Chapter 164: Don't Go Boom
"JAMIE!" Eddie cries as she continues to crawl through the rubble "JAMIEEEEEEEE!"
Slowly bringing himself back to the land of the conscious at the sound of his wife's frantic voice repeatedly calling his name, Jamie slowly opens his eyes to discover he is sure as hell NOT in a hospital bed…
Jamie tries to move and take in a breath of air but with all the dust and debris around him he ends up letting out a cough instead.
"Jamie." Eddie breathes out in a rush at hearing him as she and Maria make a beeline in the direction of the sound and as Eddie approaches, she can make out someone trying to move pieces of rubble off themselves "Jamie!"
"I'm here." Jamie moans out before coughing again.
"Oh my god Jamie." Eddie exclaims in pure relief as she scrambles onto her knees to her husband's side "Are you okay?"
Immediately Jamie moves his hand to his side where in his dream he was shot to discover – nothing, no wound, nothing – so he takes a second to assess his situation – 2 arms, 2 legs, head still attached and while he felt some pain, it was manageable and he could move.
"Been worse." Jamie replies so hearing that Maria continues on with "DANNY!" and the second Jamie hears Maria calling his brother's name recollection hits him that he and Danny were running from a bomb and Danny should have been right next to him so he tries to look around but also doesn't see him "DANNY!" Jamie urgently calls "Danny where are you?"
"Not dead…" Danny's voice groans out from somewhere near by causing Maria to frantically zero in on his voice searching in that direction with her eyes for his location "… yet anyway." He reluctantly adds with a wince as he tries to lift a piece of paneling off himself providing Maria with the movement she needs to locate him so she rushes to his side to help.
"Are you okay?" She questions as she helps him move the piece aside.
"I really am getting too old for this." Danny decides as he tries to sit up and instinctually reaches a hand up to touch a wound he feels on his head before again wincing.
"I thought I told you not to go boom!" Eddie unhappily chides her husband as she helps him get to his feet.
"Sorry." Jamie apologizes as he tries to shake particles of building materials off him.
Watching her husband, thankful he is still alive and standing in front of her, it's impossible for Eddie to not, for just a moment, launch herself at her husband in a tight hug "You scared the crap out of me Jameson Reagan!" she admonishes as Jamie wraps his arms around his wife – he too thankful both he and his brother are alive before Eddie suddenly pulls back out of the embrace and slaps her hand on his arm "Don't you ever do that to me again!"
"Sorry!" Jamie again apologizes before looking at his brother "Can you move?"
"Yeah." Danny sighs out just wanting this crappy day over with already before looking at Maria "Please don't hit me, I feel banged up enough as it is."
Maria frowns as she begins to slowly help her partner to his feet.
"Then let's get out of here and let bomb squad do a detailed sweep before we get any more surprises." Jamie instructs.
"Works for me." Danny mumbles as Maria helps support his weight.
"Front doors are still inaccessible." Eddie states as she begins leading everyone back towards the 'new' exit out the hole in the wall.
Looking up as they step into what used to be a conference room, Jamie cringes at the sight of bright sunlight now streaming in through the hole in the wall "Oh." He breathes out in regret "Didn't mean to do that."
Danny looks at the hole and realization hits him "Hey welcome to the club." he congratulates his brother.
"What?" Jamie questions confused.
"Eddie and I aren't the only ones to take out the side of a building anymore Jamie." Danny explains "Now you have too."
"Come again?" Eddie questions.
Jamie sighs "We had six seconds." He explains "So I threw the bomb into the conference room, shut the door and we ran. How did I know it would take out the concrete wall."
"Six seconds?" Eddie repeats unimpressed "You were six seconds away from getting blown to smithereens?"
"Which was clearly plenty of time." Danny defends.
"Clearly." Maria deadpans as her eyes look around the disaster they are walking through "Can we please not get the same contractor as we used for the lactation room? They were annoying."
It's impossible for Danny, Jamie and Eddie not to all turn to look at Maria in silent awe at her declaration.
"What?" She defends "I was the one that had to deal with them – not any of you."
Shaking his head, Danny then turns his attention to Eddie as they carefully make their way outside "Hey Sarge?"
"Yeah?"
"I solved the case so I can keep my title right?"
Eddie can't help but laugh "You're lucky you kept your head." She retorts back "But yes."
"Hey Sarge?" Maria then asks.
"Yeah?"
"Welcome back." Maria replies.
Having found his sense of humor again Danny chuckles a bit and adds "Back with a bang."
All eyes turn to look at him.
"Aw come on!" Danny prompts "That was funny!"
Jamie, Maria and Eddie just stare at him.
"No, not funny?" Danny then questions.
All three shake their heads.
"Wow tough crowd." Danny notes as paramedics approach the group.
"These two." Eddie instructs as she points at Danny and Jamie.
Nodding in understanding, the paramedics gesture for Jamie and Danny to follow and surprisingly they both nod and move to follow.
"What no resistance?" Eddie notes in surprise as she and Maria follow them.
"That's a surprise." Maria admits in agreement as they approach the back of two buses.
Danny moves to one gurney while Jamie moves to the other and as they both turn to sit Jamie shrugs "We went boom." right as a paramedic touches the gash on Danny's head.
"Ow!" He cries.
Maria rolls her eyes "Tell him if he's good you might give him a lollipop – that usually works for my daughter."
Danny shoots his partner a frown then looks at the paramedic "You got grape?" he hopefully inquires.
….
Having been medically cleared but still covered in dust, Jamie stands outside on the sidewalk just staring in contemplation at the blown out hole in the side of the building he created when the bomb squad walks out the now open front door calling "ALL CLEAR!" and suddenly Jamie feels someone walk over and stand beside him.
He looks over to see Captain Gormley.
"Boss." Jamie greets but in response Gormley simply stuffs his hands in his pockets and silently looks over at the hole a moment in thought himself "I put you in charge…" he states a moment later "… and you blow a hole in my precinct?"
Jamie can't help but wince at hearing that "Sorry." He apologizes.
Silence.
"Wait a minute." Jamie then challenging "Your precinct?"
"They are all my precincts in a way aren't they?" Gormley reasons "But the 5-4…" he adds as he takes in a deep breath of air "She holds a special place in my heart you know."
"Right." Jamie remembers "Sometimes I forget you worked out of here."
"Was a long time ago." Sid admits before finally turning to look at Jamie "Everyone okay?" he seriously inquires.
Jamie nods "All good."
"Good." Sid repeats in relief "Because that is not a conversation I ever want to have with the Police Commissioner – capiche?" he warns with a pointed look.
"Understood." Jamie accepts.
"Excellent." Sid returns.
More silence.
"And I'm not in charge of the whole precinct." Jamie deflects "Just the Detective squad."
"Right." Gormley agrees "Like I said, my precinct, my Detectives – just the next generation."
"Right." Jamie notes.
More silence.
"It may be a pretty big hole you created…" Sid suddenly begins "…but it's just a building – you saved a whole lot of lives with your actions including yours and your brother's - that's the important thing understood Lieutenant so I don't want to see any regret or second guessing of yourself got it?"
"Now what makes you think I'm doing that?" Jamie deflects.
"Past experience." Sid snarks in reminder.
"Oh." Jamie breathes out.
"So?" Sid prompts.
"Yes Boss." Jamie dutifully accepts.
"Good." Sid satisfactorily notes "Now I want that report on my desk as soon as it's complete." He instructs before shaking his head "Media's gonna have a field day with this one."
Jamie sighs "Copy that Boss. I'll get right on it."
"Good." Sid accepts "And once you are done you are going to go find that wife of yours, take her home – shower." He adds as he looks Jamie up and down "And spend some quality time with your daughter while you thank your lucky stars you didn't get yourself blown up today got it?"
"Yes Boss." Jamie accepts as Eddie rounds the corner headed towards them with a package of baby wipes in her hands.
"Excellent answer." Sid accepts before simply turning to walk away in the opposite direction from Eddie heading towards the 5-4 precinct Captain.
"Here." Eddie instructs as she walks up to her husband while watching Gormley walk away "Until you can shower, use these." She adds as she holds the wipes out to him.
"Thanks." Jamie accepts as he pulls one out and begins to wipe himself down.
"Everything okay?" Eddie suddenly questions him.
"Yeah." Jamie confirms as his eyes can't help but drift back over the hole in the wall "I have orders to find you, take you home and spend some quality time with Jessie."
"I like that idea." Eddie admits as she stands side by side to her husband.
"Me too." Jamie agrees as Eddie's eyes also gravitate to the blown out wall.
More silence.
"I had the weirdest dream when I was in the rubble." Jamie suddenly admits.
"Oh?" Eddie questions.
"I think I was shot and in the hospital and everyone was blaming themselves for it including Dad because he wasn't there – he was off on some recon mission with Archbishop Kerns."
Eddie's face crinkles up in thought as she tries to mental picture that "O…kay…"
"Like I said…" Jamie reiterates "Super weird."
"Agreed." Eddie notes.
Silence.
"It's one of those true miracles of life…" Eddie suddenly begins "…that you didn't get yourself blow up today you know that right?"
Jamie sighs "I know."
Silence.
"But now that you didn't..." Eddie continues "…and seeing as reconstruction needs to happen anyway, maybe now would be a good time to look into what it would take to have a daycare included in those plans, I mean when was the last time you saw anyone use that conference room anyway?"
Jamie stops wiping and ever so slowly turns his head to look at his wife "And by we…" he deduces "…you mean me."
Eddie plasters her 'never fail to get my husband to do something I want' look on her face "Well you are the Lieutenant and did such a good job getting…"
"Exactly." Jamie interrupts in agreement "I did the lactation room – partner…" he quips "So YOU…" he decides as he lightly taps his wife on the shoulder with the back of his hand "Can fight for the daycare!" but Eddie immediately takes a step back away from him "Okay don't touch me." She requests "I already cleaned the building crap off me."
"Fine." Jamie relents as he goes back to wiping before suddenly adding "So you really want Jessie to now spend her days in a space that went boom?"
Eddie frowns at that thought "No." She realizes.
"Didn't think so, so let's go Sergeant." Jamie commands "We've got a very busy day ahead of us because we have one hell of a report to write."
"What?" Eddie questions confused "I thought we were going home to spend time with Jessie?"
"After the report." Jamie clarifies as he takes a step to head back into the building but Eddie reaches a hand out to stop him "Hey Jamie wait." so Jamie stops moving forward and turns back to look at her "Yeah?"
"Remember when we were talking about the possibility of maybe down the line me transferring precincts?"
"Yeah."
"Forget I ever said that." Eddie rejects causing Jamie to look quizzically at her.
"I need to be where ever you are…" Eddie explains "Because that's the only way I'll be the first person to know if something happens to you."
For moment Jamie simply looks at his wife but then he just nods his head in agreement "Same." He admits "But we have to admit this one was quite the gray area." He notes as he begins to walk back towards the building and Eddie instinctually falls into step with him "I mean same precinct…"
"But in this case…" Eddie chimes in "The precinct also WAS the field."
"Exactly." Jamie agrees "So in future if it ever happens again…"
"Bite your tongue." Eddie quickly interjects.
"But if it does…" Jamie presses as he opens the door and waits for his wife to walk inside first "How do we play it?"
"Hmmmm." Eddie ponders as she steps across the threshold "Well I think we did pretty good today." She reasons as Jamie follows and lets the door close behind him.
...
