hi everyone!

can't believe i'm writing a fic about the virus and the pandemic... SO WILD

there are just a few things i'd like to mention:

- i'm basing this story mostly on my own experience with covid (i've recently recovered, and i got the inspiration to take my experience and spin it into a story), so i'd just like to make it clear that i'm not trying to be insensitive of the virus and how serious and challenging it is, because i know. i am merely trying something new, that even fits with the current chicago pd plot line as covid is now part of their world as well. i'd just like to make it clear i'm not trying to offend anyone!

- next, i did do research (especially when i did have it) so most of my information is based on canada's guidelines and approach to dealing with the virus. so i apologize if anything is medically inaccurate, but please remember, different countries have different protocols. but if there is anything i'm completely butchering, don't be afraid to let me know! but also please remember, i am basing it on my own experience (lmao sorry i've said that so many times now)

- okay, i think i made my points clear so i'm just going to shut up now. i hope this okay. it became much longer than i expected and i hadn't even gotten to the good parts yet, so i decided to split it up into chapters. there will be a second chapter for sure, possibly a third.

anyway, thanks for listening to the ramble, and please enjoy!

Trudy Platt is not a fan of stairs.

No one understood that more than the Intelligence Unit.

Platt avoided walking up those stairs to the bullpen as much as possible. If it can be done over the phone, you bet your ass, that's how it'll be done.

So, when the unit spotted her halfway up the steps that fateful Thursday afternoon, they knew it was nothing good. The frown on her face certainly didn't help matters either.

"Uh oh," Adam groaned, "what's with the face, Sarg?"

Trudy turned to him with an even more unimpressed expression than she had coming up the stairs. "This is my natural face, Ruzek. Do you have a problem with it?"

"Uh — no, ma'am," he stuttered, looking adorably confused. "I just assumed —"

"Never assume," she cut him off hotly, "it only makes you look like an ass."

Adam frowned, his expression clearly showing his offence.

"I do come with bad news though."

Adam's eyes widened and he looked as if he was about to interject, but Kevin touched his elbow, shaking his head with a smirk. Adam huffed but slouched back down in his chair.

"Sergeant Taylor down in evidence tested positive for COVID-19 this morning."

Adam let out a groan, while Kevin and Kim bit their lips nervously. Throughout the pandemic, their district had no cases up until this morning. Jay frowned from his spot perched on Hailey's desk; Hailey was sat on her chair beside him and he watched her flinch. His brows furrowed together at the unusual reaction, as well as the way her face instantly paled.

"We're contacting anyone who was in direct contact with him, so unless you receive any further direction from me, you're fine. If you happen to start feeling symptoms, let me know and go get tested immediately," Trudy's voice was very monotone and they guessed this wasn't the first time she'd given this speech today. "And please, wear your masks. I want everyone safe out there."

"Thanks Sarg," Kevin thanked her, still zoned out in his thoughts.

When Trudy didn't immediately go back downstairs, Jay watched on curiously.

"Hailey, a word, please?"

Jay's frown deepened. He could clearly see the signs: Hailey's nervous expression, her sudden paleness, and more than anything, the way she immediately pulled up her mask.

The rest of the unit caught on as well, but they busied themselves with whatever was in front of them to give Trudy and Hailey privacy to talk. They kept their conversation quiet and quick and within a minute, Trudy was heading back downstairs and Hailey made her way to her desk.

Jay watched as she hastily grabbed her jacket and keys and headed straight for the exit without a word. She didn't even meet his eyes.

"Hailey, wait —"

With a quick look at the rest of the unit, he hurried after her and managed to catch her at the bottom of the steps.

"Hailey, what's going on?" He asked, trying to catch her eye; she was looking everywhere but at him. She was nervously jingling her keys and every time he would step forward, she would step back. "Uh — sorry, did I do something?"

Hailey glanced behind her towards Platt's desk, but she wasn't there. "No, you didn't do anything. I just have to go, like right now. I'll explain later."

Without even waiting for a response, she immediately went for the door and left him standing there. Jay grunted; nope, this won't do, he thought. He followed her out, slipping his own mask over his mouth and nose as he passed by his fellow officers. He managed to catch her as she was unlocking her SUV, and though she looked surprised, he also noticed her blue eyes were shining brighter than usual. He realized it was because of tears in her eyes.

"Shit Hailey — you're starting to worry me."

"I'm sorry," she shook her head. "I was down in evidence a few days ago; Voight asked me to log all the bricks of cocaine from that bust we did. Platt got me in at Med. I need to go get tested."

Jay blinked. "Oh."

"Yeah," Hailey pursed her lips, though he couldn't see it. She ripped open her door and threw her jacket onto the passenger seat.

"It's going to be fine, Hails," he found himself saying. "This doesn't mean anything. Don't stress about it until you know for sure. I'll call you later, okay?"

Hailey still didn't look relaxed and Jay knew no matter how much he told her to not worry, it wouldn't actually stop her from worrying. This was bigger than both of them and they both knew it. But there wasn't much else to be other than optimistic.

"Yeah, okay," she replied quietly with a nod.

Jay wanted to reach out and squeeze her arm, or do something to show that he was there for her. But he didn't want to see her flinch away from him like she was doing inside. So instead, he opted for a smile that he hoped she saw in his eyes, and stepped back to watch her leave.

Immediately, he pulled out his phone to shoot a quick text to Will. There probably wasn't much he could do on Hailey's behalf, but Jay felt hopeless, and he wanted to do something.

Understandably, Hailey didn't come back to the district that day. His texts to her went unanswered but Will called him a few hours later to let him know that Hailey had to quarantine until she got her results. Will also said they put a rush on her test, considering she was a first responder and he was personally overseeing the process.

Later that night when he headed home, he was expecting to hear something from Hailey, anything. But she didn't reach out. He called twice, but after she didn't answer, he stopped trying. He was sitting on his couch, leg vibrating with nerves, debating whether he should just drive to her house and make sure she was okay, when his phone started ringing.

The speed in which he lunged for his phone was quite embarrassing, but not as embarrassing as the groan he let out seeing that it was only Voight.

"Halstead," he answered, hoping the disappointment wasn't obvious.

"Hey Jay," Voight's gruff voice rang out over the line.

Jay's leg stopped bouncing. Voight rarely, if ever, said 'hello' on the phone. It could only mean bad news.

"Hailey tested positive."

Jay's blood went cold. At least he didn't beat around the bush.

"What?"

"This means the whole unit has to get tested tomorrow morning. Don't come in until you have your results and Public Health has given you the okay. You got that, Jay?"

Jay was still stuck on the fact that Hailey actually tested positive. He told her there was nothing to worry about; he was wrong.

"Jay, are you there?"

"Yeah — yeah, I'm here. Is Hailey okay? What happens now?"

"She's following direction from Public Health, I'm not sure of all the details. But she's quarantining for at least the next week." There was some shuffling on Voight's end. "Jay, you should prepare yourself."

Jay's brows furrowed together. "For what?"

"You and Hailey ride together. There's a really good chance if Hailey has it, you do too."

Jay nodded his head, then realized that meant nothing on the phone. "Yeah, I got it Sarg, thank you."

"Alright, keep me updated. Good luck, Jay."

Jay took a minute to compose himself and his thoughts. Is that why Hailey wasn't answering her phone? The unanswered questions were too much for Jay, and he found himself calling her two more times. When she didn't answer, he opted to text her instead.

jay halstead: hailey

jay halstead: i'm just trying to make sure you're okay

jay halstead: please call me back

jay halstead: we don't need to talk about it

jay halstead: i just want to know you're okay

jay halstead: please text me back

hailey upton: i'm okay

hailey upton: i'm sorry i dodged your calls, i just really don't want to talk right now

jay halstead: it's okay

jay halstead: i'm here for you hails

jay halstead: we can talk tomorrow. goodnight hailey

hailey upton: night jay

Will Halstead made sure to oversee all of Intelligence's Covid tests. It was not a pleasurable situation by any means, but watching the discomfort on his little brother's face as he pushed the swab into his nose, made everything slightly more bearable.

"Fuck," Jay swore as soon as Will pulled out the swab. "Stop smirking, it's not funny."

Will handed off the packaged swab to a nurse so she could get it to testing. "Oh trust me, I know. Have you talked to Hailey yet?"

"Tried," Jay replied quietly, avoiding his brother's intense gaze. "She dodged my calls, said we could talk later."

Will nodded along. "Well, I'm going to rush all of your results and hopefully I can get them back as soon as possible."

Jay pulled his mask back up over his nose. "I honestly can't believe this is the new normal," he sighed.

"I know, Jay. Trust me, the things I'm seeing, the things I'm dealing with on a daily basis. It's insane. 2020 really fucked us over."

Jay shot his brother a smirk; even though Will couldn't see it, he could tell from his eyes. "You've got that right. I should get back home. You'll call me as soon as you know?"

"Yeah, of course," Will nodded. "Let's hope for the best though."

Having to go home and wait was the worst thing Jay had done in a while. He wasn't a patient man, he'd never been a patient man. So, having to sit around and wait (especially when he otherwise would have been at work) was not ideal for him. He was dreading Will's call, but he also wanted nothing more than to get his results and be done with this entire situation. He probably should be a bit more freaked out than he was. Hailey was his partner; he basically spent every working hour with her, and when they weren't on the scene of a crime, or riding in his truck, he was probably seated on her desk or somewhere close.

When he saw Will's embarrassing contact photo pop up on his phone, he scrambled across the couch to answer it.

"Will?"

"Hey, Jay. How're you doing?"

"It's only been a few hours and I'm already going out of my mind."

He heard Will's snicker from the other end; he was being playful, it can't be bad news, right?

"How are you feeling, though? Any symptoms?"

Jay paused, narrowing his eyes. "Why are you asking that, Will?"

"I'm sorry bro, but you tested positive."

He imagined this is what Hailey felt like when she found out her test results, and it killed him to think she went through this alone. He could feel his heart rate pick up and his mind started racing a mile a minute. What did this mean? How was it going to affect him long-term? Was it going to get worse?

"Shit," he replied, because he really didn't know what else to say.

"This means you can't go outside anymore. Normally, you isolate from the day you start exhibiting symptoms, but since you don't have any, it's ten days from the day you got your positive test result, which would mean today. How's your grocery situation at home?"

Jay snorted.

"Yeah, that's what I thought," Will chuckled. "I can take care of that for you. But you're sure you're not feeling anything? Trouble breathing? Runny nose? Anything?"

"No, nothing." Jay paused, an idea popping into his head. "Hey Will, are there any restrictions against two positive cases quarantining together?"

There was silence on Will's end. "Uh — no, I guess not. Typically when one member of a household tests positive, the others do as well, so it's pretty common, actually." Jay made a sound of acknowledgment which one piqued Will's interest even more. "Why? What are you thinking?"

"I have an idea. When are you free?"

"I'm finished shift now. I was just waiting around for your unit's results."

"Oh, shit. I completely forgot about the rest of the unit. Can you even tell me anything?"

Will clicked his tongue. "Technically, no. So, I'll just say you're really the only one who has anything to worry about."

"Yeah, that's what I thought," Jay laughed, even though it wasn't funny at all. "I'm going to text you the details. Can you meet me in a bit?"

Will snickered, yet again from the other line. "I really should've seen this coming. Yeah, I'll meet you. See you in a bit, bro."

As soon as he hung up the phone, he set off into his bedroom to pack. He filled up his gym bag with all the essentials and to top it off, packed a bottle of his favourite whiskey. It was going to be a long few days, he may as well make the most of it. Making sure all his appliances were turned off, he locked his apartment and set off to his truck.

When Hailey heard her doorbell ring, she groaned.

She figured it was someone from her unit dropping something off, but she really didn't feel like going to the door today. On the day she went to get tested, she was feeling perfectly fine. But the following day after she got her result, it was like a switch had flipped and the entirety of the virus hit her full force. She developed a cough overnight, and her nose was constantly stuffy and her chest was feeling extremely congested. Her breathing was fine, thankfully, and she wasn't feeling any chest pain. Will had drilled it into her mind that if she was feeling any chest pains or having any trouble breathing, to call for an ambulance immediately. She hoped it wouldn't get to that point.

Part of the reason why she didn't return anyone's calls or have a particular urge to talk was simply because she felt bad. Of course she didn't know she was carrying the virus, or that she had come into contact with someone who had the virus, but she still felt bad she interacted with her entire unit while she had it. She already felt bad enough they all had to go get tested because of her, she wouldn't be able to handle the guilt if any of them tested positive. Her fears lied mostly with Jay, since they spent the most time together, especially in close quarters like his truck.

She momentarily got lost in her thoughts and only realized she zoned out when the doorbell rang again. With a sigh, she grabbed her mask and swung the door open.

Hailey was shocked to see Jay on the other side. He was wearing his mask and carrying a full gym bag over his shoulder. Peaking behind him, she spotted Will exiting his car.

"Jay?" She questioned in confusion. "What are you doing here? What's going on?"

Immediately, Jay took notice of the congestion in her voice and frowned. It was a good thing Will was a doctor, and knew all the essentials to buy, including cold medication. "I couldn't let you quarantine by yourself, so I'm your roommate for the next ten days."

Hailey's eyes widened and if she could touch him, she would've slapped him. "Are you insane, Jay? You cannot come in here, I'm still contagious."

Jay didn't say anything right away; he only tilted his head and met her eyes dead on.

"Oh," she gasped. Her face fell and all the emotions she was thinking about earlier came rushing back. "Jay, I'm so sorry."

When her ice blue eyes started filling up with tears, Jay dropped his gym back and stepped closer to her. She flinched away from him, but it only took her a moment to realize that it didn't matter anymore; the damage was already done. "Don't you dare apologize Hailey, you didn't know."

"Yeah, but it's still my fault," she replied, hating the way her voice wobbled. He followed her into her house, loitering in the entrance. Immediately, she whipped back around to face him. "Wait — how's the rest of the unit. Please tell me—"

Jay shook his head. "They're fine. It's just me."

Hailey threw her arms up in exasperation. "Just you? Jay, this is serious! I've been doing research; things can really bad. I'll never forgive myself if—"

"No. We're not going there," Jay cut her off easily. "We'll talk about it when and if we get there. Because you know as well as I do that in ten days, we'll most likely be fine and ready to go back to work. I don't blame you for anything, and I'm not going to let you blame yourself either."

There was a rustle from the doorway and Will shot them an apologetic glance. "Sorry, I was trying to be quiet. But he's right, this isn't your fault. You were doing your job, there's nothing more to it."

"Thanks Will," Hailey said softly. She took note of the multiple shopping bags he was dropping at the foot of her door. "What's all this?"

"I was going to go shopping for Jay anyway," Will started, "but then he informed me of his idea and I figured you were caught by surprise with this whole thing too, so I just shopped for both of you. I hope that's okay."

Hailey's heart fluttered appreciatively. "Are you kidding? This is great, Will, thank you."

"Now, before I go," he stated in a more serious manner. "I want a daily update of both of your symptoms and just call me if things get worse. Actually, just call me any time you guys need anything, okay? And Hailey, I'm not loving how you're sounding but I know that's just a symptom. There's cold medication in one of the bags, make sure you take some. And Jay, keep an eye on her; let me know if she develops a fever. Does that sound okay?"

Jay nodded. "Thanks, bro. We appreciate it."

Hailey stepped outside her doorframe when Will was halfway to his car. "Thanks, Will! Stay safe!"

Jay helped her carry in the groceries and picked up his gym bag off the porch.

Standing at the kitchen island, Hailey looked across the kitchen to Jay, who looked oddly out of place.

"Do you really think we're ready to be together 24/7 for the next ten days?"

Jay looked over at her with a smirk, now that their masks were off. "Well, I guess we're about to find out."

Hailey huffed out a tired breath. "Fucking 2020."

"Fucking 2020," Jay echoed in agreement.

i hope this was an okay start!

i am looking forward to writing more of this, so i hoped you all liked it!

and again, i'm not trying to glamorize the virus or the pandemic, so i truly hope no one gets offended. this is purely for content purposes, and honestly, it's our new reality now and it has been for a while, so it's kind of just an insight to what it might look like, with a side of our favourite pairing.

chapter two will come soon, hopefully.

as always, i want everyone to stay safe, so wear your masks and stay home!