Defying Orders

The noise from the explosion died down. Severide's ears were ringing, he brushed off the light debris that had fallen onto him as he'd jumped into the stairway, he could hear several PASS alarms chiming in the darkness but they lessened as everyone started moving leaving only two calling out shrilly.

"Mills?" Severide called as he moved the candidate onto his back, his PASS alarm stopped, one remained sounding out in the darkness. "You all right?"

"Erm... yeah I think so." Mills shook his head gathering his bearings.

"Herrmann, Cruz, get him out of here," he instructed. "Where's Casey?" he asked looking around; he'd not heard anything from the truck lieutenant.

"He pushed me into the stairway," Mills replied blearily before he was helped up and out of the building.

Severide's heart sunk as he realised the PASS alarm that was still calling out must be Casey's.

"Casey?" he called out. "Capp, Tony, anyone got eyes on him?" he asked before speaking into his radio, thinking it odd that he'd not heard anything from the chief who was outside. "Chief, everyone's accounted for except Casey and one victim."

The only response was static.

"Chief? Do you copy?"

But again there was only static.

Carefully Severide made his way into the main area of the building, the building groaned and more debris fell so he ordered the remaining members of truck and squad out the building. He was edging closer and closer to the sound of the PASS alarm until the noise stopped.

"Casey? Casey turn your PASS alarm back on," he instructed. "Damnit," he muttered. "Casey speak to me!"

Casey's ears were ringing, he could hear his PASS alarm urging him to move. He was lying partially on his back and left hand side because of the oxygen tank. There was a heavy weight pressing down onto his torso and hips. He couldn't see what it was, the dust was still settling from the explosion. He moved and tried to pull himself back making the PASS alarm silent.

"PASS alarm back on... Casey speak to me!"

Casey opened his mouth to call out but it suddenly felt dry, full of dust and smoke. Slowly he became more aware of his surroundings as he struggled to move, he could hear the remnants of the fire caused by the explosion crackling and the distant sound of someone shouting, he tried to focus on the voice.

"Casey! Stop moving!"

He stopped struggling against the weight that was holding him down and just as his PASS alarm sprang back into action he turned his head to the right, trying to get a better understanding as to why he was stuck. He took a sharp intake of breath causing him to cough violently as saw the body lying inches away from him. When he stopped coughing he slowly pulled his right hand up to check the man's pulse, although he knew just from the shape of the mans skull there was no way he could be alive.

Severide carefully made his way down to Casey. The floor in the middle of the room had fallen through and taken Casey along with it. He could hear Casey's PASS alarm but the first thing he saw was the victim's body crushed under a pile of rubble and large steel girder lay across him. Then he spotted Casey.

"The victim?" Severide asked.

He watched as Casey shook his head slowly confirming that he was dead. Severide surveyed the scene, his friend was stuck under the same steel girder that had killed the victim.

"Oh God..." he muttered when he realised how perilous Casey's position was.

"Not good?" Casey smiled thinly, looking up at Severide as he took in the scene.

"Can you feel your toes... your legs?" Severide asked.

"I can move them," he replied positively. The girder that lay across him was holding him place but it was only touching him lightly.

"Don't," Severide instructed quickly in case Casey decided to move again.

"It's barely touching me," he retorted although he was fairly certain it had broken some ribs when it had first knocked him down.

"I know but it's sitting very precariously," Severide warned. From what he could see the steal was being kept in its position by the body next to Casey on the right and a slab on concrete and pile of metal mesh to his left.

"Ok," he replied trustingly.

"How badly are you hurt? Do you think you can slide out if I cut off your tank?" Severide asked.

"I'm ok," he said.

"You're bleeding," Severide stated at the appearance of blood trailing from the lieutenants mouth.

"So are you," he countered, he could see a small gash on the top of Severide's forehead.

"Yeah," Severide nodded. "So, you think you can slide out?"

"Yeah..." he grimaced. "Well, I can try."

Severide grabbed his radio. "I need cribbing and two guys to come to the second floor," he ordered but of course there was only static. "Damn this building. Casey I'm gonna go and get some stuff and bring back two of the guys."

He saw Casey look worriedly at the dead body, he knew if there was one false move he'd surely be joining him. Severide also noted how pale his skin was through the light haze of smoke now the dust in the air had settled.

"I'll be back, radios aren't working, but I'll be back, I promise."

"It's unstable, I can't let you go back in there," the man stated after Severide's request. Another chief had turned up on the scene after the explosion had occurred. Boden grimly concurred with the other mans orders.

Severide stood his ground. "Well, it looks like I'm defying direct orders then." And he quickly re-entered the building with as much cribbing as he could carry before anyone could stop him.

Casey was lying alone trapped under the steel girder wishing the radios would work so he didn't feel so isolated, he could hear the building creaking and groaning around and knew enough to understand the building was unstable. His heart sank when he realised how unlikely it was that Severide would be allowed back inside. The dry air felt like it was choking him and his chest ached causing another coughing fit. The room was becoming more and more saturated with smoke from the fire that was still smoldering. He wanted to move and push himself out from underneath his steel cage but Severide's grim expression loomed in front of his mind. He'd wait but if there was no sign of his return he'd have to risk moving again.

Cautiously Severide made his way back to Casey. He discovered him unconscious and his pallor had increased. "Case?" He gently nudged the truck lieutenant.

Casey's eyes shot open. "You came?" he asked wearily before he glanced around.

"Everyone's busy, I've come back alone," Severide explained, hiding his worry over Casey's diminishing awareness.

"They're all ok?" Casey asked looking up at him blearily; his eyes were watering from the smoke in the air and the pain in his chest.

"Mills is a little banged up but ok," Severide replied as he starting placing the cribbing next to Casey to help stabilise the girder. He noticed Casey drifting off. "Hey Case, when this is over we need to go for a drink."

"We don't go for drinks anymore, not since Andy..." Casey trailed off and frowned. "Is it that bad?"

"What?" Severide questioned.

"My chances," Casey responded, "They that bad you're offering me a drink if we get out of here?"

"You're fine," Severide replied.

But Casey could taste the coppery substance in his mouth, a tell-tale sign that he was not fine, he swallowed.

Just as Severide was about to lean over and cut the straps off Casey's tank the whole building creaked and wailed before suddenly the rubble around them shifted, he covered Casey's unprotected head until the rumbling settled.

"Ok?" Severide asked once the noise had died down.

Casey grit his teeth, the steal was pressing tighter onto his pelvis and lower body. "Ok," he repeated in confirmation.

Severide quickly cut the straps off Casey's tank and instructed him to slowly slide himself out. Casey struggled, his left arm was still caught underneath him and he barely had enough strength left in his right to push himself back and out from under the rubble.

"Stop Casey," Severide instructed after watching him struggle.

Casey let his head fall back to the hard ground in defeat.

When the girder had shifted it had pinned Casey tighter and closer to the floor. "I'm going to move behind you and pull you, at the same time you push," Severide explained before he cautiously maneuvered himself so that he was sat behind Casey. "It's gonna hurt."

"I know," Casey replied stiffly.

"Ready?" Severide took hold of Casey. "On three. One, two, three..." He pulled as Casey pushed back.

"Argh!" Casey bit his lip holding back a scream as pain shot through his body.

"You're not going to pass out on me, are you?" Severide asked lightly.

"Huh?" he breathed out and suddenly realised he was out from underneath the girder. He was now being held up partially by Severide.

"Let's get out of here," Severide stated as he heard the building groan once more.

Severide rushed to Casey's side after being told by the ER doctor he could see him briefly before he was prepped for surgery to repair his punctured lung.

"Hey, don't forget you've got to come for a drink with me when this is all over," he said when what he really wanted to say was 'Don't worry, the surgery will be fine. I don't want to lose another so you better pull through this.'

Casey tiredly slipped off the oxygen mask. "I'll be fine, Kelly," he replied, knowing how Severide really felt.

"We're taking him through to pre-op now," someone in scrubs informed Severide before Casey was whisked away.

"Hi..." Casey said groggily when he opened his eyes and saw two blurry figures above him. The doctor explained that the surgery had gone well and he'd be able to go home in a few days before he left Severide alone with him.

"I called Hallie," Severide told him, "Just got her voicemail so I didn't leave her a message, I'll try again later."

"Don't," he replied tiredly.

"You can't keep this from her, you may not be in her hospital but she will find out." Severide grinned knowing how Casey, like himself, liked to downplay his injuries.

Casey sighed. "We broke up," he admitted quietly.

"Oh..." Severide frowned. Since Darden's death he'd kept completely out of touch with Casey's life. "I'm sorry man, you two were good together."

Casey shook his head and changed the conversation. "Thanks for getting me out of there, Kelly."

"My job right?" Severide smiled.

"No, it wasn't. You came back on your own because no one was allowed back in the building."

"I wasn't gonna lose you," Severide stated.

A few days later Casey was discharged and Severide dropped him off at home.

"Sore?" he questioned as he watched Casey get out of the car, unsure whether he should help him.

"Sore is an understatement," he breathed heavily.

"Good thing you got these then," Severide replied as he held up the bottle of prescription painkillers and watched and Casey nodded immediately. Once inside Severide glanced around the new house. "I like what you've done with the place."

The End