The most annoying thing in your life is probably when you're getting injured on the job but you have to pick up your hideous father, the man who always yelled at you, always consider you as failure, always hit on you so he won't miss his doctor's appointment. This thought overwhelmed Jay's mind as he stared at the bustling road of Chicago, ready to join the cars moving in a line on a steady rhythm. His whole body hurt like hell as he was trying to settle himself on the driver's seat. In a job like this there was a major chance of injuring yourself and with Jay's record, the percentage was increased minute by minute. Not all missions or busts were dangerous but this one was beyond out of safety. He figured it out when the knife of the offender cut him and his fists connected to his chest and abdomen. If you looked closely, you would pinpoint the small drops of blood slowly dripping on his grey T-shirt. Although he was offered a ride at Med, he immediately refused and returned to the district with the rest of his team.

"Jay?" A knock on the window snapped him out of his thoughts.

"Hey Adam."

"You alright man? I saw the fight with Jeckins and noticed that you left pretty quickly from upstairs."

"I have to drive my dad to Med, that's all."

"Alright, take care."

Smiling at him and inserting the key into the ignition, he started the engine driving away.

Jay usually hated the red light, it always got him late especially on important occasions, however today, it was a blessing. Stopping the vehicle every now and then, gave him a chance to breathe properly. The pain from the cut on his side had now moved to his ribs and shoulder. Soreness had dominated him but he completely ignored it. That was Jay's way of dealing with an accident. Not talking about it or complaining till he ended up home being checked out by Will or in a random ICU room getting treatment from Connor Rhodes.

His ride came to a stop as soon as Patrick Halstead's complex appeared in his view, the old man standing in front of the entrance of the building.

"You're late." He said with an expression of annoyance on his face.

Sighing, Jay helped him inside without commenting nothing.

"We are going to miss the appointment. Accelerate your damn car."

"We are not going to miss your appointment, chill out." At the moment, even speaking was too hard for his liking, let alone breathing.

"Your brother's working?"

He nodded taking the turn leading to the parking lot of Chicago Med. A house close to the hospital was Jay's idea so his father would manage to get there quickly in case something happened. Despite all the hatred comments he daily received from his father, he cared, he loved him. Patrick was his father after all.

"Are you okay?" Patrick asked taking a peek at his little boy.

The features of his face had started to vanish in the ghostly complexion that covered everything from the forehead to the jaw.

"Just a little tired." Jay answered avoiding any eye contact. "Let's go."

The pair marched through the glass doors to the elevator reaching the fourth floor in no time. The doctor's office was located at the end of the hallway requiring more walking which had started to become an almost impossible activity for one of them. Patrick wasn't stupid, he knew something was going on so he monitored from behind as his son was leaning on the wall for support, that discretely so nobody noticed his struggle.

"Are you coming or not?" He shouted.

"Huh?"

"Are you sure you're okay?"

"I am, get in."

The light coming from the spacious office's window blinded him as he stepped in, making him cover his eyes and stand a few meters away from the doctor's desk.

"So Mr. Halstead right?" The man's words slowly faded into his ears.

He watched as the older man approached the examination bed, as his father sat down ready to remove his white shirt, as the doc asked him a couple of questions but nothing more.

The noise of him falling to the ground was echoed like a clap of thunder into the room.

"Jay." Was the only word, Pat managed to say as he watched his youngest son unconscious on the floor.

"I need a gurney." The doctor yelled opening the door and kneeling down to Jay's side checking for a pulse. "Shit." He mumbled taking the stethoscope out of his pocket, checking his heartbeat and lungs. "I said I need a gurney. NOW."

During the chaos evolving into the room, Patrick Halstead stayed there, still, too shocked and too scared to react. As his son was wheeled out of the office, the senior man tried to follow the medical staff but couldn't move.

"Dad, Dad, what happened?" His older son's voice brought him back to reality.

"I… I don't know." He mumbled in a shaken voice.

"Come on, let's get out of here." Knowing that staying in the place where his brother had just collapsed would tense his father, Will led him to the waiting room downstairs. "Sit tight, I'm going to see what's going on. Disappearing into the crowd and gently pushing people who blocked his way, he finally reached Baghdad facing his friends working on his brother.

"Maggie what's wrong?" He asked making an unsuccessful attempt to go to him.

"It's not good Will, he has lost a lot of blood." The news tied a knot in his throat for a minute witho no breaths coming out of him. "I am sorry." The phrase he never wanted to hear, He didn't like people to show him mercy, he wanted them to pull every string possible and save Jay. Hearing the orders the two men gave to the nurses and seeing the equipment Jay was attached to, he could exactly pinpoint the diagnosis. From a scale one to ten, the chances of Jay surviving were slim. But right now he needed hope. Only hope. "You got this man" He whispered as the youngest member of his family was disappeared behind the elevator's doors. Unable to focus on anything else for the time being, Will Halstead returned to the waiting room.

"'How is he?"

"Sit down dad, don't pressure yourself."

"Not until you tell me some news about Jay."

Will sighed. "He's internally bleeding. A part of his spleen was destroyed and that's why they had to move him to the OR for surgery,"

"Is he gonna be okay?"

"Honestly dad, I don't know." The tears started streaming down his face now, tears he held since he first saw Jay.

"He will pull through. He is an ass, you'll see that." Pat reassured him taking a deep breath, patting his son in the shoulder.

The waiting room was overall silent. Only a man and a woman could be heard, crying, probably waiting for news on their child. Another woman was pacing back and forth but that was it. No one else moved, not even the two men.

"How long has it been?" The older man asked searching for a clock around the room.

"Two hours. We have to be patient, these things take time. How do you feel? Maybe I should take you home."

"No way I am getting out of here before I have news on Jay."

Will smiled. It was the first time in years that their father showed empathy for Jay.

"You care."

"Of course I do." The tone of his voice was raised. "He's my son."

He is my son. A phrase that Will hadn't heard in years.

Another three hours passed before the familiar figure of doctor Rhodes appeared in front of them, the sweat on his face clearly visible. Without second thought both men stood up, none of them talking, just waiting to hear something, anything about the baby of the family.

"Tell us, kid, my heart is going to explode," Patrick exclaimed worriedly.

"First of all, Mr. Halstead, you should stay calm, it's not good for your health to get emotional."

"How am I supposed to relax? My kid's condition is unknown."

Connor swallowed a bit before speaking again. "About Jay… The truth Is that he lost a lot of blood due to the damage of spleen, but we managed to remove the non-functional piece. Your son is still critical; however, we are optimistic."

Will nodded to his colleague, thanking him for his hard work and efforts.

"Can I see him?"

"Sure, let me lead you to the ICU."

For Will, the small trip upstairs was beyond familiar, he would ascend the stairs to this floor almost every day in order to examine a patient or resuscitate someone or to keep company to his brother after an overnight admission. On the contrary, Patrick had never found himself walking in those hallways. Maybe only that one time he was looking for his son after a check-up in these two weeks after his own surgery. Maybe that was the reason that he almost passed out when he was met with the person laying on the bed. Despite the efforts of the two doctors to get him in a room, he stayed there, sat on a chair, looking at Jay. He had never seen him so vulnerable not even when he visited him in a hospital right after his discharge from the war. Of course, Jay never found out about this as he was still unconscious. The tube coming out of Jay's mouth, scared the older man, all those electrodes connected to the monitor showing his vitals, the cables on his arms… It was unfair for a young man to get through it. Grasping Jay's hand hard, a tear dropped away from his left green eye. "Don't you dare to go; you hear me? I need you to take care of your old man. I need you, son."

The first sense you get back when you start to comprehend the world around you is hearing. At first, only the constant beeping of the monitor was audible but then another unfamiliar sound caused him to open his eyes.

"It was about time." A man exclaimed.

Adjusting step by step to his surroundings, he faced the last person expected to be seen at the room.

Flipping through the pages of the magazine he was holding, Patrick spoke again. "You've been unconscious for three days."

Jay's confused expression made him turn to eye him. "What? Where are we?" He asked removing the cannula under his nose.

"Keep that thing on your face, don't act like a child." Pat left the magazine on the small table in front of him and stood up walking by his son's side.

"What happened?"

"Long story short, you almost died."

"What?" Jay made an attempt to sit up but the pain knocked him backward.

"You got so jealous of me being in the hospital every two days that you decided to put yourself on an ICU bed."

In an instant, the events from the previous days played like a movie into his mind. "Your appointment…"

"Yeah, that's where you collapsed. Remember?"

Jay nodded. "Why aren't you home? You need to rest."

"Who's gonna take care of your damn butt while Will is at work?" Again his father's words confused him. "Don't look at me like a puppy. Your Sergeant explained everything last night during his visit. You don't deny medical attention… Such an idiot."

"I am not…" Jay violently sat up groaning due to the pain radiating from his incision.

For a minute the two of them remained silent, each concentrating on different sounds and images before inserted the room being followed by Connor.

"Hello there, Jay. Glad to see you awake."

With a welcoming smile, he spoke. "When do I get to go home, doc?" He made everyone roll their eyes.

There was no way to describe his hate for hospitals. Being unable to help himself even in the simplest acts such as going to the bathroom, disturbed him. Doctors and nurses were an obstacle to his daily life, in addition to his fear of needles. The guy was a soldier but he would pass out while taking a flu shot.

"You just had a pretty difficult adventure, you need to be hospitalized for a couple of days. Don't worry though, your family is here to protect you."

"Sure," Jay mumbled ironically, chuckling.

"I am tired of stupid attitude; I am going home." The father yelled exiting the room quickly so no one couldn't stop him.

"Don't worry about him little brother, he cares more than you think." Will patted his brother's leg while sitting at the end of the bed.

"Sure." Jay smiled closing his eyes, letting his weak body relax until he fell into a deep sleep.

Hello, it's me again with a new one-shot! I am really excited because many people give me their ideas to form them into a story and thank you for that! This is my idea, I wanted to show Patrick Halstead from a different perspective. Stay safe out there! Love you!

~The Fourth Bionic~