One of Your Own

Chapter 1

The four twenty-something's walked into a little card and gift boutique. The few customers in the shop stopped and turned around to stare. These guys couldn't possibly be more out of place. This was a nice little community, the neighborhood was changing, and for the better. Young, up and coming professionals were moving in to the renovated homes and apartments. They still retained the historic feel of the 1940's and the 1950's, but every modern convenience was there. The streets were lined with trees and expensive automobiles.

But these guys were a joke. Dressed in expensive Italian leather jackets and wearing huge gold chains…they looked like rejects from "Jersey Shore".

They fanned out around the store…looking things over…pointing and laughing loudly at some of the expensive trinkets in the display cases…calling everyone's attention over to them. Then one of them…a short, dark, barrel chested guy, reeking of cologne and with enough product in his black hair for ten people, came up to the register.

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"Who's in charge here?" he asked. He sounded like he had just stepped off Arthur Avenue in the Bronx…or at least he was trying to.

The college age girl at the register rolled her eyes…and pressed a buzzer under the counter. A minute later a tall man in his forties wearing a casual…but expensive…button down shirt and jeans came out of the office.

The girl nodded toward the "customer".

"Can I help you?" the man asked.

The guy turned around…and his posse moved in from the corners of the shop.

"No…but I can help you."

The owner removed his designer eye glasses…and studied the guys in front of him. It was like a bad joke. He wondered if he was being punked.

"You got a nice little place here…" the guy went on. "Lotsa pretty little things…you wouldn't want anything to happen to 'em. There's all kinds 'a low life's in 'dis city."

Like the four staring the man in the face right now?

"We have a security system, thanks." The man said.

"Security systems…dey got flaws…dey ain't perfect. What I'm offerin'…is like a neighborhood watch program. Ya know…neighbors helpin' neighbors."

"I think we've got it covered…"

The man turned to go back to his office.

"You might wanna think it over. Bad things can happen to anyone. And for a reasonable monthly fee…I can guarantee nothin' bad's gonna happen to you and your place of business here."

"Look…Mister…"

"You can call me Nicco…Nicco Suave."

Oh, dear God…this guy was too much.

The man cleared his throat. He doubted he was gonna be able to say anything without bursting out laughing.

"Look…I'm going to ask you to leave…before I call the police."

"Youse makin' a big mistake…the cops, dey can't be everywhere. An' we got eyes and ears all over the city. We know what's goin' down before the cops can even finish they doughnuts." Nicco said in his best "Bronx" accent.

Apparently nobody told him people don't really talk like that…at least not in Chicago.

"I'm not gonna ask you again. You and your friends need to leave…right now. And don't come back."

The owner was losing his patience.

"Get the hell out of my store!"

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Down at Station 51, Severide was pouring over travel sites on his tablet.

"Hey…" he said to Shay as she passed by his chair…"What do you think about this one?"

He handed her the tablet…

Shay scrolled through the pictures of the Caribbean resort.

"Looks like the place you took her for your fifth anniversary." She said with a shrug as she handed the tablet back.

Kelly slumped in his chair…deflated.

He and Alyssa would be married ten years in June and he wanted to mark the occasion with a special trip. Just the two of them…no kids…someplace warm…someplace tropical…and romantic.

Hawaii was out of the question. It cost way too much. He had thought about Tuscany…but again…with three kids, that was too far out of his price range. He considered a cruise…but he didn't think Alyssa would want to be floating around the ocean, totally out of touch with the kids. He'd heard the bill for a ship to shore phone call could rival the National Debt.

So he was looking at all-inclusive resorts.

"Kelly…whatever you pick, Alyssa will love." Shay told him.

"I just want it to be special…" he grumbled.

"I'm sure it will." She said.

He started another search. Maybe the Virgin Islands…

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A call went out to an address in the Irving Park area…

Squad rolled up a few minutes behind Truck 81 and they saw the little shop engulfed in flames. Whatever it was…it was pretty much gone…now the focus was going to be on saving the structures next door.

A late model Mercedes came screeching to a halt just beyond the fire trucks…and a man with short, dark hair and glasses…probably around forty-ish jumped out. He was wearing his pajama bottoms and a t-shirt with a leather jacket thrown over the top of it. He had his bedroom slippers on.

Chief Boden caught him as he ran toward the burning building.

"Sir, you can't go there…you need to stay behind the line!"

Severide heard the man's anguished cry…

"That's my store! That's my business!"

Kelly recognized the sound of that voice. It was the sound of a man who had just lost everything he had worked for.

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"Daddy!"

Maggie Grace popped up off the floor in that weird gravity-defying way babies do and ran to Kelly the minute he opened the back door.

"There's my princess…" Kelly said as Maggie crashed into him with all 23 pounds of her and threw her little arms around his legs.

He scooped his daughter…and kissed her chubby little cheeks and breathed in the scent of strawberry baby shampoo. Maggie laid her head on his shoulder and snuggled against him, her silky soft baby curls tickling his neck.

He carried her into the kitchen where Alyssa was just taking a breakfast casserole out of the oven.

"Perfect timing…" she said with a smile as she set the baking pan on the stove to cool.

Kelly leaned down to kiss her.

"Good… 'cause I'm starving."

Lyssa's brown eyes twinkled as her smile got even bigger. And Kelly felt his heart begin to race.

After ten years…she still had that effect on him.

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"Why don't put the princess on her throne…and I'll fix your plate?"

"Deal…" he said…as he gave her one more kiss.

He took Maggie to the table and set her in her new pink booster chair. She loved to sit at the table like a big girl. After all…she was going to be two in a few months.

Alyssa set a plate heaping with scrambled eggs, sausage, turkey bacon, mushrooms, onions and cheese down at Kelly's place. She popped the toast up and immediately spread it with butter. She brought it to him, then fixed Maggie's little princess plate with a few bits of egg, a few bites of sausage, two little triangles of toast and some cut up melon. She poured some milk in a sippy cup…and a glass of orange juice for Kelly.

She sat down to join them, and Kelly started to shovel in the food his wife had placed in front of him.

"Are you okay?" he asked Alyssa.

"Just a little tired. I think Maggie's back teeth are coming in…she was real fussy last night."

"Maybe we'll all have to take a morning nap…"

"Rough night for you too?" she asked.

Kelly shrugged.

"Had a call out to that neighborhood they're rehabbing just west of here…you know, where all those snooty little shops are?

"Yeah…I know which ones you're talking about. They're not far from the store."

"Well, this…I don't know…gift shop…it was a total loss. The owner came running up…the guy was a wreck. I felt sorry for him." Kelly told her.

"I can imagine…all the hard work you put in to opening a business…I think I know the one you're talking about. I think I went in there once. Cute stuff…way too rich for my blood, though."

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Maggie was making slurpy noises as she shoved the last piece of melon into her mouth.

"Mo'!" she said, pointing to the empty section of her plate.

"Make those eggs and sausage disappear…then you can have more melon." Alyssa told her.

Maggie turned to Kelly…and looked at him with those big teal blue eyes.

"Mo'?" she asked.

Kelly shifted in his seat. Maggie knew how to push his buttons.

He swallowed the bite of egg in his mouth.

"You heard Mommy…first eggs, and then you can have more."

Maggie gave him a look, trying to see if there was any wiggle room there…then she grabbed a piece of sausage and shoved it into her mouth.

Kelly breathed a sigh of relief. And Alyssa chuckled softly.

"Good job, Baby…" she told him. "Stay strong…"

That was a running joke in the Severide house. How do you spell Daddy? S-U-C-K-E-R.