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

Chapter Sixty-Nine

"What the hell?!" Adam shouted as he headed for the door after seeing his friend thrashing as the MRI machine began taking images.
"Shut it down!" Conor ordered the Radiologist as he quickly followed the Detective and Will into the other room.
"Jay it's okay, " Adam ran to the side of the table and grabbed a firm hold of his friends' flailing free hand, "listen to me you're okay!"
"Let me out! Don't ......don't hurt them!" Jay felt his hand being caught and heard voices one of which finally got through, his brothers.
"Get him out," Will instructed anxiously as the table began to move finally and his sibling came into view, "it's okay Jay. No one's hurt. It's okay."
"I want 20mgs of valium," Conor instructed a Nurse as he removed the head supports.
"Jay you're okay," Adam squeezed the hand in his, relieved to see the eyelids finally open.
"Who ... hurt .......," Jay looked around, "heard shots ....,"
"No one's hurt," Conor assured as the Nurse returned and handed him a syringe, "now I'm guessing you got confused because you're exhausted and when the MRI started scanning you mistook the sounds as gunfire."
"Damn," the pale man cursed in embarrassment as sweat glistened on his brow and he glanced reluctantly at the men above him, "sorry."
"Nothing to be sorry about Kid," Will readily confirmed looking down at the younger man.
"You okay now?" Adam squeezed the hand he still held.
"Yeah," Jay pulled his hand free awkwardly and turned to look at the Surgeon who was after uncapping the needle, "Doc you try giving me that shot and you're going to be in trouble."
"Jay you need the MRI," Will insisted, trying to curb his concern over the incident his sibling had just gone through, as Adam moved to the end of the table.
"He's right Jay," Conor agreed.
"I ...... I just got confused. Like you said I wasn't thinking straight. I'll have the MRI but I don't need the shot."
"You need something to relax you."
"No. I don't."
"But .....,"
"Doc remember what happened last time you tried to give me a shot?"
"Yeah I do but you don't have a gun this time," the black haired man stated ruefully.
"No I don't," Jay winked mischievously.
"But I do," Adam stood at the end of the bed with his gun drawn.
"Ah hell!"

Luckily the second attempt worked without hassle and without the tranquilliser.  After leaving Med Jay returned to the safehouse with Adam as the two medical professionals stayed to finish their shifts.

Jay had retreated to his room on their return saying he needed to lie down for a while. Adam had phoned the 21st and spoken to Voight.  He had informed the older man about what happened in the hospital as he wanted to ensure the Sergeant did not push his friend too hard for the next few days.  Without prompting the older man had assured his Detective that he would not inform the others of the incident.  After hanging up Adam thought over the news his Superior had imparted at the end of their conversation.  He hoped it meant they were finally making headway as he set about preparing chicken salads for the evening meal.  It turned out the others actually did trust him to make salads, despite their protests.  He was in the process of carving a store bought pre-cooked chicken when the rest of the Unit came back from the precinct.  After answering questions about Jay Adam handed the carving knife over to his Sergeant and looked at the men carefully.

"So how obvious was the video ye found?"
"Not too obvious," Kevin explained Antonio and Hanks' find in the transferred footage the duo had spent the day watching, "Antonio saw it.  It could easily have been missed."
"Just as well the both of ye went through them all," Adam looked between Antonio and the Sergeant in gratitude for he had opted to go with Jay to Med.
"Best to be thorough," Hank nodded as he handed a plate of chicken slices over to Antonio to put on the plates Adam had set out earlier, "it was only visible on the last tape. We backtracked and it wasn't on the other tapes but that just means it could have been out of sight when he was filming."
"But it was filmed in Mancinis' house?" Adam queried to clarify the matter as Jay had informed them he was never in the residence.
"Yeah. You saw the footage when Jay was transferring it," Al reminded, "at the end of each recording of Jay and the old man Mancini then filmed an additional bit in his house by himself where he gave the date of the filming."
"Yeah I know and that's all he said. To be honest I didn't pay much attention to that."
"I'm guessing you were more concerned with Jay," Antonio pointed out, "we all know it was hard on him."
"That's an understatement."
"Do you think Jay saw it, the tape with the label?" Antonio looked at Adam as he asked the question he had been considering since viewing the footage at the precinct.
"I doubt it.  If he had he'd have said it.  Besides ye said it was only visible when ye zoomed in on the shelf behind Mancini.  By the last tape Jay was wrecked so I didn't push him to look more carefully."
"You sure he didn't see it?" Al asked seriously as he filled a kettle under the tap.
"Yeah."
"I'll talk to him after the meal," Hank stated as he wiped his hands on a towel, "don't want to put him off his food."
"Sarge is there any point in saying it to him," Adam reluctantly voiced the question he had been pondering, "I mean we don't have the tape? Ye said ye double checked all of Mancinis videotapes we have in evidence and now they've all been transferred."
"Thought you were all about transparency?"
"Just don't see the point in saying it until we have the tape.  Then he'll need to see it but he's pretty washed out at the moment."
"I hear you," Hank looked at his Detectives thoughtfully, "like I told you when you phoned the label on the video just read 'Jay - Tests'.  It could be anything."
"Sure," Al shook his head belying his agreement, "but we all know it's probably one thing."
"I know," Hank sighed heavily, "and if there is an accomplice out there and he has that tape ........,"
"It will be used to hurt Jay," Antonio finished disgustedly.
"Funny none of the other tapes were labelled," Kevin looked at the others, "Mancini took the time to record himself dating each tape yet he didn't bother putting labels on.  Seems on one hand he was organised but on the other hand he wasn't."
"Maybe someone else put together the footage on the labelled video," Al supplied.
"Well we are assuming Halstead Senior did all the filming and gave the tapes to Mancini. Jay would have known if someone else was there when he was being hurt," Hank put in.
"So we're as wise as ever," Kevin said in disgust.
"We need to talk to the old man first thing in the morning."
"Jay will want to be present," Adam reminded.
"Al and me will go to talk to him early.  Before the rest of ye get to work."
"So where do we say ye are?" Antonio checked as they heard footsteps on the stairs.
"I'll think of something," Hank replied softly before raising his voice back to normal level, "the chicken looks good Ruzek."
"That's cause I bought it," Antonio grinned wickedly.
"Bought what?" Jay asked around a yawn as he walked in.

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

Will, Conor and Ethan arrived at the safehouse fifteen minutes later. After the usual boisterous meal Conor took Jay aside and informed him he had the MRI results.

"Well Doc what's the verdict?" the Detective asked as the pair stood out in the hallway as the Surgeon closed the kitchen door behind him.
"Good news is there's no bleeding which is what I was afraid of."
"Wouldn't that have shown up on the scan I had after the .......,"
"Not necessarily," Conor knew his friend was referring to the attack at Med, "sometimes a bleed mightn't give rise to symptoms straight away."
"But there's no bleeding anyway so it's all good."
"I wouldn't say that," Conor shook his head wrily, "it means the headaches are still related to your concussion."
"So that's good," Jay was non plussed about the diagnosis.
"It's not good. It means you're going to have headaches for another while.  I can't give you a time frame."
"Hey Doc don't look so worried.  I'm fine."
"What you are is exhausted and in pain."
"Nope," Jay disagreed, "what I am is lucky to have a good friend and I appreciate your concern but I'm okay."
"Anyone ever tell you you're stubborn?" Conor shook his head and opened the door to head back into the packed kitchen.
"Doc you wound me," Jay defended in mock chagrin relieved the older man was not going to ground him.

That had been his worst fear.  He needed to be able to do his job now more than ever.

tbc

Authors' Note

For those who haven't undergone an MRI Scan when you're in the machine as it takes scans it actually sounds like you're listening to gunfire from a Cop show on a TV up close with the volume high!!!