„Your time's running out."
Jamie barely heard the steps coming closer. His ears were filled with the rustle of blood, and whenever he opened his eyes, the world started whirling in black and silver. He had been crouched in a corner of the little room they had brought him in, desperately trying to act normal whenever Sean would wake up. He had no feeling of time anymore, and he couldn't concentrate on thinking about it. Or anything else… Sean's face, that was the anchor of his reality right now. Watch the boy. Protect him. Pray he'll stay asleep till Danny comes and saves you both…

The slap made his head crash against the wall, and Jamie forgot how to breathe. The dizziness was gone for a second, burnt away in pain and panic as the walls seemed to collapse on him.
Sean!
Jamie's head flipped back to where he had seen his nephew for the last time. Sean was still lying on the old blanket, sleeping.
Or was he sleeping? Was he still breathing?

The new fear, stronger than anything else, released his throat. Jamie's lungs filled with oxygen again, driving up the level of adrenaline in his blood. Vanessa Gailman cried in shock as the young man jumped up and pushed her aside, so powerfully that it was her head now that met the wall and drew blood from it.

"Sean!" Jamie fell to his knees again, anxiously shaking his godson's shoulders. "Sean, please, wake up! Come on!"
One eye opened drowsily. "Uncle Jamie? Has daddy found us?"
Jamie almost cried with relief. Sean was alive!
The boy mistook his uncle's smile. "Can we go home now?"
Jamie swallowed. He tasted blood.
"No… not yet" he said hoarsely, his throat burning with every word. Sean was okay, but he didn't know how long he would make it. The pain in his ribs had by now ebbed down to a dull, hot and huffy feeling. Breathing hurt but not too much to keep doing it. His head was far worse.
And the dehydration.

With weak and slightly shivering arms, Jamie pulled Sean on his lap. "Your time's running out" she'd said. His brain was working with delay but… he hugged the boy tightly. There might not be much strength in him anymore but whatever he had, he would use it for Sean.

"Don't worry, kid." Danny smiled through the fear that held his heart with icy claws. "It's going to be alright, you hear me? And I'm not going anywhere. I'm right here."
Jamie nodded slowly, too afraid to speak. He knew that if he did, the pain would come back, and he didn't want to cry anymore. He wanted to be a big brave boy… but it hurt so much!

"Don't worry", Jamie murmured, following his brother's example. He had been younger then than Sean was now, and in hospital with acute appendicitis. Both his parents had been called off from work, but they needed time to get there. Seventy-eight agonizing minutes Danny had sat right beside his baby brother, holding his hand, holding his glance.

"Danny…" he couldn't hold back the tears any longer. "Danny, can you die from this?"
Danny shook his head. "You're already in hospital, Jamie. You're not gonna die. The doctors won't let you. And I won't let you either."
"But it hurts so bad."
"I know, Jamie, I know!" Danny's eyes were dark with compassion. "And I wish I could change places with you. I'd do anything." His thumb gently brushed over the little boy's face. Jamie's jaw was tense and it broke Danny's heart to see him suffer and being unable to help. "Jamie, if there's anything I can do for you, tell me. Okay? Just… tell me."

Vanessa Gailman smiled sadly. She didn't know how long she'd been out cold, but it didn't matter. Reagan hadn't even tried to run. He hadn't taken the opportunity to save his own life but had chosen to stay and protect his nephew.
She knew that feeling – knew how all your energy, all your love, all your determination can flow to one person, suddenly, powerful, irreversibly. Sophia. Her little girl, beautiful angel. There was nothing Vanessa wouldn't have done for her daughter.

Danny Reagan surely knew that feeling too. If for his little brother family was so important it surely also was for the detective.

"I don't want you to."
"Don't want me to what?" Danny frowned.
Jamie took a shivering breath. "I don't want you to hurt instead of me."
As Danny smiled he realized he had tears in his eyes. "That's very brave of you, Jamie. Really very brave. You're a little hero, you know that?"
"Just like you?"

Unable to tear her look away from Jamie and Sean, Vanessa fumbled for the loose floor tile and pulled out her husband's old revolver. He hadn't come back yet from shopping but she couldn't wait any longer. She needed to kill him now of she would go crazy.
"You'd better run, Reagan" she whispered, grief overflowing the contempt in her voice.

Jamie closed his eyes. "Sean, your dad's gonna find you. I promise."

"Danny?"
"Yeah, Jamie?"
"When I'm grown up will you still look out for me?"
"Of course I will. I'm your big brother, I'll always be older than you. Always."

"A pity you won't live to see it."
Her voice was cold and as steady as her hand as she pulled the trigger.