Eeeep I just can't keep y'all waiting for long! Let me know what you think!
"Halstead," Jay answered with a chuckle, tossing the crumpled up piece of paper in Ruzek's direction when he made a face, "This is Jay, yes."
Instantly, Jay's blood ran cold, all the hairs standing up on the back of his neck. Erin had fainted at work. She was in an ambulance on her way to Med. He never should have let her go into the office. "I'm on my way," he choked out, rising from his seat to make a beeline for his boss's office, "I'll be right there."
He rapped on the door and pushed it open. "Sarge, Erin's on her way to Med. Someone from her office just called, she fainted in a meeting."
Jay watched his girlfriend's father figure as he abandoned the paperwork he was doing to grab his coat. Both men hustled toward the exit, intent on reaching their girl as soon as possible.
"Jay, give me your car keys," Hailey held out her hand after grabbing his arm, "Keys, Jay."
"Erin's in the hospital," he sputtered, tugging his arm back, "I-I have to go."
"I know. Take my car. I'll take yours to get Piper. She knows to look for yours." Hailey passed him her set of keys, "I'll bring her to the hospital as soon as school's out, okay?"
Jay exhaled and nodded. He hadn't even thought about picking up Piper. "Thank you," he managed, grabbing his coat off the back of his chair, "Sarge?"
"I'll drive," Hank said quickly, "Let's go."
Erin came to in the back of the ambulance. "You're going to be okay, Erin," Sylvie Brett said gently, holding her hand, "We're taking you to Med, right now."
"W-what happened?" she croaked, the ache in her stomach intensifying with each turn of the ambulance, "Where's Jay?"
"Your boss called him, he's on his way to Med. He'll meet us there." She gave Erin's hand a squeeze. "You fainted in a meeting."
"My stomach," Erin gasped out, grappling at her painful abdomen, "It-it feels like I'm being stabbed." She attempted to draw in a breath, "I want Jay."
"He'll be there," she promised, "We're almost there, hang tight, okay?"
Erin whimpered as the ambulance peeled into the emergency department. She was quickly unloaded, unable to focus on the words the paramedics were saying to the doctors that stood in the front. All she could think about was Piper and Jay.
"Erin!" Will Halstead hurried to her side while she was being wheeled through the ED, "What's going on?"
The nurse spouted off several terms that Erin couldn't hear through the ache in her stomach. "I think it might be appendicitis or something," Erin gritted out, finally finding her voice. She pressed her hands into her aching abdomen, "It feels like I'm taking a knife to my gut."
"We're going to take a look," Will promised, "Jay's on his way as well." He gestured for the nurse to pass him the ultra sound. "Have you had a fever or any other symptoms?"
Erin grimaced and shook her head. "My stomach's been upset but I've been drinking a lot of coffee and I wasn't eating enough. I told Jay this morning I'd switch to tea." She grabbed his wrist. "S-someone needs to call Jay, Piper needs to be picked up from school and I don't want him to forget and-ah!"
"Jay's got it covered," he assured her, "We'll make sure Piper's okay, but right now, we gotta focus on you." He squeezed Erin's hand when she gave a tearful nod. "Have you had any bleeding recently?"
"I have an IUD," she gritted out, "Not much. I-I've had it for a few years, I can't be pregnant."
"Okay," Will nodded, "This is going to be a little cold, but we need to see what's going on in there."
"Ah," Erin gasped again, blinding pain ripping through her stomach, "Will, it hurts, I can't-"
"Dr. Halstead," a nurse knocked on the exam room door, "Detective Halstead is here for Ms. Lindsay."
"Jay," she choked out when her partner's name left the nurse's lips, "Jay."
Jay barely registered the drive to Med.
Hank had the lights and sirens on in the Escalade as he raced down the street, unable to get any words out. Jay practically jumped out of the moving vehicle when his boss pulled into the emergency entrance, his mind venturing hundreds of terrible places.
Erin was the strongest person he'd ever met. She was feisty and quick-witted and smart, and she knew just how to play a room. For her hardened exterior, his girl was surprisingly soft and tender, especially when it came to him and Piper. Her voice could calm him like nobody else's could. Her laugh brought tears of joy to his eyes and everything about her was perfect. To hear that she'd fainted at work and was being rushed to the hospital had Jay's heart fluttering a thousand miles a minute. He couldn't live without Erin.
His breath caught when he saw his girl squirming painfully on the hospital bed, his brother trying to gently get her to relax. He could tell without being close to her that she was in pain, her features pinched in anguish, complexion pale and waxy. Jay's heart lurched. His poor girl.
"J-Jay," Erin stuttered, tears spilling down her cheeks at the sight of her partner. Thank god he'd arrived.
He hurried into the exam room and sank beside his ailing partner. Jay stroked her sweaty hair back and pressed a kiss on his girlfriend's forehead. "I'm here, baby," he whispered, "You're going to be okay."
"It really hurts," she whimpered tearfully, "I should have listened to you, I shouldn't have gone into work-"
"We don't need to think about that now," he said, wiping her cheeks gently, "We just gotta focus on getting you feeling better, okay?" Jay paused as his partner, his girlfriend, the love of his life, suddenly went slack against the hospital bed. "Will!"
"We need to get her into surgery, right now," Will determined, pushing the ultrasound away. "She's going to be okay, but she's needs to go now."
"I-I don't want to leave her," he said, pressing another kiss to Erin's forehead, "Babe, wake up for me."
"She won't until after surgery," Will insisted, "She's gotta go man, the doctors are going to take good care of her." He carefully grabbed his brother by the shoulder to pull him away from Erin, "She's having an ectopic pregnancy, Jay. She needs emergency surgery."
"Ectopic? What? P-pregnancy?" Jay stuttered, watching as the nurses wheeled his partner out of the ED toward the operating rooms, ushering other patients, doctors and nurses aside, "She's got one of those IUD things, we talked about having kids eventually but-"
"It can happen with an IUD," Will said carefully, leading his brother out the exam room, "It means that the embryo got lodged in her fallopian tube. It's a non-viable pregnancy, and unfortunately, it isn't uncommon, even if you have an IUD. When it's caught early, it can be taken care of quickly, but if it's late, it can cause a rupture in the fallopian tube. We've gotta get her into surgery to remove it, and possibly remove the tube itself."
"T-that sounds risky," he choked out, "I mean, we talked about kids but I don't know-"
"We'll know more when the surgeons are in there." He put a hand on his brother's shoulder, "But right now, the priority is going to be saving her life, okay?"
"Can you go in there with her?" Jay asked, unable to keep the tears out of his eyes, "I-I don't want her to be alone."
Will nodded. "I'll be there the whole time. She's going to be okay."
Hailey nervously tapped the steering wheel of the Sierra, hoping to see Piper emerge from the large volume of children that were coming out of the school. She hadn't gotten any update on Erin from Jay or Hank, and she was worried. She knew that the little girl was incredibly anxious, especially when it came to her big sister.
She let out a breath when she caught sight of Piper. "Hey kiddo, it's me today," she said, turning in the seat to give the little girl the biggest smile she could muster, "Buckle up, okay?"
"Where's Jay?" Piper asked nervously as she slid into her seat and buckled herself in, "Is he okay?"
"He is," Hailey replied, quickly turning out of the school and hitting the Sierra lights, "He's totally fine. He's with Erin right now. Jay got a call that Erin fainted at work, and he's at the hospital with her. We're heading there right now."
"Erin fainted?" Piper's eyes went wide with fear and instantly filled with tears, "Is she hurt?"
"I'm not sure, but I know Jay's with her. Hank's there also, and Will probably is too." Hailey gave a nod as confidently as she could. The tear-filled green eyes of the tiny human in the backseat was rapidly undoing her. She always hated to see the little girl sad, especially given how fond of her she'd become. "We're going to be there really soon."
"She wasn't feeling good this morning," Piper whimpered, "But she still went into work."
Hailey was quiet. As much as she wanted to tell the child that her big sister was going to be totally fine, she couldn't. She didn't know what type of situation they were about to walk into, and she didn't want to lie to her. "We're almost there," she said instead, gesturing to the hospital up the street, "We're going to park and then hustle inside to find Jay."
"W-what if Erin dies?" Piper whispered when Hailey opened her side door, "What's going to happen then?"
Again, Hailey was quiet. She didn't know what would happen to the little girl if anything happened to Erin. She knew from her partner's comments that Erin had been awarded full custody of Piper by the judge, but Jay hadn't mentioned how he was involved, if at all. "To be honest with you, I'm not sure," Hailey said slowly, "But I do know a few things." She met Piper's gaze. "For one, I know that Erin loves you very, very much, and is going to do everything she can to be okay for you. I also know that Jay loves you, and that he would do anything to keep you safe. You've also got me, and Will and Hank, and we're all going to be there for you, Erin and Jay, no matter what. I know things are really scary right now, but I can promise you that you three are going to be taken care of."
Piper wrapped her arms around the detective's neck and held tightly. "I've got you, kiddo," Hailey said thickly, boosting the little girl into her arms, "I've got you."
She hurried into the emergency department, hoping to find her partner or boss. Piper was weeping into her shoulder as she frantically looked for someone she knew who could help direct them to Jay. "Hailey," Dr. Natalie Manning called from across the ED. She issued a brief apology to the nurse she was talking to and quickly made her way to the detective and the shaking child.
"Is Jay here?" Hailey asked urgently, "Or Voight? Jay said that Erin-"
"They're in the surgery waiting area," Natalie said gently, "Come with me."
Hailey followed the doctor down the hall, acutely aware of how violently Piper was trembling in her arms. She could feel the short, pained breaths the child attempted to take, and her heart was aching knowing just how badly she was struggling. Her heart ached further when her eyes fell upon her partner seated on a plastic chair beside her sergeant. He looked more troubled than she'd ever seen him. "Jay," she breathed, hoping to get his attention. Piper needed him, badly.
Jay looked up and immediately stood to take Piper into his arms. "Hey Pipes," he whispered, adjusting her on his shoulder, "She's gonna be okay." He gave a grateful look to his partner. "Thank you for picking her up."
"Of course." Hailey rubbed his arm gently, "How's she doing?"
"In surgery now," he replied, "Will's with her. We'll uh, know more soon, hopefully." He inhaled, willing his heart rate to slow. "Erin's really strong."
"She's in surgery?" Piper whimpered, "W-what happened?"
Jay swallowed. He wasn't sure how much Piper was ready for, how much she could handle or how much Erin would want her to know. "We'll know more soon," he repeated, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. "I'm glad you're here, Pipes."
"What can I do?" Hailey asked after Jay took a seat beside his sergeant, Piper in his arms, "Do you need anything?"
He shook his head. "Thank you again for bringing her," he said in an exhale, "It uh, might be a long night."
"I'm going to grab you guys some dinner then," she decided, "I'll be back." She squeezed her partner's arm gently before hurrying back down the hallway.
Jay glanced around the waiting room, Piper still clinging to his chest. It had been a least a half hour since the last update from Dr. Manning, who had promised to periodically check in with Will in the OR. His boss was sitting stoically beside him, eyes trained on the doctor who was deep in conversation with one of the nurses.
"This child's guardian is in surgery. We need to alert the Department of Children and Family Services." The nurse glanced over the doctor's shoulder to the detective and the small child on his shoulder.
"I'll do it," Dr. Manning said carefully, "I'll handle it, okay? Please, don't say anything just yet. The child is fragile."
"And needs to be protected," the nurse insisted, "It's mandated by the state that we-"
"Report when a child doesn't have a guardian present, I know." Dr. Manning wrung her hands. "Give me a minute." She took a tentative step toward Jay. "Do you have a second?" she asked carefully, "We need to talk."
Jay widened his eyes and looked to his sergeant, who appeared equally as troubled. "What happened?"
"Erin's still in surgery," she said quickly, "Hoping for an update soon." Natalie glanced down at Piper. "Is she asleep?"
He shook his head. Piper was most definitely awake, as evident by the frequent shudders from remnant sobs. "You're freaking me out, Nat," Jay managed, "What's going on?"
She drew in a breath. "The state mandates that if a child's guardian is in surgery, and another guardian isn't present, that DCFS needs to be notified."
Jay swallowed. He wasn't Piper's official guardian. The judge awarded custody to Erin, and while he could sign her out from school and love her as hard as he could, legally, he didn't have any sort of claim to her. He felt the child's heart rate thump quicker. "She's not leaving," he said fiercely, "She's not going anywhere."
"I know," Natalie put a hand on his arm, "And we're not going to let that happen, but I need to make the call. Do you still have Jenna's number? She knows the situation, maybe she can help?"
He nodded and quickly fumbled for his phone. Jenna O'Donnell was a good social worker. She'd been there for Piper, and fully rooted for Erin's custody and for his continued involvement in the little girl's life. "No, no, no," Piper stammered, pushing back from Jay's embrace and tumbling off his lap, "No, please, Jay, please."
"Pipes, you're not going anywhere. I just gotta call Jenna so she-"
Piper folded into herself against the waiting room chair on the floor, entire body shaking violently. "No, no, no!"
"I'll make the call," Hank said, extending his palm for Jay's cell, "She needs you right now."
Jay cast a grateful look to his sergeant. "I'm going to get an update on Erin now," Natalie promised, issuing an apologetic look to both Jay and Hank, "I'll be out soon."
He drew in a breath, trying to get his own anxiety under control in order to meet Piper's needs. "You're not leaving, Pipes," he promised, "We're making the call to make sure you can stay with us. Nobody's taking you anywhere."
"I don't want to lose you too," Piper wept, "I can't lose you and Erin, I can't, I can't!"
"You're not losing us," Jay promised, doing his best to keep his composure with the child rapidly crumbling in front of him, "You're staying with us, kiddo."
"If Erin dies, they'll take me away," she wailed, "A-and you won't be okay without me and Erin and-and-" The little girl dissolved into painful sobs, "I don't want you to die too."
Jay swallowed the lump in his throat. As he anticipated, Piper was worried about being taken away. But her reason for worry wasn't the aspect of leaving itself, it was the fact that she wouldn't be there for him, when she thought he would need her most. He swallowed again. The little girl he loved so much loved him so much, and it broke his heart to see her struggling.
"Pipes," he breathed, lifting the trembling child into his arms despite her distress, "No matter what happens, I'm not going anywhere. You're staying with me, kiddo." He rocked back and forth with Piper pressed against his chest. "Hank's going to talk to Jenna O'Donnell. She knows about Erin, and she knows about us, and she's going to make sure that you're staying with me, okay?"
Piper let out a shuddery exhale. "You-you didn't want call her to give me away?"
He nearly dropped the little girl in shock. "I would never do that," he choked out, holding her closer, "Never, ever."
She burst into a fresh set of tears. "T-that's what Mrs. Montgomery did when Mr. Montgomery got hurt."
Jay exchanged a sad look with his sergeant, who was witnessing Piper's swift and heartbreaking meltdown while on the phone with the social worker. "This isn't like that," he said thickly. His heart clenched at Piper's association with her current situation and her past. He'd read the file and he knew that one of Piper's foster parents was badly injured by the bad actors hired by her biological father, but he didn't realize the separation was made at the hospital and at the request of the spouse. "I'm not letting you go, kiddo. I swear."
Piper crumbled again, burying her face in Jay's shoulder as her body shook with sobs. "I want Erin," she sobbed, unable to catch her breath, "I don't want her to be hurt."
"Shh," Jay tried, gently rocking back and forth, "I know it's hard, but you've gotta try to take some deep breaths. It's going to be okay."
"Jenna's on it," Hank said, keeping his voice low, "Piper isn't going anywhere."
Jay let out a breath. One part of his heart was safe. The other was several hallways away, unconscious.
Piper continued to wheeze and shake against Jay, her lungs not allowing her body to get the oxygen she so desperately needed. Minutes that felt like hours went by while the child quaked. "C'mon kiddo," Jay begged again, "Try to take a breath for me. You can do it."
She gasped again, this time grappling at her throat as she was unable to take a proper breath. The little girl choked out a painful sob and continued to tremble in his arms.
"You-you almost died when you had surgery," Piper cried, "You almost died, I don't want Erin to die, I don't, I don't!"
"I'm going to grab a nurse or someone," Hank said gently, quickly rising from his seat, "I think she might need something."
Jay nodded in agreement as Piper let out a wail of desperation. "Shh, Pipes, I know, I know," Jay whispered, "Keep trying to get the air in, okay? You're going to be okay."
"E-Erin," she managed, burying her face in Jay's neck with another sob, "I-I-I-"
"She's been inconsolable for over twenty minutes," Hank explained to Natalie Manning urgently as he hastened back into the surgery waiting area, "Her lips are turning blue."
Jay glanced down at the child in his arms, seeing that the little girl's features were indeed looking quite pale, her lips a shade of light purple. "Nat, she can't breathe," he said urgently, feeling Piper's breath become shallower by the second, "I-I don't know what to do. It's never been this bad before."
The doctor nodded, "I'm going to administer a low dose of Ativan to settle her down," she said carefully, "She's just got to be still for a moment."
"No, no, no," Piper wailed, "I want Erin!"
"Shh," Jay cooed, holding the little girl impossibly closer, "Shh." He rocked back and forth gently in an attempt to calm her while Natalie assembled the shot. As soon as it was administered into Piper's arm, the painful wheezes turned to soft whimpers.
"I want Erin," Piper pleaded, sagging heavily against Jay's chest, unable to fight his hold any longer, "I-I don't want her to die. I l-love her."
"She's going to be okay," Jay said as confidently as he could, "Take a breath Pipes, please."
"Erin's doing okay," Natalie confirmed gently, "They're about halfway through the surgery and were able to stop the bleeding. Will's with her, sitting right by her head while the surgeons work."
Jay let out another breath. "H-how much longer?"
"She's not out of the woods yet, but probably another hour or so," she informed him, "They'll want to keep her overnight for observation, but barring any complications, she should be able to head home tomorrow afternoon."
Hank exhaled. "When uh, can we see her?"
"I'll check back in a bit," Natalie assured them, "She's a strong one."
Jay nodded in agreement and kissed the top of Piper's head. The little girl's breath had evened out significantly after the drugs. "She's breathing better," he said in relief, "Thank you."
"You might want to talk to her pediatrician about a rescue prescription," Natalie said gently, "I know you mentioned it hadn't been so bad before and this is a difficult circumstance, but it could be worth looking into."
He nodded again. "Sometimes it takes both of us to calm her down," he said slowly, "We've got her in therapy and stuff but-"
"It might be as simple as an inhaler," she told him, "Just to keep her lungs open when she's having a hard time. I know it can be difficult to think about medicating a child regularly, but she might just need something for the panic attacks." She offered a small smile, "I'm going to check on Erin again. Sit tight."
Jay swallowed and kissed the top of Piper's head again. He'd need to discuss some kind of rescue inhaler for Piper with Erin, but neither of them ever wanted the little girl to suffer.
"We used to have one for Erin," Hank mused, "When she first came to stay with us and she was going through the withdrawal pretty bad. Found out she'd had asthma pretty much her whole life, Bunny never did anything about it."
"Doesn't surprise me," Jay managed. His poor girls. Both of them were forced to suffer in silence. "Did it help?"
Hank nodded. "Camille helped most I think, but it did. To be honest, I don't even know if Erin remembers it. She was struggling real bad back then." He swallowed, "Broke my heart. Camille would hold her on the bathroom floor and she'd fight it and curse and sob until the meds kicked in. Doc told us the panic attacks got bad because she couldn't get the air in. Basically compounded on itself."
Jay shook his head. "Poor thing," he whispered, "Both of them have been through hell."
"They have. But they're strong." Hank stroked Piper's cheek gently as she dozed against Jay, absolutely spent from the panic attack. "I used to hold Erin just like this after an episode. Felt like holding a part of my heart." He gave a small smile, "But you know that."
Jay cleared his throat and gave a nod. "I never thought I'd love someone so much," he whispered, "Erin, but also Piper. Pipes, she isn't my kid but I love her like she is." He swallowed. "She saved my life, sarge. She brought me back from the brink. She brought Erin back, she…she amazes me, every single day."
Hank nodded. "I'm real proud of you, kid," he said fondly, "Piper may have helped, but you pulled yourself back from that edge. You did it for Erin all those years ago, and you've done it for Piper too." He put a hand on his detective's shoulder. "You're a good man, Jay."
"Thank you," he managed, "I uh, just want to be good enough for them. They deserve it."
"How are you holding up?" Hailey asked after she returned with dinner for Jay, Piper and Hank. The little girl was now fast asleep on Jay's shoulder despite the fact that it wasn't even close to her bedtime.
"I'll be better once I can see her," Jay said in an exhale, "Nat said things are going as expected, which is good. Piper's asleep, which is a big improvement from earlier after nearly passing out from sobbing so hard."
"Christ," Hailey mused, stroking the little girl's hair gently, "You want me to take her for a bit? Let you stretch your legs?"
He nodded gratefully. "Thank you," he said, carefully maneuvering the child into his partner's lap, "I just don't want her to wake up alone."
"I'll be here," she replied, "She's got a whole bunch of people lookin' out for her, don't worry."
Jay stood and stretched, feeling his back crack slightly. It was dinner time, and Piper needed to eat, but no part of him wanted to wake the little girl without being able to confirm that her sister was going to be okay. "Thanks for bringing dinner," he said gratefully, "I'll uh, try to see if I can get her to eat something when she wakes up."
Hailey nodded and continued to gently stroke Piper's hair. "You guys should eat something too."
"Jay." Natalie's voice came softly as she emerged from the double doors.
Hank stood as well and put a fatherly hand on his detective's shoulder. "She's in post op," Natalie confirmed, offering a reassuring smile, "They stopped the bleeding before it got bad. She got lucky."
Jay let out a breath, suddenly feeling like his legs couldn't support him. Hank's hand was helping keep him upright. "Did they uh, have to remove…?"
Natalie nodded. "They removed the tube but were able to save the other. It's honestly the best scenario we could have hoped for given how close she was to bleeding out. Her surgeon will give you both a full rundown, but I wanted to tell you as soon as I heard."
"Thank you," he managed, running a hand through his hair. His girl was going to be alright. She'd made it through the surgery.
"They'll want to keep her overnight for observation, as I mentioned earlier," Natalie continued, "I figured you wouldn't want to bring Piper home, so I pulled some strings and got her a room with a couch. They'll move her up there after post op."
"Can I see her?" Jay asked, taking another breath, "I just…I need to see her."
"I can take one of you into post op, but Piper's gotta stay back," Natalie said carefully, "But once she's up in her room, you can stay with her."
"You go, kid," Hank said immediately, "I'll stay here with Piper."
Jay sucked in a breath when he saw his girl laying in the hospital bed. Her color was better than it had been earlier. His angel appeared to be sleeping, appearing so innocent and fragile against the white sheets. He quickly closed the space between them and sank into the chair beside her.
"Hey baby," he whispered, stroking her hair back gently. He took her slender fingers in his own, "You're okay."
Her eyelids fluttered at the sound of his voice. "J-Jay?"
"I'm here," he assured her, giving her hand a gentle squeeze, "You're alright, babe. You're in the hospital. You just had surgery, but you're going to be okay."
Erin regarded him with heavy-lidded eyes. "P-Piper?"
"She's down the hall, she's worried about you," he confirmed, running his thumb over her cheek gently, "She's with Hank, and she's going to be fine. Even better once she sees her big sister."
At that, Erin's lips lifted ever so slightly. "What happened?" she rasped, "Was it my appendix?"
He shook his head and held her hand carefully. "The doctors said it was ectopic pregnancy. The embryo, um, got stuck in your fallopian tube. They had to remove it and the tube since it nearly ruptured and caused massive internal bleeding."
"Oh god," Erin choked out, putting a hand on her belly, "I-I was pregnant? But-"
"They said it can happen with an IUD," Jay said softly, "It's rare, but it happens." He kissed her fingers carefully. "You're going to be okay. They made a small incision, and they were able to prevent any large bleeds. You got lucky, babe."
"And the-the," Erin gestured to her stomach, "It's gone?"
Jay nodded sadly. "They said um, it wasn't viable. Five weeks, you wouldn't have known either. They were able to save one of the tubes, but the other they had to remove to save your life."
She gave a small nod, eyes filled with tears. "I'm sorry," she whispered painfully, "I'm so sorry."
"You have nothing to be sorry for," he assured her, kissing her forehead gently, "Absolutely nothing. I'm just so glad you're still here, babe. I-I got a call from your boss that you had fainted during a meeting and-" His breath hitched. He couldn't fathom life without Erin. "Are you in pain?"
She shook her head. "'s the good stuff," she muttered tiredly, toying with his fingers. "I-I'm not supposed to be on this. It's in my file."
"You just had emergency surgery," he soothed, "You're allowed some pain relief. I'll be there for whatever comes next, okay?"
"I don't want Piper to see me backslide," Erin choked out, attempting to wrestle the IV out of her arm, "I can't put you through that again, Hank will never forgive me-"
"Babe." Jay put his hand on the IV. "Stop for a second. You just had surgery. They're not giving you any more pain meds, not unless you ask for them. And it is okay if you ask for them." He stroked her cheek, "It doesn't mean you're not strong. You almost muscled through an organ rupturing without anyone noticing." He smiled softly, "For now, just let your body get the rest it needs, okay? For me, and for Piper and Hank. We won't let you go anywhere."
Erin sniffed and nodded meekly. "Is she okay?"
"She's pretty freaked out," he said honestly, not wanting to lie to his partner, "Hank called Jenna to make sure DCFS wouldn't try to move her while you were under. She's sleeping now, with Hank and Hailey." He stroked her cheek again. "Nat had to give her a sedative a bit ago. She was worried you were going to die, and that I'd die too if I didn't have you." He swallowed the lump in his throat, "And she's pretty close to being right. I don't think I could live without you, babe."
"You won't have to," Erin promised, brushing a tear off his cheek, "I'm not going anywhere." She toyed with the edge of the blanket with one hand. "And um, DCFS wouldn't take Piper from you."
"I'm not her guardian," Jay reminded her, "The judge gave you full custody."
"Right," she nodded, "But uh, after that, I signed this document that gives guardianship to you if anything happened to me." She gave a watery smile. "I never wanted her to grow up without you."
"What?" Jay's eyes widened, "Really?"
Erin nodded again. "My lawyer said that if they don't catch our dad within a year of the date that you found Piper, the judge can switch my guardianship to adoption without him relinquishing his rights like Bunny did. I-I know I should have asked you but if anything happened to me before then, I wanted to make sure you guys had a chance at staying together. So even if he tried to take her, you could fight it."
"Babe," Jay breathed, kissing her fingers gently, "You're not going anywhere, remember?"
"I know," she said with a small nod, "But my job is to keep her safe. And there's no place safer in the world than with you."
I read every single review y'all post because I looooove incorporating ideas and requests into the overall storyline I created. TY to those who requested a little Erin drama around growing their family – I hope you liked the spin. And of course, if you're hoping for anything else, let me know! I like to sprinkle in the mini requests and sometimes I can squeeze in the bigger ones, buuuuut some of the really big ones might end up in a follow up story – if ya stick with me :)
All that to say, if you want to see something, let me know and I'll see what I can do. The requests have definitely made this story a lot longer since I still haven't gotten to my original plan. Okay sorry that was long I hope you're enjoying!
