Season 10 - Hailey has a stomach bug

Jay and Hailey were sound asleep in bed, when suddenly Hailey woke up with a start. She clutched her stomach and quickly realised that she was going to be sick. She tried to run to the bathroom but before she made it to the door, her stomach contents came up all over herself.

Jay woke up to the sound of retching and sat up in alarm. He quickly switched on the bedside lamp and saw Hailey covered in vomit.

He quickly jumped out of bed and ran over to her side, helping her sit up and rubbing her back.

Hailey was miserable, and apologized through tears as she tried to clean up the mess. Jay shushed her and told her not to apologise. He grabbed some tissue and started to help her clean up.

As Hailey sat on the floor, still shaking and covered in vomit, she looked up at Jay with tear-filled eyes. The memories of past abuse came flooding back, and she instinctively flinched as if expecting a blow. She looked up at Jay, her voice small and trembling.

"I-I'm sorry… I'm so sorry…"

Jay immediately softened and crouched down beside her, his expression full of empathy.

"Hey, hey, it's okay. It's okay," he said soothingly, taking her hands in his and squeezing them gently. "You don't need to apologize. It's just an accident."

Hailey sniffled, her body still shaking.

"But I made a mess… I'm sorry," she repeated, looking down at herself and the mess on the floor.

Jay gently lifted her chin, making her look at him.

"It's not your fault, Hailey. These things happen. You don't have to be sorry. Let's just get you cleaned up, okay?" He said, his voice soft and reassuring.

Hailey nodded, still looking a bit dazed and shaken. Jay helped her up and led her into the bathroom, where he started the shower.

Once the water was warm enough, he undressed her and helped her step into the shower.

Hailey still looked miserable and ashamed. Jay was undressing, preparing to get in the shower when she spoke up softly.

"Get in, please?"

Jay didn't need any more prompting. He quickly shed the rest of his clothes and got in the shower behind her. He wrapped his arms around her from behind, holding her close as the warm water rinsed them both clean.

Jay ran his hands gently over her shoulders and back, trying to soothe her.

"You're okay," he whispered, his lips close to her ear. "You're okay. I've got you."

Once both of them were clean and dried off, Jay helped Hailey into a pair of clean pajamas. She was still looking shaken and tired. He led her back to the bed and helped her lie down, pulling the covers up over her. He then climbed in beside her, pulling her close to him.

Hailey snuggled into him, her head on his chest. Jay wrapped his arms around her, holding her tightly. His hand came up to run soothingly through her hair, and he pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead.

Hailey looked up at him, her eyes still a bit puffy from crying. She put her hand on his chest, fiddling with the fabric of his shirt.

"I… I wanna feel your skin, not your shirt."

Jay sat up and pulled his shirt off, chucking it carelessly onto the floor. He lay back down, pulling her close again, his skin now against hers.

Hailey let out a little sigh, her head resting on his bare chest now. She snuggled closer, her hand coming to rest on his stomach, fingers gently tracing little patterns. The feeling of his warm skin against hers was soothing and reassuring. She closed her eyes, finally starting to relax a bit.

Jay had wrapped his arms tight around Hailey, his chin resting on her head. They had both fallen asleep, their bodies pressed close together. Sometime in the night, though, Jay noticed that Hailey's skin felt clammy, and that her body was sweating lightly.

He drew back slightly and lifted his head, looking down at her. In the dim light, he could see the sheen of sweat on her forehead, and strands of hair sticking to her temples. He reached a hand out to brush back the hair from her face, noticing how warm her skin was to the touch.

He frowned, concern knitting his brows. He shifted gently, trying not to wake her, and placed the back of his hand on her forehead. Definitely warm. Was she coming down with something?

Jay thought for a moment, trying to remember if she had mentioned feeling unwell earlier in the day. But she hadn't. This seemed to have come on suddenly. He looked down at her again, his eyes soft with concern. He didn't want to wake her, but he had a feeling something was wrong.

Carefully, he gently shook her shoulder.

"Hailey…" he whispered, his voice soft but firm. "Hey, wake up for a sec, babe."

Hailey stirred, her eyelashes fluttering against her cheeks. She groaned softly, still half-asleep. Her eyes slowly opened, and she looked up at him blearily.

"Wha…?"

"Hey…you're sweating. And your forehead's hot."

Hailey's eyes widened a bit as she realized what he was saying. She brought a hand up to wipe away the sweat on her forehead.

"I… I don't know. I was just sleeping. I don't feel good…"

Jay gently sat up, pulling her with him. He turned on the bedside lamp, bathing the room in a soft glow.

"Okay, let's check your temperature," he said, reaching over to grab the small digital thermometer from the nightstand.

Hailey shivered slightly as the cool air in the bedroom hit her skin. She let Jay take her temperature, holding still until the device beeped. He pulled the thermometer out and looked at the display.

He let out a low whistle.

"101.6," he said, his eyebrows rising. "Definitely something going on."

Hailey groaned, bringing a hand up to her forehead again.

"I feel terrible. I have chills, but I'm sweating. And my head feels fuzzy."

Jay nodded, his eyes full of concern. He knew that feeling all too well. It was likely a fever. He placed a hand on her back, gently rubbing circles.

"Looks like you've got a fever, babe. Let me go grab some acetaminophen and cool packs, okay?"

"Okay," she said softly, closing her eyes.

She felt so tired all of a sudden. She just wanted to sleep, but she knew she needed treatment first.

Jay had been up with Hailey all night, tending to her needs. He'd fed her acetaminophen and water, helped her take a cool shower, and sat with her when the chills and vomiting got bad. She'd thrown up twice, and he'd helped her into the bathroom countless times for diarrhea.

She was now asleep in his lap, her head resting against his shoulder. Her breathing was ragged and exhausted, and her skin was still too warm to the touch. They hadn't slept much at all.

Jay glanced at the clock on the wall. It was just past 6 am. They'd been up for what felt like hours, but it hadn't even been a full night.

The exhaustion was setting in for him too, but he didn't want to move and risk waking her up. His eyes fluttered closed, just for a second, his head falling back against the couch cushion.

Jay had dozed off for a bit, his head propped awkwardly against the couch. He was roused from his light sleep when he heard Hailey whimpering in discomfort. He opened his eyes and looked down, seeing her stirring against him.

"Shhh," she mumbled, her voice soft and raspy. "M'okay… Go back to sleep."

Jay swallowed back a yawn and gently squeezed her close, his fingers rubbing gentle circles on her back.

"Sorry," he murmured, his voice hoarse from sleep.

He shifted his position a bit to make himself more comfortable, his legs starting to cramp from being seated in one position for so long.

He looked down at Hailey, his heart clenching a bit at the sight of her looking so pale and unwell. She'd thrown up a couple more times, and he'd had to change her pajamas twice. The chills had subsided, but her fever was still high, and she was still running to the bathroom often with stomach issues.

Late afternoon finally rolled around, and Hailey finally seemed to be feeling a bit better. Her temperature had gone down a couple of degrees, and her stomach had settled. Jay had spent the day taking care of her, feeding her crackers and water, and keeping up a steady supply of acetaminophen for her fever. She was now dozing off and on in his lap, her body relaxing after the long night and day of illness.