A/N- See before season four I thought Matt Casey would be the one to care for or bring up fostering a rescued kid. So it's his turn.
I don't own Chicago fire, of course. Louie'd be a Casey, thank you very much... or at least they'd have the family they want so much- I don't know...
The house was pouring smoke and flames from an upper room. Outside, A older woman was talking sternly to a younger woman.
"I live next door. There are kids in there, a ten year old and a two year old. Ellie and Joel." She said to Chief Boden
"Jesus, Jordan, did you even think before you ran for it!?" She said to the younger woman, her voice filled with sternness and not a little horror.
"I know it's only been two months as their foster mom, but that is no excuse!"
"I- I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" the younger- Jordan- choked.
Casey, Herrmann, and Kidd headed into the house. They split up.
Casey ended up in the right direction, as in checking the last door at the end of the hall revealed said 10 year old struggling to pull a bed away from a wall.
She's trying- but can't budge it She brings both hands down on the mattress in frustration.
"Ellie?" Casey asks.
The girl nods
"I know I'm supposed to go outside when the alarm goes off. From school. But Joel hid when it went off. I can't get under the bed where he is."
Out of breath from the explanation, she took a breath then coughed from the smoke. Casey nodded.
He called over the radio for a ladder up to the bedroom. At this point, it was the safest way. The hall outside was rapidly being devoured by flames.
He dragged the bed away from the wall, reaching for the toddler who stared back in terrified silence, tears slipping down his cheeks.
"S'ok Joel-y. He's a firefighter. He'll get us out and it won't be so scary anymore" she said to the little boy.
Casey scooped him up. He turned to the window, and saw Otis outside.
Casey made sure Ellie was safe, and out of reach as Otis destroyed the window with a halligan so both kids could handed over safely.
He handed the little boy over to Otis, and lifted Ellie up into the gap.
"I'll be right behind you."
In Ambulance 61, Joel won't settle. Even with three people trying to help: Shay, Brett and Dawson.
Ellie holds the mask Dawson put on her to her face and scoots back on the gurney.
"Give him to me."
Sylvie, who has been trying to get Joel to settle, hesitates. But then the toddler reaches for the girl.
"Ellie! " He cries, new tears starting. They are not that far from med. If she can keep him calm…
She places Joel onto the gurney. He snuggles into Ellie's side. Shay tries to put the mask on him again.
As he tries to bat it away, Ellie catches his hand.
"No, Joel. Gotta keep it on, or you can't stay with me. Be brave. "
The toddler stops and clutches handfuls of her shirt.
Dawson, who is over looking all of this, and heard their foster mother as they rushed to help is concentrating on the kids. She wants to shake sense into the woman.
It's months since Louie, but the little boy will always effect her life. Like at this moment, she thinks of the day she found him.
She sees that this girl is already a little mother at ten, and wonders what hell had she gone through, and still could do what she was doing.
"I'll let you hang on to him, if you don't fool around while we get you two to the hospital. Sylvie will stay with you guys." Shay says, waiting until Ellie looks up and nods. This girl will listen, she can tell.
As Dawson and Shay get into the driver and front seat. Shay sighs.
"Better those two together then a screaming toddler all the way to med. "
In her head, she thanked god for the CFD citywide grant that allowed a three person Ambo crew. Things were easier now.
Now onto Chicago med.
That's where 51 leaves them, goes back to shift. But later that day, Matt goes back to check on them.
There he meets their social worker, Jodie Singer.
"Those two are something else, huh?"
Yeah. I'm the one who pulled them out. What she did was very dangerous, but I don't blame her. The boy is family.
"The sad thing is, before Jordan Amerio fostered them? They were meant to be split up. Joel's last name is Lorenz
Ellie's is Katz." Jodie exposed.
Casey had known, partly by a look. But he could have been wrong.
"So, they-
"Are not biological siblings. But they latched onto each other." Jodie explained.
"Jordan meant well, but today cannot be overlooked. The best I can do is put them the same group home. Ellie really opened up after meeting Joel. She'd do anything for him."
With that sad statement, she starts to leave.
He should leave too. But he can't. This must be the same pull Gabby felt. With Louie. He calls to Jodie.
"Hey, can I check on them too?"
"Of course. "
Joel is watching TV. Ellie is busy with what looks like lunch trays. She's cutting a grilled cheese into triangles.
"Joel won't eat them if they aren't triangles," She says, to the two grown ups, matter of fact.
She sticks a straw into the juice pack.
"C'mon, Joel- bug. "
The little boy looks at the tray.
"Icee!" He says, pointing at the wrapped Italian ice cup on the tray.
"Nope," She says and sticks one of the triangles into his mouth. Joel chews moodily.
Casey chuckled.
Suddenly his radio squawks to life.
He asks Jodie for her card.
"My wife and I fostered a little boy until his biological dad came back into the picture. By the end we were looking into adoption, before things fell apart. If I talk to her, we might help those two.
"After they check out okay, they'll be moved to a group home that handles emergency cases. I'll tell them to expect my call, we can arrange something, i'm sure." Jodie answers, handing him her card.
Next Chapter: Matt and Gabby talk, and they both go back to visit Ellie and Joel.