AN: More angst for those who wasn't scared off from the last chapter.
Erin isn't sure what brings her to his door. Living with Hank had been hard. Detoxing not something that is conducive for constructive communication and her falling off the wagon and choosing her mother instead of him had hurt everyone around her.
Her boss had welcomed her back, the rest of the team happy to see her. But Jay was missing, Will had kept him off limits in the hospital, she wasn't sure why, but she had a feeling he was trying to protect his brother. All she could think about was how he'd been glad it was her who came and got him out. They hadn't spoken after that.
It had been two days, no word from Jay or Will.
So, there she was, standing outside Jay's door, afraid to knock, afraid to be rejected, that it had all been a hallucination. That Jay wasn't interested in talking to her ever again after what she'd put him through.
Listening intently for anyone beyond the door she couldn't hear any voices. She felt foolish, what if Jay was sleeping, resting and here she was waking him up, just because she needed to see that he was alive.
Detoxing brought restless nights, insomnia making her thoughts spin to where she didn't want them to go. The blood on her hands, Jay's bruised and battered body, his silence as she approached the ambulance, his eyes, always telling her more than his words.
Shaking her dark thoughts away she finally raised her hand and knocked.
Will opened the door, his hair wild, the tv on in the back lighting him up from behind, all lights turned off. The sound is off as well, and Erin thinks she woke him up.
"He's asleep Erin." Will says as a greeting.
"Oh, okay…I just…" Erin didn't know what to say, Will didn't seem like he wanted her anywhere near his brother at the moment.
"Is he okay?" She finally managed; it was what she wanted to know, after all that was why she was there.
"No Erin, he's not. He was beaten and tortured with electricity, he's not okay." Will's voice was harsh, almost whisper, he didn't want the person they were discussing to wake up.
Erin didn't know what to say, she felt stupid, of course Jay wasn't fine after what he'd been put through. She hadn't seen the video, but from what Adam described it had been rough.
"I'm sorry Will...I just, I didn't mean to hurt him." She knew Will was angry at her for something else then the torture Jay had been through and that he was protecting his brother from her. Tears were forming, she had to look down, not wanting Will to notice.
After a moment of silence, Will sighed, he shifted his weight, as of he was reconsidering his tactics.
"Erin, I'm sorry, I'm not really mad at you." Looking up at him she could see regret on his face, his body language changing, slumped shoulders, eyes finding hers.
Nodding at his apology she didn't know what to say, she did feel guilty, it was her fault.
"Jay is really asleep…he uhm, needs to rest."
"Yeah, of course, I just…haven't talked to him since I got him out, and I…needed to see him, you know?" Erin hoped Will understood her need to see that he was alright.
"Come on," Will waved her inside, closing the door behind her.
"I know I've been a bit overprotective since…what happened," with a hand on her back he steered her towards Jay's bedroom. The door was open, a lamp in the corner of his room was on, but it was dimmed down.
She could make out Jay's form under the blankets, his dark hair on the pillow. His features were barely visible in the dark, he looked relaxed, mouth open in sleep, a slight snore.
"I ah…wasn't there for him before, so I guess I'm overcompensating the protective brother thing a bit…" Will smiled at her. Pushing a hand thought his hair as he sighed.
"He's really out of it…he never snores," Erin said, smiling because he was alive right there. He looked vulnerable, the cut on his forehead, the purple bruises standing out.
"Yeah, I might have…you know given him some pain meds that knocked him out for a bit." Will looked down at the floor, a bit embarrassed about what he'd done to Jay.
Erin continued to sturdy Jay. Thankful he was still with them, that she would be able to tell him how sorry she was for hurting him, for pushing him away. Even if they'd never get back together, all she was hoping for was their friendship back.
After a while Jay grew restless, a grunt escaping as he turned his head, then soft mumbling.
Erin wanted to go in there and comfort him but knew that wasn't her job anymore. Will jumped into action immediately, going over to Jay, shushing him, telling him everything was alright, everything was going to be okay.
A hand on Jay's shoulder, a few quiet words that Erin could hear, Will was so tender, making it look like he had done this for his brother before.
Erin felt like an intruder, like she was seeing something she wasn't supposed to see. Jay seemed to calm down quickly when Will touched his shoulder and sat down on his knees to comfort his brother.
She could see Jay open his eyes. Confused blue eyes roaming the room, trying to make sense of his surroundings.
"You're alright, I'm here with you, you're in your apartment, in Chicago," Will was trying to ground him in reality, chasing away whatever dream was making Jay restless.
Jay's eyes closed slowly; the drugs Will had given him was claiming him, pulling him back to sleep. His body relaxed again, breathing evened out.
Erin withdrew from the doorway, as Will was still beside his brother, making sure he was fine.
She wasn't supposed to see this; she was disturbing them. Jay didn't need her there, he had Will.
She closed the door silently behind her as she left the apartment.
AN: So, is this enough or do you want to see how they ended up at the end of the first chapter?