Times of Love, Times of Struggle
Author: zeusfluff.
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Blue Blood's characters. They belong to CBS. I do own all originals though. Summary: Sequel to Intersections of Joy and Sacrifice. Jamie has his hands full bringing healthy babies into the world and dealing with the demands of his job, while Eddie is promoted to Sargeant. Can Jamie and Eddie balance the demands of their day-to-day work and raising their kids? Date Started: 10/6/24. Date Finished: 10/6/24. Enjoy!
"Come on! Let's go guys! We're going to be late!"
Jamie called up the stairs to all the kids. Cora came running down the stairs in a flustered whirlwind.
"Ugh! Dad! Can you please tell Maisie I need the bathroom!"
Jamie gave Cora a look when he saw what she was wearing.
"Young lady, you are not leaving the house wearing that."
Cora looked down at her choice of clothes and frowned.
"What's wrong with what I'm wearing?"
Shaking his head, Jamie pointed up the stairs.
"Not appropriate for walking outside this house or school honey. Please go change."
Cora flung her bag from her shoulder, and it hit the bottom of the stairs with a loud thud.
"UGH! FINE! But daddy! All the girls are dressing like this! It's cool!"
Jamie shook his head and pointed at the stairs.
"Upstairs and change those clothes young lady. Please."
Watching her stomp off up the stairs, he heard her slam her bedroom door. Closing his eyes and then opening them, Jamie saw Eddie appear from the kitchen with her hands full of lunches.
"Kids! Time to go! Bus is here in less than 5! Let's go!"
Cora came bursting out of her room and clattering down the stairs and looked at Jamie with her arms crossed over her chest.
"Is this better dad? Does it meet your strict dress code?"
Jamie nodded in approval and handed Cora her bag.
"Better. But I'm this close to sending you to catholic school baby girl. I don't want boys to get the wrong idea."
Cora rolled her eyes at Jamie and slung her bag over her shoulder.
"I'm more interested in hanging out with my friends and going ice skating at Rockefeller Center than spending time with boys."
A ghost of a smile tugged at Jamie's lips, and he cleared his throat.
"Ok. You can go. But if I see you trying to leave the house dressed like you were this morning again, you are grounded for a month. No tv, no phone, and no internet. You do know what that means right?"
Cora nodded her head.
"Yes dad. It means no Instagram, Tik Tok, or Snapchat. Mom help me out here?"
Eddie handed Cora her lunch and shook her head.
"Sorry honey. I'm afraid I'm on your dad's side with this one. We just want you to stay safe. You're 13. We don't want you to get hurt. Here's your lunch. Have a good day. We love you."
Jamie and Eddie kissed Cora's forehead, and she went out the door as a horn honked. Looking back, she called to her brother Patrick and her sisters Maisie, Keena and Kaitlyn.
"Bus is here you guys! Come on!"
Patrick came flying down the stairs after Cora and was lugging his bag behind him, Eddie tossed him his lunch as his feet crossed the threshold of the front door.
"Thanks mom!"
Eddie walked Maisie, Keena and Kaitlyn to their bus that was just pulling up to the curb.
"Have a good day girls!"
Shutting the door, Eddie gave Jamie a look.
"Do we have some time?"
Jamie gave Eddie his own look.
"I hate to burst your bubble Ed, but we'll have to put the brakes on time for us until the weekend. We've gotta go."
Eddie pulled at his shirt and trailed kisses down the side of his neck.
"Couldn't we just call in sick and play hooky?"
Jamie gave a dissatisfied grunt and shook his head, closing his eyes. When he opened them, he saw the look of disappointment in his wife's eyes.
"Unfortunately, I've got a full plate today. I've got a couple of C-sections scheduled and at least six patients that are due today. Lots of babies to bring into the world."
Jamie pulled Eddie in for a quick peck to the lips and when they separated, he looked at his watch.
"Oh. I really gotta go. See you tonight, Ed. I love you."
"Ok, I'm almost through. Mara hand me that lap pad. I need more suction over here. There we go. Ok I'm through. Help me pull."
Jamie held his breath as his hands emerged with a screaming baby in tow.
"Ok, Sara, you have a beautiful baby girl! What are you going to name her?"
Sara Michaelson looked at the screaming little girl Jamie was holding over the sheet.
"Skye."
Another nurse made a note and wrote down the baby's name. Jamie nodded and handed the little girl over to Sabrina who placed her into a heated bassinet. He felt pride swell inside him. He never got tired of his job.
Stepping through the door to the house, Jamie didn't hear a sound coming from anywhere inside. He'd learned over the years that quiet from any one of the kids meant there was always trouble behind. But the kids were old enough now to focus on something to keep them occupied. Cora was sitting at the dining room table doing her homework.
"Hi daddy."
Jamie shed his coat and placed it on the coat rack. Taking two long strides towards Cora, he placed a kiss to her forehead.
"Hi baby. How was your day?"
Cora shrugged her shoulders.
"Eh. The usual. I might need help with my math homework. Please daddy?"
There it was again. Cora only called Jamie daddy when she really wanted something.
"Ok, what's up Cora? You can talk to me. You only call me daddy when you want something. What is it?"
Cora stopped typing on her laptop and placed her hands in her lap. She looked down at them and fidgeted. When she looked up, she had a worried expression on her face.
"Someone wrote ACAB on my locker daddy. What does it mean?"
Jamie shut his eyes and tried not to clench his jaw. When he opened his eyes, he saw the look on her face.
"Do you know who wrote it?"
Cora shook her head. Eddie showed up next to Cora and saw the look in her eyes.
"I was hoping you wouldn't have to deal with all that honey I'm sorry. It means all cops are bastards. Someone who writes that just do it because they are angry about something. I can't tell you what."
Cora spoke so softly both Jamie and Eddie could barely hear her.
"But you didn't do anything wrong mama. You're not mean."
Jamie and Eddie suddenly saw Cora sitting in her chair and she was 4 years old again. This was a life lesson they were hoping to avoid. The couple pulled Cora into their arms and hugged her. There would be more struggles to go through, teenage years and all.
To Be Continued…
A/N: So, what do you guys think? I've been working on this idea for a while now.