Chapter 7-This is Not How I Envisioned Our First Sleepover

Over the next few weeks, Hank and Jenna continued to see each other as often as they could. As they spent more time together, they shared more about their pasts, and they had some deep conversations. Hank shared the harder parts of his story, including the time he spent in prison and the circumstances around the death of Justin's killer. It was a difficult conversation, but Jenna was understanding and appreciated his willingness to be honest with her.

They continued growing closer, falling harder for each other. Jenna was open with her children about Hank, and Erin was aware of the time Hank was spending with Jenna. They'd decided against introducing children just yet, not wanting to let feelings get involved too quickly.

They also maintained their physical boundary. It was hard, but it was important to Jenna to make sure they weren't moving too fast or doing anything that could jeopardize their relationship. Hank knew she was right, but it didn't make it any easier for either of them.

Jenna knew that because of their ages, her in her early forties and Hank early fifties, many people would think that a physical relationship shouldn't be a big deal, but for Jenna it was. Coming out of a twenty-one year marriage to her high school sweetheart, plus that night with her friend she deeply regretted, caused her to have walls up. As much as she would love to give herself to Hank completely, she needed to make sure that her heart was really ready.

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One night, as Jenna was leaving Hank's house, he asked her to think about spending the night. Her house or his house didn't matter to him; he just wanted to spend the night with her in his arms, to not have to say goodnight. Jenna agreed, and they made plans for the next night.

As Jenna got ready for bed, all she could think about was tomorrow. She was thrilled about the idea of spending the whole night with Hank, and she was grateful that he wasn't pressuring her for more than just sleep. He was so good to her, and she felt so lucky to have him in her life. She was really falling for him, and she hoped that he was feeling the same way about her.

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The next day, Jenna picked up her phone during a slow time at the bakery. She smiled when she saw Hank was calling her. She liked that he seemed to know just the perfect time to call her.

"Hey babe," Jenna said, answering the phone.

"Jenna, this is Erin Lindsay."

"Oh. Hi Erin! How are you?"

"I don't want you to panic, but Hank was just injured while we were trying to apprehend a suspect."

Tears came to Jenna's eyes. "Oh no. Is he ok?"

"He was shot."

"Shot?!" Jenna asked, gripping the counter in front of her as her knees went weak.

"The shots hit his vest, so he's fine. We are taking him to Chicago Med to get checked out. He hit his head when he fell, and we think he probably has bruised or broken ribs. I know he'd want you to be there."

"I'm on my way," Jenna said, grabbing her keys.

"Be careful. He's really ok."

Jenna jumped in the car. The whole drive to the hospital, she kept reminding herself to breathe, reminding herself that he was ok. She rushed into the ER, relieved to see several members of Hank's team. Erin walked over and gave her a huge hug.

"Hi Jenna," Erin said.

Jenna fought back tears. "He's really ok?"

"We're waiting on news, but he should be fine. He's annoyed that we even brought him here, but we were concerned about his head. I think he blacked out for a few seconds when he hit the ground."

"Oh my goodness," she said tearfully.

Erin put her hand on Jenna's arm. "It's ok. It's going to take a lot more than this to knock him down. It's nice to officially meet you, by the way."

"You too Erin. I've been really looking forward to this day, and this is definitely not how I pictured it, but it's so great to finally meet you. Thank you for calling me up here."

"You're very important to him, and he's going to need you. He's not good at this stuff, being injured, depending on other people."

As Jenna was talking to Erin, Kevin elbowed Adam, gesturing toward Jenna and Erin. "Sarge is really dating the robbery victim?" he asked quietly.

"Guess so. Hard to believe, right?" Adam asked

"What does that mean?"

"She's younger than him, I think. I think Lindsay said something about grandkids, so maybe she just looks younger? I don't know. She's hot though."

"Man, don't say that when you're in the same building with Sarge! He hears everything, and he probably heard you, and he'll kill you for talking about his girl like that."

Adam shrugged, laughing. "I'm not wrong."

Kevin looked back over at Jenna. "No, you're definitely not."

Erin led Jenna over to the rest of the team. "Everyone, you remember Jenna Richards, Hank's...girlfriend. Is that what we're calling you?"

Jenna shrugged her shoulders, laughing a little. "Girlfriend is fine."

"Ok. Just a quick refresher, that's Hailey Upton, Jay Halstead, Kevin Atwater, Kim Burgess, Antonio Dawson, Alvin Olinsky, and Adam Ruzek."

"Nice to see you all again. I just hate that it's like this."

"Us too," Hailey said. "Please, come have a seat," she said, gesturing to the empty chairs in front of them. Jenna sat down with Erin, facing the door so she could watch for someone to come in with an update. She'd been told he was fine, but she was still nervous and probably would be until she saw him.

The others could sense her nervousness. "He's really ok," Antonio said, putting his hand on Jenna's knee.

"I know. I just don't know that I can relax until I see him. Was he awake?"

"Oh yeah, he was awake, talking, yelling at us, typical Sarge," Kevin said.

"He threatened to fire Atwater, Lindsay, and me when we mentioned hospital. For some reason Halstead was the one he finally listened to," Al said.

"I think it was just the concussion finally getting to him," Jay said. "Believe me, if he was still barking orders, he's good to go."

"Thank you. I just...I knew this was a possibility," Jenna said. "Every day all of you walk right into dangerous situations. It just hit me hard."

"He's the toughest guy I've ever known. He'll be just fine Jenna," Erin said.

Just then, a nurse walked into the waiting room. "Sergeant Voight is almost ready for visitors. He can have two people at a time."

"Us. We're going," Erin said, gesturing between herself and Jenna. She turned to the rest of the team. "Head back to the district and finish everything up. I'll let everyone know." She looked at Jenna. "Let's go."

Jenna followed Erin down the hall. A few minutes later, two doctors stepped into the hall.

"Erin," Dr. Halstead said.

"Hey Will. This is Jenna Richards, Hank's girlfriend. Jenna, this is Dr. Will Halstead, Jay's brother."

"Hello Jenna," Will said, shaking her hand. "He's doing well. He has a concussion, so we're keeping him overnight. He also has two cracked ribs and a nasty bruise, but he'll get to go home tomorrow. He's...unusually happy? I guess it's the pain meds, but he's feeling good. It's a little disturbing."

"Great," Erin said, rolling her eyes.

"We will be in later to check in him again. Stay as long as you'd like."

"Thanks Will."

Tears came to Jenna's eyes as they walked into Hank's room. He opened his eyes when he heard the door open, smiling when he saw them. "My girls are here," he said, looking up at the nurse.

"They sure are. I'll give you some time alone with them and check on you in a little while."

When the nurse was gone, Jenna rushed to Hank's bedside. "Are you really ok?" she asked tearfully as she took his hand, needing to feel him, to reassure herself that he was here and he was fine.

"I'm ok. Just a little banged up. I couldn't stay on my feet, so the fall did more damage than the bullets did."

"Ok." She sat on the bed next to him, leaning down and kissing him. "I've been so worried."

Hank stroked her cheek, wiping at her tears. "It's ok. I'm ok, babe. I promise. Please don't cry." Jenna nodded, putting her hand on top of his.

Erin watched their exchange, so grateful that Jenna came into Hank's life. She hadn't seen this side of him since Camille died, and she was hopeful that the future would hold good things for this relationship. Hank had been through so much, and it was time something went in his favor. She walked over and sat in a chair on the other side of the bed.

"Do you need anything?" Erin asked.

"I'm fine. I have everything I need right here," he said, patting her hand.

Erin laughed. "Ok, the pain meds have you feeling really good, and you're scaring everyone, me included."

"Funny," he said.

"Since Jenna is here to keep you in line, I'm going to head back to the district and see what needs to be done. I'll come see you either this evening or tomorrow. I'm sure the rest of the team will be by later too."

"Thanks kid. I'm glad you've been here."

"I'm glad you had on the vest, Hank. This could've been a different outcome," Erin said, squeezing his hand.

"Don't think about that Erin. I'm fine."

"I'm glad." She kissed his cheek. "See you later."

"Bye Erin."

"Don't let him check himself out Jenna," Erin said, as she gave her a quick hug.

Jenna laughed. "I'll make sure he stays put, Sweetie. Thanks for getting me here."

When Erin was gone, Jenna turned back to Hank, her tears falling again. "Jen, really, I'm ok."

Jenna wiped at her tears. "I know, I just...I knew there was a chance of something like this happening, but now that it has…my mind is spinning with what ifs."

"Don't do that. It'll make you crazy. I have a headache and I'm going to be bruised for awhile, but I'll be fine." Jenna nodded. Hank patted the spot next to him. "Lay here with me?"

Jenna nodded as she moved to lie next to him. She curled up against his side as his arms went around her. She gently laid her hand on his chest, careful to avoid his injured ribs.

"I'm glad you're ok," she said softly.

Hank kissed the top of her head. "I'm glad you're here."

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After a little while, Hank drifted off to sleep, the pain medicine really kicking in. While he was asleep, Jenna slipped out, running by both of their places to pack overnight bags. She called her son Nick to let him know what was going on, and to let him know that she would be tied up for awhile.

When Jenna got back to the hospital, Hank was still asleep. She sat in the chair next to him, slipping her hand into his. After a little while, Hank woke up.

"Hey," Jenna said, moving to sit on the bed next to him. She kissed him softly. "How are you feeling?"

"Tired. Sore. But I'm ok. Glad you're here," he said, stroking her cheek.

"I wouldn't be anywhere else," she said, kissing him again. "While you were asleep, I went to our places and packed overnight bags for us."

"Overnight? For you too?" he asked, raising an eyebrow at her.

"Yeah. I didn't want you staying by yourself. Someone has to keep you from busting out of here in the middle of the night," she said, giggling.

"Ok, I guess."

Jenna could tell by his tone that he didn't seem thrilled with the idea of her staying with him.

"Unless you don't want me to stay. I just couldn't stand the thought of you being alone in here," Jenna said hesitantly.

Hank sighed, squeezing her hand. "No, of course I want you to stay. I just...this is not how I envisioned our first sleepover."

Jenna move to lie next to him and he pulled her into his arms, holding her close. "Babe, it's not what I pictured either, but I'm glad to be here with you. Hopefully when you're feeling better, we can have a proper sleepover."

Hank kissed her deeply. "Oh definitely. Thank you for this. Thank you for being here."

"Always," she said softly, kissing him again.

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Over the next few hours, all of the members of Hank's team stopped by to visit, as well as other members of the department. Jenna's head was spinning trying to remember everyone she was meeting, but Hank assured her that he would help her the next time she saw any of them.

When she started feeling sleepy, Jenna changed into leggings and a comfortable top to sleep in. She fixed pillows and blankets on the couch, and then sat down on the side of Hank's bed to say goodnight. "Anything you need before I try to get some sleep?"

Hank stroked her face. "All I need is you, right here." He gestured toward the spot on the bed next to him.

Jenna raised her eyebrow at him. "What?"

"I want you to sleep right here. That couch is too far away."

"Babe, they will fuss at us if I'm in your bed."

Hank smirked. "I guarantee every doctor and nurse in this hospital knows me and is afraid to cross me. We'll be fine."

Jenna gave him a look, still unsure. He pulled her close, kissing her deeply. "Please? We're supposed to be having a sleepover, aren't we?"

"I guess. But if I bump you or hurt you in any way, I'm moving to the couch."

"Deal. Lucky for us, I have a very high pain tolerance," he said, chuckling under his breath.

She grabbed an extra blanket and climbed into bed next to him. "We're going to get in so much trouble."

"It'll be worth it," he said as he kissed her, pulling her into his arms. "Goodnight Jenna."

"Goodnight Hank."

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Nurses came in several times overnight to check on Hank and make sure there were no additional effects of the concussion that were showing up. The next morning, Dr. Halstead came by one more time and gave the all-clear for Hank to go home.

Jenna pulled her car up to the door and went back inside to get Hank. He adamantly refused the wheelchair, but he agreed to wait for Jenna to bring the car.

When they got to the car, Hank held his hand out for Jenna's keys. She looked down at his hand then back up at him. "Are you kidding me?"

"What?"

"Hank, we're literally leaving the hospital after you got shot and got a concussion. You're not driving."

Hank sighed. "I'm perfectly capable of driving."

Jenna opened the passenger door. "Get in the car."

He stared at her for a moment before reluctantly getting in the car.

As they were driving, he said "I'm not an invalid, you know."

"You're not, but you're injured, so we're going to your house, and I'm going to take care of you, and you're going to let me. If you're a good patient, I just might spend the night."

Hank cut his eyes at her. "Really?"

Jenna squeezed his hand. "Really. I enjoyed getting to sleep next to you last night, and we were cheated out of our first sleepover. I want a do-over. But that only happens if you cooperate and don't give me any crap," she said, smiling at him.

"I'm a terrible patient, but I'll do my best."

"Good. Now, let's get you home."