Chapter 3- Incapable Of Being Easy

I am so, so humbled by all your feedback. Thank you so much guys. I'm glad you're enjoying this story thus far. Just a heads up, we might be stretching the miracle of medicine in this chapter, but that's what fan fiction is all about though, right?! I hope you enjoy!

It was nearing midnight when the waiting room door swung open. Will, Natalie, Trudy, and Dr. Charles sat in that room for over five hours hoping, praying, chatting, and nervously pacing for their people. Waiting for the unknown is the worst. The 'no news is good news' saying does not apply to this situation. The longer everything remained in the air, the faster hope faded. While they all truly wanted the best outcome from this terrible day, as the hours rolled on, the reality of the situation became apparent: no one was coming out of this unscathed. To everyone's surprise, it was only Rhodes who entered the room, holding several clipboards. He settled in a chair in the center of the group.

"Hey guys. I spoke with the other surgeons and offered to relay all the updates. Figured you didn't want a revolving door of doctors in here filling your heads with a lot of information. So let's take it one person at a time. Hank's injuries did not require surgery as both injuries were a through-and-through and he only needed irrigation and suturing. He did have to be sedated due to his inability to cooperate." The waiting party all chuckled and sighed at that one. Such a Hank Voight thing to do.

"Antonio's injuries were similar to Voight's in that they did not require surgery. The one in his shoulder did get in contact with some tendons and major muscles so he'll be sore and need to keep everything immobile for awhile but he should make a full recovery. The gunshot in his side grazed the skin so other than needing stitches, he'll be ok. Unlike Hank, he is not sedated but is resting in a room upstairs." Everyone took a collective sigh of relief. So far so good. Now come the more serious cases.

"Kim suffered a gunshot wound to the abdomen and the bullet nicked her liver and large intestine. She underwent surgery to repair the damage and came through with flying colors. She'll be kept under observation for seventy-two hours and then probably be sidelined for a couple of weeks. Hailey also suffered a gunshot wound to the abdomen but fortunately, no vital organs were effected. The bullet caused some internal bleeding and she came through surgery just fine. They're going to keep her here for forty-eight hours and then she'll need a couple of weeks at home to recover." Rhodes looked up at this audience to make sure everyone was following along. Will, Nat, and Dr. Charles kept nodding while Trudy just stared at him, trying to just hear everything and process. He went back to his stack of boards.

"Kevin's injuries were localized to his left shoulder and arm. He required surgery only to remove the lodged bullets but there was no significant damage. He's going to be out of commission for about a month and will require some physical therapy. He too is upstairs resting right now." Rhodes hesitated for a moment before picking up the next patient file. Delivering bad news never gets easier.

"Adam suffered a gunshot wound to the lung and right abdomen. His lung was severely compromised and punctured and Will was successful in placing a chest tube. In surgery though, the lung collapsed again and the damage actually got worse. The surgeon drained the blood and fluid and was able to extract the bullet. However, the lung's function is hovering around sixty percent. He's currently on a high dose of steroids and will need to stay trached for at least a week.."

"-What happens if things don't improve after a week," Trudy asked?

"Then the discussion of removal or a transplant will begin. I know that's scary but he's not there yet. The doctors are hopeful the drug regime he's on now will help." Trudy just nodded and went back to listening. Will was awaiting the worst part of the whole report.

"The bullet in his abdomen did hit his right kidney and, unfortunately, it had to be removed." That one got a gasp from Nat and Trudy. Will rubbed the back of his neck.

"The damage was beyond repair and was causing a great amount of internal bleeding. I'm sorry guys."

"Can he live with one kidney," Trudy asked?

"Absolutely. It's one the amazing things about the human body. While two functioning kidneys is ideal, people can and do live normal lives with just one. He'll be out of work for a couple months till his body adjusts to its' new functions, but there's no reason he can't go back to his normal way of life. He's currently sedated right now just to give his body a break from everything. He should regain consciousness before twenty-four hours." Now the tension in the room spiked. The fact that Conner saved Jay for last didn't help Will's uneasiness. Will kept reminding himself that as long as Jay was alive, that was enough. He'd help his brother get through whatever challenges he now faced. The cardiothoracic surgeon made direct eye contact with Will before speaking. While everyone else was still in the room, informing Will was his only priority.

"Jay…umm….it was difficult for awhile. As you know, he was shot through his back and the bullet hit his heart. Getting him stable enough to place him on bypass was trying but he got there. The bullet tore into two of the chambers in his heart and we had to perform double bypass surgery. Fortunately, the bullet only grazed his pulmonary artery and aorta and we were able to repair the damage. Also, we had to extract blood vessels from his leg and graft them into the damaged chambers of the heart. So far, those are holding. He's currently dealing with some serious arrhythmias and we had to insert pacing wires. That's pretty common after going on bypass." Natalie held Will's hand while Conner spoke. Will's eyes never left the surgeon, fighting the urge to fall into the fetal position.

"However, the biggest concern was the injury to his left side. That bullet caused about as much damage as the one in his heart. We tried, honestly, but we had no choice but to remove his spleen. It was bleeding faster than we could pump blood in and the bullet really did a number on the organ. I'm really sorry, Will." Conner stopped speaking to let the whole room swallow that one. Dr. Charles was comforting an upset Trudy and Natalie was fighting tears. Will just closed his eyes, half hoping he'd wake up to a normal situation. Rhodes would have to admit to fighting emotions away as well. This was a personal case and each person involved was still shocked to find themselves in this predicament.

"What are his odds?" Conner looked at his hands before speaking.

"He's been through a lot in a very short time. Any one of these injuries is enough stress on the body, let alone the combination. He's got some fighting to do. We're going to take it a day at a time. If he makes it to twenty-four hours, then I'll be pleased. Forty-eight hours will be the true indicator of his odds. He's currently sedated just to give his body a break. We'll start lifting the drugs after twelve hours and see what happens. We're also going to keep him intubated till he regains consciousness. He's also in soft restraints right now." Will's head snapped up, eyes glaring.

"I know he won't like it, but it's the only way to ensure he won't pull anything out. Once he's awake we'll remove them." Will slowly nodded his head and relaxed. He knew Conner's intentions were good.

"What's his blood volume?"

"I'd say he lost fifty to sixty percent of his blood supply. He's currently getting a transfusion and will receive one every eight hours till his pressure stabilizes. We didn't want to overload his supply too quickly after he lost so much. The theme of the next two days is slow and steady. He cannot afford another ounce of stress on his heart. As you know, excessive blood loss means he's going to be very weak and cold for awhile. We've got him under warming blankets to help with that." Conner reached to pat Will's shoulder and stood to leave the room. He turned to the group before departing.

"I decided to put everyone up in the ICU for the time being. I know you'd all like to be close and keep up with everyone's recovery. This isn't a scenario any of us ever wanted to come to fruition. However, we're in it. The fact that they've all made it this far is huge. It's scary not knowing the end result, but we've gotta be there for them. They're fighting for us, we have to reciprocate. Ready to see them?" The group rose to their feet and followed their guide. Ready to reunite with the fighters but unsure if they could handle the uncertainty of the near future.

They should've just renamed the ICU the Intelligence floor. As the group got off the elevator and entered the oval shaped department, they noticed that those were the only patients occupying the rooms. The ICU rooms were glass and all faced the nurse's desk in the middle. Will was touched by Rhodes' thoughtfulness. He knew once everyone became alert and coherent, they'd all want to know what was going on with their teammates. Hank and Antonio were beginning to stir so Trudy ventured into their rooms first. Natalie went to check on Kim and Atwater, giving Will some time alone with Jay. With a shaky grasp, Will slid room four hundred eight's door open and headed in. The cheerleading portion of the recovery had begun.

The first thought that ran through Will's mind was that Jay looked like some freakish science experiment. The monitors sounding the irregular beeps of Jay's heart rhythm and the whooshing of the ventilator was like an unwelcoming symphony of a struggling life. It was hard to find a place on Jay's body that didn't have wiring or tubing making contact with his skin. Jay was resting at a thirty five degree angle and had a layer of warming blankets and sheets covering his body. A hospital gown was undone and draped over his chest, allowing quick access to the numerous wires, incisions, and monitors on Jay. The ventilator hose that Will attached to the breathing tube was still in place and forcing breaths into Jay's battered body. The up and down movements of Jay's chest was the only movement happening in the room. The central line that was inserted in the ED was still present and feeding fresh blood into Jay. There was also a feeding tube sticking out of Jay's left nostril and taped to the side of his face. As Will pulled up a chair next to Jay's side, he took in the drainage tubes from where a spleen used to be. That one still stung. Will knew Jay would be fine without it. It was the thought that Jay woke up this morning not knowing he'd be down an organ by day's end was unsettling. But perhaps the thing that got to Will the most was the shade of white his brother's skin was. It wasn't pure white nor was it mid-winter pale. His skin had this eerie, greenish white hue to it. When he grabbed his brother's hand, it was limp and cold. Now at a closer position, Will concluded that his brother looked weak, frail, small under everything. Will did something very out of his norm: he kissed his brother's forehead. Will took in the room before sitting back in his chair. Despite his feelings and disbelief for the whole situation, it happened. And now his brother was in the aftermath of it all, digging deep for life. A nurse slid the door open, interrupting Will's 'aha moment.'

"Hi Will, just giving him his injections for the splenectomy." The spleen's primary function is to filter blood as part of the immune system. Without that organ, the body's immune system is severely compromised and the person is more prone to infections and illnesses. Furthermore, the individual will require more time to get over illnesses. After an emergency splenectomy, patients are required to get a booster shot that'll aid in fighting off infections during their hospital stay. As the nurse located an IV to insert the life saving drugs, Jay's face briefly scrunched up.

"Pacing wires," the nurse commented before plunging the vile into the IV line. Will hadn't seen the effects of the wires post-op. He knew they sent electrical shocks to the heart but didn't consider the pain behind the act. Will nodded and went back to holding Jay's hand.

"It's ok, Jay. Just hang in there. I'm here when you're ready." The storm that blew through earlier in the evening had passed and the infamous Chicago winds were howling outside. Will smirked at the metaphor. Jay's storm had hopefully passed. Now it was time for the second act: breathing life back into Jay.

Everything was really fuzzy and sounded far away. Someone was speaking but she couldn't make out the words. She tried to sit up but was met with a sharp pain in her stomach.

"No, Kim, don't get up. You're in the hospital and you just had surgery." Kim blinked a couple of times before looking at the person speaking.

"Sarge?!" Trudy half laughed and smiled.

"Yes! I'm here. You're ok, so rest." Kim looked around her room before furthering her gaze to the world outside her door. She took in the patients in the other rooms before finding Will sitting next to a bed. It instantaneously all came back. Despite the shooting pain, Kim sat up and put her face in her hands, tears were streaming.

"Oh, oh Kim it's ok. Everybody's here." Trudy got off her chair and gently placed her arms around Kim, offering a tissue a moment later. Kim blew her nose a couple of times before resting against the pillows. Platt told her everything. From the shooting at the district to the post-op details of each member, Trudy didn't leave a detail untouched. Kim took everything in, sitting silent for a few minutes before throwing the sheets off.

"I can't sit here. I need to see Adam, now." Kim ripped the monitors off her chest and grabbed for the IV cart.

"Um no, I'll go check on boy wonder. You need to stay in bed."

"Sorry, sarge, but I'm choosing to ignore you." Platt knew she wasn't going to win this one. It was easy to see the couple never really got over each other. Sure, they went their separate ways for a bit, but true love always finds its' way back. And yes, Trudy knew how mushy and cheesy that sounded. She didn't want to get in the way of cupid's plan. She offered Kim an arm and the two women shuffled out the door and across the hall. Destination, prince charming. Enough of the cheesiness.

Kim almost wished she hadn't made the journey over here. Trudy told her all that happened to Adam, but now seeing him, the truth really sunk in. He was certainly put through the ringer this evening. Adam looked peaceful almost, apart from the tube and hose coming out of his neck. Kim looked around at the monitors and vent keeping her guy alive before resting on the chair Platt pulled up. Kim took Adam's hand was startled by its' lifelessness. She examined the chest tube snaking out the side of the sheets before kissing his hand. She didn't care who was watching.

"I'm here Adam. I'll be here when you wake up." She reached to tousle his hair. It was a small pet peeve of Adam's and she always enjoyed irritating him. The small uptick in his heart monitor made her smile. He was in there and fighting.

Meanwhile, Hank Voight and risen from his slumber and was asking for discharge papers. He removed the monitor leads he was attached to and reached for the clear bag containing his belongings. The doctor tried to persuade him to stay but it didn't work. Voight reasoned that he wasn't going to sit on his ass and rest while the thugs who attacked his team were out there laughing, celebrating their success. He signed his AMA papers and stormed out. It's amazing he stayed in the hospital as long as he did. It had to be a personal record. Nevertheless, his team was hurting tonight and he couldn't sit around and watch them die. Watch out Chicago, Hank Voight is on a revenge tour.

The Intelligence Unit's first night in the ICU was exciting. As the remaining members of the team became awake and alert, it beam apparent to the hospital staff that the team was incapable of staying in there room. Kim eventually fell asleep lying halfway on Adam's bed and it took waking up to blood soaked dressings to move Kim back to her room. She'd broken some of her suturing during her trip to Adam's room. Antonio followed in Hank's footsteps and left the hospital against medical advice. If there was anyone who could slow Voight down, it was him. His focus was on the case. In order to get the revenge they all sought, Ray Burke needed to be convicted in a court of law. It was hard for that to happen if he was dead. Atwater soon realized that he too could get up and decided to spend the night in the vacant chair in Adam's room. If Adam could hear all that went on in his room that night, he must've felt like his room was grand central station. Hailey was the lone person who stayed put that night. The view out her room windows was enough to scare her. She didn't want to admit that her partner was on the other side of the floor knocking on death's door. The same conclusion was made regarding Adam. She wished she had listened to the voice in her head telling her that something was wrong with the case. She knew that thoughts weren't going to change anything. Therefore, she used her time wisely and slept, hoping rest would ready her for whatever the next days and weeks had in store.

Jay on the other hand had a relatively quiet first night. Aside from the hourly check-ins, everything remained steady. Jay didn't improve but he also didn't get worse. Rhodes actually stayed through the night and was the one checking in on his patient. It wasn't something he typically did and Will gained a newfound respect for the doctor. He really wanted to see Jay come out of this. The beeps, boops, and whooshing in Jay's room transformed into a trance tactic. Will's body finally caught up to its' activities that day and he was soon passed out on the world's most uncomfortable chair. There was one visit during the four AM hour where Will's sleep depravation really shone. Rhodes was listening to Jay's heart when a messy, red head lifted.

"Hey man, how's he doing?" Conner waited till he was finished to answer Will.

"The heart's a little slow but sounds good considering. Also the draining has really slowed down on his side. He's holding steady." Will nodded and then glanced out at the ICU floor.

"I was thinking, do you how many sutures are on this floor right now? The amount of tubing and needles being utilized up here. And let's not forget the blood supply. It's crazy to think about." Conner gave Will a puzzled look before exiting.

"Why don't you go back sleep and I'll be back soon."

"Oh, yeah, ok." Will was out in a second. Rhodes just laughed as he slid the door closed. Well he officially snapped.

What on earth? Everything hurt. His head, his breathing, his stomach, and there was something on his throat. He blinked a couple of times in an effort to clear his vision. There was this constant blowing motion coming from the thing on his neck and it hurt when he tried to swallow. Even with the whooshing thing, he found it hard to breathe. It was like someone was squeezing a tube while telling him to inhale. Also, why did his side hurt so much. His gaze went around the room to reveal his location: a hospital. He felt something, or rather, someone touch his arm.

"Adam? Kim, wake up. Adam's awake." Another hand grabbing his other arm.

"Adam! Hey, don't move. You're in the hospital." Adam attempted to touch the thing in his neck but Atwater pulled his hands away.

"No man, you can't pull that out. It's helping you breathe right now. Just relax and let it work." Kevin made Adam stare at him and match his breathing. It was comical and Adam eventually got the hang of it. By now the nurses were aware to Adam's consciousness and began the evaluation process. A penlight was waved in front of the eyes and reflexes were documented. Adam made a writing motion with his hand and soon a whiteboard and marker were presented. He remembered why he'd need a hospital stay but wanted to know what was going on. He wrote, 'what happened,' followed by several question marks.

"Do you remember getting shot?" Adam nodded.

"Well, you were hit in your lung and kidney and it was pretty bad. You've been unconscious for twelve hours or something. Your lung collapsed twice and you have to stay connected to the vent till it improves. You've also got a chest tube so, try to not move around. Also, um, they had to remove your kidney, Adam. I'm sorry." Kim squeezed Adam's hand while Atwater spoke. Adam blinked and sniffed a few times before returning to the whiteboard.

'Where's Jay?,' was the next thing he wrote. Atwater looked to Kim for advice. She just shrugged her shoulders and nodded, no reason to keep Adam in the dark.

"Jay's here. He's alive. But he got hit pretty bad. His heart was hit by a bullet and he lost a lot of blood. He also had his spleen removed. He hasn't woken up yet but they're hopeful it'll be sometime today or tomorrow." Both visitors held Adam's hands as he began to cry. He felt responsible for Jay's outcome. He kept thinking about how he could've avoided everything had he'd been smarter, faster in the moment. He knew Jay would tell him it wasn't his fault but, in that moment, nothing was going to sway his belief.

It was late evening when Jay made his reentry. Rhodes was reading the monitors when a quiet gag sounded from the person in the bed. Jay eyes were tired and hazed over from the drugs, but the blue eyes quickly darted around the room before focusing on Will. It took Jay no time at all to test the soft restraints. Even in his weakened state, Jay managed to fight and even loosen one of them. Will tried to grab his hands while Rhodes shouted for a nurse.

"Jay, calm down. You're all right. We're going to take them off but you need to relax." Jay fought a couple more seconds before putting his arms down. Will would never forget Jay's facial expression. He was so out of everything and was scared and confused. Will assisted in the restrain removal and instructed Jay of his new limitations.

"Jay, you just had surgery and your sternum is wired shut. You cannot move your arms a lot or it'll displace the bone." Will motioned to Jay's chest while he spoke.

"You have wires in place that'll really hurt if you try to pull them out. Can you blink for me?" Jay slowly responded with a drowsy blink.

"Good job. We'll take the tube out," Rhodes chimed in as they sat Jay's bed up a little higher. Will held Jay's hand as Conner unplugged the hose and deflated the balloon.

"Ok, I need you to blow out as hard as you can. Ready?" Jay blinked again and nodded.

"1, 2, 3, go." Jay gagged the entire time the tube was coming out. There was some blood and bile that came up with everything but he was finally breathing on his own. Will wiped around his mouth while Rhodes inserted the cannula under his nose.

"This stays on for two days. No taking it off. You need the oxygen. Also, try to not speak for a while. Good job, man." Rhodes and the nurse slipped out the room, leaving Will alone with a tired Jay.

"Welcome back man. You scared us all there for a bit." Jay nodded and kept his eyes closed. Will almost detected a wince. He figured it was just from the excitement of his return to consciousness. However, Jay started coughing and everything shifted.

"Jay, what's wrong. Come on, talk to me." Jay was now gagging and gasping for air.

"It..hurts," he whispered with a rough, graveled voice.

"What, your chest?!" Jay nodded before attempting to sit up, now on the verge of vomiting.

"Page Rhodes!" Alarms were blaring while Will grabbed for a bucket and put it under Jay's mouth. All that came up was blood. The two Halsteads looked up at each other horrified. Rhodes raced back into the room and started disconnecting monitor cords.

"Dammit, he's throwing a clot. Tell the OR were on our way up." The two doctors claimed a side of Jay's bed and beelined for the elevator. On the way up, Jay was sedated and staples were removed. Conner didn't care if Will helped at this point, time was running out. Will got to see the incisions, wires, and tubing for the first time while he helped prep. The shock was there, but Will didn't let it win. Rhodes held Will back as they pushed Jay through the OR doors. Will stood there with a handful of staples that were once in his brother's chest. He sought the nearest trash can and tossed the items away before depositing his stomach contents. For the second time in thirty-six hours, he found himself in the depths of despair. Back to square one.

Sorry for the cliffhanger. But every story needs one at some point. This chapter was intentionally slowed down from the previous chapters. I really want to establish the immediate aftermath before kicking things up a notch. The next chapter we'll see a little more about the case and the recovery process back at the hospital.