Title: 60 minutes in Hell
Summary: The call was somewhat routine but the danger that awaited them wasn't. It would only take a few seconds for Severide to lose sight of Casey but it would be the longest sixty minutes before they would be reunited. What hell would both 51 Lieutenants have to endure?
Disclaimer: Chicago Fire and its characters are the property of Dick Wolfe, NBC and….well sadly not me
A/N: okay so yes my angsty muse Alice was at it again…using some news stories and her own twisted trip down the rabbit hole to get this perilous little plot bunny for you all. I know I should work on something lighter for them next! So hope you all like it and thanks!
"Casey over here!" He hears Severide shout as he squints into the smoky area and finally spies the half open window. He hurries toward it, passing up the child as he feels the heat starting to tease his back.
"Hurry its getting hot in here!"
"Your turn!" Severide offers his pat name as he extends his arms and starts to pull, Casey's frame not as easily escaping the window as the child's. "Damn it, move your legs!"
"I am! I'm stuck…damn now I'm on fire…PULL!"
"Capp, help me here!" Severide shouts as another set of arms finally Casey free and the three of them lay on the grass breathing hard.
XXXXXXXX
"Look it wasn't my fault," Casey turns and glares at Severide as they both stand before Boden after a tough shift.
"It wasn't your call Casey, it was mine!" Severide grumbles as he turns and looks at Boden; both of them looking at their superior for his input.
"I made the call," Boden states in truth.
"Chief I thought there was more time," Casey huffs as he reluctantly takes the blame.
"No one's to blame for this one. It was my call and it wasn't the best one I've made. Thankfully no one got seriously injured."
"I had already cleared the building and he went back i…" Severide's voice trails off as Boden shoots him a warning glare.
"Go home and sleep this off and let's let cooler heads prevail in the morning. Dismissed."
Realizing arguing was pointless, Casey and Severide both offer Boden a small 'okay' before they turn and leave his office and head into the hallway; neither speaking and allowing the tension to build as they enter the quiet locker room.
"You want to blame me…fine then blame me," Casey mentions as he keeps his eyes fixed on his locker door. He turns to see Severide watching him with a heavy frown before he merely shakes his head and turns back; a few seconds later his hand slamming his locker door shut as he storms toward Casey in agitation.
"The stunt you pulled today was the same one that got Andy killed or did you forget that?" Severide snaps as his finger pokes into Casey's chest.
"I remember that day just as clear as you do. I was there…I watched him die remember?" Casey counters in anger as he pulls back from Severide's accusing touch. "It was only a few seconds and…"
"A man can die out there in a few seconds! That's all it takes is a few damn seconds!"
"The door was open in a few damn seconds and we got the child out and I was the only one in any real danger!" Casey argues back.
"And that gives you the right to take those kinds of chances?"
"This coming from a man who climbed a drain pipe to rescue a raver instead of waiting for the ladder?" Casey retorts. "Don't lecture me on my actions when you're the first one to rush in where angels fear to tread."
"You know what…fine…whatever…" Severide grumbles as he pulls away and heads for his locker. "You wanna play hero in the fire and damn well get yourself killed…see if I care," he offers sourly as he leaves the locker room; Shay entering at that exact moment and looking at Casey in wonder.
"Kelly's pissed," Casey shakes his head as he reaches for his jacket.
"So I assumed…pissed about what? You two have a siblings spat?" She teases.
"Apparently he's the only one who's allowed to take chances but when the rest of us do…he goes ballistic."
"He's never had a younger brother," she smirks.
"I'm not that much younger," Casey fires back.
"Semantics," she wrinkles her nose. "He's just used to playing the big bad rescue wolf…you stole some of his thunder," she shrugs. "He'll be okay in the morning."
"Otherwise it'll be a very long day," Casey groans as he closes his locker and then heads for the exit doors, Severide's car already gone and the parking lot nearly empty. He calls his sister on the way home, wanting just to talk a bit more about their family dinner on the weekend and if either of them had heard from their mother in the past week.
Casey enters his quiet home, looking at the reno's that still had to be done but allowing his mind to wonder what it would have been like to have grown up with an older brother. "Probably always on the receiving end of bad jokes," he mutters to himself with a weary snicker as he heads for the kitchen, wanting to make himself a light meal and then literally collapse after the long trying day; praying tomorrow would be better for all of them and he could escape Severide's verbal wrath over something in reality that wasn't his fault.
XXXXXXXX
Severide watches Casey enter the next morning and gives him a small nod but remains with his team; Casey feeling the tension from across the room and hopes by the end of the day they'll at least be back on speaking terms.
"Hey…you with us today Lieutenant?" Mouch's monotone request pulls his gaze back toward his team member.
"Always," Casey replies with a small tight smile as they both head toward the breakfast lineup. Casey engages in light banter with his team; all of them stopping to offer a playful laugh to Pouch who had stolen Hermann's water bottle that he was trying to get back.
"You break it you bought it," Hermann tries to reason with Pouch.
"A bribe works better than reason, just sayin'," Mouch tosses as Hermann looks at him with pursed lips but says nothing and goes back to trying to tug the half filled bottle free.
"Yup…just like an old married couple," Mouch half yawns as he slumps down onto "his side" of the couch and reaches for the newspaper. But they don't have long to enjoy their breakfast when the overhead paging system comes to life and it's all hands on deck.
"Engine 51…truck 81…squad 3…ambulance 61…rooming house fire at the corner of…."
"Hate rooming houses," Hermann groans as they all start to grab their gear and head for their respective trucks.
"Why?" Mills inquires as they all hop into the back.
"Too many rooms," Mouch deadpans.
"Too many surprises," Hermann adds. "And these places are always fire traps," he groans.
"We have three floors and a few people still trapped inside and from what dispatch was told…not exactly five star living conditions," Casey reminds them as he zips up the front of his heavy jacket; his eyes deflecting for a moment to squad truck 3 behind them. They near the site of the fire and Casey looks at the burning structure with a small frown; viewing each call as a thrilling challenge – never daunted by the dangers that lay ahead.
"Okay we have at least 4 still inside, multiple points of entry and lots of closed doors and windows," Boden shouts.
"Gonna be hell if we vent the wrong one," Severide mentions a bit louder, his eyes locking with Casey's for a few seconds.
"Just watch yourselves in there."
"Okay Hermann…Mills with me! Cruz let's get…" his voice trails off with instructions as he watches the engine team scrambling with their ladder and hoses to get the exterior under control; Severide's team right behind Casey's as they charge for the main floor entrance.
"Thick smoke in here…and what is that smell?" Mills wonders.
"Smells like melting plastic," Hermann ventures.
"Watch the floor boards," Casey instructs. "If we apply too much weight on the wrong one we could go right through. Fire department anyone in here?"
"Fire department!" Hermann calls out as all take a few doors on the first floor and bust into the rooms.
"Just hold on! Severide…found one, north west corner!" Casey calls out.
"Seconds away!" His voice is heard in Casey's ear as Casey hurries for the window to vent it, the flames in the other room laughing at the lone fire fighter and daring him to come closer.
"I got him!" Severide mentions loudly as Casey gives him a good slap on the back and carries on.
"Hermann, you and Mills head upstairs. I'll finish down here."
"Copy!" Hermann replies as they dart back into the hallway and head for the stairs to go up.
"Fire department!" Casey shouts as he busts through another door, this one near the center of the large, dark, rooming house. Casey opens another door into a windowless room, only to be sent hurling backward by a stream of fire that had come up through the floorboards.
"Ahhh!" Casey's lips grunt as he slams into the wooden wall and then onto the floor, breathing hard.
"Casey? Talk to me!" Boden instructs.
"Chief…I'm okay…" Casey mutters softly as he looks back into the room and curses the soft stream of flames. "We need a hose in here! Something else burning under the…"
"Where are you?" Boden asks firmly.
"I see…him…" Severide squints toward the end of the hallway, blinking for a few seconds as Casey's image was there and then suddenly gone. "What the hell?"
"Kelly what is it?"
"Casey…Sir…Casey was just here and now…damn he's gone!" Severide grumbles as he races toward the space Casey used to be, ready to give his fellow 51 Lieutenant another reason for a tongue scolding but arriving at the entrance to the last room and finding it empty. "Casey!" Severide shouts into the smoky area before him. But just as he's about to take another step, his foot rests on open air and he quickly pulls back before he too is swallowed by the once invisible sinkhole.
"What the hell? Matt!"
10:00am (00:00…59…58)
Silence…darkness…pain…
"Matt!"
"Kelly…did you find Matt?"
"Sir…the ground…it's….just gone. Matt!" Severide yells into the inky blackness below as he fumbles for his flashlight. "Matt! Oh god Matt! Can you hear me?"
"Why isn't his locator going off?" Capp asks in haste as he rushes toward a panicked Severide.
"I think it's…Matt!" Severide calls out once more with heavy desperation in is voice. "I can't see his…"
"Kelly…focus. Can you see Casey?"
"I see…damn I see yellow stripes…and…Sir…he's been partially buried."
"Chief I'm on my…"
"Hermann you keep working on that fire! We have to contain it. Kelly I'm sending in…"
"Matt! Can you hear me?" Severide shouts once more as he feels Capp cinch the rope around his waist, thus enabling him to lower down to his belly and peer into the dangerous hole without falling in himself; his trust in the man holding him well founded.
"Matt…damn you better answer me!" Severide stammers as he finally sees another stripe of yellow, his mind and heart racing in frenzy as he fears Casey's now been buried alive. Oh god…please let me get to him in time!
"Kelly…is Casey alive?"
"Matt!"
10:05am (00:50…49…48)
He'd curse his foolhardy actions later…if he lived to actually get the chance to curse himself, but right now all his brain can concentrate on is trying to breathe. Where the hell…am I? What…happened?
His mind quickly thinks back…seeming himself opening the door to the small windowless room…the flash coming toward him…his body hurling backward and slamming into the charred wall in the hallway…winded for a few seconds…eyeing the flames…thinking what he sees is someone under the table and telling himself that if he stays to the right of the fire hole he'll be okay.
He remembers getting up…charging toward the room…ready to dive if necessary toward the person and then…instant panic as the ground literally melted beneath his feet; the soggy wood dissolving and pulling him into the gaping chasm without any remorse for the well intentioned first responder. His gloved hands had tried to claw at the air…his lips unable to utter even a gasp for a few seconds later…a few wooden beams…flooring…ceiling and muddy debris were on top of his chest, legs…face…busting his personal locator and ensuring rescue would be arduous.
Can't…breathe…his brain gasps in pain as he tries to get his arms to lift to his face and clear away some of the thick mud and dust. What the hell just happened?...floor gave way…damn invisible sinkhole…melting plastic…his mind quickly surmises, what would be later affirmed; that a leaking water pipe over the years had rotted away the entire wooden structure under the first floor leaving only a thin layer of linoleum between the apartment and the hidden basement below. The area he was now trapped in.
Kelly…I hear…Kelly can you hear me? Help me buddy! I don't want to die down here! HELP ME! Why can't he hear me…I can't speak…gagging on dirt…can't breathe…chest hurts…arms can't move…wait? …no just trapped…feet…I can wiggle my toes…why can't I see? Dirt?...face is turned…okay I have to do something…damn I can't move.
Kelly!
"We gotta get that fire out before we can get down there. Casey if you can hear me hold on a bit longer! Sir he's partially buried and not moving. We can't lower a rope without…I'm going down."
"Kelly…"
"No discussion sir, I'm going after Matt. Hadley I need a way into the basement!"
10:20am (00:45…44…43)
Severide had pulled himself away from the hole, the order given not to get anymore water into the surrounding area after they had put out the small stream of fire that had lured Casey to his doom not ten minutes earlier. Now with the fire out and only the rescue squad putting pressure on the already wounded floorboards; getting Casey out in time was their urgent task.
"There's no other entrance other than a small crawlspace," Hadley's voice comes to life over Severide's headset; Severide's mind trying to pay attention but his
"Okay I'm coming to you. Capp you and Jones brace up this area. No one is to take another step around here got it? I don't want anything else coming down on him. Once I get the rope on him, you pull him out! Matt! I'm coming down to you!" He had shouted that out to a fallen victim many times in the past; it was the rush of anxious adrenaline that made him love squad for the very reason of rescuing someone from a near death situation. But now…in this very moment his anxiety was different. That wasn't just any other victim, nearly buried and about to be sucked under…it was Matt…a close enough friend he considers a brother. His life was too precious to take chances with or make mistakes with. This would be hell – literally. And as he prepares to enter the evil darkness, his mind reluctantly reminds him of the last thing he said to Matt and his whole body shudders. What if he died with that last thought between them?
10:25am (00:32…31…30)
Kelly…why the hell can't…I move…better…what's on top…okay…on three…one…two…PUSH! Damn it MOVE! Can't…stuck…trapped…rope…they're sending rope…breathe...hurts…move…try harder…MOVE DAMN IT! His mind orders as his arms finally are able to move a little; his hand caked with soggy mud inside his thick gloves. The water from the team having to put out the fire a few meters away only adds to his misery as his body lays slowly sinking in the evil mire. Remain still…Kelly's coming…he'll never give up until you're safe you know that…you're in the best of hands. But…he has to hurry.
But as he feels the ground slowly churning beneath him, his mind starts to race with horrible thoughts of being sucked under and buried alive. They had all heard the news about the man in Florida suddenly swallowed by the ground as he slept and could only imagine the horror. At least he could see the lights bobbing about above him…could hear Kelly's voice and hadn't fallen any further into danger – yet. Normally falling with full gear would have been worrisome but as he feels the tank on his back braced up against some of the wooden beams he knows its one of the few things keeping him from falling through the cracks and into utter doom.
"Kelly…" he whispers hoarsely as he tries to spit out of the dirt teasing his lips and tongue. He tries to turn his head back to the right so he can at least look upright, but with the amount of dirt pushing in around him it was almost impossible to move his head and look up. But to hear that Kelly was on his way was the comfort that he took as the minutes continue to tick past painfully slow. How long have I been here? Feels like a damn eternity!
10:30am (00:25…21…23)
Severide looks at the crawlspace and literally curses; his gaze turning to Shay as he frowns heavily.
"You will get him out alive," she assures him.
"It's been twenty minutes…what if he's…oh god Shay what if I find him and…" Severide's voice trails off as he looks at Boden.
"Clear and focused. Casey knows what to do. He might be unconscious or injured. Focus and get him out," Boden instructs.
"Yes Sir," Severide mentions as he removes most everything that would be cumbersome, Mills and Hermann waiting by the mouth of the crawlspace to hand him supplies if needed; Severide only taking a rope that he could hopefully use for his team to hoist Casey to safety up top.
With a small prayer of his own, Severide bends down and carefully enters, knowing full well that with one area already rotted out from beneath them, it wouldn't take much more for the whole weak foundation to shift and take them both with it.
Hold on Matt…buddy I'm coming. You just better be alive when I get there.
10:35am (00:15…14…13)
"Matt…"
Kelly? I hear his voice…where the hell is he? It's too dark in here…well I see light overhead…I hear voices…Capp? I think it's Capp…he's so far away. I felt another slight shift beneath me and I swear I just…damn I'm too old but that was freaky to say the least…Kelly has to get here in time…he has to…he will right? HE HAS TO!
"Kelly…" Casey tries in a weak tone…his ears now picking up his friends voice but coming from a different direction. Where the hell is he? Maybe I am dead…no I can see…damn I have to try to move…MOVE ARM…DAMN IT MOVE! His brain orders his right arm; the limb desperately trying to free itself from the sludge-coated beam lying atop it. He jerks it back, feeling a sharp twinge in his shoulder, but telling himself to bite back the throb and get his damn arm free!
"Matt! Buddy I see your helmet…if you can hear me please…just say something…anything…" Severide begs in desperation.
"Kel…" Casey's soft whisper tries as his watery eyes flutter; the outside skin coated with tears, dust and wet mud. "Kelly," he finally manages with one full but labored breath.
"Matt? Say again buddy…come on talk to me…"
"Kelly…I'm…here."
"I hear you! Chief I hear Casey! He's alive thank god!" Severide shouts with a hint of hope and relief in his tone as he continues to slowly and carefully crawl toward his fallen friend.
10:40am (00:10…9…8)
"Got you Matt…I got you now, you're gonna be okay."
"Knew…you'd come," Casey's lips utter a very audible sigh of relief when he feels Severide's hand on his helmet and give it a small but reassuring tap. "Kelly…can't move my…head."
"Okay hold on…let me see…Capp how's it looking?"
"If you can clear the debris off the top of him and get the rope under his arms we can pull him out."
"Yeah the ground under here…damn it feels…like sponge or something."
"With that much water seepage over the years it probably is. Kelly…"
"I know Chief…time is of the essence here. Matt…coming up on your right…"
"Okay…" Casey lightly coughs. He feels Severide's bare hands finally touch his neck as he digs away the dirt from his neck, finally allowing his head to slowly turn to the right and look up. He starts to violently cough as dirt from around his lips and nose escapes into his mouth and slide down his throat; forcing his body to buckle and the area beneath them to shift.
"Damn Matt…you gotta hold still," Severide lightly barks and then huffs. "Sorry."
"Ok-ay…" Casey wheezes as he feels his entire frame stiffen once more.
"I have to…damn this won't be easy. Matt I gotta clear just the top debris but its heavy mud so just hang on."
10:45am (00:55…54…53)
Why does it seem to be taking so long…each minute seems to be taking an hour, Casey's mind laments as he feels and hears Severide slowly and carefully working around him. As per Severide's instructions he had to resist the urge to move around to keep them both on top of the evil mire and not sucked under. As along as he was still alert and talking he had to lie still and let Kelly do his job.
"Matt?" Severide asks firmly after a few minutes of silence. His left hand quickly reaches out and rests on Casey's cold cheek before moving to his neck to feel for a pulse; his face wincing at the fresh blood still seeping down from his forehead where the edge of the helmet had opened up a slice of unprotected skin.
"Still…here."
"Keep talking to me…tell me about your new project or something."
"Tired…cold."
"Yeah I know you are but you gotta…stay with me okay? Not too much longer okay?" Severide lightly begs as he pulls himself a bit further toward Casey's mid-section and stops, twisting his head back to see Casey's placid face, lightly coated with dirt lying peacefully amidst the dark debris.
"Hey…sleeping beauty. I ain't wakin' you with a kiss," Severide teases as Casey's lips slightly twist upward and his blue eyes flutter open and lock with his rescuers. "Stay with me," Severide orders firmly. "I need you awake if you can for the rest of this."
"Okay."
10:50am (00:44…43…42)
How much longer…Casey's mind laments in silent misery as he hears Severide chattering away about something as he works to carefully remove the last beam from off his chest. The others had been used to firm up the ground around him but with both their weight now pressing down on the shifting hole, he wondered how much time they really did have.
"Okay Matt I need your right hand to help me here okay?"
"Just…say when," Casey mutters as he opens his eyes and looks up to see Severide a few feet away now, his body parallel with his.
"When."
"Smart ass," Casey snickers before his lungs offer a dry heave. "Stop…making…me cough."
"Sorry," Severide leans in a bit closer, eyeing the crimson sludge on the side of Casey's face. "Stay with me," he whispers as he gives Casey's shoulder a firm squeeze. "Last beam comes off now. Just don't get too excited and move about. On two. One…"
"Two…."
10:55am (00:23…22…21)
What a damn relief! I can finally breathe without…oh but that hurts…what is…did I break some ribs? Maybe just cracked? My breathing isn't whistling so a lung isn't punctured...cracked? broken? Damn. His chest moves upward, the busted locater bits mixing with dirt and casing an eerie reflection to those above.
"Kelly…"
"Yeah okay so now I'm going to cut away the straps from the tank and try to loop the rope under your arms. When that's done I want you to grab the edges and Capp and Hadley are going to pull you out okay?"
"Okay."
"Here we go."
Severide takes a deep breath to steady his fingers before proceeding; not wanting to cut Casey in any way. He gently starts to saw through the thick straps holding the dented canister wedged in place beneath his friend. "You better not sneeze," Severide gently warns as he reaches over Casey's chest with his right hand and slowly starts to saw away at the last strap holding him captive. Not caring about feeling his arm starting to tire, Severide pushes on…knowing each second could mean life or death – a precious soul he wasn't going to lose before his very eyes.
"It's cut," Severide lightly huffs as he pulls back and rests beside Casey for a few extra seconds. But knowing that they were rapidly running out of time and feeling the ground starting to shift beneath him once more, he grabs the rope and looks at Casey's uncertain expression. "It's time to get the hell out of…"
"Hell," Casey whispers as Severide nods. He makes the big loop in the rope and pulls off Casey's dented helmet, pushing it aside and then carefully threading the rope over his head and then under his right arm and then his left.
"Okay before I give them the order to pull, I'm backing out of here and will see you up top."
"Kelly…"
"You're gonna be okay," Severide lightly swallows as he looks down at Casey in concern. "I swear just a few more seconds."
"No…it's…"
"I know…" Severide nods as he gives his cold hand a brief squeeze. "See you topside. Capp, wait for my go."
"Copy that boss, we're ready."
Severide feels his stomach tighten as he pulls away from Casey, his brain for even a few seconds hating to leave his friend down there in the dark but knowing that hopefully they'd be reunited in a few minutes and be on their way to the hospital.
As soon as he feels the cold air on the back of his neck and Hermann's hands pulling his boots free, he gives Capp the order to get Casey out.
11:00am (00:00…59…58)
As soon as his body had shifted around to be pulled out head first, he could feel the ground beneath him grumble angrily; upset that its latest victim was being taken away and it wouldn't get the last laugh after all.
"Pull!" He hears Capp shout as the ground around his right boot refuses to let go; the dark chasm forced to be satisfied with only a taste of the selfless fire fighter and not the whole thing; Casey not caring if he leaves a boot behind as long as he emerges from his darkened hell relatively unscathed. Which he does. Relatively.
I'm free…thank you god I'm free…Casey's mind utters in elation as he finally clears the hole as he's pulled up and grabbed by a few sets of strong arms. After he's clear of the hole, the rope around his armpits is removed he's then bodily carried toward a waiting stretcher and gently lowered down and taken outside.
"Seal this place up!" Boden demands as he nears Casey's stretcher, Severide seconds behind. "Welcome back."
"Thanks Chief."
"Severide go with him."
"Planning on it," Severide looks down at Casey's closed eyes in concern. He takes one last glance back, hearing from Capp that the hole opened further and Casey wouldn't have had a chance if they had waited any longer.
Severide wearily slides onto the bench as Casey is loaded into the back; Dawson hopping in the front and Shay sliding in on the other side of Casey, looking at Severide in wonder. Severide however, looks at Shay and then both look down to see Casey looking up at them in wonder.
"What hurts?" Shay asks with a small quip to her tone as Severide pulls back.
"I'm…okay…really," Casey replies with a dirt-caked frown.
"You better tell me or else Kelly's going to give you another big brother lecture about saving your ass again," Shay rambles on as she gently affixes a fresh oxygen mask to Casey's mouth just as he tries to say something. "Too late."
"Funny," Severide deadpans as he watches her clean away the blood and dirt from around the head wound. Severide studies his scuffed cheeks and dirty face and knows that what he pulled Casey out from, his friend and fellow 51 Lieutenant got off rather easily.
"Anything broken?"
"Not that I could feel," Shay replies as Casey nods in affirmation at the same time and then mumbles no under the mask.
"You hush I asked her," Severide lightly rebuts as Casey frowns and closes his eyes once more. As soon as they get to the hospital, Severide watches as Casey is wheeled away, taken into a small examination room and then sent for x-rays to confirm there is no internal damage.
"He's going to be fine…he's as damn stubborn as you," Shay reminds her roommate as she looks at the blood on his arm. "Who's…blood is this?"
"Huh? It's nothing…I'm fine."
"As I was saying. Come with me…now," Shay demands; Severide looking at her in frustration but saying nothing as he deftly follows her to a station so she could treat the cut on his arm he got when he snagged some rebar during the rescue.
XXXXXXXX
"Thanks…doc…" Casey lightly groans sometime later as he pulls his dirty sweater back over his freshly wrapped ribs and then happily accepts the small prescription and slowly heads toward the door to go back into the general waiting area; his leg slightly limping and his whole body just wanting to shut down on the spot.
As he emerges he spies Severide waiting with a heavy frown and heads toward him. "Save the lecture," Casey groans as he holds up his dirty hand. "I just endured hell."
"I was going to save it until tomorrow," Severide retorts lightly as he gives Casey the once over. "Anything broken?"
"Few cracked ribs, but no internal damage luckily. Few bruises…scrapes…cuts…and indigestion from the dirt," Casey mentions lightly, as they slowly head outside, both of them just automatically heading toward Severide's car; Casey easing himself into the front seat with a weary grunt. "I need a drink."
"Think you've earned that," Severide lightly goads. "Look what I said earlier…"
"We both take chances…it's the job right?"
"Right," Severide nods as they leave the hospital parking lot; Casey just assuming Severide was taking him home.
"Chief ever say what caused the damn sinkhole?"
"Water rot. I guess over the years the owner never checked the leaking pipes and since it wasn't a legal basement he had no need to go down there right? Only that little old lady lived there and then when she left a few months back no one thought to check. Good thing it was empty until now or we might have had a bigger disaster. And for the record…that was a clothing mannequin. Wasn't worth your life."
"Damn really?"
"Damn really."
"When that floor opened up…" Casey's voice dies out with a small intake of dry air as he casts a stony gaze out the window. "And I was falling…and then that stuff landed on me I couldn't move…at first…I thought I was dead."
"Yeah when one minute you were there…next gone…was scary. Can't imagine that."
"You don't want to. Just glad you were there in time."
"You're still a pain in the ass you know."
"You'd miss me if were gone," Casey tosses back with a small smile as they near his place; Severide nodding but not speaking the affirmative answer they both already know. "But it makes you think about things you've done…said and what's important…friends you'd miss and what your last moments with them were," his voice trails on as they near his home. Without too much protest from Casey, Severide stops his car in front of Casey's place and both get out and just silently head up the walk and into Casey's quiet home.
"I need a shower," Casey declares as he drops his dirty coat on the floor and mechanically walks up the stairs.
"I'll order pizza."
"Okay," Casey agrees without much fuss, not really wanting to be alone after that terrifying ordeal but not having the heart to tell Severide he just wanted to shower and collapse. It only takes a few minutes for him to shed his dirty clothes and gingerly step under the hot streams, washing away blood, sweat and dirt and feeling his mood instantly lighten. But as he looks down at his ribs, he realizes just how close he came to nearly losing it all and knows he'll have a few nightmares probably for the rest of the week – they both would.
"Pizza will be here in about twenty minutes," Severide declares as Casey finally reemerges downstairs and enters the living room with his tee-shirt and tensor bandage in hand; giving Severide a somewhat sheepish expression that silently begs for help.
"Arms up," Severide lightly instructs as Casey silently complies. "Sorry," Severide whispers with a frown as Casey's lips wince as he wraps it a bit too tightly and has to restart. He looks at the bruises on Casey's pale skin and quickly flashes back to looking down into the gaping hole and seeing him nearly buried and feels his face outwardly cringe.
"What?" Casey dares to inquire.
"Just thinking about when I first looked down that hole until you were pulled back up. Was a long 60 minutes."
"60 minutes in hell for sure," Casey agrees with a small nod as Severide's fingers pull the bandage around his gently throbbing chest once more. But when Severide pauses mid-wrap, Casey cocks his head to the side in wonder.
"I lied and I'm sorry."
"What? When? Kelly wh…"
"Yesterday. What I said. I was angry and you…damn you nearly died and then today…I do care and it was wrong to say. Guess you weren't the only one that was forced to think about things like that. I don't think about when I do them but when you were right there…" Severide admits in truth; not wanting to get too carried away with sentimentality but wanting to acknowledge to his friend that he would care if he was gone, especially if he had to watch him die and be helpless to prevent it.
"And for the record, you're not the only one that worries," Casey admits as heads to the couch and literally collapses down into it; Severide slumping into the chair looking opposite.
"Yesterday I was mad…today…I can't," Severide grumbles, wishing Casey would just erase his uncertain expression so he'd feel less guilty about wanting to chew him out about taking needless risks. "That's the nature of the job. You see someone in trouble and sometimes you rush in without thinking and end up paying for it. But this time," Severide pauses and shakes his head, "was really worried this time. When I crawled up to you and you weren't moving and then to have to leave you there and pull back…damn."
"I knew you'd get me out. But trust me when I felt the ground shift me move and I knew I couldn't do a damn thing about it…you hear stories about people being swallowed into sinkholes and yeah damn…it was scary," Casey admits softly as he closes his weary eyes briefly. "I need that drink."
"I'll get it…I need one too."
THE END!
A/N: So hope you all liked this little nail biting tale and please do review before you go and thanks so much!