Chapter Three: Getting Help
Voight was sitting at his desk when he found himself compelled to investigate Erin's background, believing it would assist him in helping her.
'Hank, a young woman is here to see you,' Platt announced, prompting Voight to look up and respond with, 'Alright, thanks.' As he rose from his desk, Platt advised him, 'She's in bad shape, Hank.' The two of them proceeded downstairs where Erin awaited them.
Voight furrowed his brow upon spotting the young teen, his gaze lingering on the bruises on her face and the blood trickling down her arm.
Approaching Erin, who held a towel over her bleeding arm, which Platt had provided, Voight observed her intently. The petite teen attempted to leave but halted when Voight neared her.
'Erin, are you alright?' he inquired. Seeing Erin shivering, Voight took off his jacket and draped it around her shoulders gently; however, Erin tensed at the contact. 'I'm fine, I'm sorry for bothering you,' she whispered as she resumed her seat, running her face in her hands.
"Voight inquired if you would like to join him in the bullpen to discuss matters, mentioning that Al is awaiting upstairs." Voight observed as Platt handed Erin a cup of coffee, which she graciously accepted with a quiet "Thanks." Erin discreetly voiced her gratitude.
Erin took a sip of the coffee, then proceeded to accompany Voight upstairs where she found Al seated at his desk. Al stood up and greeted her, saying, "Hello, Erin."
Erin responded, "Hi, sorry to disturb you," as she glanced down at the floor. Al reassured her, "Don't apologize, we are here to assist." Al guided her to sit in his chair while Voight leaned against the desk, appearing concerned.
Voight encouraged Erin, stating, "Please share with us all the details of what occurred. We are here to support you in leaving this situation and to bring justice to whoever is causing you harm."
Voight noticed Erin's reaction and emphasized, "Your bruises across your face, neck, and arms, in addition to the visible stab wound, require attention." Voight gestured towards the arm which still seemed to be bleeding, causing Erin to lower her eyes to her hands.
In an attempt to conceal the visible bruises on her body, Erin attempted to shift Voight's coat over herself. Voight made an effort to coax the 17-year-old into sharing what was troubling her by stating, "Come on, Erin, we can't assist you if you are unwilling to disclose what's happening." Voight and Al observed Erin's restlessness.
In a hushed tone, Erin confessed, "If I reveal anything, I'll be in trouble. He doesn't believe you will offer assistance for long." Voight reassured Erin by saying, "We will support you in any way we can."
Despite feeling hesitant, Erin reflected on her options, contemplating whether to burden Voight and Al or seek refuge in a shelter. She expressed her desire for assistance in breaking free from her current situation.
Voight shook his head in puzzlement at the woman's persistence. 'It is of no significant concern. If we had no intention of assisting you, we would not have provided you with my contact information,' he stated as he extended his arm to examine Erin's injury.
'Could you please inform me of how you obtained this wound?' Voight inquired while observing the injury on Erin's forearm with a gentle squeeze. 'I accidentally cut myself while slicing an apple,' Erin replied, nervously biting her lip. Though Voight and Al appeared skeptical, they refrained from further probing.
'However, that does not clarify the origin of the bruises,' Voight remarked as he placed a hand on Erin's cheek to inspect a prominent bruise on her face. 'You can't possibly claim you inflicted that upon yourself,' he added.
Erin responded with an eye roll to Voight's comment, 'How does one manage to punch oneself, exactly?' she queried, wincing when Voight ran his fingers over her bruised eye. 'It's not as challenging as you think,' Voight remarked, causing Erin to shrug. 'Perhaps,' she said, pursing her lips.
Voight demanded to know who hit her, firmly indicating he would not ask again. 'No one hit me, okay? I ended up falling out of bed and hitting my face on the nightstand,' Erin replied as she moved her face away from his hands.
'Anyway, I came here to get out of the life I'm in and not play 20 questions,' Erin retorted. 'If you guys won't help, I—' Voight interrupted her. 'Okay, we won't ask until you're ready,' he assured her. Erin nodded, revealing her discomfort in lying about what had occurred, but understanding Luke's intentions by not pressing further.
'Anyway, Erin, let's go get that arm checked out,' Al suggested. 'I'll talk to my wife about letting you stay for a while, and Hank can take you to the hospital,' Al explained.
Erin quietly responded, 'Okay, thank you,' as Al made his way downstairs. Once the older detective departed, leaving Voight and Erin alone, Voight inquired, 'Ready?' The brunette nodded in affirmation. 'Ready as I can be,' Erin confirmed. Voight then nodded and escorted her outside to his truck.
Upon their arrival at the medical center, a woman was seen filling out paperwork until she noticed their entrance into the emergency room. 'Hello, Hank, how may I assist you?' she inquired, her gaze shifting to the young teen standing beside him, and asked, 'And who is this?' Her expression turned to a frown upon noticing blood on the teen's hand. 'Hey, Sharon,' Voight greeted, then turned to Erin, who appeared unfazed by the doctor's scrutiny.
'This is Erin, and I was hoping you could examine her arm. She mentioned she cut herself while slicing an apple,' he explained. Sharon examined Erin's arm upon Voight's instruction to reveal it.
'I can assess it. How long has it been bleeding?' she inquired, looking at the young woman. Erin nonchalantly responded, 'For a few hours or so, but it could be shorter than that.' As they proceeded to a room, Sharon advised, 'Firstly, you should apply firmer pressure than you currently are.'
Erin expressed her regret, stating, 'I had two detectives questioning me extensively, so I didn't consider applying pressure,' as Sharon proceeded to clean her wound while disregarding the teenager's sarcastic remark. Sharon proceeded to cleanse the wound and administer stitches.
'Do you realize how long I have been practicing as a doctor?' she inquired, directing her gaze at Erin, who appeared bewildered by the doctor's statement. 'I have been practicing for quite some time to recognize that this wound was not self-inflicted,' Sharon elaborated. As the needle pierced her skin, Erin inquired, 'What are you implying? I didn't imagine anyone would accuse me of lying."
"Someone else caused this injury,' the woman declared. Erin reacted with a furrowed brow and averted her gaze at the woman's assertion. Sharon reassured her, 'You do not have to disclose anything to me, but I am here to assist, and whatever you choose to share will remain confidential within this space,' she stated firmly, locking eyes with Erin's distant hazel gaze.
Erin began, 'No, like…' as she closed her eyes and asked, 'Can I go?' once Sharon had finished stitching her arm up. She did not want to stay any longer than she already had.
With a sigh, Sharon nodded, 'Of course, keep the wound clean,' she said. Erin nodded, slid off the bed, and headed out of the room. 'If you need to talk to someone, Erin, I'm here,' Sharon told her, noticing something was wrong with the young teen.
'Okay, thank you,' Erin whispered as she left the room. Once the brunette had walked out, she approached Voight, 'Ready?' she asked, noticing he was reading a paper. 'Yeah,' Voight replied, setting the newspaper down and looking at her.
'Would you like to go get something to eat before we head back?' Voight asked. 'It must have been a long time since you ate.' He suspected Erin hadn't eaten since she had come to the station, and if she had only had an apple, that wouldn't be enough to fill her.
Upon contemplation, Erin realized that her stomach was once again acting as her guide. 'I suppose that is agreeable,' she confirmed, as she trailed Voight out of the hospital and back into his truck.