Listen, um…when you were in surgery, no one knew what was going to happen. And it made me realize that I wanted to tell you something.

Okay.

Jay could've kicked himself – if he weren't already injured enough – for answering that damn phone. Because when he asked Hailey "what were you gonna say?" and she said "nevermind" that hurt just about as much as the bullet that tore through his shoulder did.

Worse, even. Because at least he knew what happened with the bullet. It was removed, and Dr. Marcel was able to get the internal bleed under control, so Jay would make a full recovery. What wouldn't make a full recovery though? His heart if he didn't get to the bottom of this whole Hailey situation.

He sighed, leaning his head against the passenger side window. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see his partner glance at him, before quickly refocusing on the road, acting as if she wasn't caught just then.

He bit the inside of his cheek to keep from smirking so that he wouldn't be caught sneaking a peek at her. He couldn't help but watch her though. Hailey ran her right hand through her messy blonde ponytail, ruffling the tail of it a little with her fingers. Her left hand gripped the steering wheel probably with more force than normal, but Jay knew better than to push it.

She was tense, and she had every right to be. It wasn't the first time he'd almost died from a gunshot wound, after all. And certainly not the first time she'd been the last one he'd seen before his eyes closed, or the first he saw when he opened them.

He focused his own eyes on the road ahead of them, the bleak Chicago scenery in front of them less than appealing. Snow hadn't fallen yet, but from the looks of the gloomy overcast clouds, you'd think it was getting ready to. Jay shifted in his seat, still not used to the stupid sling his arm was in.

"You okay?"

He turned to look at Hailey, who had finally spoken since she left his room to get the car they were currently in. She had cut her eyes over to him briefly, before turning her attention back to the road.

"Uh, yeah, I'm good." Jay said awkwardly, and much softer than he thought. He didn't know if it was nerves, or if was purely physical discomfort, but regardless, he was definitely not himself right now.

He watched the corner of her lip uptick into that soft smile she seemed to save for his eyes only. She nodded, turning the heat all the way up to full blast so they'd be warm when they had to eventually get out into the cool Chicago air.

That time came sooner than expected, as only a few minutes later, they had arrived at Jay's apartment. Hailey couldn't even remember the last time she'd been here. They usually ended up at her place, or Molly's, for their "thing that works."

She put the car in park, before she all but jumped from the vehicle and ran around to Jay's side. He chuckled at her expense, before he figured he'd better stay put, or else get a signature Hailey Upton eye roll. He had already beaten her to the punch in unbuckling his seatbelt though. He again bit the inside of his cheek to keep from smirking at her first inclination to reach for the belt herself.

She stopped just short of the belt's push mechanism, realizing there wasn't anything to unhook, as he'd already done it. Damn him, she thought to herself. If this was how it was going to go, they were in for a long night.

Hailey had always been a homebody, and a caretaker, at heart. If you needed proof, you could ask any one of her brothers. She was hoping Jay would just let her help him sans proof, so that this whole thing could go over smoothly. She had already made things undeniably more awkward at the hospital with her almost love confession. No need to make it worse.

So, after she realized Jay had already unhooked his seatbelt, she held up her finger to him, signaling one minute. She ran back around to her backseat to grab his small bag from the hospital. She slung it over her shoulder before coming back around to meet him. Jay had already swung his legs out of her car, his feet perched at the curb. The only thing came to when he was wanting to push himself off the slightly lower seat and up onto said curbside.

Jay being as stubborn as ever though, wasn't going to give up that easy. He pushed himself up with his right arm from the side of her car door, not letting his feet catch up to his upper body. He faltered a tiny bit, and Hailey was right next to him, scooping her left hand into the crook of his right elbow. Once he felt balanced on both of his feet, they walked inside to his place.

Jay didn't say one word about Hailey not letting go of his good arm, if she even noticed she was holding onto him at all. He couldn't tell, she seemed to be keeping a lot in. Which of course brought him back to wondering what exactly she was going to tell him at the hospital. But, he knew right now, of all times, wasn't the best time to bring it up.

He must've zoned out for a second too long, because Hailey's hand was waving itself in front of his eyes. "Jay…earth to Jay?" Her voice came lightly to his ears, soft and gentle like it always was.

"Hm? Sorry," he replied sheepishly.

"I just asked if you wanted to lie down, shower, or just camp out on the couch for a bit?"

"I spent all of yesterday lying in a bed, so we can safely check that one off the list," he told her as he padded around his apartment. He could hear Hailey right on his heels as he walked back to his bedroom. His bathroom was attached, and nothing sounded better to him right now than a shower.

He shrugged off his jacket, before remembering that he needed help getting out of the other sleeve. Oops. As if on cue, Hailey was back by his side, pulling his right arm out of the jacket. "Uh huh," she quipped, her voice sounding by his ear as she was bent slightly as she finished tugging off the hoodie. "And unless I'm imagining things, your couch is back that way," she tilted her head towards the living room area of his apartment.

"I know that," he answered just as sassily, which finally earned him one of her eye rolls. He snickered at that.

"Well Mr. I-Know-Everything, how do you suppose you're gonna manage a shower then?"

Jay opened his mouth to reply with something witty, but snapped it shut when he realized what they were talking about, and how normally they were both discussing it. As if Hailey had lived with him forever and they were just casually going through their to-do's. It was so domestic, it freaked him out a little bit.

Course, the other part of his brain couldn't help but wonder if the hypothetical reward would outweigh the very real consequences of posing a dirtier answer to her question. He forced his mouth to settle into a fine line before he put a tiny bit of distance between them.

He saw her brows raise into that expectant look. The one where he knew he needed to answer fast or else she was going to either: leave him be, or decide for him. Course, he'd be lying if he said he wouldn't mind her taking charge for a bit.

"Well," he treaded ever-so-carefully at first, if only to watch one of her eyebrows quirk up in anticipation. "Once I get out of these clothes, I'll be good."

Hailey clicked her tongue against her cheek, before nodding. "Yeah, right." She said it almost too quickly, and turned on her heels just about as fast.

"Uh, Hailey?" Jay called to her as she met the doorframe. He bit back a grin at the immediate stiffening of her back. She seemed to pull herself together as she turned around to face him though.

"Yeah?"

"I could use a bit of help with my shirt," he shrugged his good shoulder for emphasis. He watched her lips twist up a little, as if she was considering another way out of this. He really couldn't shower with the damn thing on, so he was sure what exactly she was thinking.

"Oh," she said, somewhat dazed. "Sure, okay." She recovered quite nicely, he'd give her that. He had managed to pull up the right side of the gray t-shirt without assistance, but she had to help him pull it over his shoulder and head. She carefully stepped behind him as his head came out from underneath the shirt. She worked his slinged arm out of the t-shirt's sleeve, muttering a "sorry" for stretching the fabric, he assumed. Once she got it over his sling, she gently pulled it the rest of the way off.

"Um," she began, turning for a quick second to set his shirt down on his bed. "Did the doctor say you could shower without the sling, or no?" He couldn't help but notice that she took her time with setting his shirt down, folding it neatly like it wasn't going to go in his laundry hamper later. The smug part of him wondered if being shirtless was making Hailey nervous. The dumb part of him hoped it did.

"Yeah, I can, just can't be longer than 15 minutes."

She nodded, finally turning to face him again. She had to force her eyes to stay on his green ones, instead of trailing down his currently naked torso. He and his abs were going to kill her, she swore.

She didn't quite know what prompted her next few movements, but for whatever reason, she found herself brushing the waistband of his sweatpants. She was apparently on autopilot, so desperate for a distraction from Jay and his muscular arms that she didn't consider any other part of him.

Yeah, she thought to herself as the low octave of his voice jostled her from her actions. This was going to be a long night.

Jay didn't really know how on earth his lips were able to form words because he swore the second Hailey's hands touched his body that his brain had short circuited. Sure, her hands had cupped his cheek or brushed his arm, but never anywhere lower than that.

"Uh, Hailey?" He paused for a split-second as he watched her hands tense up. "I can get the rest."

The second her blue eyes pierced through his green ones, he knew he'd probably pushed his luck enough tonight. She immediately removed her hands and dropped them back at her sides. "Right. Sorry," she whispered, taking in a sharp breath as she stood straight up. "I'll um, I'll just be out there if you need m–anything," she finished, forcing herself to shut up as she exited his room.

Jay huffed, unaware he'd been holding his breath in that last moment. He didn't even need to look down, as he could very much feel the effect Hailey's brief touch had on him. Yeah, he definitely needed that shower now. A cold one, he chuckled to himself as he shuffled out of the rest of his clothes.

He walked into the shower, turning on the water before he cursed to himself as he realized his sling was still on. No way in hell was Hailey coming back here now, no matter how much his other head wanted her to. He begrudgingly stepped into the shower as the water came down, hoping everything would be back to normal when he was done.

Hailey, meanwhile, wasn't doing that great either. Her cheeks felt like they were on fire, and when she checked her reflection in her iPhone camera, her fear was confirmed, as she was as red as a tomato. That's just great, Hailey, she scolded herself. Nice job. She sighed, leaning back against the couch.

She fixed her ponytail and smoothed out her sweatshirt as she felt her body buzz. Apparently, she was losing her mind, as 2.5 seconds worth of contact with Jay Halstead's skin was enough to send her into a sexual spiral. Or, something like that, anyway.

"Shit," she whispered as she ran her hands over her still-warm face. She groaned, wishing she could just disappear and forget this whole entire day happened. But, since she couldn't, she settled for the next best thing.

Whatever the heck Jay had on TiVo.

As she channel-surfed, she felt her mind unwind a little, although anything looking remotely romantic she steered clear of, as the object of her affection was probably dripping wet right now, and if she didn't quit thinking of him in that way, she would be too.

She needed to get a grip. What was the most boring, non- stimulating show known to mankind? She honestly had no idea, so she settled on whatever the next channel landed on, because she knew she was nearing the end of Jay's 15-minute shower time. Aaaaaand the winner is…she waited until the channel flipped. Of course. Because her life wasn't already unbelievably awkward. Golf. God damn golf. She sighed, about ready to toss the remote – and TV, if she was being 100% honest – out the window when she heard the water turn off.

It was only then she didn't think to ask if Jay had towels in his bathroom already. Shit. She ran back to his room, knocking on the slightly ajar bathroom door. She assumed it was opened a little to let out steam, as she didn't hear a fan.

"Jay?" She called, a little louder than normal. "I forgot to ask if you had towels in there."

When she didn't hear an answer, she debated about whether or not to ask again. While her internal debate was happening, Jay emerged from the bathroom, a towel very evidently held around his waist. She was surprised, she honestly had no idea how he managed that.

"Don't ask," he said, nodding towards the towel he held in place at his side. Hailey held her hands up like she wasn't planning on it.

"So, are you good back here now, or….." she paused, not even really wanting to breach the dress subject again, but knew she wouldn't be a very good caretaker if she didn't.

"I should be, yeah, if I just let my hurt arm lay for a minute while I pull everything else on. Although I'll probably need help getting said arm back into a shirt."

Hailey nodded, leaving for a minute to give him a second to change. She heard a couple drawers being opened, so she assumed he was getting everything all right. She busied herself for a second by fluffing up the pillows on his sofa and rifling through his DVD collection in the TV stand.

"Hey Jay, do you wanna watch a movie or something?" She yelled back down the hall. Another silence fell through the air, which worried Hailey a little bit. She tiptoed towards his room, calling his name again. Just for the sake of her sanity, she clamped her hands over her eyes before she stood in the doorway.

"Are you good Jay?" She asked meekly, knowing he probably wore a shit-eating grin on his face at her embarrassment.

"Hailey, you can take your hands down, I'm clothed enough, I swear." She could hear the laugh in his voice as she removed her hands. He was, as he said, clothed enough in some boxers.

But, when she noticed he sat dejected on the edge of his bed, still holding on to what she could only assume were pajama pants, it was her turn to laugh. "Have a little mishap there, did ya Halstead?"

"Oh, shut up Upton. Can you please, just…I don't know, somehow help me. Please?" He put on his best puppy-dog eyes and pouty expression. It worked, as she was back by his side in seconds.

"What're partners for," she quipped, not realizing the idiotic irony behind that statement until she was down on the ground, holding his PJs for him to step into.

"Jay, you're good. Just take a step forward," she instructed, catching his eye for a moment, neither realizing the awkward angle until seconds later.

"Okay," he breathed, doing as he was told. Hailey pulled the plaid fabric up his left leg, about three quarters of the way, until she realized where she'd end up if she went any further. They're close, but they're not that close, no matter how much the heat creeping up her body wanted them to be.

"Other foot," she told him, and they followed the same movements as before, although Jay cut in and said he could get it himself since it was the same side as his good arm.

"Okay," Hailey said as she hopped up from the floor. "Shirt next." He stopped just short of handing her the blue t-shirt.

"I dunno, you didn't seem to mind me shirtless before, Hailey…" he said cheekily, and she swatted at his good arm.

"You're an idiot."

"Yeah, but you have to put up with me, we're partners, remember?" He halfway joked.

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure you couldn't pay Adam enough money to help Kevin into pajamas!" She kidded back.

She smiled as she saw Jay's signature half smile make an appearance on his freckled face. His adorably freckled face. His stupidly adorable freckled face. Wow, she really needed to get a grip. She shook her head, as if the physical movement would make things right in her head. She tilted her head, feigning exasperation so he'd hand over the shirt.

She didn't miss the opportunity to get one last look at his abs as she helped him slip into the tee though. She definitely didn't miss how his back tensed up as her fingers accidentally tapped his skin as she was tugging the shirt down over his head.

So, maybe it wasn't all in her head after all. She let out a cough as she let him fiddle with the hem of it, and she checked her phone. Wow, more time had passed than she thought. It was already dinnertime, and she had no idea if Jay even had any food in his house.

Just as she was looking up to ask him what he wanted to do next, she heard his stomach rumble. Well, that answered that question. "Hungry, Halstead?" She asked, a teasing lilt in her voice.

"Gee, is it that obvious, Upton?" He joked back. "Yeah, but I have nothing good here to make anything. I honestly just want pizza–"

She cut him off: "And if you say beer, I'm going to smack you because you're still on pain meds, dumbass."

He clutched his chest where his heart is with his good hand. "Ouch, Hailey…that, that hurt." He got a kick out of watching her worry for .5 seconds before realizing he was kidding.

"You're impossible," she said as she walked back out to his living room.

"Yeah, but you love me," he let the words tumble out of his mouth before he realized how loaded they were. Well, he knew how much for himself, but he could only selfishly hope for her too, that way he knew what he'd been grappling with for the last year wasn't one-sided.

"I, uh–" he started, scrambling to string some more words together as he heard Hailey choke on air and whatever she was going to say next.

She played it off with a cough, running a hand through her hair, which she decided then to take out of its ponytail. Jay watched for a second as her blonde waves cascaded down her shoulders. Even just sitting there, messy hair, no makeup, and a sweatshirt on, she looked beautiful to him. Hell, she always did, but when she looked back over at him with that little bit of sparkle behind her blue eyes, he swore she'd never been prettier in his life.

"Anyway," she said abruptly, scrolling through her phone's directory for their usual pizza place. "You still wanna do Bartoli's? Pepperoni and cheese?" She asked him, as if the last few minutes hadn't just happened.

He played along, but he couldn't shake the hurt his heart was feeling at the tiny jab of nonchalance. Little did he know she was faking it for his sake, because she thought he felt the same.

"Uh, yeah, sure. Thanks, Hailey." He fiddled with the string of his pajama pants, not wanting to look at her yet. He wanted to make sure he didn't utter something stupid to downplay her….and his….– their feelings for each other.

"Hailey," he said, and at the same time she uttered his name. "Jay."

"Sorry," she bit her lip. "You first."

He sucked in a breath, feeling nervous for the first time in a long time. "About earlier…I mean at the hospital. What–what were you going to say then? There in my room? You said you wanted to tell me something?"

"Oh, that," she breathed, her voice barely above a whisper. "It was nothing, really." She said dismissively, and Jay knew he should let it go, no matter how much it killed him. "Really, Jay. Please…just drop it." She all but begged of him, and he felt terrible that she was so distraught over this…over him, and her feelings.

Much like he had done earlier, a soft reply of "Okay," crossed his lips. He fidgeted with his hands for a moment, before deciding to end this awkward tension. He knew they were better than this dancing around their words crap. They'd been friends first, and they'd still be friends, no matter what. He was the one that said they'd always be good. He intended to keep that promise and be a man of his word.

"So," he began, and her head snapped up so fast from her phone you'd have thought she got whiplash. "No, I was just going to ask if you wanted to watch TV or a movie," he added on quickly, and he saw her visibly relax.

"Um, yeah, sure. Sorry, I kinda rifled through your DVDs…." She admitted, giggling. He missed that sound. Her pure, fun laugh. Not the nervous one she sometimes would have. Although anything Hailey did he loved.

"It's cool. Did you find one that you wanted to watch?"

"Well, and I know this may be shocking to you," she started, arching her brow at him. "But, I'm not really a romcom kind of girl."

"No?! You?! I never would've guessed!" He kidded to her, earning him a punch to his good arm. "Hey! Injured person here!"

"Yeah yeah, whatever," she told him, grabbing for the movie she wanted. "As I was saying, I was thinking we could watch the Avengers: Endgame, since I hadn't gotten around to seeing it? If that's okay with you?"

"Sounds perfect, Hailey." He smiled genuinely at her, and she went ahead and put in the film to play until the pizza got there. When the food did arrive, a brief intermission was held, and she grabbed them both some root beer to go with their pizza.

"Bartoli's is seriously the best," Jay announced after a little while of eating in silence.

"Of course!" Hailey agreed, biting into her second piece. Jay was already on his third, the two of them hungrier than they thought.

"Thanks for this, Hailey. I mean it, sincerely," he said, looking at her softly.

Hailey would be damned if she didn't want to just kiss him right then and there. But, she refrained, although her insides were melting at that look he gave her. That one full of softness and longing and pure joy and gratitude that she just forgot everything else ever in her life.

Yeah, that kind of look. Because Jay Halstead was that kind of guy. He was the guy. The guy for her. She just hoped she was the kind of girl for him.

"You're welcome, Jay." She answered after a beat, equally as genuine.

They continued to play the movie while they ate, each glancing at each other when the other wasn't looking. As the end credits fell, Jay turned to ask Hailey what she thought of the movie, only to hear soft snores coming from next to him on the couch.

She had fallen asleep against his good shoulder, and honestly, he didn't want to move. He simply leaned down, resting his head by hers, not even realizing his hand had gone to interlace with hers until he felt their fingers intertwine.

As he settled, he realized that he really was lucky to have her. So, he decided to press that luck, whispering his confession to her as he fell asleep. "Love you too, Hailey."

She heard every word.

A/N: And there you have it – an Upstead one-shot inspired by 7x10, and what maybe kind of, should've, sorta happened. Hope you liked it & that it'll get you through until season 8 where hopefully Upstead will rise! :)