Chapter 27

Jay woke the next morning before the alarm as usual. Today, the only difference being when he rolled over to face Hailey he found her already awake, a definite deviation from the normal. She was sitting up slightly against the headboard, lost in thought, and hadn't noticed he was awake yet. He reached a hand towards her, settling it on her stomach gently. She jumped at his touch before settling quickly as she realized what it was. She looked over at him and Jay could tell from her eyes she hadn't slept much.

"Did you get any sleep?" he asked quietly.

Hailey shrugged her shoulders in response.

"You could take the day off," Jay suggested.

"During a case?" Hailey said skeptically.

"Voight would understand," he replied.

Hailey scoffed but then went silent for a moment. "I'd rather be at work anyway," she eventually confessed. Jay knew that was true. She always threw herself into the work when she wanted to avoid things going on with her family.

Jay soothingly ran his hand back and forth across her stomach. He wasn't sure what else to say. They had gone to bed soon after Hailey's dad had left the night before, not talking much more, just lying together silently. Jay had thought Hailey had fallen asleep before him but now he wasn't so sure she had slept at all.

"How's your eye?" Hailey asked, breaking the silence as her hand came up to touch the small cut she had cleaned and bandaged for him the night before.

"It's fine," Jay replied, barely flinching as she touched the bruised part of his face. "I forgot about it until just now actually," he said truthfully.

Hailey's face gave the impression that she didn't believe him. She certainly hadn't forgotten about the mark her father had put on her partner's face.

They lay together like that for a few more minutes before the alarm went off and they slowly climbed out of bed to start getting ready for the day. Hailey headed into the bathroom while Jay got dressed in the bedroom before heading out to the kitchen to make coffee. He moved quietly out of the room so as not to disturb Mrs. Upton on the couch but she was already awake, sitting upright on the couch. Jay got the impression that, like her daughter, she hadn't gotten much sleep the night before.

"Good morning," Jay said as he emerged from the bedroom, not wanting to startle her.

She turned to look at him, weak smile on her face. The bruise had gotten darker around her eye despite the ice she had been applying to it.

"Good morning," she replied kindly as he continued out to the kitchen and turned on the coffee machine.

"Did you sleep okay?" Jay asked her as he dropped a K-cup into the machine.

She shrugged her shoulders and Jay was struck again by how similar she and Hailey were.

"Want some coffee?" Jay asked her, figuring he wasn't going to get any more out of her than he had Hailey.

"Yes, thank you," she said standing from the couch and walking over to join him at the counter. "I don't know how to use these fancy machines."

Jay laughed as he popped in another pod, handing her the first freshly brewed cup. She took a sip, drinking it black, just as Hailey did. Jay put cream and sugar in his own, brewing a third cup for Hailey.

"I never got a chance last night to apologize for my husband's behavior," Anne said, hands around her mug. "I wish I could say he's not usually like that. How's your eye?"

Jay smiled slightly as the similarities between mother and daughter grew. "It's fine," Jay replied. "No need to apologize."

"She's clearly told you about him?" Anne asked.

"Yeah, a bit," Jay told her.

Anne smiled weakly at that but it didn't meet her eyes. "It's my fault if she's not the most forthcoming. I raised her to be that way." She went quiet for a moment. "Frankly I'm surprised she told you anything about it. She's always been quite closed off, even with family. Or maybe, especially with family."

Jay wasn't sure what to say to that. "She has her moments. I've learned not to push her. To let her open up in her own time."

"Well, I must say, you seem to have a good head on your shoulders," Anne said. "I'm glad she has you."

Jay was touched, at a loss for what to say. He was saved the trouble of responding by Hailey emerging from the bathroom. She was fully dressed, damp hair hanging loosely down her shoulders. She walked over to the counter, accepting the coffee Jay handed to her and taking a sip before turning to her mother.

"Are you going to stay here today, Mom?" Hailey asked.

"I could go to your brother's," Anne replied. "I've caused enough trouble for you."

"You're not trouble, Mom. You can stay here as long as you want," Hailey said.

"I don't know," her mother said. "I think I've done enough damage here." Mrs. Upton gestured at Jay's face. He shook his head but didn't say anything as Hailey continued.

"Mom, if you want to go to Danny or Michael's that's fine, but if Dad comes over there, are you gonna get him to leave again? Will Danny or Michael? Or will you end up just going home with Dad because that's the easier thing to do?" Hailey asked. Her mother didn't respond, her eyes looking down at the counter. "Look, I don't like getting Jay in the middle of this anymore than you do, but he's a cop. He knows how to keep a cool head and Dad seemed to finally understand that his usual behaviors aren't going to work here. I think maybe this is the best place for you right now."

Mrs. Upton slowly nodded at her daughter's wise words. "I'll need some clothes," she admitted. "I can't wear this forever."

"I'll text Danny, ask him to go pick some stuff up for you," Hailey said, pulling her phone from her back pocket.

Just as she was typing a message, there was a knock at the door. Hailey gave a frustrated sigh, thinking this must surely be her father back again. Jay moved around the counter, stopping Hailey as she headed to open it. She nodded, letting Jay walk over to the door and look out the peep hole.

"It's not your Dad," Jay said, unlocking the door. Hailey stepped forward to join Jay, wondering who else it could be at 7:30 on a Tuesday morning.

"Danny?" Hailey said, surprised to see her brother standing at her door. He looked a little nervous about being there. Hailey had always been close to Danny as a child; he had been her protector until he had moved out when he turned 18. Since then, they had mostly lost touch, only checking in with each other maybe once or twice a year.

"Hai Hai," Danny greeted with his old nickname for her. She couldn't help but smile as she crossed the few steps between them and wrapped her arms around him. She hadn't physically seen him in almost two years despite the fact that they both lived in the same city.

"Good to see you," Danny said against her head, squeezing her tight against his chest. They let go after a moment and Hailey gestured for him to enter the apartment. He followed her in, stopping in front of Jay.

"You must be Jay," Danny said. "And I heard that shiner was an intro gift from my dad. Don't worry, I'm a lot more docile."

"Good to know," Jay laughed, extending his hand to shake Danny's.

"You know, Hailey's over 30 now, but you're actually the first boyfriend she's ever introduced to any of us," Danny told him. "Although, I guess this one was still sort of against her will."

"And you wonder why," Hailey teased, a slight blush to her cheeks. They walked further into the apartment and Danny greeted his mother.

"So are you just checking on Mom at 7:30 in the morning or what?" Hailey asked.

"Yeah, I'm not working today so I wanted to check in. See if she needed anything," Danny said. "I'd assume you're going to work?"

Hailey nodded. "Speaking of, we actually have to go," Jay said. "Or I do anyway." Jay headed back into the kitchen and grabbed a notepad from a drawer, quickly scribbling something and setting it on the counter. "That's my number if you need anything," Jay said to Hailey's mother, and she nodded, understanding that he meant if anything came up with her husband. "I'll see you later." Jay shook Danny's hand again and nodded to Mrs. Upton before heading for the door. He grabbed his badge and gun from the table next to the door, strapping them on before turning back to Hailey, who had followed him.

"Take your time coming in," Jay told her as she approached. "We're still waiting to hear back from a few leads so I can call you if anything comes up. I'll cover for you with Voight."

"That's alright, I'll leave in a few," Hailey insisted. "I'll only be a couple minutes late."

Jay nodded, knowing it wasn't worth fighting her on it. Feeling awkward with her mother and brother's eyes on them he didn't bend down to kiss her as he usually did before they left for work in the mornings. He opted instead for a quick squeeze of her shoulder and a soft smile before heading out the door.

The day passed much as they had predicted. They chased down a few leads and set up an undercover buy that Adam and Kevin were going to make with who they thought was responsible for the murders. In order to stay close if things went sideways, the rest of the team had opted to all pile into the back of the surveillance van together, leading to crowded quarters with Hailey, Jay, Kim, and Voight.

It had been a CI of Jay's who had given them the lead, promising to call him if he got any new information. This was why Jay's phone was sitting on the computer desk in front of them. Ordinarily he wouldn't have kept it out to distract from the surveillance, but there were enough other eyes in the van to cover him in case it did ring. They had been in the van for about thirty minutes when it did ring. An unknown number flashed across the screen, but Jay opted to answer it, as his CI tended to call him from different burner numbers.

"Halstead," Jay greeted into the phone.

"Hey Jay?" a voice that was most certainly not his CI replied. "It's Danny Upton."

Owing to the close seating arrangements due to the crowded van, Jay was almost positive that everyone else in the van could hear the voice coming through the phone. His suspicions were confirmed as he saw Hailey's head snap around to look at him. She quickly tried to recover and play it off like she was just stretching, but Jay knew better. Her ears were perked up waiting to hear what else was said through the phone.

"Hey, everything alright?" Jay asked, suddenly concerned about why he would be calling.

"Yeah, yeah, it's all good," Danny replied quickly. "Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you, I was just hoping we could talk."

"Sure, but now's not really the best time," Jay said, eyes focused on the security footage playing on the screen in front of them, still showing Adam and Kevin standing around waiting for the supplier.

"Yeah, yeah, of course," Danny said quickly. "I'm sure you're busy. Maybe we could get a drink when you're done with work?"

"Yeah, sure," Jay said, glancing over at Hailey now for the first time. She was no longer attempting to hide the fact that she was listening in on his conversation. "I'll let you know when I'm done. Might be late."

"That's alright, I'm free all night," Danny said. "My sister with you right now?"

"Yep," Jay replied, eyes still locked on Hailey's.

"Can I talk to her for a sec?" Danny asked. "I'll alleviate her concerns about me grilling you over drinks tonight."

Hailey rolled her eyes, hearing her brother's words and stuck out her hand for the phone. Jay handed it over, smirking slightly.

"We're at work, Danny, no time to chat," Hailey said immediately into the phone. "This isn't the restaurant business."

"Ouch," Danny said, feigning insult at her words. "Alright, just wanted to make sure you were cool with me taking him away for the night."

She could tell from the way he said it that he wanted to make sure she was okay with being home alone with their mother in case their dad came back for another visit.

"I'll be fine," Hailey replied, nicer tone in her voice now at her brother's concern.

"Alright, well, we'll go to some place nearby, just a phone call away," Danny assured her.

"You do whatever you want," Hailey replied, teasing tone immediately back. "And play nice," she added.

Danny laughed at that. "Ok, I'll let you get back to eating your donuts or whatever it is you do all day," he teased. "Tell Jay to text me when you're done for the day."

Hailey laughed before saying goodbye and hanging up the phone. She handed it back over to Jay. They didn't say anything to each other owing to the audience in the van. It looked like Voight was about to say something, but just as he opened his mouth, Kim spoke over him.

"There's the dealer," Kim announced, her eyes glued to the surveillance screen. The other three's attention was quickly redirected to follow hers and the phone conversation was quickly put to the back of their minds as they focused on their work.

By the time they got back to the district, it was nearly eight o'clock, and they were all tired from the day. The surveillance van pile up had turned out to be a good idea as the deal had indeed turned south. Kevin had been able to duck just quickly enough to avoid the first bullet that went flying. The team had been out of the van quickly, and a long foot pursuit had ensued as the dealer realized the cops were there. Jay and Adam had caught up with the dealer after running nearly half a mile, the rest of the team opting to hop back into the surveillance van and cut him off that way.

Jay and Adam were still panting heavily as the dealer was loaded into the back of an arriving squad car to be taken back to the district. The team finished up on the scene before heading back themselves, Kevin and Adam returning to the deal site to get their car while the original four piled back into the surveillance van. Jay drove with Voight riding shotgun, the ladies tucked away in the back.

After interrogating the dealer with no admittance of the other murders, they called it a night, promising to take another run at him the next day after putting together more to use on him. As they were heading out of the district, Jay pulled his phone from his pocket and sent a text to Danny about still wanting to meet. The response was quick, suggesting the bar just down the block from Hailey's apartment in ten minutes. Jay quickly agreed, standing by the door of his truck and waiting for Hailey, who was standing at the district door having a conversation with Kim. Seeing Jay standing there waiting, Kim quickly wrapped up their conversation, bidding Hailey a goodnight and allowing her to walk over to Jay. She had parked her Jeep right next to his truck when she had arrived that morning fifteen minutes after him.

"Danny?" Hailey asked, gesturing to the phone in his hand.

Jay nodded, stuffing the phone back into his pocket. "We're just gonna be down the block from you if you need anything," he said.

"I'll be fine, Jay," Hailey said, sensing the same worry she had heard in Danny's voice earlier.

"I know," Jay said, knowing Hailey could take care of herself. He had seen her shut down the night before with her dad though, very unlike the fearless Hailey he had come to know on the job. "You can still call though."

Hailey nodded. "Don't believe anything Danny tells you about me," she kidded with him.

"Don't worry, nothing he could say would change anything," Jay said, stepping forward to plant a soft kiss on Hailey's lips. "I'm too whipped."

Hailey laughed, and it was with the most sincere happiness he had seen on her face since before her mother had shown up the night before. Jay smiled at the lightness of her expression, reveling in it before saying a quick goodbye and climbing into his truck. He waited until she was safely in her own car before pulling out of the parking lot to meet her brother.

A/N: Sorry it's been a while since I updated. Hope you enjoy as we delve more into Hailey's family dynamics. Reviews appreciated!