Chapter 17

Intelligence was swamped with cases for the next month. As soon as they closed one case, two more popped up to take its place. Jay and Hailey continued apartment hopping every day or so, but they learned to pack better to avoid "wardrobe malfunctions." No more missing lingerie or socks!

One night they were making dinner at Hailey's place. Jay stirred the spaghetti sauce while Hailey sat at the island and went through her snail mail. She picked up a notice from her leasing office. "Oh yeah, here's a reminder that my lease is up next month. What are we going to do about our housing situation?"

"Right," said Jay. "We've been either too busy or too tired to look for a place." Indeed, every night and every weekend they sprawled on the couch – eating, watching a game or nodding off.

"This place is larger," said Hailey.

"And it would be easier for me to move here because I don't have as many clothes to pack," added Jay.

Hailey wadded up the notice and threw it at him. "Hey! Are you implying I'm a clothes hoarder?"

Jay laughed and caught it in his left hand. Then he pointed a spoon at her. "All I'm saying is that like most women, you have a ton of shoes and clothes and cosmetics. I, on the other hand, travel light."

"Wow, that's good to know in case we, you know, go on an around-the-world trip at some point."

Jay shrugged. "You never know."

"But seriously, are you still okay with breaking your lease?" asked Hailey. "Because I would find a way to make it up to you."

Jay gave her a quizzical look. "Yeah? How so?"

"Gee, I don't know. But I'm sure I'd think of something," said Hailey with a little smile.

"I don't think I can pass up that offer. And Hailey, we can go month-to-month until we make a final decision."

"So, it's settled. You'll move in here. Want to go get the rest of your clothes after dinner?"

"Negative," frowned Jay. "You know it's supposed to rain cats and dogs tonight." He paused to taste the spaghetti sauce. "This weekend is soon enough. Right now, dinner is served."

"Good. I'm starving," said Hailey. She slid off the stool and went and wrapped her arms around Jay from behind. "Guess what? I'll even give you half my sock drawer."

Jay turned around in her arms. "See, that's just one of the many reasons I love you."

By the time another full moon rolled around, the Halstead and Upton households were combined. Will helped Jay move his furniture into storage. "Until we figure out our long-term strategy," explained Jay.

Will dropped onto the couch after they pushed it into the storage unit and blew out a sigh. "So, Hailey's your end goal?"

"Hell, yeah."

Will gave him a look. "I know, I know, there was a time when I thought Erin was the one." Jay rubbed the back of his neck. "But, I don't know, she had so much baggage with Bunny and Voight. It was never-ending."

"Not to mention, it would have been pretty scary having Hank Voight as a pseudo-father-in-law."

Jay laughed. "Yeah, boss and father-in-law. Scary as hell."

"Well, I'm happy for both of you," smiled Will. "Hailey will make a great sister-in-law."

Jay threw up a hand. "Hold up. We're not there yet."

Before Will could argue the point, his phone rang. "Dr. Halstead." He listened for a minute and checked his watch. "Understood. I can be there in 45 minutes."

"Problem?" asked Jay.

"Dr. Sandhu's daughter broke her leg at gymnastics. She may need surgery. I'm going to cover his evening shift."

"Okay. Hey, thanks for helping with this."

"You're welcome. I'll be expecting a dinner invitation soon."

"I'll let my roommate know," laughed Jay.

Next Day at the District

"Halstead, I got an alert from the system that your address was updated last night," said Platt.

Jay stood at the front desk with a quirky little smile on his face. Hailey was beside him with a pleasant, but bland expression. "That's right," he confirmed.

Platt peered closely at him. "Anything else you'd like to update? Emergency contact, next-of-kin?"

"Nope. All good."

Platt switched her attention to Hailey. "What about you, Upton?"

"I'm squared away. But thanks for checking."

Atwater appeared at the top of the stairs. "Guys, shake a leg. We got a case."

"Duty calls!" said Jay. "Sarge, you have a very good day."

They think they're so cute, mumbled Platt as they ran up to Intelligence.

Six Months Later

"Hey, Vanessa wants to have dinner tonight with me and Kim tomorrow night," said Hailey. She and Jay were in the bedroom folding and putting away their clean laundry.

Jay paused in the middle of folding a towel. "Dinner or dinner and drunk karaoke?"

Hailey gave a little smirk. "Well, you know Vee."

"I do know Vee," he laughed. "Go. Have fun."

"You're sure?"

"Yeah, I'll see if Will's free. I'm sure he needs a chance to vent about hospital politics or global warming or the price of his morning coffee."

"You're the best," said Hailey as she handed him a stack of tee shirts to put away.

"Yes, I am . . . and don't you forget it," said Jay.

"Oh, I won't," laughed Hailey. She flicked a towel at Jay, but he grabbed the end of it and pulled her toward him. "Show me how you won't forget," challenged Jay.

Hailey stood on her tiptoes and pulled his head down for a kiss.

Jay and Will met at a new pizzeria in Will's neighborhood that he said was almost as good as Bartoli's. Then after he'd exhausted his list of complaints about work, there was a lull in the conversation.

"You know what? It's time," said Jay.

"Time for another pitcher of beer? Great idea," said Will as he signaled the waitress.

Jay rolled his eyes. "That was not where I was going."

"Okay, spit it out. Is Voight giving you a hard time?"

Jay shook his head. "No, Voight is just Voight." When he hesitated, Will blurted, "Did Hailey throw you out?"

"No, man. Get real. She loves me." He paused. "It's time for me to pop the question."

Will smiled broadly. "Seriously? What took you so long?"

"Shut up."

"So, I guess you want Mom's ring?"

"Actually, no. I was thinking about that. It seems kinda tainted, you know, since I was going to propose to Erin with it."

"But you didn't," Will reminded him.

"Yeah. But I would remember that every time I saw it on Hailey's finger. Besides, she might not like the style."

"Okay, I see your point."

Jay looked around at the other customers. There were couples on dates and families with rowdy kids. Everyone was having a good time. Jay felt like he was the only person there who was anxious. "But what if she says no?"

Will sighed. "Jay, do you know how stupid that sounds? Of course, she'll say yes."

"I hope so."

"Why don't you go home right now and ask her. Then text me with the answer."

"Tonight might not be the best time. She'll still be wound up after her girls' night and I want her stone-cold sober when I ask."

Will shrugged. "Fair enough. But don't wait too long. You might get cold feet."

Jay chuckled. "Cold feet? Dude, I stare down criminals every day. One little question isn't going to trip me up."

Be home in 20. Jay read Hailey's text before he exited his truck. Perfect, he thought. That's enough time for my little project.

Saturday Morning

Jay stood in the kitchen sipping his coffee. He was too excited to even sit down at the island. He hoped the aroma would draw Hailey out of bed soon. She didn't know it yet, but he had an interesting day planned for them. Finally, he heard some shuffling in the hall and then Hailey appeared.

"Morning, sleepyhead," he smiled. He slid her coffee cup across the island as she took a seat.

"Thanks," she mumbled. "How did I face mornings before you moved in?"

Jay took another sip. "That is truly a mystery." They savored their coffee in silence for a few moments. Then Hailey said, "What? You're staring."

"I don't mean to rush you, but we need to get going soon."

"Going where? It's Saturday and we're not on the call rotation," said Hailey.

Jay sighed. "Thank goodness. I planned some activities for us today."

"Activities? Hmm, dare I ask what kind?"

"Interesting activities, fun activities," said Jay. "That's all I'm gonna say."

"You don't find grocery shopping and vacuuming interesting and fun enough?" teased Hailey.

"Afraid not," he smirked. "You trust me, right?"

"Of course." She slid her hand over and grasped his. "I trust you every day with my life so I suppose I can trust you with our social calendar," said Hailey with a smile.

Jay nodded. "I knew you'd get it."

"Jay, why are we strolling in this mostly deserted business area?" asked Hailey. "Are we really doing surveillance and you didn't bother to tell me?"

They walked another half block and then Jay stopped. "Do you remember this place?"

Hailey frowned. "This place? It says it's a credit union. Did you want to open an account? Because it's not open yet."

Jay could hardly contain his excitement. "Does it bring back any memories?"

Hailey looked again at the building and then it hit her. "Wait . . . isn't this where Intelligence tried to hijack my crime scene when I was in Robbery-Homicide?"

"It is." Jay was now wearing a huge grin. "This is where I first laid eyes on you. I was shocked and appalled and intrigued at how you ripped into Voight. It was totally badass. I had never seen another cop do that to Hank Voight. Right then, I knew I wanted to know everything about you. Of course, I could never have dreamed how things would work out."

Hailey was feeling overwhelmed by Jay's impromptu admission. "You like the way things have worked out so far?" she asked.

"Absolutely!" He let got go of her hand and dropped to one knee. Hailey's eyes went wide and her heart began pounding.

"Hailey Ann Upton, you are my partner on the job and you are my best friend. You understand me and you push me to be a better person, even when I don't even want to try. You support and encourage me and are always there for me." He paused and took a deep breath. "I love you, Hailey. and I want you to be my partner in life, so will you marry me?"

Jay's heart was racing; surely, Hailey could hear it. He reached in his pocket and brought out his version of an engagement ring. He wondered how Hailey would react to this.

"Think of this as a temporary placeholder," he said as he slid it on her left hand.

Hailey was stunned. She figured he was taking her to some new breakfast spot. Never in her wildest dreams did she expect a marriage proposal this Saturday morning! "Yes, yes, yes! I love you, Jay Alexander Halstead!" She felt tears threatening to run down her cheeks. Then she took a closer look at her "engagement" ring.

"Jay, is this a zip tie?"

"Well, a modified one," he sheepishly admitted. "I made it last night."

Hailey burst out laughing. "I love it! It's certainly original and definitely appropriate given our line of work!"

Jay could relax now. The hard part was over. "It was either that or a ring from a bubble gum dispenser."

Hailey turned her hand one way and then another as she admired her new bling. "Good thing I know you're not a serial killer or I would never have let you put a zip tie on me."

"Copy that. Are you disappointed that it's not a real ring? I had no idea what kind you'd like."

Hailey wrapped her arms around Jay's neck. "Jay, you are more important to me than any ring. As long as I have you, I'm good."