Author's note: I tried uploading this from my phone last night and the formatting was horrible! So I was able to get to my computer at various times today and get things typed out. I've started experimenting with typing chapter in my Notes app on my iPhone then typing them out instead of just typing on the laptop or handwriting the chapter. It's been an enjoyable experiment and is nice to be able to write anywhere I want! Anyways, enough about that! I sincerely appreciate all of the love shown with the reviews you left for the first chapter! Unfortunately I think I'm going to be leaving you with more questions than answers by the time you finish this chapter. However, chapter 3 will be a pivotal chapter in more ways than one! You will have lots of answers, maybe not quite all of them, but the most important ones. Kaci...thank you for not blowing up my phone after I left you with that little tidbit last night! You'll get your answer at the end of this chapter- long live Davey Crockett! (Y'all kind of have to be there- it involves bottles of wine and drunk texting on Chicago Med nights!)
I'm waiting and fading and floating away
Waiting and fading and floating away
Waiting and fading and floating away
Waiting and fading and flailing and fading
When you see yourself in a crowded room,
Do your fingers itch? Are you pistol-whipped?
Will you step in line or release the glitch?
Can you fall asleep with a panic switch?
~Silversun Pickups~ Panic Switch
Meanwhile inside, Crockett was starting to regret his choice of accepting Crystal's message on Tinder. She was drop dead gorgeous, but wouldn't stop talking about the failure of the medical world providing adequate health insurance and malpractice lawsuits. When he had initially ordered a scotch, she scoffed, instead insisting that he have a beer. Something about the evils of liquor. He took a sip of his mostly full beer and grabbed for his cellphone after placing the bottle back onto the bar. Crockett selected Will's name and started typing out a text message.
Crockett (sent at 7:36p): SOS. Get me out of this.
He hit send, waiting a few seconds before turning to look for where Will said he would be sitting. The table was empty. Marcel quickly scanned the small crowd, searching for Will's red hair, but couldn't find him.
" Did you hear what I just said?" asked an irritated Crystal.
" Huh? Sorry," Crockett replied absentmindedly.
Give me just a minute. I need to call work." Crystal scoffed.
Crockett (sent at 7:41p): You better not be taking my car for a joyride.
Still no response. He quickly dialed Will's number, not caring in the slightest as he watched Crystal exit the bar. Will's phone rang and rang, eventually going to voicemail.
" You've reached the voicemail of Dr. Will Halstead. Leave a message." He hung up in frustration before walking to the window that he and Will had looked through earlier, discovering his Mercedes right were they had left it. What the hell was going on? Crockett handed the bartender a $20 and made his way back outside. A quick scan of the surrounding areas yielded no sight of Will. He dialed his cellphone number again, fully expecting to reach Will's voicemail for a second time. What Crockett wasn't prepared to hear was the sound of a phone ringing nearby.
" Halstead!" he shouted, listening for a response. Nothing. Crockett held his cellphone, dialing Will's number for a third time. This time he followed the source of the sound and was lead to a dark alley beside the bar. Just a few feet away he could make out the edge line of a body.
" Shit!" he exclaimed, hurrying over to find a bloodied and unconscious Will. Thankfully Crockett was easily able to find a pulse.
" Halstead!" Beside him, Will groaned, his body moving ever so slightly as Crockett shook his shoulder.
" That's it. Come on man. I need you to wake up for me," Crockett ordered.
" That...was a quick...date," responded Will, his face visibly contorting in pain as he spoke.
" It was a disaster, but we can talk about that later. Where are my keys?"
" Front...pocket. Am I...still driving?"
" Funny. It's going to be faster for me to take you to Gaffney than wait on an ambo. Do you think you can stand?" Will shook his head no.
" You're going to have to try," insisted Crockett, helping to pull his friend into a sitting position.
" Fucking hurts!" Will gasped through gritted teeth.
" You've probably got some broken ribs at the very least. What the hell happened? Who did this to you?"
" Phillip Davis," answered Will, screaming loudly in pain as Crockett pulled him to his feet.
" I know it hurts. We've just got to make it to the car. Once we get to Med I'll load you up on Morphine."
" Is that a promise?" Will asked exasperatingly.
" I got your back Halstead," Crockett insisted as he half dragged Will back to his Mercedes. He grabbed Will's phone from his back pocket before opening the passanger door.
" If you wanted to grab my ass...you could have just asked," joked Will, flopping into the passenger seat. Crockett hastily placed a towel under Will's head in attempts to staunch the blood coming from Will's head. By the time he climbed into the driver's seat, he had paired Will's phone to his Bluetooth stereo. As he peeled rubber, driving away from the curb, Jay's voice filled the car.
" Halstead. I need your help."
" Marcel? What are you doing with Will's phone?"
" We're on our way to Gaffney right now."
" What's going on? Is Will okay?"
" Phillip Davis attacked him in the alley outside Orion's Pub."
" Did you call 911?"
" I wasn't waiting on an ambulance. Phillip did a number on him."
" I'll have dispatch send a team over. How bad is he?" Jay asked as Crockett blew through a red light.
" I won't know for sure until I can get him properly examined, but it's safe to say he's in considerable pain."
" Jay?" Will's voice was barely audible.
" Hang in there bro. I'm getting ready to jump in my truck and meet you two at Med."
" Natalie."
" What about her?"
" Find her. I...he had a gun. Make sure she's...safe," he mumbled.
" Jay, I gotta go." Crockett abruptedly ended the phone call.
Damn it Will! Stay will me!" he demanded, watching as Will's head lulled to the side.
" Hmm?"
" You can't fall asleep on me. Will!" screamed Crockett, feeling panicked as Will's eyes closed. With one hand on the steering wheel, he reached across and lightly smacked Will's face in hopes of keeping him awake. His efforts proved to be futile as a deadly silence fell over the car.
" Halstead!" Crockett shouted, his heart pounding as Will's head smacked against the passenger side's window. He made a quick left turn into the parking lot outside Med. Without hesitation, he pulled the car into the ambulance bay and threw it into park.
" I NEED SOME HELP OUT HERE!" Crockett yelled, signaling to the nearby security guards. He was thankful to see April and Ethan rushing through the lobby towards him, both wearing puzzled looks on their faces.
" Dr. Marcel. What's going on?" inquired Ethan as Crockett ran to the passenger side door and opened it. An audible gasp could be heard as Will's limp body slid out of the car, his fall being broken by Crockett's outstretched arms.
"Phillip Davis jumped him in an alley," he explained. Ethan instinctively grabbed Will's Legs and helped lift him onto a waiting gurney that had been brought out. Crockett rolled up the sleeves of his dress shirt as he followed the gurney into the ED.
" We're going to Baghdad," April announced.
" Set up IV access and give him ten of Moprhine," ordered Crockett as they pushed the gurney into the large trauma room.
Will. Come on Will. I need you to wake up for me. April's getting you that Morphine I promised, but I need you awake man!" The room was filled with silence as he grabbed a pair of scissors and cut off Will's shirt. A sea of purple bruises covered Will's stomach and chest.
" Damn. Someone get me an ultrasound!" Crockett ordered.
" He's got diminished breath sounds on the right," chimed in Ethan.
" Let's set up for a portable x-ray." The images were taken, almost immediately appearing on a computer screen.
" Pneumothorax on the right. Set me up for a chest tube." Crockett looked down at Will, applying pressure to his sternum in hopes of getting a response from him.
" Morphine's...amazing," mumbled Will.
" I told you I'd hook you up. Your right lung is collpased. I'm going to have to put in a chest tube in," he explained, taking a scalpel from April. Crockett made an incision in Will's side, barely causing a response as he shoved in the chest tube and stitched it in place.
" Come on Will. I need you to stay with me."
" This scalp wound looks pretty deep," April observed, handing Crockett the transducer for the ultrasound.
" Looks like he's got some level of internal bleeding. April, put in orders for a STAT head and abdominal CT and have Abrams meet us upstairs." The nurse nodded while Ethan opened the doors so they could get Will to the elevator.
"Marcel!" Jay's worried voice filled the chaotic ED. Crockett turned to find Jay and Natalie running towards him.
" What's going on? Is he okay? Where are you taking him?" demanded Natalie.
" You guys are going to have to ride up with us. He's stable for now, but we need to get these scans ASAP," advised Ethan. Everyone piled on to the elevator then turned to Crockett.
" I ordered a STAT head and abdominal CT. There's some internal bleeding in the stomach and he's having trouble staying conscious," he explained.
" Do you suspect a head injury?"
" Abrams is meeting us so he can analyze the CT. Will does have a pretty deep scalp laceration so it does raise concern for a head injury. Any new on your end Detective?"
" What is he talking about?" questioned Natalie as the elevator doors opened.
" They have a crew at the scene of the crime, but there are no signs of the attacker."
" Do you know who did this to him?" she asked, turning to Jay.
" I'm going to leave you two to discuss that. You'll have to wait out here until the scans are finished," replied Crockett. Once the gurney had been pushed into the CT room, Natalie stared angrily at Jay.
" What is going on? What are you not telling me? First you show up at my house and inisist that I need to come with you and now you and Marcel act like you're talking in code."
" Will identified his attacker over the phone to me while Dr. Marcel transported him here to the ED," Jay said, his voice trailing off.
" And?"
" Natalie, Phillip did this. He held Will at gunpoint, attacked him, then disappeared. That's why I have you with me and unmarked units sitting outside Helen's flat in case he tries to go after Owen." A visibly shaken Natalie collapsed into a chair, tears brimming in her eyes.
" I can't believe this is happening. How could I have...Phillip always seemed like such a great guy," she said, her voice shaking.
" Nat, it's going to be okay."
" How? Police officers are watching my son's whereabouts to make sure he's not kidnapped or worse. Will is unconscious with a head injury and bleeding into his abdomen…"
" We both know Will is stubborn and strong- he's going to be okay. As far as Phillip goes, all of intelligence is out there looking for him."
" What if...what if Will isn't okay? The last thing I said to him is that I wanted him out of my life. I didn't mean permanently," sobbed Natalie.
" I think when this is all said and done you'll be surprised. Will loves you and Owen so much it hurts. To be honest, I'm scared shitless right now. My brother, your friend, is hurt. Badly. I think we have to take things as they come. There's no reason to worry until we need to," advised Jay.
" When did you become so...prolific with words?"
" I have no clue," he responded, his and Natalie's eyes fixated on the CT room. For now, all they could do was wait.