Hailey's POV.

I'm alone in the bullpen while everyone is out securing an ID for a serial arsonist. The last target, a veteran's shelter, had more than twenty casualties, leaving a dozen more in critical condition. Needless to say, Jay has fully immersed himself in this case, working around the clock to find this pyromaniac. He hides his emotions well, but I know him too intimately not to see right through to him. His body has been taut and humming with restless energy in the last few days. Last night he tossed and turned until he finally gave up and went for a run. For all our sakes, I hope we can catch a break and find this perp before he kills more innocent people.

The morning hours fly by as I lose myself in never-ending paperwork. Since this case has taken precedence, there are countless reports to catch up on. I'm halfway through completing them when my stomach growls, reminding me that it's been a while since I'd last eaten. I give Trudy a complete batch of reports for approval and relax in my chair to enjoy my lunch. It is a rarity when I can sit and enjoy a meal, and I'm going to take full advantage of the temporary lull in the bullpen.

As I lift a bite to my mouth, I hear the buzzing sound of the security door followed by hasty footsteps coming up the stairs – so much for having a quiet moment. I stretch my neck to see who it is and my eyes catch sight of Trudy. "Problems with the reports?" I ask.

"Is your two-way on?" she asks a bit winded.

I open my drawer and pull my radio out. "No." I look back at Trudy and realize her face is ashen and tight with worry. "What's wrong, Trudy?" I turn my radio on, but hear only static. "Did something happen?"

As if unprepared to answer my question, Trudy hesitates. I get up and walk around my desk with a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach. "Trudy, what happened?"

She clears her throat and says, "There was an explosion—"

My stomach takes a dive. The muscles in my chest tighten. "W-What? Anyone hurt?"

Silence. Then, a hesitant, "Yes. Jay and Adam are on their way to Med. They said it was—"

All rational thought is blown right out of my head. I can hardly breathe. I reel. This can't be. This can't be. Trudy's mouth continues to move, but I stopped hearing. Her words – strangely vulnerable, are being drowned out by the pounding noise in my ears. Then everything starts to go black and I lean against my desk.

Then there's a hand on my shoulder, gently squeezing it. "Hailey…" Trudy is calling me. "Hailey, are you okay? Did you hear what I said? A patrol car is outside waiting to take us to Med."

My brain finally kicks back into gear and I waddle down the stairs. My legs feel so heavy; like I'm dragging them with each step. My whole body from the neck down feels heavy, my feet, ankles, thighs, stomach, chest… everything heavy. Everything aching. The baby moves erratically inside my belly and a small but solid- looking lump pushes out just under my ribs. A heel? I place two fingers against the tiny bulge, massaging it back. Everything is going to be fine. Jay is going to be just fine – I repeat the mantra in my head.

We arrive at the hospital, and rush into the ED. The nurses can't tell us much and we are told to wait in the waiting room. I find Kim first and she immediately wraps me in a tight hug. I feel the baby kick hard again, and the sob rises out of my mouth before I can stop it. I let the tears roll freely down my cheeks. Then the team gathers around – all streaked with soot, hands bloodied, but otherwise unharmed.

"What happened?" I manage to ask.

"We got word of the offender's location and when we breached the whole place blew up," Kim explains. "Jay and Adam were first through and took the brunt of the explosion."

"How bad?" I ask, digging my nails into the palms of my hands so as not to crumble. "No sugarcoating, no bull. I want the truth."

"They were both knocked unconscious. Jay was bleeding from the back of his head," Voight says and my heart squeezes into a painful knot. "The paramedics said Adam had a collapsed lung." There is a hard edge of anger in his voice—anger and frustration all mixed together. For a few seconds he massages his temples with his thumb and forefinger "The bastard knew we were coming."

"Anyone come with an update?" Trudy asks.

"No, not yet," Atwater answers. "They've only been inside for about an hour."

We sit in the waiting room and a sense of déjà vu overwhelms me. Time slows. All the pain, the uncertainty, and the helplessness comes back in a crushing wave – swallowing me up. Drowning me. I feel like I'm losing Jay all over again.

x

Thankfully, we don't have to wait long. Fifteen minutes after we arrived, Will enters the waiting room. I quickly get up to meet him and he says, "He's good, Hailey. Jay's good." He gives me a reassuring smile – without any worry in it. "He has a concussion and a deep cut on the back of his head, but is otherwise okay. We'll keep him overnight to monitor, but he'll be fine."

If I wasn't so pregnant, I'd jump for joy. Instead, I settle for a good cry. I can't help it. I'm so relieved.

"What about Adam?" Kim pipes up.

"He's coming out of surgery now," Will says. "He stable and Dr. Marcel should be coming out with a more detailed update."

We all breathe a sigh of relief. The tears are contagious, and everyone joins in.

Will tells me where Jay's room is and I practically run there. I open the door and my response is involuntary, instinctual, and immediate – I beeline to him and throw my arms around him. He wraps his arms around me, and I press my head against his chest. It feels like we've been apart for days rather than hours. It sounds ridiculous, but I missed his touch, his smell, his warmth—God, I missed him holding me like this.

Jay is a part of me, and I'm a part of him. Part of my soul lives inside of him, just like a part of him is moving impatiently inside of me.

I grab Jay's face in my hands and kiss him all over – his forehead, eyes, nose, cheeks, chin. I stop and stare into his eyes with relief; I move his face closer to mine and kiss his lips. He tastes like salt, and all I can think is how glad I am that he is okay, how glad I am that he is right here with me, safe. I feel my nose sting with tears I can no longer hold back. I'm an emotional wreck. He pulls back slightly, leaning his forehead against mine. "Hailey, I'm okay," he says softly. "A little sore, but I'm good."

I press another kiss to his lips, my hands cupping his cheeks tenderly. "We're so glad you're okay."

He slides over in his hospital bed and pats the empty spot. "C'mere." I sit next to him and he puts his arms around me and his other on my stomach. His thumb moves gently back and forth across my belly. "You're not getting rid of me that easily," he says, trying to make light of the situation. But when I give him a bleak half smile, he adds, "I'm sorry. Too soon?"

I nod. "Yes. Way too soon."

"I'm sorry. I know that must've been scary."

I look at him, but don't say anything. I know he sees the anguish of the last hour in my eyes – there's no hiding it. He pulls me against his chest and kisses the side of my head. I close my eyes. We remain silent for a few moments, and then he says, "They are keeping me overnight."

"I know," I say. "Will said you have quiet the cut on your head."

Jay turns his head and I can see a bandage just above his neck. "The blast knocked me off my feet and I hit my head on the way down. Will said only Adam and I were hurt. Have you heard anything about him?"

"Not in detail, just that he was out of surgery and stable."

"That's good."

The room falls silent and I find myself touching Jay just to reassure myself that he is really okay. Then we both feel the baby kick. We watch the skin bounce as little feet push within, sending an uncomfortable twinge in my side. "I guess he's happy you're okay too," I say and in a heartbeat I realize what I have done.

"Wait, did you say he?" Jay asks.

"Or she, you know?" I say, tying to rectify my slip-up. But it's too late, Jay knows. He flashes this big smile, beautiful and blindingly wide. He is searching my eyes for confirmation, and I'm sure it's written all over my face.

"Hailey?"

"Damn it! I wanted to surprise you. I saw how much you wanted to know, so I decided to make this big reveal, but…"

"So, it's a boy?" he asks, a boyish smile playing on his lips.

I nod. "I'm sorry, this is not how I wanted—"

He kisses my lips and smiles. "It's perfect. Best surprise ever." He pushes my shirt up, exposing my stomach. He kisses my belly, laying his cheek against my skin. Baby boy kicks again. "Quit kicking mom so hard, buddy," he says to my burgeoning belly.

"It's okay. Let him kick. If he is kicking he is growing," I say sounding very much like my mother.

Jay nods and kisses me again. I sigh against his mouth and lean against him as he envelops me in his arms. I burrow against his chest again and place a hand protectively over my belly.

My boys.

My life.

Jay's POV

After a week at home, I go back to work only to find out the arsonist case went cold. The bastard went dark after the explosion, knowing we were hot on his heels. But he can't stay hidden long. He will pop up again, and when he does we'll be waiting.

I can tell the incident shook Hailey and she's been sort of clingy and I can tell she's a little anxious that I'm back on full duty. I'm grabbing a cup of coffee when she's waddles into the kitchen, hand on her burgeoning belly, probably trying to sooth our son.

"The waddles on point, Hailey," Adam yells cheekily from his desk.

She turns, "Don't make me waddle over there and puncture your other lung."

"Ouch," he clutches his chest, feigning hurt.

Hailey turns back to me, clutching the shattered remains of her confidence.

"You know what I think?" I say, pulling her towards me. "I think you look cute when you waddle like that."

A smile blooms over her face. "You might change your mind when I'm double this size. There's still three months to go."

I kiss her nose. "More of you to love!"

She smacks my arm playfully and smiles. "So, you sure you're feeling good? Voight won't mind if you need a couple more days."

"I'm good. Head is clear."

She nods. "You'll tell me if that changes, right?"

"Of course." It is unlikely that I would be able to hide anything from her - her Spidey sense has been on high alert lately.

We start hearing a small uproar in the bullpen and we both turn towards the sound. At first it is a lot of happy shrieks, then clapping is added, and soon it is transformed into a roar of laughter. I walk towards the small gathering and from the middle emerges the one and only, Erin Lindsay. Our eyes meet. I'm stunned. I must look stupid, my mouth open and eyes bulging.

She looks different, changed somehow. Her hair is longer, darker. She appears older, wiser somehow; it suits her. I suppose the look of shock on my face is a source of amusement for her, because she laughs. "Hey, partner," she rasps. "You look like you're seeing a ghost."

I chuckle and blurt out the first thing that comes to my mind. "Perhaps I am," I say and greet her with a stiff hug. "What brings you here?"

"Looks like your little arsonist is also on my list. Thought we could share notes."

I nod. "Yeah, of course. Good to see you."

"Yeah, you too." Then Erin sort of looks past me, tilting her head to one side while furrowing her brow. "Hailey, is that you?"

I turn and see Hailey waddling towards the center of the pen, looking rather unsure of herself. "Hey," she waves.

"Oh my God, wait, you're pregnant?" Erin asks.

Hailey runs a hand over her stomach and her face splits into a sheepish grin. "Yeah, I'm–"

"—We are pregnant," I cut in. My eyes meet Hailey's and she smiles up at me, a soft, tender smile that quirks at the corners of her mouth. God, she looks so beautiful when she smiles like that.

Erin looks between Hailey and I, shock widening her eyes for a moment. I can see she's taken aback, but quickly regains her composure. Her face dimples into a smile. "Wow! C-Congratulations, you guys! This baby is going to kick ass."

"He is already kicking a whole lot in here. My ribs can't barely take it," Hailey says.

"It's boy?" Erin asks.

We both nod.

Erin shakes her head slowly. "Just what the world needs, another Jay Halstead."

x

Erin debrief us on what the Feds have on the arsonist and we share what we have. Seems like this pyromaniac likes to build explosives for terrorists too. The bomb that almost took Adam and I out, has the same signature as one the FBI traced to a terrorist cell in New York. Now it makes sense why he would target a veteran's shelter of all places.

After shift the whole team goes to Molly's to fully welcome Erin back. The mood is light and happy and drinks flow. She tells us about her gig with the Feds and how she oversees a whole team of operatives. She seems genuinely happy. We reminisce about old cases and joke about the early days in Intelligence. None of us can forget the day Hailey marched into the bullpen for the first time and spilled coffee on Trudy's shirt.

"God, I was so embarrassed that I just wanted the ground to open up and swallow me whole," Hailey says. "I was pretty sure I was going to get the foot beat at 26th and Cal. after that."

"That was a tough case," Erin recalls and shakes her head at the memory. "I remember finding those two boys…"

Adam nods. "Head taps. 12 gauge. Double buck. You don't forget walking into a scene like that."

We all take a sip of our drinks. My beer is flat and it burns down my throat and turns my stomach when it gets there. "I think I need another beer," I say. "How about a new round?" I ask and everyone nods. "Babe, you want another water?"

"Nah," she shakes her head. "If I drink anymore water I will be spending the night in the bathroom."

"Here, let me help you," Erin offers and grabs the empty bottles from the table. We walk up to the bar and ask Herman for another round.

"I can't believe you're going to be a dad," Erin says.

"Yeah, somedays I can't believe it myself. It's sort of crazy." I say. "Though, a good crazy," I clarify.

"I saw the ring on her finger. When's the big day?"

I chuckle. "We don't have a date. We want to wait until after the baby is here. But before you say anything, I asked her to marry me before we knew about the baby."

Erin chuckles. "I'm not judging."

"Yeah, yeah… How about you? Seeing anyone?"

She shakes her head. "Being undercover sort of kills any chance I have of meeting people."

I nod. "I know how that goes."

Erin smiles. "I'm happy for you, though. You and Hailey make a great couple."

I nod. "Yeah, she's amazing. In every way."

Erin smiles. "I will l never forget how she had my back with the Review Board after that interview got away from me. She could have thrown all of us under the bus, but she didn't." She takes a deep breath and her eyes take on a faraway look, her smile lost. "I knew I was leaving you in good hands."

I chuckle. "You did. You'll be happy to know Hailey called me out on all my bullshit."

"Good."

Herman places our drink order on the counter and Erin grabs her drink and lifts it up for a toast. "To always having each other's back."

"To always having each other's back," I repeat and we tap our drinks and sip.

Thank you for reading! I apologize for the delay between chapters. It's been a bit hectic and sitting down to write has been nearly impossible. Hope you liked this update. Let me know what you think. Cheers, D.