Chapter 3

Jaime took in a breath. He felt Eddie next to him, reaching for his hand. He just had to open the door to the hospital room and look at the Jane Doe in there and see if it was really Katie Reagan. And if it wasn't his sister…

His gut twisted. It had to be her. It had been four years without any sign of her.

He felt Eddie give his hand an encouraging squeeze. He pushed open the door.

The young woman in the bed stared at him, unblinking.

Four years ago her dark eyes were soft with compassion, the corners of her mouth readily lifted with humor. This woman's eyes were hard, unfeeling. Her mouth was fixed in a grim line. The planes of her face were sharp angles and he could see a tattoo on the inside of her wrist.

In spite of all the differences, it was his baby sister.

"Katie," he said. What was he supposed to say? He crossed to her. "I can't believe it. You're here."

She didn't say anything.

"It's me, Jaime," he said. Had she hit her head? Was the anesthesia still making her groggy? Her eyes looked clear. She looked like the police commissioner behind his desk, staring down an errant patrolman he didn't want to be dealing with.

"Dad's not going to believe this. Danny and Erin…we've all—"

"Don't tell them you saw me."

Her voice, slightly raspy and harsher than it had been, surprised him. She still didn't waver, but her jaw clenched.

When Jaime didn't respond, her voice rose slightly. "If you tell anyone I'm here, I swear I'll disappear and you'll never see me again." The hard words must have hurt the gunshot wound because she winced, showing the first bit of vulnerability.

"Katie," Jaime said, not sure what to say to this stranger in front of him.

"Kate," she snapped. "Katie disappeared a long time ago."

"Kate," Jaime tried again. She held his gaze evenly, challenging him to agree to her demands. "I won't tell anyone," he promised.

She finally gave him a small nod. She took a breath then asked, "The cops that were in the bar," she paused, visibly steeling herself. "Are they ok?"

"Yeah," Jaime said. "They're both going to be fine."

She closed her eyes for the briefest moment, her shoulders relaxing down minimally.

"It's thanks to you," Eddie spoke for the first time.

Kate's eyes moved to Eddie as if noticing her for the first time.

"I took Detective Renzulli's statement downstairs," Eddie said with a small smile for Kate. "He said you saved them."

Kate's posture tightened again and she shook her head, ignoring Eddie's praise.

Jaime noticed Kate's tenseness and spoke to try to draw her back to the slight relaxing of her angry, defensive expression. "Kate, this is my wife, Eddie."

Kate's eyes flew back to his and for the briefest moment, he saw regret and the kindness that used to be there. "You're married," she stated. The words carried happiness for him, laced with the sorrow, grief, and regret of knowing how much she had missed in four years.

"You married a cop," she stated with a raised eyebrow that hinted at humor.

Jamie glanced at Eddie, gave her a smile. "Had to keep it in the family business."

"Yeah," she said, her lips twisting wryly. "You didn't get scared off at the first family dinner?" she asked Eddie.

Eddie laughed. "Oh I was still getting scared off by the fifth family dinner." She looked at Jaime and he read the love in her eyes. "But it was worth it. Those family dinners can be brutal, but I love being there."

And then the walls were firmly back in place with Kate protected behind them. "Yeah," she said, looking at a spot over Jaime and Eddie's shoulders. "The whole Reagan family, every last over-achieving one of them gathered round to meddle and pry and guilt you."

"That's not—" Jaime tried, but Kate cut him off, closing her eyes and turning her head away from them.

"I'm tired," she said.

Jaime studied her, but she didn't move.

"Jaime," Eddie said quietly. He got the message. Eddie wanted him to give Katie—Kate—some space.

"We have to go finish up our shift back at the precinct," he finally said. "But I'll be back to see you here." When Kate didn't respond, he tried again. "Please don't leave before they release you. At least let me see you again." He could hear the pleading in his tone and he didn't care.

Kate didn't move for the longest time, but finally, eyes still closed, offered the slightest nod of agreement.

Jaime nodded even though Kate didn't open her eyes to see him. "We'll be back later. Just me and Eddie."

She didn't offer any more response. Holding in the worry and frustration until he and Eddie were out of Kate's room, his hands were nearly shaking by the time they stepped into the hallway.

Jaime swallowed hard, still not believing he had just seen his sister after four years. And he couldn't tell anyone.

Eddie wrapped an arm around him. "Come on," she said. "We'll finish off this shift together, then get back over here."

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Kate waited until she couldn't hear Jaime or his wife in the hallway anymore.

His wife. Kate covered her face with her hands. Jaime was married. Had met someone, there had no doubt been an obligatory bridal shower hosted by Erin or Linda to welcome her to the family, a wedding, a reception…and Kate had missed all of it. Had missed out on everything in her family's life.

She didn't want to think about what else might have changed that she didn't know about.

A light rap on her open door interrupted the dismal spiral of thoughts.

Carlos stood there.

Kate didn't want to feel the flutter of emotion his presence brought. She forced herself to maintain the same impassive face she'd given him in front of Hux for the last several months.

"You look like you brought a knife to a gun fight," Carlos said.

Kate could feel her lips twitch in spite of herself. "I feel like I did," she admitted.

Carlos came into the room then. He held up a small brown teddy bear. "The hospital gift shop didn't really have much to chose from," he said. "Nothing really said, 'sorry you got shot trying to protect me from your arms dealer boss.'"

Kate pressed her lips together to hold back any more movement. "It's sort of a niche market," she said.

Carlos chuckled and set the bear on her tray table.

Against her will, Kate lifted a hand and traced the outline of the smile on the little animal's face. She couldn't remember the last time anyone had given her a gift. Certainly not since she had stepped into Hux's world.

"Thank you," she said quietly.

Carlos pulled up a chair next to her bed. His presence was comforting in the midst of the pain of her broken ribs, where the bullet had hit and the slashed cut stitched back together on her collarbone. She saw Carlos look at the bandage peaking out from the neckline of her hospital gown and grimace.

She tugged the gown higher. "Hux?" she asked, bracing herself for whatever the answer was.

Carlos met her gaze. She liked that he didn't shrink back from whatever he had to tell her. "He didn't make it. I got my gun out. Just not in time to help you."

Kate felt her head drop back against the pillows. She didn't know how she was supposed to feel. Hux had been her entire world for years. She hadn't liked him, but he was familiar.

"I'm sorry," Carlos said.

She looked at him. He really was. Was she supposed to feel remorse for Hux? Maybe she did.

She felt Carlos' warm hand rest over hers and looked down. His skin was tan against hers.

"So you and Joe are gone now?" she asked, trying to sound like it didn't matter.

Carlos' lips kicked up in a small grin. "How long did you know we were cops?" he asked.

She snorted. "From the first week." She was raised in a family of cops. No way she could miss two undercovers no matter how good they were.

"And you never blew our cover. Even helped build our story," Carlos said. His dark eyes studied her, searching for answers or a reason why.

Kate looked away. "I didn't want you two to get shot," she finally said. "I would be the one stuck cleaning up the blood."

Carlos gave her hand a squeeze so light she almost thought she imagined it. She looked back at him, but he was reaching over to the cart with the nurses' supplies and grabbing a pen and notepad. He scribbled something and ripped off the paper to hand it to her.
"I don't have a card. It would sort of give away the truth," he said. There was that smile again. Kate wished he'd stop that. "But this is my number. And Joe's."

Kate looked down at the numbers scrawled across the scrap of paper.

"We'll be there for you if you need anything." The way he said the words, they way he looked at her, Kate knew it wasn't a passing offer. She squeezed her eyes shut, willing tears that shouldn't be there away. The paper wrinkled in her hand as she clutched it.

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