Here is chapter eleven. So I was writing last night waiting for CPD to come on, and I was just writing away. I'm not exactly sure where the chapter will end and the new one will begin because I actually wrote so much. Then, I watched CPD & OMG! It was literally my favorite so far! The whole Jay/Mouse scenes were absolute perfection in my eyes! And well, the episode inspired me so I'm still working on some of this because I wanted to make it perfect, but I wanted to get an update out tonight. So if this chapter seems short, or just abruptly stops, no worries, I will update tomorrow or Saturday, I just want to make it perfect. Remember flashbacks are italics :)

Side Note: I bought CPD season 2 and CFD season 3 on DVD today so I've been watching certain episodes of CPD to refresh my mind of info to make these next few chapters perfect. Hence the late update…

I hope you enjoy and will leave me a review with your thoughts :) (Thoughts about the episode are accepted as well because if I'm being honest I've been fan girling about it all day with no one to really fan girl too because no one gets my obsession with this show..) Anyways, here is the new chapter:

Disclaimer: I do not own Chicago PD, Chicago Fire or any of its characters.

Chapter 11: Early Return

Jay had been deployed for twelve days. Twelve long days that she had not seen his handsome face or heard his voice. He'd not had access to a phone or computer with a camera, so they had only been able to swap emails. All Jay had been able to tell her was that they'd been doing a lot of surveillance and he was hoping to be able to complete the mission soon.

He was ready to come home and be out of the desert. Lauren was a little worried because she hadn't heard from him all week. Usually Jay replied within two days, but she hadn't heard from him since Sunday. She was hoping that meant he was wrapping up the mission, but she wasn't so sure.

It'd been a normal Friday at school. She was finally settling in and adjusting to first grade. She still wasn't sure she was going to like it, but she liked the school and the people she worked with so that made it bearable. She was starting to get excited because in just one week, she would be flying to Chicago for Labor Day weekend. She missed her brother and all her friends, but she was hoping Jay would be there too. Because honestly, he was the one she missed the most.

As she was driving home, she remembered how just last weekend she had made a rash decision to go to Chicago for the weekend. She was feeling so alone and depressed. She didn't want to stay with her mother, and since her and Jay and been back together, Wes was out of the question. So on Thursday afternoon, she left school and just started driving north.

She emailed her professor and told her that she was sick and would not be at school the next day, and she texted her cooperating teacher the same thing. She drove all night, and made it to Chicago at one in the morning. Kelly was on shift so she bypassed the apartment and showed up at the fire hall.

She was a complete mess by the time she got there, and when Kelly saw her, he honestly thought something really bad had happened to Jay. When she explained she just didn't want to be alone, Kelly was furious that she had driven all night after being at school all day. She should have called him, and he would have gotten her a flight or something. She told him she was careful, but she didn't know what else to do. She just wanted to be with people that would understand and offer her comfort.

So she stayed Thursday night/Friday morning at the fire hall. She slept in Kelly's bed in his office, and thankfully the calls were minimal and he was able to stay with her. He felt bad, that she felt bad, but he wasn't sure how to help her. About eleven, Kelly was exhausted. He'd been up for twelve straight hours and he was in need of sleep. So Lauren asked to borrow his car, and she went to the apartment. Why she wanted his car he didn't know, but he let her have it anyways.

She changed into more comfortable clothes, and watched two movies on Hallmark. Of course, all they did was make her miss Jay more, so she decided to head to Molly's. It was four in the afternoon, and she knew it was still early, but she was hoping PD would show up soon. She started out not drinking. She was alone, and she needed to be able to drive home so she passed on the alcohol.

About five thirty, PD started showing up. They were all surprised to see her because no one had been expecting her. Mouse sat down at the bar beside her. "You drinking?" he asked. She shook her head no, and he asked, "You want to do though don't you?" When she nodded yes, he told her to order whatever she wanted.

She started with a mudslide; then a shot of vodka; after that, she order a melon ball, another shot of vodka, another mudslide, another shot of vodka, another melon ball and a screwdriver. After the screwdriver, Mouse cut her off. She was pretty well hammered by this point. Throughout the night they talked. She told him how she missed Jay so much that it hurt most days.

She just wanted him home. She told him how life at home sucked. She wanted to move to Chicago, but she didn't graduate until December. She told him her dreams for the future, the life she wanted with Jay. Mouse told her he was ready to settle down; he wanted someone that would just accept him for who he was, someone that could handle the past and the present. She knew he was referring to his PTSD and the trouble it still caused some times and the extremes of his job.

When she finished the screwdriver, he told her he was taking her home. By then, she was so drunk she could barely hold her head up. When he found her keys, he realized she was in Kelly's car. He called Kelly and told him what had happened. Kelly explained that he was on shift for another four and a half hours. Mouse told him that Will was off, so he would just drive her to Jay's if that was ok with him. Kelly said that would be perfectly fine. He always slept the whole day after getting off shift, and since he didn't know she would be there, he hadn't slept up enough to hang with her. He felt really bad, but knew Will would take care of her until he had some more sleep.

Mouse managed to get her in the car, and before he'd gone half a block she passed out. The next thing she remembered was waking up in Jay's bed the next morning and running to the bathroom puking. Will came and held her hair and once she finished, he made her drink this absolutely awful drink. It was some tomato concoction he swore would work. It took all she had to drink the whole thing without puking again, but Will was right. She wasn't sick the rest of the day.

Mouse came over about lunch to check on her and he filled in the missing pieces. He'd called Will on his way to the apartment and explained the situation. Will met him at the car, and carried her fireman style while Mouse carried her stuff. He settled her in Jay's bed, knowing the hangover in the morning would be brutal.

He wasn't kidding about that. She had just started feeling human again when Mouse showed up with lunch. Over lunch, Mouse and Will shared stories about Jay. She loved hearing all of that, but she wanted Jay home.

Lauren snapped out the memories as she pulled into the driveway. She noticed as she got out of the car that she had a missed call from Will. 'Hmm,' she thought; 'Guess I didn't hear it ringing while I was reminiscing.' As she put her stuff away, she called him back. He was probably just calling to check in like he did at least once a day. After her surprise weekend with them, Will and Mouse both called at least once a day to make sure she was doing ok. They said Jay would want them too.

When he answered, Lauren knew. Something was different; something was wrong; she picked it up from the tone of his voice. He sounded dejected and hurt. "Will? What is it? Is it Jay?" Lauren held her breath waiting for his response. When Will was quiet for too long, she said, "Oh, God. Will just tell me."

"Lauren, you might want to sit down." The worst case scenario flashed through her mind; surely Will wouldn't tell her over the phone that he had died, but that is exactly what she was thinking.

Will could hear her sobbing. "Lauren, listen. He's alive, ok. He's alive."

"He is?"

"Yes, he is. I just got a call that his unit was on its way back to base when the convoy hit an IED. The unit was also….."

"Also what, Will?"

"Also attacked by insurgents that were hiding in the hills waiting on them. Jay's the only one alive, but he suffered two gunshot wounds. One to the shoulder and one to the stomach just above his hip. They have him stable, but they're flying him back to the States. They said he needed top medical care that wouldn't be provided in Germany. He'll be landing at Dover Air Force Base at four in the morning and then taken to Bayhealth Kent General Hospital. Mouse and I are leaving tonight and will meet him at the hospital in the morning."

All Will could hear was sobbing on the other end of the line. "Lauren?"

"Yea… (hiccup) I'm… (hiccup) here," she managed to choke out. She felt pain all over. She knew she should be thankful that he was even coming home, but she was scared. There was still a chance he wouldn't make it.

"Do you want me to call Kelly? What do you need?"

"I need Jay," she whispered. She started throwing clothes in her duffle bag. She didn't know what she was going to do exactly, but she had to get to Jay.

Will told her to hang tight that they would work out her travel arrangements. He didn't want her driving, and he knew Kelly wouldn't either. Her mom walked in mid-clothes throwing after she hung up with Will. She demanded to know what was going on. Lauren proceeded to tell her how she had gotten back with Jay over the summer, how he'd been deployed, and how he was now hurt and returning home. She also said she was going wherever he was going to be.

Her mom lost it. She told her that Jay was bad news, that all he ever did was hurt her, and that she needed to forget about him because she had the most perfect guy here. She blamed Kelly for all of this; she should have never let her go this summer. He never watched Lauren carefully enough when she was up there, and now look. She was a mess because of Jay, again.

Her mother forbid her from going back to Chicago, or anywhere for that matter because she was not going to miss any school, which she reminded Lauren that they had paid for. Finally Lauren had heard enough. She tried calling Kelly but it went to voicemail. She left him a message begging him to either come get her or get her a plane ticket. She assumed he was on the phone with Will, but she knew she sounded desperate and Kelly would do whatever it took to help her.

She went outside to get away from her mother and clear her head. Everything was packed, she just needed to know what to do, where to go. Kelly called her back, and she repeated everything that happened with her mom. Kelly was furious that her mom would act like that when her daughter just needed support and comfort. He told her that he was working on travel with Will and he would have her a response within the hour.

Lauren walked around outside for an hour. Walking helped her have a clear head, and if she was going to be driving, she needed a clear mind. She was praying that Jay would be ok. Now that she had him back, she knew she couldn't live without him again.

As promised, Kelly called and said she had a flight leaving Knoxville at eight pm. It would land in DC where Will and Mouse would pick her up. They would drive the remaining two and a half hours to Dover. Lauren thanked him and went back in to get her stuff.

Her mother wasn't going to talk to her. She couldn't believe Lauren had gotten back with that scum that broke her heart and caused her so much pain. She figured this was probably all Kelly's doings. If Kelly got her back with Jay, then she would want to stay in Chicago. He'd been trying to take Lauren from her for the last five years, and so far he'd been unsuccessful because of the hold she had over her daughter. Come December though, she would lose that hold and she was afraid Lauren would be gone forever. She decided she needed to try and plead with her one last time.

"Honey, are you sure you want to do this? I mean think about how much pain and suffering he put you through. You don't want to live through that again do you?"

"Mom, I love you, I do, but this is my life and Jay is all I want. He's the only person I've ever truly loved. It's called forgive and forget. I know you can't do that, but I can and I have. Jay loves me and I love him. You can either support me or not, it's up to you, but I'm going this weekend and for however long he needs me, and you can't stop me." With that Lauren walked out the door to head to Knoxville.

In DC, Will and Mouse were waiting for her. She'd held it together the entire flight, but as soon as she saw them, she lost it. She dropped everything in her hands and started bawling. Will caught her first and held her until she calmed down. He let her go, as he picked up her bags, and Mouse pulled her in for a hug. "I'm so so so very sorry, Lauren. I should have been there; should have been watching his back."

Before he could say anything else, Lauren stopped him. "Mouse, no. Stop. Please. Jay would not want you doing this. Please don't blame yourself." She was begging him with her eyes to stop feeling responsible so he nodded. Jay would want him taking care of her right now, not adding to her worry so he let it drop.

"Come on guys. We still have a two and a half hour drive ahead of us." Will said as they turned to walk out of the airport. In the car, Lauren fell asleep. The exhaustion from the day had finally caught up with her, and she couldn't keep her eyes open any longer. Will managed to find a hotel within a mile of the hospital with Mouse's help. They managed to wake Lauren enough to get her inside the room before she passed out again.

They only had about three hours until Jay's plane would arrive so Will and Mouse both decided to catch a little sleep as well. Who knew how long the next day would be.

3 hours later…

Will's alarm went off at three forty-five. He groaned as he turned it off; the other two never moved. Jay had always joked about what heavy sleepers they both were, and Will could see, he wasn't kidding. He debated on whether to wake them or let them sleep some more because he knew they both could use it, but he knew they would be livid if he went to the hospital without them.

Mouse was much easier to wake than Lauren, until she remembered where she was, and then she was wide awake. Will stopped on the way to the hospital and got them coffee. Lauren said she didn't want any; Will thought that was odd but he just assumed she didn't think he stomach could handle it and all the stress.

At the hospital, Will informed the ER nurse why they were there and that he was a doctor at Chicago Med. She didn't seemed fazed by that information and told them that they were aware of the incoming soldier. She showed them to a waiting room, and told them she would let them know something soon.

Will knew the minute Jay arrived. The ER seemed to come to life. Orders were shouted from doctors to nurses, and feet could be heard running alongside a moving object. It was second nature to him. He stood and went to the entrance of the waiting room, and Lauren followed him.

As Jay went by, Lauren gasped and grabbed ahold of Will's arm. He wrapped his arm around her to keep her upright. Jay was as white as the sheets around him. They'd put him on oxygen, and Will could see the bloodstains through the sheet. He was able to catch that they were taking him for a scan and then straight to surgery, before Jay was wheeled out of sight.

He managed to get Lauren back to a chair beside Mouse. She instantly laid her head on his shoulder needing some kind of comfort. Mouse wrapped an arm around her as Will knelt down in front of her. He placed his hand on her knee as she asked, "What were they saying?"

Will took a deep breath; "He's lost a lot of blood. The wound on his shoulder was a through and through. The one in his stomach is still in there. They are taking him for a scan to see how bad his shoulder is, where the bullet is, and if there is any internal bleeding. Then they will take him straight to surgery as long as he stays stable." When Lauren didn't say anything he said, "It's going to be a while before we can see him. Maybe you should go back to the room and rest."

"No, I'm fine. I'm staying." Will sighed and hung his head. He knew she was stubborn and he really didn't have the energy to argue with her. "I'm going to go for a walk."

"I'll stay," Mouse said as he nodded towards Lauren. She was still laying with her head on his shoulder. Even though Mouse was still feeling guilty that he hadn't and couldn't be there for Jay right now, he knew the next best thing was taking care of his girl. Will nodded as he turned to walk out. He didn't plan on being gone long, but he just needed some time to himself to clear his head. He knew Mouse would take care of Lauren so he went to find a quiet place to walk.

An hour later he returned to find Lauren asleep. She'd fallen asleep on Mouse, and he didn't seem to mind. There was no way she was comfortable, but neither wanted to move her for fear of her waking. Mouse was nodding off some, but he couldn't really sleep. Hospitals always made him jittery, but he had to stay; for Lauren and Jay.

Will sat down next to him. They were comfortable just sitting in silence, waiting.

About two in the afternoon, a nurse came to tell them that Jay was out of surgery and the doctor would be with them soon. Lauren had managed to sleep the entire time Jay was in surgery, and Mouse and Will had drifted in and out of sleep most of the time. Mouse carefully nudged her until she was awake. Before she could ask any questions a doctor entered the waiting room.

"Halstead family?" All three stood as he walked closer. "How is he?" Will asked.

"Staff Sargent Halstead is extremely lucky. Neither bullet hit any arteries, veins or organs, but he did lose a lot of blood. We were able to remove the bullet just above his hip and closed both wounds. We did have to give him a blood transfusion, and we are waiting to see if he will require another one. He's still not totally out of the woods, but things do look hopeful. He'll be in a private room under careful observation for the next twenty-four hours, but you are more than welcome to stay with him. We know how important it is to our patient's recovery to have family with them. He will probably sleep for a while until the anesthesia wears off, but we will closely monitor him for signs of stress. We may have to induce him into a coma if his body doesn't heal while he is awake, but we will cross that bridge when we get there. I'll have a nurse come get you once he is settle in his room."

"Thanks, doctor," they all three said as the doctor turned to leave.

"Is that good?" Mouse asked.

"Yeah, as long as nothing severe or adverse occurs within the next twenty-four hours, I'd say he'll make a complete recovery." Mouse nodded and Lauren let a sigh of relief. There was a good chance Jay was going to make it.

About thirty minutes later, a nurse came and showed them to Jay's room. Will just walked on in, but Mouse and Lauren hung back at the door. She wasn't sure she could handle seeing him.

"Lauren, it's ok. We'll be with you the whole time. I know it's hard, believe me do I ever, but Jay, he needs us so we can do this," Mouse said. He didn't want to walk in any more than she did, but he knew his best friend needed them.

Lauren nodded as he held the door open for her and followed her in. He looked so vulnerable and helpless. So bruised and battered. He had IVs in both arms. One was for pain meds and the other fluids, Will told them. He had oxygen in his nose; bandages on his shoulder, stomach and one on his head. Will said it was a cut they had had to stitch. He was so pale, so lifeless, it was killing her to see him like that. But Mouse was right; he needed them and that is where she would be.

She pulled a chair up beside his bed and grabbed his hand. She placed a gentle kiss on it before laying it back on the bed. She kept a hold of it as she laid her head down beside it. She felt so tired, despite all the sleep she had gotten. She told herself she was just going to rest for a bit.

Will watched as she slowly gave into the exhaustion. He thought something more was going on than her just being tired from the past two days, but he wasn't sure. Her body knew what it needed, and if it needed sleep, then he wasn't going to stop her.

Mouse was pacing the hospital room while Lauren slept and Will watched a game on TV. He hated hospitals. They reminded him of his time spent in them after his second tour. The tour that led to his medical discharge which is why he wasn't there for Jay this time. He felt responsible for Jay laying in the hospital bed now, and if he didn't wake up soon, Mouse was afraid he was going to lose it.

About seven pm, Mouse saw Jay's eyes flutter. "Jay?" he said as he rushed to his bedside. "Can you hear me?" Will heard Mouse's questions and turned the TV off as he moved to stand at the foot of the bed. "Ask him to squeeze your hand," Will directed.

"Jay, if you can hear me, squeeze my hand."

For a second Mouse thought he was imagining things and Jay couldn't hear them because he didn't feel anything. But Lauren roused from her sleep saying Jay's name as a question.

"What is it?" Will asked.

"I thought I felt him squeeze my hand, but I could have been dreaming."

"Try it again," Will said to Mouse.

"Jay, squeeze our hand if you can hear me." Again, Jay squeezed Lauren's hand.

"Jay?" Lauren said; "Open your eyes. Please look at me," she begged. Sure enough upon hearing her voice, Jay opened his eyes. He tried to talk, but his throat was too dry. "Shhh, shh. Don't talk. It's ok," she whispered as tears streamed down her face. Will slipped out to let the doctor know he was awake.

After the doctor deemed him stable enough to survive without the oxygen, they were left alone with him. He kept staring at Lauren. There was so much he wanted to say to her, but he didn't know where to start.

The last two days were finally catching up to Will. He told Jay that he was glad he was back, glad he was safe, glad he was on the road to recovery, but he really needed some sleep. So he was going to head back to the hotel. Mouse agreed. Jay could tell the hospital was getting to him, so he didn't say anything. They tried to get Lauren to go back with them, but she refused. Jay even tried, but she said she wasn't leaving him. He didn't have the energy to fight with her so he let it go and let her stay.

After they left, Jay patted the bed beside him. "Jay, I can't. I don't want to hurt you anymore."

"Please," he whispered. "It's hurting me more that you're so far away." He knew he was playing dirty, but he just wanted her close beside him. That and the puppy dog eyes had her giving in to him, like always. She laid her head on his good shoulder, and he wrapped his arm around her.

"I was so scared," she whispered.

"I know, baby. I was too." He was quiet for so long that Lauren thought that was all he was going to say. She wasn't going to push him to talk. She knew he needed to talk to keep the chance of his PTSD returning low, but she wasn't going to push. Before she could change the subject he said, "When the IED blew the convoy apart, I thought we were all dead. I flashed back to the last time, only I couldn't find Mouse. I was looking and looking, but he wasn't there. When the bullets started flying at me, I snapped out of it. I dove for cover, but I wasn't quick enough. I felt the bullets rip through me, and I just wanted to be home with you. I saw our future together, the life I wanted with you. I saw us getting married, having kids, moving to the cabin one day. That was the only thing that kept me going; coming home to you. I was rescued and everything went black. I don't remember much, but I remember your beautiful face telling me to come home."

Lauren didn't know what to say. "I'm so glad you're here," he whispered.

"I wouldn't be anywhere else." Jay pulled her in for a kiss. It wasn't long until he fell asleep again. Lauren watched him for the longest, until her eyes became too heavy to hold open and she too fell asleep.

Well… if that wasn't a freaking long update. The longest one yet! I was going to cut it off several different places, but I just kept going. I didn't want to end it without Jay waking up. I needed to leave it on a good note :) I hope you enjoyed this update and will let me know what you think. I don't know much about medical stuff, so I just went with how I saw it. Sorry for any mistakes. I'm working on the next chapter, and I hope to have it out tomorrow or Saturday. I'm working on a scene between Mouse and Jay and I'm wanting to make it perfect; I was seriously inspired by their friendship from last night's episode. Like you really don't know how much I've obsessed over it today. :) Anyways once I have it just right, I will post it :)

I know I said last time that Lauren would be in Chicago for Labor Day weekend in my 'Up Next," teaser, but that might be another two chapters before that happens. I decided to explore the hospital/recovery scene more so sorry about that if you were looking for it. I thought yall might like this better ;)

Up Next: Mouse and Jay have a little chat; Jay continues recovering.