Hi guys! How are you doing? Thanks for all the reviews.
A late Happy New Year to everyone and everyone's family.
Natalie stopped for grief for a week after Jay told the news. One month after Jeff's death was discovered, the funeral happened. The funeral was deeply organized and financed by the Army with all the ceremonies and honors that a worthy late war hero like Jeff deserved. The entire family and friends were there. Natalie received tears in her eyes and a hand caressing her belly the American flag doubled from Jay's hands, who carried the casket emotionally.
Two months after Jeff's death was discovered, Owen was born. Owen Jeffrey Manning. Helen Manning, Jeff's mother, and Natalie's ex-mother-in-law moved to Chicago to help her grandson rise and the ex-daughter-in-law in babysitting the kid so she can work. She says Owen is similar to Jeff as a baby, physically and personality, which she, Nat, and Jay can testify positively, having lived together with the late soldier.
A lot has changed in these three years. The longing is enormous. They learned, in their terms and time, to deal with the longing, live together with the pain, and move on. Some days are better than others but it's working.
Owen is a healthy and happy three years old boy and is on that damn whys phase: he asks about everything at any time, especially about his father, which the three adults tell him stories and get emotional. Natalie is working now as an emergency pediatrician and on duty on the most recent Gaffney Hospital's Emergency Room along with other doctors; now friends, now family. The intrigued reason why a hospital doesn't have an emergency room is answered to Jay, who can live in peace now with his intrigues. Jay can live in peace now, can get his gunshots or beaten - just don't ask him for a sick shot - having a place to, reluctant go dragged by his coworkers when he gets hurt, a usual aspect of his daily life. Jay is now a detective of the most elite unit of the Chicago Police Department, the Intelligence Unit. He never told Natalie about the real circumstances where Jeff died and never will tell. He still keeps his promise and looks out for his deceased friend's family. It's his undercover reason to go almost every day willingly to the hospital but he tells it's because he has to see Will, his brother and doctor, and the man who has a crush on the female doctor. But, shhh, she doesn't know, he is the only one - he tries to send indirect tips to her to find out about it but isn't comprehended.
"Why are you here this time, Detective Halstead?" Chief Nurse Maggie Lockwood asks as soon as she sees the young detective cross the automatic door. "Let me guess, concussion? No, you're walking way too firmly to be a concussion. Sick? Broken bones? Fall?"
"Hi, Mags." He teases her.
"How dare you use my nickname?"
"We are intimate friends. So much you know and try to guess my injuries!"
"It's because, for someone who hates hospitals like you, you visit us way too much. Do you want to have a Green Card so you can walk free around here or a reserved room? Like 'Jay Halstead's room'?"
"Little funny." He says, leaning against the balcony and continuing. "I'm not hurt this time."
"Miracle!" She teases him, chuckling as he rolls his eyes.
"Natalie asked me if I can babysit Owen tonight so she can work as Helen is out of town resolving personal issues. She is bringing him here so I can take him home." He teases back. "See? I'm not physically hurt but morally hurt."
"Morally hurt?"
"Yes, because your first impression of me is painful."
"Oh leave it, kid." They chuckle.
"While I'm waiting, have you seen Will?" He asks her.
"Behind you." Jay turns around and sees the redhead doctor, hugging each other. "What are you doing here? Voight obliged you to come because you are way too stubborn to not check yourself?" Jay looks at the nurse.
"My first impression of you is generally." She says and goes away.
"What was she talking about?"
"Nothing important. About what I'm doing here it's because Natalie has to work overnight, Helen is out of town so I'm looking out Owen tonight. I'm picking him here when they arrive." He explains himself. "Are you working too?"
"Yes, I am, I'm working with her tonight. I didn't know you were the one designed to take care of him."
"How cute, you two are working together." He says suggestively.
"Yes, I'm working with her...stop, I don't like her...as a friend but not the way you are saying."
"You told me you love her, stop denying." He whispers.
"Shhh...first of all, I was drunk. My words weren't rational" Will lies and they know it because Will was sober the night he told Jay. "Second of all...she's coming." He, embarrassed, whispers back.
"You look like a scared kid." Will rolls eyes. "Hey, Nat. Hey, Owen." Jay says and hugs each of them whole Will walks away after greeting with a fake smile.
"Hi, uncle Jay!"
"Hi, Jay. We are fine and you?" Nod. "What is wrong with Will because as soon as I approached he walked away from you and your conversation?" Jay pales for a second but quickly returns.
"I don't know what is wrong with him, he is strange sometimes, especially around particular people." He tries to send an indirect message to her but for her confused face, she didn't get the tip. "Anyways, Owen, are you excited to be with me at my house tonight while mommy works?"
"YES!" The little boy giggles and jumps in place to demonstrate his happiness, the two adults laugh.
"Very good. Behave and don't give so much work to your uncle. Love you, baby boy." She hugs and kisses him on the cheek, kneeled, and returns to her feet to hug Jay. "Thanks again for taking care of him, Jay. Anything happens, call me."
"No need to be thankful. He's a good boy, it is easier to take care of him than take care of Will." He teases the brother near him.
"Such a liar. Owen, don't be like your uncle, he isn't a good role model."
"Shut up, Will!"
"Bye, mommy. See you tomorrow." Owen says while waving goodbye to her mom and giving his little hand to Jay's big one, the boys make their way to Jay's truck parked on the hospital's parking lot. "Is that your car, uncle Jay?" He opens his mouth in amazement.
"Yes, it is." He says, proudly, but fears the boy's reaction when he notes. "What happened? You didn't like it?"
"It's like a spaceship!! I love it!! I want to have one when I grow up." He widens his smile and Jay lets go of a breath he didn't know he was holding. Did you see this car, Jay? Pickup. Is the one I want to have when I am old! They are like a spaceship! 7-year-old Jeff's voice nostalgic his memories. Owen reminds him so much of Jeff and his love for tall trucks. Even though it's served for combat, the humvee was his fascination. Since they were little, they had big controlled toy trucks and they were hallucinated towards that, wishing they would have one to each other when old. Nowadays, he has his pickup, realizing both once young boys' dreams, but Jeff doesn't have his. Introspectively, he is woken up by Owen pushing his hand down. "Uncle, is everything alright?"
"Yes. Yes, it is fine." He wipes quickly a tear already noticed by the kid.
"So why are you stuck in place crying?" He says sincerely. "Sometimes mom does it too when she misses daddy. Do you miss daddy?" Kids are too sincere and attentive as they are credited.
"Yes, I miss daddy. But I am okay. Shall we go home in this spaceship?"
"YES!" Jay helps Owen get inside the car, sit in the child seat, put on the belts, and drive the "spaceship" to Jay's apartment.
The other morning
Jay's internal clock wakes him up at 6:30 a.m, however, he is lying down on his couch. For a second, he wonders the reason he is sleeping on his couch instead of his bed in his apartment but then his eyes land on the Toy Story movie stopped on the credits part. Yesterday, he and Owen ate popcorn and spent all afternoon binge-watching Owen's children's movies. Cars 1 and 2, Monsters Inc, the Toy Story trilogy. In the end, Owen passed out on the sofa lied down on his lap and, gently, carried and accommodated his small corporal frame on the immense bed.
"This sofa wasn't made for me or someone sober unless you are drunk!" He whispers to himself as his back arches for the uncomfortable awkward position as he gets up to check his visitor. Carefully, he spies inside the black room to Owen's small frame sprawled on the bed on his stomach, snoring softly. Natalie's shift ends at 9:00 a.m, the hour he matched with the mother to bring Owen in. There's no need to wake the sleeping head so early, he decides to wake him at 8:30 a.m. He closes the door inaudibly and starts doing his daily activities, being careful to not exaggerate noise and the clock.
"Uncle Jay?" He hears the voice from behind him while he washes the dishes. He looks at the clock. 8:00 a.m.
"Good morning, Owen! How did you sleep?"
"Good!"
"If you want to rest more, I can wake you up ok?"
"No. I am fully recharged!" He says, running and jumping around the living room and kitchen, making the cop laugh.
"Oh, I see you're recharged. Take a break and eat breakfast" the boy stops and obediently sits on the chair that Jay pushed to him. "Here are your waffles and eggs and orange juice like mommy said."
"I miss mommy."
"In fifty minutes, her shift is over and we have marked to meet in the hospital so you will be with her soon."
"YES!" He says and starts eating his breakfast as Jay collects the DVD and toys in his blue bag. He puts his fitness clothes on to go to the gym and the monthly purchase at the supermarket, enjoying the day off Voight give to the team. After ten minutes, Owen finishes his breakfast, he then changed himself from his pajamas to clothes, use the bathroom, washed his teeth and both young men were ready for the day forward at 8:40. Then, they enter Jay's car - or Jay's spaceship in Owen's perspective - and drive to Gaffney Hospital.
"We arrived!" In fifteen minutes and four kids' music, Jay is parking his truck on a spot on the parking lot and helping Owen get out of the tall car.
"Bye spaceship." He waves goodbye to the car and Jay locks the car, making the car flash its lights. "Oh, he attributes my goodbye!"
"See, he is polite like you!" Jay laughs at how wonderful and innocent the young lad is. Owen holds Jay's hands.
"Can I walk someday again, uncle Jay?"
"Ask your mother. If she allows, it will be an honor!" Jay smiles at the little boy's happiness. Somehow, in the back of his mind, he feels he is doing right in his life in honoring his childhood friend and the man is perhaps feeling proud of him.
The couple walks inside the Emergency Room's waiting room and Jay tells the receptionist to let Natalie know they are already there waiting for her. He sits on a chair and taps to Owen sits next to him. Owen picks from his bag some toy trucks and they start playing with them, the rest of the visitors making comments or laughing about how cute the scene was and how they had a wonderful father and son friendship. Jay thought in contesting and explaining he isn't the boy's father but simply ignored it, he didn't want to waste time, patient, and saliva to that, playing with the kid in front of him is more important than thinking in explaining to strangers what kind of relationship between the two consists of. At 9:10 a.m., Natalie appears in plain clothing at the automatic door.
"Owen?"
"Mommy!" The boy screams and runs in her direction, hugging her. At some time together, they separated. "Uncle Jay has a spaceship and I traveled on it!"
"How wonderful, baby!" She says and picks her son's bags for Jay's hands stopped smiling in their front. "You didn't give Uncle Jay a lot of work, did you?"
"No, he was wonderful. Obeyed me, did everything, ate, slept, and kept me very well informed about children's films for a lifetime!"
"Thank you so much, Jay, I didn't know even how I can appreciate you for helping me out."
"No need to thank me. I'm glad to help out a friend. Did you like to be with me, Owen?" He asks and the boy nods vehemently and happily. "If he liked, I'm glad. That's what matters. And every time you need to me babysit him, count on me!"
"Sergeant Jay Halstead?" A new voice called out his Army's rank and his entire name after three years of not hearing, making him shiver all his body hair. They couldn't have found him in the middle of a Chicago hospital with a letter asking him to return to Afghanistan, could they? Fear. He looks around and finds who called him and is surprised. Matthew Trenton.
"Shit!" Trenton yelled as David began screaming, having caught a bullet in his abdomen.
"Hey man. How are you?" They hug each other tightly?
"I'm fine too, thanks, you?" Nod. "Outside there you can call me Jay, you know it, right? I just don't want anything related to the Army in the middle of civilian in a hospital, my PTSD can be triggered here." He whispers as low as he can, ashamed.
"Yes, sorry." He looks at the woman, the kid, and the former colleague. "Do you have a wife and son already, Jay?"
"No, they aren't my wife and my son. Trenton, this is Natalie Manning and Owen Manning. Guys, this is Matthew Trenton, we were overseas together."
"Wait...Manning...Jeff Manning's family?" Nods. "Oh shit...Sorry for your loss, ma'am and kid." The mother nods and looks at the kid, checking his clothes to go away, still listening to the conversation. Matthew, speechless, returns immediately at Jay with tears in his eyes. "Man, he was blown up right in front of you. It must've been really hard for you."
"What the hell, Jay?"
That's it for chapter 2! What are your opinions on this chapter? See you next time! Bye!
