Thank you to ki4pak, MomofGirls, Donnie88, and Pharmergirl for your review of the last chapter. In case anyone missed it, I posted chapter 31 during the week the alerts were down, so go back and read that one first. To everyone else who's been reading, favoriting, and alerting, thank you too.
Part one of the mother's day episode, the day before mother's day.
Contains scenes and references to 2x22.
The week couldn't pass quickly enough for Nicky. Though she saw her aunt every week at Sunday dinner, getting to spend most of the day Saturday with her was a rare treat. It was also a look at the life that didn't bleed NYPD blue. Nicky loved spending days with her mom and getting her advice, but advice from someone who didn't grow up in a family of cops was different.
For Anna on the other hand, she wasn't sure if she was excited for Saturday to come or for it to be over with. She loved time with her mom, aunt, and cousin but it also meant a long day of walking and talking and she wasn't sure there was a whole lot she wanted to talk to them about. Thankfully when that day came Nicky did most of the talking. Saturday morning they went to Frank's where they dropped the boys and the car and met up with Erin and Nicky and headed for the subway into town. Nicky talked about boys, school, and sports keeping most of the questions away from Anna. At one point, Linda brought up their plans for the night about wanting to take Erin dancing. Erin was firmly against it but Linda tried to convince her to go. Anna and Nicky joined in. "Come on, Aunt Erin, when was the last time you went out with your friends and had fun? A night off, no stress, no pressure, no family, just good old fashioned fun?" Anna asked.
"Forever ago," Nicky answered. "You need a girls' night, Mom. Grandpa won't mind taking us both in or Anna and I could stay by ourselves at home. Movies, popcorn, giggling; real cousin bonding time."
"No. If I do go out tonight, you will go to your grandfather's. I will not have two 14 year olds home alone in Park Slope. Staten Island maybe, but not in my place," Erin said.
"That's okay, Pops loves us. Says he doesn't get to see his g.g.s enough," Anna answered quickly.
"Come on, it'll be fun," Linda tempted.
"Okay, fine, as long as Dad is okay with it," Erin agreed.
Anna pulled out her phone and instantly called her grandfather. "Hey, sweetie," Frank said.
"Hi, Grampa. We finally talked Aunt Erin into going out with Mom tonight. Is it okay if Nicky and I come stay with you? I know Pops is already watching the boys, so what's two more? We won't be any trouble and it'll give us time to help get ready for tomorrow. If not I can call Uncle Jamie, he'll be okay with us staying with him."
"It's fine, sweetheart, but I'll be at the office for a while longer."
"Can you repeat that to Aunt Erin because she won't believe me if I told her?" Anna said. Frank agreed and Anna handed the phone over. Frank and Erin talked for a few moments longer before Erin hung up and gave the phone back to Anna. "Now we can find you something cute to wear for tonight," Anna said.
"What's wrong with what I'm wearing?" Erin asked, looking down at it.
"Nothing ..." Nicky trailed off. "If you want a look that says casual night out."
"It is a casual night out, girls. We're not in our 20's and going clubbing, we just going out with friends for a night out," Erin said.
"But you should still enjoy yourselves. Tomorrow is Mother's Day and you should be pampered," Anna said.
"Okay, okay, I'll look but no promises," Erin agreed. The girls rushed off to find a new top for Erin. "So how is Anna?" Erin asked Linda as they followed behind at a slower pace.
"She's doing better. Got A's and B's on her last report card and is doing well in baseball. She seems happier too. Doesn't seem to be hiding quite as much as she used to."
"What do you mean by that?"
"She wasn't exactly hiding things but there have been things that she thinks telling us would be a bother."
"We were all like that at her age. We didn't tell our parents about every boy who passed us notes or every girl who liked our hair cut."
"No, but I'd tell my parents if I felt like I was spinning out of control. Just like I'm sure you did."
"I did, but the world is so much harder now. I also didn't have an uncle I could call at the drop of a hat. As long as Jamie or I aren't calling you about something she's told us, I wouldn't worry too much."
"Mom, come on," Nicky called.
"We're coming," Erin answered. A few hours later they made their way to the subway to drop the girls at Frank's office with a few shopping bags in hand. As they reached the top of the stairs to go down to the subway, Anna's gut started screaming. Part of her felt like taking the subway was a bad idea but the other part wasn't sure it was right. "Anna, are you okay?" Erin asked, hanging up her call to Frank. She had called to let him know they were headed his way.
"I don't know. I got this urge to not take the subway," Anna said.
"Why not? It's just an underground train," Erin said.
"You've been on the subway plenty of times before," Linda said.
"I don't know ... maybe my tummy's just growling and I'm hungry. I don't know." Anna shook her head. There was nothing scary about the subway and if something really bad was happening Frank would have said something to Erin and since he hadn't, Erin hadn't looked worried when she was on the phone with her father, Anna guessed she was just being paranoid.
"You sure?" Linda asked.
"Yeah, I'm just hungry," Anna said, convincing herself and the other ladies. As they came out the other side of the subway near 1PP, Linda stopped. "Mom?"
"Go up with your aunt and cousin, I'm going to go see Dad before we head out for the night."
"Can I come?" Anna asked excitedly. "I haven't seen Dad all day."
"I don't know, Anna," Linda said slowly.
"Please, Mom," Anna begged.
Linda looked from Anna to Erin then back. "Okay, but keep up," Linda said. Anna grinned and followed her mom. As they walked the ten blocks to meet Danny, Anna texted Jamie. When she told him where they were headed and who they were meeting, Jamie sent her a sad face. When asked, he told her he and Danny had a fight and that it had gone south pretty quickly. Anna wanted to ask more but Danny was jogging up to them and greeted Linda. Anna slipped her phone back in her pocket and smiled up at her dad.
"Hey, kiddo," Danny said wrapping Anna in a hug. Anna smiled and hugged him back. "So you finally got Erin to agree to go out with you?" Danny said as they walked down the street to a pretzel and hotdog vendor.
"Yeah, took some convincing, especially from your daughter and niece but she said yes," Linda said. They stopped at the vendor and Danny bought a large pretzel. He thanked the vendor before they continued walking.
"Where you going tonight?" Danny asked, breaking the pretzel in half and giving half to Anna.
"The Boom Boom Room. You worried?" Linda answered as they continued to walk.
"No, should I be worried?" Danny asked, popping a bit of his pretzel in his mouth.
"Very," Linda said as Danny tossed a bit of the pretzel to the birds.
"Dad, did you really fight with Uncle Jamie?" Anna asked, enjoying her pretzel half.
"Who told you that?" Danny asked, looking down at her.
"He did; said it went south pretty quick," Anna said.
"Wasn't that bad," Danny answered, looking uncomfortable. That meant it was bad. "Did he tell you what it was about?" He asked, coming to a stop.
"No, just that it went south," Anna answered. She shrugged and tore off another bite of pretzel.
"Are you two going to be okay? You and Jamie?" Linda asked Danny.
"Yeah, I'll be fine. It'll blow over," Danny brushed it off.
"Unless you don't want it to blow over," Linda said.
"Why wouldn't I want it to?" he asked as Anna tried to make herself as small as possible to stay out of it.
Linda sighed as she looked at her husband. "Well, Danny—" Linda stopped and looked at Anna. Anna knew her mom was trying to decide how much she wanted to say in front of Anna.
"I'll be over there by that tree, not at all listening to a conversation that I'm not old enough to hear." Anna smiled brightly and walked over to the tree nearby as she finished her pretzel. At one point, she thought she heard her dad snap something about Joe but didn't catch the whole thing. Soon her mom was calling for her as she walked off. Anna caught up with her dad who wrapped his arm around her shoulders.
"Do you think Jamie and I have nothing in common?" Danny asked his daughter as they followed Linda towards 1PP.
"You have me in common," Anna smiled, "And being a Reagan cop in NYC. You both like the Jets too, as well as playing darts, but ... Never mind." Anna shook her head and stopped talking.
"No, what is it?" Danny asked gently as he looked at her.
"You know that feeling that you get when you solve a case? It's one those things that Jamie likes about being a cop too. Uncle Joe used to tell him, and me, some of the greatest stories about being a cop and what it felt like to close a case. That feeling is one of the best things that Jamie liked about those stories and it's one of the things he likes best about being a cop. Don't get me wrong, Uncle Jamie knows it's not all saving kids and parades and being a hero, but that stuff is what makes the job worth it. And don't get mad, but Uncle Jamie feels like Uncle Joe was the kind of guy who would level with him straight up but at the same time catch him if he fell but—" Anna stopped and looked down as they came to a stop on the street corner opposite Frank's office building.
"Go on," Danny prodded as Linda turned back to look at them.
"But he feels like you're the kind of guy that wants to keep him from the seedy, dark side of police work; undercovers, gangsters, mobsters, abuse, police hate, all that stuff. He felt like Joe was his best friend, maybe like a partner and you're like a protective older brother or a CO trying to keep him out of trouble. Please don't be mad, I wasn't supposed to tell you that," Anna said softly as she wrapped her arms around herself and rubbed her hands up and down.
"I'm not mad," Danny said, laying a hand on her shoulder.
"We have to go," Linda said. "I'll see you later, love you."
"Love you more," Danny answered.
"Love you most," Linda told him.
"Be good, kiddo," Danny told Anna.
"Love you too, Daddy," Anna said. Danny hugged her tight then shared a kiss with Linda before Linda and Anna headed for 1PP. When they got there Linda sent Anna upstairs and opted to stay in the lobby waiting for Erin to come down. "Evening, Detective Abbey," Anna said, seeing the blonde at her desk.
"Hello, Anna," Baker said, smiling as she looked up.
"I'd say congratulations but I'm not sure why that's the appropriate comment."
"Sometimes people say it to have something to say, others believe that every little one is a gift. Why wouldn't it be?"
"Because the word actually means an expression of joy in the success or good fortune of another. I guess it is. Like you said every baby is a gift so it is good fortune but success doesn't quite fit unless of course, it was difficult to get pregnant. If it wasn't though then it's basically your body doing what it does naturally and you're brilliant because you participated. I don't know, maybe I'll understand when I'm older."
"You will." Baker smiled. "You can head in, your cousin and aunt are already in there."
"Thanks," Anna answered. She grinned and went into the office to find Nicky in one of the big leather chairs, Erin standing next to it, and Frank on the couch. "Mom's down in the lobby, Aunt Erin. Said she'd wait for you down there."
"I guess that's my cue to go. Nicky, mind your grandfather," Erin said. "I'll see you later,"
"Bye, Mom," Nicky said. Frank and Anna also said their goodbyes and shortly after Erin left, Baker and Garrett came in with a large pizza and a tray of drinks. Anna instantly took the box from the detective and Frank sent her home even though she tried to protest. They spent the night talking about what they had done during the day and various topics that Frank was curious about concerning his two granddaughters. At one point just after 8:30, Garrett stepped into the office and looked at Frank before jerking his head towards the attached conference room door. Frank stood and nodded.
"Excuse me, girls. Shouldn't take more than a minute," Frank said.
"It's fine," Anna said.
"I'll keep them entertained," Garrett said. The three nodded to Frank and he slipped into the conference room. Anna wiped her hands on her napkin and walked over behind Frank's desk. "I don't think you should be back there."
"I'm just looking at the pictures. It's been a while since I've been in here," Anna said.
"Have you ever played Words with Friends?" Nicky asked, distracting Garrett.
"Occasionally," Garrett answered.
"You should play her," Anna said, studying a photograph of her grandfathers in front of Madison Square Garden. It must have been taken after Jamie's Academy graduation sine both were in uniform. "You're really good with words, part of your job and all."
"Okay, you play?" Garrett asked.
"No. Plus I don't have a smartphone. Maybe when you're done we can play poker. I'm sure Grampa has a deck of cards in here somewhere," Anna answered, moving her gaze to a picture of Frank and Mary. She deeply missed her grandmother the longer she stared at the photo. She wiped away a tear before looking at the other knickknacks on the shelf. Too soon though she got bored with that and sat down in Frank's office chair.
It wasn't long before Frank came back into the office smiling. "Hey," he said lightly.
"She looks innocent but deep down she's an assassin," Garrett said, looking up from his tablet.
"He's crying because I just crushed him at Words with Friends," Nicky replied as Frank walked over to them.
"80 points for quiz," Garrett said astounded. He closed the cover over his tablet and stood. "I'm going to go study my thesaurus."
Garrett left the room and Frank took his seat on the couch. "He's lucky he didn't play me in poker," Anna grinned.
"Out of my chair," Frank said.
"You sound like my dad," Anna said. "Every time I visit him at work he won't let me sit in his chair. Must admit, yours is more comfy than his though." Anna stood anyway and walked over to Nicky's chair, sitting on the arm of it.
Frank smiled. "I remember when the two of you and Jack were small enough to all fit in that chair with room to spare," Frank said.
"What's going on around here?" Nicky asked.
"Nothing, business as usual," Frank answered.
"It's usually this busy—" Nicky started.
"On Saturday night at nearly nine o'clock the day before Mother's Day?" Anna finished.
"City that never sleeps," Frank said.
"Grampa, can I say something?" Nicky asked.
"May I?" Anna corrected her cousin. Sometimes Frank could be a stickler for proper grammar.
"May I say something?" Nicky indulged.
"Yes, you may," Frank said.
"You look sad," Nicky said gently. Frank looked at her then down at his hands before giving her a sad smile. "Are you ... sad because tomorrow is Mother's Day?"
"Nicky," Anna hissed.
"What?" Nicky asked, glancing up at her cousin.
"It's okay," Frank said. "That is part of it, Nicky."
"You really loved Grandma a lot, huh?" Nicky pressed.
"She was easy to love." Frank smiled.
"Grampa, you are so cute," Nicky laughed.
Frank smiled and scooted over on the couch away from Nicky before holding his hand out towards Anna. She slid off the arm of the chair, then took his hand, letting him guide her to sit next to him on the couch where he could see both granddaughters at once. "I get that a lot."
"I hope I can fall in love like that someday," Nicky told him.
"So do I," Frank told her. "For both of you. Just as long as it's not for another 20 years."
"Grampa, in 20 years I'll be 35. That's older than Mom was when she had me and Jack," Anna protested.
"We always wanted to protect our young," Frank said. It went quiet and Frank looked back down at his hands.
"Is that why you're sad. Because something bad is going on that you want to protect us from?"
"It could be," Frank said. Both Anna and Nicky looked down. "I'm sorry, girls. There are some things I can't talk about."
"Even to us? Your granddaughters?" Nicky asked.
"Especially to us," Anna answered after studying him for a moment. "You know Uncle Jamie gets the same look when he's sad, right here." Anna pressed a finger to the bridge of her nose right between the eyes. "You should talk to someone though, even if it's just Deputy Commissioner Moore."
Right at that moment the office door flew open to reveal the man in question. "Frank, we have something."
Frank looked at his granddaughters, apologetically. "It's fine, go on," Anna said.
"We understand," Nicky added. The girls sat in the office watching the time tick by. As Nicky was playing on her phone, Anna was doodling on some scrap paper when she got a text from Beth to turn on the news. Anna stood and walked to the TV near the window and flipped it on to channel 10, NY metro news. A few minutes ticked by of random stories and when Frank returned they finally landed on a semi-interesting story about something that happened near the Williamsburg Bridge. It was one of the bridges that connected Brooklyn and Manhattan.
"I see you're already watching it," Frank said.
"Anna," Henry said, seeing that she had made herself comfortable and was sitting on top of Frank's desk.
"What? He told me not to sit in his chair," Anna said.
"Do you sit on the furniture at home?" Henry asked as he walked over to the hutch in the corner.
"Technically yes. Couches are furniture and uh ... before you say it, Grampa did always say I should make myself at home in his office."
"She's got you there, Pops," Nicky said.
"I guess she does," Henry answered.
"I meant on my couch or the big, leather chairs, not my desk," Frank said.
The news anchor went on about what was happened under the bridge. Finally she cut to Garrett who explained that it was just an exercise, like a fire drill, and that everyone involved had to believe it was real. Nicky and Anna weren't sure they believed it. "Is that true?" Nicky asked as Henry handed a glass of scotch to Frank.
"Of course it is," Henry said.
"Yeah? Then why is he stuttering like he made up that excuse on the fly?" Anna asked.
"It's been a long night," Henry said.
Anna stared up at her great-grandfather for a few moments. "Okay, where are my brothers?" Anna asked.
"In bed, the neighbor is watching them."
"Oh," Anna nodded.
"It's getting late, we should get you girls home too," Frank said. Anna and Nicky shared a look but nodded and soon everyone was bedded down for the night.