It was nearing four o'clock when we were finally given the go-ahead to set up the fake stash house. Jay posed as a homeless guy, ultimately looking out for the suspects to arrive, while Kevin and Adam took their place in the room being set up with the drugs. I took the room just down the hall and a few minutes later, we got the notification from Jay that they had arrived.
"We wait for them to hit that door." Voight's voice came over the radio as I peered out the door and stayed out of sight. "Hailey, you say when."
"Not yet. "Hang tough." I pulled back as I watched the two men pause in front of the door next to the stash house and finally pulled on their masks."Get ready, they're coming in."
"Police! Drop your weapons." Ruzek shouted before a blaze of gunfire sounded on both ends, piercing the abandoned apartment building.
"Hailey. Hold your position." Voight commanded from the van. "Only approach when the suspect flees."
"Copy." Watching closely, about thirty seconds later, a flash of black appeared as the second suspect fled, and I fired off a shot as he fired off several. Bullets flew by me, some ricocheting off a rusty grill as I ducked for cover. Glass shattered around the suspect and Jay appeared through the door, leading up from the stairs.
"You good?"
"Good," I confirmed, kicking the gun away from the suspect so it wasn't within his reach. Jay had shot in an area of his shoulder, which incapacitated our suspect.
"Hey, everybody okay?" Hank asked from the parking lot as Al stood beside him, guns pressed to their sides in case they needed to help.
"All good." Kevin responded over the railing as we all took in a deep breath. We had nailed the people responsible for the drug raids and got justice for those who had died along the way.
"Guy inside is down. He's not getting back up." Adam reported, stepping out of the room as he put the safety back on his gun. "Not ever."
"This one is still alive." Careful to sweep the glass with my foot so I could have a clear area to work, I pressed two fingers to the guy's neck.
"5021 George. Shots fired by police. Roll an ambo to 3027 West 47th Street. We got multiple offenders down. One DOA." Jay said into his radio as soon as I had announced that the guy was still alive.
"Copy that, 5021 George. Ambulance en route to your location. ETA five minutes." A female dispatcher relayed back to him. Jay turned down his radio slightly as he caught his breath. It was always a rush when we were in pursuit of a suspect, but this time it felt different because I had someone else to live for.
"Kevin and Adam, I want you to take point on everything that went down when forensics comes on to the scene and then head back. We need to figure out exactly who these two were working with." Voight issued as he walked across the way to survey the scene as I did my best to hold down the wound.
"Copy," Kevin said first as they headed back to the room where they had taken down the first suspect.
"Hailey and Jay, I want you to head to the hospital with our suspect. Make sure to read him his rights when he comes to." Hank called over his shoulder as he and Al walked towards the direction of the room. "We need to know who these guys were working with and why."
"Copy that," Jay told him, waiting until he everyone was far away before broaching the subject with me, of which I could tell what he was going to say. "You know you could have told him you had to leave."
"Not until this case is wrapped up. I want to be able to look at Felix's mom and tell her we found the people who were responsible for killing her son."
"How is she holding up?"
"Something tells me she isn't. Before we took her to the hotel, she looked so drained and about ready to collapse. We made sure she had a police officer watching the room for a little while in case anything happened."
"Good. Hopefully, she will get the help she needs." He said over the growing sirens approaching the scene. As he said that, flashing lights buzzed by down the road, an ambulance pulling into the parking lot a few minutes later.
"Hey, Halstead." A paramedic with a stocky build and cleanly trimmed mustache greeted him. "Dispatch said you had a suspect with a gunshot wound. This the guy?"
"Hal." Yeah. Direct hit to the shoulder." Jay signaled with his hand from the broken window to where the guy had gone down. No doubt he was thinking of his ranger days as he prattled that one off.
Hal nodded as his partner cut open the shirt then stepped back so he could press the stethoscope to the guy's chest. "Breath sounds are slightly diminished on the left side. Possible tension pneumothorax. Adjust his head up a little." He told his partner, a guy in his thirties who was hooking him up to a pulse oximeter. "Better. Let's go ahead and get a pressure dressing on this and we'll get him to med."
"We'll follow you there," Jay told him as I took off my gloves and bagged them to clean later. "Ready?"
"Yeah." Grabbing my phone, I finally listened to my message from Eva's teacher as we walked back down the car, "Hi, Hailey. It's . Ellen from the front office passed on your message. I just wanted to touch base with you on a few things. Since it is the weekend, I will be staying at the school until about five-thirty to finish up some grading. So, if you happen to pick up Eva around that time, just come down to my classroom and we can discuss any concerns or I would be glad to answer any questions you have. If you can't make it, feel free to call me on this number, or we can talk on Monday if you have a few minutes after you drop off Eva. I look forward to hearing from you. Thanks, Hailey."