Chapter 131: Motivations
With a laundry basket in her hands, Rosa walks down the stairs to the basement to see the TV on and Eddie huffing and puffing running on the treadmill.
"You're on that thing again?" She queries.
Eddie turns her head slightly backwards to see Rosa "Gotta a lot of flab to loose." Eddie throws back.
"Yeah sure." Rosa agrees "But there is exercising to get back in shape and then there is overdoing it."
"I'm not overdoing it." Eddie insists as she faces her head forwards again "And I'm on a timeline – I have a wedding to attend soon and I plan on looking amazing by then."
"What are you trying to outshine the bride?" Rosa laughs as she heads for the laundry room.
"No." Eddie sneers right back.
"Right." Rosa calls back in a challenge just as Jamie comes down the stairs "Because it's not like she's Jamie's exfiancée or anything." which causes Jamie to abruptly stop descending the stairs and raise an eyebrow.
Still facing forward, Eddie doesn't notice Jamie as she takes a deep breath "I am not trying to outshine Sydney okay."
"Well you're already doing it." Jamie adds startling Eddie causing her to almost trip on the treadmill.
"JESUS DON'T DO THAT!" Eddie chides as she somehow manages to catch herself and press the stop button in time "You want me to break something?"
"Sorry." Jamie apologizes trying not to laugh at the frantic actions of his wife.
Eddie glowers at her husband a second "Jerk." She tosses out unamused before restarting the track "Now look what you did! You made me mess up my time!"
"Guess you'll just have to start all over again then." Jamie simply shrugs as he moves to sit down on the couch, pick up the remote and change the channel.
"Hey!" Eddie protests "I was watching that!"
"No you weren't." Jamie rejects.
"Why are you here?" Eddie snaps at him annoyed.
"Um, I live here." Jamie reminds his wife "Name is on the title."
"You want it to remain there?" Eddie warns as Rosa silently slips back up the stairs trying to remain as invisible as possible so as not to get in the middle of this couple's quarrel.
"Oh…" Jamie playfully notes "Someone's a bit cranky."
Eddie gives her husband a death glare then turns her head to look at the baby monitor sitting on the side table "You know Jessie, now would be a really good time for you to wake up and cry so your father has to go tend to you and leave me alone."
"Ouch." Jamie fends as he clutches his hand at his heart "That hurt."
"You're gonna have something else hurting right away too." Eddie warns.
"That would mean you'd have to get off that thing for more then five minutes." Jamie seriously points out "You think you can do that?"
"What does that mean?" Eddie tosses at him.
Jamie sighs "Eddie you know what that means. You're obsessed with that thing." He adds as he points at the treadmill "And at the risk of getting my head bitten off, I need to ask… seriously - are you doing this because of Syd and Barry's wedding?"
"What? No!" Eddie immediately rejects "I'm a cop Jamie. One that will be going back to work so I need to get back in shape. You know…" Eddie then adds a little miffed "…most guys would be over the moon that their wife is working this hard to get their body back in shape."
"Well I prefer my wife alive..." Jamie counters "…instead of her dropping dead from a heart attack."
Eddie rolls her eyes "I know my limits Jamie."
"Yeah well just know I love my wife and the beautiful little girl soundly sleeping upstairs she gave me so I'll take her in whatever shape or size she comes in – today, tomorrow, forever."
Just then Jessie begins to cry over the monitor.
"Guess that's my cue." Jamie notes as he gets off the couch and heads for the stairs leaving Eddie watching him go and for a moment, she considers his words and a small, little smile creeps up on her face "Good to know." She notes but then the next second, she shakes his words off "Nope." She decides with renewed determination "I am going to look a-mazing."
…..
Eddie sits on her bed playing peak a boo with her daughter who just looks up at Eddie in wonder while kicking her feet and waving her arms.
Suddenly Jamie appears in the doorway and leans against the frame watching his family.
He smiles "I thought you were going to feed her and come back down?"
Eddie briefly glances over then focuses back on her daughter "Sorry." She laughs as she again covers her face with her hands then quickly opens them "Got a little sidetracked."
"I see that." Jamie agrees as he pushes himself off the frame and moves to lay himself across the foot the bed perpendicular to Eddie and Jessie before he gently runs his hand over his daughter's head "Are you having fun?" he playfully questions his daughter.
Jessie's eyes shift to now look at her father hoovering over her from behind in wonder.
"Do I look different to you upside down?" Jamie questions with a laugh.
Knowing the game of peek a boo is now over as Jessie focuses all her attention on Jamie, Eddie drops her arms "Apparently I just can't compete." She dramatically sighs "She's already a Daddy's girl through and through."
Jamie glances at his wife and smirk "Yeah until she's hungry and then it's all forget Daddy! I want Mommy! Give me Mommy!"
Eddie shrugs in deflection before a comfortable silence befalls the family as Jamie and Eddie simply sit and lay there on the bed with their daughter between them enjoying the moment.
"MOM!" Mia's voice suddenly sounds from down the hall "WHERE'S MY PURPLE RAINBOW SHIRT?"
"IT'S DOWNSTAIRS!" Jamie and Eddie hear Rosa call back.
"BUT I WANT TO WEAR IT!" Mia whines.
"YOU WORE IT YESTERDAY AND GOT MORE STAINS ON IT!" Rosa tosses back.
"YOU MEAN ITS NOT WASHED YET?" Mia inquires causing Jamie and Eddie to cringe.
Eddie looks up and across their daughter at her husband "We really need to enjoy moments like this." She tells him before picking up Jessie's feet in her hands and playing with her "Before she starts doing things like that to us."
Jamie laughs "Did you do stuff like that?" he inquires of his wife.
Eddie laughs in slight defeat "Doesn't matter if I did or not. What matters is Mia does it and eventually Jessie will see and pick up on that."
"Hmmmm." Jamie notes in agreement with an up and down nod of his head "I guess that settles it then. Rosa and Mia need to move out."
"Right." Eddie challenges not believing him for a second.
"That wasn't convincing?" Jamie questions.
"Maybe to someone that doesn't know you." Eddie replies "But I know you."
"Guilty." Jamie admits as they hear footsteps coming up the stairs and Rosa's unimpressed voice begins again "Mia, do you have any idea how much I do in a day?" They hear her say from down the hall "No you don't, but maybe it's time you started to learn so you want your shirt washed? Let's show you how to do laundry."
Jamie and Eddie both suck in a breath of air knowing Mia won't like that.
"What?" Mia's voice questions in surprise.
"You heard me." Rosa seriously reiterates "I'm going to show you how to do laundry, let's go." She demands.
"Ah man…" Mia whines.
Jamie and Eddie try not to laugh.
"Although maybe by the time Jessie is old enough…" Eddie reasons "Mia will be a bit more… responsible?" She questions "That's not the right word." She admits.
"I get what you mean." Jamie accepts.
Eddie studies her husband "I guess if anyone does it you – having grown up with three older siblings and all."
Jamie nods "I've always looked up to Danny and Joe, and Erin – well she was almost like a second mom sometimes."
Eddie nods in understanding as suddenly Mia appears in the doorway.
"Do you have any dark clothes that need doing?" She flatly and very begrudgingly asks "Apparently I can only do laundry if I have enough for a full load and in order to wash my tshirt I currently don't."
Jamie and Eddie try to keep the smiles off their faces as Eddie points to the bathroom "Laundry hampers are in there. They are already sorted."
"Great." Mia grumbles as she enters the room, walks past the bed and into the bathroom. A moment later she reappears with the dark clothes hamper in her hands "Do I just take the whole thing?"
Eddie nods "Yes and then bring it back up when you've emptied it. The clean clothes basket is already down in the laundry room."
"Yeah, yeah saw that." Mia grumbles out as she moves to exit the room with hamper in tow.
Jamie and Eddie silently watch her leave and a couple of seconds later they hear a thumping going down the stairs.
"DON'T DRAG IT!" Eddie calls "YOU'LL DAMAGE THE HAMPER AND SCRATCH THE FLOORING!"
"FINE!" Mia huffs out in reply before Jamie and Eddie both hear her grunt and groan a little as she picks the hamper up and descends the stairs before eventually her sounds fade away into silence as she gets farther and farther away.
The couple turn to look at one another and laugh when suddenly Eddie gets a thought and begins to climb off the bed "Wait. We didn't show her Jessie's clothes hamper." She notes as she heads across the hall into the nursery "That's the one she really needs to know about."
"Yeah that thing is never empty." Jamie agrees as Eddie picks up the hamper and heads down the stairs.
A moment later, Jamie's face scrunches up and he turns his head to look down at his daughter to see her face all scrunched up too.
"See." he states as he goes to get off the bed and scoop his daughter up "Hamper hasn't even made it to the laundry room yet and I'm sure we're about to start a new pile. Oh wow. You stink." He adds as he heads across the hall into the nursery "What is Mommy feeding you?"
….
"There we go." Jamie states as he finishes fastening the final snap on a freshly cleaned up Jessie just as Eddie enters the room with the now empty clothes hamper and she sighs in defeat "Really?" She challenges at the sight of Jessie on the change table "That was what? 2 minutes?"
"15 seconds." Jamie replies. "You weren't even down the stairs yet and she filled her diaper. What are you feeding her anyway?" he jokes.
"Your green smoothies." Eddie tosses back as she places the hamper back in its location.
"Harsh." Jamie accepts.
"No harsh…" Eddie corrects "…is her trying to bite my nipples off."
Jamie frowns at hearing that and looks down at his daughter "You are not supposed to bite the nipple that feed you." He chides causing Eddie to huff out a laugh.
"That was a good one." She admits.
Jamie turns to look at his wife with a wicked little gleam in his eyes "Only I get to do that." He adds.
Eddie's mouth falls open "Jamie!" She admonishes.
"Oh what?" Jamie laughs "I've got to get these in while she's still too young to understand what we're saying."
Eddie shakes her head at him then addresses Jessie as she moves to pick her up off the table "Daddy's a real clown isn't he?"
"Clown?" Jamie challenges as he steps back out of the way "Babe, Bub…" he begins to list "…Boy Scout - even jerk and a few times ass..." He admits "…but clown, that's new."
Eddie sways the baby in her arms "Yes Daddy is a real clown." she coos to her.
Jamie leans over his wife's shoulder to look at his daughter "Just to clarify if anyone is a clown in this family it's your Mommy." He tells Jessie "She's constantly telling me how funny she is."
"There is a difference between being a clown and being funny Jamie." Eddie sweetly corrects as she makes funny faces at her daughter "Yes there is!" She coos again.
"So clowns aren't funny?" Jamie tries to clarify.
"No." Eddie replies as she continues to engage with her daughter "Clowns are scary." She tells the little girl "Yes they are. We don't like clowns do we? No we don't."
Jamie face scrunches up at hearing that "You don't like clowns? How did I not know that before?"
"I don't know." Eddie dismissively deflects "It just never came up."
"Well that's important information to know Eddie." Jamie unhappily insists "I mean what would have happened if I had decked this room out in a clown theme!"
Eddie scoffs "Right like that was going to happen."
Jamie just stares at his wife dumbfounded.
"Jamie we've known each other 10 years." Eddie begins to explain "You've never brought up clowns. I've never brought up clowns. Clowns weren't even on your radar."
Jamie looks at his wife and shakes his head "Still would have been nice to know."
"Well now you do." Eddie tosses at him before getting a very serious look on her face "No clowns." She reiterates "Ever."
Jamie studies his wife "Okay spill." He demands "I want to know what happened to make you hate clowns so much? Must have been traumatic." He deduces "Because there are not a lot of things you are afraid of."
"Okay no." Eddie counters "I am not afraid of them. I don't like them – again big difference."
"So if you came across a clown in a dark alley you wouldn't turn around and run?"
"No I wouldn't turn around and run." Eddie insists "I'd ask him what he's doing alone in a dark alley and if I didn't like his answer, I'd haul his ass to jail for loitering."
Jamie tries to contain his smile "Just like that huh?"
"Yup." Eddie confirms.
Jamie looks at his wife as his mind runs though possible options "I'm trying to decide if you dated a clown and the break up was really bad or…"
"I did not date a clown." Eddie rejects.
"Then what?" Jamie presses.
"A clown ruined my 5th birthday party okay?" Eddie finally replies before taking in a deep unhappy breath of air "I don't really want to talk about it."
"Oh that bad huh?" Jamie notes in sympathy trying not to smile "Okay well if you ever do want to talk about it I'm here." He offers.
Eddie eyes her husband "That's it? You're not going to force it out of me?" She challenges before a look of realization appears on her face "Yeah sure just ask my parents later – actually be sure you ask Dad – you'll get a more honest answer. All my Mother will say is it wasn't her fault!"
Jamie cringes while also working super hard to suppress the huff of a laugh that wants to escape his mouth but he fails and at the sound of it, Eddie turns to glare at her husband.
"Sorry." He immediately and sincerely apologizes before getting a thought and turning serious "Hey wait a minute – you called me a clown but you don't like clowns."
"I don't like jerks or asses either." Eddie points out.
Jamie looks at his wife then looks at his daughter "Mommy is mean." He tells her.
"Mommy is not mean." Eddie counters "Mommy was being funny."
"So Mommy calling Daddy a clown even though Mommy doesn't like clowns is Mommy being funny?" Jamie tries to clarify.
"Yes." Eddie simply replies.
Not really sure what else to do, Jamie sighs in defeat and simply just says "Sure."
Silence.
"Okay Daddy's not a clown." Eddie suddenly corrects changing her mind "We love Daddy, don't we? Yes we do so therefore Daddy can not be a clown."
"Okay yeah I like that answer better." Jamie decides.
"And Mommy is sorry she called Daddy a clown." Eddie continues.
"Is she sorry for the jerk and the asses too?" Jamie just can't help but cheekily question.
"No." Eddie simply replies "Because when Mommy called Daddy those names, Daddy deserved them."
"Those are not very nice things Mommy is saying about Daddy is it?" Jamie challenges as Eddie looks down to see Jessie fast asleep in her arms so she switches out of baby talk back into adult talk mode "Well it's like you said Jamie, have to get these things out while she is still too young to understand – she's asleep."
Jamie leans over to look "Oh nicely done." He quietly commends in approval.
"Thank you." Eddie whispers out as she starts to make her way back to the master bedroom to put her down in her bassinet "Team effort." She adds.
Jamie blows out a breath of air in relief "Go team."
...