Chapter 18
"Kidnapped", Hailey gulped, as she repeated what Jay just told her, to make sure it was real.
"Yeah, I can't really get into it right now. But are you able to go relieve Makayla's babysitter? We're going to be at this all night", Jay asked.
"Of course,", Hailey agreed, staring at Mouse, who was on high alert after he heard Hailey say the word kidnapped.
"I'll send you Kim's address. Thanks Hailey. I probably won't be home tonight…I don't know. I'll call you", Jay replied.
"No problem. I hope everything goes well", was all Hailey could come up with.
"Me too", Jay said quietly on the other end of the phone and hung up.
"Alright. What's going on?" Mouse asked to a visibly spooked Hailey.
"I'm not sure. Jay just told me that Kim's been kidnapped", she said nervously chewing her lip.
Mouse's eyes went wide. "And what about Makayla?"
"That's where we come in. Jay was asking if one of us could go stay there tonight", Hailey replied.
"I can do it Hailey. You have work in the morning", Mouse offered.
"Are you sure? I mean you know the kid about as well as I do right now… I don't know what we're going to tell her Greg", Hailey replied. Using his full name, that was a sign of this being very serious.
"Yeah I don't know. Well how about both of us go over there. And then I can stay the night….re-evaluate tomorrow", he reasoned.
"Alright, let's do that", Hailey nodded, and sat down at the kitchen island while Mouse packed a bag.
They drove over to Kim's condo together, relieving Makayla's babysitter, who wasn't really in the loop about what was going on, all they told her was that Kim had to work late. The babysitter knew what she did for a living so didn't really question when Hailey and Mouse told her that.
"Makayla's in her room I put her to bed about an hour ago", the babysitter gave them a few other updates and things they should know. Adam had already called her and told her to expect Hailey and Mouse, so there was no need for worrying about these strangers entering Kim's home.
Once she was gone, Hailey and Mouse sat at Kim's kitchen table together, just staring.
"Hailey you can go it's alright, the kid's sleeping anyways", Mouse suggested, knowing Hailey's mind was elsewhere.
"You sure?" She whispered.
"Yeah, all good. Go home and sleep", Mouse ushered her out the door, his old friend looked exhausted.
"Thanks. I'll call you in the morning", Hailey said as she left the apartment and headed back down to her car.
Hailey tried to sleep; she really did. But she kept waking up during the night. Subconsciously, she knew her brain was checking to see if Jay made it home. But he never did. His side of the bed was still untouched, the sheets cold.
She sighed. Feeling guilty in a way for feeling like this, when she knew Jay and the rest of the team would be feeling ten times worse. She had this pit in the bottom of her stomach for Kim.
Mouse had sent her a couple texts already; Hailey rubbed her eyes squinting at her alarm clock. She didn't bother reading them and called him instead.
"Everything okay?" She asked, getting right to the point.
"Morning to you too Hails. Yes, we're good here. Having some pancakes before school. Was just calling to check in to see if you've heard from Jay?" He asked, a little cheerier than normal.
Hailey clued in why next. "No, I haven't", she said solemnly.
"Okay, they're still working…wow long night. See Mak, I told you, your mom and the rest of the team are still undercover, working a big mission", Mouse said animatedly. It almost made Hailey want to cry. Were they stretching the truth- yes? But right now, they had no other choice.
"Do you want to say hi to Hailey?" She could hear Mouse ask Makayla.
"Hi Hailey!" A young voice popped on the line.
"Hi Mak!", Hailey tried her very best to sound upbeat and positive, and not terrified like she really was on the inside.
"So, Uncle Jay really hasn't called you either?" She asked Hailey.
Hailey knew the girl was smart, and she would pick up on it if she acted off.
"You know what, he hasn't". Hailey pretended to check her phone to be sure. "He told me last night that they've been really busy, and they don't have good cell service wherever they are. But I'm sure they'll call us when they can", she replied.
"That's what Mouse said too. It makes sense", Makayla concluded, Hailey noting she sounded relieved after she heard Hailey confirm Jay was MIA too. Hailey let out a sigh of relief, silently thanking that she and Mouse were always on the same wavelength.
"Are you all ready for school?" Hailey changed the subject.
"Yeah, I'm wearing my purple sparkly shoes today too", she replied. Hailey was grateful that kids were easily distractable, and excited about the little things.
"Wow, I can't wait to see them! Maybe I'll come hangout with you later tonight okay?" Hailey tested the waters to see how Makayla would react.
"Okay that sounds good. Do you think my mom will be home by tonight?" She asked innocently.
Hailey felt the hitch in her voice and willed herself to stay calm and not show any hint of fear.
"I hope so! But if they're not back yet, we can have a girls night okay?" She offered.
"We can paint our nails!" Makayla said.
"That sounds great, maybe we can convince Mouse to join us too", Hailey laughed when she heard Makayla giggle at that.
"I don't know about that Hails, but never say never", Mouse shouted back on speakerphone.
"Okay Mak, time for school- Hails I'll see you in a bit", Mouse took the phone back after Makayla exchanged her goodbyes with Hailey.
He took a few deep breaths with his back turned to Makayla, to compose himself. By the time she had put her shoes on and grabbed her backpack, Mouse had a smile on his face, and promised to stop for a donut before school.
Hailey kept fidgeting at her desk, constantly checking her phone for any updates from Jay. But they never came.
Hey how are things going? 12:13 pm
I know you're busy… just letting you know I'm thinking of you guys, Mouse and I can take Mak again tonight. 1:58 pm
Hailey left a few unread texts, feeling nervous that Jay was this radio silent. It meant one of two things really. Either things were going well, and they were making progress…. or they weren't.
She tried not to let her mind wander to the second half of that thought. She put her nose down in her computer, made a few phone calls and finished up a file she was working on for the rest of the afternoon.
Hailey kicked her shoes off at the front door later that afternoon, yelling out to Mouse that she was home. He quickly poked his head around the corner and gave her the shhh sign with his finger.
"What's up?" She quickly lowered her voice to a whisper.
"Jay's upstairs sleeping", Mouse replied, initially blocking her at the stairs.
Hailey's eyes went wide, double checking the time, not sure if this was a good or bad thing that he was home this early in the day and in bed.
"Voight sent them home in shifts to get some rest. They've been at it all night, more than the last 24 hours really", Mouse explained.
"Gotcha. How long has he been in bed?" Hailey asked.
Mouse checked his watch, "I don't know probably about 4 hours? I came home around lunch, and I caught him as he was heading upstairs."
"How did he look? Did he say anything?" Hailey asked cautiously.
"Not great…exhausted really. They haven't found her yet", Mouse said in a hushed tone. "I didn't really push it…"
Hailey nodded knowingly, feeling the pit in her stomach she's had all day grow deeper.
"He asked me to wake him up around 6", Mouse said. Hailey checked her watch, that still gave them a little less than 2 hours.
"Alright. Let's get some dinner going, and maybe he'll be up to eating when he's awake", Hailey said, forging on. Adam had texted Mouse saying Makayla's babysitter was going to do their usual after school routine, he would keep them posted about later on. So, for right now, all they could do was make dinner and wait.
Mouse was grilling some chicken on the barbecue out back, while Hailey was roasting vegetables and making rice on the stove. Quick and easy meal, nothing fancy but it worked. Mouse came inside, and quickly helped Hailey set the table for three, hoping Jay would be up for a bite.
She felt nervous for some reason, heading up to their bedroom to wake Jay. She cracked the door open just a bit, the light shining in Jay's face caused him to stir.
Hailey quickly went and sat on his side of the bed, resting a hand on his back.
"Hey", he croaked out in a sleepy voice.
"Hey", she replied softly.
"What time is it?" He asked, rubbing his eyes.
"10 to 6", Jay sat up quickly when she said that. "You okay?" She asked nervously.
Jay shook his head. "No. Not really", he replied exhaustedly.
"I know", Hailey gently rubbed her hand up and down his bicep.
"Mouse and I made dinner, you hungry?" She changed the subject, sensing Jay was trying to keep it together.
He nodded, standing up out of bed searching for some clean clothes.
"I'll meet you downstairs, kay?" Hailey left the room to give him time to freshen up.
Hailey rejoined Mouse at the table, giving him a thumbs up that Jay would be joining them.
He sat at their table a few minutes later, digging into dinner. "This looks good guys thanks."
They all sat and ate in silence for a while longer. Each of them feeling the weight of this day differently.
Jay broke the silence first. "Adam is going to stay with Makayla tonight. Trudy drove him there this afternoon… he isn't doing well. Just think it's better for him to be there with her… Makayla's getting suspicious… in case…" he caught himself.
Hailey set her hand over his on the table, saying so much in their silence.
Jay cleared his throat and picked his empty plate off the table to bring it to the sink. "I have to go back to work, get back searching. I'll call you if I hear anything."
Hailey motioned for him to leave his plate, that they would clean up. Jay leaned over top of her to give her a kiss. "Love you", he said as he turned to leave. "Love you too", she replied.
"Where's my kiss?" Mouse shouted, pretending to be hurt. That at least got a laugh out of Jay.
"Love you too buddy", Jay grinned and grabbed his coat off the front banister, heading out the door.
Hailey and Mouse basically sat the rest of the night, glued to their phones. Adam had FaceTime'd them, looking rough himself.
"See Mak, Hailey and Mouse are at home. They are home sick, so they couldn't come hangout with us", Adam looked at them through his phone, hoping they would go along with his story.
"Yeah sorry Makayla, we aren't feeling very good tonight", Hailey confirmed. "We can have our girls night soon though. Maybe Adam will let you paint his nails instead?" She grinned.
"I think that could be arranged", Adam turned on his best happy face and smiled at Makayla.
"Is Uncle Jay sick too?" The young girl asked suspiciously. Adam discreetly shook his head no in the background.
"No, Uncle Jay's not sick. He's out working with your mom still!" Mouse answered.
"Okay I hope you feel better!" She shouted before running away to play with her doll.
"Thanks guys", Adam said weakly.
"Of course, call us okay Adam? If you need anything", Hailey offered.
He nodded and waved them off. Hailey and Mouse going back to sitting in silence watching TV, feeling all sorts of helpless.
"Kev! Kev look!" Jay shouted as he saw lights flashing in the distance, behind a gate, and took off running towards it, feeling the adrenaline flood his veins. This could be it; this could be the car they've been looking for, but he didn't want to get his hopes up just yet.
Kevin quickly followed behind, drawing his gun, sprinting towards the vehicle.
Jay's heart was pounding out of his chest, more so when he turned the corner and realized this was in the fact the car they've been looking for. The driver's side window was smashed out, glass was all over the place, but he didn't care. All he could focus on was the figure he saw slumped over the steering wheel in the driver's seat.
"It's her, Kevin I got her! Kim! Kim?!" Jay rushed towards his partner, silently praying, begging that she was still alive. He stuck his hand against her neck, trying to find a pulse. He closed his eyes, in hopes it would enhance his sense of touch.
"Does she have a pulse?" Kevin asked petrified, after seeing the gunshot wounds to her stomach.
Jay exhaled and confirmed it. "It's shallow, but it's there. We need to move. Now."
"Kim, Kim if you can hear me, I'm here. It's Jay. And Kevin, we're here", he told her reassuringly, saying it out loud to reassure himself a bit if he was being honest. She had been through hell. It wasn't over yet, not by a long shot.
Kevin quickly pried open the driver's side door and scooped Kim into his arms to get her in the back seat. "I got you Kim, I got you", he kept whispering.
"If this starts, we're going", Jay said referencing to the car. He was fumbling around looking for the keys that had fallen to the floor mats. He found the right one and cranked it, hoping it would start. He looked in the backseat, at Kim, and at how terrified Kevin looked, realizing they needed to go, now. They didn't have much time.
Thankfully, on the second turn they heard the engine come alive. Jay took off, having the wherewithal to use his radio- announcing that they had found her alive, and they were racing to the hospital now. They needed a police escort, and he gave them the vehicle information.
"Come on Kim, stay with us, we got you. Adam and Makayla need you", Jay kept shouting, Kevin echoing similar phrases in the backseat.
Jay pulled up to the emergency room doors, met by his brother and Dr. Marcel, ready to whisk Kim into surgery.
Jay's knees almost buckled when he stood up out of the car. Maggie was lagging behind and saw him. "Come on Jay, you're alright, you got her here in time. Let's get you inside.", she grabbed his elbow to steady him, and lead him and Kevin towards the waiting room.
Before they sat down, Kevin and Jay stood outside the trauma bay curtain, watching them cut Kim's clothes off, seeing the extent of her injuries. They were both shaken up but felt reassured that she was in the best hands now. Jay had a few phone calls to make.
Finally getting back to this after taking a long hiatus…so sorry! Needed to do so for my mental health, life & work has been insane. Just haven't had the energy to write. But I've loved following along with the other Upstead writer's out there, reading your stories has also been a great outlet over the last little while. Thanks to all those still following me and this story- 163 days later to be exact.! I'm cozied up in a cabin up North in Ontario as we speak, it gave me some inspiration. Next chapter coming ASAP. Happy long weekend! - K
