15. Chapter 15

A lil bit more fluff before some dramz stay tuned-it's really nice to get reviews, just sayin'

Trigger Warning for mentions of child abuse.

"I think Olive and Danny are going to be at Hank's for Thanksgiving," Erin mentioned to Jay, sipping her beer thoughtfully, "And we're invited too, obviously. But if you wanted to have Thanksgiving with Will and your dad, I'm sure we could figure something out-"

"No need." Jay replied, reaching for the table to scoop some fried rice onto his plate, "Pretty sure my dad spends Thanksgiving in front of the TV. And Will has a shift in the ED, so the Halstead boys will not be a problem." He paused, "Did we ever talk to Kate about Justin?"

Erin thought for a moment. "I'm not sure. I mean, she's pretty perceptive and there are pictures around Voight's house. And I've mentioned him in passing I think. I guess we should probably tell her if we're seeing Olive and Danny."

Jay nodded in agreement. Kate emerged from the bathroom and took her seat at the kitchen table. "I got my splint a lil bit wet when I was washin' my hands." The little girl extended her arm that was indeed slightly damp.

"No big deal," Erin smiled, "It'll dry soon. Do you want some noodles?"

"Yes please." Kate replied, carefully lifting her plastic fork in anticipation.

"What did you learn today, Squirt?" Jay asked, taking a sip of beer and observing his little girl lift the tiny fork to her mouth, "Anything new?"

Kate nodded, "We learned more about Thanks-givin'. And I painted a turkey." She smiled, lifting both her arms, "That's how come I got paint on my elbows."

Jay chuckled, glancing at the yellow and orange streaks on the back of Kate's arms. "You did a good job washing most of it off, though. Did you get to bring it home today?"

She shook her head. "Mr. Turkey's on the dryin' rack but Miss Carlson said we get to bring them home tomorrow. And our turkey hands too."

"Lots of turkey artwork, huh?" Erin grinned, loving to see how her little girl had opened up to Jay and her over the past few months. "So, do you want to hear what we're going to do on Thanksgiving?"

Kate nodded furiously, setting her fork down in anticipation, "We're gonna have turkey?"

Jay's eyes sparkled, "We're going to have turkey at Sergeant Voight's house. And mashed potatoes and cranberries and squash and pie and all kinds of yummy thanksgiving food."

The little girl's eyes widened as Jay rattled off names of various thanksgiving dishes. She glanced at Erin and then to Jay, "We gonna cook it all?"

Erin chuckled, "Not all of it. I told Hank we could make the potatoes and an apple pie. Does that sound like fun?"

"So fun!" Kate squealed, picking up her fork again, "I thought we were gonna have Chinese."

"What?" Jay looked at her, "Not on thanksgiving!"

"We can't have take out on thanksgiving. It's practically a crime." Erin informed the little girl, "It's a special day for turkey and pie."

Kate giggled, scooping a few noodles into her mouth. "What's so funny, Squirt?" Jay asked, glancing at Erin who seemed just as confused as to what their daughter was laughing at, "Do I have something on my face?"

"Nope." Kate shook her head, "It's just that Miss Carlson asked us to draw what thanksgiving looked like in our families." Jay and Erin exchanged looks, assuming that Kate had never experienced at proper holiday before, "And cause I didn't know, I drew pizza and fried rice." She giggled again, clearly not grasping the sad aspect of the situation, "But then we learned about the pilgrims, and they didn't have fried rice!"

Jay smiled, "Well, maybe we should have fried rice at our thanksgiving, huh?" He reached across the table to grab Erin's hand, "Start a silly tradition in our family." Erin smiled, but it didn't reach her eyes. While she knew that Kate probably hadn't had thanksgiving before, it never ceased to break her heart.

Kate nodded again, "Is Uncle Will coming for thanksgiving too?"

Jay paused, "Uncle Will actually has to work on Thursday, but I bet he could come by later for pie."

"But we're going to have some other people at Hank's house." Erin said, noting how Kate immediately appeared to be nervous, "Do you remember the family picture on Hank's wall?"

Kate nodded slowly, "The one with Sergeant Voight's wife?"

"Yep, that's Camille. And she was sick a few years ago and passed away," Erin swallowed thickly, "But she would have liked you a lot." She glanced at Jay, who gave a slight nod, indicating that she should continue. "There was another boy in the picture, too. That's Justin."

"Sergeant Voight's son." Kate supplied, nodding that she remembered. She glanced down at her lap, "But Sergeant Voight said that he was in heaven."

Erin nodded, surprised that Hank had mentioned Justin to Kate. "That's right. He's in heaven, with Camille," She swallowed again, "But Justin had a little boy and a wife, Danny and Olive. And they're going to join us for thanksgiving."

Kate's eyes brightened. "They're coming? Sergeant Voight said that Danny was a baby and I never met a baby before!"

Erin relaxed, relieved that her little girl appeared to be excited, "Well, he isn't a little baby anymore, he's almost three. But he's super cute and I'm sure he'd love to play with you."

Kate sat on the counter, carefully mashing the potatoes while Erin held the bowl in place. The splint on one arm made it difficult to mash, but the little girl was determined. Jay was finishing the apple pie, crimping the edges to make a crust. "The potatoes look great, baby," Erin praised, receiving a smile from her daughter, "How about we wash our hands and then get shoes on? Hank's expecting us soon."

"All done." Kate ceased the mashing and raised her arms so that Erin could help her off the counter. "What shoes, Mommy?"

"Boots." Jay supplied, turning around from the counter, "It's still a little icy outside. And your big coat too, please." He winked at Erin, "That goes for you too, Er."

Erin rolled her eyes and followed Kate to the door, slipping on her boots and heavy winter coat. "Okay, Squirt, can you carry the little bag so Mommy and I can carry all the food?"

"Got it," Kate affirmed, picking up a small canvas bag that she had filled with a few books, tiger, Mr. Shark and giraffe. "I packed Mr. Shark and giraffe in case Danny wants to play," She explained, following her mother out the apartment door, "So we could share."

"That's very kind of you sweetheart." Erin smiled at the little girl's thoughtfulness. One of the recent lessons in preschool had been sharing and Kate had been very taken by it, always offering to share her snacks or stuffed animals with Erin or Jay.

When the family arrived at Voight's house, Kate appeared to still be excited to meet both Danny and Olive. Normally, the little girl was incredible shy around people she didn't know and was often reluctant to meet new people. "Hi Hank." Erin greeted, passing him the bowl of mashed potatoes when he pulled open the door, "Happy thanksgiving."

"Hi Sergeant Voight." Kate looked up at the man, grin spread across her cheeks.

"Hey guys." Hank smiled warmly, opening the door further, "Come on in. Erin knows where the coats go."

"Thanks for having us." Jay shrugged off his jacket and handed it to Erin before leaning down to help Kate remove hers, "Kate helped make a pie and pretty much did the mashed potatoes by herself."

"Did you now?" Hank asked, looking at the bowl, "Well, these look fabulous. They'll go great with the turkey. Do you want to come see it?"

Kate nodded, following him and Erin down the hall to the kitchen. "Olive, hey." Erin greeted, giving the young woman a tentative hug, "How are you?"

"I'm great, we're great." Olive replied, bending down to urge the little boy who was sitting on the floor to stand up. "Danny, come say hi to your Aunt Erin."

"Hello." Danny stood and waved to Erin, standing next to Olive's leg.

"Hi Buddy. You probably don't remember me, but gosh, you've gotten so big since the last time I saw you." Erin grinned, "He looks so much like Justin, wow."

"I know." Olive smoothed his hair back, "And this must be Kate."

Erin nodded, placing a gentle hand on her little girl's shoulder. "Yep. Kate, this is Danny and your Aunt Olive."

"Hi." Kate waved, similar to how Danny did earlier. She looked nervously up at her mother, who gave her shoulder a reassuring squeeze.

"Do you guys want to play with some of the things Kate brought, maybe in the living room?" Erin suggested, Olive nodding in agreement.

"Okay." Kate whispered, taking the hand Erin offered and heading for the living room. Olive and Erin watched as the two small children settled themselves on the floor and began to rifle through the bag of toys and stuffed animals. Even though Danny was much younger than Kate, they were the exact same size and looked like siblings as they played on the floor.

"Do you think you'll be okay in here while Aunt Erin and I go help Jay and Grandpa in the kitchen?" Olive asked her little boy, glancing to where Jay and Hank were placing dishes into the oven.

"Yep." Danny replied. Kate nodded to Erin, indicating that she would be okay, knowing that her parents were just in the other room. Erin smiled, glancing over her shoulder as she exited. "What happen to your arm?" Danny asked sweetly, looking inquisitively at Kate's splint.

"I got hurt," Kate explained, "But it's getting better." She handed her new friend Mr. Shark. "Do you want to read a story?"

When Jay poked his head into the living room to check on the two children, he was surprised to see both of them leaning against the couch, stuffed animals in their laps and Kate slowly reading 'Pete the Cat' out loud to Danny. While she struggled over a few words, she was actually reading the book. "I love my white shoes," Kate read, glancing up at her father, "Hi Daddy."

"Hey guys. Dinner's almost ready, okay?" Jay smiled, both children nodding and returning to the book. Danny intently observed Kate's every move, listening to her read.

"Everything okay in there, babe?" Erin asked, setting the plastic plates and cutlery they had brought on the table for Kate and Danny.

"She's reading to him," Jay informed the adults, surprise still evident in his voice, "They're sitting on the floor reading Pete the Cat and Kate is reading. Out loud."

"Wow," Olive mused, "She's four? And reading?"

"She's brilliant," Jay nodded, "And she didn't get it from me."

"Well she didn't get it from her mother," Erin said dryly, "I think she's just special." Jay nodded in agreement.

"Everything's ready." Hank stated, wiping his hands on a kitchen towel.

"Awesome." Erin gestured to Olive to follow her to the living room so that they could see their two kids interacting in person. Kate and Danny were still sitting on the floor, but had a new book spread across their laps. The little girl pointed to words and letters, explaining them to her new friend.

"Mama!" Danny exclaimed, "Kate teachin' me how to weed!"

"Wow." Olive grinned at the children, "Do you guys want to come wash your hands before dinner? Everything's ready."

Both children nodded eagerly. Danny followed Kate to the bathroom. "Look at how he follows her," Olive said to Erin, "It's so cute."

"Fried rice!" Kate giggled, observing the table that was covered with various thanksgiving food, accompanied by a plate of fried rice. "Like in my picture!"

"I told you we were going to have some." Jay chuckled, helping his little girl into her seat, "I think it's going to taste really good with stuffing."

Jay and Erin were thrilled with how much Kate and Danny seemed to like each other. After they finished dinner, the duo headed back to the living room where Kate continued to teach her new friend how to read. Danny looked up to Kate immensely, eagerly following her gentle instructions and hanging onto her every word. It wasn't long before the two little children fell asleep on Voight's couch, using the stuffed animals Kate brought as pillows.

Danny began to cry when he found out that Kate was leaving, insistent that he did not want to say goodbye to his new friend. Erin almost burst into tears when the little boy hugged her daughter goodbye and Kate told him that they would see each other soon. Her maturity and tenderness to the younger child melted her parent's hearts. "That may have been the cutest thing I've ever seen." Erin whispered to Jay as he slid into the passenger seat.

He nodded in agreement. "Kate, did you like Thanksgiving?"

The little girl nodded enthusiastically. "I love Thanksgiving Daddy! And Danny is so nice."

"I'm glad you had fun, baby." Erin smiled, glancing in the rearview at her little girl. "I think Olive and Danny are going to join us for the aquarium tomorrow, how does that sound?"

"The aquarium!" Kate squealed, eyes wide, "I love the aquarium! Can we see the sharks?"

"Sure thing." Jay promised, "And the sea turtles. And I like the seals."

"Do the sea creatures get thanksgiving too?" Kate asked, looking curiously at her parents as Erin drove through the streets, "Do they get special dinner?"

"I'm not sure, Squirt," Jay chuckled, "But how about we ask someone at the aquarium tomorrow? I bet they could answer all your questions."

"Okay," Kate nodded, looking out the window tiredly. Jay carried her from the car up to the apartment while Erin handled the leftovers that Hank had wrapped for them. "Do I have to go to bed now?" Kate asked once Jay set her down, "I'm not sleepy."

"We can stay up for a little." Erin decided, "Do you want to put your pajamas on now though?" Kate nodded and headed for her bedroom to change while Erin turned to her partner. "Jay, I think you should go see your dad."

"What?" Jay looked at Erin quizzically, "Why?"

"Because Will texted me and said he was going to stop by over there with some pie. And it's Thanksgiving. You should see your family." She stroked his arm gently, rubbing her thumb across his hand.

"This is my family," Jay informed Erin, "You and Kate."

"I know. But I got to see my dad today. And I see him every day. And I know you're not ready to let Pat back into your life or for him to meet Kate, but it may make you feel better about the situation." Erin cupped his face with her hands, "I love you. And it's your decision. But stopping by for a bit of pie wouldn't hurt."

Jay sighed, pressing a kiss to Erin's lips. "Okay. I don't want Kate to know about him though, especially because he doesn't know about her," He paused, "Or you, for that matter. He has a habit of ruining things I love."

"I get it, babe." Erin nodded, "You go. We'll be waiting here for you, I promise." Kate emerged from her bedroom in a pair of fall-themed pajamas, the top on backwards. "Baby, Daddy's going to head out for a little bit, see an old friend. You and I are going to watch Charlie Brown's Thanksgiving and then we can go to bed when Daddy gets back."

Kate nodded, raising her arms to give Jay a hug goodbye. "I love you, Daddy," she whispered into his ear.

"Love you more, kiddo." Jay kissed her head, passing his little girl off to Erin. "I love you too, Er. I'll be back in a bit."

"Daddy, wait!" Kate exclaimed as Jay was heading for the door, "I forgot to show you something!" She scrambled out of Erin's arms and rifled through her backpack that was sitting by her shoes. Kate pulled out what appeared to be a book, obviously made by little hands. "I made this for you and Mommy."

"A book?" Jay asked, squatting down beside his daughter. He accepted the stack of construction paper, "What I'm Thankful For, by Kate H.," Jay read aloud, "You made this?"

"Uh-huh." Kate nodded, "We made them in school." Erin crouched beside her partner, reading over his shoulder.

"I'm thankful for Sergeant Voight," Jay read, "I'm thankful for Uncle Will. I'm thankful for Sergeant Platt. I am most thankful for my mommy and daddy." Tears sprung to his eyes as he turned the pages, images of his daughter's favorite people drawn carefully, followed by her patient handwriting. "This is beautiful, Squirt."

Kate grinned proudly, "I made it for you and mommy," she leaned back against her mother, who had wrapped her arms around the little girl from behind, "because I am so, so thankful for you."

If Jay had been reluctant to leave for his father's house, after his little girl had said she was thankful for him, he wanted to hold tight and never let go. How she was able to experience what no child should ever have to endure and still be thankful astounded him. Kate's maturity and kindness never ceased to amaze her parents. "Mommy?" Kate whispered, tilting her head up so she could look at her mother. The little girl was snuggled in Erin's lap on the couch with Charlie Brown playing on the television.

"Yes, baby?" Erin glanced down at her daughter, wisps of brown hair circling her sweet face, "What's up?"

"'member when the Bunny came here?" Kate asked quietly, "Your mommy?"

"Mm-hm." Erin nodded, dread filling her stomach at the mention of her estranged mother, "What about Bunny?"

"Did she ever hit you?"

Erin paused, unsure of how to continue the conversation. On the one hand, her little girl had an experience similar to her own, but on the other, Erin wasn't sure sharing her tumultuous past was a good idea. However, she and Jay had vowed to not lie to the little girl in order to build a relationship built on trust. "Um, well, when I was growing up, Bunny wasn't around a lot. She, uh, had a lot of friends and some of them weren't so nice but some of them were and uh, she and I lost touch when I grew up." She glanced down at Kate, uncertain that the four year old understood what she was telling her. "Why do you ask, baby?"

Kate shrugged, resting her head on Erin's shoulder. "Sometimes I forget about Mr. P and Uncle Bobby and Big Joe. But sometimes I remember. They weren't very kind to me but I didn't have a mommy. And I got scared a lot." She placed her little hand on Erin's arm, "I'm still scared. And I know I'm safe but I still 'member being hurt."

The young detective swallowed the lump in her throat, attempting to find the words to comfort her little girl. "You know," Erin coughed slightly, "I get scared sometimes too. Sometimes I wake up and remember everything that happened when I was little. But then I remember that Hank and Camille and Justin took me in. And eventually, things got better."

"They saved you," Kate said quietly and Erin nodded in agreement, "They saved you, just like you and Daddy saved me."

Erin blinked back tears, turning her nose into her sweet little girl's hair. "Oh, baby, I think you saved us just the same. You have brought so much joy into our lives and you constantly amaze us with your love and your kindness and your adorable laugh," Kate giggled, snuggling in closer to her mother, "I am so glad we found each other."

"Me too." Kate breathed, "Maybe when I'm not scared anymore, I can tell you about what happened before."

"Of course. Whenever you're ready, baby. But no matter what, your daddy and I are going to keep you safe, okay?" Kate nodded, closing her eyes.

"Do you think I can snuggle in your bed tonight? When Daddy comes home?" She opened her eyes and looked up at her mother who had a few tears trickling down her cheeks. Kate tenderly reached up and wiped them away, earning a soft chuckle from Erin.

"I think a sleepover can be arranged."