Jay Halstead had already had his heart broken, so he wasn't prepared to feel the pain again when he spotted his former lover at Molly's.
He and his brother Will actually had a night off at the same time and decided to celebrate with a drink at the local pub where everyone tended to congregate when they needed to let their hair down.
Jay came to a dead stop upon entering, causing Will to nearly collide into his back.
"What the heck?" Will complained, whacking Jay on the shoulder before following Jay's gaze. In the center of the place sat Erin Lindsay at a bar table with Kim Burgess and Sean Roman. She was smiling at something Kim was saying.
"Shit," Will muttered before putting on his brightest smile and grabbing his brother's neck and propelling him forward.
"Well look what the cat dragged in!" Will said, earning a laugh from the others as he leaned toward Erin to give her a hug. She rolled her eyes but her return smile gave it away as she hugged him. Still stunned, Jay stood there with a forced look on his face, unable to speak.
Kim stood up and gave her friend a quick squeeze.
"We've got first shift, so we are going to call it a night. See you soon!" she told Erin. Sean followed his wife's lead and also stood, extending a hand to Erin.
"I will drop off the paperwork with Voight in the morning," he said as they shook hands.
"Thanks, Sean," Erin said, "You don't know how much I appreciate this."
He nodded and left with Kim, his hand gently resting on her lower back as they exited.
Erin waved the Halsteads to join her, so Will slid into Kim's seat next to her and Jay reluctantly sat down in Sean's vacated seat across from her.
Otis noticed them and wandered over to start their tab.
"So what brings you back to the Windy City?" Will casually asked after Otis stepped away.
"Actually I've decided to move back home," Erin replied, almost shyly looking at Jay. "Roman has offered me a private security gig with his company."
Jay started to open his mouth, but couldn't find the words, so he just gave her a half-smile.
"Have you already found a place to live?" Will asked.
"Right now I'm staying with Hank and Cali until I get settled in," Erin said, sipping on her beer, still looking at Jay.
Will inwardly sighed as Jay continued to clam up. He glanced around and then politely excused himself to go say hi to fellow doctors sitting in the corner.
"I'm sorry," Erin heard herself quietly say. Jay shrugged, not meeting her eyes. "I never meant to hurt you, Jay. I just thought it would be better if I left and didn't stay in touch."
"But you did hurt me," Jay quietly chastised. "You didn't give me a choice, Erin! You didn't ask me what I wanted. I would have followed you anywhere."
"I know. But I didn't want you to give up your life here," Erin sadly replied. They sat in awkward silence for a couple minutes before Jay spoke.
"What now?" he asked, finally looking her in the eye. This time she shrugged.
"Is it possible to start over?" she asked.
For the first time that night Jay truly smiled.
"Anything is possible."
Within weeks of Erin moving back to Chicago, Voight was surprised (well, not really, he actually wondered what took them so long) to find Jay sitting at the kitchen table one morning.
"Morning," Hank greeted him as he poured himself a cup of coffee, eyeing his sharpshooter.
Jay tried not to squirm in his seat under his boss' gaze. He hadn't planned on being there when Hank woke up but Erin had been insistent that he take her to breakfast after she finished showering.
He felt like he was meeting his girlfriend's father for the first time. Again. He and Erin had done their share of sneaking around when they were partners, and Hank had threatened to bury his body then if he hurt Erin.
Thankfully Cali appeared in the kitchen and Jay inwardly breathed a sigh of relief. His current partner would run interference and save him, or so he hoped.
"Hank, leave the man alone!" Cali admonished her husband as she reached for the coffee pot.
Hank gave his wife a look that said "What did I do? I'm innocent." Cali narrowed her eyes at him.
"Erin will be down in a minute," she told Jay, before opening the fridge and grabbing the egg carton. "You sure you guys don't want to stay for breakfast?"
Jay adamantly shook his head. There was no way in hell he was sticking around for the morning after conversation within Voight's earshot. He had really wanted Erin to stay the night at his place, but somehow she had sweet talked him into coming home with her. It was a dangerous game in his opinion to be in bed with Voight's daughter just yards away from where Voight slept.
"Thanks anyway," he told Cali, giving her a half-smile.
"You're bad," Cali scolded Hank shortly after Erin walked out of the house with Jay.
"You're implying I did something," Hank responded, peering at Cali over his steepled hands as he reclined in his seat, a now empty plate in front of him.
"You were intentionally intimidating Jay by just looking at him! Hank, you know he loves her. Don't scare him off, please," she said, as she squarely planted herself in his lap and wrapped her arms around his neck.
"Besides, it makes Erin happy to have Jay back in her life, and she needs some happiness these days," Cali added.
"Okay, since you asked so nicely," Hank replied, "I will try not to intimidate Halstead. Anymore than necessary."
Cali rolled her eyes.
"Officer down! Roll an ambo!" Jay shouted into his cell. He hurriedly gave directions, ended the call, and tossed his phone aside. He then carefully cradled Cali's head in his lap and prayed like never before.
Roman and Burgess forced the growing crowd back as Platt rushed toward Jay.
"Dammit," she muttered, seeing that the officer down was Cali. She scanned the area and spotted in the distance an extremely agitated Voight dragging a perp by the scruff of his neck and Antonio behind him with another in cuffs.
"Renner!" Platt ordered in her radio, "Relieve Sergeant Voight of his arrest and instruct him to get over to Halstead stat."
In seconds she watched Officer Travis Renner take the suspect into custody and Hank shoot her a perplexed look. She signalled for him to come to her.
Moments later sirens filled the air as the ambo neared. Hank got to Trudy just as Sylvie pulled up and suddenly noticed it was an unconscious Cali on the ground with Jay, who looked up at him helplessly.
"Can you tell me what happened?" Sylvie calmly asked Jay as she and the other paramedic climbed out of the ambo. She kept her emotions in check when she realized it was Sergeant Voight's wife.
"She traded fire with one of the suspects," Jay brokenly said, unwilling to move until the other paramedic, a newby named Roger, urged him to move aside so they could get Cali on a backboard. Hank seemed shellshocked and Trudy had to keep him upright.
"The bullet went clean through and didn't hit an artery," Roger assessed, blissfully unaware of who Cali was or the cops around him. "Her vitals are good. She must have been knocked unconscious when she fell from the impact of being shot."
"Sergeant, you can ride with us if you'd like," Sylvie told Hank as they lifted Cali to load her. Once Cali was settled inside the ambulance, Trudy watched as Sylvie helped Hank get situated next to his wife. She shut the door and off it went.
"What the hell are you waiting on, Detective?" Trudy asked the man who looked forlorn. "Follow them and get me an update!"
Jay snapped out of his daze and ran for his truck, furiously dialing Erin en route.
"What's the big deal?" Cali asked Hank, who was standing at her bedside with the most subdued expression she'd ever seen on him. A defeated looking Jay was slouched in the corner of the room with Erin. "I got shot. In the leg. I have a concussion. I'll be good as new in a couple weeks. No foul, no harm."
Cali glanced at Jay and wagged a finger at him. "This isn't your fault, so quit acting like it was!"
She turned back to Hank and sighed. "And you need to take a breath and either go home or go back to work. I'm in good hands. You can come and pick me up tomorrow."
In a rare display of public affection, Hank gently kissed her on the forehead and softly told her he loved her.
He then nearly gave Jay a heart attack by hugging him and Erin and guiding them out of the room.