32. Chapter 32

Aaaaaaaand another family chapter to generate some good karma. Stay tuned and please review!

"We really should get out of Hank's hair," Erin mused, rubbing Jay's chest lightly as they lay snuggled in Erin's childhood bed. Following her nap, Erin was feeling infinitely better. Kate had instructed Jay to stay with Erin, which he was glad to do. He felt better being close to her, considering everything that had happened in the past few days. "There's already patrol outside our apartment. If Jackson tried anything, we'd get him."

"You really want to go back so soon?" Jay raised his eyebrows skeptically, "I mean, Kate's room isn't a crime scene anymore but you also got bashed over the head."

Erin sighed, snuggling in closer to her partner. Jay was laying atop the blankets while she was burrowed underneath, a result of being absolutely frozen by the icepack that was now resting on the floor beside the bed. "I don't know. It's our home, Jay. And as much as I like having you sneak in here every night and leave in the morning, I want to be back in our bed and on our couch and in our shower."

"Now you're just rattling off places where we like to do it," Jay joked, earning a soft swat on his pectorals from Erin. "I'm kidding."

"You're so not," Erin scoffed, turning her face into his neck, "I just want to go home. And even though Kate likes hanging out with Hank, I think she wants to go back too. Hiding out isn't something we do really."

"I know, babe." Jay pressed his lips against her forehead, "I guess I just like the idea of knowing that you're safe. And that Kate's safe."

"I just want it to be over," Erin whispered, "I guess I thought that maybe if he knew where we were, he'd do something stupid and then we could get him."

"Me too." He threaded his fingers through her hair, toying with the idea of returning back to their apartment, "What if we give it another day? Tomorrow evening maybe we go check it out, and if it feels right, then we stay? Wait a little bit until you're feeling a bit better."

"That sounds like a plan," Erin replied, wrapping her arm tighter around her partner. The couple stayed like that until Jay heard the familiar sound of Will slamming his car door shut.

"Will's here to take a look at your head, babe," Jay said softly, scratching her scalp gently in an attempt to rise her from her sleepy state, "And maybe we could get something to eat, too?"

"But I'm comfy," Erin mumbled, not removing her face from her partner's neck, "Can't we just let him sweat it out with Hank for a few minutes?"

Jay chuckled, hearing the doorbell and the pitter-patter of Kate's footsteps, followed by Voight's longer strides. A joyous "Uncle Will!" echoed up the stairs. "I'm not sure, I think Kate will diffuse the situation," Jay carefully unwound his arm from Erin's shoulder and sat up, receiving a grunt in annoyance. "Come on babe, the sooner Will looks at your head, the sooner you can go back to sleep."

"Fine," Erin pouted, sitting up and gingerly getting to her feet, extremely grateful the room had stopped spinning.

"Be nice," Jay warned her jokingly, wrapping an arm around her shoulder after picking up the melted ice pack from the floor. He received a pat to the chest in response as he helped his girl down the hallway.

"Uncle Will, I'm so glad you came!" Kate exclaimed after Hank had opened the door and let the redheaded doctor over the threshold. He grinned widely and scooped her up in his arms, holding her tightly.

"I'm glad to see you too," Will tickled her gently, causing the little girl to giggle, "Maybe when it gets a little warmer you and I should take a trip to the zoo again, does that sound like fun?"

"Yes!" Kate squealed, "I went to the aquarium with Grandpa Hank and Mommy today!" Her voice dropped, "But then Mommy got sick." She wrinkled her nose at the memory, "You gonna make her feel better?"

"She got sick?" Will raised his eyebrows, "Well, I'll see what's going on and do my best, okay Monkey?" He tickled her again.

"I'm…not…a monkey!" Kate giggled, her arms wrapped tightly around Will's neck as he tickled her mercilessly. She squealed again as he poked her in the ribs, eliciting a shriek. "I'm Kate!"

"I don't know, I think you're a monkey," Will teased, swinging the little girl around and jostling her up in the air, "You certainly smell like one."

"No I don't!" Kate laughed, reaching a hand out to touch Will's cheek. He balanced her on his hip and looked expectantly at the little girl, "How come you're all scruffly like Daddy?"

"Well, I haven't been home in a while," Will told her, "I've been very busy at the hospital and didn't have time to shave this morning."

"Daddy forgets to shave a lot but he says it's cause Mommy like it," Kate informed her uncle, not noticing how Hank immediately exited the room with a grimace.

"I bet Nat likes it too," Jay joked, descending the stairs with his arm around Erin's shoulder.

"Dr. Manning's not mad at you no more?" Kate looked up at her uncle, recalling the time before Christmas when Natalie was pissed off at Will, "Did you 'pologize?"

"I did," Heat rose to Will's cheeks and he shot a look to his brother before focusing his gaze on his patient, "How's the head, Erin?"

"Been better," Erin grumbled, taking a seat on the couch. She was squinting slightly at the light in the living room but managed a smile at her little girl, still on her uncle's hip. "What did you and Hank do, baby?"

"We made lah-zanya," Kate said seriously, "I put the noodles in."

"That sounds good," Erin actually had an appetite, "Okay, Halstead, let's get this over with."

Jay rolled his eyes at his brother and reached his arms out to take his daughter out of the doctor's hands, "What do you say we go help Grandpa Hank with dinner?"

"Is Uncle Will gonna play with me after he helps Mommy?" Kate asked as Jay carried her to the kitchen, "I didn't get to show him poker last time."

"Maybe," Jay chuckled, "But maybe a game of Clue might be better. I don't think Will would like it if you beat him at gambling."

Will had advised another round of a cold packs on Erin's head, in addition to some low-grade ibuprofen that would help with the continued headache. She managed to eat a bit of lasagna that Hank and Kate made (which was Camille's recipe and delicious), and after Erin and Jay retreated to the couch. Will and Kate sat on the living room floor, building a castle out of Legos from a kit that he brought for the little girl. "Uncle Will, I met your daddy a couple of days ago," Kate said nonchalantly, delicately placing a Lego piece atop the structure they were building.

He raised his eyebrows in surprise, looking up to his brother who nodded, "You did?"

"Uh-huh. He came to Sergeant Platt's desk lookin' for Daddy." Kate shrugged her shoulders, "But I didn't talk to him 'cause I didn't know if it was okay."

"Did you talk to him?" Will asked his little brother.

Jay shook his head, "No, I wasn't at the district. Did you tell him about Kate?"

"Your news to share, not mine," Will said, placing another Lego atop the one Kate laid, "I don't think he has any idea that you have a girlfriend, let alone a kid. He did ask about you last time I stopped by. Mentioned that he wanted to talk."

"Well, now's not such a great time," Jay said dryly, gesturing to Erin, who had her eyes closed on his shoulder, "I'm a little preoccupied." He paused, realizing that his clever little girl would probably pick up on his distaste for his father, "I should call him though."

"Am I gonna meet him?" Kate asked quietly, looking uncertainly to each Halstead brother.

Jay and Will exchanged looks, unsure of how to answer. "Maybe we could go out for ice cream with him or something," Jay suggested slowly, as Will shrugged noncommittally, "I haven't seen him since Thanksgiving though, but maybe in a few weeks? I think he should meet Erin as well."

"She does seem to have the ability to make grumpy old men more tolerable," Will mused, "Voight is exhibit A."

"Who are you calling grumpy, Halstead?" Hank barked, emerging stealthily from the kitchen. He caused the redheaded doctor to practically jump out of his skin and whip his head around toward the gruff man's raspy voice. Kate gave her uncle a knowing look and Jay snickered, fully understanding how terrifying it was to be on the other end of Hank's scolding.

"Apologizes, sir," Will choked, heat rising in his cheeks as he refocused his attention on the castle.

"I've got an icepack for Erin," Hank handed Jay a cold pack that was wrapped in a thin towel, "And a good mind to teach your brother a lesson."

"Uh-oh, Uncle Will, you better say sorry," Kate looked at him nervously, "Odder-wise Grandpa Hank's gonna put you in the cage."

"Will's not going in the cage, kiddo," Hank promised, realizing his error. Kate, though she had come a long way in her ability to trust people, was still unsure about Voight's aggression tactics after overhearing snippets of conversation about 'the cage'. "Only bad guys go in the cage."

"He's not bad, Squirt. Grandpa Hank was just kidding," Jay reassured her after she looked to him anxiously.

Kate breathed a soft sigh of relief, then looked up at Hank curiously, "You gonna put Mr. P in the cage though, right?"

Hank sank down to the ground in front of the little girl, ignoring the protests of his knees and hips, "We're gonna skip the cage and put him right in jail. So he won't ever hurt you ever again."

"And he won't get Mommy e-der?" Kate asked, glancing over to her mother who was dozing lightly on Jay's shoulder despite the icepack that was making her shiver.

"Nope," Hank smiled and ran a hand over her head.

She sighed in relief again. "You wanna help me and Uncle Will build the castle?"

"I would love to," Hank sat cross legged on the living room floor and helped the little girl place Legos on the existing structure. Jay sat on the couch, holding the icepack in place on Erin's head, entirely amused that his big brother and the badass vigilante cop who happened to be his boss and girlfriend's father were sitting on the floor playing with Legos.

"Babe?" Erin whispered, lightly stroking Jay's cheek as they laid in bed. He had fallen asleep some time ago, flat on his back in Erin's old bed, basically using Kate as a blanket as Erin had accidentally hijacked three quarters of the comforter, "Jay."

"Mm?" Jay lazily opened his eyes and peered expectantly down at his girl, who was resting her head on his chest, one hand draped over Kate who had koala-ed herself on her father, "Are you okay? Do you feel bad?" He widened his eyes after realizing where he was and that Erin had been ill earlier in the day, "Are you going to get sick?"

"I'm fine," Erin replied, "I'm sorry I woke you up." She touched his cheek again, "Go back to sleep."

"No, what is it?" Jay asked, more awake now, "Are you sure you're feeling okay?"

"Uh-huh. I was just thinking about what happened," Erin shuddered slightly, Jay bringing her in closer, "When Jackson hit me."

"Do you remember something?" Jay asked sharply, a pit of anxiety forming in his stomach. He was already starting to get worked up just thinking about the man who hurt his family, but if he had touched Erin like he did Kate, Jay was going to kill him.

"No, no, I was knocked out cold," Erin murmured, "I was just thinking about how he left me in the apartment, when he could have easily dragged my unconscious body somewhere or killed me right then and there." She shivered again, "But he didn't."

"He's a sociopath, Er," Jay said gently, caressing her back lightly with his fingertips, "There's not a reason behind why he does something."

"I think he left me because he thinks that he's going to get Kate," Erin whispered, tears filling her eyes, "And he knew that if he killed me or took me away, she'd never forgive him. But he left me because he still thinks that he's got a shot at taking our little girl away." The tears trickled down her cheeks, dripping onto Jay's bare chest.

"Babe," Jay cooed, "He's not going to get her. And you're going to be okay. We're together," He gestured to Kate's position on his chest with his right hand, "We're safe."

"I know," Erin sniffed, turning her face against Jay's shoulder, "I just can't stop thinking about it. The 'what if'."

Wordlessly, Jay pressed his lips atop Erin's head and inhaled deeply. He didn't have an answer for his girl. "I feel the same way. I couldn't bear to lose you, either of you." He swallowed, kissing her head again. "And I'm still worried about that precious head of yours."

"Will said I'd be fine in a few days," Erin replied, "You've got enough stuff on your mind. We gotta focus on getting Jackson off the street. Make that the priority."

"He hurt you, Erin." Jay swallowed again, "And you're my priority. You and Kate. So I'm going to worry about you until I'm blue in the face, and then when you're better I'll worry some more, okay? Because I love you so much, and no matter what, I'm going to worry."

"I love you," Erin mumbled, "Thank you for taking such good care of me."

"You've been there for me. I've always got your back babe, no matter what."

Jay had a guy for everything. A TV guy, a hockey-tickets guy, a couch guy…the list went on and on. What he didn't have was a 're-do a little girl's bedroom that had been destroyed by a deranged sociopathic nutjob' guy. While Hank stayed back at the house with Erin and Kate on the holiday weekend Monday, Jay ventured to the apartment to assess the damage of Kate's bedroom.

He wasn't sure if it was a blessing that all of Kate's stuffed animals and artwork that had been destroyed were now bagged in an evidence locker. On the one hand, it was less mess, on the other, Kate's room was extraordinarily bare. He knew that she would probably be spending the next couple nights in his and Erin's bed, but Jay still wanted her bedroom to be ready for when she needed it.

And so, Detective Jay Halstead, ex-Army ranger and member of an elite police unit, set out to Target to find some decorations for a little girl's bedroom. The last time he made the journey he was accompanied by Erin, who was not only a woman and understood what little girls liked, but someone who actually had a knack for decoration. He, on the other hand, had been completely lost, simply adding the items Erin picked out to the cart and pushing it along. Jay was completely over his head, but chose a variety of items that he thought would look nice and that Kate would like. He also was sure to get a few new stuffed animals to replace the ones who had been destroyed, as well as a couple of new books because he couldn't resist, knowing that his little girl would love them.

"I went shopping," Jay said casually to Erin as he drove them toward the apartment. Hank had taken Kate to play outside in the snow, absolutely exhausting the little girl. She had fallen asleep on the living room couch and remained asleep on the drive over to their home, cheeks still rosy from the Chicago wind.

She raised her eyebrows in surprise, then narrowed her eyes skeptically, "You went shopping? For what?"

"Decorations," Jay could barely keep the smile off his face at his girl's incredulous expression, "Most of Kate's bedroom is in an evidence locker and to be honest I never want to see it again." He shrugged, "So I picked out some stuff."

"I hope you saved the receipts," Erin mumbled, glancing tiredly out of the car window, "No offense babe, but decorating is not your strong suit."

"Hey!" Jay exclaimed indignantly, "I am not that bad."

"No? At your last place you had a picture of a motorcycle hanging over your bed. A motorcycle, Jay. It's a miracle I slept with you."

"Ppft." Jay exhaled, "Please. You were the one who showed up at my place. In a pantsuit, no less. And motorcycles are awesome."

"Yeah, until you fall off and it kills you," Erin scoffed, "What did you get?"

"You'll just have to wait and see," Jay teased, pulling into the parking garage. "How's your head?"

"Better," Erin said, "I feel way more solid than yesterday. Not nauseous or dizzy anymore, just kind of a dull ache."

"Mm, well I bet it will feel good to spend the night in our own bed." Jay put the car into park and quickly disembarked, hurrying around the Sierra to open the door for Erin.

"I'm good babe, promise," Erin insisted, firmly setting her feet down and tugging open the backdoor to where the duffle bags were, "I'll get the bags, you carry Kate."

"How about you just carry this," Jay handed her the tote bag with Kate's clothes and slung the duffle bags over his shoulder. She wrinkled her nose, but allowed Jay to do the heavy lifting and trailed after him to the elevator.

"We home?" Kate lifted her head off of Jay's shoulder and glanced around the small elevator.

"Yes, baby, we're home," Erin smiled and stroked her cheek, pink from sleep, "Did you have a nice rest?"

"Uh-huh," Kate murmured, placing her head back down, "It's safe?"

"Oh yeah," Jay promised, stepping into the hallway after the elevator dinged on the third floor, "We've had patrol outside for the past week and I had a few officers check it out a few minutes ago, and we're all good. Nothing to worry about."

"I'm glad," Kate breathed, relaxing as Erin put her key into the lock, "I'm glad we got Mommy this time."

"Me too, Squirt." Jay kissed her head and followed Erin inside, flicking on the lower lights as to not hurt her head. "Welcome home."

"Feels good to be back," Erin sighed in contentment, dropping the tote bag to the ground and shedding her large winter coat, "I feel like it's been ages."

"Am I gonna stay in your room?" Kate asked quietly, still in Jay's arms, "Cause of the lady in my closet?"

"I actually went to the store today and got some stuff to clean up your room a bit," Jay told her, heading for Kate's bedroom, "But you know you can always stay with us. I just thought you might like a few things." He flipped the light switch, bathing the bedroom in a soft glow.

"Wow!" Kate exclaimed, looking around her bedroom. Instead of the pink that he and Erin had previously decorated her bedroom with, Jay chose light greens, yellows and blues. He had purchased new bedding to go with the new stuffed animals that sat on the bed, along with a new stuffed Giraffe, Lion and Mr. Shark. "You saved Mr. Shark, Giraffe and Lion!" Kate was astonished, "I love it!"

Jay beamed, setting her down on the ground so she could explore her redecorated room. "Good work, babe." Erin smiled, leaning against the doorframe.

"I did okay?" He asked knowingly. She nodded, snaking one arm around his waist and leaning into his side.

"You did great. She loves it." Erin grinned, watching her little girl look around her bedroom in wonder.

Kate held the stuffed animals tightly to her chest. "I missed these guys!"

"Well, they're not the same ones, Squirt," Jay said, sure to be honest with his clever little girl. While he was shopping, he recalled how his parents had once tried to pass off a different stuffed dog than the one he had lost. He had been ecstatic, but then devastated when he realized it was different. "They're a little different."

"I know Daddy," Kate smiled widely, "I just missed having a whole bunch of them because Tiger was very lonely." She flashed another grin before catching site of a table in the corner of the bedroom. "Is that mine?"

"It is, kiddo." Jay gestured to the table, "Do you want to go see it?"

She nodded fervently and approached the table that was designed to hold Legos. It had a built-in Lego base and tubs filled with the tiny blocks, perfect for building castles. "Wow!" Kate squealed, "A Lego table! So I can build!"

"That's right," Jay couldn't keep the smile off his face, "Since I know you like to make castles, I thought it would be fun to have a seat instead of on the floor."

"Thank you, Daddy!" Kate leapt into his arms and wrapped her tiny arms around his neck, "I so excited!"

"I'm glad, Squirt." Jay kissed her forehead, "Thank you for being so helpful with Mommy. I couldn't have done it without you."

"Me too," Kate leaned back, "We a good team."

"We are," Jay agreed, turning to the door to find his girl. When she wasn't standing where he left her, his stomach dropped. "Erin?"

Quickly, Jay exited the bedroom, Kate still in his arms, "Erin?" he called again, looking around the living room rapidly.

"Kitchen, babe." Erin's voice came muffled. He made over in a few strides, breathing a sigh of relief when he saw his girl was just wrapping an icepack in a tea towel for her head.

"You scared me for a second there," Jay said honestly, setting Kate down on the kitchen counter, "Does your head hurt?"

"A little," Erin admitted, bringing the icepack to the back of her head. Jay knew that Erin admitting any semblance of pain meant that she must be really hurting. He tenderly cupped her cheek.

"Do you want to hang out on the couch for a bit? I don't think TV would be helpful, but you could lay down while Kate and I get started on the biggest castle ever," He winked at the little girl, whose eyes lit up in response.

"Sounds good." Erin murmured, shuffling over to the couch and relaxing instantly, welcoming the fuzzy blanket that Kate spread across her lap. "Thanks, baby."

"I love you, Mommy," Kate whispered, kissing her mother cheek lightly, "Maybe later I can read you a story."

"I'd like that," Erin smiled tiredly, running a hand over her little girl's head, "And I love you more, sweet girl."