Hey guys, enjoy the new chapter. Quick note, the date and location in this chapter are completely random, I pulled them both off the top of my head.
Disclaimer: I do not own Chicago PD nor any of the characters.
*TEN MONTHS TWO WEEKS AND THREE DAYS LATER*
As Erin Lindsay stepped through the doors and out of the rehab facility near Des Moines, Iowa, she felt like her old self, the police badass. The cool April air hitting her as she hailed a taxi and made her way to the bus station, she was ready to go home. But it seems as though home was not ready for her, her four and a half hour bus drive ended up taking almost seven due to the bus breaking down. But it was ok, because she was on cloud nine. During her stint at rehab, no one came to visit, and she was ok with that, because if they had then she would probably have relapsed, begging them to take her home. Though no one visited, they did call often. She heard from Hank and Jay the most, almost every other day, Antonio, Olinsky, and Burgess once a week, while Platt, Atwater and Ruzek called when they could. When her bus finally arrived to the station in Chicago, she practically ran off the steps, grabbing her stuff and running to the garage nearby where her car was stored at. She threw her bags in the trunk and took off down the streets of Chicago, knowing where she needed to go and what she needed to do.
She pulled up in front of the two story house, quickly shutting off the engine and getting out of the car. She ran up the steps as quietly as possible and knocked on the door. She knew he was home, it was Sunday after all, he was probably preparing the Sunday dinner. She heard a voice yell from inside that it would be just a second, and after a few minutes she heard footsteps approach the antique wooden door.
"Erin?" he said as the door flew open.
"I'm back." Was all she could say, her hands shoved in her pockets.
"I see that. Please come in."
"Thank you. So how've you been Hank?" she asked as she stepped into the foyer and living room.
"Good, I was just fixing to sit down and eat a roast, care to join?"
"Sure, you by yourself? I figured Justin, Olive and Ben would have been here."
"No, they couldn't make it today, the Ben is sick and with him have been in the NICU they didn't want to drag him out." He told her as he sat the food on the table.
"Oh. Well, glad I could make it then." She said as she fixed her plate.
They were halfway through the meal when Erin could not hold back from asking any longer. "So how's work?"
"We took half a mill in coke off the street last week, par Halstead getting beat up, it was a good bust." Hank told her, shoving a spoonful of mashed potatoes into his mouth.
"What?!' she choked, dropping her fork onto her plate 'what do you mean Jay got beat up? Where was his back up?" she interrogated.
"Just what I said, he got beat up. We busted into the warehouse, Atwater and Halstead had the rear and somehow they got separated and our suspect was waiting behind a door, got the jump on him." Voight explained, shrugging his shoulders.
"Well, if it is ok with you I would like to reclaim my spot in intelligence."
He sat there, in silence thinking. "You want some dessert, I have pie, you want Apple or Strawberry?"
"Hank, you're avoiding my question."
"Answer mine first."
"Fine, Apple." She told him as he got up, cleaning up their dishes.
"I will let you come back, but there are some stipulations." He declared.
"Anything." She voiced, she didn't care what it took, she just wanted her job back.
"One, you will take a drug test, as it is now mandatory for this unit, every six months. Two, you will have to get requalified on your service weapon as well as the long arm. Three, you will be re-partnered with Halstead which brings me to number Four, the old rules still apply; my unit, my rules."
"One, I will take the drug test, anything to prove to you that I am back. Two, you are talking to the person who has the better shot in the partnership of number three, thank you by the way, and four doesn't the old rules always apply when it comes to me. I just want to help bring justice back to this city, to these streets, my streets, the way that you taught me."
"Ok." He said handing over her badge.
"Thank You Hank."
"I'm Proud of you Erin, just don't fall down the rabbit hole again." He instructed.
"I won't." She told him smiling. She helped wash the dishes and clean up dinner, saying her goodbyes and that she would see him bright and early tomorrow morning.
She hopped into the car, now that she had her job back, there was only one thing left to do.
She found the drive to his house antagonizing, even though it took her no more than twenty minutes to get there. The thoughts in her mind was running a mile a minute. Wondering what he looks like after all these months, or would he be surprised to see her, was two of the many questions. She turned off the car, glancing up towards his apartment to see a light on.
'Good, he's home. Of course, why wouldn't he be? Its only 8:30 of a night.' She mentally argued with herself over the stupid thought. She got out of the car, and as casually as she could for a woman who had not seen her partner and best friend in almost eleven months, she made her way up the stairs, taking them two at a time.
She made it to his door and up the four flights of steps after noticing that maintenance still had yet to fix the elevator. She slowed her pace and evened her breathing. As she stood in front of the door, she found the words of her 'I'm back' speech dissipating, and soon found herself pacing, questioning her track-of-thought as to if it was the right thing to do to come over. She went over the pros and cons, and almost walked away, until her body found its way back to his door, giving it a soft knock.
A few moments later, she heard the chain-lock being undone, and the door slowly opened. Erin nervously tucked the hair behind her ears, and looked to the ground, shoving her hands in the pockets of her leather jacket.
"Just a second!" She heard the voice before her say.
She immediately looked up. 'That is most certainly not Halstead.' She thought.
"Hi, I'm Um.. Sorry, I must have the wrong apartment." Erin told the gorgeous woman in-front of her. The blonde headed woman was dressed in a short plum dress that barely came down to cover her thighs, a pair of black stilettos showed off her legs, a black leather jacket cut off at the mid-waist covering her arms, her make-up was minimal and her hair was curled and pulled back.
"Not if you're the limo driver. You're ten minutes late." The woman argued, crossing her arms over her chest.
"I do not drive a limo, sorry. I was actually looking for a friend but I must have the wrong apartment, sorry for-" she was explaining, before she was interrupted.
"Hey Rache! Is that the limo driver? If not we are going to be late." she heard the ever so familiar voice ask.
"Not the limo driver!" she yelled back into the apartment.
"Well, I wish the fucking guy would hurry his lazy ass up before we-" he said as he got closer to the door, from the kitchen. "Lindsay?"
"I'm Sorry, it looks as though I was mistaken. Enjoy your life Halstead." She told them, holding back the tears threatening to fall, before she ran down the corridor and down the stairs.
"Erin. Wait come back. Erin!" he yelled as he chased after her in his tux.
She quickly made it to her car, jumping in and burning rubber as she took off into the night down the Chicago street, as tears streamed down her cheeks.
'I can't believe I was so stupid! How could I be so stupid as to think that he actually would wait?'
"God Erin!" She thought speaking out loud. She heard her phone ringing from the passenger seat, the one that still smelt of him, the smell of his cologne lingering in the car after all these months. She ignored the phone knowing from the sound of AC/DC who it was, and tried to gain control of her emotions, keeping her eyes on the road. She was unsure of where she was driving to until it was almost too late, she chastised herself as she passed Bunny's bar, and then the corner where she would meet Landon, to buy her needs. She quickly sped away, and began driving towards Voights, she couldn't go back to her apartment, not after losing Nadia. She had planned on buying a new apartment or even moving in with Jay, not to go over to his place and see the picture perfect woman standing in his doorway. She was about half-way to Hanks, her phone ringing non-stop, and finally having had enough, she wanted to hear what he had to say.
"What do you want Jay? You want to rub it in my face some more?" she asked flatly, the tears still threatening to fall, anger and heartbreak pulling her emotions in two directions.
"Erin, please let me explain."
"Explain what Halstead? That you have moved on? That I am the one that ruined everything?"
"No, Er. It's not what you think."
"Then please expl-"
She was saying before she felt her body being thrown across the car. Her phone thrown from her hand on impact, she felt her body being tossed around like the tumble cycle of a dryer before coming to a stop. She felt blood, slowly trickling down her face; pain quickly spreading across her body, from her head to her legs, the amount of pain became too much to bear and she found darkness quickly rendering her unconscious.
"Shit Erin?! What was that?" Jay yelled on the other end. "Linds, talk to me.." he kept on repeating. "Damn It!" Jay said as he grabbed the keys off the table. "Rachel, call Will, tell him Erin's been in an accident." He told his brothers girlfriend as he ran out the door, phone still attached to his ear as he heard the sirens quickly approaching in the background.