Chicago Love ✔️

Chapter 43: Going Home

Alex lets out a sigh as they make their way through the airport that night. It had been another one of those bad showing days at the track, culminating with a 19th-place finish. How was he supposed to prove he was going to be fine and truly back after what happened with performances like this?

It was only insult to injury in knowing his weekend with Hailey was coming to a close. She would be boarding a different airplane, headed back to Chicago to return to her job as a detective. He knew he would worry about her. He could see him texting, asking how she was doing in thinking of the pain she was still in from those bruises on her back. He could see himself worried due to something possibly happening on the job. He was going to miss the kisses, the touch of her fingers against his skin, and looking into those sparkling eyes. He was going to miss hearing her voice in the morning, but knew he would be waiting for every single text message sent his way.

They then stopped in the departure hallway before a set of stairs, eyes catching each other. Alex knew this was the moment. She would go one way, set to board the next delta flight that was headed to Chicago. He would head down the private aisle, getting on the Hendrick Motorsports plane and be back to Charlotte very shortly. It would be nice to see Finn and cuddle him, but it would not the same as having her arms wrapped around him.

"Why are you stopping?" She questions, catching his attention. They had done this repeatedly for the past month. Each week, they took advantage of every single moment together until they reached this spot. There would be promises to text message and check in, her last words of encouragement for him, and a kiss before heading their separate ways. Why would this week be any different? "Oh, yeah, I forgot to tell you this, I guess. Hank wants me to take a one-week medical leave. He says I should take care of myself after what happened, and ensure I am fully healed." 

"And you said it was just a simple fall during a case," Alex repeats her words from Friday, now finding themselves stuck in his mind. He knew those marks could not be just for that reason. he knew there was probably more to the story. However, the whole confidential and being worried about her, just wanting to tend to her wounds stopped him from pushing the issue. Besides, he only thought he was getting three days with her. 

"It was a suspect that we had been chasing awhile, wanted on multiple rape charges. I went undercover, working in a strip club and looking for drugs on the side. One of the girls that worked there knew he was involved and up to no good so she set up the meeting. I went back to his place, and was laying the trap to catch him in the act - not fully go through with it, but enough. He thought I took drugs and was out of it, and then forced me down on concrete floor that had a couple metal bars welded to it with plans of chaining me to them. I fought against him, and Adam and Jay were there with him ripped me off before he had a chance to do anything." She glances away from Alex with a sigh, not wanting to see those visions of what happened in her mind again. It had almost been a repeat of what Boots did to her years ago, and that was something to surely forget. "The other girls never got a charge to stick because it was believed to be consensual at the club, and overdose on drugs. We needed proof that he was the man behind it and to catch him in the act of doing it. Thanks to what happened, he will be spending the rest of his living days behind bars." 

"Hailey...." Alex walks over, wrapping both arms tightly around her, holding her against him as he could not imagine going through that. He was freaked out enough at the hands of Derek Keyes with Jay, and that was just being left tied up while Jay suffered a second round of torturing by the man. What if he had to endure everything that Jay faced? What if he had to go through what Hailey had done? "I can't believe that's what it took to get someone convicted. It should not take you subjecting your life to him and potentially - no, you got hurt from him!" 

"When I say that Intelligence works the toughest cases, and does some of the things that you would never believe to take down the most ruthless criminals, this is what I am talking about." She then runs her fingers through the bottom of his hair at the back of his neck. "Alex, you don't need to worry about me. My back is a little sore, but I am going to be okay. That's all he did - nothing else, and those girls got the justice they deserved."

"It's still not fair that you had to go through that. It's not fair that he got to pray on another woman.." He then steps back a bit, looking into her eyes as he tries to get a word on her emotions. How had she kept herself so together all weekend in having just gone through that moments before flying out to Florida? "You can stand here and pretend that it was just another day at the office, but it was not..."

"I know it was not. I know my job is not just a typical day at the office, but that's what I agreed to when I moved to the 21st district and began working for Hank Voight. I knew the risks involved as soon as I walked in the front door and up those stairs. I knew the risks involved when I left robbery and homicide to join his team."