''Just sign the goddamn papers, Jay," She hissed from across the table and it caused the man to look up slightly startled.
He'd been reading the thin lines of the contract in front of him and found his eyes stuck on the highlighted portions that had a large 'X' where his name was supposed to go. When he married her all those years ago he hadn't imagined that they'd be sitting here in one of his- no their conference rooms pounding out the terms of their divorce.
He glanced up into the deep pools of his wife's eyes and noted how coldly she regarded him, and how much that hurt. Her eyes had aged, she had aged and realized that he wasn't the layer she thought he was when she'd married him. He remembered how wide-eyed and innocently she regarded everything he did until recently.
Her full lips pulled down into a frown as she narrowed her eyes at him, she thought he was stalling, and truthfully, he was. He'd seen so much less of her in the past days.
Jay respected her wishes and had not come to bother her at the old penthouse, not even when he was drunk. Will had taken it upon himself to check around the building whenever they were out so he was confident that she was safe. He hadn't the courage to go and face her, the thought of it nearly made his hands shake. He didn't know if he would be able to handle her rejection.
"Why are you making such a big deal out of this?" She asked after another tense silence. "All I want is my life and my last name back. You know I don't want any of the company, your money, or that house. Just sign them so we can move on already."
He looked at her pleading form and he bit the inside of his cheek resolute in his decision.
"You know I'd give you anything you want," he says as he picks up the papers from the desk and straightens them, before slipping them back into the manila envelope. "But I can't do this."
When the words leave his lips both his lawyer and wife let out an audible groan while her lawyer perks up at the implication.
"You want to take this to court, Mr. Halstead?" The woman, Ms. Thompson, if he remembered correctly, asks. "You know that can be bad for you."
He glanced at the dark-haired woman, her brow furrowed in faux concern. However, even as she forced her brown cheeks not to lift in excitement, she was doing a poor job at keeping her lips from curling into a smile.
"She's right Mr. Halsted," Clarence Paige, his lawyer, nodded, his gray hair standing slightly on end. "No pre-nap, she's worked here on your behalf for years, and she had to give up her own career. The judge will say that you impeded her ability for independence, they'll give her half."
"That's fine," Jay says leaning back as he watches the others in the room react to the news. He lets a charming smile curl across his face as his wife regards him skeptically. "I don't plan on getting divorced."
She doesn't react to the statement at first, he isn't sure she comprehended what he was saying, and when it clicks the skin around her nose scrunches in irritation, and he can't help but chuckle.
"This isn't funny, Jay," she says arms stretched wide across the table trying to keep from getting angry. "Paige, Thompson, why don't we continue this next week. My break isn't much longer and I'm sure that Mr. Halstead has, I don't know, something that he needs to do."
That stung a little.
The lawyers look at each other, Thompson stands and gathers her items. Paige looks at Jay and Jay nods at him in dismissal. He stands as well clearing up his files. Paige holds out a hand for Jay to shake, and he does. The older man exits the room. Thompson stops when she's next to his wife, the lawyer squeezes her shoulder in reassurance and the woman gives her a warm smile. When the door closes behind the lawyers, the smile falls from his wife's lips.
Latania lets out a sigh and gives him a glare, "You're being ridiculous, Jay. This isn't a game."
"I didn't think it was," he says with a raised eyebrow.
"I'll take this to trial if I have to," she tries.
"No, you won't."
"And, why wouldn't I?" She says with a furrowed brow, eyes like steel.
"We aren't getting divorced," he says with a shrug. He watches as a stunned expression crosses her face quickly, but she covers it. He stands and straightens his suit jacket.
"For what reason would I stay with you?" She asked.
"You love me, like I love-"
"You don't love me, Jay." She says holding a hand up to pause him in his sentence. She shakes her head as if she was trying to get horrible thoughts from her head. "You don't, you wouldn't have done this otherwise. You wouldn't."
He watches as tears filled her eyes and instinctively he moves around the table to be by her side. He pulls his handkerchief from his pocket, and she takes it. She dabs at the corners of her eyes before her make-up can run.
"I can't do this, Jay," she says as she stands. "Just sign the papers, do this for me. You said you'd give me anything, give me this."
"I can't," he says honestly.
She looks at him, stares into his eyes for what seems like hours but can't be more than thirty seconds, and then looks away. Jay backs away from the table as she pushes her chair back to stand.
He can't help but let his eyes run down her figure when she does. She was always stunning, even when she wasn't trying, and it slightly bothered him that her work attire made it seem like she was attending one of his parties. The black vertical panels on the side of her dress cinched at her waist beautifully while the beige front and back complimented her skin tone and gave her a more professional look.
She grabbed her brief case and swung her coat over her arm. She checked her watch and let out a sigh.
He watches as she pulls open the heavy door that leads out of the conference room. She pauses.
"Jay, please," she looks back at him with pleading eyes. "Do this for me. So, I can move on and you can be with her."
"I don't want her, I want you."
"You already had me, you chose her."
He doesn't get a chance to respond as she whisks away through the door. He can hear her heels click down the hall the further away from him she goes. But the woman stood in front of the wall and she doesn't know how long she stood there; looking, no, staring at the wall in front of her, some would say it's just a wall. But Latania knew better. This wasn't just any wall. If this wall could talk and thank God it didn't, oh the stories it could tell. Victories, defeats, lies, and mayhem all wrapped up in the names that have adorned it. Dirty little secrets polished in gold.
And he was the last time she saw it as Latania slipped into the elevator and tried to hold her tears ,could not believe that this asshole did not leave her free after he did and he has the nuts to say he loves her. A millisecond later he turns to look at Jay standing there with a sad and desperate look on his face. She loves him. She knows this.
Will Halstead stands out of the room of her patients. He sighed and looked at Kaylee Henderson. He had just gone through his patients scans and found out what was causing the jaundice. His patient had gone into hepatic failure. Her liver was shutting down.
Will knew that he wasn't going to get a liver in time because of her drinking. Kayla was an alcoholic and hasn't been sober for the required six months to be a candidate for transplant. UNOS would never agree to the surgery. He had to tell his patient there was no hope because of her horrible immune system.
Wil opened the door to his patient's room and braced himself because he knew this wouldn't be good.
"Hello Ms. Henderson", Will smiled.
"Hi, umm... do you have any idea when I can get out of here because my mom called and wants to know if I'm coming down for her birthday next week", Kaylee asked as Will cringed
"That's what I came to talk to you about Ms. Henderson, You see you won't be able to be discharged". The famale Alpha choked out but continued speaking. «You have what's called Heap-"
"Hepatic failure, my livers failing isn't it"? Kaylee chuckled.
"My mother always told me this would happen. Its how my father died, he drank until his liver failed him. Everyone blames his death for me drinking. But really, it's just that I'm addicted. You don't need to say anything else, I know how it is. I need to be sober for at least six months to be able to receive a liver. So please...just leave. ''
Will sighed once again and left the room.
Two hours later Will is sitting in the break room nursing his second cup of coffee and reading the paper trying to put the thoughts of this morning out of his head.
Her sister-in-law was very accepting about him being gay, which made Will happy. Latania is a good woman and Will doesn't know why he ever worried about telling her he's gay. He saw how Latania reacted when he mentioned the other guy, though, and Will hopes he doesn't bring it up again. Will wants to put these thoughts about and feelings for Connor as far out of his head as possible.
Will's thoughts are interrupted by the door to the break room opening and Connor walking in.
"Good morning Dr. Halstead," says Connor casually as he pours himself a cup of coffee.
"Morning Dr. Rhodes," says Will glancing quickly at Connor who has his back turned to Will as he pours his coffee.
'Damn that guy pulls off scrubs so well,' thinks Will. 'Look how perfectly they sit at his waist.'
Will is snapped out of his thoughts by Connor turning around to face him and he quickly turns his attention back to the paper.
Connor takes a sip of his coffee. 'I love when Will has that five o'clock shadow, it's so sexy on him.'
Connor takes another sip of his coffee and scolds himself. 'Come on Rhodes, you can do this. Be cool.'
Connor takes a seat at the table next to Will and Will can feel the heat emanating from Connor's body and reaching him. Like a tease.
"What are you reading?" asks Connor trying to make conversation. "Anything interesting?"
Connor wants Will to put the paper down and look at him so he can get a better look at him.
"Not really," replies Will as he puts down the paper. His eyes meet Connor's for a second before Will looks away. "You want to look at it?"
"Sure," says Connor as he takes the paper from Will's hands.
As he's grabbing the paper, Will's hands brushes against Connor's. They look at each other awkwardly.
"Sorry," says Will pulling his hands back.
Connor nods his head and looks down at the paper. Will's touch felt so good, his hands are so soft.
Will finishes his coffee and unable to sit still, he walks over to his locker. He doesn't need anything in there but after that brief contact with Connor, he is too anxious to sit still. Such a brief moment got Will's heart racing.
Zannetti opens the door to the break room. "Rhodes, they need us in the OR. Now."
"Coming," says Connor as he gets up and leaves the paper on the table. "Thanks for the paper Halstead."
Will nods as Connor leaves with Zanetti.
He breathes deeply and walks back to sit down at the table.
What is with this effect Connor has on him? Connor's body heat, Connor's touch, it all turned him on and made him nervous at the same time.
Will's phone beeps and he pulls it out of his pocket to see a text from Jay
Jay's text:Please, I need you brother
"Jay! Jay, hey! Calm down, Jay!" Will kept repeating, standing beside Peter as he landed punch after punch at the concrete wall of his loft, knuckles splitting and bleeding and then immediately reheating, the pain not hang enough time to register. The concrete was speckled with scarlet smears. "Jay!" Will yelled, and Jay turned to her, hands ceasing their movement, meeting her own shocked eyes with his own filled with confused anger. He was breathing hard, and the collar and sleeves of his grey t-shirt were drenched in sweat. "What the hell is wrong with you?" the doctor asked, taking Jay's hands in hers and watching the skin stitch itself back together.
"Was my fault," Jay choked in a hoarse voice.
''I LOST HER," he choked. "I lost her ... forever"
"It's your fault"
Jay's eyes flashed to his brother and he felt anger explode in his chest.
"Shut up," he warned in a low and deadly tone.
Of course Will ignored the warning.
" "You let her biggest fear come true."," he said flatly, slouching lower to put his feet up on the coffee table and throwing an arm out along the back.
Jay stood still as his mind wandered back to the night in their new house. I fear that one day you will come to lose the love you have for me. Her words echoed in his mind, a pain in his chest made him want to claw his own heart out. He had betrayed her, betrayed the one person who had accepted him, all of him. "You're wrong."
"Am I!" Will yelled back in anger. "Did you want her to stay? To remain in this miserable house and continue to watch you with Erin! To watch you be with someone else!"
Jay sucked in a breath, suddenly shaking with the memory of being driven down hard onto the floor, the wind screaming in his ears as his heart was dragging, snapping and snarling, from his throat, the scent of Latania hard in his nose and still all but buried beneath the smell.
"I said shut up!"
«How could I let this happen?» Jay asked as he threw the glass over the wall.
"Jesus, Jay." Will answered as Jay slumped down in the chair in front of him
"I loved her ." Jay said, sounding like a childish brat at the moment. Will just sighed and leaned back to watch the show.
''I love her''
''Left her to be happy''said Will.
"She could be happy with me." Jay snapped, looking at him, his voice calmer before finishing "I know she could."
Voight'as fascination had not disappeared and he was too curious. It was a character flaw he didn't care to correct. He'd never believed his grandmother about curiosity killing the cat. He slid the pint of Guinness across the bar to the mysterious woman. He found most woman were agreeable to at least a light chat with alcohol on their hand.
The brunette looked down at the offering and smirked, "I'm not sure what the hell this is."
Voight shrugged, recognising the double meaning in the words. "It's a drink that is strong and stout. "
The woman was wary of Voight, asking with suspicion, "Just a drink?"
Voight was full of confidence now having not been immediately rejected. Mystery brunette had shot down anyone who'd attempted to talk to him. He shrugged the question off, "It can be a drink or it can be conversation. I'm Hank by the way."
He'd watched the indecision war with the lust in the woman's face. Mystery woman smiled with what Voight was guessing was a rare honest smile. It took Voight's breath away.
She accepted the handshake, "I'm Latania."
Voight return the handshake and start to flirt a little, "I only warrant a handshake?"
Latania laughed in surprise at the more blatant come on. She was willing to play the game. "I'm worth more than one pint. I'm not cheap."
Jay or Voight?
Should I Continue?