9. Chapter 9

SO today I learned that if you update more than once in 24 hours, the story doesn't show up on the site (I think? I have literally no idea what I'm doing. If anyone has any idea on how make it show lmk)

ANYWAY enjoy a lil bit o' fluffy drama before the doozy coming up in a few chapters. Hang onto yer hats

"Have you thought about what you want to be for Halloween, Squirt?" Jay asked as he leaned against the countertop, thirstily drinking from a tall glass of water. He had been for an early morning run and was patiently waiting for Erin to finish the shower so he could get ready for work. After a near discovery by Kate last week, Erin was adamant that sex was only happening if their daughter was asleep. To take his mind of his girl in the shower, Jay focused on his daughter, who was finishing a small bowl of whole grain cheerios with banana slices. Work had been so hectic that the detectives barely had time to sit down for meals, let alone be together.

The little girl shook her head in response to her father's question. She had never heard of Halloween before the other children in preschool brought it up. When Erin and Jay explained trick-or-treating and costumes, Kate had been skeptical but willing to entertain a costume if Jay and Erin did too. "I don't know."

"Maybe an animal?" Jay suggested, setting the glass down on the counter, "Since you love animals?"

Kate nodded slowly, pondering the idea. "Maybe a tiger?"

"Yeah!" Jay grinned, "Anything you want. And you have a few weeks to decide, so you don't have to know just yet."

"What about you and Erin?" Kate asked, "You're gonna wear a costume too?"

Jay paused, remembering that he and Erin had told Kate they would wear costumes trick-or-treating as well. "Uh, well, I hadn't thought about it yet. What do you think?" He paused again, "What do you think about getting Erin to dress up as something really crazy?"

"Like a chicken," Kate supplied, nodding in agreement, "That would be silly."

"Why a chicken, Squirt?" Jay chuckled, "Why not a duck or a princess or a giant banana?"

"Because they walk so funny!" Kate exclaimed, bobbing her head like a chicken for effect, causing Jay to nearly choke on his water from laughter.

"Water is supposed to go in your mouth, not on the counter, Jay." Erin scolded jokingly, emerging from the bathroom and instantly reaching for the paper towels to wipe up Jay's mess. "What's so funny in here?"

"It's a secret." Jay managed, heading for the shower, "I'll be quick because we gotta get going!" Erin turned to the little girl, who popped the last piece of banana into her mouth.

"All done, baby?" Erin asked, helping her off the stool. "Did Jay ask you about what you wanted to be for Halloween?"

Kate nodded, slipping her hand in Erin's as they walked to her bedroom to get ready for school, "Jay said he's gonna wear a costume too."

"Oh did he now? What's he going to be?" Erin pulled open Kate's closet, holding up a pair of jeans that Kate nodded at and took.

"I think you should choose for him." Kate told her seriously, placing her pajamas in the hamper and pulling on the pair of jeans.

"Me?" Erin asked, giving Kate a choice between two long sleeve tops.

"Cause Jay always does what you say." Kate replied, picking the blue and white striped top, "I think if you told him to be a princess, he would do it."

Erin laughed, running a brush through Kate's hair. "You are too silly. Ready for school?"

Kate nodded, heading for the door to pull on her shoes. Erin yawned and followed, ready for another rough day on the job. They had been working intense hours for the past week, and Erin was already exhausted before her day had even begun.

It has been an exceptionally long week in the Intelligence Unit. The case that they closed allowed them to remove a one ton of bad heroin off the streets and guaranteed at least two of the major players would never see the sun again. The entire team was drained after a series of long nights, but Jay's worry was focused on Erin. She had dark circles under her eyes and appeared to be moving in slow motion, even allowing Jay to drive the whole day.

Since the case went late, Sergeant Platt had taken Kate for dinner and allowed the little girl to fall asleep in her lap while she was waiting for her parents to return. The exhaustion of the week seemed to catch up with her as well, not even waking up when Jay tucked her under the covers. "Woah," Jay gripped Erin's elbow as she faltered pulling off her boots, "Are you okay?"

"Fine. Just tired," Erin replied, kicking the boots so they lay haphazardly against the wall.

Jay eyed her suspiciously. "You're quite pale," he commented, reaching out to touch her cheek. She pulled back before he could make contact, turning on her heels and heading into the bedroom, shedding her tank top simultaneously.

"You really know how to make a girl feel pretty, Halstead," Erin sneered, her misplaced annoyance not carrying much weight due to the tiredness of her voice. She shimmied out of her dark jeans and tossed them on the floor, just to spite her neat-freak partner.

"Erin, that's not what I meant…" Jay trailed off, realizing he was embarking on an uphill battle that he was never going to win.

"It's October in Chicago. We'll be lucky if we see the sun in May," Erin scoffed, "I'm tired, it's fine, I'll sleep it off." Erin waved her hand flippantly, stumbling again as she attempted to change into her pajamas.

"You sure you're good, babe?" Jay asked, stripping off his shirt and settling under the covers. Trying to fight her would only end up with a lost argument and wasted time that he could have spent sleeping.

"Mm-hm," she replied, crawling into bed beside her partner, twisting her hair behind her head.

"You're slightly warm," Jay said, touching her cheek, and then putting the back of his hand to her forehead. She regarded him with glassy eyes before realizing that she was giving in to his sympathy.

"I'm okay, Jay," Erin moved his hand off her forehead. "I'm sorry, it's been a long week, I'm just really tired."

Jay took her hand in his, which was cold to the touch. "I don't know babe, I think you might be coming down with something."

She rolled her eyes. "Remember that time you thought I was getting sick but I was really just exhausted?"

Jay looked puzzled. "No."

"It's right now," She smirked, laying her head back comfortably on the pillow. "You know I love you." she whispered, closing her tired eyes.

"I love you too." Jay closed his eyes as well, and they both were asleep quickly.

Erin slept restlessly, tossing and turning in a fitful sleep. She flung the covers off her body at around three in the morning. The young detective was hot, so hot and the cool air in the apartment felt good on her flushed skin. Seeking comfort subconsciously, Erin rested her head on Jay's chest and wrapped her arm around his bare torso.

Jay awoke at four in the morning due to the pressure on his chest. Erin was whimpering slightly in her sleep and was clearly under the weather. She was sweaty, running a little more than a slight fever. Her hands were freezing but her face was hot, pink cheeks flushed and visible in the moonlight. Quietly and carefully, Jay adjusted her so that she would be more comfortable, and gently placed his cool hand on her damp forehead. He blindly reached for his cell phone with the other and dimmed the brightness before dialing his brother. "This better be good," Will mumbled into the receiver, voice thick with sleep.

"I think Erin's sick," Jay whispered, "She's definitely running a fever. Sweating like mad. Her hands are freezing and she's restless."

"You woke me up at four in the morning for a fever? Jesus Jay, people get sick. It's probably the flu. It's Erin, she's tough. She's going to be fine. Take her temperature in the morning. Call me if anything changes." Will disconnected the call. Jay relaxed somewhat, and pressed a kiss into his girl's hair before settling back in bed.

When Erin's phone buzzed at six, Jay reached over and silenced it. Despite all the moment and noise, she didn't even wake up. At twenty past seven, he sat up and gently roused her, determined to take her temperature and get some fluids in her. "Erin." He stroked her sweaty hair off her face, "Wake up babe."

"What?" Erin picked up her head and groaned as the daylight assaulted her eyes. "What time is it?"

"It's seven twenty," he told her, continuing the soothing motion, "But-"

"We have work," she moaned, attempting to sit up. "We have to wake up Kate, we have to drive her to school." Erin clutched her stomach, all color draining from her face.

"You're running a fever," Jay took her arm and brought his hand to her flushed cheek. "There's no way you can make it into work today. And it's Saturday, Kate doesn't have school."

"I-I-I I don't feel so good," Erin gripped her stomach again before leaning over and vomiting into the wastebasket that was luckily by her bedside.

"Oh babe," Jay held her sweaty locks and rubbed her back, "I'm sorry."

Erin shook her head and vomited again. "Ugh," she whimpered, setting the wastebasket on the floor and flopping back against the pillows in defeat.

"Come on, let's get you to the bathroom." Jay climbed out of bed and helped Erin stand, leading her to the bathroom, where she promptly threw up in the sink. Her knees went weak and she fell against her partner. "Woah, careful, Er." He held her by the waist because her feet couldn't seem keep her body upright. She fumbled for his hands, trying to find her balance through the intense nausea.

"I feel so gross," she groaned, holding her stomach and leaning back against her partner, unable to stand on her own. She folded against Jay when he adjusted his grip, so he held her tighter, attempting to lead her further into the bathroom.

"I know babe," Jay helped her sit down next to the toilet with her back against the shower door. He crouched next to her and held her hair back as she proceeded to throw up into the toilet.

When she finished, she turned her head into his shoulder, tears leaking out of her eyes. He softly stroked her sweaty hairline. "Do you want to go back to bed?" Jay asked, placing one of his hands on her stomach, "I'll give Will a call and see what he says we should do."

Erin shook her head and proceeded to throw up again. She rested her head against the cool porcelain, desperate for the small bathroom to stop spinning. Twice more and then she finally stopped. Her throat was raw and her whole body ached from the convulsions as she regarded Jay with heavy-lidded glassy eyes. "You need to wake up Kate," Erin slurred, her words sounding practically incoherent.

Jay raised his eyebrows. Maybe she was concussed or something, he thought. She did have quite the takedown the other day, and with her history of concussions he couldn't be too sure. "Erin, does your head hurt?" He knelt in front of her and looked into her wet, bloodshot eyes.

"Uh huh," she replied, dropping her forehead into her palm with a whimper.

"Are you dizzy?" Jay tilted her chin up. She winced at the brightness of the bathroom light.

"Little bit," she mumbled, closing her eyes once more, "I'm nauseous. I feel like crap."

"I know," Jay said sympathetically. He carefully felt her glands. "Your glands are swollen," he informed her, "Where does your stomach hurt?"

Erin weakly lifted her damp shirt, but didn't bother to indicate where her stomach hurt. "Does it hurt when I touch there?" Jay gently pressed on the lower left side of her abdomen. He may not be a doctor, but he picked up a few things when he was deployed in Afghanistan. She wasn't concussed but she was most definitely not just tired as she had insisted last night.

She shook her head, then winced in pain at the motion. "My head," she slurred, fumbling for Jay's arm. He reached out and Erin shakily clutched his forearm, "I've got a killer headache."

"Did you bang your head on anything?" He cupped her face with his cool hand, feeling the warmth radiating off her forehead.

"No," she replied, glassy eyes unable to focus on her partner's face, "Jay. You need to take Kate to school."

"It's Saturday," he repeated and placed the back of his hand to her forehead, "I need to put you into bed first. I don't want to leave you on the bathroom floor." Jay got off his knees and reached out to his girl. "Do you think you're going to be sick again?"

"Nuh-uh. But I don't want to get up," Erin let her head fall to her knees. "I don't want to move."

"Let's just get you into bed. Then you won't even have to open your eyes." Jay knelt down again and lifted his girl's head. "Come on babe, I need to wake up Kate."

Jay stood and helped Erin to her unsteady feet. He slowly walked her to the bed, Erin leaning into him with all her body weight. She clumsily stumbled against her partner, holding tightly to the arms wrapped around her waist. "Jay," she murmured after they stepped out of the bathroom, "I'm dizzy."

"We're almost to the bed." Jay gently guided her down to the mattress. "There you are." He placed a pillow under her head and a clean wastebasket by the bedside table. "I'm going to wake up Kate and call Will and Hank, okay? And I'm going to get some Advil, Gatorade and Ginger Ale for you, too."

"I'll be fine babe," Erin managed weakly, rolling onto her side.

Reluctantly, Jay made his way out of their bedroom and into Kate's. "Morning Squirt," he said, sitting down on her bed. The little girl was still asleep, clutching both the stuffed tiger and giraffe in the crook of her arm.

Kate blearily opened her eyes and looked at her bedside clock, then back to Jay. "It's eight. You have work right now," she informed him, very aware of her schedule. Jay smiled.

"I know. But Erin's pretty sick, so we're going to stay home today."

Kate sat up and regarded Jay urgently. "Is she okay?"

Jay sighed, not wanting to upset Kate. "She has a fever and a bad stomach ache," he explained, "She was throwing up this morning."

"Oh." Kate nodded, obviously alarmed. She glanced nervously to her bedroom door before realizing Erin was probably in her bed.

"I have to call Hank and let him know we won't be in today. Do you want to go watch a movie? I need to take care of Erin but then we can have breakfast, okay?"

Kate looked up at him, concern swimming in her eyes. "Can I say hi to her?"

"Well, she's probably sleeping right now, so maybe later. And Squirt, I really don't want you to get what she has. It doesn't look like much fun."

"I'll draw a picture then." Kate decided, getting out of bed, taking the stuffed animals with her.

Jay phoned his sergeant and let him know what was happening. Hank instructed Jay to stay home with his almost-daughter and to call if he need any help. After leaving message for Will to call him back as soon as he could, Jay grabbed a Gatorade bottle out of the cupboard and found a Ginger Ale in the fridge. When he entered the bedroom, Erin was lying in bed, curled up on her side with her arms wrapped around her waist. Jay's heart ached for his girl, who was usually so tough but looked so fragile. "Feeling any better?" he asked, sitting down on the bed and placing the drinks on the bedside table.

She shook her head and whimpered, still holding her stomach. He touched her forehead tenderly. "You're warmer," he sighed, getting up to grab the thermometer and ibuprofen from the first aid kit in the bathroom.

"Where's Kate?" Erin asked when he sat back down, uncapping the thermometer.

"Drawing a picture for you," Jay smiled. "Open." He stuck the thermometer in her mouth. "I told her she couldn't come in here, because I don't want her to catch what you've got." The thermometer beeped. "102.5," he told her, "Poor baby."

"Ugh." she moaned, "I hate this."

"How did I know you would be a grumpy patient," Jay smirked. "Let's get some medicine and fluids in you and then we can talk symptoms." He helped her sit up, but she lay back down almost instantly.

"I'm so dizzy," she told him, covering her eyes, "And my head hurts."

"You're dehydrated from vomiting. When I called Will last night he said it's probably just the flu," Jay stuck a straw in the Gatorade bottle. "Drink." he commanded, placing two brown tablets in her shaking hand.

She obliged, taking slow and small sips before shaking her head for no more. "You called Will last night?" Erin removed her hand from her face and winced at the morning light.

"Mm-hm. He wasn't thrilled that I woke him up but I was worried about you. Have some ginger ale, please." Jay put the straw in the second drink and gestured for her to take a few more sips. She rolled her eyes and sipped the fizzy drink carefully.

"You should have been a nurse," she commented, snuggling closer to him.

He chuckled. "I bet you're sleepy." he said. "I'm going to let you rest. Kate and I will be outside if you need anything, okay?"

She nodded, her eyelids closing. "Thanks," she murmured, settling back against the pillows.

Jay left the bedroom door ajar in case she needed anything and set about finding his daughter. "Squirt?" he called into the apartment, not finding the little girl in the living room like he had expected.

"In here." Kate replied from the kitchen. She was sitting at the breakfast bar, eating a peanut butter sandwich that she made herself. "How's Erin?"

"Still sick," Jay sighed and ran his hand over his face. He paused, glancing at the sandwich, "Did you make breakfast by yourself?"

Kate nodded, suddenly alarmed that she may have done something she wasn't supposed to. "I'm sorry," Kate rushed out, pushing the plastic plate away from her, "I-I couldn't reach the cereal or the milk and I didn't w-want to bother you cause Erin's sick-"

"Hey, hey, no need to be sorry," Jay reassured her, "I'm impressed you did it yourself."

She sighed in relief. "And I made one for you, too." She gestured to a peanut butter and jelly sandwich that was sitting on a plastic plate on the counter by the coffee machine.

"Wow, you are the best," Jay took a bite of the sandwich, "And this is delicious! What kind of movie do you want to watch?"

"An animal one." Kate declared, slipping off the chair carefully and standing on her tiptoes to put her plate in the sink. "But I think you need some coffee."

"That I do." Jay chuckled and started the machine. He scooped up his little girl and headed for the couch to watch a movie.