Chapter 15 – Found

Getting desperate, Danny shouted out. "Yes, think of your sons!" He eyed the flickering light in the man's hand.

William straightened up a little and glared at the elder Reagan. "What? Why do you think I'm doing all of this, huh?! It's all for my sons!" he yelled out.

Danny put his hands up, hoping to calm him. "I have two boys myself, alright? And I can't imagine the pain and grief that you've gone through, that you're still going through," he said gently. "But your boys…they wouldn't want you to do this; not in their name."

William grew mad. "How the hell would you know what they would want?!"

"Because they were sons of a cop, just like me and Jamie! I remember always thinking how cool my dad's job was, what a hero he was, and still is. I know they thought the same of you; you were their hero. You are their hero. Please, don't let their hero become a killer…" Danny told him, sadness and fear in his eyes.

William thought about what Danny said…he knew he was right, but didn't want to admit it. Instead, he started tearing up, letting the tears fall down. He still had the lighter in his hand, the flame dancing in the shadows. After a long moment of silence he started rummaging through his pocket with his other hand and brought out the handcuff key. He stared down at it, contemplating everything that was going on. He sniffed as the tears continued to fall down his face, closing his eyes and hand tightly before opening them again. Then William tossed the key in Danny's direction, who barely caught it as it fell out of one hand and grabbed it with the other before it hit the ground. "You have ten seconds to get out…or you can burn with me. There's a back door through the kitchen," he told them in monotone. "And don't try and talk me out of this. I've made up my mind a long time ago," he continued, cutting off anything Danny was going to say. "All I ever wanted was to be with my boys…" He then closed his eyes, counting down in his head.

Danny didn't need to be told twice. He quickly unlocked the cuffs that were around their wrists, then turned and bent to uncuff the one around their ankles. But time seemed to stand still just then…when they looked back towards William, he had let the lighter go and they watched in dread as it slowly fell to the floor, making contact with some of the gasoline, and engulfing everything around them in flames. He dropped the key and then grabbed Jamie's arm, helping him stand up. "Come on," Danny said as he led him through the kitchen and towards the back door, trying to avoid any of the fire that was quickly spreading throughout the house. He was eventually able to find the aforementioned door through the smoke that was starting to accumulate around them, which was also making them cough. Through teary eyes, he blindly felt his way around the doorframe until he touched the metal of the deadbolt and turned it. His hand then stumbled its way down, turning the handle when he found it and opening the door to reveal the fresh night air.

Jamie had been leaning against the nearby counter with his eyes squeezed shut as his brother dealt with the door, nearly hacking up his lung as it longed for some oxygen, wincing as the pain got worse with each cough. He felt like he was about to faint until a pair of hands grabbed onto his arm and dragged him through the door, where he then fell onto the cold ground on his hands and knees. He started taking deep gulps of air, coughing as he did so and rolling onto his back.

Danny had copied his position, also coughing up all of the smoke that they had breathed in. He looked over at his brother next to him. "You okay?!" he asked between coughs, receiving a thumbs up as a response. Danny sighed in relief, then lifted his head up and stared at the old house that was nearly overcome with flames. When he set his head back down, that's when he realized that there were sirens nearby. Not just nearby, but at the scene…and he heard voices calling their names! He turned towards the noise, seeing the blue and red of the lights in the dark. "Over here!" he tried to yell out, coughing in the process. He closed his eyes and focused on his breathing, later opening them to see officers, medics, and firefighters by their sides. "I'm okay, check on Jamie," he rasped out. "Possible fractured ribs, maybe worse…" he said in a near whisper as he tried not to cough again. Both boys were given an oxygen mask around their mouth and nose as they were told to breath deep.

Frank and Maria had arrived not long after the first responders. They saw firefighters doing their job, trying to put the large house fire out. "Commissioner, they're in the back!" one of the officers said, pointing towards the direction his sons were at.

They ran towards the small group of officers and medics, Frank scanning his eyes until he spotted what he had been looking for the past two weeks. "Danny, Jamie!" he yelled out as he got closer. The cluster of people surrounding his sons made an opening for their PC to come through. Seeing his boys again, a little disheveled and thinner, but alive, lifted a huge weight off of Frank's shoulders that he didn't realize he was carrying. He got down on his knees in between them, taking a hold of each of their hands in his, a little surprised at how cold they felt. "You boys are safe now…we got you," he told them as he looked from his oldest to his youngest.

"Dad," Danny said, lifting his mask up partially. "William's still inside," he told him, putting the mask back on his face.

Frank looked behind him, feeling the intensity of the heat on his back. He closed his eyes, knowing there was no chance of saving his former partner. He just couldn't believe it got this far…and how close he was to losing two more sons. His thoughts were interrupted when one of the medics told him they were ready to transport them onto gurneys and to the ambulances. Frank nodded and stood up out of the way, but not too far…he didn't want to be away from his boys for too long. The medics and some officers gently lifted Danny and Jamie onto their own gurney and started wheeling them towards the waiting ambulances, with Frank and Maria following close behind.

When they got to the buses, Danny had looked over at his dad and could tell by the look on his face that he was having an internal conflict…who should he go with? "Dad," he said. "It's okay…go with Jamie. I'll be fine," he told him when his father had looked over.

With a small smile, Frank nodded his thanks and got into the back of the ambulance where his youngest was. Once the doors were closed, the vehicle drove away, heading towards the nearest hospital. Meanwhile, Danny had been put in the second ambulance with Maria right behind him. "Hey partner," she told him as she sat down near his head. "You really put us in a frenzy there," she said with a small smile.

"Hey Maria. Yeah, sorry about that," he said through the mask with a sheepish grin. He then smiled bigger and said thank you when she gave him her cell phone, knowing exactly who he'd want to call. He quickly dialed the number he knew by heart and waited with baited breath as it continued ringing. Finally it stopped and a familiar voice that Danny wasn't sure he'd ever hear again came through the other line. "Hey babe…I'm okay and I'm coming home," he said as he started tearing up. He leaned his head back against the pillow and closed his eyes, listening to his love talk to him. For the first time in who knows how many days, Danny could finally relax and feel at ease.

A/N: Hope you guys have enjoyed this...just one more chapter left! :)