60. Chapter 60

Next one should be coming up quick - I've got a few things planned but I'll try to get some good karma going first ;)

"It's finally not freezing out!" Erin exclaimed as she disembarked from the Sierra, "It's like, 34 degrees."

"Ah, Chicago in April," Jay mused, stuffing his hands in his pockets, "When 34 degrees feels a warm summer day."

"Are the ducks gonna be back at the pond?" Kate asked excitedly while Erin helped her with the clips on her car seat, "Are they flyin' back yet?"

"I'm not sure, kiddo," Jay said honestly, taking Kate's backpack from the back seat, "But if we see any ducks, we'll be sure to go to the pond so you can feed them."

"On Sunday with Grandpa Hank?" She looked up at Erin hopefully, "After breakfast?"

"Sure, baby," Erin leaned down and kissed the top of Kate's head, "I bet he would like that."

"Sergeant Platt's comin' to get me from school, right?" The little girl furrowed her brow concernedly, "And you and Daddy gonna be at the district, right?"

"That's right," Erin affirmed, "And then Daddy's going to bring you home, and I'm going to go see my friend Annie because I haven't seen her in a long, long time. But then I'll be home later to give you a kiss goodnight."

"Even if I'm already sleepin'?" Kate asked worriedly, "Wh-what if you come home after I gotta go to bed?"

"I'll still check on you and give you a kiss," Erin promised, "And Daddy's going to be at home with you, so there's nothing to worry about. And I have my phone too, so if you need me for anything, you can give me a call."

"But there's not gonna be no 'mergencies, right?"

Ever since Erin's miscarriage, Kate's concerns for an impending "emergency" had increased significantly. The little girl was constantly worried that another issue would arise, and that neither Jay nor Erin would be there to help her. They were doing their best to assure her that emergencies were not a regular occurrence, but their anxious child continued to worry. "No emergencies, baby," Erin leaned down to kiss the top of Kate's head again, "You're going to have a good day at school and then tomorrow morning you can tell me all about it, does that sound good?"

She nodded again as Jay held open the school door, "Daddy, you gonna be at the district, right?"

"I think so, kiddo. We're working through a case right now, so I may have to step out, but I'll be around and on my phone." He squatted down so he could look his child in the eyes, "Everything's going to be just fine, alright? You don't need to worry."

"'kay," Kate said finally, wrapping her little arms around Jay's neck, "See you later, Daddy."

"I love you, kiddo." Jay lifted her in his arms and held her tightly, "We love you so much."

"Have a fun day, baby," Erin extended her arms so that Jay could pass Kate to her. She accepted the little girl into her embrace, inhaling deeply as Kate held fast to her neck, "I love you, and I'll see you tonight, okay?"

"Love you too." Kate whispered, pulling back with a smile, "Tell Grandpa Hank I say hi!"

"Daddy, Daddy!" Kate raced across the bullpen toward her father and wrapped her tiny arms around his legs before he could register that she had arrived. She clung to his jeans and looked up at him expectantly.

"Hey, kiddo," Jay smoothed a hand over Kate's soft hair, "How was your day?"

"I got a little sleepy," Kate replied honestly, rubbing her eyes with one fist, "But den Sergeant Platt came to get me, and we got to take Goose for a walk!"

"A walk, huh?" He boosted the child into his arms and set her on his hip, "It was that nice out?"

Kate nodded furiously, "Yes, yes, even though Sergeant Platt said it was a little chilly, we still got to go. And I got to hold the leash!"

"Wow," Jay mused, kissing the side of Kate's head, "That sounds like a great afternoon. And you know what? I think we can head home early."

"Really?" Kate broke into a wide grin, "Mommy already left?"

"Yep, but she'll be home later tonight," Jay promised, "How about we get your backpack from Sergeant Platt, and then we can head home? I think we could make homemade pizza tonight."

"Okay!" Kate squealed as he tickled her gently, "How come Grandpa Hank's not in his office?"

"He had to go meet with a CI, I believe," Jay glanced into his boss's empty office, "But we'll see him on Sunday, sound good?"

"'kay," Kate agreed, planting both feet on the floor as Jay set her down, "I get my backpack?"

"Yep, I'm just going to wrap a few things up here, and how about I meet you downstairs with Sergeant Platt?"

Kate nodded again, scurrying out of the bullpen and down the steps. "She seems to be doing well," Antonio smiled, clapping Jay on the back as he exited the break room with a cup of coffee, "Can't believe it's the same kid that you brought here ten months ago."

"I know," Jay mused, grinning in response as he donned his jacket, "I mean, she's come so far." He gave another smile, "Still can't believe she's mine."

"They grow up fast," the older detective warned, taking a seat behind his desk, "You blink your eyes and suddenly they're in high school."

"Don't remind me," Jay said, tapping on Antonio's desk as he exited, "See you tomorrow, man."

"Kate?" Jay glanced around the Sergeant's desk downstairs, unable to locate his child, "Sarge?"

"Back here," Platt called, poking her head from around the corner, cell phone pressed to her ear, "We were just getting Goose ready to go spend the weekend with Garcia, when he cancelled on me. I gotta find someone to take this dog."

"Oh," Jay nodded, watching as Kate stroked Goose's coat with her small hands. "Kate, kiddo, did you find your backpack?"

"Uh-huh," Kate gestured to the small green backpack by the door, "I gotta say bye to Goose now?"

Jay nodded again, "But you'll see him on Monday after school, so not too long."

"'kay," Kate wrapped her arms around the seated dog, "Bye Goose."

"Hey, Halstead, why don't you take the dog this weekend?" Platt asked, widening her eyes at the young detective, "You like dogs, right?"

"Yeah but uh-" Jay stammered, looking from the large dog to his sergeant, "We-we don't have a yard and Erin-"

"Oh, come on, it's just the weekend," Platt hedged, removing the cell phone from her ear, "Kate, tell your Daddy that your mommy would be totally okay if you two brought Goose home for the weekend. I mean Halstead, nobody's going to say no to those two faces." Platt gestured to Goose and Kate, whose faces both lit up with excitement.

"We could take Goose to our home?" Kate exclaimed, practically bouncing up and down with excitement, "Really, Sergeant Platt, really?"

"Well, you gotta ask your dad," Platt smirked at Jay, who gave an aspirated sigh, "My building doesn't allow dogs."

"He's a service dog so technically he should be allowed anywhere," Jay replied, "And kiddo, I don't know, we don't have a place for him to run around or a yard for him to play in…"

The little girl's face fell, but she seemed to understand. "It's a favor to me," Platt interrupted, "I can't bring him home with me, and your kid is great with him." She widened her eyes in insistence, "Just the weekend, Halstead."

Jay let out another sigh, glancing back to the dog and his daughter. "Alright. We'll take him."

"Really?" Kate squealed, launching herself into Jay's arms, "Really, Daddy? Goose comin' home with us this weekend?"

Jay couldn't stop the grin from spreading across his cheeks. "Yeah, Squirt, he is. Just this weekend, though."

Kate pulled back, "But wait, Daddy, where's he gonna sleep?"

Jay paused. He hadn't thought of that. There was no way that Erin would be okay with the dog sleeping on the couch, and if he was being honest, a large dog in the bed would make their sleeping arrangements far too tight. "I guess we're going to have to take a trip to the pet store before we head home then, huh?" He smiled again, overjoyed with how his child's face kept lighting up.

"Really?" Kate's eyes were huge, "We gonna go to the pet shop?"

"Yep, we have to pick up a few things for Goose. You may be good at sharing your toys, but he's a bit slobbery. And we don't want Tiger to get all icky, do we?"

Kate shook her head, "We gonna get him toys too?"

"A few," Jay declared, eyes twinkling, "Can you say thank you to Sergeant Platt?"

"Thank you!" Kate said emphatically, wriggling in Jay's grasp so she could continue to pet the dog, "Daddy, can I hold his leash?"

"I think your dad should do that, munchkin," Platt said gently, "Just until Goose gets used to his surroundings, okay? He's pretty strong, I don't want him to tug you over."

Kate nodded, still incredibly excited at the prospect of bringing her new animal friend home. She gave Goose a pat on the head, to which he tilted up his nose to graze Kate's. "Ah! He gived me a kiss!"

Jay grinned again, taking Goose's leash from the sergeant. "Alrighty, Squirt, let's get going. At this rate, Mommy may beat us home."

"Mommy's not gonna be mad though, right?" Kate stopped short in the doorway, looking up to Platt and Jay nervously, "Cause we didn't ask per-mishin."

Jay chuckled lightly, "I'll explain it to her, don't you worry kiddo."

"Guess we know who wears the pants," Platt scoffed, trailing after the family, "Thanks for doin' this Halstead. Appreciate it. I'll see you on Monday."

It had been weeks since Erin had seen Annie, and she had forgotten just how much they had been through together. Hearing about her friend's son and getting to share anecdotes about Kate filled her with pride, a true testament to how far they'd come from sleeping on the streets and doing drugs in the backs of dingy bars. Annie had squealed when Erin informed her that she and Jay were engaged, and that she was set to adopt Kate as soon as the paperwork went through.

She and Annie had been through the absolute worst together, and sharing the news about Kate and Jay and their new family made everything feel real. And it made Erin even more excited to retreat back to her apartment, pull on one of Jay's old hoodies and get into bed beside him.

After catching up for what felt like hours, Annie excused herself to get home to her son, and Erin hailed a cab home. Two drinks with Annie and she was absolutely wiped, and wanted nothing more than to snuggle beside her fiancé and sleep. Part of her hoped that Kate would be in their bed too, as having the little girl cuddled against her always made her night.

Erin yawned as the elevator door opened on the third floor of the apartment building. She made her way to apartment 310 and inserted the key into the lock, but furrowed her brow when she heard a strange noise on the other side. She quietly pushed open the front door to the apartment and crept inside, immediately feeling a wet nose on her thigh. "Jay?" she hissed, glancing down at the large German Sheppard that was wagging his tail excitedly at her arrival, "Jay!" She wrinkled her brow, "What are you doing here, Goose?"

The dog pushed his nose against Erin's hand, begging for affection. She sighed and scratched the top of his head, edges of her lips turning as the dog enjoyed the attention. Jay sheepishly emerged from Kate's bedroom, hurrying across the living room toward his fiancé. "Care to explain?" Erin asked, giving Goose a pat.

"Platt kind of cornered me and I looked at Kate and I just couldn't say no," Jay rushed out, "And it's just for the weekend, I promise."

"Jay, that dog is not staying for the weekend," Erin gestured to the dog who had retreated to Kate's bedroom door and laid down protectively beside it, "I have a feeling that you saying yes to one weekend means he's here for all the weekends."

He gave another sheepish smile, "Babe, he's so good with her. I swear, she's been asleep since eight and hasn't had a nightmare since. He just lays by her door and it's the sweetest thing."

Erin raised her eyebrows, "This is the same dog that almost failed out of police dog school and went missing in the district a few weeks back? The one who doesn't listen to anyone?"

"Uh, yeah," Jay nodded, "But, it's the same dog that Kate loves and that comes to work with us every day, and he listened to you once, and he listens to Kate, and-and it's just the weekend babe, I promise."

"Just the weekend, huh?" Erin dropped her coat to the floor and pulled off her boots, pretending to ponder the situation. She sighed, "Alright, but just the weekend. We can't take care of a dog Jay, we're too busy. And it wouldn't be fair to him. We don't have a yard or a place for him to run around and -"

"I know," Jay nodded, turning to look at Goose, who had closed his eyes with his head resting on his front paws, "Just the weekend."

"So?" Erin raised her eyebrows at her partner and settled on the couch, tugging a dog toy from underneath her rear, "How did we end up with a dog in the apartment?" She tossed the toy onto the navy blue dog bed that rested by one of the large windows that Goose was decidedly not interested in. He seemed to prefer his spot right beside Kate's bedroom door.

Jay was unable to keep the smile off his face, "Um, well, it's a long story."

Erin rolled her eyes, "What, Platt asked you and you caved?"

Jay bit back a laugh, "Well, it went something like that."

"I swear, Halstead, you are such a softie." She poked him in the chest, "I mean, I'm sure it took one excited look from Kate to have you melt into a puddle right then and there." She narrowed her eyes when he didn't deny it, "I know you."

"You're right," Jay wrapped an arm around her bent knee and pressed a kiss to her lips, "You got me. But babe, you should have seen how excited she was in that pet store. It was amazing. She was practically vibrating with excitement at getting to pick out dog toys."

"Mm-hm, is that why I can count three from right here?" Erin teased, "And I'm sure there are more. For just the weekend, right?"

Jay offered a cheeky grin, "We decided he needed one chew toy, a bone, and just two animals, hence the squirrel and the duck that's around here somewhere. Can't have a house guest without getting him a few treats of his own."

"Guest, huh," Erin rolled her eyes again, "We'll see. I have a suspicion that he's going to be back again."

Jay's eyes snapped open, suddenly awoken by something moving in the apartment. He lifted his face off the pillow and brushed Erin's hair out of his eyes before rolling over and coming face to snout with Goose. "Hey big guy," Jay mumbled, extracting his hand from around Erin's waist to scratch the dog's head, "You need the bathroom?"

He glanced at the clock and grimaced at the neon numbers, indicating that it wasn't even three in the morning. Goose pawed at the side of the mattress and laid his head down, looking up at his new master with a sense of urgency. "Alright, alright," Jay grumbled, shedding the comforter as carefully as he could as to not wake his fiancé, "Let's go." Goose scurried out of the room, tail in the air.

"Babe?" Erin rolled over and reached for her partner, "Everything okay?"

"Dog needs to pee," Jay replied, pulling a sweatshirt blindly out of the dresser and shuffling toward the living room, "I'll be right back." He stumbled into the living room and glanced around. "Goose?" he hissed, unable to locate the furry house guest, "Goose?"

Goose pawed at Kate's bedroom door and looked plaintively at Jay. "What is it, buddy?" Jay's voice softened as he quickly crossed the living room. The dog pawed again, so Jay carefully pushed open the bedroom door.

Kate was sleeping but was caught in what appeared to be a rapidly-escalating nightmare. "Shh, kiddo," Jay cooed, lowering himself onto the edge of the bed and stroking Kate's cheek gently, "Shh."

The little girl opened her eyes quickly, her breath coming out in short pants as she realized where she was. "D-daddy?" she whispered, holding fast to his wrist as he ran a thumb over her cheek.

"Hey, kiddo, it was just a bad dream," Jay assured her, leaning down to press a kiss to her forehead, "You're okay."

After a few moments, Kate's breathing evened out and she was once again in a deep slumber. Jay kissed his daughter's head before retreating to the bedroom, Goose on his heels. "Good boy," Jay praised, bending down and giving the dog a scratch behind his ears, "Thanks for looking out for our girl." The dog sat proudly as Jay pet him before turning in a circle three times and laying between both bedrooms, still avoiding the dog bed that Jay had purchased.

"That was quick," Erin mumbled as Jay climbed back into bed, "He just want attention?"

"He heard Kate starting to have a nightmare. That's why he woke us up." Jay was still impressed with the dog's intuition, "That dog is way more reliable than the baby monitor."

"Hm," Erin replied tiredly, settling against her partner's chest, "Good thing. Sleep well babe, I love you."

Please leave a review - they really help keep me on track!