Hailey stared at the plate of food Jay placed in front of her and felt her stomach churn. Nothing about the cinnamon roll, sausage, or cut up fruit looked appetizing to her. In truth, she didn't think she was even hungry.

They were going to head to the hospital after breakfast, and Hailey felt like she was dreading it. She had been in one since all of Jay's appointments had ended, but that'd been for work. This was going to involve visiting someone, and it was already starting to bring up memories.

She could still smell the stiff air and hear the soft beeping of his heart monitors from the second she'd walked in Jay's room. Thinking back to those first few moments that should have been some of the happiest of her life made her feel weak in the knees all over again. Their reunion could have been so much more, but, instead, it involved Hailey staring at his still body for hours on end. She'd sat in a chair silently begging him to wake up and return to her.

How was she supposed to go watch Kim do the exact same thing?

"All right, coffee is- You haven't touched anything."

Hailey blinked and looked up at Jay as he turned to place a mug of coffee in front of her.

"Is it bad?" he asked, "I cut open a piece of sausage, and it didn't look raw, but-"

"It's not bad," she quietly interrupted, "Sorry, I'm just not hungry. It looks very good, but I don't know if I can eat right now."

Jay studied her for a moment then sighed and walked around the island to sit next to her. Pushing her plate to the side, he grabbed her hands and squeezed gently. "My mom died in our house, hospice had come to set up a spot for her in her bedroom and she ended up dying a month later, but that didn't erase how I felt about the hospital itself. For months, I'd step inside one for work and remember all her appointments, all the times she'd forced herself to stay strong, all the smells and crying and 'code blue's that would echo over the speakers. It was awful, and combined with my general hatred for needles and doctors after my own experiences, it was almost debilitating."

Hailey let out a soft breath and whispered, "I'm so sorry."

Jay shook his head and placed a hand on the side of her face. "I'm not looking for pity. I'm hoping you'll see that this is normal – I mean, okay, maybe normal isn't the right word, but I want you to realize you're not alone. It took me close to a year to step into a hospital after she'd died and not feel like the floor was going to drop out from underneath me, but I did it. I got through it, and I know you will too."

Hailey tried to smile, but then sighed and set a hand on his thigh. "It's not every time I walk in there," she said quietly, "It's just the thought of going in there to see him – to do what I did for you. How can I do that again?"

Jay frowned, brushing his thumb over her cheek. "You remember that I survived and that I'm here for you. You do it for our friends and for that little girl who loves you so much. You think about what stupid thing he's going to say when he wakes up and how it'll make you laugh."

At that, Hailey did laugh and shake her head. "He's fighting for his life, Jay, be polite," she breathed.

"He's alive," Jay chuckled, "We can poke fun at him still. I'm sure he made a joke or two at my expense while I was at Walter Reed. He's like a brother to me, it's okay."

Hailey scrunched her nose and said, "Do we really want to say he's like a brother to you? You are aware I dated him, right?"

Jay hummed then leaned forward to peck her lips. "And look who won in the end," he whispered with a smirk.

She laughed when he winked at her and shook her head. "Unbelievable."

"I love Adam, but I'm very glad you two didn't work out," Jay said while pulling her plate closer to them. Taking a bite of strawberry, he said, "Besides, he was meant to be with Kim. It worked out for everyone."

Hailey watched him with a small smile then nodded. "That is true. He's happier with Kim, and I'm much better and happier with you. You're…we're meant to be."

"Exactly," Jay said as he picked up her fork and stabbed a piece of sausage. He held it out to her and raised an eyebrow. "Now, do you think you're meant to eat breakfast?"

Hailey laughed softly and stared at the food. With a soft sigh, she nodded and leaned forward to bite the sausage. Slowly chewing it, she relaxed and turned on the bar stool to situate herself better in front of the island.

"That's my girl," Jay said as he placed the fork back on her plate and stood up, "All the food."

Hailey scoffed and reached over to shove his back before he could walk away. "Shut up," she laughed, "I'm not Makayla."

"Well-aware of that," Jay chuckled, "I'm just saying, I don't want you passing out on me today because you refused to eat breakfast. It's the most important meal of the day."

"Mhmm," Hailey hummed. She ate another piece of sausage then said, "And do you remember when you'd refuse to eat while at Walter Reed? Where was this Jay then?"

"Struggling to wrap his head around everything," Jay quipped back. He picked up his mug of coffee and took a long sip before saying, "So thank you for making me eat."

Hailey smiled and put her hand out to him. When he grabbed it, she squeezed his fingers and said, "I did what I had to."

Jay laughed and kissed her hand before grabbing his own plate of food and walking around to sit next to her. He kissed the side of her head and said, "You fought tooth and nail. There's no one else I would have wanted on my side in there."

"I wanted my husband to come home, and no one – not even said husband – was going to stand in my way," Hailey replied with a pointed smile.

Chuckling, Jay said, "Maybe you should have gone to law school. You were pretty damn convincing in there."

"I think I've put my communication skills to good use in the box," Hailey replied. She took a bite of the cinnamon roll then hummed in appreciation. "And you've been putting your cooking skills to good use lately. This is good."

"Also made out of a can," Jay said.

Hailey laughed and sipped her coffee. "Well, still, it's very good."

Jay smiled at her, slowing down his own breakfast to watch her eat hers between more sips of coffee.

When she clued back in to him watching her, she hummed and said, "What?"

He shook his head and poked his fork into a strawberry.

"No, you were staring," Hailey said, quickly wiping her face with a napkin, "Is there something on my face?"

"No," Jay chuckled, "You're just really pretty, and, while you might have had some awesome lawyer skills, I think you're right: you were much better off as a cop."

Hailey relaxed with a smile and said softly, "Thank you."

Jay nodded and reached over to squeeze her thigh before returning to eat his meal.

She chewed the inside of her lip then shook any thoughts from her head and went to work finishing her plate.

Jay loved her with his whole heart. She might have been the one who could be rather sharp with him regarding his own health, but he had a different way of working with her. He approached her jumbled thoughts and worries and slight disregard of herself by being calm and quiet. He was gentle whereas she was straight to the point.

It worked.

At work, she always felt they were rather similar. There were times where they had to balance each other out, but they usually had the same goal and process in mind – at least before everything went to hell the year before. They knew each other's tells and could expect what the other was going to do a second before it happened, especially when they were in the box together.

And then they'd step out, and their guards and expectations would fall away. Hailey found herself living in the moment with Jay, accepting all he had to give the minute he offered it. It was like a dance of sorts, but more of a waltz: something beautiful they'd created together that deserved to be celebrated. Their love story was something out of the classic books she'd once studied. They were meant to be, so she wanted to work with him to build their best life together.

That meant listening when he expressed his concerns to her. Speaking up when he scared her. Staying calm when the world felt like it was falling apart. Believing in him whole-heartedly.

They were going to get through today. They had to. It wasn't just for themselves, but for their friends as well.

The year before, Hailey didn't think Jay ever would have considered placing a hand on her back during any of their shifts or near anyone who was not a member of Intelligence. When they first started dating, there were the occasional lingering touches in the bullpen, but that only lasted so long before Hailey decided it wasn't the most appropriate thing to be doing. Even upon getting married, a distance remained between the two of them whenever they were at work. Besides the rings they wore, Hailey could probably count on one hand the amount of times where anyone could have suspected they were in a serious relationship based on what they said or did to each other.

And yet here they walked into the hospital with Jay's hand on her back and not a care in the world for who saw them.

Hailey didn't feel like there was anything to hide anymore. They were married, but they weren't working together. Any sergeant or other cop could see them, and she didn't think it would be a big deal. They weren't necessarily working right now; they were visiting their friend in the hospital. It was allowed.

There were a handful of cops sitting around the waiting room. Hailey nodded to a few she'd worked with the day before, and Jay sent a wave in the direction of a few that he hadn't seen in months.

"Maybe I'll stop back in a bit and say 'hi' to them," Jay said quietly as they stepped through the doors into the hallway that would bring them to Adam.

"If you want," she replied, "I'm sure they're not expecting anything. They all know you worked with Adam. It's okay that your priorities are elsewhere."

Jay hummed and glanced over his shoulder. "I never reached out when I left or got back. What do you-"

"Hey," Hailey said, stopping where she was to place her hands on his chest, "What's going on?"

Jay sighed and let his gaze linger over the group of cops behind them. Hailey followed his eyes to see a handful leaning together and occasionally looking up at the two of them, and Jay's hesitation seemed clear.

"They're not talking about you," she said softly, "Just a coincidence."

Jay raised an eyebrow and stepped back to cross his arms.

Hailey sighed because he was right. Perhaps they weren't talking about him before, but now that they'd seen him and were just sitting around waiting for any news about Adam, it made sense to assume he was now their topic of conversation.

"So what if they are?" she added, "It's just talk."

"It's just talk?" Jay repeated with a hiss, "Hailey, I screwed up, left, and now I'm trying to rebuild my life. I can't have people just talking about me."

"Hey, hey," she whispered, stepping back toward him to set her hand over his heart, "Jay, stop. Everyone knows what you're doing right now. You've joined the academy and are doing good for the world. There is nothing there for people to make fun of. You're putting in the work and proving that you are a good detective – a good man. If anyone has anything to say about that, then screw them. Seriously. I have no regrets being married to you or being your partner or ever backing you up. Do not let some cranky old cops get under your skin. You're a hell of a lot better detective than they ever will be."

Jay chewed the inside of his cheek then sighed and nodded. Glancing back over her shoulder toward the door they'd just walked through, he mumbled, "If I've moved on, so should they."

"Exactly," Hailey said with a light pat to his chest, "You're okay. It's okay."

Letting out a slow breath, Jay ran a hand over his face then said, "Sorry."

"Mm, don't," Hailey hummed. She brushed her hand over his jaw before stepping back from him. "Nothing to be sorry for. No one likes thinking about all the things people could be saying about them. I would know."

Jay raised an eyebrow and started slowly walking in the direction of the room number Kevin had texted them that morning.

"Oh, come on," Hailey whispered, "The first thing you and Al said when we first met was that I was meritoriously promoted to detective, and you were both judging me for it."

"Al brought that up, not me," Jay replied, "And you quickly shut down any thoughts we may have been having."

"But you had thoughts the second you heard that," Hailey said, "Everyone did. It doesn't ignore the fact that I had dated one of my sergeants, which stirred up its own bit of drama. People talked about me all across the department. You just have to ignore it because if you focus on it for too long, it gets hard to breathe."

Jay stopped them again and grabbed her waist with his left hand. Brushing his thumb over her hip, he said, "I'm sorry if I ever made you think I didn't respect you."

"It was years ago," she replied.

"Let me apologize," he countered.

Hailey sighed and shrugged. "It…Jay, it's whatever. I married you, didn't I? I clearly didn't think about it for long. You quickly became one of my favorite people to work with despite that first encounter. You were smart and brave and taught me a hell of a lot about what being a good detective meant. That's what I remember when I think back on when we first became partners, not some stupid comment you made in a surveillance van."

There was still a skeptical look on Jay's face, but he nodded slowly, and his eyes shot down to her hand.

She followed his gaze then smiled and held up her left hand so he could see the small diamond still resting next to her black band. "Bought by you, right?" she asked softly.

He chuckled and nodded as he reached out to intertwine their fingers together. "You did choose me, flaws and all."

"Please," she said softly, "I chose you without even thinking of those flaws you claim to have."

Jay rolled his eyes, but said nothing as he turned to continue walking down the hall. Hailey was grateful for the quiet. She didn't need the constant back and forth right now over who loved who more or who had more issues or who was going through what emotion at whatever point in time of their relationship. Living in the past wasn't going to get them anywhere right now. They needed to focus on each other, but also think about their friends. It was the only way they were going to survive today.

Just as they approached Adam's door, Will stepped out and smiled tiredly at them both. "Morning."

"Everything okay?" Jay greeted.

"It is great to see you too, little brother," Will bit back, but, still, he shook his head with a smile and continued to say, "Yeah, everything's okay. He's still asleep, but we're gonna try to wake him up later today if he doesn't start to do it on his own. Kim and Makayla are in there now."

"Thank you," Hailey said softly.

Jay nodded and asked, "Have you been here all night?"

"No, I left a little before midnight," Will said, "And I got here about an hour ago. Surgery was a bit rough since he lost so much blood and the bullet was lodged in there, but once he was out, everything's been pretty smooth. I'm optimistic. Won't be easy, obviously, but better than nothing."

Hailey let out a relieved breath and rubbed her hands over her face. "Thank you," she whispered, mostly to herself, "Thank you."

Jay hummed in understanding and squeezed her shoulder. "Thanks for keeping an eye on him," he said quietly.

Will nodded and said, "It's really not a problem. I know I'm not exactly at the same level of friendship or whatever as you two, but I still care. I wanted him to pull through too."

Hailey shot him a small smile and nodded. "Well, we're gonna head in there if that's okay. We can catch up later?"

"Of course," Will said while stepping to the side. He lightly hit Jay's back as they passed him on their way into the room, closing the door behind them.

Kim looked up with the soft click of the door and tried to smile. "Hi."

"Hey," Hailey said softly, glancing over at Makayla coloring at a small table, "Everything going okay this morning? Will seemed pleased."

"Yeah, yeah," Kim answered quickly. She brushed her fingers under her eyes and took a deep breath. "I'd love for him to wake up, but if sleeping means he's getting better, then I can wait a little longer."

Jay nodded and pulled a chair over. Holding it out for Hailey, he said, "Now we just need to be patient. How's…uh-" He nodded toward Makayla and raised an eyebrow.

"She's okay," Kim breathed. She cleared her throat then turned in her seat to say, "Mak, did you see Aunt Hailey and Uncle Jay are here?"

Hailey sat in the chair Jay had and waited for Makayla to look up to say, "Hey, kiddo."

"Hi," Makayla said quietly. She waved slightly before returning back to her coloring.

Kim blushed and said, "Sorry."

"Don't be," Jay said softly, "She's just…processing."

"Aren't we all?" Kim sighed. She picked up Adam's hand and pressed her lips to it.

Hailey swallowed a lump in her throat, thinking back to when she would do the exact same thing to Jay. She'd be sitting next to his bed even if he was taking a nap or trying to remain calm while someone was changing his bandage, and she would hold his hand, not wanting to leave him alone for one minute. She hadn't seen him for months, she was going to take any chance she could to touch him and remind herself that he was alive.

Glancing to her left, she saw Jay staring at Adam and reminded herself that that was still true. Jay had gotten out of the hospital, just like Adam would.

"Do you want us to pick up some food for you two?" Jay asked, "Maybe bring you some drinks?"

"No, no," Kim said, "We ate before we came."

"Well, when you need something…" Jay said.

"I know," Kim said, "Thank you, Jay, really."

Jay bit his lip and leaned against Hailey's chair. She smiled up at him as she reached over to grab his hand.

She knew all too well that all the offers for help might go unanswered. There were too many times when her friends would ask what she wanted for dinner or say they could pick her up on the way to work. Even when Jay came home, the questions remained and comforting words were given, but she brushed them off. It was only too late that she truly understood the importance of accepting help.

Standing up, she took a deep breath and said, "Makayla, come with us please."

Kim looked around and asked, "What?"

"I don't want to," Makayla said quickly, "I'm coloring something for my dad."

"I know, but this won't be long," Hailey said, putting her hand out, "Come here."

Makayla groaned, but pushed the table to the side and stood up.

"Jay, you too," Hailey said while taking Makayla's hand.

"Where are you going?" Kim asked.

"A walk," Hailey answered.

"I don't-"

"Hailey-"

"Let's go," Hailey said, interrupting both Makayla and Jay. Tugging them from the room, she led the way to the elevator. As they waited for it to arrive, she sighed and leaned against the wall.

Jay bent down to brush his lips against her ear and whispered, "What're we doing?"

"Helping Kim," Hailey replied. The doors opened with a soft beep, and she ushered Makayla inside.

"By?" Jay asked.

Hailey waved him off and pressed the button. She smiled at Makayla and asked softly, "How're you feeling?"

Makayla scrunched her nose and said, "What do you mean? I'm not the one who's hurt."

"I know you're not," Hailey replied, "But sometimes when the people you love are hurt, you feel sad."

Makayla frowned and looked at the ground.

"Makayla," Hailey said as she stepped over and squatted in front of her, but then the elevator stopped and opened outside the cafeteria.

Jay let out a breath and put his hands on both Hailey and Makayla's shoulders. "Let's get a snack."

"I'm not hungry," Makayla mumbled.

"Then a drink," Hailey said, "Come on; I think they have one of those hot chocolate machines."

A smile finally flickered across Makayla's face, and she nodded.

Together, the three of them filled four cups with tea, hot chocolate, and coffee then made their way to get a few peanut butter cookies despite what Makayla said. It made Jay laugh softly in disbelief when he noticed what Hailey was picking up, and he just shook his head at her smile.

They found an empty table to sit at where Hailey passed out napkins. "You don't have to tell your mom we're eating cookies so early in the morning," she said with a wink.

Makayla laughed softly and broke off a piece of the peanut butter cookie. "I don't think she'll care. She's kind of distracted."

"Mhmm," Hailey said, "But she still loves you."

"I know," Makayla replied. Biting into the cookie, she looked around, swinging her feet against the chair.

Hailey watched her for a moment before saying gently, "Do you remember when Uncle Jay was hurt a couple months ago?"

Makayla's face fell, and she nodded. "You had a sling and looked kinda bad on your face."

"Yeah, wasn't my best moment," Jay replied.

Hailey squeezed his knee beneath the table, then said, "Well, when that was happening, I was pretty upset a lot of the time. It was hard to find good things in the world. So I wanted to let you know that it's okay if you're having a rough time with all this. I know it's not easy to have your dad in the hospital, but Uncle Jay and I are here for you, okay?"

Makayla frowned, but nodded and took a slow sip of hot chocolate. Staring at her cup, she blinked quickly and sniffled.

Hailey bit her lip, waiting and hoping that she'd said the right thing. She didn't know if Makayla would exactly understand what she was offering or what kind of information she could share with her, but she felt good knowing she was at least opening the door for her. She needed to do exactly what her friends had offered to her. She needed to take charge and just help.

For close to five minutes, the three of them sat in silence. Jay sipped at his coffee as he shared one of the cookies with Hailey, and Makayla picked at her own in between drinking her hot chocolate. Hailey was half-convinced nothing was going to happen and was about to suggest they go back up to Adam's room when Makayla finally sighed and rubbed at her eyes.

"He's going to get better, right?" she asked quietly, "Because my mom did and Uncle Jay did, but…but I heard someone say the word bullet and-and my other family was also shot and…and I don't want my dad to die too."

Hailey felt her heart break, a chill running down her spine. She hadn't known what Makayla knew about Kim's last stay in the hospital, and it was now clear that Kim and Adam hadn't wanted her to know all the gory details. Like Jay had said the day before, though, Makayla was smart and was able to catch on to the small things that the adults around her thought they were hiding.

Taking a deep breath, Hailey set her hand on Makayla's and whispered, "Look at me as I say this."

Makayla squeezed her eyes for a moment before meeting her stare with tears swimming in her own.

"Your dad is going to get better," Hailey said, "Uncle Jay's brother, Will, he's been hanging out with your dad a lot-"

"Will?" Makayla asked, "I met him. He was nice."

Jay smiled slightly and said, "He's pretty darn nice and a really good doctor."

Hailey nodded and continued, "Will said everything looks okay. He thinks your dad's going to get better. He told us that sometimes it might be hard for your dad to do some things, and he might be slow at healing, but it's not impossible."

"So he'll need help?" Makayla asked.

Jay nodded quickly. "Exactly. Just like your mom did, and like I did too. What kind of stuff did you do for your mom when she came home from the hospital? Do you remember?"

"Well, I read to her a lot," Makayla said, "And we played card games and I put on a couple plays. That helped because it helped her do something when she wasn't able to go to work. Oh, sometimes I set the table and poured drinks for her."

"Then I bet you're going to do a lot of that same stuff for your dad," Jay replied.

Hailey smiled at him and turned back to Makayla. "I know it's a lot to ask of you since you're so young and have already had to do it before, but do you think you can do it again?"

Makayla nodded quickly. "Of course. I love him."

Hailey's smile widened, and she squeezed Makayla's hand. "Then I am positive that your dad's going to be in good hands. With the doctors here and Will and your mom and you, I know your dad will be up and making jokes in no time."

"I think so too," Makayla said while jumping up, "We should get there soon." She wrapped her cookie in a napkin and added, "He'll want to eat this."

"Peanut butter cookies are the best," Jay said.

Hailey laughed and shook her head. "I'm glad you've taken to a sweet."

"I like sweets," Jay scoffed, "Don't just assume that because I don't like chocolate means- what the hell?"

Hailey glanced away to see Makayla hurrying over to the open elevator. "Mak!" she called out before grabbing their drinks and running over.

Jay jogged behind her and caught the elevator door before it could close on Makayla. "Excuse you," he said, "Don't you think you should wait for us?"

"I saw the elevator open and figured we should hurry up," Makayla answered with a shrug, "I was going to hold the door."

"Uh-huh, sure," Jay said as he pressed the button for their floor.

Hailey laughed softly and shook her head.

The doors closed behind them, and Makayla jerked forward to give Hailey a hug with her free hand. Pressing her face into Hailey's side, she whispered, "Thank you for making me feel better."

"Oh," Hailey breathed. Smiling down at her, she said, "You are very welcome. I'm always here for you, okay?"

Makayla nodded with a smile of her own and leaned back against the wall. She happily watched the numbers increase on the door.

Jay stepped closer to Hailey and whispered, "I'm proud of you. That was good."

Hailey smiled and shrugged. "She needs to know someone's in her corner."

Jay hummed and kissed her temple before straightening up again.

Hailey watched Makayla and noted the smile still on her face. Her heart warmed at the good that came from helping her. While she'd felt it before, there was a soft pang in her chest at the thought of how she hadn't let her friends help her as she'd been struggling with everything that had happened with Jay over the past year. Talking to Makayla about Adam didn't just help Makayla, but it helped her own feelings as well. She was able to offer some sort of verbal comfort that reflected back within her own heart and eased her own worries. Her friends would have deserved this same comforting feeling regarding Jay, and she hated that she'd been so against letting them have it.

When the doors opened, they exited the elevator in a much calmer mood than they'd been upon getting in it. Makayla happily led the way to Adam's room and knocked softly before pushing the door open. Before Hailey and Jay could even step inside the room, they heard her gasp and say, "You're awake!"

Both Hailey and Jay hurried inside to see Kim at Adam's side, him now sitting up slightly in his bed.

"Yeah," he croaked, "I was a bit bummed that you weren't here. What were you up to?"

"Aunt Hailey and Uncle Jay bought me hot chocolate and a cookie," Makayla said. She set her nearly empty cup down then broke off a piece of cookie to hold out to him.

"Uncle Jay bought you a cookie?" Adam asked, "How long was I asleep for?"

"You're hilarious," Jay replied.

Adam tried laughing and ended up coughing.

"Here, here, it's okay," Kim said softly, helping Adam sit up more to get a drink of water.

Hailey glanced at Makayla, expecting to see her worried at what was happening, but instead she was standing patiently off to the side. She walked over to run her hand over the back of Makayla's hair and said, "I think they're going to want him to eat something healthy first, but that'll be a good dessert for when he's ready."

"Yeah, I guess that makes sense," Makayla said, turning to place the cookie next to her coloring page, "I should finish this anyways."

"Whatcha got there?" Adam asked.

"This place is boring," Makayla answered, "You need some pictures like when Mom was here."

"I love that," Adam breathed, "Thanks, kiddo."

Makayla smiled at him and returned to coloring her drawing.

Hailey gave Adam a minute to watch her before asking softly, "How're you feeling?"

"Uh, not great," Adam replied. He set his head back against the pillow and added, "Remember when we talked about never getting shot? It's really not a fun thing. Try not to do it."

Jay's head snapped to Hailey, and he raised an eyebrow.

Choosing to ignore him, though, Hailey weakly laughed and stepped around Kim to give Adam a gentle hug. "I'm glad you're okay," she whispered.

He hummed and lightly patted her side. Settling back again, he looked at Jay and said, "You like this?"

Jay scoffed and glanced at Makayla coloring her picture before holding up his middle finger and saying, "You're hilarious."

Adam tiredly smirked and nodded. "I know."

"But," Jay said as he took a step closer to the bed and placed a hand on Adam's leg, "In all reality, take it easy. They're gonna want you to get up and move. Do it, but don't be the hero and say you can do laps around the hall. Walking to the bathroom is going to be a workout in itself."

Adam sighed. "Thanks, man. This…this sucks. I never would have thought it'd be Callum. I figured there was a chance I'd…you know…" He glanced at Makayla again and shook his head before continuing to say, "But I never would have guessed that it'd be the kid."

"Yeah, but we don't need to talk about all of that right now," Kim interrupted softly, "Let's just focus on getting better. We can talk about Callum and the case tomorrow at the earliest, maybe even two days from now."

"I agree," Hailey said.

Not just because she felt it was for what was best, but because she'd seen the benefits of doing just that when Jay was in the hospital. She'd also told her own husband to focus on getting better in the moment rather than thinking back on what had gotten him that position. It didn't do well to dwell on the what ifs and the could have beens. Adam, like Jay, needed to keep his mind moving forward and live in the present. There would be plenty of time in the coming weeks to discuss the Becks and Callum and all that had happened over the past twenty-four hours, but that didn't need to start now.

Kevin arrived about half an hour after Adam woke up, and Jay and Hailey didn't want to stay too much longer after that. The room was starting to feel crowded, especially when a couple doctors stepped in to check out the wound.

It wasn't until they were at a diner for an early lunch when Jay said, "So you two have talked about getting shot before."

Hailey looked up from the menu and said, "Sorry?"

Jay sighed and set his own menu down. "You and Adam have talked about how you've never been shot? That's pretty much jinxing yourself."

Hailey couldn't help but laugh. "Jay! We're cops. Everyone talks about getting shot at work. We have to prepare for what could happen on the job. It's normal."

"I don't like you just walking around doing that, though," Jay replied quickly, "It's like you're putting something out in the universe. Some sort of gross invitation to the world."

Rolling her eyes, Hailey said, "You're being ridiculous."

"Am I?" Jay asked, "Hailey, I can't lose you. I've had to fight to keep you out of jail; I'm not about to watch you fight for your life. We're not partners anymore. I can't…I…I have no control while you're there, and I hate it."

Hailey softened and let out a puff of air.

It was everything they'd talked about before: how they really had not been married for long and deserved all the time in the world. Jay didn't want her to get hurt, and she could relate to that more than he might ever know. She'd been the one to see him injured and bleeding out all those times. It was never an easy sight and broke her heart every time. Out of everyone in the world, Jay was the last she ever wanted to experience what it was like to sit next to a loved one's bedside, and it had nothing to do with the fact that she'd be the loved one he'd be sitting next to.

After he'd gone through so much physical pain himself, he did not deserve to sit and watch the love of his life – because that's what they'd agreed they were for each other – fight against a gunshot wound or worse in front of him. He'd already had to see her survive an explosion and a concussion and then, more recently, a knife to the stomach. He didn't need to go though anything else.

"I'm sorry," she said quietly, "I didn't think anything of it. It was one conversation. If anything, it reminded me that I need to be extra careful out in the field. Just because I've never gotten hurt before doesn't mean I never will. I promise you that I'll be safe out there."

"Thank you," Jay breathed, "Thank you because…because…"

"I know," she replied, "It's okay."

He shook his head and reached over to squeeze her hand.

Hailey smiled slightly, nodding at him. She knew.

Because he couldn't do what Kim was doing right now.

What Hailey had done months before.

What Adam had done years ago.

What Hailey had once done before when they weren't even together.

He was strong and knew how to hit a target thirty, forty, fifty yards away. He could lead a unit of a dozen officers through a battlefield and through a Chicago neighborhood. He knew what to look for when having to survey a building he'd never stepped in, and he could anticipate her every move.

Hailey was his person just like he was hers. She wasn't stupid – she knew exactly how much she meant to him because of the amount of time and words he'd put into showing her just that. He wanted her to know she was loved, and that made her realize she couldn't take it for granted.

Growing up, she didn't have a safe place to call home. She had parents who said they loved her, but then they'd turn right around and hurt her in ways parents never should. She didn't understand what love should be until Jay came into her life.

He gave her a reason to be safe while at work. When she lost her uncle so early in her policing career, it was like her need to constantly look over her shoulder diminished just enough that getting hurt could have reunited her with him – and that might not have been the worst thing that could have happened to her. But then Jay came along, and he showed her that she was worth keeping alive.

She didn't deserve to experience the unexplainable pain that was getting shot. She had a family now in Jay, and she needed to stay safe for him. They were building a life together that deserved to happen. They could sit and plan out the house with the yard for the dog and the kids, but if one of them died before they could even sign the mortgage, then what was the point?

She needed to stay alive. She had a lot to live for.

Shifting her hand in his, Hailey took a deep breath and wrapped her pinky around Jay's. "I promise to try my hardest to stay safe and healthy at work. I hit a snag the other day, I get it, but I promise to work even harder to avoid that from happening again – or from anything else happening that shouldn't."

Jay let out a weak chuckle and nodded. He lifted her hand to his lips and pressed a small kiss to the side of her pinky. "Thank you," he said softly, "I appreciate it. While we maybe should have put that exact thing in our vows, I think a pinky promise will hold us over."

Hailey laughed and tugged his hand closer to her. Leaning forward to press her own kiss to his pinky, she said, "It'll have to do. I don't know if you're allowed to renew your vows twice."

"At least, probably not within the same year or even the same season as the last time you did it," Jay replied.

Hailey laughed again and said, "Anyone who fights that is stupid."

"Or maybe we're just a bit over the top," Jay suggested.

Hailey shrugged. "I'd rather be over the top in love with you than single and bitter."

"Ouch," Jay laughed, "I wouldn't say you were bitter when I met you."

"Eh, I certainly wasn't happy," Hailey said, "And I was too focused on me. You gave me some other sort of purpose, and that was okay. I needed to love something besides my job, and I think I picked a pretty good person to do that with."

Jay winked and pulled her hand closer to kiss it one last time before letting go. "Love you," he said while picking up the menu again.

"And I love you," Hailey said softly.

"Forever."

"Always."

A/N: Happy Monday! I hope this chapter warmed you up a bit with all this cold weather :) Let me know what you think? Talk next week!