~Abuse~

Chapter 120

Nadia woke up screaming and crying, which in turn awakened Erin and Jay.

"Whose turn is it?" Jay mumbled groggily.

Erin sighed.

"Yours," she mumbled back.

Jay groaned and rose from the bed.

"Hi Sweetie. What's happening?" he asked.

He lifted Nadia into his arms and rocked her gently.

"Mama needs to sleep. You need to sleep. Daddy needs to sleep. Let's get you back to bed," Jay said with a smile.

Peering outside, he noticed the stars.

"Look at the stars!" he exclaimed with a smile.

Glancing down, he saw that Nadia had fallen asleep.

"Huh, you're not interested in the stars... That's okay," Jay acknowledged with a nod.

Jay gently placed Nadia back into her bassinet before returning to bed.

As morning arrived, Erin and Jay made their way into the district.

Jay tapped Erin's shoulder, offering a smile.

"What are you smiling at?" Erin inquired.

Jay's smile broadened, yet he offered no words, only a hint.

"You're creeping me out..." Erin murmured under her breath.

Jay let out a sigh and began to speak.

"It's—," he attempted to reveal.

Erin, considering every conceivable scenario, ventured a guess.

"Wednesday?" she proposed.

At her response, Jay could only groan and ascend the stairs.

Erin was perplexed as she ascended the stairs.

"Hi guys!" greeted Jay with a smile.

Everyone exchanged hellos before returning to their paperwork.

Jay sighed, hoping the team would catch the hint.

"It's..." Jay trailed off, hinting.

The boys all glanced up at Erin.

"Do you have some sort of learning difficulty?" Erin inquired.

Jay shook his head and entered Hank's office.

"Morning, Kiddo!" Hank greeted with a smile.

Jay returned the smile, wishing his boss would recall the significance of the day.

"Do you have anything for me?" inquired Jay.

Hank nodded, passing Jay his cup.

"Yeah! Could you fill this up for me? I dropped it down the stairs..." Hank requested.

Jay grabbed the cup and left the office.

The team watched in bewilderment as Jay stormed into the breakroom.

"What's got into him?" Adam wondered aloud.

Erin shrugged, her concern growing.

After Jay returned with Hank's coffee, he exited again.

Erin rose and approached him.

"Jay? Hey! What's happening?" she asked.

Jay faced his team, feeling overlooked.

"It's my birthday, not that any of you care..." Jay said, his voice quivering.

Jay descended the stairs and exited the building.