18

He woke with a start, heavy lids blinking repeatedly to find himself still alone on the couch, his legs propped up on the coffee table just as they had been before he dozed off. On TV, the Mets continued to play in L.A. - a big game as far as his team was concerned but not exciting enough to keep him awake. He had a long day on patrol with a rookie by his side followed by a trip uptown to get James, then they met Eddie for dinner before finally bringing him home for his first weekend stay with them. This was big and what they had been working for - having both James and Sydney comfortable enough to begin a more routine visitation schedule with overnights.

Tomorrow would be even busier. The spare room was now James' room and other than a new bed and extra nightstands and bookshelves from their old apartments, it was a blank canvas. They wanted him to feel at home here, which would be easier with a space he could call his own. He already hinted at either Rangers or Knicks colors and posters, which pleased his dad, but was otherwise undecided on what to do with the blank space. The plan was to let him call the shots on how he wanted it set up, decorated, etc., the planning and shopping for which would commence in the morning.

Jamie sat up and clicked the TV off. He'd been left alone shortly before the start of the ten o'clock game. Eddie headed to bed first after having dozed against his shoulder and James followed shortly thereafter. He wasn't interested in staying up for the game with him - probably a good thing since they had already broken one of his mom's bedtime rules. He wasn't a baseball fan, saying the game was too slow for him and would put him to sleep anyway. Sometimes, the pace was what drew Jamie to the game the most.

Considering it was his first time sleeping over, Jamie was uncertain how involved he should be with his bedtime routine. He knew what Sydney did; she'd definitely given him the run down - multiple times - on all James-related care in the days leading up to the sleepover, including tonight at pick up. What was it that Linda used to call it…a tiger mom? He wasn't sure, but Jamie didn't think the term really applied to her or Sydney, for that matter. He was sure it was just nerves over the unchartered territory they were exploring.

Jamie glanced over Sydney's shoulder wondering how much longer before James would be ready.

"Don't forget - no strawberries!" Sydney repeated again, this time with one finger stabbing the air to stress the importance of the reminder.

"No strawberries, understood. Don't worry, it's now the same as olives for me. We even cleaned them out of house," he assured her. He didn't mess around with food allergies - either his own or anyone else's. And with Eddie aware of it, there was no way the red berry would come within a hundred feet of James. He didn't think it was a coincidence that he hadn't encountered an olive since the tapenade scandal of 2014.

"Alright. So, one last thing," she continued.

Last? he thought to himself, but in no way let her see what he was thinking. He was excited to have James stay with them, something their son asked for before he broached the subject with Sydney himself. Now that the day had come, he wasn't going to do anything to mess things up - like having Sydney pull the plug and throw him out of the apartment to keep James home.

"Bedtime…it's between eight and nine. Because it's summer, he'll try to stay up longer, but routine is crucial and, trust me, you don't want to know what it's like getting him back on schedule for school, so it's the same all year long. Make sure he brushes and flosses his teeth and remind him to use the bathroom before bedtime otherwise he's likely to get up. He runs cold at night, so remind him to wear socks. No screen time at bedtime, otherwise he won't be able to fall asleep easily. He can read for a little while, but keep an eye on how long he does. Again, during summer and the weekend, he thinks he can go all night."

Jamie already had the list memorized and nodded along. "No all nighters. Got it."

Sydney took the time to read Jamie's expression for the first time since she started going over James' care. He had the look of a guy afraid to react to the crazy person standing in front of him. Her shoulders sagged as she palmed her forehead, wondering how she was going to get through the next forty-eight hours. "You think I'm crazy, don't you?" she asked with a sad laugh, crossing her arms in front of her as she looked down the hallway towards James' room.

Jamie smiled and shook his head. This was clearly tough for her. He would do all he could to make this easy for all of them so it could become the norm. "I think you're a mom who's nervous about having her nine year old spend the night somewhere else. If he needs anything, I'll make sure it's taken care of or I'll call you. I'll have him back Sunday after dinner - he'll be back here before you know it."

Maybe Jamie was reading too much into it, but when James said good night, it seemed like he wanted to escape to the other room to be on his own rather than have him hovering over bedtime routines. He thought back to when he was that age and what he preferred; he didn't want his parents hovering over him at all, much less at bedtime. He also didn't need to be tucked into bed by that age - although his mom still insisted, didn't she? He may have grumbled about it back then - the bed tucking and night time kisses - but looking back, he was glad she was always there to do it. They might be things Sydney continued to do, but Jamie was still trying to transition from the guy James was getting to know to being his father.

Overthinking things as usual, for tonight he opted for just making sure James had or knew where to find anything he needed before bed and assured him he was around if he needed him. He wished him a good night, but remained in the living room, more to make sure he settled in alright than to watch the west coast game. He just didn't expect to fall asleep so soon after.

Jamie stood and stretched his arms over his head until he heard and felt a satisfying pop in his back. He walked through the apartment shutting off lights but stopped at the soft white glow spilling out from under James' bedroom door. Assuming that he fell asleep with the light on, Jamie quietly opened the door and peeked inside, surprised to find him sitting up in bed. The sheets and blankets were scrunched up at the end of the bed and he was fully engrossed in a book. Jamie shuffled in, smiling when the boy's eyes shot up over the top of the book and met his, alarmed as if he'd been caught staying up past bedtime. "Hey, it's late. I thought you were sleeping. Everything okay?" he worried. A glance at his watch confirmed that James had gone to bed over an hour ago.

James stretched his legs out, letting the book fall with them and shrugged to himself. "I couldn't sleep, so I thought I'd read."

After making his way to the other side of the bed, Jamie sat down on the edge and took the book from James' hands, flipping it over to read the front cover while using a finger to save his spot. "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. That looks like some serious reading, but you're halfway through the book so it must be good," he said, returning it to him. He adjusted the extra pillow and sat back against the headboard.

"It is. You haven't read them?" he asked. He thought the whole world already had.

"No, I can't say I have," he replied with a shake of his head.

"They're great. There's four more to go after this one and then I'm done. But every time I finish a book, I watch the movie first."

Jamie lowered himself further against the pillow and rested his hands across his midsection. He realized this new bed was pretty comfortable. "I heard even adults get into them. Guess I'll have to give them a try if you say they're that good."

James' eyes brightened. "I can bring you the ones I already read. But you have to see the movies too, like I do."

One corner of Jamie's mouth creeped up into a half smile. "Alright, I'll do that if you bring them. Thanks, bud."

James nodded and looked back down at his open book.

His father elbowed him gently and asked, "What else?"

Annoyed, James eyed him. "Why do you always do that?"

Jamie pursed his lips but couldn't hold back a grin when James continued.

"I know…comes with experience," he groaned and rolled his eyes. A heavy sigh left James' lungs. He flipped through the pages on one side of the book before he spoke. "I don't know. I guess it's strange sleeping in someone else's house. I don't get to do that a lot." That and he sort of missed his mom.

Jamie nodded in understanding. He thought this first time might be challenging for him and he wanted to do all he could to make it better. "I get that, but, hey, I hope you could start to see this as your house too. Eddie and I, we want you to feel at home here. That's why we want to fix up your room however you want it. I think that will help. And Ed and I are right across the hall if you need anything."

"Yeah," James nodded, still focused on playing with the pages of the book.

"What's your room at home look like?" Jamie asked to keep him talking and hopefully distract him.

He half rolled his eyes in response. "Take one guess."

"Superheros?"

"Yeah. It's been like that for a while. It's okay, but it's getting old and it's kinda babyish. I'm ready for a change," he declared. That was so three years ago, he thought.

Jamie's brow arched up into his forehead. "You're never too old for superheroes, but I can understand. I mean, you are getting old - you're almost ten. Speaking of which, the big day's coming up." He would be the first to admit that he was pretty excited to be able to celebrate this milestone with James. Not only was he going into double digits - a major event for any kid - but it would be the first birthday he would be able to celebrate with him.

James' head turned toward his dad. "You are coming to my party, right?"

"Are you kidding me? You only told me about it ten times. It's on my calendar, I wouldn't miss it."

"Because it's our first together?" James thought this birthday was going to be the best ever. He would officially be ten and his dad was finally going to be there too.

Jamie was touched that they both shared that sentiment, but jerked his shoulder nonchalantly. He settled further down on the bed, now lying flat as he brought his hands up behind his head. "I mean sure, there's that. But your mom told me she ordered a huge triple chocolate cake. Did you know that's my favorite ever? I'm so looking forward to that."

James shoved his elbow and laughed, knowing he was kidding. "Come on!"

"Of course it's because it's the first birthday I get to spend with you," he laughed. "I can't wait for that. The whole family will be there. I already got your present too."

That got his attention. He spun around, criss crossing his legs to hear all about what he was getting. "What is it?"

"I can't tell you that! It's a surprise!" Jamie argued.

"Come on, tell me!" he begged, playfully shoving his dad's midsection.

"Come on what?"

"You're really gonna make me wait?" He loved presents…birthdays, Christmas, souvenirs from his grandparents' travels - they were all great. But he hated knowing they were coming because he then had to wait to open them. Christmas presents under the tree were the ultimate torture for young James Reagan Davenport.

"If I tell you now it won't be a surprise," Jamie reasoned.

Where he had been excited a second ago, he was now deflated. He sensed that no amount of begging would get his dad to tell him what the gift was. "Alright," he grumped, giving Jamie the stink eye as he stretched back down next to him. Then it occurred to James there was something he never asked him. "When's your birthday?"

He couldn't stop from yawning before answering. "Sorry…it's October twenty-first."

"How old are you turning?"

He was weary of answering since James categorized anyone over the age of twenty as old. "However old your mom turned this year," he decided to say.

"That old, huh?" James deadpanned.

There it was, just as Jamie expected. "Oh! Don't say that around her! But yeah, that old," he chuckled. He sighed and turned his head to find James grinning up at the ceiling. He didn't look like he was ready for sleep yet. "You want to keep reading?"

"Maybe for a little while," he said and reached for the book at his side.

"Why don't you read to me? Introduce me to Harry Potter," Jamie suggested. He didn't want to leave him alone before he was ready to sleep.

James searched for where he left off in the book. "I'm right in the middle of this one. Do you even know what the story's about?"

"A wizard and his wizardly friends is all I know," Jamie shrugged as he got himself more comfortable.

"There's more to it than that," James insisted, finding his place.

"So read. I'm a quick study."

Eddie turned over in bed. She wanted to snuggle and was expecting to meet her husband's warm, athletic frame. She was confused to find cold bed sheets instead. She lifted her head from the pillow and blinked several times. Jamie's side of the bed was empty and so was the rest of the room. With James spending the night for the first time, he was her first thought about why Jamie was missing. Yet, as far as she could tell, the whole apartment was quiet, as it should be at two o'clock in the morning. Determined to make sure both father and son were alright, she slid out of bed and grabbed a robe on her way out of the room.

From the hallway, she found the apartment in near total darkness, except for the nightlight over the stove and the glow peeking around the edges of James' partially open bedroom door. Deciding that's where the pair must be hiding, she padded over, ready to admonish them for partying so late into the night. Instead, the sight that met her when she quietly pushed the door open kept any words from passing through her lips, causing her heart to melt.

There they were, both sound asleep in the new bed they bought especially for James. He was curled up on his left side in the middle of the bed, covered to the waist by a blanket while firmly lodged up against Jamie who, from this angle, laid on his back precariously close to the edge of the bed. A thick, forgotten novel was wedged between them.

Eddie could die right now. After grabbing her phone, she snapped a few photos, then slipped the device into her pocket. She did as Frank had done on the pier and captured this sweet moment between father and son for all of posterity. Eddie tip-toed over to her husband and gently ran her hand up and down his bicep to rouse him.

When Jamie opened his eyes, he wordlessly questioned her presence above him. With her silent nod to his right, he realized where he was. He couldn't remember falling asleep again; the last thing he recalled was hearing about some exciting tournament.

Eddie offered him her hand and he got up slowly and quietly while staring intently at James to make sure he remained asleep. After adjusting the blankets around him and placing the book on the nightstand, he turned off the lamp. The pair tip-toed out of the room, leaving the door open half-way.

"That bed's really comfortable," Jamie mumbled as he wrapped his arms around Eddie from behind and guided her back to their room.

"That's good to know," Eddie smiled.