Hollywood Calling
***The firefighters of Station 51 have to "babysit" a bunch of actors connected to a new TV show about the Chicago Fire Department and the lives of the men and women. These actors are "researching" their characters, getting ready to shoot the pilot episode.***
Chapter 1
Kelly Severide locked his car and strode toward the firehouse. His fellow Lieutenant, Matt Casey, met him at the door.
"What's up?" he asked.
Casey waiting for him couldn't be a good…something was going down.
"Boden wants to see us…ASAP." Casey replied tersely.
"Can I at least put my stuff away first?"
Casey took a look at his watch.
"You got about two minutes."
Severide rolled his eyes. He could tell this was gonna be a long shift.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
The two lieutenants filed into Chief Boden's office.
"Matt…Kelly…sit down."
They did as they were told.
"What's up, Chief?" Kelly asked.
Boden took a deep breath and let it out slowly…
"I was just briefed on this by the top brass…Todd Keller Productions is making a new TV show about the CFD."
Kelly just stared blankly.
If it didn't involve a ball or a puck and come on ESPN…it didn't come on his TV. At least not while he was in the room…
"You know that show "Justice Served"?" Casey asked him.
Kelly shook his head.
"It's been on for like…twenty years. Jeez, do you live under a rock or something?"
"Apparently…" Kelly answered tersely. "So anyway…new show about the CFD?"
He had a feeling he didn't like where this was headed already.
"So anyway…" Boden continued. "Some of the people connected to the project'll be paying us a visit…actors…doing research for their characters…writers…to get a feel for things…"
"Us meaning…us?" Casey asked, indicating to himself and Severide.
"Us meaning the whole house." Boden said. "We'll be taking these folks for ride-alongs…they'll be shadowing the men…"
"In other words, we gotta baby-sit." Kelly said. "You can count me out."
"This is coming down all the way from the Mayor's office, Kelly. The show's gonna be filmed entirely in Chicago…they're gonna drop a ton of money…so the Mayor's all over this. He's putting pressure on the top brass…and…"
"Shit rolls downhill." Kelly finished.
"Pretty much…" Boden agreed.
"So what do you need from us?" Casey asked.
"I'm gonna announce it at briefing today…and I want us to present a united front. I don't like this any more than you do…but we don't get a say in the matter." Boden told them. "That'll be all."
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Severide and Casey leaned against the back wall of the briefing room when Boden made the announcement.
There were moans and groans and protests all around.
Once Chief left the room the men turned to their Lieutenants.
"Hey…don't look at us." Kelly said. "We only heard about it five minutes before you did."
"And like Chief said…" Casey added. "A lot of people a lot higher up the food chain think this is a good idea."
"Then let them come babysit these guys." Hermann said.
"Yeah…like that's gonna happen." Otis interrupted. "Do we have any idea who these people are?"
"No one dropped any names to us…" Casey said.
"This is gonna be a frickin' disaster…" Hermann muttered.
Severide couldn't agree more.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
But they didn't have a lot of time to dwell on their predicament…
"Engine 51…Truck 81…Ambulance 61…Squad 3…Structural collapse…"
They rolled up on the scene of an old community building.
The hundred year old foundation had given way and the building had collapsed in on a bunch of teenagers using it as a hangout…and probably a place to get high.
There was a kid…he looked to be about fifteen or sixteen…covered with dust and dirt…and blood. He looked like he'd clawed his way out of a grave.
Shay and Dawson immediately rushed over to him.
He looked to be in shock.
"Are there more people in there?" Kelly asked him.
The kid just stared blankly.
"Hey! Is anybody else in there?!" he asked again…this time louder.
Slowly…the words registered…and the kid nodded.
Severide could see he'd be here all day if he tried to get anything more out of the kid. He ran toward the pile of rubble.
It looked like something you saw on CNN…after the earthquake in Haiti.
Mills was looking for an entry way.
"I hear something, Lieutenant…" he called out.
Kelly hurried over to where Mills was standing.
Sure enough…he heard it too. It sounded like someone tapping on a pipe…
"Okay…he called out… "Get the ropes…harnesses…and grab whatever you can to stabilize this hole. I'm goin' in!"
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
When they got back to the house Kelly climbed off the rig…shrugged off his gear…and trudged wearily toward the locker room.
He was covered in dirt and dust…he'd been down in that hole for hours…moving pieces of wood and plaster…shoring up the walls to keep the whole thing from falling in on him. They had pulled six more kids out of the rubble…and he was right…they had been down there getting high.
After a shower and a change of clothes he at least felt like a human being again.
He headed into the common room to scrounge for a bite to eat.
Everyone was huddled around Otis's laptop.
"Please don't tell me you're doin' another podcast…" Kelly said with a groan.
"Naw…" Hermann said. "It's YouTube."
"Please don't tell me we're watchin' a cat make stupid faces…"
"It's about that new TV show." Otis said. "There was some press about it…who's writing it…who's starring in it."
"Anybody good?" Kelly asked.
He doubted there would be any names he recognized.
"Depends on your definition of 'good'." Otis said.
Interest piqued, Kelly looked over Otis and Hermann's shoulders.
"Who's this guy?" he asked.
"His name's Morgan Craddock…" Hermann said. "He was on one of those vampire shows all the teenagers watch…but they killed him off."
"How do you kill a vampire?" Otis asked. "I thought they were immortal."
"Just play the damn thing…" Kelly snapped.
Otis hit 'play' and they listened to the clip of the interview.
"Jeez…this guy's dumb as a box of rocks!" Hermann groaned.
"Somebody should script his interviews…" Otis said.
Kelly shook his head in disgust. He was most decidedly not looking forward to the three ring circus this whole thing was sure to turn into.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
"Lyssa! I'm home!" he called out as he let himself into the apartment.
He could smell cake baking…
Alyssa came out of the kitchen, drying her hands on a towel, which she dropped over the back of a chair before she stepped into her husband's waiting arms.
He leaned down and gave her the kiss he'd been waiting twenty-four hours to give her.
When they came up for air he just held her tight for a moment. Then he laid his hand on her stomach.
"And how's Baby treating you today?" he asked softly as he rubbed the barely there bump.
"He or she doesn't realize that breakfast is the most important meal of the day…"
Alyssa was getting close to her third month…at least according to Dr. Mabis, the hi-risk OB who had delivered Andy and Jesse. She'd conceived almost the next month after she lost another baby…one they hadn't even known about until the night their house was destroyed by a fire.
"Are you okay?" he asked.
He'd probably worry about her and the baby till the minute he held it in his arms.
"I'm fine…" she said with a smile. "Want me to fix you something to eat?"
"No…I'm not hungry." He said. "At least not for anything in the kitchen…"
He slid his hand around from her belly to squeeze her ass.
The moment was shattered by the timer going off.
"Hold that thought, Severide…" she said as she hurried to take the cake out of the oven.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
He told her about the TV show later that day…as they were walking to school to pick up the boys.
"I don't know about this, Lyssa. I see disaster written all over this thing." He said.
"I read something about it on-line the other day. They talked about how the firefighters were gonna be consultants…and they were gonna need them on the set. Maybe there's a chance to make some extra money. God knows we could use it."
That was for sure…with the renovations on the house, and now the baby coming…every dollar of his paycheck was already spoken for.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Boden called Severide into the office at the start of shift.
There was the actor…the one from the YouTube interview…sitting in a chair across from Boden.
"Morgan Craddock…this is Lieutenant Kelly Severide. He's in charge of Squad 3." Chief said. "Kelly…Morgan's gonna be shadowing you for the next couple weeks."
Great…he was gonna have to turn "dumb as a box of rocks" into a believable firefighter.
