Erin Lindsay left the hospital and drove to firehouse 51. It had been a very long day. She had no idea what was going to happen when she arrived. She thought about her next move so much and she made a decision, but she was nervous about the results. She arrived at the firehouse five minutes after six; the traffic delayed her. There stood Kelly Severide on the sidewalk, smiling as he watched Lindsay get out of the car.
Lindsay walked up to Severide, and gave him a hug. "Hey, I missed you," he told her as he let her go. "Yeah me too," Erin said, smiling.
"I was hoping we could talk again. I've been seeing that grief counselor and she's really been helping me out. I'm still a work in progress, but I'm getting there. I was hoping me and you could start being us again, since I'm back to being me." Kelly said.
"I…" Erin trailed off.
"Sorry, I totally just sprung that on you," Kelly said. "If you need to think about it go ahead, take your time. I thought a lot about this before I decided to grow a pair and ask you to meet me."
"No, I don't need time to think about it." Erin said, taking a deep breath. "Today was one of the scariest days I've had in a long time. Halstead was shot and I've just been thinking.." She trailed off again, feeling the tears burn her eyes.
"Halstead was shot? Is he ok?" Severide asked, trying his best to act concerned. Jay wasn't particularly his favorite person in the world.
"Yeah, he's fine. It hit his shoulder. They stitched him up and he'll be back at work soon." Erin explained. "But that's not why I brought it up. Whenever someone gets shot or injured that's close to me, it makes me think about how short life is. How in the blink of an eye, anyone could be gone. It makes me think about what I want for myself down the road-"
"What're you trying to say, Erin?" Kelly asked, feeling his heart rate go up.
Erin felt the tears start rolling down her cheeks. "I'm sorry, Kelly. We need to call things off tonight for good. I've had the last two weeks to think about it and after today…it just doesn't feel right anymore."
Kelly took a deep breath. "Yeah…I um…I get it, Erin," he said. She could hear the disappointment in his voice. She gave him a small smile and walked back to the car. When she reached the car, she rested her head on the steering wheel, and sobbed. And then a minute later, she started the car and drove away, as the firehouse and Kelly Severide disappeared behind her.
Erin drove aimlessly for about a half hour. She didn't want to go home. She didn't want to go back to the hospital and have Jay see her like this. She pulled up at the red light in front of her. Her phone buzzed in the cup holder beside her. A text message from Jay. "Hospital food sucks!" he said, with an attachment of the slop of a dinner in front of him. Erin smiled, and felt bad for him. She knew where she was going next.
Erin went to Jay's favorite restaurant that served some of the best Italian beef sandwiches in Chicago. She picked up two, pulled herself together, and worked up the courage to go back to the hospital.
She walked through the lobby, went up the elevator, and down the hall toward his room. She peeked her head into the doorway.
"Boo!" she said, popping out with the bags of food.
"Oh my god. I thought I was actually going to die of starvation. You're a lifesaver, Erin Lindsay," he said, giving her a huge smile.
Erin couldn't help but smile back, flashing her dimples when she did. "I know I am." Erin said back.
They both started eating their sandwiches; Jay finished his in less than five minutes. He really was hungry.
"When I texted you, I was afraid I was gonna be interrupting you and the fireman." Halstead said, half jokingly, "But I'm guessing since you're here right now…"
"I broke up with him," Erin told Jay, "I realized how quickly life can change today. I need to do what's best for myself. And after the last couple weeks I've had to think about it, I realized that my heart isn't with him anymore." Erin's voice started to shake; Jay reached out and held her hand.
"I'm sorry for bringing it up like that, Erin. I wanted to hear it before I made any assumptions." Jay told her, still holding her hand. "I'm here for you. You know that, right? No matter what. Whatever it is, you're my partner, and my best friend, and I got your back."
"Thanks Jay. I know." Erin gave him a small smile.
Suddenly there was a knock at the door. Erin instinctively pulled her hand away from Jay's and turned around. It was a nurse.
"I'm sorry ma'am, but visiting hours are over for today. Jay needs to get his rest if he wants to leave tomorrow morning." The nurse explained.
"Get outta here, Lindsay! I don't wanna be trapped here forever!" Jay said playfully.
"I will," Erin said, "I'll be here tomorrow morning to pick you up. Voight gave me the day off to make sure you're taken care of."
"Oh did he? That's surprising." Jay said, genuinely stunned. "Well I'm gonna force myself to sleep now. I'll see you tomorrow morning, Erin."
"Yeah. Sleep tight, partner," Erin said, before walking out of his room.
Erin woke up bright and early the next day. She quickly showered and got dressed, grabbed her keys and was on her way. She drove to the hospital and arrived around 9 am. She went up to Jay's room and saw that he was already dressed, and was ready to go. He just had to sign off on a few things before he was free to go. Shortly after Erin arrived, a nurse came into Jay's room with a wheelchair and escorted them down to the lobby. Jay signed off on the paperwork and was wheeled to the door. He got up and walked to Erin's car, and sat in the passenger's seat.
"Freedom never felt so good! Where are we going, Lindsay?" Halstead said excitedly.
"To your apartment. You need to be resting, remember?" Lindsay explained.
"Damn it. Okay, fine I'll rest. But…only if my partner spends the day with me though! I'll go crazy sitting in my apartment all day by myself." Halsted said, flashing his signature grin.
"Why did you think I took the day off, partner?" Erin smiled at him, and started driving toward Jay's apartment.
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