A Chance for a Better Life
Chapter Ten
Mary's death hit Jamie hard, but he knew that he had to be strong for his dad. Going back to school and having a distraction was helpful. He knew his dad would be okay because his brothers and sister were there for him. Jamie learned early in life that he could handle life's challenges well on his own. He knew everyone had their own issues and challenges and he didn't want to add to it with his own.
Jamie's only able to make it home every three months. He's got a job in Cambridge and Spencer is trying to get him out on as many dates as he can. In their second year Jamie met Sydney Davenport and they started dating.
Sydney Davenport's family life closely resembles Spencer's. She's from a rich family who lives in Hartford Connecticut. Money has always made Jamie uncomfortable, because he knew his family never really had any. They wouldn't have been living in state housing if they did. Sydney knew about his past, and always seemed to minimize the first years of his life like they didn't exist. He wished he could do that every time he got a letter from Mason, but he knew he couldn't.
Jamie and Sydney dated the last two years of undergrad and all three years of law school. She'd been talking marriage the last six months. She was ready to move onto the next step. Jamie was debating if he ever wanted to be married.
"Jamie, both of the firms that we'll be working at will most likely be in Manhattan, so living in a loft in Manhattan will make more sense than commuting from Park Slope in Brooklyn." Park Slope was the only neighborhood in Brooklyn that Sydney would even consider. Even though his sister Erin lived in Park Slope, Jamie thought the neighborhood was too expensive.
"Syd, neither one of us is going to be making a lot of money in the beginning."
"You and I both know we will in a couple years. You've had how many corporate, family, and defense firms contact you?"
"I don't know, and it doesn't matter. I think I want to focus on family law and I'm looking into job with the state."
"That won't pay Jamie. You could end up at a big family firm. You could make good money as a divorce attorney." Sydney never understood why Jamie worried so much about money when she knew he had the skills to be a very rich man in the future.
"Syd, there's more to life than money. I want to help kids out there who suffered like I did."
"You can't fix a broken system, and you were so little when you went through all of that. In the end you ended up with a good family, and you never wanted for anything right?"
"No, I didn't. Syd, we grew up very differently. I love you. I want you to work in a way that makes you happy. That's all I want."
"At least you don't want to be a cop like your brothers." Sydney huffed. She'd be able to deal with any law career he chose, but she knew she wouldn't be able to deal with Jamie being in danger every day.
"And if I did?"
"Jamie, you are not your brothers. They have this edge to them that you don't. Besides you'll be a lawyer soon. Graduation will be here before we know it, and then we have to decide where we want to take the Bar."
"You don't have to remind me, that I'm not my brothers, but I do have an edge and I've survived things that they haven't. Yes, I'll be a lawyer. Spencer and I are taking the Bar here before we move home."
"You'll be back in New York before the New York Bar is given right?"
"Yes, I'm coming back to New York to take it. Joe's letting me stay with him."
"Jamie, what's going on? We graduate in a couple of weeks."
"Nothing, I'm just thinking through all of my options."
"What about me? We've discussed New York and Connecticut. We never discussed staying in Cambridge or Boston."
"We've discussed California, and Washington too. I just don't know if I'm ready to go home."
"So, when we're done here, does that mean that you're done with me?" Sydney asked concerned. She loved Jamie and expected him to be like her dad. She thought he'd go where she wanted and become wildly successful.
"Sydney, I love you, but we want very different things. I don't think in a year or two that either one of us will still be happy. Do you agree?"
"I agree. I guess since you're taking the Bar here, that you've applied for some jobs here."
"I've been offered a position at BPD (Boston Police Department) pending passing the Bar."
"You've been really happy since you started that internship."
"Yeah. Are we okay as friends?" Jamie was hopeful. He didn't want to break her heart, but wanted to think things through before they took those next steps.
"Yes. You better keep in touch with me. You are graduating first in our class."
"I will."
The next morning Jamie left early to talk to his dad. He had to be back the following night so he could attend class Monday morning.
Jamie was sitting at the kitchen table waiting for his dad to get home. He and his grandfather had a nice lunch before Henry left to meet his buddies for poker.
"This is a surprise, Jamie. What brings you here? Shouldn't you be preparing for graduation."
Jamie was nervous. He was the only Regan that left New York for something other than military service. "I need to talk."
"Are you okay? Are you sick again?" Frank would always worry more about Jamie than any of his other kids.
"Dad, I'm fine. Graduation is next week. I only have one final left. As long as nothing changes, I'm first in my class." Jamie smiled. He never thought he'd be where he is today, and to top it all off he's not going to have any loans to pay back when he graduated.
"I'm so proud of you Jamie. I know your brothers and sister are too. Now, what brought you home?"
"I've accepted a job with BPD in their legal department. I'm taking the Massachusetts State Bar the day after graduation."
Frank was shocked. He was ready to move Jamie either in with him and his dad or with Joe and Angie.
"Do the others know?"
"Joe does. He was visiting me last week when I got the offer. No one else does."
"Can you stay for dinner tomorrow?"
"I'd like to leave by six. I have one of my final classes Monday morning then I have to work in the afternoon."
"We'll get you out on time."
"Thanks Dad, but you know this probably won't go over well."
"No, it probably won't. Everyone's ready to have you home. What about Sydney?"
"We broke up, we're just friends. We wanted different things."
"Are you okay?" Frank worried. He liked Sydney. He thought that they were working their way towards marriage.
"Yeah. I'm okay. I would rather find out now, then six months or a year from now after we'd have already been married."
Jamie took the opportunity to pack up a few more things in his room. He'd already found and rented an apartment in Boston, and he was planning on moving into it the following weekend. Right after graduation. Jamie was ready to take the next step. His only wish was that one of his moms had lived long enough to see him graduate law school although he knew Mary probably wouldn't love that he was going to working with BPD. Right now, being able to help cops made him happy.
Danny and Linda arrived first for dinner with Jack and Sean their two boys. Henry and Jamie were busy in the kitchen cooking, a skill Jamie would forever be happy that he'd learned from his mother. Spencer couldn't boil water, and Jamie was able to cook for them while they studied.
"Uncle Jamie!" Both boys yelled as they ran into the kitchen.
"Jack, Sean! Are you boys being good for your mom?" Jamie hugged his nephews. He loved the little balls of energy. He imagined that Danny was a ball of energy like both of his sons at their ages.
"Yes!" Jack and Sean said at the same time.
"Hey kid, what about me?" Danny said gruffly. Danny was surprised to see the beloved youngest child.
"Well Mom always used to say that you used to drive Dad nuts when he was home and not working so I figure your just getting what you gave." Jamie laughed.
"I like that." Linda laughed. "Welcome home Jamie." She hugged him.
"Hi Linda."
"Jamie! What are you doing home? You graduate next week." Joe was worried like their dad had been.
"I have some news. I'll tell you guys at dinner when everyone gets here."
Ten minutes later dinner was ready, and Jack, Erin, and Nicky were already sitting at the table.
"Uncle Jamie! I'm so happy you're here." Nicky squealed. She and her uncle Jamie were very close. She loved her other Uncles but despite the fact that they all lived in New York she was closest to him.
Joe had been watching his brother all night. He already knew about the job offer, and that Jamie had already accepted. He could tell Jamie was nervous and he knew it had nothing to do with school. He'd watched Jamie's confidence grow over the years and he couldn't be prouder. He wasn't surprised that Jamie wasn't moving home right after school. They all had the weight of being Reagan's but for Jamie he was the youngest Reagan who was adopted and a cancer survivor. Those who knew tended to not let him forget how lucky he was to be a Reagan and alive.
"So kid, why are you home when we're all gonna be in Boston next week?" Danny could barely wait for grace to be finished.
"I got a job."
"That's what you're supposed to do numb nuts." Danny was annoyed.
"What firm did you decide on Jamie?" Erin was curious. She'd tried recruiting him into the DA's office, but he explained that like her he wanted to gain experience in other places.
"I accepted a job with the Boston Police Department in their legal department."
"You're not coming home?" Erin couldn't believe what she was hearing. It was bad enough that Jamie spent the last seven years away and now he wasn't coming home.
"No, not yet anyway, but I'm still not that far away."
"That's right. Jamie's always come home whenever he was needed, and he's always made it to at least one family dinner a month." Frank defended Jamie. It was his life after all. All of his kids could've made the same choice as Jamie.
"Thanks Dad. My goal is to make it home for family dinner at least twice a month after a few weeks."
"Why a few weeks?" Henry didn't like the sound of that.
"Right after graduation I'm taking the Bar in Boston, then two weeks later I'll be in New York to take the New York Bar, and then two weeks after that I'm flying to California with Spencer and taking the Bar there."
"California!" Henry hadn't heard California being discussed.
"Yeah, Spencer's been trying to get me to get to accept one of the offers I got from places out there, but I told him I really want to stay closer to home. At least for now."
The entire table takes a big sigh of relief. No one wanted Jamie to be all the way in California.
Jamie checked his watch. It was time he left. He still had to drive home.
"I love all of you guys, but I have my last final tomorrow morning and then I have to work after that. I'm still packing too."
"Drive safe and call me when you get home. I don't care how late it is." Frank said as he hugged Jamie at the door.
"I will Dad."
A week later the family was up in Cambridge for Jamie's Harvard Law School Graduation. Joe couldn't be happier or prouder of his baby brother. Danny was lost in thought as he remembered how sick Jamie was when he came home from the Marine's and was worried about living long enough to see his brothers and sister graduate. Linda spent the entire afternoon in tears for many reasons. One of them being that Mary wasn't there to watch her strong stubborn boy graduate first in his class.
Frank was remembering the first time he met Jamie. He was so small, and so scared of everything around him. Jamie's story was an amazing story to be told. He'd changed all of their lives in ways he'd never understand. Now he was going to be a lawyer and fight for cops.
Once the graduation was over Frank took the family out for a nice dinner, and Jamie took them to his new apartment. It was a nice two-bedroom apartment, a nice ten-minute walk from work. Jamie had already started moving in, but had yet to move his bed in.
Graduation had been a great couple of days. It was hard for Frank to leave knowing his son wasn't moving home in a couple days.
Over the next two months they don't see Jamie much. Joe had seen him for the two days he was in New York to take the Bar, but he'd only been able to meet his dad for lunch before he left. Frank was still worried that he was going to get another visit from Jamie and find out that he'd accepted an offer in California or anywhere further away that where he currently was.
Jamie and Joe were as close as they'd ever been. Joe never imagined that he'd become best friends with his little brother or ever have a little brother. He'd worried that their relationship would suffer when Jamie moved away for college, but if anything they'd gotten closer. It wasn't uncommon for Joe to head to Cambridge or for them to pick somewhere to meet halfway between New York and Boston. In addition, they would talk most days.
Jamie's primary focus was his new job. He was happy that Joe and Angie were moving in together. He wanted Joe to be happy. Danny and Linda were happy. Erin and Jack were happy. Jamie didn't have any desire to date. Something he remembered vividly from his cancer treatments was that you need to celebrate the wins. He'd had a lot of wins recently. He'd learned that he'd passed the New York, Massachusetts, and California Bars. He wasn't prepared for the amount of job offers that came in as the results were posted.
Jamie liked all of the different sides of his job. He got to spend time in the court room, out on the street conducting investigations and some time in different precincts. He couldn't deny that some of the offers he'd gotten were impressive, but he knew that he wouldn't be happy. Life was too short to do something that you hate for a big paycheck. His dad taught him that more than anyone else. Henry and Frank were visiting when Jamie received a big offer from a firm in California, and Frank shared that he'd received some enticing offers from private security firms. They talked about why Frank was still NYPD and not making six figures and one of his reasons was Jamie. He wanted to make a difference in as many people's lives as he could. Without knowing it Frank had hit on something that had been bothering Jamie. Jamie didn't think that he was doing enough for people in the community.
Jamie was relaxing at home after a ten-mile run. He was trying to decide what he what to eat. Jamie was happy that he made enough that he could afford to go out if he wanted. He was deep in thought when his thoughts were interrupted.
"Hey Jay, I'm glad you're home." Joe knew Jamie's schedule could be as erratic as his.
"Joe, what are you doing here? I'll be home next weekend." Jamie was worried something was wrong with their dad or grandpa.
"It was a long week at work. I needed to get out of town and Angie's working a big wedding that's gonna last all weekend. How are things here?" Joe thought for a minute. "You're too quiet at Sunday dinner when you come."
"Things are good here, and I'm not too quiet. You, Danny, and Erin are too loud." Jamie laughed.
"You're right about that. Although you're good about breaking up Danny and Erin's fights."
Jamie shook his head and ran his hand over his face. "Is that all they do? Seriously. Living in Boston gives me a break. I don't miss being around that all the time."
"I know you don't. Are you taking time to have a life? How are you handling working all those investigations?" Joe wondered.
"Yes, I'm part of a running group. We just finished a ten-mile run this morning and work is good. All of the investigations and something dad said when he was here last have got me thinking."
"Thinking about what?" Joe watched Jamie closely.
"If I chose the right career. I like being in the courtroom, but I just don't think I'm making a big enough difference."
"What do you want to do?"
"I think I'd make a bigger difference as a cop. You, Dad, and Danny do a lot for people. You've all done a lot for me. Dad saved my life more than once. I'm not saving any lives."
Joe was shocked. Being a lawyer was important to Jamie. Jamie had never said anything to him about wanting something different. "Erin makes a difference too. Jamie, you make a bigger difference than you know. You just don't get to see it."
"I know Erin makes a difference too."
"You do too. It's only been six months. Give yourself some time. You still have time if you want to be a cop too."
"Ya know it's hard being the youngest. All of you guys are so successful. I hope I can live up to the family legacy."
"Jamie, you don't have anything to worry about. Don't worry about the family legacy. Everyone is proud of you. Just focus on what you're doing now."
"I am. I'm not gonna quit. I just don't want to do harm to the Reagan name."
"Jamie, that's not possible. You give all of us something to live up to. You have for years. Is everything okay?" Joe had been worried about the things going on in his life, now he was worried about his baby brother.
"Yeah, work's good. I got to sit in a meeting with the chief the other day. I imagined it's something like what Dad does on a bigger scale. I'm working on a couple investigations, and I get to spend more time in court next week."
"I don't want to go anywhere near any of Dad's meetings. They are way above my level. Are you feeling, okay?"
"I'm fine Joe. I had my yearly appointment a couple months ago. I'm still cancer free."
"Good. Ya, know we worry. I worry. Does Dad know?"
"Yes Joe, Dad knows about my appointment. I let him know as soon as I got the results. The doctors say that I should live a normal life, so you and everyone else can focus on your lives."
"Okay. Don't be surprised if I ask next year or you could just tell me."
"Noted older brother. Now let's go and get something to eat. Are you leaving Sunday morning or Monday?"
"Monday morning. I don't have to work until Tuesday morning. I took Monday off. Angie has Monday off after the long weekend."
"Good. Danny and Erin can go at it Sunday without us." Jamie laughed.
"I agree."
The following week Jamie was home for the weekend. He and his dad went fishing. Joe had come home and let their dad know about Jamie's worries like he'd done since Jamie was little.
"Jamie ya know if you want to move home you can always move back in with me and pop." Frank watched Jamie's face for a reaction.
"I know, dad. I like my job. I miss all of you, but I'm not ready to come home yet.."
"Ya know you can do whatever you want in life. Look at all you've achieved already. Your mother would be so proud."
"I know she would." Jamie looked down at the water. He was thinking of both of his moms.
"Jamie, me and pop are gonna come to Boston again."
"Are you sure, you were just in Boston not that long ago. Can't miss too many Sunday dinners."
"Yes." Frank smiled. He didn't want another dinner without Joe or Jamie. Danny and Erin fought the entire time. Linda and Jack added to the fighting too.
"Thanks Dad."
They continued fishing for a few more hours before they headed to a diner for breakfast. It had been a good morning. Jamie needed to spend more time fishing with his dad when he was home and less time focusing on things he couldn't control.
Jamie was surprised one morning when he got into work, he was called into his supervisors office and was promoted. He had only been on the job for six months. The promotion meant more responsibility and that he wouldn't be able to spend as much time in New York.
Danny and Linda took their boys to Boston for their summer vacation. Linda was excited to get out of the city for a bit. The boys were excited to spend some time with their Uncle Jamie. They'd really missed him. Jamie took a couple days off to spend time with the boys. This gave Linda and Danny a chance to spend a couple days in a nice hotel alone and do whatever they wanted. Jamie took the boys to the Boston Tea Party ships, and the Boston Children's Museum. Jack wondered if his uncle would still be able to help him with his homework now that he got promoted. Jamie reassured him that he'd always have time for him.
Other than running club, Jamie volunteers at a local soup kitchen and spends one night a week with children in the local hospital to help distract them from being sick. The nurses at the hospital love him.
It was a week before Christmas, and Jamie was finishing up a big case at the office. Most of the office had already taken time off for Christmas or was finishing up their holiday errands and had left early. Jamie was concentrating on writing his closing statements when he heard a loud noise and the building started to shake.
Frank and Henry were relaxing at home watching a basketball game when the news broke in.
"Sorry to interrupt the game, but we've just received word that there's been an explosion at Boston Police Headquarters. Emergency crews are responding. At this time, it's believed that there are very few people inside, but we do not know their status at this time. As we get more information, we will have more updates."
As the reporter finished and they changed scenes from the newsroom to showing the BPD Headquarters on fire Frank immediately went and got his phone. It was late on a Tuesday, and it was only two more days before Jamie came home for Christmas. He had to talk to his son.
Danny and Linda, Joe and Angie, Erin and Jack had all seen the same thing. They were all off the entire week for Christmas. Joe immediately grabbed his phone. He needed to talk to his baby brother. He knew Jamie was still at work because Jamie had told him as much about his current case as he could. Joe hoped that he'd decided to go and work from home, but he had a bad feeling.
Jamie woke up on the floor in what he thought was his office. He could feel the heat around him, and he couldn't move something big had landed on him. He was trying to figure out what happened. He knew if the logbook survived, they would know he was in the building, but he wasn't sure that was the case. His office was an old storeroom on the fifth floor tucked into a corner. He knew that the first responders would search the entire building, he just didn't know if they would find him in time. He didn't feel good, and he had no idea what had just happened.
An hour after the breaking news aired the entire family was at the house in Bay Ridge. Joe had let everyone know that Jamie was probably in the burning office building. Frank had been pacing since they saw the breaking news story. Henry was working with his contacts that he had at BPD to see if he could find anything out. Unfortunately, with all the chaos in Boston there wasn't much information coming out, and what was coming out was jumbled.
"Francis, I know Joe said that he was probably working, but if they knew he was in there they would have called by now. Sit down, we will hear from him soon." Henry told his son as he handed him a glass of water, Frank needed some space and had moved into the kitchen, but his dad followed.
"Pop, it's Jamie, he's the most responsible kid I've got. He'd have called by now if he was alright. He knows how much we worry about him."
"He might be out with friends, and he can't hear his phone in the bar." Henry hoped and prayed.
"The only person that can get Jamie out to have fun like that is Joe. Joe told me he's either working or volunteering."
"Francis let's go back and check on the family. Maybe Joe's heard from Jamie."
Back in the living room the family was watching the news coverage that had taken over. The building was in bad shape, but it appeared that they had figured out who was still inside, and the families would be notified soon.
Ten minutes later Frank's phone rang, and the room went quiet. Fear gripped everyone's hearts.
"Hello." Frank didn't want to take this call.
"Commissioner Reagan, I'm Chief Montgomery with the Boston Police Department. I'm calling to inform you that your son is currently trapped in BPD Headquarters. I'm so sorry. I will give you updates as I get them."
Frank took a deep breath. He knew how hard it was to make these calls. "Do you have any idea what happened?"
"An investigation has started, but things are slow moving. Cambridge police and the FBI are involved."
"Thank you."
Frank hung up the phone and looked around the room at his kids, their significant others, and his sleeping grandchildren. This was the news that none of them wanted to hear.
"Dad, is Jamie in there?" Erin's couldn't hide the fear in her voice. The look on her father's face already told them a lot.
"Yes."
"When do we leave for Boston?" Joe was ready to leave. He didn't care about anything other than Jamie at that moment.
"We can help search." Danny said without hesitation, getting ready to follow Joe out the door.
"The chief said that he will keep us updated. All we can do is wait." Frank looked on to the TV to see the building where he now knew his son was trapped on fire and crumbling to the ground.
"Dad, Jamie's gonna need someone there. He's all alone." Joe would've gone right to Boston had Angie not made him go to his dads.
Angie knew Joe was struggling. She knew he loved his brother and hated that he was all alone in Boston where he was most likely trapped in a burning building.
Back in Boston the building had shifted as the rescue team was working looking for survivors. Jamie had been in and out of consciousness. He guessed that he was in his office because he could hear his phone ringing. He guessed that his family knew about what had happened, he couldn't wait to find out what it was. When he was awake, he was praying that he'd survive to see his family again. When he'd lose consciousness, he'd be with both of his mom's, grandma Betty, and his material grandparents. They were all watching over him and keeping him safe.
The next time he woke up he could see the sun rising. He'd been stuck all night. He was able to determine that the fireman had been able to put out the fire because it was getting cold now and the smoke was no longer black. He hadn't heard his phone in a while. He figured his phone had died. He wasn't sure how much longer he was going to be able to hold on. He hadn't given up, but he was wondering his time on earth was done.
Frank wanted his family close. He had everyone stay at the house. That way they could all learn Jamie's fate together and those who would be able to go to Boston could leave together.
Joe couldn't sleep and left for Boston at midnight. Angie couldn't do or say anything to stop him from making the four-hour drive. When Joe got to the scene, he'd learned that they'd found eight of the ten people inside. He'd learned that there had been a bomb planted on the fifth floor under the chief's office. The fifth floor took a majority of the damage.
Jamie wasn't alone on the fifth floor. One of the senior attorneys was working too. He had a major case working that he had to have a few things submitted into the court before it was closed for Christmas. Jamie had been following the case.
The search and rescue team had started on the fifth floor that morning and were making their way to Jamie's office. The problem was that there was so much damage to the building it was taking them a long time to get to his small office where they guessed he was.
Frank, Danny, and Henry all arrived at the scene at ten that morning after they figured out that Joe had left. Erin, Jack, and Linda all stayed home with the kids. They were planning a simpler Christmas Day. The big dinner was going to be moved to New Years. They were all hoping and praying that they wouldn't be attending funeral. They were still glued to the tv when they weren't trying keep the kids distracted.
"Have you gotten anymore updates?" Frank didn't want to interrupt the incident commander. He'd given up his work mask and was now in full dad mode where he realized last night after Angie had told him Joe had left for Boston that he should've never put on his commissioner mask in the first place.
"They're finally on the fifth floor now. They determined that Jamie based on his location has the best odds for survival. The other lawyer who was determined to be his office was closer to where the bomb when off.
"As long as he was in his office when it did go off." Frank reminded Joe.
"He shouldn't have been here at six last night anyway. He should have taken the week off like the rest of you kids." Henry said showing his fear through anger.
"Gramps, you know how much the kid works." Danny understood where his grandpa was coming from.
"I know." Henry said and watched his son closely.
The hours moved slowly as they heard updates. Their last update had been that they were getting close to Jamie's office, but the damage in that area of the building was worse than they had seen in other parts when they were digging out and rescuing the others in the building.
The Chief had come over and offered the Reagans a spot in the command tent, but they declined because they didn't want any special treatment because of Frank's job. Instead, they stayed in the same area with the other family members.
Two hours later they see someone being brought out in a body bag and another person being brought out on a stretcher. Because of Frank's height he can see that the person on the stretcher is his son. He sends a prayer of thanks, but then realizes that he doesn't know Jamie's injuries yet.
A few minutes later the BPD chief came to let them know Jamie had been found, but he was unconscious and had been buried under a beam and other debris had fallen on him.
Mark Little was the only fatality, and he hadn't been that far away from Jamie in the building. He'd been Jamie's mentor. Frank worried about how hard his death would be on his son.
Now it was time for the waiting to begin at the hospital. Frank called Erin so she could update everyone at the house. Everyone at the house had a collective sigh of relief that he was still alive.
The next two hours felt like days to the exhausted family members. They had all crowded into the small hospital waiting room.
"Family of Jameson Reagan."
"Yes." All three men say at the same time.
"Jamie was very lucky. He has a concussion, bruised ribs, and some cuts and bruises. He's a little dehydrated so we have him on some fluids, but he can go home later tonight as long as he will have someone staying with him. Otherwise, we will keep him for a couple days."
"We live in New York. Will Jamie be able to travel?" Henry asked. It was only two days until Christmas.
"Did you drive or fly?" The doctor understood wanting their family member home for the holidays.
"We all drove, but if you think he should fly back, one of us will fly back with him." Frank said without any hesitation.
"No, I think driving would be better. Just go slow and if he needs to stop, stop for him. I would request that you wait until tomorrow though."
"Thank you, doctor. Can we see him now?" Joe hated that Jamie was in the hospital again, but he was thankful that he'd survived.
"Yes, all of you can go back."
Jamie was sitting in bed trying to figure out how he was going to get home. He knew he couldn't drive with a head injury, and he didn't think flying was the best idea. He was hoping that he'd be able to get train tickets and get Joe to pick him up from the train station. He had to get a new phone too. His head was spinning from everything he had to do to get home. He hoped he didn't look too bad because he didn't want Erin, Linda, and his grandfather acting like mother hens. He was fine.
"Jamie!" Frank said as he came in and looked his son over. He could see a couple cuts on the side of his head that had been stitched.
"Dad, Grandpa, Danny, Joe, what are you doing here?"
"Jamie, we heard about your building and there wasn't any place we'd rather be." Joe gave his little brother a hug. He was scared he was never going to talk to him again.
"Thanks for coming." Jamie smiled. "Is there any chance I can get a ride home as soon as I'm out of here?"
"Of course. How are you feeling?" Henry was surprised Danny had yet to talk.
"I'll be okay. A little bit of a headache, and my chest hurts a little, but considering where I was a few hours ago, I'm great." Jamie smiled.
An hour later Jamie was discharged with pain medicine that Frank knew his son wouldn't take. Frank was just happy that he was going to have his entire family safe and home for Christmas.
Frank knew that they had a lot to be thankful for and celebrate over the next couple days. He decided when they driving to Boston that he was going to take the next couple of weeks off to make sure that Jamie was taking care of himself. Jamie would be staying with them and wouldn't be able to go back to Boston until someone in the family drove him.