Disclaimer: I own nothing just borrowing a few characters to make the hiatus more bearable! (is it really not September 30 yet?)
Song: Do You Remember By Jarryd James
AN: You may find Jay slightly OC in this story.
Welcoming The Burn
Detective Jay Halstead sat at bar at Molly's just after eleven on a Friday night with a glass whiskey sitting in front of him. He looked down into the amber liquid, before picking the glass up and tossing it back with one gulp, welcoming the burn, and quickly signaled for another one.
"Haven't seen you in here for a while." Gabriela Dawson said as she placed another glass of whiskey in front of him.
"Been busy." Jay said before picking up the glass and downing it in one swallow.
"You're not gonna be able to walk out of here if you keep tossing them back like that –" Gabby said.
"Good." Jay told her, just thankful that she topped his glass up again.
"Someone else sat at my bar just last week tossing whiskey back like that. She asked me if it's possible to have a relationship with someone you work with."
"What's that got to do with me?"
"I think we both know it's got everything to do with you Jay."
"Yeah well it doesn't matter anymore."Jay said dejectedly.
"Maybe you should just talk to her. Tell her how you feel."
"That's not gonna make any difference. She's made her decision. And it wasn't me. It wasn't us." Jay told her.
"Jay –"
"Can I have another one?"
"Jay drinking away your problems isn't going to make you feel any better."
"I'm kinda hoping I wont be feeling anything at all after another couple."
"Jay –"
"If you wont serve me I'll go somewhere that will."
"One more. Then I'm calling you a cab." Gabby said with a shake of her head and walked up the other end of the bar.
Gabby took her cell phone out of her pocket and searched through her contacts until she found the one she was looking for.
She rang the number but there was no answer, so she left a message instead, hoping they'd get back to her soon. Then she quickly made another call.
Gabby was relieved when ten minutes later she saw her brother walk into the bar.
"What's up Gabby?" Antonio asked as he walked over to where his sister stood behind the bar.
"That's what's up?" Gabby asked Antonio, pointing to where Jay hunched over the bar at the far end staring at his drink.
"How long's he been here for?" Antonio asked with a wince as he saw Jay.
"Long enough to nearly have finished off a bottle of whiskey."
"Shit I better go talk to him." Antonio said.
"I was hoping you'd say that. But just go easy I think he's had a bad day." Gabby told her brother.
Jay sat at the bar glaring at his drink. He was starting to feel the warmth of the whiskey spreading through him, and waited for the numbness to follow. He really needed to feel nothing for a while even if it was for just one night. He heard the front door of the bar open and looked over half expecting and wanting, no needing, to see her walking through the door. His breath caught slightly when he spied dirty blond hair, but then she turned and he saw it wasn't her.
He was pathetic he though with a shake of his head. They'd only been together for a minute. But God he missed her. And to make matters worse he had to see her every day and make out like everything was fine. That it didn't feel like his heart had been ripped out of his chest.
"What's going on Jay?" Antonio asked as he leaned up against the bar next to where Jay sat.
"Just having a drink." Jay said holding his glass up to show Antonio with a sardonic grin.
"Yeah I see that. Wanna tell me why?"
"No particular reason." Jay shrugged.
"So you're telling me you've downed nearly a whole bottle of whiskey for no reason?"
"Yep." Jay said popping the p.
"Listen if this has something to do with what happened with Voight today –"
"It's got nothing to do with what happened with Voight." Jay said angrily, but it did have everything to do with Voight, just not what happened at work today.
"It was like you were deliberately trying to piss Voight off today." Antonio told him.
"What? So I'm just suppose to blindly follow whatever he decides to do? You've sure changed your tune." Jay snapped.
"There's questioning and then there's flat out insubordination which you were bordering on today Jay." Antonio warned Jay.
"So just because I don't kiss his ass like everyone else, I'm insubordinate? Give me a fucking break." Jay scoffed.
"You've been pissing Voight off all week, looking for a fight. Snapping at everyone else for no reason and totally ignoring Lindsay, who is suppose to be your partner."
"Leave Erin out of this. You have no idea what you're talking about." Jay said exploding out of his seat, knocking his bar stool to the ground with a loud clatter that had everyone one in Molly's going quiet and staring at the two detectives.
"Jay you need to get your shit together and quick or you'll be needing to find a new job." Antonio warned him leaning down to pick up the bar stool Jay had knocked over.
"Maybe that's not a bad idea." Jay said before tossing some money on the bar for his drinks. He unclipped his badge from his belt and put it on the bar on top of his money and stormed out of the bar. Leaving a shocked Antonio staring after him.
"What the fuck just happened here?" Antonio asked Gabby.
"That did not go well." Gabby said to Antonio.
"Ya think." Antonio said looking down to where Jay had put his badge on the bar.
"You can't just let him quit and walk out of here?"
"I think he needs to cool off for a bit."
"Are you sure that's a good idea. I've never seen him like that before."
"I'll swing by his place on my way home." Antonio promised.
"Ouch. Gabby what the hell?" Antonio asked rubbing his shoulder where his sister had just punched him.
"Dammit Antonio you could have been just a little understanding of what he's going through."
"What do you mean what he's going through?" Antonio wanted to know.
"Antonio for a detective you are pretty clueless."
"Gabby it's been a long night. Can you just say what you mean."
"Jay and Erin." Gabby said.
"What about Jay and Erin?" Antonio asked slightly confused and Gabby just looked at him with a raised eyebrow.
"Are you trying to tell me there's something is going on between Jay and Erin?"
"Yeah. Well there was something going on. I think it's over now." Gabby told her brother.
"Well shit." Antonio said, but when he thought about it things started to make a lot more sense.
The bar door swung open with a bang and Erin Lindsay rushed into the bar. At the noise both Dawson siblings looked in her direction.
"I just got your message. What's going on? Where's Jay?" Erin asked Gabby looking around the bar for Jay but not spotting him any where.
"Unfortunately you're about ten minutes too late he's gone." Gabby told the blond detective as she continued to look around the bar worriedly for Jay.
"And you just let him leave? You said he was in a bad way." Erin said looking between the two siblings for answers.
"You can blame Mr Sensitive here for that." Gabby said pointing towards her brother.
"Well maybe if you had of explained the situation –" Antonio snapped back.
"Can someone tell me what the hell is going on." Erin asked, starting to get pissed off at the bickering siblings.
"Jay decided that it was a good idea to crawl into a bottle of whiskey to cure his broken heart." Gabby told leveling Erin with a knowing stare.
"I'm not sure what you think you know Gabby –" Erin said shooting a worried glance in Antonio's direction.
"Erin he quit. Jay quit." Antonio said pushing Jay's badge along the bar to where Erin stood.
"What do you mean he quit?" Erin asked her stomach dropping.
She knew he was struggling the decision to 'cool' things off between them, hell she was struggling too. She nearly caved and headed to his apartment a dozen times in the past week. She'd even gotten as far as the front door of his building but couldn't make herself go inside. Things between them had been strained to say the least and he'd barely said two words to her in the past couple of days. Then today when he'd clashed with Voight over how to deal with a suspect, he'd sided with Hank and told Jay she always would and that he needed to get over himself. She'd regretted what she'd said immediately, had seen the hurt in his eyes, but it had been too late to take it back.
"I told him he needed to get his shit together. Or he'd be looking for a new job. And he said 'that's not a bad idea.' Put his badge on the bar and walked out."
"I can't believe you just let him quit and walk out. He's meant to be your friend." Erin said angrily, but really she angry with herself.
"That's what I said." Gabby said.
"I may not have known what was going on. But I do know Jay well enough to know when he needs to cool down. Me going after him would have just pissed him off more."
"I need to go and find him." Erin said to no one in particular.
"Do you really think that's a good idea Erin?" Antonio asked her.
"Well it's better than standing here and doing nothing."
"I just meant that maybe it should be me to go and not you. I'm not sure if seeing you right now is what he needs."
"You think this is my fault too." Erin said her eyes filling.
"Erin –"
"No you're right. It is my fault and that's why I need to fix it. You may not believe this right now. But I do care about Jay. Probably more than I've ever cared about anyone." Erin said, picking up Jay's badge off the bar and placing it carefully in her coat pocket. Before racing out of the bar and quickly as she'd raced into it.
"You're on a roll that's two for two." Gabby said to Antonio.
"Yeah I think it's best I go home before I piss off or upset anyone else. I'll try not to kick any puppies and scare any children on my way home." Antonio said tiredly regretting ever answering his sister's phone call.
AN: Should I continue this story or not? Let me know what you think.
I don't think it will be a long one just a 3 to 4 part story.
I'm still writing my other story – just needed a small break and should update Dangerous Distractions in the next week or so.