Three Years and One Lifetime

6

A/N: I can't believe this already has nearly 300 reads o.O Thank you to everyone who has read, voted or commented so far :) Also, sorry I took an extra day to upload this chapter. It's such a critical point in the story (plus it's almost 2000 words), so I wanted to make sure I got it right. 

Hailey rests on the wooden glider in Jaiyana's room, feet propped up on the matching foot rest.  The glider rests next to the window, overlooking the streets of Chicago. Light from the street lamps below emulate a soft glow in the room. The room is small and cosy, lightly decorated in her daughter's favourite shade of lavender purple. Hailey pushes gently against the foot rest, keeping a consistent rocking motion. Jaiyana lays on her stomach, head resting on her chest, one leg on either side of her hip. Hailey always treasures this time of the day, but especially tonight, where she needs the contact with her daughter. 

In the quiet of the evening, Hailey reflects on the events of today. Running into Jay had been a complete shock to the system, but considering the information he'd shared with her, she understands why he needed to come find her as soon as possible. All this time, he really hadn't known...

Everything she thought of him in the past three years had been wrong, and everything she'd imagined for her and Jaiyana in the immediate future is now up in the air. For the second time, her life has been uprooted by Jay Halstead. 

She knows she has to contact him soon though, so he doesn't panic. He let her go today when she needed to, even when it must have been difficult for him. She slowly reaches for her jean pocket, careful not to wake her daughter, and retrieves her phone. She unlocks it and scrolls down in her contacts list. Jay's name is still in there, buried in the list of H's. She opens a new text, and begins to type 'Hi, it's me.'

Then she remembers how this whole mess started, and she deletes the message immediately. Instead, she presses on the little call icon in the top left corner. 

He answers on the second ring.

"Hello?" 

His voice is hesistant, but expectant. For a moment, Hailey is rendered unable to talk. 

"Hailey, it that you?" he asks, and she finally brings herself to speak. "Hi" she whispers "yeah it's me" she confirms, a little more surely. She takes a deep breath before continuing. "I just wanted to give you my number, so you'd have a way of contacting me."

"Thank you" he breathes, relieved. 

"You're welcome" she replies, the corners of her lips turning up a little, involuntarily. 

"Hailey I know this is a lot, but can I- can I see her?" Hailey breathes in and closes her eyes for a moment. She knew this was coming, but the request still catches her a little off guard somehow. 'It's too soon' she wants to say, but she knows it's really so tragically late. 

Jay starts again. "Please, I- I could just be a friend or something, if-"

"You're her dad, Jay. We'll tell her you're her dad" interrupts Hailey. 

She hears a half choked sob on the other end of the line, and tries her best not to picture his face right at this moment.

"Is tomorrow too soon?" he asks sceptically. He knows he's pushing his luck, but he can't help himself. 

She bits her lip. 'Definitely too soon' she thinks. But she can't deny him the right to meet his own child, so she replies "tomorrow's good. I have a job interview in the morning, so after lunch maybe? Two o'clock?"

"Tomorrow afternoon is good" he settles easily. "Thank you" he adds, after a pause. 

"You're welcome." Before she can think of anything else to say, Jaiyana interrupts with a sleepy whimper. "Shhhhh" comforts Hailey, stroking her back and resuming the gentle rocking she'd abandoned at some point during her call.