Chapter 31

Jess rubbed a hand across bleary eyes. She shifted uncomfortably in the hospital chair she had spent the night in.

Her stirring drew Sylvie Brett's attention. Syvlie blinked against the dim lights in Adam's room. "How is he?" she asked, her voice carrying quietly over the hum of the machines.

It took Jess a minute to get her bearings. Sylvie had come some time during the evening with a change of clothes for her. She had found towels and stood by her while she washed blood, Adam and Jay's blood, off her hands. She had stared at the river of red running down the sink drain until Sylvie had handed her a washcloth and Jess had washed the rest of the grit off her face. Then Sylvie had guided her back to Adam's room where Mouse was waiting with food and the two of them watched while Jess forced down a few bites of food.

"Jess?" Sylvie asked, bringing Jess back to the present. "How's Adam?"

Jess didn't want to look at Adam, with a tube down his throat breathing for him. But she didn't want to take her eyes off him, either. Not when she was so close to losing him.

"He's, um, he's the same, the nurses said. Dr. Abrams said he'll be by this morning to see if there's any change." She looked around the room. "Where's Mouse?"

The thin hospital blanket Sylvie had slept under slipped down as she stretched. "He went to check on Jay and then grab some breakfast."

Jess swallowed hard and nodded. Jay still hadn't woken after surgery, the last she had heard.

She reached out a hand to Adam and ran it lightly down his arm. The muscles that were strong enough to wrestle a criminal to the ground were unused and unmoving. His chest rose and fell with the forced air of the ventilator breathing for him. She squeezed his cool hand.

"It's a bump on the head. I'm not staying here another night!"

The angry voice carried through the stillness of the unit. Sylvie and Jess exchanged a look. Jess pushed herself stiffly out of the chair and looked out into the hallway.

Antonio Dawson was striding out of a room, a pair of hospital pants and hospital gown on. He slammed a hand down on the desk at the nurse's station. "Where are my clothes? I'm leaving. Get me whatever forms I need to sign to get out of here."

"Yo, dawg," Kevin's voice was less angry, but just as firm. He maneuvered his large frame awkwardly on crutches. "Grab me those forms, too. I'm getting out."

The charge nurse pursed her lips at the two of them. "You have a concussion, you need to stay for observation." Turning her disapproval from Antonio to Kevin she grabbed the pen that Kevin was reaching for. "And you have an unstable fracture and very nearly pierced an artery in your leg. You aren't supposed to be up."

"Look, you've all been real good to us, but we need to get out of here." Kevin found another pen and held it, waiting for her to hand over the paperwork for them to sign for their freedom.

"What's going on here?"

Voight's raspy voice carried through the ICU.

The nurse propped her hands on her hips and squared off. "No offense, Sargaent, but I will be glad to get your unit discharged. Between these two and your detective that keeps trying to talk his friends into taking him out of here—"

"Halstead's awake?" Voight asked, ignoring the nurse's concern. He turned to go to Jay's room, but paused long enough to point a finger at Antonio and Kevin. "You two get back to your rooms. I'll check in after I see Jay."

At the words Jay was awake, some of the heavy weight lifted from Jess' chest for the first time. She looked back at Adam, completely still aside from the steady, and forced, rise and fall of his chest.

"I'm here," Sylvie said. "Go see your brother."

Jess hurried across the unit to Jay's room. She hesitated at the door, fear that Jay wasn't really awake gripping at her.

"Sarge, I'm fine. I need to get out of here."

Jay's familiar voice released Jess from the fear and propelled her forward.

"Jay." The word came out of Jess with a rush of relief.

Jay shifted in the hospital bed, then winced.

Jess slipped in next to his bed where Erin stepped aside to make room for her.

Jess reached for his hand, but pulled back before she touched the skin, bruised with an IV. "Jay, I'm sorry about everything. I'm sorry for the silent treatment and being angry with you—"

"Hey slow down," Jay said. "That's not anything we need to talk about. It's over. We're good." He looked straight at his little sister and waited for her nod.

"We're good," she repeated.

Jay reached out and Jess squeezed his hand.

"So will you help me get out of here?" he asked. "Because I can't be here."

Jess blinked at him. "Jay, you have a tube running out of your chest to drain blood. You can't go anywhere." She looked to Erin.

"Halstead, you're where you need to be right now. You're not getting out of that bed."

Jay's jaw clenched and Jess saw the muscles in his neck cord up as he fought for control. "The people that did this to me, that laid out Ruzek, that tried to take out our team are out there. We need to be out there, too."

"The case got kicked over to Narcotics and the gang unit. Burgess and Al are the only two people we got left standing. They're filling them in. You're on the sidelines for this one." Voight's expression didn't allow for an argument.

Jay dropped his head back against his pillow.

"I'm going to get the nurse to give him some more pain meds," Erin murmured to Jess before she slipped out of the room.

"You hang in there. I hear you left without the ok of your doctor and you won't be coming back to Intelligence. Got it?"

Jay's hands tightened against the stark white sheets. "Got it," he forced out.

Voight stared at him for a long minute. "Hmm. Erin will make sure you stay put. I got to go make sure Antonio and Atwater don't do anything stupid now."

Jay waited until the glass door closed behind Voight and let out a sigh.

"You'll be out of here soon," Jess tried to reassure him. "I'm just so glad you…" her voice broke and she took a shaky breath. "I was so scared," she managed.

"Hey," Jay said. "Come here." He awkwardly maneuvered his tubes and lines and reached for her. He pulled her toward him. "You saved me. I don't remember a lot after the building came down, but I remember you. You were there and you saved me."

With her free hand, Jess swiped at her eyes. "I don't know what I would do if I lost you."

Jay struggled to sit up, hissing in a breath when the pain caught him. "You're not going to lose me. Will and I are here for you. No matter what."

Jess sniffed and nodded.

"I love you, Jess. Will and I haven't been there for you like we should have, but I promise we aren't going to let that happen again. We've got your back. No matter what."

The effort of holding himself up too much, Jay fell back with a huff of air. "You may be right that I'm not ready to get out of here."

Jess let out a small laugh through her tears.

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