Got a longer author's note at the end here because while I write because I enjoy it, I post because I like seeing people's reactions. Would love to hear what you think of this chapter too :)

Normal.

It felt weird to say, but it was their new normal.

Jay was officially on desk duty after getting cleared by the department psychologist. Erin was beyond proud of him, and honestly incredibly grateful that he'd be behind a desk for the next few weeks, at least. His lung function was supposed to improve with time, and pending approval from the physical therapist, he would soon be cleared for moderate exercise.

He was making the best of the desk, which honestly gave him the flexibility he needed. Jay was able to drop Piper off at school and return home at lunch to check on Erin, who was usually on a phone call, still working from home on their couch. Between him, Will, Hailey, Hank and the rest of the unit, Erin was barely home alone for an hour at a time. Soon after lunch, Jay would get to pick up Piper from school and drop her back at home so she could spend the rest of Erin's workday beside her on the couch.

And their little bug had slept through the night for four nights straight.

It was a record in recent memory and both Jay and Erin didn't want to jinx anything, but their little girl was doing incredibly well. Piper loved getting to sit with her mommy on the couch after school, and she loved even more that Jay gave her specific instructions to keep an eye on her. She took her job very seriously and made sure her mommy was as comfortable as possible at all times.

Getting comfortable wasn't an easy feat with two growing Halsteads, but the sweetness of her little girl made it all a little better. Erin had gotten the "no change is good news" update from Dr. Hsu regarding her latest lab work, which meant the boys were able to continue to grow in her belly and that Erin could be more active if she was up for it. The test results also showed that both Baby A and Baby B were getting stronger by the day, which felt like a huge weight off Erin's shoulders.

Except that weight was relocated to her torso.

The boys were heavy, and Erin was exhausted.

Everything took more effort, from trips to the bathroom to just breathing because of how much the boys had been encroaching on her lungs. Erin was doing her best to remain upbeat and positive about everything, especially considering how much better both Jay and Piper were doing, but the strain on her back and entire body had her feeling uncomfortable and achy.

She joined Jay at another session with Dr. Kim after the appointment with Dr. Hsu. Again, Erin was so, so proud of him. She could sense just how much he'd grown in the past few weeks, as evident by the increase of confidence in his voice. He held her hand gently throughout the session, his pulse steady.

Her heart had clenched when Jay expressed his continued anxiety over Erin's wellbeing despite the fact that the OB had been optimistic. It was then Erin was reminded of just how delicate things were within their household. In so many ways, her partner and her little girl were doing so much better. And she was doing better too.

But their family had been through a lot.

So despite being given more license to move around, Erin found herself remaining on the couch for most of the day. With how fragile her entire family was after months of unending drama, the last thing she wanted was to slip or need help and not have anyone there. Piper did not need to see either of her parents in the hospital again, and Jay did not need another thing to feel guilty about.

Her tactics were working though, because Jay had been sleeping through the night, and so had Piper. Erin was seeing more and more of the Jay she loved so much with each passing hour, and it filled her with renewed hope. They were all going to be okay.

"PT was good," Jay said into his cell, resting his head against the driver's seat headrest, "Doc said my lung function is better too, so I might get cleared to start working out again soon. I'm in the pick up line now."

"That's incredible, babe," Erin gushed, "I'm so proud of you." She stifled a yawn. She had been working from the couch all day and was doing fine overall, but she was exhausted. "You're a bit early for pick up though."

Jay glanced at the time on his phone. "Oh. For some reason I thought it was later in the day than it is." He blew out a breath. "I miss her."

"Sign her out early," Erin said, pushing her laptop off her legs so she could stretch. "Bring her home. I miss her too. Both of you." She smiled when she heard Jay turn the car off on the other end. "Have you heard anything from Hank?"

"No word," Jay replied, "Trial was supposed to conclude yesterday, but according to Hailey, Kenny's lawyer tried to call some additional witnesses. They've been in the judge's chambers debating or something."

"Ugh," Erin bemoaned, "I'm just ready for this to be over. First they said there would be a verdict on Monday, then Tuesday, and now what? We're looking at Thursday or Friday? Are they going to drag this out til after the holiday?"

"You know how lawyers are," he said dryly, "Never met one I liked."

"Okay Munchkin, try this," Will instructed, holding out a spoon, "Better than Jay's, right?"

Piper paused thoughtfully. Her daddy and Will were having a competition on who could make the best soup for dinner since it was so cold outside, and Piper got to be the taste tester. She was sitting on the kitchen counter while the Halstead brothers bustled around the kitchen. It was so good to have her daddy back.

"Yours is really good," she said, offering Will a sweet smile, "But I think Daddy's is better."

"What!" Will exclaimed when Jay raised his arms and mic-dropped the ladle onto the counter, "Did you even taste my pumpkin soup?"

Piper nodded and giggled. "I bet the boys will like yours better," she said knowingly, "If Mommy liked the pumpkin pie, I think she'll like your pumpkin soup." She laughed when Jay lifted her off the counter to pepper kisses on top of her head. "Daddy!"

The little girl continued to giggle as Jay mimed tilting her toward the bowls of soup that were on their counter. "Ah!"

"Noodle doesn't go in the soup, Halstead," Erin called from her seat on the couch, "Not our Noodle, anyway."

"Mm," Jay replied, stealing a kiss from Piper's cheek, "Good thing. I'd eat this one right up." He beamed when Piper giggled again. "So you think Will's soup tasted bad, right?"

Piper shook her head playfully. "I didn't say that," she insisted, "I just said yours was better." She tapped her chin pensively. "But maybe I could be convinced that Will's is my favorite."

Will put his hands on his hips. "What's it going to take to get you on my side, Munchkin?" he asked, "Could you be bought with a super fun trip to the aquarium? Maybe mini golf? A Blackhawks game? Name your price."

Piper widened her eyes. "I just said convinced. Are you trying to bribe me?" she asked teasingly, "Because Daddy's book says you shouldn't try to bribe kids."

Jay looked over at Erin and then down to Piper. "Where did you read that?" he asked, "How do you know about bribes?"

The little girl looked at him like it was obvious. "Whenever you want me to do something or when you have bad news, I always get treats." Piper gave him a knowing glance. "If I were really smart, I would be difficult all the time so that I got ice cream. But that's not how you build trust."

"She's smarter than us," Erin called over, "Don't look so surprised, babe. You're the one who got her into reading."

Piper nodded. "You did get me all the books," she said, "But Hailey started book club with me. That's how come I got good at reading."

"You are going to learn all my secrets," Jay bemoaned, tilting his head back, "You figured out bribery?"

"You do bribery all the time at work," Piper explained, "That's how you get people to tell you stuff. Bad people tell you their secrets when you make them be your informant so they don't go to jail. That's a bribe." She smiled when Jay's jaw dropped slightly. "I am ten, remember? I'm not a baby."

"But you're my baby," he insisted, "I can't have you growing up too quickly on me, Pipes." Jay kissed her cheek again and inhaled deeply, the sweet scent of his baby girl filling his heart a thousand times over. He loved her so much it hurt.

And then his heart burst into a thousand stars when Piper returned a gentle kiss to his cheek and cuddled closely. "I love you Daddy," she whispered, "And I love being your baby."

"She's like a totally different kid," Erin said after spitting her toothpaste into the sink, "I can't even believe it, really." She rested one hand on her bump and glanced over to her phone that had Piper on the baby monitor. After an evening of antics with the Halstead brothers, Will headed home and Piper promptly fell asleep the second her head hit the pillow. "It's like there are two of her."

Jay raised his eyebrows slightly after setting his toothpaste down on the countertop. "What do you mean?"

"Noodle. Today, this whole week…since you've been home, really. She's happy and giggly and doing that thing where she does impressions of people. Like a normal ten year old kid. And she's eating. Actual meals. Not just a few bites of ice cream after me begging her for like ten minutes. Real food." Erin shook her head. "Before she was…not this."

He nodded slowly. "We don't have to talk about it," Erin rushed out, immediately realizing that her bringing up what Piper had been like in the weeks where Jay was absent could be a trigger, "I was just trying to focus on the positive, that's all."

"It is positive, to see how well she's doing," Jay said, placing his fingers on Erin's, "But I don't want you to feel like you have to hide what happened when I was at Hank's. I can handle it. I can try, anyway. That's all I can do, right?"

Erin gave a small smile and nodded. Her Jay was really on his way back. She was so incredibly proud of him. "She just missed you so much," she whispered, reaching up to stroke his chin, "It was like she was feeling everything I was, but watching her feel it had me missing you even more." Erin let out a breath. "I'm just really glad you're home, babe."

Jay leaned down to gently kiss her lips. "I'm really glad to be home," he murmured, "Evenings with my girls are the best."

"Plus Will," Erin reminded him, "Noodle gets such a kick out of the two of you. And she loves winding Will up."

He snorted. "I'm pretty sure he agreed to take her on a trip to the aquarium just to get her to say that she liked his soup more than mine. Which I guess works out for us because then," he kissed her lips, "We can have some grown up time."

"Grown up time? I like the sound of that." Erin returned the kiss before resting her forehead on Jay's chest. "Guys, are you serious?" She lifted her head and stuck her lip out. "Your sons are kicking me in the bladder and really killing the mood."

Jay rubbed her tummy lightly. "What did we talk about, boys?" he asked teasingly, "Didn't we say that you needed to be gentle with Mommy?"

"I'll be right back," she said dejectedly, "You two better be really cute, that's all I have to say."

He couldn't stop smiling.

Jay had two sons on the way, an adorable little girl sleeping peacefully in her bed and an incredible life partner who was not only carrying his children, but who loved him almost as much as he loved her. Because he was pretty sure there was nobody in the world who could love someone as much as he loved Erin.

He stretched slightly and grimaced. Leave it to the healing tissue in his back to remind him of just how quickly all of it could have been ripped away. Jay closed his eyes. He didn't need to go there – not before climbing into bed with his fiancé. He was home, his girls were safe, and he was getting better.

"What is it?" Erin asked, wrinkling her brow when she caught Jay's pinched features while she washed her hands, "What's wrong?"

Jay opened his eyes and forced a smile. "I'm fine," he promised, rotating his shoulder gently and wrapping his arm across his torso, "Just a side effect of taking a knife to the back. Muscles get tight now and again. It's all good." He let his arms fall to his sides and offered a smile. "You ready for bed?"

"Your back hurts?" she probed, stepping forward and pushing him aside gently so she could see his back, "Did you mention this to the physical therapist?"

Jay shrugged. "He said it might be sore after the session today," he said, "I'll sleep it off." He flinched slightly when Erin's cool fingers touched his bare skin. "Do I need to turn the heat up in here? Your fingers are wet and frozen."

Erin brought her hands to her mouth and blew before placing her palm back on the small of his back, just below where the raw scar from his incision was. "You're always so gentle with me," she murmured, "Least I could do is rub your back a little. Lean over here, babe." She pointed to the sink. "Dr. Murray said something about blood flow, right? That's why you're supposed to stretch?"

He turned his head in surprise. "My brother tell you that?"

"You came home with a packet of information when your stitches came out on Friday," she said, "It was left on the counter. You're supposed to do those stretches so your muscles don't seize up." Erin pressed her fingers into his back carefully. "It also said you can use a lacrosse ball against the wall to try to loosen the fascia." She gave a small smile when Jay continued to look surprised. "You're not the only one who knows how to google, Halstead."

"Mm," he replied, dropping his head in appreciation as he braced himself on the sink, "Feels good, babe. Thank you. But you're the one almost eight months pregnant. I should be giving you the massage."

"Later," Erin told him, gently running her fingers along the sweatpants he was wearing that sat low on his hips, "Right now I'm takin' care of you. I'm pretty sure this is going to hurt, but it's what the internet said to do. Stop me if it's too much though, alright?"

"What are you thinkin' about?" Erin asked, toying with Jay's fingers gently as she laid against him in their bed in the early hours of the morning, "I can hear the wheels turning in your head, babe."

Jay pressed a kiss behind her ear. "I was just thinking about how lucky I am to have you," he whispered, inhaling deeply, "And how amazed I am by you, every day." He rubbed her belly gently. "Watching you grow these guys is such a privilege."

Erin smiled. "Watching you the past few weeks has been a privilege," she murmured, "Last time I…I wasn't here. But seeing you now-" She swallowed the lump in her throat. "You amaze me."

He nuzzled the side of her head with his nose, pressing kisses down her hairline. "I um, I was also thinking of attending one of those veteran support meetings tonight," he said slowly, "I didn't realize it was today until one of the guys texted me, otherwise I would have given you more notice but-"

"You should go," she insisted, "I want you to go to those things, if you can, and if you want to. Especially if they help." Erin titled her head back. "I just need you to keep telling me what you need, okay?"

Jay nodded. "It's uh, the family one. Because of Christmas and stuff." He cleared his throat. "There's like cookie decorating or something, for the kids. I went the year before last, I think, not realizing that it was for vets with families. This year, I um, I was wondering if you and Pipes would want to go."

Erin felt her chest ache at how unsure Jay's voice sounded. In the week he'd been home, his voice had gotten stronger each day, but hearing it waver slightly at the prospect of his girls joining him at a meeting…it almost brought her to tears. "I would love to," she breathed, "And I think Noodle would too."

"It might be a lot for her," Jay cautioned, "That's um, that's why I've been thinking about it, this morning. If it could be too much. Too many people, that kind of stuff. She's been…she's been doing so good. I don't want anything to risk that."

"I hear you," Erin replied, "I do. And she is doing so well, but I think that's why it's a good time to try this. We can see how she does. But I have a feeling as long as you're there, she's going to be fine."

"We don't have to stay the whole time," he promised, "And there will definitely be places for you to sit, so you won't be on your feet, and-"

"Babe," she interrupted gently, "Don't stress about this. We're going to be fine." Erin leaned up to kiss his chin. "I'm just so glad that we'll get to be there with you."

Piper held tightly to her daddy's hand. There were a lot of people in the big room. A lot of really big men, and it was making her very nervous, but she knew she was safe with her daddy.

When he asked over breakfast if she wanted to come with him to a veteran's meeting, Piper wasn't sure at first. He looked kind of nervous, and her mommy was standing beside him, keeping one hand on his back. Piper knew that meant she was trying to reassure him that things were okay, and Piper didn't know why things wouldn't be okay. Her mommy and daddy were both home.

Usually on school nights, Piper had her normal bedtime. She would come home from school and do her homework before dinner, and maybe do some reading. With her mommy and daddy in the hospital and the trial, the normal routine didn't happen as much. Now that her daddy was home, everything was a lot more predictable and she was feeling so much better.

But her mommy looked so hopeful when her daddy asked if they would want to come, which was why Piper said yes. They would all be going together, and she would be with both of her parents the whole time. That was good. They talked about it on the ride to school too. Piper would get to meet some of her daddy's other friends, and maybe some of their kids, and then they would all go home together. That was the plan.

Her daddy kept one hand on her mommy's back as they walked into the big room together, the other in hers. He seemed okay. A lot of the people seemed to know him, because he kept getting nods from people Piper didn't recognize. She didn't realize her daddy had so many friends.

"Jay?"

Piper tightened her grip on her daddy's hand when he turned his head to the person who had said his name. Her eyes immediately widened. She knew that man. It was Mr. Kyle. He was Mrs. Allison's husband. They were one of the nice families that she lived with before she got to live with her daddy. Piper remembered getting taken from their house, because she didn't want to leave, and she didn't understand why she had to go. It was not a good memory.

But then Piper remembered that Mr. Kyle had been friends with her daddy, way before he became her daddy. They were both in the military.

"It's so good to see you, man," Mr. Kyle said, offering a wide smile, "And you brought your girls."

Piper relaxed slightly. Mr. Kyle knew that Jay was her daddy. "I did," Jay said, after clearing his throat, "And uh, Erin's got our boys." He tilted his head to her, earning a wide grin from his former sergeant. "Due in a few weeks."

"Wow," Mr. Kyle gushed to Erin and Jay, "Well, I already know Piper is going to be an amazing big sister." He offered her a reassuring smile.

Jay squeezed her hand lightly. "She is," he said proudly, "We're very excited." He paused. "We should probably find you a seat, babe."

"Allison grabbed a table with Caroline and Drew," Mr. Kyle said, pointing to a cluster of tables in the corner, "Jack and Tommy have hockey practice this evening, so we've got half the crew tonight. You're more than welcome to join us."

"A seat sounds good," Erin said, smiling tiredly. She hadn't been on her feet for more than ten minutes in weeks, and she was already exhausted. But she loved getting to be beside Jay. She could just see a version of him two years ago, standing alone in the room while other vets had their families and partners. The thought of it caused emotion to rise in her throat.

But she was here now. She was beside him, and Piper was there too. And their boys.

"You okay, bug?" Jay asked softly, giving the little girl's hand another gentle squeeze, "Mommy and I are going to be here the whole time. You're coming home with us."

Piper nodded. She was glad her daddy said that. Even though she knew she was adopted and that Erin and Jay were her mommy and daddy, just seeing Mr. Kyle reminded her of having to leave. And even though he and Mrs. Allison were nice, she wanted to go home with her parents.

"Piper!"

Caroline gave a big wave and pushed back her chair. "Mom, Piper's here!"

"I see that, sweetheart," Mrs. Allison said warmly, standing from her seat, "It's so good to see you all. Here, Erin, take a seat."

"Thank you," Erin said gratefully, easing down into the chair. Sitting felt good. "Twins are…a lot."

"I'm so glad you're here," Caroline said exuberantly, giving Piper a big hug, "You want to come sit with us over there? Drew and I got the cookies to decorate."

Piper was frozen, her hand still in her daddy's. She swallowed and then managed a small smile. Caroline was her friend. She was nice and a good big sister. "Is that okay, Daddy?" she asked softly, "If I sit with Caroline? And Drew?"

Jay beamed. "Absolutely. We'll be right here on the other side of the table."

Erin watched Piper out of the corner of her eye, doing her best to not be a helicopter mom. Piper was carefully assisting Drew decorate his cookies. The six years old was about the same size as Piper, but watching her little girl patiently provide guidance based on the instructions provided filled her heart over and over. She was already such a good big sister.

She had her other eye on Jay, who was standing a few feet from their table with Kyle and a few other veterans who she had been introduced to. It looked like he was doing well also. His eyes sparkled whenever she caught his gaze. She was so proud of him.

"Can I get you anything?" Allison offered, "I think there are some sandwiches out there." She frowned. "Wait. Deli meat is off limits, right?"

Erin gave a small nod. "Yeah," she said, blowing out a breath, "I'm all set though. Thank you." She smiled when she saw how Drew was watching Piper decorate her cookie. "He's so cute."

"He's growing like crazy," Allison mused, "I swear, I'm buying clothes that he doesn't even get a chance to wear. After Jack, we didn't think we were having any more boys so I donated all their baby clothes. But now I don't want to part with it." She widened her eyes slightly. "Actually, I think I have a ton of toddler boy clothes that Drew never even wore stored in our attic. Probably size 2T, since he just totally skipped that size. You're having boys, right?"

Erin nodded again. She and Jay had just gotten through purchasing the first few months of baby clothes. Neither of them had been ready to think farther ahead than that. "I don't want-"

"Please think about it," Allison insisted, "I'd love for the clothes to go to family." She gave another smile. "I think there are a few matching outfits in there that Piper could fit into."

Her heart almost burst at the mental image of her little bug in a matching outfit with her baby brothers. Granted, Piper would probably be skeptical of wearing kid's clothes, but Erin was pretty sure her little girl would agree, especially if she asked. And it would probably be the cutest thing she ever laid her eyes on. "Thank you," she rasped, "She um, probably would fit, since she's so tiny still. We're…we're making slow progress on that."

"She looks great," Allison praised, "Really, Erin. You and Jay are doing an incredible job."

"She's incredible," Erin whispered, her eyes watering slightly when she saw Piper help Drew fix the edge of his cookie that he had inadvertently smudged, "Such an amazing kid. I can't…I can't believe it, really."

"The feeling doesn't get old," she replied knowingly, "I look at mine every day and wonder what I did to get so lucky." Allison managed a small smile. "Kyle and I tried for a few years. At one point, I didn't think it was going to happen for us. And then one day we were called to foster and…four forevers and a dozen other loves later, here we are."

"Mommy, we should bring Piper home with us," Drew said, looking up from his cookie, "Can we?"

Erin's heart dropped when she saw her little girl go rigid. "Piper lives with her mommy and daddy, Drew," Caroline told him quickly. The older girl put a gentle hand on Piper's arm, "But maybe she could come over to play sometime."

"That could certainly be arranged. A play date." Allison gave a grateful smile to her daughter who had quickly recognized the situation.

Erin found her baby's worried gaze. "Or maybe you could come to our house too," Erin suggested, "In the spring, when there isn't so much snow, Jay and Piper have some soccer goals that are set up in the backyard."

"It's really fun," Piper said, after finding her voice, "I think I want to try soccer, for real."

"You should do soccer camp with me this summer," Caroline said, her eyes widening hopefully, "It's really fun. We play fun games and stuff, and it's just during the day. My mom drops me off in the morning and then I get picked up at lunch." She gave Piper an excited smile. "I can tell you all about it when we hang out again."

"You want me to drive, babe?" Erin asked, running her hand over Jay's back gently, "Pretty sure I can still fit behind the wheel."

"I got it," he promised, leaning down to kiss her lips gently, "Thank you for coming tonight." He brushed some hair off her cheek. "It's not every day I get to show off my beautiful family and make every single person in the room jealous."

"I didn't know you had so many friends Daddy," Piper said as Jay opened the back door to his car so she could climb in, "Everybody knew your name."

"I'm not sure about everybody," Jay chuckled, "But I do have some buddies here, yeah. None of them are my best friend though." He kissed the top of her head after she climbed into the car. "You've got that one locked down."

Erin laced her fingers with Jay's as he drove along the dark streets. Every time she thought she couldn't be prouder of him, Jay found a way to amaze her. Watching him interact with the other veterans and talk about the difficult time he was working through had her doing everything she could not to melt into a puddle. She overheard snippets of conversation about him needing to be okay for his girls, and for his growing family. He was doing all he could to get back better than he was before.

"You alright?" he asked softly, glancing over to Erin after making a turn, "I know tonight was a lot-"

"It was perfect," Erin assured him, "I was just thinking about how proud I am of you. I know it wasn't easy for you to bring us tonight, and I'm really grateful you did." She ran her thumb over the top of his hand. "I like getting to see all your sides, babe. And I know Noodle does too." She glanced over her shoulder to see the little girl dozing against the back seat. "Big night for her too. Seeing the Chases."

Jay nodded. "You watched her with Drew?"

"So cute," she managed, bringing one hand to her bump, "I can't wait to see her with these two. She's already incredible." Erin swallowed. "He asked Allison if Piper could go home with them."

He widened his eyes. "Really?"

Erin managed a nod. "I watched Noodle freeze." She drew in a breath. "But uh, I froze too. For a minute I just…I couldn't do anything. I couldn't say anything, I couldn't-" She swallowed again. "She's ours. I know she's ours. She knows she's ours. But for a split second-"

"You saw it all slip away," Jay supplied knowingly, "I…I get that, babe. I do." He held her hand tighter. "The little triggers can be the hardest because they come out of nowhere."

"She bounced back quickly," she rasped, "It was me…it took me longer because I realized that I couldn't live without her. I mean, I've known that for a while now but just the prospect of my baby-" Erin stopped, unable to finish. It was too hard to think about. "M-maybe it's the fact that our biological parents are still on trial or that I've got a shitload of hormones coursing through my body but I just…I want to be close to her tonight."

Jay brought her hand to his lips and kissed gently. "That we can do. She'll always be our baby, babe. Ours."

What have I been up to you ask? ... I have been compiling and organizing all the amazing requests I've gotten over the four installments that I haven't incorporated and could still fit into this universe so I can start planning either the last few chapters or...well, I still don't really know.

My current plan is to wrap up some of the events from this installment and of course introduce everyone to the boys! I'm still playing with their arrival which is one of the reasons it's been dragged out so long.

I'm also planning on some post-delivery cuteness but after that it gets a little murky. A lot of the requests can be tackled in short snippets, but there might be a way to string them together. So this is where you come in!

Would you rather A) read another full story or B) have one-off chapters?

And if you answer B - would you want to see the chapters in chronological order?

Option C is either A or B...so let me know what you'd read and I'll keep planning :)