Jess fingered the bottle of pills in her jacket pocket. She knew how to take the edge off. How to stop thinking about Jay and Will back at Molly's. She didn't have to bother ignoring their calls since she had left her bag and phone on the table at the bar.

Adam threaded his way through the crowd to her, holding their drinks. Jess took her hands out of her pockets to take one of the beers. She tried to smile her thanks and couldn't quite manage it. She took a long drink and handed it back to Adam. "I need to run to the restroom," she said.

In the ladies' room, she looked in the mirror. She didn't recognize the woman staring back. She didn't know who she was anymore.

She tossed back three of the pills. She left without looking in the mirror again.

#

"Nice work, Jay," Will snapped. He grabbed for Jess' bag.

Jay reached out to pull the bag toward himself. "You think letting her drink is a good idea? Amazing logic, Dr. Halstead." He matched Will's sarcasm.

"Guys, c'mon," Erin said. "This isn't going to help."

"You know what else won't help?" Jay asked, without taking his eyes off Will. "Bringing Jess to a bar the same week she overdosed."

"And locking her in her room would be a good plan?" Will asked.

Natalie held up her hands in a peacemaker's gesture. "You're both worried about Jess. Everyone's emotions are running high. Why don't you guys take a step back—"

"Oh don't worry," Jay said, snatching up Jess' bag. "I'm going to step way back. All the way out of here. I'll let Dad know if she calls."

Jay stalked out of Molly's. He was tempted to go back in there and knock Will right off his barstool. The truce he had managed with Will only seemed to be manageable when they were facing their dad together.

"Jay," Erin called, stepping outside behind him.

Jay stopped and waited for her to catch up to him. One side of her mouth raised in a sympathetic smile. "It will be OK. It's going to take time." She wrapped her arms around his waist and tilted her head back to look at him. "Let Will help you. Let me help you."

Jay shook his head, but held back the words he wanted to unleash. It wasn't Erin's fault. This wasn't Erin's problem. He needed to deal with it. To fix Jess. But time was something he didn't have. Something Jess could be running out of if she overdosed again.

#

Jess sank back into the leather seat in Adam's car and watched the city lights go past. The spun faster and faster until they blurred together.

"So where can I take you," Adam was asking. "Where's home?"

Jess' head was heavy. Everything was starting to slow down. Finally. She let her head drop against the window and closed her eyes.

"Hey, Jess," Adam said. She thought she heard concern edging into his voice, but couldn't seem to get her mouth to work to answer him.

Home. Home would be good. Would Adam be able to find her a home? It had been a long time since she felt like she belonged anywhere.

"Jess," he said, more sharply.

"Hmmmm?" There. She got her voice to work.

She thought the car was stopped, but the lights still spun in front of her.

"Hey, are you on something?" Adam demanded. He reached over and stuck a hand in her jacket pocket. When it came up empty, he reached across to the other one.

Jess heard the rattle of the bottle as he pulled it free.

"Did you take these?"

"Mmm-hmmm," she said, closing her eyes. Finally. Sleep. Had it been two days or three since she had slept? Didn't matter. She could sleep now.

"How many?"

Jess sighed heavily and sank further into the seat. So comfortable. Someone was shaking her shoulder. Annoyed, Jess tried to pull away. Why couldn't he leave her alone? Was it Jay or Will bugging her this time?

"How many did you take?" Adam's voice demanded.

"How many what?" Jess asked. Why couldn't he just leave her alone? She was finally able to stop thinking. Stop remembering.

"How many pills did you take?"

Adam's palm tapped her cheek repeatedly, slapping her lightly. Groggily, Jess tried to push his arm away. What was the question again? If she answered would he let her sleep? "Two," she said. Or was it three? Maybe four. Why wouldn't he leave her alone. "Just two," she said.

Adam stopped trying to wake her and Jess sighed in relief as he positioned her back against her seat.

"You can sleep it off at my place," he said. "Is there someone I should call?"

"Don't call my brothers," she murmured, finally passing out.

#

Ruzek grunted as he shifted Jess' weight so he could unlock the door of his apartment.

He made it inside and managed to shut the door with his foot. He carried the girl to the couch and laid her down. Her light brown hair was falling out of its ponytail and into her face. He brushed it back.

Sitting down on the coffee table, he studied her. Somebody he had met outside a bar and turned out to be a user. Probably he should be arresting her since it wasn't her name on the pill bottle.

But first he had to make sure she made it through the night.

He fished his phone from his pocket and started to dial on instinct. Kim. She would know what to do. How to get out of the mess of having a drug user passed out on his couch.

But then he would be forced to tell his ex-fiance that he had met a girl at Molly's, barhopped with her, and she was now incoherent in his apartment. Not going to happen. He scrolled through to a different contact and hit the call button.

"Hey, Dawson. It's Ruzek. I have a question for your sister. Can I get her number?"

He shook his head at Dawson's return question. "Nothing like that, man. I know she's married. Just a medical thing."

Ruzek grabbed a pen from the side table and scribbled the number on a corner of last week's newspaper.

Hanging up with Dawson, he watched Jess' slow even breaths for a minute. She seemed ok. Two pills didn't seem like a lot. But mixed with however much she drank tonight, he had to be sure. And since he didn't know her last name, or who the obnoxious brother she was avoiding at Molly's was, he would be bringing a Jane Doe into Med. He didn't want to do that to her.

"Hey, Gabby. It's Ruzek," he said. "Look, I have a question for you." He paused as Jess stirred slightly. "I met a girl tonight. She took something." He searched her pocket again for the bottle.

Jess rolled over and Ruzek put a hand on her to keep her from getting too close to the edge of the couch.

Gabby was pretty reassuring that Jess could sleep off what she took. Her respirations were steady and not too slow. Ruzek put a finger to her throat and felt the steady pulse, strong and evenly paced.

He thanked Gabby and slid his hand down to Jess' shoulder when he disconnected the call.

Like it or not, he was going to be up watching the stranger on his couch tonight. He took a blanket from the armchair and dropped it over her then sank back into the chair.

It was nearly 4 am when something woke Ruzek. He startled awake, reaching for the holster he wasn't wearing.

"NO!" came the scream again. "NO!"

He hadn't closed the blinds and the city light bathed the figure on his couch in light. Enough that he could see her put her hands up to shield herself and cry out again. "No more! Don't shoot!"

"Hey, hey," he said softly, quickly crossing to her. "Wake up."

She struck out at him and caught him on the cheekbone with a solid hit. He cursed and fell back. The hit stinging, he ignored it and got back to her side. "Wake up, Jess. It's a dream." More careful this time, he helped her sit up even as she fought him.

"I can't take anymore," she was crying. "No more, please!"

She struggled against an invisible enemy and Ruzek held her arms so she couldn't hurt herself. Or him again. "Wake up, Jess. It's a dream. You're dreaming."

Her blue eyes finally opened and she looked around, disoriented. Her gaze locked in on Ruzek. "You're safe," he promised.

She nodded, but her eyes were hollow. Her body started to tremble.

Ruzek moved from where he was kneeling on the floor. He pulled her close as he sat down next to her on the couch. He held her as the tremors coursed through her body. He didn't let go until they slowed and her breathing leveled off again.

The unexpected date he had brought home was asleep again, peacefully this time. But he was wide awake. He had brought home a girl that had way bigger problems than the pills she took.