AN: Sorry for the long wait, I was in Philadelphia. Hope you enjoy! And seriously, thank you SO much for the reviews guys.
Again, I sadly own none of the Donnellys...
Brigit had been staring at Sean Donnelly for the past five minutes. Her eyes studied every scar, every injury.
It could have been so much worse. He could have had a broken bone or massive internal bleeding. He could have been dead.
Any one of the Donnellys could have been dead, not just Sean. The life they led now could do that to them and Brigit knew that full well. The constant, nagging feeling of worry could always accompany Brigit if they continued down their paths.
She wanted things to go back to the way they were, when no one had any problems with the Italians – well, maybe Jimmy did but that's to be expected. She just wanted to spend time with Kevin.
Brigit reasoned with herself... she knew she wouldn't fully get Kevin until every Donnelly was safe, especially Helen.
She wondered if when any of the Donnelly brothers thought of protecting their family, if she was included. She was pretty sure Jenny was, at least in Tommy's mind, but what about her? Was she in Kevin's thought? Or Tommy's?
She smiled, shook her head, and kissed Sean on the forehead. Who was she kidding? Nothing bad had ever happened to her when the Donnellys were around. Even if they didn't think of her as family – which she doubted since she was practically married to Kevin – she knew they'd always protect her like one of the family.
Brigit looked up at the sounds of footsteps, "Hey Tommy."
He felt a corner of his mouth twitch as she watched her eyes then dart behind him, looking for Kevin. They both nodded at each other: she knew he needed to talk to Sean and he knew she wanted to make sure Kevin was in one piece. He tried not to envy Kevin and Brigit's relationship.
She stood back the doorway of the waiting room, not wanting to disturb the moment between Kevin and Helen. Jenny saw her and tried to smile but failed. Everyone else took notice of her when Jenny got up to follow Tommy and Brigit was standing there, obviously not wanting to intrude.
"Bri," Kevin breathed as he stood up and caught her in his arms.
They stood like that for a few minutes, relishing the closeness they shared. Helen smiled at the two, she knew where he third son's heart belonged and she wouldn't have had it any other way.
They separated when Dr. Tyler called for Helen and Kevin for an update on Sean. Brigit was about to excuse herself from what she knew would be a private family moment, especially when she felt her phone vibrating at her waist. Jimmy was calling her. She was about to pick up since she hadn't seen him in hours when Kevin stopped, looking back at her expectantly and Helen held a hand out to her, wanting Brigit to be with them when the doctor spoke. Jimmy's call was forgotten.
Dr. Tyler explained Sean's condition before Tommy excused himself and Kevin. They walked off without another word. Helen and Jenny began to walk back to the waiting room but Brigit stood there still, watching the men leave. She wouldn't let Kevin just leave again, she couldn't.
She looked at the clock, she had been off work for a half hour and when she saw Tommy stop Kim before the elevators, Brigit took her chance and chased after Kevin.
"Did you hear that? He's making me go shopping, he knows I hate shopping," Kevin complained.
Brigit was trying to be mad at him for leaving her once again so suddenly but he was always so cute when he whined (which was often).
She raised an eyebrow at him, "Well, you know I hate going without you for days at a time but you still make me do it."
"Again, Tommy's fault."
She couldn't help but laugh. Any anger was gone now.
He opened his arms to her, which she gladly accepted, "I miss you too Bri. But I gotta do this. When it's all done, I'll be all yours, okay?"
She nodded against his chest, "All right... well I've got to go home now. Be safe please. Don't do anything stupid."
She stood up on her toes and kissed him quickly on the lips. He smiled at her in hopes of lifting her spirits – it did a little, "I'll be by in a couple hours or so."
He watched her walk down the hall, wishing he could walk her home like he used to, wishing he could hold her like he used to.
But when he saw Tommy coming towards him, he put her out of his mind so he focus on whatever he was about to do so eventually, he could go home to her.
Kevin sighed as he once again reassured his older brother that the dump site was perfect. Tommy never trusted him on anything.
He silently thanked God above when his cell phone rang and saw it was Brigit.
He picked it up, "Hey."
"Hey you. I was wondering where the heck you were," she listened to the background noises, "Are you driving?"
Kevin looked at Tommy, "Uh, yeah. We're coming back from Meadowlands."
"You went to bet on horses? With Tommy?"
"Yeah, yeah. I don't know, it's like he doesn't trust me or something."
Brigit laughed on the other end, "With good reason."
"Hey Kev, ask her if she can go check if you locked up the Firecracker."
Kevin didn't have time to ask or answer since Brigit had heard Tommy anyways, "What, King Thomas, like I don't have a life? Maybe it's you who left it unlocked, not Kevin. And maybe you should go check it."
"I heard that Brigit. Why are you always stickin' up for him?"
"Because he's so much cuter than you... as well as other reasons I won't discuss."
"You know I'm right here!" Kevin piped in, "And I don't like being called cute!"
Tommy looked back at the road as Brigit chuckled, "Fine, Kevin, you're so much hotter than Tommy is... although he does have really nice abs."
"First off, that didn't help at all. Second off, when did you see Tommy's abs?!"
Brigit suppressed a giggle, "That's not the point. The point is why is Jimmy calling me, asking me to bail him out? The point is-"
Tommy grabbed the point out of Kevin's hand, ignoring Kevin's protests, "Jimmy called you?"
Brigit wasn't surprised by the sudden change of her listener, "Yeah, he's called me a couple times. Since when is he in jail? And what for?"
"He stole a truck of shirts-"
"Oh God, please not those shirts like the hideous one he was wearing!"
Tommy smiled, "Yeah, for those shirts. Don't bail him out. He needs to go to rehab."
"Don't worry, I won't bail him out. I'm sure he's called all of you by now. Don't let him con Kevin into bailing him out. Jimmy needs help."
"I think I'll need your help in that department, I think he listens to you more than he listens to me."
Tommy couldn't see Brigit smiling, "There's probably a reason for that..."
Tommy made a face, showing how disgusted he was before he threw the phone back at his little brother, who eagerly put to his ear, "Hey."
"Come home," Brigit whined.
"I will as soon as we're done, okay?"
"All right, I love you."
Brigit waited, rolling her eyes, "Kevin Michael Donnelly, say it back this instant! I know you mean it so don't be scared to say it just because Tommy's right there. Say it or spend your nights alone."
Kevin sighed, "I love you too Bri."
She smiled proudly as she hung up the phone, as did Tommy.
"Kev, you're such a sucker."
Brigit looked both ways before crossing the street towards the Firecracker Lounge. It wasn't open, of course, since Jimmy was in jail, Sean was in the hospital, and Tommy and Kevin were God knew where. The lights were on though, which worried Brigit as she pushed the door in.
"Hello? Whose in here?"
She heard the water running downstairs so she eased her way towards the top of the stairs.
"Jenny? Jenny, what are you doing?" she asked as she took careful steps down the stairs.
"Careful!" Jenny warned.
Brigit stopped and looked down, seeing a trail of blood through the basement and up the stairs.
"Oh God Jenny, you shouldn't be doing this, at least not alone! Here, let me help you."
The similarities and differences between Jenny and Brigit could have been seen right here if anyone was looking. They were both there, cleaning away a crime in hopes of protecting their friends, they were doing it out of instinct. But the emotion behind the instinct was different. Jenny did it out of fear, because she didn't know what else to do. Brigit did it out of protection, out of love, because she knew it was the only thing there was to be done.
Once it was all done, they both went to the hospital. Even though it was Brigit's day off, she'd figured she'd check on Sean and Helen.
She stopped to talk to some nurses before she entered Sean's room to hear Helen say, "I think that if you know someone's good, you know it in your belly. And you trust that if they had to do something, they had no other choice."
Brigit leaned against the door frame. She knew Helen was right, especially when she went home that night, she found Kevin waiting by her door.
There are things and people you just trust and Kevin was one of those people. In her gut, Brigit knew she not only loved Kevin, but she trusted him completely, in everything he did.