50. Chapter 50

Woah! Chapter 50. Didn't think I would ever get this far! Thanks for all those who have reviewed, messaged and kept me going. The support means a lot and I would love it if y'all kept it up.

I've also got some time off coming up so (fingers crossed!) for more regular updates with some sweet family time.

As his little girl was wheeled down the hallway, Jay was overcome with déjà vu, recalling eight months ago to when he first caught sight of the child he didn't know was his emerging from surgery. Back then, Kate had been much thinner, almost like a baby bird, with the most timid and untrusting eyes Jay had ever seen. The child had been restrained due to her intense fear of the doctors around her, having never been able to trust an adult in her short life.

Jay recalled how Erin had quickly soothed Kate, immediately accepting the little girl into her embrace, providing a comfort that she had never known. He had been filled with pride that his girl, his partner, could connect with a victim so quickly. Jay always knew Erin was special and had a way with people, but her ability to get the skittish and traumatized child to trust her amazed him.

This time, Jay felt as if the wind had been knocked out of him when he finally laid eyes on his baby girl. Though it was a far cry from the first time he saw her laying in a hospital bed, he couldn't help but feel like this time, it was entirely his fault.

The nurse who was wheeling Kate down the hallway paused to rouse her patient, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder. Kate was curled up on her side following the procedure and blearily lifted her head as Georgia whispered, "Look who's here." And while Kate immediately tensed when she opened her eyes, Jay could see her tiny frame relax as soon as she caught sight of her parents.

An exhausted and relieved smile played on her lips as she extended her arms weakly. "Mommy. Daddy," Kate croaked, groggily attempting to turn on her back. In an instant, Erin and Jay were by their little girl's side. Tears streamed down Erin's cheeks as she pressed her face into Kate's messy hair, so overwhelmingly happy to be reunited with her baby.

Time stopped as Jay held his girls close, the constant interruption of the PA system fading into the background, all the noise of the hospital and anxiety hanging in the air slowly dissipating. He released a breath that he had been holding for almost five days as Erin choked back a sob of relief. Jay couldn't find the words to speak, swallowing a wave of tears as Erin reached across their daughter and gripped his hand with quivering fingers, a silent reminder that they were in it together. "Hey there, Squirt," he whispered finally, kissing the top of Kate's head, "How are you feeling?"

"Sleepy," she replied slowly, her small voice incredibly strained, reaching out to touch his face that had grown scruffier in the days she had been gone, "You and Mommy…you guys comed back for me."

"Of course, kiddo," he kissed her head again, "We didn't stop thinking about you either."

"A-are you hurting, baby?" Erin asked, words eventually forming in her mouth as she stroked her child's head, unbelievably grateful to have her back, "Do you feel sick?"

"I glad you comed back," she whispered, not answering her mother's questions and placing her tiny hand atop Jay's, "I was worried."

"You don't need to be worried anymore, okay?" Jay leaned down and kissed her little fingers, "But can you tell us if you're not feeling well?"

"I don't wanna sleep," Kate rasped, valiantly attempting to keep her half-mast eyes open wider, "I don't want you to go."

"We're going to be right here with you," Erin promised, continuing to hold her child close as the nurse pushed her down the hall toward the bedroom, "We're going to be here, but we want you to get better, and then we can all go home, together."

"I don't feel nothin'," Kate slurred slightly, giving her mother a slightly crooked smile, "But I feel re-leaf 'cause you 'n Daddy are here."

"We'll get a better read on her pain levels in a few hours," Georgia informed the worried parents, dragging a chair over so that both Jay and Erin could sit beside their little girl, "I'll be back in an hour or so, and Dr. Hansen will be back in a few."

"Thank you," Jay replied quickly, immediately returning his gaze to his daughter who was continuing to fight sleep. "Don't worry, kiddo, we're going to be here when you wake up."

While Erin and Jay watched over Kate while she slept, Colleen and the DCFS caseworkers excused themselves. Colleen promised to return in a few hours after checking in on her own family, while Atwood left to speak with Danielle Marcus to see about getting the final approval on Kate being officially reunited with her family. "Don't fight it, babe," Erin murmured, reaching over the tiny body in the bed between them to squeeze Jay's arm, "You're about to fall asleep on top of her."

"Mm, I could say the same thing to you," Jay replied, blearily rubbing his eyes, "You want some coffee?"

"I don't want to her to wake up and find one of us gone," Erin said, tucking a few strands of hair behind Kate's ears, "She's been through enough."

Jay nodded in confirmation and stifled a yawn, "God, I missed her."

"She's going to be back on those meds," Erin mused, not taking her eyes of the sleeping child, "And I just know that it's going to take a lot to get her to trust us again. To trust anyone, for that matter."

Again, Jay nodded and tried not to yawn, "I'm just holding out hope that it's easier for her this time."

"And you actually know what you're doing now," Will piped up from the doorway, bearing a tray of coffee. He grinned as the tired detectives looked up at him, "Great to see your family back together."

Jay grunted and took the coffee from the tray, passing the black one to Erin and keeping the one with almond milk for himself, "Thanks, man."

"I ran into her doctor in the hall, turns out he's a guy I went to Med school with," Will gave another smile, "She's going to be okay, guys."

Erin nodded, taking a long sip of coffee. She glanced over at Jay, knowing that she was going to be the one to ask his big brother to take a second look at their daughter, "Can you-?"

"Oh, Hansen said it was totally fine if I took a look at my niece," Will nodded, "I saw her chart and it looks good to me. He did everything right. It seems to me that the healing process will be a bit quicker this time as there was no need for surgery, but you're definitely going to want to keep a close eye on her for the next few weeks."

Jay let out another breath, "Thanks for coming Will."

Will waved his hand flippantly, "Anything for my niece." He smiled at the little girl who had begun to stir. She cracked her eyes open slightly, realizing that she was surrounded by her parents.

"'cle Will?" Kate squeaked out, her throat still raw from the endoscopy.

"Do you need some water, baby?" Erin exchanged her coffee cup for the plastic cup with a straw from the bedside table and held it out to the little girl. Kate took a tentative sip and leaned back against the pillow.

"Hey, Monkey," Will greeted, placing a gentle hand on her blanketed foot, "How are you feeling?"

"'S not your hos-piddle," the little girl mumbled tiredly, rubbing her eyes with one hand, "Like yours better."

"I do too," Will smiled softly, "Are you in pain?"

Kate shrugged her shoulders, "When do I getta go home?"

"I'm not entirely sure, kiddo," the red-headed doctor glanced awkwardly at Jay and Erin, "It depends on what the doctor thinks."

"You're a doctor," Kate looked confused and then saddened, "And I-I don't like it here."

"I know sweetheart," Erin ran a hand over her baby's head, "But we're going to see what Doctor Hansen says."

"I-I-I don't wanna go with nobody else," the little girl whispered tearfully, "I only want you." The grimace that played on her lips did not go unnoticed by the adults in the room.

"Does your tummy hurt?" Jay asked gently. He exchanged looks with both Erin and Will, "We need you to tell us, okay?"

Kate winced again, "But-but if I hurt, then I can't go home."

"Kate, baby, it's important that you tell us if you're not feeling well or if you're in pain, that way we can help," Erin brushed a stray tear off Kate's cheek, "I know it's hard being in the hospital, but they're the ones who can make you feel better. It's a good thing, I promise."

The little girl let out a short breath and grimaced, "My tummy hurts," she murmured, "But I don't want you to worry."

"Oh, kiddo," Jay kissed the top of her head, "It's our job to worry about you, alright? You don't need to be worried about us."

"I'm going to grab Hansen, see if he can get her anything for the pain," Will decided, heading out of the hospital room after giving Erin's shoulder a reassuring squeeze.

The doctor was able to give Kate some much-needed pain relief, allowing the little girl to drift back to sleep. "She barely slept these past few days," Colleen informed them, standing beside the doorway, "Every time I would check on her, she would be fighting sleep, sitting up in bed."

Jay nodded, "She, uh, gets really bad nightmares, almost every night. Sometimes the only way is to bring her to sleep in our bedroom," he smiled wistfully, "I mean, we don't do it every night, but it's hard because-"

"It breaks your heart," Colleen nodded in confirmation, "I get it. My husband and I have been through four foster placements in as many years. The little boy we have now, he's been with us for a few months but at the beginning…it was hard. I can't even imagine what Kate has gone through, and what you two have been through for that matter."

"Thank you for um, being there for her," Erin offered a tired smile, "It really means a lot to us that Kate had someone looking out for her."

"It's our job as parents," Colleen replied, "And you have the bravest and most loving little girl there. She's truly remarkable."

"Thank you," Jay echoed, "These past few days couldn't have been easy for you as well."

Colleen nodded, "People always ask Tom and I why we chose to be foster parents, knowing that much of what we would encounter would be heartbreak and pain. But for families like yours, for children like Kate and to see you reunited is really the reason behind it." She took a step into the room, "I was a foster child myself, so I know firsthand how important it is to have people who know the system, but aren't really a part of it, that you can trust."

Later that evening, Danielle Marcus returned to the hospital. Kate, who had woken up from her nap and was feeling much better as a result of being with her parents and the medication, instantly cowered backwards on the bed. "I'm here with good news," Marcus said, forcing a smile, "Detectives, our investigation has been completed. As soon as the doctor signs off, you are free to take Kate home."

Jay and Erin let out a breath. "Thank you," Jay said, gently rubbing Kate's arm that did not contain the IV, "You hear that kiddo?"

"I get to go home? For good?" Kate looked skeptically at the woman and then to her parents, "With Mommy and Daddy?"

"That's right," Marcus confirmed, "Once the doctor says you're well enough to go home, you can. But if it's alright, I'm going to talk to your folks outside for a bit, okay?"

Kate widened her eyes in alarm, "I can wait with you, sweetheart," Colleen offered, Erin and Jay nodding in gratitude, "They'll just be a few minutes."

"You coming back?" Kate whispered, tears filling in her tired eyes.

"Of course," Erin kissed the top of Kate's head, "Daddy and I just need to talk with Ms. Marcus, but we'll be right outside and we're only going to be a few minutes."

"We can stay right outside the door, so that you can still see us," Jay suggested, glancing at the woman who nodded in agreement, "You can see Mommy and I the whole time. We're not going anywhere, we promise."

The little girl nodded slowly as Erin gently brushed the tears off her cheeks, "No big deal, okay?" Erin promised, "We'll be right there." She pointed to the door.

"So?" Jay asked, folding his arms across his chest as he and Erin stood in front of Danielle Marcus, "What's going on?"

"On behalf of my whole department, I want to apologize," Marcus began, causing both Erin and Jay to raise their eyebrows in surprise. They had not been expecting that. "For one, Kate falling through the cracks in the first place. We do have a lot of children and there are unfortunately those who we are not aware of, but I do believe this process could have been avoided entirely, and for that I am truly sorry."

She took a breath, "We have reason to believe that the individual who came forward about Kate last week is not credible, and we are therefore ending the investigation immediately. What we have found shows that you two are competent, loving parents-"

"I'm sorry," Erin interjected, "Somebody told you that Jay and I were a danger to Kate and that there need to be an investigation?" She glanced at Jay and back to Danielle Marcus, "Who is this person?"

"I'm not at liberty to say," Marcus replied, "But the decision to remove Kate from your care came from a caseworker at a very high level, who was approached by someone who knew of your family but has been found not credible."

Erin glanced into the room at her little girl. Kate was sitting rigidly on the hospital bed with her eyes trained on the window into the hallway where she could see both her parents standing. Colleen was clearly talking to her and though Kate was normally a very attentive child, she was not focused on what the foster mother was saying. Erin looked back at Danielle Marcus, "Was it Barbara Fletcher?"

Danielle Marcus drew in a breath and then nodded grimly. "My mother," Erin gritted out, her vision clouding with anger, "My mother was the person who claimed that we were abusing our child?"

"Er," Jay tried, but Erin held up her hand.

"No, Jay, this is…just like Bunny to pull a stunt like this." She trained her gaze on the social worker, "Does the person who my mother informed know that she spent the entirety of my childhood on drugs? That we hardly ever had water or heat or electricity, let alone a winter coat? That her never-ending parade of abusive boyfriends and husbands…" Erin trailed off, willing herself not to ram her fist into the hospital wall, "She is bitter and jealous that I won't see her. That I won't let Kate anywhere near her." Erin looked up at Jay, "I'm so, so, sorry babe."

"This isn't your fault," Jay said, "Bunny is a mess and is trying to drag you down with her."

"Not today," Erin spat, "Not ever." She looked back to the social worker, "I can assure you that my mother will never come near Kate again."

"I understand that, Detective Lindsay. We know that Kate is in very good hands." She offered a smile, "And we have passed along your adoption application to a judge, so hopefully she will be your daughter, officially."

"Thank you," Jay rubbed Erin's shoulder gently, "Come on babe, Kate is waiting for us."

"I-I can't go back in there now," Erin stuttered, "Not after my mother is the reason we're all in this mess." She looked up at Jay again, tears in her eyes, "The reason Kate is in the hospital is because of Bunny."

"We can deal with that later," Jay told her, "But right now, I know she's waiting for us and I am sure that Colleen will want to head back to her family."

Erin nodded and swallowed, quickly brushing the tears out of her eyes and forcing a smile to reenter the room. Kate instantly relaxed when her parents came back, gingerly lifting her arms for a hug. "Mm, I'm so happy to see you," Erin murmured, pressing her face into Kate's hair, "How are you feeling baby?"

"Missed you," Kate mumbled back, "How come you cryin'?"

Erin took a deep breath, "Because I am just so happy to have you back, my love. And soon, we're going home."

"Tonight even," Doctor Hansen stated, entering the room bearing Kate's chart, "If Kate is able to eat some food, I feel confident that she can get home tonight."

"Home with Mommy and Daddy?" Kate asked, again looking for confirmation that she was headed home with her parents.

"That's right," Colleen smiled, "And sweetheart, that means my job here is done. It was a pleasure getting to know you and I am so happy that you're going back to where you belong."

"Thank you," Kate whispered as the woman patted her hand lightly, "You nice."

Jay chuckled, "Colleen, thank you so much for taking care of her."

"You've got an amazing little girl," Colleen winked at Kate, "Best of luck, Jay, Erin."

"Thanks," Erin ran her fingers through Kate's hair, "I think we're going to be just fine."

Once Kate ate a few bites of sandwich and was able to keep it down, she was discharged from Northwestern Memorial. As Jay was about to settle Kate into her car seat like normal, the little girl held fast to her father, "No Daddy."

"What's wrong, kiddo?" Jay furrowed his brow, "Do you feel sick?"

Kate shook her head, "I-I-I wanna sit with you and Mommy."

"Oh, sweetheart, one of us has to drive. And it's not safe for you to sit without your car seat," Erin adjusted the hat atop her daughter's head, "But maybe Daddy could sit in the back with you? Maybe hold your hand?"

She nodded timidly, "B-but I can't see you from my seat."

"Hm, well if we move your car seat over to this side, then you can see Mommy driving, how about that?" Jay suggested, "And I'll sit right behind her so you can see me too."

"Okay," Kate breathed, "I just…I don't want you to go."

"Not to worry, baby," Erin re-positioned Kate's car seat on the opposite side of the car before climbing into the driver's seat, "Daddy and I are not going anywhere, okay? And we're almost home."

Yay! Fam's back together...and I think there may be a proposal in the next chapter but you'll have to wait and see!