Toxic Past (One Chicago / Criminal Minds Fanfic) x (Halstead Sister)

Chapter 23 (Longer Chapter) (Edited)

Chicago Medical Center Chicago Illinois

Sam spent the night at med, Jay didn't leave her side along with Will; who slept on a second chair in his scrubs telling her he never went home last night. The nurses started their rounds close to 6 am waking both Jay and Will in the process. 

Will got up after that and went to grab a coffee for himself and Jay. He also got a cheese croissant and a hot chocolate. Dr. Hayes stopped in to check on Sam as Will was coming back from the cafeteria. She told them that due to the multiple concussions in under 2 months, she wasn't fully comfortable releasing Sam from Med yet. She wanted to keep her for another night under observation and would discuss being released the following morning. 

Sam just wanted to crash on her brother's couch and sleep for the next two weeks straight. An hour after Dr. Haye's visit Maggie walked in holding a massive bouquet of flowers and a vase. "Flower delivery," Maggie said with a smile as she set them on a table on the side of the room. "Wow these are gorgeous, Maggie you didn't have to do this," Sam said. 

"They are gorgeous, and I didn't send these. There's a card though," Maggie said as she handed the card to Sam. She opened the small envelope and pulled out the small card that said. 

'These flowers are almost as stunning as you, looking forward to dinner with you. Get lots of rest, try not to give your brothers a hard time and I'll see you soon. -Luke'

Sam smiled at the note, "The flowers are from Luke," she said blushing a bit as she reread the card again. "I got you a cheese croissant and a chai tea," Will said handing both to Sam. "Thank you," she replied as she started eating the croissant and drinking her cup of chai tea. She was almost finished eating when a knock on the door caught their attention. 

Standing in the doorway was Chief Boden, Lieutenant Severide, Lieutenant Casey, Gabby, and her ambo partner Sylvie who was holding a vase of flowers. "Hey Sam, how are you feeling?" Sylvie asked as she walked in with Gabby. "I can honestly say I've had better days and shifts, but is what it is right," Sam replied with a shrug. "We brought you some flowers, we weren't sure which ones you'd like- They're beautiful, thank you," Sam said noticing the gorgeous flowers again. 

"So, what's the damage?" Gabby asked looking at Sam. "I got a mild concussion and a few stitches, don't worry I should be back on shift in a couple weeks," Sam replied. "I can pull someone from the floater pool until you're cleared to return," Chief Boden said. "I can jump on Ambo for a couple of shifts until Sam's back. If it's okay with Lieutenant Casey," Gabby offered. Lieutenant Casey nodded, "That's alright with me," he replied. "How are you feeling?" lieutenant Severide asked Sam as he walked over to her bed where Jay was sitting in a chair next to Sam drinking a coffee. Sam shrugged, "I'm alright," she replied. 

Chief Boden, lieutenant Severide, Lieutenant Casey, Gabby, and Sylvie left shortly after to let Sam get some rest. If she needed anything to let them know. Sylvie and Gabby told her they'd stop by to check on her. Sam spent most of the day in and out of sleep, Jay stuck around while Will worked in the ED. He would stop to check in on Sam when he could and each time he found her resting with Jay next to her bed. 

Jay Halstead's Apartment, Chicago Illinois 

Sam was released from Med the following morning, and given strict orders from Dr. Hayes that she is on bed rest for the next 3-4 weeks. No screens, No phone, No TV, and nothing that would stress her out or make her think too hard. 

Sam tried to crash on the couch in the living room only to have Jay pick her up and carry her down the hall and into his room. "I'll take the couch for a few weeks, you need to get some rest and you can't do that on the couch," he told her. 

Jay spent the first day home with Sam keeping an eye on her, the second day home Jay had to go back to work. Will had the day off so he spent the day with Sam keeping an eye on her. The following few weeks were the same after, Sam spent her days sleeping, She'd get up to use the bathroom, shower, and eat but she'd crawl back into bed and sleep afterward. 

That's really the only thing that heals a concussion is time and rest, oh, and not getting hit in the head again Sam thought to herself. She had an appointment with Dr. Hayes at the end of the week to see if she'd be cleared to go back to work. Sam spent the last 3 and a half weeks in the same repetitive routine, not to mention she was bored out of her mind considering all she could do was sleep, eat, and repeat. 

Gabby and Sylvie stopped by a few times to check in on her over the last 3 weeks. Lieutenant Severide also stopped by to see how she was doing. Which surprised her a bit, Herrman dropped off a basket of baked goods his wife Cindy made for her. Sam met her a couple of times when she'd stop by 51 and she is a sweetheart. 

1 WEEK LATER...

The week seemed to drag on, after a month without any screen time Sam let herself actually use her phone since her appointment with Dr. Hayes was tomorrow and she was beginning to feel more like herself over the last couple of days. She hadn't had a headache in almost a week, she wasn't as tired all the time. The stitches in her face healed and the thread fell out weeks ago. 

Sam was surprised there wasn't even a scar where the stitches were, she'd have to thank Dr. Rhodes's handiwork on that. She sat on the couch drinking her first cup of coffee in nearly a month. Jay was at work so she had the apartment to herself, as Sam's phone turned on it sharted buzzing with notifications. She went to check them when a knock sounded on the apartment door. 

Sam paused setting her phone down, before she slowly made her way over to the door. She looked through the peephole in the door. Sam unlocked the door and pulled it open revealing Luke standing in the hallway holding a bouquet of flowers in his hand. Sam tried to hide the smile forming on her face when she saw him. 

"Hey," Sam said with a smile, "Hey, how are you feeling? You look beautiful did you do something to your hair?" Luke complimented. "I'm feeling a lot better, Haha, no I don't," Sam said letting out a laugh. "Yes you are, these are for you. They're almost as gorgeous as you," Luke said handing her the flowers. 

The comment had Sam blushing as she accepted them, "Thank you, do you wanna come in?" Sam offered stepping aside. Luke walked into the apartment and Sam shut the door. "Sorry, I haven't messaged or called. I haven't touched my phone or any screen in the last few weeks," Sam apologized. "No need to apologize, you're not supposed to use anything with screens while healing from a concussion," he replied as Sam brought the flowers into the kitchen and placed them in a flower vase. 

"So what brings you by?" Sam asked when she returned to the living room. "Well, I wanted to take you out to dinner if you're feeling up to it. I can always pick up something to eat and we can hang out here too. It's up to you," Luke replied. Sam smiled, "I'd love to get out of the apartment for a bit, I've been cooped up for weeks," she replied. "I'm gonna change and then we can go," Sam said more than asked as Luke nodded and took a seat on the couch. 

Sam made her way to Jay's room and she grabbed a pair of skinny jeans and a plain black hoodie. Sam took her clothes to the bathroom, locked the door, and got changed before she threw her dirty clothes into her duffle bag in Jay's room. Sam made her way down the hall and into the living room again. "Ready to go beautiful?" Luke asked causing Sam to blush and nod her head yes. 

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Hey everyone, I hope you enjoyed chapters 22 and 23. Let me know your thoughts in the comments. Chapters 24 and 25 should be up by Wednesday (March 13th, 2024) Thank you again for all your love and support on this book!

-Muskokagirl204