After eating breakfast together, Sam managed to convince them to watch Despicable Me 3 before Jay had to leave. Jay had actually rather enjoyed it, much more than he was ever really willing to admit. Once the film had finished, it was time for Erin and Sam to head to her parent's house for the BBQ, "Hey Sam, you need to go and get changed. I put some jeans out on your bed," Erin said and Sam nodded.
"Okay. You won't leave before I'm ready will you, Jay?"
"No big man, I'll wait and say goodbye. I need to pack up some of Max's things before I go anyway," Jay replied.
"Yay! I'll be really quick!" Sam exclaimed and climbed off the couch and ran into his bedroom to get changed.
Erin followed Jay into the kitchen while he grabbed Max's bowls, "So, what are you going to do for the rest of the day?"
"Going to take Max out for a run, then I've got some planning to get on with for my seniors. They have some coursework due in at the end of the month so I've got to make sure we get it all sorted well before," He replied.
"Sounds wonderful. When am I going to see you this week then?"
"Well, you're still coming to mine on Kelly's two nights as normal aren't you?" He asked and she nodded. "Okay, I have a late meeting tomorrow, but I could probably come and see you on Tuesday night?"
"Sounds good. Are you going to bring Max so you can stay over?"
"Would you like me to bring Max so I can stay over?" He asked and she nodded. "Okay, then I'm bringing Max and I'll stay over. Do you think Sam will be ok with that?"
"Oh yeah, it means he gets to spend time with Max! You're just the consolation prize, babe," She laughed.
He clenched his chest, "Ouch, that really hurt. I hope I'm not your conciliation prize?"
"Wellll…. You know I have my list of favourite guys?" She asked and he nodded, not 100% sure where this was going. "Well, I've kind of had to change it up a bit. It goes, Sam - always number one. Then Max - cos he's cute and cuddly…"
"But I thought you said I was cute and cuddly?" Jay pouted, making Erin laugh.
"As I was saying, second, Max. Cute and cuddly. You are but Max is just that bit better."
"So I'm back down to third?" He asked.
"Actually, Chris Evans is third… You're down to fourth," She said and saw the shock on his face. "What? You were the one to force those Marvel films on me, babe. It's your fault."
"You're such a dickhead, but it's okay. I love you for it," He laughed. "Are you looking forward to the bbq at your parents?"
"Yeah, I am. But I'm not looking forward to the third degree about you though. I mean, I'm a 29-year-old woman, surely they have more things to worry about than my love life," She grumbled.
"I'm sure it won't be that bad."
"You don't know my family. Trust me, I'm doing you a favour by you not coming with us. I'm kind of glad we decided no because I know you were worried about Sam meeting you and it being awkward," She said.
"I'll be happy to meet them whenever you want me to. But yeah, I think meeting the most important person in your life and then the rest of your family the day after would be a little too much for my stress levels to take," He joked. "Call me tonight though?"
"Of course. Thank you for yesterday, and this morning."
"It's my pleasure. I've loved it," He replied, kissing her softly.
"Mommy! I'm ready!" Sam exclaimed as he came running through to the living room, with Max running along behind him.
"You look great Sammy. Are you ready to say goodbye to Jay and Max? They're going now."
Sam walked up to Jay, "Bye Jay. I really had a good time with you yesterday and today. I can't wait to see you and Max again."
"Aww thanks big man, well, I'm hoping to come over on Tuesday night so I might see you then if that's okay?" He asked and Sam nodded enthusiastically. "Okay then, I'll be here - I'll come over before you go to bed then."
"Good. Bye Jay! Bye Max!" Sam exclaimed and stroked Max's head.
Once Jay had said his goodbyes to Sam, he grabbed Max's lead and harness and put it on and Erin walked him to the door. "I'll ring you tonight, let you know how it went."
"Okay, I'll see you Tuesday night," He replied, leaning in and kissing her. "I love you."
"I love you too," She whispered and kissed him again. When she pulled away, she crouched down and Max nuzzled his face against hers, "Okay, bye Max. I'll see you Tuesday, too." She stood up and gave Jay one final kiss before he left.
Family dinners at the Voight's were usually extremely stressful. Erin loved her family, but sometimes when they were all together for a huge period, it got stressful. Her dad and brother would end up arguing about something, her mom would get upset at them. Danny and Sam would start arguing because one of them wouldn't let the other play with a toy that the other wanted. Olive would get stressed about Danny kicking off, Camille would get upset even more and Erin just hated the fact she was usually alone so couldn't even drink to ignore all the family arguments. The arguments and family drama was some of the reasons Erin didn't want Jay to meet them just yet - no one wanted to deal with a dysfunctional family this early on into a relationship. However, sometimes the family dinners went okay, and today was one of those days. Today would've been the most ideal day for Jay to meet them. Justin had called before she left saying that he and Olive would pick her and Sam up on the way so she could have a beer or two. Then they all had a lovely meal at the bbq, Sam and Danny hadn't argued once and Justin and Olive announced that they were expecting baby number two. It was a celebration, her mom and dad were over the moon and they all had a drink to celebrate (except Olive). Currently, Erin was sat out on the back porch enjoying a bit of peace and quiet. Danny and Sam were both with Hank in the living room, playing a board game, Olive and Camille were washing up and Justin was inside somewhere. Erin was happy for Justin, who was Erin's younger brother, he was five when the Voight's took her in and they got on pretty well. He enjoyed having an older sister to look up to over the years. He decided to go to university to do graphic design - something Hank was not impressed with as he had always envisioned his son following in his footsteps and becoming a cop (just like he had wanted for Erin), just like he had followed his dad years prior. Then not long after he finished university, he met Olive in a bar and they hit it off almost instantly. It wasn't long before Olive fell pregnant with their son, Danny. Which was just over a year before Erin got pregnant with Sam, so their kids were close in age. Hank and Camille had both welcomed the new additions to their family, loving their grandsons very much. Olive and Justin had now been married for three years and one thing Justin always teased Erin about was the fact that she had yet to settle down and that he was the one to get married first. She was so proud of her little brother, and she was so happy that she was going to be an auntie again. She felt someone come and sit next to her and smiled when she saw it was Justin. "So, when are we going to meet this man that you've been super secretive about then?" He asked, passing her a beer.
She took a sip of her beer and sighed, "Come on Justin, he only met Sam yesterday. Mom asked if I would bring him today, but I just wanted to see how he got on with Sammy first."
"Well, it seems that Sammy was really impressed with your new guy and his dog. Apparently, he's really tall and he let him sit on his shoulders so he was higher than he ever had been! One thing he didn't like was him kissing his mom though," He laughed, nudging her side with his elbow. "But seriously Erin, Sam really does like him. He told me you smile a lot when you're with him."
"When did he tell you this?"
"Just before when Danny was inside with mom and dad and you were talking to Olive. I wanted to get the intel on the guy who's stolen my big sister's heart," Justin explained.
"He really is the best thing that has happened to me since Sam. I really do love him," She smiled.
"Aww my big sister is really smitten," He teased. "So when am I going to meet him?"
"When we're ready. Maybe the next dinner we have or something. Or if we meet up and take the boys to the park or something? I think if he met you first it wouldn't be as stressful when he finally met mom and dad. I mean, I love them to pieces but they can be very…"
"Overbearing? Obsessive? Protective?" Justin offered up suggestions and she laughed and nodded. "See that's the exact same reason I let you meet Olive before I introduced her to the oldies."
"I have Sammy over the weekend in two weeks, do you want to maybe meet up then? Take the boys to the park?" She asked.
Justin nodded, "That sounds great."
"You excited to be a dad again?" Erin asked, changing the subject. Hoping that talk about her new niece or nephew will take the heat off of her for a while.
He smiled, "Yeah. I really am. I just can't believe I'm going to be a dad again. We tried a few times when Danny was younger, but it just never happened, y'know? But we just took it as a sign that we were just supposed to have Danny. Then we just stopped trying. Then one night, you leave your kid with your parents for a couple of days and go away for your anniver-"
"Woah, going to stop you there. Really don't need to know all the details - you're still my little brother after all," Erin grimaced, not wanting to think about it and Justin just laughed. "Just remember if it's a girl you have to call her Erin."
"I don't know if the world is ready for two Erin Voight's-" He laughed, but then realised his mistake. "Erin, I didn't-"
She shook her head, "It's okay Justin. I know I'm not a Voight by name, but I'm still a Voight. They adopted me - remember? Did I ever tell you the reason why I wanted to keep my last name Lindsay?" She asked, and he shook his head. "It wasn't Bunny's last name, well, it was when she gave birth to me. But then she got married to Bobby Fletcher and changed her last name, but I stayed a Lindsay. My nana, her mom, was a Lindsay, and I loved her to pieces. She died just before my mom got put away, which probably caused the neglect to get so bad to the point I was taken away. Nana looked after me a lot when Bunny was off doing god knows what and I never wanted to lose that connection with her, so I asked mom and dad if I could keep my last name."
He smiled, "I don't know why I never knew that. I just assumed it was something to do with your bio family. I was obviously too young to really know what was going on, and then as I got older I just didn't ever want to ask because I know you went through a lot before you came to us and I didn't want to bring back any traumatic memories."
"You're a good little bro, you know that?" She asked. "I'm so happy for you and Olive, though. More than happy. You really do deserve it! Is Danny looking forward to being a big brother?"
"Yeah, he's so excited," Justin replied. Just as he was about to speak, Olive came out and looked annoyed. "What's wrong, babe?"
"You're mom. I love her but she's being so overbearing! She has been talking non-stop about names, nursery themes, practicalities for work…"
"Sorry, we left you in there a little too long didn't we?" Justin laughed.
"It's fine, you two haven't had a chance for a catch up in a while," She replied, sitting down on the chair next to them. "So Erin, tell me more about this guy you're seeing."
"I'll leave you two to it. I'm going to go and see how dad and the boys are doing," Justin said, standing up and sending Erin a sly grin, after seeing her 'help me' look. He made his way back inside
Erin sighed, Justin knew just when to get out of something, which was annoying because Erin hated talking about relationships to anyone. She loved her sister in law, but sometimes she could be a little overbearing which she had ironically just called her own mother-in-law. But she just smiled at Olive and began telling her about her relationship with Jay.
"So has Kelly met him?" Olive asked once the story was over.
"No, not yet. He knows all about him and is fine with him seeing Sam and being involved, but I'm going to keep them a part a little while longer. Kelly can go a little overboard and annoying," Erin laughed.
"Yeah, he can be a bit overwhelming. Look at how annoying he was with Chris when you were with him," Olive pointed out, remembering how Kelly liked to mess with Erin's boyfriends - just a little.
"Yeah, I just want to ease Jay in a little at a time," Erin replied. "Okay, so talk to me about the baby. How excited are you?"
Olive smiled and began telling her how excited she was for her next child. The two of them talked for a while longer before Justin came out, telling them that the boys had both passed out on the couch with their grandad and suggested they head out.
As they pulled into the car park for Erin's building, Erin said her goodbyes to the family and carried a very tired Sam up to the apartment. She set him down in the bathroom and told him to do his teeth before going to get his PJs on. Once she settled him in bed and he was asleep, she went and got ready for bed herself. She hadn't spoken to Jay since she left because she stupidly forgot to take her phone with her - she opened up her text messages to see one from Nadia, confirming when she was needed during the next week and three from Jay. A text to let her know he had got home, a picture of Max at the park from their run and then a text saying he's home, and to text or face time him when she was back home and managed to remember to find her phone. He obviously knew her very well, knowing she often forgot her phone and didn't realise until she was somewhere else. She smiled and pressed the FaceTime button and waited for him to answer - which he did in a matter of seconds. His hair was still wet from the shower, and he was lying on his couch, obviously chilling and watching the game.
"Hey babe, how was dinner?" he asked.
"It was good, they asked how you were and when you were going to meet them," She rolled her eyes. "Apparently Sammy talked you up to Justin. Today's dinner would probably have been the best dinner to introduce you to them. Everyone was happy and there were no arguments because Olive and Justin announced that they're expecting again."
Jay smiled, "That's amazing. I'm happy for them."
"I suggested to Justin that we meet up with him and Olive in the park the next weekend I have Sam - if you want? I think introducing you to one of my crazy family members at a time will be the best - what do you think?"
"That sounds perfect. I'm looking forward to meeting them," He replied.
"So, what did you do today?" Erin asked. "I saw the picture of Max at the park, he looked adorable."
"I took him for a run through the park by mine. Then I came back here, had a shower, cleaned up, prepped some meals for this week at work. Me and Max have been chilling on the sofa watching the game. It was a pretty boring day," Jay replied. "How's Sammy?"
Erin told him more about their evening at her parents and they ended up on FaceTime, watching the game together. It wasn't long before both of them decided to call it a night and go to bed themselves. While Jay took Max out for his last walk of the day, Erin was in bed, staring up at the ceiling, realising how weird it was that Jay wasn't with her. They'd spent a lot of nights apart over the past few months - because Sam was around. However, tonight was the first night Erin was alone in her bed after introducing Jay to Sam and it felt very strange. She really felt the absence of Jay and even Max. Her phone pinged and she rolled over to get it off her bedside cabinet and saw a text from Jay. It was a picture of him in bed, with Max next to him and a caption that read We miss you! Good night, babe. I love you xxx -Jay.
It had been a couple of weeks since Jay had met Sam for the first time, and they had been getting on very well. He had been staying over a lot of nights, but still staying at his apartment some days of the week, knowing how much Erin loved her nights in with Sam on her own. Kelly had been incredibly surprised with how well Jay meeting Sam had gone, Sam had told him all about it when he was at his house after Erin introduced the two of them. Then every time he saw him since, he had at least one new Jay story to tell. He was so happy that Erin had found someone who accepted their son. He knew that Erin wouldn't actually introduce him to Jay, and was still trying to keep it private. So he took matters into his own hands. He was currently stood outside of Erin's apartment door, waiting. Erin hadn't been feeling well, usually, when Sam went to Kelly's house, Erin dropped him off on her way to Jay's. But not tonight, there had been a change of plan. Erin had come down with a cold and was not feeling up to driving across town to drop Sam off and then going over to Jay's, she asked if Kelly could pick Sam up from hers before Jay came round. She had emphasised that Jay would be here by 17:30 at the latest so she asked Kelly to pick Sam up much earlier - to avoid them running into each other (she still wasn't ready for that conversation). It was now 17:27, he had been stood in the hallway for a good twenty minutes now, but he wasn't going to leave before he met the man that had stolen Erin's heart. He had been ignoring Erin's texts asking where he was for the twenty minutes, he knew he was being a bit cruel by doing this, but if he was going to follow Erin's timeline, he probably would never get to meet Jay. Besides, it was his prerogative to ensure that Jay wasn't going to hurt his kid or his ex. The doors to the lift opened, and out came a dog followed by a man who he knew to be Jay. The dog came up to him and he patted his head, "Hey boy, I take it you're Max?" He asked, and then looked at Jay. "And you must be Jay. I'm Kelly, and it's about time we have a little chat."
Jay was a little stunned, he wasn't too early only two minutes. Erin said Kelly was picking Sam up at five, so they would avoid this interaction. It seemed that Kelly had other ideas. "Uhm, yeah, I'm Jay," Jay said and held out his hand to shake Kelly's. "It's nice to meet you."
"Hmm, so you're the guy that stole Erin's heart?" He asked, shaking his hand. "And the guy who taught my son a super secret pancake recipe that he's not allowed to tell anyone."
Jay chuckled, "Sorry about that, family secret. He's a cool kid."
"I just want to say, it's cool that you're hanging around with the kid. He does seem to like you, and he did tell me last night that you were super cool. But, I will say this, you hurt Erin and then inadvertently hurt Sam? I might have to kill you, okay?"
Jay nodded, "If I hurt either of them, I well and truly deserve whatever you have in store for me."
Kelly nodded and just as he was about to reply, the door to Erin's apartment opened, "Seriously? I should've known you were pulling some shit like this," She grumbled, leaning against the doorway. All she wanted to do tonight was hand Sam over to Kelly and then snuggle up with Jay.
"How did you know we were out here?" Kelly asked.
"Max was scratching at the door. I didn't know what it was so I came to check it out. Now, are you going to come and get your son? He's in his room, waiting for you."
"Aww I forgot how grumpy you get when you're ill," Kelly teased, nudging her as he walked into the apartment.
"You're a dick. Just go and get your child so I can lock the door and chill out please," She said as Kelly started walking into the apartment with Max following behind him. "Ugh, I should've known he was going to pull some shit like this at some time. He wasn't too much of a dick to you was he?"
"No, he was fine. Just a little chat, nothing to worry about," He said, and put his hand on her forehead, "How're you feeling? You're quite hot."
"I know, I'm the hottest," She joked and reached up to kiss him. "Hey."
"Hey back," He grinned and kissed her again. "Why don't you go and sit down, snuggle up with Max while I get round to making that soup I promised."
"You're amazing," She smiled. "Thank you."
"Daddy!" Sam exclaimed as Kelly walked into his room. "I missed you!"
"I missed you too, my little minion. How're you?" He asked, sitting down on his bed, watching Sam build his lego.
"I'm good… MAX!" He shouted, and Max padded over to him. Sam cuddled him. "I missed you! Is Jay here?"
"Aww, you like Max? He's pretty cute, isn't he? Now, what do you say we get going? Boys night in! Stella is working at the bar tonight, but she will be taking you to school tomorrow, is that ok?"
"Sounds good. Can we watch the minions?" He asked, hopefully.
"I thought we could find something else tonight," Kelly replied, hoping they could find something else. As much as he loved his little Minion, rewatching the same four films over and over again were getting a bit tedious. "Shall we go and say goodbye to your mom and Jay?"
Sam nodded and grabbed his minion Dave and the lion he got at the zoo with his grandparents. They walked through to the living room, Kelly holding onto Sam's backpack. Erin was under a blanket on the couch and Jay was in the kitchen. "Hi, Jay!" Sam shouted to him from the living room.
"Hey, big man! Are you alright?" Jay asked, putting the knife down and walking over to him.
"I'm good. Are you here to look after mommy?"
"Yeah, I am. Are you looking forward to spending time with your dad?" Jay asked.
"Yes! We are going to watch the minions!" Sam exclaimed and Kelly groaned quietly, hoping that he could still persuade Sam otherwise. Sam didn't hear him, so carried on. "Mommy, you can keep Dave with you he always helps me feel better. I'm going to take Leo to daddy's."
"Aww, thanks, Sam. I think Dave will take great care of me. Now you and your dad best be going. I'll see you on Saturday, I'll pick you up after breakfast," She replied, putting the Dave toy on her lap, next to Max, who was now lying on the sofa, with his head on Erin's lap. "I won't give you a hug because I don't want to give you my germs."
"Okay, bye mommy. See you Saturday," He said, stroking Max's fur. "Bye Max. Jay, will you be here on Saturday?"
"Not sure yet big man, I might have a few things I need to do on Saturday. But if I'm not here on Saturday, I'll come over with Max another day, okay?" Jay replied and Sam nodded.
"Bye guys. Hope you're feeling better soon, Erin," Kelly said and she smiled. "It was good meeting you, Jay."
"Yeah, you too. See you," Jay replied and watched as Kelly and Sam walked down the hall and left the apartment. "Okay, I'm just going to quickly get the soup ready to cook then I'll come and sit with you a bit."
"Okay, thank you," Erin replied, "I'm fine here with Max and Dave for company. You're too good to me."
"I'm only doing what you'd do if the situation were reversed. I'll be over soon," He said, dropping a kiss on the top of her head from behind the sofa. He squeezed her shoulders and went back to the kitchen to make the soup.
After they'd eaten, they stayed on the couch watching friends, "How come you told Sammy you wouldn't be here on Saturday?"
"Well, we haven't spoken about what we're doing at the weekend, and I just didn't want to assume that I'd be here. I know you like your one on one time with your favourite guy, and I didn't want to but in on any plans you may have," He explained.
"You're so sweet and so kind. Thank you," She said, sincerely. "But did you forget we are meeting my brother, his wife and kid in the park on Saturday?"
"I did," he laughed, "If I'd have remembered I'd have told him. Oh well, he can get a nice surprise. How're you feeling, babe?"
She shrugged, "I just feel really rough, I took the next two days off so I can get better."
"I wish I could stay here and look after you tomorrow…"
"It's fine, you've got to work. Besides, I get the doggo and he's a pretty good Jay replacement. After all, he is my second favourite guy," She teased and he just rolled his eyes, "But no, seriously it's fine. Max and I can just hang out on the sofa all day and watch shitty TV shows then you can join us when you get home."
"I'll be so excited to come home to both of you," He replied, kissing the side of her head. "I don't have any teaching after 2, it's planning time. So, I'll come home early and give you all the Halstead snuggles you need."
"Mmm, that sounds great," She yawned. "I think I'm going to go to bed, are you coming?"
"Yeah, I'll be in in a minute, just going to take Max out for a walk and then I'll be right in," He replied. "I'll bring you in some juice and water when I come back. You go and I'll sort everything out in here."
"Thank you. I love you," She whispered, kissing him softly before getting up and going into the bedroom.
After taking Max for a quick walk around the block, Jay made his way back into the apartment. He realised he hadn't cleaned up from making dinner, so he quickly did the dishwasher, wiped down the surfaces and set up the coffee maker for himself in the morning. He quietly walked into the bedroom and saw that Erin was already asleep, mostly on his side of the bed cuddling with Max, who was on her side. He quickly got undressed and slid into bed behind her and pulled her closer to his chest, "I'm so glad you've got this huge bed because I'm 99% sure if you had a smaller bed, I'd be relegated to the couch tonight."
"Yeah, you would have," She mumbled, still half asleep. She felt him chuckle and place a kiss on her neck. "Now go to sleep, you've got to get up in the morning."
"Good night, I love you," He whispered and settled down and let himself drift off to sleep.
The next morning, Jay woke up thirty minutes before his alarm was set. Erin had been incredibly restless throughout the night and had started up with a particularly harsh cough. She suffered from asthma but it was pretty well controlled until she became unwell. She'd thankfully been asleep solidly for a couple of hours propped up on four pillows, so he quietly got up and went and made himself some coffee. Max followed him through not long later and indicated he wanted to go out, so Jay put on some trainers and grabbed a hoodie and slipped it over his head and took Max out for a morning walk. He stopped off at the shop on Erin's street on the way home and bought some more pain killers and some plain Lucozade for the energy. After getting back to the apartment, he fed Max and took a quick shower before getting dressed, ready for work. He walked out of the bathroom, seeing that Erin was now half awake, but cuddling Max again. He smiled at her, "I have to head out now, but text me if you need anything. Max has been fed and walked so he should be good for a while. I've left you some meds and drinks on your table. Water and Lucozade. Do you need anything else before I go?" He asked, sitting down on the bed and stroking Max.
"No, I think I'm good. Thank you for looking after me, I really appreciate it."
"No problem, that's what I'm here for," He said leaning in to kiss her but she pulled away.
"I don't want you catching this…"
He chuckled, "Babe, I've kissed you and slept beside you. I think I'll be fine. If I'm gonna get it, I'm gonna get it. Now can I get that kiss?" He asked and she nodded so he kissed her. "Okay, now you try and sleep. I'll probably be back by three ish? Text me if you need anything," She nodded at him and he smiled. He stroked Max's back one last time, "You look after her boy, I'll see you later. Love you, babe."
"I love you a huge amount," She replied, squeezing his hand before he left. She listened to him make a coffee to go, and then the front door locking behind him. She smiled and settled back down to get some sleep, now feeling very grateful that Max was beside her. He was a good Jay substitute.
Jay's day at work felt like it had gone on forever, Erin finally texted him at about 11 ish, saying that she woke up and was still struggling with her chest so had managed to get an emergency Drs appointment. She had texted him after her appointment informing him that thankfully, it wasn't a chest infection but she did require a weeks course of steroids, but she said her chest didn't feel as bad as it has done in the past - which was a bonus. He was really worried about her so shot off a text to his brother to see if there was anything he could do to help Erin out. He had texted back straight away informing him that steam baths typically can help out when someone's asthma is bad, and drinking warm drinks like tea. He also suggested a night nurse medication to help with sleep. He finished his last lesson and went straight to the PE teacher's office, grabbed his phone - which was now out of charge, grabbed his bag and said goodbye. He got into his car and drove to the shop, so he could pick Erin up some tea, meds, and some veggies for a stir fry in case she fancied something other than the soup he'd made the night before. Once he arrived at the car park for Erin's apartment block, he jumped out and grabbed his work bag and bag of shopping to take up. He made sure he had his keys out ready - something that Erin had given him a week prior. She said she wanted him to always feel like he could come to hers whenever. He made his way into the building and got into the lift, and chose the floor that Erin lived. When he finally got to her front door, he put his key into the lock and opened the door. He kicked off his shoes and put his keys down on the table, "Hey babe, I'm back," He said, walking down the hallway and made his way into the living room. As he walked in, he saw Erin on the couch with Max sleeping next to her, and another person in the room. Her mother. Oh boy how he wished he had his phone charger at work, he was sure she would've texted him with a warning.
"Hey Jay, this is my mom. Mom, this is Jay," Erin smiled up at him.
"Oh finally! It's so nice to meet you," Camille gushed. "Erin and Sam have both told me so much about you."
"It's nice to meet you, Mrs Voight," Jay said, walking to the kitchen island to put the shopping down.
"Call me Camille. No one calls me Mrs Voight, it makes me feel old. Now come and join us so I can learn all about you."
Erin just rolled her eyes, "Please go easy on him," She grumbled. She had texted Jay as soon as her mom came over to warn him, but it was obvious he didn't get the text. She didn't really feel up for having to introduce her boyfriend to her mom, especially when she was feeling this shit. All she wanted was Jay and sleep. Not her mom prying into Jay's life.
"I'm always nice, sweetheart. So, Jay, Erin told me you're a teacher, what exactly do you teach?" Camille asked him when he came and joined them on the couch. He sat on the other side of Max on the edge of the sofa.
"I'm a PE teacher," He replied.
"So how long have you been a teacher for?"
"Three years. I was actually in the army for seven before I became a teacher. So I haven't been teaching too long," He explained.
"That sounds nice, so tell me more about you, I want to know as much as possible," She asked eagerly and Jay obliged. He told her a bit about growing up, his family, Max and his Job and it was very clear that Camille Voight was impressed with the man that was Jay Halstead. She stayed for another half an hour before she realised that Erin seemed to be getting tired, knowing that her daughter most likely just needed sleep, she decided it was time to leave. "Okay, I best be getting back home. Justin and Olive are coming over to drop Danny off for his sleepover at five so I need to get back home and get dinner ready."
"Okay, mom. Thank you for coming round and checking on me," Erin replied, "I really appreciate it."
"No problem dear, you're my girl. I'll always be here to check on you," She said getting up and leaning down to hug Erin - not caring about germs. Her kid needed a hug. "You've picked a good one here, Erin," She whispered into her ear before standing back up. "Jay, it was so wonderful meeting you. You have to come by for our next family dinner."
"Thank you, it was lovely meeting you too," He replied. "I'll walk you out."
"No, it's okay. You stay with Erin. Text me if you need anything," She replied. "I'll see you both."
Erin and Jay both said their goodbyes to Camille before she left.
Once the door had shut, indicating that she'd left, Erin released a breath she didn't realise she had been holding, "Wow. That was unexpected. I did text you to warn you by the way, but I take it you didn't get it?"
"No, my phone died before my last lesson, and I left my spare charger at my house. So I went to the shop, got us some food for tonight and I also got you some tea and meds. I texted my brother in New York asking if there was anything good for you and he said, steam baths, tea, sleep and lots of cuddles," He explained, getting up and going into the kitchen to put the kettle on.
"Your brother prescribed 'cuddles'?"
"Okay, maybe I added that bit but yeah. Tea, steam baths and cuddles with the best guy ever will surely help you feel better. I've got you some more Lucozade too and some night nurse to help you sleep tonight," He explained, busying himself making the pair of them a cup of tea each.
Erin smiled at him across the room, "God I love you so much. Thank you for everything and thank you for not running out of here as soon as you saw my mother."
He chuckled at that, "She was lovely. I was going to have to meet her one day. So, Kelly and your mom all in the space of 24 hours, your dad's not going to jump out from your balcony now is he? I don't think I can handle another new person."
"No, no more new people tonight. All I need is you, this couch and Max," She said as he walked back over, passing her a mug of tea.
"Sounds good to me. How are you actually feeling?"
She shrugged, "Fifty/fifty. I don't feel as achy and 'cold-y' but My chest isn't great. I'm just glad I got that emergency appointment because it's so much better than struggling like mad. Just hoping after today and tomorrow's steroids I'll start feeling better. Kelly has said he can take Sam over the weekend too so I can focus on getting better. I've also texted Justin, cancelling the play date at the park on Saturday, even if I was feeling better, I wasn't up for it."
"That was nice of Kelly to keep Sam, wasn't he working this weekend?" Jay asked.
"Yeah, but he managed to swap a shift with one of his friends, he was only down for Saturday day. He knows that when my chest goes like this, that I'm not always up for looking after the kid," She explained.
"Well, I'll stay here until you're feeling better if you want? I'm in all day tomorrow, unfortunately, but I should be home by five. After that, it can be you, me, Max and the TV all weekend - how does that sound?"
"That really does sound amazing. You're too good to me," She murmured, leaning into his side, being careful not to spill the rest of her tea.
He kissed her head, "No, I'm not. I'm just doing what you'd do for me if the situation were reversed." He realised that she had just about finished her drink, so he took it from her hands and put it on the coffee table before pulling the blanket around her, "You should get some sleep babe, you barely slept last night. I'll still be here when you wake up," He whispered, shifting himself so he was now lying flat on the sofa and she was on top of him, and Max was curled up on the corner of the couch by their heads.
"Thank you," She whispered, slowly letting herself drift off to some much needed sleep. Jay just lay there, thinking about how much he loved her before falling asleep himself.
It had been a week since Erin had been unwell, and Jay had met Kelly. Erin had thankfully got much better over the weekend and Jay had only been home three nights since, so Erin could have someone on one time with Sam, knowing she needed some time alone with him. Erin, Jay, Sammy and Max had gone to the park today, and Erin had introduced Jay to her brother, sister in law and nephew, and it had gone so well. They were out for a good few hours and Justin told Erin that Jay was the perfect guy for her and he had never seen her this happy. They'd ended the day with a film night and watching Shrek with Sam before he went to bed nice and early as he had school the following day. Once Sam was in bed, Erin and Jay carried on with their MCU film watching, and it was safe to say Erin was loving it. Jay had managed to put on a front all day, he thought he had distracted himself enough to get through it but he hadn't. It was currently 3 in the morning and he was sat in Erin's living room, watching a random zoo documentary he found on Erin's recordings. He knew he shouldn't have stayed over tonight - no matter how good the day had been. It was a bad time for him - the date he was captured in Afghanistan. It was forever embedded into his brain, and he had been getting so much better at handling his PTSD and nightmares, but no matter how 'well' he was, this date was always so hard for him to get past. He'd had a nightmare after falling into an extremely restless sleep after being awake a good couple of hours after Erin had fallen asleep. He was grateful that he hadn't woken her up, as he really didn't want to talk about it. So, he put his pillow behind her and sat up to get out of bed. He saw that Max was lying next to his side of the bed - he hadn't been there when he went to sleep, he must've come in when he was sleeping - obviously sensing something was wrong with Jay. He held his hand out and pet him before standing up and walking through to the kitchen to get himself a drink. Max followed, not wanting to leave his side. After grabbing a drink, he knew he wasn't ready to go back to sleep, so he took himself over to the couch and sat down, he grabbed Max's blanket and put it on the other side of him so he could lie right next to him. Max jumped up and got himself comfortable and put his head on Jay's lap, "Good boy," Jay whispered, stroking his head. He grabbed the remote and searched through the recordings, hoping to find some boring documentary he could watch to take his mind off of his dream. He pressed play on a zoo documentary, trying to lose himself in the content of the documentary rather than the content of his dream.
About twenty minutes later, he was completely zoned out and he didn't hear footsteps along the hallway, "Jay?" Sam mumbled, tiredly.
He jumped at the interruption which caused his heart to start racing. Max lifted his head up and rested it on Jay's chest, to help calm him. "Oh, erm, hey big man, you okay?" Jay asked, trying to sound as normal as possible.
Sam nodded and walked over to him, "I went to the toilet, and then I heard the tv on. I was going to come and see if my mom was still awake. Sometimes, I come and cuddle on the couch when she's up. How come you're up?"
Jay smiled, knowing a few times Erin had allowed Sam to stay up and have a cuddle before she went to bed. It had only happened once when he had been there. "I had a bad dream and I didn't want to go back to sleep so I decided to come and relax by watching a documentary," He said, not wanting to lie to the kid, but also not want to tell him everything.
"I'm sorry you had a bad dream. Is that why Max is out here and not with me like he normally is?" He asked, acknowledging Max's closeness to Jay.
Jay nodded, "Yeah, I think so. Sometimes he senses when I'm feeling sad or I have bad dreams and he always comes to sit with me to make me feel better."
"When I have a bad dream, mommy sits with me too and hugs me. Can I come and sit with you? It might make you feel better," Sam asked.
Jay smiled, knowing that he would be asleep within minutes and he'd just take him back to bed once he fell asleep, "Yeah, that sounds good. Come here."
Sam jumped up onto the couch and cuddled into Jay's side while watching the documentary, "What was your bad dream about?" Sam asked, curiously.
Jay signed, not really wanting to talk about it - especially not in detail to a five year old - but he knew he shouldn't lie, so he decided to be truthful but very vague. "Well, you know I was in the army?" He asked and Sam nodded. "Well, some of the stuff that happened when I was working was very horrible and really not nice. Sometimes, I have dreams and I remember some of the bad things that happened and it makes me a little bit sad. But, I am okay, and I think I just need to chill out and watch this program before trying to get some more sleep."
"I'm sorry you have bad dreams," Sam whispered as he cuddled up next to him more.
"I'm ok, I promise," Jay replied as he grabbed the remote and pressed play. Sam hadn't even stayed awake five minutes before he fell asleep again, something Jay knew would happen. He had told himself that he would take him back to bed when the current documentary had finished, but he too had fallen back asleep not long after Sam had.
When Erin woke up, she felt something was wrong, she saw the time on her clock, telling her it was 04:30. She rolled over so she could snuggle up to Jay, but was confused when she felt a pillow in his place, and his side of the bed was cold. She could hear the faint sound of the television coming from the living room and sighed. She had known that Jay had something on his mind, he had been more quiet than usual despite the happy front he had put on during the day. She had also noticed that he had been restless before she managed to fall asleep. She decided to let him come to her in his own time and not force him to talk about it. This wasn't the first time she'd woken up to him in the living room, watching random documentaries. The first night she'd woken up to him doing it, he told her about his way of coping after having a nightmare, or a bad day of flashbacks or just when his mental health wasn't 100%. The few times she had gone out to see him, he'd began to open up more and more about some of the things he had gone through, and she loved that he was comfortable talking to her about some of the things he had gone through. She quietly got out of bed, slipping on his hoodie before walking through to the living room. When she walked in, the sight before her melted her heart. Sam was snuggled up to Jay, fast asleep. Max was lying basically on top of Jay, asleep also. And Jay had his head back and was asleep also. Her three boys, all together, it was quite the sight. She quietly walked up to them and saw Sam's eyes flutter open, "Hey kiddo, what're you doing?"
Sam rubbed his eyes and looked up to Jay, and saw he was asleep. He looked back at Erin and held his arms up for her to pick him up, which she did before walking back through to his bedroom. "Jay said he had a bad dream and was watching a program. I went and sat with him and gave him a hug - just like you do when I have a bad dream."
Erin smiled, "You're such a good kid. Now you need to go back to sleep, we are up in a few hours for school," She said, placing him back into his bed.
Sam grabbed his Minion and gave it to Erin, "Give this to Jay. He always makes me feel better when I'm sad."
"That's lovely Sam, now go to sleep, good night," She whispered, kissing him on the forehead.
"Night mommy," He mumbled, already seeming to be falling asleep.
Erin walked back through to the living room and saw that Jay was now awake, looking a little lost and confused, "Hey, are you okay?" She asked, going to sit down beside him.
He shook his head, "No, not really."
"It's okay, you don't have to talk if you're not ready," She said, taking his hand and squeezing it, to reassure him. "So, Sam has just given me this. Apparently, Dave helps him when he's sad."
He smiled, taking the Minion out of her hand and sitting it next to him. "I'm sorry I let him stay up…"
"Don't be, he does it with me all the time. I bet he fell back asleep within minutes?" She asked and he nodded. "He's a good sleeper, he was almost asleep by the time I left his room. So, he told me you had a bad dream - are you okay? You don't have to talk - I just want to know if you need anything."
A small smile formed on his lips, it had been a long time since he had anyone there for him when he was feeling bad - and this was the first anniversary of the date of his kidnapping without his mom, so it had been rough for him. "I will be fine. I probably shouldn't have stayed here tonight, I knew I'd probably have a nightmare and struggle to sleep."
"I'm glad you're here, because it means you're not alone when you're struggling. Now, I know we aren't talking about it, so what're we watching?"
Jay shook his head, "You don't have to stay up, babe. You have work, and…"
"I don't have any clients tomorrow, I am actually only doing the books and making sure everything's in order, so I can work from home. You are also calling in tomorrow, you're in no fit state to be working on little sleep and shit like whatever is keeping you up on your mind. You can spend the day here with me tomorrow and catch up on your sleep," She said, making sure he knew that the only answer was to agree with her - because he definitely wouldn't win this argument.
"Okay, thank you. I'll call in first thing. You're right," He replied.
"When will you learn that I'm always right?" She laughed, "Okay, what are we watching then?"
He smiled and put his arm around her shoulders to bring her closer to him. He kissed the side of her head, "Secret Life of the Zoo. It's pretty good actually," He informed her before pressing play on the episode that had been running.
After about twenty minutes of the documentary, Erin was startled by a whisper, "It's the anniversary of the date I was kidnapped on my final tour. It's also the first year I don't have my mom here with me."
Erin turned and looked at him, "Hey, it's okay. You really don't have to talk to me about this. I know this is really hard for you, and I can't begin to imagine what you went through and how hard it is on you - especially without your mom. But I'm here for you, I'll help you carry this load whenever you need me to."
"Thank you. I really appreciate it - and I do want to talk to you about it - if you're okay with that? I mean, it can wait if it's too late and stuff, I know you've had a busy-"
"Now's perfect, just talk and I'll listen," She replied, placed a soft kiss on his shoulder.
"Okay, so I have told you a bit about my time in the army, and I've told you the basic story of how I got discharged, right?" He asked and she nodded. "Well…" He began talking and telling her the stories of his time in the army.
They had both ended up lying down on the couch, both clearly fighting sleep. It was currently 07:20 and they hadn't slept yet, "Okay, I need to go and get Sam up and ready for Kelly picking him up for school. You stay here and go to sleep, okay? I'm going to take Max out for a quick W-A-L-K," She spelt it so Max didn't start getting giddy before she was ready. "And then I'll come and join you, okay?"
Jay nodded quietly, "Thank you for everything. I love you so much I can't even explain."
"I love you too. I know you'd do the same for me if the situation were reversed. Don't forget to ring up and tell them you're not coming in," She said, getting up from under the blanket and passing Jay his phone so he could call his boss to let him know he wasn't coming in.
Erin went and woke Sam up and got him some clothes out to get dressed into, she'd text Kelly during the night, after she and Jay spoke about the things he had seen through his time overseas, and asked if he would take Sam to breakfast before school. Kelly had instantly agreed, not complaining about spending some extra time with his son. Erin was glad that he had said yes, as she knew Jay was comfy on the couch with the sound of the documentaries on in the background helped him sleep. Sam running about and getting ready in the morning would probably stop Jay from sleeping.
"Is Jay okay, mommy?" Sam asked when she walked into his bedroom, now dressed in a pair of leggings and a hoodie.
"He is. He's just very tired and sleepy on the couch - so that's why your dad is picking you up early so you can go for some breakfast," She said. "I know you're worried about Jay, and that's okay. But he really is okay, he's just had a few things on his mind that has made him sad. I'm going to stay with him today though."
"Good. I don't like seeing Jay sad," He said, sadly.
"I know, he'll be okay. We'll both be here when you get in from school so I think we might be able to take Max out - does that sound good?" She asked and he nodded. "Okay, come on. Let's go and wait for your dad."
They walked through to the living room and saw that Jay was now fast asleep. Sam saw that Dave the Minion had fallen on the floor, so he quietly walked over and picked it up, and put it on top of Jay. Erin smiled at the sight and grabbed Sam's book bag and nodded towards the door. Just as she got to the door, there was a light knock. She unlocked it and Kelly was stood there, "Hey my little minion! Are you ready to go for some breakfast?" He asked.
Sam nodded enthusiastically, "Yes, please! I can't wait!"
"Good, neither can I," He said, ruffling his hair. "So not that I'm complaining, but how come you needed me to take him?"
"It's just been a long night, Jay's had some trouble with some stuff and neither of us has really slept. He fell asleep on the couch and I knew that this one getting ready for school wouldn't be quiet. Thank you for this, I really appreciate it."
"No problem, Erin. I get it. Hope he's okay," Kelly replied.
"He will be. Enjoy your breakfast and I hope you have a nice day at school. Me and Jay will come and pick you up, okay?" She said, looking down at Sam.
"Okay, bye mom!"
"Bye. kiddo," Erin replied, watching as Sam and Kelly walked down the hall.
She walked back into the apartment, and saw that Max was still lying by Jay's feet on the sofa, "Hey boy, do you want to go for a walk?" She whispered and saw his head pop up. "Okay, come on then." She patted her leg and Max stood up and got off the couch and followed her to the door to get his harness on so she could take him out.
After a quick walk around the block, Erin and Max entered the apartment. She was now fully beginning to feel the tiredness hit her, so she quickly and quietly fed max and re-filled his water bowl before going over to the sofa and lying down in front of Jay. He woke up momentarily, and pulled her closer to him and pressed a kiss to her forehead, "I love you," He murmured.
"I love you too," She whispered, kissing his chest before letting sleep come.
Later on, after a few hours of sleep, Erin woke up to the feeling of someone staring at her. She slowly opened her eyes and saw Max stood right in front of her, staring. She reached out and stroked his head, "Hey boy. Do you need to go out?" She whispered and looked over her shoulder to see that Jay was still fast asleep. She got up and quickly took Max out before coming back, making some coffee and getting to work on her admin. She was worried about Jay, some of the things he had told her last night were tough to hear, let alone live through. She knew that he was missing his mom more, too. He had just got through her first birthday and now he had to deal with this. She was just glad that he was opening up about it, and not bottling everything up and going out drinking himself to oblivion when he was struggling. She sighed, not wanting to dwell on it much longer, as she really did need to complete the admin.
Jay woke up and rolled over and felt that Erin was no longer next to him, it was Max lying next to him. He ruffled his fur before sitting up and stretching, he saw that it was almost noon, he'd pretty much slept through the whole morning which he was grateful for. He looked over to the kitchen and saw that Erin was sat at the breakfast bar on her laptop, unaware of him waking up. He stood up and walked over to her, something she must've heard as she turned around on the stool and smiled at him, "Hey, how're you doing?" She asked, wrapping her arms around his waist as he stood in front of her.
"I'm good thanks. Much better for that sleep - and the talk with you this morning. Thank you, for being there," He said, sincerely before leaning in to kiss her.
"No problem, I'm here anytime," She smiled. "There's coffee in the pot if you want some."
"I always want coffee. Do you want one?" He asked, and she nodded. He picked up her mug and went ahead and started making the coffees.
"So, I told Sammy that we'd pick him up from school together. What do you say about taking Max down to the woods? I know it's usually a weekend thing, but the nights are light still and…"
"That sounds perfect. I can't believe you and Sam didn't wake me up this morning while he was getting ready for school," He wondered, as he stirred the coffees.
"Well, Kelly was picking him up so I'd text him and asked if he could pick him up a little earlier and take him out for some breakfast. And before you say I didn't have to do that, I know I didn't. But I know how much Kelly likes taking him out in the mornings or just getting any extra time to hang out with him. He understood, he text me saying they had a nice morning."
"Thank you, I really do appreciate everything you've done for me. Have you eaten yet?" He asked and she shook her head. "Alright, once I've woken up some more, I'll make us some super secret Halstead pancakes."
"That sounds amazing," She smiled up at him as he walked over with the coffees.
"I know, I am the best, aren't I?" He grinned, putting her mug down before sitting down on the seat next to her so he could watch her work.
After some pancakes for a late dinner and Erin finally finishing the work she needed to complete, they both enjoyed a shower together and got ready for going to the woods with Sam. Erin grabbed some spare joggers and walking shoes for Sam and Jay packed a few snacks for them. When they arrived at Sam's school, they waited for him to come running out and when he caught sight of Jay he ran even faster. He gave Erin a hug and said hi to Jay (who seemed so much happier than he had the night before) and then they told him that they'd take him out to the woods for a walk with Max. As they drove to the woods, Sam talked away about his day, including going for breakfast with his dad. Once they arrived at the woods, Sam changed his shoes and the three of them set off on the walk. About halfway up, Jay realised how content he was feeling at this moment. He was really struggling with the thought of getting through this time without his mom, but he realised as much as he missed her presence in his life, having Erin was just as good. She was the thing he felt that had been missing all of these years and he truly loved her with all of his heart. He pulled her to a stop and as she looked up at him with a questioning look, he just grinned and kissed her. When they pulled back she smiled at him and he traced her dimples with his thumbs.
"Not that I'm complaining, but what was that for?" She asked.
"I just wanted to kiss you," He said matter of factly.
Sam had been watching the interaction, and he was all up for going over there to break it up (because as much as he loved his mom he didn't like her kissing guys). But once he saw how happy both of them looked, he decided he'd let it slide. Because even though their kissing was really gross, he decided that if his mom looked that happy - it wasn't that big of a deal.
AN: Sorry the update for this took so long, I had no motivation or inspiration for ages, then this chapter just ended up becomming huge and I love it! Next update will be for back to normal though (was going to update that first but had no inspiration for that story!) Let me know what you thought!