Wasted

Sergeant Platt stood before Lauren, her stubby fingers pointing in all directions as she continued to yell, glaring into the depths of her soul. Her ponytail was swishing with every word she spoke and her expression was one of complete and utter rage. Her wide eyes searched over Lauren's face, and when she realized the girl hadn't listened she sighed.

"Evans?"

Shaking herself out of her stupor, Lauren gave the woman a remorseful smiled. "Sorry, I kind of zoned out for a minute."

"I said how are you gonna get any work done with your hand mangled like that? And stop drawing those pictures, try to be a little more professional."

I answer phones and escort people up the stairs, how professional can I be?

Lauren shrugged lightly, her mind drifting back to the dream she experienced the night before- oh the sweet dream. Her ears perked up with her smile as the troubles of the day floated away.

She no longer remembered the angered pedestrian who clamored in earlier, her hair wet with puddle splash or the helpless old man who continuously complained about the loud neighbor kids who insisted on keeping the volume on their 'musical machines' louder than he liked.

The only thing she was thinking about was-

"EVANS," Platt roared. "Get a grip, or get lost. We can't have you daydreaming on the job."

"Yes ma'am," she answered quietly, her hands clasped behind her back. "I'll get back down to the desk, then."

Lauren sauntered down the flight of stairs, her cares as far gone as one could imagine. She sat down onto her chair with a bounce, scooting close to the surface. When she opened the top desk drawer to find her sketch book missing she frowned slightly.

She continued searching, heaving each drawer open. When she reached the last compartment she whispered, "Who would get my-"

"Book?" Voight finished, holding it by the spine. He emerged from the stairs, his jacket limply hanging around his forearm and shrugged. "I was curious about what you were drawing so I snagged it last night. Hope you don't mind."

A twinge of anger burned in her chest but she quickly doused it, remembering that he had given her a rent-free place to live, food and saved her from a thug in the days before. She simply bit her lip and began to take calming breaths, closing her eyes to imagine her dream.

The moon's rays shone around them like a sea of sliver, creating a passionate atmosphere for the lovers basking in the night wind. The man lovingly wrapped his arms around his woman, holding her as tightly as possible, shielding her from the world's harsh ways.

"Laurie," his voice was tender, "there's nothing in the world I want more than this."

"Lauren?" She was shaken from her daze by Voight's gravelly interjection. She snapped her eyes to his hurriedly, her cheeks tinted a shade of red from letting her muse drift so far. "Sorry, I was," she paused to gather her thoughts, "somewhere else."

"I can tell," he responded, bobbing his knees a bit. He held his hand out, palm up and said, "Let me see your hand."

She slowly unwound the bandage covering the wound, letting the blistered skin breath for the first time since morning. The cooling breeze coming from underneath the door soothed it slightly. Voight walked closer, squinting his eyes as he examined the damage- she hissed when he poked lightly at one of the puffy patches of flesh with his finger.

"You need to get some more antiseptic on it when you get home." He locked his jaw and nodded, "dinner was good last night."

She quietly thanked him and carefully wrapped her hand once more. "Voight?"

"Yeah?"

She sat straighter in her seat as she puffed her chest out in valor, "Justin told me about your wife," she admitted cautiously, "I'm really sorry to hear about it. And I understand that you don't want me-"

"Drop it," he said sternly. "You know the rules, and I expect you to follow them as long as you're under my roof."

She nodded, "I know, and I will. But I think I can help Justin."

"Help him?" He said angrily, watching as she nodded slowly. "And what's he need help with, exactly?"

"When my parents died I was angry. Very angry."

Voight's eyes widened so faintly that if Lauren hadn't have been so close she too would have missed it. Lauren fidgeted under his intense stare and glanced up the stairs where a group of officers stood watching. She breathed in soothingly and continued."I blamed everyone for it, and I didn't move past it until I realized how wrong it was to pin an accident on the world- on God."

"He hasn't healed from it yet," she said softly. "And neither have you."

Voight said nothing, he simply sped up the stairs, taking them two at a time, and never looked back.



Erin watched the two interact and knew that something explosive was bound to take place. Hank wasn't one for people prying into his personal life, he liked to hold people at arms length- at least until they managed to wiggle their way under his skin, but Lauren seemed to open up her heart to everyone.

She knew the girl wasn't trouble, she had that whole innocent look about her, but something she couldn't put her finger on stood out from the others she'd met- from the others Voight took in. Something about her draws people in and holds them close, almost like a mother would.

What she saw in Lauren Evans was what she wished to see in herself.