Timeline: Post-7x18

Completed: Apr. 18, 2020

Hailey drives to Jay's on autopilot, her conversation with Voight stuck in her head. She knows that she's been crossing some lines lately, but it isn't anything the other wouldn't do she tells herself.

She robotically gets the details from Platt before leaving the district. Her mind going to how is she going to tell the others. She can text Kim, Adam, and Kev, but what does she tell Vanessa so she doesn't blame herself. And then there's Jay, she wants to wait and text him when she lands in New York. She doesn't want to see the disappointment in his eyes when she tells him about what she's done. She doesn't want him to blame himself for being what he believes to be a bad partner.

But she can't do that to him. He's already had one partner leave him without saying good-bye, even if it is just temporary, he deserves to be told in person and not find out from someone else. She just hopes he doesn't go down another rabbit hole while she's gone– she won't be able to pull him out if she's four states away.

The drive from the precinct to Jay's apartment complex goes faster than she would like. Hailey gets out of her car, knowing if she waits any longer she will back out and she can't do that to Jay.

Making the trek to his door, she tries to figure out how she's going to explain everything to Jay– her partner, her best friend, her anchor.

When Jay opens the door for her, she doesn't even realize that she had knocked. Hailey walks in when he moves to the side, his silent invitation to come inside. "What's up?" Jay asks, expecting it to be about a case– their normal routine when a case gets to one of them.

"I need to tell you something… and I think you should sit down," Hailey decides on.

"What's wrong?" Jay asks as he leads her to the couch.

"I-I've crossed the line, done some things that I would never have done when I first came to this unit."

"I know about Darrius."

"How?" Hailey asks, caught off guard.

"It wasn't that hard to figure out."

Hailey nods. "That's not the only thing. This case… I crossed some more lines and Voight knows."

"What? Did he suspend you? We can talk to him," Jay tells her.

"No, no. No, he didn't suspend me," Hailey answers. "Another agency was looking for a loan out officer as part of an interagency training program. Voight volunteered me. I leave tomorrow."

"Where?" Jay whispers.

"New York's FBI task force," Hailey tells him quietly.

Jay's heart drops to his stomach when he hears New York and FBI task force in the same sentence.

Hailey watches Jay carefully for his reaction. His face shows no emotion, but she can see the sadness in his eye for a split second. "It's only for a few weeks. Voight wants to teach me the lines and the lines are real clear there." She still gets no reaction out of him. "Jay, talk to me. What are you thinking?"

"I just got you back," Jay states.

Hailey's heart breaks hearing this, knowing Jay has some unspoken abandonment issues. Unsure how to answer that, Hailey tells him, "I'm going to go to New York and do whatever I need to, to come back home. Chicago is home."

Jay just looks like her like someone kicked his puppy. "We can still do our thing, we will just need to do it over the phone. We're still able to talk while I'm gone, and we are still partners. Do you understand me?" Jay nods. "Good. Now, I know this will be hard for you, but please try not to get shot while I'm gone. Remember lead is bad for your health," Hailey jokes.

"I don't get shot that much," Jay argues.

They talk for a little longer before Hailey has to leave so she can pack.

The next morning, Jay walks into the bullpen and stares at Hailey's empty desk. He bypasses his own desk and goes straight for Voight's office, entering without knocking.

"Can I help you?" Voight asks sarcastically.

"Why did you send Hailey away?!" Jay asks. "So, she make some mistakes- we all have. I probably made the most. But you didn't send me away; not after the Lonnie Rodiger investigation, not after the Camilla fiasco, not after the arson case that killed my dad, not when I shot and killed that girl, not when I was doing security when Terry got killed, not after Matthew Garrett! So why did you send her away?!"

"Because- you're still you! Hailey's trying to be like me! I won't let her. I turned something off inside of me a long time ago, I'm not letting Hailey do that. It will destroy her!" Voight yells before sending Jay out of his office.

Jay makes his way to his desk, still made that he doesn't have his partner. Trying to take his mind off of being partner-less, Jay turns on his computer to go through the paperwork that needs to be done.

The day goes slow for Jay not having his partner-in-crime. As if Vanessa can sense Jay's mood she tries to get him to lighten up, "Come on Jay, Hailey's probably having a great time in New York." Jay just glares at her, giving her the message to stop talking.

The tension in the bullpen is thick after that, Vanessa not understanding Jay's history.

Day twelve without Hailey, when Kim goes to question a relative of the victim, she goes over to Jay wanting to get him out of the same room as Vanessa for a while, "Jay, come on. We need to talk with the victim's aunt."

Jay just looks at her for a second, a blanks look in his eye, "Okay," he nods before following her.

"Do you want to drive?" Kim asks.

"No, you can," Jay answers distracted.

Kim gets into the driver's seat keeping a careful eye on Jay. "Are you okay? You know she's coming back, right?"

"She asks you to keep an eye on me?" Jay questions.

"She wants me to try to keep you from getting shot," Kim answers.

"I'm fine and I don't need a babysitter," Jay tells her.

"Okay, but if you need to talk to anyone, I'm here," she offers.

Jay nods in acknowledgment but doesn't say anything.

The short trip to the aunt's house is filled with an awkward silence.

"Are you sure you can't remember anything unusual?" Jay asks.

"No. My nephew was a good boy, he wasn't in a gang or nothing like that," she answers.

"Okay, well, if you think of anything later- give me a call," Jay tells her while handing her his card.

"Thank you for your time," Kim adds before she and Jay walks out of the house.

Just as the two are getting into Kim's car, their radios crackle to life with a location. "That's five blocks from here," Jay comments.

"This is 5021 Eddie, I'm five blocks from that location. We will respond, be advised of plainclothes officers on the scene" Kim calls into her radio before taking off in the direction of the call.

Arriving at the location, Kim and Jay seem to be the first to arrive. Looking at the building, they notice that it is rundown, "We should wait for back up," Kim tells him.

"We should go in. What if they're in there getting rid of evidence?" Jay goes in not giving Kim a chance to reply.

Kim follows him, knowing Hailey will kill her if something happens to Jay. Catching up to Jay once they reach the front hall. "I'll take upstairs, you get downstairs," Jay tells Kim as he is climbing the stairs.

Kim shakes her head, wondering how Hailey keeps him out of trouble as much as she does. Kim starts clearing the downstairs, room by room. Kim is careful so she doesn't miss anything.

Jay is carefully searching each room on the second floor of the house. After not finding anything in each room, Jay reaches out to enter the last room of the floor. Opening the door, Jay is surprised when the suspect hits him in the chest with a two-by-four, knocking his gun out of his hand.

Jay tries to disarm the suspect, but he is faster than the detective and manages to get another hit in. The two start fighting in the hall, the suspect dropping his two-by-four to the ground so he can get a hand on Jay. The suspect manages to bash Jay's head into the wall, disorientating the seasoned detective.

Taking advantage of the disoriented detective, the suspect charges at him sending them both down the stairs.

"Chicago PD! Don't move!" Kim yells at the suspect, pointing her gun at him. After cuffing their suspect and handing him off to Kevin, who just arrived with the rest of the team, before checking on Jay.

Kneeling next to the detective, she takes inventory of his injuries. He has a gash on his head, probably from the tumble down the steps, but no other visible injuries.

"Jay, what happened?" she asks concerned.

"He was waiting in the last room with a two-by-four," Jay groans. "He knocked my gun out of my hands," Jay tells her trying to sit up. While trying to sit, Jay loses the color in his face.

"Okay, stay down for a little bit," Kim requests. "Adam can you look for his gun?" she asks Ruzek who is the closest person to them.

"Yeah, sure," he responds before turning to Jay. "The ambulance should be here soon."

"I don't need an ambulance," Jay argues.

"We're going to let the paramedics decide that," Kim tells him before adding, "Don't make me call Hailey to get you to listen."

Jay lets out an annoyed sigh but doesn't argue further.

Adam returns with the missing weapon just before Ambulance 61 arrives at the scene. "What happened?" Brett asks.

"The suspect surprised Jay with a two-by-four before sending him flying down the stairs after a struggle," Kim answers. Knowing Jay is most likely going to try to talk his way out of a trip to the hospital.

Hearing that the detective was knocked down the stairs, Brett immediately determines that Jay needs to be taken to the hospital- to his displeasure. With the accessories of a c-collar and backboard until it is determined that there is no spinal damage.

"Where did he hit you with the two-by-four?" Brett asks.

"Chest."

Brett goes to check his ribs when she feels something under his shirt, "Do you have a vest on?"

"Yeah," Jay grunts.

"Okay, I want to check for broken ribs, but that's going to have to wait till you get to the hospital. I don't want to move your neck too much until your c-spine is cleared. And you might have a concussion. You earned a trip to Med."

"My neck doesn't hurt, this is unnecessary."

"I will call Hailey to get you to listen," Kim threatens.

"No. Don't tell her," Jay responds, stopping his struggle.

"Jay, she's going to find out."

"I know, but I'll tell her when she gets back. It's only a couple more days," Jay tries to convince her.

"Fine, but if she gets mad, I'm blaming you."

"Okay, we're ready to roll," Foster tells them. "Are you riding with him?"

"Yeah, someone needs to keep him from leaving AMA," Kim tells the paramedic while climbing into the back of the ambulance after they put the stretcher in.

"What happened this time?" Will asks when he sees his brother being wheeled in.

"Jay decided to fight our suspect on the staircase," Kim tells the older Halstead.

"We only brought him in because we couldn't clear his c-spine in the field and a possible concussion," Brett tells the red-haired doctor.

"Will, you can't be here," Marcel tells him as soon as he enters the treatment room.

"I'm not treating him, I just wanted to find out what happened," Will tells him.

"Went down a flight of stairs, and got hit in the chest with a two-by-four. Vest was in the way of checking his ribs and I couldn't clear his c-spine in the field; possible concussion," Brett tells Marcell.

"Okay, let's transfer on my count," Marcel instructs the people in the room,

After getting Jay on the bed and moving the stretcher out of the way, Marcel goes above his head and undoes the c-collar. Placing his hands on either side of Jay's head, Marcel asks, "Can you touch your chin to your chest?" Jay does what he is told. "Now side-to-side." Jay again does what he is told. "Okay, we can get rid of this," Marcel tells Jay while moving the immobilizing device away.

Marcel moves to Jay's legs and places his hands on Jay's shins, "Can you feel this?" He asks the detective.

"Yes," Marcel repeats the same process a couple more times in different places before deciding there is no spinal injury.

Marcel helps Jay move off of the backboard before moving the bed so it is no longer flat. "Okay, can you take off your shirt and vest so I can check your ribs?"

Jay slowly does what he is told, pain on his face even though he tries to hide it. Marcel presses down on Jay's chest. "Okay, I want to get a chest x-ray, but I'm pretty sure you have some fractured ribs.

Marcel has everyone leave the room except for essential personal. When the x-rays are done, Marcel lets Will and Kim back into the room. "Okay, it looks like you fractured four ribs. I'm sending you for a head CT, but it looks like it's a minor concussion," Marcel tells the detective before leaving the room to schedule the CT.

"Kim, you can go back to the district," Will tells her. "He's not going back today."

"Okay," Kim answers unsure.

"I'll make sure he doesn't leave," the older Halstead promises.

"Okay," she answers before looking to the injured detective. "Jay, call me if you need a ride," she tells Jay before leaving.

"So where is Hailey?" Will asks once Kim leaves. "I'm surprised she didn't ride in with you. When you were shot, she didn't leave until she saw for herself that you were okay. Are you guys fighting?"

"No," Jay answers. "She's in New York."

"Why is she in New York?"

"Voight sent her to set her straight or something."

"So when is she coming back? Do you want me to call her?"

"No, and she's supposed to be back in two days."

"What's up?" Will asks sensing something is bothering Jay.

"Nothing."

"You're afraid she's not coming back?"

"What if she likes New York better than Chicago?" Jay asks avoiding eye contact.

"Jay, she's not Erin," Will tells him, knowing what he is thinking.

"I know, but… you lived in New York for a while, you know what it's like. What if she decides to stay?" Jay asks, a panic rising in his chest, fear that his brother might decide to go back too.

"Hey, Jay, breathe," Will coaches, sensing what Jay is thinking. "I promise, I'm not going back- I'm not leaving you again. And I don't know Hailey as well as you do, but I know that she wouldn't leave you."

"I don't know where you're going with this."

"When you were shot, she was a mess until she saw for herself that you would be okay. She really cares for you- call it a brother's instinct."

Before Jay has a chance to process what his brother said, Marcel comes back in letting them know that they are ready to take Jay for the CT.

"So, you have a minor concussion and four fractured ribs," Marcel tells Jay when the CT results are back. "The CT showed that there was no bleeding, but you still need to take it easy for a few days: limit the time that you're looking at a screen, nothing physically taxing. I can prescribe some pain meds for your ribs if you want, but other than that I can't do much. I see this isn't the first time you broke some ribs, so you know the drill. I know it hurts, but you need to do some deep breathing exercises and try to cough some every two hours to help prevent pneumonia. You can ice it for twenty minutes each hour for the first couple of days, then switch to icing it three times a day. Your concussion should be cleared up in a few days so you can start moving around then. Sleep elevated for the first few days, try not to be flat."

"No drugs," Jay tells him.

Marcel looks to Will, "Tylenol 3, I'll make sure he takes it."

"What about work?"

"It's going to take four to six weeks for your ribs to heal. So, you're out for at least that long."

"Can I go home now?" Jay asks defeated.

"I get off in a half an hour," Will tells Jay. "Can you wait in the doctor's lounge until then? I'll take you home when my shift is over."

"Kim said I could call if I needed a ride," Jay protest wanting to get out of the hospital.

"You need someone to stay with you," Will tells him.

"Will, go. Look around, I can cover the rest of your shift," Marcel offers, indicating that the ED is slow without actually saying the words not wanting to jinx it.

"Are you sure?" Will asks skeptic.

"Family is important, don't make him wait around here; he'll be more comfortable in his own home."

"Thanks," Will is grateful. Marcel nods before leaving the two brothers waiting for the younger's discharge papers.

Half an hour later, Will is helping Jay as he is gingerly walking into his apartment. Getting Jay settled in his bed, Will goes into his kitchen to get an ice pack for Jay's ribs.

"Here. This should help some," Will tells Jay as he hands him the ice pack.

"Thanks."

"I'm going to be in the living room. Call me if you need anything," Will reminds Jay.

The rest of the night and the following day revolved around Will forcing the pain medication into Jay and making sure he is icing the ribs and doing the breathing exercises to prevent pneumonia. Will figures that Jay must be in pain because he hasn't driven him crazy yet and is actually listen to what Marcel told him.

On the fourteenth day that Hailey is gone, there is a knock on the door. With Jay sleeping in his room, Will goes to answer the door before it can wake him wondering who is knocking on his brother's door at ten at night.

He opens the door to find a familiar blonde. Hailey is just as surprised to see Will as he is to see her.

"Is Jay okay?" is the first thing that she asks when she sees her partner's brother answer his door.

"Come in," Will moves to the side to let her in. "He's going to be fine, but two days ago he ended up at Med with a concussion and some broken ribs."

"What happened?"

"All I got out of him was he got hit with a two-by-four and then went down a flight of stairs."

"What's the report?"

"Concussion is minor and should clear in a couple more days, but the ribs are going to take four to six weeks to heal."

"Has he gone stir crazy yet?"

"Not yet, but I think that's coming once his ribs feel a little better."

"I came to see him, but I should let him rest," Hailey tells the older Halstead.

"You can wake him. I was just about to; he needs to do another breathing exercise before he goes to bed for the night."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, he knows what to do. Just make sure he has a pillow to take the impact."

Hailey nods to Will before going into Jay's room. Seeing her partner propped up on a bunch of pillows makes her heart hurt. She wasn't there for Jay because of the lines she crossed- because Voight sent her away. He's hurt because of her.

She carefully places a hand on his arm, hoping to wake him without jolting his ribs too much, "Jay, wake up," she whispers. All she receives is a groan. "That's it. Time to wake up."

"Hailey?" Jay questions. "No you're not real," Jay moves sharply believing he is hallucinating. He grabs his chest at the sudden movement of his ribs. "No, I'm dreaming- you're in New York. You left."

Hailey can sense her partner panicking, knowing he is hurting himself. "No, Jay. It's me, I'm right here," Hailey takes Jay's hand and places it on her chest so he can feel her breathing. "I just got back. You're not dreaming."

"Hailey?" He questions more lucid. "What are you doing here?"

"I just got back and thought I should stop by. Will told me what happened, or at least, what he knows. He said I could wake you- that you needed to do a breathing exercise one more time before going to bed for the night."

Jay nods, slowly moving so he can do the exercise. Hailey hands him a pillow and he does what he is told, pain on his face the entire time.

Once he is finished, Jay leans back on the pillows. "Do you want ice?" Hailey asks.

"No. How was New York?" he asks afraid of her answer.

"It was nice, but it wasn't home. Now, are you going to tell me what happened? Will only told me that you got hit with a two-by-four and went down a flight of steps."

"Suspect was waiting for me when I was clearing the second floor. You're not going back?"

"No, I missed Chicago too much," Hailey tells him. "And New York pizza sucks," she adds as an afterthought.

"I missed you."

"I missed you too. Now, what is this with you getting hurt? I thought I told you not to."

"You told me not to get shot," Jay replies smartly.

"Yeah, you're fine. I should go, let you rest," Hailey comments as she goes to leave.

"No. Stay for a little, please?"

"Okay, just till you fall asleep," Hailey decides, climbing next to him, careful of his injured ribs. Jay pulls her close to him, afraid that if he lets her go she will leave again, falling to sleep with her in his arms.

An hour later, Will walks in to find them in the same position- both sleeping. He carefully walks out not wanting to wake either of them, but not before taking a picture of the two.

Chapter Question(s):

YuukiAsuna4- Chapter 7_ Why you make Kim and Adam aren't in relationship? Sorry, I'm not finished and just find "ex-fiance".

Answer: Kim and Adam are not in a relationship because where it is set in season 7, they are not in a relationship. This one-shot is marked as completed on March 2 of this year, but I believe I started it back in October before the cross-over where they hooked up, let alone rekindled their relationship. I hope this helps you with the timeline of their relationship.

A/N: Okay, as you can see I finished this one today. As of today (April 18, 2020) here is where I am at with the remaining one-shots: Complete (L, M, O, P, R, S, U, & Y), In-Progress (N, Q, T, & V), & Not Started(I, J, K, W, & Z). When I started this I wrote to which ones I was inspired with, that being said, I am now focusing on the ones that are coming up as I want this to be in order.

I am also starting to try to answer questions you may have about my stories. If you have questions about anything in the stories I am currently writing let me know and I will try to answer it at the end of the next chapter I post. This will be for all active stories, even if on Hiatus (Meaning the only one that is not included is "It's Just the Flu" because that one is Complete).

Question 1: Would you like more one-shots to be in past seasons to include Olinsky and Antonio?

Question 2: What do you think of Upstead? Platonic or Romantic? Personally I was keeping them platonic to parallel to the show (This shows in my story, "It's Just the Flu"), but with the development this season I was starting to open up to the idea of a romantic relationship (Hints of Vanessa being an Upstead shipper in my story "Man's Best Friend"). I was hoping that the end of this season I would be able to see what was happening on screen to decide what side of the fence I'm on, but due to current circumstances, the season was cut short by a few episodes. So what would you like to see in these one-shots? "Man's Best Friend" will continue to be platonic for now, but the one-shots would depend on what season they are set in and your feedback. I am also toying with the idea of them being a romantic pair eventually in the Deaf Jay fic.

As always stay safe in this crazy time.