Erin and Jay were cruising the streets of Chicago, on the lookout for any incidents or urgent situations.
"Sarah digs my new 'do," Jay began.
Erin snorted and glanced at Jay.
"That was just ONE person!"
Jay took a swig of his coffee and chuckled.
"You're just green with envy…"
Erin snorted again.
"Am not."
"Are too."
Erin and Jay shared a laugh and kept rolling.
"ERIN!"
Erin slammed on the brakes and gasped for air.
"What's up?"
Jay bolted out of the SUV and weaved through the halted traffic.
"Is she alright?"
"She seems all by herself?"
Jay shut the car doors to block out the rubberneckers and hustled over to the girl.
Jay slid his mask down and grinned.
"Hey there,"
The little girl clammed up, looking frightened.
"You lost, kiddo?" Jay inquired.
The little girl remained mute.
"Do you live nearby, sweetie?" Jay probed.
The little girl didn't make a peep.
"Yeah, I need an ambo to Lincoln Park, got a tender-age female, name's unknown."
Jay recalled how his mom used to tag his clothes in case he wandered off.
"Just gonna check something real quick, okay, sweetheart?"
Jay peeked inside the little girl's hoodie and spotted her name tag.
Lena Lewis
"Smart thinking." Jay beamed.
Jay stood up and murmured to Erin.
"Got a name - Lena Lewis."
Erin gave a nod and relayed the info.
"We've got a name, Lena Lewis."
Jay squatted down and gently took Lena's tiny hands.
"You're safe now, we've got you."
Lena locked eyes with Jay.
Afterward, Lena was snoozing in the SUV, having gotten the green light from Will, and they were parked outside Lena's place.
"I'll handle it, get them to come out here," Jay offered.
Erin nodded and cast a glance back at Lena.
"Softly," Erin murmured.
Jay flashed a grin and eased the doors shut.
Climbing the concrete steps, Jay rapped on the door.
"CHICAGO PD!"
No response. Jay peered through the windows.
Blood was smeared across the walls and glass.
Jay whipped out his radio and called in.
"5021 George: I need backup at 1744 West Walcott. We've got blood and signs of forced entry."
Erin caught on, shot Lena a quick look, and stepped out of the SUV.
"What's going on?" Erin queried.
Jay faced Erin.
"We've got blood splatters and evidence of a forced entry."
Erin nodded and drew her weapon.
"Ready?"
Jay affirmed with a nod and shoved the door open.
"CHICAGO PD!"
They swept through the house, stumbling upon multiple casualties.
"BODIES!"
Erin tailed Jay to the bathroom.
"That the dad in the john?" Jay speculated.
Erin confirmed with a nod and continued her search.
Cheerios scattered on the floor alongside tiny bloody footprints.
"Looks like our missing girl's from here…" Erin deduced with a heavy heart.
Jay holstered his firearm and grabbed his radio again.
"5021 George: We've got multiple DOAs. Roll the crime lab ," Jay broadcasted.
"Copy 5021 George: Crime Lab en route."
The intelligence unit arrived shortly after and combed through the property.
"We've got ten fatalities. All shot center mass."
Voight gave a solemn nod.
Erin nodded and said, "Only one left. The perp must've finished up when the sister got back, not knowing she was walking into her own death."
Voight nodded and squatted down.
"I want a full workup on this family, check if they're tied to any gang or drug activity."
The squad nodded and dispersed to get started.
21ST DISTRICT
The team was huddled in the bullpen, digging into the deceased family's history.
"Okay, what do we have?" Voight demanded.
Kim looked up from her notes.
"No drug ties for the family, but the eldest brother, James—he's tangled up with a gang," Kim began.
Hank gave a confirming nod as Kim pinned James's photo on the evidence board.
"James Lewis. Tied the knot early in the 2000s with Keisha White. They split after Keisha discovered James's gang affiliations. They had a son who tragically died—ingested cocaine-laced milk. Buried in their own backyard."
Hank's nod was grave, and Erin chimed in.
"Any leads on Keisha?"
Kim nodded and affixed Keisha's photo next to James's.
"Keisha White. Clean record. Suffered an overdose on her antidepressants after losing her child, ended up in a psych ward, and took her own life with her bed sheets. The warden concealed her death and has been behind bars ever since.".
Hank nodded decisively.
"Alright, comb through the prison records. He might have reached out to someone on the outside to carry out the hit."
The team acknowledged with nods and immediately set to work.
Platt made her way upstairs after a few minutes.
"Jay, we need you downstairs," she called out.
Jay rose and descended the stairs.
"Lena's not talking. We thought, since you've got a rapport with her, you might have better luck," Platt explained.
Jay glanced at Platt and exhaled.
"No pun intended," Platt added quickly.
Entering the room with juice boxes and sandwiches in hand, Jay greeted warmly, "Hey there, kiddo!"
Lena glanced up briefly before returning to her drawing.
"Mind if we chat for a bit?" Jay inquired.
Lena gave a small nod and reached for her purple crayon.
"Can I sit with you?" Jay asked gently.
Lena shook her head no, engrossed in her artwork.
"Thanks," Jay said with a smile, sitting down and starting to unwrap the sandwiches.
"I brought you a juice box and a sandwich," he offered, smiling.
Lena eyed the food momentarily then went back to coloring.
Jay began to eat, methodically removing the crusts from his sandwich. Lena watched and mimicked him, peeling away the crusts before taking a bite.
After a moment of silence, Lena confessed, "I saw who hurt my mom…"
Jay met her gaze with an encouraging smile.
"That's really brave of you to share, kiddo."
Lena continued to nibble on her sandwich.
Later, the team gathered downstairs, and Lena emerged, gripping Jay's hand tightly.
"See that lady there? That's Jenny. She's going to take care of you just for tonight, and then you'll be right back here with me," Jay explained.
Lena's grip tightened, a wave of fear washing over her. Jenny offered a warm smile.
"Hey there, Lena. I'm Jenny."
Lena clung to Jay's hand, shaking slightly.
"Do you want me to come along?" Jay asked softly.
Lena gave a timid nod.
"Alright, let's go," Jay agreed.
He lifted Lena into his arms, and her small hands latched onto the leather of Jay's jacket.
Jenny followed behind them and the door closed.
JENNY'S APARTMENT
Jenny, Jay, and Lena entered the apartment.
The place was simple, with numerous rooms and a couch facing a modest TV.
"Welcome!" Jenny beamed.
Jay grinned and squatted down.
"You alright, kiddo?"
Lena nodded and let out a soft whimper.
"Tummy huwts."
Jay's smile turned sympathetic as he picked Lena up.
"Where's her room?"
Jenny pointed down the corridor.
"Second door on the left, down the hall."
Jay acknowledged with a nod and headed to the bedroom.
The room was adorned with small posters and one wall painted in blue.
"Wow, this is awesome!"
Lena clenched her little hands.
"Can I go to bed now?"
Jay tucked Lena into bed and gently kissed her forehead.
"You know what I used to do?"
He gathered all the stuffed animals and arranged them at the foot of the bed.
"I'd create a stuffed animal army to keep me safe…"
Noticing Lena's indifferent reaction, Jay shrugged.
"Alright, maybe that's silly…"
He sat on the bed with a sigh.
"Time to sleep?"
Jay's smile was tender as he nodded.
"Yes, baby, time to sleep."
Lena closed her eyes and drifted off.
Leaving the bedroom, Jay saw Jenny peering out the window.
"Jenny? Everything okay?"
She nodded and drew the curtains closed.
"Yeah, thought I saw something. Probably just a shadow."
Suddenly, Lena erupted with screams.
"LENA!"
Gun in hand, he burst through the bedroom door.
"LENA! WHERE ARE YOU?"
"I'm here. I'm okay!" came Lena's faint whisper.
Jay scooped her up in his arms.
"Jenny! Take Lena, hide in the tub, and call 911. Say there's a break-in and an off-duty cop is present."
Jenny took Lena with a reassuring smile.
"This way, sweetie," she said as they hurried to the bathroom.
"OFFICER JAY!" Lena's voice echoed.
Jay aimed his gun at all potential entry points and fired a warning shot at the door.
"YOU'RE SAFE, LENA! YOU'RE SAFE!" he yelled back.
Jay slumped to the floor, his gun trained on every possible entry point.
Soon after, the Intelligence Unit arrived.
"Jay! You good?" Hailey inquired.
Jay nodded, exhaling deeply.
"Yeah, just rattled. How's Lena?"
"She's alright, babe! Brett's with her now."
Jay gave a relieved nod and recounted the events.
"So, I was putting Lena to bed. I stepped out, and that's when Jenny noticed two shadows. Then Lena screamed. I rushed back into her room, gun ready. Lena seemed unharmed, but it was too dark to be sure. I didn't dare turn on the light in case they were still lurking around. I told Jenny to take Lena and hide in the bathtub. Next thing I know, I'm hearing gunshots and Lena screaming for me."
Hank surveyed the scene with a critical eye.
"Any signs of forced entry?"
"Possibly. It was too dark to see clearly," Jay confessed.
Hank gave Jay a firm look.
"Jay, go get checked out."
Jay resisted, shaking his head.
"Hank, I'm okay."
"Your hands are shaking. Grab some water and take a breather," Hank insisted firmly.
With a resigned sigh, Jay left the room.
Hank made sure Jay was getting attention from a medic.
"Okay! We've got a kid and a botched abduction; she's already lost her entire family, let's make sure she doesn't lose her life too."
The team nodded and split up.
JAY'S APARTMENT
Lena was snuggled into Jay's bed, sound asleep.
"Appreciate you sticking around, Er." Jay grinned.
Erin returned the smile with a nod.
"Hey, I know what it's like to be under fire with a kid in tow, I've got your back and you've got mine."
Jay nodded and leaned against the bedpost.
"What's our next move?"
Erin met Jay's gaze.
"Honestly? We're a team, remember? We'll do what we always do."
Jay gave a wry smile and glanced at Erin.
"And what's that?"
Erin's smile broadened as she faced Jay.
"We ride or die together."
"Partners to the end?"
Erin nodded and chuckled.
They both exhaled, letting the night envelop them.