The Long Haul

Chapter 20

Jay had spent another night with barely any sleep. He'd done another deep dive into the depths of the internet, desperately seeking out advice on what to do next. There were a lot of tips out there, but there was no play book on how to deal with a rebellious sister moving in with her older, previously distant, brother after he found their father was possibly physically abusing her. There was no webpage for that.

He knew something had to change, but he didn't know where to start. As he got ready that morning, he put it out in the world that he would take any sign it would give him at this point, because he was at a complete loss.

At the precinct, the Intelligence Unit had caught another case and were knee deep in some investigative work. The others had headed out to follow up on a lead, and Antonio had volunteered that he and Jay would stay back to look into some records research. Jay had been surprised by the suggestion, but he didn't fight it and Voight accepted, knowing that Antonio must have had a reason.

Antonio had noticed how distracted Jay had been the last few days. While it hadn't interfered with his detective work, Antonio was starting to worry that soon it would. He'd brought Jay into this unit and had the opportunity to watch him grow - and he was damn proud. As Jay took on this new responsibility, Antonio wanted to find a way to support him.

Once the others had left and they'd reached a point where they could pause for a minute, Antonio casually approached Jay at his desk. "Everything okay? You seem off today."

Jay hesitated for a moment. Normally, he'd brush it off and assure everyone he was okay. But this was different - this whole responsibility of his sister was weighing on him and while Jay wasn't one to ask for help or advice regularly, maybe this was the opening that he needed. He looked up to Antonio, and he was raising two kids himself, so if Antonio was opening the door for a conversation, Jay decided to embrace it this time.

Jay exhaled, rubbing his temples. "It's Alex. Ever since I started making her come in after school, things have been... tense. I don't know how to get through to her."

Antonio clapped a hand on Jay's shoulder. "Teenagers are tough. Eva's gone through pretty rough patches, but she always comes out on the other side. And given everything Alex has been through...just give it time."

Jay nodded, taking in his advice but it was hard to swallow. Time felt like a luxury Jay didn't have. Every passing day, he was scared that she'd go off the deep end into something dangerous, and he was well aware that as the days passed, the rift between them seemed to grow, leaving him feeling more and more helpless.

Antonio chuckled as he saw the hesitation on Jay's face. "I know it's the opposite of our day to day, huh? We're always working against time to get answers, to fix problems. But this is different - remind yourself of that. It's not a case you have to solve today."

Jay truly soaked in the words and let them process. Cases needed to be solved as fast as they could...but his sister...she needed time to adjust, to get her footing. And it just fucking sucked. "You're right, man. It's just...hard," he confessed, silently thankful that nobody else was around. "I feel like she resents me for it all."

"Adjusting to a new life, a new guardian? It's a lot for anyone, much less a teen. From what you said, she was basically on her own with your dad, right? No rules, total freedom, and now all that's changed. I'm sure you can relate on some level, you know?" Jay's brows furrowed, not sure where he was going with this, but Antonio continued, "Going from civilian life to basic training had to be a big shift in rules and structure for you back then, I bet."

"Are you saying that living with me is like being with a drill sergeant 24/7?" The pull at Jay's lips clearly showed he was joking, even though Antonio had a very valid point.