I will happily admit that I almost cried writing this fic because of how sickeningly cute it is. you should now definitely go read this chapter without crying, I'm just dramatic sometimes (jk all of the time)

"I'll be in the bedroom!" Hailey said loudly, as she darted out of the bathroom and into their room, slamming the door shut. She dropped the towels and started pulling on sweats and a t-shirt with the positive pregnancy test still gripped in her hand. After her initial shock in the bathroom, Hailey had sprung into action and disposed of the evidence as fast as possible. She needed to calm down her racing heart though and the heat in her face or else Jay would know something was up. Not that he didn't already, considering the strange way she was acting.

As if on cue, Jay knocked lightly on the door with his knuckle, calling softly, "Hailey, are you okay in there?"

Hailey ran a brush aggressively through her blonde hair and grit her teeth as it got stuck. "Yep, I'm great. Don't come in, I'm getting changed."

Outside the door, Jay tried not to smirk. "Hails, I've seen you naked more times than you can count. I'll stay out here because you asked though."

Hailey's heart squeezed. God damn, Jay Halstead was such a good guy. Green flags all around, he loved her fiercely and always would protect her even when she didn't think she needed it. He would make a great father.

Oh my god, Hailey thought. He is going to make a great father because she's pregnant. Jay got her pregnant. By some miracle, his impressive baby-making sperm ended up making a baby and in less than nine months, they would have a kid that was half her and half him. They would definitely have blue eyes as both its parents did, but the odds of brown or blonde locks were even. Despite all the worries that crept in, Hailey couldn't help but think of the exciting things too. She knew Jay would absolutely be in heaven and she couldn't wait to spill the beans to him.

But right now, he was standing outside the door with some sports game on the TV and takeout waiting for her. Hailey wanted to tell him in a special way that wasn't occupied by other things, so she tucked the pregnancy tests underneath a pile of shirts in her drawer. Then she opened the bedroom door to find Jay leaning against the wall as he sat on the ground with a plate of takeout in his lap. "Hi," he said, looking up at her.

"Hey," Hailey didn't really know what to do, so she slid to the ground across from her husband.

Jay forked some pasta and offered the utensil to her. "Want a bite? I can plate you some of your own too."

"Sure." Hailey took the bite and sighed contentedly. "Delicious." She didn't have the heart to tell Jay that pasta was not something her body wanted right now, and that celery and peanut butter was. It would make him suspicious for sure, and Hailey couldn't have him finding out before she was ready to tell him. Subconsciously she had thought about ways to tell Jay she was pregnant, prior to actually finding out. Kim had told Adam and Makayla with a cake that said "best big sister and daddy #2 ever", which was very sweet but something Hailey did not have the option of doing.

Kim had a mug sitting in her living room that Trudy Platt had given her the first time she got pregnant; the baby that she miscarried due to a police job gone horribly wrong. She and Adam kept it, along with the first ultrasound picture they got. The baby had a place in their heart and even though they didn't consider themselves to have three kids when asked in public, the baby would always be their first.

The mug was a good idea though. Jay always had coffee before work, so it would be an easy way to tell him without actually telling him. Maybe she could find one tomorrow because it was only a matter of time before she accidentally blurted out the news. For now though, it was her secret to keep as she ate dinner on the floor with the man who she loved more than anyone else in the whole world.

...

Even though Stella and Kim had told Hailey a hundred times how the three month doctor's appointment would go, Hailey was still nervous. She wasn't a huge personal-touch lover, despite the fact that it was her husband's number one love language, and having some stranger move a cold stick over her stomach was a big no. But already a third into her pregnancy, she needed to go in and talk to the doctor who would be delivering her baby eventually. So here Hailey was, sitting in a cold plastic chair with Jay's hand in her lap, fingers laced with hers.

Jay had been an absolute godsend since he found out she was pregnant. After spending the morning crying happy tears and dancing around the kitchen with her and marvelling over the plastic sticks that told him the best news in the world, Jay sprung into action. They both skipped work to go to Hailey's first doctor's appointment to confirm she was indeed pregnant. It was there that they learned Hailey was nearly two months along, meaning they must've made a baby the first night they had unprotected sex. Adam laughed about the chances when they had told him and Kim the following day. He fist bumped Jay, gently hugged Hailey and told them that Isla would love to have a cousin less than a year younger than her. The girl's group chat had blown up, and Sylvie wistfully said that she wanted to be a mom too. Hailey wouldn't be surprised if Matt knocked her up within the next six months because that guy was crazy about the love of his life. All four women had good guys in their lives, and never took the fact for granted.

There weren't many people in the doctor's office this morning, as it was a regular work day and both Hailey and Jay had taken time off to go to this appointment together. The only thing about being pregnant that sucked, besides the obvious weight gain and other symptoms to come, was that Hailey had been put on desk duty for the next five to six months. As someone who loved the thrill of chasing bad guys for the most part, Hailey was a little devastated to have to sit out of all the excitement. Although Hailey was willing to do anything to keep their unborn baby safe, so if it meant that behind a desk she would sit, then so be it. Jay was planning to come to every appointment he could get time off work for. That was easier said than done, but Voight had been pretty casual about it. He had been conditioned earlier in the year by Adam and Kim expecting Isla. The only thing the Sergeant was annoyed about was the fact that he now had to find temporary replacements for both of his female detectives.

When Hailey and Jay had announced to Voight that they were having a baby, Voight congratulated them like anyone would. A slap on the back for Jay and a genuine Hank Voight smile for Hailey. But then he chuckled and said, "Thanks for the timing, I've now got two irreplaceable detectives to replace."

Hailey had laughed and shrugged. Women apparently liked to do things together, and who could blame them wanting all their kids to be friends? Even though Makayla was an amazing kid, Kim definitely wished she knew other moms that had kids her older daughter's age. It made for easier playdates and Makayla needed friends in general.

Speaking of Makayla, Hailey had a picture the eight year old drew for the baby in her coat pocket. Adam had given it to Jay at work that morning, a gesture that warmed Hailey's heart when she was presented with the coloured drawing. Hailey had been extra emotional lately—hormones, of course—which Jay had taken in stride. He just held her close when she cried over a broken dish and told her loved her over and over again. If anything, Hailey was absolutely thrilled to watch Jay be a father. He was a natural with kids and excellent with Makayla whenever uncle duties called. And of course, he had been floored with emotion when he found out he was going to be a dad himself. Even though it was over a month since Hailey had discovered she was pregnant, she still thought about that night constantly.

"Hailey Upton?" A nurse stood in front of the main desk, a folder in her hands. She surveyed the other patients in the room, hoping everyone could hear her clearly.

"That's me," said Hailey, standing up and nudging Jay. He grabbed their coats off the chairs and they both followed the nurse into a nearby examination room.

The nurse, who told them her name was Jen, smiled at the couple. Hailey stood shyly next to the examination table bed and didn't know what she was supposed to do. Jay could sense her nervousness and reached out to squeeze her hand. "Is this your first time being here?" Jen asked kindly, shuffling the papers on the counter.

"Yeah, can you tell?" Hailey tried to laugh, but it got stuck in her throat. She needed to stop being so tense; it was just a doctor's visit. She'd already had two prior to this one, so what was the big deal?

"Only because you're a bit nervous. Which is totally okay, there is a lot going on and a ton of change to accommodate for. I'll just get you to fill out these forms and then Dr. Trasse will be in momentarily." Jen handed over a pen and a clipboard, and Hailey detached her hand from Jay's so she could complete the papers. The nurse excused herself to give them privacy, which left Jay pacing quietly and the pen scribbling out answers.

After Hailey finished the forms, she hoisted herself up onto the examination table with her legs dangling. "I'm glad you're here," she murmured softly, hoping Jay heard her.

"I wouldn't miss it for the world," replied Jay, smiling at his wife. He walked over and wrapped his arms around her. Because of the height Haley was sitting at, her face ended up smushed against his chest and she was able to breathe in the familiar scent of him. The love of her life, the guy who made her feel so many different things all at once. He was confident with a soft side, and the type of guy who's smile lit up a room. He'd say that she was all those things and more, but that wasn't the point. The point was that Hailey married the best man she had ever known, which she was thankful for every single day.

The pair broke apart when the door opened and in walked Dr. Trasse. She was in her mid-thirties, with dirty-blonde hair and a kind face. "Hey, you must be Hailey," she said, turning to Hailey with her hand outstretched. Then her gaze flipped to Jay. "And are you the father or just the support system?"

"I'm the dad," Jay said, and even those three words almost made him choke up. He hadn't said them out loud before but from now on they would be said every single day. He wanted to scream to the world that he was going to be a father thanks to the extraordinary woman his wife was.

"Nice to meet you," Dr. Trasse smiled. She was used to many different kinds of patients coming through her office, although these two made her heart happy. Parents excited to have a kid, and ready to do whatever they needed in order to

For the next half hour, Jay and Hailey heard about all the things they could expect over the next six months before the baby came. Hailey cringed when Dr. Trasse got to some of the less pleasant symptoms of pregnancy, but Jay holding her hand made things a bit better. Right at the end, after the barf of information that made Hailey's head hurt, Dr. Trasse stood up and asked, "Do you guys want to hear the heartbeat?"

Jay looked at Hailey, who nodded slowly. "Yes," Hailey answered. She was a little scared but also very excited.

"If you could just lift your shirt up for me, so I can properly conduct the ultrasound," Dr. Trasse began. She wheeled a cart over to the bed, the cart that both Kim and Stella had forewarned Hailey about. They were good friends who knew Hailey liked all the information up front so they provided it point-blank.

However Hailey wanted to hear her baby's heartbeat more than she wanted to be scared about it. So without hesitation, she lifted her shirt and only gritted her teeth a little because the gel was cold against her skin. She wasn't showing yet but it wouldn't be long before she would be. Before they came to the appointment today, Jay had insisted on taking a "bump photo", ever the obsessed dad he was. He had a whole folder on his laptop for pics before the baby came and Hailey expected it to triple when their child eventually entered the world.

Jay stood up from the chair he had occupied against the wall and moved so that he could see the ultrasound screen too. When it lit up with a grainy image of the outline of their baby, the waterworks in Jay's eyes exploded. He was quiet about his crying, but couldn't keep it together as he stared at the tiny life that was inhabiting his wife's body at the moment. The heartbeat was loud and a bit warbled which he didn't care about one bit.

Hailey wished she had her phone so she could capture Jay's utter amazement. Hearing the heartbeat and seeing the tiny on-screen image that was her baby was beautiful. But it was Jay's reaction that floored her. If anyone ever had a doubt that he wanted to be a father, this exact moment would squash that. He loved her and their baby more than words could ever express.

Jen printed them off their first ultrasound picture to take with them and passed both Hailey and Jay a tissue; Hailey so she could wipe the gel off and Jay so he could dry his eyes. But instead Jay took the picture and wiped his face with the back of his hand.

Hailey thanked Jen. "Anytime," the doctor replied with a smile. "We'll see you in a few weeks."

With tears still in his eyes, Jay clutched the ultrasound image in one hand, and Hailey's hand in the other. He didn't let go of either, not until they were in the car and he had safely tucked the picture in sun visor. Hailey's fingers remained laced with Jay's as he drove home. There were tears drying on his cheeks but both were happier than ever. The sun was starting to set and even though both of their phones were going off with their friends asking for updates, Hailey began to drift off with her head leaning against Jay's shoulder. Being pregnant made her tired and besides, in her dreams she kept going back and thinking about when Jay found out about the baby. His reaction had been nothing short of spectacular. For forever, if things got hard, Hailey would just remember Jay's reaction and know that even though he loved her before her announcement, he loved her even more after it.

...

It was late when Hailey made it home to Jay, despite the fact that she had left work a tad early. Apparently it was impossible to find mug shops in Chicago, especially ones that did custom designs like the one Hailey needed. She drove around for hours to discover that every place was closed or couldn't do what she wanted. When Hailey was just about to give up and try to find a different idea, she found a shop outside town that had exactly what she was looking for. A great takeout place around the corner and a phone call to Kim to spill the news and her surprise plan. kept Hailey occupied until she could pick up her order. Unfortunately, by the time she was on the way home, it was past eleven. Jay told her was going to answer some emails in bed, while waiting up for her.

"Hey I'm home," Hailey called softly into the apartment so she didn't startle Jay. She kept her surprise hidden under her jacket and left her keys on the kitchen counter. "Are you awake?"

There was no reply. Hailey pushed over the bedroom door to see Jay with his eyes closed and his phone in his hand, but slumped into his lap. He had tried to wait up for her but clearly sleep won the battle. Chuckling to herself, Hailey slipped the package between clothes in her closet and stripped so that she could pull on sleep shorts and a t-shirt. Then, smiling to herself, Hailey climbed into bed, wrapped an arm around her husband.

Jay shifted in bed, opening his eyes groggily. Realizing that his wife was home, Jay smacked his forehead. "Shit, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to fall asleep."

"It's okay. I'm sorry I was so late," replied Hailey. She wasn't mad in the least. After putting his phone on the bedside table, Jay moved so that he was lying down more comfortably and not leaning back against the headboard. "G'night, I love you," she said.

"I love you too." Huddled together under the sheets, safe in each other's arms, both promptly fell asleep.

The next morning, Hailey was wide awake before the alarm went off. Disentangling herself from Jay, Hailey quietly retrieved the surprise gift and then went to the kitchen to make some coffee for her husband. Herbal tea was the only thing Hailey could have right now, so she steeped some of that in order to not feel totally left out about the coffee drinking. The mug that she had bought yesterday looked even cuter out of the box, and Hailey couldn't wait for Jay to see it. Before pouring the coffee, Hailey quickly peed on another pregnancy test so that it would be more obvious than the faded one from two days ago. Then, with her heart pounding in her chest, she went back into the bedroom to wake Jay up.

Running her hands through his hair, Hailey pressed a soft kiss to his lips. "Good morning," she whispered.

Jay, who always woke up when she kissed him, buried his face into her chest and wrapped his arms around her waist. "Morning," he grumbled back.

Normally, Hailey would let him sleep or climb back into bed with him. But she was way too excited to spill the big news, so she pulled away and pushed the covers back. "Come into the kitchen. I have coffee ready for you. I also wanted to talk about something before we have to get ready for work."

That got Jay's attention. He opened his eyes and watched as Hailey headed back towards the kitchen. "Wait, is everything okay?" He asked, rolling out of bed without a second thought and pulling on some jeans from the floor.

Hailey didn't answer. She knew that the second he stepped out of the bedroom, he'd see the surprise she had set up. So she didn't mind making him wonder for a few moments. Instead, she positioned herself behind the counter and prepared to take in Jay's reaction.

After throwing on a t-shirt, also discarded on the ground, Jay quickly went after his wife. He worried something had happened or that she was upset. Yet as soon as he crossed the threshold out of the bedroom, he caught a glimpse of the kitchen island and the foreign objects placed on top of it. He kept walking forward as his gaze darted from the coffee mug, to the pregnancy tests, to the tears of joy in Hailey's eyes. "Surprise," she managed to say, before blinking her tears back as she tried to smile.

"Holy shit." Jay had made it to the counter. One hand on the tabletop surface to steady himself, he used the other to pick up the first test he saw. When he read the only word on it, he quickly scanned the other one too, just to make sure he wasn't seeing things. But then the tests clattered together as he quickly raced around the edge of the table to pull his wife into the biggest hug he had ever given someone.

Hailey was full on crying now, and she had no intention of stopping. So much for thinking Jay was going to be the first person to cry. Her husband was dry-eyed, but from the way he was blinking a lot, Hailey suspected he wasn't going to stay that way for long. "I'm pregnant," she said, as if the mug and the tests weren't obvious enough. Hailey tended to say unnecessary things when she was nervous, although Jay wasn't even paying attention. The words that his wife had just said kept bouncing around in his head.

He kissed her. The type of kiss that was like tasting melted chocolate because his lips were soft on hers and he held her face oh-so gently in his hands. "I love you so much, Hailey Upton," he told her. His thumbs brushed away some of the tears on her cheeks, which made Hailey smile. "You are going to be the best mom in the history of the planet."

"I love you," she echoed. Her hands settled at Jay's waist, needing to hold onto something for stability.

A few moments passed. Hailey looked up at her husband to see that shock was still etched across his face. "You're really pregnant," repeated Jay, as he pulled back slightly to stare at her stomach.

Hailey rolled her eyes. It was almost as if he expected her to look like Kim at nine months pregnant immediately. "I am. Found out the night of the shooter take down, after the doctor asked if I was pregnant before the x-rays were taken. I said maybe because even though it was early, I wasn't going to take any risks. It made me curious enough to take a test. That's why I dropped in the bathroom the other night. When you asked and I said it was nothing. I was so stunned to find that it was positive."

"I'm shocked too," Jay agreed.

Hailey winked at him. "You shouldn't be. Apparently you have super-speedy-baby-making sperm because we started trying like two months ago and I'm pregnant already."

Being a guy and all, Jay leaned back and gestured to himself. "What can I say, I really must be all that."

"Oh shut up." Hailey smacked his chest lightly. "Anyways, I took today off work and made an appointment for me to go to the doctor. To, you know, confirm that I am pregnant but I'm like 99% sure I am. The stomach flu we got last month wasn't germs for me. I think it was a week of morning sickness that thankfully left. It just had impeccable timing with your actual germs," said Hailey.

"Did it ever. Wait, can I come to the appointment too? Or did you want to go by yourself or something?" Jay hesitated because he never wanted to push Hailey if she had a plan about going by herself. At the same time, he really wanted to go with her.

Smiling, Hailey nodded. "I called in for you too about work. This is our kid, so we get to do everything together."

Everything Jay could ever ask for was standing right in front of him. His beautiful wife, and their tiny unborn baby growing inside of her. "God, I love you so much."

"I love you too." Hailey grabbed the mug that Jay hadn't thought twice about, and handed it to him. "You better bring this to work tomorrow. Show off to our friends."

"Hell yeah." Jay nodded eagerly. "Wait, does Kim know? Is this mug the reason you went to visit her yesterday?"

"I called her actually but still, guilty as charged. Adam doesn't though, because I swore Kim to secrecy. Isla was the only other person to hear, but she's a baby so I think we're good." Hailey winked which made Jay let out a chuckle.

"Just think, we'll have our own baby next year," Jay marvelled. He couldn't believe he was saying those words. He was going to be a dad.

"I know, it's crazy." It really was. Here they both were, two people who never expected such a wonderful love and life to come out of a partnership at work as detectives. Who freaking knew? No one, and that was the beauty of it. Hailey and Jay were two souls destined for anything as long as they had each other. As Jay took a sip from his "world's best police dad ever" mug, he thought to himself, baby #1, here we come.

disclaimer: I will not be apologizing for the name of the doctor lol. besides that, I am so pumped for the rest of this fic! is it bad that I already have a sequel planned? also thank you to everyone who's commented so far and left kudos, it is insane! so very thankful :)

*also i can't put the picture of the mug Hailey got Jay into so check out my tumblr at thedefinitionofendgame or it's added to this same chapter on ao3*