Title: Matters of the Heart
Summary: After their harrowing call and tense discussion at the Firehouse, Severide confronts Casey about the reason behind his attitude. Will he tell his friend what's really going on? Based on eppy 5.11 Who Lives & Who Dies
Disclaimer: Same as always. I own nothing but my muse and my love for all things #firefighters #Sevasey & #Lindseride
A/N: So a few little tense broments and came up with a little #sevasey piece and hope you all like it.
Note: As always "words in quotes and double italics taken from the eppy" single quotes or without are past convo's or thoughts.
"Help me!"
Casey sends Kidd toward the woman calling out for help as he drops to his knees and tries to pry the man free of his entrapment. He keeps telling the man he'll get him free, keeps promising because he knows he can't leave him to burn to death in the fiery inferno around them.
"You gotta get me outta here! My leg's trapped!"
But time or luck wasn't in either of their sides and with the heat starting to intensify and the smoke shifting directions outside, Boden knows he has to call his team back and that's what he does. However, just before Casey can pull away to help Kidd with the mother and her little girl the unthinkable happens; the man pulls a gun and points it at him. His eyes widen under his mask as he stares at the gun; his mind and heart both racing at top speed.
But with Boden's voice urging the team again, Kidd calling out to him for urgent help and the little girl and her mother and he told himself the man wasn't going to shoot and he pulls away. Once outside, however, he tells Boden he's going back in as he can't just leave the man trapped inside – only to burn to death.
"One more inside Chief. Leg's pinned. Will only take a minute."
"I'll go with him," Severide volunteers in haste a Boden hesitates for a few seconds; his mind not wanting to send his lieutenants back into the furnace.
"One minute, not a second longer."
"You know where he is?" Severide asks in a loud tone as Casey hurries toward the entrance of the basement as Severide tries to keep up.
"I know exactly where he is!" Casey calls back as he continues forward.
"Hold up. The flames have shifted…Casey!"
But just before the reach the entrance Casey stops suddenly and turns back and looks at Severide as he stops him with his gloved hand.
"What's going on?" Severide asks in haste.
"Hang back until I tell you it's safe," Casey offers somewhat cryptically.
"What are you talking about?" Severide counters. Wanting to add that it was just an intense fire and he wasn't worried.
"He's got a gun."
"What?" Severide's shocked question is heard. "You didn't tell the Chief that."
"Didn't think he'd use it," Casey groans as Severide shakes his head. "Wasn't thinking about the consequences."
"Was there anything else…"
However, Casey doesn't have time to answer as both look up to see a whoosh of fiery glow coming toward them from the other room; sparks and embers dancing in the air and laughing at their soon to be superheated baptism.
"CASEY! DUCK!" Severide shouts as both of them eye the incoming inferno; Severide giving Casey a good shove toward the floor and both of them dropping to their knees as bits of debris rain down around and upon them.
"Casey! Severide! Report!" Boden's gruff voice is heard over their radios. At first he's rewarded with only static in return but after what seems like a small eternity, he's rewarded with a few groans and reply.
"Still here Chief…coming out…fire's too strong to keep going," Severide's voice cracks as Boden watches Severide bodily pushing Casey out of the front door.
"We…left him," Casey mutters as he yanks his mask off and heads toward the front of truck 81. "Told him I'd go back…be right back…gave him my word."
"Casey…"
"Should have been able to get him out," Casey laments as they slump down onto the large front fender of Truck 81.
"You did all you could," Severide reminds his distressed friend and colleague as they take the fresh water bottles from Kidd.
"Wasn't enough," Casey shakes his head as Boden nears them to tell them the fire was finally out.
"It's not your fault."
"He burned alive because of me!" Casey retorts sourly as Severide looks up with a weak expression. "Would you be any less angry if you made the same decision?"
Severide wants to say something more but can only watch in helpless frustration as Casey forces his weary frame to stand back up and head inside to continue the search for the man he knows he's left behind. But Casey's agitation can only continue to grow when the search turns up nothing and Boden forces him to take his truck and his team back to the house; mostly to just cool his agitated exterior.
"I'll stay with 51 and finish up the search," Severide volunteers as Casey can only give his friend a small nod and watch him leave. He exchanges worried glances with Boden but tells himself to just finish the search and report back and maybe when Casey hears that the man is dead and there was nothing he could do; he'll just have to accept it and move on.
That wasn't to be.
A few hours later, Severide slowly nears Casey's office; hearing the grumbling, stomping and slight cursing and glances over at Herrmann in a silent bid to ask if it was even safe to approach. The answer Herrmann returns was a loud and clear HELL NO despite the fact he didn't say any words at all.
But he figures he owes Casey an update on what he found at the scene and dares to enter his office.
"Hey," Severide offers as Casey pauses in his cleaning and looks up with an irate expression. "Want an update?"
"Let's hear it," Casey tosses back stonily.
"So went through the wreckage, splinter by splinter. No body was found. We'll turn the search over to OFI. They'll bring in search dogs and look for any trace of him if you're saying there's still someone inside."
"Well I wasn't hallucinating so yeah…that's what I'm saying," Casey confirms stonily.
Then he turns his back to Severide and continues with his tense cleaning. "We're done here?" Casey asks pointedly with his back still to his friend.
"Are we? You're just gonna offer one sentence and then go back to cleaning an office that isn't dirty? Damn House is so clean you can eat off the walls."
"And that's a bad thing?" Casey turns around with a hiss and glares at Severide with a flushed expression.
"Guess I won't be surprised if I have a few more squad members," Severide retorts somewhat lightly.
"What the hell's that supposed to mean?"
"It means…" Severide's anger starts but then both hear Herrmann and turn to look at the veteran firefighter and then each other and stop talking. "You know what…whatever man. When you're ready to pull your head out of your ass and lose the dictator attitude lemme know. I'll let you know what else we found."
With that Severide turns and storms out of Casey's office, leaving Casey to offer a small growl and get back to his pointless task and heads for the kitchen; not hearing Herrmann approaching Casey to give him first of all an attitude check and then a little heartfelt advice for both him and Gabby that made the difference in the fiery Lieutenant's disposition.
About twenty minutes later, Severide tells himself to just call it a day and heads for the locker room to get his jacket and head to Molly's for a cold beer.
"Barbecue's coming."
"Peace offering?" Severide turns to look at Casey in surprise.
"For pulling my head out of my ass."
"Herrmann?"
"Hard to say no to that guy," Casey huffs as he shoves his hands in his pockets and leans against the lockers.
"He's always the voice of reason around here. Age?"
"Don't let him hear that," Casey gently smirks.
"What's really going on?"
"Louie," Casey replies with a heavy frown as Severide nods. "Herrmann….he hits the damn nail on the head every time. He was right. I was taking it out on the House when I should have just talked to Gabby."
"Because you're a pour your feelings out kinda guy," Severide retorts lightly as Casey's expression softens. "I get it. I'm not that guy either but taking it out on the House…wasn't their fault."
"Can I blame the damn rat?" Casey counters as Severide lightly chuckles. "With Louie things made sense. At first it was to just help until something better was found but then…as he stayed longer…he called me 'dad,'" Casey's voice breaks as Severide's expression droops. "We both fought so hard for him and then…it's like it all meant nothing."
"Not nothing though. Louie was better with you guys than in some damn foster home for even that short time."
"I know," Casey resigns somewhat sourly as his head slightly droops. "Cleaning out his room…getting rid of his stuff…just seems so final. Didn't mean to snap at anyone."
"Yeah you did," Severide snorts. "Glad Herrmann's got brass balls."
"That he does. I know the other guys tried to call me out but…but it wasn't until he brought up Louie. That was the reason. Felt like a failure. Like something I did took him away from us and I let him down…let Gabby down…let myself down."
"You know that's not true right?"
"I know," Casey acknowledges. "Think tonight…we'll just go through his room together. Cry together…just do it together."
"That's what matters most right? Facing the grief together?"
"You been hanging around Herrmann lately?" Casey smirks as Severide's grin widens.
"Don't tell anyone."
"Secret is safe with me," Casey replies in mock seriousness.
"Course I could always break into the whole…'you know when it's involving matters of the heart…' speech," Severide's voice trails off in a mock Herrmann tone.
"Uh no…I've already had enough emotional talk from you guys as I need," Casey nods and then smiles.
"So…free barbeque on you huh?"
"Figured it was the least I could do. House is so damn shiny though I'm almost afraid to mess it up," Casey retorts as Severide chuckles and then approaches him. "No body was found?"
"No. Found a few other things that worried the PD guys, like a few other weapons and such but no. Musta got loose and then found his own way out. That's good. Either way, don't worry about it. He's free and supper is free…win win all around."
Severide gives his friend a supportive pat on the back and then falls into step with him as they leave the locker room.
"You burnt a spot on the back of your neck."
"I know," Casey sighs as he gently pats it. "Don't tell Dawson."
Severide gives Casey a small chuckle and shakes his head. But as he hears the strain in his friends tone, he knows he's still hurting from losing Louie. However, he's more than thankful for Herrmann's forthrightness and the respect and trust Casey has for the veteran firefighter to listen and start to make amends with himself, his wife and the people he works with.
But in the end Herrmann would be right, when it came to matters of the heart nothing was ever easy but the hard work would make the effort worth it in the end.
THE END!
A/N: Seriously love Herrmann! Saved the day and so glad that Matt and Gabby patched things up (ugh their visit made me tear up and I don't tear up easily or ever lol !) but I wanted to focus a bit on the bromance in this piece and hope you all liked it a little. UGH my computer ate my nearly finished original draft so I had to redo (with a bit less steam) and hope it was okay. lemme know in a review and thanks so much!