A/N: Hi! I've had this idea for a while (actually since a chapter of We Can, I can't remember what number it was, but if you've read that story, you'll probably know what chapter I'm talking about once you start reading) so I hope you like it! Set early S7 before Vanessa joined Intelligence.

Jay was leaving his apartment when Hailey texted him. He paused while locking his front door to look at it:

~ Hey, sorry but you're gonna be alone today. I can't make it. Talk later ~ Hailey Upton

He bit his lip and finished locking the door before replying:

~ You ok? ~

He took a deep breath and headed down to his truck. As he stepped in, Hailey replied back to him:

~ It's a migraine. I'll be ok tomorrow ~ Hailey Upton

Jay rubbed his face. He'd never had one, but he heard they sucked.

~ Ok. Feel better ~

He sighed and started his car, not giving it too much more thought as he drove to the district.

"Jay, what's up with Hailey?" Adam asked a few hours later while they were all looking over a sandwich menu for lunch.

"Migraine," Jay answered and looked toward Kevin, "I'll do the Italian sub, but no tomatoes."

"Oh," Kim winced, "Yikes, that sucks."

Jay raised an eyebrow, "Have you had one?"

Kim nodded, "A few. They're awful."

"Is this a girl thing?" Adam asked, "I've never had one."

Jay shook his head, "I haven't either, but I think Will's mentioned having some during med school."

"Yeah, not just a girl thing, I've had a couple," Kevin finished typing the orders in the computer, "Okay, Ruz, you coming with me?"

"Sure," Adam nodded, "Should we do something for Hailey, though? What's happening to her?"

Kim rolled her eyes, "It's a really bad headache. Usually when I have one, my head just absolutely pounds and it hurts to eat."

Jay made eye contact with Adam and scrunched his eyebrows, "How often does this happen to you?"

"I don't know, usually when I get super stressed from work or life," Kim shrugged, "Maybe a couple a year? It's not like a scheduled thing."

"Did you have any while we were dating?" Adam asked while slipping his jacket on.

Kim laughed, "Yes, I'm pretty sure I had one or two while we were dating."

"Huh, okay," Adam grabbed his keys, "Kev, I'll drive."

"You and Jay are idiots sometimes, you know that?" Kevin followed Adam down the stairs.

Jay shook his head and walked over to Kim, "Should I do something?"

Kim raised an eyebrow and moved to her seat, "What do you mean?"

"For Hailey," Jay lowered his voice, "I'm starting to get worried about her. I didn't realize it could make you not eat."

Kim smirked, "So you're worried about Hailey? Shocker."

"Shut up," Jay rolled his eyes, "Just help me out."

"Okay, okay," Kim held up her hands, "Maybe just stop over after work? Caffeine usually helps, so you could pick up some pop for her. Soup might be good because she won't have to chew. Honestly, though, I tend to just lay in the dark when I have one."

Jay took a deep breath, "Okay, thanks. I can do that." He turned to walk away, but Kim reached out and grabbed his elbow.

"Wait," she said, "Come closer."

"Why?" Jay stepped closer to her.

Kim stood up and leaned near his shoulder to breathe in.

"What are you doing?" Jay lightly pushed her away.

Kim shook her head, "You need to shower."

"I showered this morning," Jay said.

Kim crossed her arms, "Your cologne smells."

"What?" Jay sniffed his shirt, "I smell fine. Hailey's never said I smell before."

"The smell now though might bother her," Kim said, "It's a little strong. Do you have new clothes in your locker?"

"Yeah, I have a spare outfit," Jay nodded.

"Okay, so change into that and shower before you head over there, you can use the extra soap I have in my locker. It's vanilla, but it should work," Kim sat back down.

Jay sighed, "Fine. Anything else?"

Kim shook her head, "You just wanting to help her says a lot."

Jay smiled slightly, "Thanks."

"Course," Kim smiled back.

Jay took a deep breath and went back to his desk. He slid down in his chair slightly while rubbing a hand over his face. He was ready to go to Hailey's, he just needed to get through the rest of the shift.

It was just past 7pm when Jay found himself knocking on Hailey's front door. He looked around the street and rocked back and forth on his heels while he waited. After a few minutes, he rang the doorbell and knocked again.

He was setting the bag of food down on the porch to look through his keys for the one for Hailey's house when the door opened.

"Jay," Hailey said softly, "What're you doing here?"

"Hi," Jay picked up the food and straightened up, "I wanted to come check in on you. Is that okay?"

"Uh, sure," Hailey stepped back and rubbed her eyes.

Jay walked in and took notice of her outfit, not completely used to seeing Hailey dressed way down. Her hair was damp and making dark spots on the baggy t-shirt she was wearing over a pair of sweatpants. She was squinting slightly against the light in the entryway, which led him to realize the rest of the lights in the house were off.

"You okay?" Jay asked and set the food down on the kitchen island. He pulled the container of chicken noodle soup out and walked to the microwave to warm it up. He then turned back to the island and grabbed the bottles of Mountain Dew out of the bag.

Hailey watched him with tears in her eyes. She sniffled and looked away.

"Hailey?" Jay asked and glanced over at her, "You okay? How's your head?"

She shook her head and sat at the island to cradle her head in her hands.

Jay's eyes widened and he hurried over to her, "Hey, what's going on?" He set a hand on her back, "What can I do to help?"

Hailey sniffled and looked up at him, "It just hurts and-and you didn't have to do this."

"I think I did," Jay brushed her hair back, "Have you eaten today?" He reached for one of the bottles of pop and opened it, "Kim said caffeine helps."

Hailey shakily grabbed the bottle and slowly drank it.

Jay watched her for a moment then went back to the microwave to grab the soup. He set a spoon in the bowl and slid it across the island, "Try this; I think you need some food in you."

"Thank you," Hailey said quietly and slowly ate.

Jay didn't move from his spot on the other side of the island as he watched her.

Hailey finished the soup and blushed when she realized Jay was still staring at her. "What?" she bit her lip.

Jay shook his head, "Feeling better?"

Hailey smiled slightly, "It's not instant, but it is kind of nice to have some company."

Jay's face lit up, "Good, I'm glad."

Hailey picked up the bowl and set it in the sink. She took a deep breath and steadied herself against the counter, closing her eyes. She groaned and tilted her head down.

"What do you need?" Jay asked.

"I don't know," Hailey sighed, "I already tried a bath and I swear I've just been laying in the dark forever. Maybe I'll try ice now."

"Okay, I can do that," Jay nodded, "Go get comfortable, I'll bring you a bag of ice."

Hailey turned to face him, "You really don't have to stay. I'm kind of boring and just in pain – it's not fun."

Jay shrugged, "I have nothing else to do tonight. Go lay down."

Hailey took a deep breath then shook her head. She felt more tears come to her eyes, but she pushed past it and turned to go up to her room. She climbed into bed and pulled all the blankets over her until she felt weighted down.

Her brain felt like it was pounding against her skull. She hadn't had a migraine this bad in months. Usually she could take some medicine and push through it, but when it was still present in the morning when she woke up, she knew it was a bad one.

She pressed her fingers to her temples and slowly breathed out to try and relax. All she could picture, though, was Jay downstairs trying to help her out. It was nice. No one had ever offered to help her out during her migraines before. When she first started getting them when she was in middle school, her mom was understandable and would give her tips, but she wouldn't really take care of her. Jay was wanting to do just that.

A few more tears leaked past Hailey's eyelids, so she pressed the pillow into her face to hide them.

"Does that help?"

Hailey pushed the pillow away and blinked through the faded darkness of her room to see Jay walking over to her with more pop in one hand and a filled icepack in the other.

"Not really," Hailey sniffled and sat up.

Jay sat on the edge of the mattress, setting the pop down on her bedside table, and then moved back against her headboard, "All right, let's see, where do you want it?"

Hailey glanced at him, "I can do it."

"If you want, that's fine, but I'm more than okay with holding it for you so you don't have to do anything," Jay said.

Hailey bit her lip, "Are you sure?"

"Of course," Jay nodded.

Hailey hesitated then laid down with her back pressed up against his side, "On the back of my neck should help."

"Got it," Jay gently brushed her hair away then held the icepack to her neck.

She sucked in a breath and fluttered her eyes closed.

"How's that?" Jay asked softly.

"Good," Hailey whispered.

"Great," Jay shifted his hand and rubbed his thumb along her hairline.

Hailey gripped the blanket and slowly breathed out. She found herself more focused on Jay's fingers just barely touching her skin and the ice that accompanied them than the pain, sending her into the first bit of sleep she'd gotten all day.

Hailey woke an hour later to Jay's quiet voice. It started off sounding mumbled, so she blinked and tried harder to hear it.

"She can't die, right? …It's a question, Will, don't be an ass…Thank you…Well, she's sleeping now and I have ice on her neck, but it's pretty much melted…I - no, I can't do that…Really? It sounds painful…I'll definitely ask before doing that…Oh, that sounds more doable…Um, I have no idea. Do you have any? …That'd be great, thanks…Awesome, ok, yeah, I'll text you her address…Yup, bye."

Hailey rubbed her eyes then sat up.

"Oh," Jay pulled the ice away, "You're awake."

Hailey nodded and yawned, turning to face him. She winced at the pain still coming from her forehead and slid back down under the covers.

"Here," Jay said softly and tucked her in then sent a quick text on his phone.

"Thanks," Hailey breathed and scooted closer to him. She was closing her eyes when she realized he smelt different. Her eyes opened fully and she looked up to catch him staring at her.

"Everything okay?" Jay asked.

"You smell weird," Hailey said.

Jay frowned and shook his head, whispering, "Stupid Kim."

Hailey laughed slightly, "What?"

Jay sighed, "Kim told me my cologne was too strong, so she gave me her vanilla body wash and had me shower before coming over. She thought it'd bother you."

"So that's why your hair's not all put together," Hailey teased.

Jay rolled his eyes, "Yeah, it's all for you and turns out it wasn't even worth it."

"No," Hailey sat up a little, "It was. Kim's right, your cologne probably would have bothered me. I'm just not used to the vanilla smell. It's not you, but it's nice. Thank you."

Jay softened, "You're welcome."

Hailey settled back down against his side, "Were you talking to Will?"

"Yeah," Jay nodded, "I wanted to know if he had any tips on how to help you."

"Did he?" Hailey asked.

"A few," Jay breathed out, "He said if we put your feet in hot water and then another icepack or cold washcloth to your neck that it could help. He also said peppermint oil, but I didn't know if you had any, so he's going to drop some off in a bit."

"Jay," Hailey propped herself up, "He doesn't have to do that."

"I know that," Jay said, "But I want to help you and he wants you feeling better too."

Hailey breathed out, "You're too nice."

"Didn't think that was a bad thing," Jay put his hand on the top of her head, "I just don't know what to do and I hate that."

Hailey breathed out and started to relax again. She bit her lip and thought of the one thing she's always done in desperate attempts to dull the pain, "Pull my hair."

Jay froze, "What?"

"Pull my hair," Hailey repeated, "It'll help."

"I can't do that," Jay put his hand back in his lap.

"You wouldn't hurt me," Hailey said, "I swear. It's not the same when I do it myself."

Jay sighed, "I…you know, Will actually told me to pull your hair too."

"Please," Hailey gently poked his side, "Just a little bit."

Jay rubbed his face, "Fine."

Hailey smiled, "Thank you."

Jay took a deep breath then threaded his fingers through the back of her hair. He bit his lip and tugged gently, watching her eyes close.

She groaned in appreciation, "Yup, much better."

Jay continued pulling her hair lightly and occasionally scratched the back of her head.

Hailey couldn't remember the last time she felt as relaxed as she did in that moment. She briefly forgot that it was Jay's hand in her hair, but the second she did, her heart started beating quickly and her throat felt dry.

The doorbell rang a while later and Jay pulled his hand from her hair, "That's probably Will. I'll be right back." He got out of bed and hurried downstairs.

Hailey slowly sat up and reached for her phone. She was feeling better for the first time all day – it was just a matter of deciding if it was because it had been about 24 hours since the migraine started, what Jay was doing, or just the fact that Jay was there.

She had a text from Platt asking if she was okay. A handful of texts in the Intelligence groupchat with Kevin saying the sub shop was out of barbecue chips, so Jay needed to pick from salt and vinegar, plain, or jalapeno (she wasn't surprised that Jay picked the salt and vinegar ones as his back-up) and Kim complaining that the salt and vinegar ones would make the breakroom smell while they ate. Finally, though, her face blushed bright at the latest thread at the top of her messages.

~ So…Jay Halstead ~ Kim Burgess

~ At your house ~ Kim Burgess

~ Taking care of you ~ Kim Burgess

~ Interesting ~ Kim Burgess

Then there was a gif of a girl sipping tea that she would have rolled her eyes at had the pain it would have caused her head prevented her from doing so.

Hailey hesitated then typed back a quick reply.

~ He's my partner and it's nice ~

She set her phone back on the nightstand, not bothering to wait for a reply because she shouldn't care what Kim had to say. It was just Jay. There wasn't anything but friendliness between them. It's how things have always been.

"Okay, he said some on your temples should do the trick," Jay said while walking back in her room, "I grabbed another icepack too so we can do the bath thing."

"Thank you," Hailey said softly and sat up completely.

Jay sat next to her and passed her the small bottle, "Do you want to do it?"

"Sure," Hailey unscrewed the bottle and put some on her fingers.

"Oh, that's strong," Jay said, "Wow, I can feel it in my eyes. Are you sure you want to do that?"

Hailey laughed softly, "I want to try anything." She rubbed it into her temples and took a deep breath.

"What're your pain levels at?" Jay asked.

"Um, a seven," Hailey slowly nodded.

"That's better than a ten," Jay yawned.

"Tired?" Hailey screwed the cap back on the bottle.

Jay shrugged, "I'm good."

Hailey reached over him for her phone and glanced at the time, "It's getting late. Are you sure?"

"Yeah, of course," Jay nodded, "I can hang around a little longer." He reached up and hesitated before setting his hand on the back of her head.

Hailey leaned into his touch and closed her eyes.

Jay smiled at her and brushed his thumb through her hair.

Hailey opened her eyes a few minutes later and said softly, "Thank you for being here."

"It's not a problem at all," Jay said.

Hailey covered a yawn and glanced at the icepack on his thigh, "I don't think I want to get out of bed, but do you think you could hold the ice to the back of my neck again?"

"Definitely," Jay waited for Hailey to scoot down and lay on her side to press the ice to her skin.

Hailey got comfortable and reached back to pat Jay's leg, "Can you pass me my phone?"

"Sure," Jay said and set it in her hand.

Hailey squinted while scrolling through her phone, but eventually turned on classical music and set it on her pillow. She closed her eyes and breathed out.

Jay chuckled quietly and covered her more with the blanket. He then rested his head back and closed his eyes, thinking he could take a quick nap himself.

Jay startled awake and groaned at the kink in his neck. He sat up and yawned, trying to remember what exactly was going on. It took him a second, but then he remembered he was at Hailey's. A glance to his phone told him it was past three in the morning.

He rubbed his face and looked down. Hailey was snoring quietly next to him, her phone still playing the soft music.

He reached over her to turn it off and put her phone on the nightstand. He found the icepack within the sheets and got out of bed as quietly as he could.

He brushed his hand over her hair then left the room with the icepack that he placed in the freezer. He stretched and rolled his neck before grabbing a sticky note and pen from Hailey's junk drawer to write her a quick note that he left in the middle of the island next to the bottles of Mountain Dew he had brought over hours before. He yawned again and went to put his shoes and coat on to leave, making sure to lock Hailey's front door before jogging through the night cold to his truck.

Hailey's alarm went off and she opened her eyes quickly. She looked around and couldn't find her phone. She finally spotted it on her nightstand and turned it off.

She ran a hand through her hair thankful that her migraine was finally gone and was getting out of bed when she realized Jay wasn't there.

"Jay?" she said softly and walked into the hall, "Jay?"

She didn't hear anything, so she walked down the stairs and into the kitchen where she spotted a pink sticky note on her island. She picked it up and smiled at Jay's handwriting.

- Sorry Hails, fell asleep in your bed. I'll make sure to lock the door as I leave. Text me whether or not you're coming to work, I'll grab the coffee today. – Jay :)

She laughed at the small smiley face he had drawn next to his name, but couldn't fight the feeling in her gut that she wished he would have stayed.

Next time.

She paused on her way back up to her room at the thought. She shouldn't think like that. They were just friends. Just partners.

Hailey made it up to her room and sent Jay a quick text before grabbing her clothes and going to shower, leaving her phone on her bed so she didn't see his reply right away – it worked out because when she did see, she proceeded to overthink everything while getting ready for work.

~ I'm up and going to shower. I'll see you at the district. Thanks for hanging out with me yesterday ~

~ Not a problem at all Hails. I'm here for you. See you soon ~ Jay Halstead.

A/N: Just something small before I jump into the end of We Can this week :) Hope you enjoyed it at least a little bit!