Life is Fluid Part II

Chapter 7: Internal Affairs Department (IAD)

The pair of officers make their way inside the room as Ethan follows, slipping the door shut behind them. 

Ethan would have preferred to allow Jay more time to relax - let's face it, he had just gone through being tortured and deserved to have some pace and relaxation. Whether he was showing signs, Ethan knew pain and sleep were both going to hit Jay hard once the adrenaline fully wore off. He was hoping to have it happen in the smoothest way possible in knowing the amount of pain he would be dealing with by having seen the injuries.

"I am Officer Sam Lovy, and this is my partner Noah Ryerson," the shorter officer of the pair speaks first as he takes a badge out of his pocket to show the detective that laid in the bed. 

Jay barely glanced at it, knowing it was all part of the formality of the situation. The sooner he got this done with, the sooner he could begin to put what happened behind him. He did not that just for himself, but for Erin. He did not need any additional heat coming her way in knowing what she'd gone through the past couple months. He had seen a sign of the old Erin Lindsay in that house, and he was not about to give that up for anything. Perhaps he could get her back after all.

"We are both here from Internal Affairs to speak about what happened with Mr. Keyes," the officer continues, once again finally the formal introduction. Could he just share his statement already? The sooner it was processed, along with Erin's and the evidence at the scene, the sooner everything would be in the rearview of the mirror. "Dr. Choi told us that you were ready to give your statement on what happened." 

"Can you please state your name, position and unit for the sake on record," the older officer adds, which Jay knew was per the protocols. 

If he had his badge and firearm on him, it would be displayed and possibly handled over at this time. However, both of those were locked at Intelligence where he had put them yesterday morning before leaving the 21st district to meet up with Benji. It was all about not having a trace of your real identity or connection to the office while going undercover for the drug bust. Clearly, they had seen through it in noticing the wire beneath his blue dress shirt, and that's where everything began to go wrong. There was no way he could have predicted what followed in the hours that followed. 

"Detective Jay Halstead with the Chicago Police Department Intelligence Unit," he states clearly and concisely, not leaving any questions to asked in that regard. "If you are looking for any identification, I'm sure Ethan has some leftover blood you can test. Everything from my badge and firearm to my wallet and phone are at the 21st district." 

More than anything, he wished he had his phone. He could text Erin to let her know he was okay. He could text his brother to let him know he was okay. Oh, and he should probably send a text message to Mouse. This was the first time something had happened like this since they returned from Afghanistan. What if he was having flashbacks? He could also text Hank to make sure Erin was okay given everything that happened as he was still caught off-guard in how she had left the scene. 

He would also be texting someone, any of them, to bring him a change of clothes. Anything would be better than the hospital gown that he was wearing right now. He could use his sweater right now, ready to curl up with it and get warm. Why was he cold? It was the middle of the summer. The hospital did not have the air conditioning on, or at least he didn't believe they did. But yet his skin felt cold. Ah yes, that's got to be the dehydration and sleep deprivation causing that. Another reason to get this done as quickly as possible. 

"We won't be needing the blood as everything checks out that you are indeed Mr. Halstead," the older officer assures him, which he figured anyway. He had tried to lighten the mood a bit with the sarcasm. It had worked as Ethan almost chuckled, but neither officer before him ingested a piece of it. "Please share everything that happened in relation to Derek Keyes." 

"Where do you want me to start?" Jay questions, as he knew there were several options. 

He could begin by telling them how the undercover gig came together, and how the meeting was set up by Benji to see Derek Keyes. It would reveal the anonymous tip that Antonio received, followed by the drug bust at Benji's house. They would probably want those details so they could comb through them. 

Police Planning Prevents Piss Poor Performance was the 7ps of policing you learned in training. Did Intelligence take all the right steeps necessary in setting up the meeting? Did they have all the right people in place in case things went wrong? Why did things go wrong? 

He knew if he shared those details, he would have to share going beyond an area of the airport than he felt comfortable with or originally thought was in the deal with Benji. He remembered Benji convinced him in reminding him that meetings with Derek were very rare. He was not about to give up one of the biggest drug dealers in the city of Chicago, and bit the bait. Now looking back, perhaps he should have trusted his gut and turned around. They could have set up a different meeting spot. They could have ran surveillance on Derek and caught him another way. 

"We have the footage from your unit in how the meeting went down," the officer reveals, which did not surprise Jay. He knew they would have requested that as soon as they heard he was kidnapped in wanting to check it over. They probably already had their assumptions on what happened. Perhaps he should have talked to Hank before seeing these guys. "We want to know what happened once Erin Lindsay entered the house. What happened in Derek Keyes' office that led to his associate being stabbed multiple times, and Mr. Keyes being shot?"