Lt. Sweetride

Talk to Me

Notes: Some events will be borrowed or changed from the show for this story. Some stuff will be new. T for now. Will become M because, well, they always do.

A/N: Thanks for the reviews, favs, and follows! It does my muse good as I use writing as an outlet for my current fangirl obsession. I've gone back into Chapter 1 and changed it slightly to take out the reference to Severide as a Ranger. Apparently the wiki is incorrect, and that Ranger tab is actually referring to some sort of scuba equipment (maybe?). Definitely not a Ranger though. He just doesn't have the vibe for that.

If you can't remember a better time

you can have mine, little one.

In days to come when your heart feels undone

may you always find an open hand

and take comfort wherever you can.

Deb Talan, Comfort

"The mom was released last night, but she's stayed here with the girl. They are all going to be fine," Dr. Wilhite explained to Casey and Severide.

"That's really good news," Casey said, clutching the stuff panda bear.

"Two of our paramedics found this bear in the ambulance. We think it's the girl's."

"Caroline."

"Yea, Caroline. We cleaned it up for her and wanted to return it," Severide finished. The panda bear had been completely soot covered when Shay found it in the ambulance, but now it was clean and mostly white again, thanks to a good wash.

"Let me get the mother out here. Maybe she'd like for you guys to return it directly." Wilhite walked into the glass enclosed room and came out quickly. "I'm sorry, Mrs. Brooker doesn't want to talk with you right now."

Then the dark haired woman stormed out of the room and towards the firemen. "Are you the ones that were there?"

Both men braced themselves against her anger, acknowledging they were but staying silent.

"It's your fault. My husband is dead because you didn't get to us in time. You didn't save him and now my children don't have a father." She broke down in tears, ripping the panda bear from Casey's hands. "Go away! I don't want you to see my children!"

Speechless, the two men looked on as she stalked away, listening to her sobs as she retreated. Kelly's heart broke for her, broke for them all as they were still reeling from not being able to save such a brave man. Starkly lit by fluorescents, the sterile white corridor screamed against their failure as he jerkily hurried away.

"I'm sorry about that," Dr. Wilhite began.

"Yea, no, don't worry about it Doc. We get it," Casey whispered, turning to follow Severide out.

Kelly pulled up short when he saw Elizabeth Talbot standing at the double doors leading out of the pediatric unit. Her eyes were damp with sympathy. She'd obviously witnessed the whole exchange. He felt Casey stop right behind him, while he just stood there.

Her long auburn hair was pulled back in a messy pony tail, like it always seemed to be. He wondered briefly just how long it was and if she ever wore it down. Her eyes were even greener with unshed tears of compassion. He didn't move as she walked towards them, her eyes locked with his.

Elizabeth stopped just in front of Kelly, standing on tip toe and reaching her arms up and around his neck, bringing him into a tight hug. He stiffened in surprise and then relaxed as she just held him in silence, her breath soft against his neck. His arms circled her waist, his face buried against her hair. She smelled fresh and clean with a hint of jasmine and something raw and musky he wasn't familiar with. He remembered her scent from the collapsed building. He let her smell fill his mind just as her body filled his arms.

Silently, she broke the hug and turned to Casey, embracing him as well, but holding him only briefly. Her hand dropped to Casey's quilted navy jacket while taking Kelly's hand in her other one. "You guys look like you could use a drink."

Kelly snorted, "You have no idea."

"I might have an inkling. I've got nothing stronger than pretty good coffee or a soda to offer, but I've got a few minutes if you want to sit for a bit. I'm buying."

The two men looked at each other and back at the doctor. "Sure. A few minutes would be great." She released them both and led the way to the cafeteria in silence. Kelly studied every move the woman made as she walked them through the corridor. She wasn't very tall, maybe 5' 3" or so in her flat comfortable shoes, but she had a long stride and easily kept up with them. When they got to the café, she nodded with her head or waved with her hand to give directions, holding their silent grief for them while they went through the motions. Not a word was spoken as she gestured to the coffee and sodas, only letting the cashier know it was on her tab.

They found a quiet table in a corner and sat, both men waiting until she had taken a seat before sitting themselves.

Casey broke the silence, "We don't want to talk about it." Severide was slumped in the awkward plastic chair, picking at the wax on the recyclable paper cup his soda came in. He felt like shit. Shit because he hadn't been able to save the father. Shit because the woman attacked them. Just shitty all around. But he didn't want to talk about it either.

"Ok," Elizabeth agreed quietly. "We don't have to talk at all."

Severide wanted to talk, not about the woman, or the father who had died, but talk about something, anything else. He hadn't seen her since the building collapse a week ago, and he'd never gotten to actually sit with her to talk. Avoiding him seemed to be her SOP, so now that he was sitting next to her, at her invitation, he was completely caught off guard. So much for smooth.

"You know, about a year ago, I got this letter," both men looked up from their not very interesting drinks. She played with the straw in her Diet Coke, staring off into space, her raw throaty voice continuing. "I'd once had to amputate both legs of a soldier to save his life. He'd been blown apart by an IED. When he woke up, and found out he'd lost his legs, he screamed and cursed at me, telling me I should have let him die. That his life was no longer worth living. He even tried to kill himself while he was in the hospital."

Kelly watched her lips tremble at the memory. It wasn't unlike how he was feeling right now. "I sat with him at the hospital. Read to him. Listened to him rail at me. Just sat in silence while he slept. When he was stable enough, he got shipped to Germany and then home. I figured I'd never hear from him again. That maybe he'd end up killing himself after all."

She brushed a tear from her cheek and looked right into Kelly's eyes. "Then I got this letter. It had been forwarded around until it finally reached me here. It was from him, and he thanked me for all I had done. And apologized for all the terrible things he had said at the time."

Elizabeth reached into the pocket of her white coat, and pulled out her stethoscope. Attached to it were a couple of laminated pictures. She pulled one aside and handed it to Kelly. "This is that man, two years after we sent him home. He has a beautiful loving wife, and they have two children. They named their little girl Elizabeth."

Both men fingered the photograph, looking at the good looking blonde man who might have been a football player in a past life, the two tow-headed blonde toddlers, and the beautiful woman who stood beside him.

"When in pain, or in grief, sometimes people lash out at those they hold responsible. Mrs. Booker will one day be able to thank you for saving her children so that they can grow up and remember the man who sacrificed his life for theirs, their father. You know that you did everything that you could. I know you did everything that you could. I see these victims when they come in, and I know what was done to save them. And I know when nothing would have made any difference. You could not have saved that man."

Casey cleared his throat, hard a couple of times. Kelly quickly wiped his eyes, before any tears fell out of his too full blue eyes.

"Thanks for the drinks Doc," Kelly said, standing letting his chair scrape across the linoleum floor, breaking the moment. Casey and Elizabeth stood and she looked from one man to the other.

"Maybe you'll let me buy you the next round, only something definitely stronger, at Molly's?" Kelly suggested, trying to lighten the mood.

"I like Molly's. They've got a comfortable vibe going there."

"You've been there?" Casey and Kelly asked in surprise.

"Yep. But apparently not when you've been. Shay and Dawson have a stake it in the place. What kind of friend would I be if I didn't support them when I can? Which isn't that often, but I try."

"So will you have a drink with me?" Severide asked again. They were almost to the exterior doors that would take them to the trucks where their guys waited.

"Truck 81, Ambulance 61, Squad 3, we have a car in the water at pier 6." Both men straightened and turned to rush out the doors.

"Thanks for the talk Doc," called Casey.

"I'm not going to quit asking," shouting Kelly.

Elizabeth watched as they both ran through the automatic doors. "I sure hope not," she whispered.

A/N: Reviews feed the muse.