Sorry this took me forever to get up, I'm still figuring out next steps BUT I have been good about updating the other story on my profile super regularly so take a look if you're interested! I also got a request for a little more Will/Erin friendship and I got an idea and just ran with it

"He fucking asked about her?" Jay hissed into his phone, doing his best to keep his voice at a low level, "She's got a nasty lung infection, bruised ribs and stitches in her stomach because he tortured and held her captive, and he has the audacity to let her name leave his lips?"

"I know kid," Hank replied, trying to keep his cool just the same, "I know. He's not getting anywhere near her."

"We finally had a good day yesterday," the detective managed, raking his hands over his face in aspiration as he folded forward toward the kitchen table. Erin had been asleep beside him on the couch, taking a mid-morning nap. He'd quickly vacated his spot in the hopes that he wouldn't wake her. Things were finally looking less bleak. "She slept through the night, ate more than two bites, no crazy nightmares and now I gotta tell her that the bastard wants to see her."

"I'd tell you not to tell her just yet, but I know you can't do that," Hank mused, "That wouldn't go over well."

"Yeah, I know I gotta tell her." Jay rubbed his forehead, "So what, he wants to see her? That's not happening."

"She might have to see him in court in a week," he informed him as carefully as he could, "But she won't have to see him in the hospital or anything. We aren't even allowed near him given the optics, but wanted to keep you both in the loop that unfortunately he has most of his faculties. I can't really fathom how he made it."

"I wasn't really focused on him," Jay said dryly, "I just wanted to get Erin out of there."

"You did it right," Hank assured him, "And you're doin' right by Erin now too."

"I um, I guess I'll let her know when she wakes up," he sighed, "Will said he'd stop by tonight to see if her lungs have improved since we were at the hospital two days ago."

"You said you think she's doing better?"

"Yeah," Jay confirmed in an exhale, "It was a really tough few days. After Bunny and everything, she was totally spent. But yesterday was the first day where things were pretty okay."

"Babe?" Erin mumbled from her spot on the couch, "Where'd you go?"

"I gotta go," Jay said to Hank, "We'll check in later." He quickly abandoned the kitchen table. "Here, babe. Sorry, just had to take a call from Hank. I didn't mean to wake you."

"'s fine," she rubbed her eyes tiredly, "You talked to Hank?"

"Mm-hm," he replied carefully, "He called to check up you."

"You tell him I was doin' better?" she asked, "Still taking the meds, but no ripped stitches or panic attacks?"

He chuckled softly and stroked her cheek. "I did. I told him you were being a model patient. You still feeling okay?"

Erin nodded and then narrowed her gaze, "You look stressed."

Jay could have cursed. He was trying to keep his emotions in check, but it was difficult. Just thinking about all his girl had been through tugged at his heart, and after hearing that Charlie had asked about Erin while he was in the hospital, Jay's blood was boiling. He tucked some loose hair behind her ear. "Hank said that he heard Charlie was asking about you, and it just made me really angry."

She was quiet for a second. "His brain's all there?"

He nodded slowly, trying to get a read on his partner's sentiment. She was muted, almost stoic. "That's what it's looking like, unfortunately."

Erin exhaled shakily. "And I have to testify in court."

Jay nodded again. "I think so. I do too. And Al, and Atwater too." He paused, "But it won't be for a week at least."

"Okay," Erin breathed, reaching out to grab Jay's hand. "I mean, I wish I didn't have to do it, but I know it's part of the process." She took another tentative inhale, "I um, I don't want him to get the chance to hurt anyone else."

Jay cupped her cheek carefully. "He won't. He'll be in prison, with all his faculties, and is going know that he's in a box for the rest of his miserable life."

She nodded again and let out a small cough. Jay immediately raised his eyebrows. "I'm okay," Erin insisted, "Really babe. I'm feeling better. I don't feel like I'm getting stabbed every time I take a breath."

"That feels like a low bar," he murmured, lightly running his thumb across her cheek, "But I'm glad you're feeling better. Will said he could come by to take another listen to your lungs to make sure you're headed in the right direction."

"Jay?" Erin reached a hand to her partner's side of the bed, but was met with cool sheets. He had joined her for a mid-afternoon nap before Will was due to arrive to listen to her lungs and watch the game. With her partner by her side, her dreams hadn't been bad, but the realization that Jay was not beside her was enough to cover her body in a thin layer of sweat. "Jay?"

She sat up and let out a yelp as her tender stomach objected to her swift motion. "Jay?" she tried again, trying her best to keep her voice from sounding as desperate as she felt.

Then she remembered why she'd woken up. She'd taken a breath and couldn't get enough air in. Suddenly, it felt like the walls of the bedroom were closing in on her as her breathing became more labored. The air was stuffy and thick as she struggled to inhale, each exhale feeling like someone was stretching her apart from the inside out. "Jay," she croaked, willing her feet to bear weight as she attempted to get off the bed and find her partner.

When he didn't emerge from the living room, her chest tightened further. She was suddenly overcome with anxiety that he'd gone, that the same thing that had happened in the hospital was happening again. Erin took another distressed breath and coughed. She wanted to kick herself for not being able to breathe. Why couldn't she do it?

She stood but immediately lost her footing and sank to the floor beside the bed. Erin felt pitiful and confused and overwhelmed as her vision darkened. She couldn't form words but let a desperate wail slip through her lips, hoping it was enough to get Jay's attention, if he was still in the apartment.

"Erin?" A voice floated through the air as she took another sharp inhale. It wasn't Jay's voice.

Will Halstead hustled across the bedroom at the sound of his brother's girlfriend's violent wheezes. He thought he'd heard her call for Jay, but couldn't be sure. It was the agonizing wail that brought him to the bedroom door, and the subsequent gasps that had him on high alert.

"It's Will, you're okay," he soothed, crouching down on the bedroom floor in an attempt to meet Erin's panicked gaze, "Jay's just in the shower, he's here, and he's safe."

Jay had told him about Erin's first panic attack. As a doctor, he knew he needed to calm her down, but as he surveyed the detective, he wasn't convinced she was in the midst of a panic attack. Not being able to breathe wasn't helping the panic, but her eyes were relatively lucid. It was her heart, or her airways.

Erin gasped painfully and shuddered, body still pressed against the side of the bed. "Can you breathe for me, tiger?" Will asked, brow furrowed at the wheezes his brother's girlfriend was emitting. She shook her head violently and gasped again.

She was getting air, just not enough. "C'mon, Erin, breathe for me," he begged. He was reluctant to put his hand on her just knowing how skittish she was, but she was rapidly losing oxygen.

The doctor glanced worriedly around the bedroom, hoping his brother would finish up and emerge from the shower. "Where's your inhaler?" He frowned when Erin just shook her head, unable to get any words out. She coughed and desperately sucked in a breath, tears now streaming rivets down her cheeks.

Will cursed softly. "Jay!" He shouted. Maybe his brother would hear him over the sound of the running water, "Jay!"

Erin gasped again and her eyelids fluttered like she was dangerously close to passing out. Will scrambled forward and brought the detective into his chest despite her obvious distress, "C'mon Erin, breathe!" He lifted his hand to her neck, "I know this is scary, but I need you to be still," he insisted, "We gotta slow your heart rate." Will began a carotid massage, gently pressing his fingers into Erin's neck in an attempt to calm her down. "C'mon Er, breathe for me."

She whimpered and choked out a cough. "Shh," Will cooed, "You're safe, you're home." He continued the treatment as he felt her fluttery pulse beneath his fingertips, "Good job, keep it up," he praised, carefully rocking back and forth, Erin still at his chest, "You're doing good, tiger, you're okay."

Erin let out a strangled and incoherent plea. "I know," he repeated, "I know, Jay's comin', just hang on for me. Good job."

Jay stepped out of the bathroom, feeling better than he had in a while. He had really needed a shower, but was reluctant to leave his girl's side. Thankfully, Erin was finally sleeping peacefully after the whole ordeal at the hospital and with her mother. Will had stopped by to check on her, and was pleased to hear that she thought the pain was getting better. They'd planned on watching some of the game after Erin woke up from her evening nap, but when Jay glanced around the living room, his brother was nowhere to be found.

He heard a noise coming from the bedroom and instantly felt his chest tighten. Erin. Jay hurried toward the bedroom and glanced around nervously, unable to locate his partner or his brother. "Erin?" he called out. "Will?"

"Down here, man," Will replied, "Couldn't you hear me yelling?"

Jay swallowed and felt his heart clench when he caught sight of his girl in his brother's arms. She was trembling and taking pained, shallow breaths. "Get her inhaler," Will instructed, his hand continuing to rub circles on Erin's neck, "She's about to pass out."

The detective snatched the inhaler off his bedside table and practically leapt across the room. "Hey, baby," he whispered, lifting the medicine to her lips, "I'm here, you're okay."

"Give her two," Will said, "Her heart rate is through the roof because she can't get enough air in."

Jay did as he was told and gently stroked Erin's cool features with the tips of his fingers. She struggled to open her eyes, "J-Jay," she choked out with a cough.

"I'm here," he repeated, "You're okay." Jay rubbed her cheek with his thumb and looked at his brother, "What happened?"

"I'm not sure," Will replied, "I heard her screaming and came in here, she was on the floor." He glanced down at his watch, "Okay, her heart rate's come down a bit. She um, she was about to pass out, so I did this thing we learned in med school that they did back in the 80s. Carotid massage, supposed to slow the heart rate."

Jay nodded wordlessly, eyes trained on Erin's fluttering eyelids. "You're safe," Jay said to her before turning to his brother, "Thank you man, I'm glad you were here."

Will gave a smile, Erin still pressed against his chest. "Jay's here," he said to Erin, "You're okay now, tiger."

"S-sorry," she managed, "I-I don't know what h-happened."

"Shh," Will shook his head, "Don't worry about it. You're okay, just keep trying to get the oxygen in okay?"

Erin took another painful inhale, tears making a reappearance behind her eyes. "Sorry," she repeated, her voice strained, "This keeps happening."

"It's okay," Jay cooed, "You're okay, just keep taking those slow breaths for us."

She took a breath which resulted in a throaty cough and grimace. "Try again," Will encouraged, passing his hand over Erin's head as Jay stroked her cheek, "You got it, tiger, another breath."

Erin opened her eyes to find Jay's, and he gave an encouraging nod. "C'mon, Er," he whispered, wiping her cheeks repeatedly to remove the tears, "One breath at a time."

She nodded and tried again, "Want you," she managed, reaching out toward Jay. He quickly took his girl in his arms and cradled her against his chest, allowing her to be comforted by his heart beat.

"You're safe," Jay repeated, his cheek against the top of Erin's head as her breath finally eased, "You're safe." He cast a thankful look to his brother, who nodded in understanding.

"Will," Erin croaked after a few minutes, "T-thank you."

"Of course," he offered a kind smile, still sitting on the ground across from his brother and his brother's girlfriend, "You scared me for a second there. We're going to need to keep an eye on your heartrate, tiger. You almost passed out."

"I felt like I was suffocating," she rasped softly, "I couldn't get air in."

Will nodded again. "I know, I couldn't find your inhaler, but Jay came quickly. You might need to start taking it before you go to bed, just to be safe."

She nodded and sagged against Jay in exhaustion. "I'm sorry," she whispered, "I-I keep falling apart."

"Shh," Jay shook his head and held his girl tighter, "No more apologizing, babe."

After a few minutes, Will checked Erin's pulse by lightly pressing his fingers to her neck. "Her heart rate has normalized," he said in an exhale and offered a thankful smile to his brother, "She's gonna be okay."

Jay nodded gratefully, still holding Erin against his chest, "Why does this keep happening to her?" he asked softly. He knew his girl was awake, but her eyes were closed as she gripped his t shirt. Every time he thought she was getting better, it felt like there was another setback. He knew Erin was struggling with her inability to seemingly get better, and it was wreaking havoc on his heart. "What can I do?"

After seeing his partner, the love of his life, struggling to breathe yet again, Jay was at a loss. It felt like a knife to the gut every time she gasped, and he couldn't help but feel guilty that he was breathing freely and yet she was in so much agony, especially after she'd been feeling better. He wanted to take her pain away, he'd take it on if he could, but based on everything the doctors had said, they just needed to ride it out. And it was killing him.

His brother gave an apologetic smile, "You guys are doing everything right," he assured him, "There are a lot of different factors. Sometimes a combination of medicine can cause patients heart rates to spike, which can in turn make it hard to breathe."

He nodded again, carefully stroking Erin's warm cheek with his fingertips. With the additional oxygen her lungs were getting after the inhaler, her skin felt less cool, which helped Jay relax, but only slightly. He was still on edge about Will's warning about any type of fever or infection. "I-I'm trying not to freak out," he said finally, "I'm really worried about her."

"She's okay," Will said gently, "It's just going to take some time, Jay. It's not easy, but she's strong, and she's come so far since last week. Sometimes it's going to feel like two steps forward, one step back, but it's all progress."

Erin whimpered. "I know, babe," Jay cooed, cradling her closer in his arms, "I'm sorry if I'm making you stressed. I just don't like seeing you suffering, that's all."

"S-sorry," she mumbled, "I-I don't want to freak you out."

"It's not your fault," Jay shook his head, upset at himself for letting the anxiety he was feeling leave his lips. He was just so damn worried about his girl.

"The inhaler before bed should help," Will advised, "I know you've been taking things really slow, and you're going to want to keep doing that." He winced when Erin coughed again. Jay swallowed the lump in his throat as she scrabbled to get closer to him.

"It's okay," Jay attempted, trying to convince both Erin and himself that things would indeed be okay.

Will thought for a moment. "It's been a few days since I redid her stitches," he said slowly, "And while they can't get really wet, we could try a steam treatment. Would basically help to open up her lungs. We'd have to keep tabs on her heart rate too, but it might help."

Jay exhaled and gave a nod. "Are you up for it, babe?" he asked gently, his lips at her forehead, "I know it's been a rough couple of days for you."

"Uh-huh," Erin murmured, opening her eyes as wide as she could. She was exhausted. The entire week – going to the hospital, confronting her mother, learning about Charlie – it had all taken a toll, and she just wanted to sleep. But what she didn't want was to wake up and not be able to breathe again. That certainly wasn't fun, and was just another in a long line of embarrassing moments between her, her partner and his brother over the past few days.

"You won't even have to let go of Jay," Will said with a small smile, "Though you might want to ditch some of the heavier clothes. It gets hot."

It was arguably one of the most intimate moments between them as Jay held Erin in his arms in the shower stall. He was resting out of the way of the spray, propped up against the tiled wall, shirtless, with his girl huddled in his lap in just a tank top and pajama shorts. The steam from the shower had turned their entire bathroom into a hot and misty sauna. Perspiration lined Jay's forehead as he stroked her hair back, hoping that Will's suggestion would help open her airways and make it easier to breathe.

His brother was seated beside him, clad in clothes borrowed from his dresser drawer. Will's actions surprised Jay to no end. He knew that his brother had pretty much turned a corner after moving to Chicago, and cared about him, but he'd never expected him to be so willing to help his ailing partner.

Will was holding Erin's wrist in his hand and focusing on his watch to ensure that her heart rate stayed at an appropriate level. "How you doin', tiger?" Will asked carefully, taking his eyes off the watch for a few moments, "Is it getting any easier to breathe?"

Erin nodded limply. "The hot air, it feels good."

Jay's shoulders felt like a thousand pounds had been removed. "That's great," he said, pressing a kiss atop her head, "I can feel you breathing easier too."

"Can you try to take a big deep breath for me?" Will asked, "Just one?"

She did as she was told. Her lungs protested slightly, but it was a far cry from the painful sensation she'd had earlier in the day. "I can do more," Erin managed, taking another breath, "Feels good to get real air in."

Will grinned when Jay shot him a look of surprise and gratitude. "That's awesome," he praised, "Keep trying to expand your lungs, if you can, okay? Slow breaths though."

Erin gave a weak nod and continued the breathing technique while Jay threaded his fingers through her hair. "You're doing great," he murmured, "I know it's tough."

"'s easier with you guys here," she replied honestly, "I'm warm and safe even though I'm all sticky."

Jay chuckled, "We'll cool you down when we're done, okay?"

After a while, the hot water began to run cold. "How are you feeling?" Jay asked, wiping off some of the beats of sweat from Erin's forehead.

"Good," she exhaled, "I can breathe so much better." A shiver ran down her spine, "But I'm getting cold."

Jay chuckled. "We're going to get all dried off, okay? You want to watch the rest of the game?"

She nodded, "Thank you. Both of you." Erin met Will's gaze, "Will, uh, I don't know what woulda happened if you weren't there." Unwanted tears filled her eyes, "I-I thought my chest was going to burst."

Will nodded, "I'm glad I was there too," he said softly, her wrist still in his hand, "We just gotta keep you breathing easier and your heart rate down, but I have a feeling you'll be back and better than ever soon enough."

I'm a sucker for brotherly love. Let me know what you think (or if you have any requests!)