Disclaimer!
I am rewriting this story because I feel like I can do a better job than the previous version and I want to go another direction with the story. So I hope you liked this rewritten version.
I don't own anything in this fic – except for some possible OC's. This story takes place during episode 1x19. Remember the shot in the promo that never ended in the episode? Yes, the one where the tugs point a gun at Casey. What if it had ended up in the episode?
…
Even though he had worked all day, he couldn't seem to find his sleep. Not wanting to watch his uniform which was hanging ready for tomorrow, he stepped from his bed, putting his clothes back on and walking outside.
Slowly, Matthew Casey walked through the cold air of Chicago in winter. In the evening, when he wasn't busy with working as a fire-fighter or contractor, he liked to take these walks in the evening, they helped him to clear his head and he liked to see the city in the evening. He took his hands out his pockets, warmed them with his own breath and saw he was near the fire station. With a deep sigh he sat down on a bench. He felt awful that the kid had died, the last few nights; he had been staring at the ceiling, not being able to fall asleep. Somehow, the dead of this kid seem to hit him harder than anything ever did before. The life as a fire-fighter mainly seemed to exist in extreme up and downs the last few weeks. One moment he had delivered a baby after a big crash on the highway, then his girlfriend had left him. Maybe the baby was why the death of the kid made him even sadder, although it was always sad when they couldn't rescue somebody. He stood up again, walking past the fire station when he saw something was wrong. The worst thing was even that Kelly still was thinking he slept with Heather. He had walked out on Boden and if today wasn't bad enough, the ambulance nearly got stolen. The girls had managed themselves pretty well, but he felt awful with the idea that they were in danger. Of course, anything could happen anytime, but it just pushed his nose back on the facts. But even after that, the day had to get worse. Again those little tugs showed up and when he tried to talk some sanity in their heads, but the leader of their group had just stared at him, pissed. He didn't know if they were the one who had fired the bullets into the fire house but he also knew he shouldn't go looking for a fight, especially after Voight.
His shoes left traces in the snow that was falling and he was happy to be home. The kitchen still needed cleaning and to avoid his bedroom again he started to clean, something he usually tried to avoid. The words of Boden kept repeating in his head. The kid owned better than the fire house that was nearly falling apart. He did. The kid deserved a better fire house than one with two grown man acting childish because they were both too proud to hear and tell the truth. Hermann was the one to come up with the story. He lifted his phone out of his pocket, locking and unlocking it, not sure if he should call Kelly, tell him the truth. That he didn't sleep with Heather and that he hoped that Kelly could believe him. He could never sleep with Heather, he was to loyal to Andy to ever do that. He'd tell Kelly tomorrow, for sure. At least make up before they would show their respect to the kid.
When the last clean plate had reached its shelf, he sighed, sitting down at the kitchen table, not sure if he should try to sleep. Somehow, the bed still felt empty without Hallie next to him. Still, he laid down in bed, closing his eyes and happy that after an hour of turning and shifting, he fell asleep. Until 2 at night, when he woke up again.
Still not tired enough to fall back asleep right away, he grabbed his running shoes out of the closet, putting on his winter coat he ran outside, just a few more blocks before he would go to sleep again. But he would run himself so tired that he had to full asleep right away and sleep until his alarm would wake him. That was what he wanted. Then he would shower, put on his uniform and go to the station, as if it was a normal day.. The snow felt cold against his face and the shivers went down his spine when one of the flakes fell behind his collar, in his neck. His head was nearly empty of thoughts until he reached 95th street, where the fire house was located. Even though he didn't have the intention to run to the fire house, he did run in the direction. His iPod kept playing classis rock, but he wasn't really listening to the music when something suspicious caught his eye when he ran around the fire house, to run home. The group of tugs was trying to break in.
''You better get away from here.'' The boys moved away from the window, forming a circle around him. One of them was holding up a gun. ''Put down the gun.'' He moved his hand in his pocket, as if he had a gun. Only now he realized one more boy was standing at the window, which was opened and there was still a light burning. The guy seemed to be ready to pull the trigger. Casey jumped forward; ''No!'' Before he could even do something, a gunshot rang out from behind him and he fell forward, his face feeling the cold snow, he could see the feet running away, but he couldn't get up.
''Casey?!'' Boden's voice rang out through the silence that had been around him for seconds.
''Shit.'' He heard Boden hissing between his teeth. ''Stay with me, Matthew!''
''911, I need an ambulance at fire station 51,really fast! No, there is no ambulance available here. It is one of our own man.''
Casey closed his eyes. ''Matthew! Stay with me!'' His eyes kept opening and closing, he heard multiple voices talking. ''Did you move him?''
''No, I think he has been shot in the back. I didn't dare too.''
Matt tried to get up, his face almost burning from the cold snow he was laying in.
He closed his eyes again while he heard somebody say; ''This looks pretty bad.''
Kelly Severide was very early this morning, being unable to sleep, thinking about the boy. Also, he wanted to make up with Casey. He had talked about the situation with Shay, who couldn't sleep either and she also had said that he was childish for not letting Casey explain what actually happened between him and heather. Shay got out the car, looking at the rest of the teams in their uniforms. ''Where are Boden and Casey?''
''Nobody knows, they are probably just late. Of all days, they are late today.'' Hermann shook his head.
''I am sure they didn't do it on purpose.'' Severide frowned. ''Now, let's get ready to honour that kid.'' He said, looking around the room, with a strange feeling spreading through his stomach. Boden and Casey were never late.
NOTE: So, I hope you like the rewrite of this story. The old version is still up on my profile and I am going to use some of the parts of it but a lot in the storyline is going to change. I hope that oyu are intested in reading this rewrite. Thank you for reading the first chapter and please do leave a review with what you think.