"What do you mean he is not here?" Detective Daniel Reagan asked one of the nurse at the hospital where his younger brother Jamie was hospitalized. "I have been here yesterday and I'm pretty certain he has been on this floor."
"Yes, detective, but that was before Mr. Riordan signed the release form and left," the middle-aged nurse tried to explain.
"He did what?" The detective asked shocked.
"He signed the release form," the nurse repeated patiently.
"And you let him go?" Danny asked shocked. Unable to believe what he was hearing.
"Well, we couldn't have kept him, detective," the nurse answered truthfully.
"Was the Commissioner at least notified?" Danny asked.
The nurse just shrugged her shoulders. "I'm sorry, detective. I wasn't here until later today."
"God damn it!" Danny cursed for himself as he immediately pulled out his cell phone and dialed his father.
"Dad," the detective addressed the Commissioner when he picked up the phone.
"Danny, is everything alright?" Frank asked concerned. There was something in Danny's voice that made him worried.
"Dad, we have a problem. Jamie's gone!" The detective informed his father.
"What do you mean he is gone?" The Commissioner asked confused.
"He left the hospital!" The detective announced to his father. "He signed a release and left!"
"And no one stopped him?" Frank asked shocked.
"Well, he did sign a release, so the nurses could hardly stop him."
"Didn't any of ours watch over him?"
"I don't know exactly what happened here, but the point is Jamie's gone."
The detective paused for a moment before he continued.
"Dad, we "have to find him before someone else does."
"Alright, I'm going to his apartment, hopefully he will be there." The commissioner uttered nervously, wondering where else his son could have been if he wasn't in his apartment. Was it possible that he went to see his old nemesis Phil Sanfino?
***BB***
Jimmy-Jamie was shaking with anger when he appeared on the doorstep of uncle Phil's villa. He hesitated for a moment before he entered the house where he had grown up. He knew where to find uncle Phil, and therefore he headed infallibly to his study.
Uncle Phil was just reading a newspaper when Jimmy-Jamie entered the room.
"Jimmy, what a lovely surprise!" Phil stated cheerfully when he saw the young man enter the room. "So they finally released you from the hospital? I would have visited you, but Frank Reagan wouldn't let me."
"We need to talk," Jimmy-Jamie replied coldly.
"Is everything alright, Jimmy?" Phil Sanfino asked his protégé watching the young man nervously pacing there and back.
"Is Frank Reagan my father or not?" Jimmy-Jamie shot at Phil without a warning.
"How did you find out?" The head of the Cavazzeri family asked without any emotion or what so ever.
"Does it really matter?" Jimmy-Jamie questioned shocked.
"How did you find out?" Uncle Phil repeated his question.
"The Commissioner told me himself, if you have to know! But answer my question, is Frank Reagan my father or not?" Jimmy-Jamie urged.
"Yes, he is," Uncle Phil gave was no point in denying it anymore.
Jimmy-Jamie looked at him shocked. "What? How long have you known?" He asked the man he once trusted, and whom he called his family once, but his uncle didn't reply.
"How long have you known?" Jamie repeated his question again. He wasn't far from reaching his breaking point.
"Ever since you came to this family," uncle Phil uttered in a low voice.
"What?" Jimmy-Jamie whispered, unable to believe what he just heard.
"Jimmy, not only have we always provided you with everything you needed, but we also took you as if you were part of our family. So, was there anything you were missing that we didn't give to you?" Uncle Phil questioned.
"First of all, my name is Jamie, not Jimmy! And second, yes, I have been missing my parents my entire life! You have taken that from me!"
At this point Jamie was beyond furious and he wanted answers. "I don't understand, was this some kind of sick revenge to get on my father's back?"
"It's not what you are thinking." Uncle Phil began amicably.
"Then explain it to me," Jamie pleaded him.
The young man could feel tears that were coming to his eyes. Just don't cry! He kept repeating. He didn't want Phil to see him like this, weak and broken.
"Alright, I will try to explain, but you better sit down, it is not a short story…," Phil began to talk.
***BB***
It was already late in the evening when the bell at Frank Reagan's door rang.
The Commissioner answered the door, hoping that it might be his youngest son because he did not find Jamie home earlier that day when he went looking for him.
"Jimmy," Frank uttered with relief. The young man was visibly shaken. "Come inside."
It couldn't escape the Commissioner that his son was shaking all over his body. It was raining and the boy was completely wet.
"I need help," Jamie uttered between sobs.
"Sure, why don't you come inside and we will talk about it," his dad suggested.
"No, you don't understand," Jamie cried. His cry reminded the cry of a wounded animal. "Uncle Phil confirmed your story. I really am your son. He knew it all those years and he never said anything to me... I need you to take me to some psychiatric facility and check me in because ever since I learned the truth about who I was, I'm going crazy and I'm actually worried I might do something to myself." The young man stated suddenly.
This caused Frank to alarm.
"Jamie," he addressed his son calmly, trying to ease his child. "Please, come inside and we will talk."
"I don't want to come inside," Jamie cried. "I feel like my head is about to explode. All my life has been a lie! Do you have any idea what it is like to find out that your biological father is the NYPD Commissioner who all those years has been living in the exactly same city as you? But instead of being with your family you end up growing up between mobsters? Do you have any idea how it feels?" Jamie questioned crazy with pain and confusion.
"What's going on?" Henry, who was attracted by sudden commotion, walked out of the front door.
"Phil Sanfino confirmed that he knew Jamie was my son, pops," Frank explained to his father. He wasn't quite sure what he should do at the moment and therefore he could use Henry's help.
"Come on, darling," Henry took Jamie by his hand, "let's go inside. You are soaking wet. You will have a shower and I will make us some hot cocoa. How does that sound to you?"
Jamie who was now emotionally drained wasn't even able to reply. He just stood there on the street with his big puffy eyes. All hurt and confused, crying.
"Jamie, please. Let's do it as pop suggested." His father pleaded him. "You will get some sleep first and we will talk more in the morning, and if you still feel like you need some professional help, I will take you to the clinic and get you admitted." The Commissioner promised.
***BB***
"Here you go," Henry stated once Jamie returned from the bathroom. He was wearing some of Joe's old clothes, for they were about the same size. He looked bit better after he took a shower, but his grandfather and father could tell he was in great distress. "One hot cocoa for you," Henry uttered as he handed his grandson a large cup of warm brown liquid.
"Thanks," Jamie mumbled. The two men in the room could see his hands were shaking when he took the cup from Henry.
"And how do you feel now?" Frank asked his son as he gave Jamie a concerned look.
"Ehm, bit better, I guess," Jamie lied, but the moment he said that, his eyes filled with tears all over again.
Frank didn't hesitate even for a moment and took his hurting child into his loving arms.
"It's gonna be alright, darling," he whispered into his son's ear as he gave his head a kiss. "I promise."
He then turned to his father. "Pops, do you think you could bring some of my sleeping pills from the bathroom? I think Jamie might want to take one or two."
"Of course," Henry mumbled leaving his son and grandson alone.
"Let's get you to bed," Frank suggested carefully as he led his son upstairs.
He took Jamie into his own bedroom and let him slip under the sheets on the side of the bed his beloved Mary used to occupy. He then laid next to him, rubbing his son's shivering back soothingly, whispering a lullaby he and Mary used to sing to him when he was just a little baby.
Jamie kept crying for good fifteen minutes before he tired himself and felt asleep.