So obviously without papa Halstead's death things with Nat and Will will be different. I'll still try to incorporate some of the stuff that followed though... just read this chapter and it'll make more sense. Hope you like it leave me a comment!

~Natalie

Will had been running around for hours. The fire had caused a backup of regular patients that needed to be seen and he immediately volunteered himself to help treat people.

At the eerily early hour of six am Pat was the only one still in Jays room. Hailey had been kicked out hours ago, no one but family allowed to stay past the visitation hours.

When Jay started to stir after sleeping like a corpse for hours Pat instantly knew he was in a severe amount of pain, pain that only seemed to worsen as Jay became more and more awake.

"Shh... try to relax kid." Pat coaxed as Jay moaned with discomfort. His eyes screwed shut as his heart rate picked up on the monitor. Pats hand found Jays forearm and stroked it gently. He could see the pain ebbed into the features of his sons face, his breathing accelerated as he squirmed his way into consciousness. His hand moved to hover above his injured side as his eyes, cluttered and confused, fluttered open.

"Where's Will?" Jay practically gasped out, his tired eyes already filled to the brim with tears as his gaze met his fathers.

"He's downstairs treating patients." Pat answered watching Jays face fall with something he thought looked like fear. "I'm here though, not going anywhere."

"Need... Will." Jay gritted out, the monitor beeping much faster now as his body broke into a sweat. Jay practically flew upwards, now in a sitting position and fighting the new wave of nausea. The contents, or rather what was left of them, in his stomach came up in seconds, causing Jay to heave painfully.

"Christ, alright, hang tight." Pat said as he quickly opened the door and yelled for a nurse to come in. When he returned Jay was gagging again, his hands gripping the sheets tightly in his fists as he fought the intense pain that was spreading throughout his body. The nurse almost immediately injected something into the line attached to Jay's arm, the one they had fought so hard to get in.

It was only a couple minutes before Will came barreling through the door. He looked like he'd been through hell, his hair was messed up, his posture exhausted, and his eyes sported dark circles that spread to grip his usually pink cheeks. Will looked at his brother and immediately jumped in to help.

"Let's lay you back." Will said, gently gripping Jays shoulder and guiding him to rest his back against the soft mattress. Jay huffed with pain as he felt his body being moved, his hand coming to grip Will's top as he felt himself shift. "I know man... this is going to be the hardest day, it'll only get better from here." Will told him as he took in the expression of agony painted on his brothers face.

"I'll grab him a new gown." The nurse stated, her hand brushing Will's shoulder in an effort to comfort him as she moved to leave the room.

"The new meds should kick in soon, just keep trying to breathe through it." Will instructed, using a napkin to wipe the remnants of vomit from Jays chin. The nurse returned shortly and smiled at the two worried faces in the room. She placed the clean, neatly folded gown on the foot of Jays bed.

"I can help you if you'd like, or I can leave that to your family?"

Jay simply grunted in pain, the tears that had been welling in his eyes began to fall and drop onto the much too soft pillow.

"I think we've got it." Pat answered, flashing his trademark smile at the young nurse, politely asking her to leave.

Will untied the gown from his brothers neck as soon as he heard the clicking of the door handle. Pat unfolded the fresh gown and plopped it onto Jays naked body as soon as Will had the destroyed gown off.

"Where's Hailey?" Jay asked once the pain had began to subside.

"It's morning, almost seven, she got kicked out last night, I'm sure she'll be back soon though." Will answered, sighing as he took a new blanket from a cupboard and placed it over his brothers body. "Drugs started to do their thing?"

"Yeah..." Jay sighed contently. "Not going to knock me out though?"

"They shouldn't, you should still sleep though." Will told him, a shaky hand reaching down to pull the blanket over Jays shoulders.

Will was standing slightly hunched over, one hand on his stomach as he smiled at his brother.

"I've got to go back down to the ED." Will stated, standing up a little straighter and beginning to walk away.

A gentle knock was heard at the door of Jays room, soft brown hair peeking through as Natalie's head popped in.

"Uh uh." She started, taking Will's arm and pulling him to the chair that rested in the corner of Jays room. "You're done." She told him, practically pushing him into the seat, forcing his legs to fold underneath him and plop onto the hard plastic. She placed a soft kiss into his frazzled hair, her gentle fingers helping to put it back in place.

"Nat... I've got rounds to do." Will told her, fighting to stand up after she threw his body down into the chair, the exhaustion in his body making him so desperately want to stay seated.

"You haven't eaten or slept in 48 hours, you don't have rounds."

"Nat..."

"Don't want to hear it." She said as she reached into her pockets and pulled out some chips and orange juice. "You're done. Now, sit down and eat and then I'm taking you home." Will took the bag of chips angrily and opened them, the smell of one of his favourites immediately making him nauseous. Natalie noticed as his face paled and his usually pink cheeks turned a shade of green.

"Never seen you turn down some vitners... you alright?" Pat asked, also taking note of the sudden change in Will's disposition. He watched as Natalie placed a gentle hand on his sons back and stroked it lightly, her fingers moving up his back to stroke his hair as she did so. Will's eyes closed and he moved to place his heavy head in his hands, sighing heavily.

"You're exhausted, let me take you home, you're no good here if you're so tired you can't function." Natalie told him as Will fought through the wave of nausea.

"She's right kid, go home." Pat said from his position in the corner, watching will turn more green as the seconds eerily ticked by. Will nodded slowly and with Natalie's gentle pull stood on his shaky legs. Natalie still had a hand on Will's back, she guided him slowly from the room, his feet practically shuffling. He took one final glance at his now passed out brother and nodded at his father before leaving the room.

Will made it about a quarter of the way to the elevator before he doubled over. Natalie figured it was less a matter of if and more one of when. She braced his lean body as he fell to his knees, his eyes going wide as he grabbed his stomach and grunted with pain. Just a second later he began to heave, a bright red liquid fell onto the floor in front of him and his eyes grew wide.

"Will!" Natalie yelled. Will made quick eye contact with her, his eyes clouded with pain, before throwing up again, the blood coming out getting brighter as he continued.

"What the hell!" Pat exclaimed as the clicking of Jays door was heard. He practically sprinted to Will's side and helped take some of his weight, allowing for Natalie to stand and call over a nurse that was on the other side of the ward. Will was finally able to sit back, his body falling to the floor with a thud.

"What's hurting?" Natalie asked as she crouched back down to Will's level and brushed the wayward curls from his forehead. Will held tightly to his stomach and grunted again, his body breaking into a sweat as he huffed. The nurse brought a wheelchair and gasped when she saw the blood on the floor. "Stomach?" Natalie asked, looking at the helpless look on Will's face as he clutched his midsection. Will nodded at her and huffed with discomfort. "Alright, we'll figure it out. Come on." She said while offering him a hand off the floor. He warily stood up, his body still swaying as he made his way to his feet.

"What is it with you two?" Pat sighed, "stressing me out like this."

"Ow." Will gasped as he started to double over again. His hands immediately found his stomach, pressing his fingers into his side as he hunched. Pat grabbed Will's right arm just before he fell to the floor, his knees just barely grazing the hard surface as Will felt his body being dragged back upwards.

"You know I have a heart condition right." Pat joked as he saw Will's face pale again, his body curling into itself as his father practically dragged him the rest of the way towards the elevator. Will's eyes fluttered as his body seemed to deflate, his weight being held up almost entirely by his father now. "Alright... not in a joking mood."

"Come on." Natalie hurried as the elevator doors opened and the ED, which was still filled with patients, became visible. "In here, sit down."

Natalie threw a pair of gloves on as she watched Pat ease Will's tense body onto the bed. Will huffed out a pained breath as he sat down, his eyes opened to mere slits as he curled into himself once again. Maggie popped her head into the room, her eyes worried as she saw how clearly Will was displaying his pain.

"Told you working today would come back to bite ya." Maggie joked, earning a glare from the other set of dark eyes in the room. "Tough crowd." She scoffed, looking towards Natalie for some context.

"Can you start a line?" Natalie asked while grabbing the ultrasound and pushing Will's scrubs up. Will winced when he felt the cold probe on his tender stomach, his hands moved towards the pain, only to be swatted away by his future wife.

"Quick poke Will." Maggie said as he felt the sharp stick of the IV needle enter his arm.

"I'm not seeing anything." Natalie informed the room, not breaking eye contact with the screen she was looking at, knowing that if she saw the pain on Will's face she would break.

"Sux and versed?" Maggie asked while gentle stroking Will's arm as he huffed.

"Yeah." Natalie agreed, already on the same page. This seemed to get Will's attention as he jumped up in the bed, his eyes red and filled with tears.

"No... don't knock me out."

"Will I don't see anything with the ultrasound, I need an endoscopy." Natalie told him, finally finding the strength to meet his scared brown eyes.

"Please... no." Will begged. It broke Natalie to see him like this but she knew he had to do it. "What about Jay?"

"Hailey's with him." She explained, stroking the sweat laden hair from his face. "Will... you're no use to him when you're like this. Come on you're in pain, throwing up blood, this could be something serious."

Will squinted at her, his eyes barely open as he doubled over again. Another spurt of bright red blood oozed from his parted lips. He lurched forwards, again caught by his fathers strong grip.

"Will! Now!" Pat warned, his tone telling and frustrated.

"He might need me." Will practically cried, the tears that had been building finally springing free.

"He'll manage." Pat said, still holding Will's arm tightly to keep him from keeling over.

"Will please, I need you to listen to me for once. I'm worried about you." Natalie told him, her pupils blown as she watched him squirm with discomfort. Will nodded his head, it was ever so slow, so hesitant but it was there. Maggie immediately pushed the medication into his IV and watched as his eyes fluttered, his body becoming lax in his fathers grip. Pat gently guided Will's unconscious body to lay back down on the bed. Maggie placed a bag over his nose and mouth, pumping air into his lungs and watching as his chest rose and then fell.

"Stupid kid." He whispered, eyeing the blood that now stained Will's top. He watched as a long tube with a camera was shoved down Will's throat, a slight gag passing his lips as it was pushed down. Pat took Will's warm hand and held it tightly to his chest, his eyes falling to the tattoo that rested on his sons middle finger. He chuckled at the memory of when Elora, who was very anti-tattoo discovered the ink in her sons hand.

"There." Natalie sighed while pointing in the direction of the screen. "It's an ulcer."

"Poor guy. He must have been in pain all day." Maggie said while using a cloth to wipe away some of the now drying blood on Will's chin before it stained his skin.

Natalie pulled the tube out causing Will to let out a sharp gag. Pat squeezed his hand as he watched Will's whole body react to the intrusion. When Natalie turned back to her future husband she couldn't help but smile. Now that the blood has been cleaned from his face he looks rather peaceful, simply asleep. As creepy as it was Natalie loved to watch him sleep. Sometimes on the rare days that they both had off she would watch his chest rise and fall as she snuggled into his warmth. Her fingers would draw patterns on his chest until his brown eyes would flutter open, meeting hers and greeting her with a sloppy smile.

"I'm sorry." She sighed, stroking the soft curls of his hair as Maggie placed an oxygen mask onto Will's pale face. "He must have been so stressed he made himself sick. I should have stopped him sooner."

"And then the ulcer would have started to bleed further from the hospital." Maggie inquired, placing a comforting hand on Natalie's shoulder and giving it a light squeeze.

"Or it wouldn't have started bleeding at all."

"You don't know that. This is not on you. He just need some R and R, I'm sure he won't mind you playing nurse for a while." Maggie joked, causing Pat to snort from his position on the opposite side on Will's bed.

"I'll finally get my grand baby." Pat smirked, watching as Natalie's cheeks flushed red and she scoffed, dipping her head to kiss Will's forehead.

"There will be none of that." Natalie answered, smiling as she watched Maggie slip from the room.

"But one day right?" Pat asked, his voice soft yet serious, the joking tone completely gone now.

"I think we should get married first... maybe even wait a little after that, let things settle." Natalie explained, brushing her hands gently over Will's cheek and flattening out the stubble. She watched as Pat looked at her intently, smiling up at him before looking back down at Will's sleeping features. "But yes, one day."

"He'll be good at it."

"He already is. He's amazing with Owen." Natalie told him and she watched as his face flushed with embarrassment. "But I know what you mean." She corrected, placing and hand onto Pats and rubbing gently with her thumb. "What was he like… as a baby?"

Pat laughed, his blue eyes lighting up at the memories.

"Happy," he started, his teeth flashing the signature Halstead smile as he remembered. "He was one of those babies that loved everyone and everything. He could be getting kidnapped and he'd smile at the kidnapped... just happy."

Natalie smiled and continued to stroke the freckled arm. Her eyes never left Will's face, his eyelids moving as he very slowly returned to consciousness but still was very much asleep.

"He was hell as a toddler though, tried to test every rule, push every button and let me tell you, he was very successful." Pat laughed, using his opposite hand to explain. "Jay was the opposite. Such a nervous baby, he was wary of everyone but Elora, such a mama's boy." He chuckled, "If she gave him to someone else he would scream like someone was murdering him, god forbid she go to the bathroom." He reminisced, "but he was such a sweet toddler, liked to help Will and I in the garage even though he had no idea what we were doing. I'd let him hold stuff and he was just so happy to be there. It became our thing, we would always tinker in the garage together, Will lost interest eventually but Jay always loved to help."

"They're going to be okay." Natalie told him, her brown eyes meeting his bright blue ones.

"I bet they think this crap is funny, stressing me out like this."

"They love you. I know Will does, from what I've seen Jay does too." Natalie said as Will began to stir, his head moving slightly from side to side.

"I've been a real ass to them... I didn't mean for it to break us a part but after Elora..." Pat sighed, a sad a sorrowful expression painting his face.

"I get it. After Jeff I was a wreck, I ruined a lot of good relationships because I was grieving. I regret that now."

"I shouldn't have said they things I said, done what I did."

"They know you were hurting." Natalie said.

"Yeah but they were hurting too, they needed me and I wasn't there for them."

"You're here now."

"I'm not letting them down this time."