As his little girl was wheeled down the hallway, Jay was overcome with déjà vu, recalling eight months ago to when he first caught sight of the child he didn't know was his emerging from surgery. Back then, Kate had been much thinner, almost like a baby bird, with the most timid and untrusting eyes Jay had ever seen. The child had been restrained due to her intense fear of the doctors around her, having never been able to trust an adult in her short life.
Jay recalled how Erin had quickly soothed Kate, immediately accepting the little girl into her embrace, providing a comfort that she had never known. He had been filled with pride that his girl, his partner, could connect with a victim so quickly. Jay always knew Erin was special and had a way with people, but her ability to get the skittish and traumatized child to trust her amazed him.
This time, Jay felt as if the wind had been knocked out of him when he finally laid eyes on his baby girl. Though it was a far cry from the first time he saw her laying in a hospital bed, he couldn't help but feel like this time, it was entirely his fault.
The nurse who was wheeling Kate down the hallway paused to rouse her patient, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder. Kate was curled up on her side following the procedure and blearily lifted her head as Georgia whispered, "Look who's here." And while Kate immediately tensed when she opened her eyes, Jay could see her tiny frame relax as soon as she caught sight of her parents.
An exhausted and relieved smile played on her lips as she extended her arms weakly. "Mommy. Daddy," Kate croaked, groggily attempting to turn on her back. In an instant, Erin and Jay were by their little girl's side. Tears streamed down Erin's cheeks as she pressed her face into Kate's messy hair, so overwhelmingly happy to be reunited with her baby.
Time stopped as Jay held his girls close, the constant interruption of the PA system fading into the background, all the noise of the hospital and anxiety hanging in the air slowly dissipating. He released a breath that he had been holding for almost five days as Erin choked back a sob of relief. Jay couldn't find the words to speak, swallowing a wave of tears as Erin reached across their daughter and gripped his hand with quivering fingers, a silent reminder that they were in it together. "Hey there, Squirt," he whispered finally, kissing the top of Kate's head, "How are you feeling?"
"Sleepy," she replied slowly, her small voice incredibly strained, reaching out to touch his face that had grown scruffier in the days she had been gone, "You and Mommy...you guys comed back for me."
"Of course, kiddo," he kissed her head again, "We didn't stop thinking about you either."
"A-are you hurting, baby?" Erin asked, words eventually forming in her mouth as she stroked her child's head, unbelievably grateful to have her back, "Do you feel sick?"
"I glad you comed back," she whispered, not answering her mother's questions and placing her tiny hand atop Jay's, "I was worried."
"You don't need to be worried anymore, okay?" Jay leaned down and kissed her little fingers, "But can you tell us if you're not feeling well?"
"I don't wanna sleep," Kate rasped, valiantly attempting to keep her half-mast eyes open wider, "I don't want you to go."
"We're going to be right here with you," Erin promised, continuing to hold her child close as the nurse pushed her down the hall toward the bedroom, "We're going to be here, but we want you to get better, and then we can all go home, together."
"I don't feel nothin'," Kate slurred slightly, giving her mother a slightly crooked smile, "But I feel re-leaf 'cause you 'n Daddy are here."
"We'll get a better read on her pain levels in a few hours," Georgia informed the worried parents, dragging a chair over so that both Jay and Erin could sit beside their little girl, "I'll be back in an hour or so, and Dr. Hansen will be back in a few."
