A/N: So it's been a long time, yes I know(I recommend you re-read chapter 1!). Life got away from me. Fran(BrookesDavis) has been busy with school and life as well but she will definitely be helping me with the plot and future chapters. I have also decided this may just be a future fic, but we will be open to suggestions for unique flashbacks that we can incorporate. I am so happy about Linstead being Canon but for some reason this is the only story I've really been able to focus on, so I really do apologize to those of you who read my other stories but I will have to just wait until the motivation comes to me to finish those other chapters. This story though, this is my baby and I love it soooo much; It's the most fun I have ever had writing. I hope you guys enjoy this chapter, I will be getting to work on the next one in the very near future. :3 Enjoy and as always Fav/Follow and please please please comment :)

He braces himself for the impact; the impact of her crashing into his arms. His mangled, sore body protests but his heart feels better knowing that she isn't off somewhere pacing holes into the carpet or biting a nurses head off. Still he couldn't help but let out an exhale when his bones screamed at him on impact.

"Oh god, I hurt you!" She gasps pulling back from the hug, tears pricking her eyes. She brings a shaky hand to her mouth, struggling to keep her emotions in check.

"Whoa Speedy, slow down." He says, using her nickname; knowing it will calm her. "It's okay, I'm okay."

She nods and swallows hard before cocking her head, "I told you not to call me that." She says with a watery laugh.

The nickname was from her first day as a Rookie cop. She had been running late and came barreling around a corner, running straight into the one and only Jay Halstead; spilling contents of her coffee all over herself. "Slow down there speedy," he had commented with a laugh, shooting her his signature, cocky grin. They were the first words he had ever said to her, and they had kind of stuck. So much that when they all started hanging out together, even Ollie would use the nickname as well. Of course not without getting punched in the arm on occasion.

Erin lets out a small laugh at the thought and then the wheels in her head come to a screeching halt.

"Jay, where is Ollie?" She looks around as if he is hiding somewhere in the room. "Where is Oliver?" She asks with more urgency, her fingers digging into his shoulder.

Jay shakes his head as a lump forms in his throat, "I don't know." He says solemnly.

Erin pulls back, "What do you mean you don't know, Jay?" She says with a stern voice.

"They took him to surgery. I just, I tried-" He says, his voice breaking.

"Oh my god." Erin breathes, and turns pacing away from him; her hand running through her hair, pulling at the roots.

"I'm sorry, I did everything I could. But the doctor said he's critical." He says, barely loud enough for her to hear.

She bites her bottom lip, a look of shock on her face, "I uh, I need to go?" She says, but it comes out as more of a question. She nods her head convincing herself, "Yeah I need to go."

"There's nothing you can do," Jay says, rubbing a hand over the back of his neck,

She holds up a finger, not to silence him, but to warn him not to push her. She has so many different emotions pumping through her veins, threatening to overwhelm her. She turns on her heel and heads for the door.

"Erin don't." Jay pleads as he watches her leave. He calls her again; his voice echoes in the room and out into the hallway, following her.

The desperation in his voice is almost enough to stop her. Almost.

Erin Lindsay bursts into the hallway, the bustle of the ER not affecting her in the slightest as the haze of anger and anxiety surrounds her. All she can think about is the fact that one of the most important people in her life is critically maimed at the hands of the other most important person in her life. Her hands are fisted at her side, nails digging into her palm, as she paces back and forth outside of Jay's room. As she spins around, continuing to pace, she bumps into a nurse; the same nurse who she had nearly strangled earlier.

"I was just looking for you," The nurse says, "but I see you've found your friend. "

"Yes I did." Erin says tightly, she examines the nurse's name tag which reads Cindy. "Cindy?" She asks as the nurse shakes her head, "Do you know where Oliver Bishop is?" She bites her lip as she waits for a response, hoping that she won't give her the death notification eyes that she herself has had to give in the past.

"Unfortunately he is still in surgery," Cindy answers sympathetically. "I can take you up to the surgical waiting room if you'd like?"

Erin hesitates a moment, unsure whether to tell Jay where she is going. Not trusting herself to go back into his room at the moment she nods her head, "Yes that would be great, Thank you." She says as Cindy motions for her to follow.

As Erin walks into the surgical waiting room she notices that it is pretty bare. There are a few people scattered about, but for the most part it's empty. A small group of fellow patrolmen are sitting and waiting, obviously for news about Oliver. A very young patrolman is asleep across a few chairs, and that catches her eye, but Erin continues over to the small table that Cindy had pointed out. It was adorned with a coffee pot, tea bags, and a basket with a few granola bars in them. Although the tea would probably help calm her down, she settles on coffee for the mere fact that it will keep her going. She pours in her normal sugar and cream and methodically stirs it, the motion momentarily hypnotizing her. She shakes her head, trying to clear it, and she robotically reaches out and grabs a granola bar even though she doesn't have the stomach to eat at the moment.

She glances around and takes a seat on one of the chairs adjacent to the small group of patrolmen from her district. She tries her best to settle in to the stiff chair, shifting her weight, but the arm cuts into her regardless. She looks down realizing her utility belt is still slung around her hips, she sits up slightly undoing it and slipping it off, setting it onto the chair next to her. She's not sure how long she sits there, taking small sips of her coffee as the tv drones on in the background.

A doctor walks into the room and everyone takes note, including the sleeping officer who is jolted awake by one of his buddies. They all sink back into their chairs as they call a name that is not Oliver Bishop. Erin overhears the small group discuss going to find food and watches as they wander out.

The only officer left is the one sitting across from her rubbing sleep from his eyes. She momentarily glances on him before focusing back on her granola bar, picking off small pieces. After a second her head snaps back up, taking note of the dry blood on one of his hands.

Erin sits up straight, nearly spilling her coffee, "You were there?" She asks, her tone catching the poor officer off guard. He looks at her with wide eyes, like he had just nearly shit his pants.

"What?" He asks, his voice shaky. Erin motions at his hand and it finally clicks in his head. "Oh, yeah. I was there." He says softly, "It was brutal."

Erin sucks in a breath, her heart suddenly pounding.

"Oh shit," He says rubbing a hand over his head and down over his neck, "Are you his girlfriend?" He winces.

"No No," She answers, shaking her head. "I'm Erin. I'm his best friend, and his roommate; He's like my brother." She has trouble speaking with the lump forming in her throat. She shoves a piece of granola bar into her mouth, hoping it will help the annoying lump go away.

"He was in good hands. Trust me, the other officer that was there was so badass; I was nearly puking or crying the entire time and he held his cool, he knew exactly what he was doing."

"Yeah, that's our other roommate, Jay Halstead." Erin comments, a hint of anger in her voice. Jay had always been a professional but she still couldn't help blaming him; he was driving after all. Erin narrows her eyes at the young officer, noting the name on his shirt as Moore.

"Well it must be pretty cool," Moore says, earning a confused look from Erin. "Living with a superhero?"

Erin scoffs and diverts her eyes, choosing to pick at her granola bar.

"No I'm serious. Oliver had a friggin piece of glass in his neck. Not only did he know what to do to stabilize him, he also did it so calmly. He didn't lose his cool until Officer Bishop was loaded into the ambulance."

Erin looks up at officer Moore, "What do you mean he lost his cool?" She asks, afraid that her best friend may have punched him or something in a fit of rage; which was not uncommon because that was Halsteads number one way of coping with his emotions.

Moore gave a shaky laugh, clearly trying to avoid tears , "Well, he fell to his knees and started sobbing. It was probably the most heartbreaking thing I've ever seen." He clears his throat, obviously fighting emotion. "Don't tell my friends but it made me cry the entire way to the hospital."

Tears immediately pool in her eyes and as her group of fellow officers re-enter the room, she leans her head back against the wall . She brings a hand to her mouth and looks to the ceiling, willing the tears not to fall. She rolls her eyes at her own stupidity, at the way that she treated her best friend; at the way she blamed her best friend.

"Holy shit," She breathes, leaning forward resting her elbows on her knees.

"Don't worry," Moore says over the chattering of his friends, "Oliver is going to be-"

He is cut off when a doctor enters the room, catching everyone's attention.

"Family of Oliver Bishop?" The doctor asks and Erin springs to her feet immediately, followed by the rest of the officers in the room.

Before the doctor can even speak Erin speaks, "Please just tell me. Is he alive?" She pleads.

He nods his head, "Yes he's alive." The doctor confirms, and the group collectively lets out a sigh. "It doesn't mean he's out of the woods yet," The doctor continues, and the words cause Erin's heart rate to speed up. "He sustained a significant amount of blood loss during the surgery. He also had a very large laceration to his lung. Because of the state of his lung and the amount of blood loss, we have put him into a medically induced coma. There are machines breathing for him while his lung heals. He is also at risk for a blood clot due to this, but at the moment it's the best thing we can do for him. He's in recovery right now, but you should be able to see him within the hour."

"He's going to be okay?" Erin asks, shocked.

"It's going to be a very long road, but yes, he's going to be okay." The doctor nods, resting a hand on Erins arm before leaving the room.

The others chat about the news with relief filling their voices.

"Erin, do you want to sit down while you wait?" Moore asks gently.

She turns to look at him but instead of answering him she turns and heads toward the door. Moore calls after her but she doesn't have the power to stop. Her feet pick up speed as she makes her way down the hallway, and her eyes focus on the door at the end of the long hallway. She bursts through the door at a run and as soon as she makes her way out into the brisk Chicago air, she promptly empties the contents of her stomach into the nearest bush.

An hour later, Erin rings her hands as she paces back and forth in the waiting room. It's been just about an hour and her nerves only increase as she waits to see Ollie.

"So," She hears Moore and stops mid pace, her worried thoughts coming to a halt. "How long have you been friends with Oliver?"

She thinks back to the first time she met Oliver Bishop, and the thought makes her smile.

"This Place?" Erin asks as the bitter Chicago wind rips around them. She cranes her neck, looking to her friend. "It looks like somewhere my grandfather would drink."

"Trust me," Jay said throwing an arm around her shoulder as they approached the door to Molly's, "This is where all the cool cops hang out"

"Then why are you here?" She replied smartly, which prompted Jay to push her to the side with a laugh.

He grabbed the heavy wooden door, pulling it open, "Watch yourself, rookie."

She didn't say a thing, she just threw her head back in laughter as she walked through the open door.

"Wow," She said as she saw a bar full of fellow officers, "You were right."

"I told you so," He sang with a smirk, placing a hand on her arm leading her over to the mahogany bar. "Hey Ollie," Jay called across the bar, motioning someone toward them.

Erin saw a man about Jay's age wonder over toward them. He had dark tousled hair and naturally tanned skin tone. His jawline was sharp, his body was hard, and the green of his eyes were enough to make her knees weak. "Whoa," She breathed just before he stopped in front of him.

"This is Erin, that rookie I was telling you about." Jay motions towards Erin.

Erin enjoyed watching the quick interest spark in his eyes, "Oliver Bishop," He said grabbing her hand and placing a kiss on her fingers. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Oh boy," Erin says, pulling her hand away. 'You're one of those guys, huh?

"If by one of those guys, you mean a gentleman then yes." He replied, a cocky smile forming on his lips.

Jay grabbed a beer off the bar and nearly choked on his first swig, "Really Ollie? You want me to go grab your fedora?"

"That'd be great buddy, thanks." He said, inching closer to Erin, who was so far unimpressed at Oliver's 'game'. "So where has Jay been keeping you?"

"In the kitchen," She replied automatically, picking up on the teasing in his voice, and internally patting herself on the back when she heard Jay snort.

"Oh you will definitely have to cook for me sometime," Oliver said, raising an eyebrow in intrigue as his finger traced the rim of his scotch glass.

"I wouldn't risk it bro, food poisoning sucks." Jay chimed in casually.

"Suck a dick, Halstead." Erin laughed, elbowing him in the side and shooting him a smile.

Oliver raises his hand, signaling the bartender, "I think I should buy you a drink. What do you think?"

"I think that if you can guess what I drink, this can be the one time I will allow you to buy me a drink." Erin challenged playfully, leaning back against Jay's arm, crossing her arms across her chest.

"Not a pink drink kind of girl, maybe Long Island Iced Tea?" He offers with a smirk, confident that he's pegged her.

She cocks her head to the side and moves in closer to Oliver, "Wrong," She says as her hand wraps his glass of scotch, which she brings to her mouth and proceeds to finish before delicately placing the empty glass back in front of Oliver. Jay motioned to the bartender for two more scotches.

Oliver cocked an eyebrow, "Wow, you downed that like a man."

A wry smile crosses Erin's face, "You're a pig." She commented with a mixture of humor and disgust in her tone.

"You like it," Oliver observed, moving in closer to her.

"Maybe I do," Erin shrugged, and grabbed the drink out of Jay's hand, who was enjoying the show between his two friends.

Oliver's hand closed over Erin's and he leaned in to talk into her ear, "Maybe we should get out of here then?" He offered before leaning back onto his bar stool.

Erin leaned in close to Oliver's face, lips a breath apart. Oliver moved in, trying to seal the deal with a kiss,"Not a chance," She says, clapping her hand against his cheek, her head falling back in laughter. Erin grabbed her drink, finishing it off. Her hand landed on Jay's chest, "I'm gonna grab a cab." She told him, pulling on her coat. "You boys have a good night." She said over her shoulder. Both Jay and Oliver watched as she sauntered out of the door.

"So he had the hots for you?" Moore asked, amused by her story.

Erin leaned her head back against the wall and nodded, "Yeah for about a week." She murmured, "Until he realized I wasn't going to sleep with him, then I just became one of the guys."

Just as Moore begins to speak again, a nurse dressed in purple scrubs walks into the room, grabbing Erin's attention. "Family of Oliver Bishop?" She asks, and Erin quickly makes it to her feet.

"That's me." She offers, wringing her hands nervously.

"Mr. Bishop has been brought back to a room. Would you like me to take you to see him?" The nurse offers, a soft tone to her voice comforts Erin and calms her frail nerves.

"Yes please." Erin nods her head, leaning down to grab her belt and her water bottle. And she quickly follows the nurse. She makes it halfway across the waiting room before she stops in her tracks. "Could you give me one second?" She asks and the nurse nods and waits at the entrance.

Erin turns and makes her way back to Moore, pulling him into a hug. "Thank you." She says into his shoulder.

"Of course," Moore says, "I'll be out here if you need anything. Good luck."

Erin smiles before turning and jogging back over to the nurse who leads her out of the door.

Room 1547. Erin isn't sure how long she stands outside of the door staring at the plaque that reads Room 1547. She has even traced the braille dots that read 1547 so many times that the would never forget those numbers as long as she lived.

Her hand rests on the handle of the door and it takes more strength than she imagined to push it open. Her heart beats out of her chest as the door swings open and bangs softly against the wall. Erin takes a sharp inhale of breath and her hand comes up to her chest as her eyes land on her best friend. She quickly turns on her heel and rests against the door frame, squeezing her eyes shut, wishing that she could unsee it all. All of the tubes, the blood, the bruises; All making up one of the most important people in her life.

She takes a deep breath, clenching her fists together and using all of her strength to turn back around. She decides in that moment that, no matter how long Oliver was in a coma, that she would never get used to the sight of him like this.

Erin slowly puts one foot in front of the other until she reaches his bed. He looks worse up close. He has a large bandage over his neck, his hair is matted to his head, and a tube is in his trachea; which is the only thing making his chest rise and fall.

She brings her shaky hand to rest on his knee, "Oh Ollie, what did you do?' She asks softly, her voice thick with emotion. He doesn't even look like her best friend anymore. She can't see his piercing green eyes anymore, he looks small and vulnerable laying there unmoving. His naturally tanned skin looks so pale he almost matches the cream sheets he's laying on. She reaches out with both of her hands, closing his between hers to feel the warmth, just to make sure he's still there. The monotonous beeping of the monitor calms her as she holds onto his hand for dear life.

"You need to heal up, okay?" She says with a shaky voice, "You need to come back to us, because neither of us are going to be okay if you don't. I'll tell you what, if you wake up, maybe I'll give you that kiss you've always wanted."

Erin waits for him to answer, but of course he doesn't, he just lies there nearly lifeless. She blows out a breath and looks to the ceiling as tears prick her eyes; Turning when she hears a knock at the door. The same nurse in purple scrubs stands in the doorway.

"I'm sorry miss," She says softly, "The ICU has very strict visiting hours because of the critical conditions of the patients, and they end in about five minutes."

Erin mentally kicks herself for procrastinating so much before actually entering the room. But she nods to the nurse before turning back to Oliver, "Well, it looks like I need to go buddy." She says, rubbing circles on the hand that she's still holding on to. She leans down to cup his face and places a kiss onto his forehead, "You get some rest." She soothes, taking in his battered features up close. Her heart aches as she takes it all in. She acts before she can even think about it and places her lips against his. Pulling back she almost expects him to be smirking back at her, but she is disappointed as his features stay the same. She rubs her thumb one last time against his stubbled cheek before turning and heading out of the door.

As Erin walks out of the room, she lets the door shut gently behind her. She nods to the nurse, signaling her departure, as they pass in the hallway. Erin wanders her way through the ICU unit until she finds the doors she was lead through on her way in to see Ollie. She pushes through them and as they close heavily behind her, numbness settles over her body. She feels like shes walking through a dream and she just wants to wake up. Her feet carry her to the elevator and she pushes the button. As she waits for it to arrive she pulls her hair down out of the rigid bun it had been in all day. She shakes her hair out and it falls in waves over her shoulders.

When it finally arrives she drags her feet into the elevator and presses the button she needs before collapsing against the back wall, the thin bar the only thing holding her up. As it begins to move her hands make their way to her shirt, slowly undoing button by button. By the time the elevator settles, Erin is left in her black tshirt, her work uniform draped over her arm. She retraces her earlier steps and robotically weaves herself through the hospital until she stops in front of a familiar door.

She slowly takes a few steps into the room, catching Jay's attention. He doesn't look as bad as Ollie but as she takes in his injuries, his body riddled with small lacerations and deep purple bruises, her heart clenches. She regrets her actions earlier, afraid that she's added to the pain that he's already in, the pain she knows he is already causing himself.

"Is Ollie-" Jay stops when his voice breaks, "Is he okay?" He asks, his voice small, frighteningly close to breaking.

All Erin has the energy to do is nod, and Jay leans back against his pillows, letting out a sigh of relief. She keeps her place as she watches the relief wash over her best friend. After hearing about the accident, about everything that Jay did, about him having to hear Ollie say goodbye, she wanted to let him feel the relief, he deserved it. She walks over to the chair, dropping all of her belongings into it before turning back to her friend.

"Erin, let me explain," Jay starts, wanting to explain what had happened, how fast it had happened, how he had done everything that he could to make sure Oliver was okay.

Erin shakes her head no, because she had already forgiven him, if there was anything to forgive in the first place. She shakes it steadily as she watches his mouth hang open. She walks over to his less battered side, coming to a halt by his chest.

"Er-," He says weakly, looking into his best friends eyes, searching for answers. Answers as to why this would happen, answers as to why it couldn't have been him; answers that she couldn't give him.

She brings her hand to cup his cheek and he leans into it, squeezing his eyes shut. "Shhhh," She soothes, rubbing the pad of her thumb over his stubbled cheek. She watches as he swallows hard, holding back emotion.

Erin turns walks back over to the chair, removing her belt and toeing off her shoes. She pads back over to Jay and climbs up onto the bed. He is momentarily confused due to pain, emotion, and pure exhaustion; but he moves over to make room for her small frame. She carefully lays her head against his battered chest and drapes one of her legs over his.

She listens as his breath comes ragged, and her hand lightly runs up and down his bruised ribs, lightly tracing his bandage.

"He's going to be okay," She offers lightly, "We're going to be okay; Everything is going to be okay." She assures, not sure which of them she is trying to convince.

A wave of relief washes over him as realization hits him that she doesn't blame him. He looks to the ceiling and closes his eyes as his shoulders begin to shake, for the second time that day he begins to sob; silently this time.

"Shhhh," Erin repeats over and over and over, her hand moving in a steady, soothing manner over his skin until his sobs turn into slow shaky deep breaths. They lie there silently for a while, and Erin listens as his heartbeat slows and his breathing evens out. She continues to rhythmically trace patterns along his skin until his strong, steady heartbeat lulls her into a dreamless sleep.

A/N: Thoughts? Likes/Dislikes? Please review and let us know :3