Molly's was it's usual mix of cops, fire fighters and paramedics. Small groups clustered together sharing their days, the highs, the lows and sometimes just to forget. It was also abuzz with the other crowd it always attracted, those who were affectionately known as 'badge bunnies.'

Jay Halstead elbowed his way through the crowd towards the bar. He'd spotted the familiar red head from the door. Will Halstead ordered another beer for him and his brother. They hadn't had much of a chance to catch up lately with Will busy with his new job and increased responsibilities at the hospital and Chicago awash with its usual mix of scumbags and shit keeping Intelligence on their toes. "How's Kim Burgess doing? She back at work yet?"

"Haven't seen her. We kind of don't see much of her anymore now that she's not with Ruzek." Jay shrugged. "Why?"

"She was in a week ago. Lucky she didn't break her hand. I thought she was coming back with some paperwork so I could sign off on a work injury."

"Maybe she's been busy or got someone else to do it." Ruzek had been pretty gutted after the Court Case and Jay could understand why and naturally it just happened that they all stuck by Ruzek and left Kim to do her own thing. She had pretty much just become another Patrol Officer at the 21st District. Not that they deliberately shut her out but she kept her distance from them and life went on.

Will suddenly felt the need to at least put his thoughts into words. Something about that night bothered him. She'd come in with her partner, what was his name? Roman. "The swelling of her fingers and knuckles was nasty and she told me it had got slammed in a door while she was making an arrest." She wasn't in uniform though and he did know that Roman was on desk duty now since his shooting. It was also a good day or two old judging by the bruising. There was also the bruise on her forearm that she did not explain. When he had tried to get her alone to ask her more about it Roman refused to leave the room. "It just didn't add up. Anyway hope she's okay. She hasn't been back for a check up. If you see her tell her to drop by. I want to make sure it's healed up okay."

He left it at that, for now but he still couldn't shake the gut feel her had about her. From what he remembered of Kim she was pretty outgoing and friendly. He recalled talking to Ruzek about her once, just after they got engaged. "She's just fierce and sees the good in everyone." He'd told him. "Doesn't step back from a fight." That night it sure didn't seem like she had much fight in her.

Jay didn't think much of it until he saw her the next day at the end of shift. "Hey Burgess, how's the hand?" she just about jumped out of her skin when he touched her arm. "Will wants you to stop by and get it checked and he said something about needing to sign the paperwork for the work injury claim." Something in her eyes worried him. Roman took a step closer to Kim and she mumbled something about not having time to sort it out and that it was fine. Roman put his arm around her shoulder and Jay could see that she looked anything but comfortable. Jay watched them head out. That was not the Burgess he remembered. He turned to Platt who just shrugged.

"What did you say?" Roman snapped as soon as they got to the car. He reefed the bag from her shoulder and tossed it into the back seat.

"Nothing." Burgess felt tears forming behind her eyes and she looked away quickly. This had all spiralled so far out of control so quickly and she had no idea what to do. She felt so isolated and couldn't even call her sister because she knew he would find out about it. Even the walls at work had ears and it would somehow get back to him.

As they got in the car he held out his hand and she handed over her phone. She had stopped questioning him about that weeks ago and just accepted it. She had become exactly the person she never wanted to be, she didn't recognise herself anymore and she definitely didn't like this version of herself.

Jay leant on Platt's desk. "I'm guessing you love the worker's comp forms that caused?"

Platt peered at him over her glasses. "No worker's comp for shutting your own hand in a door at home. We don't cover being a klutz."

"Huh?" Jay furrowed his brow. Platt just looked at him and he could tell be the exasperated look on her face she was not in the mood to chitchat.

Will had said something didn't add up and he was starting to feel the same. Looking back over the last month or so Burgess had changed but he put that down to the fact that having broken things off with Ruzek and now dating Roman things were awkward for her at work. She was also getting used to a new partner now that Roman was on desk duty and perhaps that was why they didn't see her much anymore.

"Can you check in on Burgess?" He asked Erin later that night when they got home. He knew they weren't super close. At one stage they were friendly enough and Erin had caught up with her for coffee on the odd occasion but that was before the Court Case too.

"Why?"

"I don't know. Something's not right. I've got a weird feeling that's all." He didn't want to jump to conclusions and wanted another opinion before he went off all half-cocked. "She's acting weird and Will has recently treated her for a hand injury. He thinks it's odd and you know how sometimes you get a weird vibe. I got that today from Burgess and Roman."

"You think Roman is hurting her?" Erin almost dropped spilt her cup of coffee. "No way. I mean he's never been the funniest guy to hang out with but are you sure you are not just seeing this through your Ruzek coloured glasses."

"Humour me. Just give her a call, catch up and if you don't get a weird vibe I will drop it."

Erin tried to catch up with Kim but she kept blowing her off. She always had a reason why she couldn't meet her. Either she already had something on, was working or cancelled at the last minute. Even asking her to come upstairs for lunch was dodged. "Ruzek's in court today. He's not around."

"It's not that. We've just got a few jobs backed up." She muttered nervously as she looked at her feet.

Erin agreed with Jay that something seemed off but at that point in time they had nothing.

It wasn't until she collapsed in the locker room with a raging infection did things finally start happening and quickly all the pieces fell into place. Roman insisted that she was fine and that he would just take her home. "She's had a flu for a few days that's all. I told her to stay home." He argued but Platt was having none of it. She'd already called for an Ambulance. Her Patrol officers did not just collapse in the locker room and get sent home. They got checked out. He tried to get them to take her to Lakeshore but they were on bypass so they ended up at Chicago Med.

Burgess was as white as a ghost; she was shivering uncontrollably and cried out in obvious pain when they lifted her onto the gurney. She was in no fit state to protest or worry. Roman, of course demanded to ride with her. Luckily all of Intelligence was out. The last thing he needed was those self-righteous pricks sticking their noses in where it wasn't wanted.

Will Halstead saw her come in and insisted to Maggie that he'd take the case. "She just needs an IV, I'll get one of the Residents to do it."

"No, I'll do it." Will insisted. Roman told him that she just had burnt herself recently but they had it checked by her local Doctor. He tried to get her discharged before a full examination but Will ignored him. He checked the notes from the Paramedics who listed her as having the flu, there was no mention of the burn.

"She spilt a cup of coffee about a week ago, as always she was rushing and the lid came off. She said it was fine and it was just the flu that was knocking her around," Roman offered lamely. It sounded bad that he'd tried to brush it off as the just the flu at the station and now they had seen the burn. Fuck, why did she make everything hard for him.

Will Halstead admitted her for IV antibiotics. He pulled Maggie aside into a quiet room. "I need Kim Burgess admitted ASAP, she can't leave. Hook her up to the IV antibiotics and get the burns unit down to see her. That burn has been festering for a few days."

"What's going on Will?"

"I don't think these injuries are accidental."

"What makes you think that?"

"I just have some doubts."

"Will, haven't you learnt your lesson about jumping to conclusions?" Maggie tried to put the brakes on. "It never ends well for you."

"Maggie, I'm serious. I going to call Jay but I want someone to keep an eye on them both at all times. He isn't leaving her side so I can't talk to her alone. If you get the chance see what you can do, but she doesn't leave this place. Okay?" Something in the look on his face made Maggie suddenly take him very seriously. If he was calling his brother in on this, this shit was serious.

Will disappeared into an empty office and called Jay. "Hey Kim Burgess is here again."

"I heard. Flu or something?" It had been all over the District when they got back.

"No Jay, she has an infected burn on her chest, a significant burn. Apparently she split coffee on herself a week ago. I don't know man, I am not liking this."

"You think it's Roman? Has she said anything?"

"No, I can't get him to leave. I can't get her alone and at the moment she's pretty out of it. I've admitted her for treatment and he's not happy about it so I don't know how long we've got but I am not letting her go tonight. Call it a gut instinct."

He headed downstairs "Sgt?" He beckoned Platt out to the back room. "Burgess? She collapsed?"

"Yeah Flu apparently."

"Really? Interesting. Is that what she told you?"

"No Roman did. He was with her; he tried to get her to stay home today but you know Burgess. Why?"

"Will called. She's got a serious infected burn on her chest. From spilling coffee on herself." He paused "And that hand injury, she told him it was a work injury but told you something different."

All the colour drained from Platt's face as it suddenly dawned on her what Halstead was insinuating. "Are you saying…."?

Jay held up his hands. "Whoa, I am not saying anything yet. Will is worried and so am I. Erin has been trying to catch up with her for weeks and she keeps blowing her off. There was the hand injury and now this. Something is not right."

She leant forward and whispered. "Have you told anyone else?" and by anyone she meant Ruzek and Voight. Sure Ruzek had basically just stepped aside and let her go once she hooked up with Roman but it was obviously to every single person who knew him that he still cared about her and there was no way he would stand by and let anyone hurt her. And Voight, he barely tolerated Roman because while he thought he was a good cop he also had a bad attitude that had only intensified since he'd been on desk duty.

"No." He ran one hand over his face. "Look, I don't want this to get blown out of proportion or start the rumour mill buzzing but I think we need to look into a few things. Will is keeping her in hospital tonight so I will see what I can dig up."

Platt swung from stunned to outright rage in a matter of seconds. She had trusted him; hell she'd actually liked him. If he'd hurt one hair on her head she would personally hand him over to Voight herself. Burgess was without a doubt her favourite. She loved that woman, despite her stupid personal decisions. None of this would be happening if she'd sorted her shit out and talked to Ruzek.

Halstead knocked on Voight's door. It was early the next morning, He'd checked in with Will and Burgess was doing well so he knew that she would be okay for a night at least while she was still in Med. He had gone over things in his head and he and Erin had spent the best part of the night talking about what to do. The ramifications of what this kind of bombshell could do had the potential to blow up in his face if he was wrong and it could end people's careers. But if he was right and did nothing he couldn't live with himself. "What is it?" Voight looked up from his paperwork, slightly annoyed. He liked to come in early and make a dent in his Paperwork before the rest of them turned up.

Jay closed the door behind him. "Boss, Can I talk to you about something?"

"Lindsay?" He cocked his head and smiled a little before noticing the look on Halstead's face.

"No. Look I don't want to jump off all half cocked, it could be nothing….."

"Spit it out."

"I think Burgess is being abused."

A/N: I am a little nervous about posting this story...but someone challenged me to write it so I thought I would give it a go. I apologise if I upset any Roman fans, I know I have written him completely OOC. Anyway I am happy for you to let me know what you think & if it should continue.