Anna's Worst Fear
Scene: W 52nd Street outside the August Wilson Theater
Jamie and Anna streamed from the theater with the rest of the crowd. They were celebrating Anna's 28th birthday and he took her to see Jersey Boys. She had had a great time…singing and clapping along to every song…all the oldies but goodies. Jamie had loved seeing the smile on her face…and knowing that he'd given her such an amazing night made him feel all warm inside. He loved her so much and seeing her so happy made him happy.
She linked her arm through his as they turned and walked up W. 52nd Street headed away from the theater. They had planned to catch a cab over to Sardis for a late dinner…but it was such a beautiful night Jamie thought about just walking the eight blocks…Anna was still smiling and singing songs from the play. He laughed out loud as she swung into "Big Girls Don't Cry"…she was so beautiful when she smiled.
...
They were about a block from the theater when Jamie stopped short in the middle of the sidewalk. Anna was startled; she looked around her, trying to figure out what was going on. Jamie quickly shoved her to one side…into the doorway of a store.
"Get down!" he yelled to her.
She saw him draw his off duty weapon. Then she realized what was happening.
There were two men were robbing an elderly couple…at gunpoint. The taller of the two men was holding the woman…and the smaller man was holding a huge silver plated handgun on the old man.
"Police officer! Drop the weapon!" Jamie yelled at the two men.
What happened next seemed to be happening in slow motion. People on the street scattered in all different directions…but Jamie stood his ground, weapon drawn. Again he ordered the man to drop the gun. The larger man flung the woman to the ground like she was a rag doll. The shorter man turned on Jamie and fired at him. A split second later, Jamie fired back.
His bullet hit the perp square in the chest…and almost simultaneously the .50 caliber round from the assailant's weapon tore through Jamie's right shoulder. But the horror wasn't over yet.
The taller perp reached into the brown jacket he wore and he pulled a gun of his own! He aimed the black semi-automatic at Jamie and fired…but Jamie had already been hit. He staggered backward a step or two before collapsing onto the ground. The second perp's bullet hit another man about five yards behind Jamie. The gunman turned and ran off…shoving people out of his way before darting into the street.
...
Anna rushed to Jamie's side. His face was contorted in agony and he was clutching his right arm. There was a pool of blood and it was getting bigger by the second. She grabbed her scarf and pressed it against his shoulder.
"Jamie!"
She pulled her phone from the pocket of her coat and hurriedly dialed 911. She hit the "speaker" button and put the phone down beside her. She started to shrug her coat off…and at the same time keep her scarf pressed against Jamie's shoulder. She switched hands and shed her coat…which she crumpled up and shoved under his head.
"Jamie! Look at me! Stay with me!"
"911-What is your emergency?"
"There's been a shooting! A police officer's been shot! A block west of the August Wilson Theater on W. 52nd Street."
"Say again? An officer's down?"
"Yes! My boyfriend! He's a police officer!" She yelled. "Jamie! Talk to me!"
"Ma'am…are there other casualties?"
"Yes…multiple gunshot victims! Four civilians down as well!"
"Anna?" Jamie's voice sounded very far away.
"Keep talking to me! It's gonna be okay!"
"Police and EMT's are on the way…" the 911 operator said. "Can you tell me the condition of any of the victims?"
"My boyfriend's bleeding…there's a lot of blood!"
"Anna? I love you…I love you…"
"Jamie! Don't close your eyes! Keep talking!"
"Ma'am…can you put pressure on the wound?"
"I'm doing that! Where's the damn bus?"
"They're on their way…"
"My dad…" Jamie gasped weakly. "…gotta call my dad…"
Anna could hear the sirens approaching…Thank God…
"Hang on Jamie! They're coming! Stay with me!"
"Tell my dad 'I'm sorry'…tell him…"
Anna put her free hand to his face. She forced him to look at her. She could see his eyes glazing over.
"JAMIE!"
...
Four police cars converged on the scene and screeched to a halt. Officers jumped out and ran to aid the victims. Three ambulances arrived seconds later.
A patrolman hurried to Anna and Jamie.
"They said an officer was down?"
"Yes! This is Officer Jamison Reagan!" Anna yelled. "Jamie! Jamie!"
"Reagan?"
"His father's the Commissioner!"
EMT's ran to Jamie's side.
"We need you to move aside ma'am."
The officer grabbed Anna by the arms and moved her out of the way.
"Anna…" Jamie gasped one last time before he lost consciousness.
...
Scene: The Emergency Room
Anna paced back and forth. She was hugging herself and she had been crying on and off since they had wheeled Jamie into the trauma room. She wished someone would come and tell her something. She looked down at her dress and sweater. They were covered in Jamie's blood. So were her hands…and her knees…and the raincoat that was lying on the chair. So much blood…
The doors of the Emergency Room opened up and Renzulli ran in. He headed straight for Anna. Just a beat behind were the Reagans, Frank, Henry, Danny, Erin and Nikki. Renzulli reached Anna first and took his goddaughter in his arms. She broke down and began crying all over again.
"Anna…you okay Sweetheart? Tell me what happened. Is Jamie okay?"
The Reagans reached her just as she began to answer.
"We'd just left the theatre….we hadn't gone far….And there were two men. They were robbing this couple, an old man and his wife. One of them had a gun!" She drew a ragged breath, trying to pull herself together. "Jamie shoved me into a doorway and he pulled his gun! He identified himself…and he shouted for the guy to drop the weapon. The guys turned on him…the one holding the gun fired. Jamie got off a shot, but he got hit!"
"Got hit where? Did you see what kind of gun?" Danny was already firing off questions…all business.
Anna nodded…
"He got hit in the shoulder… there was so much blood! The gun…it was a huge gun… like a Desert Eagle…"
"That's pretty specific. A Desert Eagle? Are you sure?"
"She knows guns, Danny. If she says it was a Desert Eagle, then it was." Renzulli told him.
"What about Jamie?" Frank just wanted to know about his son. The kind of gun could wait...
Anna was struggling to compose herself.
"He got hit in the right shoulder. At first I thought it was through and through…but the bullet must have hit the bone. I'm sure his arm's broken. There was so much blood! I was trying to keep him talking but he started drifting in and out right before the EMTs got there."
Erin hugged Nikki to her with tears in her eyes.
"What about the shooter? Did you get a look at him?" Danny was still working the case…
Anna nodded again.
"There were two of them. The one who shot Jamie was short…that's the one Jamie hit. The second guy was taller…five eleven, maybe six feet. He was in his twenties, Hispanic looking, patchy facial hair…like he hadn't shaved for a couple of days. He was wearing dark, baggy pants…either jeans or black cargo pants. He had on a barn coat …not tan, but darker, but not really brown. He had a black knit cap pulled down low on his forehead…and the cap had a little brim on it. He pulled a gun out of his coat…black, semi-automatic…a Glock? I think… Anyway, he fired at Jamie too, but Jamie had already been hit and was going down. The second bullet hit a man about five yards behind Jamie…"
"I'll say she got a look at him…" Henry said under his breath.
"The second shooter took off. He turned and ran West on 52nd Street. He shoved a few people out of his way and then he ran into the street…Wait a minute…the first shooter, the one Jamie hit…he called out to his partner. He hollered out "Miguel! Miguel! Don't leave me!" and then he started to choke. I think he was dead before the medics got there…but I was trying to help Jamie."
"That's a hell of a good description, Anna…you did good." Danny said.
He turned around to face all the other police officers who had been steadily arriving in the ER. He pointed to a young patrol officer.
"Hey! You! Get a sketch artist down here!" He pointed to another officer who was close enough to hear Anna's description. "Did you hear what she said? Everything?"
The second officer nodded.
"Good…Get the description on the wire. All five boroughs…"
"All five boroughs…on it." The officer hurried outside to his radio car.
...
The doctor stepped out of the trauma room. The Reagans, Anna and Renzulli turned expectedly.
"Are you here for Officer Reagan?"
Frank stepped forward.
"Yes…how is he?"
"We're taking him to surgery now. There's a lot of damage…he's lost a considerable amount of blood. You can see him for a minute, but that's all."
That was all they needed to hear. The family headed for the trauma room.
Jamie was lying on a gurney. His right shoulder was swathed in dressings, but there was still blood seeping through. He had an oxygen mask on. He opened his eyes, and then reached up and pulled it off.
"Anna?"
She rushed to his side.
"Are you okay? You weren't hurt, were you?"
Anna took his hand.
"I'm fine, Baby…and the doctors are going to fix you up…and everything's gonna be okay. I love you so much…"
Jamie looked over to his family.
"Dad? Danny?"
Frank stepped up to the gurney. He was struggling mightily to keep his emotions in check. Danny was right beside him.
Frank spoke first, his voice choked with emotion. His worst fear; that he might lose another son seemed like it might come true.
"You're gonna be fine, Son…"
Jamie knew the perp was gaining ground every minute. They had to get a description out ASAP.
"There were two perps…I hit one, but the other got away….He was…"
Danny cut him off.
"Anna gave us a great description…it's already on the wire. Don't worry. We're gonna get this sonofabitch."
Jamie nodded…he was too tired to talk anyway. The doctor stepped into the room.
"Time's up…we need to get Officer Reagan to surgery."
The Reagans each approached the bed. Erin spoke first.
"I love you, Jamie…you're gonna be fine."
"…love you too, Sis…"
He's breathing was a bit more labored.
"Uncle Jamie…"
Jamie looked up at his niece. Her fear was written all over her face. He flashed back to the night Joe died. He had been in Cambridge when he got that call and he drove like a bat out of hell to get home. When he entered the house the first person he had seen was Nikki…and she had the same look on her face that she did right now.
"I'll be okay, Nikki…I'll see you soon."
"I love you, Uncle Jamie."
"I know…I love you too, Nik. No tears, okay? I'll see you soon." He repeated.
Nikki turned away, back into the safety of her mother's arms. Henry stepped up closer to the gurney. He reached out to his grandson.
"You be strong, Kid."
All the talking was tiring him.
"…love you, Grandpa."
He turned back to Anna. There was so much he wanted to tell her…
"I love you…so much."
She smiled through her tears. She leaned down and they were able to share a quick kiss. Then she helped him put the oxygen mask back into place. A team or orderlies and nurses quickly moved in to get Jamie into surgery. The Reagans, Anna and Renzulli stood in the empty treatment room watching him go. Anna turned back to Renzulli who took her in his arms again. Erin held on to Nikki, who was crying.
...
Scene: The Waiting Room
It seemed like time had stopped. Jamie had been in surgery for hours and the family was going crazy with worry as each minute passed. Frank, Henry and Danny were all pacing anxiously and had nearly run into one another a dozen times. Nikki sat curled in a ball in the corner of the sofa. Anna stood by the window hugging herself tightly. Erin mechanically shuttled back and forth between Nikki and Anna, trying to comfort and reassure them…anything to keep herself from thinking about the possibility of losing her baby brother.
Renzulli seemed to have taken root in front of the vending machines. He was still uncomfortable rubbing elbows with the top brass even though Frank and Henry both did their best to make him feel welcome at the dinners and gatherings he and Marie had been a part of. He wasn't sure exactly what to call this gathering, anyway. In a sense it was business, because as Jamie's training officer whatever instincts that had driven him to do what he did out there…Renzulli had had a part in shaping them. In another sense it was family…Jamie and Anna loved each other. Even a blind man could see that. It was only a matter of time before they made it official…the only thing that could stop it from happening was…well, a very real possibility at the moment. Renzulli made the Sign of the Cross and reached for the St. Michael medal he'd worn since the day he joined the force. It was all in God's hands…
Another hour crawled by with no word, then another.
Finally the surgeon came through the double doors. The family stopped short, then they all came out of whatever private hell they had been occupying all these hours and rushed toward the man in the blue-green scrubs who looked like he's been through a war.
As usual, Frank spoke for everyone…
"Doctor? My son…? How is he?
The doctor looked up at the Police Commissioner with tired eyes.
"Officer Reagan did fine. They'll be bringing him out any moment now."
The family breathed a collective sigh of relief. Anna fell into her godfather's arms. Nikki threw her arms around her mother and Danny and Henry slapped each other on the backs.
"There was a considerable amount of damage to the subclavian artery. We had to graft it. The clavicle and the humeral head were both broken and had to be repaired. The joint capsule was badly damaged. And the deltoid muscle was shredded. But we were able to repair everything. And with a lot of hard work, I expect Officer Reagan will make a full recovery.
Frank extended his hand to the doctor. His voice was husky with emotion.
"We can't thank you enough."
"When can we see him?" Erin asked.
"You can all see him as soon as they take him to his room. In the meantime, one of you can go and be with him right now in recovery.
Everyone exchanged looks. They all wanted to go…
"You go, Francis." Henry said.
There were murmurs of agreement.
"No…Anna. You go." Frank made the decision for everyone.
Anna stepped forward.
"Are you sure, Frank?"
"Yes…you're the first person he'll want to see."
A nurse stood waiting to usher her into the recovery room. The family watched as Anna disappeared behind the swinging doors.
"That was a good thing you did, Francis." Henry clasped a hand onto his son's shoulder.
"It's the truth. "
...
Scene: Recovery Room
Anna sat quietly as Jamie slept. She studied each machine, trying to figure out what they were all for. She listened to the steady beep that told her his heart was beating strong.
She replayed the night again in her mind…the play, how much fun she had had, Jamie's smile. They'd walked out of the theater arm in arm…her singing "Big Girls Don't Cry"…Jamie laughing.
Then she got to the part where he stopped short in the middle of 52nd St and shoved her toward a doorway…when he'd shouted "Police officer! Drop the weapon!" The exchange of gunfire…one, two, three…the pandemonium on the street…Jamie on the ground in a pool of blood.
He started to stir…and she jumped to her feet. He opened his eyes slowly and blinked at the bright light overhead. He looked around, disoriented. Then his eyes fell on Anna, standing beside him.
"Anna…" his voice sounded hoarse. He desperately wanted something to drink.
"Hey, Sleepyhead…" She said softly. She smiled and gently ran her fingers through his hair. "You're gonna be all right. The doctor said everything went just fine."
"Really?" He looked down toward his shoulder encased in bulky bandages. His arm was strapped to his side, but he managed to wiggle his fingers.
"Where is everyone?"
"They're outside in the waiting room…I'm sure they're gonna take you to your room any minute now. You'll see everyone then."
He nodded. The fog was clearing slightly and he was becoming aware of the pain.
"My arm hurts…"
"I'll get someone for you…" She pushed the call button lying on his pillow.
Moments later a nurse injected something into his IV and he dozed off again.
...
Scene: Jamie's Hospital Room
Hours later he awoke again. He heard the beeping of the monitors. The room was dark, save for the fluorescent light glowing over his bed.
Anna was sitting beside him holding his left hand. She leaned forward.
"Hey, you…"
"Can I have something to drink?" his voice was raspy.
"Sure." She reached for a plastic cup on the bedside table. "Sip it slowly…"
She held it for him and angled the straw so he could take a couple swallows.
"Jamie…" Frank stepped out of the shadows, his voice husky with emotion.
"Dad…"
"You're gonna be all right, Son."
"Dad…there were two perps…I shot one of 'em…"
"We don't have to do this now, Jamie."
"Yeah, we do…"
"We've got an ID on the second shooter…Danny's chasing the case…it's only a matter of time before we get him.
"What about the guy I shot?"
Frank and Anna shared a look.
"He didn't make it…he was pronounced at the scene." Frank said.
Jamie squeezed his eyes shut. The second time in his career he had fired his weapon…and he'd killed a man.
"What about the other civilians?" Jamie's voice was barely above a whisper.
Anna drew a ragged breath.
"The old woman broke her hip when the second shooter threw her on the ground. The old man suffered a heart attack…but he's gonna pull through." she told him.
"There was another man…wasn't there?"
"He didn't make it…" Frank said quietly. "He died on the operating table."
"Christ…"
Anna softly stroked his cheek. He turned to look at her. He could see she was trying to keep it together for him.
"You're gonna be all right, Honey. We're gonna get through this…"
Jamie just nodded slightly…and closed his eyes again.
...
Scene: Late that night…the Reagan home
Frank sat alone in the den, single malt in his hand. He hadn't touched it though…he was so lost in his thoughts.
His worst fear…that he would lose another son…had very nearly come true. A couple inches to the left and he'd be planning a funeral instead of thanking God for Jamie's survival.
He thought of Mary. He had promised her that he'd keep Jamie out of the family business…if anything were to happen to her baby, she'd haunt him till his dying day.
"Want some company?"
Henry stood in the doorway.
"What're you doing up, Pop?"
"Same as you are…worrying about Jamie. Worrying about Anna. Worrying about Danny turning the city inside out…"
Henry crossed the room and took a glass from the liquor cabinet. He sat down across from Frank and set the glass on the table in front of him. Frank leaned forward and deliberately poured three fingers of scotch. Henry reached out and took it.
"You can't beat yourself up, Francis."
"The hell I can't…I'm doing a fine job of it."
"He was off duty. And any one of us would have done exactly the same thing he did. What is it you always say?
"Reagans don't punch out at end of tour…"
"Well, I, for one, am proud of him."
"I didn't say I wasn't proud of him, Pop…but this one was just a little too close for comfort."
"Yeah…" Henry conceded.
He took a swallow of whiskey.
...
Scene-Jamie's Hospital Room
Jamie was sitting up in bed. His right shoulder was heavily bandaged and he had a full immobilizer in place. The .50 caliber bullet had torn through his shoulder, damaging an artery, breaking his collar bone and the humeral head. The surgeon had had to patch the artery, repair the bones with screws and wires, and clean up the ragged edges of the torn muscles. It had been a long, involved procedure, but the doctors were confident that with a lot of work in rehab he'd make a full recovery.
Anna had been by his side through the whole thing. When it really came down to it, Jamie owed her his life. She had been a rock at the scene. She'd kept pressure on his wound and kept him focused and talking. She had been there as soon as he woke up from surgery and she'd stayed with him for the next four days straight.
He was supposed to be getting out of the hospital the next day. He and Anna had talked about what they were going to do…and they decided that she would move into his apartment right away. So that's what she was doing right now. Linda and the boys were helping her, as were Nikki and Henry. Danny and Renzulli would move the bulk of her things over the weekend. Frank was going to let her store stuff in the basement until they figured out a more permanent solution.
Jamie was talking to Anna on his cell. She had wrapped things up at the apartment and was on her way to the hospital. She called to see if he wanted her to pick anything up on the way.
"No …that's okay. I really don't want anything. Just…get here as soon as you can, okay?" He paused. "And Anna? I love you…Okay I'll see you in a few minutes."
He clicked the button that ended the call. He set the phone down on the bed next to him. He shifted uncomfortably and tried to adjust the pillow that was supporting his arm. It wasn't quite working, but he didn't want to call for the nurse. He told himself that Anna would be there any minute.
The door opened and he looked up expecting Anna, but in walked Sydney, his ex-fiancée. He hadn't seen or heard from her in over a year.
"Syd…what are you doing here?"
"I got here as soon as I could...Caroline called me and I had a few things I had to wrap up, but…"
Jamie cut her off.
"All this time…you haven't called... emailed…nothing. Now you just show up here out of the blue?"
"I was frantic, Jamie…I mean…I get a call in the middle of the night that you'd been shot!"
"Today's Friday."
Sydney shook her head in confusion.
"What?"
"Today's Friday. I got shot last Saturday…almost a week ago"
"And I got here as soon as I could. I'm in the middle of a huge case right now…"
"You could have called…should've called…saved yourself the airfare."
Sydney was taken aback.
"Aren't you glad to see me? I've really missed you Jamie."
"You've got a funny way of showing it."
"Well…you can't possibly imagine how crazy it's been…If you think I worked crazy hours here in New York…it's nothing compared to what I'm doing now. I get two…maybe three hours of sleep a night…if I'm lucky."
Jamie had no interest in her excuses.
"I've moved on, Syd."
"What? What do you mean?"
"I'm with someone else now…she'll be here any minute."
"You have a new girlfriend?"
"It's a little more than that…what Anna and I have…it's the real thing. She moved her stuff into the apartment today…"
"Our apartment?"
"My apartment."
The door behind Sydney opened and Anna stepped inside. Sydney spun around to face her. They were similar in size and they both had brown hair and brown eyes. But that was where the similarity ended. Anna wore cut-offs and one of Jamie's Police Academy PT shirts. Her hair was pulled back and her face devoid of any make-up…a total contrast to Syd, who despite claiming she'd just gotten off a plane, still managed to look totally put together. The two women studied each other. Tension hung in the air.
"Anna…thank God you're here." Jamie motioned her over to his side.
She slipped past Sydney who was still staring in disbelief. She set down the duffle bag she'd brought with clothes for tomorrow and a few necessaries. She circled the bed to Jamie's right side and he turned to kiss her on the lips.
"Can you fix this?" he indicated to the pillow cradling his injured arm.
"Sure…" Anna repositioned the pillows and Jamie breathed a sigh of relief. He was much more comfortable now. He reached across for Anna's hand.
"Anna…this is Sydney Davenport, my ex-fiancée." He shot Sydney a look, emphasizing the 'ex'. "Syd…this is Anna Rossi."
There was an awkward silence. Finally Sydney spoke.
"Um…I'll just go now…leave you two alone." And she hustled out of the room.
...
Jamie glared after her. Anna tried to soothe him.
"Do you believe the nerve of her? Just showing up like that?" Jamie was angry.
"It doesn't matter, Honey." Anna gently stroked his face. "All that matters is I get to take you home tomorrow."
"Did you get all your stuff moved in?"
"Yeah…but I've still got a ton of stuff to haul over to your Dad's." She smiled at him…that smile that always brought him to his knees…"You never realize how much junk you've accumulated till it's time to move."
"Well, we can start looking for a bigger place this summer…I'll have all the time in the world."
It would be months before he could get back on the job. But strangely the thought didn't bother him as much as he'd thought it would. He thought of all the things he and Anna could do together, the things he'd never have had time for before…before…
...
Scene: Jamie's Apartment
It was good to finally be home. Jamie and Anna had gotten back early that afternoon. She had fixed him a quick sandwich and then she'd run out to the pharmacy to fill all the prescriptions. Jamie lay on the couch half-heartedly flipping through the channels.
He heard the key in the lock. He struggled painfully to a sitting position. But it wasn't Anna who walked through the front door.
"Sydney? What the hell?" Jamie couldn't believe she had the nerve to just walk into his apartment like…well, like she still lived there.
"Hi, Jamie…I, uh, just …wanted to come pick up any stuff I might still have here…" She tried, but she couldn't quite look him in the eye.
Jamie, on the other hand had no problem glaring right at her. Sydney shrank back a step, uncomfortable…embarrassed.
"You're a terrible liar Syd. You know damn well I boxed up your stuff and sent it to your mom's…a year ago."
"All right…I thought we could talk. I'm sorry I haven't been in touch…but I don't want to leave things…unfinished…
"You finished them all right…when you handed me back the ring."
"I was so confused, Jamie…angry…hurt. Your life was going in this totally different direction, and I didn't know who you were anymore. Then with the IA investigation…it just hit me like a ton of bricks…that you were a cop, and that you were never going to be a lawyer…
"We talked about all that, Syd…before I even started the Academy. "
"But it didn't seem real, not till then…not till I realized…
"That I could get hurt?"
"And you didn't seem to care. Like you thought you were… bullet proof." She whispered that last word.
"Well, I'm not, obviously…"
"I didn't think I could handle it Jamie. And then when I got that call from my friend Caroline I was terrified. And then I got so angry…"
"So you came back to say 'I told you so'? You know, Syd…I loved you. I loved everything about you. And I would have done everything in my power to make you happy and give you all the things you deserved. But then I realized something too. I couldn't have done that as a cop…because you loved a Harvard lawyer."
He paused for a moment…
"That's the great thing about Anna. She loves me for who I am…she loves all those different parts of me…the cop, and the guy who graduated from law school."
...
At that moment the key turned in the lock and this time it was Anna that came through the door. She saw Sydney standing there and she shot Jamie a puzzled look. He held out his good arm to her. She set the bag from the drug store on the table next to the door and crossed the room to Jamie's embrace.
"Are you okay Honey?" she asked him quietly.
"I'm fine now…"
Sydney didn't know what to say…she couldn't think of a convincing argument the one time in her life it mattered most. She stood frozen to the floor watching the man she had just realized she was still in love with holding someone else. Defeated she turned and headed toward the door.
"Sydney?" Jamie said.
She looked back expectantly.
"Yes, Jamie?"
"Leave the keys when you go…you won't be needing them anymore."
Sydney turned her back so he wouldn't see how badly those words had just hurt her. She stopped long enough by the door to pull the keys from her key ring and leave them on the table next to the white paper bag from the pharmacy.
She closed the door behind her.