12

Some more bonding before we see more family introductions, Jamie's exposure to James' fancy private school and some bumps down the road.

Time seemed to go by quickly with father and son bonding over various activities like...

A Friday night Rangers game at the Garden.

James followed Jamie up to the last row of the lower bowl, his eyes never leaving the ice where players from both teams were warming up. "Woah! Look at this place!"

Sporting a Rangers hoodie, Jamie stopped in front of his seat and took it all in too. "Cool, huh? I love this place." It wasn't just the team that made this place special, but time spent here for Rangers and Knicks games with his brothers, father and grandfather. Then there were the countless NYPD graduation ceremonies - his brothers', his own, and all of the ones his father lead as PC. This place was special to all of them.

They both sat down, James with snacks and drink from a concession stand. He was quick to toss a handful of popcorn into his mouth as he focused on the Rangers' goalie blocking shots from his own team members. "I've never really seen a hockey game before. I always liked basketball more, but it looks fun with all the super fast skating and punching and ramming guys into the walls and stuff."

Jamie laughed. That was everyone's favorite. "Yeah, all guys like that last part the most. It's a blast, I just don't want to be on the receiving end of the punching and ramming."

"Me either," he said as he munched away. "Did you play?"

"I did when I was a kid. I was alright but preferred playing basketball like you. I always loved watching the games. Reagans are diehard Rangers fans, you know." Jamie regarded James as he dug into the popcorn bucket. "So, do you just want to watch or do you really want to learn about the game?"

"What's there to learn? They just gotta get the puck in the net," James replied.

"Yeah, sure, that's the objective, but there's rules and it requires certain skills and techniques and teamwork, like in any other sport. What do you know about the game?"

"Not much, I guess," he conceded.

"Alright then. I'll teach you."

"I have a question though," James said as warm ups continued.

Jamie reached over and took a handful of popcorn for himself. "Let's hear it."

"How come there's so much more fighting in hockey than other sports? The refs let it happen. In basketball, they break it up and throw the guy out quick," he asked.

"It's just a part of the game," Jamie said, but James' expression sought a better answer. "It really is! But I know what you're getting at. Okay. Mostly, it's to defend yourself or your teammate. Say the other player takes a cheap shot at you or one of you guys and isn't called for it. You're gonna challenge that guy - make sure he knows he can't get away with it even when the refs let it go."

"To a fight?"

"Yeah. And if they don't accept the challenge, it's almost a promise that the game is gonna get a lot rougher. It's like saying hey, you're taking cheap shots at us, we're gonna do the same right back to you."

"So they accept the challenge and fight?"

"Helmets and gloves come off. They fight until someone goes down and then it's over."

"Just like that?"

"Well, pretty never punch someone when they're down. Know what happens if you do?"

"What?"

"That means you're going to be challenged next. You'll have the target on your back."

"So it goes on and on."

"It could but no one ever backs down from a challenge. Although they're not completely in the clear afterwards - the refs throw them in the penalty box when they're done."

"So they fight and then still get in trouble. Why bother?

"It's about honor, sticking up for yourself and your teammates. Then they go back to playing hockey."

"It really is the only sport where fighting is okay."

"It is. Goes back to playing as a team - standing up for yourself and your guys. That's what makes it so great - you hit me, I'm hitting you right back. It's kind of a life lesson."

"That it's okay hit people?" James asked with wide eyes.

The last thing Jamie needed was for James to run home and tell his mom he said it was okay to punch people. "It's okay to defend yourself and your own. There's a difference," Jamie corrected him.

James turned back to the ice where the players began to line up. "I wanna play."

"Do you now? You haven't even seen one period," Jamie chuckled.

"I know, but it would be so cool."

Then there was laser tag.

The horn sounded and Jamie came out from behind cover, trying his best to contain his smile as other players - a mix of both adults and kids - searched for their respective teammates in and around the various obstacles.

"I think I picked the wrong game to play!" James complained. His vest continued to flash after time expired on their second game. He'd been hit again!

"What are you talking about? This is fun!" he said.

James glared at his dad's vest - it had yet to light up once. They were on the same team, but he was the only one getting hit. "For you! You're a cop and know how to duck for cover and shoot guns. You practice on those paper targets."

"Yeah, I do," Jamie smirked.

"You're an expert!" James said, forgetting his dad managed to take down a few people to save his butt. He hopped up on an old, orange traffic barrier laid out in the large laser arena. They had a few minutes before their third and last game would begin.

"But we won! And you picked it!"

"I know, I know! Hmph!" he frowned. That was on him. But maybe with a little practice, he could get better. "Maybe we can try that sometime?"

"What?"

"Shooting the targets," he specified.

Jamie raised a brow. "Your mom would have my head, you know that right?"

The boy deflated. It was worth a shot. "I know. She won't even let me have the real good shooting games. She said they 'promote violence' or something and only said yes to this 'cause it's no worse than a Nerf gun."

Jamie leaned back against the barrier next to him. "That's what people say, but I don't know enough about the studies to really say one way or the other."

"When's the first time you shot a gun?" James questioned.

"Ugh, you're really gonna get me in trouble, bud."

"Why? Tell me!" James perked up, wanting to know.

Jamie closed his eyes and grimaced at the trouble this might bring him but came clean, because, honestly, it was a really great childhood memory. "First time I fired a gun was when I was eight."

"Eight!? Seriously!?" James shouted, turning to straddle the barrier and face his father.

"Yeah," Jamie smiled at the memories from that experience.

"No fair! How'd that happen?"

"First of all, you gotta remember I grew up around cops. Gun safety was drilled into me since I was in diapers."

"Okay."

"They're not toys like these, James," he said, waving the laser gun in the air. "They cause serious harm when they're not handled properly, so you're never, ever to touch one. Understand?"

James' eyes widened at his tone. "I know," he nodded, but his dad wouldn't stop with the look. "I understand! I swear!"

Jamie eased up, but it was something they'd have to talk about again and again. At some point, he hoped to have more time with James at his home. He and Eddie would need to change the way they stored their weapons. It had always just been the two of them, so their off-duty pieces went into a drawer when they were home. Now, with James in the picture, they needed to invest in a gun safe. "Shooting guns can also be a sport. It's something my dad loves to do, so he did it with us. He also wanted us to understand how powerful they can be. They're a big responsibility."

"So how come you got to do it when you were eight?"

"It was my birthday. My mom wasn't happy about it at all, just like your mom wouldn't be. She wouldn't want me to even talk to you about it." Yet he was, because he wasn't going to shy away from James' questions or hide who he or his family was.

"But you got to do it."

"That was between my mom and dad, I guess they came to some sort of agreement about it. It was also tradition, something dad did with each of us."

James' brow creased in surprise. "All of you? Even your sister?"

"Yeah. She's a great shot." Another lesson he would have to learn was to not underestimate women - ever. "And so is Eddie. Don't mess with them. They might be better at it than us guys, but don't ever tell them I said so or they'll never let me live it down. Got it?"

"Got it," James smiled. "What was that like?"

Jamie smiled. "A little scary at first."

"Really?"

"Yeah, I mean, it was a big deal. It was also powerful. The gun my dad let me use was a low caliber weapon - it had a lot less power than what he used on the job, but still. The first time I fired it, he stood right behind me. Hop off, I'll show you." He stood and watched as James jumped off the barrier. Jamie set his own laser gun on the ground and went down onto one knee behind James. Then he wrapped his arms around the boy and brought his hands up, helping him grip the toy gun, just as his dad did with him all those years ago. "He showed me how to aim and fire, just like this," he said and positioned him in a proper shooting stance, directing him on how to aim the gun at a target. "I swear, I thought I would have fallen on my butt if it wasn't for him holding on to me."

James glanced back at his dad before aiming the laser gun at a target and pulling the trigger. "That must have been so cool."

Jamie got back up and brought his hands onto his hips. It wasn't the gun range, but he was having some of those same feelings spending this time with James. He wanted to make the most of every outing and soak it in. He hoped James would feel the same about him some day. "It wasn't so much about the gun, but about getting to do things with him one on one. That's what I remember the most, you know?"

"Yeah," he nodded, feeling like he did.

The other players caught Jamie's attention and he retrieved his gun. "You ready for another round? Looks like we're about to start."

James nodded and smiled. "Think we'll win again?"

Jamie reached out to fist bump him. "It's in the bag, bud."

And the re-release of a classic (from Jamie's childhood)

"I'm surprised you picked that movie," Jamie commented as they walked out of the theater. They both squinted as the bright afternoon sun hit their eyes.

James shrugged as they began walking up the block. "Felt like watching a movie but there wasn't anything else to see. Plus one of the kids at school said it was good, but he's kind of a dinosaur nerd, so I don't know. It was worth a shot."

"So what did you think?"

"It was good. That one dinosaur was scary. They did a good job with the CGI for such an old movie," he commented.

"Old, he says," Jamie huffed with a shake of his head. "I loved it the first time I saw it."

When they came to a stop at a light, James turned to his dad. "How old were you?"

"Eleven. Your grandpa took me. I could tell he wasn't all that excited to see a movie about a bunch of dinosaurs, but everyone else was too busy to take me and he and your grandma weren't going to let me go alone. My dad is more of a classic movie buff and my mom, well, she thought she deserved a few hours off and told dad to take me."

"So he didn't he like it?" James guessed.

They crossed the street and kept walking side by side. "He was impressed by the CGI just like you. It definitely wasn't one of his old westerns, but he got a kick out of it. It was fun, but the best part of that day was getting some alone time with him."

James realized it was the second time he'd heard him say that about his dad. "How come? Wasn't he around?"

"He was, but he worked a lot. He worked big cases and was climbing the ladder at the department. It took up a lot of his time - a lot of long hours. But he made the most of the time he had at home with us." That was one thing Jamie remembered the most. His dad did work a lot when he was growing up, but when he was home, he was present. He knew that was mainly his mom's doing, he just wasn't aware of the strife that caused them until his dad really prioritized family over the job. As the youngest, he benefited from that the most.

"So your mom was around all the time?"

"Yeah, she was," he said wistfully. "I had a ton of time with your grandma but now that she's gone, I realize it still wasn't enough."

"What was she like?" James asked. He talked about his dad a lot, but not his mom.

Jamie looked down at him. "Your grandma?"

"Yeah," he nodded.

Jamie took in a breath…where to start. "She always put us first, made sure you knew you were loved even when she was mad at you. It was always impressive that she could do that with four of us driving her crazy," he smiled before thinking of how her life's work became her kids. "Also, she could have run the United Nations."

James scrunched his nose. "What's that mean?"

A soft smile adorned his features. "She raised four kids while serving as our ambassador to our father. She kept us safe, ran the day-to-day at home and made sure my dad always knew what was going on with us while he was out at work. She made sure our relationship with him was always strong despite the fact he was out of the house so much."

James was struck by how he spoke about her. "Do you miss her?"

"Everyday. That's why it's important to make the most of the time you have with family. Know what I mean?"

"Yeah," James nodded again and kept walking beside him.