Jamie watched in horror as Danny fell to the ground limp, only three feet away. Time slowed as two loud bangs echoed around Jamie. He hit the ground and was in a daze. He heard someone walk past him and out the door. His mind seemed to catch up to what was going on. Robbers...Guns...DANNY! Jamie tried to sit up, but pain stopped him. He look at his chest and found two fresh bullet holes, but he felt no pain. Jamie flipped to his stomach and dragged his body towards his brother's form. He reached him and flipped Danny over. He had a bullet wound in his upper chest. There was blood everywhere and Jamie's hand flew to his neck. There was a slight beating and Jamie let out a breath. He pushed on Danny's wound and hoped the older man would awaken. When he didn't, Jamie started to cry.
He could feel his shirt grow wetter with each passing second. Blood turned the baby blue shirt to a dark crimson color. Jamie could feel his strength diminishing, but he fought it, to keep Danny alive. Sirens could be heard approaching. As the paramedics burst through the door, Jamie lost his battle and fell unconscious next to his big brother.
Frank climbed out of the cop car and enter that convenience store. He stopped dead in his tracks. There was dried blood all over the floor, more than he had ever seen at a crime scene before. Frank was still not aware that it was his sons' blood at the moment, he only knew that a detective and a cop were shot at and injured in this store. After his initial shock, Frank entered the store and walked over to the head detective.
"Commissioner? What are you doing here?" Frank looked puzzled.
"My job."
"I thought you would be at the hospital." Frank was even more confused now.
"Normally, I go and visit when the family has had their time."
"But, sir. They are your family." The cop then realized that Frank had not been informed that his sons were the injured ones. Frank's eyes grew wide.
"You mean...My Danny and Jamie?" The cop nodded and Frank ran out of the store and to the car. He directed the driver to the hospital and started calling everyone he could think of.
When Frank arrived at the hospital, Linda and the boys were already there with Henry. And not soon after, Erin and Nicki arrived. They all sat in silence and waited for any news. After four hours, a doctor approached them. They all stood.
"For Detective Reagan?" The group nodded and the doctor began. "The bullet missed all major organs and did minimal damage. He is out of surgery and is awake. I will have a nurse take you to him."
"What about Jamie?"
"I'm sorry, he wasn't my patient, I'm not sure. But I'll inform the nurses that when they have news, you will be in Danny's room." Frank nodded and the doctor left. The family followed a nurse to Danny's room. Danny smiled as they entered, but his smile faded when Jamie didn't enter with them.
"Where's Jamie?" Danny had unshed tears in his eyes.
"In surgery."
"How made is he?"
"We don't know yet." Danny closed his eyes.
"He's my little brother, I was supposed to protect him." Frank laid a gentle hand on Danny's shoulder.
"Why don't you tell us what happened?"
"Jamie and I each had a break at the same time, so we decided to meet up and grab a bite. Well, we stopped at the little store to grab a quick snack before we had to go back. When we walked in, the cashier was being held at gun point and we startled him. He turned and fired at me. I remember falling to the ground and that's it." Danny looked at his father. "He better be alright." Frank nodded and went to go find so answers. Linda crawled into bed next to Danny and cried on his shoulder. She had been strong when he was in surgery, for the kids, but now that she could hold him again, she broke down. Erin sat quietly in the corner chair, praying for Jamie. Nicki had taken the boys to the cafeteria for something to eat.
Linda and Danny were fast asleep when Frank came back, he shook his head and Erin, letting her know that he hadn't found out anything. Erin sank back into her chair and zoned out.
Hours passed and still no word about Jamie. Frank was about to flag down a nurse when there was a knock on the door. A different doctor walked in.
"Is this the right room?" The doctor glanced around and concluded that it was.
"Officer Reagan was shot two times, one in the chest and one in his lower abdomen. He lost a lot of blood and we lost him a couple of times during the surgery. we managed to remove both bullets and fix him up. From the blood loss he is in a medically induced coma. We will keep him under until we think he is strong enough. He has a high survival rate, as long as he stays under for a while. Upon request we can put Officer Reagan and Detective Reagan in the same room."
"Yes." Danny wanted to see that his baby brother was alive.
Two long hours later, the family found themselves relocated into a larger room. Danny made the nurses, put his bed right next to Jamie's. As the sun began to set, Erin, Linda, and the kids went home with Henry. Only Frank stayed behind. He found a comfy spot on the couch and tried to get some sleep.
As the days pasted by, the Reagan family watched as more color returned to Jamie's face. The doctors said that they would be waking him soon. Danny spent his days, in a wheelchair, next to Jamie's bed, holding his hand. And that is where Danny was when Jamie's doctor came in the room and told them that he was removing the anesthetic from Jamie's I.V. and he would be waking soon.
Danny had his head resting on Jamie's bed, his hand still holding Jamie's. He awoken when Jamie's hand twitched. Danny sat up and watched, with the excitement of a child on Christmas morning, as Jamie's eyes opened. Jamie blinked a few times and then focused on Danny's face. Jamie smiled.
"Hey kid." Danny squeezed Jamie's hand.
"We survived." Danny nodded as tears of joy rolled down his cheeks.
"I'm sorry for what happened. I should have protected you."
"It's fine Danny. We are both alive and that's all that matters." Danny nodded.
"As long as I still have my little brother, the world is in balance." Jamie yawned. "Get your rest. I'll still be here when you wake up."