Erin entered the bullpen with a cup of coffee in one hand and her keys in the other. It was early on a rainy Monday morning. Once she reached her desk, she removed her jacket and placed it behind her chair. She then placed her coffee on her desk and took a seat, signing into her computer to check for any reports she needed to work on.
"Good morning, Erin," Antonio and Jay greeted as they entered the bullpen and made their way to their desks.
"Good morning, both of you," Erin replied, acknowledging their presence. Jay inquired about any current cases, prompting Erin to respond, "I am unsure; we will have to wait for Voight to provide updates." Antonio, on the other hand, proceeded to the break room to make himself a cup of coffee.
Leaning back in her seat, Erin expressed her anticipation for a slow day, prompting Jay to chuckle. "Why do you think so?" he asked. Grinning, she replied, "Perhaps it is just a gut feeling.
Erin tapped her foot as she conversed with Jay. 'How about we make a bet,' Jay proposed, capturing Erin's attention. 'If it will be a slow day, you win, and if we end up getting a case when Voight gets here, I win.' Curiously, Erin inquired, 'Oh? What will the winner get?'
Observing her intently, Jay responded, 'The winner chooses the movie and the take-out we get. How does that sound?' A mischievous grin adorned his face.
Erin nodded, reciprocating the grin. 'I like that, it's on,' she declared. Jay confirmed with a grin, 'It'll end when we get out of work tonight.' In agreement, Erin nodded.
'Morning, Sergeant,' Jay greeted Voight as he ascended the stairs, accompanied by Ruzek and Olsanky. Atwater followed suit.
Jay's hopeful tone filled his question, 'So we have a case?' He expressed his reluctance towards spending the entire day doing paperwork.
Voight pondered for a moment, ultimately shaking his head. 'Not at the moment, but we should get one in an hour or so,' he revealed.
Erin smiled as Jay glanced at her as though she had confirmed something. "Today is still young," he mouthed silently. In response, Erin mouthed back, "That's what all the losers would say."
After a few hours had passed, the team was still awaiting a new case. Erin glanced up at the clock to check the time and noticed that it was around eleven o'clock. She let out a sigh as she got up from her chair.
"I am going to get something to eat. Does anyone want me to pick up anything?" Erin asked, grabbing her coat from behind her chair and her keys from the drawer.
"If possible, how about a pizza for everyone?" Ruzek suggested, and Erin nodded with a smile. She thought it would be easier to get pizza instead of sandwiches.
"Alright, I'll be back in ten to twenty minutes at the most," Erin said, heading out of the station and towards her car.
Five minutes later, Erin pulled up to a pizza place that was about six blocks away from the district and ordered two boxes of pepperoni and cheese pizza.
"It will take approximately seven to eight minutes for the pizza to be completed," stated the cashier. Erin acknowledged this information with a nod. "That is acceptable," she replied before stepping out of line to allow others to place their orders. The brunette leaned against the wall as she waited for her order to be prepared.
Occasionally, Erin glanced up at the clock and noticed that time seemed to pass slowly. Letting out a sigh, she reached into her pocket and retrieved her phone to send a text message to Jay.
"Hey, I will need a bit more time. The pizza is still being prepared," she typed and sent the message to Jay. Erin tapped her foot impatiently while waiting for her order.
Within a moment, her phone received a reply from Jay. Glancing at the text, Erin read, "Okay, inform me when you're on your way back." She smiled, about to respond when a loud crash erupted from outside the pizza establishment.
Reacting quickly, Erin pocketed her phone and rushed out of the establishment to investigate the source of the commotion, attempting to block out the screams and panic elicited by the sound of gunshots.
Reaching for her phone once again after having recently stored it, Erin's action was abruptly halted when she sensed the presence of a metallic object pressing against her temple. A male voice then threatened her, stating, "If you make any sudden movements or attempt any form of resistance, I will take the liberty of shooting you in the head, woman."
Despite her instinctual desire to ascertain the identity of her captor, Erin's attempt to turn her head was swiftly prevented by the man's forceful grip on the gun. Angrily, he hissed, "Did I not explicitly instruct you not to move?"
Erin detected an undesired tremor in the man's hand as he held the firearm against her temple, and her luck seemed to falter further as he encircled his arm around her neck.
Exhibiting a mix of apprehension and determination, he informed her, "Now, you will accompany me without causing harm to either one of us. Do you understand?"
Frustrated by her decision to leave her own weapon and identification back at the district, Erin bit her lip as she pondered her options. She berated herself for the sudden disappearance of everyone in the vicinity following the sound of gunshots.
Inhaling deeply, Erin mustered the courage to inquire, "What is it that you desire?" Her objective was to handle the situation tactfully in order to safeguard herself and others from harm, although she yearned to catch a glimpse of the man who had her held at gunpoint.
Erin involuntarily released a sharp cry as the man forcefully struck the back of her neck with his weapon. Gripping her neck tightly, he growled, 'I did not give you permission to speak, did I?'
Questioning her further, he asked, 'Must I resort to force?' When the woman did not respond, he secured the gun in his belt loop and forcefully grabbed Erin by her hair. 'Answer me, you wretched woman. I have no time to waste as my superior will be displeased if I fail to bring you to him.'
Opening her eyes, Erin struggled to endure the piercing pain radiating from her neck. Her voice trembled with dizziness as she softly inquired, 'May I know who that would be?'
With a hint of anticipation, the man retorted, 'All will become clear soon.' He cursed upon hearing distant sirens approaching, murmuring, 'Damn.' The man forcefully pushed Erin to the ground, causing her stomach and chest to collide harshly against the unforgiving concrete.
With no opportunity to regain her composure or catch a glimpse of the fleeing man, Erin focused on regaining control of her breath. Though the sirens grew closer, their sound seemed distant, overshadowed by the tumultuous events unfolding around her.
Erin perceived the sound of tires screeching adjacent to her as she attempted to direct her gaze towards the source of the noise. However, her physical discomfort impeded any movement, causing a sharp pain to emanate from her chest and stomach.
Subsequently, she discerned the sound of footsteps approaching. Burgess, the younger woman, inquired about Erin's well-being, to which Erin struggled to respond, as even vocalization proved challenging due to the pain.
"Please contact an ambulance stationed six blocks away from district twenty-one," Roman declared urgently as he and Burgess approached the distressed woman.
Noticing the woman's identity as Erin, Burgess expressed astonishment while carefully shifting her onto her back. Concerned, Burgess questioned the cause of Erin's distress, with Erin's hazel eyes appearing blurry as she attempted to answer the query. "I-" she started before abruptly losing consciousness.
"Do not close your eyes, Erin," Burgess whispered tenderly, gently tapping the older woman's cheek in an attempt to rouse her. "Ramon, promptly inform Voight," Burgess commanded, making it clear that keeping Erin conscious was of utmost importance.
Upon Roman's departure and subsequent call to Voight, Ambulance 61 arrived on the scene. Burgess called out to Gabby, urging her and her partner to rush over to where she sat with Erin, who was in a semi-conscious state.
"Burgess, what happened?" Gabby began to ask, but her questioning was interrupted by the sight of Erin lying on the ground. "Erin?" Gabby gasped, quickly kneeling down.
"Roman and I stumbled upon her like this. We were alerted to gunshots and discovered Erin in this condition," Burgess explained. "I've been trying to keep her awake, but nothing seems to be working," she added.
"Erin, it's Gabby and Brett, try to stay awake for us," Gabby said, checking for a pulse. "We need to transport her to the hospital immediately," she declared.
As Roman returned, he informed them that Voight and the others would meet them at the hospital and instructed them to follow. Gabby nodded, and together with Brett, they carefully moved Erin onto the stretcher.
Gabby nodded in agreement as she closed the ambulance doors after Brett had safely entered the back. 'Let us proceed then,' Gabby said hastily as she hurried to the driver's side and began driving once she was securely fastened in her seat. Roman followed suit.
'Have faith, Erin, we will ensure your complete recovery,' Brett whispered gently, his words being the last thing Erin heard before drifting off into slumber. 'Gabby, she has unfortunately lost consciousness,' Brett stated in frustration.
'Understood. We are approximately five minutes away from our destination,' Gabby replied as she accelerated the vehicle, with Roman closely tailing behind them.