55. Chapter 55

A little family snow day action! Feel free to leave a review :)

"What do you think, kiddo?" Jay poked his head out of their bedroom, fully clad in the snow day pajamas that Erin purchased. He took a step toward the little girl and did a quick spin.

"Ah!" Kate giggled, clapping her hands wildly, "You look real hand-some Daddy!"

"Why thank you," Jay took an exaggerated bow, causing Erin to roll her eyes. "Oh please babe, you know you love it." He shook his rear at his fiancé as Kate erupted with laughter. He continued to taunt her until she broke into a big grin.

"You got me, you got me," she laughed, smoothing her hands over the pajama pocket over his heart, "Can't resist a man in snow pajamas."

"You gotta put yours on too, Mommy!" Kate exclaimed, wrapping her arms around Erin's legs and looking up at her mother excitedly, "Den we all be matchin'!"

"Yeah, Mommy," Jay grinned, "You don't want to leave Kate and I hanging, do you?"

"Alright, alright," Erin threw her hands up, "Give me a minute, okay?"

Jay boosted Kate into his arms, "How about if you and I go raid the pantry to find some hot chocolate? And marshmallows too?"

"'kay!" Kate squealed, wrapping her arms around Jay's neck, "You gotta hurry Mommy, odder-wise Daddy's gonna drink all your hot choc-lit!"

"You better not, Halstead," Erin called over her shoulder, "Kate, keep your daddy in line, okay?"

"I make sure!" Kate replied, touching Jay's chin gently, "I'm watchin' you."

"Are you?" Jay wiggled his eyebrows and set the little girl on the kitchen counter, "Well, I'm sure Mommy won't mind if we take a few bites of ice cream before we make the hot chocolate then?"

Kate widened her eyes incredulously, "Even though we didn't have dinner yet?"

"A few bites won't hurt," Jay snagged a spoon from the drawer and dug into Erin's mint chocolate chip carton, putting the whole thing in his mouth, "You wanna bite Squirt?"

"That's Mommy's," Kate told him seriously, then broke out into a smile, "Yeah!"

Jay dug the spoon back in and handed it to Kate, which she happily accepted. After she swallowed, she shivered, "'s too cold for ice cream."

He chuckled and set the carton back in the fridge, "You're right. How about we get started on the hot chocolate then, huh? Do you remember where we put it last time?"

"By the coffee," Kate gestured to the cupboard that housed the dark roast, "I think Mommy bought the one with the marsh-mellows inside."

"She did," Jay confirmed, pulling the box down, "Are you ready for the best hot chocolate you ever tasted?"

Kate nodded eagerly, "Don't go sneakin' Mommy's though."

"That's my girl," Erin returned to the kitchen, wearing her matching snow pajamas as well, "Thanks for keeping an eye on your daddy baby." She leaned down to whisper in Kate's ear, "When we're at work, sometimes he sneaks my coffee when I'm not looking."

The little girl turned to her father with her mouth open. "I do not!" Jay refuted, pouring the hot chocolate mix into a measuring cup and adding milk, "You drink it black. It tastes like tar."

"What's tar?" Kate asked, "Does that mean it's bad?"

"Daddy's just being silly," Erin wrinkled her nose at her fiancé, "Coffee tastes good. But only for grown-ups. It's a bit bitter and has caffeine in it that makes you stay awake, so it's not for kids."

"Sergeant Platt said that's how come I don't have it," Kate nodded, "But she don't say it tasted like tar."

"It's an expression, kiddo," Jay tried, forever impressed with his child's intellect, "Tar is what the put on the roads for cars."

Kate wrinkled her nose just as Erin had, "How come you know what it tastes like?"

Jay looked to Erin for help, but she shot him a look, intent on ribbing her partner further, "Yeah Jay, how do you know what it tastes like?"

"Argh!" Jay scooped Kate up from the counter and tickled her, "You're too smart for me, you know that?"

"Ah!" Kate squeaked with delight, "Dat tickles!" She squirmed out of his embrace and proceeded to clutch his legs, "I got you now!"

"Oh no you don't!" he replied playfully, turning the little girl upside down as she laughed, "I got you."

"Jay!" Erin exclaimed, unable to keep the smile off her face as her daughter laughed uncontrollably. He flipped her upside down again before boosting her into the air and giving her a gentle shake. "Careful!"

"Ah!" Kate giggled as Jay set her down, "Can't get me!" She raced across the living room and crouched behind the couch, still laughing. Jay wiggled his fingers tauntingly, taking slow and deliberate steps toward the little girl.

"I'm gonna getcha," he teased from a slightly crouched position, Kate still giggling from behind the couch, "I'm gonna getcha and I'm gonna…eatcha!"

Kate squealed again just as Erin leapt onto Jay's back playfully, tackling him on the couch. "I got him, Kate, run!"

"No fair!" Jay exclaimed, "Two against one!"

"Too bad," Erin quipped, perching herself on his midsection as he laid on the couch, "You're trapped."

"What does a guy have to do to get out of this?" He asked, raising his eyebrows suggestively, "Does the couch need a functionality test again?"

"Mm, maybe," Erin leaned down and pressed a kiss on his lips. After letting her linger on his lips, in one motion, Jay hoisted Erin off his body and escaped from her pin. "Hey!"

"Ah-ha, I'm free!" He cheered, glancing around for Kate, "Where'd she go?"

"Gotcha!" Kate cried, rushing out from behind the kitchen counter and barreling into her father's legs.

"Ahh!" Jay shouted, pretending that the force of her hitting his legs knocked him back onto the couch by Erin's feet, "Sneak attack!"

Kate clambered on top of her father and he held her closely, "Well, where'd you learn stealth tactics like that, huh?"

"Mommy taught me," Kate replied seriously, looking over to her mother who was maneuvering from beneath Jay leaning against her legs, "She said that sometimes at work, you guys gotta be sneaky."

"I taught you well then," Erin mused, leaning against Jay's shoulder, "You came out of nowhere."

Kate nodded with a smile, giggling as Jay's fingers danced across her back teasingly, "Daddy, we winned, you can't be ticklin' now!"

"Is that so?" Jay teased, tickling her tiny feet. Kate let out a joyous squeal, kicking her feet slightly. She squeaked again, but this time her face fell and she grimaced in what appeared to be discomfort.

Instantly, her father drew his hands back, "Did I hurt you, kiddo?" He asked quickly, glancing worriedly to Erin after taking in his little girl's pained expression, "Are you okay?"

Kate nodded gingerly and forced a smile, "I fine!"

"Are you sure?" Jay raised his eyebrows skeptically, "You look like you're hurting a bit. Did I scratch you?" He was becoming increasingly paranoid thinking that he may have inadvertently caused his daughter pain, "What hurts?"

She shook her head, "I'm o-okay."

"Babes, remember what we talked about? We need you to tell us when you're not feeling good, that way we can help, okay?" Erin tucked some of Kate's hair behind her ears, "Are you feeling sick?"

Kate shook her head again, "No, no, I was just laughin' too much," she offered a smile, "It's okay."

"Laughing so much hurt your tummy, huh?" Erin concluded, rubbing Jay's shoulder with one hand so he would recognize that his daughter's pain wasn't his fault, "That happens sometimes to me too, but you've got an extra-sensitive belly. I guess we were just having too much fun."

Kate nodded seriously, still smiling, "I like bein' silly with you and Daddy."

"We love being silly with you too, but we don't want you to be in pain." Jay kissed Kate's forehead, "How about if we take it easy for a few hours? Maybe get started on the fort and then we can read some Harry Potter?"

"Mm, that sounds like a plan," Erin agreed, "And I'm pretty sure you left the milk in the microwave, Halstead."

With Erin's massive collection of pillows, the fort that they were able to construct was quite extensive. All of Kate's blankets, their summer quilts, spare sheets and even a few spare towels were used in the most elaborate fort any of them had ever been privy to. It covered the couch and practically the entire living room, supported by the bar stools, chairs and table. "This is quite the set up," Jay mused, crawling beneath the blankets to the center of the fort that housed the couch cushions and biggest pillows, "I don't think I've ever seen a fort this big!"

"Me neither!" Kate nodded vigorously, sitting cross legged on one of the pillows, "It's so cool!"

"How are you feeling baby?" Erin asked as she leaned against the couch amidst all the pillows, "How's your tummy?"

"Good!" Kate replied, shimmying toward her mother and cuddling up next to her, "I'm nice and warm too."

"I'm so glad babes," Erin kissed the top of Kate's head, "How about some Harry Potter?"

Kate nodded again, snuggling closer, "Daddy, you gonna read?"

"You bet," Jay pulled out the book, "You know, I wasn't a huge reader as a kid. But actually, one time we had a snow day and Will and I sat in our own fort and read books." He smiled wistfully, "My mom was so surprised, especially since Will never read at all."

"How'd he get to be a doctor then?" Kate looked up at her father quizzically, "I thought you had to read to be a doctor."

He chuckled, "Well, he made up for it a bit later in life I guess."

"Did you make forts too, Mommy?" Kate asked sweetly as Erin gently ran her hand over Kate's back, "And read books?"

She swallowed, unsure of how to answer her little girl's question. Erin had told Kate bits and pieces of her life growing up and how she dealt with Bunny and her many men, but she always tried to leave out the most painful memories: the abuse, the drugs, the sex. Her little girl had been through so much in her short life, and Erin didn't want to burden her any more. "Well, my snow day experiences were a little different than Daddy's," Erin said honestly after Jay gave her a sympathetic smile and a nod, indicating that it was up to Erin to say as much as she was comfortable with, "My mom...she wasn't there for us really. Ever."

"Oh," Kate whispered, immediately sensing her mother's sadness, "I-I didn't mean to make you sad."

"Not at all, baby," Erin assured her, "It's completely alright for you to ask me questions. And to be honest, the first snow day I ever really had was with Grandpa Hank's wife, Camille, and his son, Justin. Before that, I…I don't really remember much." She looked over to Jay, "I remember that it was always really cold. And Bunny, she…she wasn't around a lot, so the places we lived wouldn't be warm. Sometimes we had blankets and stuff, but when I was young, I would try to make sure Teddy was okay."

"Who-who's Teddy?" Kate asked quietly.

Erin paused again, realizing that she hadn't ever told her daughter about her half-brother. Jay knew about him after their case that took them to New York, but he respected her privacy about her complicated family dynamic. "Um, he's my half-brother. His dad and him lived with us for a bit but then his dad left us. And since Bunny left us alone a lot, it would be the two of us."

Kate nodded, processing her mother's story, "Is he 'live?"

Erin swallowed and nodded again, "Yeah, um, he was living in New York for a bit and then was back in Chicago and now he's out in Florida. I haven't talked to him in a while, but we exchanged emails a few weeks back and he's doing really well."

"Glad to hear it," Jay piped up, gently stroking Erin's pajamaed knee with his thumb, "He's probably much warmer down there."

Erin smiled sadly, "He definitely is. And to answer your question baby, I think this is the first blanket fort I ever made. But when I lived with Grandpa Hank and Camille and Justin, Camille used to bring me books from the library so I could get better at reading, since growing up with Bunny I didn't go to school as regularly as I should have. She used to have Justin and I read every night before bed instead of watching TV or playing video games. And it paid off, because I graduated high school and joined the CPD."

"And then you met Daddy!" Kate exclaimed.

"You're absolutely right. Then I met Daddy and then we found you." Erin booped Kate on the nose and she giggled.

"Looks like we're out of milk, eggs and pancake mix," Jay called after poking around in the refrigerator, "We're also out of bananas."

"Aw, man," Erin wrinkled her nose, "We've really been bad about the whole getting groceries thing." She connected a puzzle piece into its proper place, "What about frozen pizza?"

After a chapter of Harry Potter, their family decided that it was too early for all of them to fall asleep. Jay located an old puzzle that Hank had brought by for Kate and set it up on the round coffee table. His patient little girl was captivated by how the pieces fit together, but his stubborn fiancé was less than enthused, choosing to focus on her daughter rather than the intricate design of the puzzle.

They decided on breakfast-for-dinner, as they were long overdue for chocolate chip pancakes due to the mishap with DCFS and Intelligence's busy schedule. Unfortunately, the hectic work week meant that they were sparse on groceries, having not had a chance to pick up some of the essentials.

"Out of that too," Jay declared, shutting the freezer. He smiled at the scene in front of him, both his girls concentrating on the puzzle that sat on the coffee table. Kate was wrapped up in her pink blanket, studying each piece intently as she sat on the floor beside her mother. "What if I ran down the street quickly? It's a short walk, and I can get milk, eggs and pancake mix there so we can still have breakfast for dinner."

"But it's cold, Daddy," Kate piped up, glancing up at her father while still holding a puzzle piece in her tiny hand, "I can hear the wind."

Jay smiled at his daughter's thoughtfulness, "I know kiddo, but we gotta have dinner. Can't let my girls go hungry."

"Don't be too long, babe," Erin called out while Jay donned his winter coat, boots and hat, "We need your help on this puzzle. And it was your idea."

"I'll be right back," Jay promised, slipping out the front door.

"I can't find where this piece fits," Kate held out a puzzle piece to her mother, "It's blue but it's not fittin' with the odder blue ones." She paused, observing Erin's contorted facial expression, "Mommy? A-are you okay?"

"Mm-hm," Erin nodded grimly, opening her eyes to see her little girl looking concernedly up at her, "Sorry, baby, what did you say?"

"I can't fit this one." She placed the offending piece on the coffee table, "It don't fit anywhere."

"Hm," Erin picked up the piece and examined it, "Maybe there's another blue sect-ah!" She gasped as a sharp pang of pain tore through her belly, "Ah, ah."

"Mommy!" Kate cried, scrambling to her feet. Erin was doubled over in pain, clutching her stomach as distressed whimpers escaped her lips before she could stop them. Beats of sweat formed on her forehead as the room swam in front of her, her little girl's voice drowned out by the pain radiating from her abdomen.

Erin groaned, the room coming into focus again, "K-Kate," she gritted out, trying to locate her daughter through her blurred vision, "Kate?"

"I'm here, Mommy." Kate knelt in front of her mother and placed her cold little hand on her mother's cheek, "A-are you hurt?"

"I-I don't know," Erin managed, sucking in a breath as another wave of pain hit, "D-do you remember how to call Daddy?" Tears formed in her eyes and rolled down her cheeks as she tried to get a grip on herself for her daughter's sake.

Kate nodded and jumped to her feet. She clambered onto the tall breakfast bar chair to reach Erin's cell phone, which was plugged into the wall. Like her parents had taught her, Kate unlocked the phone and found her father's number.

"I just checked out," Jay answered the call, "Did we forget something?"

"Daddy, you gotta come home. M-Mommy's hurt real bad," Kate rushed out, her small voice sounding close to tears, "S-she's cryin' and she needs you now."

Jay nearly dropped the groceries, "Kate, what's going on? Mommy's hurt?"

"Yes, Mommy's hurt, I-I need you to come home now," Kate said, glancing over to her mother who remained in agony on the living room floor, "Please, hurry Daddy."

"I'm coming kiddo, I'm coming. Do you think you stay on the phone for me?" Jay left the bag of groceries on the floor of the shop and raced out of the building. His boots crunched on the snow as he ran down the block, intent on closing the gap between him and his girls as soon as possible.

Kate stood on the stool, watching as her mother clutched her belly in anguish, eyes squeezed shut. "Daddy, you gotta hurry. You gotta help Mommy."

"Kate, don't hang up, okay?" Jay panted as he sprinted down the block, cold air burning his lungs, "Tell me what's going on."

"Ah!" Erin yelped.

"Mommy!" Kate shrieked, "Daddy, hurry, hurry!"

"Kate? Kate?" Jay shouted into the receiver. He glanced at the phone and cursed loudly at the black screen. It was so cold that the phone could literally not function. A million thoughts raced through his head, but all he cared about was getting to his family.

"Daddy?" Kate asked into the phone. When he didn't reply, she jumped down from the stool and crouched in front of her mother, "Mommy, what hurts?"

"I-it's just my tummy, sweetheart," Erin managed, trying but failing to keep the pain out of her voice for her daughter, "I'm okay."

"No, you hurt," Kate argued, stroking her mother's cheeks with her tiny fingers, "Daddy's comin', I called him."

"G-good girl," Erin tried to smile, but another stab of pain brought tears to her eyes, "Ah, ow, ow." Another groan escaped her lips before she could stop it.

"Hold my hand," Kate instructed, taking her mother's clammy palm in her own, "You-you gotta keep talkin' to me, you gotta stay 'wake."

"I know," Erin groaned, holding tight to Kate's hand, "You called Jay?"

"He's coming," Kate said, squeezing Erin's hand back, "What happened? Did-did you step on a Lego?"

"N-no, no, it's my stomach," Erin hissed, the other arm banded around her abdomen as the pain radiated from her core, "It feels like-ah!" She screwed her eyes closed tightly, trying to ride it out, "Ah!"

"Mommy!" She yelped, glancing down at her mother's pained position, "You-you bleedin'!"

"W-what?" Erin struggled to re-open her eyes and looked down to see her matching snowflake pajamas turning crimson.