An Unfortunate Mix-Up ✔️

Chapter 41: Her Concerns

Hailey stands in the doorway to the bedsroom, watching as Jay sits on the bed, back turned to her, slipping off his pants followed by his shirt. She takes a deep breath, noticing some of the scaring that still remained on his lower back from the hell he endured what seemed just weeks ago.

"I'm okay," he says, instinctively knowing she is standing there without turning to face her. "I told you I was ready and I meant those words." She nods her head, having heard them repeated on occasion. She had grown to trust his judgement, in the fact of having the biggest concerns about what he was planning on doing. That came with time, as there were times they questioned each other a little too much.

"I know," she replies as she enters the room, taking a seat on the edge of the bed. "I believe you and I know how strong you are, Jay. I know that you can do this job better than a lot of people - you were on point today with your observations and the attempted bust." She then reaches over, placing her hand lightly on top of his, wanting to grab his attention. "But I saw you freeze up briefly on the scene, like escape to your own little world. That concerns me. I want to make sure you're okay. I want to make sure the flashbacks and nightmares aren't affecting you. I wouldn't want to see either of us caught in a bad situation because of one." 

"The textbook reminded me of a fellow Ranger that got killed in the line of the duty. We were good friends. We talked about things, did training together alongside Mouse and few others. Just before it happened, we were talking about dreams. He dreamt of being a lawyer...." He then takes a deep breath as he glances towards his dresser, seeing a couple of the choice images he had chosen to place there from his time in the army. They were certain images with a couple of the men he was closest to, but not enough to bring up the bad memories. 

"I just want assurance, not only as your wife but as your partner, that you can do the job without issues. I am only asking for our safety together because at the end of the day, the main goa-"

"Everybody goes home in one piece to their families." They had both heard Hank repeat the words more than once that they had become repetitive throughout the unit. "Remember when you told that you weren't going to be my partner if I didn't take the psychiatrist seriously? I remember that conversation, Hailey. My stance hasn't changed since then. I am handling this, and I can do the job - I promise." He then leans in, lightly kissing her lips as she easily accepts. 

"Just promise me that you're not going to go missing and scare the crap out of us again. I am glad to have you home, but not for those reasons." Jay nods his head, accepting, knowing that was not certainly in the game plan. It wasn't like he planned the visit by Derek at the airport anyway. "I heard a little news bulletin flipping through sports earlier that someone is in Daytona, back behind the wheel, and supposedly really fast. Alex has got the pole for the Daytona 500." 

"Just from the time I spent with him and the guys, you could tell that he knew what he was doing and could get the job done. That doesn't surprise me one bit." Jay then lets out a sigh as he pulls up Alex's number to send him a congratulatory text message. "It's nice to see that he's getting life back to normal. I was worried it'd have a long term effect on him." 

"Meanwhile, it's yourself that you should be concerned about. You endured the pain. You endured everything Derek had to offe-"

"Been there, done that before. Trust me when I say this, what happened in the basement didn't affect me as much as going back overseas for those months did." Jay then lets out a sigh, remembering how he came to the original decision, how the first couple weeks played out which were smoother than he thought possible. However, it was after that the reminders of why he struggled the first time were back in full force. "Mouse and I made a pack to never go back again. I like saving lives and serving my country, but the things that happened...." He then glances at the floor, not wanting to process any of those memories at that moment. It had been a good day. "I couldn't even describe to you everything, Hailey. It ranges from watching your partners get shot, to innocent bystanders - children at times - caught in the crossfire. There was a lady that lured us in to hopefully be helped, until we realized it wasn't a baby under the blanket but a bomb." 

"Jay...." She then wraps an arm around his shoulders, to which he tries to swat away immediately. "Don't shut me out for a change, please. You need me...." She fights against his attempts to escape, finally lying against her as the sobs start to rack his body. "That's it, Jay. Get it out. I've got you...."