Recognition for this prompt goes to Guest: "What about one that involves Jay having flashbacks of Afghanistan and Erin helps him through it? I've seen this prompt before from other people, but I have not read one that was good. I think you will give this prompt justice, if you decide to do it :)" [Continuation to Chapter 20] Hopefully you like it!

**Zoo**

Erin pushed the stroller up to the cats' exhibit. Julian was starting to get fussy as he stirred from his short nap. She walked around to the front of the stroller and pulled her one year old out of it. Jay held four year old Benjamin on his back as he pointed out the variety of large cats.
"That's a lion." Benjamin excitedly shouted, pointing at the ferocious animal, "It goes roar!"
"That's right," Halstead cheered, proudly.

Erin pressed butterfly kisses around her youngest son's face. He wasn't hungry or tired. He was just cranky. He wanted to see the animals now that he's awake and active.
"I want to get down." Ben squirmed in his father's arms.
Jay happily obliged and lowered his son down onto his two small feet. The four year old ran up to the cage and happily wrapped his hands around the bars. The lions were safely shielded from the public by a clear case that's a few feet behind the bars and railings.
"Stay right there Ben!" Erin hollered, setting her squirming child down onto his feet, "Do you want to see the lions too?" He smiled and nodded.

Jay watched his family approach the lions in astonishment. The look on his children's face as they watched in amazement as nature's wildlife roamed through the man-made jungle. If it wasn't so hot outside, he could have enjoyed it to its full capacity.
"Jay?"

At the sound of his name being called, he and Erin turned around. She held both Ben and Julian's hand for fear of them wandering away, especially since she wasn't currently looking down at them. Halstead noticed the familiar look of his old friend, "Gavin."
"How've you been?" The two guys pulled each other into a hug.
Gavin shrugged his shoulders, "I can't complain. I'm here with Miranda and my baby girl. Miranda took her to the restroom. Are you still in-"
"No," Jay answered, with the shake of his head, "I'm a detective. Oh, I'm rude," he nudged Lindsey, "this is my wife Erin and our boys Ben and Julian."
"You're a family man now." Gavin high-fived his old friend, "it's nice to meet you Erin."
She smiled, "You too."

"I'm still in the army. I'm a captain now." Gavin informed, standing firm and tall, "I just got back from-"
Jay shook his head, "I don't like to talk about it."
"You don't like to talk about the army."
"No, it's a part of my life I try to forget about."
Gavin crossed his arms in disbelief, "But, it's a huge part of your life."
"Ever since I got out, I haven't thought about it. I pushed the memories to the back of my mind."

Gavin looked at his old friend in a new light. He was definitely not the same Jay Halstead he once knew. It is true. The military changes people, some for the good and some for the bad. If Gavin wasn't in the military, he'd probably be in prison, or worse, dead. He owed his life to the army. They shaped him into the man that he is today; the man that is standing in front of Jay Halstead.
"Man, our times weren't that bad." Gavin whispered, watching as Erin pushed the stroller and moved her boys along towards the tigers, "Remember Richard? He ended up marrying Caitlin."
"..after he almost killed himself when he lost his leg." He reminded, "Remember Carl?" Halstead spoke up, crossing his arms, "He ended up dying from a grenade two weeks before he was supposed to go home. He left behind his parents, his brother, his wife, and an infant baby. I saw it happen… and there was nothing I could do about it."

Gavin sighed in sadness, "Man, don't do that to yourself." He pat his old friend's back, "It'll drive you crazy."
"I should catch up with my family," Halstead pointed towards Lindsey and the boys now observing the cheetahs.
The young Captain sighed in frustration, "Alright, hopefully I'll see you around."

Gavin walked away, leaving Halstead alone with his thoughts. He's pushed every memory, every feeling and every thought involving his time in Afghanistan out of his head. He's dropped it the moment he was discharged. Nothing was ever able to bring those feelings back, until now. Seeing Gavin forced him to think about everything. The friends he's lost and the people he's killed were all floating back into his memory.

The outside heat grew thick. It reminded him of Afghanistan. It was absolutely dreadful there. He closed his eyes and leaned against the lion's den railings.
"Hey Jay, you got to see this!" Carl shouted, waving for his friend to follow him outside.
"I need to finish up this letter. I want to send it to my mom as soon as possible."
Carl shrugged his shoulders, "Suit yourself."

Halstead turned his attention back to the pen in hand and the piece of paper laid out in front of him. He closed his eyes, trying to think of a way to sugarcoat his emotions. He didn't want his mother to feel sorry for him. He chose to enlist. It was his duty to his country…the country that he loved so much. He would never abandon his country in its time of need.

As he lowered his pen onto the power, he felt the ground shake. It knocked him from his seat. He looked up to see Gavin hovering above him, "We were just attacked. Someone threw grenades onto our base." Jay hopped to his feet, and grabbed his assigned weapon. He followed his friend out of the compound.

The Afghanistan heat was no joke. He felt the thickness surround his body as he looked at the variety of service vehicles on fire. The fire mixed in with the already heated atmosphere made him think of hell. He was standing in hell. Fire was ablaze. Bodies were starting to pile up. There was no escape.
"Carl!" He overheard Gavin shout their friend's name.
Jay raced over to the familiar voice, and noticed the unfamiliar appearance of their older friend. It was an immediate death. He didn't suffer…or so he told himself and Carl's family when instead of choosing to respond to his mother's letter, he wrote a personal letter to them instead.

Jay snapped out of it when he felt beads of sweat start to form on his forehead. He heard the lions' growl and the cheetahs, jaguars and tigers on the other side of the area stomp. People were talking and shouting. Kids were laughing and playing around. If only they knew what was happening thousands of miles away. He closed his eyes and clenched his head.

When he reopened his eyes, he was back in Afghanistan. It was months after Carl's death. He was lying in his bed, staring at the picture of Carl's small family. A voice clearing its throat, pulled his eyes away from the photo.
"What's up?" Jay sat up.
"Richard got hurt pretty bad." Gavin informed, blocking the doorway before Halstead had the chance of storming out, "He's going to be okay, but he lost his leg."
"How did this happen?"

Before the flashback could continue he heard Erin calling his name. Her hand was waving in front of his face, "Earth to Halstead," he blinked out of his reverie and was met with her beautiful smile, "Where'd you go just now?"
"I've been here this whole time."
She shook her head, "No, not physically. I mean mentally. Where did you zone off to babe,"
"…Afghanistan," He answered.

Since they got married, they promised to be one-hundred percent honest with each other. She knew a few details about the time he served in the military. Erin respected the fact that he didn't want to talk about it. She would never force it.
"You usually don't think about it."
"Seeing Gavin here," he admitted, wiping his forehead with the back of his hand, "it made me think about it. It brought up those unwanted memories. I'm seeing Carl and Richard. I…I don't want to remember Erin. I need your help. Please help me not."
She released her sons' hands and approached her husband, "Babe, I really wish I could," her arms wrapped around his waist, "I wish I can tell you that you're going to forget about it. I wish I can say that you'll get over it. I wish I can tell you that it never happened, but I can't." Erin could hear her boys babbling behind her. Benjamin held Julian's hand as they stood beside their parents and watched the lions.
"How do I make it stop?"
She shrugs her shoulders, "Maybe if you talk about it."
"I tried that," he quipped, shaking his head, "I tried that. I spoke to a therapist. I wrote in a journal. I punched it out with a punching bag. I did everything. I tried everything."
"You didn't try talking it out with me."