This one just kind of wrote itself...

Everyone had baggage. That was life. It was a matter of finding somebody to help you unload your baggage. For Jamie, her baggage was her family and her less than stellar family connections. The Lovato family had serious connections to some gangs in South Florida and recently New York. She was determined to not let her past catch up to her future but sometimes in life you don't have a choice on what cards were dealt to you. You simply didn't have a choice. And you didn't have a choice when said family members of your past decided to make a re-appearance.

Jamie was at a crime scene with Flack, Jo and Mac. She looked down at her phone. "Name is Michelle Ward. 22, goes to NYU."

Mac looked up. "Somebody wanted her dead."

"And in a bad way," Jo added.

Jamie's phone was ringing in her hand and the caller ID of Montefiore Hospital on it, made her step away. Jo looked at her and Jamie held up her finger. "Lovato," she said, answering it.

"Is this Miss Jamie Lovato?"

"Or Detective Lovato, yes. What's going on?" Jamie asked.

The woman on the other line cleared her throat. "Miss Lovato, I'm Chelsea Hill and I'm a nurse form Montefiore. You're listed as a next of kin to an Armando Lovato?"

Jamie felt the blood drain from her voice. Armando. What the fuck?! She hadn't seen, talked or heard about her brother in a good 3 years. She wanted nothing to do with him. Mario and her had washed their hands completely clean of him. She cleared her throat before speaking. "I guess I am."

"Miss Lovato, I am informing you that your brother, Armando, is currently in surgery at Montefiore Hospital," the nurse said, matter of factly.

Well, that was expected. It was Armando. "How many rounds did he take?"

"Three, ma'am. He's in critical condition. I am advising you that you call any family members to come visit him after the surgery. The next couple hours will be very critical."

Jamie didn't really know what to say. "I'll make some calls. Thanks for the heads up," she said and hung up.

She looked down at her phone. She figured she should probably call Mario and see what to do. He was always the level headed one of the bunch. But Mario and Armando had never gotten along and Mario would probably say "let him die." But she should let him know.

"Twice in one week, Jamie. Gotta be a record for you," Mario said, answering his phone.

Jamie chuckled a little. "Armando is currently in surgery at Montefiore. Three rounds. Critical. Apparently I should be calling the family and notifying them because he's not expected to make it."

"Well I am not going to the hospital," Mario said quickly. "It's his own damn fault he's in surgery. Why do you even care?"

"Because he's our brother, Mario. Do you think I should call Dad?" she asked, switching to rapid Spanish when she heard Flack approach. She glared at the other Detective and he took another step back, realizing the phone call was personal.

Mario was silent for a minute or so. "If you want, Jamie. That's your decision to make, not mine."

"Thanks for your support, Mario," she told him and hung up the phone. She really should inform her father, in Mexico, and possibly Armando's ex wife, Natalia, and his two daughters with her. Jamie supposed that was her duty as next of kin.

If she called her father, and Natalia, that was going to re-open a lot of old wounds that she really wasn't sure she wanted to re-open. She had sat on that suitcase and zipped the luggage full a long time ago. Mario still hadn't completely put it past him yet and it still affected him.

And she supposed Rafael deserved to know, even if he had just got popped. Mario and her still kept in semi contact with the wayward kid. He was a year older than Jamie and not a bad kid, just followed Armando's past. And Jamie knew that Armando always kept tabs on Rafael. She should probably find out where Rafael was being locked up at and ask his opinion if she should call their father and Armando's ex-wife. Natalia was downright scary and not someone you wanted to cross. Jamie and Natalia always got a long but Natalia and Armando and Jamie's father, did not.

She turned to Flack. "I need to go. I won't be back today. My car is parked at the precinct," she told him.

Flack looked at her suspiciously. "What's up?"

"Family emergency," Jamie swallowed.

"Dina and Amelia?" Flack asked, knowing she'd drop everything for her sister-in-law and gorgeous niece that was a dead-ringer for Jamie.

She shook her head. "No. I need to go," she said, before walking backwards. "Can you get a ride with Jo?"

Flack nodded. "Stay safe."

Ha. Stay safe. Jamie shook her head as she walked to the car. Stay safe as she was about to go visit her brother in prison. The New York traffic kept her from thinking about her fucked up family on the way to the precinct. It took all of about 2 clicks to find out where Rafael was being kept and she recognized the arresting officer too. She sighed and looked around. She kept her gun and her badge on and walked to her boss' office. "I'm just headed to visit an inmate. I might be gone all day."

He looked up at her. "Sure, Lovato. Keep your phone on."

She took that as permission and headed to where Rafael was being kept. It didn't take her long to see him, as she flashed her badge at the prison guard. She hadn't seen Rafael in 2 years and he definitely wasn't expecting her.

Rafael's look on his face was one of genuine surprise as he was lead into an interrogation style room. The guard let off his cuffs and waited outside the door as Jamie showed him her gun and badge. "Jamie," he said. "This is a surprise."

"I know. Look, I've been a pretty horrible sister and all but Armando is in surgery and is very critical," Jamie said, laying out exactly what she was here for.

"Fuck," Rafael said, looking away. "Why you here, Jamie? Not that I don't like to see you, but you don't come and chat with me to tell me our brother is in surgery."

Jamie shook her head. "Do I call Dad? The nurse said to tell family members. I took that as a 'he's not expected to make it' phone call," Jamie explained. "And Natalia?"

He closed his eyes. "I don't know, Jamie. That's your decision to make."

"That's what Mario said. Look, Rafi. You're closer to Armando. Is he close with Natalia and the girls?"

Rafael folded his hands on the table. "He's close with the younger one."

"She have a name?"

"Eva."

Jamie nodded. "Dad?"

Rafael shook his head. "You fucking bring Dad here, New York is going to turn into a gang land war. Hector Lovato back in town? No. Don't do it, Jamie. They find out Dad's back in town, they find you and you're a cop. I'll probably be shanked in here as well. Don't."

"Well, I guess that settles my decision," Jamie said and got up. "Good chatting with you Rafael."

She was about at the door before Rafael started talking. "Let me know if he makes it, okay? Just because I'm in here, doesn't mean that I don't care."

Jamie nodded and opened the door, but Rafael started speaking again and she closed the door. "And Jamie, I want to get clean. I don't want to end up in here again. I'm back with Maria and she's pregnant."

She closed her eyes. Maria was Rafael's high school sweetheart and she deserved so much better than her criminal brother and his gang ties. "I've heard that line before, Rafael."

"I mean it. I only got 4 more months left in here. You'll help me, right?" Rafael pleaded. "Get me straight?"

She turned to Rafael. "We'll talk later." She walked out the door and let the prison guard know that the conversation was over. Fuck. She didn't even know how to get ahold of Natalia. She had some contacts, but that was calling in favors she didn't really want to call in.

Jamie sighed as she walked to the car and opened it. She had taken her own car and opened the glove box, where another phone was stashed. She turned the phone on and dialed number 2 for speed dial.'

"Hola?"

"It's Jamie," she said quickly, like she was going to get caught. "I need a number."

The man laughed. "You call me after all this time and expect favors, senorita?"

"You fucking owe me to my grave. Don't bullshit me," she replied. "Natalia Lovato."

Her contact was silent for a minute. "Armando's ex wife?"

"Yeah, that'd be the one."

"Why?"

"Does it matter?"

He snorted. "If you of all people are calling for Natalia Lovato's number, it matters."

"Armando got shot. I need the number to tell the girls that Daddy isn't going to make it through the night."

"I'll text it to you."

"Thanks." She replied and hung up. Sure enough, the number came through. She closed the phone and set it in the cup holder. She'd go to the hospital and see how Armando was doing before calling Natalia and the girls. She didn't want them to fly up here for nothing.

She was sitting in the hospital chair, watching the monitors beep, keeping track of Armando's heart rate. He had survived surgery. Took 1 bullet to the chest, coming dangerously close to the heart. Another one to the lower abdomen and another to the shoulder. Jamie had spoken to the doctor and Armando was supposed to make a full recovery.

Jamie was in her own world and didn't even realize somebody came into the hospital room until she saw the coffee cup. She looked up and saw Detective Don Flack looking at her, offering the cup. She took it and studied him. "What are you doing here?"

"Sergeant said you were in a rush and I got a report come across my desk from 11th precinct about a double homicide that may become a triple homicide. Armando Lovato was listed as the third victim," Flack explained.

Jamie nodded. "Thanks for the coffee, Flack," she said as he settled into his own chair, right beside her.

"You should have told me, Lovato," Flack responded.

She shrugged. "I didn't want to drag you into family business."

"I take it that Armando and you didn't talk."

Jamie shook her head. "Nope. Had to go visit my other brother in prison today. Had to call in some favors to get his daughter's phone number so I could tell her that her father had been shot."

"You're sitting beside his bedside, Lovato. Obviously you do care about him," Flack noted.

She sighed. "Yeah. Family." She was silent and sipped her coffee and stared at the brother she had tried to forget about. She felt her hand being squeezed and Flack giving her a smile. She returned the squeeze and didn't pull her hand back away. It was nice having someone care about her and come to the hospital.

"Thanks Flack," Jamie said. "For being here."

"It's just what partners do, Lovato."