A/N: After Wednesday's Chicago PD and that promo for the crossover event, I got this idea in my head but wasn't sure if I should go through with it. But when I read the press release for the Chicago Fire episode of the crossover, I decided to start this. Let me know what you think! :)
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
Outside of Chicago Med, Matt's POV:
"So are you ready for me to kick your ass in this race?" Gabby asks me, smirking as she finishes tying her shoes. Today was the day we've been looking forward to for awhile. About a month and a half ago Gabby got asked if she could volunteer at a charity run for Chicago Med, and happily agreed. When she told me about it, I had also volunteered to help out the hospital. After all, I wouldn't be alive right now if it weren't for their surgeons.
The plan for today was that we would run the race, then help other people finish it as well. After that we would try to bond with some of the kids with disabilities, and let them know that they weren't alone in whatever they were fighting. I was excited, Gabby was excited, and today was going to be a great day.
"Babe, please, you have no idea what you're up against." I tell her, shaking my head as I return the smirk.
"Oh c'mon Matthew Casey, you're not fooling anybody." She says playfully, smiling as she pokes me in the chest.
"Oh, you just wait until I leave you in the dust." I tease, smiling as I playfully nudge her.
"The day you beat me in a race is the day I'm ninety and can hardly walk." She laughs, shaking her head.
"Oh yeah?" I chuckle, wrapping my arm around her shoulder and leading us further away from the hospital and closer to the starting line. "Well when you're ninety, that means I'll be ninety-three, so the only race we'll be having is to the fridge leaning on our walkers for support."
"Is that so?" She smiles, looking up at me as we walk. "And you think I'll still want to be with your lazy ass when we're that old?" She teases, her arm looping around my waist.
"Oh babe just admit it," I smile, looking down at her. "You can't stand to live without me, I'm irresistible."
"You just seem to be getting cockier and cockier as the days go by," She replies playfully, smiling as we reach the starting line.
"Not cocky," I correct her, smiling. "Just confident." I wink at her and she laughs at me, shaking her head as she moves herself out of my hold. I laugh softly to myself as we both start stretching ourselves out, thousands of people surrounding us doing the same.
"Attention, everybody, please get in your positions," A voice says coming over the bullhorn. "We'll be starting the race in a minute."
"I'll see you on the other side, Casey," Gabby says, winking at me as she gets in position to start the race.
"In your dreams, Dawson," I smile, shaking my head at her as I also get in position.
Then it happened. The unthinkable. A big blast sounds from behind us, and on instinct I duck and cover my head, making sure Gabby is alright in the progress. People start screaming and running, almost trampling over me. I reach for Gabby's hand and she meets me halfway, and together we stand up to see what happened.
"Oh my God," Gabby exclaims breathlessly, both of us observing the scene. The hospital, that once stood peacefully behind us, now had a noticeable chunk missing out of its side and had flames shooting out of its windows that still held their place. "Is this...is this what I think it is?"
"A bomb," I say, confirming her suspicions. I look at the scene of terror in shock, refusing to believe that this was actually happening.
"We have to go help those people," Gabby says, already making her way against the crowd and towards the hospital.
"Gabby, wait! There could be another bomb!" I shout after her, but she either doesn't hear me or ignores me all together. I sigh deeply to myself and run after her, soon closing the distance between us. We both stop when we reach the actual scene, and begin searching for a victim in critical shape.
"Over there," Gabby suddenly says, pointing towards a man screaming helplessly on the ground. We both run to help him, kneeling down once we reach his side.
"Help me, you gotta help me, my leg," the man pants, his hands gripping his right leg. Gabby looks down at his leg while I try to keep the man calm, assuring him he'd be okay.
"Hey man, what's your name?" I ask, scoping out any other possible injuries he might have.
"Who the hell cares?!" He snaps harshly, followed by an agonizing scream in pain. "Just help me!"
"Look man, I'm not asking you your name because I want to be best buddies, I'm checking your mental status, so tell me your name." I say calmly, pulling back his eyelids so I can check his pupils.
"Eric, my name is Eric." He says, a bit more calmly now. "How's my leg?"
I look over at Gabby, and she shakes her head a little at me, letting me know his leg has no chance of being saved. I sigh softly before looking at Eric again, holding his face in my hands so I know he's paying attention to me.
"Listen to me Eric, alright? You're going to be alright, we're going to get you out of here and you're going to be fine."
"Why should I believe you?" Eric says, his voice noticeable getting weaker. "You're just some stranger who came here to run a race."
"I'm a Lieutenant with the Chicago Fire Department and my girlfriend here is a paramedic, we've seen a lot of stuff like this before and a lot of guys injured just like you. You're going to fine, okay?" I assure him, looking back at Gabby who is trying to stop the bleeding in his leg using her jacket. I look around us, at the screaming people, collapsing hospital structure, the blood sprayed on the pavement and the dazed faces of bystanders in shock.
"Help, somebody help!" A woman screams, waving her arms as she hobbles out of the hospital.
"Babe, I'm going to go see what's wrong with her, you got him covered?" I ask Gabby, turning my attention back to her.
"Yeah, go," she says, nodding as she puts pressure on Eric's leg. "Just be careful, alright?"
"Always," I promise, nodding to her before standing up and running after the woman.
"What's the matter ma'am?" I ask the woman, putting my hands on her shoulders to try and steady her. She must have gotten caught in the explosion. Her clothes are torn, her red hair is a mess, her skin is covered in dirt, and she has several small lacerations, but other than that she's fine. She got lucky.
"My husband is trapped underneath a big slab of concrete and he can't move, please help him!" She exclaims, tears clearly visible in her eyes and panic obvious in her voice.
"Okay, just tell me where he is and I'll-"
I'm cut off by another blast. This one sends me flying backwards, and suddenly I'm not aware of anything surrounding me. My ears ring violently and my head pounds like crazy, and then I feel my back hit hard against the pavement with my head quickly following suit. My whole body hurts. I can barely think straight. And if I do happen to come across a clear thought, it's of Gabby. My brain isn't comprehending anything around me. I feel like I'm alone in a painfully bright room, my only company an annoying buzzing sound. And then everything goes black.
Gabby's POV:
The last thing I remember is talking to Eric, trying to slow his heart rate down so he would stop bleeding so heavily. Then another explosion sounded from directly behind me, and I was blown forward. My body made contact with the hard ground soon after, and I had tried to make sense of what just happened, but I couldn't. My arm killed, my ears buzzed, my head pounded, and my vision was going blurry.
I try to lift my head up, but it makes my neck hurt too bad so I quickly give that up. I lay face down on the pavement, trying to move my eyes around to see what was going on.
I could vaguely see people sprinting, some heading as far away as possible from the explosion and some running towards the chaos.
Either way, I wasn't entirely focused on them. I searched the scene for Matt, clinging onto the hope I'd find him in the midst of all of this. I had to make sure he was alright. He was heading towards the hospital when this happened, and this explosion must have come from inside it again.
He had to be okay, right?
I keep trying to assure myself of all of this, but when I feel myself getting light headed, I don't fight against it. I rest my head on the cold pavement and surrender myself towards the darkness.
Firehouse 51, Shay's POV:
"Hey Shay, where'd you say Dawson and Casey were today?" Herrmann wonders, sitting next to me at the table with a coffee mug in his hand.
"They're volunteering to help out at a charity run at Chicago Med," I tell him, keeping my eyes on the crossword puzzle I was determined to complete.
"Unbelievable," Herrmann mutters, shaking his head.
"What?" I ask, briefly looking up at him.
"Well damn, can those two get anymore perfect? Seriously, both of them are attractive, bad ass but with a good heart, great together, and now they're volunteering at hospitals? I just can't compete anymore." Herrmann sighs, shaking his head as he stands back up. I chuckle at him before returning my attention back to my crossword puzzle.
"Leslie Shay," A familiar voice says from the doorway, and I turn my head towards the person, a bright smile already on my face.
"Hey Raff," I greet, smiling as I get up to hug her. "You're Dawson's relief paramedic?"
"I sure am," she nods, hugging me back. "I hope that won't be a problem."
"No, not at all. I'm happy you're back." I say sincerely, my smile unmoving.
"Truck eighty-one, Squad three, Ambulance sixty-one. Engine fifty-one, Battalion twenty-five, two bomb explosions at Chicago Med. Be aware, multiple casualties." The PA system announces over the speakers.
My smile is instantly replaced by a look of worry, and I rush off to the ambulance, almost running into Kelly as I run around a corner.
"That's where Casey and Dawson are," He tells me, stating the obvious as I run with him towards the apparatus floor, Rafferty on our heels.
"I know," I say worriedly, sharing his look of panic. We were worried for our best friends. Our best friends, who were supposed to get engaged soon. They had their whole lives ahead of them, and if this ended that, I don't know what I would do.
Once we reach the apparatus floor, Kelly heads towards the Squad truck and I rush for the ambulance, quickly getting in and turning the lights on. Once we get moving, I can sense Rafferty's eyes on me.
"Hey," she says softly, her voice soothing. "I'm sure they're alright."
"Yeah, I hope so." I say, feeling my face drain of color.
District 21, Antonio's POV:
I lean back in my chair, observing the quiet room. I had just finished my paperwork for our last case about a big bank robbery, and instead of jumping out of here, I decide to relax for a couple of minutes. Across from me, Sumner was also doing her paperwork, scribbling down her words hurriedly on the paper. Next to me, Erin was reading something, probably her paperwork to make sure she had no errors. In the corner of the room, Ruzek and Olinsky both work on their computers. Before I'm able to turn my head towards Jay, the door of Voight's office opens and he walks out, taking a deep breath.
"There have been reports of two explosions at Chicago Med where a big charity run was taking place." He says, causing me to sit up in my chair. The others look up from their work, their interest peaked. Then it clicks in my mind. Gabby was there with Casey, volunteering.
"How bad?" I ask, standing up and swallowing nervously. I expected the worst.
"I don't know," Voight shrugs, sighing. "The guy on the phone just told me the scene is total chaos and there are multiple casualties. We need to go check it out, so let's go."
I could feel the color drain from my face. Multiple casualties, which had to mean there were several fatalities. Any of them could be my sister.
Everyone else starts scrambling, pulling their jackets on and putting their guns in their holsters. But I could only think of Gabby. If she was dead...I don't know what I would do.
"Something wrong, Dawson?" Voight asks, his raspy voice bringing me out my nightmare.
"Yeah…" I say unconvincingly, trailing off as I also get ready.
"Do you know somebody there?" Jay asks, looking over at me unsurely.
"Yeah, Gabby and Casey are there, volunteering." I say, swallowing once again as I pull my leather jacket on.
"I'm sure she's alright," Voight tells me, and I don't fail to notice how he leaves Casey's name out of his reassurance. If it were the other way around, I doubt Casey would care about Voight's well-being, either.
I just nod at him, and start my way downstairs with everybody else.
In the car on the way there, I stare out the window and let my worries for Gabby occupy my mind. I tap my foot nervously on the bottom of the car, taking deep breaths every once in awhile. Voight says nothing, knowing not to promise me anything if he's not certain of it.
"So are Casey and Gabby together now or something?" Voight wonders, breaking the silence.
"Yeah, they've been going out for awhile now." I answer, my eyes still focused on the window.
"Casey still hate me?" He asks, which makes me turn towards him.
"What do you think?" I ask, probably coming off a little more harsh than I meant it to.
"Look, I get what I did to him was wrong, but chances are, we'll probably start working with the Fire Department on this one and I need to know he and his men are able to trust me." Voight replies defensively, sighing.
"Talk to their Chief about it, not me." I mutter, staring out the windshield now.
The scene of chaos suddenly comes into view, and it feels like I'm in some sort of sick nightmare. Voight parks the car randomly, and we both get out. Screaming people littered the premises, flames roared out of the collapsing hospital, and the smell of blood filled the air.
"Now what?" I ask, observing the scene.
"Everybody except for Antonio, go around to some coherent victims and ask if they saw anything suspicious. Let's start there and we'll regroup once we're done. Antonio, ask around for your sister. Family is first. Now go." Voight tells all of us once we're all in earshot, and we all nod. Jay and Erin go together towards triage, Ruzek and Olinsky go towards the ambulances, and Voight and Sumner walk towards bystanders as I head straight into the chaos.
