Case by Case Love ✔️

Chapter 73: Showing up for Work

A cup of coffee in each of their hands, Jay and Erin made their way up the steps to the office. It was the same process they followed each other, heading to their desks, sitting down, and beginning to comb through whatever was there for the day. 

Erin dreaded it as she knew it would be a paperwork day. They weren't working any cases at the moment, and the slim breaks between each were meant to be spent doing the paperwork they always avoided. That meant filing away notes from the case they just finished, or entering data into the system. It meant ensuring their CIs information was up to date if needed at anytime.

Taking a deep breath, she just hoped the day went by quickly - or perhaps something would catch the attention that needed to be looked into. Maybe a tip from one of their CIs, or something someone wanted Intelligence only to look into. 

"What are you doing here?" Hank asks as he pops out of his office, standing behind where Jay sat at his desk. Jay could not help but look back at his boss surprised by the question. He had never been questioned like that before when he came into the office. Even when he was injured, they both knew where to find him as there was no way he was about to sit on the couch at home. He had to always be working on something, or he would start going insane. Hank should know that from all the years they had worked together. 

"I'm fin-" Jay starts as Hank already knew what he was about to say. Under normal circumstances, there would not have been a word spoken. He simply would have told him that he could not do any field work until his ribs were feeling better. That was not why he was standing there.

"You were stripped of your badge until the investigation is complete. That means you are not allowed to do any detective work whether in the office or in the field until the investigation has been fully completed. Therefore, you are not allowed to be within these four walls right now." Erin could not help but look up surprised as the statement was made. 

"Are you being serious right now, Hank?" She questions, simply earning a nod in response. "So because he defended himself on that roof, he's being ready the riot ac-"

"Hank does not make the rules, IAD and the police chief do," Jay cuts her off, as he stands up, grabbing his jacket off the back of the chair. He did not know what he was going to do once he walked out the front door, but he knew he was not about to stick around any longer. He did not need Hank getting in trouble for him being there. He also did not need those optics that Erin referred to with Internal Affairs becoming more cloudy, even if he was innocent. 

"It's not fair, Jay. I don't see why you can't do paperwork and help behind the scenes while they veto everything." Hank was caught off-guard by how much Erin was questioning the state of things as he watched her closely.

"You have worked for the bureau long enough and know the rules," Hank states. "A suspension with pay means you are not allowed to touch anything that you would if you were working."

"I'll see you when you get home tonight," Jay states as he stands over Erin's back, leaning down and placing a kiss on her lips. "I have all day to myself. I'll have something waiting for you when you get home. I love you..." He then makes his way to the stairs and begins the long walk back down and out the front door to his truck. 

He could not help but debate what he was going to do once he climbed in the driver's seat.

He could easily head home, and do nothing. But everybody knew that would drive him crazy.

He could go to the gym and work out, but oh wait, he was not supposed to be doing anything drastic with his ribs right now.

He also could not go to the firing range as his firearm had been confiscated at the scene and would not be given back until he was cleared.

He thought about going to annoy Will, but he would be working today. Who wanted to hang around a hospital? 

He was lost in his thought process when he heard a knock on the window of the truck. He glances over, surprised at who was standing there, as he puts down the window. 

"I haven't heard anything from IAD yet," Hank states, which was not a big surprise. It normally took them 24 to 48 hours to put all the facts together, from witness statements to what happened on scene. "Trudy is supposed to talk to someone she knows today and give me an update. As soon as I hear anything, I will call you." 

"Thanks," Jay simply replies as there was not much else left to say. "If they call me, I'll let you know." Hank did not need that stated, as that was simply par from the course when they went through these investigations.

"Go catch a baseball game, or watch some movie that you wanted to see. Use this time to relax because once you're cleared, you know I will have something for you to do.." Jay could not help but chuckle a little in response. "You could also use this time to study for the sergeant exam. Let's face it, you're not going to work underneath me for the rest of your life." 

"Please don't say that as I don't want to think about that happening anytime soon. We both know that Chicago needs you for a number of years to come." Hank just smiles in response, but truth be told, he was getting older and some days were getting harder.