Jay watched Erin leave the bar, a sad look on his face. He waited, looking at the door, selfishly hoping she'd come back in, but she didn't. He fished his phone and sent her a short text, telling her to let him know when she made it home okay. He felt a hand on his shoulder and turned to see Antonio had taken Erin's spot next to him at the table. "Hey, how's she doing man?" he asked quietly. Jay gave him a confused look and stuttered out, "Uh, I don't... She didn't really say..." Antonio gave him a small chuckle. "Listen, I know Voight's rule, but I'm not an idiot." Jay laughed. He shook his head, "She's lost man. Today hit her really hard." His voice lowered as he leaned in towards Antonio. "She broke down in the car after we left. She just couldn't take it." Toni gave him a sad look.
"Look Jay. Just be there when she needs you, okay? We all will do our part, but she's gonna need you alright?" Jay nodded and went back to his drink. Antonio clapped his shoulder one last time before getting up to talk to his sister at the bar. Jay kept thinking about her. He could get Erin out of his mind. Every part of him wanted to walk out with her and take her home and be there for her, but she had insisted on leaving alone. He half understood, knowing full well he wanted to be alone after Ben was killed. He was hurting and he just wanted to be alone. It helped, but only for a while, until he yearned for support from his family and his friends.
She'll come around, he thought. He sat in silence, looking around the bar at his co-workers laughing with each other. He wanted to walk over to them and have a good time, but it all seemed useless without the one person he wanted to be with more than anyone wasn't there, and was walking alone the lonely sidewalks be herself, just weighing on the tragedy of today's bust. He shook his. She shouldn't be alone. He knew what she would say if he followed her and he knew she'd be a little angry with him not listening to her, but he just had to see her. He HAD to make sure she was gonna be okay and get home safe.
He sat some cash down under his glass and got up. He started to slowly make his way towards the door, trying to make his way through the very full bar. "Jay!" he heard his name and turned. Antonio nodded at him, a smile on his face, silently telling him that he was doing the right thing. Jay nodded back. As Jay waved to the rest of the unit from where he was a loud bang came from outside. Exchanging glances with the unit they all dropped everything they were holding and pushed their way past everyone.
"CPD! Out of the way!" Ruzek yelled, trying to make a hole in front of the door right when another gunshot went off. The crowd in the bar began to panic and Gabby and Otis tried to calm them down. Finally, Jay threw the door open. What he saw could've killed him right there. Erin on the pavement in the middle of the crosswalk, blood covering her shirt. Toni shoved Jay towards her and he started to run. "Erin!" he yelled, kneeling next to her.
Atwater and Ruzek round the corner of the building, gun up, trying to find who did this, but the streets and sidewalks were completely empty as far as the eye could see. "GABBY!" Antonio screamed into the bar and she came running out.
Jay ripped off his jacket and balled it up, setting it on her stomach. He felt the tears ready to leave his eyes but he tried as hard as he could to push them back. He looked down at her still body. He started to shake his head violently. "Come on, Erin. Wake up, please." he said. He turned and screamed to anyone who would listen "CALL AN AMBULANCE!" He continued to put pressure on her wound on her stomach before his eye caught the wound on her shoulder. He cringed. "Who did this to you?"
He grabbed her hand, half wanted to just hold it, half checking for a pulse and let himself let out the breath he was holding when he felt a faint one. "Come on, Erin." He repeated. "You gotta stay with me, babe. You have to." He felt someone kneel down next to him. "Ambulance is on it's way, Lindsay. Just hold on." he heard Toni's voice. Jay suddenly felt the hand he was holding tighten every so slightly. A small smile came to his face while he let a tear escape from his eye.
"I'm here, baby. I'm here."
He saw the blue and red lights light up the said of her face and looked up for the first time since he got to her and saw the ambulance race up, skidding to a stop. He felt two sets of hands grab him and pull him away. His eyes never left her. He watched as Brett and Mills loaded Erin on the stretcher and into the ambulance. "Jay." Brett said, looking at him. He nodded and followed Peter into the back of the ambulance.
"We're right behind you man." Adam said as they ran to their cars. Jay nodded as the doors closed and they started on route to the hospital. He grabbed her hand once more. "She's a fighter." Mills said, hooking her up to the heart monitor. "Shoulder is through and through. The other bullet is stuck in her abdomen." Jay wasn't even listening, he just looked at her. "You have to be okay, Erin. You just have to be. I can't do this without you." he said, not caring who heard. He just needed her to be okay. She had to be.