I am a horrible excuse for a human. Totally called for if you guys would chase me with a pitchfork and fire! I am so sorry, I got so busy and caught up in school. Sheesh, no excuses (this is getting old...I really need to pull it together haha). I'll stop my rambling and say...ONWARD!
Giving Danny time to collect himself, Frank moved to the waiting room. There he saw the entire family waiting to hear about their youngest.
"Grandpa, is Uncle Jamie going to be okay? Where's my dad?" asked Jack Reagan.
"Say a prayer, Jack. Just say a prayer," responded Frank, taking a seat.
Danny came out of the bathroom a couple of minutes later. Erin gasped at the sight of him. His white shirt was red, still drenched with Jamie's blood. She also noticed that his hand was dripping red onto the clean hospital floor.
"Danny? What happened to your hand? You need to get this looked at!" exclaimed Erin.
"Just stop, Erin. I'm fine," Danny angrily replied.
Danny didn't feel like himself. He felt angry with the everyone. His emotions transformed from despair to complete fury. He sat down, away from the rest of his family, and stared straight off into space.
What's the point anymore? Two of my brothers are gone, I obviously cannot protect anyone but myself. Something will sure happen to Jack and Sean unless I leave.
Then the doctor coming out of the trauma unit broke Danny out of his thoughts.
"Family of Jameson Reagan?" asked the doctor.
Everyone got up and crowded around the doctor.
"How is he, doc? Is he gonna make it?" everyone asked simultaneously.
"Officer Reagan was badly beaten. The wound in his lower abdomen was vastly infected, not to mention the two bullet wounds. I am very sorry…" the doctor began.
"No, no, no, NO! This is not happening again!" Danny ran out of the waiting room into the ambulance bay.
"I'll get him, Dad, find out how Jamie is," Erin said as she hurried after her oldest brother before he did something he'd regret.
"Please continue, doctor," hoping that the "I'm sorry" did not lead to "we did everything we could." Frank Reagan could not bear to lose another son. This family could not bear to lose another.
"I'm sorry I didn't mean to phrase it like that. I just wanted to tell you that Officer Reagan will be in surgery and that I don't know anymore. I'll come tell your family anything once I know it. We're doing everything we can, sir," the doctor finished hastily.
"Danny! Hey, Danny! DANNY!" Erin shouted after her brother.
When she caught up to him, he was backed up against the hospital wall taking deep breaths, hyperventilating.
"I should have known, Erin. I should have known where he was and should have gotten there sooner! Jamie'd be okay if I just knew! I was right outside. I heard the gunshots. I heard them. One, two. I HEARD THEM, ERIN! I HEARD THEM." Danny yelled.
Erin wrapped her arms around her brother, saying, "Hey, Danny. It's not your fault, okay? It's not your fault. It's the fault of the man who did this to him, not you. It's not your fault. Let's go back inside and talk to Dad, okay?"
Without speaking, Danny followed his sister.
After returning to the waiting room, Frank approached them.
"He's in surgery. He's not gone yet, Danny." The response from his eldest was a quick nod. Danny sat back into his seat away from everyone, again.
Hour after hour after hour passed with no word about their grandson, son, brother, or uncle.
After much time and much anxiety, a doctor approached the family again.
"For Jameson?" the doctor asked.
"Yes, how is my boy?" Frank responded.
"Let me say, your son is a true fighter. I have never seen anything like it. He lost him on the table multiple times, but he always came back. We repaired all the damage as we could from the bullet wounds, and removed the damaged and infected tissue from the stab wound. Though it was successful, Officer Reagan has fallen into a coma. I'm so sorry. He is on a ventilator to keep him breathing, but we don't know if he will ever wake up. I'm truly sorry," the doctor explained, trying to be sensitive.
"Can we see him?" Erin asked.
"I will send the nurse out with the room number after he is placed. Again, I am truly sorry."
Frank turned to face his family. "Okay, Erin and Danny, stay with me. Linda, could you take Pop, Jack, Sean, and Nicky back to the house. Stay there for the next few nights. We'll keep you updated on Jamie."
After protests from everyone, Frank hushed them and told them it was the best for Jamie.
Frank then turned to face his two children. "This is going to be difficult. The hardest thing you will ever have to face, but we have to be strong. If Jamie is going to pull out of this, we need to be there all the time. We need to bring him back, we need him."
"Excuse me?" a nurse asked. "Jameson Reagan is in room 216."
"Thank you, nurse." Frank replied.
The trio turned to walk to the room the youngest brother.
Birds were chirping.
What the heck? Where am I?
He blinked a few times and things came into focus.
A field? Is this some sort of prank?
He tried to remember what happened.
Tied up, pain, gun, Danny?
Jamie jumped up.
"Danny?"
WHERE AM I? How did I get here? Where is here?
Jamie began to panic, turning around and around trying to get an idea of where he was.
I'm still in the same clothes as I was in yesterday…where did I go?
"SOMEBODY HELP ME!"
Just then he heard a voice.
No. It can't be.
"Hi, Jamie," said the newly emerged man.
"What? How…? Joe?"
I am going to try an update this sooner, but please review and tell me where you'd like the story to go. Totally open for suggestions!
