A/N: Wow, my goodness gosh it's been forever! I didn't forget about you I promise! I feel so bad! I'm so sorry. I think about y'all everyday, I just never have time. Then I try to post and I also end up getting sidetracked! Plus, school just started up again. Even better. But, I will try to get these chapters to you as best I can! I haven't forgot, you're always on my mind! Please, enjoy!

Everything was all ready, and it was time to begin. But, first he needed to say something.

"Hey, Jay. I need you to do me a favor. I'm gonna help you, but I need you to help me, too. Just stay strong, okay? I just need you to hang on. Your brother's counting on me, and he'll kick my ass if I don't fix you. Just stay strong." Rhodes whispered to Jay, hoping that Jay would what the words, or at least feel the hope and a sympathy Rhodes showed in his voice.

He looked at Jay for a moment, thinking about how important this was. To him. To Will. To Intelligence.

To Jay.

"Alright...let's begin."

To be continued…

"Okay, get ready to administer the liquid. We have to freeze his core temp. to 69.8 degrees." Rhodes explained the the medical team in the room.

"On my count," said the nurse,"three...two...one."

The nurse counted down slowly, and the timer began. Dr. Rhodes slowly put pressure on the IV bag full of cold liquid and it began to run through the clear tube. It ran down through the tube in Jay's throat and entered his system.

One nurse monitored his temperature as it went down, and others stood by.

"Beginning at 99.8…

Down to 91.8.

87.5.

83.3.

79.6.

77.8..." The nurse counted down, until they reached the targeted temperature of Jay's core. Once they got around 70 degrees, Dr. Rhodes took his scalpel and got prepares, examining how surroundings.

He had an important life on the line. Although he and Will Halstead were different terms at times, but Jay was his blood. Not only that, but he was a friend to Rhodes.

Jay was in his hands right now. Right under his fingertips. He had to be smart.

"We're at 69.8 degrees."

"Alright, let's get this started.* Rhodes said seriously, as he looked up generously at his colleagues. He looked back down to the patient as he began to make the starting incision.

In the Intelligence Precinct:

The place felt empty. Two of their detectives weren't present, with Jay in the hospital, and Erin with her badge sitting on Voight's desk. Nobody knew the "behind the scenes" of whether or not Erin would come back.

Antonio was on edge about the whole situation. No one knew what Erin was up to and no one's had an update from the hospital on Jay's current condition.

Aside from Mouse being a wreck, as well, he was lost in thought most of the time instead of doing paper work. Not paying attention, his phone began to buzz loudly, alarming him as he flinched.

Of course everyone looked, but Mouse didn't care as he looked at the caller ID. He answered it and flew the phone to his ear and spoke near to a panic.

"Will?" He questioned. Hopefully the older Halstead was on the phone to give them an update. A good one?

"Hey, I just have an update."

"Yeah, I-I'm gonna put it on speaker for the team." He said, and took the phone away to allow the team to listen.

They got up from their desks and made their way towards Mouse's, as well as Voight who appeared from his office.

"What do you got, Will?" Antonio said.

"Jay's, uh...he's in emergency surgery right now. Before he was rushed in, his fever shot up and he was on the brink of seizing. But,

we found internal bleeding, probably from the damage from his liver. Maybe shifting around ripped the stitches from the inside. It could be the cause of his fever."

Everyone had a look of concern and disbelief.

"My god…" Antonio said.

"Is he?" Mouse said, knowing that Will would know what he meant.

"Stable? That I know of, yes. But, I'm not in the operating room. At the moment, I-I don't know. Dr. Rhodes is doing everything he can."

Mouse began to feel his hands tremble under the desk. He looked down at them subtly and tried to keep them steady. He needed to keep himself steady, or he'd probably lose himself, too.

"It'll be a few hours before the surgery ends. We'll see what happens then."

"O-okay. Thanks, Will." Antonio said, sort of in a shock state.

"No problem. I'll see you soon." Will replied quietly, like he was losing his ability to speak without disbelief or grief or even shame in his voice.

After the call ended, with Alvin Olinsky being the hearty man he is, he decided he needed to tell Erin.

He grabbed his cell phone off of his desk and headed downstairs to the cage room where he could be alone for a moment.

It was dark and intimidating down there with the cage. Every time you'd look it, you'd think of the history of punches and beatings, blood and sweat that went on in there. It killed a soul to look at it, it made someone angry, but it felt so right for all the damage some people have done.

Alvin looked away from the cage, and dialed Erin's number and finally heard her voice.

"Hello?" She said groggy and tired.

"Erin...it's Alvin Olinsky."

"Alvin?"

"I just wanted to reach out and tell you how Jay was doing."

"...O-okay." She was definitely worried. She never really got informed on his condition. She's only been to visit Jay a few times. But, only when he was in a coma. She didn't know if she could face him awake.

"He woke up. But, he's not gonna be out of the hospital anytime soon." Alvin explained.

"Al, w-what do mean?"

"He's gonna be having delayed effects...from the crash. From his injuries. He was rushed to emergency surgery."

Erin didn't respond. She only sat there in silence. What Alvin didn't know was that she was sitting on the couch with a bottle of pills and a few crushed ones sitting on the coffee table in front of her. There was a shot glass half filled with some hard liquor and the bottle sitting next to it.

"I just wanted to tell you that he woke up, from what I hear. Just, if you wanted to visit him. Talk to him after surgery. Just in case anything else could happen...God forbid."

"I-I don't know if I can face him, Al...I mean, I left. I'm the one that got him into this, I-"

"It's Jay...he'd never think you were the one that did this to him. He'll understand."

Hours Later:

Jay had gotten out of surgery not too long ago, and it was only minutes ago that he woke up to feel the slight pain in his abdomen from where the bleeding was and where the surgery was. The good part is he didn't feel nauseous, dizzy, or hot from the fever that he had previously.

He felt much better than he did. Of course when he couldn't use up any more pain medication he'd feel a little bit more like hell. But, as of now, he finally felt like he was getting better. Like he was one step away from getting out of the hospital.

He noticed next to him, a familiar face. He hasn't seen it in weeks. Erin Lindsay.

She gasped when she noticed Jay had awaken. His oxygen mask fogging everytime he breathed, which told her that he was breathing, which gave her relief.

But, the first thing he noticed when he looked at her complexion were the tears streaming down her cheeks.

"Hey, it's good to...see you awake. S-Sorry if I woke you...I-I should go anyways." She stuttered. She stood up, sniffling and clutching her handbag close to her, like she felt vulnerable for questions and judgement from him.

"No...no, stay." She heard him say in whisper, muffled even more under the mask. She stopped and dropped her hands from holding her hand bag close to her body. Her vulnerable, tight positioning relaxed as she made the eye contact with him that she refused to make before.

He looked at her with gentle eyes, showing her that it was okay for her to sit back down.

She scooted her chair in a little bit when she realized he was trying to speak, but it was difficult with the mask and the lack of use of his voice, so his voice was quiet and at a whisper.

"I heard you…talking to me… While I was in th-the coma…" he rasped out to her. She thought back and finally remembered her words.

"Jay…I'm-" She tried. Trying to say 'I'm sorry.'

"N-No...it's...it's okay."

"It's not, Jay. It's not okay…I left. I left you...I left us. Then, I did this...I can't live with myself...Jay-"

"Th-This wasn't your...fault. I...forgive you, Er."

Those words shook her, like she didn't believe it. She couldn't believe she was forgiven. But why? She thought. He shouldn't forgive her.

"Here…c-come up here." he insisted, telling her to lay next to him on the white bed.

"No, I'll hurt you." She said, but she his head and mumbled a no. She thought for a moment, but finally fumbled gently onto the bed next to him. His cast was on the other side of his body, so Erin didn't hurt him, really. She wasn't putting pressure on his side or anything. She only shuffled a minute before laying here head on his shoulder and her hand on his chest. His breathe was heavier than she remembered, but he was wearing an oxygen mask.

The laid there for a while as Erin tried her best to hold her sobbing back. Tears streamed every one in a while from her face and onto his clothing. He slowly moved his weak arm up to her shoulder and caressed it comfortingly.

He always did that when she needed it and it always told her 'don't cry…it'll all be okay.' It took a few minutes of silence for it to be broken by a question from Erin.

"Why did you forgive me?" She whispered in a sob.

"Because, I-I love you. Don't…forget that."

"I'm s-so sorry…I'm sorry I left...I left us. I-" she tried to explain until her sobs cut her off and Jay chimed in.

"I know...I know. It's okay, Er. We're gonna…get back...on t-track." By then, it seemed hard for him to breathe and get his words out. She could tell. She agreed, sucked up her sobs, and picked her head up.

"I know we will…now, let's just rest and reset for a while." She smiled, and he nodded back just as she leaned in to kiss his cheek before laying back down on his shoulder.

Before they knew it, they were both fast asleep.

To be continued...

PLEASE GIVE ME IDEAS FOR THE NEXT CHAPTER! I NEED YOUR PRETTY BRAINS TO GIVE ME SOME IDEAS!