Jake was having a horrible day. That's it. That is how one can describe his day. First, he was on heavy medication for his severe cough and cold from which he has been suffering for the last two weeks. Second, the case he was working on was going nowhere and Jake has been working on it day and night for longer than he has ever worked on a case. Today when he came to the office and wore his glasses instead of contacts everyone's face shot up, but he was too tired, weak and frustrated to even care. He also didn't shave for three days straight, growing a stubble which gave him a scary look with his dark circles. And to add to that, he didn't see his wife and daughter for a whole week.
"Jake, I think you should give this case to major crimes now, it has been a month and there is no progress," Rosa said in her usual stern tone.
Jake looked up at her as she stood by his desk, "But Ros—" he was interrupted by a coughing fit which mostly sounded like wheezing to Rosa. "—I need to solve this case." Jake was breathless by this time and he was sniffling every two seconds.
"Dude, you have been sick for like two weeks now, you should get some rest. And leave this case." Rosa said emphasizing 'Leave'.
As Jake was about to say something, Terry interrupted him, "Peralta, you are taking a day off and that's an order."
Jake's expression fell but he knew Terry and Rosa were right.
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Amy and her four-year-old daughter Vanessa entered their apartment with various bags containing groceries.
"Mommy will daddy like the card I made for him?" Vanessa asked with her puppy dog eyes which always melted Amy even when she was not working according to the binders.
"Yes, baby he would love it." Amy smiled sweetly at her and kept the bags on the coffee table where Amy noticed Jake's wallet and car keys were kept and decided that he must be already home and hopefully resting in their room, but she knew better. She knew how sick he was but then he was Jake, he doesn't rest until he is finished with his work. So, she just simply decided to check on him and make him take his medicines.
She expected him to be sitting with his case files open in front of him and reading them all over again when she opened their bedroom door, but instead, he was fast asleep wrapped in his blanket like a burrito and his medicines were on the side table indicating he took them already. He was slightly wheezing in his sleep which worried her but she was relieved at least he decided to get some rest after all these days.
Vanessa came to her side and whispered "Is daddy asleep?" to which Amy nodded down at her. Then she again whispered, "I am sleepy too." And before Amy could say anything Vanessa climbed on the bed and lied beside Jake making her mother smile. Two minutes later Amy climbed on the other side of the bed and hugged her husband from behind.
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A few hours later Jake woke up to find his daughter asleep snuggling up beside him and as he slowly refocused from the haze of sleep, he smiled at her sleeping form.
His little girl.
He tried to get up but felt something holding him in place, so he looked behind him to find Amy asleep too, with her arms wrapped around him. His heart melted then and there and he thought that he was ready to fall ill every day if he could get to relive this moment. At this moment he thought that he couldn't love his family more before he noticed a sheet of paper on the side table and carefully without disturbing Amy and Vanessa reached out to it. Which he soon came to realize was a small get well soon card Vanessa made for him with most of the paper covered in various doodles and different colors, with a big bold 'Get well soon Daddy' written in the middle of it.
He had to admit that the handwriting matched his own. Jake laughed at that but also smiled fondly. His heart was bursting with love for his little family when he felt a moment beside him followed by a soft kiss on his cheek, he soon realized that it was Amy who was looking at him with her cute smile on and Jake could swear that he was in heaven.
