Note: I do not own, claim to own, or have any relation to those who do own, the characters in this story. This is a work of fiction.

It was raining hard. "God, I hate rain," thought Jamie. He had agreed to meet Danny after his shift for dinner, and now he regretted it. He knew that he could always cancel, but he had done that the previous week, and would feel bad doing it again.

The rain dripped hard onto his windshield, and he could barely see through it, the windshield wipers going 50 miles an hour.

When he arrived at the restaurant, he ran quickly inside, not wanting to take too long, so he wouldn't get soaking wet. But as quick as he was, he still got very wet, the rain almost blinding him as he ran.

When he walked in, he immediately spotted Danny, and grabbed a seat across the table. "Geez kid, took you long enough," retorts Danny. "Gotta love this weather, huh?"

"Tell me about it," Jamie replies. He shivers, soaking wet from the rain, and also due to the fact that he is still not over his recent illness, the flu.

"You alright kid?" Danny asks, seeing how cold Jamie appears to be, the concern evident on his face. He knew how sick Jamie was, and that he had had a 102 degree fever.

"Fine," Jamie replied, though he was still shivering, and he knew this is not a good sign.

After eating, Danny announced that he needs to go home. "Got the early shift tomorrow, so I gotta get to bed."

"See ya," Jamie replied.

Danny got up and walked out the door, Jamie following slightly behind. "Damn rain!" he heard from outside.

When he got outside, it was pouring even harder than before. Jamie saw Danny pull out of the parking lot, and makes his way to his own car.

After having driven for a few minutes, Jamie can barely see out of his window. He realized he needs to pull over until the rain slows, but before he can do that, CRASH!

Jamie moans, and sits up. He assesses the damage to himself, and his car. He seems to be okay, save for a few bruises, but the same cannot be said for his car.

The entire front of it is smashed in, apparently by the car in front of his own, which had been driving the wrong way on a one way street.

Before he has a chance to do anything though, two hooded figures get out of the other car, open his car door, and force him out of his own car. He tries to fight them, but one has a gun, and slams the butt of it into Jamie's skull so hard, he immediately loses conscious, as blood trickles down his forehead.

Ricco Salametti was fed up with this. He had been searching for quite some time now, and had not found the younger Reagan anywhere. He received a tip from Archer Kane, who now rode along with him, that the younger Reagan was in a restaurant on 69th, but had not spotted him or his car anywhere.

Finally, he sees the younger Reagan appear. He follows the car for a few minutes, then, when the car in front of his own slows, quickly turns to the next block, speeds around, and turns left, the wrong way on the street.

He accelerates as fast as he can without causing any damage to himself, and finally, hits the younger Reagan's car, jolting himself forward. He quickly gets out, along with Kane, and Kane hits Jamie over the head with his gun, hard.

"Geez, Kane, I just wanted you to knock him out, not break his skull," says Salametti. Kane chuckles, then pulls the youngest Reagan out of the car, and tosses him into the van.

Finally, the Reagans would pay.

Jamie wakes up with a splitting headache. He feels as though his head is going to explode. His eyes water, and after he tries to wipe them, he notices he is unable to move. His arms and legs are handcuffed to a chair, and looking down, he sees that his shirt is a dirty, bloody mess.

He looks around, observing that he is in a dimly lit room, with a bed off to the right, and a cabinet on the other side of him. There is a bathroom to his back, and a door that appears locked in front of him.

He tries to slip out of the handcuffs, but with no luck. After a few minutes, the door opens.

A stranger walks in, blond, with sharp features, and strongly built. He is wearing a dirty white tee shirt, smeared with blood. Suddenly, Jamie is aware of the bandage on his head.

"I don't suppose you know who I am, and that probably cause I have an issues with your brother and your father, not you. My name is Salametti, and I intend to make your life hell.

Jamie knows this is a bad sign, obviously he intends to kill him, otherwise he wouldn't have said his name. "Danny! What the hell did you do to this guy," Jamie wonders.

Salametti seems to be able to read his mind, and says, "Danny Reagan and Frank Reagan killed my younger brother, so now I'm just returning the favor. Oh and by the way, consider the head bandage a gift. We couldn't have you bleeding out before we had a chance to torture you ourselves." He walks out.

Jamie's head is on fire, and he is shivering again. His head is mostly clear of thoughts, except that he is in a lot of pain. He hopes Danny will find him soon.

"Well where the hell is he!?" Danny yells at Renzulli. It's been two days since he last heard from his brother, and he was panicking. "I don't know," Renzulli firmly replies. "All I know is that he didn't show up for work yesterday, or today. We sent an officer to check on him at is apartment, but he wasn't there either."

That was the answer Danny had been dreading. He's talked to Janko, Erin, Henry, and Frank, and none had any idea of the possible whereabouts of Jamie. It was official. He needed to put out a missing person's report.

Danny was extremely worried, and he knew he couldn't stand to lose another brother. Suddenly, a Renzulli receives a message over his radio. "Come on, they found his car in a parking lot over on 72nd," Renzulli states, "and apparently…"

"What is it Tony?" Danny asks.

"The front of it is all banged up…"

"Oh my god. How did he get in an accident!?"

"Well, it doesn't really appear to be an accident…" says Renzulli.

Danny gets in his car and heads down to the scene. When he arrives, he is shocked at what he sees. His younger brother's car is almost completely destroyed. When he opens the driver's side door, Jamie's phone falls out.

"Well, that explains why he hasn't been answering…" says Danny. Panic fills him once again when he notices all the dried blood on the seat and the steering wheel.

Danny spots an envelope on the passenger seat addressed to him, and tears it open. Inside is a picture of Jamie, unconscious, and heavily bleeding from his head. He hands the picture to an officer, and says, "scan this for prints."

Danny opens the trunk, and finds inside Jamie's flu medicine, and his off-duty weapon. "Uh-oh," Danny says, "Not having either of these on him would be bad for the kid, let alone both."

After finding nothing else, Danny leaves the scene, and goes to see his father. "Commissioner Reagan, your son is here," Danny hears from inside the office.

Jamie is filled with fear once more, as both Salametti and Kane enter the room. "Okay, you film, I'll cut him," says Salametti. Kane takes the camera, and as it flicks on, Salametti says, "Reagan, what you took from me, I'm going to take from you."

He takes a large knife, and plunges it into Jamie's leg. Jamie screams, and a Salametti delivers a blow to his face. "Shut up," he hisses. Then he hits Jamie again, this time in the stomach. Salametti beats on him again, and once he grows bored of this, takes the knife back in his hands.

He traces around Jamie's mouth, and then up his arms, cutting deeper as he goes up farther, tears welling in Jamie's eyes. Salametti puts the knife down, and takes out a cord of wire, and wraps it around Jamie's throat.

He pulls hard on the cord, Jamie gasps, clawing weakly at his neck. His face goes purple, and Kane clicks off the camera, as the cord is relieved of Jamie's neck. He gasps loudly, sucking in as much air as he can in each breath.

"Not gonna kill you just yet, but just you wait," says Kane. "Danny, why haven't you found me yet?" thinks Jamie.

The two captors leave the room, leaving Jamie bruised and bloody. His head is pounding, and the room seems to be spinning around him. A sudden pang of hunger stabs in his stomach, and his vision slowly goes dark, as he slips into unconsciousness.

"We haven't got very much evidence as to what happened, and much less who did it to him," says Danny. The commissioner furrows his brow, and looks as if grief-stricken.

"Danny take a look at this," says Frank. He had just received an email from a blocked address, and the subject of the email was "Jamie Reagan". The email contained a video.

Frank clicked on the video, and both him and Danny watched in horror at what they saw. The video contains Jamie, screaming as a knife plunges into his leg, then being beaten, and then choked. The video clicks off.

"Oh my God…" says Danny. They hurt him. His younger brother. The one he swore to protect, and now he failed. "I recognize that voice, but I don't remember whose it is," says Danny, his own voice hoarse and raw.

Danny's phone buzzes. "I just got the same video," Danny says, "I'll forward it to Baez, and see if she can trace who it's from." Frank doesn't say anything. All he can think about is Jamie's scream, and trying to remember who he killed in his lifetime, and not recalling anyone with an older brother that sounded like that.

Danny walked out, and receives a call from Baez. "Danny, we found prints on the picture," she says. "Well whose are they?" asks Danny. "Belonging to one Ricco Salametti," she replies, "and we have an address for him, meet me there. I'll text it to you."

Danny receives the address, then hops in his car and speeds there as fast as he can. All he can do is worry that he isn't too late. He won't stand at another of his brother's funerals. He couldn't stand to.

When he reaches the address, he sees the curtain rumple, and then quickly hops out and says to Baez, "We goin in now?" "Yeah,"she replies, "SWAT team first."

They break down the door, and enter the house. There are blood smears all over the wall, and Danny dreads what he is about to find. He sees a door at the end of the hall with blood on the handle, then flings it open and says, "Police, put your hands in the air!"

Salametti is standing there, with a gun pointed at Danny, and Kane has one pointed at Baez. "No, you put your gun down now!"

"Where's my brother Salametti?" Danny says. "In the closet," he replies. You can go and get him, but you gotta put your weapon down first.

"Okay, okay," comes the reply. Danny puts down his gun and kicks it over. Then he goes to the closet, and is horrified at what he sees. In it lies Jamie, bleeding out from a gunshot to the chest.

"Jamie!" Danny says, "can you hear me?"

Jamie opens his mouth to reply, but all that happens is a lot of blood pours out of his mouth. Danny puts Jamie's head in his lap, hugging his shoulders. "It's okay, you're safe now," Danny says. Salametti chuckles, but while his head is turned, Baez shoots him through the head, and then does the same to Kane. "Get the medics in here now!" Danny yells. "Just hold on," says Danny. "You're gonna be okay." Jamie starts to slip into unconsciousness, and Danny says, "Just hold on, don't pass out yet. You can do that when we get to the hospital. Jamie looks as if he is trying.

Jamie wakes up, and he realizes he is still tied to the chair he's been sitting in for the past two days. He is fed up with being immobile, and just as he attempts to flip the chair over, Salametti runs in. "Shit, the cops are here," he says. He uncuffs Jamie, points the gun to his head, and says, "get in that closet now!"

Jamie walks in, and just as he does so, Salametti puts a silencer on his gun and shoots him in the chest. Fire rips through him, and he stumbles to the ground, having a lot of difficulty breathing, as he still hasn't recovered from being strangled yesterday.

He hears Danny saying something, but the voice is distorted. His vision is blurry, and the closet door flings open, and as he attempts to

speak, Danny takes him in his arms. "Well, at least I'll die in your arms," he thinks. His vision darkens, and he hears Danny begging him not to slip into unconsciousness. He tries, and everything goes blurry.

"Quick, get him to the hospital," Danny says, as the medics run into the room, Jamie still in his arms. They lift him up, and strap him to a stretcher, quickly transporting him to the ambulance, where Danny hops in with him.

Danny takes his hand, and says, "Jamie, can you hear me?" There is no reply. One of the medics takes his pulse. "Blood pressure is extremely low! He's crashing!" They quickly arrive at the hospital, Danny still clinging to Jamie's hand.

Jamie's grip on Danny's loosens, and as they reach the corridor, one of the medics tells Danny to wait in the waiting room. Now, all he can do is sit helplessly and hope Jamie will live.

Erin can't believe this. First she received a call that Jamie was missing, and now that he was dying in the hospital. She rushes over, worry eating at her as she drives. She decides to get Nikki from school early.

When she reaches the front desk, the receptionist says, "Reason for early dismissal?" "Family emergency," Erin replies. Nikki reaches the office, worry evident on her face. "Mom, what happened?" she asks. Wordlessly, Erin takes her hand and rushes to the car. Once there, Erin says, "Jamie was missing for the past two days. They just found him, gunshot to the chest." "Oh my God," Nikki replies. Tears start to stream down her face.

Danny, Frank, Erin, Nikki, Linda, and Henry all wait in the waiting room. Danny is restless and is pacing. Frank is sitting still, back straight against the chair. Nikki is asleep in Erin's lap. Linda and Henry are both staring at the wall.

They've been waiting for many hours, and finally, the doctor bursts through the doors. "Family of Jamison Reagan?" he says. "Yes," all reply.

"Well, the bullet to his lung was removed successfully, but there was a complication, Atelectasis. He will need to be on oxygen for a while, even after he leaves the hospital. Other than that, all of the cuts will heal just fine, but he will need therapy to regain control of his right leg. He also has a concussion, and he will need to remain in the hospital for at least a week so we can monitor it. He is currently asleep, and you can go in to see him now if you want. He is in room 304."

Danny rushes up to the room first. Everyone else follows, but not as quick as Danny is. Erin says, "Nikki and I will stay outside for a bit, so it's not too crowded in there." When Danny gets into the room, he is shocked at what he sees.

His vibrant, lively, and usually energetic brother is nowhere to be found. Instead, lies an extremely pale, still version of him. There are dark circles around his eyes, and a breathing tube is down his throat. There is a heart monitor connected to his chest, and an IV in his arm. A blood pressure monitor is connected to his upper left arm.

He stands by his brother's hospital bed, and takes his hand. Frank walks around the other side, and kisses his other hand, then sits on a seat on the side. Henry and Linda just stare in disbelief, not recognizing the man in the bed.

As Henry and Linda walk out, Erin and Nikki walk in. Danny walks into the hallway to talk to Linda. Erin kisses Jamie's cheek, and stands there for a while, looking at him. After a while, Henry, Erin, Nikki, Linda and Frank leave. Danny decides to stay the night with Jamie.

"Come on Jamie, please wake up," says Danny. "I'm begging you here." Nothing. Danny sighs, and takes out a book he's got from the library. Jamie's finger starts to move. "Jamie, can you hear me?" says Danny.

A small moan escapes his lips. His eyes flicker open, and Jamie looks around him, confused. He gasps, arms flying up to his throat, as he tries to remove the tube. "Jamie, leave it," Danny commands. "I know it's uncomfortable, but it's helping you breathe. I'll call a nurse, and they might take it out." Danny presses the call button, and Jamie lies there still, tears gleaming in his eyes, and still very out of it. Finally, a nurse comes in and removes the tube, and puts a cannula around his head. Jamie can finally talk. "Where…" he starts. "You're in the hospital Jamie," says Danny.

"Danny?" says Jamie. "I'm right here," comes the reply. "Dad?" "Dad's at home. Everyone else was here, but they left about an hour ago," says Danny.

Jamie takes a few deep breaths, then looks back over at Danny. "Thanks Danny," he says. "Don't mention it kid. Now get some rest. Everyone will be here to see you in the morning."

After a week has gone by in the hospital, Jamie has been visited by all of the Reagans, Janko, Renzulli, and Baez. Frank comes to take Jamie back home.

Jamie is up and waiting, with an oxygen tube around his face. "How did therapy go?" asks Frank. "It was fine. Leg is still sore, but I can move it just fine now." Frank helps Jamie to a wheelchair, as he would probably not have the strength to walk out of the hospital normally.

On the car ride home, Frank tells Jamie that he will spend a few nights at his and his Grandpa's house, and can go back to his apartment after that.

When they get there, Henry comes to the door and gives Jamie a long hug. Erin is there as well and does the same. "I'm so glad you're safe, we were all so worried about you," says Erin.

After Jamie manages to get upstairs to put his stuff down, the rest of the family arrives for Sunday night dinner. But as Jamie tries to make his way down the stairs, his foot catches on the second stair, and he tumbles down them. Danny rushes over to help him up. "Oh my God, are you okay?" asks Danny. "Fine," says Jamie, brushing himself off.

After dinner, Jack and Sean ask Jamie to play football in the backyard. Jamie agrees, and the three of them go outside. It isn't long before Jamie gets hit in the face with the ball. "I'm so sorry Uncle Jamie!" says Jack. "It's cool, don't worry about it," comes the reply,

"Hey Jamie, lemme talk to you for a minute," says Danny. "I know you're trying to put this all behind you, but you gotta take it easy for a while. You're going to seriously hurt yourself at this rate." "I'm getting fed up with having to go slow, be careful, everyone treating me like I'm 2 or something!" Jamie replies.

"Yeah, I know, but you were seriously hurt. You gotta come back slowly, not all at once. I know you're in a hurry to recover, but not being careful ain't gonna speed it up. It's just gonna slow it down."

"Thanks Danny," says Jamie. "I'm glad you're okay Jamie. While you were missing, I couldn't believe that something like this could happen to you. I felt like it was all my fault, like I should have done something different. It was my job to protect you and I failed. I'm sorry," says Danny

"Danny it's not your fault. What were you gonna do, follow me home?" Danny laughs. "I guess you got a point."

After a few more days, Jamie returns to his apartment, not taking it as slowly as he should. He is still on oxygen, and he neglects to go as slowly as he should.

After getting a shower, Danny calls. "Hello?" says Jamie. "Hey kid, just wanted to make sure you were okay." "Fine," Jamie starts to reply, "Aaahhhhh!" Danny hears over the phone.

"Jamie what's wrong!?" Danny asks, a hint of panic in his voice. "Oh, not much. I just slipped trying to get out of the shower," says Jamie.

"Jamie, what did I tell you! You need to take it easy! You're going to hurt yourself!" yells Danny. "Yeah, yeah.." Jamie replies. "I thought we went over this already! If you aren't careful you're going to wind up back in the hospital. Have you been taking your flu medicine?" "Umm… not yet…"

"Jamie, please take it easy, I care about you, and I don't want you to get hurt, says Danny, "and take your medicine." "Thanks mom," says Jamie. He appears to be annoyed, but deep down, he is glad to have a brother that cares about him like Danny does.