Hi friends! Thank you as always for all the love you've shown this story. You have no idea how much your comments and messages make me smile. They really just make my whole day. Here is the next chapter as promised and let me warn you that it is quite a long one, and it's also such a rollercoaster, but I really didn't want to split it up into two or three chapters. This was another fun one to write and I really hope you enjoy. I would love to know what you think! I'll see you soon for chapter 8! :)
The rest of Sunday passes by quickly and Monday is slow moving, filled with catching up on paperwork and chatting up one another about the rare occurrence of an entire weekend off. Hailey keeps tight lipped when Ruzek asks what she did with her two days off, muttering out a response of going to the park and going out for lunch and getting caught up on laundry.
It isn't too far off base from how she spent her time, but she doesn't mention who she spent it with and she ignores the raised eyebrow and smirk she gets from Jay across their desks.
Tuesday morning is much of the same mindless chatter and reorganizing CI files, but then Wednesday morning comes and the team is knee deep in a case to help Narcotics. There are no leads, no witnesses, at least not any willing to cooperate and help the police, and each team member seems to be at the end of their rope.
Everyone is frustrated and tired beyond comprehension after having been working the case for more than twenty four hours straight and their sergeant sends them home around eleven Thursday night, telling them to get some rest and be back in the bullpen the next morning by eight. He knows his team is good, but they're no good to anyone if they don't sleep.
The team disperses quickly and the following morning they finally catch a break off a half-hidden pod camera that Burgess and Atwater notice when they canvas the crime scene again.
They get a lead on what appears to be a getaway car that gives them their only suspect, a guy named Steve Phillips, and when they get the approval for a warrant, the team gears up quickly and they roll out.
It should be an easy takedown even though their suspect is believed to be a paranoid meth dealer. Hailey and Jay move up the front steps of the house while Kim, Kevin, and Adam take the back, and Antonio sits out in front in case their guy makes a run for it. Hailey moves up the steps and Jay stops her halfway, reaching out a hand to her shoulder and she glances back at him with curious eyes.
"Something doesn't feel right," he tells her before reaching for the radio on his vest. "Ruze, you three hold at the back. Hailey and I are gonna do a sneak and peek at the front."
Adam's voice crackles through a second later. "Copy you. Holding at the back gate."
Jay glances back up at his partner and she nods once, signaling she's ready, and the pair move up the steps, long guns at the ready and Hailey taking the lead again.
He's only two steps behind her when he notices the way their footsteps make the floorboards squeak a little too loudly beneath their weight, the smell in the air of something he can't quite place, and then his partner goes up another step ahead of him and trips a clear line of fishing wire near the top of the landing.
It all seems to happen in slow motion, but Jay acts quickly and yells out his partner's name. He drops his gun and reaches for her, grabbing the back of her vest and gripping so tight his knuckles turn white, and then he's pulling her toward him. He wraps his arms around her small body as best he can with all their gear, holds her against his chest and throws all of his weight back, sending them falling onto the grass of the front yard as a loud explosion rips through the air.
Windows shatter, glass and debris shoot out in all directions, and a thick cloud of smoke surrounds them as Jay covers Hailey's body with his own, half lying on top of her and cradling her face into his neck. Her hands grip tight to the front of his vest, both of them breathing heavily, adrenaline pumping through them.
"You good?" Jay asks, his voice shaking as he keeps a strong hold on her. She nods against him, not able to form words as her body trembles beneath his, and then he whispers, "I got you."
"Hailey! Jay!"
It's Kim's voice that rips through the chaos first, the officer rushing to the front of the house, Kevin and Adam seconds behind her, and then Adam's voice breaks through on the radio to make a distress call.
"5021 Ida Emergency! 10-80! We need hazmat and fire, and roll an ambo to my LK!"
Dispatch crackles over the line a moment later, "Copy 5021 Ida. We have multiple reports of an explosion. Fire and paramedics already in route to your last known."
"Hailey...Jay...call out!" Antonio shouts to them.
"We're good, we're okay!" Jay yells back, his arms still wrapped tightly around his partner as sirens sound off in the distance.
When the smoke begins to clear Jay rolls off of Hailey and stands to his feet. He reaches a hand down to her and helps her up, quickly noticing the way she sways as she stands, wincing slightly, and then he sees the blood on the side of her head.
"You're bleeding," he says as he steps toward her, eyes full of concern as he nods at her. "Can I?"
Hailey gives a slow nod and he lifts a hand to her chin, holding the bottom of her jaw in his palm as he looks her over. "We need to get you to Med. I think it's just glass, but you're probably gonna need stitches."
Her eyes close at his words, a deep sigh escaping her a second after, and he drops his hand back to his side as the rest of the team comes into view from the settling smoke.
"What the hell happened?" Kim asks as she approaches them, concern clear across her face. Her eyes glance between the two detectives and when she notices the blood on Hailey's face she steps toward her. "Jesus, Hailey, are you okay?"
"I'm fine," the blonde says quickly, but her partner shakes his head beside her.
"You're not fine and you need to get checked out," Jay says before he nods to the house, a mess of smoke and broken windows and debris around them, and looks back at the rest of his team. "The house was rigged. Trip wire on the stairs."
The team makes their way to the street, the sound of sirens growing louder as the gang from 51 shows up in two fire trucks and an ambo.
"Everyone okay?" Severide asks as he approaches them, looking between the members of Intelligence and his eyes landing on Jay who nods to his partner. He takes notice of Hailey's injury and calls over his shoulder, "Need medical!"
The firefighter turns around to meet Casey and the two give out orders to their teams to put out the small residual flames from the first floor of the house as paramedics approach Hailey with a stretcher.
"I don't need that thing," Hailey huffs out, waving them off.
"Hailey – "
She glares at Jay and shakes her head. "I don't need a stretcher and I'm not going to Med."
"Hailey, you've got a laceration to the side of your head. We're checking you out. Let's go," Gabby tells her.
The detective lets out another sigh, but nods and follows Dawson and Brett to the ambulance just as Voight pulls up to the scene. Their sergeant makes his way toward the team with Alvin beside him.
"What happened?" Voight asks in a gruff of concern. He glances over at Hailey as she takes a seat at the tail of the ambulance and looks back to the others.
Jay steps forward, tilting his head at the remains of the house behind them.
"Trip wire. Hailey's fine, but she might have caught some glass to the head during the blast. 51's inside in hazmat assessing the damage."
"And the suspect?" Voight asks.
Jay shakes his head. "We don't know if anyone was inside yet."
His sergeant grunts out a response and nods to the ambulance, and he and Jay head toward it.
"You alright?" Voight asks Hailey.
"I'm fine," Hailey bites out, but Gabby shakes her head next to her.
"She needs stitches and an x-ray of her shoulder. It's tender and starting to bruise," Gabby tells them. "She needs to go to the hospital."
"I'm not – "
"You're going, whether it's in an ambo or Halstead drives you. End of discussion," Voight tells her, eyeing Jay before he walks away.
"You want us to take you?" Gabby asks her.
Hailey shakes her head. "Thanks."
"Take care of yourself," the paramedic tells her, patting her on the arm.
Hailey stands from the back of the ambulance and looks up at her partner, his face a mix of concern and guilt.
"I'm fine Jay," she tries to assure him.
"You don't look fine," he mumbles, hooking a thumb over his shoulder. "Come on. I'll take you to Med."
He picks up her gear from the back of the ambulance despite her attempt of refusal and leads her to his truck. He opens the door for her, ignoring the eye roll she throws at him before rounding to the driver's side. When he jumps in behind the steering wheel he catches her staring out the windshield. She's leaning over the dash, eyes squinting at the glass, and a curious look on her face.
"Hailey?"
She doesn't answer him, just throws open the door and jumps down from the cab, and then she walks off down the sidewalk in a hurry.
"Hailey!" Jay calls after her as he gets out of the truck and follows her down the sidewalk.
She stops at the end of the block, standing on the corner and looking in all directions up and down the street. He notices her hands shaking and the blank, sheet white expression on her face as if she's just seen a ghost.
He steps toward her and stretches an arm out to her, placing a hand on her uninjured shoulder carefully. She jumps at the contact instantly and turns her head to look at him.
"Hailey, what's wrong?" He asks.
"I - I don't, I just..." she stutters. She looks up and down the street again, her head jostling from side to side quicker than it should given the injury on the side of her head that's only covered in loose gauze and medical tape.
Jay squeezes her shoulder and takes a step closer to stand directly in front of her and look at her face. She doesn't meet his gaze, but he quickly notices the tears that have started to gather in the corners of her eyes.
"Hailey," Jay says softly, squeezing her shoulder again gently. Her eyes focus on him a moment later and he knows he's pulled her out of whatever pit she's just fallen into inside her mind, but the look on her face doesn't ease the worry building inside him. "Tell me what's wrong. What's going on?"
"I thought I saw someone," she whispers through trembling lips.
"Who?"
Hailey shakes her head quickly, eyes darting around, and she jumps at the sound of a car peeling out and driving off at the end of the block. She pulls herself out of Jay's grasp and runs out into the middle of the street in the car's direction, but by the time she sees the tail end of it, it's already turning around the corner. Jay is by her side in an instant, concern for his partner all over his face as he stares at her.
"Damn it," she mutters.
"Hailey?"
She turns to face him and his eyes go wide, reaching a hand toward her face and she takes a step back out of instinct, fear kicking in and the adrenaline starting to wear off.
"You're bleeding through the gauze. Come on, let's get you to Med."
Hailey nods, glancing over her shoulder at the street behind them as he leads her back to the truck. She doesn't say a word the entire drive.
When they get to the hospital, Hailey's quickly brought back into an exam room of the E.D. due to the paramedics of 51 calling ahead to advise of her arrival. She sits on a bed with her legs hanging over the side and her hands resting on her knees while Jay stands a few feet away with his arms crossed over his chest. There's a brief knock on the outside of the exam room bay and then Will Halstead enters the room.
"Heard one of Chicago's finest was here," Will says with a charming smile as he looks at Hailey, then his brother. "What happened?"
Jay steps forward, dropping his arms to his sides. "We got caught in a blast going to pick up a suspect. House was rigged with a trip wire and Hailey caught some glass to the side of her head."
"Ouch," Will grimaces before looking over at Hailey. He pulls on a fresh pair of gloves and steps toward her at the end of the bed. "Let's take a look."
He lifts his hands to her head, carefully parting her hair with one hand and removing the bled through gauze and tape with the other, and dropping them to a tray at the side of the bed.
Will examines the wound for a few moments and grabs a pair of medical tweezers from the tray and looks at Hailey. "You definitely have some shards in there. Caused a lot of bleeding, but it doesn't look to be too deep. I'll remove the glass and get you stitched up. The paramedics also suggested an x-ray due to concerns of your shoulder, so we'll do that after, okay?"
Hailey nods slowly, wincing as he begins removing the glass shards as quickly and painlessly as possible. He stitches her up in less than fifteen minutes, and then he and Jay leave the room afterward so she can change into a gown before a nurse takes her away for x-rays.
When Hailey returns to the exam room thirty minutes later, she's just changed back into her clothes and sitting on the bed again. Jay is leaning against the wall, hands in his pockets, when a familiar voice filters in from the hall.
"Ugh," Hailey groans, getting off the bed and stepping out of the room. Jay follows her to the doorway with curious eyes and spots Vanessa standing at the nurse's station outside of the room.
Vanessa's voice booms with worry when she spots Hailey. "What the hell happened?"
"I'm fine," Hailey says immediately with a wave of her hand.
"You're in the emergency room, how does that equal fine? What is that?" the young woman asks, pointing to the stitches at the side of her friend's head.
Hailey groans again, waving her over, and they make their way inside the exam room. She lifts herself back onto the bed while Vanessa stands in front of her.
"How'd you even find out?" Hailey asks Vanessa, and then she shoots a glare over at Jay. "Did you call her?"
Jay shakes his head in innocence. "I don't even have her number."
"Did you forget that I'm your emergency contact? A nurse called me," Vanessa says and then she spins around to face Jay. "How did this happen? You're her partner! Aren't you supposed to have her back or something? Where the hell were you when this happened?"
Jay raises his eyebrows at her in disbelief and shakes his head, taking a step forward. "I was right there – "
Hailey lifts a hand to him, making him stop in his tracks, and she looks back to her friend. "Vanessa, calm down! This isn't Jay's fault. He pulled me out of the way of the blast."
"The blast? You say that so casually. The blast. What the hell happened Hailey?"
"Can you please lower your voice?" Hailey pleads, rubbing the unstitched side of her head at the feeling of a headache coming on. "We were going to pick up a suspect on a narcotics bust and the house was rigged. Jay grabbed me and pulled me to the ground as a bomb went off on the first floor. He covered me, probably saved my life."
Vanessa breathes out deeply, glancing back and forth between the two detectives, and then her eyes linger on Jay. "Is that true?"
He nods in reply and she stares at him for a moment, sighing before looking back at Hailey with softer eyes. "Are you okay?"
The blonde nods. "Caught some glass, got some stitches, and I have a sore shoulder. I'll live."
Vanessa rolls her eyes at her friend's nonchalant demeanor and then Will appears at the entryway of the exam room, a clipboard and x-ray images in hand.
"Hey guys," he says and then he eyes Vanessa. "And you are?"
"Incredibly annoyed," she huffs out.
"Ignore her," Hailey sighs. "Am I good to go?"
Will nods, smiling and steps into the room. "X-rays look fine. No broken bones or other visible damage besides the bruising. Just put some ice on it and take Advil or Tylenol for any residual pain. If it's still bothering you in a week or so, follow up with your primary."
Hailey nods. "Sounds good."
"Discharge papers are at the nurse's station. Sign those and you're free to go."
"Thanks Will," Hailey tells him. The doctor shares a nod with his brother and says a quick goodbye before leaving the room.
Hailey gets down from the bed after he leaves and turns to look at Vanessa. "Can I go back to work now mom?"
"Not funny. Are you sure you're okay?"
"I'm fine," Hailey assures her. "Is Ave still at daycare?"
Vanessa nods and then she turns to Jay. "I'm sorry for snapping at you. I just, I uh – "
Jay shakes his head at her, waving her off. "Don't even worry about it, it's all good. I get it."
The brunette gives another slow nod before turning back to her Hailey. "Please be careful."
"I will," she promises. "I'll see you at home."
Vanessa nods again and says her goodbyes before she steps out of the room, and then Hailey and Jay head for the nurse's station. She quickly signs her discharge paperwork and they walk out of the E.D., making their way toward the parking lot.
"Remind me to never piss off Vanessa," Jay says with a smirk, glancing over at his partner as they walk.
"Tell me about it," Hailey breathes out.
"You sure you're okay?" Jay asks as they reach the truck.
"Yes, I'm sure," she tells him. She gives him a small smile and he notices her face twist in discomfort as she climbs into the passenger side. She catches his concerned eyes as she reaches for the door and she shakes her head at him. "Not a word."
He smiles innocently, raising his hands in surrender, before rounding to the driver's side. He buckles himself in and turns the ignition before looking over at Hailey.
"Voight texted while you were getting your x-rays done. Said to meet back at the district unless you wanted to take the rest of the day."
She quirks an eyebrow at him and he shakes his head, laughing at her as he pulls out of the parking lot and turns onto the main road toward the district. "Yeah, I figured as much."
They drive in silence for a few minutes until Jay rolls to a stop light and he peeks over at her.
"You wanna talk about it?"
"Talk about what?"
"When you jumped out of the truck," Jay says quietly.
He catches the way she swallows nervously and then she takes a deep breath. "I just thought I saw someone."
"You wanna share who that someone is?" He presses, treading lightly so he doesn't upset her.
"No, I really don't," she says bluntly and when she glances over at him again and he sees the look in her eyes, he nods in understanding.
She swallows hard again as he pulls into the lot at the district and when he puts the truck into park she turns her head to him.
"Not right now anyway. I'm not ready to talk about it yet."
"Okay," he says, smiling softly at her.
She smiles back at him and they get out of the truck, her slow moving as she gets down from the cab, and they head up to the bullpen. The team greets the pair of them before honing in on Hailey, asking if she's okay and she assures them she's fine as they dive in on the case.
"Phillips is dead. DMV photo confirms it was him in that house and we have no other leads," Antonio tells them, standing next to the white board with a hand on his hip.
"So what? The case dies with him?" Hailey asks as she sits down slowly on the edge of her desk.
"Yeah, basically," Kim says, standing across from Antonio at the other end of the white board. "He has no other aliases that we know of and his name didn't pop against any other database except the DMV when we ran the plate off the pod. The guy's never even had a speeding ticket."
Hailey and Jay share a look of confusion as they take in the information, then Jay steps forward, looking between his teammates. "The guy was supposedly a meth dealer and paranoid enough to rig his house with an explosive device, and you're telling me he doesn't even have a sheet?"
"That's exactly what I'm saying. The guy is either incredibly lucky with a knack for getting out of trouble or..." Kim trails off.
"Or he's not our guy," Hailey finishes.
"Bingo," Kim says, pointing at the blonde.
"Ok, so Phillips isn't our guy, but whoever is wanted us to think he was and we know he was in that house. Do we know if he was dead before or after the explosion?" Jay asks and Adam steps forward raising a folder in his hand, shaking his head.
"Waiting on the autopsy and the M.E. is a little backed up so that could be a few days, if she can even do one. Half the body is charred from the blast, but I'm gonna go with he was dead beforehand given the facts."
Their sergeant steps forward then, arms crossed over his chest and looking around at the bullpen at his team. "Let me just make sure I have this right...we have no other leads, no evidence of foul play yet, if any at all...our only suspect is dead and no other witnesses or cameras put anyone else of interest in the vicinity of the crime?"
"That pretty much sums it up Sarge," Kevin tells the man.
Voight shakes his head, then shrugs. "Alright. Everyone finish your reports from the blast with whatever information we do have, then kick the case back to Narcotics. Let them deal with the body and the cleanup."
A mix of 'copy you' and 'alright' and nods of heads come from the team, and they all settle in at their desks to finish out their day. The paperwork doesn't take too long and within an hour Antonio has already left and the others are soon to follow. Hailey is almost home free until Adam makes a comment about the district wide picnic happening the next day and she screams internally. It's the last thing she wants to deal with right now.
The team starts talking about the event, excited to have another Saturday off and not be on call again, and Hailey stays silent in her chair. She can feel a set of eyes on her and knows it's her partner before she even looks at him, and when she does he's just smiling softly at her.
Then she hears Adam behind her, asking if she'll be there. She peeks over at Jay again who mouths a silent 'it's your call' and she sighs as she turns around in her chair.
"I wasn't planning on going," Hailey tells him truthfully.
Adam tilts his head at her, a coaxing grin on his face. "Come on Upton! You hardly ever hang out with us and honestly, it's a little insulting."
"I hardly think you're losing sleep over it Ruze," she teases as Kim walks up to her desk and sits on the edge.
"Hailey, please don't make me go to this thing alone with these guys. It's bad enough you leave me with them at Molly's most nights," Kim says playfully.
"Yeah, come on Hailey. There's gonna be a dunk tank. Maybe we can convince Sarge to get up there," Adam suggests as the man in question steps out of his office.
"Over my dead body Ruzek," Voight says gruffly as he exits the break room and goes into his office. Alvin follows in after him, shaking his head in passing at Adam with an amused smile on his face, and they close the door behind them.
"Or not," Adam drawls out, chuckling, and turning his attention back to Hailey. "It'll still be a fun time!"
"I don't know," Hailey says shrugging her shoulders and turning around for a moment to turn off her computer. She glances quickly over at Jay again who raises an eyebrow at her daringly and the interaction doesn't go unnoticed by Kim, but the woman remains silent as she stands from Hailey's desk.
"Adam, don't be a nudge," Kim tells him and he holds his hands up in mock surrender seemingly giving up.
Hailey takes a deep breath, her heart pounding in her chest, as she stands from her desk and reaches for her jacket. She turns to face Adam, and casually breathes out, "Well, my nanny is usually off when I am so I'd be bringing my daughter with me."
The bullpen goes silent, most of the team's eyes widening at her words, but as Hailey looks around between her teammates she doesn't see anything other than surprise amongst them.
"Wait, you have a kid?" Kim asks. "Did I hear that right?"
Hailey nods. "I do, she's almost four."
"I'll be damned. Upton has a kid," Adam says incredulously, shaking his head as he leans back in his chair. "Ya know, it all kinda makes sense now. You rarely go out, always so responsible and on time."
"Ruze, most people just call that being an adult," Kevin chimes in, sending the others laughing at their friend's expense while Adam rolls his eyes.
"Real funny Kev," Adam huffs in a feign of annoyance and looks at Hailey. "You should still come and bring the kid so we can meet her!"
Hailey lets out the breath she hadn't realized she had been holding and glances over at her partner, who has a smug look of 'I told you so' on his face.
"I can't believe you have a daughter," Kim says, smiling softly as she looks at the blonde, a curious look crossing her face. "You've never mentioned her before, have you?"
The room goes quiet again at the realization and all eyes land on Hailey.
"No, I haven't and I'm really sorry that I didn't tell you guys about her sooner. I just uh, bit of a rough past, ya know?" Hailey says quietly, her eyes falling to the floor momentarily before looking back up at her teammates.
She swallows nervously, her heart still pounding as she looks around at her team. They all nod in understanding though, taking her by surprise, and then Kevin stands from his desk. He walks up to Hailey and wraps an arm around her carefully, mindful of her injured shoulder and pulls her into him for a side hug.
"We can all relate to that girl. We all been through it. That kid's about to be hella spoiled though. We got a lotta time to make up for," Kevin tells her, throwing a wink at the blonde before dropping his arm and stepping away from her.
Hailey smiles at him gratefully and the others follow suit, nodding their heads, save for Jay who remains silent and smiling knowingly from his desk.
"Ya know Jay, you don't seem as surprised as the rest of us over this new information," Kim comments, a teasing smile on her face as she glances between him and Hailey.
"That's because I'm not," Jay says, smirking now as he leans back in his chair.
"You knew?" Adam asks. "And you didn't think to mention it?"
"Of course I knew. I'm her partner," Jay scoffs, catching Hailey's eye. "As for not mentioning it, it wasn't your business. Or mine to tell for that matter."
Adam nods, chucking at him. "Fair enough brother."
"See? This is why no one tells you anything bro. You can't keep a secret to save your life," Kevin teases, pointing at his friend as he goes back to his desk and packs it up for the night.
"Anyway, picnic tomorrow...everyone's going right?" Adam asks, and when they all give a positive indication to his question he claps his hands excitedly. "It's gonna be a good time!"
"I swear you're like a child sometimes," Kim comments.
"Maybe so, but you love me darlin," Adam grins back and she rolls her eyes at him and reaches for her jacket.
"On that note, I'm leaving. Everyone have a good night, and Hailey, I really can't wait to meet her. Like Kev said, we're gonna spoil the crap out of her."
"Not too much I hope," Hailey says sheepishly and Kim winks at her before heading out of the bullpen.
The rest of the team files out soon after, pulling on jackets and powering down their computers. They trickle out one by one until the only ones left in the bullpen are Hailey and Jay, while Alvin and Voight stay holed up in their sergeant's office.
"So?" Hailey drawls out as her and Jay head down the back stairwell together to the parking lot.
"So what?"
"I'm waiting for the 'I told you so' to come."
He laughs, shaking his head at her. "I'm not gonna say that to you. I know how scary that was for you back there."
"You have no idea," Hailey breathes out.
"You know Kev and Kim weren't kidding though, right? They're about to spoil the hell out of Ave," he tells her.
Her little girl's nickname slips out so casually that Hailey doesn't even think he realizes he's said it, but she does and she smiles at him.
"Yeah, I do."
"So they get to spoil her with presents, but I don't? That doesn't seem very fair. How am I supposed to be her favorite?"
"I'm pretty sure you already are if last Sunday is any indication. She wouldn't shut up about you the rest of the day," Hailey tells him as they reach the parking lot.
He raises an eyebrow as he looks over at her. "Really?"
"Don't."
"Don't what?" He asks.
"Don't fish for compliments when you already know my kid likes you more than she likes me," Hailey says with a smirk.
"Oh please," he snorts. "That kid is such a mama's girl. There's no way you could ever be replaced in her eyes."
She hums out a response, smiling softly at him still, and then nods to her Jeep across the lot. "I'll see you tomorrow?"
He nods. "You okay to drive?"
"Yeah, I have a bit of a headache, but I'll be fine," she tells him.
"I'll see you tomorrow then. Can you text me when you get home so I know you didn't end up in a ditch somewhere?"
Hailey nods, hesitating as she looks up at him and rocking on her feet. "I don't think I said it before, but thank you for earlier. For - well, for pulling me out of the way so fast. I don't wanna think about how differently things might have gone if you weren't there, so thanks."
"I got your back Hailey. Always," he says simply with another soft smile that he seems to only ever use with her lately.
Hailey nods slowly, smiling gratefully at him now and it's silent between them for a moment, their eyes lingering a few beats too long, and she swallows almost nervously.
"I should go. Try and get home before the kid goes to bed," she says, an awkward laugh escaping her.
Jay just smiles wider at her as he nods, then bids her goodnight and she makes her way to her Jeep. He only turns for his truck once she settles in the driver's seat and closes the door.
XXX
When Saturday morning rolls around Hailey is a bundle of nerves. She's startled awake from another terror of memories as a result of the events from the previous day that leaves her shaking and sobbing into her pillows.
She still isn't sure of what she saw the day before, if it was real or just a very cruel figment of her imagination. She had been on edge since she got home last night, an uneasy feeling eating away at her in the pit of her stomach as she fell into a restless sleep.
She had been waiting for it, anticipating the tight grasp of her demons clawing at her and pulling her back into the dark depths of her past, but she doesn't think too long on it. She forces herself not to, just pushes it to the back of her mind. She can't think about any of it. The panic attacks or the tightness in her chest or the ghosts she seems to see everywhere.
She crawls out of bed a little after six in the morning and steps into the hottest shower her body can withstand. The scalding water rains down over her, turning her skin flaming red and making her limbs tingle, but she welcomes the sensation.
She steps out of the stall sometime later and when she looks at herself in the mirror, she has to brace herself against the sink. The tears come quickly and the panic sets in again almost instantly, racking her body with shattering sobs that have her entire body shaking as her mind takes her back to the day before despite her best efforts to avoid it.
She knows what she saw, or at least what she thinks she saw. Maybe it's just what she wanted to see or maybe it's nothing at all. Maybe it's her mind playing tricks on her. Because of her unresolved past. Unresolved issues. Unresolved trauma. Unresolved everything. There's a moment where she wonders if maybe she might just be losing her mind entirely.
She has to push it to the side though. She has to. She has a daughter to care for, a job to do, responsibilities that she can't ignore. She can fix herself later she thinks, she has plenty of time.
She splashes some cold water on her face and dries herself off, ringing out her hair and dragging a brush through it and leaving it down. She dresses for the day, slipping into a light blue sundress with thin shoulder straps that falls just below her knees and pulls out a pair of flat sandals from her closet. It's unusually warm for this time of year, but it's Chicago after all and the weather isn't always what it should be when it should be. She almost wants to laugh at the irony of the thought.
It's still early when she leaves her room, sandals hooked over a finger as she pads barefoot down the hallway. She peeks into Avery's room, finding the little girl still fast asleep and unable to resist smiling at the sight of her, and closes the door softly before making her way downstairs.
When she enters the kitchen she finds Vanessa sitting at the island with a concerned look on her face.
"You're up early," Hailey comments, beelining for the steaming pot of coffee that waits for her.
"I heard you crying," Vanessa says, diving right into it. "What's going on Hailey?"
The blonde shakes her head. "I don't wanna talk about it."
"That's too bad because we're going to. It's been happening a lot lately and I know you don't wanna hear this again, but I really think you need to call Dr. Block. You need to talk to someone Hailey."
"Vanessa, please don't."
"You're having panic attacks again. You're not sleeping. You're breaking down."
"I am fine!"
"No, you're not," Vanessa says softly, shaking her head. "You're not."
Hailey leans against the counter, facing her friend, head bowed down and she sighs loudly before lifting her eyes to meet Vanessa's. "I thought I saw him yesterday."
"What? Who?"
"Him."
Vanessa knows immediately who she means by the look on her friend's face and stands from her seat. She goes around the island to the blonde, wrapping her arms around her and pulling her into a tight embrace.
Hailey doesn't wanna cry, not again, but she can't help it as Vanessa squeezes her and holds onto her, running a hand across her back and shushing her quietly.
"I feel like I'm losing my mind," she whispers.
"You're not. You're not crazy," Vanessa assures her. "You've just been through hell."
Hailey nods against her and the two stand there in the kitchen, Vanessa holding her friend and comforting her as best she can for as long as she needs it.
"I'll call her on Monday," Hailey mutters into her friend's shoulder a few moments later.
Vanessa pulls back, looking at the blonde with soft eyes full of concern and nods her head supportively.
Hailey takes in a deep breath, blows it out loudly, and runs a hand through her hair. "Will you come today? I know it's your day off and you probably have so much to do for school, but I just, I – "
"Of course I will," Vanessa tells her quickly, dropping a hand down to squeeze Hailey's gently. "It's gonna be okay."
Hailey nods slowly and wipes under her eyes, hoping more than anything that her friend is right.
"You look really beautiful by the way," Vanessa comments, looking down at her friend's outfit and smiling softly at her. "Are you wearing this for Jay?"
"Ugh, shut up," Hailey groans. A tiny laugh escapes her as she steps away and returns to the coffee pot to pour herself a cup.
"It got you to laugh though didn't it?"
"Yeah," Hailey croaks out. "I hate you though."
"No you don't," Vanessa says knowingly in a song-song voice while smiling softly at her friend. "Drink your coffee and eat some breakfast. I'm gonna go take a shower."
Hailey nods and her friend disappears up the stairs, and she sighs while running a hand through her hair again. If it weren't for Vanessa she doesn't know what she would do.
The next few hours pass quietly and slowly, and when Avery gets up she seems to be in her usual cheerful, sweet mood which lifts Hailey's spirits immensely. She eats breakfast with her girl while Vanessa crams in some last minute studying, and by eleven the three of them are ready to leave. They pile into Hailey's Jeep and head to Burnham Park where the picnic is being held.
"This is a big park mama!" Avery squeals from the backseat as Hailey pulls into a parking space.
Hailey turns in her seat to look back at her daughter. "It is a really big park and there are a lot of people here. You know what that means right?"
Avery nods quickly. "I have to hold you or auntie's hand and no runnin' off where you can't see me."
"That's my girl," Hailey smiles. "You ready?"
"Yeah," the little girl says excitedly.
Hailey and Vanessa jump out of the front and the blonde goes to help Avery out. They walk down a pathway, the little girl between the two women and holding onto her mother's hand.
"Is Jay here mama?" Avery asks as they walk.
Vanessa snorts back a laugh, a smug look on her face, and Hailey glares at her before looking down at her daughter.
"Yeah, he's around here somewhere. You're gonna meet the other people I work with too, okay?"
"More police mans?" Avery asks.
"Yep, policemen and women. They're nice though just like Jay, so you don't need to be scared, okay?" Hailey tells her.
"Okay mama," she says, nodding her little head again as they continue down the path.
They walk along for a few more minutes until they come to a large grassy field with big trees. There are tables and chairs at one end by a makeshift barbecue area, and tents and booths with different games and an array of carnival type treats scattered throughout. There are more people than Hailey had anticipated there being and she grips Avery's hand just a little bit tighter as they continue along the path.
The little girl tugs Hailey's hand a moment later, her other arm outstretched and pointing in front of them. "Mama! I see Jay! There's Jay!"
Hailey looks ahead and sure enough, there's her partner, along with Kevin, Kim, and Adam at a circular table. They're mid-conversation and laughing about something, and her heartbeat quickens as she watches them from afar, a gentle hand landing on her shoulder a moment later.
"It's gonna be okay," Vanessa whispers.
Hailey nods, smiling at her friend, and as they walk closer towards her team Jay's eyes land on them, his face lighting up instantly. Vanessa snorts again beside her and Hailey sends her a look of warning, but she just shrugs and smiles.
"Can I go to Jay, mama?" Avery asks, tugging on her mother's hand again and walking a little faster.
Hailey nods and lets go of her, watching as the little girl makes a mad dash to her partner. Jay gets out of his chair when he sees Avery running toward him and calling out his name with a grin on her face.
"Hey kiddo!" He beams back and she stretches her little arms up to him. He seems surprised at first, but quickly leans down and scoops her into his arms, settling her against his side as Hailey and Vanessa approach the table a few steps behind the little girl.
"Hi guys!" Hailey says to them with a smile and they greet her excitedly in return, calling out her name and waving.
"Guys, this is my friend Vanessa. V, this is my team...Kevin, Kim, Adam," Hailey introduces, pointing to the three before she lands on her partner. "And you know Jay."
Vanessa nods, smiling at all of them and shaking hands with the new faces. "It's great to meet all of you."
"And who is this?" Kim asks in a sweet voice as she looks over at the little girl in Jay's arms.
"This is Avery," Hailey announces, stepping toward her partner and daughter, and placing a hand on the little girl's head. "Do you wanna say hi to my friends?"
"Hi," Avery says quietly.
Kim and Adam smile and wave at the little girl, and Kevin steps forward, beaming over at her. "What's up little one? My name's Kevin. How you doing?"
"I'm good," Avery says simply and sweetly.
"You know how to fist bump?" Kevin asks, holding out a closed fist towards her.
She nods and reaches out a hand, making a little fist and knocking it against his.
"Alright," Kevin says proudly, beaming at the little girl.
"And that's Kim and Adam," Hailey says to her daughter, pointing at each of them respectively.
"Kevin and Kim and Adam," Avery repeats, looking at each of them as she says their names. "You work with my mama and Jay?"
"We do," Adam tells her with a nod and then glances at Jay, raising an eyebrow, "Ya know, it's not fair that you knew before we did because she clearly already likes you more."
"Maybe she's just a good judge of character Ruze," Jay teases, making his friend shake his head while the rest of them erupt into loud laughter.
"How long have you guys been here?" Hailey asks the group then.
"Like a half hour. Been trying to convince Halstead to do the dunk tank, but he won't budge," Kevin tells her.
Jay shakes his head, looking between them all. "And I'm not going to. I'm on kid duty now."
"Oh no you don't," Hailey tells him, pointing at him. "You're not using my kid to get out of this. If I can't dunk Voight, you'll do just fine."
He shakes his head again, a small smile on his face, as he tightens his arms around Avery. "Avery wants me to hold her, isn't that right?"
The little girl nods her head quickly, but Hailey steps closer, a teasing glint in her eyes as she looks between her daughter and Jay.
"Ave, how about mama holds you for a bit and we go throw Jay in some water, hmmm?"
"It's not gonna hurt him is it?" Avery asks her mother with a pout.
"Hailey," Jay warns.
She ignores him and shakes her head at the little girl. "Not at all, I promise."
Avery shrugs her shoulders and reaches for her mother. "Okay!"
Hailey grabs Avery out of Jay's arms before he can protest any further and their friends shout out in victory, walking ahead towards the dunk tank and yelling back to Jay, telling him to hurry.
"I thought we were friends Hailey," Jay says in a feign of disappointment as they walk side by side after their friends.
"We are, but I'm still dunking you. It'll be fun."
"Fun for who?" Jay challenges.
"You just wanna see him shirtless," Vanessa mutters as she walks past them with a smirk.
Her partner's face flushes and he laughs awkwardly as Hailey glares at her friend, shaking her head.
"See? Annoying little sister I never wanted," Hailey says to him, before yelling ahead of them, "Emphasis on the annoying!"
Vanessa turns around, walking backwards for a few seconds to blow the blonde a kiss, and then she turns back and jogs to catch up to Kevin.
Jay shrugs beside her. "It's just harmless teasing."
"Yeah, but you don't live with her," Hailey tells him and he laughs.
They catch up to the rest of the group and Hailey sets Avery down, reaching for her hand as Adam turns to face them and points at Jay.
"You're up Halstead!"
Her partner groans, but he's a good sport about it nonetheless and kicks off his sneakers and toes off his socks before pulling his shirt over his head. Kevin and Adam hoot and holler at him, Kim laughing beside them, as Jay goes behind the tank and hoists himself up the small ladder to the seat on the platform. He swings his legs over the edge of the seat, dropping his feet into the water and shaking his head as he shivers.
"This water is freezing and I hate all of you," he gripes playfully, shaking his head at his friends.
Adam grabs a ball from the waiting bucket several feet away from the tank. He throws it too high and it misses. Kevin goes next, getting closer to the target, but still not close enough. They gesture to Kim, but she shakes her head.
"Uh uh. No way am I getting pulled into a prank war with you lot! I know better," she tells them and then she turns to Hailey. "Hailey?"
"I am so going to enjoy this," Hailey says eagerly, grinning as Vanessa takes hold of Avery's hand, and then she walks up to grab a ball and take her shot.
She draws her arm back, ignoring Jay as he sticks his tongue out at her and flails his arms in an attempt to distract her, and then she launches the ball toward the red target. It hits almost dead center, releasing the pin and Jay's face goes white just as the platform drops and he plunges into the water.
"Hell yes Upton!" Adam yells out, throwing a fist into the air and Kevin fist bumps her with a grin as Kim laughs.
"Shirtless and wet? Really?" Vanessa whispers beside her, eyebrows raised and a shit eating grin on display as she bumps her hip against her friend's side.
"Shut up," Hailey says, laughing loudly as Jay comes up and she smiles at him. "That was definitely fun! We should do that again."
"Oh no! You guys got me once and that is enough for me," he says running his hands over his face and pushing back his hair.
Jay steadies himself in the water and hoists himself up onto the platform while Kevin leans down, whispering something into Avery's ear. She nods excitedly, smiling up at him and reaching for him, and he leans down to pick the little girl up before dashing to the tank. Avery throws out a hand, hitting the red target and sending Jay falling into the water again, making a splash at her and Kevin as they run back to the others.
They're all still laughing and Avery is squealing in Kevin's arms when Jay surfaces again and pulls himself up. He quickly climbs over the platform and down the ladder, shaking his head as he rejoins the group.
"Avery, was that your idea or Kevin's?" Jay asks the little girl as he reaches for his shirt.
"Kevin said it would be funny and it was!" The little girl says, nodding her head excitedly as she holds up two fingers at him. "We dunk you two times!"
The group busts out laughing again, continuing to tease Jay and trying to convince Kevin to get up on the platform next. A chime goes off and Hailey reaches into a pocket of her dress, pulling out her phone.
"Please tell me we did not just get pulled into something," Adam groans and Hailey shakes her head.
"Nah, just a text. We're good," she tells him, waving him off as she looks down at her phone.
Great weather today, isn't it?
The message comes through from an unknown sender and no visible number, and Hailey looks up, glancing at the swarm of people around her. An uneasy feeling begins to churn in her stomach, her heart picking up its pace as she looks at dozens of faces, trying to spot one of familiarity, but she recognizes no one.
"You okay?"
Hailey jumps at the sound of Jay's voice, looking around her again before meeting her partner's concerned eyes beside her.
"Yeah," she breathes out, stuffing the phone back into her pocket. "Just a wrong number."
He stares at her for a moment, unbelieving and tilting his head. "You sure?"
Hailey nods, glancing over at the rest of the group. "Is Kev getting up there?"
"No, Kev is not," Kevin says emphatically. "I want some funnel cake. How about the rest of you?"
They all chime in, agreeing to grab some food, and they end up back at their table to eat lunch. Trudy and Mouch show up after they've eaten, followed by Voight, then Alvin and Antonio with his kids. They all meet Avery, the little girl quickly having them all wrapped around her finger.
Her daughter takes to the team like Hailey hoped she would, chatting with all of them and answering their questions and winning them over quickly, but she doesn't miss the way her girl stays glued to Jay's side. It's not much of a surprise to the blonde and the rest of the afternoon is spent having fun and joking with one another, swapping stories and teasing each other.
It's a little after four when they all start clearing out. Voight, Al, then Trudy and Mouch...Antonio follows with his kids soon after. Then Adam and Kim leave together, causing a knowing look to pass between Kevin, Hailey and Jay and the three of them snicker to themselves.
A little while after Adam and Kim leave, Hailey glances over at her partner, smiling when she sees Avery passed out in his lap with her head against his chest.
"I guess we're next to leave," Hailey comments to Vanessa, nodding over at Jay and Avery.
"Oh my gosh," Vanessa awes, grabbing her phone and Jay shakes his head quickly.
"Another picture?" He teases.
"I haven't taken that many!" Vanessa argues, opening the camera on her phone. "Just smile and look cute, will ya?"
Jay rolls his eyes, but does as he's told - she may be tiny, but she is fierce, so he tightens his arms around Avery and smiles for the camera as Vanessa snaps a few more pictures.
"You done paparazzo?" Hailey teases the girl as she stands up and Vanessa rolls her eyes at her.
Hailey steps toward Jay and nods down to Avery, reaching her arms out, but he shakes his head.
"I got her," he says quietly, not wanting to wake the little girl. He stands up slowly and adjusts Avery in his arms, her head and an arm resting over his shoulder limply.
Hailey smiles gratefully at him and they start the walk to the parking lot, Jay walking next to her and carrying Avery while Vanessa and Kevin trail behind them, talking quietly amongst themselves. Hailey glances over her shoulder at them, quickly noticing the grins on both their faces and a sparkle of flirtation in their eyes.
She smiles knowingly as she looks back in front of her and smirks over at Jay. "I can't wait to tease her about this."
Jay quirks an eyebrow at her and she nods behind them. He turns for a second to look before meeting her eyes again.
"Enjoy that wrath," he teases and she rolls her eyes at him.
When they make it to the parking lot, Hailey pulls open the back door of the Jeep and Jay nestles Avery down in her car seat.
"Here, I'll do it," Hailey tells him.
Jay steps back and watches her move in front of him to buckle her daughter in, and then she closes the door as quietly as she can.
"She gonna be up late now? Maybe I shouldn't I have let her conk out on me," Jay says worriedly, glancing at the door to the backseat.
Hailey waves him off, smiling softly at him. "It's fine, just a late nap. She'll wake up by the time we get home."
He nods and glances over her shoulder, laughing quietly and juts his chin at her with a smirk on his face. "I'm pretty sure Vanessa just gave Kev her number so do what you will with that information when you guys are alone."
Hailey glances over her shoulder, an echo of laughter coming from her friends behind them, and she shakes her head as she looks back at Jay.
"Oh, I'm definitely going to tease her endlessly about this," she tells him. "Consider it payback for earlier."
"Hailey, it's okay. A lot of women wanna see me shirtless. You don't have to be embarrassed," he teases.
Her eyes go wide and she swats at his shoulder. "Don't start!"
"In all seriousness though, you glad you came today? That the team knows now?" He asks her.
"Yeah," she breathes out. "Today was a lot of fun and them knowing about her makes things easier now. I don't feel like she's some big secret, ya know?"
He gives a slow nod. "I'm glad you guys came today. It was definitely a lot of fun. That kid is something else."
"Yeah, she's kind of awesome," she grins.
"She is," he agrees. "How are you doing by the way? With yesterday and everything."
She blows out a sigh and shrugs. "I'm okay. Didn't sleep very well last night and the shoulder is a bit stiff, but other than that I'm fine."
He stares at her for a moment and she can tell he doesn't entirely believe her, but he doesn't push the subject any further. Instead he just smiles at her, nodding at her.
"I don't think I told you earlier, but you look really nice by the way. It's weird not seeing you in jeans or a Kevlar vest."
She glances down at her dress for a moment before looking back up at him and scrunching her face. "Too weird?"
"Definitely not," he shakes his head, that familiar soft smile peeking out over his lips.
The way he looks at her as he says it makes the tightness return to her chest. Their eyes linger a little too long between them yet again, but she smiles back at him, not sure of what else she can say in that moment so she says nothing.
Vanessa and Kevin sidle up to them then, both with big grins on their faces. They all say a quick goodbye and Hailey swears she sees Vanessa's cheeks turn pink when Kev throws a wink at her as he and Jay walk away.
When the two women get settled in her Jeep, Hailey turns to look at Vanessa, a knowing smirk on her face.
"So, you and Kev, huh?"
But Vanessa doesn't miss a beat. "So, you and Jay, huh?"
"You've teased me all day, all week, about Jay and you can't let me have just one moment of payback?"
"Nope," Vanessa clucks with a pop on the 'p.'
"Unbelievable," Hailey says, turning over the ignition.
"You have to admit though, the man did look pretty damn good without his shirt on," the brunette says as Hailey reverses out of the parking space. "You really haven't thought about it though, like not even a little bit?"
"Will you let it go already!"
Vanessa laughs quietly in the passenger seat and Hailey throws the Jeep into drive. She pulls out of the parking lot, turns onto the main road, and heads for home, but she doesn't notice the dark sedan trailing behind her a few cars back.