A Chance for a Better Life
Chapter Twenty-Three
Three days later Jamie was finally back at work. He was still sore, but it was time to take down Hoffman, his uncle and five other members on the force. In the week he'd been off things had gotten more complicated. Hoffman was shocked when Jamie returned. He was told by one of his guys that Jamie was either dead or severely injured and wouldn't be back any time soon.
The day that Hoffman had kidnapped Jamie, he put in his request to be transferred out of the 5-4. He didn't want anyone looking at him. Jamie hadn't announced the issued that he'd had with Hoffman, but somehow it had gotten around the department that he was known for stealing collars. He was surprised that his uncle had yet to get the Chief of Detectives to push his transfer through. Normally his uncle reacted quickly to his requests.
Chief Hoffman was having a bad day too. He was going to be spending all day in meetings led by the PC. He'd heard that Jamie wasn't hurt as badly as they'd originally thought, which meant that he'd be able to identify them. He hoped his nephew was going to take care of the situation since they were currently at the same house.
Danny could see the tension in the squad. Too many good detectives had been transferred or fired recently because of the issues and he needed it to stop. They were currently coming after Baez, and he knew that she hadn't done anything wrong and wouldn't do anything wrong. The problem was he couldn't get any traction in finding the problem. Danny didn't like being left out. The last time he'd been left out the DA Bureau Chief was dirty.
He thought that Baez was currently being interrogated by IA, in truth she was on her way to meet with intelligence at 1PP. She wasn't prepared to see Jamie and his old partner Mark in the office she walked into.
"Jamie what are you doing here? I thought I was supposed to meet with IA."
Jamie laughed hoping to cut the tension a little. "That's what you were told so no red flags would go up for anyone in the squad room."
"Where do they think you are?"
"They think he's out working a case." Mark answered.
"Maria, you won't be meeting with IA. We know that you didn't steal any money like you've been accused of."
Maria took a big sigh of relief. She knew she was innocent but didn't think anyone other than Danny was on her side, and he kept hitting brick walls. "How?"
"The case is still open, and we can't divulge anymore, but you don't have anything to worry about. Once this is all over in a few days you'll be back to work as normal. Until then we need you to act like you've been suspended. You will still be getting paid, so don't worry about that."
"What am I supposed to tell my partner? He's freaking out right now." Baez knew Jamie and Mark both understood.
Jamie and Mark looked at each other. "At this time, it would be best to not share what's going on with your partner. He's already been trying to push his way in, and he may be putting himself in danger."
"Jamie, you know your brother's gonna do something stupid."
Mark laughed. "We're prepared for it. If he does and he gets suspended, it will be okay."
Baez was shocked. "Are you kidding me?
Jamie shook his head no. "The people who did this already thought that they killed me. When I showed up in the squad this morning, they weren't happy which is why we brought you in here instead of IA."
"What about the other detectives that have been jammed up over this?"
Mark sighed. "They're situations are being taken care of. What was said here cannot leave this room. We will contact you when you will be going back on duty."
"So, this is an order?"
"Yes." Jamie and Mark said at the same time.
"I guess your brother doesn't know that you're undercover. You're not really part of our squad, are you?" Baez knew that this news would hurt Danny.
"No, I'm not. Don't worry about Danny. I'll handle it. He's already mad at me."
"About Eddie?" Maria was having a bad week, and it didn't have a great start. Danny cornered her and started telling her all about how Jamie told them that not only are he and Eddie engaged, but they also plan to get married in a month. Danny didn't understand why neither one of them wanted a big wedding. He loved all the pomp and circumstance. He'd never get to be in Joe's wedding, now he didn't think he'd get to be a part of Jamie's wedding either. He knew Erin was planning on talking to Eddie too, but he had a feeling that if Eddie wanted a big wedding, then they'd be planning a big wedding.
"Yeah. Ed and I don't want to spend the money on a big day when we know that the money would go much further to help many people in the community."
"Does the family understand your reason?"
Jamie looked at Mark, who he knew understood and they'd only worked together for a while. "I explained it to them, but I know that they weren't all listening."
Mark was happy that Jamie was keeping Baez occupied because he knew how close she and Danny were. He was worried that she may blow the case because Danny was so hot headed. While they were talking those involved were being arrested. They'd gotten the last of the evidence that they needed to move forward with the arrests minutes after Maria arrived. He would officially have his partner back.
"Give them time."
Four hours later Jamie was back at the 12th where all of these arrested were being held. He became a cop to help people and to take criminals off the street. The fact that this was the second time that he'd arrested a group of corrupt cops turned his stomach.
Danny couldn't believe that again he'd missed something so big happening right under his nose. He'd heard over the years that he'd been blind when a cop did something but didn't actually think that it was true. After missing the truth again, he was beginning to doubt himself for the first time in his career.
His ability to do his job wasn't the only thing he was questioning. Jamie, although he hadn't figured out the two cases on his own, was still open minded enough to see the truth. He couldn't believe it when they came in and arrested Hoffman that morning. He didn't think that there was any way that he'd have anything to do with corruption. He has a family legacy in the NYPD just like Reagan's. Erin was shocked. She liked Detective Hoffman and thought he was good for the NYPD. For both of them to hear that he and his uncle were the ones that kidnapped and beat up Jamie to save themselves was a gut punch.
Frank wasn't happy that one of his Chief's had been corrupt and giving his nephew help climbing the ranks. After reading Hoffman's file he really wondered how he'd fooled so many people. He'd graduated second to Jamie, and now Frank was wondering if he'd cheated.
Jamie had spent the day running back and forth between the 12th and 1PP. Mark had taken lead at 1PP. They had planned to end the day at 5-4, but it wasn't possible. Jamie would be packing up his desk in the Major Case squad the next morning or more accurately later that day.
It was late when Jamie got home and Eddie was already asleep, but she left dinner for him because she knew he probably hadn't had time to eat. The longer she lived with him the more she worried that he wouldn't eat enough and often didn't eat when he was stressed.
Eddie got an early morning call that she had to go in for when she realized Jamie wasn't next to her, and she worried he had worked through the night. A wave of relief washed over her when she found him asleep on the couch with his half-eaten dinner on the coffee table.
"Babe." Eddie whispered. Jamie looked so uncomfortable. "Jamie… Jamie… Hey babe, go to bed."
Jamie looked up half awake. "What time is it?"
"Early, I gotta go take a call. Go to bed, you look exhausted. What time did you get home?"
"It was almost three. I still have to pack up my desk in the Major Case Squad."
Eddie just shook her head. "I don't think it's that big of a deal."
Eddie pushed Jamie into the bedroom and helped him get undressed so he could just crawl in bed. "Now sleep for a while. Don't go in either until you have to or get called in. I'll call later and we can figure out food." Eddie gave him a kiss and headed out.
Jamie slept for a while. He really needed it. When he woke up, he made one of his green smoothies and for the first time since the attack and announcing his and Eddie's engagement he was able to really relax. He knew Eddie was gonna have a long day, so he was planning on ordering her favorite food for dinner so they could relax and go to be early.
The 5-4 was buzzing when he walked in. He wasn't surprised and he knew it would be worse when he made it upstairs. He was surprised to see his brother sitting at his desk quietly instead of the loud brother that he was used to.
"Hey Danny." Jamie smiled. He honestly expected Danny and Baez out working a case since he knew all of the detectives who had issues because of Hoffman were back on duty.
"Hey kid, I didn't know if I'd see you today. Baez updated me on a few things."
Jamie laughed. "Yeah, we thought she might."
"We were both relieved, but based on what she told me, I didn't think that I'd be seeing you in here again."
Jamie shook his head and looked at the floor. "Well, I'm just here to pack up my desk and I was gonna say goodbye to my partner, but Lt. G told me that she's off today."
"Yeah, I was supposed to be off today, but so many people in squad called off that Lt. G called me in. Linda's not happy."
Jamie cringed. He knew Danny and Linda were going through a rough patch. "What are you gonna do?"
Danny sighed. "I don't know. I wish I had an idea. What about you? Are you ready for days like these?"
Jamie thought about what his night looked like. "Buy dinner on the way home or take her out."
Danny laughed. "Good idea kid. So how late did you work last night?"
"I think I got home around two or three. I ate some dinner Ed had for me and fell asleep on the couch. She found me at five this morning when she was called in."
"Linda used to understand when I was too tired to make it to bed. How did Eddie handle it?"
Jamie smiled. "She understands. Her hours are as crazy as ours."
"Linda's hours used to be, but now that she's a supervisor she has a consistent schedule. I know she wishes I did too."
"I'm technically supposed to go back to intelligence tomorrow, but talk to G. If I can fill in for you so you can get tomorrow off, I will."
"Thanks kid. I'm gonna miss working with you." Danny finally smiled and started to plan dinner.
It didn't take Jamie more than a few minutes to pack up his desk. He looked around the Major Case squad knowing that the next time he'd be there would only be to help and not as a member of the team.
He'd planned a big dinner for Eddie knowing she'd had a long day. Life as a social worker was as hard a life as a cop. He'd heard from a friend at the twelfth about the case she'd been called in for, and he was prepared to support her in any way that he could just she'd done for him that morning.
"Hey Ed, I'm glad your home. We can talk about your day if you want, or we start discussing the wedding or anything. It's up to you." Jamie smiled.
"The wedding and OMG these burgers and fries are exactly what I needed." Eddie came over and gave him a big hug.
"Ok, where do you want to start?"
"My dress. I didn't want to spend a lot and when we were gonna get married at the courthouse it wasn't a big deal. Now…"
"Wear whatever you want. I bet Erin, Linda, and Nikki would love to go shopping with you."
"Do you want me to wear a suit or a tux?"
Eddie laughed. She loved Jamie so much; he really was her forever person. "Suit, you'll be able to wear it for work after and it just makes more sense."
"Ok, but I think I'm gonna buy a new suit instead of one of my current ones."
"What else do we need to think about?"
Jamie took a deep breath. "When Danny and Linda got married, they had everything they needed because they had already been out on their own that instead of presents, they asked that a donation be made to either St. Brendan's soup kitchen or The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. We could chose anything that we want, but we're in the same position. You don't have to decide now."
Eddie smiled and picked up their dinner dishes. "Yes, let's do the same thing, I think we already have everything we need."
"Okay, we'll let everyone know what organizations that we choose. Now, do we want to do a brunch or dinner, and do we want to do it at my dad's or a restaurant?"
"Is there somewhere you'd want to eat or just order it to go and be comfortable eating at your dad's?"
"Perfect! We'll pick a place and order in." Jamie was avoiding these conversations because he wasn't sure how it was gonna go. He'd heard so many horror stories, and not that he thought Eddie would be like that, but wedding planning changes people.
"Hopefully we'll get a date this weekend and then we can finish planning. Get the kind of cake you want from the bakery you want."
Eddie was so happy she could jump up and down if she had the energy. "Sounds perfect. Let's go to bed."
The next couple days proved to be busy. Both Eddie and Jamie seem to be working around the clock and only see each other when they are home to get some sleep. Jamie's first days in intelligence as a detective are interesting. He'd talked to his sergeant and requested no long-term undercover assignments until after his and Eddie's wedding.
Saturday one of Eddie's kids who had been approved to move home three weeks earlier was found dead in an alley two blocks from their apartment. She was devastated and was having a hard time coming to terms with the loss. She woke up Sunday morning with little sleep and a feeling like she'd failed. The reason this case was tearing her apart so hard was because the little girl had found a wonderful foster home and the family wanted to adopt her. When she and Marie had to tell them that the court awarded custody to Amaya's dad they were devastated. They had told Eddie that they were afraid that something bad would happen, and they were right. When she and Marie had to tell them that Amaya wad dead, it was hard and it was the reason that she was struggling. It was an emotional reaction, but they blamed her, and she understood because she blamed herself too.
Marie called Jamie Saturday when Eddie was on her way home. She knew that Eddie would need support and was so happy that she had Jamie to go home to.
"Babe, you can go back to bed, and I'll wake you up when it's time to head over for dinner." Jamie wrapped his arms around Eddie lending support in any way he could.
"I can't sleep anymore. I'll be okay. We should go to church anyway." Eddie was trying to put on a brave face.
"No, we are going to relax, and sleep if you need to. I'm gonna get us some food because we need to eat."
Eddie sighed and tried to stop the tears from falling again. "Okay." She didn't have the energy to fight.
An hour later Jamie returned home with Eddie's favorite big breakfast. He was happy to find her curled up asleep on the couch.
A few minutes later he knew that she smelled the omelet he'd gotten her. "Hey. Sorry, wow that smells good."
Jamie was elated. If Eddie didn't want to eat this, he knew things were worse than he thought. "Let's eat."
"This is so good. Thank you."
Eddie realized how little she'd eaten the day before. Once she was done and put her plate in the sink and went in the bedroom to get ready and ended up falling asleep again. Jamie understood and knew that she needed it. He did the dishes and read until he knew it was time to get ready for Sunday dinner.
When they arrived, the entire family was already there and in everyone, but Frank and Danny were in the kitchen.
"Dad, one of your chiefs. I can't believe it. How did it happen?"
Frank shook his head. "I missed it, Danny. I missed the fact that one of my chiefs was corrupt and protecting people under him. Jamie was almost killed."
"That's not your fault dad. None of it is. You can't control everything. There are too many of us. His nephew was in my squad, and I completely missed it."
Frank could see the impact of that statement on his oldest son but was interrupted before he could say anything.
"Danny most people didn't understand that Hoffman, his uncle, and the others were corrupt. They only let a few see who they thought weren't capable of understanding what they were doing. Hoffman stole two of my collars my rookie year." Jamie explained. Hoffman and his cohorts were clever, but not smart.
"How come you never told me?" Frank asked perplexed and worried about what else his son hid from him.
"Because it wasn't a big deal at the time."
Danny ran his hand over his face. An obvious sign of stress. "He almost killed you."
Jamie rolled his eyes. "How many times have you almost been killed?"
"Listen smartass…"
Frank couldn't handle a fight before dinner when he knew most likely one would happen between Danny and Erin during dinner. "Daniel. Stop."
"Fine."
Linda peaked her head into the room. "Danny, dinners almost ready. Go and get the boys and get them cleaned up for dinner."
Danny sulked away unhappy that he didn't get to speak his mind. Each time Jamie got hurt he'd hoped it would be what made Jamie decide to quit the NYPD and go back to working at a law firm or the DA's office.
"Jamie are you happy going back to Intelligence?" Frank wondered.
"Yes."
"Okay. If that changes, you'll let me know." Frank watched Jamie.
"I will. Right now, I'm focused on the wedding."
"We can talk about that while we eat."
After everyone heard about the last few days, they decided that they would have Eddie's favorite beef roast for dinner.
"Eddie, I spoke to a few people at the church, and they said that you can pick any Tuesday through Thursday for the next month."
"Thanks Pop. We'll be at the soup kitchen tomorrow. We'll let them know our date then." Jamie smiled. He knew that the family still wasn't happy that he and Eddie didn't want the big wedding that his siblings had.
"I bet Shelly's thrilled." Frank said looking at his future daughter-in-law.
Eddie laughed. "She is. She can't wait because we're both off tomorrow and plan to spend the day there."
Linda's head popped up. "Are you done with undercover work?"
Erin hadn't thought she'd never see the day that Jamie would stop UC work. "Jamie?"
"No, I'm not. I'll be in the back working on the budget and schedule or in the kitchen cooking, while Eddie's out front."
Erin looked at her soon to be sister-in-law. "What do you think about this?"
"I'm good. Jamie's really good at what he does and I'm not gonna stop him." Eddie squeezed Jamie's hand. She knew he hated how his family always does this to him and how much it hurts. "Erin, would you be a bridesmaid?"
To say that she was shocked was an understatement. This was very unexpected. "Yes."
"Danny will be a groomsman?"
Without any hesitation, "Yes, I'd be proud to."
"Are you guys having anyone else standing up with you?" Henry wondered.
"Yeah, my friend Hailey is my maid of honor and my boss Marie."
"Spencer's my best man, and Renzulli."
"Renzulli! Jamie, I'm surprised. How often do you even get to see him anymore?" Frank wasn't expecting to hear that name.
Eddie laughed. "Actually, my boss is Marie Renzulli. She's my mentor too so we usually have dinner about once a month."
The table erupted in laughter. All of the kids just looked at the adults like they were nuts. "What's so funny?" Sean asked.
"Renzulli was your Uncle Jamie's training officer." Danny explained.
"So?" Jack asked and their cousin Nikki just rolled her eyes because she understood what was going on.
"Nikki." Erin knew she only had to say her daughter's name, and she would take the boys to watch a movie.
"Come on boys. Let's go find a movie."
Reluctantly both boys followed their older cousin. They always complained that they never got to be a part of good conversations.
"You were both trained by Renzulli's that hilarious." Henry laughed.
"Yep, and we are both better for it." Jamie said knowing he'd always have Renzulli to thank for being his mentor.
Danny ran his hand over his face. Renzulli, he'd been his TO too and had a very different experience than Joe or Jamie had with him. The only things that they both believed in were justice and family. He knew if Joe were alive, he'd be his best man, and he knew how hard these milestones had to be with so many family members missing.
"Yes, you both are. Now when will we all know the date so we can request the day off?" Frank still felt he had to state the obvious.
"I'll text the date to everyone tomorrow." Jamie smiled.
"Any idea on your honeymoon yet Jamie?" Erin hoped it would be better than hers and Jacks.
Jamie blushed and smiled. "Yes, but it's a surprise and neither one of us can get time off for our honeymoon for few months."
Eddie loved Jamie's shy side. They'd discussed the honeymoon and Jamie had an idea that he knew she'd love. She trusted him and wasn't worried about anything other than what to pack for the weeklong trip they'd be dreaming about for the next few months.
"I can't wait to see where we end up going. I know it's gonna be great!"
The rest of dinner is spent talking about wedding colors and getting to know Eddie better.
The next day at the soup kitchen is fun and relaxing. Eddie loves being out in the community and helping as many people as she can. Jamie's time is spent in the back making sure everything can keep running smoothly. There are days when he wishes that he could just quit the NYPD and work full time at the soup kitchen, but he knew he wouldn't have that option for a long time.
Three weeks later on a Tuesday morning it was finally time. Jamie and Eddie were getting married. They were both so happy. Eddie had picked out a cute fifty's style white dress with a sweetheart neckline and Jamie's wearing a modern dark grey suit with a royal blue tie.
Erin, Haley, and Marie were all wearing royal blue dresses. Spencer, Danny, and Tony were all wearing grey suits. There were twenty-five guests in attendance, and they only took up a small part of the church. The few decorations that Eddie and Jamie added to church were beautiful.
Jamie wasn't as nervous as he thought he'd be. He remembered how nervous Danny was on his wedding day.
Henry and Frank were seated at the front. Henry was happy to be able to attend all of his grandchildren's weddings. He wished that Jamie had a larger affair closer to what Erin and Danny did, but he understood why Jamie and Eddie didn't want a big extravagant day, and it was their day.
Eddie was excited that the day had finally arrived. She loved the dress she'd found. She couldn't wait to see Jamie at the end of the aisle waiting for her.
The ceremony was short at Jamie and Eddie's request. When they kissed their small group of guests cheered and Frank was wiping away tears. The brunch wasn't set to start for a few hours, so Frank and Henry invited all of the guest to the house to relax.
Jamie and Eddie made their way to the cemetery.
"Ed, I thought it was important to visit those who couldn't be here today. We can go visit your brother next."
Eddie gave Jamie a big hug and didn't let go of his hand. "No, let's stay here and then walk to your dad's house. We can visit my brother later."
Jamie took Eddie over to his birth mom's grave. "I've never brought anyone here before. I usually come and talk to my mom on the really hard days. I felt really bad when I was sick because I couldn't come here. Joe used to bring me when I was too young to come on my own."
"Thank you for bringing me."
Jamie took a deep breath. "Mom, I'd like you to meet my wife. I did it, I got married and Eddie is an amazing person. She is smart and kind and a superhero. She's a social worker who helps people like us. Maybe if we had someone like her Mason wouldn't have been able to hurt you."
"I wish you could've been here to see the wedding Mrs. O'Hare. Jamie looked so handsome in his suite and he's such a sweet and caring person. You raised him well and I know a lot of people that are thankful that he's in their lives and I'm one of them."
Jamie had tears going down his face. He wasn't expected Eddie to say anything. This is why he married her. "Thanks Ed. I love you."
The walk back to the house was quiet as each one thought about the events of the day. It was the best Tuesday of their lives and didn't think that would ever change. When they arrived at the house, they could hear music and smell food and hear Frank and Henry laughing.
The house erupted as they entered the from door. "The bride and groom are finally here!" Danny shouted and could be heard over everyone else.
Jamie just shook his head and laughed.
"Jamie, what took you and Eddie so long to get here?" Frank knew his son was never late.
Jamie gave his dad a hug. It was a day for family. "I had to take Eddie to meet my mom at the cemetery and then we talked to mom, Joe, and Grandma Betty. I wish that they could've been here today."
"How'd that go?" Frank watched his son carefully. Today was supposed to be a happy day. Although he already had plans to go and tell Mary all about Jamie's big day the over weekend.
"Really great, we're going to visit her brother's grave tomorrow so we can tell him all about the wedding."
"You know Danny and Erin are gonna give you hell, that the first place that you took your wife was the cemetery."
Jamie laughed, but knew his dad was right. "I know dad, but I've always been different, and it was important to me, no it was important to us."
Two hours later everyone was inside the restaurant awaiting the newlyweds again as they made their way. They were given a few minutes alone to themselves.
As Jamie an Eddie entered the restaurant they were met with more cheers and applause. A table was set up just for them facing the rest of the private room.
"Jamie!!! I'm so happy for you and Eddie." Shelly said right before she gave him a big hug. She just wished that Mary had been there to see Jamie get married.
"Thanks for coming. I'm glad that you're here."
"This doesn't mean that you're gonna disappear and go on some big undercover assignment, now does it?" Shelly worried. She hated it when Jamie took those assignments.
"I can't control what's gonna happen, but it's possible. I am an undercover specialist, but it always works out. I always come home." Jamie smiled. He knew it was only because she worried.
The rest of the party was fun and loud. Spencer, Danny, Tony, Haley, Erin, and Marie all give speeches about Jamie and Eddie. Jamie and Eddie are exhausted when they finally get home.
"I love you, Jamie." Eddie said as she kissed him good night.
"I love you too."
The next morning, they each awoke early for work. Henry surprised them with cinnamon rolls the night before so they wouldn't have to worry about breakfast.
"Good morning Mrs. Reagan." Jamie smiled while he gave her a sweet kiss.
"Good morning, Jamie. Our first morning as a married couple and we are both off to twelve-hour shifts."
Jamie sighed. "I'm sorry babe. I promise I will make it up to you."
"Babe don't worry. We discussed this. I'm just giving you a hard time. Be safe. I want that honeymoon."
"I always am."