Author's Note: I'm keeping this one short and sweet. I appreciate the reviews. Keep them coming! (Planning on doing some fun things on Twitter soon!) This chapter...man. This chapter. I can't say anything else.
But you gotta hold on
You gotta be strong
Right here with me if it all goes wrong
To keep you from harm
Away in my arms
Steer you away from the storm
When the sun won't come around
And your world keeps washing out
I won't let this love fall down
I'll carry you, I'll carry you...
~David Cook~ Carry You
Natalie had lost track of how they had been sitting outside of the OR, Will's weary head resting on her shoulder. She watched as he toyed with his wedding band before intertwining their hands.
" Penny for your thoughts?" she asked quietly. Will paused, attempting to make sense of what was going on inside his head.
" I was just...I don't know. It was only five days ago that we got married. Jay stood with us as a witness. Five days ago. Everything was perfect. We were on top of the world. Now Jay might...he might...if he dies. If he dies, he'll never get to hold our children. Never get to be an uncle to Owen. He won't get to take him to a Cub's game or out for pizza, bringing him home hyped up on Mountain Dew and ice cream." Natalie sat up to embrace her husband.
" Jay is going to be just fine. We just have to give him time. He's got the best possible surgeon working on him…"
" Dear lord. Please tell me you're not talking about," Will interrupted.
" You're awful. We both know I'm talking about Crockett. Jay is just as stubborn as you. He's not going to let something this mundane take him down. Also, if he ever feeds Owen pizza, ice cream, and Mountain Dew in one setting, not only will he be scrubbing the vomit out of the carpet, but he'll be babysitting him that night as well," she deadpanned, eliciting a smile from Will.
" God. Jay is going to be so pissed when he wakes up. He hates hospitals so much."
" Do you remember the time he gave you a black eye when you surprised him with a flu shot?" Natalie asked with a smirk.
" How could I forget? I couldn't see out of that eye for days!" laughed Will, turning to face Natalie.
Thank you."
" For what?"
" Making me laugh, for taking my mind off of all of this, if even for a few minutes. For being you and being here with me."
" That's what a good wife does. Besides, I couldn't imagine being anywhere but right here by your side," stated Natalie as she gave Will a kiss.
" Just one of the many reasons I married you," he replied, feeling his phone vibrate in the pocket of his scrubs. He hurriedly pulled it out to find an incoming call from Crockett.
" What's going on? Is Jay okay?" asked a worried Will, putting the call on speaker.
" He's holding his own, but that's not the problem. I need blood. The blood bank is running low and we're getting ready to hang the last bag they brought me."
" I've got it taken care of. Just focus on keeping Jay alive," Will demanded, rushing to hang up.
" Nat, I need you to go grab as many nurses as you can and have them prepare for a blood drive."
" Wait. Where are you going to get all of that blood?" questioned Natalie as Will stood up.
" Don't worry about it. Trust me," he yelled, running off.
Meanwhile Voight sat anxiously in the waiting room that was steadily filling fast with officers, more and more coming through the doors by the hours.
" Voight!" The sound of Will's voice led to him jumping out of his chair, the rest of the room waiting on bated breath.
" How is he?"
" He's uh...he's holding his own," Will stated emotionally.
That's not why I'm out here though. Remember telling me to let you know if I needed anything? The blood bank is low and Dr. Marcel wants Jay's specific blood type on hand as he'll likely require several more pints before the blood bank's stock is replenished."
" Say no more," replied Voight, turning to face the crowd.
Listen up." Everyone in the waiting area stopped what they were doing and looked up when they heard Voight's booming voice.
" The blood bank is in need of donations. There is a likely chance that Detective Halstead will require more blood."
" Say no more," stated Kevin Atwater as he stood with the rest of the waiting room.
This is for our brother. He always has our backs. Now it's time to have his. What can we do?"
" Atwater. Go find Dr. Manning and she'll get everything started," instructed Will. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted Hailey approaching him, her eyes red from crying.
" We have the same blood type. Jay and I. We have the same type. I know you hate me right now…"
" Come with me," insisted Will, leading Hailey into the ED.
" Dr. Halstead. Exam 8 is open," said a nurse, handing him the needed supplies. Hailey followed him, tirelessly flopping down onto the gurney as Will snapped on a pair of gloves. He tied on a tourniquet and went to work finding a good vein.
" I know they usually only take one pint. Please. Take as much as you need. If it can save Jay's life, take it all," she pleaded. After finding a vein and inserting the needle, Will sighed, the room eerily silent.
" I don't hate you," he said slowly, pausing as Hailey's blood began to slowly trickle into the blood bag.
Jay and I...we've been through a lot. As kids growing up with a submissive mother and an alcoholic father who made it crystal clear that we would never measure up to his ridiculously high standards and into adulthood when we stopped speaking with each other after our mom died. We didn't start rebuilding that close friendship until long after I came back to Chicago. He's all I have aside from Natalie and Owen. I can't lose him. Trust me. I want to hate you for what happened to him today Hailey. I really do. Then I think about all the near misses and tough cases you've had his back in. So many times you've saved his ass both physically and mentally. And the times he's saved yours as well."
" Lies. All lies," joked Hailey.
" What happened today could have happened any day, whether he was on the job or not. I'm sure as hell going to tear into his for not wearing his vest. So no. I don't hate you. Pissed might be more appropriate. What I said earlier…"
" Don't worry about it," Hailey reasoned, watching as Will began pulling out various supplies.
What's all that for?"
" Are you serious when you say you'll donate as much blood as you can?" She nodded yes.
Ethically I should only allow you to donate one pint," he explained, placing a blood pressure cuff around Hailey's arm.
" Since when are Halsteads concerned with ethics?"
" Touche," replied Will with a smile as he placed Hailey on an EKG machine in rapid time.
For someone your size, any more than one pint can have consequences. Symptoms can range from dizziness and nausea to a rapid heart rate and lowered blood pressure. If we do this, I have to make sure you're okay afterwards," explained Will, before preparing to begin drawing the second unit.
" Thank you for doing this."
" If anyone asks, you passed out when you donated blood last time and I wanted to make sure there were no underlying issues."
" Your secret is safe with me."
" I'm going to send in a nurse to get you started on an IV. It will help with the light headedness," insisted Will as he finished removing the second unit.
" Thank you."
" Thank you," he said, quickly exiting the room, running into Natalie first.
Nat. I need you to start Hailey on a saline drip. She's feeling a little woozy after donating."
" How many units did you take?"
" She's an exact match for Jay. She wanted me to take more, but I wasn't about to kill her," he said, skirting the question.
" Go. I'll take care of her." Will leaned in for a quick kiss then ran off for the OR. He quickly pulled on a scrub cap and face mask before pressing the sensor to open the door to the actual OR.
" I've got blood. Type and crossed to match Jay's blood type." The OR was silent.
" Crockett. I've got the blood." A nurse solemnly made her way over, taking the blood from him without a response.
" What the hell is going on?" Will challenged, stepping in closer.
" I'm closing him up. I've done all I can."
" What are you saying Marcel?"
" I don't know if I've done more harm than good," explained the surgeon, stepping away from Jay's body.
" What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Crockett made his way to Will, ripping off his gown and gloves before lowering his mask.
" Will. The hospital chaplain and the department chaplain are going to be meeting us up in the ICU."
" What the fuck for?" argued Will, following Crockett back out to the scrub room.
" I think you should consider having last rites performed."
