Too Young

Ch 7

It had been over a week since the fiasco with Jay's dad. Erin was hesitant, struggling to keep her distance from Jay's feelings in case they were in a fragile position.

It was Valentine's Day, but he seemed to have forgotten. Even when they arrived to drop Hailey off at her daycare and there were heart decorations all over, he didn't seem to find them shocking.

"Bye, Bug. Mrs. Herman will be here to pick you up at about four, all right?" Jay kissed the top of Hailey's sunflower-blonde head and stood up.

She nodded and looked behind her at the kids coloring at tables in the daycare.

Erin crouched down and hugged her, before she walked off unexcitedly to the teachers. They greeted her with large grins and took her to a seat, where she starting scribbling with crayons on a paper, hardly focused.

"She'll be fine," Jay muttered, mostly to himself.

"Of course," Erin agreed, taking his hand. They walked out to the car and hopped in. She drove again, and he didn't really care because he had grown used to it after so many years.

As they sat in the car, silently traveling on the highway, Jay stared straight ahead, rubbing his jawline.

Erin glanced at him every now and then, not because she was uncomfortable, but because she was worried. She knew Jay felt horrible about not explaining about his dad, but she had told him she forgave him. That didn't seem to make him feel much better.

"You haven't been getting much sleep lately," she mentioned, trying to break the silence.

He shrugged, biting his lip and glancing out his window. He said nothing, just sat there as though the shrug was his reply.

Erin sighed and cautiously rolled her eyes. "Don't do that, Jay," she said, flicking her blinker on and shifting to the lane on the left to avoid the large transportation truck.

"Do what?" He narrowed his eyes at her.

She opened her mouth, but closed it again. She didn't know what he was going through. And as much as it bothered her, she was resolved to avoid conflict between them. And pointing out his problems would start an argument, no doubt.

Jay rubbed his eyes and sighed exasperatedly. "I'm sorry. I've been a jerk. I just . . . this whole thing with Hailey . . ."

"You mean your dad?" Erin corrected, glancing at him.

He pursed his lips. "Yeah. That. I just . . . it refreshed a lot of bad memories I took forever to bury. It would've been one thing to approach me and say what he had to say. But to come into my house illegally and without permission and then take ahold of my daughter, I just . . . I don't know. It got to me."

Erin kept her eyes on the road but reached over to hold Jay's hand.

He folded his fingers with hers and rested his head back. "No more. I promise."

"You can deal with whatever it is you have to deal with. I just don't want anything to get in the way of . . ." She hesitated, not sure how to word it. "well . . . us."

Jay lifted her hand to his lips and kissed it. "It won't," he mumbled into the back of her hand, intertwining his with hers again.

...

Erin walked inside with Jay's shoulder touching hers. Their hands separated as soon as they stepped into the Chicago Police Department. As much as she hated being professional at times, her job meant a lot to her. And she wasn't going to make herself and the department look pathetic by leaving Intelligence for love.

"Good morning," Sergeant Platt said, looking up from her stapler. "What happened to your arm?"

Erin looked down at her arm. "Oh. Doctor's appointment."

"You still have those?" She asked, sincerely interested.

Erin stared at her, unsure how to answer.

"Yeah," Jay says quickly. "Hey, we gotta . . ." He motioned to the palm scanner under the steps leading to the Intelligence Unit floor.

"Oh, right." Platt waved them off. "Go save the world from bad guys." She stapled her papers and moved to her computer.

Erin narrowed her eyes but followed Jay up to Intelligence. They scanned their palms and walked up the steps.

"Hey," Burgess immediately approached Erin before she reached the last step. Jay roamed into Voight's office.

"Hey, Kim," Erin walked over to her desk and tossed her jacket down. "What's up?"

"Oh, I just wanted to give you this." She handed Erin a small card with a fancy, silver oil stamp. She smiled and waited for a moment.

"Oh, you want me to open it right now." When Kim nodded Erin opened the envelope. She pulled out a white card. On the cover was a picture of roses in black and white. "Erin and Jay" was engraved into the cover of the thick paper. She opened it, and it revealed cursive letters in dark ink that stated, "You're invited to our wedding. Date: February 28. Time: 1:00-6:45"

"I'm so happy for you." Erin embraced her friend and set the card down.

Kim smiled brightly and folded her hands. She stopped before turning around. "Oh, also, happy Valentine's Day."

Erin smiled blankly back at her, having that been the first time that day someone said those words to her. "Thanks, you too."

Kim nodded, still grinning, and walked over to her desk.

Voight's office door swung open and he walked out, followed by Jay who walked over to the whiteboard, no longer seeming distracted.

"We've caught a case," Hank announced.