“What do we got?” Voight asks as Intelligence gathers around him. Kevin grabs his notepad, flicking the pages to the beginning.
“The Emergency Center was heavily sabotaged, their servers have been completely destroyed, thus explaining the inability to respond to calls.”
“What about the fire here? It’s very odd for a building to randomly catch fire in the middle of the winter.” Voight continues.
“Severide says it’s foul play, for sure. Mainly with the bomb.” Jay says, leaning against his table. “It’s very weird, mainly with the fact that it would only catch the firefighters, because most of the researchers are home for the holidays.”
“What if it was directed at the firefighters?” Kim suggests hesitantly, earning confused looks from the rest of the team. She looks at Adam before she continues. “We got that package about (Y/N)… Maybe it was Eric. He has a weird grudge towards her because she knows Jay.”
“Are you sure?” Voight asks, noticing the distraught look on Jay’s face.
“Not sure, but it’s the best theory we have.” She says, wringing her hands together. “And Adam’s CI said he heard a buzz about the whole university ordeal being planned.”
“Why go after her and not me?” Jay asks, anger seeping into his voice. “His problem is with me, not her.”
“He wants to get to you, to anger you, make you drop your guard.” Adam says, crossing his arms. “He knows you’re pissed at this, and he’s counting on your anger to make you be brash and create an opening for him to get to you.”
“Well, he’s succeeding.”
“Jay, why don’t you get to the hospital? I think (Y/N) would really like to see you when she wakes up.” Voight suggests, noticing the weight on the younger detective’s shoulders. “I can give you a ride there on my way to question my CIs.”
“What?” Jay’s brows furrow in confusion. “I can take my truck.”
“I want your truck to be inspected. He rigged a random room to get to (Y/N) and was able to, I don’t want to risk your car being tampered with in any way.” Voight explains, grabbing his jacket and keys.
Jay grabs his jacket and beanie, rubbing his hands on his face as he goes down the stairs after Voight. Trudy sends him a sympathetic look as he follows Voight through the main lobby, and he nods at her in an appreciative way.
The trip to the hospital is quiet until Voight stops his car by the ER door and turns towards Jay.
“I know how you’re feeling right now, like it’s your fault.” The Sergeant says, making Jay look at him. “But it’s not. Eric’s twisted in his head, there was no way we could have predicted or prevented it. You went above and beyond, there was nothing more you could have done.”
“Will says she’s not out of danger yet.” Jay mutters. “That the rod did quite a bit of damage, she lost a lot of blood, the gash on her leg severed a muscle. She’s still in ICU and unconscious, and they don’t know if she’s going to be able to keep on being a firefighter, much less part of Squad.”
“Halstead, none of that is your fault. You helped her the most you could and quite probably saved her life. And now you’re going to be there for her through the recovery, and we’ll nail that son of a bitch down.” Voight says, nodding towards the hospital. “Be there. We’ll let you know if there’s any developments.”
Jay nods and exits the car, entering the ER and spotting Will almost immediately. The older brother leads the youngest into the waiting area filled with firefighters. Their heads turn as they see the brothers come in and Boden, Casey and Severide seem to have a silent conversation before nodding.
“51.” Boden calls, making everyone turn to him. “We have to get back to our job. Jay will stay with (Y/N) and keep us updated. Let’s go.”
The firefighters clap Jay’s shoulder or nod at him as they go by, recognizing him as a trustworthy person to stay and “keep guard” on you. It makes him feel weird on the inside, but he pushes it aside as Will guides him into your room.
He sucks in a breath as he sees you laying in the hospital bed, pale, unmoving, hooked up to numerous machines.
“This looks worse than what you told me on the phone, Will.” Jay manages to say, gingerly sitting at the foot of the bed and resting one hand on your shin. He feels the guilt gnawing at his mind along with an anger he can’t contain; he’s sure that if he’s the one to catch Eric, he won’t make it to prison.
“It does, but it’s mostly preventive.” Will says, looking between Jay and you with a confused face. “I didn’t know you knew her.”
“I’ve known her for longer than you.” Jay chuckles, spotting your dog tags on the small table by the bed and pointing at them. “We served together on my last tour.”
Will’s brows knit in confusion as he approaches his brother, leaning against the foot of the hospital bed.
“You never told me about her.”
“Well… It’s complicated.”
-
A couple of days later and Jay feels at his wit’s end: they have nothing on Eric and you still haven’t waken up. He’s sitting on the crappy hospital chair, laptop atop his legs, left hand scrolling through the little information they have on Eric while his right hand holds yours. His right leg bounces as he feels his patience dwindling and his desperation nipping at his subconscious.
Will walks into the room, making his normal rounds and taking in his brother’s nervous behavior.
“If you bounce that leg more, the laptop is going to fall.” He remarks, marking your vitals on the chart.
“Shouldn’t she be awake by now, Will?” Jay asks, the desperation evident in his voice. Maybe the coffee Mouse had brought him wasn’t such a good idea after all.
“Jay, this is a game of patience. It will take some time for her to recover even after she awakes. The wounds are closing up nicely, but they still did a lot of damage that needs to be reversed with physical therapy.” Will says, setting the chart back on its’ spot. He watches as Jay runs a hand through his face, the bags in his eyes evident, as well as the longer beard. “Shouldn’t you go home and rest for a bit?”
“I’m fine, I just don’t want to leave her side.” Jay admits, earning a nod from Will.
“You know where to find me if you need anything.” Will says, leaving the room.
Jay closes the laptop and sets it on the floor, turning to you and holding your left hand with both of his, leaning his forehead against them.
He stays like that for a few moments, listening to the steady beeping of the machines until his phone starts buzzing in his pocket. He fishes it out, unlocking it and looking at the text on the screen.
Ruzek: We got a lead. Will text details later.
Jay’s heart jumps in his chest at the news, his free hand gripping your tighter as he types back a reply.
Jay: If you get him, let Voight do his thing and let me know.
He feels excited in a weird way that makes him feel guilty for a brief moment before he looks at you again; Eric had put you in an hospital bed, fighting for your life, and there is no way that Jay is going to let him get away with it.
Can you do 39 “Well, my sibling never told me they worked with someone so attractive” with Ruzek’s sister and you can pick who you want to write it with.
Words: 1126 Warnings: None Pairing: Kevin Atwater x Ruzek!Reader A/N: Hope you like it, hun!
You waltz into the 21st Precinct, a spring in your step and a smile plastered on your face. The stony-faced woman behind the front desk stares you down, a scowl on her face, and her silver hair in a low ponytail. You slowly approach her, unable to hide your smile and grasping the strap of your purse.
“Hi!” You say, earning a scowl from the woman as she looks at you from above her glasses. “I’m here to see Adam Ruzek? I’m his sister, (Y/N) Ruzek.”
“And how is that my problem?” She snaps, making you blink twice in shock.
“It’s not, but I was wondering if you could help me, maybe?” You say, raising your brows hopefully.
She points behind you and you hear a buzz, turning around to see your brother come out of a cage-looking structure around a staircase. You wave excitedly at him and he laughs, opening his arms as you hop to him for a hug.
“You weren’t supposed to arrive so early!” He says, pulling away from the hug. “You could have called, I would have gone and picked you up.”
“I got an Uber, it’s no biggie. You’re here doing some big-shot police work, I couldn’t bring myself to pull you away from it.” You say, hearing a scoff come from the silver-haired woman behind the desk.
“He’s not a big-shot, hun.” She says, not even looking up from the forms on the table. You chuckle and turn back to him, seeing the sheepish look on his face.
“Thanks, Sergeant Platt. Ever so kind to me.” He mumbles, rubbing the back of his neck. “How’s the business treating you?”
“I got my own office now, it’s really nice. I feel like I’m actually helping people.” You say, grinning. “All those years slaving away at psychology textbooks paid off, finally.”
“That’s great!” He says, wrapping an arm around your shoulders and pulling you to him. “Want to come upstairs and meet the rest of the guys?”
You nod and he guides you to the small cage-like thing in the staircase.
“What’s this all about?” You ask, gesturing at the metal structure as he scans his palm and the door buzzes open. “You’re in a police station, this seems like overkill.”
“I don’t know either.” He admits, letting you through before closing the door behind the two of you. “But let’s go up so you can meet everyone, I was just about to get out to have some lunch anyway, you can meet them real quick before we go out and eat.”
“Sounds good to me!” You say, smiling as the two of you climb the stairs. He goes in front of you and pulls you behind him, quickly positioning you in sight for the whole team.
“Hey, guys!” He says, gathering the attention of everyone in the room. “This is my sister, (Y/N).”
You give a shy wave to everyone, bouncing on the balls of your feet as everyone looks at you. The two women in the team are the first to move forward to you, extending their hands.
“Hi, I’m Kim!” The paler woman says, and you narrow your eyes slightly.
“You look familiar.” You reply, cocking your head as she blushes.
“Yeah, Adam and I used to date…” She admits, making you gasp as you grab her hands.
“I’m sorry! I’m happy that you ditched him, he’s a pain in the ass.” You say, making her laugh as an offended huff sounds out behind you. The tanner woman outstretches her arm and you shake her hand, smiling at her.
“I’m Vanessa.” She says, a tight smile on her face.
“Nice to meet you, Vanessa.” You say, turning as the two women stand to the side and being replaced with three men. The oldest one intimidates you with the way he stares you down while you greet the light-eyed man.
“I’m Jay.” He says, giving you a small smile that you return. The older man outstretches his hand and gives yours a firm handshake, and you hope you’re being able to hide the uneasiness you’re feeling.
“Hank Voight.” He says curtly, making you only nod as you shake his hand back.
“It’s a pleasure.” You manage to mumble before he steps away, turning to look at your brother with wide eyes before turning back, doing a doubletake when you see the man in front of you. “Oh wow.”
You turn about 20 different shades of blushing when you realize that you said it out loud, the hysterical cackle coming from your brother eliciting even more embarrassment. The man has a couple of inches on your brother, making him the tallest person in the room; his width matches his height, his hair and beard are neatly trimmed and groomed, and the grin he throws at you makes your knees turn to jelly.
“I’m Kevin. Nice to meet you, Miss. And don’t mind Sergeant Voight, he’s always like that.” He says, gently shaking your hand.
“It’s doctor, actually.” Adam butts in, making you glare at him. “(Y/N) Ruzek, PhD in Psychology and Psychiatry, with her own office now!”
“Can you be any more embarrassing? I’m starting to think you take some sort of evil pleasure out of it.” You huff at him, poking your pointer finger in his chest before lowering your voice to a whisper. “Why didn’t you warn me about that hot piece of man right there?”
“What, Kevin?” He says loudly, smirking as you recoil like someone had just punched you in the stomach.
“Shut up Adam, I swear to God I’m going to kill your sorry ass.” You hiss, feeling the blood rushing up your neck and into your cheeks.
“He’s coming over. Own it.” The words barely leave his lips before you whip around and take a step back, ending up with your back against Adam’s arm and with barely two inches between you and Kevin.
“You guys called?” Kevin asks, and Adam nods towards you. If you had a hole nearby, you’d be hiding already.
“It’s just- ah- I- Well, er, Adam never told me he worked with someone so attractive.” You manage to choke out, mentally berating yourself for stuttering. Kevin blinks before he flashes you another dashing smile.
“I’m flattered to get that sort of compliment from someone like yourself, (Y/N).” He says, making you blush even further. “Say, do you have plans for later or would you be interested in going for a beer with me?”
“I’d love that.” You answer, feeling and hearing your brother beginning to argue before you elbow him in the stomach and make him double over, a sweet smile always plastered on your face as Kevin’s brows rise and he chuckles. “How does 8 work for you?”
