Chapter 16

Two days after Christmas, Layla headed to her apartment to catch up on laundry and check on things there while Hank drove Erin to the airport.

Incredibly, Intelligence had not been called in on any cases and the three of them had spent all of Wednesday together. Erin and Layla had gotten to know each other a lot better, which Hank loved - that is, until the two women started ganging up on him. He'd had to sit through Hallmark Channel Christmas movies instead of the gun-slinging western he'd wanted to watch.

But Hank couldn't deny that lounging on the couch, watching movies with Layla and Erin, had been one of the best days he'd had in a long time.

Layla was just folding her last load of laundry when her cell phone rang.

"Hey, you okay?" She answered, knowing Hank was a little down about Erin leaving.

"Yeah," Hank said on the other end of the line, "Erin is in the air back to New York."

"Hey..." Layla said, trying to cheer him up, "...why don't we go to the diner on 10th and pig out on a greasy, Chicago breakfast?"

Hank laughed on the other end of the line, then said, "That sounds great. I'll come pick you up."

When Hank arrived he knocked on the door instead of using his key and Layla had a flashback to the first night he'd stopped by.

Opening the door, she hesitated a moment, just taking him in and reflecting on all that had happened since that night.

"This brings back memories," she told him as Hank walked in, giving her a kiss. As she closed the door, Hank said from behind her, "Yeah, I've been thinking about that."

Layla looked at him, waiting for him to elaborate.

Sticking his hands in his pockets and looking up at her, Hank said, "Move in with me."

Layla's eyes widened in surprise and she walked over to the couch to sit down.

Hank remained standing.

"Wow. I… wow."

There was a long silence before she said, "Are you sure? I mean, I love you but this is a big step. A big, forward-momentum step. We haven't really talked about…"

Hank walked over and sat down beside her, taking her hand in his.

"Nothing would change, really. You're at my place most nights." Then he added, "And I do want to move forward with you. This is just the next step."

Layla's eyes snapped to his, reading between the lines of what he wasn't saying. They hadn't really talked about their future, and here was Hank hinting at… what? Marriage?

The thought scared Layla, a lot - more than she cared to admit - so she focused on the matter at hand.

"And you're sure about this?" Layla asked, trying to process her feelings.

"Sweetheart, I'm sure." He had a small smirk on his face, completely relaxed - completely Hank Voight.

His certainty stilled her nerves.

She loved this man. She felt safe with this man. The answer was clear in her mind.

"Okay, I'll move in with you!"

-break-

The night of the concert, Hank got home and headed upstairs to shower. He found Layla digging through a box in the bedroom.

"What are you doing?" He asked, glancing around the room at clothes strewn everywhere. They'd finally finished moving her clothes in, but they were still in their boxes in the bedroom floor. They still had a few trips to get the rest of her things.

"I'm looking for my leather jacket. I want to wear it to the concert tonight but I can't fin… Ah ha!" Layla stood up quickly, proudly holding the jacket in the air.

Layla was all ready to go, wearing tight, black jeans and an old Eric Clapton concert t-shirt tied in a knot, her midsection exposed.

Hank walked over to her and took the jacket out of her hands, letting it fall to the floor.

When he pulled her close and started kissing her, Layla sighed, "Hank… we have to pick Trudy and Mouch up in 30 minutes."

"I know." He said as his kisses moved to her neck.

She sighed and gave in to his touch. Since Christmas, they hadn't had a lot of time to spend together, especially with every free moment devoted to packing up her things and moving them to his place.

"Did you solve the case?" Layla whispered, trying to stay clear-headed but feeling drunk on his touch and his kisses.

"Hmmhmm." Hank mumbled, walking her backwards towards the bed.

"Hank… be good." She warned him as the back of her legs hit the bed.

Hank pulled back, smirking, and looked at her. Then, his voice gravelly, he said, "Is that really what you want?"

The dangerous look in his eye made Layla's stomach tighten with excitement.

Layla met his look with a challenging one of her own and pulled at his shirt to untuck it from his jeans. She noticed when he winced and pulled back from her touch.

Narrowing her eyes at him, she asked, "What's wrong?"

Hank ignored her and tried to kiss her again but she pulled away.

Realizing the moment was gone, Hank sighed.

"It's no big deal, I just took a small caliber round to the vest today when we went to apprehend a suspect. I'm just a little bruised."

Layla's mouth fell open. "You were shot?" She asked, her voice going up an octave at the end of her question, illustrating her displeasure. Lifting his shirt, she saw the purple bruise across his ribs on his left side.

Hank stilled her hands with his.

"That's what the vest is for. I barely even notice it. I promise." Hank told her.

Layla narrowed her eyes at him and poked a finger into his side. Hank grunted and winced.

"Yeah. Seems fine." She said, sarcastically.

"It's no big deal. I've had much worse."

Hank didn't think about his words until they were already out of his mouth and Layla scoffed. "Oh, great. As long as you've had worse, then I guess getting shot at is no big deal."

Layla left him standing by the bed and went to pick up her jacket from the floor.

"And where was the rest of your team when this was happening?"

Hank felt a sting of anger at her words and his demeanor changed.

"What, you don't think I can handle myself?"

Layla rolled her eyes as his machismo.

"I know you can handle yourself! I just wonder why it's always you in the line of fire when you've got a whole team!"

Hank took a step closer to her, getting angrier that he was having to explain himself.

"Because it's my team! I'm responsible for them."

Layla, her back still to him, said, "I just wish you would rely on them more."

Stepping forward, Hank said a little too loudly, "I didn't know I had to check with you on how to run my unit!"

Immediately, Hank regretted his words.

"Layla, I'm sorry…"

"No!" She yelled, turning around to face him. Hank could see the tears in her eyes.

"No! You're right. I knew what I was signing up for when I started dating 'Seargant Hank Voight'." She said his name as if it tasted sour in her mouth.

"I'll just sit here and wait for someone to call me and tell me you weren't so lucky next time." Hank winced as the tears started falling down her cheeks, but this time it wasn't from the pain in his side. Now he realized where this was coming from and he felt like an ass.

Hank closed the space between them and pulled her against him, ignoring the pain in his ribs.

"I'm fine. I'm right here." Hank told her as he rubbed her back.

Layla took a deep breath and looked up at him, her eyes puffy and red. "I can't lose you, too."

Hank pulled back and looked her in the eyes.

"I promise you I will do everything in my power to come home to you each night, safe and sound."

Layla nodded and wiped her eyes.

When they separated, Hank said, "Next time I'll send Halstead in first."

This made Layla laugh and Hank felt the tension in his chest release at the sound.

"Deal. Now go shower so we can get going."

Hank kissed her cheek and headed into the bathroom.

Layla sat down on the edge of the bed and took a steadying breath. Grabbing her phone, she called Cindy.

"Hey, sis, I thought you had the concert tonight?"

"I do, we're leaving soon. I just needed to talk for a minute."

Cindy, now hearing the strange tone of Layla's voice, said quickly, "What's wrong?"

Layla quickly explained the situation to her sister. Then she said, "I guess I'm just not as strong as I used to be - sitting at home while he runs into danger every day. I'm not as strong as you are."

Cindy let out a laugh. "Layla, you are so much stronger than I am. You know why? Because you've lived through the worst case scenario and yet you still love, you still have compassion for others, you refuse to let it beat you. Bottom line is, even though it scares us, their sense of duty and sacrifice is one of the things we love most about them."

Layla nodded in agreement, even though she knew her sister couldn't see her. The lump in her throat was too large to speak.

"Look, Hank loves you. Don't you think he's going to do everything he can to make it home to you?"

Clearing her throat, Layla said, "Yes."

"Then try to let that fear go and enjoy being together. God knows, you both deserve a little happiness."

Layla nodded, feeling better.

"You're right. Thanks, Cin."

Hank walked back into the bedroom, a towel wrapped around his waist, the bruise on his ribs a stark contrast against his skin.

"Anytime. Now put this behind you and go enjoy the concert!"

Layla laughed and assured her sister she would.

"Love you, sis."

As she hung up the phone, Hank asked, "Everything alright?"

Taking a deep breath, Layla stood up and smiled.

"Yes."

She walked over to Hank and kissed him deeply, ignoring that doing so got water all over her clothes.

Hank raised an eyebrow at her and smiled.

"Get dressed, Sargeant, we roll out in five."

With that, she grabbed her jacket and headed downstairs to wait for him.

-break-

By the time they walked into the arena, Layla and Trudy were giddy with excitement. The two women had been talking non-stop for the last twenty minutes about the set list, possible encores and how close their seats were to the stage. Hank had managed to get seats on the fourth row.

"Ladies!" Hank said, trying to get their attention for the second time.

"Why don't you two go ahead to the seats and we will get drinks." Hank said, motioning to Mouch.

"That sounds great!" The two women took off and Hank and Mouch looked at each other, shaking their heads.

The closer Trudy and Layla got to their seats, the louder their squeals of excitement. Once they got there, they both took out their phones to take a photo of how close they were to the stage.

Layla was in the middle of sending a text to Cindy when she heard a voice behind her.

"Hey, baby! Damn, I'm glad you're sitting in front of me. You are smoking hot."

Layla and Trudy both turned around to find a group of frat boys, clearly drunk from pre-gaming in the parking lot.

Layla just ignored him.

"Oh, why do you have to be like that?" The guy slurred.

Trudy turned around and pointed a finger at the guy, "Look buddy, you're drunk so I'm going to give you a pass. We're all here for a good time. But you need to cool it."

The guy put his hands up. "Alright, ma'm. No problem."

Trudy shot him a look, not happy about being called ma'm, before turning back around.

Moving on, Layla leaned over and said, "So, were you going to tell me that Hank got shot today?"

Trudy looked guilty for a moment before saying, "I'm sorry. I didn't want to worry you. He's fine, really."

"So he says." Layla gave her a look.

Then, in a quieter voice, Layla asked, "If it were Randy, you wouldn't want to know?"

Trudy looked at her for a moment before nodding. "Point taken. Next time you'll be my first call."

"Thank you." Layla told her, sincerely. Trudy got the sense that something had happened between her and Hank before they'd arrived to pick them up. Now she had a better understanding of what it might have been about.

Mouch and Hank arrived at their seats, drinks in hands.

When Hank got to his seat and handed Layla her drink, she kissed him.

"I love you. Thanks for getting these tickets."

Hank smiled, glad she was feeling better after their argument earlier.

"You're welcome. Now let's relax and enjoy tonight."

Hank put his arm around her waist, pulling her against him, careful of his side.

"Damn," the drunk, frat guy exclaimed behind them, "I don't have a chance with her anyway. She's into old dudes."

Hank looked at Layla and she made a face, "Yeah. We've already had one chat with this guy. He's drunk. Just ignore him."

Hank obliged and turned his attention back to the stage. A few moments later, the lights went dark and the show started.

As the show went on, Hank was more relaxed than he'd been in a long time. Layla was clearly having the time of her life and it made him happy to see her enjoying herself. She and Trudy sang along to every song. Hank even found himself singing along to some of the more popular hits.

At intermission, the ladies headed to the restroom and joined the long line of waiting women while the men went to get more drinks.

Layla and Trudy were busy talking about how great the show was when someone bumped into Layla, spilling beer all down her front.

Once the initial shock wore off, she realized it was the guy that had been sitting behind them.

"What the fuck?" Layla yelled, getting pissed.

"Oh, I'm sorry. It was an accident," the guy smirked, obviously having gotten his second wind, and obviously lying.

"Okay, that's it." Trudy said, and walked over to the nearest security guard. After a moment of explaining who she was and what was going on, he and another guard came over and escorted the guy out of the arena.

Once he realized what was going on, the guy got belligerent and started yelling obscenities.

Trudy walked back over and looked at Layla's soaking shirt.

"You okay?"

Layla, still pissed and now smelling like a brewery, tried to salvage her mood.

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine. I'll just try to soak some of this up."

She did the best she could with bathroom paper towels.

When they got back to their seats, Hank looked concerned.

"What happened?"

Layla tried to put the same, light-hearted smile on her face as before intermission but wasn't entirely successful.

"That drunk guy from before, he "accidentally" spilled his beer all over me. Trudy got him kicked out."

Hank nodded his thanks to Trudy and she waved him off.

"He needed to go to the car anyway, sleep it off." Trudy said.

Once the lights went down, Layla's mood lifted and soon they were all four back to enjoying themselves.

The show ended with an encore of "Sweet Home Chicago," much to the crowd's delight.

Once the song ended, the lights came up and everyone started making their way to the parking lots.

"That was incredible." Layla was saying, more like yelling since her ears were ringing from the concert, as they walked out into the fresh air.

"My favorite song was…" Trudy started saying, but was interrupted when someone approached from behind them.

"Hey, bitch! How dare you get me thrown out. I told you it was an accident."

The same drunk guy approached. He was actually carrying a fresh beer in his hand, probably left over from pre-gaming.

From her right, Layla heard Hank say, "I'm going to enjoy this so much" as he started to turn around, fist poised to knock the guy out.

A wave of anger came over Layla and before she realized what she was doing she turned around and punched the guy in the face, hard.

Already off balance, the guy fell to the ground.

Trudy watched him go down with a proud smile on her face.

"Grow up, asshole." Layla told him as he picked himself up, embarrassed, and walked back to wherever he came from.

Once he was gone, Layla held her right hand with her left, her knuckles already swelling.

"Damn, I think that hurt me more than it hurt him."

Hank walked over, a smile on his face, and examined her hand.

"You'll be fine. We'll stop and get some ice."

Layla, still concerned about her hand, looked up and saw Hank smiling.

"What?"

Hank brushed her hair behind her ear and kissed her.

"I love you." He told her, holding her good hand as they walked back to his SUV.

-break-

After they dropped Trudy and Mouch off, they went back to Hank's house. Their house, now, Layla reminded herself, as they got out of the car and walked up to the front door. That was going to take some getting used to.

While Hank was unlocking the door, Layla put her hand on his arm.

"Hey, thanks for tonight. I'm sorry I freaked out before we left."

Hank turned to her. "No, I'm sorry I was such an inconsiderate asshole. Hopefully, tonight made up for it?"

Layla smiled and snaked her hands around his neck.

"It was a start."

She kissed him suggestively and Hank raised an eyebrow.

"But I can think of an even better way to make up for it."

Hank chuckled and kissed her back before opening the door, eager to get inside.

Neither one of them noticed the black sedan parked across the street, a long-lens camera poised in the driver side window, snapping photos as they kissed.