Will Halstead

William "Will" Halstead (born December 29, 1983) is one of the main characters on Chicago Med and is the older brother of Jay Halstead on Chicago P.D. He is an Attending Physician at Gaffney Chicago Medical Center and has a habit of getting into trouble. He is portrayed by Nick Gehlfuss.
== Biography ==
Will Halstead was born on December 29, 1983 to Pat Halstead and his wife and raised in Canaryville, Chicago, Illinois, along with his brother Jay Halstead. It is mention that they grew up in the Southside. They hail from an Irish Catholic family and attended Catholic school. Because of their blue collar life both brothers were bullied by other kids, specifically the Tucker brothers. Will was even nicknamed "Ginger Spice" by them. In spite of the hazing, it was revealed that Will secretly had their respect because of his willingness to stand up to them and they deemed him the smartest person they knew, despite his background.
Will's life at home was particularly hard, as his father always pushed him and was disappointed in his choices, especially when Will decided to go to college and majored in biology in undergrad rather than going straight to work. Due to this, Will left for New York and put himself through college and medical school with no support from his father. His brother, Jay, became a U.S. Army Ranger stationed in Afghanistan. After Jay returned from the war, he joined the Chicago Police Department and became a detective in the Intelligence Unit. Their mother developed an unknown kind of cancer, first starting to get very ill while Jay was deployed. Will was not "around" when she died, something that Jay harbored a significant amount of resentment towards him for and something Will feels very guilty about.
Prior to moving to New York, Will worked as a doctor in Sudan, although it is unclear what exactly his job entailed. After this, he worked as a plastic surgeon in New York City for several years, but was fired for an unknown reason. He came to stay with his brother initially as a temporary measure while he found a place to live and a source of income. His first day at Chicago Med took place in the Chicago Fire episode "I Am The Apocalypse", which also served as Med's backdoor pilot. He went into work late and told Jay that morning that he intended to quit after his first shift, but quickly changed his mind, deciding to keep his job and move to Chicago permanently.
== Season 1 ==
=== Derailed ===
Will first appears at the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new Emergency Department (which was presumably rebuilt after the explosion in the backdoor pilot). Along with his co-workers, he is on-call when the train derailment occurs and assists in treating the influx of victims. He is the first of the group to meet Connor, who is performing CPR on an incoming trauma patient assigned to Will. They have a short argument about the patient's treatment before Connor informs Will that he is the new trauma fellow. Will immediately dislikes Connor, commenting to Natalie that he is arrogant. Natalie simply raises her eyebrows and doesn't respond, leaving Will indignantly claiming that he's not arrogant, to which Natalie (somewhat) jokingly responds "No, you just happen to know more than anybody else".
While treating Gina, a woman who has suffered a traumatic head injury in the train derailment, Will and Ethan discover that she is pregnant and soon learn that she is the surrogate mother of another couple's child. The couple, Mr. and Mrs. Donahue, are deeply concerned about Gina; however, when Will and Ethan inform them that Gina needs an operation to reduce the swelling in her brain, the couple hesitates due to the possible risk to the baby. Sharon Goodwin eventually convinces the couple to allow the surgery.
=== iNo ===
Will has an argument with Natalie when he says that her pregnancy is getting in the way of her decision making as she was choosing to use the last nitrous oxide tank they had to save the life of a newborn baby unlikely to survive rather than another patient who Will thought needed it more. He snatches the tank off her and uses it himself, saving his own patient. This angers Manning and she doesn't talk to him for a few days despite his constant apologies. She eventually forgives him.
=== Malignant ===
Will told Jay Halstead that he thought Rhodes delayed in treating Christopher Herrmann when he first arrived at hospital. Jay then passed this information down to Kelly Severide who called Rhodes out on his 'mistake' in front of everyone. Rhodes was upset by this and finds out that it was Will who told them when he sees him and Jay talking later. Will apologizes and goes to see Jay, the two then argue. Will tells him he told him about Rhodes in confidentiality but Jay says he didn't tell him not to tell anyone. He tells him he won't ever tell him anything again and Jay replies that he won't get him information from the crime scenes anymore and leaves.
=== Bound ===
Manning is about to deliver her baby and her mother-in-law comes to see her. Will clearly has feelings for her but her mother-in-law catches onto this quicker than she can and is upset. She tells him to stay from her as it has only been 6 months since her husband died. He obeys immediately and doesn't see her for the next few days. This happened as Natalie gave birth to Owen. However, on that same episode, Helen realizes that there might be a chance for Natalie to go back to Seattle (where she is originally from), thus she starts to behave nicely towards Will. She figures out if Natalie starts a new romance in Chicago, she won't consider relocating back home.
=== Choices ===
Dr. Halstead puts his career on the line for a woman who reminds him of his mother. It's in this episode that it is revealed his mother died of cancer. Had she had access to the experimental drugs available she could still be alive, according to him. So, when opportunity comes to provide that chance to a cancer patient Will takes it. However, in order to do so he ,disrespects the patient's wishes and resuscitates her. Not obeying a DNR is illegal. Jennifer Baker and her family decide to file a lawsuit against the hospital and Will.
=== Clarity ===
Natalie tells Will she is tired of being his punching bag. She asks him why is it always her. Will asks her if she really doesn't know and kisses her.
=== Guilty ===
Using Connor's access codes, Will reads Jennifer Baker's medical records and learns she is on the placebo. He begs Zoe to use her influence to get Jennifer on the active drug, but she refuses, and Will leaves, intending to tell Jennifer. Knowing that Will telling Jennifer Baker means the loss of his medical license, Zoe finds Connor and tells him what Will is about to do, Connor follows Will into the elevator and presses the emergency stop button, telling him that he's going to "stop another guy from ruining his life". The two have an argument that escalates into a physical fight; when Will manages to release the emergency stop, Connor pins him against the wall and says, "You're a good doctor. The world needs good doctors, you ass." The elevator doors open, but Will stays where he is.
=== Us ===
Jennifer Baker, having become too sick to continue the trial, goes home with her family and peacefully passes away. Will attends the funeral, where Jennifer's husband, Sal Baker, thanks him for not giving up on his wife and drops the lawsuit against him. Will is seen talking to Jay about this at the end of the episode, mentioning that he feels guilty for violating her DNR and putting her through the trial when she didn't even receive the active drug. Jay tells Will that he did the best he could, and he has to move on.
=== Timing ===
As Will's last year of residency comes to an end, he gets an offer to become an attending at Chicago Med. He is ecstatic, as he wanted to continue working there but did not think the hospital board would vote in his favor. He also seems to be happy that he can continue working with Natalie, and is shown to be upset when he sees Natalie leaving the hospital with Jeff.
== Season 2 ==
=== Lesson Learned ===
Will's first mentor is brought in with kidney failure and pneumonia. Everyone, including Sharon, is sure she won't make it, but Will is determined to keep going and trying. He's very emotional and wants to save Dr. Rowan and even lashes out the care home taker who comes to check in. Will replays the graduation speech Rowan gave over and over. In the end, he re-watches her say that you should always "treat the patient and not the disease" and this should be the one thing they take away from her. He decides to let her die in peace. Natalie comforts Will when he breaks down in the locker room, and Nina is upset to see them hugging each other.
== Season 3 ==
Will started dating his longtime love Dr. Natalie Manning, things took a very rough turn for them after Will tried to protect her too many times. Causing them to have problems and Natalie wanting to take a break from the relationship. As a result of this Will goes off, gets drunk, and makes out with coworker Maia Frisch, further angering Natalie.
== Season 4 ==
== Season 5 ==
=== Never Going Back to Normal ===
Will carries an unconscious Natalie into the ED after they are attacked in his car by Tim Burke. He is treated for his own relatively minor injuries by Elsa Curry. While visiting a still unconscious Natalie, he is confronted by Phillip who tells him to leave and that he and Natalie are engaged. This leads Will to draw the conclusion that that is what Natalie wanted to tell him right before they got attacked. He becomes suspicious after talking to Connor, who mentions that Phillip acted strangely earlier, asking his opinion on the engagement ring at an inappropriate time when his daughter was being prepped for heart surgery.
=== We're Lost in the Dark ===
Will is annoyed to learn that Phillip has had flowers delivered to the ED in honor of Natalie's first day back after her TBI. He and Elsa Curry treat a young woman who has had a seizure due to an apparent gas leak at her school. He welcomes back Natalie, who apologizes for the way he found out about her engagement. She claims that is what she came to tell him the night they were attacked, but that she isn't entirely sure.
The power goes out and Will and Elsa deal with the irate mother of their seizure patient. The patient, her mother and her two accompanying teammates are hysterical to learn that she will most likely not be able to play in her soccer state finals the next day. Will learns that there was no gas leak, and asks Dr. Charles to consult, just as the patient experiences another seizure and her two teammates come down with the same symptoms. Unable to make a diagnosis, he asks Goodwin for permission to put her and her teammates into isolation, as he suspects an infection with a contagious disease. Goodwin refuses his request to evacuate the ED, saying that they can't afford it under the current circumstances. Daniel orders all three to be brought into the same room, suspecting a psychological explanation for the symptoms.
After the power returns, Will and Elsa are surprised to see that all three girls are symptom-free, and Daniel informs them that a placebo and some therapy for coping with stress was able to return them to normal, adding that they were suffering from an apparent case of mass hysteria.
As Natalie is getting ready to leave, Will tells her that he doesn't think that she came to tell him that she got engaged when they were attacked, but she deflects. When he asks her whether she is sure she loves Phillip, she becomes angry and replies that her relationship with him is the only stable thing in her life at that moment.
=== In the Valley of the Shadows ===
Will continues to be annoyed with Phillip, chastising him for bringing Owen and Sophie into the ED. He also continues to second-guess Natalie's mental capacity, first removing her from the treatment of one of her patients, and then deciding to personally oversee all of her cases going forward. He claims this is for her own protection, but Natalie retorts that she feels instead that he is punishing her for something.
=== Infection: Part II ===
Will is assigned to work with a representative of the CDC and two doctors from the university lab to find a working antibiotic to counteract the infection spreading around the city. When he discovers one of the university doctors destroying samples, he is attacked and hit in the head with a microscope, after which the doctor flees.
=== Got a Friend in Me ===
Will continues to closely monitor Natalie's work. He treats a patient with an abnormally swollen calf, which turns out to be deep vein thrombosis. When the patient's condition quickly worsens, he discovers that the blood clot has moved to the patient's lung. Before the patient can be sent to interventional radiology, he goes into cardiac arrest and passes away. Will is distraught, especially when the patient's fiance, whom he had promised to call, arrives.
When the parents of a toddler Natalie is treating lose confidence in her ability, Will has to step in and reassure them, reminding Natalie that this is the second time in the last month this has happened.
== Season 6 ==
=== When Did We Begin to Change ===
When Hannah suffers an overdose, Will brings her into MED. Before she is taken into surgery, Will tells her that he loves her and hopes for her to come through.
Afterwards, he deals with the stress of the overdose and the COVID-19 pandemic, seeking counseling from Dr. Charles. He treats a patient who seemingly is an alcoholic, but who turns out to have a condition which causes the yeast in her stomach to ferment carbohydrates into alcohol, causing her to appear drunk. Before reporting her to the FAA, Goodwin advises him to investigate any extenuating circumstances. He later apologizes to the patient for jumping to conclusions and refrains from reporting her. He is approached by Dr. Sabeena Virani to be her co-principal investigator on her clinical trial, but he declines, saying he already has too much going on.
When Hannah eventually wakes up, they share a moment, with her apologizing for letting him down. She is touched by him voicing relief at her pulling through and reveals that she could hear him when she was brought in, thanking him for telling her that he loves her, but that she has decided to go into rehab. Afterwards, Will see Hannah ready to go and she tells him that she has decided to leave Chicago, because she thinks she will never be able to rise above the stigma of being a drug addict. She asked for Will to come with her but notes that he most likely would not go, something that he confirms. Will tells Hannah that he does not want to be the anchor to her sobriety but does wish her luck in her endeavors.
=== Those Things Hidden in Plain Sight ===
Will is disappointed when he is passed over for the position of new Head of the ED. When Ethan immediately begins to micromanage him, he quickly becomes annoyed, especially when it turns out that he made the correct call. On a video call with Goodwin, she informs him that he was not even considered for the position due to his somewhat frequent demonstrations of poor judgement. When he notices Dr. Virani leaving the ED, he approaches her, appearing to have changed his mind about assisting with her clinical trial.
=== Do You Know the Way Home? ===
Eager to enroll new patients in his clinical trial, Will pushes a patient suffering from heart failure to accept placement. When the patient's daughter arrives, she berates Will for his pushiness and refuses her father's enrollment. After the patient goes through several life-threatening events, the daughter relents and is eventually pleased when she sees how her father's condition improves on the new medication.
== Season 7 ==
=== You Can't Always Trust What You See ===
Will and Natalie embrace one last time before Natalie and Owen are seen driving away to leave Chicago. Will goes to Goodwin's office to ask for his old job back, to which she agrees in exchange for Will investigating Dr. Matt Cooper and his pushing of the Vas-COM device. Dr. Marcel asks Will to consult on a heart failure patient because Will knows her history from when she was in his clinical trial. When the patient's condition worsens and Dr. Marcel moves to take her to surgery, the stress of the investigation causes Will to accuse Dr. Marcel of padding his bill, for which he immediately apologizes. While watching the procedure in the OR, Cooper comes in to plug usage of the Vas-COM, which Dr. Marcel refuses, confirming Will's suspicions.
== Season 8 ==
=== Does One Door Close and Another One Open? ===
After sabotaging the OR 2.0 tech that had been defective in repairing Jack Dayton's hernia along with Dr. Grace Song, Will took full responsibility for his actions and chose to resign from his position as an Attending, ultimately leaving the hospital for good. He later flew to Seattle, reuniting with his ex-fiancée, former fellow, Natalie Manning and her son, Owen.
== Personality and Traits ==
Will is an attending physician at Chicago Med's ED, where he was previously the senior resident. Formerly a plastic surgeon, he is a reliable guy to have both in and outside the ER but has a tendency to go overboard when looking out for the welfare of his patients and being impulsive in regard to his relationships with his colleagues. Will is the older brother of Detective Jay Halstead of the CPD.
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Category:In Love
Category:Pragmatists
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Category:Officials
Category:Nurturers