The Reagan Siblings

Stop Blaming Him!

"Hey, Nick!" Danny smiled at his niece as he shouldered through the door.
"Look, I'm sorry I got out of the car, okay?" She angrily told him.
"What'd I miss?" He moved to sit down next to his wife.
"What do you think you missed?" Erin grumbled.
"Oh, come on, Erin. How long are you going to stay mad at Danny?" Linda wondered, just a little annoyed with her sister in law. "He said he was sorry."
"Oh, I don't know. Maybe until my daughter stops having nightmares."
Linda looked to Danny as he sighed, putting his napkin in his lap.
"She won't even talk to me about it."
"Talk about what?" Jack Almost whined, wanting to know what was happening.
"Shh. The adults are talking, okay?" Linda reprimanded. 
"She's with drawn, and.... I don't even know what's going on."
"Well..... some of the moms with teens at school, they go online to see what their kids are thinking."
"They do?" Jack wrinkled his nose, just a little scared.
"What did I just say to you?" Linda fixed her son with a look.
"I've tried to friend her. She blocked me."
"So use an alias!" She exaggerated a shrug, not noticing her husband looking at her.
"Okay, rites of privacy? I'm an attorney, for Pete's sake! What do you think I'm gonna-"
"Excuse me," Frank got up and walked into the kitchen.
"What did you just say about a phony profile?" Danny asked Linda.
"What?"
"Alias?"
"Oh, um.... some-a the moms use it to see what their kids are thinkin'."
"Does that work?"
Linda shrugged, "sure. If you don't use your real name, or post any photos about your personal life, you could get away with murder. So to speak."
"Hm. Y'know What, honey? You may be a genius. I gotta go." Danny kissed her cheek and headed towards the door.
Linda looked to Jamie, as if he held the answer.
"Don't look at me. He's been doin' that long as I can remember."
Erin sighed, frustrated. "Still an invasion of privacy. And none of it would've happened if Danny hadn't taken her—"
"Excuse me?" Linda interrupted. "I'm sorry, but it's not my husband's fault that your headstrong daughter disobeyed and got out of the car."
"Why did she-"
"Jack, Sean, go play your video games."
"But Mom-"
"Do what I say."
Jack and Sean slunk from their chairs and into the hall way to retrieve their games from their mother's purse.
"He could've dropped her off or something."
"Oh, yeah. Right. What's he gonna do? Drop her off on the street and say 'good luck, Nicky. Watch out for rapists'?"
"Linda-"
"That's what it comes down to! And I really don't appreciated you blaming Danny, when it was completely Nicky's fault."
Erin exasperated a sigh. "Jamie? You're a cop; you've got attorney knowledge. Who's fault is it? Danny's or Nicky's?"
"First, That has nothing to do with me being a cop or having knowledge of an attorney. Second, I agree with Linda."
"Thank you!"
"Seriously?" Erin shook her head. "You agree with her?"
"What else was Danny supposed to do? He told her to stay put, and she didn't. That's not on Danny. That's solely on Nicky."
"I don't believe you two! I'm assuming your husband feels the same?" The brunette turned to the blonde.
"No, he thinks it's his fault," Linda answered sarcastically. "Of course he faults Nicky!"
"What would you have done, Erin?" Henry interjected. "If your father had no choice but to take you to a crime scene. You're fourteen, would you stay put?"
"Of course I'd stay put. I wouldn't disobey Dad."
"So you think getting out of the car would be disobedient?"
"Of course, but I-"
"And if you had gotten out, would you have blamed your Dad?"
"No-"
"So you can't blame Danny!" Linda finished for Henry.
Erin shook her head and stood up. She walked into the kitchen, "Come on, Nicky. We're leaving."
"Why?"
"Just do what I say."
Frank looked to his daughter, "every thing all right?"
She watched her daughter leave to get her things. "They all say that it's Nicky's fault."
"And you still think it's your brother's fault?"
"It is not Danny's fault!" Linda called loudly from the dining room.
"Do you think she's biased?" Erin whispered.
"I think you're too busy being concerned about your daughter, that your good judgment is foggy." Frank headed back to the table with Sean's milk, leaving Erin more frustrated than she already was.