So I know this chapter took two and half months to get out. I didn't mean for that too happen but real life and stress. Anyway, thanks to everyone who continues to read and comment on this story. The fact it is still getting so much attention makes me feel so good. Thanks to LucifersAlleyCat, Faithfan2000, YaleAceBella12, decadenceofmysoul, roganjalex, and the guests: snowflake18540, MirraRosee, Coco, and Xav. I appreciate all your comments.

Scenes from and references to 7x2.

After the traditional Reagan family Sunday dinner, Anna was sitting in the living room, in the corner of the couch, sipping cocoa when Linda sat down on the couch. "Do you really believe what you said at dinner?" Linda asked.

Anna looked at her mom. While she knew that her mom was only concerned with her mental wellbeing and the bonds between their family, it kinda felt like she was trying to make Anna decide if she had gone too far. "Yes," Anna answered honestly.

"Even that friends are better than family?"

Anna wrapped her hands around the mug and tucked her feet up under her. Deciding there was no ulterior motive here and wanting to clear up any confusion, she opened up. "If you asked me that question three months ago, I'd have said yes. Don't get me wrong, I love you, Mom, but with the way Dad was treating me, it felt that way. Now though, I'd say it's about even."

Linda nodded. She watched her daughter thoughtfully for a few moments. "Are things getting better between you and Dad?"

Anna shrugged then toyed with her mug. "He apologized in the hospital that day he brought cheeseburgers. I think he's trying."

"He didn't come home last night."

"I figured as much when he was here when I woke up."

"He loves you."

Anna's head jerked up from where she was staring at the last vestiges of her cocoa. "I know and he's just trying to remind himself that his little girl is ok. It's why he's watching me right now." Anna nodded to the doorway behind her mom.

Linda turned and looked. She smiled and motioned him over. Danny walked over and stood behind Linda. "Are you sure you're ok?" Linda asked, looking back at Anna.

"About a five on the pain scale but that's expected. A bit bored since I've beaten all the video games Grampa has and daytime TV is awful. Being fed well, and I'm nearly 100% certain I am not being a bother or imposition."

"Of course you aren't. Pops loves having you here," Linda said.

"I know."

"You done with that?" Danny asked. Anna drained the rest of her cocoa then held the mug out. Danny took it into the kitchen.

"Stop by and see the boys before you leave?" Linda asked.

"Well, like I said, I have plenty of sick leave and my boss is insisting I take it."

"How long is plenty?"

"At least a week. We should get dinner. Just you and me, while I'm here."

"I'd like that."

Jack called his mom into the other room and Danny took her seat. "How are you doing, really?" he asked.

"I didn't lie." He had that detective look on his face again. He didn't believe her.

"But you didn't really tell the truth either." So, he only partially believed her.

"Like I said, the pain is tolerable and I'm taken care of."

"But you hate not being able to work," he said plainly.

Anna smiled softly. "I've been doing this job for four months and there are some times that I totally hate it but I love this job."

"So that was your CO on the phone?"

Anna looked through the dining room then into the foyer. Not seeing anyone, she looked back at her dad. "In New York City, they call him the P.C., Miami-Dade County calls him the Police Director, The City of Miami calls him the Chief of Police. Chief Hernandez. The top cop."

Danny looked impressed. "Was he really calling about your sick leave?"

"He was reminding me of policy. Can't be on patrol with only one arm."

"A couple of weeks, you'll be fine and back on the beat."

"I know. It's just getting through those few weeks."

"The hardest part is the mental. Every time I've been on modified or suspended, I could mostly deal with the break until I had too much time to think about it."

"How do you deal with it?"

"Everyone has their own coping method. It's up to you to figure it out."

"If you're not working too late one night this week, maybe you want to get dinner?"

"Just the two of us? Sure."

"Thanks, Dad. Did you get to talk to that guy at all?"

Danny reached out and set his hand on Anna's knee. "No. Baez said he didn't tell her anything he didn't already say to you and Jamie."

"That really sucks. Dad, I—" Anna stopped when Linda walked back in the room.

"Do you need anything else, Sweetheart?" Linda asked.

"No, I think I'm good," Anna answered. Linda and Danny studied their daughter carefully. She knew each one was looking for something specific in her but she wasn't sure what and neither said what either.

They said their good nights and took the boys home.

"Anna, you have a visitor," Henry said, walking into the sunroom a few days later.

Anna looked up from the movie she was watching and smiled when she saw who was behind him. "Hey, Jim," she said.

"Hey. Thank you, Commissioner Reagan," Jim said.

"I'll be in the other room," Henry told them.

Both young adults nodded at what he wasn't saying. That he was respecting their privacy as young adults but that he'd be close enough to hear if anything untoward was going on. Anna was sure it because he was a cop and expected the worst in everyone. Anna shifted over on the couch towards the TV and Jim sat down next to her. "How do you feel?" Jim asked.

"I feel good. Well, for the most part." She stopped the movie and turned to look at him.

"That's to be expected. I don't get to see a lot of aftereffects, I just stem the bleeding and stabilize the patient, but I've read enough to know that gunshot wounds can hurt worse than others because of how they affect the body. They tear through muscles and flesh; it does a lot of damage."

"Yeah, that's what my mom said too. She said that unlike my cop shows, people don't just heal in a week and are fine, that it could be at least two months before I can even go back to work."

"Speaking of work," he started.

"Not so loud. He doesn't know," Anna shushed him. She glanced at the doorway but her great-grandfather was still in the living room and didn't look like he had heard.

Jim looked at her briefly. "Who does?"

"My dad, maybe my grandpa, my uncle, and my cousin Nicky."

"Uncle?"

"My uncle Jamie."

"That it?"

The disbelieving look on his face hurt just a little. He was part of the percentage of people who knew who thought she should tell her family. He would probably understand why she didn't want to if she explained it but wanted him to be one of those who just supported her without her having to explain herself. "Of my family, I think so," she answered his question.

He took her hand. "I know your mom would not like it because you're her baby girl, her only daughter and the chance she could lose you is high with a job like that but I think that deep down all any parent wants is for their kid to have a passion about something and to follow that passion. How's that saying go, love what you do and you'll never work a day in your life?"

"But—"

"But, I know that things are rarely as simple as they seem to be from the outside. You probably have a really good reason for not telling the rest of your family and I think I could figure it out if I put my mind to it, but I think your family would surprise you if you gave them the chance."

"Maybe."

"Do they, by chance, know what I do?"

"Know what you know about what?" she asked confused.

"My job. Do they know what I do?"

"Oh, that you're a ... No. Pops hinted at it on Sunday. Asked me about that EMT that showed up at the hospital but only thought that since you were wearing an old shirt that said EMT on it. I, however, reminded him of my NYPD shirt collection."

"Did he ask what I really do?"

"He accepted medical field."

"Just like that?"

"Helps that my brother mentioned the theory that we can't just be friends."

"Because you're a girl and I'm not?"

"Exactly."

"Well, you and I both know that's a lie."

"Tell me about your week," Anna said. Jim smiled and started talking. Anna leaned back against the sofa and listened. Her eyes fell shut. It was relaxing to just listen and not have to worry about the rest of the world. That and something about this felt comforting. It was like all the stress of the previous week melted away. Being with Jim was always like that. Somehow he had the ability to make her feel comfortable and made everything she was stressing about just wash away.

When Anna had dinner with her brothers, they told her about their plans for the fall season of sports and the classes they were looking forward to the most. In response, she told them about some of the days off she had in Miami. Dinner with her mom was much the same as she couldn't really talk about her job. Then she had breakfast with her dad.

"Do you trust me?" Danny asked.

"What kind of question is that?" Anna asked.

"One that I've been asking myself a lot in the last two weeks. Did you think I was going to—give me that." Danny pushed his plate out of the way then took Anna's and cut her waffles into pieces. He set the plate back in front of her then dug into his eggs.

"Did I think you were going to what?"

Danny stared at her like he was trying to figure out what she was asking. "Oh. Did you think that I was going to say that you couldn't be a cop? Is that why you didn't tell me?"

"No." He waited for her to go on. It was a tactic that got people to talk. Probably something he had learned being a detective. Don't fill the silence and they will. Anna, however was just as stubborn as her dad and could usually outwait him. This time, she decided not to. "You're my dad; you've given me absolutely no reason not to trust you. At the same time, I didn't think you'd support me and there was always the chance you'd tell Mom and she'd freak out."

"I don't like being between you and your mom. You're my daughter and she's my wife. I love both of you very much. I would never take either side over the other. I learned my lesson. I'm disappointed that I haven't taught you that our service, the whole point is to allow our way of life to continue. To allow people the freedom to make the choices they want to make. If that's afforded you this opportunity then of course I will support it."

"And Mom?"

"I'm not going to tell your mother. I think you might but I won't do it."

"After everything this family has been through in the last 15 months, you really want me to tell Mom? I was just shot for looking like a cop's partner and related to said cop. You saw how upset she was when she thought I was shot for being related to Jamie. On top of that, she got shot for trying to talk a man out of shooting your witness, just over a year ago. It's probably too much for her already. If she knows I'm actually a cop, she'll never accept it. Not right now."

"She will because she's your mom and she knows how amazing you are."

"You can't know that."

"I know your mom. She'll be upset at first but she'll understand. You know that heart of yours comes from your mom."

"And my skepticism and expecting the worst comes from you. But never let it be said that Danny Reagan doesn't have a heart. It's buried deep in there but it's definitely there."

Danny smiled. "Finish your waffles."

Anna rolled her eyes and ate her food. Once they finished, Danny paid the bill then walked Anna out. Anna looked up at her father. "Dad, I want—thank you. I know there are 300 other first grade detectives who could have taken on this case and eventually solved it but I'm glad that it was you and your partner."

"It's not like we actually solved the case."

"Maybe not but you never gave up and Baez got his confession on the record. You went to bat for me. I love that. I love you, Dad."

"I love you too, kid." Danny pulled her into a hug and she relished it.

First thing Friday morning, Linda took Anna to the doctor. While Linda couldn't go into the exam room, Anna was an adult and had asked her mom to wait outside, she could sit and worry. Her daughter wasn't a natural-born liar but she was extremely considerate when it came to her mom, so Linda was worried her daughter wouldn't tell her everything so she didn't look weak. Linda both loved and hated that about her daughter. Linda was texting with Erin when Anna walked out and sat down next to her.

"Honestly, I kinda regret not asking you to come with me," Anna said.

"Is everything ok?" Linda asked.

"Yeah. He said everything was healing well and there was nothing concerning on the x-rays but he couldn't take the stitches out yet. He wants me to come in next week to check on the site again."

"Will you still be here then?"

"Not sure.

"What else did he say?"

"Like I said everything is ok but he was concerned about possible stiffness from non-use. He did tell me to massage it before bed and stretch it but not to overwork it."

"Stick with that, Anna. If you overwork it, you could end up with serious damage."

"I know, Mom."

"Alright, if you're done here, I can drop you at Grandpa's before I head in."

"Thank you."

Anna spent one more week in New York before saying goodbye and taking three days to drive back to Miami. It was sunny and 75 when she returned. She spent the morning doing her laundry and dusting the apartment. She took a break for lunch and walked to her favorite diner. She had just gotten her lunch when Riley sat down across from her.

"Riley, my old friend," Anna said smiling.

"Anna. What happened to your shoulder?" she emphasized with her hands. She stared wide-eyed.

"I got shot," Anna answered calmly.

"You got shot and you're sitting there like it's nothing."

"Not like it's nothing, Riley. It hurts and it sucks that I can't go back to work any time soon but I'm here and I'm ok."

"I guess you're right. How'd it happen?"

"Bad things happen in New York. My dad is overprotective, you know that, and he tries so hard to keep these things from happening but bad things happen."

"I understand that but I didn't ask why, I asked how."

Anna took a deep breath. "After dinner with my uncle, I was looking for my keys outside the bar when my arm went numb. Apparently, he came up behind me."

"Did they catch him?"

"They did; a week or so later."

"That's good to know. Let me guess, you weren't wearing the shirt I gave you?"

"Actually, I was. The tank-top. That's why the only massive damage was to my shoulder. He also shot me twice in the lower back. Those only gave me bruises. I can't thank you enough for that shirt. I never imagined needing it and I'm not even sure why I put it on that morning unlike the rest of the mornings I was there, but I'm thankful I had it. Anyway, I have a doctor's appointment in a few days where I hope he'll take the stitches out and with P.T., I hope to be back to work before Halloween."

"I'm sure plenty of people have cautioned you about overdoing it so I'll just say ... I'm glad you're ok and you're welcome. You still have the long-sleeve one right?"

"Yeah. They cut the tank-top off when they rushed me into surgery and it was covered in blood so I didn't get it back. Thanks, Riley. So how have you been?"

The girls talked about Riley and their plans for the rest of the year.

A day after her stitches were removed, Anna got a call from Sean. "Hey, Kiddo, everything alright? You prefer to text."

"You're right. Did you see that link I sent you?"

"No, I've been a bit busy. Just got out of P.T." Something was fishy about this phone call but it seemed like it was important to Sean so she waited him out. He'd spill quickly like he always did.

"You're going to be so pissed when you hear what happened."

If she was going to be mad about something it was best not to have this conversation while driving. "Can you give me about 15 minutes to get home? Call you back when I get there?"

"Alright."

Once she got back to her apartment, she made herself comfortable on her couch then checked out the link that Sean had sent her. It was a Zipvid, a few seconds long, of Jack drinking out of a red plastic cup. Based on the light streaming in the window in the background, she knew it was filmed during the day and the cheering in the background told her it was some kind of party. Then she realized they were telling him to chug it. Before she got angry, she video called Sean.

"Anna!" Sean cheered when he picked up.

"Hey, Sean-o. So, I saw the video. That's alcohol, isn't it?" Anna sighed.

"Beer."

"And ...?"

Just like that, Sean spilled. "He skipped school to go to a party at Callie's house where they made several of these videos."

"Underage drinking, skipping school, and posting it online. Did he get caught?"

"Busted big time." Sean was definitely enjoying this.

"What'd Mom say?"

"She hit the roof she was so pissed, but she let Dad punish him."

"What'd he say? How bad was it?" Anna feared the worst for her little brother. Based on her own experiences with supposedly getting caught drinking, it was not going to be good for the lighter-haired Reagan boy.

"I heard him. He was pissed. Took Jack's cell until Christmas as long as he grew some brains by then."

'Heard him'. It was more like Sean was eavesdropping. Then she realized what he had said. "That's it? Just his cell phone?"

"Yep."

"And three months?"

"Yep."

Anna had to use all her will-power not to snap at her youngest brother. This wasn't his fault no matter how unfair it was. "Why do you think he did it?"

"I don't know."

"I think you do."

"I think it could be for the same reason he's been mouthing off to our hockey coach this year."

"And what's that?"

"You might come home."

"He gets in trouble so I come home?" How did that make any sense? She wasn't sure but Sean might know.

"Neither of us thought you'd stay in Miami after you graduated. Sure, we may have thought you'd do the full four years, but we always thought you'd come home to get a job especially after you made up with Dad."

"Me staying in Miami has nothing to do with Dad or either of you. I love my life; I love my job; I just can't give that all up because Jack doesn't like it."

"Can't you find a business in New York?"

"Yeah, if that's what I was doing in Miami and felt that calling, but I don't. I'm a cop, Sean, and I can't do that in New York until I'm 22. That's not for another three years." Anna tried not to sound too irritated by her brother. He was just curious and didn't know.

"You're a cop?" Sean asked. His eyes widened; his mouth hung slightly open as he stared at her.

Anna stared at her brother's face as her mind quickly flashed back over their conversation. Maybe she shouldn't have mentioned that. "Not so loud," she scolded, "but yeah."

"Part of me wants to say that's so cool but there's another part of me that worries. It's a dangerous job, and—"

"Sean, dinner," she heard Danny say. Sean's eyes darted up like he was looking over the phone.

"Ok, be there in a second," Sean answered.

"No, it's ok." Sean's eyes darted back to her and she smiled softly. "Let me talk to Dad while you go wash up. And not a word to anyone about what I just told you."

"Got it. It's for you." Sean's face disappeared from the phone screen and she was left staring at his empty room. The picture went blurry as if the phone was moving too fast for the camera to keep up then Danny's confused face appeared. He was standing in Sean's doorway.

"Hey there," she said, lightly.

"Oh great. It hasn't even been a month and you're already pissed at me."

"What makes you say that?"

"Sometimes you're harder to read than words written in the sand at high tide. This is not one of those times."

"I'm not pissed, I'm just not happy with a choice you made and it doesn't seem fair."

"Well, life's not fair but maybe I can explain it and it'll help."

Anna tried not to roll her eyes as the situation came back to her. "His cell phone, really? Three months and his cell phone? When you thought I got caught drinking you busted my butt. Jack though, he just loses his cell phone because he's the perfect, golden child who can do no wrong, despite the fact I'm the only one of your kids with actual golden hair."

"Of course you know about that because of course you do." Danny sighed. Then he shook his head. "Listen here, Goldilocks. Every time one of my kids does something, I learn something. When you were first teething, I learned not to stick my finger in your mouth to massage your gums. My mom swore up and down it would help to relieve the pressure, but with you, anything that went into your mouth didn't come out until you were done with it. Except strained peas. Those went in and came right back out. I put a football in Jack's hands, he'll throw a perfect spiral like he's Joe Namath or Boomer Esiason. Sean on the other hand, can't hit the broadside of a barn with a football. I put a basketball in Sean's hands and he can hit three-pointers like they're going out of style but you, you couldn't hit a lay-up if I gave you a ladder. Is it fair to compare Cy Young and Wayne Gretzky?"

"Young can't play hockey anymore than Gretzky could play baseball. If you judge a fish," Anna sighed.

"What?"

"There's a quote, everyone's a genius but if you judge fish by its ability to climb a tree it'll go its whole life thinking it's stupid, essentially meaning you can't judge everyone the same way."

"Exactly. You've gone at every line like a tank without breaks and Jack's been so far back from the line, he couldn't find it with a map and turn-by-turn directions. This is the first time he's ever gotten anywhere near the line, so while the punishment has to be harsh enough to scare him back from the line, he's earned some grace from not going near it before."

She really hated it when Danny made that much sense. "Why do you think he did it now?"

"I don't know, but I do know your mom has baked ziti on the table and if I don't go now, I'm not going to get any. Love you, Kiddo."

"Love you too." Anna hung up the video call then stared at her phone's wallpaper. It wasn't all that hard to believe that Jack had finally gotten in trouble but it was the why that was bothering her. She loved her kid brothers and would do just about anything for them but to think she'd come back to New York just because he was in trouble ... Then again she had just done that when he was being bullied back in January. Maybe she needed to hear this from a younger brother's point of view so she sent off a text and was only slightly surprised when she got a phone call back a few seconds later.

So what do you think? Also if you haven't read my other Blue Bloods story entitled "Fear" you could check that out too. It's posted here and on ArchiveofOurOwn, only there it has pictures.