Chapter 14

"Hailey?" A man's voice echoed from the shadows.

"Eric? What the hell are you doing here?"

"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you", the mystery man raised his hands and replied genuinely, eyeing Jay, who was still staring him down.

"Grace told me you were coming back tonight…I thought I'd try and catch you", he told her.

Now Jay just looked confused, looking at Hailey to fill in the blanks.

"Eric. I'm sorry. But I told you, we're done. I'm back in Chicago now. I wish you all the best…", Hailey added, Jay understanding where this was going.

"It's not over for me!" Eric yelled, causing Hailey to jump back.

"Okay, that's enough", Jay stepped in front of Hailey.

"And who do you think you are?" Eric sneered.

"This is Jay", Hailey stated, almost as if Eric should know who he is.

Jay held eye contact with him, almost daring him to try something else. He had every piece of mind to flash his badge at him right now, but he held back.

Eric snorted. "Of course it is. Got what you wanted I see Hailey, after using me all these years."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Jay asked, equally as hostile.

"She knows what it means. Guess he was a threat all this time huh Hailey", Eric accused, replying to Jay but staring just at Hailey.

"It's not like that Eric", she insisted.

"Right, as if I didn't have to listen to you say his name in your sleep every night", Eric spat out.

If the situation wasn't so tense, Jay might have smiled. He resisted the urge to smirk, still defensively standing in between Hailey and this guy.

"Whatever, you weren't wife material anyways", he tried to brush off his ego.

"From here it looks like you weren't worth her time anyways", Jay couldn't help himself.

That just instigated Eric even more, and before Jay had much time to defend himself, he felt a punch connect with his left cheekbone. Fortunately, his reflexes were quick and had Eric down on the ground, face smashed into the pavement before he could even blink.

"I would choose your next move very carefully", Jay threatened, this time pushing his badge in Eric's face.

"Not only am I a police officer, I'm also a retired Army Ranger, you don't even want to know what I could do to you", he whispered that part, so Hailey didn't hear.

Eric squirmed and conceded to Jay's physical and verbal threats. "Get the hell out of here", Jay said as he stood up from hovering over him.

Eric gave one last look to Hailey, wiping a trail of blood from his lip, before quickly standing up and disappearing into the darkness.

Hailey looked shocked, Jay went over to her, gently putting a hand on her elbow. "You alright?"

She snapped out of it, looking embarrassed. "Yeah. I- sorry. Thought I tied up all my loose ends", she offered a vague explanation.

"It's okay, you don't have to explain", Jay reassured her.

She looked at the ground for a few more seconds until she made eye contact with him, then realizing the bruise forming on the side of his face.

"Oh, Jay", she carefully brought her hand up to his face to inspect the damage. He winced but immediately composed himself, covering up the fact that it did feel a little tender. He hated the fact that this guy got a half second jump on him. "It's alright, just a graze", he told her.

"I'm sorry. Let's get some ice on that eye", she said.

"I've had worse Hailey, it's fine", he replied reassuringly, grabbing their bags and heading up to her apartment.

Once they were settled inside, Jay looked around, loving the view she had. The furniture, the décor, all of it was very her. A picture on her mantel immediately caught his eye. It was of the six of them- Nick, Mike, Hailey, Will, Jay and Mouse. Sitting on the curb out front of their house when they were kids, after an intense game of road hockey no doubt. He brushed his hand over the old photo, smiling fondly.

"I think that's the only picture that exists of all of us", Hailey interrupted his thoughts, causing him to jump a bit. "Sorry", she added.

"We used to play out there for hours, every Saturday. We look so young here", Jay said.

"It's because we were young", Hailey laughed. "We were probably 8 or 9 there."

"That's not the only picture of all 6 of us", Jay confessed.

"No?" Hailey wondered.

"I have one, from up at the cabin. I'll show you when we get home", Jay told her.

Home. Hailey smiled when she thought of it. "I'd like that."

Hailey gestured for him to join her on the couch, two beers and a bag of peas in her hand.

"All that was in my fridge and freezer", she said, when Jay laughed.

"Come here, let me see", she coaxed him to show her his eye, after lifting his chin with her fingers.

He pulled back when she put some pressure on his cheek with her thumb. "You're going to have a black eye Jay", she said as she applied the frozen peas.

"Not my first, probably not my last", he joked, as he let her hold the peas in place, the cooling sensation making his eye feel better instantly.

"I know. I just feel bad. You didn't have to do that Jay", she said quietly.

"I know, but I wanted to. You dated that guy? Seems like a tool", he replied.

Hailey went quiet for a second. "Dated…kinda got engaged to", she admitted.

Jay reached up to gently pull her hand and the peas off his face. "Engaged?" He asked with his eyes wide.

Hailey cleared her throat. "Yeah. Before I left to come back to Chicago…the first time", she clarified. "We had been dating for a few years. Eric, despite what happened tonight… is a nice guy. Investment banker, shared a lot of the same interests, got along great with my friends and family…. We were happy, but at the same time it just didn't feel fully right…you know?" Hailey asked out loud, not really expecting an answer. Jay just listened. They both knew the answer as to why it didn't feel right was sitting in front of her.

"When I got offered the job in Chicago a few months back, initially he was excited, and supportive. He proposed…and I said yes", Jay tried not to let his mouth drop open. Hailey was gauging his reaction carefully.

"But then time went on, and he kept saying he didn't want to move to Chicago, that I wasn't being considerate taking a job offer there…even though it was for partner…" Hailey rolled her eyes and trailed off, Jay continued to listen intently.

"We started fighting more, it just wasn't working. I wasn't willing to budge on the partner thing. I have worked my whole life, my whole career to get to this point. And I was done sacrificing and selling myself short for the sake of his job. I decided I needed to be selfish, and so that's what I did", she explained.

"It's not selfish Hails. You shouldn't have to sacrifice who you are and your dreams for the sake of anyone else", Jay replied confidently.

She smiled briefly at him, her eyes catching his. "Thanks Jay. I'm sorry I didn't tell you about Eric… I wasn't really sure how seeing you would go, and now whatever it is that we're doing…"

Jay cut her off. "You don't have to apologize, really. I get it. After you moved to New York…I went on some serious benders. One of which included a trip to Vegas with some Army buddies…ended up getting married in the little white Elvis chapel to a girl in my old unit."

Hailey's eyes went wide, pursing her lips trying not to laugh.

"Obviously that was a mistake, we got it annulled immediately. Abby and I were both not in a great place at that time…", Jay explained, half laughing at the fact that they did that, half still in disbelief that they did that.

"So… we both have some skeletons in the closet", Hailey replied with a grin, feeling slightly relieved she wasn't the only one.

"Big time. I mean we are well into our 30's, I'd be more surprised if no one tried to put on a ring on your finger by now", Jay admitted with a cheeky, yet shy smile.

Hailey smirked and flashed him a dimple. "Will said you had someone else a while back…just thought it would have been her."

Jay scrunched his nose, "I thought so too at one point, but life had other plans. Will only just found out about Abby a few years ago… Erin and I were serious. I thought about proposing, but she moved to New York for work, left without saying good-bye. Hence the call you received from Mouse a few years back about me not being in a good place, that sort of kick started it all."

"Sorry Jay", Hailey replied, grabbing his hand.

"It's okay. Sometimes things don't work out for a reason, right?", he said while looking directly at her, running his thumb along the back of her palm.

"Right", she said breathlessly, getting more and more lost in the depths of his green eyes.

They paused for a minute, before Hailey broke their silence from her end of the couch.

"Want to order takeout? There's a great Chinese place around the corner?"

"Thought you'd never ask. I didn't just come here for the company after all", Jay playfully replied as Hailey swatted him a few times and laughed.


"I am so full I might die", Jay said as he exhaled deeply and leaned back into Hailey's couch.

"Same. I will definitely miss that place, got me through a lot of Saturday night dinners", she grinned.

"Lucky for you there are plenty of amazing restaurants back in Chicago", Jay replied.

"I've been dying for Purple Pig, let's go soon", Hailey propositioned.

"Down, that place is so good", Jay agreed.

"Look at us, making date plans", Hailey smirked his way.

Jay shook his head and let out a laugh. "A few weeks ago, I would have never imagined this being a possibility."

Hailey leaned over to face him. "Me neither. But I'm happy we're here now."

"Me too", Jay looked back into her eyes, stealing a surprise kiss.

"Hey!" Hailey giggled.

"Right, let's get packing so we can enjoy tomorrow", Jay stated, taking the bag of peas off his face. It was still going to bruise, but the ice had helped, and the swelling had gone down already.

"Fine, fine. We do have a lot of tourist activities to fit in", Hailey nodded.

"Can't wait to buy my I heart NY shirt", Jay laughed.

They digested on the couch for a few more minutes before getting up. Jay agreeing to pack up her kitchen, Hailey went into her bedroom to pack the remainder of her clothes and other personal items. They were moving along efficiently, box by box and room by room. That is until Jay shouted at her to come to her living room a few hours into their packing party.

"What's wrong?" Hailey asked confused, she didn't hear any loud bangs or commotion.

"You kept this?" He asked in disbelief, feeling his heart swell in his chest a little.

Hailey folded her arms across her chest, smiling at him as she realized what he was holding. "Of course, I kept it, you made it for me." Jay stood over her coffee table with a vase in his hands.

He was forced to take an art class in high school because it was the only thing that worked with his schedule in the 11thgrade. One of their projects was pottery, which Jay thought was infinitely stupid, but they created these hand painted flower vases and naturally he just made his with Hailey in mind. She made fun of him when he gave it to her, as that was just their relationship at the time, but deep down she was touched that he thought to give it to her. He had even filled it with beautiful purple carnations and white roses and sprigs of lavender, her favourite.


"My mom said it's bad luck to give a vase with no flowers in it", Jay reasoned.

"Mhmm, I bet", Hailey grinned at him, refraining from making a joke, as she could see he was a bit embarrassed and shy about this gift. It was endearing.

"Do you like them?" He asked nervously, stuffing his hands in his pockets. He had picked out the flowers specifically for her, spent way too much time making sure the arrangement was perfect, knowing purple was her favourite colour, and lavender was her favourite scent.

"They're beautiful Jay, thank you", she smiled, giving him a soft hug. No one had ever given her flowers before. She would have never thought in her wildest dreams the first one would be Jay.

He smiled back at her bashfully, watching her as she carefully placed the vase on her windowsill. They didn't talk about anything after that and went back to playing Mario kart in her room, Hailey glancing at the vase and back at Jay and smiling every so often. Her brothers had teased her endlessly later that night after finding out who the mystery flowers were from, but Hailey didn't care. It was one of the sweetest and most thoughtful gifts she had ever received. And it made her feel even more warm and fuzzy knowing they were from Jay.


"Forgot about this, what a work of art- this thing is probably an antique now", Jay joked.

Hailey held up her finger, indicating she would be right back and disappeared into her room.

She came out in one of Jay's old hockey sweaters and the gold necklace he gave her before deploying for the first time in her hand.

Jay opened his mouth in shock, a smile quickly spreading across his cheeks.

"Hailey Anne", he grinned.

"Old habits die hard", she replied, referring to her constant habit as a kid of stealing Jay's hoodies. He wasn't sure what the appeal was, most of the time they were dirty or had holes in them. But Hailey always maintained that guys sweaters "were just better." Secretly she loved that they always smelled like him. It was comforting- burying her face in the worn out sleeves, even after all this time, and countless washes, her brain still tricked her into getting the occasional whiff of his woodsy cologne. He gave her this one before she left for college and he went off to basic training. Something to remind you of me, he told her as she accepted the hoodie with tears in her eyes.

"Bringing this out of retirement?" Jay asked of the sweater that he first got when they were 16.

"It was never retired", Hailey admitted, raising her eyebrows and pursing her lips in a smile.

"And everyone thinks I'm the softie", he said as he walked towards her, closing the gap between them.

"Oh, shut up", she replied jokingly, accepting the hug she knew was coming- as soon as she saw his arms outstretch towards her.

He raised his eyebrows next, looking towards the necklace in her hand, questioning her silently.

She held out the necklace, allowing him to clasp it around her neck. She fiddled with the chain to make sure it was right side up. "Haven't worn this in a long time", she said.

"I hope you wear this more often now", Jay replied, the timeless gold pendant still standing up to the current fashion trends.

"Maybe I will", Hailey said cheekily.

"Hey, is it weird that we're like sort of dating, well I don't know- not super sure on our status, yet I have a necklace from you around my neck with I love you engraved on the back of it?"

Jay chuckled. "Maybe. But who cares? Plus, it's not like it's a heart necklace or anything…only you know the 143 is engraved on the back."

"Doing stuff the hard way and a little backwards is kind of on brand for us", Hailey reasoned.

"True…but while we're talking about it… I would like it if I could call you my girlfriend. I know this is super-fast…"

Hailey thought it was cute, how nervous he seemed about this. After everything they had been through, talked about over the last few weeks. Here he was, standing before her suddenly shyly asking her to be his girlfriend.

"Yes", she cut him off.

"Hmm?" He looked at her, his cheeks rosy with nerves.

"Yes, I will be your girlfriend Jay Halstead", she replied.

He exhaled, looking a lot less nervous than he was a minute ago. "Really? Because it's okay if this isn't what you want yet…I just want to be with you…"

She rested a hand on his chest. "I've never been so sure of anything in my life. And I've waited a long time for you to ask me that. I want to be with you too, always have."

His lips curled into a smile, with a twinkle in his eye. "Me too", he whispered, bringing his hand up to cover hers.

"Plus, things will be pretty much the same as they always have been, now we just get to see each other naked", Hailey said suggestively.

That made Jay laugh.

"Oh?" He raised his eyebrows, biting his lower lip, Hailey's eyes quickly scanning his face, lingering on his lips for a second too long. Jay felt the blood rushing to his lower half.

Hailey's hands that were resting on his chest slowly moved towards his belt. Jay responded with a gentle kiss on her neck, in a place right below her earlobe that he had very quickly discovered drove her wild. She let out the tiniest whimper, before whispering in his ear that they should take this to the bedroom- now. The urgency in her voice was all Jay needed to start the party on the way there, backing her into her room, first taking off his shirt then focusing on her.

"I've had a long time fantasy about this", he said as he started to peel his sweater off over her head. The lingerie she had on underneath was surely no coincidence either. His eyes nearly bulged out of his head.

"Hailey", he said in a low, raspy moan. "You're so beautiful", he kept repeating, he couldn't keep his eyes or his handsoff of her, as they collapsed onto her bed.

She sat up; they couldn't get his clothes off quick enough. She glanced up at him before freeing him from his briefs and freeing themselves of expectations of their rekindled love for one another.


The flicks and nibbles in all of her most sensitive areas set her over the edge in no time. She didn't really have any doubts that Jay would be good at this, but she had no idea just how good he really was.

Jay was thinking the exact same thing about her, lying on his back next to her in bed.

For the rest of the night and into the morning, they made love, and then made love again, soaking up all the time they could together.

They just couldn't get enough of each other. Sure, this was what most people would refer to as the honeymoon phase. However, Hailey and Jay were so connected to one another, that the physical part just seemed to come naturally. And with things being more than good right off the bat, it had them craving more and more, or exploring different areas as Will would call it. They had a lot of lost time to make up for. And they were definitely taking advantage of that now.

Once they had finally exhausted themselves, they called it a night and fell asleep in each other's arms, ready for a big day of touring tomorrow.


Jay groaned when he heard Hailey's alarm go off a few hours later.

"I know. But if we don't get up now, we're never going to leave this bed. And we have a lot of things on the agenda today", Hailey laughed.

"I know, I know. Alright, let's seize the day", Jay said somewhat sarcastically, as he pulled himself out from under Hailey's cozy blankets.

They had packed up almost everything the night before, two sets of hands being way more efficient and quicker than just one. That left lots of time for fun today, before flying back to Chicago in the morning.

After a quick shower, Jay came out to the living room, pleasantly surprised to find a New York style bagel and a coffee waiting for him.

"There's a bodega just on the corner, I ran out while you were in the shower", Hailey explained.

"Thanks", he replied, taking a bite, instantly understanding Hailey's bagel obsession.

"Good right", she stated, Jay nodding in reply.

The rest of the day was filled with some classic New York landmarks and activities, and some quaint places only locals knew about, according to Hailey.

Jay loved walking around with her, holding her hand and acting like a couple so publicly. It helped that in New York, everyone was a stranger, the city itself was all hustle and bustle, everyone walking with a purpose, not paying much attention to anyone going about their own business. Not that Jay didn't want people knowing he was dating Hailey; in fact, it was quite the opposite. He wanted to scream it from the rooftops. But there was something about the anonymity of being here that felt special, and a natural way of easing into their relationship.

They walked the highline, ate deli sandwiches for lunch in Central Park, and took classic selfies with the Statue of Liberty and Brooklyn Bridge from a distance. They stumbled upon the Friends apartment and Jay felt like a little kid he was so excited.

"When I first came back to Chicago a few weeks ago then had to fly home from New York… I had such a good time with you and Will…that I didn't want to leave. I almost didn't get on the plane to come back here", Hailey told him.

"That would have been very Rachel Green of you", Jay chuckled, Hailey playfully rolling her eyes and shoving his shoulder.

"You're my lobster Jay", she replied cheesily, which earned her a smile from her partner and a kiss on the side of the head.

"You're my lobster too Hails", he said as he wrapped his arm around her shoulder and pulled her in closer.


Hailey wasn't so sure about this next part of the city tour, she almost bailed at the last minute of taking him this way. Her nerves intensified when she felt his grip on her hand tighten, and saw the muscles in his jaw tense out of the corner of her eye.

"We don't have to go this way if you don't want Jay", Hailey whispered quietly, why, she was unsure. Literally no one else was close to them or even listening to their conversation.

"No, it's okay", he nodded and took a deep breath, walking towards the 9/11 memorial fountains, where the Twin Towers once stood.

Hailey followed his lead as he slowly walked around, every once in a while, placing his hand on the plaques and white roses and tiny American flags, she was looking up at him to gauge his reaction. She had walked past these fountains hundreds of times, but every time they still took her breath away. Even after all these years, it was extremely hard to comprehend what had happened here. Her mind couldn't wrap around what chaos it would have been in this district that day and for the days and years to come. It was unimaginable then; it was still unimaginable to her now.

9/11 was a day that stood out to her, and always will. She remembered sitting in school, watching live as the planes struck the Twin Towers. It was so silent in class. No one knew what to do. That's sort of how she felt right now, not knowing what to do or say to Jay. Who, although was not here on the day, spent the better chunk of his young adult years after it fighting as part of the repercussions.

"You okay?" She finally asked him, after they had made their way around the memorial grounds, allowing him to take it all in in silence.

He took a few deep breaths, struggling to find the words. He had goosebumps, and knew Hailey noticed a few stray tears escape from his eyes.

"It's honestly still hard to believe what happened here, even though we both watched it live on TV", he finally spoke. "And I saw some really live stuff happen as a result overseas", he added.

"I know", she said as she gently put a hand on his back, standing next to him, watching him take it all in.

Jay just shook his head, biting the inside of his cheek, trying to hold it together.

"It's been 20 years… feels like yesterday though", Jay confessed, thinking back to how this small patch of land in Lower Manhattan changed everything for him, altered the entire course of his life.

"It's okay to cry here Jay, I have too", she told him, in an effort to let him know whatever he was feeling right now was valid.

This place haunted several of his nightmares, but as he looked around, allowing the tears to fall, for all that was lost that day and for many days to come, he realized that kids were playing here. Families had come to relax, they were smiling and laughing by the gardens where little flower buds were popping up in the spring air. A place that was so ugly, and changed by evil in this world, had been turned into something beautiful, and honouring those who were lost that day. It made him feel hopeful, and that growth and change were a part of life, and for the first time in a long time, a bit of closure.

Hailey offered him a half smile and continued to rub his back. She waited until he was finished paying his respects, supporting him in silence, standing by his side just like she had always done.


Jay felt a little lighter walking around the rest of the day. In all his years, especially the ones he spent fighting in the war, he had never actually stepped foot in New York City, JFK airport didn't count in his mind, let alone where the Twin Towers actually once stood.

Hailey didn't bring it up again, once they had walked through the grounds where the towers once stood, and where a new one was raised now. And neither did he. He squeezed her hand a little extra and told her they should keep exploring, so that's what they did.

The rest of the day flew by, and they certainly made the most of it. They took the subway and walked a ton and hailed a yellow cab. They made it to the Empire State Building to watch the most beautiful sunset, and down to Times Square at night to take in all the madness. They danced in the street to buskers and bought cheesy tourist souvenirs. Jay hadn't laughed like this or felt as relaxed in a long time. Before finishing their day, they stopped for a bite to eat for dinner at a cool rooftop patio overlooking the city.

"Today was a perfect day Hailey. Thank you, it was just what I needed", Jay clinked his glass with hers.

"Me too Jay, thanks for coming with. To the next chapter", she toasted, and walked hand in hand with him to her apartment one last time. She was feeling a sense of closure after today as well, just for different reasons than Jay.


The next morning, they woke up at the crack of dawn, double checking they had packed everything. Hailey went down to her landlords office to drop off paperwork and keys, and to thank him for everything. She made the final arrangements for the moving company to pick up her things and left her new address for them to deliver everything in Chicago.

Jay packed up the cab with their bags they were taking on the flight, squeezing all of Hailey's most valuable items into their carry-ons just in case anything got lost.

She thanked the driver when they arrived at the airport, eyeing Jay as he had been acting strange since his phone pinged a few minutes before. They were both tired, and she just wanted to get through security so they could get breakfast and a coffee ASAP. She felt like a zombie walking through the airport after a whirlwind weekend, not paying much attention to the news flashing across the TVs at the gate, but Jay was.

It wasn't until they were on the plane, staring out the window taking one last look at the New York skyline that Jay shifted in his seat, awkwardly cleared his throat and nudged her.

"I got a text, Mouse is coming home", he whispered.


I wrote the bulk of this chapter prior to any of the news coming out about what is going on in Afghanistan, and I struggled to finish it, knowing there is more tragedy occurring there right now, and not wanting anything I've written here to seem insensitive. Truly is hard to believe that the 20th anniversary of 9/11 is approaching…I remember watching everything happen in real time in my 4th grade classroom. Looking back, it was definitely a day that changed our world forever. I've been reflecting a lot on that this week. If you've never seen the 9/11 memorial in NYC, I highly recommend checking it out, it was eery and haunting, but beautiful at the same time. How I wrote their thoughts on it in this chapter was exactly how I felt standing in the middle of it. It was truly so hard to comprehend what happened there, in our lifetime, as you're standing in the busy streets of NYC. Praying for the American service members and innocent civilians lost in the Kabul airport attack this week, many young lives taken too soon. Although I'm Canadian, I do have friends and family members who have served overseas and am so grateful for all those who selflessly serve their countries. If you have any veterans in your life, please reach out to them, check on them, support them. Thank you for supporting this story. Until next time. -K