Macie's Story

22

"Can you bring it in with you when you come in today? We'll get her last test done and then the doctors can sign it off for discharge."

"Yeah, we will."

"I'll see you both later, and congrats guys."

Hailey thanks her and pulls the phone away from her ear, slowly reaching back and placing it on the counter behind her. Jay doesn't say anything, just looks down at her with concern.

All she can manage at first is a smile, one that pulls up from ear to ear, and the concern in her fiancé's face disappears, a hopeful smirk rising on his own lips.

She then tilts her head to the side slightly. "She's coming home tomorrow." She says quietly - she didn't need to say it loud, he was standing right in front of her. She watches as the smirk gets replaced with a wide grin and he bends down, wrapping his arms around her waist.

He picks her up off the floor as he mumbles. "Oh my god!" He says, tightening his grip around her waist.

Her arms fall around his neck and when he sets her back down on the ground a beat later, she pulls his neck down, planting her lips on top of his.

He pulls away after a second but keeps his head a few inches from hers. His eyes shift subtly as they wander up and down her face. "Is she really?" He asks.

Hailey brings her bottom lip between her teeth and there's a slight bob to her head. "She really is.. our baby is coming home."

This time, Jay is the one to lean down and kiss her once, twice, three times before he moves his way, tightening his arms to pull her in for a hug. He feels her stand on her toes and rest her cheek into the crook of his neck. They stay there for a beat until a knock on the break room door pulls them apart. They both swivel their heads to see who it was and they spot the officers standing outside the door, a desperate look on their faces to come in.

Hailey lets out a breathless chuckle, flicking her hand to tell them to come in as Jay takes a step backwards. The three officers waste no time, Kim pushing the door open with a little force and the three stand by the door waiting for the news. Hailey looks up at Jay as a smile rides up on the corners of his lips.

"Macie's coming home tomorrow."

Kim cheers and wide grins grow on the guys' faces. Kevin is the first one to move, moving closer to the detectives with his arms outstretched. He's quickly followed by Adam and Kim, who join in on the group hug.

xxx

Later that evening whilst waiting for the doctor to come into the room, Jay stepped over to the crib and picked Macie up, being careful not to pull on the wires connected to her chest, and cradled her in his arms. He softly swayed back and forth whilst he and Hailey spoke about the littlest of things in no particular order. It takes fifteen minutes after they arrive at Med for the doctor to step through the door, a tablet in hand, and the first thing he says is congratulating the detectives for making it to the finish line.

He then darts his eyes down to the tablet. "Before we do anything, can I just get you to confirm your daughter's name and date of birth?" He asks.

Hailey's the one to respond, edging her chin forward slightly. "Macie Vanessa Halstead, January 14th 2023."

The doctor smiles and looks back up, crossing his arms over his chest. "So just to give you a little information about what we're about to do, it's called the car seat challenge, it's one of the last tests a baby goes through before discharge if they fit under a specific criteria and Macie is undergoing the test because she was born prior to thirty-six weeks gestation, is that correct?"