Thank you so much for the feedback on the family dinner. I was concerned that it might not live up to the build up, but it seems to have been well received. Chapter 16 is ready for your reading pleasure (hopefully). By the way, from what I remember, Henry is sometimes referred to as 'Gramps' and sometimes as 'Pops' by the grands and great-grands. I don't really remember who refers to him how, so I just have them all referring to his as 'Pops' for the sake of simplicity.
Pick Up on Aisle 10: Chapter 16
It was shortly after midnight and Lucy was appreciating the relatively peaceful night in the ER. Most of the issues had been minor and easily treated. She headed towards the desk to return the chart she had just finished updating when she heard a voice call her name.
"Joe. What are you doing here? Is everything okay?"
"Everything is fine," he told her, offering one of the coffee cups he was holding. "A case I'm on is about to wrap, so I was following up on a couple of things. Unfortunately, bad guys seem to like to operate in the dark."
"She took a sip and smiled her thanks. "Though anymore, it seems like they're completely unafraid to operate in the light of day as well."
"True," he agreed. "Anyway, I was in the area and thought I'd stop in and see how you're holding up after your first Reagan family dinner."
"I'm good."
"It wasn't so long ago that I was the new face at the table, so I know it can be just a bit overwhelming." He sipped his own drink and continued. "Though my experience was lacking in the hostility of yours. I'm really sorry about that. They really are good people."
"I'm sure they are. Francis and Henry have talked so much about their family and it's always with so much love and pride." She looked over at him. "And you have absolutely nothing to apologize for. I know this whole thing came out of nowhere and caught everyone by surprise."
"It was, but that's no excuse for the way we reacted. We were unwelcoming and unkind."
She shrugged. "I've dealt with worse."
"Really? Because that seemed pretty brutal."
"No one hit me or pointed a gun at me."
He stared at her for a moment, then cleared his throat.
"Okay."
"My childhood was not exactly idyllic, Joe. That's a part of why I agreed to this marriage. I have no real experience with what a healthy family is like and I want my kids to have that. I need someone to help me do that and your grandfather seems to want to do it."
"I think you've got the right people to do that. Grandpa and Pops are all about family. And they both seem to be big supporters of you."
"They're good men and they want to be sure these babies are well taken care of," she told him.
"It's not just the babies," he told her. "They care about you, too."
She gave him a shy smile.
"And the rest of the family will come around," he added.
"I hope so," she replied. "Danny is at least accepting that it's happening because he loves his dad. I got the impression Sean and Eddie were maybe leaning towards giving us the benefit of the doubt. Not so sure about what Nicky was thinking. The others were pretty clear on their opinions."
"Yeah. They were…a bit much."
"Thank you for speaking up and for making the effort to get to know me. That meant a lot to your grandfather. And to me."
"It just struck me that you are in the same position my mom was in all those years ago. There've been a few snide remarks over the years about her choosing not to let my dad or the Reagans know about me and I've sometimes wondered about how things would have been different if she had."
He paused and took a sip of his own coffee.
"I'm really glad you made the decision you did…but the reaction I saw yesterday has got me wondering just how they really would have reacted had she come to them. If she would have faced the same hostility you did."
"I doubt it," she tried to assure him. "Like I said, I don't know much about family relationships, but I imagine it's more expected for a sibling to do something unexpected than it is for a parent."
"Especially when that parent has such a strong sense of right and wrong as my grandfather has."
"And your mother is apparently stronger than I am. Strong enough to do it on her own. And she did it well on her own. You seem to have turned out well."
He shrugged. "Relatively, I suppose."
"The thought of doing this on my own terrifies me. I know lots of things not to do when raising kids, but I'm not so sure about what TO do, you know?"
Joe nodded.
"The thing is, even without my father and the rest of the Reagans in the picture, she still had her own family to help her and support her. She was younger so the pregnancy was not as risky for her. Plus, there was only one of me. Which she would tell you is more than enough."
She laughed.
"I know she really relied on the support she had. Not having anyone to back you up seems pretty scary. You'll do just fine, Lucy. You're smart. You're tough. You've made it through some pretty tough times, sounds like. And I'm seeing something in my grandpa that I haven't seen before and I have to think you're responsible for that. You and your kids."
He considered a moment, then shook his head.
"My aunts and or uncles."
"Weird, huh?"
"Very."
He shook his head again. "Oh. I also wanted to ask you about paint."
"Paint?"
"Pops said they're designating a room as a library/home office space for you. They had the cleaners do a thorough cleaning in there and he asked if I would be willing to give it a fresh coat of paint, so I need to know what color you want in there."
"That's really not necessary," she told him. "It's just fine the way it is. There's no need for you to go to that trouble."
"It's no trouble," he assured her, leaning close. "Besides, Pops promised to fix me lunch and to keep me company."
It was her turn to lean close. "You do realize that Henry would happily feed any of his family who showed up hungry. Just in the last week, I think he's provided most of my meals."
"I know," the young man admitted. "But I like helping them out, too. I enjoy spending time with my Reagan family. I love Pops and Grandpa and the stories they tell about the family. About my dad and my grandma and great grandma and about their time on the force."
He gave her a serious look. "I'm also learning about graciously accepting their love and support and things they want to do for me, and this is something that they want to do for you. And I want to help."
Lucy sighed. "Francis and I had a talk the other night about getting comfortable expressing what we need. Or want."
Joe looked uncomfortable. "That's always good."
She suddenly realized what he was thinking and laughed.
"Just need or want in general. Not sexually."
He sighed with relief.
"Now, you need to get comfortable with accepting when people want to give it to you."
After a few more moments of consideration, she nodded. "I suppose I do. Thank you, Joe. And I'm kind of partial to greens."
"Light or dark?"
"For the room, probably something like sage or celery. Though with all the windows and the light it gets, something darker like hunter or forest probably wouldn't be too overpowering."
"Lucy, I'm a guy. I understand green. Words like sage or celery or hunter just kind of make my eyes glaze over."
She laughed again. "Sorry. How about we just say 'light green?'"
"Light green I can remember. Though the people at the paint store will probably throw around words like that."
"Sage. Celery. Pistachio. Mint."
"Glazing over."
"Just pick a light green color that you like. I'm not picky, so I'm sure whatever you pick will be fine."
"Hey, Lucy," a nurse called. "We've got a 2 year old in exam room 4. High fever. Parents brought him in after a seizure."
"Be right there," she replied, then turned back to Joe.
"I'll let you get back to work," he told her. "Just wanted to check in and give you this."
He handed her his business card. "That's my cell number, just in case you need to get in touch for anything."
"Thank you," she answered. "For checking in, for the coffee, and for the painting. I hope to see you Saturday, if not before."
Waving, he headed out while she headed towards the exam room.
She was wrapping up her shift, making notes for her relief and signing off on charts the next time a staff member approached.
"Someone else asking for you at the desk, Lucy. Young woman."
After nodding her thanks, she headed towards the waiting area, curious and a bit apprehensive. None of the women she had met the day before seemed inclined towards a friendly meet up.
Francis's granddaughter sat in one of the chairs, her toes tapping nervously as she glanced around the room. When she caught sight of Lucy, she stood and moved to face her.
"Hi, Nicky. What can I do for you?"
"Forgive me?" the young woman replied. "I am so sorry about yesterday."
"Don't worry about it," Lucy assured her.
"I am, though. When Grandpa walked you out, Pops read us all the riot act about our behavior."
"I'm sorry, That really wasn't necessary."
"It was, though. Everything he said was true. You were a guest in their home at their invitation. It wasn't anyone else's place to say anything."
"I understand that it was probably a big shock to everyone. Francis said he had never talked much about his social life since your grandmother died. He hasn't talked about anyone he's dated or introduced them to the family, so it's probably been easier to just imagine nothing ever happened."
"True. You don't really think about your parents ever having sex, much less your grandparents. Then to actually be confronted with the reality of it…"
She mock shivered.
"Anyway…I spent most of the night thinking about the stuff he said. Stuff Danny said, about Grandpa always loving and supporting us, even when we made choices he didn't agree with. And stuff Joe said about his mother and how the family would have reacted to their situation. And I'm embarrassed and ashamed of myself and I hope that you can forgive me and that we can start over."
After a moment, Lucy smiled and stuck out her hand.
"Hi. I'm Lucy Makenna. Nice to meet you."
"Nicky Reagan-Boyle. Likewise."
Laughing, the two shook hands and Nicky continued.
"I'd like to take you out for breakfast."
"That's really not necessary," the other woman told her.
"I know. But I thought we could talk? Maybe get to know each other just a little bit? I think it will be nice to have another woman in the family and especially someone else who isn't in law enforcement."
"That is a bit of a theme in your family, isn't it?"
"Soon to be 'our' family. And yes. I wonder what Danny's new girlfriend does? Maybe she's in another field, too."
"Maybe."
Nicky looked at her.
"You know something, don't you? Something about his mystery woman?"
Lucy smiled at her. "Everyone is entitled to their secrets. And to reveal them when they're ready to do so."
"Yeah, I know. I got the feeling at dinner there were some things you weren't really ready to talk about."
"There are. Things that I have to trust people pretty well to be comfortable revealing." Her mind drifted back to the fateful night and she smiled. "That's how I knew your grandfather was special. In just the short time we've known each other, I was completely at ease telling him things that I've only discussed with a couple of people."
"I won't pry, then," the younger woman promised. "But I would like to start to get to know you, and I thought breakfast might be a good start. Unless you have plans. You worked all night, so you might be ready to crash."
Lucy glanced at her watch. "No, I'm through here as soon as I finish updating my relief, then I have a couple of hours to kill before I have anything planned."
"So…breakfast?" Nicky asked.
Thirty minutes later, Lucy slid into the booth across from Nicky at the small diner a few blocks from the hospital. The waitress brought them coffee and took their orders. After she left, the two women looked at each other across the table.
"Tell me about Nicky Reagan-Boyle. You do public relations with one of the awareness groups, right? Global resources or something?"
"I do."
"How did you avoid law and law enforcement with your family background?"
She shrugged. "I'm not really sure. I really wanted to be the first female Reagan to join the force for a long time. There was never pressure from the family, but I knew they would be proud of me regardless. Mom was very much against the whole idea and encouraged me to look at other options. Grandma was not a fan of that plan either."
Freezing for a moment, she looked at Lucy.
"Sorry."
"For what?" the blonde asked, puzzled, until understanding dawned.
"Oh, no, Nicky. It's fine. I don't want or expect you…any of you…to stop talking about your grandmother. I know that Francis loved her deeply. Still does. I'm sure you all do. She may be gone, but she is still a very important part of your family. I have no intention of trying to fill her shoes. I couldn't if I wanted to. Your grandfather and Henry have both talked about her a lot. She sounds like a wonderful person."
Nicky smiled and nodded her agreement.
"She certainly was."
The waitress arrived with their food and she returned to her story, providing Lucy with further insight to the workings of the Reagan family.
"What about you, Lucy? What made you decide to become a doctor? Was one of your parents in medicine?"
Sipping her coffee, the other woman thought for a moment, considering how much she was ready to reveal.
"No. I actually spent several weeks in the hospital when I was a kid and got really interested in the field. I asked a lot of questions and everyone was very patient and kind to me."
"Why were you in the hospital so long?" Nicky held up a hand to forestall any answer. "Sorry. Not prying."
"I was injured."
She was relieved when the younger woman nodded and moved on to another topic of conversation.
"How is the wedding planning going?"
Lucy laughed. "It's 5 days away, so I think it's probably as planned as it's going to get."
"You've got everything?"
"I suppose?"
Nicky started ticking off items on her fingers.
"License?"
"Got it."
"Officiant and venue?"
"Archbishop and his chapel."
"Rings?"
"Picked them out Friday. Got the engagement ring Saturday and the wedding bands are still being sized and should be ready for pickup later today."
"Ohhh…can I see?"
Lucy extended her left hand for the other woman to examine.
"That's so pretty," she sighed. "Did Grandpa pick it out?"
"He did."
After further study, she nodded. "It suits you. He has excellent taste."
"I like it," Lucy agreed. "A lot."
"Ok. Reception?"
"Not really. It's a very small ceremony. Just your family…those who will come, anyway, and a few close friends. The Archbishop's aide said we can use the banquet room in his residence and your grandfather was going to talk to a friend of his about catering dinner."
"Invitations?"
"Not really enough time for formal invitations, but since it's so small, that shouldn't be a problem."
"Good point. What about a cake?"
Lucy shook her head.
"Flowers?"
Another shake.
"Photographer?"
The bride-to-be sighed.
"Pictures would be nice. I only have a couple of pictures from my first wedding, but, no. With this being as rushed as it is, the cake and the flowers and photographer might be difficult to arrange and we're both working and don't really have time to do the legwork, so I guess we'll just have to do without."
After a brief silence, Nicky posed another question.
"What about a dress? You have to have a new dress to get married in."
Chewing the last bite of her toast, Lucy nodded.
"I was planning to go looking tomorrow. Hopefully, I'll be able to find something nice that won't need any alterations."
Nicky straightened up, grinning broadly.
"I have an amazing idea."
"Oh?"
"How about I take care of those last few details for you? Flowers. Cake. Photographer. Part of my PR work is arranging events, so I do have some contacts who could probably help me out."
"I wouldn't want you to go to any trouble. I'm sure you're busy with work."
"Actually, we just finished up a big event and my boss has been telling me to take some time off, so the timing is perfect."
"You really want to organize another event on your time off?"
"This one, I really do. It's really not a whole event, just a few details, and it's for my grandpa's wedding. And a way to welcome you to the family and make up for your first dinner with us."
"There's nothing to 'make up' for, Nicky. I'm not bothered by what happened."
"Okay. But I'd still love to do this for the two of you."
"You're sure it wouldn't be too much trouble?"
"Not at all. And I can even go with you…"
After several moment of silence, Lucy prodded.
"Go with me?"
"I was going to say I could go with you to look at dresses. Mom and I went with Eddie to find her dress and we had so much fun looking and getting to know her better. And I could get an idea of your preferences." She paused and shrugged again. "But you probably have friends that you'll go with."
"Is that common?" Lucy asked. "To take other people with you?"
"To look at wedding dresses? Definitely. To get their opinions and input and just spend time together. It's generally a group of women. Mother. Sisters. Attendants. Close friends."
"Oh. Well, I don't have any of those."
"I would be honored to go with you. If you want me to. Like I said, I really got to know Eddie better and I'd like to do that with you, too."
"I think I'd like that, too. I'd love to have some input, especially from someone who knows Francis well. Though I doubt your mother or Eddie will have any interest in joining us."
"Probably not," Nicky admitted.
Lucy chewed her lip for a moment.
"Do you think your mother will get upset with you if you get involved? Giving aid to the enemy and all that?"
"No. Maybe. But it wouldn't be the first time she's been upset with me and it won't be the last. It's a part of the mother/daughter relationship. She'll get over it. And I really want to do this."
Finally, Lucy nodded. "If you're sure, I'd love to have your help."
After exchanging phone numbers and setting up meet up details for the following day, the two headed out to their cars.
"Thank you for breakfast," Lucy told her. "I enjoyed it."
"Me, too," Nicky replied. "And I'm looking forward to tomorrow."
"Likewise."
At 1PP, Frank settled at his desk as his team filed in and took their seats opposite him. Lucy had texted that her shift had been relatively quiet and that she was having breakfast, then running a couple of errands before heading home.
"Good morning."
"Frank."
"Morning, Boss. Good weekend?"
"Fairly," he commented.
"Just 'fairly' good?" Moore asked. "Trouble at the legendary family dinner?"
"Let's just say it was a memorable one."
Abigail continued to watch him, head slightly tilted and eyebrow raised.
He looked at her, wondering if Danny had told her, She seemed to sense his question and shook her head slightly.
Sid and Garrett noticed the exchange, looked at each other, then back at their boss.
Frank sighed. "I shared some news that wasn't widely received as well as I hoped it would be."
"Oh."
He studied the trio across from him. "News I would like to share with you, as well. If you're all three free for lunch, I thought that we could order in and I can let you know about some things."
"I'm free."
"Sounds good to me, Boss."
"Where do you want me to order from?" Abigail asked.
"You can decide among the three of you. And put it on my personal card, not the department one, please."
"Yes, sir."
"Thank you."
Ignoring the looks that continued to pass between his staff, the commissioner opened a file folder and proceeded with the morning briefing.
When it concluded and everyone had their day planned out, Sid, Garrett, and Abigail left his office together. When the door closed, they gathered around her desk for their own meeting.
"Any idea what that's all about, Abigail?"
"None," she replied, shaking her head. "Not really."
"You don't think he's sick or something, do you?" Gormley asked. "You said something about his detail being at the hospital last week."
She shook her head again. "No, he specifically said that it wasn't anything like that. With my mom starting cancer treatment, he knows that would be the first thing on my mind."
"I know Nucifero keeps you in the loop about his detail. Is there anywhere else he's been that might indicate what this is about?" Moore asked.
"No. I know they've logged a few 'personal errands' but I haven't been informed on what those included or where they were."
"You don't think he's retiring, do you?" the DCPI queried, a look of concern on his face.
"Or getting fired?" Gormley added. "Or firing me?"
"Not that I know anything about," Abigail told them
Moore turned his attention to the other man. "Why would firing you have come up at his family dinner anyway?"
"That's true.'
"So…something involving the department…or us, at least…and his family…" Moore pondered. "Something that the family isn't happy about."
"Some of them, anyway," Baker corrected.
She felt Sid watching her and looked up.
"You know something," he commented.
"No, I don't," she countered.
"You do."
"Not really."
"But you have an idea."
She hesitated. "Maybe. But it's not my business."
"Not department business?" Moore asked.
"Not if it's what I'm thinking. But I could be wrong."
"Guess we'll find out at lunchtime," Sid reminded them.
"I know," Garrett acknowledged. "I just like to know about things before the press comes asking me questions about them."
"It will be fine," she assured them. "Now. What do we want for lunch?"
Erin Reagan was not in a good mood and she didn't care who knew it. The scowl on her face as she swept into her office had staff members quickly ducking out of her path.
Her investigator, though, didn't quite move quickly enough.
"Anthony. My office. Now."
By the time he got there, she had hung up her coat and dropped her briefcase and purse on her desk and stood glaring out the window. He had barely closed the door when she turned and snapped at him.
"I need a background check."
"Okay."
He grabbed a pen and a sticky note from her desk.
"Name?"
"Lucy Makenna."
"Spelling?"
"Don't know."
"Birthdate?"
"Don't know. But she's supposedly in her late 40s."
"Address?"
"Don't know."
He sighed in frustration.
"What do you know about her?"
She turned to him.
"I know that she's a con artist that my dad is planning to marry this coming weekend."
"Your dad? He doesn't seem the type to be taken in by a con artist."
Crossing her arms across her chest, she gave him a knowing look.
"They can be very convincing, as you well know. And she's really good. She's got Dad and Pops both under her spell."
"I don't know. They're both pretty sharp guys who don't fool easy."
"I thought the same about you, Anthony, but you remember what happened."
"Yeah." Embarrassed, he dropped his gaze to the floor. "I screwed up. But I don't see your old man hitting a dating website."
"He didn't. According to him, they just happened to meet in a grocery store late one night and she acted like she was too tired to drive so that, gentleman that he is, he would give her a ride. Then she seduced him and is now claiming to be pregnant by him so that he has to marry her."
"Wow."
"Exactly. It's just all too…wrong…and I just don't trust her. I seriously doubt that she's even pregnant and if she is, I don't think Dad is the father. It just stinks of a con."
"Don't you think your dad would do a background check?"
"I don't know. She seems to have him completely bamboozled. Acting all sweet and scared and needy. I don't like her and I don't want her taking advantage of my father and grandfather."
"Okay. But I'm going to need a little more information about her before I can do any digging," he told her.
"Supposedly, she's an emergency room doctor at St. Victors. Born and raised in New York City. Childhood home in Queens. Only child. Both parents deceased. Medical school at Columbia."
He looked up from his writing.
"Don't you have some contacts there who could check up on her?"
Nodding, she made a note for herself, then continued.
"Claims to have been married to a cop who died in the Towers on 9/11. Manhattan patrol."
"Should be easy to follow up on."
"It should be," she agreed. "I just want to show up her lies to Dad. Prove to him that she's not good enough for him."
Anthony looked at his notes, then up at her.
"And what if you can't?"
"Can't what?"
"Show up her lies. What if she's telling the truth about all this? What if she really is pregnant and your dad really is the father? What then?"
"I'm not worried, because my gut is telling me she's crooked and I'm going to save my father from himself, whatever it takes."
Nicky had arrived back at her apartment in a much better frame of mind than she had been in when she left. She opened her laptop to start making a 'to do' list for the upcoming wedding and questions she had for her grandfather and his fiancee about preferences and budget.
Trying to make sure she had everything covered, she opened the album of pictures from Jamie and Eddie's wedding. She smiled, remembering how excited everyone was for the event. There were formal, posed pictures as well as casual, impromptu ones snapped by the photographer and family members and guests.
Photos from dress shopping. Selfies of herself, her mother, and Eddie, trying on dresses. Making fun of some of the dresses. Confused by some. Stunned by the prices of some.
But having fun and enjoying each other's company.
She had certainly had second thoughts about the situation after Pop's speech and a night with her own thoughts. Maybe her mother and Eddie had as well.
Maybe they would like to be involved as well.
It only took a few moments of their telephone conversation to determine that Erin had not had an overnight change of heart. If anything, she seemed even more determined to prove Lucy a liar and to prevent the wedding from happening at all.
"Well," the younger woman admitted, "I had breakfast with her this morning and we had a very nice time."
"Why on earth would you do that?"
"I wanted to get to know her. Find out what she's like."
"And?"
"And I like her. She's concerned about taking care of her kids, but she's also concerned about not taking advantage of Grandpa and Pops."
"But she's still going to do it. Nicky, you can't let yourself be fooled by this woman. She's got the whole 'cute' thing going for her and she's probably used that her whole life to get what she wants. And what she wants now, for some reason, is my father. She will use him and take from him until she's tired of him or she finds a better mark and then she'll dump him. That's the way women like her work. And I don't want to see that happen."
"I don't think it will, Mom. I really don't think she's like that."
"And of course, you know so much better that I would, with all your many years of experience dealing with criminals. Oh, wait. I'm the one with the many years."
"Maybe that's got you expecting the worst, Mom. Believing that everyone is in it for themselves. Everyone has an angle."
"Expecting the worst means you're rarely disappointed," Erin commented.
"But that's such a depressing way to face life."
"As opposed to your Pollyanna 'saving the world' outlook? I just don't want to see you get hurt, too, when things go bad."
"I want to see people happy, Mom. I like seeing Grandpa happy, and he was, yesterday. With Lucy."
"It was Sunday dinner. He's always happy when he has his whole family together. Though he didn't seem particularly happy yesterday."
"Overall, no. He wasn't. Not with the way we were acting. But there were moments when he would look at her or when she would take his hand and it just seemed like he calmed down."
"I didn't see that."
"Because you didn't want to." She took a deep breath. "I was actually just calling because I offered to help with some of the last minute wedding stuff, since they're both working, and I thought you might want to help, too, but I'm getting the impression that you don't, so I'll let you get back to work."
"What do you mean you're helping out with the wedding?"
"Flowers. Cake. Photographer. Just a few things that neither of them has had time to take care of."
"She's paying you for all this, right?"
"No, I volunteered. Because I have some connections and I want to help."
"So, she's taking advantage of you, too."
"No, she's not."
"It's manipulation, plain and simple."
"I'm sorry you feel that way, Mom. Like Grandpa, I'm an adult now and I get to make my own decisions. You're not responsible for choosing my friends and setting up playdates for me. I know you're worried and protective and in mamma bear mode, but you can't protect us all from everything you perceive to be a threat."
"How did I end up with such a stubborn daughter?"
"You're a Reagan, Mom. Making me a Reagan."
"Making you naturally pig-headed."
Nicky laughed, then sighed. "We all are, Mom. And we all get to make our own choices and maybe mistakes. Grandpa wants to do this and I want to be a part of it."
"Well, I want no part of it. I'm doing everything I can to prove the truth about this woman and stop this whole wedding nonsense."
"And if you don't find anything? Will you refuse to even attend?"
"I'll find it and I will stop this. Mark my words."
"I love you, but I think you're wrong about this."
""Love you too, kiddo. Gotta go."
Nicky sighed. Though her mother's response hadn't been unexpected, she was still disappointed.
Her hopes were higher for her next call.
In Frank's office, he was wrapping up a phone call when Abigail let herself into the office. She waited until he said good bye and hung up.
"Lunch should be here shortly. We ordered from Changs, just kind of an assortment of different entrees. Garrett and Sid are on their way up. You're wanting to set up in the meeting room, I guess?"
Before he could answer, there was a tap at his door and she opened it to admit the two men. At the same time, his cell phone rang.
He looked at it and smiled, nodding in reply to Abigail's question as he answered.
"Reagan."
"Makenna."
His smile broadened as he moved to the window, turning his back on his team for a little bit of privacy.
"Hey. I thought you'd be home and in bed by now."
"Would have been, but I had a doctor's appointment."
"A doctor's appointment? I thought the next appointment wasn't for a couple of weeks. There's nothing wrong, is there? You should have told me. You know I want to be there with you."
Frank's team exchanged glances.
"Woman?" Garrett asked Abigail softly.
She shrugged.
"Gotta be," Gormley postulated. "Ya' see that look on his face?"
"Not that doctor, Francis. It was my eye doctor. Just for my regular check."
"Oh. Okay."
"Sorry to have worried you," she told him.
"Not your fault I'm jumping to conclusions," he replied.
"Anyway," she continued, "He dilated my eyes and I'm not ready to drive yet and I'm just a couple of blocks from 1PP, so I wondered if I might be able to tempt you out for lunch."
When he didn't respond for a moment, she quickly added, "I know this is last minute, so if you already have plans, that's fine. Or if you just don't want to, that's fine, too. I'll find something for lunch and keep myself busy for a little while longer. Don't worry about it."
"I actually had Baker order lunch in for my team."
"Okay. Enjoy."
"Just a minute."
He caught Abigail's gaze.
"Is there enough food for one more person?"
"Of course," she assured him. "You know the size of their meals."
On the phone again, he continued the conversation.
"Why don't you join us?"
"I don't want to intrude," she told him.
"You wouldn't be intruding," he responded. "I initiated this lunch because I wanted to tell them about what's going on. Explain some things."
"Things? Like me."
"About you…and…you know."
"I know," she said with a laugh. "You're planning on asking them to the wedding, aren't you?"
"I am," he admitted.
"Then I suppose it's a good idea to meet them before Saturday."
"I'm pretty sure it will go better than yesterday did," he told her. "Far less emotion involved."
"Yesterday was fine," she said. "And I'll be there in about 5 minutes."
A knock on the door heralded the arrival of their food. While Abigail and the other two men took it into the meeting room to get it sat out, Frank and Lucy said their goodbyes and he stuck his phone back in his pocket.
Sid and Garrett set out the meal while Abigail stood in the doorway between the two rooms, watching her boss pacing the room impatiently. Several minutes later, there was another tap on the door and he crossed to open it. Immediately, she saw him relax, the tension leaving his shoulders.
When Frank opened the door to find Lucy looking up at him, he couldn't help the smile that spread across his face. He invited her into the room, then pulled her close.
"How did your night go?" he asked.
"It was good. Busy enough not to be boring, but not overwhelming and nothing really serious."
"That's good."
"And how has your day been?"
"Can't complain." He leaned down to kiss her lightly, then studied her face for a moment.
"Are you nervous?"
"A little," she finally admitted. "I know these people are important to you."
He helped her take her coat off and hung it and her purse on the coat rack.
"You have nothing to worry about, Lucy. I promise you this is free of the minefields you encountered yesterday."
She reached up and took his face in her hands. "You've got to stop worrying about yesterday, Francis. We knew that there would be some issues from some of your family members, so the reactions weren't unexpected."
"No, but I hoped they'd be better. I hated seeing you attacked like that."
"I know. And I appreciate your protectiveness, but I'm fine. I can handle a little hostility. Or a lot of hostility. I have a lot of experience with it."
"Doesn't make it right," he argued.
"No, but it is what it is. As long as you still want this and Henry is okay with it, I'm willing to wait however long it takes for them to come to terms with the situation that we've gotten ourselves into."
"I do want this. More than I realized in the beginning. And Pops is pretty excited as well. And Danny seems to be willing to consider."
"Joe is supportive and Sean seemed civil enough. And if the last few hours are any indication, there may be a reason for hope on another front as well," she told him.
"What do you mean?"
Before she could answer, Abigail stepped into the room.
"Sorry to interrupt, Frank, but we need to do this pretty soon so you can be sure to be on time for your next appointment."
He glanced at his watch and nodded, then moved to guide her into the other room where his team waited. Keeping an arm around her waist, he faced them with a smile on his face.
"I guess I need to make some introductions. That is Detective Abigail Baker," he said, inclining his head towards her.
"She is my primary aid, keeper of my calendar, making sure that I'm where I'm supposed to be when I'm supposed to be there, part of my security detail, and guardian of the gate, among other things."
"No easy task, I'm sure," Lucy commented.
"It is not. So many people just wanting a few moments of his time."
The other woman winced. "Sorry about that."
Abigail suddenly remembered their first meeting and shook her head "I didn't mean you."
"I did just show up at your desk, asking for a few minutes of his time."
"Part of my job is discerning which of those people really need to see him and which ones don't. Sometimes it depends on how busy he is, sometimes it's just a matter of trusting my instincts. And my instincts told me that you really did need to see him. Or he needed to see you."
"I appreciate you letting me in."
"Me, too," Frank chimed in, hugging her close before turning his attention back to his team.
"That's Garrett Moore, he's my Deputy Commissioner of Public Information. He's in charge of our press related stuff…dealing with reporters, issuing press releases, writing my speeches…"
"Very handy."
"And last, but not least, Lt Sid Gormley. He is my special assistant and keeps me up on what's going on with my officers…what concerns and problems I can address with them and for them…potential problems…"
"That's good. I know your predecessor seemed lacking in concern for the men and women under him."
"You knew Connors?" Gormley asked.
"I was married to a cop for 3 years," she explained. "I heard Oscar and his buddies voice a certain dissatisfaction with his leadership more than once, but I never actually met the man."
Frank frowned. "Which makes him look even worse, considering your husband was killed in the line of duty. He didn't even come to see you? Come to the funeral?"
"It was a crazy time, Francis. I was at the hospital for over a week straight, so if he came by the house, I wasn't there anyway. And the funeral was pretty small. There were a lot of them going on."
She saw the questions on the faces of the others.
"He died in the Tower collapse on 9/11," she explained. "I know the department was still heavily involved in recovery."
"The Commissioner still should have been in contact with you."
"People from his precinct made sure I was taken care of," she assured him. "The department took care of the funeral arrangements and all of the paperwork and insurance stuff."
He started to speak again, but she put up a hand to stop him.
"It's the past, Francis. It's done. I'm just glad that the office now has someone who cares for the officers and their families."
"Me, too," Baker said. "Unfortunately, I'm also the widow of an officer, so I know just how much it means to have him there. Any officer injury, he's there at the hospital. Personally offers assistance. Attends funerals. Even speaks, if the family wants him to."
Frank shrugged.
"It's the least I can do. Anyway," he continued, moving back to the previous conversation topic, "These three are my inner circle. My counselors. My sounding board. My most trusted advisors."
The trio was clearly pleased by their boss's statement.
He smiled down at Lucy before continuing.
"And this is Dr Lucy Makenna. My fiancee."
After a moment of stunned silence, Gormley was the first to speak.
"Fiancee? Like, you're gettin married?"
"That is what one generally does with a fiancee," Moore told him before turning his attention back to his boss.
"Congratulations, Frank."
Abigail shook herself slightly. "Yes. Congratulations. To you both."
"Yeah. Really happy for the both of ya," Sid added.
"Thank you," Lucy told them as Frank pulled out a chair for her.
After everyone had served their plates, and started eating, conversations continued among the group.
"How long have the two of you been seeing each other?" Abigail asked.
"We met a few months back," Frank told them. "At the grocery store."
"Things just clicked," Lucy added.
"Do you have a date yet?" Garrett asked. "I'll need to get the details for the press release."
Lucy froze, then looked at Frank. "Press release?"
He shook his head. "No press release."
"But Frank…"
"No. Press releases are for department related things. This is personal. We plan to keep it small and private. We'll tell the people who need to know I see no need for any kind of official announcement or anything."
"You're attending an event hosted by the mayor in a couple of weeks. Will she be attending with you? Because there will be pictures and commentary on the society pages and it will be pretty much the same as a press release."
"That's fine. That will be a part of the job."
"You didn't tell me about that," she muttered.
"I did tell you that there would be functions," he reminded her. "I just forgot about that particular one coming up."
"He hopes that he can 'forget' and miss them," Abigail commented. "He's not a fan of social events."
"Me either," Lucy admitted. "But if you can get him to let me know in advance, I can tweak the schedule at work."
"Of course," the other woman told her. "Just give me your phone and e-mail and I'll copy you on events and such that might include you."
Lucy read off her number and Abigail entered it into her contacts. "I'll send you contact information for the three of us also, just in case something comes up and you can't get ahold of him. I'll also need to get the spelling of your name. I have to update the RSVP for the mayor's event.
"Lucy. it's L-U-C-Y,' she told the other woman.
"And the last name?"
"R-E-A-G-A-N," Frank offered. "If it's in a couple of weeks, it will be Reagan by then."
"When are you doing that?" Garrett asked.
"Saturday."
"This Saturday?"
"This Saturday. At 2 o'clock at the chapel on the grounds of the archdiocese. There will be a late lunch/early dinner served afterwards."
"Oh."
Lucy rested her hand on Franks.
"We're aware that it's very short notice, but we'd love for you all to join us," she told them.
"Along with your families. Sheila and Cynthia are invited too, of course, and feel free to bring your boys, Abigail."
"And her new man?" Sid asked.
Frank grinned. "Of course."
"I think we're free, but I'll have to check," Moore told them. "You're really in a hurry to get this done, huh?"
The engaged couple shared a look and Lucy shrugged.
"Hopefully, it's not something we'll be able to keep secret for long," she reminded him.
He nodded, agreement, but before he could say anything, Abigail cut in.
"You're pregnant."
The other two men turned to her, still processing what she had said.
"Things make more sense now," she added.
"Did…um…someone…tell you?" Frank asked her.
"Not exactly. He said he had been asked not to discuss the situation…"
Frank nodded.
"But there was some discussion about decisions that he disagreed with and being made too quickly. Getting married, I assume."
"I see. And did you offer feedback?"
"That's between them, Francis," Lucy reminded him.
"It's okay," Baker assured her. "Basically, I told him that you are one of the best I know at reading people and that you're a grown man and you get to make your own decisions about your life, not your kids."
"Who are we talking about?" Garrett asked.
Abigail sighed. "Danny, okay?"
"Danny Reagan?"
"Yeah. Danny and I have been seeing each other for several months now."
Sid thought for a moment, then smiled.
"Yeah. You two would be good together. I think you can manage him."
"Did you know about this, Frank?"
"I suspected for a while," he admitted. "But I didn't say anything because, as Lucy said, it was between them. Danny confirmed it this past week, though. And I agree with Sid and I'm very happy for both of them."
"Thank you," she replied, smiling broadly. "And another congratulations to the both of you on the baby."
"Yeah, Boss. That's great."
"Babies," Frank corrected, grinning at their shocked expressions.
"Twins," Lucy added.
"Even better," Sid said.
"It is," Garrett echoed. "I'm assuming that's the news you shared at the family dinner that didn't go over so well?"
"Yeah. Her first family dinner was a little bit rough."
"It really wasn't that bad, Francis, considering in the space of a few minutes, they found out about me, that we were getting married, and that I was pregnant. We didn't really expect a warm welcome."
"No, but I didn't really expect the outright hostility, either," he countered.
"From everyone?" Abigail asked.
"Not from everyone," Lucy replied.
"Pops is already crazy about her. Took a shine to her right off the bat. Danny, I think, has taken to heart your reminder that I get to make my own decisions."
"He said his dad has always loved and supported him, so it's his turn to do the same," she added.
"Joe seemed pretty cordial, asking questions and trying to get to know her. Sean seemed open, too. Nicky and Eddie both seemed unsure. Erin and Jamie, though…I just don't know what got into them. They were both outright confrontational. And Jack wasn't any better."
Abigail seemed surprised. "Jack? He's always been so sweet. He never seemed to have a problem with me and Danny. We both have talked to all 4 or the boys at different times and they've all said they are okay. I'd think his dad dating would be more of a problem than his grandpa dating."
"Yeah. Not sure what's going on there," his grandfather replied.
"And Jamie, you said?"
He nodded.
"He's generally the one to take his time. Study a situation and not rush to judgment. He's the one who looks on the bright side of things."
"Henry thinks he may be really nervous about impending fatherhood," Lucy told them.
"Understandable," Frank commented. "I'm pretty nervous myself, and I've already done it before."
"He thinks it may be making him miss his mom even more than usual."
Sighing, her fiance nodded. "I'm sure. She'd be so excited to see her baby with a baby of his own."
"I wish we could give them more time to get used to the idea. Get to know me a little better. Maybe realize that I'm not pulling some con on you."
"Unfortunately, we can't wait." He glanced at his team. "This is a pretty high risk pregnancy, so I want to get this done so she can get settled in at the house and Pops and I can keep an eye on her. It's also why I'd prefer to keep it from the press as long as possible. I don't want her harassed. I'll also be wanting to attend her doctor appointments as often as possible."
"Just let me know dates and times and I'll try to clear your schedule," Abigail told them.
"Thank you. I'll try to schedule later in the day so as to not to complicate things too much," Lucy replied.
"You have all the planning done for the wedding?" Abigail asked.
"Mostly. The main stuff, anyway." She turned to Frank. "I wanted to tell you, I had a couple of visitors at the hospital this morning."
"Oh?"
"Joe stopped by a little after midnight. Brought me coffee and wanted to check up on me after the drama."
"Good."
"He said he kept thinking about his mother being in the same situation I'm in and wondering how she would have been treated if she had made things known at the time."
"I'm sure he wasn't impressed."
"He also told me he had been conscripted to paint the room for my office."
"He wasn't conscripted," Frank corrected. "He asked what he could do to help and Pops told him we needed some painting. And offered food."
"Motivation enough for most any young man," Moore commented.
"Who else showed up?" Frank asked.
"Nicky. She said she wanted to apologize and start over."
"Good for her."
"My shift was just ending, so she invited me to breakfast. We talked about her and about the family and the wedding, where we were as far as the planning. I told her that at this point, we've pretty much done all the planning we can and anything else just won't get done."
"You have the license and the rings, right?" Abigail asked.
"Got the license on Friday, engagement ring on Saturday, and will pick up the wedding bands after work today," Frank told her.
"And you said at the archdiocese chapel, so I assume that includes the archbishop himself?"
"It does."
"Dress and suit?"
"Suit is at the cleaners. I'll be picking that up after work today as well."
"And Nicky is going with me tomorrow afternoon to look for a dress."
"Really?"
"Really. In fact, she volunteered to handle the details we hadn't gotten to, like the flowers. Maybe a photographer. Cake.'
She frowned.
"You said you were going to talk to someone about catering the meal."
"I did. We just need to decide what we want served and get them a head count by no later than Wednesday."
"I don't think I'll have more than a half a dozen people. Probably less."
"Maybe I'll see if Nicky wants to take over coordinating with them also. She knows more about that kind of stuff than I do. Plus, I need to get ahead of a few things here so I can take off several days next week."
"I'll get your schedule rearranged," Abigail promised. "Try to move everything as late in the week as possible."
"Thank you."
"Have you thought about…after?" Lucy asked. "The wedding?"
"You mean, the honeymoon?" he asked, He gave her an exaggerated leer and waggled his eyebrows. "Have I ever!"
"I've managed to arrange my schedule to be off until Thursday," she told him.
"I'll make the arrangements," he replied.
"I'm looking forward to what we discussed the other day," she murmured quietly, leaning close.
"Likewise," he whispered back, kissing her lightly.
She cleared her throat.
"Didn't Detective Baker say you had an appointment?"
Everyone glanced at their watches or phones.
"I did and he does," she replied. "And his detail is on their way up."
"We just got some new crime statistics and there were a couple of houses that showed major drops, so I'm going to swing through to thank them."
"It'll mean a lot to them," Sid added.
Everyone stood up and started collecting the trash when Abigail spoke.
"And it's Abigail," she said, looking at Lucy.
"Garrett, please."
"Sid."
She nodded and smiled.
"Then you should call me Lucy."
Back in his office, he helped her with her coat, then went to don his own as Nucifero quietly slipped into the room.
"Ready, Sir?"
"I am. Can we drop Lucy at her car on our way out?"
"That won't be necessary," she protested. "I'm in a garage just a few blocks up the road."
"It's not a problem, Doc," the other man told her.
Nodding her thanks, she turned back to face Frank's team.
"It was very nice to meet you all," she told them. "I hope to see you at the wedding on Saturday."
Everyone said their farewells and Lucy, Frank, and Nucifero took the elevator down to the garage where his SUV awaited. After giving him the location of her car, the security officer bundled them into the back before taking his place in the passenger seat.
"I think you were a hit," Frank told her, tucking her hand in his.
"I can see why you're so fond of them," she told him, leaning her head to rest on his shoulder. "They seem nice."
"They are. And very good at what they do. Which helps me look good."
"I understand. I've had conversations with more than a few doctors about how important your support staff is."
He leaned down to kiss the top of her head.
"I'm really glad to hear that Nicky made things right with you. It gives me hope the others will come around as well. I'd really like for them to be at the wedding. For you and the kids to have a loving, happy family."
The vehicle pulled to a stop and Nucifero opened the door for her.
"Everything will be fine, Francis," she assured him before stretching up to press a gentle kiss to his lips. "We'll be just fine."
She slid out of the SUV and, with a final wave, headed into the garage. Frank watched through the window until she disappeared from view.
"I hope so," he said.
And that wraps chapter 16. Another pretty long one, so thank you for sticking with it. There was actually more I intended to include, but the way parts of this blew up on me, I thought those scenes might, too, so I decided to include them in the next chapter. Which is underway and will address some of the out-of-character comments from the last chapter.
Thank you for reading and I'd love to know your thoughts.