Tolerance Book I (Chicago PD/Med FF) by Frances51163

Chapter Sixty-Five: Will Recalls a Rescue

After the arrival of Lance, Jack and Mark the men in the small apartment began discussing recent events.  After greeting his friends Jay had been sent to his room by a no nonsense Hank to put his sling on.  Any arguments the pale man had tried to voice had been steadfastly rebutted with a glare from the gruff Sergeant.  After dressing properly in a fresh black shirt with the sling on returning to the living area Jay had sat down on the edge of the couch beside Adam and Antonio but had remained silent.  He rubbed his eyes tiredly trying to ignore the blossoming headache.  The deep ache in his shoulder fought for attention but he did his best to ignore it.

"So what do you think Jay?" Hank looked across at his Detective not liking the pinched features.
"About what?" Jay glanced around and saw everyone was looking at him.
"We were discussing how to track down the supplier.  We still don't know where the rifles came from," Adam informed his friend patiently, understanding he was physically drained and therefore concentration was difficult.
"Oh right, sorry."
"Nothing to be sorry for," Hank readily assured knowing the young man was running on empty, "have you any ideas?"
"What did ye find out about Mancini?"
"Well we found thirty videos in all during our search as you know," Antonio explained, "but there was nothing to link him to the weapons."
"Sarge said ye watched all the videos?"
"Yeah.  Why?"
"I remember one time he came to the house when Mom and Will were out.  I was up in my room but I saw him talking to the old man ......,"
"And?" Antonio pushed when the silence dragged on.
"He had a rifle in his hand.  Only remembered that now," Jay sighed, "I don't know what they were talking about but it was obvious they were arguing."
"Did you see him with a rifle other than that?"
"Don't think so."
"Well Mancinis' house has been thoroughly checked.  There were no weapons."
"The videos," Jay ducked his head, needing to know the answer to a question he had been putting off and dreading to ask, "was there ...... anyone in them ........ besides me?"
"No," Adam replied quietly placing a reassuring hand on his friends' knee, "there wasn't anyone else."
"Thank God!" the pale man suddenly shot up and disappeared into the bathroom where the others could hear him losing his bowl of cereal.
"Typical Jay," Jack observed, "always more concerned about someone else other than himself."
"He was always like that," Will noted as he sat on the armchair by the television, "he always stuck up for people.  I remember one time he was coming home from school and he saw these three kids picking on a younger kid.  Now at the time Jay was ten.  The older guys were at least fifteen.  Anyway Jay stepped in front of the kid and faced the three down.  They didn't go without a fight though and Jay got hurt, badly.  Not that he said anything when he got home."
"So how did you find out?" Lance asked what they were all thinking.
"Sam, the kid who was being picked on.  He told his mother what happened.  They lived around the corner.  She came to the house that night to check on Jay.  He was upstairs doing school work.  Mrs. Goldman told Mom everything that had happened.  Mom called Jay down and ye should have seen his face when he saw Mrs. Goldman.  It was like he thought he had done something wrong.  Long story short Mom insisted he open up his shirt because Sam had told his mother how the guys had knocked him to the ground and kicked him.  Anyway Jay eventually, very reluctantly, opened his shirt and his whole ribcage was a deep red.  Don't know how he never let on he wasn't in pain."
"Damn," Adam cursed softly and then they heard the toilet flush, "best change the topic."

"Yeah," Hank nodded in approval as the bathroom door opened and he continued without missing a beat, "so from tomorrow we redouble our efforts.  Ruzek you and Dawson recheck all of Mancinis' contacts."
"Sure Boss," Adam nodded watching as his friend headed into the small kitchen pushing the door closed after him, "just going to have a word with Jay."
"Sure."

After rinsing his face one handedly with tap water Jay wiped himself with a towel and turned to find he wasn't alone.

"How are you doing?"
"Fine."
"So now tell me how you're really doing?" Adam walked over and leaned against the kitchen counter.
"I'm ......... okay," Jay winked as he dried his hand on the towel awkwardly, but the lightheartedness he tried to convey did not reach his eyes.
"What you are is sick and in pain.  You need to stop worrying about other people and worry about yourself for a change."
"You want a drink?"
"No thanks," Adam watched the other man pour himself some milk and picked up a chocolate bar from the counter unwrapping it as he spoke, "eat this and take some tablets."
"You taking lessons from Will?"
"No but I'm worried about you."
"I'm fine," Jay accepted the candy and then picked up the box of ibuprofen Will had left on the counter earlier, "I take these you stop worrying?"
"I won't but it will make me feel easier."
"Yes Mom," Jay coughed as he spoke.
"Why don't you take the stronger meds?" Adam asked, referring to the vicodin his friend had been prescribed after the attack, as he took the box and quickly pushed out two tablets from the strip and handed them over.
"These will do."
"Stubborn."
"That's why you like me," the injured Detective chided around a cough as he accepted the meds.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Three days later Jay had given his Statement and the Unit, with the exception of Adam and Kevin who were at Memorial on guard duty, were down at the precinct.

"We haven't found any links between Mancini and gun dealers," Antonio pointed out in frustration as despite going over again every scrap of evidence taken from the rundown house they had not turned up anything useful.
"The rifle I saw him with could have been sold," Jay offered from where he sat behind his desk once more, "I don't even know if it was working or not."
"Well we're checking any unsolved homicides for a rifle shooting within the past thirty years.  We might come up with something," Hank reminded.
"What about the tapes?" Mouse spoke as he walked up from the garage.
"What about them?"
"I was thinking if we transfer them to disc we could get more clarity.  Zoom in on areas we weren't able to see before."
"You could do that ......," Hank began only to be cut off.
"No he couldn't," Jay interrupted looking over at his Sergeant, "Mouse isn't going to see those videos."
"Come on Jay I can ........,"
"No! Sarge you,  Adam and Antonio watched the other videos ye found right?  That's what you told me. Only ye."
"Yeah."
"I don't want anyone else seeing them.  I'll transfer them to disc.  Mouse can show me how to do it."
"But Jay ......... ," Mouse began to argue then stopped as he realised he wasn't helping his friend.
"I'll do it," Jay insisted firmly as he kept his gaze on his Superior.
"Sure Kid," Hank agreed easily for he was glad for the chance to keep the injured Detective occupied knowing that the less time he had to think the better.

Hank knew the next few days weren't going to be easy for the young man.  They were going to interview his father tomorrow morning after he was discharged from Memorial.  He couldn't help wondering if things were going to get worse before they got better.  His gut told him to prepare for the worst.  He just hoped the Kid made it out of this whole fiasco in one piece.

tbc