Hi there. Ive been working on this one for a while now, and finally decided to start posting it. Its going to be a bit of an emotional rollercoaster. Sorry in advance ;) Itll be multiple chapters, just not sure how many just yet. Buckle up. Hope you enjoy.
...
Jay put the truck in park in front of their home. He took a few minutes looking out the window, trying to brace himself for the cold, chilly weather waiting for him. It was quickly approaching winter time in Chicago, and mother nature had waited no time to give the city its first dose of really cold wintery weather. It was a very windy, chilly day as the first heavy snowfall of the season blanketed the city. The snow started as Jay left out that morning, and now approaching dinner time the city had already received several inches, and the radio was telling its listeners to prepare for more overnight. It was going to be a cold winter. Jay sat in the warmth of his truck listening to the weather report for the week, eyeing his route from the truck to the front door, trying to convince himself to make the mad dash. The quicker he got into the building, the quicker he'd be back to the warmth of their new home. He glanced into the back seat at the extra long box laying across the seat. His new wife had sent him out on quite the goosechase that morning, choosing to stay home stating it was "too cold," and "it wouldn't take him long", and after a full day of searching and several stores and busy crowds, he had finally found her requested item. Why she insisted on needing it today, and making him battle the black friday shoppers to find it, he'd never understand, but love will make you do some wild things. He was not about to show back up to their new home without it and disappoint her. She had called several times throughout the day to check on him. He couldn't help but laugh to himself.
Reaching into his pocket he pulled out a small white box. He took advantage of the opportunity to be able to go to town without Hailey, and made an extra stop of his own at a Chicago favorite jewelry store for a surprise Christmas gift for Hailey. Opening the small box Jay couldn't help but feel excited. Inside was a small heart shaped locket. Engraved on the outside read "Love you always" in a pretty cursive font, a phrase they had been telling each other a lot over the last few months, and inside was one of her favorite pictures of them. Hailey had taken the selfie while at the beach last summer. In the photo Jay was looking at Hailey with a huge grin, while Hailey smiled at the camera. She had the photo as the screensaver on her phone, and must have told Jay 100 times now how much she loved that photo. He couldn't wait to give it to her Christmas morning. He wrapped the small box back in the white bag it had come in, and buried it under the junk papers in the center console of his truck. After another glance at the front door, and the fear of his wife sending a search party for him, he finally turned the truck off. Pulling his red beanie further down over his ears, zipping his jacket further up under his chin, and pulling his gloves on, Jay darted out the truck to the passenger door, pulling out the large box and ran across the street. The box balanced on his foot as he punched the door code into their complex building. Jay swore it took longer than normal to finally buzz open as the snow hit his face. He was already feeling the cold in his cheeks and his nose was already frozen. Only when the door closed behind him did he pull his keys out to finally lock the truck.
It was quite the balancing act with the box over his shoulder, as Jay made his way to the elevator. Jay and Hailey had been living in their own new place together for a few months. He watched as the elevator numbers slowly descended down to the bottom floor. He quickly maneuvered the box through the opening doors and punched the button for the sixth floor. Maybe a few more times than needed, he was ready to be home. Before the doors could close a woman entered with a small child. The little boy couldn't be any older than four, beaming up at his mom as he ran to hit the same button another time before running back to stand next to her on the other side of the elevator. Jay watched as the little boy looked over at the box he had propped against the wall. Excitement filled the little boy's face as he pointed at the box and tugged on the bottom of his mother's coat. The mom leaned down towards her son as he stood on his tippy toes attempting to whisper into her ear. Jay couldn't help but smile at the child's attempt at a whisper. Even with the little boy covering his mouth from Jay's view he could hear the boy telling his momma "it's a Christmas tree." The mom stood and laughed looking over at Jay before looking back at her son. "I see it. It sure is."
The little boy eyed Jay for a moment, eyes bouncing between the Christmas tree and back to Jay. Finally the boy took a small step forward and asked "are you Santa?" Jay's eyebrows raised fighting back a laugh, as the mom quickly pulled the little boy back towards her.
"Brayden no he's not Santa,' she told him before looking back at Jay. "I am so sorry. I think it's the red hat" she said, gesturing towards his head. "He's a little excited for Christmas."
Jay's hand instinctively went up to touch the red beanie on his head. "Oh. No it's ok," he told her, before turning to the little boy. "No buddy, I'm not Santa. Remember Santa has a long white beard" he told the boy gesturing towards his face. Jay leaned forward and whispered to the boy "I hear he's kinda chubby too from all those cookies" he told the boy with a wink.
The boy and his mom both giggled. "Are you an elf?" the boy asked. The mom just shook her head trying to hide her embarrassment. Toddlers had the best imaginations.
"I wish," Jay said, shaking his head. "I am actually a police detective." The little boy's mouth dropped open in amazement as he looked back up at his mom. The mom took the opportunity to change the subject before he started drilling Jay with more questions.
"I'm so sorry" she laughed as she looked at the box. "That really is going to be a beautiful tree."
"Thanks. Pretty sure my wife picked the biggest and most complicated tree to find in Chicago. She's a little excited too"
"Do you have kids?" the woman asked.
Jay shook his head. "No, not yet." He realized suddenly that he and Hailey had never had that talk. Everything had been moving rather quickly in their relationship, but they had never discussed children. They had been happily married for just a few weeks.
"Well someday you might have more than just her excited for the holidays. They definitely make holidays exciting," she said as she wrapped her arm around the little boy. Jay just watched as the little boy looked up at her again and they exchanged a smile.
Finally the elevator pinged at their floor. The mom and little boy waved their goodbyes as they exited. The mom made a comment to Jay about staying safe out there as they made their way down the hall to their home. The little boy bouncing next to her the whole way telling her he was going to go chase bad guys when he grew up.
Jay was still smiling at the boy's comment as he unlocked the door, glancing up at the new Christmas wreath on their front door. He couldn't begin to imagine what the inside looked like. He propped the door open with one foot as he drug the box finally into their home and into the living room. Hailey had definitely been busy. There was a Christmas rug at the front door. The table by the door now had Santa and snowmen figurines on it. There was garland, lights and stockings on the mantel above their electric fireplace. The heat was radiating from the glowing flames. The doors leading out to their patio overlooking the water had those sticky gel snowflakes all over them. By that door was another Christmas rug with a different holiday design. There were empty wrappers and boxes these things obviously came from scattered on the coffee table in the living room. Boxes of unopened lights, ornaments and garland on the couch. The house even smelled like a mix of cinnamon, and whatever smells was radiating from the kitchen where something was cooking. The smells were reminding him now he hadn't eaten all day.
"You're home!" Hailey almost squealed excitedly as she came from the kitchen, rounding the couch and wrapping Jay in a big warm hug. Stepping back she looked down at the box Jay had just drug in. "You found one!?" she said beaming up at him.
"It only took all day, five stores, some wild black friday shoppers and almost arm wrestling a man for it…but yeah i found one! A 8 foot pre lit flocked frisco pine. Ya know…. if you love snow that much….you could have just decorated one of the trees outside."
Hailey laughed and swatted at his arm. "I didn't think about it being black friday. I have always wanted one with fake snow. Even as a kid."
"You've got plenty of snow outside." All Hailey could do is laugh. Jay smiled as he reached forward pulling her back into a hug. "Well it's what you wanted. I wasn't coming home without one."
"Home." Hailey repeated, smiling as she leaned her head against Jay's chest. "Our first holidays together in our own home. I'm excited."
"Me too Mrs. Halstead." Jay smirked , leaning down to give Hailey a kiss on the top of her head. She beamed up at him. "It's good to see you're a pro at decorating," he said motioning with his hand around the room. "Because you're going to have fun decorating an 8ft tall tree."
Hailey instantly pointed up a finger at him. "You're helping!"
Jay laughed and nodded. "Of course. Let's get this thing up."
Before Jay could reach for the box an alarm sounded from the kitchen. Haileys face lit up as she turned to run for the kitchen. "Wait! We'll do that after dinner. Let me get the pie out."
Jay's eyebrows raised with curiosity as he followed behind her into the kitchen. The kitchen was decorated just like the rest of the house. With Christmas place mats on the island, more snowflakes on the refrigerator doors and potholders on the counter. Jay could feel the excitement for the holidays in their new home. Truthfully he hadn't been this excited for the holidays since he was a child. Any little excitement left really went away after his mom passed. She always kept their home decorated during the holidays for him and Will until she got sick. When she was unable to do it herself the boys did for her. Sure he had dated around the holidays since then but none of those relationships had ignited the excitement for the holidays again, like it was this year being with Hailey. Of course with Haileys own childhood with her father, she was finally feeling the excitement too. It was destined to be the best one yet. They couldn't wait to make memories together and start their own traditions.
The evening was spent eating dinner and putting up their new tree. Hailey had made chicken alfredo and even baked an apple pie. There were a few times the conversation would die down, and Jay thought about asking Hailey about the topic on the elevator. About children. But every time he got the courage to ask her about it, they'd start talking about something else. They talked about work briefly, and what movies they would watch tonight. Hank had given them the weekend off, barring anything happening at the district needing their help. Not that her answer would change a whole lot, he loved her regardless, but he was genuinely curious since they had never discussed it yet at this point in their relationship. He had always wanted kids one day, but did Hailey?
Dinner and dessert were finished. Leftovers put away in the fridge. Jay helped Hailey with dishes and before they could put the last dish away the excitement about the tree was back in full swing. They laughed over stories from their childhood as Jay assembled parts. Jay telling Hailey about the times he and Will would sneak around their parents' closet looking for gifts that hadn't been wrapped yet, or when they would peek under the tree when their parents were gone…hoping to find loose tape on a present that they could peek through to find out what they were getting. Typical children sharing the excitement. Secrets he and Will still held to this day. Hailey told Jay stories of her own about all the Christmas mornings she helped her mom prepare for Christmas dinner.
It didn't take long before Jay had the tree put together in the living room, the fluffing taking the longest of the assembling. It was definitely a lot bigger than Hailey had imagined, but it sat perfect in the spot she picked out for it. By the end of the evening there were more boxes and clear plastic everywhere from all the new ornaments that were now on the tree. They had purchased all new ones for their new home. Hailey brought a few favorites from her childhood and Will was supposed to bring over ornaments they had made for their mother growing up as soon as he got them out of storage. Haileys face lit up as she told the story behind each one. Jay was in awe of his wife, watching as the lights from the tree danced across her face as she spoke. Jay was lazily putting ornaments anywhere on the tree, in no real order, and Hailey was having fun going behind him putting some in different places than where he had put them.
"You have to spread them out, Jay! Don't put them all in one spot. This tree is big! We probably need more ornaments," she'd laugh and swat at his hands when he got too close to another ornament.
"Oh now the tree is too big huh?" hed joke back, snatching the ornament back from her and dangling it above her head, out of reach. She'd laugh and swing at him.
The last of the ornaments were placed on the tree, along with a couple bows and beads. All that was left was the topper. Hailey grabbed the last bag from the couch and pulled a red box from the bag.
"I thought this might be the most fitting," Hailey said as she handed the box to Jay. Inside was the prettiest angel tree topper. "For your mom."
Jay looked at the angel silently a few moments before looking back at Hailey. "I love it." He gave Hailey a soft smile as he pulled the angel from the box and held it up. "Let's get it up there."
"Uh…." Hailey looked up to the top of the tree. It looked even taller now that it was fully decorated. "You go ahead."
"We'll do it together." Jay said as he made his way over to the couch. Hailey watched trying to figure out what he was up to. "Come on" he said as he backed up to the couch and pointed with his thumb towards his back. Hailey giggled like a child as she made her way to the couch, standing up on the arm rest and then hopped up onto Jay's back. Her arms were tucked around his neck, and he adjusted to grab ahold of one leg as they made their way back to the tree. Jay held the angel up looking back at her, and she reached forward grabbing a hold of one wing, while Jay still held the other. Leaning forward they placed the angel in her spot on top of the tree. With the angel plugged in, they stood back and looked around at their beautiful tree and all the other decorations around the house. The lights shined off their faces. Hailey leaned in further wrapping her arms tighter around his neck with her head resting on his shoulder.
"It looks awesome." Jay said, looking back at her. She smiled at him, grabbing the side of his face, giving him a big kiss on his cheek. Jay walked back over to the couch, flopping down and pinning Hailey between him and the back of the box. Hailey laughed and wrapped her arms and legs further around him as they sat in the silence of their living room. Jay reached up and interlocked his fingers with her left hand, taking a moment to admire their matching black bands. As Jay's attention went back to watching all the new Christmas lights in the living room, his mind began to wonder what it would be like setting up the tree and sharing the excitement with a mini Hailey. He smiled to himself at the thought. Hailey noticed and leaned in closer, wrapping her arms tighter around him.
"What's got you all smiley?"
Jay smirked and looked back at her. " Just admiring your home makeover skills."
"You haven't even seen it all. You should see the shower curtain in the bathroom."
Jay bit his bottom lip raising his eyebrows and looking back playfully at her. " Is that an invite to go check it out?"
Hailey smiled and leaned forward giving him a kiss. " Maybe." She leaned forward to give him another, much slower kiss. "But we're going to watch a movie first."
"Ah yes. A movie." Jay said, winking at her. Hailey laughed and pushed him off of her. He groaned as he rolled over to sit next to her on the couch. Hailey took the opportunity to snuggle into his left side, and he wrapped an arm around her.
"There was a boy with his mom on the elevator today. He thought I was Santa." he started.
"Santa?" she replied laughing.
"Yea." he said laughing with her. "His mom asked if I had kids." He paused to glance quickly over at her. She was just sitting there looking contently at him. They looked at each for a minute, until he finally got the courage to come out and ask. She never broke eye contact with him. He finally took a deep breath and just asked. " Do you want kids? Someday?"
Hailey looked away from him briefly. Looking back, the thought of children had crossed her mind from time to time. She always dismissed the thought though, not at all confident in her parenting skills. She looked up at Jay, who was still watching her. She attempted a confident smile, as she crossed her legs and turned to face him.
"I used to. But I don't know. I just….." she paused to look down at her hands. " I just dont think I'd be a great mom. "
Jay reached forward to grab her hand as he sat up a little straighter on the couch to be at her level. " Hailey. You'd make a great mom. You're so loving and caring. You keep me in check." He loved the smile that flashed across her face. "It would come naturally to you."
"Well you are like a big kid." Jay tilted his head looking at her grinning. "Maybe someday."
Jay smiled as he pointed to the tree. "Just imagine putting that together each year with a mini Hailey."
Hailey laughed and shook her head. "A little green eyed Jay maybe." They smiled at each before leaning in to share a quick kiss." We should just get a cat."
Jay's eyebrows scrunched up looking at her. He couldn't decide if she was being serious. With the mischievous grin she was giving he realized she was. "But cats are weird."
"What?!" Hailey laughed in response.
"They walk around all sneaky. Like they are plotting something."
"You are ridiculous."
Hailey was still laughing as she crawled forward, wrapping her legs around Jays, and resting her head against his chest. They both got comfortable on the couch and settled in for an evening of Christmas movies. They flipped through the channels and found a Home Alone marathon. It wasn't often they got a quiet evening off to just watch tv. They only made it through the first one when Jay started dozing off on the couch. The long day being out in the cold, running around town, and the crazy work week was catching up to him. Hailey tiptoed off the couch and into the bathroom. She had the shower warming up before going back out to the living room. Jay was still passed out. Hailey climbed up on the couch, sliding her legs around him to straddle and sit in his lap. She laughed to herself when he still didn't budge. Cupping his face in her hands, she gave his still lips a kiss, before moving her face back just an inch from his as his eyes fluttered open.
"Wake up sleepy head."
Jay stretched and yawned as he wrapped his arms around her waist. "I'm not tired."
Hailey tilted her head and raised her eyebrows at him. "My dates falling asleep on me. We had plans."
"Oh ya. We still do….." Whatever tiredness that was running through his system was gone now. He leaned forward pulling her in for what started as just a quick peck. That kiss quickly deepened as the fire lit in the both of them. Jay peeled away only to leave kisses starting from Haileys ear down her neck to where the collar of her shift laid. The soft giggles coming from her as his scruffy chin tickled her neck only fueling him more. She squealed with more excitement, wrapping her legs and arms around him as he stood from the couch and carried her towards the bedroom. The previously mentioned new decorations were the last thing on Jay's mind as they got into the shower.
What could be seen of the morning sun between the cloudy snowy day slowly peaked through the blinds in their bedroom, revealing the fun that was had the night before. Clothes were scattered from outside the bathroom door, to right outside the shower. You'd think two slobs lived in that house the way the house looked that morning. Keeping things tidy was definitely the last thing on their minds last night. Water was still slowly dripping from the shower. It was apparent they were in too big of a rush to get out to be sure it was cut off completely. Towels were scattered on the floor next to the bed. They were taking full advantage of their weekend off. The morning was headed in the same direction as the night before. Jay had woken her up with soft kisses on her shoulder, and Hailey had instantly rolled over to meet him with a long passionate kiss. It didn't take much to get things heated up again. Jay was slowly peppering kisses down her neck, across her chest and between her breasts. Purposely letting his scruff drag between each one to elicit a giggle from her. It was all he needed to hear to make him hungry for more. They were enjoying the intimate moment when Haileys cell phone went off on the nightstand, revealing a new text message had been received.
A muffled "ignore it," instantly came from under the blanket.
"Jay" she sighed. "It could be work."
"We're busy," he mumbled. Hailey closed her eyes, relishing in the kisses that were trailing down towards her belly button.
"We'll tell them our phones were dead." Jay said as he continued to purposely trail his chin up and down her stomach. Hailey was giggling fervently now, trying to pull away." Besides, it can't be THAT serious. They only sent it to you."
As if on cue, Jay's phone went off from his side of the bed. "You can't be serious. These guys can't take a full weekend off?" Jay's head poked out from under the blanket to look at Hailey, surrendering with a sigh before he dropped his full weight on her, causing more laughter from his wife as he kissed her neck once more and begrudgingly rolled off towards his side of the bed.
It was a text from Voight. District wide mandatory drug test. My office. 10:00am. Don't be late.
Jay groaned and tossed his phone back down on the table. The alarm clock on the nightstand read 8:57. Barely giving enough time to shower before they had to be there. After the night they had, another one was definitely needed. He looked over to Hailey in pure disgust.
"At least it's not a case." She tried to reason with him.
"Please don't say that too loudly, Hails. " Jay moaned as he rubbed the palms of his hands into his eyes.
"Let's get this over with and get back home." Hailey said as she jumped out of the bed with more motivation than he had and pulled open her dresser drawer.
"There is always tonight." Jay said as he rose from the bed, stepping over the mess of clothes. Hailey raced past him with her clothes headed for the bathroom.
"Let's take a shower and get going" could be heard from the bathroom as the water started up. Jay quickly gathered his stuff and tossed it on the bathroom counter before pulling the shower curtain back to join Hailey. "No funny business mister. We have to get going."
"Yea yea. Copy that."
About twenty minutes later, they were in Haileys jeep headed for the district. Several more inches of snow had accumulated on the ground since the night before. It was dark and gloomy, and the wind gusts had picked up since yesterday. Luckily for them their new home had a garage around the back of their building, so they didn't have to dig the jeep out to leave. They both shook their heads and laughed as they passed the truck parked out front of their building. The snow plows had come through at some point that morning, blocking the truck in more with deep snow. Hailey looked at her husband with her eyebrows raised. "What? It was a long walk with your box," Jay defended. He could only hope some would melt before Monday, so he didn't have to dig it out before work. The radio station was playing Christmas music on their way to the district. The roads had been heavily salted the day before in preparation for the snow, but there were still some slick patches causing minor accidents along the way. Causing Hailey to make a couple detours through town. They'd be a few minutes late, but judging by the weather and the roads, everyone probably would be.
The longer drive had Haileys mind going back to the night before. Hailey could feel her cheeks redden at the thought of their night of fun. She looked over at Jay who was watching out the passenger window. She sure loved this man of hers.
"Ya know I was thinking….." Hailey broke the silence with. " About what we discussed last night."
Jay's gaze moved from the window to her. "About the cat? I'm glad you reconsidered."
Hailey laughed at his witty comment. He always kept her on her toes. Just one of the many reasons she fell for him. "No." Jay rolled his eyes playfully. "Kids." Jay's eyebrows rose inquisitively. "I can't wait to have a family with you someday. Some little Jays running around giving you a hard time. "
Jay's smile grew wider with those words. "Me too."
Jay was still beaming as they got closer to the district. They were only a few blocks away now. Haileys' jeep was passing a construction site. The city was building new parking garages in different areas. The more the city grew the more the need came for more places to park in the busier parts of town. There just weren't enough places to park along the roads anymore, and the winter months made that difficult. People still had to work and needed somewhere to park away from Chicago's crazy winter. This particular site had 2 round garages going up like the ones downtown, and they weren't even close to being finished. There were a few platforms finished as it spiraled up on both sides. There were a lot of beams suspended from one side to another, large sheets of plastic hung in some spots, with solid ground only being laid so far on the first five completed levels. As Jay observed the construction site, he saw what looked like a small child looking down from one of the upper levels.
"Hailey, wait. Stop."
Hailey was confused but hurried and pulled over to the side of the road the best she could. Before she could put it in park Jay was already jumping out. Hailey put the jeep in park, and turned on her lights, before jumping out hurrying after him. "Jay what is it?" Hailey was trying to keep up with him while trying to avoid the large piles of snow that had been pushed over by the street plows. With her short legs it wasn't an easy task. Jay being much taller, was getting further and further away. Jay ducked under the caution tape and squeezed through the crack in the gate and kept going. "Jay, wait up!"
"I saw a kid," he yelled back to her.
"What? Where?" She asked as she squeezed through the fence.
"Up there. On the 5th landing." Jay pointed towards the highest platform on the building.
"Are you sure? How would a kid get out here in this snow?" She watched as Jay trudged on reaching the bottom platform. "Ok i guess you're sure then." Hailey did a quick look around as she followed behind him. The shorter legs were finally able to catch the longer ones as they neared the 5th platform. Hailey was thankful to finally be walking next to him instead of running to keep up. Both their eyes were looking everywhere and behind all the small equipment on the way up. Nothing even resembled a small child. Hailey was starting to get skeptical.
"Jay, are you sure it was a child? Maybe it was one of these sheets of plastic blowing? It's really windy today."
"I don't think so. It was shorter and wearing a coat. "
They continued to look around the top platform, but this one was clear too. You could see straight out to the city on every side. Hailey came to stand next to Jay where he had stopped. "Maybe they went across to the other side?"
"There's no path yet to the other side." Jay replied walking over to the ledge closest to the other garage that was being built right next to this one. "It's not close enough for an adult to jump. A child sure wouldn't."
"Maybe he went down and around to that side before we came in?" Hailey reasoned, trying to make him feel better about stopping. She was still having a hard time believing a child would be out here. Jay had to have seen something else.
Jay shrugged looking back and forth. He was starting to think maybe he had seen things. The wind was really coming through that top platform, causing all the plastic to start flapping, and a howling noise whipped between the two sides. It was freezing. He was about to give in and leave when he heard a scream. " Did you hear that?" They both stepped forward looking over the edge. The floor below them had a beam suspended between the two garages. A crane was holding it up with chains and straps in the center. It looked like the construction workers were excited for the weekend or trying to avoid the coming storm and left it suspended in the air. Each time a big wind gust blew between the garages, the beam would sway slightly side to side. The beam was very icey with snow every few feet. Clinging to the chain in the middle was a small girl Jay had seen. Hailey's heart sank.
"Call it in!" Jay yelled as he began running down the curved, paved path to the next platform. Hailey was hanging up with 911 as she caught back up to Jay on the next landing.
"The beam doesn't line up with these floors." Jay pointed to the beam a few feet below them. "It's sitting on that ledge on this end. She had to have fallen from here and crawled across."
Hailey stepped forward looking down to what Jay was pointing out. The beam was several feet below the solid ground on this floor. Even a tall adult would struggle to get down to it and be able to reach it. With the beam being so icy in spots, she was glad the little girl hadn't slipped off. The little girl had noticed them, and was starting to cry and crawl towards them.
"Stay there sweetie. We're going to get you down." Jay called to her.
"Jay, it's not safe. We can't get down there to get her off."
"How far out is CFD?"
"They said the closest truck was 7 minutes out."
Jay shook his head and stepped forward looking down at the beam. " Hailey, I can get down there and get her. Bring her back over here and hold her up for you."
"Jay! No way."
"Hailey, she's going to fall before they get here. They are too far away. Look…" Jay pointed to the little girl who was still moving, turning around now to look the other way. "She's scared. She won't sit still much longer."
"There has to be another way.."
"I'll be fine. I'll go slow, grab her, and bring her back."
The end of the beam closest to them was resting against another beam for support under them. Whereas the other end was suspended in the air. Jay knew this had to be every bit of a safety violation being left this way. If the beam stayed on that ledge, it would support Jay's weight on that end. They just had to hurry before the little girl tried moving to the other end. Jay slowly slid down to the beam,careful not to make the beam move too much under his weight. Looking back up to Hailey to assess his way out, he could at least reach up and place a hand on the top platform he had just climbed down from. He knew he'd be able to pass the little girl up to Hailey, but it wasn't going to be easy for him to crawl back out. All he had to do was hold on until CFD arrived. The beam luckily wasn't as frozen as it looked from above. The little girl was silently watching as Jay started to work his way towards her. The wind had died down for the moment. Jay was moving as carefully as he could, stepping slowly over the parts that were coated with ice. He kept repeating to himself to not look down to the ground. There was one particular spot that was shaded from the crane's arm above them that he misjudged, causing his left foot to slip. Hailey's heart fluttered with fear as she watched Jay catch himself.
"Im ok," he called back to her as he sat down on the beam. Trying to ease her concern. He didn't dare look up to see her worried face, he knew it would only make his racing heart worse. Looking back at where he started from, he could see the sudden movement had caused the beam to shift slightly from its hold on the platform. He needed to be extra careful, but quick. All the movement was making the little girl scared. The closer Jay got, the more she'd move away. Jay was calling to her to stop, but she would just shake her head no. Hailey was getting more nervous, she still couldn't hear any sirens in the distance. She continued to keep an eye on them as she pulled her phone back out to find out the eta for the fire department. Jay could hear Haileys frantic pleas for the people on the phone to hurry as he finally got close to the little girl.
"Hey there, what's your name?" The little girl just stared at him. Jay put his arms out to reach for her. " Come on. Let's get down from here.' 'The little girl shook her head no and leaned away from Jay's open hands. "I won't hurt you. I'm going to get you off of this thing." Jay continued to hold his hands out, but the little girl kept shaking her head no. He could see how frightened she was. " Look…" Jay said pointing to the ground below. The little girl followed where his hand was pointing. " We are really high. If you fall, you can get hurt really bad. Please let me get you off here and take you to your mommy." The little girl seemed to light up at the mention of her mother. "Come here." Jay tried again reaching for the little girl. This time the little girl reached back and allowed Jay to slowly pull her to him. She instantly wrapped her arms around him and held on tight.
"My name is Jay, " he softly said to the little girl. "Let's get off this thing. Hold on." The little girls grip tightened as Jay slowly turned to start back towards Hailey. He slowly scooted across on his butt. After the last slip he didn't want to risk standing up with her until they were all the way back. They were almost back when a gust of wind blew between the two garages. Jay instantly grabbed a hold of her tighter and bent over to brace them for the heavy gust. The chains above them swayed slightly causing the beam to shift again. Jay just held the little girl tighter praying for the wind to hurry and stop. They were almost back, all he had to do was get to his feet and hand the little girl up to Hailey. Hailey was a mess watching the beam moving under them. Only a portion of it was still sitting on the ledge it started on.
"Jay hurry. It's moving from the ledge."
The wind let up slowly as Jay looked up at Haileys worried face. The little girl was still holding tightly to Jay's jacket.
"Ok. I'm going to pass you up to my friend here so we can get out of here ok?" Jay kept one arm wrapped around the child and the other braced against the wall as he stood up. Making sure he had a good footing, he convinced the little girl to finally let go of him and passed her up to Hailey. Hailey quickly grabbed the little girl and set her down next to her, before turning back to Jay. Jay was reaching up to the platform trying to pull himself up when another stronger gust of wind came whipping through the construction site. Hailey was frantically reaching for Jay as the beam made a creaking sound as it shifted away from the ledge. With the beam no longer supported on either end, the extra weight on one caused the beam to start slipping from the chains. The sudden drop in gravity as the beam slipped from the restraints caused Jay to lose his footing and fall back onto the beam. Everything seemed to be moving in slow motion as Hailey yelled for Jay. She felt like she stopped breathing as she watched the beam rotate. It slowly rotated as the last restrained part of it slipped out of the chains, sending them both falling the four stories to the snowy ground below. Hailey felt frozen in place looking down at the ground in complete shock. The squeal the little girl let out as she started crying snapped her out of it. She quickly got to her feet, scooping the little girl up as she ran for the bottom platform. Finally she could hear sirens in the distance.
Everything happened so quickly for Jay. One minute he was beyond relieved to have the little girl safely off the beam. Now he found himself laying very uncomfortably on the cold ground in the snow. As he looked up now at the chains swaying in the wind all he felt was excruciating pain. He tried hard to focus his mind on the cold ground beneath him but the excruciating, stabbing pains from his legs and abdomen were causing the world to spin around him. His head was pounding with each heartbeat. He closed his eyes trying to even out his breathing and will the pains away, but each blink was becoming heavier and harder to open than the last. The panic that caused made the pounding worse. He tried to roll over but his body wasn't responding to any attempts at moving. As the seconds passed the strong pains from before were slowly replaced by freezing cold throughout his body. His body was starting to tremble. His mind tried to convince him that it was just from the cold ground, but his heart knew otherwise. The snow he landed in was slowly melting, and starting to seep through his clothes. As he laid there his mind took him back to the comment in the bed that morning. It didn't take a bunch of bad guys in the city to ruin a weekend off. The thought made him laugh, but his body did not find the thought funny at all, causing him to cough, leaving a familiar foul taste in his mouth. The smile faded quickly as he tried to shake the thought that his heart was right. His vision was slowly starting to fade as a familiar face he had almost forgotten about being there, appeared above him.
It felt like ten miles of running before Hailey finally got to Jay's side. In reality it had only been 2-3 minutes. She fully expected the worst as she ran down those four flights to get to him. The distant look on his face as she finally reached him didn't ease her worries any. She was very surprised he was even conscious after such a big fall. She quickly sank her knees in the deep snow to kneel next to him. She was calling his name but didn't get a reaction from him at first. Placing both hands on his face hoping to direct his attention to her, she kept calling his name. It took raising her voice a couple times and lightly tapping his cheek to finally get a couple long, slow blinks and for him to make eye contact with her. He seemed lost. Confused. She sat up a little to just look him over, not really sure what she was looking for. She quickly glanced over her shoulder to see if she could finally see any of the CFD finally arriving at their location. All she saw was the little girl sitting a few feet away watching them. The location where he fell was between the two garages with no view of the road. That only made her panic more. She knew Jay needed help even if there wasn't anything visible from the outside. She pulled out her phone calling Voight and then Adam. But didn't get an answer. She tried to hide her panic when she turned back to Jay.
"Hey it's going to be ok. Help is coming."
She didn't take her eyes off him as he continued to lazily blink up at her. Trying her hardest to give him a reassuring smile. But he didn't give any indication he heard anything she was saying to him.
"You saved that little girl Jay. I'm so proud of you."
Tears were starting to slip down her cheek as her thumb rubbed his cheek. She saw his eyes move slowly to her cheek, making her instantly wipe them away.
"You're going to be ok. Just stay with me ok?"
With each passing moment his breathing became more and more labored. Jay's eyebrows furrowed as his eyes closed. A shiver ran through his body causing him to groan. The shivering was an awful contrast to the sheen of sweat forming on his forehead. Reminding her how dire the situation was. It took a little longer for him to open his eyes this time. She swallowed and wiped at the tears she couldn't keep from falling.
"Stay awake Jay. Look at me." Jay's eyes circle around briefly before meeting back with hers. "I love you." She flashed him another reassuring smile even though there was nothing reassuring about the situation. She didn't want him to see her worried. The corners of Jay's mouth curled into a brief smile, before his eyes slipped closed and everything went limp. His body just couldn't fight off the inviting darkness any longer.
"No! Jay!" Hailey called, tapping at his face again. But this time there was no response. She quickly felt for a pulse and her heart sank more, feeling how weak it was. But it was there. She leaned forward kissing his forehead, wrapping both hands behind his head to pull it from the ground and hold it into the crook of her neck. The tears were really falling now. She pulled one hand back when she felt a sticky substance coat her hand. The hand she pulled away was red and sticky, but she didn't have time to panic because she suddenly heard footsteps from behind.
"Hailey?"
Haileys head snapped around at the sound, and had never been more excited to see Adam. Followed by Kim, several CFD firefighters she didn't recognize, and two paramedics.
"My god Hailey. What happened?" he asked, looking between Hailey and Jay, and then back to the little girl.
"I…he….he fell," she attempted to explain pointing up at the top of the garage building. The emotion was raw in her voice. Both paramedics looked up to see where she was pointing. "I don't know how she got out here but she fell on a beam between the buildings. He got her off but he fell…" Hailey couldn't stop the flood of tears from falling down her face. She was still crouched next to Jay, with his head against her shoulder.
"Ma'am you have to step back." One of the paramedics said, resting his hand on her shoulder. He saw the desperate look she gave him. "We've got him."
"He's my husband," she pleaded. "He has to be ok."
Adam slowly reached down grabbing Hailey around the waist to pull her away. She gingerly laid Jay's head back down on the ground, and reluctantly let Adam pull her away so the paramedics could get closer. She didn't let Adam pull her far away. She tried to give him and Kim every detail they could since they arrived on scene. Kim had passed the little girl on to some patrol officers to take back to the district. Apparently they had gotten routed the same way to the precinct to do their testing, and instantly pulled over when they saw Hailey's jeep and fire trucks pulling up on scene. Adam was now on the phone calling Hank, but still had an arm wrapped about Hailey. She had everything else tuned out around her as she watched the paramedics tend to Jay. They were speaking amongst themselves, expressing concerns about low blood pressure due to internal bleeding, possible injuries that they could see, and a heady injury. They were very quick at getting Jay ready to load up to take to Med. You could sense the urgency as they wheeled him towards the awaiting ambulance. Hailey was relieved when the original medic who spoke to her, asked if she wanted to ride along.
"Adam please call Will," she called back to her teammates as she ran to the ambulance. Adam and Kim exchanged a quick look. They knew it was not going to be an easy call.
"I swear these keurigs are never this slow any other time." Will groaned as he watched his mug fill with fresh coffee. Glancing down at his watch, he had exactly three minutes before his shift was supposed to start. He leaned back against the counter, arms crossed, trying to not come across too grumpy to his colleagues.
"This is why i leave early and stop at the coffee shop up the road. They may be busy but they get you out fast." Dylan said as he took a sip from his mug. Will eyed him with envy.
"Are you sure it's not the chocolate danishes the barista gives you for free every time you go in," Stevie joked back.
"Could be a little of both," he responded, causing all 3 of them to laugh.
"Finally!" Will jumped forward grabbing his mug and screwing on the top.
"Long night Will?" Stevie asked as they made their way to the door.
"You can say that. I was at Jay and Haileys till late on Thursday for Thanksgiving. Didn't get a lot of sleep when I got home. I can never sleep the night before my last shift of the week anyway. Just catches up with me I guess."
"I hear that." Dylan said as he held the door open for his two colleagues.
"That sounds fun. They are married now right?" Stevie asked as they walked out of the doctors lounge.
Will looked back, smiling proudly at the question. "Yea. They are. For a couple weeks now. I can't believe it. My baby brother married before me." Stevie laughed, giving Will a playful shove.
The ER had been quiet when they first came in. After a long work week, they were all silently hoping for a quiet shift. They were quickly greeted by their favorite charge nurse.
"Dr. Scott." Maggie called from behind the counter. "We have a 5 year old with a suspected broken arm in treatment six," she said as she handed him a tablet. Dylan gave a brief wave with his pinky, as he sipped his coffee heading off in the direction he was pointed to.
" Dr. Hammer, Dr. Marcel could use your help in trauma one. Medics are bringing in a police officer with critical injuries from a fall."
"Got it." Stevie spun around telling Will bye as she darted off to trauma one. Will thought nothing of it. Any time they could help it, Maggie tried to avoid sending Will into any traumas involving the blue, due to his family connection. Before Will could think any further into it his phone started ringing in his pocket. Maggie raised an eyebrow looking at him.
"Crap. Sorry Mags. I forgot to put it on vibrate."
The ringtone was pretty loud in a quiet ED. He ignored the looks the nurses gave at the nurses station, as he hurried and put his coffee down, before pulling his phone out to put it on vibrate. However the name on his caller ID made him stop in place. Incoming call: Kim Burgess. His brother's teammates never called him directly. Very very rarely did he get a call from one of them. Hailey of course being the only one. One night at Mollys they all exchanged numbers, just in case there was ever a situation that they needed the other's number. But that was several years ago. He remembered his brother telling him they were off this weekend. The whole thing was a little unnerving.
"Hey Kim. What's up?" Will answered as cooly as he could. Trying to not sound as confused as he was.
"Will, where are you?"
That unexpected question definitely didn't calm down the nerves. "I'm at Med. I just started my shift. What's going on?"
"There's been an accident. Jay is on his way to Med. Um….im not really sure exactly what happened…." Will didn't hear anything else. Maggie's words about the officer suddenly came back to him. " Will? Are you there?" He didn't mean to ignore Kim,but in that moment he forgot all about her. He dropped his phone on the counter and took off to find the charge nurse. Maggie was surprised to see Will so frazzled running up to her.
"Maggie what did they say about that call? The police officer? Who is it?"
"They didn't say. Just that he was critical." As soon as the words left her mouth she regretted it. She realized instantly as Will took off for the trauma bay on the other side of the ED, that he must know something she didn't.
"Will wait!" she attempted to call after him. But he was gone. He was rounding the corner, surprising the two doctors by his presence. They were busy getting things set up for their incoming patient when Will ran in, Maggie not far behind.
"Will, what's going on?" Maggie asked as she caught up.
"Kim Burgess just called and said they were bringing Jay in….."
"Oh no…" Stevies mouth dropped as she turned to Crockett. Instantly concerned about the coinsidance.
"Will," Maggie said, grabbing his arm. "It could be anyone. We don't know who it is…"
Will tried to find comfort in her reasoning. A part of him was silently hoping it wasnt Jay and maybe things had gotten mixed up. Unfortunately this was the night his worst fears came true, as the paramedics arrived and a gurney was wheeled into the ED followed by Hailey and Adam. His brotherly instincts instantly found his feet quickly walking towards the incoming medics. The sight of his unconscious brother was terrifying. He had an oxygen mask covering his face. He instantly grabbed his hand and squeezed, not getting a response.
"He's been unresponsive since we got to the scene. His O2 stats and blood pressure have been gradually dropping since we got him in the ambulance," one of the paramedics spoke as they wheeled him into the trauma room.
Will looked his brother up and down as they transferred him off the gurney, finding some relief in the only bleeding coming from what looked to be a small head injury. But as Crockett and Stevie started to hook him up to monitors, different screens started flashing and alarms instantly started going off. His O2 stats were now in the lower 80s. His blood pressure was flashing telling the doctors in the room that there was definitely something more going on. Will watched as the oxygen mask was quickly switched out for an intubation kit, choosing to look away as Stevie slid the uncomfortable tube into his brother's mouth. Additional IVs were being inserted, x-rays were being taken, ultrasound tech was being wheeled in. The room was in a frenzy. Will did his best to stay out of the way. Once Jay was intubated and connected to the ventilator, Stevie moved around Will to cut Jay's shirt off. His stomach dropped as he saw the blue and red bruising already forming across his chest and abdomen. X-ray images were first to come up. Will sighed heavily as the images popped up on the screen.
"He's got a severely fractured pelvis," Crockett said as he pointed to the images. "Shit. What did he fall from?"
"He fell from the fourth floor of a parking garage," Adam answered from the door. Everyone turned to look at Adam. Looking at him likely making the story more real. As screens continued flashing, Crockett quickly grabbed the ultrasound and started moving around Jay's abdomen. As bad as the first initial x-rays were, the ultrasound was giving more bad news. Crockett was seeing bleeding in his abdomen. Jay needed surgery immediately. Crockett was shaking his head watching the screen. "He needs to be upstairs. Right now!" There was no time to further diagnose things in that trauma room. Jay needed help now. He turned to look at Will. The worried look on the surgeon's face only scared him more.
"I am going to do everything I can," Crockett told him, as they got Jay ready to go upstairs. He turned to Adam and Hailey who had been standing at the door. "I'll send updates when i can."
Before stats could drop any lower he was being wheeled out up to surgery. As the elevator doors closed, Will turned to face his brother's wife and teammate. She hadn't said a word since coming in the ED, and now she was in trance. Still attempting to process everything that just happened. Will reached forward and pulled Hailey into a tight hug. Will looked over to Adam, who shook his head and turned to leave. The disbelief and frustration was obvious as he stormed out. Will knew with his own patients that surgeries for injuries like this would take a long time. After several minutes in each other's embrace, Hailey stepped back looking at the blood on her hands. Will quickly covered her hands with his to divert her attention.
"Come on. Let's get you cleaned up." Will led her into the doctor's bathroom to clean her hands. Then they made their way upstairs to wait for news.