A/N: Hey all! Thanks so much for your love on the last chapter! It's so great to hear what you think!
To address the concern of Erin's lack of a job, I'm in total agreement with you all - I don't see her being happy sitting at home either! I promise she hasn't been all this while. I just haven't had the opportunity to write it in yet. For now, I hope you can take comfort in knowing that she's had a job since 2-3 weeks after she and Jay quit Intelligence. For the record, Jay started working Robbery-Homicide about the same time.
As for the question of how many people know about the pregnancy - I picture Jay and Erin planning on keeping it to themselves for the first trimester, as a lot of couples do. However, as you saw, Trudy got pushy with questions at one point and Erin let it slip. I'm assuming the secret was then kept between the three of them until shortly before the last chapter, probably over a small group dinner at either Erin's or Jay's apartment. =)
Hopefully that helps with some of the points I haven't gotten around to addressing in the story itself yet! Let me know if you have any other questions! Now without further ado, I hope you enjoy chapter 7, which picks up right where the last one left off!
Jay stacked another box by the door just as a knock sounded.
"Damn that was fast," Ruzek commented as it swings open in front of him.
"Well, I was right by the door."
"Probably just waiting around so he could make us do all the work," Hailey said, bounding up behind the men.
"That's exactly the kind of comment Lindsay would make. . . but you're not -"
"Guys, meet my new partner, Hailey Upton. Hails, this is Kevin and Adam. I used to work with them in Intelligence."
"So good to have faces to put with the stories," Hailey teased.
. . . . .
Roughly an hour later, the quartet pulled into the driveway of Erin and Jay's new house. It was a small two-bedroom in Schiller Park with one garage stall and a small, fenced in backyard.
They'd been lucky to find it at the price point they had.
Jay pulled the Sierra in behind Erin's Jeep and they each grabbed a box to haul inside. Jay directed each of them to the room their box belonged in before taking his own to its designated room.
Hailey turned the corner into the bedroom and froze at the sight of the woman in front of her. "Trudy Platt?" she asked uncertainly.
"That's my name. Don't wear it out," the older woman replied, turning to face the newcomer.
"You used to be Robbery/Homicide over at the 16th. Where are you now? How do you know Jay?"
"Whoa there, Questions McGee. You've forgotten to introduce yourself."
"Oh, sorry," Hailey said, finally setting her box down to extend her hand toward the sergeant, who ignored it, causing the younger woman to drop her hand down and fiddle with it nervously in front of her. "Hailey Upton. I don't know if you remember, but about 20 years ago, there was a robbery at my parents' diner in Greektown. You let me sit by your desk during the investigation, made sure I was comfortable. . . and then watching the way you worked during interrogation? You made that guy crack after the other guys had had no success and I was just so -" she paused, grasping for words. "Long story short, you're the reason I became a cop."
Trudy, who had originally been inclined to come back with another snarky remark, closed her mouth. She opened and closed it a few times more, at a loss for words. Finally, she extended her hand toward the younger woman. "It's a - It's a pleasure to meet you again," she choked out, clearly flattered.
"Likewise," Hailey responded, returning the handshake gleefully.
"And you said you're working -"
"The same unit you used to."
The sergeant beamed with pride and launched into conversation with the young officer, who happily engaged in the discourse.
Erin sat in her office over an hour after she should have been headed home, trying to catch up on paperwork. Amazing how taking two days off to move into their new house resulted in such a large to-do pile.
She set her pen down and massaged her temples, willing the Tylenol she'd taken for her headache to kick in. If she had this much of a stack after two days, how bad was it going to be when she took six weeks after she had the baby?
Her phone vibrated against her desk, signalling an incoming text from Jay. He'd just gotten home and wanted to know when she would make it home for dinner.
She composed a quick response before turning back to her computer. If she was to get through this pile and be home by the time she'd told Jay, she'd really have to focus in on her work.
. . . . . .
"Hey you," Jay said as soon as she came through the door, greeting her with a chaste kiss.
"Hi," she returned, pulling her boyfriend back to her for a hug and a deeper kiss.
His hands drifted from her shoulders down her back and finally around to her stomach. He lingered there for a moment before moving one hand to give her a quick squeeze on the ass.
She smirked, swatting at his backside as he turned away.
"What'd you make us?" she asked, following him back to the kitchen. "Your baby has a ridiculous appetite."
"Last time I checked, our little hiccup is half yours too."
"Our hiccup," Erin repeated slowly, rolling it around in her head.
"Don't take that the wrong way, Er," Jay begged, dropping his hands on her shoulders. "Remember I love you and little Hiccup with everything in me."
She smiled up at him, amazed at his ability to soothe her fears before they even had time to take hold. "So we're calling our baby Hiccup now?"
"Sure. We'll get them lots of building toys so they can learn how to make gadgets early and instead of a car for their sixteenth, we'll hit up the pet store. Do you think we have one in town that sells dragons?"
"If you bring our baby anywhere near something that breathes fire -"
"They'll be sixteen by that point. What could possibly go wrong?"
Erin shook her head at her boyfriend. "Famous last words," she chuckled. "Now you'd better get us some food or those will be your last words."
Jay glanced out the window and spotted Hailey's car coming up the street. His car was in the shop, so she'd offered to pick him up for work that morning. "I've gotta go," he told Erin, gratefully accepting his travel mug full of coffee that she offered him. "You're the best. I love you." He squatted down and kissed her stomach. "And I love you, Hiccup." He stood back up, placing another kiss to his girlfriend's lips. "See you tonight."
"Be safe," she told him, stealing another kiss. "We love you."
"I will," he promised, making his way out the door.
. . . .
Before they could even get to the precinct, their radios crackled to life: "Units on the citywide, we have a hold-up alarm at Ashland and Fullerton. Multiple shots fired."
"That's five minutes from here," Jay commented.
"5021 Henry. Plain clothes officers responding," Hailey spoke into her radio, taking a hard turn onto the next block. "How much you want to bet that's our same crew?"
Before Jay could respond, another voice came over the radio, officers already on scene advising that the suspects were fleeing northbound on Ashland on motorcycles. Another voice followed seconds behind it, a request for medics on the scene.
The two detectives exchanged a look. That was their crew. No doubt about it.
"Oh no," Jay groaned as they rolled up on scene.
"What?"
"That's Voight's car."
"Voight like Hank Voight, your old sergeant?"
"That's the one."
"Rumor has it he's a son of a bitch, plays by his own rules."
"Rumor's true."
"Well I have no time for that. Following my lead going to be a problem for you?"
Jay shook his head. "Will be for Voight though."
"Screw Voight. This is our scene. Let's go."
As they strode into the bank, Jay could hear Voight's voice, clear as day, already ordering people around. He swallowed hard, tailing behind Hailey.
She entered in full business mode, giving orders to a uniform before approaching Voight and introducing herself. "Detective Upton, Robbery-Homicide. This is my partner, Detective Halstead."
Jay didn't even have to look to feel the glare directed at him. He stared right back at his former boss, refusing to let him think he had the upper hand.
"Hank Voight, Intelligence," came the older man's reply.
Hailey noted how he neglected to introduce the two on either side of him. Even if she hadn't heard of the guy, that would have set off some flags for her. Who doesn't introduce their partners? Nevermind that she recognized both of them - Adam and Kevin - from helping Jay and Erin move a few months back. She pressed on, keeping her expression even. "I appreciate the help, Sergeant, but as of now, this is my scene."
"My team recovered evidence, saved a woman's life," Voight argued. "We're running point."
Hailey took a moment to give orders to a uniform over the sergeant's shoulder, ignoring the subsequent look of disapproval that was sent her way.
"We've been following this crew the last three weeks."
"Huh, then why did my team respond first?"
Jay bit his tongue. Voight was still the same smug son of a bitch he'd left behind.
Hailey was sick of it already, too. "We're from Robbery-Homicide," she reiterated. "There's been a robbery and a homicide here so I'd appreciate if you vacated our crime scene."
With that, she brushed passed him to get to work. Jay followed behind her, giving a nod to a smirking Atwater and a blown-away Ruzek on his way by.