SUMMARY: Firehouse 51 gets toned for one of the worst calls Lieutenant Matt Casey's ever been on, but will he be able to continue doing his job following the trauma? (***Rated T for traumatic scenes and character whump.***)
AUTHOR'S NOTE: The characters of Chicago Fire do not belong to me, and I do not own the rights to them (sadly). :( I just like playing with them. ;) All ideas belong to Angel Estrada at Stokes Fanficz, so please don't plagiarize! ...Oh yeah, and this is completely un-beta'd. :) Feedback (As well as Con-Crit) is very much welcomed. :)

Today had been like any other day. The sun was shining. Cruz was cooking. Otis was playing jokes. Mouch was sitting with Pouch, reading a paper on the couch. Casey was eating a bowel of cereal at the kitchen table. It was a typical day at Firehouse 51.

"Truck 81, Squad 3, Ambulance 61, Battalion 25..."

And there it was. It wouldn't truly be a typical day without tones interrupting their downtime.

They quickly flocked to the bay of the firehouse, jumping out of their work boots and into their turnout gear in less than a minute, and jumping into their seats, taking off on the red, sirens blaring.

As they approached the address dispatch had provided them with when they marked en route, Cruz, who'd been filling in on Truck 81 for this shift, shouted excitedly.

"Looks like we got a good one, boys! This one's cookin'!"

Smiles simultaneously grew on each of their faces, and Casey surveyed the scene in front of them as they did so.

"We've got a fully involved structure, Chief!" Casey radioed.

Squad 3 was currently on another call that they'd be free from shortly, so right now, Casey knew he had to take action and lead the attack. He gave orders and placed his men where they were needed, making sure he had enough for a rescue and enough on the attack line until Squad 3 made it to the scene.

"My baby's inside! My baby's inside!" A woman frantically screamed as they approached the building.

Casey's brow furrowed and he held her by the shoulders.

"What floor?"

"My apartment's on the fifth floor, but he was playing on the fourth! You gotta save my baby! Please, save my baby!"

Casey studied her for a moment, then nodded and gave more direction.

"Cruz! With me!"

They both rapidly masked up and activated their SCBA. Casey led Cruz up four flights of stairs before flames prevented them from moving any further. Casey's heart sunk.

"In here!" Casey yelled to Cruz, leading him into an apartment whose door had been wide open. "We gotta find another way!"

Once inside, Casey quickly shut the door behind them. Cruz had already been blindly feeling around, sweeping the apartment for anything that may help them...

And that's when he felt something.

"Lieutenant! I got someone!" Cruz shouted. Upon closer inspection, he realized that it wasn't just 'someone.' It was a four-year old boy.

Cruz's heart sunk and he attempted to arouse him.

"Open your eyes for me, buddy. Come on!"

But he never responded.

Meanwhile, Casey was on the other side of the apartment, also actively searching... and that's where he found three more children, two girls and a boy.

All three were pulseless and apneic.

"Lieutenant!" Cruz called out once more. "I need some help in here!"

Casey didn't respond.

He'd fallen to his knees, simply staring in complete shock. It'd been a long time since he'd witnessed anything like this... and this was one of the worst.

All three were badly burned, almost unrecognizable. He could tell by their size that they couldn't be more than five years old.

Cruz had called out for him a few more times, and it wasn't until then that Casey finally snapped out of the trance he'd been in and made his way back to the front of the apartment.

"Take him," Casey ordered. "Take him out, Cruz. NOW!" Quickly, Cruz lifted the boy he'd gotten a pulse back on, and ran outside with him to an awaiting ambulance crew.

Squad 3 was just pulling up as Cruz was running out with a tiny body. Severide knew this couldn't be good.

"What do we got, Chief?" He asked as he jumped out of the truck, donning his helmet. Boden briefly filled him in.

After Cruz finally transferred care of the victim to the paramedics, he glanced around for his lieutenant.

"Chief! Where's Casey?"

He hadn't come out.

"Severide!" Chief shouted, pointing towards the building. Kelly didn't need any other words. He geared up and ran inside, his men not far behind.

"Casey! Casey, call out!" Severide yelled.

But Casey didn't answer.

After a few more moments of yelling his name, Severide finally caught a glimpse of a figure through the smoke.

Casey.

"What the hell are you doing, Matt?" He questioned loudly, screaming over his SCBA and the crackling of the flames.

Matt didn't answer.

He had three badly burnt bodies in his arms, and he was clearly struggling with the rescue-turned-recovery, but wasn't about to stop for help.

As soon as he got outside, he cautiously placed the lifeless bodies on the ground and fell to his knees, heaving. Kelly stood idly by. He'd never seen his best friend like this... and then he saw the small bodies... and they weren't moving.

Cruz breathed a sigh of relief as he saw his lieutenant exiting the building, but his heart sunk as he witnessed the scene taking place in front of him.

"No! No! My baby! My baby!" P.D. had to hold the woman back behind the fire line.

Severide gave Casey a moment before walking over to him, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Come on, Matt," Kelly spoke softly, knowing he had to get his friend away from the scene, "let's go." Casey nodded and stood up slowly, never taking his eyes off of the bodies. Severide tightly gripped Casey's arm and walked him to the truck.

Casey threw his helmet down in frustration, anger, and sadness, and he bent over, resting his hands on his knees. Severide placed a comforting hand on Casey's back, and he fought off onlookers, including some of their own men, with telling glances. Casey needed space right now, and Kelly knew it. Keeping everyone at bay was the best thing for him until he was composed.

After a few minutes, Casey took his jacket off and finally sat on the edge of the truck, head in his hands.

"You alright, man?" Kelly asked softly, concerned.

Casey swallowed hard and nodded. Severide knew Casey wasn't one to talk, but he knew Casey would atleast know that he cared and was there for him if he needed him.

Boden sidelined Casey for the remainder of the call, knowing he wasn't in the right frame of mind to fight the fire. They had mutual aid backing them, and they'd managed to control the blaze and extinguish it within a few hours. Severide, with Boden's approval, kept watch over a seemingly traumatized Casey, who was clearly shaken up. After exiting the structure, Casey never spoke a word. Once the scene was taken care of, the crews made their way back to the firehouse. Silent.

Casey jumped out of the truck and headed straight for his office, still in his turnout gear. He slammed his door and sat at his desk with his head in his hands, trying to make sense of what he'd just seen.