Chapter 2- Shaping the Evil Masterpiece

I'm loving reading all your ideas! Love seeing your insight into what's going. Some of you are going in the right direction, but you might get a better grasp of things after this chapter. I must warn this is one of those chapters where things will look a little different. Sections that are italicized are things that happened in the past. Characters names that are centered refer to their separate interviews with Dr. Charles. Alright, now that all of that is out of the way, let's get this chapter underway.

Kim

"Weird?! I mean he's always distant. You get used to the dead stares and times where he goes inward, but that's Jay. He's been that way for as long as I've known him. He's so dedicated to what he does he has the tendency to take it home. But we all do really. So the fact he was doing it more and more wasn't that noticeable till Hailey asked me about it a few months ago."

Adam

"He's usually the one that breaks up fights in the group. It happens from time to time. We all get so invested that we just have to let steam off, or if someone gets in our way and it really pisses us off…yeah. But Jay has never done that…well, not before that time. He's always the one to jump in and remind us to focus on the cases. So just the fact he went off like that was very odd, scary almost. And then when he wouldn't stop and back off, that's when I knew things were off."

Kevin

"The coming into work totally shaved was the moment I knew he needed help. For a guy that hasn't changed his style since the day I started working with him, coming in like that just so abruptly. I just got the bad feeling things weren't alright with him."

Hank

"I should've let him go months ago. He'd show up late, if at all. Even when he did he'd be silent or yell at everyone. It was always one or the other. Then there was the talking to himself, speaking in a language I didn't understand, if it even was an actual language. Looking back I can see where my looking out, overseer attitude hurt him. But on the flip side, if I had let him go I wonder if yesterday would've been worse. Would he have gone all the way without no one to intervene. That's what's keeping me up these last couple of nights."

"What was the first physical or emotional sign that he was different," Dr. Charles asked?

Kim

"Oh, good question…he kept getting sick."

Adam

"He ran me out of Advil every week. I swear towards the end he was experiencing a never ending headache."

Kevin

"He was at home struggling with headaches every couple of weeks. Like clockwork he'd come in to work the first half of the month, the second half you'd barely see him."

Hank

"He threw up in the break room one time from a migraine. It was during flu season so I sent him home right away."

Dr. Charles himself was about to get a headache from hearing the same thing over and over again. There was so much fluff and nonsense to endure during long interviews like today, but now it was up to him to dig in, sift out the pointless points for substantial matter. The thing he wrote in bold on a clean notepad was a chronic headaches, starting close to a year from the episode yesterday. From there he spent the next couple hours comparing and contrasting stories, wording, demeanors in how they all told their side of Jay Halstead's fateful tale. All knew he was different, all figured they should've helped him before what happened, but none took that initial step. Everyone that is except Will, but even then he couldn't make the move to physically step in for his brother when he truly needed it. He was distant, drastic, saying gibberish and acting way out of character. Piece that with headaches and Daniel was drawing a blank. He had ideas, but none of them fit all the puzzle pieces.

Setting the pen down, Daniel groaned as he massaged his temples. He loved his job, but this was the tough part of it, making sense out of the indescribable aspect of the human mind. Looking at his watch told him it was close to 1am, well after when he should've gone home, given this a break so he could have fresh eyes the following day. But something in him couldn't step away. He had to figure this out. Jay desperately needed it, as did Will and Intelligence and pretty much the entire Chicago Police Department. What happened yesterday was gaining traction, people wanting answers for how a decorated detective and former Army Ranger could do what he did. It seemed unfair to rest while everything else was restless. He was just about to get up and pour himself a cup of coffee when his phone lit up, catching him by surprise.

"This is Daniel."

"Dr. Charles. We're having trouble with the patient. Ripped out an IV and is refusing treatment. I think you need to come here and get him to cooperate."

"I'll be up in a few minutes." Flipping the coffee machine off, Dr. Charles gathered his lab coat and notepad before jogging to the elevator. He didn't expect to get anything out of the patient, but on the off chance he finally spoke he wanted write it all down. More then likely it would be utter nonsense, but Dr. Charles prayed something would crack through.

…

It was understandable why patients refer to the psyche ward as a prison. If it wasn't the locked, heavy steel doors that required passcode clearance, then surely it was the drab decor choices that hinted that one wouldn't be allowed to freely come and go as they pleased. Perhaps the layout of the typical hospital room is what sealed the deal. The bedding that was handed out only at night and removed the next morning, or the lack of a bathroom or window or any glass walls that other wings of the hospital had. The door was another heavy, bolted rolling door that had no handle on the inside, also needing passcode entrance. But maybe the always watching camera, whenever patients finally found it, that became the not-so-friendly reminder that as miserable and confusing their life currently felt, this place wasn't going to be any type of vacation or comfortable stay. It was a long, prying, terrifying, difficult stint almost always coming after the worst moment in someone's life. If this crazy thing called life was worth gutting out, then maybe a smiling face would work some magic up here.

Dr. Charles was aware of the scary aspect of this floor, had heard it from basically every patient that this place made them want to end things more then want to live. But all that was on this floor was necessary. It was the lack of trust and credibility that had them being treated as prisoners. Once they established a reputation for wanting to get better, then they moved to the slightly sunnier side of things. But tonight, Daniel was on his way to the bowels of the ward, the heaviness and dark nature of what was living here making even the brightest lightbulb seem like dim dinner lighting. Along the way he heard screams, crying, random yelling of nothing echoing past the doors and littering the hallway. He'd grown accustomed to this noise by now, no longer surprised that it happened at 1am. People pretty much never slept, apart from medical intervention. As he approached Jay's door he heard the pleas for help, the desperate shout to be left alone and to not touch him. By the time Daniel got to the door a nurse was just about storming out, beyond fed up with Jay and his habitual refusal of anything. Now looking at his patient, Dr. Charles felt the beginnings of pity and helplessness. Jay was curled into a ball on his side, the right arm expose to the world. The blood dripping down it wasn't the scariest part of his appearance. Now knowing a little more about life leading up to yesterday, he noticed the change in his body. The jittery flinches and constant shaking, his eyes were flying in circles in their sockets, let's not forget the mouth muttering something only he could comprehend and hear. He was like an addict coming off a big bad high, but for Jay this was a culmination of his mind working entirely against him. More then anything Dr. Charles wished there was a magic drug and therapy session that could restore the Jay of old. But life didn't work that way. At this point things were all trial and error, the hope of something resembling normal life happening at some point.

"Jay, can you tell me what's going on?" It was like Daniel hadn't just spoke, Jay's antics and muttering cruising along just as they were before the question. Dr. Charles moved further into the room, kneeling down to become eye level, not liking what he saw when he got close. Jay's eyes, despite their bright green hue, were clouded and dark, as if a soul had run for the hills. For lack of a better description he was a robot being operated by some unknown demon. How could you not feel awful for him?

"Jay," Dr. Charles gently spoke while placing a hand on his leg, that being what brought some part of him back to the hospital room. Jay sprung to life, immediately slapping Daniel away and rolling to the other side. Daniel didn't move as he spoke, fully aware he was speaking to a back.

"Do you remember what you signed yesterday?"

"Duress. Dur-dur-duress. You can't legally hold me here. You can't keep me here." Even the voice wasn't his anymore, very monotone and sharp. Nothing about him was like the badass detective he'd come to respect.

"Jay, we can hold you here. We are trying to help you. You're very sick and we'd like to make you feel better. Wouldn't you like to feel better?" Jay moved from shaking to scratching himself, aggressively and digging into his skin. It was apparent he spent the day biting his nails into points, therefore able to draw blood. He kept saying 'I'm trying,' as his hands raced up and down an opposite arm. Daniel realized the blood on his arm was from the ripping out of an IV and this self-harm habit.

"Jay, you're hurting yourself. Stop!"

"I'm trying. I'm trying. I'm trying," he kept rattling off, faster and more frantic then before. Dr. Charles forewent the wish to not be touched, grabbing both wrists. That one made Jay a flailing, cursing mess of a person.

"Let me go you fucking bastard! I'll have your job for this! You have the virus and you want to kill me!"

"Someone get a shot of Haldol," Dr. Charles cried to the hallway. There was no way he was getting anything out of Jay tonight. Every since he was forcibly committed he kept saying something about a virus, that he couldn't get it or that he didn't want to infect people, the story always changed slightly. Tears were steaming down his face, the fear genuine and distance very real. Dr. Charles did his best to keep an arm outstretched enough for a nurse to inject the instant sedative.

"Let me leave, don't give me the virus," was Jay's final cry that night, his body going completely limp within a minute. This was why Hailey, Will, everyone wasn't allowed to see Jay just yet. He was a ghost, demon possessed monster living on earth.

"Restraints, arms and legs. Will is to never find out we did that. Get another IV line started and get him going on the level 1 drug regime. Also set up a brain scan. We need to figure what's going on in that mind of his, fast." People raced off to fulfill orders, giving Dr. Charles a few seconds alone with Jay. A single stroke to the smooth head was all the comfort he could provide. It was like watching a son go through torture. Daniel now realized why none of them pushed for help. We never expect family to end up like this, certainly are never as sick as they really are. Most of the time family and friends accept that their loved one is different at a grave. The fact Jay was here was a miracle, but my how bleak and clouded his future looked at this point.

…

"Brain scan came back normal."

"Okay…is it terrible that I'm disappointed in that?" Dr. Charles chuckled. Doctors, they always wanted quick and visible solutions. If there was something going on with a change in personality and demeanor, they always jumped to brain tumors as being the only possible reason. It wasn't entirely their fault, it's what they were trained to think. So when they had to enter this invisible, lengthy world of psychotherapy, they were never quite comfortable and would question results every step of the way. So to hear Will's reaction to his brother's mind being tumor free went right along with how he pictured it would.

"No, it's exactly how I expected you to react." Will sat back in the chair, foregoing the couch this time around. This morning he brought his own drinks and snacks: coffee and granola bar. He was scheduled to work a shift later in the day, making him first up for follow-up discussions.

"So now what," Will asked through a sip of coffee.

"We keep discussing life leading up to the events of the other day."

"How did he sleep last night?" Dr. Charles thunked his pen on the pad, looking up to Will with annoyed eyes.

"Will I cannot tell you that. You know this by now."

"Daniel, I'm his family."

"Will, please understand the delicacy surrounding this case, all that is hanging on a diagnosis. You cannot see him and I'm certainly not going to give you updates. That will show favoritism to those looking over all of this." Will sighed, he knew he was stepping out of line but there was no way he wasn't going to keep pressing.

"So what's the talk today?"

"Tell me a little more about the fight you two had before the events of November 2nd." Will's head hung low, chin really resting on his chest. Will deeply inhaled before exhaling through his mouth, you could smell the tension in the room. Putting his drink down first, Will crossed a leg before sitting against the arm of the chair. Uncomfortable is the best way to depict Will Halstead.

"How much do you want to know?"

"All of it. Where were you two, what happened leading up to the fight, what did both of you say. Don't leave anything out and certainly don't change anything. I'm not here for judgement, but to fully understand Jay at that point in time." Will nodded, cupping his hands together in his lap before looking up to speak.

"It was the Friday night before. Hailey and Hank and Trudy all texted me that day, basically begging for me to talk to Jay. Apparently he'd finally showed up to work but did not speak a word. Nothing. Not when he was told to head out on an assignment, not when everyone was discussing the fact he stood up in the middle of a shootout and stood in place, not even when Trudy berated him for being so careless. He was dead quiet, as they all told me, he was physically present but mentally in another place. They were all convinced he was on drugs or something, telling me to do a one-on-one intervention."

"And did you believe all that they were telling you?" Will shifted his weight in his seat. None of this felt right, the continuation of talking about Jay without him present. Furthermore, the complete unpacking of his deepest, darkest moments. It wasn't anyone's place to share these things, but somehow emptying the closet was going to solve some grand mystery. Will could feel the hesitation from Daniel, knowing that he was about to pry again.

"Yes."

"Why is that?"

"Because of the time he showed to my door at 3:30 in the morning with large patches of hair missing. He wasn't sleepwalking or drunk or in a PTSD episode. He was very much coherent and normal, but kept talking in a language or way that I didn't understand. It was so quick and repetitive that I think only he could even decode what he was saying."

"So you were the one that helped finish the shaving."

"Not…exactly…"

"Jay, what the hell happened to you?" He was convinced his brother lost a bet, some whacked drunk game that he bet his appearance on just to get a one-up on something. He was out of breath, flustered, very much in a manic episode. The pupils were blasted open, his eyes racing in their sockets, the mouth was moving but very little sound was coming out. Jay didn't even look up at his brother, didn't acknowledge, but instead shoved him out of the way and began breaking into anything that resembled a cabinet. Foyer table, kitchen cabinets, tables and bookshelves in the living room. Will felt like he was watching a robber break in and destroy as he just stood by and let it happen.

"Jay!" Will grabbed his brother on both arms, full on dragging and turning him around before flipping him against the wall. Despite all of this, Jay still refused to make eye contact, looking past Will and to the place he really wanted to be.

"Did you run here? Why are you sweating? And what happened?"

"Will, I don't have time. I only have…three minutes left." Jay glanced down to his wrist at a watch that wasn't there.

"Three minutes to what?"

"Before things get very bad. I'm trying to save you and everyone! Just let me go for a second." Towards the end you could hear emotions crackling over Jay's message, writhing in Will's stranglehold to let him go. Will was fully aware this was a bad idea, but in a sound asleep stupor he released his grip, watching Jay spring to life. He full on jogged into the bathroom, the sounds of things crashing and falling going for several seconds.

"Oh thank God," Jay called. The sound of buzzing took Will' stomach to the floor and eyes to almost burst free.

"Jay! What are you doing?" Will flipped the light switch on to see Jay grinding the electric razor into his head, moving jaggedly front the front to the back. It was so out of line for Jay that Will was petrified, looking at this almost demonic thing in front of him.

"Turn the light off!" Jay slapped Will, pointing to the light switch and insisting he get away. Will was beside himself, standing outside in the hallway as he listed to Jay wince and curse when he jammed the razor too deep. At some point the buzzing stopped, Jay puffing hair out of his mouth as he put everything away. Only when the place was spotless did he open the bathroom door and greet Will, who's mouth was on the floor over what was looking back at him.

"Sorry, man. I'll clean everything up."

"Jay, you need to tell me what's going on. Are you in trouble? Are you going into witness protection and needing to change your identity? You really don't think I'm going to ask why you stormed into my place and did…that?" Will gestured to Jay's head, too shocked to speak what had just happened.

"Will, I can't say anything. But just know it's for everyone own good. I'm doing it so you don't get affected."

"So you're going under cover?" Jay shook his head, moving room to room in a worried paced as he put things back. Will wasn't sure what else to do other then follow, afraid what Jay might do when he was by himself again.

"Will, just trust me. It's all going to be fine soon." Only when everything was back in its' place did Jay finally look right at Will, shrugging his shoulders and putting hands in his pocket. It appeared the manic that was there before had died down enough to allow him to act upset.

"I'm sorry I stormed in here. See you." And with that Jay jogged off, not looking back and noticing that Will was in the middle of the hallway with one hand on his hip and the other over his face. There was no denying it anymore, something was wrong with Jay.

"And when was that," Daniel asked? Will jolted at the doctor's interruption to his thoughts, almost forgetting that he was retelling a story, not living it over again.

"About a month before the fight." "Okay, so I'm guessing he kept the routine up since he's here without a lick of hair on him."

"Yeah, and it kept getting worse." "So tell me about the fight last Friday night." Will hoped the first story he told would've moved them away from this one, because looking back he felt so guilty for saying the things he said.

"Take your time," Dr. Charles encouraged, placing a hand on Will's shoulder for comfort and confidence. Will nodded, closing his eyes as he began.

"I went to confront him about what was going on. In the past, silence was the PTSD acting up…"

"Hey…Jay." His brother was plucking eyebrows out one at a time, using blunt tweezers so that along with an eyebrow came skin. He was sporting red points where brow used to be, falling head first down the rabbit hole of insanity.

"What are you doing now?! Please put those down." Jay rolled his eyes, turning away from the front door and headed further into the apartment.

"I got a lot of text messages about you today. Do you want to talk about it?" Will slowly walked further into the apartment, become more troubled by the footfall. If there weren't clothes on the floor then dishes and papers were everywhere. Will stood in complete and utter shock at the Sharpie scribbled all over a wall, pictures drawing out violence and curse words littering the outlines of the abstract handwritten art. The further you got to the middle, you came to a single word written over and over again. The word was written in haste, making the handwriting difficult to read. But Will could sort of make it out.

"What is Rona? Or who is it?" That one brought Jay back to life, darting from wherever he was and in front of Will in the blink of an eye.

"You can't see that," Jay spoke, calmly but quickly throwing pillows and a chair up against the wall. He only covered up the bottom half of things, nodding as he backed away.

"Jay, what is going on? You're falling apart at work. Everyone is scared to be around you. You get into fights. You're not eating like you used to and now you're removing every inch of hair on your body. Jay, you need help. Tell me what's going on so I can help."

"No. I'm fine. I just got caught up in this case and it's taking awhile to finish. Once it's done I can explain everything."

"Jay, what kind of case makes you do all of this to yourself?"

"One that was given to me by the top."

"The top?!"

"Yeah, like the bosses of everything. They said I couldn't tell anyone but I would save everyone if I get it completed."

"Jay, this sounds crazy." Jay scoffed, throwing the tweezers at Will before storming off. Will darted out of the way as the instrument just grazed his eye. Violence, this was new territory for Jay. Especially against his own family.

"They said everyone would say that!" He was in the bedroom now, throwing clothes at an invisible bag.

"Jay! You need help, you're on some top secret mission that makes you become something everyone is terrified of? This is not real." Will observed Jay fold clothing perfectly into a pile before miming the zipping of a bag and picking it up. At this point Will was totally in on the assumption that Jay was on something.

"Yeah, which is why they gave it to me! They knew I could do it because everyone else would say no." Will took a breath, stepping back in an effort to reclaim some kind of control on this. His plan was to come here and talk Jay into going home with him for the night. Right now he wanted to strap his brother into the car and check him into the closest metal institution.

"Jay, just give me a general idea of what this is all about." "No, I can't say anything."

"Jay, it's just you and I and I won't say anything to anyone."

"No, they're always watching. Making sure I don't break cover or mess up." Will groaned in frustrating, throwing his head back as Jay walked towards the front door.

"Where are you going?"

"It's clear none of you want me around. Why else would they send you to talk to me. You all think I've lost it, gone crazy. Whatever. I don't care anymore. I have to get this done and I don't care what you guys think." "Jay, can you even see why we might think that? Look around, look at you! This is not normal. You're literally insane and out of control right now. Tell me what is going on, now!" Jay flung his nonexistent bag on the floor, releasing his grip on the door handle.

"Sit on the couch," he told Will as he went to each window, making sure all windows were locked and curtains drawn. After that he closed all vents in the apartment, walking the perimeter a final time before time. The whole thing took five minutes, in that time Will in the process of texting everyone that he might need backup.

"There's a virus out there. One that is like the flu, but a lot worse. We don't know how it's spreading or where it's coming from, but they say it's gets spread by hair follicles."

"Wait, did you say virus?" Will glared at Daniel, finding it rude he had to interrupt him.

"Yeah, why?"

"Oh, nothing. Just keep going. Sorry." Will looked at Daniel scribbling like mad on the pad. Will sighed, looking back down at the floor as he pressed on.

"Jay, how come I haven't heard about this and why would they pick you. You who knows nothing about medicine or the spread of viruses is going to save the world from this thing? This sounds wildly false and insane. You're insane for thinking this is real."

"Wow, thanks. Sorry I'm such a burden. How about I just check out forever! Would that make everyone else feel better?!"

"What the hell are you saying?! No one said anything like that! We're concerned for you, Jay. You've been acting really weird for a long time now."

"So what, you're saying I'm infected with something?! Oh, look that brings us back to a virus. Maybe you have it and just want to infect me. Me, the super spreader."

"Okay, that's it. We're going to the hospital, now. This has gone long enough. You're a danger to yourself and everyone else. They need to be protected and as do you." That was the spark that set everything off. Jay went into a full on rage, throwing things across the room, all pointed at Will. After the fifth random item flew past him, Will lunged at Jay. The two of them full on wrestled, one pleading for the other to stop while they kept trying to stop from getting to the front door.

"Let go of me you agent of toxic germs," Jay shouted as he kicked himself free from Will. He could hear feet flying down the hall and out the door, but the pain radiating from Will's side kept him down on the ground, tears pouring down his face. Jay was gone and there was no way to get him back.

"And then I'm assuming the next time you two saw each other was here after.."

"-Yeah. Me putting the final nail in our relationship. I know he hates me and I don't see where we go back to trusting…relying on each other again." "Will, don't jump to those kind of conclusions," Daniel spoke as his phone lit up. There silence as Daniel read the text, an urgent call out from one of Jay's nurses.

"I have to go and you have a shift to work." Daniel was the first to rise, making sure the recorder was off before placing it in a locked drawer.

"And Will," Dr. Charles held him up? Will turned around, tears brimming.

"He slept well last night. Guessing it was the first decent night's sleep in awhile." Daniel left out the sedative and restraints, relieved Will nodded and stormed out. Daniel sighed before applying the doctor coat on his person and headed back into the ward. All he felt was pity and determination. He'd never seen someone break this bad, but he had every intention of bringing back their Jay back from whatever wrath had a firm grip on him.

So this one was a little darker then the previous chapter, but it was necessary to see just how bad things were and are before we move on. Next chapter we'll get to see more into the day and we might finally get some details out of Jay. Stayed tuned and keep those guesses coming!