EXTREME TRIGGER WARNING!
Domestic Abuse!
They were all in the bullpen, going over a case when Erin Lindsay walked in, visibly pregnant.
Voight looks up, surprised. "Jesus, Erin."
Kim looks on shocked. "When did you get back? And... are you... pregnant?"
Erin manages a smile, looking slightly embarrassed* "Yeah, I know it's been a while. And... yeah, I am."
Kevin looks puzzled* "Wait, whose is it?"
Erin hesitates, clearly uncomfortable* "It's... complicated. Look can we just get back to work?"
Hank looks at her, his eyes narrowing* "No, we can't. You come back after five years, pregnant and don't even mention who the father is?"
Erin exhales deeply "Look, it's not some random guy, okay? I met someone in New York, things got serious, and well, I got pregnant. I'm not ashamed of it or anything, I've just been trying to handle this on my own."
Voight looks at her, his voice softens a bit "Why didn't you tell us you were back in town? You didn't have to handle this alone, you know that."
Erin looks down, her voice slightly shaky "I don't know, I guess I just needed time to figure everything out. I didn't want to come back and just dump all of this on you guys."
Jay steps forward, his voice gentle "You're part of this unit, Erin. You shouldn't have to deal with this alone. Who's the guy anyway?"
Erin hesitates, clearly reluctant to share* "His name is Matt. He works as a writer. We met at a café, started talking, and it just kind of went from there. We're... together, and he's been really supportive about the pregnancy."
Hailey tugs at Jay's sleeve silently*
Jay looks at her, confused* "What's up?"
"I need to talk to you," Hailey says quietly, her eyes darting toward the hallway.
Hailey looks around, making sure no one is eavesdropping, before turning to Jay.
"I need to ask you something, and I need you to be completely honest with me."
Jay looks slightly concerned "Okay, go ahead. You know you can ask me anything, Hailey."
Hailey takes a deep breath "Look, I know everyone is going to be asking this, so I might as well just ask you straight out… is there any chance Erin's baby is yours?"
Jay looks shocked, his eyes widening "What? No, of course not. I mean, I care about Erin, and we have a complicated past, but..."
He pauses, his expression becoming more serious.
"Hailey, you know that you and I are together, right? You know I love you. I wouldn't do anything to betray that. Besides, I was with you when I found out Erin was pregnant. Why would you even ask that?"
Hailey's expression softens "I know, I know. And I do trust you, I really do. It's just... everyone was reacting to Erin's return, and I guess I just let my insecurities get the best of me."
She lets out a sigh, looking down at the floor. "I'm sorry, Jay. I shouldn't have even asked that."
Jay takes a step closer to her, gently lifting her chin so she's looking at him.
"Hey, don't be sorry. I get it. And I'm glad you asked me. I want you to be able to talk to me about anything, no matter how silly it might seem. I love you, Hailey. And I wouldn't trade what we have for anything."
Erin is in the locker room, getting changed into her street clothes. As she's pulling on her shirt, Kim enters the room.
Kim's eyes widen as she notices something strange on Erin's back and stomach. She takes a step closer, squinting to get a better look.
"Erin, what is that?"
Erin looks up, startled "What are you talking about?"
She then looks down, noticing what Kim is talking about: boot prints on her back and stomach. Her face goes pale, as a look of horror flashes across her face.
Kim looks at her, her expression changing to one of concern "Are... are those boot prints? How did you get those?"
Erin panics, quickly pulling on her shirt to hide the prints "I... I don't know. Maybe I just... fell or something. It's nothing, really."
She tries to force a smile, but it's clear she's hiding something.
Kim looks at her skeptically "Erin, those don't look like they're from a fall. They look like someone kicked you… hard. You can talk to me, you know. What's going on?"
Erin hesitates, her eyes welling up with tears
"I… I can't tell you, Kim. Please, just drop it. I'm begging you."
Kim's heart sinks, seeing the fear in Erin's eyes
"Erin, you're scaring me. Is… is someone hurting you? Is… is the father of your baby doing this to you?"
Erin looks away, unable to meet Kim's eye. Fresh tears stream silently down her face "I said drop it, Kim. Please, don't make me talk about it. You don't understand…"
"But I want to understand!"
Kim's voice is soft but firm, her concern and worry evident.
"You're my friend, Erin. I care about you. I don't want to see you getting hurt, by anyone. And especially not the father of your unborn child."
Erin swallows hard, fighting back sobs
"It's not… it's not that simple, Kim. If I tell you…. If I tell you everything, it'll just make things worse. You don't want to know. Trust me."
Kim looks at Erin, her expression determined
"No, Erin. I can't just stand here and watch you suffer. I'm telling Jay. He needs to know about this. He'll help you, I know he will."
Erin grabs Kim's wrist, her grip tight
"No! No, please, Kim. You can't tell Jay. I… I can't let him do something stupid!"
Tears stream down her face, her voice frantic "He'll go after Matt, and he'll… he'll do something he'll regret. I can't let Jay get hurt, Kim. You have to promise me, you won't say anything. Please, promise me!"
Kim hesitates, torn between her loyalty to both Erin and Jay.
"But… Erin, you're being hurt… by someone you're supposed to be able to trust and depend on. Don't you see how wrong that is?"
Erin's voice is barely a whisper
"I know it's wrong, Kim. I know it is. But if Jay finds out, he'll do something reckless. He'll confront Matt, and I just… I don't want anything to happen to him. I can handle this. I can deal with it myself."
Kim's heart is breaking, seeing Erin in such agony
"You shouldn't have to handle this alone, Erin. You deserve so much better than this. But I can't just stand by and watch you get hurt, especially if the one doing it is the father of your baby."
She reaches out, gently placing a hand on Erin's arm
"Please, let us help you. Let Jay help you. If he knows what's happening, he'll be careful, I know he will."
Erin's eyes dart around as if searching for an escape, her voice shaky
"But what if he can't control himself? What if he loses it when he finds out? You know what he's like when he gets angry, Kim. I can't risk him getting hurt. I can't..."
Kim takes a deep breath, her voice steady and reassuring
"Erin, Jay may get angry. He might want to punch Matt's face until he's unrecognizable. I don't blame him, honestly. I'd probably want to do the same. But I also know that he loves you, and he'd never want to do anything that would hurt you more than you're already hurting. He'll handle this rationally, I promise you that."
Erin walks through the door, weary and exhausted from the day's events. Her eyes immediately narrow as she sees Matt, already half-drunk and belligerent.
Matt looks up, a snarl on his face as he begins to slur his words
"There you are... where the hell have you been all day? I bet you were with that cop, weren't you?"
Erin sighs heavily, bracing herself for another argument. She tries to keep her voice even, though she can't hide her fatigue
"I was at work, Matt. You know that. How many times do I have to explain that I'm not seeing anyone else?"
Matt sneers, staggering over to her "Yeah, yeah. You're just working late every damn night, huh? You expect me to believe that?"
He pokes a finger_aggressively into her chest "I think you're lying. You're out there, getting all friendly with the other guys in that unit of yours, aren't you?"
Erin tries to sidestep Matt, desperate to get away, but he quickly blocks her path, his eyes filled with anger and accusation.
He grabs her arm, jerking her back towards him "Not so fast, Erin. I'm not done talking to you yet."
*He pins her against the wall, his face right in front of hers, his breath reeking of alcohol. As he raises his hand, Erin cowers, bracing herself.
Suddenly, their two-year-old daughter walks into the living room, her footsteps soft on the hardwood floor. She looks at her parents, her little face confused and afraid.
Matt freezes, his hand mid-air, his eyes darting to the little girl who is standing a few feet away.
Erin uses the distraction to pull herself free, her eyes terrified for her daughter
"Matt, don't." Her voice is a pleading whisper, her gaze locked on the little girl.
Matt growls in frustration, his anger still evident. He glances at their daughter, then back at Erin
"Don't start, Erin. She's too young to understand anyway."
Erin shakes her head, her voice slightly louder
"She doesn't need to understand. She can still feel and sense things. She's looking at you right now, all angry and drunk. Do you want her to grow up thinking this is normal? That's this how a father should behave?"
Matt seethes, taking a step towards Erin
"And you think you're the perfect mother? You think you're doing a great job? You're never home! You're always out with your cop friends!"
Erin tries to keep her voice level, though it's taking all of her control not to scream
"I'm out doing my job, Matt. You know this. And when I am home, it's always to take care of our daughter, to be a family. But all you do is drink and shout. What kind of life is that for us?"
As Matt takes a step towards the little girl, Erin's fear boils into anger
"Don't you dare, Matt! Don't you lay a hand on her!"
Avery continues to cry, scared and confused. Matt glares at them, his chest heaving with rage.
In a desperate and protective move, Erin grabs a heavy glass bottle from the coffee table and swings it at Matt, her aim true. It hits him square on the side of the head, sending him stumbling sideways and into the wall.
Matt groans, his vision blurred. He touches the side of his head, his fingers coming away stained with red.
Erin's eyes widen in shock when she sees the blood on Matt's hand. She hadn't expected to actually hit him, let alone draw blood. She drops the bottle, her hand shaking.
Hey,
Who will come to the rescue? Jay or Kim? Even Voight?