Chapter 19: Congratulations, Sergeant Halstead.
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 P.D.
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The exam went as well as Jay had expected and now, all that was left for him to do was to wait. He was glad that Platt was in Intelligence with him, but she was letting him lead the unit. She was just there as his backup. Jay was someone who liked to be as invisible as possible. He was an introvert, and his new position did not allow him to do that any longer, but it was still the right move. The fact that he was not officially a Sergeant did not sit well with Adam and Jay knew it, but, anytime he was unsure, he looked at Hailey and he knew that this was right. For him, for their relationship. Jay avoided confrontation, so he ignored Adam's attitude.
The day of the exam results arrived and Hailey knew that Jay was doing his best not to think about it, which was why he had stayed at his place the night before. He wanted space and she respected that and she knew that he had gone for a run at 4:30, so she was glad of the sleep. She was not worried, because she knew that Jay was a natural leader.
That morning, Jay was one of the first to arrive at 21. After his run, he had gone home to have a shower and a change and now he was going into the office to finish paperwork. He knew that Hailey would still be asleep at this time. She loved her sleep and she needed it after her mum's visit.
"Chuckles, get over here!" Platt's voice called, so he took off his hat and walked over to her, wondering what she wanted on a day like today. He was so nervous, but she had been nothing, but supportive since Voight had left. Jay had no idea what he was going to do if he failed; probably transfer to another unit, unable to stand the humiliation. Without saying another word, Platt handed Jay an envelope and simply stated, "This is for you, Chuckles, and I'm pretty sure I know what's inside."
Jay just stared at the envelope for a couple of seconds, before he just nodded and smiled. "Thanks, Serg. See you in a few hours." He nodded at the older woman and made his way to the bullpen.
Once there, he went straight to Voight's office- his office- and placed the envelope into his desk draw, closing it shut. He wanted to open it, but he didn't want to open it without Hailey. It didn't seem right to find out without her. She was his partner. He left the office and sat down at his old desk. The one he had shared with Hailey and he allowed his mind to wander. With his PTSD, this sometimes happened, and it was something he had accepted over the years, with Hailey's help over the years. Jay lost track of how long he had been sitting there, staring into space.
When Hailey walked into the bullpen, she found Jay sitting at their desk, staring into space and this instantly worried her. Her boyfriend being so still was not a good sign and tended to mean that he was struggling, but, as soon as his eyes landed on her, he grinned and walked into his office, revealing an envelope. Even without asking, Hailey knew what it was and she followed Jay into his office; if anyone saw this, they would not think anything of it. Confused, Hailey frowned and asked, "You haven't opened it?"
Jay glanced down at the envelope, then looked back at Hailey, shaking his head. "No. It didn't feel right to open it without you. You're my partner." His green eyes were shining as he looked into hers and he added, needlessly, "Here goes." The nerves in his voice were evident as he opened the letter and he read it. The look in his eyes told Hailey what she had already known: He had passed. He was a Sergeant. In a dizzy of excitement, as Jay looked into Hailey's eyes, he put his arms around Hailey and kissed her passionately, before he pulled away and they both laughed.
Taking hold of his hand, Hailey grinned. "I knew you could do it. Maybe you'll believe in yourself as much as I do now, Sergeant Halstead." She squeezed his hand and smiled. The gate to the bullpen opened, so Hailey stepped away from Jay and smiled, letting him know how proud she was of him.
Kim, Kevin and Adam walked into the bullpen, with questioning looks on their faces and Hailey's left Jay's office and sat down at her desk. Kevin took off his coat and called to Jay, "Jay, Platt said your results had come through. Did you pass? Are you our Sergeant?"
Jay stepped out of the office and lent against his old desk. He just nodded and replied, "Yeah, Kev. I passed."
Kevin was the first one to react and he shook Jay's hand. "Congratulations, Sergeant Halstead!" Kim was the next, giving Jay a hug, then she turned her attention to her husband, who was standing in silence. He offered a small congratulations, but it was not genuine. If Jay had been of a different temperament, he would have asked Adam what his problem was, there and then, in front of everyone, but he didn't. Instead, just stating, "A body was found near the Chicago River and we're working it with Homicide. Let's roll to the crime scene. Upton, you're riding with me."
"Yes, Sergeant." Hailey responded, with a smile as she followed Jay, giving Adam a look as she passed.
Kim watched her husband, then rolled her eyes, going with Kevin to their car. Adam could find his own way there. Kim loved her husband, but she did not agree with his attitude. Voight was gone and nothing he would say or do would change that and she believed that Jay would be a great Sergeant.
Jay and Hailey were the first to arrive at the crime scene, so they left the car and walked over to the homicide detective and Jay realised, for the first time since leaving the Rangers, he held the title Sergeant Halstead. He nodded at the detective. "Sergeant Halstead, Intelligence Unit, and this is Detective Upton. What have we got here?" The homicide detective briefed Jay and Hailey about the body that had been found and she finished her briefing just before Kevin, Kim and Adam arrived on scene. Jay told them to witness interviews and Kim was glad that Adam went off with Kevin, because her husband was annoying her. Voight was gone. Jay was in charge and Adam needed to accept that.
On the way back to District, Kevin bit his lip, and asked, "Adam, what's wrong? You've been acting weird ever since Voight announced he was retiring. The man has every right to leave and spend time with his family, man."
Adam glared out of the window as he replied, "It's not Voight leaving that annoys me, man." The tone of his voice told Kevin that he was not going to discuss this anymore and there was a murder victim, so Kevin wanted to focus on that. He could deal with his best friend later. He just hoped he had a chance before Adam exploded, knowing that the other man had a quick temper. Kevin was sure that Jay had noticed, but he was ignoring it.
Once they were all in the bullpen and all of the pieces were on the board, Jay stood in front of the board. Hailey could tell that he was feeling awkward, and she knew that Adam's attitude was not helping. "This is how we're going to partner up from now on: Burgess and Atwater and Upton and Ruzek." Without saying anything else, he directed the conversation back to the homicide. He could see Adam's attitude, but he was ignoring it.
An hour later, when Adam and Kevin were making themselves coffee, Kevin finally asked, "You know you're my best mate, so what's wrong? If it's not Voight leaving, what is it? You've been in a mood for a week."
Adam placed his cup down with a slam and turned to face Kevin. "Alright. Fine. My problem is Jay. He's our Sergeant now."
Kevin frowned as he asked, "What are you talking about? How can you have a problem with Halstead? He's a good cop?"
Rolling his eyes, Adam replied, "Because Voight wasn't afraid to do what needed to be done for the greater good. He broke the rules, but for good reasons. Jay's like you. He does everything by the book and that's now how we do things up here! He's gonna change everything when not everything needs to be that way."
"Well, maybe it's time for a change." There was an edge to Kevin's voice now. "How can you have a problem with the fact that Halstead does things the right way on this job?"
Adam raised his arms and shook his head. His voice was slow and deliberate, as if he were bored. "I shouldn't be having this conversation, with you of all people."
"Me, of all people? Are you serious right now? Halstead and I do things the right way. We've looked the other way whilst you and Voight do shady stuff, but that's ended now."
With a patronising smile on his face, Adam said, "You're right. My bad."
"How dare you patronise me, when you didn't even graduate the academy, or did you forget that?"
With a couple of seconds, the two of them started to fight in the breakroom. Neither who sure who threw the first punch, but it did not matter by this stage. Jay ran into the room and divided the two of them and Hailey and Kim came it to help. Jay fixed both of them with stern stares and shouted, "Enough! You're not doing this, when we have a murder victim. The pair of you- go home!" When neither of them moved, Jay raised his eyebrows and challenged, to Adam, "You think I'm playing? I won't have fighting here! Now get out until you're ready to work properly!" The authority in Jay's voice and stance could not be challenged or denied. He was a natural leader and, in those moments, they saw the side of him they had never really seen before. The man who had fought in Afghanistan, who did not tolerate behaviour like that and, now that Adam saw that, he didn't want to challenge it.
Their shift came to an end, but Jay was still in his office. The homicide had not been solved. The victim's parents were grieving and they had no answers. No way of moving on with their lives and Jay continued to stare at the pictures of the crime scene. He was the Sergeant. This was his responsibility.
Hailey had already been home and had a shower, but, being home without Jay felt strange. She was used to him being there with him. Only Platt had seen her return to the district, but the older woman already knew about her relationship with Jay. Hailey watched Jay through the glass of his office window and he looked tired. He was rubbing his eyes. That was a sign of stress. A sign of a possible PTSD episode.
Knocking on the door, Hailey walked inside the office and Jay smiled as he looked up at her. She walked over to his desk and sat down, facing him as she smiled. "Hey, Serg. Do you want to go out for a drink to celebrate, or go home?"
Jay reached for one of her hands and squeezed it as he sighed. "I'd love to celebrate, Hailes, but I'm kinda of beat. Can you go back to yours?"
"Of course we can." Hailey closed her eyes and kissed Jay's forehead, holding his hands. She paused, then added, with a smile, "I was really proud of you today, partner. The way you handled Adam and Kevin. You were a real leader."
Raising a skeptical eyebrow, Jay sighed. "Maybe. Maybe not. They can't behave like that, on my watch. Thanks for always believing in me, partner."
Hailey stood up and passed Jay his jacket, tilting his head. "Anytime. I'm your partner." She paused, then encouraged Jay to stand up with a smile. "Come on, let's go home."
