A/N sorry if this story seems rushed in parts but being a new University student I'm adjusting to being away from home for the first time and I've only been here two weeks and already I feel a little swamped! With being given two essays to do already with some other homework to do, or assignments as their called now. At the rate things are going I might not be able to post stories until after December 13th because that is when my four week Christmas holiday starts (Yay four weeks!) so please bear with me! Anyway I hope you enjoy this!
Sunday dinner was a subdued affair for the Reagan's this particular week. An unknown suspect was causing havoc in the city, all the NYPD knew was that it was an unidentified male attacking different areas of Lower Manhattan in different ways on each day of the week. But what stayed the same was that the suspect steered clear of CCTV cameras and spray painted on a nearby wall 'Revenge'. In the past week the suspect had caused a water pipe to burst, left a car in the middle of the road before setting it on fire and beaten a man so badly the man needed ten stiches on each arm and a broken rib which pierced a lung. The man was their only witness who could ID the suspect and he was currently unconscious in a hospital. Saturday's attack left everyone, cop or civilian, worried. The attack resulted in the suspect (with a sniper rifle) shooting the tyres of passing cars, fortunately no one was seriously hurt as the attack had not taken place on a highway, something everyone knew had the attack been on a highway it would have resulted in fatalities.
The attacks had taken place in and around the 12th Precinct's jurisdiction meaning, Jamie and other cops in Lower Manhattan were having to take double and extended shifts. As they combed the crime scenes for any sort of clue that would give them the identity of the suspect, or at the very least some sort of clue that could lead them to where suspect lived. Because of this Jamie was exhausted, he had come to the Sunday dinner straight from the 12th and could only stay for six hours before having to go back to the 12th.
So as the family talked about anything that sprung to mind to help take Jamie's mind off the case, they tried to engage Jamie in the conversations. But Jamie would only nod or hum in agreement, finding it tiring lifting his fork from the plate to his mouth without taking into consideration the conversations his family were trying to get him involved in.
Danny watched his brother in concern, Jamie had dark circles under his eyes and he didn't seem to be able to focus on anything. Danny momentarily turned away from his brother to listen to Linda, but his focus was immediately drawn back to Jamie when he heard the clatter of a plate and a quite thump.
Jamie's head was rested on the table and his eyes were closed. Nikki was sat beside him with one hand on his plate, which she had hastily pulled towards her seeing Jamie slump towards the table. Henry put a hand on Jamie's shoulder and gave it a gentle shake, Jamie blinked and sluggishly tried to sit himself up.
Danny seeing Jamie's struggle quickly pushed his chair back and walked around the table. Then he moved one of Jamie's arms so it was around his own shoulders and then he wrapped an arm around Jamie's waist before he pulled Jamie up to a standing position. Danny then carefully guided Jamie into the living room before lying Jamie onto the couch, Jamie was asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow. Danny gently removed Jamie's shoes and then took the blanket off the back of the couch then placed it over Jamie.
Danny didn't go back into the dining room, but instead sat on the edge of the coffee table in front of Jamie. Danny leaned forward so his arms rested on his knees and he took a long look at his brother, he smiled softly. When Jamie was asleep he always looked younger, about ten years younger. Danny's look darkened as he remembered why Jamie was so exhausted.
"You gotta be careful out there kid" he whispered, "I know if you were awake you'd be accusing me of thinking you can't handle the job. But I know you can handle it, it's just the thought of you standing between the people of this city and perps that don't care who they hurt. That thought terrifies me. Always has. What if you split up with Renzulli to look for a perp and get jumped by the perp, with no one there to help you? You're on the frontline kid. Yeah I know we do the same job, a lot of my neighbours say how I'm on the frontline fighting crime, but I spend a lot of my time behind a desk. You don't. Being a Patrol Officer means you're out on the streets far more than I am, you really are on the frontline. Its cases like this one that really hits home for me ya know?"
Danny looked at his sleeping brother, and reached a hand out to brush away a few strands of hair away from Jamie's eyes.
"I just want you to be safe…I just want you to come home every night. Please kid, I know you're asleep. But I hope somewhere in your subconscious you're hearing me out. Please. I'm begging you! Just be careful on this case, this is one of the worst I have ever seen and it's only a matter of time before someone on the job is hurt. And you have no idea how much I am praying that that someone isn't you" he reached out and placed a hand on Jamie's arm and bowed his head trying not to let his emotions get the better of him.
Danny's head snapped up when he felt a hand being rested on his own shoulder, he turned slightly to see is dad stood behind him.
"Everything alright son?" asked Frank quietly, bearing in mind Jamie was getting a rest after what must have been almost twenty four hours.
"I'm worried" murmured Danny,
Frank nodded slowly, "I know. I am too. These are difficult times, and like you, I know it is only a matter of time before someone on the job is hurt"
"I know I'm not on the case dad, but are they close on finding the suspect?" asked Danny desperately, hoping that the investigating Detectives were close on getting an ID on the suspect. Which could mean Jamie wouldn't have to go back to the 12th that afternoon and continue the hunt for the suspect.
Frank gave his eldest son a sympathetic smile, "I know why you're asking son" he then sighed, "But no. We are no closer in finding the suspect"
Danny turned his head away and cursed.
Frank squeezed Danny's shoulder comfortingly, "I imagine it would only be a matter of time before you will be put on the case"
"Small comforts" muttered Danny glaring at his hands, "It still won't change the fact that Jamie will be out there on the streets"
"I know" sighed Frank, as he looked down at the sleeping form of his youngest. "But unfortunately he is a Patrol Officer and that means he has to be out there on the frontline"
"How much longer until he can be a Detective?" questioned Danny looking back at Frank.
Frank smiled, "A year or two, maybe three. But that will be his choice, he might want to remain working a beat"
Danny frowned then hopefully said, "He's gonna wanna a promotion with his Law school debt, and when he's a Detective he might find he prefers it"
Frank's smile widened, "What if, when he possibly gets promoted to Sergeant and he decides to go back on the beat like Renzulli and not become a Sergeant in charge of a Squad like Gormley?"
Danny's eyes narrowed, "Then I'll hit him until some sense is knocked into him"
"Whose getting sense knocked into them?" murmured a sleepy, hoarse voice thick with fatigue.
Danny and Frank looked back at a blinking Jamie. Frank moved so he was kneeling beside the couch, "Nothing for you to worry about son, you've got another three hours before you need to leave. Get some sleep son"
"Okay dad" yawned Jamie, and his eyes slid shut as he promptly fell back asleep.
Frank smiled and then straightened the blanket that was covering Jamie and then he made his way back into the dining room. When Danny moved to the armchair opposite the couch and kept watch over his brother.
Five hours later Jamie was back at the 12th and Frank was at his office trying to soothe the Mayor about the ongoing case. When everyone else was still at Frank's and Henry's house, this was when Danny received a call. The suspect out for revenge had struck again, this time injuring a Police Officer.
So Danny hastily left the house and drove to the crime scene. Praying that it wasn't Jamie who had been injured. Please not Jamie, please!
He arrived at the crime scene knowing it was in the 12th's jurisdiction but he couldn't see his brother anywhere. Panicked he looked for any familiar face and that was when he caught a glimpse of Jamie. He breathed a sigh of relief and jogged over to Jamie.
"Hey kid" he greeted.
Jamie's head snapped around to face him and then commented, "So you're on the case now?"
"Yep. Obviously one exhausted Reagan brother isn't enough" he joked. Jamie smiled in response. "So what happened?"
Jamie sighed, "Ten minutes before Officer Watkins was injured the investigating Detectives received an email that was titled 'Revenge' and that in ten minutes someone was going to get hurt on this street. So Officer Watkins made his way over and as he crossed the street a car came out of nowhere. It clipped Officer Watkins and then sped off. But Watkins is going to be fine so the suspect obviously loves the power he has over us and he's getting more confident by emailing the Detectives before the crime is committed"
"Thinking like a Detective now are we?" smirked Danny.
"Shut up Danny" grinned Jamie. They then headed off in different directions as they were needed somewhere else. Danny couldn't help but worry about Jamie, they suspect had now attacked a Police Officer and other could follow, and what worried him the most was that the suspect could have easily killed Watkins. So what was stopping him from killing another Officer, even Jamie?
It was Monday and Jamie was rubbing his eyes in the attempt it would wake him up. It didn't work. But what did was a phone call from Danny saying the suspect had sent another email saying he was going to destroy a building. So Jamie wrote down the address and told Danny he and Renzulli would meet Danny and Maria there.
Five minutes later Jamie's and Renzulli's squad car came to a screeching halt at the same moment as Danny's and Maria's squad car. They all knew with the timeline of their suspect they had a space of ten minutes after the email had sent for something bad to happen. And five minutes had already passed. When they saw the building in front of them they knew they were going to need help in securing the building. And fast.
As Renzulli radioed for additional units Maria looking down at her cell phone yelled out "We've had another email! Telling us to make sure our witness is safe!"
"Damn it!" cursed Danny, the suspect was daring them, either stay and check out a building that may or may not have anything wrong with it. Or go and check on the unconscious witness that could ID the suspect. Danny didn't know what to do, he knew he should go with Maria and check on the witness, but what if the witness was safe and it was a distraction? That there really was something wrong with the building? The building his brother was going to have to clear.
Jamie turned to Danny, "Go Danny!"
"But what if it's a distraction?" argued Danny,
"Then it's a distraction!" argued Jamie, "But additional units are on their way. Me and the Sarge will be fine clearing the building until they get here. But you have to go!"
"Danny!" called Maria from where she stood beside the squad car.
Danny turned to Jamie, "You'll be alright?"
"Yes, I will. I'll call you if we get the suspect. But you have to go!" replied Jamie before he pushed Danny in the direction of his squad car. With one more look at his younger brother, Danny then turned and ran to the squad car before peeling it away from the side of the road, and with sirens blaring headed towards the hospital.
Jamie turned and jogged over to Renzulli, Renzulli was going to check the first floor and the basement when Jamie was going to head up.
Jamie was in the process of clearing the fourth floor when he checked his watch. The five minutes were up and nothing had happened. He hoped that meant Maria and Danny had apprehended the suspect at the hospital. But he was wrong, Renzulli's voice crackled over the radio.
"Apprehended the suspect in the basement"
"10-4" responded Jamie, he then dug his cell phone out of his pocket and called Danny.
"Hey kid, got any good news?" asked Danny picking up on the first ring.
"Yeah" smiled Jamie, "Renzulli found him in the basement. Anything happen your end?"
"Nah. No one apart from the witness's family has been to see him. Everything okay your end?" questioned Danny worriedly.
"Nothing. And it's past the five minutes we had after the email, so I guess we caught him before he could do anything else" commented Jamie as he looked out the window to see Renzulli pulling the suspect along.
Danny sighed, "I don't know kid. I've got this feeling that something isn't right. Just be careful okay?"
"I will don't worry Danny" said Jamie rolling his eyes.
"Don't roll your eyes at me kid! Just promise me you'll be careful" Danny sternly replied.
"I promise Danny" said Jamie knowing it was hard for Danny to show how worried he was.
"Good. Well we're gonna stay at the hospital a little longer just to make sure nothing is going to happen. So I'll see you later kid" commented Danny.
"Okay. See you later, bye Danny" Jamie hung up and put his cell phone back into his pocket and began to make his way to the stairs.
That was when everything went wrong.
There was a loud crash and Jamie saw a barrel fall and block his way to the stairs, as soon as the barrel hit the floor flames began to engulf the landing.
"What the?" Jamie quickly back tracked and made his way over to the window by the fire escape. He pushed up the window and clambered out.
He made it down two ladders and was now in line with the second floor, he flinched hearing the fire escape groan and screech. As he made his way over to the last ladder he gripped the railing for balance, he gripped it so tight his knuckles had turned white. Before he could grasp the last ladder, the fire escape made another groan and then it collapsed.
Suddenly there was nothing beneath his feet and he felt himself fall and heard Renzulli scream his name. He felt himself connect with the concrete ground of the alleyway. And that was when everything went black.
Renzulli could only stand and watch as he gaped in shock at what he was seeing. He could see in the windows at the front of the building where flames were flickering against the windows causing them to be covered in soot. He turned hearing the suspect cackling with glee.
"Oh you thought it was over!" he laughed, "But I fooled you! I lulled you into a false sense of security! The witness wasn't in any danger! I knew it was only a matter of time before I was caught! When I heard you arrive I pressed a timer so a few minutes after the deadline you thought you had. A contraption would cause a barrel on all five floors to topple over and cause fire to spread throughout the building! Hahaha you didn't see that coming did ya?!"
Renzulli angrily pushed the suspect over to a fellow Officer, just as he caught sight of Jamie clambering onto the fire escape at the side of the building. Renzulli sighed in relief, but he tensed up again hearing the suspect call out.
"Don't relax just yet! I tampered with the fire escape! It will only hold your partner's weight for so long! You'd better hope he gets to the bottom before the fire escape gives out!"
Renzulli spun to face the suspect in shock, the suspect just grinned as he was pushed into the back of a squad car and driven away to Central Booking. Renzulli turned back to the building when he heard the sound of groaning and screeching metal. He looked up to see Jamie holding onto the ladder with all he had as he quickly reached the second floor window.
"Come on kid, just one more ladder" muttered Renzulli as he watched.
But just as the words left his mouth the fire escape made another groan and the part of the escape Jamie was on gave way. And Jamie tumbled to the ground.
"JAMIE!" screamed Renzulli as he began running to his friend shouting over his shoulder "someone call a bus!" He skidded to a halt beside Jamie's limp figure.
Jamie was lying awkwardly on his side with his limbs splayed out beside him, he had soot smudged across his hands and face and he was pale which contrasted with the dark soot.
"Jamie can you hear me?" asked Renzulli trying his best to remain calm. But how could he when his friend was lying on the ground in front of him after falling from the second floor?
He sighed in relief when Jamie groaned and his eyes flickered open. "Hey kid you with me?"
"Yeah" murmured Jamie, his eyes flickering.
"Hey you need to keep your eyes open ya hear me?" prompted Renzulli.
"I'm trying" replied Jamie softly.
"I know" comforted Renzulli patting Jamie's shoulder gently. "Now how many fingers am I holding up?"
"Er…tw – no…three…no…four?..." replied Jamie his narrowed in concentration.
"Don't strain yourself kid!" ordered Renzulli,
"But did I get it right?" demanded Jamie quietly.
"Yeah…eventually" commented Renzulli.
"Danny is gonna be mad" commented Jamie in a quiet voice,
"Now why's that?" questioned Renzulli frowning.
"I promised I'd be careful. But now I'm hurt" groaned Jamie, he groaned from the pain and thinking about what Danny might say to him.
"That's hardly your fault seeing as the fire escape collapsed. Bit out of your control" responded Renzulli.
"Try telling Danny that" retorted Jamie.
Renzulli chuckled, "I'll tell him it wasn't your fault"
"Than's" slurred Jamie.
Renzulli sat up straighter hearing the slur in Jamie's voice, "Come on kid stay with me"
"Hur's" moaned Jamie.
"I know kid, I know. But you have to stay awake okay?"
"Sor'y 'arge" mumbled Jamie, his eyes remaining shut longer than when they were open.
"You've got nothing to be sorry for kid. Just stay awake!" urged Renzulli.
"'m tryin'" whispered Jamie, but his eyes slid shut and didn't reopen.
"No! Come on kid! Stay with me!" panicked Renzulli wide eyed. But Jamie remained unconscious even when the EMT's arrived and placed him on a stretcher.
Danny was stood near the E.R doors with a relieved smile after getting updated by Jamie fifteen minutes ago that the suspect was in custody. But his smile slipped off his face when Maria came jogging over to him.
"Maria? What?-" began Danny,
"Danny! You need to move away from the doors!" urged Maria as she tried to move Danny.
"What? Why?" asked Danny, as he refused to move.
Maria sighed, realizing she wasn't going to be able to move Danny until she told him what was going on she started to explain "EMT's are bringing in-"
"Bringing in a patient, okay I got it! But I'm not in the way!" argued Danny, confused as to why he out of everyone else standing in the area had to move.
Maria in the corner of her eye and through the small window in the door caught sight of two EMT's rushing down the corridor towards the set of doors. And knew she was going to have to quickly tell Danny otherwise he was going to get a shock. "It's Jamie! The EMT's are bringing in Jamie!"
"What?! It can't be! I spoke to him just fifteen minutes ago! Someone told you the wrong name!" Danny forcibly replied, it wasn't Jamie, it couldn't be. Jamie had promised to be careful!
Before Maria could respond the doors swung open and a stretcher was pushed through the set of doors. Danny looked down to see his brother.
"No!" Danny gasped, he then began to run after the EMT's begging for answers, "What's wrong?! What happened to him?!"
He was stopped at another set of doors that kept him from following his brother. He ran his fingers through his hair and pulled at his hair as he found it hard to contemplate what had happened to Jamie. Then Renzulli appeared at his side.
"Tony what happened?!" exclaimed Danny, hating that he had no answers to what had happened to his brother in the space of fifteen minutes since they last spoke to each other.
"We caught the suspect" replied Renzulli as he guided Danny into a room that was kept for the relatives of patients.
"Okay. Fine. Great. I knew that. But what happened to Jamie?!" snapped Danny,
"Sit down" commented Renzulli as he wrung his hands in his worry for his partner.
"Why?" asked a wide eye Danny, knowing that in hospitals that was mostly said to people who were about to receive bad news. And for relatives of Police Officers in hospitals, bad news usually meant their loved one had died. That had already happened to Danny when Joe died, it couldn't mean that he had just lost Jamie as well. Could it?
"Because when I tell you what happened, you're gonna wanna be sittin' down" responded Renzulli softly.
What Renzulli said and the tone in which he said it made Danny slowly and silently sit down on one of the hard, uncomfortable couches. Renzulli then sat on the couch opposite him and looking at his feet took a breath. He then looked up at Danny and began, "As you know after you left we were going to clear the building…"
As Danny listened to what had happened in the last fifteen minutes he felt his heart clench and his hands tightened into fists. Jamie could have died and he had just left his younger brother at the scene. Hearing Jamie's update Danny had felt that there was something wrong but yet he had still stayed at the hospital. Yes Jamie had said he had everything under control and yes he probably did, but that didn't change the fact that in the space of fifteen minutes Jamie had almost died. And Danny hadn't even known. Hadn't even been there to help.
Once Renzulli finished telling Danny what happened there was silence in the room for ten minutes as Danny took in what he had just been told. The silence was broken by Danny's broken whisper. "He fell from the second floor?" Renzulli nodded. "Is he gonna be okay?"
"The EMT's said from the looks of things it probably isn't as bad as it could have been. Looking at the injuries he didn't sustain, like a dislocated ankle. They think in his shock he didn't tense so, that with his velar vest, protected him from suffering any major injuries. But their gonna do a CT scan just to make sure" informed Renzulli.
Before Danny could say anything a Doctor who appeared to be in her late twenties entered the room. Danny stood up and asked "how is my brother?"
"He hasn't sustained any broken or dislocated bones so he was very lucky in regards to that" she began.
"Okay, but how is he? Don't tell me what he hasn't got!" interrupted Danny.
"You're right. I'm sorry" appeased the Doctor, she then continued, "Your brother it appears has sustained a Linear skull fracture"
"Is – is it serious?" asked Danny as he internally panicked thinking his brother had sustained a serious injury.
"No Linear fractures are generally straight-forward breaks in the skull and the fracture your brother has is small to what it could have been. It will take two to three months before the fracture heals on its own so he can return to duty in three months but only desk work, after a further two weeks I'd say after a check-up he can return to Patrol. And he has regained consciousness so we were able to assess how well he could move his arms and legs and we ran other observation tests. Overall your brother is very lucky. It should have been a lot worse, but Sergeant Renzulli has probably already told you the EMT's suspect his shock and velar vest helped protect him from further injury" the Doctor smiled seeing Danny visibly relax.
"Can I see him?" asked Danny as he looked past the Doctor in the hopes he could catch a glimpse of his brother.
The Doctor nodded, "Follow me" once they were stood outside Jamie's room the Doctor halted Danny and said, "He will be in some pain and that can last five to ten days, and he may be in and out of consciousness regularly"
Danny nodded and then pushed open the door and stood just inside the room and took in the sight of his brother. Jamie looked a little pale, his eyes were closed and he was still.
"Jamie?" prompted Danny softly as he made his way over to the chair beside the bed.
Jamie's eyes flickered open, "Danny?"
"Yeah it's me kid" Danny let Jamie's eyes focus on him before he continued, "You feeling okay?"
"Wonderful" responded Jamie,
"Right is that you telling the truth or being sarcastic?" asked Danny leaning forward to be in Jamie's eye line better.
"What do you think? I fell from the second floor!" retorted Jamie.
"Sarcasm it is then" muttered Danny.
Jamie glared up at his older brother but stopped when it aggravated his headache.
Danny sighed, "You know kid it's times like this when I-"
"You what? Think I should have stayed a Lawyer?" asked Jamie bitterly.
"No! Geez kid! You have to let that go!" commented Danny, "What I was going to say is that it's times like this when I wish you weren't working a beat"
"Why?" questioned Jamie, feeling embarrassed in letting his old insecurity surface, he didn't even know why he said what he did. "You're a cop just like me"
"Yes I'm a cop like you, but I have a desk I mostly sit behind. You don't" said Danny looking down at his hands, the conversation he had with his dad just yesterday running through his mind. Was it only yesterday? It feels much longer than that.
"You still get in difficult situations" argued Jamie,
"Yes, but you're whole tour is spent out on the streets, the frontline as it were. And because of that I will always worry about you" said Danny looking up and meeting Jamie's gaze.
"I'm sorry Danny" murmured Jamie looking up at the ceiling.
"Why?" Danny asked confused.
"I promised I'd be careful. Then fifteen minutes later I'm arriving at an E.R, unconscious with a fractured skull" responded Jamie dejectedly.
"Aw kid it's not your fault!" argued Danny, "It was the suspects! He tampered with the fire escape, you didn't. So don't go blaming yourself, got it?"
"Yeah I got it" sighed Jamie,
"Hey at least try to sound a little more convincing!" grinned Danny trying to lighten the mood.
"Alright I got it!" smiled Jamie.
"There you go!" chuckled Danny, he then noticed how Jamie seemed to be fighting a losing battle in keeping his eyes open. "Rest kid. You need it after the week you've had. I'll be here when you wake up"
"Thanks Danny" yawned Jamie, within moments he was fast asleep with a small smile still on his face.
Danny settled himself back into the chair as comfortably as he could and then said to his sleeping brother, "I hope you make Detective soon kid. You'll be the death of me with all the worry you cause me getting into the scrapes that you do".
The End.
A/N sorry if anything medical is wrong but I'm not a medical student so please just ignore anything wrong! Thanks for reading!