Case by Case Love

Chapter 25: Identifying The Suspect

With his arm in a sling, Jay makes his way through the front door to the 21st district, eyes focused totally forward and not on the pair of people which had made the trip with him.

He was still healing from the injuries sustained. Connor still said he was being affected by the pulmonary contusion - bruised lung in simpler terms as Will clarified. He was still dealing with the mildest of symptoms from the concussion. He still had deep cuts on his arm that required it to be bandaged and in a sling against his wishes. He should still had been in the hospital. Connor told her him that any other patient would have been told her to stay there for at least 24 more hours, if not 48. 

But yet he had somehow weaseled and convinced them to allow him to be released sooner. He just had to promise to take it easy. He had to promise to not do much in allowing his body more time to heal. He also had to conform to Will regularly checking on him to insure his breathing was normal, and oxygen levels were correct. He also was not allowed to return to work until his lung was fully healed, especially considering he had been shot in the chest earlier that same year. 

Despite all that, his first stop since being released from the hospital was not back to his house, or his brother's. Instead, it was the familiar 21st district where he spend all of his time working and trying to change the world for the better.

"Detective Halstead!" A voice bellows out through the main walkway of the station before he can even reach the stairs to head upstairs to the Intelligence Unit quarters. Of course he would not be able to sneak through without being noticed. Nobody got Sergeant Platt without a word being spoken. "Shouldn't you still be in the hospital? Shouldn't you be at home recovering? I should not be graced with your presence right now." 

"I am glad that I am not the only person telling you that today," Erin comments as Jay just rolls his eyes. The amount of protesting by both Erin and Will in hearing he would be released had been deafening before leaving the hospital. It almost made him want to stay to not get a headache from the pair. He almost wanted to ask Connor if he could stay with him for a bit. "Hank asked him to come in for a moment and then he will be going home to follow strict doctor orders. They need him to pick a suspect out of a line-up." 

"I still say it's not necessary as he picked him out of the images shown at the hospital," Will adds, remembering the disbelief he heard in Hank saying it was a requirement. He remembered asking his brother's boss what he would have done if Jay would have been forced to stay in the hospital for his full stay. It didn't seem like anything close to normal protocol they would follow. "Do you believe it's absolutely necessary?" 

"The district attorney wants to ensure there's no chance of them slipping through the cracks in the case probably," Trudy reasons, even though she wasn't in agreement with this unnecessary step happening. She would prefer to have Jay taking care of himself and relaxing as he should be after everything that happened. 

Jay allowed the pair to take up Trudy's attention as he made his way to the steps, scanning his handprint on the scanner and watching the wired door unlock. He makes his way inside, followed by the second flight of steps that followed to reach the offices.

He hadn't gone up any stairs since everything that happened, surprised it was not one of those tests they wanted him to pass before his hospital release. Probably due to no leg injuries sustained in what happened. He was happy with himself, though, with having kept his breathing at a steady rhythm despite the most work he had done since everything that happened. 

He takes a careful deep breath in, followed by another out. He follows the process over and over as he makes his way to where his boss stood. His mind wanted to think about several things. His mind wanted to think back to what happened to put him in this state. His mind wanted to tell him of all the things he could have done differently. He also wanted to freak out about the events that transpired in relation to not only his actions, and others. But he knew that would not accomplish anything right now.

"I am ready," he states clearly, pushing away all the other thoughts that threatened to enter his mind. 

He then follows Hank through the hallways, stepping into the room as instructed. He looked forward, watching the five men enter the room before him.

He knew what it was like to stay on this side of the glass before. Normally, he was standing alongside a victim of a crime, hopeful they would identify the suspect so they could put them away for what they had done. He would be the calming voice of reason, assuring them it was okay. He would assure them they would not be seen, and there was nothing to worry about. He would telling them to take their time. 

He should know how to react in this spot. He should be able to look at the five men, see the man that was before him in the office building and point him out in front of his boss and the district attorney. However, seeing the faces before him, he felt himself being transported back. He remembered the words spoken. He remembered the fear in watching the seconds on the timer disappear slowly. Why couldn't he just point out the suspect as requested?

"Suspect No. 3.," he states as he finally takes his eyes off of the men before him to look over at Hank. He takes a deep breath, a bit of a release in the truth coming out. "That is him. That is the man that was in the office building with me. I am sure of it. Are we done?"