thirty five.

The clock in the bullpen ticked as time passed. It was early in the morning and the only two people in the office so far were Voight and Pru. The girl nervously tapped her foot on the tiled flooring as she waited for Jay Halstead to show up. The blonde girl had gone in early to fill out some paperwork she never finished. And the two had also decided to come clean to Voight before they got in way too deep to whatever they were. Pru told Jay it would be best to let Voight know and see what the repercussions would be. Pru would be lying if she even tried to say she wasn't nervous. She was quite terrified. Hank was slightly her father figure. And she was anxious to get his reaction on the news.

As more time passed by, Jay still had yet to show up. He wasn't even answering her texts and her calls went to voicemail. The girl sighed and stood up from her spot. Putting on a brave face, she made her way over to Hank's office. She was just going to have to tell him herself. Knocking on the wooden doorway, the older man looked up at the blonde girl. He motioned for her to come in. Shutting the door behind her before taking a seat on the couch across from him. Pru began to fumble with her hands as Hank watched her stare down at her hands in her lap.

"Is there something you need to tell me?" Voight questioned as Pru glanced at her phone screem before she looked back up to her boss.

"I, umm... well, I felt like you should clearly know. And I understand there could be consequences. But I'm willing to deal with whatever is thrown at me because I'm really happy. And this person makes me really happy..." Pru rambled on as Hank watched on amused. Already knowing what she was getting at.

"I mean. We haven't really discussed what we are. But eventually, hopefully soon we will. Anyway, me and..."

"You and Halstead?" Voight questioned as he lifted his brow. Pru froze in place as she looked at her boss with a light blush covering her face.

"Pru, I already had a good idea that something was going on or was going to happen. I guess I just really knew before the both of you even had a clue. You know, I haven't been blind for a whole year now. I pay attention." Hank admitted as he left the girl in shock.

"Oh? Umm... I can take whatever you end up doing. Whether you kick me out of the unit or boot me to patrol. I understand and I'll deal with it." Pru told the man who genuinely smiled at the girl. Seeing how much this meant to her and how willing she was to give up her job for happiness while letting Jay keep his job.

"Don't worry about it. Your stuck in this unit. You proved that you're good at keeping your personal life separate from your work life. So you have nothing to worry about. I appreciate you telling me yourself though." Voight informed Pru who nodded.

"Was that all?" He asked and she replied with a simple quick,

"Yes."

The girl stood up from her spot on the couch when her phone went off. Looking at the screen as her mouth opened in shock.

"Sarge, is it alright if I head down to Med? Pat Halstead was just admitted because of an apartment fire." Pru asked her boss.

"Yeah, go ahead."

+

"Hey, I came as fast as I could. How is everything? Are you alright, Pat?" Pru rushed her words as she entered the small hospital room in the ER. Will was checking his father's breathing as Jay looked at Pru.

"Pop tried to play hero. He forgot he was in his 60s with a bum ticker." Jay simply explained to Pru who gave him a look. He was being slightly sour and Pru didn't like that.

"Yeah, well. This is your fault to begin with." Pat coughed out.

"Me?" Jay asked with his hands in his pockets.

"Yeah. Stick me in that fire trap." Pat blamed his youngest son.

"Pop, stop talking." Will instructed.

"You said you liked the place." Jay let out in slight annoyance.

"You close on the EKG?" Will asked the nurse.

"Just about." She replied.

"What's the point of this?" Pat snapped as he pushed the nurse away from him.

"Easy. Paramedics said you were complaining of chest pain. Did you forget that you had a quadruple bypass a few weeks ago? Come on, stay still." Will told his father as the curtain moved and Connor Rhodes stepped in.

"Hey, if it isn't my favorite patient. How are you doing, Mr. Halstead?" Connor asked as he looked up from his tablet that he had been holding in his hands.

"Fine." Pat responded.

"So you felt some tightness in your chest, huh?" Connor recalled what he had read.

"It's nothing." Pat let out.

"Well, you might be right," Connor began as everyone turned their attention to the screen.

"I don't see any ST elevation or depression. No left access deviation. Looks like a strong and healthy heart to me." Connor reported.

"Yeah, good. We done?" Pat impatiently asked.

"Nope. Not yet. You still have a pretty nasty inhalation injury." Dr. Rhodes told him.

"Can I get a CBC, CMP, and a carboxyhemoglobin?" Will asked the nurse.

"And add a full cardiac workup." Connor added.

"Dr. Rhodes? Dr. Choi needs a consult." Maggie announced as she peaked into the room.

"Yeah. Mr. Halstead a pleasure as always," Connor began.

"Thank you, Connor." Will thanked as Connor began to pass Pru, placing a hand on her shoulder as she looked up at him.

"Hey, Pru. Catch up some time soon?" He questioned with hope in his eyes.

"Oh, hey. Yeah, sure." Pru responded with a slight nod before the doctor left the room. She turned to see Jay peering down at her with a raised eyebrow.

"Oh, calm yourself." Pru let out as she slightly shoved his side and rolled her eyes. She grabbed his hand and squeezed it in reassurance.

"I don't need all of this." Pat said.

"Calm down, you're getting yourself worked up." Jay told his father.

"What do you know? You're no doctor." Pat challenged.

"Pop..." Will began.

"Forget it." Jay shook it off.

"You had no right to sell my house." Pat said. Jay released Pru's hand as he took a slight step forward.

"You want to talk about this again? It was a wreck. You couldn't even take care of the place." Jay laid out the truth to his father.

"You just wanted my money." Pat spat.

"Hey, knock it off!" Pru demanded as she put her hand on Jay's shoulder.

"Hell, she's not even going to stay with you. That doctor will end up taking her from you. You don't know how to keep nice things." Pat told Jay who looked like he could have had smoke coming from his ears as he clenched his fists.

"You don't have any money you thankless old prick. And you don't even know the first thing about me because you never seemed to care, so don't try and speak on something you don't know." Jay snapped before he left the room. Pru and Will looked at each other.

"You go. He needs his big brother to talk to right now. I need to talk with Pat here." Pru told Will who nodded. Leaving the girl and the older man in the room.

"Pat..." Pru began as the man scoffed.

"Don't start." He grumbled.

"No. Listen here. How you treat your sons is terrible. No father should ever treat his children like that. You need to get that stick out of your aSs and start appreciating what you have left before it's all gone." Pru snapped at the older man who looked at the girl with wide eyes. It was as if her face had dramatically gotten red from anger and was about to erupt.

"Your sons care about you and you're being horrible to them. A parent should love their children, not hurt them physically or mentally. Especially if you're a father. That doesn't make you any more of a man at all. So stop being a shiTty dad and show them that you appreciate them. Because I promise you if you keep treating them like that, you will have nothing. Stop being bitter and apologize." Pru told Pat off.

"Now if you'll excuse me. I have to find the other two." Pru left the room. Walking around the corner to find Will and Jay.

"Will, you can head back in there. I got it from here." Pru informed the redhead. He nodded before passing her and heading back towards his father's hospital room. Pru lightly smiled at Jay before she hugged him. He rested his chin on top of her head as they stood in silence.

"I already talked to Voight." Pru mumbled into his chest.

"What?" He asked. Pru pulled away to look up at him.

"I already talked to Voight. You weren't answering so I got it over with." Pru told the man.

"And he didn't do anything?" Jay questioned, slightly confused.

"Before I could really get the words out, he said them for me. Somehow he already knew. He claimed he knew before we even did." Pru informed Jay.

"Wow.  I never thought I'd see the day where Voight doesn't mind the inhouse romance." Jay let out.

"He just said not to bring that part of our life to work. Keep those two lives separate and we'd be good." Pru shrugged.

"I don't know how you do it." Jay said.

"Do what?" She wondered.

"Turn people with ice cold hearts into softies." Jay replied.

"Well, if I do recall. I did turn you into a softie." Pru joked.

"No." Jay scoffed.

"Whatever you say you big teddy bear." Pru said as she pulled him down slightly to kiss him.

+

"Hey, Kelly. I heard about Stella. How is everything going?" Pru asked the firefighter who shrugged.

"I don't know. They said she has a bleed but they need to find it." Kelly told her. She frowned at the words before pulling the man into a hug.

"She's a fighter. She's gonna get through this. Especially when she has all of you as family." Pru confidently said. A beeping faintly erupted through the ER. The blonde girl looked around before she saw Jay run into his father's room which caused her eyes to widen.

"Hey. Keep your head up." Pru told Kelly before running towards the room to see Will doing chest compressions on his father. Pru covered her mouth in disbelief as two nurses and Will tried to revive Pat Halstead.

+

"How long before you restored sinus rhythm?" The doctor asked Will as he stood by the machine. Will had his arms crossed over his chest as he looked at the doctor.

"He was down for around five minutes." Will responded.

"Well, that's consistent with what I'm seeing. Almost no EGG waveforms." Doctor Abrams said.

"What does that mean?" Jay wondered as the doctor sighed.

"Would you like to tell him?" He asked Will.

"We're not seeing any brain activity." Will informed his brother.

"Artifacts, distortion, interference. Dust on the window." Abrams listed off.

"Okay-I'm not following." Jay said.

"Your father is braindead." With those words said, Pru's eyes widened in shock as Jay turned to look at Will who had tears in his eyes.

"So he's not coming back? You're saying there's not chance?' Jay questioned.

"If I had to calculate the odds, I'd say a thousand to one." Abrams told Jay then looked at Will.

"The vent could be put to better use."

"What? Are you serious right now!' Jay yelled.

"Jay, come on." Pru tried to calm him down.

"The hell is wrong with you, man? Are you kidding me!" Jay shouted.

"We'll talk about it." Will told Abrams as he pushed Jay  slightly to the side to let the doctor leave. Then Jay stormed out as Pru squeezed Will's shoulder.

"I'm sorry." She apologized before going after the younger Halstead.

"Jay! Wait up. Please!" Pru begged as she chased after him.

"He was a terrible man. But... he was my dad." Jay let out. Pru pulled him into a hug.

"I know, Jay. I know. But I'm going to be right here for you. No matter what, okay?"

+

"Will, hey. Is everything alright?" Pru asked as she caught up to the redheaded doctor who was heading back to his father's room.

"No." Will responded.

"What else happened?" Pru wondered. The girl had went on a walk to give Jay some time with his father. So at the moment she had no idea what was going on in the hour she hadn't been at the hospital.

"The hospital. The only reason why they told us to take our time was so that his death wouldn't impact their numbers." Will ranted.

"They would do that?" Pru asked dumbfounded at that revelation.

"They would do anything to save their own aSses." Will commented.

"That's unbelievable." Pru scoffed as Will looked into the room.

"Oh, yeah. I left for an hour to let him have some alone time." Pru informed Will as they looked at Jay who sat by the bedside of Pat Halstead, holding his hand.

"Thank you, Pru. For being here right now. I know that Jay is really gonna need someone to help him get through this. When our mom died, he took it really hard and he didn't really have anyone there to help him." Will thanked the blonde.

"I'm also here for you too, Will. Anyway I can help, I will try my best." Pru told him and he weakly smiled before heading into the room. Pru stayed outside to give them some time to discuss things. But soon after the girl realized that probably was a bad idea when she began to hear their voices rising.

"They're using him." Will said as Jay shoved him out of the room.

"That's your problem." Jay let out.

"Jay!" Pru yelled.

"Jay, he's gone." Will told him which resulted in Jay taking a swing right at his face. Pru grabbed onto Jay's arm as she pulled him back.

"Doc, you okay?" A security guard approached the scene as Will wiped some of the blood from his mouth. Pru shoved Jay back into the hospital room before sending an apologetic look to Will. Then she closed the sliding doors and slid the curtains to cover the view.

"Jay, what the hell was that?!" Pru exclaimed as she looked at the guy in front of her. He stayed silent as he took his seat back beside Pat.

"Jay..." Pru sadly let out as a cry escaped past his lips. The girl made her way over to him as she knelt down beside his chair.

"I know that you're hurting. And you want to have hope that a miracle will happen. But you need to be able to accept this reality that your brother is trying to show you. Don't take your anger out on him. He's going through the same thing that you are." Pru told Jay as she grabbed his face so he was looking at her. A tear rolled down his cheek that she wiped away.

"You have people who will help you get through this. Don't push them away." Pru said before pressing a quick peck to his lips before standing up. Letting him lean his head against her side as she ran her fingers through his hair.

+

Pru had fallen asleep in the other chair in the corner.  Jay's button up was draped across her like a blanket. The room was quiet except for the occasional monitor beeping and Pru's light snores. It was around noon time and she was drained already so she decided to rest her eyes which lead to her little nap. Jay still sat in his spot next to his father, holding his hand. His head resting on the side of the bed when Will finally came into the room.

"I'm sorry, Jay. For everything. For not being there for you and dad. And for not giving you space to grieve." Will apologized to his brother. Jay stayed silent as Will looked at their father's body laying on the bed.

"We'll keep him on the vent for as long as you want." Will told Jay.

"Who am I kidding, man? I know he's not coming back. Let him go. Just let him go." Jay said as his eyes watered. Pru stirred in her spot, but quickly got comfortable again as she fell back to sleep. Will looked at the girl with a smile.

"Dad really liked her." Will let out as Jay looked over at the blonde girl asleep in the chair.

"He was going to apologize to you." Will said as Jay looked at his brother in confusion.

"Pru kind of put him in his place after you stormed out. She made him realize that he was living on borrowed time and that he should be grateful that we were even trying to help him. He said she slightly scared him because she looked like she was going to explode as she went off on him. But he liked her. She reminded him of mom." Will explained which caused Jay to smile at the thought. She really was a keeper. Will patted Jay's back as he pulled up a chair besides his brother and sat down.