The coldest winters in Chicago were always a sure shot that the Emergency department of Chicago Med would be filled. Maggie had called out at least fifteen fractures and sprains in the past hour and not only that but a countless amout of pneumonia or the flu had swarmed in since the beginning of her shift. Every so often a trauma would hit their doors; Ethan had just taken a teen who had spun out of black ice before connecting with a telephone pole. Maggie checked her watch, it was only 9:15pm, a total of two hours into her twelve-hour shift.
"Maggie, I just send up Ms. Delver in room six," Natalie rounded the desk and sat herself at a computer. "Admit is getting these people up quick today," She added.
"We cleared house just in time I guess." A quick scan of the waiting room was proof to her it was beginning to slow down.
"Maybe I can get out of here on time tonight, I have to be back at nine tomorrow and its quiet."
"If you don't jinx us," Maggie warned her. As if on cue her palm pilot went off to indicate and incoming, she sighed and looked to Natalie who threw her hands up in surrender. "We have an attack victim who was found, hypothermia case," She announced. "April; go prep trauma two, were going to need warming blankets and warm saline." April quickly ran off to prepare and Maggie turned to the woman who had just spoke the words that every superstitious Emergency room employee hated," Natalie, you jinx us you got this one,"
"I guess that I had this coming." She ran with Maggie to the ambulance bay door. As they stepped out a blast of ice-cold air blasted through them, the feeling of a thousand icicles prickled through their skin. It was so cold that their breath created large puffs. Maggie bounced from one foot to another as they stood and waited; she could hear the siren, a quiet whine in the that grew louder as the ambulance drew closer.
"I wonder how long he was out for, being out in this weather can cause your body temp to drop quick."
"Hopefully we can warm him up," Maggie replied through chattering teeth. The lights became visible even before the ambulance itself but when it was there, the two women jumped into action. A familiar face exited the cab and looked at the two of them a little fearful.
"A couple found him in a snowbank on Bleaker street, he's pretty bad," She pulled the doors open and revealed Foster straddling the patient preforming compressions while Kidd applied pressure to the breathing apparatus. "Body temp is at 78 degrees, we have him in warming blankets, but it hasn't gone up. She began to pull at the gurney and with Maggie's help she was able to bring it down.
"Oh my god," Natalie gasped, she was frozen in place as the recognition kicked in. The fiery red hair was what first caught her eye and then his face, though badly battered was unmistakably the face of her ex fiancé. "Will," she spoke breathlessly.
"You didn't know," Sylvie asked horrified. "Casey said he was going to call it in for us." Maggie broke away from her shock from seeing Will and resumed her control.
"Let's get him inside," She instructed. "Natalie, now," she demanded in a forceful voice to snap Natalie back into it. As they pushed through the doors it became clear that Natalie was going to be of no use as she sat in shock; scanning the room she caught sight of Monique. "Monique, get Ethan in trauma two now," using her voice of power she sent Monique shooting from her chair and into the doctor's lounge. After quickly pushing Will though Trauma twos door she turned to Natalie.
"You need to sit this one out," She tried to get though Natalie's shock, but it wasn't working. She could hear April behind her let out a shocked gasp as she saw the patient, but her focus had to stay on Natalie. "Go call Jay, he needs to know, Natalie, we've got it…GO!"
"Mags what do we got?" Ethan nearly ran into Natalie as she mindlessly walked away from the room.
"Ethan, its Will," like a band aid she threw him the news with little warning but unlike his coworker he nodded and entered the room.
"What's his story," He asked Kidd as she squeezed another puff of air into Will's body.
"He was found in a snowbank on Bleaker street, he's been down for an unknow about of time. "
"He's bradying down," April announced as she connected the pulse ox reader to Will's left pointer finger. His knuckles were bruised and bloody, the look ran all the way up his arm; he had obviously but up a fight but lost.
"We need to start a central line," Ethan announced, April ran out to grab the kit. "He's hypoxic," Ethan dreaded the thought but one look at the monitor and a quick check with his stethoscope told him that Will's brain was not getting the oxygen he needed. He was maybe a little grateful that Will was hypothermic, it could be a saving grace with they hypoxia and whatever other injuries he may have. "We need to intubate, page Connor, I need help in here," He called to Maggie after she handed the tubing kit.
April turned just as Ethan pulled the guide wire out of the tube, she stopped for a moment, taking in what was happening before being bumped by Connor.
"What the hell happened?"
"Don't know they found him in a snowbank badly beaten, can you try the ultrasound?" Ethan was currently trying his best to keep a steady hand as he needled his way into Will's neck with the central line.
"I see a little bit of free fluid, could be minor or it the bleed could be slowed down from the hypothermia."
"That will work in our favor, I want x-ray here ASAP Maggie," Ethan demanded.
"That and a head CT, all this bruising is not a good sign and this gash on the side of his head makes me think maybe there could be some intercranial bleeding."
"We will work quick, as soon as his body temp starts to go up his body is going to catch up. As they continued to work, they missed the entrance of Goodwin and Charles who stood idly in the doorway, in fact most of the emergency room staff was trying to steal a peek into the room.
"Has anyone called Jay," Sharon asked, her face filled with worry. As if on cue two members of intelligence walked over, neither one of them Jay.
"We had just gotten to Molly's when we heard," Kim explained.
"Figure we would beat other detectives to the case," Atwater continued. Both looked at Will, all color drained from Kim's face as she looked at the tubes and wires.
"I think its safe to assume Jay doesn't know," Connor asked.
"Antonio went to get him; he wasn't at the bar and his phones dead."
"We got Voight and Upton at the crime scene, how's he doing," Atwater asked.
"Hypothermic, badly beaten, we are looking into the extent of his injuries now, we actually need you to step out."
"X-ray," Ethan explained.
"We have to get evidence when you're done, he has a lot of blood on him and chances are based on his hands its not all his."
"Couple more he's all yours." The x-ray quickly finished and gave them the all clear, they stepped back inside, "Put a rush on those," Connor insisted. Now Will lay there, not at all well but stable as could be for now. Intubated and wrapped in the in the bear hugger they waited and watched to see if his temp went up.
"I'll have the hybrid OR prepped for when he warms up," He quickly exited, taking Maggie with him and leaving the detectives to take their samples and pictures.
"Will he wake up," Kim looked to Ethan as she scraped under Will's fingernails.
"We don't know, He's been down for god knows how long and he's hypoxic, an injury to the brain that could prove to be complicated." He ran a pen light in front of Will's eye as he propped open the eye lid, equal but sluggishly responsive. "We are hoping that the hypothermia will work in our favor," he added.
"The cold slows down the body's response right," Kim asked.
"Correct, it is giving him a chance, we just have to wait and see." Kevin's phone went off in his pocket and he excused himself, flashing the phone to Kim to show that Voight was calling, maybe for an update. Kim finished her collecting and stood for a moment as the doctors continued their exam.
"He is all Jay has left," She reminded them sadly.
"I know, he is a part of our family too, we are going to do our best." Kim smiled at April's calm and reassuring response; April had known the boys for a long while when they were younger.
"Kim," Atwater popped his head into the trauma room and motioned for her to come out to talk.
"Did you get a hold of Jay yet," April asked before the two could leave.
"Not yet, he wasn't home." Kevin Atwater was hiding something and with her years of knowing him Kim was able to tell it wasn't something great, she quickly excused herself and followed him out.
"What's going on," She whispered once outside the room.
"Come on," he dragged her outside into the frigid night air. "Just got a call from Voight, blood trail from Will that ended at bleaker street started four streets over."
"He walked that far in his state."
"Yeah but Kim he started on South,"
"Where Jay lives," It pulled itself together finally, "Where is Jay?"
"He wasn't there, but there was a struggle in the apartment, no signs of forced entry and the route Will took was not alone."
"So, Jay was with him?"
"It looks like most of the blood matches Will, we had Jay's DNA on file."
"So, what are you saying Kev, someone has Jay?"
"There is another possibility," he said grimly. Kim looked at him in confusion for a moment before it clicked what Kevin was trying to say.
"Absolutely not; there is no way Jay did this to Will, lets get the DNA to the lab to knock that theory out ASAP." Not a forced entry and only two DNA sources at the crime scene, no one wanted to believe Jay would do this but could it have been?