A/N: I want to take a moment to thank you all for sticking by this story during my inconsistent updates. You all are awesome, and your support and feedback is much appreciated. :) See the first chapter for the disclaimer. I hope you guys enjoy this chapter, and please review. :)

Chapter Thirty Five

Tony was working behind his desk as a knock on his door drew his attention. "Yeah, come in," he said.

"Hey, Sarge," Jamie said, walking in with his uniform on.

"I was wondering when you'd get in. Just because you're staying in-house doesn't mean you can be late."

Jamie furrowed his brow slightly. "I was told shift was gonna be 9-5 today."

"It's 9:01."

Jamie shook his head with a smile.

Tony stood, walking around his desk. He regarded his young officer. "You doin' okay?" he asked.

Jamie shrugged. "More or less," he replied. "Still got a little more rehab to go through, but I should be full duty within another month."

"That's good to hear."

"It is," Jamie agreed.

Tony tilted his head at Jamie. "Isn't it?"

Jamie shrugged again. "Depends. Am I gonna have to ride with you again? Because it was bad enough the first time…"

Tony smacked Jamie on the arm, causing the younger man to laugh. "Keep it up, Reagan, and you'll be reassigned in-house permanently."

Jamie smirked.

Tony found himself glancing through the office window periodically throughout the day, watching Jamie work. Jamie, for his part, was turning out good reports and answering the phones with his usual brand of candor.

Far removed from the kid who dropped by on crutches weeks ago.

Though, Tony realized, he wasn't back to his old self yet, either. The Jaspers had done a number on him, and Tony knew it would take Jamie a lot longer than he thought to completely recover.

If he ever did at all.

Every call could leave Jamie wondering about getting hurt himself. Every collar making Jamie question if they'd come back against him. Wondering if his family would unknowingly sign him up for being tortured again.

Tony could see it happening.

Yet, Tony reasoned that this was for the best- the slow reintegration into work. He was certain Jamie was physically fit for full duty. His limp was barely noticeable, if it was even there at all. He looked physically fit.

But the mind…

The mind could take the longest to heal out of any injury a person sustained. And while physical scars could fade over time, mental scars didn't always do that. Tony knew all this, and that was what truly kept him checking in on Jamie throughout the kid's first day back.

Jamie was lucky, though.

Jamie's family hadn't abandoned him, even as he knew the kid had pushed everyone away. And while Tony had visited him while he was in the hospital, he'd kept his distance somewhat afterward, allowing Jamie to come to him.

Jamie never had.

Though, as Tony watched Jamie jawbone with Danny through his window, he knew exactly why Jamie never came to him- Jamie didn't need to. Jamie had Danny and the rest of the family. Jamie had turned out mostly okay.

Tony knew there was still more to process. Still more to recover from. But those things would come and go in time. For now, Jamie was doing okay. The rest, they'd deal with when the time came.