Chapter Text
Present Day
“Liv, I really don’t think that is necessary,“ Adam said as Will sat in a chair in the corner with his hands up silently declaring, ‘I give up.’
She brushed Jay’s hair exactly how he liked it parted and carefully took a dime size of his fancy gel to work through with the comb.
“Dad always makes sure he is put together. He would be horrified if he saw how disheveled he looks right now,” she countered her uncles’ judgment.
“If you hadn’t noticed he is sedated and unconscious, Liv. I don’t think his hairstyle is his top priority,” Will chimed in.
“Speaking of which, I brought some moisturizer to keep his lips and skin from chapping. I read that it can be painful when the tube comes out and everything is all dried up,” she added while rifling through her bag to find the cream.
As she slowly placed the cream on the skin around the breathing tube, Will came over to show her how to delicately handle his already chapped lips. He also showed her how to keep the area near his casts clean and moistened.
Hailey walked in taking in the sight. Adam came over and hugged her petite frame as he smirked.
“It’s how she handles stress. She has to do her research and feel like she is useful,” Hailey said as she read Adam’s smirk.
“Where is the big man?” Adam asked.
“You know Alden’s sensitive heart. He came to visit earlier, and it was too much seeing Jay like this. I am letting him move at his own pace,” Hailey answered.
Liv started to pull up Jay’s hospital gown as she grabbed diaper cream from her kit.“ According to recent studies the area that is most vulnerable for chapping and bed sores is his… well you know… his butt. All the moisture from relieving himself rubbed against the absorbant mat….”
“Ok that’s enough my mighty niecelet,” Will said as he pulled Jay’s gown carefully over the catheter, gently tucking him back in. Doing what he could to salvage some dignity for his brother.
He took Liv by the shoulders and sat her down. “I know you are scared and are trying to find anyway to help. He knows you are here making sure he gets top notch care. But what he needs is your presence. Not more than that. Trust me,” Will said firmly.
With a huff she accepted the boundary drawn. But she had every intention of checking her father’s breath sounds with her stethoscope when she could sneak it in.
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Will went back to Jay’s and Hailey’s place to check in on Alden. Will really was a natural extension of the Upton-Halstead family. He didn’t have kids of his own, and he was incredibly close to his niece and nephew.
“Hey Bud, I picked up a pizza. Want some?”
Alden came into the kitchen and sat at the table. “Thanks Wee,” he answered with a quintessential Halstead half smile. When they were little, they couldn’t pronounce Will and the moniker Wee stuck.
“I looked over his recent tests. His doctors think he is going to pull through. And I agree. His larynx and trachea need a minute to rest. They probably will start lifting the sedation tomorrow or the day after,” Will assured.
“Just seeing him like that. I couldn’t handle it,” Alden sheepishly admitted. “And Liv is all Doogie Howser with him….”
“It’s ok for you two to handle things differently. There isn’t a right way to process something so frightening. You and your Dad are super tight. He knows he loves you and wouldn’t want you putting yourself in a position that hurts,” Will sweetly observed.
“Dad and I always watch the Hawks games together while I do my homework,” Alden said sadly looking at the game on the screen.
“Hey buddy come here,” Will took Alden in for a hug. He couldn’t believe the same baby he helped deliver while Jay was in prison was now taller than him.
“No pressure at all, but if you’d like to try again, we can go back and watch the game with him.”
Alden nodded. He grabbed his laptop and backpack and they headed back to the hospital.
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When they arrived Kevin and Voight were sitting on either side of Jay with Liv and Hailey out to grab some food for everyone. Their presence helped relax Alden enough to stick it out. They put on the game and the boys spent the night chatting and pretending an unconscious Jay was the most natural thing in the world.
Voight was a grandfather to Liv and Alden. He was forced into retirement a few years prior and thus took an even bigger role in their lives. He wasn’t much for outward affection, but his steadfast presence was a foundational part of their sense of stability. They accepted and loved him gruffness and all.
Alden kept looking back at his Dad wishing there would be some sign of life aside from the monotonous sound of the machine breathing for him. “I’m sorry I ran out before. Can you tell me what exactly is going on with him?” he said softly. Jay’s heavy casts made it tough to hold his hand, so Alden rested his hand on Jay’s upper arm.
Will took Alden’s other hand as everyone else in the room tensed up a little. “The impact from whatever happened to him crushed his larynx and caused some tears in his trachea. The vent is doing the breathing for him to give that area a chance to rest. Dr. Marcel put some stents in to help keep the trachea open. It’s better to let him rest as the first stages of healing are happening.”
Will waited for that to sink in before continuing. He saw Liv chomping at the bit to chime in, but she knew this was especially hard for her brother and let Will do the talking.
“Both of his wrists are fractured as well as his right elbow and 2 bones in his left leg. A few cracked ribs and jaw to round it all out,” Will added. “Do you have any questions?”
“You said earlier he would be ok?” Alden eked out.
“Dr. Marcel said recovery is not going to be easy for him, but his long-term prognosis is much better now that we are 24 hours out,” Will assured.
Everyone tried to keep their gaze off Alden. He so badly didn’t want to start crying again. Jay and Alden were best friends. Whatever distance Jay had with his own father only fueled his desire to be close with both of his children. While other kids were too cool to hang with their parents, both Liv and Alden still loved to, not that they would ever freely admit it.
He took in all the information as well as a few deep breathes. Strengthened by the support system in the room, a wave of stability coursed through him.
“Well Dad is literally the worst patient on the planet. This should be fun.” Alden said smiling while a few tears escaped.
Kevin put an arm around him. “That’s where you come in. He won’t be as big of a baby in your presence.” Kevin smirked.
Liv came over and gave him and Kevin a group hug. “No matter how much he whines, we will get him through this. Besides Mom won’t let him get too annoying,” she smiled.
“It is my specialty,” Hailey chimed in. “Don’t forget we got Pop over here to really put him in his place if his tantrums become unbearable,” she grinned.
Voight affirmingly answered, “Your damn straight. I’ve been keeping his ass in line for over 25 years. Don’t you worry, this will be a piece of cake.”
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Two hours later Kevin got up to head out. He rubbed Jay’s good leg. “See you soon, Sarge.” After fist bumping Alden and hugging the ladies he headed out.
Will followed him into the hall. “Any idea what in god’s name happened to him?” Will asked.
“We got nothing. He was found in a dumpster. No prints, no camera footage. No nothing,” Kevin answered bluntly. “But we will figure it out, I promise you that.”
“Kim just texted that preliminary reports from his x-rays and scans show he most likely fell from somewhere. Blunt force trauma… his wrists, leg, and throat took the brunt of the fall. But we don’t know who, where, or why yet. And the medical examiner doesn’t get how his jaw only has a small fracture. It should be shattered.”
Will shook his head. “Alright, keep me posted. And thanks for everything man.”
Kevin hugged him and set off for the night.
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One month earlier:
Kim and Adam were in a poker room in the back of a bar ready to make a buy. They had been working on a case to bring down some major heroin dealers polluting the streets of Chicago with fentanyl laced product. The death toll was rising exponentially across all socioeconomic, racial, and geographic lines. The brass wanted this taken care of at any cost.
“Proceed with caution. Don’t force it if they aren’t biting. Something doesn’t feel right,” Jay said in their earpieces.
Luckily, the buy went down smoothly. Jay, Kevin, Makai (relatively new patrol on intelligence), and Dante went it to make the bust without blowing Kim and Adam’s covers. Several more patrol officers joined to cuff and book the 9 men involved.
Kevin and Jay were manhandling an aggressive suspect as gently as possible when the world stopped spinning on its axis for Jay. He became pretty dizzy and overheated. “You ok, Sarge” Kevin asked with concern.
Jay didn’t hear it. Kevin’s words were all part of the background noise. He went behind the bar and ceremoniously threw up. Waving off any help that came near to assist.
He sat under the bar collecting his breath, not liking the intensity of his immediate disassociation. After a few minutes he collected himself and walked outside.
Kevin, Dante, and Makai were handling the follow up with patrol. Kim and Adam were on their way to the district in cuffs as part of their cover.
“You alright, Jay?” Dante said gently. “Oh yeah, must have been some bad eggs for breakfast this morning,” Jay responded hoarsely. Shaking off any vulnerability, “good work team. Back to the district to see if we can finally nail these bastards.
The problem with knowing each other intimately was that it made it nearly impossible to lie. Especially when your family and coworkers were elite detectives. They all had a feeling there was more to the story but let it sit…. For now.
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Present Day:
“How much longer until they wake Jay up?” Kim asked. “We are spinning our wheels. We need to get his statement in order to figure out where to go from here.”
“Will says they had hoped today but the swelling in his throat hasn’t dissipated. Better for it to come down a little before they wake up Sleeping Beauty. Given the status of his destroyed vocal cords, he won’t be talking for a while and his arms, hands, and fingers are out of service for a while. We will have to be creative getting answers out of him,” Kevin responded.
Dante chimed in, “the medical examiner is confused. Many of Jay’s injuries are consistent with a bad fall maybe from 2-3 stories high. But then some things don’t add up with that scenario.”
Makai jumped in laying out some photos of their Sergeant. Everyone winced. The doctors took these photos before gowning, casting, and bandaging him. Seeing their brother like that stung.
“It seems like his arms and leg broke his fall… that is consistent with the severity of the breaks in his leg, hands, wrists and elbow. But what doesn’t make sense is he only cracked 2 ribs and a small jaw fracture. If he really fell from a significant height his chest and jaw should be worse off. Something isn’t adding up.”
Adam sat staring at the photos. “Unless something broke his fall,” he offered to the group for consideration.
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“Livie girl. I know your heart. It is fiercely loyal and true just like Daddy’s. But we both know that he would not want you missing school, lacrosse or your internship at Med by sitting and fussing over him. Wee, Pops, and I are on it. You think you invented hovering? Have you met your uncle? He has driven Daddy crazy their whole lives with his smothering.”
Liv created a visitation calendar and shared it with everyone. Her plan was to ensure Jay was never alone in the hospital. Everyone got a color and could sign up for shifts ranging from 2-12 hours long. It was the only way Hailey could convince her to leave Jay’s side. Will took most of the overnight shifts. And Hank took most of the day shifts while everyone was at work and school. Everyone else filled in the rest.
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Liv and Alden were doing homework on the couch with music playing softly in the background. Hailey made them dinner and had just left for the hospital promising to be back by 11. After 15 years of marriage, Jay’s and Hailey’s bond was deeper than ever. The weight of what they went through together either would tear them apart or deeply bond them for life. Luckily in their case it was the latter.
As much as she worried about how much Liv was needing to be near Jay, she understood. She needed that fix herself. Their connection ran deeper than ever. Their two souls become one many years ago. The power of that only grew as the years went by. And the intensity of that magic was the unflappable foundation their family thrived on.
When Liv was sure they were alone she put down her algebra book. "We've got to take care of Mom. She doesn't have the instincts to do it herself."
"Yeah of course, Alden agreed. "They are like one person in so many ways, this must be so rough for her."
Liv nodded and turned the conversation in another direction,“what do you think is up with Dad?”
Alden glanced up from the torturous calculus problems he was reviewing. “What do you mean? He is banged up to hell, but Wee says he will pull through,” Alden said a little confused. Liv knew this.
“No I mean he has been distant and strung out lately. Haven’t you noticed? Do you think that has something to do with what happened?
“I haven’t really considered that in all this,” Alden said sitting in contemplation.
“Aldie you have the same thinking face as Dad, its cray,” Liv said.
Alden rolled his eyes. He got the memo, he was Jay’s clone. “Liv you and mom are twins too you know?” “Cringe Aldie, cringe,” she said with a laugh.
“You know how Mom and Dad talk sometimes and they forget how our walls are paper thin between our bedrooms? “ Alden asked.
“Yeah, given that they are highly trained detectives they are pretty forgetful about that stuff at home,” she added.
“Mom was worried about him. He brushed it off at first and then finally caved a little by admitting he was going through one of his ‘tough periods.’ She urged him to reach out to Dr. P, but he really didn’t want to bother the guy in retirement. He promised he would work on it and discuss with his new therapist.”
Liv let her brother’s words sink in. She was trying to make sense of it all.
“He was definitely having some nightmares lately. One morning it was so intense he was yelling and kicking and wasn’t responding when I shook his shoulders,” she thought out loud. “I just assumed it was a dream of one of his deployments. He always talks about the lessons he learned from those trying times and its why he is so steadfast in living his values at any cost. But I guess it never really leaves you no matter how much time passes.”
“Yeah, he usually is up and ready for our runs before me, but lately he has been sleeping past the alarm which is so unlike him. Last week I jostled him awake and for a second he thought I was someone else and took a swing at me yelling, ‘Sean no’,” Alden affirmed. “He was mortified and apologized profusely. It was a little freaky, but its Dad, so I shook it off.”
Liv declared with conviction, “alright looks like we have a lead. We find out who Sean is, I bet we find out what happened to Dad.”
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