Love in the 21st ~ Jay Halstead

Eight

"You alright?" Jay asked as he stopped a couple of steps up.

"Yeah, I'm all good." I nodded with a smile before catching up to him and walking into the lobby by his side. "Hey Trudy." I called with a wave as we walked past her desk.

"You're not worried she was hiding this whole Voight thing from you?" He questioned as he buzzed us through the gate.

"Not really, I don't think she would've kept this from me if she knew, she's never lied to me before." I shrugged just as we reached the top of the stairs.

"Good timing." Antonio nodded to us as we sat down at our desks. "We've got a hostage situation, let's go." He said to the team before walking away.

Good thing I didn't take my coat off, I thought to myself as I stood back up and followed the rest of the team through to the armoury, where Voight and Al seemed to be waiting. Avoiding eye contact with Voight I grabbed my vest and started to strap it down, getting frustrated when I couldn't get one of the waist straps on straight.

"Come here." A soft voice came from behind me, Jay. He took hold of the strap and lightly pulled me towards him so that he could do the strap properly. "You sure you're okay?" He asked quietly as he checked my other straps.

"Yeah, I'm fine, I promise." I smiled looking up at him for a few seconds as he looked back.

"Good." He nodded patting me on the shoulder just as Voight started giving out instructions.

"Lindsay, you're with Platt, Halstead you're with me." He said glaring at Jay slightly before looking over at me, he face softening. "Let's go."

"How was it? Growing up with Voight I mean I know you were already a teenager but as a father figure, how was he?" I asked Erin as we were on our way to the scene.

"Uh, it was good, although I was already fifteen by then so and as for Voight." She shrugged keeping her eyes on the road. "There's nobody else I would want in my corner but that man." She smiled slightly before looking over at me. "Why are you asking?"

"Uh, no reason, just curious." I smiled slightly.

"Uh, okay." She said looking at me suspiciously. "This must be it." She said pulling up outside a house along with multiple patrol cars and the rest of intelligence.

Taking out our weapons we quietly made our way up to the front door, Jay kicking the door down after Voight's count down, all of us rushing in with our weapons raised clearing the room as we went until we reached a main living room where a guy was stood holding a girl wearing nothing but her underwear by her neck as he holds a gun to the side of her head.

"Chicago PD! Put the gun down!" I yelled as the rest of the team went to clear the rest of the house bar Lindsay who stayed behind, both of our guns trained on the armed man.

"Come on man, let her go!" Lindsay yelled slightly edging closer.

"Stay back or I swear to god I'll shoot!" He yelled looking around frantically but not moving his gun away from the poor girls head.

"Come on! You don't need to do this, you don't need to hurt her or anybody else!" I told him as I slowly inched father.

"You're right I don't." He said calmly before he pushed the girl away and raised the gun to his own head.

"NO!!" I screamed as he pulled the trigger, his blood spraying the wall behind him taking it from a cream to blood red in an instant.

I stood frozen staring at his body as Erin rushed over to the girl checking her over before a pair of hands touching my shoulders made me jump back into reality.

"You okay kid?" Voight's face appeared next to me as I tear my eyes away from the bloody mess on the ground.

"Uh yeah, I'm good." I said unconvincingly, noticing my hands shaking again.

"Take five." He said motioning outside with his head, nodding in agreement he patted me on the shoulder as I walked out of the house, collapsing on the porch stairs.

"Hey," looking up I saw Antonio taking a seat besides me, offering him a small smile I looked down at the ground. "You know my sister and her partner saw someone shoot themselves in the head once, he was a reoccurring patient with mental health issues." He told me.

"Gabby?" I asked recalling meeting her a few times at Molly's since she owns part of it.

"Yep, her and her old partner Shay, she took it harder then Gabby did, but one thing that they would both swear helped them through it, was talking to someone. Which is what you need to do, whether it's a professional, family or someone in the unit, it'll help, you can even talk to me." He said nudging me lightly making me smile.

"Thank you Antonio." I said sincerely smiling up at him.

"Anytime kid." He smiled back just as the coroner arrived. "We'll wait out here, they've got it covered anyway." He shrugged leaning back against the steps.