12. Chapter 12

Erin let herself into the Voight household, for the fourth night that week. She'd taken this to stopping by each night, no matter how rough her day had been. Even between cases, she'd been dropping in if she got a chance. There was no way, she was going to let Olive take Daniel down the precarious path of an unstable childhood. As the child of an addict, Erin knew that indifference and neglect were worse than any sort of physical abuse. Even just spending a few minutes with Daniel here and there, she could see that the boy was desperate for attention. She'd asked Olive about taking him on walks or visiting the park, but Olive had claimed that they preferred the comfort of the house. She claimed Daniel loved his little pack and play crib and that they were just homebodies. Erin surmised that Olive liked having him in that thing, which allowed her to zone out and not have to keep watch over him.

She'd tried to bring up her concerns again with Voight, but he'd been distracted lately. Crowley and him had been having closed door meetings repeatedly afterhours, and she could tell by the hard lines of his face, that he didn't like what the commander was saying. After Crowley pulled Voight from the crime scene last week, Erin had tried to get some answers from him. He'd been adamant that it was nothing, but Erin wasn't stupid. Erin wondered if Crowley was trying to get Hank to retire. She knew sometimes of the higher ups pushing people out who didn't play the game their way. Hank had always been on thin ice with his bosses to begin with. He'd had just enough dirt on most of them, to keep his position. Whatever the situation, Crowley certainly had it out for Hank, and she didn't seem interested in letting go.

According to Hank, work was good, home was good, and everything was just dandy. Literally, he'd used the word "dandy." That right there was a huge red flag to Erin. Erin had shared her worry over Daniel not getting the attention he needed. Hank stated he had breakfast with his grandson every morning, and tried to have dinner as much as work allowed. Hank never seemed to be at home from her point of view though. When Olive had first mentioned that Hank came and went at odd hours, Erin had thought it was the drugs. Now that she'd made it a point to be around as much as possible, she realized that it was the truth. Yes, their hours were unsteady, but they still slept in their beds most night.

"Olive! Danny!" She called out. She heard the TV and babbling from the living room, and she found Daniel in his playpen, the television blaring nearby. Already used to her visits, he lifted his arms excitedly to be pulled from his prison. "Where's your mama, little man?" She cooed, "Where's, Mama?" Now that he was toddling around, Daniel didn't like to be held for long. He started squirming to be put down, and Erin relented. The little guy immediately took off for the kitchen, walking a few steps before dropping to a crawl. Erin followed, hoping Daniel knew where his mom was.

When they walked thought the swinging door, Erin saw Olive hurriedly sweeping something into the sick, and scrambling to send whatever it was swimming down the drain. "Erin, hi. I wasn't expecting you again tonight." Eyes bright, she turned to face Erin. Her eyes darting from Erin's down to the ground, where Daniel now clung to her leg.

Erin narrowed her eyes at Olive's suspicious actions. "Yeah, I have just loved hanging out with this guy all week. I was missing him." Erin knew what she had just seen. She'd walked in on enough drug cover ups to know that whatever Olive had sent down the sink had been also going up her nose.

Olive nodded rapidly, "Yes, yes, yes. He likes seeing you, too. Of course. It's always nice to see you. I just…. four days in one week?" She gave Erin an overly cheery smile, "You're not checking up on me are you?"

"Of course, I am!" Erin replied, observing Olive's panicked eyes widen. She reached down to tickle Daniel's chubby neck. "You're family, and I can't check up on this little guy enough." She smiled up at Olive. "I feel like he grows up a bit every day." She was trying to put Olive at ease, but truthfully, she'd just about had enough. If Olive had been in here doing what Erin thought she had been doing, with her young son just steps away, Erin thought she might lose it. She didn't have a plan, but Erin knew for sure that she would not be leaving here tonight before Hank got home. This time, he would not be able to blow her off. This was his grandson!

"Well, I'll make dinner then. Why don't you two go play in the other room?" Olive started bobbing quickly around the room to make preparations for dinner, shooing them back out the kitchen door to the living room.

"Sure," Erin agreed. Not wanting her son to have to witness what possible effect the drugs Olive had likely just snorted might have on her, Erin snatched him up and tickled him playfully as they walked into the other room. Hank had accumulated quite the collection of toys, and baskets and buckets of them filled the corners of the room. Sitting cross-legged on the floor next Daniel, Erin got him busy stacking and knocking down a classic wooden block set. Once she was sure he was occupied, she whipped out her phone. She sent several texts to Hank. Time passed though, and she predictably got no response. Erin pushed her phone aside and entertained Daniel with naming the animals, letters, and numbers that were on each block. Daniel was a great audience, and his big eyes seemed fascinated by everything Erin did. Erin couldn't help but smile at her nephew. He was just so easily captivated by the simplest things.

Typically for a baby, he soon got bored with the blocks, Daniel then crawled to a basket of stuffed animals, and was dragging several of them out and tossing them over his shoulders. Erin crawled over herself and started to play pretend with the animals. She made bear noises and lion roars that made Daniel laugh and try to grab at the animals. Watching his precious face light up, just warmed her heart. She didn't know if she was imagining things, but she swore she saw Camille's smile in Daniel's round face. It made her feel connected to family when she was with him. Truthfully, she had never spent much time with a baby before. She always reached out to kids in their cases, somebody had, too, but she hadn't really spent just down time with one. Especially such a young one. It was just so much fun to watch him engage and interact with the world. She didn't know how Olive could just ignore him all day. She couldn't believe his mom was willing to risk this precious family she was lucky enough to have. She had no trust in Olive, and was really doubting having her faith in Hank right now.

Just as the smells of dinner started to seep into the living room, Erin heard the slam of a car door that signaled Hank had arrived. Daniel perked up, too, recognizing the sound. Wanting to talk to Hank before he got in the house, Erin quickly scooped up Daniel and dropped him into the playpen and then jogged to the door. Hank was at the bottom of the stairs when she opened the door, Erin slipped out ,and shut the door behind her.

"You living here now?" He stated, not exactly warmly, as he attempted to make his way around her to the door.

Erin place her hand out to block his progress. "We need to talk," her voice was firm.

Hank's lips formed an even line. "Again?" Erin could tell he was ready to ignore her concerns once more.

"Yes!" Erin hissed, "I walk in here and Daniel's alone in the living room in front of the TV, and I think I saw Olive snorting something up her nose!"

Hank's frown deepened and his eyes narrowed, "You think you saw or you saw?"

"Hank!" Erin exclaimed outraged. "Are you really ignoring this right in your own home? How can you let her put him through this? You know what could happen." They locked eyes, and Erin knew Hank could see the seriousness of the situation. He had seen what living with Bunny had done to her. Maybe Olive wasn't there yet, but it was a risk, she just wasn't willing to take.

He let out a rush of air, and Erin saw a hint of the stress that this was causing him to be revealed. She could see the dark circles under his eyes and his weathered skin looked pale to her. "I'll get her help." Pinching the bridge of his nose, he closed his eyes briefly, "Maybe Mrs. Deante down the street can help with watching Daniel a bit."

"What about-" Erin was cut off at the sound of squealing brakes as two dark vehicles pulled up in front of the house, accompanied by two patrol units. Uniformed officers and men in suits spilled out of the vehicles. They took positions around Hank's home, a few even had their guns drawn. Erin took a few startled steps back, her hand instinctively went to where she normally kept her weapon. Finding nothing but air, she put her hands out in front of her trying to calm the situation.

"Hey, we're cops, what's going on?" Erin glanced over toward Hank, who just stood with his hands shoved in his jacket pockets.

"Sergeant Voight, please place your hands where we can see them." One of the men in a cheap dark suit spoke, taking a few steps toward Hank, his gun by his side, but smartly, not leveled at Hank. Erin looked on in disbelief as Hank removed his hands and put them up in surrender.

"What the hell is going on?" Erin demanded. Her head whipped back and forth between Hank and the men.

"Ma'am please move aside," a suited man took Erin's elbow and tried to lead her down the stairs and away from where one of the uniformed officers had moved in and were frisking Hank.

"No! I want to know what charges." She shook off the man's grasp and locked her feet where they were.

"Erin, just let it go." Hank told her in his steely voice. "I'll explain later." The officer had spun him around and was placing handcuffs on Hank.

Suddenly the front door burst open, and a panicked Olive appeared holding a crying Daniel in her arms, "What's going on out- ah!" Immediately several officer shifted their guns toward Olive. She started to cry immediately, and her frantic crying mixed in with Daniels wailing. Olive and Daniel were ushered down the steps and to the side of the home.

One of the suits approached Erin with papers, "Search warrant, miss." Erin grabbed the papers and started to checked their validity, but the men had already entered the home, and the officers had started to lead Hank away.

"Wait!" She called out rushing over to him. "What is going on, Hank? What do you want me to do?" Erin couldn't believe what she was witnessing. Was this real? Did they really have something on Hank?

"Just get them out of here, Erin. Take Olive and Daniel to your place. I don't want them to be a part of this." Hank called out, as he ducked while being place into the waiting vehicle. Erin stood outside the window of the vehicle, her concerned eyes locking with Hank as the car pulled away. Erin was stunned and stood frozen to her spot on the sidewalk. Suddenly the wailing that had continued non-stop broke through and she spun to see Olive and Daniel sitting forlornly on the sidewalk with an officer standing nearby looking helpless. Daniel was inconsolable, and Olive was trying unsuccessful to keep from crying herself.

Erin scrambled over and pulled the crying Daniel from Olive's limp arms. She looked up at Erin, and the vacantness Erin saw this was frightening. "What's happening, Erin? Why did they take Hank? Is he going to jail?"

Erin shook her head, while she patted Daniel soothingly on the back, "No, no, he's going to be fine. Hank's always fine." She glanced up to the door to the house, "But he doesn't want you to stay here right now." Erin knew that in Olive's state, she had to get her as far away from the scene as possible. "Come on, you guys are going to my place."

Erin walked quietly through her living room, flipping off the lights as she moved, leaving just the dim end table lamp on, just in case Olive woke in the night and was disoriented. Her eyes skimmed over Olive, who lay asleep on her couch. She'd fallen asleep rather quickly once, they'd gotten settled. Thankfully, the officers had let Erin and Olive grab the diaper bag and the portable crib before they'd left. It had been humiliating to watch them paw through the bag making sure they weren't smuggling any "evidence" out of the house.

Once they'd gotten to her home, Erin had spent quite a bit of time trying to calm the paranoid Olive down. Whatever she'd taken earlier, had amped her emotions, and she kept alternating between crying hysterically and shaking in fear. Erin had taken Daniel and ran him a bath, and when she had emerged, Olive had been passed out on the couch. Erin couldn't help but notice the liquor bottle she kept on the shelf had been moved. Erin sighed, and she gave a lingering look toward Daniel. The baby was fast asleep in his little crib, his favorite blanket and stuffed animal clutched in his arms. The bath and all his crying from earlier had tuckered him out, and Erin couldn't help but smile at the little man. He looked so precious. She just wanted him away from all this drama. How she wished he was still part of that little family that Justin and Olive had started. Months ago when they were happy and had each other, and Daniel had every possibility of growing up with a loving mom and dad.

Erin slowly made her way to her bedroom and grabbed her phone. She hadn't had time to follow up on Hank since she'd been home. She'd been too busy taking care of Olive and Daniel. A few phone calls to headquarters got her nothing. Deciding, she needed help, she dialed Olinksy's number. He was the only one she knew of who had as many connections as Hank, and could keep things just as quiet. He promised he'd look into it, but Erin couldn't help but hear the concern in Al's voice. If even Al was worried, Erin knew that whatever was going on must be serious. Plugging her phone in to recahrge, she collapsed on her bed, exhausted. Everything felt like a dream. Maybe more like a nightmare. It was just one more thing in her life that was unstable. Erin searched her mind for anything that could keep her centered. She had to find a way to keep it together. Glancing toward the living room, she gave small smile. That was her reason. She had to get Olive to get her shit together, so she could be a good mom for Daniel. Voight would never have his son back, but he had a grandson, and that was what Erin could do now. Support the rest of the family.

…..

Erin rolled over in bed, trying to ignore the sound of her alarm blaring. She placed a pillow over her head, but the sound just wouldn't go away. Suddenly, realization dawned on her that it wasn't her alarm. Opening her eyes, she realized it was still dark out. Remembering Olive and Daniel, Erin sprinted toward her living room to check on them. Daniel was standing at the edge of his crib, his face red from crying. A quick glance at the couch revealed empty blankets. Assuming Olive was just in the restroom, Erin scooped Daniel up into her arms.

"Olive," she called out. "I've got Daniel." Thinking that maybe he was just hungry, Erin made her way to the kitchen. She juggled him a bit to pour some milk into his sippy cup, then made her way to the table where he greedily began slurping his milk. Thinking Olive should have been back by now, Erin moved Daniel to his crib and walked over to the bathroom door. She was surprised to see it dark and empty. "Olive!" She called out again. It only took seconds for her to realize that Olive was gone. Erin started to run to her bedroom for her phone, when her eyes caught a piece of paper propped up on the small table.

Erin,

I am so scared. I know you suspect the truth, but please don't be angry. There were drugs in my rooms at Hank's, and I am so sorry for any trouble I have caused. I can't go to jail. Daniel will be safe here with you. Please take care of him. Justin would have been proud of how you've taken care of us. I'll be in touch soon.

I'm sorry,

Olive

Erin read the letter twice, not believing what she was reading. Grabbing her phone, she pulled up Olive's number and called her. She couldn't have gone far. If Erin could get ahold of her, she could make her realize that nothing was going to happen. The officers searching Voight's home could care less about any recreational drug amounts at Voight's house. Unless Olive had enough drugs to be dealing, they wouldn't even look twice. Erin paced a few seconds, waiting for the call to finally connect. Seconds later, Erin heard another phone ringing in the apartment. Realizing it was coming from the diaper bag, Erin rummaged through the bag until she found the device.

"Damn it!" She had hoped if nothing else, she'd be able to put a trace on the phone and figure out where Olive had gone. Since Olive had left her cell here, Erin had no idea on how to reach her. Erin placed the abandoned phone on the table. Maybe she could use the contacts on Olive's phone to find out where she might be hiding out. Erin suspected that she wouldn't have gone far. Chicago was Olive's home. Erin tried to think about what family she had. She thought it was just an elderly aunt. She knew Olive had a sister somewhere, and that would probably be a good place to start. She'd need one of them to come and get Daniel tomorrow as well. Plus, it was more than likely that Olive had gone to one of them to hide out.

Erin tried Voight's cell and home, and they predictably went unanswered. Erin had no idea if he was still down at headquarters, in interrogation, lockup, or who knows. Taking a quick look at her phone, she realized it was only a little after two in the morning. She needed to get some more rest. She could handle this until morning. Once she got ahold of Voight, he'd get her in contact with Olive's family, and probably at least one of them would know where she had gone.

Erin glanced over at Daniel. He had abandoned his drink and was now laying on his back, the ear of his stuffed bunny grasped in his hand. Erin leaned over the side of the crib and gently stroked his cheek. Honestly, Olive might even be back by morning. Maybe she was just reacting to the stress of the evening. There was no way, that she seriously thought she'd go to jail over a bit of recreational drug use. The cops had been there for Hank, not her. Once she calmed down and sobered up, Olive would realize she needed to get her shit together and come be a mother to her child. Erin couldn't help but think of her own mom. She'd waited her entire life for Bunny to get her act together and do the right thing. She was still waiting. Olive wasn't Bunny though. Erin didn't want to excuse Olive's behavior, but she knew grief was overpowering at times. Erin knew that Olive loved Daniel more than anything. She just was overwhelmed and needed help. Erin knew of a few outreach programs that might be able to help. She added it to her list of things to do in the morning.

Realizing that there was no way she'd be able to go into work in the morning, she sent off a text to Antonio as well. He probably didn't even know about Voight yet. Erin's fingers hovered over contact list. The desire to talk to Jay was strong, "I can't be your friend, Erin." His words reverberated through her mind. His indifferent attitude and harsh words the last month filling her mind. She didn't need him. Tossing her phone onto the couch, she knelt down by the crib, resting her head against its side as she watched the baby drift off to sleep, blissfully unaware of how his life was falling apart around him.

Erin took a deep breath. She could do this. She could hold it together. She was going to get Hank out of jail or holding or wherever he was, she was going to find Olive and get her in rehab, and she was going to give this baby back his family if it was the last thing she did.

Okay, so….I snuck some plot into my story that didn't involve Jay being an ass. Hopefully you enjoyed it. I know most of us are all about Linstead, but I wanted to add a bit more depth to my story. Erin needs something else going on in her life besides just being sad about her ex all the time. Hope you liked it.