I've been trying to get an update published for anyone who is stuck at home. I hope this can brighten your day!

LostCause- you got me thinking. Mouse DOES deserve someone to love him (as more than a friend). Does anyone have a suggestion for who they want to see Mouse with? An OC or anyone from OneChicago?

Thanks so much for the kind reviews, they really do make my days! Thanks to everyone who takes the time to drop a comment. I hope you're enjoying reading this as much as I'm enjoying writing it.

Chapter 32

"You ok?"

Jess started to nod, then bit her lip as tears sprang into her eyes. "No," she whispered, shaking her head.

Will heaved a sigh and squeezed his sister's shoulder. "Jess, you need to get out of here. Take a break."

Jess studied Adam's hand. The callouses that made his hand rough against her skin rested against the starched white hospital sheet. She traced the veins that ran across the back of his hand. "Come on, Adam," she whispered, leaning closer to his ear. "It's time to wake up."

There was no response. His chest continued to rise and fall without change.

"Jess," Will said again. Jess ignored him, not wanting to hear that she should leave the room, leave Adam's side. She had promised Sylvie she would get some fresh air today, but as soon as Sylvie had left for her shift at 51, Jess had ignored the promise and sat back in the chair at Adam's side.

Adam didn't move. The ventilator continued with its quiet whooshing noise, the IV pumps hummed and let out the occasional click.

Jess took his hand in both of hers. "Dr. Abrams said they've been easing up on your sedation and if you're…" her voice cracked and Jess cleared her throat and tried again. "And if you're going to wake up, we should find out soon." She tightened her grip on his hand. "So you need to wake up, Adam. You have to wake up so I can tell you that I still love you. That I need you."

Adam's fingers twitched.

Jess' breath caught in her throat. She looked from Adam's long fingers to his face, not daring to breathe.

Another twitch.

"Will," her call came out hoarse and too quiet for Will to hear. Another movement in Adam's hand, and then his fingers moved just enough to hold her hand loosely. "Will!" she said again, finding the breath to get her brother's name out.

Will took a step toward the bed.

"He moved, his hand, he moved it!" Jess' words spilled out, tumbling over each other. She looked down at her hand, Adam still held it.

The relief in Will's eyes told Jess how worried he had been.

"I need a nurse in here," he called out into the hallway, before taking his stethoscope and coming to Adam's bedside.

"Adam, I'm right here," Jess said, scared to move her hand, scared he would let go and not grip it again.

"Let's turn the vent off," Will was saying to the nurse who hurried in. "Turn down his sedation the rest of the way, then start weaning the vent."

Jess flicked her eyes between the monitors and Adam.

The vent may as well have stopped breathing for everyone in the room. There was no sound, everyone waiting. Jess wanted to close her eyes, say a prayer, but she couldn't look away.

And then a muscle in Adam's cheek twitched. A muffled moan from behind the tube stuck down his throat and his eyes started blinking. He gagged and his eyes opened wide.

"Adam," Will said calmly, moving into view for Adam. "You're ok. You're in the hospital and there's a tube in your throat helping you breathe."

Adam's eyes moved around the room wildly, his legs kicked under the blankets and he coughed against the tube.

"Adam, calm down," Will reassured him.

Adam's panicked gaze darted past Will, glanced off his father and sister, and landed on Jess.

He made a strangled sound, struggling to get up. Will and the nurse moved quickly, hands on his shoulders to keep him down.

"It's ok," Jess said, letting go of his hand to frame his face with her hands. Adam stopped kicking his legs, eyes wide. "You're ok, Adam." She blinked quickly to hold back tears. She moved her face closer to his. "You're ok." She couldn't say anything more. The worry of the past four days started flooding out of her and she couldn't hold the tears anymore. "You're going to be ok."

Will gently pulled Jess back. "We're going to take that tube out for you, Adam. Just take a deep breath…blow it out on one, two, three."

Adam coughed, choking, as Will removed the tube from his airway. He sat up, pushing Will away, catching his breath, reaching for Jess.

"Don't—" he rasped, then coughed and tried again. "Don't cry, darlin'."

Jess took a shaky breath and tried to wipe her tears, but Adam reached out a hand and grabbed for her. His grip was strong and Jess closed her eyes in relief.

"I don't…don't quite know what happened," Adam said.

Jess opened her eyes and looked at Adam. He tried for a half grin, like having no idea why he was waking up in a hospital with a tube jammed down his throat breathing for him wasn't a big thing, but Jess could see the fear that kept the grin shaky.

"You were in an explosion," Jess said. "Your team was at a sting and things went sideways."

"Sideways?" Adam asked. "Ok."

Jess pressed a hand to his cheek. "I was so scared. When we got there…it looked so bad." Her hands started to tremble at the memory.

Adam looked down at her hands and pressed them between both of his. "An explosion?" She could see him trying to find the memory, trying to make sense of what she was saying. And then his eyes widened. "Everyone else? Kevin, Burgess? Jay—"

"They're fine," Jess reassured him quickly. "They're all fine. I mean, as fine as they can be. Kevin got discharged yesterday and Antonio's already back at the district on desk duty until his concussion heals. Jay is across the hall, ready to throw his sheets out the window and climb down," she said with a small smile.

"And everyone else?" Adam asked, fear and the intubation making his voice scrape.

"And everyone else walked away."

Adam let his head fall back against his pillow.

"You're the one everyone's been worried about," Jess told him.

Adam squinted his eyes and studied her. "Nothing to worry about," he said hoarsely. "Can't knock me out with unfinished business."

"Unfinished business?" Jess asked.

Adam pulled her closer to him. "Like you," he said groggily.

Jess waited but his eyes closed and his breathing evened out, slowing.

She looked to Will, her own breath hitching in fear. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Will assured her with a smile. "He's tired. He's going to be out of it for a day or two."

Jess wilted in relief. "Nothing's wrong," she repeated to herself.

"He needs to rest," Will said, coming around to her side of the bed and putting a hand under her elbow to stand her up. "And you need to eat."

Jess let him guide her from the room, but took a look back at Adam. Adam who was going to be ok.

Will kept a hand on her arm, leading her from the ICU and Jess kept repeating the words, not able to believe it yet.

Adam was going to be ok.

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