jay halstead hurt a-z

followup from chapter 33

The dog tags that were hanging around Jay's neck hit one of the patches that was stuck a few feet below his collarbone. He grunted in annoyance at the sound it made and turned his music up a few clicks higher, before doing the same to the the treadmill. He heard a noise over the volume of his music, and turned to where the gym door had opened, and Hailey walked in. He slowed to a walk, then stopped as she walked over.
"Morning. Coming to join me finally? I thought you didn't get up this early?" Jay greeted her with a smile after pulling the oxygen mask off and picking up his water bottle.
"I don't. We got a case, and Adam said you walk here, so I offered to pick up up on the way." She answered. Jay noticed how her eyes lingered on his bare chest, not on the muscles, but instead the two long scars that snaked their way from his left clavicle down the middle of his sternum.
"Well the way he sounded when I called him this morning, you probably should've picked him up instead. Seems like he had a pretty long night." He said, pulling out his phone to check the stats that the monitor had collected, ignoring the look.
"Using oxygen? You ok?" She asked, finally moving her eyes to each of the multitude of scars scattered across his torso.
"Oh yea, I'm fine. It's just a thing Will makes me do when I work out since I had those two punctured lungs." Jay replied nonchalantly.
"You what? When did that happen?" She asked, shock in her voice.
"Before you got here. The first time was when we got blown up. You probably heard about that case. The second time was when a guy who's brother I killed during a bust came after me. I get a little out of breath when I work out so now Will's been getting on me about monitoring my breathing and everything else. He got me this machine thing. Called it an early Christmas present." He said with a laugh as he pulled on a shirt.
"So all those scars are from before me? Erin must've had her hands full with you!" Hailey said, not noticing that the words sent Jay deep into his thoughts.
"Yea. She did." He said after a while. He saw the questioning look on her face, as if she knew she had hit a sensitive subject. Before she could ask anything, grabbed his bag and made his way out.
"

What we got Sarge?" Jay asked as they walked up to the scene, ducking under the police tape. There was a circle of police cars blocking of the area of the street where the CSI's were gathered around the body. Another officer was off to the side, talking to a woman who looked as though she had just finally calmed down.
"What looked like a hit and run at first, but the body is way to damaged for that. According to the M.E., he's was severely beaten, then drug down the street behind a truck." Voight said, holding up the tape so the detectives could walk under.
"Is that the witness?" Jay asked.
"Yea, Macey Lewis. She was inside when it happened. Are vic is her boyfriend." Voight said. Jay and Hailey nodded, then made their way to where an officer was standing with her. Hailey thanked him, then turned to the witness.
"I'm Detective Halstead, this is Detective Upton. We're sorry for your loss. We'd like to ask you a few questions." Jay said.
"Uh...y...yea. ok." She answered.
"It says here that you witnessed your boyfriend being drug behind a truck? Where were you when it happened?" Jay asked.
"In the kitchen. I saw it from that window." She said after taking a deep breath to compose herself.
"Did you see who did this?" Hailey asked.
"N...no. I looked out the window when I heard...heard him scream. Then I saw the truck...and him..." she said, trailing off as tears began to well up in her eyes.
"Did you see the license plate? Even a partial would be helpful." Hailey replied after a moment.
"Yea...I...I wrote it down. Will that help find the man?" Macey asked, wiping her tears once again.
"Absolutely. Do you have someone you can call?" Jay asked.
"Yea uh, my parents should be home any minute. We were visiting them." She said.
"Thank you. We'll be in touch." Jay said, and the partners walked away.
Later...
Antonio tapped the pictures to the board as the rest of the team gathered around.
"Our victim is Jason Russell. Him and Macey were in town visiting her parents. The coroner said she found blood under our vics nails, so she'll be running that." Antonio said.
"Just got a email. The license plate belongs to a Victor Sanchez. We got an address!" Jay said, standing up. He stopped when he saw the look on Voights face.
"Something wrong Sarge?" He inquired.
"Victor was a uh...friend of Erin's before I took her in. He's always been a low life." Voight answered cautiously, watching Jay's expression change just at the mention of her name. He was staring to the desk that used to be Erin's. In fact, his entire demeanor changed. Voight knew he wasn't the only one that sensed it when Adam chimed in.
"Where's that address? Kev and I can go..." He said, but Jay cut him off.
"No. We're going." Jay said, and was off towards the parking lot before anyone could get another breath in. Hailey gave a confused look, then followed when no one offered an explanation.
"So do you know this guy?" Hailey asked.
"Jay?" She asked when there was no response. He finally glanced over from where he had been staring straight ahead.
"Huh...uh no. I didn't mean many of Erin's old friends. The ones that didn't die or go to jail got chased out by Voight after he took her in." He answered flatly. Then it was more silence.
"Have you talked to her since she left?" Hailey asked, watching as his jaw twitched at the question.
"No."
"Why not?" She probed.
"Ya know, I don't think that's really any of your business." He answered, tightening his grip on the steering wheel. She started to answer, but was cut off when he put the truck in park, hastily shut it off, and hopped out. She had known it was a touchy subject before, but not just how bad. She then jumped out and followed him.
"Victor Sanchez, Police! Open up!" Jay yelled, banging on the door. When there was no answer, Jay backed up, and kicked the door open. The two partners went inside, guns leading the way. They both stopped when they heard music booming from the bedroom. They then busted the door open to where Victor was sitting near the window, creating a new ID.
"Sanchez! Put your hands behind your head!" Jay yelled after Upton swift he's off the music from a nearby phone sitting in a speaker. The guy sighed, then slowly complied, much to the officers surprise.
Later...
Jay walked through the door of the interrogation room, closing it behind me.
"Hank Voight. I remember you. Saved Erin from us didn't you? It's a shame, she was a real catch! And you. You're that Halstead guy she was got. To bad she left you. Know the feeling." Victor said.
"I guess you would know the feeling, seeing as you killed the man your girl replaced you with." Voight said, starting the conversation on his own when he saw Jay's jaw clench in anger.
"Wow, right to the point! Some things don't change, do they? You know, it's be easier if you had any evidence." Victor replied, a smug look on his face.
"The witness got your license plate number. That suped up truck you got in your driveway? It's got the same plates." Jay said, sliding the pictures across the table.
"Sure, I drove through that neighborhood this morning, but as for the murder? That's her word against mine. And I can assure you, a dumb blonde like Macey couldn't pick up on anything like that. She's just like Erin was. Once a druggie, always a druggie. You think their yours forever, and then just like that they leave you." He said.
"Well now we have motive. You were jealous. So tell us, how'd you do it? You strangle him first?" Voight asked. Jay squeezed the underside of the table to keep himself from throwing it through the window behind them as the man continued, talking louder over top of Voights raspy voice.
"Then before you know it they've moved on. News travels fast where we grew up. I wonder which FBI agent she's in bed with now?" Jay couldn't contain it anymore. He picked up one end of the table, and threw it so hard it hit the wall to the left of them. He stood up so fast his chair was soon against the wall also. The man laughed, readying his fists which were still cuffed together.
"Jay! He's not worth it! Take a walk! NOW!" Voight said, putting himself between the men. Jay decided he was right, and nearly yanked the door off its hinges when he stormed out. He ignored the questioning looks from the rest of the team as he passed their desks and head straight for the locker room.
He stared into his locker, not really sure why he had even opened it. In fact, he wasn't sure why he did anything anymore. How could a suspect get under his skin so much? Maybe it was because he had wonder that. Who was keeping her company? Is he with her right now? Has she forgotten all about me? He reached into the locker, pulling out a picture that he had evidently tried to hide from himself. It was from their day at the beach earlier in the summer. We were so happy. He carefully reached in to put it back in when he felt something in a pocket of one of the many jackets hanging in the chaos that was his locker. Confusion came over him at the thought of what it could be. He reached in and pulled it out, instantly feeling worse. It was the ring.
Meanwhile...
"Al, cut him loose." Voight said with a sigh after finally coming out of the room.
"What? Why? We have a witness that IDed his truck." Antonio asked.
"I know. Officers found crack in her house when they went inside to interview her. They ran a drug test, and she was under the influence during the time of the murder. Until we have something else on this guy, we can't keep him. As much as I want to drag his ass down to booking, no judge is gonna by her story." Voight answered. The room went silent in frustration, before they soon got to work.
"What'd he say to Jay? He looked pretty pissed." Hailey asked out of the blue.
"Let's just say he ripped the scab off a wound." Hank said, then walked into his office. He stopped in his tracks when he heard a bang, then a crashing sound coming from the locker room...
Meanwhile...
A whirlwind of emotions hit Jay all at once as he looked down at the stone shining from the red felt box in his hand. She was the one he thought. Anger and anguish took over as he put the box back in his locker and slammed the door shut. He stalked to the sink, staring at his reflection when his rage boiled up once again, and his fist flew out from his side. He watched the glass shatter around his hand, some making it's way into his skin. As his emotions died down, he slumped onto the bench, head in his hands.
Antonio rounded the corner that led to the locker room bathroom to find Jay hunched into a ball on the bench. He walked over slowly, hoping to make his presence no known without spooking him.
"Hey. What happened?" Antonio asked, even though he knew it was a stupid question. If he said he'd never punched something in a fit of rage, he'd be lying. He saw all the tell-tale signs.
"Nothing. I'm fine." Jay said flatly, standing up. He turned the water on, and held his fist under the water. Antonio looked at the water running into the drain that was now turning a dark pink color and knew exactly what happened.
"You're obviously not fine Jay. Look, I know this case has brought some stuff to the surface that's hard to deal with. I know how it feels to have the one you love more than anything just up and walk out on you. If you ever want to talk about it, you know where to find me." He said, looking into Jays eyes. Jay sighed and nodded, then turned back to his hand. After a few moments of silence, Antonio turned and left.
"What happened in there?" Hailey asked as Antonio walked back to his chair.
"Well, uh.. the locker room is gonna need a new mirror." Antonio answered.
"He put his fist through it." Kevin said in answer to Haileys still confused look. An awkward silence filled the room, the intensified as Jay rejoined them, the cuts on his hand obvious.
Hours later...
"Guys I've got something." Kevin said. Everyone looked up from what they were doing to Atwaters desk.
"I checked security cameras in the streets near our murder. This is at 8:30am, a block and a half from the house. And that's our guy getting out of his truck. The hitch is missing." He said, turning the monitor around to show the video to the rest of the team.
"Just got the reports back from the ME. The blood on the jacket that you guys got from Sanchez's house is a match for our victim." Adam chimed in after Kevin finished.
"Looks like we've got motive, and evidence. Let's go get him!" Voight said. Jay nodded and grabbed his stuff.
The partners dat in their cars surrounding the house, all in plain clothes other than the kevlar. After Hank gave the signal, they all made their move to leave the car.
"Don't you need this?" Hailey asked, picking up Jays inhaler from the center console.
"No I'll be fine. Let's go." Jay said, already out of the vehicle. She thought about protesting, but knew that during this case, it would be no use. She sighed, thinking how of all the people in this unit, her own partner was the one she knew the least about. For instance, why had this case struck such a nerve? Sure, it had something to do with Erin and that she left, but this guy from her past? What did that have to do with Jay? And why had it made him so upset? All these questions swirled in her mind as she jumped out of the car and followed him, joined by the thought that maybe he should listen to his brother who was a doctor, and take the inhaler with him just in case.
"Clear." Al whispered as he ducked in and out of another room. They had been searching the house for the last few minutes, and still no sign of Victor. They were down to the last few rooms, when suddenly the back door flew open, and out ran the suspect. Jay and Hailey had been positioned behind it, but were caught off guard. He took off down the alley, with Jay hot on his heels. Even though Jay quickly gained on him, the 15 minute chase started to take its tole. Jay ignored the burning pain in his chest, and kept going. He didn't hear Upton's footsteps behind him anymore, knowing she had probably split off to try to cut him off. He also knew that he couldn't last much longer, as he had started gasping for air. He turned onto a side street that would put him just out in front of Victor, and as soon as the man rounded the corner, he tucked his head into his body so that he was leading with his shoulder, and took them both to the ground. As soon as they hit, Sanchez started throwing punches, making it evident that he wasn't going to come in peacefully this time. Jay had the upper hand, as he was on top, fighting to get him onto his stomach. He could feel the blood flowing from his nose and lip from the first few hits. Suddenly, Victor used his legs to throw Jay off of him. He watched as Sanchez stood up, and started to reach into his pocket for what Jay could only imagine could be a gun. He certainly didn't want to find out, so he quickly spun and kicked his feet out from under under him, again giving him the upper hand. He managed to get the suspect in cuffs just as the rest of the team found them. He yanked Victor to his feet, and shoved him towards Voight as Hailey came over.
"Turns out my shortcut wasn't so short. You ok?" She asked, looking at the blood running down Jay's face and dripping onto his shirt. His head was swimming from the lack of oxygen, but he nodded anyway.
"You don't sound to good. Can you breath ok?" Antonio asked, even though the wheezing sound coming from Jay's chest was answer enough. He started to ask something else when Jay all of a sudden dropped to the ground, unconscious.
"Come on Jay, wake up man!" Adam said just as Jay reopened his eyes, looking at the concerned faces above him. He sat up despite the protests, taking a raspy breath.
"How...long..." Jay tried.
"About two minutes. We've got an ambulance on the way, just hold still." Hailey answered. After a few minutes, Jay stood up.
"Just get me my inhaler. I'll be fine." He said, trying to walk away.
"Jay, your lips and hands are blue. Your brain isn't getting enough oxygen. You need a hospital!" Burgess said. Jay tried to walk away, but stopped when the teetering feeling returned. Lucky for him, the ambulance had just rolled up. Voight gave him a look, and he reluctantly wen with them.
Later...
Will picked up his brothers charts and shook his head. He knew it would take everything in him not to say I told you so when he got into his room. He opened the door, and a shocked look came over him as he found the bed empty, wires unhooked and thrown hastily onto the bed. He knew Jay's injuries weren't incredibly serious, but that he should still be on oxygen. His lungs weren't stronger than they had been a few months ago, but definitely still needed some extra help recovering after being in a fight. He turned and sprinted to the break room. Natalie saw him go by, and the panic on his face, and followed him.
"Will! What's wrong?!" She asked, catching up to him.
"Jay, did you see him leave?!" Will asked, digging for his phone.
"No, Why? Did he?" She asked, confused.
"Yes! He's done this before, but this time is worse. He's been in a rut these past few months, and I don't know where's he'd go. He doesn't have Erin to go after him this time, so it's my job." He answered.
"Ok, but you said it yourself, you have no idea where he went. How are you gonna find him?" She asked.
"He probably took the bus somewhere. I'll have them track his phone." Will said, dialing Adams number.
"Ok Will, I got a location, but your not gonna like it. He's on the bridge. Do you want us to meet you there?" Adam asked looking at the map on his computer screen. He knew that this was the same bridge that Jay had tried to commit suicide on years ago, and couldn't hide the fear in his voice. This was one of his best friends.
"N...no. No. I got this. If it's bad, it should just be me." Will answered, and hung up, before sprinting to his car.
Later...
Jay stared at the number on his screen, and listened to the sound of the water crashing underneath him and the cars whizzing past behind him. He sighed, and looked out over the skyline of the city against the sunset. How could she leave a place as beautiful as this? How could she just leave? He thought through all the good memories with her. He heard a door slam behind him, and didn't even have to look back to know who it was. He could tell by the sound of the footsteps.
"I'm not going to jump, if that's what you're worried about." He said, as Will joined him.
"Good. I was actually more worried about your breathing, though. You should still be on oxygen." He answered. The brothers stood in silence for a while longer before Will noticed the name on the phone.
"She was the one Will. She was my forever. And she's gone. She didn't even say goodbye." He said.
"She's not dead Jay. You can still talk to her sometimes." He said, his heart breaking for him.
"I know, but what's to say she would even want to hear from me. Maybe she's moved on. Found someone new." Jay said.
"You know what I think? I think leaving was harder on her than anyone else. This was her home, where she grew up, all she's ever known. From what Hank said, she didn't have a choice. And who knows, if you two really are meant to be, and I think you are, fate will bring you back together. And maybe time. Or maybe you'll find someone else eventually. It's like mom always used to say, True love is like time..."
"It passes painfully slow in the beginning, but in the end you wish it would've gone slower." Jay said, finishing the sentiment.
"Mom always did have a way with words, didn't she?" Will said with a smile.
"Yea...she sure did." Jay answered. He sighed, then took a step back from the railing, slipping his phone back into his pocket.
"Thank you." He said, looking into his brother's eyes before pulling him into a hug. After the embrace, they walked back to Will's car.
"I could really use a beer and some hockey right now." Jay said.
"Well it's a good thing that I pulled my favor with that attending from the 8th floor. I'm off the rest of the night. Funny, I think we're just a few blocks from Molly's." Will said. Jay smiled, knowing that at least for a little while, he was gonna be ok.