Disclaimer: I do not own any characters from the One Chicago world

Day 6 prompt: "Don't go. Please. I can't lose you."

"More than just a nightmare"

Blindly, he'd stumbled into the kitchen, breathing heavily as he gripped the countertops. Jay squeezed his eyes shut, taking deep rasping breaths, hissing through the pain at his side. One hand clutched the bandaged area as he felt his knees quake and then he was slipping down against the counter until he hit the floor. The kitchen was blessedly still dark and cool. His shirt stuck to his sweaty body as he took big gulping breaths, trying to calm his racing heart.

He crouched, his head falling between his knees, and he worked on pushing the flashing images to the back of his mind. With each taunting image that came forward, it was like another painful stab to the gut. He tried, breathing more steadily, but it was hard with the panic rising against any rational thought he tried to grasp. Yet, in all his efforts all he'd done was create a bridge back to the incident that had occurred earlier that day.

Jay was chasing the suspect through the alley. Jumping over obstacles and two fences before he managed to tackle him to the ground. There was a heavy grunt and his offender kicked up the dirt as he tried to quickly get back on his feet. Jay was quicker, rolling up and pulling his gun from his holster.

"Chicago PD! Don't move!" he ordered.

But of course, their offender, Jeremy Reynolds, didn't listen. He lunged forward at Jay, and it was too late before Jay saw the glint of the knife carefully concealed against his thigh. He felt the blade kiss his arm as Reynolds swiped once and then twice. Jay ducked, moving backwards, and tried to disarm the kid.

That only served to anger him more and his movements became more aggressive. He held the blade firmly in his shaking hand and took another swipe but Jay ducked just in time. He crouched a little and stepped forward, advancing in careful steps towards Reynolds.

They ended up in a hard tackle on the floor, Jay managing to get two decent punches in as the knife fell to the ground.

"Stop!" Jay demanded but Reynolds was adamant in his attempt to escape. He pressed him to the ground, trying to hold him still.

By pure chance, Jay took a knee to the stomach and he wheezed in surprise trying to keep his hold on Reynolds. It provided the briefest moment of opportunity and Reynolds took it.

Jay shook his head, pushing his pain away as he looked down at Reynolds again. "Don't move!" he ordered.

"I won't go back!" Reynolds cried hysterically. "I won't!" His fingers searched the dirt as they struggled. He was stronger than Jay had anticipated. His fingers grasped what felt like a pipe and he swung it, with no real accuracy, catching Jay on the side. He managed a second painful blow and Jay was sure his ribs would protest tomorrow.

Jay grunted and then managed to catch the pipe before Reynolds could make contact with him again. Reynolds sneered at him and then tried to throw Jay off him. They kicked up more dust and dirt and Reynolds took a chance again. Twisting on the ground, he grabbed his knife once more. First, the blade caught nothing but the heavy Kevlar Jay wore. He growled in frustration and this time, he twisted the blade up and just under the vest. He twisted it and Jay gasped, feeling the cold blade tearing deep through his flesh.

"Oh shit!" Reynolds swore, the realisation of what he did crashed upon him a moment later. He shoved Jay off him, hard and scrambled away.

Jay's body went into shock at the surprisingly deep wound the knife had managed to puncture. Blood spooling through his fingers as he pressed it against the protruding knife.

"Ah, shit!" Reynolds cried turning white with terror. He glanced down at his hands, now covered with Jay's blood and then stumbled back looking at Jay as he bled out in the dirt. "I … I'm … shit! I didn't mean to! Fuck!" he cried and then Jay's radio blared.

"5021 Henry," Came Hailey's voice. "No sign of offender. Jay, you got anything?"

Reynolds looked panicked as he glanced between Jay and the radio. At that moment, Jay knew Reynolds was about to make a whole slew of mistakes. He could see the boy was frightened and completely in over his head. Reynold's hand went around his back and Jay found his hand reaching for his gun.

"Don't," he warned Reynolds through grit teeth. He had yet to pull the blade out, but the bleeding was becoming more profound. The knife was at an odd angle given the restriction from the Kevlar vest but Jay didn't want to chance it by pulling it out. It was all that was stopping him from completely bleeding out.

His radio blared again, his team demanding more information but there was little Jay could do about that now. One hand over the wound, staunching the blood as best he could as the other held his gun up. It was with a great strain that he managed to hold his gun steady.

"Man, I didn't mean it! Shit!" Reynolds cried.

"Come on, don't do it, man," Jay tried talking him down but Reynolds was not listening. "Let me see your hands!"

Reynolds shook his head, Jay's words falling on deaf ears. His hand disappeared behind his back and Jay kept his gun raised. Please don't make me shoot this kid, he thought desperately.

"I fucked up man," Reynolds said to no one in particular. He was growing more anxious with each passing moment. "I … fuck! I stabbed a cop!"

"It's okay," Jay tried soothing but Reynolds was near hysterical. "We'll talk about it. But I need to see your hands."

"No, man! You don't understand! I won't go back!"

His hands were still where Jay couldn't see them and his arm holding the gun was beginning to falter a little.

"Come on, Reynolds. Hands where I can see them!" Jay ordered hoping he would obey. But he didn't.

"I can't! I won't go back!" he roared and this time brought his hand back around.

Jay caught sight of the barrel as it came around and Reynolds looked at him with angry determination.

Bang!

Reynolds fell back onto the dirt, groaning in agony. It was not a fatal shot; Jay was certain of that. But it would hurt nonetheless.

His own pain brought him back to reality. Groaning as he dropped his hand, the gun falling beside him. The pain in his abdomen was now blindingly excruciating. With heaving breathes, he reached for his radio, cutting off Hailey's calls to him.

"5021 George," he rasped. "10-1."

There was only silence for a beat.

"10-4."

"Jay, where are you?" Hailey immediately called over the dispatcher. "Jay!"

He closed his eyes, his heart clenching as he heard the panic in his voice, but everything was sounding muffled, his attention waning.

"Jay!" she cried again.

"T-two … two down, Hails," He barely managed to splutter as his grip on his wound eased up and the radio fell from his hand.

It was a lot of blood and that was the first thing Hailey noticed when she rounded the corner a second later. She scrambled over the fence that both Jay and Reynolds had climbed earlier. Reynolds was still groaning on the ground and she took only a moment to cuff him, pressing him further into the dirt.

"Stay down!" she barked.

She scrambled over to Jay in an instant. "Jay!" she called panicked. She glanced down to the protruding knife and then quickly tried to undo the vest.

Jay whimpered his fingers coming up immediately to stall her movements. "I'm sorry!" Hailey whispered. "Just … breath." She advised and then quickly pulled the straps off. Jay moaned as the vest fell away. Her stomach turned as she saw the blood spooling over her partner's abdomen.

"5021 Henry. Send an ambo! Officer down!" She cried into the radio. Her fingers quickly reached for the wound, pressing down on it, hoping to slow down some of the bleeding.

She glanced up, to see that Jay had gone awfully pale. "Jay! Stay with me!" Again, his fingers, wet with his own blood came up to grasp her hand. "I got you, Jay! Just stay with me!"

She looked up, desperately as if willing the ambo to materialise out of nothing. From around the corner, she heard the rest of their team.

"Upton? Halstead?" Voight called coming around with his gun raised.

"Here sarge!" Hailey called back. She glanced back at Jay to see him zoning out. She grasped his face in her hands, barely noticing the blood on them. "Hey! Jay! Please! No!"

The fence and gate rattled as Intelligence came through. Someone, she was certain it was Kevin rushed up to check that Reynolds had been neutralised.

"He's lost a lot of blood, Sarge. We need that ambo now!" Hailey told him desperately. She was kneeling beside Jay, hands still pressed to his wound.

Voight nodded with grim determination and turned around barking into his radio as Jay squeezed her wrist again. She looked down, he was barely conscious but he turned to look at her nonetheless.

"It's okay, Hails," he croaked. "N-not that bad."

Hailey nodded, fighting to hold back her tears. "You're gonna be okay," she stated firmly.

A minute later, they heard the familiar siren call of the ambulance and in a flash, Jay was being loaded back into the rig and being rushed to Gaffney.

All he knew was that rickety motion of being transferred from the floor to the back of the ambulance. He moved in and out of consciousness until he turned and saw through hazy eyes something that set his heart wild.

"What's happening?" Hailey cried. She watched in horror as the machine beeped manically.

"He's going into shock most likely," he heard someone say. "He lost a lot of blood. Get that IV in!"

No! No! NO! Jay wanted to scream but he couldn't find his voice.

A second later he felt Hailey's touch on his clenched fists. "It's going to be okay, Jay. Just stay with me."

He saw it again, over his head and they fiddled around him and suddenly he was thrown back to another time, that same awful burning sensation. Fire and pain; that was all he knew before everything went black.

"JAY!"

Hailey had gone with him to Med and waited in a shattered mess in the waiting room. She had paced and prowled scowling at the doctors who came with no news. The rest of Intelligence had come through as well, waiting just as impatiently. It had been Will who appeared through the double doors at last.

"He's going to be okay," Will informed them, looking just as stricken as they felt. "It was deep and there was a lot of blood loss … but he's going to be okay."

There was a collective sigh of relief and Hailey fell into the chair, burying her face in her hands. Kim was beside her in an instant, laying a comforting hand on her back.

She took a deep settling breath and then looked up at Will again. "Can I …?"

"Yeah," he said and then quietly led her to Jay's room.

He was still asleep, the machines beeping around him. He still looked a little too pale, Hailey thought.

"It's going to be a while before he's awake," Will warned.

"That's okay. I'm not going anywhere. I'll wait for him. However long it takes," she answered not looking away from Jay.

Will smiled, comforted by the fact that someone loved his brother so dearly. He nodded and closed the door behind him.

Hailey waited with Jay as he rested. She was there when he woke groggy and in pain. She stood at his side as the doctors came in to tell him how lucky he had been. The stabbing had been deep and near-fatal but something had kept him alive long enough to see that he reached Gaffney in time.

Jay didn't want to say it then, but he knew what it was, or rather who it had been. He turned to Hailey and she smiled. He held his hand out for her and she didn't hesitate, slipping her hand into his.

"Can I go home now, Will?" Jay asked not looking away from Hailey. Will sighed heavily, and that caused Jay to look over at him. "You know I hate this place. Please don't make me beg," Jay said quietly.

"Fine, but you need to be careful Jay. It's going to be a painful recovery," Will warned.

"It always is," Jay scoffed but Will smiled and left to go handle his discharge.

It had all gone swimmingly until they reached his apartment. It was closer to Gaffney than Hailey's. She had followed him in and fussed over him a great deal. It was different, but not wholly unpleasant. Except, as Will had warned, the recovery had been painful. So, when they had finished up what little Jay could stomach to eat, he had dutifully taken the pain killers and slipped into a rather fitful sleep. His dreams had blurred into nothing that morphed into twisted memories of his past.

They'd been pulled into the medevac, the pain ripped through his entire being. His ears were ringing and his vision spotty at best. Everything hurt. And it burned. For a moment he couldn't understand why until he meekly looked down to see the IV in his arm.

It all burned, horribly and he had the strongest urge to pull it out. It felt like fire in his veins, creeping up and consuming him whole. He was vaguely aware of those above him, shouting out things over the roar of the helicopter but he couldn't make sense of it.

There was sand and dust, swirling around him, around the medevac and Jay found it hard to breathe. Coughing up and feeling like he was slowly being suffocated. He struggled, and everything jerked with him.

When it settled again, it was just Jay in the medevac, though it was still in the air. He looked over and his heart lurched when he noticed who was beside him.

Mouse.

"No! Come back! He needs your help!" Jay cried out to no one in particular. There was no one to hear him. It was just them.

Ignoring his pain, he crawled over to Mouse. His injuries looked far worse than Jay's. Instinctively, Jay pressed a hand to the bleeding wound trying to staunch it as much as possible.

"You're gonna be okay," Jay murmured. "You're gonna be just fine. Hey! Look at me, man! Don't go!"

Mouse gave him a weak smile, slipping in and out of it. The medevac jerked again and they both groaned.

"It's okay, Jay. You're good, now," Mouse mumbled. "You're not alone anymore."

Jay looked at him confused. Of course, he was alone! Mouse was all he had! His best friend. He couldn't leave, not now.

"Don't. Just don't!" Jay warned harshly. "We're gonna make it out just fine."

He looked up but there was no help to be found. Mouse's head dipped and the heart monitor went berserk, beeping rapidly. Outside, the sand storm drew closer and sucked them in. Jay raised a hand, covering his face and holding his breath. The muffled sounds of the helicopter blades were slowing down and he wondered if they had reached their destination. Help would surely be there if they had, right? But when he pulled his hand away, looking up he was no longer in the medevac. Mouse was gone too.

He was standing, alone on a deserted street. Only this one was familiar. The cold wind hit him so fiercely, he shuddered.

This was Chicago.

He took one step forward, wincing and another and then he felt it. That rippling pain he'd felt in the medevac. Looking down he saw the gaping wound on his abdomen; bleeding profusely. He brought his hands up to it, only to discover they were already covered in his blood.

He gasped, a muzzy, dizziness settling over him. Jay swayed and his hand pressed over the open wound as he sank to his knees. The cold snow wetting his pants. It was a startling sensation compared to the same burning running through his veins. He looked down again, this time spotting the IV still in his arm. He felt sick, his stomach twisting and clenching.

His hearing was still muffled, the roar of the Chicago winds making it impossible to hear or see anything.

He was all alone and in so much agony. Everything hurt. Everything felt like it was on fire.

Screaming, he pulled out the IV, throwing it aside as he looked around helplessly. He knew the house down the street. His childhood home. But he also knew no help would find him there. He shifted on his knees, glancing around. And that's when he saw it. Parked across the street, almost as if waiting for him.

"Hailey…" Jay breathed. Only he couldn't see her, not clearly anyway.

The figure leaning against the car certainly seemed like it might be her. But it was too far and his vision too blurry to know for certain. That blonde though… he didn't know another person with hair that exuded such warmth even by the mere sight of it.

"Hailey …" Jay called again, this time his voice carrying with the wind. He gasped, feeling the iciness of the weather stab against his wound. It was almost crippling, but Jay was a little more determined.

The figure came into sight, a little clearer now, waiting for him on the other side. It was Hailey. She didn't say anything, merely looking at him with concern in those beautiful blue eyes of hers. Jay struggled, huffing with exertion as he pushed himself up and towards her. His steps were staggered and heavy but he kept on moving. He'd crossed a great distance, just a few paces from her when she turned and started walking away from him.

"No!" he cried trying to reach for her. His bloodied fingers caught only the air. "Hailey! No! …. Please… w-wait! Hails…" He gasped again, near out of breath as he tried to keep up with her fading figure.

The pain was blinding and hot again, coursing through his entire body. He fell to his knees once more, screaming in agony as he watched her move further and further away.

It hurt. Everything hurt too much.

'Hailey. Please don't go,' Jay thought doubling over in pain. He looked up hastily, trying to find Hailey again. But all he saw was the empty snowy Chicago streets and her figure further than it had ever been.

"Hailey, please… don't go …" Jay called and this time he saw her stop and turn around as if she had heard him.

She didn't move another step. She simply waited and Jay tried futilely to push himself up; in some attempt to close the distance between them. The winds picked up, howling menacingly as they hit him from all sides. He shivered, pressing his hand over the still bleeding wound as he went on unsteady feet.

He walked, but the more he walked the further she seemed to go until eventually, the weather turned wicked. Picking up angrily around them both, it swirled and dipped and bit at his cheeks until he had to look away.

When he looked back, Hailey was gone and he was alone. Slowly, the lights dimmed around him and as it grew darker, Jay was thrown from his nightmare.

He woke in a cold sweat, clutching the sheets fiercely in his hands. Like in his dream, his hearing was muffled, vaguely aware of Hailey murmuring beside him. His hands were shaking and all he saw when he looked down was red. The memory of blood on his hands colouring all rational thought. He was uncertain if he thought he was seeing his blood or Mouse's but the memory had him bolting from the bed.

"Jay!" he thought he heard Hailey call after him, but he didn't stop. He'd rushed into the kitchen, trying with all his might to soothe the terror and panic.

That was how Hailey found him on the kitchen floor, kneeling and muttering to himself. He was quaking and shivering and Hailey was certain it had nothing to do with the cold Chicago air.

"Jay," she called cautiously. But he didn't respond. His arms were braced over his knees and his head tucked down. Earlier, when he'd been stabbed and bleeding out in the dirt, her heart had stopped, right until the doctors had told her he would be okay. Now, her heart broke, for him and all the obvious pain he was in.

She crouched down in front of him. She wasn't sure how much he was aware of and she didn't want to scare him any further.

"Jay," she called again. This time, tentatively, she placed a hand on his forearm. Immediately he tensed, flinching a little. A second later her hand was thrown off him as he jerked back. "Jay! It's me!" she told him, raising her hands in surrender. "It's me. It's Hailey," she told him gently.

His eyes were frantic, searching her and the space behind her for some unknown threat. His entire body was tense and she bit her lip, seeing the red tinge through the shirt. He might have popped a stitch in all his haste.

"Jay. It's Hailey. Please… let me help you."

Somewhere in all the fog, her voice registered and he eased back, the tension dropping slightly from his shoulders. He'd been biting his lip and that was the first thing she thought of stopping. Still moving cautiously, her hands came up running over his lip, soothing the tough treatment he'd given it.

"Jay," she breathed and he exhaled sharply. "It's okay," she promised him as she got to her knees in front of him.

He didn't stop her when she inched closer. She grasped his face in her hands, forcing him to look at her. "Breath, Jay," she instructed. And he did.

Small, shallow breaths at first and then deeper longer ones followed. She counted it out, in her head, watching as his panic slowly receded. It took a while but eventually, he stopped shaking.

She ran her thumbs across his cheeks, wiping at the tears that had fallen there. He might have had some mind to feel embarrassed if his terror hadn't taken him completely by surprise. She tried to take a step back but Jay caught her arm, gripping it hard.

"I'm just going to get some water," Hailey assured him. He seemed to contemplate that for a few seconds before his grip eased up and he let her go.

She turned, hastily and grabbed a bottle from the fridge. She opened it, and then came back down to Jay, holding it against his lips. His fingers trembled slightly as he held the bottle of water, but Hailey said nothing.

She set the water down on the floor beside them, as Jay sighed, his breathing slowly finding an easy pace again. She placed one hand on his arm again, and this time his reaction was only fleeting. Her other hand, went tentatively to cup his cheek and immediately his hand shot up to wrap around her wrist. His grip was firm and almost desperate. Hailey thought maybe she had done the wrong thing but a second later, Jay closed his eyes, leaning into her touch.

She felt his tears hit against her hand and without thinking she leaned in, bringing herself closer. Her other hand came up, wiping away his tears and she kissed his cheek. Jay exhaled in short stocky breaths and she feared he was having another panic attack. His grip on her didn't let up and then his eyes opened, fixed only on her. So much was said in that one single look and she knew there would be no need for words.

She shifted, pushing his legs flat down and then climbing into his lap because she would not go a minute longer without him in her arms. He needed to be grounded by her as much as he did for her. She had always felt safe – safer than she had ever felt – when wrapped in Jay's embrace. So maybe she could give that to him. She straddled his lap and then quickly wrapped her arms around him, pulling him closer and tighter.

His reaction was instant, his arms coming up to grip her shirt, his head buried in the crook of her neck. She whispered soothingly into his hair. Her fingers playing with the ends as his body shook again. She could feel his tears against her skin and she held him tighter. She whispered, over and over again until her words blended; "It's okay," and "I've got you," and most importantly, "I love you."

She wasn't sure if he heard them or not but she didn't care. His breathing grew shallow and his shoulders stopped trembling. His arms grew slack around her and if she didn't know him so well, she might have guessed he had fallen asleep.

Instead, he shifted, pulling back slightly to look at her. This time she could see the slight embarrassment on his face. She grasped his face again and pressed her lips to his. His fingers wove into her hair as he kissed her back, hard. He didn't want to let go, he didn't want to come up for air even though his lungs protested it. She was the first real thing he knew since waking from his nightmare. Real and good and he didn't want to let that go; not for a second.

Hailey was the first to pull away, and he was already leaning forward trying to chase her lips when she held him firm, pressing a chaste kiss to his lips again.

They settled in silence on the kitchen floor, Hailey running her fingers through his hair as Jay leaned his head back against the cupboard. His eyes had fallen shut again, his breathing a little more regular as was his heartbeat. Only his mind was erratic.

"Jay," Hailey finally said quietly.

He didn't answer immediately, his eyes flickered open to look at her. She waited, patiently and at last, he seemed to find the courage.

"When she put the IV in," he started in a quiet voice is eyes looking over Hailey's shoulder playing out the memory in his mind, "back in the ambulance today… it was like being back in that medevac." Hailey's fingers twitched but she didn't dare interrupt him. "I don't remember much," he cast his eyes down with a heavy sigh, "but I do remember how it itched and burned. How everything felt like it was one fire and it hurt. God Hailey," he whispered his head falling a little more on her shoulder, "it hurt so much."

Her arms came up, wrapping around him, rubbing soothingly on his back as best she could. "I'm sorry, Jay. I'm so sorry," she murmured. "Was that what you were dreaming about?"

Her question had him tensing beneath her but thankfully he didn't pull away. He swallowed, lifting his head off her shoulder. "A little," he admitted. His voice has brittle and Hailey knew there was more to this. "It started with being in that medevac … but then it changed."

He didn't meet her eyes then and she worried her lip between her teeth wondering how far would be too much for him.

"What changed?"

"Everything," he answered. Hailey waited, hoping he would tell her more but he didn't. He seemed hesitant, scared almost to share this with her.

"Jay," she said gently. "It's okay. I'm here and you're here. You don't have to tell me. I just want to help."

She wouldn't force him to explain anything, not when he was tethering on the edge already. He nodded, sucking in a sharp breath and she was certain he would take the path of least resistance and not say anything. Her hand reached up to cup his cheek, again and again, instinctively he gripped her wrist. This time, turning slightly so he could press a kiss over her pulse.

His lips lingered there as his eyes fell shut and Hailey leaned forward, pressing their forehead together.

"It started with just me in that medevac but then Mouse was there too," Jay quietly explained. She felt her heart clench, she knew what a special place Mouse had in Jay's heart. "We were both hurt and I … I remember that damned IV in my arm," he continued frowning hard at the memory. "And I was hurt … just like this," he glanced down to where the bandaged stab wound was. "But then everything shifted. Mouse was gone and I was no longer in the medevac. I was … here."

"Here? Like here in –"

"Chicago," Jay nodded slightly.

He trembled, remembering what came next. The cold, the chase and then nothing at all. When he looked back at Hailey, it was to find her watching him, waiting so patiently for him. He felt her gentle touch, along his jaw and into his hair.

"I was standing on the same street where I grew up," Jay explained. "I was still hurt, exactly as I had been in the medevac. Home… home was just there but I knew I'd never get help there. And then …" he frowned again thinking it over, "I pulled out the IV and everything hurt like mad, but then I saw you." His eyes flickered to her uncertainly for a moment.

"Me?" she asked shocked.

"You were standing on the other side of the street," he murmured, "waiting I think."

"What happened next?" she asked but he didn't answer. She was stubborn though. "Jay, what happened next?" there was a slight tremor in her voice. One that he heard very clearly.

"I tried to get to you but you …" he shook his head, looking away, "you turned and walked away. The more I tried to catch up the further you went. Until there was nothing."

"Oh Jay," Hailey breathed, tears falling down her cheeks. She leaned in, hugging him close again. "Jay …" he gripped her hard, burying his face into the crook of her neck again as she tried to find the words to soothe his fears.

"You kept moving further and further away," he mumbled against her skin. "You just … left."

Hailey felt her heart crumble at his words. Of course, it was just a dream - a nightmare more like it – but for a short while, he had lived it in his mind. She couldn't bear to think what that must have been like.

"It was just a nightmare Jay. I would never …" she trailed off as he pulled back and she saw the distress in his eyes.

"It didn't feel like that," he admitted quietly. "It felt like more than just a nightmare. It was more like the only fear I ever had come to life." He pulled back, just a little his eyes shining with fresh tears and a new delicate vulnerability. "Don't go. Please, Hails. I can't lose you," he begged.

"You won't," she was quick to respond. "I'm not going anywhere, Jay. I promise." She pressed a kiss to his tense brow and felt him relax just a little beneath her. But it was not enough. "I'm not going to leave Jay. I said I'd follow you anywhere, and I meant it."

He nodded furiously, keeping his eyes cast down. She reached for his face once more, grasping it gently in her hands. His green met her blue and there was a whole world of love and tenderness that passed between them.

"I – " Jay choked back a sob, as he gripped her tightly. "I can't be without you. I don't ever want to be without you."

"And I don't want to be without you, not ever," Hailey replied. "I love you, Jay. More than I ever thought I was capable of. I promise you won't lose me."

He exhaled like he was doing so in some relief. "I love you, Hails," he whispered kissing her quickly. "You're everything. And I'm sorry – about this … I didn't think it would trigger -"

"Don't you dare apologise, Jay," she told him firmly. "You have nothing to apologise for. And especially not this. You always tell me it's going to be okay. Well now, I'm going to tell you," she paused, shifting so he was looking at her again, "it's going to be okay. We're going to be okay, Jay. I'm here for it all. The good and the bad. I'm not going anywhere," she repeated vehemently.

Jay nodded but another dark thought reared its head. "Hails… Reynolds… is he…?" he stuttered. He was certain his shot hadn't been lethal but everything was a blur right then.

"He's okay," Hailey replied quickly. "He'll have to serve time but things would have been far worse if he shot you."

"I didn't want to... but he didn't want to listen! I swear Hailey if I thought there was another way!" Jay rambled.

"Hey! Jay! It's okay, I know," she quickly assured him. "I know. You did the right thing. The hard thing but – you didn't have a choice." She soothed the crease in his brow and ran her fingers along his tense jaw a moment later, "You might have saved him from a worse fate."

Jay chuckled mirthlessly. "Somehow I don't see that."

"Well, now he won't be charged with the murder of a Chicago police officer. And he had agreed to flip on the crew that put him up to this. Honestly, he's just a kid that got caught up in all this and found himself in way too deep," Hailey explained. "Your shot was non-lethal. You knew what you were doing."

"I love you," he said again because he needed her to know he meant it. He was a mess right now but his love for her was the only thing that he seemed certain of. She was the only real thing at that moment.

"I know Jay," she said softly. "I'm not going anywhere. I promise." She leaned in, pressing their foreheads together as she whispered reverently, "You're going to be okay. I promise. It's going to be okay."

Jay nodded and kissed her again, this time slow and with purpose. He swallowed every gasp, every little moan, he took from her all the comfort and strength she had to give, because this time, it was Hailey who would be strong for the both of them. In all the previous times, Jay had shielded her, loved and helped her heal, it came so naturally now to want to do the same for him. No part of her could bear to see him suffer like this. He had to know what he meant to her; how impossible it seemed to even think about not being with him. Whatever came up, past traumas, future issues, they would deal with it together.

They were both breathless, panting heavily as they held to each other. Her hands fell to his chest and her eyes followed the movement. A moment later, she winced, seeing the stain through his shirt.

"I think we need to have a look at that," she said quietly motioning to the little bloodstain.

Jay glanced down, nodding, "In a moment," he promised.

"Does it hurt?"

"Yeah," he sighed looking down at his hand where they had stuck the IV in. There was no mark to say anything had ever been there, but Jay could feel it well enough. "But the memory of it hurts more," he told her.

Hailey's fingers traced over the spot he was staring at. He grasped her fingers in his, absently playing with them. She wasn't sure if it was the memory of her walking away or the actual IV that has him scowling a little. Hailey would guess it was the first.

"Jay," she said, her voice decidedly firmer than it had been since they found themselves on the kitchen floor. He looked up a little surprised. "I need you to know that I mean it. I'm not going anywhere. I love you. You know that right?" she didn't mean to ask it so demandingly but the words just fell from her lips.

Surprisingly, Jay's lip turned up just a little. "I do. We're not going to be without each other," he said resolutely. "I love you too Hailey." He pressed a kiss to her forehead and then lifted her hand, pressing a kiss to her palm. She cupped his cheek, keeping it there, savouring the warmth, "Thank you," he added softly.

She smiled. "I've got your back, babe," Hailey said lightly.

Jay chuckled a little and they sat in the kitchen holding each other for just a moment longer. They would eventually have to get up off the floor. Jay needed his bandages changed and possibly need to check if he actually popped a stitch. But all that could wait for another moment. There would be plenty of time for everything else because she wasn't going anywhere. She'd repeat it a thousand times over if that's what it took because Jay had it right, they were not going to be without each other. Not ever.

Thank you for the wonderful responses to these little one-shots! Please leave a little love here too. I hope to have more content ready for you real soon!

Stay safe!