The first sense of Will to awaken was that of smell. Burnt toast filled the air as his eyes awoke sun shining into the room. He groaned as he squeezed his eyes shut. Resting on his stomach, he lifted his head, flexed his shoulders and fell right back on his pillow, a morning where the body just doesn't want to get up. He opened his eyes again when a small yelp from the kitchen reached his now awake hearing. He let out a sigh as he reached for his phone on the night table and rolled onto his back. The sight of the time was like a jolt from a crash cart. He flung the covers off and reached for his discarded clothes on the ground.

Connor was scraping butter on a burnt piece of toast when Will came bursting in. "Happy Monday, Garfield," Connor said with a grin. When he got no response he turned and watched as Will knelt down and put his shoes on. "Where you running to?"

"I told you last night I had to stop by my place in the morning," Will huffed as he grabbed his bag.

"You've got time, at least eat."

Will glanced at the burnt toast as he rushed up and gave Connor a quick peck on the cheek. "I'm good."

"Coffee?" Connor called out to Will's retreating form.

"What coffee?" The door slammed behind Will. Connor spun and looked around the counter where no coffee was brewing.

Jay clipped his badge to his pants as he poured himself a cup of his much remembered coffee. He heard the locks to the front door click. He turned, mug to his lips as Will appeared from behind the door. Jay gulped his coffee and smiled at his brother. "Well, hello to you."

"Hey," Will drops his bag and disappears down the hall. Jay twitches his head at the short greeting. He follows Will into his brother's bedroom.

"You disappeared last night."

Will is looking through his books. "Yeah."

Jay watches his brother for a few seconds. "Are you okay?" Will continues to shuffle through the books.

"Will!" Will jumps at his brother's raised voice.

"What?"

"Is everything okay?"

As if finally waking up, Will shakes his head and smiles. "Yeah, I'm just, running late. Had to stop by to pick up, ah, Gray's Anatomy! Reese said she didn't own a copy, so I'm giving her one of mine."

"One of yours?"

Will stood up straight and shrugged. "I may have a few copies."

Jay shook his head and laughed. "Seriously though, where've you been these pass few nights?"

Will smiles and shrugs as he passes Jay out of his room. He goes to his bag and puts the book in before he heads to the kitchen.

"Is it a girl?" Jay follows Will into the kitchen. "Come on, tell me. At least tell me I don't have to worry about you."

"Aw, you worry about me?" Will turned and gave Jay a teasing smile; he lifts the empty coffee pot. "Really?" Jay takes a sip from his mug. Will puts the pot down and goes to the fridge, which is empty of anything immediately edible.

"Jay!"

"I've been busy and you've been gone, so…"

Will sighs. "I gotta shower," he says as he passes Jay who's downing the last of his coffee. Jay puts his mug in the sink.

"Hey, come home tonight," he says.

Will laughs, "Miss me?"

Jay goes over to the couch and grabs his own bag. "I do."

Will chuckles.

Jay points at Will. "And you're going to tell me where you've been going!"

Will laughs. "Alright, Detective Halstead."

"Damn right, Doctor Halstead."

Will waves Jay off and heads to the shower as Jay laughs and leaves the apartment.

Will felt the pang of hunger in his empty stomach as he pulled into the parking lot where lights were flashing and sirens blaring.

He rushed out of his car and into the bustling ED.

"You're late!" He was reprimanded immediately by Maggie.

"I know!"

"Nice of you to join us, Dr. Halstead," Connor jokes as the two men fly pass each other. Will gives him a look but grins to himself. He flings his bag into is locker and heads straight too work.

Will can feel the fatigue setting in as he tears bloody gloves off his shaking hands and tosses them into the contaminated bin. He gives the patient he lost one last glance before he leaves the room.

Will sits down heavily on the couch in the lounge. He gets hit with a sudden wave of dizziness and leans forward, elbows on knees, head in hands. Time becomes nothing to him.

"Dr. Halstead?" a quiet voice asks. Reese. Will leans back and gives her a small smile.

"Hey."

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, just…exhausting day."

Reese gives a sad nod.

"Did you need something?"

"Oh! No, I, I just saw you and…wanted to make sure you were okay."

Will smiles at her. "I'm good."

"Okay," Reese smiles at him and nods, she turns to leave.

"Oh! Wait." Will stands and heads over to his locker. "Here," he pulls out the copy of Gray's Anatomy.

Reese takes it, surprised. "Oh."

"Yours. To keep."

Reese looks up at him. "Oh! Thank you!"

Will chuckles, "Well, shame on you for not having one!"

"I…had one…on reserve at the library."

Will shakes his head with a smile.

"Thank you, Dr. Halstead."

He nods and goes to sit back down in the position he was, his hands tremble. As Reese leaves, Dr. Manning enters. She catches Will's shaking hands before he can make a fist.

"You okay?" She asks as she goes to her locker.

"Running on empty," he says as he rubs his hands together. She turns to him. "Haven't eaten anything today."

"What are you sitting around here for then?"

Will huffed. Natalie closes her locker and stands before Will. "Go get something to eat, before you become a patient."

Will looks up and smiles at her, she holds her hand out. He grabs it and rises from the couch, with a little help from her. They look each other in the eye for a second.

"You know what I like."

Will laughs. "Mustard?"

"Of course!"

Will was just about at the sliding doors of the ED before a hand gripped him on his bicep.

"Dr. Halstead, a minute, please." Connor says with a smile as he pulls Will to an empty room.

"Rhodes, come on, I need to get food," Will whines.

April, hands full of folders, watches as Connor pulls Will into the room and slides the door and curtain shut. She hands Maggie the folders and they share a look. April gestures to the room. A sly smile graces Maggie's face.

"No." April says in slight, but not total disbelief.

Maggie puts a finger to her lips. April mimes with a nod, but raised eyebrows.

"Connor plea-" Will is cut off by a kiss. He's annoyed but the kiss is nice. When it ends Will simply says, "Food."

"Should've had my toast."

"Was it even still toast?"

"Yes and it was delicious."

Will stares into Connor's eye.

"Okay it was gross but at least I put something in my stomach."

Will pushes Connor back as the trauma surgeon laughs. Muffled sirens are heard approaching. Will closes his eyes and takes a deep breath. Connor cringes as Will gives him a death glare.

"Sorry."

Connor slides open the curtain and door as Brett and Jimmy rush in with a bloody victim.

"What do we got?" He asks as he shifts into doctor mode. Will follows and spots Detective Lindsey rushing in.

"9mm, hollow point, we think it struck his liver," Brett explains.

"He coded on the way over," Jimmy adds.

"Erin?"

At the call of her name, Erin spots Will and he sees her tearstained face. He rushes to the side of the gurney and sees it's his brother. A wave of nausea rushes over him.

"Oh my God, Jay." Will follows the gurney into the room but remains hovering over Jay, tears welling in his eyes.

"Jay!"

"Get an OR prepped, now!" Connor shouts.

Connor is yelling directions but Will can't make any sense of it as he stares at his brother lying motionless, soaked in blood.

"Maggie, get him outta here!"

Gentle but firm hands grip his arms and lead him out. The shock and fatigue doesn't allow him to put up a fight, or even get a level head to help medically, and he hates it. He hates that he didn't immediately try and save his brother, that all his training and dedication to medicine and saving lives that when a person he loves needs him to be there he can't. He froze. He finds himself on his hands and knees with a hand on his back.

"Breath, Will, breath."

It's hard to. He squeezes his eyes shut and tries to focus on his breathing. The sound of wheels makes him rise shakily. Emerging from the room, doctors and nurses rush his dying brother to the prepped OR.

Will closes his eyes and hangs his head trying to catch his breath as Maggie supports him.

Will lays on the couch in the lounge sporting the hundred yard stare. After Erin filled him in on what happened, he couldn't bear to be around anyone as the detectives flowed in. His conversation with Voight echo's in his mind.

"Did you get them?"

"Every last one of them."

"…good."

Will let out a shaky breath and placed and hand over his eyes. He felt the panic being too well up again and he tried to keep the tears at bay.

"Will?"

Will didn't hear the door open. Natalie leans over him, holding a bottle of water and a sandwich. She holds them out for him. "You need to eat."

Will's stomach has gone numb by now, but he sits up and takes the offering. She sits down next to him. He places the sandwich next to him and cracks the cap on the bottle. He turns to Natalie.

The doctor part of Will can sense that's not why Natalie's here.

"What happened?"

She doesn't answer him.

"Natalie!" She jumps at his raised voice.

She looks at him, seeing the desperation and worry in his eyes.

"His liver is…it's unsalvageable. He's going to need a transplant."

Will looks away and looks down at the bottle of water he uncapped. He puts the cap back and places the water down, rushing from the room.

"Will!"

Will raced up to the desk in the ED.

"Maggie! Who's the transplant surgeon in?"

"Uh, Dr. Ambrose, why?"

"Get her on the phone, tell her to prep for an emergency liver transplant."

Maggie looked at Will confused and unsure.

"Do it!"

"Dr. Halstead."

Will turned to Goodwin, Dr. Charles and Manning behind him. "Let's talk."

Will gawked at them like they've lost their minds.

"My brother is going to die if he does not get a liver now! I'm a viable match and the only chance he's got!"

"Dr. Halstead the tests that need to be done," Goodwin's voice remaining calm.

"Our blood is compatible, I'm B positive and he's AB positive and our Rh type is the same and I haven't eaten in over 8 hours and I'm healthy enough to go through-"

Dr. Charles reached out and placed a hand on Will's shoulder to slow him down.

"Will, you are under a lot of stress, physically and emotionally, you're in no condition to be making-"

Will shoves Dr. Charles's hand off him.

"I will not let my brother die when I have the chance to save him! I know the risks! I know the consequences!" Will took a breath and that single intake of oxygen seemed to drain him completely. "Please." His voice got quiet. "Please let me do this."

The minute Connor was informed of the situation, he swapped out. There wasn't much more they could do for Jay and were in fact just about to close him up when they were told to standby for Dr. Ambrose.

Connor ripped off his bloody attire and raced down the hall. He almost collided headlong into Goodwin as she emerged from the room, papers in hand. Connor looked at her and then the papers.

She shook her head and left.

Connor entered the room. Will was already in a gown as April was hooking up an IV. When Will saw Connor he looked away.

"April, give us a minute," Connor said, still breathing heavy.

April looked between the two men and nodded.

She was barely out of the room before Connor went off.

"Are you out of your mind?!"

"I have to do this!"

"You can't do this! You're in no shape! And the tests that have to be done to make sure it's safe!"

"Jay doesn't have that time!"

"Will…please don't do this."

"He's my brother, Connor."

Connor looked up at the ceiling, his eyes beginning to burn. He ran a hand over his face. He turned back to Will.

"You can die from doing this."

"And Jay will die if I don't!"

Their eyes locked, both glazed over with tears. Connor looked away first, turning his back to Will. His shoulders sagged, defeated.

"Okay," he said.

He turned back to Will and sat down beside him on the bed. He placed his hand on the back of Will's head.

"Okay," Connor said again. He leaned in, gentling pushing Will's head forward and placed a kiss on Will's forehead. Will leaned in, burying his face in Connor's shoulder. Connor wrapped his arms around Will.

"After this, when you wake up, there's something I want to tell you."

Will leaned back out of the embrace, looking at Connor. Will nods. Connor mimics and places one more kiss on Will's forehead.

Will is wearing a black shirt and pants with no shoes as he walked down the hall. He didn't know where he was going or why. He just kept walking. It felt like the right thing to do. Suddenly, a hall leading left appeared. He looked forward at the endless hall ahead of him.

Or down this new path where a door awaited him. He turned back to the endless hall.

Will

A voice he knew but couldn't place. He turned back to the door.

He chose that path.

When he reached the door he looked at it. He tried the knob. It was locked.

Will

He tried with both hands, trying harder.

Will!

He slammed his shoulder against the door and it flung open. He fell into the room with a grunt. He groaned as he lifted himself off the floor. He took in the room around him his breath visible yet he did not feel the chill.

In the middle rested two cold, hard, metal tables. Against one wall, two rows of six, square, metal doors with tabs on them lined it.

A morgue.

Will turned back to the door, but it was gone. He stared at the newly placed wall, unsure of what to do.

Will

He turned back towards the room.

Will

He stepped in, approaching the metal table. He looked down and saw his reflection. He rested his hand on the table. The cold burned him like fire and he drew back with a wince.

Will

His attention was drawn to the doors that lined the wall.

Will

He approached one door, bottom row, fourth in from the right.

Will

He reached for the handle, it turned with ease.

Will

He began to open the door.

Will

The door was halfway open.

William

Will stopped and tilted his head.

"Mom?"

A hand gripped his wrist and yanked it off the handle as the door was slammed shut. Will was spun around and shoved up against the wall.

"What are you doing?"

Jay.

Jay, in a gray shirt and pants with no shoes, his side soaked in blood, stared hard into his brothers eyes. He shook his head.

"You can't open that. Not now. Not yet."

Will's brow furrowed in confusion.

Jay released his grip on his brother and eased off gently. He took two steps back and shook his head.

"Not yet."

There was a sudden high pitched, continuous screech.

Will reacted uncomfortably, the noise was piercing.

It began to get louder.

Will groaned and he pressed his hands over his ears but it did nothing.

William

Will fell to his knees, leaning forward, pressing his head against the hard floor.

"Not yet!" His brother shouted.

William!

The screech suddenly got a rhythm, a pulse. Will looked up at his brother wearily. Jay was speaking but he could not hear. His eyes drifted away from his brother and he felt himself falling.

William

Erin felt herself falling and jerked her head. It woke her up in her seat beside Jay's bed. She groaned as she moved some hair out of her face. She watched Jay's chest rise slowly and fall fast. Her eyes drifted to his pale face, the breathing tube covering the bottom half.

She stood up.

"I'll be back," she whispered, giving his hand a small squeeze before she left.

She made a swift exit from the hospital, avoiding the waiting room and ED. When she stepped outside to the night sky she took a gulp of the fresh air and let out a shaky breath. From her right, she was addressed.

"Hey."

It was so small and so quiet, that if it was the bustle of the day she wouldn't have heard it. She turned and saw Connor sitting on the ledge in front of some greenery.

"Hey," she said quietly and joined him. They sat in silence, each other's presence being enough comfort. Connor took a sharp intake of breath. Erin turned to him and saw the tears in his eyes.

"He died in there," A tear fell from his eye. "I saw him die and-"

"Hey," Erin cut him off. "They got him back. He'll be okay."

Connor squeezed his eyes shut, more tears flowing and shook his head. "He was gone long and…the damage that could've…and now this infection is-"

"Connor, Connor," Erin stood up and knelt in front of Connor. "Will is strong. He's gonna get through this. You can't give up on him."

Connor and Erin held eye contact.

"I never got to tell him."

Erin took Connor's hand.

"You will."

Jay awoke on the operating table, clad in a gray with no shoes. He sat up slowly, pain shot through his side and he grunted as his hand shot up to where the pain was. He looked down; his shirt was soaked in blood on his right side.

Shot

Jay's head jerked up. He looked around the empty OR. It was just him, the table and four walls. One wall had glass taking up the top half, almost like one of their interrogation rooms. He groaned as he swung his feet over the edge of the bed and stood up slowly, gripping his bleeding side. It took more effort than he thought it would. Hunched over, he placed a hand against the wall and tried to catch his breath. He straightened up and looked through the window.

It was an OR room, just like his.

In the middle was a table and on it was a body, wearing the same clothes as himself.

Except in black.

And like him, blood soaked through the clothes on the right side.

Except it poured out, flowing onto the floor.

And despite the person's head being turned where he couldn't see the face, Jay knew his brother well.

"Will?"

Jay placed his bloody hand against the glass. He watched his brother's blood drip to the floor.

"Will!"

He banged on the glass.

"Will!"

Slowly, Will's head turned towards him.

Jay laid his hand on the blood smeared glass and watched his brother.

Will turned to him and they locked eyes.

"Will," Jay whispered.

A small smile caressed Will's face.

The glass shattered before Jay.

Connor sat with his eyes closed and listened to the steady, rhythmic, heartbeat.

He does this every day, at least once, get lost in the sound of the heartbeat that once ceased.

Connor opened his eyes. His eyes started at lifelines spiking on the screen. His eyes fell to Will, intubated and flushed. He reached out and took his warm hand.

"Jay's awake."

He ran circles with his thumb on Will's hand.

"He knows. We didn't even have to tell him and he knew what you did."

He grips Will's hand.

"I have to go."

Connor stands, still holding Will's hand.

"I'll be back later."

He leans forward and places a kiss on Will's hot forehead.

Connor runs his hand through his red hair before reluctantly creating space between them.

"Don't go," Will whispers.

He sits like a child in the morgue on the metal table, his knees pulled up to his chest, arms wrapped around his leg, face buried in his knees.

Will

"Connor."

Will

"Jay."

Will

"Someone."

Will

He places his hands over his ears, it does nothing.

Will

"Stop."

Will

"Stop it, Mom."

Will

"I don't want to go."

Will

"I DON'T WANT TO GO!"

The room jolts, Will falls to the floor.

Clear!

Will lets out a grunt as he grips his chest.

Will

"I'm sorry."

Clear!

The room jolted again and Will landed on his back. His breath was labored. He felt the floor begin to move. He looked up and saw he was on table sliding into one of the fridges.

"No!"

Will

He tried to sit up.

Clear!

The room jolted again and he slammed back against the cold metal table.

"No, please."

He turned to his side and leaned over the side of the fridge, trying to hold against the force pulling him in. He felt like he was hanging off the edge of a cliff.

"I don't want to go."

Will

"Stop it, Mom."

Will

"I'm sorry, I wasn't there for you."

Will

"Please, Mom."

Will

He was losing his hold, the pull becoming too strong.

WILL

Will's head shot up.

"Connor?"

Like a yank, Will's body was pulled in. He caught the edge of the fridge, and held on.

"No! Connor!"

WILL

His hold was slipping.

"Connor!"

He lost his grip.

He fell.

The fridge door slammed shut.