Chapter 5- Bonded In Blood

So this one is getting more into my wheelhouse: Jay whump. When I first read this prompt I didn't know if it would be better suited in this story or another one, finally decided to put it here! After all it is about Upstead and them saving each other.

Guest: "Jay get so critically near-death's-doorstop injured on the job that the team gets asked to donate blood and Hailey is the only one whose blood type matches."

So this one if going to be hectic. I want to warn ahead of time that this is a scary, potentially trigger inducing story. It is a humanistic viewpoint of what sadly and tragically is going on in this country right now. This is not going to glorify the act in any such way. The point of this is to show the drastic altering and harm these heinous acts result in. Without any further delay, let's dive in.

There was happiness. There was laughter. There was unison. The mid-morning sunlight poured through the filtered curtains, the bed's occupants not bothered a bit. It was Sunday after all, everyone's day off. They spent the morning catching up on the lack of sleep from the night before. They'd been doing this dance for some time now, one going over to the other's on the weekend. Both wanted to keep the relationship under wraps for the time being, neither of them ready to go public on their personal lives. Especially since both had done this before, they knew to keep things hidden for as long as possible. They awoke this morning much later than normal, looking to each other and smiling before completing last night's unfinished business. It all started with a kiss, ending with both of them out of breath. She loved him, he adored her, the day seemed to have nothing but positive things on the agenda. That all changed at the interval buzzing of a phone.

"Is that mine," Jay whispered between kisses? Hailey giggled as she rolled over, looking to the bedside table for the device. Her forehead scrunched, ending the thing they were doing.

"It's both of ours." She handed Jay his phone as she opened her messages. Before long both their bodies were flying out of bed, destination clothes and the door.

"I'll call Voight," Jay yelled in the closet, Hailey nodding as she threw her hair into a ponytail and quickly brushed her teeth. She could hear bits and pieces of the call, Jay using words like 'active' and 'multiple' and 'automatic rifles.' It wasn't like Hailey to get nervous before these things, but she couldn't shake the worry out of her as she headed for the door. She was baffled that Jay could talk and think on his feet at a time like this, but then she remembered he'd done this numerous times. They both hesitated at the front door, Hailey looking to Jay and telling him the thing.

"They're not going to care or notice if we show up together. We've gotta go." Under different circumstances she'd have protested, insisted on some other plan. But lives were literally at stake and needing their help. The door slammed behind them as they jogged down the hall. So much for that untapped potential of happiness.

The ride over was quiet at first, but as they inched closer to the scene an uptick in ambulances, police cars, and running people made everyone's skin crawl. A stroke of luck had them storing their gear and guns in the truck last night, saving them that much time in getting to the scene. Two blocks out traffic came to a stop. Barricades from the festival were slowly being moved, backing traffic up for quite a ways. They sat in the car tapping their feet, scoffing and honking as a random person or cluster of people sprinted down the street, eyes wide with terror and panic.

"Get out," Jay told Hailey, putting the truck in park and gathering his necessary things. People were freaking out, yelling at them for leaving the truck in the street. Jay mumbled that they'd thank him later. Moving in combative fashion their trek to the terror was slow, but productive. They were about a block away when the first spatter of gunfire registered in their ears. Hailey literally stopped, realizing this wasn't some story or idea, what was happening just down the way was real. The terrible, hateful, evil floating around the country had found her city, their city. If nothing else, they had to stop it before more innocent lives were forever changed. Jay nudged her, telling her to sprint but be on the lookout. He took a couple steps ahead of her before she moved, going against the common sense to run away. It was an out-of-body experience but one she was trained for. She breathed and bolted, just focusing on keeping up with him.

What they rounded the corner to was something neither of them would forget. Destruction of all kinds lay at their feet. The more you observed the more your stomach turned. Earth was moved from missed targets. It smelled of sulfur and blood. The air was thick, suffocating as they wove through the festival grounds. Screaming, praying, pleading created a wave of noise, cops yelling and thoroughly waving for people to leave. It was all so much that you wanted to kneel down and plug your ears. Hailey helplessly looked to her left and right, feeling like a single ant in a pile of human feet. There was so much harm, too many places to dart to, it was the sound of Jay's yelling voice and the near miss bullet that brought her back down to the job. Get the shooter, help those behind you later.

"Get behind a tree," Jay yelled, continuing in the direction of the shooter as Hailey darted. Jay's gun was raised upwards, quickly figuring out the shooter was in a building. Bullets were still whizzing by, either hitting the ground, a structure, or worse. The speed was so quick you could hear it when it got close, almost like a baseball being pitched at a high rate. Hailey raised her gun when there was a break, sprinting to another perch before the next round began. The radio was a stream of crackled voices and half commands, everyone getting that they had to move into a building, at least get a sniper in position to take the shooter out.

"I'll do it," Jay calmly spoke over the radio, getting instructions and sniper rifle preferences as he rose from his crouch. Hailey wasn't near him when he made the call, but she'd never forget watching his head pop up from nowhere. He took a step, and another, before retreating for higher ground. He didn't get a chance to turn around because in the amount of time to inhale his body rocked backward, Hailey watching in horror as his limp body fell to the ground.

"JAY!" She yelled, ignoring the trouble that lay between the two of them. She holstered her gun and bolted, zig zagging across the green space before sliding on top of him. The blood was already seeping out, his body shaking from the shock and trauma. His eyes were trying to close, the stubborn determination keeping him conscious for the time being.

"10-1 officer down. I repeat my partner's been shot. Get another sniper up there and take this guy out." The dispatcher emotionlessly replied, Hailey ignoring it as she pressed to the source of his bleeding, hard. It was in a critical area, Hailey not succeeding in pushing away the thoughts that Jay wouldn't make it off this ground alive. People were still running away from the shooter's aim, shouts and bullets coming within earshot of Hailey but none of it bothered her.

"You are not going out like this," she yelled to Jay, his response a half hearted smirk. The breathing was now sporadic, chest sounds gurgling out of him at a record rate. Tears were dripping down her face as she bent over to kiss his cheek. Their final moments together were incredible and memorable, but she prayed they weren't the last. There was so much left for them do to, life moments that had to include him. She looked up to see he'd closed his eyes, pretty much summing up the incoming events. She smacked the side of his face, sobbing as the hand mark reddened his unconscious face. Someone yelled for her to duck and she did, praying her body weight would be the thing that kept him alive just a moment longer.

…

There was a spilt second moment right after the shooting ceased. People slowly crawled out from the wreckage and dirt, taking a breath before assessing what they just endured. It was the span of a second, but felt to be several hours. Hailey had closed her eyes when the shooting became overwhelming, gradually opening her eyes to grief. People were clinging to their loved ones, sobbing into them as they pleaded for help. Those who weren't injured were up and running, arms waving for paramedics' assistance. Cops were in the process of feeling for pulses, rubbing their faces as they surveyed the damaged, fractured city. A quiet gag from the person under her is what made her leap off, breathe the smallest sigh of relief.

"That's right, Jay. Let it all out. I'm right here." His eyes weren't open but his body was still breathing, still doing it's best to stay alive for her. A hand was pressed into his chest again, instilling more pain and discomfort but she didn't care. As long as he was unhappy he was awake and alive. Her gaze returned to the world in front of her. There were many stories here, so many paths that met at this place and time. Whatever else happened today they'd all have something in common, this terror riddled moment. Hailey cried at the thought of that, taking the whole thing in and feeling selfish. People were far worse off than Jay, some were younger and needing help before him. As a pair of medics raced to her place on the green space part of her felt guilty. One person wasn't more valuable than a crowd of people. It was only when she saw several fleets of help that she turned back to her partner.

"What," she asked?

"How long has he been unconscious?" One medic was setting up an IV while the other was ripping the vest and shirt off, vomit filling Hailey's mouth as the hole and dark blood were put on display for the first time.

"A couple minutes, tops," she replied.

"Intubate," the other medic asked?

"Bag for right now. We need to roll him." One of the medics took the head, Hailey and the remaining medic took his side and rolled. He let out a small grunt as they did, revealing the lack of a hole on the back.

"It's still in there. Get him on the gurney. You coming?" Hailey was startled, still taking in things to noticed Jay was lifted from the ground and strapped onto a gurney. The medic called for her again before her head reconnected with things.

"Yeah, I'm coming." She was jogging, doing her best to not get caught up in the images they were running past. Her focus was Jay's head, watching him be maneuvered through the triage location and thrown into the back of an ambulance. Hailey's foot was on the step when Voight found her. He was at a corner of a building, head swiveling to find his people. He was shouting but Hailey couldn't hear him. She looked at him and he must've felt her gaze. The medic was yelling for her to get in when she nodded the confirmation. They were gone before Hailey could plant her rear end on the bench. She was doing well till they past the truck, looking out the window to see Adam and Atwater moving the vehicle out of the way, neither of them aware who was residing in the ambulance.

…

The hospital was absolute pandemonium, which is entirely understandable. It's a well known fact that hospitals are sparsely staffed on the weekends. Most surgeons have the weekend off and the rotation of doctors and nurses are expanded during this time, creating a single unit working one full or half weekend. So when Jay and Hailey arrived to Med the scene was both comical and gut wrenching. Doctors were dressed in athletic wear or t-shirt and jeans with scrubs over them, looking to be lost in a sea of injured or passed, spinning around trying to do a million things at once. When the doors opened on the rig it was April, Maggie and Choi that greeted them. No one had told them who was coming nor was it important. With all that had gone down everyone was getting the same treatment: assessing and sending to their necessary locations. But they were allowed to react and they very much did.

"Hailey? What happened."

"Gun shot wound to the chest, unconscious at the scene. Lost at least a couple of liters. On a mask and fluids…" The medic went on to spit out numbers Hailey didn't understand. She watched the crowd of people push Jay into the ED, listening to them yell for people to make room as they started calling for tests and surgeons to be en route. Hailey was frozen in place, the shakiness of realization zapping any notion of movement out of her. She kept seeing faces, hearing screams, feeling the bullets graze past her. Jay's face and yelling brought things down a bit, giving her something worth moving for. That and the medic running back with a gurney reminding her they had to leave is what finally got her out. She stood in the doorway, looking at everyone being treated. They were like zombies, lost souls who had been pulled from the edge. Shock, fear, terror, emptiness were plastered on their faces. Medical personnel would talk to them, point them in the direction of where they needed to go and they wouldn't move. Some buckled down in tears, but all of them weren't totally aware of what happened to them, what they survived that morning. It was Will streaking past Hailey and turning to face a trauma room that Hailey remembered she was just like everyone else: shocked and horrified while not knowing what all went down.

"Oh crud," she breathed, slowly walking to meet an obviously upset Will. Maggie had left Jay's room and was filling him in on all she knew. Will nodded but wouldn't break eye contact with the room. Hailey was a couple steps away when Will went limp for a moment, both women swopping in to help him. Hailey wanted to inquire, understand what Jay was going through and what was ahead but figured Will didn't need to hear the words again. She gave Maggie a look and she nodded, confirming something bad.

"I'm going in," Will announced after a moment, sliding the glass door open to allow the sounds of heart monitors, shouts, and the defibrillator to pour into the ED. The curtain was closed, shielding Jay from the gathering crowd. Will's opening of the green sheet provided a millisecond look, revealing a nearly naked, intubated Jay who looked right next to death. He was lifeless, pale, and covered in his own blood. Hailey shuttered as the curtain closed behind Will.

"How bad," she numbly asked?

"The bullet hit a chamber of his heart and grazed a couple of major arteries. Rhodes had to perform a thoracotomy just to access the heart and has the holes plugged. It's kind of a miracle he's made it this working on getting his volume up and stabilized enough to bring him upstairs."

"Shit," Hailey exhaled, doubling over to rest her hands on her legs. Maggie went to rubbing her back as the two women watched and listened and waited.

…

There was blood everywhere, that's what Will first noticed. The second was how bad off Jay was. With the amount of blood he lost his skin was white bordering on blue. He bypassed the chest, not wanting to pass out in front of his brother, and focus on the head. He wasn't conscious and had a breathing tube in place. Choi and Rhodes were piggy backing the chest compression and electrical shocks, one yelling clear while the other made sure people stepped away. The heart rate was sporadic, fluttering between very high numbers and the single sound of a ceased heart. The rib spreader forcing a side of Jay's chest open was enough to make Will want to puke, but he put his energy elsewhere, finding the shoes still on Jay's feet and latching on. That was going to be his way out, the thing he'd keep in his view till Jay was brought upstairs. With the chaos in the room no one noticed Will's presence until things took another turn.

Jay was breathing with the vent, not fighting or going over it. But then gagging came out of his asleep body, the oxygen levels suddenly dropping below the minimum levels. People weren't noticing except for Will, and rightfully so. The heart in that moment was more important than anything else. Will watched the number slip from 89 to 87, 86 to 83. It was when it hit 80 that he had no choice but to speak up.

"He's not breathing." Everyone shot a look in his direction, none of them being happy to see Will in the room.

"Will, you have to get out."

"No way," Will shook his head, leaving the foot of Jay's bed and venturing to the spot of the latest trouble. He felt along Jay's neck to realize it was tight, dare he thought swollen. None of this was a good thing.

"He's constricting around the tube to the point it's swelling." Rhodes looked to Choi who threw his head back in frustration. Nothing Jay did was half tilt.

"We're going to have to trache him." Will knew this was the next step, closing his eyes as he heard the confirmation. He deflated the balloon and quickly yanked the device out of his brother's mouth. For a moment he looked normal, now looking more asleep and less like he was dying. He extended his hand for the scalpel, knowing how to perform the invasive, minor operation. A nurse hesitated, looking to Rhodes to force Will out of the way.

"Will, you can't do that and you know it."

"You guys are busy and I can do it." Rhodes clamped something in Jay's chest, ripping off dirty gloves and applying new ones.

"You can watch," he instructed Will as he prepped the base of the neck and removed the rubber cover from the knife. Will dug under the sheets, cords, and IV lines to find Jay's hand, squeezing as the scalpel dug into the neck, blood running out as Rhodes punctured a hole in the trachea.

"It's almost done," Will informed Jay as Rhodes stuck the breathing tube into the location. A strap was placed around the neck and gauze was placed around the still bleeding hole, but their efforts awarded them something they struggled some time for: sinus rhythm.

"We're moving," Rhodes shouted as he grabbed a side of the gurney and ran. The curtain was thrown back in dramatic fashion as Will rolled the glass door out of the way. Hailey's jaw dropped to the floor as Jay raced by her, Will shaking his head as he followed Jay and the team to the elevator.

"Don't give up," he told Jay as he was pushed onto the car and the doors slid shut. For reasons unknown to him Will felt that that was the end, the final time. He watched the numbers climb to the OR floor, closing his eyes as he prayed for what was the next event in Jay's future. Tears were dripping down his face as he returned to face Hailey and Maggie.

"Had to perform a tracheotomy, his throat was swelling around the tube and he couldn't breathe." Hailey nodded, looking down at her blood and tear stained appearance.

"What can I do to help?" Will shrugged, asking himself that very same question.

"He'll need blood. I'm sure after today the blood bank will be low."

"Let's get you cleaned up first," Maggie commented, showing Hailey the way to the showers and clothing. Hailey turned to face Will and give smiling a full effort. She knew things were grim, fully understood the emotions and scenarios that were running through his head. It was a sad smile, but a smile nonetheless. He nodded before turning away to face the waiting crowd, hoping for something to distract him from his misery for a time.

…

The shower was glorious. Its' magical healing powers draped over her like a hug, washing away the stench of the day and filling her with peaceful cleanliness. She began standing right under the shower head, closing her eyes and breathing loudly. She wasn't aware of how clenched and tight she'd become, her whole body doing a giant exhale as the water ran down her. She stood long enough to wash herself with soap and shampoo, rising them all as she collapsed into a pile on the tile floor. The once amazing water head became an audible reminder of the day, the water drops sounding more like shots and shouts rather than what it was. Closing her eyes only brought back the prior night's and early morning's activities. She could see him, feel him like he was a couple feet away from her. His scent was right at the tip of her nose, his laugh making her smile against the rainfall above. Her drained mind told her to reach out and touch him, the waking eyes revealing an extended hand hanging in mid air. The tears were there but she pushed them away. She'd done the grieving girlfriend routine already, now it was time to be the supportive, protective partner. If the day taught her anything it's that life can change in the blink of an eye. You can go from living on the peak, thinking life wouldn't get any better, to playing a game of 'lasts.' Last looks, last images, last words danced in her mind. Hands were brought to her face, an extra loud grunt and growl erupting out of her. But then a door slammed open, bringing the pity party and misery mindset to a halt.

"Hailey, you ok?" Maggie outline could be made out against the frosted glass door. She looked to be standing a couple feet away from the shower. Hailey rose from her spot on the floor, nodding as her hand turned the faucet to the off position.

"Yeah."

"I could only find scrubs. I can go get you some clothing later but this is all I have right now." Hailey smirked, loving the dedication and love this women shared with the world. Amongst the worst day in the city, this women made the time to look out for her, a bystander who wasn't physically effected by the crime.

"It's perfect, thank you," Hailey replied, throwing her hair in a towel before wrapping another one around her body. She opened the door to a mute Maggie, her face not looking more hopeful than the last time they interacted.

"Did Jay make it to the OR." Maggie nodded her head.

"They started him bypass about half an hour ago. Will's already up in the waiting room."

"What surgery is he having?" Maggie hesitated, mouth open but not sure if she should speak.

"You know what, I don't want to know. It won't help things." Maggie nodded in agreement.

"Why don't you get dressed and I'll bring you to the blood bank." Hailey took the clothing and changed, feeling the weight of Jay being somewhere in the hospital with his heart stopped and in the process of being cut open. Not a great thought to marinate on.

Once the re-dressing process was complete Hailey followed Maggie out of the room for an eternal journey to the blood bank. It was a series of stair climbing, elevator riding, and about a million hallway trails, but eventually they arrived at the large, glass encased department. It was divided into two parts: donation and storage. The storage was a series of rowed refrigerators, the room dark and occupied by one. The other side, the donation section, was jam packed with people. Nurses were darting between donors, checking IV lines and blood bags while setting up new people. As Hailey and Maggie ventured closer to the department Hailey choked on tears of joy. All of Intelligence was there, staggered between checking in and in the process of donating. When they saw her they nodded, seeming to be telling her there wasn't another option, they were doing it for Jay.

"I'll see you when you're done," Maggie told Hailey, this being the passing of her to able hands. She nodded, not hesitating to fill out the paperwork. She sat in the waiting room for minutes, springing to her feet when her name was called. The nurse guided her to a place at the end of the line, placing her a couple spots away from Adam. He looked over to her and bit the side of his cheek, shrugging as she made herself comfortable.

"I'll be right back," a nurse quietly told her. Hailey noticed the blood bag next to her chair, a Sharpie resting next to it. Without thinking Hailey took the marker and drew a smiley face in the upper left hand corner, a calling card for whoever received her donation. Adam chuckled when she put the bag back on the table.

"Have you heard anything," he asked her?

"In surgery."

"How are you doing?" Hailey shrugged, truly touched by his concern for her well being. Just because they weren't together didn't mean they still didn't care about each other. His simple question spoke volumes.

"Honestly, I don't know." Before the long the nurse returned, set up the IV and smirked at the smiling face on the bag. She told Hailey it would be awhile before stepping away to tend to the others.

"He'll pull through," Adam encouraged. Without even realizing it Hailey nodded to sleep, the serotonin finally having its' way with her.

…

She awoke to Kim nudging her, flinching her arms up as the woman stepped away giggling. Sleep did not treat her well. It was a never ending video reel of her time with Jay. From the moment she walked into that bank heist to the what they did last night, the two and a half years they spent together became a marathon movie in her mind. Try as hard as she did to push those things away, that's what her brain told her to watch, there was no other viewing option. So Kim's encouragement to return to earth was out of nowhere but welcomed, finally ending the worst movie in the history of the world. Hailey woke to an empty room with the lights turned down. The nurse that helped her was in the far right corner of the room, putting things away before looking to Kim, telling her she was leaving in a couple of minutes.

"How long was I out," Hailey yawned?

"At least four hours." Eyes went wide, shocked and amazed she was out that long despite the day. Kim offered a hand and Hailey accepted, the two women leaning on each other as they wove back into the heart of the hospital. It was when they boarded the elevator that Hailey noticed the OR floor wasn't selected, a sign that things had changed right under her sound asleep nose.

"Is he out of surgery?"

"Yeah, not too long ago. Rhodes already talk to Will and they're upstairs with Jay. He's in the ICU right now. Might need another operation in a couple of days."

"Why?"

"I'll let Will tell you. Didn't really understand the first time I heard it." Hailey's chest tightened when the elevator stopped, her pulse picking up when the doors opened. She wasn't sure if she was ready or able to see Jay in this place, in a state other than conscious and normal. But that wasn't for her to dictate. The act had already been done. Jay had held his end of the bargain up for now, it was her turn to deliver regardless if she like it or not. Kim sensed her resistance, taking Hailey by the arm and slowly walking her down the hallway. The nurses and doctors at the nurses' station nodded to them, realizing who they were up there for. They didn't speak, just pointed them in the direction. Another step, another turn and they were there. The crowd in the room was the dead give away, the redheaded person hovering over the bed the final piece to the puzzle. After hours of fear and uncertainty the reunion was upon them.

"You ready?"

"Yeah," Hailey replied. The door was slid open, the sea of people was parted, and there he was looking just as beat up and dead as the last time they saw each other.

For starters his lips were a light shade of blue. This had to do with the trache tube. While the rest of him was being oxygenated his lips and nose were being overpowered by the tube, creating a lower but acceptable oxygen supply. The rest of him was sickly white, like he hadn't seen sunlight in a good year. Hailey moved from the foot of his bed to the side Will wasn't occupying. She felt the stares, knew this was the time the secret would be revealed to the world, but all of that seemed stupid and minuscule. Jay was alive for the time being, by the looks of it that wouldn't last very long. She pointed to the hand covered in pulse oximeter clips, IVs, and hospital bands and Will nodded, Hailey cupping its' limpness in her hand and squeezing. It didn't respond but it was his, that was going to have to be enough for now. His chest was fairly exposed, a hospital gown draped over it and resting about halfway down, revealing the large gauze dressing and numerous drainage tubes coming from the surgical sight. Hailey didn't stay there long, not wanting to see that part of him for awhile. She did a quick once over, concluding he looked so completely different from the morning. The once strong and able body was now fragile, thin, and foreign to her. His smell was replaced with sterile, hospital things. His appearance had been wrecked by the day's events. The world outside was pitch black now, Hailey realized they began the day full of happiness, ending it with nothing but heartbreak.

"What happened," fell out of her mouth before she even registered it. Will looked to Rhodes, who was documenting things and ordering medication. He looked up from his job and breathed, realizing none of them wanted to hear the report again.

"The bullet hit a chamber of his heart and injured a couple big arteries. We were able to repair the damage and remove the bullet but his heart is not pumping as quick as I'd like. That might be because of the blood loss but it's likely because of the trauma. We're going to give him transfusions for the next two days and then reevaluate. If it doesn't improve we'll go back in and try to fix the smaller arteries, maybe do a pace maker." Hailey nodded, not understanding things but was relieved Rhodes didn't speak in endpoints. One by one members of Intelligence trickled out of the room. The case was still wide open, questions outnumbering the answers. While they all wanted to stay for the duration duty was calling. The best way they could help Jay was to solve the case, knowing full well he'd want answers when he woke up. Before long it was just Will and Hailey, listening to the ventilator breathe and the heart monitors beeping the scary tune of a sick heart.

"This was the longest, worst day ever," Will announced, leaning back in his seat and rubbing eyes. Hailey looked up to the IV stand, smirking at the blood bag smiling back at her. She finally got her moment to help Jay.

"Yeah, but not just for us," Hailey replied, both of them staring out into the ICU, noticing the packed rooms and hallways of those who also started the day blissfully unaware their lives would forever change.

…

Five Days Later

"Hey there sleepy, welcome back." She sat at the right side of the bed, holding his hand as his eyes slowly wound around the room. The last couple of days were trying. Jay did in fact have to have the second surgery, a second open heart procedure in just as many days. Enduring one procedure was tough, but having to go through twice in two days was rarely done. Despite the transfusions, rest, and medication nothing availed, the heart doing its' own thing. After the second operation Rhodes warned that the pain would be pretty excruciating. Breaking and spreading the sternum open once is bad, but having do to it twice is like having multiple layers of bruises. Jay would be unable to move any of his upper half for a couple of weeks and the muscle strength would be all but gone. But the end game was that he would wake up and get out of the hospital. Not if, not maybe, he would; which those who huddled over him relished in for the foreseeable future.

You could say he opened his eyes the day after the second surgery, but wasn't alive per say. They were quick couple second blinks, the eyes watery and lost as they went around the room before snapping shut. This went on over the coming days, everyone soon figuring out it was the wearing off of the pain meds that stirred him from his slumber. A couple of times he'd grunt or whine, but the trache put that to a halt. Hailey and Will never left the room during this time. Their goal was for Jay to never feel alone. The chances of him remembering any of this part of the recovery was slim, but on the off chance he did they never wanted his first moments on the other side to be alone. What made today different from the other days was that we coughed, stopping the vent for a moment. Hailey was reading while Will was talking to Rhodes when it occurred. Hailey shot around to face him, smile beaming wide as Jay closed his eyes while mouthing something. She called to Will as she took her spot on the bed, waiting for their eyes to finally reconnect.

"Hey," she spoke again as Jay found her, Jay returned her hand squeezing with a flinch. It was small and weak but it was him. She'd never been so proud.

"Can you hear me? Blink if you can." Jay slowly closed his eyes once before opening, staring at her rather helplessly and tired.

"You're in the hospital. You were shot almost a week ago and were brought here. Rhodes had to operate twice but you'll be ok. Don't move anything, I'm sure it hurts." Jay blinked, letting the smallest, goofiest smirk out of the corner of his mouth.

"You also can't talk," Will chimed in.

"There's a tube in your throat but it'll come out in a couple of days. How bad is the pain. Do you want another dose?" Jay nodded, wincing at the pain that caused. Will got up to get the nurse and Conner, leaving Hailey and Jay alone for a moment. The drugs were taking a toll on his functions, causing him to daze off before slowly blinking back to reality. On one of his resurfaces he looked to Hailey, giving her that 'explain' stare and knowing exactly what he meant.

"They got him. It was political. Same thing as El Paso and Dayton." Jay looked off again, Hailey noticing the tears in the corner of his eyes. She took the sleeve of her shirt and gently wiped, Jay blinked his thanks.

"I love you," she blurted out. Jay instantly looked at her frozen, surprised face. She knew this wasn't the time or place to confess these things, but it didn't matter. She almost lost him, their story was nearly incomplete. Screw the rules and timelines, they had this moment and she planned on making the most of it.

"You too," he mouthed. It wasn't the full sentence but Hailey knew the two words required a lot of work right now. She leaned over and kissed his forehead, returning to her spot to hear Jay totally zonked out.

So if you want to read more in depth and crazy Jay whump, you can head over to A Prompting- Jay Halstead. Please forgive my shameless plug. I hope you guys enjoyed this one! It didn't exactly follow the prompt but the points were put in the story nonetheless. Next chapter won't be as crazy as this but will definitely have more Upstead fun. Thank you for reading! Onto the next one.