Emily

Chapter Five

Once Eddie and Jamie were left alone with Emily after Nicky was released and she and Erin had brought clothes, snacks, and things for them to do while Emily slept; Eddie finally let her tears of worry and relief fall as Jamie held her in his arms. She couldn't believe that after only a few short days she loved someone so much, but she didn't want to change it for the world.

"Jamie, if we would have lost her..." She started.

"I know babe. We'd both be a mess. But she is alright. We can get her through this. She's strong and so are we. We just have to take it one step at a time."

"Eddie? Jamie?" Emily called and they wiped their eyes and went back to her.

"Is everything okay, baby?"

"Yeah, I just wanted to know where you were." Emily replied and they took her hands.

"We're right here and we're not going anywhere."

"Good. I told Nicky some of what happened. She told me about when she was abducted and how she still deals with PTSD and gave me some new ways to try and cope with it. It really helped me realize I am not the only one dealing with this. Can we maybe find a PTSD support group for teens? I think it might help a lot."

"That is a really good idea. We'll help you find the right group when you're ready." Jamie replied and Eddie nodded before glancing towards Jamie.

"I have also been through some rough situations and a few of them are similar to your traumas, you can come to me, or Jamie and we will listen and not judge. None of what happened was your fault and we want to help you as much as we can." Eddie added and Emily smiled.

"I know I can trust you both, and I do. I didn't know you had been through similar things." She replied. Eddie nodded. Emily looked to Jamie, and he nodded. He kissed them both on the head and went down to the cafeteria.

"Can I ask you a question?" She asked and Eddie nodded.

"Will it really get better or is that just something they say?"

"It will but you have to want it. You have to believe that if you work at it that it can get better. I know the hardest thing for me to cope with even to this day, is my bulimia. Jamie is a huge help with that. He understands that I will have doubts and is always there to reassure me that I am perfect in the skin I am in." Eddie said genuinely.

"I do want it. The hardest part of it all for me is that I can't really ever feel safe, except when I am with one of you guys. That is when I know nobody can get to me."

"And you are right, no one will hurt you again. Jamie and I will protect you with our lives. I had trouble with that after I was assaulted by a guy I went on a date with just two months after I became a cop. I felt ashamed for not being able to protect myself, for not being able to see the signs in him, and for letting him get inside my head. That was one of the first times Jamie helped me. We even went to arrest the guy together. He had a history of sexual assault and rape, but the charges were always dropped. I managed to testify and help put him in prison."

"Wow. That's pretty awesome that you got to do that." Emily replied.

"Yeah and knowing that he won't be able to do it to anyone else made it easier to cope with. Especially knowing that I helped to put him away." Eddie smiled softly and Emily nodded.

"I'm glad you got to do that. I know I said I didn't want to testify against my father, but what if I change my mind?"

"Then we'll talk to the ADA and Jamie and I will hold your hands every step of the way." Emily nodded and smiled.