While reading, please be aware of the PG-13 rating. This story deals with heavy topics such as abuse (physical, mental, sexual), alcoholism, and drug use.
* I DO NOT OWN THE CHICAGO P.D. CHARACTERS. I ONLY OWN THE STORY LINE THAT I HAVE CREATED*
So, I lied about the preview on the last chapter. I decided I needed to push that event back a few chapters. Trust me, it wouldn't have fit. Thank you so much for your continued support!
Erin –
A piece of Robbie's hair is tickling my nose. Her head is laying on my shoulder, a steady breath finally overcoming her. She is sleeping on her back, her arms on her chest in a way not to cause pain. Her body is so small, that both of us can fit comfortably on the bed. The lights are dimmed since Robbie was saying how it was hurting her eyes, and the shades are pulled.
About a half hour after I came up to see Robbie, Dr. Manning came to bring her down for the rest of her scans. I couldn't go into the room with her, but I was able to wait outside. They didn't take long. In fact, they went quicker than I thought they would. In no time, we were back in her room.
Beside me, my phone buzzes. I stiffen, afraid the notification might have woken Robbie up, but when she doesn't even twitch, I pick it up. I am surprised to see that it is only three o'clock in the afternoon since I feel like it has been an eternity since I've left the hospital. Below the time, there is a text from Hank.
H: How's she doing?
I struggle to text back with my left hand, since my right hand is around Robbie's sleeping body and I don't want to wake her up. But I finally manage:
Me: Sleeping. Dr. is looking over scans
I hit the power button once to put the phone to sleep, right as it vibrates again.
H: Halstead said she asked for you?
Me:
I can already see Hank rolling his eyes with a smirk on his face. He hates emojis, always has. But somehow, Camille, who always added at least five emojis to each text, and I have taught him to at least tolerate the animations.
Robbie turns onto her left side, putting her throat against my shoulder. She takes a moment to adjust, before her eyes flutter open. I gently rub her back, afraid that I might hurt her. With her big, chocolate brown eyes, she glances over at my phone. "Who are you talking to?"
My hand moves up to her hair, and I start to work the knots out with my fingers. "It's just Hank. He was wondering how you are doing."
She tilts her head down towards the sheets, "Is he mad at me?"
I tilt my head to the side so I can get a proper view of her peeking up at me. She can't be serious, can she? "Why would he be mad at you, kiddo?"
Robbie plays with her gown, rubbing the material between her fingers. I can feel the nerves radiating off of her. "I didn't listen to you. M-my dad could've hurt you and Jason."
Not being able to help myself, I snort. "Jason?"
She finally looks up at me, "Yeah, your partner. Wasn't he in the room with us?"
I laugh again, and she just stares at me with wide eyes. "Very close. My partner's name is Jay, and neither of us got hurt, Robbie. And even if we did, that is our job. To protect you."
One side of Robbie's mouth turns up into a half-smile, like she is still scared to show any real emotion. Still, it's progress. "I'm sorry. My brain is still a little foggy." She takes another breath, "But he could've shot you guys. He could've shot you. Hank could've lost his daughter."
I push myself up farther so I am sitting straight up and to the side so I can see her completely. I'm not exactly sure how to phrase this in a way that she can understand. To the people I work with, I could explain it with no problem, but to a fragile girl who is blaming herself for her parent's actions, I need to be a little more careful. "I spent quite a few years training myself for those types of situations. And no, not all training is fool proof, in fact, none of it is, but Robbie, even if something had happened, it would not have been your fault. You were not the one holding the gun." She once again turns her head away from me. "And sweetie, Hank was just as worried about you as I was."
This catches her attention. Robbie isn't used to having anyone care about her, but with two new familial figures in her life, this is all a new scene. Imagine her reaction when she finds out the whole intelligence unit is downstairs waiting to see her.
"Why?"
I brush another piece of hair from her face. "Because he likes you, Robbie. He cares about you. We both do."
She roughly rubs her eye, an eyelash landing on her cheek. She starts playing with her fingers, before she gains the courage to say what she is thinking. "I know he's probably working, and he's probably busy, but do you think you could ask him to stop by after work?"
A grin breaks out onto my face, and I resist the urge to gather her in a hug. "I will text him right now." And I do. I pull my phone out from underneath my leg and open the iMessage app.
Me: Someone wants to see you.
The three "typing" dots immediately appear before they are replaced by another message.
Hank: Be right up.
When I put the phone down, Robbie is looking at me expectantly. "He was right downstairs. He'll be up in a minute."
Her expression completely changes. She looks around quickly, from the walls of her room to her arms that are covered in bruises, cuts, and indelible scars. I'm sure her heart is pounding against her ribcage since her chest is rising and falling quickly.
"Hey," I whisper, taking her hands in mine. "I can tell him you're not ready. It is not a big deal."
She shakes her head, but her teary eyes give me a different answer. I look towards the door, and when no one is coming, a get up off the bed, walking over to one of the chairs where a blanket lays. Unfolding it, I put it over Robbie's shoulders, allowing it to cover her arms.
The first-time Hank arrested me, I was wearing a sweatshirt. I remember because he kept trying to push up the sleeves so he could put the hand cuffs on. I wouldn't let him, because I knew he would ask questions. Questions I didn't want to answer. He didn't charge me with resisting arrest, thankfully, but he did later tell me that the only reason he didn't was because he saw me flinch every time he touched my shoulder, which had a pretty nasty cut on it. Still, it is not fun showing people those types of things, especially when you barely know them.
She silently thanks me, just as there is a light tap on the door. We both look up to see Hank standing in the doorway, his hands in his jacket pockets. He's smiling one of the smiles that comes out when he talks about his family, or some of the kids that he has helped, which in turn makes me smile. "You really had us worried for a while, kid."
Robbie takes a moment, pulling the blanket tighter around her shoulders, but then looks up to face the man. When she doesn't say anything, Hank turns to me. I sit down beside her, and grasp her hand. "She's been a real trooper, I don't think I would have been able to deal with all of those needles."
He lets out a gruff laugh, starting to walk further into the room. He motions to me with his chin, "Did Erin watch? She never could handle the sight of needles."
This finally gets a reaction out of Robbie, who smirks. "She was very interested in the floor."
I feign being hurt, "I beg to differ!"
Hank raises his eyebrows, "You're joking, right?" He turns to Robbie, "There were mandatory flu shots at the district a couple of years ago, and Erin practically fainted." I roll my eyes while he continues laughing, "When she woke up, she was as pale as a ghost."
Robbie smiles to herself, looking down at her hands. Hank glances across the bed at me, where I just shrug. I try again, "So Hank, Robbie and I were talking, and she thinks that you are mad at her."
He leans forward in the chair, trying to catch Robbie's eye. "Now why would you think that?"
I give Robbie a chance to answer, but she never does. I keep watching her as I say, "She thinks that you are mad at her because I could've gotten hurt."
She is watching Hank from the corner of her eye, but my father is staring right at her. "Robbie, can you look at me for a second?"
I rub her hand slightly, and she raises her head, taking her time to finally face him. "If Erin had gotten hurt, do you know who I would be mad at?" Robbie slowly shakes her head. "I would be mad at Erin."
Her eyebrows knit together, "Why? She didn't do anything wrong."
Hank runs his hand over his mouth, "There is a certain protocol that the police have to follow before entering a home. Even without protocol, my number one rule is to wait for backup," Robbie is considering this carefully, unsure of what he is going to say next. "When we got to your house, Erin did not wait for backup. She just ran in. Luckily, Jay was right behind her, or something very bad might've happened. But if she had gotten shot, that would not have been your fault. If anyone from my team had gotten shot, that would not have been your fault. Last time I checked, you were not the one holding the gun."
"That's what I told her," I mumble. A silent tear collides with the pristine sheets.
"And let me tell you something: if Erin had not run in there when we pulled up, someone else would have. She has been going on and on about you for the past month. We all care about you, Robbie. We were all worried."
She shakes her head, and looks from Hank to me. "But why? That's what I don't understand. I was mean to you, I didn't want you coming near me. Why get your whole team involved?"
I take a deep breath, and unlock my phone. My finger taps the photo album, and when inside, I select a picture of the entire unit at Molly's for Jay's birthday last month. I point at my partner, and tilt the phone so Robbie can see. "I was talking to Jay after one of your classes about how I was worried about you. He told me to follow my gut on what I thought was happening with you." I move my finger over to Antonio. "This is Antonio. He has two kids. His son, Diego, is only a few years older than you. He said that if something was happening with his kids, he would want someone to look into it." I zoom in on Atwater and Ruzek. "Kevin and Adam? They tried getting me your DCFS file after I took you to the hospital. They couldn't get it because your social worker wouldn't give it to us without a warrant, but they still tried." I finally point to Al. "This is Al. He's Hank's best friend, and more or less my uncle. After I brought you home that night we ate dinner at Hank's, he came over and we talked about whether or not we could go inside your house to make sure you were okay. We were all worried about you, Robbie. We all care."
Robbie wipes beneath her eyes, just as Hank moves a little closer to her, "They have all been sitting downstairs, waiting to make sure you were okay."
She glances up at him, "They are down there right now?"
Hank nods, "They haven't left once."
I feel myself become overwhelmed by extreme love for my team. They never disappoint. "You're stuck with us, kiddo, whether you like it or not."
Okay so I feel like I need to explain my reasoning behind a couple of things.
1. I know that Hank is acting a lot softer than he does in the show, but in my head, this is how he acted when Erin was younger and just getting to know him. I feel like he needs to be cautious and not as rough around Robbie as he is around the other adults.
2. This one concerns Jay. Since Robbie only met him once, and even then it wasn't for very long, it seems like she wouldn't be as comfortable around him as she is with Hank. But don't worry, Robbie will meet Jay in the next chapter and the rest of the team soon after.
I hope you guys liked the chapter, and I assure you that they will be out of the hospital in the chapter after the next. I hope you guys enjoyed, and if you have questions, comments, or concerns, don't forget to leave a review, and if you liked the story/chapter, favorite and follow the story!
Next Time: Robbie formally meets Jay, and she gets her test results back…
Until Next Time,
KDanceWriteDream
