Erin Lindsay and Jay Halstead have been partners for five years now and everyone in the unit can see that Jay has fallen hard for her, except Erin. Jay knew from the moment that he laid eyes on her that she was the one. So, when the opportunity to g...
My heart hammered in my chest as Will took a deep breath before continuing.
"We lost him twice on the table but we have now stabilised him and he is recovering in the ICU" he continued, his voice filled with fear.
"Is he going to be okay though?" I asked, tears welling up in the corner of my eyes.
"At this stage, we can't be sure. We have put him into an induced coma to give his body time to heal. We aren't sure if or when he will wake up" Will explained, his voice laced with uncertainty.
"Can I see him?" I asked desperately.
"Yes, but only one person at a time" he replied, glancing at Burgess who had started to get out of her seat. I looked at her apologetically before following Will to Jay's room.
The walk down the sterile white halls seemed to drag on forever. The smell of sickness hung heavy in the air and everywhere I looked was white – white walls, white floors and white ceilings. It was enough to drive anyone crazy if they stared at them for too long. Everywhere I looked, doctors and nurses were rushing from room to room with solemn looks on their faces as they glanced at the charts in their hands. I finally arrived at the door to Jay's room, pausing to take a deep breath before pushing the door open and stepping inside. The sight that greeted me took my breath away.
Tubes and wires were protruding from everywhere and Jay's skin was as pale as the white sheet covering him. My breath caught in my throat as the shock of seeing my partner looking so fragile and vulnerable set in.
I walked over to him and grabbed hold of his hand, flinching slightly upon noticing how cold he felt.
"Come on Jay please wake up" I begged, tears spilling down my face again. His eyes remained closed though. He didn't even squeeze my hand when I asked him to.
Burgess entered the room quietly, pulling up a chair beside me and sitting down.
"How is he?" she asked, shifting uncomfortably in the cold metal chair.
"He is in a coma and they don't know if he will wake up" I choked out, placing my head in my hands and letting it all out. Kim wrapped her arms tightly around me, not saying a word. "That bullet was meant for me. It should be me lying there not Jay!" I said in between sobs. "Why would he do that?" I asked her, pulling back from her comforting embrace.
"Because you are his partner and it is his job to protect you" she said but I wasn't really listening, the memory of what Jay told me before he lost consciousness coming back to me.
"A couple of nights ago we were talking about where we saw ourselves in five years and Jay started talking about this woman he is in love with. He spoke about her in a way that every woman dreams she will be spoken about by the man she loves. I tried getting him to tell me who she was but he refused to tell me. Then when he got shot and I was kneeling next to him to try and slow the bleeding he told me the woman he was talking about was me. Does that mean what I think it means?" I asked, my eyes widening at the thought.
"Yeah it does" she chuckled, "he has been madly in love with you for five years. He looks at you like you are the most precious thing to ever walk the earth. That time you got kidnapped and it took us a week to find you, Jay was an absolute wreck. I don't think that he slept or ate anything that week. Once we figured out where you were being kept, he was the first one suited up and out the door to come and get you. The first and only time I have ever seen Jay cry is when he found out you had been kidnapped" she continued, and for the second time today I was rendered speechless.
"Why didn't he tell me this before?" I asked, the confusion on my face clear.
"I think he was worried you wouldn't feel the same way" she speculated, "How do you feel about him exactly?" she enquired, catching me off guard.
"I... I don't know" I stammered, carefully watching as Jay's chest rose and then fell with each breath.
"Alright then, answer one question for me. What would your life be like if he wasn't in it?" she asked me.
"I'm pretty sure I would be dead if it wasn't for Jay to be honest with you" I admitted sheepishly, "I was in a really dark place before I met him and I honestly didn't think it would ever get better. I don't know why but whenever I am with him I can't help but smile and I trust him completely" I admitted, smiling sadly at Jay.
"What if he doesn't wake up?" I said, bursting into tears again as Kim tried in vain to comfort me.
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"He is a fighter. He will pull through this Erin" she tried to reassure me. "I am going to head home and get some sleep, would you like a lift home?" she asked kindly.
"No thank you. I am going to stay here until he wakes up" I replied, turning back to face Jay as Kim sighed and exited the room.
A.N.//// Will Jay wake up or is Erin going to lose her one shot at happiness? Hope you enjoy this. Will start working on the next chapter as soon as possible :)
