Chapter 7- Can't Afford To
"Everyone can start holding their breath…now," Bradford announced to those in Radiology Room 7, the epicenter and almost starting line of Jay's very long journey ahead. For the last two hours that room had been dead quiet. Apart from the continued slow, steady, but present heartbeat of the monitors letting the world know Jay was still alive, still struggling and trying on planet earth, the rest of the assigned hospital staff were almost honorably silent. Silent for the intricate, delicate work Bradford was tasked with. Silent out of respect for the person underneath all the trauma and dangerous world and his potential future. They all knew this concocted plan was insane, that the chances of Jay making it were far slimmer and minuscule compared to the real odds that he'd make it to Chicago already on the other side of eternal life. What Bradford was attempting to do was basically the impossible. That if by some miracle Jay made it out of this in any sense of being alive, that this wold make textbooks. Medical students would study this for years, they would pour into the whole situation and wonder and debate whether the actions made on this day, and the next several days thereafter, were valid, ethical, and in the best interest of the patient. It was absolutely insane what they were asking of Jay's bleeding, struggling, injured brain. Every fiber of Bradford's medically trained being told him that what he was doing was so very wrong. Putting it in basic terms, he was essentially slapping duct tape on the hull of the sinking titanic and asking it to hang on till they reached the U.S. shoreline. This was a horrid, difficult, almost death wish thing he was performing on Jay right then. The entire time he was weaving patch material through the catheter and guiding things into place, he felt that he was not acting in the best interest of his patient. This was more than patching things up and sending him off to people that could actually save him. This was knowing Jay was unstable, bleeding internally, and choosing to do nothing about it. But as the final sections of the patch on the DAVF were set in place and secured, Bradford closing his eyes at the realization that he'd completed the first chunk of this nightmare trek back to the States, he wished and willed and prayed there was another way around this.
"Pressure is still stable," a tech finally spoke up into the room, taking the cue that if Bradford spoke then speaking was allowed once again. Bradford could only nod, still keeping his eyes closed as he listened and felt the moment. Mentally he was telling Jay to hold on, that now was not the time to mess around and try out new and dangerous things. They were doing everything they could to help him, now was his time to extend some grace and leniency in this story. It was all give and take. They were giving him this ridiculous chance at getting home alive and being treated with the very best care he could ever get. Jay needed to take that assistance and hang on like they all were pleading for. Eventually Bradford reopened his eyes, looked around the room, finding the strength to nod and accept the craziness that would be the next coming days. It took everything to not ask for a scalpel and drill and begin the process of a craniotomy; it's truly what Jay needed right now. He knew he could do it, that with adrenaline and sheer will he could fix all of this and Jay would be totally fine. But reality came flooding in next. He was skilled, but no one in the history of medicine had tackled anything of this magnitude, let alone in a place like this with very little surgical help and proper equipment to complete the task. Even after that, Jay was going to need serious ICU assistance and oversight and that just wasn't possible where they were. So as much as this whole step in the treatment felt to be very wrong, deep down in his very core of cores Bradford knew that getting him out of the country and back to a place where they truly could give him a fighting chance was what was best for him. Despite his hatred and fear for what could possible come, he knew he had to get this show on the road, on a plane, and in twelve plus hours from now wish the other side was ready and willing to accept and help them all out. That was the mission and that was the goal. Bradford was not about to slow things down now. The race was truly on.
"Tape and gauze to me," Bradford quickly spoke, nodding a thanks as he taped the catheter to Jay's leg before shielding it from the outside world and all its dangerous bacteria and whatever could seep into this now exposed area. On the off chance Jay needed treatment and access to things during surgery or thereafter, Bradford wanted to keep this port open and easy for someone to get to. It was scary, leaving something like that attached and inside a patient, but in the long term he knew it was best. He just prayed Jay was never awake and aware of the thing inside of him. Eventually the anesthetic would wear off and he'd be fully aware of the tube sticking out just above his manhood region, that being a very uncomfortable thing to feel and be aware of. But it was required in the attempt to save his life. One day Jay would thank him for it, Bradford willed himself to believe as he made sure everything was secured and safe before commanding that things get readied for Jay's move back to the helipad. Yes, despite his hatred for that death trap of a helicopter, they were going to have one more ride before getting out of the country. Jay wasn't stable enough to be loaded into an ambulance and the ride from the hospital to the private airstrip, gifted to the U.S. embassy by Bolivia, was too long. They were seriously running against a clock that no one knew the expiration time of, so every second and minute they could save they were going to take. The loose plan was to get Jay, Bradford and the others on the chopper, take off from the hospital and land on the runway before transferring Jay to the awaiting medic plane and take off for Chicago. It all sounded so simple, but oh the delicate and frantic tasks that awaited them in between everything.
Bradford was quick in removing all his PPE, ripping off the gown and gloves and mask as Jay was also in a transition stage. The drapes and equipment and everything that had been shielding him from the world for the past couple of hours were removed in no time at all, revealing to the world a stark reminder of just how bad he looked right then. Bradford paused his removal of things to take in his patient, sighing very quickly as he noted just how lifeless he was. Three hours ago he was jogging to Bradford, calling him by name and asking for two Advil. Now, the everything that was on him and the complete lack of movement or signs of life made Bradford shutter. He was every reminded of why patients were obscured from family, even from doctors as they operated and worked and tried to help save them. In order to be a good doctor, surgeon, anything, you needed to remove the human element of it all. Because doctors are trained to see an issue and fix it, but no one ever teaches you how to operate and handle a patient that you'd come to know, had many conversations with, were living in close quarters with for a period of time. For a split second Bradford was almost emotional, allow himself those couple blinks of feeling things out and allowing himself that hurt and shock of where things were just then. He didn't know if Jay was going to make it through all of this. He couldn't shake the fact he'd been such a jerk to the guy for absolutely no reason. His anger and disappointment weren't targeted at Jay, but the fact he'd been so off and rude to him, he feared that that was why Jay was so afraid and nervous in his final moments of consciousness. A man that he figured hated him was now his only saving grace. Bradford had never been more guilt ridden in his life. If Jay made it to the other side of this, when Jay made it to the other side of this, Bradford made a pact with himself that he make things right. But first, they had to get there. Enough of the standing around and thinking. Jay's clock was ticking, fast.
"He's good to go," Bradford asked those that were prepping Jay, nodding as a third blanket was draped over Jay's still body. Bradford watched as Jay was transferred from procedure table to the gurney, along with his body being gingerly placed in the middle of the flat surface, all his IV bags, devices, scanners, and yards of IV lines and sensor chords were tucked into place, the final piece being the ventilator that was unhooked from the breathing tube and the bag returning, pushing life back into his lungs.
"Do we know if the plane is going to have a ventilator," Bradford asked as the brakes on the gurney were undone and everyone starting to move for the exits.
"Yeah, it should. It's standard on those medivac planes," one of the embassy medical staff instructed. Bradford curtly nodded, leading the team of people for the exit as fast and calmly as he could. They were out in the hallway in no time, being met by a freaked out and frazzled Eric who was coupled with a very distraught and depressed Jake in tow. Both looked to have been sitting on the floor, their near stumbling over their feet as they rose up as fast as they could evidence of that. It finally clicked with Bradford that Jake was still in a bulletproof vest, combat boots, looking to be on the verge of taking off on his maiden mission. Amazing how quickly all of them aborted that idea. No one had dared to ask if things were still green lit, or if they could complete things without their leader. The drug lord was going about his day not having a clue he was on the verge of being arrested that early afternoon. Evil was winning on many fronts right then. Furthermore, none of them saw him as being the commander of this day. The plan was to be elbow deep in evidence and interrogations right about now. Instead, they were here, willing Jay to live. None of this made sense, but here they were.
"How is he," Eric nervously asked, the sweat beading off his ghostly pale face as Jake could only scuff the toe of his boot against the hospital floor. Bradford shook his head, motioning for the two of them to get out of the way as he tried to keep things moving along. Enough of the hold ups, Jay needed to be in the air, on his way home, two hours ago. Honestly Bradford was over people not stressing and realizing how desperate all of this was.
"He's holding, but he's not great," Bradford told the chief of station, walking right past him as Jay and the medical staff were close behind. Eric and Jake took up the rear, almost yelling as Bradford dared to not slow down.
"What about the patch thing," Eric inquired. Bradford, hit the elevator button four, five times in a row as he nodded an answer.
"They're both in there. But I don't know how long that's going to hold. Is everything ready for us to leave," he shot back at Eric. It was his turn to ask about things. Honestly he didn't know how Eric could operate so worried and freaked out. He was in charge of this whole thing, he needed to be the calm and collected one as he lined things up for a smooth transition from injury to treatment to evacuation. Why Bradford was the one getting things initiated was beyond him at that point.
"Yes, they're waiting for your arrival," Eric called as the elevator opened and Bradford, Jay, everyone was pushed on.
"Take the next one," Bradford replied as the doors began to close, at that moment he was fine if Jake and Eric got left behind. He needed calm people, he needed people that could move and act be level headed right then. Because he knew his controlled state would crumble at some point, that the emotions and trauma of his past would catch up. Twelve hours was a very long flight and he was looking at a very lengthy, challenging surgery just on the cusp of landing and getting to a foreign place and OR. So the last thing he needed was people around him acting in a way he was fighting off internally. So when the elevator doors chimed and flew open, Bradford didn't slow down as they all walked as fast as they could to the chopper. Bradford was the first to climb back on the metal bird, yelling at the staff to hurry along and get Jay in and secured. Eric was jogging up just as the blades been whirling and spinning into gear, Jake was hot on his heels. Bradford did his best to hide the eye roll and grunts of frustration as the two stragglers managed to push their way onto the chopper.
"Thank you," Bradford called to the medical staff once everything was in an secured and he was back to bagging air into Jay's lungs. Those left behind nodded, waved, stepped back as the blades above them spun faster and stronger and harder to the point air began tucking underneath and propelling them off that helipad. Bradford dared to not look at Eric or Jake, not needing the umpteenth reminder that they were freaked out and scared half to death over Jay's situation. He knew it was insane and a massive gamble they were all holding their breath on. But sometimes, history making moments were rooted in betting on the impossible. Plus, it wasn't Jay Halstead if the story didn't include a flair for the dramatics. With one hand bagging Jay, Bradford used a free hand to click on the radio part of his headset, waiting till the pilot recognized his request to speak.
"Go for Bradford," they cued to the passengers in the back.
"Bradford to pilot, how far out are we away from the plane?"
"Pilot to Bradford, should be landing in twenty minutes." Bradford clicked twice that he copied, silence filling that chopper the entire way. He still couldn't bring himself to look at Jay's face, at all that was on him, they were way too early in this thing to even think about bringing that human aspect back into this. And so he kept counting to three, kept squeezing air into that breathing tube, all while trying to stave off the panic and fear and realization that most likely by the time they landed in Chicago his whole life story was going to be front and center. Those twenty minutes felt to double, triple even. The waning moments of life in Bolivia flew under Jay very quietly. It's a shame he never got to say goodbye, never got to appreciate it all and understand that he was leaving. Instead it was a very quiet, somber, eerie flight out of La Paz. They never knew if Jay would ever see this place again. Just as quickly as he arrived, it was all over.
…
They landed in a very uneventful manner. A rocky return to solid ground, but one where everyone was safe and as steady as they could be. Once he was certain they were down, the sound of the blades finally slowing their speed confirmation of that, Bradford dared to look out the window. He never had an issue with flying before, but the two helicopter rides today were enough to last him a very long time. Numerous times between the hospital and private airstrip Bradford was certain things were going to spin out of control, rattle to the point of nuts and bolts flying out of place, hearing the chopper groaning and rattling as they rose and descended over the city and terrain and anything else that was underneath; and don't even get him started on the wind that whipped against the sides of the helicopter. Jay was the lucky passenger in that whole ordeal. Because despite being in desperate need of brain surgery and proper medical attention, at least he didn't have to endure the nightmare that was an aged helicopter ride through Bolvian skies shortly after a hurricane.
But looking out the very small and limited windows, Bradford was taken aback at the landscape around them. It felt like the airstrip was carved out of the mountain range, a perfectly flat, single long strip of land nestled dead center in between huge daunting mountains. The greenery around them was breath taking, the lush nature seeming to tuck everything in to place and sway them into thinking this was a quiet, peaceful country to be in. His quick couple seconds of looking around came to a very sudden yet welcomed end as the doors in front swung open wide, more hands and faces willing to aid them in their next to impossible mission.
"How's he doing," one of the medivac personnel asked, not bothering to make an official announcement or greeting of the newcomers. Time was of the essence now and for once, Bradford was happy to be with people who understood that.
"Pressure is lower then when we took off from the hospital, but it's hanging in there. Still no signs of consciousness. Brain waves are dropping but there. He's still in a coma." The unnamed medic nodded his head, reaching under the blankets and medical devices to find Jay's left wrist. Once he found it he wrapped and taped a plastic medical bracelet around said wrist. Jay was now the proud owner of a band that read 'Medical Evacuation Patient.' It was a seriously bright red band typed in very bold font. It was the first of many identifiers Jay would own before this whole thing came to some form of a close. Blankets were tucked back into place before the same guy put one around Bradford's right wrist, that one reading 'Medical Evacuation Provider.' Same color, same font, but confirmation that he was stamped for clearance on the flight back to the States. Eric and Jake seemed to be waiting on their bands, sitting back and watching with slight annoyance and surprise when one never came their way.
"Sorry, orders were to take the patient and his doctor out of here. Embassy says you guys have to hold back," the guy yelled to them as more unfamiliar people dove in and grabbed Jay from the chopper.
"So where do we say goodbye," Eric asked as Jay was out in the world first, Bradford not waiting a second to get out. He never wanted to see this place, this chopper, and quite frankly these people ever again. He was fully aware that he was living life with a growing list of places to never see again, but out of self preservation he didn't care. Too much shock and horror happened here today. He totally expected Jay, if he made it out of here alive, to never come to Bolivia ever again. But that was for Jay to decide for himself. First, Bradford had to get him to that point of making that choice. Eyes forward, staying the course, that was the fuel propelling Bradford through this thing.
"You can see him get on the plane and say your goodbyes there. But we need to be fast," the guy yelled as everyone began the fifty yard jog from the chopper to the plane. The plane in front of them was huge, massive, enough to make you feel incredibly small. It needed to be huge, the fuel cells needing to be big enough to fly anyone to almost any corner in the world at any given moment. As Bradford jogged along, doing his very best to distract himself from their next mode of transportation, he couldn't help but feel a tinge of uneasiness. This felt like straight out of a Bond movie, or Mission Impossible scene. He'd heard of these planes before, but seeing it all in person and knowing that he'd be on it before too long, he was both impressed that the U.S. military had this sort of thing on standby, and wondered why they couldn't just do the surgery while en route to Chicago. But then turbulence came to mind, not to mention the equipment and flammable materials that were typically used during such an operation. Just the right amount of pressure or accidental bump and they'd be the next Hindenburg. But thankfully the world around them took his gaze away from the equipment that was looming large and instead focused on the world that was encasing this horrid day.
The one thing he would miss about Boliva were the stunning skies. Every morning when he got up well before the rest of the team, Bradford would take his morning coffee out on the back porch, sitting on the wooden railing as he sipped and stared up at the works of art that dazzled and beckoned the new day in. The pinks and reds and deep blues of nightfall's clouds being pushed out by the radiance of the rising sun. They were such a stunning and perfect counterpart to the deep and vast and dark greens of the mountains around them. The contrasting color and depths truly made for absolutely marvelous and magnificent works of art. He would take endless morning skies that like over any painting in any art museum in the world. But today, as they were just steps away from the ramp of the medivac plane, the skies of Bolivia were doing their very best to send them off, to remind them of the breath taking world they were about to depart from forever. Swearing on his life, rays of sunlight seemed to be beaming through the mountain ranges of clouds, creating this almost Heavenly call to Jay, to himself, to whoever to come home. The dark greys and blacks and whites of the hurricane's lingering storm clouds were streaking by above them. Their movement so fast and constantly evolving that it made for mostly cloudy skies with the occasional, single beam from Heaven down to them, a call from above that they'd done their best, they completed their mission, and now it was time to answer the call to return home. Bradford was first struck by the beauty of the world above them, but when Jay dropped unexpectedly he could only grit his teeth in annoyance and hatred. He was not giving up now. Jay was not allowed to quit this thing called life right about now. They were so close to getting him off this continent. Bradford was not throwing in the towel now.
"Out of the way," he commanded those between him and Jay. They were being shadowed by the upper lip of the plane, they were that close to being on board. Jay's pressure had dropped, his heart racing and everything seeming to be slipping deeper and deeper into the dark world of eternity.
"Epi in, now," Bradford called to someone, hoping that was somewhere in grasp and quickly being given to the person in need. They called for another round of epinephrine, more fluids, and other drugs with lengthy names and magical healing powers. Bradford fought, keeping his eye steady on the ECG monitor the whole time. So long as Jay had brain waves, he was with them. They struggled with his blood pressure for five more minutes, a steady sinus rhythm rewarding them for their efforts.
"We need to sedate him, slow his heart down to give him a fighting chance," Bradford told the medivac doctor and nurses as they pushed themselves deeper into the big plane. They all agreed to the plan. It was a gamble, but then again when wasn't any step of this insane plan. By slowing things down it took pressure off Jay's brain, heart, all the vital things he'd need once they got him into an OR. They understood that by doing this they could miss big health setbacks, or pull him off the drugs and he'd be in too deep of a coma to ever make a meaningful recovery. But it had to be done. So as the cocktail that would send Jay off into the beautiful and peaceful world of deep sedation, not that he wasn't already in a realm of that of his own doing, Bradford looked back to his now former boss and the little assistant, both petrified and standing at the mouth of the plane. The fear was all over them, the two of them realizing this was goodbye. None of them knew if they'd ever see each other again. But all of them understood this was the end, the last seconds of the adventure with Jay had arrived.
"Come on, before we sedate him you guys can say goodbye," Bradford motioned, not moving an inch as Eric and Jake solemnly walked towards Jay. Eric just stood at the foot of Jay's now locked in gurney. His sergeant was gone, was unaware of anything happening to him, just looking at him was terrifying in and of itself. The breathing tube, the wires and IVs that poked out from under blankets and a hospital gown told a harrowing tale of someone dying. He almost felt guilty for bringing the guy down here, feeling that in some way this horrible accident was his fault. He felt bad for yelling at him for going on a run this morning, a rare and almost out of place chuckle slipped out of his mouth as he thought back to this morning. How on earth you went from running a half marathon to being in a deep coma was beyond his understanding.
"Take care of him," was all he could muster up before stepping back and letting Jake have his moment. The kid was a blubbering mess, unable to say a word as the tears streamed down his face. He stood there for a little over a minute before nodding, wiping his tears away as he looked to Bradford for some kind of confirmation that everything would be okay.
"We're gunna get him home," was all Bradford could come up with. He didn't want to make promises he couldn't keep. No one knew what was going to happen on the other end of all of this. No one had ever ventured down this path before. It was very scary, uncertain, and one they never wanted to find themselves in ever again. Bradford took the syringe that would knock Jay completely out, watching in quiet as the vial emptied its contents into one of Jay's IVs. In no time at all the heart monitor, ECG monitor, and all of Jay's vitals slowed down to a near crawl. To Eric and Jake it was the scariest thing they'd ever witnessed in their lives. But to the rest of the medical staff they almost breathed a sigh of relief. The damper had been set, the second patch was taking effect on the situation. Now it was time get the heck out of Bolivia.
"Buckle up," the medivac doctor told Bradford and the others as Eric and Jake ran off the plane so they could take off. A single wave to those two was Bradford's final act before the doors closed and latched shut. When they saw earth again and breathed free air, they'd be back in the United States. They'd be home.
"Hang in there brother," Bradford spoke to a very comatose Jay as the plane rocketed down the runway and took off, Bradford doing his best to breathe as the ground was no longer under them. They were on their way now. Next stop, judgement.
…
"They're in the air," Will spoke into the car, making a quick glance over at Hailey who didn't react to his declaration. It had been a very overwhelming, paper signing and information overloading last couple of hours. Jay's life was basically signed away to this stranger named Tyson Bradford and Dr. Abrams. Literally from the moment they touched down on Chicago soil till if, whenever Jay was deemed medically healed enough to leave the hospital, all power and authority was handed over to the doctor arriving with him and the staff at Med. They knew how he was getting from Midway to Med. They knew he already had OR 6 signed off to his very lengthy and major craniotomy. Oh yes, they already deemed the exact kind of scary brain operation he was going to undergo. Apparently his case wasn't going to require the standard, minimal approach. On top of developing a rare and deadly brain abnormality, he was going to need the even rarer treatment of a fully open operation. Let's also not forget the treatment of the rupturing aneurysm. Once he made it through that massive hurdle he'd be sent off to the ICU till further notice, even after he advanced to being off of that floor he already had a room on the neuro step down department awaiting his hopeful arrival. Medical staff, the best ICU doctors and nurses and neuro people were told to be waiting for the man of the hour to get to them. So much was laid out, so much was banking on Jay making it to them alive and with enough life in him to progress from one room to the next. By the time it was all laid out to Hailey, simply waiting for her signature on it all, she felt like an emotionless person. Her whole soul and ability to think and feel had escaped her. She'd never been so lost and on autopilot in her life. The more they talked and planned the less she maintained the human elements and feelings of this all. At this very moment in time her husband was a shell, a game they all were betting on. Oh she'd been told of the potential history being made on this day and the days thereafter, that he would be visited by many a doctor and nurse, all trying to witness and marvel over the medical mystery and horror that was Jay's brain right now. Should he make it through this he would be the worst case scenario in other people's dark days. That if he could make it through the most difficult diagnosis in medical history, then anyone else could stay the course and survive their fate. She was not looking forward to any of this, but signed away. It was her husband after all, there wasn't another option. But once the papers were signed and people scattered all over the hospital to make the arrangements, to get approval and make sure every step of Jay's journey was ready for his impending arrival, Hailey was left to deal with the consequences of her actions.
She indeed cried again, and sobbed onto Will's shoulder as he allowed her that space and moment to feel things out. He got it, understood that they were doing so much so quickly, that no one was appreciating or sympathizing with the fact it was Jay. But this was the proper course of action, you needed to take the human side of things out when plans like this were made. Big things like this needed to be done quickly and soundly, the emotions could come when the time was right. Once she died down enough to wipe the tears away, revealing an overly blotchy face and puffy eyes, Will knew she could not sit in this place while they waited. She needed to be with him, but somewhere that she felt safe, or secure enough to rest. Will helped her gather herself up enough to make it to his car, there she planted herself in his passenger seat, not bothering to buckle the seatbelt or adjust herself to be more comfortable. Instead her eyes were locked on the world outside her passenger window. Seeming to be willing Jay to fall out of the sky. She knew he was up there, somewhere very far away but coming to her. It would take time, but he was coming. That was the plan and she be dammed if they didn't stick to things.
"Hailey, did you hear me," Will asked once more, shocked that she didn't even flinch at the news. He was bobbing between lights and cars and glancing back at her. He didn't know where they were going. He thought about going back to his place, but she'd barely been to his apartment enough to where she'd be comfortable. Her place, their place, felt more accurate but Will didn't know if that would set her off, make her feel worse instead of relatively at ease given everything else. So instead they just drove around the city, almost like they were doing one of those tourist bus tours. There was no final destination at the time of the text announcing Jay was in the sky. Will was honestly waiting for a sign, a word, something to point him in the direction of next steps. Both were a bit lost at that point in time.
"Pull over up here," Hailey spoke so quietly that Will only picked up a couple syllables at first.
"What," he asked once more, truly wanting to listen and react, but he didn't know if she asked for him to stop or for him to clarify things once again. It was her picked up breathing, her grabbing of her stomach that made him find the closest place to pull over. He barely put the car in park before she got out, doubled over so that her puke just missed the frame of the car. She sat there dry heaving at first before spit, bile, very small amounts of stuff came out of her. She hadn't fully left the car, was straddling the edge of the passenger seat, her feet resting on the bottom of the door frame as her stomach felt to be sunken into her knees and thighs. She couldn't hold in the dread and fear and worry anymore. The only saving grace in all of this was that she hadn't eaten at all that day, so there wasn't anything coming out of her. This was more of a reaction to the stress of the day than an impending virus. Will did his best to reach over and pat her back, offering some kind of comfort and solace, but each time he'd touch her she'd reach behind and swat him away. She wasn't some needy, emotional wreck of a person. She was Hailey fucking Upton. There was nothing she couldn't handle. Even despite the last few seconds saying otherwise, and the fact she was making a proper scene for whoever was walking up and down the sidewalks of Jewelers Row, she was confident that this would pass.
"I'm so sorry," Will spoke up only when Hailey returned to sitting up, swinging herself to being fully back in the car before shutting the door. Since they weren't in a moving lane the two of them just kind of sat there for a minute or two, looking out and around at things, at buildings, at people, but not talking or even acknowledging each other. Will wasn't sure what was going on and Hailey just didn't have it in her to speak. So there was silence in the car, followed by more silence as Hailey took in their location. She'd been down here a bunch of times, but all of it was surrounding work. She'd never been to Jewelers Row for fun, didn't understand why people, tourists more specifically, came here. As the name suggested, the finest and longest standing jewelers were here. It wasn't anything like Rodeo Drive in Los Angeles, nor was it was the super high end shops on 5th Avenue in New York City. But it was a solid section of the city and people often came to look at the shop windows, and break into closed stores late at night. That's what had been keeping her busy whenever she came down here. Even having been engaged and married they never made a stop down here, didn't even come to either of their minds. The L rattled and put sparks off up above them, causing Hailey to jump, quickly look up at the train flying over their heads. It was so loud, so close that it overtook any thought process she was having in her mind. She closed her eyes, willed for it to be gone, and as soon as she opened her eyes the wish was granted. That was when her eyes took her a little further down the sidewalk, clocking a fun sign hanging over a building entrance.
"What's Goddess and the Baker," she finally spoke, that one perking Will up. At last, she spoke something. Before he could answer or research the place in question Hailey was reopening her door and getting out.
"Hey, Hailey! Where are you going?" Hailey didn't bother asking if it was something he wanted. She didn't know what she was doing or what this place was going to be. She saw a sign, she was intrigued, and she went after it. None of this would make sense to sane people, but then again Hailey found herself in the middle an insane time. There were no rules at this point. Will made sure he was in a legal parking spot before getting out and feeding the parking meter.
"Hailey, wait," he called down to her, watching her walk towards the mystery sign in almost a zombie-like fashion. Her pace was so steady and straight that he seriously thought she was catatonic at this point, fearful for what she'd do whenever she reached her destination. He watched her walk into the establishment before taking off in a near sprint to catch up. He too wasn't aware of where they were going, but calmed down just a little when he discovered it was a cafe. A very cute and girly cafe, but at least Hailey was somewhere she could sit, eat, and see life happening all around her. The last thing she needed was more silence, more space to think and be focused on Jay. Will clocked her at the counter, watching her almost bending backwards at a ninety degree angle as she scanned the menu over and over again. Pushing his way to meet up with her he could here her pausing, apologizing for taking so long to order. The poor cashier on the other side seemed to be okay with her slow behavior. Even in the middle of the day this place was packed, Will wondering why all these people weren't in school or work or somewhere else. He could feel the tension growing behind him as people began to stamp there feet, internally willing Hailey to hurry up keep the line moving.
"I will have…" she eventually began, still dragging the words out of her mouth as she kept scanning and scanning.
"The Killer Bee latte…and Bourbon Praline Latte. You want that one," she asked, turning to look back at Will who could only blink through massive eyes. She took his silence as acceptance.
"And then the yogurt parfait. The crunchy berry oatmeal, cause I know you like that," she joked with Will, going so far as to poke his stomach while she giggled. Honestly Will wasn't sure if she was drunk, depressed, or drugged. Sheepishly chuckling along with her behavior he glanced over at the cashier, mouthing how sorry he was as Hailey kept rattling things off.
"And then the morning sandwich, the Leo omelette, croissant chocolate, a cinnamon roll. No wait, make that two. A slice of rainbow cake and carrot cake and.."
"-Hailey," he got out before she whipped her head around to face him, give him a death stare he dared to not cross again. There were two things he knew to never go up against: Jay Halstead when he was hellbent on something, and a woman who was emotionally distraught. Will put his hands up in surrender as she didn't bat an eyelash and command him to leave.
"Go find us a table. Now," she barked. Will didn't say anything else, didn't even offer to pay, he just slunk off before she got physical. He knew she'd never get that far, but at this stage of everything he wasn't going to put anything past her. He did manage to get a table for the two of them close to the window, clearing left behind dishes away before finding a disposable wipe and cleaning everything off, he was just about to take a seat when she found him; straddling two coffee cups on saucers that were filled to the brim.
"Here, let me help," he spoke up, taking one of the lattes out of her hand before pulling her seat out enough for her to sit down.
"Hungry," he spoke up. He knew to never comment on what women eat or how much of it, but he wanted her to know that he felt this was all very out of character for her. Hailey narrowed her eyes at him, giving off some serious lasers his way as she sipped her Killer Bee latte. Will threw his hands up in surrender.
"Hey, I'm just trying to help." His proverbial white flag allowed her to put the daggers down some, returning her coffee mug to its saucer before looking out the window.
"It's a nice day out," she spoke, not losing focus on the people walking past the window. Oh to be them, to be so focused on silly and mundane things. She bet none of them were waiting for their husbands to be dropped out of the sky before getting whisked off to surgery. At that moment she prayed for the most boring life in the world.
"Yeah," Will chimed in, taking the bourbon whatever drink to his lips and sipping. Either there was too much alcohol in the drink, or it was way too early in the day to be consuming something that strong. But Will choked on the latte a little, immediately putting the drink back where it belonged before getting up in search of a water bottle.
"You good," Hailey asked once he'd returned with a paid for water bottle. Will sighed, taking a seat before reaching over and gently placing a hand on top of hers. This whole aimless wandering and emotional roller coaster had to end. The true Hailey Upton that had managed to arrive at Med and deliver some serious news needed to float back down to earth.
"Hailey," he nervously yet seriously called to her, not moving or losing his gaze on her till she peeled herself away from the window. Only when the food arrived did she finally cave.
"What," she asked rather annoyed. Will could see the tears welling up in her eyes, feel the shake in her hands. She was putting on a rather brave face as the waiter put the four course meals worth of food on their very tiny table. Will thanked the poor guy once the rubric's cube of laying things out was complete. She sniffed away a tear, using her shoulder to grab one that escaped as Will just looked on. She was a mess, there was no escaping it.
"We need to come up with a plan," he calmly and quietly spoke right at her, watching as she gave up the fight over the emotions. She wasn't a ball of sobbing like back at Med, but the tears were quietly falling to her lap as her bright blue eyes welled up as she continued to look at him.
"We did, Will." Her voice cracked over the tears, sniffing and breathing through her mouth as she waited for him to answer.
"You're right, we did. But we need to figure things out now. Like what we need to do between now and when he arrives." Hailey knew this to be true, that whenever Jay got there they needed to be somewhat presentable and ready for him. They couldn't sit at the hospital all day, nor was driving around for twelve hours going to amount to anything good. She knew all of this, but doing anything back at that apartment was going to be too much right now.
"Well, we could start eating," she did her best to joke. Will smirked at her attempt at humor, but also now grabbed her hand so the two of them were locked in.
"I'm glad to see you have an appetite again," he replied.
"What are you talking about? I've been eating."
"Hailey, you're clothes are nearly hanging off of you. You do not look well. You look like and are acting like you've been through hell."
"Because I have been, Will." That got her voice raised a little there. Not enough to make people stop their eating, but made Will shake her hand a little, a gentle reminder that they were in public and this wasn't the place for that.
"He just left. He left without running things by me," she quietly cried, now the tears were picking up more, her voice shaking and breaths quickening as he nodded.
"I know, and I get why you are so upset."
"The last thing he texted was that he was going for a run. And now this?!" She pulled her hand out of Will's grasp, diving for the napkin on the table as she blotted her eyes, doing her very best to not completely lose it. She was truly kicking herself for bringing them to such a public space.
"And now this?! All of this," she eventually spoke up once things were a little more under control. More nodding from Will, forking the cinnamon roll before speaking up.
"Hailey, I know none of this makes sense right now. But you need to know he loves you and I can promise you he wasn't thinking anything bad before this all happened. This whole thing doesn't make any sense. I don't know why this happened to him. But right now, we need to be brave for him. We need to make sure we do everything in our power to get him here and get him through this. Okay?!" He was the human image of a puppy dog, his eyes sad and mega round as he looked at her with what Hailey jokingly referred to as pouty lips. His attempt at reassurance with his sister-in-law was a massive fail, but she appreciated his attempt to make her feel better, to recenter her. Plus, she had to admit that he was right.
"Thank you, Will," she spoke while grabbing a spoon, digging into the yogurt parfait and pulling out a massive bite. No one was going to catch her eating dainty bites of anything, ever.
"You're right. We need to come up with a plan," she spoke with a very full mouth, that being Will's cue to keep eating.
"Where's his truck," Will also spoke with a very full mouth. It was apparently the thing to do right about now.
"Still at the airport," she swallowed with.
"Which airport?"
"O'Hare. I haven't had the time to get out there." Will just eyed her, they both knew the truth.
"And…I can't bring myself to pick it up. Plus, I'm all by myself and I can't drive two cars back into the city," she was quick to protest.
"Hailey.."
"-I know, I'm not alone. But you get what I mean." The two of them ate several more bites, moving to their second selected dish before Will went back to brainstorming ideas.
"How about after this, we go to O'Hare, pick up the truck, and then we go back to your place." Hailey eyes went huge, gulping loud enough for all to hear as she remembered the state of the apartment. Had she known all of this was going to go down today she would've at least taken the trash out.
"Or we can go back to my place," Will was quick to backtrack with.
"No, we can to go my place," she sighed, fully embracing the wrath or sympathy that was going to come her way very soon.
"Plus we should probably pack a bag for him."
"He still has stuff there?"
"Yeah, he didn't bring everything. There's no way it would've all fit in his duffle bag." Will snorted, rolling his eyes and chuckling agreement. For as simple as his brother's wardrobe always seemed to be, he was never lacking shelf space or clothing options.
"Sounds like a great plan. And we should probably try and sleep a little before they land," Will finished with. Hailey could only nod, realizing that as awful as it would be to sleep while Jay was traveling, they both knew they'd need the rest. Because, Lord willing, it was going to be a very long time before any of them got the chance to rest with Jay. That was the key: with him on the other side of it all.
…
"You're sure its in here?"
"I told you I could just walk into the airport, go through baggage claim and then get out to the parking deck."
"Stop it, no way I'm letting you do all of that just to save a couple bucks. We're gunna find it," Will insisted as they rounded another row of cars, another level in the parking deck. They'd been at this just long enough to where Will was getting annoyed and Hailey started getting worried that something happened to Jay's prized vehicle. She knew he'd parked it in the international long-term parking deck, but beyond that she was clueless on where to go. As they continued to spin round and round, eyes glued to the vehicles parked on either side of the aisles, Hailey wished that she'd kept the tracker of the truck on. The more they didn't see it, the more uneasy she felt. Jay would kill her if anything happened to his baby. Even if he never planned on landing in Chicago ever again, she knew that he'd be devastated if anything happened. Thus the reason she knew she could never sell it. Thus the reason she'd put off getting the truck out of O'Hare's international parking deck. There were plenty of reasons why she'd put it off, but part of it had to do with not knowing where to keep it once it was back at their apartment. They had street parking, so taking up a spot for the rest of time wasn't going to go over well with anyone. She could put it in storage, but even then she didn't know if that was a thing or how costly that all would be to store something that possibly had a nonexistent end date.
"Still nothing," Will asked, pulling Hailey out of her day dreaming and back to the current situation. They were looking for Jay's ride and he was on his way home in whatever capacity that may be. Hailey clicked the extra keys one more time, sighing as none of the vehicles around them went off.
"Nothing. For all we know he parked it way on the top level."
"And get ruined by the sun and weather? No chance of that. It's in here, we'll find it," Will encouraged, slowly spinning the car to the left once more as they found a new row of vehicles to scour.
"Just hope nothing happened to it," she mumbled under her breath.
"Don't even put that thought out there," Will spoke up, both of them rolling their eyes and chuckling. The wrath of Jay was never a pretty one. But do anything to cross his baby and it just amped things up to a whole other level. They went row by row, clicking the key over and over again, getting nothing for their efforts. Will kept insisting that they make sure the truck was actually here while Hailey reminded him that this was the only spot to leave a car for international travel. It was here or he'd drowned it in the river, both knowing that was an incredibly unlikely idea. They kept at it for another two, three minutes before Hailey gasped rather excitedly, Will slamming on the brakes so fast and out of nowhere that Hailey had to brace herself on the dash to avoid slamming her head into it. She clicked the keys one more time, getting that all too familiar chime echoing into the garage, hitting nostalgia buttons all over her person. Perhaps nostalgia was a bit of a stretch, given that it had only been a couple weeks since he'd left. But still, being where they were now two weeks felt like two years ago.
"There it is," Will announced. It wasn't at all necessary, but Hailey appreciated his enthusiasm and delight in their search coming to a close. No one moved for a couple seconds, taking in the fact that the truck had been here, safe and sound and tucked quietly away in a corner of this parking lot this whole time. What kept Hailey from moving was the truth that the last person to touch the truck was him, on that day. Something about that made her feel eerie, like they were touching evidence after a crime or something. It felt wrong that he didn't ask her, or either of them, to move it. It felt even more wrong to be taking something without him realizing it. Part of her wanted to leave the truck there, keep it encapsulated in the memories and smells and air that he left it in that day. If they didn't touch it, then perhaps reality wouldn't catch up with them. But who was she kidding, it was just a vehicle. They came all the way out here to get his truck and they were not about to turn around and go back home empty handed.
"Are you going to go," Will nudged, Hailey tensing a little at the question. She slowly nodded, eventually putting a hand on the passenger door handle before holding things up again.
"You know, I can drive it if you aren't ready," Will offered, Hailey wasn't having any of that. She recalled the random, pointless conversation they had late one night in the middle of a very boring stake out.
"I love Will and all, but he's never allowed to drive this," she could hear Jay speaking right next to her, her mind drifting right back to that very conversation. It was crazy what the brain could tuck away, how it could perfectly store everything and know exactly when to bring those feelings and memories right back into things. She could see him sitting in the driver's seat, the beanie on his head and the multiple layers stuffed into his heavier winter coat. The jeans and boots were out of sight but she knew that was what completed the outfit. The coffee he was drinking that night, the way he was so relaxed and happy and healthy. The finally straw that made her do a double take was that Will was eventually replaced by memory Jay. She watched in quiet horror and comfort as he took a sip of the coffee and put it back down in the cup holder, his eyes never leaving the windshield as they watched the most uneventful drug house in the world. She was right back there with him, living a night in her past twice.
"Why," she could hear herself saying, joking, wondering why the eldest Halstead wasn't allowed to drive the Ram. Now she was a fly on the wall in the scene, watching herself which was very trippy.
"Because he's a terrible driver and he's never owned a truck," Jay eventually spoke up, going for more coffee and still not losing his gaze on things.
"Hailey," he eventually asked? Now turning to face her. Out of natural reaction and missing him she extended a hand, trying to touch him and confirm that what was in front of her was real, that he truly was there.
"Hailey," Jay spoke once more, his voice shifting to that of concern and being weirded out by her desire to touch him. She finally told herself to blink, opening her eyes to reality. Jay was gone, the truck was not what they were sitting in any longer, and Will was looking very concerned. She put the pieces together, realizing that for the last minute or so she'd been staring at him with huge, creepy eyes before reaching out and trying to brush a hand on his face. Talk about incredibly embarrassing.
"I'm fine," she muttered, quickly returning to the task of opening the passenger door.
"You sure," he asked as she finally found the energy to get out of the seat and stand beside the door.
"Yes, I'm fine. Follow you back to the apartment?" Will got out a quick nod before she slammed the door, put her hands in her pockets, and did her best to look like all was well as she walked in the direction of the truck. She made it there in time, standing at the driver's door and hesitating for a couple seconds. Reality was hitting her rather hard. The second she opened this door she knew it was all going to flood in. Her emotions were coming in waves, cresting at different points of crazy before subsiding for a time. Goddess and the Baker was a special kind of bad one, and what happened just now was bad enough, but she was getting through it.
"Just do it," she mumbled to herself, feeling Will's stare at her and realizing that she was holding everything up. It all was going to be okay. But oh how wrong she was when she finally opened that door.
It all hit her like two tons of bricks, the aroma that immediately seeped out of the truck as she stood there in sensory overload was not something she was prepared for. It was him, it only him, and immediately five years of their lives flashed across her eyes. She made it to putting a foot on the running board before the first bout of tears choked her deeply. Resting her head on the driver's seat she allowed herself that cry. This was the first tangible thing of his that she'd touched since he left. Certainly the apartment was theirs as well, but this truck, this stupid vehicle was fully his. He was not here to take care of it anymore, he was not here to drive it. He was not here, period. That last thought keeping her glued in place for a little bit. She was too terrified to move, to get in that driver's seat, to take control of what was rightfully his.
"Hailey, you okay," she could hear Will call from down the aisle. She knew if she didn't say anything or show that she was going to be able to get home that he'd take over. That was never going to happen, she was going to honor Jay's silly request if it was the very last thing she ever did.
"I'm okay," she found the words and power to call back. Mustering all her courage and strength she pulled herself up, got into that driver's seat, and closed the door shut. From there readying herself to back out of the parking spot was a breeze, she clicked the magic button and pressed on the brake as the truck roared to life. In the process of raising the seat to a height where she could see over the steering wheel she did a quick once over, noting the lack of a badge, gun, any kind of identifiers from the CPD, Intelligence, anything. It wasn't there, it was gone forever. All that was left was the parking ticket tucked in the console, dated the day he left everything behind.
"Please come home, Jay," she spoke to the very quiet truck as she released the parking brake and slowly began backing out. How on earth life had them all end up in this hellish situation they found themselves in was beyond her. When he exited this truck he was pissed, lost, but at least he was healthy. Part of her wondered if he'd ever see this truck again, that one making her internally smack herself for even thinking that. He had to, it was going to be the very first thing he asked about when he woke up. She had to cling to that, there was no other option. And in the meantime, in his honor, she was going to treat it like the prized possession it was. And as they wove their way out of that parking deck, paid the enormous fee for having that thing stuck in that deck for so long, she felt this indescribable sense of comfort and reassurance in things right then. She knew it was a fleeting idea and before he landed she'd run the gauntlet of emotions a few more times. But there was some sense and feeling and just presence of him lingering in that truck. He was there, he was sitting right there with her, being that guiding and comforting light that he was for her. And for the first time since that devastating call crashed into her life, she couldn't help but smile, smashing the gas pedal a little harder then usual as she dared Will to keep up.
…
"You made it!" Hailey sighed out loud, nodded in pride over getting that massive, anxiety inducing task out of the way. One step down, so so many more to go. But at least the truck was home, safe and sound. Now for its' owner to do the same. She jumped out of the truck, quite literally since it was high enough off the ground that her feet didn't scrape the ground like Jay's did. Never was she more reminded of their height difference than when the two of them rode around in the truck. Case in point, her stomach fell to the floor upon experiencing the total surprise that was falling to the depth of his seat settings. She swore he was scraping the bottom underbelly of the truck frame, when she finally came to a stop she could not see over anything. Will had found a free spot across the street from the apartment complex, making sure both ways were clear before he took off in a mad dash.
"Please don't be hit by a car. We don't need two Halsteads checking in to Med," Hailey teased as she closed the driver door and locked things up.
"Oh look at you making jokes," Will teased once he'd made it to the other side. Hailey could only shrug, turning towards the sidewalk and slowly making her way to the apartment entrance. It was in the walkup to said entrance that her apartment and its current state flew all around. A newfound dread was sweeping over her, knowing what was coming next. She was aware of how bad things were in there, she could already hear the questions and feel the guilt and concern covering her like a weighted blanket. She didn't need any of it, but knew despite her valiant attempts to stop them or avert them they were coming. It told a much bigger, darker, more glaring tale of a person falling apart. That despite her efforts to get up and make some kind of meaning out of the day, stepping into that apartment would erase anything she'd persuaded people to think all this time. But there was no denying things and she knew that. Life without him sent her into mass chaos, destruction, whatever other adjective one could come up with. It's why he had to pull through, its why he needed to survive today, tomorrow, and however many other days it took to pull him back to safety, to home, to a life they both were existing in.
"Why are you walking so slow," Will asked as he caught up with her, now passing her as her feet looked to be weighing a ton, dragging her pace down to an agonizing crawl. She stopped dead in the middle of the sidewalk, looked up to Will and moaned, dragging her hands from her forehead downward till they slapped her hips and sides. Will got it.
"It can't be that bad." Hailey could only sigh, nodding as she did her best to try and ease him into things.
"Oh…it's that bad."
"Trust me, I've seen worse. You didn't see Jay when he got back home from camps during high school. I swear he just threw everything out of place on purpose," Will joked, not getting a reaction from her.
"Yeah, but at least he was home…with you," she responded, going back into her trance of remembering things. She really needed to stop that, it wasn't doing her, Will, anyone any good. More than anything it put her in very embarrassing situations. It was like being blacked out drunk without having a drop of alcohol. Will snapped his fingers, watched her slowly pull out of her mind and finally look his way.
"Hey, I'm not going to judge." When she didn't move Will knew he'd have to give her that loving nudge. Wrapping an arm around her shoulders he gingerly encouraged her to take a step, and another and eventually they were walking in sync towards the front door. Lord only knew how many times they'd be doing this over the foreseeable future. Arm and arm they made it through the door and walked down the main entrance of the building. People were beginning to return to their homes for the day, looking depleted and tired and like life had been a full thing that day. Oh what those people riding the elevator with them didn't know. Whatever hell they had endured, Will and Hailey were going through stuff ten times worse. When their floor arrived Will just gave Hailey a look and she walked off. Plus, she didn't have it in her to keep people who just wanted to be home held up any longer than she already was.
"Here we go," she nervously announced as the locked alerted the two of them that it had been sprung free. Hailey stepped into the apartment, Will was right behind her.
"Hailey…" his voice trailed off with, taking in the absolute destruction and madness and depressing state of their place. She rolled her eyes, kicking her sneakers off as she didn't dare to look at him.
"So much for not judging," she called him out on, sauntering her way around trash and piles of laundry and just nonsense mess, ending at the refrigerator. She bent down to stare at the non-freezer section, grabbing a half consumed bottle of white wine and slamming the door shut. She gathered an extra large wind glass out of the cabinet, noting that it was the very last clean one she had. Only when she poured the liquid in the cup and swigged a few sips of courage did she turn around and face her guest. Said guest was still standing in the foyer, mouth slightly agape as his eyes couldn't stop taking in all that was around him.
"Hailey.." Will eventually spoke once more. It was a single word, but behind that was an essay on trying to understand how she got here. How no one saw the warning signs was beyond him. He knew she was struggling, but this was a cry for help.
"Will, I do not want to talk about it."
"Hailey, I don't think you have a choice." She sneered and snorted as she pulled the wine glass to her lips, drinking the rest of the glass dry.
"I do have a choice. I don't want to talk about this," she commanded, grabbing the wine bottle and filling her glass up a second time. Will knew he needed to stop that one, get in there and grab the divisive stuff out of her hands. So against his growing desire to throw everything into a massive pile and begin to sort out the calamity of it all, Will made his way to the kitchen, holding a hand out and glaring at her to hand the thing over.
"No way," she exclaimed, polishing that one off before reaching for the bottle now a third time. Will's quick reflexes ended that one before she could wrap her fingers around the bottle, watching her quite seriously jump and dive for the bottle as he pulled it close to his person.
"Hey! That's not cool, Will. Give it to me now. Let's remember where you are."
"Hailey, let's also remember the time of day. How many of these have you had today, this past week, since he left."
"That's not fair," she shot back at him, turning back towards the fridge and going for the handle.
"Hailey, don't you dare," he advised, watching her stop dead in her tracks upon realizing that it all was gone. The two of them just stood there in dumbfounded silence of the situation.
"This is not helping you," Will spoke up, walking over to the sink and turning the bottle over so the rest of its' contents spilled out. This time she didn't protest, didn't fight him, was too struck over the fact that she'd been behaving this way, nursing herself into a frame of mind that blacked Jay out instead of facing things head on.
"I don't want the stupid speech," she quivered. Will looked up at her, the two of them getting it just then. She knew she needed help, needed to talk to someone, but she didn't have it in her to going over the unraveling of her life right then. Jay was on his way, more important things needed to be dealt with before they got to her issues.
"Hailey, you do need to talk about it."
"Not tonight, not tomorrow, not ever Will. I get it, I messed up." Will sighed as the tears started up once more in her. This was the breaking point she needed, the bottom that she had to hit before looking up and getting herself right once more. He was glad that she understood that so quickly.
"Hailey, you didn't mess up. You went through a trauma. You lost someone who is very important to you. You are allowed to feel the hurt and loss in that. But this," he spoke while motioning to the scene around them.
"Should've never gotten this way." Hailey nodded, biting her lower lip as she tapped her foot against the hardwood floor under her. She wanted this stage of things to be over. They needed to be acting, cleaning, doing something.
"I know. Can you help me clean this place up?" Will was touched by her extending of an olive branch, or being willing to finally ask for help. Will put the empty bottle down on the counter, glancing around the place one finally time before nodding his head. Never again were things allowed to get this bad.
"I'll start with the garbage," he claimed, watching her nod before bowing her head into her chest and shaking under the new round of tears. Will walked over to her, nudged her shoulder before she collapsed into his arms. It wasn't Jay, but he was going to do for now. The two of them stood in that nasty kitchen for quite some time, no words being spoken as he allowed her to just let it out right then. It was therapeutic more than anything, a finally shedding of her anger and fear of everything. She needed to be rid of the past so she could face the uncertain future head on.
"Okay, enough crying. Let's get to work," she spoke up. Will made sure she was alright before letting go, her insistent nodding against his shoulder letting him know that she was as alright as she was going to be. For the next couple hours the two of them went by room, like little maids they tackled the job head on, combing over every inch of that apartment before leaving imaginary shining glints of light and happiness behind. Only when the laundry was rolling and Will had returned from the trash chute for the fifth time did he announce that now it was time to turn the pampering and preparation on herself. She resisted at first, but Will's ever constant reminder that Jay would need her fully charged up and prepared finally made her cave. She couldn't expect to help him and be there for him if she was exhausted. And so while she showered for the first time in days and grabbed clean clothes out of the freshly completed laundry, Will went through their bedroom, making up the bed and tidying things before packing a decent sized backpack for Jay. He didn't expect Hailey to be ready to step into that room and do those tasks. That would come with time, but today wasn't that day. As the sun was setting on the day the two of them collapsed onto the couch, exhausted and wondering how Jay was, where in the world he was just then, and happy to be in a space where life was looking on the up and up.
"Just lay down for a little awhile," was all Hailey needed to hear at that point. She reminded Will that if he heard anything he was to wake her up. She fell onto the once fluffed and vacuumed pillows very willingly, dozing off before Will could turn the TV on. What felt like a very long blink, but in reality was four hours, Will was nudging her shoulder, telling her to get up.
"Hailey, come on. It's time for us to head to Midway." Never had she opened her eyes so fast. It was showtime.