Chapter 27

Hello friends! I am back with another chapter and you'll finally have an answer as to what happens to Hailey next. It is a long chapter, so please bear with me. Hope you enjoy. :)

Jay was paralysed on spot because he was sure there had been an accident and the rushing of people towards the scene confirmed all his doubts. For a long moment he didn't know what to do, he couldn't move and he was still trying to get on himself. Then suddenly he realised he needed to do something so he began speaking in the phone again, practically shouting, "Hello! Hello! Is anybody there?"

No one responded, so he continued, worried out of his mind, hands trembling like leaves, "Can anybody hear me? Hello!"

And suddenly he heard movement and a loud noise, someone had picked the phone from where it was lying. The person spoke, "Hello? Who's this?"

Jay was relieved beyond comprehension and he quickly replied, "Hello sir, I am Detective Jay Halstead with the Chicago PD. The person who has encountered an accident is my"—

He had to stop because he didn't know what to say. Hailey was neither his partner nor his girlfriend anymore. But he continued nonetheless, realising that all this didn't matter now, "She's a detective too, please make sure she's sent to a hospital immediately. Call 911 and have them speak to me once they have reached the hospital. I would be utterly grateful if you could do this sir."

The man on the phone to took a moment to register all the information and said a clear, "Sure, I'll have them get back to you soon."

"Thank you so much, I really appreciate this sir," Jay said literally meaning every word. Then he asked the question he was dreading to ask, "How is she? What has happened?"

The man didn't answer immediately, he was probably himself trying to see what was going on, but finally he spoke, "She's unconscious and there is blood. The guy who knocked into her is also unconscious, but there is a distinct smell of liquor from him."

Jay was enraged to a level he had never been before and he was wished he was there to beat the crap out of that guy. Then he realised he had to ask, "Is she alive?"

He waited, not breathing, not feeling anything, just waiting to hear what he wanted to hear. And the man said what he was hoping to hear, she was alive, just unconscious. He sighed, tears rolling down his from his eyes. He thanked the man once again and cut the call only to call Voight. He told Voight everything and Voight was worried, it was heard in his voice. Jay got the permission he needed and left for New York immediately.

He arrived past midnight to the hospital. The man on the phone had kept his word and Jay had spoken to the paramedics and knew which hospital he was supposed to go. He arrived there as fast as he could, frantically looking for the one face that kept him alive. He learned that she was still in surgery and would be out soon. He waited impatiently in the waiting area, controlling his emotions and the tears that were only too ready to drop down from his eyes. Suddenly he saw a doctor coming out and he enquired and the doctor looked at him sadly and said, "I am sorry."

Jay couldn't believe what he was hearing. This couldn't be happening, no, this couldn't be happening. Hailey couldn't die. He looked at the doctor with eyes full of tears, attempting to make him say that what he said was unreal and that it was not true. The doctor gently placed his hand on Jay's shoulder and shook his head gently. Jay let out a no that was too loud and that pulled him out of his terrible nightmare. He looked around frantically and saw that he had simply dozed off and he had had a terrible dream. It was not uncommon that when one was weak one was attacked by negative thoughts and ideas more easily. He shook his head and rubbed his face to keep himself awake. He had to calm down and not let his mind wander in all directions. And this time a doctor really came out of the operation room and Jay approached him quickly, forgetting to breathe.

"Are you here for Hailey Upton?" the doctor asked still not sure who he was.

"Yes, I am here for her. How is she?" he asked bracing himself for the answer on which his life depended.

"She's still unconscious and has several broken ribs. Her right elbow too is cracked due to the impact. But she should be fine, there is no real danger anymore," the doctor replied as calmly as possible.

Jay didn't know how he should react. Should he be happy that she was alive or sad that she was injured so badly? He thanked the doctor genuinely relieved to hear that Hailey was going to be fine. He asked finally, "Can I go see her?"

The doctor hesitated for a moment then asked, "I am sorry, who are you?"

"I am a detective and so is Hailey," he replied, not wanting to divulge more into this.

The doctor seemed to be convinced and he told Jay in which ICU she was. He took quick steps towards the room and opened the door gently. The moment he saw her his heart broke, there were bruises and there was pain all over her. Her eyes were closed, and for once that was good thing because that way she wouldn't feel anything. He approached her in scared steps and pulled the stool that was on the side and sat beside her, his eyes not leaving her for even a moment. He gently held her left hand, remembering that her right side was injured. He whispered looking at her, "Hailey, I am here. I am here. Please come back to me."

No response, it was probably too early for her to wake up. The anaesthesia would take some more time and he just had to wait. Then he wondered if her colleagues at the FBI bureau knew about this. He thought of giving OA a call and finding out, but the chances were that they didn't know, otherwise they would have all certainly been here. He called him from her phone and spoke to him softly not wanting it to come as a sudden shock. But anyone would have been shocked and so was OA. He was so agitated that Jay wondered if the man was always like this or was this something else. Nonetheless, OA had said that he would inform the others soon and they would all be there as fast as they could.

The team arrived soon and Jay met everyone, only having heard about the vaguely. He knew only one person very well and that person approached him. He was looking at Erin after four years and he realised in that instant he didn't feel anything. There was no love, no hatred, no indifference, no grudge, nothing at all. This experience came to him as a shock because he hadn't known what he would feel. And he concluded that this was a sign of moving on and growing up and becoming more mature, which if he observed closely, he had learnt from Hailey. She had really taught him a lot of important things about life. Erin spoke finally, "I am so sorry that you have to go through this."

He nodded, sensing that emotions were overcoming him. Erin saw that and continued, "Hailey's a great detective and an even better human being. We were partnered today as well and I saw that she has only become better as a person. I had liked her the day she had come into our unit."

For a brief moment Jay wondered why Erin was praising Hailey so much, but soon enough he realised that she was genuinely saying what she was saying. He nodded again and spoke this, "I am sure Hailey feels the same way about you."

Erin smiled and walked away. The night wore on and everyone was waiting impatiently for Hailey to wake up. But that didn't happen and finally Jay offered that he would stay, and the other could go home. He would let them know if anything happened. Everyone agreed and slowly everyone left, save Maggie, OA and Jay. Maggie seemed to be surprisingly more disturbed, considering this was the first time she had met Hailey. Why that was so, none the men wanted to ask. But in Maggie's mind the answer was very simple, she could relate with Hailey and she knew how things could get difficult for women. And of course, she had heard so many good things about her, and half of them from OA. Jay assured them that he would stay here and update them as soon as a change came about. So finally the partners left and Jay was alone with Hailey again. He sat down and felt the exhaustion take over his being with a sudden jolt that he had to sigh to ease the pain. He was still worried and terrified out of his mind. Hailey was alive, Hailey was most probably going to be fine, but the few hours where her life was at risk were probably worse than anything he had ever experienced.

Just like that morning came and the soft rays of sunlight drifted through the room and Jay looked out the window, wondering what this new day would bring. He turned his gaze towards the glass door and saw a man being escorted outside, he too looked as though he had had a bad accident. Jay got up wondering who this guy was, because if he was the drunk driver he wanted to end his life right here. He asked the nurse about the details calmly, not wanting to lose it just yet. But when his guess was confirmed he leapt towards the man and blocked his path, scaring the man slightly. He noticed, it wasn't even a man, it was a young adult. But he didn't care who the person was, he had only one thing on his mind, to teach a lesson to this prick. He grabbed his collar roughly, causing the nurse to call security immediately. The youth had no expression on his face, as though he was least bothered by what had happened and didn't even feel as though he had done something wrong. That angered Jay even more, and he applied more pressure on the guy's collar. The guards had arrived by now and were trying to make him let go of the fellow, but Jay didn't budge, he was adamant on hitting the guy at least once. Nobody was being able to stop this sudden feud that had erupted in the lobby of the hospital, causing people to look strangely and whisper things. But he heard a voice, he heard a voice calling him and he looked towards the room. Hailey was awake now and was in a half sitting position calling out to him. He pushed the prick fiercely one more time and let go, entering the room now. Only she could have stopped him, otherwise this guy would have to spend another day in the hospital.

Jay was still riled up, his breathing was still ragged. He calmed down and looked at her, she looked much better than the previous night. He asked softly, "How are you feeling?"

"Like I have been asleep for years," she replied smiling mildly.

He smiled now, understanding exactly where this came from. This is what he loved about her, yes loved, he was probably more in love with her now, the way she always made everything seem so simple. It was a unique quality and one that certainly helped look at life more positively. Soon the team arrived and everyone was relived and glad to see that Hailey had woken up and that she was fine. The doctor arrived then and gave news that uplifted everyone's heart.

"All the tests have come back and there are no further problems, everything seems to be fine. With two weeks' rest, you should be fine Hailey. And come for a check-up after a week," the doctor said smiling. Doctors too loved giving good news because most of the time they were dealing with difficult and dire situations.

"That's great news doctor," Isobelle said, smiling.

"Yeah," Jubal replied, looking at Hailey with a broad smile.

"I'll take her home," Jay offered.

Everyone looked at him, just surprised. So he continued, "I mean, all of you probably have to get back to work. I am relatively free, so I can take Hailey home."

Nobody questioned him, but everyone internally understood that Jay felt something more towards her. They agreed and left. Hailey had known this would happen so she was surprised or curious. She was just glad that she was getting out of here. But did that mean that Jay was going to stay with her now? This was a question that needed an urgent answer and Hailey was willing to find out what was happening. As much as she loved Jay, they couldn't do this again. They had to give each other some space and time. If Jay was having the same thoughts, he didn't show it. But it appeared that Jay was going to stay with her for at least a few days, until she was better and able to do things on her won again, and Hailey didn't know how to feel about this. Should she be happy or worried?

And that concludes the chapter. The story has certainly loved forward. You'll have to wait and see how this new development plays out. I am to receive comments and ideas. Thank you for reading. :)