Chapter 136: The Baby Jar
The Reagan family all sit around the dinner table watching as Frank lifts a pink cigar out of the box and sniffs it under his nose "That is surprisingly good quality." He admits.
"Well yeah." Danny knowingly replies "I know how much you appreciate the good stuff."
Slowly all eyes at the table turn to Danny.
"What?" he defends "It's a gift that kills two birds with one stone." He explains before gesturing at Jamie "Traditional baby gift for you…" He continues before gesturing at his father "…and a birthday gift for you."
Eddie's mouth drops open "How did you know we've give them to him?"
"Um hello?" Danny laughs "Because I know you and more importantly, I know Jamie."
In response, Jamie sighs and Erin looks at Danny unimpressed "His birthday is months away." She tells her brother as she points at their father.
"I know." Danny replies to his sister before again looking at his father and smiling giddily "Happy early birthday – this way I won't forget and you can enjoy them now."
Frank tosses that around in his mind then nods in acceptance so Danny gets a big satisfied smile on his face "You're welcome Dad." he arrogantly quips.
Jamie just shakes his head at his brother "Well good to know we were top priority on your mind when you were choosing a gift."
"Hey I delivered her!" Danny shoots back in defense "What more do you want?"
Suddenly Sean reaches down to his side under his chair by Henry. He grabs a jar, lifts it and put it on the table between himself and his father.
"What is this?" Danny questions.
Sean turns to his father and smirks "You know how Mom used to have that swear jar?"
"Yeah." Danny replies still not following so Sean puts his hand on the jar and turns it around so the label is now facing his father and there Danny reads
The I delivered the baby jar - $1 per offense.
Danny stares at the jar then lifts his head to stare at his son.
Sean shrugs his shoulders in absolute delight "Uncle Jamie's idea."
Slowly Danny turns his head to his brother to see Jamie shrug in deflection "What?" Jamie defends "It's for a good cause – it's going towards her college fund."
Danny narrows his eyes at his brother then gets a defiant look on his face "Yeah well I didn't say 'I delivered the baby', I said I delivered her."
Erin smirks "Oh if you think you're getting off on a technicality think again! Read the fine print."
Danny throws his sister a questioning look but in response Erin just gestures at the jar so swiping the jar up into his hands, Danny looks more closely at the label and there in very small fine print near the bottom reads
Offenses also include, but are not limited too "I delivered Jessie, I delivered her, I delivered my niece, or any variation of a term of endearment ie: princess, munchkin, sweet pea etc. Fines are due at the time of offense and will be enforced by the highest level of NYPD command (including retirees) present.
Danny lifts his eyes to look at Jamie and Eddie to see them both smiling at him. A moment later he shifts his gaze to his grandfather.
Henry grins brightly at him.
Danny then looks at his father to see Frank shrug in indifference.
"Okay them I get." Danny states as he wildly gestures towards Henry, Jamie and Eddie "But you too?" he adds to his father.
"Hey." Frank deflects as he holds his hands up in surrender "Just following the rules as they are laid out."
Danny narrows his eyes at his father "Give me back those cigars." He demands as he reaches for them but Frank moves them out of his reach so Danny just shakes his head in disbelief "No appreciation." He states in disapproval.
"Oh no we appreciate it." Jamie seriously corrects.
"We truly do." Eddie immediately chimes in "It's just…" she slowly and cautiously continues "…well we all just don't need to hear about it every 5 minutes."
"It is getting old." Henry seriously points out to his eldest grandson.
"Very old." Erin deadpans.
Danny looks around the table at everyone "Do I really say it that much?"
Everyone nods.
Silence.
"But a $1?" Danny challenges "That should be no more then 25 cents!"
Jamie shrugs "Inflation – everything has gone sky high lately."
So sucking in an unhappy breath of air, Danny begrudgingly takes his wallet out, removes a $1 bill and jams it into the jar.
"Hah!" Erin exclaims in absolute delight as she holds her hand out to Eddie palm facing up "Told you he'd give in."
Sighing, Eddie looks at her brother in law "Could you pass me that jar please?" She requests as she holds her hand out for it across the table so Danny picks it up and gives it to her.
Eddie then reaches inside the jar, removes the $1 bill and slaps it into the palm of Erin's hand.
"Thank you!" Erin happily quips in satisfaction.
Having watched the exchange, Danny gets a super unimpressed look on his face and he shifts his gaze to his brother "I thought you said that was for her college fund!"
"Was supposed to be." Jamie unhappily replies "But apparently my wife is gambling with our daughter's money."
"Yeah with a whole $1." Eddie sarcastically states.
"It always starts small." Danny mockingly points out "People think they can handle it…" he knowing adds "But then the next thing you know you're betting the house away and living on the street."
"Because you all don't gamble for real in poker games?" Eddie challenges her brother in law "Now if anybody is going to lose their shirt in gambling..." She continues as she points at finger at Danny "It's you!"
Jamie tosses his wife's words around in his mind "It's true." He tacks on "Anything she loses…" he adds as he gestures at his wife "…I'll just win back at the next poker game."
Erin huffs out a laugh "That's what you think."
Jamie leans slightly forward to look at his sister down the table "Yeah well you're not invited."
"Because you know I'll clean all your clocks!" Erin arrogantly states.
"And that's why you're not invited." Danny confirms before gesturing towards Jamie "At least with him, I have a shot."
Jamie lets out a laugh "You keep thinking that."
Danny narrows his eyes at his brother.
"No seriously keep thinking that." Jamie presses "It makes me winning that much sweeter."
"Well maybe we won't invite you either then." Danny warns his brother.
"So what just you, Dad and Pop then?" Jamie challenges.
"Oh leave us out of this." Frank interjects.
"Why?" Henry challenges his son "This is just getting good!"
Jessie begins to cry over the monitor so Jamie and Eddie turn to look at one another and suddenly everyone at the table watches as the couple perform a hand of rock, paper, scissors.
"Hah!" Eddie quips in delight when she wins so sighing, Jamie pushes his chair back, grabs his napkin off his lap, drops it on the table, gets up and disappears from the room to tend to his daughter.
"So that's how you're divvying up the responsibilities now?" Danny laughs to his sister in law.
In reply, Eddie just silently shrugs but then Jamie's voice comes over the monitor prompting "Eddie." So sighing in defeat, Eddie grabs the monitor off the table and pushes her own chair back "Excuse me." She states before also getting up and disappearing from view.
Silence around the table.
"Damn." Danny suddenly breathes out "I was really hoping she would leave the monitor."
Henry, Frank and Erin all laugh in understanding while Sean looks around confused "What?"
…..
Eddie walks into Jamie's old room and puts the monitor down on the dresser "Hungry huh?"
Jamie nods so Eddie sighs as she moves to the rocking chair while unbuttoning her shirt "Don't know why we even bothered with rock, paper, scissors."
"Seems we somehow both lost and both won all at the same time." Jamie agrees as he waits for his wife to settle into the chair and finish getting ready when suddenly Eddie let's out a laugh.
"What?" Jamie prompts.
"All that poker talk at the table just made me remember another time we both lost and both won all at the same time." Eddie admits as she gestures for her husband to hand their daughter over.
Slowly a grin creeps up on Jamie's face in understanding as he transfers Jessie over "Oh. Yeah. We both definitely won that night…"
FLASHBACK 2022 – Jamie returns home from Reagan family poker game after Jamie and Joe save Mia and Rosa.
With good music playing in the background, Eddie sits on the couch in the apartment reading a magazine with her feet up relaxing. She leisurely flips a page, then reaches to pick up her glass of wine on the coffee table to take a sip.
At that moment the door opens and Jamie enters so Eddie quickly swallows "Hey!" She happily greets as she puts the wine glass back down "How was the poker game?"
As a reply, Jamie shuts the door, turns and walks to the couch. He reaches into his pocket, pulls out a wad of rolled up cash and lightly tosses it at his wife "Here, go buy yourself something pretty." He states before a great big grin breaks out on his face "I've always wanted to say that!" he laughs.
Eddie quickly moves to catch the money while putting her magazine down "Cleaned house did you?"
Jamie scrunches his thumb and index finger together "Just a little." He arrogantly muses.
"Nice." Eddie commends as she unfolds the pile "Which car part is this going towards?" she jokes as she does a quick count of the bills.
"Haven't decided yet." Jamie admits.
But then Eddie gets a surprised expression on her face "Jamie…" She breathes out "There's a lot of money here!"
"Yeah, it's a few hundred bucks."
Eddie shakes her head in awe "I can't believe you guys play for real money."
"Trust me." Jamie offers "You sharpen your skills quick the first time you lose your shirt."
"Ah. Right. Of course." Eddie realizes "Another Reagan teaching tool. So who was all there?"
"Me, Dad, Pop, Danny and Joe."
"No Erin?" Eddie questions in slight surprise.
Jamie shakes his head no.
"Oh so this was a guy's night then." Eddie deduces "I see. No women allowed." She adds slightly miffed on behalf of her sister in law.
"Be happy she wasn't there." Jamie seriously tosses out "Or she'd be the one holding that pile of money instead of you."
Eddie silently looks at her husband a moment as she lets the meaning of his words sink in.
"Well yay for me then!" Eddie laughs out a second later.
"Knew you'd see it my way." Jamie reasons.
"Hmmmmmm." Eddie then ponders as she fans the money back and forth "I think I could put this money to much better use then a car part." She decides.
"Now wait a minute." Jamie protests as he reaches to take it back but Eddie twists her body blocking his path.
"You did tell me to go buy myself something pretty." Eddie reminds him.
"You want that money?" Jamie challenges.
"Yes." Eddie playfully decides so Jamie walks to the shelves on the wall in the living room behind the couch and swipes something into his hands. He walks back to the kitchen table and slaps a deck of cards down onto it "Then earn it."
TBC…
