(This was before COVID, wanted to change it up a little) Ruzek was the one to lead the chase, because he was the one down the alleyway first. The others had been going the other way. Rollins had a gun, and he never knew it. 3 shots were then fired, those shots hitting Ruzek twice in the upper abdomen, and one in the lower abdomen. He went down immediately, no one had heard the shots because none of them were close enough. "Ruzek, do you copy?"Jay crackled into the radio. Atwater was the one that heard the ragged breathing coming from Ruzek through the radio. The others had met up back at their cars, but there was no sign of Adam anywhere. "Ok, here's what we'll do; me and Atwater will go the way Adam went, and Hailey and Burgess you will go the way Atwater went." Jay said.
They then went their separate ways, when Jay and Kevin reached a grassy opening, they saw Ruzek, unconscious and bleeding. "Guys we got him." Atwater said into the radio. Jay was then the one to call an ambulance. "Adam, talk to me." Atwater said, rubbing his sternum. He got no response and then Jay said, "We need to take his vest off, the bullets went through." They both then removed the vest, and then both took in the blood that was coming from 2 different spots, one of them through and through from the upper abdomen. Atwater then heard a quiet moan but then quit. It had felt like forever to take the ambulance to get there, Ruzek was getting worse by the minute. His breathing getting more ragged, pulse getting weaker. Brett and Mackey then finally showed. "What the hell happened?" Brett asked. "He went down the alleyway and chased after a suspect." Atwater said.
"His pulse was getting weaker about a minute before you got here." Jay said. Her and Mackey then placed the normal machines they did on their patients and Mackey put gauze on the wounds. "His pulse OX is in the 80's and falling." Mackey then said. "Reach in the bag and give me the ET tube and laryngoscope." Brett said. She then reached in the bag and grabbed what Brett needed and handed it to her. She then tilted his head back like the normal way they usually do, once she was in she handed the bagging to Atwater.
"Jay, we got a location on Rollins; he's at a house in Englewood." Upton's voice crackled into his radio. "See if Patrol can back up for you, Adam was shot; me and Kev's going with him to Med." he radioed back. "Ok." she said back. Brett then said "We need to get ready for transport." Mackey then walked to the ambo and grabbed the stretcher. "Jay, I'll have to go in 61." Atwater said. "I know." Jay said. Once Ruzek was loaded into the ambo, Jay then closed the doors and then ran after his own truck. Upton and Burgess had finally caught Rollins and now they were heading for Med. Meanwhile in 61, Brett was adding fresh gauze onto Ruzek's wounds. An alarm then went off, which woke Atwater up because he was in a daze.
"He's got a pneumothorax." Brett said, reaching in the bag for a needle. They had already hooked an IV up on scene, so that was hung up above Atwater's head. She then felt in between the ribs and then placed the needle in and then released the air. The alarms had now stopped and everything was back to normal. They then pulled up to Med, where Choi was waiting. Atwater let go of the bag and handed it to Mackey, now he was back in his daze. "CPD Officer Adam Ruzek, 3 GSW, 2 to upper abdomen, one being a through and through, and 1 lower abdomen, intubated on scene GCS is 3, Pulse OX now in upper 80's, BP 90/70." Brett said, informing Choi. "You're going to Baghdad." Maggie said.
He then nodded and went towards Baghdad, Atwater was still outside, but now sitting on a bench. Jay had then arrived a short few minutes later with his vest still on. He noticed Atwater on the bench spacing out, so he walked over to him and sat down on the bench. "Kev, he'll be okay, you know that," Jay said. "Yeah, but it's my fault for not going with him." Atwater said. "It's not your fault, you had to go the other way; you know that." Jay said. "Now, let's go inside." he added on. They both then stood up and went inside, they were the only 2 out of Intelligence that were already there at Med because Voight and the others were finishing up paperwork. After about an hour, the others finally showed up.
Jay was standing and Atwater was sitting because he was still in shock. Voight then walked over to Jay, "How's Kev?" he asked. "He's in shock, but he'll get there eventually." Jay said. "Jay, you are sensitive and I know that but you stayed with Kev today, I'm glad you did that." Voight said. Jay nodded as his thanks and then Marcel walked in the room. "Adam's condition as of right now is critical, he lost so much blood and his Pulse OX is still so low, so I had to keep him on the vent. His spleen was shredded, one of the bullets nicked an artery, that was just from the 1st and 3rd bullet, but the 2nd one hardly did damage." Marcel said.
"Can we see him?" Burgess asked. "Yeah, just follow me." The others followed Marcel except for Jay and Atwater. Jay then looked over his shoulder and noticed Atwater was still in a daze, so he asked, "Kev you okay?" When he never got an answer, he saw Atwater crumple to the ground, he then made eye contact with Choi. Choi then ran over and then a nurse followed him. "Get him in Trauma 3 and start an IV, he's probably dehydrated." Choi said. Jay stayed with Atwater because he had been with him all day, and he wanted to keep it that way.
After about 2 hours Atwater started to come to, Jay was still standing. "What happened?" he asked. "You collapsed in the waiting room, you were dehydrated, you know you could have drank something?" Jay said. "Yeah, but I was worried about Adam." Atwater said. "We all were, the others are still up there now." Jay said. It had been a long day at Med, Jay knew that so he had to go home sometime so he could get rest.
Once Atwater's IV bag was now empty, Choi released him, so now he had to wait on the papers. A nurse then came in 45 minutes later with the release papers and Atwater signed them and then he stood up. The others had already been gone by now, that gave Jay and Atwater some time. When Atwater was the first to walk in, there were machines surrounded by Ruzek's bed, and ones that were all familiar to him and Jay. Ruzek's hair was now flat, his skin pale; a ventilator covering part of his chest, and a gown draped underneath. They could only stay for an hour, they both knew that.
They couldn't decide on who would stay at the hospital, because they all were busy, especially Atwater because he always had to take care of personal things. But they would all come by when they could because they tried to fit time in to go and see Ruzek. Jay and Atwater then went home, Jay dropped Atwater off at his place since his car was still at the district where he rode with Ruzek to the scene. Once Atwater was dropped off, Jay went home himself because he was also tired. His feet were also hurting him at the same time because he was standing all day.
It had been 2 weeks since everything happened, Adam was now off the vent. Everyone had been by more than once, but stayed for an hour because Voight always called them away on a case. After 3 weeks, Ruzek finally woke up; Atwater was the one there at the time because Voight didn't need him for anything else. He heard a groan so he looked up, "Woah Ruz, take it easy there bud." he said. Ruzek was in pain and he knew that. The morphine that Marcel gave him ran out, so Atwater would eventually have to ask the nurse to get some more. "Why does my side hurt?" he said, wincing when he was moving. "Because, 3 different bullets hit you, and 2 of them only did damage." Atwater said.
Atwater then got a nurse about 30 minutes later and told her that Ruzek was out of morphine, so the nurse gave him more and he was back asleep immediately. Upton then came by an hour later, she noticed that Ruzek shifted a little and was knocked out. "Did he wake up?" she asked. "Yeah, he woke up about an hour ago and was in pain; so the nurse gave him more morphine and he's been out ever since." he said. She then walked on the other side of the bed and started running his hair through her fingers. Ruzek never moved because he was in a deep enough sleep that he couldn't hear anyone walking towards the bed.
After about another hour, Ruzek finally woke from his drugged state of mind. "Well, hello there sleeping beauty." Upton said, who was now sitting in a chair. "When did you get here?" he asked. "An hour ago." Upton said. "Did the pain go away?" Atwater asked. "Yeah, I'll push the button when I need more." Ruzek said. They then talked for another hour until visiting hours were over.
After about another couple days, Ruzek was finally released. Atwater then got a change of clothes from his apartment and then gave them to Ruzek so he could change into them. Once he was finally out of the hospital, Atwater dropped him off at his apartment and then left once he was inside. Marcel had given Ruzek pain pills so it could help him with the pain, but he probably didn't need them that often. After about a week's rest, Ruzek was finally back to work. Burgess had dropped off Ruzek's car when he was in the hospital so he could at least have a car to drive. Once Ruzek was back in the district, Trudy was the first one to stop him, "Hey Adam, don't get shot again; you hear me?" she said. "Yeah, Yeah I know." he said.
He then buzzed into the bullpen and walked up the stairs. Everyone then greeted him and then they were back to work on the cases.