A/N: Hey all! I am SO SORRY it has been so long since I updated this. Real life got crazy and writer's block hit hard. I promise to try to go back to weekly updates, but if I don't, please know I'm working on it and hope you understand the delay.
Thanks, as always, for your reviews! I love hearing what you think of the story!
Without further ado - here's chapter 5! I hope you enjoy!
Despite Erin's assurance, Platt knows that everything is definitely not fine. If everything were fine, Erin wouldn't be leaving. Trudy waits only until Halstead and Lindsay have cleared the door of the precinct before marching toward the stairs.
"Care to tell me why I just watched two of the best detectives in Chicago walk out my front door with all of their stuff?" she asks, inviting herself into Hank's office.
He responds without looking up from his paperwork, almost as if he were expecting this conversation. "Don't worry yourself about it, Trudy. They'll be back."
"You sound awfully sure of yourself -"
"You know Erin as well as I do. She's headstrong, but she's impulsive. Halstead's just a lovesick puppy following her lead. They'll be back as soon as they realize I was just looking out for them."
"Just looking out for them? I swear, if you -"
"Don't go threatening me before you even know the story, Sergeant," Hank growls.
"This is Erin we're talking about, Hank. You say she's impulsive, but we are her family. She doesn't just walk away from that without a damn good reason and you're over here acting like it's just another day. I don't care how Halstead fits into this, but whatever you said to Erin? You'd better fix it or -"
He stands suddenly, crossing the room to stand in front of her. "Or what? This is my team, in case you've forgotten -"
She squares her shoulders. Hank's proximity does nothing to scare her. "Do I need to remind you of the strings that were pulled to get you here? Have you forgotten that your ass should still be sitting in a cell in -"
"Whoa there," Al interjects, breaking up the quickly escalating argument between his friends. "I know Lindsay and Halstead leaving came as a blow - to all of us. We may not know why -"
"Oh, Hank knows why."
"- but it was still their decision to leave. All we can do now is support them wherever they go next."
Trudy sets her jaw. "Great to see you're both so torn up about losing two of our best." She spins on her heel and marches out of the office. She knows Lindsay quitting out of the blue involves Hank and the fact that he nor Al seem to care just makes it worse. She needs to know why they left and she will not rest until she finds out and makes it right again.
"Pizza will be here in 20," Erin announced. "What'd they say?"
"We should talk some more about this," Jay said, tucking his phone back into his pocket. He'd stared at La Crosse's number on his phone for - he didn't even know how long. Something about calling them just didn't feel right.
"You didn't call them back." She doesn't have to ask. She can read it all over his face.
He shakes his head. "We're going to have a baby, Erin. All of our friends are here-"
"- and so is Bunny -"
"But how long before she's involved in something that puts her behind bars? If you wouldn't help her -"
"She's my mom, Jay, I can't just leave her hanging."
He sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose. "You keep doing this, Er. You just got done saying that you don't want her around. Why keep helping her if you don't want her around?"
She opens her mouth to retort but freezes, his words striking a chord.
"Bunny aside, our friends are here. Platt - as much as she hates me - loves you. What do you think she's going to say when she finds out we not only left the 21st but also that we're planning on leaving Chicago?"
"I never thought about how much it would hurt her if I left. And when the baby comes. . . "
Someone rapping on the door interrupts her thought.
"Fastest pizza delivery ever," Jay comments, making his way to the door.
"Lindsay here?" Trudy asks, already pushing past him into the apartment as soon as the door swings open. She immediately spots her target. "Oh good, you are. Tell me what happened. Why did you leave and who do I need to get fired to get you back?"
"We can't just decide to move on from a job?" Jay questions.
"I wasn't talking to you," the sergeant fires back, directing her attention right back to Erin. "Whomever it is, whatever they did, you know I'll take care of it."
Erin tosses a glance at Jay over the sergeant's shoulder. How much are we comfortable revealing at this stage?
Jay responds with the smallest of shrugs. Up to you.
"Hank wanted to split us up because he's convinced we're sleeping together."
Trudy glances between the two of them. "And you're going to tell me you're not?"
"No," the younger woman responds, "but I will tell you that - if it affects our jobs at all - it only makes us better as partners in the field. You know how important it is to know you've got back up. Jay and I have always had that with each other. Not only that - we trust each other's instincts."
"Right, Sarge," Jay seconds. "She's the toughest cop I know. She doesn't need me to step in and save her or give her any special protection. I look out for her the same as I would any partner who's worth a damn."
"Even more reason why I am going to fix this and get you two back."
"Trudy, we really appreciate that, but it's … not really something that needs fixing," Erin states, her hand unconsciously floating down to her abdomen.
It doesn't go unnoticed by the older woman. "Oh my god!" she gasps, her hand flying up to her mouth.
Erin realizes and quickly pulls her hand away, crossing her arms in front of her, but it's too late.
"Are you-?" Trudy flicks her gaze from Erin to her stomach, to Jay, and back on Erin again, taking everything in. "Oh my gosh, you are."
"Trudy -"
"This makes so much more sense now! Congratulations! How far along are you? Oh my -" Her face flashes from excitement to concern. "Wait, you are keeping it, right?"
Erin nods. "We are. But this wasn't really planned, and we've barely had time to adjust to the news ourselves, so we'd appreciate if you wouldn't tell anyone."
"Of course, of course. Your secret's safe with me. . ." Trudy assures her, miming zipping her lips and throwing away the key. "...but your jobs! How do you expect to support a child when you've both just quit your jobs? The doctor's appointments, the diapers, the clothes, everything else you'll need -"
"It adds up fast, we know," Erin cuts her off with another glance at Jay. "We're, uh, we're working on it."
"Sergeant Michaels - in Robbery/Homicide over at the 16th - I just saw him the other day and he said he's looking for someone to replace one of his detectives who's going to retire at the end of the month. I could put a good word in for Halstead. Garrett's never been a fan of Intelligence but I know he would love to have you."
Jay glanced between the desk sergeant and his girlfriend, in shock at Trudy's sudden change of demeanor toward him.
"On one condition," Trudy added.
There it is, he thought, stopping himself from rolling his eyes. "What's that?"
"If I do this for you, you'd better be planning on staying with Erin and raising your kid as an equal partner. I swear if you ditch her -"
"I promise, Sarge, I'm not going anywhere." He says the last part more to Erin than to Trudy, but the sergeant sees and hears the exchange just the same. "We'll talk about it over dinner and let you know. Deal?"
Trudy nods, looking between the two of them one last time before making her way to the door. "Let me know if you need anything - and I mean anything," she says, locking eyes with Erin. "Day or night, I'm here. Especially after, you know," she finishes with a smile, her hand on the doorknob. "You're gonna make a great mom."