Black and Blue and Red All Over
Author's Note: My apologies for this being so late! I intended to have it up Wednesday, but Real Life wasn't on my side with that. I hope you enjoy!
Missing Scene #3 - Frank finds out just what sort of a day it's been for Jamie.
Frank Reagan was not having a good day.
His secretary tripping over her own heels and spilling his coffee all over the leather couch in his office hadn't been that bad, and neither had the tangled mess of paperwork that one of his lieutenants had deposited on his desk with a smile.
But this budget meeting? Killing him.
Trying to arrange his face into something that passed for interest, Frank watched as one of the city financial planners carried on, gesturing towards a PowerPoint filled with bar graphs, statistics and projections. Oh, it was important information, and critical to the city's health and strength. He knew that. But the numbers were strangling the cop in him.
Frank had just begun to tap his fingers against the polished mahogany surface of the massive conference table, eyeing his iPhone and considering a visit to the "Angry Birds" app Jack had helpfully installed for him the weekend before, when the door to the conference room eased open on silent hinges. Frank did his best to mask his relief when he saw one of the young women from his office poke her head through, eyes scanning the room until her gaze landed on him. Her expression was pinched and set; like someone, he thought, who had just taken a deep breath and put on a nice, stoic mask.
Bad news, then.
She nodded at him, and he cleared his throat, nodding graciously to the curious faces that turned his way as he stood and moved towards the door. It was always conspicuous when the commissioner went anywhere, or dared to excuse himself in the middle of a meeting. Yet another thing, honestly, that made him miss being on the front lines of the force.
The woman - Kate Walton was her name, although he had not worked with her often - stepped back into the hallway, holding the door for him and closing it with a firm click once he was through.
Frank turned to face her expectantly, slipping his hands into his pockets. She was taking a deep breath, and her posture was tense.
Frank was well aware of his intimidation factor. He waited, trying not to smirk.
Kate looked up, swallowing. "Sir, we have a situation in Washington Heights."
He lifted his eyebrows. Picking up on his silent cue to continue, she took another breath before speaking again. "Sir, about fifteen minutes ago, officers responded to a 911 call of a robbery in progress at Reverend Potter's church. The officers were denied access to the building and were subsequently injured by the Reverend's security guards. A 10-85 was called, and the situation had escalated to a 10-13 within a few minutes. The district commander is attempting to bring the situation under control at the moment."
Frank was careful to make sure his calm, measured expression never changed. He was good at that. But inside, his emotions tumbled from surprise, down through concern, and finally splattered on the rock-bottom of dread. "Are the church's guards resisting?"
"Yes sir."
He bit back a groan. From a public relations perspective, this had all the appeal of a pile of dog crap smeared on the sole of his shoe. "I want an update upstairs in my office in five minutes. Make sure public affairs is involved. And give the district commander strict instructions that I want this resolved as peacefully as possible."
Kate had whipped her leather portfolio out from under her arm the moment he began speaking, and was scribbling frantic notes. She tucked her pen behind her ear a moment later to grab the smartphone perched precariously in the crook of her arm. "Sir, ambulances were requested at the scene. I don't know why."
"Find out. I'll be right back." Kate nodded, moving purposely away down the hall, phone already going to her ear.
He was alone in the hallway for just a moment, and Frank took that moment for himself, breathing deeply of the quiet. If Reverend Potter was indeed involved in some sort of mayhem with the NYPD, it certainly wouldn't be quiet for long. The Office of the Commissioner would need to dust off all its political armor for this one.
On the bright side, the Reverend HAD gotten him out of the budget meeting.
Centering himself for the challenge ahead, Frank moved back into the room and stepped purposefully to his seat. The conversation paused with his entrance, and he hoped the wistful smile on his face looked genuine. "Ladies and gentlemen, a matter has developed that requires my attention. I regret that I will need to excuse myself."
"Aw, c'mon, Frank," one of the captains on the other side of the room said with a labored sigh. "It took us three weeks to pull everyone together for this. Can't you let Garrett handle it?"
"I apologize, John, but the business of New York City is at hand." He gathered his portfolio and phone, nodding once again to those gathered as he departed.
Frank was surprised to find Kate waiting for him when he stepped out into the hallway again. Her face had gone several shades paler.
Frank swore in the privacy of his head. "Walk with me," he said curtly.
He was four strides down the hallway before he realized she wasn't following.
Surprised, Frank turned to look over his shoulder. "Miss Walton?"
Kate stepped forward, swallowing hard. "Sir, I've received confirmation that two officers were injured on the scene."
He hesitated, trying to read what was coming next. "Badly?"
"No details on that, sir. But they were out of the twelfth." She swallowed again. "Sergeant Anthony Renzulli and... Officer Jamie Reagan."
Frank stared, uncomprehending.
"I'm trying to find out his condition, sir," she said, stumbling into his shocked silence with quick words. "I've placed some calls-"
"My son?" He heard the words before realizing they had passed from his lips and barely recognized the stunned voice that had to be his own. He couldn't process what she had just told him.
"Yes, sir." She looked down at the cell phone, tight in her hand. "Sergeant Anthony Renzulli and Officer Jamie Reagan-"
He spun on his heel and marched down the hall, moving quickly toward the elevators. Fear was beginning to claw into the bottom of his stomach, and he gritted his teeth, swallowing down against it. He needed to move. He needed to act. Panic would get him nowhere. He couldn't help his son if he was-
Frank stopped abruptly, his head spinning, and nearly had to put a hand against the wall to steady himself. Ambulances. Officers injured on the scene. His son.
"Sir?" Kate was rushing after him, her heels tapping out a panicked and uneven rhythm in the hallway. "Could it be someone else? Another officer with the same name?"
"Sergeant Renzulli is my son's TO," he replied tightly.
"And Officer Reagan is in the twelfth?"
"Yes." Jamie's face flashed before him, and he remembered a brisk September morning when he saw his son in full uniform for the first time, Jamie standing pink-cheeked and windblown on a New York City street with hundreds of other newly minted officers. He remembered grasping his son's hand, clapping him solidly on the shoulder, and feeling his heart swell with pride at the sparkle in his youngest boy's eyes. "I'm proud of you, son," he had said. Oh, God, he was proud.
Frank punched the button for the elevator a good deal harder than was actually necessary. Kate was back on her phone again, a nervous flutter at his elbow.
He wasn't going to think about it. He couldn't think about it. He had a job to do.
But Jamie was his baby, for God's sake.
The elevator announced its arrival with a pleasant ding that Frank barely heard. When the door slid open smoothly a moment later, he began to move forward but was brought up abruptly by the unexpected sight of his DCPI, Garrett Moore, standing in the car. His assistant, Detective Baker, was at Garrett's side.
Garrett immediately threw his hands up in the air, his wide gaze taking in the full effect of Frank's looming presence. "Frank, he's okay."
"What?" he snapped.
"Jamie's fine," he assured. "We just confirmed it. Nothing but minor injuries, Frank."
He hesitated, letting the words sink in. "You're certain?"
"I just spoke with the commander on scene," Garrett said, stepping back to allow Frank into the elevator. "Your office, sir?"
"Are you still getting reports?"
"By the minute," Detective Baker replied, as Kate slid inside and pressed the proper button to get them moving. "Metro News just went live with an on-scene reporter. We're working on-"
"Brief me upstairs," he interrupted.
The detective blinked in surprise. "Yes, sir," she replied, catching the knowing look Garrett was sending her way.
Frank saw it, too, but ignored it. Instead, he just breathed, feeling the clench of fear in his muscles loosen, and feeling the numbness fading away. He would let them share whatever details they were gathering when the elevators doors opened again, and when he stepped out as the Police Commissioner of New York City.
But for the moment, just one moment, he was something even more important than that.
A father.
I hope you've enjoyed these missing scenes! I have two more in mind but I just got an awesome new idea tonight from Gymkidz2000, so I'll be doing that one as well. Also, shoutout to Spedreder who left a nice review that I wasn't able to reply to - so I'm thanking you here. :) More to come soon! Next up:
Missing Scene #4 - Danny touches base with his father over the day's events.