Chapter Text
It was supposed to be routine check-in.
The team have eyes on the bakery round the clock, hearing most of the developments through the wire that Anna wears.
They still check in once a week just in case they’ve missed something, to make sure Anna is doing okay and to keep her reassured that they have her back. That they’re there.
Jay is taking it today.
Hailey had made fun of him when he’d volunteered, teasing him about Anna growing on him, but afterward they’d gotten back to work.
Kim and Kevin are watching the bakery but the rest of them have plenty of digging to do.
They may be putting a lot of faith in Anna and this undercover but they aren’t ready to put all of their eggs in that basket just yet.
Hailey has just risen from her desk to bring some new evidence to Voight’s attention when the radio goes off.
“5021 George 10-1 10-1. Shots fired at the police, 10th and Stapleton. Multiple offenders, taking heavy fire.”
“What the hell?” Voight demands, already moving for the door as Hailey scoops up the radio.
The three of them pile into Voight’s SUV, Adam and Hailey tugging on their vests as he speeds across town.
The scene is flooded with patrol cars by the time they arrive and he can see the ground littered with bodies, a handful of offenders still being taken into custody.
How many guys had Escaño thrown at them?
There’s a cement barrier a hundred yards back from the road and he spots Jay standing behind it.
Runs toward them.
Anna is lying on her back, both hands over here stomach atop her zipped up jacket.
She’s breathing hard; gasping, choking breaths that scream that she’s in pain louder than any actual scream ever could.
Anger floods through him and he presses his hands over hers and pressing down hard, hushing herr gently as she cries out.
He looks up at Jay, noticing that he has a hand pressed over his chest just above the base of his ribcage and then dismissing it.
He’s still on his feet so he must have had a chance to throw his vest on when the shooting started.
He’ll be hurting for a few days but he’s fine.
Unlike their CI who was his responsibility.
“Damn it, Halstead! What the hell happened,?” He growls.
“V- Anna gasps breathlessly and he turns back to her briefly, increasing the pressure.
“It’s okay.” He says gently. “You’re okay. Help will be here soon.”
“J-”
“He’ll be fine.” Voight tells her. “Won’t even get to delay the lecture for dropping the ball here more than a few minutes. Just relax, okay?”
“H- d-”
A thud behind him distracts him from trying to understand what she’s saying and he glances back to see Jay on his knees, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth.
Had a broken rib punctured his lung?
The truth hits him like a freight train.
The stiffness he can feel beneath his hands isn’t rigidity from internal bleeding.
He rips open Anna’s jacket, taking less than a second to confirm his horrified realization.
She’s wearing a vest.
She’s wearing JAY’S vest.
Which means that Jay wasn’t.
Which means it wasn’t a rib that had punctured his lung.
“Stay here.” He tells Anna. “Just keep breathing and don’t try to move.”
And then he’s scrambling to catch Jay as he tumbles backward, keeping him from fully hitting the ground.
His black coat had kept the blood from standing out immediately but this close he can tell just how much of the stuff has spilled out from it’s rightful place.
He rips the coat open, finding the hole nestled between two ribs on Jay’s right side and pressing against it.
“At least it didn’t hit an artery this time, right kid?” He asks gently, trying to catch Jay’s eye.
“A-na?” He gasps and Voight shakes his head.
“She’s gonna be fine.” He tells him. “You did good, kid.”
He’d seen the number of offenders earlier, both the ones that Jay must have taken out and the ones who’d surrendered once backup had arrived.
Jay had been alone, desperately trying to protect an unarmed CI against somewhere between ten to fifteen ruthless attackers and he’d done everything possible to keep her safe.
Including handing her his only source of protection.
“I need paramedics over here, now!” He shouts, hearing the desperate scramble of footsteps and rattling of wheels.
Hailey is elbowing in next to him a second later, taking hold of Jay’s hand.
“Whoa hey.” She says, eyes sweeping over the blood. “I thought the doctor said that lead was bad for your health.”
Jay quirks something almost like a smile but the blood coating his teeth just makes it pretty gruesome.
“Hang in there, baby.” She soothes gently. “Help’s here, okay?”
Voight backs out as the paramedics arrive, giving them room to work.
He turns back to Anna who’s sitting up now, the vest removed and her shirt pulled up as another paramedic probes gently at the lurid bruising across her stomach.
It’s gonna smart for a while but the vest had done it’s job.
Jay had done his job.
Her eyes are fixed on Jay, head craning to see around the paramedics.
“He’s okay.” He lies. “Gave you the vest because getting shot is a hobby of his.”
She raises an eyebrow but doesn’t say anything, whether because she doesn’t deem his words worth a response or because she’s still catching her breath, he’s not sure.
He sighs.
Things had been going so well.