He needs to talk to you and here's why..."

….

A clearly agitated Danny sits at his desk in the 5-4 talking on his phone "You know what Dad, never mind. Tell Eddie I'll find him." He states in annoyance before hanging up his phone while standing.

"Find who?" Maria inquires of her partner from across their desks as she watches him grab his jacket off the back of the chair.

"Jamie." Danny replies as he starts for the door.

"What happened?" Maria calls in concern right as Danny spots Sheehan walking into the bullpen.

"YOU!" Danny barks at his fellow Detective "What the hell were you thinking?" he seriously spits out before turning to glance back at his partner "You want to know what happened? ASK HIM!" he tosses out before gruffly pushing past Sheehan in a huff and disappearing out of the bullpen.

Maria's eyes shift from watching her partner disappear to Sheehan. She raises an inquisitive eyebrow at him then silently lifts her finger and points at Danny's chair requesting he have a seat…

…

"He says he'll find him." Franks states as he hands Eddie back her cellphone across the desk in his office.

Eddie silently but appreciatively nods her head in acceptance as she takes her phone back.

Awkward silence.

"Eddie I'm sorry." Frank suddenly and sincerely apologizes "I didn't mean to create friction between you and Jamie, I just thought… Oh I don't know what I thought." He admits in defeat.

"You thought you at least had to ask the question." Eddie deduces in understanding "No matter what our decision is, you had to know you'd done everything you possibly could to get justice for Sarah and the others."

Frank offers his daughter in law a slight nod of his head in confirmation before plastering a warm smile on his face "Listen you need a ride home?"

Eddie opens her mouth to decline but then pauses in thought "Oh. Um I do actually." She realizes noting Jamie would have taken the car.

Frank's smile widens knowing he can at least take care of that.

…..

Danny pulls up behind The Chevelle in the cemetery parking lot. He looks over to the family plot to see his brother there so heavily sighing, he opens the door and gets out then he silently walks up to stand next to Jamie without saying a word.

"Hey." Jamie greets a moment later.

"Hey." Danny simply returns.

Silence as neither one looks at the other, they both just focus their gazes on the headstones before them.

"How did you find me?" Jamie finally inquires still not looking at his brother.

"GPS on your car and your phone." Danny offers as his gaze shifts from his brother's to his wife's headstone.

Jamie nods "I take it you know?"

Danny nods "Yup."

More silence.

"So you know…" Danny suddenly begins "…when Eddie called me from Dad's office and told me what happened, the first thing I did was tell her to hand Dad her phone."

"Oh?" Jamie queries "And what did you say?"

"I asked him what the hell he thought he was doing even bringing something like this up to you guys." Danny admits.

"So you're on my side then." Jamie deduces.

"But then I thought about it." Danny adds.

"Great." Jamie mumbles in disgust "So you think she should do it."

"No I didn't say that…" Danny admits "…but it really doesn't matter what I think. The only people that matter in this are you and Eddie. It's a decision you two need to make together."

"They're dead Danny." Jamie states as he gestures to all the headstones in front of them. "I can't have Eddie or our child be laying here too and I know you more then anyone else gets that."

"I do." Danny admits as he continues to stare at Linda's headstone "But I also know Grandma, Mom, Joe, Linda, they are all watching over us."

"So I'm supposed to what?" Jamie questions as he finally turns to look at his brother "Just have faith everything will be just fine, we'll all play the heroes like you see on TV and nothing bad will happen?"

Danny heavily sighs as he turns to look at his brother as well "We both know I can't answer that."

Silence.

"I know she's a great cop." Jamie finally states "And if she wasn't pregnant…"

"I know." Danny agrees with a slight up and down nod of his head "You're the first one to let her do stuff because you know she can…"

"But she is pregnant. Really pregnant." Jamie reiterates as he turns his attention back to the headstones "So that leave me right back where I started." He states as Danny watches his younger brother struggle with what to do.

…..

Eddie closes the door on Frank's black suburban in the driveway of her home and steps back to watch her father in law's detail reverse out of her driveway and then drive away.

Sighing, Eddie looks towards the house and takes a deep breath. She walks up the path to the front door and let's herself in.

She is immediately greeted by a happy Jamko so even though she isn't in the best of moods herself, she smiles and pets the dog a moment "Hi Buddy." She greets as a sound reaches her ears...

…The sound of a punching bag taking a hard beating so taking another deep breath, Eddie walks to the top of the stairs to the basement and listens more closely.

Those sharp, hard, powerful hits could only be coming from one person – Jamie so for the briefest of moments Eddie toys with going downstairs to talk to her husband but she knows she shouldn't. She knows he needs this time to himself to sort everything out in his head so instead she turns and heads for the study. She rounds the desk, opens her purse and pulls out the Parker case. She sets the file down, pulls out the chair, then sits down and gets to work.

….

Jamie spent the next 2 hours downstairs and in that time, Eddie worked on the case and stopped to make and eat supper with Rosa and Mia.

"Uncle Jamie has been down there a long time." Mia points out in concern as she, Eddie and Rosa sit around the table eating "Are you sure he's okay?"

Eddie offers her god daughter a half smile "We're just working on a tough case. Just give him his space right now okay?"

"Okay." Mia accepts as she pushes her plate away.

"Okay Mia." Rosa prompts as she picks up hers and Mia's plates to take them to the sink "Bath time."

"Okay but I gotta take Jamko out first." Mia reminds her Mother.

"Fine." Rosa accepts so just as Mia takes the dog outside, Jamie finally comes up the stairs wiping the sweat from his face with a towel.

"Hey." Eddie gently greets "You missed supper, I made you a plate." She hopefully adds as way of a peace offering but Jamie doesn't even look at his wife.

"I'm not hungry." He flatly replies as he just walks through the kitchen and heads for the stairs.

Having watched the exchange, Rosa raises a concerned eyebrow as she shifts her gaze from Jamie to Eddie "Are you sure everything is okay?"

Eddie heavily sighs "Slight bump in the road." She admits.

"Slight?" Rosa challenges.

"We'll work through it." Eddie promises before flashing a quick reassuring smile "Always do."

…..