"Detective Halstead. Nice to see you", Jay was greeted by his sons class teacher.

"Terry went outside to the playground with his class. Mrs. Merwick decided to spend the last hour before the start of the holidays there."

"I'm just getting back from work. I wanted to pick up my boy to take him home. My wife is still at the station and I have to prepare some things for our trip to northern Wisconsin that starts by tomorrow", Jay explained, after entering the empty classroom of the elementary school.

"Oh, nice. By the way: Terry is talking a lot about you."

"Oh, hopefully only good stuff", Jay greeted the class teacher who smiled at him.

"Definitely. Let me show you something", she searched for a paper on her desk, giving him a small sheet of paper that made him smile.

"I gave them the task to write about their future plans. Most oft he kids wanted to become a firefighter or a doctor, but Terry chose to be a cop like his dad. But I think it's not only about a job. It's more about you. It's a long essay about your work and you being a role model", she smirked.

"He must be really proud of you."

"Can I keep that?"

"Of course."

Thats when the bell rang and a bunch of fourth graders entered the room.

"Hey, Dad", Terry called his father proudly without wasting time to introduce Jay to his whole class.

"Well, guys this is my Dad. He's a chicago police officer."

The kids applauded before they grabbed their bags, happy and excited for the days off.

"Come on, let's get you home, buddy", Jay took Terrys school bag, before they drove to their house.

"Mom is stuck with some files, so it's gonna be late."

Terry became quiet and it took some time until he started another conversation.

"Dad?"

"Yeah?"

"Can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"I heard uncle Alvin talking to grandpa. He said that mom had a rough life and a hard childhood. How did he mean that?"

Jay swallowed hard, while carrying the groceries inside the house.

He said nothing, started to fill the fridge before he took Terry on his arms and put him on the kitchen table, so he was able to look him in the eyes.

"Listen, you have to know something special about Mom. Grandpa Hank is not her real Dad and not your biological grandfather. He took your mom in when she was 14. She lived on the streets before, because her own mother wasn't able to take such a good care of her. She was a street kid. This is when you have no home or no place to sleep. Her real Dad had to stay in prison, because he was really violent and bad, especially to your mom."

Terrys eyes widened in surprise.

"So grandpa Hank worked as a cop and he saved her. She was mixed in a lot of bad things, so she was able to start a new life then. And that's what she did. She became a detective to fight for her city. To make it some kind of a better place."

"Really?"

"Yeah, but this has to stay between you and me, buddy."

"Of course. Pinky swear."

"You got it."

Jay looked outside the house.

"Hey, how about you're helping me with some construction work on the garage later? I could use a hand?"

"Okay."

Jay turned on the TV when the phone rang. It was Atwater.

"Hey, I wanted to ask you about something", he took the call, not assuming that he made a terrible mistake.

Meanwhile Terry tried to explore the garden on his own.

He liked to help his Dad, so he thought about doing him a favor by starting earlier.

Minutes later a blood curling scream filled the whole area…

CPDCPDCPDCPDCPDCPDCPD

"Terry?"

Jay ran outside like a maniac.

The first thing he recognized was his kid sitting in the gras, looking like a ghost at his hand that was covered in blood.

He also held his head and whimpered in pain.

"What the hell happened?"

He already started to cry, his lips trembling in shock.

"I don't know… I wanted to help… I…. started the sawing machine and then I fell."

Jay felt his own knees giving in. The kid was bleeding like hell. Obviously he was in a very bad condition.

"Come on. We have to get you to med", he took the grade schooler in his arms and ran in the kitchen to grab his car keys, before he put Nate on the back seat to start the engine of his SUV…

CPDCPDCPDCPDCPDCPD

"How is he? Is it bad?", Jay whispered after Will joined his little brother in the waiting area.

"Do me a favor and take a deep breath. I don't want to have a second family member in the ER", Will Halstead told the younger Halstead before he continued speaking.

"He accidently cut his arm and needs stitches. I know you look like a butcher right now but it looks more terrible than it really is."

Hearing his kid crying from next door, Jay looked up alerted.

"We are going for a CT scan on his head, but first we need to get his wound clean."

"Can I stay with him?"

"Do you think you're ready for it? You look pale, buddy."

"Will, he's my son. I have to."

"Come on. But watch out if you got circulation problems. I've warned you."

Nervously Jay entered the room, where his son way lying on the examination table, screaming while two nurses tried to keep him calm.

Dr. Rhodes looked up to Jay in confusion.

"Can you sit here and hold his head? Keep him as calm as possible."

"Daddy", the 4th grader cried, while Jay stroked circles on his forehead.

"Shhh… I know. It hurts. But it's gonna be a okay. We're here to get you some help, okay?"

"Awww", he cried, so Jay touched his other hand.

"Listen, buddy. Dr. Rhodes is going to stitch your wound. It's like ripping a band-aid of. It hurts first, before it gets better. If you feel the pain coming, you have to squeeze my other hand. Alright?"

Jay wasn't lying. Terry screamed that loud, that even Maggie on her desk was able to hear it.

Thats when Jay started to feel horrible. His kid went through hell but there was nothing he could do. Just staying on his side to soothe him as good as possible, while holding his hand when the wound dressing was put on his injury and Rhodes started to stitch it.

It was a long procedure with a lot of tears and pain.

At the end Jay felt much more worse than a week full of work at the station.

Exhausted he wiped the sweat from his temple while the nurse helped his crying boy to get up from the table.

"All done."

Still crying, Terry spreat his arms to show that he wanted tob e hugged.

Still wearing a shirt that was full of blood, Jay lifted him up, so the little boy was hiding his face on his chest.

"We have to make a CT scan. If that turns out fine, you can take him home."

"Okay", Jay agreed with Rhodes explanation before he carried his son to the neighborhood room..

CPDCPDCPD

"His head looks good. No serious injuries. You can take him home. Looks like you can drive to northern wisconsin tomorrow. But you better watch what you're doing next time", Will explained to his brother, rolling his eyes.

"Normally you should be the one that tells other parents to keep an eye on their kids. Now it's the opposite. Crazy", Will warned his brother, before he gave him some tablets, identified at ibuprofen, in case the injury would start to hurt again.

"Don't tell Erin. Please. Not the whole story. She's going to kill me."

"Do what you have to do. But be lucky. Usually it had been a case for DCFS."

"What?"

"Jay, you can't leave a kid at his age on his own. This could have end really bad."

"But it didn't. He was in the garden. He just wanted to help me."

"You know what I mean", the doctor said, when Nate entered the room, a spiderman figure in his right hand that he must have gottenn from one of the nurses.

"Can we go now", he begged with puppy eyes, what made Jay to get up from his chair.

"Of course, big guy."

Following the whole hospital procedure Jay rolled Terry outside in a wheel chair before he lifted him up to carry him to the car.

He groaned, allowing himself to fall backward to the seat after he closed the doors.

Thoughtfully he watched his son from the interrior mirror.

"Buddy, helping me didn't mean to become a handiman and to work on your own", Jay started the conversation noticing that his sons eyes were filled with tears.

"I just wanted to make you proud. You should be happy to see that I finished some work when you came outside. I accidentaly fell from the roof, right into the sewing machine.

"Terry, I am proud of you. There is nothing you have to prove. And you know that you're not allowed to use some kind of equipment like this. It's really dangerous."

„I'm sorry", he cried horrofied. Thats when Jay couldn't take it any longer. He got out of the car, crawling to the back seat where he pulled his youngster into a hug.

„Never do something like this again. Promise me", he said, what he confirmed by nodding his head.