64. Chapter 64

Ah so sorry for being the worst and taking forever. Lots of family time in this chapter to make up for it :) Got a lot of drama coming so get ready!

"Daddy?"

"Hey there, Squirt," Jay whispered, holding her closer to his chest as he quietly shuffled out of her bedroom, "I thought we could use a sleepover."

The little girl had been fast asleep when Erin had woken up on the couch, but Jay knew how badly his fiancé wanted to be with their daughter. "Where's Mommy?" Kate mumbled, eyes barely cracked open, "I thought she was comin' home."

"She's home, kiddo, waiting for you." Jay kissed the top of Kate's head and padded into their bedroom, "Hey babe, look who I found."

Kate widened her eyes tiredly, "Mommy?"

"Hi baby." Erin sat up straighter in bed and extended her arms to her partner, "I missed you."

"Mommy," Kate breathed, relaxing against her mother's chest as Jay gently passed her over, "I missed you."

"Oh, I missed you more," Erin cooed, burying her face in Kate's soft hair, "I missed you so much." Her voice hitched as she held Kate closer, "I'm sorry for waking you up."

Kate didn't respond, appearing to already be succumbing to sleep as she snuggled against her mother. "She's almost asleep, Er," Jay murmured, climbing under the covers, unable to keep the smile off his face, "Don't worry."

Erin leaned back against the pillows, unwilling to remove the tiny body from atop her torso. "I'm so glad to be home," she whispered, kissing the top of Kate's head again, "I'm so glad."

"Me too," Jay mumbled, closing his eyes as Erin settled against him, their baby in her arms, "We're so happy to have you back."

When Erin awoke, she felt rested for the first time in a week. Her daughter was still fast asleep on her chest, head snuggled underneath her chin. She tilted her head up slightly, expecting for her eyes to rest on her fiancé's baby blues.

Instead, Jay was all the way at the other end of the bed, snoring loudly. That is what had woken her up, she thought as she squinted, trying to discern what time it was. Normally, Jay was her body pillow and her head was nestled in the crook of his neck. Instead, Jay was as far from his family as he could be without being off the bed. Erin reached a hand out to her partner, but frowned when she made contact with his warm body.

Jay was always a hot body, but this morning, he felt closer to feverish. Erin frowned again, realizing that her little girl, who was finally healthy, was in close proximity to Jay, who appeared to be running a slight fever. She grunted slightly and hoisted herself off the bed, Kate in her arms, and shuffled across the apartment toward Kate's bedroom. "Mommy?" Kate mumbled, still koala-ed onto her mother as Erin entered her bedroom, "What's goin' on?"

"We're gonna let Daddy sleep in a bit today, hm?" Erin whispered, easing herself onto Kate's bed and kissing the top of her child's head. She smiled at the fact that her baby had yet to release her, "We're gonna snuggle in your bed for a bit, how does that sound?"

"Mm," Kate replied, shivering slightly as Erin pulled the cool sheets over them and snuggling closer, "Daddy didn't do much sleepin' e-der. We were missin' you too much."

When Erin awoke a few hours later, her baby girl was still sandwiched against her. Instead of waking Jay up in the process of making breakfast, Erin decided that she and Kate would go on a special breakfast date and maybe take a trip to the grocery store.

"I'm so glad you comed home," Kate said brightly, offering a smile from the backseat of the Sierra, "Me and Daddy missed you lots."

"I missed you guys too," Erin smiled and glanced in the rearview mirror at her little girl, "What did you and Daddy do while I was in New York?"

"We played with Goose a lot," Kate said after thinking for a moment, "Daddy getted me from school early and we went to the park but I falled." She gestured to her knees and then looked up at the back of her mother's head, "But I missed you so much."

Erin smiled sadly, reflecting on how the little girl she had met less than a year ago was now a permanent blessing in her life, and how much she had truly missed her while she was away. "How about we get some French toast, hm?"

"How come we didn't wake up Daddy?" Kate asked as Erin helped her with the clasps on the car seat, "He likes eggs and French toast too."

"I know he does, babes, but I thought it would be good to let Daddy sleep a bit more this morning. He seemed really tired last night." Erin gave Kate a kiss on the top of her head before helping her down to the ground, "You know how Daddy always lets me sleep in when I'm feeling tired?"

Kate nodded slowly, holding tightly to Erin's hand as they crossed the parking lot, "Well, it's just like that. Daddy was sleepy last night, and this morning he was still sleepy, so I wanted to make sure he got a good rest in. Plus, I thought it would be fun for you and me to have a special diner date, hm?"

A smile spread across Kate's lips, "Yeah! 'Cause it was just me and Daddy for so long." She paused and glanced up at Erin before they entered the diner, "But…we gonna go back to Daddy, right?"

"Of course," Erin assured her, pulling open the door, "Right after we have some French toast and pick up a few things at the grocery store, sound good?"

Jay rolled over and dragged a hand across his face. He had woken up in the middle of the night relieved to have his girl back home, but feeling overheated with all the bodies in the bed. When he woke up again, he instantly sat up, as he was never the last to wake up. He was about to vacate the bed when his hand brushed a take-out menu with a note scrawled on the back.

Morning, babe. You felt feverish this AM, so Kate and I are having breakfast and picking up groceries. Love you.

He sighed and lay back against the pillows, the pounding in his head becoming more prominent. He had needed a good nights rest. Jay cursed under his breath upon realizing that his daughter and fiancé had spent the night beside him. The last thing he wanted was for Kate to get sick, and Erin's last bout with the flu had freaked him out far too much to experience the same thing.

Jay reached for his cell on the night table and instead nearly knocked over a glass of water. Two ibuprofen sat beside the glass, along with a bottle of Gatorade with a post it note that read "Drink me". He managed a smile and downed the pills before leaning back against the pillows. Erin had texted him a few adorable photos of Kate diving into a stack of waffles, so he allowed the medicine to help as he relaxed.

"Hey babe," Erin dropped her keys next to her partners and shed her coat, "Feel good to be back?"

"You have no idea," Jay replied as he emerged from the bathroom, clad in a dress shirt with the towel wrapped around his waist, "I forgot how under cover just really takes it out of ya. I'm beat."

"Well, I come bearing takeout and beer," Erin held up the brown bag of Chinese takeout and a six pack of Jay's favorite beer with the other hand, "Thought you might want just a quiet night in."

"Yeah, but I got us reservations at the Purple Pig, remember?" Jay raised his eyebrows in surprise, "For that bet I lost to you?"

Erin set the six pack and the food on the counter before turning to face her partner. She slowly crossed over and laid a hand delicately on his chest. "Jay, you just worked undercover in a really rough case, I just thought it might be better if we stayed in. Maybe watched a movie?"

Jay glanced down at his girl in awe, smile spreading on his lips. How she could read his mind and know exactly what he needed never ceased to amaze him. "You're an angel," he breathed, resting his lips against her forehead, "My angel."

She chuckled softly and grazed her fingertips over his chest again, "You wanna go put on something a little more comfortable while I get the food plated up? Promise I won't burn anything down in your absence."

He nodded and retreated to the bedroom, fumbling with the buttons on his shirt as he walked. It really had been an incredibly long week for the unit, with Jay undercover at the shelter and all the unfortunate discoveries they found. Jay could tell that Erin had been deeply affected by the horrific experiences so many of the young women were forced to ensure, eerily reminding her of her own tumultuous childhood and teenage years, as well as Nadia's. She had been incredibly strong, even stoic, throughout the week, while Jay felt like he was coming undone at the seams.

"Mm," Jay mumbled with appreciation as he scooped fried rice into his mouth. A few pieces dropped on his lap as he brought the fork to his lips. "So good," he said, mouth full of takeout, "So good."

"Yeah, so good you're getting it all over yourself," Erin passed him a napkin, a teasing lilt to her voice, "You up for a movie?"

"Uh huh," he nodded, pushing the empty plate away from him, "That was just what I needed."

"Okay, your turn to pick something out," Erin declared, taking the plates to the kitchen, "I'll clean up, you find something."

"I actually get to pick the movie?" Jay asked incredulously, "But-but you always pick."

She turned and gave a smirk, "I do not. I just said it was your turn." Erin paused, "But please no creepy documentaries, okay babe? Those clockmakers really freaked me out."

"I can work with that." He gingerly got up from the table and walked to the couch, not realizing that his partner was watching.

"What's wrong?" Erin asked, removing her hands from the sudsy gloves and placing them on her thin hips, "Why are you limping?"

"I'm fine," Jay batted his hand, scrolling through movie options on Netflix with the other, "You comin' over?" He settled on one and hit play.

"Not until you tell me why you were limping." Erin folded her arms across her chest, "What happened?"

"It's nothing really, babe. Just the new boots, they made my feet hurt. I'll be fine tomorrow, but come on, let's just watch." Jay patted the couch next to him, "You can put your ass right next to mine, Lindsay."

Erin huffed and marched over to the couch, not even pausing to look at the screen before pushing Jay over so that he was no longer upright with his back against the cushions, but tilted on his side. "What?" He looked up at her in surprise, "You said I could pick the movie!"

"I know," Erin sank down on the other end of the couch and hoisted one of his feet up so that his shin was across her lap, "You also were limping."

"You're gonna rub my feet?" Jay widened his eyes in surprise.

Erin flashed a soft smile, "Jay, you had a rough week. And you are always there for me. The least I could do is make your feet hurt a little less." She dug her thumbs into his aching soles, smiling as he closed his eyes in appreciation.

"You really are my angel," he mumbled, settling against the cushions.

"Okay, baby, I got the groceries, you head to the bathroom," Erin instructed, holding the reusable bags in one arm, holding the door open with the other. Kate nodded, clearly desperate to go, and hurried across the living room.

"Hey," Jay called from the couch, turning the game on mute and turning to his partner, "How was breakfast?"

"Delicious," she replied, kicking the front door closed with her foot, "How are you feeling, babe?"

"I'm good," Jay insisted, raising his arms in defense, "Really."

"You were running a fever this morning," Erin shot back, crossing the living room after depositing the groceries on the kitchen counter. She furrowed her brow slightly at Jay's pink cheeks and brought a hand to his forehead before he could protest, "Still a little warm."

"I just woke up," Jay replied, standing quickly from his spot on the couch, "I'm fine, babe, really. Just needed a good night's sleep."

Erin scowled, "Yeah, right."

"I'm fine, Er, promise," he argued, stretching slightly, "I took the ibuprofen, but I'm not sick."

"Daddy!" Kate exclaimed as she emerged from the bathroom, grin spread across her cheeks, "Me and Mommy getted groceries and we got waffles too!"

"Oh really?" Jay grinned. "Well, that sounds like fun. How about we build a castle too, hm?"

"Yeah!" She scampered over to her father, ready to give him a hug.

As much as he wanted to wrap his little girl up in his arms, he didn't want to get her sick. "Hold up Squirt, I-I don't want you to get sick."

Kate stopped in her tracks, while Erin smirked at her partner. "You sick?" Kate asked, glancing up at Erin worriedly, "Daddy's sick?"

Oops, Jay thought with a slight grimace. He shot a desperate look to his fiancé.

"Just a bit under the weather, baby," Erin assured her, lifting the child into her embrace, hoping to avoid a panic on the little girl's part, "But he's feeling better after he slept in. I think just relaxing on the couch would be good, don't you think so too, babe?"

"Sounds good to me," Jay offered a smile, "I'm okay, Squirt. Promise."

"We get Daddy blankets?" Kate asked her mother, looking back worriedly at her father, "We don't gotta call Uncle Will?"

"Blankets would be good," Erin smiled, tucking a few loose tentrils behind Kate's tiny ears, "And I don't think we need to call Will. Daddy's on the mend already." She turned to Jay, "Halstead, why don't you park yourself over on the couch, and Kate and I will over in a second?"

He nodded and resumed his spot, glancing over to the kitchen where the two ladies in his life were conspiring against him.

"Does Daddy need ice pack?" Kate whispered, "Like when you got your head hurt?"

"Hm," Erin tapped her chin, "I don't think so, but maybe an apple juice? Do you want to bring Daddy a juice box?"

Kate nodded and accepted the carton from her mother. "How 'bout crackers?"

"Great idea," Erin affirmed, reaching into the cupboard for a package of Saltines. "Anything else?"

"You gonna make Daddy tea?" Kate suggested, "With lemons?"

"I will. And you know what, I may make some for me too. Would you like some?" Erin placed a hand on the fridge handle to get a lemon.

Kate smiled, but it quickly left her face. "Wait! There's a surprise in the fridge."

Erin raised her eyebrows, "A surprise?"

The little girl peeked around the kitchen, "Daddy, Mommy's gonna see the surprise!"

"That's okay, kiddo," Jay assured her, quickly getting to his feet, "Tomorrow is Mommy's birthday, so I think it would be okay if she saw the surprise today. Plus, we made it yesterday and we don't want it to get old."

The smile returned to Kate's face, "Okay, Mommy you can look!"

"I can? Are you sure?" Erin asked, grin on her lips. She caught her partner's gaze, whose eyes, despite the low-grade fever, were twinkling with anticipation.

"Go ahead, babe," Jay instructed.

Erin pulled open the refrigerator door to reveal a cake, perfectly frosted and decorated with blue sprinkles on the top. "Happy birthday, Mommy!" Kate cheered, bouncing up and down slightly, "Me and Daddy made you a cake!"

"Wow!" Erin exclaimed, reaching into the fridge to remove the confection, "You two did all this?" She placed it on the counter and boosted Kate into her arms, "Thank you my love."

"Daddy helped me frost but I got to do all the mixin'," Kate said proudly. She looked over at her father, who was leaning against the fridge door smiling. "And we got the res-py from Grandpa Hank."

"Really?" Erin looked to Jay in surprise, "You got Camille's cake recipe out of Hank?"

"We did," Jay confirmed, "Took a little convincing, but Hank agreed to it."

"Well, I cannot wait to eat it," Erin said, placing Kate on the kitchen counter, "Should we wait until tomorrow though?"

Kate thought for a minute, "Til Daddy's feelin' better, den he can give you a kiss." She grinned cheekily.

"Mm, that sounds perfect," Erin agreed, "But I'll take kisses from you now."

Kate giggled and wrapped her arms around her mother's neck, "I love you, Mommy."

"I love you too, baby. And you too, Halstead." Erin reached a hand out, "Even when you're sick and germy." She pulled on his t shirt, bringing him closer to the shoulder opposite to where she was holding her little girl. "I think we can make an exception." Erin kissed his lips tenderly.

"Babe, you'll get sick too." Jay pulled back, "The last time you had the flu scared the hell out of me."

"I'll be fine," Erin insisted, kissing him again, "I just missed you, okay?"

"Missed you," Jay mumbled, pulling back again. "We did okay, didn't we, Squirt?"

Kate nodded, "We played with Goose a whole lot."

"That explains the dog hair," Erin chuckled, "Alrighty, Halstead. Couch for you. We'll be there in a minute okay?"

"Mm," Jay replied, shuffling to the couch, "Don't be long. I always feel better when I'm with my girls."

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