Erin zips her leather jacket up after closing the door behind her. The afternoon breeze blew through her hair as she stepped down the porch stairs. Lindsay had no idea what she wanted to do or where she wanted to go, and therefore, she just walked. She walked down the street, being mindful to stay as far to the side of the road so she wouldn't get hit. Apparently, the block didn't have sidewalks to keep pedestrians off of the road.
Lindsay took in the row of houses, the graffiti covered buildings, the children playing and the constant sound of sirens. This was city living at its best. A ball rolled in front of her, and bounced against her legs, "I got it," Erin lifted the red ball, "Here you go," she handed it back over to the kid.
"Thank you." The child smiled, taking a hold of her ball.
Erin focused forward and continued her walk. Eventually, she was off of her street. The houses gone, the children gone, however the graffiti and sounds of sirens were still present. She walked over railroad tracks, and continued her quest in clearing her mind, maybe jogging a memory or two. Whatever happens, it'll be worth it…even if she remembers nothing. The fresh air was good for her. The sightseeing was a plus.
Her feet eventually grew tired, and before she realized how far she had walked, she was near a business district. Erin pats down upon her pockets, and realized that she didn't have her cell. She must have forgotten it at home.
"Excuse me," she tapped the nearest stranger, "do you mind giving me the time?"
He glanced down at his watch, "It's twenty after four."
"Thank you," she watched him walk away. The business district was thirty minutes within walking distance.
Lindsay stood, surrounded by large buildings and many people. She felt overwhelmed. Her heart raced as she scanned for some sort of familiarity. A business caught her eye. It seemed oddly familiar. She didn't fight her instinct, and chose to walk into it.
"Hey Erin," a woman behind the bar greets her.
Erin waved cautiously, "Hi."
"Do you want your usual?" Dawson asked, clearing off the bar. Molly's was beginning to pick up, and Gaby sent a customer to a booth in order to clear a stool for Lindsay. Once the seat was offered, Erin took it. Dawson pushed a glass of her usual order in front of her, "Enjoy."
"Hey, sorry if this comes off as a little rude, but, who are you?"
Dawson laughs to herself, "I'm Gabriella," she extends her hand and Erin shakes it, "I'm a firefighter, and a bartender as you can see. I'm also Antonio's sister."
"Who's Antonio?"
"I completely forgot about the accident. He's my brother, and he also works with you. He's a part of the Intelligence Unit under Voight." Dawson wiped against the bar top, "and that drink is on the house. You deserve it."
Erin smiled in gratitude, "Thanks," she lifted the drink and gulped it down.
Once Erin finished her beverage, she turned down Dawson's offering of a refill. She came here, and she had to be clear minded enough to get back home. Erin took in her surroundings, and some faces seemed oddly familiar, however she could put no name to them. She felt safe in this establishment. She felt welcomed…and she felt somewhat at home. The ambiance in the bar was informal and it felt oddly like home. The laughter of the people around her, the loud talking and the jokes sparked a feeling inside of her that she was accustomed to. Just like her home, this place offered a welcoming feeling that relaxed her subconscious.
Jay unlocked the front door, and pushed it open, "Erin," he tossed his keys into the bowl to the left of the door, "I'm home," in his hands he held flowers and takeout, "I brought dinner." He hears no response. The house is overwhelmed by total darkness. He sets the flowers down as he hits the light switch, "Lindsay!" No response.
He doesn't want to freak out, but every part of him is pushing him to lose it. He sets the bag of dinner down onto the floor as he begins searching their home. She wasn't in the basement or the backyard. The closet was empty and so were the bathrooms. The kitchen and living room were vacant, and that left the bedrooms. Halstead had his fingers crossed as he walked up the stairs. There was still a chance that she fell asleep, but at the sight of two unoccupied bedrooms, he knew that it wasn't true.
Halstead had no idea where his wife was. She was obviously not home, and she didn't have a car to drive. She was a healing woman out in one of the biggest cities in the United States. Jay's first instinct is to call her, however at the ring blaring from downstairs; he knew she left her phone. He began pacing into the hardwood floor of the upstairs hallway. Where could she have gone? She has no memory.
Jay runs down the stairs, and opens the front door. He steps outside, ignores the setting sun as he starts roaming around the neighborhood. She had to be around here, somewhere.
Erin steps outside of Molly's and notices the sun gone and in its place are the moon and stars. She had stayed in Molly's for around two hours, and she didn't even notice. Her clothes were stained with alcohol that some of the people in the overcrowded establishment accidentally spilled on her. It was night time and Jay was most likely home. She felt bad because she knew he was probably freaking out, and she had no way of getting into contact with him.
Lindsay started walking, but nothing seemed familiar to her. She didn't know how to get home. The young detective was lost. As the Chicago nightlife picked up, she felt even more overwhelmed by the number of people around her. She saw a woman, standing alone, "Excuse me," the lady turned to face the young detective, "if it's not too much to ask, can I use your cell phone? I'm lost. I have no idea where I am…and I really need to call someone to come get me."
"Say no more," the kind older woman handed over her cell.
Erin held the device in her hand, and her fingers hovered over the screen, however, she couldn't recall Jay's number. She didn't know Voight's number either…or Kim's. She didn't know any of their numbers because they were already programmed into her phone. Lindsay swallowed hard and dialed the only number she knew, praying that it was still in service.
"I didn't find her," Burgess steps into the house. Her face is flushed from the cold night's temperature, and she was in her car most of the time, "She had to have walked somewhere, so she couldn't have gone far. Maybe she went to a neighbor's house?"
"I knocked on everyone's door. No one has seen her." Jay flopped down onto the couch and covered his face, "I lost my wife."
Burgess set her hand upon his shoulder, "No you didn't. Voight is still out there looking and you know he's not one to give up."
"Yeah man," Ruzek agreed, taking a seat beside his friend, "If anyone's going to find her, it'll be Voight. He would never give up."
"Voight shouldn't have to find her. She's my wife! I should know where she is. I should be able to locate her…not him."
Once Voight was mentioned, the front door opened. Burgess, Ruzek and Halstead rushed over to him, and noticed the shaking of his head. He was alone. He didn't find her either. Jay grew even more concerned. What if something had happened to her? She was gone, as far as he knows, for more than two hours. He didn't know what time she left the house. It was approaching seven at night and he still had no word on his wife.
"We're going to find her. I'll call in a-" Voight's words are interrupted by the opening and closing of the front door. The four worried adults looked over to see Erin walking inside. A large smile was plastered on her face as she closed and locked the door behind her.
"What? Where have you been?" Jay rushes over to his wife. He couldn't help but to pull her into his arms and place a kiss against the side of her head.
Lindsay steps back immediately. She wasn't at that level yet, and she wasn't prepared for it. Jay wanted to apologize at the sight of fear in her eyes, but he was just too relieved that she was okay. If she wasn't so far away from him, he would have pulled her back into his arms. He loved her…no matter if she remembered or not, that wasn't going to change.
"My mom invited us to dinner," she announced, unzipping her jacket, "…she invited all of you too." She pointed towards Voight, Ruzek and Burgess. Each person looking shocked at the invitation offered. Bunny must really have been trying to keep up an 'act' in front of Erin because inviting them to anything was definitely not like her.
"What are you wearing?" Voight took in her dress.
With all that has been going on, Halstead completely overlooked her wardrobe. They have been married for years, and he has never seen that dress. She doesn't own clothing like that. The Erin he married would never wear something so…so skimpy.
"Oh this," Erin twirled around in the tight dress. She looked as if she could barely breathe in it, "how does it look?"
Ruzek nods his head, "Nice." Burgess elbows him, "Ow Kim, what was that for?"
Halstead gave his closest friend a look. A warning look, but it was nothing compared to the face Voight was giving him. Adam held his hands up in the air, "We don't want to tear down her self-esteem. We should still compliment her to keep her confident."
"Her confidence is the last thing we're worrying about right now," Burgess muttered, grabbing her husband's arm, "We're actually going to go. It seems Adam always has a way to put his foot in his mouth. We won't be able to make dinner tonight Erin."
"Oh, well maybe next time…"
Kim smiles at her friend, "Of course." She turns to her husband and pushes him forward, "Alright, let's get home."
Once the front door closed, Erin locked it before turning back to face her husband and…whoever Voight was to her. She didn't know what to call him. Should she call him boss? Or dad? Or…friend? She didn't know and she was too confused to try and figure it out.
"Where did you get that dress?"
"I went to Molly's today," Erin started to explain, kicking off her shoes, "and some guy spilled his drink on my clothes. I forgot how to get home, and I left my cell. The only number I knew and remembered was my mom's cell. I called her. She bought me this dress and had me change before she dropped me off." Erin shrugs her shoulders, "It was sweet of her. And then she invited us to dinner."
Jay pointed towards the bag of takeout, "I brought dinner home."
"I really want to go." Lindsay pleaded, she stepped towards her husband, and gave him an appealing smirk, "We might not have this chance again…and I know you said my mother and I haven't spoken in years, but maybe this is my second chance with her. Maybe this is her second chance too? Please Jay. I want to go, and I want you and Voight to come too."
Halstead wanted to say no. He wanted to turn down the offer because he knew Bunny. He knew she always had a way of hurting Erin, and that it would happen eventually, however he knew that Lindsay would have to figure that out for herself. Right now, she was vulnerable. She wanted to believe everything her mother said, and he couldn't blame her. She wanted to believe her mother had turned over a new leaf, however everyone else knew that wasn't true. Bunny was incapable of changing. Jay had to allow his wife to learn that for herself…and he hated it. If he tried to get involved, he could possibly lose Erin. He had to play this smart. This was his marriage that could be impacted.
"I'll go."
Voight knew what Jay was thinking. He read the look on his face, and while he hated it too, he was pushed to agree, "I will too."
"Oh good," Erin was excited and handed her husband a small piece of paper, "this is the diner we're eating at. Let's go." She stuck her feet back into her shoes, grabbed Halstead's arm and waved for Voight to follow them out of the door.
The ride to the diner was longer than expected for Halstead and Voight, but for Erin it felt short. She stared out of the window the entire time, taking in her surroundings, trying to see if she remembered something, but nothing came to her. However, once the car pulled up to the small diner, a genuine smile stretched across her face. She recognized it.
"I know this place," she steps out of the car, and was at a temporary loss for words, "I used to come here all of the time when I was a kid. I came here one time," she turned to face Voight, "with you." Hank smiled and nodded at the memory. Erin walked slowly up to the diner's neon sign, "Actually, I came here with you, a lot. Was it before or after you took me in?"
"…a little bit of both," he shrugs in response.
"I hope I remember. I feel like we had good times here."
Hank couldn't help but smile. They were off to a good start. She actually looked at him with happiness in her eyes. From the moment she woke up, any time she looked at him, she was always reserved and a little scared. This was the one time he saw the old strong, happy and confident Erin…at least when it came to being around him. Halstead held open the diner door, and when Lindsay walked inside her smile dropped, "This isn't familiar."
"It got renovated a few years ago." Voight had forgotten that while the outside was the same, the inside looked completely different.
"Erin," her mother sticks her hand in the air, and waves them over.
The three approach the booth, and that was when Hank and Jay took in the added people. It wasn't just a dinner with them and Bunny. It was a dinner with them, Bunny, Teddy, Annie…and Landon. Erin slid in beside Landon, and Jay was forced to take the seat beside Annie and across from Bunny. He was diagonal to his wife, and it pained him to see the look on her face and the smile in her eyes. She was genuinely happy. He got a spark of that this morning, but with Landon so close, any thought of her husband was pushed out of her mind.
