Has anyone else wondered why Danny was already smiling before Jamie reached his arm out to Eddie at the family dinner? Or his knowing smile when Eddie said "Actually, not just Eddie today."? Or why he looked so damn smug when when he asked his brother "Since just this morning?"and said "Wow"? It kinda seemed like an 'I told you so' moment to me. And Jamie seemed shy to admit it, like any younger brother would be reluctant to admit his older brother was right. Granted, I don't think Danny was expecting a marriage proposal, but he was expecting those two to be together. And I think Erin could tell.
FYI, this is my first BB fic, so be gentle. ;-)
Danny looked up from the papers clipped inside the file in front of him to reach for his ringing phone. He briefly registered his brother's name on the screen before he swiped answer and put the phone to his ear. "Hey kid, what's up?" was all he said, turning his attention back to the file.
"We got him Danny… We got him." Danny could tell his brother was excited, Jamie was nearly out of breath and sounded like he could barely get out the words.
"Good job, kid. Now who did you get?" He figured he'd play along. Even though his brother had been on the job for nearly a decade, he still got excited about big collars. Danny knew the feeling all too well, and to be honest, wished he could feel it more often.
"Sorrento." was all Jamie said in reply. Now he had Danny's full, undivided attention.
"Wait, wait a minute. Slow down, kid. What do you mean you got Sorrento? Dante Sorrento?" Now Danny was the one getting worked up. This man had already killed five people in the past few days, and who knew how many before that. He was a dangerous killer and his family was now on this maniac's radar.
"Yeah. Apparently I was his Reagan target." Jamie didn't sound good. He knew Jamie better. While he was a giant pain in his brother's ass most of the time, he was normally a talkative pain in his brother's ass.
"Okay, kid, just tell me where you are. I'll come take him off your hands. That bastard has a lot to answer for…" Danny couldn't wait to get his hands on Sorrento. Who knew how many open cases that man was responsible for. Danny had sworn that Sorrento and Duwann Wilson were going to pay for what they had done. They…
"No, Danny… He's dead. Eddie got him." Jamie cut Danny's thoughts short. But wait; if Janko shot him then something must have happened. Now this conversation and Jamie's whole demeanor made sense. Jamie was shaken up. Danny was afraid either Jamie's partner or some civilians were hurt in the take down. He needed to get there fast.
"Where are you? I'm on my way." Danny was already putting on his coat and waiving Baez over before Jamie gave him the address. He was rushing out the door as he told Jamie he'd be there in 10 minutes.
He was about to hang up when Jamie stopped him. "Hey wait, can you call Dad? I don't know if he's heard yet, he probably has, but he should hear it from one of us. I still have to talk to my CO and all that." Danny could tell he really wasn't up to talking to the old man, so he agreed and told him not to worry about it.
Danny had been targeted more times than he could count and he knew what his brother was going through. As he sped down the steps of the 54th and headed to his car he pressed his Dad's speed dial and waited for him to pick up, anxious to tell him that it was all over with.
Once Danny got to the scene, he and Baez took a peek at Sorrento and his car before Danny went in search of his brother. He just had to see for himself that that maniac was truly dead.
After being stopped by various officers around the scene and issuing a few instructions, he was lead detective on the case after-all, Danny finally found Jamie. He was sitting on the bumper of one of the ambulances, still being questioned by a couple of paramedics and it didn't look like Jamie was being too cooperative. "Look, I'm fine. The glass didn't cut me and the bullet didn't graze me. Besides a little ringing in the ears, I'm good." The paramedics tried to reason with him that they needed to check him over, but he obviously wasn't having it. 'Typical Reagan', Danny thought.
Danny walked over and asked the paramedics give them a moment. Once they were gone, he sat on the bumper beside his brother and bumped his shoulder with his. "So, really, you good, kid?" Jamie nodded and leaned over, putting his head in his hands. "Yeah, I'm okay."
"And how's your partner?... Where is Janko, by the way? I figured you two would be glued at the hip right about now." Danny asked while looking around the scene. Without lifting his head, Jamie answered "She's okay, just a little rattled. She's off with the bosses, you know the drill. She killed someone, so they took her gun while they investigate." Danny simply nodded, he most definitely knew the drill.
"Alright, now start from the beginning. What the hell happened?" Danny looked over the scene and pretty much pieced it together, but he needed someone to fill in the gaps.
Jamie sat up and took a deep breath before recounting the day's events. "We stopped for coffee, I stayed in the car and Eddie went in. One minute I'm sitting there, looking out the window and the next a car pulls up and someone calls out to me." He was still rattled, that much was certain. He looked over to Danny as he took a deep breath. Danny simply nodded and motioned for him to continue. "I hear some shouting in the distance, but I turn to look towards the car and this guy takes a shot at me." Jamie took another deep breath before continuing, this time faster than before… Trying his best not to relive it and get worked up all over again. "He barely misses me. I duck and I hear Eddie still shouting for me. She gets two rounds off and clips his car, forcing him to abort. He speeds away and she gets him with one shot." He paused again, looking Danny straight in the eye. "I swear it was amazing, he's speeding away and she gets him right in the back of the head. She… She saved me, Danny." The look on Jamie's face is a mix of admiration, shock and fear. And he's breathing as if he just chased that car down again.
Danny smiled and put his hand on his brother's shoulder. "Sounds like she really had your back there. That's what partners are for."
Jamie jumped up in frustration and started pacing in front of his brother. "No… No, you don't get it. She knew. She just… knew I was in trouble."
Danny tried to brush it off; this is obviously what has Jamie so rattled. "What are you talking about? She saw the car or something… The BOLO's been out on his preferred models. Something tipped her off."
Jamie stopped his pacing and pointed to the coffee shop on the corner. "She was inside the coffee shop; she couldn't see what was happening. And she came running before he even pulled up. She knew, Danny. She says she was warned… Like a voice told her I was in trouble."
"I see." was Danny's simple reply. He lowered his head, looking down at his folded hands, unsure what to say next. He didn't think Jamie really wanted to go down that road.
"No, Danny… How did she know? If she hadn't been there… I'd… I'd be…" Jamie couldn't finish that thought, too afraid to even think about what could have been.
Danny jumped up and grabbed his brother by the arms, making sure he was paying attention to him. "Don't go there, kid. I'm so glad you're okay. But don't start on the 'What ifs'. Nothing good will come of that."
"But, she knew…" Jamie sounded lost, broken almost.
Danny took a deep breath and pulled Jamie off to the side, away from any nosey onlookers. He's a little rougher than intended, but his brother is being an idiot. "Come'on, you know how she knew. Think about it. It's the same way you knew she was in trouble when she went UC in that trafficking ring. It's the same way I knew Linda was in trouble before she was shot… The way I knew she was gone even before I got the call about that chopper. There's this connection…" He stopped for a moment, looking for the right words, unsure whether his brother is ready to hear them. "When it's someone you love… you just…" He shrugged before continuing. "You know."
Jamie just stood there, not saying anything, just taking in what his brother just said.
Danny hadn't really expected any response so he continued. "So, now you have to decide what are you gonna do about it? Are you gonna keep on like you have been for the past few years… Or…" He trailed off, leaning his head, the implication fairly clear. When he didn't finish Jamie stepped in "…Or?" Danny smiled and clapped his brother on the shoulder. "Or are you gonna man up and do something?"
Jamie opened and closed his mouth a few times, unsure what it was that he wanted to say. In the distance he heard Baez calling for Danny. Danny shouted "In a sec…" before turning back to his baby brother who appeared to still be in shock.
"Look, all I'm saying is: life is short. I would give anything for just a few more minutes with Linda." He raised his arms and looked around them both. "Look around you, between this and Eddie getting shot a couple months ago, I'd say the universe is shouting at you." Jamie looked back up before Danny started to walk away.
Before he got a few feet he turned back to Jamie. "Just think about it." He said it earnestly, so Jamie nodded in acceptance and Danny nodded back before turning and continuing to his partner who was with someone from the ME's office and Sorrento's body, that was now on a stretcher being loaded into a black van.