*Requested by Benoight Langson*
Jordan- 15
"Slow down!"
"I'm not going that fast!"
"Jo you were going 35 in a 25".
Jordan sighed in frustration, she was practicing driving to get her learners permit and she asked her father to help her and at the moment it was a huge problem. For the past half hour Hank had been yelling at her.
"Watch the stop sign".
"I am dad, please stop yelling you're freaking me out".
"I'm not yelling".
"Yes you are". She glanced at him.
"Pay attention to the road".
They were now pulling up to a red light, Jordan couldn't handle much more of her father's teaching. After the light she kept driving for a bit, she didn't wanna go to slow but she didn't wanna go to fast. She'd speed up some then slow down.
"Jo you gotta stop that, it's dangerous"
"I'm trying not to go too fast but I don't wanna go to slow either".
"That I understand but you can't do that, you can cause and accident".
"Dad stop back seat driving, I can do this".
"I'm not back seat driving, I'm teaching you".
"I'm not learning anything with you constantly yelling and bickering in my ear".
"I'm trying to help you and make sure you don't hit anything or anyone".
"I won't as long as you stop yelling".
"I'm not yelling".
Jordan was still driving as she sped up a little, when Hank felt the car speed up like that he freaked.
"Slow down!"
"Stop yelling!"
As Hank was 'teaching' his daughter he would never admit it but seeing her drive scared the hell out of him. Seeing his little girl behind the wheel of a car was one of the ultimate signs she was growing up that and it would make him worry a lot more.
Would she be alright? Was she gonna be safe? Could an accident happen? He remembers when Justin got into an accident and now to see his daughter behind the wheel that only increased his fear.
He heard the stories from accidents, some people ended up injured, paralyzed, or worse dead. The older father didn't wanna get another call saying that there was another accident. The first one with Justin was more than enough, if he had it his way his daughter wouldn't drive ever but he didn't want to let his fear stop her from being a normal teenager.
For the next ten minutes all Hank did was consistently yell and Jordan had enough.
"Alright I can't do this anymore!"
Carefully the teen pulled over and the two got out of the car. Jordan looked at her father with a glare.
"Dad, I love you I really do but this is becoming too much".
"What's becoming too much?"
"This! All of this! I can't drive or learn to drive because you won't stop yelling at me in my ear".
"I'm teaching you!"
"Yelling isn't teaching! Dad, I don't wanna drive with you anymore. Not right now at least".
Before Hank could respond his phone rang.
-Voight…Alright I'll be there.
He then looked to his daughter. "Let's go".
Hank got in the passenger seat and the two headed off for the District. Jordan sat in the passenger seat of her father's car as she glanced out of the window with a glare. After arriving to the District the teen hoped out of the car and stormed inside just as her father followed behind.
Jordan waited at the top of the stairs waiting for her father once he was up there he scanned his hand and punched in his code. Once the door opened the teen ran up the steps leaving Hank at the steps sighing and went up the steps.
The team watched as Jordan stormed off to the lounge slamming the door. Everyone then looked to their boss.
"Bad driving lesson?" Antonio asked.
"Yeah, she said I was yelling and bickering in her ear the whole time". Hank answers.
"We're you?" Erin chimes in.
"No, I was teaching her and now she doesn't wanna drive with me".
Erin got up from her seat while Hank went to his office to calm down, the detective went to the lounge to see her sister on the couch with he knees pulled to her chest. She entered the room and the teen looked back to see her sister.
"I thought you were dad". Jordan mumbled.
"Nope he's in his office trying to calm down". Erin answered.
"It wasn't fair Erin all he did was yell at me the whole time, what if I had crashed the car? I couldn't focus".
"He did the same thing when he taught me how to drive".
"Really?"
"Yup. He'd yell, bicker, go all cop on me, wanna know why he did that?"
"Yeah".
"He's scared".
"Scared? I've never known of dad being scared".
"He'll never admit it but he is".
"Why? There's nothing for him to be scared of".
"He's scared because one you're growing up and our learning to drive. To a parent that scares them. Seeing you drive scares him".
"I should talk to him, shouldn't I?"
"If you want".
An idea then popped into the teen's head as a mischievous grin appeared on her face. "I told you that I won't drive with dad, I never said I wouldn't drive with you".
"Oh no, you're not putting me in the middle between you and you're dad".
"Come on please. Dad will never stop doing what he's doing you'll let me though. Please Erin please".
Jordan then used the puppy dog eyes, when ever she used it nobody could ever tell her no and Erin knew it. She used the look on everyone and each time they lost the battle with her.
"Alright but he can't know".
"Well duh I know that".
"We can start tomorrow when things have cooled down".
"Alright".
The rest of the day went by fine, Jordan wanted space from her father so while they worked on their case she stayed in the lounge the whole time. After the case was finished everyone went home for the night, as Hank drove home the teen stayed quiet the whole time not knowing what to say at that moment. The older father knew what he wanted to say but not at that moment, he continued the drive home.
By the next morning, the tension between the father and daughter had somewhat simmered down. Jordan was up and dressed she texted Erin then went downstairs. Hank was in the middle of making breakfast when his daughter came down.
"Morning dad". Jordan greeted her father.
"Morning sweetheart". Hank replies.
"If it was ok, Erin and I were gonna hang out today".
"It's alright with me".
Jordan hated lying to her father but she didn't wanna be smothered by his overprotectiveness, fears and worries. She wanted to do this on her own with someone who won't smother her and she had just the right person.
As she was eating her phone buzzed with a message from Erin.
-I'm here. Let's go. Erin.
She put her dirt plate in the sink and kissed her father's cheek. "Bye dad".
"Erin's here?"
"Yeah she's waiting, I'll call you later".
"See you later. Be careful!"
"I will!"
Hank sighed as he heard the front door slam shut, this was one thing he feared the most. He was slowly losing his little girl. Jordan ran out of the house and hoped into Erin's car.
"Somebody's excited". Erin chuckled.
"I am". Jordan replied.
"I'm gonna pull around the corner so we don't get caught".
"Good idea".
Erin then steered off and drove around the corner from Hank's house, the two girls switched places. Jordan was now in the driver seat of the car she buckled up and then looked to Erin.
"Check your surroundings, make sure you're clear everywhere, watch for pedestrians".
Jordan looked at her surroundings and checked for pedestrians, once it was clear the teen slowly eased her way into the street and into the flow of traffic. As the teen drove she was a lot more calm, able to focus, she was going to do this.
"Alright Jo, you're coming up to a stop sign you wanna come to an easy and smooth stop".
"Ok".
She approached the sign and came to an easy smooth stop, the teen looked in all the directions to check for any traffic. Once it was clear she started driving again.
"Very nicely done Jordy".
"See this is what I'm talking about. Dad would be yelling at me and bickering, you're not".
"It's not easy for a parent to let their child drive, the parent will think they're losing their kid".
"I never thought of that".
"Being a parent, you're life changes. Everything scares when it comes to their child, on your first day of school every year you're dad would go to work scared. Terrified, thinking something could happened but after school that disappeared. Seeing you drive now that scares him more".
"I'll talk to him".
"That would be good. For the both of you. Were coming up to a red light same as a stop sign, easy and smooth stop".
Jordan came to an easy smooth stop at the light, the light turned green and she kept on driving. Erin's phone rang as the teen drove.
-Lindsay...Alright be there soon. She then hung up.
"Where to?" Jordan asked.
"Head to the District".
The teen began her drive to the District, she felt her stomach doing flip flops the whole time. What if her father was already there? Would he catch her in the lie? Many things roamed her mind about it.
After ten minutes they pulled up to the District, when Jordan parked behind a car it looked very familiar to her.
"Erin tell me that's not". Jordan started.
"Oh no". Erin mumbled.
A loud knock on the window startled both girls, Jordan looked wide eyed at her father. Hank looked into the car to see his daughter and surrogate daughter, a look of anger and disbelief was painted on his face. Without a word said Hank stormed away, Jordan got out of the car and chased after her father.
"Dad! Dad it's not what it looks like". Jordan called out.
"Really? You didn't want me teaching you so you went behind my back to Erin". Hank says in disbelief.
"You kept yelling and bickering in my ear, I couldn't focus"
"I was teaching you!"
"No you were being a traffic cop!"
"Jordan". Erin stepped in.
"That's because you don't know!" Hank yelled.
Jordan had stepped back when her father had yelled, she would always hide when he yelled or raised his voice.
"You don't know Jordan, you don't know anything about driving or the other drivers on the road and if you don't know then I don't know. You don't know about other drivers they could be drunk, high, texting, anything and you wouldn't know it. All it takes is a split second and an accident can happen. You're brother was drunk one night and got in an accident, when I got that call I almost died because I didn't know if I lost him, both of you, if not all of you. I hear stories from accidents that are responded to, yeah there are minor injuries a few scratches, bruises, bumps, but then there are more serious injuries. The car that Justin hit the kid is paralyzed for the rest of his life. Some people won't even be lucky enough to get out alive. You may think you know sweetheart but you don't and like I said if you don't know then I don't know, that scares the hell out of me. All it takes is a second and that's it, I don't want another phone call about an accident. I can't go through it again and I won't".
The teen was completely speechless from her father's words, she tried to open her mouth but nothing came out. Hank then looked to Erin.
"And why would you take her out without clearing it with me first?" Hank says to Erin.
"Because I remember what those days were like being taught by you, Hank sooner or later you have to realize that Jordan's growing up and as much as you hate it there's nothing you can do. She asked me because she wants to prove herself to you that she can do this without the yelling. If you continue to yell at her she won't learn anything".
"I'm sorry dad, I didn't mean to hurt you or you're feelings I just couldn't take the yelling and the bickering anymore. I wanna do this right and prove that I can do this, all the yelling and being the traffic cop wasn't helping. When I asked Erin, I was just upset I swear I didn't mean to hurt you". Jordan says, after getting her voice back.
Jordan then hugged her father and Hank held onto his little girl, after a few minutes they pulled apart.
"Dad, I'd like very much if you taught me how to drive and this time don't yell, bicker, or go all traffic cop again".
"I'd like that very much"
"I can do this dad and I'll prove it to you".
"I don't doubt that sweetheart".
A couple of days had went by and Hank had agreed to teach his daughter without the yelling, the father and daughter were outside the house and Jordan was getting ready to go to the driver side but turned to her father who held the keys.
"Dad, the keys please". Jordan says.
Hank hesitated for a moment then tossed her the keys, she caught them and got in the car. The older father looked on with a proud smile, he couldn't believe that his little girl was growing up and now learning to drive. He remembers teaching his son, Erin, and now Jordan. He got in the car and looked to his daughter.
"You ready?"
The teen looked on with a confident look. "Let's do it".