AN: *waves* 'Ello!

Chapter 8: Awake

Hailey was certain she broke every Chicago traffic law, original and revised, as she sped back to Med. She could hear the curses from the drivers she cut off, the shouts from the few pedestrians she blew past. Or at least she imagined she heard them. Maybe.

By the time she got back to Med, by the time she made it up to the floor she'd needed and the all too familiar room, she was breathless. Hailey used the wall to her left for support as she exited the stairwell and stepped into the open area. The sight before her didn't help her uneasiness, either.

Dr. Marcel was conversing with another doctor. Hailey couldn't see his full profile and wasn't certain if she'd met him before. If she had, would she remember? The last few hours had been a whirlwind, let alone the amount of time that had passed since this living nightmare began. She needed answers, and she needed them now.

"Hailey,"

Upton turned at the sound of her name and was welcomed with the sight of a disheveled Will. His red hair was sticking up at odd angles. He was leaning against a nearby wall, his right arm wrapped around his waist and the other was limp by his side, his left hand tapping against his left leg. A nervous tick, Hailey noted.

"Will. I'm sorry I missed your calls, I got here as quick as I could," said Hailey as she walked over to join the doctor. "W-what's going on? Who's that with Dr. Marcel?"

"That's Sam," Will replied, his voice holding a bit of a questioning tone. "Neurologist?"

"A neurologist? What the hell happened, Will. What aren't you telling me?" Hailey was getting nervous herself. She turned toward Jay's room again, tried to work out what was being said. "Will?"

"Jay," Will said as he rubbed the stubble on his face. "Jay woke up, not all that long ago. He… he woke up and…"

She started to say something along the lines of "that's great" or "I'm glad to hear that" or "okay, let's go see him" but the look on Will's face, the amount of varying emotions pouring off the red-head was enough for Hailey to bring a hand up to her face and pause. "Will, what happened?"

"He looked right at me and," Will's eyes met Hailey's. Tears were welling as he said, "he didn't even recognize me."

"W-what? No, no, that," Hailey took a step back as she tried to process the news. "That's not-"

"He looked right at me, Hailey. It was like I was a stranger to him,"

Hailey listened as Will filled her in on what happened between the short time Jay woke up to the time he finally got a hold of the detective. How the staff all but physically pulled him from his brother's side, how he nearly had a breakdown when he saw Sam enter Jay's room, because that would surely come with more bad news. By the time he was finished, Hailey had to take a seat in a nearby chair.

"So, what does this mean? What have they said?" she asked. "Have they told you anything?"

"No, they've been in there since I called you."

Silence loomed over the two and the busyness of the floor faded into the background. Hailey watched Will as he paced back and forth, the way he always glanced toward Jay's room whenever he made his turn around. Hailey herself remained seated for as long as she could. Her legs bounced in place, she wrung her fingers and hands until she felt them drying from the consistent motion. Eventually her uneasiness grew and she stood, needing to move her entire body as she continued to play the waiting game.

She wanted to go for a walk. Around the entire floor, up and down the stairs mindlessly, anything to keep herself from staring and burning holes through the walls and floors of Med itself. She needed to get out, to not think about this turn of events, of how Jay may or may not be. But Hailey couldn't bring herself to do that.

Hailey considered updating the team about Jay's status, but she didn't know what to tell them. Yeah, he woke up, but she didn't know in what condition her partner was. Not knowing was an awful thing to face and she didn't feel like fielding questions from the others just yet. So, she would wait until she had more information to give.

"Sam,"

Hailey turned around, watched Will nearly run into the two doctors as they exited Jay's room. She hung back, keeping in mind the boundaries that lay before her. Only after Will noticed her hanging back did he motion for her to stand by his side.

"Well?"

Hailey was an excellent detective. Years of hard work, sacrifices, blood, sweat and tears were ingrained into the badge she wore daily. But reading the body language of the doctors before her was an impossible task at the present moment.

Dr. Marcel spoke first, updated them on how Jay was healing, even in the relatively short amount of time. The surgeries to repair the artery in his chest were holding well, and there had been no indications that other problems would arise in the future, though he would continue to be monitored closely as there as no real way to predict any problems arising.

His head would, however, was another story. From what Hailey could understand, his memory loss was not surprising. Amnesia of some level or grade or however they determine things like that. That was the word they kept tossing about. More tests would need to be conducted, scans taken and whatnot, before Sam or Crockett could determine if it were a short or long term problem. She would have to ask Will for clarification on some of the things she heard, if but only for her peace of mind.

"Now, the good news is," Dr. Marcel began. "That Detective Halstead remembered things like his name, where he was, what state he lived in, his occupation-"

"Just not his own brother," muttered Will.

"No." said Sam. "Brain injuries can be tricky and we just don't have enough information right now. I really shouldn't even give you that, but I know how important family is to you, Will."

"Thanks, Sam,"

"We're going to get those scans ordered, get him prepped here soon," said Crockett. "If you two want to go say hi before the nurses get to work, you best make it quick."

#

"I can't do it,"

Hailey looked over at Will, surprised. They were standing close to the nurses station, out of sight of Jay's room but close enough to where they could get there quickly. After Sam and Crockett left to tend to other matters, the doctor and detective were left alone to ponder over the new information they had.

Amnesia.

Oh... shit.

Hailey didn't get her hopes up for many reasons, because she first needed Jay to survive this hell he was currently facing. She told herself that she would find a way to deal with what may come from the aftermath of it all later. But later was now, and she didn't know what to do.

Jay found a way to pull through, though the cost of doing so remained to be seen. She considered the fact that she should think of all the scenarios they could possibly face, but what good would that actually do? For her or anyone else? Especially for Jay. There was just so much to think about and her tired brain couldn't decide on where to actually start.

Which was why Will's sudden outburst caught her by surprise.

"I can't go in there and... and go through that again,"

Hailey sighed and tried to think of something helpful to say. "Will-"

"I-I've dealt with losing both of my parents, and that was hard. I've nearly lost Jay more times than I can count, when he was in the Army and here as a cop, but... looking at him now, and," Will said as he stopped short as his words caught in his chest. "And looking right at him but he, he didn't even-"

"Breathe, Will, breathe," Hailey waited a few seconds while the doctor slowed his breathing to a reasonable rhythm. "You can't think about that right now,"

"I just don't know what I'll do if I lose him," said Will. "I can't lose him, too. Not like this, I can't."

"I know. But Jay needs you, okay?"

They walked closer to Jay's room and peered in. There weren't any nurses yet, which meant they still had a little bit of time before he was taken away for more tests. It was now or never.

"Hailey?"

"Hm?"

"Will you," began the doctor. "Will you come with me? Please?"

Her answer wasn't even one she had to consider. "Of course."

The machines hooked up to the detective were beeping steadily. The man in the bed wasn't as pale as he was before, no longer resembled the same sheets that were bunched around his waist as his color slowly returned. His left arm was resting on his stomach, bandaged shoulder peeking out from under his hospital gown.

Jay's eyes were closed, and his head was turned to the left side, but as soon as Will and Hailey entered the room, that changed. They watched him slowly turn his head and slowly open his eyes. The three people stared at each other before someone finally broke the thick silence.

"Hey," Hailey said as she took a small step forward. Will had yet to make the same effort, so she continued. "How are you feeling?"

Hailey, for a split second, considered introducing herself before she asked any questions, wanting to avoid the same emotions Will was facing right now, but she didn't. She wished she did, but there was no changing the past.

"I'm," Jay said in a low and raspy voice as he looked at her with tired eyes. It appeared he was going to say something else to her, but Hailey watched his eyes land on something else. "W-Will…?"

In the time she's known the Halstead brothers, there was no denying how close they were. They often helped each other with cases, hung out and watched hockey or the Bulls (when their off days allow for such things) and bickered about whatever seemed interesting enough to annoy the other brother about. She knew this. So when she saw Will's shoulders relax at Jay's mention of his name, Hailey couldn't help but feel a sense of relief.

"Yeah, that's right,"

Jay pursed his cracked lips. "Those doctors," he said. "That's what they called you,"

And just like that, the relief and hope, was shattered.

Will stuttered but recovered quickly. "Yeah, um, we're-"

"Excuse us. We need to get the detective ready for his tests," a tall nurse said as he entered the room.

Hailey nodded as she gently grabbed Will's arm. They stepped out of the nurses way as they worked on getting Jay ready for his tests. She wondered what kind of tests her partner had to face this time, wondered if it was going to take a long time. Would this lead to the answers they needed? Would they be one step closer to helping Jay recover?

Hailey wanted to follow them. She could tell by Will's body language that he wanted the same thing. Could they even go with him? Did Jay even want them to? There was a hint of familiarity hidden deep behind his eyes, but there was no way to tell for certain.

"Someone will let you know when the tests are finished and when he's settled back into his room," one of the nurses said as Jay was wheeled out from their view.

Hailey watched, just as she had ever since the beginning of this roller-coaster ride. She watched until there was nothing and no one left to watch. Will was there, and he did much of the same.

Now, she waited.

Again.

Except this time, she wasn't alone.

AN: *waves* Bye-bye!