Life is Fluid Part II

Chapter 17: A Series of Thoughts

Hank stands in the doorway, taking a deep breath as he looks towards his daughter curled up in her bed, a teddy bear clutched close to her in her arms.

He remembered when she turned 22 and told him she was getting her own place. He was disappointed in seeing her leave the nest, but understood she was ready to do her own thing. She had become her own grown woman, despite everything in her life with her mother, and was ready to move forward. He had to be supportive and do the right thing.

He had thought about changing the room up, either re-decorating or re-purposing. However, he lived alone so there was nobody that would be needing it. It wasn't like he collected anything big or much, so he did not have something to put in if he took everything out. So he left the room the way she left it when she left - the bed, dresser, and teddy bear still in place.

He had thought about throwing out the bear a couple times, but never could follow through it. Perhaps because Carmilla had bought it for her. It was a welcome home gift she had gotten Erin after she finally realised it was a good idea to bring her into their home. 

He laughs as he thinks about his widow's initial reaction to Erin coming to live with him at the age of 15. He remembered how she yelled at him for the first couple nights in how Hank had to tend for her due to still detoxing from the drugs her mother had her involved with. He remembered how Carmilla was angry with him for adding another layer of chaos to their lives on top of Justin, who couldn't seem to find his way out of trouble either. 

Ultimately, though, it was the best decision for each of them. Carmilla opened her heart up to Erin, and got to have a daughter she never thought she would. Justin and Erin formed a bond that you cannot replace, with Justin finally having someone to lean on besides his father. As for Erin and Hank, well, that became its own special bond that neither had words to describe it.

Taking a deep breath, he reaches for the pail by her bed, taking out the garbage bag and tying it up. He knew she wouldn't want to smell vomit when she woke up, even if she was going to add more to it. He also didn't want the smell reeking through the house as he put a new bag in the bin just in case.

It was turning back to leave the room that his eye caught the pill bottles and cloth that laid on the bathroom counter. It was the same sight that had been before him when she moved in all those years ago. It was the same process they had followed then, too, with Hank being there as she healed from the demons she was fighting.

It was then he looked back towards her, letting out a sigh as he thought back to the past couple of weeks. He knew Erin better than anyone in the district. Why was it Jay reaching out to her and not him? Why hadn't he noticed the true toll between Nadia and Bunny had taken on her? Why was he about to give up on her? It was Al that had called her to let her know Jay was missing, it was Jay that checked on her a couple days ago, and it was saving Jay that brought her home where she belonged.

He knew all eyes were on the unit. That was clear based on the how IAD had asked their questions and handled the scene. That was clear on how Commander Fischer had spoken to him at the scene. However, he was not about to do anything to put Erin's future in jeopardy. He was willing to risk what he had as the leader of Intelligence for her. They would have to take him down before they could touch her in his eyes.

They had done everything by the book with protocols in place for the meet, and what happened at the house afterwards. Jay was going to make a full recovery, thankfully. They also caught the bad guys in the process. The bullet to Derek Keyes was a bonus in the eyes of Hank. But what was there in that thought to make them angry with him?

He could not think about it any longer, noticing Erin twitching in her sleep before his eyes. He makes his way into the room, sitting on the edge of bed.

"Erin..." He says in a quiet voice, placing his hand slowly and lightly on top of hers, wanting to get her attention but not startle her. "Erin..." He then grips a little, taking a deep breath as he feels her twitches grow less. "That's it, sweetheart. Calm down, please..." 

"Oh I need a little, please..." She begs, eyes not even opening as she does so in not wanting to face the music of what possible time it could be. There was no way it was day time with how silent it was. What if she had only slept 20, 30 minutes? That meant she had hours to go before morning and the worst was behind her. 

"Erin, we both know that you cannot do that. It's just going to make the problem worse. You need to go through this tonight. You need to get it out of your system." She shakes her head no, as she forces herself to look towards him not believing in a million years that this request was coming from her own very lips.

"Hank, please, give me what I need...." He shakes his head no, as he brushes a piece of hair out of her face, rubbing her forehead. 

"This is for the better. You are going to thank me when we are done this tonight. You need to do this for you, Erin. You need to get better. You need to turn things back around. You need to feel better so you can take care of Jay...."