#will halstead fanfic
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𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐲 𝐖𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐌𝐞
*Gif not mine credits to the owner*
• Pairing: Will Halstead x Female!Reader.
• Requested by @klovesreading: I was wondering if you could do a story where the reader is married to Will but is a detective with Jay and is really close with Jay. But one day a case goes bad and the reader gets shot and almost dies and just a lot of angst but the reader survives in the end!
• Warnings: mention of blood, drugs, gunshots, tiny bit of angst and swearing.
• Word count: 5018.
• A/N: this is my first Will Halstead fic and it’s ugly as fuck, I don’t like one bit how it turned out 😭 you can actually notice I didn’t want to write anything else but I know if I kept going it would’ve ended up being so much longer than this so here is this piece of shit. I hope you’ll like it anyway but please bear with me 😭 comment, like and reblog if you want. I love you all so much ❤️
You, Will and Jay had been good friends for as long as you could remember.
The three of you grew up in the same neighborhood, your families being friends for a very long time. They were like big brothers to you or, at least, only one of them was.
You never managed to hide the crush you had on the redhead since you were a teenager, no one missed this detail – not even Jay who never wasted time teasing you about your crush on his brother – only Will seemed to not to see it.
You spent years of your adolescence and youth pining for him, trying to suppress your feelings knowing he didn't feel the same. You tried to move on, you had some boyfriends but it always ended the same way: you leaving them because you could never completely get Will out of your head. And as time passed you had resigned yourself to it, accepting you’d never be anything other than best friends.
There was a time when the three of you drifted apart, Will had gone to medical school, Jay had joined the army and left to go overseas and you spent a lot of time training to get in the police academy.
But fate really seemed to work in wonderful ways.
You thought you’d never reconnect with the Halstead brothers again but this was proven wrong when one day you met Jay at the police academy. You were a patrol cop with about two years of experience and he had just joined the Chicago PD after returning from his mission overseas.
And just like that you learned that Will had recently returned to Chicago and started working at Med's. It was as if time had never passed for the three of you, returning to having the deep bond that had united you since childhood.
But just as you thought your love for Will had somehow passed, it was enough for you to spend just a day with him to understand those deep feelings had never faded and that Will would forever be in your heart.
As time passed though, Will realized he was starting to look at you differently, continually craving your company. He didn't know when it happened or how it happened but he found himself inexorably losing his mind for you, in a way that shouldn't have happened with his best friend.
So for an amount of time you found yourselves lusting for each other from afar without either of you growing any balls and confessing your feelings.
The turning point came when the morning after spending a night at the bar and drinking too many shots and cocktails, you woke up in Will's bed with only a sheet covering your body. You were both too drunk the night before to remember what had happened but that blurry sexual encounter didn’t only happen once.
In fact after this rendezvous, it was as if a magnetic force attracted both of you and no matter how much you both fought it, one way or another you ended up having sex at one or the other's house.
Jay's teasing was pure torture as he could see from miles away that something really had happened between the two of you.
It was Will who confessed his love first, in the grip of emotions and no longer able to pretend you were just friends with benefits for even a second. You told him it took him a long time and that you loved him madly too, and the rest was history.
So here you were several years later, married to the love of your life and living the fairy tale you've always dreamed about.
“Babe please…” you sighed, eyes half closed as his lips worked their magic on that particular spot on your neck. You had to go to work but that seemed to take a backseat as your mind was completely dazzled by the hurricane that was your husband.
His arms wrapped around your hips and his hands went down to your ass, which they squeezed and groped without any shame. That made you sigh as you wrapped your arms around his neck, threading your fingers through his soft hair and pulling it lightly.
“Fuck,” he hissed, making him lose the last bit of control he had in his body and you grinned knowing how much he liked it when you pulled his hair. Before you could say or do anything, his lips had captured yours in a deep, passionate kiss as you took slow steps towards the bed
You both fell onto the mattress, bouncing slightly and you both let out a laugh before kissing again, him on top of you. It didn't take long for both of you to undress and throw all your clothes on the floor, losing yourself inexorably in each other.
Needless to say, you arrived at Intelligence incredibly late, thanking all the angels in heaven when you realized Voight hadn't arrived yet by the time you entered the unit.
“Why were you late?” Jay asked as soon as you arrived, handing you a cup of coffee he had set aside for you. He only had to look at you for his question to be answered, the stupid smile on your lips clearer than sunlight. “Actually never mind, don't answer. You're disgusting.“
“Hey! First of all you asked and second, go talk to your brother, he’s always so insatiable,” you replied with the sole purpose of annoying the younger Halstead. You succeeded in your aim when an expression of pure disgust and horror appeared on his face.
“You make me sick I don't want to know about you having sex with my brother for God's sake!” He exclaimed as you continued to laugh out loud.
You and Jay were now detectives and members of the Intelligence Unit for quite some time and as luck would have it, Voight even assigned you as partners. It was great to work with a friendly face, to have someone to deal with all the shit that humanity presented, to be there for each other when the other felt like everything was too hard to handle.
You and Jay continued to have a little banter but that little idyllic moment was interrupted when Voight entered the unit with Sergeant Platt and from their expressions you immediately understood they didn’t bring any good news.
Badly cut drug was circulating through the Chicago streets, causing numerous overdose victims, and there was pressure to get this case solved immediately.
Something told you this case would take much longer than necessary, so you took advantage of every free moment to text Will and update him on the evolution of the situation.
Will was afraid he’d be committed to Dr. Charles' psych ward sooner or later due to the stress your and Jay's job brought him.
He couldn't help but feel the anxiety eating his stomach up every time you told him you had some kind of field operation to do. It was a horrible feeling, having no idea what was going on out there, not being able to protect you or his brother if something horrible happened.
Every single day was a prayer. He prayed you both would come home safely, he prayed he could hug you both again at the end of each shift.
He tried not to give too much weight to his paranoid thoughts and convince himself it was only his sense of protection speaking. You and Jay were more than capable of defending yourselves even in dangerous situations, Will knew that, but that didn't make it any easier.
Many times he had wondered why neither you nor Jay had opted for a safer career, so he wouldn't risk a heart attack every time you left the house. You could’ve been teachers, or cooks, coaches, anything, but no, you both had to choose one of the most dangerous professions in the world. And so he didn't have to worry about his wife or just his brother's, but both.
His heart could only bear it to a certain extent.
And that day was no different when you texted him you and Jay were on your way to question a suspect.
Knowing you were in the district would calm him down a little since you were safe there, but knowing you were both out there with the risk of dying just around the corner was pure torture.
“How much you wanna bet he’ll run away as soon as he sees us?” You asked Jay as you got out of the car and walked towards the driveway of the house where the suspect was supposed to be. He wasn't directly involved with the drugs but, after the team started the investigations, you discovered he knew who was indeed involved and both you and Jay were determined to find out who that person was.
“Nah I pass, I know for sure this will happen so let’s just get ready to do some running,” he replied and you laughed before knocking twice loudly on the door.
“Chicago PD! Open up!” You exclaimed and you and Jay waited a few moments in which there was nothing but silence.
Jay moved away from the door and went to the window to check if there was actually anyone inside and you knocked again with two more loud thuds. “Open the door we just want to talk!”.
What happened was so quickly you wouldn't have been able to tell it if someone had asked you.
The suspect you were supposed to question – a guy in his mid-twenties – opened the door but you had your guard down so you couldn’t react as quickly as you wished. You saw him hold the gun and point it at you, you had tried as quickly as possible to take your gun from its holster but before you could do so a shot had already been fired and a bullet had already passed through your abdomen.
As you said, everything happened quickly.
The bullet shot immediately triggered Jay who quickly pulled out his gun and only then realized with pure horror you had been shot.
Before he could attempt to shoot the suspect, the bastard had already run away at the speed of light even if at that moment Jay didn't care.
He ran towards you and picking you up he dragged you away from the porch of that house, not wanting to run the risk that someone else might shot at you, and he carried you behind your car.
“Hey, hey, hey it's okay, don’t move. Everything's going to be okay, you hear me Y/n? You’ll be fine,” He tried to reassure you, to no avail as you had a bullet in your abdomen and were bleeding profusely, before immediately calling for help as panic coursed through his veins.
You were still shocked even as you lifted your head for the asphalt and saw your wound bleeding more than it should have. You tried to cover it with your hands but Jay did it for you, after taking a jacket he had in the car and pressing it to the wound.
“Shit,” you hissed. The pain was excruciating, even if the adrenaline helped to dull the sensation a little. A flood of emotions overwhelmed you, panic, fear, confusion. Your eyes looked around frantically as if to try to convince your mind you were still alive, that everything was going to be okay.
“Help is on the way Y/n, please hold on okay? You’ll be fine I’m sure,” Jay continued to babble, more to himself than to you.
“It-it hurts…” you stuttered, closing your eyes for a few moments as you felt your heart pounding in your chest.
“Hey, hey, hey, don't you dare fall asleep, just hang on for a minute. Please… Everything will be fine...“ he kept repeating.
But his voice began to reach your ears far away. That warm, burning sensation coursing through your abdomen was starting to fade and the weakness was instead starting to take over you. You were fighting so hard to try and stay awake, even though you were in that state you knew this didn’t mean anything good.
“Y/n!” Suddenly you heard Jay's voice and your eyes widened. You didn't even realize you had closed them.
“Jay can you believe…” you winched “Can you believe for just one second I will live?” You continued trying to smile seeing the way Jay was looking at you. You saw him so scared and worried for other few times in your life, and if it hadn't been for the bullet, you would probably have made fun of him.
“Of course you’l live Y/n, of course I believe it. Who will make my life a living hell if you're gone?”.
You giggled at those words. “L-look at my little brother-in-law worrying about me,” you whispered, as you got weaker with each second that passed. Your eyelids felt heavy, you were struggling to keep your eyes open, or even just to speak.
Your mind was racing, a thousand thoughts were invading it, which was in stark contrast to your physical state as you struggled to even lift your hands.
But the first thought was your husband, your beloved Will. How would he react? What would’ve he said? You hated the thought of not being the first to tell him, to comfort him knowing how worried he would be.
“No of course I’m not,” Jay replied, letting out a sound of mock disdain, making you smile weakly again. “I'm just worried about Will, I don’t care about you. I know he’s going to fucking kill me once he’ll find out.”
You tried to let out a laugh but a cough stopped it.
You fought for Will above all, because you refused to leave like this, to give up right when you were living the life of your dreams with the love you had wanted for so long. But in that moment, as your strength slowly left your body as quickly as your blood spread across the asphalt, you needed him so much.
You wanted Will, you wanted him to hold your hand, you wanted him to whisper it was going to be okay and you’d be fine in no time, you wanted him to hug you and make you forget all the pain and fear that was paralyzing you, you wanted to run a hand through his hair and tell him to calm down when he’d freak out.
And you really tried to resist.
But you were tired, so exhausted, you just wanted to be able to rest a little.
And that was exactly how you let yourself slip into the darkness of oblivion, the last thought being Will's eyes.
“Y/n? Hey! Please don't play with me right now,” Jay shook your shoulders slightly when he realized you had closed your eyes. “I know you're joking, just wake up it’s not funny.”
But nothing, he didn't receive any response.
And after several attempts to wake you up he had to accept you had lost consciousness and you weren't joking at all.
He looked around waiting for the damn ambulance to arrive and when he finally saw it from afar, he thought it was a mirage, too good to be true.
Meanwhile Will was unaware of everything that was happening out there, that his world was collapsing on him without even realizing it.
“Your tests came back normal but we'll keep you here for observation for another couple of hours just to make sure everything is fine, and we'll keep you hydrated in the meantime, okay?”.
“Okay, thank you so much Dr. Halstead.”
Will gave the lady lying on the bed a smile before leaving her room and closing the door behind him. He sanitized his hands and walked over to the nurses' station where he took the patient's medical records, updating her tests and treatment.
He couldn't help but take his cell phone from his uniform pocket, noticing with disappointment there was no message from you. He let out a sigh, trying to stay calm and convince himself he was just overreacting even if anxiety was gripping his stomach.
He put down the patient’s chart he had just seen, playing with the ring on his ring finger while a nurse informed him of the arrival of another patient who was already waiting for him.
If only he had waited a few seconds longer, if only he hadn't immediately entered that room, he would’ve seen that the person who had just entered the emergency room, unconscious, was the very last person he would’ve ever wanted to see in those circumstances, the person whose safety he worried about night and day, one of the people he loved most in the world.
Jay couldn't reach you at the hospital right away since he was waiting for Voight's orders on what to do but nevertheless he didn't stop thinking about you for a second and hoping that you were still alive.
Will treated the patient who came to the hospital following a chainsaw accident while chopping wood. With the help of a nurse, he sutured and dressed the fairly deep cut on the patient's leg while in the next room Connor and the rest of the team worked to revive you from the cardiac arrest you had just fallen into.
It took about twenty minutes for him to finish treating the patient, who he recommended to return to check the wound and assigned medicines in case of infection or pain. When he left the room, he did again what he had done earlier: disinfect his hands and update the medical records.
“Woah, what happened in there?” Will asked one of the new nurses that had recently started working when his gaze fell on the now room.
He saw the state in which that room was, copious traces of blood stained the floor on which numerous bright red patches were scattered, soaked in the same blood of the victim he thought he didn't know. The defibrillator was nearby and positioned crookedly on its trolley indicating it had been used and Will hoped that whoever it was, had managed to survive.
“A gunshot victim, bad story. She went into cardiac arrest twice but they were able to revive her and Dr. Rhodes just took her to the OR,” explained the nurse who, being new, didn't know that said victim was his superior's wife.
Will nodded, looking away from the room for a second before handing her the patient’s medical record he had just seen and putting the pen back in his white coat’s pocket.
He took out his cell phone again, noting with equal disappointment that no message had arrived from you. He sighed again before putting it down and his gaze fell on that room again.
His gaze fell on the victim's objects which were in a transparent bag placed on one of the bedside tables next to the now absent bed. He didn't want to snoop but curiosity got the better of him and he thought maybe he could help track down the family.
His heart almost stopped when he recognized your clothes in that bag.
“What the fuck?” He whispered as his brain struggled to process what he was seeing. There was a police badge, among other items. Anxiety gripped his stomach in a vice, twisting it until he almost felt like he was going to throw up.
“No, no, no, no,” he babbled to himself as his eyes continued to scan the numbers on the badge again and again.
It was yours.
No, it couldn't be true, there had to be an explanation. There had to be a reason why your badge and clothes had to be there.
While his heart continued to beat voraciously in his chest, Will continued to look among those objects. There was also the gun and a cell phone, yours.
His hands began to shake as all of his worst nightmares seemed to come true. He couldn't believe it, he just couldn't, until the very end he hoped there had been some kind of misunderstanding, that it was definitely someone else but for some strange reason they had managed to take your gun, badge, cell phone and even your bloody clothes.
But it was when he saw the ring that he felt as if a train had hit him. There was no doubt it was your ring, a ring that was stained with your own blood.
Will felt as if the ground had slipped beneath his feet, for a moment so out of his mind everything seemed to happen in a blur.
He immediately ran out of that damned room, making space among his colleagues and passers-by and running like a madman towards the ORs. He looked crazy, but he didn't care, he didn't care to stop and apologize to the people he was clashing with, he just wanted to reach you.
This can't be true, please God.
He had to make sure, it couldn't really be happening.
He didn't even wash his hands before entering the OR, he simply took a surgical mask and placed it in front of his nose before entering where Connor was operating.
If Will had to describe how he felt, he would’ve said he felt like he was dying, that he felt the air stuck in his throat and his lungs collapsing. He felt his legs give way and had to lean on the doorframe leading to the OR to avoid falling on the floor.
It was you.
It was really you.
Unconscious and with a tube down your throat, but it was you.
“Why the fuck didn't anyone call me!” Will almost shouted, his hands shaking with fear and anger, holding back the desire to run to you and grab your hand since he wasn't sterile.
“Will, get out of here,” Connor replied, looking up from your open abdomen for just a second so he could look at his friend and the desperation he had on his face.
“How is she? Connor please tell me something,” the redhead begged as his eyes filled with tears.
“Will. Out. Now.”
“I'm not going anywhere until you tell me how you she is. She's my fucking wife, I'm her husband! I have to know!”.
“This is exactly why you can't stay here! I can't operate if you're here and I'm trying to save her fucking life so get out of my OR immediately!” Rhodes exclaimed loudly, feeling guilty for the tone he had used since Will was only worried about you, but thinking it was necessary. He looked up at one of the nurses and nodded at him at which he nodded back and walked over to Will, inviting him to come outside.
“Don't fucking touch me,” Will spat through gritted teeth, his eyes shining before walking out of the OR.
He slumped against the wall and slid down until he was sitting on the floor, legs bent and elbows resting on his knees while he had his hands on his face.
What the fuck happened?
It was unbelievable, he couldn't process it.
How did you go from making love that same morning to you having surgery a step from the death?
Where the fuck was Jay? Why wasn't he there?
Will let out a sob, praying with all his heart that at least his brother was okay. God only knew he wouldn't be able to survive if Jay got hurt too.
“Will!”.
But when he heard Jay's voice calling him out, a wave of relief washed away some of the anguish that had been plaguing him. Will stood up and saw Jay running towards him. He hugged him, in tears, holding him so tight his bones almost broke.
“What the hell happened Jay? Where the fuck were you? Why didn’t you call me? You okay?” Will peppered him with questions, taking a look at his brother and noticing with horror the blood staining his shirt.
“I'm fine… I-I'm so sorry Will, this shouldn't have happened I…” Jay blathered, also scared to death even though he knew what he was feeling was nothing compared to how Will must’ve going through at that moment. He told him what had happened. “How is she?”.
Will shook his head, as if to tell him he didn't know, and collapsed, letting himself go into tears full of terror, fear, fright. Jay wrapped an arm around his shoulders and helped him sit down, trying in vain to comfort him.
What would he have done if you hadn't survived? How could he go on with his life if you weren't there?
He didn't even want to imagine it, he didn't want to find answers to these questions because there actually weren't any answers. Will couldn't be without you.
He had known you since they were only a few years old, he had grown up with you, he had laughed, he had cried, he had fun with you, he had confided to you his deepest secrets, his deepest fears, he couldn't even think of not being able to do all this anymore. He remembered your friendship with so much warmth and joy before falling in love with you without even realizing it.
You made him happy, you understood him, you were his best friend, his lover, his wife, his confidant. Loving you felt like winning the lottery, marrying you was the most beautiful gift life could ever give him, he couldn't even think that all this was hanging by just a thread.
What would he have done without your laugh, your horrible jokes, without your smile, your eyes, the warmth of your hugs? How was he going to survive?
No, no, no, she’s going to be fine. She will be okay.
You were strong, one of the strongest people he had ever met in his life, there was no difficulty you wouldn't have solved, there was no obstacle you wouldn't have overcome. If anyone could do this it was you, Will knew you were going to be okay.
He jumped up, no longer able to sit still. Time seemed to stand still, passing so slowly that every minute was pure agony.
“Will…”
“Shut up Jay!” Will exclaimed loudly, not caring about other people. Jay remained silent as he stood up as well, letting his brother vent. “Where the fuck were you! You were supposed to protect her why weren't you there?!”
Will was not thinking clearly anymore because of the anger, not anger directed towards Jay – he knew it wasn’t his fault but only of the bastard that pulled the trigger.
He approached Jay and pushed him but Jay didn't react, his heart actually clenched as he saw the suffering Will was going through. He would probably have reacted the same way if his wife was fighting between life and death.
“If anything happens to her Jay… Fuck!”.
Jay raised a hand and shook his head when one of the doctors passing by tried to intervene, telling him he had everything under control.
“She’ll be fine brother. C'mon, this is Y/n, we know her, there’s nothing that woman can’t do.”
“How do you know huh?!” Will exploded, running his hands through his hair in frustration and desperation.
“I just know Will, she’ll make it, I'm sure of it,” Jay replied more calmly, moving closer to his brother. This time he was the one to hug him although Will resisted for a while, telling him to let him go. Jay didn't do it, he continued to hug him and hold him until he gave up and returned the hug.
Will cried on Jay's shoulders for the longest time, praying with every fiber of his being and whoever was up there to make you survive, to make you okay.
“I just want her back…” he whispered, not sure if Jay had heard him.
Jay helped him sit back down. “And you’ll get her back, just have a little faith. She is so strong man, do you really think she’ll leave us like this? C’mon, she has to be here and annoy us for the rest of our lives.”
Will chuckled through his tears, his eyes so blurry he couldn't make out the objects in front of him. He and Jay sat in that waiting room, waiting for hours to hear from you as he kept desperately praying.
Will sat with his head in his hands and his elbows on his knees while he continued to move a leg obsessively.
He had always tried to calm the patients' families, never fully understanding how they must really feel. But now that he knew, he felt guilty for not trying harder.
Please stay with me baby. Please just hang on for a little bit, please fight for us.
He had never understood what it felt like to be completely useless, what it felt like to be unable to do anything for the person you loved most in the world, to be unable to do anything to prevent that person from suffering.
He had always sworn to protect you, to not let anything hurt you and he felt like a failure for not being able to do this. He wished that damned bullet had hit him, that it had been him on the operating table having to fight for his life.
At every slightest noise he jumped, hoping it was Connor bringing good news but when he finally actually saw him appear in front of him, he feared it was just a hallucination.
Connor approached Will and Jay who jumped to their feet as soon as they saw him arrive.
“How did it go? Is she okay? Please tell me he's okay, Connor,” Will stammered, his heart beating so fast he thought he was going to have a massive heart attack.
“It was tough but she did well. The bullet had hit an artery and I managed to extract it but she lost a lot of blood and the next few hours will be delicate. But I'm pretty optimistic and she'll make a full recovery.”
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He Won't Stop Staring - Will Halstead | 18+
prompt: “Why are you so worked up?" "Because they wouldn't stop fucking staring at you like they wanted to eat you." not requested
word count: idk
warnings: female reader, smut - [literally everything - oral (m and f receiving), unprotected sex, slight orgasm denial, overstimulation, brief fingering..]
A/n: …. Yeah idk I think I got possessed or something
Masterlist
Will was what you could call the jealous type. Just a smidge. And by a smidge, it was a lot. He couldn’t help it. Whenever he saw someone making goo-goo eyes at you he felt his heart race in his chest and something take over before he butted in and swooped you away.
He didn’t make a habit of it. It wasn’t like he didn’t trust you, no it was other guys he didn’t trust. Especially not the guy sitting at the bar that was making clear sex eyes at you even though he was sitting right there.
You paid no attention to it, knowing that what you were wearing was hot and that if it got Will turned on then it was sure to pull other people’s heads, men and women alike. “Will, eyes are over here baby,” You coo softly, a light laugh.
Usually you’d be saying that if his eyes were lingering on the cleavage of your shirt or dress, not when he was shooting daggers across the room at some guy that hadn’t even spoken a word to either of you. “C’mon, why are you so worked up?”
His eyes trailed up your hand as you put it over his, following up your bare arm until his eyes found your face. “Because, he won’t stop staring at you like he wants to eat you.” He didn’t hide the annoyance in his voice, the squeeze of his hand the only thing keeping him from going up to the guy and giving him his two cents.
With a sigh you lean forward, looking up at him, “Yeah well he doesn’t get the opportunity to do that now does he?” You raised an eyebrow at him, nodding your head to the exit. You guys had already paid for everything, just nursing the end of the last couple drinks that you’d ordered.
Through clenched teeth he sighed, “No he does not,” In seconds he was out of his seat, his hand tightly in yours as he pulled you out of the restaurant. His lips were on yours by the time you hit the side of the car, moving together the way they always did.
“Wait til we get back to your place,” You gently pushed him back, his eyes falling down over you as he pressed one last kiss to your jaw before rounding the car and getting in the passenger seat.
Will tried his hardest to keep his hands to himself during the drive, putting his hand possessively onto your thigh and keeping it there. The urge to move it higher was strong but he didn’t want to start something that he couldn’t finish until the two of you were upstairs.
The second you heard the door lock you tossed your shoes and bag to the side, just in time for Will to grab your waist and lift you up. Your back pinned to the wall as he pressed into a steamy kiss. He couldn’t help it.
Everything that kept him sane and cool had gone out the window and pure primal instinct took over as he sucked hickies onto any spot he could get his mouth on. “You…” He trailed off, sliding a hand along your thigh, pushing the dress you were wearing up. “Are mine.”
He held onto your hips as he pressed his hips into yours, groaning against your skin. “All mine.” Will’s words faded into the back of your mind as he rolled his hips against yours again, the slight friction only making your legs tighten around him.
“Will please-“ You breathed out, head loling back as his hot kisses crossed your throat, his nose trailing up as he pulled back to look at you.
There was pure lust in his eyes, he couldn’t even see anything through it. He was straining against his pants, hearing your soft gasps sending all of the blood going south, the friction helping immensely.
You put a hand on his cheek, kissing him roughly, “I’m yours. All yours.” At your words he pulled away from the wall, pulling you to the couch, in too much of a hurry to carry this on down the hall.
As soon as your back hit the fabric of the couch, Will was stepping back, his jeans and boxers coming off in one fell sweep as he leaned over you, letting you have the opportunity to pull his shirt off of him.
Once it was off you leaned forward, kissing his chest, before sliding down lower, hands sliding over his hips. “You’re the only one I want.” You mumble, looking up at him through your lashes, his breath hitching the second your hand wraps around him.
You’d sucked him off before but now it felt so, so personal. Like you had something to prove but not to him but for him. That you loved him more than anyone you’d ever known.
One long lick up his length sent chills down his spine, his body instinctively twitching forward. “God…” He breathed out, his eyes falling on you as you gave soft little kitten licks to the tip, smearing the precum around with your spit.
It didn’t take much for him to come undone, the warmth of your mouth as you slowly took him on had him mewling, his hand instantly sliding into your hair, grasping tightly. “You feel so good baby..” He let out a low moan, doing everything in his power to keep himself from fucking into your mouth.
Slowly you slid down to the hilt, your tongue circling as you pulled back up, lowering back down repeatedly. He tugged at your hair, knees almost buckling as you held onto his thighs for balance and leverage as you bobbed your head faster, craving to bring him just to the edge.
“Fuck, you keep going like that I’m gonna cum right now,” He clenched his jaw, feeling himself pulling closer and closer.
You pulled off, looking up at him, “Uh-uh, I want you in me when you do that,” You said low, your voice like honey as he reached down, pulling the panties off of you easily, your dress still sitting up at your hips
No matter how many times he saw you, Will still looked at you with big love filled eyes, even when he was seconds away from fucking your brains out.
“I swear you’re like an angel,” He muttered, leaning his knees against the couch as he lined himself up with you, reaching to grab your hand. “You ready?”
As soon as you nodded he pushed in, feeling you squeeze his hand as your legs parted more and more the farther in he got. As soon as he bottomed out he let go of your hand, bringing his to the side of your face. “Look at you all pretty and laid out for me.” He leaned forward, kissing you before rolling his hips up, smirking at the moan that slipped your mouth.
You reached to try and cover your mouth but Will instantly reached up, shaking his head, “No, I want to hear every little sound my girl makes.” He practically demanded, rocking his hips faster, pulling another moan from you.
“Will-“ His name fell off your tongue easier than anything you’ve ever said before. Your hands went to his shoulders, grasping on tightly, sure enough leaving imprints of your nails in his skin. “God you feel amazing,” Your head leaned back, trying to press any closer to him.
He gripped at your hips, tight enough there would be bruises in the morning, as he fucked into you faster, the moans and whimpers pushing him as far as he wanted. “You’re so beautiful.” His lips attached to your neck as you tried to hold him a scream.
With each movement he was pushing you closer and closer, the inevitable orgasm building up in your stomach, “Shit Will, I’m gonna-“ He shook his head slightly, his movements slowing down.
“Only when I let you.”
Your eyes met his as he pulled a hand, his thumb just ghosting over your clit, the feeling almost enough to send you over the edge.
As your hips bucked you looked up at him, “Will please, I need you,” You begged, holding the eye contact as he circled around you, in time with each movement.
He raised an eyebrow, setting you up to fail as he relentlessly attacked your clit, watching you squirm, bite your lip. Your cheek. Everything to keep your pleasure to yourself. But you couldn’t.
Your mind went black as you clenched so tightly around him, you were surprised he didn’t follow right away but instead his thrust picked up, fucking you through it.
The room spun as he continued to touch you, watching your eyes roll back, your back lift, thighs fighting to not press together.
“Will, please-“
“Oh I’m sorry, is this not what you wanted? To cum so bad?” He looked down at you, not stopping as you left scratches down his back.
He shifted the two of you, his hand going back to rub your swollen clit once you were situated , his dick further inside of you, the change of angle and pace giving nothing but another wave of pleasure to your body.
Your eyes screwed shut, not minding at all that he was using you the way he wanted, only caring that he was pushing your legs so far apart that you knew you’d be sore in the morning.
It only took a couple minutes before the familiar feeling built up in your body as strings of his name fell off your lips. “Go ahead baby, you’re doing so good. My girl taking me so well,” He leaned down, cooing into your ear.
The shiver of his breath went right to the spot between your legs, sending you right over the edge a second time, Will kissing at your neck as he gripped the back of the couch.
He was close himself, the feeling of you around him, the wetness and the sound of your mewls and moans bringing him closer and closer. He pulled back to look down at you, fucking you through your second orgasm as he felt himself getting sloppy.
You looked up at him, letting out a light breath, “Please cum in me,” You asked softly, those four words tying the knot that sent him overboard. with one final thrust he collapsed forward, a loud string of swears slipping from his mouth as he released inside of you.
His hips bucked against yours a couple more times, earning a whine from him before he pulled out, leaning down to kiss you. “I love you.” He said so firmly, with such passion that your heart felt like it grew a thousand times.
“I love you too,” You said back, leaning the rest of the way into the kiss. He grabbed each side of your face, both of your chests heaving and slick with sweat as he reached back to undo the back of your dress.
A light smirk on his face he looked up at you, “I have one last idea if you’re down for it my love,” He cooed, his hands dancing along your back.
Even with the lack of breath you nodded, still craving his touch. “Please,” You muttered, Will instantly leaning to pull the dress clean off of you, lifting it over your head.
“Alright, you remember what to do if it’s too much yeah?” He pressed a firm kiss to the front of your throat, leaving a mark before dipping lower across your collarbone.
Faintly you nodded, breathing out a sigh, “Tap your shoulder twice.” You answered, feeling his hand slide up your thigh. A million and one thoughts were running through your mind, every single one being replaced as Will pressed a finger into you.
A sharp gasp left your lips, back arching into his lips as your hips twitched towards him, still sensitive as he twisted his finger inside of you. “Good girl,” He hummed, sucking clear marks down your chest until his face was aligned with his hand.
His breath hit your skin, him looking up at you as he left more kisses on your inner thigh, inching closer to your pussy. “God Will…” You whined out.
The sound of his name once again leaving your lips had him sliding a second finger in, pumping in and out strategically. Of course he knew how to use his hands, he was a doctor. Past plastic surgeon. He could lead you to another orgasm with his eyes closed.
Will’s tongue swiped along your clit, circling it slowly as he watched you fall apart under his touch. Your hips twitched up, his other hand coming up to push them down, holding you against the cushions as he replaced his fingers with his mouth, devouring every single bit of you.
The mixture of you and him inside you was heaven, his mouth moving quickly. He put your legs over his shoulders, looping his arm around them, using his first two fingers to rub against your clit as his tongue worked across you.
“Fuck, fucking-“ You practically screamed out, your hands falling into his hair, holding tightly. “Will-“ No other words came to mind as you were filled with his touch.
It didn’t take long for your legs to shake, heels crossing. As your third orgasm ripped through you as you wet his face, trying not to grind down on his tongue, his nose bumping your sweet spot as he looked up at you, not stopping until you told him to.
If he could stay between your legs for the rest of his life he would, it was probably his favorite part of the night. Tasting you, being able to bring you into the trembling state with just his tongue.
It was blissful. As he worked you over, openly ready to build you up for a forth time you reached out, tapping his shoulder as your heart hammered in your chest.
He was off of you in seconds, instead leaning up to put a hand on your cheek, “Are you okay?” He asked softly, looking down at your flushed and fucked out face.
Slowly you nodded, “Mhm, jus’ need a minute,” You breathed out, your legs and hips sore. Will stroked a thumb across your cheek before shifting onto the couch.
“How about we call it a night? Come here,” He lightly grabbed your hand, guiding you over to him to lay against his chest. “Rest a little and we can get up to take a shower in a couple minutes,” His hand raked through your hair comfortingly, his eyes never leaving you.
You smiled and nodded, “Okay,” You slightly lifted to look at him, “I love you.”
“I love you, too.”
:)
#will halstead#dr will halstead#will halstead fic#will halstead imagine#will halstead fanfiction#will halstead x reader#will halstead oneshot#will halstead fanfic#will halstead smut#chicago med#chicago med one shot#teddy writes#teddy writes will halstead#teddy writes chicago med#teddy writes one chicago#teddy writes smut
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His Girl
Warnings: Brief mentions of the Burke drama and Hannah's overdose situation, Will's dating life?
Summary: Through all the women in his life, at the end, only one ever truly mattered.
A/N: Just because I want to, I'm changing a few things around just for the plot. I was inspired by several fics on ao3 about singlefather!Will so i thought i'd make this part of my Faith Halstead series. Hope you enjoy!!
This is my last fic of the year. I hope you all had a wonderful holiday and will have a wonderful new year. Fingers crossed 2024 will be our year. See you all next year!!!
Faith's mother had never been present. It had always been just Faith and Will from day one and he never saw a reason for that to change till he moved back home to Chicago.
Then Will's favourite duo became a trio, Jay unsurprisingly becoming a staple in their lives. Will didn't see any reason to change this dynamic when everyone was happy.
But then he met a few women who changed some things.
Natalie was the first to some degree. There were feelings on both sides but she had a newborn son and a mother-in-law who didn't like him for some reason. Their kiss was a 'mistake' and so he moved on.
Nina was his first official girlfriend since moving back and his hesitancy to get back into the dating scene was as clear as day. So they took it as slow as necessary.
Will was scared. He liked Nina relatively and they were at a point where he was comfortable enough to introduce her to Faith but the lingering fear of abandonment remained. He didn't want to introduce a female and a possible maternal figure into her life just for them to leave.
Luckily, Faith was just touching five when they broke up and he finally got with Natalie.
Those two to three years could be described as near bliss.
He loved Natalie and to see how she took Faith in with open arms, he could've cried on the spot right then. And she was the perfect older sister to Owen, three years her younger, getting along as though they were blood related siblings and being as thick as thieves.
"Hey bubbles." Will called out. His nerves radiating as he sat down besides his daughter on the floor with her toys splayed out on the carpet.
"How would you feel about papa and Natalie getting married?" He asked, apprehension lacing his words. Marriage and having a mother were topics Will often breached with Faith but it had never got this serious and he'd never do anything to this degree without having Faith's permission.
But the second her brown eyes lit up as bright as the stars in the sky, Will felt like everything was finally coming together and for once, he could give his daughter everything she wanted and deserved.
Faith was seven when everything came tumbling down.
She'd been with the bridal party when everything unfolded. She tried remaining naive to the nerves of the bride who she had yet to start calling mum. She tried remaining oblivious at the church when her dad hadn't shown up yet but she sobbed her little heart out when Will was dragged away from her into witness protection.
For the first time in her life, Faith didn't have her dad and she didn't know what to do with herself. Nothing made sense to her, living in a house with Natalie and Owen but not her papa.
When uncle Jay Jay brought him back though, Faith's world was glued back together again, she could finally breathe and for a second everything went back to normal and she thought they'd get the happy ending they deserved.
But then Natalie, the only motherly figure she had besides Maggie, broke up with Will and wouldn't let the duo back into her life.
That was the first ever heartbreak Faith experienced and somewhere deep down, she wasn't sure she was ever going to forgive Natalie for putting her and her papa through such pain like they hadn't been through so much already.
Her newly turned hatred was made apparent. Once the father and daughter moved out, whenever Faith found herself visiting the ED, she actively tried avoiding the woman and if they happened to stumble upon each other, Faith would send the hardest glare a seven-year-old could muster and not even a hi was exchanged.
Natalie's hurt didn't make Faith feel too guilty. She only felt a little bad when Will gently scolded her for being so cold to the woman who was supposed to be her mother once upon a time.
Faith was eight when she was introduced to Hannah. Ever since Natalie, Will had been more hesitant than ever to get into a relationship. The pain Faith went through post breaking up with Natalie had been long lasting and the thought of that happening again deterred Will from the dating scene.
But surprisingly, Faith was the first to propose he go forth with whatever his feelings for Hannah were. Somewhere deep down, apparently, Faith had a soft spot for the OBGYN that gave Will the confidence to move forward.
However, fast forward one year and no disrespect towards Hannah, but if Will could go back in time, he would've changed things.
Will could never forget the events that unfolded that night.
He was coming back from work, you were with Hannah at her apartment, spending the night together which made Will feel some sort of way knowing how well the two were getting along.
The apartment was pin drop silent when he entered which was surprising since it was a weekend and Faith always begged with her puppy eyes to stay up, Hannah could never resist them.
Just as he was taking his jacket off, he heard a familiar cry that caused the hair on his arms to stand on end, his head snapping up at the sound.
Will moved faster than he ever did before, taking large strides towards the distressing cries he barely heard from his little girl as she got older.
"Bubbles, what's-" Will cut himself off as he rounded the corner and caught himself in the bathroom doorway, gripping the doorframe so he wouldn't trip from how fast he was moving.
"Papa!" Faith's voice cracked as she cried. The second she saw her father; she scrambled up from where she was sat on her knees on the ground. "I w- I was just going to brush my teeth when I heard a bang and, and I found her..."
Faith sobbed into her father’s shirt, back turned to the unconscious woman on the floor, her face pushing into his torso as though she could burn away the image from her mind but she had seen enough.
Will immediately switched back on. "Bubbles, listen to me. I need you to go into her room and get that big bag that papa has at home and bring it. Can you do that for me Faith?"
Faith hiccupped, rubbing her red eyes as she nodded up at her dad. Will pressed a quick kiss onto her temple before watching her scramble out the bathroom allowing him to give all his attention to his girlfriend.
It was safe to say, that night did quite a number on Faith and Will found himself taking the blame.
Now in present time, Will hadn't dated anyone since Hannah. He talked to a few women at work and if things had been so much more simpler, something could've happened but then everything flashed before his eyes and he stopped himself.
Faith was eleven now and she was still the sole focus of his life besides work. He could never forgive himself for what he put her through with the women he tried bringing into their lives only for it to never work out.
In the end though, when all was done it seemed that just the two of them survived and thrived perfectly alone.
When Faith first came into Will's life, it was just the two of them battling alone together in a world neither could navigate and eleven years later, it was a little easier but there was still so much Will wished he could get rid of just for her sake.
The sound of the car door opening broke him out of his thoughts, his head turning as he smiled at his dishevelled daughter.
"Hey, how was school?" Will asked, softly smiling at her messy braid, tucking back the fly away hairs behind her ears before pulling away from the school.
Faith hummed, fiddling with her beaded bracelet. "Was good, I have a permission slip you need to sign."
"I'll do it tonight after work, make sure to remind me." Will told her as he started driving towards his brothers and sisters-in-law’s place. Despite his failing love life, his younger brother managed to settle down and Hailey loved Faith despite the short amount of time she knew her.
"Papa-" Faith stumbled over her words, picking the skin around her nails as she tried to form her question. "Um, are you happy?"
Will was caught off guard. His eyes widened a little as he took one hand off the wheel to stop Faith from picking her skin, his tutting making her stop instantly.
"What? Why would you ask that bubbles? Of course I am, I'm more than happy." Will answered confidently, looking at her at a red light to try understand what was going through her mind.
"Why? What happened at school?" Will's tone changed at the thought of someone saying something bad to his little girl.
"No! No! It was nothing like that I promise!" Faith hastily answered before her dad could turn the car back around to give the school a piece of his mind.
"It's just, you haven't gone on a date since Hannah..." Faith licked her lips nervously as she brought up Will's ex who didn't have the best lasting effects on them. "Is it because of me?"
"Of course not. Why would you think that?" Will asked her calmly, completely confused as to why she was thinking in such a way. "I promise you bubbles that I'm happy. You're all I need Faith."
While he drove, Will took a quick glance over to his right and found himself smiling at the adorable face Faith was making. Her eyes squinted from how hard she was smiling to herself at her father's comment.
"C'mere you little gremlin." Will said, welcoming how fast she got up from her seat to be enveloped into his arms. Squeezing as tight as he could, Will made sure not to suffocate her before pressing a kiss onto her hairline.
"Alright, love you lots. Have fun-"
"But not too much fun. I'll keep Uncle Jay in line." Faith rolled her eyes, already knowing what her dad was going to say since he'd been saying the same thing all her life.
Watching his not so baby girl run out the car and towards her uncle's home, Will felt his heart flutter, his chest all warm.
Yeah, he's made some questionable decisions regarding his love life but there was not one mistake made when it came to Faith. When everything came tumbling down, she was all that mattered and he wouldn’t have it any other way.
#one chicago x reader#one chicago imagine#one chicago fic#chicago med#chicago med x reader#will halstead#will halstead imagine#will halstead x reader#daughter reader#will halstead fanfic#will halstead x y/n
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will halstead with ‘You’re such a fucking tease, I hate you.’ prompt but reader is the one in control/more dominant?
Tease - [ Will Halstead ]
Prompt: “You’re such a fucking tease, I hate you.”
Word Count: 1650
Warnings: female!reader, strong language, smut - [ dominating behaviour, brief bondage, brief female masturbation, teasing, unprotected sex ]
Masterlist | Will Masterlist
shoutout to @dumplingsjinson for the prompt list
When it came to being in control, Will knew exactly where and when it was his turn to take the lead. For example, the hospital, he was your boss after all which meant you had to do whatever he told you and listen to his orders, but when it came to the bedroom? Well, let’s just say that Will knew his place the second he crossed over that threshold.
Will’s back hit the mattress with a soft thud, a deep groan rattling up his chest as he felt the weight of your body as you climbed on top of him, clad his favourite slinky negligee which you could tell was his favourite given how hard he was as he twitched beneath you, feeling the wetness of your arousal coating his skin. He wasn’t used to being the submissive one when it came to sex but there was just something about the way you took control that made him want to roll over and give himself up to you completely.
“I didn’t like the way you ordered me around today.” You said seductively, grabbing his discarded belt from beside him and slowly trailing it across his chest, the coldness of the buckle sending a fierce shiver down his spine.
“Well I am your boss.” Will replied smugly with a grin on his face that you quickly wiped away when you ground yourself against him, spreading more of your wetness along his thick length that lay nestled between your legs, not inside you yet though which you knew was driving him crazy. “Fuck…”
“Keep talking and you’ll only make things worse for yourself.” You whispered into his ear as you leaned forward, trailing your tongue across his skin before tugging hard at his earlobe, eliciting a soft moan from Will as you paired it timely with another painstaking grind of your hips against him.
You pulled back from him, laughing quietly to yourself at the mere state you could put him in. The way he was so twitchy beneath you, his cock practically throbbing against your pussy and you could feel how he kept trying to push his hips up further, desperate to finally feel himself inside you after the day you’d spent teasing him.
He knew the second you cornered him in the stairwell and purposely pushed yourself against him was to make him hard, and it had worked too as he had to take a minute to cool off in the bathroom before he went back to work. And now, because of that, he was in such desperate need to feel you that he almost gave in and started begging, the one thing he knew you wanted from him but he also knew you weren’t going to make things easy for him after he’d ordered you to stand down in treating a patient, and therefore he wasn’t about to give him so easily either.
You grabbed his wrists, bringing his hands above his head where you bound them together with his belt, pulling it extra tight that it had his hips jerk upwards, his hardened cock brushing against your soaking entrance in a way that almost had you roll over for him to completely devour you instead, but you managed to control yourself. After all, this was your payback for today and you’d be damned if you let him have it so quickly.
“Is that too tight?” You asked quickly, not wanting to hurt him accidentally. He shook his head, pulling his hands apart just a little to show you he still had room to move them before you nodded in satisfaction, placing a rough kiss against his lips before you pulled back, rolling your hips once again before your hands slowly started to work their way up your thighs.
You could see the way Will’s eyes darkened, the muscles of his arms straining against the leather that bound his wrists as he watched your hands trail up your own body, gripping the edge material that covered your chest before you yanked it down, freeing your breasts which had Will swear under his breath.
He watched intensely as you began to play with your nipples, his cock throbbing fiercely beneath you as he tried desperately hard to feel you against him. You knew he loved touching you, loved feeling your hot skin beneath his large hands and you knew he loved your breasts most of all, loved feeling the soft mounds under his palms and those hardened buds between his fingers, which is why you could easily tell just how much not being able to touch you was driving him crazy.
“You’re such a fucking tease… I hate you.” Will said breathlessly, the smirk that rose on your face as you continued to caress your breasts almost making him want to break free of his belt and flip you over, but he happened to like this belt and he knew if he did, you’d only make things worse for him next time.
“Well if you hate me so much, I guess I better just get myself off instead as you couldn’t possibly want to do it for me.” You teased, pulling the negligee over your head so you were now fully naked, your hand going immediately to your throbbing clit before the material had even hit the floor.
“I know you mean that as a threat, but fuck baby… The thought of seeing you get yourself off on top of me makes me so fucking hard.” Will groaned, watching the hint of darkness to your own lust filled eyes as you drew gentle circles on your clit, making you moan softly as your knuckles brushed along his cock with each motion.
“As fun as it would be to have you watch me…” You exhaled, arching your back a little as you continued to pleasure yourself before you suddenly stopped, your now wet fingertips walking up his chest and over his chin, pushing open his mouth as they hooked behind his teeth. “I think I’d much rather have you do it for me.”
At that second, as Will was far too preoccupied with tasting you off your fingertips to notice anything else, you grabbed hold of his cock, settling the tip between your folds before you slowly began to sink down onto it, making him bite down on your fingers as low, breathy gasps left his lips as he filled you up completely.
The way you felt around him, the mere tightness of your pussy had him bust free of the belt that bound him, the leather strap hitting the floor with a thud as his hands came to grip your hips, fingers digging deep into your flesh and you lifted your hips, setting a slow pace as you slid back down until he was once again buried deep inside you.
“Couldn’t wait to get your hands on me could you?” You said around a moan as you began to pick up the pace, feeling the warmth of your own arousal as it spread across your inner thighs.
Will didn’t say anything, he literally couldn’t as the moment you started moving faster, his hands slinking around your back to hold your ass as they guided your motions, he became a moaning mess beneath you, unable to do anything but watch you. The way your breasts bounced with each movement had him biting down on his lip, his hips starting to thrust upwards, meeting your pace as you gripped the headboard, riding him in a way that made him want to boss you around at work more often if this was his punishment.
“Fuck… Will… Fuck, I’m gonna come.” You panted, his fingers pushing harder into the flesh of your ass as you felt that pressure deep inside you building, ready to burst with each thrust of his cock against your sweet spot.
“Come for me baby.” Will groaned, angling his hips just right that with one last, well-synced thrust of his cock meeting the grind of your hips, his tip hit hard against that spot deep inside you, causing you to clench tightly around him, as you came hard, your legs tensing around his hips.
“Fuck…” You threw your head back, your body stilling as Will’s hold on you was the only thing keeping you moving as he fucked your through your orgasm, one that was so intense, so pleasure driven that you could see stars and feel the pure heat that coursed through your veins.
The way his name left your lips, so breathy and so sweet sounding pushed him over his own edge, his eyes glued to you, beads of sweat beginning to roll down the valley of your breasts as they rose rapidly with each breath you took. The moment your head tilted forward again and your eyes met Will’s he knew he was done for.
He slammed your ass down hard against him, his warmth releasing inside you as your name left his lips in a deep, raspy groan, your hands landing atop his chests as you began to move your hips again, feeling him throbbing inside you as you milked every last drop from within him. You fell forwards, your bodies sticking together with sweat as you kissed him, his body still twitching beneath you as he came down from his mind blowing orgasm.
You pulled back, staring deep into his eyes as Will’s hand pushed back the hair that stuck to your forehead, threading his fingers through it before pulling you in for another quick kiss, neither of you having much air left in your lungs for anything longer.
“If that’s the punishment I get for ordering you around at work…” Will said breathlessly, a small smile creeping its way up into his face. “…then baby, you can bet that I’ll be doing it a hell of a lot more because that… was fucking incredible.”
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#chicago med x reader#chicago med#chicago med fanfiction#chicago med will halstead#will halstead#will halstead imagine#will halstead oneshot#will halstead fanfiction#will halstead fanfic#will halstead chicago med#will halstead smut#will halstead one shot#will halstead x reader#will halstead x you#chicago med oneshot#chicago med one shot#one chicago#one chicago x reader#winchesterszvonecek#x reader#reader insert
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The Fragile Bonds Part 4 || Jay and Will Halstead x Halstead Sister
*re-posting this because I'm stupid and accidentaly erased my other blog 🫠 If you were following this story I'd appreciate your reblogs 🙏🏻
Summary: After their father's death, Becca moved in with Jay. This is the first time the detective brother has to go undercover since his sister has been under his full care, creating a challenging situation for both. Reluctantly, Becca will have to live with Will and his family during those days, even though she doesn't feel very welcome in that household.
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
It was a cloudy afternoon, with no sign of the sun in sight. The rain had subsided, and if it weren't for the gentle drops trickling down the windowpane, it might have gone unnoticed.
Becca lay on her bed, engrossed in the book Mr. Olinsky had given her. The story revolved around a lonely orphan girl who discovers the existence of a giant and goes with him into his world. Becca enjoyed the book, but at that moment, she found it hard to concentrate on her reading. She placed it on her chest and turned her gaze toward the window. She remained still for a few minutes, imagining Hailey's car pulling up on the street. She hoped that this would happen, as the detective had promised to visit her that day. Nevertheless, Becca was accustomed to last-minute changes in plans, a common occurrence in a detective's line of work. She continued to gaze outside, lost in thought, until her reverie was interrupted by a knock at the door from Will.
"Everything okay?" Will asked, but no words came out of his sister. She simply nodded.
"What are you reading?" Her brother approached and took a seat on the edge of the bed, prompting her to do the same. "The BFG?"
"The Big Friendly Giant," she replied. "Mr. Olinsky gave it to me, and he always asks me about it. I want to finish it for the next time I see him."
"Oh," Will was uncertain about how to react. It felt a bit strange to him that she was close to Jay's co-workers. For a moment, it tugged at his heart that she might be becoming closer to them than to him.
"Did you finish your homework?" Will inquired.
"Uh, no. It's Friday, and I don't feel like doing homework right now. I still have the whole weekend," Becca replied.
"Well," he said, taking the book from her hands, "I suggest you finish it today. We're planning to go to the aquarium tomorrow." He smiled from ear to ear.
"The aquarium?" Becca asked without much excitement.
"Yeah! We've been wanting to take Owen for a while now. Tomorrow's a great chance to do it, and you get to come with us," he said, excited and genuinely thinking Becca would be too.
"But tomorrow is my..."
"What?"
"Um, never mind..." She rolled her eyes, hoping that Jay would return at any moment. She was accustomed to Will always forgetting her birthday and other important events related to her, anyway.
"It will be fun!" Will tried to persuade her.
At this point, Becca couldn't even muster a fake smile. As soon as she was left alone in the room, she buried her face in a pillow, muffling her scream of frustration.
It felt as though time had ceased to exist that afternoon, a strange and surreal feeling. Becca spent most of the time in a state of half-sleep, drifting in and out, as if she were trying to fast-forward through the day. She didn't want to be awake.
By the time she finally woke up for good, it was already dark outside. She realized she had slept for a long time and suddenly remembered Hailey. Her heart raced with worry, fearing she might have missed a visit from the detective. "No, no, no," she muttered, reaching for her phone in the drawer. She discovered three missed calls and a text from Detective Upton.
Something surged, I'm sorry
The tone of the text conveyed the urgency. She put her phone in the back pocket of her jeans, just in case Hailey called again, she didn’t want to miss another call from Jay.
Leaving Mr. Snuggles behind, Becca ventured out of her dark room and was momentarily dazzled by the brightness of the rest of the house. The cold hit her immediately, and she shivered, regretting her choice of wearing only a light sweater over a tank top.
There were a lot of noises. The animated voices of cartoons emanated from the TV, Owen's plaintive cries echoed through the air, and Natalie's soothing reassurances cut through the clamor. Meanwhile, on the other side of the house, the clinking of plates, the splashing of water, and the rhythmic hiss of flames on the stove created a symphony of domestic activity. It smelled good.
Upon entering the kitchen, Becca found her brother, Will, busy at the stove.
"Pasta!" He exclaimed, snapping his fingers and pointing to his little sister. "You can eat that, right? You can't be allergic to pasta!"
A smile graced Becca's lips as she responded, "Yeah, I can eat pasta. That's actually what Jay makes whenever he's too lazy to cook... which is often." Their shared laughter infused the room with a comforting sense of camaraderie.
"Well, dinner's almost ready. I bet you're hungry."
"Yes, I actually am. And it smells delicious." Becca's gratitude was evident in her words, and Will's smile in return felt like a small victory, he finally made Becca feel good.
"What's wrong with Owen?"
"I don't know, he just doesn't want to sleep. We didn't take him to the park because of the rain, so it might be all of his pent-up energy."
"Oh." Just as they were discussing Owen's restlessness, the baby's cries subsided, and the volume of the cartoons from the TV surged. Becca turned to glance at the wall clock; it read 7:00 PM. It was still relatively early, and she realized she hadn't slept as long as she thought.
"It's freezing," Becca mentioned, crossing her arms to ward off the chill.
"Here," Will offered, taking off his own sweater. "I don't want you to get sick." It was evident that he wanted to ensure Becca remained in the room with him, not wanting to break the peaceful moment they were sharing.
"No, it's all good," Becca quickly responded. "I'll get one from my bag. I'll be right back."
The door of the room was open, but the girl didn’t pay much attention to that detail. However, when she got in, she immediately noticed something amiss. The bed was empty. "Mr. Snuggles?" she thought, her heart sinking. She approached the bed, thinking she might have hidden the stuffed animal beneath the pillow, but her search yielded no trace of the beloved cat.
"Oh, no!" Panic gripped her, and she began frantically throwing pillows and blankets onto the floor, desperately searching for the missing plush companion.
“WILL! WILL!”, she screamed anxiously.
The redhead was at the door frame in an instant, a mixture of alarm and concern etched across his face.
"Wha--? What happened?" His own fear was palpable as they observed Becca, her tearful countenance and the disheveled state of the bed sheets. Quickly, he closed the distance and moved to her side.
“Mr. Snuggles is not here, HE’S NOT ANYWHERE!”
Will was confused, he didn’t understand what she was talking about.
“My stuffed animal!”
“Oh, the cat?” He finally realized. “Did you look well on the bed? Under?”
“WILL, I’M TELLING YOU–”
He could not understand why his sister was overeating that way, but he could feel her anxiety and exasperation.
He put a hand on her shoulder and continued with a soothing tone, "ok, ok, let's go. I'll help you find it".
Then, he proceeded to look under the bed, but there was no trace of the cat. "I don't know, Becca. Are you sure you leaved it in here? You didn't take it outside? Look, it's alright, tomorrow when we get out of the aquarium, we can go get a new one, I promise".
However, this offer only seemed to exacerbate Becca's distress. She started bawling, and Will could see the profound sadness in her eyes, even if he didn't fully comprehend the situation. All he could do was embrace her, but Becca remained unresponsive, not reciprocating the hug.
"It's okay, Becca. You'll get a new one, and it will be even better. That cat was already old." Will tried to console her, although he was still perplexed by the depth of her attachment to the lost stuffed cat.
Becca's tears flowed uncontrollably as her mind became a whirlwind of memories from that special birthday when she had received Mr. Snuggles. She could see her mother's warm and loving smile, and picture Jay's supportive presence as he helped her unwrap the gift box. Those recollections also brought back the bittersweet image of their father, sitting at the table, all of them sharing a birthday cake. But what weighed most heavily on Becca's mind was the recollection of her mother's gentle voice and the overwhelming fear that gripped her – the fear that she might forget her mother's comforting scent and her cherished appearance if she were to lose Mr. Snuggles. It was this fear, this painful possibility, that had driven her to such intense distress.
In her frustration, Becca pushed her brother away, her actions betraying the depth of her anguish. "You don't get it," she groaned. The rawness of her emotions was palpable, and it left a profound ache in Will's chest as he struggled to comprehend the intensity of her distress and find a way to comfort her.
In that moment, the sound of laughter echoed from the living room, and it was at that moment Becca pieced together what had likely transpired. With a sense of urgency, she darted out of the room, her brother following closely behind. There, in the living room, she found Mr. Snuggles in the firm grasp of Owen, who was gleefully swinging the stuffed cat from side to side, dancing to the music of his cartoons.
"Mr. Snuggles," Becca whispered in relief.
Natalie, seated on the sofa, turned to look at Becca, initially unaware of the distress that had gripped the girl.
"Oh," she remarked to Becca. "It was the only thing that could calm him down. I was walking him around the house, and he wandered into the guest room to find it. I told him we would borrow it from you."
Will's voice came from behind, breaking the tension. "Good that we found him," he sighed in relief. "You still have my word about the new stuffed animal, though." He reached out and hugged his sister by the shoulder, still puzzled by her intense reaction and concerned by the fact that she was still upset. He wished he could understand and help her better, but for now, all he could do was be there for her.
"Will, I--thank you," Becca whispered in a hushed tone, ensuring her words were only for her brother's ears. "But I don't need or want another one. I need Mr. Snuggles, and I can't let Owen have it, I really can't."
Will glanced at Owen playing with the black cat. He didn't initially see the issue, but the intensity of Becca's emotions was impossible to ignore. He furrowed his brow and returned his gaze to her, realizing that she was genuinely suffering. It was clear that the stuffed animal held immense significance for her.
"Okay, alright," he said gently, attempting to wipe away her tears.
"Owen, come here," Will knelt to be at the boy's level. "Buddy, this little cat here is already tired. It's time for him to go back to sleep." As he tried to take Mr. Snuggles from Owen's small hands, the boy became upset and clung tighter to the toy.
“Will, what are you doing?” Natalie intervened.
“Becca wants, needs her plush back, that’s all”.
“He’s been restless for two hours, this thing is the only thing that has calmed him”.
“Yes, I know, but it’s not his, and we should have asked Becca first if we wanted to take it”.
Becca felt a warmth in her heart as she watched her brother stand up for her in front of his girlfriend, something that had never happened before.
"Owen, pal, please," Will implored. He managed to gently take the stuffed animal from the boy's hands, but Owen's reaction was immediate – he started crying and throwing a tantrum.
Becca couldn't help but feel awful. She didn't want the baby to cry, and a wave of guilt washed over her for not letting him have Mr. Snuggles. But she just couldn't, if it were any other toy, she wouldn't have hesitated to lend it to him.
"Will!" Natalie scolded, and the cat went back into Owen's hands.
Will found himself in a difficult position, torn between wanting to please Becca and not fully comprehending the depth of her attachment to the toy.
"Becc, just lend it to him for a while. He'll get tired of it soon, you'll see."
Becca watched as Owen continued to play with Mr. Snuggles, her heart heavy with mixed emotions. She shuddered when she saw him putting one of the toy's ears into his mouth. The thought of her mother's scent slowly fading away from the cherished stuffed animal weighed heavily on her mind, making it even more difficult to let go.
“No, I can’t”
Will tried to stop her, but he didn't have the heart to do it.
"Owen, baby, I'm sorry, you need to give it back to me, please," Becca pleaded with a soft, gentle tone. However, Natalie intervened defensively.
"Becca, stop acting like this. It's just a toy, and he's just a kid."
Seizing the opportunity when Owen momentarily left the cat on the floor, Becca reached for it with a sense of relief. But at the same time, Natalie grasped it by the tail, and in the struggle to pull it towards herself, the stuffed animal tore in two.
Becca clutched the body of Mr. Snuggles in her arms, her eyes filled with horror as she stared at the torn tail on the floor. Her beloved companion had been torn apart, and she was left in shock, aghast at the sudden, painful loss.
"NO!" Becca's anguished scream pierced the air, sending shivers down Will's spine. Her cries escalated into a torrent of tears, her emotions a chaotic whirlwind of anger, sorrow, and anxiety. She felt trapped and overwhelmed, and all she wished for was to escape that painful moment.
"I wish I was dead too!" Becca's words, spoken with laboring breaths, were a heartbreaking cry for release. She bolted towards the front door in a desperate attempt to escape, but Will managed to reach her in time, pulling her into a hug from behind, trying to be gentle and cautious, afraid of hurting her in the process. His embrace was a lifeline, an attempt to anchor her and provide the support she desperately needed in that agonizing moment.
"Let me go! Leave me alone!" Becca's cries reverberated, her voice laced with anguish and despair. No one had ever witnessed her in such a state; she appeared as if she were possessed, kicking and hitting, doing everything in her power to break free from her brother's embrace, as if she were fighting against her own tormenting emotions.
"I can't. I can't let you go like this. I need you to calm down, sweetie. Calm down, Beccs, everything's okay," Will implored, his words filled with love and concern.
But those last words pierced her like a dagger to the heart. Nothing was okay; everything felt wrong. Her world was fractured. She no longer had her dad, her mom, or Jay. The only thing that still connected her to her mother had been damaged. She didn't have a home, and she couldn't find her place in this world. In her anguish, Becca acted without thinking, biting Will's arm to break free from his embrace, her pain manifesting in a desperate attempt to escape her overwhelming emotions.
“Will, she bit you. Do something!” Natalie’s accusations rumbled in her ears.
“No, no. It’s ok, Beccs. It’s alright”, Will tried to calm his sister, whose little face looked frightened.
Everything happened so fast and Becca managed to break free and escape through the front door. She ran as fast as her legs could carry her, her vision blurred by tears, making it impossible to see clearly where she was headed.
Unheeding of Natalie's protests, Will chased after her, desperate to catch up.
"Becca! Becca, please!" His voice reached her ears, calling her name at a distance, but it grew fainter and fainter as she continued to run. "Becca!" She heard one last anguished cry, a long and agonized scream that filled the air with sorrow.
When she finally came to a halt, she was exhausted, her breathing labored. She looked around, but the surroundings were unfamiliar, and she couldn't identify the street or any nearby landmarks. She was lost, but returning the way she came wasn't an option, so she continued to walk, trying to find her bearings and make sense of her tumultuous emotions.
It was dark and cold, and she wasn't properly dressed, lacking a warm sweater. Her nose turned red, and her face and ears stung from the biting chill, but she didn't stop walking. She suddenly remembered she had her phone in her pocket and, without breaking her stride, she pulled it out. She dialed the number, but the call didn't connect; the number she called was turned off. Nonetheless, she decided to leave a message on the voicemail.
"J-Jay..."
Will was overwhelmed by fear, his mind racing with countless scenarios. He rushed back inside his home to retrieve his car keys, wasting no time, and then immediately returned to search for Becca. Determined to find his sister and make sure she was safe, he set out with a sense of urgency.
Meanwhile, Becca continued walking along a dimly lit street, too afraid to stop and ask for help. At this point, even if she wanted to, she couldn't return to Will's house, as she was unsure how to find her way back. Eventually, she came upon a bench in a park that seemed relatively safe, with a few children and their mothers nearby.
With trembling hands, she retrieved her phone from the back pocket of her jeans and called Hailey's number multiple times, but there was no answer. Frustrated and desperate, she decided to send a text:
Hailey, I need you. Please, call me
Becca quickly noticed a man approaching her, which instinctively made her stand up and call Hailey one last time.
"Hey, girl!" The man continued walking toward her at an accelerated pace. "Are you alone?"
Once more, there was no answer on the other side of the line. This time, however, Becca decided to speak to the voicemail. Her voice trembled and cracked as she cried out of fear, "Hailey! Hailey! I really need your help..."
The stranger was now just a few steps away from her and made a gesture as if he was trying to take her arm. In a panic, Becca screamed at him while still on the call, "No, get off!" She then began to run once again, desperate to escape the approaching stranger.
After several minutes of wandering around, shivering from the cold and filled with fear, unable to stop crying, Becca found herself standing beneath a well-lit area outside a small store where a steady flow of people passed by. She retrieved her phone once more, but her heart sank when she realized the battery was dead. Cursing her misfortune, she felt a touch on her shoulder and startled in fear.
"It's okay, honey," a woman's voice reassured her. "I'm not going to hurt you. Are you okay? Are you lost? Do you need help?"
However, Becca was now too paranoid and frightened to trust a stranger. She took a few steps back, her guard up.
"Okay, okay, don't go. Don't worry," the woman said, trying to be reassuring. "I'll call the police, and they'll help you get back home, okay? I'll stay here with you."
But as soon as the woman briefly took her eyes off the young girl, Becca seized the opportunity to slip away and disappear into the night.
"Did you find her?" Natalie inquired, even though it was only Will who returned to the car. He was overwhelmed, his stress and anxiety apparent as he sat on the entrance stairs, his elbows on his knees and his hands on his face. His girlfriend knelt beside him and rubbed his back in a soothing manner. "She'll be back soon."
"Are you sure? She's a 12-year-old girl wandering the streets alone at night. She's never been out alone!"
"She must be hiding somewhere, like in a game. She just wants to get your attention. Give her time."
Will couldn't bear the waiting any longer. "She's anxious, stressed, and sad. She was crying her eyes out. She must be frightened and cold right now. And it's all my fault," his voice quivered as he spoke. Will ran his hands over his face in frustration. "We should call the police," he suggested.
"What? No!"
"It's been three hours now!"
"If you call the police, Jay will find out about this!"
Determined, Will stood up. "He'll find out anyway."
Natalie continued to resist, "...and we'll have the entire Intelligence unit here. Is that what you want?"
"Actually, yes, Natalie. I want every cop in Chicago looking for my little sister, if that's possible!"
The 21st district was empty, the only sound filling the station was the echo of footsteps ascending the stairs. Jay was the first to enter the bullpen, followed by the rest of the Intelligence detectives and officers, all dressed in their tactical gear. He was the sole individual in plain clothes, and he looked thoroughly exhausted.
"Good job!" Voight patted Halstead on the back. "All of you. Now, go rest. The paperwork can wait until tomorrow. These punks aren't going anywhere." Before retreating to his office, the sergeant turned back to address Jay again. "Take a day off, you've earned it."
"Thanks, Sarge," Jay acknowledged.
"Alright, it's 10:40. Still time to head to Molly's to celebrate," Adam announced to the room. "First round's on me. Who's coming?"
They all accepted the invitation, including Hank from his desk.
"Jay, you coming?" Kevin inquired when he noticed Jay hesitating.
"No, I'll pass, guys. I'll just shower and go straight to pick up Becca. She must be losing her mind after a week with Will," he quipped with a smile. "If I hurry, I can still be the first one to wish her a happy birthday."
#jay halstead#will halstead#jay halstead x halstead sister#will halstead x halstead sister#one chicago#chicago med#chicago fire#will halstead fanfic#jay halstead fanfic
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Gift of Family
Pairing: Will Halstead x Reader
Requested: yes, by anon
Summary: Jay interrupts a burglary at his brother’s house but gets injured. Meanwhile, Y/N goes into labor and they both have to be brought into Med to a worried Will.
Word Count: 1,273
Warnings: canon-typical mentions of guns, mentions of labor, mentions of GSWs
A/N: I wasn’t exactly planning on writing this…? But then… I did? HAHA. I hope you like it! I apologize for any inaccuracies!
WILL HALSTEAD MASTERLIST
“Just wanted to say goodnight.”
You smiled at Will’s words. “We haven’t even had dinner.” You responded.
“But if we get busy tonight I might not be able to call before you sleep.” Will reasoned. “This is my last night shift before the baby comes, so let’s just hang in there a while more okay?”
You nodded, even though he couldn’t see you, unable to stop the smile because he was being cute. “Yeah alright. Be careful and I’ll see you in the morning. Jay will be here soon.”
“Love you.” Will said, before you heard Maggie call his name in the background and he hurriedly hung up.
You put your phone down on the kitchen table before you heard a noise at the front door and frowned. Jay usually rang the doorbell even though he had a key so you felt your wariness rise a little as you stepped out towards the main area where the doorknob was already jiggling.
Not Jay.
Jay climbed out from his truck, reaching into the back for the food he’d promised you and turning towards Will’s house.
He had a half-formed thought in his mind that was thrown out when he realized the curtains were closed.
Jay frowned. You didn’t usually close the curtains until you were going to bed, and definitely not when you were expecting him at any time.
His frown deepened but he headed towards the main door, pausing when he realized the door wasn’t even closed, much less locked, merely resting on the frame. That you most definitely didn't do, not even when he and Will were around.
Jay put the bag he had down next to the main door, reaching for the gun holstered on his waist and nudging the main door open with his foot.
The house seemed quiet, which was even more suspicious so Jay didn’t lower the gun. Until he turned into the dining area and saw you had smashed yourself into a corner.
“Y/N, are you…”
“Jay, behind you!” You yelled. Jay spun back around, turning his back to you once again and almost immediately you heard shots rip through the air. You closed your eyes, your body jumping involuntarily which each shot that resonated through the house that you and Will shared.
Then, silence.
You cracked your eyes open but from where you were standing, shriveled into a corner of your own house, you could only see that both the intruder and Jay were no longer standing.
“Jay?” You tried calling out to him.
There was a silence for a beat and then Jay pushed himself up, closing the gap between himself and the intruder, swiping the gun further away from him. Just in case.
You paused, before you took a shaky step forward.
Jay glanced up at you as you neared him. That's when you saw it - the blood seeping between his fingers as he tried to apply pressure down on the wound on his shoulder. He’d been hit too.
“Y/N, look at me.”
You wrenched your eyes away from the dead man in your house and looked back at your brother-in-law.
“Get me the phone.”
You nodded, glad you and Will kept it within reach and handed it to Jay, your hands still shaking slightly as you felt a weird sensation, something similar to a slight pop, before a trickle of liquid down your legs.
“This is Detective Halstead from Intelligence, Badge number 51163. Responded to a robbery, offender is down but I need a patrol car and a bus…” Jay trailed off as he looked at your face, before he noticed what was happening.
You looked back at him as you felt a clear contraction. “Jay. My water…”
“Two buses. Stat. One gunshot wound, and my sister’s water just broke.”
Will glanced up from where he was standing when the alarms blared and he moved straight to the front like clockwork.
“Jay?”
Jay glanced up at his brother giving him a strained smile. “I’ll be fine. Y/N is right behind me. Go.” His voice was a whisper now and Connor patted Will on the back.
“I got this.” Connor reassured him and Will cast one more look at his younger brother worriedly before he hurried off under Maggie’s directions to get to you.
“We have to deliver now.” The OB doctor on call told Will the moment he opened the door.
“Will… Jay…”
Will shook his head, scooting over to put your hand in his. “It’s okay, he's going to be fine. One thing at a time, alright?”
You groaned as another contraction hit and the OB attending settled herself in front of you.
“Alright, Y/N. Take a deep breath… and push.”
Will stayed with you throughout and the only thing you felt was keeping you grounded was the thought of your son coming, as well as the feeling of Will holding your hand.
And when the doctor finally put your son in your arms and you laid your eyes on him, you couldn’t help the happy tears that slipped down your cheeks.
Will quietly swiped away a tear and pressed a kiss to the top of your head. “Thank you, Y/N.”
You just smiled as Will bent down to press his forehead against yours and you angled your head up so your lips could meet.
Connor had come by to see you and the baby, as well as to assure both of you that Jay was fine. You'd filled Will in about what had happened and after some wheedling, Will had given in and agreed to wheel you both to go see Jay if you promised to stay in the wheelchair.
Jay was already kind of sitting up in bed when Will opened the door and wheeled you in.
“Oh my god, please tell me you’re here to bust me out.” Jay groaned and you hid a laugh.
Will shook his head. “Connor had to bring you into surgery to get the bullet out. And our place is still half a crime scene so all three of you are stuck here for a bit.”
“But both of you are okay?” Jay asked, groaning a little as he shifted and glanced at you.
You smiled. “Thank you, Jay. If you hadn’t come, I… we…”
Jay gave you another smile before he reached out, his hand barely reaching your arm, as he patted it. “Told you, you’re family.”
His eyes now flicked down to the small bundle that was asleep in your arms.
You looked at Will, who nodded. “We wanted you to meet your nephew and your godson.”
Jay’s eyes flicked up to his older brother. “Wait, what?”
Will cocked his head at his younger brother. “The anesthesia should have worn off by now, Jay. You won’t say no to him right?”
Jay smiled. “Of course not.”
Will lifted your son from your arms and put him down in Jay’s good arm. “Meet AJ. Alexander Jay Halstead.”
Jay glanced between you and Will.
“Seriously?”
“Jay.” You said, leaning just a little forward, enough that you were still comfortable and not off the wheelchair like you'd promised Will. “We’re here because of you. AJ’s only safe because of his Uncle Jay. Like you said, family right?”
Will smiled back at his younger brother. “Just promise me the both of you won’t be wheeled into the ED together again. I can’t do that again.”
You smiled and glanced at Jay, as Will reached for your hand.
“I’ll do my best.” Jay answered with a smile, his eyes drifting back to little AJ still comfortably asleep in his Uncle Jay’s arms.
THANK YOU FOR READING!! PLEASE TELL ME WHAT YOU THOUGHT OF THIS!!
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Character taglists are open!
#resa.fics#resanoona request#will halstead#will halstead x reader#will halstead imagine#will halstead fanfic#will halstead oneshot#jay halstead#chicago med#chicago pd#will halstead x you#will halstead x y/n#dad!will#uncle!jay#oc: aj halstead
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If you don't mind Whould you write me a imagine Fanfic Oneshot of about me and Will Halstead pliss? 🥺🥺❤️❤️
In the Rain
Characters: Fem. Reader x Will Halstead
Requested: Yes, by @zaidatorcuatomorgado I really hope you enjoy this🩷
Prompt: "Dance with me and pretend the world doesn't exist."
Warnings: Alcohol consumption, fluff, just will being an absolute sweetheart ♡🥰
word count: 1.1K
----
You sat at bar swirling what was left of your whiskey, after a long day at home and an even longer day at work you were ready for the weekend. Praying that no disasters caused a last minute call in to work. Currently, you'd had enough of the world and the dried tear tracks showed that, Timothy, your fiancé had just broken up with you well, ex-fiancé, and now, you didn't have it in yourself to go home. Too many raw emotions and memories. And there was no point in crying over a pint of Ben and Jerry's ice cream tonight, besides if you found someone else whose bed you could get into, even better.
"Hey can I have 2 of what the woman beside me's drinking" You raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything to the red head as he took the bar stool beside you. Frowning a bit when you had another whiskey neat passed towards you. "Thanks" "you looked like you needed it." he replied easily shrugging his shoulders. "Jez, a ‘no problem’ or ‘you're welcome’ would've been fine" rolling your eyes, you finished off the last of your whiskey before moving on to the one the stranger beside you had so kindly bought you.
"Is everything okay? You look like you're going through something." the redhead asked you. You snorted a little, "Who are you, my therapist?" The man chuckled, "Close enough, I'm a doctor." You nodded at that, half expecting the answer to be some form of healthcare professional. "Y/n L/n" you turned and smiled at him. He done the same. "Will Halstead." "It's nice to meet you doctor Halstead" you purred quietly to him, you could see a tinge of red rising to Will's face, It clashed horribly with his hair but at the same time you thought it looked quite cute. Drinking the last of your whiskey, you saw Will's drink go largely untouched. "You not a fan?" Will gave you a tight smile, "No I'm more of a spirits guy myself do you want it?" He relied easily. Without another word you picked up the drink and drank half of the glass.
"Did you just order what I ordered to try to pick me up." Raising an eyebrow with an amused smirk playing on your lips. "Is it working? Because if it is, that's a yes." You felt a hand slide from your middle spine to your lower spine, sitting on the curve, sending a shiver through your body. "Maybe..." Your left hand reached for his thigh. You felt the strong muscles flex beneath your touch. Making you want to shiver but you refused the urge. You could feel the effect of the past three or four shots on your stomach, you knew your head was clouded but at the same time you couldn’t bring yourself to care much. “What do you want to drink?” Will gave you a curious look, “just a vodka and coke.” You nodded and finished the shot of whiskey and asked the bartender for a shot of vodka and a vodka and coke. You were slightly glad for Will’s hand on the small of your back. You knew that you probably would’ve fell off the stool by now otherwise, and you didn’t feel particularly like ending up in the E.R for a cracked open skull.
"You're wondering what's got me drinking so heavily? My fiancé dumped me." You said, shrugging your shoulders, your eyes drifted away from his sorrowful soft expression, you didn't want people to feel sorry for you. Things like this happened to people all the time, it wasn't worth crying over Timothy anymore. "Im sorry to hear that, you must be taking it quite harshly." he motioned to the drink, "Speaking of, how much have you had to drink in the last hour?” Will asked as you suddenly downed the next shot as soon as it was set in front of you. You squeezed your eyes shut at the taste “about 5 ish now" you shrugged, not really caring. He gave you an 'are you serious look, making you giggle. "Come on, I'll take you home" Will handed his card over to the bartender, telling him to close both of your tabs out before helping you stand up.
As soon as you were on both of your feet the world started spinning around you, you could barely put a foot in front of the other without stumbling. At least Will was there to save you from making a fool of yourself by falling flat on your face, for that you were glad. The dizziness got a little better the longer you stood and you could at least walk without stumbling now in a somewhat decent straight line.
"Ugh it's raining, just amazing." you complained, Will smiled down softly at you, "Come on, It's not that bad right?" Looking up at him you had to pull your gaze away as you felt your cheeks get flushed. "Here, take my coat." The red head said as he placed the coat over your shoulders, the heat from it made you shudder and bury the remainder of your body into the coat which drowned you, reaching halfway down your calfs. "Thanks" you mumbled as you could feel your eyes burning, trying to kid yourself into the fact that the rain managed to get into your eyes and that they were just watering was no use, especially when you tried to hide it.
Will looked down at you as you sneakily tried to wipe your eyes, he captured your chin and tilted your head so your e/c eyes and his light brown eyes met. Using his other hand, he wiped away the remaining tears slowly rolling down your cheeks. "Just dance with me and pretend the world doesn't exist." he whispered, upon recognising the slow dance that could be heard from the jukebox within the bar. "In the rain? You'll get a chill without anything to keep you dry." you laughed lightly as more rain dripped onto your face, except this time it was from Will's hair. "Why not?" He took his hands and placed them on your waist, you moved yours to around his neck and he started to move, guiding your steps.
The traffic of the wet Chicago night really just set the right scene for this, the occasional honk of a car horn in the distance, the muffled, yet beautiful melody playing from the jukebox, even the rain played its part as you apologised yet again for stepping on Will's feet again as he just laughed at you.
As the song came to an end, he brought you to his car to give you that ride that he had offered. He even left his number on your kitchen counter for when you woke up the next morning and you couldn't help but smile at the cute post-it note that contained a phone number and a little smiley face with curly hair.
#reader insert#female reader#one chicago#sande5098#chicago med fanfiction#will halstead#will halstead x reader#will halstead fanfic#chicago med#will halstead oneshot
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You Got This, Kid (A Halstead Brothers + Halstead Sister Imagine)
A/N: I'm back! Please enjoy this imagine about what I've been going through with grad school applications and everything else these past few months. It's a long one (the longest I've ever written, clocking in at 23.7k words), so grab you might want to grab your snacks now. Finally, thank you for reading, and don't forget to reblog/like and comment!
Enjoy!
Okay, so maybe checking your email when you were out to lunch just trying to have a relaxing afternoon before taking a nap before work was a bad idea.
"Yeah?" Jay asked when he answered his phone.
"I'll know if I got into East Carolina by 6 pm today," you told him. You had been researching and applying to Ph.D. programs in clinical psychology since August and had decided to apply to five in total. It was currently January and you had yet to hear back from a single one. And, East Carolina University was your top choice.
"Oh, wow. Just take a couple deep breaths. I guess today was a bad day to have us get the new appliances put in, huh?"
"Yeah."
For Christmas, Hailey's Christmas present to herself and Jay's Christmas present to her were all new appliances in the apartment. You had no idea how they got around that since they were renting, but you had a suspicion that them both being cops had something to do with it.
"Well, the appliance people just left, so you can come home any time," Jay told you. "Think positive."
You rolled your eyes. "You know you're talking to the world's biggest pessimist, right?"
"It wouldn't kill you to be a bit more positive is all I'm saying."
"It's not like you're a ray of sunshine either, Jay."
"Fair point."
"Well, I've got two pages left of this chapter and then I'm coming home."
"Okay, drive safe," Jay told you and then you hung up the phone.
You knew you needed to get home soon because the more time you had to sleep before work tonight the better. And, you knew it would be hell falling asleep because you'd be counting down the minutes until you knew whether or not you got into ECU.
***
"This is fucking ridiculous," you muttered as you walked out of your room and into the kitchen.
"Language," Jay warned from his place at the kitchen table, case notes spread out in front of him.
"I'm 23, Jay."
"Fair point. What are you doing up anyway?"
"I can't sleep," you whined as you grabbed the kettle from the stove and began filling it with water. "And, why are you working when you're not at work?"
"I can't relax. You know that."
"Apparently I can't either," you muttered.
You felt like you were going to throw up from nerves. What if you didn't get into this Ph.D. program? And, if you didn't get into this one, what if you didn't get into the other four? If you didn't get into a Ph.D. program and a Ph.D. was required for your degree, then what were you going to do with your life?
You dug the fingernail of your pointer finger into your thumb to ground yourself. You knew it wasn't the healthiest coping/grounding mechanism, but hey, it worked.
The kettle was whistling, so you turned off the burner and grabbed a mug and a peppermint tea bag. Maybe the peppermint would help your nervous stomach settle. After all, Will told you peppermint tea was supposed to help with period cramps, so maybe it would help with this, too.
"You want some?" you offered. "I'm making peppermint."
"Sure, why not," Jay agreed.
Once your tea was finished you handed a mug to Jay. "I didn't put any milk or sugar in yours because you're a health nut."
"Now you sound like Hailey," he said and stood up to add a splash of milk to it.
"I'm gonna go read until I can't keep my eyes open," you told him. "The faster I fall asleep, the faster the time will go, so the sooner I'll know if I get in."
"Night, kid," he said.
Then, you made your way to your room and turned on a calming instrumental playlist on Spotify, turned on a lamp so that the lighting was dim, but enough that you could see, and then curled up in your bed with the book you were currently reading and your mug of hot, peppermint tea.
***
As it turns out, sleeping for a long period of time to make time go faster was easier said than done.
You tossed and turned for half an hour until your eyes were finally drooping while you were reading. And then, you woke every hour for the next three hours. The last time you woke up was 5:45 pm.
The email said you'd know your results by 6.
A knot formed in your stomach as you reached for your phone. You opened your flagged emails and located the one which had the link to the application portal. Then, with shaking hands, you clicked on it.
You took a deep breath and logged in.
You felt your heart beating out of your chest as you hit the tab that read application status.
You closed your eyes and took a deep breath and opened them.
Despite the contents of your application, we are a very competitive program...please don't let this deter you from applying to other or future programs...
Tears began to prick your eyes.
"Fuck," you muttered. "No, no, no, no."
You grit your teeth to keep the tears from falling and grabbed your phone and then left your room and walked out to the kitchen, where Jay was cooking dinner.
"Hey," you said quietly.
"Hey, you didn't sleep very long—" But then, Jay saw your face. "Oh no. ECU?"
"Denied," you told him as you continued to hold back tears.
"Hey, there's still what? Four other programs you applied to? And, you just emailed a school in Florida yesterday about how to check your application status, so maybe you got in there. Did they email you back yet?"
You shrugged, Jay was always the rational one though, so you opened your phone and once again navigated to your emails. Sure enough, University of Florida emailed you back with instructions on how to check your application status.
"They emailed me."
Jay nodded, but you didn't see because you were too busy hitting the link the school had sent you and then typing in your username and password.
When it loaded, your heart dropped.
There, in big, red, bold letters after application status, it read Denied.
"No," you choked out as tears began to stream down your face. "No, no, no no! If I didn't get into either of these, how am I gonna get into Wayne State because that's the best neuropsychology school in the country? And then I only have two left and—ugh!"
"C'mere, c'mere," Jay said softly and took a step towards you and wrapped his arms around you.
"I just- I worked so hard on the applications!" you sobbed as your tears began to soak his shirt.
"I know. I know you did, kid. It's their loss. There's a school out there for you."
"But what if there's not!"
"There is." He paused and then his parental/brotherly instincts kicked in. "Now, do you want to stay here and eat or go back to sleep?"
"Go back to sleep," you mumbled.
"Okay. I'll wake you up in two hours so you don't have to set an alarm. Sound good?"
"Okay," you muttered.
When you started to make your way to your way to your room, Jay said after you, "You go this, kid."
***
It had been two days since you learned you had gotten denied admission to East Carolina University and the University of Florida. You had thought about your plan and what you were going to do next. The only options you had come up with were (1) apply to PsyD programs (more clinical, less research, but also less funded) if you could find some with later deadlines that were still accepting, (2) go to school in Europe (but that might pose issues with licensing if you ever wanted to come back to the US and practice), or (3) take yet another gap year.
You had relayed these options to Will, Jay, and Hailey the night before when Will stopped over with some I'm sorry you got rejected from two Ph.D. programs so maybe this will make you feel better coffee from one of your favorite coffee shops before your shift last night.
"Morning," Jay said when you walked upstairs later that night. Despite it being 7 pm, since you worked night shift, this was technically your morning.
"Morning," you said, your voice monotone.
"You feeling okay?" Jay asked as you grabbed the container of cold brew from the fridge and then grabbed a glass.
"Physically, yeah. Emotionally...not so much."
"Good enough to figure out your next steps?"
Luckily, you had finished pouring your cold brew and put the cap back on the container or else you knew you would have spilled it everywhere at that question. "What? I'm trying to figure it out, Jay!"
Jay put his hands out in front of him in a calm-down gesture. "I know. I'm not saying you aren't, but well, I have access to tech at the district that you don't have that might make looking for more schools easier."
"Okay...and?"
Jay muttered something under his breath about having to spell everything out for you all the time...which luckily you didn't hear. "Me, you, and Will are going to the district to do some research on grad schools."
You cocked one eyebrow. "You're trusting Will to use state resources?"
"No. God, no. He's there to research on his own laptop and then read over some of your essays...if we get that far."
You nodded. This was all just so overwhelming that despite how grateful you were for both your brothers' help, that was all you could do.
"Leave in an hour?" Jay asked.
"Yeah, yeah, that's fine. Just, give me time to shower and eat something."
And by something, you meant a piece of fruit and maybe a granola bar. Seeing how riddled with anxiety and frustration and whatever other shitty feelings you had been feeling the past two days since you got denied from the only two schools you had heard from so far, your stomach hadn't been feeling that great and your appetitive was half as much as it was before you got your results...if you had an appetite to begin with. You felt like that last complete meal you had eaten was the night you had gotten those results and Jay had dinner for you. For the past two days, you had mostly eaten what you felt like you could stomach without feeling nauseous, which was mainly smoothies, fruit, protein shakes, and snack foods. You knew your appetite would come back eventually and your nausea would go away eventually, but for now, it was here and you just had to deal with it...much like you had to deal with the fact that you had to do even more work to get into grad school than you had previously thought.
***
"I brought pizza!" Hailey announced when she got upstairs and into the bullpen. You, Will, and Jay had been researching grad schools for three hours. Jay had found two that still had deadlines open and didn't require the GRE, so you were working on writing essays to get into those.
After you finished the first one, you emailed the essay to Will and he edited it. You figured he'd be the best one to edit these essays because he'd had to write them to get into med school.
While Will was editing and making notes in the margins of your essay on google docs, you opened the links to the other schools that Jay had sent you. And, you had added two more to your list (making the total you would currently apply to four at the moment) when Hailey walked in with the pizza.
"Thank God," Will said and quickly closed his laptop. (You thanked God that you were working in google docs and that everything automatically saved so that his edits wouldn't be lost.)
"You're literally just editing," you said and rolled your eyes at how overdramatic your oldest brother was being. "I'm the one who has to look over the programs, make sure they're a good fit for me, and actually write them, and then I have to email--" you cut yourself off as your eyes widened in realization. "Oh, God."
"What? What's wrong?" Jay asked as he entered the break room with Hailey since he had been out in the bullpen because he was using one of Intelligence's desktops.
"I have to email my profs and ask them if they'll write me more letters of recommendation."
You hated doing this part because it meant that the application process wasn't entirely in your control. One of the letters of rec might not be emailed to the right email address or the application system wouldn't let you put in a certain recommender and then you'd have to contact the school and--
"Y/N." You hadn't even realized Hailey had crouched down in front of you. "You need a break."
"But I can't! I--"
"Y/N, some of those schools don't have deadlines until March or April. You can take half an hour to eat," Jay told you.
But you couldn't; your stomach was in knots just thinking about all the work you had to do.
"I'm not hungry."
Will looked you up and down. Of course, your physical appearance hadn't changed in two days obviously, but he knew how stress held itself in the body, in a person's posture; in their facial expressions. But most of all, he knew how much stress he had gone through during his med school application process and how some of his classmates could barely eat without throwing up because they had been so stressed out.
"Y/N, we know you're stressed out. But, you have to eat something. You can't write great statements of purpose that are gonna get you into a program without food in you, kiddo."
You sighed. "But I feel like I'm gonna throw up."
"It's just nerves," Will reassured. "We just want you to eat something."
You looked at Jay, hoping for once he'd side with you and not Will. "One piece of pizza," Jay said. "And then, if you still don't want to eat, you don't have to. I'll even go get you a Sprite from the vending machine downstairs to help settle your stomach."
"And, we can talk about Outer Banks," Hailey bargained. "Me and Jay just finished the new season."
"I thought you guys had four more episodes to watch!"
"Just finished it yesterday," Jay said.
"We spent half of our RDO watching that," Hailey said.
Will just looked between the three of you. "I'll go get her the pop because I have no idea what you guys are talking about."
"It's a show on Netflix! It's really good! These kids are treasure hunting and--"
"Eat your pizza, Y/N, and then maybe you can convince me to watch it," Will told you.
You took a bite of your pizza while maintaining eye contact with Will, which made Jay burst out laughing and then Will stood up to go get your pop while muttering something about you being a creeper under his breath.
"I need a John B," you said after your second bite of pepperoni pizza. "The way he held Sarah's hand all the way up the mountain, just—ugh! I love it. At first, I thought I needed a JJ because of how he broke into Kitty Hawk for Kiara, but he's a little too crazy for me."
"Uh-huh, sure, that's why you chose John B," Jay said while rolling his eyes.
"What's that supposed the mean?"
Jay grabbed a piece of pizza and took a bite without even bothering to grab a plate. This caused Hailey to gently smack him on the arm and push a paper plate into his empty hand. He took another bite and then set the pizza on the plate. "I'm just saying, don't you like brown-haired guys more?"
"They're called brunettes, Jay. And, yes. But, how the hell did you even notice that?"
"Think of all the celebrity crushes you've had over the years, Y/N."
Of course, Will had chosen that exact moment to walk back into the break room with your pop. "Oooh, we're telling Hailey all about Y/N being a crazy teenager. I love this game."
"Like you didn't have a stash of PlayBoy magazines under your bed, Will!" you shot back.
"Did you..." Will trailed off as he looked at Jay.
You burst out laughing. "He never told me anything. But you just confirmed it! Ha!"
"Y/N's first celebrity crush was Zac Efron!" Will shouted.
"Technically, it was Troy Bolton," you corrected.
Hailey just shook her head and laughed at your banter.
"And then there was Bieber—"
"No, she liked Nick Jonas before him, remember?" Jay corrected.
"Oh, yeah," Will said. "There was Nick Jonas, then Bieber, then a couple hockey players, then 5 Seconds of Summer—"
"Specifically Luke Hemings," you butted in.
Jay laughed. "You really have no shame in this do you?"
"None at all. Continue, Will."
"And...I think that's it."
"And John B, from Outer Banks," Jay said. "That's her current one."
"Is he even a real person?" Will asked.
"Nope. Now, Hailey, if you were in Outer Banks, what character would you be?" you asked and then opened your Sprite and took another bite of pizza.
She thought for a moment. "Probably Sarah. Our dads are both pretty messed up."
She said it jokingly but also matter-of-fact. Despite this, Jay still gave her a sad look but quickly recovered to his neutral facial expression. (He knew how much Hailey hated people pitying her due to her past.)
"What about you?" you asked Jay. "Wait! You have to be John B because you have to marry Sarah and you and Hailey are married."
Jay let out a chuckle. "I mean, I guess, I was gonna pick him anyway."
"Why?" you asked.
He shrugged. "He's the leader of the group. He thinks things through more than JJ. And, I'm not as smart as Pope. Will would be Pope."
"Is that a good thing?" Will chimed in.
"Yeah," you told him. "Watch the show and you'll find out."
Will just rolled his eyes.
"Who would you be, Y/N?" Hailey asked.
"Me? Oh, I'd die in the first season. I'm not the kind of person to do crazy illegal shit."
"Oh, c'mon!" Jay groaned. "You gotta pick someone!"
"Fine. I'd be Wheezy. I'd still be helping, but not in like an illegal way."
"Fair enough."
The three of you continued talking about Outer Banks as you finished another piece of pizza and a breadstick, making the total you'd eaten while you were talking two pieces of pizza and one breadstick and, seeing as you hadn't technically had a meal since you learned about your first rejection, only snacks, you considered this a win.
You pulled your laptop back out and groaned. You didn't want to keep having to write essay after essay, but you knew you needed to because that was the only going to get into a school. Despite this, you still had that nagging thought in the back of your head that all of this was for naught and you were just going to continue to get rejection emails from all the schools you worked so hard to apply to.
You rummaged through your backpack, pretending to look for your chapstick, which you knew was there. Then, you groaned and stood up and walked to where Jay was once again seated at his desk in the bullpen.
"Jay, can I have your keys? I think I left my chapstick in your truck," you lied.
Jay fished them out of his pocket. "Here, but be quick. It's dark out."
You rolled your eyes. "You know if all of this works out, I'll be in a different state in less than eight months, right?"
"Don't remind me."
You just rolled your eyes again and made your way downstairs and out the back way to Jay's truck.
You quickly unlocked it and jumped in the backseat. You just sat there as your head spun with worry, each worry connecting to another like a spider connecting pieces of a web in your mind.
Will I have to stay at my job another year or God forbid forever because there's not much I can do with a BA in psychology?
If I don't get into a program this year, will I apply next year? And, will my profs even write me letters of recommendation next year because they won't have had me in class for two years at that point?
If I have to do this for another year, should I take a couple of classes next year so that I have other professors to write me letters of recommendation and so that I can show the schools I'm applying to that I'm still learning about the field I'm going into?
When should I start looking into schools and the process of going to school in Europe if I don't hear back from all the programs I'm working on applying to soon?
What am I going to do with my life if I can't get into a program?
You jumped when someone gently tapped on the window. Then, you scooched over so that they could open the door and come inside the truck.
"Jesus, Will!" you exclaimed when he was inside and had shut the door. "Don't do that!"
"Sorry, I would've texted you, but you left your phone inside. You find your chapstick?"
"Um...about that..." you trailed off and looked away. You knew that if you started telling him your worries, you'd break down and you really didn't have time for that as you just needed a few minutes alone and then you needed to get back inside to work on the stupid essays for these stupid applications because these other stupid schools didn't want you because you needed a stupid doctorate degree for you stupid career to make stupid money and have a stupid life.
Will nodded, quickly understanding that there hadn't been a lost tube of chapstick to begin with. "You know, I didn't match for a residency at first," he told you.
You turned to face him, even though you could barely see him because it was the middle of the night. "Really?"
"Yeah, and it was terrifying."
"But you're a doctor. You have to do a residency to be a doctor."
"Mhm," Will confirmed. "I had to do the SOAP process."
"What's that?"
"It's where all the kids who finished med school who didn't match to a residency try and apply for the ones that people didn't want or are left over."
"So, you got everyone's shitty leftovers?"
Will smiled and shook his head. "Basically. I never wanted to go into plastic surgery. It seemed so..." he trailed off while he searched for a good word to describe it. "Vain," he finally said. "Don't get me wrong, there are some people who need it because of accidents and things like that, but giving rich men's wives nose jobs, that's not what I wanted."
"So, what you're telling me is to go into another specialty if it's open? Even if I don't like it," you asked. If this is what he was getting at, his pep talk wasn't a very good one."
"Sort of," Will answered. "But, there's a bit more to the story. I always wanted to go into emergency medicine, so when a job opened up at Med, I jumped at it. So, even if there's roadblocks, you'll get the career you want; you just have to be patient. You need to be a doctor in clinical psychology for your specialty, right?"
"Yeah."
"Okay, and there's a lot of things you can do with a doctorate in clinical psych, right? You don't have to go specifically into neuropsych?"
"Yeah, I'll be a clinical psychologist with the doctorate so there's other stuff I can do," you confirmed.
"Okay. Then you get into a clinical psych program and you go from there. And, if you can't do your fellowship or whatever it's called--"
"Post-doc," you told him.
"Right. If you can't do your post-doc in neuropsych, then you can do it in another specialty. Once you make some money, you can always go back and do another post-doc, this time in neuropsych, okay? This whole process doesn't have to be linear to work out. And, honestly, the application part and getting in is harder than the degree itself."
"Really?"
"Really. Now, Hailey put on a pot of coffee when I came out here, so c'mon. Let's go drink some more coffee and look at more grad schools. Jay found some options in Arizona because we know you want to go where it's warm."
"Perfect." Will opened the door to get out and you scooted over to get out of Jay's truck next. "And, Will?" He turned back to look at you. "Thank you."
He smiled and gave your shoulder a squeeze. "Anytime, kiddo."
***
"You have actual food tonight, right?" Jay asked two days later, Sunday night, when you grabbed your lunch box from the fridge to go to work. "Not just snacks?"
You rolled your eyes. "Yes, Jay." Ever since your brother noticed you weren't eating full meals, he'd been on your ass about it. But, yesterday you ate like a normal person and so far today you have, too. "Shouldn't you be finishing the game and going to bed?"
"It's at intermission. It's—"
"Don't tell me! I'll watch it at work."
"Pretty sure those sites you use to watch it are illegal, but whatever."
"Shouldn't you know for sure if they're illegal or not?"
"Well, you're not on the dark web and you're not selling anything and you're not the one uploading the games, so I'm pretty sure I can't arrest you."
"Well, that's a good thing because if I get arrested, then I can't get into grad school...not that I'm sure I'll get in now, though."
"Hey, we found what? Six programs for you to apply to? You'll get into one. But, you better get going before you're late."
"Says the man who rushes to work every morning."
"Really, it's Hailey who holds me up in the morning."
"No, it's not!" Hailey yelled from the living room. "He's the one who hogs the shower!"
"Gotta go!" you said quickly and grabbed your keys from the hook by the door before you got in the middle of their arguing.
***
About half an hour into your shift, you got a phone call asking you to come over to another building to talk to a coworker.
"I have to go talk to Tia," you told your two other coworkers.
"Tia? What does she want?" your coworker, and also one of the veteran staff at your work, Tamara, asked.
"No idea. I haven't been over to that building since the beginning of last week, so if I did something wrong, I forgot about it."
"Okay, well, see you later."
"See you," you said.
Then, you slipped on your coat and buzzed yourself out of the current building, and made the quick and chilly walk to the other building.
"Hey, where's Tia?" you asked when you walked in and saw another one of your coworkers.
"Oh, hey, Y/N," she greeted. "She's in the office."
"Okay, thanks."
You made your way into the office where Tia was sitting at the computer.
"Hey, Tia. You wanted to talk to me?"
"Yeah. What's your problem with my schedule?" she asked you rudely.
You didn't have a problem with her schedule per se, you just had a problem with there not being enough coverage with her schedule. And, since you worked at every building, you'd have nights when you worked here alone—which you shouldn't be doing, but management didn't care—because she worked long shifts for eight days straight, and then the other six, it would usually just be you or someone else working here alone and you had brought this up to your supervisor when he asked if you'd come across anything you wanted to fix.
"I- I don't have a problem with your schedule. It's just that sometimes there's only one person here and it gets hard in the mornings." Since you worked with kids, sometimes when you were by yourself, you'd have to get them out to the bus stop and that made it hard to do because you couldn't leave all the other kids in the building alone while you went to do that, so you'd have to call other buildings to see if they had a staff available to come help you. Contrary to popular belief, you couldn't be in two places at once.
"Yeah. And that happens to me sometimes, too. But we do it. And now because of what you said, my schedule might get changed—"
"That wasn't my intention, it was just—"
"Can I finish?" You nodded. "And now my schedule might get changed and this is the schedule that works for me. You only pick up here, so if you don't like it, don't pick up shifts here."
Tears began to prick your eyes. "I get scheduled here. I don't pick up." You took a deep breath. "My intention was just to figure out a way to get coverage, not to have your schedule get changed."
"Well, maybe you need to tell your supervisor that you don't want to be scheduled here anymore if you don't like the way we do things over here."
At this, the dam broke. You frantically wiped at your eyes. "I'm sorry. It's- It's not this. I just got rejected from grad school and it's just everything. Sorry."
At this, she softened. "I'm sorry, sweetheart. Don't let anyone here make you cry, not even me. It's not worth it."
You nodded. "Yeah. Can I- can I go now?" You asked while trying to stop the tears from falling. You didn't feel like walking out of the office and having yet another one of your coworkers see you cry.
She nodded and you quickly wiped your eyes once more and walked out of the office, just willing your eyes to stay dry until you got outside.
You sniffled all the way until you got to one of the buildings the kids used for gym class during the day that you knew would be empty because they were all sleeping. You buzzed yourself in and then quickly made your way to the bathroom and locked yourself in a stall.
You leaned your head against the door. "Fuck," you muttered.
Everything about the past few days came flooding through you and you began to cry so hard that you could barely catch your breath. And, you weren't even an hour into your shift.
Your breath was coming out in short bursts as you pulled out your phone to text Tamara and tell her that you were in the gym bathrooms because you needed a minute and that you'd be back soon. Then, not caring that this was a bathroom, you slid down and leaned against the wall and pulled out a breathing app on your phone that you had for times like this. You hadn't had an anxiety attack or whatever the fuck this was that was prompting your frantic breathing in a year and a half, but you had kept the app because you knew you might need it one day. Today—well tonight—seemed to be that day.
You were focused on your breathing—breathe in through your nose, hold, breathe out through your mouth—for three minutes before your breathing returned to a semi-normal rate. Then, you continued the breathing exercise for two more minutes just to be safe.
When you closed the app, you saw that Tamara had texted you and asked if you were okay and if she needed to come over there. You told her you were on your way back to your building now.
Then, you pocketed your phone and splashed some water on your face, and dabbed it dry with some paper towel. Your eyes were still red, but at least you didn't have tear stains on your face. After taking one last deep breath, you left the bathroom and then the building and began your quick and cold walk back to the other building and the coworkers you actually enjoyed working with.
When you got back inside, you told your coworkers what had happened and then Tamara asked if you wanted a hug, which you gratefully accepted.
You knew a bigger breakdown over grad school rejection was going to happen eventually, you just didn't think it was going to happen at work.
And, if the first half of January was anything to go by, you were in for one hell of a month.
***
"Well, look who's finally awake," Will chirped when you walked into the kitchen after waking up for your day...which was everyone else's night.
"I went to bed at 10 am," you shot back. "And I don't like to talk to people when I first wake up, remember?"
"Oh, yeah, that's right. The one time of day when you're actually quiet."
You went to flip Will off when Jay quickly butted in. "Y/N, there's leftover pasta in the fridge for you to take to work."
"And there's loukoumades for you, too," Hailey added.
"Hailey's my favorite sibling!" you exclaimed and then began to make your coffee as you drowned out the noise of Will and Jay trying to argue about why they should be your favorite sibling...well, mostly Will because Jay knew Hailey was his better half by a long shot.
Once you made your coffee and a bowl of yogurt and fruit for breakfast, you made your way back upstairs to your room to read for a while before you started getting ready for work.
***
When you took a sip of your coffee, your lips puckered in disgust. It was way too bitter and...you had forgetter creamer.
"Ugh," you groaned and then stood up from your chair. You were so cozy with your robe and slippers on and a blanket covering your lap that you almost decided to forgo your coffee, but who were you kidding, you needed that caffeine.
You grabbed your mug of now lukewarm coffee and made your way out of your room. You started down the stairs as normal until your slipper caught the edge of one of the stairs.
***
Jay, Hailey, and Will were all still sitting at the table, each enjoying a cold beer when they heard a thump, thump, thump on the stairs above them.
Jay and Hailey's reflexes kicked in just a hair faster than Will's and they sprinted over to the steps to see you laying on the landing of the stairs with coffee spilled all over you and your head against the wall.
You swear you had never seen Jay run as fast as he did then. He cursed to himself as he bounded up the stairs two at a time and quickly crouched in front of you.
"Can you move your arm?" he asked. You hadn't noticed that your arm was placed between you and the wall. You lifted up your arm and nodded.
"My coffee," you cried.
"You can make more coffee, Y/N. Did you hit your head?"
You nodded tearfully and Jay looked back at Will. Your two brothers traded places and Jay picked up your empty coffee mug—thank God it hadn't broken—and then made his way downstairs to grab the first aid kit and some towels. Hailey followed him to give Will room to work if needed and made her way to the freezer to grab an ice pack.
"Where'd you hit it?" Will asked you and you leaned forward and put your fingers on the back of your head. Will nodded and you put your hand down and he felt around the area and looked for blood. "No blood, so that's good. There is a little bump, though. Any dizziness? Nausea?" You shook your head. "Okay, good. But, I'm still gonna have you stay home from work tonight because those symptoms can have a delayed onset, so I don't want to miss something and then have you have to be rushed to the hospital while at work. I'll write you a doctor's note if I have to."
You were about to protest because if you called out now since it was only three hours until your shift, you could get written up. But, you'd only used a single one of your sick days out of the five you had and they reset in April, so you figured you'd be fine if you explained the situation. "Fine," you agreed. "Can I go back to bed then?"
"Nope. I want you to stay up for a couple of hours. It's not good for you to go to sleep right after hitting your head even if you do feel fine. After that, you can sleep all you want. I just need to see if you puke or not."
"She good? No hospital?" Jay asked since he and Hailey had been waiting at the foot of the stairs with supplies.
"No hospital. Just stay home from work and ice her head. Doesn't look like the coffee was hot enough to burn her based on her skin and her not telling me, but if she says anything, give me a call."
"I'm right here you know!"
"Oh, we know," Will said. "But, you're still under Jay's health insurance."
You rolled your eyes and then held out a hand for Will to help you up. He did and you made your way back upstairs and to your room to quickly grab a different pair of pajamas and then head to the bathroom to take a shower to get all the coffee off of yourself.
Then, you made your way back downstairs—carefully this time—and saw that Hailey had made you a new cup of coffee and had a small plate of loukoumades sitting next to it.
"After you eat those, you need to ice your head," Hailey told you.
"Uh-huh."
"C'mon, the boys are getting the tv set up for us."
"What are we watching?"
"I may or may not have convinced them to put on Outer Banks since Will still hasn't started it."
You smiled. "Yay!"
Then, you picked up your coffee and plate of Greek donuts and made your way to the couch where Jay tried to steal one of your loukoumades, but Hailey quickly swatted his hand away.
"You already had yours. Now press play, Halstead."
***
"Y/N, hey, wake up," you heard as you felt someone shaking your shoulder. In your sleep-addled brain, it took you a moment to process that it was Jay waking you up. "Y/N, can you hear me?"
"Mhm," you answered. "Wanna sleep."
"You've slept for at least twelve hours."
This got you to roll over and check the time on your phone. 5:37 pm. You had slept for over twelve hours; Jay was right.
"What time did you go to bed?" You went to answer, but then Jay stopped you. "Wait, any dizziness? Nausea? Blurry vision? You feel like your head is going to explode?"
"I feel fine."
"Okay. So, what time did you end up going to bed?"
"I fell asleep on the couch until three, and then I woke up and went on Tik Tok until five and then I went back to sleep." You yawned. "I shouldn't be tired! What the hell?"
"Just, get up and get moving around and then you'll probably wake up more."
Then, Jay left your room, but not without turning your light on which then forced you to either get up or get up out of bed and turn off the light and go back to bed. You were already up anyway, so you figured you might as well have a slow morning before going into your shift, so you decided to just get up and go downstairs to get some food and coffee.
After making yourself breakfast and a cup of coffee, you went to the bathroom before heading back to your room and saw that you had gotten a surprise.
"You've got to be fucking kidding me," you mumbled and then grabbed a tampon from the cabinet under the sink. You had just gotten your period two weeks ago, you weren't supposed to get it again! But, at least the panic attack made sense now.
You left the bathroom to once again be met with Jay.
"You didn't puke in there, did you?" he asked. "You were in there for a while."
"Jesus Christ, let me guess? Will put you up to this?"
"Yup. He told me to monitor you closely since you slept so long."
"But you still went to work today and left me by myself," you said. "And for your information, I got my period. So now I have a reason why I had a panic attack at work the other night and I'm not just crazy."
You went to grab your food from the counter but were stopped from going up to your room by your brother.
"Whoa, you had a panic attack at work? Why didn't you tell me? Or Hailey? Or Will?"
Shit. You had forgotten that you just went straight to bed after that shift and didn't tell anyone.
You sighed and sat down at the table with your food and coffee instead of going upstairs. "Because I was tired after work and I went right to bed and then I just forgot to tell you. I journaled about it though."
"That's good. Do you still want to talk about it?" he asked.
So, you launched into the story of your night of being chewed out by Tia and then having a panic attack in the bathroom.
"She had no right to talk to you like that, you know," Jay said once you were finally finished.
"I know. And she's on my shit list for it." You would've said she's on my fucking shit list for it, but you knew Jay hated when you dropped the f-bomb. A year ago, he would've hated you swearing in any capacity, but now you thought that he was finally coming to terms with the fact that you were a grown woman and would swear whether he liked it or not and whether he heard you or not.
"I knew the mental breakdown from all this school stuff was gonna come sooner or later, but I didn't think it was gonna happen at work."
Jay nodded; he honestly had no idea what to say at this moment. Did he agree? Comfort you? Finally, he settled on a mixture between comfort and encouragement while you focused on blowing on your coffee to make sure that it wasn't too hot.
"Hey, you'll get through this, alright? Just keep applying. You didn't work your ass off in school for nothing. And, it's their loss if they don't want you."
You smiled. Jay was oblivious to some things, but he always knew just what to say when you needed a pick me up.
"Thanks, Jay."
"Anytime, kid."
***
You were going to lose your damn mind. You had all this stuff to do and submit and one of the people who said that they'd write you letters of recommendation for your PhD programs said that they're really busy and they might not be able to get to the ones for the PsyD programs you were applying to. And Jay and Will heard all your bitching about this. How fucking hard was it for her to change the date and the name of the school on the letter and send it in? Unbelievable.
You couldn't think of anyone and you were running out of time to get these in.
"Fuck," you muttered.
You heard a knock on your door. "Y/N? You still up in there?"
Shit. You forgot it was Jay and Hailey's RDO today.
"Yeah, why?"
It was only half an hour past the normal time you'd be sleeping anyway.
"Me and Hailey are going out for breakfast. You wanna come? Or we can bring something back for you."
"Bring something back," you said quickly. You were not in a state to be out right now because you knew the minute that you saw lots of people, you were going to have a full-fledged breakdown.
"Okay, I'll send the menu so you can tell me what you want. Goodnight."
"Night," you answered.
***
"I'm just gonna go check on her," Jay said when Hailey asked him why he was walking towards your room instead of their room once they'd gotten home from going out for breakfast. The two had planned on having a lazy day of watching tv on the couch along with a few beers. And, instead of going to change into comfy clothes right away, Jay decided to take a peek into your room.
The sight he saw when he cracked open your door broke his heart.
You were pacing your room and pulling at the roots of your hair while your breathing came out in short bursts.
"Hey, hey," Jay said quickly as he opened the door wider and made his way into your room.
You turned around at the sound of his voice. "I- I—"
"Don't try and talk. Let's just sit down, okay?"
You nodded and he gently placed his hand on your shoulder and helped lead to your bed.
You both sat down and Jay offered you his hand for you to squeeze. You took it.
"Breathing app," you told him through your rapid breathing. "On—" Breath. "—Phone." Breath.
"Say cheese," Jay said as he put the phone in front of you, screen-facing, so that he could open it. "What's it called?"
"Ti-ide," you said and grabbed his arm.
"Tide?" You nodded. "I gotcha, I gotcha," he said and then sat down next to you and held the phone between the two of you. "In," he narrated as you watched the circle on the app expand. "Hold..." Pause. "Exhale." The circle deflated.
"It's not--"
"Just keep breathing," Jay encouraged. "Think of a bubble, just like on the app."
You continued to hold on to his arm and continued to follow the breathing on the app for six more minutes.
Jay handed your phone back to you after he saw your breathing had evened out and you confirmed you were okay.
"Is this what happened at work the other night?" he asked gently.
You nodded. "I think I need to go to the doctor. I can't keep living like this, Jay!"
"I know you can't. And I'll do everything in my power to help you. But, don't you mean therapy?"
"No, a doctor. My period's being all weird and my anxiety's bad and maybe I need to be on Xanax or something. I can't keep doing this!"
"I know. Do you know why this happened? For my PTSD, there's always a trigger, was there one for you?"
"Just all this grad school stuff."
"Still can't think of anyone else to write you a letter?" You shook your head. "Could you use your supervisor at work?"
"Probably," you answered. "Maybe I'll use my old one from when I was on dayshift though because I like her better."
"Okay, send her an email. The worst she can say is no."
"And then I'll have to think of another person--"
"We'll cross that bridge when we get there. For now, just email her and then schedule a doctor's appointment. You should be able to do it online. And, me and Hailey got you some food so come out and grab it whenever you're ready. I'll put it in the fridge for you."
"Thanks, Jay."
He didn't know if you meant the help with the panic attack or the help with grad school or getting you food, but no matter which one you were thanking him for, the answer was still the same: "Anytime, kid."
***
"Okay, Y/N," Hannah said when you came to see her in the ED one day. (This was a planned appointment, but you knew she could possibly have to run out of the appointment if she is needed in the ED.) "So it says here in your online chart that you wanted to come in because of irregular periods and anxiety?"
"Yeah," you answered.
"And how long have your periods been irregular?"
"A month and a half, two months," you answered. "Around the time I started getting rejection letters for grad school."
"Yeah, Will's told me you've been applying. I bet that's really stressful."
"Yeah, it is. And now I have to apply to different degree programs because I didn't get into Ph.D. programs, so it's been a lot."
"Well, stress can play a big role in our cycle. So, what I'm gonna do is ask you some questions and then do the physical exam, see if there's anything I can find that could be causing this. I also want to run some labs just to check your blood work."
"Okay, but does it have to be fasted?" you asked. "Because I just came from work, so there's food in my system."
"I'd be concerned if there wasn't food in your system after working all night," Hannah joked. "But no, it doesn't have to be fasted. I mainly want to get your thyroid levels checked.
"Now, the anxiety, tell me about that. Is it more general? Is it panic attacks? When does the anxiety start? That kind of thing."
"Um, it's more general, I guess. I've only had two panic attacks, but I get like anxiety attacks when I see that there's gonna be a lot of people."
"A lot of people like what? Can you give me an example?"
"Like if I'm at the gym and there's a lot of people there, then I want to leave because I'm getting anxious."
"Okay, so in looking at your chart, I saw that you're on an antidepressant. So, based on what you just told me, there are two options. The first is that I can put you on hydroxyzine, which is an anti-anxiety medication that you can just take as needed. Or, I can increase your dosage of antidepressants and get you set up with one of our social workers here at the hospital who can teach you some coping skills or refer you to a therapist," Dr. Asher told you.
"Is there any way my body could constantly be PMS-ing? Because I used to get anxious around my period and now I'm having my period a lot more, so could that be it?" you asked.
"It definitely could be, which is why I want to have you get your labs done so we check your thyroid levels. But, if you don't want to do anything with your meds, we can always just have you meet with the social worker and see how that goes."
"What would you recommend? In terms of the hydroxyzine?" you asked.
"You've told me you've only had two panic attacks so far, so based on that, I think you could do either way with the medication. We could always increase your antidepressants and then when I follow up with you in a month, if nothing's changed, we can get you some hydroxyzine. It's completely up to you."
"Okay, let's just up my meds for now and if I need to go on the hydroxyzine later, I can."
"Okay, perfect, let me go get someone to get those labs done and then you're free to go."
"Thanks, Hannah."
***
3 days later
When you woke up, you saw that you had a voicemail and that it was from Hannah. You assumed it was regarding your labs.
"Hi, Y/N, it's Doctor Asher. I have some information I'd like to share with you concerning your test results from the blood panel that was done. These charts are also available in your online chart if you would like to see them. Please call me back when you get the chance. And if I don't answer your call, please leave a message with the best time that you can be reached. Have a good day."
You quickly logged into your chart to see the results yourself since you knew that your results would be there.
What you saw was something that you assumed might be the problem based on the research you had done on your own since you went to see Hannah a few days ago. (There was no way in hell you were talking to Will about this, and you had to beg and plead with Jay to convince him not to talk to Will about it. But, in the end, he agreed because you cited that he wouldn't be able to give you the check-up in the ED anyway since he was family, and by law, he couldn't do that. And, you also promised that if it was anything serious or if there was anything wrong at all, you would loop Will in yourself or that you would give Jay permission to loop him in.)
Your thyroid levels were slightly elevated, and in the notes, it said that during the physical exam, your thyroid did feel a bit enlarged. Because of this, Dr. Asher would recommend having an ultrasound of the thyroid...At least, that's what you gathered from all the medical jargon you read. And, because of said jargon, you assumed that this is why Hannah wanted you to call her back so that she could explain it to you.
You called her back.
"Hello, this is Dr. Asher," she greeted when she picked up.
"Hey, Hannah, it's Y/N Halstead. I'm calling because you told me you had my test results back."
"Yes, I do. Just give me one second to get it pulled up here..." There was a pause on the line and you could hear her typing away on the computer. "Here it is. Did you get a chance to look at your results from your online chart yet? If not, I can read the results to you over the phone."
"I looked at them," you told her.
"Okay, so what I'm going to do is just break down the results for you and then tell you the next step. Feel free to stop me at any time with any questions, okay, Y/N?"
"Okay, yeah."
She broke down the results for you and they were exactly what you had assumed from your online chart...and what was actually written in your online chart. But, you assumed that it was just standard protocol for her to have to break down the results to you over the phone or in person.
"So we just want to get an ultrasound of your thyroid to see if the thyroid is actually enlarged since your thyroid hormone levels were slightly elevated and your thyroid gland was slightly enlarged from what I gathered from the physical exam," Hannah finished.
"So, what happens now? Like, after the ultrasound?" you asked.
"If the thyroid isn't enlarged, then we just continue what we talked about, taking the increased dose of Zoloft and then meeting with the social worker and following up with me in a month about the anxiety and the irregular periods," she told you. "But, if the thyroid is enlarged, we'd put you on medication for that so that your levels can stabilize."
"Okay."
"Any more questions?"
"Nope," you answered.
"Alright, well, I'm gonna give you the number for scheduling so that we can get you scheduled for that ultrasound of the thyroid. But, feel free to call me or send me a message on your online chart if you have any other questions or concerns, okay?"
"Okay, thanks, Hannah."
"No problem, Y/N."
She gave you the number and told you to have a good day and then you said the same to her and ended the call.
You grabbed your book and started to walk upstairs to tell Jay when you thought of something: he might not even realize that you could get an ultrasound for other things besides being pregnant. Your other brother knew this, but you weren't sure if this one did.
These next few minutes were going to be really interesting.
***
At least, you thought it was going to be the next few minutes. Turns out, you had a few hours to talk to Jay because all he told you was a raid went sideways. Granted, it was mid-week, and for some reason, crime was slow during on Monday and Tuesday and ramped up a bit on Jay and Hailey's RDO, which was Wednesday, and they'd usually come back on Thursday to a full-fledged case. It was almost like criminals hated Mondays as much as the rest of the world did.
So, to calm your nerves about grad school and everything else that was a fucking mess in your life, you decided to make yourself—and Jay and Hailey—pasta salad with chicken for dinner.
You turned on one of the tv shows you had to catch up on and then started boiling the water for the pasta and took the veggies out of the fridge along with a cutting board from the cabinet and a knife from the knife block to start chopping up the veggies.
***
An hour later, you had let the chicken nuggets and the pasta cool in the fridge for half an hour and had just finished cutting up the chicken nuggets and were about to mix everything together when the door opened.
"Hey, I made pasta salad for dinner—" You turned. "Will? What are you doing here? I thought you were Jay or Hailey."
"Jay told me you had a doctor's appointment a couple days ago and I figured I'd come over and check you out, see what's the matter, and then start the Hawks game with you guys."
"And Jay knows you're coming over? Did he tell you to come over? Or just tell you I had a doctor's appointment?" you asked, stopping your stirring of the pasta salad so that you could give him your full attention...and to make sure you were making eye contact to try and figure out if he was lying to you or not.
"He just told me you had a doctor's appointment the other day and that he's worried about you. I told him I'd come and check you out, but that's all he told me." Will's phone buzzed. "Speak of the devil. It's Jay. Said he and Hailey are picking up Gino's on the way home." He glanced at the bowl in front of you. "But, it looks like you already made something, so..."
"I'll just save it for lunch for the next couple of days; I'm not passing up Gino's pizza." Will tapped his phone screen a few times. "What did you just tell him?" you asked and took the spoon from the pasta salad that you had begun to stir once again and pointed it at him.
"Just gave him a thumbs up. Now, tell me what's going on, and finish making your food so I can give you a check-up."
"Don't really wanna tell you," you mumbled.
"Hey, whatever it is, I promise you I've seen worse. Nothing will phase me. Unless you're pregnant. Then there might be some issues, more with Jay than with me, but still."
"It's the exact opposite of being pregnant."
"So, you're not pregnant?"
"No, I'm not pregnant, Will! Jesus."
"That's the same thing that Mary thought when she was pregnant with Jesus."
"Will!"
"Fine, fine. I won't push you. But, I can promise you that whatever it is, I've seen worse. Plus, If you don't tell me, I'll just convince Jay to tell me."
You sighed. Jay still didn't know that you needed an ultrasound for your thyroid, so maybe telling Will first would help so that Jay doesn't pop off on you when he hears the word ultrasound and his brain automatically goes to pregnancy.
"Just, let me stir this and cover it and put it in the fridge first."
Will nodded and sat down and you finished stirring the pesto into the pasta salad and then covered it with Saran Wrap and placed it on a shelf in the fridge.
Then, you sat down in your usual spot at the table.
"I've been getting my period a lot," you told him.
Will nodded, his eyebrows furrowing as you knew his brain was running through all the possible medical problems that have period issues as one of their symptoms. "How much is a lot? Like, constantly? And when did it start?"
So you went into the whole spiel you had already told Hannah, including the increased anxiety and what you and Hannah had decided to do about it.
"Does Jay know about this?" Will asked after you were finished.
"He knows about everything except the ultrasound. I just got those results a few hours ago."
"Do you have them on your online chart?" Will asked and you nodded. "Mind if I take a look?"
"Knock yourself out," you told him and then opened your phone and navigated to your test results on your online chart and then passed him your phone.
You sat in silence for a minute while Will looked over the results.
"So, you need an ultrasound of your thyroid?" he asked, even though he already knew that it was recommended from what he read on your chart, he didn't know if you had agreed to it.
"Yeah. I was gonna ask you to come with me though after I told Jay and Hailey tonight because I've never had an ultrasound done before," you said.
"Of course, I'll come. Just tell me the date and time and even if I'm working, I'm sure Maggie can cover for me after I explain what's going on. You want me to tell you what happens at an ultrasound?"
"I know what happens," you answered. "They put gel on me and then they put this wand thingy over top so that they can look at my insides."
Will stifled a laugh at how you described it, but he had to give it to you, you were right. "That's exactly what happens. Now, can I feel your neck so I can see if I can feel if your thyroid is enlarged?"
"On one condition." He cocked an eyebrow at you, silently urging you to continue. "You have to tell Jay that I'm getting an ultrasound because he'll flip out and think I'm pregnant if you say it."
"Deal."
***
"Anything from the doctor?" Jay asked as he put a slice of deep-dish pizza on your plate and then passed it to you.
"Which one?" you asked and looked at Will.
"I mean, did you tell him what's going on?"
"I did," you confirmed.
Now Jay's attention was wholly on Will. "So, what do you think is going on?" Jay asked Will.
"Well, I wasn't the one who examined her, but I did what I could here and read the results of her thyroid test."
"And what did they say?"
"I'm right here, guys!" you exclaimed, causing Hailey to laugh.
Jay turned to you. "Yeah, but you're not a doctor, so I want to hear it from someone who understands doctor language himself."
"Technically, it's medical terminology," you muttered and then began eating your pizza, curious as to how Will was going to reveal to your non-doctor brother that you were going to have an ultrasound and the reason for it was not because you were pregnant.
"She has to get an ultrasound," was what Will decided on.
"What?!" Jay exclaimed. "I thought you couldn't get your period when you're—"
"She's not pregnant, Jay! She needs an ultrasound of her thyroid," Will clarified.
Hailey was just laughing at how stupid her husband was while you just rolled your eyes. "I could've done that," you told Will.
"And I should've taken a video! That was priceless!" Hailey chimed in.
"And she needs an ultrasound because...?" Jay prompted Will.
And so Will launched into the details that he was better fit to explain than you were while you just ate your pizza.
"And you'll come to the ultrasound with me?" you asked Will once again, just to double-check. "I've never had one done before and what if something's really wrong with me?"
"First off, the worst case scenario is that you have to go on a medication for your thyroid," Will began. "And, yes, I'll go with you. Just tell me the time and date and I'll come and wait with you. I don't think I can go in, since the rooms are pretty small in radiology and you're not a minor, but I'll be in the waiting area the whole time."
"You promise?"
"I promise. And if it's a day I'm working, I'm sure Maggie could cover for me," he repeated.
"Okay."
"So, how's the applications coming?" Will asked.
You groaned. "Ugh, don't remind me. I've submitted all of them except I just have to resend my transcripts to one of them in Arizona because I sent it to the wrong email address."
"How do you send it to the wrong email address?" Jay asked.
"He wouldn't know because he didn't go to college," Will fake whispered to his sister-in-law who was sitting next to him. Jay just rolled his eyes.
"I sent it to the psych department, not the graduate admissions committee," you answered.
Jay nodded. "Any word from the school in Hawaii yet?"
"Nope. You'd know if there was."
"You just want to go to Hawaii, babe," Hailey said.
"Yeah, and? Beats winters in Chicago."
"And it's super expensive, so hopefully I'll get assistantships or scholarships," you said.
"What about the one in Chicago, Y/N?" Hailey asked. "I know that's bottom of your list because it's cold and because Jay would pressure you to stay at home—"
"I would not!"
"Yes, you would!" you, Will, and Hailey yelled, causing Jay's eyes to widen.
"Uh, that was freaky. How about you guys never do that again, okay?" Jay said. "I thought it was the beginning of February; not Halloween."
"Hailey, I don't know what you see in him," you told her, causing Jay's jaw to drop.
"Hey! For your information—"
"I didn't hear back from anyone yet," you said loudly, cutting Jay off before he said something that would discreetly hint at his sex life with Hailey. "And when I do, I'll tell you guys. Now, can we finish eating and watch the game? I really don't want to have to think about this more than I have to."
Hailey nodded in understanding, since she too suffered from anxiety and then she proceeded to tell the story of the antics that Adam and Kevin had been up to today in the bullpen while everyone had been listening to the wire for their latest case (which they now had a lead on and would be picking up tomorrow, hence Jay and Hailey getting home later than usual).
***
One week later
"So, Y/N, tell me about what's going on," the social worker, Marsha, asked you at 12:45 pm that afternoon as you sat in her office for your scheduled appointment on your day off (as in, you hadn't had to work the night before, but had to work tonight. Even Jay got confused with your schedule sometimes. Will, on the other hand, understood since he had worked many a night shift during his residency).
And so, you launched into the story about grad school and anxiety.
"So, I can definitely refer you to a therapist if you would like that," Marsha said. "Or, I can work with you and teach you skills to manage your anxiety."
You'd always had some anxiety, it had just increased in recent weeks because of the rejections you'd gotten and all the added stress of trying to find another program that still had open applications.
"I think I want to learn some skills," you answered. "Seems like this is just gonna be something I have to live with."
"Ok, so I want to tell you about anxiety and why it happens and how it's sometimes a good thing and then we can move on to some skills you've tried..."
***
"And I'm gonna give you some homework this week," Marsha said at the end of your session. She passed you a piece of paper. "All I want you to do is notice when you have anxiety and what the physical symptoms are. You don't have to write them on this piece of paper; it's just a list of possible physical symptoms and the anxiety pyramid that we talked about if you want to reference them if you want. All I want you to do is notice when your anxiety flares up. Then, we can figure out what to do in these types of situations."
"Okay, sounds good," you told her.
Then, she stood up and you followed her out of her office and back into the waiting room. "You know your way out from here?" she asked.
"Yup," you answered.
When in reality, you didn't. But, Will said he'd meet you outside the waiting room doors at 1:50 to go with you to your ultrasound appointment in the radiology wing, and it was currently 1:55.
"You're not in your scrubs," you said when you saw him right when you opened the doors to the hallway.
"Nope. Ms. Goodwin gave me a half day today, so we can get lunch after if you want."
"As long as we can get coffee for me to bring to work, sure." You noticed his backpack. "Can you put these in here?" you asked, holding the two pieces of paper out to him. "I only brought my lanyard with all my keys and stuff."
"Yup." He took the papers from you and put down his backpack and put the papers inside. "You ready?"
"Yeah. You promise it won't hurt?" you asked, slightly nervous.
"I promise. It might just feel a little cold at first."
***
"See? I told you it wouldn't be so bad," Will said once you were out of the ultrasound.
"Yeah. But I won't know the results for a few days so can you—"
"I'm not gonna look at your chart and tell you the results," Will stated as you exited the waiting room.
"But why not? I give you full permission so it's not against HIPAA."
"Technically, it is because I can't just go in there and look at a family member's chart. That, and I'm not a radiologist. When they send you the results, I can look them over if you let me see them. But, before then, I can't. And, I'd trust a radiologist's opinion on this more than mine."
"Fine. Now, how about IHOP for lunch?"
"Already a step ahead of you. It'll be ready for pickup in ten minutes."
"And you got me the pancakes I like?" you asked and narrowed your eyes at him.
"Yes, I got you the cinnamon roll ones."
You broke out into a smile. "You're my favorite brother...just don't tell Jay that. He thinks he's the favorite."
***
One week later, late February
You got your results back. After skimming them, you figured you'd understood them, but wanted to call Will just in case. And he confirmed it. There was nothing wrong with your thyroid.
"So it's all in my head?" you asked. "My body hates me because I'm stressed? God, I can't even do basic human functions right."
"Y/N, what did I tell you? It's normal to be stressed out like this. It's a big thing," Will said over the phone.
"Don't you think I know that?! This is my whole career here! My whole life!" You took a deep breath. "Sorry. I'm sorry. You didn't deserve that."
"It's okay," he said. "You're super stressed out. But, you'll get in somewhere."
"Yeah, that's what everyone keeps saying." Then, your phone vibrated. "Hang on. That might be a school."
"They're calling you? That's a good sign, Y/N."
"They're not calling me; I put their emails as important so it'll notify me. I'm putting you on speaker while I read this."
You quickly put Will on speaker and then navigated to your emails. "It's the one in Hawaii," you told him. You held your breath as you opened the email. You skimmed it. And you stayed silent.
"What? What's it say?"
"I didn't get in," you said quietly.
"Aw, man. I'm sorry, kiddo. But, you still have five more to hear back from."
"Yeah. I just...I really wanted to go to school in Hawaii," you lamented. "I know it was a long shot to get in because I missed their priority deadline because I was still waiting on my Ph.D. application results, but still."
"Hey, look at it this way," Will began, "when you're making bank as a world-renowned neuropsychologist, you'll have more than enough money to vacation there a few times a year. Just make sure you don't forget to bring your favorite brother with you."
You rolled your eyes. "I dunno about world-renowned."
"Fine. USA-renowned."
"Goodbye, Will," you laughed.
"Bye, kiddo. Have a good night at work. Maybe drink a glass of wine before going to work. Just... don't tell Jay I said that. You've got what, seven hours before your shift?"
"That's actually a good idea. I'll swipe some of Hailey's pink Moscato. She's fine with it. She barely drinks it anyway."
"Alright, just one glass," Will reiterated.
"Bye, Will."
***
Two weeks later, early March
You woke up and checked the time. 2 pm. You still had two hours to sleep until your alarm went off. But, as was customary for the past two months, you navigated to your emails.
There, at the top, was one from Southern Arizona University.
You felt like you couldn't breathe as you opened the email.
Hello,
We have reviewed your application, evaluated your credentials and letters of recommendation, and would like to invite you to interview in person for the Doctoral program (Psy. D.) in Clinical Psychology at the SAU campus.
Your jaw dropped as you continued reading the finer details such as the date, time, location, and how to RSVP.
Today was Wednesday, Jay and Hailey's RDO.
You ran out of your room.
"Jay! Jay! Jay!" you yelled.
He immediately woke up from where he had been dozing off on the couch with Hailey next to him who had been wide awake. She grabbed her phone while he jumped up.
"What? What's wrong? What hurts?" he asked as he quickly looked you over.
"No, no nothing's wrong! I got an interview with Southern Arizona! It's in person in two weeks!"
"That's great, Y/N!" Hailey said at the same time that Jay said, "See? I told you that you'd get in somewhere!"
"I didn't get in yet, Jay," you told him.
"I know, but you're still one step closer."
You pulled out your phone. "I know Will's working, but I gotta text him and tell him!"
Hailey groaned as she looked at her phone's calendar. "Shit, Jay. We have that mandatory training that week for our detective's recertification."
Jay threw his head back and groaned. "It's not even that important. Voight and Platt will let us out of it."
"You know this isn't their call. It's the Ivory Tower that schedules this one. And it's the last one of the quarter. We don't go to this one..."
"We can't work until mid-April at the earliest. We'll be suspended," Jay finished.
"Exactly."
"Will can come with me," you said. "I can't just not go and I'm not going to Arizona by myself."
"Yeah, even if Will has to work, we'd find someone to bring you," Jay said. "Maybe Kim as a backup. No way in hell are you going to Arizona by yourself, you're damn right about that."
"Listen, we'll figure out the logistics of everything later," Hailey said. "For now, you just go back to bed so you're not too tired at work and then focus on being prepared for your interview. Just forward the email to me and Jay so we have the right place and date and time and we'll get everything figured out, okay?"
You smiled. "Okay."
"Now go back to sleep. You're going to Arizona for that interview no matter what," she reassured you.
"And, you're gonna do great," Jay added.
"I haven't even prepped for this yet."
"Still, I know you," Jay started. "You're gonna practice and know everything and then you'll do great. Now try and get some sleep before you have to go in tonight."
You nodded and turned around, still with a giant smile plastered on your face.
***
Five days later, Monday
You rolled over and checked the time. Fifteen minutes until you planned to get up, so you knew you wouldn't be able to go back to sleep no matter how hard you tried.
You immediately navigated to your emails as you had done for the past two months.
There, at the top, was one from Kansas City Health College and University in Missouri.
Hi, Y/N!
We have reviewed your application, and the committee is interested in offering you an opportunity to interview. Are you available this week or next?
Your jaw dropped and you broke out into a smile.
Another school wanted you! You might have options now!
You knew Hailey and Jay were unlikely to be home right now, so you went to your text messages and opened the group chat between you, Jay, Hailey, and Will.
I got an interview for Kansas City! you wrote.
Not even fifteen seconds later, your phone rang.
"Did you get my text?" you asked when you answered Will's phone call.
"I did," Will confirmed. "Good job! But, is the interview in-person?"
"I don't know," you answered. "I'll email them."
"Okay, just let me know. They approved my PTO request to come to Arizona with you in a couple weeks, but I don't know if I can swing another vacation. Jay or Hailey might have to go with you to this one."
"Okay, and it's an eight-hour drive from here, so we don't have to fly there if the interview is in-person."
"It seems short now, but it won't feel that way when you're driving for that long."
You rolled your eyes. "Uh-huh. Did you look up flight tickets for Arizona yet?"
"That's what I was doing before I called you. Is it your weekend off before the interview or after the interview?"
"Before the interview," you told him.
"Okay. I work a shift on Saturday, so the earliest we could fly out is Sunday morning. Then we have all day Monday to look at Pheonix and apartments and stuff and Tuesday you have to interview and we could fly home Wednesday or Thursday. How long did you take off for?"
"I have to go back into work that Thursday night."
"Okay, so we'll fly back Wednesday night, then you can sleep all day Thursday because my next shift is on Friday."
"Okay. And, I can stay at your house the night before if it's an early flight, right? I am not driving to your house at 3 am. Or you can sleep on the couch here."
"If it's early, it's probably better that you stay over here because I won't get home from work until 8:30 and then I'll probably have last-minute stuff to do. You know how it is."
"Yeah."
"Okay, well I'm gonna go so you email them and I can keep looking up flights. I'll let you know everything when I figure it all out."
"Sounds good."
Then, the two of you said your goodbyes and you emailed the school and responded to Jay and Hailey's congratulations texts.
Even if it was only two interviews out of the eleven schools total you had applied to so far, you were getting somewhere.
***
Four days later, Friday, day of virtual Kansas City interview
You opened the fridge and grabbed a hard seltzer just when you heard someone clearing their throat. You turned around with a sheepish expression on your face to see Jay standing there.
"So, we're drinking at 7:30 in the morning now, are we?" he asked.
"Your 7:30 in the morning is my 7:30 at night," you told him. "And, I have my interview later. Need something to calm my nerves before I go to bed."
"You've practiced more than enough; you'll do great. You don't need alcohol to calm your nerves."
He was right of course, on both fronts, but you weren't going to tell him that. You had researched questions you might be asked during your interview and then wrote down your answers and quizzed yourself multiple times until you were confident that you knew everything. You even had your coworkers quiz you on them last night and had Jay quiz you on them Wednesday night so that you knew for a fact that you knew everything. There were obviously questions that could come up that you weren't prepared for, but you had prepared for it as best you could with the information you currently had.
"I know," you begrudgingly agreed. "But still, let me do this. It's not like you haven't drank to calm your nerves before."
"She's got a point, Jay," Hailey said, seemingly appearing out of nowhere and maneuvering around Jay to get to the counter and begin making herself a cup of coffee.
"Why are you always on her side?" he asked.
"Technically, I'm not taking sides, just stating a fact. Let her have the drink. It's not like she's gonna get drunk. She's too smart to get drunk hours before her interview anyway."
"Thanks, Hailey," you said and then walked past Jay, who made no move to argue with you.
"Just, remember to put the can in the recycling when you wake up. And good luck with the interview later. Don't miss your alarm," he told you.
"I won't. I set one for like every minute from when I need to wake up to ten minutes after," you reassured.
And, when you made your way to your room, you could've sworn you heard Jay whsiper something along the lines of You're gonna be the death of me? You know that, right? to Hailey.
***
You felt like the interview went well. There were only two questions you hadn't practiced answering: (1) tell me about working with people from diverse backgrounds and (2) tell me about a time you had too much on your plate. How did you go about handling that?
Not to toot your own horn, but you felt like you gave pretty good answers to those questions despite being under pressure and not having practiced those beforehand.
Now though, it was time to calm down and try to go back to sleep for a few more hours before work. You had only gotten five hours of sleep before the interview and wanted to get at least another three before having to wake up again, do your morning routine, and go back to work.
So, now you needed to calm down and fall asleep without taking melatonin. So, you decided to go take a nice hot shower.
You didn't take long, only about fifteen minutes, and the minute you went and sat down in your bed to read to try and get your adrenaline to go down a bit more, your phone rang.
Will.
"Hey," you answered.
"So, how'd it go?" he asked. Honestly, he seemed more excited to talk about this than you did.
It was at this moment that you actually grasped how well you might have actually done during the interview phase.
"It actually went really well! There were only two questions I didn't know the answer to."
And then, you talked to Will about what the questions were and the answers you gave so that you could be prepared for your interview with SAU in a little under two weeks.
"Well, I'm gonna let you go so you can get some sleep, okay?" he said.
"Yeah. Hopefully reading for a bit will make me tired. I already took a hot shower to calm down, and it's calmed me just a little bit."
"It's the nerves," Will began. "You've been trying to get to this point for so long and all your adrenaline just hit you. You'll crash soon and sleep hard, though. Go, I dunno, make some tea to drink while you read or something," he suggested.
"That's actually a good idea. Thanks, Will."
"Anytime, kiddo. Now try and get some sleep. Make sure to text Jay and Hailey that the interview went well too because they probably want to know even if they're out chasing criminals all over the place."
"Doubt they could get to their phone to see the text if they're chasing people," you pointed out.
"You know what I mean. Now get some sleep."
***
5 days later, Wednesday
You woke up to someone gently touching your shoulder and saying your name.
"Y/N, you okay?"
Jay.
You grumbled, "Mhm. Why?"
"It's ten o'clock at night," he answered.
You rolled over and touched your phone, causing the screen to illuminate. Lo and behold, Jay was right. 10:02 pm.
You had worked six days straight since it had been your weekend on, and normally after these long stretches, you did sleep like ten hours, but you had never slept twelve. Granted, you did go to bed at around 10 am instead of your usual 8:30 because you had a doctor's appointment to follow up on your irregular periods (which were getting back to normal finally) and then you woke up around 1 pm for about an hour, but still, it was weird that you had slept this long.
"Guess I was just tired," you said. "I'll get up soon."
"Don't sleep all night. That's gonna mess you up for your shift tomorrow night."
"I know, Jay. I've been on nights for eight months now; I think I know what I'm doing."
"Okay, well, there's dinner in the fridge if you want some."
"Thanks."
Then, he left your room and you turned on your bedside lamp and sat up in bed, and opened your phone.
As was normal for you now, you navigated to your emails to see if you had heard back from any schools.
A few emails down was one that made your breath catch in your throat and your hands begin to shake.
From: Kansas City Health College and University
Subject line: Update KCHCU Admissions
You opened it and there was what looked to be a scanned document with the school's logo on top and the very first word was bolded and in cursive.
Congratulations!
Your eyes widened and your jaw dropped. You felt your heart beating out of your chest.
We are pleased to inform you that you have been admitted *with a Conditional Acceptance* to our program of: Doctor of Clinical Psychology (PsyD) for the Academic Year 2023-2024.
We hope this is one of many achievements in your professional career as a result of your continuous efforts.
*Please be aware that this is not your official acceptance notification. Official acceptance letters will be sent out upon completion of the required documents. Please fill out the attached documents as soon as possible.*
Sincerely,
The Admissions Office at Kansas City Health College and University.
A huge smile formed on your face as you shot out of bed and ran to Jay and Hailey's bedroom.
You quickly knocked on the door. "Nobody better be naked in there because I'm coming in!"
Without waiting for a reply, you opened the door. And, luckily, the only piece of clothing Jay was missing was a shirt (and you could see this because he had quickly sat up in bed and turned on his bedside lamp just as you opened the door).
"Some of us have to work in the morning, you know," Jay said.
At this, Hailey walked out of the bathroom, clad in her pajama bottoms and a t-shirt with her hair wrapped in a towel.
"You probably laid down two seconds before she knocked on the door," Hailey said.
"Technically, it was ten seconds," Jay sassed.
"Yeah, yeah," you said dismissively. "But I checked my emails and I got into Kansas City!" you exclaimed.
Hailey gasped. "Yay! Congratulations!" Then she made her way over to you and gave you a hug.
"See, I told you you could do it," Jay said and stood up and hugged you, too. "But, your first pick is still Arizona, right?"
"Yup," you told him. "But at least I have a backup school now if I don't get into SAU."
"So, what do you have to do now?"
"Fill out some documents." You passed him your phone. "Here's the email."
Jay told you to make sure you send in the documents by the deadline, which caused you to roll your eyes.
"Don't you have to pay something to secure your spot?" he asked.
"I think so," you said. "But it shouldn't be a ton, so if I get into SAU and have to tell them I decided to go to another school, I shouldn't be losing out on too much."
"Okay, good. See, I told you you'd get in somewhere."
"And I still have another interview."
"And you better text Will before he gets mad he had to hear it from one of us," Hailey pointed out.
"Oh, yeah," Jay agreed. "You better do that."
"I'll do that right now. Get some sleep, you guys."
"Night, Y/N, I'm so proud of you," Hailey said and gave you another hug.
"Night, kid," Jay said and gave you another hug as well.
Then, you made your way out of their room and into the kitchen to make yourself some food and coffee. As you were waiting for your coffee to finish brewing though, you made sure to text Will to let him know that you had at least gotten into one school, even if you considered it your backup school.
***
4 days later, Sunday
Your alarm sounded at 3:30 am and you silently cursed Will for wanting to get out on the first flight available. You rolled over and groaned into your pillow, but then quickly decided to get up because you knew if you kept laying down, you'd fall back to sleep and then Will would have to wake you up and you'd have to rush or you'd end up missing your flight altogether.
You heard the shower running as you grabbed your overnight oats from the fridge and then popped a pod into the Keurig.
Ten minutes later, you were rubbing your eyes and trying to stay awake while finishing your coffee when Will came into the kitchen.
"Morning," he greeted.
You groaned in response, looked up, and took another sip of your coffee. "I only slept five hours."
"And, I only slept three."
"That's not healthy for you."
"Neither is five."
You glared at him and he just smiled.
"Do you have Dramamine?" you asked.
"In my backpack. You should probably take it when we get to the airport, though."
"As long as I can get more coffee at the airport."
"You and me both," Will agreed.
***
You were not happy, let's just put it that way. There were so many people at Midway (since Jay wasn't flying with you, you and Will could fly out of Midway. Jay basically had a phobia of this airport now because he was abducted from here years ago) even though it was a 6 am flight on Sunday, that you and Will couldn't get more coffee.
"I'm gonna go find a vending machine," you said. "Can I have your card?" you asked.
You had time before you needed to board your flight and by finding a vending machine, you wouldn't have to waste time waiting in line. And, Will had told you to only bring your ID and some cash because he didn't want your debit or credit card getting stolen.
So, you went and found a vending machine and got yourself a Starbucks bottled frappuccino, and grabbed Will a boring plain latte.
"Here you go," you said and handed the coffee and his credit card to him.
"I didn't ask you to get me anything."
"Well, one it's your money, and two, don't take this the wrong way, but you look like shit."
Will rolled his eyes. "Thanks. I'm so glad I'm spending money to put up with you for a couple of days."
"Nah, you love me...at least, I'm your favorite sibling out of me and Jay."
"That's debatable. But you getting me this definitely earned a couple of points in that category."
Your phone buzzed. "It's Jay," you said after reading the text. "He said to have a good flight." Why your other brother was up at 5 am on a Sunday baffled you, but you figured it had something to do with his need for a consistent schedule and structure from his army days.
"He text it to the group chat?" Will asked.
"Yeah, why?"
"I have my phone on silent and if he only texted you that, then I'd be offended."
"That would mean that I'm his favorite sibling then," you pointed out. "I'm both your favorite siblings."
"Oh, you're the favorite something alright," Will muttered under his breath. Then, he remembered something. He quickly unzipped a pocket in his backpack and handed you the packet of Dramamine. "You should probably take this now."
"And this is why you're the doctor because I probably would've forgotten."
Will just shook his head. "I know. And then you'd be miserable for the entire flight, which would make me miserable and it just wouldn't be a good time."
You just took the pill in response and handed the package back to him. "I get the window seat," you told him.
"I already planned on it," Will answered.
And fifteen minutes later, you were in line to board.
***
After waiting in line for an hour to get your rental car, you were finally out of the airport in Pheonix. Because of the time difference between Pheonix and Chicago, you got into Pheonix around 8 am, and it was currently a little past 9 am. And needless to say, you and Will were hungry.
"You sure you're good to drive?" you asked. "They said I could drive it, just that I can't be the main renter."
It shocked you that you could actually drive a rental car since you weren't 25 yet, which is the age that you could legally rent a car. But, turns out, you could be a driver, just not the one who was the primary renter.
"I was there, I know," Will said. "And, I'm good to drive. I've worked lots of 24-hour shifts running on little sleep, so I'll be fine."
"Okay. But if you need to switch drivers, let me know."
"I will. Now, what sounds good to eat?"
"I say IHOP."
"Pancakes and a pot of coffee it is then," Will agreed.
You put in the address for the nearest IHOP and made your way there.
And when you were at the restaurant, Will may or may not have taken a picture of you devouring your pancakes and sent it to the group chat that only contained him, Jay, and Hailey.
***
The next day, Monday
"I say we leave Jay home more often," you said when you woke up the next morning around 8.
Jay was always the one who was go, go, go while on vacation like he couldn't relax. He'd have had you running around Pheonix until midnight if he were here and he more than likely would've woke up at 6 to workout and then made a ton of noise rummaging around for his suitcase that he would've woken everyone else up in the hotel room, too.
"I would ask you if you slept well because you said that," Will began, "but I know you did because you were snoring. I should've smothered you with the pillow."
"I'm telling Jay if I come up dead in here that it was you," you said.
"And I'm telling him that you don't want him to come on vacation because he wakes you up early."
"He knows that! It's common knowledge!"
Will rolled his eyes. "Hurry up and get ready or do whatever you need to do so that we can go get some breakfast downstairs before all the good stuff's gone."
"Can we get coffee somewhere later? I looked up some coffee shops near here."
"Let's just get breakfast first and then we'll go from there."
***
The morning was spent looking at possible apartments, going to a bookshop that doubled as a coffeeshop (and buying a new book of course), and then going out for Mexican food for an early lunch (which had the best salsa you had ever tasted).
Then, you went back to the hotel and got ready to go to the pool.
"You can go down without me," Will said.
"You're not coming?" you asked.
"I gotta make a phone call. Work stuff," Will lied.
"Okay, see you down there," you said and grabbed a room key, and left to go to the pool.
Two minutes later, when Will was positive you were at least off the floor you were staying in, if not out to the pool by now, he pulled out his phone and dialed Jay's number.
"Everything okay?" Jay asked the minute he picked up.
"Yes, everything's okay."
"Well, if you're only calling me to brag about the chips and salsa you got, then it's in your best interest to hang up now." You had been sending pictures to the group chat between you, your brothers, and Hailey, and needless to say, Jay was jealous.
"Okay, fine," Will relented. "Everything's not okay. I don't know if I want Y/N staying here."
Now, Will had Jay's full attention. "Bad neighborhoods? What's it like? I can try and look into stuff for you, but I don't have jurisdiction there, so it might be hard to do."
"Dude, it's like Chicago, but it changes a bit faster here. You have wealthy people on one side of the street and then poverty on the other. The building her school is in is just down the street from a homeless encampment. And, she's a girl living by herself. I dunno about her living her, man."
"Well, all the schools she's applied to are in big cities, so she's gonna get that anywhere."
"I know, I know. It's just, the shit we see every day..."
"I get it," Jay agreed. "How did she react to the apartments? And the school?"
"Well, her face dropped when we saw the school. It was like in an industrial area and it's just a building. And, the apartments, the one she likes and the one she said would probably be safest would run her like $1800 a month just for the apartment, not including utilities, groceries, etc."
Jay whistled on the other end. "Shit. But, it's like that everywhere."
"I know. If she goes here, you're gonna need to fly out here and look at apartments with her because you might be able to figure some more stuff out."
"Yeah, if she gets in me and her will take some time to look at apartments out there. Maybe bring Hailey, too."
"Okay, good. And, I'm willing to pay a little bit of her rent if it means she'll be safe."
"Me too," Jay agreed. Then, he remembered something. "Hey, I think one of my old army buddies does construction for apartments out there. I'll see if he can give you some places to check out that he thinks are safer and text you if he tells me anything."
"That would be great, Jay. How's the training going?"
"Let's not talk about that when me and Hailey are on our lunch break, okay? It's a pain in the ass but I have to do it."
"Alright then. I'll let you wallow in your own pity while me and Y/N go chill at the pool. Bye, Jay."
"You're an ass," Jay laughed. "But have a good night. I'll text Y/N tomorrow before her interview and I'll talk to you guys tomorrow. I want to know how it goes." Will heard someone's voice on the other line, he assumed it was Hailey. "And Hailey wants to know how it goes, too." (Will was right.)
"I'll make sure to tell her. Have a good night you two."
Then, Will ended the call and changed, and headed down to the pool where you were soaking up the sun while reading a book on your iPad.
"Hey," Will said after he sat down next to you. "I talked to Jay. He's got an old army buddy that does apartment work around here. He's gonna talk to him and see if he can give us some apartments to look at."
"Okay, good," you said and then paused your reading timer. For the first ten minutes you were down here, you had began making a pros and cons list on your iPad. "Kansas City's looking pretty good after looking at rent prices and the cost of living over here."
"So, you're leaning towards Kansas City then?" Will asked. He'd be lying if he said he wasn't surprised. SAU had been your first choice since you had gotten the email saying that they wanted you to come for an interview.
You passed him your iPad. "You can look at my pros and cons list."
He took a minute to read it and then handed it back to you. "Kansas City has a study abroad program? You never told me that."
"Because I don't know if I'll be going or not. They have a campus in Spain and they saw that I minored in Spanish, so they said that if that's something I want to do, that it's an option. And, I had to miss my study abroad because of covid. It all depends on if I feel comfortable taking all my classes in Spanish though and how it will work out with my classes and my practicum schedule."
"That's great, Y/N! If you go to Kansas City, you should definitely look into it. And, I'm sure some of the students speak English and would be more than willing to help you if you needed it. The profs probably speak English too."
"I know. It's just, learning about the brain and psychology in my second language after not having learned much in undergrad even though I have my minor in it, is a little scary."
"Then you don't have to go. But, you have the option at least if you go to Kansas City. And, Kansas City doesn't have assistantships?" Will asked.
Assistantships are where a student does some kind of work for the university and, depending on how many hours you work, half or all of your tuition is paid for by the university and they'll give you a living stipend.
"No. But, SAU does. I just don't know if the assistantships are for the campus I'm going to or the main campus. It's more expensive here and if I don't get an assistantship, I don't know how I'm gonna be able to afford rent," you told him.
"What's the tuition cost for the programs?" Will asked.
"About the same," you answered.
"So, Kansas City: Spain, no assistantships, lower cost of living. And SAU: no Spain, possible assistantships, higher cost of living?" Will asked.
"Yeah," you answered. "Them having assistantships at that campus is gonna play a big part in if I go to school here or not."
"Let's just focus on the interview for now and make sure to ask them about that tomorrow. You got into one school for sure. Just focus on what you can control tomorrow and then decide. Okay?"
"Okay," you answered.
"I know it's hard to do right now, but just relax. Everything will work itself out eventually."
***
Tuesday, day of SAU interview
"You're gonna do great," Will reassured as you bobbed your leg up and down on the twenty-minute car ride from the hotel to SAU's south campus.
You went to open your coffee that Will bought you downstairs before you left (you weren't drinking nasty brewed coffee from the hotel and you cited the fact that you wouldn't have time to get coffee before the interview as the reason why you needed some now. Plus, you weren't going into arguably the most important interview of your entire life without caffeine in your system.) but you had to close your eyes and take a few deep breaths before you could actually open it because your hands were shaking.
"I don't know about that," you said after taking a sip of your coffee. "I could barely open my coffee."
"We practiced last night and you got all the answers right. You'll do just fine, Y/N. Did you and your social worker come up with strategies for this?"
"Mhm."
You and Marsha had talked about how to manage your nerves during your two interviews at your previous in-person session. Your plan was to remember that you had rehearsed these answers so much that you knew these answers. And to imagine yourself answering them at your desk at home with a candle and a cup of coffee in front of you like how you had actually practiced at home. Plus, the image was of a calming environment, so it might help slow your breathing and heart rate down. And, hey, you already got into one school, so why wouldn't you be able to get into this one?
"I just don't know what to expect in the group interview."
"Just be yourself while being professional. You'll be fine."
Your phone buzzed.
Jay.
You got this! You're gonna kill that interview!
Then another text came in.
Hailey.
Good luck, Y/N! You'll do great! Think positive thoughts (easier said than done, I know, haha). Love you!
You responded to each of them with a thank you and with Jay's, you added a smiley face emoji to the end, and to Hailey's, you added a heart to the end.
Fifteen minutes later, you pulled into the parking lot.
"Take a couple deep breaths," Will told you. You closed your eyes and did as he said. Then, you opened them and nodded. He squeezed your shoulder. "You practiced. Just remember that. Good luck."
And then, you stepped out of the car, grabbed your bag and your coffee, and walked into the place you hoped you'd be going to school at for the next five years.
***
Two hours later, 10:00 am
The group interview went fine. It felt just like a conversation more or less...which kind of made you nervous. Wasn't it supposed to feel like an interview? It was just sort of weird in your opinion. You basically just talked about how fucked the US mental health/foster care/social services system was and how each of you wanted to change that.
But now it was time for the part where you knew what to expect, and this part arguably had more riding it than the group interview: the individual interview.
You were interviewing with someone named Dr. Haldon.
She led you to her office and you sat down. She first asked you how you were doing and you said good, a little nervous, but good.
Then, she jumped right in.
"Your statement of purpose was a little confusing to tell you the truth," she said.
You furrowed your eyebrows. Your statement of purpose seemed pretty clear-cut and easily digestible to you. "It was?"
"Yes. You talked a lot about sports psychology, but why you want to go into neuropsychology and how you want to do more with the mental health side of things, but that you want more precision. So, explain that."
"Which part?" you asked. "The sports psych, neuropsych, mental health, or precision part?"
You swore she could hear your heart beating out of your chest.
"The precision part."
So, you went into it. You explained how you wanted to be a sports psychologist because you loved hockey and always wanted to do something with sports, but that you were also passionate about mental health. So, when you found sports psych, you thought it would be perfect for you.
But, then you took a class in sports psych and realized it was more behavior-based. Plus, it wasn't as precise as neuropsych where you'd be analyzing test results based on previous data and sometimes looking at brain scans.
You also explained how when you were little, you saw your brother becoming a doctor and, being the impressionable little girl you were, you wanted to be a doctor, too. But, then you realized you were scared of blood and weren't super good at hard sciences like chemistry.
So, when you found neuropsych after not wanting to go into sports psych, you knew this was what you wanted to do because it sort of married the two: you'd get to work in the psych field with more precision than sports psych and you'd get to work in a hospital and be on a treatment team without going to med school.
(This was all mentioned in your statement of purpose--minus the med school part--so you really didn't understand why she wanted you to repeat it all.)
"Define what you mean by precision," Dr. Haldon requested.
"Um, neuropsychologists get to look at brain scans and those are more precise than some psychological testing."
"Neuropsychologists don't look at brain scans," she told you.
"They don't? When I researched them, they did. I didn't get to take a neuropsych class though because the class was full when I decided I wanted to switch specialties."
"Well, they don't. That's the neurologist's job. And, sports psychologists get to work with mental health. Are you sure what you took was a sports psychology class?"
"Yes," you answered. It was a full-year class, not just one semester, so you knew the ins and outs of this class that you had taken your senior year of undergrad.
"Well, sports psychologists do still get to work with the mental health of the athlete."
"Oh. I was taught that they had to refer out since it would be a conflict of interest."
"No. I have my post-doc in sports psych, which is why I wanted to interview you."
There it is. That's why you weren't being interviewed by the faculty you said you wanted to work with in your statement of purpose. It was because she wanted to groom you into a sports psychologist...which made half as much as a neuropsychologist, but had the same of amount schooling required.
You just nodded.
"I think you close doors before you even open them all the way."
You just took a deep breath.
Then, she started asking you some questions, most of which you had not prepared for.
"Sorry," you started in response to one of the questions. "I'm thinking. I'm just nervous."
Without missing a beat, she asked, "So, how's your anxiety?"
You stared at her. "What?"
"Well, you've mentioned you were nervous several times."
Twice. You had mentioned your nerves twice. And, any sane person would be nervous during an interview!
You didn't know what to say, so you just blurted the truth out.
"I'm going to therapy," you answered.
"I see. So how is that going?"
You should have told her that your medical/mental health history was none of her damn business, but you wanted to go to this school, so you answered the question. At least, you thought you wanted to go to this school.
"It's going well. Helps a lot," you answered. Now you decided to take charge because, after the conversation you had with Will by the pool last night, you knew that your decision to go here would be riding on whether or not you could get an assistantship at this campus. "Do you have any assistantships available?"
"Oh, yes, I was going to ask you about that as well. We don't have assistantships available. I don't know where you found that information."
You furrowed your eyebrows. "But, on SAU's website, it said that there were assistantships available. Is that only for the main campus?"
"Yes, there are no assistantships for this campus, unfortunately."
"Oh."
There was a pause as if Dr. Haldon were waiting for you to comment further. When you didn't, she posed the question, "So, explain to me why you chose the PsyD route instead of the Ph.D. route."
"Well," you began. Did you tell her that you initially applied for PhDs and PsyDs were just the backup because you didn't get into any PhD programs?
Fuck it. She already knew you had anxiety, it couldn't really get that much worse.
"I applied to PhDs first because they're fully funded. But, since I didn't get into any of those, I applied for PsyDs. And, I like the clinical aspect more than the research aspect, so there's that," you answered.
"You were going to do research even though you don't like it? A Ph.D. is five years, that's a long time to do research if you don't like it. Why?"
"Because they're fully funded," you said quieter than you had answered all of her other questions but still loud enough that she could hear you.
"So you were going to do something you didn't like for that long because the program is fully funded?" You nodded. "I see."
You went through the rest of the questions she had been prepared to ask you and you asked her if she had any recommendations on where to live around here or where current students live, in case you got into the program.
But, during all of this, all you felt was defeat. Even if Dr. Haldon's behavior was making you want to go to Southern Arizona University even less, well you had just bombed your interview; even if you still wanted to go, there was no way they still wanted you.
***
"How'd it go?" Will asked with a smile when you got in the car.
You closed the door and scoffed and shook your head. "Shitty."
"What?" he quickly moved the car into a parking spot so that you two could talk. "Why?"
"I didn't even get to interview with the faculty I wanted to interview with! And the lady who interviewed me was bitch! She questioned my abilities and made it seem like I was supposed to know everything and- and- ugh!"
You blinked your eyes rapidly and fanned them so that you didn't cry and then have to wipe your face and smudge your mascara and foundation everywhere.
"Okay, calm down. Take a deep breath. What happened exactly?"
And so, you relayed the story of your individual interview with him.
"First off, she was wrong to question if you had anxiety or not. That was unprofessional. And secondly, if you knew everything, you wouldn't be here; you'd already be a neuropsychologist. She can't expect you to know everything. That's why you're going to school."
"Yeah, I guess," you agreed.
"And, at least you interviewed here. That way you saw this now instead of seeing it when you got in after deciding to come here. Remember, you're interviewing them as much as they're interviewing you."
You sniffled. "Thanks, Will. Sorry, I made you take time off work to just come down here and for me not to get into this school."
"Hey, no. It was a nice little vacation from the cold. And, you might still get in."
"Yeah, but I'm leaning towards Kansas City now even if I do get in."
"Okay. Wherever you want to go. It's your decision. I know you wanted somewhere warm, Y/N. But Kansas City might be the place for you."
"Yeah," you agreed quietly.
"I drove around and looked at some possible apartments for you, but now I think we should just go get some ice cream. What do you think?"
"I think that sounds like a great idea."
And then, instead of ice cream, you got the gooiest chocolate chip cookie of your life topped with caramel. It didn't fix everything, but it sure made it better.
And, when you called Jay in the car to explain to him everything that happened at your interview, he'd be lying if he said he wasn't a little relieved that you probably wouldn't be moving 25 hours away from him.
***
A month and a half later, early May
It was finally time for you to go to Kansas City to look at the school you would be attending and start apartment hunting. You had been apartment hunting as much as possible online, but it was really hard to know an area and know if you liked an apartment by looking online. So, you and Jay were driving down, and then Will was flying down after his shift later tonight so that he'd be with you to visit the school during the interview later morning tomorrow. (You figured he was the best bet to bring since he knew more of this stuff than Jay. And, you weren't gonna bring both brothers. You were in graduate school, not undergrad; bringing both of them would be overkill.)
You were a little over four hours into your drive and the sky had started to darken about half an hour ago. Since you were currently the passenger and Jay was driving (you planned on switching drivers when you got into Kansas City so that you could practice driving there with someone else in the car), he had you check the forecast to see when it was going to rain.
Your phone had told you in about two hours, and you hoped to be close to Kansas City by then.
And then, yours and Jay's phones went off at the same time, almost giving you a heart attack. You looked at the alert.
"There's a tornado warning near us," you told Jay.
"A watch or a warning?" he asked.
"Warning."
He cursed under his breath. "Hopefully we'll miss it. Keep an eye out for funnel clouds. How far away are we from where it was spotted?"
You went on your phone to start looking for more information, and not even two minutes later, it started hailing.
You grabbed your sweatshirt from the backseat so that in case the hail shattered your windshield, you'd have something to put over your face to protect your eyes.
The area beneath the overpasses quickly started to become full of cars and semis that were finding a place to hunker down for the time being. Jay reached down flip something and then cursed when he realized what he was looking for wasn't there.
"And, it's in your car. Great," he said.
"Why? You want a new truck if we were driving yours and the windshield breaks?" you asked as you continued to scroll through your phone for more information.
"No," he answered. "I could put on my lights and sirens and probably find us a police station to camp out at. And, I'd be able to listen to important stuff like where an accident is, from my scanner. And, my windshield and windows are bulletproof. The hail's small enough now that it shouldn't break your windshield, though."
You nodded. "And, that bulletproof glass isn't going to help much if we drive into a tornado."
"That is true," he agreed. "Can you text Will and Hailey and let them know what's going on?"
You did so and immediately got responses from both Will and Hailey.
Hailey: WHATTT???
Will: Go find somewhere to post-up.
You responded to the group, even though you were mainly responding to Will's question, by telling them that you were trying to find something to take cover underneath, but that the areas underneath the overpasses were all full, so you were gonna keep driving.
Then, Will and Hailey replied with some form of stay safe and Will told you to keep them updated. Hailey also said to tell Jay that she loved him.
"Hailey says she loves you," you told Jay.
Jay laughed. "This is arguably safer than us getting shot at every day. But tell her I love her, too. You can tell her the getting shot at thing, too, if you want."
"She'll probably send a middle finger emoji if I tell her that."
"Yeah, probably."
You texted and told Hailey that Jay said he loves her, too and Will responded asking if he's chopped liver. So, you told him that you and Jay loved him too, but that you should both be fine and that you'd stop driving once you found a place to hunker down at.
After driving for ten more minutes, the hail was coming down so hard that you and Jay could barely see, so he took the first exit he saw.
"Look for places with empty spots," he told you, referring to places with awnings over them so that you'd be covered.
You looked and there was a bank...full. A church with a small awning...full.
Then, Jay spotted a self-service car wash and did what was probably an illegal U-turn to turn into the parking lot.
There were three stalls and the last one on the right was empty. You both thanked your lucky stars and pulled inside.
Jay breathed a sigh of relief as he put the car in park. "Tell Will we're safe."
Then a thought came to mind. "You think Will's gonna be able to fly out tonight?"
Jay looked at the clock. It was almost 3 pm and Will's flight didn't leave until 11 pm. "His flight doesn't leave for another eight hours, so hopefully. If not, I'll just go tour the school with you."
"Okay."
"It's always an adventure with you, isn't it?"
You laughed and shook your head. "And we're not even to Kansas City yet."
After hunkering down for a bit, the hail had let up and you got back on the highway and continued driving. As it turns out, you had been driving the way the tornado was heading. Hail started up once more, but only kept up for five minutes. And, twenty minutes later, there were blue skies on the horizon.
You took a picture and texted it to Will and Hailey telling them you were safe and driving again and told Will to let you know if his flight got delayed or canceled.
***
The next day, Monday
The rest of the night went fine and Will's flight left as scheduled and you and Jay picked him up from the airport and then went for some late-night ice cream. The three of you got breakfast at the hotel and you bought a bottled latte from the market area—Jay and Will thought bitter and acidic hotel coffee tasted fine; you did not.-- Then, the three of you went back upstairs to your room and you and Will proceeded to get ready for the day while Jay got back into bed and proceeded to drink his coffee, call Hailey (who was on her into work), and watch highlights of last night's NHL playoff games.
You and Will went to Kansas City Health College and University and right off the bat, you already got better vibes than those at SAU. Everyone was friendlier, maybe that was just a Midwest thing, but either way, you'd take it.
You toured the school (well, it was more like a building) and you liked it better than SAU as well. They were all about their students here and it was obvious they cared about them and their success. There was a student area complete with a fridge where you could store your lunches for the day and a microwave to use, as well as some comfy chairs and a couch for students to study on and relax. There was a little bar area where students could eat or study. And, there were even two gaming consoles in front of a flat-screen tv, a foosball table, and a ping-pong table for students to use so that they can chill out and hang out with friends. The lady who was giving you a tour even said that last week, they even had a staff vs students ping-pong tournament.
Then, you went and looked at some of the classrooms along with the lab, which you would be using for your neuroanatomy lab and she went over some of the other things the school offered, such as counseling services.
Then, she gave you time to ask any questions you might have for her, you met with the program director and asked her program specific-questions, such as scheduling and the like, and then you met with the dean of students who just wanted to introduce herself and let her know that you could come to her with any concerns you might have.
The entire tour and meetings/question and answer sessions only lasted about two hours, but one thing was for sure: you had found the school for you.
(And, once you were completely finished, Will took a picture of you outside the school that you planned to post on your Instagram tonight.)
***
"How'd it go?" Jay asked when you and Will walked back into the hotel room. This time, Jay's hair was wet and you assumed he had gone to the gym and then taken a shower while you had been gone because you'd now been gone from the hotel for a total of three hours, and despite relaxing when you had left, you knew Jay couldn't sit still for three hours watching random sports highlights or shitty, unrealistic reality tv.
"She loves it," Will said before you could even answer the question.
"Really? Better than SAU, then?"
"Way better. They really care about their students." You then recapped everything you learned, including the student lounge area, how small the cohorts were, etc.
"I'm glad you like it. Ready to go look at apartments?"
That was what was next on your agenda, apartment hunting. You had used up the rest of your sick to take some time off in June to come back if you still needed to find an apartment, but you really didn't want to come back and look again if you didn't have to. You'd prefer to use that time to do things you needed to get done before moving such as going to the eye doctor to see if you needed new glasses and going to the dentist. And, not needing to use that time to come back down here to look at apartments meant that you could use those days for job interviews as well. That was another thing you needed to do after apartment hunting: job hunting.
"Just let me change first. I am not wearing dress pants to look at apartments. And, I'm putting my hair up," you told Jay.
After quickly changing into something more comfortable and putting your hair up, Will changed his clothes as well and the three of you went out to the car to start apartment hunting.
***
You had been looking at apartments online in a historic district called Regent's Circle. It looked very pretty in the photos, but they couldn't really do it justice. Once you parked and walked around, you knew this was where you wanted to live.
Since it was a historic district, it had old townhouses and cobblestone sidewalks, as well as a little coffee shop that Jay said you could go to after you looked at some apartments, a park right in the center of the area, and even a community garden.
It made you think of all the vintage cities you saw in photos and, since your grad school didn't have that old-timely Harvard/Yale feel, at least the place you were living would...if you could find an apartment here, that is.
You had three apartments you wanted to check out that you had found online, but if you found ones while walking around, you'd look at those as well.
The first one you looked at was nice, but it was really dimly lit and dark inside, which you didn't really like. You'd live there if that was the only thing available, but you didn't want to. (At least it was a loft and had exposed brick like you wanted. But, you had filtered for lofts. You wanted something like Kelly and Stella's apartment, but on a smaller scale...and something that you could afford.)
The second one you looked at, you absolutely fell in love with.
It was more expensive than the previous one, but it had a pool. And, something Jay liked was that the parking lot was gated and you needed a code to get in and you'd be on the second floor.
It was a one-bedroom and was a loft style, of course, so it was very open. There was a long marble island, so you wouldn't even need to buy a table, just a set of barstools. The main wall in the living/kitchen that faced the back of the building—as well as the dog park, so you could see cute puppies while watching tv—, was all exposed brick with some windows on it. There were also beams exposed in the ceiling.
The bathroom sink was separate from the shower/tub and the toilet, meaning someone could do their makeup while someone else was going to the bathroom if needed. But, this wasn't your favorite part about the bathroom. No, your favorite part was that it was a wide, circular bathtub/shower, a soaking tub if you will, which would come in handy for taking warm, relaxing baths after long days of classes, studying, and practicums.
And, something that Jay pointed out, the floor was concrete, so you didn't have to worry about spilling something on the carpet and staining it and getting charged for it. (You assumed Jay was speaking from experience during his bachelor pad days, but when you asked him, he said he was pleading the fifth.)
The apartment definitely gave you Stella and Kelly vibes and it was in a safe area.
Then, you finished the tour by looking at the fitness center and then gave the manager who had helped you your email address and phone number and he gave you a few pieces of paper with information as well as his business card.
"That's the one I want," you told Jay and Will when you were sitting outside at the little coffee shop a quarter mile away from the apartment you had just toured drinking a latte and eating a danish.
"It's a bit pricey," Jay pointed out.
"They're all like that if she wants it in a safe area," Will said.
"Would you rather have me be safe and live in a bit more expensive apartment? Or not be safe and live in a cheap apartment? Plus, there's an in-unit washer and dryer, which you know is a deal-breaker for me."
All the way back when you were in Arizona, you had told Will that having an in-unit washer and dryer was one of your non-negotiables for your apartment. You knew that being a busy grad student, you wouldn't have all day to spend at a laundromat or in a community laundry area in your apartment, so you needed an in-unit washer and dryer.
"She's got a point, Jay," Will agreed. "And, she's got some savings to pull from if she can't find a job right away."
"And it's five minutes away from school and I don't need to drive on the highway. I'm saving money in gas and time without all the traffic."
"And here I thought Will was the boujee sibling," Jay said, causing Will to roll his eyes.
You smiled. "I'll take that as your seal of approval."
And three days later, when you were back at work and had downtime during your shift, you applied for the apartment.
***
Two and a half months later, mid-July
Everything was in place. You secured the apartment you wanted in Regent's Circle in Kansas City, you had gotten an online tutoring job that was flexible where you could work from home, so you could work around your school and practicum schedules, and you were mostly packed up. (And you had gotten into SAU even after bombing the interview, but decided not to go because they—especially Dr. Haldon—absolutely did not pass the vibe check...and they got back to you two months later instead of two weeks like they had originally told you.) Your favorite coworkers had even thrown you a little surprise goodbye party complete with mini cupcakes and a few gifts, which included a card, two energy drinks, and a Starbucks gift card.
And now, you were leaving in two days, which was why you were very confused when Jay had made you stop doing laundry and packing up last-minute things and told you to get ready because you were going somewhere.
"Hailey, help me out here," you began, "where are we going?"
"Can't tell you that," she told you.
"Okay...how do I need to dress then?"
"Casual," she answered. "With a little bit of makeup."
You nodded. "Still didn't give me any hints. Rude."
And then you walked into your room to change and do your makeup with Jay and Hailey laughing in the background.
***
"Molly's? Really?" You asked when Jay parked on the street where Molly's Pub was located. "You couldn't have just told me that?"
"I'm just picking something up from Kelly," Jay answered. "And, I thought you might want to see Stella one more time before you leave and she's bartending tonight."
The three of you got out of Jay's truck—Hailey citing the fact that who knows how long Jay and Kelly would talk as her reasoning for not staying in the truck—and then walked into Molly's.
"Surprise!" was what you heard when you walked in.
You looked around with wide eyes to see a banner that said Farewell Y/N! and everyone from Intelligence, 51, and everyone you knew at Med. Even Voight was here and from snippets of conversation you had heard here and there, he was one step above being legally barred from entering Molly's.
You put your hand over your mouth as tears came to your eyes. "You guys."
"You didn't think we'd send you off without a party, did you?" Kelly asked.
"I wasn't expecting one, no."
Then Stella walked up to you. "Well, you got one. And all your drinks are on the house tonight." She handed you a drink. "Starting with this cherry vodka sour."
Stella knew that was your favorite.
A few minutes later, after everything had died down a bit, Voight came up to you while you were talking to Stella and Kelly at the bar.
"Congrats, kid," he said.
"Thank you," you replied.
"You've always been sort of like a daughter to me and to everyone in Intelligence for that matter, so I'm gonna keep it short." He handed you an envelope. A fat envelope at that. "For rent. And, there's the numbers of a sergeant and a couple of officers I know down there in case you run into any trouble."
"I can't accept this. It's too much." You hadn't even opened it, but by the thickness of the envelope, you knew it contained a lot of money.
"You can and you will. Justin never really used his college fund, and I wanted it to go to something worthwhile."
(This was in fact, a lie. This was money from Voight being Voight, but you didn't need to know that. And more importantly, Jay didn't need to know that...even though, after you counted out the bills, Jay would have his suspicions.)
You nodded. "Thank you."
"You're welcome. Stay out of trouble."
And then, he gave you a hug and left the bar because even though he was legally allowed to enter, he knew he still would never be accepted there. And, the less time he spent there, the better.
***
After talking and laughing with everyone for about an hour, Hermann yelled to be heard over the noise.
"Okay, everyone! Listen up!" The room quieted. "It's time to give Y/N her presents."
Then, Ritter came out one of the employees-only doors, pushing a food service cart containing multiple gift bags and boxes wrapped in colorful wrapping paper.
You were just about to say something when the door opened and you whirled your head around.
You jumped off your barstool and ran up to him.
"Casey!"
He pulled you into a hug. "You didn't think I'd miss my favorite kid's going away party, did you?"
"I thought you were in Oregon!"
"Just in time," Will said.
Then, you looked between your two brothers and at all of the firefighters in the bar. They didn't look surprised to see Casey at all.
"You knew about this?"
Jay laughed. "Who do you think told him?"
"Enough with the logistics," Casey yelled. "Get this kid a drink! On me!"
"Her drinks are already free tonight!" Kelly yelled. "Which you would've known if you got here on time."
"Nice to see you, too, Severide," Casey shot back.
There were a couple of chuckles heard throughout the bar and then Hermann spoke up again.
"Open the gifts so we can get this cart out of here, will you?"
You laughed and shook your head and then opened your gifts, thanking every single person as you went.
51 got you a fire extinguisher and a Slamigan, which Kelly explained was less about opening doors and more for whacking someone over the head if they tried to break into your apartment. All the doctors and nurses got together and made you the best first aid kit you had ever seen, complete with more stuff than even Jay had in the first aid kit at home and you thought his was the best at-home first aid kit around. And, Intelligence got you a master lock for your door just for some added security. Also, Kevin and Adam got you a Taser. (They had to specify that it was just from them because Jay vetoed it for the joint gift, so they got it for you themselves.) And, Gallo, Ritter, and Violet gave you a case of their lightest IPA and a 12-pack of grapefruit seltzer so that you Jay, Hailey, and Will would have something to drink while working on moving you into your apartment.
Then, they did something that was even more unexpected than giving you all these gifts: they started chanting speech.
"Here, take this," Stella handed you a shot of what you assumed was vodka. "Liquid courage."
You took it and then took a deep breath.
"I wasn't really prepared to give a speech—I wasn't prepared for any of this since it was a surprise—so it might not be the greatest," you began. You looked around the room at everyone who had come out to celebrate you tonight, of all people. "Thank you all for coming, it really means a lot. Stella, thank you for making my hair beautiful for all my dances senior year. Sylvie, thank you for helping me with my biology homework when Will was busy at work so he couldn't help me. Thank you to all of 51 for making me laugh when I had to spend days there when I was younger when Will and Jay were busy and couldn't stay with me. Kelly and Matt, thank you for teaching me how to use a fire extinguisher and how to change the batteries in a smoke detector.
"Everyone at Med, thank you for putting up with me when I went to Med to find Will even if I was pulling you away from your jobs. I'm also sorry about that." That got a couple of laughs from some people. "Hannah, thank you for all your help earlier this year. I would've been even more of a mess if it weren't for your help.
"Trudy, thank you for putting up with me when I'd run into the district looking for Jay and for always giving me money to go get a snack and a pop from the vending machines. Kim, thank you for helping me with my Spanish. Kevin, thank you for taking me for my very first ride in a cop car when you were on patrol and Kim was pulled up to Intelligence for the day. Sorry, Trudy." She glared at Kevin, but then laughed, so you knew it wasn't that serious. "Adam, thank you for teaching me how to pick locks because Jay told me that he'd never teach me that."
Now, you turned to face Hailey and your brothers and the tears started to fall.
"Hailey, thank you for coming into my brother's life and for loving him and during that time, for loving me as well. Thank you for becoming the closest thing to a mom that I've ever had."
Hailey put her hand over her mouth and blinked rapidly to hold back her tears, but then just gave up and let a few of them slide down her cheeks.
"And to Will and Jay, God I can't even put into words how much you two mean to me. You became like father figures to me. Your both have put your careers on the line whether that be to pick me up from school on time, or to leave a shift to come to one of my academic awards ceremonies. Thank you. And thank you for putting up with me for these past six months and for being there and helping me through this process. I couldn't have done it without you both."
By the end of your speech, there wasn't a dry eye in the house.
And, despite saying that you didn't really think you'd miss Chicago and would relish living on your own, by the end of the night, you knew that in two days, you'd feel pangs of homesickness when you drove away from all these people who had become like a family to you over the years.
***
4 days later
You looked around your apartment at all the hard work you, Jay, Will, and Hailey had put in during these past two days. The four of you had hauled ass the past two days to get you completely moved in by Sunday night so that Will, Jay, and Hailey could leave and be home at a decent time in the morning so that Will could make it to his 3 pm-3 am shift on time.
"We should probably get going," Will stated. He had said that an hour ago, but there had been a silent agreement between the four of you to prolong your brothers' and sister-in-law's stay as long as possible. Even though you said you were more excited than nervous, it didn't mean that you wouldn't miss them.
You were not going to cry because you knew if you started crying, you'd want to jump in Jay's truck and go home with them, and you knew you couldn't do that.
"One last picture," Hailey said and pulled out her phone, and handed it to Will, who was the tallest of the four of you.
You all crowded together while Will held Hailey's phone and took a selfie.
Now, it was time for goodbye.
Hailey was up first.
"I'm gonna miss you," she told you.
Tears sprang to your eyes. "I'm gonna miss you, too. Make sure Jay doesn't get shot, okay?"
"I'll do my best. You know he's a bullet magnet."
"Unfortunately."
Then, you gave her a big hug. She knew how much she meant to you and vice versa, so there wasn't a need for a long, drawn-out goodbye between you two.
Next up, was Will.
He pulled you into a hug and told you he'd love and miss you and then pulled away and put his hands on your shoulders.
"You call me if you need anything, okay? And I mean anything."
All you could do was nod because you knew if you said anything, you'd just start crying.
Last but certainly not least, was Jay.
He gave you a bone-crushing hug, during which you tried not to sob.
But, when he pulled away and you saw him trying his best to hold back tears, that's when the waterworks started.
"I'm gonna miss you, so much!"
Jay hugged you again. "And I'm gonna miss you, too. But I am so, so proud of you."
You nodded and wiped your tears. "I love you, Jay Jay."
"Love you, too, kiddo."
Jay took a deep breath to steady himself. "We need to go, but if you need anything at all, I'm only eight hours away, about five or six with lights and sirens."
"I know. Voight might kick your ass for using them all the way to Kansas City, though."
"That would probably be Platt, which is arguably scarier."
Then, you walked the three of them to your door and watched them leave.
Hailey sent you the picture and you posted some highlights of these two days including another picture in front of your school of the four of you that you had a passerby take and some funny videos you took while moving in, one of which was Jay and Will arguing over how to build a couch because Jay refused to read the directions.
Then, you posted all of these on your Instagram with the caption Onto the next adventure.
Jay and Hailey both reposted the post on their Instagram stories with Jay captioning it Not a dad, but I think this is what being a proud dad feels like with a heart emoji at the end, and Will posted the picture of the four of you in front of your school on his account with the caption Soon, there will be two Dr. Halsteads.
And, little did you know, Jay, Will, and Hailey did not have to be back tomorrow because Will had to work. That was a lie. They were getting a hotel room to make sure everything went okay on your first night alone in your apartment.
Because even though you were living on your own and would be a state away, they would do anything to help you succeed, whether that be helping you with applications, going with you to an ultrasound, or telling you a white lie so that they could make sure you were okay.
You wouldn't trade them for the world.
And, Jay had been right: you got this.
A/N: If you made it this far, congratulations! You finished my longest imagine ever! If you liked it, don't forget to reblog/like and comment because I love hearing what you guys think! As always, if you want to be added to my taglist, just tell me and I’ll add you!
taglist: @theambracer88 @virtualreader @kelelas-life @celyndavies @brookerz122493 @musicismyescape27 @anotherfan07 @thexplosivegirl @dreamingwithlens @xoxmariaxox @911ls-tarlos @iamasimpingh0e @i-like-sparkly-things @herecomesthewriterwitch @liampayne88 @glitterquadricorn @luvreading67 @smoothdogsgirl @afriendlyneighborhoodhufflepuff@actlikesummerr @lcothr523 @star-wars-lover
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Invisible String, a Halstead!Sister fanfiction
Chapter 8 on!
#chicago med fanfiction#chicago pd fanfic#jay halstead#jay halstead fanfic#will halstead#chicago pd imagines#halstead!sister fanfic#halstead sister#halstead siblings fanfic#halstead!sister fanfiction#halstead siblings#lizzie halstead#halstead brothers#halstead!sister#ao3#ao3 update#ao3 fanfic#chicago pd fanfiction#chicago med fanfic#will halstead fanfic
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Well, This Is Awkward
Summary: Lyla walks in on something she didn’t expect to see.
TW: Making out
Word Count: Somewhere around 543
Note: Hi! This just randomly popped in my head whilst thinking about Upstead. (I read it after originally posting [if that makes sense 😭] and edited it slightly but yeah anyway)
I’m working on some more scenarios, idk if you really care but oh well if you do you know now lol.
Anyway, I hope you like this one! (:
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“What did you guys do?” Will inquired on the other line, Lyla struggling to control her laughter.
He was referring to the prank Lyla and Mia pulled on Dante, and it was pretty funny.
“Just tell me!” Will whined, Lyla trying to suppress her laughter.
“O-Okay.” Lyla cleared her throat, taking a sip of her water before speaking, “We might’ve made all of his shirts pink.”
“Lyla!” Will exclaimed, Lyla bursting into laughter.
Lyla calmed down once again, making her way to the front door, “Hey, at least he won’t look homeless anymore!”
“You have a good point.” Lyla smiled in pride at herself as Will continued, “How did he react?”
“He was pissed.” Lyla put her phone between her ear and her shoulder as she opened the door, taking another sip of her water as she stepped inside.
Lyla’s eyes went wide with surprise as she began to choke on her water, shocked at the sight in front of her.
She knew Jay and Hailey had to have had feelings for each other, sure. What she didn’t expect was to witness a makeout session on the couch in the living room. No, she was not expecting that at all.
Lyla finally stopped choking, Jay and Hailey looking at her, embarrassment on their faces.
“Well,” Lyla chuckled nervously, clearing her throat, “This is awkward.”
“What’s awkward?” Will inquired from the other line.
“Shut up Will.” Lyla muttered, closing the door behind her.
She made her way across the house before turning around and walking backwards. She pointed to the stairs, “I’m gonna be in my room if you need me but uh, you guys seem pretty busy.”
“Lyla-” Jay started, trailing off at the end.
Lyla turned on her heels, running up the stairs, “Bye!”
Jay groaned in embarrassment as Lyla shut her door, making her way to her desk as she tried to get those images out of her head.
“What’s awkward?” Will asked, curiosity in his voice.
“Can you and I do something tonight?” Lyla suggested, ignoring the question.
“Sure. Do you want me to see if Jay-”
“He’s a little busy at the moment.”
“What- what does that mean?”
Lyla sighed dramatically, “I think I’m gonna be scarred for life.”
“You’ll be fine.”
Lyla chuckled, “Yeah, I totally didn’t just see my brother and his partner half naked on the couch.”
Will’s eyes widened as he parked his car, “Actually?!”
“No, I’m making it up.” Lyla replied sarcastically, “At least there’s one thing I can say.”
Will sighed, knowing exactly what Lyla was going to say, “What are you gonna say?”
“I told you so!”
“Yeah yeah. I’m outside.”
“Okay. I’m going through the back though.”
“Good idea.”
Lyla rolled her eyes, standing up from her chair and grabbing a hoodie as she hung up the phone. As she made her way downstairs and to the back door, she got a notification.
She pressed it, snickering as she read the text message from Jay.
“Don’t tell Will.”
“Too late.” Lyla hit the send button, pocketing her phone as she made her way outside.
“Finally.” Lyla thought as she made her way to Will’s car, glad that her brother and his partner were finally more than what Jay described as ‘really good friends.’
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*Finish*
I hope you enjoyed! If you want to request anything feel free to
#jay halstead#jay halstead imagine#jay halstead fanfiction#jay halstead fanfic#will halstead#will halstead imagine#will halstead fanfiction#will halstead fanfic#hailey upton#hailey upton imagine#hailey upton fanfiction#hailey upton fanfic#upstead#upstead imagine#upstead fanfiction#upstead fanfic#jay x hailey#hailey x jay#halstead!sister#halstead sister
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𝐇𝐢𝐝𝐝𝐞𝐧 𝐃𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫
*Gif and pics not mine credits to the owner*
• Pairing: Will Halstead x Fem!Reader.
• Requested: yes by anon.
• Summary: danger is always behind the corner and you learn to never let your guard down when you find yourself in a situation between life and death. Will your husband be able to save you? Will he find you in time?
• Warnings: mention of domestic violence, stab wound, blood, cursing, Will is kind of a dumbass at the beginning (what can we say? Men…)
• Word count: 5642.
• A/N: I fucking hate how this turned out bye. I’m sorry for any mistake or grammar error.
That morning everything seemed normal.
You treated patients, cured some, discharged others and between one break and another you wasted no time going to your husband to give him a little kiss.
“What do you want eat tonight baby?” he asked. You and Will were in the doctors' break room during one of the aforementioned breaks, only the two of you in there. You were sitting on the small couch next to each other, his arm around your shoulders while you ate a bag of chips.
“Do you want to cook?”.
He looked at you for a moment and you chuckled at his expression. You both had to do a double shift that day so you knew neither of you would even want to go near the kitchen once you got back home.
“I’d like Mexican, what you think?”.
“Hell yeah! You know I never say no to Mexican food.”
He laughed at the enthusiasm you showed, meanwhile playing with strands of your hair. “Mexican it is then.”
You continued to devour the chips under your husband’s gaze who looked at you as if he had seen a mystical creature for the first time. “What? I’m hungry.” You babbled with your mouth half full.
“You don't even share with your beloved husband? So greedy.”
You glared at him before taking the last chip left in the bag and shoving it into your mouth, moaning heartily in his face. “No matter how much I love you, you know very well I don't share my food with anyone.”
He rolled his eyes, trying to hide a smile. “Wipe your mouth you pretty little bitch.”
But before you could reach for a tissue he came closer to you and licked the corner of your mouth, bursting out laughing when you pushed him away, wiping yourself with a tissue from the coffee table in front of you. “Ew Will you're disgusting!”
“Disgusting? You don't seem to complain when you take my dick in...-”
You covered his mouth with your hand before he could finish his sentence and let someone hear, feeling him smile as his eyes glistened at you. You should’ve predicted though that in true child style, he’d lick the palm of your hand.
“Will for fuck’s sake! Stop it!”.
“I can’t! God baby you're so easy to piss of,” he continued laughing like it was the funniest thing in the world. You looked at him sideways before wiping your hand on his white coat. “C’mon give me a kiss now, come on.”
He wrapped his arms around your hips, trying to pull you towards him to kiss you while you tried to push him away by pressing your hands on his chest.
“No! Go away!”.
You continued to fight like children until, however, that playful atmosphere was interrupted when the door opened and Maggie entered.
“Here you are! Stop acting like lovebirds and go back to work. We have two new patients, victims of a car crash.”
After quickly washing your hands you left the break room, following Will and Maggie. You and Will exchanged a look before splitting up to go to the two patients.
The patient you took into your care – whose name you found out was Amanda – was in a critical condition: fractures of the femur and humerus not to mention the small fractures in almost her entire body, a sprained arm that would’ve required a cast, an internal hemorrhage due to the rupture of the spleen.
As you and the nurses worked to stabilize Amanda as quickly as possible, you couldn't help but notice something that bothered you quite a bit.
On her lower back, around her arms, on her thighs there were bruises that were not compatible with the dynamics of the car crash and which based on their almost faded color seemed to date back to some time ago.
“Amanda, did you have another accident a few days ago?” You asked her, your voice low so the rest of the team wouldn't hear you. She looked at you with a heartbroken expression and her eyes filled with tears before shaking her head.
“I'm just very clumsy and distracted, I often fall or bump into furniture and doors.”
Her voice was shaking and your heart tightened, knowing it was a complete lie.
“Amanda… You're safe here okay? Say one word, anything and whoever did this won't hurt you again...”
“No, no, no, no,” she became agitated and her heart monitor began to beep from her rapid heartbeat. “Please don't say anything doctor… He… Please. He's a good husband, he's just a little tired and stressed lately.”
“Hey, hey, it's okay Amanda, it's okay. I'm just here to help you.” You shook her hand and she nodded weakly. “But whatever he told you, it isn’t…-”
“It’s fine just… Just cure me.” She tore her eyes away from yours, bringing them to the ceiling even if more tears continued to fall.
It was clear that Amanda was a victim of domestic violence, she was literally terrified of her husband. You felt helpless, your heart broke for her even if you couldn’t even imagine what she was going through.
You were treating that woman knowing she’d go home and her husband would start beating her again. What kind of doctor were you if you hadn't helped her?
But how could you help someone who didn't want to be helped?
You should’ve called the police, but what would you have said to them? It was your assumption even if all the bruises and healed bone fractures were evidence of physical abuse, but you knew how the police worked, they couldn't do anything if there was no complaint from the victim. And you knew if you called them, Amanda would deny everything and it’d affect her worse than it already did.
You sent Amanda to run some tests and left her room after throwing away your gloves and washing your hands. Your mind was only focused on her as you filled out her medical records so much you didn't even hear Will come closer to you until he put his hand around her waist to great you, leaving a kiss on you temple.
“Baby you okay? How is the wife?” He asked as he picked up her bastard husband's newly created medical record.
“She was in critical condition but I believe she’ll make full recovery. The husband?”.
“He was luckier, he only suffered a few bruises and small fractures. The guy must be madly in love with his wife, all he did was ask about her and say he wanted to see her.”
“I think Amanda is a victim of domestic violence, your guy isn't in love at all,” you voiced your concerns before placing your pen on the papers and looking at Will.
“You sure?”.
“She has bruises all over her body clearly from days ago and her X-Rays show old healed fractures. Not mentioning how she’s terrified of him.”
“Wow…” Will breathed out, pinching the bridge of his nose with two fingers. “There must be an explanation…”
“Babe did you hear a word I just said? We have to help that woman. He’ll kill sooner or later.”
“Don't you think you're a little bit exaggerating a little love?” Will put his hands on your shoulders “If she doesn't tell you anything there's nothing we can do…”
“Will, he beats the shit out of her and God knows what else does to her!” You whispered/shouted with frustration. “She doesn't say anything so we let that bastard beat her?”.
“I didn’t mean that! What I was trying to say is just… Don't jump to conclusions, there must be other reasons why she must’ve gotten those bruises…”
“Oh yeah of course. She must hit herself on the side so hard she left a shoe imprint on her skin for fun. This really makes sense.” You snapped the folder close and walked away, ignoring Will who tried to call you out.
You were pissed off.
It was always the same exact story, over and over again.
How the fuck were women supposed to trust the system and report abuses when those who were part of this system didn't even believe them?
You talked to Amanda, stood by her side during her MRI and the other tests, keeping her away from her husband as much as possible.
You didn't force her to say anything, you didn't insist to let her talk about what was happening in her household. It wouldn't do her any good, you wanted her to know she had a choice, you wanted to give her as much time as possible to think about what to do.
“Whatever happened I believe you Amanda, okay? You don't have to be afraid and I'll be here to help you if you want.”
That was all you said to her about the topic and she nodded slightly before bursting into a liberating and heartbreaking cry. You stayed with her the whole time, hugging her and reassuring her that everything would be okay, that she wasn’t alone.
Yet she said nothing to you, nothing about her husband, deeply terrified of the consequences there might be.
She eventually fell asleep and you let her rest, telling the nurses to always keep an eye on her and to let you know immediately if anything happened.
“Dr. Y/Ln, Mr. Connell's X-Rays just arrived, Dr. Halstead left for another patient.” A nurse had told you as soon as you passed by their station. Your heart skipped a beat, realizing you didn’t meet Amanda’s husband yet.
You wanted so much to let him rot in hell but you couldn't, you had duties to fulfill as a doctor even if he was the most disgusting piece of shit on earth.
You took the envelope with the X-Rays and thanked the nurse before she went back helping other patients. You went to the bastard's room, taking a deep breath before entering.
You tried to hide your indignation as soon as you saw him lying on the bed, maintaining a professional and impassive expression.
“Who are you? Where is Dr. Halstead?” He asked as soon as you entered his room.
“I'm Dr. Y/Ln, he's busy at the moment.”
“My wife… Do you know where she is? How is she?”. If you hadn't seen the condition of Amanda's body you would’ve even thought he was really worried.
Son of a bitch.
You swallowed the anger that threatened to release words you’d regret and that you knew Amanda would pay the price for. “She's fine. She’s doing some tests,” you deadpanned before taking the X-Ray out of the folder. “There are no serious fractures, just a small one here on the collarbone…”
“I want to know where my wife is. Why doesn't anyone tell me anything?” He blurted out, not even letting you finish your sentence.
“Sir, as I said, she’s doing some tests. She was in quite critical condition and we’re doing our best to treat her,” you replied in a flat tone although your heart was pounding. The way he was looking at you made your skin crawl and your heart ached for Amanda and the fact she had to live with this piece of shit every single day.
“What tests is she doing?”.
“I’m sorry but I cannot discuss clinical details of other patients with other people.”
He looked at you angrily. “What the hell are you talking about? I’m her husband! I have the right to know how my wife is doing!”.
“Mr Connell I’m just trying to do my job. I just came here to show you your X-Rays, like…” You continued talking, holding up them again to show them to him but cut yourself off when he pulled the covers away from his body and stood up abruptly, making you take a step back in fear.
“What’s going on doctor? Why don't you want to update me on my wife's health status?” He stated through gritted teeth, taking steps towards you and looking at you menacingly. You slowly took as many steps back, your breathing quickening as fear took over you.
“Mr Connell, just go back to bed…”
“What did that filthy whore say to you?” He spat and you were about to rush to the door and run away when he violently pushed you against it, making you fall to the ground.
“What. Did. She. Say.” He grabbed your hair in a fist and pulling you back to your feet.
You squirmed to try to escape his grasp, digging your nails into his skin. “She didn't tell me anything… I don't know what you're talking about…”
He punched you in the face in response, causing you to let out a loud cry of pain as you fell to the ground again.
“Fuck,” you muttered, holding a hand to your nose and realizing you were bleeding.
In that moment you had a glimpses of what Amanda had to go through every single day of her life and you could really understand why she was so terrified of that man.
“Oh you know exactly what I'm talking about you bitch.”
You tried to get up but he grabbed your hair in a fist again and pushed you with force towards the emergency cart in the room, so violently some objects fell from it and some drawers opened.
“You piece of shit…” you spat as you tried to get up but he walked over to you and kicked you back to the ground.
It all happened quickly.
So quickly that between his attacks you didn't even have time to process what was happening. He was overpowering you and every time you tried to hit him so you could escape, he hit you back.
He pushed you on the floor, picked you up and tossed you around the room as if you were a garbage bag.
You were lying on the ground, curled up in a fetal position as you held your stomach after a painful kick to the stomach.
Your mind went to Will, wanting nothing more than your husband in that moment.
Baby please help me.
You lay down on your back in an attempt to catch some breath but a scream echoed through the room.
Your whole body froze and in an instant everything around you stopped.
What happened?
Was that scream yours?
A searing pain went through your abdomen and a warm sensation enveloped your body.
You lifted your head slightly only to realize in horror you had a pair of scissors impaled in your abdomen.
He fucking stabbed me.
You had treated hundreds of thousands of patients with stab wounds, you had always tried to reassure them, telling them you knew it hurt but everything would be fine.
But the truth was that you had no idea what your patients were feeling, the paralyzing fear, the excruciating pain, the terror of not surviving.
You don't fully know things until you go through them and in that moment, as the blood poured out of your stomach and smeared your red uniform, making it two shades darker, your body paralyzed by shock, you really understood how it felt.
Your chest rose and fell quickly as you struggled to breathe properly. Tears began to fell from your eyes when you saw the man bending over you and at that precise moment you feared your time had come.
You feared you’d never see Will again, that he wouldn’t find out until you were dead.
You needed him, you wanted your husband.
Please Will I need you.
The man pulled the scissors out of your wound which started to bleed a lot more, staining the floor red.
He looked into your eyes and the coldness he showed almost shocked you. They were glassy, empty, devoid of emotions and any trace of remorse.
“When you see my beloved wife, tell her to start planning her funeral.”
Without looking back, he walked out of the room and closed the door behind him, leaving you dying and immersed in a pool of your own blood.
The wound burned stingingly as you brought your trembling hands to it to try to make pressure, but in vain.
How could so much blood come out of a not so big wound?
Sounds of throbbing pain continued to escape your lips, your breathing heavy, your heart beating wildly.
You tried to move and lift yourself up but every time you ended up lying back on the ground.
You were too weak.
What you managed to do was crawl on your elbows, leaving a trail of blood on the floor with every step you made.
You raised an arm to try to open the door. Your trembling fingers even managed to wrap around the handle but the blood on them made you slip and fall to the floor again.
Your breathing was starting to slow down, as was your heartbeat. That feeling of heat that invaded your body turned into cold, forming goosebumps all over your skin.
You were tired. So incredibly tired.
You just wanted to get some sleep and rest a bit.
So you closed your eyes, not knowing if you’d open them again.
Will looked everywhere for you but couldn't find you. He even looked for you in Amanda's room who, however, had told him she hadn't seen you for some time. He thought you were avoiding him but he couldn't think you had abandoned your patients just to avoid talking to him.
“Have you seen Y/n?” He had asked Maggie as soon as he saw her walk by.
“No, but I’ll tell her to look for you as soon as I see her.”
It felt like you had disappeared off the face of the earth, he knew you’d never have left without warning unless it was an emergency.
He tried to page you so many times, to call you on your cell phone but nothing, he received no answer. His mind tried not to immediately think something bad had happened, he couldn't even imagine it, but it was all he could think about at that moment since no one seemed to have seen you for a while.
He thought you might’ve gone to talk to Amanda's husband, knowing you would’ve tried to confront him. So he went towards Jack’s room but he stopped in his tracks before opening the door when his feet stepped on something wet.
He lowered his gaze and looking down he soon realized with horror it was blood.
He tried to open the door carefully, his heart beating wildly as he imagined all sorts of scenarios in front of him.
The door didn't open completely, as if there was some sort of resistance on the other side, so Will tried to squeeze through the small space.
But nothing could’ve prepared him for what his eyes saw, for what he never wanted to see.
His heart stopped beating for a few seconds when his eyes fell on the unconscious figure lying on the floor and immersed in a pool of her own blood. That figure he’d never, ever wanted to see in that condition, not even in his worst nightmares. YOU.
“Oh my god Y/n!” He loudly exclaimed, immediately kneeling next to you and pressing his hands on your wound from which blood was still flowing. You didn't react, your eyes were closed, your heartbeat slow.
“Baby, wake up… Please, please, please, open your eyes.”
How long were you there? Why hadn't anyone notice this?
“Somebody help me! Hurry up!”.
“Oh shit!” The nurse who rushed there screamed, putting her hands over her mouth as soon as she saw Will kneeling down, covered in your own blood.
“Where the fuck were you?!” Will exclaimed angrily, his mind completely clouded from the anger, the confusion, from the fear of coming too late.
“Oh God… I… I gave her the patient's X-Rays… There was an emergency and… And… I-I had to leave…” she stammered, shocked.
Will gave her a murderous look that would’ve killed her on the spot if he could. He knew it wasn't her fault, just the bastard who did this to you, but he couldn't help but blame someone in that moment.
He brought his eyes back to you, only then noticing the scratches and bruises that surrounded your face.
Oh baby what did they do to you?
“I'm here love, I'm here… It's okay. You’ll be fine. Just hang on for a bit.”
One of his hands let go of your wound to check your pulse, realizing it was barely noticeable. His heart tightened in a vice as he caressed her face, staining it with your own blood.
“Please wake up, please… Don't do this to me baby, you can't… You can't… I need you…” He kept repeating, his eyes starting to glaze over with tears after yelling for help again. Dr. Crockett, who was passing by at the time, intervened immediately as soon as he realized what was happening.
“What the hell happened?!” He asked urgently as he watched the horrific scene that seemed to come out from a horror movie. “We need to take her to the OR immediately, prepare four bags of 0 neg, she's lost too much blood!”
But Will didn't let you go, he continued to stay there putting pressure on your wound and keeping his gaze fixed on you.
“Will…” Crockett murmured placing a hand on his shoulder “She'll be make it okay? She’s in good hands but you have to let me do my job, you can’t be here.”
“Will!”.
Only then he seemed to realize Crockett was actually talking to him. He slightly nodded, reluctantly letting you go and watching as they carried you away.
He was in shock, struggling to believe what was happening was reality and not just a fucking nightmare.
He raised his now red and trembling hands and his eyes looked at them for a few moments, analyzing and carefully observing the blood he hardly struggled to believe was yours.
What the hell happened?
There was no doubt it was that bastard Jack Connell who did this to you and an anger he had never felt before ran through him.
He was furious.
Furious because he had allowed someone to hurt you, because he had failed to protect you, furious with himself because he didn’t believed you when you expressed your concern.
He was devastated.
Desperate.
It was all his fault.
He stayed there for he didn't know how long, looking at those hands that until recently were pressing on your wound, the same hands that until a few hours before were holding you and hugging you.
When he finally looked up around the room, he noticed what a dire, chaotic mess there was and it was clear there had been a fight before.
Only then he realized there was no trace of that bastard, that he had probably already escaped from the hospital and with the tumultuous coming and going of patients, nurses and doctors no one had even noticed him.
He took his cell phone out of his pocket, not caring he was getting blood on it, and with trembling fingers dialed Jay's number.
Jay almost had a heart attack when he heard about what happened and seeing his brother covered in blood was awful even if he knew it wasn't his. He was worried for you while trying to calm Will down. But he was still in a catalytic state so Jay stayed with him, helping him clean himself up.
Will explained to his brother it was probably Jack Connell who did it, he told him your concerns about him mentally and physically abusing his wife but that he didn't believe you.
“It's not your fault okay? I want you to understand this. It was his fault, it’s him who did this to her and I promise we’ll get him and make him pay for what he did to her, he’ll rot in prison. An attack on Y/n is an attack on all of us.” He tried to reassure Will. “She'll make it, she’s strong but she needs you now, she needs you to be by her side, I know you're scared now but you have to be strong for her, brother.”
Will was completely losing his mind while waiting for your surgery to be over, not sitting for even a minute as he paced back and forth in the waiting room, waiting at the same time some news from Jay.
When Crockett finally came out of the OR and announced the surgery had gone well and that he had managed to sew up the wound, Will couldn't help but hug him in the throes of joy and happiness.
As he walked to the ICU, he felt a weight pressing down on his shoulders, anxiety gnawing at his stomach to the point it made him feel nauseous.
His legs trembled as he approached your bed, his palms sweated, his eyes watered as he looked at you lying on that bed, unconscious.
He sat down on a chair next to you, taking one of your hands as his thumb caressed your skin. He pressed his lips on your knuckles, leaving a chaste and small kiss so light as if he was afraid of hurting you.
He sniffed when he realized a few tears had escaped his eyes, quickly wiping them away with his fingers. “I'm so sorry baby, this wasn't supposed to happen to you,” He whispered, looking at you while struggling to keep his emotions inside.
He felt terribly guilty.
It was his fault you were on that bed.
It was his fault you had to suffer.
His heart tightened as he thought about what you had to go through and he hated himself for not being able to prevent it, for not believing you.
He didn't want to think about how scared you had been, how terrified you were of dying, how many you had called for him but he didn’t come.
“I'm so sorry I didn't believe you, I'll never forgive myself,” he kept talking to you. “How can you be so beautiful even on a hospital bed? I really am a lucky bastard.”
He smiled faintly as he looked at you. “Please wake up baby, show me those beautiful eyes I fell so madly in love with… I’m begging you…”
He stood up and left a kiss on your forehead while stroking your hair at the same time before sitting back on the chair.
“I already miss you so much you know that? I'm sorry I don't tell you often how much I love you, I'm sorry I only realized now that I risked losing you how much you mean to me. Don't get me wrong I already know this, you’re one of the most important person in my life, God only knows I can't live without you... But I didn't realize how intensely and deeply you affect my life Y/n. You… Damn it…” He finished the sentence with a sigh as he tried to find the right words.
“I can't exist without you, I can't think properly, I can’t breathe, I... I’m nothing. You completed me, you always managed to fill the void I’ve always felt inside, you’ve always been that fundamental piece to complete the puzzle. Just… Please… Please don't leave me.”
There was a moment of silence, broken only by the beeps of the monitor connected to your heart. He left another kiss on the back of your hand, his eyes never leaving your sleeping face.
“I love you so much Y/n Halstead, you have no idea how much. I stop to think about our wedding day every now and then and you don't know how much money I’d pay to go back to that day and see you again in that beautiful white dress... God I would say yes to you a million more times and if we lived other lives I would say yes to you in those too because meeting you and marrying you was the best thing I've ever done in my entire life.”
“I'm so sorry…” He whispered, the words dying in his throat before he let out a silent cry, his forehead resting on the bed as he continued to silently pray.
“I heard you the first thousand times Dr Halstead…”
Will snapped his head to you, his eyes widening and almost having a heart attack when he saw you were finally awake and looking at him.
You had a small smile on your lips, trying not to chuckle as you looked at the shocked look on his face.
“Baby oh my fucking god!” He almost screamed before leaning over you and hugging you in the rush of joy and happiness. He held you tightly for an indefinite time, fearing for a moment it was a hallucination.
He let you go though when you let out a painful sigh. “Shit I'm sorry love.” He sat down again. “How are you? How are you feeling? You need something? Are you hurting? God I missed you so much.”
“The wound hurts a little but overall I'm fine...” You replied, your voice thick and hoarse. “What happened? Where is that son of a bitch? Is Amanda okay?”.
“He ran away after what… What he did to you and I called Jay, they'll catch him I promise. Amanda is okay, Jay questioned her and she told him everything, you were right about the abuse… I’m so sorry for not believing you.”
You nodded feebly, momentarily looking away from Will who kept his eyes on you with a broken look on his face, and you took a deep breath, more painful than you would’ve ever imagined.
Image after image of the attack replayed in your mind.
Of the screams no one seemed to hear.
Of the prayers to let you go.
Of his hands punching you and throwing you against the walls and objects in the room as if you were garbage.
Of his feet kicking you.
Of those scissors that had torn your skin and stabbed you.
“Oh baby.” You felt Will's thumb wipe away a tear that had slipped down your temple without you even realizing it. “C’mere.”He stood up and hugged you as best he could again, being careful this time not to hurt you. “It's okay, you're here with me now and you're safe. That piece of shit won't hurt you again I promise.”
It was as if that hug had triggered something inside you and you burst into tears, lifting your arms and encircling his chest while venting all the suppressed emotions.
“I was… I was so scared Will… T-that I wouldn't see you again…”
Will pressed his lips to your forehead, leaving a sweet and long kiss as he savored and thanked the angels for still giving the opportunity to do it.
“I know darling, I know, I can't even imagine what you went through…”
He stroked your hair, your skin marred by scratches and bruises. “It shouldn't have happened to you, I'm so sorry my love. I'm sorry I couldn't protect you...” he kissed you again. “But you're safe now okay? Now you're here with me, you're safe, and unless I’ll die I'll never let you out of my sight again.”
You giggled through your tears, hugging again the man you loved more than anything else.
“I love you so much more Will Halstead, it's not your fault okay? Please always remember that, it wasn't you who did it but that son of a bitch.”
He didn't answer but held you tighter, hiding his face in the crook of your neck while your fingers ran through his fluffy hair. Your heart broke when you realized he was crying.
“Hey, hey, it's okay. You really think I would leave you? Who would’ve made your life a living hell if I died?” You tried to ease the tension. “Oh baby I love you so much.”
“I thought I lost you… When I found you there…” His words came muffled but he stopped, not even being able to finish the sentence. He didn't want to think about those horrible moments anymore, about the fear he felt, even though he knew those images would never leave his mind.
A feeling of anguish took hold of you after hearing he was the one who found you. You couldn't imagine how horrible it was to find your wife, your partner, the person you care about most, almost dying.
“Shh it’s okay,” you whispered “Look at me.”
He slightly lifted his head and if your heart wasn't broken enough already, it was in that moment. You cupped your hands over his face, wiping away his tears with your thumbs. He leaned into your touch, looking at you as if you were one of the seven wonders of the world.
“I'm here, I'll get better. It’s. Not. Your. Fault. If anything you saved me baby, if you hadn't found me I would’ve probably bled to death so stop blaming yourself okay? Do it for me.“
He nodded and you smiled before pressing your lips to his in a sweet, gentle kiss.
“I’m so sorry love I don’t want to make this about me,” he said wiping again his tears and you both chuckled.
“Yeah yeah, sure, you egocentric bastard.” You rolled your eyes and burst out laughing at the same time even if you stopped immediately after, holding your stomach. “Fuck it hurts.”
“I know you’re so funny baby but take it easy.”
Despite everything, despite the pain, the anxiety and the terror of dying, the fear of never seeing that red hair again, of never hugging him, you were so grateful for still being there. You were grateful to life for giving you another opportunity, for allowing to live, to cry again, to love.
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Napping - Will Halstead
Requested: yes
Word count: 664
Warnings: none
A/n: I want him to hold me like that.
Masterlist
The weekends were like a sacred oasis, the only time you and Will really had time to just… be. You could sleep in, go out. Personally the two of you were fond of going for runs in the morning before getting a nice breakfast.
After that was usually just whatever one or the other of you wanted to do, if anything and then you ended up back at home. Today, after going to the fair that was being held in the park, you and Will got home, the latter of you two falling onto the couch.
“I can’t believe you spent $30 on a plushie.” The red haired man shook his head slightly, tucking his hands behind his head as he looked up at you.
In your defense it was a big plushie and you really liked sharks so it was worth it. Teasingly you tossed the big plushie at him, hitting him in the chest. “First of all, his name is Winston. Second of all, I love him,” You pointed at Will as he looked over the grey shark.
With a smile he held his hands up in defeat, “Alright, alright. If you love Winston so do I,” he gave the stuffed animal a tight hug before gently placing it on the back of the couch, holding his arms open to you. “But I love you more so come here.”
His use of tight grabby hands made you laugh, letting your hair fall loose before moving to lay on his. “I’m here, now what,” You teased, poking his side lightly.
He did the same thing back, a smile breaking onto his face when you squirmed. “Now I hold onto you,” Will mumbled, running his hand up your back.
“Why don’t we go lay down in beeed, it’ll be comfier,” you questioned, pressing a soft kiss to his chest. Will hummed faintly, tracing imaginary details across your clothed back.
He glanced down, a smile on his face, “Cause this is comfortable. And you get to be on me,” He shrugged faintly. If there was one thing he loved it was the weight of you on top of him.
Not in a sexual way, but something about having your chest directly on his and feeling your heart against him just made him feel content.
And sure you could do that in bed, could lay on him but that would inevitably end with one of you guys on the other side of the bed since neither of you stayed still while sleeping.
So the couch was his way of making sure you stayed on him. “Fine, you’re lucky you make a good pillow,” You mumble, jokingly annoyed as you placed your head to his chest.
Something about hearing it beat made your face warm, adoring the closeness you had to him. “I like being your pillow,” Will murmured, his eyes closed as he continued to move his hand across your back.
Your own hand went under your chin, tucking into yourself as Will’s other arm lightly went to your side, hand just barely pressing to your side.
His hands on you brought you immense comfort, like the love he had for you was being transferred through his pores and into you. And maybe it was.
If Will Halstead was one thing, it was head over heels in love. And the cuddling at certified nap time was enough proof of that. You didn’t even mind that he fell asleep first. Everytime.
It gave you the opportunity to gaze at him without him realizing and without him making some sort of joke when he caught the look you were giving him.
And Will was peaceful when he slept. His eyelashes flush to his face, a relaxed look and aura coming from his entire body. Everything felt so calm. And the steady heartbeat and breaths of the man you adored always managed to lull you to sleep as well.
Just waiting to wake up later and have dinner together.
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Hi! You have so many good Chicago stories! I had an idea for a Will Halstead fic, if you'd be interested... OC/Reader is a nurse at Med, she and Will are a (newish?) couple. She has been sick or hurt, but isn't telling Will, to avoid worrying him - Sharon (or someone) has been on his ass, for something he didn't do of course, but he's been under a microscope, so she doesn't want to bother or distract him - until she passes out or ends up in an OR (depending on the illness/injury) and he finds out after the fact... Heavy on the angst is always good ;)
A/N: I'm a sucker for angst. Hope this is good enough. I tried researching as accurately as possible but there might be inaccuracies.
I'm posting this is celebration of not failing my exams which means no resitting! I didn't get the high grades I wanted but we move on. Enjoy!! Hope this is good enough.
Warnings: Canon-typical injuries, blood, angst w a happy ending, surgery
*****
Becoming a nurse was inevitable for you because it was the next best thing after a doctor and you didn't want to go through all those extra years of learning and debt.
You were born with a congenital heart defect as a result of your mother poorly caring for her diabetes during pregnancy. All your life, your parents had been on top of your health, always dragging you to specialists and making sure you were still taking your meds.
You moved states several years ago and now you weren't constantly reminded of the defect you were born with.
There were times though when you did get forgetful and Will never complained about your bad trait that you couldn't handle, he shrugged it off and made sure your health was one hundred percent.
Your relationship was in the honeymoon phase, six months in you were both decently comfortable. Everyone was aware of your relationship but you both agreed to keep work at work and home at home.
Recently, Will was under extra scrutiny from Sharon because of a small incident that happened in the ED when his brother rolled up bleeding from his shoulder. No one could blame him for his reaction, it was completely justified but that hospital were being asses and wouldn't let go.
Following this, your interactions at work decreased at your suggestion to make things a little easier for him. And at first, it was working but then it just got straight up frustrating.
All of a sudden, following the intense summer heatwave, everyone's workload doubled and your hours never lined up. You'd be leaving and he'd be preparing for his second double shift of the week.
And things only got worse from there. You were so busy because of the nurse shortages that your priorities began shifting, your health dwindling down the list.
But no one needed to know that.
*****
Week One
"And that's me done, you ready to break?" Will asked, setting aside the tablet on the desk. You both took your breaks together as much as you could, any time you could get together you would take.
"Yes I am." You nodded, slipping your hand into his as you began walking out of the ED. "I remember someone promising coffee from the cart outside."
Will chuckled, rolling his eyes at the reminder of the expensive coffee sitting outside that you loved. Just as he was going to reply, Maggie shouting your name stopped him.
Sighing, your heart felt heavy both figuratively and literally. With a sheepish smile, you pecked him on the cheek with a promise to catch him later on during shift.
Not being able to get a word in, Will simply watched you scurry off to help the next incoming patient, leaving him to change directions towards the cafeteria.
*****
Week two
You should've been more attentive but being short of breath after a run wasn't uncommon. It was early morning and Will's side of the bed was empty so you took what used to be a daily run alone.
As the day progressed, you started feeling tired and your fatigue progressed. It should've been the first sign to you that you needed to slow down and take care of yourself but the next shooting in Chicago just couldn't wait.
"Y/N, are you okay?" April asked, standing besides you with a new file in hand. "You look pale."
"I'm fine." You assured her, nodding as you licked your drying lips. "And before you ask, Will doesn't know and doesn't need to be interrupted, he has a patient in the ICU."
April backed away apprehensively, always trying to check up with you whenever time permitted. Maybe she was also to blame for not being more forceful with her concerns.
It wasn't her fault that she forgot you had a heart disease.
*****
Week three
"I love you so much." You muttered against his forehead before stepping away to leave the dark bedroom.
Will stirred slightly at the contact, shifting under the covers and further messing up his curls you so badly wanted to delve your fingers into but you were on a time crunch.
Just as you were leaving the room, your chest clenched, pain suddenly overtaking you. Clutching onto the door frame, your grip slacked and your bag dropped causing Will to wake up.
"What's wrong?" Will asked in his half awake state, completely disheveled. He was blinking the sleep away while he turned to you and tried to see what was wrong but failed due to severe sleep deprivation.
"Are you okay? What happened?" He continued, voice hoarse like it usually was after a deep sleep
For some reason, you struggled to form words, your chest feeling as though it was being stabbed repeatedly.
And for some reason, you couldn't come up with a logical excuse and you stupidly left without a word to your lover.
*****
Week four
You couldn't ignore it anymore.
It felt like your body was starting to give up on you. You were constantly tired and out of breath and the chest pains never let up, at times, they even doubled and felt worse than the worst of your period cramps.
The biggest flashing red warning sign should've been when you fainted in the bathroom after your shower.
You came home shattered from your 24 hour shift. Just as you walked in the door, Will was leaving for his 48 hour shift. At this point, you really felt like the world was against you.
You were kinda like roommates more than romantic partners. You were barely at home together and at work, you tried to keep interactions to a minimum after the small incident that the board was elevating ridiculously.
Waking up on the bathroom rug, your body felt numb almost paralysed. It was like what movies described comas to be but your chest was still pulsating in pain.
You weren't being a really good nurse because you simply got up, drank some water and ate some food before sleeping it off.
*****
Week five
The silence was suffocating.
The two of you finally got more than two minutes together but words somehow failed you.
With droopy eyes and furrowed brows, your hands itched to grab the blue scrubs covering your chest. If it wasn't for your boyfriend sitting opposite you, you would've been hunched over the sinks in the women's room.
"What's wrong?" It was a question but with that tone, it felt more like a demand. His two words hit you hard, your eyes dragging from the table up to his big brown eyes filled with nothing but eternal love and concern. "And don't say nothing cause that's clearly bullshit."
And for some reason, you flinched.
Licking your chapped lips, you scrunched your eyes closed at the pain encasing your heart. Despite being back on your medication, the pain didn't cease.
"Y/N? Baby-"
"CODE SILVER. CODE SILVER IN THE ED."
*****
Today
For the past week, Will was hypervigilant about his work. Peter kalmik was never his biggest fan so it didn't help he was constantly making his presence known along with the more power holding board members.
You hated how he no longer fought his case and he just conformed, keeping his head buried in the sand and distanced himself from those he cared about.
It got to such a point that when Jay came in with only work intentions, Will physically forced himself to stay well away.
You were so caught up in your concern for him that you neglected your medication on the kitchen counter.
The pain today all of a sudden increased tenfold in the middle of shift. You were helping Doris turn over a treatment room, listening as she talked about her family drama that you loved to hear about when you felt the world come to an abrupt stop.
Before you knew it, breath escaped you and darkness enveloped you.
“Y/N?!” Doris shouted, going around the bed and crouching down besides your unconscious body.
As she started checking your pulse and your breathing, Connor ran in with Maggie in tow having witnessed you fall from the nurses desk.
In a flurry of rushed movements, you were placed on a bed as your friends searched for the cause of your unconscious state. Out of the blue, Maggie spoke up, reminding everyone of your heart condition.
Equipped with the new but old information, the cardiothoracic surgeon was now more than confident he was able to help you.
"Whose her emergency contact? Is it still her parents or has it been changed to Will?" Connor asked the charge nurse as they started wheeling the gurney towards the elevators. They needed to get you into surgery as soon as possible before you deteriorated.
"Good question."
"Page him anyways."
"Already on it."
*****
"I'm a horrible boyfriend."
"No you're not."
"All the signs were there and I missed them."
"We did too."
"I know Connor is one of the best but what if-"
"I'm going to stop you right there." Maggie cut him off, looking at him sternly, eerily resembling the face of a mother telling off her child. "This is no ones fault and you know that, stop punishing yourself for something no one could control."
Will opened his mouth to interject but stopped himself when Maggie held her hand up. "Yes, maybe Y/N should've taken better care of herself but as a doctor, you know that this surgery was inevitable anyways."
"It's better that she was already in the hospital and not home alone where no one would've noticed till you finished in another eight hours." Maggie continued, being more gentle as she got her point across. She was just as concerned but for everyone else's sake, she could be their pillar.
"Look at her Will." Maggie said, gently rubbing him on the back, hopefully bringing him some comfort. "She's in the best hands."
And of course Will knew that, he wouldn't say it to Connor's face but the man was a heck of a surgeon. There was no one else he would want operating on you but he was simply unnerved to no end.
He couldn't wipe off this icky feeling he had. It lurked around him like a shadow and stuck to him like a stain. He felt like a failure - he was unable to help you as both a doctor and a boyfriend - what good was he?
News spread of your collapse around the hospital and as an automatic response, the hospital board stepped metres away from Will, almost like he was sick with a deathly contagious disease.
It was so stupid that it was funny.
Will wanted to rip his hair out. How he was even standing watching your surgery was beyond him right now. He felt sick to his stomach at the sight of your chest cracked open, your heart just there for the world to see.
He never felt so useless before.
*****
Waking up was one of the most confusing scenarios you've ever been in. The last thing you remembered was being in the ED with Doris before blinking and the next thing you knew, you were waking up in recovery.
Your body felt like the heaviest gym weights were sat on you. Your mouth unbelievably dry as your eyes squinted in the dim lighting, trying to look around the room for any sign of life.
And right by your bedside, sleeping in a very awkward position was the man you considered the love of your life.
It must've been the movement of your head, you literally turning your head less than 90 degrees that woke him up because without any further prompting, Will was no longer dead to the world.
Instantly, he was alive and alert, no trace of sleep anywhere on his face as he made eye contact with you.
He felt as light as a feather to see you awake, the biggest weight being lifted off his chest from the relief that nothing went wrong despite knowing Connor made no mistake at all.
"Pulmonary valve stenosis." Was the first thing Will said, easily recognising the confusion painting your face. "Connor put in a balloon. They'll keep you for probably a week to monitor you to see if you need a valvotomy."
You hummed, letting him know that you understood everything he told you without talking. Somehow, without even looking at him, he knew and brought forth a cup with a straw in, holding it to your mouth allowing you to sip easily.
"I'm so sorry Y/N." Will said earnestly, his eyes shimmering as he intertwined your fingers with his. "I wasn't paying enough attention to you otherwise-"
"Stop." You interrupted him, voice still slightly hoarse from not using it. "Blaming yourself helps no one."
"What's done is done." You continued, squeezing his hands when he squeezed yours first. "I'm really the one to blame. If I took care of myself and did something when I first was having problems then we wouldn't be here."
Silence followed, the only sound being the constant beeping from all the machines attached to you.
"Never faint on me again, you hear me?"
"Can't promise you that babes."
"Yes you can."
"You're hilarious Will."
"No, I'm being serious Y/N."
"Don't make me laugh, where's Connor Rhodes, my favourite doctor?"
"Very funny, I think I'll buy April expensive cart coffee next time."
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you got me flowers?
Will 🥺
Flowers - [ Will Halstead ]
Prompt: “You got me flowers?”
Word Count: 976
Warnings: female!reader, fluff
Masterlist | Will Masterlist
It was like Will could sense when you’d had a bad day at work. That he had some sort of alarm go off in his head anytime you so much as felt a hint of stress or frustration. It’s what you loved about him. How caring he was. How he always went above and beyond to make sure your day ended better than how it had gone.
Maybe it was the doctor in him, you didn't know. All you knew was that you had struck gold in terms of the perfect guy and for as long as you both lived, you would never even think of anybody else but him.
You always looked forward to going home, more so now that you had someone waiting for you. Someone who loved you and would do anything to make sure you never forgot that. Some days Will wasn’t there because he was on shift, but even on those days he made sure to leave you a little something special to come home to. Something he knew would make you smile when he couldn’t himself.
However you knew he’d be home today. Waiting eagerly to make you feel better after your God awful day at work, one you were wanting to put behind you as quickly as possible.
The whole way up to your shared apartment you were twitching with excitement, trying your hardest to think of what it might be this time. What little thing he’d prepared for you or which item he bought that might make you smile and the second you unlocked the front door you simply dumped your bag on the floor and beelined for the living room.
Will was sitting on the couch, his back to you and the moment he sensed your presence he jumped. Literally. He was on his feet faster than you could blink, looking all embarrassed as he’d lost track of time and hadn’t finished preparing his surprise for you.
“You’re early.” He babbled out, scratching at the back of his head as you furrowed your brow a little, slowly making your way towards him.
“No I’m not.” You replied, rolling your lips a little as you couldn’t help but smile over his minor fluster. You folded your arms, taking another step forwards to feel your legs press against the back of the couch as you craned your neck to try and see what he was hiding behind his back. “Whatcha got there?”
“Nothing.” Will said casually, leaning his body parallel to yours to stop you from peeking, making you huff a little and pout dramatically. “It’s not ready yet.”
“Oh come on, just let me see.” You whined childishly, pouting again as you clasped your hands under your chin and batted your eyelashes at him. He never could say no when you gave him your best puppy dog eyes, something you abused greatly, and you could tell he was about to break. “Please?”
Sighing, Will ran his hand through his hair, mumbling a faint ‘fine’ which in turn enticed a quiet ‘yay’ to escape your lips in a way that made him smile, his heartwarming over just how downright adorable you got in these moments. He stepped aside, offering you a full view of the bouquet of flowers he had been trying to put together, most of which were still scattered across the coffee table and hadn’t made it into the vase yet.
“You got me flowers?” You said softly, your heart all but bursting in your chest as you rounded the couch, eyes never once leaving the colourful array covering the table.
“I was trying to make you one of those mixed bouquet things.” Will replied, gesturing to the mess behind him. “But it turns out that flower arranging is a lot harder than it looks.”
“Oh, Will.” You breathed out, feeling the slight warmth begin to form in your eyes as you subtly wiped at them.
You didn’t care if they were only flowers. Didn’t care that he’d bought you them plenty of times before. It was more the fact that he’d been trying to put together his own bouquet for you, that really got to you. He didn’t have to do that. He could have gotten a florist to do it, picked a premade one or even grabbed a small bunch from a stand on his way home from work.
But he hadn’t.
Instead he’d gone to all this trouble to, not only gather up all your favourite flowers in your favourite colours, you might add, but he’d spent what seemed to be hours trying to arrange them for you himself. And if that wasn’t love, then you didn't know what was.
“Baby?” Will stepped forward, taking your hand in his and drawing your teary attention away from the mess of flowers. He pulled you gently towards him, his free hand cupping the side of your face the second you were close enough. “Are you okay?”
“I’m perfect.” You whispered, voice a little shaky as you leaned into his touch. You turned your head a little, placing a soft kiss against the palm of his hand. “You’re perfect.”
“I take it you’re happy with the flowers?” He asked, a quiet chuckle escaping his lips as he brought you into his arms, allowing you to rest your head on his chest and feel the rhythmic beat of his heart beneath it.
“I’m more than happy.” You sighed contently, and honestly the flowers went forgotten the minute he encapsulated you in his warmth, feeling the touch of his lips atop your head as he kissed you.
You may have loved all the little things he did for you, but pretty much all of the time it was simply Will himself that was capable of making your day one hundred times better than you ever could have asked for.
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#will halstead oneshot#will halstead fanfiction#will halstead one shot#will halstead x reader#will halstead fanfic#will halstead imagine#chicago med will halstead#will halstead chicago med#will halstead#will halstead x you#will halstead masterlist#chicago med#chicago med masterlist#chicago med oneshot#chicago med x reader#winchesterszvonecek
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The Fragile Bonds Part 3 || Jay and Will Halstead x Halstead Sister
*re-posting this because I'm stupid and accidentaly erased my blog 🫠
Summary: After their father's death, Becca moved in with Jay. This is the first time the detective brother has to go undercover since his sister has been under his full care, creating a challenging situation for both. Reluctantly, Becca will have to live with Will and his family during those days, even though she doesn't feel very welcome in that household.
"Becca, sweetie, would you please open the door for me?"
Becca stared at her reflection in the mirror, her red puffy eyes showed how much she had been crying. She cursed to her insides, she wanted to hide the fact before going out.
Another knock, this time harder, and the voice changed to a preoccupied tone, "Becca, please".
Although the voice made her feel a little more like home, she didn't want to open the door, she didn't want anybody to see her in this state. She was feeling ashamed of her actions now, she wanted to dissapear. She couldn't understand more between the whispering, until Natalie raised her voice a little bit "How? Are you going to break it?". She wasn't happy.
"Becca, I'm going to open up, ok? If you can hear me, step aside" In that moment, the youngest Halstead slowly opened the door, her gaze on the floor.
"Hey, there you are!", Trudy Platt said in a low voice, almost like a whisper.
"Yeah, I'm sorry. I was just--", she tried, but couldn't invent any excuse.
Trudy smiled with a bit of sadness "It's ok. It's good to see you".
There was an uncomfortable silence, "Your brother called to the district asking for help, he was worried for you".
"Will?", she frowned.
"Hmhm, he asked for Upton, but she's...busy right now, so you got me instead". Platt said in a funny way. "
“You didn't have to..."
"Oh, I did have to, yes".
For the first time, Becca raised her head and smiled as soon as she met the Sergeant's in the eyes. That action transformed the tense atmosphere into a more relaxed one. Suddenly, the rush of emotions surged through her, so with a racing heart the urge to cry reappeared. This time was different, it somehow felt warm as a relief; for the first time in these chaotic days she felt safe. Acting purely in instinct, the girl jumped and wrapped her arms tightly around Trudy, who immediately embraced her in return, whispering soothing words in a motherly tone, "It's alright, everything's going to be alright".
"I'll check on Owen", Natalie sighed before dissapearing, but her exit wasn't noticed.
"Come on, let's get some fresh air. It will do good to you".
The sun had already set, casting a darkening hue over the surroundings as Platt and Becca strolled down Will's street. The only sounds in the vicinity were the laughter of kids playing nearby. The silence between them wasn't uncomfortable, though, it was a peaceful silence.
"Do you want to tell me what happened?", the Sargeant was the first one to speak. Becca just shrugged; many thoughts crossed her mind before she could answer.
"I... I got overwhelmed, I guess. It's silly, really. I had been looking forward to this day so much that when things didn't go as planned, I got frustrated. Then Natalie accused me of having a meltdown, and I lost it. Owen wasn't even there, I wasn't even yelling. I needed some space to calm down, so I locked myself in the bathroom. That's all."
Trudy's tone became very serious, yet warm, as she pronounced her name, "Becca..."
"Yes, Serge?" "Are you hurt?" The girl stopped and locked her eyes on the woman. "I need to know."
"No," Becca answered simply, her brother's image in her mind. She felt proud of the way she managed to control herself. Trudy nodded as they continued walking.
"I miss Jay", Becca said with a hint of anger mixed with sadness in her voice.
The Sergeant sighed, "Well, this might end sooner than we thought."
"Yeah, that's what Hails said."
When Becca returned to the house, she went straight to bed, trying to avoid Natalie and her brother. She didn't want to see him when he came back from work. Becca fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow; she was emotionally drained and tired, her eyes burning. She only woke up to the whispers of Will and Nat at midnight. She couldn't quite understand what they were saying, but the tone was far from calm; they were arguing, probably about her and what had happened earlier. With Mr. Snuggles surrounded tightly in her arms, she repeated to herself one day less, although the phrase no longer held any meaning.
There was a moment when she felt the door open behind her. Becca closed her eyes, pretending to be asleep as some footsteps approached her, but they didn't draw near. A deep sigh was heard before the door closed again, it was probably Will.
"Becca, Beccs" The girl opened her gritty eyes to see her brother's face right in front of her. "Sorry, kid" he whispered, " I let you sleep as much as I could, but it's late now".
She groaned and covered her head with the blanket. She felt all of yesterday's weight on her chest and it burned.
"Come on" you could hear him smiling. "I made pancakes and I cut them into flower shapes just as you love them".
Becca uncovered abruptly and looked at her brother with a furrowed brow and a question mark all over her face, "yeah, I might have loved that when I was like 5, maybe?"
"Whatever, I thought it would be a nice gesture. Come on!".
Becca rubbed her eyes and yawned while she managed to answer at the same time "I'm not hungry".
"Come on, I can't eat them all by myself... It's just the two of us this morning". He hoped that last part would convince her.
“Alright, fine!”
Becca was thankful that Will didn't bring up the topic of the incident in the bathroom. She felt a wave of relief, even though there was an unmistakable tension hanging in the air. Despite the lingering unease, they managed to share a breakfast that felt almost normal, right before parting to school.
"I'm sorry, Becca. I really am," Will said to her before she got out of the car to head to her classes. His voice carried a heavy dose of regret. "I'm just glad you're okay, kid".
It was hard to concentrate in school that day.
Unfortunately, Thursday was Natalie’s day off from The Med, so Becca had mentally prepared to spend the entire day cooped up in her room. However, her brother wasn't willing to let her isolate herself completely and convinced her, albeit somewhat reluctantly, to come out to the living room to work on her homework. So, there she was, sitting on the floor with her schoolwork spread out on the coffee table. Occasionally, trying not to be too obvious, Will would peek his head in to make sure everything was okay.
"Where are you going?" Will asked her on one of those occasions.
Annoyed by the constant monitoring, the girl replied, "To the bathroom. Do you want to come?"
It was then that Becca realized Owen was alone in her room. The little boy was trying to reach Mr. Snuggles, who was lying in the middle of the bed.
"Oh, no. Not that one, Owen," she said calmly as she moved the plush toy away and hid it under the pillows. "Not that one."
Becca reentered the living room with Owen, holding his hand, only to discover her brother and his girlfriend discreetly inspecting her belongings. Natalie was holding Becca's backpack.
"Did you lose something?" Becca inquired, her voice tinged with curiosity and concern.
Both adults seemed surprised by her unexpected return.
"What are you doing?" Becca questioned, casting an inquisitive look at the scene.
Natalie turned to Will, who appeared momentarily frozen and somewhat apprehensive.
"It's just a precaution," she replied.
Becca pressed her lips together and nodded, her voice soft, "Okay, then. I'll leave you to it," and she walked away, retreating to the bathroom where she decided to take a shower.
Somehow, she managed to maintain her composure, but a tempest of emotions was brewing inside her. It wasn't anxiety this time, but a profound sadness and a gnawing insecurity that consumed her. The warm water helped her relax, and a few silent tears mingled with the flowing streams. As a distraction, she began to reproduce her dance solo, moving her hands along the music playing in her mind. She counted the blue tiles one by one, each one a brief distraction from her turbulent thoughts. With great effort, she changed into her pajamas, her still-wet, unbrushed hair clinging to her shoulders, and she lay on the bed, although the clock showed it was only 8:00 pm.
Something beneath her pillow bothered her, and then she remembered she had hidden her cat there, which brought a small, bittersweet smile to her face. She clung to the plush toy for a while, taking in its comforting scent, reminiscent of her mom, and it gradually eased her feelings. Without letting go of the stuffed animal, she extended her arm to retrieve her phone from the drawer and opened her conversation with Jay.
I really, really miss you, Jay Jay
Becca was at her breaking point, unsure of how much more she could endure.
#jay halstead#will halstead#halstead sister#will halsteadx halstead sister#will halstead x halstead sister#chicago pd#chicago med#one chicago#will halstead fanfic#jay halstead fanfic
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He's Coming Now
Pairing: Will Halstead x Reader
Requested: yes, by anon
Summary: A car crash sends Y/N into emergency labor.
Word Count: 1,327
Warnings: canon typical mentions of car crash, injuries, emergency labor
A/N: This took way too long oops? I kind of entered one of the most serious slumps I’ve been in for the entire year so this almost feels like teething. But anyway, I had to change quite a lot of stuff from the original request to fit what I felt I could write but I still hope you guys like this! As always, thanks to my beta partner @mertes4cker
WILL HALSTEAD MASTERLIST
One minute you were heading towards home in a car full of groceries, the next you were being roused by a familiar voice, with a ringing in your ears.
“Y/N? Y/N, can you hear me?”
Your vision swam in front of you, before you recognized the blonde hair that framed the familiar face that was hovering in front of you as Sylvie Brett.
“Sylvie…?”
Sylvie let out a small smile. “Hey, it’s okay. We’re gonna get you out of here, alright?”
That’s when you remembered - the screech of tires, the sound of a long honk, the impact of a much larger vehicle crashing into the side of your car. And coupled with the pain you were feeling everywhere, you knew you’d been in an accident.
It was just then that you felt a cramp rip through your stomach.
“The baby…” You groaned, trying to turn to look at her properly now when you realized she’d already put the neck brace on you.
“We got you, alright? Try not to move.” Sylvie reassured you, before she glanced at Kelly, who nodded.
Matt climbed into the back of the car now. “Hey, Y/N. How are you doing?”
“Matt, I think he’s coming.” You said, your voice trembling as you felt another contraction and you felt Matt shift around behind you.
“Okay, just listen to my voice, alright?” Matt said, keeping his voice even. “We’re going to get you out as fast as we can.”
Matt barked instructions and you heard him talk to Kelly while Sylvie called back for your attention. Matt worked as quickly as he could, gently draping a jacket over you before the loud sounds filled the car.
You tried to focus on your breathing, even though the loud sounds of the firefighters cutting through the metal of your car filled your ears, but what was even more distracting were the intensifying contractions.
You heard Sylvie hurry Matt along without saying too much, just as Matt lifted his jacket off of you.
As you concentrated on breathing, you realized they were already lifting you out. You could hear Matt’s voice but the pain was too distracting. You weren’t sure if anywhere else hurt because the contractions were coming quicker and with more intensity.
You felt a gripping fear wash over you as you realized your son wasn’t going to wait until you got to the hospital. Sylvie noticed the look on your contorted face and she gave Emily a discreet shake of her head, as they checked you out.
“Alright, Y/N. Look at me.” Sylvie’s voice was reassuring as she stepped up beside you. “He’s not waiting, alright?”
You nodded back at her, finally raising your head to glance at your friend. “He’s coming now.” You agreed, between breaths. The contractions were rising in intensity and coming faster.
You heard someone climb into the back of the ambulance, only registering Herrmann’s voice when he helped you up slightly so you could lean against him as Sylvie and Emily got ready for the emergency delivery.
“He’s already crowning.” Sylvie said, glancing up and Herrmann reached for your hand gently.
“Just breathe.” Herrmann reminded you, as Sylvie nodded.
“And push.”
Maggie put down the phone and glanced around the ED. “Alright people, we have incoming!”
Will headed straight for the front, as Maggie called out to him. “Dr Halstead. Not you.”
Will frowned, confused as Ethan nodded at Maggie and rushed ahead to join Connor. “Maggie… what?”
“It’s Y/N.” Maggie explained, as Will froze, almost like there was a ringing in his ears.
“What?”
Before Maggie could open her mouth again, the blaring of sounds that signaled their arrival made both of them look up and Will was already running. “Y/N? Y/N!”
“Will, wait. They delivered in the field.” Maggie pointed to where Sylvie was in another treatment room with Natalie. His struggle was almost visible. “Connor and Ethan have her and I’ll be there, alright? Go to your son.”
Will exhaled and nodded, turning in the opposite direction.
“Nat…”
Natalie turned to look at him and smiled, nodding at him. “Vitals look good, I’m going to send him upstairs. How’s Y/N?”
Will turned around to look back at the opposite treatment room before he turned back again to look at Natalie.
Natalie nodded. “Alright, come on. She’s in safe hands, Will. Why don’t you come up with us?”
Will nodded, glancing back at the tiny human that was lying in the cot now, barely believing that it was his son. “Congratulations, Will.” Natalie said softly, smiling.
Your eyes fluttered open again. Your whole body hurt but only one thought floated right to the top.
You sat up quickly, wincing at the pain that shot through your body, just as Will opened the door.
“Woah, Y/N!” Will reached you in two strides, a protective arm going around your shoulders like an instinct. “Slow.”
You glanced up at Will. “Will, the baby… he…”
Will just gave you a smile. “He’s good. He’s right behind me.”
He finished his sentence, just as Natalie arrived, pushing the cot ahead of her, where your son lay.
Will turned to help arrange the pillows behind your back, pushing you to lean back gently. “Slow.”
Natalie smiled before she gently put your son into your arms. “Will said you guys haven’t decided on a name so we’ve just put down Baby Boy Halstead on the label. I’ll give you guys some time.
Will nodded and smiled, thanking her before Will turned his eyes back to the both of you.
You smiled back up at him. “And everything was okay?”
Will exhaled, leaning in again to put an arm around you. “You were barely conscious when you arrived. Everything was not okay. Until now.”
You leaned your head against Will’s chest and he pressed his lips on the top of your head.
“So save for keeping his name as Baby Boy? Are we still going with Isaac?” Will asked you, a smile lacing his voice.
You gave a small chuckle and nodded. “We decided this months ago.”
Will smiled. “I know but just in case you felt different when you held him in your arms, or looked at his face.” He leaned in towards the baby in your arms as your son opened his eyes slowly, his little hand reaching out for Will’s finger.
“Isaac Halstead.” You whispered, smiling.
The nurse came in then to see if she could help you to nurse Isaac and Will nodded a greeting at the nurse. Isaac was quick on the uptake and you nodded at the nurse’s comment. “Probably smart like his father.” You answered with a smile.
After Isaac was done and the nurse had left, Will leaned back in to press a kiss to your temple but you turned your face up towards him and Will smiled as he pressed his lips against yours. “Thank god you’re both okay.” Will whispered.
You smiled. “Once I’m out of here, we need to go to 51.”
“No need.”
You glanced up at Herrmann’s voice, spotting Matt, Kelly and Sylvie. “Thought we’d come by to see how you were doing.”
You smiled, as they piled in, Matt and Kelly going around to the other side of the bed.
“Thanks guys, I…” Will started and Matt nodded, leaning over to shake Will's outstretched hand.
“We’re just glad they’re safe.” Matt answered just as they were joined by Connor, Ethan and Jay.
“Hey, I got here as fast I could… I…” Jay’s voice trailed off.
You smiled. “Hey Uncle Jay, get over here and meet your nephew.”
Will grinned, picking Isaac up and putting him gently in Jay’s arms.
Jay glanced up and smiled. “Congratulations, guys.”
You just glanced up at Will smiling, feeling the residual uneasiness thoroughly subside as your husband stood above you, your son sleeping soundly in Jay’s arms knowing that the three of you were surrounded by family.
THANK YOU FOR READING!! PLEASE TELL ME WHAT YOU THOUGHT OF THIS!!
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#will halstead#will halstead x reader#resanoona request#resa.fics#chicago med#chicago fire#will halstead imagine#will halstead oneshot#will halstead fanfic#will halstead x you#will halstead x y/n#dad!will halstead
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