Pillow Talk

Rush to Judgment - A

Eddie turned over and woke when her hand fell on cool sheets where Jamie was supposed to be lying. It had taken her over two hours to calm him to sleep and it seemed all for nothing, he was already awaking probably pacing the length of the apartment. With a sigh, Eddie got up and pulled on one of Jamie's old sweatshirts, there was an early fall chill in the air and the landlord hadn't sent up the heat yet. Eddie padded towards the living room, the moonlight cast a shadow over Jamie as he sat drinking a bottle of Scotch.

Eddie approached carefully, Jamie had been coiled like a rattler ready to strike earlier. She hoped that their little quiet time together had calmed that part of his ire. "Was that the full bottle of Johnny Walker Blue you Grandpa got you for your birthday?"

"Yes," Jamie almost hissed. "Problem?"

"Yeah," Eddie replied. "You are drinking that with a tour tomorrow."

"Modified assignment, not much to do actually." Jamie took another sip. "I can't believe this Eddie. I can't believe it."

"I know, baby," Eddie sighed sitting down beside Jamie and taking the bottle from him. "I know, and I am so so sorry that I can't fully back you up. My back was turned and I only saw the end results."

Jamie sighed, "It's not you, it's my father. I'm his son and he won't even listen to me express my feelings and my outrage that once again because of who I am, because of my NAME I am the target of some loudmouth glory hounds anger."

"I know all about being judged by who your father is," Eddie sympathized. "Jamie what is really important is what you are and you are a good cop. You said you were trying to protect a mother and child and I believe that. I know in my heart that's true and the truth will come out, good or bad it always does."

Jamie turned and laid his head on the arm of the couch. It had long been a bone of contention for him, since the day of his first IA investigation. As the youngest, he always had his family's support, so his father not having his back was foreign to him. Now, it was way too familiar.

Eddie reached out and stroked Jamie's forehead, "Take this time to study like you said, sweetheart. You are smarter than most of the people on the force, maybe that all 35,000 of them. Study hard and you will pass that test, then no one and no thing, not even the Reagan name can stop you." Eddie hoped he'd find her words encouraging.

Jamie sighed, "I will, I'll use the time I just. It hurts you know. It hurts that I went there, I wanted to just talk this out and if I were any other cop, his door would be open. It's because I'm his son..."

"Jamie, you have to let that go. Your Dad is not going to change, he's too old and set in his ways. Maybe...you'll feel better if you distance yourself for a while. Try to separate your father from the PC."

"I did that, I went to talk to my father and all he wanted to do was go to a damn movie!" Jamie sat up and put his head in his hands. Eddie moved and slid her arms around him. "Maybe you should have gone to the damn movie, but Jamie the fact remains he is how he is, you can't change him or control him, all you can control is how you react when he gets like this. Don't let it eat at you. It's pretty outside, why don't we go for a midnight walk huh?"

With Eddie rubbing his back and sitting so close Jamie felt less alone, but he knew when it came time for her to testify tomorrow she was going to have to say she didn't see anything. "Eddie..."

"I know," Eddie soothed. "I know you feel alone and I know you are scared, I was too when it was me. You couldn't back me up then with a testimony either, you didn't see what happened. But you did give me some advice and I took it. Take my advice and bide your time. This will resolve itself, you didn't do anything. Don't start believing you did."

"This a nightmare," Jamie moaned finally allowing himself to lie against Eddie's softness and take a deep breath. "If I get found guilty of wrongdoing, the personal lawsuit will ruin us. You'll carry a stigma with you and..."

"Jamie, if it comes to that we'll deal with it together. Let's stop all this fussing and this worrying and just relax. You want me to run you a tub? Fix you something to eat?"

Jamie shook his head, "No go and get the paper. I think there's a showing of Chinatown at that all night theater, we can go see a movie."

"A movie?" Eddie laughed. "It's two am."

"So what? It's impulsive, something I'm usually not except with you, get the paper..."

Eddie searched the listing and sure enough there was a showing at 2:35. "Well the let's go," Jamie said getting up to change his clothes. Eddie had to smile, she did like the impulsive Jamie and if this was how he was going to be able to cope with the stress of all this, far be it from her not to join in and have fun.