Work Text:
PRESENT
Hailey placed her drying hair up in a high ponytail with a sigh. She headed out of the bathroom to her closet, pulling out her cosiest pair of sweatpants and her well worn orange Bears hoodie. It had been a long day, far more stressful than a day off should have been. Heading downstairs, she smiled as the smell of food hit her nose. Warm and savoury Irish stew, her husband's speciality, it was needed in the early-November deep freeze that had taken hold of Chicago early that week. Heading to the kitchen, she paused in the doorway. She watched as the love of her life stood stirring the pot on the stove, chattering away about the old family recipe. If you asked her when she first met him eight years before if she could ever imagine Jay Halstead being so domestic, she would have laughed. But she was more than happy to be wrong.
"Have a good bath?" Jay's voice broke her out of her thoughts.
"Yeah," she came up behind him and wrapped his arms around his waist. "How are things here?"
Jay said nothing, just jutted his chin to the corner of the room. Hailey, not letting go of her husband, turned her head and saw a sight that made her heart clench. Her little boy, sitting there in a chair, facing the wall.
"What's that all about?" she whispered, she'd thought their son had been colouring as Jay chatted, but clearly not. She looked at her watch, she hadn't been in the bath that long, what could he have possibly done to get a time out.
"No idea," Jay shook his head. "He woke up from his nap, came right down here, dragged the chair out and sat down. I haven't been able to get a peep out of him, but he won't move. You wanna take a crack at it?"
"Yeah," she placed a kiss to the middle of Jay's back and made her way over to their son. "Hey Ollie," she kneeled next to the chair. "What's going on?"
Little Oliver Brett Halstead stared resolutely at the wall. He'd made quite the dramatic entrance into the world nearly four years before, Hailey had gone into labour while stuck behind a twenty car pile-up on the highway. It had been Sylvie Brett who helped deliver him in the flatbed of Jay's truck, and they'd named their son, in part, after her and all her help that night. He was far more like Hailey in looks; her colouring, blonde hair just a few shades darker than her own, and her dimpled smile. But it was his eyes that people first noticed, he had his Daddy's eyes. Deep and green and full of mischief, Hailey never thought she could love those eyes more until she saw them in her son. And now those beautiful eyes were full of tears.
"Oliver, talk to me," she gently turned his head towards her. "What's this all about?"
"I'm sorry, Momma," his little voice trembled with more tears. There was only one thing he could be talking about.
An Hour and a Half ago
"So, you gonna get outshined by our toddler again this year?" Hailey smirked as Jay drove the familiar route to Chicago Med. It was that time of year again, they were getting their flu shots. They'd both taken the day off from work, just for this. The Paediatrics unit of the hospital was doing family style flu shots for the week. It was something Natalie Manning had spearheaded a few years before to try and make things easier on working parents like them, like her; the whole family could get them done at once. She was going to meet them there and administer their shots like she had every year since Oliver had been born.
It had been a fun day so far. They slept in, an every growing rarity as their son had somehow become an early riser. They'd made Oliver's favourite breakfast, apple cinnamon french toast and scrambled eggs. They raced toy cars for a while on their living room floor then headed out to the park to play some soccer, hoping to tire the little boy out. At three ("and three quarters!") he'd declared himself too old for naps and resisted them more and more each day, but he still usually wound up passing out for a bit in the afternoon. Hailey looked into the back seat and smiled at her son. His eyes were closed, head tipped forward, his blonde hair falling in front of his closed lids. As much as she loved his hair, it was probably past time for a haircut.
Jay cleared his throat and scratched at his ear beside her. "You okay?" she asked, taking his hand in hers.
"Yeah," he nodded. "It's just really hitting me this year, I don't know why."
Hailey had her suspicions but kept them to herself. Mouse had come home a few months ago, but it wasn't the joyful reunion she knew Jay had hoped for with his best friend. Mouse was sick, Hodgkin's Lymphoma. His prognosis was good, and his attitude better, especially when he'd been allowed to get his treatment in Chicago. Jay went to every appointment he could, Hailey and Oliver did too. But she knew watching his friend go through chemo was tougher on Jay than he let on.
"Just remember," she squeezed his hand. "I'm here, Oliver is here, and it is extra important that we get them this year, for Mouse."
"I know," Jay swallowed hard. "I can just feel the burning already, y' know?"
"It's okay," she soothed. "It'll be over before you know it. Then I think we can let Ollie persuade us to get hot cider and doughnuts before dinner."
"Sounds great," he smiled and pulled into a parking space.
She opened the door to the backseat, Oliver had woken up when they stopped and was trying to unbuckle himself, Hailey gave him a hand. Once he was freed from his shackles, Jay scooped the little boy up and tickled his sides. The sound of their son's giggles filled the air as they made their way into the hospital and up to the Peds floor.
"Hey, guys," Natalie greeted them as soon as she saw the family.
"Hey, Nat," Hailey smiled. Jay just gave her a nod, it already looked like he was trying not to throw up.
"Hi Auntie Nat," Oliver waved, his head resting on Jay's shoulder.
"Hi Oliver," the brunette doctor smiled at the little boy. "You ready for your flu shot?"
Oliver didn't answer, he just tucked his head into his Daddy's neck, hiding from view.
"He just woke up," Hailey explained, looking at her son curiously. "Probably still a little sleepy."
"No worries," the doctor ran her hand over the boy's small back. "We'll get you guys in a few minutes."
Hailey took her son from Jay, he clung tightly to her, burying a little hand in her loose hair. "You okay, Bud?" Oliver mumbled unintelligibly into her neck and went quiet.
"Alright, Halstead's," Natalie stuck her head out of the treatment room. "We're ready for you."
Oliver's grip her hair tightened walked office. But Hailey didn't notice it, she was more concerned with her husband whose hold on her free hand was already bordering on painful.
"Okay," Natalie smiled and picked up the first needle as they closed the door behind them. "Who wants to start us off?"
Hailey gave Jay a little push, and the man sat down on the exam table. "Alright, Jay," Natalie lifted his sleeve. "Close your eyes, deep breaths."
Hailey watched as the green eyes she loved so much slammed shut, and he breathed deeply and quickly through his nose. She shifted Oliver on her hip and reached out to turn Jay's head towards her. Just like she had every year for the last five years, she placed a gentle kiss on his lips. He relaxed at once, his fingers reached out to tangle gently with hers.
"All done," Hailey pulled away at Natalie's words and stroked her fingers gently through Jay's hair.
He, despite the pallor on his face, shot her a cocky wink. "Barely felt it at all."
Hailey rolled her eyes and passed Oliver over as they traded places. She took her needle with no fuss and tried not to laugh as Jay stared intently at a spot on the ceiling. Then it was finally Oliver's turn.
"No," little boy wrapped his arms around his father's neck, tightly. "I don't want to."
Hailey quirked eyebrow, Natalie paused, and even Jay furrowed his brow in surprise. Oliver had always been pretty good about getting his shots. It never really bugged him, even as a baby he'd barely shed a tear.
"Hey Ollie," Natalie placed a gentle hand on his arm. "What happening, Bud? You feeling okay?"
"I don't want a shot," his face was bright red, and they all knew what was coming. Tears sprung from his eyes, and his breath quickened, and soon his wails pierced the air.
"It's okay Ollie," Jay soothed, rubbing his hand up and down his son's back. "You know it's gonna be alright."
"No, Daddy," he cried and clung on tighter.
"Oliver," Hailey tried, coming up beside them, her hand joining Jay's. "Oliver, hey, look at me."
The little boy looked at her, red-faced and runny-nosed. "Ollie, I get that you're a little scared, and that's okay, but you need to get your flu shot."
"Momma, no," he pressed his head back into Jay's chest, shaking back and forth, getting snot all over Jay's shirt.
"Daddy doesn't like needles either, Bud," Jay said. "But if we wanna see Uncle Greg we need to get them. He can't, and we don't want to make him sick, yeah? Can you do it for him?"
Mouse, or Uncle Greg, just about Oliver's favourite person in the world, if that wouldn't convince the little boy nothing would. "No," he shouted. "No, no, no, no, no, no, no."
Jay and Hailey looked at each other, eyes locked and communicating like they always did. With a nod, a plan was formed and agreed to. Jay moved and sat down on the exam table again. He turned the protesting little boy around to face his mother and held him tight to his lap, dropping kisses to his blonde hair.
"Ollie," Hailey soothed. "Look at Momma."
He shook his head, tears falling thick and fast down his face. He was flailing and twisting in Jay's hold. Hailey grabbed his hands as gently as she could and held them still, nodding to Natalie.
"No," he shouted again as Natalie rolled up his sleeve.
"It's okay, Oliver," Nat assured, looking to Hailey for confirmation that they still wanted to do this.
It broke Hailey's heart to see her son so upset, and she knew Jay was in the same boat as he tried his best to keep the wriggly little boy still. She nodded at the doctor again and did her best to soothe her son. The tip of the needle barely touched his skin when Oliver jerked forward and vomited all over her.
Hailey cleaned herself up the best she could as Jay helped Oliver wash his mouth out. After the puking, they all decided it was best to put a pin in the shot for the day. Natalie fetched her a scrub shirt and a bag for her stained flannel. With a quick kiss to Oliver's forehead and a lollipop tucked in his hand, Natalie walked them to the door.
"Do you still want to go for cider and doughnuts?" Jay whispered as they got in the truck, their son safely stowed in his car seat.
Hailey shook her head. "I just want a shower. Maybe after dinner, if Oliver's feeling better."
When they got home, Ollie was asleep again. Jay gently carried him inside and tucked him into his bed.
"You okay?" He asked Hailey as they stood in the doorway, watching as their son slept. "That was a lot rougher than usual."
"Yeah," she nodded. "Just wondering what caused it, he's never reacted like that before."
"You heard Natalie," Jay placed a hand on her shoulder. "Ollie's just at that age where kids really start getting afraid of things."
"I know," she pinched the bridge of her nose. "But two Halstead's with a fear of needles, I'm not sure I'm going to survive it."
Jay laughed softly as they wandered into the hall. "Well, my suggestion is that you go take a nice relaxing bath while I get dinner ready."
"Sounds good," she reached up and kissed his cheek. A bubble bath and a book were just what she needed.
PRESENT
"Bud, what are you sorry for?" Hailey asked again, her fingers stroking through Oliver's soft hair.
"I was bad, I didn't get my flu shot," he pouted, and a few more tears fell past his eyes, Hailey wiped them away. "I throwed up on you. I'm sorry, Momma."
"Threw up," she corrected gently, the little boy parroted it back. "And it's okay. You have nothing to be sorry for, Ollie. You got scared, and sometimes when we get scared, it can make us a little sick. But it's fine, you're not in any trouble. Can we get out of the chair now?"
Oliver twisted in his seat and fell against her shoulder, crying in earnest once again. "It's okay, Oliver," she picked him up and walked to the living room, and Jay followed close behind. Oliver's sobs quieted as Hailey pressed a kiss to his head, the smell of his kiddy shampoo filling her nostrils. She sat down on the couch, her son clinging to her like a monkey. Jay sat beside them, pressed in as close as he could.
"Ollie, will you look at me?" Hailey asked.
His little green eyes, rimmed red, peered up at her. Hailey gently wiped the remaining tears away and pressed a soft kiss to his forehead.
"I want you to really, really, listen, okay," the boy nodded. "Oliver it's very important to Momma and Daddy that you know it's okay to be afraid. And that we are never, ever going to punish you because you're scared. Everybody is scared of something, usually lots of things. Being afraid is okay."
"You and Daddy aren't afraid," he hung his head.
"Hey," Jay softly poked the dimple of little boy's cheek, a mirror to his mother's. "Why do you think Momma has to kiss Daddy every time he gets a shot?"
"'Cause she loves you," Oliver played with Jay's fingers.
They both let out a little laugh. "Yeah, that's a part it," Jay continued. "But it's also because it distracts me."
"What does distact mean?"
Hailey smiled at the mispronunciation. "Distract," she repeated carefully. "And it means that it stops Daddy from thinking about what's happening. Because he is very, very, afraid of needles."
"You are?" Oliver looked up at his dad.
"Since I was your age," he nodded. "And it's alright if you are too."
Oliver looked down and traced the logo on Hailey's hoodie with a small finger, not saying anything. "Ollie," she called his attention back to them. "Can you tell us what it was about today that had you so scared? You've been so good about getting your shots every other time."
She knew it was a long shot. That it was very likely the three year old didn't know why, or couldn't express it, but worth a try.
"I didn't want it to burn," he mumbled after a minute. His parents gave each other confused glances over his head as he went back to tracing the bear's face on Hailey's chest.
"What do you mean, Bud?" Jay asked.
"You and Momma talkeded about it in the truck," he replied. "You said the shot was gonna burn."
"You heard that?" he hated himself just a little bit as Oliver nodded.
"And you thought the needle was going to burn you today?" Hailey asked.
"I don't like burning Momma, it hurts," he ducked his head into her chest again.
"I know it does," she stroked his hair, her mind racing as things fell into place. "And it's okay to be scared of getting burnt."
"I'm really sorry you heard that, Bud," Jay picked up his son and placed him on his lap, hugging him close. "We thought you were asleep. We were just talking about why Daddy doesn't like needles."
"Because they burn?"
"No," Hailey shook her head and traded looks with her husband. "Baby, a long time ago, your Daddy was really sick. And the doctors who were taking care of him had to give him a needle. But because he was so sick, it felt like it was burning him, but it really wasn't."
"It wasn't?"
"No," she looked up Jay, who nodded for her to continue. "It was just what his mind made him think, and now it's what he thinks of when he has to get one. Do you understand?"
Oliver shrugged his little shoulders. "And it's okay for me to be scared," Jay took over. "Because Momma's there for me when I am, just like I'm there for her."
"Momma's never scared," the little boy protested.
"Oh yeah," he looked down at him and grinned. "Do you remember going to the cabin this summer?"
Oliver nodded, suddenly happy. "I like the lake, there were lots of fishies."
"There were," Jay agreed. "And do you remember how we went to go find some little fish?"
"Minnows," Oliver smiled, overly proud that he remembered the word his Daddy had taught him.
"That's right," Jay nodded. "And when we went to go see the minnows what else did we find?"
Hailey blanched at the memory; they'd found a frog. A big, fat green one that was bigger than her son's hands. Oliver had been so excited he carried it all the way back to the cabin, racing ahead of Jay. He stuck the creepy thing right in her face. "Look, Momma!" he'd declared, happily showing off his treasure.
She had leapt from the hammock and raced inside. "Get that thing outta here Halstead," she'd shouted at her husband over her shoulder and slammed the cabin door shut.
"I miss Joey," her son frowned, pulling her back to present. Great, he had named the damned thing, now they were probably going to have to get him a pet frog for Christmas. Oliver was obsessed with the stupid, disgusting, creatures.
"Why do you think Momma went inside?"
Oliver thought for a second. "Because she was scared of Joey?"
"That's right," Jay nodded.
"And what else happened that trip?" Hailey asked, knowing, hoping they were close to a breakthrough.
"I burned my fingers," he said and poked tips of said fingers.
They'd been making s'mores one night. Oliver had been fascinated by the roasting fork, or rather the goo the marshmallows left behind on it. Before either of them could stop him, he reached out and poked the white goop. Sticky, hot sugar covered the tips of the first two fingers of his left hand. It had taken them a while to calm him down, but by the next morning, after a night of kisses, some TLC and a video call to Uncle Will to see how they should treat it, Oliver seemed fine. They had thought it had just been a good scare. But now it was clear things went a little deeper than they had realized.
"So when you heard us talking about how needles make Daddy feel," Hailey continued. "Did that make you more scared of the needle, or scared you were gonna get burned again?"
"Burned again," Oliver answered, a little tremble running through his body.
"Hey," Jay chucked him under the chin. "Oliver I promise you, no flu shot is ever going to burn you, okay? That's just funny thing that goes through Daddy's head sometimes."
He nodded and rested against his dad's strong chest.
"Do you feel a little better?" Hailey asked.
"Yeah," he replied, but his tone was still a little sad.
"'Yeah?'" She mimicked and rested her forehead against his with a smile. "Well, I think I know what would make you feel lots better."
"What?"
"After dinner, how about you, me and Daddy, go out and get some apple cider and doughnuts?" she suggested. "Maybe take some to Uncle Will. Then we can play with Kohl a little."
"Yeah," he perked right up. "Can we Daddy?"
"Sounds good to me, I'll text him," Jay agreed, pulling out his phone. "How about you go wash your hands, supper should be ready."
Oliver started to scramble off of Jay's lap, but Hailey stopped him. "Hey," she pressed a kiss to his soft little cheek. "I love you."
"Momma," he squirmed. "Supper."
She shook her head with a laugh and let the kid jump off of Jay's lap to race upstairs. Yup, her son was definitely a Halstead.
Once she was sure he'd made it up the stairs safely, Hailey leaned back against the couch with a sigh. Jay did the same. "All good?" he asked, turning his head to look at her.
Hailey smiled and leaned forward, resting her forehead against his. "God, I really hope this doesn't turn into a fear of needles."
"We'll see, Will's gonna take him tomorrow."
Hailey bit her lip, she really wasn't sure she wanted him to go without at least one of them there. But Jay's lips were on hers before she could voice her protest. She sunk into the kiss, turning her body to toss a leg over his as her hands pulled him closer. They stayed locked that way until they heard Oliver shout from upstairs, asking how much longer it would be until they ate.
"We sure about trying for another one," Jay teased as they pulled apart. "I love Oliver, but he is a lot of work sometimes."
"We always said we wanted a couple of kids," she shrugged casually as he got off the couch and headed to the kitchen. "Besides, it's a little too late to change your mind now, Jay."
His head snapped around, eyes wide. "You serious?"
Hailey nodded, biting back her smile. "Yup, found out the other day," she patted her toned stomach. "We should have another little Halstead sometime in August."
Jay marched back over to the couch and picked her up, spinning her around in circles. She laughed as he set her down and pressed kissed everywhere he could reach. "I love you," he finally landed a kiss to her lips. "I love you so much."
"I love you too," she kissed him quick. "But if this one afraid of needles you're on your own."
He let out a laugh and Hailey swatted his butt as he went into the kitchen, then headed upstairs to see what kind of trouble their firstborn was getting himself into.