Not That Guy--A Chicago Fire Story

by mom2jlg

Kelly Severide meets a woman in a bar...will she become more than a "friend with benefits"?

Not That Guy-A Chicago Fire Story

The bells went off.

"Truck 81…Ambulance 61…Accident with injuries…1634 N. Ashland."

Everyone hurried from the common room and within seconds they were rolling out the door.

Kelly Severide, the Lieutenant on Squad 3, watched them as they pulled out. There was something familiar about that address.

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The truck and the ambulance rolled up to the scene. They were met by a CPD officer.

As Dawson and Shay pulled the stretcher and the backboard off the rig and hurried toward the building he gave them the few facts that were known.

"Victim's in the vestibule. Perp forced his way into her apartment and beat the hell outta her. Kicked her down three flights of stairs. She's got a pulse…and she's breathing, but other than that nobody's touched her."

The medics grabbed their gear and forced their way through the crowd of gapers and CPD that had gathered in front of the building.

They both had a vague feeling they'd been there before.

Once inside the tiny space the two women took charge. Casey was right behind them and as the ranking officer on the scene he took charge of clearing the area.

The floor was slick with blood and the walls were covered with cast off. A woman lay in a heap at the foot of the stairs, her feet on the bottom step, her head pointing toward the now open door.

Leslie clasped two hands on the sides of the victim's head attempting to stabilize her neck as Gabriella gently log-rolled the young woman onto her back so they could see what they were dealing with.

"Oh, my God." Shay breathed when she saw the victim's face.

Hermann and Otis stood in the open doorway, waiting for Casey's orders. Otis had to look away from the bloody pulp that was not even recognizable as human anymore. Hermann unconsciously made the Sign of the Cross. Casey just stared in shock.

None of them had ever seen anything like this.

"Does anyone know her name?" Dawson called out.

A voice was heard from the first landing. A little, old lady in her eighties stood just outside her apartment door clutching her pink housecoat around her.

"Her name's Alyssa. She lives on the third floor. Such a sweet girl…"

Suddenly, the nickel dropped. Now they knew why this place looked familiar.

"It's Kelly's girlfriend." Shay said quietly.

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Dawson continued her survey of Alyssa's injuries.

"Mandibular fracture…zygomatic fracture, probable orbital fractures bilaterally…"

"What about the airway?" Shay asked.

Before Gabriella could answer they heard the tell-tale gurgling that told them their patient was choking on her own blood.

"Too much facial trauma to intubate…"

Dawson was only stating the obvious.

"Do it." Shay told her.

"Mills!" she called.

The candidate was also a certified EMT. At least he was familiar with the instruments she'd need. They were in such cramped quarters she needed him to hand her things.

Mills appeared in the doorway, dropped to his knees, and pulled off his gloves.

"Hand me a scalpel!" Dawson ordered.

He did as he was told…and Dawson poised to make an incision at the base of Alyssa's neck.

"Casey…give me some light here."

Casey positioned the high watt flashlight so Gabriella had a better view of her surgical field. She wiped away some of the blood with 4x4's before beginning her incision. She deepened it, then inserted her fingers and spread the crichothyroid membrane.

"Give me a 6…" she called to Mills, who produced the tracheostomy tube.

Shay released her hold on Alyssa's head and took the tube from him. She quickly inserted it into the incision Dawson had made and inflated the cuff. Then she took the ambu bag Mills was already holding out and attached it to the valve.

Dawson pulled her stethoscope into position and checked for breath sounds.

"Good breath sounds bilaterally…we're in! Get a backboard in here!"

The men passed the board to the front and Casey helped the two medics secure the patient and lift her out of the cramped space.

As they hurried toward the ambulance Casey said to Dawson

"I'll tell Boden as soon as we get back. He can tell Severide."

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Minutes later Dawson and Shay were barreling through the doors of Lakeshore Hospital's ER.

"Female…20's…assault with severe facial trauma!" Dawson gave the resident the "bullet" as they raced down the hall to the Trauma Room. "Surgical crich in the field. Two liters of saline running wide open. She's got a possible skull fracture…right arm fracture…possible c-spine…possible internal bleeding."

"Geez, what don't you have?" a young doctor…actually he was probably a med student…muttered under his breath.

"GCS of 5." Dawson finished.

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Truck 81 pulled into the firehouse. The men were still shaken by the brutality of what they had seen, and it was made even more poignant by the fact that they knew her.

Alyssa had been by the firehouse a few times in the couple of months since she had met Severide…and she always brought something with her…whether it was just cookies of brownies, or a whole meal. She seemed to enjoy doing nice things for others. Most of the men thought she was way too good for a dog like Severide.

Casey climbed down from the truck and he didn't have to go far to find Boden. He squared his shoulders and walked up to the Chief.

Boden could tell this had been a bad run.

"Can I talk to you, Chief?" Casey asked in a low voice.

Boden nodded, then turned and headed directly to his office. Casey followed him and closed the door behind him.

"What is it, Matt?" Boden asked.

"That last call, Chief…it was Alyssa. You know…Severide's girl."

The chief took a deep breath and let it out slowly.

"Tell me."

Casey shook his head.

"I don't know much…but what I was able to get from the cops was that a man forced his way into the building…probably rang every doorbell till someone just buzzed him in…he kicked in Alyssa's door and beat her within an inch of her life. She must have tried to get away… 'cause the bastard kicked her down three flights of stairs." He paused to take a breath. "It was a mess in there, Chief. Blood everywhere…I heard someone say he was smashing her head on the tile when he heard the sirens. He must've high-tailed it out of there right before the cops showed up."

Boden sat down slowly. He had met the girl…she was real nice…polite…sweet…she didn't deserve for something like this to happen to her. Nobody did.

"How much time did he have with her? To do all that damage?" Boden wondered out loud. "Nobody called the cops?"

There were no answers to his questions, and he didn't expect them. Casey just shook his head. He had been wondering the same things since he had first laid eyes on the crumpled heap at the bottom of the stairs.

"Dawson had to crich her…her face was a mess. I never saw anyone get beat that bad…"

He didn't finish his sentence, but Chief knew that he meant he'd never seen anyone get beaten that badly and survive.

"We gotta tell Kelly." Chief said. He sounded like the weight of the world had just fallen on his shoulders.

Casey nodded and opened the door. He didn't have to go far before he ran into Hermann.

"Can you go get Severide?"

Hermann just nodded and headed toward the common room. He didn't envy Boden and Casey the task in front of them.

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He finally found Severide in his quarters. Hermann knocked on the door.

"Hey, Lieutenant. Chief needs to see you."

Kelly Severide sat up on his bed. His right shoulder, had been bothering him for months now and it was really acting up tonight. But ever since the last random "piss" he was scared to take anything stronger than Aleve. At least on the job.

He wondered what Boden wanted.

And his mind was still nagging him over that address…

He tapped on the door before entering the Chief's office.

"You wanted to see me, Chief?" he asked.

"Close the door, Kelly. And sit down."

Chief sounded tired.

Severide did as he was told and took a seat. Whatever this was it couldn't be good.

Casey was there…leaning against the wall, arms crossed over his chest…not wanting to look Kelly in the eye.

"What? Will someone please tell me what's goin' on?"

"Kelly, that last call…" Chief started "the one over on Ashland…it was Alyssa."

Severide blinked…as the chief's words registered. That's why the address had sounded familiar.

"What happened?"

Obviously she wasn't all right…not with the way Boden and Casey were acting.

"Details are sketchy." Boden said. "But someone forced his way into her apartment and worked her over…"

"What do you mean 'worked her over'?" Kelly interrupted. He turned to Casey. Casey had been there. "Casey?"

Casey looked up…and Severide knew the expression on his face. The one they all wore when they had to deliver bad news.

"It's bad…her face…he broke her jaw…her eyes were swollen shut…broke her arm…ribs…it was sickening."

Kelly squeezed his eyes shut.

"He kicked her down three flights of stairs…" Casey said quietly.

Severide opened his eyes again. He was in shock.

"I…I should…I should probably… go down to the hospital." He stammered.

"I'll drive you." Casey told him.

Severide nodded and slowly got to his feet. His mind was reeling.

Alyssa…he'd just seen her this morning…before he left for work.

"Kelly?" Chief Boden said.

Severide looked up.

"I'm sorry. She's a real nice girl."

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They rode to the hospital in silence.

Kelly was lost in thoughts of the girl he'd met a couple months earlier.

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He was sitting at the bar in a place called Shannahan's, just around the corner from his apartment.

Leslie had "company"…and he didn't want to have to hear it. The girl was a screamer…

Out of the corner of his eye he caught a girl checking him out. She was pretty…petite…great body…long brown hair falling around her shoulders. Definitely possibilities there…he smiled at her.

She said something to her friends, then she strode up to the bar.

She smiled at him. Nice smile too…

"Hi. My name's Alyssa."

"Kelly." He introduced himself. "Can I buy you a drink?"

"Only if you let me buy the next round."

"Fair enough. What are you drinkin'?"

But Paddy, the bartender, set a bottle of MGD Lite down in front of her.

She smiled.

"So…you come here often?" Kelly quipped.

"Often enough, I guess." She replied.

He smiled back at her.

The bartender came over.

"Hey, Lyssa…you're up next for the pool table."

She turned to Kelly.

"You play?" she asked.

"Sure." He answered. "But I gotta warn you…I'm pretty good."

"We'll see…" she replied coyly.

Two hours later he had to admit defeat. He never saw a girl shoot stick like that. He laid his cue on the table and strode over to her.

"Do you think maybe I can call you some time? I might need a rematch."

"Any time…"

He took out his phone, entered his password…and handed it to her. She did the same and they exchanged numbers.

As they handed the phones back, their eyes met…and Kelly felt something deep inside pulling him closer and closer.

She must have felt it too, because she reached up and gently cupped his face with her hand. He leaned down and captured her lips with his for a long, slow, deep kiss.

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Severide strode into the ER with Casey a couple steps behind him. He saw Shay and Dawson over by the Nurses' Station. He walked over to them.

Leslie turned when her roommate came up. She put her arms around his neck and hugged him.

But he wasn't in the mood. He wanted answers…not sympathy.

He roughly disentangled himself from her arms.

"What do you know?" he asked brusquely.

Leslie just took a step back. She hated it when he got like this…all tough and moody.

"It's bad." Dawson told him. "Skull fracture…mandibular fracture…zygomatic and orbital fractures…"

Just then Hallie stepped out of the Trauma Room. She started to approach Shay and Dawson, but stopped in her tracks when she saw Matt and Severide standing there with them.

Things had been strained between her and Matt ever since she had confessed to him that she wasn't sure she wanted children. And they'd put their engagement on an indefinite hiatus…

She squared her shoulders and walked purposefully over to the group from Station 51.

"Matt…Kelly…what are you doing here?" she asked.

Shay answered for them.

"Alyssa's Kelly's girlfriend."

Severide shot her a dirty look. He hated putting labels on things…especially things like this. "Girlfriend" sounded so…committed…so exclusive. Two things he was definitely not.

At least not before.

He hadn't seen anybody else since he had met Alyssa. But he didn't need to tell anyone that.

Leslie knew.

Hallie looked at him sadly.

"I'm so sorry, Kelly."

"What's going on?" he asked. "Is she gonna be okay?"

She made it sound like Lyssa was dead…

Please…God…no.

"They're rushing things as much as they can to get her into surgery. She's bleeding into her belly. But needless to say, we're concerned about the head injury." Hallie told them. "She's got an occipital fracture and intracranial edema. They're putting in an ICP monitor."

Intracranial Pressure Monitor…to monitor the amount of swelling in her brain. Kelly swallowed hard.

"Anything you know about her medical history would help."

He just shook his head.

They'd never talked about that…it never came up.

Hallie sighed. She knew it was a long shot…

"Do you have any idea how to contact her family?" she asked.

Again, Severide shook his head.

Then he remembered something…

"She's got five brothers…one's a cop …Nicky, I think his name is. Nick Boungiovanni. I have no idea what precinct."

"Well…that's something." Hallie conceded.

The city dispatch could track him down.

There was a flurry of activity behind Hallie as they got ready to move Alyssa to the OR. Nurses and residents tugged the gurney out into the hallway and started for the elevator.

Severide shoved his way past his friends to catch a glimpse of her before they took her away.

He was immediately sorry. Her face, what he could see of it anyway, looked like a piece of raw meat. He saw the crich and the nurse bagging her…and every visible inch of her was covered with bruises.

In a second she was gone…into the elevator, headed up to OR. And God only knew what they'd find.

Kelly turned and slammed his fist against the wall in frustration as Casey, Shay and Dawson came up behind him.

"Kelly…" Leslie said softly as she laid her hand gently on his shoulder.

He turned to look at her.

He looked like someone had just kicked him in the balls.

But then he drew himself up straight and his expression hardened…creating an effective mask.

"You guys should get back." He said.

"What about you?" Leslie asked.

"I'm staying."

"We're not leaving you here alone." Leslie told him.

"I'll call Boden." Casey said, and he stepped away to make that call.

"You don't have to…" Kelly started to say.

"We want to." Dawson said.

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The silence in the OR waiting room was deafening.

Slowly but surely the other firefighters from Station 51 started to drift in. They sat in small groups, drinking paper cup after paper cup of terrible coffee, waiting…and watching Severide pace back and forth like a caged animal.

His thoughts were still all tangled up…little things kept popping into his mind…no matter how hard he tried not to let them.

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He was waiting at the bar with a round when she walked in.

It had been three days…and he was ready for their "rematch".

She caught his eye and started toward the bar. His eyes raked over her…and he liked what he saw.

He leaned down to kiss her cheek.

"Ready for our rematch?" he asked.

"If you think you can stand losing again…" she replied coyly.

He laughed.

"I'm pretty sure that was just a fluke."

"We'll see…"

They picked up their beers and headed toward the table. He racked the balls and stepped back.

"Ladies first…"

She smiled at him…a devastatingly beautiful smile that set his heart racing. Then she took off her leather jacket and got down to business.

She easily took the first game…and he won the second. Now it was on…this was war.

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Three men walked into the waiting room, looking anxious. One approached to nurse at the desk.

"Excuse me? Do you have any information on Alyssa Boungiovanni? She's my sister."

At the mention of Alyssa's name Severide stopped his pacing and edged closer to the desk, hoping to hear some news. But he wasn't family…so no matter how much he begged…and he wasn't above begging at this point…no one could tell him anything.

"I'll see if I can get a report…" the nurse said as she picked up the phone.

She cast a glance over to Kelly.

The poor guy had been waiting forever, and she felt bad for him.

Alyssa's brother followed her gaze. He locked eyes with Kelly and took a step closer, extending his hand.

"I'm Joe Boungiovanni." He said.

"Kelly Severide."

The two men exchanged a firm handshake.

"You're the firefighter, right? She talked about you…"

Kelly swallowed.

"Yeah…"

The two other men joined their brother, who introduced them as Nick and Mark. They shook Kelly's hand as well.

The nurse hung up the phone. All four men turned to hear what she had to say.

"They're removing her spleen. It was ruptured…and that caused massive internal bleeding."

Severide looked down and shoved his hands deep into his pockets. That wasn't good…

Shay had drifted over to Kelly's side.

"Anything?" she asked, gently laying her hand on his shoulder.

"Her spleen was ruptured…they're removing it." He told her.

Then he introduced her to Alyssa's brothers.

"Guys…this is Leslie Shay. She's one of the paramedics who brought Alyssa in."

"Can you tell us anything?" Nick asked.

Shay shoved her hands into her pockets…mirroring Kelly's posture. The last thing in the world she wanted was to tell Alyssa's brothers what she and Gabby had seen.

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She beat him…four out of five games. As she sunk the eight ball for the last time she turned to Kelly and smiled again. And again, he felt his heart catch in his chest.

What was this strange effect this girl had on him?

He put up his hands in surrender.

"Okay…" he laughed. "I give up. You win."

She set her cue down on the table and grabbed her jacket. They wove their way through the crowd to a reasonably quiet table in the corner. Kelly signaled the nearest waitress and ordered another round.

"Where the hell did you learn to play like that?" he asked.

Now it was her turn to laugh. Her brown eyes twinkled at him and he felt his stomach do a weird little flippy thing.

"I grew up with five older brothers…I got tired of being the mark."

"That'll do it, I guess."

"What about you?" she asked. "Where did you learn?"

Kelly shrugged his shoulders.

"Around the neighborhood…I used to hustle kids for their lunch money." He answered with a wicked grin.

She rolled her eyes…

"A bad boy…figures."

"What does?" he asked.

"That explains why I'm so attracted to you…"

He smiled a wolfish grin…

"Oh…really?" he said. "Why don't you…c'mon over here…"

He leaned in a little closer and looked deep into her eyes. And then he leaned in little closer for a deep…slow…lingering…kiss.

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They tumbled through the door to her apartment…and he backed her into the room, kicking the door shut behind him.

They kissed all the way to the bedroom leaving a trail of clothes along the way. They reluctantly had to separate themselves for a few moments as jeans were undone and shed and dropped along with the rest of the wardrobe.

And he gently laid her down.

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The hours crept by at an agonizingly slow pace.

Alyssa's other two brothers, Tony and Jimmy showed up, having had to truck in from the 'burbs. Her parents were on vacation and they were trying to get a flight back.

Kelly continued to keep himself separate from the group. He was really messed up. The things he was feeling were completely foreign to him…things he hadn't allowed himself to feel in a really, really long time…not since he'd had his heart broken years and years before. Ever since then it had been his policy to keep things short and sweet where the ladies were concerned…never allow himself to feel anything beyond the physical pleasure. And that policy had served him well…so far, anyway.

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They awoke in a tangle of sheets as the sun began to peek through the blinds.

Kelly blinked as he opened his eyes, trying to orient himself in the unfamiliar room…in the unfamiliar bed…with Alyssa lying all soft and warm beside him.

He usually never stayed long enough for the post-coital cuddle and a nap…but every time he tried to pull away, she had pulled him right back in…with a touch…with a long, lingering kiss…or with those beautiful brown eyes that burned into him hotter than any flame.

She turned over…slowly, lazily…and laid her head on his shoulder. Her fingers traced softly over his bare chest.

"'Morning…" she said quietly, her voice barely above a whisper.

He turned to her and ran his hands over her body, assuring himself that this was real…that he wasn't caught up in some beautiful dream…and he looked at the woman by his side.

Her hair was all tussled around her face, her eyes still heavy with sleep…but somehow she was the most beautiful girl he'd seen in a long time.

"'Morning…" he whispered back to her as he pushed her hair back.

There was an awkward silence.

"Do…you…want coffee?" she finally asked.

"That'd be great." He replied.

She got out of bed and wrapped herself in a short, pink robe and padded softly to the kitchen. Kelly sat up and reached for his pants.

A few minutes later he was fully dressed and ready to make his get-away. His boots sounded so loud as he crossed the hard wood floor of the dining room to the small, yet surprisingly spacious kitchen.

There was a small bistro style table in the center of the room and she had set a mug of steaming coffee down for him.

"There's milk and cream in the 'fridge if you like…" she told him.

"No thanks…I take it black."

"Do you want something to eat? I can fix eggs or whatever…"

"That's okay…I'm good."

She crossed the room and grabbed a square container off the counter. She opened it and set it on the table in front of Kelly. He looked down to see it was full of blueberry muffins. He cautiously reached for one.

What was he doing? He had planned on being out of there in about two minutes…yet for some reason he couldn't seem to force himself to leave.

He took a bite of the muffin.

"Hey, these are good." He said…a little surprised.

"Thanks. I made 'em yesterday…"

"I'm impressed."

There was another awkward silence.

She reached for her coffee mug…

"I need to get ready for work." She said.

"I'll get out of your way…"

He was relieved for the excuse…He popped the last bite of muffin into his mouth and took another swallow of coffee.

She walked him to the door.

"I had a good time last night, Kelly…" she started.

"Me too…"

"Do you have to work today?"

"Nah…not till tomorrow."

"Oh…do you…maybe, want to come over later? I'll make you dinner?"

Kelly froze for a moment…he'd already overstayed his welcome…at least in his mind. It would be so easy to just…go. But before he could think of a reason to refuse, a prior commitment, whatever…he heard a voice that sounded strangely like his own.

"Okay…" he said with a grin. "Sounds great…"

He leaned down to kiss her… perhaps… lingering a bit too long…

"I'll see you later." He told her.

And then he was out the door.

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Alyssa had been on the table for hours. The surgeon had removed her ruptured spleen and repaired a liver laceration they had found…but she was still bleeding from somewhere, and they were trying to find it.

Her brothers were huddled together, going out of their minds with worry for their baby sister. Every now and then they cast a glance over to Severide, who was alternating between pacing a hole in the carpet and looking out the waiting room window.

Leslie tried to coax him into going to the cafeteria for a sandwich, but he refused.

His colleagues watched him too…they didn't know this Kelly. Sure, he sat with them when Hermann had been injured, and he had gone to hell and back when they lost Darden the previous summer. They knew that he cared about Station 51 like they were his family. Hell, in a lot of ways, they were his family.

But they had never seen him act like this…and certainly not over a woman. He was always so casual when Alyssa came by the firehouse. He mostly kept her at arm's length, even when anybody with a pair of eyes could see she was head over heels for him.

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He stood outside her apartment building and asked himself for the umpteenth time what the hell he was doing.

He pressed the door bell and waited for her to buzz him in. Then he walked up three flights of stairs to her apartment. The front door was slightly ajar and he let himself in.

"It's just me…" he called out as he shrugged off his leather jacket and hung it over the back of one of the dining room chairs.

The table was set for two and the delicious smells wafting from the kitchen told him he was going to eat well tonight.

He crossed the dining room to the kitchen. Alyssa stood over the sink draining pasta. She set the empty pot down beside the sink and Kelly leaned down and kissed her cheek.

"Hi." She said.

"Everything smells great." He told her.

"It'll be ready soon…you want a beer while you're waiting?"

"Sure…" he smiled.

"There's some in the fridge…just help yourself."

She went back to what she was doing and Kelly crossed the floor in just a few strides to open the refrigerator. He peered inside and was pleasantly surprised to find a six pack of Amstel Light on the top shelf. He grabbed one and opened the bottle. As he took a long swallow he wondered how Alyssa had known that was his favorite. He was certain he'd never told her…then he realized she must have paid attention to what he ordered at Shannahan's…and filed the information away.

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Another hour crawled by…then another.

Finally, a man wearing scrubs, who looked like he'd been through a war came out to the waiting room. He stopped at the desk, and the nurse pointed him in the direction of the Boungiovanni brothers.

Kelly saw the doctor approach the brothers and he crossed the floor in a couple of strides. He didn't care that he hadn't been invited. He just wanted to know that Alyssa was going to be okay.

The doctor was just introducing himself.

"I'm Dr. Padkin…attending Trauma Surgeon."

Alyssa's brother held out his hand.

"I'm Joe Boungiovanni, Alyssa's brother."

He quickly introduced his brothers…and then all eyes fell on Severide.

"And this is Kelly Severide…" Joe started hesitantly.

He wasn't exactly sure what to call him.

"I'm a friend." Severide said simply.

There was an awkward silence, then Alyssa's oldest brother, Tony, spoke up.

"Doctor, how's our sister? Is she gonna be all right?"

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He was certainly right about one thing…he did eat very well indeed. Alyssa had made what she referred to as a "simple dinner"…breaded chicken cutlets, penne with a tomato/basil sauce, tossed green salad and fresh bread. They shared a bottle of wine. Kelly would have preferred the beer, but she had gone to all the trouble…so he figured 'What the hell?'.

Alyssa talked some while they ate…she was trying to get to know him…and let him know her. The one piece of information that was of particular interest to him was that she told him she worked for a physical therapy clinic as a massage therapist. That might come in handy…

He looked around the apartment…it was an older building, with surprisingly spacious rooms. There was a living room in the front with a worn leather sectional that from what Kelly could see looked really comfy. The dining room was fair sized…as was the bedroom. The kitchen was small, but laid out well. It was simple, not too fussy.

"This is a nice place." He said. "You lived here long?"

"A few months…I was glad to find it."

"I guess I'm kinda surprised you don't have a roommate…"

"I did…two, in fact, at my old place." She told him.

"Didn't work out?"

Sometimes he regretted his decision to live with Shay…they had a nice place, way better than anything he could afford on his own…but living with a woman was rough. Even though they had a deal to stay out of one another's business, he still felt like he had someone to answer to most of the time. He was considering moving out when their lease came due.

"No…it was fine." Alyssa said hesitantly. She wasn't sure if she should tell him this part. "There was some trouble with an ex."

"Yours?" Kelly asked.

"Yeah…I'm not even sure I would call him an 'ex'…It was some guy I met and went out with a few times. But then he got really possessive, after just a couple dates."

"Possessive how?"

"Like if I so much as said "Excuse me" to a guy on my way to the restroom, he'd accuse me of flirting. So I told him I didn't want to see him again…and he didn't take it well."

"What'd he do?"

"First it was just calling every five minutes…then he started showing up at places my friends and I hung out at…showing up outside my work…but when he broke my car windows and slashed my tires, I got scared."

"Well, did you call the cops? What about your brothers?"

"I did call the police, but I had no proof it was him. And I never told my family. I just quietly moved out and swore my friends to secrecy. So far it's worked out okay."

Kelly just nodded…digesting what she had said. It bothered him… because he hated to see a bully picking on someone weaker. He found himself wanting to ask who the guy was…so he could go introduce himself.

Introduce himself as what, though?

Alyssa quickly changed the subject.

"Do you want some dessert now? I made an Italian sponge cake…"

Kelly smiled…one thing with Italians…it always came down to food.

"Sure…"

She smiled back…and it made him feel all warm inside.

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Kelly stood outside Alyssa's room in ICU studying her through the glass.

It had been only an hour or so since they'd brought her up from recovery. Her brothers were with her, but Kelly couldn't bring himself to go in.

The surgery had gone on for a marathon eight hours, and when the trauma surgeon had finally come out to talk to them he looked like he hadn't slept in a week. Alyssa had suffered massive internal injuries…a ruptured spleen, a lacerated liver, pulmonary contusions…but the doctor was confident that he'd found every bleed. And so far her blood counts were holding steady, so that was a good sign.

The crich had been revised to a tracheostomy and she had a machine breathing for her.

They had also put in an ICP monitor to monitor the swelling in her brain. She had a severe concussion, and the doctors had her in a medically induced coma for the time being.

She still had other injuries…multiple facial fractures, multiple rib fractures, and a broken right arm…those would have to be addressed soon, but the doctors said they had to let her heal a little before they could attempt more surgery.

One thing was for certain…she was in for a rough road ahead.

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She stood up and began to clear the table and he got up to help her.

He could be a gentleman when he wanted too…didn't happen often…but it did happen.

She started the coffee and loaded the few dishes into the dishwasher. When she was done she brought the cake to the kitchen table. She busied herself collecting plates and silverware.

"Do you want to go in the front room?" she asked.

"Sure…whatever."

Alyssa cut the cake and dished up big slices. She poured coffee…she remembered he took his black…and arranged everything on a tray.

He followed her into the living room. As she set the tray down on the ottoman that doubled as a coffee table, Kelly took a seat on the couch. He was right, he thought as he sank into it…it was comfy.

He looked around the room. There was a flat screen mounted on the opposite wall…42"-43" he guessed. Behind him there were bookcases…but he'd never been much of a reader. There were racks of CD's to the right…and he glanced over his shoulder to see some of the titles. All classic rock, from what he could see…definitely his taste. There was also a rack of DVD's…and he saw a lot of action movies there. This was not what he expected to see at a girl's place at all.

She handed him a plate of cake and a fork…and he just dug in.

"Mmmm…this is amazing…"

"Thank-you…it's a family recipe."

"Everything was great…the chicken, the pasta…you're a really good cook."

She smiled shyly.

They ate in silence…and when he finished his cake, Kelly reached out to set his empty plate back on the tray. But when he did, he felt his right shoulder catch. He set the plate down as quickly as he could and drew his arm back.

"Are you okay?" Alyssa asked.

He tried to rotate the shoulder to work the kink out…but it didn't help at all… and he couldn't hide his discomfort.

"Yeah…"

He sounded unconvincing…even to himself.

Alyssa moved closer to him on the couch. She gently put her arm around him.

"Is there something I can do for you?

He took a deep breath to compose himself. It hurt like a bitch…

"I'll be okay…"

He automatically tried to downplay his injury…he'd been doing it for so long, it was almost second nature. But Alyssa wasn't buying it.

"Kelly…let me help you."

She stood up and held out her hand to him. He hesitated for a brief moment…but then he took her hand and followed her to the bedroom.

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He finally gave up trying to sleep at 7:30…so Kelly dragged his ass out of bed and slowly made his way down the spiral staircase to the kitchen.

Leslie was already up.

He grunted in her general direction as he stumbled toward the coffee machine and poured himself a cup. He brought it back over to the counter and reached for the box of cereal.

"What time do you think you'll be going to the hospital?" Shay asked him.

He looked up. Count on Leslie to start asking questions before he was even awake.

"I hadn't planned on it, why?" he answered.

"You're not going?! Kelly…are you crazy?" she sputtered in disbelief.

"What's the point? They've got her in a coma…she won't know if I'm there or not."

"What about her family?"

"What about 'em?" he was getting irritated with her.

"Don't you think it's a little strange that her boyfriend wouldn't want to be with her?"

"I'm not her boyfriend, Shay…and she's not my girlfriend. It's not like that."

Leslie couldn't believe what she was hearing…she thought he'd made so much progress in the past few months…that he was finally letting someone in again, after…

Kelly struggled to keep himself in check. He had barely slept at all the night before…the whole business with Alyssa was seriously messing with his head. Better to make a clean break…get his life back to normal…right?

But Alyssa…she was different. She was sweet, and gentle, and giving. She never asked for anything from him. She never put any pressure on him to define what exactly they were to one another. And he never had to ask for anything from her…she just knew. She picked up on everything…from his favorite beer, (it was always cold in the fridge, from the very first time he'd gone to her apartment) to how he took his coffee, to when he needed a back-rub after shift…whatever. Could he just walk away? Like none of that had ever happened? Like it didn't matter?

Shay was saying something…he snapped back to the present.

"You're a real piece of work, Kelly. I really thought it was different with her…that you were different with her. But you're just the same old Kelly Severide…the selfish bastard who can't think beyond the end of his dick."

She turned to go back upstairs. But she had to get in one last, parting shot.

"Maybe it is better you walk away. Alyssa deserves way better than you."

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She led him to the bed and slowly started to unbutton his shirt. As she carefully slipped it off his shoulders he caught his breath…her hands were so soft and warm against his skin. He laid down on his stomach and she gently slid her hands across his back. The tension was already starting to drain from his body.

"Kelly? Do you have any injuries I need to know about?"

He bolted upright…instantly defensive.

"What? Why are you asking me questions like that?"

But Alyssa just reached out to him. He started to pull away…ready to grab his shirt and get the hell out of there.

He felt her hands on his skin again…and he reluctantly met her eyes. She just looked at him…so soft and tender…and there was something else there too. Something he hadn't seen in a long time…

"Kelly…I'm not trying to get in your business…but if you're hurt, I need to know. I don't want make anything worse. I don't want to end up doing any more damage."

Her voice was almost hypnotizing.

And what she said made sense. He slowly…carefully…let his guard down.

"I did get hurt…at work." He began in halting tones. "Happened last summer…house fire…me and Capp went in the back. We were just starting to search…when the door slammed shut behind us. Casey asked about a vent…but there wasn't one. And Andy broke a window up in the attic."

He stopped and drew a ragged breath. He'd never talked about it before…the fire…Andy…he squeezed his eyes shut against the painful memory.

"That window created something like a back draft. The fire exploded and went up the staircase like a chimney. Andy didn't even know what hit him till it was too late."

Alyssa was gently tracing circles across his bare skin. It had a calming effect on him…it made him feel safe and kept him grounded in the present while he let her in on the painful memory.

"And how did you get hurt?" she asked him softly…almost in a whisper.

"When the fire kicked up I went flying forward. My tank hit me in the back of the neck…fractured my C5 vertebrae. It's impinging on the nerve…"

"Isn't there anything they can do for you?"

"Yeah…surgery…but that'll open up a whole can of worms. Follow-up, rehab…the department gets skittish about the liability...I've seen lots of guys go on long-term disability for less."

Alyssa just nodded…

"This is all I ever wanted, Lyssa…to be a firefighter…to be on Squad…ever since I can remember. It's all I've got."

She gently guided him back to lie down again.

"I understand, Kelly. I understand."

And she began to work on his neck and his shoulder.

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They had just started their shift when an unmarked car and an SUV pulled up in front of the firehouse. Three men walked up to the station…one was carrying a steel case.

Boden met the visitors at the door.

"I'm Chief Boden…can I help you gentlemen?"

The man in the lead held out his hand.

"I'm Detective Stan Middleweek, CPD. This is my partner, Detective Roth…and Crime Scene Tech Dean Willis.

All three men shook Chief Boden's hand.

"And what can we do for the CPD?" Boden asked.

"Is there somewhere we can talk?"

Chief nodded and led the way to his office. He offered the men seats and closed the door behind him.

"What can I do for you?" he asked again.

Detective Middleweek pulled out his notebook.

"This is about an assault that occurred over on Ashland a few days ago. I understand that this station responded to the 911 call."

"That's right…Truck and ambulance were dispatched to the scene."

"Well, Chief. The victim…Alyssa Boungiovanni…is in a coma…and frankly, we're grabbing at straws. No one actually witnessed the attack, so we've got no description. She hasn't lived in the building long, so the neighbors couldn't really give us much…just that she's polite, always says 'hello'…but nobody really knows her. The little old lady on the first floor…she seems to be kind of a busybody…did say that a man comes over several nights a week, but she didn't know a name."

He paused for a breath.

"So…it's a hell of a long shot, but we're hoping to get something from DNA. And I need to take exemplars from the first responders…to rule them out. Maybe an odd profile will pop up and we'll get a lead on our perp…"

"I think we can help you out more than that." Said Chief. "Alyssa's been quite a friend to all of us here in this house…we've all gotten to know her pretty well."

Middleweek's face lit up like Christmas.

"Anything you…or any of your men can tell us, Chief…would be a tremendous help."

"Okay, then…you can start with Lieutenant Severide."

Severide stepped into the Chief's office.

"Kelly…these men are from the CPD…they're investigating the attack on Alyssa. Detectives, this is Lieutenant Kelly Severide, Squad 3."

There were handshakes all around.

"What do you need from me?" Severide asked.

"Chief Boden says that Miss Boungiovanni is well known around here…and I'll be honest with you, Lieutenant, we've got nothing. Any information you and your colleagues can give us will be a help. He suggested we speak to you first." Middleweek said.

Severide nodded tersely.

"How do you know the victim?"

"We've kinda been seeing each other for a couple months."

"One of the neighbors said she had a man over several times a week…"

"Yeah, that'd be me." Kelly admitted.

"So do you have any idea who might have done this?" Detective Roth interjected.

Middleweek shot his partner a look. The kid was like a bull in a china shop. With some interviews, you had to ease into it. And he could already see that this guy was uncomfortable with the questions… though why, he wasn't sure.

"Alyssa said she had trouble with an ex." Kelly told them. "That's why she moved…but I never got a name."

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Kelly felt all the pain and tension just melt away as Alyssa massaged his neck and shoulder. He had no idea how long he'd laid there…but he hadn't felt that relaxed in…ever.

"How does that feel?"

Alyssa's voice broke into his reverie, and Kelly turned slowly over onto his back. He rotated his shoulder as he settled back against the pile of pillows propped against the headboard. There was hardly even a twinge of pain.

"Better…" he told her. "A lot better."

She smiled tenderly as she moved a bit closer to him. Her hands found their way back to him and she began again to trace gentle circles across his chest and shoulders.

"I'm glad I could help…" she said quietly.

Kelly shivered a little under her touch. There was something about her…something that kept pulling him toward her, like a magnet…but it was stronger, stronger than just a physical attraction. Something totally foreign to him.

His hands found their way around her slender waist and he pulled her closer to him.

"You know, a man could get used to this…"

His voice was husky as he pulled her closer still and finally captured her lips with his.

She responded in kind…and now it was his turn to let his hands roam all over her body…

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Daylight found them in bed yet again. But this time Severide wasn't so…confused…for lack of a better word. He was comfortable. And that bothered him.

This time he was the one who had to leave for work…

He kissed Alyssa goodbye and as he made his way down the stairs he promised himself that he'd cool it with her.

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He came out of the locker room to find Leslie waiting for him. He knew that look on her face…it was the one that said he was in trouble. He took a deep breath, stuffed his hand deep into his pockets and went to face the music.

"Hey." He said.

"Hey yourself…" she told him. "Where have you been the past two nights?"

"Out."

"Obviously. Anything you care to share?"

"Not especially." He started to walk away.

She blocked his path.

"Does she have a name?"

"Of course she does…"

At least he admitted there was someone…

"Kelly…"

"Look, Shay…we had a deal, remember? I stay out of your business…you stay the hell out of mine."

He didn't speak to her for the rest of their shift…not that he had time. Within half an hour they were out on a call…

And it didn't stop.

At one in the morning the bells went off for the fifth time…

"Engine 51, Truck 81, Ambulance 61, Squad 3…Structure fire 3125 N. Kedzie…"

The minute they rolled up to the scene, Kelly could tell this was gonna be a big deal. He'd barely stepped off the rig and a woman ran up to him, hysterical.

"My kids! My kids are still inside!"

"Where! Where are they?"

Every sense kicked into overdrive…there were kids trapped!

"Third floor! In the back! Please! They're babies!"

"How many are there?"

"Three! Two boys…and a girl!"

He passed the woman off to a nearby police officer. Her screams echoed in her ears as he ran toward the building.

"Capp! Hadley! We got three kids on the third floor in the rear!"

With his men right behind him Severide disappeared into the smoke.

Two minutes later they were on the third floor, making their way to the rear of the apartment, listening over the roar of the flames for any sound to tell them where the children were.

"Lieutenant! I got one!" Hadley shouted.

Severide and Capp made their way toward the sound of his voice.

In the closet of a bedroom they found the other boy…Capp took him and ran out.

Kelly searched the room for the little girl…then he heard it…a faint cry…coming from…

He found her in her crib in the room across the hall. Hurriedly, he snatched her up, blanket and all and made his way out of the building.

He handed the baby off to Shay before he spun around…and headed back in.

It was after seven when they pulled back into Station 51. What a night…they had lost the building…but they saved seven people…including the three kids…

As he stood under the shower, just letting the hot water run over him…Kelly found himself thinking of Alyssa. He'd known her less than a week…and as hard as he tried not to let her, she permeated his every waking thought. This wasn't like him…keep it simple, that was his motto. But it wasn't simple…

He toweled off and put on his last clean set of clothes. Just an hour more…one more stinking hour and he could go…but where?

He threw his stuff into his bag.

Leslie watched him as he left the firehouse. She saw him pull his phone out and push a button.

As he headed for his car, he smiled when the call was answered.

"Hey…" he said. "It's me. Is it okay if I come over?"

And twenty minutes later he was walking in her door. He dropped his bag and held out his arms…and Alyssa stepped into his embrace. He tangled his fingers in her long hair and held her tight.

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Alyssa had been in the hospital close to a week, and Kelly still hadn't been able to bring himself to go and see her. It was better this way, he told himself…make a clean break.

Yeah…it takes real courage to walk out on a girl in a coma…

Dawson appeared out of nowhere.

"Kelly? Can I talk to you?"

They stepped outside into the hall, away from everyone.

"What?" he demanded.

"Have you been to see Alyssa?"

She knew damn well he hadn't. He looked at Gabriella impatiently, wishing she'd just say whatever the hell she had to say.

"So Mills and I went by the hospital yesterday. And Alyssa's brothers, Joe and Nick, they were asking about you…wondering why you hadn't been around."

Kelly stuffed his hands deep into his pockets and looked around uncomfortably. Why did everyone have to go getting in his business?

Dawson looked at him in disgust.

"I told them you were trying to pick up extra shifts." She said.

He looked relieved.

"You know…"she went on. "I don't care what you do. Go down there. Don't go…whatever. But I'm not gonna lie for you again."

She turned to leave.

"Dawson?" he asked hesitantly. "How's she doing?"

Gabriella turned back to face him.

"It's still touch and go. The bastard almost killed her."

Severide swallowed hard. That wasn't what he wanted to hear.

"Look Kelly, it's obvious you care about her. It's written all over your stupid face. Why don't you just man up and go down there?"

"It's not like that, Dawson. It's…complicated."

She bit back a laugh.

"No…it's really not. She's changed you. You can keep fooling yourself…and you can probably convince guys like Otis and Mouch…but you can't fool me…or Leslie." She paused and her tone softened. "You know…falling in love's not a bad thing, Kelly."

"You don't know what you're talkin' about!" he snapped.

"I know you got your heart broken once before. But Alyssa's crazy about you. Everyone can see that. She's not gonna hurt you…but you're gonna hurt her. If she wakes up, and you're not there…she'll be devastated. So you have a decision to make."

And with that, she turned and walked away.

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Even though it went totally against his nature, Kelly started spending all his time with Alyssa. He kept telling himself to stop…to walk away…but he couldn't help himself. Every morning when he left her, he swore to himself it would be the last time, that he'd delete her number, that he'd go chase the next skirt he saw, whatever.

But every day, he was right back there, eating whatever delicious dinner she prepared, watching a game, watching a movie…making love like he hadn't in years. He tried to tell himself it was just physical…that she was hot as hell…and she was always willing to satisfy his needs. That he'd be an idiot to pass up a chick like that.

But it was more than that and he knew it. It felt good to be cared about, to be wanted, to be listened to like he had something to say.

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They had been…whatever they had been doing…seeing each other (sleeping together) for almost a month when Alyssa surprised him.

Otis stuck his head in the common room.

"Hey, Lieutenant…there's someone outside for you."

Severide got up from his chair and wandered toward the front of the house, wondering who'd come looking for him at work.

He found Alyssa standing in the doorway, hugging herself against the January chill.

"What're you doing here?"

He hadn't told anyone at the station about Alyssa…and he'd bet his bottom dollar that Otis, Cruz and probably Hermann were hiding behind the truck straining to hear every word.

Alyssa was slightly taken aback by the harsh tone of his voice…but she managed to hide the hurt.

"I brought you something…" she said.

She turned around and went out to her SUV. Kelly followed a few steps behind.

She opened the tailgate and he peered over her shoulder to see two 10 gallon stock pots, two covered cake plates and a half dozen loaves of Italian bread wrapped in foil.

"What's all this?"

"You said you liked the meat sauce I made last week. I couldn't sleep last night…so I cooked."

Last night was one of the few nights he hadn't slept over. He had gone to the Bulls game with Capp and Hadley and the guys from Squad, so he decided to just crash at his place.

"You didn't have to do all this." He said.

"You want to waste 20 gallons of sauce?" she teased.

He laughed…

"No…I guess not."

He looked back to the house. Otis, Cruz and Hermann had crept a bit closer. Who did they think they were kidding? The vultures…

He gave a loud whistle.

"Hey! Why don't you guys come make yourselves useful and unload this stuff?"

The three men emerged sheepishly from behind the truck…embarrassed at having been caught spying. They strolled as casually as they could manage over to Alyssa's car. Severide just rolled his eyes at them.

Otis and Cruz each grabbed one of the still warm pots and Hermann grabbed the paper bag containing the loaves of bread. Severide and Alyssa each took one of the cakes and he reached up to close the tailgate. Then she followed him into the firehouse.

The men entered the common room with Alyssa and Kelly bringing up the rear. Everyone stopped whatever they were doing to watch the parade…

Peter Mills was just tying on an apron…about to start dinner.

"Hey, Mills…looks like you get a day off. From cookin' at least. " Severide said.

"What's all this?"

The candidate opened one of the stock pots and the mouth watering aroma of onion and garlic wafted through the air.

"Oh…my God…" he moaned appreciatively.

Gabriella came over to investigate. She nodded approvingly as the heavenly smells permeated the kitchen area.

"Thank you, thank you…thank you!" Mills was ecstatic.

Alyssa smiled at them.

"You're welcome…the other pot has sausage…and there's garlic bread and Italian sponge cake for dessert. All you need to do is boil pasta and heat up the bread."

By now everyone had gathered around, hoping to get a whiff of whatever was in the pots…and they all stared at the beautiful girl. They wondered who she was and why she had just brought them a whole meal.

Kelly took a deep breath. He knew he couldn't avoid it any longer.

"Everybody…this is Alyssa."

There were greetings all around and a few handshakes…and Chief Boden came out of his office. He stepped forward and offered his hand.

"Hi. I'm Chief Boden."

Alyssa smiled up at him.

"It's very nice to meet you. I'm Alyssa Boungiovanni."

"It's very kind of you to bring all this good food."

"It's my pleasure." She said sincerely.

Severide cleared his throat.

"I'll walk you out…" he said.

A fleeting look of disappointment crossed her face.

Of course, he completely missed it. But Leslie and Dawson shot each other a knowing look. This was where Kelly had been nearly every night for the better part of the month…

The couple…were they a "couple"?...walked back out to Alyssa's car.

"Thanks again for all the food. You really didn't have to go through all the trouble."

"No trouble…" she replied. "I always cook when I can't sleep."

"Well, I'm sure all the guys will appreciate it. Especially Mills."

Again…there was disappointment in her eyes…and again, he missed it.

She only cared about one guy. He was the only one she wanted to impress.

She knew he wasn't gonna act the way he did at home…he was a Lieutenant, after all, one of the people in charge…but she didn't understand why he was acting so distant. It was like he was embarrassed or something.

"Well, I'll get out of the way." She said with a forced smile. "I hope you enjoy the sauce and everything."

He nodded, and leaned in to kiss her…

Her eyes lit up with anticipation…

And he placed a chaste kiss on her cheek before he opened the car door so she could get in.

He was kind of upset that she would just show up out of the blue like that…

As a rule, he liked to keep his private life to himself…now everyone in the house had seen her…now everyone would be asking a ton of questions.

And he knew who'd be first in line.

After he watched Alyssa drive off he turned to go back inside. He didn't get five steps inside the door when he ran into Shay. And she had that look on her face…the one he was getting real tired of seeing.

"What do you want?" he growled.

He was in no mood for a lecture.

Leslie crossed her arms over her chest.

"So…Alyssa, huh?"

"What about her?"

She shrugged nonchalantly.

"Nothing…I was just curious to see what your new roommate looked like. She's pretty.

"Well…you're not her type."

She gave him another look that told him he'd just gone too far.

"Did you have to go for special training to become such an asshole?" she asked.

And she turned and walked away.

He continued to nurse his resentment over this public "outing" of his private life…but the rest of the guys were in seventh heaven over the meal she'd brought. They moaned and groaned in appreciation as they gorged themselves on homemade meatballs and sausage…and most of them practically had orgasms over the Italian sponge cake…there wasn't a crumb left.

"Hey, Lieutenant?" Otis called out.

Count on Otis to get the rumor mill churning…

Severide looked up from his dinner.

"Where'd you meet this girl?"

Everyone was quiet…waiting with baited breath for his answer.

He shrugged his shoulders.

"Bar in the neighborhood…"

That was all he was gonna give them.

"So, how long you been seein' her?" Cruz picked up the line of questioning.

A dark look crossed his face.

"We're not "seeing each other"…we're just friends."

And he picked up his plate and left the table.

He made up his mind…he was going to break things off. And he was going to do it as soon as he got off shift.

But later that evening the bells went off.

And minutes after that they were running straight into hell.

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"Hey, Kelly…"

Severide looked up as Casey came into the locker room.

"Hey…" He stood to face his colleague.

There was an awkward silence.

"I…uh…went by the hospital yesterday." Casey began.

Kelly looked up immediately. Most of the team was pretty disgusted with him and were avoiding him. He hadn't heard any news about Alyssa's condition in close to a week.

"Is everything going…okay?" he asked, trying to act nonchalant.

"She's going into surgery tomorrow. They're finally gonna do something about her arm." Casey told him.

"Why'd they wait so long?" he wondered.

Casey filled in the blanks for him.

"There were problems when they set her jaw…the anesthesia…her blood pressure dropped down real low…and they almost lost her."

Kelly slumped back against the lockers like someone had just hit him.

"So is it safe? How do they know she won't have another reaction?"

Casey was frustrated. He knew Severide was being a real dick about going to the hospital…and he knew most of the guys had stopped telling him anything about her, but he felt like Kelly deserved to know what was going on. Maybe it might spur him to make the right decision.

"I don't know, Kelly." He said. "Her family's scared to death. But there's not a whole lot of options. If they don't fix her arm she'll lose function in it…"

Kelly took a deep breath and let it out slowly…trying to pull himself together.

"Thanks, Matt…for telling me."

He sounded like he'd just aged a hundred years in the last two minutes.

Then he turned and walked away.

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Alyssa knew he was mad at her for just showing up at the fire station like she did. She was still a little confused as to why…but she had long since realized that Kelly was a very private, very guarded man.

So she thought long and hard before she made a suggestion.

"Kelly? Do you want to invite some people over to watch the game on Sunday?"

He almost said "no" immediately, just out of habit. But then he stopped himself.

Alyssa had been treading lightly around him ever since he'd come home the morning after her impromptu visit to the fire house.

Wait…when had he started thinking of Alyssa's place as "home"?

He had been angry and he had planned to break off their…well, whatever they had going on…but it had been a horrendous shift and when it was finally over he needed to relax…to unwind…to forget. He needed her.

And so he found himself considering what she said. Now that the cat was out of the bag…why the hell not?

"Sure. The guys are always looking for someplace to go." He agreed.

Sunday came and the apartment was full of good smells. A pot of chili simmered on the stove, dips were in the fridge, quesadillas were made and ready to go on the George Foreman, and there was enough beer out on the back porch to keep the party going all night.

The team started arriving an hour or two before the kickoff. Kelly let them into the apartment and took the beer Casey and Vargas had brought and added it to the rest outside. Mills and Dawson made a bee line for the kitchen, anxious to check out the spread.

Kelly chuckled to himself as went to take his friends coats.

He found that he was enjoying being the host, so to speak. Alyssa had a real nice little place and it was cozy and inviting. Everyone was having a good time as they gorged on the snacks she had made while they watched the pre-game and into the first half.

And while Beyonce' was doing her thing, Alyssa dished up the chili…

As they settled in for the second half he finally persuaded Alyssa to sit down with him. She had been so busy making sure everyone had enough to eat that she'd barely seen any of the game. But he went to put his arm around her and his shoulder caught again. He quickly pulled his arm to his side and tried to hide the pained expression on his face.

But Alyssa noticed…and so did Leslie.

Alyssa inconspicuously put her left arm around Kelly and gently guided him back against her. Once he was settled she began to massage his shoulder, slowly working out all the kinks.

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Kelly knocked on the door to Chief's office.

When he heard

"Come in."

He stuck his head in the door.

"You wanted to see me, Chief?"

"Yeah, Kelly…come on in."

He stepped inside and saw Detectives Middleweek and Roth.

"You remember our friends from the CPD, don't you?" Chief said.

Kelly nodded.

"Yeah…any news on the guy that attacked Alyssa?"

"Actually, Lieutenant, what you told us about a jealous ex turned up a lead." Detective Middleweek told him.

That got his attention in a hurry.

"What's that?"

Detective Roth looked Severide up and down. He was still trying to get a read on the guy.

"Turns out Miss Boungiovanni took out an order of protection about three weeks ago…against a 'Bradley Paul'." Roth said. "We pulled his DMV photo. Take a look…see if you recognize him."

He held out the photo to Kelly, who took it and studied it carefully.

He had seen this guy!

"This is the guy from the bar! He grabbed Alyssa…and I kinda got in his face."

Middleweek sent up a silent prayer of thanks. Finally…his investigation was going somewhere!

"What happened?" he asked. "When was this?"

Severide paused to think…

"It was about month ago. We were at this place called Shannahan's up on the North Side. Me and Alyssa…bunch of friends…we were havin' drinks, and throwin' darts…"

Middleweek jotted down the name of the bar.

Kelly continued his story.

"So Alyssa went to the bathroom, and this guy stopped her. He grabbed her arm and I heard her tell him to let go. I went over and told him to get his hands off her…and things got a little…heated."

"Heated how?"

"I offered to show him out."

Severide looked over to the Chief.

"Casey and Mills were there, backing me up. I guess the guy didn't like his chances." He explained.

"And what did you do then?" Roth asked.

Kelly shrugged.

"Nothing. We stayed a while longer, then we left."

"Where'd you go?" Middleweek asked.

"Home." Kelly answered.

What were they getting at?

"To Miss Boungiovanni's apartment?"

"Yeah. Why?"

Roth crossed his arms over his chest.

"He must have followed you."

Middleweek glared at his young partner. The kid was definitely not helping…antagonizing their only lead.

"Who else was there?" Chief asked. "See if the others can recognize this mutt."

"Casey, Mills, Shay and Dawson." Kelly answered quickly. "And Vargas was there too…but he left before all this went down."

Chief nodded.

"Get 'em in here."

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Alyssa continued to massage his shoulder all through the second half of the game…and it helped…so much. As he leaned back against her, Kelly was able to relax.

Leslie was watching the couple…who the hell did he think he was kidding? They were a couple, whether he wanted to admit it or not. She couldn't remember the last time she had seen her roommate…well, he wasn't really her roommate any more…look so content, so at peace.

Kelly reached up to still Alyssa's hand. He gave it a little squeeze.

"That's better…" he said in a low voice, so only she could hear. "Thank-you."

And he settled deeper into her arms to watch the last few minutes of the game.

On the other end of the couch, Leslie cast one last glance their way before she turned back to the TV. And she couldn't help but notice the soft, tender look on Alyssa's face. The girl was in love…100% completely and totally in love…with Kelly.

And he didn't have a clue.

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The others filed into Chief's office and Detective Middleweek faced the group.

"I'd like you all to take a look at a photograph…and tell me if you recognize this man…"

Mills was the closest, so he took the photo first. The candidate studied it carefully for a moment.

"Yeah…I've seen this guy. He's the one who got in Alyssa's face at Shannahan's…and then the Lieutenant got in his face."

Casey was standing next to Mills, and he took the picture from him. He also gave it a good, hard look, then handed it to Dawson.

He turned to the detectives.

"That's right. This guy grabbed Alyssa's arm…and Lieutenant Severide told him to back off. Mills and I were standing right there.

"And what happened after that?" Middleweek asked.

It was good that they were all telling the same story.

"The guy backed down…he left." Mills answered.

He turned to the two paramedics.

"What about you, ladies? Do you have anything to add?"

"Not really." Dawson said with a shrug. "I saw the guy grab Alyssa, and I heard her tell him to let go. I saw Lieutenant Severide go up to them, but I didn't hear everything that was said. They were trying not to make a scene."

"I noticed him watching us before it happened…" Leslie added. "And after it was over I went with Alyssa to the restroom. She told me the guy was the ex that had been harassing her."

Middleweek nodded in satisfaction.

"Well, thank you…all of you. You've just given us probable cause to bring him in."

He paused for a moment.

"Would any of you have any trouble picking him out of a line-up?"

Casey shook his head emphatically.

"Not at all…"

"Just tell us where and when." Dawson added.

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The five of them stood out in the hallway at the local precinct waiting to be called in one by one. They had been cautioned not to speak to each other, but everyone had the same thought on their minds.

We need to nail this bastard.

Leslie went in first…

She watched six men file into the room and she studied each one intently.

"Number three." She said.

"Are you positive?" Detective Middleweek asked.

"Positive." She nodded. "Number three."

Dawson went next.

"Number three."

"Are you sure?

"Yeah…that's him."

Mills went in after her.

"Number three." He said with a firm nod of his head.

"Are you certain?"

"Absolutely. That's the guy who grabbed Alyssa."

Casey followed him.

"Number three."

"Are you positive that's the man you saw?"

"That's him."

"Thank you, Lieutenant."

Severide was the last one.

He studied the men in front of him. He stepped up closer to the glass and looked straight into the eyes of the man he had confronted at the bar.

"That's the guy. Number three."

"Are you sure?" Detective Middleweek asked.

"Of course I am! That's the guy who out his hands on Alyssa. That's the guy I confronted." He said as he pointed emphatically at the man on the other side of the glass.

"Thank-you, Lieutenant Severide."

Kelly nodded and left the room. His hands were clenched into tight fists as he stuffed them into the pockets of his jacket. He should've kicked the crap out of the guy when he'd had the chance.

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As he got into his car he couldn't help but replay that entire day…and that night…in his head.

She had still been asleep when he let himself in using the key she had given him. He could smell onions and garlic so he knew she had been up late cooking…

He hung his jacket over the back of the dining room chair and dropped his bag silently beside it. He slipped off his shoes and crept quietly toward the bedroom.

Alyssa was all curled up in the blankets, her long hair fanned out on the pillow. He smiled to himself when he noticed she was sleeping in one of his Squad t-shirts.

He shed his clothes in almost one fluid motion…and went around to "his" side of the bed and slipped under the covers. He wrapped his arms around Alyssa and pulled her close. She stirred in her sleep.

"Shh…"he whispered to her. "It's just me…go back to sleep."

He watched her for a while before he drifted off himself.

She awoke before he did…and he stirred when he felt gentle kisses along his neck. He could feel Alyssa all soft and warm snuggled into his side. He loved waking up like that…

He turned to her.

"Morning…" he said.

"Afternoon…" she replied.

He chuckled softly before capturing her lips with his.

She responded in kind and she rolled on top of him. His hands slid up under the t-shirt and caressed her skin. A moment later he decided there were entirely too many clothes involved and quickly divested her of the garment.

Then he rolled them both over into the center of the bed. He let his kisses trail down the side of her neck, over her shoulders, down to the center of her breast. She moaned softly and he felt her shiver with pleasure beneath him. He smiled to himself before moving over to her other breast.

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They were meeting everyone down at Shannahan's for drinks and they were getting ready to leave…actually Alyssa was getting ready. He'd been ready for over half an hour…it came with being a firefighter.

He heard Alyssa's heels clicking on the hardwood floor and he pulled himself up out of the couch. He stepped into the dining room as she was making last minute adjustments.

His eyes raked her up and down, taking in the animal print knit dress that hugged her every curve, her black leather boots and her black leather jacket.

She flipped her hair back over her shoulder and turned to Kelly expectantly.

"Ready?" she asked him.

"I thought you wanted to go out tonight." He said with a wicked gleam in his eye.

Alyssa was confused.

"We are going out…"

"If you think you're getting out the door dressed like that…you got another thing coming."

He pulled her flush against him so there was no mistaking what he meant.

But they did make it out the door…after a lot of teasing and cajoling…and promises to satisfy his libido all night long.

By the time they got to Shannahan's the gang was all there.

"There you are." Dawson said. "We were beginning to think you stood us up."

While Alyssa greeted everyone with a hug, Kelly headed to the bar to get a couple of beers for himself and Alyssa.

" 'Scuse me…" he muttered as he dodged a guy who had for some reason taken root right in the middle of his path.

He judged the guy to be a few years older than himself…maybe a little taller, and scrawny as hell. The guy had a hard look on his face…what the hell was that all about?

But the jerk was forgotten by the time he rejoined his friends at their table.

He got there just in time to hear Peter Mills challenge Alyssa at darts.

Dumb move, Candidate…

Alyssa could throw darts almost as well as she could shoot pool.

And after she beat him in fourteen straight games, Casey stepped in.

"All right… you've embarrassed yourself enough for one night."

There was good natured laughter all around. And Alyssa hugged Mills around the neck.

"Don't feel so bad, Pete …" she said with a smile.

The candidate just shook his head with a good natured laugh.

"All right…this round's on me." He said.

As the men headed for the bar Alyssa excused herself to go to the Ladies' room. She didn't get far before she was confronted by her past.

"Let go of me!"

Kelly heard her voice over the din. He turned around and saw Alyssa trying to wrest her arm free from some guy who wasn't letting go.

"What do you think you're doing, Alyssa? You think you can hide from me?" the guy hissed at her.

"HEY!"

Severide closed the distance between them in just a few angry strides.

"Get your damn hands off her!" he ordered.

"Mind your business, pal."

Kelly grabbed the guy's wrist and forced him to release his hold on Alyssa's arm.

"I'm not your pal…and this is my business!" he growled.

The guy glared at Kelly…

"You have no idea who you're messin' with."

Kelly took a step closer.

"No. You don't know who you're messin' with. Now get the hell out of here!"

He released the guy's wrist so forcefully that the guy actually staggered back a step.

The guy glared at Alyssa and he looked like he was about to say something to her…

"Hey!" Kelly stepped in front of him. "You need help findin' the door?"

The guy gave Kelly a hard look.

Casey and Mills had taken up ranks behind Severide…and the guy looked the three men up and down too…before he backed away and headed for the door.

"That's right…" Severide said to the retreating bully. "Keep walkin'…"

He watched until the guy was out the door…then he turned to Alyssa. He opened his arms and she stepped into the safety of his embrace.

"Are you okay?" he asked her.

She nodded.

He searched her eyes…looking for some explanation as to what just happened…but she didn't offer one. Deciding it was better not to push, he kissed her gently on the forehead.

Leslie came up behind them and caught Kelly's eye. She gently reached out to Alyssa, and steered her toward the Ladies' room.

Kelly watched them go…then he turned to Casey and Mills.

"Thanks, guys…"

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It had been twenty three days.

Twenty three days since someone…whose name he now knew was Bradley Paul…had forced his way into Alyssa's apartment and nearly killed her.

Their identification of Paul as the guy who had hassled Alyssa at the neighborhood bar, coupled with the TRO she had taken out a week later was enough to compel a DNA sample. And the CPD had their man.

Detective Middleweek had come down to the fire house to personally give Severide the news.

And Kelly had nodded…thanked the man…and gone about his business.

What he really wanted was two minutes alone with the asshole. Two minutes to make the guy feel even a little of what he'd done to Alyssa.

Twenty three days, and Kelly still had not been able to bring himself to go to the hospital.

He'd heard updates from the others…he'd had to resort to eavesdropping in some cases. Everyone in the house had been down to see her at one point or another, and most of the men (certainly both the women) were looking at him with increasing disgust. Some of them had stopped talking to him all together.

He knew she had made three more trips to the OR since that night. He knew one procedure had gone on for a marathon eleven hours…and he knew one had nearly cost her her life. She might need more procedures down the road, but for now the doctors had done all they could.

Leslie cornered Severide in the locker room at the start of shift.

"We need to talk." She said.

"If you're gonna bust my balls about going to see Alyssa you can save your breath."

He started to go around her.

"I was at the hospital yesterday."

Kelly stopped in his tracks.

"How is she?" he asked as he turned to face his roommate.

"That's what I need to talk to you about." Leslie told him.

She crossed her arms over her chest.

"Did something happen?" he asked impatiently.

"No. She's still holding steady since the last surgery. But they're gonna start weaning her off the paralytics."

"English, please?"

"They're gonna wake her up. That's the only way to know if she's suffered any permanent damage. They were gonna start today."

"How long is it gonna take?"

Leslie sighed.

"There's no exact timetable…but hopefully, she should start to wake up over the next 48 hours."

She gave him a hard look.

"You've got a decision to make, Kelly. And you need to make it fast. Alyssa's in for a rough time…and she's gonna need someone."

He wiped his hand down his face in frustration.

"I'm not that guy, Shay. She's better off without me."

Shay sighed.

"Yeah…I'd have to agree with you on that."

He turned to walk away.

"But before you go and prove to everyone just how big a dick you really are…"

He turned back.

"Ask yourself something. What if the situation were reversed and it was you who'd gotten hurt? What do you think Alyssa would do?"

She walked past him and out the door, leaving Kelly alone in the locker room to ponder his decision.

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He didn't speak to her for the rest of the shift. He didn't speak to anyone. Except for going out on calls, Severide stayed hidden in his quarters.

He didn't even have to think about what Leslie had said. If he had gotten hurt, even a little, Alyssa would be right there beside him. She'd take care of him…go to every doctor's appointment…every rehab session, no questions asked.

So why couldn't he do the same for her?

He thought about the past three weeks and all the things that had happened. He'd been lonelier than he had in months…that was for certain. He sometimes found himself checking his phone for messages or texts, only to remember a moment later that she was in no condition to send one. As hard has he had tried not to let her, Alyssa permeated his every thought. When things happened…especially things on the job…she was the one he wanted to go to, to share the good things with. She was the one he wanted to just be with to forget the bad.

He'd taken to replaying her last message when he was alone…just to hear her voice. It must have been from that night…before…

She said she missed him…and she'd see him after his shift. But at the end she slipped. She said something she had never said before.

"I love you, Babe."

Four little one syllable words. Four words that normally would have had him running for the hills. But he hadn't found them until the next day…after…well, just after.

Would she still be able to say them once she woke up? What if it was like that chick flick he'd heard Dawson and Shay go on and on about…the one where the girl woke up after being in a car accident and didn't remember her husband? What if she couldn't talk at all? What if she didn't wake up at all?

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When he came downstairs Leslie was already up.

"You look like crap…" she said.

He felt like crap. He hadn't closed his eyes in two nights. He kept thinking about Alyssa and replaying the three months he had known her…he could hear her laughter…he could see the sparkle in her eyes, the way she tossed her hair back…her smile that melted his heart every time.

"I'm going to the hospital." He told her.

Shay nodded and walked around the island in their kitchen. She put her arms around his neck and hugged him tight.

And he hugged her back.

"I'm proud of you, Kelly."

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He stopped in his tracks and stared up at the front entrance of Lakeshore Hospital.

He almost turned around…again. He had almost turned around a dozen times since he left his apartment. But Leslie and everybody else was right…he had to man up and stop running.

He stopped in the gift shop to get some flowers. But nothing seemed right, so he settled on a single red rose.

While the lady was putting in a little vase with some greenery something else caught his eye. There was a section with some little toys and there was a rack with those beanbag things…and on it there was a bear…dressed like a firefighter.

He laughed to himself because it was just sooo…cheesy. And he bought it.

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He almost turned back again as he stepped off the elevator outside the ICU. But he squared his shoulders and strode up to the nurses' station.

"Can you tell me which room Alyssa Boungiovanni is in?" He asked the woman sitting at the desk.

"Room eleven…" she answered.

Kelly nodded his thanks and took a few steps toward the room directly across from the desk.

He stopped outside the door, which was open. He took a deep breath and gathered up his courage…and knocked.

Alyssa's whole family was there.

Kelly recognized her brothers from that night in the waiting room. The older couple, he assumed were her parents. And there were two women also, he figured they might be her sisters-in-law.

Everyone turned and stared at him.

It was a little uncomfortable…hell, it was a lot uncomfortable…but then one of her brothers, Joe, he remembered…crossed the room and held out his hand.

"Kelly…good to see you."

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The hours crawled by…and the silence was deafening.

The ten people in that room were all lost in their own private thoughts. Alyssa's mother had her Rosary in hand and her lips moved in silent prayer as she fingered each bead. Her father stood still as a statue, staring out the window. Her oldest brother thumbed through a three month old Sports Illustrated. Another was looking intently at something on his phone.

Kelly couldn't stand it. He paced back and forth outside the door. Waiting had never been his strong suit…and this, this was a hundred times worse.

Her brother Joe seemed to feel the same way…because he was doing the same thing about ten feet away.

The two men eyed each other, and Kelly searched his memory for anything Alyssa had told him about this brother. She and Joe were the closest, she said, because they were the closest in age, three years apart. She was the pesky tag-along kid sister and she followed Joe and his friends all over the neighborhood. He had taught her to throw a perfect spiral. He was the one who got her drunk the first time. He was the one who got suspended for two weeks when he got into a fight with three football players who were talkin' trash about her.

"I get claustrophobic in there…" Joe said.

Kelly nodded in understanding.

"Yeah…it's a little crowded."

That didn't sound right…

"It's good though." Kelly tried to cover his tracks. "That your family's so close…that you're here for each other."

"What about you? Your co-workers said you were picking up extra shifts?"

Kelly stuffed his hands in his pockets and looked down at the floor.

But before he could formulate an answer…

Alyssa's brother Mark stuck his head out the door.

"Hey…I think something's happening!"

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The two men ducked back inside the room.

Alyssa's mother was clutching at her daughter's hand.

And seconds later Alyssa's eyes fluttered. She blinked a few times…before she opened her eyes wide.

She looked terrified.

Her mom was crying…and that seemed to upset Alyssa more. Her dad and her brother Jimmy gently pulled her away. Joe moved to Alyssa's side.

He tried to soothe her…telling her she had been hurt…but everything was going to be okay.

She looked frantically around the room and Kelly felt his heart pounding in his chest.

Then her eyes found him. Everyone followed her gaze and stepped back to let him through. He felt a little uncomfortable, being on the spot like that…but Alyssa looked so frightened and confused.

Joe moved aside to let Kelly in.

He took her hand in his.

"Hey…" he said.

She seemed to relax a bit at the sound of his voice.

"Do you remember?" he asked. "You remember what happened?"

She blinked her eyes and gave a little, almost imperceivable nod of her head.

That was a good sign.

"It's gonna be okay." He told her gently. "You're gonna be okay."

Her eyes opened wide. She still looked scared.

"Nobody's gonna hurt you again." He said with certainty. "I promise…"

She still had a look of uncertainty in her eyes…and it tore at his heart.

He took a deep breath and let it out slowly.

"It was Bradley Paul, right?" he asked.

The room was silent…except for the beeping on the monitors.

Alyssa nodded again.

"They got him, Lyssa. He can't hurt you anymore. He's going away for a long, long time."

A calm fell over her…he could see it.

There was movement in the doorway as the doctor came into the room. Kelly started to take a step back to let her in, but Alyssa squeezed tight on his hand with a strength that surprised him.

"I'm right here." He told her. "I'm not gonna go anywhere."