For over a week the unopened pregnancy test sat at the bottom of her purse most likely collecting dust. She figured if she pushed it to the back of her mind then it would be something she didn't have to worry about, but as she released the contents of her breakfast into the toilet at her parents' house, she was forced to think about it. Kim had gotten it for her a few days after their conversation in the office, but Erin never used it. She was asked every day since the test was bought if she had taken it and the answer has always been the same, it's always been no.

Ignorance is bliss.

Sometimes not knowing felt better than facing the reality of knowing.

Erin flushed the toilet and rose to her feet, grabbing tissue on her way up to dab at the corners of her mouth. She has tears welling up in her eyes that absolutely refuse to fall. She's scared. She doesn't want to face the obvious truth. She throws the tissue into the toilet and then flushes it before washing her hands and rinsing her mouth out with water and mouthwash.

She knows that it would be wishful thinking to hope she has the flu or something comparable to that. She knows that this is a symptom of pregnancy but she doesn't want to face the reality of it.

She's trying to get her life back on course. She's trying to better herself. She's trying to get back on her feet and then this has to happen, "…you're jumping to conclusions, Erin," she tells herself as she stares at her reflection. She's barely slept since the day she did all of that research in the office. She's barely went out, only spending her days at home or at work and that's why she's here, because her mother felt like she apparently hasn't seen enough of her daughter since she moved back to Chicago.

Erin backs away from the sink, hits the lights and opens the door only to bump right into her mother. Camille reaches her arms out to steady her daughter before moving her hand to rest against Erin's forehead, "You're not feeling well," she phrases it like a question.

"All I can keep down is saltine crackers."

"You're not warm," Camille observes as the back of her hand feels around her daughter's face, "maybe you should lie down. Kim mentioned that you've been nauseous, fatigued and having headaches," and Erin rolls her eyes because since when has her best friend and mother talked so much to each other. She feels her mom take her hand and lead her down the hallway and back to the dining room where they were previously sitting before Erin was forced to jump up and run to the bathroom, "Is there something going around at work? All the kids you work with, you probably caught something from them," Erin doubts it but she doesn't say anything, "maybe you should stay here until you're feeling a little better. You wouldn't want to give someone at work or Kim whatever you have," Erin doubts that too; she's pretty positive that's impossible for her to do. And Erin is not staying here, if what is wrong with her is actually what she expects it to be, she'll be here for far too long.

"Mom," Erin flopped down into the dining room chair. Her mother sits across from her, "I'm fine. I don't want you to worry."

Camille rolls her eyes because that's completely ridiculous, "I'm going to worry. That's just what I do. That's what mothers do."

"…not all mothers," Erin whispered, sitting up as her arms wrap around her stomach.

"Bunny Fletcher wasn't a mother. She doesn't have a maternal bone in her body. Giving birth doesn't make someone a mom, it's the love, the protection, the shelter, the support and the care that you give that makes you a mom." And that feels like Camille was talking to her personally because Erin could not see herself as a parent. But, she hadn't taken the test yet and there's a possibility that she won't be one.

She just needs to be brave enough to take it. She can't avoid finding out forever.

…because like Kim said she'll eventually know. It's one of those things that'll reveal itself over time. But, she needs to stop procrastinating, she needs to stop living in denial and pretending that there aren't consequences for her actions.

Camille is only growing more worried about what could possibly be wrong with her daughter, she's talking, rambling and Erin isn't listening because she's too lost in her thoughts, in the what-ifs that keep plaguing her mind. She needs to take the test. She needs to know the truth.

And now is as good a time as any because her mom is here with her. She couldn't do it alone, call her a coward, but a girl really needs her mother in this situation.

"Mom," Erin swallowed roughly after a long silence passes for more than a couple of seconds, "I screwed up," Camille turns to face her, providing her with her undivided attention, "big time."

Camille sits up; back straight. Even though she doesn't know what the problem is yet, she wants to provide her daughter with some type of comfort, so, she reaches for her daughter's hands but Erin's arms remain wrapped around her stomach so Camille settles for setting her hands against Erin's knee, stopping her daughter from anxiously bouncing her leg up and down, "I'm sure it's not as bad as it may seem. What's wrong?"

"I uh…"

Camille is patient. You have to be patient to be married to Hank Voight for all those years, and you have to be even more patient to foster and adopt Erin. So she doesn't bother waiting as Erin tries to figure out the best way to word whatever is going on. But, it's when she senses her daughter needs a little nudge that she speaks, "Erin, you know you can tell me anything. You know I won't judge you. Just tell me and we'll figure it out together. No judgment."

And that seems to be what her daughter needed to hear because her tense shoulders suddenly relax and she immediately whispers under her breath, "I might be pregnant."

"…you might be?" Camille squeaks. She didn't know what she was expecting but it wasn't that.

"Yes." Erin doesn't want to talk anymore. She wants to forget that they're even having this conversation but she knows her mother, she knows it isn't that simple.

"Have you had your period recently?"

Erin doesn't provide a verbal answer. Silently, she shakes her head to provide a silent one.

"When was the last time you had your period?"

Erin still doesn't give a verbal response. Instead, she unfolds her arms and pulls her cell out of her pocket to load up the app on her phone and show her mother the date.

"Oh baby," Camille whispered after seeing the date. And Erin flinches at the term of endearment, she knows her mother meant no harm by it but it reminds her of the possible problem that may currently be growing inside of her belly, "I'm sorry." She stands up and moves closer to crouch down in front of her daughter, brushing her fingers through Erin's hair until she coaxes her daughter to look at her, "How long have you been suspecting you were pregnant?"

"…weeks."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"I was in denial," Erin whispered. She starts biting down onto her lower lip.

"And you haven't taken a test yet?"

"No," she answers before following it up with, "but Kim bought me a test. It's been in my purse for longer than I would care to admit."

She watches as her mother stands back up, older age obviously taking effect because she massages her knees before reaching across the table to grab her daughter's purse, "Let's not make any assumptions when we can find out for sure." The test is pulled out of Erin's bag and extended towards her daughter and after a brief pause, hand hovering in the air above the test, she eventually grabs it and rises to her feet.

"I'll be out here waiting for you. You can take it and then come back out and we wait together or you can take it and wait and then tell me after you get the results. It's up to you."

Erin doesn't answer, more so because she doesn't know what she wants. She'll decide as she walks to the bathroom, opening the box along the way. She reads the directions, even though she expects it can't be too complicated. And it's not. She pees on the stick, puts the cap back on and then sits it on the countertop. It's as simple as that. And once she sets the timer on her phone, she leaves the test behind in the bathroom, choosing to not want to see the results by herself.

"Did you set a timer?" Camille asks once Erin walks back into the dining room. Her daughter nods and holds up her phone just as the front door opens.

"Oh," Voight appears caught off guard by his daughter's presence, "I didn't expect to see you here. Not that I'm complaining. I always love it when you come to visit." He walks further into the dining room and leans down to kiss the top of his daughter's head before moving towards his wife, to give her a kiss on the lips.

"What are you doing home so early?" Camille had no sense of the time but it couldn't have been late enough for him to actually be off from work.

Voight moves back to the foyer, throwing his leather jacket over the hook of the coatrack, "We closed an intense case and I called it an early night. My guys deserved it."

"…such a good boss," Camille winks at her husband.

But Voight finds it funny, "I doubt they would agree with you. I'm a hard ass," he folds his sleeves up as he makes his way down the hallway.

The timer continues to slowly tick, only seconds left so she decides to start standing up, her mother at her side when the sound of the timer goes off at the same time she hears the bathroom door shut, "Dad," she mutters under her breath. Her eyes widen and she no longer hears the sound of her timer because her mom cuts it off. She doesn't even wait for her mom to follow because she hopes that maybe it wasn't the bathroom door that closed –she knows it is though, that's been her luck lately-, "Erin wait up." Her mom jogs behind her.

"I think dad went into the bathroom," Erin muttered and now her mother's eyes widen and she starts to move faster than her daughter, "Hank," Camille twists the knob and finds that the door is unlocked. Slowly, she pushes it open, Erin biting her lip as the sight of her dad comes into view. He's at the sink. The test gripped in his hand. He's focused on whatever the answer is, it's held at an angle that prevents Camille or Erin from seeing the results.

Voight's grip tightens, his knuckles start to turn ghostly white and he's inhaling and exhaling in loud bursts. He has questions, Erin knows that. Any parent would have questions. But, the thing that frightens her the most is that he isn't asking any. Camille moves further into the bathroom, Erin chooses to stay at the threshold of the door as she watches her mother gently reach out for the test, "Let me see Hank." His grip loosens and she manages to slip the test from his hold.

But, before her mother can take a look at the results herself, Voight is speaking, "It's positive."

And those words are so strong that the weight of them pushes Erin back. She feels her back press against the adjacent wall to the bathroom and it suddenly starts to feel like she can't breathe.

She needs Milo. It sounds a little ridiculous but he's an emotional support dog and she got him specifically for her anxiety, for the comfort, for the occasional panic attacks. This isn't a panic attack though, but she is anxious and sometimes her anxiety leads to a panic attack if she doesn't get ahead of it in time. Camille is at her side in the blink of an eye. She grips her daughter's shoulders, coaxing her through deep breathing exercises, "…that's it."

When she starts to inhale and exhale at a more acceptable speed, Camille drops her hands and turns to retrieve the test she dropped to the floor when she suddenly noticed the panic going across her daughter's face. Hank is still quiet. And Camille elbows him because she knows that his silence isn't helping anyone's nerves, "It can uh," he blinks out of his reverie, "it can be a uh a false positive. Those exist, right?"

"Your dad is right," Camille chimes in before Erin has the chance to respond, "How about I go to the store and pick up a few more tests? That one could have been faulty. It's been in your purse for some time, who knows what could have happened to it?"

She knows that's wishful thinking. She knows her parents are only saying that in an effort to calm her nerves. She also knows that no matter how many tests she takes, it's going to come out as positive. But, even with that knowledge, she doesn't stop her mother from leaving because she knows that Camille needed the air, this is big news for all of them. She only wishes that her mother didn't leave her alone with her dad. Her back is still pressed against the wall, and she slowly slides down it until she's seated on the floor.

Erin throws her head back, her eyes are shut tight and she hears his heavy footsteps as he approaches. She hears his movement, she feels him slide down the wall next to her and when he reaches for her hand, intertwining his fingers with hers, she opens her eyes, "I'm scared."

"You don't need to be."

"I'm pregnant," she spits out a bit forcefully.

"We don't know that for sure," he nudges his shoulder against hers, "your mother went to pick up more tests to tell us if you are or not."

"Dad, I'm pregnant," she asserts because she knows it's the truth. She's been in denial for long enough; it's time for her to face reality.

"Erin…"

"…and I'm sorry to be such a huge disappointment," she exclaims, tears prickling the corners of her eyes because it just feels like she can't do anything right, she feels like such a screw up, "I'm single. I'm practically mooching off my best friend. I'm pregnant. I don't know anything about this kid's father, like nothing dad, I have no identifying information to go off of because I'm such an irresponsible fuck up that can't do anything right."

"Hey," he nudges her arm again, "you know I hate it when you talk about yourself like that."

"You hate it when I lie. Nothing I said was a lie."

"Everything you said about yourself is a lie," he amended her statement, "and I'm not disappointed in you. I don't think I can ever be disappointed in you. Want to know why," he waits for her to nod her head, "because every obstacle that has ever come your way in life, you've overcome it. Always. You amaze me kid, seriously, you do. You've been through more things than many people your age have been through and you always come out on top. This is no different," he squeezes her hand in reassurance.

"This is a baby," she reminds him, "it's not a temporary occurrence, it won't just go away. This is permanent. Or at least, it's going to be permanent. And there are so many things I could have done to avoid this but I didn't think. I acted without thinking and you always said that was going to get me in trouble one day. I should have listened."

Voight wraps his arm around his daughter's shoulders and pulled her closer, her head lying against his chest as silence surrounds them. After a few minutes of it, he breaks it, "You know, I love to hear about when I'm right."

"Are you seriously going to say I told you so?"

"No, but I will say that you're not alone in this. You have a village for a reason. And if you want, I can help you find the father of the kid."

"It was a one night stand," she mumbles into his shoulder, "I wasn't exaggerating when I said we didn't trade any information. I don't even know where to start."

"Where did you meet him?"

This felt weird; she's discussing her one night stand with her father, "Molly's bar."

"…maybe he's a regular?"

"So I should go to the bar every day for the rest of my life in hopes that I'll run into him again?"

"…or maybe one of the bartenders know him?"

"I'd rather not humiliate myself even more than I'm already doing. I don't want to search for him and hunt him down only to find out he's married with kids and wants nothing to do with mine."

Hank tightens his hold around his daughter as he patiently waits for his wife to return; she always knows what to say, and even though it looks like he's doing pretty good, Camille would be even better. A mother's touch can cure a lot of things. But, a father's touch can at least try, "I just want to remind you that you're not alone. I'm here. Your mother's here. I'm pretty sure you have Burgess. And if you decide to keep your baby, you always have us for help and support."

He holds his daughter. In the silence of his home, he holds her. It's been very few times he's ever held Erin in silence, -a few months after they started fostering her and he got her to open up about her time with her birth month, when Justin died and when he found out about what happened to Erin in New York, even though he doubts he knows every detail. And now he can add this moment to such a short list. His strong girl; she's always been so strong, always protecting others, always confident and assertive so when this vulnerable side comes out, he's always ready, willing and there for her at her beck and call.

"I'm back," Camille's voice rings out. They hear the front door shut behind her and they hear her small feet patter against the floor as she rushes over, "I might have gone overboard but I was nervous and Erin never really told me how many to buy." She turns the plastic bag upside down and different size and color boxes fall at their feet.

"Mom," Erin gasps, "how many did you buy?"

"I bought one of each brand."

Camille extends her hand and when Erin grabs it, she pulls her to her feet. Voight collects all of the boxes, putting them back in the bag and then extending it to Erin, "We'll be in the dining room. Come get us when you're done." And once Erin grabs the bag and disappears into the bathroom, leaving her parents on the other side of the door, she immediately gets to it, pouring the contents of the bag onto the counter and tearing open each box and package until she has peed on them all and have propped them up at the edge of the counter. Her phone is out seconds later and a timer is set, counting down the minutes until she gets the final results.

This time she doesn't leave the bathroom. This time she keeps the door closed. She chooses to take a seat on the closed toilet lid because she knew that if she didn't sit down, she would pace and the bathroom was very limited in space. She has the timer on her phone counting down and she's dialing Kim's number, craving the support of her closest friend. And maybe she needs to laugh and smile and she knows that Kim has a way of doing that for her.

"Hey babe," she greets and Erin chokes back the urge to burst into tears. Her friend is in such a good mood, she hopes it's contagious, "Erin."

"I'm here."

"Where are you? I'll be getting off of work in an hour so I was thinking of picking us up some dinner and maybe we can find a movie on Netflix. I'm thinking a horror night is in order. I might pick Milo up a dog bone or something so he has something to snack on too."

"That sounds like a good idea. I think you'll be his favorite person besides me if you do that."

"What's wrong? You sound weird."

She doesn't answer right away because there's only seconds left on the timer. By the time it gets to two seconds, she's cutting off the timer, ending it because she doesn't want her parents to hear it and come to knock on the bathroom door. She needed a minute without her mother and father hovering, asking questions and providing the comfort that she kind of felt like she didn't deserve.

She needed a moment to process everything. Even with Kim whispering her name on the other end of the line was proving to be too much for the moment, "Hold on," she says as she moves towards the counter and each and every test says either the same thing or something similar. A plus sign, two pink lines, or a simple positive appears in plain text.

It's positive.

Erin pushes her cell phone against her ear, clears her throat and whispers, "It says it's positive."

"What's positive?"

"…the pregnancy tests."

"Plural, you took more than one?"

"Kim, yes; please focus, that's beside the point."

Burgess blinks back into focus, "You're right. You're right. I'm focused."

"What am I going to do?"

"First things first, you're going to tell your parents."

"…and then what?'

"And then you're going to go home and I'm going to buy every stereotypical pregnancy snack I can think of and then we're going to pig out all night in our most comfy pajamas and we're going to stay up, and vent, and talk about the perfect baby that you're going to bring into the world for us to raise. We'll stay up late and sleep in. I'll make sure that before I leave work that I get someone to cover both of our shifts tomorrow."

Erin nods because she's too emotional to speak. Kim understands even though she's rarely ever seen Erin this emotional. Maybe it's the hormones? Burgess was smart enough not to mention it.

"Thank you, Kim."

Her best friend smiles, Erin can sense it through the phone, "You're welcome baby mama." And Erin laughs at that before the two of them bid each other farewell and hang up. Kim can always manage to put a smile on her face without even trying too hard. The phone is pushed into her back pocket and she tosses each test into the trash before washing her hands and leaving out.

Slowly, but with a bit more confidence in her step, she walks down the hallway to see her parents waiting patiently for her to join them. Camille rises to her feet, "Well…" And all Erin can do is nod to confirm what they all already knew. And her mother cries, silent tears rolling down her cheeks as she rushes around the dining room table to draw her daughter into her arms, "Oh baby, this is good. This is going to be fine. I know it's not how you envisioned your life right now but everything is going to work out. Just trust me. You'll see." She leans back and caresses the side of her daughter's face, "but first things first, your next step should be scheduling a doctor's appointment." And now this was all becoming so much more real.

"Camille, take a deep breath," Voight carefully whispers as he approaches his wife's side. They all knew how much Camille loved babies, and even how much she truly craved to be a grandmother and if Erin needed to find any good out of the entire situation, that's definitely it.

"My baby's having a baby," Camille exclaims. She presses a kiss against Erin's forehead and then her free hand falls to rest against the nonexistent bump, "and I know you probably want me to shut up right now but despite how you may feel right now, how scared you might be, this is good news, Er. This is really good news. And we'll take it one day at a time so you don't feel overwhelmed, so all you need to do right now is schedule the doctor's appointment and tell the baby's father because he should know."

"Camille…" Voight said through gritted teeth. She's talking too much.

Erin shakes her head, cheeks turning a dark shade of red because this is embarrassing, "He's uh, he's not in the picture."

"…then where is he?"

Erin shrugs and that's an answer in itself.

"Oh," Camille swallows when it suddenly clicks; no judgment, she reminds herself before a small smile stretched across her face and she slowly nods her head up and down, "no biggie," that's a lie that Erin doesn't call her out on, "it'll be fine because you have me, your dad and Kim and you won't have to go through this alone. Schedule the doctor's appointment. I'll go with you."

And Erin didn't realize just how much she needed her mother in all of this until she reassured her daughter that she'll be by her side the entire time. It's still the beginning stages. Reality truly hasn't set in all the way. But, she's slowly being eased into it. She doesn't have the heart to tell her parents, to tell Kim that she doesn't know if she even wants to have and raise a kid especially by a stranger. She swallows roughly and presses a dull smile to her face as her mother rambles on and on about the beauty it is to have a kid and everything she should expect to happen in the months ahead.