AN: Sorry guys, I know I said I will post the next chapter a week ago, but my computer had to be taken to the shop. Still not fixed yet... Just hoping I won't need to buy a new one :( Pray for my laptop, if you can!
***BB***
"I'm sorry, Jamie, but you need a surgery. The tendons in your left hand were badly cut and if we don't operate on you now, there is a real danger you won't be able to use your hand properly in the future." The orthopedic surgeon who came to check out Jamie's hand announced as he came back to the examining room so he could talk further details to Jamie and his dad.
"How bad is it?" The Commissioner wanted to know, clutching Jamie's shoulder nervously.
The doctor took a few seconds to think about it. "Well, it will depend on whether the surgery will be successful or not." He told them honestly. "But you don't have to worry. We have performed this kind of surgery countless times and the results are satisfying. Besides, Jamie is young and otherwise healthy, he should heal quickly.
He then turned back to Jamie.
"Alright, Jamie, the nurse will be here soon to prep you for the surgery. And I will see you at the OR."
"Dad," Jamie uttered weakly once the doctor had left.
Frank knew his son just too well. He knew his youngest was frightened. And he had every right to be after what he had been through that evening.
The carrying father turned to his youngest.
"Listen, Jamie, I'll tell you what. We will go to the OR where the doctors will put you under. You will sleep through the surgery and once you wake up, if everything goes well, I believe the doctors might release you tomorrow or the day after that. What do you say? Does it sound right?" The Commissioner asked his son as he embraced Jamie in his arms. He hated to see his boy so miserable, but at the same time, he knew that the surgery wasn't that big of a deal. More likely Jamie was rather still shaken by that day's events.
Typically it wouldn't be possible, but given the fact that Frank was an old friend of the chairman of the board at the hospital, they allowed him to stay with Jamie until the doctors put the boy under at the OR.
The Commissioner was now standing next to his son holding Jamie's unimpaired hand.
"Dad?" The boy uttered nervously. He was scared and he wanted to be someplace safe alone with his dad and family.
"It's going to be alright, Jamie," Frank whispered, not sure if he was trying to convince Jamie or himself. "You have nothing to be afraid of. The doctors will just fix your hand and you will be out of here in no time." The loving parent uttered as he gave Jamie a reassuring squeeze.
"You're just going to close your eyes and when you wake up, I'll be with you."
"Alright, Jamie, are you ready?" The surgeon who saw them earlier asked as they were ready to begin.
Jamie just gave his dad one last scared glance.
Frank could see a tear that escaped from Jamie's eye.
"Jamie, count backward from ten with me," a kind anesthesiologist told him as she was about to place a mask on his nose and mouth.
"Ten-nine-eight-seven…." was all Jamie managed to say before he fell asleep.
***BB***
"He could have killed him, pops," Frank confessed to his father as he sunk to a chair at the hospital's waiting room on the pediatric floor next to Henry. It was late at night and they were waiting for Jamie's surgery to be over. When Frank walked into the waiting area, Henry was already waiting for him. He came as soon as he heard.
"Francis, he is going to be just fine," the former Commissioner assured his son. He hated to see Frank so worried for one of his children. Especially, when Mary had no longer been with him so she could soothe him.
"It was a hell of luck that he managed to lock himself in my study," the Chief of Police continued before he got interrupted by Danny who bursted into the room.
"How is he?" The detective asked plainly.
"He needed a surgery," his father informed him. "The doctors are operating on his hand right now."
Danny nodded his head.
They all stood quietly for some time before Frank turned back to his son.
"Danny, do you think this was just a random attack or was Jamie a target?" The Commissioner wanted to know.
"It's hard to tell, dad." The detective replied truthfully because at this point he really didn't know.
"How is the search for the perp going?" His grandfather wanted to know as he joined their conversation.
Danny threw his hands in the air. "We haven't caught him yet." The detective had to admit.
"Has someone told Erin and Joe?" Pops then questioned.
"Well, Joe is working undercover, so hopefully he doesn't know yet," the Commissioner revealed to Henry. Frankly, they couldn't risk Joe blowing his cover in case he panicked when he learned about Jamie's incident. And second, though the attack on Jamie was terrifying, his injuries were, thankfully, not that serious.
"I'll tell him once I know he is safe," Frank announced to his company.
"And when it comes to Erin, she naturally wanted to come, but I told her not to. It's not like she would be able to see Jamie before morning and I hope, if everything goes well, Jamie will be released tomorrow afternoon which is also why the two of you should go home!" He strongly suggested, although he knew they wouldn't leave without protest.
***BB***
"Jamie," Frank addressed his dear son lovingly when he saw his youngest was waking up after the surgery. The Commissioner ran his fingers through Jamie's soft hair, wordlessly thanking God his precious son was alright. He then bent down and gave his son's head a kiss. Something he didn't do that often.
"How are you feeling?" He asked Jamie.
"Not great," the boy mumbled tiredly. It was no secret that Jamie did not take anesthesia well in the past . Besides, it was very late at night.
"Just try to get some more sleep," his dad suggested, stroking Jamie's hair lovingly. "I will be with you the whole time." He knew his son was scared and he knew he needed his mother right now. But he couldn't give that to him. He had to step into Mary's shoes and comfort his son the best he could.
"Dad," Jamie uttered in a weak voice. "I thought he was going to kill me. That man who broke into our house. I asked him to leave, but instead he attacked me...I guess I was really lucky I managed to escape."
Frank felt quite uneasy hearing his son's words.
"Jamie, you don't have to think about it now. I will be with you the whole time, I promise. Also, my detail is outside. And once they release you from the hospital, we will figure out your everyday's safety as well. But for now, you just need to take a good rest. Just close your eyes and try to get more sleep, if you can."
After some time Jamie fell asleep again, but it wasn't much later when he woke up one more time. His stomach was hurting him and he felt like he was about to throw up.
"What is it, Jamie?" His dad asked sleepily. It felt like Frank had fallen asleep just twenty minutes ago.
"I think I'm gonna be sick," the young teen revealed to his father, sitting up in his bed.
Frank was instantly fully awake.
"Ok, do you think you can walk to the bathroom with my help?" He asked his son.
"Yeah, I guess I can manage that." Jamie nodded his head.
Frank gave him his hand and together they walked to the bathroom where Jamie puked several times. When Jamie was done vomiting and when they finally returned to his room, the hand on Frank's watch was pointing at 5 a.m.
***BB***
"And, how was your night?" Linda asked when she came early in the morning to check on Jamie and her father-in-law.
"I'm afraid we didn't get much sleep last night because Jamie was sick several times. You know, he doesn't take anesthesia well." Linda's father in law informed her, grasping Jamie who was still half asleep in his loving arms.
"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that, Jamie. But the doctor had promised that he would take a look at your hand in the afternoon and if everything will look okay, he will release you and you will be able to go home." Linda told Jamie encouragingly.
Jamie just nodded his head. He was tired and, frankly, he wasn't feeling well.
"He is just tired, Linda," Frank stated apologetically towards his daughter-in-law, giving her a weak smile.
"What about if I brought you some breakfast?" Danny's wife suggested. "I bet that will make you better." She said and with a smile on her face she left the room.
***BB***
"Jamie, I'm afraid your hand is going to hurt at the incision side. It is absolutely normal to feel some pain, but I will still prescribe you with some opioids so it becomes manageable. As your wound will heal, most of the pain and soreness should go away." The doctor explained to Jamie patiently as he was about to discharge his young patient. "That's it. I just need your dad to sign some release forms and you will be free to go. Of course, we will see each other in a week when you'll come back to show me how your hand is healing. Just keep your hand in a swing, make sure it doesn't get infected and it should be just fine."
"Thank you, doctor," Frank expressed his gratitude towards Jamie's physician.
"Thanks," Jamie mumbled. He wondered what the doctor meant when he said that it was normal to feel some pain, because he already felt as if his hand was on fire.
"Alright, let's go home," his dad suggested ready to take Jamie home. It was a long night and day, and the Chief of police was kind of hoping he and Jamie could go home and hopefully forget about all of this eventually. But deep inside he knew that it was just his hopeful wish. He knew it would take quite some time before Jamie would be able to heal from something like this.
"Is everything alright, Jamie?" He asked once he saw his youngest had frowned for a moment.
"I don't really want to go home just yet," Jamie revealed to his dad.
"Jamie, we will have to return home eventually." The Commissioner reminded his son carefully. "Unless we sell the house and move somewhere else, of course." Frank joked.
"I know," the boy agreed. "I was just thinking if we could maybe crash at pop's for a day or two." He suggested innocently.
"If that's what you think will help you feel better, then sure. I'm pretty sure pops will be thrilled to have us, especially you."
"Yeah, I think it would make me feel much better." His son agreed.
"Alright, I will call your grandpa and tell him we are coming then."
***BB***
"Thank God," Henry uttered once he pulled his youngest grandson into his loving arms.
"Hey, gramps," Jamie replied weakly. He was tired and overall he wasn't feeling great.
"Everything alright, Jamie?" The former Commissioner asked as he rubbed his grandson's back.
"Yeah, it's just good to be here," the boy stated honestly.
"Thanks for letting us stay, pops," Frank added as he followed Jamie into the hallway.
"Don't even mention it! I'm glad to have you." Henry uttered, patting his son's shoulder. "Come with me into the kitchen, I will make you something to eat," he suggested towards his companions. "You must be starving," he added and led Jamie to the kitchen.
***BB***
"Dad, would you mind if I slept here with you tonight?" Jamie asked as he quietly opened the door to his dad's former bedroom and came over to Frank's bed.
Frank put the book he was reading down. Actually, he was kind of expecting Jamie to come to him after what he had been through. It was only natural that Jamie would look for his company and protection.
"Not at all!" The Commissioner assured his youngest. He lifted the blanket and motioned Jamie to get in with him.
Jamie slipped under the blanket and curled closer to Frank's warm body. He has always been Frank's baby boy and, frankly, the Commissioner always had a weak spot for his youngest.
"Your hands feel cold," Frank stated when he took one of Jamie's hands into his so he could give it a reassuring squeeze.
"Yeah, I know," the boy admitted. He took that from Mary. Frank thought. Her hands often felt cold.
Frank put his masculine arm around Jamie's fragile body and pulled him a bit closer. From all his children Jamie liked to cuddle the most.
"Better?" Frank joked because he knew Jamie's hands could hardly get warm within that short period of time.
"Yeah," Jamie laughed, laying his head on Frank's shoulder.
"You're safe here, you know that, right?" His father wanted to make sure. Naturally he worried what kind of effect that frightening incident would have on the poor boy.
"I know. I just don't know how I will be able to go back home," his son admitted.
"Jamie, there is a patrol car on the street watching us right now and so it will be when we return home. You have nothing to worry about." The Commissioner emphasized, looking at his son from eye to eye. "And I promise you that I will figure out your safety and I won't leave you home alone ever again until you'll tell me otherwise! There will always be someone with you, so you don't have to worry that you will be attacked ever again."
"And what about you?" Jamie asked suddenly. "Will you be there too?"
***BB***
"Everything alright, Jamie?" Joe, who got back to his family as soon as he heard about Jamie's incident, asked his younger brother as he and Jamie walked into their house.
Frank and Jamie had stayed with pops a bit longer than they originally intended, but Jamie seemed more comfortable and relaxed at his grandpa's, besides Henry was happy that he could take care of his beloved grandson and his own son. And therefore Jamie and Frank didn't rush to return home.
The boy swallowed nervously. He remembered the events that took place there just a few days ago. He remembered running for his life, finding heaven in his dad's study. He remembered how he managed to lock the door behind him although his fingers were shaking terribly with terror. He could feel his pulse was getting faster and his palms were sweaty as the perp neared the study.
"Jamie?" His dad addressed him when he saw him freeze. He then came closer so he could talk to him.
"Is everything alright?" Frank worried.
"I just needed a moment," Jamie uttered weakly as he was fighting a panic attack which was threatening to take over him.
Joe could see his brother's struggle and therefore he took Jamie's hand.
"Let's go through the house together so you can see there is actually no one in here." He suggested, wordlessly telling Jamie to follow him.
They went through the house room by room. It was all cleared because Erin and Linda made sure Jamie won't find any evidence which could remind him of the attack. The broken glass on their kitchen's door has also been replaced.
"See, no one's here," Joe assured his brother as they came back to the hallway. "If you want I can stay here tonight and make sure you are alright. But as you already know, dad has a patrol car watching the house 24/7. There is no way someone could break into the house now."
Jamie looked sheepishly from Joe to his dad.
"Honey, it's going to be just fine, I promise." his father told him reassuringly, laying his hand on his back. "Someone will always be with you from now on. I'm not gonna let anyone hurt you, I swear to you."
***BB***
Danny's fork fell on the table as they were having their regular Sunday dinner. First since the incident.
Jamie immediately lurched as the fork hit the table.
"Sorry," Danny mumbled, stuffing his mouth with more food. Erin was kind of right when she said that there was no difference between a dog and Danny, at least when it came to their eating habits.
"You alright?" Their father who was sitting next to Jamie asked once he saw how tense Jamie looked.
"Yeah, I'm, it's just… never mind, it's silly…" the boy uttered and lowered his head, trying to become invisible. But everyone at the table could see how nervous the boy was. His breathing was fast and his hands were slightly shaking.
Frank and Henry exchanged a concerned glance.
"It's perfectly normal to be a little bit shaken, kid," Danny told his brother. "At least after what you have been through."
"Danny," Linda hissed when she saw this conversation was making Jamie uncomfortable.
"What?" The detective asked. "I'm just telling him there is nothing he should be ashamed of."
"Don't you think it's a bit inconsiderate of Jamie?" His wife whispered so Jamie wouldn't hear her.
"Look, guys, could we just not have this conversation right now?" Jamie asked nervously. This whole conversation was getting really distressing for him.
"Of course," Erin, who was sitting next to him, replied. "But all we want to tell you is that we are here for you if you ever needed to talk to someone." She told her brother as she gave him a worried look.
"Yeah, I know that," Jamie uttered weakly. He then folded his fork and knife and said towards his father: "I'm done, may I be excused from the table?"
Frank checked Jamie's plate. The boy had barely eaten anything. "Just make sure these leftovers don't go to waste." He told his son before he nodded his head, letting Jamie know that he could leave.
"Of course," Jamie mumbled. He took his plate and went to the kitchen. Frank followed him.
"Jamie?" The Commissioner addressed his son.
"Look, dad, I'm fine," his son interrupted him before he could say anything else.
"You could have fooled me," his dad laughed a little. "I'm worried about you, son."
"Seriously, dad, it's not like I'm going to break or anything. It's just, when I think of the attack, my heart just stops for a moment and then it starts beating really fast, but after a while it gets better." Jamie described to his dad how he was feeling.
"I think what you are describing is a panic attack," the commissioner replied, handing Jamie a foil so he could wrap his unfinished plate for later. "Jamie, you have recently been attacked in our house. You have every right to feel anxious, scared or even angry."
"Why should I feel angry?" Jamie asked confused.
"For starters, that man had no right to break in and hurt you." The Commissioner revealed to him. "And you can also be angry at me because I wasn't here to protect you…"
Frank's voice broke when he was saying the last words. He didn't know about Jamie, but he was definitely blaming himself.
"Of course, I don't blame you, dad," the boy uttered. "It's just, I wish things were like before when mum was still alive."
Frank gave him a sad smile.
"I know what you mean. It doesn't feel right, just the two of us in this big house. Maybe we really should sell it and move somewhere else." The Commissioner kept thinking aloud.
"No, we all love this house so much. There are so many memories connected to it. Besides, I don't think mum would want us to leave."
"I think you're right. She loved it here so much. Besides, I doubt she would ever forgive me if I gave her tulip flower beds to someone else."
TBC
AN: "What are your thoughts? Should Jamie and Frank start looking for a new place? Or how can the Commissioner help his youngest overcome his fears?