Hi guys! You are always so nice and you write me a lot of nice things. I really thank you all!

Here I am with another one shot!

I'm always available for new prompts, so let me have fun!

I hope you like it, see you soon!

H.

58. You look tired. - from juustory and Guest.

99. You're comfy. - yournameisyours and Guest.

"Hey, you okay?"

Jay waved a hand in front of his partner's blank stare. Since morning, she had been acting strangely. Silent and grumpy most of the time, she brushed him off almost as if he had the plague every time tried to make conversation.

Jay had been staring at her for a couple of minutes before found the courage to ask her what was wrong, but his concern grew when he noticed how she squinted before focusing on him.

"I'm fine, just tired."

He remained silent despite knowing full well that the words that just came out of her mouth were just bullshit.

Even if he hadn't known her so well, he would have had no doubts about the colossal lie she had just told. All he had to do was look at her face to understand that she was anything but fine.

The day dragged on slowly. They had no case to follow, the calm that reigned in the district was almost disturbing.

Jay got up to make a cup of coffee and, sipping it in front of the window, realized they were actually lucky they didn't have any cases. It had been raining incessantly since the day before and the streets were more like small streams of water. It almost seemed that the sky no longer ran out of water to pour over the city.

The idea of having to drive around Chicago in all that rain made him appreciate, perhaps for the first time, the time spent on old reports.

He returned to his desk leaving a steaming cup of coffee in front of his partner, who thanked him with a nod and what might have been a smile.

The hours passed slowly. The only thing that kept Jay from going completely crazy among his papers was looking up and noticing how it continued to rain nonstop.

Adam and Kim had spent most of the time arguing. Kevin had been mumbling for an hour against Adam's mess that had already invaded his desk and Vanessa, with no other things to do, had her feet stretched out on her desk while playing on the phone, but always with her ears ready to pick up a possible return of Voight.

Through it all, Hailey had been so utterly silent all day. She compiled her reports, printed them and signed them as if she wasn't really there.

It was only when, after seeing her disappear in the locker room for half an hour, that Jay began to worry.

"Hails?"

He knocked a couple of times before entering the room. He was closing the door behind him just as the muffled sound of a gagging made him stop.

He sighed realizing how Hailey's 'I'm fine' couldn't be further from reality.

"Go away, Jay."

Her groan was followed by the staggering figure of Hailey who, as soon as she reached him, turned off the lights and lay down on the bench beside him.

"I can take you home…"

"I'm fine and I'll go home with Vanessa. You can go back to work."

She covered her eyes with one arm as she slid lower on the bench, her head inches from Jay's thigh.

"Hailey, that's not a problem. I can really…"

"Damn, Jay! I don't want your help, okay? Leave me alone!"

For a moment, Jay stood staring at her. Her explosion was so unusual that it took him a few minutes to realize it was really aimed at him.

But the angry sigh that followed her words made him back away imperceptibly.

He knew her well enough to know that was her way of protecting herself and dealing with whatever she was facing, but that didn't mean it didn't hurt him equally.

He nodded silently, even though she couldn't see him, before getting up and leaving her alone in the locker room.

Hailey was like that. She needed her space to take care of herself and if she was pushed she ended up closing up.

So Jay would simply wait for her to find him and knew that, sooner or later, she would.

Dragging himself home, taking a shower and lying on the sofa seemed to cost him an endless effort. The day had been practically useless. Apart from a few reports, he had not concluded anything useful.

But despite this, he felt so tired that he was able to fall asleep in front of the television within minutes. Probably, the fact that it was some nights he couldn't sleep might not help.

The toast was now cold and forgotten on the table and Jay was in and out of a restless sleep for a good half hour, when the ringing of his phone made him groan in frustration.

For a second, he hoped he had a crime scene to go to, just to have the excuse to spend another sleepless night. But the idea of going out into the storm didn't really make him jump for joy.

He raised his cell phone to his ear with his eyes still closed and one leg stretched out on the table.

"Halstead. "

An anxious sigh from the other side of the line made him sit slightly straighter. He was about to open his mouth when Vanessa's low voice made him stop.

"Jay, um, I know it's late but…"

"What happened?"

He still didn't know anything, but felt it was about Hailey and the lump in his stomach, which he had been having all day, moved up his throat making him catch his breath.

"I have a patrol shift tonight and…Hailey is not really well. She doesn't want to go to Med and she asked me to call you, so…I was wondering if you..."

"On my way. Give me twenty minutes."

He closed the call with one hand already in his closet to take a hoodie.

If he hadn't been in a hurry, he would have stopped a few minutes to reflect on how much he knew her. He knew she was ill and knew just as well that she would look for him. But, sometimes, patience wasn't really his best asset.

...

"Jay! Sorry if I called you, but…"

"Don't worry, V, I was just watching TV. Tell me what to expect."

He spoke following the young agent to the living room and then pointed his head to the top of the stairs.

"Bad migraine. She's in the bathroom but..she doesn't want to go to Med. she just told me to call you."

Jay pretended not to notice the strange amused glint in the woman's eyes and shook his head with a sigh.

"All right. Go ahead, I'll take care of her", he sighed again before waving a hand in her direction and climbing the stairs.

He knew her house well enough to know the way around and knew her well enough to know what to expect. Or so he thought.

He knocked on the closed bathroom door down the hall, the one closest to her bedroom, before slowly turning the handle.

"Hey, Vanessa called me. How do you feel?"

He stuck his head in the crack in the door and it took him a few seconds to adjust his eyes to the darkness.

Hailey's voice seemed to come straight out of the grave and her crouched position next to the radiator gave him a good idea of how she really felt.

"Go out, Jay. I suck."

"Yeah, no. It's not happening", he chuckled softly as he sat down next to her.

"You could have told me today. If you were really that bad", he added after a few minutes.

"It had been a while since I had been feeling so bad."

He caught a glimpse of her shaking her head slowly, before resting her forehead against the smooth surface of the bathtub.

"Can I take you to Med?"

She denied forcefully before getting up and collapsing against the toilet trying to contain the gagging that was shaking her.

Jay pulled her hair up with a hand on her back. If only she were less stubborn…

He sighed deeply and then soaked a towel in cold water. When he saw her come together and sink again against the wall, he lifted her hair and placed the wet cloth on her neck. Hailey jumped and shivered, but always kept her eyes closed.

"I'm sorry to bother you…"

"It bothers me more to see my partner be shit all day and say nothing."

He knew the words had come out sharper than he wanted, but Voight would really have no problem leaving her at home today. They had nothing to do, Hailey could have just rested and not come down to a rag shaken by gagging.

They remained silent for what seemed like an eternity. His butt now had the same shape as the bathroom tiles, but the idea of moving from there didn't even cross his mind. Every few minutes, Hailey bent over the toilet and each time she slumped more and more tired against the wall. When he heard the front door close in the distance and Hailey sighing in defeat beside him, he decided that maybe it was time to move.

"Do you think you're done here?", he rubbed her arm to attract her attention and when he saw her nod with her eyes closed, he pushed her a bit.

"How about moving? You could take an Advil and have a some water…"

"No water, yes moving."

He waited for her to lean against the sink before scrambling to her feet and when he saw her firm enough on her legs, he opened the door and headed for her bedroom.

"No, Jay. Living room."

She mumbled, turning her back and going down the first steps. But when she felt that he still hadn't moved, she reached out to him and ordered him to join her.

"There's TV in the living room. You can watch it. But at a low volume."

Jay shook his head amused by her logic, before retrieving the wet towel and following her into the living room.

Hailey fell into a restless sleep minutes after lying on the sofa. Her back was to the TV, which he had previously turned on at almost imperceptible volume, with her head tucked under Jay's arm.

He, the moment Hailey closed her eyes, stopped moving. Jay looked absently at the TV, all his attention was on not falling asleep. He knew it would been had been restless, like the previous nights, and wanted to avoid waking her.

The peace barely lasted an hour because, when Jay moved to look at the time, the groan coming from his side caught his attention.

"Hey, do you feel like drinking a little?"

Hailey shook her head.

"I don't want to move because I'm afraid to throw up. And then you're comfy. What time is it?"

"Almost two. Sleep some more", he ran a hand through her hair, untying the messy braid in which they were tied. She mumbled something incomprehensible, sinking a little more against him. The feel of her warm body against him almost made him dizzy.

She was always so controlled in life and Jay suddenly felt like the luckiest person in the world to have the privilege of seeing the great Detective Upton simply being human, with all her strengths and weaknesses.

It was only after a few minutes that Jay realized that Hailey was whimpering.

"Please, Jay, can you make him stop? It's just so strong…"

"Okay, enough…", he muttered more to himself than to her, then quickly went to her bedroom grabbing the first hoodie he found and walking back to Hailey.

"Come on Hails, it's time to get up."

The blue and clouded gaze that fell on him made him sigh in defeat.

"Why do we get up?"

"Let's go to Med. Not treatable", he slipped her on the hoodie and, before she could argue or wriggle out, he passed one arm under her knees and the other behind her back and closed her front door behind them.

It was still raining heavily, but luckily he had parked close enough, so they managed to get into the car without getting completely wet.

"Can you not throw up in here?"

"I don't guarantee but I'll try", Hailey sighed as she slid further down the seat and closed her eyes.

The journey to Med was fast, at that time of night and with all that rain the streets were almost deserted.

"Detective, what do we have here?"

April greeted them at the ER entrance with a wheelchair where Jay placed a half-asleep Hailey.

"Severe migraine and vomited for a few hours."

"Will's somewhere, do you want me to call him?"

"Yes."

"No."

They spoke in unison. Hailey shook her head a few times, "Let him follow more important things."

But the look Jay gave April left the nurse very little choice.

"Take her to the first room, I'll be right back."

Jay helped Hailey climb onto the hospital bed before turning off the lights and leaving her alone.

He slowly crawled into the waiting room and sank into a chair. He looked forward to discover that it was not even three and it still seemed to him one of the longest nights of recent times. He chuckled at the memory of wishing he had something to do to avoid his nightmares. And here he's sitting in the ER.

Okay, this was definitely not what he wanted.

"Hey, little bro", Will sat in the chair next to him, "I gave her a IV of fluids and gave her a painkiller. She will be very happy for a while."

Jay saw Will run his hands over his face and let out a tired sigh.

"Long night?"

"Double shift. Too long. You can go to Hailey, anyway. I'll pass in a few hours and I'll discharge her."

His brother patted him on the back before disappearing behind the ER doors and Jay had nothing to do but slip silently into the room Hailey occupied and sit in the chair next to the bed.

She looked so small rolled up in the hospital bed, but for the first time in days she had a serene expression on her face.

He watched her breathe peacefully for a few minutes, her cheeks had regained some color and the crease on her forehead was finally gone.

It was at that moment that Jay realized how simply watching Hailey sleep peacefully was letting the tension that had squeezed him out of the past few days slipped away.

And it was exactly that thought that made him miss a few beats.

She was so important to him, important in so many ways, that he knew he was fucked and he would probably never come out of her again.

"Detective Halstead."

Hailey's slurred voice jolted him out of his thoughts so suddenly that, despite being sitting down, he had to clasp his hands on the armrests of the chair so as not to jump. He watched her look around a few seconds before setting her eyes on him.

"Detective. Detective. It's a nice word, it rolls well on the tongue. Have you ever thought about it?"

Jay chuckled because he knew this was a once-in-a-lifetime sight. Hailey as tall as a kite was absolutely something he never wanted to miss.

"You got some good stuff, right?"

"Will was generous. He said it was the only way for me to put up with you. I like Will."

Hailey was almost lost in her raving, her eyes half closed and her voice still muddy.

"You're two peas in a pod, you two."

"Yeah yeah, but he's not my favorite Halstead."

"Isn't he?"

!No, it's you, Detective. Don't be foolish!"

She dragged the last word, letting it slip from her lips with a rustle, then stuck her tongue out and dropped her head against the pillow.

When Jay thought she had already fallen asleep, Hailey surprised him by reaching out and pointing a finger in his direction.

"You look tired. You look sooo tired", she hummed smiling, "Why do you look tired?"

"'cause I'm having a sleepless night."

"Nope", she hummed again, "You looked tired even yesterday! I remember it! I'm a Detective too!"

Jay shook his head laughing at her antics.

If he hadn't feared her revenge, he would have gladly made a video to remember this moment.

"Too tired, Jay Halstead", she muttered to herself, then grabbed his elbow and pulled him towards her, "Come here!"

Jay laughed again, really unable to restrain himself, but when he saw her pout, he got up and sat on the edge of the bed.

"Do you want to drink, Hails?"

"I want to sleep. I want you to sleep. Come to sleep. Please!"

The last word came out like a little trill and, if Jay had focused enough, he could have imagined having a little Hailey throwing tantrums in front of him.

Sighing in defeat, because he knew from the start that he would satisfy her in everything, he pushed her to the side of the bed and slipped next to her.

"Get the pillow, I'm using you", Hailey mumbled before crawling under his arm and wedging against his side, her head resting on his chest.

Jay tensed from the unexpected gesture but when he heard her sigh in satisfaction against his hoodie, he relaxed.

"So, so comfy…"

It was the last thing she mumbled before her breathing became regular and she let herself slip into a well-deserved peaceful sleep.

And Jay, for the first time in many nights, was finally able to relax. He didn't sleep for long, mostly small sporadic naps, but he didn't wake up even once with his heart running wildly.

She was so important to him, important in so many ways, that he knew he was fucked and he was sure he couldn't live without her anymore.