Jay walked into Mouse's room at the rehab centre, "Hey, how're you doing?" He asked, sitting down on the chair next to him.
"I'm doing good actually, got the all clear to leave here. I can finally leave next week!" He exclaimed, clearly excited at finally being well enough to leave.
Jay grinned, "Wow, that's great man! I'm so happy for you! Are you going back to your parents?"
"Nah, found myself a little one bed flat not too far away from yours. It's on the ground floor, so I don't have to worry about the lift ever being broken because then I'd well and truly be fucked," He said, gesturing to the prosthetic on his left leg. "Haven't mastered stairs that well."
"I'm so happy for you man. When do you move in?"Jay asked.
"Thursday! I'm so excited. I'll be glad to be out of this place, I just want somewhere where I can call home. Don't get me wrong, the people hear are amazing, and have helped me get my life back on track, and have given me the skills to live independently. I just can't wait."
"I'll take a day on Thursday and come and help you if you want? There are no big events this week, so I'm sure I can get someone to cover my lessons on Friday," He offered.
"No, you don't have to do that man, I can get the people here to help me, my team already have it in place," Mouse explained.
"Mouse, it's fine. This is a huge day for you, of course, I want to be there. Besides, I know how you like shit more than random moving people, so we can have the day to sort out your new place, then I'll even treat you to a pizza - from that little place down my street, what do you say?"
Mouse's eyes lit up at the mention of that pizza, he did love it from that place, "I wouldn't want to put you out, but that does sound good. Don't worry if you can't get the day off though, I completely get it's not easy to get time off that quickly. If you can't do the day, just come over in the evening."
"Nah, I'll be able to get cover, I covered a few art lessons a few weeks back and the art teacher, Hailey, also coaches the girls' netball team, so she'll be able to do it. I only have two classes on Thursdays anyway. I'll do anything to be there to help you Mouse, I promise. Actually, I'll text Hailey now, okay?" Jay said and Mouse smiled. Jay got out his phone and quickly texted Hailey to see if she could possibly cover his lessons on Thursday - and thankfully she texted back pretty quickly agreeing. "Alright, she's covering so I can have the day off - I'll just double check with the big boss tomorrow, but seeing as I have sought my own cover, I'll probably be fine."
"Thanks, man. I can't begin to tell you how much it means to me. Thank you for being here with me through this whole process," Mouse said, sincerely. "Okay, so let's get on to real talk - something is going on with you, what's up? Even though you've been helpful and stuff, I can tell there's something on your mind."
Jay chuckled, "I could never get anything past you, could I?"
"Never, I'm too good at reading you," Mouse laughed. "Go on then, what is it?"
"I'm actually meeting Erin's dad, he's the only person I've yet to meet, so I'm a little nervous. Apparently, he wasn't too happy that everyone else has met me and he hasn't. Erin has been putting it off for a few weeks because she just didn't want to deal with him. But tonight is a family meal, so her mom invited me. Erin said tonight would be a good night to go because her dad will be excited to see both Danny and Sam," he explained.
"Ah, meeting the father. That sounds like fun! So when am I going to meet this girl who has you completely head over heels?" Mouse asked and found it funny how Jay's cheeks instantly blushed. "Aww, you're blushing! But yeah, when am I going to get to meet her?"
"I don't know, maybe once you move into your new place? I want you to meet her and she's asked when she'll meet you too, seeing as you are my best friend."
"Aww, I'm your best friend," Mouse teased, causing Jay to roll his eyes. "Yeah, when I'm all settled in my new place, we should do something."
"That sounds good. I think you two would get along," Jay said. "She's amazing, Mouse. I can't begin to explain it, she just knows how to ground me. She helps me keep on the straight and narrow. I've had a few wobbles with some nightmares and ptsd, but she's been there for me. On the anniversary of… you know, that day?" Jay gulped when Mouse nodded. "She stayed up with me most of the night just to make sure I was okay. She let me sleep on the couch, and she kept my head on straight. If I didn't have her? I honestly don't know how that day would've gone. It was so hard not having my mom there with me, but Erin? She understood and she doesn't judge. She gives me space when I need it, I rarely need the space as I do feel better being around her. She's just amazing."
"It's nice seeing you like this. I'm just so happy you got your head on straight, and I'm sorry I've not been there much for you this past year. You know, being blown up and in an induced coma for a few months kind of hindered my ability to be present. But I'm here now, so if you ever need me? You'll be able to visit anytime from Thursday," He laughed.
Jay just shook his head at the jokes, he was so glad that Mouse was finally okay and doing well. He was glad to have his best friend back. "It's good to have you back man."
"It's good to be back."
After spending another hour with Mouse, Jay made his way back to Erin's apartment, to get ready for dinner at her parent's house. He had told her all about Mouse's new place and how he was going to help him move in on Thursday and that they needed to plan a time of when she finally gets to meet his best friend. He had been ready for ten minutes, he was sat nervously waiting for Erin, it wasn't every day you meet the dad of someone you were dating. A dad who you have heard so much about. Hank Voight seemed a scary man, Erin had told him some of the things Hank had done over the years, he was a man who was feared by some of Chicago's most hardened criminals but he was also the man who supposedly cries at The Lion King, so he had no idea which Hank he was going to face.
"Babe, you need to relax. I can practically see the anxiety coming off you in waves. Please, calm down!" Erin said as she entered the living room and sat down next to him on the couch.
"I'm fine," Jay tried to play off his nerves.
She laughed, "No you're not. Max is cuddled right next to you showing he can sense something is up and you've been sat watching the TV guide for the past ten minutes."
He looked up at the TV, and she was right, the TV guide screen had been in the same place for quite some time now, "I know. I don't know why I'm so nervous! I mean, the rest of your family liked me, so your dad probably will too. It's just been a while since I've met anyone's family. I mean, the only girlfriend's family I've met before was Ally's and that was because we practically grew up together and her mom and my mom were best friends," He said.
"I know how you feel, I've only met Kelly's dad - but he died a couple of years ago. Then Chris' mom - I met her once. But, I know my dad will like you, you're good for me. Besides like you said, you've managed to win everyone else in my family around, babe."
"I think from everything you've told me about your dad, I'm just worried he won't approve of me," He admitted.
"Jay - he'll be fine and even if he doesn't approve? It changes nothing. I love you, Jay, now please stop worrying. We best get going, are you sure you want to leave Max here?"
He smiled, "I love you too. Yeah, let's leave him here. He's exhausted, we won't be gone too long - and he's a good excuse to get out of there early if shit hits the fan."
Erin rolled her eyes, "Shit won't hit the fan. But good point, we can leave early and avoid a long night of questioning. Sammy is staying over at Justin's tonight so we have an extra kid free night - maybe even a lie in tomorrow - past nine for you and hopefully at least eleven for me."
"Wow past nine? That's ambitious babe," He said, squeezing her hand. "Come on, we best get going. I doubt your dad would like it if we are late. What time did you say Kelly was dropping Sammy off again?"
"He dropped him off about half an hour ago, but it doesn't matter - Justin and Olive aren't getting there for another twenty minutes or so, well it'll probably be forty knowing them - they're always late. So we should probably set off in the next ten minutes or so. Do you want me to take Max out quickly?" She asked, and stroked Max's head which was resting on Jay's knee.
"Yeah, thank you. I best go and get changed again, I'm fully covered in dog hair," He replied. "Thank you, for talking me down. I don't know why I am nervous. You said I have nothing to be nervous about, and I believe you."
Erin kissed him, "Exactly. And I'm always right. Okay, come on Max let's take you out before we go. You quickly get ready, we'll only be five minutes."
Jay nodded and watched as Max got up and followed her to the front door, so she could take him out. He breathed a sigh of relief, Erin had been able to calm him down pretty well and he well and truly loved that she was able to read him so well. He reminded himself he had nothing to worry about as he got up to quickly go and get changed.
It turned out, he had a right to be nervous and worried. It had been a tense night at the Voight's, Hank had barely even acknowledged Jay's presence and he seemed to be in a mood. While Camille and Hank were busy in the kitchen, Jay and Erin slipped outside to watch Danny and Sammy play together, "I don't know what's got into him, he's not usually like this. Mom said he had been slightly annoyed that he hadn't met you yet - despite everyone else doing so but it doesn't excuse the way he's being tonight."
"It's fine…." Jay said but he was interrupted by Justin and Olive coming outside.
"Wow, dad's being a dick tonight! What's his problem? He's just snapped at me for suggesting we do a bbq next weekend," He rolled his eyes and took a seat next to Erin.
"I have no idea. He's being a total ass, he's not even bothered with the boys!" Erin grumbled, knowing that usually having the boys here meant that Hank was in a pretty decent mood - or at least pretended he was.
"I asked mom what was going on and she doesn't even know. She said he came home from work this afternoon in a mood - but uncle Al had said they'd not had a case or anything. I can't see it being because Jay hasn't met him yet… because that's just childish. You've bought home like three guys in the past, that teenage boyfriend from high school whose name I can't even remember, Kelly - who gave him a grandkid so he has to be kind of nice and Chris, who was an ass but even dad wasn't this bad with him," Justin wondered, aloud, much to Erin's annoyance as she saw that Jay was taking all this information in and she could practically feel the anxiety coming off of him in waves.
"Not helpful," She grumbled, "Come on, Jay. Let's go and see if we can help with dinner - sooner we eat, sooner we can get out of here."
When Justin and Olive had left the kitchen, leaving Camille to finish off the dinner, Hank walked in and asked if there was anything he could do to help.
"What's your problem?" She snapped
"Nothing, why?"
"You've been horrible to Jay, you've barely even acknowledged him. Why are you in a mood? Erin has bought him here to meet you, you know how much she doesn't like introducing people to the family…"
"Well, you've all met already, what does it matter if he ever meets me?" Hank muttered as he went to the fridge to grab a drink.
Camille rolled her eyes, "Oh would you just give it a rest already? I only met him when I did because I dropped by Erin's place when she wasn't well and he came home. If it wasn't for that? I'm one hundred percent sure we'd be meeting him together."
"He's not a good guy, Cam," Hank said, turning to look at her.
Camille was confused, "What do you mean he's not a good guy? You have barely spoken to him? You don't even know him!" She yelled, clearly getting annoyed at the way her husband was being.
"I ran a background check…" Hank began but was interrupted with the back door closing, he turned to see Erin and Jay. Erin was furious and Jay looked spooked.
"You ran a background check on my boyfriend?" Erin asked, calmly and Hank nodded. "Why?"
"Because I knew there was a reason you didn't want him to meet me. I mean, he's met everyone else, but not me. Something wasn't adding up. Do you know?"
"Do I know what?" Erin asked, still trying to stay calm.
"That he was arrested on suspicion of murder? Of this guy called Lonnie Rodiger?"
She felt Jay tense up behind her, she knew talk of Lonnie was really sensitive for him - he'd opened up to her about that side of his past a few months into his relationship, and she knew that he felt so much guilt over the death of Ben. "Yes I know, and I know all about that case, the restraining orders, the drunk bar fights from before that. I know it all because he's told me."
"You want this guy hanging around your kid? What does Kelly think of all this? I'm sure he wouldn't like someone like him being around his child."
Erin rolled her eyes, "It's none of your business dad. If you think Jay's not good enough to be around Sammy - what about Kelly? You know, his father, who has actually been to prison before? Does this mean I should keep Sammy away from Kelly?"
"No, because that's different. Kelly is Sam's father. He has changed. Besides, you have let this one meet everyone before me. I knew there was something he was hiding," Hank shrugged as if it was no big deal.
Erin rolled her eyes, "Seriously? We weren't hiding anything from you! The only reason Jay has met mom was that he came home when she was over - it wasn't planned! You've made no effort to get to know Jay, you just went behind our backs and looked up his record - which was awful of you to do."
The back door opened and Justin came in just in time to hear Erin's last sentence, "What's going on?"
"Dad decided to run a background check on Jay behind our backs."
"What? Seriously?" Justin asked, not quite believing that his dad would stoop so low.
"Yep. That's why he's being all weird tonight. You know, dad, if you'd ran the background check and actually come to talk to me about it, I wouldn't be this mad. You could've easily had a grown up conversation and we'd have talked like adults. So what he has a record, he's literally a teacher at a high school. If there were anything bad on there - he wouldn't be teaching."
"Jay's a good guy dad, me and mom have both said the same, I can't see why you'd do this," Justin said, defending Jay as he believed he was a really good guy.
"I'm not listening to this!" Hank spat, and stormed out of the kitchen and going down into his office in the basement, door slamming behind him causing everyone in the kitchen to jump.
"Jay, are you okay? I'm so sorry about him. Do you want a drink? You've gone a little pale," Camille asked, clearly worried about the man in front of her, he was nothing like the man he met last week.
"I- I uh, I need to leave. I'm sorry, but I just need to go," Jay said, suddenly feeling like the kitchen was the smallest room in the world. He walked out of the door and quickly left the house.
"Go, Erin. You go after him," Camille said, as Erin was already on her way out to follow him. She watched as Erin left and turned to her son, "Can you please take the boys home or just Danny home. Depending on whether Erin wants you to keep Sam? Get them a McDonalds for their dinner."
"Yeah, I'll do that. I'll go and tell Olive what's going on, then I'll go and see Erin and see what she wants to do. I really can't believe he's done this, mom."
"Me neither. We just need to keep a front up for the kids, once you've got them out of here, I'll go and talk to your dad and see what's going on. I hope Jay's okay, I am sure that wasn't easy for him," Camille sighed.
"It'll be all work out, mom. Shit like this always does. I'm sure dad will apologise - hopefully. Okay, I'll go and tell Olive what's gone on, then go and see Erin."
"Okay, I'll just quickly deal with the food then go and see Erin," Camille replied and watched as Justin went outside to tell Olive what was going on. She sighed, she had no idea what had got into Hank, he had never been like this before.
Jay left the house and Erin followed behind him, "I'm so sorry. I can't believe he did this. Are you okay?"
Jay shook his head, "No, I - I just don't even know what's going on in my head right now," He sighed, rubbing his face with his hands.
"If you need to go and take some time to figure stuff out, I can get a ride with Justin and Olive. I know you probably need some time to sort your head out," She said, placing her hand on his arm and pulling his hand off of his face.
Jay nodded, "I do. But I don't want to leave you with your dad and everything…"
"Hey, are you two okay?" Justin asked, coming out of the front door, "I've just told Olive what happened, and she's still watching the kids. She said she would bring them around the side in case mom and dad are arguing inside. We'll take them to McDonald's for some dinner as a treat - tell them that grandpa had to go to work. Is there anything I can do?"
"We're alright, is it okay if I can get a lift with you and Olive? Jay's got some stuff to do," Erin asked him.
"Yeah sure," He nodded in understanding, "I'll go and help Olive with the kids and I'll be back in a minute."
Erin smiled, knowing that Justin was going to help so she could have some time with Jay before he left, "Hey, don't worry about me. You need to go and I completely understand that. I've got Max so you just go. Just... Text me when you're home, or if you're coming back to mine?"
He nodded, "Thank you, for being so understanding. It's not that I don't want to stay, I just need some time to get my head on straight. I'll text you or call you, I promise." He leant in and kissed her, "I really love you."
Erin smiled, "I know you do, and I love you too."
He kissed her one last time before turning to get into his car and drive off, he needed to get out of here, it had been a long time since he had had to deal with the feelings of guilt surrounding Ben's murder and the aftermath. Of course, he'd told Erin everything, but he was not expecting to have to go through it tonight. He needed a drink so went on the look for the closest bar but also somewhere where he wouldn't be known. He didn't want to talk to anyone.
Erin watched as Jay walked off and she heard the front door of the house open, she turned to see Camille walking over to her with her arms open so she could hug her daughter. "I'm so sorry, Erin. I had no idea he would do something like that, let alone bring it up the way he did and not listen to anyone. He's still shut himself in his office. Is Jay okay? Where has he gone?"
"He needs some time to decompress and deal with what's going on. I told him to go because he struggles enough with what happened to Ben, and I know if someone had done that to me, I'd just want to be alone too. He'll be okay."
"Do you need a lift home? I can take you," Camille asked,
Erin shook her head, "No, it's okay, Justin and Olive are going to drop me off on the way to their house, they're just grabbing the kids now. I just can't believe dad would do something like this."
"I know, I'm so angry at him for what he's done, and I can only imagine how you are feeling. I know your dad thinks he was doing what he thought was right and what he thought best, but it was wrong and I'll have no problems in relaying that to him. I'm so sorry, Erin."
"It's not your fault," Erin told her. "I didn't even expect dad to act like that, I know he usually gives guys a hard time, but he's never been this horrible. It's not even like I've purposely kept Jay away from him for that reason, we just really haven't had any time…"
"I know, I know. Don't try and justify it to me, you have no reason to. I like Jay, he's a good man and I can see how much he makes you happy. How about I come round to yours for dinner one night this week? I'll make my lasagne and me, you and Sammy can have a nice night together. Jay too if he wants, but I understand if he wants to avoid it."
Erin smiled, "That sounds great, thanks, mom. I'll let you know when I have Sammy, I've not confirmed with Kelly yet."
"Mommy! Uncle Justin said we can go to McDonald's and get some nuggets for dinner! Grandad isn't well so we are leaving now." Sam squealed as he came running up to her.
"Wow! That sounds good," Erin said, putting on a smile on her face.
"Where's Jay?"
"He, erm, he had to go and see a friend who wasn't doing too good so I'm going to get a lift with you guys," she lied, not wanting him to get worried. "Say goodbye to your grandma, here comes Justin, Olive and Danny now."
"Bye Grandma, I love you."
"Love you too, my little minion," Camille said, lifting Sam to hug him. Everyone quickly said their goodbyes to Camille before getting in the car and leaving.
Jay had found a quiet little bar in the outskirts of town, he'd never been here before and he didn't recognise anyone for which he was grateful. He honestly didn't know what or how to feel, he knew running was a cowardly move but he also knew that Erin understood. He'd ordered a whiskey and was sat staring at it, thinking whether he should drink or just go home. Without thinking, he grabbed the drink and downed it before quickly ordering another one. He sat looking at his phone, debating whether to call Mouse or not. Then again, Mouse wasn't around for some of the aftermath with Ben, and he was finally in a good place himself - Jay didn't want to ruin that. He text Erin just telling her that he was okay, and not to worry. He'd text her when he knew what he was doing. He had been too busy on his phone that he hadn't noticed who'd walked into the bar with his friends. He only realised when another whiskey was slid in front of him and he looked up, "Hey I didn't- oh, I didn't realise you'd be here," Jay said, taking the drink, "Thank you."
"You looked sad, and that you needed a drink so I thought I'd buy you one. What's going on? Weren't you supposed to be meeting Voight tonight? Family dinner and all that fun stuff?"
Jay laughed, "Yeah, I was supposed to. Actually, I did meet him. And well, it all went tits up."
"You should've seen my first time meeting Voight, nothing can be as bad as that."
Jay chuckled, "You wanna bet? I mean, I don't think anyone can beat mine."
"Ok, so I may have got a little tipsy after having a few 'courage' shots of vodka before Erin picked me up. And well, he saw through any act I tried to put on and told Erin I wasn't good enough for her and that she shouldn't settle for some stupid firefighter. According to Hank, being a firefighter isn't a good job and I wouldn't be able to take care of her. Honestly, he went in hard. I avoided him as much as I could and then when he found out Erin got pregnant? He was furious. Said I'd ruined her life. But he came round, he does tolerate me, but that's only because of Sammy," he laughed. "He's a hard one to please. He also hated the fact that I'd been in prison when I was younger for assaulting someone. Honestly, there's no pleasing that man, no one will be good enough for Erin. Though, I'm surprised you weren't given a better time, the way Camille was talking about how awesome you are when she picked Sammy up from mine last week, honestly it was like the sun shines out your ass. Then Erin obviously is besotted, kind of weird really, always tease her about how soppy she's got in her old age," he smiled when Jay's cheeks started to go red with embarrassment. "So come on, how bad was it?"
Jay sighed, "Well, we got there and Sam was happy to see us as he was obviously with you last night. And everyone was welcoming, except Hank. Not just like snub the boyfriend and give him a fake hard time, I mean full on ignore and pretend he doesn't exist. No one knew what was going on. Turned out, he'd done a background check on me…"
"What seriously?" Kelly asked, surprised.
Jay nodded, "Yep. Now there's nothing really bad on there. But after I got out of the army, I was having a hard time. I got in a few fights. Was cautioned a couple of times - this was before I figured out what I was going to do with life. Then, about 5 months after I came home, my exes little brother, Ben, was murdered by a paedophile."
"Shit…"
"Yeah, it was awful. Like my family and their family were close from before I was even born, my mom and their mom were best friends. Anyway, the guy got off. His dad lied for him because he believed his kid couldn't do that. Anyway, on Ben's birthday the next year, I wasn't doing too good. Being overseas changes someone, and adding in everything that happened with Ben? I didn't make the best of choices. I kind of stalked the guy, just kind of showed up where he was, goaded him a bit… got a restraining order against me after that, and I did leave it alone. The guy ended up dead the next night."
"Jesus Christ, that's just… I don't even know how I'd feel in that situation. I am surprised you didn't murder him, I'd have done the same if someone had done anything like that to sam," Kelly said, visibly angry with the story that Jay had told.
"Well, I got hauled in obviously, it looked really bad. They thought I killed him, then they suspected Ben's dad, which once again wasn't true. I was with him that night," Jay explained. "Ben's dad was like a dad to me, we were genuinely together but no one believed us at first. But there was CCTV footage of us at a bar and then footage of us in his car driving back to his house."
"Did they ever find out what happened?"
"Yep, his dad killed him. His dad, who believed his son could do no wrong, found some images on his sons' computer which showed little boys… and there was also pictures of Ben," Jay closed his eyes, hating the thought of it. "He killed his son once he realised what he did. I got cleared, as did Ben's dad. Lonnie's dad confessed a few days later. It was brutal."
"Wow, that sounds horrific… so Voight was annoyed why exactly?" Kelly asked, as he quickly ordered another drink for Jay and handed it to him.
"Because he was last to meet me, I've been arrested before, I don't have the best of pasts… I shouldn't be allowed around his grandson, me and Erin were keeping it from him etc."
"Bullshit, why shouldn't you be around Sammy? He loves you, honestly, all the Jay stories he tells me shows me you're a good guy. What just because you had a hard time of it a few years ago you shouldn't be around Sam? Does that mean I shouldn't be around Sam? I mean I went to prison for 5 months for assaulting someone! Ignore everything Voight has said, you're a good man and if Erin trusts you round our kid? Then I do. And if both of us do? Then Voight should - and if he doesn't? He should keep his mouth shut. He has a habit of trying to alienate Erin from the guys she brings home - just don't take it to heart - which I know is easier said than done. I can assure you, Camille, is probably giving him such a hard time tonight, did Sammy go home with Erin or did he go back to Justin's like planned?" Kelly asked.
"He went back to Justin's, he and Olive took the kids for a McDonald's, well that was what Erin had texted. Erin knows me that well that she sent me off, she knew I needed time to process everything because being reminded of everything that happened with Ben just kills me," he said, knocking back the end of his drink. "I really should go back."
"Yeah, you probably should. Come on, I'll drive you back. I've only had this beer. Give me your keys, I'll get Stella to follow us and bring me back," Kelly said. "You stay there and I'll go and speak to the guys just to tell them where I'm going and ask Hermann if he can spare Stella." He laughed when Jay looked confused, "You didn't realise you are in the cop/fire/med bar? This is Molly's."
"I had no idea. Just found the nearest bar and came in and haven't taken much note of anything else," He replied and watched as Kelly walked off.
"So you're Jay then?" A woman from behind the bar - who had served him before Kelly got here. "I'm Stella, nice to meet you."
"Hey, nice to meet you too. I've heard a lot about you," Jay smiled.
"You too. Sam has a new Jay story every time, it's quite funny. Though he's never caved on those super secret Halstead pancakes," Stella laughed, "Are you okay?"
Jay nodded, "I'm glad he's not caved, my mom wouldn't be pleased if the recipe gets out," He chuckled, "And thanks, I will be okay, it's just been a long day."
Kelly came back over, "Right, give me your keys and we'll get going. Hermann said he can spare you for ten minutes, can you follow behind so I can take his car back?" He asked and Stella nodded. The three of them quickly grabbed their stuff and headed out.
Once they arrived at Erin's building, Kelly decided to walk Jay up - wanting to talk to Erin about the Sammy schedule for the week as well as make sure Jay was okay. They quickly got into her building and up to her floor. Kelly knocked on the door and they heard Max bark and the scratching of his paws against the hardwood floor. The front door opened and Max ran straight to Jay, very happy to see him.
"Found this guy in Molly's and we had to get him out of there, he was extremely miserable," Kelly joked and Jay laughed. "Thought I better drive him home."
Erin smiled, "Thank you. Are you okay?" She asked, looking at Jay and felt relieved when he smiled and nodded. She looked between both Jay and Kelly, noticing how friendly they looked, "Oh god, you two aren't like… friends now are you? I don't think I could deal with that."
Jay and Kelly both laughed, "Oh yeah, we are going to have a weekly get together so we can talk shit about you behind your back, aren't we Jay?"
"Oh yeah. It's a done deal," he joked as Erin hit her head against the door. "Has Max been out?"
"Yeah, I just got back with him like five minutes before you two got here. Why don't you go in with him and get him settled? I'll be in in a minute, seeing as Kelly's here I may as well do the Sammy plan for next week."
"Yeah, okay. Thanks again for tonight and for driving me home, I really appreciate it."
"Hey, no worries. So, same time next week? I have a whole load of Erin stories ready to be shared," Kelly joked, and Jay just laughed.
"Oh my god," Erin groaned, closing her eyes, "Just go in, and no sharing of stories. Ever."
Jay just smirked and went into the apartment.
"So, your dad was a complete and utter asshole then?" Kelly asked, keeping his voice down a little.
"Yep, gave your introduction a run for its money. I wasn't expecting that. My mom and brother are furious with him as well. I couldn't believe it, like yeah I expected some kind of a hard time, I mean, it is Hank Voight after all. But it was honestly 20x worse than I ever expected it would be."
"He's good for you, Erin. Just ignore whatever your dad says. That man in there really loves you and I can tell he makes you so happy. It's about time you found someone half decent. Sammy loves him too which is big because we know he doesn't trust new people all that easily," he said.
"I know, he's so good with him too. Thank you for bringing him home tonight, I was worried about him but I knew he needed some time to process everything on his own - he's very similar to me that way. So what nights are you free for Sam this week?"
"I have four days off in a row this week, so I can have him any night Wednesday-Friday, not Saturday night as I'm at work at 6 on Sunday morning," he offered.
"You can have him all three nights if you want? I've nothing specific planned, just need to know so I can text Nadia tomorrow."
He smiled, "Yeah, that sounds great. I've missed my little minion and it's rare I get a chunk of days off like that. He's not in school Friday is he?"
She shook her head, "No, it's an inset day - teacher training or something. So you being off saves me taking Friday off."
"Ah I can't wait, we'll have a daddy and Sammy adventure day. Hey, is Jay working on Friday? We could have a fun day out and tell him even more Erin stories!"
"Thankfully, he's working so he won't be able to join you, oh no, what a shame. Shouldn't you be going now anyway?" Erin asked, wanting him to leave so she could talk to Jay.
"Yeah, I probably should go, Stella is waiting for me and Hermann only let her come and pick me up because I told him I'd be ten minutes, oops. I'll just blame you, it's fine, actually, I'll blame the kid, no one can be mad when I was coordinating kid time. I'll see you sometime this week, text me if anything's any different and hug Sammy for me tomorrow."
"I will do, see you, Kelly," she said and he said his goodbyes before he left and went down the stairs.
She shut the door and locked up and walked through to the living room. She saw Jay was already dressed in his shorts and a vest top.
"Hey, I'm really sorry about leaving. I know I should've stayed. But I did just need time and I don't know why," He said before she could even say anything.
"Babe, it's fine. I get it. I'm the same, sometimes you just need to be alone and I 100% get that, and I know that you've had a lot to deal with and I know that talk of Ben is hard for you. Especially if you get put on the spot by my asshole of a dad. I'm so sorry you had to go through that tonight. My mom texted me before saying that he's supposedly sorry. But I won't make you see him again - don't worry about that," She said. "So, how did you and Kelly end up running into each other?"
Jay chuckled, "I ended up at that first responder's bar - I didn't realise, I just saw the nearest bar and went in. I didn't drink loads, I probably would've done if he hadn't have come over. But I did drink too much to drive. He just asked what happened and then we got to talking. He told me about his meeting with your dad and how that went. He did say it was bullshit that your dad said I shouldn't be around Sammy because of my record - which isn't that bad of a record. I got cleared - especially given he went to prison himself and is Sammy's dad…"
"Yeah, my dad wasn't too pleased when he found out Kelly had been to prison. But there wasn't anything he could do about it because I was an adult, and we were together. I do love how you ended up in Molly's though, I've not been there in forever. It's a nice little bar, I used to go a lot before I even met Kelly. So tell me honestly, did he say shit about me?"
"No, he didn't. We didn't talk much about you but he did say that he's just happy that you're happy," He told her. "So, seeing as it's just tattoo of us…"
"Oh god, you didn't just say that again. Please stop it! But isn't it tathree of us?" She teased, and then realised that it was just the two of them, "Wait, where's Max?"
"He fell asleep on the bed when I was getting changed. And anyway, my just tattoo of us line is the best and you love me for it. I was going to suggest we get back to binging on the Just Tattoo of Us show," He suggested, referencing the TV show of the same name that he found when he was flicking through the channels one night.
"Sounds good, babe. We need some comedy after what we've been through tonight," She said, snuggling into his side. He grabbed the remote and put on the show for them both to watch.
Running through the park across the road from Erin's apartment had become one of Jay's favourite runs. As usual, he woke up early and couldn't go back to sleep - with his mind still messed up from the night before - he decided to go out for a run. Max was keeping up with him and for some reason he stopped and changed direction, Jay stopped in confusion. He watched as Max went running to his little friend and Jay saw Sam now kneeling next to Max hugging him. He walked over to Sam, who was joined by Justin and Danny, "Hey guys, what are you doing here?" He asked.
"These two were up at five after spending half the night playing about. Olive needed to sleep so I said I'd bring them to the park and I was going to drop Sammy off when they'd let off some steam," Justin replied. "How're you doing?"
"I'm alright, ended up running into Kelly last night and we talked about the stuff that happened with him back then," He said vaguely so the boys didn't pick up on what they were talking about.
"You saw my daddy last night?" Sam asked, looking up at Jay.
"Yeah, I did. We ran into each other at the bar - I had some stuff to do and then I saw your dad. Did you have a good night?"
"Yes," Sam replied, rather tiredly. "Where's mommy?"
Jay looked at his watch, "It's 10 am on a Sunday and your mom is kid free - where do you think she is?"
"Asleep," Sam giggled, "Mommy loves her sleep!"
"That she does. I did ask her if she wanted to come on a run with me but she said no," Jay told him. He had asked Erin if she wanted to go on a run with him but was swiftly told to fuck off as she rolled over and went back to sleep. "You look tired Sam, so do you, Danny."
"They have been up since 5," Justin yawned, "Too excited about the sleepover."
"Do you want me to take Sam back now? I'm on my way back right now, saves you a trip to Erin's," He suggested, seeing how tired Justin looked.
"You sure you don't mind? I was going to drop him off in about an hour, but if you take him now, I can get this little man home and hopefully try and have a nice morning nap," Justin replied. "I have his bag in the car, can you watch these two for a second while I go and grab it?"
Jay nodded and Justin ran to the car to grab Sam's bag, "Sam what do you think about joining your mom for a nap when we get in? I'm sure she will appreciate some Sammy snuggles."
Sam nodded and leaned into Jay's legs, "Please can I get a lift home? I don't want to walk…"
"Yeah, of course. You can sit on my shoulders, we should be home in ten minutes. Do you think you can stay awake that long?" He asked and Sam just nodded. "Ah, your uncle is back with your bag."
"Alright, everything's in here, if he's forgot anything I'll drop it off in the week sometime," Justin said, handing Jay the rucksack with Sam's clothes and minion toy in. "Okay Sammy, we'll see you soon. Danny say goodbye."
"Bye Sam! Bye Jay!" Danny said as he took Justin's hand.
Jay and Sam both said their goodbyes and watched as the pair of them began walking back to the car together. Jay lifted Sam onto his shoulders, "You okay up there big man?"
"Yep," Sam replied.
"Alright then, let's get you back home, come on Max let's go," Jay said and Max began following them back to Erin's apartment.
Once they got back to the apartment, Sam was now resting his head on his shoulder, as once they got to the building, Sam was too high to fit through the doors on Jay's shoulders. He pulled Sam's shoes off and kicked off his own while Max went and got himself a drink. Jay realised that Erin was still asleep, so told Sam he'd take him through to see his mom. Erin opened her eyes and smiled, "Hey what are you doing here?"
"Someone had a little too much fun with their cousin and they were up very early. Justin took them to the park to get some of their excess energy out, so now he's exhausted. I said I'd bring him back," Jay told her, as he put Sam down on the bed next to Erin. "I think he could do with a nice morning nap."
"Sounds good," She whispered, seeing that Sam had already fallen asleep. "Are you going to join us?"
He nodded, "I'm just going to feed Max, then take a quick shower then I'll come and join you," He whispered leaning down to kiss her.
"Okay, we'll still be here," She murmured and shut her eyes to go back to sleep.
After feeding Max, Jay went into the shower and once he was done, he put on some PJ shorts and a vest before leaving the bathroom. He smiled when he saw that Max had now joined the two of them in bed. Max was lying next to Sam on Erin's side and she was half on his side of the bed. He quietly crept round to his side and slid in behind Erin and put his arm around her waist, He kissed her shoulder before lying down to go to sleep. He lay there feeling content, and thought that he really could get used to this.
AN: This chapter has been in the works since my last boy next door chapter came out, but not long after I managed to publish that, my grandma passed away so I've just not been in the mood for writing. I'm going to try and finish back to normal next and then I'll be able to focus on the this and boy next door. I can;t believe its nearly been a year since I first published this story! Hope you enjoy :)