Life is Fluid Part II

Chapter 3: Erin's Reaction

At the instruction of Commander Fischer, Erin sat in the room adjacent to where she had just fought off Aaron and shot Derek. 

She couldn't bare to glance towards the room, not wanting to relive those moments in her mind. It was way too many thoughts for her to begin to process at once. From her fear for Jay's well-being, to how Aaron had pinned her down on the ground and she was moments away from possibly being killed, it felt a little too close to home with the recent events surrounding Nadia. 

A pair of internal affairs officers had sat down with her, along with Hank who was not leaving her side. He knew there was always someone in the ivory tower wanting to bring down Intelligence, mostly because they didn't believe Hank deserved to be running the unit after his wrong-doings. 

He didn't need Erin crossing paths with one of those officers and they take it out on her. It would be the worst time for them to do that, considering the number of other factors. She wasn't even supposed to be on duty right now, having taken a leave of absence. Sure, he had given her badge back to her that morning, but no paperwork or official reasoning on record could lead to questions. 

There was also the fact the last time Hank saw her, Erin was drinking her sorrows away at a bar her mother worked at. He knew from Erin's past stumbles and times with her mother that normally it was not just drinks involved. She had also admitted to him about taking drugs another night before this. What if she was still taking drugs? What if she was still under the influence of something? That would be the end of everything for all of them. 

Just as Commander Fischer had required upon airiving at the scene and seeing the state of things, Erin retold the full account of what happened. She broke down how the meet came together, and what happened at the initial meeting. 

"Jay wasn't there with them and I was willing to do whatever it took to rescue my partner," Erin states, her eyes falling to the ground as she does so. She was the extra set of eyes that were missing yesterday. She would have been in a different spot ready to act or do something when things went haywire. She could have stopped the kidnapping from even happening to begin with. Jay would not had to endear everything he had if she had been doing her job, instead of trying to drown her sorrows away. 

She retold how they arrived at the house, and she carried the box of files into Derek's office. She told the officers how she and Jay were not allowed to leave until they were checked. Derek's men discovered they were fakes, and were unhappy with that. She repeated Derek's words in how upon discovering that, he ordered his partner to kill both her and Jay.

"He told him to kill Jay first, and make me watch," she repeated the words, trying to erase the lump that formed in her throat as she did so. She knew there would be no coming back if she had to endear that. 

She recalled the struggle in detail, in how she took the first shot at Aaron with Jay somehow fighting off Derek. She recalled how he got the upper-hand to force her onto the ground, leaving her no choice but to stab him relentlessly with the carbon fibre shank to save her life. She recalled how she got her hands on the gun just in time to stop Derek to stop him from going after Jay once again. She recalled how she took another shot when Derek reached for the gun on the table.

The agents thanked her for the time she spent, while repeating a full investigation would be conducted to ensure these were the true events. Until it was complete, she would be placed on paid suspension. If it went smoothly and it was indeed self-defense, she would be cleared and that would be everything. However, if something was found, she was warned of possible further things to come.

As soon as the all-clear was given, she made her way out of the house and headed down the driveway. She wanted to get as far as she could from the scene, not wanting to replay the moments that Aaron held her down anymore in her head. What if he had gotten the upper hand? What if he had done something else? What if she hadn't been able to get away? What if she was dead?

She wanted to get in the car and get out of there, but her feet stopped suddenly in seeing Jay sitting at the back of the ambulance. She scanned every inch of him from where she stood. Her heart broke in seeing that precious face of his bruised. She hated to think of his eye swelling up, blocking those crystal eyes from looking back at her own. She knew he was trying to not show it, but the bits of skin that showed beneath his blue shirt were covered in bruises...

"You okay?" She asks having caught his attention in standing there staring for at least two minutes. So much for escaping without a word said and getting this behind her.

"I'm just glad that it was you they sent in," he answers sternly, as he finds himself analyzing her. He could care less about the blood that soaked her shirt. He just found himself looking into her eyes. He wanted to see whether it was his true partner that was there. He wanted to see if the girl he saw in those eyes a couple days ago was gone. He wanted to see whether the real Erin Lindsay was there.

"I got to go wash this off." 

She then darts away from him, slower than she had wanted to in her mind, not knowing what else to say or do in that moment. Maybe it was because of seeing him in pain. Maybe it was because of what she went through just moments before. Maybe it was because of the time recounting the details. Maybe it was because of headache that was coming on. 

But she found herself leaning against Hank's car, vomit rising in her throat as everything from the past couple months hit her at once.