Another Life

8

"What the hell, man? There are kids here." Jay's voice comes shouting through the wire as he tackles the offender to the floor, handcuffing his hands behind his back. After a beat Jay's voice comes back through, sounding a lot more worried as I can just about see him jump up from the floor. "Hailey! You okay?"

I raise my hand slowly, giving him a thumbs up from inside the truck as both Kim and I sit up again in our seats, rather than finding the radio that had more than likely clumped on to the truck floor.

Once I see him put his attention back on the offender I turn to look over my shoulder, where the window directly behind me had smashed. The window was completely gone, only small edges in the frame left standing. I then turn my head probably way too fast to face Kim, gaining the slight ping in my neck that happens. "Are you okay?"

She nods frantically before reaching her hand forward, grabbing the keys from the ignition and taking off out of the truck again, me following suit right behind her. We both approach Jay and the offender just after Kevin and Adam do, with Voight arriving just after us.

Kevin bends down, picking the offender off the floor and pushing him forward toward the car him and Adam had been inside, giving the guy a sharp clip around the ear as he repeats what Jay had screamed at him moments before, us keeping to standing in a clump of people in the middle of the sidewalk as Kevin quickly throws the offender in the car.

Jay then approaches beside me, hugging me from the side but he doesn't say anything.

I'm the first one to speak up, shooting him an apologetic look as I do. "Sorry about the truck window."

Jay shakes his head, pecking the side of my head despite the looks it got from everyone else in the unit, especially Voight. "I don't care about the truck, I'm just glad you're okay."

While holding back a chuckle I nod my head. "Yes you do."

He grips his arm around my shoulder tighter and lets out a shaky breath before parting from me and taking a slow walk to the truck for all of us to head back to the district.

************

Jay catches me in the locker room later that day, following in behind me a few moments after I had entered the room. In the very beginning of our relationship that would have been something I would have scolded him for, when we were trying to keep our budding relationship on the down-low for as long as possible as we figured it out, but at this point there was just no need for it anymore. Everyone in that bullpen had been at the wedding, if that didn't make our relationship obvious enough to them then surely our two-year-old daughter would.

He comes up in front of me, pulling me in for a hug. I was surprised at first, his figure against mine wasn't what I was expecting - I was thinking a few stern words for something out of my control - but quickly I accepted it, standing on my toes slightly so he didn't have to lean down as much, bringing my arms under his and up his back, hands rested against his shoulders. His head fit into the nape of my neck and I gave him a moment before I spoke up, breaking the silence we had fallen into.

"Jay?" I call his name, making him slowly retreat backwards. I don't let go of him, he was still close enough that my hands could fall on to his arms. I could see the look in his eyes, and I knew something was wrong. My face drops with worry, looking directly up to him, searching for an answer on his face. "Jay, what is it?"

He shakes his head, checking over me for the hundredth time since the occurrence in the parking lot before meeting my stare. "Nothing."

I tilt my head to the side, narrowing my eyes slightly. "My ass," I snap quietly, catching Jay by surprise too by the subtle widening of his eyes. "What is it?" I repeat.