Thanks for the reviews and PMs! I'm glad you guys are enjoying it. This has been fun. I have the whole story written already so it is easy to add a chapter every day or so, I just tweak it here and there as I go. Starting to get some ideas for another to follow up on this one but that's for later. ;-)

Two hours later the family was gathered in a large waiting room down the hall. Knowing the Commissioner's status and Linda's ties to the family, her co-workers and friends on the hospital staff did everything they could to ensure their privacy, even bringing up trays of food and coffee from the cafeteria. They were untouched. Dr. Holden had just been in to report the procedure had gone well and Jamie had been moved back to his room in the ICU, but that visitation would be restricted for a few more hours until she was sure his condition was stabilized. No one in the Reagan family had any intention of leaving before they saw him.

Eddie had regained her composure but Frank was keeping a close watch on her. He knew how difficult the situation was for her in a room of near strangers. He quietly asked Linda to take the younger women down to the nurses' staff area to freshen up. He hoped his daughter-in-law, with her strong maternal tendencies, would be able to comfort her. When they left Frank filled the rest of the family in on what had transpired before Jamie had been taken to surgery.

"Was he afraid?" Erin tearfully asked, not wanting to think that her baby brother felt fearful while he was being treated.

"No, I don't think so," Frank answered honestly. "He said he was when he had trouble breathing at the precinct but they had him well medicated here. He did not realize what was happening. Eddie did a good job at keeping him calm," he paused, twisting the wedding ring around his finger he had continued to wear all these years since his wife had passed, he knew Mary was there with him. "They finally made good on the opportunity to tell each other how they felt. He told her that he loved her just before she could say it herself. He was... happy," his voice broke a little as he glanced pointedly at Danny, not knowing yet what had transpired between the two brothers, "and at peace with everything. Then he got tired and they gave him more medication to put him to sleep so they could intubate him and take him to the OR."

Danny slumped back in his chair, he was relieved to hear his brother had not been scared or overtly angry with him, but he still needed to see and talk to Jamie. He leaned forward and rested his face in his hands. He prayed he would get the chance to make it right.

Renzulli joined them soon after, shocked to discover Jamie's condition had deteriorated so much since he had left. Frank apologized for not updating him earlier, but asked that he keep the situation quiet for now. He knew the officers at the 12th would come to show their support when word got out but right now things were delicate and Frank preferred to keep it in the family for as long as he could. He hadn't even contacted his staff yet. Tony sat quietly a few seats down from Henry and bowed his head. He was very close to Jamie and took the news hard.

Danny sighed and got up to get a cup of coffee at the table. He had the mother of all headaches. When he turned around he noticed Jack was sitting next to Sean with his arm around his little brother's shoulders and that his youngest's lips were quivering. He walked over to the boys, put his cup on the ground and knelt down to look Sean in the eye.

"Sean, buddy, it's okay. What's wrong?" he asked, feeling sorry that a fun birthday outing had turned into this terrible situation for his boy.

"My fault Dad," Sean sniffled, "I'm sorry."

"Sean, what are you talking about? Uncle Jamie had an accident at work. None of this is even close to being your fault, bud," Danny puzzled. Jack just shrugged; he had no idea why his brother felt that way.

"I… I wanted to go out on the boat… and then we couldn't get back in time. You hate boats. You couldn't talk to Uncle Jamie and tell him you were sorry," Sean threw his arms around Danny and sobbed into his neck.

"Hey Sean, no way bud, this is not on you," Danny pulled him away and looked into his son's face. "There is nothing for you to feel guilty about. I am the one who did something to make Uncle Jamie upset with me, not you, and I should have apologized to him and made it right before now. I may not be the best sailor in the world, but I absolutely did not hate the trip we took today. Look at these pictures," Danny said pulling out his phone and showing the boys shots of the family at the boat rail smiling with a big whale surfacing behind them. "We had an incredible experience. I wouldn't trade that for anything. Daddy just learned a big lesson about not saying things you'll regret to the people you care about. I know you guys sometimes get upset with each other too, that's normal for brothers. But we are family and love each other. Always make it right boys," and he drew them both in for a big hug.

Henry had been uncharacteristically quiet since the call came in from Frank on the boat. Seeing his son sitting alone in the corner of the room, he moved over to the chair next to him. "Francis," he said, "talk to me."

Frank kept his head down, staring at the floor tiles. He knew what was coming. "Not now Pop, I can't."

Henry persisted. "Likely or not likely?" referring to an NYPD phrase used to determine the prognosis for victims, whether they were likely to die or not. Frank had not shared Dr. Holden's specific thoughts on Jamie's chances with anyone else yet. "What did the doctor say?"

Frank sighed. His father was skilled at interrogation and was not about to give up until he got it out of him. He gave in without a fight. "Likely. Less than 20 percent," he said quietly so the rest of the room wouldn't hear.

"Oh, God," Henry breathed, feeling sorry now that he pressed, he could not fathom losing another grandson or to see his own son suffer such agony again, "but she doesn't know how stubborn Reagan men are. Jamie is a fighter. He'll make it Francis. He'll be bringing his pretty girl to Sunday dinner before we know it."

"I hope so Pop; I won't survive losing another," Frank said, looking up as Eddie and Linda returned to the room. He was glad to see Eddie sipping some tea from a mug and appearing less shell-shocked. He knew Linda would be able find a way to comfort her. His daughter-in-law was not a Reagan by blood, but she was the strongest mother figure in the family now.

Eddie gave Renzulli a small nod as she passed, knowing there would have to be some conversations about their working arrangements if... no when... Eddie corrected herself, when Jamie was well and returned to work. For now she could not allow herself to think differently. She sat down next to Linda and Erin who offered her a small friendly smile. Nicki had taken the boys to the gift shop to look for a present for Jamie. The Reagans were slightly less intimidating to her now as she spent more time around them.

A few hours later, Nurse Taylor came into the room and indicated that Dr. Holden felt Jamie had stabilized enough to receive limited visitors, permitting only two at a time for no more than ten minutes each hour. Still clinging onto Linda, Eddie wanted nothing more than to run right back to the room and hold Jamie again, but she could see that the Reagans, particularly Danny needed to go first.

Without any debate, Danny fell in step behind his father as they accompanied the nurse out of the room and down the hall. Knowing what he was about to see, Linda wished she had taken a few minutes to prepare him.