I'm hoping next week is the end of Upzek, here's some fluff to hold you over for now!

Chapter 14

Hailey really thought Jay was going to kiss her the other night, and she probably would have let him. She knew she was playing with fire, but didn't seem to care. She had to get to Adam soon, or else things were going to get ugly, and she didn't want that. It had been hard to find time alone with Adam over the last few weeks, their cases had been heavy. There was no time to focus on personal things, not for now anyways. She didn't want Voight to think there was unnecessary drama within the unit, her emotions were clouding her judgment, or that her relationships were affecting her ability to be a good cop. As a female detective, she was used to having to prove herself, she couldn't let herself fall into a stereotype, women are too emotional, all female cops sleep with their co-workers to get ahead… She had heard it all. But not this time. Her career was too important to her, and if it came to it, she would pick that over Adam.

The team was heading out to do a raid on a counterfeit money operation, headed by the mob. Jay had been undercover for a few days with them now, pretending he was a friend of the bosses nephew, looking to get in on the scheme. In reality, this was one of his CI's, Mike, who was looking to get a charge dropped. They were hoping they could pull this off without blowing Jay's cover and Mike's, everyone knew what happened to snitches in the mob, in jail or out on the streets. They had been waiting for the chance to get an in with this crew for ages, the mob was careful and rarely got caught. As much as it was hard to come to terms with, the mob had ties everywhere, including CPD. They saw an opportunity and took it, Jay volunteered to go under. No one had heard from Jay in a few day's except for Voight, and Hailey was getting anxious, she wanted her partner back safe and sound.

They were getting ready to breach the building when they heard gunshots.

"Shot's fired, shot's fired", Burgess yelled.

The team broke down the door, along with SWAT. "Chicago PD, put your hands up", several of them yelled as they tried to round up the criminals, caught red handed with a bunch of counterfeit money sitting on tables in the abandoned warehouse. Their eyes were all darting around the room trying to locate Jay.

Hailey and Ruzek quickly located where the gunshots came from. They made their way around the corner as they heard yelling. Hailey heard Jay's voice and immediately felt her heart start racing. His CI Mike had been shot by another crew member, blood spilling out of his ears. Jay was next to him, trying to put pressure on the wound and reasoning with the other guy with the gun, pointing it at him now.

"You rat, you're a cop", the guy snarled at Jay, looking dangerously close to pulling the trigger.

Before he could get another word out, Ruzek fired his weapon without hesitation and took down the guy who was pointing his gun at Jay. Hailey let out a sigh of relief, knowing how close they cut it. She rushed over to Jay, who looked shaken, but physically okay.

"Hey, are you alright?" She said with panic and relief in her voice, kneeling down and checking him over to make sure he wasn't shot anywhere.

"Ya, I'm okay", he sighed. "That was kind of close", he looked at Ruzek, who signalled the gunman and Mike didn't make it after checking them both for a pulse.

"Nice shot", Jay said thankfully at Ruzek.

"Better to ask for forgiveness than permission right", he flashed a smile back at Jay. "Looks like things got a little hairy in here huh."

"You could say that", Jay replied, accepting a hand from Ruzek to pull him up to his feet.

"Come on, let's get out of here, get you cleaned up", Hailey said as her and Ruzek walked Jay back to their car.

They returned to the district and changed out of their work clothes, Jay washing Mike's blood off of him in the bathroom sink. He sat down on the benches in the locker room and took a deep breath. He got lost in his thoughts and tried to compartmentalize the last few days.

Ruzek and Hailey were around the corner getting ready to head out for the night and saw Jay sitting motionless on the bench, hunched over staring aimlessly at the ground. Hailey looked to Adam, who silently nodded and motioned for her to go over to Jay. An unspoken approval to do their thing tonight. "I'll call you later", he whispered and kissed her on the forehead, heading out of the district. Hailey smiled and shut the door to her locker, grateful that Adam understood.

"You okay?" She approached Jay slowly, his back was to her so she placed a hand on his shoulder. He jumped at her touch.

"Ya. Ya I'm fine", once he looked and realized it was Hailey behind him.

"Come on, let's get out of here I'll give you a ride home", she said eyeing him up, he looked a little spooked.

"Then beers?" He asked.

"Of course. I need a drink, I think you do too", she replied like there was any other option for the night.

They headed over to Jay's place and found a spot out front. Hailey followed him up, she knew better than to wait in the car for him to get ready, she swore he took longer than her to get ready to go anywhere.

"I just have to jump in the shower quickly and change, make yourself at home", he smiled.

Hailey rolled her eyes and plopped herself down on his couch, knowing she could probably squeeze in a full episode of a show with his track record. She heard a door open behind her and yelled, "Wow, that was quick, you…", she stopped when she turned around and realized it was Will standing in front of her, not Jay.

"Hey Will, sorry didn't realize you were home. Thought you were at work tonight", she looked over curiously at him, his eyes were glazed and he seemed a bit disoriented.

"I was supposed to be. But this migraine had other plans for me today", he said while rubbing his temples, eyes squinting closed.

Hailey immediately went to dim the lights, recognizing his symptoms.

"My roommate in college used to get migraines a lot. They were horrible", she told him as she went over to grab his arm to help him over to the couch.

"Mhmm", was all he could say while trying to keep himself upright long enough to make it over to sit down.

They sat in silence while he took a few slow breaths, hunched over holding his head in his hands. Hailey instinctively went to put a hand on his back, but held off. Her and Will were friends, but she wasn't sure they were that close yet.

"I haven't had a migraine since med school, thought I was finally in the clear. I got them all the time when I was younger", he said after a few minutes. "Ugh this is terrible."

"Do you have any medication for them?" She asked.

"No, unfortunately not. I'm passed that point anyways. But there is some Tylenol in the bathroom, do you mind grabbing me a few?" He asked looking defeated.

She chuckled silently, "Of course not, I know where it is."

He gave her a small grin, of course she did.

"You know we really have to stop meeting like this Hailey. Jay and I are both young and full of life, tons of fun, I swear", he told her with a grin.

"Off couple of weeks I guess", she said sympathetically.

"Jay?" She called out from the other side of the bathroom door, he was still in the shower, shocker.

"Ya, what's up?" He called out.

"Will needs some Tylenol, he has a bad migraine, I'm coming in okay."

She didn't really wait for him to answer, it was less of a question, more of a statement. There was enough steam in the bathroom to cover up the fun stuff anyways. He poked his head out from the shower door a few seconds after she came in, "You find it?"

"Ya, all good", she smiled coyly at him, he could have easily hid himself in the shower and waited for her to leave, but he opened the door on purpose, he wasn't that discreet. He came out with his lower half covered in a towel, water still dripping down his chest and back, and his abs…

Hailey get a hold of yourself, nothing you haven't seen before, she thought distractedly. He gently brushed past her to go back to his room.

"Take a picture, it'll last longer", he said jokingly.

"Get outta here, put some clothes on Halstead", she replied and swatted him away as he walked out the door.

"I don't know, I think you like what you see", he replied cheekily. He knew he had her, she used his last name, she never does that.

"I think having a gun pulled on you by one of Chicago's most infamous mob crews and walking away unscathed really boosted your confidence today", she chuckled, not giving in to his teasing.

She brought some things out to Will who was looking like he was about to throw up at any moment.

"Hey", she snuck up next to him and placed a hand on his back, causing him to flinch.

"Here's some water, take two of these", she held out the pills in her hand.

"Yes, Dr. Hailey", he smiled weakly.

"I really should start charging you guys deductibles at this rate", Hailey joked.

Jay came out into the living room, fully clothed this time, to find Hailey checking on Will.

"Migraine?" He half-asked, half-stated as he approached the two of them on the couch.

Will nodded his head slowly, desperate for the throbbing to stop. It was like someone was taking an ice pick to the side of his head, and his vision was cloudy.

"Aww man, that's rough. How long has it been since you had one?"

"A long time. I've been in bed all day, this is the first time I've been semi-vertical. I don't think its agreeing with me", Will replied quietly.

Will finished his sentence and looked over to Jay, who could tell what was coming next by the look on his face, he knew that look too well.

"Oh no", Jay said under his breath, Hailey looked confused.

Just as he said that, Will got up off the couch in a hurry and sprinted to the bathroom, emptying the contents of his stomach, not that there was much in there to begin with.

Hailey and Jay cringed at each other from the living room.

"Poor thing", Hailey whispered.

"He's been all spun out from this weeks lockdown at the hospital, being held at gunpoint. Nat in harms way too…they're not together but he still cares…, they were all shaken up. I don't think he's been sleeping well… too much coffee. The weather has been all over the place this week. All of his usual triggers", Jay explained.

"Gotcha. He doesn't sound very well in there…"

"Once he starts puking, he has a hard time stopping. This usually goes on for a while. Just fair warning", he said cautioning her. Migraines were no joke.

"We can stay in tonight. I don't think it's a good idea to leave him here by himself", Hailey offered, sensing that Jay probably wouldn't want to go out now.

"Do you mind? I'm just nervous leaving him. It get's really bad sometimes, like take him to the hospital for the pain bad", he told her.

"No of course, I'll go out and grab us something for dinner", she said checking her watch for the time. It was only 5 so she had plenty of time to whip something up. Maybe a homemade meal is what they all needed.

"Thanks Hailey, I'm going to head in there to see how he is, wish me luck", Jay said while raising his eyebrows.

Hailey left to walk down to the Whole Foods around the corner from Jay's place. She loved cooking, it was her happy place. She spent some time wandering the aisles, there was something about grocery shopping alone that she enjoyed. She picked up some chicken and veggies for dinner, Jay already had some things in his fridge that she needed for her recipe. She also planned on making some soup for Will, in case he wanted something later that was easy on his stomach.

By the time she got back to his place, the sun was just starting to set. She opened the front door and saw the living room in darkness. All she could see was the light shining from the bathroom, door slightly cracked, and Jay's voice mumbling something softly to Will. She opened the door quietly and saw Jay sitting down next to Will on the floor, who was sitting up with his knees pulled against his chest, his head resting on his arms like it was too heavy for his body. Jay had set a damp washcloth at the base of Will's neck, and had a hand on his back, rubbing it gently, "It's okay man. This will pass soon."

Hailey smiled softly as Jay turned and realized she was standing in the doorway watching them. He smiled back, and motioned for her to come in.

She knelt down on the other side of Will, also placing a hand on his back.

"Hey Will, what can we do to help?" She said softly.

Jay answered for him, "Can you go grab an ice pack from the freezer, I'm going to try and get him back into bed." He was hopeful the puking was finished for now.

She nodded and left for the kitchen as Jay slowly pulled Will up and draped his arm over his shoulder to help him back to his room. All the while, Will had his hand covering his face, shielding it from the light.

Hailey tip toed her way into Will's dark room and placed the ice pack over his forehead and eyes while Jay pulled all the curtains closed. He groaned and let out a big sigh.

"Sorry about this, you guys can go out if you want, I'll be okay here, just need to sleep it off. The nausea is the worst part, I'm hoping its passed", he said.

Hailey and Jay both looked at each other, she responded for the two of them.

"Will it's no trouble, really. You take care of people all day and night, let us take care of you for once okay?" She said as she tucked him under his blankets and set a glass of water on his bedside table.

"If this whole detective thing doesn't work out Hailey, I may call you next time we're short on nurses in the ED", Will joked.

"You know, you are not the first Halstead to tell me that this week", she winked at Jay who grinned slyly at her.

Jay watched on fondly, he liked the fact that Hailey took control of the situation, and that her and Will get on so well together. It was obvious that family was important to her. Him and Will had their ups and downs, especially the last few years with everything that happened with their parents, Jay going off to war, Will not being around…But they were attached at the hip when they were younger. Part of him longed to go back to that time, and do a bunch of things differently, those were simpler days. Life was precious, and too short, he knew the true meaning of that now. He was hopeful that they could make up for lost time. They were the only family each other had left now.

"You alright? We'll just be in the next room if you need anything okay", she whispered as Will gave her a thumbs up, and her and Jay quietly closed the door behind them. She thought back to her conversation with Will in her kitchen last weekend, when he told her Jay was always the one looking after people. Maybe this is what he was referring to. She knew the two of them lost touch for a few years and weren't very close, she was fuzzy on the details, but you would never know looking at them now. She had to admit it was cute watching Jay look after his older brother, so gently, and knowing just what to do to make him feel better. Jay had that quiet way about him, always knowing the right things to say and do when she was feeling down.

"So what's for dinner?" Jay asked when they were out in the kitchen, poking his head in her shopping bags.

"Chicken, peppers, tomatoes, olives, feta, onions, potatoes, all the good stuff. I'm just going to throw everything in a pan and see what happens", she said while unloading the food on his counter.

"That sounds good to me. Mmm I love feta", he said while watching her unpack.

"And some key lime pie, because I feel like we deserve a treat tonight", she said, pulling one last surprise out of the shopping bag.

"I like the way you think. Do you need help?" He asked.

"I should be alright….Actually you can chop some veggies. I was going to put some soup on for Will too, in case he's hungry later."

Jay looked at her sceptically.

"What?" She laughed as she noticed him staring at her.

"I'm beginning to think Will is your favourite Halstead. Just remember all the times I saved you from bullets when you're passing out dessert okay?"

Hailey laughed, "Am I sensing some jealousy Jay?"

He pretended to hide his hurt. "Maybe a little."

"Don't worry, you'll always be my favourite", she said reassuring him, talking about a little bit more than home cooking.

He glanced over at her and smirked as he helped her prepare dinner. This was becoming a bit of a habit for them, one he was fond of. The routine of familiarity and normalcy was nice for a change, it made him feel like he had it together. It made it feel like his house was a home, and that he wasn't just a 30 something bachelor living with his adult brother, surviving off of TV dinners.

They cracked open a bottle of wine and sipped it while making their food. Hailey had everything together in no time. Jay considered himself a decent cook, but she made him look like a novice. He helped her by setting the table and pouring her another glass of red. He decided at the last minute to light the candle sitting on his kitchen table, one that was just randomly used for decoration. He wasn't even sure where it came from.

"Now you're talking", she said as she brought him over a plate. When she noticed the candle she raised an eyebrow and looked at Jay, who gave her a curious look back.

"Well, well, well. What do we have here."

"Halstead, reservation for two", he pretended to be a hostess, with a napkin tossed over his arm, pulling out her chair for her to sit.

Hailey burst out laughing and rolled her eyes, thankful that he made a joke instead of making things weird. Anyone who walked in right now would assume they were having a romantic night in. Homemade dinner, candles, wine, dark room… her mind floated elsewhere.

"So, are we going to talk about today?" She asked him, breaking their silence as they ate. She could see that something was still bothering him.

Jay looked up at her, unsure if he was willing to tell her what actually happened, but tried to explain the best he could.

"The crew made me, even before you stormed in. You found us around the corner because Mike was trying to get me out, he knew what was going to happen to him. If it wasn't for him trying to get me out safely…he wouldn't be dead" Jay trailed off and played with the food on his plate.

Hailey looked at him sympathetically, understanding why he was upset. Why he sat in the locker room staring at the blood on his hand's…literally.

"But then you might not be here Jay. You can't think like that. The what if's. It will eat you alive. What happened with Mike was unfortunate, but his last act was one of courage and bravery, towards you. He chose that. Try to remember him that way. I'm thankful that you're still here", she confessed.

"Thanks", he looked up at her and smiled weakly.

"There, doesn't that feel better?"

"What feels better?"

"Letting it out, not holding things in. Talking about it so we can go to work and do our job tomorrow."

"Ya it does. This is delicious by the way", he said changing the subject.

"All those years growing up in my parents Greek restaurant paid off I guess."

"You can say that again."

They finished dinner, had dessert, talked for a while and played a few rounds of Scrabble before turning on a movie. About halfway through, they heard Will resurface from his bedroom, looking a little better after a nap, the colour was back in his face anyways.

"I'm alive", he said while slowly making his way over to the couch.

"Barely", Jay replied, not buying that he was feeling one hundred percent. His guess was that he smelled Hailey's cooking and rallied himself.

"Here Will, sit down, you hungry? I made you some soup", Hailey asked as she got up from the couch to make room.

"I can get it Hailey", Will said, before she pushed his shoulder back down to sit.

"You're just as stubborn as your brother, I'll get it."

Will smiled. "You should have met our dad, he would have liked you."

Jay's eyes flashed to Hailey's and he let out a small smile. She returned it.

Hailey brought over a bowl of soup and a tea and sat down on the other end of the couch next to Jay. "You alright?"

"I'll be fine. Headache is still there but not as bad anymore, just a dull pain. Feeling a little foggy but tomorrow will be a new day. If this is anything like the last batch, I'll be better in no time", Will said optimistically.

"Hailey for real, can you come over for dinner every night? If anything is going to bring me back from my deathbed it might be this", he said sipping the soup happily.

Jay rolled his eyes, Will was egging him on just as much as he was playing with Hailey.

"I was on my deathbed the other week and Hailey didn't even prepare this kind of feast for me Will", Jay said trying to stir the pot.

"Hey! She said hitting him arm playfully. I made soup for you when you were sick. Will is just my favourite Halstead, so what can I say", she gave him a funny side eye.

"I know, I know I was just kidding. You took good care of me. Domestic looks good on you", he said with a devilish grin.

Will noticed their eyes connecting again, speaking in their secret language.

"Wise choice Hailey", Will said stifling a laugh.

He continued to eat, silently watching the two of them interact again, their body language screamed comfortable. It suddenly dawned on him, who Hailey reminded him of, he was trying to put his finger on it for weeks now. Her quirkiness, how caring she was, her strong, independent, but soft underneath demeanour…she was so like their mom. He would never tell Jay that, in fear he might lose it on him, but deep down somewhere he probably thought the same. He smiled into his soup bowl, memories of happier times overtaking him.

Hailey excused herself not long after, calling an Uber as she had far too much wine to drive.

"I'll drive your car tomorrow and pick you up before work", Jay told her as she walked out the door.

"Sounds good, see you in the morning. Night Will", she said as she poked her head back in, Will waved back.

"Night, thanks for this Hailey."

Jay came back to sit on the couch, waiting for Will to comment on the nights events.

"So red wine and candles huh", Will smirked.

Jay rolled his eyes and said nothing except, "We were trying to keep the apartment as dark as possible to avoid your headache getting worse."

"Sorry I ruined your night out with Hailey though, for real. I appreciate you guys looking after me", Will said genuinely.

"It's okay. I think this served me better than drowning my sorrows at Molly's anyways", Jay let it slip that he had a less than ideal day.

"Anything you want to talk about?" Will said.

"Not really, we already had our therapy session over dinner. I'm good", Jay replied half jokingly half serious, Hailey wasn't the only one who could read his mind.

They sat for a few minutes watching the rest of the movie before Will retreated to his room, leaving Jay to sit on the couch to ponder his thoughts. He couldn't get what Ruzek said earlier out of his head…It's better to ask for forgiveness than permission. He decided he was finally going to act on his feelings, once and for all.