"I'm so excited! My first girls' night!", Vanessa sank into the sofa cushion, "What plans did Halstead have for tonight?"
The girl's amused tone didn't go unnoticed and while Kim chuckled, Hailey rolled her eyes, "Why, do you miss him?"
She snorted looking sideways at her friend, "It's more like you miss him!"
"Vanessa, I don't know how to tell you"; Hailey laughed running a hand through her hair, "There's nothing between me and Jay!"
The younger woman took a sip of beer shaking her head. An amused expression that danced on her face.
The atmosphere was finally relaxed. After a week of hell, finding yourself spending a quiet evening on the sofa seemed like a dream for the three women. Hailey stretched her legs on the table in front of her, looking at her friends now at ease in her living room. For a brief moment she wondered how Jay's night was going with Will: she could almost imagine them, sitting in a pub discussing amused as usual. She shook herself out of her thoughts when she noticed Vanessa's look of awareness. She smiled cheerfully at her, hiding her red cheeks behind the beer.
With her usual bubbly character, Vanessa was the first to break the silence, "How long have you stopped being afraid of Voight?"
The two girls burst out laughing with a shake of their heads.
"I admit that sometimes he still scares me!", Kim said feigning a shiver.
"Oh, I don't know, you know? The first day I saw him, I kicked him out of my crime scene and after a few hours I yelled at him that he was a jerk… So I don't know, if he didn't kill me that day…".
Vanessa's eyes widened, a shadow of disbelief on her lips.
"Oh yeah! Atwater told me about that!", Kim jumped up and slammed her hands on the table, "I would have liked to see you!"
Hailey found herself shaking her head uncomfortably remembering that first day, "I would rather forget it… It wasn't my best day…", a shiver ran through her, reliving those first and only cases with Erin. The way she was able to get under her skin still left her stunned. Trying to turn her head away from Erin, she went into the kitchen to get a still closed bottle of beer for Vanessa.
"I'm pregnant!"
Kim's words were followed by a long moment of silence, the two women turned simultaneously in her direction, their mouths open.
"Sorry, wait…what did I miss?", Vanessa mumbled unconvinced.
"Yeah, that's what I thought too… And here I am, pregnant cop!"
"Pregnant? Ok, well, well… Are we happy about it?", Hailey's question made Kim's hand move on her still flat stomach.
"Anxiety, confusion and disturbance are the adjectives that now describe me better… But talking about it with you…I think can help me", she smiled shyly continuing to fix her hands.
Hailey smiled staring at her colleague, "Woah, a baby… I wasn't expecting that!"
"Yes, don't you say it with me!"
The tension now gone leaves a strange fog of uncertainty and wonder in the air.
"But the father?", Hailey immediately saw Kim's cheeks turning red and she understood that it could only be one man, "It's Adam, isn't it?"
"Ruzek? Ok, I didn't see this coming either!", Vanessa raised her hands in the air with a defeated look.
"We have been dating for a while, but this was definitely not in the plans!", Kim released a long breath, leaning her back on the sofa.
"So, let me know", Vanessa opened her mouth after changing another episode on Netflix, "Kim is pregnant and you swear to me that you never slept with Halstead?"
"Jeez! You never give up, do you?"
"Here we go! At least you, Kim! You have to see what I see!"
"Basic rule for working with this team: never ask Hailey and Jay what's going on between Hailey and Jay", Kim shrugged her shoulders and feigned indifference.
"Let's talk about something interesting: male or female, what would you like?", Hailey crashed against the sofa, turning her attention to Kim.
"Female, absolutely female!", laughed the woman, "Do you want children?"
"Not now, I'm all focused on work!"
"And you're also the youngest, almost a girl", Kim mocked Vanessa reaching you a mess her hair, "And you?"
"I don't know… I never really though about it", the blonde reasoned, "I should also find the right person, I suppose."
In a flash, she saw her future in two green eyes on a face sprinkled with freckles tan called her mom splashing from one side the sofa to the other. She could hear crystalline laughter ringing against the walls of her living room. Almost believed she could wish something like that for her future. She saw herself reaching out and touching that chid, hold him close to her breathing his perfume of chamomile shampoo. She could see him hopping around her legs, "Daddy gave me a present! Look mommy!", and show her a small colorful stuffed squirrel.
"Hailey?", she was unexpectedly torn from her imagination by a hand waving in front of her face, "Would you like a boy or a girl?"
She involuntarily smiled at the memory of the mischievous expression on the little face in her fantasy, "A boy… God, I didn't think I wanted him!", she burst into a nervous laugh, smoothing her hair in her shoulder. The realization struck her so suddenly that it left her breathless.
"I already understand, I'll be the best babysitter in the world!", Vanessa sighed ridiculously walking away in the kitchen.
The young blond turned to her colleague still on the sofa looking at her silently, "Does Adam already know?"
She saw her deny with a nod, "I wanted to be there tonight, but…I just thought I would need to confess to someone who could understand me forst…", the fear in her voice said much more than her own words.
"You know he'll be happy about it, right?", Hailey leaned over and gently squeezed one hand in hers, "And if he's not happy, I can always kill him and nobody will ever find his body!"
Kim smiled at her friend's firm expression and she felt part of the concern slipping away from her shoulders.
The breath of the three women were getting more regular while their attention was concentrated on the TV, when the ringing of Hailey's cell phone made her jump.
"Please, let's hope it's not Voight…", Vanessa muttered pressing a pillow over her face.
"Upton", Hailey mumbled sleepily.
"If this isn't my favorite detective!", the confused voice on the other line made her sit down immediately.
"Will?", her alarmed expression drew the attention of the two friends, "Are you alright? Something happen?"
"Hailey!", her name pronounced so drawn out made her smile.
"Will, how drunk are you?", she chuckled as she approach the window.
"A bit! Not much though! But Jay drive tonight! Hey Jay, I'm talking to Hailey!"
The woman found herself rolling her eyes hearing her partner's voice in the backgroung, "I know it, you stole my phone! Come on, leave her alone!"
"Hailey! Detective Upton! You had to come tonight too, my brother is insufferable!", the man shouted her name in an exalted voice.
"Yeah Will, next time I will come, she could not stop herself from continuing to laugh, "Now I'm going to be a little busy…"
"I disturbed you! Sorry Hailey!", he always ended up dragging her name in such a bizarre way, "Oh…are you on a date?"
Hailey was silent for a second, "It's not really a date… But still, good evening, Will."
When she turned to go back to the sofa, she could not help raising her eyebrows at the amused glances she receives from her friends, "What?"
"Jay's brother calls you… What do you want me to add?", Vanessa sighed dramatically picking up a handful of popcorn.
"It's only Will, don't see things that don't exist!"
Kim shook her head staring at the table, "This is not the point. You made him believe you were with a man! He will definitely tell Jay! You wanted to make him jealous!"
The victorious look Kim gave her, made her step back on the sofa.
"I didn't make him believe anything!", she tried to defend herself weakly, "but even if it were, Jay is above these things, he does not get jealous."
"You really wanted to make him jealous!", Vanessa jumped on her place on the sofa, shaking her arm in the air, "I knew it! I was right!", she began a strange ballet around the table shaking her hips and humming to herself.
"How stupid you are!", Hailey looked at her mocking her nonsense.
"Hailey, I can assure you that last year he was totally jealous about your relationship with Adam!"
Vanessa froze on the other woman's words, "Have you been with Adam? How many things have I missed?"
"It was nothing important for either of us".
"Yes, but trust me. I've known him since Erin's time", a sort of shiver ran through Hailey at her name, she never managed to fully accept the other woman, "He always kept everyone at arm's length, including her. Then you came and started kicking his ass and now he's almost human!"
"Ok, yes, enough, I fell like I'm at school!", Hailey raised her hands giving up, then she reached for the empty bottles, "Kim, it's really late, you should stay here tonight! You can sleep with me if you want!", she shouted from behind walking towards the kitchen.
"Have you heard that? It seems I'll be her hot date tonight then!", the blonde heard her say to Vanessa and could't help laughing at their nonsense.
I'm sorry but I've always imagined seeing these three women in a bonding time.
I hope I didn't get out of their characters but I really enjoyed writing about them.
As always: reviews and ideas are always welcome.
See you soon, H.