This is a short chapter, but I think it's a good one.

disclaimer: I don't own anything to do with The Black Donnellys.

As soon as Nikky was out of sight Jimmy moved, "Sweetie, give me the gun." He could tell that she wasn't listening; he hated to say it, "Theodora!"

She looked at him, but just stared it wasn't very often that Jimmy called her that so she was shocked.

"Give me the gun."

Teddy put the safety on and handed it to him, "Sean, you still with us?"

"Yea." He looked scared and shocked.

"Ok, I'm going home to change."

Jimmy followed her. They got outside and he put his hand on her shoulder. She moved so it fell off, it bothered him, but what bothered him most is that she was shaking.

"How did you get the money to bail me out? Is that what happened to you?"

She shook her head.

"Did you put yourself in danger to help me?"

She shook her head again, "No, but I think I did putting a gun to Nikky's head in there."

Jimmy chuckled, "You definitely are a spitfire like dad said."

"I'm a Donnelly, you take one of us on you take us all on. Besides, I'm not afraid of Nikky. That son of a bitch will pay for what he did to Sean."

They got to the apartment Teddy went right to her room, got clean clothes and went to get a quick shower. The water stung her face. She got out, avoiding the mirror, and she got dressed.

When Teddy came out of the bathroom the apartment was empty. She sat down on the couch, pulled her legs up and sat there waiting for Jimmy to come back from where ever he was.

She knew she couldn't tell her brothers what happened to her. She didn't know what they would do if they found out how deep she was in with Charlie or what she had been doing to get her money.

Teddy was still thinking when Jimmy came in and he looked like his mood had changed from concern for Sean to being pissed at god only knew what or who, "I found Eddie."

She stood up, "You didn't hurt him did you? I already told you that he didn't do this."

"You didn't tell me anything and no I didn't hurt him. He said you two were out and you had a run in with Charlie Cattero. Is that true?"

Teddy stared at him and nodded.

"Eddie said Charlie beat him pretty bad and he didn't see you again last night so he figured you were safe. You weren't were you?"

She shook her head.

"What did Charlie do?"

"Nothing, Jimmy, he didn't do one damn thing."

"Do I have to go get a mirror and show you again the nothing that he supposedly didn't do?"

"I can handle it myself."

"From the look of your face I don't think you can. Let me help you."

"No!" She began pacing like a caged animal, "I can't stand here and do nothing. Sean is in the hospital and he needs his family with him and you are sitting here and giving me the third degree."

"Girl, what is wrong with you? You can't sit still, you're sweating buckets and you're snapping at everyone."

"It's nothing; I'm just worried about Sean that's all."

"Ok, sweetie." Jimmy was not convinced that was what was wrong, but he wasn't going to push her any further, "Let's go and see how Seanie is doing." He held his hand out to her, she looked at it for what felt like forever and then she took it.

Jimmy smiled and put his arm around her shoulders. She flinched and moved away from him, "What's wrong with your back?"

"Nothing, I think I pulled a muscle and you hit it."

The look on her face made him think otherwise, "Let me see your back."

Teddy shook her head, "No."

"Teddy, don't make me hold you down and look. Pull up your shirt and show me your back."

Teddy was extremely nervous. She knew what her back must look like after being slammed into the wall all those times by Charlie, "No, I'm not a child anymore and you can't make me do it."

Jimmy grabbed her arm and turned her around. Even though Teddy was fighting him he managed to get the back of her shirt up. The second he saw her back he had to let her go, "Did Charlie do this to you?"

Teddy moved away from him and pulled her shirt down. She turned to face him and her face looked stone cold to Jimmy, "I can handle it myself."

"But it must hurt." The anger that Jimmy was feeling had all but completely melted away when he saw the bruises and the look on her face at that moment.

Teddy could see unshed tears in his eyes, but she didn't let that affect her, "It hurts like hell, but I can handle it. You guys have been getting beaten up for years and I don't ever see any of you whine about it."

Jimmy nodded slowly, "I guess we are built tougher. Teddy, you don't have to fight that is why you have brothers like us, to do it for you."

"Go to hell, Jimmy. I'm outta here." She opened the door to leave, but turned and looked at him, "Don't follow me either. I can handle myself."

She slammed the door and all Jimmy could think of doing was going to the hospital to tell the others what he had found out and try to find out what was going on with his little sister, 'Dad, I think we are beginning to fail you. Tell me what to do to help her.'

He walked to the hospital thinking, 'No one can tell ma and, right now, Sean doesn't need to know either. We need to find Teddy before she gets herself in deeper then she already is in whatever she is doing.'

Jimmy put his hand on his head, dealing with Teddy and all the crap with Sean was giving him a headache. He would make one stop at the Firecracker and everything would be fine.