𝑴𝒆𝒂𝒏𝒕 𝑻𝒐 𝑩𝒆 | ✔

Chapter 18

*Jay's POV*

Erin was taken away a bit by Upton and Burgess so she could calm down a little and I stayed with the rest of the group.

"Can I ask you something?" Everyone looked depressed, but I went over to Ruzek because I knew him best from the group.

"Yeah." He didn't look up at me as his eyes were still pinned on the blonde-hair guy on the ground.

"Who was he?" I knew that it was someone who was very important to Lindsay, otherwise she would never have reacted like that.

"That's Lindsay's half-brother,Teddy." Ruzek looked at me but my gaze was on Erin.

I didn't want to imagine what it was like to loose Will.

Lindsay had never talked about her half-brother, generally not about her family, I never asked.

"Excuse me." I didn't want to leave her alone because I wanted to be there for her as she was for me when I felt miserable.

When I approached the little group, the other two women walked away and left me alone with Erin.

"Can I sit?" She was sitting on a bench in a corner of the park where we were.

"Yeah." Her voice was low and I moved closer to her so I could put my arms around her.

Occasionally we got glances from the unit, but no one came over and I was glad.

"Let's take you home." As soon as I said that Lindsay shook her head.

*Erin's POV*

"That's my brother." My vision got blurry again and my bottom lip was trembling but I fought it back because I didn't want to cry again.

"I know." Jay stroked my back and my breathing slowly got more steady.

"I need to work this case. I owe him. Alot." I had never had that strong relationship with him as one knows from siblings, we often hadn't seen each other for a long time, but I loved him anyway and I had to find the person who did this to him.

"You're unit is gonna work without you just fine. This is not you're fight." I swallowed the lump in my throat.

"I know." I felt like I was ripped apart. Teddy didn't have a easy life.

Our so called mother was horrible. She did treat him even worse than she did me and when we were kids and home he was in his room most of the time.

I always brought him food because he was afraid of most of the men my mother had at home.

"C'mon." Jay reached his hand out to me and I took it thankfully.

"Jay." I squeezed his hand and when he turned around I kissed him because I felt like that was what I needed.

When we walked past the unit to my car Teddy was gone and forensics were looking around to find possible evidence.

"You're not driving." Jay pulled the keys out of my pocket and I willingly slumped into the passenger seat because it was probably better that way.

I must have fallen asleep on the short ride because when I opened my eyes Jay was carrying me through the hallway to my apartment.

"Shh." He let his thumb circled over my shoulder and I closed my eyes again.

I breathed in and out deeply I took in his scent.
Knowing that he was there I fell asleep in his arms.

"You're slower than a snail!"  Teddy was on top of the slide and I was still climbing the ladder.

"Wait!" When I was on top he was down again and waved at me with my doll that he had taken from me.

"Teddy!" I looked around to see the guy my mom was hooking up with at the moment storm towards my brother and tore the doll out of his hand, after which there was slap in the face.

"I'm so sorry." I ran towards my brother and he took me in his arms.

"It's not your fault." He held back tears because he didn't want to cry in front of his little sister and I felt terrible because I felt like it was all my fault.

"Can we go home?" I knew my brother wouldn't speak to the man, so I asked.

"Sure. Want me to carry you?" The man was kind to me, but I didn't like him because he had hurt Teddy.

"No." I just walked straight up to my brother again and we walked back home hand in hand.

When I woke up Jay was still there.

I had my head in his lap and he was causally playing with my hair.

When he realized I was awake he smiled down at me.

"Hey." I pulled him down to kiss him tenderly and then changed my position so I was sitting on his lap, my arms around his neck.

"Hey." He smiled against my lips and then kissed me again.

"You feeling a little better?" He brought his face away from mine just enough that I saw his green eyes sharply again.

"I don't know. I dreamed about Ted, didn't really help." I ran my fingers through his ahirt hair and just hoped he would do something so that I could forget everything around me because I knew he could, but he didn't, just looked at me.

"I know what you want me to do, but that's not the right way to deal with grief. Believe my, I'm not a master at it either but I found a way, most of the time." When he told me about his army time I always wanted to know more, wanted to know what he went through, but didn't want to pressure him into saying something to trigger his PTSD again.

"I know." I sagged and rested my head on his chest.