Happy BeMeanToJayday! (A day late and hopefully not a dollar short.) Sorry to be late with the chapter. I have a supremely screwed up back and this week it was a bitch. Not even Barbara with all her crazy cranky, could take the bitch down.
But here we are, another chapter released into the universe. I hope you like it!
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When Hailey woke up her eyes immediately went to Jay. He was on his back, zip tied hands resting on his right hip. They had pulled the zip ties tight, so tight they were cutting up his wrists and the blood that slowly leaked from the gashes was smeared across his abdomen.
He was flushed with fever and the rattle in his chest sounded worse, if that was even possible.
She didn't know how long she had been out, but in that time Jay had taken a beating. A dark bruise was already forming on his left shoulder and red splotches littered his chest and abs, his side…and that was what she could see…they had kicked the shit out of him.
She looked around the room and saw the question from Kim, 'are you okay?' and raised her thumb in a flat out lie.
Jay
X
Jay woke with a gasp and immediately reached for his shoulder. His hands being zip tied, his left hand moved with the right. The spike in pain took his breath and sent him to the edge of unconsciousness.
A thought skimmed through his mind as he floated in that gray storm cloud of pain, and with it came panic…if his shoulder wasn't broken before, it was now; he could feel the shift of the bones.
He clenched his jaw and counted his breaths trying to quell the panic. It would be okay. He couldn't…wouldn't…he wouldn't let a broken shoulder, any of his injuries be a problem right now.
His storm cloud diminished with the panic and that left…
Hailey.
Seeing she was conscious and nodding to him, assuring him in a muffled voice she was okay, he blinked his eyes and sighed, pain pushed aside, fever forgotten, his eyes were glassy with tears of relief.
He scanned the rest of the team to see if his failure caused anyone else to suffer, but it was only Hailey that was punished. His eyes were drawn back to her and tears leaked as he took in the bruise that was forming on her cheek and eye.
After a few steadying breaths to stifle a cough and calm his heart, his whisper came out as a scratch, "I'm sorry…Hail..s…I'm sorry…" then the stab in his heart for hurting her became too much and smothered him back to oblivion.
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"Oh good. You're awake!"
The asshole walked directly to Hailey with only a brief glance at Jay laying unconscious in the middle of the room.
He wasted no time putting the taser in Hailey's hand, prying her fingers open to do so.
"There you go…Hold on just a second. Let's wake Jay up. He should be awake when you get payback for this…" he touched her cheek where he had punched her earlier.
She jerked her head away and snarled through the gag what could only be 'fuck you.'
"I don't know why you're blaming me. Your husband is the one that put you in danger," he looked around the room, "You all in danger…"
He touched her lips, "I'm afraid you won't get a chance to kiss and make up though…"
That brought her anger to a screeching halt and despair took its place. Shaking her head, she let the tears fall. I'm not going anywhere Hailey, really I'm not…a sob caught in her throat. She didn't think Jay would be able to keep that promise.
X
Jay sensed when the foot was close enough, jerked his hands up, grabbed it and twisted it to the right, screaming in pain and fury as he did.
Even though his hands were zip tied together, he was still able to give a good twist. Not enough to blow out the knee but enough to throw the asshole off balance.
When Jay screamed with the attack, the asshole screamed too, possibly from pain, but more than likely surprise.
Hailey dropped the taser as soon as Jay made his move not wanting the wires to be pulled taut; then watched in awe with the rest of the team as Jay took the guy down. What he was doing should have been impossible given his condition but Jay had three things going for him; adrenaline, training and desperation - Jay knew he was their only hope to get out of this.
She looked to the door. The asshole had come in alone. More than likely seeing Jay as a non threat given his condition. The prick didn't know Jay as well as he thought he did…and it would cost him. Dear God she hoped it would cost him…
Jay lucked out when the perp went down hard, tripping over his body and stunning himself when he hit the floor hard.
Wrenching the foot again, he sat up quicker than he should have been able, pulled back his zip tied hands and hit the asshole with a backhand when he started to rise. The bastard went down again and Jay surged forward reaching for the gun in his waistband.
He had regained some of his wits and hit Halstead in the forehead just as he had gotten his hands on the gun. He would make the kid pay. He would drag him to his wife and empty a clip into her beautiful face, letting her blood and brains litter his body. The little shit was fucking up his game.
Knocked backwards, the gun skittered away when Jay's head hit the floor hard, but that didn't stop him. He had tunnel vision. The gun…only the gun…he had to get the gun.
Jay rolled and belly crawled towards it, the pain coursing through his shoulder, his body, an invisible net slowing him down but he didn't stop.
His wrists were full on bleeding from the zip ties, cutting into the skin and making his desperate crawl slippery. He stretched out and just when he had his fingers on the butt of the gun, he felt a hand encircle his ankle and was yanked backward.
He was able to jerk free and kick the asshole in the face with his bare foot. Then, shimmying forward, his fingers once again brushed the gun before an all encompassing pain ripped though his body, the epicenter of it - his shoulder.
They watched as Jay had gotten the upper hand for a moment and just as quickly lost it when the motherfucker yanked on the taser wires and ripped the barbs out of Jay's shoulder.
The pain superseded his damaged vocal cords and a scream split the room. Just like Jay, in his condition, shouldn't've been able to put up the fight he was, his vocal cords shouldn't have been able to let loose like that and the blood on Jay's lips confirmed it.
Jay's wavering growl at the pain was the background music for the agony rolling through his body. He was shaking so badly, body jerking at the overwhelm of all encompassing torture, he looked like he was being tasered all over again.
As bad as Jay was, he knew he couldn't give up…he couldn't fail again or the bastard would kill someone this time. The bastard would kill Hailey.
Head down, he pulled himself forward by his bound arms but was out of reach of the gun when his foot was once again grabbed and he was yanked back. He tried to buck his hips, kick out, all the while grunting in pain, silent screams unleashed as his shoulder was tweaked with every movement.
The asshole might have been dazed by the blows he had taken but he was in far better shape than Jay right now and a moment later was sitting on Jay's thighs punching his kidneys endlessly while Jay tried to worm his way out from under him.
He was trapped. The blows to his back and kidneys finally stop and a savage jab was delivered to his shoulder.
Punching Jay's shoulder was the smartest move the guy could make and also a surprisingly stupid one, because the extreme pain from the blow had Jay arching backward. The pain reaction gave his body strength that he could never tap in to.
Jay knocked the asshole off but that was as far as it went, the bastard wasn't unconscious just displaced for a moment.
They both went for the gun but it was closer to Jay. His bloody fingers walked their way to the grip and he was able to get ahold of it and roll just as the asshole lunged at him from his knees.
Jay fired and the asshole dropped like a rock on top of him, stealing his breath. If he didn't need the bullets, he would have filled the motherfucker's face with lead for what he did to Hailey, what the asshole put the unit through.
Everything was still for a moment, but then in desperation and another surge of adrenaline, Jay rolled the guy off his body, barely clocking the blood dripping across his chest from the hole between the asshole's eyes.
Aiming at the door, he adjusted his bloody grip on the gun and willed his arms to stop shaking. He knew the other two would come in when they heard the shot. Jay was counting on it…he just needed them to hurry up.
The first one came in, gun at his side, shocked to find his friend dead on the ground when he was expecting one of them to have a hole in their head.
Jay unconsciously took advantage of that moment of surprise. His trembling arms stilled and despite his injuries, took out the guy with a shot just below his right eye.
He got the breath he lost when the asshole fell on him back and with it came a horrendously timed, albeit short, coughing fit.
Lungs burning and weakness rushing in, he fell back but was able to keep his head tipped up. He bent his legs and kept the gun on the door.
His arms faltered but he was able to lift them back up only to have them dip to his torso.
He was so tired.
With a snarl he raised his arms again, his teeth clenched against his pain…his weakness…come on…
He felt the itch of another couching fit and stopped a swallow in his throat putting a plug on it…just another second…
Come on…
The last guy came in in a rush, gun drawn; and even though the bastard was expecting something, Jay had something, adrenaline, surprise, who knew, on his side…
He fired off a round and hit the ass in the leg. His arms were so heavy.
Hold on hold on
They both shot this time but Jay was just a little quicker on the trigger hitting the asshole in the arm. It threw off the guy's aim but not quite enough. Jay's body jerked when the errant bullet found his shoulder, the one already so damaged; and that may be a lucky thing…at least he still had one working wing.
Jay blinked the blur from his eyes and released a double tap center mass with a pained, frustrated grunt. The guy was dead before he hit the floor.
Closing his eyes, Jay laid his head back. His legs slid to the ground and the gun tumbled to his side when his hands fell to his belly.
It was then that every movement he made, every cough, every twitch of his muscles during that three, maybe four, minute fight, hit him full force and a single sob escaped followed by endless tears.
Powerless to help him, there was a collective heartbreak as they watched a wave of agony engulf Jay. It killed them to not be able ease his pain, comfort him. All they could do was watch as he went through it alone. The bastard was dead but he was still torturing them.
That thought had them scanning the scene. They were stunned. The asshole and both minions were dead…Jay should not have been able to do what he just did.
Their focus was brought back to Jay when a groan turned into coughs and more coughs.
And more coughs…
X
When his lungs had settled down and he was left with just pain and fever, he opened his eyes and turned his head to Hailey. A softness enveloped his face and a the hint of a smile touched his bloody lips before his eyes fluttered closed and excruciating pain sent him to peace.
They all sucked in a breath nothing short of synchronized. Jay was unconscious and they were still shackled and unable to help him, help themselves. Jay saved them and was seriously injured, possibly dying and the asshole, dead on the ground with a bullet in the brain, was still holding them captive.
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Okey dokey. Chapter 5 is in the books. I had a lot of fun writing it even though it was kind of a pain in the ass. And I will admit, I just wanted to get the damn thing written so I could write chapter 6 (which I am very excited about). I like how chapter 6 looks in my brain, hopefully Barbara can string the words in an acceptable order.
I will see you next Saturday…hopefully…my back is still being a bitch but has calmed down a bit.
Stay safe peeps!