I started a 'Challenge me daily' on Tumblr and this particular prompt was sent in by girlinlotsoffandoms ... so she totally gets all the blame for this!

Fair warning... it's a bit of a doozy but it's HEA!

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from the One Chicago World.

Don't go

Beep. Beep. Beep

Critical but stable.

That is all the doctors could tell him. They had nothing more than those three words and that sympathetic look in their eyes. They always hated it when one of their own was on the other side and the Halsteads were family.

All Jay could do was sit in the uncomfortable chair beside his wife's bed and watch her fight for her life. There was absolutely no doubt that she was fighting because that was exactly who his wife was. Hailey would fight because they had come too far, gone through too much to lose it all now. And yet seeing his brave, strong wife now looking pale and fragile against the hospital sheets nearly shattered Jay.

Hailey was hooked up to a few machines as well as an IV drip and an intubation tube. She didn't just look pale, she looked gaunt and near life-less and that frightened Jay. He held her hand in his, rubbing over where her wedding ring had been.

"Hails, you gotta wake up. Please. I ... don't go where I can't follow..." Jay begged, bringing her hand to his lips and pressing a lingering kiss there.

He had been begging and pleading the moment she had been brought back from surgery. They had removed the bullet but it had done a lot of damage and an amalgamation of other factors that Jay could barely keep track of, had led to Hailey fighting for her life.

Beep. Beep. Beep.

The doctors had done their best, Jay knew that but it didn't feel like it was enough. Nothing felt like it was going to be enough until she woke again.

Jay dropped his head to the bed, his eyes closing for just a moment when everything went wrong.

Beep. Beep. Be-

The machines cried out loudly, Jay looked up to the one monitoring her heart to see it going completely haywire. He gripped her hand and was about to scream for help - he was certain he already did when the room was flooded with people. Doctor Choi was there and Maggie and others that Jay couldn't register because all he knew was that his wife was dying.

"Hailey!" Jay cried. He didn't let go of her hand. He refused to let go. This was his wife and to hell with death do them part.

He felt a wave of deep anger grow in him. It built with vehemence as he watched with horror and more fear than he had ever felt in his life. The machines were practically screaming at them and atop that, Ethan and the nurses were now scrambling around calling out.

Jay merely stood there, watching helpless and afraid.

It shouldn't have been Hailey on that bed. If they had worked just a little faster, a little better, they would have caught the guy and Hailey would never have been shot.

"She's coding," someone said as they rolled the necessary equipment into place.

"Hails," he sobbed so softly he was certain no one around him heard. Not with the chaos that was currently going on.

There was a distinct noise as she flatlined and that was all Jay could register. He dove toward the bed, uncaring for the others around them.

"No! Hails! Please! Don't do this!" Jay cried. Someone tried to pull him back but he roughly threw them off. "Hailey!"

His scream echoed in the small room and Jay was sharply pulled back as a nurse took his place by Hailey's bed. He refused to go any further, not wanting to let Hailey out of his sight for even a second. Too afraid of what might happen if he did.

He kept telling himself he could watch over her here like he was supposed to do earlier. He would do a better job protecting her even though she would instantly roll her eyes telling him she didn't need protection.

"Clear!" Ethan called and they all stood back waiting for something to happen.

But nothing did.

They waited for a beat more and Jay grew more afraid and impatient.

"Do something!" He yelled at Ethan. "Do something now! Before she -" he choked up and could only scowl at the doctors around him. "Save her!"

"We're doing everything we can!" Ethan assured him but it was not enough.

Jay tried reaching for Ethan but not before he felt someone grab him from behind.

"Jay!" he could barely recognise his brother's voice from his haze. "Jay! C'mon, let them work! Jay!"

"Get him out of here!" Ethan ordered. Jay refused to move, unable to tear his eyes away from Hailey. Will had a firm hold on him but it was too much that he should be in the room right then.

Jay's refusal to help wasn't necessarily helping the doctors as they scrambled around her.

Will tried to get Jay to move, he shouldn't have seen this, but Jay didn't move. All he did was turn to his big brother with a look that broke Will's heart. There were a lot of urgent orders being called out in terms Jay couldn't understand but what he could see was that Hailey was not responding yet.

"Will, get him out of here!" Ethan said. "Now!"

It only took Jay a moment later to feel his brother's arms around him as he was all but dragged from the room.

"Hailey!" Jay cried against his brother as they stood outside the room. His throat had closed in and he felt like he couldn't breathe.

"I've got you, Jay," Will reassured him softly. "I've got you, brother."

Jay sucked in a breath and then choked out a sob. Wrecked with anguish, he didn't refuse his brother as Will pulled him in for a hug.

"She was fine … what … how?" Jay let out a strangled sob. "Will, if she …"

"No, don't say that," Will quickly stopped him.

Jay pushed himself away from Will, running his hands through his hair in angry frustration. The others on the floor looked at them with something akin to pity. No doubt they would have heard the commotion just moments ago.

"She wasn't supposed to be there," Jay muttered. He leaned back against the wall, feeling like all the strength had left his body. "But she insisted! and in the mess of everything I lost her until it was too late."

He shook his head, but the image of how he found Hailey; shot and bleeding on the dirty floor would not leave his mind. Jay sucked in a deep breath as if he had been punched before his legs gave out and he sank to the floor. He was grateful that the wall behind him had held him up for so long.

"Jay!" Will called alarmed, rushing to him. He sank to his hunches, in front of his brother, a hand on his shoulder.

Jay shook his head, burying his face into his hands, unable to see anything but Hailey on the ground; that beautiful blonde hair that he had wrapped around his fingers that very morning was now tainted red.

"You can't think like that," Will said softly. "Hailey wouldn't want you blaming yourself. She would hate it. You know that." he squeezed Jay's shoulder. "She would hate that because you know she's a good cop, and she knows the risks. Don't take that away from her."

Jay looked up at him, his eyes ringed red. "What do I do?" he asked, his voice broken and barely above a whisper.

Will didn't know what to say at first. Not with his brother looking at him so helpless. What more was there left for them to do?

"Pray, Jay. Ask mum for help. You were always her favourite. She won't say no," He finally answered. "She was always saying one for us when we were kids. Maybe she'll hear you now," he rambled on a little bit. But it was enough to give Jay something else to focus on.

"I feel like that's all I have been doing!" Jay finally managed to say. "She can't ..." he stuttered looking back into Hailey's room. "I wouldn't survive it..."

"Don't ..." Will started but he couldn't give his brother false hope. That would be too cruel. He too looked back at Hailey's room and felt his heart break a little more.

Will had been given the distinct honour of watching his brother and Hailey fall in love. He had never known Jay to be so happy or so sure of anything but for the way in which he loved Hailey.

He gave Jay's shoulder another squeeze, waiting for his brother to look at him. "I … I can't promise you that everything is going to be alright, but I can promise that we are doing everything we can for her right now."

Jay sighed, rubbing a hand over his face. "I know you are," his voice was small and as vulnerable as Will had ever heard it. "I just hate not being able to help."

"You are helping." Will squeezed his shoulder, hoping his little brother believed that. "You are here and that's all she needs from you right now."

"It doesn't feel like it's enough."

It was Will's turn to sigh. "It never does."

A moment later Ethan joined them outside. On unsteady feet, Jay rose with Will at his side. He used the wall to steady himself as he tried to regain his strength. They both looked at Ethan, almost dreading the worst.

"She's okay now," he told them." But we're still not out of the woods yet."

All Jay could do was nod as his gaze slipped back to Hailey's prone form.

"That's good, Jay." He heard Will saying. "She's strong."

"Can I ..." he gestured to the room and Ethan nodded stepping out of the way. Before he could enter though he turned back and called Ethan, "I'm sorry … about earlier I –"

"Don't worry about it," the good doctor told him kindly. He gave Jay an understanding look before turning towards the nurses' station.

Will nodded and joined Ethan as Jay turned back to Hailey's room. He went in with quiet, almost hesitant steps. The machines were beeping at a steady pace once more and that was some small reassurance. At her bedside, he reached for her hand, slipping it in his. He hated that she couldn't squeeze back like she always did. It felt empty and wrong. But he didn't let go. Instead, he kept their hands pressed together, his thumb rubbing over her pulse point. He took a moment to calm himself, matching his breathing with the slow beeping of Hailey's machine. His breathing was now in sync with her heartbeat. As it always had been.

"God Hailey," He whispered. "Don't do that. Please don't scare me like that." He leaned forward and pressed a kiss to her forehead. "I love you and I need you to come back because I'm not done loving you." His next please was muffled against her skin as he brought her hand up to his lips. Tears slipped down his cheeks but he didn't care to wipe them away.

He sat at his wife's bedside, praying as his brother had suggested and he hoped with everything he had in him that someone was listening.

Don't go.

Will had come back around to check on Hailey and Jay in the very early hours of the morning. The others had suggested he go home but there was no chance of that. Not when he knew Jay would not be leaving and there was no way he was going to leave his brother alone.

Jay was strong, always had been. He had survived a war, became a tough badass no-nonsense cop and handled everything in between. But seeing Hailey flatlining had nearly destroyed Jay and that in turn nearly killed Will. He supposed there was only so much a man could take after all. Will hadn't been nearly as good of a big brother as Jay had deserved but things had greatly improved in the recent years.

They were a family now. They celebrated anniversaries, holidays and birthdays together. They met every other weekend to catch a game or share a meal; his favourite was always when Hailey cooked her delicious Greek cuisine. They made the time and the effort and their once broken little family didn't seem so broken or so little anymore.

Slipping into Hailey's room, he found Jay, as he had been a few hours earlier, at Hailey's bedside. His hand grasped hers as he was reclining in the horribly uncomfortable chair. He was asleep – finally – and Will had no intentions of waking him. Instead, he took a seat on the other side of Hailey's bed.

"Uhm… " he started uncertainly glancing over at his brother. Jay was still out like a light so Will looked back at Hailey, "I … I don't know what to say, Hailey. I uh – I don't make it a habit of speaking to my comatose patients but then again you're not my patient. You're my family."

He felt his throat tighten at that thought because it was true. She was his family. And not just because she was Jay's wife. Hailey had taken the time to develop a relationship with Will and he had grown to love her over the years. It was easy given how happy she made Jay. But apart from that, she was also a part of the family that had developed amongst the first responders in Chicago. They all knew the dangers of this job and nobody wanted to be where Jay was right now.

Jay's shoes scuffed slightly against the floor as he fidgeted in his sleep and Will paused, taking a breath, before continuing.

"You're the most important person in Jay's life. All you have to do is just pull through." He shook his head slightly and then ran a hand over his face, tiredly. "Jay loves you, more than anything. We both know he wouldn't survive if anything happened to you. Look, I know you must be tired but you can't give up. Please Hailey… please don't go. I know it might be selfish to ask but you gotta stay. For Jay."

His voice broke then, unable to ask anything more of her. But as he sat there watching his brother sleeping, Will realized there was still someone whom he could ask. Without overthinking it he rose from his chair and left the room, not before pulling a blanket over Jay.

It didn't take him long before he was at his new destination. The beautiful thing about the chapel was that at 2 am it was blessedly empty. He took a seat in one of the pews, his arms falling onto the one in front of him. He tried not to feel silly about what he was about to do. It had been too long and he wondered if it was nothing more than pure desperation. He wasn't overly religious. Neither was Jay, but their mother had been. He remembered the prayers she would say with them before she tucked them in every night. Sunday church that had been non-negotiable up until they left home. He vividly remembered the prayers she would say for Jay when he was deployed. And above all, he remembered the faith she carried in her without question or hesitation. Even when she got sick, her faith had always been there.

Hence the chapel at 2 am.

"Mom," he whispered. "I know you're watching. You always are. You've seen how far he's come. Jay was lost for so long and I thought I'd never get my brother back. I probably should have done more but I didn't and I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." He tried not to break down thinking of how disappointed his mother must have been at Will for not being there when Jay needed him. He couldn't afford himself that guilt right now. So he ploughed on. "But you can't let him go through losing his wife. God, he loves her so much. Hailey is everything to him. I know you'd love her." Will smiled thinking about that. How both he and Jay wished their mom had been around to meet the important women in their lives. "She's amazing mom. A damn good cop and she loves Jay. Better than any of us ever could. She gets him, understands him in all the little ways no one else does." He ran a hand over his mouth, almost wishing he could stop himself now but it was too late. He had opened the floodgates, and he just prayed his mother heard him. "Please, mom. This is our family. Hailey is family and we can't lose her. Don't take her away from Jay."

It was all he had in him and so he simply sat back in the pew, silently asking his mother for one last favour.

Save Hailey.

When Jay woke again, it was to an awful crick in his neck and the blinding light of the hospital. He squinted, slowly sitting up in the chair as he registered soft voices in the room. A murmur and then something squeezed his hand. Jay froze and then immediately looked up.

Hailey was looking back at him.

Ethan was standing on the other side, looking down at the charts but all he could see was that Hailey was awake.

"Hailey," he breathed.

She looked at him with tears in her eyes. "Jay," she called softly and he was out of his chair in an instant.

He brought her hand up to kiss it and then leaned down, his fingers burying into her hair as he pressed his forehead against hers. Her hand squeezed his again almost reassuring him it wasn't a dream.

"You're awake," he needlessly said. "I … is she okay?" he immediately thought to ask Ethan.

Ethan gave them a small smile. "She is in the clear for now, but it will be a slow recovery," he warned.

Jay nodded looking back down at Hailey. "There's no rush." At his words, he smiled, feeling a true sense of hope for the first time in days. It felt warm and familiar and Jay didn't waste time questioning it.

He barely registered Ethan leaving them as he focused his gaze on Hailey. Taking in every little detail of her. She still looked a little pale but the intubation tube was gone replaced only by the nasal cannula. More importantly, there was a hint of a smile lingering on her lips and her blue eyes crinkled as her smile grew. It was more than enough for now.

Jay leaned forward and pressed a delicate almost barely-there kiss to her lips. Hailey sighed before pressing her lips a little more firmly against his. He took the hint and kissed her back with a little less restraint. As Jay pulled away, he placed another kiss on her lips and then one to her forehead.

"I love you."

Hailey smiled. "I love you," her voice a little scratchy. Her hand rose to cup his cheek and she could feel the stubble against her fingers. "Y-you hate hospitals but still you stayed the whole time."

"Of course. You're my whole heart, Hailey. Where else would I be?"

"Thank you," she whispered even though she didn't need to. "I – I don't know what happened."

Jay shook his head. "It's okay. We can talk about that later." Hailey nodded and Jay brushed the hair away from her face. "You scared me, Hails."

"I know. I'm sorry."

Jay pressed another kiss to her lips, his fingers grazing her cheek ever so delicately. It had been a mistake to look at Hailey then, with everything so visible at the surface. There was no way he could hide it from her.

"What is it?" she asked. He clenched his jaw unwilling to worry her when she just woke. But Hailey didn't accept that. "Jay?"

He took a deep breath, before he said, "Your heart stopped Hails."

"W-what?"

"You coded … and your heart stopped. Ethan was able to start it up again but …" he trailed off closing his eyes as he pressed his forehead against hers.

"Oh, Jay."

"I go where you go remember?" he asked and she nodded, "so please don't do that again."

"Do what?"

"Go where I can't follow," he told her earnestly. "It's you and me. Always."

"You and me," Hailey repeated, placing a kiss on his lips. "Always."

They pressed themselves together, savouring the feel of each other. Jay was whispering into Hailey's ear and she simply held him as tightly as she could. They didn't see Will lingering at the door.

But he didn't even think to intrude on them. He was simply grateful for the sight before him. As Will took a step back, smiling as broadly as he had ever done, he looked skyward and whispered, "Thanks, mom."

AN: Well ... i really hope I haven't hurt you too much but if your soul is in search of some soothing might i suggest "she's her daddy's girl, her momma's world" by girlinlotsoffandoms. If there is anything that can cure a broken heart it's Maya Severide!

The Challenge me daily is still open so please don't be shy! Drop a prompt or chat with me on Tumblr lady-rhaesnow

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Stay safe friends!