Welcome to another chapter everyone, I hope you're all doing well.
I was originally going to upload twice this week but I've been a little busier than I first thought so I didn't want to rush and produce a lower quality chapter.
I just want to say a big thank you for this story reaching 400 reviews, I know it doesn't mean a whole lot but every single review I get on this story means so much to me and makes me smile seeing that you enjoy my writing. I appreciate every single one of you that leaves a review, as well as all of the readers that don't leave reviews, I appreciate all of you so much.
It was rapidly approaching sunrise, the darkness in Chicago was quickly being replaced as the sunlight speared through the gaps between the skyscrapers. Nearly four hours had passed since Jay was wheeled into the ED of Chicago Med, unconscious and clinging onto his life which had treated him so well recently.
Hailey had arrived right on cue as Jay was wheeled into the ED, she was an emotional wreck as she clutched onto Jay's hand for the few seconds she was allowed to before he disappeared out of her sight. The next few hours weren't any easier for Hailey, she had never felt so scared and fearful that Jay might not come back to her, she had never been more fearful that she might possibly have to raise their little girl alone. The possibility that little Sophia might grow up without meeting her daddy terrified Hailey more than anything.
There hadn't been any new updates on Jay ever since they had arrived, whether that was a good sign or a bad sign, no one knew. Hailey had been in and out of sleep ever since arriving, she was absolutely exhausted but the thought of sleep terrified her. Every time she closed her eyes her mind played evil games with her, taking her back to the moment she found Jay clutching onto life with a hole in his chest last November.
It was just passing five in the morning, Hailey was fast asleep on the couch of the doctor's lounge, Will and Vanessa had forced her to move to somewhere that was more comfortable. Will had just entered the doctor's lounge, being careful not to make too much noise, and made his way towards Hailey who was still fast asleep. Will kneeled down in front of her and gently placed his hand on her shoulder, shaking it slightly as he quietly started repeating her name. "Hey, it's just me Hailey." Will broke the silence, his voice quiet and gentle as Hailey's eyes started blinking furiously as she tried to gather her bearings.
After a few moments, Hailey's eyes settled on Will's tried frame. Will's heart started to break slightly as he took in Hailey's appearance, she looked absolutely exhausted, her eyes little slightly puffy from her break down earlier, the look in her eyes screamed that she was terrified, fearful that she might lose the love of her life. Hailey's mouth opened but no words came out, emotions were running absolute wild inside of her body, and she couldn't come up with any words to say to Will as she just stared at him waiting for him to take the lead.
"I've got some news on Jay." Will took the lead, pausing for a moment to try and gauge Hailey's reaction, she was still just staring back at him, unable to say anything. "Dr Marcel took Jay up for emergency surgery as one of the bullets was lodged in his abdomen and had caused an internal bleed. Jay was lucky though, the bullet missed all of his major organs and Dr Marcel was an able find the source of the bleed quickly and managed to stop the bleed." Will explained, was voice soft and quiet as he did his best to calm Hailey and try to put an end to her worry.
Throughout the whole of Will's explanation Hailey could feel a sense of relief slowly washing through her body, she was still absolutely terrified but she was ever so slightly starting to feel better. Hailey could feel tears slowly trickling down her cheeks as Will finished his explanation, the tears a mixture of relief and fear. "Is he going to be okay?" Hailey questioned, her voice quiet and weak as she did her best to power through the tears and emotions that were overwhelming her aching body.
"He will make a full recovery Hailey. Everything went smoothly in surgery, he does have some badly bruised ribs and a concussion so he's going to be aching for a little while but he will be fine." Will replied, a small reassuring smile forming on his face just before he pulled Hailey in for a hug as he saw her starting to cry. Will held onto Hailey tightly as she cried against his shoulder, quietly attempting to comfort her as she let out all of her emotions that had been building up over the last few hours. Will continued holding onto Hailey for a few minutes, Will felt himself getting emotional as he held onto Hailey, whether she was crying tears of joy or fear, it was breaking Will's heart to see his future sister-in-law crying her eyes out.
"Can I... can I see him Will?" Hailey questioned, her voice shaky and weak as she started to calm down, pulling away from Will's embrace as she stared back at him.
"Of course you can Hailey, he's going to be out for a while but I'll take you to his room." Will replied, a small smile forming on his lips. Will helped Hailey up off of the couch and the two of them headed for Jay's room upstairs. As the two of them reached Jay's room, Hailey turned back to Will, engulfing him in a hug as she thanked him for what he had done for her, Will just smiling back before leaving her to be with Jay.
After taking a few moments to compose herself, Hailey slowly entered the Jay's room and settled her eyes on him. Hailey felt her chest tighten as she took in his bruised and battered appearance, Jay had a black eye, a large gash on the side of his head with blood splattered through his hair in the surrounding area. Hailey moved to the side of his bed and took his hand in hers, Hailey almost burst into tears as her eyes settled on the blood stained skin of his hand, where he hand been clutching onto his side to try and stop the bleeding.
Hailey slowly got closer to Jay's bed and moved her hand to run across his cheek, her finger slowly started stroking down his cheek to his jawline, Hailey's lips slowly forming into a small smile as she enjoyed the feeling of Jay's skin underneath her fingertips.
After a couple of minutes, Hailey made the decision to lie next to Jay on his bed, even though there wasn't a whole lot of room and it wasn't going to be amazingly comfortable, Hailey desperately needed to feel the heat of Jay's body against hers. Hailey slowly shuffled into the space that was available and rested her head against Jay's shoulder, her hand instinctively finding Jay's and moving their joined hands to rest against Hailey's bump.
"That's your daddy Soph, he's back with you and me. Your daddy is going to need your love more than ever now Soph, he's going to need you to protect and look out for him in the same way that he has done for you. Your daddy is going to be talking to you very soon Soph, and he's going to tell you how much he's missed you and how much he loves you." Hailey whispered as she slowly started running her hand over her bump.
Just as Hailey finished talking she felt a very familiar feeling with she had become used to over the last few weeks. She could feel her little girl kicking, not quiet hard enough to feel with their hands yet but Hailey could feel little Sophia's kicks clearly. The kicking only lasted for a few seconds before Hailey could feel Sophia moving, Hailey could feel her rolling in the womb. "That's right Soph, that's your daddy, he's right here with you." Hailey whispered out once again as she battled through the tears of joy that had started rolling down her cheeks.
Shortly after, Hailey feel into a much needed sleep as her heavy head rested against Jay's shoulder. Hailey was slowly feeling much better, being able to lie next to Jay had given her a much needed boost after what had been some of the hardest few hours she had ever experienced. Feeling little Sophia kicking while Jay's hand rested on her bump had also given Hailey a much needed boost. Hailey was now back with the people she loved the most, her little perfect family.
It was just past midday when Jay's eyes opened for the first time, it took him a few minutes to realise where he was after waking up heavily disorientated, the effects of the concussion making his head feel very heavy and he had a killer of a headache. It took him a few moments to register the feeling of a weight on his shoulder and the warmth radiating off that weight.
Jay tilted his head to the side gently and his lips slowly curved into a small weak smile as his eyes settled on Hailey, who was still fast asleep against Jay's shoulder, quiet cute snores escaping her lips every few moments. Jay slowly attempted to lift his head to press a kiss against Hailey's forehead, his attempts successful after a few tries. Jay's smile grew a little wider as he realised where his free hand was placed, interlinked with Hailey's over the top of her bump, Jay's thumb gently started stroking across the soft skin of her hand, the feeling of her smooth skin felt magical under Jay's fingertips.
For the next few minutes, Jay was lost in his thoughts. He felt so sorry for Hailey that she had to go through what she went through last night. Jay couldn't remember a lot from last night but there was one thing he remembered clearly, and those were the final words he said to Adam before he lost consciousness. Jay didn't know whether she knew about that or not, he was scared about what those words could do to Hailey if she found out. Those words were almost like a final goodbye to Hailey and Sophia as Jay faded away into the darkness and Jay was terrified that it might break Hailey to know that he was effectively saying goodbye to her.
Jay was disturbed from his thoughts as he felt Hailey's head stir on his shoulder, Jay slowly tilted his heavy head to meet Hailey's eyes as she opened them for the first time. The small smile that formed on Hailey's lips summed up every single emotion in her body in this moment. Relief, joy and happiness was running through her body right now as her eyes settled on her fiancé. "Hey baby... how are you feeling?" Hailey questioned quietly, struggling to get her words out properly as the overwhelming feeling of relief took control of her body.
"I'm okay Hails, just tired and sore but nothing that I can't handle. Waking up with you next to me has made me feel a whole lot better." Jay replied, his voice quiet and soft as his lips displayed a small smile just before he planted a kiss on her forehead.
The next few moments were spent in silence, their eyes were locked onto each other, both of their eyes growing wider and wider as they shared looks full of love. Jay gently tilted her chin up and captured her lips as he kissed her hungrily, pouring all of the emotions that had built up in his body into the kiss.
Once Hailey pulled away all of the emotions from last night hit her like a tidal wave, she started crying against Jay's shoulder as it got too much for her to handle. "You scared me so much baby." Hailey forced out in between her loud sobs.
Jay wrapped his arms around Hailey's frame and pulled her in tightly to his aching body, his heart was breaking at each cry of pain that escaped her lips, it was hurting Jay so much to see his fiancée breaking down in fear that she almost lost him. "I know, and I'm so sorry Hails. But I'm fine, I'm back with the two people that I love the most. We are going to move forward from what happened and come out stronger than ever." Jay spoke, running his hand in circles around Hailey's back in his efforts to try and calm her down.
Hailey pulled back slightly from Jay after a few moments, tears still streaming down her face as she looked Jay in the eyes. "Adam told me what you said to him, he told me how the last thing you said was that you loved me and Sophia, and that it felt like you were saying good bye to me and Sophia. Please Jay... please don't ever say goodbye, I don't think I could handle living without you, I don't think I would be able to raise little Sophia on my own without her father." Hailey rambled on as more and more tears streamed down her face, once finished Hailey nuzzled her head into the crook of Jay's neck.
Jay's heart completely shattered hearing Hailey's confession, it was hurting him so much to see Hailey in this state. He was a little dumbfounded for a moment, unsure what to say to Hailey to try and calm her down. Jay moved his head down to rest against the top of Hailey's, kissing the top of her head as she continued crying into the crook of her neck. "I'm sorry that those words hurt you Hails, in that moment all I could think about was you and Soph, I don't know what I meant by those words but all I wanted to say was that I loved both of you so much. You don't have to worry Hails, I'm not going anywhere Hails. I'm going to be by your side for the rest of our lives, with little Sophia right there with us as well." Jay spoke, his voice calming and soft.
When Hailey finally lifted her head from Jay's neck moments later, the reaction that Jay got was completely different to what he had expected. Hailey pulled him carefully down to her lips, Hailey kissing him hungrily with a lot of passion like Jay had done to her earlier. Hailey's hand found the back of his neck and pulled in him even more, she was enjoying the feeling of his lips on her again too much as she ignored the growing urgency for oxygen.
Just as they pulled away from each other, Jay released a massive yawn as the tiredness was starting to take control of his body, Hailey couldn't help but chuckle quietly at the big yawn from Jay. "You should get some sleep baby." Hailey smiled back at Jay as she snuggled into the side of his body.
"And you Hails, you look absolutely exhausted." Jay replied, returning a smile back at Hailey as he wrapped his arm around her shoulders and gently pulled her head to rest on his shoulder once again. "I love you so much Hails." Jay continued, planting a kiss on Hailey's forehead just before burying his head in her long flowing hair.
"Me and little Soph love you so much as well." Hailey replied, her voice barely above a whisper as she felt herself relaxing for the first time since this whole ordeal started. Within a matter of minutes Jay was fast asleep, Hailey sat there quietly for a few minutes, just simply enjoying the quiet sound of Jay's breathing. Hailey quickly dozed off after snuggling into Jay's body even tighter.
It was now early evening in Chicago, Hailey had been awake for just over an hour after being woken up by one of the nurses who was checking in on Jay. She hadn't really done much during that time, she was simply enjoying being snuggled into Jay's body once again. Hailey had almost woken up Jay when little Soph started kicking again, Hailey still couldn't feel her kicks with her hand yet but they were definitely becoming more powerful and it wouldn't be long before both of them could feel them.
Hailey almost jumped out of her skin when her phone started buzzing away next to her, she didn't really feel like talking to anyone right now but as she reached over and saw the small picture on the screen she couldn't help but smile slightly. "Hey mom." Hailey greeted, her voice a little weak as she was still tired.
"Hey darling. What's the matter Hailey? You don't sound great." Jennifer questioned immediately, the concern in her voice easy to pick out.
"It's been a difficult day mom, I'm just exhausted." Hailey replied, her tone of voice sounding a little dejected as she let out a heavy sigh, Hailey wasn't sure whether she wanted to talk about last night anymore.
"Is there anything you want to talk to me about darling?" Jennifer suggested, not pushing her daughter any further as she knew exactly how Hailey would deal with hard situations. Hailey was a little relieved that her mom wasn't pushing her for details, Jennifer had always been like that when it concerned difficult subjects and Hailey appreciated that so much.
"Not right now mom, I just want to forget about what happened for the rest of the day and relax." Hailey replied, once again letting out a heavy sigh as she tried her best not to think about Jay's injuries too much.
"Okay darling, just remember I'll always be one phone call away if you want to talk. How is my little granddaughter doing?" Jennifer asked, knowing that Hailey needed cheering up and talking about her little girl would definitely do that.
"She's doing really well mom, every scan we've had recently has confirmed that's she's developing at a good rate. She's been very active lately, we haven't felt her kicking with our hands yet but her kicks are getting stronger and stronger each day. She was kicking only a few minutes ago." Hailey explained, she immediately felt herself cheering up and smiling at the mention of her daughter.
"That's such wonderful news darling, I'm so happy to hear that my little granddaughter is doing really well. You'll feel her kicking for the first time with your hands anytime now darling, and that first time that you feel her is such an amazing moment, I can remember the moment that me and dad could feel you and your brothers kicking for the first time like it happened yesterday. When you kicked for the first time I was sitting on the sofa holding onto Chris while dad was running around with Tim and Michael. I wasn't expecting anything as you had been active all day but I suddenly felt this sharp jab in my stomach, it was you. I yelled for dad to come over and I placed his hand on my stomach just as you kicked again." Jennifer explained, bringing a tear to her eye as she explained the special moment to her daughter.
"I still can't believe you haven't told me half of these stories about me and my brothers growing up. You need to tell me these one day mom." Hailey replied, her smiling growing wider as she enjoyed listening to these little stories that her mom had shared with her recently.
"I will don't worry sweetheart. Why don't you come down to Virginia Beach for a few days Hailey, it might help take you mind off of whatever has happened in Chicago recently. I'm sure Zara will be thrilled to see you and Jay again, she needs a little boost because she's been feeling a little upset recently as she's missing Tim a lot." Jennifer suggested, Hailey could tell just by her tone of voice that her mom was already excited at the prospect of her daughter and Jay coming to visit them again.
"I'll have to see if me and Jay can get time off but I would love to come down to Virginia Beach, I think it will do me and Jay some good to get out of Chicago for a few days. I hope Zara is doing alright, give her a big hug from me and Jay mom and tell her we love her so much." Hailey replied, Hailey was getting excited herself that her and Jay might be heading down to Virginia Beach for a few days. It will probably be the last chance they have to go down to Tim's house before little Sophia arrives.
"I'll give her a big hug don't worry darling. Tim's hasn't been able to phone home a lot lately so Zara has been worrying a little that Tim might get hurt. You know what she's like though Hailey, Zara misses Tim if he's gone for a few hours so it only gets worse when he's on deployment." Jennifer explained. "Anyway, I'll let you go darling. Make sure you get some rest Hailey because you sound exhausted. Make sure you let your little girl know that her grandparents love her so much." Jennifer continued, earning a big smile from Hailey once again at the mention of her daughter.
"Thanks for calling mom, I love you." Hailey replied as the line went dead.
Just as Hailey reached over and placed her phone down on the table next to Jay's bed, there was a gentle knock on the door to Jay's room. For a moment Hailey didn't want any visitors in the room, it had been a long day and she just wanted to snuggle up against her fiancé with no interruptions, but she knew whoever was at the door deeply cared for them and was only here to check up on them. "Come in." Hailey called out quietly, making sure she wasn't too loud and wake Jay.
The door slowly opened and in stepped Will with a small smile on his face, holding a couple of coffees in his hand. "Hey, I'm not disturbing anything am I? I heard you taking a few moments ago." Will questioned as he stayed by the door.
"Come on in Will, I was just on the phone to my mom." Hailey smiled back at Will as she lifted her hand to beckon him in, Will quickly making his way into the room, handing her a coffee on the way to the chair besides Jay's bed.
"How are you feeling Hailey? I can't even imagine how hard this has been for you." Will questioned, a small warming smile still on his lips as he looked at Hailey who was sitting slightly upright slowly sipping on her decaf coffee.
"I'm better now thanks Will, obviously last night was absolutely terrifying and an experience that I hope I will never have to experience again but now that I'm back with him I'm good." Hailey replied, returning a small smile in Will's direction. There was a moment of silence between the two of them as they both sipped on a much needed coffee. "Do you think Jay will spiral after this Will?" Hailey broke the silence as she questioned Will, it had been playing on her mind for a few hours now whether or not Jay would spiral after this, she prayed to god that he wouldn't because everything between them had been so perfect lately.
"If you asked me this a year ago I would've said yes but I don't think he will now. Ever since the two of you started your relationship I've seen so much growth in Jay, he's become a much stronger and confident person in the last 10 months, I've never seen my brother this strong as a person before. The reason why he's like that is down to you, you have no idea how much good you've done for Jay and the biggest indication of that is that he's always smiling when he's around you. That might not seem that big of a deal but for Jay it is, only one other person has made him smile like you do and that's our mom. Jay won't spiral because the life that he's got at the moment is all he's ever dreamed off, he's always dreamed of finding someone special that he can settle down with and start a family, and now he's got that. If anything, Jay's going to be more worried about you than he is about himself." Will explained.
What Will had said made a lot of sense of Hailey, she had noticed the massive difference in Jay since they had started their relationship, the most noticeable change that Hailey had seen was Jay's willingness to share his Rangers experiences with the people around them. "What do you mean Will?" Hailey questioned, slightly confused at the last part of Will's explanation.
"Jay's knows how much this will affect you, and given that you're pregnant that's only going to increase how much he's worried about you. He's loves you so much that anytime you're hurt or upset in anyway, it breaks his heart, it hurts him to see you hurting. You many not notice any difference in him because he's already so protective of you but he's going to want to do anything for you and the baby, more than ever before." Will explained, earning a big smile from Hailey as he mentioned Jay being very protective of her.
"Yeah, I guess you're right. I used to hate how Jay was so over protective of me but ever since we've got together and found out I'm pregnant I actually really like it and find it so cute when he does it." Hailey replied.
"He's mentioned on many occasions throughout your partnership that you used to moan at him when he was being over protective." Will chuckled, earning a slight chuckle from Hailey. "It just makes me so happy to see Jay happy. The amount of times he's called me and rambled on about how much he loves every single little thing about you is astonishing. I don't think I'll ever see someone love a person more than Jay loves you." Will replied, smiling as he caught a glimpse of Hailey's rosy red cheeks as she attempt to nuzzle her head into Jay's neck to hide her blushing cheeks.
"How are things going between you and Natalie? The two of you seem to be getting on really well at the moment." Hailey questioned a few moments later after she removed her head from the crook of Jay's neck.
"Everything is going really well at the moment, we're stronger than we've ever been at the moment, the issues that we had before are long gone. We're in the process of emptying my apartment and moving everything into Natalie's house." Will explained, grinning from ear to ear just like Jay does whenever he talks about him and Hailey.
"That's great news Will, I'm so pleased for you. It won't be long before you're getting down on one knee." Hailey teased.
"I've been thinking about it I can't lie but there's no need to rush anything at the moment, everything is going so well at the moment so I don't want to add any pressure to our relationship." Will replied, Hailey smiling at the fact that Will has been thinking about proposing to Natalie.
The two of them continuing talking about various things for a little while longer, Will heading out just after seven in the evening. Hailey had really enjoyed talking to Will, they had got on really well from the moment they met and she wished that they could spend some more time in the company of one another, but she knew there was going to be plenty of opportunities to do that in the future.
It was just past nine in the evening, Hailey had been relaxing in the time since Will had headed out, she was reading a book that Vanessa had dropped off for her earlier in the day. Hailey was snuggled into Jay's side with her head rested on his chest as she read her book, she got a shock when she felt Jay's hand sneak underneath her shirt and rest on top of her bump. "Hey baby, I didn't realise you were awake." Hailey spoke softly as she tilted her head to look into his eyes, a wide smile forming on her face as she settled her attention on his sparkling green eyes.
"I've only just woken up Hails, before you ask I'm feeling good. How's our little girl doing?" Jay questioned as his own smile formed on his face at the sight of Hailey's ocean blue eyes.
"Little Soph is sleeping at the moment I think, she was kicking and moving around earlier but nothing since then. I think she's missing her daddy's voice though, hearing her daddy talk to her is her favourite thing." Hailey replied.
As Hailey finished, Jay carefully helped Hailey move so she was now lying flat on her back on the hospital bed, Hailey looking back at him with shock on her face. Jay slowly got off his bed, wincing in pain slightly as he rounded the bed to kneel down besides Hailey's bump, Hailey couldn't help but chuckle at the less than appealing hospital gown that Jay was wearing.
Jay took hold of Hailey's hand in his as he lifted her shirt up to reveal her bump, placing their interlocked hands down over the top of their daughter as he smiled up towards Hailey. "Hey Soph, it's your daddy. I know you and your mommy were scared but I'm fine and I'm not going anywhere. I hope..." Jay was cut off as both of them gasped suddenly in shock.
For the first time, they both felt little Sophia kicking. Two gentle jabs against their hands and yet those two jabs felt like the most powerful movements they had ever felt. Jay looked up to Hailey who was already struggling to contain her emotions as tears started rolling down her face, Jay felt his own eyes start to water as the two of them shared one of the biggest smiles they had ever seen. "Was that what I think it was?" Jay questioned as tears of joy and happiness slowly trickled down his cheeks.
"Yes Jay! That was our little girl kicking for the first time, I told you she loves it when you talk to her." Hailey replied excitedly, not even bothering to try and hide how emotional she was at the moment any longer as she let the tears of happiness slowly roll down her cheeks.
"You just made your mommy and daddy so happy Soph..." Jay was cut off once again as they felt another gentle jab against their hands. Jay quickly turned back to Hailey as their smiles grew even wider, if that was even possible. Tears were now streaming down both of their faces as they took in the special moment, today had now turned from a day that both of them wanted to forget for the rest of their lives to a day that neither one of them would ever forget.
"You really are having a party in there aren't you little one. You just made your mommy and daddy even happier now Soph. I think it's time you let your mommy get some rest little one, she's been through an awful lot over the last day so she needs her beauty sleep. Make sure you give your mommy some love tonight and let her know how much you adore her. Goodnight little one, I love you and your mommy more than you can ever imagine." Jay powered through the tears as he spoke to his daughter, planting a couple of kisses against her bump before her pulled Hailey shirt back over her bump.
Hailey shuffled over as Jay returned to his position in his hospital bed, her head quickly returning to his chest as she snuggled into his body, smiling to herself as she felt Jay kiss the top of her head a couple of times. "I'm so happy Jay, not only with that special moment we just shared but just being with you. You make me the happiest person in the world and I'm just so lucky that I can be with you." Hailey confessed as her eyes settled on her engagement ring that was sitting proudly on her left hand that was interlinked with Jay's.
"I'm the lucky one trust me Hailey, you and little Soph have made me the happiest man in the world over these last few months. I wouldn't change anything in my life at the moment because I've got all I've ever dreamed of in this bed with me, you and Soph mean the absolute world to me and I love both of you so much." Jay replied with his own little confession, which caused Hailey to feel all giddy and shy as her cheeks blushed.
"Me and Soph you love so much as well Jay." Hailey replied, tilting her head up slightly to meet his eyes, Jay leaning down as they shared a quick kiss. The two of them were asleep quickly after what had been an exhausting day for both of them. But in the end it turned out to be worth it as they felt little Sophia kicking for the first time, another moment in their journey as a family that wouldn't be forgotten for the rest of their lives.
I hope you enjoyed this chapter, I tried to make this chapter emotional after what had happened in the last two chapters, I just hope that it turned out well.
If any of you are a little confused at where is story currently is in terms of dates, it is currently around mid August 2020 in the story.
I will mostly likely be back with 2 new chapters next week, I've got a new one shot idea that I might give a go at writing but there will definitely be at least one update to this story next week.
Stay safe and healthy out there, see all of you next week. :)