Title: Needles, Nerves & New Beginnings
Chapter 1 – The Wrong kind of Trip
Summary: At a late night call Severide tries to help Shay get their patient under control but ends up getting stuck with a needle full of hallucinogens. He wanders away under the influence a bit later. A panicked Shay gets some unexpected help from Erin & both race to find him before he does himself or someone else harm.
Disclaimer:Same as always. I own nothing but my muse and my love for all things #firefighters #Sevasey & #Lindseride
A/N: Just a little ficlet that Alice pulled out of her white hat (darn plot bunny haha) and wanted to write some Kelly/Shay with some Kelly/Erin and hope you all like it.
"Hold him!"
"He's…going into some kind of seizure!"
"Find out what he's on!"
But just as Severide and Casey pull back from putting their latest fire victim onto the stretcher, they feel a blast of hot air on their backs at the same time a call for help is heard.
"Casey! Severide!"
"On it chief!"
"He's going to flip the stretcher!" Shay exclaims which prompts Severide to turn back and instantly grip the edge of the stretcher and keep it upright so that Shay and Dawson could try to get the man's flailing body under control. "Hold him Kelly!" Shay barks as Kelly Severide's gloved hands hold onto the thick thighs of the man, his actions allowing the two paramedics to affix an oxygen mask over his face and get him strapped down to the stretcher.
"We need to know if he's high or epileptic. He's not talking!"
"We need to get him to Chicago Med stat!"
"We can't give him anything until we know what he's on!"
"The stretcher might not hold him!"
"Chief, I'll ride with them to make sure he doesn't get violent in the bus."
"Go," Boden nods as he watches Herrmann and Cruz emerge from smoking building with the last person inside; the rest would be for the engine crews to put out the rest of the remaining flames with the hoses.
"See you back at the house," Casey tells Severide as he slaps him on the back and then closes the back of the ambulance doors, seconds before it speeds away.
"Think he's high?" Severide asks Shay as she starts to treat the wound on her victim's head.
"Acts like it," Shay mutters as the man's body starts to twitch again. "At least the mask keeps his language under wraps," she adds dryly as she looks up at her friend and former roommate. "So, have you asked out detective hair porn yet?"
"What?" Severide retorts as even Dawson tosses Shay a look of wonder from the front.
"Oh come on…her hair gives you a hard on," Shay grins as Severide shakes his head but feels his cheeks flush because he knows exactly who she's talking about.
"What…are you talking about?"
"Rita told me…"
"Oh seriously?" Severide interjects with a groan as Dawson snickers from the front. "You're hanging around Med too much these days. Right Dawson?"
"I'm staying out of this one," Dawson retorts from the front with a grin.
"So ask her out already."
"She…think she's dating her partner," Severide huffs as he leans back against the side of the ambulance with a frown.
"Last time she visited the house she was totally looking at you," Shay states as Dawson agrees from the front.
"Erin Lindsay is…she's not interested. So what do you think he's on?"
"You always sucked at changing the subject."
"Thought you were over Rita?"
"Dawson, are we there yet?" Shay groans as Severide slightly snickers. But just as they near the emergency doors to Chicago Med, the man's body starts to flail again and his right hand manages to undo the buckle that is keeping him strapped to the stretcher. "Kelly!"
"Ah damn…" Severide groans as he quickly stands up as Dawson tries to bring the ambulance to a safe stop with the back starting to rock a bit. "Can you give him…something!"
"No! Don't know what he's…on."
"Okay I think I got…ouch!" Severide stops as he thinks something's cut his leg but tells himself that it's just a twitch of sometime.
"What is it?" Shay asks in haste.
"Think he…pinched me or…it's nothing," Severide brushes off. "Get…up," he growls as the item in the man's hand falls and rolls underneath the stretcher so that no one is able to see it – right now.
"Okay…got him pinned back down."
Dawson pulls the back doors open and then all three inside scramble to get the fire victim into the nearest bed for treatment and assessment.
Severide pulls back with a small wince as his left hand reaches down to his thigh and rubs it as his lips mutter a curse under his breath. However, when he turns around he stops short and his wince instantly turns into a smile.
"Need that looked at?"
"Uh no…it's fine," Severide replies as he offers a somewhat nervous smile to detective Erin Lindsay. "You here on a case? With a suspect?"
"Yeah. He fell a story into a dumpster."
"Ouch," Severide smirks as Erin's lips break into a smile; her dimples making him feel a bit weak in his knees. A few seconds later he starts to feel his core warming a bit but tells himself that it's just being so close to the attractive detective and nothing more.
"Gotta go."
"Me too. Hope he pulls through or whatever."
"Hope your leg is okay," she tells him with a slightly nervous stammer; her heart always beating a bit faster when she's near him, especially when on the job in his full gear. The uniform…always made her weak – all over.
"Yeah…it will be," Severide offers somewhat lamely as Shay comes up behind him and offers Erin a friendly smile.
"Yeah…she's into you."
"Shay."
"Sooo in to you," Shay teases as they watch Erin join a few of her CPD intelligence team members on the other side of the nursing station.
"Ready to go?"
"Yeah. Your face is flushed…"Shay starts and then stops. "Oh…yeah you like her too. Just ask her out already."
"See you back at the house."
"I know I'm right!" Shay calls out with a grin.
Severide pulls away from his snickering friend, who is joined by Dawson a few seconds later and heads outside. As much as he wants to brush her concern away as some mild sexual attraction to Erin Lindsay, the warmth on his face and neck don't dissipate when he steps outside into the cool evening air. He climbs into the back and lets his weary frame slump down onto the back bench as Shay and Dawson hop into the front.
He can only shake his head at being the butt end of their jokes but wants nothing more than to get to the house and lay down for a few minutes and close his eyes. Why the hell is my head starting to pound? As soon as the ambulance stops inside Firehouse 51, Severide hops out of the back and heads toward the entrance to go inside, kicking off his large boots and then hanging his jacket on the hook and looking up at the clock.
At first it seems to slow and he gives his head a shake as he tries to clear his somewhat blurry vision.
"How'd it go?" Casey asks as Severide looks at him with a frown.
"Fine. I need…water or something."
With that he pulls away before Casey can say anything and heads for the locker room, his head starting to pound a bit more and heart feel a bit heavier in his chest. Severide pulls his locker door open with a bit extra force, making it slam against the other side of the other metal locker and making a bit more noise than he wanted.
"Whoa there."
"Not now…Shay," Severide lightly growls as she nears him.
"You okay? You look…a little off. Come and get a little…"
"I'm fine! I don't need…I need some fresh air. Stomach…feels queezy," he mumbles with a small hiss as he slams his locker shut and heads for the back door, still wearing his fire pants and grey undershirt.
"You're gonna freeze!" Shay calls out as she watches the door slam shut and Severide disappear from view. "Men."
Severide's lips suck in some of the cool night air as he leans against the cold brick side of the firehouse and then closes his eyes, willing the new found pounding in his head to stop. He tries to make sense of why he suddenly feels 'off' but tells himself that maybe it was due to a very long shift, lack of food and feeling a bit of a happy euphoria at seeing Erin at the hospital. I'll never admit that to Shay, he inwardly snickers.
As soon as he opens his eyes the area before him appears…wavy and his suddenly fuzzy brain starts to process things in a way he doesn't want. I need…to go home…can't stay on shift…like this…He pulls away from the side of Firehouse 51 and slightly stumbles toward a waiting cab; his brain not remembering that he left his phone in his locker.
What is wrong with me…his brain starts to process as he tilts his head on the backseat of the cab.
"Where to sir?"
"Need something to…drink," he stammers as he pinches the bridge of his nose and squeezes his eyes shut. When he opens them, the movement of the vehicle coupled with the hallucinogen in his system start to display the lights outside the window as bright spots of moving colors. "Whoa."
"Drink? Think you need to dry out a bit."
"I need…" Severide's voice raised and then fell as he gives his head a shake. "I need…to get out."
"Here?"
"Need to throw up."
"Whatever you say."
Severide gets out of the cab and then slightly stumbles toward the side of a building and holds onto it for a few seconds while the drugs start to ramp up their energy in his already beleaguered system. "Wow…" he mutters as his right hand touches his blazing forehead. "What's…wrong with me."
With that he pulls away from the side of the building and then starts to stumble on the sidewalk in an unfamiliar neighborhood; his mind telling him he's going home but in reality he was the furthest from anywhere familiar.
XXXXXXXX
"Okay, time to come back i…" Shay starts as she pushes the back door open and then looks outside for her missing friend. "Kelly?" She asks as she starts to look around outside in the darkened yard behind the firehouse. "Kelly? This isn't funny!" She adds as she looks around each corner and then hurries back inside. She pulls his locker open and stares at the contents and knows he hasn't gone too far – if anywhere.
"Marco?"
Silence.
"Supposed to say polo," Shay groans With that she heads back inside and then looks around the kitchen eating area and heads up to Casey. "You seen Kelly?"
"No. What's going on?"
"Think he's just being a typical brooding man," Shay groans as Casey's brows knit. "What is it with you guys. If you like a girl just ask her out and put yourselves out of our misery."
"Who is Kelly asking out?"
"Just help me find him."
Casey looks at his team seated around the table who just look back and shrug in return.
Shay pushes her way back into the area where the trucks and ambulance are and then looks around for Severide. "Kelly!" She calls out as the Squad team looks up from their table with wondering glances. "Where is your fearless leader?" She lightly snaps.
"Haven't seen him," Capp retorts as they return to their poker game and Shay just rolls her eyes and shakes her head.
But just as she pulls her phone, she looks up to see Erin Lindsay walking toward the open doors of the firehouse. "Well I'll be…damned," she whispers as she nears her with a friendly smile. "Twice in the same night?"
"Yeah just had to talk to Chief Boden for a few minutes."
"Ah okay. He's in his office."
"Oh I heard Maggie talking about your John Doe. He was high," Erin informs them. "Liquid hallucinogen."
"Not epilepsy. Got it."
"I was right!" Dawson calls out from the back of the ambulance as Shay and Erin chuckle.
"Everything…okay? You sounded pretty tense a few minutes ago."
"Kelly's missing," Shay huffs with a small frown as Erin's brows slightly arch.
"Missing?" Erin asks in surprise.
"I don't know…either that or he's just gone…I don't know where. He came back from the hospital a bit…off. I thought it was just him turning all teenager after running into you at the hospital but…maybe not," Shay rattles off as Erin's cheeks slightly flush. "So it's not just him! You're totally into him too!"
"Me? Uh…"
"Oh I so called this," Shay gloats proudly.
But just before Erin can another word, both of them hear Dawson shouting to Shay, which brings them both running to the open back end of the ambulance.
"Our John Doe had a needle on him. And it looks like half of whatever is inside…has been expelled. Only when I look in the area where I found the needle, there is nothing around it. But there is a bit of fresh blood on the tip. If this guy has gotten high before, he wouldn't be that careless…unless we stopped him before he could finish the job."
"Uh…oh," Shay states in dread as she looks at Erin and then back at Dawson.
"What…is it? I know that look," Dawson says slowly.
"Oh no…feeling light headed, face flushed, slightly slurred speech…I think he got Kelly with that."
"What?" Erin asks before Dawson as Shay shakes his head.
"Kelly said he thought our guy pinched his leg but…but it was the needle. We didn't see it so Kelly didn't get checked. The guy was wanting to get it out and give himself a boost but got Kelly's high instead…oh this is not good."
"Okay so…we need to get Kelly back to Chicago Med and see what's he's been…stuck with. What is it?" Dawson asks again as Shay shakes her head.
"Kelly's, missing," Shay states in dread as Erin looks at her in instant worry. "And we better find him before he does something to himself or someone else."
"Yeah but…where do we start looking?" Erin asks in haste.
A/N: So this had started out as a one shot but I realized I added a bit more than expected so its turned into a little ficlet and hope you all liked the start to this. Now hmm where did Kelly go? And what trouble is he about to get into? And will he be found and stopped in time before his actions have serious repercussions? And will Shay be proved right after all this is over? Please do review before you go and thanks so much!