Safe Haven

Foundling

How it all started.

Empty beer bottles, empty pizza boxes and dirty laundry laid scattered around the apartment. The dirty dishes piled up everywhere in the kitchen. If you did not know otherwise, you would think a scatterbrain lived here.

The alarm clock stopped ringing as it was put in sleep mode, again and again. After all it just needed one simple press to the home button. Today was just not his day, like the day before and actually the whole last week. Erin was gone - to New York. His great love left him without saying a word about it, without a happy ending. And then his brother came, taking their mother's ring to marry Natalie. It could not be worse. The ring was meant for his great love, but of course he was happy for his brother as well.

Again his smartphone vibrated vigorously. Slowly Jay picked himself up and got ready for another day of work.

Due to the strong snowstorm and the fact that he was already late, he hurried. He parked in the CPD parking lot and was about to rush into the warmth when a soft sob caught his attention. Jay's eyes darted to some bushes where a basket laid. Curious, he went over, crouched down. As he pulled a blanket away he looked at a small child with widened eyes by what he had found.

He grabbed the basket on the left and right and carried it, together with the baby, inside the 21st district. Very carefully, he took the baby in his arms. The baby screamed at first, but when it felt the warm hand of the detective, the cry stopped.

"Who left you in the cold, huh?" Jay asked, rocking the infant awkwardly in his arms, "You must be freezing," he stated worriedly. He took the blanket and wrapped it around the baby. With the baby in Halsteads arms he made his way to the bullpen.

"Ha! For a moment I thought you had a baby..." Antonio broke off his sentence. On Halstead's arm was actually a baby, "Please don't tell me you've become a father."

"Someone has left the child in the parking lot," Jay explained.

"Oh, I'll call the DCFS," Toni said. Gratefully, Jay nodded.

"Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! Are you a father?" Adam looked at him in shock. The others also turned their attention to Jay, who laid the baby on his desk. Immediately, the baby tried to get their hands on all sorts of things and had fun with the pen, which Jay quickly brought to safety.

"A desk isn't a place for a likely 4 month old baby." Hailey said.

"Oh yes? And where should I drop the child?" Jay asked.

"Is... is it a boy or...?" Kevin was about to ask when Voight interrupted him, "Just take a look. I think the diapers can be changed on this occasion."

"No thanks," Kevin said while Hailey already took the baby in her arms and disappeared into the break room.

CPDCPDCPD

"At least we know now you're a girl," Jay smiled as Hailey changed diapers which Kim had brought.

"Does she have a name?" Hailey asked curiously.

"Not that I know." Jay swallowed hard. The child had nothing at all, which explained her origin. She would never know what her parents called her or her exact date of birth.

Jay then took the little girl in his lap and played with a teddy bear, which Kim also brought. It was a CPD teddy bear wearing a police uniform with a hat on. Jay pretended that the bear was talking to the girl. She was thrilled, giggling und clapping her tender hands together.

"What's your name?" Jay asked, though he knew that the baby would not give him an answer, "How about Charlie?"

"Charlie is a beautiful name." Kim smiled.

After a while, Antonio knocked on the open door. He was accompanied by an elderly lady.

"The DCFS is here now," he informed.

The woman came and readily took the baby in her arms. Immediately, the little girl began to cry and with her small hands tried to reach for Jay, who buried his hands in his pocket. He had known before that the girl only stayed for a few hours, but the farewell to the baby, which made him laugh, he found clearly difficult.

"Don't worry, Detective. The little girl will find a safe home." the social worker said.

Author's Note

Anyone interested in this story? Please let me know what you think!