70. Chapter 70

Hi, sorry again for the delay. Let me know what you think.

Kate stared at the large chair skeptically, holding fast to Jay's jeans. "I-I don't wanna," she whispered, her voice muffled by the fabric, "It don't look safe."

"It's safe, kiddo, I promise," Jay rested his palm atop the little girl's head. He glanced over at his partner, "Maybe it would be better if I went first, hm?"

Kate shook her head rapidly, "I-I don't want you to get hurt e-der."

"I know, baby, but it's really okay. We wouldn't lie to you." Erin squatted down to meet the child's eye, "It actually feels really good. I think I'll get my hair cut too." She glanced up at Jay, "Just a trim."

"They gonna put scissors by your head," Kate murmured, looking around the salon anxiously, "T-they could cut you."

"These people are really good. It's their job," Erin explained, "See? Everyone is okay. And after, your hair feels nice and soft."

"I promise, nobody is going to cut you." A nice young woman approached the family and smiled kindly at Jay and Erin, "Hi honey, my name is Maria, and I'm very good at my job. And I won't hurt you, or your folks, okay?"

Kate remained skeptical, her grip on Jay's jeans growing tighter. She was silent as she regarded the woman in front of them. "Can you do a trim for me?" Erin piped up, settling herself in the chair. She had been growing her hair longer, but a quick trim wouldn't hurt.

"Of course," Maria smiled, reaching into the drawer and pulling out a black cape and draping it over Erin's shoulders. Kate cowered behind Jay at the sight of it. "This is just to make sure your mom's hair doesn't get all over her clothes," the woman explained, "Perfectly safe."

The little girl widened her eyes slightly. It was only her first month with Jay and Erin, but she didn't realize that Erin was her mom. Erin glanced nervously to her partner. When he caught her gaze, Jay offered a gentle smile and she relaxed slightly, grateful that he was thinking the same thing – of course she was Kate's mom. "See, Squirt?" Jay put a hand on Kate's shoulder and gestured to Erin as Maria dampened her hair with a spray bottle, "All good."

Kate remained behind her father's legs while the woman trimmed the ends of Erin's hair. "Feels good," Erin commented, offering a smile to the little girl who was staring at her reflection in the mirror, "Do you want to try, baby?"

"You and Jay gonna stay?" Kate whispered, tiny hands still grasping Jay's jeans.

"Of course," Jay placed a hand atop Kate's head, "Would it help if Erin or I held your hand?"

She nodded after a moment, "You and Erin both?"

Jay grinned at Erin's reflection, grateful that the child was willing to entertain a haircut but wanted both of them to hold her hand. "Absolutely!" he replied, "We'll be with you the whole time."

Erin held Kate's hand in hers as they made their way through the hallway of Chicago Med. "We seeing Daddy's daddy?" Kate whispered, looking up at Erin expectantly. The little girl was anxious as they walked down the cool corridors, the faint noise of medical machines blending into the background.

"That's right," Erin nodded, holding her baby's hand a bit tighter. She was nervous to formally meet her fiancé's father, as the last time had been in the lobby of the 21st, and Jay had been none too pleased. But when he had texted and asked if she and Kate wouldn't mind coming down to meet him, she couldn't say no, not when the man was dying.

"He still sick?" Kate asked, looking around the hallway, "How come he's not better yet?"

Erin swallowed, "I'm um, not really sure baby." She spotted Will at the end of the hall, the weary doctor offering a halfhearted wave. "Look, there's Uncle Will."

Kate smiled softly, clearly aware that it wasn't the appropriate time to run up and hug her uncle excitedly. Erin was constantly impressed by her daughter's ability to read other people and situations. "Hey, Monkey, Er, thanks for coming." Will smiled tiredly, "Jay just stepped out to get a cup of coffee."

"How's he doing?" Erin murmured after Will had hoisted Kate up into his arms for a hug.

"My brother? Or my dad?" Will glanced over Kate's head. Erin shrugged in response, having been curious about both men, "Hanging in there."

"We seeing your daddy today too?" Kate asked Will, looking to the closed hospital door to their right.

"Mm-hm, that's right. Jay and I have the same dad," Will replied, "And there your dad is now."

"Hey babe," Jay smiled as Erin wrapped her arms around his torso when he approached, grateful to have her in his arms again, "Missed you."

"Missed you," she mumbled in response and stifled a yawn.

"Brought you coffee too," Jay extended the cup to Will and then to Erin, "Figured we could all use some." He turned to Kate, "How does a juice box sound for you, kiddo?"

Kate smiled and accepted the juice from her father, "Thank you Daddy."

"Are you okay to meet my dad today?" He asked, taking a sip from the hot beverage. Kate nodded slowly.

"Alrighty, good." Jay took a deep breath, "Just so you know, he's pretty sick, but he wanted to meet you guys."

"He'll be on his best behavior," Will interjected. He could sense the little girl's growing anxiety, "You wanna head in with your dad, Monkey?"

Kate nodded quickly, gratefully holding tightly to her father when Will passed her off. Jay could feel her relax immediately against him and his heart swelled with pride. There had been a time, arguably not too long ago, when his daughter had been reluctant to accept comfort from her father. After the tumultuous few years of her life, it had taken weeks and months of proving himself for Jay to a consistent figure of safety for Kate.

"Erin?" Kate's small voice came just above a whisper as she sat on the bench in the locker room, glancing up at the detective.

"Yeah, baby?" Erin looked down at the little girl and gave a smile, "What's up?"

"How come you're all fancy?" She sized up Erin's very short skirt and tight top, "A-are you going to a p-party?"

"Well, kind of. I'm going undercover, which is why I have to wear this outfit. So I blend in and so that we can catch the bad guys." She smiled and sank down to meet Kate's gaze, "Jay's gonna be there too, and Sergeant Voight and the rest of the team are going to be waiting outside."

Kate looked nervous, "A party?"

"Mm-hm," Erin gently tucked the hair obstructing Kate's face behind her ear, "Hopefully it'll be done soon, and then you, me and Jay, we'll all head home together, sound good?"

The little girl was silent as she toyed with Erin's long necklace, "I-I don't want you to go to the party," she said finally, barely audible, "Do you gotta go?"

Erin furrowed her brow slightly, her heart clenching at the child's request but knowing that she had to explain that she was needed at the party for work. "I'll be back soon, sweetheart. I know it's late and I'm sorry we're still out, but we'll head home as soon as this is over. Promise."

Kate shook her head, tears welling in her hazel eyes, "B-but I seen parties and-and I been der and…" she hiccuped, tears now trickling down her cheeks, "S-sometimes, the ladies get hurt. And I don't want you to." She sniffed, willing herself not to cry more.

"Oh, sweetheart," Erin felt a lump forming in her throat. She knew that Kate had seen a lot of terrible things, but the little girl hadn't told her or Jay any details. After three weeks together, she was just getting to know her. "I'm so sorry that happened to you. But I promise, I'm going in as a detective. And Jay's going to be there with me-"

"J-J-Jay's a man at a party?" Kate eyes went wide with fear, "He goes to parties?" Tears streamed down Kate's cheeks as she fought to reconcile the man she had gotten to know over the past few weeks and the men she knew attended bad parties with women.

Erin realized her error just as she heard the familiar cadence of Jay's footsteps coming down the hall.

"You ready, Er?" Jay poked his head into the locker room, dressed in a sport coat and black shirt. "Hey, Squirt."

Kate let out a squeak and pushed herself off the bench, glancing around the locker room for another exit. "Wait, Kate, wait," Erin rushed out, hurrying after the little girl as she desperately searched for an exit amongst the lockers. "Sweetheart, it's alright."

She shook her head rapidly, shaking against the blue metal as Erin looked concernedly at her, "No, no," she managed, "Please." Kate let out another whimper as Jay rounded the corner, "No!"

"Er, what-" He glanced to his partner nervously, but she held up her hand and sank down to meet the little girl's gaze.

"Kate, baby, Jay's a good guy. I promise. He's going tonight with me, as a detective, and he'll make sure nothing happens to me. And I'll make sure nothing happens to him." Erin extended her arms, "Jay and I, we only go to these places as the police, so that we can catch the bad guys."

Kate looked skeptically at Erin and then to Jay, who was now on his knees a few feet behind Erin. "He still good?" She breathed, "J-Jay's not going to the party for real?"

"Exactly," Erin confirmed, "Jay's the best guy I know. And he's going to be in there to keep me safe. And I'm going to do the same for him. I promise, babes, you're safe with us." After a beat, Kate edged away from her place pressed up against the cold lockers and into Erin's arms.

"I'm sorry," Kate whispered, her damp cheek pressed against Erin's shoulder, "I'm sorry."

"You have nothing to apologize for, baby," Erin insisted, stroking the back of Kate's head. She turned to Jay, who was staring at his girls, perplexed at the situation that had unfolded in front of him, "Almost ready babe. I was just explaining how under cover works to Kate here. How it's not real for you and me, that we're there as the police to catch the bad guys."

"That's right," Jay confirmed, offering a gentle smile, "Erin and I will be together too, so we'll have each other's backs."

"Cause you're partners?" Kate lifted her head off Erin's shoulder and looked to Jay for confirmation, "You the good guys?"

"That's absolutely right. I'm not going to let anything happen to Erin, and she's going to keep me safe too." Jay pulled at a button on his shirt, "You see this button here? It's also a camera. So Sergeant Voight and the whole team will be watching too, making sure that Erin and I are okay."

"They gonna be there the whole time?" Kate whispered, looking up at Jay tearfully, "They not gonna let Erin or you get hurt?"

"That's right." Jay inched closer Erin as they were still on the locker room floor, "We've got a really good team."

"Okay," Kate breathed. Erin and Jay exchanged smiles, grateful that they made it through the difficult discussion.

"Alrighty, babes," Erin stood with Kate in her arms. She instantly went rigid with fear.

"D-do I gotta come to the party?" she asked, eyes filling with tears again, "I-I don't wanna go, please."

"Oh, kiddo, you don't have to go at all," Jay assured her as he dusted off his knees, "You'll be safe here with Sergeant Platt, okay? Trust me, we wouldn't bring you undercover with us."

"You're gonna read a few stories with Sergeant Platt," Erin gestured to the tote bag with books and art supplies, "Does that sound okay?"

"I wanna be wif you," Kate mumbled softly, "But I know you gotta work."

"We want to be with you too, baby." Erin kissed Kate's forehead, "We'll be back soon enough, and the three of us can all head home together."

Kate nodded again, "I like bein' with you and Jay."

"We like being with you too, Squirt. More than anything." Jay stroked Kate's hair gently, "We love you so much."

"Hey, Dad," Jay greeted as he trailed after Will into his father's hospital room, "How are you feeling?"

"Shitty," Pat Halstead grumbled. Both Will and Jay shot their dad a pointed look. The older man glanced up and realized that his son had a little girl on his hip, and a beautiful woman at his side. "Sorry. Just…tired."

Jay grunted slightly and swallowed. "Dad, this is Erin, my fiancé." He put an arm around Erin's shoulders, still balancing Kate on his hip. "And this is Kate, our daughter."

"Nice to meet you," Erin nodded in Pat's direction, making eye contact with her future father in law's steely gaze.

"Guess you won't be saying, 'I've heard such great things about you'," the eldest Halstead muttered, clearing his throat.

"Dad," Will interrupted, as Jay opened his mouth to say a few unsavory things to his father, "C'mon."

"Sorry," Pat repeated, "I have to say, I am surprised Jay managed to convince a woman like you to marry him."

"He's a good guy. And a great father," Erin replied evenly, determined not to lose her cool. "Kate and I are very lucky."

"Mm," Pat hummed, "How old are you, Katie?"

The little girl flinched in Jay's arms at her grandfather's question and kept her lips shut. "Kate," Jay emphasized, knowing full well that Kate didn't appreciate being called Katie. Back when she had first joined their family, she had recalled how the men who used to abuse her had called her Katie following a terrible nightmare. He glanced down at his daughter, slightly trembling in his arms, "Kate, sweetheart, do you want to tell my dad how old you are?"

She looked to Erin with fearful eyes but held up four fingers, "I am almost five," she whispered, the other hand clutching Jay's shirt tightly.

"Wow," Pat mused, "Looks like you're not feeding your kid enough son, I woulda guessed she was three."

"Jesus, Dad," Will exasperated before Jay could respond, "Try a little here."

"I think we'll be heading home," Erin placed a hand on Jay's tense shoulder, recognizing that her partner was gearing up for a fight, "Feel better, Pat."

Over the next few days, Jay begrudging spent time at the hospital to check on his dad. Following their awkward encounter with the older man, Jay and Erin decided that it would be best to keep Kate away from her ailing grandfather. While Erin had offered her support to be with Jay and Will at the hospital, he insisted she stay with Kate so to not subject her to any more of his father's unpleasantness.

"Hey," Erin greeted, looking up from her spot on the couch to her partner as he entered the apartment. Jay closed the apartment door behind him and tugged off his shoes, dropping them to the ground. He didn't bother to line them up like he normally did.

Erin furrowed her brow at her partner's out of character action. "Everything okay, babe?"

"Mm," Jay replied noncommittally, settling heavily on the couch beside his fiancé. He pressed a kiss to the side of her head and breathed deeply.

"How's your dad?" she whispered gently after a moment, turning her head slightly so she could see her partner's face.

Jay was quiet. "He um, didn't make it."

"Oh, Jay, I'm so sorry," Erin gripped his hand.

"I'm not," Jay gritted out, swallowing thickly, "I'm not sorry. He was an ass."

"He was your dad, babe," she murmured, facing her fiancé, "It's alright to be upset."

"I'm not sad, I'm…" Jay rubbed his face, "I'm angry." Tears welled in his eyes, "I'm so angry, Er."

"I know." Erin reached out a hand to stroke his cheek, "I know babe. And I'm still so sorry."

With that gesture, finally, after days of holding it back, Jay let out a choked sob. He covered his face with his hands in one last desperate attempt to keep all his emotions at bay, but Erin gently pried his fingers off his face and ran her cool thumbs over his cheeks. "It's alright, babe," she whispered, "It's okay."

Erin wrapped her arms around her partner as he folded against her, body spent from days of sitting by his father's bedside, watching him fade away. Another sob tore through his throat and he keeled over in her lap while she bent over him, trying to provide as much comfort as possible by running her hands down Jay's back, arms, massaging his neck and scalp. His body convulsed in sobs, hot and angry tears trickling down his cheeks and onto her pajama pants.

Erin held her partner closely, feeling like her own heart had been stomped upon while Jay wept.

Another one I wasn't totally in love with, but I'm really excited for the next few that wrap this all up. Stay tuned!