He opened the door to his apartment, and almost immediately sank to his couch in exhaustion. He had never thought the day would have ended the way it did, after it began the glorious way it had…
He awoke to the sun shining through her bedroom window, not minding the slight pressure on his left side. He looked over to her sleeping form, curled into his side, head resting on his chest.
She would swear that she didn't like cuddling, and yet this is the way he would find her every morning, whether they stayed at her place or his. It had almost become like habit, they got off work and would order something to eat, have a few beers and watch a game on the television, he preferred the Blackhawks, she would rather catch a baseball game. Sometimes she would fall asleep on the couch, and he would carry her to bed, careful not to wake her. Other days they'd make their way to the bedroom, by way of shedding each others' clothes, after refamiliarizing themselves with every inch of each others' bodies. He loved her, he had told her as much a few days ago, and he was pretty sure she loved him too. She hadn't said as much yet, but they had been doing this dance for about 4 months now; but it felt like the dance that they were doing started much earlier than that.
He leaned his head down to her ear and carefully pushed a piece of her hair behind her ear. "Good morning, beautiful," he whispered ever so softly while pressing his lips to the side of her head. He felt her move a little under his touch. He hated to wake her, especially with how tired she had been lately, but he knew they had only so much time to get to work, and showing up late together would definitely lead to more questions than either one of them wanted to answer. Voight still didn't know about them, and he couldn't imagine what would happen when he found out. Soon, Erin lifted her hazel eyes to his and kissed him on the lips. After a few moments, he broke away, breathless. "If you keep doing that, we are definitely going to be late to work."
"Mmm," Erin responded while cuddling further into his side.
"C'mon, Er, we've got to get up. You can join me in the shower if you'd like," he said as he rose from the bed with a glance over in her direction. He caught her eye just in time to see her devilish smirk. He had become so accustomed to mornings with her. Mornings waking up to Erin Lindsay were far superior to mornings without her. He didn't know how he would go back to life without her in it, and that's why it was so important to him to protect what they had together.
About an hour and a half later, he walked into work, knowing Erin would be about 6 minutes behind him. They had this down to a routine. He would leave a few minutes earlier, and pick them up both a cup of coffee, her a pumpkin latte, no matter the season, and he would get a black coffee, no frills, just caffeine. He would drop her coffee at her desk, settle into his, and wait for her to get there. While he waited for her to arrive, he knew to listen for the sound he had memorised, the sound of her combat boots climbing the stairs. When she would reach the top of the steps, he would send a quick wink in her direction, careful not to let anyone else catch the small gestures they both saved for only the other. One day, when he hadn't been so careful, Ruzek had intercepted one of the winks, leading to some interesting conversation, which led Ruzek to now believe he had a twitch. He asked him about it every once in a while. Thank goodness it was Ruzek, had it been Voight, he would have been toast.
After everyone had arrived, Voight emerged from his office, ready to brief them. "Alright everyone, we have a dangerous one today, handed to us from homicide. Over the last few months, a gang war has been building between the GDs and the Vice Lords. A few prominent members have turned up dead. Commissioner doesn't want this turning into an all out gang war, so he has us heading this one up. We are looking for one person in particular, he is thought to be the driving force behind the GDs. He goes by the name "Slash". He is extremely dangerous, as are most of the players involved. Okay team, Olinsky with Ruzek, Halstead and Lindsay, Antonio you are with me, and Atwater, I want you with Olinsky and Ruzek. Listen, everyone goes home tonight."
After excusing themselves from the bullpen, walking to their respective cars, ready to tackle the rest of the day. He looked to his left, expecting to see his partner climb into the driver's seat, but instead she walked to the passenger side. He gave her a quizzical look, because it was so unlike her to forego driving, and even more unlike her to do so willingly. She looked to him and shrugged, "I am exhausted, Halstead. Don't read into it." And so, he walked around the car and got in the driver's seat and drove to the address Voight had given them before leaving. The others pulled up shortly after them. They all gathered near the front of the building, careful not to draw attention to themselves. It looked to be a building with hundreds of little hallways. Voight asked Erin and him to cover the rear entrance, while he and the other took the front and side.
He and Erin had reached the rear entrance after first stopping to adjust their vests and were waiting for Voight's go ahead. When they heard what they were waiting for, they breached the door, not knowing exactly what to expect on the other side. They had intel that this was a GD hideout. As he entered the building, Erin kept her hand fastened on his shoulder, letting him know her position, as they cleared the first hallway, but also to reassure him that she was still by his side. So much of their communication was done without words, whether it be furtive looks while seated at their desks, or the simple gesture of a light touch for reassurance. As they walked, they came to hallway that lead two different directions. With a silent nod, they decided to each clear their respective hallway. As he headed down the hallway, throwing open doors, and checking each room, he thought he had heard a noise come from Erin's direction. He doubled back, as fast as he could. He didn't see anything immediately, but as he peered around the corner of the third door, he came face to face with an assailant. He looked past the young man, to see Erin laying on the floor gasping for breath, obviously bleeding, but he wasn't sure from where at first glance. The man punched him, catching him off guard and ran past him. Instead of bothering with the man, he dropped to the floor next to Erin, yelling into his radio, "This is Jay Halstead, Intelligence Division, I have an officer down, I repeat, officer down near the rear entrance of 1135 South Hastings. Send an ambulance!" He dropped the radio, whispering to Erin, "Hey, hey, look at me, please, Erin. Please breathe." He searched her for wounds, and found where the blood was coming from. It seems she had been stabbed, underneath her vest. He pressed on the wound, trying to stop the blood flow, all while still talking to her. "Come on, baby, breathe." He pressed a kiss to her forehead, hoping to calm her.
"I'm trying. I can't breathe though Jay. I am so sorry."
"What are you apologizing for? Take your time and breathe. I know it hurts. But please breathe for me. The paramedics are on their way."
"I love you. I am sorry I didn't tell you that before. I made so many promises to you, Jay. I promised you Wisconsin," and with that last whisper her eyes closed, a few tears slipping out of her closed eyes, slipping into an unconscious state.
"No, no, no, no! You are not doing this to me Erin Lindsay. I told you three days ago that I loved you, and you do not get to tell me you love me back and die on me! You are not going anywhere, because we are going to grow old together, and we are going to buy a house, with a big white fence in the yard, and we are going to get a dog, and we are going to call him Gunner, a Great Dane, just like we talked about. And maybe one day, we are going to have little babies, with your sass and your hazel eyes. They will be perfect, and look just like you. I don't care if Voight transfers me, because it's worth it, if I get to spend every day and night with you…" he paused as he heard a noise behind him. He turned and half expected to see the man who had gotten away earlier, but instead he turned and saw Voight enter the room. He wasn't sure how much he had heard but frankly, he didn't care. Voight dropped to his knees next to him, with a look to his tear-filled face, the seriousness of the situation soaking in, putting his hands on Erin's face, feeling for a pulse, feeling for a breath, feeling for some sign of life. As he was doing this the paramedics entered the room, asking everyone to clear the room. Jay did as he was told but not without first kissing Erin's hand, before letting go, and whispering to her that he loved her one last time, before Antonio's sister pushed him out of the way…
TO BE CONTINUED.
Author's note: This is my first story here, feel free to tell me what you think! This will be a multi-chapter fic, I am hoping to update once a week. Timeline for this is about the middle of Season 2. I am a total linstead shipper, and this idea just grabbed me, and I needed to get it down on paper! I would love to hear what you guys think, and any constructive criticism that you may have. Thank you for reading! Stay tuned!