Chapter Two: Will
Quiet days at Gaffney, especially during summertime in Chicago, were few and far between. The ED was usually packed with a constant flow of heat and water related incidents on top of their usual clientele but, other than an influx of patients from a minor car accident that morning, a calmness had settled over the floor and lasted well into the late afternoon.
Will was standing at the nurse's station, updating the charts from his patients that day, when two uniformed military officers entered the ED. After speaking to the nurse behind the registration desk, the officers walked right into the treatment area. Maggie met them first, intercepting them right at the doors. After a quick conversation, she directed them to Will with a worried look on her face.
"William Halstead?"
"Yeah?" At the call of his name, Will looked up from the tablet he was working on. Shock flooded his system as he took in the military officers in front of him. He knew what a visit like this meant. Hell, everyone knew what a visit like this meant. Even if they didn't have a loved one in the military, there had been enough movies and TV shows to involve a scene like this that it wasn't a mystery.
Ethan and Natalie each stepped closer to Will. Ethan had his own experience with this procedure and Natalie wanted to support Will. April joined the group as soon as she stepped out of one of the treatment rooms and saw what was happening. Maggie was close by as well, on the phone with Mrs. Goodwin, notifying her about what was happening.
All of the Med ED staff, as dysfunctional as they could be, were a family and they supported their own when it was needed.
Will had gone numb the moment he saw the officers, blocking everything else out, and the next thing he knew, he was in the doctor's lounge with the door shut and Natalie by his side. They sat, listening as the officers gave them the news of Jay's injuries and the plans of his eventual transfer to Germany.
"What about his wife? Hailey. Does she know?" Natalie asked. Will was still in shock at the news they'd received, sitting silently beside her. She was worried about him; for as long as she'd known him, he always had something to say. No matter the situation, the red head always seemed to have an arsenal of sarcastic comments, questions, or arguments at the ready. For him to be so quiet spoke volumes to the severity of the situation.
"There are officers talking to her right now and there's been a Family Advocate assigned to help navigate this process—answer questions, provide updates, facilitate communication, arrange travel, anything she needs during this time. The Family Advocate, CAO Ringer, and his services will be available to you as well."
Will nodded his thanks to the men in front of him. He didn't know their names, though he was sure they'd introduced themselves at one point. His mom would be so disappointed in his lack of manners, but he couldn't bring himself to care. His worry for his brother surpassed everything else.
As the older brother, Will always took it upon himself to try and protect Jay from everything he could. Their dad and his seemingly constant disappointment, school bullies, even day to day life in Chicago—if Will could, he'd protect Jay. Which is why, when Jay announced he'd joined the Army, Will took it hard and their once strong relationship began to crumble.
It was fear, more than anything else, that drove the wedge between Will and Jay because for the first time, Will wouldn't be able to protect him.
Not from the harsh, brutal reality of war.
Will stood at the door to Jay's bedroom, watching as his brother packed. It was the night before Jay left for basic training and, while the brothers had completely avoided talking about it up to this point, they could no longer ignore the reality right in front of them.
"You're really doing this?" Will asked, arms crossed tightly over his chest.
Jay sighed but didn't turn around. Will had made his opinion on his enlistment well known by this point; there had been several arguments within the Halstead family about it and Jay wasn't in the mood for another one. He continued packing, walking around his room and grabbing the last few things he needed, while actively avoiding Will's gaze. "Yes Will, I'm really doing this."
There was no reply from Will and Jay spared a quick glance to the doorway where his brother had been standing. It was now empty. A door slamming across the hall told Jay everything he needed to know and, in that moment, he resigned himself to the fact that'd he probably be leaving tomorrow without a goodbye.
They say 'distance makes the heart grow fonder' but 7,000 miles and a 10-hour time difference did nothing for Jay and Will's relationship. Phone calls were often just a quick check in, if they were answered at all, and letters and emails were kept brief or completely unsent.
After their mom died, their relationship became even more strained, nearly to the point of no return. Jay was overseas, unable to get home, and Will was unwilling to go home. At least, that's how Jay saw it and he took his frustrations out on Will. In turn, Will's guilt and grief turned into anger (at the situation and at Jay) and communication between the brothers stopped completely for a while.
Then Will met Natalie and, like she would continue to do for years to come, she made him see reason. He got his head out of his ass—Nat's exact words—and reached out to Jay. He wasn't expecting to get a reply after everything that had happened, so Will was beyond surprised when he found an email from Jay waiting in his inbox.
Jay forgave him and extended an olive branch, offering to put everything behind them because of course he did.
The brothers worked to rebuild their relationship, resuming their email correspondence and weekly Skype calls. It was hard but, with both brothers now willing to make the effort, it was doable.
When Will and Natalie started dating, Jay was introduced to her over Skype. After months of hearing and seeing his brother pine after Natalie, Jay was ecstatic the two had finally gotten together.
Jay barely had time to connect the Skype call and turn his camera on before Will was bringing Natalie on screen, a big goofy grin on the red head's face. "Jay, this is Natalie. Natalie, this is my brother Jay."
Natalie smiled. "Hi Jay! I'm so happy I finally get to meet you."
"Not as happy as I am." Jay smiled back at her. "It's great to meet you, Natalie. I'm glad Will finally got his head out of his ass and asked you out."
Natalie giggled but it quickly turned into a full belly laugh when she saw the glare Will shot his brother. Jay joined in on the laughter and soon, Will did as well.
Natalie became an important fixture in the lives of both Halstead brothers. In fact, it was Natalie who Jay called several months later when he managed to arrange a few days of leave around her and Will's med school graduation. She kept the secret and helped arrange getting Jay to the ceremony. The two worked together seamlessly and coordinated with the school to surprise Will.
Seeing his brother waiting for him, still in his Army fatigues and holding his diploma, as he walked across the stage was something Will would never forget.
Jay spent as much of his leave time as he could catching up with Will, but most of the brothers' milestones were celebrated virtually. Will and Nat's first day of residency at Gaffney in Chicago, birthdays, the anniversary of their mom's death and others were commemorated over Skype or FaceTime or through a longer than normal email.
When Will was finally ready to propose to Natalie, he called Jay to make sure he was OK with Natalie getting their mom's ring. He was, of course, and he was ecstatic at the thought of Natalie joining their family.
Once Will actually popped the question and Natalie said yes, the couple waited over a week to tell their friends and family. Jay and his unit had been sent on a mission the day before the proposal, unable to contact their families, and Will wanted Jay to be the first person to know.
Will always made Jay promise to be careful every time they ended their calls but, now that there was a wedding on the horizon, Will was even more serious about that promise. He, of course, wanted his brother safe but, selfishly, Will also wanted Jay at his wedding as his brother and best man.
It was a promise Jay happily (and miraculously) kept.
In the year following his wedding to Natalie, Will was the happiest he'd ever been. He was thriving in Chicago—he was named Chief Resident at the hospital, he and Nat bought a house and, most excitingly, Natalie found out she was pregnant.
Little Owen Halstead arrived in the world three months after Will and Natalie's first wedding anniversary, just in time to welcome his Uncle Jay home on leave.
Seeing his brother dote on his son, having the most important people in his life all under the same roof, made Will's heart soar. He felt calm and at peace, not having to worry about Jay being injured, dying, or meeting some other untimely fate on the battlefield. But with the happiness, came sadness.
Will knew Jay was happy in the Army—he was good at what he did, very good, and he'd found another family with his unit—but how long would that happiness last? Will could see the way war was chipping away at his brother; he could see the way Jay's smile didn't fully reach his eyes anymore, especially during Jay's first few days back. The army wouldn't last forever though, and Will wanted nothing more than for Jay to find happiness outside of the Rangers.
Happiness like he had with Natalie and Owen.
And then his heroic (albeit stupid) brother got involved in a robbery and met Hailey.
The blonde detective from Robbery and Homicide quickly stole Jay's heart, making him happier than Will had seen in a long time. Their relationship was a whirlwind; they only had a few weeks together before Jay had to leave Chicago for training before his next deployment, but they had both already exchanged 'I love yous'. Some thought it was rushed but Will could easily see how genuine the statements were. Hailey was truly Jay's perfect match.
Hailey folded into their lives perfectly. She had already known of Will and Natalie, having met them at Med a time or two when she went to interview witnesses or suspects, but since meeting Jay and becoming an integral part of his life, her relationship with both doctors had strengthened infinitely. They helped her navigate the ins and outs of deployment, including all the fears and emotions that came with it.
Will was (playfully) peeved he had to move to bi-weekly calls with Jay to give Hailey a chance to talk to him, and Jay's time at home was split now that he and Hailey were together, but Will had never been happier for his brother.
His excitement and joy throughout Jay and Hailey's relationship peaked when they got engaged and then again when they got married. He'd wanted Jay to find someone for so long.
Someone he loved more than anything.
Someone who loved him just the same.
Someone badass and tough enough to handle the good, bad, and ugly of a military relationship.
Someone like Hailey.
Hailey had handled everything that had come her and Jay's way with more grace and understanding than Will ever had.
But this? She shouldn't have to handle this.
No one should.
Natalie walked the officers out of the lounge, closing the door behind them. Through the glass, she made eye contact with their coworkers and friends at the nurse's station. Mrs. Goodwin and Dr. Charles were there as well, clearly having made their way down to the ED after she and Will had moved into the lounge with the officers. She wasn't sure what her face looked like, but she felt the unshed tears in her eyes. Natalie gave them a small frown and gestured for them to give the couple a minute before she walked back over to Will.
Squatting down in front of Will, Natalie joined her hands with his. The pressure of her hands snapped Will out of his stupor and his own tear-filled eyes locked with Natalie's.
From out in the ED, their friends watched the silent conversation through the glass.
"Do we know what's going on?" Mrs. Goodwin asked.
"No. They asked for Will and then he and Natalie took them into the lounge." Maggie answered, shaking her head. Staring at the computer screen in front of her, she continued. "I'm not seeing any news about something happening overseas."
"You won't," Ethan stated. His voice was quiet, subdued. "There's usually a media and communication blackout any time a service member is killed or injured in combat. They try to keep it quiet until next of kin have been notified."
"So it's bad." April concluded.
Ethan sighed. "There are different reasons notification officers visit but none of them are great."
Sobered at Ethan's words, the group looked into the doctor's lounge, watching as Natalie spoke to Will. They didn't know what was being said, but the fact that Will had seemingly snapped out of his shocked stupor and was talking to Natalie did ease their worry slightly.
After another minute of quiet conversation between the couple, Natalie stood up. She placed a kiss on the top of Will's head and squeezed his hand before leaving the lounge and closing the door behind her, allowing him a moment to himself.
"Nat?" Maggie asked as her friend approached.
Natalie sighed, closing her eyes. When they opened again, tears were present. "You guys remember Jay, right?"
At their nods, Natalie continued. "He was injured earlier today. Badly. He's being treated on base and once he's stable enough, he'll be transferred out to Germany to continue receiving treatment."
The group in front of Natalie was shocked. They'd all met Jay multiple times– whenever he was home on leave, he'd stop by to say hi to Will and Natalie, or meet them for lunch, or they would see him at Molly's or some other get-together. Jay was a good man—he was funny and charming; he loved his family, and he loved his country. It was something they had all known since before they met him. Will talked so proudly about him.
Will. Their hearts went out to their friend and coworker. He'd lost his mom when he was younger, long before he came to work at Gaffney (though it was still a loss that hung with him), and he lost his father a few years after joining the Med family. Now, Jay was seriously injured overseas. Jay, his only brother and family member, aside from Natalie and Hailey.
And Hailey—they couldn't even imagine what the detective was going through. Jay was her husband, they were the love of each other's lives. Several of the doctors, nurses and admin of Med had heard the couple profess as much at their wedding almost two years prior. The truth behind their vows was so honest, no one ever doubted them.
The group at Med had known Hailey way longer than they knew Jay. They all respected her as a detective but above all, they liked and respected her as a person. Hailey was strong—unflappable in the face of danger and unwavering against some of the worst Chicago had to offer. But even the strongest people had a breaking point, and there was an unspoken fear that this could be Hailey's.
Before anyone could respond to the news Natalie shared, Will walked out of the doctor's lounge, eyes red. He made eye contact with them and the sympathetic looks on their faces nearly broke the façade he'd worked so hard to build up. Will knew his coworkers felt for him and cared about him, and he knew no one would fault him for it, but he was determined not to break down in front of them.
Nothing about the situation was right, or fair.
He cleared his throat, ready to speak, but a commotion from the ED doors drew their attention. There was the Intelligence unit, with Hailey at the front of the group. Will immediately took a step towards her and opened his arms.
It was an invitation his sister-in-law didn't have to think twice about.
