Disclaimer: I own nothing just borrowing a few of my favourite characters to play with.
All I know about medical terms and hospitals I learned off TV and books. So any mistakes
I have made are my own.
Authors Note: Yes your eyes aren't deceiving you
two updates in two weeks.
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Chapter Eight
Time seemed to crawl by as Will and Antonio waited for someone to come and give them an update Jay's condition.
Will finally lost his patients waiting for news on Jay. It had been over on hour since Jay had been rushed into surgery and Will wasn't going to wait a minute longer to find out how his younger brother was. Using his position as a Doctor at Chicago Med to try and gain access to the OR where they worked on Jay.
He'd been told in no uncertain terms that he would be removed from the hospital altogether if he attempted that move again.
Harassing the nurses didn't seem to be working either. The fact that no one had come to give them any news was really starting to concern Will, because he knew just how badly Jay had been injured and as a Doctor he knew everything that could go wrong.
Will was just about to try again to gain access to the OR, consequences be damned when the elevator door opened and the hallway filled with a flurry of movement.
It was Natalie that captured and held Will's attention as she made a beeline straight for him.
"How are you holding up?" Natalie asked placing a comforting hand on his arm, she had been trying to get up to see Will, since she heard Jay had been brought in but hadn't had a change to get up to see him before now.
"No one's telling us anything and they won't let me near the OR." Will told her his frustration obvious.
"I'll go and see what I can find out." Natalie promised him and headed off to find out what she could.
"Antonio how's Jay?" Nadia asked worriedly as she approached the detective.
"We're still waiting for an update. What are you doing here?" Antonio asked.
"Sargent Voight sent me down to wait with Erin. He should be ringing for you any second." Nadia said and no sooner had the words left her mouth, than Antonio's cell phone started buzzing with an incoming call.
Antonio stepped away from where Nadia and Will stood and moved further up the hall.
"Any word on Halstead?" Hank Voight asked him urgently.
"We're still waiting for an update. But from what Will said Jay's condition is critical." Antonio let his boss know.
"Anything on your end?" Antonio asked, hoping they had found something that would help them get the bastards who did this to Jay.
"We found a laptop in our second sweep of the basement." Hank explained.
"What was on it?" Antonio asked.
"A detailed dossier on Halstead. From the information they were able to put together on him, they must have had eyes on him for least a couple of weeks."
"So are we any closer to working out who these guys are?" Antonio wondered.
"No. But we have another problem." Voight told him the tone in his voice grim.
"What?"
"These guys also have detailed information on Erin, and I would bet my pension that, that phone call Erin got this morning was never about them releasing Jay. It was all about an opportunity to grab Erin."
"Shit. So you were right this morning it was all a set-up. We need to find these bastards. Do you want me to head back to the precinct?" Antonio wanted to know.
"No. I'll call you when we get something. I don't want Erin to know anything about this yet. She has enough to worry about. And I need you to stay there with Erin and Nadia. And whatever you do, do not let her out of your sight." Hank demanded and, in typical Hank Voight fashion abruptly ended the phone call.
"Shit." Antonio muttered and turned in the direction Erin had been headed in when she took off earlier. He'd lost track of time while they waited for news on Jay and had left Erin alone after she stormed off hoping she'd cool off and come back when she was ready, but had that been twenty minutes or forty? Antonio wasn't sure.
"What's wrong?" Nadia asked urgently.
"I need to find Erin now." Antonio told a worried looking Nadia.
"I'll come with you." Nadia said, almost having to run to keep up with Antonio.
They left Will to wait for Natalie and hopefully an update on Jay's condition.
Antonio and Nadia hurried up the hallway the latter having to almost run to keep up with the former, looking left and right for any sign of Erin.
"Where did she go?" Nadia wanted to know.
"She needed to cool off and calm down." Antonio explained.
"How long ago was that?"
"I'm not sure." Antonio said.
"And you guys didn't think to check that she was ok?" Nadia asked shaking her head.
Sometimes the stupidity of the men she worked with was mind boggling.
She had only heard everything that happened second hand from Sargent Platt and then from Mouse when she finally made it back to the 21st district after running errands for Platt down at the Ivory Tower for most of the day.
Thinking back over the past twenty-four hours Nadia hadn't worried when Erin failed to make it home the night before, thinking she must have been at Jay's, that they had worked things out. But from what information she was given the whole situation sounded bad. Very bad. And knowing Erin as she did, she knew her housemate would be blaming herself for what had happened to Jay.
Nadia spied female toilets further down the hallway and speeded up her footsteps.
She pushed open the door and swallowed back a gasp as she took in the sight of Erin slumped on the floor staring transfixed down at her bloody hands, her face as pale as the white tiles she was slumped against.
"Erin?" Nadia said quietly trying to get her attention as she walked further into the room and crouched down and sat down on the floor next to her.
When Erin didn't answer her or show any sign she had even heard her. Nadia tried again this time saying her name with a bit more force and placing a hand on her shoulder squeezing gently.
That seemed to break Erin out of her trance like state and she turned eyes full of heartbreak and unimaginable pain in her direction.
"Jay?" Erin whispered out her voice as broken as she looked to be.
"We're still waiting to hear. But Natalie was going in to find out how he is doing." Nadia let her know.
Erin just nodded her head and closed her eyes, leaning her head back against the tiles.
"Come on lets get you up off this cold floor." Nadia said and helped Erin slowly to her feet.
"What happened to your hands?" Nadia asked, and Erin mumbled something about a locker and water, and not being able to get her hands clean.
"We might need to get someone to have a look at your hands." Nadia said as looked down at Erin's swollen and bloody hands.
Erin just shrugged and let Nadia lead her through the door and out into the hallway where Antonio waited for them in the hallway.
Antonio rushed over when the bathroom door opened and Erin and Nadia emerged, cursing under his breath as he saw the state Erin was in, but one pointed look from Nadia had him backing off and he followed them back down the hallway to where Will waited.
Will was deep in conversation with Natalie when they walked down the hall, Erin shrugged off Nadia's hands and all but ran towards the two Doctors.
"How is he?" Erin asked Natalie.
"As I was just explaining Will, the Orthopedic Surgeon was able to put his dislocated should back in and insert the pin's in his right arm. Jay also had a fair bit of internal bleeding, from the beatings he was subjected to I'm assuming, Dr Rhodes was able to locate and stop bleeding is his kidneys and spleen. The Neurosurgeon is working on Jay at the moment." Natalie explained.
"Is he going to be ok?" Erin asked her eyes as pleading as he voice.
"It's too early for me to say Erin, but Jay is holding his own, and everything so far has gone as well as can be expected."
"How much longer will he be in surgery?" Erin asked huskily.
"Unfortunately I can't answer that. It could be another half an hour or it could be two. But one of the nurse's is a friend of mine and will be out to give you updates every twenty to thirty minutes."
"Thanks for that." Erin said able to breath a little easier for the first time since she watched that vision of Jay being knocked to the ground and tossed into a car all those hours ago.
"There's a waiting room around the corner where you can wait that will be more comfortable than waiting in the hallway. I'll take you there." Natalie said.
"I'll meet you guys there shortly, I'm just going to go down and grab a change of clothes." Will told them, his jeans and shirt still covered in Jay's blood.
Once Will had gone, Natalie lead Erin, Nadia and Antonio to a cheery little room off the hallway that had two couches, a TV, and a table with four chairs.
"Erin why don't you let Nat have a look at your hands?" Nadia coaxed as she and Erin sat down on one of the couches.
"They're fine." Erin said putting her hands into her coat pocket, unable to mask her wince as her torn flesh brushed against the material of her coat.
"May I?" Natalie asked and held out her hands for Erin's.
With a long suffering sigh Erin place her hands into Natalie's, the later gently probing her split knuckles of her right hands and the gouges in her left hand.
"What happened?" Natalie asked gently.
"I had a run in with a locker." Erin explained.
"And this one?" Natalie questioned.
"I...they were covered in Jay's... and i couldn't get it off...I tried and –"
"Ok. Thats ok. Why don't you come with me and we'll have you fixed up in no time." Natalie told her, cutting her off when she became distressed.
"But what about Jay?"
"My friend Michelle will page me the minute we know more about Jay's condition." Natalie promised.
"I'll come with you." Antonio said getting to his feet.
"I don't think that's necessary Detective, we'll just be down stairs in my office." Natalie told him hoping he would get her message that Erin would be safe with her. She had been with Sharon Goodwin when Hank Voight had rung to say that security at the hospital need to be tightened as two of his detectives could be in danger.
"I'll go with them." Nadia promised Antonio and knowing Nadia would fight to the death to protect Erin, Antonio sat back down and watched the trio leave the room. Deciding to use the time to himself wisely Antonio started making phone calls. Anything he could do to try and help try and catch those responsible for this fucked up situation.
Another hour had come and gone, with Will now back and waiting with Antonio in the waiting room. And as promised Natalie's friend Michelle had come out and given them an updates. Unfortunately it was nothing new, just that Jay was still in surgery and everything was going as expected. Will had gotten a message from Nat saying that she was sending Erin in for x-rays on her hand and they would be back up after that.
Antonio worked feverishly at the table writing on paper he had procured from one of the nurses and made phone call after phone call.
Antonio just finished up on his latest phone call when the door opened and Erin, Nadia and Natalie walked into the room. Erin now sporting a white cast on her right hand and a bandage on her left.
"So it was broken then?" Will asked Natalie.
"Yeah she sure did a number on her poor hand." Natalie told him and sat down next to him on the couch.
"You ok Erin?" Antonio asked as she sat down tentatively on the other couch.
"I'm fine." Erin told him, but it was obvious to everyone in the room that she was far from being fine.
Nadia walked over to the table where Antonio had set up his mini office and offered her services and her laptop that she pulled out of her satchel.
"Erin I'm so sorry about before –" Will started.
"It's fine Will." Erin said cutting off his apology.
"No its really not. I didn't mean what I said." Will tried to explain.
"Don't worry about it." Erin told him and walked over to where Nadia and Antonio worked, effectively putting an end to the conversation.
"What are you working on?" Erin asked.
"Trying to find out who had motive to take Jay." Antonio told her.
"Still no luck in finding them?" Erin asked.
"Not yet. All we know is that they had been watching Jay for a couple of weeks."
"A couple of weeks?" Erin questioned.
"Yeah at least. They had a detailed dossier on Jay." Antonio explained.
"And there was nothing at the warehouse that gives us a clue as to who they are?"
"Unfortunately not."
"Where can I start?" Erin asked.
"I've been reaching out to my CI's to see if anyone has heard anything. And I'm in the process of trying to reach out to Jay's CI's. So if you could write down any names that come to mind, someone that could hold a grudge against Jay." Antonio said then added when he remembered her casted hand. "Ok get Nadia to write down a list and we'll send them to Mouse to cross check against what little information we do have."
Erin sat there and tried to think back on all the cases she and Jay had worked on together, there were hundreds of them. But only a few sprang to mind a being possible suspects in this. The Rodiger case. Pulpo, but seemed unlikely, as Jay was the reason he was still breathing. The Oskar Bembenek case that resulted in a bounty being placed on Jay's and an attempt on his life. A case which included JP the 'retired' hit-man who had taken Jay hostage, given her and the rest of the team a scare and resulted in JP being sent to jail.
Erin watched as Nadia started to type the names she gave her into a message to Mouse.
"Bembenek why does that name sound so familiar?" Nadia said pausing after entering the name.
"It was just after you started working at the precinct." Erin explained. "The bounty that was out on Jay's head. It was a big case.
"No I feel like I've heard that name recently." Nadia said with a shake of her head and tried to work out where she had heard that name so recently and why.
The continued working while Will and Natalie chatted quietly on the couch, until the door opened and Dr Rhodes walked into the room.
Both Will and Erin leapt to their feet, both eager and terrified at the same time to find out how Jay was.
"Jay made it though surgery. The neurosurgeon was very please with how the surgery went. He was able to reduce the pressure on Jay's brain. That being said Jay is still in critical condition, we have him on a ventilator because of the trauma he endured to his lungs and also because of that we have him in a medically induced coma to give his body a chance to heal. I'm not going to lie, Jay was extremely lucky that you found him when you did. Another five minutes and we wouldn't be standing here having this conversation. And the next twenty-four hours are critical." Connor Rhodes explained.
"When can we see him?" Erin asked.
"He's in post-op at the moment and will be there for at least another half an hour. I will send someone to get you when he's settled in ICU."
"Thanks." Will said shaking his co-workers hand.
"No thanks necessary." Rhodes said and left with Natalie and Will not far behind him to go and check on patients.
Erin, Antonio and Nadia continued to work the case from their mobile office until there was a knock to the door. Then moments later the door opened and Sargent Trudy Platt walked into the room.
"I heard Detective Halstead just got out of surgery. He ok?" She asked.
"The next twenty-four hours are critical." Antonio told her.
"We're all praying for him to pull through." She said quietly to Erin a comforting hand on her shoulder. Erin nodded her thanks unable to speak.
"Nadia do you have those files you picked up for me from the Ivory Tower today?" Trudy asked.
"Yeah sure. I have them here." Nadia said and leaned down to pick up her satchel. She opened the bag and pulled out the files she had picked up earlier. And that was when she knew where she'd seen the name Bembenek.
It was in the paper work she had picked up earlier.
"This is it." She said opening the file. "I knew I'd seen the name Oskar Bembenek recently. Here it is." Nadia said and passed Erin the file.
"Oskar Bembenek died in a prison fight just over two weeks ago." Erin said after reading through the file.
"How are we just now finding out about this?" Antonio asked incredulously.
"That's a question I will be asking you can count on that." Trudy Platt assured everyone in the room.
"That seems to be too much of a coincidence if you ask me." Antonio said and quickly placed a call to Voight and told him what they had found out.
"I have to head back to the precinct. Erin, if there is anything you need, you let me know ok." Trudy said.
"Thanks." Erin said and resisted to urge to check the clock on the wall for the fiftieth time, while she waited until she could see Jay.
"Do you need to head back to the precinct too?" Erin asked Antonio when he made no move to leave.
"I have strict instructions not leave Chicago Med." Antonio told her.
"Why? Are they expecting another attempt to be made in Jay's life?" Erin questioned but that didn't really make any sense, if these guys had wanted Jay dead she had to believe they would have killed him last night. In fact the more she thought about it the whole thing seemed to be about revenge and making sure Jay suffered.
"No. You're here for me aren't you?" Erin said as realisation dawned.
"That laptop we found in the basement also had detailed information on you. And we have reason to believe that, that phone call this morning was never about Jay it was about them getting you." Antonio told her.
"Antonio, the Unit can't be three members down a run effectively. We need to catch need to pay for what they did to Jay." Erin replied.
"Voight was very clear about me not leaving your side." Antonio added.
"I am more than capable taking care of myself, even if I do have a broken hand." Erin told him.
"Erin –"
"I will stay at Jay's bedside and won't leave. I will have Nadia and Will here with me. Hell you can even station some uniforms outside the door to make sure if you like. But we can't catch whoever is behind this without all hands on deck." Erin said.
"Fine but you can ring Voight and tell him that." Antonio conceded.
"Oh you can be sure he's gonna hear all about it from me." Erin told him.
Twenty minutes later Will came back to tell Erin that Jay had been moved into ICU and they were allowed to go and sit with him.
Will stopped Erin just before they entered Jay's hospital room.
"What?" Erin asked worriedly.
"I just wanted to warn you that Jay looks pretty bad. He's hooked up to numerous machines and he's battered and bruised pretty much from head to toe and the ventilator is doing the breathing for him at the moment." Will warned her.
"I understand." Erin assured him as she pushed the door open, but no amount of warning or words from Will could have prepared her for what she saw when she walked in and saw Jay for the first time laying in that hospital bed.
Her first thought was that Will had taken her into the wrong hospital room, there was no way that was Jay laying in that hospital bed. No it couldn't be.
His face was bruised and swollen so much that he was unrecognizable, his head was covered in thick white bandages and like Will had warned her, he was hooked up to numerous machines, one of which was a ventilator, its tubes coming out of his mouth as it pumped air down into his lungs.
Erin shook her head at the sight, determined not to break down again, she needed to be strong for Jay right now, when he couldn't be.
Erin took a seat on the left hand side of Jay's hospital and gently took his hand into hers.
The next twelve hours past by in a blur. Erin refused to leave Jay's side, moving from her chair only when she needed to move out of the way of the Doctors and nurses or when she had to use the bathroom.
Will was no better only he managed to get some sleep reclined in an arm chair, be Erin refused to close her eyes. Afraid if she did something would happen.
The Doctors assured her that Jay was still doing as well as could be expected and there was no further swelling or bleeding on his brain, although he wasn't out of the woods just yet, they always felt the need to add. As if not wanting to give her false hope.
Erin had received numerous phone calls from the Unit but they were still out chasing down leads and hadn't been able to come to Chicago Med in person yet.
Hank had assured her they were doing everything in their power to find Daniel Oskar Bembenek, the nephew of the now deceased Oskar Bembenek.
Turns out he had visited his uncle in the weeks before his death and had gone off the grid since he found out about his Uncle's death, that is after he visited a local bar and toasted the lives of both his Uncle's, telling anyone who would listen that Jay Halstead has killed both of his Uncle's and destroyed his family.
Now that they had a name and a face they just needed to find him.
Erin hadn't left Jay's hospital room, but she knew Voight had two uniforms right outside the door.
Nadia has been a rock, bringing her and Will whatever they needed coffee, water or food.
Erin had been adamant that Nadia stay close, she was worried about Nadia going back to their apartment alone and being mistaken for her. So when she wasn't trying to get some sleep she was studying for her upcoming exams.
And if earlier today, or was it yesterday now, was anything to go by Nadia was going to make one hell of a cop one day. If she hadn't found the link to Bembenek they would still have no idea who was responsible for taking Jay.
Erin silently thanked God when Jay made it through the critical first twenty-four mark and was still doing ok.
And then, when he was still doing well ten hours after that and his Doctors decided to take him off the ventilator and reduce the drugs that kept Jay in a coma. Meaning that he should start to wake up soon.
Jay wasn't sure where he was but it was dark and he was still freezing cold. At this point he wasn't sure he would ever feel warm again. But at least he couldn't feel the pain wherever he was.
Sometimes he could hear someone talking to him, but it felt like they were taking to him from a long way away, and he couldn't make out the words or who was saying them.
He couldn't shake the feeling that he should be doing something, that there was something he should be remembering but every time he tried to remember pain knifed through his head and he fell into nothingness once more.
The first thing Jay became truly aware of was that he was no longer freezing cold, but the pain had returned ten fold. Jay tried to move into a more comfortable position but couldn't make himself move.
Pain knifed through his head and then he felt himself drifting alone though the dark once more.
The sound of voices brought Jay back from the darkness, and he was momentarily confused where he was and why he was there.
Jay tried to open his eyes but the bright light hurt his head. He moved his hand to turn off his bedside lamp but found his hand weighed down.
"Jay can you hear me?" Jay recognized the voice as being Will's and suddenly he knew where he was and why.
Jay was flooded with image after image, of arguing with Voight and then with Erin at work. Drinking at Molly's. Having words with Antonio and tossing his badge on the bar. Of deciding not to let Erin run away and then heading to her apartment. Then nothing until he woke up cold and alone a concrete room. The beatings the torture and Erin...Oh God Erin.
Jay opened his eyes as much as the swelling would allow, gasping for breath as pain ricocheted through what seemed like every inch of his body.
"Erin?" Jay managed to rasp out.
"Jay it's …"
"Jay...sorry...Erin...gone –" Jay heard Will say.
"No." Jay said his anguish evident on his bruised and battered face and in his voice.
Despite the blinding pain Jay tried to sit up and get out of bed, he had to get to Erin. He couldn't leave her alone in that basement.
"Jay I need you to calm down." Will pleaded with Jay who had started thrashing about on the bed. When Will leaned down and tried to hold him still, Jay struck out his casted arm connected with Will's cheek bone and jerked him back.
But Jay it seemed didn't even notice he'd hit his brother and continued to thrash about. Left with little choice will pressed the buzzer and when a nurse burst into the room Will told her get him a sedative before Jay could do himself some serious damage.
"Jay I need you to listen to me. You need to clam down." Will once again tired pleading with his brother.
"Erin." Jay called out again this time louder refusing to listen to Will.
"Jay?" Erin called out as she burst through the bathroom door. Will had finally talked her into leaving to have a shower, telling her she stunk after sitting in the same spot for the better part of forty-eight hours. So she had finally relented and gone to have a shower while Nadia had gone down to the cafeteria to get them some food.
"Jay." Erin called out again approaching the bed warily as Jay grappled with Will trying to get up out of the bed. "Jay please calm down." Erin pleaded with him.
"No I need to find Erin." Jay argued.
"Jay I'm right here." Erin told him ungently.
"No. Erin?" Jay called out again, Erin tried to take ahold of his hand to reassure him that she was right there beside him.
But Jay struck out again this time hitting Erin with a flailing arm.
Erin didn't see the hit coming and didn't have time to brace for the impact and went flying as Jay's fist connected with the side of her head.
Just as Erin hit the floor the door burst open and a nurse rushed in handing Will the sedative. Will and the nurse managed to hold Jay down long enough that he could administer the sedative and didn't take long before Jay's flailing arms stilled and his body stopped twisting as he tried to get up and out of bed, Erin's whispered name still coming from his lips, until they too finally grew still.
"Erin are you ok?" Will asked moving around the other side of the bed where Erin lay sprawled out on the floor.
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