Jay arched his back on the locker room bench. He hadn't slept in two days and was dead tired. The team had been following nothing but dead end leads in their latest case. They had finally caught a break late last night when one of Dawson's C.I's came forward. The team had been at the arresting scene all night and just returned to the district before dawn broke.

Jay smiled as he packed his bag with clothes from his locker, he felt proud to be part of the Intelligence unit and knowing that one more piece of scum was off the streets, making their work worthwhile. Things had been going good for him. He had earned Voight's permission, Lindsay and he were finally a couple and everyone knew. He finally felt a true part of the unit and the bad days were finally behind him.

He picked up his bag, shutting the locker and heading towards the gate. He was already half-asleep as he shut the gate behind him and walked down the steps. It was early in the morning and the front desk was deserted. The morning shift would just be arriving and soon the place would be a madhouse again. He suddenly heard a booming voice, "Halstead!", the anger in the voice stung him as his eyes shot up and laid upon a tall man, standing in the by the front desk.

Jay froze. His mouth dropped open, going dry and his eyes glassed over. The voices faded out and his mind flashbacked to the desert, the sand, the heat; he was back in Afghanistan.

The man continued to yell to Jay. Mouse came downstairs to hear what all the commotion was about, just to see the man running towards Jay with his hands raised. Mouse couldn't understand why Jay didn't move but instinctively ran down and put himself in between his friend and the attacker.

"Yo, yo. Hey, man, just relax. Back up!"

The man kept coming, yelling profanities and waving his hands. Mouse extended his right hand to keep distance between the man and his left to shake Jay.

"Jay! What's wrong with you? Wake up!"

Jay just stood there with a blank expression, blind to what was happening right before him.

Mouse turned to look at the man, just in time to see his fist heading straight for his face. The blow landed on his cheek which pushed him back a step but he quickly stepped forward and regained his stance. The man angrily charged towards Jay but Mouse threw himself towards the man and landed two blows to his head and they both toppled to the ground. Mouse positioned his legs and his arms around the man, into an armbar maneuver, preventing the man from moving any further.

Platt, arriving to start her shift, came through the front doors and saw Mouse struggling with the man.

"A little help here, Sarge?" grunted Mouse and he put all his strength to keep the man pinned.

She dropped her bag and pulled out a pair of cuffs. "What is going on here?"

When he heard the cuffs lock, Mouse let go of the man and brought him up to his feet. They gave him over to two patrolmen who led him to the cells.

"Jay?" Platt looked at Jay.

"I don't know what's wrong with him", Mouse said, "I've never seen him like this before."

Lindsay came in through the front doors, "Hey, guys. I was just about to leave the parking lot when I realized I forgot my...", she stopped mid-sentence,

"Um, What's going on?"

Mouse quipped, "A lot of people are asking that this morning."

Platt turned and gave him a stern look, "I'm still waiting for an explanation."

He walked over and looked into Jay's eyes, "I was finishing up some reports upstairs and heard yelling down here."

Mouse waved his fingers in front of Jay's eyes, "You in there, buddy?"

"I came down and saw crazy dude heading towards Jay. It was the weirdest thing I've ever seen. Jay didn't move at all.", Mouse stared at Jay.

"And?", Platt asked impatiently.

"And, I stopped him.", Mouse replied.

Lindsay went up to Jay, shaking his shoulder, "Jay? Jay, wake up!"

"I think we better call Will", Platt said reaching for her phone.

I'll bring him upstairs, Lindsay said, turning his body. Jay took slow steps as she guided him up the stairs.

"I've seen this before." Will said, shining a light into Jay's eyes.

"In returning vets? What is it, PTSD? Shell shock?", Platt anxiously said.

"Well, yes. But I meant with Jay."

"This has happened before?", Lindsay raised her hand to her forehead in worry.

"Yeah, when he came back from Afghanistan. We had a lot going on with the family and I wasn't exactly doing good either." Will dropped his head and twirled the flashlight between his fingers.

"I wasn't there for him like I should have been. But you were.", Will raised his head and nodded towards Mouse.

Mouse was leaning against the door frame with his arms crossed. He straightened up and said, "I was just his friend. I didn't want him to go over the edge."

"You were what he needed. You knew what he was going through and you stopped him from going over." Will said, a small smile escaping the side of his mouth. "I'll always be grateful to you for that."

Mouse nodded, shifting his weight, uncomfortable with the attention being directed to him.

"Well, how about Jay, doc? How do we get him to snap out of it?"

Will reached into his medical bag, pulling out a small bottle.

"What's that?", Platt asked.

"Good 'ol fashioned smelling salts", Will answered.

He unscrewed the cap, resting his hand on Jay's shoulder, then waving the bottle underneath Jay's nose.

"Come on, wake up."

Jay started to blink, his eyes focusing in on Will's face. Jay inhaled, the bitter odor biting the inside of his nose, "Ugh!", he exclaimed.

Will smiled, screwing the cap back on the bottle, and then looking Jay straight in the eyes.

"Where have you been, brother?" Will asked quietly.

Jay replied, "Afghanistan."