In Sickness and In Health

Chapter Forty Four

Chapter Forty Four

Jamie anxiously paced inside the inner sanctum. It was his first official day back on the job, and while he and Eddie had discussed his retiring, he chose to stay on at least until the end of the current mayor's term. It was his plan to keep Jack under his wing and mold him to hold the Commissioner's chair once he relinquished it.

Eddie hadn't been happy about his choice. This decision had been a major point on contention for the last month and half.

"You promised me, Jamie!" Eddie fired as she angrily paced the length of their bedroom. Jamie had just announced at Sunday dinner, he was going back to work full time after the holidays.

"Eddie, I promised to consider retiring. You knew I had loose ends to tie up. I was out a long time, almost a year! I feel good, I am better, and I'm ready to get back to work. I'm not old enough to retire and just be at home. That might be right for you, your medications make you tired, you want to spend more time focusing on my dad now that his lungs are getting worse, I understand that, but understand me too!"

Jamie was sitting on their bed, trying to reason with his irate wife.

"Jamie, you almost died!" Eddie reminded him. "You were in that office sixteen, seventeen hours a day with people hammering on you. You went to the bathroom and you passed out! You didn't wake up for almost two days. For almost two days, I had to sit and watch you lying there not knowing if you would open your eyes again and not knowing if you did open them, if you'd even be able to understand..." Eddie covered her mouth. Finally, all of the fear and emotions she'd bottled up since his stroke were finding their way out.

Jamie stood up and reached for his wife, "Eddie, all right..." Jamie pulled her into his arms. "It's all right. Let it go...let it go. It's all over now."

Eddie sobbed as she held tight to Jamie's waist. "I can't let you go back...if you do..."

"What?" he asked softly. "If I do what?"

"You might...and this time..." She was hiccupping and trying not to have a panic attack.

"Ssh," Jamie sighed. "Okay...Come sit down..." He led her to their bed and sat her down with him rubbing her back. "I know what it's like to watch someone you love suffer, Baby. I do. I promise you if it is getting too much, I will retire then and there. And I promise to delegate a lot more of the work and lean on my support staff at work and you at home. I will not work one hour more than 50 hours a week, when I was working sometimes close to 85."

It was Jamie's voice, not his assurances that settled Eddie down but eventually she agreed to his returning to work under those was a special day, not only was it his first day, it was promotion day. He would be making a speech for the first time in public since the stroke. That morning, as was common since he got sick, he hadn't been able to make his fingers work to tie his tie or his shoes. As much of the mobility he'd gained, even since Lila's wedding, his fine motor skills had yet to return. Dr. O'Shea and Sean agreed it was likely they never would.

Leaning on his cane, Jamie kept pacing, his limp more pronounced when he was nervous. There were so many things that could go wrong. He could trip, he could stutter...He heard the door open, the hinges squeaked. Jamie turned to see Eddie, dressed in a light blue suit, a string of pearls, and bone high heels step into his office. Her hair was swept into a bun and her light make up just brightened her beauty.

"I could hear you pacing out there," Eddie teased lightly. "Honey, if you aren't feeling like you can do this, don't do it. Jack can make the speech."