41. Chapter 41

Thanks to all who have been reviewing, they totally make my day-and I am taking some requests as I never thought this story would be this long (tbt to when I said it would only be 30 chapters haaaaa) so if there is anything you'd like to see, feel free to leave it in a review or the private message thingy or by carrier pigeon. I can't promise that I'll actually be able to do it justice but I can def work with whatever ya give me if it fits into the larger story :)

Finally, after weeks of non-stop drama, Jay, Erin and Kate had fallen back into a routine. Kate returned to preschool after many discussions with her parents, who promised that they would most certainly still be at the district waiting for her after Platt brought her over. Erin's concussion had dissipated, though Jay noticed that she would still get tired easily after a long day. Valentine's Day was rapidly approaching, and after the excitement of the past few weeks, both Jay and Erin wanted nothing more than to have a quiet night at home with their little girl.

Unfortunately, the Chicago Police Department had other ideas for how Erin and Jay were going to spent their Valentine's day. At last minute, one of the higher-ups in the Ivory Tower decided that both Halstead and Lindsay would attend an annual Police Convention in New York City, along with about twenty other detectives and sergeants from specialized units across Chicago. "Hank," Erin all but whined, "Do we have to go?"

"Fischer asked for both of you by name," Hank shrugged, "I explained that you're raising a child together, and he said to decide amongst yourselves which one of you wants to go, but at least one of you needs to be there to represent this unit."

"It's not that easy!" Jay exploded, "We just got Kate to go back to school. The poor thing is going to have a breakdown if she finds out one of us is going to be in New York for two days. In her mind, it's practically the moon."

"She's absolutely terrified of one of us leaving and not coming back," Erin leaned against the door frame to Hank's office in exasperation, "I really don't want to have a repeat of the other week, where she didn't eat or sleep for two days. Will said she was close to hurting her stomach."

"We can't bring her with us, can we?" Jay asked Erin hopefully.

She turned to him, incredulous. "Jay, it's a conference. We'll be in panels and meetings and shit for twelve hours a day. We can't leave her in a hotel room for hours on end. Not to mention the fact that the last time she was in New York it was because she was kidnapped. I mean, the place itself probably freaks her out. And I have a feeling she'd be terrified to fly."

"So we don't bring her. And one of us goes to New York," Jay sighed, "The question is, which one of us?"

"Let her pick," Hank said dryly, gesturing to the stairwell where a tiny human was emerging.

"Hey, Squirt," Jay poked his head out of Hank's office, "How was your day?"

"Daddy!" Kate rushed toward her father and squealed when he boosted her into his arms, "I glad you're still here."

Jay smiled softly. Kate's current phrase was 'I'm glad you're still here'. She said it to Erin and Jay every time she returned to them, as if anticipating the worst. "I told you, I'll always be here," Jay kissed her cheek, "Mommy's talking to Grandpa Hank."

"Hi Mommy!" Kate greeted, still on Jay's hip. He passed the little girl over to her mother, where she melted into her embrace, "I missed you."

"I miss you more, baby." Erin buried her face in Kate's soft hair, "Did you learn a lot today?"

"Uh-huh." Kate leaned against Erin's chest as her mother held her close, "Hi Grandpa Hank."

"Hey, kiddo." Hank smiled warmly. He glanced to Jay, "You three catch up. We can get to the discussion a little later."

"Thanks," Erin said gratefully, carrying Kate toward the breakroom, Jay in tow, "So what did you learn about today?"

"Things that go," Kate said seriously, "We learned 'bout trains, cars, planes and buses."

"Wow," Jay mused, pouring coffee into a cup for Erin and pulling a juice box out of the fridge for his little girl, "And what mode of transportation did you like to learn about most?"

"The car," Kate said quickly, "Cause it's the only one I 'membered takin'." She accepted the juice box, "Thank you, Daddy."

"You're very welcome," Jay sat down across from his girls. Erin raised her eyebrows at Jay to indicate that he was to be the one to inform their daughter that one of her parents was going away for a few days. He shook his head slightly, trying to convey that it was not the right time. Erin sighed heavily and ran her fingers through Kate's soft hair.

"Kate, baby, I think Grandpa Hank is going to need Daddy and I for an hour or two, but Sergeant Platt said she could probably come upstairs and do some playing with you-"

"What's happening?" Kate asked quickly, tensing up in Erin's lap. She looked from Jay and up to Erin, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong, kiddo," Jay forced a smile, "We just have to go to work in a bit, that's all."

Kate regarded him suspiciously, "I know when you and Mommy are worried." She gasped and looked up at Erin nervously, "Did-did Mr. P get out of jail? Is he coming to get me?"

"Oh, no," Erin quickly refuted, "He's in jail, and he's going to trial in two weeks. And he's under close supervision, so he's not getting out."

"How come Daddy looks so worried?" Kate seemed to relax slightly but still appeared troubled.

Erin and Jay exchanged glances. "Well, kiddo, Commander Fischer needs Mommy and I to go to New York for a few days. For a conference," Jay said slowly, "But one of us is going to stay here with you, so you don't need to worry okay?"

Kate shook her head adamantly, "No, no."

"One of us needs to be there, baby. I know it's hard but-" Erin tried.

"No!" The little girl shook her head again, "You-you can't be alone. You both gotta go," She looked across the table at Jay urgently, "You're partners."

Erin widened her eyes at her boyfriend. She had not been expecting that reaction from her daughter. She anticipated that Kate would be upset, but not that she would urge both of her parents to go. "That's very sweet of you, but one of us has to stay in Chicago with you," Erin explained, "We can't leave you alone. And unfortunately we can't bring you to New York with us because we'll be in meetings all day and there's nobody there to be with you."

"But…I-I don't want you to be alone." Kate's lower lip quivered slightly, "You-you need Mommy," She looked to Jay, "And Mommy needs you, o-der wise she don't sleep."

Jay felt his heart melt at his little girl's intuition and thoughtfulness. "Oh, Squirt, you are such an amazing kid. But one of us has to go, and the other has to stay. And it's only for a few days."

"Plus, we can't leave you home alone," Erin emphasized, "I know you're a good cook, but you can't drive and kids aren't allowed to stay by themselves until they're much older."

Kate titled her head slightly, "But before I met you I used to be alone all the time."

Every time Kate made a statement like that, Erin felt her heart break a little more. Growing up, she was left to her own devices for much of the time and always promised herself that if she were ever to have kids, they would never feel as alone as she did. Jay stroked her tiny fingers, "I know, sweetheart, but you're with us now. And we won't ever leave you alone or with someone we don't trust, okay? That's why one of us is going to stay."

"She can stay with me." A raspy voice carried from the doorway. Hank was leaning against the frame, arms folded across his chest. Erin hadn't seen him approach and Jay turned around in his chair to face his sergeant. "Kate can stay with me while the two of you go to New York."

Jay and Erin exchanged glances again, recognizing that having Kate stay with Hank was probably the best-case scenario. "What do you think, kiddo? Would you want to come stay with me for a few days while your folks are in New York?"

Kate nodded and broke into a smile, "Then Mommy and Daddy can be together! And I get to play with Grandpa Hank!"

Erin sighed in relief, smiling gratefully at her boss. "Thanks Hank."

"Okay, Squirt, so Mommy and I will be back in three days. Are you sure it's okay with you if both of us go to New York?" Jay squatted down in front of his little girl as they stood in Hank's entryway. Erin had left Hank an extensive list about Kate's likes, dislikes, bedtime, preschool schedule and her favorite games. She was still discussing logistics surrounding Kate's medicine. Though it had been nine weeks since her surgery and Kate was supposed to have been off the stomach healing medication, the little girl's high levels of anxiety led Dr. Manning to prescribe an extra two weeks. Luckily, Kate was no longer taking the painkillers that made her exhausted, but the medicine still needed to be taken with food.

"You gonna come back on Sunday, right?" Kate asked, clutching Tiger nervously. "You and Mommy both comin' back?" Although Jay and Erin picked Kate up from preschool so they could spend time with her before leaving for New York that evening, the three of them were still apprehensive about the three nights they were spending separately. Kate was told repeatedly that her parents would be returning, but she continued to make sure.

"Absolutely," Jay promised, holding his baby close to his chest, "We'll be home before you know it. And Grandpa Hank is going to take you to school tomorrow morning, and then you'll spend the night here, and then you'll have all day Saturday and Mommy and I will be back Sunday morning."

"For breakfast?" Kate confirmed, "And I come home with you and Mommy?"

"That's right," Jay kissed the top of Kate's head, "You don't need to worry, Mommy and I are coming back. I promise."

"Okay," Kate breathed, "You gonna see 'tenant Benson?"

"Maybe," Jay smiled, "It's a busy few days, but we may meet up with her for a bit. And we're mostly going to be in meetings and listening to boring lectures, so I think you get the better end of the deal, getting to stay and play with Grandpa Hank."

Kate nodded and smiled despite her anxiety, "He said maybe we can go to the zoo if it's not too cold for the am-inals."

"That sounds like fun," Erin piped up, placing a hand on Jay's back. "My turn for hugs and kisses."

"I love you, Squirt." Jay kissed Kate's forehead, "We'll see you in a few days, okay?"

"I love you Daddy," Kate whispered back, returning the tight hug, "I know you coming back."

"Don't you worry, we're coming back as fast as we can," Erin reached out and pulled her little girl into her embrace, "And if you need us at all, our phones are always on, okay? Hank can call us at any time."

"I'm glad you guys are gonna be together," the little girl pulled back and looked into her mother's eyes seriously, "You gonna make sure that nothing bad is gonna happen?"

"That's the plan," Erin stroked Kate's cheek, "And we're going to miss you so much, but I know you'll be safe here with Hank, and you're going to have a great time." Kate wrapped her arms around Erin's neck and held fast. "And when we get back, we're going to celebrate Valentine's Day as a family, how does that sound?"

"I gonna miss you," Kate whispered into Erin's neck, her small voice breaking the hearts of the three adults in the foyer.

"We are going to miss you even more," Erin swallowed thickly, trying to avoid crying. It was only going to be three nights, but it felt like an eternity. She stood with the little girl in her arms, "I love you, baby."

"You two better head out, you don't want to miss your flight," Hank spoke up, "We're going to be just fine. I'll call you if we need you, sound good?"

Erin nodded and buried her face in Kate's hair, "Bye, sweetheart. Have a good time with Grandpa Hank."

"Bye Mommy, I love you," Kate reached her arms out so that Erin could pass her to her grandfather. She looked sadly at her parents as Jay picked up the suitcases.

"We love you so much, Squirt." Jay smiled at his little girl and placed a hand on Erin's back, "Alright, babe, we don't want to hit traffic."

"Thanks again, Hank." Erin said, pulling open the front door and looking over her shoulder at her daughter, "We'll see you soon, baby."

Kate waved as her parents exited the house and headed for Jay's car. She looked up at her grandfather nervously. "You were very brave, kiddo. I know it's hard, but they'll be back in no time." Hank offered a smile.

She nodded, "I didn't wanna cry. Cause I didn't wanna make Mommy and Daddy sad."

"You are the sweetest kid I ever met. And the bravest," Hank kissed Kate's forehead, "How about we make some dinner, hm? Maybe we could grill up some steaks and you can help make the special sauce? And we could make mashed potatoes too."

"Okay," Kate said, the stuffed tiger still in her fist, "Can we read stories before bed, too?"

"You got it," Hank confirmed, turning for the kitchen, "Let's fire up the grill."

"Do you think everything's okay?" Erin turned to Jay in the middle of their second panel of the day. After departing O'Hare, the couple arrived in New York City late in the evening and promptly went right to bed in anticipation of the long few days ahead of them. Neither Erin nor Jay slept particularly well in the hotel bed, having become so accustomed to snuggling with the third tiny body between them. "Hank hasn't called yet."

"I think no news is good news, babe," Jay whispered back, "If there is a reason to call, I'm sure he will."

Meanwhile, Kate sat quietly in the backseat of the Escalade, strapped into a car seat that Hank now kept in the trunk for when he transported the little girl. She only had one nightmare the night before, but relaxed quickly when Hank hustled into Erin's old bedroom and coaxed her back to sleep. The older sergeant had slept fitfully, nervous that he wouldn't wake up for the little girl when she needed him. "Ready for school today, kiddo?" Hank asked, glancing in the rearview mirror at his granddaughter, "What do you think you're going to learn about today?"

"Valen-times Day," Kate replied, "We decorating valen-times for craft time I think."

"That sounds like fun," Hank smiled, "So I'm going to pick you up today instead of Sergeant Platt, and you and I are going to go do something special."

"Really?" Kate widened her eyes, "You don't gotta work?"

"Well, I'm the boss." Hank winked at the little girl, "So I make the rules. And I think that a special outing is well deserved, what do you think?"

Kate nodded eagerly, glancing out of the window to the preschool parking lot, "Mommy told Miss Carlson that you droppin' me off today?"

"Yep," Hank opened Kate's door and helped her unbuckle, "Your folks thought of everything. And I think they would love a valentine, if you make them today in craft time."

"I gotta make a lot!" Kate exclaimed, slipping her hand into Hank's as they headed for the entrance to the school, "One for Mommy and Daddy, and Sergeant Platt and you too!"

"Grandpa Hank!" Kate called out, standing up from her seat at the small table. Parents and caregivers were lining up at the door to pick up the children from preschool. Hank stood awkwardly amongst the young mothers, his hands in his heavy coat pockets. He broke into a smile when he saw the little girl waving at him.

"Hey, kiddo," he greeted as Kate hurried over to her grandfather and hugged his legs tightly. He scooped her up and placed her on his hip so she could hug him properly, "How was your day?"

"Good," Kate leaned back, "I made lots of Valen-times. Can we go to the district?"

"You want to go to the district?" Hank looked surprised, "How come?"

"I gotta give my valen-times away," Kate informed him, "I made so many."

"Did you now?" Hank smiled, "Alrighty, let's do it."

"They on my desk," Kate pointed to her seat at the table, which boasted a stack of valentine's day cards. Each tiny seat had their own stack of cards, but Kate's was slightly bigger, "I made more than anyone 'cause I got a lot of people to give them to."

Kate had made cards for everyone in Intelligence, as well as Platt and Garcia and a few other patrolmen and women that she was fond of. "Who are those for?" Hank asked, gesturing to the remaining cards in Kate's grasp, "You've given out so many already."

"This is for you!" Kate thrust a card at Hank, "These ones for Mommy and Daddy. And I got one for Uncle Will and Dr. Manning but I don't think we can go see Uncle Will when he's working unless we sick."

"I think you're right," Hank opened the card from his granddaughter, "I bet you'll see him soon though, so you can give him the card. And this is beautiful!" He smiled down at the little girl, who blushed in response. Kate had delicately drawn herself and her grandfather playing with legos on the inside of the card. She also wrote, 'Happy Valentine's Day, Love Kate' in purple crayon. "I think I'll put this on my desk."

"What are we gonna do now?" Kate asked while Hank place the card atop his desk, "I think it's too cold for the am-inals at the zoo."

"Hm," Hank put his hand to his chin, pretending to ponder, "Well, I was thinking that we could go to the Field natural history museum downtown. I think they have some cool exhibits that you would like."

"Really?" Kate's eyes widened, "What do they got there?"

"There's a whole section about dinosaurs," Hank informed her, taking her hand and leading her down the steps, "And they have the bones from a real T-Rex."

"How did you sleep, kiddo?" Hank asked as the little girl quietly padded through the kitchen. After spending the afternoon at the Field Museum, Hank and Kate went out for hamburgers and ice cream sundaes. She had been exhausted and fell asleep before her normal bedtime, and luckily didn't wake up once throughout the night.

"I didn't have a nightmare," Kate said, shivering slightly despite her fuzzy pair of pajamas. She smiled sadly up at her grandfather, "But I miss Mommy and Daddy."

"I know you do," Hank helped her onto his lap and kissed the top of her head, "They'll be home tomorrow morning."

"You sure they gonna come back?" Kate asked nervously.

"Absolutely," Hank replied, "Erin sent me a text last night saying that she and your dad were super busy in lots of meetings and lectures, but that they love you and can't wait to see you." Hank smiled, "And I'm sure that they're going to want to hear all about what we learned yesterday at the museum."

"The dino-saurs were really big," the little girl said seriously, having been distracted from her thoughts about missing her parents, "Way bigger than any am-inal I ever saw."

"I agree. It snowed a bit last night, so I was thinking we could go get some breakfast and head out on a little adventure. Does that sound like fun?" Hank wiggled his eyebrows.

"An ad-ven-ture?" Kate widened her eyes, "We goin' to the 'quarium?"

"Actually, we're going somewhere you've never been. And it's a surprise," Hank informed her, "But I think you'll like it. And if not, we can do something else."

"Okay!" Kate nodded vigorously, "We havin' cereal?"

"I think we can head out for some French toast with fruit, hm?" Erin had noted in her list that Kate was recently quite taken with French toast topped with fruit as a special breakfast treat, and he figured that it would help distract the little girl from missing her parents.

"Yeah!" She smiled widely, "I can pick out my clothes!"

"Hank didn't pick up," Erin informed Jay as they stepped onto the elevator, heading to another floor of the conference center for yet another panel, "Went to voicemail."

"I'm sure things are fine," Jay replied, "He texted last night, right?"

"Yeah, only to say that he took her to the Field museum and that she fell asleep at seven," Erin tapped her foot impatiently as the elevator moved upwards, "I guess she's fine but it's not like Hank to not pick up."

"We can try him again after the next panel," Jay decided as the elevator dinged, "How long is this one again?"

"90 minutes," Erin grumbled, "Better than the three hour one yesterday, but still a long time."

"Okay kiddo, are you ready?" Hank took Kate out to a small hill outside the city for some sledding. He dug one of Justin's old sleds from the attic and after doing some quick research to make sure it was still safe, loaded it in the back of the Escalade.

"I think," Kate turned around to look up at her grandfather, "It's safe?"

"Oh yeah," Hank reassured her, "Perfectly safe. We're just going to go down this hill and if you like it, we can do it again."

"'kay," Kate held fast to the handles, "Ready."

"Here we go!" Hank placed his feet into the sled, allowing the piece of plastic to pick up speed.

"Ah!" Kate squealed as the wind whipped past. When they slowed to a stop, she turned back around, "That was so fun!"

"Want to go again?" Hank asked, his eyes sparkling. He had forgotten how much fun sledding could be.

"Uh-huh!" Kate jumped up and grinned, "Let's do it!"

After over a dozen trips up and down the hill, Kate was exhausted. She shuffled after Hank to the car while he carried the sled, and promptly fell asleep in her seat the minute he pulled onto the highway.

While she dozed on the couch, Hank replied to Erin's text message and explained they had been sledding and that he hadn't heard or felt his phone through his coat pocket. Erin immediately called back, "How is she?" were her first words.

"She's fine," Hank replied, "Taking a nap right now, but we had no nightmares last night."

"Really?" Erin sounded incredulous, "Wow. That's amazing. Jay and I are about to head into our fifth meeting of the day and we're seeing Lieutenant Benson tonight, but we're getting into Chicago around 10am tomorrow morning."

"Sounds good," Hank said, "We'll see you soon. Enjoy."

"We'll try," Erin muttered, hanging up the phone and turning to Jay, "Hank tired her out by taking her sledding."

"Nice," Jay nodded in appreciation, "At least someone is having fun. This blows."

Hank headed for the living room to wake up his granddaughter, not wanting her to sleep for too long. He stopped dead in his tracks when he noticed that there was a large red stain atop the quilt Kate was lying on and blood covering her face.

"Kate, kiddo," Hank quickly sprang into action and roused the sleeping little girl, "Wake up, please. You're bleeding, sweetheart."

The little girl lazily opened her eyes and reached a hand to her face, realizing that there was a sticky substance all over her cheeks, "Uh-oh." She looked up at her grandfather with watery eyes, unsure of what to do.

"It's okay," Hank reassured her, "Sit tight. I'm calling your Uncle Will." He quickly dialed the number Erin had ensured that he saved in his phone, silently praying that the young surgeon would answer.

Luckily, Will picked up and said he would be there shortly, having just gotten off shift. In the meantime, Hank grabbed a roll of paper towels from the kitchen counter and crouched in front of the little girl. "What's happenin'?" Kate asked, blood now dribbling down her chin, "H-how come I bleedin'?"

"I'm not sure, kiddo," Hank held the paper towel to the little girl's nose and noticed that her teeth were red with blood, "Uncle Will's going to be here in no time, okay? Just hang on."