Love Hurts

C is for Chemo

The intelligence unit caught a big case, a triple homicide that had something to do with gang wars in Pilsen. Which is exactly what Jay did not want to happen. He had requested the next two days off in advance but with this case, he was scared he would have to work anyway. Not that he wouldn't want to work the case, any other time, any other case, he would be digging in deep and wouldn't care about his previous plans, he would cancel or postpone his plans in an instant. It wouldn't matter to him. But this time it did. He hadn't requested the next two days off for just anything.

Jay knocked on Hank's office door.
He saw Hank wave him in so he opened the door, stepped inside Hank's office, and closed the door behind him.

"Guessing this isn't about a lead in the case." Hank questioned.

"No Sarge but I'm working on it. The thing is I had requested the next two days off and both you and Sgt Platt signed off on them and I know we're working a big case and I'll do everything I can today, but i just wanted to make sure that I can still have those days." Jay said nervously, though he was pretty sure he knew what was about to come.

Hank looked up at Jay dumbfounded. He honestly couldn't believe he was hearing this from Jay Halstead. Jay was his hardest working detective, and sure they had different ways of policing, they didn't always see eye to eye but Hank truly cared for Jay and at the end of the day Jay respected Hank. And as time had passed, the last year specifically Jay had come to become another son to Hank. But he was still confused. Jay was always the first one through the door, more than willing to work over for a case like this one and rarely ever even requested days and was usually forced to take sick days.

"Jay, this is a big one, I need all hands on deck and I especially don't need one of my best detectives flaking out on me." Hank told him.

"Yeah Sarge I know. Trust me and if it was any other time, I just, sarge-"

"Spit it out Halstead"

"Ellie has her first chemo scheduled tomorrow and maybe I can come back early but I promised her I was taking her and would be there, and if she does ok, yeah i can come back, I might just need tomorrow, if she does all right then I'll come back Wednesday.-"

Hank shook his head. He was dissapointed in himself that he had forgotten.

"Jay - Hey you take both those days and don't you worry about this damn case. And don't you dare come back a minute sooner, do you hear me?"

Jay nodded thankfully. "Yes, sir."

"Hey sit down for a minute."

Jay sat down in the chair in front of Hank's desk.

"Jay, there's going to be plenty more cases like this one. This is Chicago. We have gang wars happening everyday. And there will be plenty more cases fr you to solve. So I don't want you to think about this case for one second while you're with her, understood.?"

Jay nodded his head. "Understood."

"If i had it to do all over again, I would do a lot of things different."

"Yeah, sarge? Like what?"

"Well for starters I wouldn't have been so damn commited to this job."

"Sarge?"

Hank shook his head. "I love this job. Even all the bad shit we see, I truly love this job and I know you do too. We wake up every morning and we strap that badge and gun on us and we truly look forward to come in to work am I right?"

"Yeah absolutely."

"Right but as much as I love this job, if I had known how things would go, I would let things go with this job a lot easier. I would have been at every single damn treatment with Camille. And I would have done exactly what you've planned ahead for, taken an extra day every single time just to be there when she gets sick. I would have never missed a little league game, I wouldn't have missed a thing, Jay."