In Sickness and In Health

Chapter Six

Chapter Six

Jamie dragged home after a sixteen hour day at 1 PP. He was more tired than Eddie had ever seen him. She had worked a solid 12 hours by his side before he chased her home. She turned down their bed for him and made him a cup of tea. She could see he had a skull splitting migraine as soon as he walked into the house. The force was in crisis from a sick out, and the budget was not coming together. Eddie remembered Frank having similar issues but he didn't feel like his children were against him. Well, not both his children, in Jamie's case. Lila was on her father's side, she knew he badly wanted to give his officers everything he could. If it was in her father's power, he'd give raises, increase pensions, and extend sick time, but he could only do so much. By agreeing to the wage freeze and a benefits cut, he saved jobs and kept the next class of cadets on schedule, not to mention he kept essential training programs that improved safety for his officers and his city. Eddie still remembered the vicious words the night the deal was announced.

Jamie had just finished his dinner and Eddie was clearing the table when Joey stormed into the house.

"What the HELL, Dad!" he thundered at Jamie making the older man rise in shock.

"Joey, I had no choice," Jamie quickly defended.

"You had a choice!" Joey shouted. "You always have a choice! Whatever happened to the family motto!? There is always one more thing you can do!"

Eddie didn't care for her son's shouting at his father, "Joseph Patrick, you watch your tone while you are in this house. Do you understand me? You speak civil and you speak even or you do not speak at all."

Joey sighed. "Mom, you didn't read this deal he struck, did you? It's bad enough he scratched, literally removed my name from the detective list, but now to freeze wages when I become eligible for a raise? How is that fair?"

"It's not fair," Jamie broke in. "None of it is fair. I didn't want this. I've been in your shoes, Joe. I was on the beat a long time. I met your mother on the beat. I know it's not fair, Joe, but all I can do is my best. I had to give a little to get a lot and to me the training that will keep all of you alive is more important than a wage freeze from a 2% raise."

"And my promotion..." Joe began.

Jamie raised his hand, "We've been through that. I'm sorry I hurt you, Joe, I really am. I know how that feels too but I had to do what was best for you and believe me, making detective on my coat tails, that's not it!"

Jamie dismissed the rest of the conversations, he'd tried his best to reason with Joey. Since Eddie got sick, their relationship had been damaged in some way. It got worse when Jamie became the PC, and he didn't know how to repair it.

Jamie understood that being the oldest, even if he was just seven, when his mother was suffering from cancer was hard on Joey. There were times when he had to understand and be okay with so much more than a little boy his age should have had to be. Jamie had tried to be understanding, he remembered holding the boy on his lap comforting him and explaining his mother's illness to him. Still, he had remained closer to Eddie.

Jamie chalked that up to mothers and sons having a special relationship, like fathers and daughters. He had that connection with Lila. What Jamie didn't know, or didn't remember, was that all the times he was rough on Joey, they stuck in his mind. When he would scold him for being noisy or for snapping at his sister, it added a layer of brick to a wall Joey was building to keep his father at bay. If he wasn't good enough for his own father, who was her good enough for? That was Joey's motto...he never felt good enough for Jamie, he was their black sheep.