Road Back to Love

Chapter 5

ERIN'S POV

"Gimme a whiskey shot" I can't believe I kicked Jay out after wanting him for so long. I can't tell him about the drinking let alone let him see me like this, he would be so disappointed. I took a sip of my beer trying to drown all my emotions away. 

"This seat taken?" A younger guy points at the bar stool next to me and smiles. I shake my head and pull my beer closer to me. He sits down and the bartender slams the shot down in front of me which then I take immediately. "Ahh." 

"Long day? Name's Andrew" He sticks his hand out for me to shake. "Something like that. Erin, nice to meet you." We took more shots together as the night went on and then it hit me, I had too much. I got up to use the bathroom and must of forgot to lock the door. "Someone's in here!" Andrew busted in and I realized he was just as drunk, but I got nervous he was going to make a move on me. "What are you doing?" He looked confused as to why I was in the bathroom with him. "Oh I needed somewhere to do this (takes an oxy bottle out of his pocket) want some?" A smirk came to his face and I tried so hard to deny his offer. "Just a line or two" I knew I was stepping into dangerous territory but it was just this one time.

JAY'S POV

"Doesn't anyone sleep at 2am?!" I think to myself as I'm woken up by my phone ringing obnoxiously and answer it. "Hi is this Jay Halstead? This is Joe at Lucy's Bar. I have a woman here passed out on my bar in bad shape and it says your the emergency contact in her phone. Can you come get her?" I jumped out of bed after letting him know I was on my way. I wonder how bad off she is?

I walked into the bar and the sight of Erin laying face down on the bar took my breath away. Her breaths were shallow and she was barely conscious. She wreaked like booze and her eyes were rolling in the back of her head. I scooped her up bridal style and rushed her into the back of the cab I kept waiting, we sped off to the closest hospital. 

I paced the waiting room of the ED waiting for any news as they had been working on Erin for 2 hours. Olivia was waiting with me, but I told Hank to wait until we knew more before he hops on a plane. As I was in my own thoughts I heard "family of Erin Lindsay?" Olivia and I stood up and walked towards the ED doc. "She is awake but out of it from the drugs and alcohol. She will need time to rest and re-hydrate." Did he just say drugs? I thought she was only intoxicated based on what Olivia had witnessed.  The doctor saw our puzzled faces and began to explain. "I can see that we are not on the same page. Erin had opioids in her system. If she does not agree to the counselling unfortunately I will have to report this to her work place." I then knew I would have my work cut out for me.

I walked into Erin's room to find her sleeping so I took a seat next to her bed and held her hand. How did it get this bad that she turned to drugs? What was making her so unhappy? "Er, I'm here. You scared me tonight, what were you thinking? Why didn't you come to me? I thought we were going to be honest with each other. I can't stop thinking that if I hadn't come here, who would've gotten you out of that bar? Would you be here lying in front of me still breathing? You have to know how much you mean to me, you have to know how much I still love you."  I quickly wiped the tear that ran down my cheek, when I saw her eyes open. 

"I'm sorry, for everything" She squeezed my hand. 

"I assume you heard all that?" She nodded. "We're going to figure this out but first we need to get you out of here. Olivia is here and I'm sure Hank is not far behind. I told him to stay in Chicago but you know how great of a listener he is...I'm sorry but they are just worried and-"

"Jay, it's ok. I'm going to have to face them at some point, I might as well get it over with. Do they know about the dr-" I was cut off by Jay who answered my question before I could spit it out. As if he knew I didn't want to say the word. "Yes, the doctor told Liv and I. So Hank knows."

"Awesome."