And Love
Chapter 8 Surprise, not!
MAKE-UP DINNER WITH JOE HILL
12-David
"Well partner, you've dodged me for 4 days now! Let's decide on a date for that make-up dinner you promised me." Eddie declares from the passenger side of the RMP.
"Dodging you? Never." Joe squirms.
"Yes, dodging. I've had enough 1 & 2 date experiences to see it a mile off."
"Ok, next Tuesday? We have a day shift that day."
"You have our schedule implanted on your brain or something?"
"Hey trainee, that's a req – the schedule memorized at least 2 weeks out."
Eddie has a disbelieving look on her face.
"Just ask Reagan when you get home."
"Ok, I'll call him."
"From kitchen to living room, right?" He smirks.
"Do you-
"Yes, I know. Geez, wake up and smell the coffee, Janko!"
"Ah . . . yes, sir!"
"See you Tuesday – and no, I don't need the address."
"Copy that."
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DINNER
After a warm welcome they all make themselves comfy in the LR. They can smell dinner finishing in the oven. They are enjoying hors 'de oeuvres with a non-alcoholic white wine; Mal has a sparkling grape juice – Cold Duck.
Joe springs this on them, "So, what did you two have planned the 1st time?" He narrows his eyes.
Eddie & Jamie look askance at each other.
"Come on! Let's not play games! You were suspecting something, be honest with me, damn it!"
Jamie caves, "Ok, when Eddie got the picture of her new TO . . . she thought she saw a familial resemblance between you and me."
"We had several discussions about how to approach that possibility." Eddie admitted.
"Without actually asking me, right?"
"Right. And after you seemed to react to that family picture . . . we were even more in a quandary as to what to do," Eddie admitted.
"Still without actually asking me." Joe seems to be getting pissed.
"Yeah, we didn't know-
"How to actually ask me. After I told you that I didn't know who my dad was, that seems like a wide-open door, no?"
"It was, I guess we didn't want to offend you, or piss you off-
"Well, you did #2, #1 not so much . . . let's start again, shall we?" Joe hands Eddie his promo picture. "You've just been handed your new TO's picture. Go."
Eddie and Jamie look at each other, nonplussed.
"GO!" He is about to get agitated!
"Ah, I'm Eddie Janko, your new trainee. You look like you could be related to my former TO, Jamie Reagan. Is that possible?"
"Well, I don't know who my birth dad was. My mom is Paula Hill. Is she in Jamie's family tree?"
"I doubt it, but do you mind if I do some checking?"
"Knock yourself out! Which you did, and you found what? TRUTH!"
"Paula Hill was in the NYPD Academy with Joseph Reagan, Jamie's next older brother."
"And?"
"2 classmates remember Joe and Paula had a thing going on. She dropped out suddenly. 9 months later she had a baby boy." Eddie stops, misty eyed.
"Joseph Connor Hill," Joe whispers.
Jamie and Eddie nod.
"Where do we go from here?" Jamie wonders.
"Wow . . . it looks like we have an Eddie/Jamie scenario magnified by a factor of about 12." Eddie voices.
Both guys look puzzled. "What?" Jamie voices.
"Let me explain," Eddie mutters. "I essentially hid Malina from Jamie and the Reagan family for 2 years. Factors to be explained. Paula essentially hid Joe here from the Reagan family for 25 years? How old are you?"
"25."
"Wow!" Jamie covers his mouth with his hands.
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AFTER DINNER
Mal is playing in her room; the adults are relaxing in the LR.
"Eddie speaks up, "I had an epiphany, it's wicked!"
"Go for it," Jamie encourages her, Joe nods.
"What if we told Pops that 3 of us were coming to dinner; not telling him who the 3 are?"
Jamie has a bad feeling. "Go on."
"Pops assumes it will be m e, Jamie and Mal. But I leave Mal with Betty."
Jamie groans, Joe grins, Eddie giggles.
"It seems that my mother will get caught up in this somewhere along the line. I think I should talk with her, maybe have her meet the 3 of you before we do something like that." Joe ponders.
Jamie & Eddie agree.
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WARWICK, RHODE ISLAND
"Joe, honey! It's so good to hear your voice! I love you, son."
"I love you too, mom. I have some news; I met some family that I never knew about."
Silence.
"Mom?"
More silence, sniffling.
"Mom, we knew this would eventually happen, right?"
"Joseph . . . I'm so sorry." Paula is crying now.
"Mom, my father's family is deeply embedded in the NYPD. I am an officer in the NYPD, my dad was an NYPD detective; I am training the girlfriend of Jamie Reagan. All of this is about to come out."
"Honey, I'm so embarrassed about what I did." She continues to sniffle. "I don't think I can face them. Please understand."
"I do mom, up to a point. Jamie and Eddie have a similar issue. We have met and talked; let me suggest this. Can you come to NYC for a weekend, stay with me in my guest room and do some sightseeing. We will have dinner with Jamie, his girlfriend and their daughter. We will talk and see how we want to approach this. Your thoughts?"
Paula's sniffles stop. "Yes, that sounds good. I could do that the weekend after next. Will that work?"
"Yes, I ill clear my schedule and let you know the specifics. Bye, mom."
"Bye, son."
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12TH PRECINCT
Eddie is back to work, on desk duty.
"Hey partner, my mom agreed to come to NYC the weekend after next to visit, meet you and Jamie, and talk." Joe announces as he sidles up to her desk.
"Great, can we get our schedules cleared?"
"I will work with Jamie on that."
"Ok, I will wait for him to let me know. What specifically do you have in mind?"
"Ah, sightseeing Saturday. Then meeting with you and Jamie either Saturday dinner or Sunday brunch."
"I think Saturday dinner; then we can meet again Sunday if needed. Plus, Jamie has mass Sunday AM, you know."
"Good thinking, let's go with that. Jamie has several options for mass times. He can adjust."
They do, as planned.
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TBC '