„You should have seen him. He was scared as hell. I mean, this is months ago and he still tries to cope", Erin told Jay on their way to the precinct around one day later, a concerned glance on her face.

„Maybe Will was right and we should have used professional help. Terry had witnessed how his own father nearly had been killed. And he's just 7."

Jay had a serious expression on his face when his eyes met Erins.

He nodded. First he said nothing, then started to speak in a raspy voice.

„I will talk to him. As soon as we get home."

To Jays and Erins unluck, the moment came earlier than expected. It was around 12 a.m when Trudy Platt entered the office to inform Lindsay and Halstead about a call from Terrys school.

With the school nurse noticing that the 2nd grader had a fever and seemed to get sick and Erin interviewing the witness of a crime scene Jay had to pick him up early.

It was nothing serious. Following Wills diagnosis it was a normal flu. But because of the fact that Terry felt really bad, Jay decided that it would be better to take some special vacation days.

CPDCPD

2 hours later, the little boy was lying in his parents bed. Shivering and with a pain in his legs,bones and a sore throat he watched his father removing the thermometer from his arm pit, after he had entered the room with a tablet of fever reducer and other medication.

„Still 103", he read and covered his son with another blanket, before he gentelly ran his hand through Terrys hair.

„Where does it hurt?"

„My throat. I can't swallow. And my head."

„Do you have a stiffed neck", Jay wanted to exclude signs of meningitis, because Will told them tob e back as soon, as he got some special symptoms. But Terry denied.

„No. It's just around my eye-brow."

„You probably get a rhinitis too", he informed when he felt Terry getting up, putting placing his feverish head on his chest.

He just needed his father. Especially when it was sick.

Jay gentely caressed his neck and placed a kiss on his forehead.

„Looks like both of us are heading to some unplaned vacation days", he said, while Terry snuggled on his chest.

„Then no one can hurt you."

Jay looked down to Terry and sighed.

Erin was right. The little boy still felt anxious when it came to the fact of his parents working at the station or going undercover.

„You're scared, aren't you? That's why you like me to stay at home."

„I'm sick."

„I don't deny that. But I think that you also like me to stay here, because you're scared to lose mommy or me."

Terry looked busted. His eyes started to fill with tears.

He got up and tried to sit in bed, pulled away from Jay.

Even if he took his hand.

Halstead watched his son fighting tears, finally losing the battle.

„Every time you leave work, I pray that we don't get a call and have to go to the hospital again. I don't want to lose my Dad."

„Terry. Hey."

The little boy bursted into tears and covered his face with his shaking hands.

He sobbed and started to fight Jay, who wanted to pull him in a hug but finally gave in.

Jay tightened his grip when he cried harder, gentely rocked him in his arms.

„Shhh… It's okay. It's gonna be okay, buddy", he tried to calm his crying kid down until he felt his sobbs turning into sniffles and hicups.

„I'm here. I'm alive", he consoled his son and held him close until he decided that he was stable enough to get out of his hug.

He still placed his hand on his shoulder to stroke his back.

„Listen to me. I know you've seen things you never should have seen and my job is not easy and harmless. But I want you to know, that I've learned to do what I have to do, long time before you were born. This was an accident and it could have ended much worse without my bullet proofed vest. I'm really sorry for scarrying you. But my job is to save others. And that's why I became a cop."

Regarding the expreion on Terrys face he hesitated to believe what his father said.

„We got the guy who did this and where he is right now, he will never see the sun again, okay?"

Terry nodded, before he allowed himself to sink back into his pillow.

„Alright", Jay put the blanket on him and opened the bottle with fever reducer and gave him a serious look.

He put a teaspoon into Terrys mouth who made a grimace, before he swallowed hard.

„My throat hurts", he wanted to cry again, when Jay crawled next to him and pulled him closer, so his head was resting on his chest .

„I know, but it's gonna be better soon."

Entering the house hours later, Erin found her boyfriend holding their son in his arms, both deeply asleep, surrounded by medication and tissues…