Christmas

Chapter Seven : Look What You Made Me Do

Christmas
Look What You Made Me Do
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We're all susceptible to it. The dread and anxiety of not knowing what's coming. Waiting for the unexpected. It's basically pointless in the end because all the worrying and all the making of plans for things that could or could not happen only makes things worse. So, let life take its course by it's own volition. Don't take life into your own hands. Because, sometimes, when we think we have finally figured things out, the universe throws us a curveball. And when that happens, we have to improvise with the resulting peace. We have to find happiness in unexpected places. Like an unexpected, forbidden friendship. We find our way back to the things that matter the most. Like a family that's lost. Because the universe is unique that way and sometimes it just has a way of making sure we wind up exactly where we belong.

It's early and the sun doesn't seem so insistent on presenting itself today, just hiding behind grey clouds and falling snow. Just another gloomy Chicago Christmas. Well, day after Christmas Day. It's basically still Christmas until New Year's. So, yay him! Five more days of nonsense celebrations.

Coffee. That's what he wants - no - needs. He needs another cup of strongly brewed coffee in order for him to be well-alert when Erin gets out of surgery. He wants to be right by her side, awake and there - in-body and in-mind. Listening. He's happy now because they're seemingly making progress with their strained relationship. It - they might just be normal again. Though it hadn't been for the past years, it's okay because he really thinks this time, they can work things out without being at each other's throats.

It will be different this time.

Looking at his watch, it had just been an hour since they had taken her in for surgery. But it certainly doesn't feel like an hour. He's tired, it feels as though he's been sitting on this helpless plastic chair for almost half a day. Twelve hours. He's had an awfully long two days that now has blended into one. He's pretty sure he ought to be going insane right now because he's just so damn exhausted.

It's just Adam, Voight and himself now, waiting patiently or perhaps, impatiently for the doctors to come back with another update. So far so good, they had said, and he's glad. Relieved. She will get past this. They will. Together.

He knows they will.

And just as he was about to get up to go down to the cafeteria for another cup of much needed caffeine, he's being pulled aside by a young doctor - Dr. O'Brien as he introduced himself - probably and most likely fresh out of medical school, asking if he could spare a minutes to go through some information on Erin's operative report.

"Of course." he said, nodding cooperatively, "Anything. Sure."

And so now, he's following suit - grateful that he's being taken away from Voight's vicious and relentless stares - to another corridor to the left that's lined with more hard chairs.

"Please take a seat, Mr. Halstead."

He does and he can't help but think what more information about his wife do they want to confirm with him. He's pretty much told them everything about Erin's medical history.

She doesn't smoke.

Well, not anymore. Not since she was seventeen.

She used to have a drug problem and prescription drugs were choice of poison.

And they said they'll monitor closely on that.

The overly enthusiastic young blood clicked his pen and smiled nervously, folding his hands on the file that's on his lap before beginning with the basics - personal profile like name, age, height and weight, and whether she has any known drug allergies or allergies in general to which he answered no.