Disclaimer: I own no characters, etc from Chicago PD or Chicago Fire.

Erin Lindsay closed the door to her apartment, threw her bags down and collapsed onto the couch. It had been a demanding day at District 23. They had closed in on a heroin ring case they had been working for months, and it ended with one guy dead and Olinsky having a gun put to his head. Just another day in the life of the Intelligence Unit. She leaned her head back and allowed her eyes to close and think of the upcoming weekend. She was off Saturday, and she and Jay were going to dinner and then a get together with the Firehouse 51 crew at Molly's. It had been a demanding few weeks at work, and Erin had to admit she was more than looking forward to some relaxation and fun. She was about to drift off when her phone began ringing in her purse across the room. Little did she know that that phone call would turn her world upside down.

Erin busted through the doors of Lakeshore Medical Center and began looking wildly around the reception area, desperately looking for a sign of where to go. "Erin!" she heard her name being yelled. She looked down the hall and saw Gabby Dawson and ran towards her. "What happened?" she squeaked out as Dawson gave her a quick hug. "Accidental drug overdose we think, still not sure. There looked to be a lot of prescription bottles on her dresser. Shay noticed the picture of you two stuck in her mirror, the daughter called it in so we asked her and-" "Wait" Erin stepped back, cutting her off "Riley? Is she here?" Gabby nodded and started walking down the hall towards the waiting room.

Erin's head was reeling. She hadn't seen her cousin Marleigh in six months. The two had been close growing up. Marleigh was three years older, and Erin idolized her as children. Marleigh had gotten pregnant at 17 with her daughter Riley, was kicked out by her parents, and went to live with her boyfriend's family. She was the only member of the family Erin stayed in touch with after being taken in by Voight. Although they had drifted apart with their separate lives through the years, they still caught up whenever they got the chance. Erin knew that Marleigh didn't have it easy in recent years. She had always bounced between men and jobs. She had broken up with Riley's father soon after the birth, but he remained an active part of Riley's life until he was killed in an auto accident when she was 8. He had had a large life insurance policy, to which Riley was the sole beneficiary, and Erin knew that Marleigh had mostly provided for her daughter with that. The last time they had gotten together, Erin had suspected Marleigh might be dabbling. She had looked worn out, and mentioned some doctor visits and medications. She didn't want to press her on it at the time, and had meant to get together again soon after, but as it often does, life got in the way.

She rounded the corner after Gabby and immediately saw Riley. Erin hadn't seen her in over a year, but she recognized her instantly. She was 16 and gorgeous, with a natural tan, flowing light brown hair and the same eyes as Erin and her mother. She was biting her nails and gazing across the room when her eyes locked with Erin's. "Oh my god, Erin," she said as she stood up and Erin hurried over and wrapped her in a hug. "I'm so sorry, I came home and Mom was passed out in her bed and she looked worse than usual and I saw the pill bottles, so I called 911 and then the paramedic saw the picture of you and said she knew you and, and-, " she couldn't finish her sentence, and instead just silently sobbed into Erin's shoulder "Shhh, sweetie its okay, I'm glad they called me. " Erin stepped out of the embrace and guided Riley back into the chair she had been sitting in. As she took a seat next to her, Gabby quietly came over and said waved goodbye. Erin smiled at her and mouthed thank you, and then turned back to Riley. "What's been going on Ri?" she asked solemnly. Riley just gave her a sad look in return, "Erin, my mom is a mess. She's always drunk or strung out. I mean, she's had tendencies for years but it's been bad lately. She broke up with that asshole Brent a few months ago and it's just been downhill. I tried to help, I think she went to a meeting once or twice but it's out of control. " Riley looked away, processing the situation with her mother. Erin didn't know what to say. "You could've called me," she said softly to the younger girl. "What, and drag more people down with her? She doesn't want to be helped. And no offense Erin, but I seriously barley know you. I just know you're the only sane person I'm related to," Riley said honestly. Erin knew it was true. She had gone to all of Riley's birthday parties and events growing up, but she didn't have a strong relationship with her. They had just never made the time. She was thinking about how to respond to Riley when a Doctor approached them. "Excuse me, are you the family of Marleigh Lindsay?" Riley and Erin both nodded slowly. The Doctor took one look at Riley and then back at Erin. "I'm Dr. Lane, can I please speak to you for a moment" she he said directly to Erin, indicating that the conversation needed to be private. "Of course," Erin stood up and followed him a few steps away, out of Riley's earshot, although she could feel her staring at them. The Doctor looked pained. "Ms. Lindsay ingested a combination of sleeping pills, Xanax, and anti-depressants. There was also some barley traceable cocaine in her system. Her liver and heart were both weak from what seemed to be long-term abuse, and unfortunately couldn't handle the lethal combination. I'm sorry, but she didn't make it."

Erin could feel the color draining from her face. Marleigh was dead. She instinctively looked over at Riley, and was met with Riley's eyes staring straight back at her. One look and she knew. Riley immediately stood out and turned on her heel and ran out of the automatic doors. Erin gave the doctor a confused glance, and turned to rush out after her. She ran out of the doors and looked around, and in the distance could see Riley on a courtyard bench knees pulled to her chest. Erin slowly walked towards her, attempting to process what was happening. She sat down next to Riley and put her hand on the girl's shoulder. Two tears slowly steamed down the younger girl's mascara stained cheeks, and Erin could do nothing but run her hand through her long, lightly curled hair. Riley looked over at her "So that's it, huh? My mom's a junkie and now she's dead. God this is so messed up". Riley was still dressed in her school uniform, and suddenly looked so young and scared to Erin. She wanted so badly to comfort her, but didn't know what to say. She put her arm around her shoulder and just let her cry.

A few hours later, Erin and Riley were back at Marleigh's house. Riley had gone up to shower and pull herself together, and Erin was trying to process what her next step would be. She had nobody to call, she didn't know Marleigh's life. She had called Voight, who had told her to take all the time she needed and to let him know if she needed anything, and Halstead to let him know what was going on. While the two weren't dating, Erin felt the need to tell him what was going on, and deep down she knew she needed his comfort. She wandered into the den, and opened a small filing drawer that contained what looked like all of Marleigh's important documents. She thumbed through a couple of files, labeled taxes, Riley Immunizations, mortagage, etc. and finally got to the last one, labeled Will. She picked it up and opened it and ruffled through some papers. There was a business card for a lawyer staped to the folder. Erin detached the card and set it to the side, knowing this would be a number she needed. She scanned through the documents until her eyes caught one heading: Guardianship of Riley Olivia Lindsay: Erin Lindsay.