Chapter 47: New, better chapter, with you.
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.
Here is the next chapter. I really appreciate all of the reviews. Enjoy this chapter :)
Both Kim and Adam were off for months after Maria's birth and Kim had maternity leave. Kim had already talked to Jay about taking the Detectives' exam after she returned to work. Whilst Kim and Adam were on maternity and paternity leave, Hailey and Kevin were partnered together.
Whenever Hailey went to see Kim or Kim brought Maria to see Hailey and Jay, Kim thanked Hailey for all of her support during her pregnancy and Hailey was surprised with how attached she had become to the baby. She loved every opportunity she had to hold the baby. Jay didn't spend as much time with Kim and the baby as Hailey did, but Kim was his friend and he wanted to support her with her new role as a mother. He also loved seeing how attached Hailey was to the baby and it made him smile, thinking that, in the future, they would have their own baby. They were partners and they wanted to spend the rest of their lives together. They had taken the step of living together and they were so happy.
One evening, after their shift, Hailey decided to invite Kim and Adam to the house for dinner and she invited Avery, too. The teenager was a part of Jay's life, a part of Hailey's life, and she was very happy about that her dad and Hailey were living together now. Jay cooked the food and Hailey and Avery were deciding what to wear. Hailey didn't wear dresses often and she didn't really like wearing them, but this was a special night and she also wanted Jay's daughter to feel included. Avery was in a blue dress and, finally, she helped Hailey to choose a red dress and Hailey was glad of her help. Hailey and Avery had established a good relationship in the months since they had met and Jay and Avery had bonded, creating a father-daughter relationship, both having their own experience of trauma and PTSD. They were a part of each other's lives, as father and daughter should, and Hailey smiled as she watched Avery, thinking about how, if she and Jay had a child of their own someday, Avery would be his or her half-brother or sister. Avery loved college and she had moved there because she wanted to be close to her family. Her grandparents and Jay and Hailey. They were her family now.
Avery adjusted her hair as she asked, "So, do Kim and Adam know that you and my dad have moved in together?"
Laughing and tilting her head, Hailey replied, "Yeah, they know now. Don't worry, you won't have to think about dropping us in it." She paused, then added, "I know you have your dorm room, but you're very welcome to bring some stuff here, so that room feels like your own."
Avery pushed her long, dark hair behind her ears as she smiled and asked, "Hailey, do you really mean that?"
"Of course. You're a part of your dad's life and mine, so, yes, I really do mean that."
"I can't believe Dad asked you if he could move in here, with you." Avery paused and smiled, "Even the first time I saw you two together, I knew you were in love. You're good together and I don't know much about Dad's past, but from the little he's sad about his PTSD and you showed me some of his medals from the war and you're good for him. You support him."
Running a hand across her dress, Hailey said, with a smile, "We support each other. Your dad supports me when I'm having a hard time." Avery frowned, but she was too polite to ask. Hailey sat down and told her, "I don't have a relationship with my father. When I was a kid, he- he was abusive, to me, my mum and my brothers. I don't talk to him, but, since I've been with Jay, I've started to have a relationship with my mum, so that's something. He didn't push me neither way, but he's there, as a quiet support. He knows when you give me support and when to give me space. I'm so grateful for that and I wouldn't have been able to do that without Jay's support, knowing he's here for me, when I get home."
Avery smiled as she nodded. "You're a good team." She reached out to Hailey and squeezed her hand. "I know you're not my mum, Hailey, you I hope you know I care about you."
Hailey smiled and replied, "I care about you, too, Avery. You're important to me and your dad."
When Kim, Adam and the baby arrived, while Jay was finishing dinner, Hailey and Avery sat with them and Hailey held Maria. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw how Avery was looking at her. Avery wanted the baby to be her baby brother or sister and she even told Hailey so. She wanted to be a part of their family. Hailey told Avery that she and Jay weren't planning on having children any time soon, but she smiled to herself as she looked at the baby and rocked her to sleep. Hailey had never even thought about becoming a mother, until she and Jay had started dating. There was something magical about holding Kim and Adam's baby and it made her think about having a baby of her own more than anything before and she knew that Jay had noticed her attachment to the new baby.
Hailey, Jay, Kim, Adam and Avery settled down to dinner, with Maria asleep in her Moses basket. Adam smiled and remarked, "Jay, this food is amazing, man. I wish I could cook like this." He turned to Hailey and smiled, looking at the other woman, "I saw you with the baby, Hailey. If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were broody."
Jay cleared his throat, clearly embarrassed, and Hailey blushed and just replied, "Not quite yet." She smiled, but in a way she knew that Adam knew not to say such a thing again and Avery made it feel less awkward, by saying that she was not ready for a baby brother or sister. Hailey and Jay laughed and shared one of their secret smiles.
The moment of happiness was broken by the knock on the front door and Hailey left the kitchen to answer it. She was surprised to see that it was one of her brothers. He had a face of thunder, so Hailey lent against the door and asked, in a direct tone of voice, "What's wrong?"
Her brother snorted and replied, "I've spoken to Mum. She says you guys have been meeting every week for dinner or coffee, but you still refuse to see Dad. How does that work? How does Mum get a free pass? She gets into your life again, but Dad doesn't."
"Because Mum isn't the abusive man Dad was." Hailey's voice was cold. "It's true, I had my reservations at first, but I won't let Dad destroy my relationship with my mum."
Her brother shook his head, clearly angry as he snapped, "You're such a hypocrite! We've let Dad into our lives. We've forgiven him- why can't you? So we can all be together, as a family. This is so typical of you, Hailey! You have to be the one with the problem!"
Hailey glared at her brother and stated, in a steely voice, "I'm not going to argue with you about this. It's my decision. Will you leave, please?"
From the kitchen, Jay heard the raised voice, he stood behind the door and listened. Hailey knew that he was there and he was there in case she wanted him. Hailey's brother made a huff noise and shook his head, before he walked away and Hailey closed the door and lent against the door, closing her eyes.
Slowly, Jay walked over to her, not wanting to spook her, especially if she was thinking about her relationship with her father. Finally, Hailey opened her eyes and hugged Jay, before she made her way upstairs "I'm going for a run. Can you tell everyone I'm not feeling well?"
Jay followed her and waited as she changed out of her red dress into a pair of jeans and a hoodie for going for a run. Hailey walked over to him as she pulled her hair into a bobble. "I'll see you in a bit."
An hour later, all of the kitchen stuff was cleared away and everyone was gone. Hailey saw this immediately when she walked back into the house, taking off her trainers. She had a quick shower, allowing the warm water to go all over her body and she dyed her hair and changed into her PJs, before she walked into the bedroom. Jay was there, waiting for her, like he always was. He had her back, no matter what.
Exhausted, Hailey ran her hands through her blonde curls and sat down at the end of the bed, reaching out for one of Jay's hands, which he gave to her. Jay was patient, waiting until she was ready to talk. Looking into his eyes, Hailey shrugged, "I don't want to talk about it, because what's done is done. It's my decision and he has no right to question that. It's my life, not his."
Carefully, Jay asked, "He was mad at you for not seeing your dad?"
Hailey nodded slowly and sighed. "Yeah, he was. Why are the only people who respect my decision are you and my mum?" She titled her head. "But I said I don't want to talk about it and I don't." She paused, then added, this time with a smile on her face, "When Avery and I were talking earlier, I was saying how you and I support each other, and she said we're a good team. Jay, no matter what happens, you're always here when I get home."
Jay moved closer to Hailey, taking hold of her hands as he whispered, "There's nowhere I'd rather be than with you, Hailes."
"Me too." Hailey replied, before she rested her head against Jay's, looking into his eyes. "My safe place is with you, when we're together, and I want to forget about everything: My dad, my brother. We're here together and I love you more than I ever thought possible. I want us to have a new chapter, together. I want to have a better chapter, with you."
Their lips met in a soft kiss and they held each other close as Jay whispered, "I want that, too. My next and best chapter of life is with you, Hailey Upton. I love you so much." They looked into each other's eyes and hugged as they lay down in their bed, holding each other close. They were a partner and they wanted to be together for the rest of their lives.
