A New Beginning (Chicago PD)

Chapter 16: Stay

Hailey's POV

A few days had gone by and Laura was slowly getting better, she was already able to eat and was finally out of the ICU. I got to her room and before going in, I stood outside of the door listening to Jay and Laura histerically laugh, a smile immediatly forming in my face.

"What are you two up to this time?" I asked while I got into the room, placing the dinner bags I was carring in the tray next to Laura's bed.

"I'm getting my ass kicked at a cards game by a teenager." Jay said joking

"It's not my fault that you don't understand the rules." Laura answered him, clearly enjoying the situation.

"So tomorrow is the day you're finally getting discharged." I said while I sat down in a chair next to Jay.

"Yes, it is! I'm sick of being stuck here. Did you talk to the foster family? I haven't met them yet."

"Yeah, so that's what I wanted to talk to you about."

"What do you mean? They didn't change their minds, did they?" She asked putting the cards now, understanding that the conversation was serious.

"No, it's nothing like that. I just wanted to ask you if you'd like to stay in my place for a while, until you get better?" I was nervous, the truth is that I cared a lot about this girl and I would do everything in my power to help her, even if that meant taking care of her.

"Hailey, I can't let you do that. You already have so much to worry about, you don't need me in your life with all of my problems." She said looking down, not wanting to face me or Jay.

"No, listen to me." I said grabbing her hand "I care about you, so does Jay and a lot of other people and right now, the only thing we want is for you to get better, even if it means staying in my place for a while."

"But what about your job? I'm sure you've got more important things to do than babysitting me all day."

"I can take a some days off and when you fell better you could come with me too. Everyone in Intelligence is worried about you and I'm sure they'd love to get to know you better. Besides it would just for some weeks, then we'll find you a nice foster home with a stable family where you can stay. So what do you think?"

"I think I'll stay with you!" She said with a huge smile on her face and then hugged me tight, like her life depended on it.

"Oh c'mon, I think I deserve a hug too!" Jay said joking with us.

"Now you're just being jealous." Laura said hugging him too.

I was trying to fight the tears from escaping my eyes, Laura was finally gonna be happy and live the life she deserves and I could help her do that. All I could think about was me when I was her age, the only thing I wanted was for someone to step up and put my father in the right place, saving me and my brothers from all those years of abuse.

"Alright, enough of this emotional stuff, I'm starving, let's eat!" Jay said oppening the bags with the food in, giving me and Laura our hamburgers and keeping his.

"You like it?" I asked Laura seing how she was enjoying her meal.

"Yeah, it's great thanks! I never used to eat any of this stuff, it was always too expensive and dad said I wasn't worth the price."

Me and Jay were shocked, Laura hadn't even flinched saying that. The abusive behavior her father had was so normal for her, that she couldn't even recognise it anymore.

"Well from now on that changes, you can eat whatever you want." Jay said trying to light up the mood a little.

"Thank you, I really appreciate what you to two are doing for me." She said looking at us with a smile on her face.