Chapter 2- In a New York Minute
Love you guys! When I say I was nervous for posting this, I'm not joking. The unfortunate truth is that hate is going around the One Chicago fandom right now, which absolutely breaks my heart. People should never be in fear of sharing their opinion. There is very little truth or factual elements to these shows. Just about all of it is left up to interpretation. What I may get out of these shows someone else won't, and that's ok! I love hearing other viewpoints of things. Differences are the foundation for conversations, bonding, and friendly debates. So when I dropped the idea of Erin in the previous chapter I was scared that I would receive hate or dislike. But you guys have been so sweet and supportive that your words are giving me hope. There will always be outliers in any group, but you guys are showing me that not everyone is here to hate one another. And now I shall get off my soapbox.
So this chapter we'll be catching a flight to New York City! Again, this is furthering the laying of the foundation before the main event, per se. Let's get into this! Are you guys ready for a reunion?!
Home is a sanctuary. A place of refuge and solace at the beginning and endpoints of the day. A home is a neat, organized, calm location where one's troubles ought to melt away by the second. Home is a destination, a goal, a finish line. It is where you can truly be yourself, leave the various masks of the world at the doorstep. Home is supposed to good, fresh, with a touch of lavender or some other tranquil scent. Everything ought to be in its' place and radiate a welcoming energy. It's no wonder a series of rooms described as such are the escapes when things are terrible. True peace and relaxation can only happen in the most comfortable of locations: home. So to say the mental record scratched when Jay bust through his front door is an understatement.
For starters the place reeked of something gone bad. He knew it had been a minute since unlocking the front door, but to stand in the entryway and gaze at the shock and awed state of the place had him rolling his eyes and groaning. Clothing was scattered between the couch and bedroom door, that one was tripping him up due to the fact he had zero memory of why things were that way. Drinking glasses and dishes were speckling, no, blanketing the kitchen. From the table to sink there were very few surfaces not covered in some form of tableware. Venturing into the kitchen awarded a stronger whiff of the odd scent. Jay stopped in front of the fridge, readying himself for what the other side had for him. He took a deep breath, swung the door open wide, and exhaled through a gag. Leftovers from the week between Christmas and New Years had taken on a new shade and appearance, the tacos donning a fuzzy coat.
"You're such a disgusting slob," Jay told himself as he ran for the garbage can, shoving the cylindrical shape right up to the edge and stiff arming everything into it. Once the toxic bag was out of the building and down the street Jay found cologne and doused the place in it. Room freshener wasn't going to cut it in this case, he had to bring in the big, expensive guns. It was when everything had a nice sheen that he stopped, realizing he had less then an hour to get to the airport and get through security. From there it was about the essentials: pack a bag and get going in the direction of O'Hare. The dishes would have to wait, laundry was balled into a pile next to the laundry room. It all would have to be put on hold till he returned in a couple days, or so he assumed.
Twenty minutes and one shower later Jay was back at the threshold of the place, turning back to face the state of things. He never did this when he left home, wasn't one to look back at things. But for reasons unknown to him at the time he glanced over his shoulder. The place was a beautiful and poetic take on the life of a detective. On the exterior is was quiet, appeared to be in order and under control. But open the door wide and all that's really there is chaos. It was the occupation, his life at the moment, but he wouldn't have it any other way. He mentally bid farewell before leaving it all behind, completely unaware of the explosion life had in store for him. If he considered things a mess now, just wait a couple days.
…
"How in the world did you get here so quickly?" Jay looked up from his protein shake and late breakfast, ripping out an AirPod to a crowd of head scratchers. It was true, his unofficial plan of beating everyone to the gate worked out swimmingly. He arrived and got through things long enough to find a seat close to the window and secure sustenance. We call that a rousing victory.
"Um, a badge maybe?!"
"You're joking," Hailey snapped back, everyone else had raised eyebrows and subtle laughs.
"TSA pre-check," he joked.
"How did you get that and none of us did?"
"Oh, you can sign up for it. You go in and do an interview and stuff and viola, you can bypass security every time. Got it for stuff like this."
"And you decided to not share this with the class, why," Adam jokingly inquired?
"Eh, you guys have to figure stuff out on your own." They all rolled their eyes, taking a collective seat around or behind Jay. The flight to New York was relatively light, which was odd considering the time of day and location. Some of that had to do with the weather they were about to fly into, but mostly Jay didn't care. The last thing he wanted was a jam packed flight to a bustling city with a person he was nervous and excited to see again. At this point he didn't even know if she would be there, but gut told him it was happening. The case hit too close to home for her to ignore things. Adam picked up on the thoughts shooting through the brain at a million miles per second. He looked around Jay to Hailey, giving her that look to make people leave for a moment. She nodded, the two of them concurring that someone had to talk to him. Hailey would volunteer but she wasn't fully in the know of that period of his life. So she left it to the more informed one, rising to speak to the group.
"Who's hungry?" A couple 'me's' were spoken while others stretched their extremities, standing to follow her in the direction of food. Adam gave out his order before turning to face Jay. He was like a little kid, feeling the stare of someone but doing his best to look as busy as possible, hoping someone would buy it.
"You don't even know if she's going to be involved." Jay sighed, sitting up just a bit without breaking his gaze of the window.
"She is. It's Teddy. There's no way she won't be. Plus she and Benson were close, talked a lot after the whole Yates thing. She'll be there."
"So why the nerves?"
"I'm not nervous."
"You're a horrible liar. How do you manage to go undercover?" That one got a smirk, a glance over before replying.
"Things didn't exactly go as planned. Didn't really even get an opportunity to say anything. I was ready to take that next step."
"What?!" Jay nodded.
"And then all that happened. I get that a lot of time and things have happened since then, but…"
"The feelings might still be there."
"Yeah, I don't know."
"Well, I'm not one to preach about these things, but just view this as a second opportunity, alright? Whatever happens, happens." They were nicely interrupted by the call for boarding, Adam looking for any kind of response, which came in the form of a shrug. Everyone did the cow heading shuffle and soon were on the ramp, returning to the herding line as the slow pokes ever so carefully shoved their carry-ons into the overhead compartment. Before long all members of the team were in their assigned seats and situated for the hour and a half flight to the Big Apple. It was in the middle of a pestering match between Voight and the flight attendants that Jay's mind trickled off to a lively conversation from way back in time. The subject was scattered between apartment hunting and overtime.
"Last time I worked violence reduction duty I wound up chasing some tweaked out Bonnie and Clyde couple across a roof."
"Right, the ones who fell through the skylight."
"Oh, I told you that one?"
"Yeah."
"Point is, we just became two more targets for them to shoot at."
"A, Platt basically made this mandatory. B, we're getting overtime it's like a dollar a minute."
"Time I'd rather spend in that walk-in shower with the dual steam heads in the apartment I looked at."
"This is your caption speaking, runway has been assigned and we're clear for takeoff. Enjoy the warmth of the cabin, ladies and gentlemen. It's a balmy nineteen degrees in New York City." Jay scoffed at the people groaning and complaining. Nineteen was a mild March day in the Windy City. As the plane raced towards the end of the tarmac Jay recalled hearing that the high in the city today was going to be seven. He looked to Hailey who was buried deep in a bag of Cheetos and a Skymall magazine. Returning to the window he didn't move till they were airborne, making that sharp turn towards the East coast. He missed those times, those pointless conversations about apartment relocation. He thought his plan of including her in his hunt would be enough to get her in on the place with him. But true to her she had far better, silent plans that he grew to love. Just one more chance, a final sendoff and he'd be set for life.
"You want the new fancy shower with the whatever and the whatever you need to work the overtime."
"Did I show you the loft on Division?"
"The one with the toilet next to the stove? You are not moving in there."
"It's intimate."
"Yeah, so's prison."
…
Anyone who's flown through LaGuarda, LGA, in the last century knows the literal hell it's configuration is. The ceilings are so low, there are close to three million gates scattered across several miles of concourses and seemingly disconnected terminals. Furthermore the construction taking place there must be in the Guinness book of world records for the longest project ever. Jay mentally figured that since the last time he raced out to New York for a case, the construction workers had managed to knock down two more walls. Nothing had been built, just furthering the demolishing of the place. It was like a curious child whittling their way down to the very core of some electronic. No revitalization and revamping was taking place, just destruction and chaos.
But perhaps the biggest headache of it all was the ceiling height. The place is so old they couldn't have been taller then seven, eight feet at the most. One wonders when the world had a growth spurt because things back in the day were in smaller scales then they are now. But enough of this bunny trail thought. So with these small ceilings, one above five foot two couldn't help but duck constantly. It was a natural reaction and one Jay found himself doing without realizing. Between de-boarding the getting to the pick up zone, everyone had a good laugh over Jay's squat-and-walk routine. In the beginning Jay was doing it without noticing, but towards the end it was for pure comedic relief. After the bumpy and constant crying of the flight, they all need a bit humorous relief. Jay was more then willing to be the class clown when the timing was right.
What greeted them in the not-so-fresh air was a blast of snow and bone chilling cold. Winter storm Helena was making her presence known, but that didn't seem to stop anyone. The classic sounds of New York City were right there: car horns, police whistles, women shouting into their phones "I'M AT THE CURB COME GET ME YOU ASSHOLE," to their doting significant other. To those not from another city this was a circus on a grander scale, but to the residents of Chicago this was per the norm, almost. It was another city with its' own dynamics. Give it five minutes and they'd be over the shock of the noise.
It was a extra long car horn that had them all stop in their tracks. Sargeant Benson was standing outside a conversion van decked out in NYPD logos and tags, Finn at the helm of the rig. They were at the far end of the terminal, creating quite the back up and angry people in their tire tracks. Olivia was waving her arms wildly, Finn flashing the lights while continuing to honk. It was a sight to behold, something very out of character for people as decorated and seasoned as these two. It drove home the truth that at the end of the day everyone was a person, the job stayed at the job. Intelligence walked over feeling as if they were in a James Bond scene, in but actuality it better aligned with Brooklyn 99. The sidewalks were coated in ice and snow, the amount of people on the surface making prep work next to impossible. Each member wove their way around other people while doing their best to not slide into each other, others, or the road. Put together the waving at one end and the slipping, sliding, and embarrassed looks at the other end and you have the best reunion ever. It was Voight who made it to the van first, hugging Olivia as if they were dear friends for most of their life.
"Welcome to New York! I see you guys brought the snow with you," Olivia exclaimed to the group while opening the passenger doors. Each person got a special greeting from the sergeant. Those she met before received hugs and 'good to see you so and so,' while those she never met also received hugs and brief introductions. She was like the cool aunt that remembered everything. You could go years between visits and slip back into a routine as if you never left. Once the people and bags were secured the van slipped into traffic, the stop-and-go pace providing a perfect time to fill in the gaps. Those who didn't speak looked out the window, watching the ominous dark hue of the city grow ever bigger.
"So what's the latest," Voight began. Jay rolled his eyes before looking to Olivia. Hank was all business, never fun and games.
"Well, we're up to three live feeds. All kids in the foster system, all of them going back to child protective services. Foster parents are different and facilitators aren't linked in any way, but the pattern fits."
"Damn," Kevin spoke under his breath. It was true. The last resort for scared, lonely children was responsible for turning their lives upside down once again. It was senseless, revolting, something that only the most evil version of a human could fathom.
"When did things start happening," Adam asked?
"About a week ago. Facebook live was where the first feed was picked up on. Once the Feds got wind of things it went to the dark net. Chat rooms, third party auction sites were being used. Again.."
"-Just like the Teddy case. Feds?"
"Yeah, FBI and NSA have contracted people out. They're with us till the case is resolved."
"How do we know for certain this has anything to do with the previous case?"
"Because the person behind all of that got early release about a month ago. Overcrowding and good behavior."
"Good Lord."
"Yeah, it's not a perfect system." She scanned her audience for hints of weakness, hesitation. They were all exhausted appearing, but none gave off the vibe of wanting to back down. This one was personal, as they all were, but the history of things seemed to draw this one in closer then the others. These people would do, no, be perfect for what was in store for them.
"So, when do you guys want to start? I'm sure you're all tired and need a bit of a breather."
"Does now work," Voight snapped? Olivia beamed.
"Works for us. Let's get after it." The quote was comical because they were going a smooth and speedy ten miles and hour over some random bridge. Everyone day dreamed out the window at one of the most infamous and stunning cities of the world. But all Jay could do was repeat the three letter acronym: FBI.
…
Once they cleared the bridges and jammed packed, snow drifted highways, the interworkings of the city were a breeze. Now most of this had to do with the police sirens mounted to the roof of the car, but for the most part people weren't on the roads. The residents of the city chose the sidewalks or subway system on this fine, snowy day. Cars were parked in their place and out of the way of those attempting to drive through a snow storm. Jay loved that no one was panicking over the amount or steadiness of the snowfall. Not that people freak out in Chicago, but this city seemed to roll things off better. There wasn't any complaining or disgusting looks. People were just going about their day, allowing nothing to hold them back. He got why was this place dubbed as the ultimate test. Once you learned to let things go there wasn't a whole lot that could hold you back.
Another realization struck Jay as they pulled up to the precinct: they all were exactly same. Sure, the faces and locations were different, but at its' core it all was the same. For starters there was always someone sitting on the front step not wearing the appropriate clothing for the day. Jay noted the person on the bottom step as he grabbed his gear from the van. Once everyone was inside they were greeted by the lively and attention demanding desk sergeant. Theirs was overly snarky and harsh with a twist of selective politeness, this one was just plain loud. His voice was at max level every time he opened his mouth. From orders to calling of people in line, there was one octave: thunderous. Which is exactly what they all received as they stamped the snow off of their shoes.
"Chicago! Welcome to the city. Thanks for leaving your shoe marks on these pristine floors." If this was intended to be humorous, no one picked up on it. But that was the essence of this person. His goal was to be so not funny that it wound up working. Olvia and Finn greeted the loud man, referred to him as Hal or Dale, things being hard to hear over the calamity. There was another similarity, the activity to the place. Even in a snowstorm people needed help, directions, a place to bicker for the sake of an audience. There were the couple cops bellying up to the desk and others who were racing to do everything. Forgetting that they flown into the worst airport ever, one would think they just walked into the twenty-first. Jay loved it, took comfort in knowing the next couple of days would be spent in a place very similar to home.
"C'mon, we're on the move," Hailey motioned to him. A stiff yawn and arm stretch took place as they single filed their way to the headquarters. It was a nervous tick, a way to distract or fool himself into thinking he was anything but calm, cool, and collected. They went through a doorway and a hallway before making a sharp left hander to another doorway and hallway. Things got dark before bursting into a bathing of light. The sound of hushed voices, shuffling feet told the tale of people moving. It was hard to tell exactly how many people were in the artificially lit room, but they guessed it was more then the usual. It was the here that it happened.
"Everyone, this is Hank Voight's team out of Chicago. Some of you know them from prior encounters. Others, get to know them. They'll be helping us out till we get this thing solved." There were a handful of people Jay hadn't met before, some he recognized voices from phone conversations, but they all were second to the person in the far right corner of the room. Their upper half was bent over as they peered into a computer screen. They didn't bother turning their head to greet the newcomers, a very Erin Lindsay thing to do. As the crowd got to meet one another Jay brushed through the small crowd. Instinct, familiarity took over at this point. He was aware that he looked like some love-stricken high school dweeb but he didn't care. He had to know it was actually her.
"Nice pantsuit." She snapped her head around, a face of honest disgust before melting into exhilaration. Her hair was much darker, longer then when they last met. She aged beautifully, the New York water doing things for her. For lack of a better word she appeared more seasoned, experienced then the last time. Gone was the lost girl running amok and in an effort to do her own thing. She'd found her place, she'd gone independent. Jay couldn't have been more proud.
"Shut up, you muppet," she verbally slapped back before embracing him in a hug. For half a second he thought she'd not want to see him, hate going back to a time of her past. The hint of awkwardness was sprinkled in there as well. But as both embraced each other those ideas couldn't have been further from the truth. Both had drifted apart and were back together for a time. It was like two dear friends reuniting after a long time. She was the Frodo to his Samwise, the Watson to his Holmes. They went from separate to inseparable just like that.
"You look good," Jay blurted out. Erin, chuckled, pulling away and doing her signature scan of him.
"You seem to be okay I suppose." Jay smiled wide. This all felt so good and perfect.
"So how long are you working this?"
"Till things are resolved. This one is personal. Granted I had to pull some strings and rearrange some UC stuff, I had to do this."
"So you get to stoop down to the small people for a bit." That one earned him an arm smack.
"We're all on the same team."
"But with better tech."
"Fair enough." By now the rest of the room realized the reunion in the corner, Voight breaking things up first. Erin practically leapt at him, squeezing extra hard as she repeated how much she missed him. From there the rest of them got their moment with her, each reconnection as unique as the person. She was genuine, real, present. It was surreal for everyone to say the least.
"Alright, we've got a case to solve," Erin spoke, stepping back towards the computer and clearing her throat to speak.
"So, last feed was cut off about two hours but there is supposed to be an update in the next half hour. IP address keeps bouncing off all over the island and Brooklyn?! Still working with NSA to narrow it down. It's going to take some time but we should have something here relatively soon."
"Any idea where you know who is?"
"Yeah, got an address from his PO."
"And?! When was his last check-in?"
"Two days ago." Eye rolls went up all around the room. So much for the greatest criminal system in the world. A known child abductor and worse being given two days of freedom. We shutter at the thought what someone like that can do.
"Hailey, Jay, and Erin. Go pay a visit to Mr. He Who Must Not Be Named. Erin, go local." Jay was lost, Erin nodding and immediately breaking for the exit. Jay and Hailey had all but enough time to grab their coats and dart after her. If nothing else, New York definitely put some pep in her step. As if she needed anymore of that.
…
"Okay. I'm going to say it."
"No," both women shot back, the harshness and weight of their reply just about knocking him backwards. This was quite the trio. Old, new, and him somewhere in the middle. The past meeting the present. It was weird yet fun.
"It's freezing cold."
"Aw, you've become so weak," Erin teased. Haley rolled her eyes before turning to face the platform.
"A, we're underground. No sunlight to warm us. And B, the ever present breeze from a train isn't helping."
"I'm sorry, you're from where? The WINDY city?" Jay shrugged, pulling his jacket ever closer to his chest. It was an old myth: warm the core and the rest will take care of itself. He swore by that just about everyday in the winter. But today things were truly being tested.
"So is this what Benson was referring as local," Hailey inquired? Erin nodded, pivoting away from Jay and stepping closer to Hailey.
"It's all about blending in with the surroundings. See, in Chicago cars are normal. Something you see on the road and don't take a second glance at it. Here?! The exact opposite. With so many people not having a car and using the subway system, you see a car pull up and people tend to bolt. So going on foot for surprise visits like this is crucial to actually accomplishing a goal."
"Smart."
"She taught it to me. I was here for a couple months and was having a ton of problems getting in with anyone or anywhere. She told me I was too much like the rest of the world. New York is a different animal so, you've got to adjust."
"You too keep up," Jay asked through a shiver?
"Absolutely! I mean, we're both almost always busy. But whenever we cross paths or have a random 2am slot open we seize the opportunity." Another burst of wind whipped through the deserted train stop. Aside from a half awake college student, it was just just them on the platform, nothing blocked them from the brunt of things. Jay closed his eyes, turned his back to things. Erin and Hailey giggled over his moment of wimpiness.
"You get that there are variations of hot and cold. Like a dry heat in the desert is much different from the heat in the south. The same is true for the cold. The cold of Chicago is going to be a different version of New York cold. It's all about adjusting." Jay ignored them, refusing to follow the very logical explanation of things. All he knew was that he was freezing. No further explanation was needed. The train whistled into the station, the undetectable speech screaming at newcomers as Hailey and Erin selected a seat from the plethora of options. Jay stood, clinging to a railing much to their dislike. They wove their way through the underground network of the city, none of them having a clue what direction or speed they were going. All confidence was in the train operator and his directional skills.
Along way much wasn't spoken. The tiredness was winning out with Hailey and Jay while Erin just enjoyed the rarity of silence. In a place that never slept, this level of quiet was a once in a blue moon occurrence. Every now and then they catch one glancing at the other, but the number of words actually mumbled was no more then ten. Erin rose when the stop was called and pushed everyone off the train car. A series of stair climbs later they emerged to the most beautiful sight.
They say you should see the cherry blossoms in D.C. in the spring, tour the New England terrain in the fall, but snowfall in New York is a sight to behold; something everyone must do at some point. What the subway stop allowed them to walk into was a scene straight out the Chronicles of Narnia. They were on the Upper West Side, the park to their right with the aged residences and businesses to their left. Everything was white, pristine, and calming. Snow has a way of putting a damper on things. What was once chaotic soon becomes stunning. The noise dwindling down to ice pellets and snowflakes ever so gently tumbling to the ground. Everyone stops to take in their surroundings. Snow puts a highlight on things, paints a stunning scene of Heaven on Earth. New landmarks are created, different dimensions are traced out with the wet, white substance. Even being old pros at the snow stuff all three of them took a minute to process and admire things. The world was beyond breath taking to behold. Oh the things Jay didn't know at this time. How this moment would be utilized in the near future. But for now nothing could squash this brief period of time.
"Let's go. We've got a house to surprise," was what brought things down, reminded them of the whole reason for being out in the elements. Erin took the lead once again, Jay gesturing for Hailey to go ahead of him. From the park their location was two blocks north and three blocks west, a ten minute trek for the average person. They made their way without much discussion. Hailey would ask the obvious about Erin's job, location, and so forth, but for most of the way all three focused on not falling over and cracking their heads open.
The house was cute, cozy, the remaining Christmas wreath giving away the first hint. At some point someone was here. Either they bugged out before the unofficial date of removing Christmas or hadn't bothered to abide by tradition. Erin made the first move up the stairs, pointing at the large bundle of newspapers. Jay nodded, concluding that this wasn't going to be a simple knock and talk event.
"Is that a shoe print in the snow," Hailey pointed out? It was a medium sized impression about three to four feet away from the first step. It was too close to the house to be a pedestrian but far away enough that it didn't appear the person made it up the steps.
"Snow has covered most of the tread. Could be anything," Erin whispered. She knocked on the door, telling the false tale of being the delivery person. It was on the second pounding that Jay volunteered to walk around the perimeter. The exterior of the building was entirely brick, the dripping of mildew letting him know the place hadn't been kept up in some time. The gas meter was still attached and glowing its' usage numbers, letting Jay know someone was paying the bills here. The mystery footprint picked up about halfway down the east side of the building. What began as a print here and there transitioned to a full drag mark. It was a miracle things were still visible agains the falling snow. What was once considered stunning was now the very thing working against them. Jay texted Hailey to meet him at the back before he documented everything. While they couldn't get any amount of impressions, video evidence was better then nothing.
"Drag marks. Watch out," he told the women as he worked his way down to the endpoint, which in this case was a cellar door. Jay looked to Hailey and Erin for approval, Erin pointing at the door while she texted those back at the district of their discovery. Jay grasped the handle, took a breath, and breached. They made it as far as the third step before figuring out why the place was empty. The pictures on the floor, the camera in the far corner, evidence of a struggle added up to one thing.
"Well, we found at least one of the filming locations," Hailey obviously announced. Jay couldn't stay in the epicenter of evil another second. As the remaining members of the group ventured further in, gasping and surveying the travesty of the human race, Jay headed for higher ground. He need the fresh air, the space to think. He didn't need to see anything else. He found his motivation.
…
"Nice digs," Erin commented upon the green light illuminating off the hotel room door.
"Where did you become such a high roller?"
"Since the department was paying for this." Erin laughed in that way he'd grown to adore. It was semi-full force, the raspiness of things only encouraging him to join in the comedic. It was true the hotel was a swanky one. Nestled about a half mile away from the precinct, the place was basically a glorified bed and breakfast in a high rise. Each room was unique and the room service was spot on, a boutique hotel in the heart of New York City. The downside was that the rooms were beyond tiny, but at this stage of the day no one cared in the least. Upon returning to the precinct everyone got down to business, combing through whatever the tech team found in the basement and digging into Mr. He Who Must Not Be Named's business since exiting prison. The P.O. was interviewed and prison visitation logs were glanced over. Nothing immediately stood out, which went in line seamlessly with the first case. It was a spider's web but none of them cared if things got sticky. This menace had to be stopped, no other option was even fathomed.
It was the micro nap Jay experienced while sharing details that cued the end of the day. By quick calculations the members of Chicago had been up for a good thirty-six hours with about three hours worth of sleep in the tank. Erin offered to escort all them to their hotel and no one resisted. After all it was Erin and she was far more familiar with the layout of the city then any of them. One by one they all trudged into their rooms. Promises to hit the ground running in the morning were administered as they went their ways. Erin stuck around till Jay made it to his room, allowing herself to walk in as he threw his bag on the floor and collapsed onto bed.
"I honestly can't recall the last time I was this drained." Erin took a seat on the chair adjacent to the desk. It was enough space to give off the friendly vibes without making things weird. She watched him rub his eyes to the point of them falling out. She silently agreed, it had been awhile since he was in this state of things.
"So…"
"What." The question was there, the thing that both of them had to discuss right on the tip of both their tongues. Both of them wanted to speak while waiting for the other to start. It was a standoff in a verbal way. Jay sat up, positioning himself on the edge of the bed. It was the signal that he was ready to do this thing.
"That night."
"Yeah…look, Jay I.."
"-Wanted a goodbye hug?! No wait, didn't want one because then you would've stayed." Jay had every intention of sprinkling humor into things. It was going to be the only thing that took the bite off of things.
"I had to leave. You don't know all of what went down that day."
"I know it involved Bunny."
"There's more to it."
"So tell me. C'mon. After all we went through, you couldn't even return a phone call, text, nothing?" Erin shrugged, finding the faint design in her jeans wildly fascinating.
"I made a deal with the feds. Work for them and Bunny would walk. Yes, she was, is the worst version of a mother. But she's mine. She's all I have."
"Wait, walk on.." Erin nodded.
"So she.."
"Literally got away with murder, yeah."
"Have you talked to her recently?"
"Last I heard she was in Florida somewhere. Met the love of her life at some senior center down there. I don't know."
"Sounds like Bunny." Again, more nods from the top of Erin's head. Things were silent for a moment, Jay debating whether he should tell her about the other part, his role in that fateful day. He pondered before ruling it out at this point. This wasn't the time nor place to go that deep.
"So to answer your question, yes. I knew you'd talk me into staying when I knew I had to turn and leave. Not look back for fear of ruining everything. It was my only option at the time."
"Hhhhhmmmm," Jay joked. Erin rolled her eyes. This was delightful.
"Do you miss it?"
"Certain parts, yeah. The food, the riverwalk, the L making the entire apartment shake late at night.."
"Oh c'mon."
"And yes, I suppose you guys too." Jay smirked in victory. Even after time and life put spacing between them he knew how to push her buttons in the best way. Erin's phone buzzed on the table, her quickness to pick it up raising questions. Was it the job, life, someone else? There was a wave of jealousy at that point, which was weird considering the reality of things. They weren't together but Jay found a way to be overly curious. Erin's reply not doing much to qualm things.
"I've gotta go. And you need to sleep." She took two steps to the door before Jay was on his feet, walking behind her to the door. She stepped aside so he could open the thing, ushering her into the hallway before resting against the doorway. It wasn't going to take long for him to pass out.
"Today was…fun. Didn't think it would go as well as it did."
"Yeah, and tomorrow we get to do it all over again."
"We'll catch him."
"Yeah, after you catch some Zs. Go to sleep." There was a energy in her steps, a bounce to her footfall. Jay watched till she disappeared down the hall and around the corner. There she went once again, slipping out of his watchful and protective sight for the second time. It took Jay six minutes to ready himself for bed and five seconds to drift into sleepville. His final thought pertained to how crazy good the day had been. Oh what he didn't know was in store the following day. Life has a funny way of balancing things out. A good day all too often precedes or follows up something terrible. Life was very much like a pendulum and Jay's was in the process of swinging things in the wrong direction.
A lot of influence is going into this story. As I previously mentioned, the Dawsey reunion is one of the things that kick started this idea. So just know that that is a measuring stick of sorts. But the other thing was the winter premiere episode of PD. To say I was disappointed is an understatement. We were teased, tortured for seven weeks and all we got were a couple of minutes of Jay whump? I was hoping for a prolonged look into this event and instead we got the redacted version. I strongly disliked the speed of things so I plan to drag things out here as much as the story allows. Have you guys figured out what's happening next? Any guesses? Easter eggs were dropped, just a tidbit. Next episode everything hits the fan. See you then!