The next morning, Jay was feeling the harsh effects of his hangover. His head was throbbing, and his stomach felt like it was doing somersaults.
He stood in front of his closet, sifting through his clothes and tossing them into a duffel bag.
"You sure you feel up for this?" Hailey asked, leaning against the doorframe and watching him pack.
Jay grunted, wincing as a sharp pain shot through his head.
"I'll be fine," he mumbled, tossing a few pairs of jeans into the bag. "A little Tylenol and I'll be good to go."
"I'm not talking about your hangover," Hailey said, crossing her arms. "I'm talking about leaving Zoey and me here alone for four days."
Jay stopped packing and turned to look at her.
"Hails, I haven't had a guys' weekend in forever," he said, his tone almost pleading. "I need this."
Hailey raised an eyebrow. "You need to binge drink and act like a teenager for four days?"
Jay rolled his eyes. "That's not the point. The point is, I need a break. From work, from being a dad, from everything."
Zoey poked her head in the bedroom.
"Yo-You don't wanna be my dada?"
Jay's face softened at the sight of Zoey's innocent face. He knelt down to her level and pulled her into a hug.
"Of course I do, Zooms," he said, kissing the top of her head. "Daddy just needs a little vacation, that's all."
Zoey pouted, her bottom lip sticking out in a familiar expression.
"I don't like it when you go away."
Jay's heart clenched at Zoey's words. He hated the idea of leaving her for four days, knowing how hard it would be for her. But he also knew that he needed this time with the boys.
A few hours later, Jay and the guys checked into a hotel in Wisconsin, their bags slung over their shoulders.
They all looked a lot more put-together now, the effects of their night of drinking beginning to wear off.
"Finally," Adam groaned, flopping down onto one of the plush couches in the lobby. "I thought that drive would never end."
"Tell me about it," Kevin chimed in, collapsing into a chair. "My butt is numb."
Jay sighed.
"I'll check us in, shall I?"
He walked towards the check in desk.
The rest of the guys nodded, still groaning from the long journey.
Jay approached the check-in desk, where the receptionist smiled at him.
"Hello, sir," she said, her voice cheerful. "How may I assist you today?"
"I have a reservation under the name Halstead," he said, placing his wallet and ID on the counter.
The receptionist typed something on her computer, searching for Jay's reservation.
After a few moments, she looked back up at him.
"Ah, yes. Here it is. Four nights, correct?"
"That's right," Jay nodded.
The receptionist handed him a keycard, along with some pamphlets about the hotel's amenities.
"You're all set," she said cheerily. "Is there anything else I can help you with?"
"No, that's all, thanks," Jay said, taking the keycard.
He walked back over to the guys, who were still lounging in the lobby.
"Alright fellas, I got our keys," he said, waving the keycard.
Adam sat up, a mischievous grin on his face.
"Let's see what room we got. Hopefully it's a penthouse!"
"Yeah, right," Kevin snorted. "We're lucky if our room has more than two beds."
Back at home, Hailey and Zoey were snuggled up on the couch, watching a children's movie on TV.
Hailey had made some popcorn and grabbed a few blankets, trying to make the best of Jay's absence.
Zoey was focused on the movie, her eyes wide as she watched the colorful characters on the screen. She occasionally reached into the popcorn bowl, stuffing her tiny fists full of the buttery goodness.
Hailey smiled, watching her daughter's reaction. It was nice to have some one-on-one time with Zoey, even if it meant missing out on some couple's time.
She pulled a blanket around Zoey, making sure she was comfortable.
After dropping their bags in the room, the guys began the age old fight of "dibs".
"I call dibs on the bed closest to the door!" Adam exclaimed, already claiming his spot.
"No way, man!" Kevin protested. "I want that one. I need to be closest to the bathroom in case I've gotta piss in the middle of the night."
"Not fair," Adam whined, looking to Jay. "You decide. Who gets the door bed?"
Jay stood in the middle of the room, looking at the two beds. The bed closest to the door had a direct view of the TV, which would be perfect for watching sports. But the bed by the window had a nice, cool breeze coming in.
He thought for a moment, then said, "I'll take the door bed."
Jay smirked, secretly pleased with his choice. He climbed onto the bed by the door, sinking into the comfortable mattress.
Several hours had passed, and the room was quiet.
Jay was passed out on the door bed, his phone in his hand. He had been scrolling through his phone, but had obviously fallen asleep with it still in his grip.
Adam glanced over from his bed and saw the phone on Jay's chest. He smiled mischievously, an idea forming in his head.
He whispered to Kevin, who was already half-asleep.
"I'll give you five bucks if you grab that phone from Halstead's chest without waking him up."
Kevin's eyes widened, a sly grin on his face.
"You're on."
Kevin got out of bed, creeping over to where Jay was sleeping. He moved as quietly as he could, careful not to disturb his sleeping friend.
He slowly reached out, his fingers inching closer to Jay's phone. He was just about to grab it when Jay stirred, shifting in his sleep.
Kevin stopped in his tracks, holding his breath and hoping that Jay wouldn't wake up.
Jay mumbled something unintelligible, then settled back into a deep sleep.
With bated breath, Kevin resumed his mission. He slowly pried the phone from Jay's lax grip, managing to get it without waking him.
Adam waited anxiously on his bed, watching as Kevin tiptoed back over to him.
"Did you get it?" he whispered.
Kevin nodded, holding up the phone in his hand.
"Got it,"
Back at home, Hailey had decided that a relaxing day by the pool would do them some good.
She changed into a swimsuit and helped Zoey into hers. The little girl was excited to spend the day in the water and splashed around eagerly.
Hailey held Zoey carefully, walking her up and down the steps at the shallow end of the pool.
"You're doing great, sweetie," she said, as Zoey doggy paddled and kicked her legs.
Hailey guided Zoey over to a small plastic slide, which was attached to the side of the pool.
"Okay, baby, let's give this a try," she said, positioning Zoey on the slide.
Zoey giggled and slid down the short slide into the water, splashing a little bit.
Adam and Kevin were sitting at the small table in the hotel room, each of them nursing a cup of hotel coffee. They had been up for a while, chatting and trying to pass the time, when they noticed that Jay was still fast asleep on his bed.
Adam looked over at his sleeping friend, a concerned look in his eyes.
"Do you think we should wake him up? It's almost noon."
Kevin glanced at Jay, then back at his coffee.
"I don't know, man. He looks like he's in a deep sleep. Maybe we should let him rest."
Adam fidgeted, still concerned.
"Yeah, but this is Jay we're talking about. He's usually up with the sun. Something's not right."
Kevin shrugged, taking a sip of his coffee.
"Maybe he's just tired. We were out pretty late last night. And he does have a toddler at home, remember?"
Adam nodded, realizing that Kevin had a point.
"You're right. He's probably just exhausted from parenting and work. But still, it's kind of weird to see him sleep this late."
The sudden ringing of Jay's phone startled him awake. He sat up in bed, disoriented for a moment before realizing where he was.
He fumbled around for the phone, his eyes bleary from sleep.
He looked at the screen and saw Hailey's name flashing across it.
With a groan, he answered the call.
"Jay?" Hailey's voice came through the receiver, concern seeping into her tone. "Is everything okay?"
Jay grimaced, his head still groggy.
"Yeah, Hails. I just...I slept in. I didn't realize it was so late."
"Yeah, I'd say," Hailey replied, a hint of humor in her voice. "I was starting to wonder if you guys were just planning on sleeping through the whole weekend."
Jay ended the call and set his phone back down on the bedside table.
Adam and Kevin looked at him, waiting for an explanation.
"She was just wondering why I was still asleep," Jay said, rubbing his eyes again.
"It's nearly noon, man," Kevin said, gesturing to the clock on the wall. "And you've been asleep for, like, twelve hours."
Jay yawned, stretching his arms above his head.
"I know, I know. I guess I was just really tired."
Adam looked at him.
"You sure you're feeling okay, man? You've never slept this much before."
Jay nodded.
"Mhm, few more minutes…"
He curled in on his side and fell back to sleep.
Adam's cell went off and it was Hailey.
Adam picked up his phone and answered it.
"Hey, Hailey. Yeah, we just woke him up. He said he's fine, just really tired."
"Can you check his diabetic blood sugar for me?" Hailey asked, worry in her voice. "Just to make sure that it's not too high or too low. That could be why he's so tired."
"Uh, sure. Let me see..."
He rummaged through Jay's duffel bag, searching for his blood sugar kit.
He found the kit tucked into an outside pocket and pulled it out.
"Found it."
He sat down at the table and opened the kit, taking out the blood sugar meter and a lancet.
Carefully, he took one of Jay's hands and pricked his finger with the lancet. A drop of blood welled up on Jay's finger, and Adam touched the blood to the meter.
The meter beeped, and the result appeared on the screen.
Adam glanced at the number, then let out a low whistle.
"His blood sugar's at 180."
"180? That's a bit on the high side. Is he feeling any symptoms? Thirsty, fatigue, headaches...?"
Adam looked over at Jay, who was still fast asleep. The only symptom he could see was the fact that he was sleeping so much.
"Uh, not that I can tell. He's just really tired. And he keeps falling back asleep."
"He might need insulin to bring his blood sugar down," Hailey said, her tone serious. "Give him a dose using his insulin pen. It should be in the same bag as the blood sugar kit."
Adam rummered through the bag again, finding the insulin pen.
"Found it."
He picked up the insulin pen, reading the dosage information on the side.
He then gently rolled up the sleeve of Jay's shirt and pinched a bit of skin on his arm. With a quick, practiced movement, he injected the insulin dose into his friend's arm.
Jay stirred slightly, but didn't wake up completely.
Adam placed the insulin pen back in the bag and updated Hailey over the phone.
"Okay, I gave him the insulin dose. He's still asleep though. Should we try waking him up again?"
Hailey's voice came through the phone.
"No, let him sleep for now. Keep an eye on his blood sugar and check it again in an hour. If it's still high, give him another dose of insulin."
"Okay, will do," Adam replied, his tone serious.
"Thanks, Hailey. We'll take care of him. Don't worry."
As the day wore on, Jay's blood sugar slowly started to level out, thanks to the insulin dose and occasional snack Adam made him eat.
He finally woke up again, feeling more refreshed and less tired. He sat up in bed, stretching his arms above his head.
Adam and Kevin, who were lounging on the other beds, noticed that he was finally awake.
"Looks like the sleeping beauty woke up," Kevin teased, a smirk on his face.
Jay rolled his eyes, giving Kevin a playful glare.
"Shut up man. I was tired, alright?"
"Yeah, we noticed," Adam said, grinning. "We were starting to think you were planning to sleep through the whole vacation."
Jay chuckled, running a hand through his messy hair.
"Nah, just needed a good nap, I guess."
He got out of bed and stretched, feeling much better than he had earlier.
It was late afternoon when Jay pulled his truck into the driveway of their suburban home in Chicago. It had been a long weekend, and he was relieved to finally be back.
Hailey was waiting on the front porch, their two year old daughter Zoe on her hip.
As soon as the truck came to a stop, Hailey set Zoe down and the little girl bounded over to her father.
"Daddy!" she shouted, her tiny legs moving as fast as they could.
Jay got out of the truck, his arms wide open, and scooped Zoe up into a tight hug.
"There's my girl," he said, burying his face in her little blonde curls.
Zoe giggled, snuggling into his chest. She was always a daddy's girl, and seeing him again after a few days apart filled her heart.