Bless the Broken Road that Lead Me Straight to You

Chapter 1

"One more bite of oatmeal, Mads." He was rinsing his coffee cup in the sink and stowing it away in the dishwasher, and was turned away from his daughter. But like every other morning, he knew she had likely finished every piece of fruit on her plate but had eaten only half of her oatmeal.

"Daddy, I don't even like oatmeal." Four year old Maddie whined to her father as she took another apple cinnamon flavored bite.

"Yes," he turned around to face her, "You do. And it's good for you." He walked over and dropped a kiss on the top of her blonde head. "You need to eat healthy if you want to go big and strong like Daddy, right?"

"I guess," she pouted. "But I like pancakes so much better."

"I know you do, baby." Every time he gave her those puppy dog eyes, he saw her mother reflected in them. God he missed her so much. "But, guess what tomorrow is?"

Maddie thought for a moment, and then upon realizing what day it was, her whole face lit up. "Saturday!" She shouted excitedly.

He finished cleaning the kitchen as he spoke to her, and he packed her lunch in her pink princess backpack. When he was finished, he walked over to the chair she was sitting in and lifted her up into his arms. "And what's so special about Saturday, Mads?" He asked her, already knowing the answer.

"IT'S CHOCOLATE CHIP PANCAKE DAY!"With Maddie in his arms, her voice was so loud it made him jump. But he didn't care. He loved pancake day just as much as his beautiful little girl did. Spending the morning lazily drinking coffee, eating pancakes, and playing games with his daughter was his favorite way to spend a Saturday. It would be his favorite way to spend any day for that matter, but he didn't have that luxury. Maddie went to a good preschool, and they lived in an apartment in a good school district, since she was getting ready for kindergarten next year. Jay was raising a four year old, and he needed to work.

Speaking of, "Put your coat on, Maddie Halstead. You have to get to school, and Daddy has to get to work."

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"You ready to talk about it?" Hank Voight sat in his kitchen drinking his first cup of coffee of the day, looking across the table at his unexpected, but very welcome visitor.

"Not really," Erin replied, looking down into the steaming mug of coffee Hank had placed in front of her. She had spent the night in her old room, needing to escape her apartment after the awful events of last night. She hadn't slept well, she had been playing it over and over in her head all night and it had caused her to toss and turn.

"You don't have to," Voight knew Erin. After taking her in at 15 years old, and raising her with his late wife, he had learned when to pry, and when to let things sit. Today, he was going to have to let things sit. "You know you are welcome to stay here as long as you want, kid."

"Thanks, Hank." Erin closed her eyes and let the scent of the strong coffee wash over her, calming her. She took her first tentative sip, and judging it to be the right temperate, took another, longer one. She let the coffee settle in her stomach, wishing the caffeine would instantly enter her system. "I should probably get going, I have to get to work."

"I'll see you for dinner?" He had seen the large bag she brought with her, had noticed that she had already taken over the second bathroom upstairs, and she hadn't repacked any of her stuff. He knew this was her unspoken way of telling him she planned to stay for a while.

She looked down at her coffee again, embarrassed that he saw right through her. "Yeah, I'll see you for dinner."

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