Silver Linings

Chapter Eight

Chapter Eight

Jamie's face turned bright red. He didn't remember that Dr. Jen had tattooed his wrist with her phone number. He never planned to use it, but Eddie had seen it, now he was in deep trouble.

"She's uh..." How did he word this? That last thing he wanted to do was shatter a very fragile trust. "She's this doctor at St. Ben's. Walsh and I took a perp there today."

"Okay, so a doctor at St. Ben's just happened to what, miss her prescription pad and write all over your arm!" Eddie got up off the couch. She was livid with Jamie, and hurt beyond anything she thought she could feel.

"Eddie, it's not like that okay? I flirted with her to get her to take our perp so Walsh and I could get out of there, that's all. It wasn't even my idea!"

"It wasn't my idea! I was only flirting!" Eddie exploded. "No, you were only lying and cheating and wishing you were with a woman that wasn't me! That would let you put your hands all over her! It's my fault, right!"

"Eddie, no!" Jamie desperately tried to stop the pacing that she was doing. "Eddie, stop...I would never cheat on you, I would never lie to you. Ever! Whatever the problem is, whatever you are going through, I'm going to be there for you."

"Then why did you do this? Why are you wearing that woman's number on your arm? If it meant nothing you'd have washed it off." Eddie stopped her pacing and sunk on the couch. "You thought about using it at least."

"I didn't care about it, Eddie. I didn't think about it after she wrote it down. All I thought about was helping Danny and coming home to you," Jamie replied sitting down next to her. "Come here...please."

Eddie shrunk back from him, he hurt her, just like everyone else.

"Eddie, I'm sorry. This isn't about me though, sweetie. It's about you and your fear. There's nothing to be scared of with me. I won't hurt you and I won't betray you. I'm going to shower, I'm going to wash this number off my arm, and then I'm taking my best girl for a drink." Jamie leaned over and forced a kiss on her lips.

Eddie put her hands up and pushed Jamie away. Jamie took a breath, "Put on your jeans and a shirt, we are going out in half an hour."

Jamie headed to the shower and scrubbed his arm nearly raw trying to remove that phone number. When it was barely detectable Jamie came out and put on jeans and a polo shirt. "Eddie, you ready?" There was no answer. "Hey Eddie?"

She was gone. There was no note, but her overnight bag was gone. "Damn it!" Jamie swore and tossed his shoe across the room. He'd upset her that much that she felt she has to leave. He sat down on the bed and sighed.

Jamie felt like he was going in blind. He didn't know if he should go after her or give her space. Danny's investigation left him with more questions than answers. If only he knew what had happened to her to scare her so badly. He knew the catalyst now, the arrival of Thomas Casey. Did she remember who Casey was and lie about it? Or had something so horrific happened that she blocked out everyone and everything involved. Eddie's mind did that before and it nearly got her fired.

While Jamie sat and contemplated his next move, he heard the door open. "Eddie!" he called out. He hurried to the living room and saw Eddie standing there. "I got halfway to my apartment and I..." She was shaking and pale.

"What happened?" Jamie hurried to Eddie's side. "He's out there, Casey...he was outside the building and he was behind me in the car..."

"Stay here!" Jamie commanded and went outside. Sure enough Casey was in his car. He started to move when he saw Jamie, though he underestimated Jamie's ability to run. He caught up to the car at a stop sign and grabbed the open window frame. "What do you want with her, Casey?" Jamie barked.

"Want with who?" Casey asked.

"Eddie, you followed her home, you followed her back here and you scared her. I know all about your cousin, I know what he did. I suspect you knew more about it than you cared to admit when he got collared for rape and murder. Maybe you are assuaging your guilt! Maybe you let him take the fall! I don't know! What I do know is if you so much as blink in Eddie's direction again you are going to deal with me! If you want to get within an inch of her, you are going to go through me!"

Casey reacted to Jamie's threat without a word. He hit the window button and rolled the window up while Jamie's hand was still gripping the frame.

Jamie cried out in pain and pulled back his hand. Three of his fingers were bleeding and already swelling. Cursing Casey and himself for not thinking this could potentially happen, he headed inside. "Eddie! I need you to drive me to the emergency room. That jerk closed his window on my hand."

Eddie's eyes are horrified at the blood running down Jamie's arm. "Oh my God!" Eddie ran to the cabinet to get towels and wrapped his hand and arm before leading him to the car and flooring it to St. Benjamin's, her previous anger forgotten.

Jamie sat in the waiting room with his hand elevated while they waited for medical treatment. He spotted Jen going to check the board for new patients and wanted to crawl into a hole. This could not get any worse, then he was called. "Jamison Reagan...Dr. Bennett will see you."

"Uh, Eddie, that...the doctor that is going to see me, it's Jen," Jamie confesses.

"Well, if you did tell me the truth, there's no reason to worry. Come on, you are still bleeding all over your towel." Eddie held Jamie's good hand as they walked back. "Well twice in one..."

"Dr. Bennett, this is my girlfriend, Edit Janko. Eddie, Dr. Bennett helped Walsh and me out earlier today."

"And now it seems I'll be helping you out again, let's get a look at this hand." Jen unwrapped the towel and saw the three open fractures of Jamie's fingers. "Wow, you did a great job on this hand. Three open breaks...they'll need to be set and stitched at the very least." She wrapped his hand in bandages and laid it on pillows. "I'm going to order an X-ray and an orthopedic consult to determine if you need to have those fingers repaired surgically."

Jamie looked over at Eddie, she was getting upset. "Jamie, I'm sorry..."

"Eddie, I was the one who put my hand on his window and threatened him, I did this." Jamie squeezed her hand with his good one. "It's okay, sweetie, I promise. In a few hours I'll be good as new I promise."

Jamie rested and let the pain medication the doctor injected take effect. Eddie accompanied him to X-ray and held his good hand while the doctor set his fingers and sewed up the wounds in the skin. It was three hours instead of one but they left the hospital with Jamie's hand no longer bleeding, in a soft cast with bandages on his fingers.

"What were you thinking?" Eddie asked as they arrived back at his apartment. "Running out there like that?"

"I was thinking this guy is messing with my girlfriend, scaring her more than she already is and I was going to put a stop to it." Jamie flopped on the couch and sighed. "There's something going on with you Eddie, you and I both know that. Whatever it is, you've locked it all away and it wants out, sweetheart. I know you can't right now, I know you aren't ready so until you are I'm going to make everything you do as easy and as safe as possible." Jamie reached out for her to come closer. "Come here honey, please."

Eddie sat beside him and let him pull her in close. "Promise me you won't go on the job distracted. Promise me I won't...I won't stand a cop funeral and have it be yours."

There emotion in his voice is raw, it pulled at Eddie's heart strings. "I promise you..." she replied softly. "Now promise me..."

"I promise you," Jamie echoed and kissed her lips softly. "I love you."

That night Jamie kept Eddie in his arms as they slept, but it did nothing to ward off the dreams. She didn't wake crying this time, or if she did Jamie was too drugged to hear her. This time he woke to the shower running and steam coming from underneath the door.

Jamie shot up and knocked, "Eddie, let me it! Let me it, it's Jamie." She didn't answer him no matter how much he called. Finally he charged the door breaking it right off the hinge. The steam hit him in the face, temporarily keeping him from the chilling sight in the bathtub. "Oh my God!" Jamie gasped rushing to the tub. "Oh my God, Eddie!"