After a little over ten days of waiting, Jay finally began to recover.

Hayley and Antonio were both there beside him. The first had just arrived and the other was about to leave, they took turns.

The detective had recently grabbed her colleague's hand as she always did after sitting next to her bed.

- Hayley see you this afternoon,- Dawson told her

- Yes, ok - she replied - hey Antonio, it seems to me that he is moving, he shook my hand.-

- It will be an involuntary reflex,- he speculated.

It was soon proved wrong. Detective Halstead was still spontaneously moving his fingers, albeit with difficulty, over his partner's hand.

Antonio immediately went out the door and called Dr. Rhodes who was near the nurses' station and then came back to be near his colleague when he woke up.

The doctor reached there, everyone was waiting for him to reopen his eyes.

- Hey Jay, can you hear me? - Hayley asked softly, stroking her colleague's cheek.

Meanwhile Connor was checking the boy's values on the monitors, what was clear was that he was breathing perfectly on his own since they had extubated him, only the pressure was a bit low. Otherwise, all parameters were normal, until his heart rate suddenly increased.

Jay was terrified. His lids were heavy and he didn't have the strength to open his eyes.

So many doubts and questions crowded his mind. Where I am? Why am I lying in a bed? What happened to me? Why can't I move? Why am I so tired that I can't even open my eyes? An accident? Had they shot him? Was he kidnapped?

With the great willpower that he possessed he tried and tried to open his eyes and finally he succeeded.

His eyelids were raised slightly and slammed shut when he was struck by the great light in the room.

Immediately Dr. Rhodes understood what had happened, the two detectives observed his movements with a questioning look.

The doctor went to the windows of the room, closing the shutters quite a bit, making sure that there was a dimmer and not annoying light in the room.

- Jay can you try opening your eyes for me again?- Connor asked.

The detective did, he didn't open them fully, but this time he managed to keep his eyelids raised. He was confused, he was trying to look around. There was Antonio who had one arm blocked by a band, Hayley who held his hand tightly in hers and looked at him with eyes shining with happiness, and on the other side of the bed was Dr. Rhodes who was the first to speak to him.

- Hi Jay, welcome back. How do you feel? You scared us-

- Mmmh .. - replied the detective.

His mouth and throat were dry and it was difficult for him to speak.

The doctor took a cup of water that was on the bedside table and passed it to the Hayley, telling him to get his lips wet slightly.

-I'm tired,- he said, mumbling the words.

- I realize. It will take some time but you will recover.- replied Dr. Rhodes.

- What happened to me? - he asked as his eyes gradually became heavier.

Antonio and Hayley looked at each other and turned to the doctor. What had happened was a very delicate thing.

Meanwhile Jay had closed his eyes and was about to go back to sleep, and before returning to unconsciousness he called him his brother.

-Will-he said fearfully-Will where are you?

Then sleep caught him again as everyone present looked at each other with sad eyes.