A/N: I appreciate you all sticking by this story. I know I haven't made that easy with the long breaks between chapters. See the first chapter for the disclaimer. I hope you guys enjoy this one, and please review. :)

Chapter Thirty Two

Linda wasn't sure how to respond when the cab pulled up in front of her house and Jamie stepped out. She thought about calling Danny, giving him the chance to come in and talk to his younger brother. However, with the way Jamie looked, she didn't think he'd wait for Danny to come home.

She couldn't tell if he was just pissed off, or if he was hurt, too.

She opened the door for Jamie, but didn't say anything. He didn't say anything either, just looked around, as if noticing that Danny wasn't there.

"He's still at work," Linda supplied for him.

Jamie nodded, sinking into the couch.

"Want me to call him?"

Jamie shook his head.

Linda nodded slightly. "Can I get you something?"

Jamie shrugged.

"I can make some tea," she said. "I have beer."

Jamie said nothing, staring at the wall.

Linda sighed softly, walking to the kitchen and turning on the water. She pulled two mugs out of the cupboard and was surprised to find him behind her, grabbing the tea out of another cupboard. She poured the hot water in the mugs as Jamie grabbed the sugar and spoons.

After mixing his tea, Jamie moved to go sit outside. Linda hesitated for a moment, unsure of whether or not to follow him. After quickly texting Danny, she decided to join him outside on the back step.

"When do the boys get home?" he finally asked.

"Dinner time," she replied.

"Don't let me stop you from anything."

She shook her head. "You're not. Danny's picking up the boys and bringing home pizza tonight."

"And you told him to get extra because I'm here."

She shrugged slightly with a smile.

Jamie shook his head slowly. "Sorry to just drop by like this."

"You're welcome any time, Jamie," Linda said. "You know that."

"I know." He sighed softly. "I just hate being a burden."

"You're not a burden, Jamie. What you're going through… it's hard for anyone to go through. You shouldn't feel bad about talking or dropping by."

Jamie took a drink from his tea.

"And, I know I'm not Danny, but I'll listen if you feel like talking."

He shrugged. "I don't know what to say, Linda," he admitted softly.

"You just came from upstate. How did it go?"

Jamie looked down at the mug in in his hands, and for a moment, Linda was afraid she had pushed too hard. Then, after a minute, he said, "I'm an idiot."

Linda didn't say anything.

He shook his head. "She duped me, Linda. I thought she was there against her will, but… she played me."

"Nothin' wrong with thinkin' someone's in trouble," she said.

"I'm trained to spot the nuances," he said. "How'd I not know she was faking it?"

"Some people are better actors than others. I once had a girl come in complainin' of stomach pain and blood in her stools. Plenty of reasons that happens, a stomach bleed. Wasn't until the next time she came in for abdominal pain that we realized it wasn't just a simple bleed. Girl's husband was beating her with a copper pipe, she says. Turns out she's the abuser, not him. Realized it after she'd killed him."

Jamie shook his head sadly. "Yeah, but with all due respect, Linda…"

"You think takin' a health history is easy?" she interrupted. "I gotta take people at their word, and a lot of times, they're lyin' about somethin'. The trick is figuring out what they're lyin' about."

"Like taking a statement," he said softly.

"Yeah, except you and Danny get to call them out on it. I have to pretend I believe them until I know otherwise. Like the kid hopped up on coke who swears he doesn't do drugs until the tox screen comes back."

Jamie smiled slightly.

"You're in a high stress situation," she said. "Uncomfortable, in pain, confused. Being told a hundred different things. It's easy to believe someone's in the same trouble you're in."

He inhaled and exhaled sharply.

"You're hurt, scared. You think you're gonna die. Maybe you're even welcoming it."

Jamie looked at her.

"And there's a girl there saying she's in trouble too. Maybe she's hurt too. Anyone would believe that she wasn't lying. Danny… Frank… Hell, I bet even Henry would've believed her." She shook her head. "Hind sight's always 20/20, Jamie."

"I know," he said softly.

She put her hand on her brother-in-law's arm. "Even if she fooled you. No matter what her motive for letting you go. You still got away from them. You still escaped and ran. You survived, Jamie. You're safe now."

"For now," he whispered, looking at his mug again.

Linda nodded, finally understanding. "None of what happened to you was your fault. You couldn't have stopped them. And you're going to be okay. You're strong. No matter the mind games they tried to play, you kept your head together and managed to survive. And I could sit here and tell you you're never going to have to worry about that again, but I can't predict the future. What I can tell you is they're going away for a while, and you won't have to worry about them. As for the rest of it, you can't keep living your life afraid of being hurt again. And if your fear is about being a good cop after everything, then remember this: if Danny had half the patience and strength you do, he'd be a much better detective."

"He's the best we got," Jamie said softly.

"For now," she conceded. "But when you get bumped up, Frank'll have quite the competition there. You're a great cop, Jamie. You're smart, you got good instincts, but most importantly, you have patience. You have heart. You're going to be an amazing detective. But, honestly, even Danny gets fooled sometimes."

Jamie scoffed. "Yeah? Like when?"

Linda tilted her head. "Every time I tell him I like his cooking."

Jamie laughed softly.

She smiled, squeezing Jamie's arm lightly. "You're not weak," she told him. "And you do a great job protecting this city. Sometimes, bad things happen, and you have a tough time fighting them off. But it doesn't make you any worse as a cop. You know what I mean?"

"Yeah, I do," he breathed. "Thanks, Linda."

"Anytime."