54. Chapter 54

Little bit of an earlier than expected update because I got some really nice comments and ugh I just love writing about family fun time (but I guess I also like the drama...)

Following Kate's emotional breakdown, both Erin and Jay stayed home the next day to be with her. They enjoyed a simple, lazy day at home. Even before Kate came to live with them, Jay knew that days off were his girl's favorite. She enjoyed dozing on the couch while a game played in the background and waking to her partner cooking something delicious. With her little girl, those lazy days were even better, still spent lounging on the couch, but this time beside a tiny body who she loved more than anything in the world.

Despite the high-emotional toll of the day before, Kate appeared to be alright. She remained snuggled close to her mother for the majority of their morning and agreeably took the necessary medication to heal her stomach. When Erin broached the idea of taking a trip to see the therapist, Dr. Handel, Kate had been skeptical but agreed.

The appointment had been a tough one for Erin and Jay as they sat outside the office, Jay's knee jumping up and down rapidly with anxiety. "She's going to be okay, babe," Erin placed a hand on his knee in an effort to calm him down, "It's going to take some time, but she's going to be fine."

He nodded grimly, "I…just…you didn't see her yesterday, right after I woke her up," He swallowed, "She, uh, was just so scared of me, Er. And I haven't seen that in months. It um, just really caught me off guard because she's my kid you know, our kid…and kids shouldn't be afraid of their parents." Jay let out a breath and rubbed his palms over his tired eyes.

"I know," Erin rubbed his back gently, "It sucks. But we've gotten her back before and we're going to do it again."

Again, Jay managed a nod. "Just this time, we broke her trust. We promised her that after New York, we'd keep her with us forever, and they just took her away. I just…I don't see how she's ever going to trust us again. Especially after I left and…"

"Jay." Erin put her palm on her partner's cheek, "We can do this. And I know you're always the one pulling me back from the edge but it's my turn now and I'm telling you, we're gonna be there so hard for this kid you have no idea. And-"

"Mommy, Daddy!" Kate bolted out of the therapist's office as the door opened slightly. She rushed across the waiting room and into her father's lap with an incredibly relieved sigh.

"Hey Squirt," Jay held his little girl closely as Erin's words washed over him, "How was your conversation with Dr. Handel?"

She buried her face in Jay's neck and shrugged, "Missed you."

Jay smiled wistfully, "We missed you too, sweetheart." He glanced up at the doctor, who was leaning against the door frame to her office, "Everything alright, doc?"

"Kate and I had a lovely conversation," Dr. Handel informed them, "Do you all want to step inside my office for a few minutes? It won't be long."

Erin nodded and stood, but Kate remained clamped to Jay's side. "It's just a few minutes, baby," Erin smoothed Kate's hair back, "And then we're going to take your medicine and maybe read some more Harry Potter?"

Kate lifted her head from Jay's shoulder and nodded meekly.

"I cannot believe it's snowing again. It's March." Erin huffed, frowning as she watched the white fluffy flakes fall from the sky from the living room window, "I'm over it."

A week had passed since Kate returned home and since Jay had proposed. Their family was still adjusting, but the conversation with the therapist helped. Kate was still more anxious than she had been prior to being removed from her parent's care, but was slowly getting better. Her stomach was healing as well, and she was finally eating like normal.

They had still not told anyone besides their daughter about the engagement, and were enjoying keeping it within their family. It had been a good learning experience for Kate as well, who was typically very concerned with lying, but was keeping the first "good secret" that she had ever been trusted with. Erin and Jay agreed that they would tell Hank after the most recent case wrapped up, and it appeared that the day was imminent. However, the most recent snow storm put a damper on the otherwise exciting day, as Erin was not a fan of inclement weather.

Jay chuckled and tossed her a pair of socks through the doorway to their bedroom. "C'mon babe, no need to be grumpy. I thought you were coming around to the idea of snow?"

"Not when we parked the Sierra on the street," she grumbled, pulling the socks on, "And not when we gotta be careful with Kate's immune system. She's gonna be crushed when she finds out we can't take her to play in the snow. And we can't even take a real snow day since we're in the middle of the case. What about fourteen inches of snow makes people want to commit murder, huh?"

He rolled his eyes, "I don't know, but we were close to getting them yesterday. The guys are idiots. I bet we're home in time for an inside snow-day."

"Wishful thinking," Erin replied, turning to her daughter's bedroom. "Kate, sweetheart? Are you ready?"

"Yes Mommy." Kate emerged from her bedroom wearing the sweater that Erin had laid out for her and thick socks, but was still shivering slightly.

"Are you cold, kiddo?" Jay asked, scooping her up into his arms and holding her against his chest, "You're shivering."

She nodded slightly and shivered again. "We gonna have Halstead-style snow day today?"

"Well, since it's so cold outside and Mommy and I have to work, we were thinking we could just build the fort inside today. It's really windy out there." He looked to Erin, who nodded in confirmation.

"And we won't be too long at the district," Erin added, "We just need to wrap a few things up."

Kate nodded again, "It's too cold for playin'?"

"I think so, baby," Erin nodded, "But we can have a good time inside, alright?"

"I wish it wasn't so cold," Kate murmured sadly, resting her head on Jay's shoulder, "Daddy loves the snow."

"You're right about that," Jay tickled her back slightly, "I'm going to clean off the car okay? Then you and Mommy can meet me downstairs once it's warm inside, sound good?"

"I never played in the snow before," Kate informed Jay as he wrapped one of his scarves around her neck, "Last time it snowed I had hurt arms."

Jay paused as he slipped the mittens on her tiny fingers. Of course. Last time Chicago was hit with a considerable amount of snow, it had been the day that Kate had been kidnapped and taken to New York. When they had returned, Erin and Jay hadn't wanted to get her cast wet with the snow and their little girl was too exhausted from the ordeal to be dragged out into the snow.

"You're right, it is your first time playing in the snow," Erin piped up, pulling a hat over her head, "But I'll let you in on a secret. It's only my second time, so we can figure it out together, hm?"

Jay looked up at his girl in surprise. He recalled one story that Erin had told him about a snowball fight with Justin after she came to live with the Voights but didn't realize that it was her only other time. "I love the snow," Jay declared, putting the other mitten on his little girl's hand, "And we're going to have a great time. We can build a snowman and I can show you how to make snowballs."

"You would love the snow," Erin scoffed as she finished lacing up her boots, "You're an overgrown child, Halstead. Every time it so much as flurries you're like a kid on Christmas morning."

Jay smiled cheekily, "C'mon babe, how can you not like snow? It's magical."

She rolled her eyes, "Yeah, it's real magical cleaning off the windshield in negative four-degree weather. Not to mention the frozen pipes and lack of heat."

He frowned, realizing she was remembering the rough times she had growing up. "Well, never fear, because I am going to show you a Halstead-style snow day."

"Halstead-style?" Kate widened her eyes, "What's that mean?"

"Well," Jay scooped up Kate in his arms and pulled open the front door. "First, we're going to the park to build a snow man. And then, we're going to come home, make some hot chocolate," He winked at Erin, "Or coffee, and build a fort out of pillows and blankets."

"Wow!" Kate exclaimed, glancing over her father's shoulder to Erin, who was locking their door, "Mommy, you never got Halstead-style snow day?"

"Nope," Erin grinned, "It sounds like fun though, huh?"

Three hours later, Kate and Erin were fast asleep in the pillow fort, hot chocolate mustaches on their lips and fuzzy socks on their toes to ward against the winter chill. The Halstead-style snow day had been a smashing success, with one large snowman built in the park along with two snow forts and a mountain of snowballs.

Jay laid beside Erin, gently running his fingertips over her serene features. Watching her smile as she experienced a true snow-day, an activity that had been denied to her for most of her life, almost brought tears to his eyes. He couldn't fathom what it was like growing up in her situation. While he had his fair share of problems with his father, his mother was kind and loving, a stark contrast to the manic, unpredictable and downright horrific nature of Bunny Fletcher.

In the same vein, Jay was also so grateful to have the opportunity to show his own little girl a true snow day. It wasn't lost on him that had she not been found, she would have been subject to a life not unlike Erin's. He sighed softly, reaching over his girls to collect the empty mugs of hot chocolate that sat beside Kate.

Reluctantly, he detangled himself from the fort to place the mugs in the sink. As quietly as possible, he crept underneath the fort and lifted Kate from her mother's shoulder. The exhausted little girl didn't even flinch at the movement as he carried her to his bedroom and tucked her in the middle of his bed.

He returned to the fort to extract Erin from her sprawling position across the couch cushions, gently hooking his arms underneath her knees and across her back. "Jay?" she mumbled, turning her head slightly as she was suddenly cold, "'at's happening?"

"Go back to sleep, babe," he whispered softly, setting her carefully onto the mattress beside their daughter, "I thought you two would sleep better on a mattress rather than the floor."

Erin snuggled closer to her partner after he crawled into bed, shimmying Kate closer to her father as well so that they were all cuddled in the middle of the bed. She rested her head on her partner's chest, tucking Kate against hers. "I love you," she mumbled against his shoulder, warm breath tickling his neck, "So much."

"I love you too," Jay replied, kissing the top of her head and running a palm over Kate's soft brown locks, "I love you both more than anything."

"It's chilly out there, huh?" Platt said to the family as they hurried into the district. The wind was whipping so hard that even a few seconds from the car to the building provided a bone-chilling cold that hurt when it hit the skin.

Erin let out a sharp breath and shivered violently, "Jesus."

"Did we get a dog, Sarge?" Jay shed his gloves while balancing Kate on his hip. A large German Sheppard sat slightly behind the desk, wagging his tail rapidly at the new people.

"It's Goose!" Kate exclaimed, wiggling so that her father would set her down. Jay raised his eyebrows in surprise but gently lowered the little girl down.

"Careful, Squirt," he warned, placing a hand on her shoulder so she wouldn't frighten the large animal.

"It's okay, Daddy, he likes me!" She insisted, looking up at her father pleadingly, "Can I pet him, please?"

Jay looked back to the desk sergeant, who was shuffling papers around her desk, "Yeah, yeah, it's fine," Platt waved her hand dismissively, "Some new trial of certain districts getting dogs. I heard this one barely passed the test though, and he isn't a great listener."

"He's a good boy," Erin declared, kneeling in front of the dog and stroking his ears, "Hi, Goose. Nice to see you again."

"I missed you!" Kate informed the dog, reaching out a mittened hand to stroke his back. He wagged his tail rapidly and nudged Erin's hand with his nose, urging her to keep going.

"I think he missed you too, kiddo," Jay mused, watching as his girls interacted with the dog, "I forgot how much he liked you guys."

"He liked you too, Daddy," Kate told him, "He eated your sammich, 'member?"

"Oh I remember," Jay smiled, "We gotta head upstairs though, Grandpa Hank is waiting for Mommy and me."

"Can I stay with Sergeant Platt and Goose?" Kate asked, looking up at him with sparkling eyes, "Please?"

"I don't see why not," Erin shrugged, "Sarge, is that okay with you?"

"I would be happy to have someone keep an eye on the dog," Platt nodded, "But keep your coat on, okay sweetheart? The door opens and closes a lot and I don't want you to get sick."

"Hank, do you have a second?" Erin asked, abruptly standing up from her desk and looking pointedly at her sergeant and father-figure. Jay raised his eyebrows in surprise – they were supposed to wait until the end of the day to tell him about their engagement and it was barely noon.

The older man glanced into his office and back to his almost-daughter. "Yeah, I do." He gestured to his office. Erin nodded and looked over at her partner, gently cocking her head to the side so that he would follow her.

Jay took a deep breath and stood, wearily following his fiancé into her almost-father's office. "We're doing this now?" He hissed, looking nervously at the gruff sergeant leaning against the desk, "As in, right now?"

Erin nodded and closed the office door. "Everything okay, kid?" Hank asked as he regarded his two detectives. Both appeared anxious. "Is Kate alright?"

"She's totally fine," Erin said quickly, "She's loving having the dog here. I checked on her an hour ago and she was reading to him."

Hank smiled, "And she's feeling better?"

Jay nodded and cleared his throat, "Uh, yeah, she is, thankfully. Nightmares are still worse than they were, but she's eating and on the mend."

"Glad to hear it," Hank glanced at Erin, who was holding her hand over her chest, "What's going on?"

"We're engaged," Erin blurted out, "Jay asked me to marry him and I said yes."

Silence filled the room as the detectives held their breath, waiting to hear what their boss' reaction would be. "'bout time," Hank rasped, his face breaking into a proud smile, "Congratulations, you two."

"Thanks Hank," Erin grinned as her father-figure opened his arms for a hug, "Glad you approve."

He grunted in response and extended his palm to Jay, "Take care of them, Jay."

"I will, sir," Jay managed, barely able to process what had just happened, "Thank you."

"Well? Have you told anyone else?" Hank asked, pulling back from his detectives, "Did you tell Kate?"

"We did, and she was very skeptical of keeping a secret from you, but we wanted to tell you when it was the right time," Erin beamed, "She's excited, I think. To be completely honest, I don't think she really knows what it means."

Hank nodded, "I'm glad she's doing well."

Ruzek knocked on the door, "Hey, boss, I need your John Hancock on this form right here," he interrupted, "Oh…sorry. Didn't realize you guys were still in here."

"It's fine," Jay made a face and waved his hand flippantly.

"What, are you knocked up, Lindsay?" Ruzek quipped, offering a playful smile.

"No!" Erin and Jay exclaimed, glancing back and forth to each other to confirm. "We're getting married, you idiot," Jay rolled his eyes and put his arm around Erin's shoulder, "She said yes."

"What? No way!" Ruzek broke out into a grin, "Hey, boys, Halstead got engaged!"

After a lot of congratulatory praise from their team and the wider district, the family headed home to wait out the rest of the snowstorm. While Kate had been disappointed to hear that Goose would be living at the district, she was ecstatic that he would still be there the next time she came back.

"Daddy, do we still got time for Halstead-style snow day?" Kate asked hopefully, shivering slightly as Erin unlocked their apartment. "The inside part?"

"Most definitely," Jay grinned, shedding his coat after helping Erin remove hers, "How about a fort in the living room?"

Kate nodded eagerly, the hat she was wearing slipping off her tiny head. "How about you put your coziest pajamas on and I'll make some hot chocolate?" Erin suggested, unzipping Kate's winter coat and hanging it beside hers, "And Daddy can reach all the pillows in the closet."

"Yeah!" Kate squealed with excitement, scurrying off to her bedroom in search of her warmest pajamas.

"You wanna grab the pillows, Daddy?" Erin asked, laying a hand on her partner's chest, "Can't have a Halstead-style snow day fort without them."

"Mm, you're right," Jay leaned down and kissed her lips, sending shivers down her spine, "You still cold, babe?"

"You're warming me up," Erin replied, wrapping her arms around his waist and resting her head on his flannel, "Must be why you like snow so much. You're practically a space heater."

Jay chuckled, "Is that what you keep me around for?"

"Mostly," Erin mumbled into his chest, "The sexy body doesn't hurt either." She leaned her head against his heart and listened to the soothing cadence of his heartbeat before she pulled back abruptly.

"What is it?" Jay asked, glancing down at his fiancé, "You okay?"

"I-I just remembered the surprise for Kate that I got last week!" Erin detangled herself from her partner's embrace, "Kate, baby, did you put your pajamas on yet?"

"Oh-most!" Kate called back, peering out of her bedroom wearing the shirt she had worn all day and a pair of pajama pants.

"Hang on, okay? I have a new pair of pajamas I think you're going to like," Erin grinned widely and hurried to her closet, pulling down a shopping bag from beneath her summer clothes.

"I have no idea what it is," Jay said honestly when Kate looked at him curiously, "No idea."

Erin returned to the living room, slightly breathless. "Okay, babes, reach into the bag and pull it out," she instructed, eyes twinkling.

Cautiously, Kate put her hand into the bag and produced a pair of dark blue flannel pajamas with snowflakes on them. "Snow pajamas!" She exclaimed excitedly, "Wow!"

"That's not even the best part, look," Erin reached into the bag to reveal two matching sets of pajamas for a larger person.

"You and Daddy got matchin'?" Kate squealed, practically bouncing up and down, "That is so cool!"

"Nice choice, babe," Jay laughed as she handed him the pair of pajamas that were obviously for him. He leaned down and whispered in her ear so Kate couldn't hear, "But you know I prefer to sleep naked."

"Ew, get out of here, Halstead!" Erin pushed him away slightly, grinning from ear to ear. "What do you think of our family snow day pajamas, huh?"

"I love them!" Kate wrapped her tiny arms around Erin's legs, "Thank you Mommy!"

"You're very welcome," Erin stroked the back of Kate's head, "And guess what. I already washed them so we can wear them today, how does that sound?"

"So good!" The little girl bounced up and down slightly, "I go put them on ri-now!" She scurried off to her bedroom, leaving her parents in the living room.

"I love how when she's excited, she says 'rinow' instead of right now," Jay grinned, holding up the pajamas, "She's amped for this getup."

"I'm just excited to get you out of them after she goes to sleep," Erin raised her eyebrows mischievously, "But you better get dressed, Daddy. Gotta get started on building the fort."

Up Next: More family snow day fun (it's just so cute I can't help but write it) - and please review, it would totally make my day!