Eddie was walking out of the precinct when she spotted her brother-in-law leaning against the door of the Chevelle. Her small smile immediately shifted to a frown, wondering if something happened to Jamie while on the undercover operation and he was here to deliver bad news.
"What happened Danny?" she asked worriedly, rushing up to him. "Is he okay?"
"What?" he questioned curiously before realizing what she was probably thinking. "Oh! No. No. He's fine, Eddie. As far as I know, he's okay."
She put a hand on her chest as she let out a sigh of relief, "Thank god."
He patted her shoulders in reassurance, "Jamie's fine. Everyone's fine."
Eddie nodded as she tried to calm her racing heart, "Good." After a long moment, Eddie spoke up again. "Sooo… what are you doing here?"
"What? Can't a brother-in-law visit with his sister-in-law?"
Eddie gave him a knowing look, "With you? There's always a motive."
"You caught me," he confessed, running a hand through his hair. "I just wanted to check up on you… with Jamie being away and all. Is everything going okay? Is there anything you need?"
She flashed a warm smile, "I'm fine, Danny. Everything's alright."
"You sure?" he asked. "Because I heard through the grapevine that your washer was giving you trouble and ended up flooding half of the apartment a few weeks back. And I know you've been having to wash clothes at Dad and Pop's house. Doesn't that super of yours know how to fix it?"
Eddie sighed, "No. The unit that we have is an older brand and there's not many people around who have worked on it before. It worked so well up until that happened. Trust me, I've called around all week to find someone to fix it. If Jamie was here, he would've done it already. He's really good with things like that."
"I can do it for you," Danny offered. "I may not be a whiz at that stuff like the kid is but I can have it working for you until he gets home."
"Really?" she replied, her eyes brightening. "It's getting to be a hassle to schlep from home to Bay Ridge every few days to wash. That's why I try to do the most when I'm there on Sundays. I went to a laundromat a few times but Pop almost had a fit when he heard I was doing that and was insistent on me going to the house where I could do it for free."
"That's Pop for you," Danny chuckled. "But seriously Eddie, I will be happy to do it for you. I can come over and do it today even. I just have to go pick up that knucklehead son of mine from school. He ran over something on campus and it popped his tire. Don't know where I went wrong with him. He knows how to change a tire but the numbnuts forgot to replace the spare from last time."
"Oh boy," Eddie replied. "I did that once but Jamie and I were just partners then. He was the one who saved me with a new tire. He still doesn't let me live it down though."
Danny smiled. "I miss him," he let out gently. "I know I rag on him all the time but it sure does suck not getting to see him."
Eddie gave a small frown, "Tell me about it. I can't wait for him to be home. I hate going home to an empty house at night."
Suddenly, she saw the flash of emotion in Danny's eyes. "Oh Danny," she said apologetically, remembering her late sister-in-law and the tragic events surrounding her death. Her heart dropped at the realization of her brother-in-law's reality everyday. "I'm so sorry. I didn't…"
He put a hand up to stop her, "It's okay, Eddie. Really. It's been years but I can get like that sometimes." He paused for a moment before putting an affectionate hand on her shoulder. "She would've been so excited to have you come into the family. We always had our bet placed on you and Jamie getting together at some point."
Eddie's eyes widened slightly, "Really?"
Danny nodded, "You bring something out in him that no one else ever has, not even his ex-fiancée. He just has this certain way he gets when he's around you… as his big brother, it's sweet to see. Just don't tell him I said that."
Eddie laughed, "I'll keep it a secret."
Suddenly, he pulled his phone out of his pocket when it started ringing.
"It's Sean," he said, turning the phone over to show her. "I might have also met up with you to buy time. I've made him wait for over an hour now."
"Danny!" Eddie exclaimed. "Over an hour?!"
He simply shrugged, "That's what he gets for being an idiot. I'm going to pick him up and then I'll meet you at your apartment. I can also pick up a pizza on the way."
"Let me get the pizza," Eddie countered. "It's the least I can do for you since you're going to fix the washer."
"Alright," Danny relented. "Jamie's got some tools right? At least I hope he does."
"He has some," Eddie confirmed with a chuckle.
"Good. Give me like thirty minutes to pick up the knucklehead and then I'll see you at your place," Danny said, giving a quick wave before jogging off to his car.
Eddie waved at her brother-in-law as he drove off. She stood for a long moment before flashing a smile. After her father's arrest, Eddie felt like it was her against the world for a long time. She felt like she could trust no one and didn't think she ever could again. But then she met Jamie, who changed her world in ways she never expected. And with him, came the Reagans, who accepted her into their fold. They had her back and watched out for her like no one else could and for that, she would always be grateful.