71. Chapter 71

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"Mommy?" Kate asked over her bowl of cheerios, looking expectantly at Erin. Her mother was clutching the mug of coffee like it was her lifeline and had zoned out, staring at the closed bathroom door where her partner was taking a shower. Following his admission that his father had passed, Jay lay in Erin's lap for what felt like hours while she tried to provide as much comfort as possible. His relationship with his father was complicated, but it hurt nonetheless.

Erin had been able to convince him that sleep was more important, that the details of his father's burial and alerting people who he knew could wait until the morning. Instead of sleeping, Erin lay awake beside her fiancé, listening to his heartbreaking dreams while he slept. It was a miracle he could sleep at all, but she knew it was anything but restful.

They decided that they'd tell Kate together, so Erin was waiting for him to emerge from the shower. Her baby could tell that something was up.

"Hi, baby," Erin replied after clearing her throat, "Sorry about that. I was just thinking."

"Bout Daddy?" Kate hedged, glancing at the bathroom door that her mother had been staring at, "You worried 'bout him?"

She nodded and tried to force a smile, "A bit, yeah. Could you tell?"

Kate scooped a spoonful of cheerios into her mouth and nodded thoughtfully. She swallowed, "Cause I been worryin' 'bout Daddy too."

"You don't need to worry about me, Squirt," Jay said, coming out of the bathroom in a clean t shirt and pair of jeans. "I'm alright."

She furrowed her brow slightly and turned to Erin, then back to Jay, "H-how come you look worried?"

Jay and Erin exchanged glances. "Well, kiddo, um, my dad died last night. While he was sleeping. So I'm going to need to make a few calls today, but um, everything is alright with us, I promise." He offered a smile, "You don't need to worry about me."

Kate looked even more worried than before, "B-but your daddy died?"

"He did," Jay nodded, "He was sick and after fighting pretty hard, eventually, it was his time. And me and Uncle Will, we were able to spend the last few days with him. So he died with his family and he's at peace now."

The little girl wrapped her arms around Jay's neck and held tightly, "I'm sorry 'bout your daddy," she whispered. Erin gave a watery smile to Jay, both of them impressed with Kate's ability to handle death.

"Thank you, sweetheart," Jay kissed the top of her head, "You know, all I really want to do today is to spend some time with my girls. Does that sound okay to you?"

She nodded, "That would make you feel better?" Kate asked, "Spendin' time with me and Mommy?"

"That always makes me feel better," Jay replied, reaching over the counter to squeeze Erin's hand, "I have to make a few phone calls, but maybe we could head to the part a bit later?"

"How about a game of hide and seek?" Jay suggested after wiping his hands dry on the dish towel. It was absolutely pouring outside, the April showers finally turning from snow to rain. He could tell that his little girl was itching for something to do, having abandoned her coloring sheet in favor of helping him finish the dishes while Erin was in the shower.

Jay had made the calls he needed to in respect to his father's passing. The older man did not have many friends, so notifying people between him and Will was done relatively quickly. After doing the dishes, Jay had hoped that the sky would have cleared, but instead it chose to rain, fitting with the day.

Kate looked up at him curiously, "Hide 'n seek?"

A grin spread across Jay's lips, "It was my favorite game as a kid. Uncle Will and I used to play all the time." He glanced around the apartment, "Basically, one of us covers our eyes and counts to twenty, and the other people go find a hiding spot somewhere in the apartment. Then, the counter gets to go looking for the hiders and whoever gets found last, gets to be the counter next time."

The little girl furrowed her brow as she contemplated the game, "Okay!" she said finally, "Is Mommy gonna play too?"

"Of course I want to play!" Erin piped up, emerging from the bathroom while combing her damp hair out with her fingers, "What are we playing?"

"Hide and seek," Jay supplied, "Babe, do you want to hide first while Kate and I count together? Just so we can demonstrate?"

Erin's eyes twinkled at her partner's enthusiasm. "Sure. How long do I have?"

Jay turned to Kate. "What do you think Squirt? Twenty seconds long enough?"

The little girl nodded and delicately placed her hands over her eyes. "No peeking!" Erin called over her shoulder as Jay began to count out loud, Kate chiming in as well.

Erin stepped behind the bathroom door and waited for the number to reach twenty. She grinned to herself as Jay instructed Kate on where to look. "Maybe behind the closet?" Jay suggested, trailing after Kate as she glanced around.

Instead of opening the closet door, Kate let out a squeal, "I see Mommy, she's behind the baf-room door!"

"Great job kiddo!" Jay praised, fully opening the door to reveal his partner, "You found Mommy!"

"Now we hide?" Kate asked excitedly, already gearing up for her turn.

"That's right. You guys hide, I'll count," Erin said, unable to keep the smile off her face at her daughter's excitement.

Twenty seconds later, Jay was crouched behind the kitchen cupboards while Kate was standing behind the blue curtains, trying to remain as still as possible. Though Erin noticed Kate immediately, she pretended that she couldn't and proceeded to locate her fiancé first. "I can't find Kate," Erin said seriously, "She's not in her room or anywhere!"

"Hm," Jay said playfully, "I don't see her either."

Kate let out a giggle. "Is that a little squirt I hear?" Jay said, moving toward the curtain, "Erin, did you hear that?"

"Gotcha!" Erin exclaimed, pulling back the curtain, "Great hiding place baby. You almost fooled me."

Kate squealed again, "I count this time now?"

While their little girl patiently counted to twenty, Erin hid within the hallway closet, while Jay, struggling to find a place for his larger body, decided to hide behind Kate's bedroom door. "Twenty!" Kate called out, removing her hands from her eyes and glancing around the apartment, "I'm comin'!"

She peered into her parents room first, in their closet, in the bathroom and under the bed, but neither Erin or Jay could be found. Instinct and bad memories kicked in as Kate scurried across the living room to her own bedroom. She searched under her bed and in the closet, but couldn't find her parents anywhere. "I-I don't wanna play anymore," Kate called out, lower lip trembling, "C-can you come out?" Tears quickly made their way down her cheeks, "I don't wanna play."

In an instant, Jay stepped from behind the bedroom door and Erin emerged from the closet. "What's wrong, baby?" Erin asked, sinking to Kate's level and stroking the tears off her cheeks, "You were having such a good time a minute ago."

"I-I-I didn't like when I couldn't find you," Kate hiccupped, wrapping her arms around her mother tightly, "I didn't like it."

It was then when everything clicked in Jay's brain and he felt royally stupid. Of course hide and seek was a terrible choice for a child like Kate, who had spent the majority of her life in isolation and was terrified of not being able to find her parents, people who she finally trusted. "Oh, I'm so sorry kiddo," he swallowed, "I wasn't thinking right when I suggested the game. I didn't mean for you to get scared."

Kate shuddered against Erin, relaxing as she knew where her parents were, "I-I didn't mean to get sad," she whispered, "I just like bein' able to see you guys."

Erin kissed Kate's forehead and held her closer, "Of course, baby. We get that. And it's okay to get sad or scared." She stroked Kate's hair back, "You've been through a lot for just being a kid, okay?"

She nodded, "Maybe we play Legos instead?"

"You and Halstead pick a date yet?" Hank asked after a sip of coffee. He and Erin were sitting at a diner on a Tuesday morning at their bi weekly breakfast date. It had begun years ago back when she was on patrol and was assigned to work Sunday nights during the Voight family dinner and continued into her thirties. Even after she saw her almost-father every day at work and had breakfast every Sunday with her boyfriend-turned-fiancé and their daughter, the breakfast every other Tuesday was special.

She shook her head, mouth full of omelet. Erin swallowed, "We um, well, I, want to adopt Kate first. So once the ink is dry there, we'll start thinking about everything else. But she's the most important part." She offered a smile in response to her father figure's kind eyes, "What?"

"Nothin'," Hank replied, taking a sip of his coffee, "Just that you're growing up is all. I mean, fifteen years ago you were barely surviving, living on the streets. And now, you're gettin' married and you've got a kid of your own. I'm proud of you, Erin, I really am."

She grinned, "Who knew you could be such a softie?"

Hank grunted in response, "Eat your breakfast, kid. Gonna take a lot more than a few bites of omelet if you're going to raise a brood."

Erin rolled her eyes and picked at the potatoes, "Please, Kate is probably the most well behaved kid that ever existed. I can't imagine her raising anything like the hell Justin and I did." She smiled wistfully, "You and Camille certainly had your hands full."

He nodded, "You've brought that little girl back from the brink, Erin. You and Halstead really turned her around. God knows what would have happened to her if you didn't take her in."

"Could say the same thing about me," Erin reminded him, "And-" She was cut off by the crackling of her radio, alerting local police that there was reported drunk and disorderly not two blocks from where they were. She raised her eyebrows at her sergeant, who tossed a few bills on the table and pulled his keys out of his jacket pocket. "50-21 Lincoln, responding," Erin replied into the radio, "We're two blocks out."

"It'll be our good deed for the day," Hank said, heading for the door.

"Mm," Erin replied, "That's what Olinksy said that time we found all those dead girls when we responded to a foul odor."

Hank grunted and Erin followed him out of the diner and jumped into the Escalade after radioing back that she and Hank were on their way. "It's a taco truck? Someone is drunk at eight in the morning at a taco truck?"

"Chicago," Hank said in response, "Never ceases to amaze me."

Sure enough, there was a significant amount of commotion surrounding a local taco truck that was in a parking lot surrounded by a few tables and chairs. Hank and Erin quickly disembarked, ushering the disturbed patrons away, "Chicago Police!" Hank called out, "Come on out, we're here to help you."

"I've got a gun!" The man slurred, still hidden within the truck, "I've gotta gun and I'm not afraid to use it."

"He's got a gun? Dude just burst into the truck," the cook informed Erin, wiping his hands on his apron, "Didn't know anything about no gun."

"Just get back sir, please," Erin instructed, "50-21 Lincoln, offender is armed, repeat, offender is armed." She shot a look over to her sergeant, "Careful, Hank."

"This is the Chicago police. Come out with your hands above your head and everything will be okay," Hank said, "My name is Sergeant Hank Voight."

"Fuck off, Sergeant Hank Voight," the man garbled from behind the truck, "Fuck off."

Sirens wailed in the background and the sound of tires squealing to a stop was heard as Burgess and Olinsky pulled up. "Nobody needs to get hurt here," Hank insisted, "Come out with your hands up."

"We got this," Olinksy said, coming behind Erin, "You need to vest up." He approached the truck, closer to where Voight was standing, "Come on out man, show us your hands."

"Gun!" Hank shouted. Almost in slow motion, the disturbed man fired a shot, which Hank quickly returned.

"Erin!" Burgess shouted, rushing toward the detective who had fallen to ground.

Hank's world had flipped upside down.

He sat in the back of the ambulance, gripping his girl's hand tightly within his own. "Stay with me, kid," he instructed, swallowing thickly at the sight of the blood that stained her grey top, "Stay with me."

"Erin!" Burgess' scream caused all the hairs on Hank's arm to stand up. Erin? Not his Erin.

In an instant, Olinksy was at Erin's side, crimson spreading across her shoulder as she lay sprawled on the ground. Blood quickly seeped through her leather jacket, her light brown locks turning a sickly shade of red as she groaned, trying to speak. "Hey, hey, hey, Erin," Olinksy said calmly as he could, shedding his jacket and pressing it on his fellow detective, "Burgess, call an ambo!"

"Stay with me, kid," Olinksy begged as Erin grunted, pain ripping through her body, "Stay with me."

"Erin!" Hank shouted, closing the space between him and his girl as quickly as possible, "That bastard."

"Hey," Olinksy caught Hank's jacket, his hands stained red with blood. Erin's blood. "C'mon man. Not now. You gotta take care of your girl."

He swallowed and squeezed Erin's hand, applying pressure to the wound on her shoulder, "You're going to be alright kid. I'm here."

Erin's eyes lazily fluttered open as the ambulance sped through the streets, disrupting the morning commute of many. Dawson had fastened an oxygen mask to Erin's unconscious features so she couldn't speak. "Ugh," she groaned in obvious discomfort.

"Hey, hey, hey," Hank cooed, stroking her blood stained hair off her face, "You're okay, but you were shot. We're getting you into surgery in a few."

Her eyes went wild as she realized where she was. "Platt's picking up Kate and bringing her right to the hospital. Halstead's going to meet us there. You're going to be okay, Erin."

"J-Jay?" Erin managed, as if to confirm that her partner would be notified, "J-" She let out a squeak of pain.

"I know, kiddo, I know," Hank was trying his best to maintain his composure, but watching his girl writhe in pain and distress in the back of an ambulance was rapidly undoing him, "Hang in there."

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