In Too Deep

Chapter 2

A few weeks later she's pushing a cart down aisle twelve of the local grocery store. She's so focused on the list in her hand, and checking each item off with her pen, that she almost runs him over. He looks over at her briefly, a blank expression on his face, until his eyes lock on hers much like they did on the night of his mother's funeral.

"Jay, right?" Erin says, as she takes in the sunken in appearance of his face, and the dark circles under his dull green blue eyes. His skin almost grey, and his lips chapped.

"Yeah, officer-?" He says almost angrily, there's an extra edge to his voice that was absent the night they first met.

"Erin." She says, and he nods, continuing to look at the alcohol in front of him, but glancing at her as she looks at her list. She looks up, and sees him turn his head quickly, and she pretends not to notice.

"How have you been?" She asks, and she immediately wants to kick herself for asking. Obviously he's not doing that great.

"Oh, just peachy." He answers, grabbing two bottles of his favorite cheap whiskey, as she looks down, and writes her name, and number down at the bottom of her list; writing 'If you need anything just call.' Before she tears it off. But when she looks back up, he's gone.

"Jay?" She says, as she quickly exits the aisle. She looks in both directions for him, but she doesn't see him so she shakes her head, and tries to focus on finishing her grocery shopping. She grabs the rest of the things on her list, before going to the check out. That's when she sees him again. He's digging through his pockets looking for more money. She takes pity on him, and lays down a ten dollar bill. He just nods his head in thanks, and the cashier finishes ringing him up. She hands Erin the change, and Jay leaves. She gets her food bagged, and then she pays for it, before she walks out the same door he did. She pulls her sunglasses down to cover her eyes, as she pushes the cart towards her jeep.

"You know you didn't have to do that."

"A simple thank you would suffice." She says, stopping, but she doesn't turn around, instead digging into her pocket for her keys.

"Thanks." Jay says unconvincingly

"So is this your usual hang out?" Erin asks

"Nah, the convenience store near National is more my style." He answers quickly, with a sad chuckle.

"National huh, that's not exactly close." She replies, watching as he guzzles the amber liquid from the bottle.

"Yeah, I like to walk when I can't sleep." He says, quietly, and he sounds like he did that night a few weeks back.

"Do you need a ride?" She asks, she doesn't know why she's so drawn to him, but he has her doing stuff that she normally wouldn't do, like giving him money towards his booze, or offering him a ride, even though she doesn't know him at all.

"You'd do that?" He asks confused

"Sure, as long as your not like a serial killer, or anything." Erin jokes, and it he smiles weakly at that.

"You want to help me put this stuff in my car?" Erin asks

"Yeah." He says with a shrug.

He follows behind her slowly, and she can hear every tired, heavy step he takes, but he loads almost all her bags into her car, and even takes the cart to the corral before hoping into the passenger seat.

"So where to?" She asks as she starts the car.

"My friend's place." Jay says

"Ok, I'm going to need a little more than that." She says with a light chuckle.

"Uh yeah, hang on." He says looking at his phone.

"Here." He says a few moments later, showing her the address in his contacts.

"So how long did you stay with Ms. Denton?" Erin asks after a few minutes.

"A few days."

"So you've been staying with your friend since then?" Erin asks, not being able to handle the silence.

"Yup, why?"

"I was just making small talk. Sorry." She says, before biting her tongue. After about another fifteen minutes they arrive at their destination.

"Wait here, I'll go get your five dollars." He says when gets out of the car.

"It's fine." She says.

"Are you sure? I can go get it, I'm not that broke, yet." He says, half jokingly.

"Yeah, it's fine." She says with a shrug.

"Alright, well thanks for the ride, and the whiskey."

"No problem." She says, looking into his eyes one last time as he nods. Then he's walking towards the door of the tall, tan brick building.

"Wait, Jay?" She yells, getting him to turn around.

"Here's my number if you ever need a ride, or anything just give me a call."

"Yeah, uh, ok." He says giving her a crooked smile much like the one he flashed her on the night they met, as he takes the little piece of paper from her hand. Then he walks inside, and she drives off.

XXXXXX

A week later she's just walking into her apartment after getting off work, and her phone rings. She looks down at it, and thinks about ignoring it, but something tells her to answer.

"Hello?" She says seriously.

"Hi uh, is this Erin?" She hears the person on the other end of the phone ask.

"Who is this?" She asks, ignoring his question.

"My name's Greg, I uh." He says stumbling over his words.

"I'm Jay Halstead's roommate."

"Ok, can I help you?" She asks, concerned.

"I uh, I hope so." He says, and she's afraid to ask what he means, but she doesn't get the chance to as Greg continues to talk.

"Jay, he's uh, we're both pretty messed up, but he doesn't look good."

"Ok Greg where are you?"

"At my uh, at my apartment." He says, and she recites the address she dropped Jay off at last week, and he says yes, and she walks back out of her apartment, and rushes to her car. She turns the key in the ignition, and the rev of the engine seemingly jump starts her heart. Adrenaline pumping through her veins as if she was on a high speed chase or in pursuit of a suspect. She feels like she did her first night on the job, when they got the domestic disturbance call that to her meeting him. She hopes that Jay's ok, but when she gets there, and walks into the dimly lit apartment, her heart sinks and a chill runs down her spine, having not seen someone in his state since she was a teenager.