as a cop, hailey was always full of empathy. her heart bleeds for the victims and she always tries her hardest to put away the criminals. that was who she was as a cop and as a person.
but here, in this moment, with her hands bound with metal chains and her arms and legs wrapped around her abductor's neck, she doesn't have an empathetic bone in her body.
"hailey, i have him!"
she hears the words from her partner, but she can't seem to release him.
"hailey, let go!"
the voice she hears isn't kim's and she can't see her lips moving. hailey's ears are ringing but she feels hands on her waist, pulling her away. when that doesn't work, those same hands grab her thighs and loosen the hold. her abductor is finally free, but antonio is there to cuff him before he can so much as move.
she watches antonio's eyes as they land on her for a split second. his face is full of pity and his eyes bleed guilt. he quickly cuffs their assailant and turns to kim to check for injuries. hailey watches as kim fakes a smile and says she's fine, tugging at her jacket sleeves.
none of this is fine.
the hands that were wrapped around her earlier make an appearance again, as they cut hailey's chains with a bolt cutter. as soon as her hands are free, they drop to the ground; her wrists are sore, and her arms feel like a dead weight.
"hey, you good?" hailey hears antonio say, but she still hasn't seen who else is in here with them. "i'll take this dirtbag out and kim to see the paramedics. you got this?"
antonio seems satisfied with the answer because he grabs their assailant and hauls him up the stairs. kim is following closely behind, and sends hailey a small, but genuine smile.
hailey is still sitting on the floor, and she is turned around to see jay, kneeling before her. his face is calm and calculated, but she can see the worry lines on his forehead and in his eyes. "hailey," he breathes and he wants to ask if she's okay but he's looking right at her; he knows she's not okay.
"jay," her response is just as breathless, and she doesn't realize how glad she is to see him until that very moment. there was always a chance that she'd never see him again, see any of the intelligence unit again, but it didn't hit until now.
jay's brave façade is slowly crumbling, as he brings his hand to her jaw. there is fresh blood on her face from the struggle and he wipes it away with his shaking hands.
"shit hailey, i'm sorry," he says quietly. "i should have kept a closer eye on you guys, not let you out of my sight. this never would have happened."
hailey's head is pounding, and the pain radiates through her skull and into her vision. she can see his guilty expression and read his sorry body language and she just wants to hit him. "jay, this isn't your fault," she replies in a soft but pained voice. she can hardly focus on his face; her headache is becoming too much to handle.
"but i could have stopped it," he continues, not meeting her eyes. he slowly makes his way to his feet and pulls hailey along with him. his grip on her forearms is tight but necessary as she sways on her feet. "hailey, are you alright?"
she's hearing his words but they're hardly registering.
she hears jay swear under his breath and mutter something along the lines of "concussion" and finally, something makes sense to her. she refuses to cry because she did not fail today; she survived. but looking down at her bruised knuckles and blood-stained hands, she is feeling exceptionally vulnerable.
"hailey, come on," jay pulls on her arm gently, "let's get you into the ambo."
she follows him as he guides her towards the stairs. his kindness and genuineness are overwhelming for her at that moment and she finds herself tugging on his arm to stop.
his eyebrows are furrowed in worry and it looks like he's going to ask more questions, most likely based on her health and how she's feeling, but hailey beats him to it.
she refuses to cry, but she will admit, her eyes glisten with tears she will not shed.
"thank you," she whispers, "thank you for saving me."
she can't remember the last time she hugged him, if she ever even had. but at that moment, it felt right to wrap her arms around his neck and pull him closer. if jay is shocked at the contact, he doesn't show it, nor does he hesitate for a second.
jay holds her close, one hand respectively around her waist. he doesn't care that her face is bleeding; he still cradles her head closer to his chest, ignoring the crimson that seeps into his shirt.
when they part, jay shoots her his signature small, crooked smile. "while my ego appreciates the sentiment," he winks, and his heart skips a beat when she laughs. "hailey, you saved yourself."
she stares at him in that moment.
jay grabs her hand and tugs her in the direction of the outdoors. it was time they left this horrid memory of a place.
"i'll always have your back," he says quietly, with a quick look towards her behind him, "but you don't need me to save you."
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