I do not own Chicago PD I simply enjoy dreaming with their characters. This story is AU in the fact that Erin and Jay are kids and Hank rescues them.
Hank
I nod at Olinsky to bust down the door. We had gotten a tip about children being held at this location and I wasn't waiting around for permission to make sure those kids are safe. I walk in to see a woman with blond hair sitting on the couch among all sorts of alcohol bottles. I nod at an officer to wake her up and I head to check out the rest of the house. I find nothing, but then I see a padlock on a narrow door.
"Olinsky. In here." I call out, weapon drawn. Alvin grabs a crow bar and pops the lock off. Following me down the stairwell, I hear a whimper. I race across the basement and I hear a second voice shushing the first. So at least two kids, possibly more. I pry open the door and see a tiny five year old girl shielding a boy. It is a sight for sore eyes, the small girl who has to be a whopping forty pounds soaking wet has her hands on her hips and her chin lifted in the air in defiance. She is small and at first glance looks no older than four. The boy has to be at least a year older than her, but obviously she is the woman in charge.
"You take one more step towards us and I will kick your butt." Her voice growls at me and I am blown away by the guts of this kid.
"Calm down, kid. We are the police. We are here to help." I say, holding up my badge for her to see. She eyes me for a moment and then inches forward enough to reach out and snatch the badge out of my hand. She studies it and hands it back to me.
"Well, it sure took you long enough." She says, folding her arms across her chest.
"Come on, kid. Come with us. You'll be safe." I hold out my hand to her and she studies me for a moment. This kid has spunk, I will give her that. After a few minutes, she gives a small nod and walks right past me out the door. Who is this kid? She is all tough until the moment we hit the top of the stairs. The drunk blond is stumbling in the cuffs the uniform has placed on her and she locks eyes with the girl.
"Erin! What did you do? Did you call the cops on me, huh? On him? He will hunt you down." As the woman is screaming, I yell for the rookie to get her out of here. Erin, the girl who was Braveheart a moment before is now a cowering mess of a five year old kid. I squat down in front of her and hold her by the arms.
"Hey. What's going on, kid?" I ask, looking her in the eyes. I see none of the defiant braveness that was there not five minutes before. I see genuine fear. What has this poor kid gone through?
"I'm fine." She says, looking away from me and crossing her arms. "Is Jay okay?" Jay must be the other boy she was protecting.
"Yea, my partner's got him. You're safe now. Come on. My name is Hank." I reach out my hand and wait for her to place her hand in mine. When she does, I lead her to my car. When we get to the squad room I sit her in my office. I take a good look at this kid. She is something else. Her light brown hair looks like it hasn't been washed in weeks. Her green eyes look like they have seen as much in her five years as I have in 20 years with the department. I get her a candy bar and a water bottle and its gone ten seconds later. How long has it been since this kid has eaten? I feel the buzz of my phone in my pocket and lift it to my ear. I nod as Olinsky's voice tells me that the boy, Jay, was pretty badly beaten up and they took him to chicago med. She has bruises on her face, neck, arms, and legs. Her shorts are torn and her tank top is little more than rags. Her eyes, wild with defiance are also masking fear. I kneel down in front of her.
"Kid, Erin is it?" I ask and she nods. "Can you tell me how you got these bruises?" I ask as gently as I can, which for me is a great effort. She gives me a look that says I must not be as smart as she originally thought.
"From my father." She says with a shrug of her shoulders. As if this is normal. As if this is what every five year old looks like. Wait, is she really only five?
"How old are you?" I ask.
"Five and a half." She responds and I want to chuckle as she puffs up her chest and tries to grow a few inches. This kid has spunk, I will give her that.
"Ok, you sit tight. Stay here and I will be back in a little bit." I give her a bag of chips from the cabinet and leave the room. I go out to get an update on where we are with this case.
"Where are we?" I bark into my squadroom.
"The girls name is Erin Lindsay." Antonio begins, taping a picture of Erin to the board. Then pointing at the next picture, "Mother that we just booked is named Bunny. Mom was eager to tell us that Erin's father is the one that is using the kids as a punching bag. She is so wacked out on drugs and alcohol that it will take months to get her clean. Neighbors say that Erin takes care of Jay and the day to day house stuff. They say she is the one who takes the trash out, plays with Jay outside, makes sure they get to school. I guess even though he is older, he is usually beat up more so Erin tries to take care of him."
"How old is Jay."
"He is six. Birthday is in a few months." Antonio says. I can tell this case is hitting him hard. He has two young kids and the cases involving children are always hardest for him.
"Do you want me to call CPS, boss?" Atwater says, picking up his phone.
"No." I state firmly. "She stays with us for now until we know she is safe. What is the update on her brother?"
"Doctors say he will need observation for a few days. There were several older injuries that have not healed well under the circumstances."
"Ok, well for now, Erin will be staying with me. Consider her in protective custody." I say, my voice daring them to argue with me. No one does.
Erin
I sit in this room, eating the chips that Hank gave me. I haven't eaten since I ate lunch at school yesterday. I really don't like Fridays. Fridays mean that I will have to go all weekend and then until breakfast at school on Monday until I can eat again. There is never any food at our house. Its hard to sneak upstairs long enough to search for food in the kitchen without being caught. This Hank man seems okay so far. He hasn't hurt me yet. I wonder where he will send me. I need to check on Jay. Hank said he was fine but can I trust him? Can I believe him? I see him in the other room talking to other people. It is only afternoon but I am getting sleepy. I didn't sleep last night because I was guarding Jay. He couldn't take another beating yesterday after the three he'd had in the past few days. I see Mr. Hanks coat that he laid on his desk. He seems pretty nice maybe he wont mind if I use it as a blanket to have a nap. I pick it up and look around to see if I am in trouble yet. No one comes in the door. I lay it down in the corner and curl up into a ball, pulling the other side of the jacket over me. I take a deep breath reminding myself that Hank said I was safe. I do not try to fight the sleep that overwhelms me.
Hank
I send Atwater to the hospital to check on Jay and send the rest of the team home. I go back into my office and momentarily freeze because I do not see the kid. A quick glance around reveals a snoring child curled up into a ball in the corner, wrapped neatly up in my coat. I walk over and kneel down next to her. I reach a hand out to pull the tangled mess of hair off her face. The moment my finger touches her forehead, her eyes fly open in fear, her arm whips up and smacks away my hand.
"Woah, kid, its okay. Its just me. You're safe." I say, trying to calm her. And the next thing I know she flings herself at me, wrapping her arms around me. Her sobs break my heart. This poor kid, has been so scared for God knows how long. "Come on, lets go home."
I carry her to the car and buckle her in the backseat. I would need to get her a car seat. I get her home and run a bath for her. I realize as I leave her in the bathroom that I have no clothes for her. I sigh, running a hand over my face I pull out my phone. I dial Antonio's number.
"Hey, I need a favor. I got the kid home and she is in the bathtub and I…." I begin, but he interrupts me.
"…Just realized you have no clothes for her." Antonio finishes my sentence for me. "Yea, I wondered if you would realize that." So he thinks this is funny?
"Hey!" I bark into the phone. I am not in a joking mood right now.
"Sorry, boss. I will have some right over to you." He says, ending the call.
A few minutes later I hear a voice calling for me. I go back up to the bathroom and knock on the door.
"Are you out of the tub?" I call through the door. When there is a yes hollered back in return I ask, "Are you wrapped up in the towel?" I sigh with relief when she says yes. I slowly open the door and lead her to the couch. Handing her one of my tee shirts I tell her its all I have for now. She shrugs and I turn around so she can put it on. While she is getting dressed I go to my bathroom and pull out a brush out of a drawer that I haven't seen open in some time.
I sit Erin down on the arm of the couch and begin to brush out her hair. It is painfully obvious that this kid hasn't had her hair brushed out ever. I flip on the tv and find a kid station and continue to try to gently untangle the rats in her hair. I am almost through when I hear a knock at the door. Knowing it will be Antonio, I call out letting him know to come in. I am not surprised to multiple bags and boxes in his arms. I gesture towards the hall way and I follow him to the guest room. I smile when I see Erin in the doorway. She looks so small in that tee shirt.
Antonio lays all the bags on the bed and starts pulling things out. He hands me a package of underwear and I walk to the dresser. I place all of them in the top drawer and then hand one to Erin. She runs off to the bathroom and we continue to put the rest of the clothes away. He thought of everything even shoes. He leads me out to the porch where a large box with a picture of a car seat is sitting by my front door.
"Thanks, Antonio." I say, putting a hand on his shoulder. "I knew I could count on you."
"Just take good care of her, Hank. She has been through a lot."
I go back inside to see Erin going through the drawers in the guest room. Her face is clouded with confusion.
"Hank, who is all this stuff for?" She asks, looking at the shirts piled neatly in the drawer. There clothes of all colors, pinks, purples, yellows, and reds.
"For you, kid." I say, sitting down on the edge of the bed. "You need clothes don't you?"
She nods. "I never had this many clothes before." She says simply. This many? There are only about six shirts in there. He must have bought enough to get through the week. She would need more.
"Well, you do now." I say with a smile. "Come on, lets go make dinner." She eyes me carefully. "What are you hungry for?" Iask She shrugs. I cant decide if that look is because I am offering for her to help me cook or because I am offering dinner at all. The latter thought makes me angry. I sit her up on the counter next to the sink and start pulling stuff out of the fridge.
"Ok kid, we got steak or pork chops." I say and I want to laugh at the look she gives me. She clearly has never had either of these two foods. Her confusion is evident but she is trying to hide it with a look that says I'm too cool to care. I decide to throw her a lifeline. "Well, my favorite is steak. We can have some rice and green beans with it and make it a good meal."
"Ok." She shrugs.
"You gonna help?" I ask her, handing her a pan. Turning on the faucet, I say, "Here fill this halfway up." She turns towards the water and sets the pan underneath. When it is about halfway she turns the water off. She uses both hands to try and lift the sauce pan up and about topples into the sink. I catch her and lift her onto my hip. Walking over to the table I pull a dining chair over and set it flush against the cabinets between the sink and stove. I stand her on the chair and let her try again. She lifts it easily this time and sets it on the stove. Looking at me, she waits while I turn on the stove. I place the steaks into the frying pan. I hand her a can opener and a can of green beans. She has done this before and I watch as she opens the can, dumping them into the bowl I have set on the counter. I hold out my arms and she doesn't hesitate to jump into them this time. Placing her back on my hip I put the bowl in the microwave and tell her to press three, zero, zero. Her face is beaming with a smile. She stands on the chair while I cook and for a while, there is silence. When the food is done, I lift her out of the chair and hand her two plates and a handful of silverware.
"Set the table, will ya?" I say as she takes the stack from me. She gives me a curious look. Surely the kid knows how to set the table, right? I walk over to the table and take the plates from her. "Here, I will do mine and you can do yours." I set the plate in front of my chair and put a fork on one side and a spoon on the other. Then I go get a paper towel and fold it in half and place it under my spoon. "See…thats how you set the table." She grins, then studying my place setting, does her own. We sit down to eat and I try to start getting to know this kid.
Dinner went fine. She had never had steak before. She says its her favorite now too. I sit her on the couch to watch cartoons while I pick up the kitchen. When I am done I go to turn off the tv.
"It's bedtime, kid." I say, reaching for her hand. I watch as she shivers. Bedtime must not a good time for her.
"Please don't hurt me!" She cries out.
"Erin, kid. Look at me. You are safe." I say, picking her up and holding her. "I am not going to let anything happen to you. You have my word." I feel her wrap my arms around my neck. "No one is going to hurt you here."
I put her in bed. I can see that she is tired, but I still am not sure that she believes she is safe. I watch as she tries to keep her eyes open as long as possible. I sit down next to her and start to rub her back. It doesn't take long.
"It's okay, kid. You're safe." I whisper as I stand up to leave the room.
I sit on the couch with a beer when I hear a soft knock on the door. I let Alvin in and he gets a beer out of my fridge and joins me on the couch.
"How is the girl?" He asks, taking a sip.
"She's a brave kid. Its easy to see she has been through a lot."
"Well, now she has you." He says simply and we sit in silence for awhile.
Neither of us are prepared for her piercing scream. I run up the stairs taking them two at a time. She is thrashing about on the full sized bed. Her hair is flying all around and she is kicking an imaginary opponent. I scoop her up into my arms.
"It's okay, kid. It's Hank. I'm here. You're safe." I soothe into her ear as I hold her to my chest. Her sobs are breaking me. She is still half asleep but her sobs are gut wrenching. If Alvin wasn't standing in the doorway, I'd be loosing the battle to hold back my tears.