Chicago United

Chapter 1: Checking In

A/N: Tuesday's episode of Chicago Fire was awesome and I thought it would be cool to write a story about the aftermath of the episode and how the rest of the Chicago Family helps the firefighters through what happened to them. I really hope you enjoy this story and what's in store for it.

Disclaimer: Chicago Fire and all related characters as well as Chicago Med, Chicago P.D., and Chicago Justice and all related characters from those shows are property of Dick Wolf and NBC. I only own the plot and nothing more than that.

Summary: After Firehouse 51 has been taken hostage, the other members of the Chicago Family help them to deal with the aftermath of the events and remind them that they are all Chicago United.

Chief Wallace Boden sighed with relief as he and the rest of his department headed back inside after all of the gang members were taken away. It had been an intense day, and though adrenaline was running high and tension was still present, they still had more of a shift to run as that's what they always did. Boden went into his office to regroup and think about how close he had come to getting killed. If it hadn't been for J.B.'s quick thinking, he would have been killed on the spot. He thought of Donna and his son and how it would have felt for her to raise him alone. No, that definitely would not happen, but he tended to think about how it would feel and this was one of those times.

The phone ringing interrupted his thoughts and he picked it up. "Chief Boden," he said.

"Chief, it's Hank Voight," the gravelly voice on the other end said. "I saw what happened outside the firehouse and I wanted to make sure you were okay."

"I'm fine, thank you," replied Boden. "Were you on scene?"

"We were, but we couldn't really do anything with SWAT there," answered Voight. "If we could have, we would have been there for you guys."

"I know. Thank you."

"Just hang in there," encouraged Hank. "You guys are all tough and you'll get through it. If you need anything, don't hesitate to call."

"I will," promised Boden. "Thanks for calling."

"No problem," said Hank. "Some of my team might be by there to question you so be prepared for that."

"We will. Talk to you soon, Hank."

"Talk to you soon," said Voight.

Boden hung up and sighed. He was happy that the police department had their back and was willing to call them and see how they were doing. It amazed Boden how much everyone was so accommodating and willing to help no matter who it was. Everyone was banding together, and Boden loved it. He smiled a little and then continued with his work.

22222

Lieutenant Matt Casey headed over to Chicago Med to get his wound checked over. It had been a close call and there were still times where he thought about the possibility of being killed by one of the gang members. If Severide hadn't been there, he would have died for sure and that was something he couldn't let go of. What if he had been killed? What would that have done to Gabby? He loved her so much and could't imagine a life without her in it. He pushed these thoughts aside and focused on the task at hand.

Doctor Ethan Choi met Matt and smiled at him. "Hey, how's it going?" he asked.

"I've had worse," Matt replied.

"Pretty intense day for you though, huh?" Ethan asked him.

Matt nodded. "Yeah, seems we both know a bit about that, don't we?"

"We do," Ethan said softly as his eyes took on a faraway look and remembered how Dr. Wheeler had committed suicide. Everyone in the fire department and elsewhere had rallied with them and had helped them through this and now it was their turn to do the same for someone else.

Before Matt could say anything else, Gabby hurried over to him. "Hey, did you get checked out yet?" she asked him, her eyes filled with concern.

"I was just about to," Matt answered.

"Hey, how's J.B. doing?" Gabby asked Ethan.

"He's stable," Ethan answered. "And that other member that was treated is doing better, too. Who administered the treatment?"

"Otis did," Casey answered. "Gabby walked him through it."

"Well, he did a great job so be sure to mention that," said Ethan. "Now, let's get you treated so you can go back to your shift."

Matt complied and felt better once the wound was treated. He was told to be careful and he said that he would.

"Give everyone my best over at 51," said Ethan.

Matt nodded. "We will."

April smiled as she saw the pair walking to the exit. "Tell Kelly I said hi and I hope he's okay," she said.

"Will do," Gabby replied. She turned to Casey and smiled. "I have a feeling April's not over Severide yet."

"Maybe not, but he's pretty happy with Stella now," Casey told her. "Let's head back."

22222

Molly's was pretty crowded that night as everyone banded together for the firefighters. It was a time of celebration and reflection as they remembered just how dangerous their jobs could be. Various members of the other departments came up to them and praised them for their heroic efforts and their bravery in the face of danger.

"We deal with criminals every day in the justice system, but I don't know if I would have had half the courage you do," Peter Stone commented.

"There is danger in every profession," Mark reminded him.

"That's very true," Boden added. "The important thing is that we all band together to overcome it and unite as only we can."

"Amen to that," Sharon Goodwin commented.

"I'll drink to that," Hank Voight said as he clinked glasses with all of them.

Over at another table, Kelly, Stella, Erin, Jay, and April sat together. Kelly had heard about April breaking up with Tate and he definitely felt sorry for her and how that had turned out.

"I heard about your awesome ninja skills," April joked to him.

Stella laughed. "Yeah, Kelly was the hero in all of this and he did it well." She smiled at her boyfriend and he smiled back.

"Hey, rescuing damsels in distress is part of the job description," he said.

Stella looked mock offended. "If I recall correctly, this damsel hit that guy in the head with a gun," she scoffed.

Kelly laughed. "Yeah, you kicked some major ass out there, Kidd. Remind me not to get on your bad side."

"Duly noted," Stella said.

Jay took a sip of his beer. "You know, if you need another job, we could always use your awesome ninja skills at the department," he said.

"Thanks, but I think I'll stick with where I'm at," Kelly said. "But if you ever need a ninja, I'm available for temporary work."

Erin laughed. "Looks like all those episodes of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles finally taught you something," she teased.

"Yep, my Leonardo came and saved me," Stella added.

"Actually, I was always more of a Raphael fan," Kelly said. "I always related to him more."

Stella wrinkled her nose. "I never really liked Raph all that much. I had a secret crush on Leonardo though."

"Should I be jealous that you were in love with a fictional character?" Kelly joked.

"Nah, you're way hotter," Stella replied.

"Leo was always my favorite too," Jay said.

"My brother liked Michelangelo," April said. "It seems fitting considering how he would always pull pranks on me as a kid."

"Were you a Ninja Turtles fan, April?" Kelly asked her.

"Nah, I never got into them though my brother was shocked I wasn't a reporter like April in the cartoon. I was more of a Rainbow Brite girl and My Little Pony fan too."

This led into a discussion by the women about their favorite cartoons while the men listened and groaned a little as they discussed the merits of the Care Bears and which one was their favorite while Jay said that those cartoon bears would give him nightmares.

"Hey, they weren't as bad as Barney and the Teletubbies," Kelly said. "I will never stop having nightmares about them."

At another table, Antonio, Brett, Gabby, and Matt discussed what had happened and where they were all going from here.

"I guess life goes on, but I can't imagine how it can," Matt said.

"It's part of the job," Antonio said. "I know it will be rough going, but you can get through it."

"As long as we have people like you in our lives, we always will," Gabby said.

"Cheers to that," Brett said as they all clinked glasses.

The celebration kept on going and everyone had fun. But they all knew that life wasn't going to get back to normal too quickly and that they would need to rely on their fellow Chicago Family members to help them through this more than ever.

A/N: So glad I could get this out. As you can see, this will be a multi chapter fic involving all of the shows in the Chicago series. I also had Kelly paired with Stella because I love them so much and really am not a fan of Anna with him so that's one thing I changed. I really hope you liked this first chapter and that you'll come along for the ride because it will be a bumpy one at times. Feel free to leave a review and have a shelltastic day.