Request: no.

A/N:I saw this TikTok of this woman lifting her boyfriend onto a counter and immediately thought about the scenario with Jay. I feel like he seems like he should be really “traditional” about being the dominant one in a relationship but he’s actually totally okay with letting his partner take control.

-Reader is mentioned being midsize/plus size.

Warnings: none.

One Chicago Masterlist

✰ ✰ ✰ ✰

When it came to signature moves, Jay had a few that he always relied on. Some of them you were sure he didn’t even realize he was doing, like the little half smirk and the eyebrow raise. But others, you knew he did on purpose. Especially what you had decided months earlier was your absolute favorite.

It didn’t matter what you were doing in the kitchen, whether you were making food, washing dishes, getting a cup of coffee; Jay would come up behind you, turn you around, and lift you onto the counter. You weren’t sure if it was some macho masculinity thing or some ‘look how strong I am’ flex that he needed to prove to you that he could physically lift you off your feet. You knew you were neither petite nor thin and you definitely didn’t pull off that whole ‘wearing his shirt like a dress’ thing Gabby or Erin probably had but you were far from insecure about your relationship or yourself. You were a firefighter after all, you ran into burning buildings and hauled people out of them, you didn’t need a boyfriend who treated you like a delicate flower. And Jay never did but you knew he liked showing off (and liked taking you on the counter).

You’d dated guys in the past who always wanted to prove they were somehow tougher than you. Whether it was undermining your job, being condescending, or being oddly competitive with you, you were used to shitty boyfriends thinking it somehow threatened their masculinity to date someone who could probably kick their ass. Jay showing off wasn’t about showing you up though, it was simply about impressing you which is what made it so endearing in the first place. Like a funny quirk, it was a habit he didn’t seem willing to break.

You loved it honestly, even when you knew it was coming. The feeling of Jay leaving you slightly breathless as he lifted you onto the kitchen counter, caged you against the cabinet, and littered your thighs with kisses, gently pushing your legs apart…it was a good way to start your morning, especially when you were on shift and wouldn’t see him again until the next day.

“What are you watching?” It was Sylvie, or rather her new obsession with watching couples on TikTok, that sparked the idea.

“This woman did this video,” she passed the phone to you, “it was so cute and wholesome.”

You watched the woman in question lift her boyfriend onto their kitchen island and you almost laughed out loud, the image of you doing the same thing to Jay immediately coming to mind. Despite it feeling like your own personal inside joke you were surprised when the idea didn’t go away, instead nagging at you for the duration of shift until you finally decided to do something about it.

-

By the time you got home it was nearing 8am. Coffee was already brewing in the kitchen and you could hear the shower running from the en-suite bathroom. Jay was up, getting ready for work and reminding you why you hated off days more than shift days.

It didn’t take long for the shower to shut off, the quiet padding of Jay’s feet in the bedroom filling the silent apartment. You were sure he knew you were home, whether it was years of detective work or just a sixth sense he had, you very rarely managed to sneak up on him.

“Hey, you eat yet?” Jay asked, catching your attention as he walked into the kitchen in his boxers, grabbing his toothbrush off the counter. He wasn’t shy about the appreciative once over he did of you while he brushed his teeth, waiting for your answer. Your schedules didn’t always sync up the way Jay would’ve liked but he tried to be intentional about the time you did have. If he could get an extra hour of time with you before work he’d gladly take it.

“Not yet. But I’m not making you breakfast.”

“I wasn’t gonna ask you to make breakfast!” He insisted, toothbrush bobbing in his mouth as he spoke, “that was one time and I was incredibly hungover, to be fair.” Jay spit out his toothpaste, wiped his mouth and leaned against the kitchen counter, your mind immediately wandering to the video Sylvie had shown you. “I was gonna ask if you wanted to grab something before I head in.”

“Okay,” you agreed, closing the distance between you to kiss him. The sharp mint taste still on his lips made you scrunch your nose.

Without giving him any warning, you bent your knees just enough to wrap your arms around Jay’s waist and lift up, lifting your very solid boyfriend onto the kitchen counter the same way he’d done to you a hundred times.

“Holy shit!” Jay practically shouted as he grabbed at the butcher block counter. You couldn’t help laughing too, leaning forward into him, pressing your face into his thigh as you tried to catch your breath. You hadn’t honestly expected to be able to lift him that high and you were genuinely as surprised as him that you had hauled him onto the counter successfully.

A second later Jay was grabbing at your arms, pulling you away so he could see your face, hands moving to cup your cheeks, “what are you doing?” He asked, still amused.

“I was trying to be sexy,” you laughed, “you always do it.”

“Yeah…” he nodded, looking at you with that raised eyebrow like he was trying to figure something out, “I kinda liked it.”

“You’re so full of shit.”

“No, I’m serious, that was…hot.” He admitted, a light blush obscuring his freckles. He leaned forward enough that he could kiss you, tilting your head back as you leaned against the counter between his legs. You were convinced that Jay had a natural gravity about him, something that always drew you in, urging you to be as close as possible to him. If you were out somewhere together you always wanted to have a hand in his or his arm around your shoulder, when you kissed him, even at this height difference, with the counter more in your way than anything, you tried to be as close as possible, hands on his bare thighs, his knees caging you in, kissing him with your whole body leaning into his touch.

When you finally pulled away Jay hopped off the counter, backing you up to the island only to kiss you again. He kept his hands on your waist, squeezing just above the hand of your yoga shorts. “I thought we were getting something to eat,” you mentioned once he broke the kiss.

“I was distracted by you manhandling me first thing in the morning,” he teased, “just came out here to get some coffee-“

“I did not manhandle you,” you laughed, “get dressed, nobody needs to see all that this early in the morning.”

“Look who’s talking.” Jay’s hands left your waist, running over the spandex of your shorts to your ass.

“Get dressed,” you huffed, pushing him away from you.

-

Taglist: @carnationworld@goldeng1rl8@dudenhaaa27@WaywardHunter@alexxavicry@iamasimpingh0e@randomwriter1021 @mrspeacem1nusone@liverpoolsposts@nevaehstreater18 

Request:You were in the army with Jay and Lindsey finds out your back after answering jays phone and it being jays brother will, so Lindsey lies and tells Jay it was nothing an then after his shift he goes to see his brother after work an will brings it up an says Lindsey said he would tell him an he puts it all together an realizes Lindsey knew how he truly felt for you an ends up seeing you at the bar he’s in with his brother and you were drinking

A/N: I ended up making this kinda sad or something…

One Chicago Masterlist

✰ ✰ ✰ ✰

You had thought about reaching out to Jay when you found yourself back in Chicago but you didn’t know exactly where he was in his life, aside from what you’d heard the last time you’d been home five years ago, and you didn’t want to come crashing in when he didn’t really need you there stirring things up. But a trip home to Chicago, especially one that was turning out to be more long term than you’d anticipated, was too tempting a reason to see Jay to pass on, especially when you’d run into Will at Med.  

“Look, if you don’t wanna call him, I will, no sweat.” Will promised, typing a report on the computer in front of him while you leaned against the nurses’ station. “He’ll be happy to hear from you.”

“Yeah, he was happy to hear from me last time too, and then his whole relationship with Abby imploded and I literally took off on him.” You replied, cracking your knuckles to relieve the tension in your body. “I don’t want to see him and screw him over again.”

“Do you plan on screwing him over?” Will asked, honestly, looking as though he might actually be reconsidering reaching out to his brother for you.  

Of course you weren’t planning on screwing him over but then, who plans that sort of thing anyway? You’d really wanted to stay last time but things with your mom had been so strained after your dad’s death, it felt suffocating even being in the same state as her. Now here you were, back home to take care of her, in the ED, waiting for her doctor to discharge her with an all-clear.  

“No, I didn’t plan on it last time either I just…Will, you know I love your brother but, if he’s got someone or if he’s in a good place, I don’t want to be the reason that fails on him. Jay deserves the world, regardless of who gives it to him.”  

“I’ll give him a call.”

Will left out the part where Jay was in a relationship for the first time since you left. Maybe not the healthiest one at times but a relationship all the same and Will knew he was putting all his effort into trying to make it work. And it wasn’t like Will didn’t like Erin, he had nothing against his brother’s partner turned partner, but he couldn’t deny that a small part of him still rooted for the two of you.  

So he didn’t mention Erin and he called his brother for you, early in the morning before his next shift. The one person he didn’t want to talk to answered the phone, Jay having been in the shower at the time, and Will left a message with Erin that you were in town (giving only your name and that you’d been in the rangers with Jay).  

-

“There he is,” Will clapped his brother on the shoulder, sliding onto the barstool next to him and flagging Herrmann down with his other hand, ordering two beers, “so?”

“So?” Jay asked, an amused look crossing his face as he swiveled just enough to look at his brother. Will was smiling like he was in on something that Jay imagined he was supposed to be in on too. The only problem being that he had no idea what it was.  

Will’s smile slowly faded as he realised that Jay had no idea what he was hinting at. Taking a sip of his beer first, he asked if Jay had reached out to you, “I called and said they were in town…Lindsay said she’d let you know.”

“Oh,” Jay stuttered for a second, hesitating over an answer that wouldn’t make it seem like his girlfriend had lied to his brother and withheld information, “yeah…I just, haven’t called yet. Work’s been crazy.”  

“Well listen, I saw them in the ED with their mom yesterday, said they’re in Chicago permanently.”

“Permanently as in temporarily?” Jay replied, unable to conceal the slight edge to his voice. He’d heard that line before, straight from your mouth after he left Abby for you. Chicago was it for you back then and he’d stupidly believed that you were telling the truth only to be burned when you left, apologizing up and down like it would do any good.

“Look, I know last time things didn’t exactly work out-”

“More than that Will. I’m with Erin, I’m in a good place. I’m not digging up the past just because they rolled back into town.” Jay drank the last of his beer and then swiveled his chair away from his brother, “I gotta go.”

“Come on man, I just got here. Just stay, I won’t mention them again, I promise.” Will urged, looking somewhat apologetic though he really wasn’t at all. He didn’t want to push Jay and he definitely didn’t want to tell his brother that he at least could let you explain yourself, so he just rolled back on his hardline, choosing to drink and be happy rather than drink and be alone.  

“Fine,” Jay sighed, “I don’t wanna hear about it again though.” It was bad enough that his mind was running through all the reasons Erin had withheld her conversation with Will from him, circling back to the same one again and again. He’d never told her but she was good at her job, it didn’t take much for her to figure it out.  

Will shook his head, mild amusement overtaking his features as he glanced again at the table in the back. Whatever kind of serendipity that was, “don’t turn around then.”  

Jay did exactly what his brother told him not to do, spinning around in his chair and looking behind him to one of the booth-style tables. There you were, drinking with Mouse of all people. He should’ve known that Will wasn’t the only person you’d reach out to, though it stung more than he cared to admit to know that you’d called Mouse before you’d called him directly. Whatever Will kept saying, whether it was true or not, it seemed more like you wanted to see everyone but Jay.  

“Just go say hi,” Will urged.

Without saying anything else Jay got up for the second time, not headed for the door but your table instead. He set his beer bottle down first, both you and Mouse turning to look at him, the conversation dying down.  

“Jay,” you stood up, hesitant for a moment and then wrapping your arms around him in a hug. He wrapped one arm around your waist. “I didn’t know if you got my message-”

“Will told me you were here,” he replied as you pulled away, not mentioning anything about Erin. It wasn’t relevant anyway, not right now. Though he couldn’t help wondering if Mouse had said anything.  

“Sorry I didn’t call you…I wasn’t sure you’d really want to see me,” you explained.  

Mouse offered Jay a knowing smile, as if he was in on something that Jay wasn’t completely sure he understood, before standing up and patting his best friend on the back, “I’m gonna go get a refill, let you guys catch up.”

You watched Mouse walk to the bar before turning back to Jay, “Greg looks good, he told me you got him a job so he’s legit now.”

“Yeah, he really fits in.”  

“Jay look, I know last time things didn’t exactly, work out-”

“Didn’t work out? You up and left Chicago and I didn’t hear from you for a month and then it was just a ‘sorry I bailed’ text.” Jay replied.

“I know, I just…it was hard for me to be here.”

“And it’s easier now?” He asked. When Will mentioned you being home there was a part of Jay that just wanted to see you but there was another part of him, the part that was still angry, that wanted you to know how much you hurt him.  

“Just different circumstances. I wasn’t gonna tell you I was even here I just wanted to see you,” You explained.

Jay took a sip of his beer, glancing toward the door as it opened and Erin walked in with Burgess. He looked back over to you, “I’m just not sure I’m ready to see you yet…sorry.”

“No, it’s okay…I understand.” You nodded, “I’ll let you, get back to everyone. Tell Greg I said goodbye.”

Pieces (7): Feelings are strange

Chapter 7: Feelings are strange

Chapter Summary: Y/N worries when Jay stops responding to her messages. Meanwhile, a ruckus in the waiting room attracts Y/N’s attention.

Word Count:1,879

Warnings: allusions to verbal abuse, threatening behavior

A/N: Things are… moving. Kind of. I hope you like this update! All the comments have really got me more excited to show you more chapters! Remember to stop by and let me know what you guys think!!!

SERIES MASTERLIST

JAY HALSTEAD MASTERLIST

You’d taken Chloe to school yourself the next day to talk to them and find out why Caleb was able to take her out of school and found out that even though you’d filled out the paperwork, they hadn’t processed it. It had taken a whole lot of effort not to scream at everyone in the room. Instead, you’d insisted on seeing the list of approved adults for Chloe just so you could rest easy that she wasn’t going to disappear right under your nose again.

So you’d definitely felt better for the rest of the day, your mind wandering back to what Jay had said to you the night before.

You’d always thought that when the day came again when someone, anyone, asked you out on a date again, you’d say no with absolutely no hesitation. That’s what you’d told yourself the day Caleb had walked out on you and Chloe. You’d never trust someone else with yours or Chloe’s happiness, ever again.

But that was before Jay Halstead.

You wanted to be mad at him, really. You wanted to be mad at him for crashing headfirst into your life, for wavering your determination to not let anyone too close, for making you feel like you mattered again. But you couldn’t even be mad at him.

You glanced at your phone.

You’d sent him a text to say that the two of you should talk but he hadn’t responded, so you stuffed your phone back into your pocket where it belonged. But now that you were anticipating a response, it felt like a boulder that you were carrying around all day, you literally had to fight the urge to check it every few minutes.

When he hadn’t responded by the next day, your initial annoyance had slowly shifted into worry. It wasn’t like Jay to not respond like this. At first, you’d thought he might have been annoyed that he hadn’t gotten a response from you, after all a guy like Jay Halstead probably didn’t face rejection much, or at all. But now, you weren’t so sure.

“Hey, Will.” You headed up to him where he was getting coffee.

You hesitated, now.

Will frowned. “What’s up? Everything okay?”

You nodded. “Is Jay okay?”

Will’s eyebrow rose. “Yeah, as far as I know. Why? Did you hear something?”

You shook your head. “I just… I haven’t heard from him. He usually doesn’t do that, so I was just wondering…”

“Oh, crap. I was supposed to tell you yesterday but I forgot.” Will said. “He came by my place in the morning to pass me some stuff and he told me to let you know he’s going under, probably for a few days, so he’d be uncontactable. I’m sorry, Y/N.”

“Under?” You asked.

Will nodded. “Yeah, they do some undercover work sometimes. When they have to.” Will paused. “He can’t have his personal phone with him when he does. He’ll show up in a couple of days.”

You nodded, a little absentmindedly. “Yeah, thanks.”

“Please don’t tell him I forgot to tell you. He will literally kill me.” When that didn’t elicit much of a response from you, Will paused. “Everything okay?”

You smiled and nodded. “Yeah, just needed to finish a conversation.”

Will studied you for a bit before he nodded again. “You know if you need anything…”

You smiled. “Yeah, I know. Thanks.”

By the end of the week, you still hadn’t heard from Jay.

But everytime you felt your mind go there, you yanked yourself back, wondering when this had begun. When had you begun to rely on someone again, when you’d told yourself again and again that you couldn’t go back down that road.

The worst part was that you had no idea how this had all happened and why it was Jay that gave you this sense of stability, this sense of security. And now that you found yourself here, you had no freaking clue what to do, but you had to figure it out before you spoke to him again.

The only good thing about a crazy day in the ED was that you didn’t have time to dwell on these little things floating through your mind. You’d come out into the waiting room to help Connor update his patient’s wife when a commotion near Leah’s counter caught your attention.

“I’ve been waiting for over an hour!” You heard his fist bang on the table. “And I want to know why I’m still waiting!”

You took a deep breath, wanting nothing more but to head inside. But there was no way a guy like that was going to let you leave peacefully.

Before you’d even taken so much as another breath, he’d caught sight of your white coat and pointed at you.

“You! Lady! You’re a doctor. Yousee me.”

Maggie raised her eyebrows at you and you’d turned around to look at him, controlling your expression as best as you could.

“Sir, we have to see patients based on their conditions. If you wait a while longer, we’ll try to move things along.” You kept your voice patient, before you tried to turn to go back into the ED.

“Lady! I demand to see a doctor now!”

You felt your irritation rise. You had a four year old that behaved better than this.

You moved towards Leah, peering at his registration sheet and you nodded at her, noting his non-emergent symptoms.

“Sir, as we have told you many times, we have to see patients based on the urgency of their condition. Please wait your turn.” Your voice was stern now. He moved forward as if to confront you again but eyed Earl keeping a watching eye by the corner, as you stepped backwards.

You glanced at Leah who nodded, before you turned and headed back into the ED.

You glanced at the clock as you pulled on your jacket in place of the white coat you’d been in all day.

“We’re going for drinks, can your babysitter do another few hours?” Will asked, as he closed his locker and pointed to Connor.

You gave him a smile. “Not today, she can’t work late. Sorry.”

Connor shook his head. “Come on, we can’t compete with a kid for her mom. We’ll do a kid-friendly one sometime.”

You laughed and nodded, grabbing your bag.

“Have fun guys!”

You headed out towards your car. It was already late, the streets felt a little darker than usual so you looked up at the sky for a moment before you continued walking. You’d been a little late at the start of shift thanks to Chloe’s school, so you’d had to park your car a little further from the entrance.

You were about two cars away when you felt someone tug roughly at your arm.

Spinning around, you frowned at the man who was holding your arm so tightly it was starting to hurt. It took you a moment before you placed him again - the man screaming at Leah in the waiting room earlier today. The man you’d told to wait when he’d yelled at you demanding you see him then and there for a flu.

You glanced down at your arm, attempting to pull it backwards out of his grasp but he was way stronger than you were.

You could still see the anger flash in his eyes even in the dark as he stepped forward and you stepped backwards. He pushed you roughly before your back hit the hard wall of the external hospital wall. “What do you want?” It took you some effort to keep your voice steady.

“You’re really rude.” He commented, not really answering your question. “If there’s one thing I know, it’s that rude women need to be taught a lesson.”

You could feel your heartbeat quicken as you tried again to tug your arm out of his grasp with barely any success.

He raised his other arm now and even as you tried hard not to, you flinched as you saw his palm come swinging down at you.

And then, nothing.

You opened your eyes again and there he was. You felt the rush of something that felt suspiciously magical, before your brain and mouth connected. “Jay.”

Jay didn’t turn to look at you, almost like he hadn’t heard you. He’d caught the guy’s arm midair and you were sure if he’d been even a second later you’d have already felt the impact.

“Step the hell back.” Jay growled, speaking each word slowly.

It was the first time you’d heard this much anger in his voice. You don’t think you’d even heard it that few times he’d spoken to Caleb. This was different.

“What’s it to you?” The man didn’t look like he wanted to back down.

Jay didn’t respond, merely glancing down at the badge attached to his waist. “I won’t say it again. Walk away.” Jay looked pointedly at his other hand.

The guy wrenched his arm out of Jay’s grasp as he let go of your arm. Jay shifted, standing in front of you now. “If I see you anywhere near her again…”

The guy seemed like he was weighing his options but instead turned to leave.

Jay turned towards you now. “You okay?”

You took a deep breath. “Yeah, I think so.”

Jay exhaled.

“Great self-control there, Jay.” You said with a smile. “I’m not sure Will could have kept his cool.”

Jay smiled. “Oh, you have no idea the effort it took. If he’d actually hit you…” He paused. “I might have beaten the crap out of him.”

“ Oh Detective Halstead, you wouldn’t.” You teased gently, smiling as you watched the hard look in his eyes slowly give way to the gentle green eyes you knew so well.

Jay glanced down the street to make sure he was really gone. “Sorry I haven’t been in touch.”

You shook your head. “Will told me. Everything okay with you?”

Jay nodded. “Yeah, I…”

He was interrupted as his phone rang and you nodded at him as he answered it. You watched his frown deepen.

“I’ll be right there.” He said as he hung up. “Y/N, I’m sorry, I…”

You shook your head, smiling.

“You gonna be okay?” He asked. “Should I call Will?”

You laughed. “I’ll get home okay. Thanks for… I’m glad you were here when you were. Thank you.”

Jay nodded, squeezing your wrist a little. “I gotta…”

You nodded. “Be safe.”

Jay smiled and jogged towards his truck which was parked a little way away. Jay turned just as he was getting into his truck for one last look.

You raised your hand and waved, as he smiled and waved back before driving off.

You watched a little while longer as he drove away before you hurried to your car and sped off, taking two detours just in case before you got home. Truth be told, you were hoping you’d have the opportunity to talk and you had been this close to actually inviting him over. So you weren’t sure whether it was a good or bad thing he’d been called away.

The only thing certain tonight was one thing - the fluttering feeling in the pit of your stomach and the race of your heart.

THANK YOU FOR READING!! PLEASE TELL ME WHAT YOU THOUGHT OF THIS!!

If you want to support me, buy me a coffee!

Pieces (10): Work This Out

Chapter 10: Work This Out

Chapter Summary: Jay keeps his promise to Chloe and helps Y/N make temporary arrangements for Chloe.

Word Count:1,928

Warnings: canon-typical mentions of injuries

A/N: In Resa’s effort to try to go to bed early I’ll be pushing up the postings to 10PM (GMT +8), so just an hour earlier! Updates will still be on Tuesday and Fridays in my timezone! Hope you guys like this update, please drop by to let me know what you think!

SERIES MASTERLIST || JAY HALSTEAD MASTERLIST

Previous Chapter || Next Chapter

Jay hoisted Chloe more securely onto his arm as he hurried into Med to look for someone, anyone.

It had been a hard decision, as Jay watched the paramedics pile you in and heard them say that he could come along for the ride. Technically, he could have had Hailey bring Chloe to Med but it didn’t feel like that would cut it. He’d glanced at you and turned back to the district to deliver his promise.

“Jay!”

Jay spotted Will and headed straight in. Will glanced at Chloe in his arms and nodded at him. “You should wait to talk to Connor.”

Will opened his arms. “Chloe, why don’t we go get something to eat?”

Chloe nodded slowly before she turned to Jay and Jay smiled, nodding. “Will knows the best snacks here.”

Chloe smiled and allowed Will to lift her from Jay’s arms.

Jay watched them disappear, just as Connor walked into the waiting room.

“Connor.”

Connor nodded, heading towards Jay. “Her injuries are extensive. We had to put in a chest tube when she first came in, she had internal injuries, two fractured ribs. Her arm is broken, and the stab wound caused even further damage.”

As Connor watched Jay’s expression change, he quickly added. “The surgery went well. She’ll need some time to recover, but she’s going to be okay.”

Jay exhaled.

“You can see her now if you want.”

Jay nodded. “Thanks.”

When Jay entered your room, he was glad he hadn’t gone to get Chloe first. Your arm had been put in a cast and the bruises across your face were now more pronounced.

“Hey.” Jay greeted, as he reached your bedside.

You looked back up at him, glad to see him. “Chloe?” You whispered.

Jay smiled and nodded. “Will took her to get some food. I’ll bring her by later. You feeling up to talking?”

You exhaled, but nodded.

Jay got as much information from you as he could without pushing, clenching his fist as he felt the rage course through him while you recounted what had happened in the bodega. The only thing you were thankful for was that they were so hopped up, they hadn’t noticed Chloe, merely thinking that you’d been trying to run. So they’d taken their anger out on you, hitting and kicking at you, a few times with the baseball bat. You could hear the rage turn into shrieks of excitement at the violence they were inflicting as they pounded into you.

As you recounted the attack, you exhaled as the memory of the moment you’d felt the knife slice into your abdomen hit you and Jay reached out for your good hand, gently squeezing. “It’s okay, we can stop.”

You glanced up at Jay and squeezed back. “How’d you find her?” You asked after a while.

Jay smiled. “She found me. Kind of.”

You frowned in confusion.

“Apparently her school had taught them how to identify police station buildings, fire stations, that sort of thing. One of the patrol officers found her somewhere outside the district and brought her in. When I came into the building, Trudy was already talking to her. You got a brilliant kid.”

“I was scared, Jay. Putting my four year old out on the street like that? What if someone took her? What if something worse happened because she was alone?” You whispered, your voice trembling. “But she would be in far more danger inside, so I…”

Jay leaned forward to stroke the top of your head. “Slow breaths, Y/N. It’s okay, she’s okay. I promise.”

You met his green eyes and nodded, your breathing slowing again.

“Get some rest. Connor said they’re moving you to a room. I’ll check on Will and Chloe and I’ll bring her by, alright?”

You nodded, as Jay smiled at you and disappeared out the door.

This had thrown a whole wrench in your plan to not fall deeper into what you already knew were feelings for Jay Halstead. You’d told yourself, and him, that you weren’t ready, that you couldn’t deal with anything romantic. But this? You weren’t prepared for. The way Jay just swept in to take care of you and Chloe even though you were holding him at arm’s length, the way you knew that if Jay was there, Chloe would be safe, and so would you.

“We got them, Jay. They were too high to worry about security cameras, Kim got them before they hit another store.”

Those were the only words Jay needed to hear right now. “Where are they?”

Jay heard his partner sigh over the phone. “Coming down from their high. It’ll be another few hours I think. Everything okay there?”

Jay glanced over where Will was bringing Chloe back in. “Yeah, I’ll be there as soon as I can. I want in on the interrogation.”

Jay hung up the phone as Chloe ran towards him. “Jay, can we see Mom?”

Jay glanced at Will but bent down to speak to Chloe. “Yeah, but can we talk first?”

Chloe nodded.

“Mom got a bit hurt. We can go see her but it might be a little scary, alright?”

Chloe studied Jay before she nodded. “I’m not scared.”

Jay smiled. “Alright, come on.” He picked her up easily, as Will led the way to your room.

Jay could see the relief on your face when you finally laid eyes on Chloe. “Gentle, okay?” Jay whispered as he put Chloe down next to you and she hugged you, burying her face into your neck. You held her close to you, finally feeling like you could breathe right.

“You okay?” You asked her.

Chloe nodded. “Jay kept his promise. And Will and I had pudding.”

You smiled, glancing back at them. “Thanks, guys.”

Will smiled, nodding before he joined Connor to peer at your chart. “I’m gonna have you here at least a week if not longer.”

“Connor… I can’t.” You said, glancing at Chloe who was lying comfortably beside you now.

Connor sighed. “Y/N, your injuries… you know this. There’s an equal chance of internal bleeding so close after surgery. A week is already pushing it, alright? Is there anyone… her father?”

Chloe’s eyes darted up. “No, I don’t wanna.”

Jay glanced at Connor, then Will, before back at you.

“Y/N, we’ll work something out, alright? Let me talk to Voight, see if there’s anything I can do.” Jay said, standing up. “I gotta go back to the district, but I’ll swing by later this evening?”

“What are you…”

Jay just smiled. “Trust me.”

He leaned forward to pat the top of Chloe’s head affectionately. “I’ll see you later, kid.”

Chloe grinned back up at Jay and Jay squeezed your hand discreetly. But not discreetly enough, as Will gave his brother a look accompanied by a small knowing smile.

Jay’s idea of ‘work something out’ was the village. Natalie had come by to tell you that Owen would be more than happy to have a playmate for a few days, Jay had said that he had a few days he could take and he’d be more than happy to take Chloe home or stay with her, whichever made you more comfortable.

So you’d let Chloe decide.

You’d been trying to ease Chloe back into seeing Caleb more, especially since he seemed more interested in reconnecting with his daughter. But it hadn’t been easy and you weren’t keen on shipping her off there while you were in the hospital. You’d rather have Chloe choose who she wanted to stay with. Chloe and Owen had been on a few play dates, even though you and Natalie weren’t terribly close, but you kind of knew what Chloe would choose even before she’d said it.

To say you weren’t happy with it was an outright lie, because you knew that Chloe would be safe and happy. But it wasn’t helpful to you.

“You sure you can take the few days? I don’t want to put you out more than…” You asked Jay. He’d been gone for most of the day but he’d just come back from the district.

Jay gave you a look. “I already took the few days. They owe me furlough anyway and it’s a…” He shrugged. “Family emergency.”

You felt the breath catch in your throat. Here you were, practically dangling him on the line, not wanting to cross a line with him, but there he was willing to do almost anything just to keep you at ease and to keep your daughter happy.

Jay smiled, putting his hands up. “I didn’t mean anything by it, alright? I’m not pressuring you or anything.”

“Jay.” You stopped him. “I know.”

Jay let his mouth fall shut before he smiled. “Anyway, we got them. I went back to do the interrogation. They were high and just…” He sighed. “This shouldn’t have happened.”

You just gave him a small smile and turned just a little to look at your daughter who was busy drawing on some papers that April and Maggie had delivered up to you.

“At least she wasn’t hurt.” You whispered.

Jay headed over towards you, stopping just a little distance away like he was being careful about pushing the boundaries. “You shouldn’t have been hurt either.” His voice was low.

“Did she give it to you?” You asked.

Jay raised an eyebrow.

“Chloe? Weren’t you going to give Jay something?” You asked.

Chloe’s head jerked upwards and she grinned before she reached for her bag and took out the paper she’d been carefully carrying around all day, before she handed it to Jay, her little features scanning his face and watching his reaction.

Jay took it from Chloe, the four-year old handwriting of “My Hero” scribbled at the top, along with a drawing of what could only have been Jay in a police uniform.

“And that’s me and Mom!” Chloe said excitedly, pointing to the two small figures next to him. “Do you like it?”

Jay glanced at you, smiling, before he turned back to Chloe, bending back down to her eye level. “I love it. Thank you, Chloe. This is for me, right?”

Chloe nodded and Jay smiled as she threw her tiny arms around his neck.

“I’ll keep it really well.“ Jay told her as she pulled out of the hug. "So what do you say we go home and let Mom rest? We can come back tomorrow.” He told her.

Chloe nodded. “Are we going to your house?”

Jay glanced at you and you pointed to your bag, where Jay found your keys so that he could go pick up some of Chloe’s things.

“Are you sure about this, Jay? You can still back out of this.” You asked him in a low voice.

Jay nodded. “We’ll be fine. Won’t we?”

Chloe smiled. “We’re going to have a sleepover!”

You laughed, feeling the pain from well, everywhere, shoot through your body and you winced.

Jay’s head snapped towards you and you shook your head. “I’ll be fine. Go on.”

Chloe came to the side of your bed. “Bye, Mom.”

“Be good.” You whispered, leaning out far enough to give her a quick kiss to her forehead.

Jay picked Chloe into his arms and grabbed her bag. “Jay.” You stopped him, as he turned to look at you.

“Thanks.”

Jay winked, before he left with your daughter, leaving you staring at the ceiling.

Everything hurt, and everything felt more confusing, but at the very least, you knew you and Chloe were in safe hands.

THANK YOU FOR READING!! PLEASE TELL ME WHAT YOU THOUGHT OF THIS!!

If you want to support me, buy me a coffee!