Angela had been awake for 2 hours now and she hadn't really done much of anything. There wasn't much she could while restrained to a hospital bed, except maybe stare outside at the outside world through the open window. Eyes wide open and seeing everything, but taking in nothing.
She had been quiet since she woke up. Staying so still that one could mistake her for a statue, if it wasn't for the occasional raspy breathes she exhaled. The nurses on duty had come in periodically to check on her, making sure she was still alive while trying to coax her into a conversation, with little to no results. She remained completely unresponsive, only breaking her silence to ask, "Is Detective Reagan here, yet?". Upon receiving a negative answer she would once again fall silent, to the nurses growing frustration.
Empty brown eyes stared down at the cars below, as they drove past the hospital on the wet a New York streets. How fitting that it should rain, with all the dark thoughts swirling around her head, and all the terrible things happening in her life. It seemed right for it to rain, as if the sky itself felt her pain and sympathizing; expressed it's sorrow through the clouds.
Although she could hear her hospital room door open and close, she didn't feel compelled to turn and face her guest. It was probably just another nurse coming to check her vitals, see if she was dead. All while assuring her that Detective Reagan was on his way. She really couldn't be bothered to entertain a nurse right now.
Hearing an familiar voice call out her name, she turned to stare into the concerned brown eyes of one Detective Daniel Fitzgerald Reagan.
"Hello Danny," She called, her voice barely above a whisper. Lately she hadn't the strength to put more force in her voice or anything really. "I'm so glad to see you, although not exactly this way. I didn't plan it this way"
"Angela, hey, you don't look so good. What happaned?", his voice was uncharacteristically soft and gentle. He talked as if she were made glass and his words had the power to shatter her. Too bad sor him though, she was already broken.
"Something terrible happene , Danny, and not just to me, but I'll get to that in a moment. Could you hand me my bag."
She pointed to the small knapsack she had carried with her on the plane. It was the only thing the paramedics were able to pull out the car before it went up in flames.
Danny looked over to where she was pointing, and grabbed her bag off the floor. Carefully handing it to her, he watched as she rifled through the pockets, before she finally found what she was looking for. Pulling out her wallet, she opened it up and pulled out a small picture, staring at it for a moment before passing it to him.
It was a photo of a newborn. One of those wallet sized pictures some hospitals gave the parents once the baby was born. He stated at it for a moment before looking back up at her. He didn't see what this had to do with anything. Seeing his confusion Angela began to speak.
"That's Liam Daniel Reagan, born 7 pounds 12 ounces on October 9th 2009, and yes before you ask he is Joe's son."
She paused and looked up at his face, trying to judge his reaction, but his face was impassive. His eyes were like steel, his jaw was set. He leaned casually against the door with his arms crossed and that emotionless mask slowly creeping up on his face. Seeing that his body language would give nothing away, she continued on as if she hadn't stopped.
"He's only 3 months old, but I already see that he's so much like Joe. Same soft blond hair, although a bit lighter than his, I'm certain it will darken as he gets older. He's got the same chocolate eyes, and every time he laughs they just light up, with such the most beautiful twinkle. He's always laughing, so they always shine. He's such a happy baby."
"Angela," he asked softly," what happened? Where's Liam?"
She sniffed softly as her eyes began to water and her voice chocked. I
"I wanted you to meet him. All of you, I wanted all of you to meet him. My mother she wanted me to wait until he was older to travel. At least 3 or 5, but I just couldn't wait that long. I wanted my baby to grow up knowing both sides of his family and now... he might not get to know either one."
She began to break down into hysterical sobbing, while Danny awkwardly looked on. He hated crying woman situations especially when he was the one who had to calm their hysterics. Pushing off from the door, he moved over to the bed and awkwardly began to pat her back.
"It'll be okay, Angela, just finish telling me what happened, and I promise I'll fix this."
She began to rapidly shake her head while muttering no repeatedly. Eventually she got dizzy and was forced to stop.
"It's been a week already, the chances of you finding my baby, my Liam is slim to none at this point. Kidnapping cases go cold after the first 24 hours and it's presumed the child is dead unless ransom comes in. It's been 168 hours and no ransom was made, if there was one you'd be here sooner.
At this point Liam's Kidnapping is a cold case. Even if you wanted to find him you'd be told to move on. Crime doesn't stop just because my world has."
"No, no, you're forgetting something Angela, I'm a Reagan, We're Reagans. You've been one ever since you started dating Joe. This baby only confirmed what was already known. I'll find him, Angela, I swear I'll find him, but I can't do that without your help. You need to finish telling me what happened."
She nodded, took a deep breath and choked back her next sob before continuing on.
"Um...after I made the decision to come back, I booked the earliest flight to New York. I wanted to leave quickly that way I wouldn't have time to talk myself out of it and my mother wouldn't know. We were on that plane for hours and then some time around 9 we landed at JFK. I had the foresight to call a rental car company, so there was a car waiting for me when we got there.
I didn't go straight to Commissioner Reagans house, I knew that I'd eventually end up there, but not right away. I wanted to clear my head, figure out what I was going to say, so I drove around for a bit, some how ended up in Brooklyn. Around then Liam woke up. He started laughing and I took my eyes off the road for just a moment. When I turned back to the road there was this woman in the middle of the street.
She had rushed out into the street, I guess she thought she could cross it before I reached her, but I was too close and she was too slow. I swerved out of the way, she kept walking. I Lost control of the car and it flipped over and she was fine. I hit my head, blacked out, and she kept walking didn't even turn around.
When I woke up, I was in so much pain, I wanted to passout ,but I to check on Liam, so I turned around and there was this woman reaching through the back window and pulling him out of his car seat. I started screaming. I wanted her to let him go, but she wouldn't listen. She ignored me and pulled him out the window, and he was screaming so...loud.
She got up and, still holding him, she walked away. Just walked away. I was screaming at her , Liam was screaming at her, and she kept walking. With my baby, she walked away."
Her words faded off at the end and she slumped back against the bed. Too tired exert any effort to sit up. Danny sighed and nodded, he had just received a lot of information. All of it giving him a rush of mixed emotions and a headache, but this was neither the time nor the place to express any of them.
As of now he had a case, a bad one where someone in his family was in danger. If any normal case would put him on edge this one was doubling that effect. Whatever he was feeling right now, however, was going to have to be ignored or he'd be taken off the case. He could suppress his feelings, for now, just until Liam was found and returned to his family.
"Alright here's what I'm gonna do. I'm gonna contact my dad, and tell him what's going on. He'll contact my department and get this case started. My partner will come by later with a sketch artist and while you tell her what you told me, you can describe what this woman looked like so we know what we're looking for."
Hey got up and moved back over to the door, he was half way out when he turned back and looked her straight in the eyes. His face softened at the look on her face. The depression, the despair. Quietly he murmured.
"We're gonna find him, Angela, we're gonna find him."
Hey waited until she nodded in understanding before leaving. Reaching into his pocket, he fished out his cell phone and pressed the speed dial for his father cell phone. They had alot they needed to talk about.