My last update was shorter than normal but I hate long gaps between updates as a reader so I TRY not to go too long as a writer. I am working on getting caught up to the fall finale so there will be plenty of chapters coming 😀

Please leave me your comments!

"I want to be there for you like you are for me...past present and future."

"So romantic...our dates will consist of funerals, therapy and abused women's shelters."

"And Molly's."

"Classy."

"Hey now. Can't knock a guy who grew up in Canaryville."

Working as a police officer there are always going to be those cases that harder than others. Calls with kids are the worst. Babies though, innocent newborns... an infant left for dead in a duffel bag full of rocks... The entire team was defeated, pissed off and deafeated. Only to learn that once the baby warmed up she was still alive. Ripped out of her teenage mothers arms by parents more worried about their social standing than their daughter or granddaughters wellbeing, sold to another family who allowed the baby to be what they thought killed...and then dumped. And within all that Hank opened up to Erin the Justin was a twin...that his twin sister was stillborn. That their family was always meant to have a son and a daughter. That the reason Camille initially hated the idea of Erin was because she thought Hank wanted to replace their dead child. That it took Camille a minute to see that Hank was not trying to replace a void from their dead daughter but rather he was opening the. Up to fill a hole they didn't know they had.

Jay watched as Erin struggled to comprehend her place in the family, to see that she really did belong. That despite Bunny's faults as a mother she did love her...and it was okay to love her back while still respecting and loving her place as a Voight. It was very different from how he grew up...a loving attentive mother, a mentally abusive father who only cared about his outside reputation. Between the two there was no hope of a flawless family view, it would be entirely a guessing game to their skewed versions of how family should be based entirely on what their childhood families lacked.

They had both reached out to form new families over the years, Jay's childhood girlfriend, The Voights, the Army, the PD. They each discreetly invited others into their hearts and minds and were fiercely loyal to their chosen families.

When the call came over the radio-officer down-Erin and Jay rushed to the scene. She quickly realized if she were to see Kim, if Kim would see her neither of them would be able to hold it together. Erin also knew Hank would keep her from med, keep her hidden...make sure she was taken care of. So she would go be with Sean. She would assign herself as his detail until Hank decided otherwise. She would be the one to feed the unit information.

She wasn't expecting so many other CPD officers to be at med when she arrived...she knew Roman was good police, that he had worked in a few different units across the city but the sheer number of bodies huddled in the waiting room still blew her mind. She walked right past the huddled bunch and through the ER doors to find Will, or Nat or someone who would give her answers.

Maggie was about to scream when she saw someone walk through the door until she realized who it was, "He is in surgery...Conner is working on him."

"How bad is he?" Erin asked, trying not to breakdown.

"Multiple gunshot wounds...kid lost a lot of blood. Conner seemed optimistic though."

"And the kid?"

"Choi has him... he will live."

"Maggie...does Sean...is his family here?"

"Talked to a cousin on the phone. No parents. No siblings. My damn waiting room is full of family though." Maggie smirked.

"Until Hank lets Kim come here can I stay with...?"

"Wait in the lounge... I will let Conner know you are here."

Not two seconds after she sat down on the couch she got a call from Kevin...she quickly updated him and he updated her. She pulled her knees to her chest and buried her face praying that Sean would pull through.

A little while later she felt someone sit on the couch next to her and when she felt an arm around her back she knew it was Will and she leaned into him, "Jay called. Sean was hit on the right side of his neck, left side of his back, his left arm and hand...his neck was most life threatening but that is all good... his arm and hand though... he will live but I don't see him getting clearance to go back in the field."

"Damn." Erin said shaking her head...kid was offered a spot in intelligence and wanted to stay in the field...being stuck behind a desk...

"Only time will tell. Conner...he can be an ass but he is good...like really good. If he follows orders and does all the therapy...we'll see...but being able to function in daily life and being able to do tac shooting...anyway, he said he was finishing up and you could meet him in ICU."

"Will you take me?" Erin asked shakily.

"Thankful it wasn't you or Jay." Wil said squeezing her shoulders, "We can head up whenever."

"Roman's a good guy... Kim is his partner."

"And make out buddy from what I have heard."

"Yeah that too..."

"She going to be up here soon?"

"Once Hank lets her..."

"Walk and talk?" He asked, standing up and taking Erin's hand, "You ready to see him?"

"Probably not."

"He will be sedated...covered in bandages...he may still be intubated."

"Knocked out and tubes and wires...got it."

"Erin..."

"Sorry...just been a rough one."

"We are here." He said letting go of her hand. He led her into the small room in the ICU curtained off from the rest but right near the nurses station and had her sit in the chair next to the head of the bed.

Conner walked over a couple seconds later and looked at the monitors before turning towards Erin, "I will bring him out of sedation, make sure he wakes up okay but then I will need to put him under again."

"Can I touch him?"

"I am going to need you to make sure he stays calm...too much movement on his neck he can tear the sutures. I want to take the breathing tubes out if I can though."

"Where do you want me then."

"You guys close?" Conner asked.

"Not as close as Kim." Will answered.

"Grow up Will." Erin growled at her boyfriends brother. "We are close enough."

"I want you to sit on the edge of the bed and hold his hand and elbow...the other side still has the nerve block but I don't want him to grab at anything. Get in his face so he can see who is holding him."

"You think he will fight?"

"Less chance if you have him." Conner answered. Erin nodded and then carefully climbed up next to him gripping his hand like they were going to arm wrestle. "As soon as I inject this...he will wake up. I will pull the tube when his oxygen level and heart rate are safe...can give you a couple minutes if you want but he needs to rest."

Erin nodded and watched as Conner injected the medication into the iv and was surprised how quickly Romans eyes sprung open and he searched wildly, Erin leaned in and gripped his hand tighter, "Sean look at me." She said barely above a whisper and his eyes immediately met hers, "Need you to calm down so Conner can pull the tube out." She told him. "Deep breathes, Sean...really deep breathes."

"I need you to cough as I pull out the tube." Conner said as he unstrapped the tubing to get it ready to remove. Roman squeezed Erin's hand as Conner removed the tube and Erin ran her hand up and down his arm as the tears slipped from his eyes in pain.

"Kim? Where's Kim?" Sean struggled to say as soon as the tube was out.

"She got him. She is at CPD with the unit...as soon as she memorized her statement she will be here...till then..." She shrugged.

"Sean I need you to minimize any movement...the bullet grazed your artery and the sutures need time to heal...talking counts as movement."

"He is going to sedate you again to allow your body to heal. He had to wake you up in order to remove the breathing tube."

"I'm sc...I don't want to be..."

"I will be here until Kim can come...one of us will be with you until you get to go home...the whole waiting room is packed..."

"My cousin here?"

"Just your PD family...I know Maggie talked to your cousin though."

"Make sure Kim is okay." Roman whispered, tears slipping from his eyes again.

"Hey Conner, can you get the meds ready so I can just push a button when he is ready and give us a minute?"

"It is ready." He smiled at her. "Couple minutes Erin that's it."

Erin pulled out her phone and face timed Jay. "Get her now I don't care what Hank says." She saw Jay nod and stood up and walked towards Hanks office, walking right past him and Al in the process and he shoved the phone in Kim's face. "Kim... focus cuz you only have a minute thought you would want to see your partner awake." Erin said with tears in her eyes holding the phone where Sean could see it.

"You okay?" He asked her.

"Don't scare me like that ever again!" Kim yelled.

"I will be fine." He said, "You got him."

Erin could hear Hank and Jay yelling in the background and smirked, "I will be there as soon as I am off house arrest."

"Don't be scared when you come in here."

"I am less scared now that I know you are alive."

"Kim it is time... I will stay here with him until you can get up here. Take your time and get this right...trust Hank." She said before hanging up the phone. "Roman your arm...you might not be able to come back.."

"I'm a cop."

"A good one, I know, but..."

"I can come back from this...I have to."

"Please just another minute." Roman said blurt eyed.

Erin saw Conner over her shoulder and nodded whilst taking the button in her hand, "We've got your back. Deep breathes Sean. Look at me and take deep breathes." She urged. On his third breath she pushed the button and felt his arm go slack as his eyes drifted closed. "I've got your back." She promised him before turning around to see Will and Conner shoulder to shoulder.

"We will be keeping him under for the next couple days. You give me a list of who is allowed in here with him."

"Intelligence Unit. Anyone else needs to be approved by myself or Kim Burgess."

"Traditional CPD posted at the door?"

"Until he is awake again one of us will be here around the clock." Erin dismissed them.

Meanwhile Kim thrust the phone back into Halsteads hand as she ran out of Hanks office and straight into the locker room. While Hank yelled at Jay for disrupting her memorizing her statement Jay gestured to Ruzek to follow her. He found her with her head in her hands crying on one of the benches. He called out her name a couple times but she was too lost in her own thoughts to hear him.

When he physically reached out to her she freaked, he knew she would be upset but this was past just having her partner get shot. Once she calmed down he sat down next to her, "I know he used my ticket last night...I saw him...I knew you wouldn't waste both tickets."

"I didn't know he was going to show...I told him I wasn't even going but he was there..."

"He is your partner...and quite frankly he is in love with you...you deserve to be happy...he has...he's a good guy...and as much as I hate it..."

"I never stopped loving you you know...that was why I wanted a transfer...but..."

"You stayed for him. I know."

"I stayed for me...Erin...being a woman...if I were to transfer it would have followed me...last night...it was the first time I felt like me again in so long...it was perfect...but..."

"Kim, whatever happens...I'm not going anywhere...right now your Partner needs you...and you need him." She scooted over to her exfiance and he wrapped his arm around her, "We've all got your back."

"Can I go to med yet?" She asked as she pulled back and stood up.

When the two of them emerged from the locker room she heard Voights bark. "Did you memorize all of it?"

"Yeah...you've had me in there for eight hours."

"Halstead/Ruzek you take her to med. Halstead you and Lindsay talk to the kids parents. Ruzek do not leave the room until I say otherwise."

The three of them quickly walked down the back steps of PD. Jay drove them to Erin's apartment and with questioning looks he told Ruzek to sit on the car and Kim followed him inside. "Change out of your uniform. Public doesn't know who you are outside of your uniform."

A half hour later they were standing in Romans room, Erin and Kim holding each other and crying. Jay with his hand on his partners shoulder trying to separate the two, "Lindsay we are suppose to talk to Ellis' parents."

Erin nodded and pulled herself away, "He was more worried about you...but his arm...he's got a long road that may not end with him coming back."

"It hasn't even been a day yet...no one knows how he will heal."

"Just...just be ready for that possibility."

"He's alive...right now that is all I can think about."

"Ruzek, that couch turns to a bed...make her sleep." Erin demanded as she wiped her face in her hands.

"Tonio will be here at eight." Jay said dropping his arm around Erin's shoulder.

"Call if you need anything." Erin said as she let Jay lead her out of the room, closing the door behind them. "That has to be awkward...partner in a coma, ex fiancé babysitting..."

"She freaked after the FaceTime...he...she seemed okay after they came out of the locker room."

"He still loves her."

"She does too..."

"Roman showed up to her broadway thing last night."

"So did he..."

"Awkward."

"Not quite as bad as dating your partner when her dad is your Boss."

"And that is working out okay." Erin said with a small smile.

"Let's go talk to the kids parents...then we can go home."