Chapter 1- There's A Storm Coming

Hello everyone! I'm back for more. Just a heads up, this story is entirely separate from A Night In November so, just pretend nothing tragic has ever happened. I actually came up with this idea while showering one morning. I was bouncing ideas off in my mind and this one really came together. Also note that despite the story lines in the actual show, I'm a Burzek and Upstead supporter so anticipate that. Let's unfold this one together.

A storm was brewing. The skies were darkening by the second and the wind was picking up. Bystanders were clutching their coats while having umbrellas at the ready. Unseasonably warm temperatures had moved through the area the last couple of days and now a cold front was about to blow in, bringing more appropriate weather to the city. However, the threatening skies outside were a mere misting compared to the storm, or the war that was shaping up inside the walls of Chicago Med. Walk through the ER entrance doors and find the elevators. Go up two levels to the bunk rooms and find the room numbered two hundred four. Work your way into the bathroom and there you'll find Will Halstead, fully clothed, sitting under a flowing shower head. He sat with his back up against the wall and head looking up towards the shower head. His whole body was shaking. Adrenaline and fear racing through his veins. The shower wasn't his intended destination. Nor did he plan on climbing into it fully clothed. It was a escalation of events. Operating in a trance, he shuffled into this bathroom to remove his blood soaked garments and wash the blood off his hands, literally. However, when the sink didn't work, the obvious next step was to rinse off in the shower. He nixed all ideas of removing clothes first and just fell into a sitting position under a steamy head of water. The blood in question belongs to a cast of people: friends, adopted family, his brother. As the thunder sounded outside, the billowing of fear, grief, and even hate poured out of Will in the form of loud, audible tears. It was amazing how quickly things can change. While there have been a slew of dark, uncertain times in the life of Will Halstead, this evening qualified in the top five.

In the back of his mind, Will knew the risks Jay—and all police officers—took every time he put on that shield. Protecting a city comes with the occasional consequences. But that level of horror, evil doing, it's not something anyone can prepare for. It's something you see on the news or watch in a movie, but never anticipate it happening in real life. What just rolled through the ER doors was a worst case scenario. Will prayed that he'd weathered the brunt of the storm. By now the water had transitioned from searing hot to mildly warm. Will didn't really notice or care. He was too consumed with dark, dangerous thoughts running wild through his mind. He tried desperately to push them away. Thinking negatively wasn't going to help the situation. He buried his head deep into his knees and begged, pleaded for this all to be some terrible nightmare. A soft knock at the door interrupted his thoughts.

"Will? Are you in there? Everyone is looking for you." It was Natalie Manning, Will's soon to be bride. Will didn't respond and so she proceed into the bathroom. She noted his outline through the shower curtain and decided to sit outside the tub.

"Lake Michigan called. They requested you turn the water off. Levels are reaching historic lows." That got a small, quiet laugh from Will. She knew how to bring life into a dire situation. Natalie pulled the curtain back and rested her head on the edge of the tub.

"I have a change of clothes here for you. Ones that are dry. I can help you if.."

"-No. I'm fine. I just needed somewhere to…process, embrace everything I guess." Natalie nodded and stood simultaneously with Will. He shut the water off and she handed him a towel. Will was soon left with his new set of clothes and thoughts. Questions of what and how this happened ran rampant. Will almost wished he hadn't woken up today. Perhaps none of this would've happened if he did something different. Came in late, chose a different type of coffee, something to alter the course of the day. But he quickly chased those notions away. He knew there was nothing he could've done to change the events of the last hour. Ferris Bueller was right, life does come at you pretty fast. He failed to mention the part where it all slows down to an agonizing crawl.

Will and Natalie rode the elevator to the private waiting room in silence. Will stared into nothing while Natalie held his hand and rubbed his back with her other arm. Both still in shock. Both not knowing what the next hours had in store. They opened the waiting room door to a visually shaken Trudy Platt who immediately leaped at the sight of Will, enveloping him in a warm, comforting hug. Dr. Charles and Maggie stood and waited for their moment with Will. Once seated, Will began asking the questions.

"What's the count?"

"One DOA, two stable and under observation, three stable and in recovery, and two are critical and still in surgery." Maggie hesitated on the last one. They all knew who was one of the two still under a surgeon's guiding hands. Will felt terrible only focusing on one person. An entire unit, no, family was in trouble this evening. Eight close knitted people woke up this morning not knowing they'd be fighting for their lives before the day's end. Never take a moment for granted.

"Do we know who did this?" Trudy just shook her head. Dr. Charles broke the silence.

"Will, I understand your desire to put a name or a face with this terrible tragedy but right now, let's focus on those who were affected by this. Those we can help. The police are at the scene and will provide us with answers as they become available." Then the ultimate question was raised.

"How could somebody do this? Especially to people who are in the business of helping, protecting?" Everyone turned their head towards Dr. Charles. Will knew the answer and most likely asked it out of anger.

"I can't give you a definitive answer to that. It's one of the great tragedies of this world: people harming and killing their fellow man. But that mindset isn't going to help right now. Your brother and his colleagues need our hope, strength, and support right now. They're the ones battling, not us. We're simply the cheerleaders on the sidelines. Let's let the police do their job while we do ours."

As the storm raged on outside, Will and the rest of the waiting party sat in silence; each preparing themselves for the next level of worst. No one knows how they'll act in a situation like this. Everyone assumes they'll be a pillar of strength and wisdom and nothing will knock them down. But when the times arises, the fight or flight gene kicks in. In that moment, you subconsciously decided whether you'll live up to your expectations or let circumstances swallow you whole. In this moment, Will didn't feel like a source of strength. It was hard to see the world as anything but evil right now. He wanted to slap himself awake from this night terror. Outside the door, you could hear hospital beds being pushed and doctors calling out orders. The occasional heart monitor would beep the sounds of a life willing to live. Audible reminders of the consequences of living in this troubled, fallen world; alerting Will that this episode was anything but a dream. Will couldn't help but admit how fitting the weather outside was for this moment. It was like a scene in a movie. Wind howling, rain plummeting down in sheets, and a group of people collectively readying themselves for battle. Despite the next steps being entirely unknown, hope still remained. Yes, the enemy had won this early round. But there was no way in any scenario that evil would simply walk away with the victory. Will rested his elbows on his knees and ran his hands slowly through his hair. Dr. Will Halstead in that moment went from being a player on the field to the loudest fan in the stands. C'mon Jay. Don't quit on us yet.