"Hey babe, I have to stop by the district to finish up some paperwork. Do you think that you would be able to look after the little monster for a while?" Erin asked Jay through the bathroom door. The two of them made it through their first night with the baby at the apartment and overall it was pretty uneventful.
"Yeah I am done in here. Do you have a guess as to when you'll be home?" Jay asked. He was little nervous to be alone with the baby. This little guy had a special likely for Erin and without her he was scared to see what would happen.
"I shouldn't be more than three hours. I made bottles for you and the baby is sleeping right now. He should be up in about twenty minutes.
"OK, and if you happen to want to do my paper work while you're there you could always do mine." Jay opened up the door revealing him standing there in a towel. He kissed Erin goodbye and before he knew what was happening she swiped his towel and giggled on her way out.
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"Hey there little buddy I thought I heard you calling for me." Jay said walking into the baby's room after he heard his cries from the living room.
"What is all the fuss about? I just changed you a couple of minute ago and you don't need to be fed for a little while longer. Did you just miss me?" Jay smiled at the baby who was staring at him as if he was trying to capture all the words that were being said to him.
He picked up the baby and held him. The cries just got worse which caused Jay to panic a little bit. He tried to think of what Erin did to the baby to soothe him when he just cried. Suddenly he remembered something that Natalie mentioned to them while they were in the hospital.
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"How are you doing kid?" Voight asked Erin as she focused on filling out all the paperwork that was in front of her. Some of it was from cases that they were wrapping up but most of it was papers which would register her and Jay as foster parents.
"I mean it's only been like two days but Jay and I are already tired. The kid is great but he just doesn't seem to like to be alone at night. It's like he's scared that if we aren't in the room with him it's like we're going to leave him." Erin rambled on to her boss and father figure. Throughout the night, the baby would cry until someone would come up to him and hold him for a while.
"The kid is smart like you already. He's been alone so much already Erin. Just give the kid all the love you can." Voight said rubbing her shoulder knowing that this journey would not be an easy one but Erin was never one to back down from a challenge.
"Thanks, it's just crazy to think about how fast things have changed. Most couples get months to prepare for a baby but Jay and I jumped head first into this. It's great that he's on board but neither of us have any idea what we're doing." Erin sighed, this kid was every she never knew she wanted but it was just happening so quickly.
"I'll let you know a little secret. No parent knows what they're doing. All the preparation in the world doesn't help when you have a screaming kid who won't stop no matter what you do. Just take it one day at a time and know you have all the support in the world. Does the baby have a name yet?" Voight knew that Erin and Jay were suited for this but they each just didn't realize it yet.
"Jay and I have a couple ideas in mind but nothing for sure yet. I think we're trying to get a feel for the kid before we try to label him with a name for the rest of his life." As soon as the words were out of Erin's mouth a feeling came over her. The baby may not be in her life forever, she didn't even know if he would still be in her life in a month from now.
"Well you will figure it out eventually and when you do tell us because I'm sick and tired of the team trying to figure out what it will be." With that Voight left Erin to fill out the rest of her paper work and get back to the people that she left at the apartment whom she left hours ago.
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"Hey honey I'm home." Erin announced as she pushed the door open into the place that she and Jay had been calling home. As soon as she was in the hallway she realized just how quiet it was. Thinking that the baby was asleep she stayed quiet as she tried to see where her partner was.
She smiled when she stumbled upon her partner laying on the couch shirtless with a baby clothed in only a diaper sleeping soundly on the couch. She took a quick picture knowing that moments like this would not always happen. She then crouched down and kissed both Jay and the baby on the forehead.
"Hey, you're home." Jay said holding the baby a little closer as he started to wake up. The two of them had quite the time without Erin. It wasn't until he had skin to skin contact with the baby that the little guy started to calm down
"Looks like the two of you were having the best time before I got here." Erin smiled taking the bay from Jay so he could sit up.
"Yeah – by the way I think that I figured out the name of the kid." Jay said hoping that Erin would be in board with the name he thought of during the time he was walking around with the baby.
"What's that?" Erin smiled. After her talk with Voight she thought that it was time that the baby had a name and she was more than willing to agree with whatever Jay suggested.
"Caleb Benjamin Lindsay." Jay said holding his breath hoping that Erin didn't hate the idea.
"I like it but I think it should be Caleb Benjamin Halstead." Looking at the baby the name just seemed to fit.
"Really my last name?" Jay was surprised. He thought that Erin would want the baby to have her last name since she was the one that wanted to keep him in the first place.
"Well it's not like Lindsay will be my last name forever." Erin smiled.
"True it's just a matter of time before you're a Halstead." With that Jay put the baby in the swing that was nearby, kissed Erin and started making dinner.