Joe for the first time in two days had finally fallen asleep, although he was only out for 30 minutes so far. Danny however never slept if he was alone with Joe and Jamie, Frank had been running back and forth from one police plaza, sleep-deprived himself. Danny always waited for his father's return to the hospital for shut-eye, he trusted Joe but he had no idea if Joe would leave and go off on his own and things will only get even more complicated in the near future Joe is scheduled to return back to work in three days, Danny in two, both homicide detective's, they can't take too many days off, plenty of cases on both of their desk, before Danny's thoughts continued any further Jamie's regular nurse had returned, she tried to close the door gently not to wake up Joe but he had awoken anyways.

"Sorry to wake you guys it'll only be a minute," She apologized.

"I was already awake, it's fine." Danny smiled nicely, Joe began sitting up but Danny gently pushed him back down onto the sofa. "You need rest, Joe."

"I'm fine Danny." stubbornly responded.

"You'll be no good to anyone sleep-deprived." Joe did feel extremely tired and his eyelids heavy. he decided to lay back down, so tired that minutes later he was sound asleep.

"Oh my." The nurse said underneath her breath, grabbing Danny's attention.

"What's 'oh my?" Danny didn't speak too loud he didn't want to wake up Joe again.

"I'll need to get Dr. Mcpartlin." The nurse replied, leaving the room. Danny pulled out his phone texting his father.

"Hey, Joe I'm going to the bathroom I'll be right back." Danny tapped him, Joe nodded dozing back off. Danny exited the room waiting to greet the Doctor and the nurse at the door. He waited momentarily and then they turned the corner.

"Hey…" Danny pursued them, "Is everything okay with Jamie?"

"Jamie's fever hasn't changed," The nurse began.

"I thought giving him my blood would help?" Danny responded worryingly

"Remember Jamie lost his spleen and it fights infections it could be a number of things as to why his fever is rising, I'll need to examine him." Danny sighed following them into the room pulling out his phone texting his father. When the group entered the room Joe's eyes peeked open and then he sat up quickly.

"What's going on?" Joe blurted. The doctor began looking over Jamie's chart and examining him.

"Jamie's fever is rising exponentially," The doctor turned to look at the two brothers.

"How can we make it better?" Joe shuddered.

"We'll for right now we can continue to give antibiotics, and a steroid… A good sign is he at least accepted the blood transfusion." Danny's skin crawled.

"That's good." Danny had no idea if his brother had accepted his blood or if it made him get worse.

"I'm going to give him a new antibiotic and I'll see where that takes us."

"Okay, doc." Joe nodded. Danny's phone began to ring causing him to step out into the hall, Joe squinted, Cautiously following his brother into the hall. Danny turned around, his cellphone in hand staring at Joe.

"What?"

"Are you about to call dad?" Joe asked.

"Of course, Jamie isn't getting better."

"She said he accepted the blood," Joe stated.

"Yeah but his fever is high," Danny added the other fact.

"You really want to call Dad and make him worry even more?" Joe asked.

"What kind of question is that? He's already worried. He'd be so pissed at us if we didn't tell him there's an update about Jamie."

"Yeah, I understand that." Joe agreed. "But he's already been running back and forth here so many times for Christ sakes he was just here three hour ago he'll rush back over here when there's nothing he can do." Danny looked at Joe like he was crazy.

"I'm still going to call him, I'll try to convince him that it's nothing too serious so he should stay at work or get some sleep."

"And you believe the stubborn old man will listen to that?" Joe turns his head to the side.

"Joe, why is this such a problem?" Danny couldn't understand why Joe was acting like this.

"There's no problem," Joe replied.

"Do you know how pissed he'll be if we don't tell him that Jamie isn't doing too well and Jamie ends up getting worse.."

"Fine! do whatever I'm going to lay down." Joe turned around entering back into Jamie's room. Danny continued dialing his father's number

After speaking with his father on the phone it was hard but he did eventually convince him to stay at work and come back after work, Danny put his phone into his pocket before entering the room. Jame still laid there silently, pale but at least he looked peaceful, he took his eyes off Jamie distracted by the sniffling coming from the couch, Joe laid on his back with one arm over his eyes.

"Joe?" Danny slowly approached him.

"Danny…" Joe trembled, still hiding his eyes. "I'm so damn sorry."

"Joe come on.." Danny walked to the side of the couch kneeling.

"Me and Jamie we're planning on going to see mom." Danny's skin crawled at the mention of his mother "I told him we'd go this weekend, he was so happy.. and look what I put him through, he was attacked because he looks like me." Joe bit his lip in anger.

"No one is to blame we'll get through this." Danny comforted.

"You know when Jamie would call me while he was at school, he'd talk about you all the time." Danny was brought to his feet. "He'd always ask about you and say you're a damn good detective."

"He would?" Danny looked back at Jamie.

"You know Joe, I regret it, I regret it all." Joe removed his arm from his vision, looking at Danny.

"What?" Joe sat up.

"I pushed him away, Joe," Danny's eyes glazed. "Ever since the kid started high school me and him just—" Danny shook his head at the memory. "And when mom died... he wasn't there, I was so mad at him, I was so mad that he wasn't there when she needed him most, I know he had school and he was doing exactly what she wanted him too but I don't know, I was petty and for that, I didn't speak to him for a whole year. I'm such a terrible brother."

"You're not Danny, we know that and so does Jamie, so don't say that."

"We both can sit here and regret but the best thing we can do is make change, Jamie is going to wake up."

"Sir, she's here," Baker announced,

"Send her in please." Moments later Jackie entered the room.

"Please sit." Frank asked, "Any updates?"

"Yes sir, Detective Camia is coming up with all sorts of alternatives as to why Jamie was attacked." Frank sat up in his chair his heart raging.

"Like what?" Garret questioned.

"Well for one he tried to push the idea that Jamie's attack was a robbery gone wrong when no facts show that to be true.." Frank scratched his nails on his desk table.

"But I have the video sir, it only shows the side angle and the back of the perp." She played the video. "you see here." she stopped the video, right there is a dark mark on his jeans." Frank sat closer to the screen. "I believe that to be blood, sir." Frank's skin crawled, "The video is way too blurry I tried to get TARU to clear it up a bit but this is the best they could do."

"Leave a copy of this video and I'll see what my team can do." Jackie nodded her head, right when she gathered her things and was ready to leave, "Detective please be safe,"

"I will sir."

"Hey." Danny's heavy eyelids felt relieved seeing his father enter the room.

"Dad." Joe sat up.

"How is he?" Frank walked over to Jamie.

"His fever went down." Frank's eyes widened staring at his youngest. Just hours ago he was in a terrible state "Doc said she wouldn't doubt he'd wake up in the next 48 hours."

"Come on kid." Danny took his hand.

"Where are we with the investigation?" Joe went straight in for business.

"We have nothing as of right now." Frank sat.

"Nothing?" Joe repeated with attitude and disappointment.

"He just vanished Joe! whoever did this had to know the neighborhood, they knew where everything was, they knew where to hide their face!" Frank pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Let me and Danny investigate." Danny looked at their father, not completely brushing off the idea.

"Absolutely not." Frank leaned back into his chair. "They're still after you, I don't even think you should go back to work let alone investigate this."

"If I get taken off tour they'll know we know Jamie wasn't a target, I have to go back-"

"Are you crazy?" Danny looked at him.

"There's no way you're going back on tour." Danny declared as if he was Joe's father.

"I'm going," Joe was dead serious "We can be partners if it'll make you feel better," Joe said sarcastically.

"That's actually not a bad idea," Frank replied.

"What? We work out of completely different precincts." Danny questioned their father.

"Maybe we should transfer you to the 12th Danny," Danny scratched his head.

"Okay, how would we even do that?" Danny criticized.

"Instead of moving Joe out which would be suspicious let's just move you in temporarily, we'll have Joe's partner switch with you and go out to the 56th and

his partner ride with Baez."

"Can- can family members even be partners? I mean two Reagan partners?" Danny wanted to stay close to Joe but this was unheard of.

"I'll make it happen, Garrett can make it seem like to the COs that someone could potentially be after you too so it'll be best for you to stick together."

The day had passed and Frank was already in contact with Garret and Baker about how to proceed with everything, in the meantime, Erin had arrived with Nikki and surprisingly Jack at her side. Danny immediately rolled his eyes at the sight of Jack, Linda saw pinching him, this wasn't the time or place for it.

"Hello." Jack greeted everyone besides Danny and Henry and greeted him back, at this point everyone was present on this Sunday afternoon Frank and Henry, Danny, Linda and their four-year-old son Jack, Joe and Angela and now Erin and her husband Jack and their six-year-old daughter Nikki.

"How is he doing?" Erin waited for a response.

"The doc said he is doing way better than she or any expected but she doesn't know if he's paralyzed or not." Frank broke the news to her. Erin turned away holding Nikki tighter.

"Will Uncle Jamie okay?" Nikki's six-year-old self questioned.

"He's resting." Jack comforted his daughter. Danny sucked his teeth in disgust when Jack spoke.

"Will you stop." Joe sat there with one arm around Angela. He hated how petty Danny was acting.

"Stop what." Danny obviously knew what Joe was talking about. Frank sighed he knew an argument was coming.

"What you're doing, Jack came all the way here to see Jamie and you're being petty," Joe argued.

"He knows how we all feel about him and he comes here now? what about all the times he made Erin cry-"

"Danny!" Linda scolded.

"Shut your mouth, Danny." Erin looked at him with a glance he had only seen in his mother.

"I-um, I didn't mean to intrude it's just Jamie and I had been in contact since he's been at Harvard, he would call me up and ask me questions about the job, i only came to give condolences." Jack finished. "I'll sit in the waiting room." Frank and Joe looked at Danny with the same expression after hearing the door close.

"You're such a damn jerk." Erin walked out as well.

"I think you did the right thing." Henry opinionated.

"This was not the time or place pop."

"Go apologize," Joe stated.

"No way." Danny stubbornly disagreed.

"Yes, way." His father's tone was very serious.

"I didn't know Jamie would call him from school." Danny did feel bad now knowing that fact.

"I didn't even know." Joe voiced.

"Okay I'll go-" Danny stopped in his tracks at the sound of the heart monitor started to make noises. During the argument, they had all taken their eyes off Jamie but now all eyes were on him. Frank's heart stopped, the first time in days he's seen his son's blue eyes open in days, looking around the room. Confused.

"J-" Joe stood up immediately running to his side. "Jamie." He nearly lost it when Jamie's eyes

landed on him.

"I'll go get the doctor." Angela ran out of the room. They all just stood in awe.

"Can you hear me, Jamie?" Jamie looked as if he was going to say something but made a weird face, his hand slowly reached for the tube down his throat. Joe stopped him grabbing his hand. The doctor rushed in, Angela and Erin right behind her.

"Hey there." Dr. Mcpartlin smiled at Jamie. "You're in the hospital, Jamie." Jamie face again making a weird look. The doctor Immediately pushed for pain medication just in case he started to feel some.

"I'm going to examination and if everything's alright we'll toss the tube." The doctor was speaking more to the family than Jamie himself. The doctor had everyone leave the room. Joe and Frank sat side by side, the feeling still so unreal, Frank just let it out.

"I thought I'd never see his eyes again." Joe comforted his father, they haven't seen their father's tears since their mother had passed. The siblings all have tears of their own as well.

"I'm so grateful." Joe tried to stay strong himself but he just let it out anyways.

"Erin, can I talk to you?" Danny almost begged. She sighed nodding her head walking off, Danny followed.

"I'm sorry-" She rolled her eyes ready to say something, "Listen, when I saw Jack I got angry, he's hurt you a lot and with the marriage counseling and everything you two are going through I just couldn't hold back." He said sincerely.

"Thank you for your apology, but Danny this was not the time or place for that? you get that right?" He nodded. "You need to say something to him too."

"I'm not saying anything to him." Danny stubbornly spat.

"He knows you guys don't like him, he was hesitant to come but he did for Jamie." Danny held his head.

"Where is he?"

"In the main lobby with Nikki." Erin watched him walk off. "Go back with everyone I'm going to go talk to him." When Danny rounded the corner to the lobby he saw Jack sitting there with his niece, he took a deep breath putting aside the anger Jack had put his sister through. Jack looked up to see Danny approaching and he immediately felt nervous.

"Danny-"

"Listen." Danny interrupted him. "I'm… sorry for making you feel like you weren't welcomed. I didn't know you talked to the kid while he was off at Harvard, we all appreciate you for that and you for coming." Jack was taken by complete surprise.

"It's all good." Jack smiled.

"Let's go see the kid, he opened his eyes." Danny led the way. Returning back to the hallway outside the room, the doctor was already present,

"You made it back just in time." The doctor smiled. "So as you saw Jamie is conscious," The doctor smiled. "With my examination, I am confident he can come off the breathing tube," They all sighed relieved. "But his swelling in his spin still hasn't gone down much, and I'm not sure of the outcome." That growing fear is still present. "When I allow you 4 back in the room at a time for right now, Jamie is still going to be extremely tired so don't be surprised if he's awake one min and sound asleep the next, his body is exhausted due to all of the surgeries, medication, and trauma. Any questions?"

"Do we tell him he might not be able to walk again?" Erin asked, tensions seriously present.

"I'm going to do a number of tests but honestly right now I don't think it's the best time to say it to him. Stress is the last thing I'm going to need him going through with his recovery, just give me a few more minutes." The Reagan's waited 15 minutes but to them it felt like hours, when the doctor returned, she let them know to keep their voices down and not to be too rowdy. Frank's eyes lit up when he saw the tube was gone and Jamie laying there awake.

"Hey, kid," Danny spoke first. Jamie 's head slowly turned their way.

"How are you feeling?" Frank was at his side.

"Like I was hit by a bus." Jamie's voice was so raspy, Joe winced at his response.

"Do you know what today is.." Danny wondered.

"May something I dunno," Jamie responded.

"It's May 20th…. It's been four days since you came home."

"I've been here for four days?" Jamie pondered, his father nodded.

"Do you remember what happened?" Frank asked.

"Yeah." He turned his head away from where they couldn't see his face. "I was stabbed," he choked up. Joe's guilt immediately got to him. Frank sat beside Jamie and took his hand.

"Do you remember anything… did the person who did this say anything to you, do you know if they were male?" Frank pleaded.

"When I got into the car…" Jamie paused reaching for his ice chips to soothe his throat, Joe met him halfway and handed him the cup. "I got into the car I was about to start the engine when I got a sharp pain in my back, it just kept going and going… and when it finally stopped." Jamie stopped he tried his hardest not to let the tears flow but unfortunately, they did, Frank took a tighter grip on his hand. "I don't know exactly what he said but he said Reagan's and then he said if i wasn't who I was." The three of them looked at each other concerned.

"It was a he…" Jamie nodded, Danny had to verify they already knew as much.

"Did he say anything else? Did you see his face? What he was wearing…" Joe almost begged for the answer. Jamie shook his head no.

"I'm so sorry J." Joe's eyes were glazed meeting Jamie's.

"Sorry for wha-" Dr. Mcpartlin knocked before she entered

"Hey Jamie, I'm Dr. Mcpartlin, I've been taking care of you for the last few days, are you feeling any pain or fatigue?"

"Well, it hurts when I try to move back and now that you mention it I am tired." He responded.

"Okay, I can give you just a bit more pain medication can you do something for me?" She lifted the blanket exposing his knees down. "Can you move your feet for me?" Their eyes landed on Jamie. Moments had passed and nothing, Frank looked at the doctor his breaths shaky.

"Jamie move your feet," Frank asked too much time has passed for it to still be nothing.

"I am," Jamie replied. Joe closed his eyes looking away. Frank and Danny's eyes met, the men had remembered the doctor telling them not to alarm him of the fact he could be paralyzed but their emotions were too hard to control.

"Good job Jamie." Dr. Mcpartlin smiled at him covering his feet back up. "I'm going to have your other family members switch with them and come in and after I'm going to have you get more rest, you have a long recovery ahead of you."

"Hey… I'll be right outside so I'm not going anywhere. I'll see you in a bit." Joe kissed Jamie's forehead heading out of the room first. Eventually after saying goodbye Frank and Danny meet the Dr outside the room.

TBC

I'M SO SORRY I KNOW YOU GUYS LIKED THIS STORY AND I LEFT YOU HANGING, PLEASE FORGIVE ME! I WILL UPDATE AGAIN ASAP SO PLEASE REVIEW AND LET ME KNOW YOU'RE INTERESTED!

Next chapter includes Jamie's prognosis and a lot more about Sonny Malevsky