First of all I must apologise to any readers who might have thought that I have fallen off the face of the Earth! Two laptops in the house and BOTH decided to die at the same time! I've got a tablet which I have only just started realising that I can type on and upload from (hopefullu - this may end up being posted and not making any sense!)
So apologies again - let's hope I can keep going on this.
I guess this is set somewhere in season 2 because I've got Jamie still paired with Renzulli.
This story is I hope, a sensitive story about an illness that can affect young men, yet is treatable and almost curable and I personally think that it would be a good idea to incorporate it into the show - not just because I've inflicted this on Jamie but to send out a wider message that the earlier its diagnosed and treated, the greater the survival rate.
I am not medically trained and, thankfully, I haven't had first hand experience of this, so all medical details are from the web. I apologise in advance for any mistakes that I make. I hope I keep everyone in character.
I don't own anyone you recognise - I'm just borrowing them again.
Deep breath...and here goes...
Jamie stepped into the shower, basking in the warm water cascading over him, setting him up for the day ahead. He washed his hair then proceeded to wash the rest of him. As he massaged the soap around the top of his legs towards his groin he stopped - something didn't feel right. He quickly rinsed himself off and then stepped out of the shower to dry himself. Once he was dry, he tossed the towel into the laundry and padded into his bedroom. There he stood in front of the mirror that was fixed to the wall. He looked at himself, trying to work out what had given him that strange feeling. He let his eyes drift towards his groin and immediately saw something different. His left testicle looked bigger than his right one. He gently cupped it in his hand, anxiety beginning to make its presence felt. It was definitely swollen. He had found a small lump there a few weeks before but had dismissed it because it had been small and according to some of the literature he had read at the time, most lumps were nothing to worry about. But now the swelling had grown...what could that mean? Jamie hastily pulled on his clothes and dashed out of the door...he didn't want to think about it, he wanted to get to work.
Thirty minutes later, a quiet Jamie was getting changed into his uniform. He had muttered a good morning but that was it. His T.O Sgt Renzulli had already noticed that his young partner was not his usual self. A frown creased his forehead as he watched the younger man gingerly pull up his trousers, "You ok kid? You've hardly said two words today."
Jamie forced a smile, "I'm fine Sarge - just tired..."
Renzulli had no option but to take him at his word...for now, "Come on then, let's get out there and show them what we're made of!" He exclaimed as he made his way out of the locker room followed by a chuckling Jamie.
A few hours later, the two police officers were on their lunch break after a morning full of directing tourists and advising a couple of homeless people to the nearest shelter. Renzulli sighed happily as he took a bite of his sandwich, chewing rather noisily, "It's a lovely day kid. Sun shining down on us - great food - no bad guys..." he trailed off when he noticed that Jamie wasn't eating.
"Something wrong with your food kid?" he questioned curious to know what was bothering his friend.
"No, just not all that hungry," was all Jamie offered as a response.
"Hmm so let me see, you're tired, not hungry, really quiet...you sick?"
Jamie was saved from having to answer him by their radios crackling to life. A call for back up no more that two blocks from their present position. They quickly discarded their uneaten food and peeled away from the curb with siren blaring.
As they approached the building, they turned off the siren. They noticed a couple of cars already there, one being the familiar car of his brother, Danny. They sought him out, together with his partner, Jackie, who smiled in greeting as she saw them coming towards them.
"Hey guys, thanks for this. So me and Jack are going in through the front - we've got people on the roof so I'd like you two to cover the back, particularly the fire escape ok?"
Both officers nodded their understanding, "This guy is well known for carrying knives so be careful..." He patted Jamie on the shoulder as he jogged past Danny towards the back of the building.
Before long, Jamie was half way up the fire escape with the Sgt covering the bottom of it. Suddenly they heard shouting from above them, then sure enough the suspect clambered out of his room and began to tear down the fire escape. Jamie positioned himself in readiness to take the suspect down. As much as he could, he did a quick risk assessment - there was no obvious signs of weapons, but that didn't mean that there wasn't any.
Before he knew it, the suspect was on top of him. He tried his best to subdue him in the limited space he had, but the suspect managed to elbow him in the stomach, sending a shooting pain through his abdomen and into his groin. The pain took his breath away as he doubled over to try to lessen it. Meanwhile, Renzulli had collared the suspect and was in the process of handing him over to Danny and Jackie.
"Good job Sarge - your tag team worked like a charm!" Danny smiled as he patted the officers shoulder, "Speaking of the tag team you're a member short..." he commented as he looked round for his brother.
Just then they heard slow, plodding steps descending down the iron fire escape. Both men looked to see Jamie walking stiffly, with his hand ghosting over his middle, his pale face standing out against the dark blue of his uniform.
"You ok Jamie?" Danny inquired, not liking the look of pain on his little brothers face.
"Yeah," he gasped, "He just caught me on the way down, I'll be fine...let's go'" he finished impatiently as he hobbled over to the car. If he was being honest with himself, he was actually hurting a lot more than he was letting on to the older men. He gingerly lowered himself into the front seat of the squad car, slamming the door closed behind him.
Renzulli and Danny just looked at each other, puzzled by Jamies actions.
Later that day, after their shift had finished without any more major issues, Jamie changed into his casual clothes, thankful to be wearing something less restictive. He sat down on the bench to pull on his trainers, wincing as the movement caused pain to flare from the site of his tussle earlier in the day. His eagle-eyed training officer noticed the tight expression on his young charges' face, "So Reagan, you going to tell me what's going on? You haven't been yourself all day..." Renzulli demanded, not giving Jamie a chance to interupt.
"Sarge I'm f..." Jamie started, then dropped his head so he couldn't see the burning stare from the older man. Jamie sighed in defeat and began explaining everything. As he continued his explanation, Renzulli's expression changed from exasperation to concern, "How long has this been going on for?" He questioned after Jamie had finished talking.
"I had the smaller lump for a couple of months I guess - but it was just this morning that I noticed that the swelling had increased," Jamie explained as he watched his partner process what he had just told him.
"You need to see a doctor kid," Renzulli advised, "I've seen this before - it needs checking."
Jamie shook his head, "It'll be fine."
" No kid, trust me you need to get it checked. My brother in law had symptoms similar to that and they found out he had cancer - only he had kept putting it off so it was to late - he died last year, so please Jamie go see the doctor - in fact phone him now!" he insisted.
Jamie took out his phone. He knew that he should phone but he was a little scared to do it because he knew they would do tests and what if...
As he had known, by the time the call ended he had an appointment at his local clinic, as soon as he could get there.
Renzulli grabbed his keys, "Come on kid I'll drive you there."
"I'm a big boy sarge, I think I can cope with a few tests," Jamie insisted with a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes.
Renzulli thought for a while, "Ok I get it - but will you at least call me after your appointment?"
Jamie pondered the compromise for a moment, "I'll call you Sarge - see you tomorrow," he finished as he walked out of the door, unaware of the look of concern that was invading the features of the older man.
So that was chapter 1. I'm typing this on my tablet so I don't really know if this will work or not! Please review, which I'm sure you will - Blue Bloods fans are great at reviewing.
It takes longer for me to type on a tablet but will try not to let to much time lapse between updates - that's if you want any updates.