That's What Love Is For

Chapter Twenty Five

Chapter Twenty Five

While Sydney waited for Jamie to come back to bed she fell back to sleep, dreaming as she often did that Jamie never left Baxter Chase, that they were both prosperous lawyers.

When she got up a little after eight, she went to look for Jamie on the sofa. As she passed Eddie's room, she saw that Jamie had fallen asleep not BY Eddie's bed, but in Eddie's bed. Sydney pushed the door open and found Jamie still sound asleep and Eddie wide awake.

"He passed out before I could shoo him," Eddie replied. "I had some spasms and he was nervous cause of the AD thing. He had a really rough night."

Sydney nodded, "Most of it unnecessary. You ready to get up, I can get you out of the other side and leave him to his snoring."

Eddie nodded. Sydney moved Eddie's chair to the opposite side of the bed and helped Eddie into it. She covered Eddie's bare legs with a blanket and Eddie drove herself to the kitchen. "What did you mean most of it unnecessary? Sydney, if I am becoming an obstacle..."

"No, no," Sydney hurried to explain. "Not you, not at all. I meant that Jamie was off duty, he didn't have to go into that alley. He should be more careful now than ever before with you being hurt..."

"That's who Jamie is," Eddie sighed. "It's the thing that makes you love him. I know it gets scary and now that I'm not with him you are feeling less sure, but it's who he is and it's not fair to ask him to be less."

Sydney started coffee and took in Eddie's words. "I'm not asking him to be less, I'm just asking him to be safe. One of these days I'm going to hear about a cop shot on TV and it's going to be my Jamie."

"You can't think like that," Eddie comforted. "You do and you'll smother him enough to drive him away or make him so paranoid he does get hurt. I can't possibly know how scared you are when he's out there, but if you are calmer about it, he'll be smarter about his choices. He'll be more honest and he won't be crying in my arms over a dead little girl, he'll be crying in yours. That's what you want right?"

"You're right," Sydney sighed. "I should be more receptive to him but it just scares me. You should have known him before Joe, so different. The career change only mattered to me because of the danger, it was never about the money."

"There's danger everywhere, look at me. One minute darts and beers with my friends and the next...You never know."

Sydney acknowledged that was true with a silent nod. "Why don't you and Jamie do something together before family dinner? I'll be okay by myself for a little while. I can go in the recliner and watch TV."

"I'll see how Jamie is feeling when he gets up. Hey, you want to practice pouring juice?"

Eddie beamed, Jamie would never let her try. Sydney put Eddie's wrap on hand, "Okay now focus...don't worry if you spill, just try."

Sydney raised Eddie's chair so she was positioned above the table and Eddie used her minimal elbow movement to tip the half full bottle and pour the drink. She managed to fill the glass but didn't have enough to control to stop pouring. The juice started to spill all over the table and onto the floor before Sydney could step in and right the bottle.

"That was good, you did good!" Sydney smiled.

"I made a huge mess," Eddie sighed. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't be doing things...I just make work."

"No, you need to do things to get more independent. If you make a mess, you make a mess, that's fine. You have to try to learn."

Eddie backed up and Sydney mopped up the mess. Jamie slowly padded to the kitchen just as Sydney finished mopping the floor.