Two weeks have passed since Casper's birthday, it is now early July and the city is getting ready for the Fourth of July. Casper's training has continued to be smooth, Jay isn't having as many nightmares and the few he does, Casper wakes him by licking his face.
Jay knows that that isn't the way Casper should be waking him, but they are still training him, so he lets it go for now.
Jay is brought out of his thoughts when he hears Ruzek talk to the team to convince them to see the holiday fireworks before leaving for the day. "Come on guys, we actually have off that day so we can make it a team thing."
"Sounds good." Kim and Kevin quickly agree, the three of them being close.
"It sounds like fun," Vanessa adds, having not had the opportunity for such a trivial gathering in her youth.
"What about you two?" Ruzek asks the two detectives.
"I don't want to leave Casper by himself," Jay tells Ruzek using his dog as an excuse.
"You can bring him. We'll be in a park- it's dog friendly," Ruzek tells him. "Come on, the team never hangs out outside of work," he continues not aware that his teammate- a former Army Ranger- might not be as excited as the rest of them about the fireworks.
"Fine," Jay answers begrudgingly.
"Awesome. What about you Hailey?" Ruzek asks, oblivious to Jay's demeanor.
Hailey looks to Jay with concern in her eyes before answering Ruzek, "Okay," she agrees.
Happy that he managed to get them all to agree, Ruzek walks away hoping to get out before being stuck with more paperwork.
Once Ruzek and the others are out of hearing distance, Hailey turns to Jay. "Are you sure you're okay with this?" she asks. "You don't have to go. I can tell them that you got sick," Hailey offers.
"I can't avoid my triggers forever. Maybe it won't be as bad with Casper there," Jay replies.
"Okay, but if you change your mind…"
"Thanks. Are you still coming over?"
"Yeah. Is Will coming too or is he working?" Hailey wonders.
"He's not working, but I told him I didn't want him to come today."
"Why not?"
"I'll explain later," Jay answers, not wanting the others to overhear seeing as they still don't know the real reason he got Casper.
"Okay…" Hailey draws out.
"So, do you want to tell me why you told Will not to come tonight and why he's actually listening to you?" Hailey asks when she arrives at his place for Casper's training.
"Because it's embarrassing," Jay vaguely answers.
"What's embarrassing?" Hailey asks softly, not wanting Jay to close up on her.
"This step. It's bad enough that you're going to see what it looks like when I have a nightmare. I don't need Will to see that too."
"Jay, we've both seen you have nightmares before- it's nothing to be ashamed of."
"Yeah, but you can leave anytime. Will's all I have left."
"I'm not leaving. And I would never judge you and I know for a fact Will wouldn't either. Everything that you've been through and everything you've seen- both here and overseas… it's normal."
Jay remains silent.
"Okay, do you want to get started?"
"Yeah," Jay answers, laying down on the couch.
"Okay, pretend you're having a nightmare," Hailey orders.
Jay starts to move around as if he is having a nightmare. Hailey lets go of Casper's collar and he climbs on top of Jay. Casper lays on top of him and starts licking his face.
Both Hailey and Jay praise the puppy. After forcing Casper off of Jay they repeat the same step.
Saturday night the team arrives at their designated meeting place for the fireworks. Kim, Kevin, and Adam arrive together, and Hailey, Vanessa, Jay, and Casper ride in Hailey's car. Hailey's reasoning is that she doesn't know if Jay will be in a condition to drive after the fireworks are over.
Hailey only told Vanessa that Jay needed a ride on the way to pick him up and she went along with it, keeping to herself her suspicion about the two of them.
The team meets up and settles down on the blankets that only Kim and Hailey thought to bring. Since they arrived a couple of hours ahead of time to make sure they got a decent spot for the show they break into different groups. Kevin and Adam find space to throw a football, while Jay takes Casper somewhere where they can play fetch without bothering anyone. The girls on the other hand just sit and watch as the boys mess around.
"Have you noticed a change in Jay the last few months?" Kim asks.
"What do you mean?" Hailey plays dumb, wanting to see what their colleague noticed.
"I don't know exactly, but he seems lighter, happier. He doesn't look like he's being haunted by the past."
"I think having Casper really helped. He's that person who likes to deal with things on his own, but it's like dogs have this ability to help people heal," Hailey comments.
As it gets closer to the start of the display, the guys come back to the blankets. Jay and Casper take a seat near Hailey and she gives Jay a look that the others don't notice.
The fireworks start off slow, but quickly pick up. They become louder and louder until they start to shake the ground.
Jay can feel his heart racing and his breathing quickens. Hailey notices and calls Casper, "Casper, help your dad," she tells him, glad that Casper isn't fazed by the fireworks like a lot of dogs are, the others too preoccupied to notice Jay.
Casper climbs up onto Jay, nuzzling his nose onto Jay and licking anything that he can reach. Jay notices Casper and starts stroking his head, using Casper as a distraction from the sound.
The finale is nerve-wracking for Jay, but Casper is able to keep him grounded.
When the show is over, four officers are too distracted by talking about the show to see that Jay is shaken. Hailey uses this to help Jay semi-recover from the show. "How are you?"
"It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be," he answers.
"Are you going to be okay tonight or do you want me to crash on your couch?"
"I'm okay. Even if I'm not, Casper has my back."
"Okay, but call if you need anything." Jay nods. "Vanessa, come on. I want to get home before tomorrow," Hailey tells her referring to the holiday traffic they will surely be stuck in.
The group breaks up to their respective cars. Hailey drops Jay and Casper off before going to her own home with Vanessa.
Going to bed, Hailey thinks about how well Jay handled the fireworks, her heart telling her Casper is just what Jay needed.
A/N: Do you want to see the training or do you want training to be thrown in randomly? I don't want you to feel like the story is slow.