(So this is technically the start of a series on how the Upstead family became them in my universe. I guess this could be part two or three, Sick??? And First Born could either one be part one. I plan to write how they became a family before continuing with other requests, unless the request is related to an episode of this season.)

(Following her miscarriage, Hailey and Jay start trying again for another baby. Each negative test feels like a knife to the heart for Hailey, but Jay doesn't know until he finds negative tests. TW for mentions of miscarriage and struggles with fertility/conception.)


Hailey threw the negative pregnancy tests against the wall with a scream, breaking down into tears as she dropped to the floor. It had been 7 months since she'd lost the baby she hadn't known she was carrying and 3 months since they'd started trying again. Well, not technically trying hard, but Hailey wasn't taking birth control and they weren't using any protection. They'd talked about that, but Hailey hadn't let on how bad she wanted to get pregnant again.

Jay was at the store with Oakley, so here Hailey was, crying in their bathroom, looking at negative tests 6, 7, and 8. She'd been so hopeful, her period was late, and she'd been nauseous for a few days.

Eventually, Hailey calmed down and threw the tests away, covering them. She went into the kitchen and started making lunch for them to have when Jay got home with Oakley so she could go down for her nap.

Jay walked in with their 22 month old following him as she finished making lunch. Oakley ran straight to her, squealing around the pacifier in her mouth.

"Hi, Oakley Mae. Did you have fun with daddy?" Hailey asked as she lifted her daughter up.

"Es!" Oakley beamed, paci falling into Hailey's hand. Hailey put it out of sight and kissed her. She couldn't believe Oakley would be 2 in under 2 months.

Jay started putting groceries away as he watched the two most important girls in his life. He could tell something was bothering Hailey, he just didn't know what. She'd been off for a few days and he wasn't entirely sure what to do because she was adamant that she was fine. Her puffy eyes said otherwise, but he'd wait until Oakley was down for her nap to talk to Hailey.

He watched with a smile as his wife talked ("talked") to with their toddler as the little girl ate her lunch, making a huge mess of herself in the process. "Oakley Mae, you're a mess," He laughed and she busted into a laugh as well, which got Hailey to laugh.

"Let's clean you up, little girl," Hailey took her from the high chair and cleaned her off then went to change her diaper and got her put down for her nap.

Jay cleaned up and pulled Hailey into a hug as soon as she came over to him. Hailey tried desperately to hold her tears in, but a few slipped out and she brushed them away as fast as she could.

"Hail, babe, what's going on?" He asked, cupping her cheeks.

"Nothing, I'm just really tired," Hailey lied, feeling her stomach twist with guilt.

"Babe, please talk to me," Jay urged but she shook her head and went to the couch, curling up.

"Can we take a nap?" She asked, chewing on her lip.

"Of course. Couch or bed?" Hailey's only response was to grab the blanket off the top of the couch, so he went and sat down, getting comfortable before his wife came over and cuddled into his chest.

"I love you," she said quietly, placing her hand over his heart.

"I love you, too. Whatever's going on, I'm here. You can tell me when you're ready," Jay pressed a kiss to her hair and she tilted her head up to kiss him before closing her eyes.

Jay ran his hand through her hair until she fell asleep, trying to think of what could be going on with her. She'd been feeling sick the last few days, and had been withdrawn. She was only happy and talkative with Oakley, and very cuddly with Jay. Something wasn't right, Hailey was normally very happy and silly (if her anxiety wasn't flaring up), and although she loved to cuddle at home, she wasn't this attached unless something was wrong.

Jay eventually dozed off, not waking until Oakley started crying for them. Hailey whined and sat up. "I'll get her," she yawned and went into her room, bringing the sleepy baby out and cuddling back up to Jay.

Oakley blinked up at him, still sucking on her pacifier and clutching her blanket and stuffed turtle. She was still sleepy and loved to cuddle after her nap.

"Hi, baby. Did you sleep good?" He asked, stroking her cheek. Oakley nodded and yawned, settling on Hailey's chest.

"Are you still sleepy?" Hailey asked with a laugh.

Oakley nodded again and her blue eyes slipped shut, making them laugh quietly. "I'll turn a movie on," Jay said, getting the remote.

The rest of the day was spent watching tv and chasing Oakley around, giving her a bath (more like Oakley bathing them), and eating eggs, fruit and bacon for dinner before getting their little girl to bed and Hailey went and crawled into bed as well. Jay held her all night, wishing she'd talk to him, but knew full well that Hailey would come to him when she was ready and if he pressured her, she'd close herself off even more.


A month later, Hailey was asleep in their bed with Oakley after a rough morning and lots of tears for both of them. Oakley was getting molars in, Hailey was just having a really bad day, and they'd ended up in bed, Oakley chewing on a frozen cloth, both soon falling asleep.

Jay sighed and started cleaning the apartment to help Hailey out. He started with Oakley's room, then worked through the rest of the apartment, ending with their bathroom. He did a double take when he emptied the trash. There were 8 pregnancy tests. And all of them were negative. In that moment, everything clicked. Hailey's sadness, her strange behavior, her need for close contact and reassurance, her unwillingness to be away from Oakley for too long, and her quietness.

His heart broke. Like Hailey, he wanted another kid. Yes, they'd started trying, but not super hard. They weren't tracking her ovulation or anything, but they were doing things and weren't using protection often at all. Jay wasn't sure how he'd missed it and felt terrible.

After a few minutes of thinking, he texted Natalie and asked if she'd come and take Oakley for several hours. Once she'd texted back that she was on the way, he got her diaper bag ready, making sure there was oragel, baby Tylenol, teethers, and wash cloths to be frozen since Oakley wasn't super happy. Then he went and got the car seat from his truck before going and waking Hailey.

"What's happening?" She yawned, confused.

"Nat's going to take Oakley for a few hours so we can have some time just us. She'll be here in a few," he explained, kissing her.

"What, why?" Hailey's eyes filled with tears and she held Oakley tighter. She didn't want her baby away from her, not today.

"Hey, hey, it's okay. Just for a few hours, I want to talk to you without little ears around. She'll be okay with Natalie, I packed the diaper bag, and if she gets too upset, we'll go get her," Hailey nodded slowly but wasn't happy with it and hugged Oakley to her until Natalie got there, waking the little girl.

"Na," Oakley waved, chewing on her cold cloth.

"Hi, pretty girl! Do you want to come play?" Natalie asked, smiling.

"Ay," she sat up and reached for her aunt, who lifted her up.

"Thanks, Nat. As you can see, she's getting molars in and isn't having fun with it. Please call me if she gets too worked up," Hailey requested, watching her daughter.

"Of course. Teething isn't fun," Natalie frowned, rubbing Oakley's back.

"Thank you. Oakley, mama loves you, be good," Hailey got up and kissed her cheeck and hugged her sister-in-law before Jay did the same. Natalie took Oakley down to her car and got her car seat in before leaving with the baby, curious about what was going on with Hailey and Jay.

As soon as Natalie was gone, Hailey looked at Jay, confused. "What's going on?" She asked.

"C'mere," Jay took her hand and waited for her to get up, then led her to the bathroom and to the counter, where the negative pregnancy tests were sitting.

Hailey stepped away, shaking her head, but Jay gently pulled her back into him. "No, baby, talk to me," he whispered and Hailey broke down, dropping to the floor in tears.

"I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!" She sobbed, pulling her knees to her chest and hiding her face.

"Oh, Hail, no, you have nothing to apologize for. C'mere," Jay lifted her up and set her on the counter, wiping her cheeks, though her tears were coming fast and her breathing picked up.

Hailey was panicking. She didn't want Jay to know that she was broken, she'd been so careful. How could she have forgotten to hide the tests she'd taken the night before? Her chest was tight and she couldn't breathe.

Jay noticed her panicked breaths and wrapped his arms around her and began to sway. "Shhh, Hailey, breathe for me. In and out, focus on me. I'm here. I love you, everything will be okay. I promise you, Hailey Anne, everything will be okay. Just breathe, follow my breathing," he soothed, taking slow, deep breaths so she could follow him.

Eventually, with her face buried into Jay's neck, Hailey settled down and pulled away to blow her nose and wipe her cheeks. "I'm sorry," she whimpered, looking at her hands.

"Why are you sorry?" Jay asked, genuinely confused. He wasn't mad, just concerned.

"Because I didn't tell you. I didn't want you to know that something's wrong with me, that I'm screwed up and after losing a baby I can't give you another one," She said, scratching her right thumb.

"Hey, stop," Jay pulled her hands to his lips and kissed them. "Hail, there isn't anything wrong with you. Even if we can't naturally have another baby, I love you more than anyone in this world, I always will. You and our beautiful daughter are my world, and if it's only Oakley, I say we're pretty damn lucky. I do wish you'd talked to me, but me getting upset about that won't change anything, so I'm going to be here for you. How many negative tests are there?" He asked, now holding her hands and watching her face as he spoke, trying not to cry.

"Um, a lot. It's been mo-months," Hailey sobbed and Jay's tears fell as well, seeing her so distraught hurt him, and knowing that this was what she'd been hiding for months felt like a knife to the heart.

"I wish you'd told me so I could've been with you," he cried, pulling her back into a hug.

"I'm so sorry! I love you and after three months of negative tests, I got scared and didn't want to say anything. I didn't want to acknowledge something is wrong," she felt terrible and pulled away to kiss Jay and wipe his cheeks.

"From now on, I want to be with you when you take a test, okay," he sniffled, getting a nod from Hailey.

"Okay," she breathed, leaning back into his chest.

"Do you want to see Dr. Asher?" He asked, rubbing her back.

"I'm so scared," Hailey admitted.

"I know, but it's you and me, baby, we will get through this. Whatever you want to do, I'm right here," he said, kissing her head.

Hailey was quiet for a while, playing with the hem of his shirt. "Maybe it wouldn't be a bad idea," she finally mumbled, closing her eyes as she shook with silent sobs again.

Jay held her and let her cry. He could feel her shaking and hated that this was happening. He waited until Hailey was calmer and helped her off the counter then led her to the living room.

"Go turn on the fire place and find a movie," he said, and she did. Jay went into the kitchen and got out two bowls, filled them with milk chocolate ice cream, then sliced strawberries and put them on top, along with crumbled graham crackers. It was their favorite dessert.

Hailey smiled when she saw it and reached her hands out. "Thank you," she leaned over and kissed him. Jay sat with her and she pressed play on The Santa Clause, making Jay laugh.

"Oh shut up," she rolled her eyes at him and he kissed her. They watched the movie, ate their ice cream, and enjoyed being together. Hailey had needed this and she felt so much better with Jay knowing. It was easier to breathe.

Once the movie ended, Hailey went and washed the bowls and put them in the dishwasher before she went back and curled up in Jay's lap. "I'll make an appointment with Dr. Asher," she sighed.

"I'll be with you, I promise, whatever happens. I love you," Jay held her close.

"I love you," she yawned and held his shirt.

Natalie brought Oakley back an hour later and the family of three spent some quality time together before it was time for Oakley to go to bed. She'd been very fussy all evening because she was hurting, but they enjoyed the extra snuggle time with her.


Tuesday morning, Hailey and Jay were waiting for Dr. Asher to come in, and Hailey was terrified. She hadn't had a thing to eat that morning, she was quiet, and she kept biting her nails. She couldn't sit still either, and flinched when Hannah finally came in.

"Hey, guys. What's going on?" She asked, pulling up Hailey's chart.

"Something's wrong," Hailey whispered. Jay grabbed her hand and rubbed her leg.

"What do you mean? Are you bleeding excessively again?" Dr. Asher asked, knowing Hailey's history.

"No. I can't get pregnant," Hailey began to cry and Jay moved to sit by her and hug her.

Hannah looked at Jay, who had tears in his eyes. "I'm going to need more to go on," she said gently, knowing the two of them were emotional and Hailey was in a hard place.

"Um, we started trying again several months ago. So far nothing, at all, but she's had weird periods, been sick some, and it's been really hard," Jay explained. "It didn't take much time with Oakley, and after the baby…" he trailed off and she nodded in understanding.

"I'm so sorry. Okay, Hailey, honey, today I want to do an ultrasound and some blood work just to get a look at your levels and if something might be going on. Have you had any pain?" She asked, placing a hand on Hailey's knee.

"I don't know," Hailey sniffled.

Hannah could tell she was anxious and overwhelmed so she smiled and put on some gloves and got the ultrasound machine. "Lay down for me, just a slight pressure," she warned and Hailey laid down and held Jay's hand.

Dr. Asher worked quickly and got everything looked at then cleaned up and let Hailey close her legs. "I don't see anything major, not cysts or fibroids, which is good. Have your periods been consistent?"

"Um, sorta. I mean not completely but it's not more than once a month," Hailey explained.

"Okay, I'm going to draw blood and send it to the lab. I'll put a rush on it and call you by tomorrow afternoon," she got Hailey ready and laughed at Jay's reaction to the needle, which also made Hailey laugh.

Once that was done, Hailey got dressed while Dr. Asher took the vials to the lab and waited for her to come back, holding Jay's hand. Hannah came back and sat infront of them.

"I know y'all are worried. I can't tell you that I know everything will be fine, but I will say, the fact that you've conceived two babies is good. We know you can get pregnant, and Oakley is very healthy. You're young, and if there's something hormonal going on, we can easily work with that. Please try and breathe and not worry too much. If y'all want another baby, we'll get you another baby," they both nodded and thanked her before leaving.

"Do you want to work?" Jay asked as they left the hospital.

"Need the distraction," Hailey mumbled. She was exhausted from the worry and sadness.

"Okay," Jay kissed her and they got in the truck and went to the district.

Everyone could tell something was off but didn't say anything, they got called to a scene anyway, and didn't have time to think about it the rest of the day.

Hailey left work before Jay so she could be with Oakley for a little while before it was bedtime. She wasn't shocked that the small child was crying when she walked into the apartment, Oakley's mouth was hurting her pretty bad.

"Has she been like this all day?" Hailey asked Molly as she took Oakley into her arms once she'd secured her gun.

"No, it's been off and on. She's been lethargic though, I gave her Tylenol twenty minutes ago. She's had dinner, though she didn't eat very much. We've mostly just read books and watched tv all day, which I know isn't great for her, but she didn't want to play. She just wanted to be held," the girl explained.

"Dont worry about it, Molly. I know you rarely just sit her infront of a screen, so it's okay today. I know how Oakley gets when she's not feeling amazing, there's not much else you could've done. Thank you so much. Oak, can you say bye?" Hailey asked her daughter.

Oakley whimpered and waved before clutching Hailey's shirt again. Hailey hugged Molly and locked the door behind her before taking Oakley to the bathroom to give her a bath.

"No!" Oakley cried, tightening her hold on Hailey. Hailey frowned and decided that she could forego the bath for a night and changed her diaper and put her in pajamas before getting some oragel on her gums and sitting in the rocking chair once she'd retrieved a frozen pacifier.

Oakley settled and shut her big blue eyes, falling asleep almost immediately. Hailey stayed in the rocking chair, cherishing the moment. When Jay got home 30 minutes later, that's where he found them.

"She okay?" He whispered, walking over to his girls.

"She's hurting. Molly said she was lethargic and clingy all day, and she was crying when I got home. Refused to let go of me for a bath, so here we are," Hailey whispered, looking down at her sleeping daughter.

"I hate teething," he frowned, rubbing Oakley's head.

"Me too," Hailey grabbed his hand and squeezed it.

"Let's go eat," Jay kissed Hailey's head. Hailey laid Oakley in her crip and made sure she was covered with her blanket before closing her door.

Jay made something quick for them to eat and they both had a beer before they went and got ready for bed and settled in for the night. Hailey cuddled up to Jay and cried herself to sleep, releasing her worries.


Hailey jumped violently when her phone rang while she was doing paperwork the next morning. She and Jay were exhausted, they'd been up and down with Oakley all night because of her pain, and she ended up sleeping with them as they did their best to help her feel better. The molars were poking through all the way now, so they were hopeful she'd start to feel better soon.

She saw it was Dr. Asher and paled, running to the locker room with her phone. The others looked confused and Jay got up to follow her.

H: hello.

A: hey, Hailey, do you have a minute?

H: yes, please just tell me.

A: okay. It's nothing horrible, I promise. But your hormones are imbalanced and need to be regulated. So you may not be ovulating consistently or at all. This is easy to adjust, I want to put you back on birth control for a few months to allow your hormones to balance out and your cycles to get consistent. It's what your body needs, and then in a few months, we'll stop the pill and y'all can start trying again a month later. Does that sound okay?

H: um, okay, yeah, thanks. Bye.

A: bye, Hailey. It'll work out.

Hailey hung up and turned to face Jay. "Damn hormones," she growled and hit a locker.

Jay pulled her into a hug and held her as she cried out of anger. Then they went back to the bullpen and she wanted to go back to work for a little bit before going home to be with Oakley.


Hailey was put on the pill a few days later and sobbed when she took it the first time. Taking it meant no baby yet. Jay held her as he cried his own tears for the waiting and for the pain of his wife.

"I love you, I'm here," he told her over and over. She held tight and nodded as she cried herself to sleep.

Eventually, she came to terms with having to take it and it got a little easier. She and Jay focused on their time with Oakley and the upcoming holidays before her 2nd birthday. It was almost Thanksgiving, so they got Oakley excited about it and Hailey got her a cute outfit for the occasion.

They did thanksgiving with the Will, Natalie, Owen and Lizzie for lunch that day, then did a dinner with the unit that night and truly enjoyed themselves. Oakley loved it, too. She was a good eater and loved the attention since she was the youngest kid. Makayla played with her most of the evening, both girls in heaven.


Christmas came and went, as did Oakley's 2nd birthday, and Valentine's Day. It was April when she was told to quit the pill and see how she felt, but it would be at least a few weeks before she could potentially conceive.

Hailey and Jay waited a month before trying. Nothing. Nothing for 3 months, and then Hailey got sick early one morning and was fine after, so they'd been hopeful. Jay sat with her after she'd done the tests and his heart shattered when they were negative and Hailey threw them across the room.

They didn't go to work that day. Hailey was too upset, as was Jay. He asked Molly to take Oakley somewhere else for the day and spent it in bed with Hailey. They talked and cried and slept. When Hailey woke up from her nap, Jay smiled at her and kissed her.

"Can we talk about something?" He asked and she nodded slowly, touching her black wedding band.

"Please don't get upset, okay. I think we need to take another break, but not a full break, from trying. I think we should take the pressure off it and just do it when we feel like it for a little while. I want this so bad, and I know you do, too. Maybe taking the pressure off it will help?" He proposed and watched as Hailey's blue eyes flashed with anger before she left the room quickly and he heard her sobbing.

She knew Jay wasn't trying to hurt her, he was hurting as well, and they both wanted it so bad. But it still hurt and she was sad and scared, so she'd gone into Oakley's room and curled up in a corner, holding one of her blankets.

Jay went and found her a few minutes later and sat with her. "I'm sorry, Hail. I didn't want to upset you," he said, crying.

"I know. I'm sorry, I'm just hurting and scared and I know you are, too," she cried, pulling him into a hug.

They held each other and cried for a little while then Hailey's stomach growled and they realized they hadn't eaten all day, so Jay went and made them waffles. They ate their waffles and sat on the balcony for a while. Hailey was fairly quiet all day, and Jay respected it and followed her lead.

She perked up a little when Molly brought Oakley back home and they had pizza for dinner before giving Oakley a bath and playing with her. Oakley was completely oblivious to their distress, but her laugh and happiness and silly personality did so much to help them feel better.


Three months of not really trying went by and ended in heart break when Hailey missed a period but all the tests were negative and she even went to Dr. Asher to confirm. When Hailey broke down, Jay called them out of work and took her home.

Molly was alarmed when Hailey came in, still crying, scooped Oakley up, and went and closed herself in the master bedroom with her toddler. "What happened?" Molly asked, looking at Jay.

"Do you remember what happened last year?" He asked slowly.

"I do," Molly couldn't forget how upset the two of them had been after losing the baby.

"Uh, we're having a hard time having another baby," Jay disclosed, the girl had known something was wrong for a while and had been patient with them and very helpful in doing extra things to help out.

"I'm so sorry. What can I do? Do you want me to stay today or leave?" She asked, saddened for the couple.

"I think we're okay for today, but please stay on standby. We'll pay you the normal amount, but take the day, I may take them to Wisconsin for the weekend so I'll let you know if we need you or not," he answered. "Thank you so much."

"Of course. I'm so sorry," she smiled sadly and left their apartment.

Jay rubbed his face and went to see how Hailey was doing. He found her crying still and Oakley was rubbing her hair, rapidly sucking her pacifier and looked at Jay in panic. She was 2 and a half now, and getting good at reading emotions. It scared her when they cried.

"Hey, Oaks," Jay lifted her up and she squeezed his neck then pointed to Hailey.

"Mama sad," she whimpered around her paci, which Jay slipped out of her mouth. She was way too attached to that thing, and they were starting to work on it.

"I know, Oak. Mama is sad. How about we lay with her today and watch a movie, then go play at the park," Oakley nodded and reached for Hailey, so Jay set her on the bed and watched with a smile as the little girl cuddled into her mom.

Hailey held her close and Jay got in bed with them and found a movie. When it ended, Jay went and got lunch for them and Hailey changed Oakley's diaper before joining him. She didn't eat much and rocked Oakley for most of her nap time before she decided to change clothes and make a Greek dish for dinner.

Jay helped her with the prep work and got Oakley when she woke up, carrying her to the kitchen. "Mama, pawk eez!" She smiled, showing her dimples.

"Okay, park. But just for a little bit so we can come home and have dinner," Hailey smiled at Oakley's excitement when she said yes.

They took her to the park for an hour or so then went back home and played with Oakley for a while until it was time for Hailey to finish making dinner. Then it was bath and bed time for the kid and wine time for the adults. Jay took them to the cabin for the weekend and it was much needed, Hailey was a lot more content when they got home.


Five months later, Hailey found herself back with Dr. Asher. Nothing was happening and she was scared. Hannah felt for her, Hailey was very upset. Jay sat with her as they talked, and Hannah came to the conclusion that they should see a specialist just to get everything checked.

So they did, and there wasn't anything to explain why they hadn't conceived another baby yet. Next came a hysteroscopy for Hailey, which involved her being put under so Dr. Asher could go in with a tiny camera and check everything out, and flush out Hailey's fallopian tubes.

The procedure was done in September, and Hailey was sore afterwards but they were hopeful it would help, especially because there still wasn't anything structural that could explain why Hailey hadn't gotten pregnant yet. They waited until November to start trying again.

Unfortunately, the holidays happened, Oakley turned three, and Valentine's happened again and nothing. Mentally, they were done. Both of them were struggling to cope with the let downs.

One night in April, after more negative tests, Hailey was in complete hysterics and Jay wasn't far behind her. And Oakley still needed to be fed and was very hyper. Jay kissed Hailey's head and stepped out of the room, calling Will.

W: hey, what's up?

J: can you come get Oakley and keep her for the night, please? I'll have Molly come get her in the morning.

W: what's going on?

J: uh, just a bad night. Hailey and I need some time alone, she's not okay, and I'm not either. Please?

W: I'll be right there. Do you two need anything?

J: thank you so much. She hasn't had dinner yet and I'll just put her in a pull up since the potty training is still really new and she's not great about saying anything. Put her in a diaper for bed though. Hailey and I will be all good, you taking Oakley is such a huge help.

W: I'll be there in 20.

Jay hung up and packed a bag for Oakley then went and took her to sit with Hailey for a few minutes. "Oaks, uncle Will is on his way and you're going to have a sleepover with Lizzie and Owen, how fun!" He said and she nodded.

"Kay. Mama's sad," she said, giving a look.

"I know. I'm going to help her," he said, hugging her.

They sat with Hailey, who was still crying, until Will got there. He took Oakley and left his brother and sister-in-law in peace.

Jay broke down when he left and held Hailey as they cried. They wanted another baby so bad, but it didn't seem like it would be happening right now, and they couldn't afford IVF. Hailey had done some hormone injections to try and help with conception, but they'd made her very sick, to the point of being in the hospital because she couldn't stop vomiting for more than a few minutes.

Their tears eventually dried, and Hailey sighed. "What if I can't give you another baby?" She asked, holding Jay's hand.

"If we're meant to be a family of three, then it's okay. It's not your fault, Hail. We have a wonderful, healthy, happy little girl. If Oakley is our only kid, I'd say we're pretty dang lucky. Do you want to keep trying?" He asked, using his free hand to stroke her hair.

"I want another baby with you, but I can't keep feeling this pain. And I know you're hurting, too. I hate it!" She sobbed, holding Jay close to her.

"I know, I hate it, too," he said quietly.

"Maybe, um, maybe we should stop for now. I won't start taking the pill again, but maybe we just use protection if we do anything for a little while or just don't try on purpose. If we're meant to have another baby, it'll happen," Hailey said quietly, hating that she was saying this, but the pain of month after month and nothing was getting to be too much.

"If that's what you want, that's what we'll do. No matter what, I love you more than anything, Hailey Anne," Jay said, kissing her.

"I love you, too, Jay Alexander," she kissed back and settled into his arms.

They still cried a lot the rest of the night and didn't get much sleep. It was painful, they were trying to let go of something they both wanted so bad. But they knew other people couldn't even get pregnant in the first place, so they were lucky to have Oakley.

Hailey gave Molly the next day off and Oakley spent the morning with Natalie before she was brought home. Natalie brought lunch for them as well, knowing they were having a hard time.


Hailey and Jay slowly processed their emotions with the likelihood that they wouldn't have another baby. All their focus was on Oakley, work, and each other. They returned to being happy, though the feelings of longing would creep in from time to time. And it didn't mean that they were using any form of protection, they weren't.

Oakley started preschool in the Fall, which was emotional for everyone, but she quickly found a friend and loved her teacher. She wasn't much of a toddler anymore, she was becoming her own person. They loved watching her grow up.

In late November, Hailey woke up feeling sick one morning. She went and sat in the bathroom for a while, but she never threw up, so she went and made some tea and her stomach calmed down. This continued for a week, but she didn't think much of it. Oakley wasn't sleeping well, so neither was Hailey. She blamed that.

Then, one day while they were at work, Vanessa was standing by Hailey's desk when she unwrapped the sandwich she got for lunch. With no warning, Hailey's stomach turned and she threw up all over her desk.

Everyone froze for a second before Hailey reached down for her trash can and got sick again. Adam was right behind Hailey and put a hand on her back, trying to comfort her. Her hair was already up in a messy bun, so they didn't need to worry about that. Jay ran to her side and started talking to her, and the girls went to get water and cleaning supplies.

Once she finished, Hailey shut her eyes. "I'm so sorry, I don't know what happened," she whimpered, hating the taste in her mouth.

"Here's some water, Hails," Vanessa handed her a water and Hailey rinsed her mouth then took several sips.

"Thanks," she breathed, "Kim, don't, I'll clean it up," she said when she saw Kim and Kevin cleaning her desk.

"No, go take some time," Kevin said and Jay led Hailey to the locker room.

"Are you okay?" He asked, feeling her forehead.

"I'm fine now. I don't know what that was," Hailey sighed, getting a toothbrush out and going to the sink.

Jay followed her and rubbed her back, hesitating to ask the question he wanted to. They'd had a wonderful night together about 6 weeks before when Oakley was having a sleepover with Makayla. No protection involved, and he knew Hailey had been feeling off all week. He took a deep breath.

"Hail, when was your period?" He asked slowly.

Hailey froze as she thought. "Um, two months," she realized and looked at Jay with tears in her eyes.

"Jay, I don't want that pain again," she whimpered, clearly terrified.

"I know, I don't either. But it's a possibility. Do you have any tests here?" He asked, kissing her nose.

"Um, I think so," Hailey looked through her locker and found two tests.

"I'll be here," he smiled gently and she went into the stall and peed on both tests before coming and washing her hands then sitting in Jay's lap as he set a timer.

3 minutes later, she froze. Jay stood her up and held her hand. "Whenever you're ready," he said. Hailey turned and kissed him then grabbed the tests with shaking hands.

"Count to three," she said.

"1, 2, 3," Jay counted and Hailey shut her eyes and turned them over.

Jay froze, tears filling his eyes. Positive. Both tests were positive. "Hail, look," Jay cried and she opened her eyes and burst into tears.

"Jay!" She sobbed and he lifted her up and spun her around.

"I'm pregnant!"

"You're pregnant!" He cried, overjoyed.

They calmed down and Hailey called Dr. Asher, getting herself an appointment to come in asap. Jay went and told the unit they were leaving, but not why, and they went to Med.

Dr. Asher cried with them when it was confirmed that Hailey was pregnant, 5 weeks, lining up with her missing her period in October and that month. The baby was due in June. Finally.