Chapter 4- Devil in the Details
Welcome back, everyone! This chapter is going to take a turn away from the case and focus on Jay. Because, you know, WHEN A BELOVED CHARACTER IS HURT WE WANT TO SEE HIM INSTEAD OF A CASE! Sorry, that slipped out. I'm still upset about 7x10. I have issues, I know. Anyway, in time we'll return to the case, but this one is mainly going to focus on those first day or so post-op and the outside world's roll in things. Also, this won't be as long as the previous chapter, I promise. Are you ready?! Let's go!
"I don't even know what size he wears. Medium? Large because we don't want it to be tight?" Erin looked away from the stack of folded shirts, smirking at a frantic and concerned Hailey. She'd been there, done that act before.
"Honestly I don't remember."
"Why don't we just call Will and ask?"
"NO! That would ruin the whole thing." Adam took a step back, perplexed by the force of resistance from both of them.
"Well it's that or we break a hotel door down. Wait a minute, why aren't we just getting his bag from there and dropping it off?"
"Because he didn't pack anything comfortable or appropriate for a hospital. Plus, he's going to be here for a bit and he needs more stuff." They were standing in the middle of the Nike store on fifth avenue. It was almost closing time and the three of them stormed in with stored energy and a massive shopping list. They all felt bad for the employees, but in the moment it felt they didn't have another choice. During the six and a half hours of waiting Erin was struck with Jay's comment about being in New York, away from home. Apart from the backpack he brought with him on the flight, Jay had nothing. No clothing, no shoes, no bathroom essentials, no place to stay once he was discharged. She now totally understood why he was so enamored by his reality, vowing to make this place feel as close to homey as she could. She told the plan to Hailey who instantaneously agreed to assist. The two of them would work together on operation 'work out the details.' Will needed to focus on Jay and everyone else had a case to solve. The two of them loved the idea and were ecstatic to work together. It had been a minute and both wanted to bond with the other equally. However, it wasn't till they walked into the first of many stores that they felt the weight of their undertaking.
"Just call him," Adam calmly suggested again. Hailey reached for her phone and selected the ID, tossing the device to Erin.
"You'll word it better then me." Erin nodded, cradling the phone against her ear as she thought through the ask without giving it away.
"What's up," Will answered on the second ring? It was showtime.
"Don't ask any questions. What size clothing does he wear?" She couldn't come up with anything better. Adam walked away laughing while Hailey was suspended over another pile of stuff. Erin just shrugged.
"Okay?! I think it's medium."
"Can you check the bag?"
"Yeah, give me a sec." Will in his sloth-like maneuvering rolled off the couch and rose, every adjustment ending with him looking to the bed for a response. When nothing happened he kept inching closer, locating the clear bag and gingerly pulling it out to his sitting position. With hands acting as tongs Will pulled out items one at a time, gawking and inspecting them like it was a contaminated piece of evidence. A stank face may or may not have been worn as well. After a few minutes and a billion checks of the bed, Will returned.
"Shirt is a medium. Pants, apart from jeans, would be about the same."
"Okay, so hypothetically would you go up to accommodate stuff?"
"Pants, yes. Shirts are fine as long as they aren't long sleeved or tight."
"And shoe size?" Will dove bag into the bag, wincing at the plastic seemed to make the loudest noise yet.
"Ten."
"Ok, great thanks. We'll see you tomorrow." Erin hung up before Will could say anything, handing Hailey her phone before going on as if she hadn't been the worst spy ever.
"If you wanted things to be said like that.."
"It's been a day."
"Amen to that," Hailey spoke under her breath.
"Alright, medium for shirts, large for pants but we should probably get him a couple of mediums for when he leaves. No long sleeves or tight clothing and size ten shoe. Let's hurry up before they kick us out." Once the details were known shopping became a breeze. Each person took on three outfits. A lot of critiquing and tweaking but in forty-five minutes they had more then enough items that Jay would ever wear. Then they moved to shoes which was a nightmare in and of itself. They debated if he'd need slides or sneakers, shoelaces or some form of a slip on. Then there was design and coloring and not to mention what went with everything. After three returns Adam gave up on assisting, realizing he was the sidekick/bodyguard/opinion when asked. In the end they chose slides and shoes, tossing all their items on the counter to a vision of hatred and disgust for being as inconsiderate as shopping well past closing time. But hey, it was all for Jay so none of them cared.
"Oh crud, I just realized he needs a bag for all of this."
"Is there any place open right now?"
"Yeah, a couple. But they're across the park," Erin groaned. The lack of sleep was catching up with all of them. Remember, Jay got the most amount of sleep the night before. Everyone else was hovering around three or four while he got six. In a way Erin she was jealous, wishing she was in a hospital right now catching a few Zs.
"It's fine. We'll get it done." The Nike employee announced a total large enough to cause a heart attack. I won't reveal the number but it was five figures. Erin handed over a card without reacting, all of them grasping the five bags and racing out the door.
"Bathroom supplies. There's a Duane Reade around the corner." Three abreast they marched down the sidewalk. Nightlife in New York is so different from that of Chicago. In the 900 foot journey between Nike and the next destination, Hailey concluded that it was this time that the city truly came alive. Back home everyone is home and under covers at 8pm. Here, the streets are packed with families going out to dinner, young twenty somethings dressed in short, glittery dresses that are much too incorrect for the weather. It felt like this place was designed and ran in conjunction with the moon instead of the sun. She was enamored by how different life ran, yet it all worked out. It wasn't her scene, her thing, but she absorbed it all; staring straight up at the trees and giant buildings much to the other two's amusement.
"And we're here," Erin announced as Adam reached for the door. He was instructed to sit by the front door with the loot while they wove their way through the three floors of the drugstore.
"Alright so toothbrush, toothpaste, face wash, hairbrush, I guess?"
"They only took a portion, not all of it…I'm guessing" Erin lovingly joked. Hairy smirked at that one, appreciative for her efforts to make her feel better.
"So shampoo and conditioner as well?"
"Does he use conditioner?"
"He does now." With a smaller list the shopping wasn't quite as long as Nike. The whole thing took ten minutes and soon they were back on the street. A quick taxi drive later they were at Columbus Circle, shopping for bags and debating over everything. Backpack or traditional bag. Too big or too small. Adam was the mannequin, runway walking with humor as the women over analyzed everything. Eventually they went with a backpack that could double as an enormous suitcase, the amount of stuff they purchased being the deciding factor. All three could've been characters on an episode of Gossip Girl. To the unknown eye one would've thought Barney's or Saks was having a semi-annual sale. There wasn't any free space on their arms, bags stacked high enough to block their view of the world. Navigating the sidewalk to their warm and waiting Uber was a feat, but they smiled through it all; sighing relief as they made their way to the hotel.
"Adam, start removing tags and mess stuff up a little. We don't want to completely give away that we just bought everything."
"Um, how else would we have gotten all of this?"
"Just do it," Erin retorted, glaring at him before laughing.
"Alright, I already started looking at a few places for them. I can't decide between a condo or an apartment. I don't know if we should find a place with a bedroom on the main floor just in case he doesn't want to go upstairs?! Hailey, what do you think." Erin looked up from her phone to see Hailey glued to the window. The emotions she held back all day long were wanting to come out. The twinkling lights of the world outside were inviting, distracting, but becoming blurry. Hailey refused to let it all out, remain silent in a stranger's car, but that didn't appear to be working. She so much as sniffed before Erin tapped her shoulder, leaning over the space between the seats and hugged her. The cries were deep, heavy, enough to make the driver worried.
"Should I pull over?"
"No, it's fine," Adam replied. Hailey's sobs only got worse which made Erin choke up.
"He's going to be okay," she whispered in Hailey's ear.
"I…was…a jerk to him. And then all that happened."
"He's fine. I'm sure he knows you didn't mean it."
"Still." Erin pulled her away, smiling at the puffiness of the eyes, the true look of sorrow and worry on her face. She knew the feeling all too well, could picture herself way back in the day. It was in this moment that she knew, the fairy godmother role would have to land on her shoulders.
"I think we all need some sleep tonight and tomorrow will be a lot better after we see him." The car stopped at the perfect position so that it was a straight shot to the door. Erin got out first, holding the door for Adam, Hailey, and the copious amount of items now in their possession.
"So let's keep looking at places," Hailey commented as she opened the hotel room door, keeping it ajar for Erin to come in.
"You sure?"
"Yeah, this is helping a lot. Plus, umm, I don't really feel like being alone right now."
"Hey, I get it. Whatever you need, I'm here." So over a glass of wine and room service burgers and fries they bonded. The clock striking midnight was ignored as they debated room decor and floor plans that were tailored to recovering brain surgery clients. Obviously, the task is easier said then done.
…
Hailey and Erin weren't the only ones not getting sleep that night. Will's grand total of sleep ranged between thirty minutes to two hours. He really isn't sure the number of times he dozed off, but each instance was only for a few minutes. He spent most of the night staring at Jay, adjusting things, or creating worst case scenarios in his head. Even when he knew that everything was fine and calm, he'd close his eyes and envision waking up to a dying Jay. It's a tad ironic that the person having had to the worst day ever was the one perfectly and completely sound asleep. Everyone else in the sphere of involvement was doing the suffering.
As explained by Dr. Fred, Jay's first twenty-four hours would see a massive load of sleep. With the motherboard of his whole being reacting to being cut open and messed with for several hours, it's understandable that he would need some shut down time before truly rebooting. But the night wasn't a completely silent, uneventful one. Before the sun rose Jay's resurfaces were dubbed as 'greeting cards.' The loving term was coined because of his one sentence denouncements on the world before passing out for several hours. The following stories are from day one. Oh how lucky Jay is that he wouldn't remember any of this time.
Things truly died down after Will got off the phone with Erin. People were done coming and going and the first of several neuro checks went perfectly. Will was sitting on the couch, day dreaming into nothing when the heart monitor picked up and lights began flashing above Jay. For a split second Will felt the puke coming up, his whole body feeling one giant shiver. And then he noticed that Jay had moved his head, landing on the incision side. The alarms weren't that he was in trouble but merely in pain. Will removed himself from the couch, stopping at a side of the bed and readjusting.
"Hey you," Will whispered when he saw the eyelids flutter. Jay looked up before gazing straight out, as if he was doing his best to grasp his location.
"Did they do the surgery yet," the smallest, raspiest, tired voice called to no one?
"Yeah, it's all done." Will was about to ask another question but exhaustion beat him to the punch. Jay was sound asleep, small snores coming out at every exhale. Will rolled his eyes, begging himself to follow in his brother's footsteps. As he took his place on the squeaky couch he was delighted that Jay's memory seemed to still be in tact, the very first thought pertaining to the very last moment. This dance of rolling the head to the right happened countless more times throughout the night. Will didn't mind, was pleased to get the steps in for the day. But this wasn't the only time things had to be tweaked. Dr. Fred's warning of watching for unconscious arm movements came to fruition in the very early hours of the morning. While harmless to Jay, life was all but scared out of Will.
So as elaborate and high tech as the NSICU was, there was a massive design flaw: the bathroom, or a lack thereof in this case. One could reason it's because family members, people apart from a patient, weren't supposed to live in the room. The floor was designed to be quiet, calming, and sleep inducing. The extra dark curtains, the above normal room temps, the additional insolation are all items used to enforce this vision. If a visiting family member needed to stay long, there was a bathroom down the hall and around the corner. So every bathroom call, every toothbrushing and clothes changing Will would have to take this trek past all the rooms and nurses. At first he hated leaving Jay, but before long it became a race, or he requested for someone to stay with him. So it was in this run to the restroom that the minor yet major thing went down. It was just past 2am, the whole floor eerily quiet.
"I'll be right back, Jay," Will told his sound asleep brother. He wasn't sure why he said that, a habit probably. Will internally smacked himself as he slid the door open. On the balls of his socked feet he slid down the slippery floor, waving to the nurses who so much as grunted their acknowledgement. He turned the light on, cowered under the powerful florescent lighting, and brushed his teeth while humming some stupid song. It's amazing with sleep deprivation does to someone. Two minutes later he was back to sliding on the floor. At first he didn't notice, walking into the room and glancing at the bed before putting stuff away. But in all honesty try observing someone in a nearly dark room. But something, some voice said to check on Jay a final time. He raised the light but a notch when he saw the blood stain and trail dripping down the side of Jay's face.
"What happened," a nurse calmly called as she broke through the doorway. Apparently Will's frantic antics were enough to call the calvary. The once dimmed lights were on full blast, the room now cascaded in pure white. It looked like a remake of a room in Heaven.
"He's bleeding from the incision and I think he pulled the drain out." It was at this moment in the story of things that the incision was revealed to the world for the first time. There was no warning or questions of readiness. With a still passed out Jay under the careful hands of the nurse, layers of dressing were pulled and cut away in no time. It wasn't that Will hadn't seen a craniotomy scar before, but the knowledge that it was Jay's head had his eyes watering without realizing it. Will's hand was still on the drain, doing his best to not pull the thing out anymore. He couldn't stop staring, torturing himself even more. It was an elongated C, starting right around the top of the head before semi curving down and behind the right ear. Indeed a good amount of hair on the right side had to be removed, all for the purpose of access and sanitizing. There were so many staples, Will not bothering to count because he'd lose all sense. It was big, bleeding, and a smack in the face. At some point things would fade and everything would go back in its' place. But tonight, or this morning, it was a lot to absorb. Using a forearm Will brushed the tears dripping down his face, sighing as he couldn't look away.
"Dammit, Jay," he whispered.
"If you want to step outside while we get this cleaned up.."
"-Nope, I'm staying with him. It's just.."
"-A lot. Yeah, it's totally understandable."
"So push the drain back in, reconnect the line and suture?"
"We need to do an x-ray first to see how far out things are and he ripped a staple out so we'll have to put another one in."
"Why not stitches?"
"We can ask the doctor but there isn't enough room for that, I don't think."
"Ok, I'll keep holding this." Will remained the human plug as people and machines were brought into the room. The on-call doctor was some young looking guy that didn't appear to have the experience and knowledge that Dr. Fred had. It wasn't that he was inept, he just wasn't the master of all things aneurysm clipping. Will helped set up things for the x-ray, gently raising Jay's head as they slid a board under him and draped the metal top over him. Things were let go as the machine rattle and snapped the picture before Will sprung back to his place. A few seconds later the news came down, not being overwhelmingly terrible for the first time in twenty-four hours.
"So it doesn't look like it was completely removed from the spot, we should be able to slide it back in and re-staple where it was being held in."
"No stitches."
"Yeah, sorry. We'll completely numb him so it shouldn't be that bad for him."
"Just the sound is going to scare him." The doctor shrugged, both of them realizing there wasn't much they could do. Once the x-ray was removed the tray for things was brought in, Will closing his eyes at the sight of the massive surgical stapler. Treatment towels were placed around the work site and the line was cleaned off and sterilized. Will was free to release his grip on the plastic line.
"Ah good, the line Dr. Fred placed on it is still there. We'll know exactly when to stop pushing it back in."
"Great." Will wasn't in the mood to hear these things. He was on the left side of Jay, holding his hand as things were prepped for reinsertion.
"On 3 we'll go. 1…2…3." The tube moved but an inch before returning to its' place. But the movement must've been painful because as the lidocaine was being injected into the site Jay suddenly woke up.
"Hey."
"What happened?" Will looked above Jay's eyes as the stapler glinted in the light, Will slowly exhaling as he gripped Jay's hand tighter.
"This is going to sound awful." Without warning the thing went off, its' sharp crack into the side of the head forcing both brothers to jump. Will kept apologizing while Jay was clearly in shock. The stapler went off a second time, that one really ticking Will off. He shot a look at the doctor who chose to ignore the laser beam going his way.
"It's done. Everything's back in." Jay drifted off, Will wanting to ball over his brother's unwavering attitude of not caring what was happening. Once the medical instruments and clean up items were removed, the streak of blood on the side of the face was wiped away. Will noted the blood and saline all over the top part of the hospital gown, knowing Jay wouldn't want to sit in that for long. It was gross, let's be honest.
"Hey, can he get another change of clothing?" The nurse seemed to be well ahead of Will, turning around as Will spoke with the very thing he had in mind. The white gown with dots and other weird designs was being swapped out for a plain blue one. She got as far as pulling the sheets down to his waist and unbuttoning the top that Jay woke up. This time however he jumped, he whole body tensing like some attack was about to happen. He immediately went to Will with the saddest puppy dog eyes in the world. He may have been incapacitated from the drugs and altered brain, but he still knew when privacy was being invaded.
"I think he wants me to do that." It's this weird thing, having a family member help you with stuff like that when your sick or injured. For some reason we think family seeing us in that raw, exposed state is better then a stranger. Perhaps it's because one thinks they won't be judged, or that it's a familiar face. But when you're in that situation you know and you get it. Will didn't have to say anymore, that vibe was shooting out of Jay and onto everyone who wasn't a Halstead. With offers to help if needed, the room cleared out. Will closed the door and pulled the privacy curtain around the bed before continuing.
"It's just me in here. No one can see, okay?" Jay was so out of it, his eyes huge and glassed over from whatever pain meds and surgical drugs were still in him. He didn't react so Will just kept going. His pace was slow but hurried. He figured Jay didn't want to be on display for ever and ever but Will had to make sure nothing else was ripped out in the process.
"I'm not looking, everything is fine," he kept telling him as he removed blankets, sheets, and gown last of all. It was stunning yet horrible picture of the human body. Will counted at least ten monitoring leads scattered on Jay from the waist up. There were the IVs in both wrists, arterial line in the left forearm and central line just below the collar bone. Then there was the device at the end of the torso snaking out to a bag on the side of the bed, Will knowing Jay would hate that when he was more coherent. Things trailed out at the feet, socks on the feet and circulating boots on the ankles to keep blood flow going. Two things struck Will: the amount of monitoring deemed necessary when the brain is down for the count, and what could be done to a patient in six and a half hours when given full access. Will threw the new gown over Jay, tucking the sheets back in before pulling him forward to snap things in the back. When he returned Jay to the pillow he was crying. Not a lot, but a few drips of tears every other second. Will got it, wiping under the eyes as he sympathized. He wasn't a fan of this either, feeling Jay's pain of losing dignity, privacy, and all ability. But it was where they were at the moment and Will vowed to make things as bearable for all of them as possible.
"It's fine. I didn't see anything, I swear."
"I left dishes in the sink." Will bit his lip, trying so hard to not laugh. His brother was being sincere and he didn't want to laugh in his face. But alas, a giggle or two may have come out.
"That's fine. We'll take care of it when we get home. I love you, Jay. You're doing really well right now." Jay so much as blinked and smirked before returning to the dark world for awhile. It would be his last rising for quite some time.
The events of the last few minutes, hours, and entire day struck Will all at once. He scooped up the bloody gown and balled it into his hands, his whole body convulsing and shaking from the force of emotions flowing out of him. He was scared, relieved, anxious, and unsure what was coming next. They were so fortunate to be where they were, the series of fortunate events within the unfortunate day too incredible for Will to fathom right then. He bent himself over on the chair and sobbed for a good long time, feeling a new level of depleted when breath was restored to him. He handed off the article of clothing to the nurses, ignored their looks at his very red face. A quick tip toe back to the room, a dimming of the lights to near pitch black, and then he collapsed onto the couch and pulled the blankets high. It was 3:23am, the moment Will's body finally allowed him to drift peacefully to sleep.
…
The couch was one of those scratchy, cloth surfaces that was next to impossible to get comfortable on. It wasn't a plush, soft leather one that you sunk into, more like you adjusted to it. There wasn't a comfortable position on it, after a few minutes your bum is numb. But when you're running on a couple hours of sleep over several days, it might as well be a Sleep Number bed. However, when you leave your phone on the end next to your head and forget to turn off the vibration, things come back to bite you. It was this buzzing sensation that woke Will much later that day. Oh he'd felt the sensation at some point earlier in his dreaming stage, but this time the buzzes were more consistent and constant. A single eyelid pried open as he groaned his introduction to the day. It was in the second eye opening that he noticed people, two to be exact, by Jay's side. That one had him upright in no time.
"What happened."
"Ssssshhhhhh," they replied, pressing a finger to their lips. It was Fred and a nurse, both looking well rested and already having a day. Will glanced down at his phone to read 4pm. He'd slept twelve hours, more then half the day gone. Fred motioned for a nurse to take a rather large syringe away to the hazard bin, motioning for Will to follow him out the door. Something indeed happened since the last encounter. Will couldn't place his finger on it, nothing obvious standing out. He was still sound asleep, head still turned away from the surgery side and wearing the same thing Will helped put on. But it was in the pass by that he saw the earplugs, there was his difference. Only when the sliding glass door was completely closed did Fred begin his whispering speech.
"We had to put another sign on the door." He pointed to a fresh, florescent sign under the needle one; this sign reading 'no speaking.'
"When I checked on him at eight he complained that his ears hurt. He said any noise wakes him up and was like a nail being driven into his eardrum. It's a fairly good case of sound sensitivity but par for where he is. We're getting ready to take him downstairs for another MRI."
"Ok, are you going to knock him out for that? If he can't handle whispering he's really going to hate that level of noise for an hour."
"We can give him the relaxant but he really needs to be alert for this."
"Ok. What about visitation. I've got a few million unread messages I'm sure asking about when they can see him."
"Let's see how he is after the scan." Fred got the message that things were clear, all too soon a crowd of people were grabbing the bed and wheeling it out of the room. Will just went along with things, not stopping till someone noticed that he wasn't supposed to be there. It was in the elevator Will realized Jay had an NG tube, perplexed that he missed that for as long as he did. He waved to Fred before pointing to the tube. The response was a whispered, 'while you were sleeping.' Will rolled his eyes, nothing was ever serious with this guy, expect in the OR. The elevator was de-boarded and soon the circus was working their way through radiology to the MRI scanner. It was in the transfer that Jay resurfaced, squinting under the power of the new-to-him lighting.
"It's just a scan," he heard someone say, nodding as he absorbed the pain of their voice. He felt to be made of mush, movements coming much later then he commanded them to. His sloth-like speed prevented him from moving, succumbing to the world and whatever it was doing to him. His final thought before diving into all of this was that everything was there to help, and that was exactly what he thought as he disappeared through the tube and into the machine. Things were quiet in here, a little cocoon filled with warmth and darkness, something he welcomed at this stage of things. However, this was interrupted by thunder erupting over him. It's unexpectedness and persistent pounding felt to be cracking his head open once again. Jay absolutely hated it, the pain level spiking at record rates. He vaguely recalls saying something, what exactly it was he doesn't know. But whatever he said worked because that very familiar feeling of floating and blacking out was back. The thunder was still there but Jay cared a little bit less.
It was about three fourths of the way through that the nausea kicked in. What was once pain transitioned into the desire to throw up. It began as a whisper, something that was an idea he thought might happen. But as the minutes clicked off and the snapping above didn't cease, that notion became what was going to happen. He fought, really tried to stave it off till they got him to a room but alas, he made it as a far as being pulled out of the machine to let it all out. The extra bright light being the final nail in the vomiting coffin.
"Oh crud," Will spoke in the observation room. Fred looked up from the scans, an unfazed expression on him as Will bolted out of the room. Will saw the stuff come up, saw Jay's head snap to the left as he relieved his stomach. By the time he got in the room things had died down, the damage very evident on his face.
"He threw up through the tube," a nurse whispered, Will nodded in empathy.
"You alright?" Jay nodded, blinking away tears as he coughed.
"Is it the pain?" Again, another nod as Jay closed his eyes against the light. From here it was operation clean up, beginning with Jay and working their way to the floor.
"I think this might be a hospital record," Will teased while he assisted Jay in changing out gowns once again. Jay didn't react, clearly still in that immobile, really out of things stage. Once Jay was clean the NG tube got switched out, which was a chore in and of itself. Jay hated feeling the thing run up his throat and through the nose, but despised the new one going back in even more.
"Let's get him another boost of pain meds and a dose of anti-nausea medication," Fred remarked as Jay was wheeled back towards the elevator.
"So the scan was pretty good. There's an area of concern but I think with the medication and rest he should be ok."
"What's the concern?"
"There's a spot close to where the aneurysms were that's very slightly narrow. Most people wouldn't even notice it."
"But you did," Will pridefully cut in. Fred took a bow, which was odd yet right in line with him.
"So, visitors?"
"Tell them to come at dinnertime. Bring food so he'll have something to strive for." And with that, Fred walked away in a fancy pair of dog slippers today. Will concluded he was the most interesting man in the world.
…
The elevator doors opened with the wafting of cheese pizza greeting Will before any of the people. You'd think they were feeding an army, or rather large group of people, but instead it was just the members of Intelligence. Yes, it was so cliche to eat New York style cheese pizza. But as the saying goes: 'when in Rome…' Adam was carrying two of the four pizza boxes, Kevin carefully cradling the other two. Hailey was slinging a plastic bag of Coke bottles and water while Erin was hunched over from the weight of the world's largest backpack. Hank somehow got out of all the carrying duties, being the first to hug Will while the rest placed things on the ground. Their reunion was as if they hadn't seen each other in a lifetime, when in reality it had barely been twenty-four hours. But for all parties, so much had gone down that it truly felt to be years since their last encounter.
"How's he doing," each person asked in their own way. Will always replied with the same thing: 'holding.' Once everyone got their moment with him he took a step away, guiding them to the entrance of the department before giving the rundown of the place.
"So silence is super important up here. Don't talk when going by rooms and speaking can't be above a whisper. I'd suggest taking shoes off here so walking isn't all that loud. No one cares, I've done it all day. Jay is still out at this time. He's been asleep for most of the day which is great right now. He had a pretty interesting night last night so he's feeling it today. Also, he's got a really good case of sound sensitivity. Earplugs are in but he's still bothered by the machines and monitors in the room."
"How long will he have that?"
"Fred thinks at least another couple days but we should start to see some amount of improvement in the next day or so." For some reason their minds collectively concluded that Jay would be fine at this stage of things. Sure, he'd be loopy and off but he'd be awake, talking and asking when to leave. The report one day out of surgery proved just how serious things were and the journey still required before the Jay they knew returned. They'd all be lying if they said they weren't nervous, which was weird considering this was Jay.
"Ready to see him?" Their faces perked up, nodding their heads before slipping shoes off and walking a single line to the room. Curiosity had them glancing at rooms as they past, each scene just as heartbreaking as the last. Selfishly they didn't think Jay should be here. He was bad, but not this level. It was the horrible yet accurate mindset: luck. Someone else was always in a worse situation. The members of Intelligence grateful that they were visiting a recovering Jay, not a surviving one. However, as Will slid the door open and ushered them all in the reality hit. He was different, small, altered appearing. With the amount of tubes, wiring, stuff in and around him, for the moment he was a stranger, some scary being that was portraying Jay. As people put things down the natural next step was to approach the person of the hour. At first they were hesitant, thinking it was weird and wrong to inch closer to a sound asleep person.
"It's fine. He's really out," Will finally whispered, acting as the verbal floodgates. Hailey lingered the longest, gently taking the right hand into hers and just holding it. He didn't even smell like him, the perfumes of a hospital, surgery, and lack of bathing blocking the familiar scents to exist. At his position she concluded he looked peaceful, pain-free and dreaming of something. She wanted to call his name, say or do something to grab his attention, but instead she chose to sit and absorb. Everyone else took their assumed couple minutes with him but it was Hailey that remained. Only the opening of a pizza box did she pry herself away.
Dinner was food and a show. Without the ability to speak, conversing was dwindled down to miming. Slices were playfully and over-exaggeratedly ripped out of their circle and into people's mouths. Coke bottles were opened a smidge at a time, the purchaser of the drinks kicking themselves for selecting such a loud beverage. Everyone laughed without the noise, each person licked their overly greasy hands before the orange slime reached the pristine floors. Those who spoke just above a whisper were awarded a round of arm smacks, jerks towards Jay who wasn't effected by any of it. The half hour was so fun, exactly what every person needed. Even if Jay wasn't in the middle with them, they were all together for him. When the boxes were cleared and bottles placed back in the makeshift trash bag, Will took to the phone. Texts about the day and prior night were sent to the people inches in front of him. Adam forgot to turn his ringer off, the loud ping of the notification had everyone gasping; even more noise added to the room. Will looked over to Jay who kept snoozing the evening away, beyond proud of his bro for letting the drugs work.
They all sympathized with the story of the drain, gagged at the MRI vomit incident, and then sighed when Voight showed them a text from Olivia. Their once free night was now busy, a stakeout and eventual take down awaiting their arrival. Dinner was dumped off on the boys and the women gave Will another hug before waving at Jay. Erin was the last to leave, pausing outside Jay's room and watching as Will slid the door shut.
"The massive bag is his," Erin whispered.
"It has everything he needs for the next month at least. Clothing, bathroom essentials, everything he needs is in there. Sorry it's so heavy." Will truly wanted to cry, balling his fingers into a fist and pressing it to his lips. This was such a surprise in the best way possible, a good one after a sea of bad.
"You didn't have to," he replied while collecting himself.
"Yeah, I did." Will offered a hug and she allowed, noting that the two brothers hugged the exact same way.
"Thank you. Seriously that's awesome and I know he's super grateful."
"Of course."
"Psst," came down the long hallway, the call from the impatient ones.
"Have a good night. Tomorrow?"
"I'll text you guys." Erin tip toed extra fast down the hall, nodding and pointing for people to go as she reapplied her shoes. She noticed that Hailey was the last to board the elevator, her face one she knew too well, had worn countless times during her CPD years. It was time to switch hats. Tonight she wasn't the fairy godmother to Jay and Will. She would be therapist, prying into the world of Hailey Upton's mind and doing her best to point things in the direction they needed to go. Best of luck, Erin.
So this chapter wasn't as long as the last one, but a lot happened still. Yes, things got a little graphic I guess you could say, but it all was done to make points. Nothing crude or gross was intended in them, simply wanting to show the nature and realistic life of a recovering brain surgery patient. Also, next chapter we'll be returning to the case just a little bit and we'll finally see Jay more awake! Can you guys guess what's going to happen in the next chapter? I hope you guys like it. Thank you for reading!