Hey guys so this isn't a continuation of the story quite yet but a flashback. Sorry it's been a little while since I updated, I have a severe case of writer's block and I thought up this little ditty instead of an actual chapter. Regardless, I hope you enjoy this and thank you to everyone who has read, reviewed and favorited it means so much to me!

"Okay good. Now lift your arm a little higher and choke up on the bat a little. Nice! Okay when I throw the ball give me the hardest swing you can okay, kiddo?" Frankie shouts from the pitcher's mound as he shows Charlotte the baseball before throwing it towards her. She swings as hard as her little arms will allow and she gets a solid hit out towards left field. "Alright! That was the best one yet!" Frankie gets ready to throw another one before he is stopped by Charlotte's voice

"Uncle Frankie is my Mama okay?" She looks up at him and he walks towards her

"Of course, why would you ask that?"

"Because you haven't let me go home. I just keep being passed from Maura, to Nona to you; no one will let me see her. Is she okay?" Charlotte is seven years old and she is extremely intuitive for her age. She drops the bat and takes off her batting helmet, dropping that to the dirt also.

"You're too smart for your own good, you know that?" He gives a smirk and wraps his arms around her shoulders, guiding her towards the dugout bench. The park is empty, as it is almost sundown and he looks into her big brown eyes and notices fear and uncertainty in them

"Listen Charlie, your Mama was hurt, at work and she's at the hospital. We didn't want to tell you what was happening until we knew for sure."

"What?! What are you talking about? Hurt how? I need to be with her! Take me to the hospital!" She starts to get up but is stopped by Frankie's hand around her wrist

"Charlie sit down."

"No, take me to Ma! Now!"

"Charlotte." She stops at the use of her full name and sits back next to him.

"Please, if she's hurt I need to be with her. I need to help her get better." He pulls her into his lap and kisses the top of her head

"Korsak is with her now and she is going to be alright. I'll take you to the hospital as soon as Maura calls and tells me she is awake, okay?"

"Promise?"

"I promise."

"Why didn't you tell me?" The sense of betrayal behind her words makes Frankie feel like he was punched in the gut and he takes a breath before answering his niece

"Charlie, I know you won't get it now... but sometimes grownups keep things from kids to protect them, because part of being a kid is allowing the adults to take care of the really hard and scary stuff and to just be a kid. We didn't want to keep it from you but we wanted to protect you. You're not mad are you?" Charlotte bites her bottom lip as she contemplates her answer

"No, I don't think so. Just worried about my Mama."

"Me too kid, me too."

"What happened to her? Does this have to do with the cops that have been outside our apartment?"

"You knew about that?"

"Duh, I'm not stupid." Frankie scoffs at his niece's brashness and shakes his head

"Yes, it does have something to do with the cops outside your place. Your Ma was the target for a murderer." Charlotte's eyes widen in horror but he continues quickly "They got the guy, but not before he was able to do some damage."

"What did he do?" Frankie hesitates not sure, whether or not he should go into details about what happened between Jane and Charles Hoyt

"He, uh, cut your Ma's hands and he beat her up a little bit but Korsak got to her before anything else happened and he is going to jail. He'll never see the light of day again." He notices Charlotte's hands clench into fists and he grabs them in his own hands "But she's okay and they are taking really good care of her at the hospital."

"I wish that she didn't do the job she does sometimes. It's cool that she catches bad guys and that she makes Boston safe for everyone else but..."

"It can be scary. I know. I worry about her a lot too."

"She's too good to ever give it up though. Just like you, you're too good to ever give up being a cop."

"Yes ma'am. I wouldn't give up being a cop for anything else. You know why?"

"Why?"

"Because I can go home at night knowing that I have done everything that I could to make sure that my city is safe and my family is safe. You are one of the biggest reasons I'm a cop." Charlotte whips her head around to look at him

"I didn't know that."

"Of course you didn't cause I've never told anybody that before. Charlie, you're the reason why we do this job; your Ma and Maura and me, we will do everything we can to protect you. Don't ever forget that."

"I won't. I just wish that protecting me didn't mean getting yourselves hurt or being in danger all the time."

"It comes with the territory kid. It's just a risk that we have to be willing to take." There is a long silence before Frankie's cell phone rings "Hey Maura. She's awake? Okay good, me and Charlie are heading over there now. Perfect. See you soon." He turns his attention back to Charlotte, placing her baseball cap back on her head over her little braided pigtails "You ready to go see your Mama?"

"Yes please."

Frankie and Charlotte arrive at the hospital and walk directly toward the Intensive Care Unit. Maura is waiting out in the common area, near the nurses' station for them. When Charlotte sees her she immediately runs to her and is wrapped up in a tight hug; Maura, running her hand through her hair. This has been a hard day on all of them but she can't imagine the thoughts going through a seven year olds mind. Charlotte whimpers into Maura's ear and she just wraps her tighter.

"How is she?" Frankie asks as he picks Charlotte up and holds her in his muscular, protective arms

"She's stable and she is awake, responsive, all good signs. They assume she will make a full recovery." Frankie nods and runs his free hand through his hair and down the back of his neck.

"Can I see her?" Charlotte adds, with a hint of hesitation in her voice.

"Yes, of course, sweetheart. Let's go see her." Frankie and Charlotte follow Maura down a hallway passing several rooms with patients in beds, in all forms of conditions. Machines are beeping all around them and nurses and doctors are conversing in whispered tones. They walk to the end of the hallway and stop in front of a door.

"Charlotte, listen to me for a moment alright?" Maura grabs Charlotte's hands and looks into her eyes "Your Ma has been severely injured. She doesn't quite look like herself and she is on medication so she is going to be a bit loopy okay? Just be prepared that she might be acting different." Charlotte nods again and Frankie wraps his arms tighter around her waist, kissing her cheek and whispering to her before entering the room

"It's okay Charlie."

They enter the dimly lit room and Jane is laying in the bed, staring at the far wall. Korsak is sitting in the chair next to her bed, and he too has cuts and bruising on his face and arms. Frankie places Charlotte down and she stands close to the door. She doesn't move as Frankie walks over and kisses his sister on the head

"Janie, you okay?" She nods, slightly and then looks over at Charlotte

"Char," Her daughter's head turns at the sound of her voice, that is raspier than usual and she looks into her eyes "Come here baby. It's okay." She lifts her hand and charlotte does as her mother says. Jane pats the side of the bed and Charlotte notices that her hands are wrapped completely in bandages Charlotte gets up on the bed, being careful not to move too harshly and she lies, cuddled into her mother's side

"Are you okay mama?"

"I'm a heck of a lot better now kiddo." She kisses her daughter's head as Charlotte moves to kiss her mother's cheek.

"I missed you kiddo." Her words are slurred and heavy and Charlotte ignores it knowing that the medicine she is getting must be the culprit.

"I missed you too Mama."

Jane's alertness quickly falters and she begins to fall asleep. Charlotte leans up once more and kisses her cheek again and runs her small hand through her mother's hair.

"Thank you for protecting me Mama. I love you."

She can barely make out her mother's words as she slips into a sedated sleep

"love you too munchkin."