A/N: This chapter has some sensitive situations discussed that may be a trigger for some readers.

Chapter 7: Discussions and Escalations

Author: zeusfluff.

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Blue Blood's characters. They belong to CBS. I do own all originals though. Date Started: 10/12/24. Date Finished: 10/12/24. Enjoy!

"You're still awake babe?"

Jamie had entered his and Eddie's bedroom after checking on all the kids to make sure they were settled for the night to find she was wide awake and reading a magazine in bed. Putting the magazine down on the nightstand, Eddie gave a frustrated sigh.

"Glad your home bub."

Jamie quickly got undressed down to his boxers and slipped into bed next to Eddie and pulled the covers over him. Pulling her closer, Jamie kissed her forehead.

"You had a meeting with Principal Stevens today at Cora's school. How'd that go?"

Eddie crossed her arms across her chest and frowned. She was angry.

"It was a disaster bub. The girl responsible for assaulting Cora has been expelled from school. I'm having Danny look into it. I want her arrested. It turns out there are other girls bullying her too. Not just the one girl that almost choked her to death. Those other girls only got two months detention. I want them permanently expelled too.

I could tell Cora had another rough day at school. She came home crying. But she won't tell me what's wrong. Every time I try to get her to open up and talk to me, she clams up and stiffens up like a board. She won't say a word. We have to do something Jamie. Our baby girl is sending us a cry for help, and we need to answer it."

Jamie swallowed and added his thought.

"The best thing for us to do is take her out of that school. It's clearly become dangerous for her to be attending classes there. She needs a fresh start."

Eddie looked up into Jamie's eyes.

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking bub?"

Jamie nodded and pulled Eddie closer to him one more time. The couple had plan. This was going to stop.

"Jamie, I just got a call from Principal Stevens saying Cora came to school, but she's not in class."

Jamie nodded and followed Eddie through the empty hallway of Middle School 227.

"I got that same call. She should be in her 2nd period class, which is percentages."

Neither Jamie or Eddie had opted to change out of their work clothes to go and check on Cora. Jamie was still in his scrubs and Eddie was still in her police uniform. A security guard had given Jamie Cora's locker combination so he could gather her things.

He and Eddie got a pit in their stomachs as he entered the combo there was a thud as he opened up the door. Cora fell out and landed on the hallway floor. She was unconscious. Jamie carefully turned her over onto her back and tried to ignore the growing pit in his stomach. Eddie was quick to dial 911 as Jamie checked to see if Cora was breathing. He shook his head no at Eddie as she got a hold of a 911 dispatcher.

"This is Officer Janko. Shield number 339764. I need a bus to Middle School 277. I have a female minor approximately 13 years of age and unresponsive. CPR is being administered. Put a rush on that bus!"

Eddie hurriedly hung up the phone and looked up when she heard the school bell ring. The halls became crowded with teenagers. Principal Stevens voice came over the intercom.

"Students and staff: we are in a hold. Please clear the halls and stay in classrooms until the hold is lifted. Thank you."

The hallway was quickly cleared, and Eddie saw a group of girls scurrying away and laughing, except for one girl. She actually had tears in her eyes. One of the other girls looked at her and waved for her to keep moving.

"Come on Annie! Let's go!"

Annie looked straight at Eddie and then back at the other four girls.

"Jenna, Caroline, Katie, Erica… What did you guys do? This is wrong!"

Cora took a breath in and sputtered, Jamie ran a hand through her dark hair and nodded, tears threatening to stream down his face.

"Breathe baby girl. Breathe for daddy. Good. Good girl. Take nice easy breaths. There you go. I know it hurts. I'm sorry, I cracked a couple of your ribs. Just keep taking nice easy breaths."

Jamie held Cora in his arms, and she looked confused.

"Daddy?"

Eddie ran a hand over Cora's cheek and gave her a watery smile.

"We're both here honey. Just try and relax. The EMT's will be here any minute to take you to the hospital."

Jamie got a look on his face as he looked up at Eddie. Realization dawned on him.

"All those girls. Jenna, Caroline, Katie and Erica. I recognized their faces. I just realized that I delivered all four of them 13 years ago. To think they are responsible for hurting Cora."

Eddie looked Jamie in the eye and her face saddened.

"The girl, Annie. She was the little baby I saved from choking on a grape 14 years ago. Where did everything go wrong?"

Jamie shook his head, and the couple looked up as the EMT's arrived and began to tend to Cora. Jamie and Eddie stayed right by Cora's side.

"She needs oxygen. Not nasal oxygen. By mask. She has a couple of cracked ribs from the CPR I was giving her. Her skin is tenting and is dry. She's dehydrated. Start her on some saline, get some fluid into her."

Jamie and Eddie sat vigil at Cora's bed side. She was resting comfortably in her own room on the pediatric floor. Eddie kept her left hand in Cora's and squeezed it every now and then. Jamie couldn't sit still, and he kept adjusting the leads attached to Cora and made sure that there were no air bubbles from the line in her arm to the bag of saline hanging from the iv pole next to the bed. Eddie looked up at Jamie and sighed.

"Bub. She's alright. You checked her heart five minutes ago. You've correlated with the machine every few minutes. She's fine."

Jamie hung his head, and when he looked up, Eddie could see tears brimming from his eyes.

"Those girls hurt our baby girl. They need to be behind bars."

There was a sharp knock on Cora's door, then Eddie answered.

"Come in."

Danny stepped into the room and took in the scene before him.

"I just came to check and see how Cora was doing. That and I have some news. Some good, some bad. Which do you guys want to hear first?"

Jamie looked at Danny and swallowed, speaking with a lump in his throat.

"Good news first Danny."

Nodding, Danny took another seat in a third chair and revealed the good news.

"All six girls have been arrested. Including the one that choked Cora. She's going to spend the next 5 to 10 in jail. That's the good news. The bad news is the parents are suing the NYPD. They all claim harassment and 'wrongful arrests'."

The couple only looked at Danny. But it was Jamie who spoke.

"How could their parents be so blind? Their kids put a classmate in the hospital. She could've died!"

Danny nodded and gave Jamie a look.

"We are holding the parents accountable. With the video evidence it's pretty clear that these girls are going to jail. No doubt about it."

To Be Continued…

A/N: So, what'd you guys think?