Title: Sins of a Father
Chapter 4 – Just an Accident? or Something More?

A/N 1: Special thanks to 'Iris, J, Daydreamer626, you don't have accounts so I cannot thank you personally but am glad you are liking the story so far and thank you for your encouraging feedback, please keep it up and I hope you all will continue to enjoy this suspenseful adventure. If you have not gotten a review reply from me it could be that you have disabled your private messaging as I know some have so sorry but thank you as well. Also please note that this is not the sequel to any previous stories. It is a standalone and just follows after the current season ending (hence the mention of Jamie and his bank debt). Hope that makes sense.

A/N: 2 This site has been odd and some have mentioned about the lack of story alerts. When it upgraded I think a few things were lost so you might have to put this story on alert again or me on author alert so that you don't miss anything.

"Alright I would like to get some of these heavier parts moved first if that's okay."

"Just tell me where," Jamie answers as he slowly removes his jacket and hangs it on a nearby fence post. He watches the older man pick up one of the pieces of rusted equipment and he picks up a heavier piece and follows to where a large waste bin is on the property and both toss the pieces into the bin and then go back for the rest.

Jamie listens to Don making small talk about the area around them and what the pieces were used for but not once does he mention his son. It was ten years ago and he was younger, but how old was his son? But he could ask about him couldn't he?

"So um…I noticed a baseball glove over there. Did you and your son like to play catch?" Jamie asks in a soft tone, not wanting to bring up a painful memory but hoping he would come across as just curious.

"We used to," Don looks up with a heavy frown. "Do you like to play?"

"Sometimes. I mostly play basketball with Danny's boys when I have the chance."

"Well if we have some time later I'll pull out my glove and we'll toss a few around."

"Sure," Jamie slightly shrugs, not wanting to be rude or say no. And that was it. A confirmation but nothing futher. Why won't he talk about it? The one thing Jamie admires about his own father is the fact that Joe's death was painful for them all, Frank Reagan keeps his memory and that of their mother's alive by talking about them whever the moment afforded. But he figured that everyone dealt with pain their own way and it wasn't up to him to say so he decides to push out of his mind and just try to enjoy the sun and pleasant surroundings.

"Alright my boy, how about over here?"

"Sure."

Jamies nervousness continues to fade the longer the morning progresses, the yard slowly being transformed into something that would make a real estate agent proud. However, what Jamie didn't know was, the man that he was helping really has no intention of selling his home and it was all a rouse by a man that was trying to right a nightmarish wrong by fixing his obsession on someone else's son.

"Well sure hope you're hungry," Don comes in search of Jamie who had wandered into the small garage and was putting a few things away.

"Just admiring the truck. What year is it? Fifty five?"

"Good eye," Don smiles as he nears Jamie. "Fifty. She's in pretty good condition body wise but she needs some lovin' under the hood. You like her?"

"Can't afford her," Jamie retorts with a small grin. "But I hope you don't sell her; unless to a collector. Course…that's your decision."

"I'll think about it. Come on now, you gotta keep up your strength," Don pats Jamie on the back.

Jamie grabs the small water bottle that he had nearly emptied as he and Don leave the garage and head for the house. As they enter, Jamie is instantly hit with a tempting aroma and feels his stomach grumble instantly; causing him to look over at Don and chuckle.

"Well at least I know you're hungry my boy," Don states affectionately as he heads for the stove. "Just wash up and we'll eat."

"Be right back."

Jamie heads down the hallway and looks back before he quickly heads for the room he had seen his own picture in earlier. He looks inside the room and notices that there was only his graduation picture there; nothing else. Had he just imagined it? He hears Don put some plates down on the table and turns and hurries toward the bathroom, quietly closing the door and heading for the sink.

Don had offered a lot of affectionate terms but nothing overtly creepy and Jamie just chalked it up to an older man used to saying things like that. Outside of agreeing that he and his son used to like to play baseball, Don never mentioned him and there was nothing in the house to suggest anyone outside him and his wife had lived here. It was like Sam Sommerfield never existed. That was odd.

He always thinks back to his father as an example; there were reminders of Joe everywhere, his memory was very much alive to all of them. Course Joe hadn't been gone as long as Danny said Sam Sommerfield was but still…it was odd that there wasn't even a picture of him anywhere. Course he hadn't been to all the rooms in the house and wasn't about to ask to see them either; he was here for the day and then would return to the city where he belonged.

"Anything I can help with?"

"Just help me by eating a hearty helping," Don smiles as he fills up a large bowl of stew and places it before Jamie. "Hope you aren't allergic to anything in it."

"I don't have food allergies; well at least none that I know of yet," Jamie offers with a smile as he takes his first taste. "It's really good."

"Glad to hear it. I always like to make a lot and it's always a shame to put so much to waste; so having you here to share with me is a real treat."

"So do you know where you want to move yet?"

"Nope, haven't really given it much thought. Seeing the yard lookin' the way it does now almost makes me want to think twice about selling," Don huffs as he gives Jamie a tight lipped smile and then looks down.

"It's a lot of up keep out here for one person."

"Yeah…I guess you're right. What do you think of the place? Could you ever see yourself living in the country?"

"I think I'm more of a city guy like my dad," Jamie answers with a pride filled smile. "But I do envy your fresh air and quiet. I haven't heard a siren or even street traffic in hours."

"You should see the stars at night without all that damn light pollution the city gives off."

"Ever see any wild animals out here?"

"Actually I do…" Don's voice trails off as he goes on to regale Jamie with a story about a stray coyote and then two baby deer. Lunch progresses with enjoyable slowness, Jamie asking a few more probing questions about the place, hoping that Don would volunteer anything about his deceased son – but nothing.

"Alright so what next?"

"Well we have the afternoon right? How about we toss that old ball around?" Don asks as he hands Jamie a glove; a glove that was different from the one he had seen before…in fact this one was brand new; and just his size.

"Thanks," Jamie nods as he takes the brand new glove and they head back into the yard, the sun still shining down on them. For the next half hour, they toss the ball back and forth, laughing and talking and enjoying just doing a bit less before the real work would start once again.

The game finally comes to a close and both of them down hearty amounts of water before Don takes the gloves and ball and heads for the porch and then back to Jamie. The afternoon was spent cleaning up the front yard so that by the time was starting to set, the sky getting darker, the yard was real estate agent worthy and it was time to head inside to enjoy dinner and then call it a day.

"Ah you know you shouldn't have," Jamie nears Don by the stove, taking two plates to ferry them to the table. "I should be going."

"You know I have a few spare rooms here if you wanted to stay the night."

"I have a shift tomorrow."

"Well I do owe you dinner for all the hard work you gave me today. You won't take my money so a few meals is the least I could do. I can't send you away on the road for a few hours with an empty stomach."

"Well I do appreciate it," Jamie tells him in truth as he comes back for a few more items.

"You like to cook Jamie?"

Once again the conversation revolves around a benign topic; but Jamie can't really complain, if someone wanted him to talk at length about what happened with him and Sydney he'd have to agree that it was painful and he'd rather talk about something else. So figures that Don's past was just too painful for him to talk about and he'd have to respect that.

"Sounds like the rain is about to start. These roads can be tricky at night. You sure you don't want to stay in one of the spare rooms? I think it could be a bad storm tonight."

"I think I'll try to make it back. My grandfather's car is pretty reliable. But if I can't, then I might come back."

"Please do. I would hate for something to happen to you."

"Thank you."

"Well you are always welcome. I enjoyed having you here today and yes selfishly I wish you didn't have to get back. Your being here it um…well it brought back some happy memories from days gone past."

"Can I ask what happened to Sam?"

"He um…he died. I don't much like to talk about it. Some days…I miss him so much I can't breathe…and other days…well I try to keep myself busy with other stuff and I get by. Having you here was a real treat Jamie."

"I enjoyed today as well so you are welcome. But I guess I should get going, I think I just heard thunder in the distance."

"Yeah she'll be a doozy tonight. Sometimes though, it's nice to sit on the deck, where it's dry of course and just listen to the thunder and rain. Different kind of noise pollution I guess."

"I think with all this good food and the fresh air and exercise today I'm gonna sleep better than I have in a long while," Jamie comments as he slowly pushes himself back from the table and looks into the blackness outside. He stands up and heads for his coat, his mind now anxious to get back home and just rest up from the tiring but fulfilling day.

"Thanks again my boy," Don gives Jamie a warm hug. "I hope when you see the conditions out there you'll come back to say with me."

"I'll call if I get into trouble okay? Thanks again."

Jamie heads for the back door and steps outside, listening to the rain that was giving him fair warning that it was going to be gaining momentum and would soon be battering the youngest Reagan with all it had. Jamie hurries for his car, getting inside and brushing off some of the raindrops from his face. He tries his father's home number from his cell as the car warms up; but he can only frown at the LCD display as it shows him 'call not connected'.

"I'll try from the road," Jamie mutters to himself as he puts on his seatbelt and then puts the car into drive and slowly heads for the driveway, waving to Don and then turning back to the darkened road before him. Even with his high beams on, the area around him was pitch black; the driving rain and dark cloud blanket wasn't offering him any reassurance as he pulls onto the first main road that would lead him to the highway which was an hour away.

"Come on dad…" Jamie huffs as he tries his father's number again; once again getting the same failed message as before; signaling to him that his family didn't know where he was or what he was doing. "I shoulda called from Don's," he scolds himself as he tries once more. He thinks the call connects and feels his mood lift, but all that his ears pick up is the tone of an error signal ringing in his ears and his slams the phone onto the console in frustration.

A bolt of lightning cracks overhead and Jamie actually feels himself jump inside the warm, dry cabin of the car. The road was dark and narrow and with only the small headlights of his grandfather's car to light his path, his heart was racing with panicked anxiety.

The sky roars with thunder forcing the car to shake a bit more and the rain to start to pelt the small compact car even harder. Jamie utters a small curse as he starts to feel the wind blowing harder outside, his mind now wondering if he should turn back and ride out the storm at Don's place; it was closer than the few hours he still had ahead of him.

Another crack of lighting rips through the sky, landing closer than imagined and making Jamie's grasp on the steering wheel tighten even further; his hands, tired from the day's hard work now feeling some fatigue from the constant pressure of trying to keep the car on the narrow road.

He spies a sign up ahead and tells himself it's the sign for the highway and that once he was on it he would be okay as it was a solid thoroughfare and he would be safer than on the small country road. However, as he nears the sign his heart sinks; he was still miles away from the highway.

The sky roars once more, followed by another bright flash, this time nearly blinding Jamie and making his grip on the wheel turn it sharply to avoid what he thinks is something in the road. The car swerves to the left but he quickly compensates, twists the wheel and gets the car straightened out, slamming on the breaks and wanting just a few more seconds to catch his breath.

"Damn it," Jamie softly curses as he squints into the merciless storm outside the automobile's fragile shell. He remembered there was a small bridge and then past that he was sure was the turnoff for the freeway, but things looked different at night and the map he had just consulted didn't really give him much hope as small natural landmarks weren't on the state issued documentation.

He knows the next decision could mean his life.

Jamie decides to try to at least make it to the bridge, telling himself that if he just gets across it he'll be okay. Starting off at a slower pace, Jamie carefully steers the car down the treacherous country road. But just before he gets to the bridge he slams on the breaks. On the left were three lights; on the right were two. Was part of the bridge missing? Was he stuck after all?

Leaving his phone inside the car and maneuvering the car so that the lights were facing the bridge and then quickly gets out. Jamie rushes toward the edge of the bridge only to have his fears confirmed; part of the bridge was out, he'd have to turn back.

Jamie hurries back to the car, locks the doors and tries his father's number again; this time the call doesn't even get through; the storm was too bad. He starts to slowly turn around, facing the direction from which he just came. But after driving for about ten minutes the car engine starts to sputter; threatening to die in the middle of the bleak landscape.

"No…no no...no," Jamie states in a panic as the car threatens to die in the middle of the road. However, it seems to come to life again and Jamie finds his whole body letting out a heavy sigh of relief; but his troubles weren't over, in fact they were about to get a whole lot worse.

The thunder didn't seem to have any pity on the desperate rookie as he slowly directed his grandfather's car back toward where he hopes is a friendly face waiting for him. The road then starts to lower and he feels the car heading down the hill he just came up. But this time fate, wasn't going to be kind.

"What the…hell?" Jamie states in a panic as he pushes down on the brakes and finds them slow to respond. "Oh god no…not now," he groans as he tries to gear down. The lighting cracks, showing the young man the deep ditches on either side and warning him not to stray too close.

"Ah damn it no!" Jamie growls as he pushes his foot all the way down but the car doesn't respond, only continues to pick up speed as it travels downhill. At the bottom was a straightaway so he tells himself that as soon as the road levels out he should be able to get the car to slow down and bring it to a stop. If he had to walk the rest of the way to Don's so be it, he'd be wet and cold but at least alive.

The car travels at a good speed just as Jamie nears the bottom of the hill, his heart racing painfully and his fingers gripping the steering wheel so tightly that he's not sure he'll even be able to let go when the time is needed. Nervous adrenaline races through every vein in his body as he tries to picture his father's kind face assuring him that he would be okay.

That dream would be short lived.

The sky cracks open once more and just as it does, Jamie sees the branch of a large tree brake apart and sail toward the ground. Jamie utters one last word before he is forced to try to swerve the car, his boots pumping uselessly on the dead brakes, the engine about to stall for good.

The car is bumped by the branch, sending it a bit off course and forcing Jamie's lips to offer a terrified cry 'dad' and his arms uslessly to try to shield his face before the car slams full force into the ditch. The sky darkens and the area around him bathes the accident scene in pitch black; the small headlights now blanketed with mud and grass.

The front driver's window had shattered somewhat from the impact from a large rock in the ditch, now allowing cold rain to start to make its way inside, pelting the unconscious driver with icy droplets. Jamie's head had hit the window and then the steering wheel full force, a small trickle of blood was now starting to slowly adorn his pale skin; a deep dark bruise was now racing to form.

Time slowly seeps past, further adding to the misery of the young man in dire need of medical attention. About a half hour later two small headlights slowly pull up and a dark figure gets out. He heads toward the twisted wreck and surveys the still figure inside; a small sinister smile now playing upon his lips. He slowly makes his way down toward the driver's side of the car and looks at the trapped but unmoving figure inside.

"Welcome home son...you're safe now."

XXXXXXXX

At the moment that Jamie had called out 'dad' before his world went black, a few hours away in the safe confines of his home, Frank Reagan looks up and then out the window.

"What is it Francis?" Henry asks as he looks up in concern.

"It's…nothing," Frank replies with a smile as he looks at the clock.

"He'll be fine."

"I know and I know he's a grown man who can take care of himself," Frank sighs as he rubs the bridge of his nose. "But the weather is hell outside and I know out there they can get pretty intense thunder and rain storms. It's only natural I worry about my youngest."

"Well I worry about all my boys. Jamie might be young but he's good street smarts and instincts; he'll take it nice and slow and call you in the morning. I'm sure Don spoiled him and they had a great day. Trust me Francis you have nothing to worry about," Henry utters fatefully.

A/N: Okay so thanks again for the amazing feedback as you can see it made us write faster for you all. And yeah for story purposes going forward I just didn't want to hurt Joe's car hehe. So think Jamie is really safe? And what other surprise will Jamie have to face? Hope you are still liking this story and would love to hear your thoughts on this and what you might think is next.