DRAWING COMFORT
AUTHOR'S NOTE/DISCLAIMER
Takes place after the shift where Herrmann's friend died but before the funeral during the ep "The Unrivaled Standard" So spoilers ahead. Belongs to Dick Wolf and NBC.
Something was wrong. She could feel it. She and Christopher hadn't been married for years without learning how to read one another. And he had been quiet on the phone when he had called to say that he was coming home. Which meant one thing: they had lost someone. But who? Severide? Casey? While losing any of the men or women at Fifty-One would affect him deeply, he had taken Casey and Kelly under his wing as candidates and she knew that he would be absolutely wrecked if anything happened to them. Okay, just remember, he's going to need you to be strong, she thought to herself. He would need comfort so that he could break down like he probably hadn't allowed himself to yet. Her husband wasn't really one for breaking down in front of the other guys. The opening of the door broke through her reverie, and she turned towards the sound, her eyes clouding worriedly.
"Christopher?" she queried. Oh damn. It was Severide or Casey, she thought to herself, seeing the haggard.
"Paul's dead," he stated, choking back a sob. With an exclamation of sympathy, she pulled the man close. Paul? It had been Paul? Oh damn. That hadn't even occurred to her.
"Both companies were at the fire?" she asked.
"Yeah," he confirmed.
"What happened?"
"Vic's foot got caught. Paul and I got separated. By the time we found him, it was too late." Cindy held her husband, making shushing noises. There was nothing she could say, she knew that. The only thing she could do was hold him and be there for him. They had gone through this before and they would go through it again. It never got any easier, but she would always be there for him. Always.
THE END
