Jay could hardly keep his eyes open, his head was throbbing, the pressure made it feel like it was going to explode. Ouch. Where was he? His arms felt heavy, weighed down. It was as if he was chained to the floor. His body ached with every movement, the room he was in was pitch black. Where am I?
It was a regular Friday morning in Intelligence. Ruzek was late, typical. Kevin covered for him, although they all laughed and knew he would be strolling in exactly 7 minutes late with a coffee in his hand. He was predictable. Kim was chatting quietly with Kevin by their desks. Hailey and Voight were going over some paperwork she submitted on Friday. Voight took a quick look at the time and decided to gather everyone in for a morning briefing, Ruzek right on time with his latte coming up the stairs.
"Morning everyone", Voight looked around, realizing he was short a Detective.
"Hailey where's Jay?" He turned to her, knowing she usually kept tabs.
She looked surprised to be called out, she wasn't Jay's keeper. But, since he was her partner she guessed that was part of their deal.
"Um, I'm not too sure boss. I came in a bit early to meet you. I texted him telling him not to pick me up this morning. Maybe he didn't get it and is running a bit behind", she said.
Voight nodded, a plausible explanation. "Well, we can get started without him. Upton you can fill him in later." She nodded and no one thought anything of it.
Voight continued with his updates, going over a few outstanding cases, paperwork reminders, and what the plans were for the week. By the time that was done, it was well past 9 a.m. Jay was never this late.
Hailey and the rest of the team were a little antsy, this was very unlike Halstead. If anything he was chronically early to all things, including work.
Hailey kept checking her phone, but no reply back from Jay. She stepped out, motioning to the rest of the team that she would try calling him.
She came back in a few minutes later, after a few unsuccessful attempts at reaching her partner.
Their eyes were all on her, she had to shake her head at them. She didn't want to come across as too worried about him, they all sort of had their suspicions already that their partnership was a little more than just at work.
"Can't get a hold of him Sarge. He hasn't replied to any of my texts…his phone rang but after I tried calling a few times it went straight to voicemail."
"Did you hear from him over the weekend at all?" Voight inquired, also aware of the noticeably closer relationship between the two of them.
"Not really, my college roommate was in town, I spent the weekend visiting with her. Any of you see or hear from Jay?" Hailey asked the group.
They all shook their heads, "We texted him Saturday about heading to Molly's, but didn't hear back. We just sort of figured he was with you", Kevin admitted sheepishly.
Hailey flashed her dimples, looked down at the ground and chuckled before composing herself. "We do have a Saturday ritual now and again….but not this weekend."
"Alright, well Ruzek ping his phone, just to be on the safe side. This really isn't like him." Voight replied.
"On it boss", Adam rolled back to his computer and checked Jay's last known location.
It took a few minutes and with Jay's phone being dead, took a little extra digging but Adam came up empty handed, for anything sinister anyways.
"It looks like he's at his apartment. He made a trip to the convenience store around the corner from his place late Saturday night but other than that, hasn't moved much." Adam shrugged his shoulders.
"Maybe he just slept in?" Kim suggested.
"No way. He never sleeps past 6", Hailey said a little too quickly. She met the raised eyebrow stares of most of her co-workers with a smile.
"Oh come on. He's my partner. We know each other's habits."
"Whatever you say Hailey", Voight even said with a twinkle in his eye. "Maybe it's nothing, but we should go make sure everything is alright at his place. Upton, Burgess, go for a ride."
Kim and Hailey nodded, grabbing their jackets and heading down to Hailey's car.
The ride over was spent nervously small talking, Kim could sense that Hailey was putting on a calm front. Her and Jay seemed to know each other like the back of their hands, so this was clearly odd for her.
"It's probably nothing Hailey." Kim was trying to lighten the mood.
Hailey wasn't so sure. She had a bad feeling about this. They arrived at his place, saw that his truck was still parked out front, sharing a nervous glance.
Hailey made her way in the doors first, his building concierge greeting her by her first name. Kim looked impressed and confused, raising her eyebrows in Hailey's direction. She replied with a guilty smile.
"Morning George. Have you seen Jay at all today? Or the last few days even?"
"No Miss Hailey, not today. I did see him Saturday though, looked like he was going to the gym."
Hailey replied to George, thanking the sweet old man for his time. Her and Kim rode the elevator to Jay's floor, Hailey picking up her pace down the hallway. Kim was looking around, she had never been here before. Didn't even realize Jay lived in this place, he was very private. She had been holding her tongue long enough, but couldn't resist when she saw Hailey slyly pull out a key to his front door from her pocket.
"Alright, what is going on here? It took Jay 3 years to tell me when his birthday was. THREE YEARS." Kim was bewildered, Jay was an open book with Hailey, a very tightly closed one to the rest of them. Hailey shook her head and laughed.
"We're close", she said. That was all she was willingly ready to reveal. Kim accepted it.
Hailey knocked at the door before resorting to her key. They looked at each other blankly, Hailey nodding when Kim reached for her gun, just in case, she reasoned.
Kim stepped through the door first, giving Hailey a chance to grab her own gun, backing Kim up.
"Jay? Are you here?" Kim yelled out.
Hailey was looking around for anything out of place, nothing noteworthy. His jacket and gym bag were thrown a little messy by the front hall. There were some dishes left on the counter and the sink. But other than that, nothing too suspicious. Jay was neat, but had the odd messy day.
"Jay? It's Hailey and Kim", Hailey shouted a little louder. They looked around his place. No sign of forced entry or anything sinister so they holstered their weapons.
"Clear here. Just his bedroom left. Should I leave that to you or?" Kim asked half-jokingly, Hailey rolling her eyes back.
"No I'm sure it's fine if you see his room. That would be a big step in your friendship though", Hailey said poking fun. Kim giggled.
"Jay?" Hailey knocked softly on his closed bedroom door. She quietly turned the handle when she didn't hear a response.
"Jay, it's me. I'm coming in", she announced, unsure if there was anyone on the other side who was listening.
Kim followed her, both feeling a little nervous as they peered around the corner.
Hailey let out a sigh of relief when she turned the corner and saw Jay curled up in his bed in the pitch black room.
"Jay?!" Hailey yelled a little louder as Kim went over to pull the curtains open.
His eyes opened abruptly, after hearing his partner's voice and seeing the light coming in from the window. He looked over at Kim, even more confused why she was here.
"Jay?! What's wrong?" Hailey repeated again, some relief in her voice. "We've been worried sick about you!"
He turned over to look at his alarm clock, his eyes going wide seeing it was 10 am.
"Well I've been here… just plain old sick", his voice was barely audible.
In the light, he looked much worse. His face was puffy and his cheeks were flushed. Kim and Hailey instantly shared a wince. Kim did take note that he was lying in bed shirtless, something that didn't seem to faze Hailey in the slightest.
"I told Voight I wasn't coming in today", he replied, after seeing that the two women were genuinely worried about him.
"No you didn't, Voight didn't get anything from you", Hailey replied.
"We thought something bad happened to you", Kim interjected, remembering the time he was actually kidnapped, now relieved he was just under the weather. Simple misunderstanding.
Jay looked around for his phone, and scrolled through it. He gave them a weird look.
"I accidentally texted my cousin Hanna, instead of Hank. Oops sorry guys. I was out of it this morning," He said sheepishly.
"It's alright, we were just worried. How are you? What's wrong?" Hailey flipped gears.
Jay groaned as he tried to sit up in bed, Hailey not hesitating to sit down next to him and help him sit up against some propped pillows.
Sitting up made the pressure much worse. He leaned back and pinched the bridge of his nose. Forgetting she had an audience, Hailey put a hand on his bare arm, rubbing his bicep gently with her thumb, much to the delight of Kim.
"I knew it", she whispered victoriously under her breath. Jay didn't hear, but Hailey did, shooting her a glare.
"Jay you look terrible", Kim noted, it coming out as more of a jab than she intended. She was a little worried about him, he looked really sick.
"Gee thanks Kim. Usually I buy girls dinner first before they're allowed in here", he replied with a cheeky smile, but it was cut off by a coughing fit.
"Alright, alright easy hot shot", Hailey handed him the glass of water on his nightstand and gently set her hand on his back.
He had a few sips and sat back, he felt congested and weak. "Something going on with my sinuses I think. I do not feel good", he rarely admitted defeat.
"What can we do? Want me to call Will?" Hailey suggested, already knowing what kind of response that was going to get.
"No", Jay furrowed his brow. "Don't call Will. I don't want to give him the satisfaction."
Kim and Hailey looked at each other shaking their heads, "Men", Kim laughed.
"Jay, you're clearly not well. Let us take you to the doctor." Hailey persisted.
"I'll be fine here, need to sleep it off. It's probably just a cold."
Kim rolled her eyes and marched over to his bedside. Placing a cold hand on his warm forehead. Jay winced at her touch. Hailey smirked at her forwardness. Jay wasn't going to like that either.
"Fever?" Hailey asked Kim. She nodded her head. "A bit warm."
"Jay you had a cold last week", he shot her a look. "Yes I noticed. We spend twelve plus hours a day together. You probably got it from me. It's okay to admit that you're sick", Hailey challenged him. The two women sort of laughed, why are men like this?
"Okay. When were you sick? I might have had a cold last week. This is probably just the tail end", he reluctantly admitted.
"The week before you were", she said laughing how oblivious he was. "Or now you have a sinus infection. You've been sick all week already, now you have a fever, headache, fatigue, pressure in your face…do I need to continue?" Hailey asked. Jay was stubborn.
"I don't want to leave, I feel awful", he finally admitted. Hailey felt sorry for him, his rosy cheeks, hoarse voice and all. If Kim wasn't here, she probably would have crawled in next to him, nursing him back to health.
"I know, it's alright, we don't have to leave. I'm going to call Will. Close your eyes, we'll be back in a second", Hailey covered him up with a blanket and left the room with Kim.
This was a new side of Hailey that Kim was seeing. So gentle, caregiver like. She was used to seeing the tough exterior, stoic Hailey. They brought out interesting qualities in each other.
"Think we should leave him here by himself?" Kim asked questioningly.
Hailey shrugged her shoulders. "Probably not, he looks like he's on deaths door."
"He does not look well at all", Kim agreed.
"Give me a second I'll call Will." Hailey took out her phone to make the call while Kim snooped around his apartment.
Jay was a minimalist, hardly any miscellaneous items hanging around. But those that were out on display clearly had meaning to him. There were antique Blackhawks and Cubs framed photos hanging above his couch. Next to the TV was a small shelf, housing childhood pictures of him and Will, a photo of his parents on their wedding day, some Army paraphernalia, a group photo of Intelligence with Al in it and on the very last shelf, a picture of him and Hailey. It wasn't a selfie or a staged photo, she wondered who took this. Hailey and Jay were staring at each other intensely, their eyes burning holes in each other's souls. A candid shot, they were both smiling from ear to ear sitting at a restaurant table, looking at each other, not the camera. Whoever took this snapped it without their knowledge, they just looked so relaxed in each other's presence. Her thoughts were interrupted from where he would have got this to Hailey's voice bringing her back to the present.
"Kim?"
"Sorry what Hailey, didn't hear what you said."
"Well, if you weren't so busy snooping", Hailey smirked as she saw Burgess blush.
"I'm just kidding. And Will's engagement party if you're wondering", Hailey said nodding to the picture Kim was studying.
"Huh, interesting. It's a nice shot of you guys", Kim replied.
"I was saying that Will has already been on Jay's case today apparently. He stopped by yesterday and figured he was coming down with a sinus infection. He said he's going to drop off a prescription later today for him. And that not to worry, he suspects it's bacterial so he's not contagious", Hailey explained.
"That's good. But what should we do now? We can't just leave him here to his own devices", Kim said.
"True. Well, you don't have to stay, I'll look after him. You can take my car back to the district. I'll call Voight and explain."
"I feel bad. I'm not going to leave you here. What do you need me to do. I'll help."
"He's grumpy when he's sick just warning you", Hailey chimed in.
"I've known Jay a long time, I can take it", Kim laughed.
"Alright, well I'll go call Voight. Hopefully he's fine with both of us being here…today seemed slow anyways."
Hailey came back a few minutes later after getting the all clear from Voight.
"He actually went for it. His exact words were, "Upton, the man cold is a real thing. This might be a two person job. You and Burgess, look after Jay."
Kim rolled her eyes, "He can't be serious."
"Oh he was", Hailey laughed. Feeling a little bad afterwards, Jay was usually the opposite. Doing absolutely everything in his power to avoid admitting he was sick. So him actually saying he wasn't feeling good meant he must be in a bad way.
She quietly snuck back in Jay's room, whispering that they would stay here a while and look after him. He didn't even push back at that idea, no energy to do so, he just nodded his head while his eyes were still closed. Hailey snuck in a quick kiss on his forehead, he briefly opened one of his eyes and smiled at her.
"I saw that", he said.
"I know", she quipped back and left the room.
Kim was out in his kitchen, cleaning his dishes when Hailey returned.
"Oh you don't have to do that Kim, I can."
"Hailey, I'm here to help too. I'll do this stuff, you worry about Jay. I'm sure he prefers you as a nurse over me anyways", she laughed when it was Hailey's turn to blush.
She didn't really have a reply to that, she knew Kim was on to them.
The girls went to work tidying up Jay's place, Hailey threw in a load of laundry for him.
"What?" Hailey laughed at the strange look Kim was giving her.
"Adam and I were ENGAGED, and I never did his laundry for him. Maybe one time actually when he had the stomach flu and I washed his sheets for him. But that's it."
"Kim, I'll let you in on a little secret, it's pretty scandalous." She motioned for her to come closer and closer.
"I've seen Jay's dirty socks before", Hailey whispered laughing her head off as Kim jokingly smacked her arm, thinking she was actually going to get Hailey to crack and tell her she's seen her partner naked.
"What are you two giggling about out here", Jay suddenly appeared in his living room. Sweats and a hoodie covering his head.
"Sorry, did we wake you", Kim asked.
"No, it's alright. I wasn't really sleeping anyways, just took a bunch of Nyquil. So I'll probably be out soon", Jay dragged himself across the room and plopped himself on the couch. His eyes and cheeks looking even more puffy and red now. He sniffled and sneezed into a Kleenex, blowing his congested nose. "Ughh", he groaned in discomfort.
Hailey made her way over to him, trying to not seem overly concerned or touchy feely in front of Kim. But she just couldn't help herself. She knelt down in front of him and gently felt his forehead and cheeks with the back of her hand, commenting on how warm he was. He winced when she felt his cheeks near his sinuses.
"Is that painful?" She asked him.
He nodded back gingerly, "It hurts everywhere", he motioned around his whole head.
"I know, I know. Jay you need to take your sweater off, you're going to overheat", she said.
"I'm cold", Jay shivered.
"You have a bit of a fever though, here take this off", she started to pull his sweater over his head.
Kim watched on silently as Hailey took care of Jay. She pulled his sweater off and laid him down on the couch, making sure he was comfortable. She had never seen Jay so…casual before. She didn't even think he owned a pair of sweat pants, he lived in jeans. And she had never seen Hailey so nurturing. It was bizarre, this whole morning was so far bizarre.
Hailey went about her business like nothing just happened, so Kim did the same. She walked over to the couch quietly, putting an arm on Jay's shoulder.
"Want me to make you some tea?" She asked him quietly. She was friendly with Jay, but she sensed today would take their friendship to another level.
"That would be nice, thanks Kim", he replied back, his eyes starting to droop.
Kim put the kettle on and waited while Hailey stripped Jay's bed and started to wash his sheets too.
"Really? Just ask what you need to ask Kim", Hailey smirked as she watched Kim's confused reaction to all of this.
"So….you and Jay", Kim stated the obvious.
"Mhmm", Hailey replied, not making it easy for her.
"Is this a thing or?"
"It's always been a thing", Hailey again, being the most vague.
Kim didn't know what to make of that response. Of course her and Jay had a thing, they have always had their own partner things. But was it a thing thing? She would get to the bottom of this by the end of today.
Before she had a chance to probe further, they got a call saying they were needed at a burglary alarm around the block from Jay's apartment.
"Uhhhh, bad timing. Alright, well let's go check that out. He'll be fine here for a while. Make sure you turn the kettle off", Hailey yelled as she tried to get all of their things together to head out the door. Kim quickly made Jay the cup of tea she promised, turned the stove off and set the mug on the coffee table in front of him. His eyes were closed but she told him it was there and got a nod back.
"We'll be back Jay", Kim said as she followed Hailey out the door.
The alarm at the luxurious high rise turned out to be a false alarm, some faulty wiring to blame. The penthouse and a few other floors were still under construction. Ruzek and Atwater showed up as well, backing the women up.
"Is Jay alright or what? He must be in rough shape if Voight let the two of you stay there to look after him", Ruzek asked.
"He'll live. Man cold." Hailey sassed back.
"Ahh yes. Pour one out for Halstead, the man cold is the worst of all colds", Kev laughed, pretending to dump some of his coffee out.
"You guys are ridiculous", Hailey laughed and walked back to her car, anxious to get back to Jay.
"So, what can you tell us? How's Halstead? What's his place like? Do you think Hailey lives there?" Adam asked Kim frantically before she took off again.
"He is actually very sick. His place is really nice. Unsure about sleeping arrangements still…but she does have a key. Although I can report that his doorman knows her quite well. He referred to her as, "Ms. Hailey", Kim said excitedly as Adam and Kev hit each other like they just uncovered a huge secret.
"She also did his laundry for him. HIS LAUN-DRY", Kim emphasized, Ruzek putting his hand to his heart faking hurt.
"They're definitely sleeping together. You never even did my laundry and we were engaged, to be married!" He replied enthusiastically.
"I know, that's what I said! Okay I have to get back, or she's going to suspect something is up. Will report in later", Kim whispered, gave her handshakes to her two guys and went back to Hailey's car.
"We got a man on the inside now. We're so close I can taste it. I bet she'll get Upton to flip today", Kev said to Adam after Kim was gone.
"I don't know man, Hailey is one tough customer. Especially when it comes to Jay. It's going to take some serious work, but if anyone is going to crack this case it's Kim."
They nodded and retreated to the station, eager to tell the others about updates to their long running bet.
By the time Kim and Hailey made their way back to Jay's apartment it was early afternoon. Hailey opened the front door and let them inside. She was expecting a sleeping Jay on the couch but what she got was a surprise bear hug and a hopped up on cold medicine Jay instead. She had to let out a laugh.
"Hails! You're back. Where did you go? Is everything okay? What have I missed?"
Kim raised her eyebrows and tried to purse her lips to keep the laughs from escaping. She wandered over to his kitchen counter to find an almost empty bottle of Nyquil. We leave you for one hour, Kim thought and smiled.
"Think someone might have overdone it on the cold medicine", Kim giggled watching Jay cling to Hailey like she's never seen before. He could barely keep his hands off of her. Hailey responded by smiling at him, resting both of her hands on his chest while his arms were wrapped around her.
"We had to go out remember. It looks like you've been up to no good since we've been gone."
"Ya I feel waaay better now, like can't even feel my face", Jay felt around his cheeks to prove to Hailey he was fine, although she knew once the medicine wore off he was going to feel that. She could barely even graze his face without him feeling pain earlier.
"Mhmm, well you know what Jay, I think you're still pretty sick", Hailey grabbed his hands and pulled them back from his face.
"Being sick is no fun though", he pouted.
"I know. You know what is fun though, rest and lots of fluids", Hailey suggested looking back at Kim, who was killing herself laughing at this exchange. She felt like she knew Jay well before, but this was a side of him she didn't know existed, so expressive.
"Can you make some of your soup then? Pleaseee," Jay asked her quietly, looking at Kim afterwards who softened once she saw his face. Jay had that look about him, the twinkle.
Hailey still had his hands in hers, so she released them and ran them up and down his arms instead.
"Of course. You should go lie down though, sleep some of this buzz off", she said laughing.
"Only if you're coming with me babe", Jay replied cheekily, stealing a kiss and planting one on Hailey's cheek.
"Jay Halstead!" Hailey blushed, flashing Kim a guilty look. Kim's mouth was wide open, she couldn't believe her own eyes.
"Success", she muttered victoriously. They were too cute, she was practically melting.
Jay didn't even realize what he did, the phrase "drunken words are sober thoughts" popped into Kim's head and seemed to fit best with this situation. He smirked at Hailey, who didn't exactly say no to the lying down with him part.
"I'll be right back", Hailey winked at Kim, walking Jay back into his room.
Another eyebrow raise from Kim, apparently this was not their first rodeo. She immediately pulled out her phone and texted Adam and Kev in their group chat. "SOS, Jay is high on cough medicine, he just kissed Hailey on the cheek, she did not seem appalled by this development. She went to lie down with him in his room so he could rest. He called her BABE. Standby for more details."
"OMG". "No, I don't believe that", "Didn't know babe was in Halstead's vocabulary" messages spilled in.
"Pics or it didn't happen Burgess", - Kevin.
Kim waited a few moments until she heard silence from Jay's bedroom. She snuck her way around the corner until she could see the two reflected in his mirror. They couldn't see her but she saw them, and melted. Jay had a pillow and was resting against Hailey's chest, she had a hand running up and down his back, comforting him until he fell asleep. She had the sweetest grin on her face, she knew Jay was sleeping, but she kept doing it anyways. Kim quickly snapped a picture of this raw, natural moment between them. The sun was shining in a way that lit Hailey's blonde hair on fire. Jay's rosy cheeks were reflecting back in the camera frame. She quietly snuck back out and waited.
Hailey surfaced in the next ten minutes, and came back out to the kitchen to find Kim cleaning up and getting soup supplies out.
"Hey, sorry. I'm back", she said slyly.
Kim smiled, knowing she had her. She would have a little fun with it first though.
"How's Jay doing?"
"He's asleep. He might regret his sudden burst of energy soon though, he was already complaining about a headache again."
"After that much Nyquil…ouch"… Hailey laughed and nodded.
"So…", Kim started again as the two of them were chopping veggies for the soup.
"So", Hailey played coy.
"That was an interesting and brand new interaction between you guys huh?"
"I don't know what you're referring to Kim. Caring for my partner who is under the weather you mean?"
"Hmm nope not that, try again."
"Ahh, it's gotta be the laundry that's throwing you off still."
"Closer…babe…", Kim couldn't contain her grin.
"Alright, alright. You win. I'll give you ONE thing." Hailey gave in and smirked.
Kim looked ready, she was patiently waiting for the tiniest clue. She was staring at Hailey so intently, hanging on her every word.
"That wasn't the first kiss on the cheek we've shared", she whispered. It wasn't much, but it was a start for Kim. Separately, they were private people. Together, it was like a fortress, nothing came in or out without their approval first.
Kim smirked, happy with the tiny hint Hailey released. They made the soup and let it simmer, sharing a tea and watching some trash TV for an hour or so.
Jay poked his head out again about an hour later, looking a little worse for wear.
"Jay, what are you doing up again? You should be in bed," Hailey questioned.
"Mmmm", he groaned and came over to them on the couch. He had a blanket wrapped around his sore body, even covering his head.
"Hailey, I think I'm sick", Jay told her somewhat dramatically.
She laughed a little, Kim squeezed over to make some room and patted the middle seat for Jay to sit down. "I know Jay, come here", she let him snuggle against her, much to Kim's surprise yet again.
Hailey let her guard down a little bit and opened her arms so Jay could crawl in, giving Kim the satisfaction she was so deeply craving. Hailey continued rubbing his back, he wasn't able to fully lie flat because of the pressure in his face, so he was in this strange upright position resting against her.
Kim got up quietly from the couch, to make Jay a warm compress for his face. She dug around his drawers before finding one of those beanies you could heat up in the microwave. She waited for that to go off and brought it back. Hailey smiled in thanks.
"Where does it hurt Jay?" Kim asked quietly. He pointed to underneath his right eye and forehead area. Kim did her best to position it so that it covered most of that, Jay let out a deep sigh as he felt the heat relax his sore face.
He reached up and grabbed her hand blindly, "Thanks Kim."
For the first time, she actually felt like she saw a real snippet of Jay; vulnerable, soft Jay. She gently rubbed his shoulder back and took her place on the couch again, letting his feet rest on her legs.
They sat quietly like that for a while, letting Jay rest. He was restless, didn't exactly sleep, but appreciated the quiet from the girls.
"You should have called me this weekend, I would have come over to take care of you and make soup much sooner", Hailey whispered, stroking the side of his head.
Jay's mouth curled up into a grin, "I know you would have. But I didn't want to bug you while Jenny was here. How's Mark and the baby?"
Kim was watching this exchange silently, dying to know what kind of juicy loving words they were going to tell each other next. So Jay had met her college roomie before as well as her husband and child, cool cool cool. Try to remain cool Kim.
"They're great, she was asking for you", Hailey replied, looking directly at Kim when she said it. Jay seemed to catch his slip up as he took the beanie off his face and looked at Kim, then to Hailey guiltily.
"Well cats out of the bag now Jay. You were a little handsy on your Nyquil bender not too long ago", Hailey chuckled.
"Haha, oh no. Sorry, we've done such a good job keeping things under wraps," he said sheepishly.
"You know Jay, I'm sorry you aren't feeling well. But I am not sorry about finally cracking the two of you today. Not one bit," Kim said smugly and raised her hand in success, making Jay and Hailey laugh.
Jay laughed until he couldn't and sat up and held his face in his hands again. Kim and Hailey both put a hand on his back instinctively.
"Time for some soup?" Hailey asked as Jay nodded.
Hailey snuck out from under Jay and brought him over a bowl.
"I can't really smell right now, but I'm imagining it and that's enough. And you put the good noodles in it!" He exclaimed. Kim laughed, apparently this was another one of their things.
"Special occasions. Reserved for sick days only", Hailey acknowledged for Kim's sake.
Jay slurped his soup on the couch, aimlessly watching sports highlights as Hailey checked the time.
"Will should be here any minute with your antibiotics. Hopefully you'll feel better soon after."
"Hope so, I haven't been this sick since…you know…", Jay said slyly thinking back to last winter when he had pneumonia and Hailey looked after him. It really was the start of the more romantic side of their partnership. She gave him a side eye grin.
"Alright, I told myself I wasn't going to pry, BUT I can't hold it in any longer. I'm DYING to know. Are you guys dating? Do you live here Hailey? Are you secretly married?" Kim burst out with questions, gathering hilarious looks from Hailey and Jay.
"Secretly married, wow you guys really have no clue huh. What's the bet at now down at the station?" Jay asked with a smirk on his face.
"Your reply or lack thereof makes me more nervous. Wait are you married?!" Kim said nervously.
Hailey chuckled, "No Kim, we aren't married."
"Well personally, my money is down on you guys finally hooking up after the St. Paddy's Day bar crawl we had this year…", she looked at the two of them to show any sign of weakness, but nothing.
"And what makes you think that day in particular?" Hailey inquired. If they were going to finally come clean, she wanted to at least make it worth her while and have some fun too.
"Hailey you were ten sheets to the wind that night, I've never seen you consume more whisky than I have that day. And Jay you weren't far behind, you were all over Hailey. You left together."
Jay grinned smugly at Kim then turned to Hailey and burst out laughing, "She really has no idea."
"I have no idea about what? You guys are killing me", Kim begged them for a hint.
Just then, Will Halstead knocked and entered Jay's apartment, a few things in his hands and not really fully lifting his head before addressing the room.
"Hailey Anne! Where you at? I brought you a latte because Jay is probably driving you nuts", Will yelled, but stopped himself short when he saw his brother, Hailey and Kim Burgess all sitting on the couch watching TV.
"Oh, hey guys. Kim, how are you? Didn't realize you were here or I would have brought more coffee, sorry!"
"Don't worry about it Will, I've been drinking tea all afternoon. Good to see you."
Will hesitated at this point, as he wasn't sure how much Kim knew about his brother and Hailey. He was sworn to secrecy.
"It's alright Will, she knows now. Well sort of", Hailey chuckled as she got off the couch to greet him.
Will over-exaggerated a sigh of relief, Hailey nudging his arm in reply. He gave her a quick hug and a kiss on the cheek to say hi, and using her middle name? Kim thought this was also curious, Hailey seemed to be close with Will too. Will Halstead was known to be the more touchy feely Halstead, but still. That was something you did with a brother in-law. Kim's mind was running rampant with this new "Hailey and Jay are secretly married" theory she just came up with. It would be such a them thing to do.
"And how's my favourite brother doing?" Will finally asked as he made his way over to check on Jay himself.
"Not the best", Hailey answered for him. Jay silently agreed.
"Not even the soup helped huh. You must have it bad", Will replied.
"Hailey's made this for you too Will?" Kim asked, gathering evidence.
"This has brought me back from the dead many times. It really should be called 'Will's Migraine' soup, not For 'When Jay has a Cold' soup", Will joked. The former happens more often than the latter Kim took it.
Will checked Jay's temperature and gave him some medication to help his sinus infection. "These are the strongest we have, this will clear things up in a day or so. You might feel some side effects though, but they'll pass", he told Jay, but all the while looking at Hailey. She nodded.
"Get some rest okay? I'm on shift tonight. I'll check on you again tomorrow. Look after yourself, plenty of rest and fluids."
"Ya, ya. Thanks Will", Jay swatted him away and put his head back on the pillow.
Hailey walked him back towards the kitchen. She went into Jay's cupboards and found a Tupperware container. "Here take some for your break", she said as she handed a grateful Will some leftovers.
"The good noodles too, wow. Jay perks", Will mocked her, Kim enjoyed that one too.
"See you later Will, have a good shift."
"Thanks Hails, and thanks for looking after him tonight. I'll give you a call later on."
Will left the apartment as quickly as he came, Kim was eagerly waiting to get back to their conversation they were having just prior to him arriving.
She paused when she saw Jay yawning on the couch, maybe they really should leave him to rest. But Hailey jumped right back in.
"I actually threw up on Jay in an Uber on St. Patrick's Day, so no, sparks were not flying that night, try again", Hailey laughed. Jay let out a laugh remembering that night even with his eyes closed, Kim had set the warm compress back over his face again, he gave her a thumbs up for doing so.
"Hmm, okay so after that?" Kim asked.
"Try way before…", Jay added, stirring the pot.
"WAY BEFORE?" Kim was bewildered.
"Alright Kim, you may ask one question of us each and we'll promise to respond truthfully. Then we should actually let Jay get some rest", Hailey said as she kept a hand on Jay's back. She could feel him starting to doze off.
"You guys have been living this double life for so long. I don't know what to make of it or where to start."
They both flashed her their signature smirks, endearing in their own ways.
"Alright, question number one. Jay. Does Hailey live here full-time?"
"Hailey has a key because she lives here most of the time", Jay confirmed, Kim beaming from ear to ear.
"Mhmm", Kim cleared her throat to regain her composure. "Interesting development. Alright, Hailey, your turn."
She shifted in her seat, ready for whatever Kim was going to throw at her.
"Hailey, please use two words to describe how Jay is in bed?"
Jay giggled, realizing he got the easy question.
Hailey took her time answering, she smirked the whole time, pretending to think long and hard about her response until finally she replied.
"Generous", Kim raised her eyebrows, nodded at Hailey, then gave an approving nod to Jay.
"And?" Kim asked.
"Thorough," Kim nearly spit out her tea. Jay raised his hand for a high five, Hailey giving him one back.
"Hailey Anne", Jay added with a devilish grin. The way her middle name rolled off his tongue even made Kim feel the spark between them.
"Does that answer your question Kim?" Hailey added confidently, Kim was at a loss for words.
She nodded, doing everything in her power to not take notes about this rare honest session with the two of them.
"Cat got your tongue?" Jay teased.
"This has been, educational to say the least. Now I just have more questions", Kim said.
Hailey and Jay laughed, "Only two remember. This is a rare day, the only reason we're coming clean is because Jay decided to over-medicate with Nyquil."
"Oh don't blame this fully on me. You know everyone suspects. I'm surprised they didn't clue in after the Christmas party last year. We were gone a long time between cocktail hour and dinner", Jay added with a grin, squeezing Hailey's knee, she slapped his arm playfully.
"Really Jay, another secret. I'm going to start calling you loose lips", Hailey huffed jokingly.
"Christmas party last year?! I am so confused. Can we just be real for a second…how long have you guys actually been together?" Kim asked.
Hailey sighed, knowing this day would come sooner or later. They had enjoyed their secret relationship for so long. It wastime to share it with everyone else.
"Well. Last week was our one year anniversary…", Hailey barely got it out before Kim started losing her mind.
"ONE YEAR! WHAT?!"
"Ya some Detective you are Burgess", Jay chuckled, referencing her new rank.
"I need to tell everyone this. You guys need to tell everyone! This is huge news!"
"Alright, alright easy Kim. We wanted to keep things under wraps as long as possible. I guess it was going to come out eventually. We've just been having way too much fun messing with all of you."
"You mean…that time you couldn't make it to Molly's karaoke because you went on a date…and Jay conveniently couldn't make it either because he had food poisoning", the wheels started to turn in Kim's head.
"Exactly. And the flowers I received from a mystery guy named John a week later…those were actually from Jay", Hailey bit her lip and giggled a bit. It was kind of funny, how secret, yet not they really had been over the last year. They left their co-workers many clues.
Kim looked at the two of them dumbfounded. And a little betrayed.
"Oh come on Kim, don't be like that. We love you guys. But we wanted to have this for ourselves for a while too? We've both dated people at work, that ended…not so well", Hailey trailed off.
Jay picked it up mid-sentence, "So we wanted to see if this would work for us before going public. Now that you're in on our little secret. We have a fun idea to tell everyone else." Kim perked up at that, she loved a good plan.
"Is Voight going to be mad about this? Will you guys get in trouble?" She asked quietly, knowing their boss was a stickler for the in house romance rules.
Hailey laughed. "Voight knows, he has the whole time. We signed our HR paperwork a week after we got together."
"Interesting", Kim seemed surprised by that.
"But he's still in on your pool isn't he?" Jay inquired.
Kim tried to play dumb, "What pool?" She replied innocently.
"Oh come on Kim, we know you guys have a pool."
Kim flashed a guilty smile, with a hint of satisfaction on her face, "You guys have played with us long enough. I'm sure you're aware of the pool and it's participants."
"That is fair enough. We may have to revoke Voight's pool privileges", Kim grinned as Hailey and Jay chuckled.
"Voight's been playing you guys like a fiddle this whole year", Jay thought that was hilarious.
"Okay so you're going to tell everyone right?" Kim asked, now that she knew this secret it was going to eat at her.
"Yes, we will tell everyone once I'm back to work. I'm probably going to take tomorrow too", Jay yawned, feeling the effects of the antibiotics start to kick in.
Hailey rubbed his back gently, "Promise Kim, we will. Jay why don't you go back to bed. I'll drop Kim off at the district to get her car and then come back later."
He nodded as they got up off the couch and draped a blanket over him. Hailey kissed him on the forehead before heading out.
Kim smirked the whole way down the hall to the elevator. Hailey glanced at her out of the corner of her eye. "What", she said slowly.
"We thought you guys were just hooking up", Kim said bashfully.
"Well I mean we're doing that too", Hailey giggled.
She shook her head, happy for her two friends.
As they made their way back into the district, Platt stopped them at the front desk.
"How's Chuckles?" she directed at Hailey, sounding concerned but also a hint of teasing in her voice.
"He'll live", Hailey replied neutrally with a smile, before turning towards the stairs to pick up her things. Kim followed her up, finding Kevin and Adam still working at their desks.
"Have a good night guys", Hailey yelled before heading back down, planning on getting back to Jay's within the hour to spend some time with him.
"You too Hails", they yelled while absentmindedly typing away at their reports, trying to get things done and head home themselves.
Once they knew she was gone, Adam turned to Kim who looked like she was about to explode with information.
Kevin made sure the coast was clear, giving the two of them a thumbs up before crowding Burgess at her desk.
"So?!" Kevin started.
"So what?" Kim said, trying not to spill too many beans, she wanted to leave that for Hailey and Jay.
"So are Jay and Hailey hooking up or what?" Adam elaborated.
"Even stranger, I think they're in love", Kim said with a twinkle in her eyes.
Ta-da! One shots officially out of my drafts. Hope you liked this one, it's a long one! Thanks for reading and reviewing "After the Collapse" as well! This story had a slight reference to my first story Hailey & Jay if you caught it. I like to leave Easter Eggs in my writing. Happy New Year to you all! It's been a wild first week of 2021 to say the least. Hope everyone is still doing well, some bumpy times ahead still I think, unfortunately. Thinking of you all around the world and particularly my friends down south in the US. Happy reading - K