What's she Worth to You?

Come Home

ERIN

I listen to the sound of my pen tapping against the table as I look over the written statement that we got from a tall middle aged man earlier today. We've been working on this case for weeks and all seems some what anticlimactic that it would end this way. All the leads we worked so hard to get result in nothing but a seemingly regular man and a piece of paper with a sloppy signature at the bottom. And for what? He killed a five year old boy, and a piece of notebook paper with a confession written on it won't change a thing. 

I hear the door creek open, the hinges almost screaming and make a mental note to have Hank call someone about that.

"Erin?" I look up to see Jay standing in the doorway and I nod him a hello, then look back down at the paper.
"Er, its way passed after hours, you need to get some rest." He walks over and puts a hand on my shoulder. I get like this after the occasional rough case, he knows this by now. I know he's right, but I can't seem to unglue my eyes from the paper. 
"We got the bad guy, Erin, there's nothing else we could've done." He whispers and I nod, eyes still stuck rereading the words I've been going over for hours on end.

"He was five years old, Jay." I say and he sighs, his hand dropping from my shoulder.

"I know, but we caught who did it to him, he'll never be able to do it again." I scoff and look down.

"Yeah, but someone else will." I sigh and begin to rhythmically tap my pen on my desk again. He pulls back my rolling chair, taking me away from my desk, turning me around to face him and pulling me out. He pulls me into a hug and I grab a fistful of his shirt, something I do for comfort. He gently kisses my head and pulls away, taking my face in his hands.

"Lets go home, Er." I give him a small smile and nod my head.

"Lets go home."

***

I slip on one of Jay's big T-shirts and set down my toothbrush, trying to forget the face of little five year old Quintin Turner when we found him in an abandoned alleyway. I shake my head, ridding myself of the image and walk back into the bedroom. He turns his eyes up from his book and smiles at me.

"There's my girl," he coos and I smile brightly at him, climbing into bed and sitting close. He puts an arm around me and kisses my forehead, sending chills down my spine. I glance over at his clock and it reads 3:50 a.m.

"I'm sorry I kept you up so late," I say, snuggling my head into his chest.

"Don't worry about it, just go to sleep babe." He whispers and I smile and he wraps his arms around me. even despite everything I've been through, Jay Halstead never fails to make me feel safe.

***

"Erin," I look up to see Hank looking at me, nodding towards his office door.
"C'mere." I sigh and stand up, walking towards his office with a heavily beating heart. What did I do this time?
"Close the door." I slowly close the door, as it creaks just like the one downstairs.
"Sit down." I take a deep breath, trying to prepare myself for whatever lecture I'm about to receive.
"You okay?" I'm taken aback by the question and simply stare at him in disbelief.

"What?"

"You look out of it, tired, you were practically falling asleep over there." I shrug my shoulders.

"Long night, that's all." He gives me a disapproving look and I shake my head.
"No, not like that, gosh," I pause and he sits back in his chair.
"I was up here late last night and didn't get home till around four-ish, thats all." He sighs.

"Erin, you can't keep pushing yourself like this. You've got to know when enough is enough." I nod.

"I know, and I do, I was just," I pause. "I was just composing from yesterday's case." He nods.

"Are you okay? Do you need to take the day off?" I instantly shake my head, rejecting the idea.

"Oh gosh no, no I'm fine." He cocks an eyebrow at me and I give him a reassuring look.
"Hank, I promise, I'm fine." He sighs, looking down before his radio fizzes on.

'We've got a 20-31, suspicious activity down by west thirty-first and Bryan.'

He stands up.

"Good, because we'll need you. Load up and tell the team, we're heading out."