Chapter Text
It was a beautiful day in Chicago, the downtown area a teeming mass of people, streets cordoned off for booths and the eventual parade. It would be even more beautiful if Will was out there enjoying it to the fullest, but at the moment, he and his team were examining an older gentlemen who was experiencing pain in his left arm, shortness of breath, and impaired cognitive function.
All in a days for work the doctor on call at the festival. Who was Will, in this case. And there was no where he’d rather be, really.
“We’ll get you to the hospital for a full workup,” Will told the man, knowing he probably wasn’t processing everything around him, but being a professional meant communicating steps to his patient. Turning to the man’s wife, who was pale but relatively composed and watching the proceedings like a hawk. “They’ll let you ride along, ma’am.” Motioning her over as he stood and let the paramedics continue in his place. “Perhaps you’d like to keep him company?”
Pulling off his gloves with a sigh and tossing them in the secure container attached to their go cart set up. Running a hand through his hair before reaching for yet another clipboard to record the incident as well as hand off a few more forms to the paramedics when they arrived with the ambulance to take the older couple to the hospital.
“Could’ve been worse,” One of the medics said cheerfully, holding out a cool bottle of gatorade which Will accepted gratefully.
“Don’t say that too loudly,” Will admonished her. “One of the rides could break down — again." Grabbing his radio when it gave a squawk to get his attention. “Hold that thought. Halstead here.”
Hey, Will could recognize that voice anywhere. It was Burgess. We’ve got a little girl in section 11A — lost her parents. She’s been out in the heat too long for sure. Can you head over this way?
“Of course,” Will acknowledge. “Try to get her to take at least sips of water and get a cool cloth on her neck and face if you can.” Turning back to Tracy, who as already revving up the cart. “Looks like we’ve got a kid with heat exhaustion in 11A.”
“I actually brought Hello Kitty bandaids’s and stuff in case of the little kids,” Tracy informed him as she inched her cart through the crowd, most people moving out of the way when they saw the dimmer version of flashing lights on the cart. But there were always going to be a few assholes. “And dinosaur ones.”
“I might have to snag a few of those,” Will mused, thinking of Owen.
“Sure thing, doc.”
It wasn’t until they’d examined the little girl and then volunteered to take her to the nearest information booth where her parents were apparently waiting that all hell broke loose.
It started as shouts and screams from a few blocks down, making Roman and Burgess enter high alert mode. Then the shots followed and a wave of people started stampeding in every direction.
“Active shooter!” Roman called out, looking grim, drawing his weapon but keeping it pointed at the ground. “You’d better take cover.”
“We’ve got her,” Will assured them as he scooped up little Elsie, who’d started crying at the sudden bombardment of noise around her. “Go!”
The crowd was too thick already to try to take the cart so he and Tracy joined the crowd as it headed towards the edges of the festival and away from the shots.
And then there was another panic as more shots came from that direction as well.
“Two shooters,” Tracy said grimly, pulling Will behind her into an abandoned booth with mostly opaque siding.
“This is bad,” Will said unnecessarily, but he needed to say something, feeling his hands start to tremble as adrenaline coursed through him. Holding Elsie closer as she cried into his neck, holding on like a limpet. “Think we should try to get higher?”
Tracy’s opinion was lost as shots came again — and much too close for comfort. Ducking further into the booth, they sought shelter behind some tables and piles of disposable cartons.
“Shhh, honey you gotta be quiet, okay?” Will tried to sooth Elsie who was practically rigid with fear. Turning to their companion. “Tracy, can you get my cell phone from the bag? I gotta make a call.”
Giving him a look of complete understanding, Tracy got her own phone out as well, dialing in a number once he had his cell in his hands.
Practically vibrating in place as he placed the call to speed dial, waiting for Jay to pick up.
And Will hated that he was going to ruin the good mood Jay was obviously in, his little brother sounding like he’d been laughing before he’d picked up.
Hey Will — what’s up?
“There’s an active shooter at the Jazz Festival,” the explanation came tumbling out. Ducking instinctively as more shots rang out, closer still. “Two active shooters, at least.”
What?! Are you okay? And Will can hear him already getting his team in motion as he talked to him.
“I’m hiding with one of the medics on site and a patient — a little girl.” Lowering his voice as the noises outside changed subtly. “Jay . . .”
No, Jay said fiercely, car doors slamming in the background and a siren starting. Don’t you dare say goodbye like this.
So Will doesn’t. “I love you, Jay. I don’t say it enough — but I hope you know that.”
. . . I love you too, Will.
Will doesn’t hang up.
Because the phone falls from nerveless fingers as bullets ripped through the tent walls around them, curling around Elsie as they duck closer to the floor. Hoping against hope that the shooter won’t look any closer to check their handiwork. Elsie trembled against his chest, too terrified to scream.
Will doesn’t notice the blood seeping from his own wound as his senses go on overdrive, watching the steady march of combat boots from the minuscule gap between the side of the booth and the asphalt. Watching as empty shells as discharged and then the boots stop.
Gulping, Will motioned at Tracy to be quiet, wide eyed as they both listened for what felt like an eternity. Holding their breath.
Eventually the boots moved on.
Though neither of them stopped being on high alert even as Tracy crept to the entrance of the tent and poked her head around the bottom to make sure the shooter was out of sight.
“Coast's clear — we need to go!”
And the phone is forgotten as Will stood, staggering for a moment before righting himself, following Tracy out of the tent and moving in the opposite direction as the shooter.
So was it really so weird that neither of them noticed the blood staining his already red scrubs?
After all, they had much more important things to worry about at the moment
For all that Jay liked guns and had worked with them professionally for most of his adult life, sometimes he hated them.
Especially in the hands of the psychos who’d decided to shoot up one of the bigger summer festivals held in Chicago.
And naturally, where trouble was, Will had to be right in the middle of it.
One shooter is down, Olinsky’s voice came over their ear pieces, Jay and Erin exchanging a satisfied glance.
Reports say at least one more, Voight added. But keep an eye out — we don’t want any surprises.
“Copy that, Sarge.”
Making their way cautiously down a suspiciously empty street. Looking for the signs — and finding them. The bodies hard to miss as they lined the road, leading towards where there had to have been the most people at the start of the shooting. Gritting his teeth as he saw a little boy dead in a wagon, their parent slumped alongside it, panic still in evidence on their slack face.
The face morphing into Will’s.
But no — Jay could’t think like that. Just because the phone call had cut off didn’t mean Will was dead.
Will couldn’t be dead.
So he wasn’t. End of story.
Shots rang out from the right and so they headed in that direction, Jay automatically pushing his fears to the back of his mind, living in the moment as he prepared himself for whatever they were going to find.
Ducking back behind the corner of a building as a shot whizzed by his cheek, radio crackling to life in his ear.
Looks like the second shooter went up to the second story of the Grocery, Adam’s voice came over the radio. Jay — did I see you guys just now?
“Yep, we’ve taken cover by the —” Checking the words on the window nearby. “Corner Deli.”
Even if we can’t smoke them out, Kevin’s voice came next. At least he’ll be contained up there.
Agreed. Voight’s voice was next. Keep him pinned and wait for SWAT. I don’t want any heroics. There’s been enough casualties for one day.
And while Jay saw the logic in that, every bone in Jays' body told him that they should just end this guy once and for all. Especially if it meant Jay could go look for Will sooner rather than later.
“Copy that, Sarge.” Giving in to the inevitable.
Exchanging a look with Erin.
Settling in to wait.
“Thanks for the help, doc,” Casey said as he helped hold down a man while Will kept pressure on a graze in the man’s upper arm.
“Glad to help, Casey,” Will said, checking to see if the blood flow had slowed before moving to get a pressure bandage. “Just wish the day hadn’t turned out like this.”
Casey snorted tiredly. “You and me both.”
Though it wasn’t until they gotten most of more severe cases transported to the hospital, leaving the ones with minor injuries to still be seen too, that the news came over the radio that the second shooter had been taken care of.
“Seems like he turned the gun on himself,” Boden reported, expression severe.
“Any word on what this was all about?” Casey asked.
“Nope.” Boden said. “But I think we can all guess.”
And they all could, at that.
Will was putting a splint on a severely sprained ankle while the girls boyfriend held her hand when he heard Jay before he saw him.
“— is he?! Has anyone seen Will?”
Putting the velcro of the splint in place before hurriedly standing up, waving at Jay even as he broke into a jog. Checking Jay over for injuries. Seeing that his little brother was doing the same. Breath driven out of his lungs — but in a good way — as Jay barreled into him, practically lifting him off of his feet in a bear hug.
“Hey, easy,” Will soothed, letting his little brother support his weight. “I’m okay.”
“Thought you were dead,” Jay mumbled. “I heard —”
“I left my cell phone behind when we ran for it,” Will told him, rubbing a hand over Jay’s neck, above where he was wearing his vest. “Then it got so busy — sorry for worrying you.”
“I’m just glad you’re okay,” Jay said, pulling back, his eyes suspiciously moist. Frowning as he prodded at Will’s back, something going tense again in his posture.
“You didn’t say that you were hurt!”
“I’m not?” Will asked, frowning.
“Then what’s this?!” Jay exclaimed, holding out his hand, which had fresh blood on it.
“I’ve been tending to a lot of patients,” Will mumbled, putting up a half hearted protest as Jay turned him around and lifted up his shirt.
“You’ve got a graze!”
“I do?”
“Yeah!” Jay said, flagging down a passing medic. “Sit down, moron.”
“First of all, rude,” Will said tiredly, wincing as he felt the pain he’d been ignoring ratchet up now that attention was being called to it. “Second of all, not a doctor.”
But Jay was ignoring him as he got the medic to fetch some bandages, leaving them alone for a moment.
And that’s where Will saw her — the five foot nothing blond with a giant handgun.
Forgetting that, between the two of them, Jay was the one wearing body armor, Will surged forward as the gun came up, knocking Jay over even as his little brother squawked in protest. Screaming breaking out again around them as already traumatized victims were again victimized.
The shots were quickly responded to by the police and Squad members in the vicinity, though Will missed some of it, coming back to himself as he stared up at the blue blue sky that had betrayed them all.
Jay’s anxious face interrupting the blue, looking down at him.
“—old on, Will.” The sky was looking wonky, Jay’s face bending strangely to mix with the traitorous blue. “Just hold on —“
And Will knew no more.