AUTHOR'S NOTE: Sorry, guys, trying to update ASAP, but this is Thanksgiving week in the US so I've been busy! This chapter is an important one!
Hailey rushed to work, her brain going a mile a minute. Why had she told Jay the truth about the night she'd laid in his bed with him? She should've just let it go. They were good friends. Best friends, actually. And they worked together. Did she really want to screw up what they had now for romance?
She was almost to the station when she realized she was still wearing Jay's shirt and pants. Swearing she made a detour to he house to change. Rushing up the steps, the rest of the team was waiting for her.
"Upton. It's not like you to be late." Voight scolded.
"Sorry, Sarge, I swung by Jay's to check on him." That wasn't a total lie.
Voight nodded. He couldn't really argue with that. Being on medical leave for two weeks was going to kill Halstead, it was nice he had a partner like Hailey to keep his spirits up.
Voight brought out the board. Another day of catching criminals in Chicago. He sent Hailey with Kevin to check out a lead on a drug smuggler in Bridgeport while he and Rojas went to talk to one of her CIs.
Hailey and Kevin had been waiting and watching outside the guy's girlfriend's house for 2 hours when Voight called. "Hey, we got a name of one of our guy's lieutenants from Rojas CI. Apparently he's got a soft spot for pretty girls, so I want you to walk two blocks south and I'm gonna pick you up and Rojas is gonna take your place. I don't want to take the chance that the lieutenant might have spotted her with our CI. I'll drop you off at the station and you can take Kim with you to this guy's house."
"Got it, Sarge." Hailey hung up. "See ya later, Kev."
Hopping out, she started walking nonchalantly down the street till she met Voight. He took her back to the station and she climbed the steps to where Kim was working on paperwork.
"Hey Burgess, Sarge wants us to -"
Hailey stopped short, her eyes getting wide at what she saw before her. Kim was sitting on Adam's desk, he was standing in front of her, her legs wrapped around his torso, his hands up her shirt and their mouths connected like the fate of the universe depended on that kiss.
"Shit." Kim pulled away and jumped off the desk, straightening her top while Adam re-buckled his belt. He cleared his throat nervously. Kim plastered her best smile on her face and said, "Hey, sorry, we were just..."
Hailey looked at them, eyebrows raised, waiting on the explanation.
Kim was silent for a little. "Yeah, i don't have a good excuse for this." She sighed.
"We were just having a little fun, paperwork can be boring," Adam laughed awkwardly.
Hailey put her hands up. "Whatever you guys do, that's your business. Burgess, Voight wants you to run with me."
They got in the car and started driving in silence. Kim was trying to figure out what to say to Hailey.
Kim began, "Look, I know that was weird. But you get it, right? I mean, you had a thing with Adam... And whatever you've got going on with Jay?"
"There is nothing between me and Jay," she snapped.
Kim looked at her in shock. "Okay, geez, calm down. I just thought after you guys were making out the other day-"
Hailey cut her off. "That was because he got shot. I told you." She said roughly.
Kim let it go, looking out the window as they drove.
Hailey knew she shouldn't have snapped, but her emotions were on edge. When they reached the offender's house, Hailey put the car in park and turned to Kim. "Look. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have snapped. I just don't understand how you can not let your emotions affect the rest of the team when you're making out with your co-worker. When I was with Adam, I always wanted to check on him first when things got crazy..." Hailey sighed. "I just don't get it."
"Look." Burgess put her hand on Hailey's. "What you want and what you do are two different things. If it came down to it and Adam and you were in a situation and you were in greater danger, I'd help you, not him. He gets that. He'd do the same. Because we separate our personal life from work. When it is time to work we ALWAYS put the team first."
Hailey nodded. "Except when you're doing boring paperwork."
Kim laughed and shrugged. "Hey, Adam and I have been sleeping together for months, have you noticed an affect on the team?"
Hailey was shocked. "Seriously?!"
Kim smiled proudly. "Mhmm."
Hailey thought for a moment. "I guess it's better than always wondering..."
"Exactly."
Hailey had a lot to think about while they sat there another hour until they saw the guy.
Hopping out of the car, they walked up to him, beaming.
"Excuse me, we locked our keys in our car, could you please please help us?" Hailey begged.
The guy's eyes scanned both of them, a smile slowly creeping onto his face.
"Sure thing, beautiful, lead the way."
They walked to the car, complaining about how forgetful they were, and when the guy stepped to the car door, Hailey slapped cuffs on him. "Chicago PD, you're coming with us."
"AW SHIT NAW." They guy yelled, struggling. Kim and Hailey roughly got him into the car and headed to the station. When they arrived, Voight look the Lieutenant. "Good work, ladies. We're going to have a little chat downstairs." And they disappeared down the steps.
Adam was at his desk, glancing at Hailey and Kim, nervously chewing his fingers. Kim shook her head at him. "Dude, relax." Motioning at Hailey she said, "We're cool."
"Um, really?" Adam questioned, not sounding very sure.
"Mhmm." Hailey agreed.
The rest of the day went off without a hitch. Voight managed to convince the offender they'd nabbed to give them the location of the head drug smuggler in exchange for a one way ticket to Utah. The next day they nabbed him, plus a truck full of oxycodone hidden in the fenders. The rest of the week Hailey threw herself into her work, ignoring texts and calls from Jay. She didn't know what to say to him. Hailey was conflicted between what her heart wanted and what her brain was telling her was the right thing to do.
Friday night she was alone at home watching The Office and drinking a glass of wine when she got a call from Will.
"Hey Hailey, it's Will, it's about Jay."
Hailey sat up, alarmed. "Is everything okay?"
Will sighed. "Yeah, he's fine. He..." She heard someone talking in the background, "He says to tell you he's going to die of boredom if you don't come entertain him."
"Wait. What? So everything is okay with his gunshot wound?"
"Oh yeah, he's fine. He's doing great, actually. But he... Hold on." She heard Will cover up the phone, but she could hear his muffled voice say, "Damn it, Jay, this is so juvenile just call her." Then he was back on with Hailey, clearing his throat he said. "Oh, also could you please answer your phone so I don't have to listen to him complain anymore? I'm about to head to Med and let me tell you, I might ask to extend my night shift so I don't have to come back to this."
She smile into the phone. She missed Jay, too. She missed her best friend. She knew what she had to do.
"Don't worry, Will. I'll take care of it."
Hailey hung up, grabbing her keys she went downstairs to her car. She drove over to Jay's, preparing her speech on the way. Hailey had made up her mind about what kind of relationship they should have. She climbed the stairs, knocking on his door.