Halstead Imagines

Seasons of PD: Season 9: Ghosts of the Past

A/N: Thank you so much for reading and I hope you enjoy! There's a twist at the end which I hope you all like! And, please remember to vote and comment!

Your age: 20

Jay's age: 34

You stood in the old apartment that you were clearing out. Jay and Hailey had decided to move in together. And, there was also a spare bedroom. Despite you being a sophomore in college and saying that you could take out a loan to live in a dorm on campus, Jay vetoed your idea and said that you could stay with him and Hailey. School was expensive, the cost of living was expensive, and your college was only 20 minutes away. Jay reasoned there was no point in you wasting thousands and thousands of dollars each year when you could still live with him. 

You walked into Jay's room holding the last of your things--Hailey had run to the store to pick up some paint, so she wasn't here--to see him with his back to the door, looking down at a picture. You heard a sharp gasp from him.

You didn't know what he was looking at, but you assumed it was a photo of his time in the Rangers because there was a box by his feet which read Halstead, J. 

You remembered the first time you had learned about Jay's PTSD. You were twelve and your mom had passed away a year and a half ago. 

Your dad always worked late on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays, so Jay would come over and watch you until your dad got home. Those were your favorite days of the week. Friday night would always be takeout night where Jay would bring over some food and you'd rent one or two movies and watch them. Sometimes, Jay would even make popcorn if you were going to watch a second movie! Thursdays, Jay would typically make dinner and help you with your homework. Sometimes, in the springtime when it got warmer out, if you finished your homework and had time before dinner, you and Jay would play basketball in the driveway (Jay always let you win by being really good at the beginning, and then being crappy at the end so that you'd get to ten baskets before him...and so you thought that he wasn't actually letting you win.). And, every school night you had to read for half an hour before bed. You didn't need help reading anymore because you were in sixth grade, but whenever Jay was over, he'd sit next to you on your bed and you'd both read your books silently to yourselves. If there was a word you didn't know, you'd ask him (and nine times out of ten, he wouldn't know what it meant or how to pronounce it either and would have to google it.). Finally, on Saturdays, the two of you would go to the grocery store and get ingredients for whatever you wanted to make for dinner. Then, you'd bring your little boombox radio into the kitchen and put in whatever Taylor Swift CD you wanted to listen to that night (middle school was your Taylor Swift phase) and sing along to the music while you and he made dinner. (You were pretty sure Jay knew all the words to most Taylor Swift songs at that point because of you.) Then, you'd eat dinner and watch the Blackhawks game that was on that night or the one Jay recorded from Thursday or Friday for you two to watch that night since you had to be in bed before the game was done on Thursdays and were busy watching movies on Friday. And, if the game went into overtime or a shoot-out, you'd normally fall asleep on the couch, and Jay would carry you to bed and tuck you in. 

Those Saturday nights when you watched hockey together and you asked him never-ending questions about the rules of the game or why there were fights on the ice was why you knew you needed to know the national anthem perfectly. Your choir was singing it at the Chicago Wolves game (minor league affiliate of the Chicago Blackhawks) next Saturday and you wanted to be perfect when your brothers came to the game, because of course your dad had to work.

Will was back home from New York for Christmas break and would come over sometimes when Jay was watching you. He said he'd come over tomorrow, which was Saturday, and go grocery shopping, make dinner, and watch the Blackhawks game with you and Jay.