Calm Before The Storm

Officer Down

"Kev, go in the front, get the roof access open. I'll go up the fire escape." Hailey shouted as she sprinted to the side of the building. She jumped to grab the fire escape ladder then hurried up the steep series of stairs and ladders. Her heart was thumping as she finally made it to the roof. Jay was crumpled at the wall in front of his gun, shirtless and covered in sweat. Hailey ran over to him and rolled him onto his back. He was unconscious but breathing.

"5021 Henry, roll an ambulance to my location. Officer down, breathing but unconscious." Hailey called over the radio as Atwater opened the door from inside the building. She felt Jay's forehead and was shocked how high his fever was. She saw his shirt on the ground next to him and wet it with one of the water bottles she found near his gun case and put it on his forehead.

"We're going to need help to get him down the ladder to the next floor. There's no stairs to the roof from inside." Kevin explained.

"Sergeant Platt, could you send us a couple officers to assist in getting Halstead off the roof?" Hailey went over the two way radio.

"On the way. " Trudy answered immediately. Hailey started to pack up Jay's gun while they waited for the other officers to arrive. Ruzek was first up the ladder and jogged over to them.

"Two more officers are just behind me. How are we going to do this?" He crouched next to Kev.

"You and I are going to carry him to the ladder and we'll lower him down to the other officers. Then I think I can carry him to the elevator myself. If I throw him over my shoulder it might do more damage to whatever has been going on inside." Kevin laid out the plan. Ruzek went back to the trap door in the roof and relayed the information to the other officers while Kevin wrapped his arms under Jay's arms and dragged him to the roof access. Hailey guided his legs down the hole to the waiting officers while Kevin and Adam each held a shoulder and carefully lowered his torso until one of the officers was able grab his torso and throw him over his shoulder.

Adam and Kevin were right behind getting down the ladder. Kevin put Jay's arm behind his neck before sliding his arms under Jay's legs and behind his back. Hailey passed the gun case to Ruzek before coming down behind them. Kevin didn't wait for the others, he hurried to the elevator, struggling with Jay's weight and lanky height.

The two patrol officers followed Kevin into the elevator while Ruzek and Upton ran down the stairs.

"Just letting you know now that if it gets out that I carried Halstead like a child, he will beat us all senseless when he comes too. " Kevin warned the officers with a raised eyebrow. The two looked at each other with a smirk. "You laugh now, wait until you see the sniper shot this man just made."

The two officers wiped the smiles off their faces as the elevator opened on the ground floor. Kevin carried Jay through the warehouse to the front door. Hailey and Ruzek came running behind them as the patrol officers opened the double doors for Kev to go through. Suddenly Jay tensed and Kevin lost his grip on his legs. He lowered him quickly to the ground as he went into a full seizure. The front of Kevin's shirt was drenched from the heat and sweat coming off Jay. Trudy was waiting for them, she grabbed a jacket from the back of Jay's truck and put it under his head as they lay him on his side as the spasm continued. The ambulance rolled up as Hailey wet Jay's shirt and put the cool, damp shirt on his forehead.

"What's going on?" The paramedic asked as they rolled the stretcher out of the back of the ambulance.

"Really high fever, vomiting earlier, abdominal pains. He passed out about 10 minutes ago, he's breathing, but unresponsive and just started to seize." Hailey re-wet the shirt and put it on the back of Jay's neck as he finally stopped shaking and lay still. The paramedics went to work checking his vitals.

"One hundred and Five point five temp." One paramedic shook her head at the thermometer. The officers helped get Jay on the stretcher on his side before they strapped him in. They pulled out ice packs and started to put them on Jay in his armpits and groin. They got an IV going while Hailey jumped in the ambulance. Kev and Adam went back to the crime scene to update Voight.