Chapter 20 – Superficial Wounds
Lexi ran through the hospital. She could hear the rest of the team hot on her heels, she burst in to the Emergency Room and began searching the cubicles for Kelly, "Lex, over here" Kevin called her having located Kelly on the opposite side she had begun to search.
Lexi rushed in to the room to see Kelly lay on his back, a nurse stitching a cut on his right arm and another nurse stitching a wound above his left hip. His nose had dried blood underneath, his right eye was beginning to bruise, the leg of his jeans was covered in dry blood.
"Kelly" Lexi said walking to stand beside him.
Kelly opened his eyes at the sound of her voice and looked up at her. "I'm okay" he assured her "it looks worse than it is"
"What the hell happened?" Lexi asked taking in all his injuries.
Voight stood on the other side of Kelly "Tell us exactly what happened?"
"Someone jumped me outside my apartment. I was getting my keys out of my pocket and then someone's smashing my face in to my car. They tried to put something over my mouth but I fought back, managed to get the upper hand for a second, which got me this" Kelly pointed to the stab wound on his left side as he continued to explain "I got hold of the knife and stabbed them in the shoulder, he fell to the floor, I was backing away and then someone else got me from behind and put something over my face. I passed out, I must have been out for a few hours, my neighbour found me and called the ambo"
"Did you get a look at them?" Voight enquired
"The first one was probably same height as me. Wearing all black, hood up, gloves. I didn't even know the second one was there until he was on me, and then I was out"
"They say anything?" Adam asked from his position by the door.
Kelly looked a little cautious, like he didn't want to say what he was about to say. Kelly cleared his throat. "Yeah, the first guy said, 'Being her friend is dangerous".
"He must have followed you from the hospital. Kelly came here last night" Lexi elaborated knowing the team would need further explanation "We spoke for about ten minutes in the waiting area"
Will entered the room carrying Kelly's chart "You're lucky. The wounds are superficial" Will explained reading from the chart "but you will need to stay in for twenty-four hours for observation"
"No" Kelly stated firmly "I'm fine"
"No, you're not" Lexi told him "You said yourself you hit your head, in fact smashed was the term you used. Plus, they drugged you, you don't know what lasting effects it could have"
"I feel fine"
"KELLY" Lexi raised her voice "just once… once please don't fight with me. I can't deal with it right now." Lexi waited for a response and when Kelly didn't protest Lexi walked out of the room.
"As soon as these ladies have finished stitching you up Dawson will take a full statement from you" Voight told Kelly before following Lexi out.
The Intelligence team trailed Lexi as she walked back towards Jay's room. She stopped and sat in the same chair she had sat in hours before speaking with Kelly.
Lexi called Chief Boden explaining what had happened to Kelly and advised she would keep him updated should anything change. She hung up the phone and ran her hands over her face.
"I don't get the game here" Adam stated "he didn't rob Severide, he just wounded him and knocked him out"
"The game is to scare me" Lexi told him her face still in her hands. She pushed her hair out of her face and left her hands interwind behind her neck, her elbows leaning on her knees. "To make me see he can strike at any minute. Hurt anyone he wants to" Lexi inhaled and exhaled slowly, she could feel another panic attack coming on. Jay was in surgery, Kelly was being stitched up, when was it going to end? How much more could she take? Enough was enough, she couldn't sit and wait around for someone else to get hurt, she wouldn't wait for Calvin to make his next move. She didn't have any tears left to cry. She needed a plan , a plan to draw Calvin out, get him to come to her, or take the fight to him, no searching the whole city for him.
Voight began giving orders to the team, leads they were to follow, people they needed to speak to. "Hank" Lexi interrupted his delegating standing up "I've had a really bad idea"
Voight could see the determination in her eyes, the fight or flight decision had been made and she was going to fight. "What do you need?" Hank enquired.
"I need someone to stay here and keep me posted on Jay and Kelly" Lexi began.
"Done" Atwater offered
Lexi smiled and continued, the more she thought about it the more the plan was coming in to focus the more it made sense. "I need someone to go to Jay's apartment, get us some clothes and stuff, we're going to be here for a while"
"We'll go" Burgess confirmed pointing between her and Ruzek.
"Thank you." Lexi looked directly at Voight "And we need to go see an old colour changing friend"
Voight smirked knowing exactly where she needed to go. "Lead the way"
Lexi sat in the passenger seat of the pick-up truck Hank was driving. She felt better, she had a strategy, she was doing something not waiting around for Calvin to strike again. The deciding factor in her plan, the colour changing friend had agreed to play their part. She would end this, once and for all. She refused to be afraid anymore, looking over her shoulder, dreading her phone ringing for fear it was the call to tell her someone else had been hurt.
"Are you sure about all of this?" Voight asked pulling the truck to a stop at a red light.
Lexi nodded "Yes, I'm taking a risk I know but it's what I have to do. Part of what I need to do, means I need to give you this" Lexi pulled her badge from its position on her hip and placed it in the cup holder that divided their chairs as Voight began driving again.
Voight looked down at the badge quickly then back at the road as the light changed. "We've already discussed this"
"I know. But I can't do what I need to do, what needs to be done with a badge on my hip"
Voight pulled the truck to a stop outside Firehouse 51 and switched off the engine. "You'd be surprised what your capable of with a badge on your hip"
"I have no doubt of my capabilities" Lexi assured him "I'm not bringing Calvin in alive, I know that. It's beyond justice now, it's about cold hearted, painful, bloody, vengeance. But that badge means other people will be held accountable, you will be held accountable, I won't put that on you" Lexi told him getting out of the truck and walking towards Firehouse 51.
Hank and Lexi entered the kitchen of Firehouse 51 followed by Chief Boden. Truck 81, Squad 3 and Ambulance 61 were all hanging around doing various things, reading, watching tv, eating waiting for their next call. "Dawson, Herrmann, Otis" Boden called gaining the attention of the room. "The detective's need to speak with you"
They all exchanged a questioning look, but all followed the Detectives and Boden in to the briefing room. Boden closed the doors behind them and returned to his office, technically this concerned Molly's and not Firehouse 51. "How's Jay?" Dawson asked sitting on one of the desks.
"He's in surgery again" Lexi explained "he had a ruptured spleen, Will seems to think it's not as bad as it sounds but we're just waiting on news."
"I hope he's okay" Herrmann told her.
"I'm sure he will be" Dawson assured her "he's in the best hands"
Lexi smiled her thanks. "I'll keep you posted". Lexi took a deep breath "Okay, the reason I asked you all in here is because I need a favour"
A few hours later Jay woke up looking at those same bright lights, they hurt his eyes, his head was pounding. He looked around to see Lexi asleep on a camp bed under the window, it didn't look comfortable, nonetheless she was asleep. She looked peaceful, at ease, carefree if only for a minute.
He heard the door open and Will spoke loudly when he saw Jay was awake "Hey baby brother"
Jay put his fingers to his lips warning Will to be quiet. "Ssshhh dude. Don't wake her" Jay whispered.
"Sorry, I didn't see her" Will had requested a bed for her but didn't know they had already sent it up for her. "How're you feeling?"
"Like crap piled on crap" Jay grimaced trying to reposition himself in the bed to get comfortable.
"You had a ruptured spleen, the doctor repaired it without having to remove it which is a good thing. Still means another week or so in here for you." Will explained helping Jay sit up using pillows behind his back and pushing the button on the bed to make it sit up right "and her I guess" Will motioned towards Lexi.
"She hasn't left?"
"She was gone with Voight when I came back to tell her she could shower in the nurses lounge if she wanted to. Atwater said she was running an errand." Will shrugged.
Jay noticed Lexi hadn't changed her clothes, she must have run her errand then returned to the hospital.
Burgess and Ruzek appeared from the corridor carrying a rucksack each, one containing Jay's things and another for Lexi's. "Hey good to see you awake" Burgess told Jay.
"Glad to see you back with us" Adam agreed.
Lexi stirred hearing the voices and sat up slowly, locking eyes with Jay she breathed deeply clearly relieved he was okay. Jay smiled at her, trying to reassure her he was okay, Lexi returned his smile. "We got everything on the list" Burgess said walking towards Lexi and putting the rucksack on the end of her bed.
"Thanks" Lexi smiled standing up and stretching her back out. "Is that offer of a shower still available?" she asked looking at Will picking up the rucksack Burgess had given her.
"Of course," Will told her walking towards the door to show her where to go.
"I'll come find you in a minute, if that's okay?" Lexi asked Will "I need to update Jay" Will nodded knowing she needed to tell Jay about Kelly.
"Yeah okay, I'll be around, come find me" Will told her leaving the room.
Lexi walked to stand beside Jay's bed. Jay couldn't read her expression, she looked almost numb, like she wasn't feeling anything. Her eyes were distant. "Severide is in the hospital. He was stabbed, we assume by Calvin or one of his associates" Lexi explained her tone flat and emotionless.
"Is he okay?" Jay asked when she offered no further information.
"He's fine, superficial wounds but they knocked him out with some kind of drug" Lexi reported "probably chloroform so has to stay in the hospital for twenty-four hours"
"Maybe you could share a room" Adam joked earning a punch in the arm from Kim. "What? Too soon?"
Lexi chuckled without humour "Ruzek can you get the team to meet here, in about an hour? So I can explain everything" Lexi asked as she passed him.
"Sure" Ruzek assured her watching her leave the room.
"What did I miss?" Jay asked Ruzek and Burgess looking towards the door. Lexi seemed different, like she had found a new purpose, she had focus, there was a sense of authority about her, she was taking charge.
Burgess shrugged sitting on the edge of Jay's bed. "She's been like that since you crashed, and Kelly was bought in" Kim explained.