Erin stands near the front door with her foot tapping impatiently. She had been ready to leave for the last hour, but Bunny was taking her time. Lindsay grabs the car keys, and opens the front door, "Come on mom. Let's go. You don't want to be late and you still need to drop me off." Bunny grabbed her jacket, and raced behind her daughter, "I need the keys." Lindsay tosses her mother the car keys and waits as her mother locks the door behind them, "You know, you can just skip breakfast with Jay and come to work with me. I'm sure we will have fun. And I'm sure that I'm much better company than your husband."
"Mom, I have to share my time with both of you," they walked down the stairs, "It isn't fair for me to immerse myself with you and Landon, and not with Jay. I want to go to breakfast with him. I'm actually looking forward to it."
Bunny sighs dreadfully, unlocking the car door with the push of a button. Her daughter arrived to the passenger seat and hopped in before Bunny even approached the driver's side. The older Lindsay slid into the car, "So sweetheart, what should we do later?" Bunny buckles her seat belt.
"I think I want to spend the day with Jay."
"I thought it was just for breakfast."
Erin shrugs, "…that was initially the plan, but sometimes plans change." The young detective sat back comfortably as her mother pulled out of the parking lot. Bunny had the music high, threatening to break both of their eardrums. And while normally the music would be too loud to give Erin a chance to think, she had something on her mind since the moment she left the hospital, "Mom," the young adult turned to face her mother, "Can I ask you some questions?"
"Of course," Bunny stretched out her hand and pat it against her daughter's knee.
"Why weren't we on speaking terms?" Erin shifted in her seat in order to face her mother, "What made me move in with Voight? Did he want me moving in with him?"
"We-" She began to answer, however they pulled in front of the Halstead home. Erin's mother sighed in relief, as she placed the car in park, "Oh sweetheart, we'll have to talk later. We're here. And I don't want you to miss any time with Jay." Erin opened the door, and Bunny rolled down the window, "I love you and I'll pick you up after work!"
Erin steps out of the vehicle, and closed the door shut. Before she made it to the sidewalk, her mother had already pulled off. Lindsay scanned the front of the house, and smiled as she walked up the porch stairs. She balled up her fist and began knocking against the front door.
"Where's your key?" Jay opened the door within seconds.
"I think I left it here," she smiles, stepping into the house, "Something smells good."
"I just finished preparing breakfast."
"Did you make bacon?" She grins, allowing him to take a hold of her jacket.
"Of course."
"You know," Erin walks further into the house, "this place actually feels like home." She could see the smile stretching across his face. He pulled out a chair and watched as she took a hold of her seat, "Thanks for inviting me to breakfast."
"No, thank you for accepting the offer." He brings the plates over to the table, "I put extra bacon on your plate." Erin chuckles as he sits the plate down in front of her.
The awkwardness of their first breakfast together was nonexistent. The two fell into a normal pattern of banter that felt familiar and comfortable to both of them. Erin laughed, ate, and drank her orange juice as Jay filled her in on what she has missed at work.
"Jay," she cuts him off, earning his attention, "Sorry to interrupt you, but you know Annie's getting married in a few weeks, and I wanted to invite you to the wedding. Would you be interested in coming?"
"…as your date?"
"As friends," she corrected, quirking an eyebrow.
"Sure I'll go." He lifts his glass and finishes his juice.
Even though his plate was empty, Jay didn't plan on leaving the table. He leaned back in his seat, and set his hand upon his full belly, "So, what did you do yesterday?"
"I…I uh," even though she doesn't remember him being her husband, legally, he still was, and it was weird discussing anything Landon related with him, and therefore, she avoided bringing him up, "My mom threw some party at the house."
"Did you have fun?"
She shrugs off his question, "I didn't go."
"Where did you go?"
"I stayed in the room."
"Is that why you were upset yesterday?" he leans towards her, fully interested in the direction of the conversation, "Is that what made you call me?"
"No. I called because I was looking through the pictures on my phone, and we looked happy."
"We were happy," he agreed, nodding.
"I wanted to get a feel for that," her voice admitted, before she silently finished up the remainder of food on her plate.
Halstead took a glance down at her plate and sighed sadly. He didn't want breakfast to be over. He wanted to enjoy this moment for as long as he possibly could. Jay rose from his seat, and collected their plates, "Is Bunny picking you up or do you need me to take you home?"
"I was thinking," she cleared her throat, "maybe I can hang with you for the day." She stood up. Erin watched as he stopped walking and slowly turned to face her. His mouth was agape in shock. She was making the move towards him. She wanted to spend time with him and he didn't even have to plead with her. Maybe her staying with Bunny and Landon was going to work out for the best. They'll surely drive Lindsay back into his arms.
"Okay." That was all he could think to say. His brain couldn't formulate a sentence because he was in complete shock. Just the other day, he had a fearful Erin telling him to leave him alone and stop being so clingy. She didn't like him hovering, and now after 24 hours, it seemed like she actually missed his presence.
"I was actually thinking…maybe you could take me into work."
The stories Jay filled her in on over breakfast had her curious, and maybe seeing work would allow her to remember something else. She didn't want to tell Halstead about her brief remembrance of the accident because she didn't want to get his hopes up. He had already been through enough, and he didn't deserve being dragged around. He deserved so much more, yet he was patient and actually waiting for her.
"Well," a wide grin stretched across his face, "I'm dressed. You're dressed. I'll just put these dishes in the sink, grab my keys and we can head out. How does that sound?"
"Good, it sounds really good."
Erin went to go take a seat on the couch as she heard the sink water flow into the basin. Jay hated washing dishes, but if one were to look at him, they wouldn't be able to tell. He had a strong and wide smile displayed upon his face as he washed the scrapings of food off of the plates. He hit the garbage disposal, and it grumbled for seconds, swallowing the crumbs of food before turning it off. Jay cleaned both plates, before taking the dish towel and drying his hands, "I just need to grab my keys," he shouted, rushing up the stairs, "this is good," his voice was low as he whispered it to himself. Jay pulled his keys and his jacket out of the bedroom, before grabbing his phone off of the charger.
"You ready?" he strolled down the stairs.
She stood near the door, with her coat on and zipped up, "Yes."
Today was probably going to go down as one of the best days in his life, aside from the day he met Erin, fell in love and married her. This was definitely going to be one of the top ten.
Jay locked the door behind him, and led Lindsay to his parked car. Before she reached the passenger side, he rushed to the vehicle and opened her door for her, "Here you go."
"Thanks," she smiled, sliding inside. Erin waits for him to jog around to the driver's side, and once he hops in, she comments, "I'm looking forward to this."
"Yeah," he glanced at her, "Me too." Jay buckled his seatbelt, set the key inside and started the ignition, "Everyone is on shift too. I did overtime all last week, so I actually had the day off."
"I'm making you go into work on your day off."
"Don't sweat it," he grins, eyes focused on the road as he pulled out of his parking space, "I'd go to work any time if it meant you were coming with me." She blushes. If there was one thing she learned about Jay, it was that he is a sweet talker. Lindsay couldn't help but wonder was that how he managed to woo her.
Erin rested in her seat as she observed the city traffic. Loud honks of the horn blared all around as she heard obscenities shouted to one another from people on the street. Lindsay watched the city folks interact with one another before the boredom grew. She turned away from the window and faced Halstead, "Okay, I need a refresher. Who works with us?"
"In our Intelligence unit, besides me and you, we have Voight, Ruzek, Atwater, Olinsky and Dawson. Burgess and Roman are uniformed officers, and then there's Sergeant Platt."
She noticed the look on his face, "What's with the look? Who is she? Should I be nervous?"
"No," he laughs, "Platt is an interesting person. You're fine if you are on her good side. She adores you so you have nothing to worry about." He gave her a comforting smile, "Everyone is going to be so happy to see you. Don't be worried."
"I can't help it," she shrugs in her seat, "I don't remember anything and I hope their hopes aren't too high when I walk in. I don't want to feel pressured." The smile on Jay's face stretched even wider at the sight of the precinct. He switched lanes, "I'm pretty sure no one will pressure you. And if they do, I'll put a stop to it."
"Thanks."
Jay could barely take his eyes off of her after parking his car. He snapped out of his gaze at the sight of her opening her door and stepping out. Within seconds, Jay hopped out and raced over to her. The two walked, side by side, up the stairs of the precinct, and he opened the main door in order to allow her to walk inside first.
As Erin stepped inside, and walked up the stairs before stepping into the main desk area, she was surprisingly not overwhelmed. She looked around at all of the busy officers racing in and out of the building, roaming throughout the facility, and chatting away with their coworkers. Lindsay glanced over her shoulder in order to make sure Jay was close, "Hey, don't leave my side." Her voice was low as it pleaded with him, and he nodded in assurance. He didn't plan on going anywhere. "Where do we work?" Before he could wave her over to follow him, he heard a familiar voice shout her name, "Erin!"
Lindsay turned around and spotted an older woman, in a white sergeant uniform wave her over. After getting a nod of approval from Jay, she stepped towards the woman. Platt leans over the desk, and gives Erin a one-sided hug, "Hey, long time no see. How are you?"
"I…uh…I'm sorry, who are you?"
"Oh yeah, I'm Sergeant Platt. I basically run things around here. I'm top notch. People occasionally answer to me," the sergeant shrugged her shoulders in nonchalance, "and we're good friends Erin. And I know you lost your memory, but you'll remember eventually…at least you'll remember me. I'm kind of hard to forget."
Jay stood behind Lindsay and set his hands upon her shoulders, "I'm going to take her upstairs. No one's expecting us so she'll be a nice surprise." Halstead begins to slowly direct Lindsay away, "and don't worry," he stops Platt before she can comment; "I'll bring her to see you before we leave." He directs his partner towards the scanner.
"I'm good friends with her?" Erin asked as she watched Halstead scan his hand against the screen.
He laughs in reply as the gate unlocks, "No, not really, but like I said, she adores you. I don't know why though. Platt has always had a soft spot for you." Jay stepped back and allowed her to walk pass him, "Lead the way."
Erin took the stairs slowly, taking a small step with each passing second. Jay caught the hint and moved in front of her. He could hear chatter and laughter from their desks, and the moment they saw him, he gained their undivided attention.
"Jay, what are you doing here? You had the day off." Ruzek was the first to speak, however he waved the question away at the sight of Lindsay, "Erin, hey! Welcome to Intelligence!" She silently waves in reply. Ruzek is Burgess' husband. She had to remind herself mentally.
Burgess walked around her husband, "What brought you here?" She casually hugged her best friend and was somewhat surprised that Erin didn't push her away.
"She wanted to come see where she works." Jay answered for his nervous wife.
"It's not that exciting," Dawson joked, rising from his desk, "Hey Erin. I'm Antonio," instead of approaching her with an attempt to hug her, he extended his hand. She greatly appreciated it as she shook it, "It's nice to meet you Antonio."
"Atwater here," Kevin raised his hand as he rose from his desk chair. He followed Dawson's approach and extended his hand. She once again truly appreciated it. Erin shook his hand, "It's nice to meet you too Atwater."
Jay caught a hold of her attention, and he knew she was looking to him as a way to ask what to do next because Lindsay had absolutely no idea on how to proceed. "Now you know Dawson and Atwater, you already met Ruzek and Burgess, and you know Olinsky," Al waved his hand at her and she casually waved back, "these two over here," he points to the two remaining people in the room, "are Roman and Mouse. Mouse was one of the groomsmen at our wedding."
"Roman and Mouse," she repeated, walking up to them in order to shake their hands, "Wait. Why is your name Mouse? Is that short for something?"
Jay's closest friend laughed, "…it's a long story."
"Did I know it before I lost my memory?"
"You sure did," he nods.
"And Roman," she repeats, turning to face the other officer, "What do you do here?"
"I'm Kim's partner," he points over at Burgess, "We have each other's back out there on patrol."
Lindsay grins. The hardest part was over, and it felt good. It wasn't how she expected it to be. Everyone was really great, and no one's personality was too much for her. The only part that somewhat bothered her were the amount of eyes watching her. They observed her as if at any moment she would break. They didn't know how to treat her, or what to say to her.
"Erin," she hears a familiar raspy voice, "What are you doing here?"
"She wanted to come in." Jay answers for his wife.
Voight kept his eyes focused on her, "Is that a good idea?"
"Why wouldn't it be?" Jay questioned, but before Voight could offer an answer, he noticed Erin approach her desk.
"Is this where I sit?" The team nods, answering her question.
She immediately sits down and her eyes fall upon a framed photo of her and Jay. Her eyes scan the contents on her desk, while the simple things located on it tugged at the corners of her lips. There was a reminder she wrote on a yellow sticky note. The date had obviously passed. There was a hair tie casually resting at the corner of her desk while another picture frame of her and Voight sat at the opposite end of the one of her and Jay. As her eyes focused on the framed photo she saw her husband in her peripheral taking a seat against the corner of her organized desk. She sees him set something down in front of her, and the moment she looks down, she sees the familiar badge that deemed her a Chicago Intelligence Unit detective.
Her fingers brushed against the design before she scoops it up into the palm of her hand. Erin's hand wraps around it briefly, before she extends it and hands it back over to Jay, "Can you show me around or is that too much to ask?"
"Of course not," he pockets her badge, "Just follow me."
Erin rises from her seat and keeps up with Jay's average paced walk. He reached out for her hand and pulled her along, "I'm taking you to the interrogation room." Jay abruptly stopped in front of the closed door, "Here it is." He grabbed the handle and pushed it open, "It's nothing special," he laughs, "but we keep it interesting."
Erin stepped into the plain room, arms crossed, and eyes wide open as she glanced around. She turned towards the one-way mirror, and approached it, "Is someone on the other side of this?"
Jay laughs, "No. Come on, I'll show you." He waves for her to follow him, and in a few quick steps, he opens the door and turns on the light.
"This is so cool," Erin grins madly. She went up against the mirror and glanced into the room she was once in. The young detective looked back at her husband, before turning back to face the mirror, "It's just like the movies." Halstead couldn't help but laugh at that.
"Are you ready to head to the next room?"
Erin turned to face him, "What could possibly beat this?"
"You're about to find out," he extended his hand towards her and she took a hold of it.
Lindsay was definitely curious, and if she had to admit, she did enjoy the mini tour. She followed him down the hallway, passed their desks and coworkers, before he pushed open a wooden door, "Welcome to the breakroom."
She stepped inside, "This is…not where I thought you were going to take me," she smirked, "This is basically a lounge area."
"It's also a place where we created some good memories."
"Memories that I don't remember," she corrected.
Unfortunately, a quiet, solemn atmosphere surrounded them and she gently pulled her hand from his hold. A few of her fingers brushed strands of hair behind her ear, "Maybe you should take me back to the house. My mother should be picking me up soon."
"If I said something wrong-"
Erin shakes her head, "No, you didn't. I just…I just want to end this on a good note. I don't want for one of us to say something that we'll regret. Please just…take me back Jay."
"Of course," he reached into his pocket and pulled out his car keys.
