A/N: This story deals with the passing of a child - a warning in case that's something anyone prefers to pass on.

Not sure how often I will post new chapters. Been struggling and procrastinating on the last chapter for about a month, so trying to see if posting the story will give me the push I need to finish it.

Chapter 1

Officer Jamie Reagan was questioning what had compelled him to go for a run after tour in this weather. He'd complained repeatedly to his partner about the heat throughout the day. Now it was barely five o'clock and he'd swear that he could still feel the heat radiating off of the sidewalks. The soles of his feet felt like they were burning up with each stride. It was August in New York - an unusually hot August with temperatures in the upper eighties the last three days - and the sidewalks and buildings had a full day to absorb the sun's rays and bake everything and everyone who dared to venture outside.

Jamie had turned around to head back to his apartment sooner than he planned. His gray t-shirt was already drenched in sweat and his energy was nearly zapped after a busy day tour, but he hadn't been out for a run in over a week and needed to step back into his workout routine.

He was about four blocks from his apartment when he went from a jog to a steady-paced walk, placing his hands on his hips to catch his breath. He'd turned off a busy avenue and was half-way up a quiet residential street when he caught sight of something strange out of the corner of his eye and did a double take into the rear window of a late-model sedan parked along the street. There was a baby carrier in the back seat with the canopy fully drawn and something sitting in it.

The hairs on the back of Jamie's neck stood on end - something wasn't right.

Jamie walked back a few steps and approached sedan, his eyes narrowing as he studied the carrier and its contents. He moved to peer through the back window and get a better view into the carrier, when he noted a sleeping child with matted, damp hair. His eyes widened and he slammed the side of his fist against the window, trying to get some movement from the infant in the carrier.

"Hey!" he shouted, hoping for some sort of response, but he got nothing. He grabbed the handles of the two passenger side doors, but they were locked. He ran around to the driver's side, repeating his actions, but got the same results.

Jamie looked to the sidewalk and saw a few people heading in both directions, some looking at him strangely as if afraid of his near panicked state. "Someone call 911!" he yelled to anyone that would listen and ran back around to the passenger's side.

People stopped to stare, but Jamie couldn't tell if anyone actually listened. He turned to search the sidewalk frantically, looking for anything he could use to break the window, but saw nothing until he spotted one of the pedestrians, who was watching his seemingly odd behavior, holding a large umbrella with a long metal tip. He ran over and grabbed the item out of her hand. The woman's only reaction was to jerk away from him, afraid he was going to hurt her.

"Call 911! Tell them there's a baby, unresponsive in a car!"

That seemed to spur someone into action while others just stopped to observe, not quite grasping the situation.

As soon as the words left his mouth, Jamie lifted the umbrella with both hands and smashed it into the front passenger window. The safety glass shattered, half of it falling away upon impact. He used the umbrella to swipe at the remaining glass and let it fall to the ground and snaked his arm through the window to unlock the rear door.

Jamie opened the back door and was assaulted by the intense heat inside. He shoved the canopy back and placed his hand on the side of the baby's head - a dark-haired litte boy from the way he was dressed. He felt like he was on fire. Jamie didn't think he could be more than seven or eight months old.

"Hey, buddy," Jamie said gently as he rubbed the baby's head and then his belly and chest. The baby boy's cheeks were flushed, but there was absolutely no movement. Jamie undid the restraints and pulled him out of the seat. He was completely oblivious to anyone and anything around him, focused solely on the limp little body in his arms. He rubbed the baby's foot and then ran his hand up and down his back hoping to feel some sort of response, but got nothing again.

Jamie knew he wasn't breathing and gently laid him on the sidewalk, away from the broken glass. He knelt down beside him, placing his fingers on the underside of his arm to find a pulse, but found none. He placed his hand on the baby's forehead and started compressions. He was on autopilot now, doing everything he'd learned in the first aid course he'd been required to take by the department, alternating between the rescue breathing and the compressions. Jamie didn't know how long he gave the baby CPR, he couldn't tell you anything about the people gathered around him. He didn't even realize first responders had arrived and didn't come out of his zone until a couple of medics pulled him away and he landed on his backside. Out of breath and still in shock, he just stared at the baby lying motionless on the sidewalk while rivulets of sweat ran down his face just like they had been during his jog.

"How long did you give him CPR?" one of the medics asked.

Jamie's head snapped up and he looked back at the medic. "I don't know." He shook his head. "However long it took you to get here."

A couple of uniforms were moving people back.

One medic had a small ambu bag over the baby's face while the other scooped him up and they ran off together to the ambulance.

When a uniform squatted down next to him, Jamie saw the collar brass for the Fifteenth Precinct and the officer's nameplate read 'Suarez.'

"You okay, buddy?" Suarez asked.

Jamie blinked a few times as his breathing finally started to return to normal. "Yeah. I'm fine."

Suarez looked at him doubtfully. "Was that your baby?"

"No," he responded. Jamie got to his feet and looked over the officer's shoulder as the siren on the ambulance began blaring and it sped off. He finally noticed a few police cars parked on the street behind it. The crowd remained as they whispered and pointed at him and the damaged car.

"I was walking by and I noticed him in the car." Jamie looked at Suarez again and said, "My name's Reagan. I work out of the Twelfth."

Suarez's eyebrows shot up. He put two and two together and seemed to know exactly who he was. "Good thing you were."

"Yeah, I hope so," Jamie whispered as he stared off in the direction of the ambulance.

"No idea whose car that is?" Suarez said and pointed over to the sedan where one of the other uniforms was already rifling through the glove box.

Jamie pulled the collar of his shirt over his face to wipe it down before answering. "None. Where are they taking him?"

"Presbyterian."

"Hey, what's going on?" an approaching man yelled out.

Jamie and Officer Suarez turned to see a dark-haired man walking towards them, his gait a little off as he approached. When he got close enough, the smell of alcohol on his breath was easily discernible.

"Did somebody break into my car?" he asked.

Jamie's eyes widened at the question and something snapped in him. He stormed off in the man's direction and shoved him back hard enough that he landed on his back a few feet away. "Is the damn car all you care about?!" he yelled.

"Hey, Reagan!" Suarez grabbed Jamie by the shoulders when he tried to go after the man again. Another uniform stepped in between them, just in case.

Jamie's chest was heaving as he struggled to get another shot at the guy.

"Not worth it man," Suarez hissed into his ear. "Settle down."

"What the hell is your problem, man? Did you do that?" the man spat out as he picked himself off the ground.

"Charlie! Take him over to the squad car and keep him there for now!" Suarez shouted at another officer.

Suarez looked back at Jamie. "Can I let you go? We'll get this sorted out, okay?"

Jamie followed the man with his eyes as he was escorted away. "Yeah," he huffed out.

When Suarez let him go, Jamie asked, "Can I get a ride to Presbyterian?"

Suarez gave him a look of understanding. "Yeah. I'll get one of the guys to take you over. I'm sure you know detectives will head over there too. I'll tell them to look for you so they can get your statement."

Jamie shook his head and followed Suarez as he searched for his ride.