'Partners forever' // An Upstead Story 🤍

Chapter 38: Realisation

Jays POV
We pull up to the side of the road and I see an abandoned car sitting there with the boot left open. Before I can even think I am out of the car and running to check the car, of course it is empty but then I look into the woods. "Jay wait for us!!" I hear Voight yell at me, but I don't care anymore, all I can do is find her and I will stop at nothing until I do. I will search every inch of theses woods for her and no one can stop me. I can hear everyone running behind me as I race through the woods looking for Hailey, I feel a pit grow in my stomach the more I look around and can't see anything. I keep looking for a place where she would hide from him, a big tree? A hill? But there's nothing so I run further in. Faster and faster with each stride I take. Searching for my girl, for my light and air.

As I am running something catches my eye and I stop dead in my tracks when I see the horrendous sight of them. Hailey is laying on the ground with her top covered in blood and Max lays next to her on his front caked in blood as well. I try to go to her but it's like it's in slow motion. I stare at her for a second and then I try to go but my body not moving as fast as I want it. It's like I am stuck while the whole world moves around me.

"H-H-Hailey!" I shout as I snap back to reality and run to her, I drop drown next to her. "Hailey! Hailey! Can you look at me?" I beg as I gently turn her face to look up at me, "Hailey open your eyes" I say as I tap her face a couple of times and I see her squint. "Are you shot?!" I ask in a panic as I lift her shirt up to look. "J-j-ay" she says weakly as I assess her "Where are you bleeding?!" I ask panicked "Hailey where are you bleeding?!" "it's....his blood" she says as she lifts her arm to point to Max.

Relief floods through me as I take in a much needed breathe, "JAY!?" I hear Voight shout "SARGE OVER HERE! I'VE GOR HER!"I shout. I look back down at Hailey who is looking at me , tears filling her eyes as her breathing becomes uneven. "You came" she stutters "of course I did, I'll always come" I say as I gently place my hand on her cheek. She just breaks, after holding all her emotions in she just burst out crying as everything starts to sink in. "Hey you're okay, it's okay, just deep breathes" I say as I pull her carefully into my arms. She immediately puts her arms around me as if a reflex, her grip tight as if she never wants to let go. "I've got you, it's over Hailey, it's over he's gone" I whisper to her.

Hailey's POV
The spinning in my head starts to speed up again as i start to regain my consciousness. I can feel someone's hand tapping on the left side of my face. I try to open my eyes but I feel myself squint as I try to make out who is above me. I blink a couple of times and that's when I see him. Jay's frantic eyes desperately watching my every move. At first he's there but then he disappears.

"Are you shot?!" He asks in a panic as he lifts up my shirt letting the cold air pierce my skin, sending goosebumps all over. "J-j-ay" I try to speak but my throat was so sore I couldn't form the words properly. I can feel his cold hands running all over me, trying to identify if I was shot. "Where are you bleeding?!" He asks more panicked this time "Hailey where are you bleeding?!" He asks raising his voice even more this time. "it's his blood" I manage to say as I raise my arm and point over to Max who is laying next to me.

I hear him take a deep sigh as his shaky hands relax on me, "JAY!?" I hear Voight yell from afar "SARGE OVER HERE! I'VE GOR HER!" He yells, a little too loud for my sore head. I look up at him memorising every part of him. His strong jaw line, his plump lips, his gorgeous green emerald eyes and his sent. I panick as I think about the thought of losing all of this, loosing him, leaving him on his own. He looks down at me and we both look deep into each other's eyes both feeling more safe knowing that the other is okay.

"You came" I quietly stutter "Of course I did, I'll always come" he says sweetly as he gently places a hand on her cheek. I feel myself break though, my breathing is now harder to relax as i feel like I am being choked again. I can't control it, I feel sick. "Hey you're okay, it's okay, just deep breathes" he says as he sits me up and pulls me into his strong arms. I immediately wrap my arms tightly around his waist like it was the only thing left to hold onto in the world. "I've got you, it's over Hailey, it's over he's gone" He whispers to me and I feel myself relax, I knew he's right, Max is dead. He can't hurt me or anyone else ever again, but I don't think that is why I am panicking. I think it's because I was practically a second away from losing Jay, leaving him and team here all on their own. I was close to death and that scared me.