No Need for Heroes

Jamie didn't even know what happened. One moment he was driving, the next his car was on the sidewalk and he was looking half dazed at the burning back of a bus. Nope, burning wasn't the right word. Jamie blinked and shook his head, sucking in the surprisingly strong smell of burning plastic, oil and tires. The bus before him was ablaze, flames licking the air. People were standing around, some closer than Jamie thought was wise, but then his own car was too close for his liking. Blinking, Jamie put a hand to his head and tried to shake off the confusion.

He was driving towards his dad's house, for their traditional Sunday lunch, when he saw the bus bursting into flames and stop abruptly. What was worse was that it was in the middle of a crossroad, so there was a commotion. Jamie barely had time to react, he pushed on the brakes and swerved, when another car hit him from behind and pushed him into a nearby ditch.

That was a minute ago and Jamie was still sitting in the car, shocked. He didn't remember hitting his head, but there was a distinct headache building behind his eyes. Though, maybe that was just from the black smoke. Jamie was happy he wasn't in the bus, because the air inside must be quite toxic. With that thought, the veil of confusion lifted from Jamie's eyes and he cursed, quickly unbuckling his seatbelt. He opened the door and wavered a little stepping out of the car, but he recovered quickly when he heard the crackling flames and saw more people running around. First, he looked behind at the driver of the car that hit him… it was a young girl and she was still sitting behind the wheel, looking quite shaken, blinking dazedly up at Jamie when he opened her door.

"Are you okay, Madam?" Jamie asked, and then coughed as he breathed in some of the dark smoke.

"I didn't want to hit you. I am sorry. The bus is on flames?" the girl asked, confused. Jamie just nodded and looked inside the car. Luckily the girl was driving alone, so he unbuckled her belt and looked into her eyes.

"Did you hit your head? Does your back or neck hurt?" he asked and the girl shook her head. The crash wasn't that big, Jamie thought as neither one of their airbags reacted. They might be suffering from some whiplash and he would've been happier to leave the girl in the car until the paramedics checked her out, but the flames were growing stronger and he was afraid they could jump to their cars or the bus might blow. After all, he didn't know what happened to cause the fire.

"I am fine," the girl said and coughed, which prompted Jamie to react and help her out of the car. There were several people around, two more cars stopped quite abruptly but their passengers were helping each other out and seemed to be fine and far away from the fire. Jamie led the girl to the nearby front yard of some house and sat her down telling her to stay there, when an older pair from the house came out, the woman automatically kneeling next to the girl and asking her if she was alright.

"Can you keep an eye on her?" Jamie asked and the woman nodded.

"Of course. We have already called 911, the firemen and ambulance is on the way," she said and Jamie gave her a thankful smile, before turning towards the bus. He really hoped that there was no one trapped inside.

"I didn't hear any explosion, just a crash," the man that came out of the house said, giving Jamie at least some explanation of what was going. They were both approaching the bus, heading for the driver's window, while trying to send away any onlookers, crazy enough to come up too close. Jamie flashed his badge at a scrawny teenager that was too occupied by filming the fire on his phone to move out of their way.

"Hey sir, are you okay?" Jamie asked when he reached the front of the bus and saw that the driver was safely out of the bus, holding a now empty fire extinguisher and looking rather frazzled. His face was dark with smudges from the smoke and his eyes were tearing up, but he gave a shaky nod and threw the extinguisher to the ground.

"Yeah. I don't know what happened… it just started to burn," he croaked, coughing in the middle of the sentence. Jamie pulled him back from the bus, few steps farther and towards fresh air.

"Is anyone in the bus?" he asked, frowning towards the flames that were starting to lick the middle of the bus too.

"N-no. There were two passengers-"the driver had to pause to take a break, before he pointed to an elderly women and a young boy, huddled together some twenty yards away. "I got them out as soon as I stopped the bus. I tried to extinguish the fire, but it didn't help. I don't know what happened, but there were flames and-"

Just then there was a loud crack and everyone jumped, Jamie instinctively reaching for his gun, which of course wasn't there.

"The tires must've blown from the heat," he said and nodded at the two men. "Come on; let's go a little further, it's not safe here." Jamie helped the bus driver when he wobbled and steered him towards his passengers. He was about to pull out his cell phone and call to see where the hell where the reinforcements, when he heard the familiar sound of sirens and saw the blinking lights and the red fire trucks pulling up. His eyes scanned the scene, and he let out a relieved sigh when he saw that everyone seemed to be okay. He was pretty sure he knew what he will be thanking for in the traditional prayer before lunch. Which made him realize he wouldn't be able to make it in time and he should at least let his father know, but that would have to wait, at least until the sirens stopped wailing.

As luck had it, the patrol that arrived along with the ambulance and the fire trucks were guys he worked with before. He gave them a short report, while the ambulance crew sorted out the small injuries. They took in the driver for smoke inhalation and treated the old lady for shock and the girl that rammed Jamie's car was checked out for whiplash, but otherwise there were no injuries. Jamie was so occupied by trying to help out, that the ambulance crew didn't realize he was also part of the crash and he didn't mention it. Only after the firemen managed to get the fire under control, Jamie was allowed towards his car.

The whole car was dark from smoke and dust, while the back light was broken and there was a nice bent on the back bumper. Jamie grimaced, thinking about all the paperwork it would involve for the insurance company and the time it will take to clear the scene. He was about to resign himself the image of lunch in his near future, when his colleagues took pity on him and did a quick work at documenting the scene, telling Jamie that they would get him all the information he needed for the insurance and to get the hell out of there.

"Thanks guys, I'll tell Danny to go easy on you in the next department match," Jamie winked at them as he was closing the door to his car.

"I think you should rather warn him to wear a knee pad, he's getting older by the day. Wouldn't want to hurt a Reagan in a match," one of the officers joked and Jamie laughed.

"If I do that, I won't be doing myself much favor now, would I?"

"Yeah, wouldn't want him to shoot the messenger," the officer replied with a grin and patted the top of Jamie's car.

"Take care, Reagan, and enjoy the weekend, you sure deserve it."

"Thanks guys. I will try."

oOo

When Jamie parked the car before his father's house, it was almost an hour after lunch time. Jamie had the foresight to call home, once the ambulance arrived and he let his father know that he was going to be late due to an accident on the road that he witnessed. He was still hoping that Danny didn't finish all of the chicken, as his early breakfast was long forgotten ; although truth be told, he wasn't even feeling like eating anymore. He could still feel the smoke, almost feel the burning of it in his throat and it managed to turn off his appetite. Kneading his eyes, Jamie leaned his head back, hoping to get a moment to relax, willing away the lurking headache. Maybe he should've just turned the car and returned home to get some sleep. Before he could contemplate the idea any further, there was a knock on his window. Jamie startled, then blinked into the frowning face of his father.

"Hey, dad," Jamie said as he opened the door and slowly got out of the car.

"Jamie, I thought you said you witnessed an accident, not that you were part of it," Frank said reproachfully and nodded towards the back of Jamie's car, when his son seemed to gaze at him uncomprehendingly.

"Oh, that. That's nothing. You should've seen the flames on the bus," he said with a light smile, hoping that Frank will see some humor in it. No such luck. The frown on his father's face only deepened and Jamie was dismayed to feel a pausing hand on his shoulder.

"I don't think this is a light matter, Jamie. I'd like to know what happened to your car, and more importantly, if you are okay." Frank's tone broke no argument and Jamie let out a tired sigh.

"Look dad, I am fine, but frankly, I am tired and would like to just sit down and have a beer and maybe some of the lunch, if Danny didn't finish everything off. Can we leave the inquisition for later?"

Frank didn't look happy about it, but after a moment he conceded, although it was merely a matter of time. Jamie looked somehow off and Frank was pretty sure that the earlier phone call left out more information than it provided. Still, Jamie was in one piece, there were no visible injuries and after some food and rest, he would get all the information he needed. After all, this was a family of cops. If not him, then Danny was sure to interview the youngest Reagan in the most annoying way possible.

"Okay, come inside. We've saved a chicken leg for you, Pops even managed to save you some pie for dessert. Though you might want to take a shower and change your clothes before food… you kind of stink from burning rubber."

"Yeah, that was probably the tires or the plastic. Worst smell ever," Jamie wrinkled his nose and headed inside the house, Frank closely following on his heels, making sure there was nothing wrong. Erin, Linda and Danny were in the kitchen, cleaning up after the meal, while the oldest Reagan was in the living room with Sean, Jack and Nicky, playing monopoly. Jamie passed by the living room, saying hi, and heading straight upstairs for a shower, though not fast enough to hear the various exclamations of smelling like a burnt potato.

"Tires, not potatoes," he threw back and was gone. Frank shook his head and walked over to Henry, who was looking at him questioningly.

"Looks like there is more to the accident than Jamie told me over the phone," he told quietly.

"Is Uncle Jamie okay?" Nicky asked, before Henry could and suddenly there were four pairs of eyes looking at Frank for an answer. He just sighed, and then gave them all a reassuring smile.

"I am sure he's fine, if a little banged up maybe. He will probably have an interesting story to tell us."

"What story and where is Jamie hiding now? Kid has some guts, to come late for lunch, and get away scot free from cleaning duties," Danny joked as he flopped down on the couch.

"You are the one to talk, Mr. the Dishes will dry themselves," came from behind the kitchen door and everyone in the room chuckled, while Danny rolled his eyes.

"A man can't even joke while doing hard manual labor, without being ridiculed for it," he let out a weary sigh, which earned a wet towel being thrown at him from the kitchen. He ducked it and laughed when the towel barely missed Nicky before landing by her feet.

"Hey! " Nicky exclaimed, grabbed the towel and went with it to the kitchen, to explain the finer art of taking good aim before releasing the ammunition. Danny once again chuckled and stood from the couch, deciding it was probably best to clear the perimeter before something else came flying at him.

"Where is the kid, really? I thought I heard the car coming in ten minutes ago."

"If you mean Jamie, he went upstairs to change. Looks like he was a bigger part of the accident than just a witness," Frank said and Danny raised an eyebrow.

"Guess I should take a look at him, then. Make sure he finds his way back down, before I decide to finish of his dessert."

"How can you be still hungry, dad?" Sean asked in awe about his father's never ending appetite.

"Well, you know, I am still a growing boy," Danny retorted with a smirk, only to be stopped by Jake's snort and a murmured: "Yeah, right, maybe in width." That earned Jake a laugh from the other men and a wild tickling session from his dad, before he called uncle.

"That's better. And watch your mouth, or next time I will bring out the soap. It worked rather well with me and Joe if I remember correctly."

There were two nods from the older Reagan's and a rather scared look from the youngsters, so Danny thought his parenting methods were well condoned by all and it was time to find out what was his little brother up to. Walking upstairs, Danny realized he didn't hear any sound. Not the shower or Jamie rummaging through his cloth hangar. Frowning, Danny first tried Jamie's old room, but all he found was a smelly shirt on the floor and Jamie's jacket. Heading into the bathroom, Danny paused before the door to listen. Last thing he wanted was to rush in to find his brother naked in the shower, thank you very much. So he chose the safer way and knocked on the door.

"Hey, kiddo. I heard you have some exciting story to tell, so I hope you didn't fall asleep in the shower. You in there, Jamie?" he asked after a second went by, without any reply.

"Kid? If I have to break down this door, I'd rather if you be decent. Jamie?"

"Yeah, I'm okay. Just give me a minute," came from the bathroom, but Danny didn't really care anymore. Something wasn't right and he wasn't about to wait around to find out what. He turned the knob and was a little surprised to find the door unlocked. His surprise had quickly vanished though, as upon entering, he saw Jamie pale as a ghost, leaning against the toilet.

"Guess I will skip the lunch after all," Jamie said, trying for a smile, but grimacing instead. His mouth tasted horrible after the last few minutes and he would've liked nothing better than to rinse his mouth, but he was afraid to move. When he tried it few minutes ago, the spinning of his head sent him right back to the toilet worshipping. He found that keeping his head as still as possible helped to alleviate the spinning. Too bad that he was leaning against a foul smelling toilet right now, which made him want to gag. It was kind of a catch 22, and Jamie couldn't stop a snicker at the thought.

"Okay, you are definitely not okay. What the hell happened, kid?" Danny asked, even as he was pouring Jamie some mouthwash and trying to keep an eye on him at the same time.

"I don't know. It might be from the smoke… the smell of burning rubber, plastic and gas are nasty as hell," Jamie croaked, looking up at his brother as he nudged the mouthwash into his hand. That was a mistake, as the motion sent the world spinning and Jamie groaned, turning back to the toilet.

"Hey, kid, take It easy. Here, rinse and spit, then we will get you somewhere more comfortable." Danny held Jamie's shoulder supporting and helped him with the mouthwash, then slowly leaned him back from the toilet, against the bathtub. By some miracle, Jamie handled the movement without puking at his brother, though he turned another shade of grey.

"I don't know what the hell happened, but you look worse than Joe after his first New Year's celebration outside the house, and I am pretty sure he had alcohol poisoning that time." That brought a snicker from Jamie, who was sitting on the cold bathroom tiles with his head leaning against the tub, and eyes closed. "Should I call an ambulance?" Danny asked, worry clear in his voice.

"No. It's… I am fine. Just dizzy… when I move. And a headache."

"Did you hit your head during 'witnessing' that accident of yours?"

"Don't really remember," Jamie admitted after a moment and heard a sigh from his brother.

"Okay. Stay here, I will call Linda and let her decide if you stay here or get a ride to the nearest hospital. Don't even think about moving," Danny admonished, and was gone, before Jamie could groan out his protest.

oOo

Danny had run down the steps and ignored the bickering of his sons in the living room, or the questioning look from Henry and Frank. He headed straight for his wife, who was busy chatting with Erin and Nicky, while finishing drying off the dishes.

"Hey, babe, can I have you for a minute?" he asked, taking the dish and the towel from his wife's hand.

"Suddenly you want to help?" she asked surprised, but with good humor. Danny gave her a small smile, but shook his head.

"Next time, babe. Right now I need your help upstairs."

Linda would've retorted something about them having company and this not being the right time for fun, but one look at Danny's worried face told her this was something serious.

"What's wrong?" she asked and stepped toward Danny.

"Is Uncle Jamie okay?" Nicky asked worriedly and Danny sighed, as Erin opened her mouth to ask what was going on.

"He's fine. Well, not fine. He is sick, upstairs. Think he might've hit his head during whatever the hell happened, and now he's feeling a little run down. I thought you might take a look at him, decide if we need to take him for a checkup or not," Danny turned towards his wife. Linda nodded and without further questions headed upstairs. Erin and Nicky were on her heels, but Danny put out a hand to stop them.

"Where do you two think you're going? I still see some dishes to finish," he said, trying to alleviate their worries.

"You can't be serious," Erin growled, while Nicky rolled her eyes and whined: "Uncle Danny, come on! I just want see if Uncle Jamie is okay."

"Linda will take care of him; right now you two would only distract her from it. Not to mention Jamie would probably appreciate a little privacy while being in his undies," Danny said with a wink and turned to head upstairs.

"Oh, but you can be in the way all you want?" Erin asked in a snarky tone.

"Hell yeah, I am his big brother. I have seen the kid with bones sticking out of his hand after he fell down the stairs. I can handle his puking now."

"And who was the one pushing him down those stairs?"

"That was Joe, not me," Danny added and left the kitchen.

"Right," Erin muttered and went straight after her brother.

By the time Danny reached the bathroom, Linda and Frank were already supporting a wavering Jamie towards his old room and the bed.

"We will have to discuss your definition of a witness versus being a part of an accident," Frank admonished his youngest son, as he fought another wave of dizziness.

"Sorry, dad," Jamie moaned after a second and with Linda's help leaned against the bed board, settling his eyes on an old lamp across the room, hoping it will help to stop the spinning. Linda tsked and glared at Frank.

"I think you are all the same, stubborn hard headed Reagans. I just hope that Jake and Sean will have more sense when they grow up," she muttered, even as she was checking Jamie's pulse.

"Hey, I am sensible," Danny protested, which Linda didn't even find worthy of a response. Frank huffed and Jamie snickered. Just then, Erin walked in, looking ruffled.

"I didn't think you'd ditch Nicky so fast," Danny exclaimed when he saw her and Erin threw him a glare.

"Pops took care of that. But thanks for your help, brother. And you were lying; he still has his pants on." She walked inside, sparing Danny a slap on the shoulder, then her eyes softened as she watched Linda check Jamie's head for any bumps.

"Hey, I am still here," Jamie protested, and then grimaced as Linda hit a soft spot.

"And we are so happy about it, son. But maybe it's the right time to tell us what happened to you," Frank intervened.

"I would like to know that too, Jamie," Linda said, frowning. "That bump seems to be few days old, and I can't find any other wound, but you definitely have a concussion."

Jamie groaned and rubbed at his eyes, blinking away the colorful dots that appeared in his vision.

"Must've been that thug from Tuesday," he muttered and ran his hand over the bump. Yup, it had to be Tuesday, his lucky day, Jamie thought. He wanted to just lie down and sleep, but there were four pair of eyes waiting for answers, and he was pretty sure that if he pretended to fall asleep, they would all drag him to the nearest hospital. Maybe if he answered their questions, he could get some sleep?

"Sure, tell us what happened, and we will let you get some rest," Danny answered and Jamie flinched, not realizing that he spoke out loud.

"Uh, okay. It was nothing, just a regular call about a drunk guy being a little too handsy at one of the 24/7 convenience store. By the time we arrived, he was already outside, threatening some passer-bys. We managed to pacify him and take him to the car, but when I was putting him in, he buckled and threw me off of him. He was a really big guy," Jamie felt the need to specify.

"You hit your head when you fell?" Linda asked, watching Jamie's eyes and the way his pupils were reacting.

"Yeah. But I didn't black out, or anything," Jamie said quickly, to save himself from some kind of lecture. "It was just a bruise, nothing more."

"Uh-huh," Linda nodded. "Watch my finger, please, and don't move your head. Now, did you hit your head today?"

Jamie grudgingly did as he was told, blinking several times as the finger before him blurred.

"Didn't hit it, I think… the safety belt stopped me. But it was kind of a blur for a few minutes later."

"Mmhm," Linda nodded and patted Jamie's hand after a moment. "Okay, why don't you take a nap now, Jamie? It might do you some good. I will wake you up in two hours, to check up on you, okay?"

Jamie hummed, happy that he will be finally left to rest.

"Sorry for the bother," he mumbled and looked at Linda through half closed lids.

"Don't worry about it. Just call if you need anything. There's a trashcan by you right side, if you feel sick, so don't try to run to the bathroom. I don't think a third hit on the head would help you."

She helped him lay back, fluffing his pillow and ruffling his hair lightly, before shooing everyone else out of the room and closing the door.

"So? Shouldn't we take him to the hospital?" Erin asked, anxiously.

"It probably looks worse than it is," Linda tried to calm everyone down. "But we need to keep an eye on him, and if it gets worse, I will be the first one to call an ambulance, trust me. Right now though, his pupils seem okay, though he has trouble tracking. I will wake him up in two hours and we will see how he feels then."

"Isn't a second impact syndrome much more dangerous than a concussion?" Frank asked quietly.

"Yes, but I really didn't find any other bump indicating he hit his head today… though the abrupt stop might've been enough to reignite the bruise from the first hit and cause a concussion. We will see. So far, he's okay, no need to panic. Give him a little time to get his bearings together and to rest."

"Okay, well, I think I can use a little rest myself," Frank said with a nod and went to his room for his unfinished book. "I will take the first watch," he said, unnecessarily, as Danny was already pushing his favorite chair towards Jamie's room.

"I will take the second one," Danny replied and with a wink at his wife added: "I think that might constitute as labor and shall exempt me from this week's trash duties."

"No chance in hell for that, Daniel Reagan," she said with a laugh. "Why am I getting the vibe you don't like any domestic chores?"

"I don't have a clue," Danny replied with a straight face and followed his wife downstairs, while Erin watched as her father made himself comfortable in the chair by Jamie's bed and started reading. With a sigh she closed the door and headed downstairs to give some answers to Nicky.

oOo

It was already dark, when Jamie opened his eyes to discover that he was in his old room, dressed in an old shirt from the university and some sweatpants he didn't remember having. Taking a moment to orient himself and to try and put together the missing pieces, Jamie slowly sat up on his bed. He was happy to realize the room wasn't spinning anymore and there was only a slight headache inside his skull. Blinking, he turned around to look at the empty chair that wasn't part of this room's furniture, but which he recognized as one of the more comfortable ones in the house. The chair was empty, although there was an open book where his father sat before.

Yawning, then grimacing at the awful taste in his mouth, Jamie decided it was high time to visit the living. He stood up carefully and waited until the dark spots cleared his vision. It seemed that despite the long nap he still wasn't one hundred percent okay, but at least he wasn't feeling like hacking up his lunch from last thanksgiving. The house was pretty quiet, the only sound coming from the living room where the nine o clock news was running. His father and grandfather were sitting on the couch, though there was no hint of anyone else.

"Hey kiddo, didn't think I'd see you up and around so soon," Henry exclaimed as Jamie sat down into one of the armchairs.

"Yeah, sorry. Wasn't planning on sleeping away the day," Jamie said with a grimace and looked around for something to drink. Frank handed him his cup with the coffee and Jamie took a sip. "Thanks. How long was I asleep, anyway?"

"Since the last time we woke you up? Three hours. How are you feeling, son?"

"Better, I guess. What do you mean, last time?"

"Linda woke you up about three times while she was there, asking questions. Don't you remember?"

"Uh huh," Jamie frowned, then smirked. "Right. That explains all the dreams about being back at school and falling asleep during a test."

Henry chuckled, while Frank's lips also quirked up in a smile.

"I think you should be happy Linda didn't let Danny do the check-ups. He was planning on a whole third degree, along with good cop, bad cop attitude."

"Ugh," Jamie feigned a shiver. "I bet he was planning to be the good cop, and let Linda to be the bad one." Frank rolled his eyes and took the cup of coffee away from Jamie, ignoring his protests.

"You shouldn't have any coffee, what with having an empty stomach."

"This reminds me, there is some soup and leftovers waiting for you. Do you feel like eating something?" Henry asked, already heading for the kitchen.

"Maybe some soup and toast," Jamie said with a sigh, hoping it will stay down.

Frank put the TV on mute and turned to study his son, who squirmed under the scrutiny.

"How's the headache?"

"Not so bad, better than after a night of drinking. Do you want to ask me who is the president now?"

"Not particularly, I think I know the answer to that one. What about the dizziness?" Frank didn't let himself to be led off the track and Jamie had to remind himself that he was talking to the police commissioner.

"It's fine, almost gone. A day or two and I will be right as rain."

"I am sure of that, especially if you take it easy and follow the doctor's orders. Which are, to see a doctor tomorrow. Linda already made you an appointment, and Danny will pick you up before work."

"Dad, I have to be at work tomorrow," Jamie whined, then grimaced when he realized how it sounded. Frank just raised his eyebrows.

"I am pretty sure your tour was canceled due to you taking a sick leave. This is no joking matter, Jamie. Getting two hits on the head so shortly after each other can be dangerous; you can't risk hitting your head again so soon."

"Dad, you do realize that I can just as well slip on a banana peel or fall off my bed?"

"And you picking the two most ridiculous options just prove my point. You can get dizzy behind the wheel or feel sick while Janko needs you to have her back. Do you really want to risk that?"

Jamie frowned at the mental images those words provoked, shivering. Nope, no way was he going to be responsible for a death of another partner. Especially not Janko. He didn't think he could live with that one.

"You are right. I wouldn't want to endanger my partner," he said gravely and Frank sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose.

"I didn't mean it that way, you know that son, right?"

Jamie at Frank and gave a slight shrug.

"What happened to Vinny-"

"Look dad, I really don't want to talk about that. I get what you mean. I wouldn't want Danny or Janko going on a tour, not feeling one hundred percent, for all our sakes. It's just one tour, I am sure Janko will handle whomever they pair her up with. She probably won't like it, but she can handle it."

Jamie leaned back in the chair and turned to look at the TV. The newscaster was just awing over some baby panda born in the zoo. He wondered if there was any coverage of the burning bus. He didn't see any reporters at the scene, but there was a helicopter circling above them the whole time, so there were probably some good shots. Jamie wasn't sure if he wanted to see them, though he had a suspicion that he will find some pictures printed out and taped to his dresser at the station, along with some jokes.

"There was a short interview about the bus," Frank interrupted his musings.

"Yeah?"

"Seems like it was a technical problem with the engine. I spoke with Garrett; he said everyone on the scene was alright. You did well today, Jamie."

"I didn't really do anything, dad. I was too dazed to react and there really wasn't much to be done, anyway," Jamie said, a little unhappily. He felt more like a victim of the situation, than like a police officer helping out.

"You helped that girl and kept your head level. I saw the footage, you did everything that needed to be done, son. Sometimes being a cop doesn't mean doing heroic things. Sometimes it's just about keeping the situation getting out of hand and do the best you can. The only thing that you and I need to speak about is the fact that you didn't let the paramedics check you out on the scene and thought it alright to drive yourself here."

Jamie cringed at his father's words, not looking forward to the lecture he knew he would hear from the other members of the family as well at some point.

"To be fair, dad, I didn't realize something was wrong with me. I guess it was the adrenaline?" Jamie's eyes begged for the subject to be dropped. Frank didn't really want to, but at that moment Henry walked in with a plate of hot soup and toast and Frank was just happy to see his son safe and sound.

"You get a pass on it tonight, son, but we will be talking about it tomorrow."

Jamie gulped, then gave a sheepish nod and turned back to the soup in front of him.

"I guess I can live with that," he said with a smile and Frank shook his head with a smile of his own. As long as his son was safe and sound, he could live with it as well.

The End