Chapter 21 – No More Chasing Our Tails.

The Intelligence Team took over Jay's hospital room. Voight stood in the corner, Burgess sat on the edge of Jay's bed, Ruzek and Atwater occupied the chairs Lexi and Will had slept in the night before, Olinsky sat on Lexi's makeshift bed and Dawson stood at the end of Jay's bed.

Lexi stood by the top of Jay's bed, allowing everyone to have a view of her. "Okay" Voight said loudly "Listen up" he said from his position of leaning against the wall. The conversations fizzled out and the room grew slowly quiet. "Lexi needs the floor"

When she was sure she had everyone's attention she started "I have a plan to draw Calvin out, no more chasing our tails, following fake leads, I want to bring him to me"

"We're not going to like this are we?" Dawson asked her tone of voice told him her plan was risky.

Lexi shook her head "Probably not"

"Okay lay it on us" Adam told her.

"First of all, no more protective detail on me…" Lexi commenced explaining her plan.

"What? NO!" Jay objected loudly looking at Hank wondering why he would ever agree to that.

"Let her finish" Voight warned

Lexi ignored the outburst and continued as if nothing had been said. "You heard Benny, Calvin's not after me, not yet anyway, he's targeting the people I care about, everyone I love which includes everyone in this room. Having a detail on me is a waste of resources. So, no protective detail. Plus, I need him to think I'm vulnerable." Lexi took a deep breath giving everyone a minute to process. "I won't be completely alone. You've all heard of the Chi-town Chameleon?"

"The assassin from the 90s?" Atwater asked. Lexi nodded her head. "They told us stories about him in the academy. He has like forty-one confirmed kills, no evidence ever left at a scene except a little clay model of a Chameleon."

"Hey" Burgess chided "it's never been confirmed he's a he!"

Lexi grinned at Burgess always making sure that the women were represented. "Forty-one confirmed kills but it's more like boarding in the seventies range. Anyway…" Lexi shook her head she was getting off track talking about crime rates. "the Chameleon is one of my CI's, they've…" Lexi emphasised 'they've' to not only protect the Chameleon's identity but to show Burgess she agreed with her. "…helped me put away about 35 people, and I'm owed a favour." Lexi went in to complete detective mode, her plan was a good plan, even if it was risky one. "The only thing we are one hundred percent sure of with Calvin is that he's watching me, right? So, the Chameleon is going to follow me, until they can follow Calvin, for as long as it takes"

Lexi allowed the room to fall silent, allowing them to assess what she had told them. "And when the Chameleon catches him?" Dawson asked

"That brings me on to the next part of the plan" Lexi began, she took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. The next bomb she was about to drop she knew would cause an uproar. "I've given Voight my badge"

Everyone spoke at the same time, Lexi listened to the noise, questions of "is this a joke?", "You can't be serious", "What does that achieve?", "It's all just a ploy though right?" filled the room.

Lexi looked at Voight for some assistance from the bombardment of questions. "ENOUGH" Hank raised his voice silencing the room, he nodded at Lexi telling her to continue.

"I don't plan on putting cuffs on him." Lexi looked each team member in the eye in turn except Jay, she couldn't bring herself to look at him, to see disappointment, fear or hurt in his eyes. "When the Chameleon catches Calvin, I'm not bringing him in." Lexi paused trying to find the words to explain. "I'm not going to put him behind bars for him to be released and come after me again, to hurt someone else I love"

No one spoke, Dawson looked at everyone's faces to try to gauge their thoughts and knew no one disagreed with her. "If anyone has a problem with that, now is the time to walk away, no questions, no hard feelings, no consequences." Voight finished for her. The room remained silent whilst everyone made their decisions, they had been given an out, if they wanted to leave now was the time. No one moved, and no one spoke, Voight nodded accepting everyone was on board with the plan. "Okay, Lexi continue"

"I'm going to be working at and living above Molly's." Lexi explained she had been to see Molly's owners earlier in the day and asked if she could work there whilst she figured out her next move. They knew the parts of her plan that were relevant to them and had agreed to help. Herrmann had advised there was an apartment above Molly's that they weren't using, it needed a lick of paint, but she was welcome to live there for as long as she needed, if it would help her plan. "It makes sense. It will make Calvin think his photo trick worked, that it tore me and Jay apart" Lexi almost choked on the words, she wasn't sure if what she had said was true. Maybe it had worked, they still hadn't spoken, maybe it really had torn them apart.

"So, what do we do in the meantime?" Atwater asked after a moments silence.

"Continue to work the case" Voight offered "it needs to look like we're still after him, which we are, if we can catch him before the Chameleon then so be it"

"Questions? Comments? Suggestions?" Lexi asked trying to lighten the tense mood in the room.

"I just wanna know that you know that this is bat shit crazy?" Adam spoke up

"Hiring an assassin to stalk a murderous stalker?" Lexi asked smirking "it's so bat shit crazy it might actually work"

"I'm good with that" Adam said standing from his chair and fist bumping her.

"Let's go get some work done" Voight suggested moving from his position and ushering everyone towards the door "Jay needs his rest."

Lexi followed the group to the door Voight herding them out "Thank you for today" Lexi told Voight at the door.

"Don't mention it" he told her before Lexi closed the door.

Lexi stood with her hand on the closed-door handle, the private bathroom attached to the room made a corner that was blocked from Jay's view. She held her breath, she could just leave, she didn't need to go back in and face Jay. She could just go out of the room and let him rest. She wasn't sure she was ready to talk to him alone.

"Lexi" Jay spoke softly, she didn't move, she stayed quiet "I know you're still there"

Lexi exhaled and turned on her heels ready to face the music and walked around the corner. She stood at the end of his bed where Dawson had stood moments ago. They stared at one another, neither one willing to talk first, neither one willing to break eye contact.

"So, you've left me," Jay stated rather than asked "you're not my partner anymore." Lexi hadn't specified that giving her badge to Voight was temporary or not, but Jay knew her, better than she knew herself sometimes and he knew it was permanent, she wasn't a cop anymore.

Lexi broke eye contact and looked at her feet, she felt guilty for not telling him privately or discussing the decision with him first, but there hadn't been time. "Only at work. I'm still here, I'm not going anywhere" she looked in his eyes again "whether you want me here or not"

"I do want you here" he told her "always"

"In what capacity?" Lexi asked knowing him wanting her around didn't necessarily mean he wanted to be with her still.

"Oh, I'm going to need a waitress, a back scratcher, someone to nurse me back to health, sponge baths" Jay joked.

Lexi laughed he would one hundred percent make her do all those things whilst he recovered. She needed a distraction, she walked to her bed and began neatening it up, organising her bag, Jay watched her go from one needless task to the next, she took Jay's clothes from his bag and folded them again, clearly Adam had packed his bag, all his clothes had just been thrown in. "We don't have to talk about this now, but I just need to know, have I completely screwed us up?" Lexi asked sighing and sitting on the edge of her bed looking at Jay.

"Honestly, I don't know right now"

Lexi nodded, that was fair, he needed time to think about everything. The last few days had been manic, there hadn't been time to breathe let alone make life decisions. "I'm so sorry Jay, I never meant to hurt you" Lexi stood up again, she couldn't sit still.

"I know that" He told her as she sat in the chair nearest to his bed. "I need to know…" Jay began, he guessed now was as good a time as any to talk about it. He inhaled deeply then exhaled asking, "Who initiated it? The kiss, you or him?"

Lexi wasn't going to lie to him "Both of us"

"What made you stop?"

"I came to my senses, I realised what I was doing to you was wrong. I don't want to be a cheat. I didn't want to do to you what he did to me."

Jay put his head back on his pillow and spoke to the ceiling. "I hate this. I hate the thought of him touching you, of you kissing him. I knew this wasn't going to be easy. I knew you wouldn't be able to give Kelly up so easily"

"I don't want him Jay, I want you" Lexi interrupted him standing and sitting on the edge of his bed, one leg on the floor the other tucked beneath her. She took his uninjured hand in hers. "I love you and I'm sorry, you deserve so much better"

Jay took his hand back slowly. "I love you too" he confirmed "but I don't know if that's enough right now. I knew I'd have to fight Kelly to keep you, but I can't fight your feelings for him too"

Lexi wanted to tell him he didn't have to fight her feelings, that he was all she wanted, all she needed, that she wouldn't put herself in a position for it to happen again, but hadn't that been her intention the first time she had been apologising for kissing Kelly? Could she honestly promise him that it wouldn't happen again, especially when Kelly decided to show up unexpectedly?

Lexi stood from the bed "you should get some rest."

"You should too." He told her pointing at the bed across the room.

She smiled standing up "I will, I just need some fresh air"

"Don't be too long, I might need a back scratch" he smirked at her and she smiled back before walking around the bed disappearing around the corner to walk out of the room.

Two days later.

Kelly watched Lexi enter his room and close the door quietly behind her. "Hey" he said softly to let her know he was awake.

"Hey, thought you'd be asleep"

"It's kinda hard to sleep" Kelly explained as she sat on the edge of his bed. "when the nurses keep coming in to check on me"

Lexi smiled sympathetically at him. The nurses were only doing their job, but he did look exhausted. Kelly sat up in the bed, Lexi moved to put some pillows behind his back. "Kelly I…"

Kelly interrupted her quickly "Don't apologise." Lexi closed her mouth cutting herself off mid apology as she sat back on the bed. "None of this is your fault" He smiled at her trying to show her he didn't blame her for his current situation.

Lexi sighed, she wouldn't apologise to him, what good would it do anyway? It wouldn't make his wounds heal any quicker, he didn't have to blame her for her to blame herself. Shay, Jay and Kelly had all been hurt because of her.

"I'm kinda glad Shay isn't here to see the mess I've made of everything!" Kelly admitted.

"Oh, she'd totally have kicked your ass by now!" Lexi told him smiling thinking about Shay putting Kelly in his place.

"What do you think she'd have said?"

"She'd have told you that she loves you no matter what but you're a complete asshole and you need to get your head checked" Kelly and Lexi laughed, it was quite accurate.

"She'd have told you to stop blaming yourself and that quitting being a cop is not the answer"

"Ah, you heard about that?"

"I may have overheard something. Is it true? You're not a cop anymore?"

Lexi nodded "I'm officially one fifth owner of a bar and bar maid" she chuckled

"That really what you want? You love being a cop"

"I do" she confirmed. Lexi furrowed her brow and looked down at her feet, it hurt to talk about no longer being a Detective, it was hard to admit she already missed it. "But I love the people I love being alive more"

"That include me?" Kelly asked taking her hand from her lap.

Looking up at him as he intertwined their hands, she answered. "You know it does"

"Only when I'm not being a complete ass" Kelly joked.

Lexi chuckled "So only like twenty percent of the time"

Kelly laughed with her. Maybe they could be friends after all? Maybe being friends is what they always should have been.

Will walked the corridors of Chicago Med carrying two cups of coffee. It was 2:30am, the hospital was quiet, he was on a break and was looking for Lexi. Will had been to Jay's room, Jay was asleep, and Lexi wasn't there, he headed to Kelly's room to check if she was there.

Will passed through a set of double doors and saw Lexi walking towards him back towards Jay's room. "Hey" he said as she got closer "I've been looking for you" he told her holding up a cup to show her it was for social purposes and not because something was wrong.

"Thank you" she said taking the offered coffee.

"You look beat" Will said turning to walk with her.

Lexi was beat, she had been going from Jay's to Kelly's room for two days now, splitting her time, making sure they were both okay and didn't need anything. Kelly had been kept in for 48 hours observation after he had complained of dizziness when he stood up, thankfully he had been given the all clear a few hours ago and would be released in the morning. Matt, Gabby and Firehouse 51 had been visiting Kelly when they could, but he was still alone a lot of the time. Lexi felt guilty, he was in the hospital because of her.

"I feel worse than I look" Lexi remarked walking slowly.

"When was the last time you slept?"

"Kelly's being released tomorrow, I can manage until then"

"You're going to burn yourself out" Will warned "you can't keep flitting between them both"

Lexi wasn't sure Will was still referring to going from room to room whilst they were in the hospital now. "I'm not I've made my choice"

Will shook his head "That's not what I meant, sorry." He smiled apologetically as they reached Jay's closed door and she turned to look at him. "But just for the record my brother is better for you"

"I know. Although I may have figured that out too late" Lexi exhaled sighing deeply. "Thanks again" she said holding up her coffee cup before entering the room.