Hello everyone! Long time, no write. I'm sorry for disappearing again. I'd like to thank Sarah (quesera1) and Raman (Halsteadpd) for the group chats and for kicking my butt into gear on this chapter and this fic in general, and for being so supportive and pushy when I needed it most.

As some of you might know from tumblr I gave up on CPD, but I'm back with a new chapter and I sure hope you enjoy it. Please let me know what you think. I apologize in advance for any mistakes. As you know, it's been a while and I'm a bit rusty at fic.

Disclaimer: I do not own or have any affiliation to Chicago P.D., its writers, characters, cast or crew.

XXX

The afternoon was running slower than usual for Intelligence so everyone was using the downtime to get caught up on paperwork. Jay was reaching for another case file when his cell phone started vibrating on his desk. He picked it up when he saw that it was his brother calling.

"What's up, Will?"

"Have you talked to Erin?" Will asked from the other end.

"She was asleep when I left her this morning. I texted that I was here at the district. Why?"

"She just walked in the ED with her mother. I think she's in labor and this Bunny woman is adamant on staying, saying her first grandbaby is coming and she wouldn't miss it for the world. Get your ass down here and use the sirens, man. I don't think that kid of yours is going to wait much longer."

"Damn it! Keep her away from Erin. I'm on my way," Jay told his brother before he hung up. He stood so quickly from his desk, he made his chair roll back and slam into the filing cabinets behind him. He stuffed his phone in his back pocket and reached for his keys.

"Jay?" Hank called as he stood in the doorway of his office.

Jay grabbed his jacket and looked at his sergeant. "You and me, we gotta go."

Hank nodded and turned back into his office for his own jacket.

"What's up?" Hank asked as they took the stairs two at a time down the back stairwell towards the roll-up.

"I'll explain on the way, but I'm gonna need your help with something," Jay told him.

"Name it," Hank said as the pair got into the 300. Jay switched on the blue lights on the dash and the wail of sirens followed seconds later.

XXX

Erin was laid up in a hospital bed, legs bent at the knees, breathing heavy and clutching her stomach. The pain hadn't subsided, it had only gotten worse, and she wasn't sure how much longer her baby would want to stay inside of her.

She breathed through what she assumed was another contraction as her mother walked into the room.

"I need Jay right now," Erin said through clenched teeth.

Bunny held up Erin's cell phone in one of her hands. "I tried. Him and Hank aren't answering."

"They always answer. Try again," Erin said.

"I can try, but I can't do much if they don't answer their phones honey. Looks like it's just us for now," Bunny told her, a wide grin spread across her face.

"No, I want Jay. I don't want you in here, not for this. Especially not this," Erin said. A thin white sheet covered her body, and as pain ripped through her, all Erin could do was fist the soft material tightly in her hands.

"I'm all you have right now. Better me than all alone, right?" Bunny smiled again.

Erin shook her head. "I want you to leave."

Bunny shook her head and leaned against the wall with her arms crossed over her chest. "I'm not going anywhere."

"Get out!" Erin shouted at her.

The door to the room flew open and a slim, dark-skinned nurse walked in wearing purple scrubs. The woman looked at Erin, then Bunny, and then back to Erin again.

"What is going on in here? What's with all the shouting?" The nurse asked.

"Please get her out of here," Erin begged, tears in her eyes now.

The nurse turned to Bunny and nodded towards the open door. "If she doesn't want you in here then you've gotta go, ma'am."

Bunny shook her head with her arms still crossed in front of her. "I am her mother and she is in labor. I am not leaving."

The nurse pointed to the machines next to Erin's bed, both beeped and chimed continuously. "You hear that? Those are heart monitors and you're stressing out both of my patients, so you either leave on your own or I'll have security help you."

Erin looked between the nurse and her mother, a stare down of all stare downs taking place, and then saw a head of dark red hair enter the room.

Erin breathed a sigh of relief. "Will! Thank god! Please call Jay and tell him where I am."

Will shook his head as he walked towards Erin's bedside. "I already talked to him. He should be here any minute."

"What?" Erin asked, confusion in her voice. She looked at her mother. "You said they weren't answering."

Bunny shrugged. "They didn't!"

"Did you even call them?" Erin yelled.

Will stepped closer to her bed and stood in front of her view of Bunny. "You've gotta try and relax, alright?"

"Get her the hell out of here," Erin demanded.

Will nodded and turned around to face the dark blonde behind him. "You need to leave. Now."

Bunny threw her hands up in the air and took a step forwards, standing between Will and the door. "What part of I'm her mother and I'm not leaving are you idiots not understanding?"

"You're no mother of hers."

It was Jay, voice lined with hatred and red-faced angry as he stood in the doorway.

"Jay!" Erin cried out. Tear tracks down her face now, and still holding on through her contractions.

"Don't worry, I've got her," Hank said, nodding at Bunny as he appeared next to Jay.

Jay stepped into the room and pushed past the woman as he made his way towards Erin. His lips landed in her hair while both of her hands latched onto his arm.

"Bunny Fletcher," Hank announced, pulling an envelope from inside his jacket and handing it to the woman. "This is an order of protection which states you are not to be within 1000 feet of Erin Lindsay, effective immediately. You either leave this hospital right now and stay away from her or you can ignore the protection order. I assure you, nothing would give me greater pleasure than slapping some bracelets on you and dragging you off to my district."

Bunny yanked the envelope from Hank, tearing it open and reading it quickly. She looked back up at Hank with glaring eyes while he stared back, unblinking and stoic.

"You think you're so high and mighty with that little badge clipped to your waist, Hank, but one of these days you're going to get what the hell you deserve. You're no saint and you never will be no matter how much you try and make up for what you've done. I only pray I'm there to see it all come crashing down on you because we both know that it will sooner or later."

Hank hummed, a smirk playing on his lips, and stepped to the side as he gestured towards the door. "I could say the same about you Bunny."

Bunny grabbed her purse, stuffed the paper inside, and looked in Erin's direction once before glaring again at Hank and leaving the room. Hank followed her out; he'd make sure she left.

The nurse turned towards Erin and offered a smile. "Let's check out you and that baby, ok?"

Erin nodded, released Jay's arm, and he took a step back so the nurse could look her over. The nurse checked all of Erin's vitals and quickly analyzed the data that came from the heart monitors in the room. The beeping and chiming had slowed down significantly since Bunny had left, but Erin's chest was still rising and falling rapidly and her hands were shaking as they rested in her lap.

"There's an on-call doctor on his way since I can't be involved in the delivery. Conflict of interest," Will told Erin and Jay.

Erin only nodded as she breathed through another contraction. Jay reached for one of her shaking hands and squeezed tightly, reminding her that she wasn't alone.

The nurse turned to Will and he could immediately tell something wasn't right. "Heart rates are both elevated Dr. Halstead. Erin's is slowing down, but the baby's is showing signs of severe distress and BP is climbing. We've gotta get him out and we can't wait, but she's not dilated enough and inducing will take too long."

Erin's eyes grew wide and she shook her head, feeling another batch of tears pool in her eyes. "No! No, it's too soon. He can't come now. He's not due for another month. It's too soon!"

Will looked at the nurse, trusting her judgment and experience – she'd been at Med for nearly a decade. He sighed. "Page the OR. Tell them to prep for an emergency cesarean."

"Yes, doctor," the nurse nodded quickly and left the room.

Will turned back around to face his brother and Erin. He was met with nothing, but worry in their eyes and knew what he was about to tell them would only cause more of it.

"She's right, Erin. Your heart rate is too high and the baby is in distress. We knew that a premature birth was likely given the circumstances of your first trimester, but we were prepared to deal with that. I'm sorry guys, but we shouldn't wait."

Erin shook her head, but remained silent as tears continued to fall from her eyes. Jay squeezed her hand again and nodded at his brother.

"I'll give you a few minutes alone," Will said before he walked out of the room and closed the door behind him.

Erin tried to take a few deep breaths, but a strangled cry came out instead.

"I'm sorry Jay," Erin whispered, unable to look at him.

Jay looked at her, shocked at her words, and reached for her hands. "Babe, what the hell are you apologizing for?"

Erin pulled her hands away and shook her head. "It's my fault. I should have been better. I shouldn't have – "

"Erin, it's Bunny's fault that we're here right now, ok? Not you. I don't blame you for any of this. If anyone should be apologizing it should be me. I shouldn't have left you alone after she cornered you yesterday. That woman's unstable."

Erin brought a hand to her face to wipe away the tears that wouldn't stop falling. Jay took the opportunity to grab her free hand and held tight to it as she tried to pull it out of his grasp.

"Please don't push me away again," he begged her with a cracked voice and tears of his own clouding his eyes.

Erin swallowed back a lump in her throat and dropped her hand from her face. She finally made eye contact with the man by her side as more tears filled her eyes.

"She just showed up at the apartment," Erin started, "She kept trying to apologize and I wouldn't let her, and she just wouldn't go away. The baby started kicking really hard and then there was a lot of pain. She drove me here. I didn't know what else to do. It just hurt so bad and I knew something was wrong."

"I should have been there. I'm so sorry," he told her again.

Erin shook her head. "It's not your fault either. I'm just glad you're here now. It's too early though, Jay. What if something's wrong with him?"

"He's gonna come out perfect just like his mama," Jay told her before he leaned down and kissed her on the forehead.

"I'm scared," Erin said quietly.

"It's gonna be okay," Jay said.

"You don't know that. You heard what everyone said before and with everything I was doing in the beginning, what if – "

Jay shook his head and squeezed Erin's hand. "Whatever happens, I'm right here with you. I'm not going anywhere, ok? I love you."

Erin nodded, trying not to cry anymore, and squeezed his hand in hers.

There was a quick knock then and the door opened, and Will walked in. "The other doctor is here. We ready to have a baby?"

Erin blew out a breath. "As ready as we'll ever be. Thank you, Will."

Will nodded. "You got it. I'll let them know you're all set. Good luck guys."

"Thanks, Will," Jay called to his brother.

"I'll see you guys in a bit," Will told them before leaving the room once again.

XXX

Once they'd prepped her and Erin had heard the words "in and out in two minutes if we need to," and "safest option for the baby," she was sold on the idea of a cesarean delivery. She just wanted him in her arms and breathing and safe so she signed the consent form for the emergency C-section. She was laid on her back on a bed in an operating room and there was a blue sheet blocking her view of what was currently happening over her belly.

Jay sat by Erin's side, making sure to squeeze her hand every few moments to remind her that she wasn't alone. She squeezed back, eyes closed and trying to block out the bright lights above her, and the sounds of surgical tools and medical jargon that surrounded her.

Erin couldn't believe she was here. That she was about to become a mother in a matter of minutes and that she'd finally be holding her baby soon. She'd thought about this moment so many times since finding out she was pregnant – how it would all feel, what her baby would look like. She kept an image of him in her mind, but with each day that passed she was sure the picture she'd created would never come close to the real thing.

Erin felt a tug from somewhere, but couldn't quite place it. It was an odd feeling, one she was sure she'd never felt before. She felt it again a moment later and then a lot of pressure followed immediately after. She was told she wouldn't feel the procedure happening and she couldn't; she had no feeling below her chest save for the pulling and pushing around her belly. She took a few deep breaths as she had been instructed to by a nurse right before the procedure had started.

There was another wave of deep pressure and then she heard the words, "baby's out," and she felt tears leave her eyes that she hadn't even noticed were there. There was a slight commotion, the clang of more tools, and then she heard "need suction" and "not breathing."

Erin's eyes snapped open and she felt Jay squeeze her hand.

"Jay," she barely squeaked out.

"I don't know," he whispered, knowing what she was asking, and gave her hand another squeeze.

Each second that passed felt longer than the ones before, and Erin couldn't think of anything worse than not knowing what was happening around her. She couldn't see Jay anymore, didn't feel any of the tugging and pulling in her stomach. All she could think about was seeing her baby and every view of doing that was blocked from her position on the bed and she couldn't move.

And then she heard it. A wail so loud and screeching, but Erin swore to herself she had never heard anything so heavenly before. Her eyes closed at the sound of it, not believing what she was hearing. There was another squeeze of her hand and she squeezed back as she opened her eyes. She stared up at Jay and saw that he was crying too, and smiled up at him.

Jay leaned down and kissed her forehead, whispered "I love you" and then she saw the same nurse in purple scrubs from earlier.

"Congratulation! It's a boy. There were some complications – the baby wasn't breathing for a few minutes after delivery, but everything seems ok now and the rest of the procedure went well. He's breathing relatively well on his own for being four weeks early so we're going to keep a close eye on him. The doctor is delivering the afterbirth now," the nurse explained.

"But he's gonna be ok, right?" Erin asked.

"Yes. So far, so good. You've got a tough little guy over there," The nurse told them, smiling wide.

Erin wanted to see him and hold him and cuddle him, and tell him how much she loved him, but she still couldn't move and it was starting to frustrate her.

"I wanna see him," Erin said, looking up at the woman with hopeful eyes.

The nurse nodded. "I promise you can see him soon. We've gotta get you stitched and cleaned up, then get you to recovery first. Your son will be moved to the NICU for premature babies and we'll bring him to you after recovery."

Erin sighed, but gave a short nod and looked back at Jay as the nurse stepped away. "Can you see him?"

He chuckled at her impatience, but understood. He wanted to see their son too. He leaned down and stole a quick, sweet kiss from her lips. He pulled away just slightly, not giving her time to kiss him back, and whispered, "I love you so much."

Erin smiled up at him again. "I love you, too."

"We're gonna have to actually name him now though, you know?" Jay teased. He knew they hadn't even come close to deciding on one yet.

"I guess Baby Boy Halstead is just gonna have to do for now," Erin told him.

Jay grinned at her and kissed her again.

XXX

About an hour and a half later and Erin still hadn't seen her son, but Jay had been with her the entire time, refusing to leave her side and meet their son without her. She had been cleaned up, stitched up with dissolving stitches, and had spent the last hour in a recovery room. They had finally gotten her into a room of her own and a nurse had just told her they were bringing in the baby.

"You should call Hank and tell him," Erin said from her spot on her bed. She'd been instructed to stay lying either on her back only slightly propped up or on her side. They had set her up on a catheter since she couldn't walk on her own quite yet; if she moved too much too soon, she could tear the incision in her abdomen.

Jay nodded at her suggestion and took his phone out of his back pocket to dial his sergeant. It barely rang before Hank answered.

"Jay, how is she?"

Jay smiled. "She's good. They had to do an emergency C-section, but she's fine and the baby is here, and he's fine. We're in a private room now and they're about to bring him in finally. Erin wanted me to call you first."

"That's great to hear. Congratulations! I'll tell everyone the good news, but I'll make sure they know to hang back until tomorrow. We'll give you guys some time to yourselves," Hank said.

"Thank you, Hank," Jay told him.

"Of course. Tell Erin I love her, ok?"

"I will. We'll see you tomorrow," Jay said before disconnecting the call. He set his phone down on a small table next to the bed and looked at Erin.

"He said congratulations and he loves you and he'll stop by tomorrow. He'll also tell everyone the news, but make sure no one bothers us until tomorrow," he told her.

Erin smiled and nodded, but didn't move too much more as she stayed propped up against the few pillows behind her. It was quiet in the room, almost too quiet, and Jay reached for one of her hands.

There was a knock and then the door opened. They saw it was Will, but he quickly lost the couple's attention when they saw the bassinet on wheels in front of him.

"I've got someone who wants to meet you guys," Will said quietly.

Erin wanted to sit up further and moved the slightest to do so, but one stern look from Will told her not to even try any further. She felt her heart speed up and her hands started to shake. She had to remind herself to keep breathing as Will moved closer towards her bed.

Then she saw him, her baby boy, swaddled in a white and blue blanket with a light blue cap covering his head. He was small, that was the first thing she noticed, and she figured he would be. She been told he was all, but six pounds when they weighed him. Pink skin and round cheeks, but he looked so soft and she couldn't wait to touch him. His eyes were closed and she prayed to any higher power that was listening that they'd be that perfect mix of blue and green like Jay's were.

Erin reached an arm out towards the bassinet and felt a squeeze on her other hand. She turned her head slightly and found Jay's eyes.

"Let Will give him to you. I don't want you hurting yourself," Jay told her.

Erin nodded and looked back at Will, watching on as he took another step so he was as close to Erin as he could be. He set the bassinet beside her bed and then reached down for his nephew. He smiled at the infant, happier than anything for his brother and Erin, and lifted the little guy into his arms. He held him for only a few seconds before he placed the baby in his mother's arms for the first time.

Erin was sure she stopped breathing then as she fumbled with her hands and arms to make sure she had a good hold on her son. Her son. He was finally in her arms and he was alive, and he was okay. He was perfect and she felt tears in her eyes immediately. She blinked quickly, forcing them to fall, and stared down at her baby boy. She kept him snuggled against her with one arm and lifted her other hand to touch his cheek. Softer than silk. Erin knew right then that how absolutely in love with this little person already. She was so completely in love with her son. She didn't ever think it was possible to love something so much.

Erin stared down at her baby, not noticing the movement around her, until she heard a camera clicking. She looked up and saw Jay with his phone aimed at her and their son. She smiled so wide and looked so beautiful in that moment that he had to snap another photo. She was completely in love with him, too.

"You wanna hold him?" She asked him.

He smiled back at her, but shook his head, surprising her and causing her to tilt her head to the side and raise an eyebrow at him.

"This is your moment and it's beautiful, and I wanna keep watching you a bit longer. I'll take my turn soon," he told her.

Erin's grin widened, if it was possible. They were so in the moment they hadn't even realized Will had left the room, leaving the new family to themselves. She quickly glanced down at the baby in her arms and then back up at Jay.

"I was thinking about names earlier and I think I've decided what I want," Erin told him.

Jay smiled. "Yeah?"

Erin nodded.

"Let's hear it."

"William Henry Halstead."

Jay groaned teasingly and rubbed hand over his face. "You wanna name him after my brother? Is there something you're trying to tell me?"

Erin chuckled and shook her head. "William means strong and he's a strong little guy. Henry for his grandpa because without him, I might not be here right now. I might not have ever met you. And Halstead for his daddy who is everything and more."

Jay grinned at her and leaned in to press his lips against hers. When they separated a moment later, he raised a finger in the air. "One condition."

"What's that?"

"We are not calling him Will," Jay said.

"I was actually thinking we could call him Liam," Erin told him.

Jay smiled, a teasing smile growing on his face. "It's perfect. Now we've just gotta do this parenting thing for the rest of our lives. You up for the challenge babe?"

"As terrified as I might be that I'll screw him up somehow, you know I wouldn't wanna do this parenting thing with anyone else. I love you a lot, Halstead," Erin said.

"I love you a lot too, Lindsay. And I've got your back, always."