A/N: Thank you all for the reviews! See the first chapter for the disclaimer. This is (sadly) the last chapter of this story. I want to thank you all for taking the time to read it, and sticking by it when updates were really slow. And feel free to stay tuned to my profile, as I'm likely to have another story up in the near future. Happy holidays to you and yours! I hope you all find this to be a satisfying ending to this story.
Epilogue
Jamie wasn't perfect.
He never had been, and he knew he never would be. But Jamie was getting better. Getting back to himself. And as he sat at family dinner on Sunday, listening to Erin and Danny argue about something, he smiled to himself.
His family wasn't perfect, either. But they loved him. They supported him. They stood by him through everything.
It had started in the spring, with Vinnie dying in his arms in the Bitterman Housing Projects. Then the summer, and the Jaspers. Jamie had almost died, had prepared himself for his death, had started to make peace with God.
Then, his opening. His escape.
He hadn't been prepared for the aftermath. He'd thought the worst of it would be behind him when he got out. But the pain of physically healing, the mental anguish of the memories, the sleepless nights…
It was worse than he ever could have imagined.
And yet, here it was, nearing Thanksgiving, and he was alive. He was walking the beat, sleeping at night (well, most nights), with almost no pain. The broken bones had healed, the physical injuries barely noticeable.
All that remained was memories.
Well, maybe memories wasn't the right word. Flashbacks. Nightmares. Something more along those lines. But he was learning how to cope with them when they cropped up. It was making the days easier.
"You still in there, Harvard?" Danny asked, drawing Jamie's attention.
"Yeah," Jamie replied.
"What's on your mind?" Erin asked.
Jamie shook his head. "Just… fortune."
The rest of the adults nodded their understanding.
Jamie strode into the precinct the next night with his duffel slung over his shoulder. Renzulli made his way over as Jamie put on his uniform. "Reagan," Renzulli said.
"What's up, Sarge?" Jamie replied.
"You're gettin' a new partner tonight."
Jamie nodded. "In other words, you're satisfied that I'm alright?" he asked.
Renzulli offered a glare, but said nothing.
Jamie simply smiled.
"Partner's running late," Renzulli said instead. "Eddie Janko'll meet you outside."
"Okay," Jamie said.
As he made his way outside, he was expecting to meet a male officer. Yet, the one who walked up to him was a petite young woman. "Officer Reagan?" she said. "Officer Eddie Janko. I'm your new partner."
Jamie nodded, but didn't say anything.
"Not what you were expecting, huh?" she asked.
"Honestly?" he said. "No."
"Sorry to disappoint."
He smiled politely. "I never said I was disappointed."
She arched her eyebrows, but said nothing.
He shook his head. "Shall we?" he asked, gesturing at their car.
"Sure," she replied.
The End.