Chapter 5
"Can we leave it Kim", Jay cut his partner off mid drive. Kim had been bombarding him with questions about his weekend, about Hailey, about their life, since first thing Monday morning. At first Jay entertained her, gave her little snippets. But it was Wednesday now, and he was tired.
Kim looked at her partner, eyeing him, searching for any sign of emotion. But she knew him too well, he was keeping that locked far, far away.
"Okay", she nodded, dropping it and giving him a smile, to which he forcefully returned.
They were sitting at their desks later that afternoon, Kim staring at Jay looking at how jumpy and fidgety he was. They were so close to cracking this murder case that they'd been at for days. A grieving father, trying to get justice for his son. A son that was murdered over a girl. It made Jay sick to his stomach. He twitched at Kim's touch on his back, gently setting a mug down in front of him.
"Coffee? Thanks Kim", he smiled genuinely, he was so tired, needing a boost.
"Tea actually", Kim replied, nudging the cup towards him.
Jay took a sniff, turning his nose up at the non-caffeinated beverage in front of him. "Peppermint?" He asked questioningly.
"You haven't slept for days; I'm worried about you", Kim explained, knowing caffeine was the last thing he needed. He was too wired as it is.
Jay squinted his eyes at her, knowing it was useless to lie to her. Kim knows what he's like when he's over-tired and anxious.
"I'm okay Kim. But thanks", he said quietly, gesturing to the tea. Kim always meant well.
"You should call her", was all she said before peeling herself off his desk and returning to her own.
Jay stared longingly at the newly framed photo he added to his desk. One of Hailey, Mouse and himself from just before his first deployment. He sighed loudly, picking himself up out of his chair heading towards the break room, much to the delight of his partner.
"Hey Jay, everything alright?" Hailey's voice flooded his phone speaker.
"Yeah, yeah I'm good", he replied.
"Good, I wasn't sure when I saw your name come up on caller ID mid-afternoon", Hailey inquired, slightly confused.
Jay sighed, "Right, ya sorry. I know you're busy, I just- I just wanted to hear your voice", he admitted softly, hearing Hailey's silent breathing from the other end. He could already feel his heart rate and blood pressure returning to normal.
"You sound tired", she added, not much slips past her.
"I am. It's been a tough week. Working this case… I haven't been sleeping well", Jay rambled before Hailey cut him off.
"Hey, hey. Just breathe Jay. Breathe. You're doing the best you can. You need to take care of yourself too", Hailey replied, sounding concerned. It wasn't like Jay to admit he was feeling like this, she had spent years of her life trying to get him to open up without success. It had been a few years, but if anything, Hailey still knew best how bad things got if Jay didn't sleep for days on end.
He took a few solid deep breaths with his back to the breakroom doorway.
"You still there?" Hailey asked.
"Mhmm. Thanks Hails", he murmured.
"Anytime. Listen I have to go, I have a meeting in a few. I'm flying back home Friday. Maybe we can chat some more?" She asked, as if he was going to reply with anything other than absolutely.
"I would like that", Jay replied. He was thankful Hailey was still willing to talk things out with him, really work through the hard parts that were holding them back and holding them apart from each other.
"Okay sounds good. I'll call you when I land. Maybe we can grab dinner", Hailey offered.
Jay smiled on the other end, "I really hope New York has not converted you to their terrible pizza."
"Are you kidding me? Bartoli's or bust Halstead, you know that. I'm still a Chicago girl at heart", Hailey laughed.
Jay laughed at that too, feeling the endorphins course through his body. "Good, just checking to see where your allegiance lies. I'll pick you up from O'Hare?" He asked, feeling bolder now.
"Sure, that would be great thanks! I really have to run now, talk soon. Promise me you'll sleep?"
"I promise." He said it out loud but didn't really believe it himself.
Jay was really dragging his feet now, even Platt said something to him.
"Halstead, you look like shit", she commented the second he walked through the precinct doors late Thursday night.
"Thanks Trudy, always great to see you too", he replied sarcastically, Kim's eyes getting wide at the sass to their always intimidating Sergeant.
"Geez, I was only kidding. Who shit in your corn flakes?" She tried again. Jay was really not having it today though; he didn't even crack a smile.
Kim waved Platt off, motioning that she would handle her partner and his bad attitude today.
In reality, she knew why he was upset and worn out. This week had been a bad one. Jay had to make a tough call about their murder case. Turns out the victim's father took matters into his own hands so to speak. Voight knew what was up, but let Jay make the final call. It was not an easy decision, and one Kim was glad she didn't have to make.
They didn't really speak about it as a collective group, but Jay had told Kim what the plan was, and she was going to support his decision no matter what. The team knew Jay had been on edge all week, rightfully so. This case hit close to home for him, in a more personal way than Kim really knew.
"I'm going to head home", Jay announced after filing out of Voight's office. Latrell had been brought in and immediately lawyered up.
Voight nodded, signalling he would take it from here, Jay had done the heavy lifting on this one.
Kim smiled at him, watching him walk past her desk towards the door, a shell of his normal self. She decided to not go after him, sometimes it was best to let him be. She had a sneaking suspicion he would maybe call someone else anyways. Maybe that someone would be able to help him with whatever demons he was harbouring, more than she could.
Jay parked his truck out front, turning the key off. He closed his eyes, leaning his head back against the headrest for a moment before getting out.
"Whatever decision you make, make sure it's one you can live with", Voight's voice ran through his mind. Had he done the right thing? Latrell killed someone, premeditated. But it was justice for his son, an innocent victim. Jay thought to his father, who would have done the same thing for him. Hell, if he had a kid, he would do the same thing too. That didn't make his decision any easier though. Latrell still took a life.
He gathered the strength to get out of his truck to head inside his house, he was beat. He paused at his doorway, staring at an Amazon Prime box on the front step.
Puzzled, he looked at it, trying to remember if he ordered anything this week. I did have a few too many beers the other night…maybe I drunk ordered something. He thought, somewhat chuckling to himself.
He kicked the box inside; it was heavier than he expected. He opened it, pulling out the piece of paper sitting on top first.
"Like a warm hug (or head scratch)- I hope this helps you sleep Jay. 143! -H"
Jay felt emotional all of a sudden when he opened the packaging and realized it was a weighted blanket. He had heard about these before, that they were helpful with anxiety. He always wanted to try one but just never got around to purchasing one himself, how did Hailey know that. She could still read his mind after all.
He bit the side of his cheek, to get his emotions under control. You're just tired Jay, pull it together.
Jay quickly dumped his work stuff at the front door, bounding up the stairs, extra excited to get into his bed now. He opened the blanket, curling up in his bed with it. The pressure on his chest already calming him. His eyes kept closing, but he forced them open once more to take a selfie to send to Hailey.
Hailey's phone pinged just as she was getting into bed herself. She smiled when she saw a half asleep Jay, looking a little worse for wear, but nonetheless with a smile on his face.
143. Was all the message and picture said. Hailey closed her eyes, falling asleep to the same thought in her head. 143 Jay, 143.
"TGIF", Kim told her partner as they clocked in and walked up to their bullpen together.
"You got that right", Jay replied, although feeling a lot more like himself this morning after a great sleep.
"Voight wants us to head out and do surveillance on this bakery on the South Side before lunch. He said you're off this afternoon?" Kim questioned. Jay never took vacation time.
"Ya, Hailey's flying back in. I'm picking her up from the airport" Jay casually stated.
Kim tried to hide her excitement, but it was no use. "What?!"
Jay even smirked at that. "It's nothing Kim. She's my oldest friend. I'm giving her a ride from the airport."
"Right, right. Very casual", Kim reasoned, trying to suppress her inner teen angst bubbling to the surface.
Jay laughed at her from across their desks, shaking his head, before picking up their coats motioning for them to get going. He was having a bit of fun watching Kim squirm, she so badly wanted him to let her in and spill the beans about Hailey. He would eventually.
"I'll drive", Kim said. Usually Jay drove, but he was feeling lazy today. She was shocked when he didn't fight her on it.
Based on what happened next, maybe he should have.
"Kim you have to slow down, your tires don't have as much traction as mine in the truck", Jay warned as they were in hot pursuit of one of their robbery suspects.
"Now is not the time for backseat driving Jay", Kim replied, keeping her eyes on the red Honda in front of them, weaving in and out of the neighbourhood they were in.
Jay bit his tongue and put the call out on the radio for backup, this was getting out of hand fast. They were watching for a drug kingpin and caught a robbery in the process. So much for a quiet Friday morning.
"Kim left on 59th!" Jay shouted as he tried to orient himself, to get ahead of their suspects.
"I know Jay! I'm going that- ", Kim was cut off before she could finish, by a blue van in front of them. Neither Kim nor Jay having time to brace themselves. Jay saw it coming a fraction of a second before Kim did and instinctively put his left arm out to protect her from flying too far forward.
It was over as quickly as it started. Jay never lost consciousness, but he felt stunned. He blinked a few times, trying to focus his eyes forward. He could see their engine smoking in front of them, someone from the blue van already getting out and walking towards Kim's vehicle. His ears were ringing, he took a deep breath, trying to evaluate himself for any injuries. Then he turned to Kim. He started to panic when he saw her slumped over in her seat, her side of the vehicle taking most of the damage.
"Kim, Kim! Burgess!" He yelled, trying to rouse her.
She eventually came to, groaning, her left arm coming slowly up to her head. "Ow", she grunted. Jay saw some blood coming from her head.
"Shh, shh it's okay. Relax Kim we're okay. Helps on the way", he could hear sirens approaching from the distance.
"Are you okay?" She managed to squeak out.
"I think so", Jay confirmed, unable to pinpoint any major pain.
"I'm sorry", Kim started to tear up, her breathing borderline becoming laboured.
"It's alright. It was an accident. I don't think anyone in the van is hurt", Jay pieced together, watching a stunned young man walk towards his window.
"I called an ambulance! I'm so sorry my brakes failed. I'm so sorry", the driver kept repeating, clearly shaken up. Jay didn't have the capacity to deal with this at the moment, he was trying to keep Kim calm. Thankfully, there were bystanders who got out and started to help.
Ruzek was the first on scene, practically running towards them. "Kim! Jay!" He yelled.
"Kim?!" Ruzek approached her window first, his face paling at the blood streaming from Kim's forehead.
"Hmm", her head snapped up, attempting to blink to clear her own fogginess.
"You guys alright? What happened?" Adam started firing off questions, looking to his left and right every few seconds for an ambulance.
Jay just pointed forward, "Blew a light. I'm okay, I think. Don't know about Kim."
Adam didn't like how pale Jay was looking either. But before he pulled them out himself, Brett and Mackey arrived on scene.
They quickly got in there, assessing both of them, strapping on c-collars before transferring them onto backboards, much to Jay's protest.
"This is ridiculous, I can walk", Jay was agitated. Brett was all too familiar with this. Mackey wavered, trying to play nice with the detective.
"I don't think so Jay. And don't try and fool my partner here either", Brett said sternly, half joking. "Mackey, it's your lucky day, this is practically a rite of passage. A Jay Halstead transport to Med." Sylvie was only joking because she knew Jay wasn't seriously injured.
Jay knew better than to mess with Sylvie, so he went along with it, even though he felt fine. That was until they popped his seatbelt off and his shoulder slumped with it.
"Ahhhhh!" He screamed out in pain. Brett quickly looked him over, realizing his shoulder was slightly subluxed.
"Shoot. Okay sorry Jay this is going to hurt", she warned as she stabilized his shoulder before moving him again.
By this point tears were streaming down his face, and he felt a small trickle of blood coming down his arm too.
"I know, I know. You're doing great. We're going to get you cleaned up and checked out at Med okay?" Sylvie turned off the humour from a minute ago and turned on her caring nature instead.
"Okay", Jay grunted through the pain, not having the energy to disagree with that plan otherwise.
Kim got loaded into a second ambulance, Jay wasn't sure what kind of shape she was in and it made him feel more panicked.
"Sylvie his heart rate is 180", Mackey shouted worriedly from the back of the ambulance to her partner racing towards the hospital in the driver's seat.
Brett looked in the rear-view, her new partner clearly unfamiliar with how to deal with Jay Halstead. She knew she should have let her drive.
"You just have to keep him calm. This isn't medical. He hates hospitals, keep talking to him. Put a cool cloth on his forehead", was all she could come up with.
"How's my partner? Did you see her, is Kim okay?" Jay was extremely anxious now. His breathing becoming erratic, feeling like he was suffocating in this collar and sling.
"I'm not sure Jay, she was in and out of consciousness when I saw her. But I don't think life threatening", Mackey reassured him.
Jay nodded, trying to calm himself down.
Before he knew it, he was being wheeled into the ED and saw his brother's face above him.
"You're okay Jay. It's going to be alright", Will placed his hand on Jay's forearm, seeing how distraught his brother was.
Will quickly rushed off to look after Kim, leaving Dr. Choi to work with Jay. Everyone knew it was best that way. Choi could relate to Jay, calm him down. Once they cleared his cervical spine, the collar was taken off, which allowed him to breathe a bit better.
"See that's it Jay, keep taking deep breaths", Choi replied, watching his heart rate fall to a more normal range.
They quickly took some x-rays, asked him a bunch of questions about the accident, seeing if he hit his head, to which he reiterated that he didn't. Every time Dr. Choi came near him with a needle or IV attempt Jay refused.
"Jay, we need to give you something so I can deal with your shoulder. You'll need a few stitches along the back of your arm too", Dr. Choi told him. So that's where the blood was coming from, Jay thought. He knew he felt it somewhere, there was broken glass in the car, he must have caught himself on that somehow.
"No Ethan, no stitches I'll be fine. Just give me Tylenol", Jay continued to be difficult.
Dr. Choi huffed loudly; Detective Halstead was arguably his most consistently difficult patient. He stepped out of the room to find Will.
"He's freaking out. We aren't going to be able to stitch him up like this", Choi informed Will, who didn't seem surprised in the slightest.
"I'll go talk to him", Will replied, pulling back the curtain to find Jay sitting up in bed, trying to reach for his coat.
"What do you think you're doing?" Will asked, eyeing his brother, wondering if he did actually hit his head after all.
"I'm supposed to pick Hailey up from the airport", Jay replied casually, as if he wasn't bloodied and had his arm in a sling.
Will pushed him back against the bed gently. "You're not going anywhere."
Jay sighed loudly, the adrenaline from the accident was starting to wear off. His back was starting to tense up, the pain in his shoulder becoming sharper than it was dull a few minutes ago.
"Can you hold off for a bit? I have an idea", Will approached Ethan at the nurse's station.
Ethan raised his hands, "By all means. It won't hurt him to delay. Might do him some good to calm down a bit, get settled here."
Will nodded at that, stepping into the lounge to make a quick call to his old friend.
Hailey checked her phone as she landed, expecting to see a text from Jay about where to meet him, not from Will saying Jay had been in an accident this afternoon. She immediately dialed the older Halstead's number, her heart feeling like it was in her throat. Thinking back to a time where she made a similar call, one that didn't turn out so great.
"Hey Hails", Will greeted her calmly. His relaxed demeanour seemed to slow her heart rate a bit.
"What happened", she asked as Will briefly explained, reassuring her that Jay was fine.
"Is his partner okay?" She asked, nervous how Jay would take it if she wasn't.
"She's okay. Bumps and bruises. Mild concussion, but overall got lucky", Will confirmed, relieved that Kim was okay too.
They weren't talking about the elephant in the room. Car accident. That was triggering for Jay. It had been since what happened with Mike.
Will explained his train of thinking to Hailey, who quickly agreed she would be right there. She had already ordered an Uber to Med while they were on the phone.
Hailey rushed through the ED doors, suitcase from the airport and all. Ruzek, Kevin and Voight were waiting on news about their co-workers, eyeing her curiously as she walked past, Will hugging her before ushering her towards Jay's bed.
"Is that….?" Kev asked out loud pointing towards the blonde ponytail. Adam and Voight following her with their eyes as well.
Will smirked and gave a discreet nod and "Shhh" behind Hailey's back before disappearing behind a curtain.
"Jay?" Will called out, seeing his brother's eyes closed, pale skin, a thin layer of sweat forming across his forehead. Will knew that look all too well from years working in the ED. Jay wasn't going to be able to hold out for much longer without anything for the pain.
"Hmm", Jay replied back effortfully.
"Someone's here to see you", his brother informed him, letting Hailey sneak past him.
Jay cracked one eye open, then springing both open when he realized who was standing at his bedside. The sudden movement sending a jolt of pain down his left arm.
"Hailey?" He asked half-confused, half-relieved, wincing trying to get the pain under control.
"Hey, easy", she softly put her hand on top of his shoulder, knowing he was hurting.
"Sorry I didn't get you from the airport", he said sheepishly.
Hailey snorted. "It's alright Jay. I'm just glad you're okay." She reached behind him to grab the damp cloth Will left in a basin. He didn't want Jay going into shock from a pain crisis.
She gently set it across his forehead, trying to get him to relax. He was quiet for a minute, then spoke up.
"I hate this place. So many bad memories", he said quietly, referring to Med. Hospitals in general really. Hailey knew what he meant. She could recall a handful of times he had been here himself where things went south, post Afghanistan, his mom, his dad, her brother… she shuddered. It was a lot to endure for one person.
"I know", she put a hand on his face, her thumb dragging across his cheekbone. "Will and Dr. Choi are going to come in now okay?"
Jay nodded, knowing Will used her as bait. He wasn't mad about that if he was being honest.
"I'm right here", she looked at him, moving to his other side. The three of them got Jay sitting up at the edge of the bed while Hailey carefully undid the buttons of his shirt and slid it off so that his elbow could be stitched up.
"Little pinch Jay", Choi replied from behind him. Hailey braced herself in case he fainted, which thankfully did not happen.
The monitors started beeping, signalling that his heart rate was climbing, and oxygen was falling.
"Hey, breathe Jay, look at me. You're okay, they're going to help get you cleaned up. Deep breaths", she repeated until Will and Dr. Choi gave her the thumbs up.
"See all done", she sat down next to him, knowing this was going to be the harder part.
"Jay, I need to look at your shoulder, and I think you should take something for the pain first", Ethan proposed.
"No. No I'm not going to do that", he immediately resisted. "I don't like how that makes me feel", he vaguely stated, although everyone in the room was aware of the side effects he was talking about in particular.
"Please Jay, we don't want you to be in pain. And you clearly are right now. Just for tonight, you can take Tylenol after this shot", Hailey begged, knowing she was close to getting him to cave. He was white as a sheet, looking like he was going to lose his lunch at any moment, to the point that Will had discreetly moved closer to them, basin in hand just in case.
He thought about it for a minute and slowly stated, "Okay. But nothing stronger than tramadol."
"Okay. We can work with that", Dr. Choi replied, pleasantly surprised that Jay agreed.
It was over in a flash; Jay had been worked up about the injection for a minute but relaxed as soon as he felt some relief from the pain. Will and Ethan transferred him back into bed, wanting him to stay for a bit so they could monitor him.
"You can get out of here in an hour Jay I promise", Ethan told him, Jay giving him a thumbs up from bed. Hailey followed Will out to get the real update.
"So?" She asked.
"So, we got the shoulder back in no problem. He'll be fine, just sore for a few days, he'll need to wear the sling for the weekend for sure. The pain meds helped, but since he's taken stronger before that isn't going to give him relief for too much longer. Knowing him, he'll refuse anything other than Tylenol now, which is okay. Are you going back to the house?" Will asked Hailey, just as the team was coming up to hear the update.
"Yeah, I'll stay there tonight", she nodded, suddenly feeling awkward that the eyes of his team were on her. Thankfully Will was the least awkward person she knew and immediately introduced her.
"Hailey this is the rest of Jay's unit. Kevin, Adam and his Sergeant Hank Voight. This is Hailey, she's a long-time friend of Jay and me. In from New York for the weekend."
They welcomed her warmly. "What's the word on Kim?" Adam asked.
Hailey went to walk away to give them some privacy, but Adam waved her off, motioning for her to stay.
"Kim's okay. Concussion and a nasty cut on her head. But it could have been way worse…had she flown forward she might have gone through the windshield. Jay said she didn't have her seatbelt on all the way", Will shuddered.
"Seriously? That's not like her", Kevin said aloud.
"I don't know, Jay said they got caught up, car chase. Just a heat of the moment thing. I suspect that's why he popped his shoulder, and Kim has bruises in the shape of Jay's hand all along her chest and rib cage", Will replied.
Jay literally held her his partner back, protecting her with all of his strength. Hailey smiled, and felt warm inside as she looked around watching the team realize what he did for Kim.
"Well I owe him a nice bottle of scotch then", Adam said under his breath, making a joke, but his statement was laced with gratitude and emotion.
The team cleared out after visiting Kim and Jay, Hailey sitting patiently in the waiting area. Will told her to follow him back to Jay's room. They pulled back the curtain to find Kim standing in front of Jay, who was still sitting dangling at the edge of the bed, eager to leave. Kim had just wrapped her arms around Jay's neck, his right arm coming up to reciprocate the hug. They whispered something to each other, Kim pulling away, their earlier spat about Kim's driving long forgotten and forgiven.
Kim noticed Hailey standing in the corner, a small smile forming across her face, her eyes connecting back with Jay. Jay nodded and smirked back, shooting Hailey a cheeky glance.
Jay cleared his throat, "Ahem. Burgess, this is my friend Hailey. The one I've been telling you about." Hailey could feel her cheeks turning pink.
"It's so nice to meet you Hailey. I'm a big fan of whatever this is", Kim replied quickly, motioning between the two of them. Will had to put a hand over his mouth to cover it and stifle his laughter. Jay even laughed at that too, after an eye roll of course.
"Still have your wits about you, that's a good sign", Jay replied.
"It's nice to meet you too Kim, I'm glad you're okay", Hailey smiled back.
"Jay you're free to go, you too Kim", Will interrupted.
Jay instantly stood up off the bed, grabbing his coat off the nearby chair. Hailey watched him struggle for a minute before jumping in to help get it over his left arm with the sling.
While he was still standing, she slid her arms around his torso, under his jacket. He squeezed her back with his good arm, planting a soft kiss on the top of her head, holding himself there for a minute, his hand rubbing her back. Kim's face exploded with a smile. Jay shot her a don't you dare look. Kim was just thankful he hadn't kicked her out yet and was letting her in on this reunion.
"Come on Hailey, Adam can drop you guys off at Jay's place", Kim said, turning towards the exit.
"Perfect, was going to let you take my car. This works out. I'll meet you guys at home tomorrow, I'll come check on you and hear about the job offer", Will wink and suggested to Hailey, who smiled and nodded.
Hailey and Jay took a seat in the waiting room of the ED as Adam pulled his car around. Kim was talking to one of the nurses she knew. Hailey instantly got a déjà vu, eerie feeling as she sat down. The exact same spot the two of them had sat in together about a decade or so before.
Jay looked at Hailey who suddenly had a spooked appearance. It clicked for him when he saw the way Hailey looked at the chair she sat in then towards the ED doors. She sat next to him, gently pulling him into her side for a hug. Hailey was always good about tending to all his wounds; physical, mental and emotional ones. Mending his brokenness. He rested his head against her shoulder for a minute, reminiscing on the various times they had spent here together.
Like when he punched a hole in the wall after his moms funeral, after getting into it with Will. Hailey spent all night in the ER with him, silently sitting by his side, letting him rest his head on her shoulder, a hand on his knee while he cradled his swollen wrist in the other.
"Jay, Jay", Hailey said as she nudged him awake in the waiting room.
"Hmm?" He raised his head, his neck in a kink from the way he was sleeping, if you could even call it sleeping.
"The nurse called you back for your x-ray. Want me to go with you?" She offered.
"I'll be okay", he said without any emotion in his voice. He had got all his crying out earlier. But the emptiness in his voice scared her more than the tears did. He was shutting down again.
Jay returned about an hour later, sporting a cast on his hand.
"4-6", he replied shortly, implying the number of weeks he'd spend in a cast this time.
"Oh Jay", Hailey said quietly, attempting to rub his back. He jumped away from her instead, brushing her off coldly.
She sighed, but let it go. He was hurting today. In more ways than one. He had barely been home for a few months, back from his second tour, injured, struggling mentally after what happened to him over there. Hailey was in her last year of law school and came home the second she heard Kate wasn't doing well. The second she clued in that Jay wasn't doing well either. School was important but not as important to her as this. She was keeping up with her classes from a distance.
"I don't need you to babysit me", Jay said, coming out sharper than he intended, when Hailey tried to open the car door for him.
"I know you don't Jay. You've made it quite clear lately, you don't need me, you don't need anyone", Hailey replied, void of all emotion at this point too. She had it with his attitude lately. Something was different about him this time, coming back.
He didn't say anything at first. He just got into the car, watching Hailey march around to the driver's side. He knew he was being an ass to her, she didn't deserve that, she was trying to support him. But he just couldn't let her in right now, not about this. It was too much to burden another soul with.
"Milkshakes?" Jay threw it out there, seeing if Hailey would accept his peace offering.
She agreed and smiled, but it didn't reach her eyes.
He was a mess, and she didn't know if she could put him back together this time.
He was thinking about that moment, all those years ago in this same spot. And he knew Hailey was thinking about it too, after he watched her set the same hand on his same knee. This time, he lowered his right hand, intertwining his fingers with hers, and instead of turning away from her touch, he welcomed it. They quietly waited this way until Adam texted Jay that he was out front.
Adam grabbed Hailey's suitcase and tossed it in the back of his Jeep while Hailey made sure Jay and Kim both got in and buckled okay.
"So, Hailey, tell me about yourself", Ruzek turned on his usual charm.
"Well, hmm. I was born and raised in Chicago. Jay and I have known each other since we were in diapers. I love coffee, dogs and long walks on the beach. I have zero tattoos. I live in New York, I'm a lawyer at the state's attorney office there", Hailey replied, adding some random facts just for the fun of it.
"A lawyer huh, fancy. You're on the other end of our line of work", Adam added. He could tell he already liked Hailey, and her sense of humour. He could see hints of Jay's personality intertwined with hers.
Hailey laughed, "Ya I guess you could say that. I've seen some interesting things over the years."
Jay noticed she didn't mention anything about the job offer in Chicago. Will alluded to it at the hospital too but she didn't bite. He wasn't sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing.
Adam kept Hailey company in the front seat, Jay and Kim were in the back, starting to come down from their pain meds, and not in a good way. But before he knew it, they were outside of Jay's house and Hailey was thanking Adam for the ride.
"Which one was your house growing up?" Kim spoke up for the first time on the drive home. Even though she was feeling shitty, she had to ask. It was just adding to the picture she was painting of them in her head.
Hailey chuckled and pointed to one with the red front door, three houses down from Jay's.
Kim melted. "Aww. A true childhood dream."
"It really was", Hailey grinned shyly, staring at Jay who had the same look on his face.
"Come on, let's get you inside. Kim wants to get home to rest too I'm sure", Hailey winked and waved good-bye to Kim and Adam.
The car door slammed, and Adam chuckled looking at Kim in the rear-view.
"You okay back there? This afternoon has been a lot to process", he asked.
"I love them. I love Hailey. She is so perfect for Jay, they are so precious together I can't", Kim spilled the beans about the hug she saw between the two of them at Med.
"She really is great. I can totally see both of them in each other. They are so like one another, like parts of their personalities and mannerisms are engrained in each other", Adam analyzed.
"Exactly. Adam I forgot to tell you. You know that funny eyebrow thing Jay does when he's thinking really hard or really concentrated", Kim asked.
"Uh-huh", Adam replied, picturing it well. Jay had this perfect eyebrow twitch.
"Well Hailey does it too. I saw her in the waiting room today. Then it made me wonder, is that Jay's thing? Or does Jay do it because Hailey's always done it?" Kim started to spiral.
Adam laughed. "Okay, okay. Don't make your brain hurt anymore than it already does. I have a feeling she'll be sticking around long enough for us to find out."
"I sure hope so." Kim thought about it for a minute before adding one other thought.
"He deserves happiness."
A filler chapter to tide you over, life has been crazy for me. Planning on getting back to writing soon! Hope you're all doing well, thank you so much for the support. Stay well - K
