#mentioned cornelius rhodes

[kitweewoos]

17.“Hey, look at me. I’m not going anywhere.”

(surprise! it's rhodestead)

Connor was lost, staring at the coffin as they lowered his father into the cold ground. He’d never been especially close to his father, but the ache in his chest didn’t seem to care. He’d spent so much time hating his father that all he could see now was all the time that they could have had going forward, repairing the misunderstandings. He’d let so much get in between them, and now he was an orphan with just his sister, Claire, left as his family. She hadn’t spoken to him since Ava had committed suicide rather than answer for her crime. She knew that Connor was the reason they no longer had a father, and now his sister wouldn’t even look at him.

He didn’t blame her, honestly. He hadn’t looked at himself in the mirror yet, unable to face the guilt in his eyes. He’d not even been back to his apartment because every time he’d tried, all he could remember was all the times he’d brought Ava back there while she’d played with him and manipulated him.

Instead, he’d been staying at a hotel, since he couldn’t sleep most nights anyway. It was good that he’d resigned from Chicago Med because he was in no state to practice at the moment. It did mean that he’d isolated himself pretty effectively from his friends and coworkers.

Well, except for –

[read the rest below | read it now on ao3]

“Hey.” The voice cut through Connor’s thoughts and he looked up from the hole and the casket at Will Halstead. He was wearing a black suit, having attended the funeral of a man he’d barely known just so Connor didn’t have to stand by himself. The suit looked good on him, but then again, most things did. “It’s starting to rain. Let’s go back to the car.”

“Let it rain,” Connor grumbled, and he heard Will sigh gently. 

“Connor, come with me,” he said, and his hand slid into Connor’s with light pressure, their fingers lacing together before Connor could realize what was happening, not that he would protest. Will had always been a proper, solid foundation in Connor’s life since the day they’d met, even if it hadn’t seemed like it at the time.

“Let’s get you home,” Will said, and Connor flinched.

“I don’t – I haven’t been home,” he admitted.

“You haven’t?”

“No, it reminds me of, of her, and I can’t be there alone.”

“Where have you been staying, then?”

“You’re going to scoff, but the Hilton near the hospital?”

“Okay,” Will said with a nod, eyes soft and understanding as he looked at Connor. “Would you like to go back there, or -”

“I don’t know.”

“Okay, that’s fine. It’s okay not to know. Let’s just start with getting you over to the car, and we’ll figure out where to go from there. Come on.”

He was led away from the grave, his father’s final resting place just as the casket hit the bottom. He couldn’t bring himself to look back at the masterfully carved marble headstone he’d had made up for his father. He had chosen to follow his father’s instructions left with the family lawyer, since he’d felt like he had owed him at least that but he’d wished someone else could sort out all the details of his father’s funeral and his burial. He was exhausted, between fielding calls about his father’s will and from the press about his involvement in his father’s death. He was so exhausted, in fact, that Will leading him to his car parked on the edge of the cemetery’s path between the aisles of graves was exactly what he needed.

“No,” Connor finally said as Will left him at the passenger side door to his car.

“No?”

“I don’t want to go back there, back to the hotel.”

“Okay,” was all Will said, unlocking the doors to his sensible sedan before he climbed into the driver’s seat. Connor glanced at the Porsche he’d driven at the edge of the path. He didn’t want to ome back to get it. He never wanted to come back at all. Maybe Will would do that for him, too. Then, Connor climbed into the car after WIll, and let out a small sigh of relief. “Let’s get out of here, yeah?”

“Yeah.”

Connor was numb as Will pulled into an unfamiliar parking lot outside of an unfamiliar building. 

"Is this –" he started. 

"You didn't want to go home, and you didn't want to go to the hotel. So, I brought you somewhere safe. My place."

"Is that okay?"

He'd never been over to Will's, mostly because Will hadn't let him come over when they hung out. Instead, Will usually came over to Connor's, or they met up somewhere else like Molly's. It didn't look too shabby, despite Will's attitude about it. It looked cozy, a place he could call his own that he has picked out for himself and styled for his own comfort. 

"Yeah," Connor said. "This is good. Thank you."

"Don't worry about it," Will said, patting his leg with such gentle care. "C'mon. Kol loves visitors."

"Kol?" Connor asked, heart dropping a little that he'd have to field some guy's questions about why he was there, who he was to Will, why he looked like he'd rather die than take in another breath. "Who is that?"

"Oh! He's my dog!" Will said cheerily. "He'll love you."

Connor breathed out a sigh of relief, and nodded. He could handle a dog. 

"Okay."

"Don't worry," Will said, "I've got your back, Con."

Connor followed Will into the building, his hand claimed all over again with a warm pressure from Will's hand, and up the stairs to a third floor apartment tucked in the corner. It was a small space, a bit messy but in a lived in way that Connor adored. Greeting them at the door was an older dog, mid-sized with shaggy brown fur and a graying muzzle, looking up at them with adoring eyes. 

"Hey buddy, I brought you a friend! This is Connor. Connor, this is my good boy, Kol. His owner before me died at the hospital, and no one was there to get him, so I adopted him."

"That was good of you."

"Thanks," Will said. "C'mon in. Kol, bed."

Kol turned and trotted obediently to a dog bed in the corner of the living room, right beside a couch. There was clearly a space where Kol lived in the home, on the dog bed specifically picked out for him but also a spot on the couch where there was a clear drool spot where he'd been asleep, and there were bowls for his food and water in the dining area half-filled so he could come and fill his need at his leisure. There was a leash and a harness hung up by the door where Will left his keys and wallet, too. Wherever Will was, he had made a space for Kol. 

Connor ached for that. He hadn't ever found a place like that, or a person like that. He had never had a place where someone had wanted him enough to form it around him. No one had taken the effort to carve out places in their life where he could fit perfectly. He wondered what that would look like with Will. An extra hook for his keys, maybe. A space in the closet for his clothes. An extra mug sitting next to the coffee maker. 

"I know it's definitely not up to your standard typically," Will said, "but –"

"No, uh, I love it. It's perfect."

"Oh. Really?"

"It feels like a home. My place, I had a realtor pick it out, and a home designer picked out the stuff, and – no part of it is me, I guess. This place, this feels like you."

“Oh. Uhm. Thanks, I guess. You, you didn’t pick out any of the decorations?”

“Nope,” Connor said. “I didn’t think I cared about that stuff. I had to prove that I was a good doctor, you know, to my dad, and the world, that I wasn’t just a trophy kid of a nepotism man. I worked hard to become a surgeon, and I’m damn good at it, despite what my father always thought. He thought I was wasting my time, and that I was an ungrateful little snot. And maybe I am. Maybe I am an ungrateful little snot, but – I’m getting sidetracked.”

He sighed and looked at Will as he kicked off his shoes. After a moment, Connor followed suit, leaving his suit jacket on until Will tugged at it so that too came off. Will, without hesitation, also reached for his tie and pulled that loose enough so that he could slip it over Connor’s head. He hung them both from a hook by the front door, and then put his hands on Connor’s shoulders.

“Take a deep breath, Con.”

Connor forced himself to obey, to draw in a long, steady breath into his aching, trembling lungs. 

“There we go. That’s much better. Now, do you want something to eat?” Will asked.

“What?”

“Are you hungry?”

“You’re asking me if I want to eat? The world has gone to hell, hasn’t it?” Connor said, and Will rolled his eyes, dropping his hands from Connor’s shoulders. It was a characteristic of Will’s that Connor had noticed pretty quickly that the man just didn’t eat, almost ever. At first, he’d thought it was Will just shrugging off Connor’s attempts at playing nice, claiming to have brought something from home, but it had quickly become apparent that it wasn’t about Connor at all. It was a defense mechanism, Connor knew now, and if Will was offering food to Connor, things were quite serious.

“I respond to stress by not eating, you respond by eating comfort food. I know that. So, are you hungry?”

“I mean, I could eat,” Connor replied. “What do you have?”

“Oh, god, nothing here,” Will scoffed, eyes fond as he waved his hand. “I’ll order some take out. Whatever you want. However much you want. My treat for having to put up with the dog hair and the smell of sauerkraut from down the hall.”

Connor hadn’t even noticed the smell until Will had mentioned it.

“What is that?”

“Mrs. Albrecht down the hall, she makes her own sauerkraut for the farmer’s market. The scent lingers.”

“Oh. I don’t mind, the dog hair, the smell, any of it. You don’t have to make up for this.”

“Still, let me.”

Connor looked at Will, his big, earnest eyes looking back at him, and nodded. 

“Alright.”

“Good. Now, let’s take a look at the menus.”

Connor had fallen asleep, he was sure, sometime after their third round of deliveries. They hadn’t been able to decide what they wanted from one place, so they got a sampling for several places. They’d eaten their fair share of the orders, almost to the point of making themselves sick, and Connor had started to drift off. The apartment was warm, and the soft lighting was soothing, as was Kol’s head resting on his lap, his own body starting to tilt into Will’s. He must’ve fallen asleep, because when he opened his eyes, he was staring at Ava. 

Her face was pale, and there was a gash across her neck, just above her carotid, although the wound was bloodless. She was standing still, her eyes open but unseeing. Her mouth hung open, and her hand reached forward, but there was nothing of the life he’d known her for in the visage in front of him. The scalpel in her outstretched hand dripped blood like rain, a waterfall that spilled all over his shoes, the ones he had worn to his father’s funeral. 

He was standing in a grave, staring up at the sky, the hole swallowing him, and when he tried to claw his way out, his fingers just dug into relenting earth, the soil coming away in an avalanche. 

He was swallowed.

He couldn’t breathe. 

There was dirt everywhere. He couldn’t breathe.

He couldn’t breathe. He couldn’t –

He bolted away, gasping hard to try and fill his lungs, scrambling at anything for purchase, and found a shirt covering a solid chest. 

“Hey, hey, it’s okay, Connor. It’s okay. It’s just me. It’s Will.”

The voice was familiar, and when he pushed past the haze of sleep forcefully, he found himself looking at Will Halstead. He was gripping Will's shirt hard enough that his knuckles had turned white. When he drew in a breath, it was ragged. 

"Hey, you're okay." Connor buried himself into Will's chest, glad he hadn't woken up alone. “Hey, look at me. I’m not going anywhere.”

Will stroked his hair, and let Connor settle against him.

"I'm not going anywhere," he repeated, softer, a promise. "I'm right here. You're okay here."

"It's my fault. It's all my fault," Connor muttered. 

"It's not. Ava is at fault, not you. You didn't do it."

"I let her in. I loved her. I –"

"Her taking advantage of you and your feelings for her doesn't make it your fault. You're a good man, who would never do this. What she did is on her."

"She died," Connor whimpered. "Because of me. She killed my dad, and then herself, because of me."

"No, love, no. Not at all. That's not you. That's never been you."

"I wish I were as sure as you," Connor said. Sometime recently, Will and Connor had become more than friends, but not quite dating. They were something, but it didn't have a name. It didn't need one, he supposed. All that mattered is that he could count on Will, that even when he was at his lowest, Connor could reach out and find Will's hand, steady and sure in his belief that Connor was worth his time. 

"Well, luckily, I can be sure enough for both of us until you get there."

"Okay," Connor said, and he took a deep breath, taking in all of Will's warm scent, the cologne and the fried chicken from dinner and the faint smell of dog. It was perfect. When he was alone, he felt empty, reaching for something that he couldn't name. Will felt safe, a place he could rest, reorient, prepare for whatever came next. Will wasn't the solution to the ache in his chest, but he was much like a salve on a wound, dulling the pain until he could breathe and function, healing slowly on his own but not alone in the efforts. Will made him feel okay for once. "Can I stay the night?"

"You can stay more than just the night, Connor," Will said softly, "but we can start with getting through tonight together."

[callsign-dexter]

Blood Ties, Broken Bonds

Request: Hi !!!!

Could I ask for a Connor Rhodes imagine where the reader is his sister but they haven't had much contact as his ass of a dad kept you away from him, but you secretly always wanted to be near Connor. One time she gets delivered in the ED after a bad car accident you had and Connor is furious as he finds out that this just happened after another fight between you and your dad. You're out for a while and your Dad acts all innocent and wants to visit you but Connor doesn't even let him near you. After you woke up, you tell Connor that you don't wanna be away from him anymore and that you want your brother back, which he more than agrees to and he's just all happy and taking care of you :)

Pairings: Connor Rhodes x Sister!Reader

Warnings: angst, fluff, inaccurate medical talk, car crash, mentions and acts of abuse (mental, physical, and verbal) done by father, blood, broken bones

Masterlist

If it were up to you, you would have rather been raised by your brother, Connor Rhodes, when he turned 18 and left but that was not the case. Growing up you had a wonderful relationship with your brother, a bond that you couldn't break but when he left your father, Cornelius Rhodes, cut your contact with him to the minimum. So minimum that you only got one phone call and that was on your father's terms. The both of you hated it. Connor didn't come back until you were 14 years old and even though he was back it was still minimum contact. You eventually got another phone that Connor paid for and you could talk to him that way but you had to be sneaky, most of your friends, Connor, and Claire had the number of this phone. 

Your father was not a good man despite how he acted out in public. Behind the scenes he was abusive verbally, physically, and mentally. It was so bad that you refused to have what little friends you had over. If you think him cutting contact with your brother was bad, well he did it with your friends. If you went out with your friends he wanted to know where you were every hour on the hour and if you were a second late then you were getting in trouble. 

Fights in the household were not uncommon. It could have been over the simplest things like what to watch on TV and he always won. Multiple times you had stormed out of the house and driven until you were at your sister's, Claire Rhodes, house. You couldn't go to Connor because your father had put a tracking device on your car so he knew where you were going. If it was not a set destination then he would be calling and yelling at you, one time he called the police saying you stole the vehicle because you weren't at one of the set places. Thankfully you were able to get out of it when you told them it was your car and you had proof, and yes you had to buy your own car.

When your dad went out of town on the rare occasion, he actually let you stay with Connor which was a surprise to you and himself but you didn't argue. When you stayed with him, he got to see how bad it was at home. This is because all the things that your dad drilled into your head came out when visiting him and oh man it angered him so much. Connor has even gotten into fights with your dad but it just made things worse and even less contact with your big brother. Your dad tended to be forgetful that you were even there, so forgetful that sometimes you had to fend for yourself for food or not eat at all. He never bought food for you, you had to buy everything for yourself.

Your father had been just getting ready to leave for the week which means you could spend that week with your brother, finally. You had texted with the phone that Connor had gotten for you at the beginning of the week excited that you got to see him. 

Dad's gonna be gone for a week. Do you mind if I stay with you?

Big Bro: Not at all! Come over to my place after school. I'll be home.

Ok. I'm going to stop at home first for clothes and then the store and grab food.

Big Bro: No need. I got plenty of food at the house. You're welcome to it anytime.

Oh ok. Thank you.

Big Bro: No need to thank me. Does dad make you buy your own food?

Yea. Even if I buy it, he eats it. I love you, Big Bro.

Big Bro: I love you too, Sis. 

This made Connor see red. “That bastard.” Connor said aloud in the break room and Will Halstead just happened to be in there.

“What's up?” Will asked looking up from some files. Will had quickly become one of your favorites in the hospital, he was just fun to be around and was so funny. Also, the fact that he got on your brother's nerves from time to time was fun. You liked doing that but then again that's what little sisters are supposed to do.

“Apparently dad makes Y/N buy her own food for herself but still eats it. 

“Are you for real?” Will asked, now paying full attention to Connor. Connor nodded.

“Yup, he made her buy her own car and hardly let her talk to me. If she does it's very limited. He has such a grudge against me he's making her pay for it too by not seeing me.” He said 

“He's an ass. Didn't you buy her a phone?” Will asked and Connor nodded.

“Yup but even with that contact is still limited.” Connor said

“Have you thought of getting custody of her?” Will asked 

“Many many times but I know it'll be shot down. I can't prove anything. He's too powerful. He has a steady job and income coming in.” Connor said going to the fridge and grabbing a snack.

“You have a steady job and income coming in.” Will said

“I know. It's bad over there Will. He's mentally, physically, and verbally abusing her. I've been with her when he calls and he just cusses her out and degrades her. I can't prove anything. She's never come to the hospital for it so can't go off that. He has cop friends as well so I can't report that and she can't either.” Connor told his now best friend; it was rocky at first but they got over it. 

“I have a cop brother and you know he loves Y/N. Hell, all of Intelligence does, including Trudy. That would help major time. They would believe her more than your dad.” Will said getting up and walking over to grab something to eat out of the cabinet and then turned to look at Connor while leaning on the counter. Connor turned to look at him.

“True. Would that be enough?” He asked and Will shrugged.

“Maybe. She's been here multiple times to see you and everyone here loves her. They've seen the bruises and her wince in pain several times, I know I have. She doesn't do it in front of you or when she thinks anybody is looking. Dr. Charles has seen it and you know he would be the best to help you win that case. She's scared to say anything to you because she's afraid to tell anyone then he'll find out and punish her.” Will said and Connor was silent. It saddened him that you couldn't go to him, your big brother, because you were scared that if you told him then your father would find out and punish you. 

“How do you know that?” Connor asked

“She was in here a few days ago looking for you but you were in surgery. She told me after I called her out for wincing. I haven't told you because we've been so busy.” Will said. Connor wasn't mad at him; he knew they'd been busy. Connor was about to start talking when commotion in the ED grabbed their attention and they both ran out there to see Gabriela Dawson and Sylvie Brett roll through the doors pushing a gurney with Maggie Lockwood shouting and giving orders. She just happened to look up and see Connor and she gave him a look of pity. He knew that look, he looked over and saw you lying there and his heart sank. She looked at Will and they seemed to understand each other as Will grabbed Connor by the shoulders and began to drag him away. 

“Will!” Connor shouted but he ignored him. 

“Stay here. I'm going to go help.” He said and Connor nodded but Will knew he wouldn't stay put but at least he tried. Will took off and jumped right in. Connor waited maybe not even 5 seconds before he was barreling his way into chaos. He grabbed Gabriela Dawson and Sylvie Brett as they passed.

“What happened?” He asked 

“We were called to a car crash, your sister's, it looked like she was driving way too fast and hit a patch of black ice. The car flipped several times and then hit a pole. It also looked like someone rammed into it and pushed it down the hill, there wasn't another car there when we arrived it looked like a hit and run. It must've crashed through the ice and into the freezing water because that is where we found her. Her lips were blue and she was very hypothermic and her heart rate was super slow but we got everything under control and got her warmed up.” Sylvie said, not wanting to tell him that it was your dad that rammed your car until further evidence, as Connor's face drained of color. 

“She was unresponsive when we got there but she quickly woke up. When asked why she was driving fast, she said that she had just had a fight with your guy's dad. She also has bruises in the form of handprints around her throat like she was being choked and he slammed her head against the wall. We lost her once and had to do CPR but we got her back.” Gabriela added 

“Fucking hell. I'll fucking kill that son of a bitch.” He said and then looked at the two girls. “Thank you for responding to her. She wouldn't want anyone else.” He said and they smiled and nodded.

“We love that kid.” Gabriela said “The whole firehouse does.” She added and that made him smile. “We gotta go.” She said and he nodded.

“Thank you again.” He said 

“Not a problem.” They said and they were out the door and he turned back to your room in time to see you being taken to surgery. He saw Dr. Crockett Marcel leading the way, he then stopped Will.

“What's going on?” Connor asked

“She has some internal bleeding that needs to be taken care of and a broken arm. She also has some broken ribs from the seat belt and they are doing CPR on her.” He said. Connor just stood still as Will and Crockett rushed you off. He wanted to know what happened. He wanted to know now.

—-----------

You were happy. Your dad was leaving for a week and that meant you could actually spend time with your big brother that you loved oh so much. You had the biggest smile on your face as you drove home towards school to grab some clothing and then off to Connor's place. As you pulled up into the driveway you were surprised to see your dad's car parked in the driveway, ice ran through your veins. He was supposed to be gone. You parked your car in the driveway next to your dad's and got out after turning the car off and hesitantly walked inside. Once inside your eyes locked on your dad's “What are you doing here? You were supposed to be gone.” You said.

“Change of plans. I'm going tomorrow.” He said casually.

“But I was supposed to go to Connor's after I grabbed some clothes.” You said and when you said his name his face darkened.

“You're not going. It's final.” He said a little more aggressively.

“No, I'm going. This was the plan.” You said standing up for yourself but that seemed to be a mistake because now you were slammed up against the wall. Your dad holding the collar of your shirt. You were in shock. The breath had been knocked out of you.

“You are not going and that is final.” He growled out. His eyes were hardened and you started to tremble. 

“You can't do this. You promised when you're away I can stay with him.” You said his hand went to your throat and started to squeeze it, cutting the air supply off. 

“Well, I'm not leaving now. So, cancel it.” He said and slammed your head against the wall and stars appeared. 

“No, I won't. I'm going to stay with him.” You said barely getting the words out. He growled and released your throat and you coughed and took deep breaths in. 

“You will not see him ever again. You won't talk to him ever again. That's final.” He said, “Give me your phone.” He said and you gave him the one he got for you and you watched him grab it and take it over to the counter. He threw it there and grabbed a hammer from the drawer and smashed it. Tears streamed down your face, thankfully you still had Connor's phone that he had given you in your car.

“That's my phone!” You cried out. “How else am I supposed to let you know where I'm atm?” You asked.

“Easy. You stay home 24/7. You homeschool. You will also come to conferences and such with me.” He said walking over to you 

“No! I won't!” You yelled and shoved him and he stumbled back.

“Yes, you will! You're my daughter and you will do what I say!” He roared out. 

“No! I wish you weren't my dad!” You yelled 

“Yea? Well, I wish you were never born! You're just a whore like your mother. Maybe you should end up like her!” He yelled back and what he said made you freeze and grow wide eyed. 

“I hate you! I wish Connor was my guardian!” You yelled 

“Maybe he should be. It would get you off my hands. Then I could bring anybody I want to fuck and not have you here.” He said 

“You already do that.” You said “It doesn't matter. I'm leaving.” You said and started to storm out but he was quicker and grabbed the back of your hoodie and pulled back choking you again slamming you down on the ground. He flipped you over and you started to fight as he startled you and wrapped his hands around your throat. You found strength you didn't know you had and pushed him off of you. You were quick to scramble to get up and out the door grabbing your keys. You got to your car and quickly got in and tore out of there through the lawn not bothering to back up. Grass and snow were thrown but you didn't care. You got onto the main road and took off. Tears streaked down your face, the events playing through your mind. You don't know how fast you were going but all of a sudden you were spinning out of control, black ice you had just hit black ice. 

Your world was now spinning. You tried to control it but that just caused the car to flip, flip at least 6 times. Luckily it landed up right but then you slid into a pole crushing the passenger side. When it finally came to a stop you could breathe but then a car was barreling at you. You saw the headlights and squinted but you had no time to react because it was slamming into you hard enough to throw you to the side and further onto the pole snapping it in half. It just happened to be an electric wooden pole and that sent lines flying and electric flying. You barely got a glance of the car as he drove off. What you saw made you cry; it was your father's car he was trying to kill you. As your car rolled down the hill and threw you around and knocked your head every which way your thoughts went to your big brother. You wanted Connor. You wanted to be safe in his arms watching some cheesy stupid medical show and him making fun of it. You wanted his food. You thought about how you wanted him as your car broke through ice and plunged into the chilly water and your world went black as your head hit the steering wheel.

—-----------

Firehouse 51 was actually for once after a stressful call they had come back from. They probably were able to relax for a good 4 hours before the alarms were going off once again. 

“Engine 51, Truck 81, Rescue Squad 3, Ambulance 61. Hit and run. Car in water. Location: Ellington Way.” 

Everyone geared up and started their way to the location. “This does not sound good. We need to get Intelligence involved.” Kelly Severide said over the radio to Chief Wallace Boden. 

“I agree. I'll get on it.” He said as everyone pulled up to the scene. They could see the skid and slide marks. Soon Boden was giving orders and Kelly was going into the water. 

“Fuck, I know this car.” He said through his mic.

“Whose is it?” Boden asked

“Y/N Rhodes.” Kelly replied. “Alright, Kid. Let's get you out of here.” He said to himself and started to carefully. It took some time but he was pulling you out and surfacing the top. Everyone worked together to get you out and onto a gurney as Intelligence pulled up. You started to slowly rouse when they started to put heat and a blanket on you. “Hey there, Baby Rhodes.” Kelly said as Sylvie and Gabriela started to work on you. 

“He tried to kill me.” You mumbled

“Jay!” He yelled out at Jay Halstead and he walked over “What was that, Kid?” Kelly asked wanting someone else to hear what he was hearing.

“Dad, tried to kill me. He crashed into my car after I wrecked.” You said and then started to fall back to sleep.

“Alright, we’ll look into it.” Jay said and then he nodded “Why were you driving so fast?” Jay asked.

“I had a fight with Dad. I had to get away.” You said and he nodded and then looked at the two girls and they were quickly loading you up and before you knew it you were speeding down the street towards Med, towards your brother. As you were racing towards Med Gabriela started her assessment

“Lips are blue and she is still cold to the touch.” She said and then slid a thermometer into your ear and it quickly beeped. “Temp is 95 F.” She added and then grabbed her stethoscope and put it to your chest “Heart rate is slow. Starting warm fluids.” She finished and started to do as she said. Suddenly you started to flatline “Shit, she is coding! Starting CPR!” She shouted and she did so.

“We are 3 minutes out!” Sylvie said and then your heart started again. “How are we back there?” She asked.

“Got her back.” She said and sighing. Finally, you arrived at Med and were quickly rushed in and they quickly got you in a bay. Marcel was quick to jump in and so was Will. “Y/N Rhodes, Female, 16 years old. Spun out on black ice, hit a pole, was rammed by another car and pushed it down the bank and into a frozen lake. Hypothermic but started the warming process on the way here, started warm fluids, she flatlined once and had to do CPR but got her back pretty quick. She has bruises in the form of handprints around her throat like she was being choked and he slammed her head against the wall.” Gabriela said and he nodded and as they finished transferring you to a bed. The two girls left and now everyone was working on you. 

“Continue the warming process.” He said and looked up at the monitor “Temperature is coming up. I want to get x-rays here.” He said and one was brought in.

“We also need an ultrasound.” Will said as noticed the bruising around your stomach.

“What do you see?” Marcel asked 

“Bruising on her stomach and it is discolored.” He said and then touched it “It’s also warm and soft.” He said and Marcel nodded as an ultrasound was brought in and done and it was confirmed that there was internal bleeding. “We need to get her into surgery now.” Will said.

“She also has a broken arm that needs to be set and broken ribs. We need to go now.” He confirmed and so they started to do so. As they were moving you Connor grabbed Will.

“What the hell is going on?” He asked 

“She has some internal bleeding that needs to be taken care of and a broken arm. She also has some broken ribs from the seat belt and they are doing CPR on her.” Will said “We got to go.” He said and Connor nodded and they set off. 

—-----------

As he was waiting nervously, he noticed Jay and Hailey Upton walk in and wasn’t concerned but then he walked up to Connor and now he was confused. “What’s up?” Connor asked.

“I have some news on Y/N’s crash.” Jay said and Connor nodded and led him to the doctor’s lounge. 

“So?” Connor asked

“There were cameras where she crashed and we found something that you’re not going to like. After Y/N crashed into the pole a car came and crashed into her side and made it roll down the hill and into a frozen lake.” Jay said and Connor nodded.

“Sylvie and Gabriela told me that part.” Connor said

“The car that crashed into hers was your dad’s.” Hailey said and Connor was speechless. 

“We have a warrant out for his arrest for attempted murder. We also got a judge to sign immediate custody papers for you to be her sole and legal guardian.” Jay said and Connor looked at him speechless. 

“Wait. Really?” Connor asked and Jay nodded.

“Really. How is she?” Jay asked

“Still in surgery but Will and Marcel have high hopes of good recovery.” Connor said and Jay smiled and nodded. Will came in and saw Connor.

“Hey, Jay and Hailey. Connor, she’s out of surgery and in a room, you can see her. Room 246. Chart is at the end of bed.” Will said and Connor nodded.

“Thank you.” He said and then he, Jay, and Hailey headed to your room as Will’s pager beeped and had to leave. They walked to the room and Connor was in tears and walked in as the other two stayed outside.

“Oh, Y/N/N. I’m so sorry. I won’t let anything bad happen to you again.” He said and bent down to kiss your forehead. He looked up when heard some commotion and saw the one person he didn’t want to see, your guys’ father. He looked down at you seeing that you were still asleep and kissed your forehead one more time and walked angrily outside. “What the hell are you doing here?” He asked.

“What do you mean? I’m here for my daughter. I told her not to go out driving but she didn’t listen to me.” He said and Connor saw red “How is she?” He asked. 

“You tried to kill her.” Connor said 

“That is not true.” He said

“Actually yes, it is. We have it on camera. Cornelius Rhodes you are under arrest for the attempted murder of your daughter, Y/N Rhodes, immediate custody and sole guardianship is to go to Connor Rhodes.” Jay said as he started to put cuffs on him.

“I did no such thing.” Cornelius said 

“Yes, you did. Jay, please arrest him.” Connor pleaded and Jay nodded and grabbed his cuffs and started the process.

“You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford a lawyer, one will be provided for you. Do you understand the rights I have just read to you?" Jay said 

“I understand.” Cornelius said and Jay nodded and they led him out of the hospital in cuffs. Connor walked back into the room and sat down and took your hand, you had warmed up considerably. 

“He can’t hurt you anymore. You’re staying with me for now and forever.” Connor whispered and listened to your heart beat. “Please be alright and wake up. I need you, Sis.” He said and kissed your hand.

 —-----------

6 hours later you were slowly waking up to bright lights and you groaned which woke Connor up. “Con?” You asked as your eyes opened more and he was quick to stand up and lean over you.

“I’m here, Sis. How are you feeling?” He asked

“Hurts.” You said and he smiled sympathetically.

“I’m sure it does, you have some broken bones and ribs.” He said 

“He tried to kill me.” You said

“I know. It’s taken care of.” He said not wanting to overwhelm you with information. 

“I don’t want to be with him anymore. I want to live with you.” You said and he smiled.

“You aren’t going to be living with him any longer. You’re going to be living with me.” He said and you smiled and you started to close your eyes again. “Go back to sleep. Rest.” He said and you nodded and went back to sleep.

—-----------

A few days later you were out of the hospital and being guided into Connor’s huge apartment. He helped you every step of the way. While you were out, he went to his father’s house and picked up all of your stuff. “Where do you want to sit right now?” He asked.

“The couch.” You said and he nodded and helped guide you over and helped you sit down. 

“I’m going to get your medication out and ready and I’ll bring it to you in a minute, ok?” He asked and you nodded your head.

“Ok.” You said and got comfortable. The bruises were still there and he saw red when he saw them. He walked into the kitchen and did what he said he was going to do and then was bringing it out to you with something to drink. He sat down and handed the pills to you and you put them in your mouth and took the drink and washed them down. Once the water was gone you leaned back and closed your eyes and he smiled and he put the now empty glass on the table. He got comfortable and then you were snuggling into him. He smiled and kissed your temple. He turned on the TV and turned the volume low. “Con?” You asked.

“Hmmmm?” He asked

“Thank you for being the best big brother.” You said and smiled.

“Thank you for being the best little sister.” He said and you chuckled but groaned. “You, ok?” He asked and you opened your eyes and looked at him.

“Yea, my ribs just hurt.” You said and he nodded.

“Those painkillers should be kicking in soon. That should go away.” He said

“What happened to dad?” You asked and he sighed he knew this was coming.

“He was arrested for attempting to murder you. He rammed into your car and pushed it down a hill and into a frozen lake.” He said and you nodded. “But he is never going to be near you or have custody of you ever. You’re stuck with me forever, well until you're 18 and then it becomes your decision.” He said and nodded.

“Good. I love you, Big Bro.” You said 

“I love you too, Lil’ Sis.” He said 

Now that you live with your big brother you have freedom and can do what you want and hang out with who you want. Life was finally turning around for the good and you had Connor to thank for that. All it took was a car accident and your dad trying to murder you but you were with the one person that you should’ve been with a while ago. You may have had blood ties to your father but that bond was broken and it had been broken for a while but now you were safe now. Safe with Connor and he wasn’t letting you go anytime soon.

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[chicaotaku-fanfics]

There's Three of You?! Pt. 10

Ok, I'm soooooo sorry for the delay on this one. I really hoped I could post it when I said, but unlucky for me, life came in the way.

Warnings: foul language, might be some medical inconsistencies.

CHAPTER 10

After all that ordeal with “Her Highness” and helping Reese, I decided to go to the lounge, but decided otherwise last minute and went to the cafeteria instead for a coffee. There, I was in line and got an iced large white mocha, with one more white mocha pump, soy milk, and two more espresso shots, I waited near the bar for it, and while doing so, I saw Connor approach a table where his sister and… oh wow, the one and only Cornelius Rhodes, were seating.

“Dad.” Connor said, I was then given my coffee, and I went to the bar to grab some napkins, all the time having an ear on my friend’s conversation.

“Doctor. How's our patient doing?” asked the older Rhodes.

“Russel's stabilized for now. I have found something that could help us with the surgery. It's an imaging system called Surgical Theatre SNAP.” Connor explained, I thought about that. It was a very good ide and, the tech was amazing, I’ve seen it in action, thanks to a med journal Will shared with me, it was wonderful. My brother must’ve said something to Connor about it.

“Okay.” Claire’s voice made me come back to the present.

“It's FDA approved, so insurance is gonna cover it, but Russel is going to be looking at a lengthy hospital stay afterwards, and I just want to make sure that–” Connor cut himself off.

“That somebody covers the co-pay?” asked Mr. Rhodes.

“We will.” said Claire in an instant.

“Hang on there, Bernie Sanders. Now, I love Russel as much as you do, but we have to be responsible to the company. Are you prepared to do this for every one of our employees?” asked the older Rhodes, I couldn’t believe what I was hearing.

“We are talking about Russel here. God, he's worked for us since he was 14 years old. He's family.” said Connor.

“Us? When did it become "us"?” asked Mr. Rhodes with a smirk on his face. Connor looked annoyed and defeated, he turned to leave the place, walking by Dr. Charles on the way out, I had already started to move to catch him.

“That's your dad?” asked the head of psychiatry.

“Yep.” said Connor unenthusiastically.

“Fathers like that keep me in business, baby.” said the older doctor with a snort, Connor kinda smiled.

By the time we were out of sight of everyone, I chose to make my presence known to the surgeon.

“For what its worth, I already knew who you were. Dind’t influence me in anyway.” I said, he turned to look at me with a confused expression on his face.

“What’s that supposed to mean Dr. Halstead?” he asked, we made our way out and went to the elevator, it arrived and we got inside.

“It means, Dr. Rhodes, that I don’t care if you’re a Rhodes, a Callahan, or whatever other family name. You’re you Connor. You’re Dr. Connor Rhodes, a great trauma surgeon and an excellent doctor who cares deeply about his patients. Your upbringing and family name don’t matter to me.” I said, he looked relieved with what I said.

“You really are something else Lilly Halstead. Thank you.” he said, I smiled at him and offered him a drink of my coffee, he took the drink, gave it a stir with the straw and took a sip. He gave it back and I gave a good sip too.

“Don’t need to thank me Con. That’s what friends are for.” I said with a smile. He smiled too, offering his fist for a fistbump, I did and then we made our way to the lounge. “Oh, and I aslo heard my brother recommended the SNAP for your patient’s CT scans.” I said nonchalantly.

Connor let  out a sigh and then a snort. “Yeah, before mentioning the family business and that he could only buy some socks there.” I let out a sigh too.

“My brother will tell anybody who will listen of his school debts any chance he gets… but there’s a foundation behind that.” I started to explain. “I don’t mean to make my brother, or me for that matter, seem like a charity case because of what I’m about to say” I warn the man beside me.

“He may be a pain in the ass, but he’s earning my respect.” Connor said, I nodded.

“Will always comments on his debts, because our father never supported his drive to go to college.” I said, Connor looked confused. “Yeah, my father is very, VERY, traditional and conservative in some ways… one of them being the belief that a man has to go straight to work… you can guess how that went.” I made a pause, remembering that day very well. “It was an awful argument. Jay made the effort for me not to see it, but in the end, the aftermath was obvious: Will stormed out the house with his things and left to New York, and that also meant that he had to put himself through college and med school… since then, they haven’t seen eye to eye, or more like, us Halstead siblings haven’t seen our father eye to eye in a long time.” I said.

“I’m sorry to hear that Lilly.” he said, the elevator ringed on the ED floor and we both got out.

“Don’t sweat it. Like I said, I’m not trying to make a charity case out of my brother… nor out of us three. I know we had it rough, growing up where and how we did, but we made it: Will and I are doctors and Jay is a detective. We’re good with being each other's support system.” I said with a small smile and gave my coffee another sip.

As we made our way to the “control center”, commonly known to everyone else as the “nurses desk”, Connor took my coffee and gave it another sip, we ended up sharing it, the last sip being mine. Maggie saw us since we came out of the elevator, clearly surprised and even amused by what we were doing.

“Care to share what you two are doing?” asked our beloved head nurse.

“Nothing Mags, just sharing a coffee.” I said nonchalantly.

“I could see that.” she said, smug and teasing at the same time, both Connor and I chuckled, Maggie looked at me in shock.

“I had heard Will comment on it, as well as Jay, but I told them I wouldn’t believe it until I saw it… and now I have, the famous “Halstead Chuckle®”. Girl you really are the spiting image of your brothers when you do that.” Maggie said, I let out another chuckle, giving the head nurse a charming, cheeky smile.

“What can I say Mags? Runs in the family.” I said, she snorted at my comment, and gave me an iPad.

“Your new patient. Treatment 2, little boy with a dislocated shoulder and scrapes on his knees.” said the nurse, pointing both of us in the direction of the treatment room. We turn to her, asking with our eyes why would she need two doctors to cover one simple case. “The mom is almost in hysterics.” I smile and shake my head, Connor snorts beside me.

“It’s showtime Dr. Rhodes.” I said with a small smirk on my face.

“Indeed Dr. Halstead.” said Connor with the same expression on his face. Just as we made our way to the treatment room, my brother came out of the doctors lounge, looking at us with a confused expression.

WILL’S P.O.V

“Since when do those two get along so well?” I asked Maggie, as I saw my baby sister and Rhodes go for one of the treatment rooms.

“Since day one, actually. Your sister’s an angel, compared to you.” she said, that last part with fake annoyance.

“Oh come on, I’m a delight!” I said, a cheeky and boyish smile on my face, Maggie looked at me shocked, then shook her head with a smile.

“You two are mirror images.” she said, I made a confused expression, she then pointed towards the treatment room where my sister and Connor had disappeared to. “You and Lilly!” she clarified. I snorted.

“Yeah, we get that a lot. Is as if we were siblings or something” I said to annoy her, it worked a little too well, cause she hit me with a folder containing a patient file. I laughed. “I give! I give!” I said in between laughs.

“You are something else William Halstead.” Maggie said, then Lilly’s and Connor’s voices carry out to us, both Maggie and I look up just in time to see them both coming out of the treatment room, smiles on their faces, they grab some antibacterial gel and walk over to us. Lilly has the iPad under her arm.

“Another successful treatment. Maggie get us the discharge papers for little Tim, please and thank you.” she asked the nurse, handing her the iPad back, then she noticed me. “Wish you behaved that well when we were kids.”

“What’s that supposed to mean? I was the role model for both you and Jay.” I said, she just looked at me with her «are you kidding?» face.

“Really? The role model who, when we were 14, 12, and 10 years old respectively, was practicing how to play the guitar, made Jay angry, got his nose broken and proceeded to make the three of us siblings escape dad’s anger by sneaking out the piping line next to his bedroom window which, may I remind you, wasn’t the first time you prompt us to escape that way?” she said. I blushed, Maggie out right laughed, and Connor snorted.

“Never thought you were raking havoc since your early teens Halstead.” he said.

“Oh shush you.” I said to my sister, who was grinning like the Cheshire Cat. I lightly pushed her and she laughed.

GOODWIN’S P.O.V

I was in my office checking some papers and patient forms, when the door was knocked. I gave permission for the person on the other side to come in… and in came Cornelius Rhodes. We talked, and went back and forth on an “issue”, Dr. Rhodes’s involvement in a patient’s care.

“I'm not sure you're aware, but Connor knows Russel Rollins, and it just didn't seem appropriate to me that my son be the one treating him.” he said.

“Well, the degree of familiarity doesn't warrant taking Dr. Rhodes off the case, and Mr. Rollins, when he was lucid, did not request another physician.” I explained

“Let me put it another way.” he started. “I would like Russel to receive the very best medical care, and I do not think my son can provide that.” he said.

“Your son is a first-rate surgeon, otherwise I would not have hired him.” I said.

“I want him off the case.” he demanded. This man has to be joking.

“It's not your decision to make, sir.” I said, firm on my stand.

“Excuse me, but I'm the one writing checks here.” he said, trying to intimidate me with his wealth.

“And while we appreciate that, this is my shop, and I will not be pulling Dr. Rhodes from the case.” I said, finality in my voice.

“I want you to remember this conversation, because if anything happens to Russel, you will be repeating it in a courtroom.” he threatened.

“I will remember. And you, sir, have a nice day.” I said,standing up, dismissing him.

“This may not be your shop for long.” he threatened again as he stood up.

I’d like to see you try Mr. Rhodes.

LILLY’S P.O.V

About three hours later, I had discharged Tim, checked on other patients, had helped Connor and Will with other patients and I was now on the lounge with my third cup of coffee of the day. I then got a page from Connor, requesting my presence in the main neuro OR room, I went there and was, again, amazed at the function of the SNAP.

“Incredible.” said Dr. Zanetti.

“Wait till you get the headset on. It's like I'm moving around inside of his body.” said Connor, I let out a low whistle.

“This is definitely amazing… remind me to tell Will that he’s a genius for recommending this.” I said, Dr. Zanetti looked at me with a sour expression on her face.

“Okay, so tell me how this thing works.” requested Ms. Goodwin.

“It combines images from the CT angiogram and creates a three-dimensional model of the patient's anatomy. With the HTC Vibe, you get virtual reality. It allows us to better tailor our operation.” Dr. Zanetti explained. “Are you having some concerns?” she asked

“No, no, no, just--just curious. Oh, by the way, Dr. Rhodes, I met your father today.” said Ms. Goodwin.

“Yeah? Did he charm you?” asked Connor.

“Not exactly.” she said with a serius tone.

“If its any consolation Ms. Goodwin, he didn’t charm me either.” I said, she smiled a small smile at me. I nodded.

“Hey, Dr. Zanetti. Take a look at the middle-left subclavian artery.” said Connor.

“The glass is going straight through. It's like a finger in a dike.” she said.

“I can't believe there's still flow past the injury.” added Connor, I was looking at the image with all of my attention.

“Rotate a little to the left.” said Zanetti, but I spotted the problem before she did.

“There. Looks like our dike sprung a leak.” I said, worried about our patient, I could tell Zanetti was mad at me, while Goodwin looked at me with awe and surprise on her face.

“He's bleeding.” Ms. Goodwin said.

“Yeah.” said Connor and I at the same time.

“If I may?” I asked, Connor nodded. “I think you can get away with a collarbone incision.” I gave my opinion.

Zanetti didn’t looked please that I had pretty much “stolen” her idea, but I don’t care, my priority is our patient… even if I can’t assist in the surgery.

“Come on, let's go.” said Zanetti to Connor.

I stayed behind for a little longer, looking at the image in front of me with Ms. Goodwin by my side.

“Good call Dr. Halstead… very good call.” she said, before pating my shoulder and leaving. I turned off everything and headed out. I managed to catch up to Dr. Zanetti and Connor.

“Claire, Dad, this is Dr. Zanetti. Russel is being prepped for surgery right now, and she and I will perform the operation.” Connor explained.

“Okay.” said Claire.

“You must have a lot of faith in him.” said Mr. Rhodes, smirking cynically.

“I do.” said the blonde surgeon.

“And so do I.” I announce my presence.

“Hmm, I never thought I'd see the day; my son saving lives.” said the older Rhodes, clearly ignoring me, making it sound like mockery. I decided it was time to step in.

“Then why does it sound like you’re mocking him, Mr. Rhodes?” I asked the man, he turned to look at me.

“And you are?” he asked, confusion and annoyance clear in his voice.

“Dr. Lillian Halstead. Emergency Medicine physician with a double certification in Forensic Pathology.” I said, extending my hand to him, he seemed shocked, as well as both the younger Rhodes and the blonde surgeon.

“Well, Dr. Halstead, I don’t see where you could get the idea that I’m mocking my son. I’m genuinely impressed with what he does.” he tried to lie to my face, I decided to call him out on his bullcrap.

“We all know that’s a lie Mr. Rhodes.” again, everyone seemed surprised. “If you’re wonderig how I know you lied, it’s pretty easy; you can school your expressions all you want, make an impenetrable mask… a poker face if you will, but your microexpressions…” I pause, letting out my Halstead Chuckle® “those are way harder to control Mr. Rhodes.”

“What do you think gives you the right to…” he started, I interrupted him.

“Talk to you like that?” he seemed surprised. “Remember the part were I said I have a Forensic Pathology certification? I might as well add my Forensic Psychology certification to the mix.” I said, and as an «afterthought», added the icing on the proverbial cake. “As well as my experience as the medical consultant for CPD’s District 21’s Intelligence Unit. I believe you’ve heard of Sergeant Hank Voight?” I said, Mr. Rhodes paled at the mention of the man, nodding. “I’ve worked with him and his unit. Might do you good remembering that Mr. Rhodes.” I said, smirking. I then turned to Dr. Zanetti and Connor. “Well, Dr. Zanetti, Dr. Rhodes, I’ll get out of your hair so you can perform the surgery… I’ll see you later.” and with that, and my charming smile I left them all to go back to the ED.

I arrived back just in time to hear my brother explain something to Natalie, worried about one of his patients, why he became a doctor.

“I became a doctor to save people's lives.” he said, getting a bit mad.  “It's all I've ever wanted to do. I don't have a fallback plan or some hidden passion. This is it for me.” he added, making a pause. “It's just… no one ever told me there'd be this much loss involved.” he asid, storming off in the opposite direction to where Natalie was, directly into my way to the lounge. I followed my brother and enter the room.

“Hey. No one blames you, you know. Sometimes… patients don’t see what we see, and even if we explain it to them, they still need time to process things.” I said, Will turned to look at me. Then, in one swift move, he took me into his arms, hugging me and resting his head in my shoulder, something that should be a feat of wonder, since this redheaded giant is easily 8 inches taller than me.

“Thank you for being here Lilypad… I don’t know what I’d do without you… or Jay.” he said, his voice sounding so small. I ruffled his hair and kissed his head.

“You never have to thank me for that Will. I love you. I’ll always be there for you.” I said, honesty and certainty in my tone, I felt Will’s smile against my neck.

“I love you too Lilly.”

We spent some time there, until Will had to leave to check on his patient. I decided to do the same and went to look for Connor… which was easier than I thought cause he was looking for me.

“Hey, Lilly!” he said.

“Hi Connor.”

“What you did back there with my father…” he started.

“I’ll start by saying that, if he wants an apology, he won’t get one. He doesn’t deserve it.” I said, he right out laughed.

“No, no… don’t worry about that.” he took a moment to catch his breath. “I just wanted to thank you, for having my back, back there. My father has always been an ass, but having your support and seeing the way you talked back to him… I’ll never be able to repay you.” he said, I smiled.

“No need to thank me Connor, that’s what friends are for. And now that I found you… or more like, you found me I wanted to ask, how was the surgery?” I asked him, we made our way down the hall and Ms. Goodwin catched up to us.

“Dr. Rhodes, how's your patient?” asked Ms. Goodwin once we´re approaching Connor’s family.

“The surgery was successful, and he should be okay.” he said, I smile at that, relieved everything turned out alright.

“Oh, thank God.” said Claire, letting out a sigh of relief.

“Isn't that great news, Mr. Rhodes?” asked Ms. Goodwin, I turn to look at him too.

“Yes, I had every faith in my son.” he said, cynical smile on his face. 

Liar. I think, biting my tongue in an effor not to say a thing. 

“That's exactly what I told the Chairman of the Board when he dropped by to see me today.” said Ms. Goodwin, Connor and I looked shocked for a quick second.

“Thank you.” said Claire to Connor, he turned to look at her and grabbed her hand in his.

“Of course.” he said to her.

“Well, looks like we can go. Thank you very much.” said Mr. Rhodes, I can tell my presence was making him uncomfortable.

“Dolan Rhodes. That's a big name in Chicago. Growing up with that can give a person a skewed perspective, like whatever he wants, he ought to get.” said Ms. Goodwin casually.

“My dad give you a hard time?” asked Connor, a bit down in the dumps.

“Nothing I couldn't handle.” she said with a chuckle.

“My grandfather was the one who started the business.” he told us.

“Oh?” I asked, curiosity at its peak.

“Yeah. Salt to the Earth kind of guy. He used to say to me, «You're gonna have to work harder than everybody else,» you know? «Be better than everybody else so that you don't turn out like everybody expects you to.»” he said, and I can’t help but remember my own grandfather.

“Hmm.” was Ms. Goodwin’s way to ask Connor to continue.

“«So that you don't turn out like your father.» Took me a while to get that message.” He said.

“Well, congratulations, Dr. Rhodes.” said Ms. Goodwin, before leaving to go God-knows-where.

I turn to look at Connor, and seeing him still leaning on the nurses’ desk, I bump his side with mine. He turns to look at me, confused. I look at him with a smile.

“Congratulations indeed. You not only didn’t turn out like your father… you’re a better human being than him.” I say sincerely, Connor looks at me shocked, then chuckles and side hugs me.

“Thanks Lilly.” I return the hug as my way of responding.

After our moment, I went back to the ED, only to find Will looking at Natalie with hearts in his eyes as she played the violin with her patient. I stood beside him, putting my hands inside my scrubs’ pants pockets.

“Didn’t know she played the violin.” I said to make my presence known to my brother.

“She’s good at it.” Will said, I wanted to chuckle at the way he sounded.

“I can give her that.” I said, Will turned slightly to look at me.

“Would you try to learn how to play?” he asked, I snorted.

“With our kind of hectic schedules? No thank you. I’ll stick to my base, guitar and singing, thank you very much for asking.” I said, patting his shoulder and heading to the lounge to get my stuff. “Don’t stay here for too long, I actually wanna manage to grab a bite for dinner with you.” I said to him.

Finally, all the chapters I had written are posted! I appreciate that you've given my story a chance, it means a lot to me.

Feel free to leave comments, reblog, and like if you enjoy this crazy ride we're all in. Also, I've posted the AO3 link here, feel free to go there too if you want.

(Note, the next chapter's in the making, I beg for consideration and patience.)

Thanks again, tons of love.

ChicaOtaku out! 💜

[slightlyaboveaverageiq]

Connor and the Brat {Part 18}

Connor and Brat arrived at the restaurant looking for a sign of the younger Rhodes sibling. “Connor!” They didn’t have to look long because there his sister was flagging him down from a table, she got up and started walking over to them smiling warmly at Brat and then hugging her brother. “I’m sorry.” She whispered into this ear and Connor was about to ask what she was sorry for when he spotted the older man walking towards them, his father had joined Claire.

“Connor. How lovely you decided to join us, a your little friend too.” His father held his hand out and Connor was tempted to tell him where he could shove it but didn’t want to worry Brat so he took his hand in his and gave a squeeze he was sure would be strong enough to break his fathers hand had held it it any longer. Connors message was clear, he didn’t want to see his father, he wasn’t here for his father, and he would most certainly leave if he said anything out of line. “Well, our table is waiting on us, please follow me.” Brat looked uncertainly at Connor clearly picking up on the change in the atmosphere but Claire took her hand in hers and gave her a reassuring smile leading her to the table with Connor bringing up the rear.

“It’s very nice to meet you Ravenna, Connor has nothing but good things to say about you. And your dress looks beautiful on you.” Bless his sister for trying to make Brat more comfortable, she gave Claire a small smile but quickly dropped her gaze to her napkin and started fidgeting with it. “Connor tells me that you like to paint, do you think maybe you could paint me something for my design room?” Ravenna’s eyes lit up at that and she nodded eagerly to Claire, she pulled the phone out and handed it to her showing her some of the paintings she had taken pictures of before leaving Connor’s condo. Connor’s father watched Brat closely before twisting his mouth into a kind of rueful smirk.

“You don’t talk very much do you Ms. Scott? That’s the best kind of woman in my opinion, pretty but knows when to keep her mouth shut.” Brat opened her mouth and looked ready to defend herself when Claire sent a scathing look to their father and he held his hands up in surrender. “I’m just saying, no arguments, no whining, it’s just a shame my son found you in the loony bin.” Connor frowned and couldn’t begin to fathom why Claire would tell his father about Brats stay in the hospital, in fact he couldn’t even remember if he had told Claire that’s where he met Brat.

“How did you know about that?” Brats voice was steely, challenging Cornelius to berate her further but Connor could see her slightly shaking. She was trying so hard to be strong but his father scared her and he couldn’t blame her, there was nothing warm nor inviting about the man.

“Funny thing I ran into Dr. Zanetti at a museum a few days ago and she told me all about Connor’s little…charity case I believe is how she put it. She failed to mention how beautiful you were though my dear.” Connor’s jaw clenched and he stood taking Brat’s hand in his own.

“Well this was about as unproductive as I imagine it would be. You’re still a bigoted, misogynistic bastard. Claire we appreciate you having us for brunch, why don’t you come over for dinner tonight?” Claire looked sadly at her brother but she nodded, she couldn’t fault him for wanting to get Ravenna away from their father. Connor watched as Brat squeezed Claire’s shoulder reassuringly as they passed her letting her know she didn’t blame her for what had just transpired. Connor lead the way back to the car and he held the door open for Brat before going and getting in himself.

“Well he’s just a ray of sunshine, I can see why you don’t want anything to do with him. Your sister seems very nice though and I would love to make something for her.” Connor reached his hand over and laced it through hers before giving her a soft squeeze and she squeezed back.

“My father is not a good man Brat, but Claire seems to really like you so how about we go grocery shopping for dinner tonight?” Brats smile increased ten fold and he turned down the street towards the grocery store. “What are you thinking?”

“What if we made crockpot chicken and dumplings? It’s been a long time since I’ve had that.” Connor grabbed the cart and they went through the aisles grabbing the things they would need for dinner along with grabbing a few bottles of wine and some things to make an apple pie for dessert. Connor noticed that Brat looked particularly exhausted when they got back in the car and by the time they got home she was passed out cold against the passenger side window. He smiled softly at her before shaking her shoulder gently and waking her.

“Why don’t you go take a nap? You were up early this morning. I can get everything started for dinner.” Brat looked unsure for a moment but ultimately nodded and trudged herself up the stairs and to his condo, her legs trailing behind her like they weighed a hundred pounds and Connor frowned. It had been a very large change for her in just a few short days, maybe she wasn’t coping as well as he had originally thought.

Connor got the chicken and dumplings going and they should be finished right at 6:30 which is when they had planned on Claire coming over, he had the pie all prepped and ready to go in the oven when she got here that way it would be ready by the time they finished their dinner. He walked down the hallway and cracked Brats door open slightly to see she was breathing steadily and seemed to be in a deep sleep, he smiled at her before going into his own bedroom and changing out of his slacks and shirt and into some joggers and a plain t shirt. He felt his phone buzz in his pocket and he chuckled softly to himself.

Ava- Since you insist on hogging Ravenna all to yourself the entire meds staff has proposed a custody schedule for your highness 😝

Will/Natalie: Lunch on Mondays and they promise to have her back before dinner

Ben/Maggie: Want to have dinner and overnight stays on Wednesday’s

April/Ethan: Would love to have her join them for the yoga thing on Mondays after dinner

And of course mommy and step mommy Sarah want to have Brat every other weekend 😂😂

Connor could see no flaw in their logic so he texted her back telling her he would make sure to ask Brat what she thought and he would let her know once she woke up from her nap. He was startled by a quiet knocking on the door and looked down at his phone to see it was 6, Claire was thirty minutes early. He went to open the door and smiled at his sister before motioning for her to be quiet.

“Ravenna is sleeping.” Claire made her way into the kitchen taking the lid of the crockpot to peer at the contents of it. “She wanted chicken dumplings and apple pie.” Claire gave a knowing smirk and sat down at the dinner table crossing her legs.

“She’s got you wrapped around her little finger. You like her.” Connor sighed and really wished for the umpteenth time that people would stop calling him out on things he already knew. He was fully aware that he liked Brat but as long as she was in IOP there was nothing he could do about it.

“I do but she’s still a patient so it would be highly unethical of me.” Connor murmured quietly and poured himself a glass of wine.

“Hi Claire.” Connor turned and decided he was going to have to buy Brat some pajama sets because the girl just couldn’t keep walking around in oversized T-shirt’s. She look looked so adorable in it and sleepily rubbing her eyes.

“Hey Ravenna, I think dinners about ready so how about we make our plates and we can eat?” Brats stomach let out an embarrassing growl and she blushed while the two siblings laughed at her red face. Dinner flowed smoothly Claire asking more about Brats makeup and painting projects and while Brat shared a few ideas for a painting she would do for Claire. Connor smiled softly seeing how well Brat took to Claire and how much his sister seemed to enjoy her company as well; they would be good for each other. Dinner stretched in into the evening and Claire excused herself for the night around 9pm leaving Connor and Brat to drink their wine in peace in front of the fireplace.

“I know I’ve been saying it a lot the past few days but I really appreciate you letting me stay with you Connor and how supportive everyone has been.” Brat stood and gave him a small kiss on the top of his head before wishing him goodnight and leaving him alone with an almost empty bottle of wine and wishing that he could have kissed her on the mouth instead.

[hotchs-second-wife]

DON'T BLAME ME || 4 || Jay Halstead x Thea Rhodes

Synopsis: Theodosia Rhodes, the youngest daughter of a big-time Chicago CEO, needs a husband of her own choice before her father makes that decision for her. Jason Halstead, newly-made Intelligence detective, needs a wife to inherit his portion of his mother's inheritance.

Warnings: Allusion to smut, but nothing outright excluding sexual thoughts. Mentions of arson, kidnapping, murder, rape; allusion to childhood trauma, suicide, cancer-related death; descriptions of vehicular accidents including, but not limited to, car-on-car collision, car-on-truck, train; outright familial/parental pressure; portrayal of misogyny and misandry; Elli's speech downgrades and upgrades a lot because I'm not around kids 24/7 (thank god). Read ahead at your own risk.

THEA

The socialites I grew up with always were—and likely always would be—gossip mongers. When they weren't out spending Daddy Dear's money, they gossiped about the lives of others.

Half speculated Jay had gotten me pregnant, and to keep up Dolan Rhodes' public image, he married me so the child wouldn't be born out of wedlock. The other half suspected he was after my money—why else would a "no-good rat with nothing to show" marry into one of the most prominent businesses in Chicago?

Most Chicago socialites shared one braincell and smarts rarely worked in that one cell. Most, because I still had good friends from high school that were smarter to think I was pregnant, or my husband wanted my money. Especially a detective.

Jay was a kind man, better than half of high society's socialite boyfriends or fiancès. At least he had some decency to make it clear he didn't love me like a husband should, nor would he take advantage of the fact we were married to get into my pants.

"You know if I was him, I would've slept with you in an instant." Shay insisted, leaning against the back of the sofa as I scrolled through articles on my laptop. I'd originally been ordering new air masks for the team, but Shay wanted to snoop on the society I grew up in.

Gabby snorted, "you would've slept with Teddy even if you weren't married to her."

I had to agree with her. While I was into women, Shay was too close for me to think about a romantic relationship with, even just as friends-with-benefits. And considering we worked together, things would've ended awkwardly in the long run. We both knew that.

"Told you he was a good one." Gabby pointed at me. "Makes a good husband by the sound of it, and your family's alright with him. Your sister likes him, and your father hasn't said anything."

"Because he knows I'd just ignore him. As far as he's concerned, I'm in love with Jay." I snorted, turning back to my laptop. "Nothing beats a love match in high society."

Otis pointed at the articles popping up at the bottom of the website open. "You didn't say you're an heiress."

DOLAN RHODES HEIRESS FINALLY MARRIED.

RHODES HEIRESS MARRIED TO A DETECTIVE.

WHO IS DET. JAY HALSTEAD? WHY HAVE WE NEVER HEARD OF HIM?

The last title piqued Cruz and Otis' interest, both nagging me to click on it. As we do, photos the press took from the wedding infiltrate the screen.

"The wedding Theodosia Rhodes and Jason Halstead has been the talk of Chicago lately, with many speculating that Detective Halstead married into the Rhodes family for a piece of the money. Why else would a Canaryville native marry one of the richest young women in Illinois?" Cruz read out loud.

"Because he needed a wife?" Gabby deadpanned.

Cruz continued. "Dolan Rhodes doesn't hire just anyone. Marrying the second child of CEO Cornelius Rhodes would certainly give Detective Halstead the jump into getting his own store.

And let's not forget the dramatic difference on childhoods between the married couple. Detective Halstead grew up with one older brother in Canaryville, while Lieutenant Rhodes grew up as the older of two twins with an older sister. Rhodes' mother died by suicide when she and her twin brother were only ten years old, and Halstead's mother passed when he was 23 and deployed."

"Of course, my mother is brought up again." I grunted, sitting back as Otis took my laptop.

"Detective Halstead is made out to be a loving husband, but would he be there if something happens to the lieutenant?"

"Like any of these pampered poodles would be there if something happened," I rolled my eyes, watching Mouch jump channels.

Most calls happened during the day—people were awake then, and more likely to get in trouble. So we had the night to ourselves.

Which, with firefighters, meant sleeping.

Unless you were a 20-something newly-married lieutenant with a pile of paperwork to do that should have been done when you were on your honeymoon, but wasn't.

I needed popcorn to get me through it, since having Pride and Prejudice playing on my computer required popcorn. I knew we had some left over from a few days ago, so I snatched it from the shelf and put it in the microwave.

"Rough night?" I heard Herrmann's voice ask from behind me. When I nodded, he continued. "How's the marriage going?"

"In all truth, Herrmann, I don't know how it's meant to go. I mean, my mom and father's marriage was pretty much so there'd be good-looking kids guaranteed and a smart heir to the company."

He raised an eyebrow with concern etched on his face. "Is that what you want?"

I shrugged. I didn't know. "Jay told Brooklyn he wanted an amicable partner and a fine marriage that his mother's lawyer would believe, just in case that it took forever for the will to be done. I just wanted my father off my back."

"Do you want a fine marriage, as Halstead calls it?"

"What's with all the questions, Herrmann?" I frowned, taking the popcorn bag out of the microwave and emptying it into a metal bowl.

"I just worry about you, kid. You know you and Gabby are like daughters to me." Herrmann sat with me at the round table. "I can tell something's bothering you, and it's a different look to just paperwork."

I sighed. "I don't know how to be a good wife, much less a good girlfriend. I broke up with Chief Jones' son purely because my father didn't like him being a firefighter."

"I think that break up was more than your father's opinion."

"I don't know what I'm doing, Chris." I stuffed a few popped kernels in my mouth. "I offered myself up for him to sleep with me on our honeymoon and he turned it down."

Herrmann gave me a sympathetic smile. "He's a good man for you, Teddy. He's not taking advantage of a situation he knows you don't know anything about." He grimaced briefly. "Cindy might have mentioned your lack of...preparedness of marriage."

"Gee wow. I love Cindy and all, but—wow."

"She was hoping he'd take it as you only wanting your father off your back and nothing else, and it worked." He excused. "He knows you're doing as well as you know how. I'm sure he'll say something if he wants more out of this arrangement of yours."

I offered him some of the warm popcorn. "Thanks, Herrmann. You have some good advice—some."

"I'll take it." Herrmann shrugged. "Finish that and get some rest, kiddo. Can't have our Lieutenant Rhodes falling asleep on a call."

"You and I both know I could never!"

#

JAY

I knew the apartment would be quiet without her home, but I didn't think it would be quiet enough to hear a feather drop. Especially with housekeepers around.

I couldn't help but call Brooke. I needed someone to talk to and staring at the roof was driving me crazy.

"It's 3-freaking-am. You better not tell me someone's been murdered, because that'll be Voight in half an hour." Brooke's voice hissed through the phone. She was a cranky one whenever she got woken up from her sleep.

According to Thea, that was all Severides. Including Brooke's niece, who slept near all day anyway. Severide was alright with me taking her for the 24 hours he and Thea were working, but so long as Brooke was around and Elizabeth had gone back to Brooke's after we spent time together.

"Is that Mommy's husband?" And to say that little girl loved me was an understatement. Thea had been cautious about introducing me to her so soon, but Elizabeth had delighted over the wedding, and Brooke had to stop her from running after Thea's car when we left for the cruise.

"Yes, say hi to Mr. Jay."

"Hi, Mr. Jay! Do you miss Mommy too?"

I laughed at her question. Not because it was an outrageous thing to think, but it was true. I slept in the same bed with Thea for three nights, and I was missing her. A large, quiet apartment was a lonely one. I was used to living in my own, but I guessed that expecting someone home soon was what made me uneasy.

"I do. Your mommy's fun to be around." I answered truthfully.

Elizabeth let out an agreeing hum. "Mommy is fun. She lets me dress up and do things Daddy won't let me do."

"That's because Daddy says no, and you go to Mommy and she can't say no to you." Brooke snorted, and I listened to their play tussle over the phone. "Thea says she's always wanted a daughter, so when she and Kelly met Elle at the hospital, she immediately offered to help raise her. When Claire met her, she'd mistaken Elle as her sister's baby.

"Apparently Elle looked like Thea when she was a baby." It made sense, she still looked like her mother. Even if Thea didn't give birth to her.

Brooke excused herself, putting her phone on her bedside table, as she took Elizabeth back to bed. When she came back, she was getting a call from Kelly and said goodnight.

So I went back to staring at the ceiling. Then I looked at the bookshelf, glancing over the book spines. I recognised a couple Thea had been reading last week, and there were a few gaps between the book sections. Of course, separated by genre because—as Thea put it—she's not a monster.

I remembered her tour she gave of the apartment, and her showing me the spot on the balcony I was absolutely not allowed to stand on at any given time because the wild birds that visited her claimed that is their spot and she usually left seed out in the mornings she had work.

I'll put some out when I wake up, so she doesn't have to worry about it when she gets home.

One of the other bedrooms—there were five—was turned into her office where, if she wasn't doing CFD paperwork, she was reviewing store reports or resumes for potential store employees. The other four were the master bedroom—hers—mine, Elizabeth's and a spare room. We'd briefly discussed it'd be our future child's room, but she promised she wasn't expecting anything right away.

"CFD Firehouse 51, Lieutenant Rhodes' office." The house phone blared, and I almost forgot it did that. I rolled over to answer the phone on the bedside table.

I was expecting it to be her assistant when I'd answered, but her voice was instantly recognisable. "Did I wake you up?"

"No, I haven't been able to sleep." I excused. "How's work?"

"It's the usual, kid up a tree or in a hole he dug himself." She let out a breathy laugh. Thea went quiet for a moment, "lost a vic earlier."

"I'm sorry, Thea. That's rough."

She hummed. "I figured if anyone understood, you would." I couldn't argue with that, even though if I had to be called in, it was too late. We talked about stuff like that. "We have an engagement party to attend next week, an old friend of mine from high school. Loose term."

"Do you want me to buy an engagement gift?"

"No, no, she's got everything she could ever want and if she didn't, she could just ask her fiancé for it anyway. Just wanted to make sure you knew." I'd imagined social events would be a key feature of this marriage, and Thea had told me as such, but I'd figured nonsensical, baseline events like charity fundraisers where we'd only run into a few people she knew through her father.

She knew the engaged couple, so I'd have to act like I know her more than I actually do.

Make Brooke write a list of everything she knew about Thea.

"You can just wear a dress shirt and pants with your work shoes if you want," she continued, sitting her phone up on the desk as she opened her laptop. "What colour shirts do you have?"

"Uh, blue, black, and white—the one I wore at the wedding."

She hummed, and seemed to scroll through a website on her laptop. "We'll go with the white—if you don't mind—and I'll see if I can find a dress to match."

"Don't you have a dress picked out?" I asked, and Thea explained couples matching was the bride-to-be's thing. And likely the theme of their wedding. "Do you need me to do anything else?"

"Act like you're in love with me. I don't know how hard it could be, but I'm sure you'll find out."

The firehouse bell rang, and Thea said goodbye before hanging up. Act like you love me.

If I needed to put on a show in front of rich people, I could at least embarrass myself in front of friends first.

Brooke liked the idea of taking Elizabeth to see her mom and dad after work, so I convinced the girls to come buy flowers for Thea. Elizabeth led the way, of course, pointing out that her mother loved pink flowers and we settled on roses.

"Do you like Mommy?" Elizabeth asked, as Brooke strapped her into her seat. "Daddy says he likes Mommy a lot, and I asked him why he didn't marry her, but he doesn't like her that much."

"Because your mom and dad are best friends, like Mr. Jay and I," Brooke reasoned. "They love each other just as much as they love you, but it's a different love than you're thinking of, Sweet pea."

"Mommy and Daddy are best friends?" She looked at me with her little brown eyes sparkling. "Are you and Mommy best friends?"

"Someday, maybe. But we are friends. I used to be with Aunt Gabby."

Elizabeth giggled, "Auntie Gabby is funny. That's why Mommy likes her so much. Do you still like Auntie Gabby?"

"She's a Severide, naturally curious." Brooke smiled, sitting in the driver's seat. She looked at her niece in the rearview, checking if she was ready to see her parents.

When we arrived at the firehouse, only a few of the crew were sprinkling out and I recognised a few from the wedding. Thea's team, if I remembered them correctly. Elizabeth bounced at my feet, waving at her mother's team who happily waved back, and Brooke scrolled through her messages.

"They always take the longest; doesn't bother Elli though." Brooke snorted, playing a video showing her niece. Before long, her little voice squealed as Kelly and Thea walked out the apparatus doors with Casey and Gabby in tow.

As she ran towards them, Thea crouched down and opened her arms. "Principessa! Do you come to pick us up with Auntie Brooke?"

"And Mr. Jay has something for you!"

"I don't think you were supposed to say that, Elle," Kelly laughed, playing with her hair as Thea held her. He smiled at Brooke and nodded at me in greeting as we stopped in front of them.

"Aren't they pretty, Mommy?" Elizabeth meant the flowers, but Thea kept staring at me.

Kelly slipped his daughter from her arms with a "Tedd, I'm not an expert with romantic gestures, but I think you're meant to say something."

"Thank you," she squeaked. With a cough, this quiet Thea faded away. "You didn't have to."

"You're my wife."

Gabby practically squealed with Shay—Elizabeth's godmother—behind her and she gave them a side glance.

"I don't think I can do a big grand gesture every time I pick you up, but I can at least bring you flowers in a colour you like." I reasoned. Husbands who liked their wives did romantic gestures for their wives all the time, right? Sure, Thea was a means to an end and so was I, but it didn't mean I shouldn't bring her flowers or make her breakfast when I could.

Thea smiled, letting out a breath, before pointing at her BMW parked in front of the house. "I drove here."

"That's fine, I'll take Kelly and Shay home," Brooke laughed, passing Elizabeth to me. "Since it's your 48 hours with Elli, I'm sure Kelly won't mind her being with you."

Kelly and Thea gave each other silent looks—one which likely said I'd be a dead man at some point—before he agreed. He said goodbye to Elizabeth, and waved a goodbye to me as well.

Elizabeth fiddled with my collar as we walked to Thea's car. "He'll get used to you being around Elli. We agreed it was up to her if you're in her life, and she wanted to meet you, so he's adjusting."

"I'm fine with him not wanting me around Elizabeth, I understand. I wouldn't want a man I barely know around our young daughter either." Our?! Why did I say our?! Why did I assume we'd have a daughter?

"Mr. Jay missed you last night, Mommy. I bet it was really cold at Mommy's House without you there." She looked at Thea from the back seat. "He called Auntie Brooke because he was lonely."

"Because he and Auntie Brooke are best friends, principessa."

The ride home was mostly quiet, the occasional mention of something random from Elizabeth in the backseat. When she asked for snacks, Thea reminded her that there were snacks at home.

Getting to the apartment was less of a hassle with her around, since Doorman Willy recognised her from a mile away. There wasn't any triple checking to make sure we lived in the apartment, and Elizabeth enjoyed her lollipop as we rode the elevator.

Thea let out a sigh of content as she dropped her bag beside the door in the entry, fumbling with her keys to hang them on a hook with T etched into the holder. She'd gotten a J put above my key hook once I'd gotten the spare key, and a new spare was being made for her to give Elizabeth in ten years.

"Jay will put a show for you, and I'll get some snacks ready, okay?" When she received a nod, Thea headed into the kitchen. The apartment wasn't overly big, the kitchen and living room being open, with three bedrooms on the main floor and a loft above the kitchen. A laundry room was across the corridor to Elizabeth's bedroom along with a bathroom between them. Thea's ensuite was between our bedrooms; mine would become the spare bedroom whenever someone outside of Firehouse 51 and the unit would come by, and we'd move some of my things like photos into her room.

Thea set down the snacks in front of Elizabeth. "I'm going to figure out some dresses for upcoming events. You're fine to watch Elli for a few minutes, right?"

"Mommy runway!" Her daughter cheered, holding a carrot stick in one hand and a cookie in the other.

"Okay, let Mommy pick out a few dresses and you and Jay can rate them."

Elizabeth wiggled up onto the sofa, patting the cushion beside hers and eagerly signalling for me to sit down. Her mother had skipped off to get into some dresses.

The first was a pink off-the-shoulder dress that reached her mid-thigh, with bubblegum-like sleeves connected over the chest. It complimented her skin tone well, and thanks to her morning runs and her job, her legs worked with the dress rather than against it.

"Pretty Mommy!" Elli clapped her hands together excitedly.

Thea thanked her, giving her a curtsy as well as the dress would allow.

"It looks beautiful on you." I agreed earnestly. There was no point in lying—especially since she was warming up to me—and even a toddler could see she was beautiful.

We continued Thea's fashion show before Elizabeth became sleepy and was put to bed. "She was probably keeping Brooklyn up all night," Thea laughed, making sure the bedroom door was fully closed. The in-house chef mastered away at lunch, as we settled on the sofa.

We decided on a movie to watch, and sat in silence. Nothing inherently big happened, and we swapped watching the movie to being on our phones occasionally. "I've got a new candidate," Thea grunted, slumping further into the sofa.

"I thought Casey got the candidates."

"I sometimes get the chiefs' kids or the captains' brothers. They'd rather their candidate family members get 'better' training from a 'higher' officer." Thea rolled her eyes. "It's a load of bull, but at least it gives us something to do. Someone new, as well. Chief Jones' kid."

Why'd that name sound familiar?

Thea nodded beside me, "yes, one of my exes' little sister. She's a total sweetheart, but I think having a chief for a dad and officers for brothers gets to her head a lot of the time."

"You'll knock her down a few pegs, and get her into shape." I tried to reassure her, but I don't think she wanted it as she kept looking at her phone. I just thanked God that I wasn't in-charge of anyone too, and continued watching the movie.

[punksarahreese]

hii cj id love to know more about the bottom right moodboard (red haired norma is everything actually)

Red haired Norma my beloved <3

TW for mention of Ava’s suicide and Cornelius being a sketchy guy, a sex offender, and literal criminal 🥴

***

So this AU would take place after the events of 5x1. Ava doesn’t die on the operating table, Connor and Latham managed to repair the damage done to her carotid and surrounding tissue, though she needed a pretty substantial patch and stent. Ava lost a lot of blood and they still didn’t know if she would have any deficits to nerve or muscle function in her neck/face.

She was transferred to the ICU but by then the truth had gotten out and so she was under 24h guard with a member of CPD there at all times. Connor was at a crossroads because obviously he couldn’t forgive her for what she did but she was so vulnerable and almost died under his scalpel hours before. She had, for all intents and purposes, killed herself in his arms and that was something he could never forget. His feelings for her and the anger he felt mixed with shame that he didn’t see anything like this coming.

No one else was ready to forgive Ava, for obvious reasons. She’s a criminal in their eyes and they were just waiting for her to wake up and be sent to the prison hospital so everyone could have some peace of mind. Ava woke up days later, completely alone aside from Kim sitting in a chair by the doorway. She couldn’t find her voice, whether it be physical or psychological, and all she could do was cry silently. To Ava this was worse than death, no one knew the truth and she was still stuck in that damn hospital.

Once she was stable and they were sure she wouldn’t code on the way there she was airlifted to a federal prison where she was in a solitary hospital cell. It took weeks for her to get the energy to stand and she did have minor nerve damage that meant the impaired side of her face didn’t quite move right. That and the still healing cut on her throat reminded her of what she had done and how she failed.

When she could talk she was interrogated for hours, labelled homicidal by everyone in the hospital for what seemed like obvious reasons. Yet after over an hour of questioning she broke, tearfully explaining what happened to lead up to this.

She explains that Cornelius Rhodes had been involved in some FBI level fraud and corruption. She had found out by accident when she was in his office asking for money, he had left her alone for a while when an issue came up in the store and she happened to catch some emails pulled up on his computer. He caught her though, and Cornelius was quick to threaten her into silence.

It got worse as time went on. After a while he had collected information that might impact her career, such as her borderline personality disorder diagnosis and some violence charges in her youth that had been buried. He claimed that if Ava didn’t do as he said he would not only ruin her reputation as a doctor but target her family as well. He would force her to be a middle man in his illegal activity, making her do hand offs for money laundering and keeping her on a short leash when she was allowed out of his sight. The reason Ava didn’t have any friends in Chicago was not avoidance, rather it was Connor’s own father forcing her into solitude to cover his own ass.

He forced himself on Ava too, threatening to lie to Connor about them being together if she didn’t do as he wanted. Even more, Cornelius threatened his own son’s life to keep Ava under his control. He saw how attached she was to Connor and had no qualms about abusing that knowledge. None of their “relationship” was consensual, contrary to rumours that spread after the gala.

The final straw had been whispers of Cornelius running underground trafficking dens. He was flaunting Ava to his associates, pushing her into meetings and making suggestive remarks, bringing her to hidden locations full of girls. He was taunting her, threatening to sell her body instead of keeping her for himself. It was more terrifying than any of his previous threats and it caused her to fall into a BPD split so severe all she could do was lash out. That’s why she gave him the insulin and that’s why she tried to end her own life; she felt trapped and abused and had no escape.

A thorough investigation of Cornelius and his associates confirmed Ava’s statement. Her first degree charges were dropped and instead changed to a manslaughter charge, though no one outside was informed due to the circumstances. She underwent over a year of psychiatric rehabilitation in prison and sought out every type of reform she could. Threats on her life kept coming as more of Cornelius’ associates realized she had been the one to rat them out. It got to the point where the FBI agreed she could not be released for her own safety.

As her parole date approached she was prepared to be released into witness protection. She was to assume a new identity and everyone was informed that Ava Bekker had died in federal prison at 16:22. A lot of people at med were actually pleased to hear that news, still under the impression that Ava had been a cold blooded killer as the information about Cornelius’ crimes were on a need to know basis due to their sensitivity.

Ava dyed her hair and changed the way she dressed and acted. She changed her name and even her family believed she was dead. She could no longer practice medicine for the time being and was moved to Texas under WITSEC supervision. Her face and neck were permanently scarred from the damage she did that day and her psyche was no better. It felt impossible to rebuild her life when she felt that no one in the entire world knew or cared that Ava Bekker was still alive.

So this AU is about Ava being moved under witness protection and changed her identity to keep her safe from Cornelius’ posthumous wrath :)

[sheetsonfire]

The Third Halstead | Part 2

Fandom: Chicago Med, Chicago PD Characters: Sister!Reader, Connor Rhodes, Will Halstead, Jay Halstead Genre: Angst, humour, drama Warnings: swearing, brief mention of supposed miscarriage Word Count: 1514 Requested by Anon: The new doctor at Med is Connor Rhodes' sister, or is she?

This is Part 2, here is Part 1

-

You’re still reeling from your outburst when Ms Goodwin approaches you and Connor, you can feel your stomach drop as you realise she must have witnessed that display. The sense of dread crept up on you, worried that your position at Med was about to go up in smoke.

“Ms Goodwin, I-” You begin to explain yourself, your brother standing pensively next to you, expecting his own admonishment after yours. Goodwin holds her hand up to silence you, a sympathetic smile on her face.

“Now, Miss Rhodes, whilst I would ordinarily make my thoughts on that kind of behaviour in my hospital very clear, I am in deep understanding that you were defending your fellow colleagues. I am also aware of how antagonising Cornelius and Claire can be, as such I am willing to make allowances for that. However, see to it that we don't make a habit of it, yes?"

You nod, "Of course not, Ms Goodwin. It's very much understood." She had the expression of a mother telling her children off and you would have laughed if not for the fact you were not going to push her graciousness right now.

"I came over here because I need you in my office for a different private, matter. Connor, you as well.”

Connor raises his eyebrows and glances at you, you shrug in return, obediently following as requested. On your way, you quickly ask that Ethan check in on Mrs Heatherson and see to it that she gets discharged okay. As you move away from the cluster of cubicles and hubbub of patients, you see that Will, Dr Charles and Will’s brother, Jay, are seemingly waiting for you and Connor. 

“What is happening?” You try and mumble to your brother. 

“I have no idea,” Connor murmurs back, resting a reassuring hand on your shoulder as you awkwardly smile at the others and follow the gaggle of people to Goodwin’s office. You rack your brain, trying to figure out what this could pertain to. Jay’s presence made you think it might be an important CPD matter that they needed your help with.

-

As you file into Goodwin's office you now realise that both Halstead brothers seem to be looking at you, almost studying you yet avoiding eye contact. You make a face at them and then at the others in the room, making your impatience and confusion clear.

Ms Goodwin is quick to quell the anxious thoughts in your mind, "Nobody is in trouble here, and nothing is particularly wrong. No, what I have to say is…unusual, and quite frankly, a shock…"

You hold your tongue, continuing to listen to what the woman has to say.

Silence hangs in the air, you look from Connor to the Halsteads to Dr Charles and then back to Sharon. 

Connor chimes in, not feeling patient either… “Ms Goodwin, please.”

Sharon open's her mouth and then closes it, smiling awkwardly as she realises she doesn't quite know how to put it.

Dr Charles steps forward, glancing at Sharon who nods and then takes a seat at her desk allowing her friend to take up the role.

"Okay, so here's the situation… Will and Jay already know this information, and now it's important for you both to hear it too." Dr Charles looks to you and Connor. 

“Y/N, we came across some very interesting results from the First Responder Donation Programme. Will and Jay donated, as did you and Connor.”

You nod, listening as you start to get a strange feeling in your gut.

Dr Charles continues, “Throughout the donation process, we were becoming more reliant on the DNA matches, as well as type matches. Pathology had a particular case a few days ago that was tested based on DNA. And the system, among other results, concluded… You, Y/N, are an almost exact match to Will and Jay here.”

You blink at the psychiatrist as the air seems to leave the room, you can feel your legs turn to jelly, moving from your perched position on the couch’s arm to fully sit on the couch next to Connor. 

“Woah…” Connor breathes, resting a reassuring hand on your shoulder with a squeeze, he couldn’t believe that your adopted family could be people in such proximity to your everyday life. 

Your heart is pounding, you look from Connor to the Halsteads…your brothers. They smile sympathetically, understanding this would absolutely be a shock. Yet, you note, both of them seem a touch sad too.

“How…why did they give me away? Um, my...our parents?” Your voice is quiet, you can feel a lump in your throat forming, not sure who you’re asking.

Jay in a matter of moments now appears to be brooding, there’s a darkness on his expression and you start to worry that he really doesn’t want you to be his sister. You look away, biting your lip as your knee starts to bounce nervously. It’s Will who speaks first, 

“Our mom when she had her first encounter with cancer… we remember she was pregnant, mom and dad said she had lost the baby, not much else was said after that." Will takes a breath, eyeing Jay who nods at him to continue.

"Dr Charles thinks it's very possible that her doctors may have advised her to have the baby, to have you, early. So that you could receive the appropriate premature care and she could be treated for her cancer. Then it’s assumed that they, um, they put you up for adoption. They likely wouldn’t have been able to care for a newborn child, two young boys and deal with mom’s illness all at the same time.” Will’s voice was soft, your eyes filling with tears as you realise that your birth parents were gone, you knew that the Halsteads' father had died recently right here in the hospital - now you learned that their mom, your birth mom, was gone too.

Darkness had crept over you, a feeling that you were taken from a life where Jay and Will could have been your brothers, from a family that could have been yours.

Connor was the best thing that ever happened to you in your current family, and that would never change, but god… the thought of what could have been was sitting heavily and painfully in your chest.

You scratch at your head, not sure what to do.

“Um… Could…could I have a minute with just Connor?” 

"Of course, there's a private room here if you want to have a quiet word." Sharon stands, opening what appears to be a smaller office within her bigger one.

You head inside and Connor follows, shutting the door behind you.

Here you feel vulnerable, the emotion now bubbling up within you.

"Connor, what do I do?" Your voice wobbles and your big brother brings you in for a tight hug.

"Listen, this is something big for you, kiddo. I can't tell you what to feel or do, but I can tell you that whatever you choose, I'll be your brother as I've always been. If you want to get to know them as siblings, I'll support that, if you need time and don't want to get into that side of things just now, we can work that out too. This is your life and you have the right to choose."

You let out a sniffle as your kept your face buried in his chest, Connor knew you well, and he know that it was possible you felt a sense of being unwanted or not good enough for the Halsteads. Not to mention how Cornelius and Claire could be with you. Being an adult and still not being respected by your family, despite your best efforts? He knew first-hand how isolating that could feel.

"They didn't let you go because they didn't want you, Y/N, you know that right?

Your silence confirms what he suspected. He pulls away from you,

“Hey, look at me, sweetheart.” 

You lift your head, tears rolling down your cheeks. You felt stupid for being so worked up, but it was a lot to process.

“Your birth mom was sick, your birth parents did what they could to keep you safe and healthy. They wouldn’t have let you go if they had the choice. You were always wanted, you need to know that. No matter how dad or Claire makes you feel, I know the Halstead boys well enough to know that they wouldn’t turn their back on their sister now that they know she’s right here. Just like I won’t.”

You nod, sniffing in the tears that were coming whether you wanted them to or not. Connor holds you tight, rubbing your back gently. 

“I, uh…I should get back out there, huh?” You laugh in incredulity, in disbelief at how your day had transformed. 

“You got this, I’m gonna be right there. I’m so proud of you, Y/N.” Connor smiles, his own emotions shining in his eyes. You give his arm a squeeze, taking a deep breath before facing the door. 

“Here goes nothing.”

-

End of Part 2

A/N: I think there will be a 3rd part to wrap this story up!

Tags: @samanthavitale - @bestkaistes - @elius-learns-to-write - @alldaysdreamers - @unknowntoyou2205 - @justanotherfansblog - @alkadri-layal - @muchacha-encabronada - @dumb-fawkin-bitch

[anotheronechicagobog]

You mentioned in a past post that Dr. Charles is a member of the Terrible Chicago Fathers Club. Who else has a membership lol

Terrible Chicago Fathers Club members (in no particular order);

Daniel Charles - physically and/or emotionally abandoned at least two children but still expected unconditional love, forcefully admitted Robin to psych when he was not her doctor and without consulting her psychiatry team, which was totally messed up and illegal, seriously that man should have lost his license for that

Hank Voight - never held Justin accountable for his actions or let him face any consequences, lied to Erin a lot and usually just supported her in ways that were beneficial to him, has a secret history with Bunny outside of old CI stuff that the show mentioned/alluded to but never elaborated on

Robert Haywood - abandoned Reese, emotionally abusive, serial killer

Patrick Halstead - emotionally abusive, manipulative

Mr. Upton - physically abusive, alcoholic

Mr. Casey - they alluded to him being physically abusive sometimes on the show, had anger issues

Cornelius Rhodes - narcissistic rich scumbag, treats his daughter like dirt, tries to control Connor's life and goes out of his way to do so, uses his wife's death to hurt and manipulate Connor, they alluded that Cornelius had something to do with her death in season 1 of med but never did anything with it

Benny Severide - abandoned Kelly, manipulative, demonstrated lots of toxic masculinity, tried to undermine Kelly's stand in dad (Boden) because of DNA, womanizer, serial cheater

Let me know if I missed one!

[erinlindsayy]

these broken pieces of us || rhekker

for the lovely @avasrhodes

➺  warnings: implied sexual assault, brief mention of past childhood abuse, self harm, connor is worried about ava, this does have a sort of happy/hopeful ending

✧   a/n: i have rhekker brainrot and i love torturing them oops

↬ like this work? let me know!

★ requests are open–I write for a number of fandoms! just ask :)

☆ comments + reblogs are greatly appreciated ☆

Ava never intended for Connor to find out about her recent foray into old habits, never intended for him to walk in on her undressing from a surgery, sharp red marks under her ribs painfully stark against the sharp contrast of her pale skin.

Then again, she never intended for that godforsaken dinner to turn into something far worse, never expected Cornelius Rhodes to fail to comprehend the meaning of the word ‘no’, to expect sexual favors in return for the donation, because sure--he was an ass, but she didn’t take him for the sort of man to...

She was wrong.

She could still feel his wrists on hers, could feel her brain tense at the knowledge of what was about to happen, because it had happened to her before when she was younger, the warmth of his breath against her skin and--

She shudders at the memory.

“Ave--” Connor starts. “What’s going on?”

Ava quickly tugs her sweater over her frail form, mumbling some lame excuse about tripping and breaking a vase. It’s half hearted at best, but she’s too exhausted to think of anything better.

Connor crosses the room, urging Ava to meet his eyes. He hadn’t intended on saying anything--he hasn’t really wanted to see her, let alone speak to her, but the girl has been withering away in front of his very eyes, and regardless of how pissed off he is, he still cares.

“Ava. Come on. Talk to me.”

Ava just shakes her head.

“‘M fine, Connor--really. Don’t you have other things to be doing?”

Her snark is weak, and she’s already on the verge on crying--or screaming, or vomiting, or worse--she can’t quite tell, and she just wants to go home and block out the world. She knows she’s spiraling--has been since that horrible night when... everything happened.

But at least then, she’d had Connor. She’d had Sarah, she’d had her support system, she’d had some semblance of hope.

And then, Connor had ripped into her without any thought, confirming to her that he did, in fact, believe his father--Ava had slept with Cornelius.

His father had just left out the crucial detail: nothing about that instance was consensual.

“You’ve lost weight, Ava, the bags under your eyes are bordering on mimicking that of a raccoon, and now you’ve got gashes that we both know aren’t from a vase. What is really going on?”

Connor stares at her with burning intensity, and Ava is faced with a choice: lie, and tell Connor that she’s fine, and that she can handle this on her own, or tell him the truth, and hope like hell that he’ll believe her.

After a few moments pause, the truth slips from Ava’s lips, a slippery slimey squalid thing, seeping from her very soul like black ichor from an infected wound. She’s sobbing by the time she gets to the end, and she’s ashamed--she hates being vulnerable like this, and she hates that Connor still manages to pull it out of her, no matter how awful and cold he’s been towards her over the past few months.

“This won’t change anything between us, Connor. I promise. You can continue to stay away, and if it’s easier for you, you can just keep seeing me as a monster. I’m already sort of damaged to begin with, anyways. You can just pretend I didn’t say anything, and we’ll both figure out ways to keep going forward. Just... forget I said anything.”

Connor sighs.

“You just don’t get it, Avey. This changes everything. You’ve been harming yourself for god knows how long, and you’re just now telling me about it? And not only that--my father is part of the catalyst for all of it? Why didn’t you tell me what he did?”

Ava turns away from him.

“How was I supposed to tell you? How was I supposed to know that you’d have my back after you were so inclined to believe your father over me, when you’d already painted me as a vicious temptress--a monster, really? You already broke my heart, Connor. I wasn’t about to have you tell me that I was lying about being a victim as well.”

Connor is visibly shocked. He’d fallen prey to his father’s manipulations yet again, and this time, Ava had been the one harmed. He’d ignored her, had broken things off, had left her stranded on a sinking raft, so blinded by his father’s snaked silver tongue, and she’d been crumbling, rot decaying her very bones down to her soul.

He walks over to her, tentative hand reaching out towards her shoulder. She flinches away from his touch, and Connor can’t tell if it’s from instinct, or disgust towards him, but either way--it breaks his heart.

Ava, ever so snarky and confident, brilliantly fierce and caring, had been suffering miserably, and he’d been so caught up in everything else that he’d completely abandoned her.

“I’m sorry,” he whispers, eyes falling to the ground. “I should’ve been there for you, and I should’ve realized my father was scheming.”

Ava doesn’t respond, but she does lean into his touch,  body softening towards him.

“I still love you, Avey. I never stopped--I just couldn’t deal with the idea of you manipulating me, and it’s not the first time a girlfriend had used me to get to my father and his money, and I just... I panicked. Please forgive me.”

The last part is whispered, voice trailing off. Connor knows he has messed up, but he isn’t lying about his love.

“I didn’t just want to be your girlfriend,” Ava whispers. “I wanted everything with you. All of it. But you left. And you took my heart with you.”

Connor moves to wrap his arms around Ava, pulling her close. This time, she doesn’t flinch away.

“This changes everything, Ave. We can fix this. We’ll get through this--together, alright? I won’t leave you again.”

“Promise,” Ava mumbles, face pressed against Connor’s chest.

“Promise,” he responds. “Although, I might need to punch my father in the face. Again.”

[elenarodriiguez]

day twelve: spiked drink | s.r. & c.r.

summary: when connor accidentally drinks his girlfriend’s drink, their evening goes from bad to worse.

pairing: sarah reese x connor rhodes

cw: non-consensual drug use, roofies/date rape drugs, discussions of sexual assault (not explicit), mentions of nausea and vomiting (not explicit)

word count: 1884

read it on ao3

There are genuinely very few things that Sarah could complain about regarding hers and Connor’s relationship: he’s attentive, affectionate, a calming balm to her errant anxiety. However being dragged out to his family’s extravagant galas, that is something she could certainly do without. Claire is beyond lovely, a true powerhouse, and Sarah loves getting to know her, even having a standing coffee date which is work permitting (meaning once in a blue moon). But schmoozing with Cornelius Rhodes’ associates in a fancy dress and heels that kill her feet, that is certified hell.

Even though she remains tucked into Connor’s side for the entirety of the night, only straying away to grab some refreshments or go to the bathroom (or hide outside and have a secret smoke with Russell), she inevitably winds up being harassed by pervy old men who could be her grandfather. Or worse, dealing with their grandsons who declare themselves far superior to the so-called “disappointment” that is Connor Rhodes. It’s a strange world to interact with, one that considers a doctor to be a disappointment when none of them have done a single hour of hard work in their lives, but he just calls it the norm.

While the night has been going fairly smoothly, or as smoothly as they can go, when she gets back from a quick trip to the bathroom, she can tell something isn’t quite right with her boyfriend. Despite the fact that she knows he can’t have had more than three flutes of champagne, at most, his words are slurred and he can’t quite keep his balance no matter how hard he tries. She has to prop him up on her shoulder, grabbing his drink out of his hands before he hurts himself on the glass.

“Connor, where did you get this drink?”

“Was yours, on the table.” He slurs, blinking at her as if she was asking a really stupid question.

“Shit. Come on, we’re going home now.”

“Why?” He asks, drawing out the last letter to what would have been a comical extent if it weren’t for the current situation.

“Because someone spiked it, that’s why I left it on the table when I went to go pee.”

“Huh?”

“Don’t worry about it, come on we’ve got to go find Claire.”

Navigating a grown man who has four inches and a solid seventy pounds on her around a crowded ballroom to find his sister in the midst of a sea of black tuxes is harder than it looks, but Sarah manages to find Claire without causing any mass casualties. The brunette looks horrified at the sight of her brother, whose skin was turning ghostlier by the second, sending Russell to help the pair of them get into their car. She demands to know who did this to him, and when Sarah tells her who she suspects is the culprit, she storms off in the opposite direction, the train of her luxury ball gown parting the crowd in seconds.

Sarah grabs Connor’s car keys off of the valet, not wanting to wait for the man to drive the car to the front of the hall, and instead navigates her way through the unfamiliar parking lot, Russell shouldering the brunt of Connor’s weight. As soon as they find the car, they open the back door and unceremoniously dump Connor on the backseat, laying him in the recovery position so he doesn’t choke on his vomit on the car journey back to his apartment.

Although he offers to go home and help the both of them, Sarah brushes off Russell’s offer, reminding him that Claire would currently be on a warpath and someone needs to be there to prevent the headline news from being: Chicago Socialite Arrested for Assault of Heir to Bannerman Industries, or something to that degree. Kicking off her heels so that she can safely drive them home without causing a car accident, Sarah rushes to pull out of the parking lot before her boyfriend can vomit on the floor.

One bonus of living in his penthouse in one of the richer districts of Chicago means that the journey doesn’t take more than fifteen minutes, although a good five of those are spent with Sarah turning to check he was still conscious. In what can only be described as a licence-revoking parking job, Sarah parks in one of their parking spaces, careful not to jolt Connor too much because while she can deal with vomit, she doesn’t particularly want to.

When she gets around to his door, she has to move him into an upright position very slowly and very carefully, not wanting to ruin their so far successful streak. His slurred speech and dizziness has seemingly given way to lethargy that makes it almost impossible for Sarah to get him into the elevator, cursing the day she ever agreed to go to that stupid gala with him.

They look a right state: Sarah’s formerly tamed curls now a mess exploding behind her head, heels in hand and dress hiked up so that her listless boyfriend doesn’t trip over it and knock them both to the ground. It’s a small mercy that no one else gets into the elevator between the parking garage and their home, leaving Sarah to get him out of the elevator and onto the couch.

She tugs his suit jacket off, already anticipating his whining about her crumpling his fancy suit that is more than her monthly salary, and starts to undo his shirt buttons. As soon as the shirt is off and thrown across their living room, she darts into the kitchen and grabs two old mixing bowls, placing one on the table in front of him and one on the floor by his head.

From there she removes his shoes and forces him to drink a bottle of water, propping his head up on some throw cushions once he’s finished the bottle. He quickly falls into a heavy slumber, cuddling one of the spare cushions to his chest and even pecking the top of it like it was Sarah there, and she can’t help the smile tugging at her lips.

Knowing that she wouldn’t be able to sleep with him still dealing with the effects of the roofie, Sarah grabs an old T-shirt of Connor’s to wear as pyjamas, getting changed in their living room as a precaution. She settles down onto the old comfy armchair that she’d insisted they get, texting Claire an update and receiving one in turn that evokes a smug smile from her.

Her would-be attacker apparently had found himself at the 21st District, under arrest for a plethora of fraud and sexual assault cases, and had had to leave his position of CEO effective immediately. She almost feels bad for the vindictive glee coursing through her, but all she has to do is take one look at Connor for all of that to disappear.

For the whole night she keeps herself awake by watching reruns of ER, interspersed with waking Connor up for water breaks and toilet trips, and by the time morning comes, she can safely say that the worst of it is over. Sarah is exhausted, there’s no denying that, but Connor had successfully made it through the night without any trips to Med so all in all there was some success to their night from hell after all.

When he wakes up, his lips are dry and he’s dazed and confused, dizzily leaning against the back of the couch once he’s sitting upright. Sarah’s by his side in seconds, throwing questions at him left and right, none of which he can really process as words. As soon as she realises her line of questioning is futile, she forces him to have another drink, promising to explain it all to him once his head is clearer.

It isn’t until mid afternoon that Sarah can safely say that Connor is over the worst of it, although he’s very obviously fatigued. If she thinks about it long enough - as in allowing herself to think about if it had been her who drank it - the effects it’s had on her boyfriend are terrifying, and she sure the dosage must have been ridiculous, probably enough to knock her out for days.

“Hey baby,” she whispers, stroking his hair as his eyes become clear for the first time in eighteen hours, “how’re you feeling?”

“Like I got run over by a truck. What the hell happened? Everything from last night is just a blur to me.”

“I need you to stay calm for me, promise?”

“Promise.”

“The reason you’re feeling so terrible is because you drank a drink that was left on a table because it had been roofied. No, I didn't drink any myself, and no, no one tried anything with me, but we did have to leave early because you weren’t well.”

Connor tries to jump to his feet, his face turning red in anger, but he wobbles and is very easily brought back down to the couch by Sarah. She holds him close, telling him to calm down because everything is fine, and after a while he gives up the fight in favour of slumping down pulling Sarah onto his lap.

“I’ll kill him.”

“No you won’t, I refuse to be a prison girlfriend. Besides, Claire and Trudy took care of him, and there’s nothing that you could do that would be worse than what they did.”

He hums discontentedly, scowling as he pressed his face into her hair, but he eventually loses enough tension in his body to start tracing shapes on her bare legs.

“Has uh,” Connor says after a moment of silence, “has this thing ever happened to you before?”

Sarah pauses for a moment, weighing up her options of being truthful or sparing his feelings, but in the end honesty wins.

“My drinks have been spiked a few times, and I’ve definitely had guys get too handsy with me even after I told them to stop. But no one has managed to get me alone while I was drugged or do something worse to me.”

“Shit. I’ll kill them all, I don’t mind prison.”

“Well I do, so no.” Sarah shakes her head to emphasise the point, squeezing his forearm in an attempt to calm his frayed nerves. “I’m okay Connor, and so are you. You weren’t to know, and we’re both okay, which is all that really matters.”

“You’d tell me if I was doing something you didn’t want?” He asks, his eyes unguarded and showing you all of his fear and loathing.

“Of course, I have before and I’ll do it again if I need to, I’m not afraid to say no to you Connor because unlike all of them, I know you’ll respect my no for what it is.”

“Okay.” He’s clearly not convinced, but there’s little else that Sarah can say to convince him. “Can we go to bed, just to sleep, you look exhausted sweetheart.”

“So long as you don’t try carrying me to bed I think we’ll be fine. I love you Connor Rhodes, you’re a great man.”

“And you’re the best thing that ever happened to me Sarah Reese, now come on, I can hear our comforter calling out for us.”

[fighterkimburgess]

Family Fault Lines

Summary: Being 34 weeks pregnant isn’t easy. Being 34 weeks pregnant and an ER doctor really isn’t easy. But when a patient comes in, you need to make sure your husband is ok. Part six of The Fellow And The Intern. (Remember when this was a smut series?? Now there’s FEELINGS)

Words: 2.7k

Warnings: pregnancy, canon typical medical stuff, heart attacks, mentions of cheating, mentions of Connor Rhodes’ awful dad, traumatic childbirth, NICU time.

—

You were in the lounge, stretching your back out. Being pregnant was great, and by all accounts you’d had an easy pregnancy. But being an ER attending at 34 weeks pregnant was not easy. Natalie had shared her stories about how she dealt with the final trimester of her pregnancy with Owen, and it helped a little bit. Not a lot, but a bit. You wrapped the bump support around you, sighing as it helped redistribute the weight to make things a little easier. Once you stared at yourself in the mirror, and glanced at the rose gold silicone ring you wore in work, you left the room to go back to treating patients.

“Doctor Rhodes!” You turned to see Sylvie and Violet bringing in a patient. “Cornelius Rhodes, 72. Complaints of chest pain, previous history of cardiac episodes. Pulse 97, BP 130 over 90, resps 27. Gave nitro in the field, no response. Conscious and alert.” You grabbed the gurney, bringing your father in law into a trauma room, directing the team to move him over to the bed there.

“I want an ABG, lights, full cardiac enzymes, a full blood work up and get an EKG in here. Page cardiology, and put the cath lab on standby.” Your orders were obeyed, and you turned to your patient. “I’m Doctor Rhodes, an ER attending here. I’m going to look after you. When did this come on?”

His face was ashen as he struggled to breathe. “Forty...minutes. Connor?”

“I’ll see if he’s out of surgery. April, get me twenty migs of lasix, and two aspirin. I need cardiology here stat.” You checked the EKG, your worry increasing. He’d definitely had a heart attack. “I’ll be back in a minute, Mr. Rhodes. Nurse Sexton is fantastic.”

You went out to the nurses station, picking up the phone and calling Connor’s cell. If he wasn’t in surgery he always picked up.

“Rhodes.”

“Connor...” you trailed off, how could you tell him?

“Baby, are you ok? Is the baby ok?” He was frantic and you took a breath.

“We’re fine. Your dad is down here right now, I’m treating him for a heart attack. We’ve called down a cardiology consult, and the cath lab is ready for him. Sweetheart, he asked for you. I know how you feel, and you don’t have to, but I wanted to let you know.”

Your husband took a deep breath, and you could nearly feel his brain contemplating everything.

“I don’t know. Ugh. Can I have a hug when I come down?”

“You never need to ask for that. I love you, and I’ll see you in a few minutes.” You hung up, turning around and going back into the trauma room.

Cornelius was responding to the medication, his eyes closed as you checked him over. His heart rate was back to nearly normal, and you watched as the monitor beeped. Latham arrived in, and you turned to greet him.

“Is that your—“

“Yes, it’s Doctor Rhodes from trauma’s father. Looks like an MI, we’re waiting for the cardiac enzymes to confirm.” You watched as his eyes widened, and you shook your head subtly. He did an exam and you escorted him out of the trauma room to talk.

“Doctor, that’s your father in law. Should you be treating him?” You whirled around to Latham, feeling your baby kick your stomach in annoyance at moving quickly.

“I’ve never met him, Isidore. Connor doesn’t speak to his family, and I’m the attending on call right now. A big patient coming in when I’m on? I have to deal with him. And as far as I’m concerned, he’s no relation of mine or this baby.” You watched as his face softened.

“I’m sorry. Does Connor know he’s here?”

“Yes. He’s coming down once you bring him up. Are you doing a stent?”

“Probably. We’ll get in there and see what’s happening. Let him know I’ll deal with him directly.”

The two of you walked back in where Cornelius was awake again. “Mr. Rhodes, this is Doctor Latham, our head of cardio thoracic surgery. He’s going to take you upstairs to the cath lab so we can work out the best course of treatment. You’re in good hands with him.” You signed the chart to indicate you’d handed over control, before leaving the room and going back to the doctors lounge.

Connor was already in there, and you gave him the biggest hug you could with your belly in the way. You hadn’t realised how stressed you felt about treating his father until you held him and felt the stress melt away. Your baby always loved when Connor held you, kicking against your belly into Connor.

“The Squash is active today. You doing ok?” He wrapped his arm around you, settling you on the couch.

“I will be. It was weird, I know so much about this man and he’s never met me. Are you ok? It has to be a shock.”

Connor shrugged, his face slack. “Honestly? I don’t feel anything. The last time I saw him I punched him, so the fact I haven’t done that is a good thing. My then girlfriend slept with him.” You clutched your husbands hand, making sure he could feel you beside him.

“I’m just saying, we promised monogamy when we got together. I’ve no plans to ever change that.” Connor let out a low chuckle, relaxing into you.

“I love you so much. You know that, right? You and me and the Squash. None of the rest of it means anything. You two are the most important people in my life.” He leaned in to kiss you, one hand possessively on your bump while the other was wrapped around your ribs, fingers tapping gently on your tattoo.

“I love you too. I said better or worse, sickness and health, as long as we live. And we’ll get through this. And the next time someone from one of our families tries to do something ridiculous. How we ended up as the most sane ones I don’t know, but we did. And Squash is going to grow up knowing their parents are superheroes, and we love them so much.”

He kissed your temple, before helping you stand up to face the world again. You went back to treating patients, waiting to hear news about what had happened to Cornelius. As you were checking patient charts from your intern a woman walked over to you. As soon as you saw her face you knew it was Connor’s sister, and you steeled yourself.

“I’m looking for Doctor Rhodes who treated my father?” She asked, and you stood, introducing yourself.

“Your dad had a heart attack. He’s upstairs now with our cardiology team who are checking what needs to be done from here. I can bring you up to the cardiology waiting room if you’d like?” She nodded, accepting your offer. As you walked her through the ED you saw Connors eyes widen, but you shook your head slightly to stop him from coming over.

The two of you were standing in the elevator when Claire broke the silence. “When are you due?”

“Six more weeks. My husband and I are thrilled, he’s excited to be a dad.” And you were carrying her nibling in your stomach, no big deal.

“That’s fantastic. Is he in medicine?” Suddenly you realised her eyes were firmly on your ring, and you had a sneaking suspicion that she knew exactly who your husband was.

“He is.” The elevator doors opened, and you directed Claire to the waiting room, saying goodbye. All you wanted was to get back to your ER, where you ruled the roost and could work. As you stood there waiting for the elevator, you felt a wetness between your legs. No.

You made your way back downstairs, going to the doctors lounge. You’d thought your back pain was just normal end of pregnancy pain, but this was too early. You had six weeks left. You couldn’t give birth yet. A contraction hit your middle and you stopped, bending over in pain. It was happening and the baby was coming and you couldn’t do this yet. You had to keep them safe. The pain winded you, and the last thing you remembered was grabbing a chair as you collapsed.

Connor was the next one in the lounge, and his scream of your name and begging for help would be remembered by everyone in the ER that day. You were on your side, hand cradling your bump, and he immediately could see you were bleeding. He was made stand back as your friends - his friends, the people who’d watched you get married and had celebrated your pregnancy - crowded around you. He watched Natalie become a woman on a mission, whisking you up to the OR, taking charge and calling OB and trauma, anyone who could perform a c-section and get in there quickly to get in. He wanted to be in the OR, you’d planned for him to cut the cord and be there for the whole delivery, but instead he was left in the gallery watching as Natalie helped pull his baby from you and cut the cord.

There was no cry when you delivered. He watched the floppy pink body of your child be put into an incubator, so, so small. He’d only felt the baby kicking earlier that day, how had this happened? He held his breath, watching them perform CPR on the tiny infant until he heard a cry, tears shedding at the news. Once the baby was stable enough Nat wrapped them up, bringing them to the glass.

“You have a son, Connor,” she said through the microphone, watching the wonder fill his eyes. “We’re taking him to the NICU, you can see him when they finish here. It’s looking hopeful.” He tore his eyes away from the door his son disappeared through to stare at you, wishing he was in there. He was a surgeon. What was the good of being a surgeon if he couldn’t fix his wife? If he couldn’t help her when she needed it?

His tears stopped as he watched them finish stitching you up, your stomach still distended from the son who’d been in there less than an hour ago. He waited for Crockett to come over, holding his breath again for news.

“It was a placental abruption. She’s lucky she was on shift. We stopped the bleeding, and we avoided a hysterectomy. I’ll get her in recovery, you can see her in ten, ok? I just want to take out the ET tube and check sedation first.” Connor nodded, his eyes filled with thanks for the man who had been his rival but had since become a close friend.

He decided to go see their son first, before going to check on you when he was allowed. Connors one mistake was forgetting that Cardiology and OB were on the same floor. He stood outside the NICU, his eyes staring at the incubator with the carefully named “Baby Boy Rhodes”, watching Nat check him over. He didn’t notice people going past, but realised when someone stopped beside him. He turned around to see his sister standing there.

“That ER doc, she’s your wife, isn’t she?” Claire was never one for subtlety.

“Yeah. We got married eighteen months ago. That’s...that’s our son. She’s in ICU.” He saw Claire’s face fall, and she put her hand on her brothers shoulder.

“She’ll be fine. Does he have a name?”

“Not yet. I was convinced he’d be a girl. She told me I was wrong and I had to be a boy dad.” Connor let out a hoarse laugh, the last hour sinking in. He’d nearly lost you both.

“I’ll stay here to keep watch, if you want? Dad’s in recovery, it’s going to be a few hours. Go be with your wife.” Connor hugged his sister for the first time in years, before going the two floors down to the OR recovery room.

Crockett was still standing at your bed, watching your vitals cautiously. If he couldn’t do the surgery himself, Connor was glad Crockett did it. It made things a little bit easier.

“How is she?” His voice was low as he appeared, watching the blood slowly transfuse into your veins.

“She’s doing well. This is the last transfusion, after this it’ll just be fluids. We’ve got her on heavy pain meds, but fully removed sedation. She should wake up in the next while.” Crockett handed over the iPad, letting Connor see everything. It wasn’t pretty reading, seeing how low your blood pressure and pulse had fallen. But you were here and you were alive and Connor had his wife and son and even if it wasn’t the best circumstances the three of you would be ok.

You woke shortly after, going almost immediately from blissful unconsciousness to terror, realising that your stomach wasn’t moving and your organs didn’t feel squashed.

“The baby?” You asked, throat dry. Connor was beside you and his smile soothed you.

“He’s ok. Nat brought him to the NICU because he’s so small, but he’s ok. We have a son, Baby.” You grinned at his words, relaxing back into the bed. You had a son. Your baby was here and he’d be ok.

Connor gave you the details of what happened, of Nat and Crockett taking control and getting the two of you through, of his sister standing watch over your baby.

“We need a name,” you rasped, taking sips of cool water from the cup your husband held.

“I didn’t want to do it without you. We never talked about boys names.” You were unsure, and then it hit you.

“David Marcel Rhodes. We didn’t want a C name, David after Downey, and Marcel because I love Crockett but I’m not giving that name to our boy as a middle name. He saved my life, we should honour that.” You lay back and Connor pressed a kiss to your forehead.

“David Marcel Rhodes. A perfect name for a perfect boy.”

It took until the next morning before you were allowed be wheeled down to meet your son. Connor had spent the night with you, Nat and Will promising to keep an eye on David for you. Your friends were all waiting to meet your son and hear his name, and you grinned as Connor wheeled you in.

David was so small, but he was healthy. There was a minuscule nasal cannula helping him breathe, and apart from that he just had a heart monitor on. One of the nurses picked him up and laid him on your chest, and it finally felt real to you. You and Connor had made him in love and he was here at last.

“Hi David,” you whispered as you held back tears. “You gave me a scare, you know that? But we’re here and we’re ok, and I love you so much. Are you ready to meet your family?”

Connor waved in the awaiting ED staff, who looked at you with love and affection. You stayed in your chair as Connor cleared his throat.

“Meet our son, David Marcel Rhodes. Nat, Will, we were hoping you two would do us the honour of being his godparents?” They immediately agreed, hugging Connor and putting a hand on your shoulder before they had to go back to work. Crockett stood there, looking at the small child.

“You sure? It’s an honour.”

“He’s named after Connors mentor, and the man who made sure we both got to meet him. I can’t think of a better name for him. Thank you, Crockett,” you said, holding out the arm you weren’t cradling your son with for an awkward hug.

It took a week for you, and three more days for David, but finally the two of you left Gaffney as patients to your friends celebrating. Connors dad was still on the cardiac ward, but you ignored it. The past was the last, and David was your future.

[finalgirlkateausten]

They Seem Like Something Special, Really Don't They All?

Whumptober Day 9: The very noisy night/caught in a storm

Fandom: Chicago Med

Warnings: Blood, Childhood Trauma

Summary: Vampire AU. Ava unwittingly becomes a shoulder for Connor to lean on.

AO3 tags under the cut

Category: F/M

Relationships: Ava Bekker/Connor Rhodes, Connor Rhodes & Cornelius Rhodes

Characters: Ava Bekker, Connor Rhodes, Cornelius Rhodes (mentioned)

Additional Tags: Whump, Connor Whump, Alternate Universe - Vampire, Vampire Lore, bear with me here this should be part of a larger fic, but instead we're just jumping right in, Blood, Blood Drinking, Making Out, Vampire Foreplay, do I need to tag this for a biting kink??, these are the worst tags ever, cigarettes

[procrastinatorimagines]

I Only Have Eyes For You

Fandom: Chicago Med / One Chicago

Character/s: Connor Rhodes x Reader,

Warning/s: none

Word Count: 3,162

Request:  Hi there, can I get an imagine for reader x Connor Rhodes. Lightly based upon 01x03 Fallback where Connor treats on one of his father's employees and his father tried to take him off the case. So like the reader and Connor are married (got married during their residency) and the father flirts with reader who also works at med not knowing that's his son's wife as he didn't think someone like Connor could snag a girl like the reader. The ending is up to you. Thank you x

“Maybe you should talk to him,” you suggested, putting your hand on your husband, Connor’s, shoulder as he stared distantly into his locker, his mind clearly elsewhere. 

“I don’t want to talk to him Y/N, I’ve barely spoken to him in years,” Connor sighed, slamming his locker closed and turning to face you. He hadn’t expect to see his dad today, heading into Med behind an ambulance basically demanding to speak to Miss Goodwin and his son at once. Connor had been in surgery at the start of shift so he hadn’t actually come face to face with the man yet, but it was only a matter of time.

“Well now might be your chance, he is in the ED afterall,” you reminded him and he rubbed his face with his hands. It had been a long surgery, starting off the last shift of a very long week, and you knew the last thing your husband wanted was to talk to his father, but maybe he needed to.

“He’s downstairs because one of his employees got hurt on the job and he’s trying to do damage control before a lawsuit is filed, he isn’t here to see me,” Connor all but snapped, his face softening when he realised and squeezing your hand apologetically. There had been some kind of mishap at one of his stores from what you could gather, and one of Cornelius’ workers had found himself practically crushed under a bit of the structure that wasn’t as up to code as it should be.

“I get that, really Connor I do, I’m just saying that while he’s here, maybe you should talk to him, even if it’s just to say your piece,” you tried, knowing that Connor still had a lot of baggage surrounding his father, baggage that had been putting a bit of a strain on your marriage, or more specifically, any discussion of having children. Getting things off of his chest might be the only way for him to move forward, you reasoned.

“I have nothing to say to him, Y/N, he’s the parent, not me, it shouldn’t be on me to be the bigger person,” Connor replied, and he was right, but damn if the Rhodes men weren’t the most stubborn men you’d ever met.

“But you are the bigger person, the better person-” you began, knowing that Connor was ten times the man his father was, and maybe it was about time Cornelius Rhodes saw that for himself, but you were starting to realise that you were crossing a line as Connor interrupted you.

“Y/N, the last time I tried to reach out to my father he decided he’d rather go on a business trip than attend his own son’s wedding,” he said, the bitter undertones very clear as you remembered how crushed he’d been. No matter how bad their relationship was, and even if he wouldn’t admit it, you knew Connor still loved his father, and for him to not show up to his own wedding had broken his heart. “Baby he’s never even met you, and that’s that on him, he’s made his priorities perfecrly clear.” he continued, cupping your face in his hands.

“Okay, okay,” you nodded, realising you weren’t getting anywhere with this conversation, “do you want me to drop it?” It was what you always asked each other when it seemed like you were going to have an argument, or whether you weren’t sure if you’d crossed a line in a conversation, you tried to respect each others boundaries as much as possible. 

“Please, I know you’re trying to help but my relationship with my father is basically unsalvageable, and I’m moving forward,” he smiled but it didn’t reach his eyes, he was trying hard to make you believe him but you both knew you really didn’t, this wasn’t the kind of thing you just moved forward from.

“If you’re sure, he won’t be around forever,” you gave it one last try before letting it go for now, telling yourself you’d broach the subject again at a later date.

“I know, and I am,” he said, giving you a quick kiss before pulling away and grabbing his stethescope off of the table next to you, “thank you, though,” he added.

“For what?” You asked finally closing your own locker.

“For being so very you,” he smiled, a genuine smile this time as he looked back to you, “I love you.”

“I love you too,” you replied, kissing his again as your phone vibrated in your pocket. Stepping back you fished it out, seeing a text from Will. “Oh that’s me, Will wants me in three to help with Mr Harris,” you explained to Connor as you both headed out the door towards the ED.

“My father’s guy?” Connor realised, opening the door for you and letting you out first as you checked over the message; apparently Cornelius was demanding a second opinion, clearly not satisfied by Will’s, but you decided not to tell Connor that right now.

“Yeah that’s the one,” you nodded, slipping the phone back into your pocket before he could see the rest of the text as you noticed Maggie signalling for you to hurry it along, that couldn’t be good.

“Good luck, you’re gonna need it,” Connor noted Maggie’s impatient gestures as you picked up the pace.

“You’re all the luck I need,” you joked, winking at him as you parted ways, Dr Latham needed him upstairs in 5 for a consult, a fact which he was more than happy with since he was supposed to be working the ED all day.

“Ooh cheesy, go on get out of here,” Connor laughed as you waved your goodbyes, heading to three. 

Maggie met you half way and handed you Mr Harris’ chart, looking irritated.

“Everything okay?” You asked, noting the angry voices you could now hear coming from the room to your right, the curtains not providing much in the way of sound proofing, not that you thought Cornelius cared much.

“How Connor turned out the way he did with a father like that is beyond me,” Maggie told you quietly as you quickly flipped through the chart, “he’s been demanding this, that and the other since he got here, and now he thinks Dr Halstead’s not telling Mr Harris all his option because he just wants to ‘extort him for more money’,” she mimicked in a hushed tone as you rolled you eyes, it’s not like he couldn’t afford it anyway, you thought, but there was something about having more money that made some people think they were so damn entitled...

Putting on your best cordial smile you pulled back the curtain and entered, the men stopping in their heated conversation as you did, frozen on some discussion about cost. Will did his best to hide his relieved look when he saw you and Cornelius grumbled in frustration, completely unaware he was standing face to face with his daughter-in-law for the first time.

“Everything okay in here?” You asked, looking between the two men on their feet and the tired, slightly embarrassed, looking man in the hospital bed. 

“Terrific sweetheart,” Cornelius retorted sarcastically and you internally rolled your eyes. Externally, you kept your features schooled and looked to the patient in the bed.

“Hi Mr Harris, my name is Doctor Y/L/N,” you told him, having kept your last name when you’d married Connor, a fact you were pretty glad about right now. You offered your hand and he shook it gratefully.

“Pleasure,” he said as you stepped back, facing Cornelius Rhodes as he rubbed his temple before looking to you, taking you in for the first time as he straightened his posture and cleared his throat.

“Cornelius Rhodes, it’s lovely to meet you,” he offered his hand and you shook it, the way he was looking at you making your skin crawl a little as he finally let go. “I was just discussing with your collegue over here the best treatment for my man here, and we seem to be having a disagreement,” the way his demeanor had changed in your presence was alarming, and Will was clearly taken aback by it too, he’d gone from demanding to charming in the blink of an eye.

“I see, well from reading Mr Harris’ chart it’s clear that there are only two option available, the impact seems to have done some internal damage that, while it might heal on its own over time, will most likely require surgery,” you explained in your perfected doctor voice as Will threw you a grateful glance. Cornelius clenched his jaw as he tried to maintain his own facade, pretending to mull over your words even though you knew Will would have said basically the same thing, and that Cornelius had already made up his mind. 

“Surgery really is the best option Mr Harris,” Will told the patient, but instead of replying he looked back to Cornelius, the man who would be paying for either option no doubt. The surgery would be expensive, you knew that, and it grated you to know that the fate of this man’s life possibly rested on the greed of Cornelius Rhodes. Could Connor talk some sense into him? You mused to yourself as he began to answer.

“I understand your concern,” he said finally, addressing you alone, a far cry from the accusations of greed he’d thrown at Will before you arrived, “but that kind of surgery is not only expensive, but the recovery time would put him out of work, and he wouldn’t want that.” You hid your grimace as Mr Harris nodded, clearly feeling like he had to agree.

“I have deadlines coming up,” he spoke up as Cornelius gestured to him as if to say, see, there you have it, settled, as you did your best to maintain your friendly face. 

“I understand where you’re coming from Mr Rhodes,” you lied, regreting ever trying to get Connor to patch things up with this vile, self-serving man. He didn’t deserve Connor for a son. “But if we leave it and it gets worse, the surgery will be much more invasive and expensive further down the line, not to mention the high risk and potential complications,” Mr Harris paled a little, but still waited for Cornelius to answer. 

Seriously? He could sue this man and yet he was still scared of him, the man probably had no means of paying for the court bills that would require anyway, he needed Cornelius’ paychecks to keep a roof over his head. And he was making decisions about his life like he was a god damn asset and not a person.

“Well, that would be unfortunate,” Cornelius pondered and Will looked like he was close to losing it. It was no secret he prioritised his patients over all else, even their own wishes sometimes, and it was also no secret he’d never liked Cornelius Rhodes. 

“Mr Rhodes-” Mr Harris voiced up but he was shushed, the other man still thinking. You didn’t know whether you or Will were closer to punching the man, Mr Harris clearly wanting to have the surgery now in fear of more severe future complications. If Cornelius wasn’t such an arrogant-

“Alright, if you thinking it will save money in the future- and more important of course Joseph’s well-being, then I suppose we could do the surgery,” he decided and Mr Harris sighed in relief. Cornelius smiled smugly, like he’d done something so generous, it made you sick to your stomach. 

You consciously twisted the wedding ring on your finger as Will fetched the paperwork and soon Mr Harris was being wheeled off to wait for his surgery in a room upstairs, clearing the bay in the ED for the next patient. Will was more than happy to take the next person through the doors as you finalised the paperwork with Maggie, scheduling in his surgery in the system. 

Connor texted you then as Cornelius was practically stalking towards you at the desks. He was letting you know that he was finished with Dr Latham and had thought about what you’d said, and maybe it was a good idea to talk to his father before he left. He’d be coming down any minute, but before you could reply Cornelius had reached you at the desks, a predatory look in his eyes that set off your fight or flight response. 

“Dr Y/LN,” he grinned and you returned a polite and professional smile as he invaded your personal space, looking you up and down in a way that was so not okay, even if you weren’t his son’s wife. “Thank you for your help in there, your input was very... refreshing.”

“Of course, I was just doing my job, I’m glad Mr Harris is able to get the treatment he needs,” you replied tightly, realising that this conversation was far from over as he continued talking.

“It was the least I could you,” he said,  seeming to take your statement as some kind of thanks or compliment to his ‘generosity’. “Say, how about you and me grab a coffee in the cafeteria so you can explain more about how this procedure works, on me of course. If you’re busy now, maybe after you finish work?” As he finished talking he inched closer to you, eyeing you suggestively. 

Was he making a pass at you? Was this actually happening right now? You blinked in shock and it took you a second for your brain to process what was happening before you could answer him.

“Mr Rhodes, I’m flattered” you began and he grinned, like he already had it figured out that you were going to say yes even though you were far from actually flattered, “and while I would be happy to discuss your employee’s treatment with you in a professional manner, I’m... I’m married,” you explained, flashing your ring at him, the ring that his son had put on your finger.

“Well I don’t see him around anywhere,” Cornelius winked at you and you took an instinctive step back, but he either didn’t notice or didn’t care, probably the latter if you were honest. “He’d never know.”

“Oh I’m certain he would,” a voice said from behind you and you turned to see Connor heading towards you both, anger clear on his face as he looked from you to his father. 

“And why’s that?” Cornelius asked defiantly, practically looking down his nose at his son, clearly not getting the hint from what he had said about who your husband was.

“Because I am her husband,” Connor said definitely, standing next to your side as you relaxed, feeling instantly better in his presence. Cornelius balked a little, he really had had no idea who you were this entire time.  It took him a second to regain his composure but when he did, instead of opting for the apology you’d expect from any normal person, he did the exact opposite, actually defending his slimy actions.

“How was I supposed to know that?” He huffed like he wasn’t invited to your wedding, when he’d made the decision to not come of his own accord. Connor put a protective hand on the small of your back, aware you were drawing a bit of attention as April had paused her typing on the computer.

“Well, dad, maybe if you’d come to our wedding, or our anniversary, or any of my birthdays, you would have known that Y/N’s been my wife for the past three and a half years,” Connor’s voice wasn’t raised but you could tell he was getting more and more aggitated by this encounter. He wouldn’t have liked anyone making a move on his wife, let alone his own father.

Cornelius had the nerve to chuckle at that, “honestly I’m just surprised a boy like you could wrangle a woman like this,” he said as you clenched your jaw, so many parts of that sentence rubbing you the wrong was. You could tell Connor felt the same, his stance very defensive as you replied.

"What is that supposed to mean?” You demanded before Connor could speak, Cornelius’ eyes snapping to you like he’d forgotten you were an actual person and not just an object to fight over. “What about me and Connor is so surprising to you?”

“Honestly, you could do better.” he said matter-of-factly and you rolled your eyes, any appearance of a professional facade gone as you faced your father-in-law.

Now it was Connor’s turn to laugh, but it was a dry laugh as he said: “and what, you think your ‘better’?” Cornelius shrugged, the look on his face telling you that that was in fact what he meant. Connor shook his head in disbelief, the first time he was seeing his father in a long time and all of his reservations and fears were being entirely justified as he stood before the two of you.

It was time to end this, you decided, folding your arms and squaring up to Cornelius. “Better? The man who’d rather save money than a man’s life, who thinks it’s appropriate to not only hit on a woman while she’s at work, but to blatantly tell her to... cheat on her husband when she tries to politely tell you she’s not interested. Connor’s a good man, a much much better man than you, inspite of the fact that your raised him, and he doesn’t owe you another second of his time, neither of us do.” You took a breath as both Rhodes men blinked at you in shock. “Now, Mr Rhodes if you’ll excuse us we actually have jobs to be doing, I’d be happy to have somebody escort you to where you can wait,” you finished, seeing April grin out the corner of you eye as Cornelius got a little flustered, clearly not used to anyone, especially women you reckoned, putting him in his place. 

“I’m had enough of trying to reach out to you, I felt like I still had something to prove to you, like it was on me to mend what was broken between us. But you’re not worth it dad, you’re just not worth it. We’re done here, stay away from me, and definitely stay away from my wife,” Connor told his father, gesturing with his head for security to come show him to the waiting room. 

“Oh this is far from over,” Cornelius raised his voice, pointing his finger at his son as security reached you. But Connor didn’t waiver, clear for the first time as he just looked at his father, shaking his head before turning to walk away. Everything that needed to be said had been said, and he was finally ready to walk away from his father, quite literally in this case as you went to follow your husband.

This wound would never go away entirely, but now, maybe, you really could move forward. 

[thethirdwheel404]

Season 3 and season 4 Ava were absolutely different people like Ava also started dressing Really Femme in s4 whereas in s3 she was in scrubs, long sleeves, or button downs always (except for the fancy scenes ofc). Not to mention the huge character change like she suddenly just didn’t have a conscious and if she was really a psychopath she would have kept the charade up for the whole show not switch personalities in 3 episodes 😭 -punksarahreese

I’m guiltily admitting that I’m glad I stopped watching after Sarah left Bc I had to watch them trash Sarah with shitty and decking storylines year after year, I would not be able to do near that again. And yeah her behavior became super erratic (and she kept simping for Connor which I couldn’t stand) S3 Ava with her casual blazers and rolled up lab coat sleeves occupies my brain but I could not stand any of her more feminine (basically ooc) outfits. It’s criminal and depressing that the writers had absolutely no grip of her character, and they couldnt even see what aspects appealed to the audience. Ava’s character was created at the end of s2 first and foremost to be Connors love interest. The way they made it different from his previous two love interests (god, remember zanetti?? Lol me neither) was that Ava wasn’t supposed to take any of his shit. Yeah her first interaction (“I like dangerous men”) was annoying from an audience perspective Bc god it’s just another woman pining after Connor and at this point we were sick of the pretty boy always getting what he wanted. (Also it’s incredibly interesting how that line most lines up with Ava’s s4 char but not S3) The reason Ava became a fan favorite was because he character seemingly did a 180 and went in a completely different direction than what we were thinking, which was that she didn’t take anybody’s shit, especially Connor. She pointed out his flaws (something that no one else did). However, they still did have a relationship drama thing Bc of course they were going to, that was the point of her character. Point is Ava’s fan favoritism was entirely on accident and not on purpose by the writers. We were here for the bullying of Connor, and we just put up with the relationship. The writers obviously didn’t see this and thought we stayed for the relationship.

So, when she came back in s4, they kept the relationship and trashed everything else. They made Ava go along with Connors antics, even made her support it (affair with Cornelius Rhodes).

[phoenixkaizen]

Finally Falling

Summary: based off of the prompt from halzekrhodestead: Rhodestead meeting Connor's father.

or Will and Connor both think this is going to end badly, in the end, they were completely wrong. 

Author's Note: So here we go, I actually debated with myself this is where it ended up. This is my thoughts on Cornelius Rhodes. He may of been a huge a-hole but he seemed to actually care for his son. So this is how this ended up. 

"Will, you look fine." Connor said, watching as Will continued to undo and redo his necktie. This exact scenario had been happening for the last fifteen minutes. Will fretting over his appearance and Connor trying to tell him he was fine. 

Will sighed, finally keeping his necktie the way it was before turning to face Connor. "Connor, this is the first time I'm meeting your father as Will Halstead and not Dr. Halstead." He stated. 

Connor shrugged. "Okay? He's still going to be a huge asshole either way." The black haired man mumbled. 

Will gave another soft sigh, kneeling down in front of Connor and smiled up at him. "Connor, this will go okay. I think." The red head didn't have any sort of confidence in his voice as he spoke. 

"Let's get this over with." Connor mumbled. 

x

"Hello, dad." Connor said, his voice firm as they entered Connor's childhood home. Will stood behind him in a bundle of nerves as Cornelius Rhodes eyed him up and down. 

A large frown was settled on Cornelius' face as he turned back to look at his son. "I thought you liked blondes?" The man stated, catching both Connor and Will completely by surprise. 

"I--um--what?" Connor stummered, his face flushed over. 

"Every person you've ever brought home was blonde. I guess I assumed he would be too." Cornelius stated, now turning his attention to Will. "Come on in. Want a drink?" 

Connor and Will shared looks, both in confusion. Will gave his okay and followed the Rhodes head towards the study. Will leaned in close to Connor, dropping his voice so only the other doctor would hear him, "Is he always like this?" 

Connor shook his head. "Not at all. Normally we fight on everything, I was expecting to have to fight him about you." He whispered back. 

Once they were in the study, Will and Connor both took a seat on the couch opposite of Cornelius' desk as Cornelius moved and poured three scotches on ice. "Connor, could you possibly go retrieve some more ice for us?" 

Connor looked between his father and Will hesitantly before getting back up and leaving the study. Will gulped as Cornelius handed him one of the glasses and took a seat in a leather recliner chair across from the couch. 

"What was your name again?" Cornelius questioned, his gaze narrowed on Will. Will gulped, soothing his tie. The same tie that Connor had bought for him from Dolan Rhodes to be exact. 

"Will Halstead, sir." The red head replied. 

Cornelius made a noise, taking a sip from his scotch. "You're a doctor right? At the same hospital my son works for?" 

Will nodded. "Yes, sir. I'm the attending in the ED. I specialize in Emergency Medicine as well as plastics." He said. 

Cornelius only hummed. Will practically shrunk underneath Cornelius' gaze. It was sharp and piercing, just like Connor's could be. Just from the little bit of time here, Will could see just how much Connor and Cornelius were alike. So alike that it was terrifying. 

"My son had mentioned you grew up in Canaryville." 

Will nodded. "Yes, sir. My brother and I both." 

"He's a cop right? Your brother?" One again Will nodded. 

Cornelius eyed the tie around Will's neck, a small smile on his face. "I'm glad to see you like the clothing from Dolan Rhodes." 

Will looked down at his tie and grinned. "Yeah. Connor actually got this tie for me." 

Cornelius nodded, surveying Will's reactions to him. "So, Will, what are your interests with my son? Or is it the fact he has money?" 

Will was completely taken back by the question. "Excuse me?" 

"You heard me. Are you with my son for his money?" Cornelius questioned again. 

Connor had stepped back in the room, his eyes wide as he looked to his father. "Dad, what the hell are you doing?" Cornelius just looked to his son for a moment before looking back to Will. His facial expression alone demanding an answer. 

Will felt the anger flare in him. "Absolutely not. I maybe from a less fortunate home but I love Connor with everything I have. He's made me a better person. A better doctor. I would never do anything to hurt him. I don't need his money. I'm with him because I love him." 

Cornelius smiled. "Okay. That's all I needed to know." 

Will looked over to Connor in confusion. Connor wore the same expression as he looked to his father. "Dad?" 

Cornelius looked to his son and gave him a smile. "Your my son, Connor. I have to make sure you aren't getting taken advantage of." 

Connor rolled his eyes and frowned. "Will wouldn't do that." 

Cornelius shrugged. "You never know, Connor." He paused, looking back over to Will. "You seem like a fine young man. Now how about you two stay for dinner." 

Will's mouth was dry so instead he gave a physical agreement. 

This was definitely not what they expected. 

x

Connor had been surprised by the time that they had left his father's. They had stayed for hours, actually laughing and having a good time with Cornelius. Of course his father had to tell Will embarassing stories of him from when he was a child. 

Connor sighed as they made their way down the steps towards his car when he heard a shout from his father, causing them both to turn and face him. Cornelius came down the steps, his gaze leveled on Will. 

"Treat my son right, Will Halstead. I could make you disappear if I want to." Cornelius threatened. 

Will only smiled. "I will, sir." 

Cornelius smiled. "It's Cornelius, son." The man replied, reaching his hand out. Will looked at the outstretched hand before reaching out and shaking the man's hand. 

"Good night, Cornelius." Will added, as he pulled his hand away with a nod. 

Cornelius gave his own farewell before turning back to go into the house. Will turned back towards the car and smiled to Connor. "That was better than I thought." 

Connor let out a small laugh. "You could say that again." 

[hotchs-second-wife]

DON'T BLAME ME || 3 || Jay Halstead x Thea Rhodes

Synopsis: Theodosia Rhodes, the youngest daughter of a big-time Chicago CEO, needs a husband of her own choice before her father makes that decision for her. Jason Halstead, newly-made Intelligence detective, needs a wife to inherit his portion of his mother's inheritance.

Warnings: Allusion to smut, but nothing outright excluding sexual thoughts. Mentions of arson, kidnapping, murder, rape; allusion to childhood trauma, suicide, cancer-related death; descriptions of vehicular accidents including, but not limited to, car-on-car collision, car-on-truck, train; outright familial/parental pressure; portrayal of misogyny and misandry. Read ahead at your own risk.

Jay

The ceremony had gone off without a hitch, aside from Thea's father not actually showing up and my father showing his face in spite of me. My brother showed, almost late, but he arrived. Thea's sister had been in attendance as promised, but her brother had called her last minute to tell her he couldn't leave work.

So despite her brother and father's absences, and the attendance of the media, I could tell Thea actually liked the wedding ceremony.

"So when do we get to actually try the cake?" Ruzek asked, leaning against my shoulder with his elbow as he looked behind Dawson at the wedding cake.

Brooke lightly elbowed him. "You have a five course meal provided by the bride's family, and all you want is the cake? I'd call you a fatass but you'll hit me."

"Not with your brother staring daggers into me, I won't." Ruzek snorted, walking off with Ruzek to talk to Erin and Voight.

I wanted to talk to Erin, to apologise to her. What I did to her wasn't right, but I wasn't going to force her into a marriage within a week.

"Congratulations, kid!" My father shouted, patting my back.

I turned to him, my brother approaching behind our father. "You couldn't wait until after the speeches to let him get drunk?"

"What can I say, Mom was the rule enforcer, and you're the detective." Will shrugged, sipping from his beer.

Before I could say anything that would have very likely caused a scene at my own reception, a hand laced with mine and I caught Thea's dark hair out the corner of my eye.

"You must be Will! I've heard so much about you." She smiled brightly, putting on that mask I've watched her put on all day. "And Pat, hello to you too!"

"It's nice to finally have a sister, congratulations." Will hugged her, and she returned her thanks. They talked while I got my father into a seat to keep him from falling any more than he already was.

Just as I was about to call Brooke over for emergency, she and Kelly beelined from the front door of the bar to our corner.

"He's here."

"What?" I asked, stupidly. I should have known who they were talking about. But as soon as Claire grabbed Thea's hand, the dots came together.

Cornelius Rhodes was here.

My father-in-law was here.

"And here's the bride and groom, Mr. Rhodes." Casey smiled awkwardly, giving Thea a fleeting look of an apology before grabbing Kelly. Brooke quickly introduced herself to Will before getting him and my father across the room.

"Theodosia," Cornelius smiled, raising his arms for a hug. A hug in which he didn't receive. His smile faded. "Now, I hope you're making the right decision. Declining business opportunities, just to marry a detective."

Thea frowned. "Are you doing something illegal that you wouldn't want my husband to find out, Father?"

"Don't be ridiculous."

"Then get over it. My decision is final. Jay is my husband now, and, for the company's sake—if you will—lets hope he has cousins willing to invest their time and money into your ideas, Father."

Before Cornelius could finish opening his mouth to dispute, Boden made his way over. "Is there a problem, Mr. Rhodes?"

"Of course not." Cornelius smiled. I could see where Thea got her fake smile from. "I only came to congratulate my daughter. I have a business meeting to attend."

When he was gone, Thea muttered a 'rat bastard' under her breath. She let Kelly blindfold her for the final wedding present before the cake would be cut, and Brooke ushered me outside behind them, making sure everyone else stayed inside.

Thea

I almost tripped over my dress three times before I even made it outside, no thanks to Kelly. As great a best friend he was, Kelly was a horrible guide dog.

"I hope you're never reincarnated into a labrador destined to be a guide dog for the blind," I joked, and Kelly only tightened the blindfold. "Better yet, you'll be one in this life."

"Are you ready for my present or should I just take it away?"

"If it's Elli dressed up as me, I'm going to cry."

Kelly made a noise of doubt. "Arguably, this is better."

"Anything can be better than that little girl looking like me." I snapped at Kelly, as he slipped the blindfold off.

Connor stood in front of me. That bright smile I grew up with adorning his face. "Not even your twin brother?"

"I might have to make an exception," I teared up, running to him and holding as right as ever. One minute he said he couldn't make it, and the next, he's right outside the door to the bar I own.

"Your friends said how much it meant to you for me to be with you on your wedding day. They banded together to convince me to at least show up at the reception."

My 51 family stood in the doorway, watching. I stared at them with tears in my eyes, thankful the makeup around and under my eyes was waterproof. Oh how much I loved them.

"I gotta go."

I turned back to Connor in an instant. "What? You just got here. At least see Claire and meet your niece."

"They need me, Thea."

Frustration bubbled in my chest. Yet again, work was more important than his family. "Elizabeth has been dying to meet her Uncle Connor."

"I'm sure she has other uncles." Connor dismissed, placing a kissing on the forehead. "I have to go, I love you."

I grumbled a 'whatever' before storming back inside. It was always the same with the men in this family. Putting work above their blood. I'd never tell Connor she was resembling Father—that was crossing the line—but he was seriously reminding me of him.

Downing the last of the Midori, I felt a hand sit on my back and Kelly sat next to me at the bar. James, the only bartender that wasn't invited as a guest to the reception, worriedly handed me another drink, this time in a glass. "We should've made sure he didn't need to fly back so soon."

"It's not your fault," I grunted. "He's been doing that for 10 years. Nothing's changed with him, and our father does the same thing." Sighing, I finished the cocktail. "I'm used to it."

Kelly squeezed my knee, as Shay walked Elli over. "Is Mommy okay?" She asked Shay, looking up at her aunt.

"Mommy's fine. Just her big brother causing problems." I smiled down at the sweet girl. Getting off the stool, I crouched down to her. "Have you met Aunt Claire yet?"

She shook her head, and I looked up at Kelly to make sure it was okay.

#

Jay and I arrived in Italy for our honeymoon early, given the whole situation with my brother and father, he wanted to get me out of Chicago and relaxed sooner.

I texted Kelly on the drive to the dock for the Mediterranean cruise, wanting to make sure he'd be okay with Elli while I was in Europe.

"They'll be okay," Jay promised, squeezing my thigh. "She did promise to take care of her dad while you're gone."

I laughed. Precious Elli, she'd want to make Kelly pancakes in the mornings like I do for her, but her little arms and legs have no chance of reaching the top of the counter.

"She's adorable."

As our driver stopped at the ship and let us out, I asked, "so you're fine with raising my best friend's kid with him?"

"Yeah, of course." Jay shrugged. "Kids need a mom, and you're good at it. Besides, I think Brooke might kick my ass if I didn't want you to be Elizabeth's mom anymore."

"No she wouldn't." He gave me a look of disbelief. "Okay, but if I didn't tell her not to."

We settled into our room with talks of living arrangements upon return from our honeymoon, Jay resting on the bed as I check out the bathroom.

Jay

"Oh, there's a bidet in here," Thea hummed, before something clattered to the ground. "What's the point of an air conditioner in a bathroom?"

She came back out in a white, bridal lingerie set.

Holy shit.

Fuck my wife's hot.

"What do you say, handsome?" She smiled, running her hand up my leg as she sat on the bed beside me.

No, I couldn't do this. I held her hand under mine. "You don't have to do this, Thea. I'm not going to make you sleep with me because we're on our honeymoon."

"But—"

"I can tell you're uncomfortable," I sighed. I pointed at the redness just above her left breast. "And the lace is irritating you. I'm going to check what amenities we get, so you can change in peace."

She looked at me in silence. Thea nodded slightly as I got up and left the room. She was hot—given, considering she was a Rhodes and a firefighter at that. If we'd dated before we got married, then maybe I would've slept with her.

Maybe I would have entertained the thought of finding out what would make Theodosia Rhodes scream my name. Would a simple stroke to her inner thigh do it for her to beg for more? Would she—

I shut down all inappropriate thoughts about my new wife as I approached the front desk of the cruise ship. With a new flyer in hand, I decided to book a table at the top deck restaurant before I returned to our suite.

Thea sat at the dressing table, fixing up a powder on her face. She looked up and smiled briefly when she noticed I'd come back. "I thought we could get dinner upstairs. Something nice after today, and...this."

The sleeping situation we'd originally discussed went up in flames when we got on the ship. We had planned for me to get my own room in her apartment when we got back from the honeymoon, and get a two single bed room for us to share on the cruise. And of course, the latter wasn't going to work since the staff decided a newly-married couple could share a queen bed, and gave off our single beds to two girl friends on a girls cruise from their partners.

We didn't care all that much, just had to reorganise our plans. Thea said she'd always been a cuddler, but she would suffice with a pillow instead of forcing me to it. I was fine with cuddles, but if she wasn't, I wouldn't push it.

"I had the same idea. They won't start cooking until we've left the dock. But, there's a casino on the floor below it. I thought, maybe, you'd want to—"

She smiled at me. "Spend some time together? I'd like that."