Karma

"Where the hell have you two been?" Matt Casey asked as the boys appeared at the end of the driveway.

"It was my fault, Captain Casey," Liam said immediately.

"Call me Matt." He said softening his tone.

"It was my fault Matt. I was going to leave with or without Kyle so he went with me. We just went a few blocks over there," Liam said pointing.

"There's nothing over there," Matt replied.

"I got what I needed. Don't be mad at Kyle, it was my fault."

Matt looked over at his son who shrugged and raised his eyebrows. "I'm not mad that you took a walk, I'm upset that you were gone for so long and didn't check your phones. I couldn't find you on the app tracker," he said turning his gaze to Kyle.

"We were under the L tracks. It must have screwed up the signal." Kyle said.

"The L tracks. Why were you under the L tracks?"

"Turns out, it's a great place to scream," Kyle said.

Matt looked confused. "Kyle, why don't you go do some homework or work on the Lego contraption while I talk to Liam." Kyle nodded and looked over at Liam whose face was uncertain. "Let's go to my quarters," Matt said.

"Okay." Liam said following him into the small officer's quarters. "Am I in trouble?"

"No. But I have to admit I was pretty nervous when I came back from the call and you weren't here."

"Kyle said he told the secretary."

"He did, but he said you guys were going on a short walk."

"It's still my fault. I was out looking at the memorial for Otis and it just hit me hard. I wanted to walk to the District, but Kyle said it wouldn't be a good idea. He said we could take a walk and then stop to eat our lunch. I actually was able to eat. I think he tricked me," Liam said.

"I'm glad you were able to eat something. Why did you want to go to the district?"

"I don't know. I'm sure when I got there I would lose it since my dad isn't there. What do you think the team is doing?"

"Working hard on the case against the person who shot him."

"They have her in custody. I saw her."

"Really?"

"She's in the hospital. Can I go to the hospital?"

"Well, I'd have to talk to your uncle first and make sure it was okay with him. But if your dad is still sleeping then it's probably best if you hang out here a little bit longer. Okay?"

"Not like I have much of choice. Where am I supposed to sleep tonight?"

"I'm not sure. I think Will was planning on going to his apartment tonight so maybe with him. Or you can stay here, we have an extra bed. Or Kelly can pick you up and take you back to our place. You can sleep in my bed."

"Will Kyle have to go to school tomorrow?"

"Probably. He's in honor's classes and it's hard to catch up once you fall behind. But we'll see. Are you okay?" Matt asked as Liam stood up.

"No, I'm not okay. Nothing is okay and everything hurts."

"I'm sorry buddy. I am so sorry." Matt said pulling Liam close, grateful when the boy allowed himself to be held. "How about some ice cream?"

"No thank you," Liam replied stepping back. "I'll go help Kyle with the firetruck."

"Okay," Matt said as he watched him head to the table and join his son snapping together little red and gray pieces. He let his mind imagine if he and Hallie ever had a second child that this would be a common scene, along with arguments, more little boy debris and a massive amounts of attitude. The two light colored heads bent over, talking quietly, sharing their pain and support. Sometimes it is a child that must lead them.

Will stood at the door and looked at the steady rise and fall of his brother's chest. He had no idea how this whole situation had come to be, but he did know that the woman named Angela Nelson was responsible for this and he also knew his nephew had spent half the night sneaking around the hospital including a visit to her room. He also seemed very interested in something at the vacated nurses station. He had no idea what was going on in Liam's head or what he was up to. And he didn't think he could handle it if had to find out. He had watched the boy go from a typical ten year old to someone who would no longer be defined by a chronological number. He had passed go, collected hatred and fear and was on some type of mission that wouldn't be deterred from. And it had all happened in less than twenty-four hours.

He wasn't ready for whatever might be next if Jay didn't make it. Jay questioned his own skills as a father but Will would be completely lost. He would immediately have to give up his apartment and find one with two bedrooms. He would have to make sure it was in a good school district or put the kid in private school. And he saw so much of Jay in Liam that it scared him. Jay was a good man, but always seemed to simmer on a slow burn of emotion and he could already see that, and much more in Liam. They would grieve together, but where would Liam end up emotionally as the steps of grief were taken? He put his hand through a glass door to get what he wanted, there was no doubt in his mind that Liam had done that purposely which is exactly why he had allowed him to stay at the hospital for fear what the kid might do if he had forced him elsewhere.

Why the hell had that woman done this to them? What had they done to deserve any of it? And if Jay didn't survive how would he? How would Liam?

Jay felt as if he was floating. He also felt lost. It was like he was in a funhouse. There were mirrors that reflected only confusion. He thought he had seen Liam, but when he went to grab him he was gone. Will was in the distance as was Adam and Hailey, among others, but they too, vanished. Every step he took pulled him deeper into distraction and disorientation. There was a light behind him but nobody was back there, they were all in front of him. Turning back would be easier, the way was clear. But he had to go forward, if only he could figure out a way in which to do it.

The afternoon was stretching out and Kelly found he couldn't concentrate, thinking of the Halstead's. He knew Jay's condition was serious and all he could focus on was young Liam. He was only ten years old and was trying to deal with an impossible situation. When he was called into the bosses office he figured it was because he had been adrift for much of the day, but in the end he was being fired for doing a great job. He was thrilled he would get back to 51, but had for all intents and purposes succeeded in his assignment. He went home, changed his clothes and decided he would go to the firehouse and pick up the boys. Maybe a trip to Grant Park or walk through the Lincoln Park Zoo might let them burn off some steam.

"What did your dad tell the school," Liam asked as Kyle came up behind him. "You know, to get you out of going today?"

"He told them we had a family emergency." Causing Liam looked over at him questioningly. "Well, it's true, we did."

Liam gave a slight, but forced smile. He was standing by the wall that held all kinds of pictures, some were photographs while others were drawn. He focused on the Halloween shot that was front and center with himself and his dad along with Matt and Kelly.

"You know that family is more than just blood right?" Kyle asked.

"Yeah. It's like we have a bunch of aunts and uncles."

"And brothers," Kyle said.

"Thanks," Liam said as his phone buzzed and chirped in his pocket. He pulled it out and his eyes grew wide and went from flat and dead to bright and alive. "My dad woke up! He woke up!" He yelled just as Kelly came around the corner.

"Well then we better get over there." He said.

"Dad," Kyle screamed, "Jay woke up, we're going to go over and see him."

"How? Do you need a ride?" Matt asked as he ran into the room. "Hey Kelly, what are doing here?"

"I got fired. I'll be back next shift. But right now, I'm taking these two to Chicago Med. I'll touch base with you later," he said turning to catch up with the boys who were already in motion.

The trio raced to Kelly's car and piled in. Kelly could feel Liam's urgency coming through from the backseat. He didn't drive recklessly, but he he set the pace for the traffic around him. Urging the car in front of him to go a bit faster and getting frustrated when it didn't respond. He drummed his fingers on the steering wheel at each light they had to endure and found his efforts seemed to enough to satisfy Liam whose face wasn't as tight as it had been, but his eyes still remained uncertain in his attempt to be patient.

"I'm trying kiddo." Kelly said as they waited for pedestrians as he tried to make a right turn.

"I know." Liam said as he tightened his hands into fists only to release them and do it all over again.

"You can just drop us off at the door," Kyle said as they approached the hospital.

"I don't think so. I'll park and we'll all go in. You two don't need to be roaming the halls on your own," Kelly replied as he waited to get into the nearby parking garage.

"My uncle is at the door, waiting for us," Liam said showing Kelly the text that said as much.

"Okay, then. But stay with him and text me Jay's room number so I know where I'm going."

"Deal," the boys both chirped at the same time.

Kelly eased over to the curb as the kids hopped out and ran through the doors and found Will immediately and it was all that they could do to stay still as he explained they needed to walk and stay quiet.

"Is he still awake?" Liam asked.

"He may have fallen back asleep, but the nurse told me he kept saying your name over and over again when he woke up. I spoke to him and he's tired a little confused as to what happened, but he's fine. If he's asleep when we get up there, we can wait a few minutes and see if he wakes up." Will explained as they made their way through the hospital, Liam briefly slowing at one point to glance inside a room. "Kyle, please tell Kelly his room number," he instructed as they walked through Jay's doorway.

"Dad!" Liam yelled charging over to the bed.

"Don't jump on him," Will yelled causing Liam to slow up. He saw the bandages taking up the left side of his father's upper body, but smiled at seeing his eyes opened and focused on his visitor.

"Hey kiddo," he croaked out. "It's great to see you."

"I thought you were going to die," Liam said as the emotion caught up with him as he inhaled and a sob slipped from his mouth.

"Nah, not me. I'm like a superhero. I'm going to be fine, I promise," Jay said trying to calm his son.

"What happened?" Kyle asked.

"Hey Kyle." Jay greeted. My memory is a bit foggy right now. I think it's the stuff they put in my IV bag."

But Kyle didn't believe him. He had a feeling that Jay knew exactly what had happened to him but wasn't ready or willing to share it. Liam had regained control and gone around to the other side of the bed where he reached out for his father's hand.

Will sat with them for a few minutes until Kelly made it up and then said he'd check in later but had to get back to the ER.

"When can you come home?" Liam asked.

"Maybe tomorrow or the next day. It depends on a few things. But I'll have to take it easy for a while."

"I can take care of you." Liam promised.

"Oh you can, can you?"

"Yep."

"Well, that sounds great." Jay said looking at his son who was glowing in his relief and happiness. "I'll count on it. Have you been good for Kelly?"

"Yeah. And Matt too."

"What happened to your hand," Jay asked as he noticed the bandage on Liam's hand.

"It was an accident."

"What kind of accident?" Jay asked.

"I cut it last night, but it will be fine."

Jay looked over at Kelly who seemed uncomfortable with the conversation. "I'm sure that Liam will tell you about it after you get back home. A few stitches, but it should heal up just fine."

"I have to pee," Liam suddenly announced.

"There's a bathroom right there," Jay said nodding his head towards the bathroom in his room.

"That's okay, I saw one down the hall. I'll go use that one."

"Why?" Jay asked.

"I'm shy," Liam said as he walked into the hallway, leaving Jay somewhat confused and concerned.

"I'll go with him," Kyle announced and followed the younger boy. He saw Liam up ahead and jogged to catch up with him. "What are you doing?"

"I saw her."

"Her who?"

"Her who shot my dad. When we were walking to my dad's room, they must have moved her up here to this floor too. There was no guard at the door."

"Maybe there doesn't need to be one anymore. Maybe it wasn't her, are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure. And why not? Why wouldn't they have a guard? Have we already forgotten what she did?"

"I don't think anyone forgot." Kyle assured.

"Then what happened? Did they make some kind of deal? Did my dad do something after he woke up?"

"Like what?"

"Like he said something. I don't know. Something isn't right. She tried to kill him. Even if he screwed something up, she shouldn't go free. It was attempted murder Kyle."

Liam stopped in front of the door and they peered inside and saw Angela Nelson in bed, the handcuff that had previously secured her to the bedrail was missing. She was dozing, her eyes closed. The boys crept in and watched her breath weave around her chest and abdomen. The boys just stood, almost mesmerized.

"Her handcuff is gone. What does that mean?" Liam whispered.

"I don't know," Kyle quietly replied.

"Who's there?" She asked opening her eyes and seeing the boys standing there.

"You shot my dad," Liam stated.

"What?" She asked, her voice rough from sleep.

"You. Shot. My. Dad." Liam repeated.

"He said he was single daddy, but I guess I didn't believe him."

"Well he is. And you could have left me an orphan," Liam said. "Why aren't you handcuffed? Where's your guard?"

"I'm going free. Don't need that stuff anymore."

"How can you be going free? You shot a Chicago Police Detective." Kyle asked.

"Cause he got the wrong guy and my husband died because of him. They don't want that getting out."

"Who said you could go free?" Kyle asked.

"I can't remember his name, but he seemed like he was in charge. Made a deal, I stay quiet, I go free. I have a son too and thanks to that cop, I'm a single parent now. Why am I even talking to you kids. Who's watching you?"

"What was the deal?" Kyle said shaking his head, knowing it was Voight.

"Said if I didn't stay quiet, he'd come after me. Make sure I never saw my son as a free woman again. I'm a victim here."

Kyle just grinned, but there was no warmth in the smile. "There's no sympathetic shoulder to cry on here, so you can just stop being the victim. I'm sorry for your loss, but it ends there. I side with the man that promised his wrath earlier and if he doesn't take care of you I will. We will," he said looking back at Liam, who remained rooted to the floor, his blue eyes staring daggers into the woman.

"You two are just kids, little boys that don't know nothing about nothing. You can't do anything." She said.

"Yes, we are just kids, and that is exactly why we can not only do something, but we can get away with it, because people such as yourself believe us to be incapable. Look, you shot a cop, there's no denying that. An officer that was trying to help you. An officer who is a single parent. Not only a single parent, but Liam goes on TV, or to the paper, a blond haired, blue eyed child, crying that his father was shot while assisting the widow of a man who they had believed to be the shooter of two young black kids. And in their rush to find this heinous perpetrator, they got the wrong guy, but he had fit the scenario in nearly every way and they simply wanted justice for those boys. Yes, it was eventually discovered an error had been made, but he had been killed in prison, not by Detective Halstead or any of his fellow officers.

"The city will see this boy and the sympathy will be immediate. You are the villain in this story. Fair? Maybe, maybe not? Biased? Most likely. But what it certainly is—is reality. Scars are simply a reminder of what we've endured, what we've survived. Some can be seen and they often are, but it's the ones that cannot be seen that are often the most powerful. His tears will bring his internal scars to the surface. You thought your anger and need for vengeance allowed you to throw away your moral compass, but society won't allow it and I won't allow it." Kyle continued.

"Time will not erase what you did. Truth is karma and it will come back to haunt you at some point, it always does. Your actions all add up and we already know the sum. You now live in a darkness all your own and have no control over who turns on the light."

"Karma will catch up to him too," Angela stated, her head spinning from what this young boy had just spouted. He looked so young, but so many words with so much impact had just landed at her feet. Were both these boys the cops sons or just the smaller one, she wondered.

"Karma for what? Doing his job?" Liam said finally joining the conversation. He had appeared to zone out, but he had taken in every word that Kyle had said.

"Take care of your son. Put him first. And hope the people that you ripped off don't have too many friends far and wide, because who you had come to know as a friend, the man that you called for help, no longer exists and that puts it all on you," Kyle said grabbing Liam and headed towards the door.

Angela laid there dumbfounded. She didn't know the intricacies of police work but she was pretty sure they didn't tell these boys anything about the case so how did they know and who did they know? Her previous relaxed slumber was long gone as she stared at the empty spot where the kids had just been.

Once the boys were back out in the hallway they moved away from Angela's room and stopped by the bathroom door. "What the heck was that?" Liam asked. "You should be a lawyer."

"Sometimes it just pours out on its own."

"Well, it made a splash. But what did my dad do? What could it have been to make Voight hand out a deal like that?"

"A mistake. A big one. Or one that might touch someone really high up. The media reported that Marcus West was guilty, but what if he wasn't? What if your dad arrested the wrong guy?"

"That's what you just said in her room—that they got the wrong guy." Liam pointed out.

"And she didn't correct me. In fact she seemed to already know that. So, they did get the wrong guy. But, he was killed and CPD let the blame stay with him. They did that to protect themselves."

"My dad."

"Yeah, but I bet it was more for the higher ups."

"Voight?"

"Higher. They had some kind of tip or information that made them certain it was this Marcus West guy, what was it?"

"I don't know. If you didn't know that Marcus was innocent, then how come you said he was to his wife? That the cops screwed up?"

"Because I had to say something. And clearly nothing is as it seems here. If Voight let her go, then he had a good reason and I think that good reason is that the man was innocent. Who's higher than Voight?"

Liam shrugged. "The commander?"

"Maybe he was reliving some of the glory days. Got a tip, wanted to back in the mix. But his tip didn't work like he planned and it imploded and West was dead."

"Since he couldn't defend himself they just let everyone believe what they already did; that he was guilty." Liam finished.

"So then how did she find anything out and how did your dad get involved with her?"

"He felt bad," Liam said. "If he found out that he led the charge for the wrong guy, he would feel really bad about it."

"And he would try and make it up to her," Kyle said. "Somehow he introduced himself to her with an alter ego. Got involved in her life to help out, ease his conscious."

"I think he spent time with her and her son," Liam stated.

"You know this?"

"Not for sure. But I caught him in a lie. He had said he was working late on a case once, but a couple nights later I had accidentally picked up his phone and saw that Hailey had texted him wanting to know where he was. It was the same night he was supposed to be working with her."

"What did he say back?"

"That he was with me. That's how I know he was lying because he wasn't with me. He had been working late a little bit more than usual. And when I told him I needed money for my drum lessons, he said money was kind of tight and he would send the money the following week."

"He's good at being undercover and it sounds like he was giving her some cash too. Who knows what he told her, but it sounds like he was definitely helping her out. Maybe he was the one that wanted Voight to let her go."

"But she shot him. He was trying to help her and she shot him."

"We don't know the story, we're just guessing." Kyle reminded him.

"But we do know what she did."

"And we can't do anything with it. I don't know if anything that we think we know will ever come to light. You have to be prepared to just let it go."

"Let it go?" Liam gasped. "How can I just let it go?"

"Because you have to." Kyle said. "Because we'll never find out the answers we want—they won't be there, at least not for us. I'll try, but I just don't want you to be disappointed when there are no more answers forthcoming."

"Hey! Did you guys get lost?" Kelly asked as he walked towards them.

"No. Sorry. I accidentally got water all over the floor and was trying to wipe it up." Liam lied.

"Let's go back so you can tell your dad goodbye. He needs his rest." Kelly explained.

They went back into Jay's room and figured out that Kelly would take Liam home with him and Kyle and bring the boy back to the hospital the following day to see if Jay was ready to go home. Father and son embraced as best they could, each had tears in their eyes when they parted.

Two days later Kelly had taken Liam to the apartment to get a change of clothes for Jay after they dropped Kyle off at school. Kelly had enjoyed his day with the youngster yesterday, in-between hospital visits they had managed to find time to visit the Children's Museum and take a walk on Navy Pier. It was good for both of them to recharge their batteries, for Liam to have a bit of normalcy and for Kelly to relax and remember his days with Kyle years ago.

Now, Liam carefully chose the matching flannel shirt to the one he was wearing and carried it as if it were made of gold. Once at the hospital they both spoke with Will, who changed Liam's bandage and checked the sutures and took them upstairs to find Hailey speaking with Jay. It was clear they had interrupted something, but Hailey assured them it was fine and promised she would check in on them later when they got settled back at home.

Jay expressed his gratitude to the Firehouse 51 family and taking care of Liam while he was out of commission as Kelly drove them home. He had been happy to be released from the hospital, true he did lie a bit about how much pain he had been in, but he feared that honesty would have only kept in longer. He hated hospitals and he knew that Liam would do much better once he was home.

"No problem. Matt and Kyle did most of the heavy lifting. Besides he's a good kid."

"I was Dad." Liam concurred. "But I was really worried about you. Uncle Will said the wound was bad. That you bled a lot. I wanted to give blood, but I couldn't because I was too little."

"It was nice of you to try," Jay said.

"Why did she shoot you?" Liam asked.

"Hey, how about I grab you guys some lunch," Kelly offered trying to derail the conversation as he pulled up in front of the Halstead apartment.

"That'd be great," Jay said as he rocked himself back and forth to gain enough momentum to get out of the car.

"Any requests?" Kelly asked. "Besides no meat."

"Whatever you can find will work," Jay assured.

Kelly took off as Liam and Jay made their way into the apartment, Liam leading the way, unlocking all the doors and opening them for his father.

"I can put your gun and badge away," Liam said as Jay shrugged out of his coat.

"I got it kiddo," Jay assured. "Can you hang up my coat for me though."

Liam hung up the coat as well as his own and waited for his father to return to the living room, recalling just a couple of days before, he had broken down and sobbed in the place where he now stood, fearing he would never see his father alive again.

"Look at our shirts," Liam said as Jay returned. "I picked out our matching shirts."

"You sure did," Jay said sitting down on the couch, frustrated that he was so tired. The doctor said his body needed time to recover and that he would need to rest and that his body would demand it of him. Also, the pain pills might make him a bit tired and/or loopy. He wanted to make sure he didn't take too many and pass out or act intoxicated in front of his son.

"You said we'd get a Christmas card picture with our two shirts on."

"And we will, I promise. Just let me get rid of this thing," Jay said, indicating the sling. "I'm tired. I'm going to close my eyes for a minute. Can you keep an eye out for Kelly?"

"Yeah," Liam agreed. He had seen his dad work for days and come home exhausted, but this was different, a different tired and it scared him. Like Jay might not open his eyes ever again.

An hour later Jay did open his eyes and saw Liam watching TV with the volume so low, it could hardly be heard. "Did Kelly come back?" He asked.

"Yep. I already ate. Yours is in the kitchen. I can get it for you."

"In a minute. I want to talk to you first."

"Okay," Liam replied quietly."

"I'm sorry this happened. That you had to go through this."

"You had to go through it, not me." He said looking at Jay's sling. "What happened Dad? Why did she shoot you? Why didn't you have your vest on?"

"It's complicated."

"Truth for truth." Liam stated.

"What does that mean?"

"I'll tell you the truth if you tell me the truth. But you go first." Liam challenged.

"I was in the wrong place at the wrong time, and I trusted someone who wasn't stable and I was shot. How did you know it was a 'she' that shot me?"

Liam swallowed, realizing his error. "I don't. I just said she." Liam knew he couldn't tell his father the truth about he and Kyle's detective work. If Jay knew what they had been up to, he'd be in big trouble and Kyle might be too.

Jay suspected something was amiss, but he was too worn out to take the conversation any further.

"Okay then, how about warming up my lunch for me?"

"Okay," Liam agreed and got up and headed to the kitchen glad his dad hadn't demanded any answers from him.

Weeks later~

Kyle had smooth talked Trudy to get permission to go upstairs. She knew him and was aware that he had a friendship with Jay, and in some weird way, a way even she couldn't describe some type of relationship with Voight.

"Kyle," Jay said waving his good arm. "What brings you here?"

"How's Liam?" Kyle asked.

"Fine. Happy that I'm still on light duty though."

"I imagine so. Hey, is Voight in?"

"Yeah, in his office," Jay said looking a bit bewildered.

"Thanks," Kyle said heading to the sergeant's office.

"Kyle Casey, what brings you here?" Hank asked at the teen walked in and closed the door behind him.

"Since when does pressing charges become optional for the attempted murder of a CPD Detective?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Angela Nelson. Why is she free? How does she walk away from this?"

"Because it's what happened. And, it's none of your business."

"Liam is my friend, Jay is my friend and that makes me very interested."

"You don't know anything about it, so just cool your jets and walk out of here. This isn't your battle."

"It's Liam's, but he's too young to fight it or to fight it alone." Kyle said having spoken to Liam several times in the last few weeks, hearing the boy's concern that Angela had just walked away. The boy hadn't been able to talk to his father about it, so he talked to Kyle about it all.

"So here you are huh?"

"Yes. This is what I think; West was innocent, Jay was pushed to arrest a suspect and got the wrong guy. She found out somehow and shot him. Hell, he may have even told her because he has a conscious and a soul and couldn't live with the mistake. The mistake that was covered up by the department to protect someone higher up than him."

"You do have a vivid imagination. I'll give you that." Voight said.

"It may not be the whole truth, but the truth is in there. You want to protect Jay and that's admirable, but do you see where it led?" Kyle asked.

"Liam isn't in danger. Jay is fine."

"But he might not have been. I know you have tried to make up for your previous sins by doing the best you can to protect those around you, but sometimes things don't work out that way. And now this woman gets a free pass."

"It's what Jay wanted. It was his call. He was thinking about her son. I followed what he wanted. Let us take care of it—let it go."

"It was a mistake to let her go. Maybe you scared her for now, but will it be enough? Will it be forever?"

"Why can't you just be a normal thirteen year old for once? Worry about girls, homework and math class?"

"Because your actions, your mistakes from years ago won't allow me." Kyle said speaking of the time Voight had hired a hitman to kill Matt so he wouldn't write a report that implicated his son in a traffic accident.

"Yes I've made mistakes that are unforgivable and I'm sorry. I can't tell you any more than that. How you even know what happened back then between me and your father is beyond me. I really can't see your dad telling you." Voight said.

"I know, because nobody is as careful as they think they are. You tried to have him killed, and that is unforgivable and it always be the lens through which I look at you. It has and will forever taint anything you do in my eyes. I actually do have respect for you Sergeant Voight and I hope that you believe that, but everything you do is suspect in my eyes."

"I know that you can't forgive me and I would never ask you to."

"It's not about forgiveness, I've forgiven you. I did years ago, so that I could look at you, talk to you, move on. But I can never forget what you did."

"I know it's hard to forget."

"No, not hard to forget Sergeant; it's impossible."

Hank gave a quick nod. He was a force that most found hard to deal with, but this kid, this thirteen year old kid had no fear of him. Looked him in the eye with each exchange and never backed down. He had expressed the desire to become a cop when he grew up and he would be every bit the force of nature that Hank was if he survived that long. Kyle held no fear, he fought to protect and save everyone he felt deserving regardless of their age or specific situation and it had nearly gotten him killed more than once. But he still hadn't learned to back off and Hank didn't think he ever would. The kid clearly suffered from a messiah complex and he would make an excellent law enforcement officer, a true asset for those on the right side of the law and a nightmare to those on the wrong side of it.

"Angela Nelson was telling me about karma," Hank said looking at Kyle. "What does karma mean to you?"

"It means that the loss of your son, was meant to be," Kyle said. "And I'm sorry that it was."

Hank was momentarily speechless before he cleared his throat and spoke again. "How do you figure?"

"You wanted my father dead, put a plan in action to make it happen, only a lucky circumstance made your plan fail. My father's life was meaningless to you, I was meaningless to you. You wanted a man dead, simply because you didn't want your son to suffer from the consequences that he deserved. So it only seemed fitting that one day, you would watch him leave you."

With those words Kyle turned and left, leaving Voight at a total loss of words and mix of emotions that he wasn't even certain of. He watched the teen approach and talk to Jay. The kid was a genius, more than book smart, more than people smart, worldly beyond belief, but he had to come to the realization that his actions and outward emotions would make him a target and one day the bullseye would be hit.

"Hey Jay." Kyle said as he exited Voight's office and found Jay. "My dad wanted to take Liam and me to the planetarium on Saturday. We can pick him up and drop him off. You're welcome to come too if Liam won't let you out of his sight, but my dad thought you might want some time to yourself."

"That sounds heavenly," Jay said. "Liam's been a great helper. But if I didn't get back to work and out from under his watchful eye I was going to lose my mind."

"I'll text you the time later."

Jay looked over at Voight, who looked like he had been stung by a swarm of bees. He had no idea what Kyle had said to him, but it most definitely had an impact. Jay knew that Kyle had been a great help when he was in the hospital and the weeks since. That he had taken Liam under his wing and acted like the big brother that the boy had desperately needed. He also knew that Kyle was capable of so much more than anyone could ever expect from someone so young. He had no idea how much the boy knew of the Angela Nelson situation, but hoped it was minimal.

Days later~

Jay and Matt Casey stood back and watched the boys as they took part in an interactive exhibit at the planetarium. Jay had decided to go with them, wanting to have the time with his son while he had the opportunity. Once he returned to full duty, the hours would increase and time at home would decrease. Besides they still owed the boys their lunch at a vegan restaurant and neither father wanted to let that promise slip away.

"Back on full duty Monday?" Matt asked.

"Yes. Finally."

"Are you ready?"

"More than ready. I can't sit at a desk."

"How's Liam handling the idea of your return?"

"Not well. But he'll be okay."

"You've been in combat so I'm sure normal life seems far too mundane for you. So naturally you choose, shall we say, a career with lots of action. Liam knows this. He knows what you are seeking."

"I suppose he does. At least on some level."

"When Kyle was ten he stayed out all night. He did it after a factory fire that I didn't think I was going to escape from. I truly thought I was going to die that day. And out of desperation to show me just how terrified he was, he did one thing that he could think of to make feel that same despair. It worked. It worked well.

"I see that same look of desperation on Liam's face. That terror. My job has its dangers, but yours, yours is— well the risks are incredible. Kyle's experience with you—" he said speaking of the weeks the two had spent undercover, "he has a great amount of respect for you and your abilities."

"But?" Jay asked.

"But the world is big and at times very ugly. Those days that I spent some time with Liam when you were in the hospital, I saw some of the same looks of anger, passion, fury and intensity that Kyle wears. Those emotions have taken my son places he had no right to be. I just don't want Liam to be swept into a sea of his rage and not be able to make his way out of it." Jay nodded. "Just steel yourself for some push-back when you go back to full duty. And Jay, keep him close."

Soundtrack: This is War by Matthew Raetzel