Tolerance Book III

Chapter Seventy-Five: In Friendship

Voight turned as he heard familiar voices and footsteps approaching. His relief at seeing his missing Detective advancing towards him was tempered by the state he was in. Blood had left a trail down his neck. It was either from the earlier wound or a new one. He was squinting which indicated at the very least the younger man had a headache. Sighing internally he waited patiently for the trio to reach him as Al appeared from the opposite direction with Adam.

"Hey man! It's great to see you!" as always Adam simply responded without forethought and went over to his best friend to give him a hug.
"I'm fine," Jays' cold words succeeded in halting the other mans' movement before he eyed the Sergeant, "I let Billings go."
"You had no choice," Al stated without any doubt, he knew the former Sniper too well to think otherwise.
"For now let's get you checked out," Voight directed then looked at their youngest Detective more intensely and saw a flicker of some indecipherable emotion in his eyes before it disappeared and then it struck him, "Jay they're fine. Will and Conor are alive."
"Damn!" Kevin cursed, it should have been the first thing they had told their friend after reuniting with him.
"They are?" Jay had been convincing himself they were okay but at the back of his mind there had been a constant tormenting refrain telling him they were dead.
"I persuaded Conor to take your brother back to their hotel," the Sergeant explained ruefully, that had almost ended in another argument but the moustached Detective had again stepped in.
"How about we get to the hospital to be checked out?" Voight phrased the suggestion as a request but it was really an order.
"I don't need a hospital," the green eyed man insisted.
"Well we were all caught in that explosion," Al pointed out as he fingered a cut on his forehead, the veteran Detective was quite willing to guilt his friend into getting help, "it wasn't just you."

Jay looked at his friends realizing there was no point in arguing. Besides if he was going to go after Billings he needed to look at least half human and to do that he needed to get his head wound cleaned.

HS Headquarters

Later that morning found the Unit remaining in the Conference Room with Murphy and Parker as the other Agents working on the case left after the hour long briefing.  Jay stood with his back to the others as he gazed out the window and thought back on the last six hours.  There had been no rebuke from his friends and colleagues over Billings getting away but the young Detective assumed blame anyway.  Voight had insisted he had been left with no choice.  He had to try to save the Security Guards even though he had been set up to fail in that endeavour.  The required debriefing upon returning to Headquarters had been long and arduous but it was protocol and Jay had suffered through the rigorous questions without any complaint although it had been obvious he was still dealing with a severe headache.  The hospital visit prior to that had been quick mainly because Jay resisted any attempt to have him kept in for observation.  The earlier wound inflicted by Billings had required five stitches as the physical activity had reopened it.  Once stitched Jay had promptly thanked the ER Doctor and left with Adam on his tail.  Once back at their hotel, after the debriefing, the former Sniper had retreated to his room for a hot shower and then gone to bed for a very brief rest without preamble leaving a confused team wondering why he hadn't immediately sought out Will.  It had been at breakfast that Voight finally brought up what they were all wondering.

"So Halstead apart from looking like death warmed over how are you doing?"
"I'm good Sarge," Jay eyed the scrambled eggs before him and forced himself to pick up another fork full.
"Right," Voights' tone acknowledged his disbelief of that particular declaration as he put down his coffee, "so when are you going to see your brother? I phoned him and told him you were safe."
"He's been very worried about you," Adam put in through a mouthful of bacon.
"I'm not," Jay concentrated on sprinkling salt over his breakfast, maybe that would make it more appealing he decided.
"What do you mean?" Kevin looked up from cutting a sausage.
"I'm not going to see Will ...,"
"We thought you'd prefer to see him away from work," Antonio commented gently, "but he said he can call to Headquarters."
"Guys," Jay placed his fork down and pushed away the half full plate before finally looking at his companions resolutely, "I'm not seeing him ...... anywhere."
"But ...," Kevin began and was rewarded with a cold stare.
"It's up to Halstead," Voight decided casting a firm expression towards the other men, there was no point in badgering the younger man there and then.