Chapter Text
A shot rang out. There was a thud. The air left Danny’s lungs.
“Jamie … Jamie!”
No … not again.
Danny’s heart thundered as he sprinted toward his kid brother. He knew his nephew Joe would have his six and vaguely heard the subsequent shots to prove it. He needed to get to Jamie.
Jamie gasped as Danny knelt beside him. The latter tried to untuck Jamie’s shirt. Danny needed to see if the vest caught the bullet. He prayed the vest did its job. It was a stark contrast from early years when he would tease his brother for being “such a boy scout” and wearing his vest.
He has to be okay, thought Danny.
The gasps were more shallow. Jamie had a vice-like grip above Danny’s wrist. Danny was able to finally untuck the shirt. His vision swam. Blood bloomed over the crisp white that lay beneath Jamie’s uniform. Danny immediately applied pressure with his bare hands.
Was the boat and perp still there? He heard Joe speak, but it was as though he listened with his head submerged in water.
“10-13, 10-13. Officer shot …”
Danny looked around in panic. They were completely alone by the dock. No back-up in sight. They couldn’t wait for a bus and Danny said so. Joe quickly helped him get Jamie to his feet.
“Danny …” groaned Jamie in pain.
“I know, kid. I know it hurts,” said Danny. “Save your energy. We need to get you to the hospital.”
The two men all but carried Jamie back to the squad car.
“Drive,” said Danny, tossing Joe the keys.
Joe easily caught them out of the air and threw himself into the driver’s seat. Danny hopped in the back with Jamie and continued applying pressure. There was so much blood.
“You’re gonna be okay, you hear me?” said Danny. “That’s an order.”
“So … bossy,” wheezed Jamie. “Since we … were … kids.”
Jamie’s face was covered with sweat.
“You’re damn right I am. Didn’t I tell you to save your energy? Don’t talk.”
“Must … have been … distracted.”
“Listen here, smart-ass. You’re gonna be okay,” repeated Danny. “You’re – You’re fine.”
Danny’s voice cracked at the end.
How Joe got them to the hospital so fast, Danny would never know. The car suddenly came to a halt and the door swung open behind him. A gurney materialized and they ran after the nurses and orderlies who pushed Jamie. Jamie – bless his stubborn heart – was still trying to speak.
“Look at me, Jamie.”
“Danny …”
“Keep fighting!”
All Danny could think of was reminding the nurses that Jamie was his brother. They needed to take care of him. It couldn’t happen again. Never again.
The access doors slammed in their faces. It was out of his hands.
***
Fear. Joe recognized it in his uncles’ eyes.
The types of fear differed. Jamie was disoriented and overwhelmed. His eyes darted around and more often than not latched onto Danny. As if Danny’s gaze anchored him.
Who knows? thought Joe. Maybe that’s how sibling relationships work.
Or maybe it was another Reagan thing that he’d never fully understand.
Danny’s fear was more tangible. Joe could see the thoughts racing across Danny’s face as he applied pressure to Jamie’s wound. Danny wasn’t there the last time to help or save his brother Joe. He couldn’t protect his other younger brother.
The guilt clearly weighed heavy on Danny.
Which is why Joe easily sprung into action at the dock. The second that he saw Jamie go down, Joe was on the perp. He knew Danny would make a bee-line for his brother and that he would need to cover him. So it’s what he did. Joe’s only regret was that none of his shots hit the perp before the boat sped away.
When Joe called it in and turned to make sure the others weren’t hit by any strays, he knew that it was bad. Joe didn’t need Danny to tell him that the shot hit Jamie below the vest. Which was the reason why Joe broke about half a dozen traffic laws to get them to the hospital.
Joe tried to focus solely on the road, but he heard the backseat conversation. Joe heard Danny trying to keep Jamie from falling unconscious.
“Come on, kid. Keep fighting. You’re not going anywhere …”
Joe felt a lump in his throat. He gripped the wheel tighter.
They followed Jamie as far as they were permitted. Joe barely heard Danny’s encouragement or Jamie trying to speak. Joe was focused on studying Jamie. Memorizing every feature on the man’s face. Every line, every distinguishing feature. Joe was most like Danny personality-wise – he said what was on his mind and took action by any means necessary – but Jamie was the first Reagan with whom he truly connected.
It wasn’t that the others hadn’t wanted to connect with Joe. He knew for a fact they had but were afraid of spooking him. Jamie wasn’t. He sought out Joe and could be overly earnest, but Joe respected it. Joe knew that Jamie wouldn’t resent him forever for needing his space. Just like he knew Jamie realized that he wouldn’t need his space forever.
The longer Joe stared at his uncle, the more he believed that it would keep Jamie with them.
Joe prayed it wasn’t wishful thinking.
***
“Come on,” exhaled Joe. “We’ll go to the waiting area.”
Danny stared at his nephew. It was as though he wasn’t seeing him. Eventually, he nodded.
The two men entered the lobby. Danny started pacing when something caught Joe’s eye.
“Danny. Your hands.”
Danny looked down and felt a wave of nausea hit him.
“Danny …”
“Keep fighting!”
“Go wash them,” said Joe. “I’ll start calling the others.”
Danny walked in a fog to the front desk.
“Yes, sir, can I …?”
Danny vaguely held up his hands and the receptionist understood.
“Right this way, sir.”
***
“Henry. It’s Joe.”
“Hi, Joe. What’s –?”
“Jamie’s been shot.”
There was silence.
“Which hospital?”
“New York Uptown. I need to call Erin – are you good to get here?”
“I’ll get there. And I’ll call Francis.”
***
Danny watched as blood trickled down the drain.
Jamie’s blood.
Danny gripped the edges of the sink. No matter how much he washed his hands, it didn’t make any difference. They remained discolored. It served as a reminder of all they could lose.
Danny jolted as though shocked by electricity.
He needed to call Eddie.
Danny fished for his phone and pressed Eddie’s contact name with trembling hands. The phone rang once before she answered.
“Eddie, it’s –”
“Danny,” said Eddie, sounding hysterical. “Are you with him?”
Her C.O. must have gotten word to her. If Joe had called, she would already know he was there.
“We’re here, Eddie. He –”
“How badly is he hurt?”
“10-13, 10-13. Officer shot …”
“He’s fighting, Eddie. We’re at Uptown. Get here as –”
The line went dead.
***
“Hey, Joe. Are you in the area? We should get coffee if you’re free later.”
“Erin, I’m at New York Uptown.”
There was an intake of breath.
“Who’s hurt?”
“It’s Jamie.”
“Oh, God.” Erin barely suppressed a whimper. “Does Dad know?”
“I called Henry before you. He said he would call him,” said Joe. “Danny and I are already here.”
“I’ll get there as soon as possible.”
***
So they waited.
It was peak rush hour, so there was likely some traffic. Though Danny wondered if they waited nearly as long as it felt. They hadn’t heard anything from the doctors or nurses, but he tried to focus on that meaning there was nothing bad to report.
“Look at me, Jamie.”
“Danny …”
“Keep fighting!”
Eddie entered the lobby like an oncoming storm.
“J-Jam-Jamie? Where’s Jamie?”
Eddie’s tone grew more panicked when she saw a nurse who referred to her as “Mrs. Reagan.” Danny, whose cheek had rested on his left knuckles, was quick to turn as he heard her arrive. He and Joe had sat in silence, but now it’s time to support Eddie. Like she and Jamie supported him seemingly a lifetime ago when Linda was shot.
Please, Linda, thought Danny instinctively. Keep my baby brother safe.
Danny tried to reassure Eddie that it was alright, but he knew what she needed. It was what he needed when he learned the love of his life was hurt. He acknowledged that the nurse was holding his brother’s belongings. As he redirected the nurse’s attention, Danny jerked his head to the right as a way to tell Eddie to run for it.
They were the same person. Danny knew that more than ever when Eddie understood.
She burst through the double doors and the nurse tried to stop her, but Danny held her back.
“It’s okay! It’s okay, it’s okay.”
Danny and Joe exchanged a look. They could hear Eddie’s screams for Jamie. For him to fight and that he couldn’t leave her alone. Danny knew in a split second that he had made the wrong decision. That despite understanding Eddie’s need to see her husband, Jamie was in bad shape and Eddie’s anguish could easily harm Jamie as much as it pained Eddie.
Jamie had understood that when he held Danny and kept him from chasing after Linda. In spite of being the older brother, Danny still hadn’t learned that lesson. He led with emotions, not logic. It’s why he ran through so many partners, it’s why he made the Reagan men three generations of widowers, it’s why Eddie was currently falling apart and he was holding her tight in his arms. Trying to keep them both together as much as he could.
“Danny,” wept Eddie. “Oh, my God, Danny. Your hands …”
Eddie’s eyes drifted down to Danny’s blood-stained tie and shirt. Her legs nearly went out from under her, but Danny held her steady.
“Hey,” said Danny sternly. “Your husband is fighting his ass off to get back to you, you hear me? He would never give up on you.”
“I … I know,” said Eddie, sniffing. “All those wires … the noises …”
Danny pulled Eddie closer. He looked over her shoulder at a pale-faced Joe.
“I’m sorry,” whispered Danny into Eddie’s hair.
Jamie was in this position because he saved their lives.
“I’m so sorry.”
***
The news kept getting worse.
Frank was unreachable. Jamie may be paralyzed, even if the doctor can remove the bullet. He had lost so much blood. Danny was still wearing that blood. Joe didn’t know how to help.
It was due to saving him and Danny that Jamie ended up taking a bullet. Eddie was distraught, and who could blame her? There was no telling what might happen next.
They all wanted what Henry said. For the doctor to fix Jamie up with the best possible outcome. The doctor left to prepare Jamie for surgery. As the others watched him leave, Joe caught Henry turning around out of the corner of his eye. Joe instinctively put a hand on Henry’s back. He hoped it was reassuring in some way as Henry returned to his seat.
Henry offered Joe a strained smile some time later.
“The waiting is the worst part,” said Henry.
Joe looked around at his family. There were several generations present in that room, all holding onto the same hope. Carrying the same fear.
“It never gets easier, does it?”
Henry looked somber.
“No,” said Henry. “But leaning on one another helps.”