Hailey was busy cooking dinner at Kevin's apartment when she heard someone knock at the front door. It was a scheduled date night, something they didn't do often because his job didn't allow for it. Even now he was out working late on an undercover case, but she knew he would be back and she wanted to do something special for him by cooking one of his favorite meals. She was a great cook, and he had been great to her, much more than she deserved. She was a little hesitant to open the door, she actually froze and hoped whoever it was would just go away, but they knocked again and then she heard his voice.
"Hailey, it's me," Jay called. "I know you're there, I tracked your phone."
"When are you going to stop doing that?" she asked once she yanked the door open and let him in.
"Never," he smirked and closed the door behind him. "Look, we have to talk."
"Can it wait?" she asked. "I'm waiting for Kevin."
"That's the thing Hails," he said. "He's working undercover-"
"I know, but he said he only had one quick thing to do and he'd be back," she said. "Jay come on, it's one night."
"Hails, I need you to listen to me right now," he said and she noticed the change in his voice.
"W-what happened?" she asked.
"Kevin is missing," he said directly, like ripping off a band aid. "We're going to do everything we can, we're already working on it. That's why I'm here, the team will be here soon, let me take you home."
"But-wait, what?" she said as she tried to process what he just said.
She could feel her heart racing and it was pounding in her ears. Everything looked fuzzy and she felt like she was a million miles away from that room and that conversation. She was panicking. She knew it and Jay knew it. This was the last thing she needed, she was just starting to move pass losing Scott and she was ready to start really moving forward with Kevin. They were both finally on the same page and that's what she wanted to tell him tonight. The though of losing him now, losing him at all, losing someone else, it was unbearable for her.
"We'll get him back," Jay said as if he was reading her thoughts. "It's what we do."
"You have to," she cried out suddenly. "I can't breath, Jay."
"We will, I promise," he said as he pulled her to his chest in an effort to calm her down. "Come on, I'll take you home."
"No, I'm staying here. I want to be here when he gets home," she said as she clung to him.
"Hails," he said. "The team is going to be here soon to look around. If you're here, they'll know about you two."
"I don't care," she said as tears sprung to her eyes and she looked up at him. "We're not doing anything wrong."
"No you're not," he shook his head as he kissed her forehead. "But, it's something you should decide together."
"I love him," she said through the tears.
"I know you do, baby," he said.
"I haven't even told him yet," she said.
"You will," he said. "Now, please let me take you home."
Hailey nodded and quickly cleaned up the kitchen. She packed the foot up and put it in the fridge and she put the dishes in the dishwater to have them out of sight. She went around and gathered her stuff up, making it look like she was never there. She let Jay guide her out to the truck and silent tears fell down her face as they drove home. He glanced over at her a few times, but she just stared out the window the whole time and didn't say a word.
Jay walked her inside and he didn't want to leave her. She looked miserable and heartbroken and he completely understood why. He wanted nothing more than to just wait for news with her, but he knew the best place for him was working with the team to get Kevin back. If he could do that, it would be the best thing for Hailey too, but he still didn't want to leave her alone.
"I'll keep you updated if I can," Jay said.
Hailey nodded. "Jay," she called out suddenly and he turned back around. "If he's gone, tell me okay?"
"Hails, we'll get him back," he said softly.
"Yeah, but if you don't," she said with a shrug. "It's got to come from you."
Jay took a moment and scanned her face before he nodded. "Yeah," he said. "I'll call when I can."
"Be careful," she said.
"Always," he responded as he headed out the door.
She stood in the middle of the living room, dazed and watching the door, for more than a few minutes after Jay left. She had been starving as she made dinner at Kevin's and waited for him, now she didn't have any appetite, in fact she felt the pull of an old familiar feeling. Something she hadn't felt in a long time, not even when Scott died was it this strong.
She sat on the couch and played with the cross on her necklace. It belonged to her Mother, and right now it just reminded her of all the people she had lost. She was so consumed in her worried thoughts that she didn't hear Will's car pull in, or his steps on the front porch, she didn't realize he was home until he literally walked through the door and pulled her from her thoughts.
"Hey," he said as he crossed the room and joined her on the couch. "Have you heard anything?"
She shook her head and fresh tears sprung to her eyes as she looked at him.
"It will be okay sweetheart," he ran a hand down the back of her head. "What can I do?"
"Nothing," she said. "Talk to me about something else."
"Like what?" he asked.
She shrugged. "I haven't figured out what to do about school," she said.
"You don't want to go back?" he asked.
"Not really," she sighed. "I don't know what I want."
"Are you interested in health care at all?" he asked. "You could volunteer at the hospital?"
"Is that because Ethan's sister, who also has issues with drugs, is volunteering?" she asked.
"Well, no, not exactly," he said. "Ethan insisted Emily volunteer as a condition for her living with him. I think you should do it to see if a career in the hospital would be something you'd enjoy."
"And, what, be a doctor like you?" she grinned.
"Maybe," he smiled. "Or a nurse, or a paramedic. You never know what could interest you. And, it will give you somewhere to go a few times a week."
"Yeah, okay," she said. "I'll give it a try."
She leaned into him and he wrapped an arm around her and smiled slightly. Not at her anxiety or her pain going through her current situation, but because she both needed and wanted him during the situation. She was so distant when they first reconnected, but she quickly learned to trust them and that they would be there. It made it that much more difficult for her that Will was spending more and more time with Natalie, and she knew sooner or later something about their living situation would change, it was too good.
Will heard her sniff and move her hand up and he knew she was holding back tears again. "It's okay, Hails," he said softly. "You can be upset in this situation, in any situation. You don't have to hide it from me."
"It's not that," she said as her voice began to shake. "This is the strongest the feeling to take something has been since the night Jay got shot. I didn't even feel this pull when Scott died, and I was around stuff, but this is different."
"Look, I'm not going to pretend to understand what that pull is like," he said. "But, I do understand what it's like to be in love and worry about losing them, even when they're not in danger. I can't imagine what you're going through right now, but you're not alone, Hails."
"I'm scared, Will," she said.
"I know, sweetheart," he soothed.
"I don't want to lose someone else, and I don't want to lose myself either," she admitted. "I worked so hard to get past all this, I don't want to go back."
"We won't let that happen," he said as he tightened his grip on her, pulled her in and kissed her head.
At some point they both drifted off to sleep right there on the couch. She fell asleep first and Will wasn't going to move her because he didn't want to wake her now that she finally calmed down. Besides, he knew she wouldn't sleep on her own anyway. The TV was playing low in front of them and she often fell asleep with the TV on in her room. He liked to think he was offering her enough comfort for her to finally relax enough to fall asleep, but he knew she was just emotionally drained from waiting to hear from Jay.
Will didn't realize how tired he was and it didn't take long for him to fall asleep either, but they were both abruptly awoken from Will's phone going off. They woke up startled and then confused, before Will realized Jay calling him instead of Hailey could signal a problem. He wanted to get up and take the call and few feet away, maybe in the other room, so if it was bad news he could prepare it for it. But, she saw the screen and she was now wide awake and intently waiting for him to answer, even if she was scared to death of what he was going to say.
"Hey," Will said.
"We got him," Jay blurted out.
"You did?" Will said and he could feel Hailey relax and she let out a relived sigh.
"Is he okay?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
"He's okay?" Will relayed her question.
"Yeah, he's good for the most part," Jay said. "He's a little banged up, he's getting checked out, but he's good."
"I want to see him," Hailey said loud enough for Jay to hear.
Jay smiled. "He wants to see you too," he said. "We'll be there soon."
Will hung up and Hailey smiled with both excitement and relief with even a few happy tears. This relationship was different, it wasn't a love she had ever felt before. It wasn't puppy love, or high school love, it wasn't the raw kind of love she had for Scott, it was different. This was real, and it was the first time she felt so strongly for someone in a healthy way.
She paced around the room as she waited and the second he walked through the door she jumped into his arms. She pulled back to look at him as he held her up and they smiled at each other before they kissed. She didn't even care that her brothers were in the room and watching. She didn't know if other people were there too, but she didn't care about them either. All she cared about was him, and everything else just seemed to melt into the background. He didn't play games and he didn't hide his emotions, she knew that whatever connection they had, he felt it too.
"I love you," she blurted out.
"Good," he smiled. "Because I knew I loved you an hour after our first date."