AN/ Gosh thank you all for reading my story, i can't believe that it got such a respond i'm in a awe. Thank you, thank you, thank you!
As much as this chapter goes it will be focused on the background of Erin, where she came from and how she got involved with the Voight's. It's different from the series for sure but i like this idea a lot more (maybe because that's inspired by my personal life experience)
Enjoy!
PS i do not own the Chicago franchise nor the characters.
Amsterdam 1995
It was a bright summer day, the weather outside was great and i was planning on going for a walk, one of the greatest things the life in Amsterdam offered was the freedom of being able to go out alone. Although i was only seven years old i spend more time walking around town than home, but if you knew my parents it was understandable.
- Erin Elisabeth Lindsay get back here now! - my mother Barbara Fletcher was very cold woman, depending on who you ask. If you asked my little brother Teddy, Bunny was an amazing and caring mom, but for me that was never the case. Don't think that i have a grudge against my mother, to have a grudge i need to spend time with her and that never happens, no it's just the way she acted towards me, but Bunny definitely knew how to present herself in the society. For everybody we were example for exceptional family, devoted parents, properly raised children, money, luxury, vacations, private schools, well everything is not what it seems.
It was one of those days in which i was being blamed for something my little bother did and as always my mother wasn't listening to reason and my dad Hendrik was nowhere to be found, not that he would do anything to safe me, he preferred to hide in his work, over dealing with his wife, i don't blame him she was insane.
- Are you listening to me you are not going anywhere! - Bunny's angry voice could be heard from the driveway but i wasn't paying much attention, she didn't even realize that i was already out of the house.
While she was screaming i had the time to grab my notebook and pencil box and sneak out of the house and were halfway to the gates that were leading to my favorite spot in the Beatrix park. The park itself was big and my spot was hidden and quiet not that anyone was going to look for me, but there was something calming about knowing you can't be found. There was a small lake in the area with big tree right next to it, and some of the branches were over the water. I climbed on one of those branches and made myself comfortable, i opened the notebook on my knees and started drawing. I lost track of time, i also didn't realize that some of my classmates somehow had found me. But it didn't matter it wasn't like i had a chance to escape then and there was no where for me to go. I heard the jokes and laughter, they started throwing things at me, few of them started shaking the branch i was on. I tried to grab something to hold on but to no use, i lost my balance and fell in the pond under me, soaking myself and losing my notebook and pencils.
- Haha, don't you take a shower at home? Do you need us to bring you some soap?- one of the kids was saying when i got my head on the water surface, the rest of the kids where laughing and trowing more insults. This wasn't the first time i was object of mockery, i was different and my classmates couldn't except it. I had money, i wasn't a social butterfly, i didn't care about make up and getting dressed up which made my classmates very jealous of me and very cruel.
- Hey you idiots! What's your problem? - a boy stared yelling at them from behind me, i tried to see who it was but something hit my head and everything went blurry which resulted in me losing my balance and falling into the water again. Yes the water wasn't too deep, it was enough to get to my midsection when i was standing upright, but it was enough to drown if you can't regain your balance.
- What the hell are you trying to do, kill her? - there was the angry boy again yelling at my classmates or at least i thought is what i thought was happening at this point i wasn't sure about anything. My clothes were soaked wet, my head was hurting like crazy and i' was pretty sure i was bleeding. I felt the darkness, surrounding me and i was pretty sure someone was trying to pulling me out of the water, but i have no clue who it was. I felt cold and i could swear i could hear my teeth chatter, someone was telling me to open my eyes and stay awake but it felt like mission impossible. I felt the ground underneath me and then i believe i passed out.
The next thing i know was an annoying beeping noise, at first it sounded so far away and then it started getting closer and clearer. I tried to move but felt like i was hit with a tank and someone was holding my right arm, while the left one was stretched and i was pretty sure i could feel the needle in it.
- I need help in here! Someone call the doctor she is waking up!- doctor? Who needed a doctor? What was going on? And who the hell was talking, the sound was coming from next to me but i could swear i haven't heard that voice before.
I heard footsteps and then something extremely bright flashed over my eyelids
- Miss can you hear me? - new voice said, this time it was way more deeper, older i would guess the doctor.
- My name is dr. Adrianus van Alter, you are in a hospital can you open your eyes for me? - hospital, what? I was so confused, the last thing i remember was me leaving my house this morning and going to the park, how did i ended up in a hospital?
- It's okey, you're safe - i heard the younger voice again, there was something else to that voice, something i didn't notice before - an accent. That's so wired, i don't remember meeting anyone with accent like that. Maybe it was another doctor, maybe it was a nurse, i tried to open my eyes, maybe if i see the face that the voice belonged to, everything would make sense. I opened my eyes but quickly closed them there were to many lights, it was actually painful, i pout my left arm in front of my eyes as much as i can, confirming my suspicions that i had needle in it and opened my eyes again finding the doc looking at me.
- Can you tell me your name? - the guy in green scrubs and white lab coat asked,he was in his late forties maybe, dark hair that was becoming gray in spots i got distracted studying him, so he repeated the question
- Erin... Erin Lindsay - i answered stuttering for a moment
- Good, do you know what day is it? - he continued asking questions and moving his hand trying to make sure everything with me was okey
- Friday? ... June 15? - it came more like a question then an answer but the doc nodded and moved the light in frond of my eyes again.
- What is the last thing you remember? - dr. van Alter asked getting a folder from the table next to my head and writing something down
- Being in the park - was my respond, i tried to focus and remember more but nothing come to mind - What happened? - i asked confused
- You had an accident, you fell of a tree, but your okey now. I'm going to let you rest and try to get a hold of your family, but you'll be okey - said the doctor with a smile squeezing my leg lightly, when he mentioned getting a hold of my family i couldn't help but roll my eyes and then remembered the pressure on my right arm that i felt earlier witch made me look in that direction and for my surprise i was met by a pair of piercing blue eyes and cheerful grin that didn't belong to anybody i knew.
- Hello, darling - said the boy with bright grin and distinctive British accent. I quickly moved my arm and tried to move away from him, now i was even more confused and i bet he could tell by the look of amusement on his face.
- Who are you? - i asked and for my surprise his grin got even bigger and brighter. He was a boy maybe thirteen years old, dark hair, blue eyes and a charming smile.
- I'm your guardian angel, darling! My name is Justin - was his simple respond, he was acting like we've known each other our whole lives, but i swear I've never met him before.
- Do we know each other? - i asked suspiciously, which made him laugh. He shook his head and explained that he saw the accident and he was the one that saved me and that he and his dad where the one that brought me to the hospital. Then and older man walked in the room with two cups in hand.
- Oh, you are awake good... I'm Hank, Justin's dad - he said, his voice was deep and really raspy like he smoked three packs of cigarettes a day. Hank and Justin stayed with me until my parents showed up, and even then Justin stayed where i could see him. Of course my parents got ballistic blaming me, asking me what did i do to my classmates for them to attack me, god forbid it was someone else's fault but mine.
I spent a week in the hospital since i developed pneumonia because of the cold water in the lake, for my surprise Justin and his dad visited me every day and stayed with me for hours, playing board games, watching movies or just talking. In the weeks after the accident Hank and Justin Voight became more my family than my biological one ever was and i was grateful for it, knowing that someone actually cared about me was definitely and amazing feeling.
