Hi Readers: I hope you like this chapter.
Chapter Two Hundred and Fifty-Nine
Seriously Hank?
He had to expect this, he had to expect that he was going to be angry; especially after what he just did to them, how he just walked into their room. For Christ's sake Henry, their bedroom. Why in the world would he honestly believe that Jay and Alex want you up in their room? The room where Jay was in the midst of making love to his wife, until he was disturbed by his father-in-law of all people. And just great, so much for him being able to yell at his father-in-law; but he can't do it when they're down here, his beautiful children. Then again, he should've expected that his kids are down here; and that actually helps him, because it means that he can take them to their room much faster. Because that's where the twins are headed just as soon as breakfast is ready, as he and Alex want to spend the day in bed with them. But first, he needs to talk to his father-in-law. "So, you are a very lucky man that my children are down here." Turning his head as he heard Jay say that, Henry Voight agreed with him; after all, he could clearly see that he was quite upset.
Not that upset would even describe how Jay was currently feeling, as he was furious. I mean, did Hank really believe that was a good idea? For him to come upstairs. But you know what, it's not time to concentrate on that; at least not that part of it, because he doesn't like the thought of him interrupting them. "Yeah, I had a feeling that we were going to talk about that." Just looking at his father-in-law as he said that, Jay was shocked that he didn't KNOW that they were going to talk about it. "I hope you meant know, because you should've known that this was going to be brought up as soon as I got a chance to do just that." Taking a breath as he heard Jay say that, Hank nodded as he knew that was the case; he knew that this was something they had to talk about, right now. "Hank, what the hell were you thinking when you came upstairs? Did you really think that it was a good idea?" Hank just sighed as he turned to look at his son-in-law. "And you think it was a good idea for you to have sex with you…" That's when Jay stopped him. "Okay, shut up now."
Hank agreed, doing just that. "Hank, that's OUR BEDROOM that you just walked into. Our bedroom for crying out loud. You know what that space means to us, as it's our only place that we have to ourselves." Hank just looked at Jay when he said that, before realizing what he means. "Oh." Jay agreed with him as he said that, before walking over to Max's dog bowls. "Come here Max, let's get you some food while I talk to grandpa." Barking, Max agreed as he walked over to Jay so that he could get some food this morning; at the same time, Jay continued to speak to his father-in-law. "Hank, you know that we let you here because we want to spend Christmas with you. But at the same time, you also know that you're on very thin ice here with us." Hank agreed with Jay as he said that, before watching as he fed Max. "There we go boy, you eat." Going to do just that, Max ate as he stood at his bowl; at the same time, Jay walked into the kitchen so that he could talk to Hank. "Hank, listen. I get that you want to be with the family at times." Hank agreed.
"But Hank, this is our home; and this is also our place where we get to be husband and wife, which is going to be harder to do. You promised us when you came here that you would give us time to do that, and we agreed that we'd stick to our room." Hank laughed. "I just thought that you wouldn't start so early." Jay just looked at him. "Hank, do you want to be kicked out on your ass? I have full authority to do that. After what you pulled and putting Alex in premature labor with our twins! Well, that means you really are on thin ice. If you think you can push your weight around here, after almost killing my wife and kids; then you're kidding yourself. Did I tell you that Alex's heart stopped while she was giving birth?" Hank was in the middle of cooking when Jay said that, before setting down his utensils. "Oh god." Jay agreed. "Hank, her heart stopped because she got overwhelmed. Hank, do you not realize just how serious that is?" Hank agreed with Jay as he said that, before looking at his son-in-law as he spoke to him this morning in his kitchen.
"Hank, you want to know the only reason why you're here right now?" Hank gulped but agreed. "The only reason I agreed to let you here, is because Alex asked me to. She begged me to let you come, to let you be with the kids, to meet your grandchildren." Hank agreed with Jay as he said that. "If it were up to me, you'd be in Chicago; you'd in the cold, and you wouldn't be ANYWHERE NEAR my family! Hank, think about it…YOU COULD HAVE KILLED THEM!" Hank just got worried as he heard Jay say that. "You could've taken my entire world away from me. I could've lost Alex, I could've lost Mikey, and I could've lost Liv. I could've lost my entire family, and that would've been because of YOU!" Hank agreed with Jay as he said that, well aware that was the case. "By the way, how dare you come to the hospital after what you did? You put my wife in premature labor! But you dare to come to the hospital? Oh, hell no!" Hank just looked down as he said that. "Hank, you are my kids' only grandparent. That's why you're in their life." Hank agreed with Jay.
"That's the only reason. So don't push your luck when it comes to what you can get away with, because I will kick you out; and you will not spend Christmas here, if you don't act on my terms. Either you smarten up and remember that me and Alex are married; or you can get your things, and you can get the fuck out of my house and go stay in a hotel." Hank agreed with Jay as he said that, before taking a breath. "Yeah, I regret that now." Taking a breath, Jay proceeded to make his way over to Hank so that he could relax a bit. "Hank, you really need to remember how thin the ice is right now. Hank, I almost lost the love of my life because of you. And even worse, I have PTSD." Turning his head, Hank just looked at Jay. "So, you think it's easy to see you here? When all I see is the man who almost killed by wife, and my children? Hank, you had no right to tell Alex to move back. Especially you. Hank, may I remind you that you were the reason she had to leave; I was the one that found her again, I was the one that brought her here to safety!"
Hank gulped and agreed with Jay. "Hank, your relationship with me is rocky right now. But Alex has found a way to forgive you, and I can't explain why; and she's the only reason that I'm going along with you being here, having to deal with you." Hank agreed with Jay as he said that. "But I am telling you right now. You do that again, and I am kicking you out; and you will be treated as a guest, who has to request to come see us. You will have to stay in a hotel, and you will have to call ahead of time to come see your grandkids. You will not have an open door, to walk right in and out of. That's our right as husband and wife, and it's our right as a family. Because Hank, my family is me, Alex, and the kids. They come first, and your feelings don't. Remember, Alex is the only reason you're here. And if you being here makes my wife happy, then I can put up with it; but under no circumstances, will I put up with you invading our private space." Hank understood what Jay said and nodded. "Of course, and I'm really sorry about this Jay." Jay agreed with Hank.
"Oh and let me just be clear about something. What I just told you, it comes from me AND Alex. Alex agreed that she would stand by me, and that she would enforce whatever I decide when it comes to you; she knows that I will protect her, and our children. Hank, she's still scared of you. Remember, you were the one that put her in labor. She's scared at times of getting into a fight with you, because she's not over that…" Jay then started to get a bit emotional. "And Hank, I'm starting to see the signs." Hank was confused. "What are you talking about?" Jay took a breath as he looked at his father-in-law. "I'm starting to see the signs of PTSD in her."
To say that was a big statement, well that's an understatement; for Jay to tell his father-in-law that he's starting to see the signs of PTSD in Alex, that's something that Jay hasn't been prepared to do yet. And the truth is, Jay hasn't been able to admit it to himself until now; he's only been able to say it out loud to Hank, which is why he needs to breathe and talk to him about it as he sits at the island and drinks some coffee. Coffee that Hank just made for him, as he could see that his son-in-law needed it. "Here, I think that you need this." Looking at the coffee that was just set down in front of him, Jay agreed as he most certainly does need the coffee. "Thanks, I need that." Hank agreed with Jay, watching as he proceeded to grab the drink; after which, he proceeded to make his way back to the stove to keep making some pancakes. "Pancakes are okay right?" Jay agreed with Hank as he said that. "Yes, that's fine." Hank agreed with Jay as he said that. "So, are you going to keep telling me about what you just said?" Jay sighed and agreed.
"Yeah, I'm starting to see the signs of PTSD in her. She can't get it out of her mind, especially right now with what happened to Matt and Gabby." Hank was confused as he heard that. "What happened to Casey?" Jay sighed. "Gabby got into a fight with Stella Severide, her business partner. Got overwhelmed after being confronted in the bathroom, went into premature labor." Hank was shocked as he heard Jay say that. "Oh god." Jay agreed with Hank as he said that, before taking a breath. "It's why we came home early yesterday, remember? And I hate to say this, because I've yet to talk to Alex about it but…" Jay then took another beath. "The way she acted yesterday while we were in our room, it was more than just fear and flashbacks. Hank, I know this sounds crazy; but I could tell, based on my experience with PTSD. I could see it in her eyes, in her body language, in how scared she was. I'm convinced, without a diagnosis that she has PTSD now. I mean, not as bad as me; heaven knows what happened to Alex, it just added to my PTSD."
Hank got worried as he said that. "Wait, you mean…" Jay agreed. "It's part of my PTSD now Hank, that's how bad it was for me. Hank, that's why this is hard for us. Hank, as much as we love you; you remind us of the day our entire life could've changed forever, and not in a good way." Hank agreed with Jay as he said that. "Hank, remember what I said. I could've lost my life, my kids could've lost their mom before they even knew her. I could've been raising Olivia, who is the spitting image of her mother; alone, without the woman I love." Hank got nervous as Jay said that. "And Hank, you already knew I had PTSD. You think I could've dealt with this? Think how bad it could've gotten? Hank, say Alex did die. I could've gotten depressed, and I could've gone down that dark path. I could've neglected the kids, I could've just left them; I was worried that I'd end my life, because there's dreams I have that my kids are orphans. And Hank, that's all because of you, because of the mess you created; the fears you created. Hank, I am going to get a bit personal now."
Hank agreed. "That was the first time I could touch Alex that way, since she gave birth; because she's petrified that she's going to get pregnant again, and that she's going to have to deal with that all over again." Hank just got nervous as he heard Jay say that. "Oh god." Jay agreed. "Hank, you have no idea what mess you made to our life. You put it all at risk. There was a reason you haven't been allowed here for the past two and a half months. I was worried for my marriage. I was worried one or both of the kids would die, and that Alex would run away; that I would be divorced, and that we wouldn't make it. That's how bad it was. I was worried every single day. Is this the last day of us being married? Is this too much? Is Alex going to run and give up? Because we both know that it's in Alex. But she promised me that this is forever, and that she isn't running. And that calmed me down." Hank just took a breath as he walked over to Jay, just looking at his son-in-law; after all, he was clearly concerned for just how things are here in the house.
"Hank, our kids love their grandpa; you're their only grandparent left. I don't want to have to make that decision, to cut you off; to have to force my children to live without their grandfather, but I will…if you don't smarten up. Hank, we don't work for you anymore, and I have my brother. Hank, you need to remember that when you're around here; because you have pushed it far too many times in the past….and we both know, that you will do it again; and I can't promise you that Alex is going to forgive you, because I told her that I want you out. And she understands, because I can't the risk of you walking in like that. So yes, you're going to a hotel; and you can come during the day. But I don't want you here overnight, and I don't want you to do that again. This is our family home, and I want to be here with people I love and trust. And right now, you don't have my trust; I'm tolerating you for the woman I love, and for my children so they can get to know their grandfather. But trust, that has to be earned. And so far, you've done nothing to regain my trust."
Hearing his son-in-law say that he's done nothing to regain his trust broke his heart, especially since he knew that was the truth; Hank has done so much to hurt Jay and Alex, and he's literally been hell on them. And that was something that really hurt Hank, because he doesn't want to hurt his daughter. He hates that he's hurting his daughter. That's the last thing that he's ever wanted to do, because he loves Alex more than anything in the entire world; and he just wants her to be happy in life. But hearing what he did to her, well that just really hurt him. What type of guy is he? Is he really the type of guy that can do that to his own daughter? Heck, it's pretty overwhelming. "Wow, I just…" Jay took a breath as he heard Hank say that, well aware of what he was going to say. "I know, it's a lot to take in." Hank agreed with Jay as he said that, just looking at him. "Is that really how you feel though?" Jay agreed with Hank as he asked him whether he really feels that way, because he does feel that way. That's exactly how he feels about it. "Yes, it is."
Hank then took a breath, when he saw Alex come out of the bedroom. "Alex…" Just looking at her dad, Alex took a breath after having overheard everything that Jay just said. "Hi Hank." Turning to look at his wife as he sat there, Jay extended his hand as he hadn't expected her to come out. "Hey, what are you doing out here?" Walking over to her husband this morning, Alex got close to him and just cuddled up to him; at the same time, Jay wrapped his arm around her back and turned her so that they were facing each other. After which, he looked into Alex's eyes and smiled at her. Kissing her softly, Jay smirked due to the fact that he was glad that Alex was here. "Hey you." Wrapping her arms around his shoulder, Alex smiled as she stepped close to Jay and leaned in to kiss him softly. "Hi." Jay smiled as he heard Alex say that, before getting up and bringing her close to his chest; after which, he kissed her forehead and whispered to her. "Do you want to add anything to what I said? Or how much of it did you hear?" Looking up, Alex smiled.
"I heard it all, and I agree with it. However, I think that I want to talk to my dad, okay Jay? I love that you like to stand up for me but…" Wrapping his arm around Alex, Jay proceeded to move his hand to her butt before bending down and kissing the woman he loves softly. "You want to try and get through to him yourself?" Alex agreed with Jay as he asked her that, as that was exactly what she was thinking. She wanted to try and talk to her dad and get some sense into him. "Listen, how about you grab the kids and get into bed. Get comfortable…" Alex then whispered part of it. "…wearing those sweats that I like…" Jay smirked as he heard Alex say that, before agreeing with his wife. "…and then I'll come see you with breakfast?" Jay agreed with Alex as she asked him that, really liking that idea. "I love that idea." Alex agreed with Jay as he said that, before proceeding to kiss him softly. "I love you Jay." Jay agreed with Alex as she said that, before kissing her one last time; after which, he went to grab the kids to take them to their room where they'll be alone.
After which, Alex turned to look at her dad and took a breath; sitting down on the bar stool, Alex went to put her hands on the counter and looked at him. "Everything that Jay just said, I agree with 100% and we are going to talk about it. Because I'm done with this. You obviously don't respect what Jay has to say, because you've gone against it so many times. So, I think it's time that you really listen; but you're going to me today, and we're going to figure out a way for us to get through this. Because I'm done hiding behind my husband. I'm done not being heard. And I'm done with you thinking that I am not 100% with my husband. Now, get me some coffee and let's talk." Hank agreed with Alex as she said that, before going to do just that for his daughter today.