Hi Readers: What did you guys think of the first chapter for today? Well, now that we have that under our belts, it's time for me to do something else; and that would be to give you guys a chapter that you guys have been waiting for since we got back to Chicago, which would be our first Halstead family chapter. And that's exactly what I'm going to give you in this chapter. Hope you guys like it.
Chapter Three Hundred and Forty-Four
Washington Park: Oh Crap, Hank Voight, and No Need To
Washington Park – They decided that they would always do it together. That they would do groceries together, that way they could lower the impact of chances of exposure; exposed to COVID-19, due to the fact that they all live in the same condo complex. But just who might we be talking about? Well, that would be the future Mr. and Ms. Dawson (Antonio and Sacha), the two Mr. and Ms. Halsteads, and Dr. and Ms. Choi; yes, you heard that right: Jay and Alex, Will and Natalie, Antonio and Sacha, and Ethan and April all live in the same condo complex. Jay and Alex live in Condo 1N, Will and Natalie live in Condo 2S, Antonio and Sacha live in Condo 3N, and Ethan and April live in Condo 4S. So yes, it's quite crowded here at the Washington Park apartments; yet at the same time, it felt nice under the circumstances. And that was due to the fact that it gave them a sense of community, and a sense of safety.
And that was due to the fact that it allowed them to not feel as alone, because they've decided to treat these separate apartments as one home; and that means that they can still interact with each other, which most certainly is something that helps with some of the mental health worries that they all had about COVID-19. How people may need to stay apart, but still be together. But there were also other things that were nice, like the sense of relief that Jay got each and every time he watched his brother come home from the hospital as it meant that he passed his nighttime screening and wasn't infected with COVID-19. And that was how they were all okay with doing this, due to the fact that they all know that they haven't really gotten a chance to be infected. Something that is crucial based on the scenarios that they all find themselves in, as they are all related to people who are considered high risk.
Jay? Well, he's married and has two beautiful children with his wife Alex.
Antonio? He's engaged to an immunologist, has two children with his ex-wife Laura, and his sister has four young children. Oh, and she also lives with her mother-in-law Nancy.
Will? Well, I think you already know the answer to that one. He's married to Natalie, who is currently pregnant with their first child.
And Ethan? You know the answer to that one as well. He's married to April and has a young (two-week-old) son with her. A son who is really his nephew, whom they adopted as his sister was not able to take care of him adequately.
And that was something that he admired about Ethan, how he was so selfless; and how he just loved to help others, which is something that he should've expected from him. After all, he is both a Veteran, as well as a Doctor. So, it's just in his nature to think of others first; he's served his country for years and continues to do so. But right now, they are not serving their country; but are instead serving their wives, as they do whatever they can to make sure that they keep them (and if they have them, their children) safe from COVID-19. And that was why they decided to go grocery shopping as a group, as they trusted each other explicitly. But still, h e wasn't sure whether people were going to want to do this in the future. "So, listen, I think we all need to talk about this." All three of the other husbands were confused as they heard Jay say that, as they weren't sure what he was talking about. But they'll find out now.
And that was due to the fact that he just continued speaking. "This was a good first experience, and I think it worked out pretty good; yet we also need to realize something else, and that this is pre-my brother's and Ethan's returns to the hospital." All of the husbands then agreed with what Jay was saying, especially Antonio. "I see where you're coming from Jay." Taking a breath, Jay turned his head and looked at his brother, who was sitting in the front seat of his pickup, due to the fact that he was his brother. "I mean, I just don't know what we want to do. Do we want to do this again? Do we want to do it independently next time?" Will sighed as he looked at his brother. "I think that's more something you need to decide. After all, you're the dad with young kids." Jay agreed with Will as he said that, before looking in the mirror at Ethan. "Ethan has a young son as well." Ethan agreed with Jay as he said that.
After which, Jay also added on what Antonio has. "And Antonio lives with an immunologist, has a daughter who lives with him, has a son who lives with his ex-wife, and has a sister with four young children whom I can only assume that you still want to see." Antonio agreed with Jay, as that was the truth; he's hoping to see his sister, as well as his nieces and nephews as much as he can. "And you have a father-in-law who…" Jay then put his hand up. "We aren't talking about him, as he doesn't know we moved back to Chicago yet; and if you tell him that we moved back to Chicago, then I won't use my connection to him to help you with the products Casey Police is going to create. As much as you have connections, I have more as he is my father-in-law!" Antonio agreed with Jay, as he was well aware that he could easily have more sway with what tools intelligence uses; based on the fact that Hank is his father-in-law.
And he most certainly doesn't want to risk loosing a deal with Matt, because then his relationship with him and his sister will be strained. "Exactly. So, I would shut up Antonio because you know that you need to go through me to get intelligence. As much as you have connections, I have more due to the fact that I also have military contacts." Antonio agreed with Jay as he said that. "Which can help Casey Health's PTSD division, because I not only have connections through my work…but I also have connections through my late brother-in-law's friends and colleagues, whom are a part of the actual military branch rather than the intelligence division. And I also have an insider who can test products for us in war." Antonio was confused as he heard Jay say that. "Who?" Jay just looked at his friend. "Greg Gerwitz." Antonio was confused as he heard Jay say that. "Sorry, who?" Jay was surprised as Antonio said that.
"Tech guy that I know from the military? He re-enlisted and left intelligence?"
Antonio then realized who Jay was talking about. "Oh, him." Jay agreed with Antonio as he said that. "Yeah, so I have connections with him to test out some stuff. See whether we can do stuff with him, and just stuff like that. But listen, please. I do not want to have to talk to my father-in-law yet; I am not ready to deal with him, as we told him that we weren't moving back." Will snickered as he heard Jay say that. "Yeah, so much for that." Turning his head, Jay looked at his brother. "We will talk about this when we get to the parking lot, is that understood?" Will gulped, getting nervous as he heard his brother say that; clearly able to see that he hit a nerve, he just doesn't know what nerve he hit…but he will soon find out. And boy is it a nerve that he doesn't want to think about, due to the fact that it's a day that his brother wishes he could both forget…while also remembering due to it's significance in his life.
Waving to Ethan and Antonio after they left to go to their individual condos, Jay took a breath due to the fact that he was now left with his brother; the brother who should know why he doesn't want his father-in-law to know that they're back in Chicago, due to the fact that it involves his niece and nephew…and a day that Jay wishes he could both remember and forget at the same time. And now, he's going to talk to his brother as they stood at the foot of his pickup truck. "Seriously Will?" Will just looked at his brother, sighing as he knew that he really screwed up. "Jay, I…" Jay just looked at his brother as he said that. "Will, shut up for a minute." Will agreed with Jay as he said that, before doing as he was told; after all, he could clearly see that his brother was furious with him at the moment. Which is something that he certainly understands, as he knows why he's mad at him; and it's a really good reason to be mad at him.
"Will, do you really think I want to joke with you when it comes to my father-in-law not knowing that we're home yet?"
Will shook his head, as he knew that Jay didn't want to joke about that; because it was as really hard topic for him to talk about, which is why they're talking about it alone. "Will, you were there at the hospital with me. And you were the one that told me what happened. He could've killed my wife and kids, because he wanted us to move home! Because he wanted this. Heck, I am worried each and every day that I'm going to run into him; and that I'm going to have to figure out a way to keep him away, because I don't even know if I'm ready to let him meet his own grandkids!" Will gulped as he heard Jay say that. "Wait, you're actually considering it?" Jay nodded. "Will, listen. You know what situation I'm in. Our situations are similar, yet different. Dad's dead, and Natalie doesn't really have a relationship with her mother anymore." Will agreed with his brother as he said that, as that most certainly is the truth.
Both of their parents are dead, and Natalie is not really close to her mother anymore. "Meanwhile, dad's dead for me…and Alex's mom is. Heck, we don't even know where Bunny is, and we most certainly don't want her to meet the kids!" Will agreed with Jay as he said that, having heard all the stories about Bunny Fletcher. "Oh, and then their uncle Teddy is out of the picture too." Will nodded. "Drugs?" Jay agreed. "Yep. So that literally leaves you, Natalie, Owen when he's born, and Hank. Well, maybe Antonio too. I see him as a brother and might try and get them to call him Uncle Antonio; not sure yet, as we haven't really worked out those details." Will agreed with his brother as he said that. "But still, it's scary. I want to just figure all of the other stuff out, before we have to figure Hank out. I mean, I'm still not even ready to really talk about it Will. Me and Alex haven't even broached the topic…" Will was confused.
Why wouldn't they have broached the topic. "Why not?" Jay sighed. "Because I still can't get over the fact that they had to restart Alex's heart on the table, that's how close I was to loosing my wife; and then we learned that they had to tie her tubes, so we can't have kids anymore unless we do surrogacy." Will agreed with his brother as he said that. "And that was all due to a fight with her father. He was the one that led to her getting overwhelmed, that led to her going to the hospital and having to give birth early to the twins, and to her having no choice but to have her tubes tied to save her own life. I had to make that decision man, and that's something that I have to live with. I had to choose between something that could MAYBE save Alex's life and having more kids with her; and I did it, with a ticking clock on me due to the fact that she was loosing blood. And that's all due to Hank." Will agreed.
After which, he placed his hand on his shoulder. "Oh, and that day isn't a good memory for me. I want to remember the birth of my children, but I can't…because it's not a good memory for me, it's PTSD for me. You think I want to say that Will? That the birth of my children, is a PTSD event for me; something that me and Matt both have in common, that the birth of some of our children are PTSD events. Will, I have a lot to deal with right now. And I do not need to deal with my father-in-law right now…" Will agreed with his brother as he said that. "Can I hug you?" Jay agreed with Will, before hugging him. "Stay safe, and I love you." Will agreed with Jay as he said that. "I love you too. Same goes to Alex and the kids." Jay agreed with his brother as he said that, before watching him walk away with his groceries; that was, until he heard his brother's voice. "Uhm, Jay…" Turning his head, Jay was confused.
That was, until he saw him walking over to him. "Oh, crap."
He thought he had some time, time before he found out that he was back in town; but it turned out that wasn't going to be the case, as he now spotted him. But that also made his brother wonder, does he want him to stay? "Hey Jay, you want me to stay?" Turning his head to look at his brother, Jay agreed as that was something he needed. "Yes, please. I would rather have someone here with me as a witness in case this goes down badly." Will agreed with his brother as he said that, deciding to stay here with him. "Here, let's let Max out at least." Jay agreed, before turning around to look at Max in the cage. "Hey bud, you want to get out?" Opening the cage, Jay smiled as he went to let Max out; and boy was he going to help, due to the fact that his leach was six feet long. "Six feet long leach." Jay laughed and agreed with his brother as he let Max out a bit. "Jay are you…" Jay just looked at Hank, before stopping him.
"Okay, six feet; remember Hank, six feet."
Hank agreed with his son-in-law as he said that, well aware that was the case. "Wait, your…" Will just looked at Hank. "We live in the same building, and we've been isolating together since the start of the pandemic. Natalie hangs out with Alex when I'm at work." Hank agreed with Will as he said that, seeing that was the case. "Okay." Hank then looked at Jay. "Okay, so what are you doing here? I thought you said that you weren't moving back? Wait, did the company shut down? Great, I can get you…" Jay then proceeded to put his hand up. "Okay, slow down…" Hank agreed. "First of all, the company did not shut down. I am still employed at Casey Police, and I am not returning to Intelligence; and neither is Alex, as we are both done with police work." Hank gulped and agreed with Jay. "Now, we weren't going to tell you we were back yet, but now you know." Hank agreed. "Are you guys okay, how are the kids?"
Taking a breath, Jay sighed. "First, you don't ask about the kids…as I am still mad at you, for how Alex had to give birth." Hank agreed with Jay as he said that. "I want to remind you that at Christmas, I was doing it for the sake of my children and wife; I didn't want you there, and it turned out to be a disaster!" Hank agreed with Jay as he said that, well aware that was the case. "So, here's the thing. I still don't trust you near my family, because of what you've done to me…and what we've learned in the past few months." Hank was confused. "What are you talking about?" Jay sighed. "First of all, my PTSD got worse because of you…thanks a lot dad!" Hank gulped as he heard Jay say that. "God, no. Because…" Jay agreed with Hank as he said that. "And then, we learned that Alex can't have kids anymore!" Hank looked at his son-in-law as he said that. "Oh no, wait you mean…" Jay agreed with Hank as he said that, sighing.
"Hank, they had to tie her chords to save her life. She was bleeding out."
Hank was shocked, while Jay nodded; meanwhile, he also turned to look at Will. "Is this…" Will agreed. "Yes." Hank was just horrified. "Jay, I'm…" Jay just looked at Hank. "Hank, we already talked about this. But you seemed to forget, which is why I am reminding you that we aren't in a good place yet. Heck, I was trying to avoid running into you for this exact reason; as I am not ready to see you." Hank agreed. "Okay, then what about Alex…" Jay was shocked. "Excuse me? What did you just ask me? For you to see my wife, that you almost killed when I can barely see you? Uhm, no sir. That scares me even more than just being the room with you. The two of you in the same room, yeah that petrifies me. So no, that isn't happening Hank." Hank agreed with Jay as he said that. "Hank, you are not welcome around here at the moment, and you are not to reach out to us until we're ready to talk to you." Hank agreed with Jay.
After which, he took a breath. "Can I at least ask if you guys are staying health?" Jay agreed with Hank, as they are. "We're isolating, and we're safe. The kids are all good and have a clean bill of health; we're doing better, and just having fun with each other at the moment. But we are just not ready to see you." Hank understood with Jay as he said that, while also feeling Max get close to him. "Hey buddy." Bending down, Hank went to rub his head. "Hank…" Hank then looked at Jay. "He's working." Jay then pulled back on Max's leach. "Right, sorry." Jay agreed with Hank as he said that. "He's out here, due to the fact that he's working. But listen. I am telling you right now that you aren't to come here. And I will explain why. Will, go be with Natalie. I got it now." Will agreed with his brother. "Say hi to Alex and the kids for me." Jay agreed with Will, before he ran away. "Say hi to Natalie for me." Will agreed, ready to do that.
Meanwhile, Jay took a breath and looked at Hank. "Wait, he lives…" Jay agreed. "Yes, he lives here with his pregnant wife. Antonio lives here too, with his fiancé and daughter; Dr. Ethan Choi lives here with his wife April, and their son, and me and Alex live here with the kids." Hank agreed with Jay as he said that. "Wow, talk about a great bubble." Jay agreed. "Yes. And that's why you can't be here, as I can't get Antonio infected with this." Hank was confused. "Why?" Jay sighed. "Because he wants to be able to see his mother at times, as well as his nieces and nephews." Hank then realized that. "Right, Matt and Gabby had two sets of twins." Jay sighed. "One of them was supposed to be triplets." Hank felt horrible for Matt and Gabby as Jay told him that. "Oh god, I'm so sorry." Jay agreed. "They're doing better, just like me and Alex are after the entire mess that you left us with." Hank sighed, agreeing with Jay.
After all, that most certainly is what he left them with in Hawaii. "Hank, you can't do this to us. Now that you know that we're here, you can't approach us and call us. We just aren't ready yet, and we're only here due to the fact that our jobs are here. And I am not returning to the CPD, due to the fact that I'm no longer able to meet the requirements." Hank was confused as he heard Jay say that. "What are you talking about Jay?" Jay sighed as he looked at his father-in-law. "At the beginning of the year, I had to do my yearly tests to determine whether I can be deployed or not." Hank agreed with Jay as he said that. "Well, Hank…because of you, my PTSD has gotten so bad; that I am no longer fit for active duty, and I am now only eligible for national guard deployments in country." Hank gulped as he heard Jay say that. "Hank, it takes a lot to get that news. Hank, you stole part of me. I'm no longer a soldier…."
Hank just looked at his son-in-law, as he hated that. "I'm a veteran, a father, and a business executive." Hank agreed. "And that's thanks to you, and I need time. I need time to re-establish my new identity here in Chicago, an identity where I don't carry a gun. Because if I can't be trusted with a weapon of war, then I don't feel like I can be trusted with a gun on the streets of Chicago; and Alex isn't working, as she's still too banged up from everything we went through because of you. Hank, she's petrified of running into you and having to see you; she associates you with almost killing her, and that's something that scares her. She hates to even say the words, because it makes her sick. My father almost killed me." Hank got scared as he heard Jay say that, as those words sounded horrible; because they were horrible, and there is no way that he can't admit that is not something that he likes to hear from his mouth.
"Hank, that's Alex's reality now. Heck, I was shocked when she didn't get diagnosed with PTSD…but I see some of it, and that breaks my heart. Hank, she has PTSD from giving birth to our children…think about that for a minute!"
Hank agreed with Jay, getting really scared. "Hank, I'm warning you. We're dealing with enough as it is. We have almost six-month-old twins, we have jobs, I have PTSD, she has PTSD symptoms, and we're in a pandemic; and her father is elderly, and works at the CPD. Yes, she still worries about you because she loves you. But right now, we aren't ready to deal with you near our children; and I've already made that clear to Alex, that I am not ready to have our children near you…and she agrees with me 110%. So please, act like you don't know that we're here in town; and act like we're still in Hawaii, because I do not want to have to deal with you at the moment. Is that understood Hank?" Hank agreed with Jay as he said that, well aware that he wasn't joking. "Can you at least promise me something?" Jay just looked at his father-in-law as he said that. "And what would that be?" Hank sighed and looked at him.
"Heaven forbid you guys get COVID, can you at least promise me that…"
Jay agreed with Hank as he said that. "Yes, I can promise you that. I will tell you if we get COVID, and I expect you to do the same. Hank, I am not kidding. I am not dealing with the aftermath of you dying from COVID, if you don't tell us. That will break Alex, and I am not ready to deal with that." Hank agreed with Jay as he said that. "Are you going to tell her that you saw me?" That's when Jay and Hank both heard Alex walk out to them.
"No need to."
He didn't expect her to come out, to come out to see him and Hank; and that was due to the fact that he expected her to stay inside, and just be safe. He didn't want her to risk getting infected with COVID. Yet at the same time, Jay knew that Alex wanted to be here as she needed to walk to her father. And that's exactly what Alex planned on doing, as she got close to her husband this morning. Meanwhile, Jay wrapped his arm around her and turned his head to look down at her. "The kids?" Alex smiled as she cuddled up to his side and put her hand on his chest. "Natalie." Jay agreed with Alex as he wrapped his arm around her some more and put his hand on her butt; after which, he bent down and kissed her softly as a way to show his wife that he loves her. "I love you." Alex agreed with Jay as he said that. "I love you too." Jay smiled as he heard Alex say that, while she turned to look at her father. "Hi Hank." Hank agreed.
"Hi Alex, how are you?"
Alex sighed as she looked at her father, before turning her head to look up at her husband. "You already tell him everything that happened recently? The changes in…" Jay agreed with Alex as he pressed his lips to her forehead. "Yeah, I already told him about all of that. All of the changes, and the news." Alex agreed with Jay, grateful that he already said that. "Thanks." Jay agreed with Alex as she said that. "No need to thank me Alex, I wanted to do it as I wanted to make sure that you didn't have to tell him yourself; I know it's hard for you to talk about it, so I did it for you." Alex agreed with her husband, very grateful for everything that he does for her. "Best husband in the entire world." Jay laughed and agreed with Alex. "So, are you being safe Hank?" Hank agreed. "Yeah, I am. I promise Alex. And I was just promising Jay here that I will tell him if I get COVID." Jay nodded as he looked down at Alex.
After which, he told her the same. "And I promised him the same, because that's one place where we're going to have to call a truce. If either of us get COVID, we're going to need some help with the kids." Alex shook her head. "Will and Natalie or Matt and Alex would do that, because Hank doesn't know them enough yet." Jay then realized that and nodded as he looked into Alex's eyes. "I have such a smart wife." Hank laughed as he heard Jay say that. "And don't you forget that." Turning her head, Alex looked at her father. After which, she went to grab something out of her pocket. "I've been meaning to send this to you, but I'm not sure if you deserve it now that you made that comment….when I am pretty sure that my husband loves me more than you, considering what you did to me." Hank got nervous as he heard Alex say that, while Jay got a bit curious when it came to the envelope that Alex has in her hands.
"What's in the envelope Alex?"
Turning her head, Alex smiled at Jay. "I have some pictures of the kids in here. I wanted Hank to at least have those, but I am not sure whether he deserves them now." Smirking, Jay agreed with Alex; after all, he most certainly feels the same way after the little comment that Hank made. "Yeah, I was starting to wonder the same time." Hank got nervous as he heard Jay and Alex both say that. "Sorry guys, I mean it. I really am sorry." Jay agreed with Hank, clearly able to see that he means it when he says that he's sorry. "I know you are, because you most certainly do not want to make us even angrier at you." Hank agreed with Jay, as that was the last thing that he wanted to do. He didn't want to make Jay and Alex angrier with him, as he instead wanted to work on their relationship to make it better. "If anything, I want to try and make our relationship better." Alex agreed with her father, as she wants the same.
She wants to try and repair their relationship, with the hopes of one day introducing the kids to him. "I want the same thing Hank, and I hope you know that. I hope you know that I wish for nothing more other than you getting a chance to meet our children. But right now, we simply aren't in a good enough place for you to be able to do that. However, I am not going to deprive you of everything that comes with being a grandfather. So, I am going to give you these." Putting the envelope on the ground, Alex then proceeded to kick it towards Hank as she couldn't get close to him; after which, he proceeded to bend down and pick it up. Going to open it, Hank went to look at it and saw the pictures of his grandchildren. "Their names are Michael and Olivia. Those are pictures from each and every month of their lives. From birth to now, there's six pictures. I will send you one each month, as you at least deserve that."
Hank smirked as he heard Alex say that. "You have no idea just how much this means to me Alex." Alex agreed with Hank as he said that, well aware that it means a lot to him. "I know that it means a lot to you, and that's why I decided to do it. So that you could at least see what you're missing out on, because of your actions." Hank gulped as he heard Alex say that, as that most certainly is something that he did. He's missing out on a lot of time with his grandchildren, due to his actions. "I know, and I am so sorry." Alex agreed. "And for what it's worth, I am not rejoining the CPD. I like my job, and I want to have this time with Jay and the kids. We have a lot more time with them, and I love it." Jay smiled as he rubbed Alex's back. "And I love you." Kissing the side of her head, Jay smiled as he was so happy over the fact that he and Alex are currently holding each other close right now; something they love to do.
"I promise, I've learned my lesson and I know that I am not going to get you guys back at the CPD."
Alex agreed with her father as he said that. "And Hank, that is just the first step to getting us back as a family. Once we go a while without you asking us to rejoin the CPD, then you can start texting, then calling, and then video chatting, before isolating and visiting. But one wrong move, and you need to restart at the bottom with a time of break. Hank, I am not doing this; because I am not subjecting my children to the hell you put me and Jay through, especially when we wanted to be together. This is our life now, and you need to accept it; and you need to accept it on our terms, as it's what we need as a family." Hank agreed with his daughter. "I like that path." Jay smiled as he turned his head, looking down at his wife; the wife whom he's incredibly proud of, and plans on showing inside. "I like that path too." The three of them then smiled, as they were all happy at the moment; happy to be starting a new chapter.