Chapter Four: Trudy

"Jay was attacked on base."

Hailey's breath caught in her throat, and she struggled to process what Mouse had just told her. There was no way. Their base was supposed to be safe; a place where they could rest and escape the horrors they saw each day. Jay had told her their base was secure. How was he attacked on base?

"He…was attacked on ba- what?" Hailey stuttered out. "How?! How did someone get on base and attack him without being seen?"

Mouse didn't answer.

It was that silence that flipped the switch in Hailey's brain from concerned wife to detective. Mouse wasn't telling her everything, she could tell.

"Mouse?" Hailey asked, her voice taking on the tone she often used when she was interrogating suspects. She repeated her question from moments before. "How did someone get on base and attack Jay without being seen?"

Another sigh was heard on the other end of the phone, but it was one of resignation and Hailey knew she'd won; she was going to get answers.

"The attack took place out of view of every security camera on base."

There was a beat of silence.

"That's one hell of a coincidence" Hailey stated. Her voice had gone hard as the wheels turned in her head and things started falling into place.

Between what Mouse had told her so far, and the things he hadn't, Hailey was able to start connecting the dots. She didn't like the picture being painted in her mind.

"Yeah," Mouse replied, and his tone made it clear that he agreed with Hailey. "There's a lot we don't know, and a lot we won't know until Jay wakes up and can tell us."

"What do you know?"

With everything she'd heard, Hailey's personal curiosity had given way to professional inquisition. She was thousands of miles away from Jay. She couldn't help him, but she could do what she did best—work the scene, gather information, and solve the case.

In a moment of levity, Mouse snorted over the phone. "Okay Detective Upton, I think we're a little outside of your jurisdiction."

He and Hailey both chuckled, but Mouse's voice was less jovial when he spoke again. "There are rumors though. Nothing that's been confirmed, it's all just gossip at this point, but the entire base has been on lockdown since Jay was found. Command is talking to everyone."

"They think someone knows something." Hailey concluded. She had her suspicions, after everything, but she didn't dare voice them. Voicing those suspicions felt like accepting that they happened, and Hailey didn't want to believe that. Not yet.

Mouse's next statement, unfortunately, confirmed her suspicions. "Or someone did something."

… … …

Hailey didn't have a plan when she left Will and Natalie's house; after her phone call with Mouse, she just needed to get out. Being alone with her thoughts and the information Mouse told her had been overwhelming and suffocating and Hailey needed out. She left a note, grabbed her phone, and headed out into the Chicago night. She didn't even bother taking her car; Hailey just walked.

If asked, Hailey wouldn't remember where she walked or for how long. Her thoughts were guiding her feet and, out of all the places in Chicago, she ended up back at the 21st District. It had been less than twelve hours since she was there last and got the news that rocked her world.

Choosing not to go inside, Hailey sat on one of the benches near the entrance. Work had always been important to her and throwing herself into cases had been an escape she'd turn to often, but tonight was different. Hailey didn't need to throw herself into her work, she wasn't in the right headspace for that, but she needed to be in a place where things made sense, allowing her to work through everything that had happened.

She didn't know how long she sat on that bench before she heard a familiar voice, one she was surprised to hear so late at night.

"Hailey? What are you doing here Goldilocks?"

Hailey turned her head to look at Trudy. The desk sergeant looked concerned.

After a short stare-down, Trudy joined Hailey on the bench. The two sat in silence for a few minutes, the only noise coming from the late-night traffic of Chicago before Hailey finally spoke.

"I got a call a little while ago from one of Jay's teammates—his best friend."

Trudy hummed. "How'd that go?"

There was a moment of quiet before Hailey answered. "He asked how I was, told me more about how Jay was, tried to shine some light on what the officers earlier couldn't." She sighed, then continued. "It was…. a lot."

Trudy's heart went out to the young detective; she couldn't imagine what she was going through. As a police sergeant married to a firefighter, Trudy knew there was always a chance that she (or Mouch) could receive a visit like the one Hailey received—one of the downsides of working a dangerous job. The only difference was that Trudy and Mouch are in the same city, able to be at each other's side in minutes if needed. Hailey was on the other side of the world from Jay.

"That why you're sitting outside of the district at 2:00 am?"

Hailey nodded. "I needed to clear my head after that call with Mouse. I'm too wound up to stay at Will's and there are too many memories of Jay at home. Things make sense here."

The blonde finished with a small shrug, finally looking at Trudy again. The last several hours had been emotional and stressful, and the desk sergeant could see the effect it was having on Hailey.

For as long as Trudy had known Hailey, the younger officer had always been strong and determined and brave, even in the face of great adversity. Now, however, she looked broken down, exhausted, and not just because of the late hour. This was going to stick with her for a long time—long after Jay made it home.

"Things with Jay? They're bad Sarge, really bad." Hailey's voice broke on the last word and Trudy could see new tears shining in her eyes. "Massive blood loss, head trauma, broken bones…. He's had one surgery so far and Mouse said the doctors think he's going to need at least one, maybe two more before he's even stable enough to transfer off base."

"Did they say what happened?"

"No," Hailey said quickly. Too quickly. Trudy quirked an eyebrow and Hailey sighed. "Nothing that's come through official channels anyway."

"' Nothing through official channels? What does that mean?"

Hailey just shook her head. While Hailey trusted Trudy implicitly, she wasn't going to risk Mouse's future with a possible court-martial if anything he said got out.

"I can't lose Jay, Sarge," Hailey said after a moment of silence. A tear escaped, rolling down her cheek, and she didn't bother to wipe it away. "I can't. We're supposed to have a long, happy life together. Our story can't end before it's even gotten a chance to start."

Hailey broke, all the pent-up emotions from the previous several hours coming out. Tears were streaming down her face and her shoulders were shaking violently. Trudy scooted closer to the blonde, wrapped an arm around her shoulders, and allowed the younger officer to release all the fear, anxiety, and emotion that had been building since those military officers showed up.

Several minutes passed before Hailey's tears slowed and her body relaxed. Trudy gave her shoulder a comforting squeeze and Hailey sniffled, sitting up out of Trudy's grasp.

Trudy sighed quietly. "Look, Hailey, I'm not going to pretend to know what you're going through right now and you know I'm not in the business of sugarcoating things, so I'm not going to give you empty promises or any feel-good sentiments because they don't help. But don't count Jay out just yet; I don't know him as well as the others might, but I know he's too tough, and stubborn, to let whatever happened to him keep him from coming home to you."

"Besides, I'm pretty sure your partner gave him the shovel talk before the wedding so, at the very least, Jay's coming back to you to avoid upsetting Atwater."

Hailey breathed out a small laugh at that. She remembered the night of their rehearsal dinner- Kevin and Jay had disappeared for a few minutes and when they returned, Kevin was as calm, cool, and collected as ever while Jay was a little more tense than normal. She'd eventually found out Kevin had given Jay a bit of a "big brother" chat, and she'd had her suspicions on what their talk was about, but Trudy was the first to confirm it.

It was a small memory, nearly insignificant when compared to others, but it somehow managed to loosen the tightness in her chest just a little. Hailey turned to look at Trudy, eyes still shining with tears, and smiled. "Thanks, Sarge."

Trudy shrugged off her thanks. "I've always liked Chuckles."

The comment got a snort out of Hailey. Trudy met Jay for the first time just a few months after Hailey made the jump from Robbery and Homicide to Intelligence. He'd stopped by the District to visit, effectively charming the desk sergeant (much to her annoyance) and earning himself the nickname 'Chuckles'. It was a moniker Jay wore proudly and Hailey knew Trudy secretly liked it.

Silence fell over the two again and Hailey was hit by a wave of exhaustion. She'd been running on emotions and adrenaline since she got the news and now she was crashing.

Trudy must have noticed the change as well because the older officer stood up, keys in hand. "Come on. I'll give you a ride back to Will's."

"You don't need to do that Sarge," Hailey started. Her argument was weak, fatigue clear in her voice.

"Yeah, I do," Trudy countered. She helped Hailey stand from the bench and guided her to the car.

… … …

It wasn't too long before Trudy was parked outside of Will and Natalie's house. The late hour and nearly empty streets made the commute a breeze.

Hailey thanked Trudy again and climbed out of the car. She quietly shut the door and was about to walk towards the house when she heard Trudy roll the window down and quietly call out to her.

"Hey, Hailey?" When Trudy had her attention, she continued. "You and Jay? Your story's not done yet."

The blonde gave a small smile and nodded before heading up the sidewalk.

Trudy waited, making sure Hailey made it into the house, before pulling away from the curb. She headed home where her husband was safe and sound and no doubt asleep. With their line of work, Trudy didn't take their time together for granted and after seeing what Hailey was going through, she never would.


A/N: Hi friends! I continue to be overwhelmed by the love this story's gotten. THANK YOU. I hope you enjoy this next chapter!

I'm behind on chapters so there probably won't be a new chapter next week! I want to take the week to try and get a few more chapters written.