Dangerously In Love

Pier 24

Jack is a few blocks away when his phone indicates a phone call.

"Hello."

"Hey, Kennedy where are you? I've been waiting here for almost a half-hour," Sam says through the phone.

"I'll be there in the next ten minutes Giancana," Jack replies.

"Ok, you got twenty minutes or your little girlfriend is going to take a nosedive," Sam says before disconnecting the call.

"Bastard," Jack curses. He knows that Sam is intentionally cutting down the time to make him sweat and to hurt Jackie. In typical mafia fashion, Sam is opting to tie a cinder block to Jackie's legs before pushing her into the Hudson. This will prevent Jackie to be able to float or swim back to the surface due to the weight of the block.

In ten minutes Jack has arrived at Pier twenty-four, ready to save the woman he loves. He checks his gun to make sure that's it ready and the ammo is in the gun accurately. The last thing he needs is for the gun to jam if he is to use it.

Sam and his men are standing near the edge of the Pier with Jackie tied up. Jack walks up and he sees Jackie. The first thing he wants to do is to go to her and hold her. First, he has to take care of the bastard in front of him.

"Well if it isn't the great John Kennedy, the most feared man in the mafia world," Sam says before laughing.

He looks at Sam with cold eyes, not cracking his lips to reply. Right now Sam just wants to get under his skin. The ultimate justice would be to pull out his gun to shoot that stupid grin off Sam's face.

Jackie doesn't say anything and watches the interaction between the two men.

"So do you have what I asked for or is your girlfriend gonna have to pay the price with her life?"

"Yes, I have everything right here," Jack says opening the briefcase filled with the money.

"Good, now put it down on the ground and take ten steps back. If you try anything funny girlie here will be swimming with the fishes."

Doing as he told, Jack puts the briefcase down and takes ten steps back. Sam signals for Davis, who obediently goes to pick it up.

Davis counts the money and takes it to his boss. While Sam is counting it, Jack stands there contemplating whether he should pull his gun out and start shooting. An idea he quickly decides against in fear of one them trying to use Jackie as a shield or moving causing him to hit her.

Jackie, on the other hand, is standing there sweating bullets. She is hoping that with Jack getting what Sam has requested, that he'll let her free.

"All the money is here, good. Well, Jack, it's nice doing business with you," Sam says snapping his fingers before walking away.

Before Jack could get to Jackie, Davis pushes Jackie into the Hudson.

"Jack," she screams right before she hits the water.

"You son of a bitch," Jack yells running towards the pier.

Without a second thought, he leaps into the water to try to catch her. It's still light out so he can somewhat see her still, but he needs to swim faster. As he swims towards Jackie, Sam's henchmen spray the water with bullets, hoping that one of them hit him. He swims faster knowing that he only has so much time before he runs out of the air in his lungs and before she hits the bottom.

Thankfully, he reaches her and grabs her lifeless body. Swimming faster towards the surface he feels the resistance of the cinder block pulling them backward. This one of the few moments his Naval training has paid off. He pushes on harder determined to get them to the surface so he can perform CPR.

Sam signals for them to stop. Walking over to where Jack initially jumped in he doesn't see any movement other than the waves lapping against the pier. "I think both of them are done," he says before putting the cigar back in his mouth and walking towards the car. They get into the car and pull off. Leaving Jack to struggle back to the surface.

Although he is almost to the surface his lungs are screaming for air. His body feeling limp from the weight of the water that he's fighting against along with the weight of Jackie's body and the block. He feels himself getting weak but he knows that he needs to get to Jackie to the surface as fast as he can. Pushing himself almost to the point of exhaustion.

Gotta keep going Jack, you can't lose her.

He struggles and tries to push towards the surface, not knowing how much longer he can keep going. His body gives up causing him to begin to take in water, causing him to choke. He never thought that this was the way he would go out.

All of a sudden Jack feels arms wrap around him pulling him towards the surface. Nex thing he sees two of his men grab Jackie and take her up.

Mac pulls Jack onto the pier and they lie Jackie down. Jack violently coughing trying to clear his air passages, while his men work on resuscitating Jackie.

"Where's Jackie, I need to help her," Jack says while trying to regain his breathing.

"The guys are trying to save her Jack, just try to catch your breath," Mac says.

A moment later as if on cue, the ambulance arrives. The medics pick up from where his men left off trying their hardest to save Jackie. They put her in the back of the ambulance and rush her off to the hospital.

"I need to get to her, I can't lose her Mac," Jack says staggering to his feet.

"I'll drive, you just try to get yourself together," Mac says helping Jack towards Jack's car.

While breaking a few driving laws in the process, Mac manages to catch up with the ambulance. Once at the hospital, Jack follows them into the emergency room but is stopped by a nurse.

"I'm sorry sir, but you can't go back there," the young nurse says.

"I need to be with her, I'm her boyfriend. I can't leave her by herself," he says to the nurse.

" I know sir, but we can't let you back there. You'll have to wait out here until the doctor gives the ok."

"Please, I don't want her to be back there by herself," Jack says frantically.

"I'm sorry, but unless your immediate family, I can't let you back there."

Mac and two of his men come in.

"Jack, what's wrong?" Mac asks when he sees that Jack has terror written on his face.

"They won't let me back there with Jackie. They said only immediate family, the doctor would need to give the ok for me to come back there."

While in trauma room one, the doctors continue to perform CPR.

"Is there a pulse?" a nurse calls out.

"Yes, but it's faint," replies another nurse.

One nurse puts an oxygen mask on her, while another doctor rubs the two defibrillator pads together before applying them to Jackie's chest.

"Clear," the doctor yells before sending the shock through her body. Causing her body to jump.

Meanwhile, Jack paces in a private waiting room while Mac watches him.

"I should have protected her.  What am I gonna do Mac? Christ, what do I tell her parents? I'm the reason that they may lose their oldest daughter because of my lifestyle," he runs a hand through his hair, "Here I have found the perfect woman and now I may lose her forever.