Listen to Her || A Chicago P.D. Fanfiction

38- Case 19

A/N: The episodes being used for this chapter are called 'Descent' and 'Brotherhood'.
❗❗WARNING: Mentions of addiction to prescribed medication, rehab (rapid detox), kidnapping, implied rape.❗❗

March, 2022
Agitated. That is how many people would describe Antonio Dawson as of lately. If he wasn't agitated, then he was nowhere to be found in his home some nights, and that was for a few hours at a time. Danielle knows this first hand. She's counted. She's kept track of the hours, how he sneaks out, how he comes back home seeming in a much better mood as he would take his spot in the fours' bed, falling asleep quickly, as if he had been there all along. 'What makes the difference?' That's all everyone wondered. It all made sense when Hank caught him in the bathroom at work. Al caught him in the garage. Kevin caught him in the parking lot. Adam caught him in break room. Jay caught him in the gym. Danielle caught him in their master bathroom. He had the orange pill bottle open and had just dumped two pain killers into the palm of his hand, an open bottle of water on the bathroom sink already set for him to wash the two little circles down. 'Shoulder still bugging you?' She asked him in worry, watching him nod a bit. 'Yeah.' He answered, pretending to wince in pain as he moved his arm around a bit, watching as she walked over to him, standing beside him. Before anything else was said, she kissed his hurting shoulder lightly. 'Talk to Hank and see if he'll give you a couple days off.' Was all she said, Antonio happy that she didn't question his nonexistent pain. He had been told to stop taking them. By who? By everyone, whether it had been Danielle, or Hank, or Al, or Jay, or Adam, or Kevin, or Trudy. It went in one ear and out the other for Antonio. They aren't his doctor. What would they know?
'Right?'
He never meant for it to get like this. He was taking the pills for pain, initially, and they really did help his shoulder feel better. Yet as the pain began to subside and his mentality was thrown into work mode after feeling so high, he found he feels good whenever he takes them. Really good. It's not a problem though. Why would it be prescribed medication if it's considered dangerous? He's still taking them for pain, but not the kind they're meant for. These pills make his brain soar, keeping him feeling light and airy. None of his worries about Laura wanting to take full custody of their kids could touch him when he's so high. None of his worries about his team finding out of his unhealthy obsession could touch him when he's so high. Almost everyone just waved it off, knowing he's been under pressure by his ex-wife. Well, almost everyone. Danielle noticed how he would disappear, completely agitated and sad, then emerge with a much more more blissful exterior. She was trained to notice things that are out of order, things that don't fit the picture, things that can be potential dangers. 'Nah, c'mon, it's Antonio. You know, a good cop who follows the rules no matter what.' The signs vanished before her eyes since she forced them to go away, not wanting to doubt her husband. Now here he paces around, shirtless and impatient, in the small waiting room at a doctor's office for his 6:30 p.m. appointment:

A soft buzzing coming from the chair where his shirt and jacket are on causes him to walk over and pick up his phone. He finds that Adam is calling him, so Antonio just watches the screen until it turns off since he doesn't want to answer, causing him to sigh to himself. Two knocks on the door make him turn around, watching his doctor walk in. "Well?" Dawson asks as he puts his phone back on the chair. "Everything looks good, Antonio. There's no tears, no fractures, no arthritis." The doctor explains, reading off of his notes. "Alright, then why does my shoulder still hurt so much?" The question is insistant. "I'm not sure. So when you say 'pain', what type of discomfort are you experiencing? Is it stiffness, soreness?" The doctor asks in concern, the detective just shaking his head a bit. "I don't know. Uh, pain." Antonio answers, not being able to come up with a better answer. "You probably just need to give it some more rest." "Yeah." He agrees with the doctor who turns around as the 51 year old begins putting on his shirt. "Hey, uh, I'm gonna need a refill on that prescription." He tells the doctor who turns to look at him instead of walking to the door. "Another one?" The doctor questions. "I need something to help with the pain, so." Dawson answers, grabbing his jacket from the chair. "It's been two months since the injury. There's no structural damage." The doctor points out as he reads his notes. "It's the only thing that helps with the pain." Antonio tells him. "I get it, but this would be your fourth refill. I mean, that's a lot of Oxycodone, especially for an injury like this." Antonio doesn't even look at the man standing across from him as he waves his hand to silence the man. "Like I said, it still hurts." "I understand, but-" "You know what, look, I'm not some junkie looking to hustle my doc for some pills." Dawson finally raises his voice at the doctor, taking a few steps to be right in his face. There's a pause as Antonio backs away two steps, clearing his throat softly before continuing in a softer voice, "I'm a cop. I just need help with the pain so I can do my job." "Look, I'm sorry. I could lose my license. If you need any help, anything at all-" "I don't need any help, doc. I'm fine." Antonio interrupts the doctor who is beginning to see what's really going on, watching him leave the room in a huge rush.
Instead of returning the missed calls from Ruzek, Voight, and Danielle, Antonio headed straight home and into the quad's master bathroom. He swings open the mirror, using his left hand to hold it open as his right hand rummages through the medicine cabinet. 'Mouthwash, face cream, body cream, toothbrushes, toothpaste, Benadryl, spare pregnancy tests, her blood pressure medication...' He quickly closes the mirror and opens the drawer attached to the sink, finding neatly folded hand towels, extra shaving razors, a first aid kit, and a small orange pill bottle that makes him smile when he sees it as he quickly picks it up, reading the label that has 'Oxycodone' in bold letters. Yet, when he picks it up, the bottle doesn't make a sound, meaning it's empty, and his smile fades as fast as it can, his momentary joy turning into anger very quickly. He throws the bottle towards the shower, hearing it bounce off of it, but he doesn't bother to see where it's landed as he hangs his head and slams his hands down on the sink's counter. Lifting his head to look at himself in the mirror, rage takes over him for not having any pills left, so his left fist collides with the mirror, breaking it. Realizing what he's done, he carefully holds his left hand with his right, finding blood all over his knuckles and the back of his fingers. Looking at the mirror, he finds some blood on the largely cracked circle as he breathes shallowly, grabbing a towel from its holder and carefully wrapping it around his hand. Having heard something crash, another person in the house cautiously makes their way to where the sound came from, entering the fours' room then standing at the bathroom doorway when they see Antonio and the absolute mess he's caused in the bathroom. "What happened?" Eva softly asks, watching her father get very startled as he quickly faces her, clearly not knowing she's home. "Nothing, I-" "Your hand is bleeding." Eva says in concern. "I'm okay, sweetie. I was just-I was fooling around. I was shadow-boxing and I-I hit the stupid mirror." He lies as he leans against the sink. Eva just stares at his hand while asking, "You're sure you're okay?" "Yeah, I'm fine. What are you doing home, anyway? I thought you had midterms." Antonio asks, brows furrowing together. "I finished early and they let us come home for a few days. Mom called you and said you didn't answer, but she told me to go ahead and come home, so Grace and her mom gave me a ride." His daughter answers. "Well, I suggest you maybe head to the library to study for a while. Your bus pass should still be good. I'll be fine." Antonio tells her softly with a small smile, hoping she doesn't worry about him. "Go." He insists with a small smile, watching his slowly daughter turn around and hears her head to the front door. As she closes it behind her, his phone buzzes, and when he takes it out of his pocket, he sees Ruzek is calling him again. "Not right now." Antonio whispers, declining the call and putting his cell back into one of his pockets.
~1 hour later~
"Where's Antonio? He's not picking up his phone." Adam softly asks Hank as the detective catches up with his boss as the two walk to the scene. "Huh." Hank says as his brows furrow together. "So what's going on?" Al asks as he straps on his vest, he and Danielle barely having arrived. Adam and Hank stop by the Magnum so the four can walk together through the dark parking lot, being that the sky is fully dark now since it's 7:30 in the evening. "Jay busts some punk this morning with an ounce of heroin in his car, gave up the drug house. Supposed to be moving a lot of Fentanyl. We're gonna hit it, and see what we can find." Voight answers, the four meeting up with Kevin and Jay who are walking towards them. "Yeah, and who we can flip." Kevin chimes in, strapping on his vest as well. "Yeah, so I want you to bust them all, too. Junkies, dealers, girlfriends, everyone." Hank orders as he stands in front of his team. "Hey, you know where Antonio is?" He asks his wife who is looking at her phone. The question makes her put the device away in her hoodie pocket as she looks up to face her husband. "No, I've been calling him but..." She answers softly, giving a little shrug. She's tried calling her partner six times now, but each time, the call just rings until it gets to voicemail, so Al suggested they both be paired up for what they thought was a scene they were coming to. "Huh." Hank says, and this time he's even more confused. "Right, so, Rodriguez, Olinsky, and I will take the front. Ruzek, Atwater, you guys take the back." Jay voices the positions, everyone giving him nods of agreement. "Alright, hit it. I'll see you all back at the district." Voight says, walking away from his team since they all know what to do. "Do we have any names or pictures?" Al asks Jay since he's the one leading this bust, everyone turning to look at him. "No, we're flying blind. But that makes it fun, right?" Jay answers with a small smile. "Yeah." Adam says with a smile as they all begin to disperse to their positions. Within five minutes, Halstead, Olinsky, and Rodriguez are hurriedly climbing some stairs, finding people inside the drug house. "Chicago P.D., nobody move!" Jay announces, leading Al and Danielle who are right behind him. "Cops! Cops!" A woman calls out upstairs, warning whoever else is inside as she quickly opens a door. "Go, go, go, go!" She tells everyone, the three detectives hearing many footsteps. "Damn it." Jay mutters under his breath. The three near the doorway, the veteran shouting, "Nobody move! Hands in the air, now!" "Runners to the right!" Al informs Jay as all three storm into the apartment. "I said hands in the air, now!" Jay warns the people he's pointing his gun at, watching them comply. "Get up against the wall." Danielle orders a few people as she covers Al who grabs a guy and forces him to a wall. "Get your hands up!" Al orders, the guy doing as told, as well as a few women beside him. "This has gotta be some kind of a mistake, man." One guy tries arguing with Jay as he pushes the guy towards a wall. "Hands where I can see them! Turn around!" Jay says just as the guy is about to turn around and face him. "This must be some kind of mistake." The guy says again, keeping himself positioned as ordered. "What is this, aspirin?" Jay asks, picking up one of the many few little baggies that are lying out on a table. He doesn't receive an answer, Al and Danielle looking at each other before looking back to the people they have cornered. "What's all this, man?" Jay asks the guy after patting him down, still not getting an answer. "Look at the wall." Jay softly orders, forcing the guy's head towards the cold surface. Something catches Danielle's eyes and ears as it runs past her, realizing it's people trying to get away. "Hey! Chicago P.D.!" She shouts, not even thinking twice before she's running after the figures, following them into a hallway as they hurry to a back exit. "Adam, I got four coming out the back!" She quickly advises her teammate through radio. "Hey, hey, hey! Put your hands up. Put your hands up!" Adam calls out to the four people running, he and Kevin cornering them outside near a dumpster. "Come here. I want to see hands." Kevin orders, the people complying quickly. "It's cool. It's cool." One of the guys tries reasoning, but Kevin forces him to the ground. "Hands up! Get on the ground!" Adam orders everyone, but once the few people start resisting, Kevin and Adam are forced to use some strength. "Oh, my hand, man!" A guy complains as Adam pushes him to the ground. "Get up against the wall. Don't look at me, just get on the wall, okay?" Kevin orders a woman who does as told, keeping her hands raised. "Put your hands behind your back right now." Adam tells the guy on the floor who he winds up handcuffing. A man runs past Kevin who shouts, "Damn it!" "Go, go, go. I got her." Danielle tells him as she makes her way outside, gun pointed at the woman Kevin was just with. "You sure?" He asks, watching her nod. "Hey, you got anything that could hurt me in there?" Danielle asks the woman who stays put, hearing grunts coming from Kevin who has just tackled his guy. "No, I don't know why-" "You do not turn around." The sniper warns when the woman tries to face her as she puts her gun in her holster. "I didn't do anything!" The woman says as she's handcuffed, Ruzek meeting up with Rodriguez. Just as the woman is laid on the floor, a hooded man runs past both detectives, catching them off guard. "Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa!" Adam says loudly as if his words are going to stop the fleeing person. "I got him, I got him!" Danielle says as she begins running after the man. "Chicago P.D.!" She shouts as she tries to keep up, running through an alleyway the man leads her through. She draws her gun as she rounds the corner, still having eyes on her target. The frigid night air makes her lungs begin to hurt as she breathes in the cold, but the sniper won't let her pain cause her to lose the man. "Police! Freeze!" She shouts after him, getting fed up that he's lead her on a foot chase. The man is able to become quicker than her. How? She has no clue. He sharply rounds another corner, Danielle hastily following with her gun held out in front of her, slowing down her steps as she cautiously turns where the man just did. All she finds are trash cans lined up on the edge of sidewalks ready to be picked up tomorrow morning. Some cans have large bags beside them, so she nudges a few with her right foot as she remains on high alert, but each bag is full of trash and not her suspect hiding. Her ears don't pick up a sound as she walks up the street, seeing nothing else but trash cans lined up. Turning to look behind her, she doesn't recognize where this man has lead her to, and she lowers her weapon to her side as she catches her breath, only to hear something clank behind her right after. Quickly turning towards the noise, she sees her hooded suspect running out from behind a large dumpster, so she follows him again as she puts her gun in front of her, not wanting to let up. "Chicago P.D.! Get down!" She shouts the order at the man who is trying to climb a very large, wooden fence. "Get down right now or I will shoot you!" She warns, walking closer to the man who is clearly in a dead end. He hops down from the few bricks he was trying to climb up, keeping his back turned to her. "Put your hands up. Hands in the air!" She orders, watching him silently do as told. "Now turn around real slow. Real slow." She says in frustration, staying put 5 feet behind him. Her heart nearly stops pumping blood to the rest of her body as she sees a very familiar face looking right at her: