I Don't Live in a Bubble III

Jay, exhausted, yet jubilant, headed home, knowing that finally this was over. He walked into the apartment to find Hailey on the couch looking stressed out. He explained the details that he felt she needed to know and then asked her to marry him that night. Part of him knew it was because he needed to move on from what had happened, and he needed to do it immediately. But he was also in love and ready to move forward with his life.

"Tonight?" Hailey asked, her eyes big.

"Yes. Why not? Where's Liam?"

"In his room," Hailey replied, as a smile, her first true smile in over a month found its way to her lips.

"Liam grab your shoes and coat, we're going out," Jay yelled towards the closed door.

Liam popped his head out and looked at the scene in front of him. "Where are we going?"

"We are going to get married," Jay said.

"Well duh, I know that much."

"Tonight," Jay clarified. "The Justice of the Peace."

"Who's that?"

"The person that will marry you, late on a weeknight." Hailey said as she took Jay's hand and leaned over to kiss him.

"Eww, gross," Liam stated as he tied his shoes.

"And you, young man are going to be my best man."

"What's that mean?"

"It means that you are in charge of the rings."

"You don't even have rings," Liam pointed out as he grabbed his coat from the arm of the couch where he had tossed it earlier.

"We'll figure something out," Jay said as he watched his son climb on the couch and jump on the cushions, keying in on the excitement. Jay walked over to the couch and turned around, offering his back to his son who jumped on.

"Did you fix the complicated case?" Liam asked. "The one with the FBI?"

"Sure did. Everything worked out."

"So no more FBI agent creeping around?"

Jay had to swallow hard at his son's words. "No more of that."

"So this is a celebration?"

"I suppose it is," Jay said as they all walked out and closed the door behind them.

Three weeks later, Liam glided by on the ice at the Millennium Park rink. "Hey you're getting really good. Let's see you skate backwards," Hank shouted at Liam who turned around and began to carve grooves into the ice with his skate blades as he moved backwards.

"Well, I think I have to get off these skates, my ankles are killing me. Your dad and Hailey should be here soon." Voight said as they made their way towards the exit.

"We're going to the Christkindlmarket," Liam said. "Hailey wants to shop for some stuff." The boy said speaking of the popular German Christmas Market that had a location nearby at Daley Plaza.

"That should be fun."

"I guess," Liam shrugged. "Next week we're going to see the storefronts on Michigan Avenue and look for the Christmas trees all around downtown."

"Wow, that sounds great." Hank said as they got to the benches to sit down and take their skates off after they got their shoes. "They have some pretty cool trees here don't they?"

"Yeah," Liam agreed looking over at some of them in the distance.

"Which one is your favorite?"

"The big one. I like all the lights!"

"Yeah. Me too."

"How big is your tree at home?"

"This big," Liam described, holding his arm up over his head. "My dad and I look for the trees every year and go to the storefronts. And we watch the Christmas parade," Liam continued.

"He's a good dad, isn't he?" Liam nodded in agreement. "You know that you can tell your dad anything right? Or Hailey. Or me, or anyone on the team."

"Like I was seeing that same guy all the time?" Liam asked.

"Exactly like that."

"I think my dad was mad at me because I didn't tell him."

"It's because he cares about you and needs to know if something is wrong."

Liam pulled his skate off and grabbed his boot and slid his foot inside. "At first, I just thought he was a parent—you know, waiting for his kid at school. But then I saw him at the library and then I wasn't so sure he was just a dad. I would go all over the library and try and lose him. It was kind of like a game."

"Did you ever lose him?"

"Sometimes. He never came too close to me. Not ever." Liam stated emphatically, like somehow that would be his fault. "Then that night I saw him talking to my dad, and I thought maybe I was in some kind of trouble. Why did he want to see where I went and what I was doing?"

"I'm really not sure."

"But he's gone now? Right?"

"He is. He won't bother you again."

"My dad said it was about a complicated case and that it got all figured out. I just don't get why he thought I knew anything."

"An investigators job is to look everywhere and at everything." Hank explained and Liam seemed to accept the answer. "How are things at home with the new family dynamic?"

Liam shrugged. "Okay I guess. We have family game night now. We play board games and stuff. It's fun. It was Hailey's idea."

"Well that does sound like fun."

"We have movie nights too. One time I get to pick a movie, then her, then Dad."

"Well there you go then. Change isn't always bad." Hank said, thinking about the new changes in his own life.

"Yeah, there's good stuff too."

"Hey, there's your dad and Hailey," Hank pointed out as they stood up, his feet happy to have his entire foot on the ground.

"How'd it go?" Jay asked as he and Hailey walked over.

"Liam is quite the skater. He should play hockey."

"Not with ice times being split between 4:30 in the morning or 11:00 at night. But thank you for this."

"It was my pleasure."

"Can I have some hot chocolate," Liam asked as he thrust his skates at Jay.

"Sure. I want some too," Hailey said. "Jay, Sarge, can we get you some?"

"Yes please," Jay replied. "Sarge?"

"No thanks. I have to get going. The kid wore me out. He ought to sleep well tonight."

"I like to hear that. Hey kid, what do you say to Sarge?" Jay called out to his disappearing child.

"Oh. Sorry," he replied coming back. "Thanks Sarge." He said looking up with a smile.

"You're quite welcome. Maybe next time we can try the ribbon track at Maggie Daley Park."

"Yeah, Uncle Will took me there last year. It was awesome." Liam grew quiet as he looked up at Hank and then gave a small smile and walked over and gave him a hug, wrapping his arms around his waist. "Thanks again Sarge."

"Well thank you for that. I really needed it."

"Hey, take your skates," Jay called out as Liam turned to catch up with a waiting Hailey.

"You hold them," he replied just before he disappeared.

Jay sat down on a nearby bench to tie the laces together.

"So your brother still spends time with him regularly?"

"One weekend a month. We call it our date weekend," Jay said motioning towards where Hailey had been as he stood up and slung the skates over his shoulder.

"How is it going with Liam and Hailey?"

"Getting there. She is trying so hard. He's at a tough age and used to my failure in the relationship department, so it's still somewhat of a struggle. Two steps forward, one step backwards. But we'll find our way."

"I'm sure that you will. I'm sure that we all will."

Next up...summer and the beginning of the end for the Halstead's in Chicago