Even as Jay limped along the hallway wondering what the door he approached led into he kept his senses on alert. Any minute now King could appear. His refusal to do so yet was a blatant ploy at unsettling the Detective. It was a ploy that would not work. Jay was not one to become overly stressed by situations where he had no control. That was a tool he had learnt in his troubled childhood. He definitely detested not being in control but that did not in any way influence his actions. If King had truly researched his prey, as he had intimated on numerous occasions he had, he would know the young man was not prone to rash decisions no matter what the circumstances. There were numerous questions vying for answers as he finally arrived at the slightly open door. Knowing hesitation would not change whatever he would face he raised a hand and pushed the door inward until he had a full view of a large white kitchen gleaming in the sun cascading through a large window on the far wall. Every appliance, cabinet, chair and counter was white. Whether made of marble, high end wood finishing or leather it was clear the owner had a penchant for light and airy surroundings. The pastel colours upstairs were in keeping with the bright residence. Frowning he moved forward slightly disappointed King hadn't been waiting for him. Deciding he was thirsty he went over to the double fridge and upon opening it found every shelf fully stocked. Several bottles of distilled water caught his eye but instead of retrieving one he closed the fridge and opened the nearest overhead cabinet. As per the fridge the cabinet was full. Retrieving a tall glass he made short work of filling it from the silver tap, the only deviance from white in the design. Glass in hand he walked over to the window hoping to get a clue as to his surroundings. What greeted him caused his breath to catch in his throat. The window did not overlook any significant landmark. In fact it did not overlook any land at all! The whole view before the surprised Detective consisted of choppy gray waters, the white puffy clouds overhead only slightly marring the light blue skies. Shaking his head he turned his back to the outside world and looked around at his environment more keenly as he leant against the marble countertop and sipped some of the refreshing liquid. He had suspected he was in a disused hotel after noting the opulence upstairs but the kitchen he now stood in made that assumption obsolete. For all its' grandeur it was not an industrial kitchen. The sole oven a testament in itself to that. The island in the spacious domain was surrounded by only four leather bedecked bar stools. To his left Jay eyed the small round glass table set in the corner before a white leather adorned booth that might hold four grown adults at a push. There was no abundance of kitchen utensils on display that would be part and parcel of running a busy hotel kitchen and the cooking space was devoid of the room needed to cater for a large influx of guests. Shaking his head minutely at his wrong assumption Jay finished the remainder of his half full glass and rested it in the white porcelain sink. Although he had been scrutinising the kitchen the Detective had been keeping a surreptitious eye on the hallway yet still his nemesis remained out of sight. He was weary of the mans' games. Deciding there was only one option left he headed slowly out of the kitchen but not before he had retrieved a knife from the wooden chopping block beside the kettle. He knew his actions were more likely than not being observed but reasoned King would expect him to retrieve any weapon at his disposal so opted to do what was expected of him. Eying the hallway he stifled a groan. His injuries were not willing to give him any respite as he limped forward unsure of what the double doors would reveal.
Chicago Med
For the past ten minutes Will had been pacing up and down in front of Conor in the Break Room. After speaking to the Unit and Goodwin the pair were at a loose end since they had been given a few days' mandatory leave in light of their experience. Neither man really wanted time off but at the same time it would be difficult to concentrate on work, not because of their unexpected roles as hostages but because of the uncertainty surrounding Jays' welfare. The Surgeon suspected the latter issue was the real reason they had been told to go home but didn't divulge that. Right now his friend was beside himself with worry and he needed to somehow alleviate that.
"Jay is smart, he won't let King get the better of him."
"You saw the CCTV footage, he knocked him out!"
"You know what I mean," Conor insisted, undeterred.
"Voight has no idea where they went."
"If he had wanted him dead we'd know by now."
"You can't be certain of that!"
"No I can't," the seated man acknowledged with a heavy sigh, "but it's highly unlikely he took him just to kill him. He must have a plan for him."
"Did you see the look he gave before he left?" Will finally ceased his pacing and eyed his friend, "he was apologising, as if what happened was all his fault. How can he think that?"
"We've spoken before about Jays' sense of duty and loyalty. He's always going to put you first, and his friends."
"That's the thing though," the redhead commented as he finally took a seat in a chair opposite his friend, "he puts everyones' life before his own, not just us."
"You reckon it has something to do with what he went through growing up?" Conor ventured carefully, he didn't want to overstep but his companion knew he was aware of the harsh childhood endured by the Detective.
"I know he feels worthless," Will finally confided after a brief silence, "the old man drummed that into him. I've told him he's not but .......,"
"...... Jay doesn't agree," Conor concluded grimly wishing the deceased Halstead was alive so he could punch him!
"No he doesn't. I mean at some level he knows the old man was just using words to hurt him but on another level the boy who had those words repeatedly hurled at him is still hurting .... guess that sounds daft! Jay's a grown man."
"A grown man who had his childhood robbed in the most insidious way possible. The physical trauma he suffered alone is never going to leave him but that's compounded by your old mans' part. That level of betrayal is hard to ignore. It must overshadow his relationships."
"Guess it does," Will admitted with a heavy sigh of defeat, "that's why I was so surprised when he told me about joining the Unit."
"But he'd been in the Rangers."
"Yeah but that wouldn't have been as .... I don't know ..... personal I suppose."
"You mean he wouldn't have made friends?" the dark haired man frowned, that didn't fit with what he knew about military people.
"Oh he'd have made friends but he wouldn't have had to open up to them as much as he would in the confines of the Unit. The Ranger teams were constantly changing members due to deaths, injuries and people being rotated out ...,"
"Definitely different to being in the Unit."
"And remember he was a Sniper also so that took him away from his regiment," Will elaborated, "less time to form long friendships."
"Mouse made the cut though."
"Yeah he did but ......,"
"But what?"
"Mouse needed him after the ambush. Jay wouldn't have walked away."
"But Mouse recovered and is still a good friend," Conor was unsure what his friend was intimating.
"You've met Mouse, he needs someone who has his back. That someone is Jay."
"Maybe tonights' events are catching up with me but what exactly is your point?"
"I'm not making a point," Will shrugged, "I'm just saying Jay will put himself in danger ....,"
"And?"
"And ....... he'll forfeit his life without a seconds' hesitation for anyone at all."
"That's nothing new," Conor was trying to figure out what exactly was vexing his companion.
"What if he decides to let King win ......... to .....,"
"What are you saying? You think Jay will just let this King guy kill him? Why would he do that?"
"To avoid anyone else being hurt."
"Nah, that's ...," Conor paused searching for the right words, "daft. Jay would have no way of guaranteeing nothing would happen if he's not around!"
"You think so?" Will eyed his friend hopefully, ever since he saw the flickering emotions cross his siblings' features before he had vanished from sight he had been filled with dread.
"I know so," the Surgeon insisted emphatically as he rose and gestured for the other man to do so also, the recent events had clearly shaken the redhead but his bleak thoughts were not going to be entertained, "for now let's head out and get some sleep. Once we're both able to function properly we can go talk to Voight. He'll have a better idea of what's going on by then."
"Wish I had your confidence," Will commented as he followed the Surgeon to the door stifling a yawn, he needed rest but knew sleep was going to be elusive.
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As Conor was trying to downplay his brothers' concerns Jay was facing into the unknown yet again. He had steeled himself to be ready for anything as he slowly opened one door of the main entrance. He hadn't any idea what to expect but the sight before him stilled his wary steps. Eying his surroundings incredulously he began to get an uneasy feeling. There was no driveway or sprawling front garden as would befit the building he had just walked out of. In fact where greenery would have been expected cool waters swirled by, denoting a strong current. The building was clearly constructed on a small island, smaller than any he had ever before seen. Slowly shaking off his surprise he walked slowly along the front of the building and confirmed his suspicions. He was surrounded by a barrier of water! There was obviously no easy way off the tiny island and that he finally decided was why King had not made his presence known. The man was not actually present. Squinting he tried to glean some insight as to how far off the mainland he was but even with his good vision only water could be seen on the horizon no matter which direction he looked. Questions rebounding in his head as he limped back inside the discomfited young man tried to come up with a way to a mainland that could be ten or ten thousand miles away. Leaning back against the now closed door Jay closed his eyes tiredly. He was still suffering the effects of being knocked out. A lingering headache however paled into insignificance when considering his pressing predicament. King had left a fridge full of food which did not bode well for him arriving to retrieve Jay. The rapid waters lapping against the embankments were a good deterrent against trying to swim to shore, even if he knew where shore was! Knowing for now he was trapped the ex-Ranger used his military training and opted for sleep to replenish his strength. Hopefully when he woke up his weary mind and body would offer up some viable solutions .....
tbc