Thank you for all the love so far on this little idea of mine! Truly makes me so happy! Hope everyone is alive after Wednesday's episode. I can't stop watching those last 5 minutes!
xo, S.
Hailey and Jay settled into the booth in a back corner with the rest of the group, as they waited for Adam to come back with the first round. Beers all around and a round of tequila shots to celebrate, as Kim said, "two love struck idiots who finally pulled the wool from their eyes." Everyone raised a glass to that.
As Hailey and Kim were engrossed at something on Kim's phone, and Adam and Kevin were caught up about the score of last night's basketball game, Jay sat back in his seat and took in the sight before him. He had his hand securely on Hailey's kneecap, her fingers laced through his. His friends were all around him, and Jay truly felt content for the first time in a long time. He got lost in his thoughts for longer than intended, as he felt Hailey squeeze his thigh and gently call his name, "Jay?"
He snapped back into it and turned his head towards her, "Sorry Hails, got distracted."
She smiled, "Everything okay?" Jay nodded, "Never better." He leaned over and pressed a kiss to her temple, inhaling the sweet smell of her hair as he whispered into her ear, "Have we stayed long enough?"
Hailey glanced around, taking in the view in front of her. Kevin had left the table and was chatting it up with the new paramedic at 51, Mackey. Adam and Kim were huddled in the opposite corner of the booth, flirting and caught up in their own world.
She turned her head and caught his lips in a chaste kiss, "I don't think anyone will miss us." She pulled out a few bills to cover what she and Jay drank, and tapped Jay for him to slide out of his end. Jay was reaching into his jacket pocket to grab his wallet when he saw her put the bills down, "Hails, I got it."
Hailey shook her head at him, "I'd rather you pay for drinks when we go out alone, just us." Smirking in his direction, Jay picked up on what she was putting down. "You mean, when I take you on the date that you deserve."
She smiled wide and scrunched her nose up at him, "Exactly." Reaching her hand out again, she pushed him a little harder, so he would slide out of the booth and they could make their escape unseen by their friends.
Jay stepped out of the booth and reached behind him to lace his fingers with Hailey's, he tugged her to the door before anyone could stop them and they stepped out into the cold night air, ready to get back to Hailey's place to continue what they started earlier that morning.
Hailey was sitting on her couch, wearing Jay's tee shirt, watching him in her kitchen. He was putting their pizza on plates, and as he was padding around her kitchen, she couldn't help but stare. She's seen him countless times without a shirt on, but now, in her kitchen, with only sweatpants hanging low on his hips, it felt like a new level of intimate.
Jay, feeling Hailey's eyes on his, looked up at her, "See something you like?" Hailey waved her hand at him, "Ehh, maybe."
Jay chuckled and rolled his eyes playfully at her, "Maybe?"
She got up from her spot on the couch and walked into the kitchen to help him carry their dinner in, letting her hand graze his lower back as she passed him.
Jay reached out for her, and pulled her body into his, gently pressing her against the edge of the counter. "Well, I see something I like."
He pressed a kiss at the edge of her lips, his left hand tracing her collar bone. Hailey smirked against his cheek, "And what's that?"
Jay pressed his body harder into hers, moving his lips to the other side of hers, "You." He pressed another kiss below her ear, "in my shirt."
Hailey sighed into him and squeezed his forearm, "Jay." He smiled into her neck, feeling her squeezing his arm, "Hails." He ghosted his lips over her jawline, gathering her hair and pulling it to one side, letting his fingers get lost in her curls.
She let out a louder sigh as he massaged his fingertips into her scalp and bared his teeth on her exposed neck. "Pizza's getting cold." Hailey felt him shake his head slightly, running his tongue over the spot where his teeth just were, soothing the bite.
He pulled away slightly, bringing his mouth up to her ear, "I'm suddenly not so hungry." Hailey pulled back from his grip slightly, leaning her back further against the counter and putting her palms on his chest.
"As much as I love this, nobody likes me when I'm hungry." Jay opened his mouth to counter her statement, Hailey laid two fingers against his lips, "Not even you." Jay chuckled and nodded, "I could never not like you, but hangry Hails is not it." He pressed a kiss to her fingers and pulled his body off hers, Hailey turning around and grabbed their plates, making her way to the couch.
As Jay left her house Sunday night with the promise of coffee, a pick up the next morning and a deep, long kiss goodnight, Hailey stared out the window watching him leave. She was overwhelmed at the rush of emotions she was feeling – happy, sated, and a little sad as she turned around and took in her empty house. She moved into her living room, seeing Jay's shirt on the floor from the night before when he pulled it off her, and bent down to pick it up. She brought it to her face and inhaled the scent that was perfectly and uniquely Jay – woodsy, citrusy, a little minty. She balled the shirt up in her hands, shut off her lights downstairs and moved upstairs to get ready for bed.
The weekend went by much too fast for both Jay and Hailey's liking, as Jay pulled into the rollup, pausing at the front gate to let Hailey out, "I have to pull all the way in to get the tags updated." Hailey nodded, grabbing her coffee from the middle console, taking a quick look around, and leaned over to press a kiss to his lips. "See you in there." She sent him a smile and hopped out of the truck, making her way through the back entrance. Before she could close door, she heard Jay's voice, "Hails." She turned around, smiling back at him, "Jay." He leaned over a little bit, "You. Me. RPM. Tomorrow night, 8:30." Hailey couldn't contain the smile that continued to spread across her face, "It's a date."
After settling in and checking her morning emails, Hailey made her way down to Platt's desk to grab her subpoenas for the week. Platt looked up when she heard Hailey tap at the desk, "Upton." Platt looked at her over the rim of her glasses.
Hailey smiled and accepted the documents Platt slid over to her, "Morning Sarge." Platt took her glasses off and seemingly gave Hailey a once over, "Someone's chipper this morning." Hailey shrugged and smirked slightly, her blue eyes sparkling, "Had a good weekend."
Before Platt could answer, the metal gate flew open, hitting the brick wall and Hailey looked over to see her co-workers, Jay included, flying out of it and down the stairs. Jay handed Hailey her vest, "We gotta roll."
Hailey grabbed the vest from him and turned on her heels, following Jay out the door and to his truck. She hopped in the passenger side of his truck and secured her vest, reading over the file Jay grabbed for her on his way out. "Is this a domestic gone bad? This guy, Thomas, has no sheet, clean as a whistle until right now."
Jay shook his head, "Not sure. Voight got a call from Miller saying we were requested to go down there. Apparently, this guy and his wife are in the middle of a nasty divorce and the wife wants to take the kids across the country." Hailey nodded, pulling at her vest a little tighter, and made sure Jay's was secure as well, as he sped over to the scene.
They arrived, and were immediately swarmed with blue lights and hostage negotiators. Voight came up to Jay, "Grab your sniper rifle. Find a roof on the left side of the street, be ready to shoot when ordered." Jay and Hailey shared a glance, he discreetly reached down for her hand, gave it a tight squeeze and bounded across the street, meeting with the swat team to coordinate with them. Hailey was left with the rest of Intelligence, who were gearing up and waiting for instructions. Hailey strapped the holster to her thigh, making sure extra bullets were secure.
After receiving their orders from Voight and the negotiator, the group split up. Hailey and Kevin were sent to breach the back door while Adam and Kim, along with half a dozen other officers, breached the front door. Jay found his place on a roof across the street, watching as his team broke off, more specifically watching Hailey and Kevin creep around the side of the house.
Jay felt emotion bubbling up in his chest as he watched them disappear around the side, most likely having found the back door. He should be down there, he should be protecting her 6. Kevin was great, and knew he would protect Hailey but he still had a feeling in the pit of his stomach that he couldn't shake.
Kevin went through the back door first, quietly, motioning for Hailey to follow him. They were to remain silent until the other half of their team came through the front door. Noise was coming from the floor above them, footsteps pacing back and forth. Then banging, followed by the unmistakable cry of a child. Hailey looked at Kevin, before whispering into her ear piece, "Sarge, it sounds like Thomas has a kid up there, maybe more than one. We're hearing banging and heavy footsteps."
Jay's ears perked up at the sound of Hailey's whispered voice and his stomach clenched tighter. Wait, Hailey. Wait for them to breach the front.
Kevin and Hailey waited on baited breath for Voight's order, "Front door, hold." Jay's heart sank. No, no. Let them go first.
Voight continued, "Hailey, Atwater, clear the ground floor. Then go upstairs. Tell us when you've made it up there." Jay couldn't breathe. Shit.
"Halstead, you have a shot?" Jay angled his face to look through the scope, "Sarge, I see him. Second bedroom, northwest corner. No joy, he keeps pacing end to end."
Hailey and Kevin crept their way upstairs, Kevin letting the team outside know they made it up. Hailey heard Jay when he noted Thomas and the crying child were in the northwest corner bedroom. She focused her eyes, and saw a strip of light, putting her hand on Kevin's shoulder to indicate the direction she was looking in, he nodded at her, and they began their way down the hall.
Jay was anxiously tapping his fingers on the edge of the roof, waiting to hear anything from Hailey or Kevin. Kevin's voice boomed through the ear piece, "Chicago PD." He instantly put his eye to the scope, watching for his shot, watching for Hailey.
Thomas raised his gun at Kevin and Hailey, Kevin instinctively taking a step in front of her. Hailey's voice came through their ear piece next, "Look man, make this easy for yourself. Let the kids out of here and you and me, we can talk about this." Through the scope, Jay could make out the offender waving his gun at Hailey. His finger twitched on the trigger, still unable to get a clean shot.
On the outside, Adam and Kim watched as Voight and the hostage negotiator argued about the team breaching the front. Voight's voice carried, "NO. You are not breaching the front and spooking this guy further. Two of my guys are in there." The negotiator ignored Voight, to everyone's shock, and his team went through the front door. Adam and Kim stayed rooted in their place, looking at Voight for their next move.
Then they heard gunshots echoing through the house. Jay's heart sank. Hailey.
Inside, Hailey and Kevin heard the front door being slammed in. They shared a worried glance, as they almost had Thomas standing down, ready to talk and let his kids out of the house. Before they knew what was happening, they heard the cocking of Thomas' gun.
Hailey caught the little girl in her peripheral vision, scooting away from her father, and staring at Hailey. Not wanting the girl to catch one of the flying bullets, Hailey side stepped. Kevin saw what she was doing and continued to scream at Thomas, to put his gun down.
Voight called for Jay through the ear piece, "Halstead. You get a shot, you take it." Jay braced himself, squaring his shoulders and focused his right eye through the scope, "Copy."
Thomas noticed Hailey moving, and pointed his gun at her, "HEY. Stop moving." Hailey lowered her gun, keeping it in her hand and raised both of her hands. "Man, do you want your little girl to get hurt? I'm trying to get to her. Let me get to her." Hailey heard Jay's voice in the ear piece, "No joy Upton, I don't have a shot."
She was pleading with the offender with her eyes, to let him get his daughter to a safe place. The swat team breached the bedroom, Kevin screaming at them to stand down, Voight bounding through the group of cops to get to Hailey and Kevin, with Adam and Kim on his tail.
Voight yelled an order over the negotiator, "Hold your fire." As Hailey made her way closer to the little girl and motioned for her to come over, she heard a bullet and looked up, surprised to see Thomas had lowered his gun and was ready to stand down.
Then she felt it. The pain seared through her side. She saw white in front of her eyes, and she fell to the floor.