Always Home for Sunday Dinner

L is for Love

Different take on "Friendship, Love and Loyalty". What if the bullet wasn't stopped by Eddie's vest? What if she actually got shot and was now in the hospital? What would that do to Jaime? How would he react? And would he have any regrets? Enjoy!

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

His hands were turning white from the strong grip he had on the steering wheel. He was so nervous; his body had gone cold and yet there were small droplets of sweat forming on his forehead. Behind him was another officer applying pressure to the gunshot wound that was in his partner's abdomen as Officer Jamie Reagan barrelled down the streets with the lights and sirens blaring on his sward car hoping to out race death. It had seemed like everything was going to be normal, and this would all be a typical call and now his partner and friend, Officer Eddie Janko, was bleeding in the back seat of their squad car.

Everything just seemed like it would be normal. They had received a call about a dispute in the hall way. But when they had arrived, the man had fled on foot and Jaime and Eddie along with another cop duo had entered into a pursuit of the man. Eddie had been up front with another officer and as he ran to keep up he heard gun shots and watched in horror as his partner had been hit with bullets and went tumbling down the stairs. He ran directly to her calling out her name in horror. When he arrived, he kneeled down before her seeing the look of pain and horror in her eyes. He pulled back her jacket and saw the hole through her vest. Bulletproof seemed like false advertising in that moment; because now there was blood pouring out of the bullet wound in her abdomen. He could barely think straight. He was completely panicking. His partner had been shot. His partner, friend, confidant, had been shot. He turned back to see the other officer lying eyes closed, motionless on the break in the stairs. He heard the officer behind him calling over the radio for assistance, putting a 10-13 over the air. And within minutes, as expected, two other cop duos had arrived on the scene helping put the injured officers into the back of the cars, while their partners jumped into the driver's seat and sped off to the nearest hospital.

And now here he was, the gas pedal practically hitting the floor as he finally pulled up to the hospital's doors. Nurses ran out with gurneys behind them towards the two police cars to rush the officers into the hospital. Jaime jumped out of the drivers seat without hesitation, rushing over to the passenger side of the car to help ease Eddie onto the gurney. By now she was losing her consciousness and her fight against the searing pain in her side. And that made Jaime worry even more. He tried following the nurses in, but was stopped before he even reached the door. He made his way into the hospital waiting area and was there fast enough to see his partner being rushed into surgery. He was completely beside himself. He didn't know what to do, or even what to think. He was trying hard to stay positive but the fear, the worry, and the image of Eddie lying shot on the floor of the building was making it hard. Just then from behind him he heard  familiar voice calling out to him.

"Hey kid," his older brother, Detective Danny Reagan called out, "What're you doing here?" Jaime could tell there was a wise comment on the tip of his tongue, but for some reason, it didn't come out. Maybe it was because he could see the horror in Jaime's eyes and it set some kind of bell off inside of him.

"Jaime," Danny started, his tone and attitude completely changed from how it was before, "What's going on? What happened?" But he could barely speak. He didn't know how he could find the words, and something in him found it too painful to say it out loud.

"Eddie," is all he managed to get out, but with Danny being his brother, that was all he had to say for him to know.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------