Title: The Call
Summary: AU Severide gets a call from a person he thinks is Casey. But when he fails to come back to the Firehouse, Casey goes in search of his friend. Where is Severide? And what dangerous consequences did his earlier actions bring him? Tag to eppy 1.04 'One Minute'
Disclaimer: Same as always. I own nothing but my muse and my love for my boys #teamsevasey and of course putting them into danger.
A/N: This is AU b/c has some hints of Erin/Kelly. So while I don't write much romance and this isn't a romance story b/c hey I love my boys first and foremost there is some of them in here for a few of my readers who like them as a pairing. If you don't like the pairing, please don't flame. It's childish and makes me think you can't read b/c I have warned you! To the rest please enjoy.
Note: "words in italics and double quotes taken directly from the eppy.
"Hey…we coulda lost you. I won't go to the police I promise you that. But you gotta talk to me. Okay?"
It was odd because he didn't owe Mrs. Grady anything personal, he wasn't related nor did she owe him anything in any way – physical or emotional. But from the moment he met the frightened older woman in the ghetto neighborhood, something inside just compelled him to want to offer her some kind of protection. Maybe it was the neighborhood, maybe it was her trusting and caring demeanor, maybe it was him. But nearly losing her to another 'accidental' fire was unacceptable to him and so when she told him who it was that had started the fire that nearly took her life, he decided it was time to take matters into his own hands.
The words had barely escaped past her lips and he was already on a mission.
"Kelly…" Shay had tried to protest his hasty retreat.
"Yeah I'll see you later," Severide calls out to his best friend and roommate as he heads back to his squad, eager to get back to Firehouse 51 and then pay two would-be murderers and pyromaniacs, basically spineless punks a visit. Picking on an old, defenseless woman. It ate at him inside and he each time in the past when he had gone to visit her place, he'd look across the street, into the open space and see the watching him with a smug face.
That would end tonight he tells himself as he quickly pulls on his squad jacket and heads for his car. On the ride to his intended destination, his mind urges him to stop and think what he's about to do before he does it. If you do them any kind of physical harm you'll be sorry!
But all he can see is that sweet old woman lying on the stretcher with the oxygen mask on her face to help rid her of the toxic smoke she had been forced to inhale thanks to them and silently begging him for help. No more! Someone needs to stand up to them and it's not going to be her!
Severide arrives at the address she had given them, grabs a baseball bat from the trunk, slams it shut and with a few determined steps enters the quiet apartment building. Severide's fist determinedly pounds on the door, his heart rate starting to pick up the pace when he hears the footsteps and realizes there's no turning back now.
"Hey man…who the hell are you?"
He didn't care about the flippant attitude as seeing the punks face causes his mind to boil over and he pushes forth; to hell with the warning inside his mind.
"Sit down and shut up."
To say they were surprised by a lone white man coming into their 'hood with a baseball bat, barking out orders like he ran the place, was an understatement. He had taken the fight right out of them – or so he was leading himself to think. However, in that moment they are both too shocked to do anything but exchange wondering glances and comply.
"Mrs. Grady on Kilbourne. She's the one who called the cops about the drugs dealers on her block. She's also my aunt."
Stunned. Shocked. Disbelief. Silence. The two young dealers exchange glances that tell Severide that he's winning the verbal battle here and just maybe they'd listen to him. These two would. However, they were not prepared to be ambushed on their turf told to comply to the cocky firefighters terms. That, however would change.
"Listen to me. I hear about anyone going near Mrs. Grady or her property again, I'll come back here, break your kneecaps and drag you down to the police station. If you don't have drugs on you, I'll plant them on you. I can. It's a firefighter's word against a couple of bangers. Who they gonna believe?"
Severide's words hang in the musty smelly apartment as he leans in closer and glares at the two punks before him, his bold gaze holding theirs and daring them to look away. They don't and he proudly thinks he's won the battle. But he's not thinking about the bigger picture; the one man up a ladder rung from these two, or even the one above him. Sure he meant well but they didn't care about that and it would come back to haunt him.
Satisfied with his warning, Severide gets back into his car, his mind telling him that they'd just call it a night and leave the old lady alone – wisely reasoning that she was more trouble than she was worth. About half hour he pulls into the parking lot at 51 and gets out. But before he take another step toward his second home, his phone buzzes and this time he answers it.
'You free for a mid-night snack? – Erin.'
His lips twist upward as his brain thinks of a witty reply. But just before he can answer, his phone rings and he's quick to answer.
"I was trying to … hello? Casey? Hey man where…you're breaking up. Is that you Matt? Where are you? What's going on? Where are you? What number is this? Where? Okay yeah I'll be right there."
He hangs up and can only mutter something as he opens Erin's message and prepares to text back. 'I gotta pick up Casey and then I'll pick up whatever you want to snack on.'
'You'll do just fine. See you tonight.'
"Alright," Severide agrees with a wide smile as he gets into his car and goes off to see his friend, not realizing that Casey was at lakeshore with Hallie and he was about to experience the wrath of someone who was going to send a message back to a man that had boldly ventured onto the wrong turf.
About fifteen minutes later, Severide's car arrives at the location he thought Casey had given him. "Casey?" Severide calls out as he gets out of his car and starts to look around for his friend or his friend's truck. "Matt? Hey Matt? You around here buddy?"
"No…but we are. You're on the wrong turf fireman."
Severide turns only to be met in the face with something hard. His lips cry out as darkness engulfs him.
"Now it's time to each this big shot a lesson. Bring him."
XXXXXXXX
After having dealt with Hallie's vandalized car at Lakeshore, Casey returns to 51 with a head steaming full of anxiety and concern for his beloved fiancé and why one man's vengeful quest against him was now including her.
"Where's Severide?" Casey asks Shay as she looks up from her text.
"Outside?" She replies slowly as he tells her no and then heads into main eating area to see if his fellow 51 Lieutenant was there; wanting to tell him about Hallie's scare tonight. No Severide.
"Anyone seen Severide?"
"Not sure. Maybe he had something personal to take care of," Capp pipes up before he looks back down at the latest newspaper.
Casey decides not to push as had just taken leave from shift to tend to something personal himself. He doubts Severide's leave would be as serious as his but that's not his call. If it was cleared with Boden then it wasn't his call. He texts Hallie to make sure she's okay and then heads toward his office to get some files done.
"Casey. When you see Severide tell him I need that file done. He's already a day late with it."
Casey looks at Boden with a growing frown before he bypasses his office and heads toward his Chief. "Didn't Severide mention he had something personal to do? Capp mentioned…or thought it but…I figured you okayed it."
"No," Boden answers slowly as Casey looks at his watch. "I'm sure he'll be along shortly. Just send him my way when you see him."
"Will do," Casey confirms as he watches Boden go and then pulls his phone, his mind wondering if he should call his missing friend and just say Boden was looking for him. He'll probably think I'm being nosey…I'll just let it go for now. Casey leans back in his chair and looks at a picture of him and Hallie and sighs heavily. He thinks about the discussion they had about her going to stay with a friend out of town for a few days and how she had argued back that she wasn't about to turn and run if he wasn't.
However, as soon as he leaves his office and heads into the main eating area he watches Erin Lindsay enter and heads toward her with a wondering glance.
"Glad that didn't take too long," she comments as Casey's dirty blond brows gently arch. "But don't tell him I'm here for something personal. It's police business. Otherwise it'll swell his head," she concludes with a small smirk.
"What…are you talking about? What didn't take too long?"
"The call. Kelly texted me that he had to go and pick you up from…somewhere."
"Is that…" Casey starts and then stops, Erin looking at him with a small huff. "I wasn't with him. I never called him. I was with Hallie. Someone vandalized her car at Lakeshore."
"Is she okay?"
"She's shaken up but she'll be fine. What's going on?" Casey inquires seriously.
"I don't know," she gently shrugs, wondering if her new boyfriend was giving her the slip so soon and the person he just used as an excuse had now blown his lie open wide. "Is he seeing someone else?"
"No," Casey replies in haste. "He was pretty agitated after a call a few hours ago. Maybe he just went to blow off a bit of steam."
"Yeah…maybe."
"Text him and ask if he's picked me up yet or…something. How long ago did he text you?"
"Two hours."
"What?"
"Two hours?" Casey's brow furrows as he pulls his phone and checks his message logs. "Nothing. That's longer than he'd normally take."
Casey looks at the attractive brunette and knows Severide had talked about his blossoming romance with the fiery CPD Detective and he knows that it wasn't like Severide to just make something up to cover…an extra fling? Not him. "I'll check with Shay and see if she's heard anything."
"Okay," Erin replies softly as she sends Severide a text. 'Hey. You find Casey yet? You know I don't like to be kept waiting.'
"Shay hasn't heard either. This isn't like him," Casey tells her in truthful concern. "Did you text him?"
"No answer," Erin huffs as he shakes her head. "Someone fakes a call to get him…what happened today?"
Casey goes on to relate what happened at one of the fire calls and then the others that Severide had told him about and then he one today he heard about from day Shay. "Oh no…" Casey's voice trails off as he slowly turns away.
"Do you know where he is?" She asks in concern.
"No but I think he's in trouble and I think it has to do with two young drug dealers that we saw at the call the other day. Didn't think too much about it and…and it could be nothing but…"
"But you think that they might have done something?"
"I don't want to cause panic," Casey admits in truth. "It could be nothing."
"Or it could be everything," she replies flatly as she calls the precinct. "I'll see if I can get a lock on his phone. Or at least the area from where the last incoming text was sent from."
"Okay," Casey agrees softly, his mind racing that something bad had happened to his friend. He looks down the hall at Boden and offers a strained smile before he turns and heads toward the large truck bays; Erin on the phone with her team to see where Severide is.
'Figured he had something personal to take care of.'
He remembers Severide being testy about the first time they called at the home of old Mrs. Grady but thought nothing of it. The House wasn't special. The neighborhood not his and the tenant herself not someone related to him in any way. What's going on?
"I gotta…"
"Where is he?" Casey asks with a small snap in his tone; his agitation already running high from dealing with Hallie's near scare.
"Matt…"
"I'm coming, so where is he?"
"Someplace he shouldn't be."
XXXXXXXX
'Hey superman! You thought you could come on to my turf, push my guys around and not face the consequences?'
His fuzzy mind tries to recall the events leading up to his current painful predicament. Casey called…at least…thought it was Casey…met at a strange address…not Casey…hit from behind...AHH!
Severide's eyes try to flutter open but as soon as he does he's hit with a wave of pain and nausea; a dull thud behind his left eye begging him to lie still and close them again. But he can't. He has to figure out where he is and just what's going on.
He tries to bring his hands up to see his face, touch it and find out where he'd been hit. But he can't. His arms refused to cooperate and his brain finally concludes that his wrists are tied behind his back. He's lying on his side and the room is dimly lit; at least that's what his blurry eyes tell him. Where the hell…am I? He inwardly groans as he tries to get his eyes to focus long enough so he can at least identify one of the dark, human outlines a few meters away.
Come into my turf…oh damn….
"You awake again Mr. Fireman?"
Severide's teeth instantly grit upon hearing the taunt and he looks up as a figure stomps toward him and then looms over.
"Not…tired," Severide wheezes; his brain yelling at him to shut up or else face more pain to his already throbbing and very vulnerable chest.
"You can't just go where you want and tell my boys what they can or can't do!"
Shut up! His inner voice commands. You can't reason with these guys!
Severide looks up and winces, the left side of his face throbbing and his eye watery and half swollen shut. They're serious! Death isn't out of the question tonight! And as if to validate his inner thoughts…that very notion is proposed.
"See man, you wandered onto the wrong turf! The cops finding your body near a known drug House would tell them a few things all of which are…YOU MESSED WITH THE WRONG GUYS!"
Severide's lips utter another painful grunt as his already aching mid-section sustains another painful kick. His body slumps back against the wall, his head resting on the floor.
"Maybe I'll finish you off with the same damn bat you brought into my boys hood!"
"She's an old…woman…" Severide wheezes as the leader looks down in utter surprise. "Are…"
"I'd advise that you SHUT UP Mr. Fireman!"
I'd listen! Severide's brain tells him curtly as he closes his eyes and prays for a quick intervention. Surely someone at 51 would have asked about him by now. They could trace the phone right? Are they even looking?
"You got more hurt comin' your way tonight!"
Severide's ears pick up the low taunting laughter and footsteps as his captor turns and leaves him in a painful heap to ponder his grim fate. Casey will figure it out…someone…they will right? They have to! Ah damn it…not good!
His arms try to flex so that his wrists can see just what kind of give there is in the ropes keeping them trapped behind his back. No give…damn! He slumps back down, his heart racing and chest on fire. With his head pounding and the booming so loud in his ears, he can only curse the fact that he can't hear what his captors are talking about. Maybe it's for the better…
Severide tries to shift to another position, one less painful but is unable and so slumps back down into his original painful pose. His lips spit out a bit of bloody saliva as his head twists upward. Broken ribs? Maybe a few. What about my shoulder? I don't need any more pain in that area…his mind laments as he recalls the doctor's grim diagnosis about being off work at least six months…maybe more.
He raises his eyes and tries to focus on the clock on the wall, wanting to see he'd have been missing long enough for his absence to be noticed. Someone has to notice right?
"You look worried Mr. Fireman," one of them sneers as he hovers over Severide's captive frame with an angry sneer. "You should be."
XXXXXXXX
Erin and Casey reach their destination and Casey's eyes rest upon the dark sedan that the two young drug dealers had brought Severide in.
"Which House do you think it is?"
"Oh I know exactly which House," Erin replies with a small sigh as she pulls her phone. "Let's go. I want to see who's all in there and then I'm going to call it in."
Casey can only nod in compliance but knows that if Severide is in trouble and there's a chance he can stop it – he's going to take that chance. They hurry toward the small, dimly lit bungalow, Casey's mind racing that something terrible has already happened to his friend and they'd arrive a bit too late. What's he doing out here? Obviously not by choice but…
Each of them head for a window, wanting to look inside to see if they could see the missing fireman and what the status of the occupants inside currently are. Casey's eyes instantly rest on Severide's fallen frame and then instantly narrow.
"Erin!" Casey softly hisses, bringing the worried detective in his direction. "Get back-up here now!"
"Casey…wait!"
But Casey doesn't wait while she makes the call for back-up, instead he charges toward the door; the image of his fallen friend slumped on the floor, bound and unable to fight back while one of the young drug dealers hovers over with a raised bat. They were brothers. Severide would do it for him and now was his turn to do it for his friend, his brother.
"HEY!" Casey shouts as he barges through the door, his frame barreling into the nearest youngster a few moments later.
Erin can only curse and follow Casey into the small home, pulling her gun and aiming it at the man with the raised bat.
"Drop your weapon!" She demands as Casey tries to wrestle the bat away from the one about to strike Severide. Hearing Casey and Erin's voice prompts Severide to act and he kicks his legs out, his boots clipping the closest man in the ankles and making him stumble forward.
Casey gets into a struggle with the one who he disarmed the bat from, taking a hit to the jaw and the right side of his cheek but is able to gain the upper hand and finally take down one of the young drug dealers while Erin contends with the other who had been ordered to take her down.
"Casey!" Severide shouts just as the last one jumps Casey from behind. Severide kicks out once more, trying to help his friend get the upper hand. His head slumps back down as Erin finally manages to get the man she had been fighting with into cuffs and then hurries to help Casey. A firm strike to the back of the man's head, sends him to his knees and a punch to the jaw from Casey sends him all the way to the floor.
"Stay down!" She demands with an angry growl as she looks over at Severide in concern. "Ambulance is on it's way."
"I can just…go home," Severide manages hoarsely as Erin looks at Casey who merely returns a small frown before he bends down to cut Severide loose.
"You need to go to Lakeshore," Casey tells his friend before he pulls his phone to text their boss.
"Casey…"
"Rest now," Casey instructs as he looks at the bloody cut above Severide's left eye.
The ambulance doesn't take too long to arrive and Severide's lips can only utter a painful grunt when he's lifted onto the stretcher and then carried to the waiting vehicle. On the way there Boden texts back asking for an update, Shay also concerned.
"What happened?" Casey asks as he sits in the back of the ambulance with his hurting friend, Erin in her car following them to the hospital.
"It was…ah just…stupid," Severide groans as his hand lifts to finally touch the bruise on his forehead. "How bad?"
"Had to cancel your photo shoot for tomorrow," Casey retorts with a small smirk; Severide's lips trying to twist upward but he can only offer a grimace as his right hand returns to his side. "Just rest now. You know Erin will need a statement."
Severide nods and then closes his eyes as he's taken into the ER to be x-rayed and then treated; Casey going in search of Hallie to update her on what just happened.
"So I can go now right?" Severide asks with a heavy grunt as he tries to sit up.
"Sir you need to…"
"I'm fine!" Severide barks just as Casey enters the small room, offering the attending nurse a sympathetic expression.
"You're not fine," Casey tells his friend in a quiet tone. "You need to just rest."
"I need to…what happened with those guys?"
"They were arrested. What were you doing there? Who's Mrs. Grady?"
"I guess I got tired of seeing good people exploited for no reason. She's that old woman we met a few days ago. I saw those guys and…and went to see them."
"Alone?"
"Didn't want to involve anyone else," Severide admits with a heavy sigh. "I just want to go home."
"I'll see what the doctor says. Just rest okay? You look like hell."
"I feel it," Severide groans. "Damn call."
"Did they really sound like me?" Casey tosses back with a frown.
"Just see if I can go home," Severide asks with a shake of his head.
Severide watches Casey take his leave and then leans back on the bed and closes his eyes. His mind replays the events of that night and how if Casey hadn't bothered to follow his gut and if Erin hadn't shown up when she did and they didn't put the events together, he'd be dead.
"Shoulda just called the cops, hero."
Severide's eyes slowly flutter open just as soft lips brush his, forcing his body to warm instantly. His left eye is more swollen than the right so remains closed but a smile forces his lips to part and remain spread as long as the attractive brunette stands close.
"Was tired of seeing good people get the shaft," he whispers as he looks at her with a tender expression. "What did you want me to bring by later?"
"Kelly," she gently moans as her fingers tenderly brush his cheek. "Don't make me make another woman comment."
"She's 70."
"I might still be jealous," Erin cheekily retorts as Severide's lips return a small chuckle. "See tonight might have been possible but now I have to go down to the station, with your statement and book those clowns for drug possession, kidnapping and assault. To name a few."
"Lame excuse."
"Matt will take you home and I hope you just…damn you look raw," she whispers as she plants a warm kiss on forehead. "I'll come by in the morning. What can I bring?"
"Nurse costume?" Severide manages with a weak smile as she gives his arm a small swat before kissing him once more and heading toward Casey. "See you in the morning," Severide calls out to her as Casey returns. Severide watches her leave and then focuses on Casey as he comes into view. "Damn," he curses as he looks at the cut on Casey's lip and cheek. "You got those tonight?" He asks weakly.
"Small price to pay," Casey shrugs as he helps Severide sit up.
"I can go?"
"X-rays showed only a few bruised ribs but nothing broken. But you'll be sore for a few days at least."
"Was Boden pissed?"
"Is that rhetorical?" Casey tosses back as Severide gently snickers and then gasps sharply. "Maybe you should…"
"I'm fine," Severide snaps and then recants. "I need to go home…have a shower and…go to sleep."
"You need to stay awake a few hours to make sure nothing comes from any possible concussion symptoms."
"I'll…"
"Hallie's working the night shift and Shay's still on shift at 51. Come to my place," Casey helps Severide steady himself on his feet before he helps him pull on his jacket and the two of them slowly head for the ER exit doors. "So…about the call, which one of them sounded like me?"
Severide's lips offer a small snicker as shakes his head. "Don't make me laugh. Hurts."
Casey looks at Severide with a mock pout but knows that the tension the two of them had been tossing back and forth at each other didn't mean much when one of their lives was on the line. Brothers to the end.
"Fine you wanna know?" Severide groans as he tells Casey.
"What…that one?"
"Hey…you asked."
THE END!
A/N: Well the last one shot (Time's Up?) was Casey whump/Severide concern so this was the reverse and hope you liked it just as much! Please do review before you go and thanks so much!