Chapter 4

"That nurse was really checking you out," said Hailey.

Jay turned toward her. "What? No, she wasn't."

"Trust me, she was," said Hailey with a little nod.

Jay considered that for a moment. "Really? So . . . you think I have a chance with her?' He was trying hard not to crack even a little smile.

Hailey scoffed and swatted at him. He shrank back and grabbed his upper arm. "Hey, you shouldn't hit an injured man."

She decided to play along. "She's way too young and immature for a badass detective such as yourself."

"I'm badass?"

"Well, sometimes you're bad and sometimes you're just an ass."

"Ouch! Tell me what you really think, Hails," he laughed. "But let's get back to my nurse. She may be young and impressionable, but I could mold her to my liking."

"Like Svengali?"

"You, on the other hand, are . . ."

"I'm what exactly?" Her eyebrows shot up as she waited to hear what nonsense he had to say.

He got lost in those big luminous blue eyes, as he always did. "You, Hailey Upton, are many things and we don't have enough time to get into all of them." He paused and watched as Hailey let her hair down, shook it out and then pulled it up again. Even that simple act fascinated him.

"You were saying?" she said. "Please don't let me stop you."

He leaned close, so close she could feel his breath. "The most important thing you are, Hailey Upton, is mine." Then he stole another quick kiss.

Their eyes locked when he pulled back and Hailey slowly smiled.

Stella and Severide saw empty seats in the opposite corner and made a beeline for them. Stella plopped down in the hard plastic chair with the back against the wall. "Come closer," she motioned to Severide. He slid his chair over and Stella swung one leg and then the other up across his lap.

He gave her an amused look. "Comfortable?

"So comfortable," she purred.

He rested his hands on her knees. "I suppose if all these people weren't around, you'd want me to massage your tire, aching feet," said Severide.

Her face lit up. "You know, that's a great idea. Of course, they might be kinda stinky right now. Maybe when we get home."

"You get a foot massage if I get a back massage," he said.

Stella nodded. "You got a deal, Severide."

On another row, Kevin and Vanessa were maintaining the appropriate distance while talking and laughing quietly. Now Kevin pulled up something on his phone and showed it to Vanessa.

"Yeah, I heard that was a great place," she said. "That is, if you can handle really spicy food."

"Girl, I'm all about the spice. The more, the better." He paused and wondered if what he was about to suggest was wise, but decided just to go for it. "When you finish this undercover thing, we should try it out."

"I'm down for that," nodded Vanessa with a smile.

Kevin smiled, too. "It's a date then."

"A date." Vanessa was hoping Kevin would ask her out at some point. She thought if it didn't happen soon, she might have to take the initiative.

She got a little flutter in her stomach. Anticipating their date would help her get through the rest of the undercover assignment.

Somewhere behind them, sat Kim and Adam. Adam was on the row in front and slightly down from Kim. He kept turning around to talk.

"Hey Kim, did we finish that report from yesterday?"

"Well, I finished my part, but as I recall, you haven't even started your part."

Adam's eyes drifted toward the ceiling as if trying to remember. "Right. Could I persuade, or even bribe, you to do the rest of it?"

Kim gave him an incredulous look. "Ugh! What do you think this is, elementary school and I'm going to do your math homework for you? No way, buster. You need to finish it today when we get back to the District. Voight's already been asking for it."

The female cop in front of Kim turned around and said, "Sorry, I couldn't help but overhear. You're at the 21st?"

"We are," confirmed Adam. "We work in Intelligence."

"Trudy Platt and I were in the same class at the Academy," said the woman.

"You don't say. Sgt. Platt is, uh, a formidable presence at the 21st," said Kim.

The woman laughed. "Oh, you can say it. Trudy is a tough old bird. But she's good police."

Both Adam and Kim snickered at her honesty. "Well, that's one way of describing our desk sergeant," said Adam. "She runs a tight ship."

"Tell her Kathleen Everett says hello." She slid a look at Adam. "By the way, I have the same paperwork issue with my current partner."

"Is there a cure for it?" asked Kim.

Kathleen shook her head. "Don't think so. I've been with this guy for four years and still haven't managed to change him."

"Now ladies, don't gang up on us guys," said Adam. "We're going the best we can."

Kim appeared unconvinced. "You need to up your game, Ruzek."

Adam put a hand over his heart. "I promise to try harder."

The only pair not together in the gym was Sylvie and Casey. Casey looked around with a scowl on his face. Where is Sylvie?

He spotted Severide and Stella huddled in a corner. They acted like they were lounging on the couch at Severide's apartment. In another corner, he spied Halstead and Upton being all cozy. They attempted to portray themselves as nothing more than partners, but everyone knew they were together.

Finally, he saw her way on the other side of the gym. She was engaged in an animated conversation with a Hispanic man who was either an EMT or paramedic. The guy made a comment and Sylvie laughed.

What's that all about and why do I care so much?

Casey kept staring and frowning. Then he pulled out his phone and sent her a text. He hoped it conveyed professional concern.

Feeling ok?

"Excuse me," said Sylvie to the man as she pulled out her phone.

When she saw it was from Casey, she scanned the gym for him. She finally located him several rows behind her. She stood up a little from her chair and gave a thumbs up and smiled. She sat back down and continued talking to her new friend.

"Is there a problem?" asked the man.

"Oh no, just one of my coworkers checking on me," she said.

"Good." He checked his watch. "Okay, my fifteen minutes are up. Nice talking to you, Sylvie."

"You too, Pedro."

The second Casey saw the man leave, he thought, I'll go sit with her now. However, a woman in pink scrubs immediately filled the seat. Instead, he texted again.

Can I buy you a drink at Molly's tonight for being rude earlier?

Sylvie frowned when she saw the text. What's with Casey today? She hesitated a second before replying.

Thanks, but tonight I have Zumba. Raincheck?

Fifteen minutes was now up for the gang from Intelligence and they prepared to leave. Adam got to his feet and said, "Yep, I feel pretty good about getting this first shot out of the way."

Kim saw that he had a funny look on his face. "Adam . . . Adam, are you okay?"

He shook his head. "Whoa Kim, I don't, uh, I . . ." His eyes rolled up in his head and he hit the floor, taking out some chairs in the process. A gash on the side of his head began oozing blood. Jay, Hailey, Vanessa and Kevin rushed over.

Kim dropped to her knees beside him. "We need some help over here. Officer down," she yelled. There was a commotion at the front of the gym and chairs were pushed back as two guys from the ER rolled a stretcher toward him.