"Grandpa!" A teenage girl says running into Voight's arms.
"Hey Em. What you doing?" he says.
"Typing my speech I have to give at the graduation breakfast tomorrow. Since I was in student council I have to say something. Where's mom?" she asks.
"Emery listen…." He starts to say walking her over to sit her in the chair.
"She isn't coming is she?" She asks.
"I don't think so honey." He says putting his hand on her shoulder.
"Hey why the long face?" a familiar voice says sneaking up the stairs.
"Mom! You made it. I didn't even here you pull up." Emery says hugging her.
"Of course I wouldn't miss my only daughter's graduation from high school. I love you way too much for that." Erin said.
"Come on dad is inside. I'm sure he'd love to see you both." She says.
"Honey we will be right in I need to talk to your mom for a sec." Voight says as Emery goes in the house.
"Where have you been Erin?" He says.
"Hank relax, I'm here aren't I." Erin says.
"Well at least you don't reek like booze this time." He says.
"What's that supposed to mean?" she snaps back.
"Nothing let's just go inside. This is her weekend it's not about us." He says holding the door open.
"Hey Voight. Erin." A man says.
"Dylan, where did my daughter go?" Erin asks.
"She went to her room to grab something." Dylan says.
Erin walked up the stairs and turned into her daughter's room.
"Emery Kay what are you doing up here?" she asks.
"I'm trying to find the picture of you and me grandpa took at prom. I had a copy made for you." Emery says rustling through her closet.
"So are you excited for graduation?" Erin asks.
"Oh hell yeah. I'm ready to get out of high school." She says.
"So did you decide where you are going to school?" She asks her daughter.
"Yeah I'm going to the police academy in Chicago. Didn't dad tell you?" Emery said.
"No he didn't. I'll be right back." Erin says agitated.
Erin comes down the stairs and storms into the kitchen.
"You told our daughter she could go to the Chicago police academy and you didn't think it was a good idea to, I don't know tell me." Erin shouts.
"Last time I checked it's her decision where to go Erin." Dylan says.
"Yes but I'm her mother I should be told these things."
"Erin please tell me when the last time you came to see her was. Hank told me you were back at your old habits again. Remember that's the reason I got custody in the first place. You're lucky Hank reasoned with me back then otherwise you wouldn't have a say at all." He says.
"That's enough you two. You both will get along for one weekend for your daughter and that's final." Hank said strictly.
They both nod and it was silent for a while. Pretty soon Emery comes down the stairs with the picture in tow.
"Here ya go mom. I put it in this picture frame. Isn't it cute?" She says with a smile.
"It's beautiful baby. I love it. Thank you." Erin says hugging her daughter.
"Dad can we all go out to eat somewhere please."
"Emery you know I have to go to work in an hour since I got tomorrow off for the ceremony and everything else." He says.
"Oh yeah I forgot. Sorry." she says.
"How about I take my two beautiful ladies out for dinner tonight and we will also grab something for you dad to eat when he gets home late tonight." Hank says.
"Sounds good to me." Erin says.
"Momma will you braid my hair before we leave?" Emery asks.
"Of course but first will you go grab your volleyball and meet me in the backyard." Erin says with a smirk.
Emery shakes her head yes and takes off up the stairs. Erin heads out the back door into the yard, leaving Hank and Dylan to talk.
"Hank, Emery's not a baby anymore. I can't just tell her mommy's sick and leave it at that. She's eighteen she asks questions." Dylan says.
"Dylan she raised Emery for four years without your help and didn't relapse until you came back and tried to take her permanently. When I sat down with you and we worked out our custody agreement that was in everybody's best interest. If I thought she was going to do anything to put Emery in danger, I wouldn't fight for her as hard as I do." Hank says.
"Hank when I talked to you last you said she wasn't working. You said she quit. I need to know you can get her to stop all of this and to start working again" He said with a look of worry.
"Dylan what's going on?" Hank asks.
"I have cancer stage four liver. The doctor's said I have 6 months left to live. I guess all of that underage drinking I did with Erin when we were younger has finally caught up with me. I need to know that Erin will be there for her. She loves her mom more than anything. I have never said a bad thing about her to Emery. She doesn't know anything about her problems and I haven't told her anything about the cancer I want Erin to be here when I do. She's eighteen so she can live with whoever she wants but since she wants to go to school in Chicago I think its best she live with one of you because I won't be around." Dylan says looking out the window at his daughter and her mother.
"You need tell Erin and your daughter but how about we do it Monday morning before we leave. Do you want me to take her back with me?" Hank says.
"No I want to spend the time I have left with her. Well anyway I'll tell Erin tonight I'm sure she will still be up at midnight. I'm going to go to work now. I will see you later." Dylan says walking to the back door to open it.
He waves to the girls and just as the door shuts Emery says "Bye daddy love you."
The night went by so quickly after he left and before they knew it, it was dinner time.
"Alright ladies where do you want to go I can drive us to Peoria and we can go somewhere there." He says.
"Grandpa that's forty-five minutes away. I think I want Dairy Queen."
"Well since we are in Henry, Illinois were the population is nowhere close to that of Chicago. I will allow us to walk up the street to DQ." He says.
The girls both laugh, they grab everything they need, and head out the door. The walk wasn't long at all, it was only about four blocks. The whole way there they laughed and joked with one another, but all Hank could think about was what Dylan had disclosed to him. They got their food to go and they went down to the river to sit and eat.
"So Em how was your finals?" Erin asks.
"I didn't have to take any mom. Remember I told you that when you called me before I got out of school." She says.
"Oh yeah. It just slipped my mind I guess." She says.
"So you want to go to the police academy?" Hank asks.
"Yeah I've been thinking about it for a while. I applied and got in so I realized that was the perfect career for me. I mean you both do it and I'd love to help people the way you guys do." She says.
"Honey I really would prefer you to do something else ok." Erin says worriedly.
"I already decided. I thought you would be happy I'm following in your footsteps." Emery says confused.
"I am. Just making sure you are certain this is what you want." Erin says.
"It is I promise." She says with a grin.
"Ladies what do you say we head back up to the house and watch a movie."
They all head up the river hill and back towards the house. When they get there Emery runs up the stairs and grabs a movie from her room.
"What do you guys say to watching Grown Ups?" Emery asks.
"Sounds good to me." Hank says.
"I'll go make popcorn." Erin says.
Emery walks over to the hall closet and pulls out a blanket. She walks back over to the couch where her grandfather is sitting and plops down next to him.
"Hey Kid." He says.
"Hey Pops." She says looking at him with a smile.
"You turned out ok, you know." He says.
"Not to sound conceited but I know." She says with a giggle.
"Ok let's start the movie." Erin says sitting down.
"Gramps you have the remote, can you press play?" she asks.
"Sure thing kid." He says.
Emery snuggles close to her mother as the movie begins. It was about ten o'clock when it ended and Emery went upstairs to shower.
"Erin, Dylan needs to talk to you so he wants you to stay up until he gets home." Hank says.
"Ok I will. You can take the guest room, I'll just crawl in bed with Emery tonight." Erin says.
"Ok goodnight." He says walking towards the guest room off of the kitchen.
Erin went upstairs to talk to Emery before bed.
"Hey sleepy."
"Hi mommy." She says barely awake.
"I'll be up in a little bit. I'm going to wait for your dad to get home." She says.
"Okay night love you."
"Night love you too." Erin says shutting the door.
Erin sat on the couch flipping through channels until Dylan came home. She had no idea what he wanted to talk about but she assumed it was about how she had been acting lately.
"Listen if this is about how I've been lately…" she starts to say but is quickly cut off.
"Erin, I'm sick. I have stage four liver cancer. They gave me six months."
Erin sat in complete shock, and didn't say a word. Even though they butted heads a lot she never wanted her daughter to lose her father not at any age let alone at eighteen.
"I want to tell her Monday before you leave to go home. So that way she has you when she gets mad at me she has you to talk to. I do want to talk about how you're acting though you have approximately six months to clean up your act so you can be what our daughter needs." He says grabbing her hand.
"Are they sure?" she says finally.
"Yes, there is nothing they can do. It's to advance." He says as she gives him a big hug.
"No matter how much you think I hate you. I want you to know I still do love you, I always will. You gave me our beautiful daughter and for that I'm grateful." She says.
"Why do you think I never got married?" He asks.
"Because you're a jack ass." She says with a giggle wiping her tears away.
"True. We were never good for each other but we did something right with our daughter. I love you too for giving her to me. I couldn't imagine not having her." He says kissing her
"I feel really bad but we are not sleeping together." she says laughing.
"Yeah that's probably not a good idea. Sorry it was just in the moment." He says.
"It's ok. I'm going to go to bed. I'll see you in the morning." She says kissing him on the cheek and heading for the stairs.
She stops outside of her daughter's door and pulls herself together. When she opens the door she finds her daughter fast asleep, she climbs in bed and snuggles close to her. Erin kisses her head and quickly falls asleep beside Emery.