"Welcome home!" Everyone shouted as we walked into the hall. I burst into tears straight away and hugged Jay. Florence ran straight to Connor and then Hank. Jay rubbed my back gently.
"It's okay." He laughed.
"Sorry.." I smiled. I went and hugged everyone talking to the people I missed the most. It was a very emotional atmosphere. I felt like this was where I belonged. Home. I was home but at the same time I missed Long Beach, I missed Ant. I missed the people and the places I spent in and around when I was staying in LB. We made the gathering in the hall a massive party, we had a lot of people there, drinking. Everyone was drinking and messing around. We took photos and we made sure it was a good night.
*
We'd been home 2 weeks. Everything seemed to of gone so quickly. Florence was 6, me and Erin had been married nearly 10 years. I'd got a busy year coming up. Erin was in line for a promotion at work and Erin had decided she was going to put everything into having a baby. She was going to try and get pregnant. She accepted the chances were low but she had her plans. I promised her I'd stick at her side and we would try our very hardest.
"Florence get ready right now." I shouted.
"No."
"Flo don't do this now. Listen to your dad and get yourself ready." Erin shouted. Then with that Florence began getting herself dressed and ready. I smiled and hugged Erin as she come in and sat on my lap. I gently kissed her head and watched as she looked down like something was bothering her.
"What's wrong?" I smiled.
"I really don't think we can have another baby." She bit at her bottom lip somewhat nervously.
"Let's get you back to work. It's been over 3 years since you last stepped foot in that building and your replacement has left so we are 1 man down." I kissed her cheek once more before we both stood up and my mum turned up to collect Florence for school allowing me and Erin to head to work. It was clear she didn't want to go back that much but it was the best thing for her. I needed to get everything back to normal for her. At the moment this was just as alien as when she went to Long Beach.
**
I sat in my office and awaited their arrival. My phone buzzed a few times.
'Hank, please just allow her to act normal. Treat her normally, she needs everything to be as normal as possible because she isn't coping. J x' I chucked my phone in my draw and went out to the others.
"We're going to take him down today?" I tapped the photo of the guy we wanted to talk to. He was our suspect for murder and rape. He was a serial rapist who had been using different items in the rapes to mutilate and cause horrid injuries and deaths to young girls all over the city so it was about time to take him out and luckily Erin was the right person to do it. She was tough enough to do it. It would be a good way to welcome her back into work.
They walked in halfway through the briefing and Erin smiled nicely as she sat down in front of us.
"So in short terms, we are taking down this serial rapist and murderer who's been targeting young girls in the city. Erin you take the lead?" I smiled.
"Yeah of course." She smiled.
"You sure your ready?"
"Yep." We exchanged a small smile again and then everyone got ready to go out. We went downstairs and got ourselves ready to go out when Jay grabbed her arm.
*
"Erin please. I'm begging you be careful." He smiled.
"Jay. I'm ready to do this. I'll be fine, everything will be fine. I love you and I'll see you on the other side. Partner." I smiled as I kissed him gently. He nodded and got kitted up. Hank come running downstairs.
"Guys we've just had a call. There is a new girl who's willing to talk about it. We will go to the suspect's house and investigate and Lindsay you okay talking to the victim?"
"That's why I'm victim support so yeah I'll be fine with that." I smiled. I grabbed my gun and the other stuff I needed before heading out to the car. Jay went with Antonio and I prepared myself for this tough day back at work. I was ready but could I really be bothered? Not particularly. There was a lot on my mind right now, I wanted a baby, I was ready to have a baby but my body wasn't agreeing. I wanted things to be normal again but they weren't and that was off putting for me. I pulled up at the victims house and knocked on the door.
"It's Detective Lindsay." I called with another knock before I was let in.
"Hello.." She smiled nervously. I explained what I was going to do before we sat down at the table and went through the photos and I let her pick one out. She seemed very agitated and she kept looking around but why wouldn't she be nervous? She was looking for her rapist? It wasn't pleasant. Just as she went to say something someone grabbed my head and pushed a cloth against my face. I tried to fight back but I was getting weaker and my sight was going. I kept fighting back until I went so weak I couldn't hold my own head up.
*
We watched that house for about a hour to see if anyone come out of it and they didn't.
"Lindsay isn't answering her phone or radio." I sighed.
"Jay she's dealing with a rape victim. Come on mate she won't."
"No Hank. I've called a code red to her and still she hasn't answered. She shouldn't of taken a hour."
"Okay well when we finish up here we will swing round and take a look." He smiled.
"Thanks boss." I nodded. I looked down at my phone and saw my background a picture of us both with Florence from a few weeks ago at that party. It bought back a lot of good memories.
*
My head was banging, then I realised my hands were tied and I was gagged. I managed to stand when the door opened and he come in.
"Oh your awake already. God look at that beautiful face of yours." He smiled in the most disgusting vulgar tone. I tried to scream for help but I made little squealing sounds instead. I was literally crying as he opened this draw and got out a tray of kitchen knives and different weapons like that. I began breathing heavy and edged myself back against the wall as he come closer with a knife in his hand.
"Oh you are beautiful." He smiled. I screamed as best as I could when he grabbed me and pushed me onto the bed. I closed my eyes and continued to fight as best as possible but at the same time I knew I had to give in because there was no more I could do. He ran his fingers through my hair and across my face. I looked down and noticed how he'd taken away my gun and my radio as well.
"Oh yeah sorry I took away your weapons. Don't want anything getting in my way." He laughed, he began to fiddle with my jeans and my belt when I jolted back and head-butted him. He grabbed the knife off the side and held it against my neck. I still tried to fight my way out of this but it wasn't working. I was becoming weaker.
*
"She wasn't raped. I think she's working for him."
"We need to get to that house now." I shouted. Antonio put his foot down and we followed everyone else to the house. Erin's car was still parked outside 2 hours after she first arrived here. We approached the door which was heavily locked. I took no time in booting that down and running in. Everyone followed behind me but I went straight for the bedroom and after a few kicks put that door through too. I pointed my gun right at his head. I saw Erin crying and tied up and gagged next to him. He pushed the knife closer to her neck so I pushed the trigger. His blood and brain matter splattered up the wall and over Erin but I ran over to her and untied her and hugged her straight away.
" Promise me one thing. Never go in without back up again." I smiled gently.
"Yeah."
"I mean it, like not even to give a parking ticket." I kissed her head gently before she got up and grabbed her gun and radio back. She come into the living room with us where Adam had the so called victim in cuffs.
*
I approached her and she couldn't even look at me. I grabbed her face with a rather tight grip.
"You vile human." I spat as she looked at me in pain from my grip. "I fucking hate liars." I let go of her and turned round to walk before turning back to her and giving her the hardest right hook I've ever given. Jay took her out to the car as I followed him out and was passed over to the hands of the paramedics.
"What happened?" I began to zone out with that question. I wasn't really sure.
"I was drugged with a cloth. When I woke up I was gagged, tied up and nearly sexually abused." I sighed.
"Is there a chance you could of been abused when you were drugged?"
"Quite possibly. I'm not sure, I was out for quite a while so anything could of happened." I nodded trying to accept what I was hearing.
"Can you take her to the hopsital, rape kit and overall health check please? One of our men will be along soon to bring her back." Hank smiled as I was escorted onto a ambulance and given a tinfoil blanket for some reason. I was in shock right now and all I could feel was his blood running down my face and neck.
**
2 hours in that hopsital before Jay come to pick me up.
"Was you...?"
"No. All clear. He didn't do anything but I want to go back to work and finish my shift please?" I smiled. He nodded gently.
*
She come back up to the office from the locker room, she'd showered and got changed when she sat at her desk and filled out the paperwork regarding the case from today. I smiled at her and she just nodded. Hank was watching her from his office door and the entire office was silent and watching her. I think the biggest regret of my life was leaving her to attend that call without backup.