"Look what I got from Aunt Trudy. Wax crayons in cool colours. Here we got pink, blue, green, yellow and red,"; Ruzek enumerated when he supplied Ben with paper and painting materials at the station. The little boy sat in the break room and passed the time while his father handed over the case files to Voight.
"How's he doing? How's he handling it?"; Hank wanted to know from Jay, while Hailey and Kim were sitting at their desks and followed the conversation. Halstead, looking anxiously at his son who had begun painting with Adam, shrugged his shoulders thoughtfully.
"It's like he's regressing. He can no longer sleep alone and cries at night."
Hank moved his head forward with a sigh.
"It takes time. Children are more resilient than we think. And you know if anything goes wrong, you can count on us."
Gratefully Jay looked at his boss, who looked at him meaningful and then ran into the next room where Adam was sitting with Ben.
"Hey, look who's here."
When Ben saw Hank Voight, he turned his face into a smile. He liked his father's boss. With him he could play cowboys and Indians at best.
"Are you having a good time here?"; Hank went slightly to his knees while Ben confirmed his question with a nod.
"Is Daddy really staying with me this week?"
"Yes,until the weekend. But at some point you gotta be a big boy again and go back to school."
Ben started to look sadly.
"Hey, I know this is hard. But you are strong. You're not gonna let this bad guy run your life and ruin the place you always loved."
"But one of my friends is no longer there. And he's not coming back, is he?"; Hank Voight looked thoughtfully at the Ben, finally shook his head.
"No, I don't think so."
"When I grow up, I'm going to be a cop, too, and then I'm gonna take all the guns and break them so nobody else can get hurt." Hank said nothing. He just gave Ben a sad smile, took him in his arms for a moment, before pointing to the next room.
"Would you like to come into my office? I got some real strong cowboys. These are from my son when he was as big as you are now." Ben busily nodded his head. Voight explained to Adam where he would found the kit that included the figures before they walked into Hank's office. With a serious face, Voight stepped back to the rest of his colleagues.
"Jay, I need you here for a brief team meeting. Then you go home with Ben. I got a call from the gang unit earlier. The guys found a stabbed man in a cemetery. Freshly buried."
"In a cemetery?"; Halstead asked in disbelief and received a concerned look from his boss...
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"Daddy? Where's Hailey?" Jay looked at his son in surprise. Actually, he was about to put Ben to bed, but the little one didn't feel like sleeping.
"At home. Why do you ask?"
"Can't you call her to come over?"; Jay sat down on the edge of his double bed.
"Hey, big guy. I thought we were doing just fine on our own. "
"Why? Don't you like her anymore?"; Jay pulled up his eyebrows, slowly dealing with Bens words.
"Yes, of course. But I thought, this is our day. "
Ben shrugged his shoulders.
"When she's around, I just feel so much safer. Because you two are cops. " Jay sighed, looking pityingly at the younger one.
"Can't we just call her? Please,"; the 9 year old begged his father, which made Jay sigh clumsily. Actually, he didn't want to bother Hailey with it. Especially since the unplanned contact made it look as if he was not able to take care of his son.
"Tomorrow, okay?"; Jay tried to convince his boy, who obviously didn't like the idea.
"Okay, all right. Let's call her. But we don't ask if she can come over. " Questioningly, Ben looked at his father.
"Why not?"
"Because I don't want her to worry unnecessarily. "
"Why doesn't she finally move in with us?"; Stunned by the question of his son, Jay struggled for words.
"Then I would finally have a mommy, too. Like the rest of my friends. "
"We'll talk about this again tomorrow, okay?"; Ben made a wry grimace, but then nodded his head. Jay pulled out his smartphone. . .
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In spite of all attempts Jay had not succeeded in preventing Hailey from visiting. Ben had cleverly persuaded his father's girlfriend to come and see them that same evening after all. Under the pretext of a bedtime story, the little boy managed to attract her at short notice. In the end, Ben had fallen asleep next to the blonde policewoman in no time.
Hailey put the children's book on the nightstand. Quietly, the adults sneaked out of the living room, but left the door open.
"This wasn't my idea, by the way. So, before you jump to any wrong conclusions." Hailey smiled as Jay poured her a glass of scotch.
"He's like you"
"Oh, yeah? Sometimes I'm not so sure. By the way, he asked me why we're not moving in together. "
"And what did you answer?";
"I didn't go into it. "
"Children are never shy about telling the truth, right?" They looked at each other in love.
Slowly his lips approached hers before they merged. Since they obviously thought the same, the subject was covered over.
"By the way, I want to take Ben back to his school for the first time tomorrow. The headmaster has built up a memorial place erected in front of the building. Let's see how he takes it. " For a moment the two of them got serious again.
"They're not gonna send those kids back to school right away, are they?"
Jay shook his head in denial.
"Not right away. The idea is that they will move into the old building on Hamilton Road. But I think it'll take another week or two. "
"What are you gonna do with Ben in the meantime?"; Hailey pronounced what had been painfully bothering Jay for several hours.
"Honestly, I have no idea yet. Voight understood, but I can't stay home forever. On the other hand, he hardly ever talks about what happened. "
"Do you think he saw his dead friends?"; Hailey's voice became quieter and quieter at the end of the sentence. Jay struggled with the tears, too.
"He talks in his sleep sometimes, and from what he tells me, I assume. " They looked at each other for a long moment, then Hailey crawled into his arms without warning, holding him tightly. Jay enjoyed the gesture, hiding the head on her chest.
"I'm so sorry,"; she whispered softly. That's when he gave in.
Jay cried silently as she slipped steadily across his back. Suddenly the fear for his son was present again. She didn't need to look at him. She could sense too well how he really was. After she had held him for a while, she relaxed the hug while they looked each other sadly.
"Ben said something earlier that I can't get out of my head. He wants a mom just like you. " A little shocked Hailey stared at her boyfriend, separated from him for a moment.
"For real?"
"Yes, perhaps we should consider his proposal after all. I mean, why are we making such a big deal about this?"; Hailey came closer and looked mysteriously at Jay while her hands slipped under his shirt and they sank again in a long kiss. Carefully, Halstead did the same for her and helped her take off her shirt. He was about to open her trousers, was already dressed without a T-shirt himself, while her attempts at affection became increasingly intense.
Shortly before they reached the climax, they heard a soft whimpering from the direction of the children's room, which became increasingly louder.
Jay was the first to go up, closing his eyes in resignation.
"Oh, no, Ben. " Immediately they paused, listening for another moment when the sound repeated itself.
"Sorry,"; Jay apologised before the two of them moaned and parted ways. A little annoyed Jay slipped on his pants and shirt before he ran barefoot into his bedroom. Wide awake, the 9 year old sat upright on the mattress and sobbed softly. Jay switched on the bedside lamp, sat down on the edge of the bed and pulled Ben into a comforting embrace.
"Shhh. . . Everything's fine. I'm here. I'm here. I'm right here.
The little one clung tightly to him and cried on his chest. Hailey, who had also quickly slipped back into her trousers, bra and sweater, ran anxiously into the next room where Jay was busy comforting his son. She looked at father and son with a serious expression on her face, then approached without shyness and took a seat next to Jay.
Halstead looked at his girlfriend helplessly. Although he held Ben firmly in his arms, the little one could hardly calm down. Carefully, Hailey reached out her hand and stroked the boy's forehead constantly, whereupon she watched him from tearful eyes. She began to talk to him in a subdued voice.
"Hey, did you have a bad dream?"; Ben nodded his head.
"The bad man came and shot me. " Jay glanced at his girlfriend with a hurt look, which is why Hailey continued to stroke the boy's forehead.
"That was just a nightmare. We're here to take care of you. " To calm him down, she began to sing a quiet melody until he closed his eyes in Jay's arms and drifted slowly into a deep sleep on his father's shoulder. . .