Game 1 was today and Adam was beyond excited to get started. Batting practice was going well though there was quiet a lot of tension in back. He decided to do some drills to see how throwing and fielding would go. After an hour and more treatment it was decided that he would only be the designated hitter for tonight's game. It's not a normal position in the National League but since it was the World Series it was the rule for this series. He decided to call Kim before the game.
"Hey Darling. How's your first day back?" Adam was happy to talk to her, hoping to calm his nerves. "Hey baby! It's been good. Buy and bust that went pretty well. Everyone is excited to see you play. How's your back? How are you feeling?" Kim was excited to talk to him before he takes the field. She knew he was nervous, she could hear it in his voice. "I'm glad your first day back went well. My back is still sore and tense so we decided that I would DH tonight instead of playing the full game. Otherwise I'm just nervous you know? This is big. I just want to play well and bring it home. I want to make everyone proud. I can't help it." He was trying to put his thoughts into words that made sense, his mind was spinning. "Baby no matter what happens tonight we will always be proud of you! We love you. You are literally our whole world. And you don't have to be nervous, you are the best! The all star selection should let you know just how amazing you are." Kim tried to calm him wishing she could be there to hug him. Her palm over his heart always calmed him down. "Darling I love you too! Thank you I feel much better now. I can't wait to see you again. Anything new going on?" He wanted to change the subject some. "We have a new/old tech analyst today. He worked with us before he left for Afghanistan a few years back but he's back now and Voight gave him his job back. We are so happy he's back. His name is Greg but his nickname is Mouse. He served with Halstead in the Rangers." Kim was ecstatic that their old friend was home and safe again. "That's great. Please invite him to the game. I would like to meet him. He sounds like a strong person and perfect for the team." Adam knew she was excited about this. He wasn't worried though. "Darling I got to go warm ups are starting. I love you so much!" "Love you baby! Good luck tonight! Can't wait to watch!"
The teams were taking the field. The crowd was screaming so loud it was deafening. But the energy couldn't have felt better. This was the moment the trained for all their lives. This was their moment to shine. Kim watched from home knowing she would only see Adam a few times during the game for at bats only. But she was still excited for him.
The Cubs were up first since they were the away team. The first batter struck out, the crowd was loud with cheers. The second batter hit into the gap for a double. Adam was up next, he knew he didn't have to hit a home run just get into a gap. Preferably in one of the corners but a gap none the less would score the run. He had laser focus, worked a full count before smashing the ball into the right field corner hugging the base line. The runner was able to score while Adam made it to second. It was the only run that inning but at least they were on the board and Adam played his part.
The Yankee also scored a run in the bottom half of the inning on an error by the left fielder. Adam was pissed but mistakes happen. He needed to remain calm. The cubs managed to scored another run before Adams next at bat in the third inning. A runner a second and third with no outs, again didn't need a home run just a base hit but he wanted the home run. After a full count again looking for the perfect pitch he got it and got a three run home run. The score was now 4 to 1. The New York fans were pissed! But still had 6 innings to go. Adam wasn't up again until the 7th inning and no more runs were scored. It was getting cold and windy, rain started to come down hard. Players tried to stay on the field but were pulled shortly after and the game was delayed. After almost two hours of waiting the game was called off. Since 7 innings were completed the game counted and the Cubs won game one. It was late when they all got back to the hotel. Cold and damp still from the rain. It was no way to end game 1 but at least it was a win.
The next morning Kim woke up early knowing she needed to get to work and had to get Jackson ready to go to the sitters. She also knew they had another buy and bust planned for today. This one Halstead and Lindsey would be the buyers with Dawson, Rixton and Voight ready to move in when the deal was finished. Kim and Mouse would be in the Tech Van watching it all go down. Needing video and audio to ensure these dealers go away for as long as possible. Adam knew she was going to be busy today so he made sure to call early enough to say good morning to Kim and to Jackson before being dropped off at the Nadia's. He also knew Kim was excited to be in the field even if it was in the Tech van it was still in the field helping again, it was going to be a great day.
Hours later Adam is in the field taking batting practice when his team mates start telling for him to come back inside to see the news. It was a news story about a high speed chase in Chicago, reports say the driver was DOA and that two employees for the CPD were injured. Adam was freaking out and grabbed his phone calling Kim immediately. "Darling please tell me it wasn't you? Please tell me you are alright?" He begs as his team mates watch him, worried for their friend. "Adam baby I'm okay. It's not that bad." Kim knew she needed to tell him the truth but she didn't want him coming home over this. "What does that mean? Were you hurt at that scene today? Tell me what's going on?" He felt sick, like he could throw up. How did this happen again? "Baby its a long story but the shirt version is, Mouse and I were in the tech van recording the buy and bust that Halstead and Lindsey were the buyers undercover. Everything went to plan, the dealers were in the squad cars heading back to the district and Mouse and I were just finishing logging the evidence. Then we heard sirens, lots of them but didn't think too much about it. Next thing we know the van is tipping to the side from an impact and Mouse is pulling me into his chest so I didn't fall on my face. He has a concussion and a dislocated shoulder and I have a fractured hand and dislocated shoulder on the same arm. I'm being discharged within the hour. Jackson is having a sleep over with Owen Manning and Lindsey is staying with me tonight in case I need anything. I promise I'm okay." Kim was met with silence before a long sigh came across the phone. "Okay I will be on the next flight home" Adam starts talking but is cut off by Kim "Absolutely not! You are staying in New York! You worked too damn hard for this. I'm nit that hurt that you need to come home. I'm fine. They wouldn't let me leave if I wasn't fine. Please do this for you". Kim begged him to stay. She knew he needed this. "Fine but I want to thank this Mouse person who I have never met. It's only right" He wasn't happy about it but he gave in. Knowing she was right. This stuff will happen and if it was bad they wouldn't let her leave the hospital. "Okay Erin is going out to get him now. He was discharged already since no broken bones. Call back on FaceTime so you can have a face to go with the name."
Her FaceTime rings and she answers right away. "Hey baby! See not that bad." She shows him the small cast and the sling. No cuts, no stitches. "I'm glad darling but it definitely scared the shit out of me. I can't stand to see you hurt" He's relieved to see her face, to see she's okay. It helps him relax some. "Hold on Mouse and Jay just walked in. I will hand them the phone." She hands it to Jay explaining that Adam wants to thank Mouse. Jay hands it to Mouse who also has a sling so Jay has to help hi. Hold the phone. No one was expecting the shocked look on his face and how he could form words as Adam spoke. "Hey Mouse right? I just want to Thank you for protecting Kim. I have no idea what I would do if she was hurt. She's my whole world. Are you okay man? You look shocked and confused?" Adam was wondering what the hell was going on. Mouse finally snapped out of his daze "Your Adam Ruzek from the Cubs! Kim's dating Adam Ruzek from the Cubs? How did I not know this?" Everyone was cracking up at this point. "Apparently she only calls me Adam and forgot we hadn't met yet. But yes I'm Adam Ruzek and yes I play for the Cubs. And I hope that you will join everyone at game 4 in my suite. I would love for you to join the group as one of my guests." Adam was used to people being shocked. Most people never meet a professional athlete so this is surprising. "Uh yes thank you, I would love that." Mouse stammered, seems his stutter came back when he was surprised. They say good byes before Adam headed to the field fir game 2 against the Yankees.
Adam takes the field for final stretches, making sure to spend time on the spot in his back that's injured. While Kim, Jay and Erin continued to laugh at Mouse who still looked star struck. The four decided to all stay at Adams for the night to watch the game and pizza and beers. It was going to be a good night. After another 30 minutes are so Kim was discharged from the hospital and they headed home to grab some clothes before heading over to Kim and Adams. They gathered together at 6:30 to settle in to watch the game all excited to see their beloved Cubs win game 2.
7:05pm the Yankees take the field, the Cubs up to bat first. Adam is in the third spot in the line up tonight and also playing left field. The first two batters strike out, the Yankees pitcher is in the zone tonight. He has been all season, it's going to be a tough night. Adam comes up to bat hoping to just get a hit of any form. After two strikes he was able to hit a looper into right field. A base hit at least gets it started. Unfortunately the next hitter gets a pop out. The top of inning comes to an end with no runs. The next few innings continue to go quickly with few hits and no runs. The top of the 7th inning is starting and Adam is the first at bat. He knows he needs to get a run on the board, so,etching needs to happen. He takes a swing at the first pitch and it's launched into the outfield, he starts running not knowing if it will go out or not but as he rounds second base he sees the ball go over the fence, it's a home run. The crowd in New York is pissed! But Adam couldn't care, this was his dream, this was a moment he will never forget. His team is cheering as he crosses the plate.
In the 8th inning the Yankees score a run, it's a tied game now. The pressure feeling stronger now. Adam knowing he most likely won't be up to bat again in this game so he needed to make every play in the out field count. The game goes into extra innings and both pitchers have been removed due to high pitch counts. During the top of the 11th it's bases loaded for the Cubs with Adam up to bat, he's nervous and tired. It's been a long game but none of that matters as he takes to the plate. The first two pitches are both balls, the next was a strike. The 4th pitch of the at bat was a fast ball and Adam blasted it into left field and over the fence. The Cubs were now winning 5 to 1. They got two more hits but no more runs before the inning was over. The Yankees had three more at bats to try and win the game. The first at bat was an out, the second at bat was a single. The Cubs needed to two more outs, a double play would work but they weren't being greedy. The next batter struck out. Only one more out needed. The next batter comes to the plate the first pitch was a strike, the second was a ball, the next two were fouled out. The next pitch was hit high and far, Adam was under it trying to line it up to catch the last out, after taking a few steps back almost against the wall he caught the ball. The game was over and the Cubs won game 2. The team was going crazy, the cheers were insane. The New York fans looked broken and sulked out of the stadium. While the Cubs made their way into the locker room to celebrate as a team.
The next morning Adam took the first flight out of JFK to get home to Chicago. His first stop was to the district to see Kim. He couldn't wait to see her again. The plane ride was short and his car was waiting for him when he landed. The rest of the team was flying out later today but he couldn't wait. He drove straight to the 21st district. Upon arriving he first saw Sergeant Platt knowing he would have to have her buzz him upstairs. He liked that Kim was in a locked area, made him feel like she was safer up there. "Hey Platt! How are you doing?" He asked when he made his way up into the lobby. "Boy wonder! Doing well. You here to see Kim?" Platt answered knowing why he was there but making polite conversation. "Yeah can you buzz me up please. I want to surprise her." She nodded and brought him upstairs "Skinny britches you have a visitor." She announced as she walked into the bullpen. Kim turns around to see Adam standing next to Platt. She jumped up and ran right to him embracing him in a hug. "Adam I didn't know you would be home so early. I'm so happy to see you. I have missed you so much." He just laughed hugging her back, embracing the closeness. "I missed you too. I took the first flight this morning to come home and see you. Was thinking about getting Jackson and spending the day together, father/son time." He still hadn't released her. He needed to feel her close to him after the accident yesterday. "He would love that so much. I know he missed you a lot the last two days." She answers as she slightly pulls away. Taking his hand and guiding him into the break room for a little privacy. Adam said hello to everyone on the team and he walked by them. Once in the break room Kim closed the door and pulled Adam into a passionate kiss. Both morning into the kiss. It was filled with all the pent up emotions from yesterday. They needed to feel each other's lips and arms on the other. It was everything the two needed in the moment.
The moment ended with a knock on the door. Voight letting Kim know they had a case. "Darling I will see you tonight when you get home. Be safe today. I love you." Adam knew he needed to leave her be and just trust that she would be fine today. "Okay baby. I love you too. Enjoy your day with Jackson. Let him know that I love him and will see him tonight." They hug and kiss once more before he leaves the bullpen.
"What do we have boss?" Kim asked as Adam was walking down the stairs. "Homicide with drugs present. Robbery Homicide asked us to take over. We are meeting Sergeant Williams and his team on the scene. Everyone suit up, Kim you as well. It's an active crime scene but it's been cleared so all hands on deck." Voight seems frustrated about being called in but they all move out. Once at the scene they are met by Sergeant Williams and various other officers and detectives including Officer Upton. "Dawson and Rixton get the info from Williams, Halstead, Lindsey and Burgess inside with me. Split up and search for evidence of dealing, supplying and anything else you can find." Voight passed out the orders as everyone started to work.
Halstead and Lindsey went upstairs while Voight and Burgess stayed on the first floor. The kitchen is where the body was found. The living room had a table set up with multiple lines of cocaine already cut. Also tons of alcohol on another table. Definitely a house where a party was supposed to happen. Over the radio they could hear Halstead talking about the ecstasy he found in the bedroom and Lindsey found lots of dime bags that were unused. Signs that the deceased was selling drugs from the house. Kim called out over the radios that she was hearing something. "Guys I'm in the first floor bathroom and I'm hearing a low humming sound. But I can't find where it's coming from. Can I get some back up?" By this point Dawson and Rixton entered the room. "Guys just stay quiet and you can hear it" Kim said quietly. Wanting a second opinion about what she was hearing. Lindsey spoke up "it sounds like it's coming from downstairs. Did anyone find a basement door?" Everyone shook their heads no. Voight spoke next, Lindsey you and Burgess talk to Williams find out who cleared this floor and get them back in here to help look for that sound." They nodded and headed outside while the others continued to search.
"Sergeant Williams. Can we ask you some questions? Who cleared the first floor?" Lindsey took the lead since she had been in the unit longer. "Officer Upton cleared the first floor. Why?" Williams asked not liking the attitude he was being given. "Well we heard a low humming coming from the basement but we can't find the basement. So something was missed. We are going to need Officer Upton to come with us to redo the search of the first floor." Lindsey was trying to be diplomatic about not needing a pissing contest between Sergeants today. "It's your crime scene now, you all can figure it out." Williams clearly not wanting to still be here. "Look I get it you don't want to be here anymore but you haven't been dismissed yet but not too long ago I got shot because patrol didn't clear the scene properly so Officer Upton will be joining the search again. I don't care about chain of command right now. This is not some pissing contest it's about safety and doing the job properly. Not doing the job right is probably why she didn't make in the IU." Kim was going off on them. She barely registered that Halstead was carrying her away from Williams. She heard arguments continuing to happen but couldn't make out the words. "Kim it's a Jay. Your having a flashback. This triggered your PTSD. I need you to come back for me. Kim can you hear me?" Halstead was concerned but Kim blinked a few times before shaking her head. She heard him. "Okay your going to be okay. Let's head back in. Okay?" He asked again. The whole time with his hands on her shoulders keeping his eyes focused on hers. "Yes let's go. I'm good. Thank you." Kim was breathing much better now.
They reentered the crime scene to start looking for the sound. They walked inch by inch looking for the sound. Or any sign of a hidden door or hidden wall. Rixton feels some weakness in the floor and pulls the carpet up to find a hidden door under the carpet that leads into the basement. They all head down, Kim being last just in case. It was clear but it was a grow house. Thousands of marijuana plants and tons of leaves hanging to dry. This was huge. After calling in the DEA agents to deal with this much pot. While waiting for them to arrive they decided to recheck each room for anything they missed. Tapping on each wall for any hidden panels or trap doors. It's common in drug houses. Dawson found a wall in the living room that had a metallic sound and brought in the CSU team to open it. Once it was opened they found Heroin inside the panel. Another panel found in the upstairs room that dime bags had been in. That panel at cocaine hidden in. After another hour the whole case was handed over to the DEA. This was definitely in their wheel house. The team headed back to the district to write up their reports about the scene today.
On the other side of town Adam was picking up Jackson from Nadia's house. "Jackson your dad is here to take you home today!" Nadia was happy to see Adam. She knew how much the boys missed each other. "Daddy!" Jackson screamed as he came running across the house. He was ecstatic. "Hey little man! Thought we could hang out together today. What do you think?" Adam picked him up and hugged him tight. "Yes! Can we go to the zoo?" Jackson loved the zoo and wanted to go all the time. They had a membership so it was more affordable. "Sounds good to me. Gets your shoes and Jacket and thank Nadia for looking after you today" Adam wanted to get moving if they were going to hit the zoo today. "Okay Daddy. Thanks Aunt Nadia. See you tomorrow." He had such a cheeky smile on his face. Excited to hit the zoo.
"Daddy can we get a puppy?" Jackson asked once they were inside the car. "Uh I don't know bud. We need to talk to your mom about that first. Okay?" Adam answered. Wondering where this came from but figured he's a kid they ask questions all day long. "Daddy do you like dogs?" Jackson continued. Now Adam was curious about where this was coming from. "I do buddy. Where is this coming from buddy?" "Daddy we saw one on our walk today. The man knew my name. But Nadia told me to come back quickly." Adam was now alarmed. "Buddy did Nadia see this man? What did he look like?" Adam knew he needed to ask questions but also not freak out Jackson. "Aunt Nadia didn't see him but he was white, sunglasses on and like tall like mommy." Jackson was unaware something was wrong. "Okay buddy. Just remember we don't talk to strangers even if they know your name don't talk to them. And go right to me, mommy or Aunt Nadia right away okay?" Adam knew it was important to remind him about stranger danger. "Okay daddy. I know".
Once they got to the zoo Adam insisted that Jackson use the stroller so he would get lost. They spent hours walking around looking at all the animals. Adam even let Jackson go on the pony ride and took lots of pictures for Kim. After the pony ride they went to lunch before going to the grocery store. Adam wanted to make a home cooked dinner tonight and had no idea what was in the house for him to cook with. They continued to talk about everything and anything that Jackson could think of but Adam was loving it. This was something he always wanted as a kid. Time with his dad. He never wants Jackson to feel like his dad doesn't care or have time for him.
At the store Jackson rode in the cart and Adam was picking up things he knew everyone would eat. Also grabbing guilty favorites for Kim. She won't buy these items often so he liked to pick them up for her. He also got Jackson's favorite cookies and ice cream. He noticed someone coming close to them so he stepped closer to Jackson to protect him. "Jackson hey buddy." The stranger said. "I'm sorry who are you! How do you know my son?" Adam snapped and didn't let Jackson answer him. "I don't know who you think you are but I'm his father!" The stranger replied. "Oh so your Roman! The sperm donor. Stay away from my son and Kim. I will get a restraining order if I need to. You have no rights to my son. Stay away from us." Adam yelled. He quickly moved them into the check out lanes. He needed to get Jackson home where it's safe. He also knew he needed to let security know about Roman and not to let him in the community. He also needed to tell Kim when she gets home from work.
After speaking with security the boys went home and unpacked the groceries. Adam was quick because he wanted to get Jackson down for a nap. It was later than normal but it couldn't hurt for him to get a short nap in. Once Jackson was asleep Adan unpacked his suitcase and started the wash. Then he called his attorney Matt Miller about getting a restraining order against Roman. He was sure he would need more then just one or two encounters but he was willing to try. After speaking with Matt it was suggested that he start keeping track of every time they see Roman or that Jackson mentions being approached by Roman. This way the stalking is backed up with proof. If they can get it on video even better. It was also suggested to get the police involved which is tricky since Roman is police. But at least he knew what he needed to do going forward. He also asked Matt to start writing up adoption papers since he wants to marry Kim and make Jackson his son legally. He just needed to start looking for a ring and start planning this all out. It would take some time but it would be worth it.
