Eeeek let me know what you think!
"What are you doing here?" Erin snapped, putting a hand protectively over her stomach. She felt Piper immediately step forward as if to guard her from their own mother. Had she not been seething with rage over seeing her mother in person, she would have cried. Piper was so protective of her and the babies.
"I'm your mother. I'm going to be a grandmother, of course I should be here. When I heard you were having twins I just had to see you." She folded her arms across her chest. "I can't believe you didn't tell me."
Erin narrowed her eyes. "How did you even find out?"
"Please, sweetie. You should know by now that I know many people. And how could you hide this? You've always been such a tiny thing. And now look at you! Boys or girls?" Bunny reached a hand out to touch her daughter's stomach but Erin recoiled and Piper stepped closer.
"Don't touch her," Piper said firmly. Erin placed a hand on her little sister's shoulder. As much as she didn't want Piper to put herself at risk, her little bug shared that same Lindsay protectiveness.
Bunny chuckled. "Looks like some time with your big sister has made you less skittish, huh?" She stroked Piper's cheek, "You were so scared before."
Piper pushed her mother's hand off. "I'm not scared of you," she growled, backing closer to Erin. She didn't want Bunny anywhere near her little brothers, or her big sister. Stress was not good for the boys.
"Of course not. I'm your mommy," Bunny said brightly, "And can you believe it, Erin's going to be a mommy too. When are you due, honey?"
"We're not doing this," Erin managed, "Now isn't a good time." She pulled Piper closer. "You need to leave."
"Erin, please. You've never had time for your mother." Bunny issued a pointed look before shifting her gaze to Piper. "But this one is a lot sweeter, isn't she? Didn't cause me any problems when I was pregnant either." She returned her focus to Erin. "But you wouldn't know anything about that, because you weren't there."
Erin felt rage bubbling in her stomach. She didn't want to have it out with Bunny in front of Piper and she knew that she needed to remain calm for the boys, but the woman who had caused both her and her baby girl so much pain had her blood on fire. "I wasn't there because you nearly killed us," she gritted out, "Took me a while but I learned I wasn't safe with you, and neither is Piper."
"Honey, you are always so dramatic-"
"Dramatic?" Erin exploded, "You think I'm being dramatic? Do you know what we have to go through because of you? The men that you brought into our home whose faces keep me up at night? The fact that Piper spent weeks in the hospital as an infant because of the crap you put into your body? We are still paying the price for all your mistakes but it stops with us. You're not a part of our family." She drew in a shaky breath and took Piper's hand.
"I'm your blood," Bunny spat, "And I'm your mother, and I'm her mother too. You are clearly not stable enough to care for my child." She offered a wide smile to Piper. "Do you want to come live with your mommy, sweetie pie?"
"I'm not a baby," Piper replied shortly, "And you are not my mommy."
Bunny smiled. "You're right, you're not a baby. You're such a big girl. I think you've grown a bit since the last time we saw each other, though not too much. You're still a tiny little thing. We had fun together right? I know it was cut short but-"
"You left me there. I could have died," Piper said flatly, "You did drugs."
"So did Erin," Bunny replied, "She was quite the party girl. Fell off the wagon more than a few times, if I recall." She clicked her tongue. "Poor Nadia."
Erin swallowed. She was trying to not let her mother get to her, but there were two lives inside her that she was responsible for, and one life in front of her. Her chest felt tight when Nadia's name left Bunny's lips.
And then, the guilt was almost too much to bear. She hadn't been thinking of Nadia. Her energy had been focused on her little girl and her boys. "You couldn't keep her alive," Bunny continued, twisting the verbal knife she'd stabbed into her daughter, "Such a shame. Has Erin told you about Nadia, sweetie?"
Piper shook her head slowly. Erin had mentioned Nadia a few times – she knew she had been a friend of Erin's who had been hurt by a bad man, around the time of Erin's birthday – but she didn't know the details. "Oh, well, she was a sweet young girl, much like yourself-"
"Don't talk about her," Erin interrupted, finding her voice, "You didn't know her. And you don't know my kid either." She pulled Piper closer to her. "You need to leave."
Bunny widened her eyes before glowering at her daughter. "You know Erin, you should do those kids a favor and get rid of them like I should have done to you," Bunny growled. "Maybe I should just take Piper with me to save her the trouble."
Piper sucked in a breath. She did not ever want to have to live with Bunny. The four days she spent at her house were some of the worst days she ever had, made worse by the fact that she missed Jay and Erin so badly. She couldn't live without them, or her new little brothers.
Erin set her gaze and was about to open her mouth to reply when Bunny continued. "Your father never wanted you," she taunted, "He wanted me to get rid of you, and even after you were born, it's no wonder he stayed away all those years. You aren't worth it, Erin."
That was it.
The rage that Piper had felt toward the woman who was supposed to be her mother, the woman who left her as a baby and again when she was supposed to be taking care of her, the woman who knew all the terrible things she was going through and chose to keep her there, finally boiled over. She dropped Erin's hand. "Get out," Piper demanded, pushing her mother's hip, shoving her forcefully, "Get out, right now." She knew she wasn't supposed to use her hands when fighting but there wasn't any other way. She needed to get Bunny away from Erin.
"Honey, you don't know-"
"You heard me," she insisted, pushing Bunny again, "Get out and don't come back. Don't even think about me, ever again." Piper stood firmly between Erin and Bunny. "I already have a mom. I don't need you."
"I am your mother." Bunny frowned and looked to Erin, and back to the child. "Oh, you can't possibly think that Erin is fit to be your mother. When those brats arrive you are going to be the last thing on her mind, honey."
"You are not my mother," Piper spat, "Erin is my mom because you chose not to be. She loves me and I know I'm safe with her. And I am so glad I don't have you." She shoved Bunny again when the woman reached her hand out. "You tried to kill Hank, you tried to kill me so you need to leave."
"She's right," Erin said, finding her voice, "There's a warrant out for your arrest. Kenny's already been picked up by the feds, and last I heard, he was trying to cut a deal."
"You know all about making deals with the feds," Bunny retorted, turning on her heel, "Such a little snitch."
"Take this with you," Piper said, shoving the gift bag toward her biological mother, "And don't come back."
"Oh, I'll be back. I'm not going anywhere," she taunted, locking her gaze on Erin's, "Don't let your guard down. I already have one fucked up daughter. I don't want you to raise my child to be like you." Bunny slammed the front door.
Erin gasped, bringing a hand to her belly. Her mother truly was the worst. She knew exactly where to stick the knife. "Erin, you need to sit," Piper instructed, reaching for her sister's hand, "Sit here, okay?" She pulled out a kitchen chair and led her shaky sister over.
She drew in a shuddery breath and sat heavily on the chair. "Noodle-"
"It's okay. I'm okay," Piper promised, putting her hands on her big sister's tummy, "We're gonna call Jay and they're gonna get her for good." She offered a tiny smile, "The boys are safe. I'm safe too."
"You were so brave," Erin choked out, "I'm sorry, I-"
"Deep breath," she insisted, demonstrating one herself before reaching for Erin's cell phone on the table, "I got it." Piper lifted the phone and grimaced when they were met with Jay's voicemail. She took another breath. Jay not answering was not a good thing, but she knew that Erin needed her to be strong. Piper could see just how unsteady her big sister was, and she had two babies growing inside her that she needed to be calm for.
"I'm going to try Hailey," Piper said, keeping one of her hands on Erin's stomach. She could feel her big sister's breath growing shorter. "Hailey, it's Piper, I need you to come back to our house, Bunny came and-" She paused, listening to the detective's instructions. Piper let out a breath. "Hailey's coming back right now, and she's callin' Jay and Hank."
Erin managed a nod, unable to form words. Her little girl was beyond incredible. "Are you hurting?" Piper asked, wrinkling her brow when her sister didn't immediately answer. "I'm going to call Will too."
"I'm fine," she croaked, "I'm just-"
"It's okay," the little girl soothed, rubbing her hand over her sister's stomach, "The boys are gonna be fine. You just need to keep breathing."
"I'm sorry." Erin attempted to draw in another breath, "I-"
"You don't need to be sorry for anything," Piper said carefully, continuing to attempt to calm her big sister down. "I'm safe. The boys are safe too." She reached for the phone again. "Maybe it would make you feel better if Will came to check the boys, just to make sure?"
Erin swallowed. She knew what her little girl was doing and it caused her lungs to burn further. Piper was worried about her, but she knew that calling Will to look at the boys would give him a reason to look at her. She was so smart. "Okay," she acquiesced, "Do you remember-"
"I can do it," Piper promised, lifting the phone to her ear. She took one of Erin's hands and held tightly. "I'm here. I'm not leaving."
She bit her lip and nodded. She wouldn't be able to live without her little girl, that was for sure. "Will," Piper said urgently, "No, it's Piper. I know Hailey called Hank, but I need you to come to our house. Okay. Okay." She hung up the phone and offered a tiny smile. "Will's gonna come as soon as he can," she said, "He said Jay and Hank and the guys left just before I called to go get Bunny."
Erin inhaled sharply. Bunny was the reason she was in this turmoil yet again. Only this time, not only was she responsible for Piper, a fully-functioning little human, she was also responsible for two incredibly small baby Halsteads. The thought of anything happening to any of her babies caused bile to rise in her throat.
Piper immediately recognized the situation from her familiarity with Erin's morning sickness and thrust an empty gift bag under her sister's lips. "Shh," Piper soothed when Erin spat. The little girl tucked some loose hair behind Erin's ears. "It's okay, Erin."
"Bunny's still out there," she whispered, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand, "Noodle, I don't know-"
"They're going to get her," Piper said confidently, turning to the front door when she heard a knock. Erin gasped. "Maybe it's Jay," she said, "I'm going to get it." She hurried to the door and peeked outside. "It's Hailey."
"What's going on?" Hailey said immediately when Piper opened the door, "Are you guys hurt?"
Piper shook her head. "Erin's having trouble breathing and she just got sick," she said urgently, pointing to her big sister who was seated at the kitchen table. Erin had one hand on her bump, the other on her chest as she fought to regain control of her breath. "She needs Jay."
"Ruzek's getting him here right now with Hank and Will," Hailey promised, taking Piper's hand in her own, "Can you tell me what happened?"
"My mother," Erin managed, taking another shaky breath, "She knows where we live, she was going to take Piper and-"
Hailey reached for Erin's wrist. "Erin, your heart is racing," she said carefully, "We might want to bring you to the hospital, just in case."
She shook her head. "I need you to get her," she pleaded, "She just left, I need you to pick her up and throw her in prison and keep her away from my kids." Erin took another gasp, unable to get enough air into her lungs.
"We're going to get her," Hailey said, "Jay's on his way." She gestured to the cell phone in Piper's hand. "I think he's calling."
Piper held out the phone to her sister and watched as her face slowly relaxed at Jay's voice. She offered a small smile to Hailey, who was still monitoring Erin's heart rate. "I know how you can get Bunny," Piper whispered, shifting on her feet slightly when Hailey widened her eyes in anticipation, "I-I almost let her take me so then you guys could find me like when Jay was hurt but I didn't want to cause Erin stress."
Hailey exhaled. "You did the right thing," she assured her, "You're safest here with Erin."
"Bunny brought a present," Piper told her, "But I didn't think Erin would want it so I gave it back to her and put my tile in there too. 'cause that's how Erin said she could always find me."
The detective raised her eyebrows and looked at Erin, who had paused at her sister's statement. "You are so smart," Hailey praised, "So smart, kiddo." She looked up at Erin, who nodded in agreement.
"Did you hear that?" Erin asked into the phone, her voice cracking, "Our kid is brilliant." She reached a hand out to grab Piper's. "No, I'm okay, really. We'll be here." Erin disconnected the call and pulled Piper closer, pressing her nose into the top of her baby's head. "They're going to get her," she said, sniffing slightly, primarily for her own benefit as well as Piper's, "It's going to be over soon."
Piper jumped when there was pounding at their front door. "Wait here," Hailey instructed, holding her hand out to Erin and Piper. Erin was still seated at the kitchen table, doing her best to keep her breathing under control. Jay's voice over the phone had helped. He was calm and assuring and promised he would be home soon. Her little girl was helping too. Erin couldn't believe how steady Piper was in the aftermath of Bunny.
"Did you run here?" Hailey asked when she opened the front door for Will Halstead before carefully locking it behind him, "Where's everyone else?"
"Picking up Bunny," Will said breathlessly, "I couldn't help there and thought I should keep an eye on my girls." He offered a smile to Piper and Erin. They were Jay's girls, but by association, they were his too. "You guys okay?"
"Erin's having trouble breathing," Piper supplied when Erin nodded to confirm she was fine, "And her hands are shaking." She looked at Will worriedly and then to Erin. "She got sick."
Erin just swallowed, unable to refute. "Can Uncle Will take a look?" he asked, crouching down in front of his future sister in law, "Talk to me, Er."
"She could have taken her," Erin rasped, "She could have taken Piper because I couldn't defend her. I-I almost lost my child again. If anything had happened, I wouldn't, I couldn't-"
"Munchkin's right here," he promised, taking one of her hands, "And she's okay, just worried about you."
"Her heart rate was crazy high," Hailey reported, smoothing some of Piper's hair back, "Evened out a bit though." She offered an apologetic smile to Erin. "Sorry. Jay would kill me if I didn't say something."
"Any cramping at all?" Will asked, glancing down at his watch to check Erin's pulse, "Or any pain, discomfort?"
Erin shook her head. "I just can't breathe," she said honestly, exhaling shakily, "I-I normally try not to let her get to me but-" She took in another breath and coughed slightly.
"Okay," Will soothed, "Your heart rate is still high, but I know you're stressed. You've got two babies encroaching on your lungs and you have asthma. I'm going to have Munchkin and Hailey find your inhaler, and then we can reassess, okay? In the meantime, can I see how the boys are doing?"
Erin screwed her eyes shut while Will lightly pressed on her pregnant belly and continued to monitor her heart rate. The inhaler had helped, but it was Piper's tiny fingers running through her hair that was really making the difference. Her little girl's maturity and ability to think on her feet in crisis absolutely blew her away.
"Jay's on his way back with Hank," Hailey reported gently, crouching down beside Will to look up at Erin, "They have your mother in custody. Kim met Atwater and Ruzek, and they're taking care of it."
She opened her eyes and managed a small nod. "Thank you," she whispered, "I'm sorry-"
"Don't apologize," Hailey chastised gently, "It's a lot to handle, and you've got two Jay Juniors in there."
That got a small smile on Erin's lips. "He doesn't want us to name either of them Jay Junior," she said wryly, "Something about it not being fair."
"Well, he is one of a kind," Hailey offered, "I'm going to grab you some water and one of those juices Jay says you like. You want anything, Snipes?"
"I'm good here," Piper confirmed, continuing to stroke her big sister's hair. Erin leaned against Piper gratefully. "Are the boys okay?"
"Everything feels okay to me," Will confirmed, reaching for Erin's wrist again, "I want to keep an eye on your heart rate though, Er."
She nodded, closing her eyes again. "I'm trying to relax," she muttered, exhaling softly when Piper pressed a kiss to her cheek. "Thank you, baby. You're helping."
"How about the couch?" Piper suggested, "That way we could get your feet up, too."
Erin nodded again, doing her best to keep her tears at bay. She was supposed to be taking care of Piper, and here her little girl was, taking care of her. "Hailey and I are going to help you," Will said, wrapping one arm around Erin's shoulders after helping her to her feet, "You're a little shaky."
She stumbled slightly and cursed when she leaned heavily into Hailey. "Sorry," she managed, "I-I think I'm a little light headed."
"We got you," Hailey promised, carefully taking a step forward to the couch, "It was an eventful day. You got sick, and your blood sugar might be low too."
Piper turned when she heard the front door open. "It's Jay," she said, adjusting the pillows on the couch for her big sister, "He's here, Erin."
Erin exhaled when Will and Hailey eased her onto the couch. Her fiancé hurried across the living room, Hank right behind him. "Hi," he greeted, clearly trying to maintain his composure, "I'm here." Jay took one of her shaky hands. "I'm here, babe."
"She could have taken Noodle," Erin croaked, tears spilling over her cheeks, "She could have ripped her away from me."
"Pipes is here," Jay soothed, stroking her cheek gently. He smiled at his little girl who was kneeling on the couch beside her sister, one little hand on Erin's shoulder, "She's okay and she's the reason we have Bunny in custody. Bunny's not coming near you, our boys or our girl, okay?"
"Peanut's incredible," Hank mused, extending a cup of coffee to Jay. He brewed a pot while his detective assured his daughter that the biological mother who had plagued her entire life had been put away for good. "Beyond brilliant."
Hailey and Jay nodded simultaneously. "She knew just what to do," Hailey said fondly, "Knew just how to help Erin, not to mention the fact that she thought to put her little tracking tile on Bunny."
Jay glanced into the living room. Piper was resting against Erin's shoulder, one hand on her tummy, the other threading through her hair. Will was holding her wrist again, closely monitoring his future sister in law's heart rate. "Thank you for getting here so fast," he said to Hailey, "Ruzek had us playing paint ball and the music was so loud."
Hailey smiled. "Of course," she said, "I've got your back, and that includes your girls." She glanced down at her phone. "Atwater might need back up. Feds are arriving to take Bunny. Sarge, I can take it if-"
"I want to be there," Hank interrupted, "I'll meet you there in ten." He looked back to Jay before glancing into the living room. "I don't think either of them need to see her before they take her away."
Jay nodded in agreement. "All due respect Sarge, I want Erin to make that call."
Hank gestured to the living room, indicating for Jay to take the lead. "What is it?" Erin asked, opening her eyes wider when she saw her fiancé and father figure. "Where'd Hailey go?"
Jay took a seat on the coffee table. "The Feds want Bunny," he said slowly, "The state has warrants out for her, but the connection to Kenny and even Dylan are piling on. It's going to be tough for her to get out of."
Erin bit her lip. She'd honestly been waiting her whole life to hear that Bunny was in a situation and she couldn't get out. The woman had caused her such pain and anguish growing up. She brought terrible men into their lives and forced all three of her children to grow up far sooner than they ever should have had to.
But the last time Bunny had been in serious trouble, she rationalized it. She spent her whole life taking the punches to protect her mom, from the time she was just a kid. It had gone from buying dope on the corner to giving up her entire career in the Chicago Police – and it needed to end. She was a mother now. She had three babies depending on her, and Bunny had run out of second and third and fourth chances.
"I'm not supposed to be upset," she said thickly, "I should be happy. I get what I always wanted, she's out of my life for good. She can't touch our kids." Emotion rose in her throat, "Why am I crying?"
"She was your mom for a lot of years," Piper said softly, "You love her, even though you don't want to."
Erin swallowed a sob. "I don't want to," she whispered painfully, "I-I wish I didn't." She stroked Piper's cheek gently. "She hurt both of us so badly. And Teddy."
Piper nodded slowly and rested her head on Erin's shoulder. "Do you want to see her?" Jay offered, "I know you had it out earlier today but-"
"I don't," Erin said, swallowing the lump in her throat, "I don't think I can." She brought a hand to her belly. "The boys…it's too much stress. I can't do that to them." Erin pressed her lips to Piper's forehead. "I can't do it to her either. This has to end."
Jay nodded in agreement. "I know with your dad-"
"He was never our dad," she interrupted, "Bunny…yeah, she was my mom. But Kenny was never our dad." Erin looked up to Hank, eyes clouded with tears. "You're my dad." She managed a smile when he stroked her cheek.
"You're the only dads we'll ever have," Piper said simply, holding one hand out to Jay. He felt his little girl's fingers in his own, heart swelling. She really was his.
"All we need," Erin agreed, squeezing Jay's hand tightly. "I don't need to see Bunny again. And I don't want to. All I ever needed, and all I ever wanted is right here."
"You don't have to stay," Erin mumbled to Will as he checked her pulse again, "I'm breathing fine now. It's Saturday night and I'm sure you've got more exciting things to do rather than babysit me."
Will shook his head, eyes trained on his watch as he measured Erin's heart rate. "You didn't want the hospital," he said, "And I get it, you're probably fine. But I'm not taking any chances with you or my nephews." He looked up from his watch. "Your heart rate's come down but it's still slightly elevated."
Erin blew out a breath. "Maybe my mother's right. Maybe I am fucking up my kids."
"No way," Will said immediately, "Don't think like that, Er. The boys are totally fine, and Munchkin is okay too." He gestured to the baby monitor on the coffee table that showed Piper tucked in her bed. The little girl had fallen asleep on her big sister's shoulder and was carried to bed by Jay. Hank had returned to provide an update, and he and Jay were talking in the kitchen.
"God," she muttered, bringing a hand to her face, "I couldn't do anything, Will. I-I stood there, frozen, I let my ten year old put herself in between me and our mother and she could have taken her. W-what kind of parent lets their child take that kind of risk?"
Just as Will was about to open his mouth, Erin let out a gasp that caused both Hank and Jay to glance into the kitchen. Instantly, Jay was hustling across the living room, Hank on his heels.
"What is it?" Will asked, immediately releasing Erin's wrist to bring his hand to Erin's stomach, "Are you in pain?"
She shook her head and drew in another gasp, tears trickling down her cheeks. "What's going on?" Jay tried, one hand on Erin's cheek, the other on her baby bump, "Er-"
"I'm the daughter of two criminals," she choked out, "H-how am I supposed to be a good mother and raise non-criminal children when I'm the product of two of them?"
"Babe-"
"And the daughter of two criminals is a criminal, Jay," Erin continued, emotion thick in her throat, "I-I've killed people. I've been an accomplice to murder several times over and-and I am not a good person. I came from bad news, I am bad news, I-I can't do it."
The three men surrounding her shook their heads as she attempted to take a breath in. "You're not a criminal," Jay soothed, "And you're not bad news." He tucked some loose hair behind her ear.
Erin shook her head again. "She knows just how to get to me." Her chest felt heavy as Bunny's words from earlier that day crashed back into her lap. "How can she keep doing this to me, I-I can't slip again, I have two babies in here and-and my sister is upstairs and I can't hurt them-"
"You're not slipping, kiddo," Hank said gently, crouching down on the other side of his daughter. His detective's touch was helping, but he knew that his girl needed her dad too. "Why do you think that?"
She swallowed. "Nadia. I-I slipped back into my old life after I lost her and I-I can't put these kids at risk." Erin brought one hand to her belly. "If anything happened to these guys I couldn't live with myself. She was going to take Noodle, who's to say she's not going to come back to get her again or try to take our other children?"
"None of our kids are ever going with Bunny," Jay promised, "You're not losing any of them, babe, I promise. You're a great mom and we all know you wouldn't do anything to ever endanger our kids." He brought his lips to the side of her head. "I know it's scary, but you've been through the worst, and you're a mom now."
"How did she know?" Erin croaked, her voice cracking yet again, "She knew t-that I'm pregnant, that there are two of them…She knows where we live, Jay, she was in our home! I opened the fucking door for her! What kind of idiot does that?"
"She's not getting out," Jay said, rubbing her arms gently as his girl shuddered, "That's what Hank and I were just talking about. Case is air tight. She's being held on so many counts going all the way back to endangering Piper's life last year. The feds are going to get her, and even if they don't, the state has a case against her too."
Hank ran his hand over Erin's head delicately. "You rose up outta all that bad news," he said, "You got out." He moved his hand to her cheek. "I know you think you're bad news because of who your parents are, but Peanut's your sister. And she's the farthest thing from bad news, right?"
"You're not your biological parents." Will offered a smile. "And neither is munchkin. That kid is totally half you and half Jay. No question about it."
Jay beamed. It was true, and his brother's statement got his girl's lips to curl upward. Piper really was a blend of both of them. She had many similarities to Erin, but she was also a little Jay. Piper's favorite activities and many of her mannerisms were textbook Halstead. "The only two things they ever did right was you and Pipes," Jay whispered, "Both very good news and both incredible."
Erin sniffed. "There's no chance of her getting out?"
Hank and Jay both shook their heads. "She's not getting to anyone," Hank said with a smile, "Peanut's yours, kid. Bunny can't take her from you. Nobody can. She's going to be a Halstead."
The tears of anxiety and stress and sorrow turned to tears of relief and joy as they continued to flow down Erin's cheeks. "I didn't even get a chance to tell you we want to change her name when we can finally adopt her," Erin managed, looking up at her father figure in disbelief, "But you knew she was a Halstead."
Hank nodded and put one hand on Jay's shoulder. "Knew she was yours the minute I saw those eyes, but I knew she was a Halstead the second we met." He smiled fondly at his future son-in-law before pressing a kiss to Erin's head. "Piper was meant to be yours. Just like this one was meant to be mine."
We're getting close to the end of this story! I heard there might be some interest in another…? If so, let me know!