Chapter 10

Police Commissioner Frank Reagan sat hunched over on a thinly padded armchair in a waiting room of the St. Victor's Emergency Department. Surrounded by most of his family, his DCPI and various members of his office and the 12th Precinct, he waited patiently (as far as those around him were concerned) for the Chief of Emergency Medicine to come out and give him an update on his officers.

He was doing his best to hide the distress he'd been feeling since receiving the call earlier this morning at quarter to five advising that there had been an officer involved accident on the FDR, all signs indicating that it was caused by the same perp that had been going after his patrolmen. He could still hear Garrett's words – 'It's Jaime and his partner that made the call' – running on a continuous loop in his head. His detail arrived within fifteen minutes of his DCPI's call, Frank and Henry waiting impatiently for them at the front door.

His first call had been to Danny. Knowing he was also working the midnight tour, he hoped he was closer to the scene and could get to his youngest sooner than he'd be able to. Luck was on their side that morning, for many reasons. Danny had only been a few minutes out and had arrived as first responders worked to free Jaime from his squad car. Danny had called him back with an update when he and Henry were already on their way into Manhattan, telling them to head straight for St. Vic's as the ambulance was already in route, the sound of the siren in the background further proof of that. He tried to reassure him that Jaime was just banged up, that all signs pointed to the injuries being minor. Frank tried to believe him, but the concern in Danny's voice told him that Danny was still trying to believe that himself.

Frank Reagan wouldn't feel at ease until he saw his son for himself. So he sat there, hunched over in the chair, ringing his hands and staring aimlessly at the linoleum floor. They'd been waiting for almost an hour and a half for the doctor to come out, but a nurse had just told them that the doctor would be out shortly, as soon as Jaime was brought back down from radiology where they'd been running some tests.

Despite the number of people in the waiting room, it was surprisingly quiet. Henry sat in the corner, his head tilted back against the wall and eyes closed in prayer. Erin and Nicky sat next to him, Nicky with her head down on her mother's left shoulder and Erin holding Nicky's hand in her lap. Both lost in their thoughts, having arrived within thirty minutes of receiving Frank's call. He had held off on calling her until after he received Danny's update, not wanting to alarm her without being able to provide her with some sort information on her brother's condition.

The only family missing at that moment were Linda and the boys. Danny had called her as soon as they'd arrived and the doctors had whisked Jaime off to the confines of the emergency room where an imposing nurse had pulled him aside and prohibited him from following. Considering the early hour, Danny had asked Linda not to pull the boys out of bed just to come sit in a hospital waiting room. They'd agreed that she'd get them off to school and meet the rest of the Reagans at the hospital as soon as she could.

Danny was doing a surprisingly good job of keeping himself calm. Usually a bull in a china shop in most stressful situations, he sat quietly next to his father.

"Commissioner?"

All five members of the Reagan Family stood upon hearing that single word, knowing they were finally going to get some news.

A tall, slim woman, no more than forty-five, with messy brown hair pulled back in a loose bun approached Frank. "Commissioner. I'm Dr. Abigail Hannon. I treated your officers when hey arrived here earlier this morning."

Frank shook the doctor's hand, then quickly stuffed them in his pockets to hide his nerves. "Dr. Hannon, how are my officers?

The doctor wrapped her arms around the chart she held, hugging it close to her chest. Obviously knowing his relationship to one of the officers, she began, "Let's start with Officer Reagan. He's in remarkably good condition all things considered. He suffered a concussion in the accident and we understand he lost consciousness as a result. He's showing some of the normal symptoms - he's tired, dizzy and nauseous, which is to be expected - but most importantly he's coherent. He'll be a little sensitive to light and sound and has a pretty bad headache, but he should be fine in time. CTs and MRIs came back clear but we still plan to admit him as a precaution."

"Thank God," Henry whispered just behind Frank.

The doctor shot Henry a tight smile before continuing. Looking back at Frank, she could see the relief clearly written all over his face. "He has some bruising to his nose and eyes, probably from the airbag. He also has a distal fracture of the left forearm - basically a broken wrist. We're waiting for Orthopedics to come down for a consult. If my guess is correct, they'll cast his wrist and have him follow up with an orthopedist of his choosing after discharge. Aside from the usual cuts and bruises associated with a car accident, he also has some distinct bruising to his neck." Dr. Jenkins paused, not sure if the news she was about to deliver was known to them or not. "We understand from his partner that their assailant was choking Officer Reagan when she found them."

Erin let out a small gasp as Nicky squeezed her hand at what the doctor was saying.

"Son of a bitch," Danny cursed.

"We checked his throat for swelling, our main concern in these types of situations, but found none. He is on oxygen, but just as a precaution. He's breathing fine, although he has some discomfort as a result of bruised ribs. Overall, he'll stay with us for a few days for observation, but he should fully recover, Commissioner," she assured him.

Taking a deep breath, Frank nodded and looked thankfully at the doctor and asked, "Thank you, Dr. Hannon. When can I see my son?"

"As I mentioned, Orthopedics should be down shortly and they'll most likely get his wrist in a cast. I'll let you know when that's done so that you can sit with him while we get him transferred to a private room."

Despite wanting to see Jaime that very second, Frank understood. "What about my other officer, Officer Janko?" What's her condition? We were told she was shot?"

"Officer Janko was also extremely lucky. She took a bullet to the chest but her vest stopped it. She has a pretty impressive contusion, but no broken bones. She'll just experience some tenderness and discomfort, but that will go away in time. We do have her on a cardiac monitor as a precaution, but barring any unforeseen complications, we expect that she'll be discharged within twenty-four hours. She also has a small bump on the back of her head, a cut on her forehead and some minor bruising, but she suffered no other injuries. Everything's come back clear."

"That's good news, doctor. I'd like to see her as well."

"Of course. She's waiting to be moved to a room now. You can follow me."

"I'm coming with you," Danny said. He looked up to his father before saying, "I'd like to make sure she's okay too."

Frank nodded and they walked side by side as they followed the doctor down the winding halls of the emergency department, leaving the rest of the family behind, where they breathed a sigh of relief that this nightmare was almost over.