Chapter 6

"I got him." Mouse said, coming over to the others. He was finally able to get into Novac's phone.

"Where is he?" Jay asked. He was feeling anxious and just ready to get this over and done with.

"Matt Isaac, one of the survivors, he came into Chicago last night. Anderson is going to take him out when he leaves his hotel to go to a conference. He was only held for two weeks in the camp. He stayed in the military for another ten years before he left and started to work within a rehab center to help people with addiction. He's here in Chicago to attend a conference for new holistic treatment options." Mouse answered.

"Anderson's a sniper, he's gonna make the shot from a rooftop. Where is the hotel?" Jay asked, and Mouse spoke as he pulled it up.

"The Wellington and the conference is at McCormick. I can map the routes that he could take, but it's gonna be at least ten."

"But if we don't know what route Isaac is going to take, then Anderson wouldn't either." Adam commented.

"Can you put 'em up on a map and see if there is a spot that intersects with all of them?" Jay asked Mouse.

"Yup." Mouse said, as he went over to his laptop and started to pull up the options. He didn't know if any would cross over there. The others all came up behind him as he worked and Jay bent forward placing his hand on the back of Mouse's chair. It was so familiar to Mouse he couldn't help the warmth that went through his chest. He missed working closely with Jay.

"I'm not seeing one." Jay commented.

"Ya, it's not looking like they all intersect. Maybe there are some that will connect more than others." Mouse said, as he looked at the different colored lines on the map.

"There has to be a way we can figure out a route." Hailey said. They were so close to ending this and they couldn't miss out on this opportunity.

"Mouse, do a topical grid layout and run line of sights from the taller buildings." Jay suggested.

"Ya, ya, ya, I get where you're going with this." Mouse said, as he quickly typed.

"Care to share with the rest of the class?" Voight asked, because clearly there was a conversation none of them were privy to.

"Anderson can't predict which route Isaac is going to take either. You type it into a GPS it'll give multiple routes and those routes will change depending on the traffic. It's impossible to know. He will need to hit Isaac while he's driving to ensure he doesn't cause a large police presence. You can't shoot someone in front of a nice hotel or in front of a conference center. Not if you want the time to get the fuck out of dodge. His only option is to do it while he's driving and then while the police are trying to figure out what happened, Anderson could be on a plane and out of here." Mouse started.

"There's no way Anderson doesn't know that Novac and Holland are gone. They would have been in contact every day and by now the news of the helicopter incident will have made all news networks. But he's a Ghost, so he's not going to turn tail and run. Not while the mission is still on. He'll wait to take out Isaac before moving to another town and eventually he'll come back to finish the mission with me. With him being a sniper, he needs a building up high with a perfect view of every possible route. So when he follows Isaac's car, he can pick him off no matter what roads he takes." Jay finished.

"Right here. This building gives him a perfect view." Mouse said, as he pointed at his screen.

"I need a taller building with an unobstructed view of it." Jay said, but Mouse was already typing to see which building would work best.

"Only building that gives you that is three thousand yards away." Mouse answered, as he pointed to the building.

"Three thousand yards? Is that even possible?" Kim asked, shocked.

"I've made farther. It's nice out, no wind and it'll be a straight shot." Jay simply said.

"You're gonna need to head out now if you want to get there and set up before he arrives. The conference starts in a couple of hours, but Isaac could leave early." Mouse advised.

"Jay, you set up on the roof and the rest of us will be undercover in Anderson's building just in case he aborts his plan. We could follow him or just take him out. Jay, you're clear to take whatever shot you need." Voight ordered.

This was their last guy, so they didn't need him alive. If they could take him out before he even reached the roof, then that was what they were going to do.

"I'll go and run overwatch with you in case he gets to the street. I can also track Isaac's car." Mouse said. He was going to be there just in case they needed someone to fight Anderson with Jay being too far away it was going to be on him if they needed a physical fight. He was hoping it wouldn't come down to that though. That Jay would be able to make the shot and this could be done and over with cleanly.

"Gear up." Voight ordered.

They all started to move and Jay went over to Will, who was by the break room door. He had been listening, but he had also been focusing on Lopez who was currently passed out on the couch.

"How is he?" Jay asked.

"Sleeping. He needs rehab, but he doesn't seem all that interested in it. What will happen to him once you get Anderson?"

"Whatever he wants. He could stay in Chicago or we'll get him a ride back to New York. You can't make him get sober Will, you know that and he doesn't seem like he's interested in doing that."

"I know, I know. I just hate that after everything he went through he's gonna go back to living on the streets. He's gonna eventually kill himself, intentionally or not, and as a doctor, I can't help him. I can't heal him, only he can do that."

It was a fact that Will was struggling with and not because of Lopez, but because of Jay. He could heal a lot of things, but he couldn't heal Jay's mind or heart. If Will was honest with himself he was really worried about what was going to happen once they ended this case. Once Jay and everyone was safe again, Jay wasn't going to be able to hang on any longer. There would be an all new battle that they were gonna go through and Will didn't know if Jay would allow him to be there to help him. He might have to wait an unknown amount of time before he would be able to see his brother and help him. Will hated that. He hated that his little brother was going to be in pain and he was helpless to make it better.

"You can't save everyone Will." Was all Jay said before he headed off for the garage so he could get to his truck and start to make his way out.

Jay could feel his anxiety increasing and all he wanted was for this to be over and done with so he could go home and get drunk. He was barely hanging on and he honestly didn't know if he would be able to last another day if they missed Anderson. He headed for his truck and started to make the journey towards his target building. There was no point in waiting around for the others, because they weren't going to be going to his location. Jay just wanted this over and done with and he didn't want to have to deal with an audience for it either.

He expertly made his way through the city streets and once he arrived at his target building he parked his truck and grabbed his rifle case. He headed inside and after a quick conversation with security and a flash of his badge, he was given the elevator key to the roof and security was under strict instructions to not bother him or let anyone come up onto the roof. Jay doubted anyone would need to be up there, but he wasn't going to take the chance and have his focus broken. He was only going to get one shot at this and he was not going to have it fucked up on him.

Once he arrived at the top floor he made his way down the hallway to the ladder that would take him to the door for the roof. He climbed up and headed out of the trap door. He made his way across the roof and looked around to try and find the best place to set up. Once he had it he bent down and opened his rifle case and got his gun put together before he laid down and took up his position.

"Jay, you got your ears on?" Mouse asked into the com.

"Ya, in position now. How are things on your end?"

"We just arrived. I am going to be set up in the corner of the lobby and the others are spread out. I got eyes on Isaac's rental car, it's still parked outside of the hotel. He's not on the move yet, so hopefully Anderson sets up soon and we can take him out before Isaac even leaves the hotel."

"Copy, no eyes on him yet." Jay confirmed.

He was hoping that he could take Anderson out before Isaac's life was on the line, but he had no idea when Isaac was going to leave outside of the two hour window. Jay had no choice but to lay in wait for when he would get a shot at Anderson.

XXX

It was a good thirty minutes later when Jay finally saw movement on the roof. Anderson had arrived and now Jay needed to just wait until he picked a spot and laid down. The weather was holding up real well and it was going to be an easier shot because there was no wind.

"Target has arrived. Do you have eyes on Isaac?" Jay said into coms.

"Negative. I got eyes on his car, so I'll know when he moves." Mouse confirmed.

"Take whatever shot you need Jay." Voight said again to confirm that Jay had the green light.

"Copy." Jay said, as he kept his eyes on Anderson.

So far he had no idea that he was up here and Jay suspected that he wouldn't. He was higher than him and far enough away that even if Anderson looked all around he wouldn't spot Jay laying flat on the building's roof. He waited patiently as Anderson scooped out the area and eventually picked his spot. He watched as he got his rifle together and laid down on the ground, ready for when his chance came to take the shot. Jay wasn't gonna be giving him one though. He lined up his shot and let out a slow, deep breath before he gently pressed on the trigger. The shot echoed all around him, but he knew anyone down on the ground wouldn't even hear it. It wasn't even two seconds later before Jay watched a Anderson's head exploded from the power of the bullet before it impacted into the cement wall of the roof.

"Anderson is down." Jay said into the coms as relief washed over him.

It was finally over. The Ghosts were officially over, with all but one dead. Jay knew it was the best way they could have gone about this. They needed to ensure the dangerous Ghosts were out of the world so they couldn't escape or cause more harm. Holland would spend the rest of his life in a CIA black site or at least until he managed to convince the CIA that he would be more useful to them hacking for them then being locked away. Even when that happened Jay knew that he would be heavily guarded and wouldn't be able to do anything to him or anyone that he loved. Jay let out a sigh, before he pushed himself up off of the ground and started to break down his rifle and put it away in its case.

"Nice work Jay." Voight said, over the coms.

Jay didn't say anything though, because all he could think about was getting out of here. He wanted to get home and get away from all of the noise and people. He grabbed his rifle case as he started to head towards the door to the roof so he could get the hell out of here and get to his truck. He knew he should be going back to the station and seeing the others, especially Will, but all he could think about was getting home. He couldn't handle dealing with the others and any of their looks. He didn't want their pity. He didn't want to hear how they were there for him. He just wanted to escape. He knew Mouse would be wanting to see him, but he didn't even want to see Mouse, not right now. He knew Mouse would have to be going back to the Rangers soon, most likely tomorrow and Mouse would want to see him before he goes, but Jay couldn't do it. He couldn't listen to some lecture about how he had to stay strong and keep fighting. He was done fighting.

Jay got into his truck and immediately removed the com and tossed it onto the passenger seat before he turned his truck on and headed off for his apartment. He made a quick stop to the liquor and beer store to grab five cases of beer and ten bottles of whiskey. He knew he shouldn't be doing it, but he didn't want to have to go out anytime soon. He then stopped off at a pizza place and grabbed a large pizza. He wasn't really hungry, but he knew later when he was drunk he would want to eat something. With all of that done he drove home and brought everything up. Once he was all set, he put as much beer as he could into his fridge before he grabbed a change of clothes and headed into the bathroom for a quick shower.

His whole body was trembling and Jay knew he wasn't going to last much longer sober. It was why he wanted to grab a quick shower so he wouldn't have to worry about it for a couple of days. He made quick work of getting cleaned before he got out and put on his sweats. He headed into the kitchen as his phone rang. He looked down and saw that it was Will. He grabbed his phone and hit ignore before he sent a quick text to Will saying he loved him before he turned his phone off. He knew eventually someone would show up, but he wasn't in the mood to talk to anyone. They would at least know he was ok.

With all of that done, he grabbed a glass and one of the whiskey bottles and headed over to his couch. He poured himself a large drink and downed the whole thing before he did it again. He grabbed the remote and turned the television on and just let whatever hockey game that was on play as he sat back with his drink and bottle.

XXX

"Something could be wrong. We need to go and check on him." Adam said, once Jay went silent on coms and wasn't answering any of their calls.

"Nothing is wrong. At least, not physically." Will said, as he looked at his phone and the text that just came in.

"We don't know that." Adam argued.

"Ya we do. He just sent me a text saying he loved me." Will said, as he tried to call Jay one more time, but it went straight to voicemail. "And now his phone is off."

"That's even worse. He could be looking to hurt himself. That could be a goodbye text." Kim said, now very scared for what was going on with Jay.

"It's not." Will said confidently.

"How do you know?" Hailey asked, as she looked down at her phone, but Jay hadn't sent him anything.

"Because he said firebird. It's a code word that we started when he came back from his last tour. If he says firebird that means he's safe, but he needs time alone and doesn't want to be bothered. He's not looking to hurt himself, he's just looking to get really drunk." Will explained.

"What do we do?" Voight asked, because he never felt more helpless than he did right now. He couldn't help Jay with this war that he had going on. He could be there for him, but he couldn't help Jay overcome this. That had to come from within Jay and Voight didn't know how long it would be before Jay had the strength to fight this.

"We give him space. I'll go by to say goodbye to him, I have to get back to Georgia. The best thing you can do is let him have control over the situation. Trying to force yourselves onto him will only piss him off and make it worse. He's going to self-destruct for a little while, but eventually he will start to work through it. I don't know how long it will take this time around, but last time it took seven months, so be prepared for this to take a while. I don't know if there is anything you can do about his job." Mouse started to explain.

"I can have him on sick leave. I've already made the calls and had some favors cashed in. He has a year before things get a bit rocky." Voight answered. He knew that Jay was going to need some time off and he wanted to make sure he had as much time that he needed. He wasn't going to have Jay coming back to work before he was ready and he wasn't going to have him lose his job over this. He was too good of a cop for that.

"Good. With some luck it won't take that long. He's going to spiral for a bit, just let him. Trying to lecture him or get him to stop isn't going to work. It's only going to make it worse. As hard as it's going to be, you have to let him come to you. Let him reach out. That's gonna be the hardest part, because you'll want to talk to him and make sure he knows you're there. But you can't. And he already knows that you're there for him. When he's ready he'll come to you." Mouse explained.

He knew they were all going to struggle with not talking to Jay, but they were gonna have to do it. Jay needed to be in control and to decide for himself when he spoke to someone and who he spoke to. It was going to be incredibly difficult, but if they ever wanted Jay back to normal and healthy again, they would need to give him the time he desperately needed.

"We can't just leave him on his own." Adam instantly argued.

"Mouse is right. Jay doesn't do well when people are constantly on him. He needs to be able to feel whatever he has to so he can work through it. It's not going to be an easy few months, but we have to do it."

It was the last thing that Will wanted to do, especially given their history, but he knew Jay better than anyone. He knew what he would be like if they all pressured or hounded him. They had to give him space before they started to try and get him sober.

"I'll go over and see him tonight. I gotta head out in the morning. Will has my number and I can give it to you Hailey as well. Give Jay some time, he'll bounce back." Mouse added.

"Alright, you heard 'em. Give him some space and let him come to you." Voight ordered. He wasn't happy about this, but he had to trust in Mouse and Will's judgment. They knew Jay the best, especially when he was like this. They had to trust them. Voight could tell no one was happy about this, but it was the only thing they could do. He was just hoping that Jay would be back soon, because he honestly didn't know how his team would ever survive without him.

XXX

Mouse used his spare key and headed into Jay's place. He knew that Jay was already going to be drunk or well on his way to it. He also knew he wasn't going to be in the mood for company, but he wasn't going to be leaving to go back to the Rangers without seeing Jay and saying goodbye to him. The second he walked in he could hear the television going with some hockey game. He was not surprised to find Jay on the couch in sweats with a beer and bottle of whiskey. He saw that there was pizza on the counter, so he was pleased that Jay had eaten something at least.

"Hey man." Mouse started, as he went and sat down in the chair by the couch.

"You heading out?" Jay asked, getting right to the point.

"Ya, I'll leave shortly. I gotta catch a flight and head back to Georgia before I'm shipped back out. I still got three months left on my tour."

"See ya then." Jay said and Mouse knew he was scared for what could happen to him and he was just trying to protect himself from having to say goodbye to his best friend.

"You know I'm always going to be there for you. That you can call me whenever you want and I will always answer. I'm gonna put in some time too for vacation. I don't know when that will happen, but I'll submit if after my tour is done. Take a couple of months off and come down here and hang out with ya. Assuming you don't mind me crashing at your place."

Mouse knew that Jay and himself were going to need him to be in Chicago for a couple of months. It wasn't just Jay that needed the break, Mouse did as well. He could feel himself getting tired and that was a dangerous place for him to be in. He needed a break and he was hoping that his bosses would be good for it.

"Whenever, you know that." Jay said and it was clear he didn't believe that Mouse would be back. Mouse couldn't blame him, it had been years since he left and he hadn't come back to visit once since.

"I know this is hard on you and I'm not lecturing, but you gotta try and not spiral for too long. You got a lot going for you right now with Will and Hailey, your job, you got a lot to lose and I don't want that to happen to you. Voight was able to give you a year of sick leave, but that's all he could give you. To most a year sounds like a long time, but we both know how short that truly is when you need to recover."

Mouse didn't want to make it sound like he was lecturing Jay. That wouldn't do anyone any good to begin with. Jay was always going to do what he wanted and it was that simple. He needed to know that someone was going to be there for him when he decided to get better. He also needed to know he was on a time limit. That his clock was ticking and he was going to have to fix himself or he risked losing everything.

"When's your flight?" Jay asked instead.

"I gotta leave in about an hour to make it. I'll text and call you though. Even though I'm not here, that doesn't change that I am here for you. Always brother." Mouse didn't want Jay thinking he was on his own, but Mouse was terrified that Jay wasn't going to get better with him being gone. It was one of the reasons why he wanted to take some time off after his tour. He needed to be here to make sure Jay recovered and got through all of this.

"Sure."

Was all Jay said and Mouse expected as much. He was going to be hurting and pissed at him for a while. He was going to be pissed at everyone, but Mouse was hoping that someone would be able to get through to Jay eventually. If not, he would be back in three months and he would make sure Jay recovered, just as he did last time. With a shit load of luck, Jay would heal and recover from all of this. The problem was, Mouse didn't know if he had it in him this time around and that truly terrified Mouse.