A/N welcome back, everyone! Hope you are doing well in your countries!
Thank you for each review, and to everyone who put this into favourite and/or followed stories!
I'm sorry for all the mistakes, English is not my mother tongue and I haven't found a bet yet. I've asked a couple of people with with no result. I tried to re-read this as much as I could, but I have limits… sorry for this.
Happy reading!
Chapter 02 - "This is an emergency"
Renzulli looked up at the clock hung to the wall in front of him into his office. Since the moment he stopped being on patrol with Jamie, he passed most of his time there, going out only when the events required him.
4 AM.
Renzulli got up from his chair and went to the dispatch desk.
"Any news from David-12?" he asked the operator, a young man.
"Not yet, sir"
"Call me when they call-in"
"Yes, sir"
He went back to his office, but he just couldn't go back to his work. It was strange for Jamie not to call in for such a long time, specially after a gunshot call. At this time, it was obvious they couldn't arrest the shooters, still, they usually called just to say they were both okay.
He took his radio.
"David-12. Adam-12, call out."
He waited a full whole minute, his gut screaming something was terribly wrong with all this.
"David-12. Adam-12, call out" he repeated "Jamie! Answer me!"
When he got silence for the second time, he stormed out, asking for the last position recorded by their car transponder.
Please, kid. Don't make me tell your dad his son is dead, again.
He threw that thought away as soon as it formed into his head. He could not go there, and not only because of Frank, but also because he loved Jamie as if he was his own son, and that was the main reason he gave up being his partner.
He took the position and exited the precinct, driving with sirens turned off until he reached the car.
He approached slowly. As much as he wanted to run and see if they were okay (he was quite hoping to find the two of them having sex, because, yeah, he didn't miss how the two looked at each other, and that would be trouble, but at least they would be okay), he didn't forget years of training and experience.
Gun at hand, he slowly approached, just to find the car completely empty, the doors unlocked. Renzulli searched the car, looking for any sign of aggression or abduction, but he didn't find anything.
"David-12. Adam-12" He called into his shoulder radio. "Guys, where are you?"
As he talked, he looked around, trying to guess which direction they could have gone. South was out of question, the road brought to a boulevard. Too much people.
West and north were dead ends. That left East.
He started walking, keeping calling them on the radio. He looked up, seeing the building site on his right. It was an isolated place, perfect for an ambush. He took on a light run.
"David-12. Answer me, guys!"
()()()()()
Eddie woke up with Renzulli's voice screaming through the radio right into her ear. She felt numb, her head throbbed in pain, and she threw up the exact moment she tried to move.
Luckily, she managed to move on her side before puck all over herself, or worse, choke on her own vomit.
She managed to reach for her radio and answer him, giving somehow her position, before passing out again.
()()()()()
This time, he heard a weak moan. He stopped dead on his feet, trying not to pant to catch any possible words
"Eddie? Jamie?" He called again.
"S...S...Site" Eddie's voice was barely more than a whisper. "C...c...clear"
"Hang ok, Janko. Hang on"
He was worried about Jamie, why wasn't he answering? Why was Eddie barely able to speak? He sprinted, trusting, and hoping, Eddie's clearance was true.
He saw a glimpse of her blond hair and sprinted toward the girl, who laid in the ground and seemed barely able to move.
()()()()()
Eddie came back to life again when she heard someone running and calling her name. She had barely opened her eyes when she saw her Sergeant.
"Janko!" Renzulli crouched beside her, placing an hand on her shoulder, keeping her down when she tried to get up "Easy, easy, Eddie".
She desperately looked around her. Where was Jamie? What did they do to him?
"Jamie! Jamie" She truly seemed into a panic, she grabbed Renzulli's jacket and tried at least to put herself in a sit position "Where's Jamie?" she asked when she finally succeeded.
Renzulli looked around for the first time, looking for his protege, who was nowhere to be seen.
"Did you split up?" he asked, already knowing the answer. There was no way Jamie would leave her alone in such a situation, still, he had to ask, and,maybe, hope "What happened?"
"Sh… Shots. Jamie… they…find… Jamie" Speaking just hurt too much, so she tried to give the basic information with less words possible.
"Okay. Okay" Renzulli reached for his Radio, letting her rest against his chest, for which she was quite grateful. She felt like crap. "Adam-12. Calling for backup. 10-65. Code-30."
"Adam-12; dispatch. Copy"
"Jamie. Find… Jamie" she whispered, again, as she tried to recall as much as she could since they left the car.
"I can't leave you, Janko" Renzulli answered holding her tight to his chest "Help is on the way. Hang on, rookie"
Eddie bit the inside of her cheek to stop herself from crying. So far, this had been the worst experience of her whole career, if not her life. She felt herself starting to shake, but she refused to let go. They had to find Jamie.
She hang on Renzulli and pushed herself back on her not so steady feet, and she felt the man keeping her up.
"Ehy. Ehy"
"Reagan" She whispered, as the memory hit her.
"We will find him"
"No… they… called him… Reagan" she tried to explain as she let Renzulli make her sit again on a pile of bricks. As much as she wanted to search the wanna-be building for Jamie, her body was glad not to stand anymore.
How many time did they tased her to leave such an hangover?
"Are you saying they knew him?"
Eddie nodded.
Wrong move. She pushed Renzulli away as he turned and emptied her stomach. Again. She released stomach acid, and then she just heaved.
"What did they do to you?" the Sargent mumbled as he kept her from falling down "Drug?"
"Taser"
"Jeez. How many times?" he wondered and she understood this was rhetorical. He made her lean on him and, for once, she didn't protest. She was worried sick for Jamie and she just couldn't stop shaking and why in the hell was she shaking?
Three RMP arrived in the exact moment, along with the ambulance called for the officer needing assistance code.
"Don't want… hospital"
"You are not coming with us, Janko. You barely walk. And that's an order" Renzulli stated, cutting any possibility to argue.
"No… hospital"
"You are staying until we finish" he conceded "but only if you get clearance from EMT. And you will stay in my car. Got it?"
"Copy" she answered, unwillingly, but also recognizing Renzulli was right. Right now, she would be more a burden than a resource, and Jamie needed all of them focused.
Still, she had a feeling they would not find him there. Not alive, at least.
No. Don't go there, Janko.
She admonished herself. She could not even start thinking about Jamie being dead.
()()()()()
John was looking for food.
Apparently, all the restaurants he used to "attend" tonight decided it was the "no throw away" day of the year, so he hadn't be able to get any dinner tonight.
Bad side of being homeless.
After so many years in the street, he knew there were night like this one, in which is last hope to find something to eat was to find some leftover in the park. That or hoping someone lost their money.
John directed into the nearest park, next to Robert Kennedy Bridge, going directly to the trash bin near the playground. Moms usually brought something for they children to snack as they played, and it was quite common they left something behind them.
The park had very few lights, therefore he was quite interested when he noticed something shine, or better, a sparkle of something metallic on the ground. He walked toward it. If he found something like a necklace, or a bracelet, he usually returned it to the local police department. The agent at the dispatch desk was a really kind woman, and she used to offer him a coffee, or a snack, when he returned something. John knew she would offer even more, if she could, but that's all her chief allowed her to give him.
Still better than a thank you.
He discovered soon the blink was a police badge, and that there was a woman passed out right next to it, hidden in the dark.
With his hand slightly shaking, he felt her pulse, sighing in relief when he found it. He searched hed, looking for and finding her phone.
He called 9-1-1.
()()()()()
Sergeant Sidney "Sid" Gormley wasn't exactly worried by the radio silence kept by Reagan and Baez. The detective usually called in only to report troubles or to communicate they were coming back with an arrest.
For this reason, when the 9-1-1 central dispatch pushed the call though directly to his office, he immediately raced to the address reported: if the two of them couldn't call by themselves, something was definitely wrong.
When he arrived, an ambulance was already there, and he could clearly hear Baez ' protesting and turning down the medical help, not until they found his partner.
He sprinted at those words.
"Baez!" He called her " what happened?"
"Sarge! Ambush! I woke up and Reagan was missing!"
"Did you split up?"
"No, no. We were together!"
"Okay, okay. Now calm down and let EMT check on you. That's an order. He then turned toward the closes EMT "Who called 9-1-1?"
The man pointed at a man on his 50ies, sit down in a corner. Even in the dark, Syd could tell he was most likely an homeless. He reached for him.
"Sergeant Gormley." He introduced himself, noticing that the man was, obviously dirty, but that he couldn't smell any alcohol coming from him. That was good. "They told me you called 911. Can you tell me your name, and what happened?"
"I'm John. John Merril" the man answered, and Sydney was glad to have the confirmation he was totally sober. Strange for an homeless, but honestly at the moment, he didn't care, not if one of his detectives was missing. "I- I was looking for food when I saw something blinking. I usually pick up what I find, and the next day I turn them to the closest police precinct. You may ask anyone nearby. They know me. Anyway… I got closer and saw it was her badge. She was passed out, but alive, so I took her phone and dialed 911"
"And she was alone?"
"Yes, sir"
Sydney took his own phone out and showed him Danny's photo from his last birthday party they got at the police station.
"Did you see this guy?" He asked, already knowing the answer. Danny Reagan could behave in a questionable way, but he would never, ever, leave his hurt partner alone. Still, he had to ask.
John shook his head, no.
"Is this the Danny guy she keeps talking about?" Syd nodded.
"Hope you find him. I'll call you if I see or hear anything"
In any other moment, Sidney would ask himself why such an honest man ended up on the street, but with Danny missing and Baez on an ambo, he had other priorities; one of which was to notify commissioner Reagan his son was missing.
He checked on Baez, who had already dismissed the paramedics and went back on the job.
()()()()()
Janko refused to go to the hospital, no matter that the EMT advised her to go along and have a full check up, just to be sure there was no concussion or cracked ribs. Eventually, Renzulli accorded to let her stay, but he cuffed her to his car, to be sure she stayed safe and warm. The night was cold, and she had already spent a few hours outside.
He managed to find a spare jacket and radio.
"With this you'll stay warm and you will be able to communicate with us, okay?"
"We need to find him" she almost pleaded, her voice still shaking
"We will do our best, Eddie. I promise. I'll keep in contact" Renzulli locked the car and joined the research squads.
When the sun went up, they only found Jamie's radio and jacket abandoned right outside the work in progress building.
Renzulli sighed and escorted Eddie home.
It was time to let Commissioner Reagan know his kid was missing.
()()()()()
Renzulli and Sidney arrived at 1PP at the same moment.
"Don't even try, Gormley" Renzulli stopped him. "This is an emergency"
"Not as much as mine" the 5-4th Sargeant replied, almost pushing him out of the lift.
"I don't really think so, this time, Sid. Trust me"
"No, you trust me. It is"
Detective Baker stopped them both before they could even reach her desk.
"Commissioner is not receiving right now. He is in a meeting"
"He'll have to interrupt it" Sidney started
"This is an emergency. I need top priority!" Renzulli echoed.
At least for now, they could work together to get Frank's attention.
"What happened?" Baker asked, because she knew both he and Sid avoided the 1PP (and all the related bureaucracy) if they could.
"Detective Reagan is missing!"
"Officer Reagan is missing"
Their two voices echoed as one, the only difference heard was the cop rank.
Tony turned to look at Gomley, his expression reflected into the Sergeant, both of them identical to Baker's one. A mixture of anguish, stupor and the sudden certainty there was no way his was a coincidence.
A second later, Baker stormed into the Commissioner's office without even knock, and the two of them followed suits.
"Boss"
()()()()()
Frank had not slept almost at all that night, a gut feeling he could not pinpoint kept him from rest. It was similar to when he got back home and found out one of the children was sick, or injured, or had a very bad day at school. It was a sensation he hadn't felt since Joe's death, and with Jamie and Danny on night shift, that made him nervous.
When Baker invaded his office with his two kids's CO on her tail, he had the confirmation something bad had happened.
Hoping he did not to have to arrange another funeral, he just looked at them
"Tell me"
Renzulli and Sidney exchanged a look, before Tony said:
"Danny and Jamie are missing."
"If we can make a guess, someone organized two ambush with the only purpose to abduct them" Sidney completed the sentence, sure the modus operandi had been the same. "Two different attacks, probably at the same time"
"They didn't want us to try and protect the others" Renzulli completed. "I already sent Two patrols to check on Erin, Linda and Henry. Everything alright"
Frank picked up only the last few words, actually. He had briefly zoned out when Renzulli dropped the news. His two kids had been kidnapped.
This time, he could not think about them as regular officers, his brain refused to do so, and not only because they were talking about Jamie and Danny, but also because, given their history as police officers, there was no way this was a coincidence, or that it was related to a common enemy, since they never worked together. Best chances, it was someone from his or Henry's past, or (but Frank doubted it) someone looking for revenge toward Erin.
"Frank?" Garrett called him, since he wasn't moving or reacting in any way.
"Tell the RMPs to take Linda and the boys, as well as Erin and Nicky, to my house." He eventually ordered "Arrange for me to reach them there." Then, he looked at the two Sergeants. They looked tired to their feet "Get your best men on this and take some rest. How are officer Janko and Detective Baez? Are they…"
The two exchanged a quick look, and Sid nodded toward Renzulli, who spoke first.
"Officer Janko was tased until she passed out. They probably kicked her. She refused to go the the hospital. I took her home. She is scared, but mostly worried about Jamie. I don't think we will be able to keep her off this. And I don't want to. She is young, but smart and Jamie s training her well."
"Same goes for detective Baez. There's no way she will saetay out of this. With or without my permission. Danny thought her well too"
Frank nodded, relieved at least no one lost his life tonight. He was also secretly happy and proud Jamie and Danny forged such a bond in so few time with their partners.
"I'll speak to both of them later this afternoon, once they calm down and rest." He decided. "The last I checked, both of them are great cops, so there is no reason to keep them out of this. I expect from 12th and 54th full cooperation to solve this."
"We will find them, Frank" Renzulli nodded.
"We will not rest until we bring them back home" Sidney agreed.
The four of them startled as two exhausted but not less determined women broke into the office.
"Janko!"
"Baez!"
The two Sergeants looked totally shocked by their officers, Frank was just totally taken aback by their gazes, even if they looked like shit. Janko was limping and Baez looked like she had not slept for months, but they were clearly there for a reason, and something told him they would not accept a no as an answer.
He was also pretty sure to know what they would ask him, and he started thinking about that.
"What the hell are you doing here?!"
"What Danny would be doing if this happened to me, Sarge" Baez replied "This case is ours!"
"Yours? Meaning you and… "
"Me" Eddie stated. Then she turned to speak directly to Frank, to hell protocols "I know I'm not a detective, but I can't just sit and wait. Jamie is my partner. I can help, and I will"
"Officer Janko!" Tony scolded his agent "This is not the way you speak to the police Commissioner!"
"Officer Janko" Frank interrupted the Sergeant, into his commanding tone, the one each cop had learnt to respect and fear. "I appreciate your concern, but you will follow your CO's orders, whichever they are. As police commissioner, my first duty is to ensure all my agents stay safe. I'm sure Sergeant Renzulli will assign you appropriate duties related to your experience and capabilities. The same goes for you, detective Baez. Our first priority ist to bring the Reagans home. Personal feelings are not allowed. Undestood?"
"Yes, sir" the two women answered.
Frank sighed. This one was covered. He was sure Renzulli and Gormley would never let those two out of the case, and if they did, he would bet anything he had they would go rogue and solve the case themselves.
"Eddie, Maria" he called the two, his voice now so different from before, "I truly appreciate your concern. I'll meet you two after I talk to my family" then he looked at the two men "I don't care who you appoint to solve this as long as we bring my kids home. Consider 54th and 12th as an only precinct and me as a part of the team."
"Off the records?" Renzulli asked cautiously.
"This conversation never happened"
"Yes, sir" Tony turned towards Baez "Detective, please, take officer Janko home and make sure she stays there."
"... and then go home yourself. See you too in 3 hours. Get some rest" Sid completed.
"Yes, sir"
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