And love
Chap 69 Fallout
A/N: Skyross19, many thanks for the insightful, concise & critical review! You chastise, inspire & encourage all in one paragraph. One LONG paragraph! Again, thank you!
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BAY RIDGE, FEB 10 02:00
All is quiet in the ancestral home. Henry is asleep in his main floor bedroom, the remodeled guest room; likewise, Frank in the upstairs master bedroom that he shared with Mary Margaret for so many years. He rarely thinks about that now, except when a family event occurs and some family sleeps over. Then he misses his beloved by his side.
SUDDENLY
"NO, DON'T DO THAT! DO NOT STRIKE HER!" Frank is shouting, writhing in his bed.
Pops can hear the commotion and shouting; he rolls out of his bed. He slips on his slippers, throws on his robe and trudges upstairs as fast as he can. He hurries to Frank's room, opens the door and slips inside.
The bed is a mess. Frank is tangled in the bedding and thrashing around as he continues to shout.
"EDDIE, LOOK OUT! MALINA GET DOWN! SOMEBODY GET AJ! HELP US! JAMESON STOP!"
It is obvious to Henry that his son is reliving he incident at Stony Brook recently. Frank had told his dad enough for Pop to figure that out. This is the first nightmare however. This must be really bad; Frank had seen enough terrible things over the years – he didn't react like this. Rarely.
"Frank, wake up," Henry shook him. "Wake up!"
Finally Frank Reagan came to his senses. He looked around and said "Pops? What happened?"
He asks again, "What happened Pops" as he sat up on the edge of his bed.
"You tell me, Francis. You were having a nightmare."
"Ah, we were at Stony Brook. I've told you about that."
"Yes, but there must be more; let's go down to the kitchen – I will listen, you will talk!" They troop downstairs, Pops puts water on to heat for tea.
"You know about the child trafficking raid; Jamie was the leader of the task force." Frank starts.
"Correct. They lost 3 little girls." Henry adds.
Frank pauses to sip his tea, and take a bite of a frosted oatmeal cookie. (Mary Rose's favorite)
"How young?" Pops wonders.
"9, 7 and 5." Frank winces.
"Like Mal and Mary Rose, Francis! Good Lord, is it any wonder Jamie is distraught? That he snapped?"
"But that's no excuse for what he did."
"Of course not."
"It gets worse; the 5 y/o died in his arms."
"NO!"
"Yes. I gave him 1 week leave."
"Is that enough?"
"That's all I can give. He will have to apply for more. I'm sure he'll get it."
"What can we do?"
"Love, support, prayers. He has an outstanding support system, right there at home."
"And he slapped his #1 supporter, DAMN!" Pop really can't believe it.
"Eddie will forgive him."
"If he asks."
"He will."
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BAY RIDGE CONT.
"But at Stony Brook, there was no police report," Pops wants more.
"Right, Eddie's not going to press charges. After the front desk clerk told me that Jamie was in detention, I ran into doctor Young."
"Dr. Young? Eddie's-
"Yes. The OB consultant who assisted on her c-section. He had just seen a patient, and was leaving when he witnessed the incident."
"Did Jamie really strike her? With a fist? Can she forgive that, Francis?"
"No, an open hand slap, Pops."
"But still, there must be more?"
"Not that I know, and I've seen all the reports." Frank sums it up.
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2-BEDROOM BUNGALOW, 4 BLOCKS FROM SB*
02:00
"Josh, you aren't sleeping well these past few nights."
"Sorry, Jess. That incident I told you about from work is really bugging me. I keep playing it over and over in my head. I can't get over it."
"Maybe you should try some Advil PM, honey?"
"No, I feel like shit the next day. Join me for a night-cap?"
"It's 2 AM, dear. You need to be at work at 07:00."
"I know . . .. rub my back?"
"Deal."
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PENTHOUSE APT 2 BLOCKS FROM SB 02:00
"Robert, if you don't start getting more sleep, you won't have the energy to keep up with the grand kids on Saturday."
"Carol, what are you talking about?"
"Grand-kids, Saturday, Coney Island!" Dr. Young's wife reminds him.
"This Saturday?"
"Yes, we promised. We cannot afford to disappoint them again. What's eating you?"
"Eddie and Jamie."
"The c-section you helped with?"
"Yes, I can't believe what I saw."
Robert tells the story. Carol can't quite believe it either.
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DANIEL REAGAN HOUSEHOLD 02:00
"Lin, what's with you? I can't sleep with you tossing and turning like that! Settle down!" His gruff voice is harsh.
"Sorry, Danny. I just can't get over it."
"Get over what?"
"Jamie and Eddie."
"Oh . . . well, I told you all right from the start, that match was trouble!"
"Danny!" She gives her husband a sharp elbow.
"Yup, you know they've hidden something from us all along."
"They are entitled to some privacy!"
"You want to know what I think?" He smirks in the dark, a sinister look on his face.
"Probably not." She frowns.
"I think she seduced him! And now he's too chicken to admit it. He can be such an ass; next chance I get, I'm going to give him a piece of my mind!"
Linda Reagan shivers, covers her face with her hands and begins to cry softly.
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ERIN & NICKY
"Mom, you have been so sad lately, what's troubling you?" They are seated at their little kitchen table, eating breakfast.
Erin takes another sip of her coffee before replying. "I just keep going over and over that . . . thing that happened between your uncle Jamie and Eddie. That is so unlike him. I'm shocked. There must be something terrible underlying his behavior."
"I know, he loves her so much. Did daddy ever-
"NO! Your father never was physically abusive. Actually, after our romance cooled, we both were . . . verbally and emotionally . . . rough with each other. I still am not sure how or why that happened. Jack and I just . . . drifted apart."
"I wish that hadn't happened." Nicky has a tear in her eye. She takes another spoonful of her cereal.
"I do too." Erin takes a bite of her bagel.
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ON THE ISLAND, MBR 02:00
"NO, NOT MY MARY ROSE! TAKE THE SHOT, DAMNIT! NOOOO, DON'T DIE ON ME MY LITTLE ROSE!"
Jameson Reagan is having a nightmare, again. These have been occurring nighty ever since the incident with the child traffickers. So far, he hasn't confided anything but the bare facts to Eddie. She is at her wits end, worried about her family.
"Jamie, wake up. You'll disturb the whole house!" She shakes his shoulders, he comes awake. Too late for the family.
The girls come thundering down the stairs, and dash into the MBR, falling to their knees at the bedside.
"Mommy, what's wrong with daddy?"
"Is daddy having another bad dream?"
"I heard daddy yell my name! Am I gonna die?"
Eddie has had enough. They must get to the bottom of this! Jamie has calmed down, and is sleeping.
She takes charge. "Cassie and Mary Rose, get your brothers. If they need changing, do so. Then bring them to me for a feeding. Mary Rose; NO, you are not going to die. Malina go to the kitchen; prepare some hot chocolate, marshmallows and cookies. I will bring daddy when the boys are done. We are going to lay all our cards on the table. Chop, chop!"
They scamper off to complete their duties. When completed, they gather in the FR.
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WARNING: YOUNG CHILD'S GRUESOME DEATH DESCRIBED
FAMILY TALK
Eddie sits next to Jamie on the love seat. The girls ae scattered around, on pillows. The boys are back in the nursery. The monitor is in the room with them.
Eddie starts, "Girls, what we are going to talk about is a subject, and an incident, that daddy and I would ordinarily shield you from. Family members your age should not have to hear about, or deal with things like this. But since it is affecting all of us so much, I am insisting that your father tell all of us, all of the facts." She pauses and looks to her husband.
His head is down, he slowly raises it and looks at each person, in turn. "Your mother is correct."
"Why, daddy?" Mary Rose asks.
"Because, sweetie, I am going to talk about the death of a little girl. A 5 y/o little girl." His head drops again.
Mary Rose gasps, "I am 5, daddy!" She grasps her daddy's knee.
"I know sweetie." Jamie leads them all in crying. When tears slow, he continues.
"My unit was looking for a group of very bad men; they would kidnap young children, mostly girls. And sell them as slaves; usually to people in other countries. Many of those kids would live only 2-3 years as slaves."
"Then what would happen to them?" Cassie whispered.
"They would die of injuries or disease . . . or be . . . killed." He's chocking on his words now.
"Did you find the bad men," Mal asks-, softly.
"Yes, we did. TARU * had been watching places where we thought they were. Sure enough, we found them. We waited 7 days to be sure they were there; then we raided the warehouse."
"Were you there, daddy?" Cassie asks.
"Yes Cass, I was. When we went in, we surprised the men. Some of them bolted and ran. The officers we had stationed outside picked them up. That left 3 men, each holding a little girl in a tight embrace."
Jamie pauses for breath and composure.
"What happened daddy," Mal whispers.
"The man in the middle was holding a little 5 y/o girl tightly to his chest. He had one hand over her mouth; the other held a dagger . . . positioned at her throat."
He drops his head again. When he raises it, he has an expression on his face that Eddie has never seen.
"When I looked at that little girl's face . . . when I gazed into her eyes . . . I saw you, my Mary Rose." He's sobbing now! He doesn't know if he can go on. *
"NO DADDY! I am right here!" She holds even tighter to her father.
"I could see in his eyes . . . I could see nothing but evil. He was ready to take that girl's life, and he didn't care. I knew that our only chance to save her-
The tension in the room was unbearable.
"I shouted for one of my men to take the shot. We needed to kill him before he killed her. I saw his hand with the dagger start to move, so I lunged at him-
Jamie is speaking in a whisper; slowly and haltingly.
"I was too late. I heard the shot as I saw him cut her throat. He had cut the blood vessels on both sides of her neck. (Jamie is now wishing that he had never started this. It is too late) (Eddie is wishing she had previewed this)
"I grabbed her as he slumped to the floor. I tried to stop the bleeding. There was no chance. It was chaos; officers saved the other 2 girls, calling for ambulances. That little girl died in my arms. Eddie-
He can't talk for a while. He just sits there doubled over – held and caressed by his family. After a while he continues-
"When I got home the entire front of my uniform was covered with blood. The only thing I could think of was to get cleaned up before anyone saw me."
"I was a total mess! Physically and emotionally! So, I ran to our bedroom, slammed the door, discarded my clothes and took a shower."
"Babe, that's when you should run to my arms for comfort!" Eddie exclaims, sobbing along with everyone else. "I don't care what condition your clothes are in. I LOVE YOU!"
"We're here for you, daddy," Mal whispers.
"YES," Cassie & Mary Rose echo.
They all hold him tightly.
"Then when I thought you were taking AJ's spells too lightly, I snapped. I grabbed him and took off. Thank you for following, Eddie."
"Always and forever!" She grins through her tears. Mal nods.
"Then at the ER, when you reached for AJ I snapped, again. I'm so sorry Eddie. This is all-
"DO NOT SAY THAT JAMESON REAGAN! You are just human, like all of us," Eddie demands. "I am not sure what I would have done if I had been in your shoes. Probably worse. Let's all learn a lesson – and forgive daddy."
"Yes, I love you daddy!" All the girl's echo. 'We forgive you."
"I'm really sorry Eddie, Cassie, Mal and Mary Rose – my loving family. I will try my best to always remember your love for me. And run to you when I am troubled; just as you can run to me. Thank you!"
Love, understanding and forgiveness flow into husband and father, lifting him up. He is able to come through this trial whole and alive. *
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TBC
Stony Brook Medical Center
Technical Assistance Resources Unit
I had a really hard time writing this part. Several starts and stops; thinking, misty yes. I hope it worked. I have never before written anything remotely like this.
Some of you have commented that I'm showing Jamie too far out of character. I agree that it's off his bell curve, but I don't think it is out of the realm of possibility. As always, your opinion is valid – so is mine. Thanks for reading. All reviews are cherished. Really!