Chapter 7
A subtle, evenly spaced... beep… beep… beep… was the first small bit of awareness to permeate Edit Janko's mind as she was unhurriedly drawn back towards a state consciousness… increasingly aware of the hushed voices in attendance on either side of her that were pleading for a response in one fashion or another with soft hands touching her face and circling around her clenched fists, but she had absolutely no desire to comply. Her heart had been quite simply shattered beyond repair and then further torn up into mere dust particles to be blown away to the four corners of the earth. Jamison Reagan was truly gone and her life's blood had been drained away with no hope of return... that was until she heard a small little voice close by calling out for her Eddie bear.
Kaylin.
Eddie's eyes immediately snapped open in panic and those same soft hands now became stronger as they held her down while she struggled against them, crying out with anger and fighting to pull the oxygen mask off her face so she could get up and be near her little girl… not yet comprehending the meaning of the muted words offered by a familiar deep voice trying to break through the shock and put right the horizon of her world once more.
"Eddie, sweetheart... please," Frank Reagan implored again as he held her hand and shoulder on the right side and grappled with emotions that still stung his own soul as he knew full well the weight of the facts he was about to reveal. "Eddie, please try to hear me, it's Frank... I know you're frightened and confused but you have to listen… it wasn't him, sweetie," he choked out, stunned by the raw emotions reflected in her blue eyes when they involuntarily snapped over to meet his as her brain was desperate to hear the words that her heart could not yet accept. "It wasn't Jamie in that squad car today."
"Baby, he's telling you the truth, you must calm down… it wasn't Jamison," her mother's voice echoed from the other side as she gripped her daughter's left hand in a shaking cold vice grip that failed to draw any attention. Seeing her own child in such despair after collapsing in front of her was tearing at Eva's normally impermeable defenses, but she could not get a response either even while she softly caressed and brushed the blond hair away from the bandage and to the side of the stunned face. Eddie's focus was now locked on the only person in the room capable of reaching her right now.
"That's right now… look at me, Eddie," Frank demanded in a more authoritative tone as he had successfully captured her attention although she once again appeared frozen and unable to respond. "Just breathe… relax and breathe… honey, you need to understand. Jamie was not hurt, okay? He was not in that car. Please believe me."
"But you... said… I heard you..." she managed finally as she was shaking her head in disbelief and her muffled voice rasped from underneath the plastic mask while the tears streamed forth and an internal war erupted within her mind between what she already knew for a fact and what she wanted desperately now to believe.
Lies…
They were all lying to her now in an effort to get her to calm down and respond. It had to be. She'd seen it with countless victims in this very hospital and the fear rocked back solidly once more then as she started to gasp and verged on hyperventilating while the attending nurse quickly adjusted the IV and injected a touch of short-acting anti-anxiety medication to calm her as a faceless doctor mumbled some irrelevant instructions in the background. "3-5 Edward… Jamie's car… one down on scene… you told family... Rodgers in surgery… hurts..." she cried as she tried to reach up to feel the side of her forehead where a nasty cut was still bleeding profusely through a thick square of gauze that had been hastily taped there as Eva forced her to keep her hand away.
"No, no, sweetie," Frank struggled to reassure once more as she began involuntarily to sink back down on the bed as the drugs took the desired effect. "Eddie, please try to relax… you hit your head on a table when you fainted. We're not sure exactly what's happened yet. Jamie was supposed to be in that car this morning according to the duty roster, but it was Lieutenant Carson who was riding with Rodgers when they were shot. He's the officer who is down. I swear to you… I went in and saw him myself not fifteen minutes ago." Frank took a deep breath as he silently recounted making the stunning discovery that had left him virtually speechless after Linda had led him back to the trauma room.
"No! Jamie... was sick…" she cried as she continued to grasp his hand while her head grew heavy and her thoughts muddled once more but were easier to express as the panic quelled slightly. "Told him... to stay home… but he left... Where is he?... please… Kay..."
"We're not sure where he is at the moment… he's not answering his phone, but I'm going to have Danny find him and bring him to you; I promise and Kaylin's right here," Frank motioned to Baker who had run back into the hall to step into the middle of the fray when Eddie had collapsed and scooped the little girl up. "She's fine… right here," he repeated as they set her down and let her curl up on the bed as Eva ignored the doctor and other nurses and raised the back so they both could sit up a little. Eddie's arm instinctively encircled the toddler protectively in an effort to ground herself in the present. "There… you've got her now, okay? Linda's going to stay with you and your mother. I have to go and handle this situation but I'll be just outside in the hall until we get you settled," he said as he reached down to kiss her forehead and gently wipe some tears away. "Sweetheart, I know how hard this is but everything's going to be okay now," he promised.
"She's still in shock, Frank," Linda worried as she pulled her father-in-law to the side before he left the room. "You need to figure out where Jamie is and get him down here... I don't think anything else will help at this point. We're going to have to admit her regardless. She needs a plastic surgeon to come down for stitches and a CT to rule out a serious concussion or anything worse since she was unconscious for several minutes. The doctor will want to keep her overnight for observation at the very least."
"I'm working on it, Linda. Danny's on his way over," he assured with a hand on her shoulder as Garrett suddenly appeared in the doorway and motioned for the Commissioner to join him. "Excuse me," he sighed as he made his way over to his long-trusted advisor. There was no time to allow his own feelings to resurface yet as there were still orders to be given and another grim task to perform with the heaviest of hearts as the Carson family now had to be notified. Above all there was a cold-hearted cop killer to be found, and he needed to locate his son quickly for his own peace of mind.
"We just got word from the precinct that Jamie clocked out about twenty minutes after start of shift. Carson must have sent him home and then neglected to update the car assignments at the front desk which explains the confusion," the DCPI revealed as they were joined in the hall by Lieutenant Ghormley. "Renzulli sent an RMP to sit at his apartment but there's no sign of him there so far. We've issued an alert for his car."
"Have TARU ping his phone and send the results directly to Danny," Frank ordered. "He should be here any minute." Indeed, his oldest son and his partner Maria Baez could be seen hurrying over moments later after the elevator doors dinged open once more.
"All tours are extended until further notice," Frank continued as he watched them approach. "Sid, the 3-5 will be short of ranking officers and they're already running on a skeleton crew with what's happened. I want Renzulli moved over there forthwith. He's due for the bump to Lieutenant and knows the territory and most of the officers so they will accept him immediately. Eddie's partner, Mark Wilson, is on the short list for a sergeant's post. Have him take over at the 12th and get them both down here so I can talk to them."
"Yes, sir," Ghormley replied as Danny joined them with clear disbelief radiating from him as he struggled to come to terms with the situation. Eddie was not the only one who had been momentarily misinformed about who was in that cruiser and he had been in a state of near panic before that second call had come in from his father after he'd made the startling discovery about who was really lying in that trauma room. "TARU is pulling all camera feeds within a ten-block radius but so far there's nothing on the shooter once he ducked into that alley. The entire area's been cordoned off and is being searched. It's likely he changed his appearance or just blended in with the crowd. Nondescript white male, early twenties, tattoos. Brown hair 5-10 170, blue buttoned shirt and jeans. No one got a close look and there's not much to go on. We have no clear pictures of him. Hopefully Rodgers can ID him once he's out of surgery or we'll get a hit on the ballistics."
"Baez, you will be on point," Frank declared. "Give her whatever she needs, Sid," he followed up as he grabbed Danny's shoulder and led him away a few steps. "You okay, son?" he asked worriedly.
"Yeah…" Danny stuttered with a deep huff as he looked around nervously and rubbed the back of his neck. "I mean now, yeah… this is unreal. Where is he, Dad?"
"That's what I want you to figure out," Frank answered as he quickly filled his oldest in on what was known and the events that had just transpired with Eddie. "You need to find Jamie and get him down here immediately for her," he added. "Garrett has TARU pinging his phone and sending you the results. Best we can figure is that Carson might have sent him home sick after roll call but he's not made it back to his apartment yet and no one has heard from him. Linda's in there with Eddie," he added as he nodded back to the room knowing that Danny would want to check in with his wife. "You can join Maria on the investigation once you've brought your brother in. This whole situation is going to upset him greatly."
"Ya think?" Danny replied somewhat cockily and without giving consideration to whom he was speaking. Frank was in full Commissioner mode now but his oldest son only had a focus for his brother at the moment. "Dad, what if there's more to it than that?" he worried as his detective brain steamed ahead. "Do we really know something else hasn't happened to him? I mean why isn't he answering?"
"Horses," Frank reminded. "Until we know differently those hoofbeats mean horses and not zebras, Dan. Odds are he's fine and just out of touch at the moment. Go see if you can confirm that now, please," he begged as his attention was once again drawn back to Garrett who was motioning him over with one hand while the other glued a phone at his ear. "I've checked with your grandfather and Erin and neither one knows where he is. Keep me apprised, son," he said as he hurried back over to confer with his DCPI.
Danny could only shake his head at the controlled chaos that surrounded his father like a shifting whirlwind whenever something terrible like this went down in the department, but he wasn't ashamed to thank God that this time they were on the other side of it, especially after the fear that had nearly paralyzed him in those minutes when the conflicting reports were coming in this morning. The Reagan family had already paid their dues with Joe he justified in his mind against the guilt of the heavy relief that had washed over him when it was confirmed that it was some other officer's family who would receive that dreaded news today and all the heartache it brought… if it had been Jamie instead…
Those thoughts were instantly magnified as he stepped into the room and was stunned at the sight of his little brother's love now completely wilted on the bed with a bloody bandage on her forehead holding Kaylin near who was chattering softly about fixing some bear's boo-boos, Eva still gripping her hand and Linda sitting on the edge of the mattress rubbing Eddie's legs underneath the blanket and talking to her in an effort to have her feel something and keep focused. Everyone's eyes instantly fell on him though as he walked over and quickly pulled his wife in for a hug.
"Any news?" she asked hopefully.
"Not yet. Garrett said Jamie clocked out right after shift started. They think Carson might have sent him home sick. We're still waiting on TARU to track his phone. Should be any second now," he added as he released her and reached down to embrace Eddie as she sobbed once more into his shoulder. "It's gonna be alright," he assured as she clung to him like a lifeline. "I'll find him. I promise."
As if on cue, the phone buzzed in his pocket and everyone's breath caught. "Got it. He's at 152 Westmont Street," he relayed as he looked up and the recognition of the familiar address hit them all. "That's…"
"My apartment!" Eddie gasped as she again ripped off the oxygen mask, frustrated once more by its annoying presence, but now finally grounded firmly back in touch by that revelation and the hope that flared with it. "But why would he go there? There's nothing left… only an old couch and a rug he hates so much that I'm throwing it out. The lease is up tomorrow."
"My guess… he might have stopped there because it's closer to the 3-5 than his place," Danny surmised. "If he really wasn't feeling well, maybe he's asleep or his phone is off… He probably doesn't have a clue as to what's happened. I mean God, he looked like the walking dead last night at dinner. Do you still have a landline?"
"No!" Eddie replied urgently as Linda and Eva once again tried to settle her down. "I turned it off last week! You can call Miss Rosie across the hall and have her go check… we have to go see..."
"No, no, nuh-uh, no way Jose," Danny said firmly as he grabbed her arm and kept her rooted to the bed. "We aren't going anywhere. The entire family would take turns filleting me into little pieces and feeding me to the goldfish in the Central Park pond if I let you do that, starting with Jamie. You are staying right here where you belong. This whole thing is gonna be a real shock to him too. I don't want him to try to drive on his own once he hears, so I'm gonna leave right now and go pick him up myself, alright? I promise I'll keep him safe and let you know he's okay as soon as I get there."
"Oh, right... thanks... Danny," Eddie breathed as she relaxed back and hugged Kaylin tight once more. "My keys are somewhere… in my purse… I think. Mom?" Eva quickly rushed over to the chair and retrieved them before handing the set over as Danny accepted with grim smile towards the older woman. He was grateful to see that she was at least being more supportive than he had been expecting at this point, given her apparent negative views on the NYPD to start with.
"Try to get her cleaned up a little before we get back," Danny whispered to Linda while he nodded back towards Eddie as he stopped at the doorway and his wife walked over. "I mean the last thing the kid needs to see is her looking like that or we're going to be picking him off the floor too!" he said shaking his head.
"I am trying, Danny," Linda defended, anger flaring as she sensed he was criticising her once more. "She hit her head and was in shock. You don't know what it's like to be on the other side of this! The one waiting to hear!"
"Of course I do!" he hissed, annoyed at the tone and the now completely familiar argument between them that was coming to the forefront once more. "I'm the one that got that news when you were shot, didn't I? And how do you think I felt this morning when Dad called? What about him when he drove the whole way over here thinking it was his son that was in that cruiser? Huh? We all know how that feels and I guarantee you that Jamie's gonna find some way to blame himself. We need to find the son of a bitch that did this and put him in a hole as soon as possible before it eats the kid alive!" he spat as he stalked off, pausing to pull on his father's arm and let him know where he was going before disappearing down the hall at a near jog.
Linda pursed her lips and spun on her heel to return to Eddie's bedside after watching him go, and Frank barely had a few seconds to process the relief he felt with the knowledge that his youngest was likely safe before Garrett approached once more with a grim look.
"Mrs. Carson is on her way up," he revealed. "Eloise. Identical twin daughters… Tara and Jenna, both in their freshman year in college at Michigan State."
"Christ, Garrett," Frank muttered darkly with a heavy sigh as he rubbed his forehead while pursing his lips and rocking back on his heels. His hands were uncharacteristically trembling. This was going to be one of the most difficult notifications he had ever made… a seemingly random act of violence under circumstances which thus far made little sense. "How am I supposed to face this woman and tell her that her husband's been killed for no reason while being thankful that he took my own boy's place in that car today?"
In a rare public display of personal support, the DCPI's hand was firmly gripping Frank's shoulder as they both turned to meet the opening elevator doors and the frantic eyes of the middle-aged woman being escorted out of it by a uniformed officer.
"Eloise," Frank began with a large lump in his throat as he took her hands, "I'm so very sorry…"
So a very difficult turn of events for all involved even though Jamie is thankfully still with us as we move on. Next up, Danny breaks the terrible news to his brother before he and Baez can start to work the case as the identity of the shooter and the motive behind the violence remains unclear. Was it actually a random attack as is believed at the moment or will the truth stun everyone and threaten to haunt the Reagans as they try to move forward?
