Chapter 19
Jay sat in the waiting room next to Kevin, bouncing his knee so hard that Kevin gently nudged him to stop.
"Sorry", he mumbled.
"It's alright man. You're going to wear a hole in this floor. She's going to be alright", Kevin replied supportively.
"Yeah you're right", Jay said out loud, trying to confidently convince himself of that. He couldn't help but think of all the other abdominal gunshot wounds he's seen that haven't been so lucky.
Adam stormed through the doors not long after, looking a little worse for wear. That might even be a generous term, Jay thought to himself.
"Where is she? Kim Burgess? Is she alright?" He asked to the first white coat he saw.
"I'm sorry sir I don't know, I need to go find her attending", the doctor replied.
"Alright okay yeah, please do", Adam nodded back, locking eyes with Jay and Kevin sitting in the corner and immediately walked over.
"Is she alive? Was she…? When you found her? What was she…", Adam could barely get the words out, Jay and Kevin stood up to support him.
"She was alive when we got to her. Her pulse was weak, she was shot twice in the stomach. She was in bad shape, I'm so sorry. She's in surgery now", Jay told Adam honestly, knowing that sugar coating it would only makes things worse.
Adam sat down, his knees buckling a bit on the way. Jay and Kevin just looked at each other and shook their heads, silently supporting their friend, bracing themselves for a long night ahead to await any news.
(1:18 am) Kev and I found her… she's not in great shape. She was shot twice, she's in surgery now. Will's been out once to give us an update, it's touch and go.
Hailey's heart sunk when she read that text from Jay. She had gone to bed earlier knowing that Jay and his team were still at it. She tried her hardest to stay up and wait to hear from him, but her eyes got heavy and she couldn't fight it anymore. That was until she heard Mouse up around 1 in the morning, a brief shriek woke her up immediately.
She got out of bed and made her way down the hall to find Mouse opening the door to head downstairs for a glass of water.
"You okay?" Hailey whispered, obviously startling her friend, who didn't notice her hanging outside her doorway for a minute. "Sorry", she said sheepishly when she saw him jump again.
"Yeah. Yeah- sorry. I didn't mean to wake you", he replied.
"It's alright", she said softly. "Bad dream?"
He looked at her with a familiar set of shy eyes. "Yeah", he admitted. "Stressful week."
She nodded and flashed him a supportive half grin. "It has been. Want me to sit up with you for a bit?"
Mouse turned his head and smiled at his oldest friend, who always seems to know just exactly what he was feeling, and what he needed.
"If you don't mind. That might help actually", he said a little bashfully.
"Of course. You want to head back to your room, or couch it?" Hailey asked.
Mouse thought about it for a minute. "Couch", he decided, his memory flooding with times in their youth where Hailey would do this for Jay, and for him. It was unexplainably helpful.
Hailey nodded and sat down on the end of their couch, letting Mouse choose where he wanted to sleep. To no surprise, he joined Hailey on the chaise lounge side of the sectional, gently resting his head so that it was brushing against her shoulder. He didn't say anything after that, they didn't need to, it was something that they hadn't done in a while, but still felt so familiar. Hailey laid a blanket over them, as Mouse slowly slipped into sleep again. She stayed awake awhile longer after seeing more texts from Jay.
(2:05 am) I'm going to stay at the hospital until she's awake. We're all here
Hailey replied this time. Of course. Thinking of you guys, Kim is going to pull through.
I hope so. I can't think of the alternative Lails - J
I know…she's in good hands now. I love you - H
I love you too. Wait why are you awake? - J
Mouse is having a bad night, so we're sleeping on the couch. – H
Ahh gotcha. Mouse is in good hands too, although I must say I'm a little jealous of his set up – J
I can't keep my eyes open, please keep me posted on Kim okay. I wish you were home sleeping on the couch with us… - H
Get some sleep. I also wish that- these chairs aren't doing my back any favours xoxo – J
Hailey put her phone down and was asleep within minutes, making a mental note to remember to snuggle Jay as hard as she could the second he was back at home with them.
Mouse only came to once the rest of the night around 4, just a quick sleep mumble. Hailey quickly set her hand on his back. Suddenly, he reached over and grabbed her arm, not in a painful way, but kept mumbling a few more incoherent sentences. She was holding her own breath, hoping it wouldn't escalate farther, and thankfully it didn't. He loosened his grip and instead curled more into her side, his vivid dreaming ending. Her brain was preparing for the worst, she hadn't done this with Mouse in many, many years. He was even more unpredictable than Jay. But the same tricks seemed to work, and he settled.
It was Hailey's turn to be restless after that. She couldn't really fall back into a deep sleep after Mouse had tossed and turned, and she couldn't stop thinking about Jay. Having to sleep in a cold, hard plastic hospital waiting room chair. So, she waited until around 6:30 to sneak out from under Mouse and head upstairs to get ready for the day. She decided she'd get dressed and head over to the hospital, bring some real coffee and food for Intelligence.
"Hailey?" Jay blurted out, thinking his eyes might be deceiving him, he was starting to feel the exhaustion creep in. They still had no news on Kim.
"Hey", she replied, her bright blue eyes locking with his, and he immediately felt calm.
"What are you doing here it's 730 in the morning?" Jay asked confused as he stood up to greet her with a kiss on the cheek, she was holding too many other things in her hands for a proper greeting.
"Figured you guys might want something to eat?" She suggested gently, taking stock at the state of the others. Adam looked like he was about to lose it, both emotionally and physically, at any second, just hanging on by a thread. Kevin was pacing in the corner, pretending that the decorative artwork on the wall was the most fascinating thing he's seen, something to distract his mind maybe. Voight was standing up against the corner of the wall, just perched with his arms in his coat pockets. Waiting anxiously for any update.
"Thanks Hailey", Jay smiled, his stomach grumbling at the smell of the fresh breakfast sandwiches from the deli around the corner from their house. Their house, that made him smile.
Jay, Kevin and Voight all grabbed one and inhaled it accordingly. They couldn't really pinpoint the last time they had eaten anything. Adam stayed in his seat; eyes glued to the automatic doors
of the waiting room, knees bouncing. Jay just shrugged his shoulders when Hailey looked at him questioningly.
Hailey cautiously approached him and sat down in the seat next to his. "You should eat something Adam", she said gently. He looked weary, and very pale.
Adam snapped out of the trance he was in to muster the strength to turn Hailey down. "I'm good, thank you though. I just, just can't- not hungry", he mumbled, shaking his head and went back to staring at the floor. Trying to hold his tears in, unsuccessfully, Hailey noted, but didn't say anything, and just let him be where he was at.
"Alright, well it's here when you're up to it", Hailey whispered, gently setting a hand on Adam's back before getting up to give him some privacy. Jay watching fondly in the distance. Hailey was such a kind soul, gentle, a nurturer by nature. The type of woman who would wake up early to make sure everyone was fed, before having to go to work herself.
"He's looked better", Hailey said concerned, referring to Adam, once she was out of his earshot.
Jay nodded quietly, "Adam loves Kim", he stressed, feeling himself getting choked up again.
To Hailey, that said it all. She could tell there was something between the two of them the moment she met them; they just had that aura about them. Hailey felt her heart tug when she saw Adam sitting there by himself in the corner, trying to discreetly wipe the tears away.
"You okay?" She whispered quietly to Jay, running her hand up and down his back.
"I will be once we know she's made it through", he replied.
"You look wiped Jay", Hailey said as she pulled him in for a hug, feeling the weight of his upper half collapse into hers.
"I am", he admitted softly, Hailey took note of the rare admission of defeat. Jay always had this wall up, ever since they were younger, he never wanted to admit he was hurt, or tired or sick. He tried to have his guard up at all times, show everyone how strong and tough he was. His time in the Rangers only heightened that instinct, which further hurt his mental health when he came back stateside. Him standing here now and being open with her about how he was feeling demonstrated how much progress he's actually made.
Hailey held him there for a while longer, gently cupping the back of his head with one hand, her other rubbing circles in his upper back. She felt his grip tighten around her waist, and his head feeling heavier in the crook of her neck. As he went to pull away, his lips just barely grazed the sweet spot he knew she had on her temple, his breath leaving a trail of goosebumps behind. He smirked at her as he pulled away, feeling satisfied by her physical reaction to his touch. She blushed a little, that just happened in the waiting room of the ED. But she couldn't scold him, it was the first sign of a smile, of life behind his eyes she'd seen in days.
"Later", she smirked back.
He chuckled, but his expression quickly fell when he heard the doors swing open. He rolled his eyes and began to pace again when he realized the doctor that came out wasn't the one giving updates about Kim, another family was hearing news instead.
"How's Mouse doing?" Jay changed the subject, as he and Hailey took a seat in a few chairs.
"He's okay. I left him sleeping on the couch. Just over-tired", Hailey replied in a roundabout way.
"He didn't do anything?" Jay asked further.
Hailey shook her head, "Just some sleep mumbling, grabbed my arm once" … "Gently" she added when she saw Jay's eyes go wide.
"Good, good", he replied.
"It's not going to be like last time Jay. He has us, and he's been seeing a therapist again", Hailey said softly. She didn't want to add to Jay's plate today. She shouldn't have even said anything at all.
"I know. It's just old habit, you know. Mouse didn't feel safe at home. Ever. Especially after coming home when we got hurt. That certainly didn't help his anxiety about being back and everything else that happened. The environment wasn't good. I just want him to feel safe with us", Jay admitted what he was most worried about quietly, Kevin had just sat down closer to them.
"He does. He slept like a baby after we moved to the couch, honestly", she reassured him.
Jay smiled and nodded, checking his watch and suddenly clueing into the time. "Don't you have to be at work?"
"I pushed a few meetings until this afternoon…", Hailey started to explain.
"You didn't have to do that", Jay cut her off.
"I did some other paperwork last night to get ahead. I wanted to be here. Plus, my day is flexible, I'm a partner remember, I can make my own hours to a degree", Hailey's turn to smirk.
"Well aren't we fancy", Jay's joking manner slowly resurfacing. "Thanks for being here", he gave her leg a squeeze.
"Of course Jay", she reached out for his hand and sat in silence for the rest of the hour.
When it felt like time couldn't be passing any slower, Will walked through the doors.
"I have news about Kim."
Back in a timely fashion! A quick filler chapter before we find out what happened to Kim. Can't say I loved the finale, also didn't hate it...Would have obviously loved more Upstead content, but here we are. That's what fanfic is for ;) Have a wonderful weekend to those near and far! - K
