A/N: Hi! Happy Monday! I know some angst has been brought into our little bubble, but we'll survive! Promise :)
~ How's it going? ~ Hailey
~ I don't know ~ Jay
It was the first she'd heard from him since he ran out of the bar five hours before. While he had insisted on going alone for now, and she originally respected that, she felt like she should have followed.
Mouse had paid for her and Jay's drinks, the others closed their tiny tabs, and then everyone took a bus home. She stayed quiet the entire time as her mind ran a mile a minute. Vanessa tried talking to her, but she had no interest in holding the conversation. She was worried, and talking about the people they'd briefly seen at the bar wasn't going to help.
Cathleen had collapsed. Pat was taking her to the hospital where Will already was. Jay was rushing there as fast as she could. That's all she knew.
Well, she also knew his mom wasn't doing well. Jay had mentioned that the week before. It certainly wasn't promising.
It also made her heart ache.
She rolled over in bed and pulled a blanket over her head before staring at her phone. It was pushing 4:30 in the morning, and her eyes burned, but she needed to stay up for Jay. Not that she'd be able to sleep at all if she wanted to: both the alcohol and her worries were keeping her up.
~ Where are you? ~ Hailey
~ Waiting room. Sitting with Will, my dad's back there with her ~ Jay
Hailey sighed and squeezed her eyes shut. He'd made it clear when he left that he wanted to be alone and that he'd keep her in touch. She wanted to respect that, but she had also made a promise to his mom that she'd keep an eye on him when something like this was bound to happen.
Opening her eyes again, she fought against the bright light to shakily type out her next text.
~ What can I do? ~ Hailey
He didn't reply.
Hailey waited for what felt like hours. Her eyes slipped close, and she thought she fell asleep once or twice just to jerk awake in a small panic that she'd missed something.
But then her phone buzzed close to six in the morning, and she shoved all the blankets off of her to sit up and get a better look at it.
~ Mind bringing some coffee? Maybe around 9? ~ Jay
Hailey smiled slightly and sent back her agreement before laying down and feeling like she could finally relax. She could sleep for a few hours; at least she had a plan now.
The hospital was rather quiet when she arrived, but the cancer ward was starting to come to life with nurses bustling around giving medicine and some of the staff delivering breakfast. Hailey couldn't find Jay or Will in any of the lounges in the corners, but she did manage to find the nurses' station to quietly ask where Cathleen Halstead could be found.
Walking down to the last room on the left, she took a deep breath and tightened her hold on the bag of bagels she'd bought with the tray of coffee. She squeezed her eyes shut outside the door before lightly kicking the bottom of it in greeting.
It opened a second later to reveal Jay looking exhausted and drained.
"Hey," he croaked while grabbing her tray of coffee, "Thanks."
"Yeah," she breathed and brushed her hand over his back as he turned away from her.
She then glanced around the dark room to see Will sleeping against the wall and Pat sitting next to Cathleen who was lying unmoving in the hospital bed. She steadied herself for a second before following Jay to the small table.
"Dad, Hailey brought breakfast," he said quietly.
Pat nodded slightly and continued staring at his wife's face until slowly standing up with a groan. Jay shot over to grab his arm only to be quickly waved off. "Fine, I'm fine," he grumbled, "Leave it, Jay."
Hailey's face fell, but she hid it by pulling out all the bagels from the bag. "I got a few salty, blueberry, cinnamon raisin, and plain, plus cream cheese," she explained softly, "And the coffee's just black, but I figured we could probably find some sugar or creamer around."
Pat nodded and grabbed a blueberry bagel. He gave her a slight pat on the back and mumbled, "Thanks," before spreading cream cheese on his bagel and walking back to his seat.
Jay sighed and shook his head while preparing his own bagel.
"It's okay," Hailey whispered and picked up a bagel, "He's stressed."
"It's-" Jay sighed again then pursed his lips and rolled his eyes.
Hailey slowly nodded before putting a hand on his back. "Let's eat out in one of the lounge areas," she said softly, "Get some air."
"I can't-"
"We won't go far," she argued and grabbed a handful of napkins, "Come on." She turned toward Pat and said, "Mr. Halstead, we'll be in the hallway if you need us."
Pat barely acknowledged her words, simply nodding his head the slightest of an inch.
"Hailey," Jay began.
"Come," she repeated before walking out.
Just about ten feet away, several couches and lounge chairs were spread out near a large window and vending machine. Magazines and newspapers littered a few of the tables, but that was the only sign of life. It seemed like a fine place to eat undisturbed.
Hailey sat on the couch and was joined by Jay a second later. Not wanting to push him to talk, she squeezed his thigh before taking a bite of her bagel. Jay shakily began to do the same, and soon enough had finished his entire breakfast. He took a long sip of coffee then sank down in the cushions with his eyes closed.
Hailey gave him a small smile and waited until she had finished her own bagel before wiping her mouth off and giving him a soft kiss to the forehead.
She was almost convinced he had fallen asleep when his face crumbled and his palms came up to press into his eyes.
"Jay," she whispered before pulling him into her arms.
"Sorry, sorry," he mumbled, but didn't fight her as she guided his head to her shoulder.
"No reason," she breathed. It took one brush of her fingers down his back to break the dam. She felt his tears hit her neck immediately, and, in turn, she sat up further on the couch to quietly comfort him.
He didn't fight her as he began crying against her. At times, she could tell he was struggling to catch his breath, and others, he was completely still while gripping onto her shirt for something to ground him.
Tears formed in Hailey's own eyes, but all she could do was drag her fingers through the hair at the nape of his neck and rub her hand down his spine. She didn't dare say anything as he cried. She didn't even know what to say. His mom was dying, and all she was was a girlfriend who had met said woman once. It also felt weird to say things would be okay or it'd get better when that really didn't seem to be the truth.
She didn't know what had happened or was going to happen in that hospital room, but she did know she wasn't going anywhere.
She was going to keep her promise.
Eventually, Jay sat up with red eyes and tear streaked cheeks to croak, "I'm sorry."
"No," Hailey breathed, reaching out to lightly brush his tears away, "No need to apologize for having emotions."
Jay nodded and rubbed his fist under his nose.
"Take your time," Hailey whispered, her fingers curling around his ear, "I'm here."
Nodding again, Jay closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Hailey watched as he slowly calmed down until he managed to say, "It started spreading. We…we were kind of expecting something like this to happen. They ran some tests and whatever over the past few hours to see what the next step is. Best case scenario, she gets a few months, maybe even a year, worst case…I…"
Hailey nodded and rubbed his arm.
He shrugged and looked down at his hands. "I'm conflicted," he admitted, "I want her forever, but I don't want her in pain."
Hailey swallowed a lump in her throat and nodded again. She scooted impossibly closer to him, her knees pressed against him, and said softly, "It's an impossible situation."
Grabbing her hand, Jay nodded and cleared his throat.
Hailey leaned forward to press a soft kiss to his cheek. "What do you need?" she whispered.
Jay groaned softly then sighed and sat back. Rubbing his hands over his face, he answered, "A nap. I'm so tired."
Hailey laughed slightly before nodding to herself and getting up. She pulled the coffee table closer just to plop down and kick her feet up. "Come here," she said and tugged Jay's arm, "Lay down. Take an hour."
He seemed hesitant and said, "I…don't know. My dad-"
"Is exhausted too," Hailey gently interrupted, "You both need a nap. Will's sleeping, and it's what your mom would want. Please just…please lay down."
He looks like he's about to argue with her, she can tell he wants to, but then he nods. Moving closer toward her, he bites his lip before sinking down on the couch and resting his head on her shoulder.
"Sure it's comfortable?" she whispered.
He nodded and closed his eyes. Every once in a while, he sniffled and shifted around, but soon enough, his breathing evened out and Hailey felt his weight sink against her.
"I've got you," she whispered as she carefully guided his head down to her lap. For a second, she thought he woke up, and perhaps he did as he pulled his legs up onto the couch, but he remained quiet and was once again letting out the softest of snores in no time.
"God, Jay," Hailey breathed, lightly running her fingers over his side. Tears burned her eyes, so she blinked quickly to dislodge them. They left hot tracks down her cheeks and caused a lump to form in her throat, but she didn't dare make any noise.
Jay needed to sleep, and she was going to happily oblige. He was such a good person; his mom was such a good person - neither one of them deserved the hell they were going through. Their family didn't deserve this.
All Hailey could think to do was continue soothing him in his sleep the best she could. They needed to get through the next few hours, and then the hours after that, and then each day thereafter. She wanted to take it at chunks because she wasn't going anywhere.
Not even an inch.
She had dozed off herself when the weight of Jay's head was lifted from her thigh, jerking her awake.
"Oh my god," he groaned.
"Hey, slow," she breathed as he sat up, her hand supporting the back of his neck.
He hummed and rubbed his eyes, blinking them quickly against the sleep. "How long was that?" he asked.
"Um," Hailey trailed off to look at her phone, "I think maybe an hour? Hour and a half?"
"Dammit," Jay said under his breath as he moved to stand up.
"Whoa, Jay," Hailey said, grabbing his hand, "Sit for a second. You just woke up."
She was met with his panicked eyes. "What if she…what if, Hailey?"
She shook her head and tugged him back down next to her. "If something was happening, they would have woken you up," she whispered while rubbing her free hand over his back, "No news is good news, remember? Just slow down."
Jay stared at her for a moment then nodded and took a deep breath.
"There you go," Hailey said softly, "Take a minute."
Jay gripped her hand then said, "Thank you for coming."
Hailey shot him the smallest of smiles before pulling him into another hug. "I'll always be here for you," she said softly and kissed the side of his head.
Jay breathed her in before slowly standing up with her. He bit his lip, nodded, then led the way back to the hospital room. The curtains were still drawn, but now his dad was asleep in the recliner and Will was the one sitting by the bed.
"Hey," Jay quietly announced.
Will looked over at them and nodded. As they stepped closer, he said, "Nothing's changed, which is good. I'm starting to get hope."
"Really?" Jay asked, sitting at the foot of the bed.
Will nodded again and said, "She's not getting worse. I believe in her. She's strong."
Hailey smiled at him then rubbed a hand over Jay's back. She kissed the top of his head and whispered, "Just believe in her. She believes in you."
Jay closed his eyes and leaned into her.
Holding him close, she took a deep breath and rested her chin on his head. She hummed softly and finally decided to really look at Cathleen Halstead.
She was rather pale looking, nothing like the woman so full of life at the wedding, and had an IV in to match the oxygen tube on her face. She was clearly sick, and Hailey wondered how just a few short weeks could have resulted in this.
Kissing Jay's head again, she squeezed him close.
If her own mother was dying…she'd feel stuck. In no world did she know how she'd react to that situation. Her feelings toward her mom were very much like a rollercoaster.
On one hand, she hated the woman. She had kept her children in an abusive household all because she couldn't swallow her pride and get a divorce. It hadn't felt like love when growing up. She didn't deserve to have a relationship with those children - not when she'd made them feel like they weren't worth a chance at happiness.
On the other hand, she was abused and surely manipulated, and no person deserved that. It probably wasn't completely her fault that she had stayed within that house. She should be allowed to find some bit of happiness in the world.
She had managed to create those bits of happiness for their home while they grew up. They didn't go on elaborate vacations or have big parties, but they hung out at the restaurant and told jokes and said 'I love you.'
It was Hailey's first reason as to why love didn't exist.
But then she remembered where she was and started rethinking that maybe love did exist.
The few times she and her brothers had convinced her mom to get checked out at the hospital, it hadn't been like this. Their dad hadn't been involved, and the three of them hadn't even sat together in the waiting room. They hadn't looked like a family who loved each other.
This one did.
Jay asked Hailey to leave at lunch time, but before she could argue, it was his dad that stepped up to tell her to stay.
"Jay, there's no reason for her to go," he said quietly without looking up from Cathleen, "Your mom would want her here. Will said Natalie's coming after her shift too. Let Hailey stay."
Hailey bit her lip and glanced over at Jay now sitting by the window.
He sighed and said, "I don't want her to feel obligated."
"I don't feel obligated," she argued, exhaustion evident in her voice, "And I'm sitting right here. Don't talk about me like I'm not here."
Will looked up from picking at a bagel and raised an eyebrow.
"Don't be stupid, son, just go get us all some lunch," Pat said, "We've been sitting here a while and your girlfriend provided breakfast, which was very nice of you, Hailey - thank you."
"You're welcome," she said softly, her gaze flickering between each Halstead.
Jay rolled his eyes before pushing off the window seat and walking quickly from the room, leaving an eerie silence behind him.
Hailey frowned and wanted to follow him, but then Pat mumbled, "You were right, Cath, boy can't accept help."
"Dad," Will sighed.
"No, Will, no," Pat said, looking up, "What's so wrong with this girl being there for your brother?"
"Nothing, but-"
"But what?" Pat asked, "Your mom wants you two happy, and I'll be damned if Jay's pride gets in the way of her wish coming true."
Hailey blushed bright as she slowly walked to the spot Jay had just abandoned. Taking a breath, she sat down and looked at her shaking hands. In no world did she want to get in the middle of Jay's family, but in this instance…she agreed with Jay's dad.
She had also promised Cathleen that she'd keep an eye on Jay and make sure he was happy, so she couldn't walk away. Not now when he needed her most.
Will let out a long sigh, and Hailey looked up in time to see him rub his hand over his face. "Yeah," he mumbled, "Okay, but you know how he is."
"He can be mad at me all he wants. I'm doing this for your mom," Pat replied.
"Okay," Will breathed.
Hailey bit her lip and looked between the two of them. As much as she wanted to follow Jay, she figured his dad was right in simply getting him out of the room for a little bit. Jay needed air and being around his family right now didn't seem to be helping. It seemed like Pat and Will knew that as well.
A small part of Hailey felt out of place, though. Without Jay, she truly felt like an outsider who didn't belong in this hospital room. She wasn't their family. She was just a girlfriend – and a relatively new one at that, nothing like Natalie.
She squirmed in her spot for a moment then pulled a leg up on the seat. Resting her chin on her knee, she looked over at Will still picking at his bagel. She frowned and watched as he started balling up the little pieces of it until it was more like a pile than a bagel.
Looking over at Pat, she noticed that he'd started bouncing his right leg. The movement was even slightly shaking the bed his wife was resting on. His hands were wrapped tightly around hers as he began rocking slowly back and forth.
They were visibly stressed, and she truly didn't know the right way to comfort these near strangers. She didn't even know if she wanted Jay back in this room because he just seemed to add to all of their stress – while they also increased his own stress. There was no perfect answer to any of it, so she took a deep breath and cleared her throat, deciding that talking would be better than silence.
"I don't know if Jay told you, but we went to a Cubs game last night," she began softly, "Our friends came too. I thought the Cubs were going to win, Jay said they wouldn't…he was right for once."
Will chuckled and mumbled, "Well, yeah. The Cubs suck."
"They don't suck," Pat said, "The White Sox are just better."
Hailey smiled and said, "Jay says the same thing. Did you used to go to games a lot?"
"Opening day every year," Will answered, "It was fun."
Pat nodded and seemed to smile as well. "Didn't go this year, though. Shame."
"Yeah," Will said softly.
Hailey waited a beat then said, "I had cotton candy for the first time. It kind of gave me a stomachache because I ate a lot."
Will visibly relaxed in his chair and turned to face her better as he asked, "You'd never had cotton candy before?"
Hailey shook her head and shot him a small smile. "My family never did stuff like that when I was growing up," she explained.
Pat cleared his throat then said, "Jay mentioned you had a rough life growing up. Where are your folks now?"
"Still in Greektown," Hailey answered, "My dad owns Niko's Diner. I'm not sure if you've ever been."
Pat waved his hand and said, "Nah. Never been and now I never want to."
"Dad," Will hissed.
"People who treat their beautiful daughter like she doesn't matter don't deserve my business," Pat easily replied without blinking an eye.
It made Hailey's heart flutter to a stop, and the air got stuck in her lungs.
He didn't say it with any certain anger or as if he was trying to save her. It was just a fact. Hailey still didn't know exactly what Jay had told his parents about her upbringing, but, like when she'd first realized he had told them something, she was grateful he had. She hadn't expected to have a complete stranger in her corner, and yet it made sense.
Jay had treated her with nothing but kindness since they first met – it had to have been instilled in him from a young age. She just always assumed his mother had been the one to influence his heart. Now it was clear his dad had a hand in that as well.
Will sighed, but nodded. He glanced toward Hailey and quietly said, "I'm sorry. I don't know what happened, but, like my dad said, you didn't deserve whatever it was. We might have our own issues-"
Pat chuckled from his spot across the room and looked over at Hailey with a small smile on his face.
"But we're always going to be here for you," Will finished, a smile now on his face as well, "We like you – maybe more than we like Jay."
Hailey laughed and said, "Thank you. I appreciate the compliment."
"Jay can be a rough one," Pat said, still chuckling quietly under his breath, "Strong head on his shoulders, more stubborn than I'd like, but he's always been a good kid. Refuses to break any rules. I chaperoned a field trip with him to the museum when he was in fifth grade, and he needed to get a certain amount of facts on some worksheet. I tried getting him to ignore it and just cheat off of other kids, but he wouldn't have it, so we ended up running through all the exhibits with half an hour left trying to finish the whole thing. He wanted to be honorable." He playfully rolled his eyes and shook his head.
Will watched him talk, his eyes bright at the memory he'd surely heard several times before, and asked, "Why didn't Mom go again?"
"Taking care of your sick ass," Pat said, now laughing, "Someone ate a worm and couldn't stop vomiting."
"Oh my god," Hailey laughed and covered her mouth, "Will!"
"I forgot that lined up with the museum story," Will said through his own laughter, "Damn. That was awful."
"You ate a worm?" Hailey asked.
"Did it for twenty bucks," Will answered, "It was not worth it."
Hailey laughed harder and shook her head. "That is so disgusting," she said, "But also amazing."
"Was not amazing when he came in our room at the age of twelve crying because he trashed his bed," Pat said.
Hailey couldn't wipe the smile from her face as she laughed. She couldn't ever remember something like that happening in her own house. Based on the way Pat and Will were laughing, she imagined that any possible anger had dissipated rather soon after Pat and Cathleen realized what was happening. Had something like that happened in her own house and she woke up her parents – specifically her dad – on a school night, she would have surely gotten yelled at. She would have much preferred the laughter and teasing.
The door finally opened again and Jay walked in with a tray filled with a few boxed sandwiches, bags of chips, and cookies. He hesitated and raised an eyebrow. "Everything good?" he asked.
Will stopped laughing and wiped his eyes. Nodding, he said, "We were just telling Hailey about when I ate a worm."
Instantly, Jay smiled and let out a short laugh. "I'm still in shock that you did that," he said, resuming his walk to the table where the remainder of Hailey's bagels sat.
"He'll do anything for money," Pat said.
Jay snorted and said, "That's for sure."
"Oh, shut up," Will argued despite the smile on his face.
Hailey laughed softly and walked over to Jay at the table. Setting a hand on his back, she asked under her breath, "Doing okay?"
"Yeah," he breathed and shot her a small smile, "I'm sorry. I…I'm glad you're here."
Hailey nodded quickly then kissed the side of his shoulder. She rubbed her hand in a small circle then stepped back to ask, "What'd you get?"
"Few sandwiches and chips, normal stuff," Jay said softly.
Hailey nodded and said, "It sounds good."
"It's hospital food, it's not that great," Will chuckled.
"Well, it's all we've got right now," Jay snapped.
"Hey," Hailey whispered and dragged her nails down his spine, "He didn't mean it like that."
Jay glanced down at her and nodded slightly.
"Take a breath," she added, "Take a breath."
Jay closed his eyes for a second then breathed in deeply.
"There you go," Hailey whispered. She squeezed his shoulder then started opening up some of the sandwiches. "Mr. Halstead, would you like a ham or a turkey sandwich?" she asked.
"You really don't need to call me that, Hailey," Will joked.
Hailey rolled her eyes before turning back to the hospital bed and repeating, "Mr. Halstead?"
But Pat didn't move. He was staring with wide eyes at his wife lying still in the hospital bed.
"Dad?" Will said quietly.
Jay spun around to look as well.
Pat looked like he wasn't breathing himself as he murmured, "She moved."
Hailey's eyes widened, and she looked at the monitors still quietly beeping.
"I…I don't know, Dad," Will said, walking toward him.
"She did," Pat said, "Will, your mom's waking up."
"Dad, they said-"
"Will!"
Hailey winced and glanced at Jay, but he was just as frozen as his dad had been while staring straight at his mom. She couldn't help but bite her lip and reach for his hand. In a way, she agreed with Will – she didn't think there was any way Cathleen could be waking up so soon after being placed in the medicated coma – and yet she wanted Cathleen to open her eyes for Jay's sake. He needed his mom, and she needed his hope to pull through.
So she squeezed his hand and whispered, "I'll go get the nurse."
Jay's head nodded the slightest of an inch.
Hailey let out a soft breath before hurrying out of the room. Everything seemed to go much slower than she needed. The nurses didn't run fast enough, Pat certainly didn't move from the bed fast enough, and the doctor wasn't making a decision fast enough.
Jay, though...Jay was still frozen in his spot. He wasn't moving at all. He kept staring at his mom as the doctors and nurses tried seeing if she was, in fact, awake.
Hailey's eyes shifted throughout the room and landed on a doctor shaking his head toward a nurse. Her heart broke for Jay, but also for Pat. He'd wanted so desperately for his wife to be getting better that he couldn't even listen to what he was being told right now.
They needed to wait, and he refused.
"You don't understand, her hand…her hand was moving in mine. I know she's going to wake up, I just know it," he said quickly.
Will's face fell as he turned away from everyone. Hailey frowned as well and grabbed Jay's hand again. She felt tears form in her eyes at the sight of the family breaking in front of her.
Taking a shaky breath, she stepped toward Jay and wrapped an arm around his waist just for him to pull away from her.
In shock, she raised an eyebrow and whispered, "Jay?"
But he shook his head and stared at his mom as a nurse covered her again with a blanket.
"Jay, come on, let's give them some more room," she said a little louder.
He still ignored her, though, and instead walked over to sit in the seat his dad had abandoned. Taking his mom's hand, he bent over and rested his forehead to it and started murmuring quietly to her.
"Jay," Hailey breathed.
He didn't say anything.
A nurse sent her a small, sad smile before following the others out of the room.
Pat pulled a chair next to Jay and set a hand on his back, breaking Hailey's heart even more.
"I'll call you if something happens," Will whispered.
Hailey looked up to meet his eyes and shook her head. "I-I'm not-"
"Please go home now," Will said, "Please."
Hailey closed her eyes for a moment then nodded and stepped backwards. Keeping her gaze fixed on Jay, she slowly walked out of the hospital room. In a daze, she forced herself to take step after step until she passed the lounge where Jay had taken a nap on her and finally let the tears fall.
In her gut, she knew what was happening, and she hated it.
She forced herself to leave the building without Jay. She'd so wanted to go, spend time with Jay, and then bring him home for a proper night's sleep. It just wasn't going to happen.
Walking in her apartment, she was initially shocked to see everyone sitting in the living room sharing a pizza. It stopped her in her tracks. At first, she thought they were all hanging out like nothing horrible was happening in the world, but then she tuned in to how silent they were.
They weren't celebrating or enjoying anything. They were waiting.
"Hails," Vanessa breathed once she noticed the door had opened.
Everyone turned to see her, so she nodded slightly in response.
Kim climbed over the back of the couch and hurried over to her. "Is she dead?" she whispered.
Hailey closed her eyes and shook her head.
"Okay, that's good," Kim breathed. She set a hand on Hailey's arm and said, "What're they thinking?"
Hailey breathed in slowly then shrugged and shook her head again.
Kim silently nodded and hugged her tightly. "We're here for you," she whispered.
Hailey wrapped her arms around her then mumbled, "You don't need to be here for me. We need to be here for Jay. He…he's not going to be okay."
Kim nodded again and squeezed Hailey.
"Damn," Adam whispered in the living room.
Hailey sighed and looked over at her friends. Setting a hand on her stomach, she asked, "Is there anymore pizza? I'm kind of hungry."
"Course, come here, kid," Mouse said quietly and patted the cushion next to him.
She tried smiling as she headed over to sit down. He passed her a plate of pizza that she happily accepted.
"Is there anything we should do?" Kevin asked.
Hailey took a bite of pizza then said, "I don't know. Any ideas?"
"I, honestly, think we should just wait to see what happens," Vanessa said, "Until we know what we're dealing with, we just be us."
Adam smiled and looked around at everyone. He nodded and said, "I think we can all do that. We're pretty great people."
"I'll drink to that," Mouse chuckled and held up a beer.
Everyone held up their drinks as well, Hailey having a can of cider that Kevin had passed her, and Kim said softly, "To Jay's mom, Jay, and to us. We can get through this."
Hailey closed her eyes as the alcohol hit her lips.
She knew they could get through whatever happened, it was Jay that she was worried about.
Everyone was still piled around the living room as it neared twenty-four hours after the initial phone call that ripped Jay from them. There was no way Hailey could sleep. She had felt her insomnia really kick in around 10pm as everyone else started dozing off.
Her mind was racing as fast as Adam was snoring. She couldn't stop wondering what was happening at the hospital and wishing that Jay had texted her. She hadn't heard anything from him since she left him hours before. It hurt her heart.
When she'd eventually get the news, she didn't know what she was supposed to do. Was she supposed to help with the funeral? Would she sit with him as a priest read a eulogy? Did she need to buy the snacks for the wake? She didn't know the code when it came to your boyfriend's mom dying within a few weeks of your relationship starting.
As it hit that twenty-four hour mark, she shifted around on the couch from lying against Vanessa. The zipper of the throw pillow dug into her side and she sighed.
"That you, Hail?"
She sat up further at Mouse's voice and said, "Hello?"
"Hey," Mouse chuckled and poked his head up from the ground.
She smiled at him through the dark and asked, "Can't sleep?"
"No, you?"
"No."
Mouse sighed and laid back down. "Just can't stop thinking about him," he murmured, "He's my best friend. I hate that this is happening."
Hailey nodded and let out a breath.
"My folks died the year I met him," Mouse whispered, "Car crash took them from me a week after we finished freshmen year. I don't have siblings, so it was just me trying to deal with it all."
Hailey turned her head toward him and tried searching for the words to say, but she had absolutely none. She hadn't heard any of that before.
"Jay picked me up," Mouse continued softly, "His family too, of course, but mostly him. He stayed at my apartment with me for a while that summer and didn't question me when I said I wanted to keep the place. His dad tried talking me out of it, but I couldn't leave."
"Why did you leave then?" Hailey asked.
Mouse sighed then said, "Just couldn't keep up with the payments after a couple years. Jay suggested he move into it with me to help, but I couldn't do that to him, so that's why we eventually got the place across the hall. It's been good ever since. He's my brother, and he was there for me when I thought my world was ending. I'm going to do the same for him."
Hailey wiped the tears that formed in her eyes and nodded.
Mouse groaned and rolled onto his back. "That woman is his everything. I don't know how we're all going to survive."
Swallowing the fear that ignited within her, Hailey said, "We will. We said we would, and we will. We have to."
Mouse nodded and rubbed a hand over his face.
At the same time, both their phones lit up.
Hailey closed her eyes. She didn't want to look, and yet she knew she had to. It was going to tell her what she'd expected to happen all along, but she wasn't ready to accept it.
Mouse let out a long sigh and said, "Here we go."
Hailey shook her head as hot tears threatened to burn her cheeks. She didn't want to. She wasn't ready.
Mouse grabbed his phone first.
There was a beat of silence and then he whispered, "Oh my god."
Hailey turned her head to look at him and said, "What?"
"Look at your phone."
A/N: Think you can wait until next week? Talk soon!