16. Chapter 16

A/N: A little bit of a faster update than times in the past. This chapter was actually really easy to write. There are few things I want to make sure I highlight on. 1. For those of you who noticed that Jay's parents are named after the same characters on Everybody Loves Raymond, I did not do it on purpose lol. They were literally the first two names that popped in my head. 2. These next couple chapters I want to especially highlight on how this custody case is effecting everyone involved. So, this chapter obviously focuses on Jay. Read and Review. I love you all :)

Jay stood at the kitchen counter going over the several different notes and documents his lawyer had given him. It was a giant mess. Lists of things to say jumbled up with lists of things not to say, when they called him to testify today. Of course, the first day of trial Jay had to be called first. Even though he was ready, it still felt like the odds were against him. He had read the statistics on mother vs. father custody cases. Usually the mother always won. He could not let that happen.

"Daddy? You're all dressed up! Are you going to finally marry Mommy", Maggie asked as she skipped into the kitchen with her backpack in hand.

Jay laughed as Maggie sat down at the counter to eat the breakfast he had set out for her. Ever since her birthday, Maggie had been asking way more questions than usual. Her most popular one currently is: when is Jay going to marry Erin. Each time she asked, both Erin and Jay gave her the simple answer of when the time was right, they would talk about getting married. In all honesty, Jay didn't have to think twice about marrying Erin. He would do it right now, if he could. But, he had promised himself that after this case with Kaitlyn was put behind him, he would make his move.

"Now, Maggie we talked about what I'm going to be doing for the next couple of days", Jay said leaning against the counter.

"You're going downtown with all of the big buildings", Maggie answered giving Jay a smile with a mouthful of waffles and syrup.

Reaching over to wipe her face of the sticky syrup, Jay nodded his head. "And I'm going to be with Mr. Evans and a lot of other important people", he explained.

"Can me and mommy come", Maggie asked innocently.

"Maybe at the very end. But, we will just have to wait and see", Jay said giving her a smile.

Before Maggie could respond, the sound of Erin's boots clicking against the wood floor echoed off the walls as she entered the room.

"Mommy, are you driving me to school today", Maggie asked as Erin walked behind her stool.

"Yes, indeed sweet pea", Erin answered pressing a kiss to her cheek. "Oh my goodness, Mags you taste like syrup", she said planting another kiss on Maggie's cheek making her giggle.

"Why don't you go wash off your face before you go to school", Jay requested as he turned to get the two fresh coffees he had set out for him and Erin.

"Okay", Maggie answered as she skipped off happily into her room.

Erin walked over to Jay and stood next to him as he handed over her mug. "Thanks", she said taking it from his hands. Taking a long sip, Erin turned to look at the paper spread out on the counter.

"You ready", she asked turning to him as she set her mug down on the counter.

Jay simply nodded his head, "I think I'm well prepared. It's just the fear you know. The fear that she has a better case than me. That she could possibly take her away from me", he explained.

"Hey", Erin said almost cutting him off. "That's not going to happen. You're the one who has been here all these years. You are going to continue to be here", she reassured as she messed with his tie.

Giving her a smile, Jay leaned forward to capture Erin's lips in a sweet kiss. "Now, you're the one who tastes like syrup and coffee", he said making her laugh.

"Mommy, I'm all ready", Maggie said as she came out of her room.

"Alright, let's get this show on the road", Erin said taking one last sip of her coffee before securely putting on her badge and walking over to the lockbox where she and Jay kept their guns.

"You want this", she asked turning in Jay's direction gesturing towards the box.

"I don't think they will let me take it in. But I'll take them both for safe keeping", Jay said as she handed him over his gun and badge.

"Bye Daddy", Maggie said running over to her dad to wrap her small arms around his legs in a hug.

Jay smiled as he picked her up, setting her lightly on his hip. "Have a good day, okay", he said as Maggie beamed a smile back at him.

"Okay", Maggie said wrapping her tiny arms around Jays neck and hanging there for a few seconds before being set back down on the ground and running off to get her shoes.

"You're going to do great today", Erin said approaching him and giving him a kiss on the cheek.

"I'll be by the district once I finish, okay", he reminded giving her a smile.

"Than I will see you later", she said before giving him a kiss.

"Daddy, can you help me tie my shoes", Maggie asked shuffling into the kitchen, her bright pink converse laces flung to either side of her shoes.

Jay laughed as he bent down to tie each of her shoes, "Thanks Daddy", Maggie said as Jay easily finished tying the shoelace.

"I love you, you know that right, Maggie", Jay said still bent down so he could be at his daughters height.

"Of course, I love you too Daddy", Maggie giggled giving him one final hug. "Come on Mommy! I don't wanna be late", she continued walking out of the kitchen.

Erin laughed as Jay stood in front of her now. "I also love you", he said quietly.

"I love you too", Erin replied giving him a smile which he kindly returned before she walked out of the kitchen.

"Call me when you finish", Erin called out before the door closed behind them.

Jay smiled to himself as he could already hear Maggie chattering behind the closed door of his apartment. Looking down at all the paperwork on his counter, Jay sighed, knowing all of this could change so much.

xxx

"Mr. Halstead, could you please explain how your daughter came into your care", Jay's attorney began the questioning.

Jay sat in the witness box taking in his surrounding before answering the question. They had of course had put their case with a family court judge in that department of the courthouse. Kaitlyn sat on the other side with her lawyer scribbling away notes. The first couple hours of being in the courtroom consisted of both lawyers discussed who would be testifying and the procedures that would be happening. All of it made Jay even more nervous than he already was.

"When I arrived home one day, I found Maggie in a carrier at my doorstep", Jay simply answered.

"And what was your initial reaction of this", he asked.

"Surprised. And then when I read the letter from Kaitlyn, I understood why she would do this", Jay explained.

"Why do you think your ex-girlfriend would do this with your child", his attorney asked.

"She didn't want the responsibility of a child. She never has", Jay answered honestly.

"Objection, your honor! Speculation. My client's ways have changed and…", Kaitlyn's lawyer began to go off.

"Okay, Mr. Smith, we understand. Objection sustained. Mr. Evans move along", the Judge said.

"Mr. Halstead, how old is Maggie now", Jay's lawyer said changing the subject.

"She just turned five last December", Jay answered.

"And she is an active, healthy child. Am I correct", he asked.

"Yeah, she loves coloring and she's constantly running around my apartment. I don't think theres a time when she's not talking about something new that happened at school. She also can't wait to start kindergarten in the fall", Jay said explaining about everything he could about Maggie.

"Sounds like a great kid", Jay's lawyer said giving Jay a smile.

"She really is", Jay said.

"Thank you, Mr. Halstead", Jay's lawyer said sitting down back at their table.

Just as Jay's lawyer sat down, Kaitlyn's immediately stood up, walking towards Jay. "Mr. Halstead, you were in the army is that correct", he asked.

"Yes, I was a first deployed out of high school and then I did shorter tour in Afghanistan as a ranger", Jay explained.

"Did you ever suffer from PTSD", he asked.

"Objection! Beyond the scope, your honor", Jay's lawyer immediately protested.

"It's a simple question, your honor. Whether or not Mr. Evan's client had PTSD could have affected the caring of his child", Kaitlyn's lawyer backfired.

"The witness may answer the question. Both of you calm down. Let's keep this as civilized as possible please. This is not a major crime case", the judge lectured. "Mr. Halstead, you may answer the question.

"Yes, after my first tour I suffered from nightmares. But, when I got back from Afghanistan the second time and found Maggie at my doorstep, the nightmares stopped. I dedicated myself to taking care of her", Jay answered simply.

Looking up, Jay briefly saw his lawyer give him a nod, signaling he did good. A slight wave of relief came over Jay. He hated talking about his time in the military. He was proud of his service for his country, it was all the repercussions that came after it.

"You are a detective with the Chicago Police Department. Is that correct", Kaitlyn's lawyer asked.

"Yes", Jay answered.

"And you work for Hank Voight. A man who is categorized as a dirty cop", he asked.

"He's just my sergeant", Jay barely got out before his lawyer interrupted. "Your honor that has nothing to do with this case", Jay's lawyer called out.

"I agree. Mr. Smith, move on", the judge demanded.

"You worked a case, while you were in uniform, a child killed in his neighborhood, believed to be the doing of the neighbor", Kaitlyn's lawyer asked.

Ben Corson. Ally's younger brother. The case that Jay had gotten himself so attached to. He could see it all now clearly as Kaitlyn's lawyer babbled on and on about it.

"It says here they filed a restraining order against you and a few weeks after that the suspected killer, Lonnie Rodiger was found dead", he explained. "Care to explain more, Mr. Halstead", he pried.

"If you continue to read that file it will say the restraining order was dropped, after the homicide unit found out it was in fact Lonnie Rodiger's father who killed him. I would never do anything to endanger my daughter's safety when I am out in the field", Jay explained trying to calm down.

He remembered his lawyer always telling him when he got stuck or frustrated to just go back to Maggie. After all this all started with her.

"She's the first thing I think about before I put myself in a dangerous situation", Jay finished.

"Would you call dating your partner a dangerous situation", the lawyer asked.

The second he mentioned Erin, Jay knew he was about to snap. But, he couldn't. He had to show he could stay cool under pressure. All he really wanted to do was punch this guy.

"She's my best friend", Jay said in return to his question.

"Do you usually introduce, your daughter to strange women she has never met, Detective", the lawyer asked, this time a little more demanding.

"I let them get to know each other before I began dating her. She's my partner. She watches my back day in and day out. There is no one else I feel more comfortable around than her", Jay answered honestly.

"She sure was not protecting your back the day you got shot two months ago", Kaitlyn's lawyer snuck in.

That was it. Jay almost leapt out of the witness box and grabbed the guy by his ugly ass tie just to sucker punch him in the face. Luckily, his lawyer beat him to the punch.

"Your honor! The only reason my client inflicted those injuries was because of distraction to preparing for this case. We should not be blaming a witness who has not even testified yet", Jay's lawyer called out.

"I agree. Mr. Smith, this is your last warning", the judge said giving a disappointed look towards Kaitlyn's lawyer.

"In that case, I have no more questions for this witness", he said going back over to the table where Kaitlyn was sitting.

"Mr. Halstead, you can step down. We will take a thirty minute recess for lunch", the judge explained before slamming down the gavel and walking towards her chambers.

"You did good, Jay", his lawyer told him as he began to organize his things.

"Thanks. Do you mind if I go and make a phone call", Jay said reaching for his phone to take out of his pocket.

"No, go right ahead", Jay's lawyer barely got out before Jay rushed out of the courtroom.

His anxiety was rising. Images of war and Ben Corson were mixed with memories of his childhood and his life now, with Erin and Maggie. He felt like a mess. Like he could have a breakdown at any moment. The second Jay stepped out those courthouse doors, he felt a wave of relief slowly coming to him.

Looking down at his phone, he immediately dialed the first number he could think of.

One ring.

Two rings.

"Hey", Erin's voice rasped mixed with some laughter as she answered the phone.

Jay smiled as he could hear the happiness in her voice. "Jay, are you there", she asked, her voice now sounding desperate.

"Yeah. I just...I just", Jay began to say. He could almost hear Erin's thoughts as she waited for him to answer. "I really needed to hear your voice. Tell me something good. Anything", he stated.

Erin smiled on the other end as she looked out from where she was standing in the break room. "The pipes at Maggie's school burst today", she said knowing he was going to freak out.

"What?! Why didn't I...How come I didn't", Jay began to stutter.

"It's fine they called me two hours after I had dropped her of saying I had to pick her up. So, now shes at the district messing with everyone. It's a slow day, we are just doing paperwork", Erin immediately cut him off.

"Voight was cool with it", Jay asked.

"Yeah, he was the one who suggested it. Plus, he is her grandfather", she said hearing Jay laugh on the other end.

"What is she doing", he asked.

Erin looked out of the break room and saw Maggie sitting on Hank's lap at Erin's desk coloring in one of her books as she talked on and on. "She's hanging out with Hank. They messed with Ruzek early today. She's enjoying herself", she explained.

Jay smiled as he listened to Erin explain to him what Maggie was doing. He knew she was probably ecstatic about coming to the district today.

"Jay, is everything okay", Erin asked.

"Yeah, I just needed to get away", Jay explained. He could hear Erin sigh on the other end of the phone call. "I'm fine, Erin. It's just bringing back things I don't want to remember", he explained.

All of a sudden, Jay could hear Maggie's little voice call out for Erin on the other end. "Sorry, I got to go. Maggie is just dying for me to look at something she made. I love you, okay", she explained.

"I love you too", he answered hearing Maggie call out for Erin again. "Tell her I say hi", he added.

"Of course. I will see you when you get home", Erin said before hanging up.

"Jay", a voice suddenly called out from behind him. Jay turned to see his lawyer standing a few feet away from him. "You ready", he asked.

"Yeah", Jay said shoving his phone back in his pocket and following his lawyer back into the courthouse.

xxx

Quietly putting his key into the door, Jay entered his apartment past eight o'clock. His lawyer had kept him after Kaitlyn's testimony for notes and to give him tips to reiterate to Erin tomorrow when she testified. Upon entering the living room, Jay immediately saw Erin and Maggie curled up the couch fast asleep with the TV still on.

Walking over, Jay gently picked up Maggie off of Erin to carry her into her room. Maggie didn't even stir as she was picked up in her father's arms. Carefully laying her down in her bed, Jay pressed a kiss to her forehead before closing the door.

When he returned to the living room, there laid Erin slightly awake as she tried to figure out where Maggie had gone.

"Hey", Jay said gently taking a seat on the couch.

Erin smiled as she crawled over to him, snuggling herself into his chest. Jay pressed a kiss into her hair as she reached up to take off his tie and then trace patterns against his dress shirt.

"Are you okay", she asked knowing he was probably getting annoyed with her constantly asking the same question.

"I'm with you now. So, yeah I'm okay", he answered.

Looking up at him, Erin could see how tired he was. She knew he wanted all of it to be over. For the courts to tell him that Kaitlyn wasn't going to be allowed custody. And that was exactly what Erin would tell them tomorrow.