A Chance for a Better Life
Chapter Twelve
After Joe's death Jamie couldn't help but feel like the lost little boy again. He couldn't get the thought that Joe's death was his fault. He thought Joe would still be alive today if Danny had been the one to run after Sonny with Joe. What he didn't understand is that there isn't anything anyone could've done to save Joe. He hadn't had nightmares this prominently since he'd been homeless. He'd moved back to his apartment the day after Joe's funeral despite everyone's protests. He needed space.
Two weeks later when Jamie was finally approved for desk duty was the first reason Jamie had to smile since Joe's death. Against doctors orders Jamie had kept volunteering at the soup kitchen because it gave him something to do to keep his mind off of everything.
Jamie still wasn't really talking much at Sunday dinner. He just didn't have anything to say, so he was arriving right before the food was served and would leave sometimes before dessert. He'd been picking up as many extra tours as he could get.
Things hadn't improved as the year went on. He wasn't sad or happy, and he was okay with feeling that way. His happy days were spent babysitting his niece and nephews.
Jamie only attended his company reunion for about an hour. Despite being happy about his probation ending he was missing Joe more than ever. He and Joe were going to go on a fishing trip to celebrate his first year. He had yet to make many friends at work, it didn't help that he'd been partnered with a boss and his dad was the PC.
With the end of Jamie's probation came the end of his first partnership. Renzulli had to focus on the platoon and moving more into a mentor role. Jamie would be his last official partner.
Like it or not the NYPD was a like a high school and gossip spread and it was something hard to work against. The bosses loved Jamie. He may have only been a rookie, but he'd made and impact.
Jamie's new partner Vinny Cruz was deep into the gossip. Vinny made it obvious to anyone that listened that he didn't want to be partnered with baby Reagan. He thought that he'd be a spoiled kid who didn't work for anything and became a cop to follow in the family business.
Jamie couldn't stand how Vinny had to hit on and flirt with any woman around. The only woman he treated with respect was his mother, but he lied to her. Jamie understood the lies were so she wouldn't worry, and if he was honest, he was slightly jealous that Vinny still had his mom to lie too.
One thing that they had in common was that they both started their lives at the Bitterman Complex, but Vinny didn't know that fact.
It took a few weeks, but once they got to know each other a little more things started to improve. Vinny even started inviting Jamie out with the guys after tours for drinks. That alone went along way to dispel some of the rumors about Jamie.
"Jamie, you have got to chill out. I'm sorry about your brother, but he's gone. He wouldn't want you dealing with his death this way."
"I know, okay. He was my best friend."
"You have to do something other than work, volunteer, and eat dinner with your family. What about your girlfriend?"
Jamie hung his head. He didn't want to share this news with his partner. He knew it wasn't going to go well for him. "We broke up last weekend. It just wasn't meant to be."
Vinny knew that Jamie and his girlfriend were getting along well. He'd met her a couple of times, and he though she was perfect for Jamie. He had a feeling that the breakup had more to do with Joe's death than anything else.
They were on their dinner break. The radio had been quiet for a majority of their tour, when a call for a man with a gun came in. They were headed to a church, and not just any church, Reverend Potter's church.
When they got to the church they were met with resistance. Jamie was determined. He wasn't going to let anyone get hurt because some mad man with a gun decided to go into a church that day. He didn't want to think about how many lives that could be lost if they didn't get into that sanctuary.
They almost made it to the top of the stairs when two big burley guys stopped them from making it to the top. Jamie was hit by the larger of the men and went down faster and harder. Vinny was lucky, he was able to control his fall down. He still hurt by the time he got to the bottom, but other than a small cut on his head he was fine.
Jamie had gone down so fast and hard that he wasn't conscious at the bottom. He had bruises on his face, and all over his body from the roll down. It was a full flight of marble stairs.
When Vinny saw him, he tried to get him to wake up, but wasn't having any luck, and the members of church security were making their way down the stairs towards them. He pulled his gun to get them to stop. He wasn't sure if they were moving quickly, or he was just imagining that they were.
Five minutes later Jamie woke up enough that Vinny could get him out of the building, but he was out of it. Vinny was scared to death. Despite being on the force for six years he'd never seen another officer hurt so badly before.
Danny had shown up on scene and he and Jackie were doing their best for crowd control. He held his breath when he saw Jamie being almost dragged out by Vinny.
"What happened?"
"We were headed to the sanctuary where we were told that there was a man with a gun. We were almost at the top of the second floor when two thugs pushed us down the stairs. There was a bigger guy that pushed Jamie and he almost flew down the stairs. I fell, but I was able to catch myself on the railing and slow myself down, so I wasn't hurt badly."
"Are you okay?" Danny asked while staring at his little brother.
Vinny's looking around the chaotic scene. "Yeah, just some bumps and bruises." Vinny hesitated. He knew the next thing that he had to say was important, but he was afraid of the reaction Danny was going to have. "Jamie lost consciousness for about five minutes."
Jamie was trying to get up. He was leaning on his brother's squad car. "But I'm fine now." He had blood running down half of his face, his left arm, and he was holding his chest with his right arm. Vinny was shocked he was able to stand up at all after that fall.
"Kid, you are anything but fine. My guess is that you won't be going home for a couple days, but you're headed to dads after a nice trip to the hospital." Danny laughed, but it didn't sound right.
"Was anyone else hurt?" Jamie worried and looked around the scene. Things had blown up, and he couldn't believe how badly this call had turned.
"No, just you and Vinny. Both of you will be checked out."
A couple minutes later the ambulance arrives, and Danny and Jackie take their arrest back to the 5-4. Danny isn't able to concentrate because he's worried about Jamie.
At St. Vick's Vinny's been checked out and has a bandage on his forehead and is released. Jamie's being admitted for the night. The doctors are worried about his head wound and he has three bruised ribs.
Frank had been having a quiet day despite the reverend.
"What is it, Garret?" Frank asked as Garret walked into his office without knocking.
"Two officers were injured at Reverend Potter's church this morning. Officer Cruz just had some bumps and bruises, Officer Reagan has been admitted to the hospital for a head wound, and bruised ribs." Garret watched Frank closely. He never knew what the reaction would be when one of Franks kids was involved. It varied.
"Is my detail ready to go?" Frank didn't want to talk anymore. He needed to see his son. He was not going to lose a second son to the job.
"Yes."
At the hospital Jamie was getting situated in his room. He was tired and didn't want anyone to worry. He was going to be fine.
His dad and Danny had notified the remainder of the family. Erin was upset but was stuck in court for the morning. She told her dad she'd get to the hospital as soon as she could. Danny had decided to question Vinny and Jamie again. Linda was working, and planned to get to St. Vicks as soon as she could.
Frank arrived and was immediately taken to Jamie's room. He needed to see his son, and then he was going to have a detailed conversation with the doctor because he knew his son would just say that he was ok or fine.
"Jamie, are you ok?"
"Hey dad, my head and chest hurt, and I'm really tired. They won't let me sleep until they get the results of the CT scan. I think I'll be ok. The doctor said that I'd be here at least one night maybe a couple."
Jamie's answer worried Frank. "Did the doctor say when the results would be in?"
"He put a rush on them. Vinny said I was out for five minutes. Since I've had a couple other head injuries in the last couple years, they are being overly cautious."
"Not in my book. You'll be here as long as the doctor says and then with your grandfather and I until you're cleared for duty."
"Yes sir." It was just easier than starting a fight. Besides his head hurt too much right now.
Jamie was always stubborn and fought for himself. He never wanted to appear weak because he'd been afraid people wouldn't think he was Reagan enough.
"I'll be right back. Your grandfather should be here soon, and your brother asked if you are up to answering some more questions. He's on his way over too."
"Yeah, I can answer some questions."
"Jamie, I'm so happy that you're okay." Henry walked in and gave Jamie a gentle hug.
"I'm fine grandpa. I just want to get out of here and back home."
Henry thought back to when Jamie was sick and all the time he spent in the hospital over the years. Each time he'd been able to come home, but he worried that he may outlive him.
They sat and talked for a few minutes. Henry could see how tired Jamie was, but knew he wasn't supposed to fall asleep.
"Hello, I'm Dr. Matthews. Officer Reagan will make a full recovery as long as he takes it easy for the next couple of weeks. You can go home tomorrow as long as you won't be alone. As I understand you live by yourself."
"He'll be staying with us." Frank said happy for the good news.
"When will I be able to get back to work?"
"As long as you spend a lot of time resting and following doctors' orders you could be back to work in two weeks on desk duty. I think you can be back walking a beat in three weeks."
Jamie smiled. "Thank you doctor." Jamie could hardly keep his eyes open.
"Go to sleep. We will be here." Henry smiled.
"Thank you doctor. You'll give us a list of things to look out for."
"Yes, but your son was very lucky. We initially thought with his past injuries that his head injury was worse. We determined that he passed out because the wind got knocked out of him. He will be fine, it's just gonna take some time and he will be sore. Someone will be by to wake him in a few hours."
"Thank you again." Frank said as a father and the PC.
Danny sat with Jamie until he was woken up by a nurse. He was tired and sore when he woke up, but he felt bad for keeping his brother waiting for so long he'd wished that Danny would've woken him.
Danny had been ordered by his dad to not wake Jamie. He'd been told how exhausted he was and updated him on his condition.
Jamie's head rolled in Danny's direction when the nurse woke him gently. The nurse was watching him closely and taking notes. Once she saw his eyes open, she knew he was okay.
"Detective you have fifteen minutes and please do not stress him out." Nurse Allison stated clearly.
"Okay."
Nurse Allison left the room but didn't go far. This wasn't the first time that she'd met this detective, and he didn't have a good reputation at the hospital. He was good at his job, but he could be bad for their patients' health.
"Hey Danny. How long have you been here?"
"A few hours. I interviewed Vinny first. You guys had a hell of a day." Danny hated hearing what Vinny had told him.
"Why didn't you wake me up?"
Danny laughed. "Because I don't have a death wish. Dad ordered me to not wake you up. Now are you up for some questions?"
Jamie rolled his eyes and winced as he sat up.
"Start from the beginning and tell me what happened?"
Jamie tried to take a deep breath. It hurt, but he worked through it. "We arrived on the scene. There was some resistance when we went in, but we were able to get through. I went up the stairs first but was met with some resistance. Vinny continued until I was able to join him when the guy in my way decided to go down the stairs rather than be arrested." Jamie had to stop and take a breath.
"Do you need a break or some water?" Danny didn't want to add to Jamie's pain or stress.
"I'm good, but my chest hurts." Jamie explained. Hoping to quell Danny's fears. "We were two or three steps from the top when two large men were at the top of the stairs. Vinny had to step back and take a breath. I went for it to try and get through and that's when the really big guy pushed me backwards and I got to feel like what it felt like to fly for a minute before I felt the marble stairs on my back. The last thing I remember seeing was Vinny coming down more slowly after me."
Now Danny needed to take a deep breath. One of the things that he was happy about was that they had cleaned Jamie up and his face wasn't covered in blood any longer. "Thank you. Do you think that you could ID the guys?"
"Yes, and I should get released tomorrow so let me know when and where."
A few days later Jamie was all situated at the house in Bayridge. He wanted to be back at his apartment, but he hadn't gotten approval to drive or be on his own yet. It was hard being back at the house knowing Joe wouldn't be running by or even stay there with him. Plus, he could feel how closely his dad and grandpa were watching him, and it was unnerving.
Jamie was up early the next day. He wanted to make breakfast for his dad and grandpa to show them that he really was ok.
"Jamie, it's five-thirty in the morning, why are you up?" Henry expected him to sleep in.
"I'm usually up at this time of the day. I wanted to make you and dad breakfast. I know dad has an early meeting with the mayor."
"He does, but that could've changed."
Jamie made pancakes with fruit just like his mom would make, and one of the first things he learned to cook.
"Hi dad." Jamie said while setting the table.
"What are you doing up?"
"I'm up this early every morning. I made breakfast. I hope you have time."
"I have a lot of time. Baker just called; the mayor has cancelled so I don't have to be in for a few hours."
"Jamie, how are you feeling?" Henry watched his son and grandson.
"I'm okay. The headaches are pretty much gone, and my chest isn't as tight as it used to be."
"That's great. How's everything else?"
"Works good. Vinny and I are getting along better."
"Are you ever gonna bring that girlfriend of yours around?" Henry wanted to add a chair back to the table.
"We broke up, but we're still friends. She volunteers with me at the soup kitchen."
"I'm sorry Jamie." Henry wanted his grandkids as happy as he'd been with Betty.
They all ate in silence for a little bit. Frank and Henry watching Jamie, happy he was eating. He hadn't been eating much during Sunday dinners.
Jamie was lost in thought. He was thinking about all the people that he'd lost in his short life.
"Jamie, you know we love you." Frank stated firmly.
Jamie just barely shook his head. He didn't understand how they could love him after he wasn't able to save Joe.
"We do love you." Frank said again hoping his son heard him.
"Even after Joe?" Jamie said so quietly they almost couldn't hear him.
"What do you mean?" Henry wondered. They knew how Joe was killed. Danny, Frank, and his detail were all in the building. Joe ran after Milevsky when he escaped out the back. Jamie followed as backup.
"I couldn't save him. If Danny or anyone else had gone out after him he'd still be alive." Jamie cried.
"No one could've saved him Jamie, but you stopped his killer from getting away. Joe wouldn't want you to feel guilty." Henry reminded him. He'd seen the video footage. He hadn't wanted too, but he felt he needed to so he could support his youngest grandson.
"Jamie, you know Joe would want you to move on. He was so proud of you when you graduated the Academy, and he was so happy that he got to work the case with you. You're a great cop, and you just proved that again. You went into Potter's church hard. You never want to see anyone get hurt like you were." Frank stated and saw a change in Jamie. For the first time since Joe died, he saw his youngest son again.
"I know, it's just not easy. Work helps."
"Family can help too if you come around more. We know you have a hard time asking for help but let us be there for you."
"I'll try to."
"If you don't, you might just find me hanging around your apartment. I'm retired. I've got the time." Henry laughed.
"Okay. I'll try and come over once or twice a week."
"Great. Let me know what days and I'll make sure and cook something good those nights." Henry smiled.
"I will. I have my doctor's appointment this afternoon. I hope to get released."
"I hope you do too." Frank said as he got up and left for work.
Jamie's appointment went well, and he let his grandfather know that he'd be moving back to his own apartment. The next day he was back on desk duty. Vinny couldn't be happier to see his partner back in uniform. He'd been riding with Renzulli while Jamie was out.
A week later Jamie was back out on the street. He'd gone back to his dad's twice for dinner the previous week and even agreed to go out for drinks with his partner. Vinny could've been pushed over with a feather. Vinny was happy to see the change in his partner too. He even joked maybe Jamie should've fell down a few stairs earlier.
The next couple of weeks are busy. Jamie gets to work on his first undercover assignment. He and Vinny are working bars that are serving alcohol to those who are underage and some of the bars are dealing drugs out of the back rooms.
Vinny blends in well with the college crowd. Jamie's a silent observer that ends up attracting a lot of interest. The college crowd find's him intriguing. He makes a new friend too, Noble Sanfino. He doesn't know it yet, but that new friendship will change his life in ways that he doesn't know.
A week later they're back in uniform and are working swing tour. Jamie liked working undercover. He remembered Renzulli telling him that working undercover was harder because the uniform did half the work, but he thought the uniform hindered the situation sometimes because some people were afraid of cops.
"Fire! Fire!" Was all Jamie heard from around the corner. Vinny was trying to eat his dinner and convince Jamie that the food cart they'd just been at had the best tacos in town while he ate five of them.
"What building?" He asked seeing the smoke, but they were surrounded by apartment buildings.
"There's a baby on the second floor!" A women yelled, and before Vinny could react Jamie was gone.
Two minutes later the apartment on the second floor exploded. Vinny was holding his breath hoping he hadn't just lost his partner. Three minutes later Jamie came out holding the baby close to his chest covered in debris and struggling to breath. Once outside in the fresh air the baby began crying, and the baby's mother ran over to them as the ambulance arrived. Jamie wanted the baby taken care of and wasn't worried about himself. He had cleared the room before the room blew but wasn't far enough away and had been knocked down. He wasn't sure if he hit his head and he wasn't worried. His only worry was for the baby.
"Are you ok?" Vinny looked him over and could tell something was off, but a call came in for them to return back the 12th.
"Yeah, man we should go. Something must be going on for us to get called back to the house."
"Are you sure you shouldn't go to the hospital?"
"I can go when our tour is over."
Ten minutes later they're back at the 12th and confused as to why. They rode over with the windows down because Jamie smelled like the burning building he'd just come out of.
"Reagan, what the hell happened to you now?" Renzulli shook his head. The PC's youngest son was his favorite rookie and good friend, but he was the cause of more stress then he thought he'd have as a mere Sergeant.
"Nothin I'm fine." Jamie smiled. "What'd you need us for boss?"
"Reagan, my office now. Cruz you're riding with me the rest of tour."
"Yes sir." Vinny had hoped his tours with the boss ended when Jamie came back from leave.
Jamie walked into Renzulli's office and was shocked.
"Dad, what are you doing here?"
"What happened to you?"
"I took a call. I'm fine. Are Danny, Erin, and grandpa ok?" Jamie worried. His dad didn't blur the lines between work and family.
"Yes, they're fine. Shut the door and sit down."
Jamie did just that he knew his dad could smell him. He hoped his dad's schedule is tight and doesn't have time to ask.
Before Jamie can say anything, his dad gets a text.
From DCPI Garret Moore
Officer Reagan saved a baby from a burning building right before the apartment blew up.
Frank read the text multiple times before he stared at his son again. He wasn't surprised but knowing that his son just played hero make him worry about the next topic they had to discuss.
"Did anyone see you come out of the burning building with the baby?"
"The mother, I handed the baby to her right before the paramedics got there."
"Anyone else, any reporters?"
"No, I'd been outta there less than five minutes when we were 10-2'd to the house. I have no idea what's going on there now. I know other units were coming in behind us."
"Ok. Now, you were pulled off patrol because you need to head to the 7-6 and meeting with Captain Arborghast."
"What's this about?"
"Do you remember that guy that you saved when you and Vinny were undercover a couple weeks ago?"
"Yes, Noble something, I think."
"He's part of the Sanfino/Cavazzari crime family."
"Oh."
"Go meet with OCCB after you shower and change. Do you have other clothes here or do you need to go home?"
"Do I need to be at the 7-6 in uniform?"
"No, probably better if you're not."
"Ok, I'll run home, but the 7-6 is only a block from my apartment."
"Great. I'll let them know you'll be there in two hours."
With that Frank made his way out the back entrance that his detail had cleared and kept clear while he was meeting with his son. He didn't want Jamie to take the assignment with OCCB, but he was an adult, and it was his choice.
Jamie made his way home to quickly change into a suit. He wondered how this would go, he was only in his second year. He liked the idea of working out of the 7-6 because he could easily walk there. He still hadn't replaced his car since his accident the year before.
Captain Arborghast is rough around the edges. He had mixed feelings about the fact that the PC's kid was the one that was able to find a door into the Sanfino mob family.
"Officer Reagan." Captain Arborghast said when he saw Jamie enter.
"Yes sir." Jamie looked around. The 7-6 looked a lot like the 12th.
"Come with me, and we're gonna be a while so I hope you haven't got any plans." He laughed.
Once upstairs in the office Jamie could see many files and knew he was going to have to make a choice.
"Alright, Noble seems to like you. Do you think that you could get close to him?"
"Yeah. He thinks we're old friends that we met at a club a long time ago."
"Is that true? Could he know your real name?"
"No, I was living in Boston then, and only came home to spend time with my mom who was dying."
"Ok. You told him your name was Jimmy, right?"
"Yes, I know it's not a stretch from the real thing, but no one in my real life would ever call me Jimmy."
"Good to know. You mainly go by Jamie?"
"Yes."
"The PC said your birth father is in prison upstate. He could potentially blow your cover, so I want to move him out of state. Are you opposed to that?"
"No. I will do anything to keep my family safe. My adopted family."
"Ok, we will work on getting him moved in the next few days."
"Great."
Arborghast hands him a familiar looking cell phone. "There are twelve missed calls from Noble on here. If you want to move forward and get inside call him."
Ten minutes later Jamie had an invitation to the Noble's family dinner at his new restaurant that would be opening in the next couple of weeks.
"Ok, I'm in. What's my goal?"
"Have you ever waited tables before?"
"No, but I was a janitor for several years."
"I hear you have a law degree. Is that true or just gossip?"
"It's true, and I'm licensed in New York, Massachusetts, and California. I've only practiced in Boston."
"We might be able to use that. I want you to get in deep if you can. These are bad people the more we can get them with the better for everyone."
"Ok, what is Noble in all this because from what I saw he's into partying and getting high. Beyond that I don't know how productive he can be."
"That's about right, but apparently, he has some productive times because his uncle's made him a hit man. As far as we know he's got three kills under his belt."
"Ok, so do you think if I can get in as a dishwasher or something and work my way up to a lawyer on the family's payroll that we can get them or at least get the major players."
Arborghast looked at Jamie. He'd just hit the nail on the head. He was as smart as he'd heard. Now he worried if he could handle the stress of life undercover.
"I'm pulling you off patrol. It's too risky. I want to get to you into another restaurant as a dishwasher, and I'd like you to move into a place where you pay by the week."
"Ok, when do I start?"
"When's the dinner?"
"In four days. Saturday night."
"We will have you in somewhere tomorrow. Let your friends and family know that you'll be out of touch for a while, and you might want to have someone check on your apartment. I don't know how long this assignment will last."
"I'll take care of all that tonight."
"This is dangerous. I want you to understand that, but if you could help us break this family, I should be able to find a place for you here at OCCB."
"Yes sir. I understand and thank you for the opportunity."
An hour later Jamie was sitting at the house in Bayridge with his grandpa waiting for his dad to get home. Henry knew something had happened he just didn't know what.
"I heard you had a busy morning."
"Yeah. Just another day on the beat." Jamie smiled.
"Running into a burning building to save a baby isn't a normal day."
"I'm guessing dad told you."
"Yes, get ready to be paraded in front of the press." Henry laughed. He knew Jamie hated the attention.
"Jamie won't have to worry about that." Frank said walking into the kitchen.
"Great. Thanks dad." Jamie sighed in relief. Although he already knew the reason why he'd gotten out of the spotlight.
"UC officers can't be in the spotlight." Henry guessed after seeing the fear in his son's face.
"UC, Jamie what's he talking about? You haven't even been on patrol two years yet."
"I know, but you can't control some things. This just happened and I'm not going to give up the opportunity to save people and send those who belong in prison to prison."
"Is this what you really want to do?" Henry asked Jamie but watched Frank's face.
"Yes."
"When do you go under?" Frank had to know how long he had where his son was relatively safe.
"Tomorrow. Grandpa, will you check on my apartment once a week?" He knew his grandpa liked having something to do that got him out of the house. He'd even pay for his rides if he needed to.
"Yes, how long are you gonna be gone. Ya know Danny and Erin are gonna miss you at dinner on Sunday."
"I know, and I'm sorry I won't get to see them before tomorrow, but I need to get under and start getting my cover set up."
"We understand son, and they'll understand over time. I'll make sure that they understand not to engage if they were to see you on the street until we know it's safe."
"Thanks dad. I'll come home as soon as I can, and I'll work safe."
"I know you will. I love you, Jamie."
"I love you too dad."
Two hours later after a big dinner of hearty Irish stew, and fun conversation Jamie headed home to close up his apartment and prepare for the next day.
Frank and Henry retired to their chairs in the living room.
"How are you doing with all of this?"
"Pop, I don't think his head is in right place, but I don't have any proof of that or if I did if I could stop him from accepting this assignment." Frank hung his head.
"Other than small UC's none of us have ever done anything on this scale before. It's a part of the job that we know because of the positions we've held, but we've never done the work."
"That's true, and part of why I don't understand why he's drawn to this part of the job."
"His biological grandfather worked UCs."
"And you told him about that, didn't you." Frank didn't have a problem with Jamie learning about his biological family. He just worried about Jamie. Jamie had always been worried about living up to some perceived notion because he always felt that he wasn't good enough to be a Reagan.
"Yes. He hates asking, but at the same time I know he's curious about where he came from. It's natural Francis. He always come over to talk about his grandpa when you're not here because he doesn't want to hurt you."
"I know and I would never deny him that aspect of his life. I just wish he didn't accept this assignment. He's been through so much in his life already, I can't bury another son."
"I know Francis, I know, and you can't think like that. It's not good for you or fair to him. He's a very capable young man. OCCB wouldn't have considered him for this assignment if he wasn't."
The next two days go by faster than Frank or Henry wanted. They weren't looking forward how Erin and Danny were going to react to the news about Jamie.
Linda, Danny, and the kids were the first to arrive after church. He'd been surprised that Jamie wasn't at church but knew Jamie had been working a lot of midnights, so it wasn't unusual for Jamie to miss church if he needed sleep.
Erin and Nicky were the next to arrive and Erin already looked stressed. Frank wasn't sure what was going on, but he knew it was going to make things worse.
Henry knew he was going to need to get the grandkids out of the dining room.
Nicky could already feel the tension in the room. She didn't know what was going on but knew with as stressed her mom was that it wasn't going to end well. She was mad at her dad, for upsetting her mom again, but they could talk about that when they got home.
Henry had made a family favorite in hopes of getting everyone in a good mood. It didn't work.
"Dad, where's the kid? He pull another rookie shift on a Sunday?" Danny had a love hate relationship with Jamie.
"He's working." Frank said looking around the table at the entire family.
"You can't talk Danny. How many times have you had to leave because you got a lead for a case during dinner?" Erin argued.
"She's got you there babe." Linda laughed.
"Yeah, but that's different. I still come to dinner for a little bit." Danny smiled.
"Kids, why don't you finish dinner in the sunroom and watch tv." Henry grabbed Sean's plate while Nicky and Jack follow.
"What's going on dad?" Erin asked worried.
Frank didn't say anything for a while. Erin and Danny just stared at each other worried about what he might have to say. A minute later Henry returned to support his son.
"Jamie won't be at dinner for a while." Frank took a deep breath. "He accepted an assignment. I can't say anymore."
"He hasn't even finished his second year on patrol yet. How could he have been picked for anything yet?" Erin worried. She couldn't watch another brother get killed.
"The kid doesn't have any idea what he's doing. He's gonna get himself killed. This isn't Harvard Law or the BPD legal department. His big brain won't get him out of this."
"Danny, you have no idea what he'll be doing, and he is a lot more street smart than you think. If he wasn't capable, he wouldn't have been selected for the assignment."
"Fine. What else?"
"If you see him around town, you are not to engage him. Please tell Nicky, Linda and the kids. He's not Jamie Reagan right now."
"I will dad, but ya know how much Nicky loves him."
"Same with the boys." Danny shook his head. He didn't understand the close relationship is little brother had with his boys or their niece. His only guess was that he was the cool young uncle.
"We will help them understand. It could be his life."
"Yes, we will. How long is gonna be gone?" Erin asked.
"I don't know. If something comes up that I can tell you I'll let you guys know."
An hour later everyone but Danny had left.
"Dad, who's Jamie's handler?"
"Danny, I can't tell you that. You know and understand that."
"Will they take care of him? Do they understand that he's just a stupid kid?"
"Danny, he's being taken care of. Trust me and the system."
"Okay." With that reassurance Danny left and went home to his family.