Quinn put her arms around Erin and squeezed her tight as she closed her eyes. Hank watched them both from his desk, even he looked a little misty eyed.
"I can't believe it" She said softly "Why didn't you tell me what was going on?"
She had been told Erin was under investigation for an incident on her last case. What Erin had done was wrong attacking a man in questioning, but it was a time sensitive case with a young boy missing. Quinn could understand her actions, she knew the investigation would be tough. What she hadn't known was that Erin had been approached for another task force and that her Mom had been caught up in a murder and theft charge. Not that anything Bunny did should be surprising to Quinn. She had only met the woman a handful of times over the years, but she knew she was trouble. Erin had taken then job to save her Mom. She was leaving and to Quinn It felt like a knife to the gut.
"You couldn't have done anything" Erin told her "And a lot of it did happen fast, I had to"
"I get it" She nodded stepping back "I'm just really going to miss you"
"I'll miss you all too" Erin said squeezing her hand "We're still family, that doesn't change"
Quinn gave a sad smile looking from Erin to Hank. Quinn had promised to talk to Cami because Erin had to leave right away. She had asked Quinn to be nice to Jay because she wasn't going to be able to say goodbye to him. Quinn thought she probably felt like she wouldn't leave if she tried.
"Let me know when we can come and see you and we will" She told her as Hank stood up to walk her out.
Erin was like a daughter to Hank; she knew they'd need a few minutes alone. Erin walked out of the room first. Hank placed a hand on Quinn's shoulder as he walked by.
"I'm not going anywhere kid" He reassured her.
Quinn felt low. It always felt like their family was falling apart. Chicago was supposed to be home, but they were always losing people that they cared about. Quinn grabbed her purse and decided to head to Molly's. Cami was with Noah's family for the weekend and she really felt like she needed a drink.
Gabby was stood behind the bar with Otis when she walked into Molly's. Gabby's eyes lit up when she saw her instantly making her feel a little better.
"Hey sexy lady" Gabby said pouring her a glass of wine "We're back to the secretary look?"
Quinn looked down at her pencil skirt and white blouse and grinned.
"Intern" She corrected as she pulled the clip from her hair letting down her loose curls as she ran a hand through her hair.
"So, things are going well" Gabby said leaning on the bar.
"With school and work yes" She sighed "With life I'm not so sure"
"Do we need another girls night?" Gabby asked with a mischievous look in her eyes.
"Quite possibly" She nodded before taking a sip of her wine "Anyway, tell me all about you, I feel like I barely see you lately"
"My Dad's still at my place" Gabby told her "Casey isn't happy, it's a challenge, I'm looking forward to next shift just to have something else to do"
"Praying for fires to distract from life problems" She mused "I'm sure things will get better again soon, you two can get through anything"
Quinn raised an eyebrow as she watched Kelly was some blonde hanging off his arm at the end of the bar. Gabby rolled her eyes as she followed Quinn's gaze.
"Oh, that's the latest development" Gabby told her "Women lining up to be the shoulder he cries on, he'll have worked his way through half of Chicago if he carries on at this rate"
"He hasn't already?" She smirked shaking her head "Whatever works for him I guess, there's no grief rulebook"
"I guess" Gabby shrugged "I just worry"
"I know" She nodded "Me too"
"I'm glad you two managed to be friends" Gabby said.
The bar was getting busier, so Gabby had to leave her to go and serve some other customers. Quinn nursed her drink as she thought about Erin. She knew she would be out on the road a lot, but New York wasn't far. Rachel was always asking her to visit. If Erin was ever around, she had more of a reason to go.
Kelly caught her eye from across the bar. He turned and said something to the blonde before standing up and walking over to join her. Quinn gave him a quizzical look as he sat down beside her.
"You didn't have to leave your friend" She told him as he called Otis over for another beer.
Kelly just shrugged as Otis handed him a drink.
"I wanted to say thank you for the other night" He told her.
"You don't have to thank me" She said shaking her head "We're friends. I care about you"
"So" He said sitting up a little straighter "Why are you sat here all alone?"
Quinn bit her lip as she looked around the bar. She didn't know if it was really ok to talk about yet. She was sure Hank would talk to the team and he wouldn't want them to find out from anyone else. But She needed to talk to someone, and it was easy talking to Kelly.
"It goes no further" She warned him quietly "Erin is leaving tonight, she's not coming back, and Cami is away with her Dad's family, I just didn't want to go home alone"
"Trust me I get it" He said putting a hand on hers "I know how close you two are"
"She's like my sister" She said.
Quinn sighed as Kelly ordered a round of shots. She already knew the night wasn't going to end well as he handed her a tequila. Gabby just laughed at her pleading look for help. She decided to throw caution to the wind. She didn't have work in the morning, and she didn't have her daughter. She deserved a little fun.
