Three days later it was approaching 12:00pm on Friday afternoon and I was trying to wrap up my day. I was taking a half day because I had a doctor's appointment at 1:00pm. I had also asked Gabby to meet me for a late lunch before she tended bar that night at Molly's. I had barely slept for the past three nights. There was no doubt in my mind that Al and Hank knew my secret. I was just waiting for Hank to confront me or even worse, tell Jay. Jay still couldn't figure out why there was still a hit on me with a bounty of $200,000.00. What was confusing him even more was the fact that Hank had pulled my babysitters. I was completely on my own. I think the only thing that was saving me up to this point is the fact Jay was not permitted to interrogate El Gato or Hailey. Because Hailey had been his partner, and Jay had been one of the targets of the Cartel, he was not allowed to talk to either one of them. Something about compromising the investigation he had told me on Tuesday night. He was still staying at my apartment each night. I'm not sure if he was still staying there because he was trying to protect me or because he wanted to be there. All I know is I didn't want him to leave. I was in a constant state of panic that worsened each morning when I said good-bye to him. I would leave him in my apartment, cleaning up the breakfast mess, and would think that was going to be the last time I saw him or the last time he would speak to me. I don't know how much longer I can continue this way. I was so engrossed in my thoughts that I didn't notice Hank in my doorway. He, and the rest of the Intelligence Unit, had become such a fixture around the hotel that Holly had been told she didn't need to buzz me to let me know when they were headed to my office. "Christine..." he said startling me and causing me to jump. I quickly stood up causing me to become lightheaded and as a result the room went dark. When I came to I was no longer in my office.

I was back in the E.D. at Chicago Med. "What happened?" I asked April. "I don't really know. All I know is Sargent Voight said you stood up when he came into your office and the next thing he knew you were passed out on the floor. Ethan will be in shortly to go over your results. They sent you for a CT Scan and took some blood." April told me. "April, I know what's wrong with me. Two days ago on Wednesday, when I was getting ready for work, I ended up on the bathroom floor. I got lightheaded and definitely did some cheek-to-floor dancing. I could barely pull myself up off the bathroom floor but somehow managed to crawl over to the toilet when I knew I was going to be sick. I didn't cook anything that would cause me to have food poisoning and only drank ginger-ale the night before so I wasn't hungover. Then I started thinking…when was the last time I had my period. I realized at that point that I hadn't had my period since the middle of December. I hadn't paid attention due to everything that's been going on. There was a couple of times when Jay and I forgot to use a condom, hello middle of the night sex or sometimes drunk sex, but I didn't believe I could seriously be pregnant. That was until I bought a test at the store and took it at the hotel that afternoon. Two pink lines showed up. I'm pretty sure I got pregnant the first night Jay and I had sex. That would put me at seven weeks. I am supposed to be at my OB/GYN's office right now." I told her. "Well, you're right. Congratulations, you're pregnant." Ethan said. I hadn't noticed him come into the room. "I'm a little concerned because, according to your records, you've lost quite a bit of weight over the past few weeks. I heard about what you went through and I'm sure the stress had a lot to do with it. You need to really focus on taking care of yourself. I can reschedule your appointment with your OB/GYN's office for an hour from now. Since her office is at Med, it would be really convenient. That way you'll be able to get a prescription for pre-natal vitamins from her. I'm also going to suggest that she do an Ultrasound today just to make sure everything is as it should be. Or, if you want, I can do the Ultrasound right now."

After asking Ethan to do the Ultrasound there, I couldn't help but wonder if Hank was still around somewhere. I wasn't ready for Jay to find out I was pregnant. He still hadn't recovered from finding out that Mariana had never been pregnant. I thought back to the words he told me about breaking his cover...he was not going to let his child be raised around the Cartel. I didn't want to think about how he was going to feel when he learned the Mother of his child was an Irish Mob Boss. I needed to figure a way out of this situation. I looked at the monitor attached to the Ultrasound machine and wasn't sure what I was looking at. "Well, I'm happy to say everything looks just as it should. At this stage there's no reason to think that your babies won't be born healthy." Ethan said. "I'm sorry, what did you just say? Babies? There's more than one in there?" I asked in shock. "Yes, Christine. You're having twins." he replied pointing to the fetuses on the monitor. After saying they'd give me a moment to clean up, Ethan and April went to reschedule my doctor's appointment for that afternoon. I texted Gabby letting her know something had come up and I would need to reschedule lunch. I went straight to my Doctor's appointment and she did another Ultrasound and I heard the babies heartbeats. I think that's what made everything real...real and scary. I was told I was due on September 21st but, was told most people who have twins don't carry fullterm. I could most likely anticipate giving birth anywhere from August 10th on.

I got in the elevator and headed down to the hospital's main entrance. I had to order an Uber to pick me up since I was still without a car. Guess I needed to go car shopping after I got my prescription filled at the pharmacy. I think I walked around in a daze most of the afternoon. I bought another SUV, but this time I selected a red Range Rover Sport with black interior. I drove the car off the lot and headed to the grocery store. I knew Jay might be at work a little later than normal, but I was going to cook him an amazing dinner. I was planning on telling him the truth about everything at dinner. As I pulled into the parking lot of Mariano's my cell phone rang. It was Hank. Oh, shit. "Hey." I said as I answered the phone. "Where are you? I went back to Med and was told that they let you go. Are you okay?" he asked, sounding concerned. "I'm pulling into Mariano's now. I need to pick up some stuff for dinner tonight." I replied. "Wait there for me. Don't go in. I need to talk to you." he replied ending the call before I could tell him I was in a new car. I stood outside the car and fifteen minutes later Hank's Escalade pulled to a stop in front of me. "Get in." he said. "We need to talk, Christine. I needed a few days to figure out how to handle this and what to say to you. I know what you did and why you did it, but is that really the life you want to be involved in? I need to know, so I can get you out of it. Tell me honestly." "No, it's not at all. I want to focus on my career in the hotel industry and building a future with Jay. I don't want any part of my Uncle's business, but I don't have a choice anymore. I needed to do it to ensure Jay's safety. I hope you understand. I'm not sure Jay will when I tell him tonight. Hank, I'm pregnant. I took a test on Wednesday and it was confirmed today at Chicago Med. I'm so afraid of what he's going to do when I tell him. The past month and a half has been completely chaotic and insane. I just want some sort of normalcy." I replied. "What if I can get you out of it? Or what if we keep it from Halstead and use it to our advantage? We could take down the Irish Mob and the Italian Mafia. That would prevent a shit ton of drugs from coming into Chicago. I think that's the best option. Don't tell Halstead yet. Give me the weekend. I'll come see you on Monday and we can go from there." Hank said. I looked at him like he was insane but if this could somehow save my relationship with Jay then I was willing to do it. "Okay." I said.

I got back in my car and decided not to go into the grocery store. I just wanted to go home and hide from the world. I decided to hold off on telling Jay I was pregnant until after Hank and I spoke on Monday. The weekend passed rather quickly. Jay was still staying at my apartment. I started to notice more and more things of his mixed into my space. I spent fourteen hours at the hotel on Saturday. The wedding was beautiful and I just had one more week to get thru before the closing party and then the hotel would be closed the following morning. We were starting construction on the Molly's location that day. It was going to be a quick turnaround. I had twelve days from the time we closed until the time we opened as The Hotel 30 – Chicago. I was in the office bright and early on Monday morning. After lunch I looked up to see Hank in my doorway, once again. "Don't pass out on me this time." He said. We sat on the sofa in my office and he laid out a very detailed plan. A plan that required me to end things with Jay. Kenny Rixton had moved from the Gang Unit to Intelligence and I would be his Criminal Informant. I would pass any and all information onto Rixton. He would then relay it to Hank who would use the information to take down the Irish Mob and the Italian Mafia. "I'm fine with all of it except for the part that requires me to break up with Jay. Hank, he's the Father of my babies. How do you expect me to end it with him?" I asked. "I know it's going to be hard, but it's either that or you tell him what you did and knowing you made that sacrifice for him might actually just end up destroying him. There's really no other way." Hank replied. I didn't agree. There had to be another way. I told Hank I was telling Jay everything that night and I would just hope he would accept what I did, especially when he finds out I'm pregnant.

I got home at a decent hour that night and decided to cook dinner. I had stopped at the grocery store on the way home and got everything I needed for a roast beef dinner. To say Jay was surprised when he got home was an understatement. I had the dining room table set with my china and good flatware that he had used when he cooked me breakfast on the morning of our "first" date. He was shocked to see the homemade apple pie cooling on the counter and the platters that were on the table. I prepared not only the roast, but made oven roasted potatoes, asparagus and gravy to go with it. There were two envelopes at Jay's seat. He looked at the envelopes and asked "What's going on? Everything looks and smells amazing but it's not like you to cook a big meal on a Monday night. What's with the envelopes?" As we sat at the table I took a deep breath and began the toughest conversation of my life. I started with the deal I had made to ensure his safety. I then told him about Hank's plan. As I spoke I could see the tick in his cheek. I hadn't expected the conversation to be easy or for him to take it well, but Jay hadn't yelled at me since I was in the hospital on December 23rd, until that night. "What the fuck, Christine!? What were you thinking? You just couldn't let us handle it, could you? You need to control everything, and as a result you have ruined your life...your career...and you ruined us. I had a hard enough time accepting the fact of who your Uncle is and what he does for a living and now you have proven you are the same. How am I supposed to continue a relationship with you when I'm going to wonder constantly if I'm going to be arresting you in the near future? You're a criminal...you're no better than your Uncle or your so-called cousins. How could you do this? How could you do this to us?" Jay yelled. "Jay please, think about the reason why I did it. I did it for you...for us...for my career. I needed to in order to keep you safe and to help take down the Colombians. It was the only option. If it hadn't been for my Uncle and Joseph you never would have known that Hailey was the rat. I did it because I love you." I said. "I can't deal with this now. I need to think. I gotta go." he said, putting his leather jacket on and walking towards the door. "Jay, wait. Don't go. There's more I need to tell you." I pleaded with him. In a cold bitter voice he said "I don't think I can handle anymore." before he walked out the door.

I sat down at the table, knowing I had to eat, but not feeling like I could. I ended up dumping the food I made for dinner and heated up some soup instead. As I cleaned up the dining room I noticed the two envelopes that had remained untouched. I opened the envelopes and looked at pictures from the Ultrasound. I had labeled the pictures, Baby Halstead #1 and Baby Halstead #2. I put my hand on my stomach and spoke to my unborn children, "I messed up but I'm going to find a way to make it right. By the time teh two of you make your debut in this world you are going to have both your parents in your lives. I promise you my babies. I will make it right. I love you both so much already." As I said the words, I couldn't help but wonder will life ever be normal again.