Will Halstead

**Dr. William "Will" Halstead** is a former plastic surgeon, former resident and current Attending Physician in Emergency Medicine at Gaffney Chicago Medical Center. He is a main character on Chicago Med. He is the older brother of Detective Jay Halstead.

## Biography

Will was born to Pat Halstead and his wife and raised in Canaryville, Chicago, along with his brother Jay. Will's father always viewed him as a disappointment, especially when Will decided to go to college and majored in biology in undergrad rather than going straight to work. Because of this, Will put himself through college with no support from his father. His brother, Jay, became a U.S. Army Ranger (likely right out of high school) stationed in Afghanistan; after he 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 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 *Chicago 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.

### Chicago P.D.

Will is first introduced as Jay Halstead's older brother in "Say Her Real Name", Chicago P.D. Episode 17, Season 2 when Will gets fired from his job in New York and comes to stay with Jay indefinitely. Will is initially shown as a reckless person who frequently gets into physical fights (he is involved in a bar fight in the middle of the day the very first scene he appears in and, later on in his first episode, displays several bruises on his face and tells Jay he got into "trouble"); however, this aspect of his character calms down significantly, although he is still extremely impulsive and rash.

In "Get Back To Even", the son of a close friend of Jay's sergeant Hank Voight is shot, and Voight asks Jay to contact Will, as they cannot take the child to the hospital. Will performs emergency surgery on the boy on a dining table in his house (with Jay acting as his assistant), and he survives due to Will's excellent surgical skills.

In the Chicago P.D. and Law and Order: SVU crossover episode "The Number of Rats", Olivia Benson initially considered Will to be a suspect in a serial murder case due to the fact that the suspect had been described as wearing scrubs and Will worked in New York at the time the killer was active there. Will was brought in ostensibly to "help", but was soon blindsided by questioning without his or his brother's knowledge. Jay was furious and demanded that the questioning end immediately; although Will wanted to help with the investigation and was willing to answer questions, Jay forced him to leave. Although Will was almost instantly cleared as a suspect, Jay was still extremely angry it happened at all and never once doubted his innocence.

## Relationships

### Family

#### Pat Halstead

Pat Halstead is Will's father.

For several years, Will was estranged from his father because of him not showing any support in his career choice. However Will still loved his father unlike Jay still spoke with him.

When Patrick is the victim of fire, with the smoke inhalation causing problems.

In the Chicago Med Episode "*Generation Gap*", Will is called by his brother to discuss their father who is having heart problems as a result. Will brought Connor to check on his father Pat is too stubborn to meet that he needed to go to the hospital. Will confide in and Connor that he felt his father believed him to be a disappointment because of his career choice.

During the surgery, Will and Jay waited outside. Will was more worried than Jay, who kept saying it would go fine. Afterwards, Will tried to lighten up the situation by explaining to his dad he needed to take care of his diet. However, Pat interrupted him (knowing it was too late) by holding him. They had an emotional moment and both smiled at each other while Connor looked on.

#### Jay Halstead

Jay Halstead is Will's younger brother and a detective for the Chicago P.D.

Although Jay and Will are on good terms and very close, Jay expressed some lingering resentment towards Will when he initially returns for not being there when their mother died, during which time Jay was deployed and Will was (in Jay's words) "out partying". While neither of them are close to their father, Jay, unlike Will, had not spoken to him in over two years prior to his hospitalization, and was very reluctant to see him even then. Jay seems to strongly dislike his father and exhibits a significant change in mood and demeanor whenever he is so much as mentioned; the reason for this is yet to be revealed.

Jay is extremely protective of Will and is very quick to jump to his defense. In the Chicago P.D. and Law and Order: SVU crossover episode *"The Number of Rats"*, Olivia Benson initially considered Will to be a suspect in a serial murder case due to the fact that the suspect had been described as wearing scrubs and Will worked in New York at the time the killer was active there. Will was brought in ostensibly to "help", but was soon blindsided by questioning without his or his brother's knowledge. Jay was furious and demanded that the questioning end immediately; although Will wanted to help with the investigation and was willing to answer questions, Jay forced him to leave. Although Will was almost instantly cleared as a suspect, Jay was still extremely angry it happened at all and never once doubted his innocence. In the Chicago Fire episode "I Am The Apocalypse", Chicago Med's backdoor pilot, Will is inside the Emergency Department when a terrorist sets off a bomb. He is not seriously injured, but Jay is shown to be very worried about him, immediately saying "tell me you're not in there" when Will calls him from inside the building.

In *When To Let Go*, after being caught in an apartment fire and admitted to Chicago Med, Will and Jay's father Pat died. Will called the code, and was told by the hospital Board to keep him on the ventilator for as long as he needed. Will later found out that it was because the hospital wanted to avoid liability for the death because of a surgery Pat had a month earlier and wanted to pass the 30-day mark. Furious, he wanted to take off Pat off the ventilator and got into an argument with Jay, who refused to do it. Will apologized later on and said if Jay wanted to, they would keep their father on the ventilator for as long as he needed, after which they jointly decided to switch it off.

In *Heavy is the Head*, at Pat's wake, Will ran into old neighborhood friends Tommy and Tim Burke. After checking up on his father, he found Jay waiting for him in the hospital carpark and played the recording of Will in Ray Burke's home. Will asked if Jay had been recording him, and Jay told him they had been recording Ray for money laundering, fraud and other activities. Soon, Will got caught up in the investigation and was asked to tap Ray's home. Tim and Tommy found out, and came to the hospital and took Will with them, saying Ray was sick again. They ended up in a warehouse, and trapped Will there, threatening to kill him for what he did. However, Ray passed out and with a bleed in his brain and they held him at gunpoint to fix it. Tommy then pointed a gun at him and said he'd have to kill him, but was shot by police before he could. Jay then took Will into witness-protection with FBI agent Ingrid Lee.

### Romance

#### Natalie Manning

Dr. Natalie Manning is one of Will's close friends and a coworker at Chicago Med. Will has had a crush on since they first met, but while it is implied that Natalie also has romantic feelings towards him, their relationship has so far never escalated beyond friendship due to the death of Natalie's husband, the birth of her son, and her failed relationship with Jeff. They kissed once in the Chicago Med episode "*Clarity*", but remained friends and continued like it hadn't happened.

Will is noticeably jealous whenever Natalie is interested in someone, or vice versa. This is shown very clearly with Jeff, who he immediately dislikes due to (among other reasons) his close relationship with Natalie; at the end of Season 2, Natalie asks Jay to go to Noah's graduation party with her. Jay checks with Will, who says he's fine with it, but Jay turns her down anyway, telling Will that he "really need[s] to get it together" and ask her out.

In the Chicago Med Season 3 premiere, it was revealed that Natalie went on a 3 month sabbatical to think. Later on, Will told her that his feelings for her hadn't gone away and she revealed that she took the time off the think about him and then she kissed him.

At the end of the Chicago Med Episode "*Trust Your Gut*", Will and Natalie fell asleep on the couch of the staff room, after a long shift. Before Natalie drifted off she said Will's body made a nice pillow.

At the end of CM Episode "*Crisis Of Confidence*", Will asks Jay for their mother's engagement ring, he plans on proposing to Natalie. But by the end of "*The Tipping Point*", she learns that the women he kissed was a doctor she knew and Will runs after her and proposes anyway. Her answer is unknown.

At the start of "*Be My Better Half*", Will and Natalie are engaged. It took a week for her to answer. However, they are already fighting other wedding plans because Natalie has already been married and wants it to be small. But in the end they agree to do the planning together.

After returning from witness-protection, Will started keeping a gun with him in CM Episode "*All the Lonely People*", Natalie asked him to either get rid of it or leave the house. He chose the latter. But being worried about each other, she told him to come again if he left the gun, which he promised to do and even took to CPD, but in the end decided against it and left it in the car without telling Natalie. In "*Ghosts in the Attic*", the gun was stolen from his car and Natalie ended up finding out. Upset with the secrets, she gave him the engagement ring back and broke up with him.

Natalie then started seeing the father of a baby she was treating, Philip. Philip disliked Will and the two often exchanged words when Philip came to the hospital. Philip was planning on proposing to Natalie. At the same time, Will found out that Ingrid Lee, the FBI agent who had worked on the Ray Burke case, had moved into his neighborhood. She liked him, but then figured out that Will still in love with Natalie. She told Natalie, who went to see Will that night in "*With a Brave Heart*", where their car was hit by Tim Burke.

After being taken into surgery, Natalie lost her memory of that night, but Will was sure that she had been coming over to get back together with him. However, Philip comes to see her and tells Natalie that he proposed, showing her a ring on her finger. Doctor Marcel says the ring wasn't there when they operated.

While she recovers, Will is critical of the way that she is treating her patients as she often gets into arguments with them. Natalie blames Will for punishing her for something she does not even remember, and Will tells Marcel that she was probably coming over to tell him it was over and that he needs to move. Doctor Marcel tells Will the same thing he told Philip - that the ring was not there when she came in that night.

Will is sure that Natalie will understand him once he tells her this. He goes to find her but she is already breaking up with Philip outside the hospital, telling him she doesn't feel right about the engagement. Will accuses Philip of using Natalie's memory loss to make her think he engaged. Natalie seems tired of them both, and tells them both to get out of her life.

Will starts dating again in CM Ep "*I Can't Imagine the Future*", where Elsa Curry also tries to ask him out. Natalie then regains her memories when she sees Philip's daughter back in the ER, remembering a similar setting to the night of the accident. She remembers and goes to find Will on the roof to tell him they should get back together and that she was wrong. Will apologizes and tells her he's moved on, to her sadness.

It appears they've at least gotten on civil terms.

#### Elsa Curry

Will’s nurse who shadows him.

During CM Ep. "*Who Knows What Tomorrow Brings*", they attend a crawfish ball, Will allows Elsa to call him by his name while they’re off duty. She takes an interest in him, while showing him how to eat crawfish. In "*Too Close to the Sun*", Will is oblivious to Elsa implying a date to a concert thinking she only wanted to go early. When they help a patient, Elsa is critical of Will's methods but ultimately sees that he was correct and they save the patient. She apologizes for doubting him, as he accepts it and her interest grows after he says he has a natural affinity for this kind of thing. She later tries to ask him out on a date to a concert but is disappointed to see that Will already has a date.

It is unknown if she still has any romantic affections towards him.

#### Hannah Asher

Will met Hannah at an off-set med center and treated her addiction to drugs. He was later shocked to discover Hannah is a doctor and was skeptical of her methods.

After they realize an attraction to the other, Hannah invited Will to her apartment after he promised to help her. He gladly accepted the offer and they hook-up.

The next day, Hannah was late for surgery and Will was angry with her and ranted at her about this even calling their encounter a mistake, to her anger. Will went as far is nearly exposing her habits to the superiors.

However, Will regrets his choice and the pair reconcile with him staying over more. When meeting someone from her past, he is upset but learns he needs to stop being critical and let her find herself. At the end, he surprises Hannah with his belief in her road to recovery and they share a hug.

In the CM Season 6 premiere, Will and Hannah have been dating for months. After a fight, Hannah has a relapse and is admitted to the hospital. Will tells the barely conscious Hannah that he loves her. Hannah eventually wakes up and shares the moment with Will, apologizing for letting him down. However, Will is only relieved at her pulling through. He also learns that she could hear him when she was brought in, thanking him for telling her that he loves her. Hannah soon promises to go to rehab to make it up to him before Will goes to surgery. After her recovery, Will is dismayed 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 tells Will that after she completes rehab she has decided to leave Chicago for L. A. for a fresh start. Hannah invites Will to come with her but is not surprised when he refuses because he can’t feel like her reason for being sober. Regardless, Will again voices his love of her and wished her all the best. The two share one final happy moment.

### Friends

#### Connor Rhodes

Will's relationship with Connor Rhodes was initially extremely antagonistic, beginning immediately after they meet due to him overriding Will's authority in the ED. Will frequently disagrees with Connor's medical opinions (possibly out of spite) and openly resents Connor's wealthy upbringing, frequently making snide comments about the differences in their childhoods.

When he discovers in CM Ep. "*Fallback*" that Connor's family owns a chain of expensive department stores, he jokes that he once went into one of the stores and the only thing he could afford was a pair of socks. Connor responds by telling Will that if his solution to their case is effective, he'll buy him a tie. Will seems to interpret this as a joke, but when his approach actually does cure their patient, he discovers a tie left for him by Connor. After this, their relationship slowly begins to improve, although they continue to fight over nearly everything.

In *"Guilty"*, Will asks Connor to use his codes to access Jennifer Baker's medical records as a favor, as Will is not allowed to have any involvement in her case whatsoever. Connor agrees, but when he learns from Zoe that Will is planning to tell Jennifer Baker she's on the placebo, he rushes to stop him, saying that he "didn't think it [giving Will the access codes] would lead to this". He engages the emergency stop on the elevator and ends up involved in a physical struggle with Will; when Will manages to release the brakes, Connor pins him against a wall. He tells Will that "you're a good doctor. The world needs good doctors, you ass." Will eventually stops fighting and does not tell Jennifer about the drugs, retaining his job and license. They gradually start to become friends, and their conflicts with each other have significantly died down by the end of Chicago Med Season 2.

#### Katie Morales

Will and Katie first meet in "*Say Her Real Name*".

## Appearances

### Crossover Appearances

#### Chicago P.D.

##### Season 2

* "Say Her Real Name"
* "Get Back To Even"
* "The Number Of Rats"

##### Season 3

* "Life Is Fluid"
* "Natural Born Storyteller"
* "Actual Physical Violence"
* "Climbing Into Bed"
* "You Never Know Who's Who"

##### Season 4

* "A War Zone"
* "A Shot Heard Round The World"
* "Emotional Proximity"
* "Remember The Devil"
* "Fork In The Road"

## References

*1. ↑ "Get Back To Even", *Chicago P.D.* Episode 18, Season 2.*