Jamie had just come off duty and was walking back to his apartment, but taking the long way home so he could stop by a grocery store for some much needed food. On his way down the street he passed a group of seven people, obviously tourists by the way they were looking around and reading a map, also their accents confirmed they weren't from New York and that they also weren't from the U.S.

Jamie and the group stopped at some crossing lights and Jamie had to stifle a laugh when he heard two of the guys arguing about where they were going to go next.

"We should go see the Statue of Liberty Mitch"

"Why it's just a statue! I say we go to Broadway and see if we can see any famous actresses come out of the theatres".

"What is it with you and women Smudge?"

Before Smudge could reply another guy said "what about going to art galleries and museums?"

Mitch and Smudge turned to look at the other guy and gaped at him saying "we're in New York and you want to go to art galleries and museums? We have those back home in the UK you moron Moll!"

"Just thought I'd make a suggestion no need to call people names" muttered Moll,

Jamie was waiting for the lights to change when another guy tapped his arm and asked "excuse me you from around here?" the guy asked in a heavy Irish accent, Jamie smiled and nodded "can I ask where you suggest we go before those three kill each other?"

Jamie laughed and said "why don't you go to Times Square, that's pretty popular"

The Irish guy nodded his thanks and said "hey guys you hear that?"

"Yeah Paddy we heard that, sounds like a good idea to as it's near Broadway" said Smudge

"It's also near the art gal-" Moll stopped mid-sentence from the glares Smudge and Mitch were sending him, "ok shutting up now"

"Good" muttered Mitch.

A young petite blonde women then said "what about going shopping? I think that's great idea"

The guys looked at her for a moment and then said simultaneously "nah! Beth that's boring"

"If you don't mind my asking, why is Beth the only one with a normal name?" asked Jamie,

Beth laughed and said "being in the Army means you get lumped with a nickname, mine is Twig cuz apparently I'm as thin as a twig, Smudge's real name is Michael Smith, Mitch's name is Steve Mitchell, Moll's name is Keith Morrell, Paddy's name is Dylan McShane and those two over there are John 'Jock' Blair and Tom 'Taffy' Williams"

"Taffy?" asked Jamie

Taffy laughed and said "it's a nickname given to the Welsh"

Jock then added "Jock is a nickname for the Scottish and Paddy is a nickname for the Irish"

"And because there are three of us who are English our nicknames just came from our surnames" said Mitch.

Jamie nodded and shook all their hands and said "well I hope you enjoy your time in New York"

The lights then changed and so Jamie crossed the street smiling at the group in farewell, as he reached the other side of the street he suddenly got a queasy feeling in his stomach like there was something wrong, just as Jamie began to pull out his off duty gun he heard something like firecrackers going off, but he knew it to be gun fire. Then suddenly he felt white hot pain searing from his abdomen and chest, as he felt himself drop to the floor there was people screaming and running, he looked up at the face of the person who was lowering their gun, but before Jamie could shout out the man turned away into the crowd and Jamie felt himself drop into the engulfing darkness.

######

Beth smiled at the man who suggested Times Square, as she crossed the street just as she was turning a different corner to the man she saw his whole stance change and watched as he went to get something from his other side. Then she heard three gunshots and saw the man crumple to the floor as people just ran past him trying to get away from the danger. Beth's whole instincts as a medic kicked in as she crouched and ran towards the man on the floor, her friends didn't try and stop her, they were Special Forces soldiers from the British Army and she had saved all their lives at least once.

When she reached the man's side she immediately began searching for his wounds, there had been three gunshots so she assumed there was three wounds. This was confirmed when she saw the man had blood coming from his left side, upper abdomen and chest. Smudge had arrived next to her and saw the man's wallet and looked for some ID.

"He's names Jamieson Reagan Beth"

"Well I'm gonna call you Jamie, is that ok? Cuz your whole name is a bit of a mouthful, so whether you like it or not Jamie is what I'm gonna call you" said Beth.

The others put a protective stance around Beth and her patient, all trying to see where the shooter may have gone but there was no sign of them.

"Didn't think I'd need my medic bag on holiday" murmured Beth,

"What do you need Beth?" asked Smudge.

"Cling film and something to pad the gunshot wounds"

"On it" and Smudge ran to a nearby grocery store as fast as he could, while Beth and Taffy put their hands on the wounds to try and stem the bleeding.

Smudge soon returned and handed Beth the cling film she asked for and said "this is all they had that could be used to pad the wounds" and he handed Beth a pack of tampons.

Taffy just shook his head, "dude really that's all they had that Beth could use for dressings?"

Before Smudge could reply he saw a figure emerge from the crowd drawing a gun, Smudge instinctively reached for his weapon, then realized he didn't have it "ah crap!" Smudge looked around for something to protect himself and the group with when he saw Jamie had a holster on his belt with a gun, without a second thought he pulled out the gun and fired at the other guy in the shoulder disarming him. "Paddy, Moll, go take care of that piece of crap"

Paddy and Moll nodded and went over and made sure the guy wasn't going anywhere, the guy tried fighting so Paddy knocked him out with a punch.

Taffy looked between Smudge holding the gun and Jamie currently lying unconscious, "why the hell was he carrying a loaded gun?"

"Well maybe it's a good thing he was" replied Smudge who then spotted a silver chain around Jamie's neck he pulled it out and saw on the chain was a police badge. Taffy and Smudge shared a look, "whatever is going on here Officer Reagan must have got himself in a big mess".

Beth was currently telling Jock about Jamie's status and Jock relayed it to the Ambulance operator he was on the phone with. Taffy looked up at Jock and said "you better tell them that it is a cop that has been shot, while I'm guessing off duty"

Jock nodded and then bent down "operator I just found out that the wounded man is a cop off duty… his badge number is 7689 and his name is Jamieson Reagan… right ok" Jock turned to Beth and said "the Ambulance is five minutes out"

Beth had just finished wrapping the cling film around Jamie's torso and abdomen and looked at Jock solemnly "I just hope Jamie here can last that long" she turned to Jamie and said "you'd better by the way because I'm sure your family will want you to stick around". As the group waited for the Ambulance they all talked to Jamie about anything that came to them, they all knew this was important because even though Jamie was unconscious his hearing sense would be the last to go and so by talking to him it would help keep his brain functioning and so hopefully keep him alive until he got to the hospital.