"How's the pain, babe?" Jay gently stroked Erin's arm as she laid in the hospital bed, still curled up on her side. The hospital-issued pillow was still dotted with tears though Erin had ceased crying but remained silent. "Has it gotten any better?"
"I just want to go home," she mumbled, turning her head from the pillow to look up at her partner with red and swollen eyes, "I want to get out of here."
"I know," he replied, carefully running his fingers through her hair, "But if you're in pain, it might be better if we stay for a bit. Until you're not hurting."
"I feel fine now." Erin sat up, unable to keep the wince off her face but proceeded anyway. "Kate's probably up waiting for us anyway. And I don't want to keep Hank up either, so we should probably just go-"
"Babe," he breathed, remaining seated on the chair beside the bed, "She's fine. Hank's fine."
Erin shook her head, "No, she's worried. I know she's worried, and I don't want her stomach to start to hurt or what if she gets sick from stress or-"
"Er," Jay cut her off, placing a hand on her shoulder, "You've been through a lot. And I can tell you're still hurting, so please, for me, just take it easy, okay?"
"I've been taking it easy, Jay," Erin snapped, shrugging her shoulder away from her fiancé, "We've been in the hospital for six hours now. I just want to take a shower and go to bed."
Jay opened his mouth to protest, but Natalie entered the room. She offered a soft smile, "How are you feeling, Erin?"
"Fine," Erin said briskly, shedding the blanket off her lap and reaching for the shopping bag that Kate had packed, "Can I go home now?"
"If you're not in too much pain-"
"I'm fine," she insisted, "Jay, hand me that bag, would you? I want to get out of this godforsaken gown."
"I'll get the discharge papers," Natalie nodded, giving Jay a sympathetic glance.
"I should grab Will, tell him we're leaving," Jay stood, "Do you need a hand?"
"No," Erin said shortly, rifling through the bag. Her brilliant little girl had thought to pack her favorite pair of leggings, along with an oversized long sleeve t shirt from the police academy. He remained awkwardly in the doorway, unsure if leaving her alone was the right course of action. "I'm not made of glass, Halstead. You can leave me alone for five minutes," she huffed and gestured toward the door, "Go on."
"I'll be right back," Jay promised, making a quick left turn out of the ER bay, following Dr. Natalie Manning. "Hey, Nat," he called, as soon as Erin was out of earshot, "Nat!"
"Jay?" She turned around, surprise, "Is Erin okay?"
"Yeah, um, no...I don't know." Jay looked at the young doctor helplessly, "What-what do I do?"
She offered another sad smile, "She might experience some discomfort for the next few days. In my experience, these things can be hard on a couple, but you and Erin will get through this. She'll tell you what she needs, Jay. You're one of the good ones, okay?" She touched his arm gently, "Let me know if you need anything, alright?"
He nodded wordlessly, "Um, can you tell Will that we're headed home?"
Natalie smiled again, "I will. You'll be okay, Jay."
"Thanks," he murmured, turning on his heel back to find his girl.
Erin sat silently in the passenger seat of Hank's car. She still appeared to be experiencing bouts of pain, but clamped her mouth shut, refusing to let any acknowledgment of aches or pains from her lips. Jay drove along the dark streets, acutely aware of the silence between them. "Are you hungry?" he asked finally, "I know it's late, but we can get drive-thru-"
