Hi Readers: What do you say we get back to some of our other new couples (whom we need to cover too), starting with the Halsteads? I hope that you guys like the story is headed and are still excited for more chapters each and every day. But unfortunately, this is going to be the last chapter for today; hope you enjoy it and are ready for a bit of Halstead time to end your day.

Chapter One Hundred and Seventy-Three
First Day Home: Struggling

Home of Jay & Alex Halstead, Farmers Rd
She was still struggling to do the exact same thing that she was struggling to do prior to him having left to go get them a snack, struggling to get comfortable in their bed; and Jay thinks he knows why, because he's not in bed with her. However, he wasn't going to say anything; and that's due to the fact that she didn't even know (yet) that he's currently in the midst of looking at her. But god, does his wife look absolutely adorable as she struggles to get comfortable; yet he also knew something else that was fact, that if he kept staring at her…he was going to be in trouble, especially since Max was basically begging to get off his leach (that was another reason why he actually had to get up). Not only did he have to get Alex (and by extension, himself) a snack, but he also had to take Max out to the bathroom; and that's exactly what he just came back from doing. And now, it's time for him to walk in and come help Alex; but first, he's going to bend down and take off Max's leach. Doing just that, Jay smirked as he slapped his butt and then looked at him.

"Bed. Go to your bed boy." Looking up at Jay after hearing his voice, Alex smiled as she was happy that he was there; because that meant that he could help her. "I see that you're still struggling to get comfortable and have been for a bit." Alex looked at Jay as he said that when she realized something. "How long have you been standing there?" Bringing his wrist up, Jay smiled. "Maybe five minutes." Alex then gave him some side eye, the wife not really happy that he took so damn long to get in here; especially when he clearly saw that she was struggling to get comfortable, which he could've easily helped her with (rather than just standing there). "God, if you weren't the most comfortable pillow in the entire world…then I would be so mad at you right now." Jay snickered as he heard Alex say that, well aware of the fact that she most definitely does like to cuddle up to him; and that she can't really be mad at him, not when he just brought her some of her favorite snack. "Not that you can really be mad at me when I brought you some of your favorite."

Alex looked at Jay as he said that, wondering just what he was talking about right now. "And what might those favorites be?" Jay smirked as he heard Alex say that, deciding to play with her. "I thought you said that you were mad at me, and didn't want me to be close to you after having just made you struggle?" Alex groaned as she heard Jay say that, as he was starting to put words in her mouth; another one of the things that she hates, before thinking about something. More specifically, how it's December…and their anniversary is at the end of the month, which was the day that she was thinking of ending his sex drought. "You know, I was thinking of ending your sex drought on our anniversary; but I could very easily change that to Valentine's Day, if you want to play that game." Jay got worried as Alex said that, but that didn't mean that he was happy; especially not when she's threatening his sex. Making his way over to their bed carrying their snacks, Jay shook his head as he went ahead and set his bowl (and water bottle) down.

After which, he got up and proceeded to start making his way to Alex's side of the bed; where he most certainly was going to get a bit of revenge, by teasing his beautiful wife. And just how might he do that? Well, that would be by leaning her wanting more. Walking right up to her, Jay smiled as he made his way over to her side table; after which, he set her bowl of granola down and looked at his beautiful wife. "So, you think that you can just tease me like that…and get away with it?" Alex agreed with Jay as he asked her whether she thought that she could get away with teasing him, because she most definitely does believe that she can get away with teasing him like that. "Oh, I most definitely can." Jay then smirked as he sat down on the bed right next to her, moving his hand to her stomach, which was currently covered by one of his dress shirts, which she had (partially undone). And let's just say that Jay really liked that sight, as it was exactly what he wanted his wife to wear; especially when she's just wearing some sexy underwear too.

Moving his hand to Alex's neck, Jay smiled as he looked at his beautiful wife; the most beautiful woman in the entire world (as far as he's concerned), and boy is he happy that he's currently in the midst of just relaxing with her. And that's especially due to the fact that she just needs to relax and concentrate on her recovery; something that he's going to do for her, for the entire year. Leaning over his beautiful wife again, Jay smiled as he kissed her softly; taking things nice and slow with his beautiful wife, Jay smirked due to the fact that this really is exactly what he wants to be doing with her right now. He wants to take things nice and slow with Alex, as they concentrate on each other (and she recovers in bed); after all, that's exactly what they've been doing since they got home. "I have to say, I am so glad that we're home. This is so much more comfortable than when we were in the hospital." Jay laughed as he heard Alex tell him that, well aware that was the case. "Oh, I can tell that's the case." Alex agreed with Jay, smiling at her man.

After which, Jay moved his hand to their bed again and leaned over her; kissing her softly, Jay smiled as he moved his hand to her neck again. At the same time, Alex moved her hand to the opposite side of Jay's face as they took things nice and slow with each other; and god was this nice, the two of them just holding each other close (as they held each other close right now). Pulling away from the kiss, Jay smiled as he got up so that he could get into bed again; but first, he wanted to do something. More specifically, he wanted to make his way over to the cribs so that he could look at his beautiful children. "Don't worry, I made sure to wash my hands again in the kitchen." Alex agreed with Jay as he said that, well aware that was the case. "I know, and I also just realized something." Turning his head as he walked up to Michael's crib, Jay smiled as he got ready to learn what Alex just realized. "Oh, and what's that?" Alex smiled.

She then turned her head and looked at the patio door that they have in their room, which led right out into the fenced-in backyard that they have. "I just realized that my husband doesn't need to leave bed to take Max out to the washroom." Jay was confused as Alex said that, just looking at her a bit puzzled; at the same time, Alex shook her head. "Jay, we have a patio door in our room." Turning his head, Jay then realized that. "Oh, right." Alex smiled. "How about you open it? That way, Max can just go in and out when he has to go to the washroom." Jay bit his lip when Alex said that, as he was a bit worried; and there was a reason for that, which was that he didn't want to risk loosing Max. "Or are you against that idea for some reason Jay?" Taking a breath, Jay sighed as he was against the idea. "Unfortunately, I am against the idea; even though it's a good one." Alex agreed. "Then why are you against it?"

Taking a breath, Jay thought about what he was going to say. "You know what, I think it's…" Carefully sitting up, Alex looked at the man she loves; after all, she doesn't want him to hide things. "Hey, look at me Jay." Turning to look at Alex as she said that, Jay took a breath. "Jay, I can see that you have doubt in your eyes about something; and I want to know what that is." Jay agreed with Alex as she said that. "Do you mind if I join you while we have our snacks?" Alex agreed with Jay as he said that, smiling as that was exactly what she wanted him to do. "Or maybe we can have our snacks first? Then, you can get undressed for me again." Jay smirked as he heard Alex say that, really liking that idea. "Well, how can I argue with the love of my life?" Alex smirked as she heard Jay tell her that, before watching as he came to join her in bed so that they can have their snack; after which, he'll get undressed ahead of them cuddling up to each other in bed (which is exactly what the both of them want to do at the end of the day, and always will as it's comfortable).

Taking off his pants shortly after bringing his and Alex's bowls into the kitchen this afternoon, Jay smirked as he got ready to get in bed with the woman he loves; right after he teases her, by walking into their room clad in his boxers. But little did Jay know; Alex was actually no longer in bed. Rather, she was currently at the cribs with the babies; and that got him a bit worried, which was why he decided not to make a big deal when it came to him no longer wearing sweats…especially not when this is related to the twins. So, rather than tease Alex with the fact that he was no longer wearing his sweats, Jay carefully set them down on his dresser; after which, he made his way over to Alex at the cribs. That way, he was close to her; and he could also hold her in his arms, just as soon as he was standing behind her (which is something that Alex always loves it when he does). Walking up behind her at the cribs, Jay smiled as he proceeded to put his hands on her hips; especially since he was currently standing next to his baby girl, Olivia Marie's crib.

And god, the feeling of Jay's strong arms around her had to be the favorite part of Jay holding her in his arms; because that instantly brought a smile on Alex's face, the moment he walked up behind her. "God, I am so glad that you are holding me in your arms right now." Jay agreed with Alex as she said that, before bending down and proceeding to leave a soft kiss on her shoulder, which was exactly what she wanted to feel, as she loves being peppered with kisses on her body (well, only if they're from her husband or kids). God, the way that Jay teases her when he does this is incredible; and she is just so damn happy that Jay is her husband, which is something that Jay most certainly knows. And that's why he's in the midst of turning her around in his arms, so that he can hold her close to him and just cuddle up to her; and let's just say that was exactly what Alex wanted too, she wanted to cuddle up to Jay as he held her close. Looking up at her dreamy husband this morning, Alex smiled as she got close to him and hugged his shoulders.

At the same time, Jay wrapped his arms around her and smiled as he proceeded to bend down and kissed the woman he loves more than anything in the entire world; just taking things nice and slow with the woman of his dreams, Jay smirked due to the fact that he's missed this feeling. The feeling of having her in his arms and being able to hold her like this (without having to worry about somebody walking in on them); which was always a concern while they were in the hospital, as Jay could rarely walk around in nothing but his boxers. But now that they're home, he can do it every day; and that's something that Alex most definitely does like, as her husband is a real hunk (I mean, is that even question…whether her husband is a hunk). Well, that's what he is in her eyes; and what he'll always be in her eyes. And god, Alex just can't wait to get in bed with her man. "Listen, as much as I love holding you; can we get in bed together? I would really appreciate it if we can relax and cuddle up to each other." Jay agreed with Alex, smiling at his wife.

After which, he put his hands on her arms and bent down to kiss her softly. Taking things nice and slow with the woman he loves more than anything, Jay smirked due to the fact that this really is exactly what he wants to be doing right now; he wants to hold Alex close to him, and he just wants to take things nice and slow with the woman of his dreams. After all, what's better than the two of them just being with each other right now? Oh, Jay knows; them being in bed with each other, as that's really where they want to be with each other right now. "Listen, as much as I want to be here with you; standing at the kids cribs, and just holding each other close….I would much rather be somewhere else." Alex snickered a bit as she heard Jay say that, well aware of just where that is. He wants to be in bed with her, and he just wants to hold her close (as they cuddle up to each other in bed); I mean, it's obvious to the both of them.

"I think I already know where that is." Jay agreed with Alex as she said that, before wrapping his arms around her nice and tight; that was, until he heard her phone ring. "Were you expecting a call?" Taking a breath, Alex looked up at Jay as she already knew who it was. "I think we both already know who it is." Jay sighed as he heard Alex say that, before moving his hand to the side of her face; after which, he leaned in and proceeded to kiss her softly. "Do you want to talk to him?"

Walking away from the cribs to make her way over to their bed shortly after Jay asked her whether she wanted to talk to her father, Alex took a breath as she wasn't sure what she wanted to do; but there was something that Jay knew he wanted to do right now, and that was what he didn't want Alex to walk away from him. Rather, he wanted to keep her close…that way, he would be able to give her comfort; at the same time, Jay could only hope that she would speak to him…as that's what she needs to do right now. She needs to talk to him, so that he can help her get through this (clearly) stressful decision. And while it shouldn't be a stressful decision, it clearly was based on the history that Alex had with her father (figure); especially because of how he hurt her, and what he did to her (which negatively affected the twins). The truth was, he could've blown up her entire world, which would've mean that they could've never had a chance to have this life that they have with the twins, who have truly become their whole world…and they love them so much.

And that was something that Jay was completely in agreement with, as he loves Michael and Olivia with his whole heart; but not as much as he loves his beautiful wife, as she's the love of his life. And that's why he hates what he sees right now, the sight of his wife struggling to make a decision that should be extremely easy; whether she wants to talk to her father or not, and how she's going to tell him to her decision. But that wasn't the case for Alex, as she had so many mixed emotions that came with this decision; emotions that were playing over in her mind right now, which was another thing that Jay could see. And that's why he decided to make his way over to his beautiful wife, so that he could hold her in his arms; and so that he could make her feel better, which is exactly what he plans on doing right now (as he tries to calm her down). Just walking up to Alex, Jay smiled as he put his hands on her hips as he looked at the woman he loves; after which, she put her hands on Jay's chest as they cuddled up to each other next to their bed right now.

Stepping extremely close to the love of his life, Jay smiled as he leaned in and proceeded to kiss her softly; taking things nice and slow with the woman he loves, Jay smirked due to the fact that he loves kissing the woman he loves more than anything in the entire world. After which, Alex decided to wrap her arms around Jay's neck; that way, they could hold each other close and just relax right now. Because that's what she and Jay need to do right now, they need to relax; and they just need to take it easy with each other, for the sake of her health…for both of their health, and piece of mind. After all, Jay is constantly worrying about Alex; especially when it comes to her recovery, after just how bad the process that led to her giving birth to the twins started. If you forgot, Alex ended up going into labor prematurely with the twins; and that's still something that haunts Jay every single day, because he always wonders whether he could've done something to stop it. But the truth was, there was nothing that he could've done to stop the results.

It was going to happen regardless, because the motion of events that led them to giving birth was in motion before he was able to get Hank away from Alex; her water had already broken, and that meant that she needed to get rushed to the hospital so that she could give birth that day. But now, they were home; and that's all that mattered at the end of the day, because they were happy and safe. And that's probably something that's playing in Alex's head right now, how she associates her father with risk and danger; and that's something that Jay most definitely doesn't want, because he knows that (deep down) Alex loves her father more than anything in the entire world. And the truth was, he loves her fore that; Hank is not an easy man to love, because he has a lot of flaws. And he also has a really bad background, which Alex has found a way to look past; she sees the best in him, and that's why she loves trying to give him second chances. So, this is why Jay is really sad for his wife…because she's visibly struggling with all of these decisions.

The decision over whether she wants to call her father or not, because he would've expected her to already say yes; but that's not what he's heard yet, because Alex is just so worried and stressed. And that's why they need to sit down, why Alex needs to relax; and why she needs to take it easy, so that she doesn't do anything that could hurt her. Because right now, that's exactly what Alex is doing; she's putting her recovery at risk, and that worries Jay. So, he decided to do something; and that's get her to sit down, so that she can breathe and just relax right now. "Listen, how about we get you to sit down? Then you can relax and just take it easy." Alex agreed with Jay as he said that, before getting close to him; after which, she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him softly. At the same time, Jay put his hands on her back and started to take things nice and slow with the woman he loves more than anything in the entire world. "I love you." Jay agreed with Alex as she said that, well aware that was the case. "I love you too." Alex just smiled, nodding.

After which, she turned around so that she could get in bed ahead of Jay; that way, they can cuddle up to each other and hold each other close. After all, that was what Alex needs right now. She needs to have her husband hold her close, and just breathe with him; and that's something that Jay is more than ready to do, as they hold each other close in bed. Turning around to face Jay as soon as she was laying down in bed, Alex smiled as she's more than ready to just cuddle up to her husband; that they, they can hold each other close and relax. After which, Jay proceeded to get in bed with the woman he loves more than anything in the entire world; that way, he can make her feel better…and he can make sure that they are both relax together, as it's what they both need to do right now. They need to hold each other close, and they just need to talk this through; and that's why Jay just closed the covers, so that he and Alex are now stuck in bed with each other. And let's just say that Alex loves that she's stuck in bed with her husband, whom she loves.

Slipping close to Jay, Alex smiled as she pout her hands on his muscular chest and just held him close; after all, that was exactly what she wanted to do right now. She wants to hold the man she loves close to her, and she wants to take things nice and slow with the man she loves more than anything in the entire world. Slipping her arm under his head, Alex smiled as she put her hand on h is chest again; after which, she slipped her legs in between his as they both held each other close. Going to grab the covers that are currently on their bed, Jay smirked as they tugged them up on top of the both of them; after which, he put his hand on her hip and just held the most beautiful woman in the entire world close to him. Wrapping his arm around Alex, Jay smirked as he leaned in and then proceeded to kiss her softly. Taking things nice and slow with his beautiful wife, Jay just smirked as he was really happy right now. "So, what are we thinking about right now?" Alex sighed. "Whether or not I'm going to talk to my dad." Jay agreed with Alex, sighing.

"Can I just say what I'm thinking about right now?" Alex agreed with Jay as he asked her that question, as that was what she wanted him to do. "Of course, you can Jay, because that's what I want you to do; I want to hear your thoughts on this." Jay agreed with Alex as she said that, before smiling as he leaned in and proceeded to kiss the woman he loves more than anything in the entire world. "I think that right now, you need to relax; and you need to take it easy, because we just got home. I don't want you to get all stressed, and I think that would be something that most definitely would bring up your stress levels. And that's the last thing that I want for you Alex. I don't want you to be all stressed, not when this is something that you don't need. You don't need to be stressed, and you just need to take it easy; you need to relax, and just concentrate on your recovery." Alex took a breath as Jay said that, well aware that was the case. After all, her husband knows what she needs better than anybody in the entire world. And that's why they're talking.

They're talking about what they're going to do, because Jay has a lot of insight as to what she should do; and what really is the best for her, because that's what he wants. He just wants the best for his wife, and he doesn't want her to do anything that could put her recovery at risk. So, her talking to her father really isn't something that he's the biggest fan of, and Alex knew that. She knew that he wasn't the biggest fan of her speaking to her father, and she more than understood why that was the case. "Right now, we need to just do what's best for the both of us, and we are both just thinking about that right now." Jay agreed with Alex as she said that, well aware that was the case. "We need to take it easy, and we need to make sure that we both just hold each other close and relax." Jay smiled as he heard Alex say that, before moving his hand to hers; after which, he leaned in and proceeded to take things nice and slow with the woman he loves more than anything in the entire world. "What are we going to do? Are we going to call him?"

Taking a breath, Alex thought about it. "Would you be okay with me calling him?" Jay sighed. "I would have to be here, and you can't do it without me; and that's due to the fact that I need to make sure that you relax, and that you take it easy. I don't want you to just relax, and I don't want you to get all stressed out." Alex agreed with Jay as he said that, well aware that was the case. "I think we should just call him and say that he has five minutes. We can limit the conversation." Jay agreed wit his wife as she said that, liking that idea. "Do you think your dad will be okay with that?" Alex agreed with Jay as he asked her whether her dad will be okay with that, as she truly believe that he's going to be more than okay with it. "Yes, now let's just get it over with." Jay agreed with Alex, before going to grab his phone; that way, he can call her dad for her. "I want to call him, and we'll do it on my phone so that we can control it." Alex agreed with Jay as he said that, before watching as he went to call Hank with his cell phone right now.