Hello and sorry for the delay!

"What the heck happened?" Jay hissed after hustling into his sergeant's office. Erin was bent over with her hands on her knees, dry heaving into the waste basket while Voight held her hair back. He'd been separated from his partner for less than five minutes and couldn't believe how much could go wrong in such little time.

"Bunny," Erin gasped, lifting her head to catch her partner's concerned gaze, "She's here."

"She's here?" Jay looked toward the bullpen and back to his girlfriend before placing a hand on her shaking frame, "I'm so sorry, I just had to sign this document and-"

"I'm okay now," she assured him, accepting his support to stand up right, "I don't know what happened. I saw her briefly and Ruzek and Al brought her down the hallway and I suddenly just felt sick."

Jay exchanged a glance with Hank. The older man looked rattled, not as much as he had been the other night, but it was clear he was just not used to his daughter being sick or injured. When Bunny's voice had echoed down the hall, Hank didn't think before practically dragging Erin off her seat toward his office. His girl had been paralyzed in fear, anger, worry - he wasn't sure which, or if it was a combination of all three. He'd tried to move her further into the office before she started gagging, bringing a shaking hand to her mouth and subsequently losing her breakfast.

The rest of the unit was standing uncomfortably in the bullpen, not sure if they should try to help their injured coworker or give her space. When Jay had tromped up the stairs to bring Erin back to the car, Atwater wordlessly gestured to Voight's office. Jay's anxiety had ramped up as he hurried across the bullpen. He hadn't been separated from Erin by more than a few yards in days.

Voight pulled a chair over and gestured for Erin to sit, which she did gratefully. "Were you feeling sick before?" Jay asked worriedly, placing a hand on his partner's damp forehead. "You should have told me, I would have told Platt it had to wait, I'm sorry I-"

Erin shook her head. "I was fine, I don't know what happened, I-I just heard her voice and I panicked." Unwanted tears filled her eyes as she met Jay's concerned gaze.

Jay and Hank exchanged another glance. "I'm worried about you, kiddo." Hank said honestly, resting against his desk with his brow furrowed in concern. Jay was crouched in front of his girl and was searching her eyes, almost looking for a clue into how his partner was feeling. Hank handed Jay napkin for Erin to wipe her mouth, which he tentatively lifted to Erin's cheek.

"I-I don't want you to worry," she managed, accepting the napkin to wipe her face, "Or Jay."

"Erin," Hank put a hand on her shoulder, "I don't want you to worry about me worrying about you, alright? That's my job. I've been doing it for fifteen years." He offered a small smile, which she returned, "If the meds are making it hard to keep food down, something can be done to fix that."

She nodded, leaning into her father's touch as he gently cupped her cheek with his hand, "I love you, kiddo."

"'s not the meds making me sick anymore," she mumbled honestly, "I just don't feel good."

Jay and Hank nodded in understanding. "Let's get you home," Jay decided, standing from his crouched position, "Take it slow for the rest of the day, hm?"

Erin looked up at Jay and shook her head, "I want to talk to her."

Jay widened his eyes. He hadn't been expecting that. "You don't want to wait until you're feeling a bit better?" Hank interjected gently, "You just said you weren't feeling well."

She shrugged. "You picked her up for possession, which means you've got about a day til she gets processed, and I'm already out here." Erin let out a shaky sigh, "And I'm probably not going to feel better tomorrow. My adrenaline is going now, I haven't had any pills in a few hours so I'm lucid, and I might as well talk to her while I can."

Hank exchanged yet another worried glance with Jay. Neither of them felt their girl was ready to face her mother, the woman whose fault it was for putting her in harm's way in the first place. "I need to do this," Erin said, her voice stronger, "Please."

Jay stroked Erin's hair carefully, "Are you sure?"

"Yes," she replied, "I'm sure. I need her to know. I need her to see what he did to me. And know it's her fault."

Hank let out an aspirated sigh. "I gotta tell you kiddo, I don't feel great about you being alone in a room with your mother."

"I can handle her," Erin insisted, "I've dealt with her shit for over thirty years."

"I know," Hank said slowly, "I know you've been putting up with Bunny's crap your whole life, but I don't want her to hurt you any more than she already has."

"She won't touch me," she replied, "She's in handcuffs."

Hank glanced to Jay, who was eerily quiet. "Because she's in police custody, it's my call. And if you want to talk to her, I'll allow it, but I can't let you go in alone. One of us is going to need to be in there with you. Just like any other interrogation, okay?"

"Fine," Erin acquiesced, "Well, she tried to kill you, so Jay?" She looked to her partner, "Can you do it? I promise I'll be fine."

Her partner gave a wordless nod, clearly not thrilled with the situation, but understanding that his girlfriend needed some closure.

Erin walked gingerly down the hallway and refused help from either Hank or Jay as she approached the interrogation room. If she was going to speak to Bunny, she needed to be strong, and that meant standing on her own. She was grateful that the rest of the unit had disappeared from the bullpen and surrounding area, giving her the space she needed. "Before we go in Er, I just gotta ask," Jay cleared his throat, "You sure you want to do this?"

Erin nodded as confidently as she could. "Yes. I-I need to do this." She gripped his forearm, "I'll be okay. I promise."

Jay resisted the urge to let out a sigh of defeat and nodded instead. "I'll be outside," Hank said, "If um, anything happens-"

"Jay's going to be in there with me. It'll be fine," Erin insisted. "I got this Hank, really."

"Okay," he nodded and stepped back, watching as Jay opened the door.

"Jay," Bunny breathed, "Thank god you're here, they just picked me up and-" She paused when she caught sight of her daughter, "Oh, sweetheart. It's so good to see you."

"Save it," Erin replied, taking a tentative seat across the table from her mother. Jay sat beside his partner stoically, doing his best to keep his face neutral.

"I have no idea why I'm here," Bunny attempted, "Really, baby, I haven't done anything wrong."

"Are you kidding me?" Erin steeled her gaze, "Is that what you're going with? You didn't do anything wrong?" She stifled a cough, "I heard you last night. I heard everything, Jay didn't even have to play me the fucking recording." She took a breath, "I know it was you who set this up."

Bunny widened her eyes. "Baby-"

"Don't baby me," she snapped, "I'm here because I want you to see what you did to me. I want you to know that it was entirely your fault, and that I'm not going to forgive you."

"I'm your mother," Bunny said pleadingly, "I just wanted what's best for you, Erin. Hank Voight is not good for you, I was only trying to protect you."

"Protect me?" Erin almost laughed, "I spent five days chained in a basement. Charlie beat me so bad I nearly had my spleen removed, and it literally takes me ages to walk across my apartment because my lungs are so weak. The fact that you think you were doing me some kind of favor is sick." She folded her arms across her chest and leaned back in her chair, "I told Hank to make sure you get picked up by uniforms, and brought here in cuffs. And when it comes time for it, you better believe I'll be testifying against you."

"You wouldn't," her mother bit back, "I'm your mother."

"You haven't been my mother for a long time," Erin said, "Pretty much my whole life. You left me to fend for myself. You have tried to get in the way of everything good in my life, and are always looking for ways to bring me down to your level." She swallowed, "I am sick and tired of it. I've tried to cut you out before, but somehow, you just keep finding ways to hurt people I care about." Erin took a shuddery breath, and Jay turned to her in concern, but she shook her head slightly, indicating she was okay to continue.

Bunny opened her mouth to protest, "I didn't mean-"

"I don't care what you meant," Erin interrupted, "What matters is what you did. You tried to have Hank killed, and in the process, you almost had me killed as well." Tears welled in her eyes before she could stop them. "I-I thought I was going to die in that basement. Charlie was drugging me and beating me, I couldn't keep the days straight. But the only thing that got me through was knowing that Jay, and Hank, were going to find me. Never did I think, not even for a second, that you would come through for me. I didn't want to think my own mother would jeopardize her child like that, but you've proven me wrong again and again."

"Sweetheart, I-"

"I don't want to hear it. I don't. Charlie could have gotten to Hank, or to Jay, and I wouldn't have been able to live with myself. The only thing I'm thankful for is that you didn't get a chance to hurt someone else I love." Erin let a tear slip down her cheek, "You've done enough damage for a lifetime, Bunny. And I am done being collateral damage in your mistakes."

Bunny's eyes darkened as she regarded her daughter. "You always were an ungrateful little bitch," she snarled, "Setting me up to take the fall."

"You set yourself up," Jay growled, unable to sit silently while his blood boiled, "This is your fault, Bunny. There's no one else to blame."

Erin coughed, loudly and painfully. "It's done," she said, "I'm done with you. Don't call me when you get out of prison, don't try to contact me ever again."

"You may hate me, but I am your family. Your blood." Bunny shook her head, "I'll always be a part of you."

"That may be true," Erin replied, "But blood doesn't make a family. I have a family, with Hank, and with Jay, and I don't need you. I never have." She pushed herself off the chair, "Good luck, Bunny."

"You can't do this!" Bunny shouted after her as Erin moved toward the exit, Jay's hand on the small of her back to keep her upright, "I'm your mother!"

Jay closed the door tightly behind them, Bunny's desperate calls muffled by the soundproof door. "You okay?" he asked slowly, putting a hand on Erin's shoulder. His girl was trembling.

Erin managed a nod before leaning into Jay's chest, feeling as if a massive weight had been lifted off her shoulders. "T-thank you. For being there."

"You were incredible," Jay murmured, pressing his lips to the top of her head as she shuddered against him, "Absolutely incredible, Er. I'm so proud of you."

"I'm tired," she whispered, "Can we go home now?"

"Of course." Jay wrapped an arm around his girl's shoulders, "You wanna say bye to Hank first?"

Erin nodded and pulled back slightly. As luck would have it, Hank emerged from the room next to where Bunny was being held. "You alright, kiddo?" he asked, his arms folded across his chest, "That was a lot."

"It needed to happen," Erin exhaled, followed by a short cough, "She needed to know what she did, and why she's never going to get back in my life."

Hank nodded in understanding. "I'm really proud of you. We're going to do everything we can to make sure she gets what she deserves."

Erin gave a small smile, "Thanks Hank." Her father figure gently cupped her cheek with his hand, and she leaned away from her partner into his embrace, "Thank you for everything."

"I love you, Erin," he whispered, holding his daughter, and his detective, tightly. He cleared his throat and looked to Jay, "Take care of her, Jay."

Jay nodded seriously, and Erin rolled her eyes, "You say that like he hasn't been holding me together."

Hank chuckled, "I know. I've gotta give him a hard time. It's my job."

"Yeah, yeah," Erin wiped her eyes and reached for Jay's hand, which he gladly extended. His girl was fading fast, the eventful day clearly catching up to her as the adrenaline wore off.

"We should get you in bed," he said, "You're supposed to be resting."

"Two weeks," Erin grumbled, "Ridiculous."

"Well, you'll have some company," Hank issued a pointed look at Jay, "Halstead's not coming back til you're off the heavy duty meds, kiddo. Non-negotiable."

Jay gave a grateful smile. He was incredibly reluctant to leave his partner alone in the empty apartment, and getting the extra days off to be with her was a welcome surprise. "Normally I'd be pissed at you for getting me a babysitter," Erin let out another small cough and leaned back toward Jay, "But the meds make me loopy and I'd probably burn the apartment down trying to make a grilled cheese."

"I'm a nurse, not a babysitter," Jay quipped, earning another eye roll from his partner, and a chuckle from his sergeant, "C'mon, let's get you home."

"Babe?" Jay stroked Erin's cheek gently, her head lolled to the side in exhaustion in the passenger seat of the Sierra. Her eyelids fluttered open at the sound of her partner's voice. "We're home. I didn't want you to wake up and not know where you were."

"Mm," she replied, and let out a pained hiss when she attempted to stretch. She opened her eyes a bit wider and did a double take when she saw the time on the Sierra console. "How long did it take us to get home?"

"Ten minutes," Jay replied, "You were out a minute after we pulled out of the parking lot, and I didn't want to wake you, so I just drove around a little bit."

"Where'd you drive to, Cincinnati?" Erin quipped, stifling a yawn, "It's like five o'clock."

"That's a four hour drive, babe. I just drove around Chicago." Jay gave a lopsided smile that didn't reach his eyes, "C'mon, let's get you upstairs."

Erin accepted the help from her partner to disembark. "You could have woken me up so you didn't have to sit in the car all day," she mumbled, leaning heavily into him as they stood in the elevator.

"I felt bad enough that I already wake you up halfway through the night," he replied, one arm slung over her shoulder, lips at her forehead, "You were none too pleased, and I didn't want a punch to the gut."

She snorted, "Well, I feel lucid for the first time in a while, which is a nice change of pace."

"How's the pain?" Jay asked knowingly, "Still hurting?"

"I think it's getting better. But the feeling better might be all in my head." Erin let out a sigh, then a cough, "It's more my lungs that are achy now."

Jay furrowed his brow, "Well, your nurse didn't do a great job of getting your meds in you this afternoon I'm afraid, so hopefully after a bite to eat and some pills you'll be feeling a bit better."

Erin chuckled, "My sexy nurse." She glanced down to the paper bag Jay was holding as he opened the apartment door, "What's in the bag?"

"A surprise," he replied, flicking on the light and immediately bending down to take Erin's shoes off, "For my favorite patient."

"I don't want to go to bed yet," she insisted, pulling away from Jay as he led her toward the bedroom, "Couch at least. Please, babe, I can't take any more time in bed."

"I'll make an exception," Jay decided, settling his girl onto the couch, "Since you said you don't want to eat in bed." He reached into the bag and produced a raspberry peach muffin, the same muffin that prompted the muffin extravaganza from a few days prior.

"You got me a muffin." Erin broke into a wide grin and accepted the confection. She immediately took a bite, and Jay chuckled. "Yours is better," she determined, her mouth full of the muffin she'd been craving, "Definitely better."

"Careful there, my baking ego is going to get too big." He took a seat on the tufted footstool and couldn't help but smile as his girl ate with gusto. It had been a while since she'd last had an appetite.

"C'mere," Erin gestured for him to lean forward, and stuffed a piece of muffin in her partner's mouth, "It's good, but yours is better."

Jay grinned and chewed thoughtfully, "I don't know babe, this is pretty good."

"Guess you're gonna have to make more then," she shrugged cheekily and set the half eaten muffin on the coffee table, "I actually feel a lot better. I think having it out with my mom really helped."

"That's great." Jay swallowed the bite of muffin. Erin wrinkled her nose. Something was off. When she was on the meds, Jay was harder to read, but despite the pain radiating from her abdomen and lungs, she could tell something wasn't right.

"Is everything okay?"

Jay cleared his throat. "It is," he said slowly, "But um, part of the reason I was driving around was because I wanted you to sleep a little longer. You just looked so peaceful, and after everything with your mom, I just wanted you to rest."

Erin narrowed her eyes slightly, "He's awake, isn't he?"

Jay nodded, "Yeah. Hank called just as I was pulling in. Found out after we left the district. He's um, still touch and go, but they're going to need my testimony as well." He paused, searching his girl's eyes again, "I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner, I just wanted you to sleep and-"

"It's okay," she shook her head, "Really." Erin held her hand out, which Jay grasped, "After you first told me that he was alive, I kinda knew he was going to make it." She sniffed, "Hank always told me he was like a cockroach. Never dies, just keeps crawling back."

Jay stroked her fingers gently, "Well, he's out of the coma, but sedated or something. They still don't know if he's mentally there or anything, but in the event that he is, they want my testimony."

Erin managed a nod. "Are you okay?" Jay asked finally, "I-I don't know exactly what to say to make you feel better."

She gave a sad smile. "Just you being here," she whispered, tugging him closer, "I know I'm safe when I'm with you."

Jay leaned forward and pressed a kiss on her forehead. "You are safe. I promise you that." He wrinkled his brow when Erin let out a throaty cough. "I'm going to grab your meds now that you've got some food in your belly, okay?"

She sighed, "Fine." When Jay tilted his head to the side, she exhaled again, "I miss feeling clear headed. Sucks that it hurts but I like not feeling like everything is coated in a fog."

He nodded sympathetically. "I'm sorry the meds mess with your head, babe. Really, I wish there was something else, but I want your lungs to heal properly and-"

"I know," Erin interrupted, "If I wanna get better, I gotta take the pills." She gave a wry smile, "Can't keep you as my nurse forever."

"Oh, we'll see about that," Jay chuckled and headed for the kitchen, "The good news is, while you're takin' these, Hank said I gotta be around to supervise."

"That's a pretty good reason to take 'em," Erin replied, holding out her palm for Jay to drop the pills, "If you don't get sick of loopy me."

"I don't think I could ever get sick of any version of you," he said, passing his partner a glass of water before taking a seat beside her on the couch, "You're my favorite person."

Erin managed a shy smile and cuddled in next to her partner after successfully taking her meds. "You're my favorite person too. Even when you wake me up at two in the morning." She shuddered slightly, and Jay immediately spread a blanket over them. "I'm really glad you're gonna be with me. Even if he's chained up in a hospital bed or unconscious, I-I don't know if I can be by myself." Erin shivered more aggressively, "When I'm not takin' the pills, I feel stronger, like I can take it but somehow when I'm not in as much pain my whole brain feels soft and I just feel scared."

"You're allowed to feel scared," Jay said gently, stroking Erin's arm as she leaned into him, "You went through something incredibly traumatic, Er. Dr. Grier was telling me that with trauma, the brain literally gets rewired. Your body, and your brain, is trying to heal, and part of that might mean you're feeling a little less like yourself while you get the rest you need."

"I-I didn't get a chance to thank you." She exhaled, "I was a real bitch this morning, and I took it out on you."

"You're in pain," he shook his head and stroked her forehead with his thumb, "I didn't take it personally."

"I know, but I'm still sorry." Erin scooted impossibly closer, "Even after I was so mean, you still sat with me the whole time in the hospital, and in the room with Bunny." She swallowed, "I guess I don't know what I did to deserve you."

"Erin," Jay said seriously, "I love you, more than anything, and I'd do anything for you. You've been there for me more times than I can count, and no matter what, I promise I'll still be there, even if you're in a bad mood. Rain or shine."

"Rain or shine," Erin mumbled. She leaned heavily on his shoulder, exhaustion once again settling into her bones. "I um, I thought about what you said this morning, about talking to someone. And I think, I think I should." She paused, "But um, can you come with me?"

"If that's what you want," Jay murmured into her hair, "I'll be there."

Dun dun, Charlie's gonna make it...

Sorry for my delay in updates, I am searching for some inspiration for the next few chapters here. I'm looking for ways to incorporate some of the suggestions in the comments, so if you have anything you'd maybe like to see, send it my way!