Hi everyone, here's another chapter for you.
This chapter is definitely the least intense so far, happy vibes only in this chapter.
I feel like I'll probably say this at the start of every chapter but thank you for your support so far, it's been great to see all the nice reviews.
Anyway, I hope you all enjoy this chapter.
Jay had spent 14 long days up in the ICU after being wheeled into Chicago Med clinging onto life. The incident had obviously hit everyone in the team hard, Jay was the one who was having the hardest time dealing with it. Jay was struggling not only physically and mentally he was struggling, Jay hated not being able to be active, he and Hailey always would always to go the gym or go for a run every day either before or after work. Jay had always loved keeping fit since he was younger and his days in the Rangers had meant he was required to do this, he was really starting to miss these activities. Jay fully understood that he wasn't going to be able to go for runs or the gym for a while as he needed to fully recover from his injury, however he really hated being confined to his plain hospital room and he couldn't wait until he was discharged where he would have his freedom back.
For the first week Jay was in hospital the rest of the team had visited rarely, it wasn't because they didn't want to see Jay, however they understood that Jay was weak and he didn't need to be overwhelmed by too many people visiting. The only person he needed was Hailey and the team were fully aware of this.
During the second week however, the team had visited Jay much more frequently, they usually visited in pairs. Atwater and Ruzek would visit together, sneaking Jay in a few little treats and shared many old funny stories together, the majority of stories about Ruzek. Platt and Burgess would come together, Platt being her usually sarcastic self when laughing at Burgess which lightened Jay's mood up greatly. Hailey had brought Rojas along with her a few times as well, Rojas unintentionally spending a night on the couch in Jay's room as the 3 of them enjoyed an evening watching a Blackhawks game, eating pizza and drinking beer, well Rojas and Hailey did as Jay wasn't able to. Voight had also stopped by a few times , checking in on his best detective, sharing some old memories they had together involving Al and Antonio, however Erin never came up.
In addition to the intelligence unit visiting Jay, a few members from firehouse 51 had stopped by to see how Halstead was doing. Both the intelligence unit and firehouse 51 had become good friends with one another as they often would meet up at Molly's, so a few members from the house had stopped by when they had a bit of spare time which Jay greatly appreciated.
Jay was sitting up in his bed scrolling through his phone, enjoying himself looking through some old photos. Hailey had a massive surprise for Jay tonight and it was something that she knew would make Jay super emotional but in a good way. She had been planning this with the help of Platt and Hailey knew this was the thing Jay was least expecting. Hailey had brought her laptop with her this evening as she needed it for what she was going to do.
"Hey Jay, I've got a surprise for you". Hailey spoke confidently with a big cheeky grin on her face.
"Hailey..." was all Jay managed to say before Hailey tied a scarf around Jay's eyes.
"You can take it off in a moment, just give me a minute to get your surprise ready". Hailey spoke as she lightly placed her laptop on Jay's lap, opening up Skype and calling her intended target. As the person flashed up onto the screen, she turned down the volume on the laptop and motioned for the person to be quiet for a moment.
"Alright Jay, take the blindfold off". Hailey spoke, very excited at what she had planned.
It took a moment for Jay to get the scarf off his head and Hailey had tied it up very well. As he managed to get the scarf off he heard, "Hey Jay, what's going on buddy." Jay instantly recognised the bubbly voice on the other end of the Skype call.
"Mouse... holy crap is that really you." Jay spoke, excitement laced into his voice as his eyes started to water a little.
"Yeah Jay, I'm here buddy. I don't know how but Hailey got in touch with me and told me about what happened." Mouse spoke
"Yeah I was in a bit of a tough situation." Jay chuckled. "Anyway, aside from that, how are you Mouse, where are you deployed?" Jay questioned.
"I can't say exactly where I am as you know however in somewhere that's a damn lot hotter than Chicago is at this time of year." Mouse spoke, with his signature cheeky smile that Jay knew well.
"Most places a hotter than Chicago at the moment." Jay laughed. "When are you back, it's been way too long since we last saw each other." Jay spoke.
"Unfortunately I'm away for Christmas and New Year, however I should be back in Chicago around the middle of January to see your ugly ass." Mouse joked
"Very funny Mouse." Jay couldn't help but laugh. "You've got someone special to meet in person as well as me Mouse." Jay spoke as he started turning the laptop to face Hailey who was sitting in the chair smiling at the view in front of her.
"She's the only reason why I'm meeting up with you Jay, I've seen your face on too many occasions before." Mouse joked as he winked towards Hailey. An alarm sounded in the background of Mouse's call signalling him it was time to go. "I'm really sorry Jay I have to go, I'll call you over Christmas at some point and I'll see you in person in January. I love you brother." Mouse spoke, a little bit of sadness on his voice.
"I love you too brother." Jay spoke, a few tears forming.
"Oh Jay, one more thing before I go." Mouse spoke.
"What?" Jay questioned.
"She's a keeper bro, she's the one, don't you dare mess this up." Mouse joked, Hailey blushing slightly at the sound of Mouse's words.
"She's the one for me brother, there's no chance I'm messing this up." Jay grabbed hold of Hailey's hand as he spoke. Mouse smiling back at Jay before he disappeared off the screen.
After Jay moved the laptop off his lap, he shifted in his bed making room for Hailey as he motioned for her to join him. As she did Jay cupped on of her cheeks with his hand pulling her down to his face, their lips locking in a passionate kiss full of love. After a few moments Hailey pulled away, both of their breathing raised a little. Hailey repositioned herself tucking into the side of Jay's body, her head resting on his chest, her left arm snaked underneath Jay going around his back and her right hand tracing up and down his abs.
Jay smiled while looking down at Hailey and he was the first one to break the silence. "I can't believe you managed to pull that off without me knowing." Jay spoke, still in shock at what Hailey had done for him.
"You underestimate my skills Halstead." Hailey spoke in a cheeky tone. She looked up at Jay, his eyes full of love as they locked eyes. "Seriously though, I know how close you and Mouse were from what everyone has said. I also know how frustrated you are by being stuck in a bed in this room so I knew that seeing Mouse would lighten up your mood." Hailey spoke lightly with a big smile on her face.
Jay just looked down at Hailey for a moment, no one had ever gone out of their way to make him feel better as much as Hailey did since his Mom had passed away. That's one of the many reasons that Hailey was the most important person in Jay's life and the girl who he loved more than any other girl he had been with in his life. "I love you so much Hailey Ann Upton." That was all Jay needed to say as he gave her a quick kiss.
"I love you too Jay." Hailey responded as she settled her head back on his chest. The 2 of them just lying there completely loved up in their own little bubble.
Jay was the first to wake up the next morning, he and Hailey had slept all night, both of them enjoying a good night's sleep. Hailey was still curled up into the side of Jay's body, her head still firmly planted on Jay's chest. This was quickly becoming Jay's favourite image of Hailey and one that he never wanted to erase from his mind. Jay's hand found itself roaming through Hailey's soft blonde hair, the smell of her vanilla scented shampoo filled the air around them.
Hailey woke up around 15 mins later to the feeling of Jay's hands gently flowing through her hair, she kept her eyes closed as a big smile formed on her lips. "Good morning babe, how you feeling?". Hailey spoke softly as she finally opened her eyes, shifting her head to look up at Jay.
"Well good morning to you beautiful, I'm feeling great, I just can't wait to get out of here." Jay spoke smiling down at Hailey.
Before Hailey could respond, Will came bouncing through the door with a big dorky smile on his face. This startled Jay and Hailey a little. "Well it's your lucky day today Jay, we finally getting your ass out of this room and back home." Will spoke as big smiles formed on Jay and Hailey's faces.
"For real?, I think that's the best thing you've ever said to me Will." Jay responded excitedly.
"Yeah you're getting discharged today, however there are some rules you need to stick to. First you need to make sure you exercise, walking is the best option for now, which I'm sure you'll have no problem with however don't over do it and if you feel short of breath you need to stop. Also you need to eat healthy, which once again I know you will and make sure you're getting enough rest." Will continued for a little longer listing more things needed to do. Jay just listened and agreed.
"Alright now that you know the rules, I'll get you're discharge papers started and before you go Dr Latham will come by to do one final check up. As long as everything with that goes well you'll be out of here in a couple of hours." Will spoke in his usual serious doctor's tone. Will left the room shortly after smiling to himself at the sight of his brother.
"Alright then Halstead, who's apartment are we going to when we leave?" Hailey questioned.
"Well considering I haven't been to my apartment for over 2 weeks and your place is a lot nicer than mine anyway I think we will go to yours." Jay spoke as Hailey smiled back at him. "However we do need to go to mine place first so I can grab a few things." Jay continued.
"Alright, have you got any ideas what you want to do for the rest of the day?" Hailey asked as she stared up at Jay from the position on his chest.
"I was hoping you would let me take you for a walk at Navy Pier, only a short one but I need have a walk somewhere and get some fresh air." Jay spoke, a touch of excitement in his voice
"I think that be lovely Jay. However, you take it easy, I don't want to be back here anytime soon." Hailey said calmly, however inside she was really excited.
"Oh by the way, we're stopping to get some pizza while we're there. I've been eating this rubbish hospital food for 2 weeks and I'm in need of some decent food." Jay almost demanded. Hailey agreed with Jay as it had been a long time since she had eaten some good food.
A few hours had passed, Jay's discharge from hospital had been sorted and he was free and starting to feel like himself again little by little. The first place they went was to Jay's apartment. Jay packed some clothes in a bag for a few days as he had a feeling he'd be staying at Hailey's for a few nights, he also grabbed his winter coat and a scarf for their walk at Navy Pier. After leaving Jay's they headed for the pier, it took them a few minutes to find parking, finding a space a few minutes away from the pier.
Hailey and Jay walked around the pier slowly, their arms interlocked as they were both leaning against other simply enjoying each other's company. Both of them had never felt this happy before, even though they had only admitted their romantic feelings for each other less than 2 weeks ago, this felt so natural to them, it was like they were an old married couple. Jay had known for a while now that the only person he wanted to be with was Hailey, and as they found a beautiful spot on the end of the pier overlooking Lake Michigan, the winter sun setting in the background providing the perfect setting.
"Hailey, I know I'm moving quickly with this however I've got an important question to ask you." Jay started, looking down at Hailey trying to gauge her reaction.
"What is it Jay." Hailey spoke nervously as she wasn't sure where he was going with this.
"Well I was wondering if you wanted to make this official, I was wondering if you wanted to be my girlfriend." Jay asked Hailey, a cheeky smile forming on his face as if he already knew her answer.
Hailey just stood there for a short moment a little shocked at Jay's question. However after a moment, instead of answering Jay with words she brought her hand up to the back of Jay's neck, pulling his head down to hers as they locked lips. The kiss was the most passionate they had shared yet, their tongues battling for dominance as Jay's arms reached around Hailey's waist pulling her closer into his warm body.
After a few long intense minutes both of them pulled away, both of their breathing significantly increased, both Hailey and Jay just stood there for a moment savouring the moment in this beautiful setting. Their eyes were firmly locked onto each other, both giving each other looks full of love. Jay was the first one to break the silence. "I'm guessing that's a yes to my question." Jay asked cheekily, his arms still firmly locked around Hailey's waist
"That's a hell yes to your question Halstead." Hailey spoke confidently as she nuzzled her head into Jay's chest
"I love you Hailey." Jay spoke as he looked at the blonde beauty that he held tight to his body. Jay loved seeing Hailey like this, seeing her being care free and cute was a complete contrast to her personality while at work. It was something he wanted to experience for the rest of his life, Hailey was the perfect woman for him, not only was she beautiful but as a person she was amazing and Jay knew how lucky he was that Hailey was his girl, his Hailey.
Jay and Hailey continued to walk around for a little longer, watching the sunset together. After being at the pier for around 2 hours, Jay's body was slowly becoming weaker and he was starting to lose his energy. After the hell of the last 2 weeks Jay was really glad he was able to exercise for a bit. They left the pier hand in hand, Hailey's home their intended destination.
They arrived back at Hailey's and were greeted by a big beaming smile from Rojas as they entered holding hands. "Well, welcome home lovebirds." Rojas spoke cheekily earning looks from both Jay and Hailey, Both of them chuckling to each other.
"I going to take a shower Hails, my muscles are quite sore as that's the most exercise I've done in ages." Jay stated as he made his way towards the bathroom.
"Ok sure, you know where everything is." Hailey replied, her response not unnoticed by Rojas who was setting there smiling to herself on the couch.
Hailey grabbed a couple of beers out of the fridge and headed for the couch, handing one to Rojas as she passed. "It's so good to be finally be out of that hospital." Hailey spoke as she relaxed into the softness of the couch.
"How's things going with detective hot stuff?" Rojas questioned.
Hailey lifted her head up to face Rojas, a big giddy smile formed on her lips. "He asked me to be his girlfriend." Hailey replied excitedly, Rojas's face lighting up like a Christmas tree at Hailey's response.
"Oh my days that's amazing Hailey." Rojas responded.
"Yeah it's perfect, I've never been so happy in my life, even though this is our first day as a couple outside of that hospital, Jay is the first person that I've been with that I can see a proper future with. I'm just so excited to see what happens in the future." Hailey exclaimed excitedly.
"I know he feels the exact same way about you Hailey, the way he looks at you is nothing like I've ever seen before. You two are perfect for each other and I'm certain you'll have a great future together." Rojas spoke as she smiled back at Hailey.
Hailey and Rojas continued having a catch up for a little while drinking beers, Jay finished his shower and joined in the conservation after putting some comfy clothes on. The 3 of them chilled out in Hailey's living room laughing and joking with each other as well as Jay sharing some old stories about the intelligence unit dating back to before Hailey had joined. Rojas excused herself a little while later leaving to join Kev, Adam and Kim at Molly's.
Hailey and Jay settled down for the night, they cuddled up on the couch enjoying spending time together while watching a movie. As the movie came to an end, a wave of tiredness coursed through Jay's body signalling it was time to head to bed and sleep, Hailey and Jay headed up to bed. Hailey tucked herself into the side of Jay's body, her head resting on his chest, after a few moments both of them were fast asleep.