Timeline: Late Season 6; AU- Med Natalie and Will still together
Completed: Dec. 12, 2019
"Say good night to Uncle Jay and Will," Natalie tells her son as she leads him to his room when she notices him falling asleep against Will.
"Night-night, Will. Night-night Uncle Jay."
"Goodnight, Buddy," Will tells his girlfriend's son, taking his eyes off of the game momentarily.
"Goodnight, Owen," Jay tells his pseudo nephew, briefly looking away from the game.
Both brothers go back to the television and focus on the Blackhawks game. Will looks over to his younger brother as the second period comes close to ending, having noticed that Jay has become increasingly quiet. Jay is staring blankly at the game and looks over when he feels Will staring at him. "Is everything okay? You got really quiet," Will asks his brother.
"Yeah, fine. Just the case," Jay answers him. Will gives him a knowing look that it is more to it than that. "Can I sleep here tonight? I don't feel good," Jay tells his brother. Will is immediately concerned, reaching over to feel his forehead. "I have a headache and I'm really tired," Jay elaborates, hoping it will calm his brother.
"I think you're running a fever too," Will says, now noticing that Jay's cheeks are a bit flushed. "Okay, wait here," Will tells Jay as he heads to the bathroom to look for a thermometer and Tylenol.
Finding what he is looking for, he takes the small white device and the bottle of pills out to the living room where Jay is. His brother is resting his head in his arm leaning against the side of the couch. "Open up, Jay," Will orders Jay after turning on the thermometer. Too tired to argue, Jay does as he's told. After the device beeps, Will takes it from Jay before his brother has a chance to mess with the reading, "101.4. Here take this," Will says handing the medicine to his brother.
Jay takes the offered pills before trying to lean back against his brother, "No. Go to bed Jay," Will orders him when he feels Jay lean against him, also feeling the heat emitting from his head.
"No, the game's not over," Jay argues.
"Jay, go to bed. You should be sleeping in an actual bed and I'm not going to wake you up in forty-five minutes when the game is over to make you go to bed."
"This is an important game. It's just a headache, I won't fall asleep."
"You're also running a mild fever; I know it's making you feel miserable," Will tells Jay, who tends to be a pain in the ass when he's sick.
"Fine," Jay grumbles while making his way to the spare bedroom that he stays in whenever he spends the night.
"What was that about?" Natalie asks Will as she comes back from putting Owen to bed, "Is Jay okay?"
"Yeah, he's not feeling great, so I sent him to bed. He wasn't happy."
"He'll be fine. He's just stubborn, like another Halstead I know," she tells him while rubbing his shoulders. "Do you want me to check on him?"
"No, I've got it. He can be a pain when he's not feeling well," Will denies her offer before he goes to check on Jay.
"Jay, it's me. Can I come in?" Will asks as he knocks on the door. Hearing a muffled response, he opens the door.
"I'm sorry," Jay apologizes before Will can say anything.
"For what?" Will asks, sitting on the edge of the bed.
"Arguing with you."
"I know. Remember, I know how you are when you get sick?" Jay remains silent, "Do you need anything?" Will asks.
"No."
"Do you want me to stay with you tonight?"
"No, I'll be fine."
"Okay, but you can wake me if you need anything," Will reminds him. Jay just nods his head to show that he heard him. "Okay, night, love you. Hopefully, you'll feel better in the morning."
"Night, love you too," Jay mummers as he drifts to sleep. Will fixes the covers on Jay before he leaves, closing the door behind him.
"How'd it go?" Natalie asks when she sees Will come out of Jay's room.
"Fine, he was sleeping by the time I shut the door."
"Are you going to bed or are you going to bed?" Natalie asks.
"Game's almost over, the Knights aren't coming back," Will decides as his answer.
In the morning, Will is in the kitchen with Natalie and Owen. "Did you hear Jay at all though the night?" Will asks Natalie.
"I checked on him when I checked on Owen. He still felt warm so I woke him long enough to get some more Tylenol in him. I know we're supposed to alternate with Motrin, but I know you said he's allergic to something and I couldn't remember what it was."
"Thanks for checking on him and he can have Motrin," Will lets her know. "Should I che-" Will starts to ask when Jay appears in the kitchen.
"Hey, how are you feeling Jay?" Will asks reaching to feel his head.
"Better," Jay lies.
"You still feel a little warm. Let me check your temperature again before you eat or drink anything." Will goes into the living room to grab the thermometer from where they'd left it. "Open," he orders Jay when he returns. Knowing better than to argue with his brother, Jay does as he is told. Jay watches the numbers climb and once they hit 100.2, he moves the device in his mouth, hoping that it won't get too much higher. Will takes the thermometer from Jay once it beeps, "100.7," he announces. "Eat a little and then you can take some Motrin."
"I should actually get going, thanks for letting me stay."
"You have time. Eat and take the medicine," Will orders.
"I'm not that hungry."
Sensing that an argument was about to break out between the brothers, Natalie steps in, "Jay, I know you aren't hungry, but do you think you can eat some toast? I gave you some medicine through the night, you can't keep taking it on an empty stomach. I have yogurt too if that sounds better," Natalie tries to talk Jay into eating.
Not wanting to upset his brother's girlfriend he reluctantly agrees, "Okay," he whispers.
"Okay, do you want toast or yogurt?"
"Um, yogurt, I guess."
"Okay, is peach okay?"
"Yeah, thanks," Jay says as she hands him the container.
Jay slowly eats the yogurt before Will allows him to take the Motrin. "I should get going."
"Okay," Will answers, "Call me if you need anything," he calls to Jay's retreating form.
"I shouldn't have let him go to work," Will voices his concern to Natalie.
"Will, he's a grown man. You can't stop him; but, if you're really worried, you can text Hailey to keep an eye on him."
"That's a good idea as he reaches for his phone." Hey, can you keep an extra eye on Jay today?
He gets a reply back fairly quickly, Okay. Is there something I should be looking out for?
He wasn't feeling well last night. Had a fever and was still running a low-grade one when he left a few minutes ago.
Okay. I have his back.
When Jay arrives, Hailey is already in the bullpen going over some files. "Hey, you good?" she asks when he takes a seat at his desk.
"Yeah, why?"
"Just checking. You were quiet when we left yesterday."
Before Jay can say anything else, Voight sends them to see if they can find any witnesses.
"Do you mind driving?" he asks when they walk to the parking lot.
"Sure. Is everything okay?"
"Yeah, just a headache," Jay tells her as he tries to convince himself.
"Do you want something for it? I have some Advil in my locker."
"No, it should pass," he states as he gets in her car.
The ride is silent as Jay shuts down every attempt that Hailey tries to make a conversation. Finding that their scene is deserted, Hailey and Jay get out and do a once over before getting back into the car.
On the way back, Jay starts rubbing at his chest finding it itching where the seatbelt is touching him.
Hailey, keeping her promise to the older Halstead, notices his actions, "Are you okay, Jay?" She asks him when she sees that he is not leaving it alone after five minutes.
"Yeah."
"Are you allergic to something?"
"I haven't been near anything that I'm allergic to."
"Have you been near poison ivy or oak?"
"I don't think so."
"I'm going to check when we get back."
"You don't have to."
"You're my partner. If you're not going to take care of yourself, I'm going to make sure you do."
Before Jay can say anything to that, they arrive back to the district. Walking into the building, Hailey forces Jay into the locker room, "Take off your shirt," she orders, wanting to see what he is scratching at.
"That's not necessary."
"Jay, either you let me look at it, or I'm taking you to Med to get checked out," Hailey gives him a choice.
Not wanting to go to Med, Jay does what he is told, revealing a rash of tiny, red bumps covering his chest and abdomen. "That wasn't there this morning," Jay tells her surprised.
"It's okay," she tells him as she examines the rash. "You're burning up," she told his as she felt his forehead. "Do you feel sick?"
"I'm tired and I have a headache," Jay tells her the same thing that he told Will last night, adding, "My throat kinda hurts a little too."
Thinking about it, Hailey asks, "Have you ever had the chickenpox?"
"I was told I got it from Will; when I was two, maybe," Jay tells her, not remembering having it, but from being told from his parents and Will.
"But you don't remember?" she asks.
"I was two," he repeats annoyed as he puts his shirt back on.
"Okay," Hailey sighs, "I'm going to let Voight know that you're sick and I'm taking you home. We can figure out what it is later. Don't scratch; I'll be right back."
"'Kay," Jay whispers, knowing a lost battle when he sees one.
Hailey leaves Jay in the locker room to let Voight know what they found and to also let him know that she was taking Jay home.
"Did you lose your partner?" Voight asks when he sees Hailey enter the bullpen without Jay.
"Can we talk in your office?" Hailey asks, not answering his question.
Without saying a word Voight leads Hailey into his office, "Well? What couldn't you say in front of the others?"
"We didn't find anything, but that's not what this is about," Hailey informs him.
"Is this about Halstead?"
"Yeah, I'm taking him home. He's not feeling well-"
"Halstead's a big boy, he can take care of himself."
"Sarge, I don't trust him by himself right now. For one, he has a fever, headache, and is tired; he shouldn't be driving. But I'm more concerned about the rash he has," Hailey explains as she fights for her partner.
"Okay, let him know that he's on medical leave until the rash clears up. If it takes longer than three days, he needs to be cleared by a doctor other than his brother," Voight tells her, implying she can take the rest of the day to watch out for her partner.
"Will do, Sarge," Hailey answered as she makes her way out of the bullpen back to the locker room.
Walking back into the locker room, she finds Jay asleep on the bench that she left him on. Not wanting to wake him, but knowing that he would sleep better on his bed, she approaches him, hoping that he will wake up enough to walk to her car. "Jay, wake up," Hailey is careful as she doesn't want to startle him, knowing there is a good chance if she did, he would fall off of the narrow bench.
"Wha'?"
"It's time to go home. I cleared it with Voight," Hailey tells him softly.
"M'kay," Jay replies as he sleepily gets up. With the help of Hailey, Jay makes it to her car, never fully waking up.
The ride to Jay's apartment is once again silent; Jay having fallen asleep soon after they left the district and Hailey not wanting to wake him.
Just before arriving at his apartment, Jay wakes up trying to scratch at the rash. "No, Jay," Hailey takes her right hand off of the wheel to stop him.
"But it itches," he wines, not caring if it makes him sound like a child.
"I know, but you can't. When we get in your place, you can take some Benadryl to help," she offers, hoping that she assumed right that he has Benadryl for his allergies.
Before Jay has a chance to respond, Hailey parks the car outside of his building. The two walk in, taking the elevator.
"Go change into something comfortable," Hailey orders when he lets them into the apartment. "Do you have a thermometer?" Hailey asks as she makes her way into the bathroom to look for Tylenol and Benadryl.
"If I do it would be in the bathroom," he answers voice muffle through the bedroom door.
Searching through his medicine cabinet, Hailey finds an ear thermometer and both Benadryl and regular Tylenol and Tylenol PM. Even though it is still early she grabs both the Benadryl and Tylenol PM, hoping it will knock him out.
"Jay, can I come in?" Hailey asks as she knocks on his door. Hearing a muffled yes, she opens the door to Jay rubbing at his chest again. "Stop that Jay."
"I can't help it," he tells her.
"I know, here take these. They should help," Hailey encourages as she hands over the pills.
"What are they?"
"Benadryl and Tylenol." Accepting her answer Jay takes the offered medicine. "I should check your temperature too."
"Did you find a thermometer?"
"Yeah. Turn your head, it goes in your ear." Doing as he is told, Hailey sticks the device in his ear, getting the reading in seconds, "102.3. Okay, you can lay down now," Hailey tells him, hoping if he is laying down, he will fall back to sleep sooner.
"Are you going back to work?" Jay asks.
"Not yet. I'm going to call Will and see if he remembers. Go to sleep," Hailey leaves Jay's room, not wanting to disturb him.
"Hey, Hailey," Will picks up on the second ring, "Is Jay okay?"
"I had to bring him home. Hey, question: Has Jay ever had the chickenpox? He said he was told that he did, but he doesn't actually remember having it."
"Yeah, he got it from me when he was a baby. Why?"
"He said he has a headache, sore throat, and was tired. He also has a 102.3 fever and has a rash on his chest and stomach. The rash looks like chickenpox, but you can't get that twice, right."
"Okay, that's higher than last night, have you given him anything?"
"Benadryl and Tylenol. I was hoping that if he's sleeping, he won't bother with the rash."
"Okay, that was a good idea. He can be a pain in the ass when he's sick. And some people do get it twice, considering he had a mild case before and he was so young, he could have it again."
"Should I bring him to Med? Isn't it dangerous for adults?"
"It is dangerous, but it sounds like we caught it early. Is it anywhere else?"
"I didn't ask or check, but he's only been scratching at his chest."
"Okay, don't drag him out. I can come check on him during my break and if it is, I can get an anti-viral for him. Can you stay with him 'til I can check on him?"
"Yeah, no problem." Hailey hangs up and turns on his television, muting the sound and putting the captions on, so she doesn't disturb him.
Half an hour later, Jay emerges from his room, blanket draped around him. "Hey, how are you feeling?" Hailey asks when she notices him.
"Sick," he answers, half-awake while moving to lay on the couch, head in her lap. "Is this okay?" he asks after a moment, realizing what he is doing.
"Yeah, whatever makes you comfortable. So, I called Will," Hailey tells him.
"What did he say?"
"He said that you did have it when you were a baby, but it was mild. He also said that because of your age and the fact that it was mild, it is possible that you have it again now."
"Great," Jay sarcastically mutters.
"He's going to stop by on his break to check you over. If it is, you'll need an anti-viral." Jay's only response is to give a tired hum.
Knowing that between the medicine she gave him and him already being tired, Jay was most likely already back to dreamland.
Will ends up texting Hailey an hour later when he gets to Jay's apartment to be let in, so to not wake his brother if he was sleeping. Hailey texts back asking if he still has his key and if he does to let himself in, that the chain on the door wasn't being used and explains how Jay is sleeping on her.
Will opens the door soon after he gets her text.
"How's he doing?"
"Tired, sounds miserable, but I think the medicine is working."
"That's good. I need to wake him, so maybe you should move, so you aren't in the line of fire," Will suggests.
"I can wake him," Hailey offers, "I've had to wake him a couple of times and he hasn't been spooked yet."
"If you want to."
"Jay, hey, partner. You need to wake up for a little bit. Will's here to check on you," Hailey whispers.
Jay slowly stirs, "Sleep now."
"You can go back to sleep when he's done, okay?"
"'Kay."
"Can you sit up for him?" With Hailey's help, the tired detective manages to sit up.
"Hey, Bud," Will addresses his brother, "I heard you're not feeling any better." Will then takes his own set of vitals on Jay before looking at the rash that Hailey had told him about. "It looks like she's right; you are one of the unlucky few to get chickenpox twice."
"Great," Jay groans, "Wait, Hailey, you're going to get sick."
"Hey, I'm fine. I had it when I was ten. Relax."
"Will, what about Owen?" Jay panics.
"I think he was vaccinated, but I'll check with Nat."
"What if I got him sick?"
"Jay, calm down. You didn't know, besides healthy kids don't normally have complications from chickenpox, it's adults that do. I'm more worried about you."
"Okay," Jay whispers still upset about potentially getting his soon-to-be nephew sick.
"Jay, I'm going to get you a prescription for an anti-viral. And I need you to tell me if at any point you feel worse. If you think something got infected, or if you start coughing; you're at a higher risk for varicella pneumonia. Don't take anything but Tylenol for the fever," Will warns him.
"Do I need to go to the hospital?"
"Normally I would say yes. But I know you won't rest there, so if you promise to be honest about how you feel and if you tell me if you start to feel worse, I won't make you go unless it's necessary."
"Okay. I will. Can I go back to sleep now?"
"Yes, I'll be back tonight with the prescription." Jay lays back down to the position he was in before his brother and partner woke him.
When Will gets back to Med, the first thing he does after getting Jay's prescription is find Natalie.
"Hey, how's Jay?" She asks, knowing that he wasn't feeling well and Will had gone to check on him.
"So, has Owen be vaccinated for chickenpox yet?" He answers her with a question of his own.
"He had the first one, but not the booster yet, Wh… seriously? Jay never got that growing up? How come he didn't get vaccinated for it when the vaccine came out?"
"He did have it as a kid. The thing is, he had a mild case and he was a baby, so he had the bad luck of getting it again," Will tells her.
"I'll take Owen to get a booster today after my shift ends, that should at the very least lessen the severity," Natalie tells Will.
"Wait, you're not mad at Jay?" Will is surprised.
"He didn't know that's what he had. I know he would have never came over last night if he knew," she answers him.
"Thank you," Will sighs.
"For what?" Natalie asks confused.
"For being so understanding," he clarifies, "Jay was in a panic when he realized he exposed Owen."
"And if Owen were to get it, I'd rather him get it now that as a teenager or an adult, like Jay."
A/N: Hey all! I did change my penname so it is the same as my AO3 name (Otter_Love_ASL). I posted "It's Just the Flu" on AO3 and am working on getting the other stories there as well. FanFictions is still my 'go-to' for posting my stories. Thanks, Chilly83 for your input, I completely forgot about there being an ID number.
I know, for research, that if you get chickenpox when you are older it is supposed to hurt and not itch; but from watching YouTube videos of adults talking about their experience with chickenpox as an adult, it seemed like it was a 50/50 shot, so I went this direction. I hope this is pretty accurate, I am part of the first generation of the chickenpox vaccine, so my knowledge is Google and YouTube.
Conversions:
101.4= 38.6
100.2= 37.7
100.7= 38.2
102.3= 39.1
Is this working for you all with the conversions? Do you want me to continue with conversions? I know that the US is the only country that still uses Fahrenheit, so I guess for a lot of you these numbers in the stories/chapters mean nothing to you.
Stay safe and Healthy!