From Gun Clips to Money Clips

A/N: First off, a warning that this won't be updated for at least a month even though I want to get this one rolling in FF Land.


Chapter 1

The call came in when he wasn't at his desk, which was unsurprising given his tendency to roam. It wasn't as if he tried to annoy or distract but he could only focus on filling out the little boxes on paperwork for so long before his mind began to wander. Which was closely followed by mindlessly tapping his pen or bouncing his foot. That was the reason they had all agreed to move Jay to the desk closest to him as Halstead had the ability to completely tune out his surroundings, a skill he'd picked up in the military. That would solve the problem for a time, the tapping or bouncing still on the quiet side.

Then the humming would start; usually some tune that had been stuck in his head for a while. At that point he'd usually get a tired look from Kim or a resigned glare from Hailey. That was his cue to take a lap around their upper level and maybe down to the garage if he was particularly restless. His latest trick was stashing a beanbag on the top of a dusty filing cabinet and doing the whole 'keep it in the air' thing. Hank had caught him once but he'd just shaken his head, mumbled something about kids-these-days, and carried on to the bathroom.

His ringer chimed, it was currently a clip-clop of horse hooves on pavement chosen during a late-night stake-out. The number showed the call was from the local penitentiary. He answered the call with a swipe of his thumb. "Hello?"

"Adam Ruzek?"

"Speaking." He caught the beanbag with his toe and flung it up.

"Will you accept a call from Inmate…" He missed the name as he jerked the phone away from his ear to tap the bag with his elbow.

"Sure." He semi-shouted into the phone. Calls like these came often; some were informants looking to trade gossip for 'considerations', others were perps he'd put in jail calling to yell at him or plead for him to back them at their parole hearing. Regardless of the reason he always agreed as there was something interesting to be learned.

The operator ran through the spiel, informing him that the call would be recorded, he was obligated to report if there was a safety matter, and the time limit with beeps alerting them to their minutes remaining.

"Yep", he agreed to all of the above, spinning the bag around in a high loop.

"Please hold." The series of clicks told him the call was being routed to one of the wall phones in the units. If there was only one then the call would be coming from a private room where an inmate would meet with their attorney.

"Detective Ruzek." The male voice stated.

"New phone, who dis?" Adam threw offhand, bouncing the bag upwards again.

A deep sigh came through the line. "They announce it when I call, do you know how long I've waited to use the phone?" he paused, "Are you even listening?"

"Uh-huh." He grunted, twisting to catch the bag as it somehow flipped behind him.

"Adam! It's Frank Smiley…John to you, probably."

"Who?" Adam asked, a small part of his mind listening to the conversation while the majority of it was working on keeping the bag aloft.

"I took hostages? We had a fight?"

"Gonna need to be more specific."

"You ruined my payday when you found the USB on my hacker. Then you passed out and bled all over the floor."

Adam let the beanbag splat on the floor. "Khaki guy! Did that stain ever come out?"

"I don't know, Adam, I was arrested and haven't worn anything but jail PJs since." He could hear the eyeroll over the phone. "How many hostage situations have you been involved in?" was added after a pause.

"Like, this year? Or overall?" Adam asked, with a fair amount of sincerity.

A mechanical voice came onto the line "Two minutes remaining."

"We can discuss that later. I need you to visit me. I have some very important information." Frank/John was in all-business mode.

"Uhh, I can check my schedule. I think I have to wash my hair." Adam wasn't done with the snark, now that he knew who he was talking to.

"Now, Adam." His tone piqued Ruzek's instincts.

"Now?"

"Now."


"I don't know, boss." Adam ran a hand over his hair. "It was something in his voice. It wasn't someone looking for a location shift or even extra change in their canteen account. He had this, uh, desperation?" He squinted, as if trying to find the right way to explain what he heard.

"Go ahead, but you still have to finish those reports." Hank narrowed his eyes at his detective.

Adam absently nodded. "Uh huh. Do 'em when I get back."

At this, Hank tensed. Ruzek was not one to willingly offer to stay late for paperwork. To run through a darkened building, chasing a perp, yes – every time. "Maybe I should send someone with you."

He shook his head, "Nah, let me see what bull he's trying to sell first." A smile ghosted across his lips. "It's probably nothing. I'll let you know when I'm on my way back."

With that Adam turned and loped out of his office. Hank watched him go, nodding at Jay who caught his eye and raised his eyebrow. While everyone had been worried about Adam while he was trapped in that store, only Jay and Hank knew how serious the wound in his side was thanks to Jay's brother. The conversation had no-doubt drifted out into the bullpen and Jay had excellent hearing.

-/-

A few months back…

Hank nodded at Joelle as she topped up his coffee mug. This café had become one of his favourite stops for breakfast once his doctor had succeeded in badgering him into adding more fruit into his diet. They had a mixed berry compote with their pancakes that was technically fruit. It just happened to be in a bowl beside the squirt of whipped cream. Plus, the waitresses didn't mind if he took up a booth with the morning paper instead of trying to hold the pages up while eating at the bar counter.

"Hey boss." Jay slid into the bench seat across from him followed quickly by his brother Will.

Hank looked up and his mug stalled on its path to his mouth, "uh, good morning?"

"Will needs to tell you something." Jay kicked his head towards his brother.

Will, however, did not look comfortable with the deep frown on the Sergeant's face. He leaned over and whispered "I told you we shouldn't interrupt him."

"How exactly did you find me?" Hank growled.

"You rotate through six or seven spots. This was the fourth we checked." Jay shrugged, turning to wave down a waitress to get some coffee and eggs.

Will cleared his throat. "I really shouldn't have even told Jay, it's just…" his voice trailed off as Joelle arrived. He squirmed a bit as his brother ordered food. "Just coffee for me, I ate after my shift." He supplied when three sets of eyes turned to him.

"This is about Adam." Hank made an educated guess. At Will's nod, he continued. "And doctor-patient privilege is something you take serious." Another nod. "But why break that now?"

A sigh. Two more mugs appeared and were filled. He wrapped his hand around the warmth and made the decision. "When Adam came into the ER we did the full spectrum – x-rays, CT, MRI. We had to determine what was causing the bleeding so we took some big picture scans. It wasn't until after he'd been discharged that I took a good look at the x-rays. The surgeons were so focussed on clearing out the shrapnel that nobody looked any further."

"What are we talking about here, Doc?" Hank's jaw twitched as his mind ran in too many directions.

Will paused, trying to figure out how to explain it properly. He'd made a mess of it with Jay which was why he'd been shoved into the truck and hauled on a wild hunt of the local diners.

"His bones…they tell a story." He shot a glance at his brother, "I don't think there's a rib without a fracture in it. Most are small, things that may hurt for a few days and heal quickly. But there are a few that are larger and at least one looks like it never truly set properly." He paused again. "See, someone like Jay, his time in the military, they're always wearing their gear." He tapped the mug with his fingertips. "Swinging the battering ram or tackling a suspect on its own is not a problem. But doing that after cracking a rib can be dangerous. A bone fragment could come off and pierce an organ or the fracture could turn into a break. There were a couple very small bone chips mixed in with the shrapnel. I don't know what kind of fight went on before you pulled him out but it's my medical opinion that a few more blows to his side would've caused some concerning damage. Punctured lungs, ruptured liver, spinal issues, they were all on the table yesterday if you hadn't gotten there in time."

Jay finally cut in. "He's been in too many fights and taking too much of the heat. He got lucky this time."

Hank drew a hand down his face. "Jay. This is Ruzek we're talking about. He's…"

"A human Red Bull." Jay supplied. "But this is for his own good."

A shake of the head from his boss. "I told him yesterday in the hospital that he'd be sweeping on raids for the next two months and he got this look on his face like he disappointed his…his…"

Jay sighed. "Disappointed his Dad." He finished the thought. They shared a look while Will sipped of his cooled coffee.

They all lapsed into silence as Jay's breakfast arrived. He picked up his fork and dug in; he made a face as Will flinched a piece of bacon off the plate.

"What do you want me to do?" Hank pointed the question at Will who got the sense that he was looking for an actionable answer.

"I scheduled him in for follow-up scans in a few months. What I'd like to see is no breaks or fractures and that everything has healed. I want him to give himself time to heal. Or, I guess, you make him take time to heal."

"So, keep him out of danger." Hank scoffed, "Kind of hard in our line of work."

"And knowing Adam, he can't know what's happening." Jay threw in.

"He's a little too stubborn for his own good." Hank shifted in his seat, straightening his back. "Okay, no UC ops until these scans. He's already off the door for a while. I'll rotate him with you, Jay, for more shifts. We all know Kim and Hailey are as tough as they come but Adam's got a chivalrous streak that'll put him in front of them regardless."

Jay nodded, knowing he'd miss Hailey beside him but it wouldn't be forever.

"This can't go past the three of us…and Trudy. If anyone can keep him in line, she can. I think she's the only one he actually listens to. I'll fill her in before he gets back from leave." Hank drained the rest of his coffee and gave a deep sigh. "This is going to be hard."