Reassure (Jay Halstead x OC.)

6

Chaos had erupted in the waiting room as two faces appeared round the corner, sending Jay flying into a rage he'd been holding for over seven years.

He jumped up from his seat once again this time his face was hard set into a deep grimace and his body became tensed in anger.

"What the hell do you two think you're doing?!" He demanded a sudden surge in him forcing him towards the two addicts who nearly cowered beneath his harsh gaze.

But then Frank Gallagher took it upon himself to run his mouth- again.

"Looking for my daughter. Do we have a problem my friend?" The disgusting old man asked and Jay's face broke into an even rougher glare. "You're damn right we have a problem....Frank." Jay spat the name like venom.

"I'm sorry, is there a something wrong here?" Chief Boden stepped up beside Jay, gently guiding the disgruntled looking detective backwards towards the rest of the group. He cautiously stepped up to the couple.

Both of them were jittery and quaking, at first he thought worry- clearly they were here to visit a family member in hospital. But then he noticed it. The withdrawal, the twitches and the tells.

They were coming down from something.

The chief stared down at the rugged looking man and woman who stood their eyes blown wide and their hairs both wild. They were clearly on; or at least had been on; something, or maybe a lot of things...

"Those people are not setting one more foot closer to her, especially while she's in a goddamn hospital bed." Jay snapped behind the Chief his hand pointed accusingly at the couple. "'Those People'.....hey! Aren't you Pat Halstead's younger boy?....he....you....you've been floating around my little girl since she was in kindergarten....you little shit!......hey outta our way!.....I'm, we're-." The old addict paused and pointed at himself and his previously estranged wife, "we're going in and seeing our daughter."

"Your daughter?" Will scoffed from where he had been stood a little ways behind his brother among the confused firefighters.

He too knew of this couple. He and his brother were all to familiar with how they neglected and bourderline abused their children. Jay had recited horror stories to Will as children- stories his best friend had relayed to him in confidence as he watched her clean up her parents messes or after her too young siblings. They'd seen the bruises, the malnourishment and the sadness in her eyes all too often.

And they'd generally heard of the pair from the south side community. Frank and Monica- what a right old pair they were. Their own mother and father had warned the brothers away but when they had seen how much Jay cared for the eldest daughter of the two Gallagher parents- they had taken her into their home many a time and had accepted her friendship with their son.

One thing that had broken Mrs Halstead'd heart as she lay on her death bed- was, more then watching her eldest son leave for medical school and her youngest son leave to fight for their country...it was watching such a beautiful young friendship wilt and break away as the distance over seas became too great.

I'm her last letters to him she begged her younger son to keep a tight hold on the Gallagher girl- the girl who brought her her favourite flowers every week, telling her her sons had sent them though her. The older woman knew the mere 18-year-old girl was lying but she loved her all the same. The daughter she'd never had.

The chief's face washed with realisation "Francis and Monica Gallagher, I assume." He growled, a darkly protective tone suddenly clouding his voice.

"You're not gonna score anything here Frank- just leave." Jay spat at the old man across from him, his glare hardening. "You've made her life crappy enough, you two are the last faces she wants to see when she wakes up!" Sylvie was now standing again, her eyes filled with an unfamiliar fury- un-a-kin to anything witnessed by her friends before.

"Leave." The blonde demanded coming to stand beside Jay, both of their arms crossed over their chests and their eyes burning into the pitiful faces of their two sworn enemies.

Reign's parents.

"Sylvie's right. Get the fuck out." Came the icy voice of Fiona.

She re-emerged from behind the curtain, Ian and Lip cautiously braced behind her in the doorway to the room. Reign was now sat up in her hospital bed breathing shallowly through the nose tube, her lips parted in shock and anger.

"Get. The. Fuck. Out......no one wants you here! Neither of you!-."
"Fiona please-."
"No! Monica! You don't get to waltz back in here after another two years and try and weasel your way back in to score from us- ever again. You two don't even care that Reign got hurt! She could have died and neither of you would of given a shit! About her- about me, Lip- Any of us! Now get out before I do something, these people should not have to witness!"

"She's our daughter!" Frank weakly argued back. "Am I fuck your daughter!" Reign suddenly croaked from the bed behind them all. Her voice was hoarse and her face still slightly pale but her deep brown eyes nearly became red as she glared daggers at the people who created her.

"We came here, to see you in a hospital- you ungrateful, reckless.....little bitch." Frank suddenly moved to rush at his eldest.

But he was stopped...

A sickening crack broke across the waiting room and silence fell, as did Frank- clutching his left cheek.

Jay's hand was pulled back into his chest as she swung back for another hit, only to be pulled back by Kelly and Otis. "He's not worth it man!" One of the men calmed him.

"You ever talk about her like that again! You so much as come near her! You're a worthless, deadbeat, alcoholic-junky Frank! I'll-." Jay was slowly dragged backwards to Will who placed a calming hand on his brothers shoulder.

"Just leave." Reign spoke again.
"Yeah no one wants you here." Lip added as Ian nodded along.

Their father went to speak, but Fiona suddenly cut him off again.

"Don't!" Then she turned away and stormed back to Reign's bedside.

And that's when their mother accepted defeat. Her shoulder slumped as she looked at each of her four children, one in a hospital bed after a near-death experience, another not even able to look at her- and the other two glaring at her like they hated her- because she did.

So, then she looked across her eldest's friends and colleges and sighed, "Come on Frankie," the old blonde's voice broke, "let's just go."

The two then turned and finally walked away. "Good riddance." Fiona spat after they were gone and silence had settled over the room.

"What the hell was that?" Cruz spoke up from the back of the group, but no one answered him before Sylvie and Gabby both sprang from their spots beside Matt and Jimmy and dived towards Reign.

"You're awake!"