Daniel F. Reagan

"OK, kiddo," Danny said from the bench in the park near their new home. "What do you want to know?"

Sean shrugged and pushed the button to start the camera recording. "The facts that we know, like the when and where and how, is the stuff from the history books. The dry stuff. My teacher wants me to get the stories of the people who were alive that day and witness to it."

"Well, I was witness to it," Danny replied. He pointed to the medals on his dress uniform and touched the black one with the letters WTC. "This says I was."

"Could you state your name and job to begin?"

"Sure. I am Sean's father, Detective Daniel Fitzgerald Reagan and I am a detective for the 54th precinct.

"Where were you on September 11th 2001?"

"Well, I started out in the lobby of the South Tower," he told his son. "Helping people out." He paused. "I knew that Dad was there somewhere." He paused again. "But I found myself teaming up with your Uncle Joe."

"I didn't know that," Sean said. "Did you rescue a lot of people?"

"No more or less than anyone else," Danny replied. "I remember as the towers fell, people were just running. Everything and everyone was covered in the dust from the buildings." He looked thoughtful. "At one point, I saw a… well, I think it was a woman covered with dust as she was, I couldn't tell for sure. She was near a building and I was running from a cloud of dust. So I grabbed her and pulled her into an alley, covering both of our heads as best as I could to protect us from the cloud coming at us. When the biggest part of it went by, I let her go and headed off to find Dad and Joe."

"You never said anything to her?"

Danny shook his head. "My only thought was to get her out of harm's way," he said. "When the danger had passed, my thoughts turned to finding my own family. With everything going on, I didn't think she was in any more danger, so I left her to find her own way out."

"What would you say if you met her again?"

Danny thought for a moment. "First, I'd apologize for leaving her so abruptly like that," he said. "Then I'd tell her I was thankful she was OK."

"Did you find Grandpa and Joe?"

"Well, Joe was right around the corner, helping a man with a cut leg," he told his son. "Together, we picked him up and took him to St Paul's Chapel."

"Where was Grandpa?"

"We found him at the chapel," Danny replied. "He had carried a woman hurt in the North Tower there. It kind of became a staging area for those who needed to go to a hospital. Later on, it turned into a refuge."

"From what?"

"The pile," Danny replied. "There were so many people working on the pile and they went to the chapel to rest, eat and take refuge from the world outside."

"What else did you do that day?"

"Well," Danny began. "We led people to where they could find their way across the bridges, which were closed to incoming traffic. We helped people with serious injuries to where they could get medical attention." He shrugged. "We just helped."

Sean nodded. "Were many people scared?"

"There was a lot of fear," Danny said. "But there was a lot of pride, too."

"Pride?"

Danny nodded. "Pride in the police and the firemen. Pride in our city and our country." He smiled. "There were flags everywhere."

Sean smiled back. "Sounds like something you might always remember."

"The good things," Danny said. "Like the support, the heroism. The people we lost and are still losing… those are the things to remember." He swiped at a tear that had formed at the corner of one eye. "The sight of the people who were up there with no way out that jumped or were hanging out the windows for one last breath of fresh air, the second plane hitting then the towers falling… that is something I would like to forget."

They both fell silent for awhile. "Anything else?" Danny finally asked.

Sean blinked. "Tell me about mom on that day," he said quietly.

Danny breathed and screwed up his lips as if trying to remember. "Your mom," he began. "She had taken off work when Jack was born the year before, but when she was needed, she went to the hospital and helped out." He leaned forward. "She had been heading in to Manhattan for an appointment when the first had hit. When the towers fell, she helped shelter a group of kids from a daycare in the car. She couldn't use the car to get out, so she just walked in." He paused. "I was surprised when I brought a group of survivors to the church and she was there."

"Where was Jack?"

"She had left him with Mom for the appointment," Danny told his son. "So she knew he was safe." He paused to shake his head. "I hugged her so hard when I realized it was her." He snorted. "She was so relieved I was OK and Joe and dad were OK that she didn't even care that we were filthy."

Sean chuckled. "I can almost see that."

Danny smiled a sad smile. "She helped a lot that day."

Sean nodded. "Thanks dad," he said and reached up to turn off the camera.