Sorry it's been so long! I hope it'll get on faster again. I'm still not sure if this story should end happily or depressingly, anyway… but I'm probably open for any suggestions!
"Hey, how are my two favorite people in the world?" For the first time in ages Jamie found himself actually smiling, despite the exhaustion after eight hours babysitting the phone. He hadn't expected office duty to tire him out as much as patrolling, but actually it was. New York never slept.
Still, the memory of his nephews laughing had lasted, and it seemed like a little sunray through the heavy fog. Not that it could help anything, at last, but…
"Hey. How was your night?"
He winced. It was the most innocent question ever, but since she had collapsed in front of him after asking it, it freaked him out. "Quiet."
"Good." Beth sighed. "Jamie… remember when I asked you not to come in the morning?"
He straightened up. "Yeah."
"Well… there's a new surgeon who wants to talk to us. He said maybe there's… maybe there's a way…"
Jamie's body went numb again, while all around the air seemed to buzz. He swallowed and tried to stay calm. He couldn't let himself hope, he couldn't… he had to be strong for Beth and Thomas and that wouldn't be possible if he dared dreaming now… then again, wasn't that the sense of prayers? That miracles could come true?
He closed his eyes. "A way for what?" His voice was shivering.
The laughter at the other end almost made him cry. "Sorry. It's just… maybe we both can live. I mean… the three of us. Together."
The tears fell freely, and he couldn't care less. "I'm on my way. Just do it, okay, whatever he wants, you do it, we can pay it, I swear, I… I'm here in a moment, okay? I love you." He hang up without waiting for her answer, unable to speak anymore, almost unable to think.
She could live. They could have their family. They could have the life they were dreaming of.
"Jamie?"
He looked up. Renzulli was looking at him, alarmed. "Is there anything I can…"
"No, no, it's… it's okay." Hurriedly he wiped the tears off his face. It was embarrassing how much he had let himself go. Renzulli shouldn't still be worried about him. And he had to stop crying like that.
"How do you mean okay?" The sergeant was not convinced.
"She's gonna live." Then Jamie dropped back to earth. "Maybe. I have to find out."
Renzulli nodded. "Then what the hell are you doing here? Get over, and come back with some good news for once, will you?"
He shook his head as he watched his former rookie storm out. He wished, he really wished for the girl to pull through but if he had learnt one thing about the Reagans it was that there was always something wrong. The only one who really seemed to have his life under control was… well… Danny.
"Detective Reagan? Hey, kid, what's up?" Danny sent a quick prayer up. This was either Beth's salvation or her irreversible death sentence.
"She's gonna live. Both of them, Danny."
Thank God. Danny looked up and mouthed grace into the cloudless sky. Somewhere in the back of his mind he disliked the fact that Jamie referred to his wife as "she". He was overprotective, as all of them were, but Beth's illness had reinforced his passion to something… maybe unhealthy.
"Danny?"
Maybe now was not the time to tell him that. "Really? Jamie, that's great. That's…" he allowed the sigh of relief to break through. "How?"
"Blood transfusion." Jamie took Beth's hand and squeezed it gently. She was already looking better from all he could judge. Which actually might not be very far, but who cared? She would live. She would hold her son in her arms, and one day she would cry at his wedding, and then hold her grandchildren… "They extract a little amount of blood and treat it as aggressively as they need to, and then put it back one it's clean."
"Wow that sounds…" Danny shook his head. "Disgusting. But it's going to work? And Thomas won't be affected by it?"
"Since it happens outside Beth's body, no." Jamie sounded as happily as when they had announced Beth's pregnancy. "But they always have him on the record, so… Danny, I…"
"It is going to be okay." Danny smiled. "Jamie, that's the best news I heard in this whole week. Or month. Have you told dad already?"
"No, but I'm going to."
"Can I tell Linda? Please. It was sort of… well, sort of her idea to ask that guy trying this therapy. To be honest."
"She… what?" In the background, Danny heard Beth laughing. "God, Danny, she saved Beth' life."
"Well, you better say thank you and bring her some flowers."
"Red poppy" Beth fell in, "and marguerites. Right, Danny? As if that could ever be enough."
"We're family, Beth. That's what we're doing" Danny said gently. "But I'm not gonna say no if you want to keep babysitting our boys once in a while so we can have a night out."
"Always."