Disclaimer: I do not own Chicago Fire; that is NBC's department. I am just having fun with their characters.

Author's Note: The Accident is the second story in the Unglued 'verse. If you have not read Unglued, you may want to go back and read it just so events in this story make more sense. It is mostly AU, although I try to keep characterizations within the canon. You don't have to read Unglued for this story to make sense, but it might help. For instance, reading Unglued would help explain why Andy shows up randomly. This story will probably be roughly as long as Unglued, although I'm keeping my options open. I should be able to keep to a regular update schedule, although my last month in school might change things a little. I welcome any and all feedback/comments/reviews on my writing, feel free to tell me what you think.

Italics are from Casey's POV.

The Accident

Chapter One

A visit from two detectives at your place of work in the middle of the day was never anything good.

Never good news.

Dread swept over Casey as Antonio and Erin dragged folding chairs to the front of Casey's desk. Antonio ran a hand over his face tiredly and cleared his throat. "Matt, CPD got a call from the Miami-Dade County sheriff's Department today." He looked at Erin anxiously. "Did you know that's where Heather had moved with the boys?"

Casey's stomach immediately bottomed out. "Heather? What happened, is she okay? What about Ben and Griffin?"

"Matt, I'm sorry, but Heather passed away this morning." Antonio looked away. He had delivered this type of news dozens of times, but never to a friend, much less his little sister's boyfriend. The look on Casey's face hit him like a sucker punch.

"I….I don't understand. She's dead? What happened?"

"It's too early for an official report from the coroner, but from what was in the report from the responding officers, Heather didn't wake up to get the boys ready for school. Ben went in to wake her up, and she wasn't moving. They called 911, but when paramedics got there, they said she had already been dead for hours."

Casey choked for air. "Ben found her? Jesus. Jesus, Antonio. Did she…"

Did she kill herself?

Antonio finished Casey's thoughts for him. "They don't know, Matt. There wasn't any suicide note. There was a bottle of wine and a prescription bottle of sleeping pills on the bedside table. It looks like an accident. The wine bottle was empty, but there were only several pills missing from the prescription bottle. They're performing an autopsy to find out for sure. We don't know if she took anything else."

Casey imagined Ben trying to shake his mother awake in futility. His eyes filled with tears at the horrible thought. He angrily dug at his eyes with his fingers in an attempt to hold them back, at least until he was alone. "God. I can't…where are the boys now?"

Erin spoke up. "They're with child protective services. They're safe, and they're being taken care of. That's also part of why we're here."

Antonio nodded. "You're named legal guardian of Ben and Griffin, you have been for years."

"I know…Andy and Heather had that all done officially years ago. That's how I had the boys last year while Heather was in prison. What do I do now?" Casey thought out loud. Everything was coming at him so quickly, he couldn't even react. His heart hurt at the thought of Ben and Griffin, orphaned, all alone in a strange city without any family. He had to be the one to take care of them. He couldn't let them get put into foster care and get split up. He just couldn't do that. Andy was like his brother, and if he could do anything at all, it was going to be to take care of his children.

Erin handed him a card with a phone number written on the back. "You could get in contact with CPS in Miami, they're the ones who would handle all that." She reached out and covered Casey's hand with her own. "Matt, I'm so sorry for your loss. You know if you need anything, you have Antonio and my numbers, right?"

Casey nodded; he was still numb with shock. Antonio and Erin got up to leave; Casey thought they said something, but their words didn't register. He waited until they left and closed the door to get up and shut the blinds on the window to his office. The last thing he needed was someone else to walk by and see him falling apart. He slumped into his chair and glanced at the framed photo of himself, Andy, and Severide. Casey put his head in his hands.

God, Heather. How could you do that to Ben and Griffin? After everything they've already been through.

Casey stopped himself. He knew Heather was hurting. She was obviously having problems sleeping. She should have known better than to mix that much alcohol with sleeping pills, though. It was a tragedy, those boys left without their parents. Both times, because of stupid, stupid accidents that were completely avoidable. He dropped his chin down against his chest, and tears slid across the bridge of his nose. He grabbed his jacket and buried his face in it in a feeble attempt to muffle the choked, broken sounds coming from his mouth.

There was no goddamn way the rest of those papers were getting filed today.

When Casey finally emerged from his office, he headed straight for Chief O'Reilly's office. He rapped gently on the half-open door. "Lieutenant Casey! Come in, come in." He looked up from his computer and did a double take upon seeing Casey's face. "What happened? You look like hell."

"I got some bad news, Chief. I need to take the rest of the day as a personal day. I'm sorry, I have to go take care of some things." Casey's voice sounded shaky. "Family things," he offered in half-explanation. He didn't want to explain everything, not unless he was questioned.

Chief O'Reilly took off his glasses. "Absolutely, whatever you need. Is there anything I can do?"

"No, not really. I just need the rest of today." Casey became aware that he was clenching his fists, the muscles in his arms contracting sharply.

"No problem, Lieutenant. Take what you need."

Casey nodded and got out a "Thanks, Chief" before he turned and left the office abruptly. He had to get out of there as soon as possible. He needed to go home and get in contact with CPS in Miami; he needed to figure out if he could call Ben and Griffin and talk to them. He thought they would need to hear a familiar voice, even if it was over the phone.

He needed to call Severide, too.

Casey slammed the phone down angrily. He had tried to contact the Darden boys' case worker through the number for Miami CPS Erin had given him. So far, he was connected to three different departments, then put on the line with someone who said they would take down his information and call him back. He knew that it was a complicated issue, but there had to be an easier way to find out information. He was Ben and Griffin's legal guardian now, for God's sake.

His phone rang, and Casey grabbed for it nervously. It wasn't Miami CPS.

It was Severide.

Shit.

He answered reluctantly. "Severide."

"Hey. I thought you weren't going to call. You off work yet? Still want to go get those beers?" Severide's voice was light and carefree. It made the news Casey was about to deliver that much harder to say.

"Kelly. Antonio and Erin came to see me at work today, a little while after you left. The sheriff department in Miami got in contact with CPD. That's where Heather moved with Ben and Griffin after she was released from Cook County."

"Why? Did she get arrested again?"

"Heather's dead, Kelly. They think she overdosed on sleeping pills on top of a bottle of wine."

There was silence on the other end, then a long exhale. "Poor Ben and Griffin. Fuck."

"I'm their legal guardian now. I've been on and off the phone with child services in Miami, but I haven't gotten hold of someone yet who can tell me what is going on." Casey tried to swallow the permanent lump in his throat. "You can still come over, if you want. Gabs will be home from the Academy in a few hours." He hoped Severide would come over, he needed someone to just be there now.

"Yeah, sure. You need me to bring anything over?"

"Not really. Just come." Casey tried and failed to keep the pleading out of his voice.

"Give me a half hour." Severide hung up the phone without a goodbye. His tone had switched from upbeat to somber in the span of about a minute.

Casey pressed end on his cell. CPS hadn't tried to call when he was on the phone with Severide. He had a feeling he would be waiting a while for a call back. He looked around the empty kitchen. It was five o'clock already. Gabby was just getting done at the Academy; she'd be home soon. He got up and opened the fridge door in search of a beer. Nothing but NAs, and those would just have to suffice.

He twisted off the cap and took a long pull of the beer, eyes closed. He opened them to find Andy standing in front of him. He nearly jumped out of his skin.

"Christ, Andy. Warn a guy, huh?"

Andy pressed his lips together; his chin trembling. "Matt. I know, about everything. You gotta promise me you'll take care of my sons. You're the only person they have now. It wasn't supposed to happen this way. They weren't supposed to grow up like this." Andy was crying now, shamelessly, not bothering to dash away his tears. "Everything got so fucked up, Matt. You gotta make sure they end up okay. Please."

Casey was speechless. His throat felt like it was closing up, the entire room spun around him. He finally croaked out, "I promise, Andy. I promise." Andy gripped Casey's hands in his own. Casey could swear he could feel the cool flesh against his own.

There was a sudden knock at the door. That would be Severide. Andy had disappeared, and Severide was at the door. Casey dragged a sleeve across his face and crossed the room to open the front door. Severide was holding a huge paper bag from the local market. "Hey. I got here as quickly as I could. I brought you something to eat. I thought maybe you might get hungry." He stepped through the doorway and grabbed Casey's shoulder. "Anything you need, anything at all. I'm always here, brother."

Casey nodded, "Thanks, Kelly." He looked around awkwardly. "I still haven't gotten a call from Miami CPS. If I don't hear from them in five more minutes I'm calling them back and giving them a piece of my mind."

As if on cue, they both turned towards the kitchen as the sound of Casey's cell ringing startled them. Casey ran to answer it. He didn't recognize the number. It had to be the case worker from Miami.

"This is Matthew Casey."

"Hello, Mr. Casey? This is Ms. Owens with Miami CPS. I'm sorry I couldn't call you sooner. I've tried to get some things worked out here on my end. We have a lot to discuss, but I am actually here with Ben and Griffin, and they're both really anxious to talk to you."

Casey exhaled a shuddering, heavy breath. "Put them on." He heard a shuffling and transferring of the phone, then a quiet voice.

"Uncle Matt?"

Continued in Chapter 2