I've always loved Jamie and Henry's relationship and I feel that Jamie would be the one out of all of the grandchildren who would move into the house to help Henry and Frank if it was necessary. This is a way I can see it playing out. Enjoy!
Henry settled on the porch swing as he watched his two grandsons fight over how to reinforce the old play set. Both were so different but yet similar in how they did things and it was interesting to see. He chuckled to himself as he watched their interactions and began to referee when he saw that things were starting to get heated.
The play set was near and dear to him, especially since he constructed it himself a few months after his oldest grandchild was born. He spent weeks putting it together, and smiled with pride when he saw his grandchildren play on it for the first time. It was a staple of the backyard until Sean turned twelve, and eventually they decided to take it down and put it into storage. It had hurt his heart a little to see it be put away but he had hope that they'd eventually be able to set it up again.
And as of almost eleven months ago, his hope was filled when his youngest grandson and granddaughter-in-law informed the family of their impending arrival. It had been a long time coming and something that they had all been secretly wishing for. Unfortunately, the happy news was the start of a series of events that would change his life and bring them to the situation they're in right now.
He had always been an independent man, determined to do things on his own. You would never catch him asking for help, unless it was absolutely necessary. One day, he was in the garage, attempting to retrieve a box he promised to Eddie of some of Jamie's old baby clothes. The box was on the highest shelf and the only way of reaching it was to get on a ladder or to wait until Frank got home and have one of the men on his detail get it down.
He decided that it shouldn't be too difficult to get it himself and eventually found himself positioning the ladder close to where the box was. He made it up the ladder without issue but the trouble occurred when he tried to get the box down. It was heavier than he remembered and it seemed stuck in place. The harder he pulled at it, the more stuck it seemed. Finally, after a few hard tugs, he was able to get it free. But, the quickness of the tug and the weight of the box became too overwhelming and made him lose his balance, sending him backwards off the ladder. He doesn't remember too much after that, only waking up to Frank and Nuciforo standing over him as he laid on the ground of the garage.
He was quickly rushed to the hospital and was found to have a grade three concussion, fracture of his left hip, and multiple broken ribs from the fall. He ended up in surgery the next morning for the hip fracture, which lasted almost five hours due to the severity.
The patriarch was almost bedridden for the first two weeks, only having light physical therapy every other day to keep him somewhat mobile. The pain from the broken ribs was almost too much at times and made it very difficult for him to breathe or make any movements. Sometimes, he felt like the pain was truly going to kill him. It was the first time that the family had realized that Henry was older now and was not invincible like he seemed. It was hard for them to take, especially Henry himself and Jamie.
The youngest Reagan spent countless days and nights at his grandfather's bedside, harboring the blame for what happened. He had actually been due to hang out with his grandfather the day of the fall, but pulled out last minute due Eddie having a tough bout of morning sickness and feeling more comfortable keeping watch over her until it lightened up.
"You better stop that right now," Henry chastised gently as he looked at his grandson's depleted eyes. "You were right where you were supposed to be."
"But Pop…" Jamie trailed off.
"Eddie and my new great-grandchild are your priority now, Jameson," he said seriously. "Until the day you leave this earth, they're number one. They need to be taken care of first. After that, we come in… including me."
They finally got Henry home after a three week stint in the hospital. There had been talk about sending him to a facility for a few weeks that would assist with his recuperation but the family immediately vetoed that idea, feeling that there was no better place to recuperate than at home.
The three Reagan grandchildren and great grandchildren were in constant rotation at the house for the first two weeks of Henry being home. Frank and Henry were never alone and never wanted for anything. Slowly but surely, Henry started to get better and with the help of physical therapy, was able to get on his feet after five weeks and start walking.
Eventually, Henry insisted that his family get back to their normal lives. He was grateful for everything that they'd done for him but he felt like he would be okay now. But, unbeknownst to him, there was a small plan forming between his son, youngest grandson, and granddaughter-in-law.
With everything that happened with Henry, there was a realization with Frank that they were in need of some extra hands around the house. He wasn't a young man anymore himself and realized that there would come a point where they would both need help with taking care of themselves.
With the due date looming, Jamie and Eddie were in search of a bigger apartment or if they were lucky, an actual house. Their apartment was seeming smaller by the day, especially as they filled it with all the baby paraphernalia that they needed. They had hoped to find a place before the baby was born but considering the sky high rates they had encountered, it seemed like their dreams of a bigger home would have to hold off for the time being.
Upon hearing this and thinking about his own situation, Frank made an offer to his son and daughter-in-law.
"You guys need a bigger place and I need help with Pop," he said as they met for dinner at Jamie and Eddie's apartment one night. "I'm not a young man anymore and I don't want it to come to the point where one day you guys walk in and find us both on the ground because I was trying to help him or he was trying to help me."
"Gosh Dad," Jamie shuddered while Eddie put a reassuring hand on his leg. "Don't say that."
"I know son but it's true. Pop is older now and I'm getting up there. I just think it would be good to have more people around the house. For my piece of mind and everyone else's. We have more than enough room for everyone to have their own space. The baby can have your old room and you and Eddie can have the room the connects to it. You'll pretty much have your own wing of the house and Pop and I will have the other side. We can also help you guys with the baby. We know how hard those early days can be and we don't mind lending a hand when needed."
Jamie let out a sigh, "I don't know what to say, Dad."
"At the end of the day, the decision is up to the two of you and whatever you think is right for your family. I'll respect it either way."
It was actually Eddie who convinced her husband to accept the offer of moving in. The thought of her child getting to grow up in the home her husband frequented as a child and with access to their grandfather and great-grandfather made her nostalgic and emotional. She never got much of an opportunity to know her grandparents or great grandparents since they passed away when she was a little girl. She only knew them through pictures and didn't want that to end up being the same experience for her child. Also, she had developed a deep affection for her in-laws and didn't mind the idea of living with them.
The baby arrived just a few short days after they moved in. As they all had expected, it was a boy. They were delighted with him and were head over heels from the first time they met him. The little one was just beautiful, looking almost exactly like Jamie when he was a baby but with his mother's eyes. He was a sweet boy and thankfully made things easy on his parents.
Having a little one in the house again gave Henry a newfound energy that he didn't know he had. He found himself always seeking out the little boy and enthralled in his newborn charms. His first stop every morning would be to pass by the nursery and check on him. If he was awake, he would take the baby out to the terrace for some one on one time so his parents could get some much needed rest. It was his favorite time of the day. He was fascinated by how much he changed and grew each day. He never got the chance to bond this closely with any of his grandchildren or great grandchildren so he thanked his lucky stars that he was still here to be able to do this.
Now, the baby was six weeks old and currently cuddled up in his mother's arms as she walked out from the back door. Henry watched as his youngest grandson's face went from fatigue and slight frustration with the current project to absolute delight when he spotted the two most important people of his life walking toward him. He scooped the little boy up in his arms, peppering his plump cheeks with kisses. Then, Jamie walked past his wife who had started a conversation with her brother-in-law and decided to join him on the porch.
"What do you think so far? Jamie asked his grandfather as he sat down next to him, then laid the baby down across the lap.
"A little more reinforcement is needed under the bottom but after that, it should be good," he replied.
"Danny said that you would say that. He's working on it right now," Jamie responded with a small chuckle. "Pop, why do you want us to set this up right now? He's not going to be able to play on it for a year or two."
"I know," Henry responded matter of factly. "But at least it will be ready for when the time comes. Besides, it's been awhile since I've seen it up. And... it just makes my old heart happy."
Jamie gave a small smile and nodded.
"I have a lot of good memories sitting on this swing with your grandmother, watching all you kids play on it," Henry continued gently. "It was one of our favorite things to do. But now she's gone... and it's just me. And those weeks when I was in the hospital, I thought that I wouldn't get the chance to do this again. I thought I was close to joining her. I was in so much pain. I was so tired..."
"I know Pop..." Jamie trailed off sadly.
"But... I thought about this baby," he said, running an affectionate hand over the newborn's wispy locks. "And how much I wanted to know him and needed to be apart of his life. Betty would've kicked me right back here if I would've tried to join her. She would've insisted that I need to be here for the baby. And as always, she would've been right."
"I agree."
"Thank you for agreeing to move in," Henry suddenly let out. "At first when Francis told me, I was upset. I didn't want all of you to have to change your lives for me. You had done it enough. I started to feel like a burden. But it's clear that I'm older now. I can't do as much for myself anymore. I do need help."
"You have never been a burden to us, Pop," Jamie insisted. "Never. You've done so much for us over the years and when this happened, it was time for us to pay it back to you. We didn't move in because we felt like we had to... we wanted to do it. What child gets to say that they grew up living in the same house as their grandpa and great grandpa? Not many. You and Dad can teach him so many things that Eddie and I can't. Our boy is very lucky to have the two of you just down the hallway from him... and so are we."
Henry smiled, "Thank you for that. I'm looking forward to it. And I'm also looking forward to the many more great grandchildren you can give me. He needs someone to play with."
"He's only six weeks old, Pop!" Jamie laughed. "And how many more great grandchildren are you thinking?"
"Three... at the least," he replied with smirk.
Jamie's eyes widened then shook his head, "You're going to have to talk to Eddie about that one and let me know what she says. We aren't even close to having that conversation yet. We need him to sleep through the night first!"
"I know... I'm teasing," he chuckled. "Now give me the baby and go help your brother finish the play set. We'll supervise."
Jamie carefully handed his son over before going into the backyard to join Danny and his wife.
"That's a good boy, Conor," Henry said gently as he turned the little boy and sat him down on his lap where he could see the action. The baby gurgled happily as he held his great grandfather's fingers between his small fists.
"You and I have a lot of life to live together," Henry continued as he pressed a kiss to the top of his small head. "I have a lot that I need to teach you. Your daddy was a good student but I think you'll be even better. I know I'm not as young as I used to be but I'll do my best to keep up with you."
The little boy was now settled back against his great grandfather, relaxed as it seemed that his deep voice was soothing to him. The two watched the scene in front of them for a long moment before Henry continued.
"This family... we're not perfect and we never will be. We can fight like hell at times but no matter what, we stick together. And son, we'll always be behind you no matter what. You couldn't ask for better parents than the ones you have. You have a strong mother and father, who will fight to protect you until their last breath. You have a great aunt and uncle, who will love you unconditionally but will give you a kick in the ass when you need it. You have a wonderful grandpa who will give you words of wisdom for any situation. And... you have me. I'll be here in whatever way you need me, Conor. To listen, for advice, or to fight right next to you. I promise you that until the day I leave this earth..."
He pressed another kiss to the baby's head as he let out a wavering sigh. He stopped himself before he started getting choked up. The realization that he was the one closest to handing in his ticket was slightly overwhelming. He knew that when the day came, he would be ready but hoped that it didn't happen for quite some time. He still wanted time to enjoy his growing family and the little boy in his arms. He hugged the baby close and continued moving the swing as they watched the family in the yard.
