Chapter 17: Do it the right way.
Jay/Hailey. Set after series 7. At Kim and Adam's wedding, Jay and Hailey finally confessed their feelings and spent the night together and now they are back in Chicago and hiding their relationship from their friends.
I do not own Chicago PD or any of the characters.
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As always, the next morning, Jay was the first to wake up and he had a shower, changed into clothes he had brought in his overnight bag and made coffee for Hailey. He wanted to talk to Voight before the rest of the unit arrived. Hailey opened her eyes as she woke up, seeing Jay bringing her a cup of coffee and she glanced at the clock as she groaned, "Jay, it's too early! Come back to bed."
Jay sat down on the bed and kissed her as he replied, "Hailes, I wish I could, but I've got to speak to Voight before everyone else turns up."
Resting her head against the pillow, Hailey smiled and then raised her face to meet Jay's as she whispered, "Okay. Good luck, Sergeant Halstead. I'll bring you some toast when I get in."
"Thanks, Detective." They both chuckled for a couple of seconds, before Jay moved a strand of Hailey's hair from her cheek and left her house.
Platt was at the front-desk and she called Jay over to here. "Chuckles, come over here for a second." Jay complied and she smiled dryly as she said, "I'm assuming Upton told you about our conversation. Just so you know, Chuckles, if you hurt her, I'll make sure they never find your body."
Jay just smiled and nodded evenly. "Thanks, Serg. I'll keep that in mind."
Voight was waiting for Jay when he arrived and, when he looked at the younger man, he smiled proudly. He knew that Jay was the one to leave the unit with, the only one he trusted would do it better than he ever had. He stood up as Jay walked into his office. His boxes were already packed. "You had the evening to think over it?"
"Yes, Serg, I did." Jay paused, before he added, "I'd like to take the Sergeants' exam."
Nodding in a proud manner, Voight smiled slightly as he replied, "I knew you would, son." He walked over to Jay and put a hand on his shoulder in an affectionate manner. "You're the only one I want to leave it with." He paused, before he added, "I'll be gone next week, and this office will be yours and you'll do the exam. As I said, Platt'll be up here with you until pass, but I have no worries about that. I'll tell the team when they get in." He turned back to his desk, before he turned around and said, "Jay, I'm proud of you. You challenge me, you don't back down and you're a natural leader. This unit's yours now. Do it the way I know you will: The right way."
There was a silence and Jay nodded his head and thanked Voight before leaving the office and walking back to his desk. His desk, the one he shared with Hailey and he took in every part of it; he would miss being this close to her, being able to look and see her. Back when they had just been partners, even seeing her had made him so calm, but it was all changing now. He and Hailey would always be there for each other, no matter what.
Kevin was the next one to arrive, telling Jay about his brother and sister and Jay was happy to listen to this; he and Kevin had a clear respect for each other and, unlike Adam, Kevin seemed to understand the affect that PTSD sometimes had on Jay and he did not judge him for it. Hailey arrived, with two coffees, a muffin for herself and a piece of toast for Jay. Lifting his eyes from his computer, Jay smiled at Hailey and said, "Morning. Thanks for the toast and coffee."
Hailey smiled warmly at him as she replied, "Good morning and you're welcome. You're in early." As if they had not just spent the evening together at Hailey's house, in her bed.
With a secret smile, Jay just shrugged, "You know what I'm like, Upton." In response, Hailey just titled her head and, if they had not been at work, Jay would have closed the gap between them and kissed her, but instead, he just smiled. Their silent language was in their eyes.
Kevin took this chance to say, "Hailey, I hope Adam hasn't given you anymore trouble about your guy. If he has, you let me know. I'll put him right."
Chuckling, Hailey shook her head. "No, he's been fine, but thanks, Kev."
Just then, Kim and Adam walked into the bullpen and Hailey and Jay shared a quick look, before returning to their computer screens and paperwork. As the team's conversations were quiet, Voight left his office and stood in a way that commanded their attention.
Frowning, Adam asked, "Boss, is there something wrong?"
Voight shook his head and rubbed the back of the neck before he gave Adam a reassuring smile. In his gruff voice, he replied, "No, everything's fine, Adam. But I thought I should let you guys know I'm retiring next week."
There was a dead silence. The shock of his words set in, and, besides Hailey and Jay, the shock was genuine. Kim was the first to speak, in barley a whisper, "Serg, you're really leaving?"
"Yeah. I really am."
Adam did not share his wife's calm approach to the situation, as he stood up, declaring, "Boss, you can't! You can't just leave us!"
Shrugging, Voight smiled and replied, "Adam, I've made my decision. I'm sorry if this upsets you, but I know what I want. You're a great team and you'll be just as great without me."
"But who's gonna replace you? We'll have some outsider who won't know how we all work." With Adam's words, Voight looked slightly in Jay's direction and Hailey glanced at her partner, her best friend, and she could see that he was looking slightly uncomfortable, so she offered him a small smile, one which he returned.
In a calm tone of voice, Kevin inquired, "Serg, do you know who your replacement is going to be?"
Voight had a smug smile on his face as he nodded. "Yes, I do." He paused, then just said, "It's Halstead."
There was another silence and Hailey smirked at the looks on their faces and Kim was the first to stand up and congratulate Jay and Kevin was next. Jay's eyes connected with Adam's for a second and he knew what the other man was thinking, but Adam still walked over to him and congratulated him. "This calls for a drink to celebrate, later. Hailey, you alright, you haven't congratulating Jay?"
Hailey smirked and Jay pressed his lips together, as they were both remembering their time together last night when she had been congratulating him and Hailey could see Jay out of the corner of her eye. She schooled her features and replied, "He's my partner. He knows I'm proud of him."
Kim looked between the two detectives and remarked, "You two not being partners will be strange. You two are always together." She saw a look pass through Jay's eyes, so she added quickly, "It won't change anything with you two, though, will it? Congratulations, Jay."
Accepting her hug, Jay smiled and replied, "Thanks, Kim." Jay left his desk and went into the breakroom, where he finished his piece of toast. He was not surprised when Hailey followed him there. He smiled and said, "It won't change anything. We'll always be partners, Hailey."
Hailey smiled and nodded as she replied, "Yeah, I know." She reached out for one of his hands and squeezed it for a couple of seconds, before she moved away and raised her eyebrows, joking, "I'll help you with the studying."
Laughing, Jay remarked, "Well, partners need to have their uses!" They both laughed and their eyes connected and Jay knew that he would never tire of looking into Hailey's blue eyes. Of course, their relationship was secret and they wanted to keep it that way, so they looked away from each other, so Hailey left the breakroom and Jay stayed in there for a while, finishing the toast.
