Case by Case Love

Chapter 52: Hallucinations

It had been silent in the house over the past two hours, which was a relief for everyone in knowing rest was happening. Maybe it would be a much easier night than they were expecting, which would be incredibly welcoming.

Erin had gotten comfortable, her head laying on his chest, letting the calmness of his movements soothe her in knowing he was going to be okay. They had been through a lot already. He did not need to have a night like this to add to his tale of the tape.

She begins to hear him stir beneath her slightly, catching her attention as she lifts her head to look into his eyes. She sees a pair of familiar eyes looking back at her, but not the crystal that she was used to. They were dark, small, almost as though laced with fear. Jay was never someone to be afraid. He was always the pillar of strength no matter what was happening, even when shot with bullets. Why was tonight different?

The slight movements had caught the attention of Will, who quickly made his way to the doorway of the guest room from the living room. He had tried to get rest in knowing he needed it after working 12 hours, with a shift on the horizon in the morning, but yet couldn't do so. All he could picture was something happening to Jay in the middle of the night and not being able to save him. He was all he had left, other than Natalie and Owen of course. He could not lose him, too.

"Jay?" He questions, his eyes immediately noticing the same appearance that Erin had picked on as Jay seemed locked forward, focused on something ahead of him. He had not moved despite Erin shifting in the bed beside him, or Will's appearance in the doorway. What was his brother thinking or looking at? What had caught his attention? "Jay?" 

"Will, you need to watch yourself....." Jay lets out in a low voice, eyes not moving one bit from where he was looking. "He's there. He is going to attack you. Why are you just standing there?" 

"Woah Jay..." Erin says as Jay goes to move out of the bed, hands pushing him back against the bed. It was easy to do with the strength having seemingly left Jay's body with the constant slew of dizziness, vomiting, and lack of hydration or nutrition since that morning.

"What are you doing, Erin? We need to get away! Why are you holding me here? Wait - are you working with them?" Erin glances towards Will with confusion and concern, before turning her eyes back to Jay. She had seen that look in his eyes once before, it had happened while on a case. It was a moment that she could have never forgotten. 

"Jay, what are you talking about? Who are you seeing? Tell me what is going on..." Will takes a deep breath, picking up on Erin's line of questions before focusing his eyes back to his brother once again. Why hadn't he caught this sooner? 

"He's hallucinating," Will comments, earning a slight nod from Erin as she had picked that up sooner. "Jay, whoever you are seeing standing here, they are not here." 

"It's just Will and I here with you," Erin adds as she clasps his hand with her own, rubbing the back of it in hopes the comfort would help bring him back to reality. 

"There's nothing to worried about, Jay. It's just your mind playing tricks on you...." 

Jay wanted to believe those words, but no matter how many times he blinked his eyes, he could see the man still standing there. He was just mere inches from Will, within a hand's reach before he would have him grabbed and strangled - if he didn't have a weapon. If there was a weapon, they were definitely doomed as he had nothing to defend himself with right now.

"You won't be able to save your brother, or your girlfriend," were the words he heard. "I am going to take everything from you this time. Then I am going to have my way with you - savouring every inch of your skin, making you do everything I want to do with you and have wanted to do with you since I saw you. I've always had an eye for you, Halstead. Just like I kept my eyes on Ben Corson and then did what I wanted to do with him. He was the perfect boy. He followed every order I requested. He took every bit of his clothes off and allowed me to admire him, touch him, and taste him..." 

"Jay!" Will yells, trying to snap his brother out of his thoughts as he could see the eyes darken, perhaps a tear creep out at a time or two. "Whatever you are seeing, he is not here! It's okay!" 

"Jay, tell me what is going on," Erin tries to coach him once again. "What are you seeing? What are you feeling?" 

"He can't touch me," Jay states, his breathing picking up with each passing second. "I can't let him touch me. I can't go through that. I won't go through that. I can't.... You are not going to take away my family like you did to the Corsons. I am not letting you get away with this!" 

"Jay!" Will yells once again as he repeats the name mentioned in his head a couple times, trying to catch the reference. He had heard the name before. He had heard it multiple times when he was a young kid. There was a reason why - Jay's girlfriend. Jay dated a girl with her last name while in high school as he constantly picked on him for it. "Lonnie Rodiger is dead, remember? His father killed him. His father strangled him with a belt. He is dead, and cannot hurt you, or anybody else ever again." 

"Breathe Jay," Erin tries to coach him in hoping that Will's approach of snapping him out of his thoughts was working. 

"I should've saved Ben," Jay lets out as tears roll down his cheeks, his eyes lightening a bit in color as a tear rolls down his cheek. He reaches up to wipe it away, feeling the same constant dizziness that had plagued him all day long. It was why his hands landed on the bucket once again, with another round of dry heaving. "I don't feel so good..." 

He then lays his head back on the pillow, eyes closing as his breathes even back out, with Erin returning to her spot with her head on his chest once again. 

"He'll probably wake up a couple more times - hallucination, or nightmares," Will comments quietly as he takes a deep breath. There was no way he was getting any sleep as he thought about both possibilities. "It may get worse before it gets better. We just got to keep him calm, and get some water in him when we can. If he starts to dehydrate, I'll run a line.."