Chicago PD: Hank Voight's Forbidden Love

Chapter 1: Revelations

    Sgt. Hank Voight, head of the Intelligence Unit of the Chicago Police Department, sat in a south side restaurant booth across from his old high school friend, Michael Nashton, whom he hadn't seen or talked to in several years. Mike had called him out of the blue and asked if they could meet somewhere for dinner and drinks.   Of course Voight had agreed immediately because he wanted to see his old friend. 
     "So how you've been, buddy?" Voight asked.
     "I've been great, Hank.  Life's been good for the most part.  There've been some bumps in the road, but all in all, I've been blessed."
      "Man, you haven't aged at all," said Voight as he looked at his friend who still had the athletic physique he had in high school from playing basketball, a full head of hair with just  a few strands of gray, and an unlined complexion. 
       "Well, look at you, man," Mike said. "You're still at your fighting weight, and the years haven't done too much damage to you either."
      Mike was one of  only a few African-American students in DeLaSalle high school, and things had been rough for him — at first.  Until Hank Voight stepped in, took him under his wing, and warned the other kids to back off otherwise they would have to answer to him.  Voight always had a penchant for defending the underdog.  Mike was a decent guy who didn't deserve the treatment he was getting from some of the bigoted students, so Voight felt it his duty to look out for him.

It wasn't long before he and Mike became inseparable, and a true friendship was forged despite the fact they were polar opposites. Where Mike was reserved and studious, Hank was brash and wild. Mike joined the chess club, and Hank joined the wrestling team. Mike made the honor roll every semester, and Hank served detention every other week for cutting class, smoking in the john, or fighting. And yet somehow these two disparate personalities blended into a solid friendship. 

           After graduation though their paths veered into different directions. Hank aspired to become a Chicago cop like his dad who had been killed in the line of duty. Mike, on the other hand,  wanted to become a lawyer and "change the world" some day. 
         "We've got a lotta catching up to do," Voight said as he took a menu from the server. 
"Listen, Hank, I heard about your wife and son.  I just found out about it.  I ran into one of our old classmates, and he told me what happened. I'm so sorry."
      Hank became solemn and lowered his eyes.
      "Camille died of ovarian cancer 15 years ago, and my son, Justin . . . he was murdered."  Voight's voice trailed off.  "But listen, man, tell me about you," he continued as he shook off the painful memories.  "I heard you're a big shot lawyer now. Not that I'm surprised."
Mike leaned back in the booth and began telling Voight about his journey from the University of Chicago Law School to forming his own corporate law firm with a group of his law school classmates.  He also told him about the deaths of his sister and brother-in-law who were killed in a car accident several years earlier and how they left their toddler daughter whom he was now raising.  Alone. 
        "So you're raising your niece?" Voight asked.
        "Yeah, 15 years old now.  Her name's Elena.  Greatest kid ever. Straight A student, honor roll, musical prodigy. Man, she's a genius on the piano. She was playing Mozart and Beethoven by the time  she was five, can you believe that? I have no idea where she got it from.  Definitely not from me or Tanya or her dad.  And she's never given me a moment's trouble, knock on wood."
Mike took out his phone and pulled up his niece's picture. 
         "That's Elena," he said, proudly handing the phone to Voight.