Chapter 2: 2. Chapter 2
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Chapter 2,
Erin sat at her desk and staring at the second hand tick away on the clock on the wall. The day was dragging. She usually loved her work, she could get lost in it for hours. She rarely counted down the time until she could leave. And her line of work was usually so unpredictable, that she rarely ever left at a reasonable hour. Even when she did, sometimes she left and she would be called back in.
She had never minded the hours. She had watched Hank work days straight with no breaks when he had a big case... weekends, holidays, it didn't matter. Originally, she had planned to go straight into the police academy after high school, to follow in Hank's footsteps. She could become a cadet at 18, and then get her full certifications when she turned 21. She wasn't sure it was exactly what she wanted, but it was a good job that would allow her to support herself. It was a good, solid plan.
The day Hank and Camille sat her down and told her they were going to pay for her to go to college, she truly couldn't believe. When they said they wanted to invest in her education, in her future, in her... she had actually cried - which was something she rarely did as a teenager, especially when she had an audience. She was a street kid and it had completely blown her away that they believed in her.
She was the luckiest girl in the world to have these foster parents, and she decided right then and there that she was going to pay it forward. She was going to dedicate her life to making sure other street kids had the same opportunities that she had. Making sure they had families who supported them, who loved them.
She lived with Hank and Camille throughout college to save money, and she worked part time to pay for as much as she could. She got her masters degree in social work three years ago, and in the past year, had finally landed her dream job in the department of child and family services for the city of Chicago. Making sure children were in safe situations, connecting children with foster families who really wanted them... it was the most rewarding job in the world.
She knew it would make Camille so proud if she had still been alive. And that thought alone got her through the toughest days.
Tough days like this one.
Deciding she needed to get out of the office and get some fresh air, she decided to go pay a home visit to a recent placement of hers. She had specific families she trusted to take in teenagers, and she felt confident in her recent placement. That being said, she checked in on all of her foster placements, and she checked in often. She was well known for that in this department... not letting things fall through the cracks.
Her superiors had been impressed by this, but they didn't know the reason... that she knew firsthand how easily children could fall through the cracks... how easily they could convince themselves that asking for help wasn't worth it... that there probably wasn't anything better for them out there anyway.
Her unique history allowed her to connect with the young people she worked with. Because she could tell them from her own experiences that, yes, there is something better out there, they just had to look for it. And that she could be trusted to work tirelessly until they found it, together.
As soon as she stepped foot outside, she felt her phone buzz in her pants pocket. She dreaded opening her phone and seeing who was on the other end, hoping it wasn't her newly dubbed ex-friend. She smiled when she saw that it wasn't, "Hey, Hank. Slow day?" She had been surprised when he hadn't pried further this morning, and she wasn't at all surprised he was checking in now.
"Hey, kid." His usual greeting, "I'm calling because I need your help on a case."
"Oh, ok." This was the first time Hank had needed her since she started at DCFS, and she mentally shifted gears, already eager to show him how well she handled her job. "What's going on?" She turned back inside, and began to walk up the stairs to her office.
"We got called about a double murder this morning. Husband and wife, looks drug related." She quickly began to write notes on everything Hank was saying. "Found a little girl hiding at the scene, probably 3 or 4 years old." Now an orphan, she thought, as her heart broke for the little girl she hadn't even met yet. "Her name's Grace. I sent her back to the district with one of my detectives, we were thinking they were selling drugs on the side trying to make some money. It's beginning to look like a part of a much larger drug ring, and the case is going to be ongoing." She continued to write notes on everything Hank was saying, leaving her emotions out of it, at least temporarily. "I wanted to place the little girl in-"
"Protective custody," Erin finished his thought. "I agree completely." The department had one or two families in particular that they kept under the radar and out of their notes especially for cases like these. She hadn't had to use them yet, and she generally liked the place kids with families she had a personal relationship with, but in this case she would be willing to make an exception. Plus, she would make sure to make a personal relationship with them over the next few days. "I can arrange that right away."
"No need. I already sent her home with one of my detectives," Hank replied.
"Okay." She hesitated, and then added, "I assume you don't want me to file this yet?" If he sent the girl home with his detective, that meant he was really worried for the girls safety.
"Right. But if you could-"
"I'll check in, keep tabs on them." Usually, she liked to show up unannounced, catch the temporary guardians in their element. In this case, she wouldn't mind meeting them at the district. If Hank trusted the detective, then she could, too. "Should I meet them at the district?"
"I sent them home, I'll text you the address." This surprised her, but she didn't ask more questions.
She was even more surprised five minutes later when the address was in the suburbs. She remembered Hank mentioning that they recently pulled up a new female detective into Intelligence, and she had just assumed Hank had sent her with a female detective. But she was young and single... why would she live in the suburbs? As she stared at the address, she realized she probably should have asked a few more questions.
She went into the break room and began to brew herself a cup of coffee. Growing up, she spent a lot of time in the break room at district 21 when she was visiting Hank. Especially after Camille died. The break room at DCFS was painted a warm yellow and had a lot more furniture, and it also had pictures of smiling children and families framed all along the walls. It was a happy room, and it usually gave her as much energy as the coffee she poured while she was in there.
She poured the coffee into a travel mug, and went back to her office to grab her coat and purse. She removed the flats she often wore around the office and traded them for a pair of nude pumps she left at work. She generally hated wearing heels at work, but after the first week she noticed that the social workers tended to wear heels when vetting potential families. Evidently, it made them look more professional, made the families take them a little more seriously.
When she got into the car, she plugged the address into the GPS and began to drive out of the city of Chicago. It took her 30 minutes until she found the apartment complex. It was a medium sized, modern looking apartment building. The doorman welcomed her inside and she immediately noticed the fresh flowers and hotel-like furniture. Fancy, she thought.
Per the doorman's directions, she took the elevator up to the 5th floor and found apartment 508. She knocked lightly, and after a few moments she heard footsteps approach. When the door open, she lost her breath.
She was not prepared.
The man standing in front of her was strikingly handsome. And by handsome... she meant sexy. His eyes were a deep blue, he had a chiseled jaw, the way his long sleeve henley hung on his body showed off all of his muscles.
He looked surprised to see her, too. She was used to that look. Her goal was usually to take the foster parent by surprise so she could find out what really went on in their home. But his surprised look was just a little bit different, and when she watched his eyes give her the once over, she felt a shiver down her spine. She was used to that look, too.
She forced herself to speak, but her voice came out unsteady and raspier than usual. "Hi, I'm Erin Lindsay, the social worker with DCFS." She hoped he didn't notice. She reached out her hand for him to shake, and after a moments hesitation, he reached for it.
When there fingers touched, electricity shot through her entire body. She had the absurd thought that she wouldn't mind if his fingers touched her in other places too, but she pushed that thought away before it was even able to fully form. That was not a good idea. Especially after everything that happened last night.
"Hi, I'm Jay Halstead." When he finally released her hand, he took a step back into the apartment. It was only then that she heard voices coming from the kitchen. "Come on in, we were just about to have a snack."
She followed him down the short hallway and into the kitchen, and was surprised to see two young girls in the kitchen. She could instantly tell which one was Grace. Not only did she look a little thin, and her clothes were a little too small, but she had that look in her eye. It's the one Erin had seen so many times, one she had likely had too many times herself with Hank and Camille. The look that said I wish this was my life, I wish this moment would never end, followed immediately by But I know it's going to, because I'm not good enough to deserve this.
While that look broke her heart time, it also told her that the current guardian was doing a good job. That the child felt happy enough, safe enough to want to stay.
If she hadn't seen that look in Grace's eyes, she still would have known. Because when the other little girl turned around, she noticed those same piercing blue eyes she had just been acquainted with at the door.
"You have a daughter?" Does that mean you have a wife? She hadn't meant to say that first part out loud, and she thanked her lucky stars she hadn't voiced her second question. She should have waited for him to introduce her to the kids, and when the girls went to play and she had a moment to talk to him privately, she could ask. Interview him, not talk to him, she reminded herself. This is your job.
"Yeah," Jay answered smiling at the mention of his daughter, as he rounded the corner and reopened the refrigerator. Both girls were seated at stools at the kitchen counter, clearly ready for their snack. He pulled out two apples and began to wash them thoroughly. He sliced them and set them out on two plates and then added large dollops of peanut butter to each plate. He slid the plates in front of each girl, and then walked over to stand by Erin. "This is my daughter, Maddie, and this is her friend, Grace." He wasn't sure how to introduce Grace, but he didn't want her to feel unwelcome. While she was here, he wanted her to feel comfortable and safe and wanted. "Mads, Grace, this is Ms. Lindsay."
"Hi girls, it's really nice to meet you." She moved from her position near Jay and walked towards them, but then decided to stand on the opposite side of the counter so she could look them both in the eyes when she spoke. "You can call me Erin."
Jay stiffened a little as she leaned over the kitchen counter and spoke to the girls. Erin had chosen to stand across from the girls, no doubt making it easier to speak to them. But incidentally, her new position was giving him an excellent view down her shirt and he was finding it incredibly difficult to concentrate. He barely heard two words she said, meanwhile she was talking to the girls for almost ten minutes while he just stood there staring at her. When he noticed the girls had finished their last slices of fruit, he finally spoke. "Mads, why don't you go show Grace your room? I bet she would love to play with you. You can show her your new lego table!"
Maddie motioned for him to help her off the stool, "Okay, Daddy!" He walked over and lifted her off the stool and then helped Grace down, as well. "Grace! My daddy just bought me a lego table! It's the most fun new toy EVER!" She shouted, excitedly!
"You're going to let me play with it, too?" Grace whispered, a look of wonder in her eyes. There is that look again, Erin noticed with dismay. She wanted to wrap Grace up in her arms.
"Of course, silly! My daddy always says it's more fun to play with a friend." Erin overheard Maddie say to Grace on their way out of the room.
After months of assessing if a home is stable, she could tell right away this was a safe home for Grace. Maddie was clearly a well-adjusted, smart, happy kid. She clearly had a special connection with her father, and Erin was impressed with Jay. She hadn't seen many fathers be this clearly involved with their kids. "A lego table, huh?" She asked, tilting her in surprise.
"Yeah, a lego table." He laughed easily, and it made her smile. "My girls going to grow up knowing how to build stuff."
"Fair enough."
"So how does this work?" Jay asked, interrupting their casual conversation. "Also, feel free to make yourself comfortable," he motioned to her shoes. She smiled gratefully, and took Maddie's seat at the kitchen stool.
"Well, Hank didn't give me any indication of how long it would be until Grace would be out of protective custody." Jay had taken a seat next to her, and she turned towards him. Their knees bumped and she felt another jolt of electricity. Get a grip, she thought. She had expected Jay to chime in and give her some more information on the case, but instead he began to look at her questioningly. "What?" she asked.
"How do you know Voight?" He raised his eyebrow and tilted his head to the side.
"Who says I do?" She returned his eyebrow raise and added a smirk of her own.
Damn it, he could look at her face all day. He wanted to reach out and touch her. "You called him Hank. No one calls him Hank. Plus, he offered to call DCFS instead of making me call. That never happens." He stood from the stool, the close proximity suddenly becoming too much for a professional conversation.
"It's a long story," was all she said.
"I've got time." He grinned at her and added, "Coffee?" He had begun brewing coffee, even though he didn't want any. He just didn't want her to know the real reason he had vacated his chair.
"Coffee sounds good, but I'm supposed to be the one asking you the questions."
He poured her coffee in a mug and leaned across the counter to hand it to her. As he did, he met her gaze. Suddenly, their eyes were locked into each others and neither one of them moved for several seconds as tension built between them.
Erin looked away first, and she ran her fingers through her hair, suddenly embarrassed by the heat rising in her chest. Reading her cues, Jay leaned back as well, and poured himself a cup of coffee. He didn't want it, but he really needed to find something to do with his hands. He had an overwhelming urge to run his fingers through her hair like she had just done.
This time he leaned against the countertop at a safe distance, far away from Erin, and her hair, and her eyes, and her smile. "Ask away."
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Also... Ummm... HOW AMAZING WAS TONIGHTS EPISODE!? Holy shit. Best ever.
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