Jay and Erin approached Will at the nurses station at Gaffney Chicago Medical Center after stopping by in hopes to interview a witness that had been injured in a drive by shooting on Chicago's south side.
E- "any updates on our GSW?
W-"Still in surgery- no update from Dr. Rhodes But I can try and go peek into the OR"
J-" Thanks bro just give us a call as soon as you know something, we need to catch these guys, we think they are connected with three more shootings in the last couple of weeks."
Jay and Erin exchange glances as they notice Will become distracted by the site of Dr. Manning approaching..Jay shoots a smirk at Will catching his attention again as Will gives him a pleading look not to say anything
J-"Natalie!! Come over here for a sec"
N-" Hey Jay! Erin! Good to see you guys!!! What's up?"
J-" Me and Erin were thinking of going to dinner tonight and thought maybe you and Will wanted to join us? You know a friendly dinner before the baby comes"
W-"Jay, come on she's 8 months pregnant I'm sure she doesn't feel like dealing with your annoying self after working a long day"
N-"Actually that sounds exactly like what I need- we will meet you guys at 7 just text where to go"
Jay and Erin say their goodbyes and instruct Will to call as soon as he has an update on their witness, Will shoots Jay the finger as he turns away to get back to work
Will yells to Jay as he walks back to treatment room 3
W-" you can never just leave things alone can ya Jay?"
J-" You should be saying "Thank you"
W-"whatever makes you sleep at night, see you later and you better keep your mouth shut!!"
Will was terrified that his brother was scheming to tell Natalie that Will was secretly in love with her, what would she think? How would she react? There's no way in hell she felt the same about him...was there?? He tries so hard to hide his feelings around her and so far he has felt like he has succeeded, he didn't want to lose her friendship..he needed her, she needed him, they are each other's support system, he can't lose that by telling her how he feels and he hopes that Jay won't ruin it for him.
Later that evening
Will and Natalie arrive at Alinea to meet up with Jay and Erin who have already secured a table in the restaurants prime seating lounge. Nat had been wanting to eat here for months but it was nearly impossible to get in- luckily Jay has met some connections through working in the 21st district and a CI of his was able to get them in on short notice.
Jay couldn't help but notice the tenseness in Wills face and body as he approached the table- he could tell that he was shaking in his own skin- nervous of how the night would fare for him and the woman he is falling in love with, nervous that he was not going to be able to hide his feelings much longer and most of all nervous that his brother and potential future sister in law would accidentally let the cat out of the bag. Will pulled Natalies chair out for her and helped secure her bag before greeting his brother and Erin- Natalie gave him a sweet smile and soft thank you as she got herself comfortable- a task that got more challenging with each passing day.
N- "I swear if I get any bigger we are going to need a crane to get me in and out of chairs, Ive never been more ready for this little man to make his appearance"
W-" Well lets just hope he doesn't try and make his grand entrance before we get to eat, I'm starving"
J-" Yea not sure I'm ready for all that- not my line of work"
Erin playfully smacks Jay and the arm
E-"Hey, be nice!"
J-"Have you ever actually seen a baby be born? Its terrifying"
N-"Thanks Jay- not like I will be giving birth anytime soon or anything"
J-"Hey you're a doctor- you know exactly what's going to happen"
N-"Totally different when its my body"
J"Thats fair"
W-" Alright enough of this discussion- what's everyone gonna have?"
A couple hours later the four were finishing up with their dessert and good conversation- Will found himself laughing about how nervous he was for this night- it had far exceeded his expectations and his family was on their best behavior. He shot Natalie a sly grin as he asked her if she was ready to get out of there, she agreed and the group walked towards the parking lot where they exchanged hugs and goodbyes- Will walked Natalie to her car after Jay and Erin had departed.
N-"Thank you for dinner Will, you really didn't have to pay for mine especially since I'm eating double these days, but really I appreciate it...and for that matter everything you've done for me over these past few months- I honestly don't think I would have made to where I am today if it hadn't been for you"
W-"Nat- I'm happy to do it, and so thankful to have you in my life- there are very few people I care more about"
They catch each others gaze for a moment before he secures her into her car- not wanting the night to end but Will knew it had too.
W-"goodnight Nat- please let me know when you make it home safely, there's a lot of crazy drivers out there"
N-"Will do- again thank you for tonight"
Natalie drove away slowly and as she glanced in her rearview mirror she caught a glimpse of Will standing and watching her pull away.
