Sorry for the delay! I hope you enjoy this chapter. Please let me know your feedback - I enjoy hearing your thoughts. It keeps me motivated!
Alex and Emma were both sitting on the bed, laughing at an Instagram reel, the alcohol still mostly in control for one of them. Suddenly, the sound of Jay's distinct voice echoed in the corridor. "Where's Dr. Halstead?"
Alex felt her body turn to ice. What the hell was Jay doing here? Will said they'd talk - not her, him, and Jay!
"Ohshit," Alex slurred. Before Emma had a chance to ask what was going on, Will pointed to the room and pulled back the curtain so his brother could walk in.
Jay rushed in briskly, his detective aura fully on display, face hard but eyes filled with worry. His gaze first landed on Emma, checking if she was okay, then shifted to Alex. He was shocked to see her eyes were glossed over, clearly indicating that she was intoxicated. He glared over his shoulder at Will, pissed that he failed to mention that part. Honestly, Will was just as surprised to see her still drunk. Sure, she'd been tipsy when she'd come in, but she was visibly more drunk than before, which he hadn't expected.
Alex, sensing her brother's anger, rose to her feet, defensively. "What are you doing –"
Jay held up a hand, silencing her. He honestly had no idea who this girl was or her name, but he had to be police for a moment. He faced Alex's friend and took a deep breath, making sure his tone was calm and even. "I'm sorry to hear this happened to you. I'll have an officer come take a statement so we can –"
"Woah, woah, woah!" Emma held up her hands to pump the imaginary breaks. "I don't want any police involved." Getting tangled up with the law as the last thing she wanted tonight.
"But you need to give a statement, so–"
Emma shook her head briskly and immediately regretted it as she willed her vision to steady again. "No thank you, mystery guy. I'm okay."
"I'm Alex's brother," he explained, trying to keep his anger in check that this girl wasn't following his advice. "You really should–"
"Oh, the cop," Emma quipped with a knowing nod and a telling smirk.
"Detective actually," Jay snapped, standing a bit taller to make an intimidating point.
Emma's eyes whipped over to Alex beside her, confusion settling in. Something about hearing he was a detective triggered a wave of panic.
Hating that the heat was on her, a clearly not sober Alex turned her attention to Jay and boldly stated, "She doesn't want the police crap, Jay. So why don't you just shove it up–"
Seeing where this conversation was heading now, Will jumped in to calm the waters that were starting to get bumpy. "Let's not do this here. Emma needs to rest."
Alex clenched her jaw as Jay's eyes ripped fire into her. "Fine," they both answered at the same time.
Will intervened, trying to mediate the rising tension as he tugged his brother's upper arm. "Jay, let's go to one of the consultation rooms."
Shrugging his hand off, Jay followed Will, throwing a last glance at Alex, who was bracing herself for what was about to come. Emma reached out, squeezing Alex's hand. "You got this," she whispered. "Don't let him kill your buzz," she encouraged playfully. "Also, don't hate me, but god, he's hot too." She threw Alex an innocent smile followed by a fit of giggles as Alex groaned.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Inside the cramped consultation room of the hospital, a cloud of tension was thick and suffocating. Jay paced the floor, a furious energy emanating from him, while Will hurriedly closed all the blinds, not wanting their family drama on display for all to see. Once he'd finished that, he tried to maintain a semblance of calm, sitting stoically on a chair. Alex, however, with crossed arms, swayed slightly, her drunken state clearly visible and her usual feistiness amplified.
"So we just gonna stare at each other or...," Alex announced with a knowing smirk.
"You think this is all a big laugh, huh?" Jay snapped, glaring at his sister.
She rolled her eyes dramatically, almost losing her balance in the process. "Oh come on, Jay. It's not a big deal."
"I can't believe you right now. You're drunk! So this is what you've been doing instead of debate team, huh?" He folded his arms across his chest as his eyes narrowed.
Her eyes dilated in panic for a moment at realizing he knew the truth, but just as quickly as it happened, they returned to normal. She shook her head, showing that she didn't care. "I knew you wouldn't understand."
"That justifies lying to me about where you've been?" he snapped.
Alex shrugged nonchalantly. The drunkenness filled her with a new level of confidence and boldness. Emma had been right - it was a good decision to throw back that liquor. "It was just a party."
"Your friend ended up in the hospital!" Jay shot back, frustration evident in every word.
She waved a dismissive hand, "She just had bad luck."
Will interjected, attempting to mediate the clearly escalating situation, "Alex, can you even hear yourself right now? This isn't just 'bad luck'."
She snorted, "Maybe for you guys, but for me, it's just another Friday night."
Jay's face darkened at her flippant remark, "Where were you even when this happened to her?"
Alex chuckled, clearly struggling to filter her thoughts. "Well, not to burst your bubble, big bro, but I was with Dustin. In a bedroom." She emphasized the last words with a cheeky grin, clearly expecting a reaction.
Jay's face went from red to crimson. "You were WHAT?"
She hiccuped, finding amusement in the absurdity of the situation. "You heard me."
"You're sixteen!" Jay exploded, "You have no business being alone in a bedroom with a boy."
She shrugged. "Just taking my cues from you and Erin. Except at least we made it to the bedroom." Will's eyes flew over to Jay, trying to decipher what he'd clearly missed out on.
"Enough!" Jay roared, his patience finally snapping as she tried to turn this back on him. "I can't believe you're being this irresponsible."
"Newsflash, Jason," she drawled, her voice dripping with sarcasm at using his real name, "I've grown up. And guess what? I make my own decisions now."
Jay hated his first name, and it had been years since anyone had said it. The teen knew exactly how to get under his skin. Will, sensing the potential for things to get even more out of hand, stepped in with a steady voice, "Alex, you need to get a grip. We're worried about you. But this attitude isn't helping."
She tried to stare them both down but her vision jumped around. "Maybe I don't want help."
Jay tried to keep from flying off the handle, especially after last time when he'd gotten in a fight with her, but she was making it difficult. He took a deep breath to keep his anger from exploding. "Underage drinking, skipping school, lying to my face for weeks...You need to understand that these poor choices have hard consequences. You're in a lot of trouble, Alexandra."
Before Jay could elaborate further, a recurring fear unexpectedly bubbled to the surface upon hearing that she was in a lot of trouble. The raw memories of her father's punishments were still too fresh, and her mind took her back to those nightmares without warning. Alex swayed a bit as she suddenly turned her head to meet Jay's eyes. She responded, the alcohol not letting her think through the reply before it came out reflexively. "How many am I going to get?" she slurred.
Jay was completely taken off guard by the comment, especially as it lacked her signature sarcasm. "What?" he asked harshly with confusion.
However, it was as if Alex wasn't hearing anything; she was on autopilot - like her mind was replaying a scene and she was caught in the loop, taking her back to a nightmare she'd tried so hard to lock away. "Want me to get your belt or do you got it on you?" She motioned toward him.
Jay's eyes widened, the painful realization hitting him hard. The weight of Alex's drunken words hung heavily in the air, shedding light on a deeper pain and deplorable pattern. Both brothers exchanged a concerned look. They knew shit had gone down with their father, but the way she was talking about it made them fear it had been so common and repetitive that she'd started to dissociate herself from it altogether - she had no idea what she was saying in that moment.
"Is that what you're used to? With Dad?" Jay asked, his voice shaking, a mix of anger and concern.