In his many years working as a cop and boss, many had faced him, challenged him, but not in the same way she had since working under his roof. She was stubborn, brilliant, mostly level-headed, played it by the book and those were good quality things he liked about her.

Now she was still all those things but had lost her way a little since joining Intelligence. He didn't know the why or the how of when it had all begun, and it caused more questions than answers to form in his mind. Not knowing had caused him to question her ability to do her job, to grow frustrated at her wanting to be like him when all she was really looking for was someone to care about her too. Even though he was the last person he thought someone would look up to. Now he realized that's what she had been doing, just not in the right way.

Standing a few feet from her, he observed as she gazed over at an elderly man and woman who were helping each other stand from their seats so they could get on the boarding flight, the same one she was about to get on in a few minutes.

As touching as it was to see a different side of her, he just wished it had been due to different circumstances than approaching her in the middle of an airport. Better yet, it would have been nice if she had answered his calls and texts that he had sent her last night and this morning so he didn't have to be here to keep his promise to Jay.

"Can we talk?" He approached her cautiously, noting the heavy dark bag under her eyes like she had hardly slept a wink. As she turned towards the sound of his voice, she seemed to pick up his approaching steps before he was even standing in front of her.

"I'm not sure I can take any more talking right now." She stated, not willing to look in his direction more than she had to. "So if you're here to check if I'm here, you found me."

"I'm not here to make sure you followed my orders. You know if I wanted to know where you were, I would find a way to make it happen." He debated internally for several seconds before sitting in the chair beside her. "I'm fully aware things weren't handled in the best way, but I also want you to understand how much I care, and I want you safe and making good choices about what you're doing."

"Okay." That one word seemed like it would be her only response, but she followed up several seconds later as she stretched back in her seat. "But we both know that's not the only reason you're here." She responded in almost the same way she had when he had approached her about Sean McGrady.

"I need you to know you're really okay. That we're going to start being really honest with each other because I need to know that there's nothing jeopardizing you from this point on."

"Attention all passengers boarding Delta flight 687 from Chicago to New York. We are now boarding all economy passengers from T through V." Hailey looked over at the line of people already gathering and passing in their tickets with excitement as they passed through the gate. It was clear they were going somewhere far more wonderful than she was. Still, knowing her fate, she reached her hand back into the small pocket of her bag and held her ticket in her lap.

"Thanks for stopping by, but I'm fine." Her blonde hair brushed across her back as she pulled the straps of her bag over her shoulders adjusting them as she stood up. Even though she looked calm on the outside, he could see the emotional turmoil spinning through her as she pressed her legs against the chair and eager to get in line.

"Hailey, I want you to know that I'm trying to make things right between us, and I will keep trying until it is. That's fine if you don't want to talk to me right now, but we are going to talk about this." She could only nod as she walked away and stepped behind the man and wife who had just made it over a few seconds before she had.

Knowing she was going to be in line for quite a few minutes, she stuffed her earbuds in to block out the noise of the world, which she rarely did but found it necessary to take a break from the sea of thoughts continually waving in her direction.

Swiping her finger up against her phone screen, she settled on a random playlist on her Apple music app. The song had a calming rhythm at the beginning, flowing into the lyrics, which couldn't have been more perfectly timed and set for this time in her life.

Praying for some healing, writing on the ceiling. Tryna fill the missing pieces of my soul. Lighting on the highway, driving in the fast lane. Driving 'till a new day shows me where to go.

As she listened to the words, the man in front of her tripped slightly, his ticket slipping from his hand, drifting like a feather as it shifted and landed on the ground to the left of him. He turned stiffly towards it so he could pick it up, but no matter how hard he tried he still couldn't.

"I had a feeling this would happen. You can't take me anywhere." He told his wife, his cheeks flustering in embarrassment as he continued to hold onto his wife.

"Nonsense. Let me try." His wife waved off his concern as she moved them to the side so she could outstretch her hand but she couldn't bend her knees enough and almost ended up pulling them both down since she still had her hand wrapped around his. "Is there someone we could ask?"

Pulling one earbud out, Hailey moved out of line, scooping the ticket up and handed it back to him. "Thank you."

"Turn me around so I can thank the person who just picked up my ticket." He told his wife as he changed hands so he was facing the opposite way from her. "Thank you. I appreciate it. My body doesn't work like it once did."

"You're welcome."

Give me every high even if it burns. Getting into fights everywhere I turn. One day you'll understand there's always turbulence.

The line moved again as his wife slapped at his arm for him to turn back around so they didn't keep everyone else waiting. The line had grown long and people were already ready to get on the airplane and to their seats.

About ten minutes later, Hailey offered her ticket service agent and was given instructions as she followed through the entrance, casting a look towards the small window overlooking the tarmac. She sighed deeply knowing that she was leaving Chicago for the next couple weeks and there was nothing she could do about it.

"Hi." She told the flight attendant as she entered the plane, casting a look at her ticket and observing seat numbers as she finally settled on 43C. No one else was sitting in the other seats yet, which allowed her to shove her bag underneath hers and have a few minutes of silence before restarting the song a second time, focusing more on the lyrics as she stared out the window.

Chasin' til the lines start to disappear. Deal with the future when it gets here. One day you'll understand there's always turbulence.

*Song featured is "Turbulence" by Ella Vos

Thank you for the warm response you have given to this story. Every review has been read, even if I didn't respond back. Every follow. Every favorite. I am completely overwhelmed by the love and reception this new short story has gotten, and I welcome you back on this continuing adventure called "Coming Home" which should be coming out in late April/May if everything goes to plan.