A Chicago Story.

Chapter 2: Jay Halstead

It was a long uneventful day. I think I have desk syndrome. I invited Adam over for a beer and to watch the football game. 
The police com came on, "young girl being chased by four or five men down by Fuller Park. Any available units close to the area?" The dispatcher asked. 
I was three minutes away without traffic. What was a girl doing out in Fuller Park at this hour? Doesn't she know it is dangerous? 
Blowing out a long breath I took the walky-talky and pressed the button to speak to the dispatcher. 
"This is Detective Jay Halstead and Officer Adam Ruzek of the Intelligence Unit. We are three minutes out." 
"Detective Halstead, call if you need backup." The dispatcher said and disconnected the line.
"Guess we can miss the first part of the game." We laughed. You're never really off the clock when you're off the clock. 
We got to an abandoned building, that we thought may have been a hiding spot for the girl, or a dumping ground for the guys. 
Adam and I got out of the car and came around the car, scanning the front of the building. 
I heard a grunt from above and looked up just as a girl with long blonde hair came tumbling out of the hole in the wall that I assume was a window in it's day. 
I took two long strides forward and caught the girl in my arms. She weighed nothing. There was nothing to her. 
When her hair fell from her face I could tell they had beaten her pretty badly. 
Her eyes fluttered, and she opened them. It looked like it took a lot of effort. 
She looked at me and my breath caught in my throat. I knew this girl. 
How do I know her? Did I put her in jail? Maybe a family member? No, it couldn't be that. 
It was something else. She felt important. Which is totally crazy, I don't even know this woman. Scratch that. She was a a child. Maybe seventeen. I don't forget a face. Why did I forget hers? Then her eyes rolled back in her head and her eyes floated shut. 
"Hun? Can you hear me?" I mover her face around, but nothing, she was out. A pit in my stomach had formed and something that was almost, maybe, panic? Set in my stomach. Panic for a stranger? Then a little voice in the back of my head said, Jay, you know her. Remember. 
"Ruzek, call an ambo and get in that building now!" Adam nodded once. Running to the door of the building and talking into the intercom. 

I walked the girl over to the car and placed her on the hood. I unzipped her over sized hoodie to see if she had any damage externally. I wouldn't be able to tell if she had broken ribs or was bleeding eternally but I had to do something. Pulling the hoodie back carefully I placed my fingers gently on her ribs and she stirred restlessly on the hood of the car. 
I moved my fingers away immediately. 
Within a few minutes the ambo had arrived and Ruzek came back empty handed and told me they had bolted. I'm not suprised. 

The paramedics took the girl in the back of the ambulance. "I'm going with her." I said and climbed in, throwing the keys to Ruzek. "Meet me at the hospital." They closed the doors and we were off. 

When we got to the hospital Will greeted me. "What do we have?" The paramedics described a number of things I didn't understand and Maggie told them to wheel her into an open trauma room. "Will." I said grabbing his arm. 
"Be careful with her. Make sure she doesn't die. I feel like I know her." 
"What happened?" He asked. 
"Got a call, she was being chased by thugs down in Fuller Park and they did that to her." 
"What was she doing down there?" 
"Beats me. And I want to find out so don't kill her." I called after him. 
"I won't," he called back to me as he disappeared into the room the paramedics wheeled her into. 

It had been hours since I'd seen the girl. 
Most of the team was here. Voight, Ruzek, Kevin, Antonio and me. The girls were out having a 'girls night', which I'm pretty sure consists of strip clubs, and lots of drinks. 
The double doors opened and my brother approached us in the waiting area. 
"Well?" I asked more anxious than I probably should have been with a stranger. 
The boys didn't ask why I was so concerned, they just said that they would stay until we found out what happened. 

"She got lucky. No internal bleeding. But she does have a few cracked ribs, a mild concussion, a fractured wrist, and cuts and bruises up and down her body. She's a very lucky girl. She is awake if you'd like to see her." 
"I do." 
Will directed me to her room and left. I knocked on the door and she slowly turned her head towards me. I could tell just that was painful for her. 
"Hi, I'm Detective Halstead, and I'd like to ask you a few questions if you're up to it." 
She looked scared. But I couldn't tell if it was because of me, or the fact that I'm a cop. 
"Okay." 
I grabbed a chair from the corner of the room and brought it to the side of her bed. 
Will wasn't kidding when he said she was bruised. 
"May I see your badge?" She asked quietly. 
"Of course." I reached into my back pocket and handed her my badge and handed it to her. 
She slowly examined it and handed it back to me. 
"What do you want to know Detective?" 
"First off what's your name?" 
"Jane Doe." 
Hiding her name? Why? 
"Look I can't help you if you don't tell me what you were doing in one of the worst parts of the city that late at night." 
"I wanted to go for a walk." 
"Sure, let's say I believe that. Why would your parents let you do that?" 
"They didn't know." 
She was being blunt. Not giving anything away but the obvious. 
"Why did they attack you?" 
"I don't know." 
"I know you're lying to me and we can either do this one of two ways. I can get my Sergeant in here and we can do this the hard way, or we can have a truthful conversation here and now."
I hated being blunt with her. I feel like I owe this girl. I don't know why, but my gut is telling me something.  But one way or anther I wanted answers. 
She said nothing. "Fine have it your way." I started to stand up. 
"Wait, stop." She sounded defeated and tired. 
I stilled, and sat back down. 
"I needed money. I pawned off a fake diamond necklace." 
"That was incredibly stupid." 
"You don't have to remind me." She rolled her eyes. 
"Why would you need money?" 
She again, didn't answer. 
"Was it for drugs? Alcohol?" 
"No," she protested. "I don't do drugs and I don't drink." 
"Then for what?" 
"Ask me another question." 
"What's your name?" 
She hesitated, debating if she wanted to lie or not again. 
"Jadeyn. Jadeyn Mills."
"Well it's good to meet you Jadeyn. I'm Jay." 
"Jay I'm really tired, could you come back later and talk then?" 
"Absoutly. I'll be here when you wake up." 
She turned her head and closed her eyes. I wasn't going to get anything more out of her right now. And I will be there when she wakes up. I closed the hospital door behind me and went back to my team. 
"Her name is Jadeyn Mills. She was trying to get them to buy a fake diamond necklace because she needed money."
"Why would she need money, drugs?" 
I shook my head. "She swears she doesn't drink and she said she doesn't do drugs either. I looked at her arms, she didn't have track marks either."  
"Weird." Ruzek said. 
"I am going to stay and wait for her to wake and see if I can get more information on her." 
"Okay, call us if you need anything." Voight said and they all left. 

I saw Will. "Hey, can you run a blood draw, I wanna see if her name pops up in any data bases or if her blood matches anyone's. I have a gut feeling about this one but I can't put my finger on it. 
And she's not telling me everything, she's closing herself off and I want to know why." 
"Yeah of course man, I'll get a nurse right on that."
April Sexton nodded. "Already on it." 
When she way done she came out. "She's knocked out. Gave her something for the pain. She will wake up in a few hours, and I'll get these to the lab right away."
"Thank you April." 
"Anytime."