At 6 am, Jay waited for Will in his car. Will's shift ended at 6, he should be out in a bit. When it reached 6.30 and Will is still nowhere to be seen, Jay went to the ER. Will was sleeping in the break room, his face was pale. Jay touched his shoulder.

"What?" asked Will.

"You alright?" asked Jay. Will closed his eyes, squinting at the light.

"Why are you here?" asked Will.

"I came to see you last night. Maggie said you had a rough day. You okay?"

"Yeah… I'll be," said Will. "Sorry Jay, not in the mood for talking."

"You want me to drive you home?" asked Jay. Will nodded. Jay was worried. Will usually put on brave face in front of him. For Will to show vulnerability in front of him was something to worry upon. He pulled Will up and guided him to the parking area by holding him on the shoulder. After helping Will into the passenger seat, he drove to Will's place. Will fell asleep instantly, didn't even respond when Jay accidentally drove over a pothole. Jay shook his shoulder.

"Come on, I don't want to see you face plant yourself," Jay opened the door of the passenger's seat and pulled Will out. He realised Will was really out of it when he let Jay slung his arm over Jay's shoulder and half-carried him into the building. Only when they reached his door that Will took out his key from his pocket and opened the door.

"Where is Owen?" asked Jay.

"Babysitter," said Will.

"You need anything?" asked Jay. Will shook his head, heading inside his bedroom. Jay put a glass of water on his bedside table anyway, and waited until he came out of the bathroom. Will cringed and shielded his eyes from the light coming from the window.

"Can you close the curtain?" asked Will. Jay did so immediately, recognising sign of migraine.

"Go lie down. I'll bring wet towel," Jay guided Will to lie on the bed and fixed his blanket. He went to grab a wet towel and put it on Will's forehead. He sat on Will's side and massaged his temple and skull. "I don't know you still get migraine," he whispered. Will used to get migraine in high school, so this was a routine for them way back then.

"Only when I'm really tired, and, probably stressed," said Will, sighing when Jay hit a soft spot on his head. "I pronounced five times in two shifts, one was a kid."

"I'm sorry. We can take a raincheck on dad's apartment," offered Jay.

"Yeah. We can do it tomorrow," Will mumbled. Jay went to the kitchen and came back bringing a bottle of Advil. He slipped one in Will's mouth and lifted his head.

"That was Advil. Swallow it," Jay put the glass of water on Will's lips. Will dutifully swallowed, and Jay gently laid him down on the bed.

"Sleep, I'll stay for a bit," said Jay. He kept massaging Will's skull. When Will was asleep, he took the towel, wet it, and put it back on Will's head. Around 9 am, he left after making sure there's food in the fridge. He went to Hailey's place.


"Aunt Hailey," Hailey woke up to Angie's soft stroke on her cheek. She smiled and hugged her niece.

"You sleep well, Angie?" asked Hailey, glancing at the clock. It's nearly 9 am.

"I wanna play," said Angie as she jumped on the bed. "Ooof!" she fell on Hailey, who grabbed her and hugged her.

"Let's eat, then we'll play, okay?" Hailey sat and wore her arm sling.

"Mum said if it hurts, kiss it," said Angie and kissed Hailey's arm.

"Thanks, but it takes longer to heal," said Hailey. She helped Angie went down from the bed. They both went to the kitchen where Hailey prepared the instant pancake batter. She let Angie stand on a stool and poured pancake batter from a water bottle, a trick she learned from her mum. They were in the middle of making pancake when the doorbell rang. She picked Angie up with one hand and lowered her to the floor.

"Wait here, Ange. I'll open the door," Hailey said to her niece. She ran to the door, opening it after making sure it was Jay. "Come in. We're making pancakes," she ran back inside, flipping the pancake.

"I want to, Aunt Hailey," Angie asked for a lift. Hailey lifted her with her good hand. Jay noticed how she made sure her injured arm didn't do any work.

"Angie, this is my friend Jay," said Hailey. "He likes to make pancake, too. Can you show him how you do it?" asked Hailey.

"Yes, but I want chocolate chip," Angie smiled brightly that Jay couldn't help but smile too.

"Ask nicely."

"Aunt Hailey, can I have chocolate chip please?" Angie smiled when Hailey gave her a bag of chocolate chip. "Thank you!"

"Don't put too much, and be careful," Hailey put her hand around Angie, guarding her as she leaned forward to put some chips on the pancake. After they made one, Angie turned to Hailey and whispered. "Ask him," Hailey pointedly said, glancing at Jay.

"Do you want chocolate chip on your pancake?" asked Angie shyly at Jay.

"Yes, I want a lot of chocolate chip," said Jay.

"But my mum said a lot of chocolate makes your throat hurts," reasoned Angie. "You can have a little." Hailey burst out laughing, Jay followed. It's not every day a three year old tell him what to do.

"Bossy, just like auntie," Jay mocked to Hailey behind Angie's back.

"She's not bossy, she's right. So am I," retorted Hailey.

"Aunt Hailey, I want to flip it," said Angie. She flipped the pancake, with Hailey's help.

"Angie, how about you grab your toy to show to Jay? I'll finish making the pancakes," said Hailey. Upon hearing Angie's agreement, she lowered Angie to the floor. Angie disappeared to Hailey's room. Hailey turned on the heat and made multiple pancakes at a time.

"I just got back from Will's. He came down with a migraine, after a double shift and multiple deaths," said Jay.

"I thought he was on night shift?" asked Hailey. She used to have migraines too, so she was sympathetic.

"It ended at 6. Thankfully I went to the hospital, he was half asleep. He left his car there. Can we stop by en route to the park? I want to check on him," said Jay.

"Of course. Why didn't you stay with him?" asked Hailey.

"He was sleeping, and his migraine isn't too bad. If it was bad, he couldn't sleep through the migraine, even threw up multiple times," said Jay, remembering the past when he wrestled Will who wanted to punch his own head. Hailey flipped all the pancakes and opened her fridge.

"I have chicken soup I made yesterday. With this arm I can't really cook anything aside from that and pasta. We can bring it for him," said Hailey.

"I already texted Natalie. Owen's babysitter is going to drop him off at 12. We'll go there, pick Owen up, and bring Owen to the park with us if that's okay," Jay made plan.

"Wow, I bet it's like a lottery for Angie. She loves playing with others," said Hailey. Angie ran towards them and gave a stuffed toy to Jay.

"What's her name?" Jay squatted down.

"My mum named her Ariel, but I wanted the name Belle," said Angie.

"Why Belle?" asked Hailey.

"Because she's blonde like Belle. Like mum, me, and you," said Angie. "When my mum isn't home, I sleep with Ariel." She sat on the kitchen floor. Jay looked up at Hailey who mouthed 'nurse'.

"Alright, pancakes are done! Let's eat! Angie, don't sit on the kitchen floor," Hailey patted Angie's head, earning a giggle from Angie. Angie raised her hands, asking for a lift from Hailey.

"May I help you up? Aunt Hailey's hand is hurt, it's easier for me to help you," said Jay to Angie. Angie nodded and Jay pulled her up, placing her on the kitchen stool.

"Not exactly toddler friendly," he commented.

"Yeah, she used to sit on the table here, my sister-in-law hated it. I'll watch her," Hailey sat on the stool beside Angie. They ate the pancakes while making small talks. Angie had milk while Jay and Hailey had coffee. Jay announced he would do the dishes.

"You shouldn't, you're a guest," Hailey tried to reason with him.

"Just get ready, I can be bossy too," Jay shoved her lightly towards her room. Hailey and Angie got ready, she packed the soup for Will, and they headed out. They used Hailey's car since Angie's car seat was already installed.

"Before we're going to the park, we're going to pick up a friend, okay, Angie? His name is Owen, and he's three year old too. You can play with him," said Jay.

"Owen's a boy?" asked Angie.

"Yes, he is. He's nice and likes to run and climb. Do you like to run and climb?" asked Jay.

"Uh huh!" Angie's face lit up.

"Natalie gave my number to the babysitter, she would drop him off when we got there," said Jay. "She's on shift until 6 tonight." They went to Will and Natalie's apartment. Hailey put the soup on the stove. Jay took Angie to Owen's room.

"You can play here for a bit, these are Owen's toys. Do you like dinosaurs?" asked Jay.

"No, I only like Barney," said Angie.

"Barney?" asked Jay.

"The purple dinosaur," chimed Hailey who just joined them. "We're waiting for Owen to come home. I'm sure Owen has some books," she scrolled through the bookshelf and pulled out a thick book. "See, there's Donald Duck. Your favourite!"

"Donald! And that's Goofy!" Angie smiled. Jay peeked to Will's bedroom. He was in the same position in which Jay left him. Jay touched his forehead.

"Will, wake up," he tapped Will's shoulder. Will opened his eyes. "Slowly. How's your head?" asked Jay.

"Been better," Will cringed.

"You up for lunch?" asked Jay. "You have to, you haven't eaten anything."

"Is Owen home?" asked Will.

"We're waiting for him to be dropped off, I'll take him to the park so you can sleep," said Jay. "Hailey and her niece are here, figured those two can keep each other company."

"Never thought you two would babysit toddlers and not criminals," Will smirked. His head still hurts, but he wouldn't miss an opportunity to mess with his brother. "What is it, a family outing?"

"I can leave Owen here if you prefer so," Jay challenged. Will thought better than to answer, so he buried his face in the pillow.

"Don't. Owen will make my head explode," said Will. Jay massaged his head slowly, earning a few groans from Will.

"Why did you come to the hospital last night?" asked Will.

"Rough therapy session. I'm fine though, I went to Hailey's after that," said Jay.

"Sorry, guess I was busy," said Will. "You stayed there?"

"No, I went home. What is it with the question?"

"Nothing. You wanna talk about the session?"

"I'd rather not. You up for lunch? We brought you some soup," said Jay.

"No appetite, but… I guess," said Will.

"I'll grab your lunch." Jay patted Will's head and went to the kitchen just in time that the doorbell rang and Jay opened the door to Owen and the babysitter. The babysitter apologised, apparently Natalie tried to extend babysitting hours until evening, but she needed to go somewhere. Jay said thank you, and pulled Owen to introduce him to Angie. Hailey took the bowl and knocked softly on Will's bedroom door. She peeked inside.

"Hey, Will. It's Hailey," she tip-toed and sat on Will's bedside.

"Hailey. Sorry, not in my usual charming persona," said Will.

"Jay got his hands full with two kids. Here's soup for lunch, hopefully you can handle it," said Hailey. She instinctively helped Will to sit up. "Migraine's a bitch, eh?"

"Yeah. A bit better than this morning, though," said Will. "Heard you two are playing babysitters."

"I have my niece staying with me this weekend. And Jay took Owen. It's gonna be a handful, especially I only have one hand," said Hailey.

"Yeah, it's gonna be babysitting three kids for you today," Will smirked. Hailey laughed, remembering how it was when Jay and Owen played together. "Oh, come to Med on Monday, I'll check your shoulder."

"Can't wait to get out of this sling," Hailey gave Will the bowl. "Careful, it's still hot. You need something else?"

"Nope, thanks," said Will. Hailey went to Owen's room to see Jay, Owen, and Angie played with stuffed toys. She smiled and took picture with her phone, intending to show it to Will later.

"He's alright?" asked Jay to Hailey. Hailey nodded before went to the kitchen to make tea for Will. She rummaged through Natalie's kitchen and were pleased to find many varieties of tea. She boiled water to make chamomile tea and knocked on Will's room. Will was nearly done with lunch.

"I bring you tea and report. Here's the toddlers playing," Hailey showed her phone. Will smiled.

"Sometimes I wonder what would Jay be had he not enlist," said Will. "He could've been a camp counsellor, teacher, whatever that don't let him see terrible things."

"Terrible things happen everywhere, Will. You work in a hospital and you see it every day. My brother works in a law firm, last month a man jumped from tenth floor in front of his window. My dad owned a restaurant, we were robbed at gunpoint," Hailey smiled sadly. "We can only choose to forget terrible things, take the good things with us."

"Yeah… I guess. Last night a crash victim came, he just entered high school, rode his dad's bike without permission. Got thrown 50 yards away… I pronounced him within minutes of arrival, in front of his parents. And I had an eight year old girl who swallowed her toy, she arrived brain dead from not having oxygen. Things like that don't go away in a day."

"Good things happen too, let's not forget that. How many patients do you save, how many criminals I put off the street. When I think about it… the good things outweigh the bad things," said Hailey.

"Wow, you're wise! Please rub off on Jay," said Will. Hailey took the empty bowl as Will finished.

"I guess you should have Advil now? How's your head?"

"Been better, I'll take another one just in case," said Will. "The soup was good. You cooked?"

"Yeah, I can't cook other things with one hand. So I had soup multiple times this week," said Hailey. "Can't wait to have both my hands free."

Jay went into the room. "Are you done eating? We're gonna take Owen for lunch and play at the park, call me if you need anything," said Jay, squeezing Will's shoulder.

"Yeah. Thanks, guys," said Will. Hailey took it as her cue to leave, so she slipped outside to wash the bowl. Angie and Owen were ready. They went to Hailey's car. Jay installed Owen's car seat, then they all went to have lunch. They ordered a meal to be shared between Angie and Owen. Both kids were good at eating, they finished their meal without complain. Neither was a messy eater, and Hailey was secretly glad she didn't need to clean the table. She was restrained at her movement, with only one hand to eat with.

"They behave very well," commented an old lady sitting beside them. Jay and Hailey exchanged looks, neither knew how to respond.

"Which one is older? They look the same age," commented her table mate.

"They're not siblings… she will turn four in January," said Hailey. "How old are you, Owen?"

"Three!"

"I think Owen was born in the spring," said Jay.

"Ah, I see. Well, enjoy your day," said the old lady before walking out.

"Thank you," Hailey smiled at them. Both froze at the thought that they looked like a family.

"Are we done, Aunt Hailey?" asked Angie.

"Yes, after you finish your drink," said Hailey. Angie quickly obliged, finishing her drink. "I'll take her to the bathroom," Hailey said to Jay. Jay took her out of the high chair and put her down. Jay finished leftover pieces of chips on Owen's plate, and cleaned the table.

"You want to take Owen to the bathroom before we go, or shall I?" asked Hailey. Jay's eyes nearly popped out of his eyes. He didn't know what to do. "I'm guessing this is your first time babysitting, isn't it?" Hailey laughed. "Come on, Owen, let me take you to the bathroom." She gave Angie to Jay and grabbed Owen's hand before making second trip to the bathroom.

"She looks like her mum," commented the server.

"Ah, she's not… never mind," said Jay. "Here they are. Let's go," he held Angie's hand to the car. It took them some time until both toddlers are seated in their car seats. Jay drove to a park. Once they got there, Angie and Owen ran to the playground which has slides and see-saw.

"Aunt Hailey, I want to play this," Angie pulled Hailey's hand toward the slides. Usually Hailey had no problem taking Angie to play with those, but this time she had only one hand.

"I'll help her. Owen, let's do the slides, buddy!" Jay picked Owen up with one hand and pulled Angie to the slides. Hailey sat on a bench. She hadn't really gone out for a long time. Work had taken its toll on her lately. She attended few therapy sessions after the Booth case, and then Al's death… another mandatory therapy sessions. She took a short leave shortly after Al's funeral to stay with her parents on a weekend. This was the first weekend that she was completely free.

"They're in the sand box," suddenly Jay sat beside her. They moved to a bench which overlooks the sand box. "What did you and Will talk about?"

"Why did you ask? You're not usually nosey," countered Hailey.

"You both have supported me since I got shot, I have a feeling that you talked about me," said Jay. "Tell me. If you didn't talk about me, then we can forget that this conversation ever happened."

"You're not completely wrong. But we didn't talk about you today. We did last week, after the funeral. That's all." Hailey sighed. "He's worried about you. He knew you opened up to me. He didn't ask what you talked about, of course, but he thanked me for being there for you." Jay remained silent.

"Why did he…"

"He felt guilty that he couldn't be there for you back then, and I think… I think he was worried that now you didn't talk to him because of what happened in the past," Hailey looked forward, waving to Angie who just waved at them. "Jay, that's the thing with older siblings. They want to protect their younger siblings, no matter how old they are. Last time I broke up, mind you, I was already a detective, my brothers wanted to threaten my ex-boyfriend the same way they did my high school boyfriend. Point is… remember when you walked out on Will because he said you wouldn't talk to him? I think that frustrated him, he thought that you didn't trust him. He was relieved when he knew you talked to me, that you were not bottling things up yourself, and you have someone to lean on. But I sensed… guilt? Disappointment? Not disappointed in you, but in himself, that he isn't worthy enough of your trust," said Hailey. Phew, what a speech, she thought. It's unlike her to speak at length, even when she tried to knock some sense into her hard-headed partner.

"I don't want to get involved in your family matters, Jay, but you should think about that. Do it for Will. He was guilty that you saw demons in the Army, and that you're being haunted by the memory," said Hailey, squeezing Jay's knee.

"We're both adults, he's no more responsible than I am for everything. He didn't talk to me, I shouldn't have to talk to him," defended Jay.

"I know. That's how we view it, because we're the younger siblings. I never interfere with my brothers' relationships. But they always do with mine. That's just how it is," said Hailey. They were interrupted by Angie who ran to them, asking for drink. She ran back to Owen who was waving to her to be quick.

"You have a nice family," commented an onlooker. Both Hailey and Jay were flustered.

"Thank you," said Jay. "I don't feel like explaining," he shrugged when Hailey looked at him questioningly. He remained silent to take in Hailey's words.

"Come to think about it… Will commented on my relationship with Erin when I asked for the ring. I didn't ask a single question when he wanted it back for Natalie. When I got kidnapped before, he tried to convince me to take a desk job like Platt. When Med was bombed, I only asked if he was fine, didn't even make comment on how dangerous the job is. I think you have a point," said Jay after a few minutes.

"It sucks, but it is how it is," said Hailey.

"Really, what would I do without you," Jay shook his head. "I'll get us some coffee," he went to the coffee vendor. Hailey smiled and joined Angie and Owen at the sand box. She was helping Owen with their castle when she heard a very loud blast from the other side of the park. Without thinking, she grabbed both Angie and Owen and covered them with her body as she threw herself into the sand box.


I'm not familiar with any three year old so excuse me if Angie (and Owen) does not behave like one, or said things child that age shouldn't. We'll meet the team in the next chapter.