Thank you so much for your lovely reviews once again! I can't believe you guys left me over 200 reviews for this story so far, I'm truly overwhelmed!

I have to admit I hadn't planned to mention the case from last chapter again, but since you all seem to expect it to be continued, I decided to give you a little "wrap up" before continuing with what I had actually planned for this chapter.

Chapter 38

It was her last day at the bullpen for a while. Well, at least her last day working there for a while. Hank, being not only her boss, but also her father figure, had already wanted to send her home two weeks ago, but she had insisted that there was no reason she couldn't work since she was sitting at her desk all day anyways. Now, at 36 weeks, she had to admit she was grateful for not having to work until the last minute. She was still feeling surprisingly well, but the end of July Chicago heat had definitely been easier to deal with in the years before.

"Are you going to miss work?", he asked after having watched his wife absentmindedly stroking over the surface of her desk for a while. He stepped behind her and began to gently massage her shoulders, smiling when she leaned back against him with a sigh.

"Yeah… but not as much as I missed it when I left for New York. Because this time, I know I'll be back." She tilted her head back so she was able to look at him. "And I think as soon as I'm holding her in my arms, I won't even remember I had a job." Circling her belly lovingly, she smiled at him. "I can't wait to finally meet her!"

His heart skipped a beat and he bent down to kiss her softly. "I know, I can't wait either." He continued to massage her back when Trudy Platt came up the stairs. "Guys, you might want to come down. You've got a visitor who wants to say thank you." Before they were able to ask for any more information, the desk sergeant had turned around again and was headed back down.

Shrugging her shoulders, she got up from her chair and looked at her husband. "I guess we have to go downstairs if we want to find out who's there." Followed by the rest of their team, they went down to the front desk together where Trudy was waiting and gesturing for the visitor's room. A young man was waiting there, holding a bundle in his arms that was moving slightly. Even though she had never met him before, she knew exactly who he was, and she automatically grabbed Jay's hand.

It took a split of a second longer for him to realize who the man in the visitor's room was, but the moment he felt her hand grasp his, he understood. After Erin's interrogation of Karen Seliger, the woman had given up her husband's whereabouts to Hailey and they had arrested him less than an hour later. Dave Seliger was looking at a lifetime in jail for the coldblooded murder of Erica Strickland. The man waiting for them right now had to be Kyle Strickland, her widower.

Reaching out for her husband for support had been a reflex, but out of respect for the man who had just lost his wife, she released his hand before they stepped into the visitor's room. "Hello… Mr. Strickland?" Trying to keep her voice steady, her eyes wandered from the man's face to the baby he was holding in his arms.

The man nodded. "Yes… I'm Kyle Strickland. And this is little Eric." He pulled the light blue blanket to the side so they could see part of the face of the boy who was sleeping peacefully. "We hadn't decided on a name yet… Er… Erica always said she wanted to see him before naming him." His eyes were glossy and he swallowed hard before whispering: "So, I named him after his mother."

She could feel everyone around her hold their breaths just like she did. This man's and this little boy's story was so incredibly heartbreaking that she had to fight back her tears. Stepping a little closer, she gave the man a compassionate smile. "He's beautiful." She could feel Jay standing right behind her, and even though he wasn't touching her, she was thankful for his presence.

"He is…", Kyle Strickland agreed. "He's sleeping now, but he's got his mother's eyes…" Looking every single one of them in the eyes, one after the other, he said. "He will never be able to meet her. He lost his mother before he was even born, and I lost my wife. But thanks to all of you, I didn't lose him. Thanks to you, we get to be together. He gives me the strengths to carry on every day. And I just want to say thank you."

Even though she had tried to control her emotions, she felt a single tear roll down her cheek. "I can't imagine what you're going through, Mr. Strickland. But the least we could do was to make sure this little boy would grow up with his daddy."

The single-dad smiled sadly at his sleeping son. "Thank you. He's everything I have left now." He looked at the detective's prominent baby belly before turning his eyes to the man behind her. "Make sure to always keep them safe."

Jay swallowed hard at the widower's words. Apparently, they hadn't been very good at hiding their relationship from Kyle Strickland. Stepping next to his wife, he placed one hand on the small of her back and declared: "I will. I'm so sorry for your loss, Mr. Strickland. But Eric is lucky to have you."

After saying goodbye to the young father and his baby boy, they went back up to the bullpen, each of them wrapped up in their own thoughts. She thought of Eric, who was never going to meet his mother, and of Kyle Strickland who would have to raise his son on his own. But she also thought of the young woman who had been excited to meet her baby soon, just like she was right now, and who was denied the chance to ever get to know her child. Pushing herself up from her chair, she walked over to the breakroom where her husband had disappeared a few minutes ago.

He was sitting at the table, absentmindedly stirring his coffee with a spoon. When he saw her enter the room, he gave her a smile and pulled back in his chair so she could sit in his lap. Wrapping his arms around her, he rested his head against her shoulder. "I don't know if I could do this without you… raise her all by myself…"

Gently taking his hand, she placed it against her belly where their daughter was kicking against the walls of her home. "I know you could do it. I know you would still be the best daddy she could possibly wish for. But you don't have to raise her by yourself. I'm not planning on leaving any time soon… actually, I'm not planning on ever leaving you alone."

She woke up to the heavenly smell of fresh blueberry muffins and coffee combined with the feeling of her husband's fingers gently massaging her head. Sighing contently at the soothing touch, she snuggled against him before her eyes slowly fluttered open. When she realized he was sitting up against the headboard and she was lying between his legs, her head resting on his thigh, she wrinkled her eyebrows wondering how she had ended up in this position. Lifting her head slightly, a small gasp left her lips when she noticed not only the breakfast that was waiting for them on a tray, but also the rose petals that covered their bed.

"Happy anniversary, Baby", he whispered while watching her take in her surroundings. He couldn't believe he had been married to the amazing woman in his arms for one year now. If she hadn't been 37 weeks pregnant today, he would have taken her on a romantic vacation over their first anniversary, but since she could go into labor any time, he had decided they could also have a perfectly romantic day at home.

Tears clouded her eyes at the sight of everything he had done for her. She slowly sat up enough to turn around to him and lock her eyes with his. "Happy anniversary." Cupping his face in her hands, she leaned in for a long, loving kiss. "How did you do all that without me waking up?", she whispered against his lips after a while.

He gave her a cheeky smile. "That'll be my secret. But I know that when you fall back asleep after going to the bathroom around six in the morning, you usually sleep like a stone." Stroking over her cheek affectionately, he gave her another soft kiss.

After a few seconds, she pulled away reluctantly. "As much as I hate to break up this romantic moment… talking about the bathroom, your daughter is using my bladder as a trampoline. I'll be right back." Placing another kiss on his lips, she got up with a sigh and went to the bathroom. Before coming back, she took the present she had gotten him out of her bathroom cabinet. When she returned, a small gift bag was waiting for her on the bed in front of him, his crystal blue eyes looking at her with so much love that it took her breath away.

He reached out for her hands to pull her onto the bed again before handing her the gift bag. "Happy first anniversary, Mrs. Halstead", he said proudly, lifting her hand to place a soft kiss on it. "I can't believe it's been one year already. And six years since I knew I had just met my future wife."

Her heart skipped a beat at him mentioning that he had fallen in love with her at first sight all those years ago. She carefully opened the bag and took out a flat jewelry box, smiling at him before flipping the lid open. Inside was a simple but beautiful white gold bracelet. Her fingers trembled slightly when she took it out of the box to look at the writing that was engraved on the inside.

You're my angel, always and forever! Jay

He carefully took the bracelet out of her hands to put it around her wrist before cupping her face in his palms and locking his eyes with her glossy hazel ones. "I love you so much, Erin. I knew when we met six years ago that you were the love of my life, that you were the one for me. And today one year ago, I thought I couldn't ever be any happier than when you said 'yes' to me. I didn't know back then that I would be even happier the day we found out we were expecting a baby. I love everything about you, Erin. I love how you curl into my side whenever we sit on the couch or lie in bed. I love how you snuggle up even closer to me when you wake up in my arms. I love to see your smile and your still sleepy eyes first thing in the morning. I love you for carrying our baby inside of you. And I love you because you are you, my angel, my everything. We promised each other forever, and I will always stand by that promise, because I love you way to much to ever break it."

Tears were streaming down her cheeks by now and she leaned in to share a deep, long kiss with him. "I got something for you, too", she mumbled against his lips after a minute or two. Pulling away slightly, she handed him the wrapped little box, excited to see his reaction.

He unwrapped the box, surprised when he realized it was also a jewelry box. He lifted his head to look deep into her eyes before opening it, finding a golden locket on a long necklace that had the words "Forever yours" engraved in the front. His hands were shaking as he struggled to open it, and when he succeeded, he found a tiny picture of his wife on one side and a miniature version of one of the ultrasound pictures of their daughter on the other side. Stroking over the locket and the pictures with his fingertips as if the piece of jewelry was breakable, he whispered: "This is beautiful…" After a few seconds, he carefully closed the locked and pulled the necklace over his head, the locket coming to rest on his chest. "Thank you, Baby! This means so much to me!"

"You can replace it with a real picture when she's born." She took his hands into hers and squeezed them gently. "I love you, Jay. I love you so much more than I ever thought it was possible to love someone. I love how safe and settled I feel with you. I love how you always wrap me back up in your arms immediately in your sleep when I come back from the bathroom. I love that smile that you always give me. I love that I get to carry your child under my heart. And I love how you love me, and that you let me love you. It's something I missed for so many years of my life, and I never want to live without it again." Leaning forward, she kissed him softly. "We're forever yours, Baby."

Blinking away his tears, he pulled her into his arms to hold her close, his lips pressing against her hair. "That's good…", he whispered. "… cause I'm not planning on ever letting you go." After holding her like that for a while, he brought his hand to her belly. "I don't know about you, but I'm sure Gracie would like some breakfast."

Chuckling, she lifted her head and kissed him sweetly. "Since this looks and smells absolutely delicious, I guess I would like some breakfast, too." She settled herself next to him against the headboard and waited for him to pull the tray closer to them. Smiling happily, she picked up a few rose petals and let them rain on the bed again. "This is so sweet of you, Baby! I can't believe I'm saying that, but you actually turned me into a little romantic."

He took a blueberry muffing and held it against her lips. "I guess you always were a romantic at heart. Just like me probably… I just didn't know it until I met you." He waited for her to take a big bite out of the muffin before he took one himself. They ended up feeding each other until most of what he had ordered was gone.

Letting out a deep breath, she held her belly with her hands. "That was amazing, Baby, thank you!" She blinked at him innocently. "Now… I know that was a lot of sweets, but… I think I'd really like a dessert…" The way her fingers slowly stroked up and down his thigh contradicted her angellike smile.

The rasp in her voice sent shivers down his spine, his breath fastening immediately. "Oh, really? You're still hungry? What do you think we can do about it?" Turning his body towards her, he looked deep into her eyes, bringing his palm to her cheek.

"Love me", she whispered, returning his deep look full of love and desire. Reaching for his sleep shirt, she slowly pulled it over his head. Dropping the piece of fabric to the side, she let her hands roam over his abs and chest, stopping for a moment when her right hand came to lie above his heart.

His breath shaking slightly, he covered her hand with his and pressed it to his heart that was already racing in his chest. He loved this woman so incredibly much that it still overwhelmed him sometimes. Their eyes were still locked when he lifted the shirt she had borrowed from him to sleep in, only breaking eye contact for the split second when he pulled it over her head. He carefully caressed her breasts that were a lot fuller than before her pregnancy, the thought that she was soon going to feed their daughter with them making his heart melt. Leaning down towards her, he softly touched each breast with his lips.

Moaning slightly at his gentle touch, she stroked through his short hair before pulling him back up to kiss him. They took their time undressing each other and caressing each other's bodies affectionately. When she was ready to finally become one with him, she sank onto her back, looking up at him with pure love and devotion before a sigh left her lips. She had been so caught up in the moment that she had forgotten for a second that her belly was in the way of them making love in this position.

Giving her a warm smile, he leaned down to kiss away her slight disappointment. He caressed her cheek with his fingers before gently turning her onto her right side and carefully coming to lie behind her, his front touching her back. When he noticed her biting her lip, he softly nibbled at her shoulder: "Is anything wrong, baby? Are you uncomfortable?"

She slowly shook her head, sighing quietly. "No… it's just… I miss looking right into your eyes when we make love…" She snuggled herself deep into his arms. "But this feels amazing, too." Turning her head so she could look at him, she whispered: "I love you."

"I love you, too." He bent over her to kiss her before slowly guiding himself into her, his heart almost jumping out of his chest when their bodies connected. He agreed with her that he loved drowning in her eyes while making love to her, but he also loved holding her so close and feeling her body melt into his.

She moaned blissfully when he began to move gently. Being completely wrapped up in his arms while feeling him deep inside of her felt incredibly intimate, especially with how their hands were entwined in front of her round abdomen. She couldn't believe the little miracle they had created through their love almost nine months ago was soon going to be lying in their arms.

Loving her slowly and gently, he placed fluttering kisses on her shoulders, neck and side of her face, whispering into her ear every once in a while how much he loved her. Only when he felt she was close to falling over the edge with him did he let his fingers travel down to touch her most sensitive spot.

She appreciated the safety and intimacy of his loving embrace while she was slowly coming down from her high. Feeling her own heart race in her chest, his heart thump against her back and her daughter dance in her belly was too amazing to put into words. Taking his hand and pressing it against her abdomen, she whispered: "Thank you, Baby! Thank you for making me the happiest woman in the world."