(AN: not sure if I already mentioned it, but this story is set technically at the beginning of season 6! Do with that what you will on what this may be connected to;))
Ava didn't sleep well that night. She kept waking up screaming from nightmares, then would panic because she'd need to be changed and didn't want anyone to be mad. It pained Hailey; it was almost like she was watching her younger self because she'd struggled with bed wetting and the fear that came with it. Her and Ava's father hated it, which was ironic because the fear he induced in them caused it.
By 5 AM, Ava was a mess. She was so tired, her whole body hurt, she was scared, and she wanted her mom to come back. Unfortunately, she knew and understood that this wouldn't be happening, so when she couldn't take being in the bed alone anymore, she reached out to Hailey.
"Do you want me to hold you?" Hailey asked, going over to the bed. Ava nodded and moved, hating that it hurt her body. She just wanted comfort.
Hailey had already been told they could hold her, they just had to be careful with her ribs. So she very gently lifted the small toddler off the bed and into her arms, tearing up when Ava's casted hand clung to her shirt while her thumb returned to her mouth. Hailey knew there were some injuries on her back, so she was careful as she brought a hand up to rub it while she swayed. Ava dropped her head to Hailey's shoulder as she cried, and Jay grabbed the blanket that belonged to her and draped it over her back to help keep her warm.
Slowly, Ava calmed down and began to relax in her sister's arms. Hailey could feel the tension leaving her tiny body so she started walking around the small room as she rubbed Ava's back, eventually lulling her back to sleep. What Hailey didn't know was Jay had snapped several photos of them.
"She's passed out, Hail. Do you want to lay her down?" Jay asked, grinning at his wife. He could tell she was glad Ava had initiated physical contact with her and felt comfortable enough to fall asleep in her arms.
"No, it'll wake her up if I move her. She's super light, so I'll keep holding her. I'm going to try sitting down in a few minutes though," Hailey kept walking around, then stood infront of Jay, swaying.
"I'll leave in a few and go get some stuff for us and pick up breakfast. What should I get for her?" He asked, not at all sure what to get a toddler for breakfast.
"Try fruit, eggs, dry cereal, yogurt, but not much else until she can tell us what she wants to eat. I know my mom would have fed her those things so they're probably safe."
Jay kissed her before leaving to go get clothes and food. Hailey managed to sit down and recline a chair without waking Ava, so she was able to relax and even fall back asleep for a while.
Ava didn't have another nightmare in the two and a half hours that Jay was gone, but she was awake when he walked back into the room. He paused when she saw him and waved, getting a slight wave in response but she didn't do much else. Hailey was still asleep.
Jay slowly walked over and sat down in the other chair, setting everything down on the floor. "Hi," he whispered.
"Hi," she spoke around her thumb, her uninjured eye wide.
"Are you hungry?" She watched him for a minute then nodded slowly, her head still pressed to Hailey's chest, which woke the older blonde.
"Mmm, morning," Hailey yawned, looking at Jay then down to Ava.
"She's hungry," Jay told his wife and she sat Ava up, getting several whimpers in response to the change in position.
"I'm sorry, Aves, I know it hurts. I bet you can have some medicine after you eat," Hailey soothed, getting a sad whine in response. Ava was hurting.
"Do you like fruit?" Jay asked, trying to distract the toddler as Hailey stood up to lay her down on the bed.
"Fwoot?" She asked as Hailey grabbed a pull up and some wipes to change her.
"Yeah, I got some fruit and some eggs for you, does that sound yummy?" Jay gave her a smile and she nodded with a small grin, her thumb finally leaving her mouth.
"I wike eggs," she told them, excited to get one of her favorite breakfast foods. And she loved fruit, which she didn't have a ton, so she was happy.
Hailey finished changing her and helped her sit up in bed with her ribs supported before Jay got out Ava's breakfast. The little girl happily (and messily) ate her food and drank some water while Jay and Hailey ate their own breakfasts.
When Hailey finished, she went into the bathroom and changed and got ready for the day while Jay tried to talk to Ava. She was a little hesitant without Hailey in the room.
Natalie and April came in just as Hailey left the bathroom to check Ava's vitals, her concussion, and give her some medicine for the pain and her UTI. They also got her set up with some ice for her shoulder, ribs, and face for the time being.
"How was she all night? Everyone was asleep each time I came in and I asked the nurses to keep the visits to a minimum so she wouldn't be scared," Natalie asked, sitting on an extra chair.
"She had several nightmares, woke up hysterical and needed a change every time. Around 5 she asked me to hold her and passed out on me, then remained asleep for over 2 hours, which was her longest streak. She ate, we know she likes eggs and fruit a lot, and she spoke to Jay."
"Poor kid. I'm really glad she let you hold her, that shows some trust is being established. Dr. Charles will be here in 10 minutes to talk with her, which will probably take an hour or so, then they'll be doing some more imaging on her to make sure nothing shifted with her shoulder or ribs. April will stay with her if you still want to run to target with me," Natalie offered.
"Yes, please. We still need clothes, bedding, toys, toiletries, pull ups, diapers, and several other things. And I need to install her car seat in my car," Hailey sighed, looking at Ava, who was watching them intently.
"Hailey, I'll go with you, we'll get it all and I'll take it to you and Jay's house since I'm off until this afternoon," Natalie could tell Hailey was getting overwhelmed. Jay could, too, and started rubbing her back.
"Okay, thanks, Nat. Um, Ava, what's something you want for your room?" Hailey asked her baby sister.
"Fowers," Ava said after a few minutes. "An pink an lellow wike dat. Or owange like dat,"Ava pointed to Hailey's mustard-yellow jacket (y'all, bear with me, I saw it on pinterest) and Jay's orange shirt.
"Okay, baby, we can do one of those. I'm gonna go with Natalie to go get you some stuff and come back. You're gonna talk with our friend, Dr. Charles. He's super nice and he will never hurt you, I promise, and Jay can stay with you. I'll try to be fast," Hailey explained and Ava nodded. She didn't really want Hailey to leave, but she didn't want to say anything so she just put her thumb in her mouth and left it alone.
Hailey kissed the top of her head, kissed Jay, then left with Natalie before Dr. Charles came in. Hailey and Nat took the car seat to Hailey's house to wash the fabric on it then went to Target. Natalie pulled up some room decor ideas on Pinterest while Hailey drove and they decided on one, which meant a trip to Lowe's was also needed for some paint.
"I can go get those started tonight after work if it's okay if Will brings Owen over there. And he can start setting her bed and dresser up," Natalie offered.
"That would be amazing. I want to help with the painting, so maybe don't do all of it, and I only want it on one wall, please."
They got to target and within an hour had Ava's sheets, a mattress cover (Jay had ordered a mattress that would work for her bed), comforter, blanket, pillows, a canopy, decorations, a rug, toys, plenty of clothes to get Ava through the end of summer and start of fall, shoes, and other necessities. Hailey also bought some kid food to get them started and some stuff to kid-proof the house. They didn't even need to go to hobby lobby for decorations, and Jay said Ava was still talking to Dr. Charles, so they stopped to get paint and went back to the house.
Hailey and Natalie picked a layout for the room and covered the carpet with old sheets then planned out the design they'd be painting. Hailey was happy to be able to help with this process before she had to go back to med. They got all the flowers started once Hailey marked them out. She was secretly a very good artist and did the white part of all the flowers before Jay called and two hours later (Ava had fallen asleep so Hailey was waiting for her to wake up) and said Ava had a nightmare and was asking for Hailey.
"Hail, you go, I'll stay here and start washing everything. I'll get my nanny to come get me before I have to be back at the hospital," Natalie offered and Hailey thanked her profusely before rushing back to the hospital.
She got there and found Ava crying in her bed, Jay sitting beside her but not touching her. "Hey, Ave, I'm here," Hailey smiled at her and Ava reached out to be held.
"She let me hold her for maybe a minute then started crying. April came and changed her so she should be okay for now, but she's getting hungry for lunch so Maggie was getting something for her and Will's ordering food for us. She just wanted you," he shrugged with a frown.
Hailey started swaying with Ava in her arms and the girl immediately began to calm down. "You're safe, Ava, I promise you're safe," she whispered and Ava whimpered as she relaxed.
"Owie," she sniffled.
"What hurts?"
"Ev-ting."
"When can she have more medicine?" She asked Jay.
"Let me get April," he stepped out and returned with the nurse.
"I hear someone is in some pain," she smiled softly at Ava, who nodded into Hailey's shoulder, thumb going into her mouth.
"She said everything hurts. She's really tense."
"She can't have her prescription meds for another two hours, but I can give her a small dose of Tylenol to help," April felt bad, she could see how tense the little girl was, but there wasn't much else she could do.
Ava took the Tylenol without a fuss and settled against Hailey, furthering their bonding experience. Ava ate her lunch while in Hailey's lap, then she willingly sat with Jay while Hailey used the bathroom and went to get she and Jay's lunch from Will. He was relieved she was starting to warm up to him. He loved kids.
She still preferred Hailey over Jay, but didn't mind him as much and fell asleep while the adults talked. After her nap, they took turns reading her books since screens were still a no as her concussion healed. Ava happily sat between them, even leaning against Jay as she held her bunny and sucked her thumb. All in all, it was a good day for the three of them.