Hailey saw her phone light up on the desk next to her and cleared her throat before answering Jay.

"Hey."

He was silent for a second, "You okay?"

"What?"

"Your voice is..."

"Eh, I guess I'm getting sick."

"Oh, bad. Raincheck for tonight?"

Hailey sighed silently thanking heaven for giving her this man.

"It would be better, I guess."

"No problem. Coming to you?"

She giggled, "You'll get sick."

"Hailey." She heard his chair crawl on the floor and imagined him moving away from the bullpen, "We were together last night. If I had to get sick, the damage is already done."

Hailey closed her eyes at the throbbing headache sensation that grew with each moment.

"Uh, don't know, I'm beat. I don't think I'll be a good company."

"Okay, okay. When I finish here, I'll call you and we'll decide, okay?"

"Okay. Thank you, Jay."

She dropped the phone onto her desk before letting her head sink into her arms. She was probably spiking a fever and her head was killing her.

Her schedule reminded her cruelly that she still had two appointments before she could crawl into her pajamas and end this hellish day.

A light knock on the door and her next patient's head slowly pulled her out of the fog of her thoughts.

Slipping into her work was simple and reassuring. The noises outside her office window showed her how the world kept moving fast as her brain slowed down.

Well sooner than she thought, Hailey found herself slipping into the silence of her home. She closed the door behind her, starting to undress already in the hallway. The idea of sinking into her pajamas was so tempting that she couldn't think and do about anything else. She walked slowly back into the living room grabbing the blanket on the armrest and wrapping it around her body.

Her chills shook her so hard leaving no doubts about her having a fever and her cough left her sore and tired every time.

With the TV playing in the background, she quickly sank into a restless sleep completely unaware of the passing time.

She woke only to the sound of the doorbell ringing and it took her a few seconds to figure out what was really going on. She stood up hugging the blanket against her body staggering towards the entrance and when she saw Jay, she realized she had left her phone in her jeans abandoned in the bedroom.

"Hey…" She coughed hiding her face in the blanket.

Jay laughed at her as he walked in and she closed the door behind him, "You're miserable."

She nodded absently following him unable to do anything else, but she slowly blinked focusing on the situation only when she saw him move in her kitchen opening and closing the cabinets and turning on the stove.

"What are you doing?"

He shrugged giving her a quick glance and continuing to move all around her, "Just some shopping. You're sick, you need to drink hot tea and eat chicken soup."

"This is cute." She groaned as she sat down.

"I'm glad to see you realized I'm cute after months." Jay chuckled leaving a quick kiss in her hair before pushing her into the living room.

"Go lie down, I'll be right there."

She shuffled onto the couch, glancing over her shoulder again to see him move quietly in her space. It was relaxing and…comfortable - and she really didn't mind seeing it happen.

She turned up the volume on the TV slightly and after a few minutes Jay sat down next to her. His warm body almost felt like a gift from heaven against the chills that made her chatter and gravitate towards him was never easier.

"I may have caught cold going for a run yesterday morning." She groaned after a few seconds.

"Yeah, you could." Jay laughed placing her legs on his thighs making her sink more comfortably beside him, "You have a fever, right?"

"Didn't measure it."

"Why?"

"Too tired."

Jay laughed again and the movement of his chest made her jump in pain.

"Sorry sorry, no more laughter."

Jay freed himself from her standing up and Hailey whimpered softly as she collapsed onto the side of the couch where he was.

"Is the thermometer in the cabinet in the bathroom?"

"Yeah, all the medicines. Where I have the bandaids." She answered by curling into a ball as his footsteps slowly drifted away from her. The loss of his body was almost a physical pain and she clenched her fists against the blanket trying to warm up.

Hailey opened her eyes again, feeling Jay slip under her and gladly welcomed the warmth radiating from his body.

She whimpered again resting an arm against his stomach under the hoodie and her head against his chest.

"I feel like crap."

"Well, you look like it."

"Hey!" She croaked lightly hitting his side.

He chuckled softly kissing her forehead, "The cutest crap though."

"Ugh, Hailey. I figured you had a high fever, take this." He handed her two tablets and a glass of water and she accepted it all without complaining - not that she really had the strength.

She went back to lean against him closing her eyes and tightening her grip a little against his side.

"Get some sleep, okay?"

She nodded absently as her body was already surrendering to the flu. The last thing she felt before slipping into sleep was his hand tracing relaxing patterns against her back.

...

When she opened her eyes, no more light came through the window and the images that flowed on the TV created dances of lights on the opposite wall.

She blinked as she slowly moved her head to find that she was completely lying on top of Jay, who was now stretched out on the couch. One of his hands was tied to her hair while the other was resting against her back.

Hailey slid an arm against his chest until her palm rested against the soft, warm skin of his neck.

She didn't really think she would ever get used to the feel of his skin beneath her.

"What time is it?"

Her voice was hoarse and her throat was killing her.

Jay lifted his head as he heard her words and move slightly beneath her.

"Almost ten. You slept a couple of hours. How do you feel?"

"Uh, still cold."

Hailey tried to stretch her legs but she was too sore. A snort of pain escaped her lips before she could hold it back.

"Yeah, I thought. I think you still have a high fever. What do you think about eating something?"

Hailey groaned as she tightened her grip on him. The idea of her getting up made her headache worse and eating made her nauseous, but when Jay pulled her to her feet she forced herself to follow him into the kitchen.

She slumped into her chair and rolled the blanket around her shoulders and, again, she watched him move quietly in her kitchen.

His cheeks were flushed and occasionally he fanned his face with his hands and, for the first time, it occurred to her that she was shivering and he was probably just dying of heat having been with her and a blanket on for hours.

Even in the fog of her thoughts, she couldn't keep her heart from beating faster just by looking at him.

She didn't really think their blind date could turn into such a relationship. By now having Jay around was relaxing and simple and she would have lied if she said she didn't hope this could last.

The more she got used to him - the more she learned about him - and the more she felt the need to be honest with him.

And she didn't know if it was the fever, but suddenly she was aware of the need to tell him something, to explain how she had become what she was.

She had been honest with him about everything, except for her family. And, if during the first months together, she had locked this thought in the farthest part of her brain without having any doubts about it, she was now beginning to waver.

She felt the need to be honest, to be completely inside this relationship, taking the risk that he didn't want to stay with her anymore. She knew it could happen and that was the main reason she kept quiet about it.

She didn't like talking about it because it sucked what she'd been through. And, again, sometimes it was just easier to walk away from a person with all those demons.

But she trusted Jay enough and, really, she hoped he wouldn't stop at her past.

"Here we are, delicious recipe. Chicken soup for those who feel like crap."

Jay set a bowl in front of her before sitting on the other side of the table. In front of him a cold toast but which he didn't seem to care about.

Hailey absentmindedly sipped her hot soup, feeling the chills slowly subside as she watched him eat.

He was calm and relaxed and so comfortable with her - as if it was normal to keep her company while she was sick. And, again, she was dazzled by everything that her life was offering her.

They were silent for the entire dinner, she was too lost in her thoughts to really notice the glances he gave her from time to time.

The more she realized she wanted to tell him more about her past, the more her heart thundered in her ears - as if the headache wasn't enough.

She let out a shaky breath seeing Jay sit on the couch and she folded her arms under the blanket. She stood leaning against the door jamb as everything inside her begged to run away and scream at the same time.

"Do you feel good? Have you got a fever? You have to wait at least another hour to take more medicine…"

Jay shifted uncomfortably across the couch with a worried expression and she nearly sobbed before his gentle eyes. She sat on the other side of the couch pulling her legs against her chest.

"I have to tell you something."

Jay held his breath and tilted his head to one side waiting for her to continue.

"I…uhm, I'm not even sure why I'm doing this." She laughed bitterly as her head continued to feel like it was splitting in two.

"Just tell me what's going on. If this is too much, between us, just tell me."

She immediately shook her head, clenching her hands in tight fists.

"We never really talked about our past and until now I was fine with it, but maybe…maybe it's not okay. I know something about the Ranger, I already know Will, but what do you know about me? Nothing and, I don't know, I would just like to forget, but I can't. And I want to be honest with you. Because you deserve it and..."

Jay cut her off with a shake of his head, "You don't owe me anything."

"I know, I..." Hailey sighed, holding back the chills that rose up her spine, "I had a lousy childhood. The lousy type I hate talking about and I hardly ever see my parents."

He nodded slowly while remaining silent.

"My dad was… Once, maybe I was ten, I had a fever and didn't go to school. And I remember it was morning and I was at home alone with my dad. I was in bed and I was shivering and he was already drunk."

Her voice was hoarse and Hailey was lost in her memories. Something heavy was crushing against her chest and it was suddenly harder to breathe - it had nothing to do with the fever.

"I went down to the kitchen to look for something hot but…he wasn't happy with it. I remember this blue mug, it was my favorite and then it suddenly exploded against the wall." Hailey breathed shakily, clutching the blanket in her hands.

She didn't know why she was talking about it, it just slipped from her lips as if it were normal - as if the burning sensation in her throat was due to the flu and not the desperate urge to cry.

"Hey." Jay ran a hand through her hair softly and she let out a soft sob.

She took a deep breath before continuing, his hand in her hair like an anchor that held her steady in reality.

"He loved repeating to me that I was his brightest star, his little flower. But then he didn't even want me to forget that I was the youngest and unwanted one."

For a moment she thought about losing it - losing herself in memories - but then she felt the light caress of his hand in her hair and breathing became slightly easier, "My brothers and I have been through hell, but…I also have good memories, you know?"

Her voice fell silent for a few seconds and suddenly Jay's face lit up with awareness.

"Hailey..."

He let her name slip between his lips and she closed her eyes shaking her head. She didn't want to see the look of pity she knew she would find there.

"Hailey, look at me. Please."

His voice was just a breath and she felt the gentle squeeze of his hand on her knee. When she opened her eyes, there was only Jay in front of her - sweet, gentle and relaxing Jay.

"I know…" Hailey breathed shakily, "This can be a lot to accept and it's okay if you don't want to…I mean…"

"What are you saying?" Jay frowned at her, letting the hand that was resting on her knee fall helplessly, "Do you think this scares me? That I want to get away from you?"

She shrugged unable to say more. It seemed too difficult to speak now, as if all of her strength had been drained away and she could only go back to sleep.

"Hailey." His voice was almost strangled, "This…this doesn't change anything. It's you, here with me. Nothing changes."

"Really?"

An expression of amazement slipped on his face, immediately replaced by a smile, "Sure."

'Nothing changes.' 'Nothing changes.' 'Nothing changes.'

She repeated his words in her mind over and over and, like every time, his presence calmed her thoughts.

Jay let his hand slip through her hair and she squinted at the light caress. She didn't know what she had done to deserve him, but he was there and she was so happy, so overwhelmed.

"You still have a high fever, can you just come here?"

Jay pulled her lightly towards him and Hailey collapsed against him. She stood there, her face pressed against his neck and her eyes closed, while the TV continued to airing a game.

Jay was breathing slowly beneath her, rocking her into a sleepy and warm world.

But when she felt his hand slowly slide down her back and his satisfied sigh from beneath her, a tear ran down her cheek.

For better or for worse, her past was what had made her what she was and maybe, after all, she was fine like that.

But as she was there, with his chest rising and falling beneath her, she realized that for the first time she could breathe deeply - that for the first time, she felt what it meant to be free.

She struggled untangled turning in her arms until she met his eyes - clear and calm.

"I love you. Oh god." She breathed softly as she tapped her fingers against his neck, "I love you, Jay."

She met his eyes after a few seconds of silence and Jay leaned towards her, gently brushing her lips with his before kissing her cheekbones and the tip of her nose. He was soft, kind and she was so overwhelmed by him.

Before her tired gaze, he chuckled lightly, "You're so beautiful."

Hailey moaned as she dropped onto him. The movement made her cough and whimper in pain.

He intertwined a hand through her hair again while his other hand slid along her spine slowly and she began to slip slowly into sleep.

All the energy that she had recovered in the few hours of sleep had vanished from that horrible conversation and she was now struggling to even keep her eyes open.

"Hailey." Jay breathed in her name softly, "I love you too."

"Good." She mumbled already almost asleep, then slipping her face into his neck - her favorite place in the world.

...

"Jay?"

Hailey stretched out on the sofa looking for the figure of the man she was sure she had fallen asleep on.

"Hey, how are you feeling?"

She slowly opened her eyes on hearing his voice and found him kneeling in front of the couch with a glass in his hands.

"Everything hurts."

"Yeah, I thought. I think you still have a high fever. Take these."

He handed her some pills and she swallowed them with a few sips of water. She whimpered uncomfortably as she felt a fire burst into her throat and buried her head under the blanket.

"My throat hurts."

"I know, I know." He caressed her arm before wrapping the blanket around her shoulders and helping her stand up.

"Are we going for a ride?" She asked blinking to try to clear the fog in her sight.

"No." He chuckled as he pushed her down the hall, "Go to bed. You'll be more comfortable."

Hailey hummed holding his hand, "You'll come with me?"

"I'll take a shower and then come, okay?"

She nodded as she crawled into bed and pulled the blanket up over her head, "Uh, shower, yeah. So you'll be warm."

Jay chuckled digging into her closet, but she was already drifting off to sleep.

...

Hailey opened her eyes again as she felt the mattress move beside her. Her feet were frozen and her throat was still killing her and this was probably going to be an endless night. She just hoped to fall asleep and wake up the next morning feeling much better.

"I know you're not sleeping."

Jay whispered chuckling behind her and Hailey turned to meet him on the other side of the bed.

When she touched his chest she groaned in relief at the feel of his warm skin. Without even thinking about it, she moved completely against him by knotting their legs and squeezing an arm against his stomach.

"Oh please, yes." She sighed in satisfaction with her cheek pressed against his hot shoulder.

Jay chuckled at her as he put his arm around her shoulders and pulled the blanket a little over them.

"You still cold?"

"I'm freezing."

"So we're gonna stay like this all night?"

"Obviously." She sighed.

"I'll die of heat, right?"

"Oh, definitely."

Hailey gave him a quick kiss on the jaw and then she rested her head on his chest again closing her eyes.

His steady breathing lulled her into such a desired unconscious state that Hailey simply accepted it without complaint. She drifted off to sleep feeling his hand slowly pass through her hair.

...

The first thing she felt before opening her eyes was the feeling of warmth that she didn't feel the day before.

She opened her eyes slowly blinking against the blurry morning light. Outside the window there seemed to be a completely different world from the day before - the sun had been replaced by a pouring rain - and never before was she happy to be under the blanket.

She slowly moved her legs feeling Jay's still intertwined with hers as his arm was dropped against her side. She could feel him breathing deeply behind her with his chest moving and pushing against her back.

Despite the general malaise she still felt, she gladly welcomed the feeling that she no longer had a fever.

Jay's other arm was under her neck and she felt him stretch in his sleep, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her lightly against his body.

She held back the slight laugh knowing that he had probably been awake most of the night and decided to let him sleep a little longer. After all, she really didn't mind staying in bed anymore. Just because she no longer had a fever didn't mean she wouldn't like to spend all day in bed. It was Saturday and she wasn't supposed to go to her office, so she probably would use that weekend just to rest and sleep.

Glancing quickly at the alarm clock on the bedside table and seeing that it was just after seven in the morning, she realized that Jay hadn't set the alarm and this could only mean that he didn't have to work today.

She sighed in satisfaction at the thought of really not leaving this bed anytime soon and she closed her eyes again, wrinkling her nose against his freckled arm.

She could no longer fall asleep, but laid there watching the rain with his slow breathing through her hair until she heard him move behind her and slowly yawn.

She smiled noticing how, despite spending an almost entire sleepless night, his body was so used to waking up early that it did not allow him to rest all morning.

"Good morning, sleeping head." Hailey whispered squeezing his arm a little and Jay snorted into her hair.

"Not my fault. How do you feel? You haven't had a fever since about three o'clock last night."

Hailey moaned as she slowly turned to him.

"What time did you fall asleep?"

"Eh, around four in the morning, I guess. Until three o'clock you froze, then you were so hot." Jay muttered in a sleepy voice rubbing his eyes, "It was a complicated night."

She laughed again hoarsely as she wrapped her arms around his torso, "Ah, my hero."

She wasn't really cold, but his warm skin was almost addictive to her and she didn't think she'd be able to stop trying to absorb every second of it.

Jay snorted a laugh as he shifted onto his back and dragged her with him.

"No alarm this morning."

He smiled with his eyes closed and a satisfied expression, "Long weekend."

"I have interesting plans." Hailey said interlacing their legs.

He hummed with his hands through her hair and Hailey leaned towards him, brushing his lips.

"No intention of leaving this bed anytime soon. We both have sleep to catch up on."

"Uh, I really don't mind having a few more hours of sleep with you."

His lips met hers in a slow kiss as her hands glided gently behind his neck.

As if they really have all the time in the world.

Thank to you all. And thanks to Beth, always her.