Welcome back to another chapter. I wasn't sure when I would ever get around to updating, but I had some free time, and I have another chapter for you. Also, I have part of the next chapter written. I've mapped out the rest of the story as well, and unless something unforeseen pops into my mind, this story will have 20 chapters. I'm trying to wrap it up because my heart & head have come up with an idea for another story, but I don't want to start it until I finish this one. I was thinking about maybe posting the first chapter to see if there would be any interest, but then I would be afraid I would leave the readers hanging for too long, although the story has more or less played itself out in my head over the last 2 months. I don't know…. We will see, but here is another chapter for Jay Loves E. There will be a time jump in this chapter kind of so that I could include almost everything I said. Also thanks so much for the new favorites and follows. I hope you will leave me a review and let me know what you think.

*Tissue alert! I may or may not have cried as I wrote this.*

Disclaimer: I do not own Chicago P.D. or Chicago Fire.

Chapter 16

When Jay entered the apartment, he found Hank sitting on the couch with a sleeping Jaylyn. She either woke up sometime after he left, or Erin had gotten her up. He guessed it was probably the latter. "How is she?" Hank asked once Jay settled in the chair adjacent to him. "Still unconscious. Will is waiting on CAT scan results." Hank nodded. "What else, Halstead?" Jay sighed. "She didn't have a phone on her, which means she either tossed it or her boss has it." Hank was silent for a bit before speaking. "Let's pray it's the first, but prepare for the latter."

Jay looked utterly defeated. "Jay, is there more?" Jay was taken back by Hank's soft use of his first name, but he nodded. Hank waited until Jay was ready to tell whatever else was bothering him. "I deploy in one week to Fort Benning where I will receive the rest of my orders." Neither had heard Erin return to the room, but her audible gasp gave her away. Before either could say anything, Erin turned and fled again. Jay stood up to go after her, when he realized Hank too had stood and stopped him with his hand on Jay's shoulder. "She'll come around. It's just something new, and she doesn't know how to handle it yet." Jay nodded and followed in the direction Erin had fled.

1 week later

It was THE day! The day Erin hoped would never come. They had been tucked away in a safe house with Jaylyn all week while their team/family worked the case. They hadn't agreed to it easily, but it was the best way to keep Jaylyn safe and spend as much time together as possible. Jay had been given a burner phone to keep in touch with the team. Anything Will wanted to relay to them came from the team. Other than that, they had not had any contact with the outside world. Erin and JayJay would be returning home at the protest of both Jay and Hank. Erin figured it would be easier on JayJay to return to a normal schedule since Jay was leaving.

Erin had cried all night last night while Jay packed and laid out his uniform. That was the last tears she told herself she was going to cry though. She knew Jaylyn would need her to be strong for them to make it through the hardest thing they had gone through to date as a family. The team had agreed to take nights about staying with Erin and JayJay despite Erin's protest that she could take care of herself and her little girl. She tried telling them that if anything was going to happen to them, it would have already happened. The team was still working on trying to bring him down, and it would help tremendously is Emmalyn would wake up to help them, but for now they would using all the resources they had to collect as much evidence as possible to put this bastard away for life.

Erin promised Jay that they would stay safe, and JayJay would be her top priority while he was gone. In return, he promised that he would come home safe and sound to them. They had tried to prepare JayJay for today, but every time they would start to mention Jay leaving for an undetermined amount of time, JayJay would cry uncontrollably.

They had arrived at the airport about 30 minutes ago, and JayJay was refusing to let go of Jay. They had just about 30 minutes until time for Jay to board. Erin was keeping the tears at bay, but she felt at any minute she was going to lose it. Jay sat JayJay on his knee.

"Okay JayJay look at me." Jaylyn kept her head turned down towards her lap. "JayJay don't make Daddy sad. Please look at me." Jaylyn tilted her head up at him and she had big crocodile tears floating in her blue eyes that were so much like his own. Jay wasn't sure he was going to be able to do this without absolutely losing it, but he was going to try. His girls deserved it.

"JayJay I love you with all my heart, and I would never leave you if I didn't have to. But Daddy has to go to work in another state, and I need you to be a big girl and help Mommy out while I'm gone. I need you to listen to her and be a good girl." JayJay and Erin were both crying, despite Erin's resolve not to cry anymore. Erin could see the tears in Jay's eyes threatening to spill down his cheek at any moment. "I'll be back very soon, and when I get back I want to hear all about what you've done and how good you've been, okay? There might even be nights that I can call and video with you, too okay?" JayJay nodded and wrapped her arms around Jay's neck. "And Grandpa and all your aunts and uncles are going to stay at the house at some point while I'm gone. I'm sure that will lots of fun."

JayJay still had her head buried in his neck. You could barely hear her saying "No, Daddy, don't go," through her tears. Jay continued to hold her as he turned to Erin. "I want you to know how much I love you and proud I am of you for agreeing to keep her while I'm gone. I know it's not easy but you have no idea how thankful I am that she will be with you. I'm going to miss you so freaking much, and I'm going to try my best to talk to you every day. This isn't going to be easy Er, but I know you have the strength and support to get through this; we both do. Let me know when the adoption papers come. You're going to be fine and so am I." At this point, Jay was crying too. "We will survive this I promise. It might not seem like it at first, but the sooner I go, that's just one more day closer that I come home."

Jay pulled her into a hug with Jaylyn in between them. They heard his flight called, and they both knew this was going to be the hardest part of the day. Jay grabbed his bags, and they walked to the gate. "Okay JayJay, you have to go with Mommy now. I love you baby girl," he said as he hugged her tight and kissed her head. He tried handing her to Erin, but Jaylyn refused to let go. "Come on JayJay," Erin tried, but she still refused. Jay set his bags down and started prying Jaylyn's finger loose from around his neck. By now she was screaming and crying, "No Daddy!" over and over. Finally he was able to get her loose, and Erin grabbed her. Jaylyn screamed and cried for her Daddy, which made Erin cry more. He kissed Erin one last time. "I love you Erin. I will see you soon."

"I love you too," she whispered. He grabbed his bag and turned to go. Watching him walk away was the hardest thing Erin had ever gone through; even harder than detoxing when she was a teenager. She literally could feel her heart breaking in half the further away he got. She sat down in the nearest seat when he finally out of sight and cried as she rocked JayJay back and forth. Hearing her baby girl cry for her daddy over and over made her heart ache all the more.

Erin sat and rocked and rocked until Jaylyn's cried subsided. It was only then that Erin realized she had cried herself to sleep. Erin sat for a minute longer until she found her strength. She gathered the diaper bag and carried Jaylyn to the car. Once she got her buckled in, quite a task since she was trying not to wake the wore out toddler, she called Hank. "I can't do this," Erin sobbed into the phone. "Can you drive?" he asked. Erin nodded and then remembered he couldn't see her. "Yea, yea I can."

"Come to the house, I'll be waiting," was he reply. Erin drove to the house she called home as a teenager. It was much more her home then the one she'd shared with Bunny. At least here she knew was loved by both her parents and that no matter how much she screwed up, they would always love her. Gosh, how she wished her mom was still alive. She would know how to help her. She didn't doubt her dad's ability to help for one second, but there was just something about a mother's love that a child craves when they are hurting.

Hank met her on the porch. He could tell Erin had cried the whole way from the airport, and he was thankful they made it their safely. He wished Camille was there to help him. He was afraid he was going to screw up and push Erin away because he never was the comforter; that was always Camille's job, but he was going to do the best he could because it wasn't just Erin depending on him. He had JayJay to think about too. And despite his initial hate for Halstead, he could see how he good he was for Erin and how good she was for him. And it didn't hurt that his little girl completely adored her parents and Hank had a special soft spot for her too.

Hank took a still sleeping JayJay from Erin, and once inside he told Erin to lay on the couch while he put the baby down. He didn't have a crib for her, but he had a bassinet that he got just in case they ever wanted JayJay to stay over. It wasn't a baby one, it was more like a playpen, but it was for sleeping. Once JayJay was settled, Hank went to the kitchen to pour Erin a cup of her favorite hot tea. Camille had always fixed it for her when she was upset. When he'd gotten her call, he had put some on. He returned to the living room to find her asleep too. He returned it to the kettle and set it to keep warm because he had feeling it was going to be a long night for him and his girls. But he was prepared. Even though Erin didn't know it, he had promised Jay that he would keep his girls safe and would do anything needed while he was gone, and Hank fully intended to keep that promise.

A/N: So there is chapter 16. I didn't exactly deliver everything I promised, but I felt deployment day was much meaningful to the story. So next chapter will include Emmalyn and the case more. And I'll admit I did cry while writing this, so I can NOT wait to read your reviews. P.S. if you want to know more about the new story idea I have, PM me or let me know if you wanted the 1st chapter published before this story is finished. See you soon with another chapter! -L