13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Jay's bed wasn't without Hailey in it for too long. She came back to his place two days later after Will got called into the hospital unexpectedly.

"On one of my only days off this week, figures", Will said frustrated at the door. Hailey walked in as he was putting his coat on, looking like he hadn't slept very well himself.

"Sorry Will, I get it. Sometimes duty calls", Hailey replied.

"For sure. We're short right now in the ED, flu bug going around the staff", Will explained.

"That sucks. Take care of yourself too okay?" Hailey said.

"I will. Jay's feeling a bit better today. He still didn't sleep very well though. I'm pretty sure he's still out if you want to go crawl in there with him", Will boldly stated.

Hailey smirked, raising an eyebrow at Will.

"You want to take something for your lunch?" She changed the subject and opened Jay's fridge.

"That's alright, you made that for Jay", Will reasoned.

"It's fine Will, really. There's tons of food here. You need to eat too", Hailey insisted as she started pulling out some tupperware.

"Okay if you insist, I would not object to some more of that chilli. And maybe some lasagne", Will chuckled.

"You got it", Hailey smiled and packed him something to eat. She had a feeling if she didn't do this he wouldn't eat anything at all today. She knew Will well enough at this point to know that he thinks coffee is a sufficient meal.

Will packed up and left shortly after, leaving Hailey alone in the apartment again. She slowly cracked Jay's door and saw him sleeping soundly. She tip toed to his bed and pulled the blankets back to crawl in next to him. She briefly hesitated, because she didn't want to startle him. He wasn't expecting her as far as she knew.

The mattress moved a bit as she laid back down and Jay's eyes fluttered a few times. He opened them slowly, surprisingly not freaked out seeing someone next to him.

"Hailey?" He questioned, although he knew the answer, even in the darkness, he felt her familiar presence.

"Hey. Will got called into work this morning so I'm back", she whispered.

"Good", Jay mumbled, unable to keep his eyes open.

She saw him struggling to stay awake, so she moved a little closer and put her hand over his.

"Go back to sleep okay. I'll be here when you wake up", she said softly as he nodded and closed his eyes for good again.

They slept like that for a few extra hours, Hailey wasn't usually one for naps, especially mid-morning ones, but her body was still tired from the last week as well. They got up around lunch, moving into the kitchen and living room and having a bite to eat.

Jay seemed to be looking and feeling more like himself. The extra sleep was helping a lot. They passed the time by watching movies and playing Scrabble, and before they knew it, it was dark again. Hailey didn't mind staying at Jay's, she actually preferred it. She stayed up half the night last night thinking about his text to her about his bed being lonely without her. He was under the influence of painkillers, sure. But she had a feeling there was more truth to that statement than he would normally admit.

As they were getting ready for bed, Jay opened the door to his bathroom as Hailey was washing her face. She saw his reflection in the mirror as she stood over the sink, throwing her hair up in a bun. He smirked at her as he was leaning on the doorframe, his eyes looking her up and down.

"I think you're getting too comfortable here Hails", Jay laughed at the domestic nature of their past few days. She rolled her eyes and grinned. He stood next to her and reached for his toothbrush.

Hailey did the same, first putting toothpaste on hers then looking up at him with a cheeky grin.

"Thanks", Jay chuckled as she put toothpaste on his too.

They stood in silence for a few minutes brushing their teeth together, the whole thing feeling very normal to both of them. Hailey couldn't imagine doing this with anyone else in the unit. She doesn't even do this with Rojas, who she actually lives with.

Hailey left him alone to give him time to change and get ready for bed on his own. He still needed help with his shirt, but everything else he was fine with, thankfully. Jay came out of the bathroom to find Hailey sitting up under the covers, on her side of the bed. He had a brief memory lapse and couldn't help but think what this would be like with her one day, for real. She looked so normal just sitting there tucked in, like they were already an old married couple. Maybe Kevin was right after all, this did feel natural.

Jay must have zoned out for a minute because Hailey called his name a few times before he shook himself out of it.

"You alright?" She laughed.

"Ya, ya I'm good", Jay covered and got in on the other side of the bed, his side.

"Oh right , your shirt", Hailey blurted out as she reached over to him.

Jay smiled as she took his sling off and helped pull his shirt over his head. She made sure his pillows were propped and he was comfortable.

"Thanks Hails. Good night", he said as he yawned and leaned back into his bed.

"Good night Jay", she said as she turned off the lamp and shut her eyes.

Hailey jolted awake to the sound of her alarm. She heard a laugh from next to her as she groaned.

"Back to reality", Jay laughed, unsurprising to her that he was awake before her.

"Don't make me go back to work", she pulled the covers over her head, dreading the fact that it was Monday already. As promised, Voight let her have a few days off to look after Jay. She called him yesterday and told him that she would be in for Monday. He briefly objected, saying she could take more time. But for now, she wanted to get back to work and back to her normal routine.

"As much as I would love for you to stay and sleep a little longer, you need to get up", Jay told her, pulling the blankets away from her body.

"Ugh fine, fine", Hailey reluctantly sat up, Jay's statement about wanting her to stay in bed with him did not go unnoticed.

As she got out of bed and looked out the window, she was surprised to see how much it had snowed overnight.

"Wow, a storm must have came through last night", Hailey said looking around at all the cars covered on the street.

"Really? I didn't think we were getting one", Jay said as he got out of bed to look.

Hailey quickly got herself dressed and ready for work as Jay went out to the kitchen to make her a coffee and some toast before she had to leave.

"You didn't have to do that Jay", Hailey smiled at his thoughtfulness.

"Least I can do", he smiled back.

"Oh also, you can take my truck today", Jay added.

Hailey raised her eyebrows at that, he never lets her drive that.

"Wow, Jay Halstead. What did I do to deserve this honour?" She said sarcastically through a laugh.

"The roads are bad, I started it already so you won't have to scrape as much. Don't get too used to it though", Jay told her, amused at the surprised look on her face.

"Ya, ya. Thanks Jay", Hailey said genuinely as he handed her the keys. He was always looking out for her.

She left for work after making sure he was okay here on his own, which he repeatedly assured her he was. He promised to call her if he needed anything. Hailey sprinted down the stairs, already running a bit behind and hopped into Jay's truck. She was silently thanking him for starting it early, and his heated seats. It was frigid out there.

She pulled into work just as Adam and Kevin were getting out of their vehicles. They both did a double take at Hailey climbing out of Jay's truck.

"Go ahead, get it all out now", Hailey smirked, challenging them to ask her why she had his truck today and not her own Jeep.

"Does Jay realize you stole his truck?" Adam laughed.

"Very funny. His idea actually, safer in the snow. We were surprised to see all of this when we woke up this morning", Hailey let that last part slip. It was too late by the time the words were out of her mouth. Kevin and Adam's mouths were practically hanging open at her admitting their sleeping arrangements. When we woke up, Adam grinned. All that was missing from that statement was together at the end of it.

"Makes total sense", Kevin replied after a long pause, but not without teasing her a little bit.

"Not another word", Hailey laughed and rolled her eyes when they made it inside.

"New ride today I see Upton", Platt greeted her at the doorway. Caught red-handed.

"Ya Sarge, you like it? Just got it over the weekend", Hailey jokingly replied, much to the delight of Adam and Kevin who could not keep it together about this whole situation.

That even caused Trudy to crack a rare smile. It was good to see Hailey back to her old self and in a much better mood than last week.

The day passed by quickly, Hailey had a lot of work to catch up on. Thankfully, someone had taken care of the incident report from when Jay got shot for her. That was something she was not ready to re-live. She suspected Adam, as she found it typed up and left on her desk with a sticky note attached saying all she needed to do was sign it. Adam and Voight were right there after all. She walked into Voight's office at the end of the day and handed it in to him.

"Thanks, I'll file this away for you. How's Halstead doing?" He inquired.

"He's feeling a lot better. First few days were a bit rough, but he's coming around", Hailey replied.

"That's good to hear. Tell him we're all asking for him. I know he's off the rest of this week, but I just got word that next week he'll be able to come back to desk duty. If he's up to it of course."

Hailey perked up at that, that was great news. She missed her partner. It felt silly since she had literally been sleeping next to him all week. But it felt weird at work without him.

She left for the night, heading straight to Jay's. She walked in to find him setting the table for the two of them for dinner. She shook her head at him reaching into the cupboards.

"Jay, I can do that. You shouldn't be reaching around or lifting, you might pop a stitch", she scolded him.

He sighed loudly. "I know, I just want to feel like I'm being productive", he told her. She understood his frustration, he wasn't someone who liked accepting help.

"I got it Jay. Go sit down", she said softly, taking the plates from his hand.

They enjoyed dinner together, Hailey telling him all about things that were going on at work. She could tell that he was bored at home, and itching to get back.

"Voight said you were coming back next week on modified duties?" She asked.

Jay smiled, "Ya I heard from HR today. It'll be nice to get back. I'm going stir crazy Hails."

"I know I can imagine. The week will fly by, take advantage of your time off to rest."

"Yes dear", Jay grinned at her from across the table.

"Work is lonely without you", she admitted out loud, copying his lonely text from the other night.

"I was lonely without you here today too", Jay replied, a comfortable silence washing over them for the rest of their meal.

The next week flew by as Hailey told him it would. He was feeling much better, especially after the stitches were out and he had a bit more freedom to move around. He was also off the painkillers which was a blessing and a curse. He wasn't exactly pain free yet, but didn't want to be taking those any longer than he had to be.

On the morning of his first day back, Jay felt like it was Christmas. He was up at the crack of dawn, and managed to get himself dressed while Hailey was still fast asleep in his bed. She hadn't slept over every night since he was discharged from the hospital, but enough of the nights. He would be lying if he said he would be looking forward to her going back to her place full time. There wasn't enough ways or words to thank her for all that she'd done for him this week. She was there every step of the way, and went way beyond her partner responsibilities. He paused and watched her sleep for a minute, her breath was slow and steady, her tousled blonde hair poking out from under the covers, shining in the morning sun peaking through his window. He loved how Hailey puts on this front that she isn't the touchy feely snuggling type, yet her feet somehow always end up tangled with his during the night. Or how she slowly but surely makes her way over to his side of the bed, never full on cuddling with him, but close enough. As much as he was ecstatic to go back to work and get back to his normal life, he couldn't help but wish this, playing house with Hailey, would last a little longer.

He was out having breakfast when he heard his bedroom door open abruptly. He looked down at his watch, there was no way she would be up this early voluntarily. She stumbled out of his room, halfway between doing her sweater up and mumbling something about being called to a crime scene.

He chuckled to himself as she was looking around for her stuff before rushing to work.

"Here", he met her at the door and handed her a travel mug of coffee.

"I could kiss you right now", she blurted out by accident, blushing instantly and stumbling over her other words.

Jay just grinned from ear to ear at her, nodding and calling her bluff.

"I'll come back for you after I go see what's happening", she deflected quickly, thankful that she didn't have time to stick around and address what just happened.

"Sounds good", Jay replied. He was feeling a lot better, but still had the sling and was unable to drive himself.

Hailey, what am I going to do with you, he thought as she hurried out the door and into the unknown of the day.

Hailey came back for him as promised about an hour later, explaining the situation on the way.

"I think you're right about Adam and Kim", she said cheekily.

"Oh?" Jay inquired.

"They were the first on scene this morning. You know how early it was", she eyed him up in the passenger seat.

"Kim loves this breakfast joint right around the corner from where it took place too", Jay added with a grin.

"Maybe we'll find out sooner rather than later if your theory is right", Hailey said as they pulled into work.

The rest of the team wasn't back quite yet, so Hailey and Jay took their time getting settled in. Hailey started on the suspect board while Jay looked through his desk, getting everything in order. The doctor cleared him for light duties, desk duties, but nonetheless, something better than sitting on his couch all day.

Jay was standing over the photocopier when he heard the team climbing up the stairs.

"Well, well, well look who it is", Adam smiled as he gently patted Jay on the shoulder.

"Hey guys", Jay smiled at Kim, Kevin and Adam.

"Glad to have you back Jay", Kim added as the others copied her sentiments, Rojas winking at him from afar. Only she had really known the extent of his week with Hailey.

Voight allowed them a few minutes to catch up with Jay before diving straight into the case. He was silently enjoying their banter, his bullpen felt complete again.

The case took a few days, but they managed to wrap things up, with Hailey actually making a pretty critical intervention with their suspect.

Jay was talking to Platt, waiting for her to come down to go home together.

"When does that thing come off", Platt nodded towards his sling.

"Hopefully in the next few days, it's driving me nuts", Jay replied.

"Good", Trudy said before coming out from behind her desk, walking towards him silently.

She wrapped her arms around him, giving him a gentle hug. He was caught off guard at first, but then let out a low laugh, hugging her back. "Aww Sarge, you really missed me."

"Don't do that again Halstead", Platt threatened, but behind it was a soft expression on her face. Jay gave her a half smile back.

"I won't, I promise", he said as he heard the familiar click of the gate to the stairs of Intelligence. Hailey and Kim came downstairs together, heading home after a long few days. Hailey looked wiped.

"Heard about your badass save", Jay told his partner.

"Ya, you want all the details?" Hailey replied with a grin on her face.

"Please. I'm going insane with boredom here", Jay begged her.

"I'll tell you all about it on the way home", Hailey smiled as they said good night to Platt and Kim.

Jay followed her out of the building out to her car, placing his good hand on her lower back as they headed down the stairs, not really caring if anyone saw them.

Jay had been stuck at his desk all week and practically jumped for joy when he heard he had his medical clearance appointment scheduled for the next morning. His sling had been off for a few days and his shoulder was feeling much stronger. Voight called and gave him the heads up, that he would have the next day off to get through all of his appointments and tests. Being that Intelligence is a very physically demanding job, Jay was going to be put through the ringer and he was ready for the challenge. He tried calling Hailey after getting off the phone with Voight but it went straight to voicemail. He checked the time, realizing it was sort of late. She might be in bed already, she's been exhausted this week, he thought. He would try her again in the morning, turning in for the night himself shortly after.

Jay exhaled and smiled as he walked out of the testing facility, with clearance papers in hand. He had a full day of physical and cognitive testing done at headquarters, to make sure he was fully recovered and ready to go back to work. His shoulder held up, it was a little sore after all the shooting drills. But a good sore. He took his phone out of his pocket for the first time all day just as his stomach growled. He didn't realize how late it was, and he was dying for some dinner. Still no texts or calls from Hailey, which was a little strange. He wasn't sure if she knew he was re-qualifying today, he assumed someone on the team would have told her.

He tried her cell again, no answer. He felt like celebrating and the only person he wanted to celebrate with was her. In a last ditch effort to track her down before going to his own place, he called Rojas.

She picked up after a few rings, sounding surprised to hear from him.

"Hey Halstead, what's up?"

"Hey Vanessa. I'm trying to get a hold of Hailey, she at home?"

"Ahh, yes she is. She called in sick to work today, been in bed all day with a migraine", Rojas said sounding sympathetic on the other end.

Jay instantly felt a little panic, knowing how sick Will got sometimes.

"Is she okay?" Jay asked, Rojas catching the nervousness in his voice.

"I've tried going in there a few times to give her some water, she's trying to sleep it off. Not feeling so hot", she replied, curious as to what Jay's response would be.

"Okay, I'm on my way. Want anything for dinner?" He asked Vanessa.

"I wouldn't be mad if you ordered us a pizza", she laughed on the other end of the phone.

"You read my mind. Alright, I'll be there soon", Jay hung up on the phone and hopped in his truck to head to Hailey's place.

He arrived within the hour, with pizza for him and Rojas, and supplies from the drugstore for Hailey.

"Sling is gone for good?" Vanessa had a smile on her face as she opened the door.

"Just got cleared this afternoon", Jay replied with an equally large grin.

"Jay that's amazing! Happy for you. Welcome back officially", she said as she closed the front door behind him, taking a few things from his hands.

They made their way to the kitchen to eat dinner. At first, it felt a bit strange doing this just him and Rojas. But even in the short time knowing her, he was comfortable around her. There was just something about her that made her easy to get along with, she was like a chameleon. It made sense why she did so well undercover for so long.

They scarfed down a few slices, Rojas filling Jay in on what happened at the station today. Turns out he didn't miss much after all. With Hailey out, they didn't get a whole lot of work done but that was fine, it was a slow week after the Canaryville case they closed the other day.

"I was hoping the smell of Lou's would lure her down here", Jay said.

Just as Vanessa was about to respond, they heard Hailey retching violently in the bathroom. Rojas got up instantly to check on her, but Jay tapped her shoulder instead.

"I'll go", he smiled and Vanessa broke out into a grin once he was on his way upstairs. Looks like she might be having a similar conversation with Jay to the one she had in the hospital with Hailey while he was in surgery.

Jay tip toed upstairs to Hailey's bedroom, fumbling around in total darkness. He knew the layout well, thankfully. Once he made it to the door of her ensuite, he knocked silently.

"I'm fine Vanessa", Hailey mumbled somewhat incoherently from the other side.

"Hailey it's me", Jay softly called back.

"Mmmmm", Hailey groaned as she started throwing up again.

Jay decided to open the door this time, at first wanting to respect her privacy. He wasn't sure what sort of clothes she had on, if any. But at this point, that didn't really matter, she sounded very ill.

He knelt down in the darkness next to her, finding her small figure slumped over the toilet. He rested a hand on her back, relieved to find that she was at least wearing a shirt.

"Hey, shhh", he whispered to her as she moaned in pain again.

"I'm going to turn my flashlight on okay Hails? Close your eyes" He needed to see what he was dealing with here.

She mouthed a small okay. Jay pulled out his phone, adjusting his own eyes to the bright light. Hailey looked like she was on deaths door. Pale as a ghost, hair all over the place, like she hadn't slept in days.

"Oh, Hails", Jay murmured as he gently held her hair away from her face and rubbed her back for her as she continued to throw up. Jay was grateful for two hands again, even though he wasn't exactly imagining having to do this fresh after recovery.

They stayed there for what felt like forever, when in reality it was about ten minutes.

"You done?" He asked her.

"For now", she said with a raspy voice. Jay tried to hand her some water but she shook her head.

"It's just going to come up again", she leaned back against the sink, resting her head on her knees that were pulled into her chest. Jay almost laughed, she was a spitting image of Will when he had migraines.

"You're probably dehydrated", Jay tried to reason with her but she wasn't having any of it.

"I'll be fine here", she mumbled.

"No come on, I'll help you back to bed", Jay crouched next to her, extending a hand her way. She eventually took it, but as she stood up her legs startled to buckle.

"Whoa, whoa Hails", Jay steadied her, letting her lean against him.

Thankfully Rojas came in at that point, Jay directing her what to do.

"I'm going to get her into bed, can you go pull the blankets back?" He asked.

Rojas nodded, leading the way from the bathroom, trying to avoid turning any lights on. Although it was bright enough to see Jay's silhouette scooping Hailey into his arms and carrying her the rest of the way. These two, she thought, having the freedom to smirk in the safety of darkness in Hailey's bedroom.

Jay felt the tension in Hailey's body against his own, her warm skin brushing against his.

"I don't want you to hurt your shoulder", Hailey said quietly.

Jay chuckled, Hailey was as light as a feather "My shoulder is fine, officially cleared to come back as of today. I've been trying to get a hold of you to tell you the good news partner."

"Sorry, I've been down for the count", she replied.

"I know, it's okay", he said as he gently set her down in her bed and pulled the covers back over her.

"Are you staying?" She asked him innocently.

"Of course. I'll be right back" She nodded as he left the room, following Rojas out.

He met her in the hallway, with a big smirk on her face.

"Go ahead, say what you need to say", he faked an eye roll and shot her his infamous half smile.

"I plead the fifth", she said as he followed her downstairs.

"That would be wise", he sassed back, causing both of them to giggle.

Jay collected a couple of ice packs, a bottle of water and some ginger ale from the kitchen. He poured the ginger ale into a glass and started stirring out the bubbles out of old habit with Will.

"Um, what are you doing?" Vanessa laughed.

Jay looked up to find her staring at him like he had two heads. "Stirring out the bubbles?" He replied as if everyone knew what that was for.

"To make it go flat, the carbonation is only going to upset her stomach more. This will help with the nausea hopefully", he explained.

"Whatever you say, Dr. Halstead", she teased as she shook her head and helped him carry a few things to Hailey's room.

Jay thanked Vanessa and got settled next to Hailey in her bed for a change.

"Hailey you have to try something", he said as she refused the water and the ginger ale.

"No, I don't know if I have energy for another vomit session", she attempted a laugh, but then pressed her hand over her face to try and stop the throbbing.

"How long has this been going on?"

"The migraine or the vomiting?" She replied.

"Both", Jay said.

"Last night…for both", she said slowly, knowing he was going to scold her.

"Hailey, you should have called me", he said softly.

"I'm a big girl Jay", she replied.

"I know…", he hesitated. "But you're sick. You've taken care of me for weeks now, let me do the same for you", he coaxed.

He heard her sigh and roll over to face him, sliding a bit closer to him in bed.

Instinctively he reached for a pillow and set it across his thighs, encouraging her to rest her head. She curled up on her side next to him, trying to breathe through the pain.

"Lucky for you I am a migraine veteran", he joked. It was small but he got a laugh out of her for that one.

"Will and I are members of an unfortunate club", she replied back.

He set the ice pack at the base of her neck, feeling her shiver from the cold.

"I know", he whispered as he rubbed small circles in her back. She eventually fell asleep, or so he thought anyways. He was starting to doze off himself when he felt her jolt back up and run to the bathroom again.

He winced hearing her gagging, knowing there was nothing in her stomach to even come up. He waited a minute, contemplating, before ultimately deciding on his next move.

He stepped out into the hallway and told Vanessa what he was thinking, then made a phone call.

"Hey Will, I need your help."

Will rushed over to Hailey's house as fast as he could, knowing the pain she was feeling all too well. He knocked on the door and was greeted by Hailey's roommate. He had heard of Vanessa Rojas, but never formally met her.

"Hey, you must be Will", she smiled and opened the door, inviting him in.

"Nice to meet you Vanessa", he replied back.

"They're upstairs in Hailey's room", she nodded and Will excused himself.

"Jay? Hailey?" Will softly knocked and pushed open her door. He cringed at what he saw initially, Hailey crumpled up in a ball lying on top of Jay's lap, her brow furrowed in pain.

His expression softened when he saw Jay's hand tracing small circles in her back, and his fingers running through her hair. He was whispering something to her that Will couldn't make out.

"Hey", Will said, the new voice in the room causing Hailey to open her eyes, then immediately regretting it. Jay had turned the bedside lamp on so Will could see what he was doing when he got here.

"Will?" Hailey half asked, half greeted.

"Hi Hailey", Will crouched down next to her. "Migraine? You don't look very well", he had a hand on her back, and watched her struggle to answer him, seeing a few tears rolls down her cheeks. Jay looked at him helplessly.

Will started pulling things out of his medical bag to check her vitals before starting an IV, hoping that would make her feel better. He was going to show Hailey the same kindness she has always shown him, and countless times for his brother.

It took all of her strength to nod at him and go through the motions. She was wiling to take anything at this point to make the pain go away. He asked her a few questions about when it started, how long she had been throwing up for, same things Jay asked her really. She half answered, letting Jay talk for her on the rest.

"I'm going to get an IV going okay Hailey? You're really dehydrated you need fluids", Will looked at Jay cautiously, knowing his brother was not the best with needles.

Hailey nodded giving him the go ahead, Jay nodded too, still holding onto her, trying to comfort her in anyway he could.

To Jay's credit, he barely flinched at the sight of the IV needle. It was especially difficult to find a vein on Hailey too, so unfortunately Will had to do some poking and prodding.

"You're doing great Hailey, almost done", Will kept reassuring her. He finally found a vein and inserted the IV. She reacted slightly when she felt the pinch of it going in.

"Shhh, you're okay. I got you", Jay whispered to her, stroking her forehead with his thumb, the rest of his fingers tangled up in her hair. Even Will felt his heart flip flop a little at that.

"Here Jay, I need you to hold this bag for a second", Will handed him the IV bag as he was setting up a makeshift pole in Hailey's room. Jay held the bag against his shoulder as he watched the fluids slowly drip down the tube into Hailey's veins.

"There, this should help with the nausea and the pain", Will said as he took the bag from Jay and hung it on Hailey's lamp pole.

"Thanks Will", Hailey said weakly.

"Any time, I know the feeling. This should work soon I promise, give it about 15-20 minutes and you'll start turning the corner okay", Will told her as he placed a pillow under her arm with the IV in it.

She nodded, Jay glancing at the IV bag and then down at Hailey, making sure she was comfortable, sacrificing his own comfort in the process. He could feel his legs falling asleep underneath her.

"I'll go wait in the living room, that will be done in about an hour", he whispered to Jay, who gave Will a thumbs up before he left the room, turning the lights off and shutting the door on his way out.

Jay kept his eyes open long enough for Hailey to confirm that she was starting to feel a little better, and the pain had subsided enough that she was going to try to sleep.

Being a light sleeper meant that Jay heard everything. His eyes popped open the second that Will poked his head back in check on Hailey.

The IV was finished and that seemed to really help her. Will gently took the needle out of her arm and covered it with a band aid, some blood came out at the same time. Only then did he see Jay's face go a little pale. Will laughed even harder when he saw Hailey grin. Her eyes were closed but she knew what had just happened. If Will had to guess, he would say she probably felt him tense up underneath her.

"You did good Jay", Hailey complimented him overcoming his fear of needles. Jay responded with a smile and an eye roll she couldn't see, and a pat on the back too.

"You did good Hails", he replied.

"Okay, I'm going to get out of here. You kids alright?" Will said.

Hailey and Jay both smiled. "We're good", Jay replied. "Much better, thanks so much Will", Hailey echoed.

"Glad to hear that. You'll be able to sleep it off now", Will explained, watching Hailey's eyelids start to flutter shut, a bit drowsy from the anti-nausea medication. "Call me if anything changes", he directed that at Jay, before sneaking out for good.

Jay could finally sleep on his side again without pain, but instead he chose to stay on his back, not wanting to disturb Hailey. He slid down slowly, gently lifting her off of his legs and moving the pillow so that it was more on his chest. They really had to stop making it a habit of sleeping in each other's beds…Jay shook his head, knowing that wasn't really a habit that he wanted to break.

"Sorry Jay", Hailey mumbled before she passed out.

"For what?" Jay asked perplexed.

"You got cleared today and wanted to celebrate. You need a night out", she yawned.

Jay paused before responding, pulling her in a little closer to his chest, his arms enveloping her, his fingers reaching out to find hers.

"Everything I need is right here", he said softly, rubbing her back until they both fell asleep.

Bit of a random filler chapter (a long one at that)…but just couldn't resist some extra Upstead soft moments! I hope we'll get some scenes with them tonight, but I'm not holding my breath. Thought this chapter might tide us over until we get some real Hailey & Jay! Thank you so much for all of the messages, I love that you are loving this story as much as I am. Happy One Chicago Wednesday! -K