A/N: Sorry, I went to post on Sunday, but then realised I didn't actually write Chapter 3, but somehow skipped it and wrote chapter 4. Let me know what you think. It is interesting, because I have my Seal Team fans begging for Clay to go back to Bravo by the end of the story. And then I have my Chicago PD fans begging for Clay to stay and become a member of Intelligence. I know how I want it to end, but we'll see what happens!

Chapter 3

Will unlocked Jay's apartment door and the three of them walked inside. He was not surprised to see that Jay had cleaned up and the place was immaculate. He was normally very clean to begin with, but without knowing what injuries Clay had, he wanted to make sure it was extra clean just in case.

"So obsessively clean is a genetic thing huh?" Jason teased Clay, as he took in the apartment.

"Jay likes to keep things cleaned and organized. It helps him function." Will commented, as he placed Clay's bag down in Jay's bedroom.

He knew that by having Clay in Jay's room it could help him to sleep. He knew Jay would have changed the sheets, but he would have left the pillow cases the same. His pillow cases would have smelt like Jay and that would help Clay if he had a nightmare.

"Clay, you can crash in Jay's room and the guest room is right next to the bathroom." Will said, as he went to Jay's bedroom closet and pulled out Jay's weighted blanket. He got it set up on the bed as Jason spoke.

"It's a nice place."

The apartment was nice. Jay had a black leather couch and a black leather chair in the living room. There was also a flat screen TV mounted on the opposite wall. The living room and kitchen area was all open concept and there was a very small bistro table off in the corner. It was currently covered in piles of paperwork and folders, but they were all neatly stacked. There wasn't anything on the walls though. No photographs anywhere in the apartment. There was nothing personal in the whole place.

"Are you hungry Clay or do you just want to sleep?" Will asked, as he walked out of Jay's bedroom.

"I'm not hungry." Clay answered, before looking over at Jason. "Is it ok if I lay down for a bit?"

"Ya of course Sunshine." Jason could tell that Clay was feeling overwhelmed and needed some time alone to rest.

"I just want to check out your injuries real quick and then I'll leave you to sleep." Will said with a warm smile, as he guided Clay into Jay's bedroom.

Jason moved and leaned against the doorframe as he watched Clay easily submit to Will, something he didn't even do for Trent. Jason couldn't help but wonder if what Jay had said was true. That if he was only holding onto Clay being back in Bravo because he didn't want to lose his Bravo Six. He didn't want Clay to be staying here in Chicago, but at the same time he was in no position to force Clay to leave either. Clay was an adult, he had the freedom to make his own decisions. Just like Emma was free to apply for Colleges out of State. He didn't want Clay to stay here. He didn't want Clay out of the Navy, but he did want Clay to be healthy. He would have no choice, but to let him go if that was what was best for his son.

"Nothing feels broken. Let me know if you want any pain meds or an ice pack. The best thing for you right now is to sleep. When you get up you need to eat something." Will said, as he helped to get Clay into bed.

He put Jay's weighted blanket over him as Cerberus curled up underneath it and Clay wrapped his arms around him. Both Will and Jason headed out and Will closed the door. He went and looked around in the kitchen to make sure that Jay hadn't forgotten anything. He wasn't surprised to see that Jay had thought of everything. He then went and put on some coffee.

"You hungry?" Will asked, as he got the coffee going.

"Not right now, but I won't say no to coffee." Jason commented, as he went and looked out the window.

"You doing ok?" Will asked, as he went and leaned against the counter as the coffee brewed.

Jason let out a sigh, as he turned to face Will. "Your brother doesn't want Clay going back to Virginia Beach with me. He thinks he should retire from the Navy."

"Jay's been through a lot and he's seen a lot. He's seen a lot of soldiers stay in far too long and kill themselves from their PTSD. He's seen them being discarded by the Army and homeless on the street popping pills to be able to keep the nightmares at bay. He doesn't want that for Clay."

"It's not his decision to make." Jason immediately argued.

"It's not yours either. Only Clay can make that decision. Jay cares deeply for the people he loves. He's had to bury a lot of brothers. He's had to be the one to scrap them up with a shovel to send back home. He's not about to risk burying another family member. Like it or not Jason, Jay has known Clay for eight years, you've only known him for eighteen months. It's not Jay that has to prove himself."

"I love Clay like a son." Jason could understand what Will was saying, but that didn't mean he agreed with it. He didn't have anything to prove and if Jay wanted Clay to stay here, then he had to prove that Jay could provide the care and protection that Clay needed.

"And that is good, but it's not going to be strong enough to breach what they share. Jay and Clay, their relationship is on the next level. I can't even compete with it and I'm Jay's older brother. For Jay, it's someone that he can protect and care for. Clay is a little brother to him, someone for him to teach and support. Whenever either of them have a bad day, they call each other. They can talk about anything. For Clay though, Jay is the most stable relationship he's ever had. Jay was the first person in his life that he could truly count on and know won't abandon him or use him. You have to respect the connection they share, because neither will allow you to separate it. Clay doesn't deserve to have to choose between his brother or his father. Trust me, it sucks." Will said with a hint of pain and guilt in his voice.

He hated that he had been put in between his father and Jay. Just like he hated how he wasn't there for Jay when he went to war and the last time he came home. Their father wasn't happy about Jay being in the army, called him a murderer. Will knew there were times growing up after he left that things had gotten tense at home between him and Jay. Will had always wondered if maybe there was something more going on, but Jay never spoke about it. Will had tried to find a balance between both relationships, but there were more times than he's like to admit where he took his father's side when he should have stood by Jay.

"I'm not going to make him choose. But I have to make sure that Clay is safe and getting the help he needs. I'm not going to just turn my back on him."

"No one is telling you to. All I'm saying is that you also have to allow Clay to make his own decisions on what he feels is best for his own health. You need to be prepared for the chance that he makes a decision you aren't happy with." Will advised.

Jason didn't want Clay to make that decision. He wanted him to go back to Virginia Beach with him so they could work through his problems together. So they could get him back onto Bravo, back home, where he belonged. He wouldn't be happy with anything else. Jason took the offered mug of coffee once it was ready and went and sat down in the chair while Will took the couch. Jason decided to change the subject to try and see what he could get out of Will about Jay.

"So what is Jay's story?"

"That's his to share." Will instantly said. The very last thing he was going to do was tell someone about Jay's personal life. He knew better than that.

"He said he had PTSD. Is he handling that?" Jason knew that Will didn't want to talk about Jay's personal life and he could respect that. At the same time though if he was going to trust his son around someone, then he had every right to know more about him.

"PTSD is not curable, it's a lifelong mental illness that the affected person has to battle with every single day. As a doctor, I can tell you that it's a devastating illness that takes a lot of lives. It can only be treated through therapy and medications. Medications can help with anxiety, insomnia, paranoia and depression. Medication is given to those that need it most, that cannot make it through that day through other means. Ongoing therapy is vital for a person to be able to go back to functioning normally. I'm telling you this because I'm getting the impression that you don't deal with PTSD in others on a regular basis. Those that develop it are either killed or they get discharged and you rarely ever see them again." Will started.

"That's a fair assumption." Jason easily agreed. He didn't have guys in his life that had PTSD, most kept to themselves or they were dead.

"People can recover and live with PTSD, they can be their old selves before it developed. It is possible to recover from it. However, that can only be done through therapy, potentially medications depending on how severe their PTSD is and by separating themselves from the triggers. It's why when soldiers get diagnosed with PTSD they are automatically medically discharged. It's not possible for them to return to active duty, because they would be constantly triggered. Those triggers will worsen their PTSD until it destroys them."

"So you're saying you don't think Clay should go back." Jason stated.

"As a medical professional, I'm telling you it would be disastrous if Clay did go back, even after his PTSD is under control. If he did, the son that you know and love will disappear right before your eyes and you'll never get him back. Outside of the Navy, he has a real chance at making a full recovery. He could be the son you love. He could be happy, healthy, stable and fall in love one day, get married, have kids and grandchildren. Will his career in the Navy be over? Yes, but he will have the next sixty or seventy years left of life in him. That's what you need to realise Jason. We're not trying to ruin Clay's career, we are trying to save the next seventy years of his life."

Will needed Jason to understand where Jay was coming from. He could tell that Jason was stubborn and he knew for a damn fact that Jay was stubborn as hell. The last thing he wanted was for Clay to feel torn between the two of them. If Clay was going to get through this he needed Jason and Jay on his side working together and not against each other. Jason didn't want to admit that Will was making all valid points. It was hard to argue with him because he was a doctor, he had firsthand experience with other patients and with Jay. This wasn't what Jason wanted to hear. He wanted Clay to be back in the field with him. He wanted Clay to be in Bravo and home where he belonged. At the same time though, he didn't want Clay to be sick and be destroyed by his own mind. Clay's mind was such a gift to this world and the last thing he wanted was for Clay to disappear. Jason didn't know what to do with Clay and he figured he wouldn't know until he had the chance to speak with Clay.

"I just want him happy and healthy. I don't want to bury him, but I'm not ready to let him go." Jason admitted.

"You don't have to let him go. No one is asking you to. All we are asking is for you to not be so closed off with the idea of Clay not going back. It has to be his choice and he has to know that no matter what he decides that you will be there for him. As for Jay, he struggled for a long time before he started to come back to life. He has been through therapy and he uses a weighted blanket to help with any anxiety at night after a bad case. He's learnt how to handle and cope with any stress or triggers. He works very hard every day to keep his mind healthy, but it pays off. He's able to be a detective in a very hands-on unit, a unit that allows him to put his skills to use and to keep protecting innocent people. He knows what he's doing and he's learnt a lot of tricks to dealing with his PTSD that Clay would benefit from."

Jason didn't doubt that Jay could be useful to Clay to help him through this. He just didn't like the idea that if Clay stayed, he wouldn't be able to. He could only get the week off and then he would have to go back and go back on missions. He would have to go back and deal with Sonny and Ray and find out what the hell was going on with them. He couldn't leave Bravo longer than a week and he didn't like the idea of Clay not going back with him, not at all.

"I don't like the idea of Clay being out of my sight. He was out of my sight and this happened." Jason said with a great deal of guilt to his voice.

"I don't know what happened and I'm sure I don't have the security clearance to know. But I do know that it's not your fault. Something happened to Clay, or a lot of some things happened to him. It's not your fault that it happened, but whoever is responsible for the trauma Clay went through."

Jason wished he could believe Will on that, he wanted to so badly, but he also knew it wasn't true. This was on him. It all rested on his shoulders, because it all could have been avoided if he had handled Sonny and Ray from the jump off. Instead he waited to see if they would work it out and by the time he stepped in, it was too late. Now Clay was suffering from PTSD and his military career could very well be over. On top of that, he might never come back home. It was a disaster and Jason had no idea how he was ever going to be able to fix any of this.