A/N: I want to address a review that I got on the last chapter. I am addressing it here, in case others have the same question. This reviewer stated that I need to "remember those little things, especially when it's not so little." This is referring to the fact that both Platt and Ruzek question why Jay brought Casper to the district when the leash wrap would let them know he is a service dog. As brought up in chapter 23, Jay is still not ready for the rest of the team or people who he works with to know that he is training Casper to be a service dog. This being said, though it was not explicitly stated, Jay will often take off the leash wrap or hide if from sight, like when Kim first saw Casper when they stopped at Jay's place so he could let him out, when he is around people he works with, with the exception of Hailey. They are still in the dark as Jay is afraid that they will treat him differently/not trust him in the field if they knew he had a service dog. He has the mentality that it is a weakness, something that he should be ashamed of and is working on overcoming it. You all will know when the rest of the team finds out about Casper being a service dog, it will be its own chapter. There is also no "special leash", he has a regular leash that happens to have something on it to indicate that Casper is in training and is not to be disturbed.
Also, pay attention to details, the reviewer pointed out that after having Casper for a year he should be fully trained on two if not three tasks depending on what they are. Even though he has had Casper for a year, he did not start training him right away. He did not start training until Casper was eight months old. In the last chapter, Casper would be around fifteen months old, meaning he would be in training for about seven months. I have done a lot of research before I started this story and continued to research the topic on service dogs after I published it. I want to make it as accurate as possible because I feel like this topic deserves the accurate information. It is something that most people know little about and I want to be able to represent it properly. This means looking at how real-life organizations for service dogs work; this is true that K9s for Warriors has a three-week residential training requirement. Also, the fact that by going through organizations, there is an application that needs to be filled out and a waitlist (16-18 months) and the dog would be assigned based on what the vet needs, not the vet picking out what dog they like (as I saw in another fic). From research, a dog is not a "service dog in training" until they reach between six and twelve months of age, before then they are considered "Service dog candidates" or "puppy candidates". While a candidate they learn core skills, like what Jay was working on in chapter 4. Training takes 18 to 24 months, so that would mean Casper would be 26 to 32 months or just over 2 years before he is trained. Because I chose to have Jay and Hailey owner-train him, it will be on the longer side of training him. While there is a strict schedule of training, Jay is careful not to put too much pressure on Casper because if a dog is not mentally mature enough they can burn out and fail as a service dog. I pay attention to the detail that goes into each of my stories, having created a word doc for each story to keep track of the chapters. Details as small as what month it is so when holidays or sports are mentioned there is no conflict with time jumps. Details are important to me so I use this so there are no inconsistencies. Details also include what breeds make the best service dogs and what breeds make the best service dog for different types of assistance, in this case, PTSD; they also include using real locations in Chicago. I am not from Chicago, but I do my best to use real names of places in Chicago; I might be wrong where they are geographically, but I do try my best. Like K9s for Vets that there went to- at least according to Google Maps there is a K9s for Vets in Cicero, I was creative in what Jay and Co. did while there, but it is a location.
The last comment I want to address is the length of my chapters. In this story they range from 1,000 and 3,000 words, the majority being between 1,200 and 1,600. I feel like this is a good length if this story is getting updated once a week and is not pre-written. I try to keep my chapters consistent in size within each story ("It's Just the Flu" ~2,000 per chapter; "A to Z" ~3,000 per chapter (PRE-WRITTEN); "Rock Bottom" ~1,000 per chapter). If I were to make them longer, it wouldn't be weekly updates. With longer chapters, it would possibly be months between updates. I also want to take into consideration for those whose mind wanders with longer chapters and for people who may not speak English for a first language, I don't want to throw a lot at them at once. My chapters will NEVER be under 1,000 words.
Sorry for the long authors note, but I wanted to explain the last chapter, though I don't need to explain myself, I wanted to make sure more readers weren't confused. To make up for it, here is a longer chapter of about 2,700 words.
"So what are you doing for Thanksgiving?" Hailey asks Jay when they are in the break room both wanting to grab some more coffee.
"Nothing special. Will has work so it's just Casper and me," Jay tells her as he pours his coffee.
"Come over and bring Casper. Kim's sister can't make it back so Kim is by herself, Kevin's alone, Vanessa doesn't have family and Adam's family is in the middle of some argument, so he's not doing anything," Hailey informs Jay. "We can do a potluck style."
"Are you sure you don't mind Casper?"
"Jay, he's probably the best behaved dog that I know."
"Did the others already agree?"
"Yes, why?"
"Are they going to mind having Casper there?"
"What are you talking about? This isn't like it's the first time they're meeting him."
"The other times, we were outside. It's different when there's a limited amount of space."
"It will be fine," Hailey tells him, pausing between each word hoping it will stick in his head that way.
Before either has much time to think about it, Ruzek pokes his head into the break room. "Hey, Vasquez's car was caught on a traffic light heading towards Little Village," he tells them before disappearing.
"We're finishing this conversation later," Hailey tells Jay before the two follow Ruzek, forgetting about their coffee.
Hailey and Jay take off to Little Village in Jay's truck, hoping to be able to find Vasquez. Vasquez is a little fish in this operation, but they are hoping that they will be able to flip him.
Hailey spots him and has Jay pull over willing Vasquez to do something so they can bring him in.
As luck would have it for the intelligence unit, they see him selling heroin to a ratty looking man. As soon as the exchange is complete, Hailey and Jay jump out of his truck to make the arrest. "Miguel Vasquez, you are under arrest for the possession and distribution of a Schedule I narcotic," Hailey tells him as Jay roughly cuffs him after a short chase.
The two lead him to Jay's truck where he is thrown into the back and brought back to the district to be put into an interrogation room.
In the end, Vasquez flips quickly after being in the interrogation room with Halstead and Ruzek, the two hothead of the team, for five minutes with the threat of being thrown in the cage with Voight.
The team is just finishing up on paperwork for the night when Voight comes out of his office, "Call it a day. You can finish the rest of your paperwork in the morning."
A chorus of thanks, Sarge is heard through the bullpen, followed by the footsteps of most of the team leaving. Hailey looks over to Jay who is still on his computer, "Hey, come on. We need to finish that talk."
"No, I want to finish this before I leave and then I need to get back to Casper."
"No. You can finish this tomorrow and bring Casper to my place. I'll get the pizza and beers– Vanessa is going out. His training is tomorrow anyway, figure out where we think he is. I think Casper is pretty good with waking you, we can talk about what task you want to work on with him now."
"Are you sure she's going out. I don't want her to find out."
"I'm sure. She stays out late," Hailey promises as she manages to get Jay to leave the bullpen.
"Okay. Do I need to bring more food for Casper?"
"I have enough for tonight, but I'm not sure about the next time."
"I'll bring some more tonight. Are you sure you don't want me to pick up the pizza? I'm already out."
"You have Casper. Just bring him, I already have the beer and I will pick up the pizza on the way home."
"I can pick it up on my way over," Jay offers again.
"Stop arguing with me and get your dog," Hailey tells him pushing him towards his truck.
"Okay, okay. See you in a half hour?"
"Yes," Hailey laughs before getting in her own car.
Jay walks into his apartment to be greeted by the excited pup. "Hey, boy. Do you want to see Hailey?" Jay asks. Jay gets his answer when the dog starts running circles around Jay.
Jay clips on Casper's leash to let him out before bringing him back in. Casper looks at Jay like, you tricked me. "We'll go soon," Jay promises.
Jay goes into his bathroom to take a quick shower to wash off the day's grime of chasing criminals before going to Hailey's. Walking out of his bathroom, Jay almost trips over Casper who settled in front of the door, not wanting to be forgotten.
"Okay, we're going," Jay tells him once he is changed. He puts Casper's leash on again and leads him out of the apartment.
Hailey opens the door for them when she sees Jay's truck. "Perfect timing, the pizza just came," Hailey tells Jay.
Hailey lets them in, leading the two to the kitchen where she put the pizza. Jay goes to where he know Hailey keeps her set of bowls for Casper and his food so he can feed him while Hailey grabs plates for their pizza.
After making sure that Casper is taken care of, Jay grabs a slice of pizza for himself while Hailey grabs them both a beer from her fridge. "So have you thought any more about Thanksgiving?" Hailey asks as they sit at the island in her kitchen.
"Not really. I mean, from what I can tell, the girls are okay with Casper. Kev seems indifferent, but every time I bring Casper around Ruzek, I get some type of remark," Jay confides in her while glancing at his dog.
"Jay, don't worry about what any of them thinks. Bring Casper and celebrate Thanksgiving with your work family. Casper rarely leaves your side when you're not in your apartment. And this will be a great test of his restraint around food."
"I guess it won't hurt," Jay thinks out loud.
"It won't. And if Adam says anything, one of us will set him straight."
"Okay," Jay agrees.
"Good. Now, we can talk about Casper. How do you think he's handling the training? We've been at this for nine and a half months. Do you think he's where we should be at, at this point?"
"Yeah, I think he pretty much knows the first task and he's getting good at the second one. I mean he did a good job on the second one before he had any formal training for that," Jay answers remembering the fireworks incident.
"He did," Hailey agrees.
"He's a good dog," Jay comments.
"You know he's a lot like you," Hailey tells Jay.
"Did you just compare me to a dog?"
"Maybe a little. You're both loyal, you both have a good heart, he's almost as stubborn as you. You're both protective, you just show it in different ways. Do I need to list more?" Hailey asks.
"No, I get it."
"Have you had him wear the vest Will got for you?"
"I put it on him once in the apartment– you know, just to adjust the size, but I haven't taken him out in it yet."
"Not ready for that step yet?" Hailey questions already knowing the answer.
"No. I just– I'm worried what people will think if they know me or recognize me as a cop and I have a service dog for PTSD."
"Don't worry about what they think."
"I love Casper and he has helped me so much. I just don't want to find out what happens if the white collars find out about him. What if they think I can't be a cop because of my PTSD?"
"If they think that you can't be a cop because of your PTSD, they are wrong; and you have a whole team who can vouch for you," Hailey promises.
"The team knows?" Jay asks. "I thought I was hiding it."
"I think– from what I understand… most of them always suspected that it was a possibility that you had PTSD and it was pretty much confirmed after the whole accidental shooting and Camilla fiasco. Ruzek figured it out and told everybody else without knowing what he was actually saying."
"What do you mean?"
"After the shooting, when he found you asleep, having a nightmare, in the breakroom. He told us all how when he went to wake you that you almost attacked him. He thought that he was just warning us to be careful, but the other figured it out pretty fast."
"So you guys have known for three years and haven't said anything to me?" Jay asks hurt.
"Jay, in those three years, have anyone of us treated you differently?" Hailey answers him with her own question.
"No."
"That's because knowing that you most likely have PTSD, doesn't change how we feel about you as a person, our friend, or a cop. We know that you're a private person and that you would either go to someone you trusted or you would hit rock bottom and we would be there to pull you out."
Jay is quiet after hearing this.
"Jay, I know you don't like talking about how you're feeling but had Casper helped in that aspect; has he helped in other ways than the tasks that we're training him for?"
"Yeah, I don't know how to explain it, but my thoughts aren't taking over and trying to send me into a spiral."
"That's great. I think Casper is a very calming dog."
"He is."
The two talk for a little longer before deciding to call it a night. Jay and Casper leave shortly before Vanessa comes home.
The next week flies by, the team having case after case. "I guess the holiday is bring out the criminals," Ruzek comments.
"I think all holidays do that," Kim tells him. "Remember how crazy last year was the week before Christmas?"
"Don't you dare," Kevin pointily looks at her. "You going to jinx it."
Hailey and Jay listen to the banter in the bullpen as they try to finish their paperwork that just seems to be mounting up as the minutes pass.
Looking at the time, Jay looks to Hailey, "Want to take a ride?" Hailey nods wanting to take a break from her computer screen.
"Hey, where're you guys going?" Ruzek asks when he sees the two of them get up and head in the direction of the bullpen's exit.
"I need to let Casper out," Jay answers without looking back, not waiting to hear his reply.
Getting into Jay's truck they head to his apartment.
"So, what do you want me to bring?"
"We have a couple more days. I'll start a group text and we can decide that way," Hailey answers.
The rest of the ride is in a comfortable silence. Once at his apartment Jay gives Hailey the option of waiting in the truck or going in with him. Hailey goes in with him and Casper is happy to see two of his favorite humans.
After letting Casper out, the detectives return to the district. They spend the rest of the day finishing up the paperwork and listening to Ruzek complain about the amount of paperwork.
Thanksgiving comes before they know it. The game plan was to arrive at Hailey and Vanessa's at noon so they can all watch the first football game together before they would eat. The guys were all excited because the Bears were playing a Thanksgiving game this year.
The team starts to arrive one by one to Hailey and Vanessa's. After putting the food that they brought into the kitchen they each make their way out to the living room to catch the pre-game.
"What's he doing here?" Adam asks when he arrives, after seeing the Labrador retriever.
"I wasn't going to leave him alone for six or seven hours," Jay tells him.
"He would have been fine."
"I don't leave him alone that long while we're at work without checking on him."
"A reason why having a dog with our hours is crazy."
"Adam stop it, Casper is fine. I told Jay to bring him here," Hailey tells him.
Adam nods before taking his dish to the kitchen.
Adam is the last to arrive, having gotten there just before the game starts. The game is close, both teams having a strong offense and defense. The guys are all engrossed in the game and it has even caught the attention of the girls.
After three hours of a close game, the Bears pull out an win 24-21 over the Seahawks.
With the guys in high spirits from the Bears win, they all grab plates and make their platters before crowding around the island in the kitchen to eat.
"Before we eat," Kim starts. "My family has this tradition where we say what we are most thankful for this year."
"Let's do it," Vanessa agrees excited, having not had any traditions growing up in the system.
"I am thankful that everyone is still here," Kim starts.
"I am thankful to have found a family in you all," Vanessa goes next.
"I'm thankful that my siblings are safe even though they are far from home," Kevin adds.
"I'm thankful for family," Jay voices while petting Casper's head.
"I'm thankful that there were no close calls this year," Hailey adds thinking of the times she's almost lost her partner.
"I'm thankful for being a part of this team," Ruzek adds.
Once they are finished, they dig into their food, eating until they are borderline in a food coma.
Dinner was a quiet event with no major arguments between anyone. When no one could eat any more, they cleared the table and worked on making leftover dishes for everyone while listening to the net game.
Wanting to let their food settle before moving they settled in front of the television to watch the last quarter of the Cowboys game. The Cowboys losing to the Ravens.
Casper is by Jay the entire time, something that Kim notices but doesn't comment on… at least not yet.
With the end of the second football game, Kim, Kevin, and Adam decide it's time to leave. They grab their leftovers and the now empty dished that they brought with them and make their way out the door.
"Did you find it weird that Casper never left Jay's side?" Kim asks. "I mean, he's what? A year or so and he didn't beg from anyone?"
"Maybe he's just well trained, I mean he is Jay's dog," Kevin answers.
"I thought it was weird that Jay brought him," Adam comments.
"If you had a dog, Hailey would have let you bring him or her," Kim tells him.
"I think that went well," Vanessa comments.
"Yeah, I kind of thought that something was going to happen," Hailey adds.
"Jay, Casper was so good," Vanessa tells him.
"Thanks, he's a good dog. I'll see you guys at work," he comments as he goes to leave.
"Let me help, you have your hands full," Hailey stops him as he tries to grab his and Casper's things.
"Thanks," Jay mutters at he focuses on trying not to drop anything before Hailey can take some things off his hands.
Hailey walks Jay and Casper out to his truck where they talk for a minute. "See it wasn't that bad," Hailey tells him.
"You're right," Jay admits.
"Was that so hard to say?" Hailey teases.
"Yes," Jay deadpans, before saying his good-byes.
Hailey goes back into her house as Jay's truck pulls away.
"What was that?" Vanessa asks when she gets back inside.
"Nothing, he had his hands full.
"Sure it was nothing," Vanessa replies sarcastically. "You love him, don't you?"
"Of course I love him, he's my partner."
"That's not what I meant and you know it."
"He's my best friend. Nothing more."
"Okay, fine. Want help making room for everything?"
"Thanks."
I apologize again for the long author's note at the beginning, I don't normally do that, thank you for sticking with me. Stay safe and stay healthy. See you Saturday for "A to Z" and if you don't read that, see you next Wednesday.
Regarding this chapter:
If you don't live in the United States, Thanksgiving is the court Thursday of November. On Thanksgiving, there are three (American) football games each year. Every year the Detroit Lions and the Dallas Cowboys play, the other four teams are chosen randomly within the scheduling for the year. Dallas and Detroit playing each year goes back to when Thanksgiving day games started and they were the only teams who volunteered. They now hold two of the six spots each year. The Seahawks are in Seattle, Washington and the Ravens are in Baltimore, Maryland. I don't know if theses teams would ever match up in real-life, I just chose teams at random.
Chapter Questions:
YuukiAsuna41- Chapter 5- "If you hurt my baby brother…" Oh, I love this words so much. And Jay's childhoor is really interesting. How his dad makes him down and his mom and brother try to protect him as the youngest. Do you have in mind to make a story about that?
Answer: At this time, no. But I have a One Chicago High School story in the works, but I have been more focused on this, "A to Z", and the Deaf fic in-progress. I might put aspects of that in the HS story, but I have not worked on that since December.
LostCause789- Chapter 23- I was glad to see an update! I really hope Jay opens up and tells the team about Casper. I don't necessarily think his PTSD is bad enough to need him with him at work but it would be nice if he felt like he could be honest with them.
Answer: You're right, his PTSD isn't bad enough that he would need him at work. And if that were the case, logically I believe that Jay wouldn't be allowed in the field with the concern that his PTSD would cause harm to come to him or someone else because of it and it would be the responsibility of the CPD. I can't find everything that I need through my research, so what I can't find for Illinois' laws on service dogs, I am using the laws of my state (a different state in the US). A service dog is allowed access to buildings as long as it is with its handler. With Casper's main task being waking Jay because of nightmares, he would not be needed outside the house for the most part, sans fireworks like Chapter 21. Hailey's comment was not to imply that Jay's PTSD is severe enough to need Casper at work, but to acknowledge laws concerning Service Dogs and the guilt that she senses Jay feels about leaving Casper alone for as long as he does because of their hours.