Some people asked for a part 2 to "Stay with me" (Chapter 2), so here it is! So if you haven't read it, or it's been awhile, I suggest you go check it out so you know what's going on!
Four hours, fifty-seven minutes, thirty-two seconds.
That's how long it had been since Voight's gruff voice had sounded over the radio to instruct Halstead and Lindsay to move in on Perez. Five hours since Jay had heard Erin's gritty laughter illuminating through the squad car. Six hours since Erin had told Jay that he still wasn't driving, even if they were doing an undercover op on patrol for the afternoon. Seven hours since Jay had smirked across the bullpen at Erin's desk and silently chuckled at her latest bit of banter with Ruzek. Eight hours since Jay had last felt Erin's soft, warm lips against his…
Silence etches out among the members of the intelligence team in the small waiting room at Chicago Med. Burgess and Ruzek sit side by side, gripping each other's hands so tight all blood circulation is long gone. Staring silently at the ground, Ruzek's foot bounces at rapid speed against the white tile hospital floor. Olinsky sits, staring wide-eyed at Ruzek's leg, entranced by the movement as if it's the only thing keeping him from drowning in emotion. Mouse fidgets repeatedly with the coffee cup in his hand, constantly picking at the label and re-adjusting the lid. Atwater and Roman remain unmoving from their spot in corner chairs, focused in on an episode of Friends muted on the small t.v. mounted against the wall.
Voight's back's pressed firmly against the cold brick of the bland hospital wall, a coffee cup clenched tightly in his hand, eyes red-rimmed with unshed tears. His gaze transfixed on the detective pacing the hall just outside of the waiting room.
The short corridor has been occupied by Jay Halstead for just over three hours now. Erin was brought in at exactly 2:04 pm. By 2:30, with the help of Mouse, Ruzek, and Will, Jay had made his way to the bathroom and hurriedly cleaned the dried blood from his hands, forearms, neck, and face. Erin's blood. He had scrubbed and scrubbed until Mouse and Will dragged him from the bathroom and into an unoccupied hospital room to change into some clothes Atwater had grabbed for him.
Since then, Will had come by on four separate occasions to check in with the unit. Each time he had stopped in the hallway and tried to talk to Jay, who would just quickly brush off any kind of communication, turn the opposite direction, and continue his pacing. After Atwater had the unfortunate duty of relaying a message from Commander Fischer about paperwork that immediately needed to be done regarding the death of Ignacio Perez, Halstead had snapped. Antonio, Ruzek and Olinsky had to pull a seething Jay back before Voight bitterly stated that no paperwork was getting done until Lindsay's condition was known. Since the outburst, everyone kept their distance from Jay, letting him pace the halls in silence.
"I brought you a coffee. You need the energy."
Turning, Jay meets eyes with Antonio, a sad smile pressed on the older detective's lips. In his outstretched hand is a very large cup of steaming black coffee.
"Not interested."
Antonio sighs, "Jay, please just take it."
"No, I'm fine."
"Take the coffee." Antonio warns.
"No."
"Take the damn cup, Jay!"
Jay stares at Antonio intently for a moment before swiping the cup from his hands and turning away. He takes two quick steps into the waiting room before throwing the full cup of coffee harshly into the garbage bin leaning against the wall. At the sudden movement, everyone's gaze shifts to Jay. Sidestepping Antonio, he turns on his heels and began walking toward an empty seat in the corner of the room.
Antonio frowns, "Jay-"
"Family of Detective Erin Lindsay." Dr. Rhodes' voice breaks through the tension of the room.
Voight and Jay immediately step forward to meet Dr. Connor Rhodes in the middle of the small waiting area. Around them, members of the unit stare in silence. As Rhodes opens his mouth to speak, Will Halstead appears, obviously out of breath in the doorway and quickly makes his way to stand by Jay. Voight looks between the small group and shakes his head impatiently, "Well doc, how is she?"
Connor and Will share a small look before he proceeds, "As you are aware, Detective Lindsay had lost a lot of blood by the time she was brought in this afternoon." Rhodes sighs before continuing, "The lesser of the two bullets caused some minor internal bleeding, which we were able to stop without further damage. The other one of the bullets was much more of a problem. It had pierced her small intestine, causing it to rupture. We ended up doing an emergency small bowel resection to repair the damage. There's a risk of infection due to the spillage of intestinal fluids, so we need to keep a close eye on her for a few days."
Jay nods as he looks toward Will for confirmation, "But she's going to be okay?"
Will places a reassuring hand on Jay's shoulder, "Like Rhodes said, there was a considerable amount of damage. The risk for infection is still high, but Erin did great, all things considered. I have no reason to believe she won't make a full recovery."
Jay and Hank both let out a large sigh. Behind them, a large collective breath could be heard and the members of the unit began to cheer quietly as they took in the news.
Voight breaks through the celebration playing out behind him, speaking directly to Dr. Rhodes, "When can we see her?"
Rhodes gives a knowing smile. "Right now, actually. We just moved her to ICU, so it's immediate family only for now." Jay opens his mouth to interject before Will quickly cuts in "-which means both of you are good to head back."
Giving a silent appreciative nod toward his brother, Jay begins to follow the two doctors out of the waiting room. Voight follows directly behind, placing a hand on Jay's back and giving the detective a small smile as they neared the doors to the ICU.
As they enter the room, Dr. Rhodes quickly goes over Erin's condition once again, letting him know he'll be back to do rounds later in the night. Giving a small nod, he silently exits the room. Will gives Jay a short pat on the back before following Connor out the door. Jay's eyes scan over Erin's body- the IV's in her hand attached to the bag of fluids next to her, oxygen flowing through the tubes against her nose. He sighs, taking a seat next to the small hospital bed as Voight mirrors him on the opposite side of Erin.
For a few hours Voight and Jay sit silently, sporadically sharing small talk. Most of their thoughts revolving around Erin and her current position. Voight shifts from his spot on the chair, to the couch in the corner, occasionally leaving to grab food, or find a nurse for updated information. As the day drags on, members of the unit come in and out, each time Voight demanding that they head home. Every time they nod in agreement before returning to the small waiting area to give an update to the group and settle back in with no intention of leaving the hospital.
After another silent hour, Will makes his way into the hospital room, followed by Antonio. Will rolls his eyes as he notes Jay scrolling through his phone mindlessly, sitting in the exact same position he had been in all day and Voight laying on the couch staring under half-open eyelids at a re-run of Full House.
"Jay." Will nods, gaining the attention of the room. "Get your ass up, you need to get some air."
Shaking his head quickly, Jay chuckles. "That's not happening."
"You've been here all day, just go take a walk for a few minutes. It'll do you some good." Antonio tries.
"No." Jay responds firmly.
"Halstead." Voight responds groggily, quickly jumping into a sitting position. "Go get some air, you haven't moved all day."
Sighing, Jay's eyes search the three men staring back at him. His gaze shifts over to watch Erin's unmoving form. He focuses in on her, watching as her chest rises and falls. "What if she wakes up and I'm not here?"
"Then we tell her where you went." Antonio nods "You're not far, she'll understand."
Jay shakes his head, "No. No, I'll wait."
"You should go, Jay." Will states, placing a hand on his shoulder.
Glaring over at him, Jay silently shakes off his comforting hand before returning his gaze to Erin.
Will frowns. "I don't mean you should leave. Go get some coffee, clear your head...just for a few minutes."
"She's not going anywhere, Jay." Antonio states, gaining his attention once again.
Reluctantly, Jay stands. He stares down at Erin once more before slowly reaching out and grabbing her hand. Lightly squeezing it, he reaches down and places a firm kiss against her knuckles.
Hank sighs, walking the short distance to the side of Erin's bed. "I'm not leaving, Halstead. Go grab some coffee, I'll be right here with her."
Nodding, Jay lets his lips linger for a moment against her skin before releasing her hand. He looks up at Voight who gives him a reassuring smile before sitting in the seat next to the bed. Jay lets a small grin pass across his lips before turning on his heels and following Will and Antonio out of the hospital room.
Taking the first opportunity of them being alone together to his advantage, Voight reaches out his hand and grasps firmly onto Erin's. "Hey kid." he sighs as he looks down at Erin. Aside from the wires, needles, machines, and hospital attire, she looked so peaceful. Her breaths evenly rising and falling as her body serenely rests and the heart monitor beside her bed steadily kept track of her heart…beat, beat, beat…
"Look, I know ya probably can't hear me, but I'm gonna talk anyway. You scared the shit outta me today. What happened to you…what happened to you is something I promised I would never let happen." Hank reaches his free hand out to brush it across Erin's pale cheek.
"I guess what I'm saying is, I'm sorry. You shoulda never been in that situation today, I misjudged Perez and that's on me. It's all on me." Hank sucks in a deep breath of air, desperately trying to hold back the tears threatening to fall down his face, "You did great today, kid. The surgery was good. Will said you should be ok."
Hank frowns, squeezing tightly onto her hand as a silent tear falls to his cheek. "You're gonna be ok."
The tightening of Erin's small fingers around Voight's hand brings his attention toward her immediately. Studying her face closely, he watches as her breaths become less relaxed and slightly more ridged. For a moment, Hank panics before he watches Erin's head move forward on the pillow, a small moan escaping from her lips.
"Erin?" Hank asks, watching as her eyes slowly begin to flutter open. She groans against the pillow before opening her eyes completely. As she adjusts to the brightness of the hospital room, her hand grips firmly onto his and she groggily mutters. "Hank."
"Erin."
Erin's eyes grow as panic sets in. Taking in her surroundings, she desperately searches the room and pulls her hand from Voight's before reaching down to pull at the IV in her arm, and then at the line of oxygen attached to her nose. "W-what's going on?" she rasps.
"You're in the hospital." Hank states calmly, grabbing onto her hand. "Do you remember what happened?"
Erin shakes her head, sluggishly processing Voight's words before slowly letting her eyes shut, pressing her finger to her temple. "P-per..." Her voice trails off as she rubs her hoarse throat. Quickly catching on, Hank reaches to the side of the bed, grabbing the small cub of water and brings the straw against Erin's lips. He studies her intently as she sucks down little gulps of the water, her face visibly relaxing.
After a few short moments, she pulls her face back, once again recalling the events of the day, "Perez. He…he pulled a gun. I-I was shot. And Jay...he- Jay!" her eyes widen and breath quickens "Where is he? What happened? Is he okay? Hank…what happened?" The monitor beside her bed beeps in a quick pattern before an alarm begans to sound.
"Kid, Kid! Hey, Erin!" Voight grips tightly onto Erin's hand, bringing her attention back to him. "Jay is fine. Will finally convinced him to take a break for a minute. He and Antonio went to grab a cup of joe; he should be back any minute."
Erin visibly relaxes as a nurse and Dr. Rhodes rush in. "Detective Lindsay, nice to see you awake."
Erin nods, "Yeah, thanks."
"Alright, we're going to take a look at your vitals. Check to make sure everything is how it should be."
Erin nods once again in response as the two make their way to her side. They begin working around Voight as they check to make sure her vitals are strong, and she is stable. The nurse quickly supplies Erin with new water to quench her dry throat, placing a large, full pitcher next to the bed for the night. After the examination, Dr. Rhodes smiles up at Erin as he scribbles down a few short notes onto the clipboard in front of him, "Everything looks surprisingly good, considering you were shot twice in the abdomen a little over twelve hours ago."
"Well that's reassuring" Hank replies, sarcastically.
Rhodes smirks back, "I'll be back to do rounds in a few hours. Press the call button if you need anything and your nurse will be in to help you out."
"Thanks." Erin manages.
Her eyes focus as Hank pulls up a chair to the hospital bed. Settling down, he scoots in closer to her and lays his hand back on top of hers.
"Hank, I'm fine. Go home, sleep."
Hank shakes his head, "Halstead's around here somewhere. I'll just wait until he gets back, then we'll talk."
Erin gives him a glare, "I'm a big girl, I think I can-"
A faint, familiar chuckle shifts Erin's attention to the hospital room door. Just outside, she sees Antonio, coffee cup in hand. Directly beside him stands Jay. Even from outside of the room, she can see his worn out appearance. Scruffy hair, wrinkled shirt, heavy, dark bags under his eyes. Looking at him, Erin couldn't believe it had only been twelve hours since she was first admitted into the hospital. Although he looked completely worn out, Jay had a small smile pressed to his lips, talking quietly to the detective walking beside him. As they approach the door, Jay's eyes shift from his conversation into the hospital room. Stopping mid-step, Antonio rams straight into Halstead's side.
Jay all but sprints to Erin's side as he notices her eyes transfixed on his, "Er! Holy shit! Hey! Hi…you-you're awake!"
Erin's brown eyes beam up at Jay as a wide smile spreads across her face, "Hey."
Mirroring her, Jay's face rises in an ear-to-ear, all-teeth grin. "Hey you." As he reaches the bed, Jay bends down and places a soft kiss to Erin's forehead, brushing a few stray strands of hair from her face.
Voight looks over at Antonio, who's smiling over at the couple in front of him. He gives Erin's hand one final squeeze before releasing his hold. "I'm gonna head out, I'll stop by before I head to the district tomorrow. Alright, kid?"
Erin looks up to meet his eyes and nods in response as he walks toward the door, following Antonio out. Turning her gaze back to Jay, she repeats softly, "Hey."
"How are you feeling?" Jay asks as he takes a seat carefully at the edge of the hospital bed.
Erin smirks and stares intently at Jay's face, studying the scruff on his cheeks. "A little sore...I-I feel like my stomach isn't attached to my body."
Jay chuckles softly, "Yeah that'll wear off in a few days. Thank god for hospital meds, right?"
She smiles again, focused in on Jay's mouth as he talks. Her eyes fixated on the small freckle on Jay's top lip.
Noticing Erin's dazed appearance, Jay frowns, "You alright there, Erin?"
Erin shakes her head lightly, smiling wider. "Yeah, yeah…just tired."
Jay sighs loudly, scooting further onto the bed. "You scared the hell outta me today." He says, his voice growing completely serious.
Erin grimaces as she looks at Jay's limp posture. His eyes focused on the IV in her hand. Sluggishly, she reaches out and places her hand on his. Jay takes a large breath in before exhaling sharply. Slowly, his sad deep blue eyes meet hers. "Er, I was so scared."
Erin watches as Jay's glossy eyes focus in on her face. He scans her over- once, twice- needing to know she's truly there with him. "Hey. Hey-Jay, I'm okay." She lets her fingers trace the muscles of his arm and studies his face.
"I'm so sorry, Erin." Jay says as a tear rolls down his cheek.
"For what?"
"This was my fault. This was all my fault." He shakes his head.
Erin's brows furrow, "What are you talking about?"
"I'm your partner. It's my job to have your back, I should have reacted faster." Another tear slides down his face at the admittance.
Erin frowns, feeling the tears threatening to escape her own eyes, "Jay, look at me." She grips his forearm and Jay's eyes met hers, "If you hadn't reacted as quickly as you did, I would be dead right now." She rubs her hand down her arm, squeezing his hand, "The only reason we are having this conversation is because you're my partner. You're the reason I'm alive."
Jays eyes widen and he shakes his head, "I almost lost you today."
"But you didn't." She reminds him, the tears finally falling watching Jay break down in front of her.
His eyes scan hers intently, "I could have."
Erin shakes her head as her hand grips his tightly, "Jay. It's okay. I'm okay." she sniffs out.
Silent tears roll down his cheeks as he picks her hand up and holds it in between his. Squeezing it tightly he examines it in his before bringing it to his lips. He presses her fingers against his mouth, placing small, light kisses against each of her knuckles before letting it linger there while he speaks against her hand, "Er... I love you so much-"
A throaty cough brings their attention away from one another. "Uhhmm, sorry to interrupt, man." Ruzek shrugs, "We can come back later..."
Jay slowly lets Erin's hand fall back to the mattress before turning his attention toward to door. Erin smiles, reaching her hand out to rest against Jay's leg, "No. It's not a problem, Ruzek. Come on in, guys."
Adam nods apologetically toward Jay before heading into the small room followed by Kim, Atwater, and Mouse.
Jay looks between them curiously, "It's like two in the morning. What are you guys still doing here?"
Atwater chuckles lightly, "Did you think we were going home without knowing how our girl was?"
"Half the 21st is roaming the halls as we speak." Mouse adds.
"Platt's in a panic, calling for updates every five minutes." Burgess laughs as she sets down a vase of flowers onto the empty side table.
Erin chuckles, "Well she'll be happy to know that I'm fine. I'll be okay." Her eyes shift between the group, "Go home, you guys. Get some rest."
Ruzek stares at the monitor by Erin's bed before turning his attention to her, "Are you sure you're okay? Is she really okay? Like nothing's wrong with her? Everything checks out? She's fine?" Ruzek asks, staring directly at Jay.
"She's-"
"Really?" Erin hisses. "I'm not dead, Ruzek! I'm sitting right here, and I have ears. Go home before I kick your ass."
Jay smirks back at Erin and watches Ruzek's shocked expression. "Damn, Lindsay! I was just checking…damn! Good luck with that, Halstead." he adds, half-sarcastically.
Kim shakes her head as she grabs Adams arm, dragging him out the door, "We're really glad you're doing so well. We'll come by and visit tomorrow!"
Atwater nods his head, following out the door, "Yeah, can't wait to have you back at work."
Mouse smiles as he pats Jay on the shoulder before trailing the groups out the door.
"And then there were two." Jay jokes turning to meet Erin's yawning face. "Tired?"
Erin nods in response.
Jay quickly stands off the edge of the bed to make his way to the small couch in the corner. Noticing Jay's absence, Erin quickly reached her hand out and grips his arm tightly. He turns and meets her eyes curiously. Erin smiles as she pats the bed beside her "I'm pretty sure this is more comfortable to sleep on, Jay. Please."
Jay smirks as he moves to the door quickly flicking off the light and letting the dim light of the parking lot guide him to the bed. Slowly, he climbs onto it, being careful of the wires. He sinks down onto the firm mattress, adjusting himself behind her and she cuddles into him, slightly wincing at the discomfort in her torso. Gently, Jay reaches out his hand and lightly brushes it through her hair before planting a tender kiss into her hairline. "Night, Er."
After a few silent moments Erin whispers into the dark room, "Thank you...for saving me today."
Jay nods against her shoulder, "Of course."
"Jay?" Erin asks as she interlaces their fingers and lets her eyes drift closed.
Sleepily, he responds with a quick "Hhmm?" before snuggling closer into Erin's side.
"I love you." She mumbles, letting her body fully succumb to sleep.
Jay smiles against her hair, pressing another soft kiss into her hairline, "I love you, too."
A/N: So after starting this one, I quickly realized I could go on and on about hospital scenes with Jay, Erin, Hank, and the rest of the unit. I tried to shorten it up, but it still came out pretty lengthy, anyways hope you enjoyed it! Please review!