Chapter 3

Author's notes: I feel very humbled by the level of interest in this story. Thank you all! As always, reviews are very welcome! Enjoy!

Erin's Apartment, Chicago, Illinois
15 January, 2014 - 01:43 CST

"What a night," Jay stated as he plopped down on the couch next to Erin, handing her a glass of water and two aspirin pills.

Erin accepted them with a small nod. "Yeah." She took the aspirin and downed the full glass of water, feeling really dehydrated from having all that liquor earlier in the night. As Erin gathered her thoughts and Jay reflected on the events of the evening, they just sat together in silence. It didn't feel awkward, though. It was actually nice. Comfortable. Safe. Not for the first time that evening, Jay stole a glance of Erin, trying to figure out what exactly upset her this much. If she wants to tell me, she will, he thought to himself. There's no reason for me to push for an answer. All I want is for her to be ok.

After a few minutes, Erin slightly turned toward Jay, but didn't look at him. With her hands folded in her lap and her thumbs twirling in a clear sign of strained nerves, she swallowed hard before starting to speak in a low voice. "That could have been me."

Jay looked over at her, studying her face. "What do you mean?"

"Nadia," she simply replied. "That could have been me." She laughed bitterly. "That was me. Before…" Her voice trailed off as her eyes started to glisten and a lone tear rolled down her cheek.

"Hey, hey, hey," Jay said as her put his arm around her and pulled her close. Erin didn't resist, grateful for his presence and support. She rested her head on his shoulder as the tears started flowing more freely, her body shaking slightly from the occasional sobs that following. Jay just held her tightly, gently kissing the top of her head and telling her that everything was going to be okay.

Eventually, Erin calmed down and stopped crying. Jay leaned over, grabbed the tissue box from the table and brought it close so Erin could reach it. She pulled out a couple of tissue, dried her eyes and blew her nose. Looking gratefully at Jay, she gave him an embarrassed smile. "Sorry, I think I ruined your shirt with all the crying."

He smiled at her, shaking his head. "Nah, don't worry about it." Looking down at this soaked shirt, he started to grin and said, "I'm sure my dry cleaner can get all of that snot out in no time."

Erin laughed and punched him on the shoulder. "Just for that I'll never let you drive again."

District 21 Police Department, Chicago, Illinois
15 January, 2014 - 08:01 CST

Jay walked down the stairs to the basement and let out a big yawn. He barely got any sleep the night before and felt like a zombie. Erin had finally fallen asleep around 3:00 in the morning. He manage to carry her to bed and tuck her in without waking her up before going back to the couch to crash himself, but worrying about Erin practically kept him up all night. I'm like a disturbed stalker, he laughed to himself when he tried to remember how many times he had gotten up to check on her only to end up standing there for a while to watch her sleep. Yeah, I got it bad.

"Hey Jin!" he called out as he entered Jin's "lair", as he liked to call it.

Jin turned around in his chair. "Hey, good morning." Taking in Jay's disheveled state and sleepy eyes, he raised an eyebrow. "You look like hell."

"Feel like it, too," Jay replied. Looking over his shoulder to make sure the door was closed and no one else was near, he leaned on the counter and said, "I need a favor for Lindsay. Off the books."

"Off the books, huh," Jin answered, now giving this his full attention. "I'm all ears."

Erin's Apartment, Chicago, Illinois
15 January, 2014 - 08:05 CST

Erin opened her eyes and quickly closed them again, the light assaulting her senses. She felt slightly nauseous and foggy, yet comforted by the softness of the pillow and the warmth of the blanket wrapped around her. She smiled when she remembered how Jay had taken care of her last night when she needed him. She slowly opened her eyes again and looked around the bedroom. She was alone in bed, the other side of the sheets untouched. "Jay," she called out, but didn't get an answer. She got up and slowly walked out into the living room. "Jay," she asked again, but realized that she was alone.

She looked around with a feeling of disappointment that he had left her when her eyes settled on her kitchen counter. There was an ungodly amount of food spread out, and as she got closer she could smell fresh coffee waiting for her. In front of the food was a note with her name scribbled on it. Curious, she took it and turned it around.

"Erin, glad you managed to get some sleep. Didn't want to wake you this morning. I wasn't sure what you were in the mood for for breakfast, so I just got you a little bit of everything. Called the hospital for you, too. Nadia stabilized and should come through fine. See you later at work. J."

Erin couldn't help but smile at his thoughtfulness, and reading that Nadia was doing better made her feel like a huge weight was lifted off her. She's doing better. I'm so happy that I could cry again. This time, I am not going to let her down.

Realizing that she was starving, Erin put down the note, grabbed the coffee and started exploring her food choices.

County General Hospital, Chicago, Illinois
15 January, 2014 - 09:45 CST

Erin walked into the hospital, carrying a large paper bag and a small bouquet of flowers. Seeing Jerry behind the nurses' station, she walked over and put the bag on the counter.

"Detective Lindsay," he smiled at her, knowing exactly why we was there. "Room 302. I'll tell Dr. Carter that you are here so he can stop by and speak with you."

"Thanks, Jerry. There's breakfast for you guys in the bag," she replied as Jerry nodded his thanks and already pulled out a chocolate chip muffin for himself. Taking the elevator up to the third floor, Erin thought about what she wanted to say to Nadia if she found her conscious. It pretty much was what pre-occupied her mind on the drive over. Well, that, and thinking about Jay. She knew that she shouldn't go there, that they agreed on keeping it professional. That Voight was not going to tolerate any kind of relationship between them. But I also can't ignore these feelings much longer. He makes me feel safe. Respected. Loved. She shook her head. No. No. No. Not going there. Not using the "L" word. The elevator stopped, interrupting her train of thought and allowing her to refocus on the task at hand. Nadia.

She stepped out into the hallway and quickly found room 302. The door was closed, and Erin stood outside for a moment taking a few deep breaths before quietly opening the door and stepping inside. The morning light was streaming in through the windows, brightly filling the room. The only sound in the room came from a heart monitor that was rhythmically beeping in tune with Nadia's heartbeat. Erin stepped into the room to see Nadia lying in bed with her eyes closed. She was hooked up to various monitors, IVs and machines. Both her wrists were in restraints that were attached to the metal bed frame, and Erin couldn't help but notice how frail she looked.

Pulling up a chair next to the bed, Erin sat down, studying Nadia before pushing a stray strand of hair out of her face. Letting her hand linger on the side of Nadia's face, Erin whispered, "I'm sorry for what happened to you. And for not realizing that you needed more help than I gave you." Nadia didn't stir, and Erin was content to just sit there and spend some time while she was waiting for Dr. Carter to get an update.

District 21 Police Department, Chicago, Illinois
15 January, 2014 - 11:17 CST

Jin walked over to Jay, who was sitting at his desk alone while Olinsky, Ruzek and Dawson were following up on some leads outside. Voight hadn't shown up yet. Neither had Lindsay. Wordlessly, Jin put two manila folders on his desk.

"What's that," Jay asked as he grabbed one and started looking at the content.

"One for you, one for Lindsay. Pictures from both the inside and outside cameras, including a nice closeup. And I got a license plate, registrant information, the whole nine yards. Still running the picture through the federal database to see if we get anything else." Jin grinned and raised his arms. "Oh yeah, Jin comes up big in the clutch again."

Jay grinned at Jin's victory dance, but had to admit that he was impressed with what he saw in the file. "Any chance you can put the car on the tracker?"

"Already done. This guy drives anywhere, we'll find him."