Chapter 28: The Circle of Life

The Albany Reagans had stayed a few days in Bay Ridge but now Jamie and Quinn stand near the back kitchen door of the Reagan family home watching as Heather and Eddie hug goodbye.

"And I want you to make a doctor's appointment okay." Heather instructs as she pulls back "I won't be around to follow up on your arm healing so…" She continues as she shifts her gaze to look at Jamie "She needs to make a follow up doctor's appointment."

Eddie slightly rolls her eyes while Jamie nods in understanding "I'll make sure she does."

"Good." Heather accepts right as Alex and Caitlin walk back into the doorway from outside.

"Okay all loaded up." Alex states.

Eddie frowns "Ah I'm gonna miss you guys!" She realizes.

"I know!" Caitlin admits as she moves to hug Eddie.

"I know." Jamie deadpans "Who's business will you stick your nose into now?"

Immediately Caitlin pulls back from Eddie to glare at Jamie.

Jamie in response just opens his arms up and smiles.

Caitlin's glare softens and turns into a smile as she moves to hug and squeeze Jamie tight.

"Hey." Eddie playfully warns Caitlin "If you weren't related, you and I might have a problem."

"Ew." Caitlin rejects in payback as she pulls back and looks up at Jamie's face "No worries there. He's WAY too old for me."

"Ouch." Jamie mutters.

Caitlin flashes him a triumphant smile.

Alex sighs and looks at Jamie "Well I for one am going to miss having you as her target instead of me."

Caitlin turns to her brother "I can multitask." She arrogantly muses.

"Great." Alex deadpans as Caitlin turns her attention back to Jamie and Eddie "You two sure you don't want to accept Captain Avery's offer? I mean come on! It would be so much fun! You could even stay with me!"

"Oh now there's a selling point." Jamie mutters.

Eddie lightly back hands Jamie on the chest.

"No please." Caitlin seriously pleads "Please come stay with me so this one…" she continues as she gestures at Alex "…stops hounding me to sell the house."

"You realize that would make us your bosses right?" Jamie points out.

Caitlin smiles and happily quips "I know!" causing Jamie and Eddie to slightly tilt their heads at her then turn to look at one another with the same thought – Reagan's don't give each other special treatment – especially while on the job – far from it…

Suddenly Frank enters the kitchen. He walks over to stand next to Jamie "Everyone all set?" he inquires.

"Yes." Alex confirms.

Franks smiles "You all drive safe now okay?"

"We will." Caitlin promises.

"And you call us or text us when you get home alright?" Jamie requests.

Caitlin turns her head to look at Jamie and raises a curious eyebrow.

"Otherwise Eddie will worry." Jamie explains in deflection.

"Right." Eddie muses with a smirk "Because I'll worry." She challenges as she glances at her husband.

"Because you won't?" Jamie challenges back.

"Not as much as you." Eddie counters back before pausing and turning to look the Albany Reagans "That didn't come out right." She promises.

Everyone laughs.

…..

Jamie and Eddie had been home a little over a week and still trying to adjust when finally Eddie made a follow up doctor's appointment because truth be told, she was just feeling… off.

Now Jamie walks in the back door of the Reagan family home to see his wife sitting at the table with a glass of milk in front of her staring off into space.

"Hey." He greets as he looks at her a little sideways at her unusual drink choice "Everything okay?"

Slowly Eddie turns her head to see her husband standing there, she tilts her head slightly and blinks her eyes a few times before just suddenly out of nowhere announcing "I'm pregnant." in disbelief.

Jamie's eyes go wide and he also tilts his head to match that of this wife "What?"

"I'm pregnant." Eddie just repeats "I went to the doctor like EVERYONE wanted." She over emphasizes "He ran some 'routine'…" she air quotes "…tests and voila! Turns out I'm pregnant."

"Ahhhhh…" Jamie just drawls out still trying to process the news as he steps to pull out a chair and just sinks into a seat to sit at the table himself "…um…"

"Exactly." Eddie agrees as husband and wife both just sit there trying to wrap the minds around the fact that their entire lives just changed – again.

Silence.

"But you're okay?" Jamie suddenly inquires in concern.

"Yeah." Eddie promises "Doctor said I'm fine – we're fine." She then corrects "Boy that's going to take some getting used too."

The corners of Jamie's mouth slowly start to curve up into a smile "Boy. Pregnant." He repeats as he huffs out a breath of air "Wow."

"Wow indeed." Eddie agrees.

"Are we…" Jamie slowly hesitates "…happy about this?"

"I'm still too much in shock." Eddie admits "But I guess, yeah, I mean… damn Jamie this is going to change so much I mean we've barely been home 5 minutes from a long term undercover assignment away. We're living in your old room in your childhood home because our apartment burnt while we were away and…"

"Well it didn't burn…" Jamie starts to correct.

"YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN!" Eddie barks out before cringing "Sorry." She apologizes "I'm just overwhelmed. We haven't had time to even process that or…"

"Pop dying." Jamie adds in sad understanding.

Eddie lets out a heavy sigh in defeat "Yeah." She admits before her head tilts again in thought "Wait do you think…" She slowly begins as she turns her head to look at her husband "That this…" she continues as she gestures at her abdomen before leaning towards her husband so she can lowly whisper "… happened when we had grief sex?"

Jamie blinks his wife at his eyes a little in shock at the prospect "You think?"

Eddie shrugs "I don't know." She admits "I need to make another doctor's appointment to figure all that timing stuff out."

"Right." Jamie agrees as again both new parents to be fall into a little silence but a moment later Jamie shakes his head and repeatedly tugs a bit at the lob of one of his ears "Well if it did, Pop is up there heartily laughing that he had a hand in us finally giving him another grandchild."

Eddie can't help but huff out a laugh at that "Yeah." She agrees "He'd get a real kick out of that one." She muses.

"And be over the moon happy about it." Jamie admits.

The corners of Eddie's mouth start to curve upwards at the thought "He would be, wouldn't he."

Jamie nods "Yeah."

But then Eddie's smile fades "Except now he'll never get to meet this baby." She adds in regret.

A sad look appears on Jamie's face "I know."

Beat.

"But he did meet this other three new ones." Jamie adds as he tries to look on the bright side.

Eddie nods in agreement as a silence befalls the couple.

Beat.

"I can't stop thinking about Albany." Eddie suddenly admits.

Jamie looks at his wife a little confused "What about Albany?"

"I don't know." Eddie admits "I just… Caitlin, Alex, Heather, Quinn – I can't stop thinking about them."

"Well that's only natural Eddie." Jamie deduces "We were out there a long time…" He reasons "At some point it started to feel like…" but then Jamie pauses in realization as he looks at his wife in surprised awe at the word is about to say "Home."

Eddie crinkles her face up as she looks at her husband and thinks about his words "Home." She repeats in wonderment.

"Home." Jamie repeats.

"No." Eddie rejects "That can't be right." She dismisses "Here is home." She insists "THIS is home..." she reiterates before hesitantly questioning "Right?"

Jamie opens his mouth to reply but he's not really sure what to say so instead there is a long pause in the conversation as husband and wife both ponder that.

"Think the job offers still stand?" Eddie suddenly inquires.

Jamie raises an eyebrow at his wife "What are you saying?"

"I… I guess I'm saying that given my current situation the job of a Sergeant in Albany New York is starting to look a bit safer and more appealing than being a patrol officer on the streets of New York City."

"Oh." Jamie notes.

"But I also know you like your work with FIO…" Eddie then quickly waivers "…so…"

"Well now hang on, I did take and pass the Lieutenant's test." Jamie reminds her "And…" he tacks on in an attempt to be funny "…there would be something to be said for indeed being Caitlin's boss."

"Oh boy." Eddie chuckles out at the thought "You have to admit she too would be over the moon if we moved back out there – especially if we stayed with her." Eddie notes.

Jamie huffs out a laugh "Um yeah because we'd be helping her pay the bills!" but the next second Jamie's laugh dies away and he thinks about that "We could help her pay the bills." He much more seriously reasons out "That house is just as much a part of Henry Reagan's Family legacy as this house is. Caitlin and Alex should not have to sell it."

Silence.

"Are we seriously considering moving to Albany?" Eddie questions "I mean what about your Dad? With Henry gone…"

Jamie blows out a breath of air "I might be concerned if Sean wasn't staying here." He admits "But he is so I think in time Dad will be just fine."

Eddie nods in agreement.

More silence.

"And there is something that's been eating at me..." Jamie suddenly admits.

Eddie looks up at her husband "Oh?"

Jamie nods "I can't help but wonder if Pop had lived, would he have moved out there, to Albany - maybe not permanently…" he quickly tacks on "…but a long term stay so he could really get to know that side of his family and now that he's gone I just…"

"Feel like it's up to you?" Eddie continues "To be that bridge that connects the two sides of the family together?"

"Is that crazy?" Jamie questions.

Eddie shakes her head and smiles a little "No." she rejects "Not at all."

"So…" Jamie hesitantly questions "Albany?"

Eddie nods "Albany."

"Okay." Jamie accepts "Although, I guess we should actually see if the job offers are still available though. No point even thinking about this if that's not on the table anymore."

"Good point." Eddie agrees as she watches Jamie pulls out his phone and dial.

….

Dressed in uniform, Caitlin is walking down the hall of the 3rd precinct when her phone dings in her pocket. She pulls it out to read a text message from Jamie

'Still want roommates?' :)

Caitlin abruptly stops walking and her eyes go wide. She immediately dials her phone and impatiently shifts her weight from one foot to the other as she waits for her call to be answered.

"Hello?" Jamie greets on speaker phone.

"What do you mean do I still want roommates?" Caitlin just begins "What does that mean? What are you saying?"

"Well hello to you too." Jamie returns as he stands with his phone in his hand with Eddie beside him listening in.

"Answer the question!" Caitlin impatiently demands.

"Now is that anyway to talk to your Commanding Officer?" Jamie simply counters.

"Oh my god." Caitlin breathes out "Are you serious? Are you telling me you accepted the jobs out here?"

"That would be 'are you telling me you accepted the jobs out here - Sir." Jamie corrects before dramatically sighing "I have so much to teach you."

"EEEEEEEEEEEE!" Caitlin shrieks in glee causing Jamie to scrunch his face up in disapproval.

"Starting with acting like that." Jamie decides as he glances at his wife to see her snickering "Officer Reagan…" He then professional addresses "Are you in uniform?"

Now it's Caitlin's face that crinkles up trying to figure out where Jamie is going with this "Yes." She simply replies.

"Then that's a one day RIP for inappropriate behavior while in uniform." Jamie decides.

Caitlin's face crinkles up even more "What?"

"Wanna make it a two day RIP?" Jamie challenges.

Now even more thoroughly confused Caitlin again questions "What?"

Eddie rolls her eyes at Caitlin not getting it "Officer Reagan." She chimes in "This is your Sergeant speaking and let me tell you from personal experience Lieutenant Reagan is being quite serious when he says he'll give you a RIP so I suggest you stop questioning 'what?' and start replying with 'No Sir.'"

There is a moment of silence over the phone where the air seems to shift and suddenly a serious Caitlin replies "No Sir."

At hearing that Eddie lifts her head to look at Jamie and happily smiles "Now she's getting it."

"Excellent." Jamie agrees "Now as you were Rookie, those street aren't going to protect themselves so stay safe out there."

"Yes sir." Caitlin replies.

"Oh she's a quick study." Eddie impressively notes.

"Well she is a Reagan." Jamie proudly boasts causing Caitlin to shake her head slightly at the whiplash she feels from Jamie chewing her out to boasting about her in the span of ten seconds.

"Oh and hey Caitlin." Jamie suddenly adds.

"Um… yes?" Caitlin slowly adds as she has to first think if she should be adding Sir to the end of that.

"If the offer still stands…" Jamie continues "We would like to take you up on the offer to stay with you and help pay the bills."

Caitlin blinks her eyes a few times deducing she is now talking to her uncle, not her boss in her mind "Um… sure…" She cautiously gets out.

Eddie cringes at Caitlin's hesitation and looks at her husband "Do you think she's having second thoughts now that we'll be her bosses?"

"NO!" Caitlin quickly protests out "It's just going to take me a bit of time to get used to the way you guys – apparently – just flip a switch between work and personal, I mean god! How do you do that?"

"Oh don't worry." Jamie soothingly promises "You'll get the hang of it – real quick." He assures her.

An unhappy scowl appears on Caitlin's face "Grrrrreat."

…..