Aftermath

Chapter Ninty

"Watch your back. And if anything, any little thing seems off I want to hear about it immediately."

Erin gave a solemn nod. She didn't want to admit it, especially since it would put Jay even more on edge, but she was a little creeped out by the whole thing.

/

The next days were a bit of a blur to Erin. They hadn't got much sleep but that was the norm when a high profile case came in. They'd worked most of the weekend meaning they hadn't seen much of Lily so after breakfast Sunday morning they gave Lily carte blanche to choose their activity. Lily had missed them and the abundance of snuggles and affection she'd had since moving into their home so she suggested they stay home and play games and watch movies.

The quiet afternoon was a godsend for Jay and Erin. Spending time with Lily was a far better distraction from the gruesomeness of their job then a night drinking at Molly's had ever been. Although they still got out for a few hours a week to connect with their friends, the recent struggles they'd been through had changed their perspective and they were happy to spend their free time focusing on building their little family.

While Jay prepared their dinner Erin joined Lily at the table where she sat colouring.
"Did you draw that bird by yourself?" Erin asked looking over Lily's shoulder. Lily was filling in the last section of the bird's wing with a bright blue crayon.

"Yup, yesterday but I didn't have time to finish colouring it before Aunt Helen said it was bedtime." She explained.

Jay set down the tea towel he was drying his hands with and came to look. "It's amazing Lily. You're really talented," he offered genuinely. Erin echoed him with her agreement.

Lily beamed at the compliment. "I want to be a painter when I grow up," she blurted out.

"You do?" Erin asked with a smile. She wasn't surprised in the least. Lily would colour and draw twenty four hours a day if they let her.

"Yes. Is that okay?"

"Of course it's okay. You can be anything you want to be," Jay reassured her.

"I can?"

"Yes of course," Erin agreed.

"What did you want to be when you were little like me?"

A huge smile spread across Jay's face. "Superman!" He exclaimed proudly. Erin laughed. She remembered seeing a picture of him in one of the photo albums at the cabin. He was probably Lily's age. He was wearing just his bathing suit trunks and had a towel tied around his neck. He stood hands on hips, chest puffed out. The summer sun had kissed his sink making his freckles pop and his hair was a mess of curls. She'd teased him mercilessly about how adorable he was.

"What about you Mommy?" Lily asked, bringing her back to the present.

She thought back to the brief time in her childhood she'd allowed herself to daydream about the future. She'd been Lily's age. Erin hesitated. She was embarrassed to admit what she dreamt of as a little girl and she wasn't looking forward to having Jay hold it over her head for the rest of her life, but she couldn't lie to Lily. When Erin finally accepted she was going to be raising Lily it was the one promise she'd made herself. She promised no matter what she would never lie to Lily. Bunny had lied constantly, about everything under the sun, and Erin had huge trust issues in part because of it. She wouldn't let that happen to Lily, not with everything she'd already been through. "A singer," she finally admitted.

"You have a really pretty voice," Lily said with admiration. Erin wrinkled her nose. She smacked Jay's arm when he couldn't hide his chuckle. "You do Mommy. I like it when you sing to me. How come you didn't become a singer?"

Erin again paused. She couldn't lie to Lily but she wasn't sure the truth was something she should share here. She decided to tell as gentle a version of the truth as she could. "My dad didn't like me singing so I guess it kind of made me feel like I wasn't very good."

"Did he get mad when you sang?"

"Yes," Erin admitted carefully.

"Did he hurt you?" Lily asked her eyes wide and serious.

"Sometimes yes," Erin said softly.

"That happened to me too. With my old mommy and the mean man," Lily admitted with a whisper. They were getting more of these tidbits from her. It killed Erin every time her niece spoke about it but it was clearly helping her to finally get it out.

"You know Lily that's not how it's supposed to be with Mommy's and Daddy's. They're not supposed to hurt you. They're suppose to protect you and love you and help you make your dreams come true."

"Like you and Daddy," Lily pointed out.

Erin nodded. Her heart warmed. It felt good to known Lily felt safe and loved with them.

"Why did you become a police officer? It's not like a singer at all. Was it so you could put people who hurt their kids in jail?" Lily asked.

"Kind of yes. I wanted to help people and try to make things better and safer for people," Erin struggled to simplify her reasons in a way Lily would understand. One day she might tell Lily what Hank had done for her and her desire not only to give back but also find justice for her city.

"Superman is kinda like a police officer so you kinda did get to be what you wanted when you were little Daddy. Except for the flying part," Lily observed.

Jay chuckled and beamed with pride. It reminded Erin of the little boy with his chest puffed out in the picture. Erin rolled her eyes. Lily was doing too good a job boosting Jay's already inflated ego. She'd have to work on that.

"Do you like being a police office Mommy?"

"Yes very much," Erin nodded.

"So you're not sad you didn't get to be a singer?"

"No," Erin laughed shaking her head. "I think things worked out for the best there."

"Well you can sing to me anytime you want to. I like it. It makes me forget the bad stuff."
Erin placed a gentle kiss on Lily's head. She really was a sweet girl. They sat watching Lily colour around her bird for a few moments before Jay got back up to check on dinner.

A thought came to Erin. "You know I saw a poster for an art daycamp at the community centre for this summer. I think it was for kids your age. Would you like to go?" Erin watched the excitement spread across Lily's face as she nodded.

"Alright munchkin, time to wash up for dinner," Jay called across the island. Erin helped her pack up her colouring supplies then Lily raced down the hall to the bathroom. Erin got up to help Jay set the table.

"She's right you know, you do have a pretty voice." Jay tried his hardest for nonchalant.

"Don't start," she warned.

"What? I'm just saying," he said innocently.

"Not happening Halstead. And don't even think about repeating what I told her to anyone or I'll be getting a certain photo from the cabin and making copies to cover every square inch of the district with, Superman," She warned before heading down the hall to put Lily's things away.

Jay laughed heartily. He knew Erin well enough to know the threat was real and she would likely back it up but he had always found her tenaciousness attractive.

While he waited for the girls to return from the bathroom and join him for dinner Jay decided to sort through the mail on the end of the island. It had gone ignored the last few days while they worked crazy overtime. Jay sorted the junk from the bills. A plain white stamped envelope marked only with Erin's name and their address made him pause. When she came into the room he handed it to her. She was about to set it aside to open after dinner but something in Jay's expression told her she should do it now.

She split the seal and pulled out the single folded white paper from inside. Unfolding it she could see it was a copy of a court document. She scanned the document. Three things caught her eye. Her father's name, the document was to confirm he had completed his jail sentence, and the bold handwriting at the bottom.

26 YEARS IS A LONG TIME TO GO WITHOUT SEEING EACH OTHER. IT'S GOING TO BE QUITE THE FAMILY REUNION.