"Darling. Time to wake up." Adam rubbed her back trying to wake her softly. She started to stretch out a bit. She whimpered a bit as she moved. Adam heard both ankles pop as she stretched. "Ouch darling." He laughed a bit knowing to her it probably felt great. "It was nothing." She laughed burying her face on his chest. "How are you feeling this morning?" He asked still rubbing her back. "Okay. Think I want to send Gunner to school with the kids. Just in case. I dont even know if thats possible. But I think its best for safety." Kim rambled still with her eyes closed. "Im fine with that. Its not the worst idea. He can come back to work once the heat dies down. We will protect the kids always and so will he." Adam kissed her head right away. "Yeah I know. This is just nuts. Lets just get in the shower and try to relax some." She started to get up, Adam followed close behind her.
He turned the shower on. Heating up the water to a warm temperature. He watched her brushing her teeth stepping back to give him room. She stepped into the shower after she finished her teeth. She had her head tilted back letting the water cascade over her body. Her eyes closed as she let the water try to relax her. Adam joined her seeing the posture of her body. She needed the silence in this moment. He took over washing her body. He needed her to feel the love he had for her. After he finished washing her he allowed her to get out. To dry off and dry her hair. He washed himself quickly before he jumped out. He found her still drying off, wringing out her hair. He grabbed her some panties and a bra while grabbing his boxers. He handed her the items as he started to dress for the day. Only once her undergarments were on did she start drying her hair.
"Do you need any help?" He asked with his hands on her hips watching her in the mirror. "Nope Im good." She bumped her hips back against his. "Well Im here if you need anything." He winked as he left. He could hear her giggling as he left. He came back dressed finding her still doing her hair. "It needs to be cut again doesnt it?" He noticed it had gotten longer and fuller. "Yup! Hence why its taking forever to dry again." She sighed but kept working. "Okay well then Im going to wake the kids while you finish up more." He kissed her cheek as he stepped out of their bathroom heading to the kids rooms. Adam walked in to see both kids still asleep and Gunner awake waiting for him. "Hey buddy." Adam pet his head as he walked in. "Good morning kiddos. Time to get up." He watched them slowly starting to move. Mia stretching out, Milo sitting up rubbing his eyes yawning.
Adam moved to hug both kids before getting them out of bed and moving towards the bathroom. After they used the bathroom they headed right back to their room to get dressed. "Okay what are we wearing today? Its a bit chilly out so plan accordingly." Adam knew Mia loved her summer wear and hated being so covered up. She would even whine about her feet being trapped in sneakers. It was adorable of course but they hoped she grew out of that. It was Chicago, it was colder and for longer. Adam heard her huff a bit about it. He just smiled helping Milo get his jeans and long sleeve shirt on. It was paired with a open hoodie. Mia finally picked out her outfit which was cute. Though he wasnt sure it was warm enough but it was okay for now. He helped get her leggings on and her tunic top. Both kids got their socks on before heading diwn the stairs.
Kim was walking out of their room as the kids headed down the stairs. "Well good morning kiddos!" Kim saw them both dressed but they didnt look thrilled. "Why are we grumpy this morning?" She asked looking at them. "Too cold!" Mia almost stamped her feet. "Oh I agree! But that just means we get to wear our boots again, have snuggle parties on the couch and have fire place nights in the new house." Kim wanted to laugh but she held it back. Adam had been watching amused by the spunk of his daughter. "Kids please let the dog out." Adam asked trying to change the subject. The kids did as told leaving their parents amused for sure. "Maybe some shopping for her this weekend. Let her pick out some clothes." Adam knew Kim normally shopped for what she liked and maybe giving Mia some control over her outfit would help. "Sounds like a solid plan. Lets be real I hate it too but its life. So we adjust." Kim shrugged. "Well you complain about jean season too." He tickled her sides laughing with her. "True. I love summer!" Kim laughed a bit.
"Lets get these kids fed and off to school. We have a case to finish." Adam started to work on breakfast as Kim worked on lunches. It was a nice rhythm going on. Kim turned on some music for the kids to dance around as bit. She was hoping to lighten their mood about the weather. Gunner was let back in as Adam plated breakfast for the family. Kim fed Gunner then sat with the family to eat. "Mommy?" Mia asked with bright eyes. "Yes my sweet." Kim wondered where this was going. "Can we make the special oatmeal tomorrow?" She asked. Adam watched Milo cheering. "Well it takes a bit longer to make so how about Saturday morning we make it. So thats the day after tomorrow." Kim tried to compromise with the kids. "Okay." Mia nodded but was excited for it. "Special oatmeal?" Adam asked never hearing about this before. "Um its a rip off from a place on campus. I think the whole chain is closed now but it was called Ceral Bar. Opened early, closed super late. You could get any mix of ceral you wanted." Kim took a bite before she continued.
"So they had an oatmeal I really liked. It was Strawberry Cheesecake Oatmeal. What goes into it sounds strange but its really good. I also need to grocery shop for this." Kim shugged a bit. "Okay well I dont normally like oatmeal but Im willing to try it. Especially with them so excited." He smiled loving his food loving family. "Its really good I promise. It just sounds strange as you put it together. But we all love it." Kim smiled pulling out her phone to order the things she needed. "Okay it's all in the cart for me to get after work." Both kids cheered. "Adorable!" Adam laughed at his excited kids. "Lets get cleaned up and get going." Adam just smiled. The kids cheered ready for school. The ran to wash up as the adults loaded the dishwasher. They all headed out with the kids excited to learn and play with their friends.
As they arrived at the school, the couple brought the kids inside with their dog in tow. They arrived outside the classroom hoping it would be okay. "Hey so after yesterday we were wondering if we could keep our K-9 dog with our kids. To protect them just in case?" Kim explained with their dog sitting next to them. "Um I guess we could try that. Im not aware of any kids having an allergy to dogs. We can try it out." The teacher agreed. "Great. Okay Gunner you are going to stay here with the kids today. Be nice to everyone but protect them." She explained with fear in her eyes and voice. He barked like he understood. The couple patted the dog before they headed to work. Kim was in tears slightly thinking the worst. "Its going to be okay. Hes great with kids and he knows how to protect them all." Adam hugged her tight. "I know. Its just hard knowing they are out there. Maybe waiting to take the kids. Its kind of unreal." Kim shook her head just not knowing what was to come.
They arrived at work still trying to work through the process. They entered the bullpen seeing Mouse was waiting for them. "Is it that bad?" Kim asked scared. "Well I havent found them yet. Not even in New York. They may have driven off somewhere but we have a bolo out on all three vehicles. And I have alerts on all their credit cards. Im not letting this die. I promise you." He hugged Kim seeing her trying to hold it together. "Hey its going be okay. We got this." Adam took over holding her tight. The team had been made aware of the issues the family was facing. They would all support the family. As the couple broke apart ready to start the day Kim grabbed a tea and Adam grabbed a coffee. Kim crashed at her desk taking some deep breaths trying to calm the anxiety. "Is Gunner with the kids?" Erin asked unsure where the dog was. "Yeah we thought it was best to protect the kids god forbid her out laws show up." Adam explained knowing Erin loved her buddy. "Makes sense. I will miss my buddy today." Erin tried to make a joke to lighten the mood.
"So Kim, that knife you carry. Why carbon fiber?" Jay asked unsure about it. "So its light weight but it also doesnt set off metal detectors. So if you are going undercover you have back up they dont know about. It wont last forever like metal but it will get you out of there alive. Thats the most important thing." Kim explained as she pulled her knife out for everyone to see. She let them pass it around checking it out. "Wow thats cool. We should all have these." Al stated looking it over. "I have more at home. I can bring them tomorrow." Kim got her knife back. She placed it back in her pants behind her back. It was comfortable, she almost forgot it was there. "Okay lets finish the case from yesterday. Hopefully we dont get another one." Voight got the team working again on the current case.
Everyone had a task for the day. Both Kim and Adam were trying to stay as busy as possible. It helped keep their minds steady. Around noon food was ordered for the entire team. Kim ate in silence trying to keep the calm going. Just about 1 Mouse came running into the room. "I found them. They are here in Chicago. I already called the school to let them know." Mouse explained seeing Kim crying. "How did you find them?" Adam asked. "One of the bolo's came through. They drove here in his car. Paid cash for everything on their way here." Mouse explained. "Im going to slash the fucking tires! Im so busting that car up! That fucking piece of shit mother fuckers stupid ass car!" Kim was pissed off and riled up for sure. "Thats not going to help anything and you know it. But I love the rant." Adam pulled her into a hug.
"Well I will slash his tires! No problem there!" Kevin laughed but serious. "Okay thats not helping!" Adam glared at Kevin who was still laughing. "Where exactly did you find them?" Adam asked holding Kim still. "Cops on the outskirts of town. Its literally been 30 minutes since I was notified. So I think you should head over to the school to meet them there." Mouse knew it could go bad but he had faith in them. "Yeah. Okay thank you." Kim nodded a bit looking towards Voight who just nodded at them. Kim headed out while Adam ran behind her calling Peter as he went. Stone agreed to meet them there right away. They headed over Adam driving as Kim literally shook next to him. "We got this. This ends today!" Adam held her hand. As they pulled up Kim jumped out of the car running towards the building.
Adam running behind her. They entered the office scared to death. "Miss Burgress. We already know. I let the teacher know. We promise we handled it." The office receptionist stated. They all heard barking down the hall. Kim knew right away it was Gunner. She and Adam ran to the kids classroom. They saw her out laws outside the room with Gunner barking at them. "What the hell are you two doing here!" Kim yelled as Adam moved to the doorway of the classroom. "We have rights! They are our grandchildren" Kims mother in law Maria yelled at her. "You lost your rights! You have a no contact order! This is against the law! And you never cared about them till I moved here with them." Kim yelled seeing Peter running towards her. "Back away from the classroom. You are in violation of the no contact order. And here is your restraining order for here." Peter handed them the new notice. He heard Kim sighing.
"We have rights! You cant take them away from us." Maria yelled again. "Actually you dont! You lost your rights when you didnt accept them. You lost your rights when you had them tested three times for DNA proof. You lost that right when your son tried to rape me and beat the shit out of me. You lost your rights when he lost his rights. You are nothing to me or my children." Kim was stern with her words but didnt yell. Gunner still barking. Kim's father in law Manny reached for Kims arm. He came close but Gunner bit his hand digging his teeth in. "Gunner!" Kim yelled knowing this could be a very big problem. He pulled back still growling at them. "Get an ambo please!" Kim yelled out. "Kim its fine. Gunner is protecting us. He wont be harmed." Adam held her as she cried. Kim dropped to her knees holding Gunner as she cried. "Kim its okay. He protected you. They cant put him down. He's safe. I assure you of that." Peter had been watching the whole thing closely.
Extra police were arriving as was an ambo. The Castellanos were arrested and taking to Chicago Med for stitches. Kim, Adam, Peter and several others were interviewed but Kim never left Gunners side. They were all surprised when Voight arrived. "Boss what's happening?" Adam asked. "Just wanted to let you both know Gunner is fine. It was proven that he was defending you. He's safe! You can bring him back to the office now. But see the kids first. Im sure they scared to death." Voight offered hugging Kim as cried tears of joy. They knocked on the door. The teacher let them in surprised to see the kids happy and laughing. "How did this happen?" Kim was shocked. "We knew what was happening so we gave them movie time with the ear phones. They didnt hear 98% of that. So its all good." She watched Kim sighing. "Go hug the kids and let them know you are taking Gunner back to the district." Kim and Adam both nodded.
"Kiddos. We just wanted to let you know Erin is having a bad day and needs Gunner. So we are going to take him back to the district okay?" Kim lied but she didnt want to scare them. "Okay! Thank you for the hugs!" Mia got hugs and so did Milo. They loved all the attention. "You are welcome! We will see you both after work. Love you both!" Kim and Adam hugged the kids one more time before they left with Gunner in tow. Peter and Voight still talking. "Ready to head out?" Voight asked watching Kim nod. "Thank you both! For everything!" Kim hugged them both. "You are very welcome! Let me go. I have charges fo file. See you later." Peter headed out knowing once again he needed an air tight case against these people. As they exited the building they noticed the ambo was gone and so were the cops. They relaxed a bit more as they entered the car. Kim took a seat in the back with Gunner needing him close to her. She was so scared but he had been protecting her and the kids. All of them. Adam watched Kim most of the time waiting for her to crash.
They re-entered the district woth Gunner in tow. He ran right over to Platt wanting pets from her. "Hey my buddy. Oh you look like you saw some action today." She mentioned looking him over befor returning her gaze to the couple. "Out laws tried to see the kids. My ex father in law tried to touch me after lots of yelling so Gunner bit him. It was scary for all of us." Kim explained but never took her eyes off him. "Sounds like you did your job. So proud of you." Platt kissed his head as he was then led upstairs. He had no leash on so he could run up the stairs free. Kim was taking longer exhaustion setting in. The couple entered the bullpen finding their dog lying on his back getting belly rubs for Kevin. It was insanely adorable. They noticed Erin entering the room with a wet wash cloth to clean the blood of their dog. "Oh my hero is getting the hero's treatment." Kim laughed watching him loving the attention.
"Lets be fair. He didnt know which those people were there to harm. So he really protected all of them. And kept that asshole from touching you." Adam smiled loving the team taking care of the dog. "Did the car get impounded?" Kevin asked. "I have no clue. But you are more than welcome to go look for it. Its an Alfa Rameo with New York plates. I doubt it will be hard fo find." She noticed all the boys jumping up to leave. "Was it something I said?" Kim laughed confused. "Its a high end car most will never see in real life. Let the boys oogle the toy." Erin laughed shaking her head. "Stupid!" Kim laughed taking her seat ready to get the day finished. The full team returned 30 minutes later ready to finish the case. But no before informing Kim of one fact. "We didnt bash up the car. But we did leave a note letting him know hes the biggest asshole known to mankind." Kevin watched her laugh. "Thanks guys! I think its stupid but I appreciate the gesture." Kim shook her head as they returned to work.
The team finished up the case with the suspect going down easy. It shocked them all but they were also thrilled. Everyone was packing up to leave for the night when Adam came to stand by Kim with Gunner on his leash. "You ready to head out? Stop at Target to get the makings for special oatmeal?" Adam asked. "Yeah. I may have ordered a few other things." She smiled a bit shyly. Almost like she was afraid to be happy or open about it. "What did you buy?" Adam laughed seeing her acting like this. "I may have bought more Halloween decorations." Kim smiled widely. Almost childlike. "Okay why is that a problem?" He asked trying to figure out the issue. "Well you see I may already have 10 tubs of Halloween decor for both inside and outside. And truly we didnt need anymore. But I really love vintage looking Black cat item's so I got a few more." She tried to hold back her giddiness about it. Adam just laughed loving how adorable she was. "Well I cant wait to see the full thing!" He just wrapped his arm around her and led her out the building. She was just too cute for words in these moments.
"So Halloween is a big thing?" He asked ss they headed to target. "Yeah. We usually have a full graveyard. Bloody foot prints. Fog machines, strobe lights, spooky sounds. We love it! And we all dress up." Kim was excited to celebrate it together this year. "Sounds good to me! Cant wait to see the whole set up. Of course I will help set it up." He winked watching her giddy for her new black cats. The order was dropped off to the car quickly thankfully and the coupke headed home. The kids would be thrilked to see the new items. "Im starving!" Adam whined as he drove them home. "Okay baby let me order something." Kim laughed a bit. It was a quick ride home before they arrived. The couple moved inside with all the bags in their hands. "Hey babies!" Kim called out as they entered the home. "Mommy, daddy! Gunner!" Both kids yelling in excitement. "Did you have a great day?" Adam asked hoping they were after what happened. "It was fun! We got to watch a movie!" Milo yelled.
"Thats great! So daddy and I got all the makings for the special oatmeal. And I got some new Black Cats for Halloween. Do you want to see them?" Kim asked watching them nod excitedly. "Okay here they are." Kim placed them on the table for them all to see. "I love them!" Mia yelled loudly. "What do you think Milo?" Kim asked watching him. "I love the pumpkin one! It so bright!" He laughed as he kept turning the light on inside. "Perfect! Now how about you two play with Gunner while mommy and I eat. Okay?" Adam asked the kids watching them running off to play. "What did you order?" Adam asked. "I got Greek. I love Greek food." Kim opened the boxes handing Adam his. "Looks good. Not sure Ive had it before. So Im game." Adam sat with his dinner ready to try it. "The kids love it too. Kiddos you want a bite of my chicken souvlaki?" Both kids running towards her.
Kim dipped a piece for each kid in the tzatziki before letting them have the bite. Both kids happy with it. "Yummy mommy!" Milo smiled as he looked for another bite. "Okay bud one more bite. I dont want you eating too much before bed time." Kim allowed them each one more bite. The kids ran off to play again after that leaving their parents alone to eat. "I have to admit this is really good. And I loved watching the kids eyes light up over it. Such great kids." Adam looked over at them as he ate. "They are pretty great. Especially after what happened today. Hopefully the night goes smooth." Kim ate more watching the kids the whole time. "So after dinner lets bathe the kids then relax together? I think we could both use it." Adam offered knowing she needed it. "Sounds like a great plan." Kim smiled as she finished her dinner and cleaned up after herself.
"Bath time babies!" Kim watched the kids plus Gunner heading up the stairs. She was right behind them just in case. Kim started to fill the tub while the kids picked out their jammies. Adam had joined them knowing he was needed for after the bath. He helped get each kids washed and dried off before taking Milo right to his room to dress him. No streaker tonight. Kim cleaned up the bathroom as Mia headed back to the room to get dressed. Adam loved this time of night with his kids. He loved how relax they got and content they were to lay against him as he read them a story. Both kids were placed in their beds after the story and tucked in. Each kid getting kisses and I love you's for each parent before the adults exited the room.
The couple headed back downstairs Kim crashed on the couch while Adam grabbed a few drinks. He handed one to Kim as he sat next to her. "I guess it is that kind of night." She looked over at smiling weekly. "Well its been a shit day so yeah." He pulled her in for a hug. "Okay funny story time. Its kind of gross, funny, crazy and ridiculous but oh so true. So my horrible grandmother, Bitchina, died in September of 2020. So we had an open coffin funeral like she wanted but had to do the burial later since she wanted to be cremated and buried in a baby coffin. No joke. So anyway. I hadnt talked to her in years because she was terrible to all of us. I didnt even cry. I was more shocked that she actually died. So the day of the burial arrives and Im driving there from Michael's house since it was about half way." Kim paused so she could look at Adam better.
"Im on the highway and he calls me. I of course answer. He asked what are you wearing. I started laughing my ass off. And told him I had pants on. He wanted proof. So I pull over at Target because I really did need to pee and needed something to eat. So in the bathroom stall I took a photo of my pants around my ankles and the bathroom floor. Now this all sounds crazy but to be fair he was right to question me since I said and I quote 'when that bitch dies Im peeing on her grave.' So I then had to ask a Target employee to take a photo of my full outifit so he was sure I wasnt lying. But that is the story of before Bitchinas burial." Kim was cracking up but so was Adam. He could actually picture Kim and Michael going back and forth over it. "That's hysterical! And so you!" He was still laughing when she pulled out her phone to find the photos from that day.
"Thats great! I love it!" He pulled her closer again. "How did she die? I think I remember you saying she did it to herself. What did you mean?" He had been confused when she said it but he was so focused so Kim that he forgot to ask. "Um she was in the hospital. My dad had a surgery on his prostate and healing took longer than expected. I kind of think he was dragging it out but anyway. He had finally made the decision that he couldnt care for her as needed without help. And with how weak he became they agreed to have a motorized lift to get her in and out of bed. They allowed him in the hospital, against Covid protocols to learn how to use it. They brought her in the room so they could test it with her and she refused to speak to my dad at all. Later that night she pulled her internal pik line out of her heart. It caused internal bleeding and she bleed to death. She was so angry at him. I dont think she understood the ramifications of what she did but it cost her her life." Kim shrugged a bit. She was over it abd never really sad aboit it.
"Thats awful. Wow no wonder your dad is so messed up. She mentally and verbally abused him and then basically killed herself. After ignoring him. He probably felt like it was hos fault to a degree. Thats intense. Was she ever a good grandmother to you?" He had always wondered that. "Not really. Unless you count buying someones love. I honestly dont ever remember her telling me that she loved me. Or offered a genuine hug. She didnt come to my wedding since it wasnt in Philly. I wrote about her. You can read it. Its tough but you can." Kim got up grabbing her notebook handing it to him. He took the book flipping to the right section. She watched as he read through the pages. All 5 of them. It was intense but he was also surprised by how Kim took pity on her grandmother for how she grew up. For the lack of education, for the lack of stability at home. He could hear the empathy but also the pain and anger in other points. He had no words for what he read. Kind of like how he didnt know what to say after she confronted her father in front of him.
The woman in his arms was literally an angel compared to the devil that raised her. It was unreal to him. This was what made her who she is. He looked up seeing her looking extremely vulnerable. "You are amazing. Never forget that." He hugged her tight lettimg her feel the love. "My therapist said that while yes Im the black sheep of my family it's actually a good thing. Because this black sheep is kind, compassionate, caring, loving, empathetic, generous and so many other things. That it makes it a good thing. Not a bad thing at all. I was called weird a lot. And she said well if this is what weird looks like then Im all for it. That actually makes me feel good about things. A positive spin on negative verbiage. I kind of like it." Kim watched him smile. "Hell ya! Im all for this version of weird. Because it's beautiful. Its truly beautiful." He held her tight feeling some tears falling. He knew they werent sad tears but just relief. To be heard, to be validated, to be understood.
He pushed her back just a bit. "And Im all for peeing on her grave. So lets do it!" He watched her cracking up. She almost fell off his lap from laughing so hard. He caught her but was serious. "If thats how you need to heal then thats what we will do." He watched her smile but still laughing. "Alright bed time my black sheep! You need it after today!" He scooped her up carrying her to bed. Then undressed curling into eachother as they drifted off to skeep. Both dreaming of better days ahead. And the progress that would come through healing the wounds of the past.