Mouse Returns

Repair

Greg and the girls waited impatiently for news of Jay when Dr. Marcel came in to check on his patient.
"So how are you feeling today, Greg?" He asked while checking the monitors.

"As well as can be expected I suppose." Greg responded as Marcel checked his eye responses with a flashlight and the incisions in his abdomen where the ribs had been repaired.

"Well, it looks like everything seems to be healing well. You will be in the shoulder brace for your collarbone for about 6 weeks and then physio to start moving it again. You have a small fracture in the end of your tibia. We'll keep it in the brace to let it heal but you'll be able to get into a walking cast in a few days. We're going to keep you in the hospital for a few more days. You're going to need some help when you get out. Do you have someone to stay with you? It's going to be pretty awkward for you to move around for a couple of weeks." Marcel laid out the plan. The rest of the intelligence team filtered in as they came to get the latest update on Jay and Greg.

"I'm not really sure. I was only supposed to be here for a week and then back to base. I really need to call my Sergeant." Greg started to look concerned as he started realizing the ramifications of his injuries.

"We've been in contact with your Sergeant throughout this, Greg. He knows what's going on. We did pull your phone out of the woods. I should be able to get it back to you later today." Erin squeezed Mouse's shoulder.

"We will make sure you have a safe place to recover, Mouse. Even if you end up staying with me." Voight assured Greg.

"I really don't want to put anyone out." Greg cast his eyes downward.

"Hey, don't even think about it for one second. Once you're in the intelligence family, you are in for life. We will take care of it." Voight insisted. They all turned as Will came back into the room.

"The scan showed he was still internally bleeding. Choi has brought him to the OR to open him up again to find the source. I'm going to stay in the gallery but I'll keep you all up to date as everything progresses." Will explained to the group. He left quickly after that.

"I'm actually not in the ER today, it's supposed to be my day off. I just wanted to come check on you. I think I'm going to go check if Dr. Choi needs a hand." Marcel explained before following Will down the corridor.

"Dr Choi. I was wondering if you needed a second pair of eyes and hands?" Dr Marcel asked as he entered the scrub room where Ethan was already washing his hands.

"That actually might be helpful if you are free. Yesterday I repaired small tears to the left lung and spleen. I'm not sure if this is a new bleed or if something else has opened up. He nearly coded in the hallway coming out of the scan." Ethan explained. The two thoroughly washed their hands before going into the OR. Goodwin joined Will in the gallery as the surgeons entered the room. Jay was already prepped for surgery.

"Alright, let's see what's going on to cause Mr. Halstead so much difficulty." Marcel moved to the opposite side of the table as Choi. The two surgeons worked together flawlessly with Choi taking the lead. They quickly discovered that one of the broken ribs had a second break closer to his spine. When it shifted it caused one of the screws that had been used on the rib plate to shift and loosen and allow the plate to move. They added a second plate, removed the screw and reattached the plate. They both double checked that the spleen and lung sutures were solid and made sure there were no other injuries before closing him back up. Jay's vitals remained stable throughout the surgery with no fluctuations. Will let out a sigh of relief and sat when the last stitch was completed. Goodwin sat down next to him and squeezed his shoulder.

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Hour's later Jay woke up in the recovery room. Will sat next to his bed holding his hand with his head down over their hands. Jay wasn't sure if he was praying or had fallen asleep. His casted arm felt like it weighed a ton but he slid it across his body and touched his brothers hair.

Will looked up at the touch, bleary eyed from exhaustion. He had managed some sleep the night before but it was broken with worry for his brother. He smiled when he saw Jay's eyes open. "Hey, how are you feeling now?"

"I can breathe, I guess that's progress. Thank you for staying with me. I really don't want to be alone right now." Jay whispered, his throat sore from repeated ventilators.

Will nodded with a smile and squeezed Jay's hand. "Well, I don't think that is going to be a problem. Your whole team is hanging out with Mouse in your room, waiting for you to come back. Erin is still here too, the rest of the feds went back to New York but she wanted to make sure you are ok and get your statement when you're feeling better. You really seem to have picked a good one with Hailey. She's only left your side when we took you for the scan and surgery."

"We're good together. We help each other through rough patches when we don't even know we're going through one." Jay nodded before closing his eyes again. Will took out his phone and sent Hailey a quick update, not wanting to leave Jay alone.