Title: Out of the Fire
Disclaimer: I do not own Chicago Fire, or any of these characters.
Chapter Two
Severide
An hour later a doctor passes through the doors and approaches Boden. I immediately stand up to join them. Upon examination of the doctor's face I decide that he looks grim, definitely not a good sign. When I join them the doctor asks Boden and I to follow him to his office.
We enter his small but cozy office and sit down in the two chairs facing his large wooden desk. He sits on the other side and folds his hands, he takes a deep breath, and begins. "Lieutenant Casey suffered extensive burning throughout his chest, abdomen, upper arms, and even the upper legs. The worst is in the chest area. We were able to save the skin without a skin graft. He also has four broken ribs, a fractured sternum and his left collarbone is cracked along with his left humerus. His cheekbone and nose were also broken by the falling debris. There is also obviously lots of bruising." I can feel that all the color has drained from my face but there is still more. "But what worries us the most is that Lieutenant Casey is currently in a coma due to the lack of oxygen to the brain."
I am taken aback, a coma, Casey is in a coma? My first reaction is to throw up, but I know that I can't so I wait for the nausea to pass. I then ask "Do you know when he will wake up?" The little voice in the back of my head can't help but add the if to that statement. Oh Casey, what did you do?
The doctor clears his throat and answers "Casey may wake up tomorrow or in weeks, we just don't know but" He pauses and considers adding the next part "the longer he is in the coma the less likely it is that he will regain consciousness, and even if he does he may never fully recover." I get up and leave the room, leaving Boden to discuss the rest with the doctor.
As soon as I reach the waiting room everyone is immediately in my face. I put on my best face and say "He has extensive bruises and burns. They surgically repaired his left humerus. He also has four broken ribs, a fractured cheekbone, nose, and his left collar bone and sternum are fractured too." I have to stop because I can barely keep it together and say "And he's in a coma, they don't know when he will wake up, if he ever does." I stand there for a second and then add "If you have any more questions just ask Boden I'm leaving." Then I walk right through the doors and to my car.
I go straight to the bar since my shift is over anyway. I momentarily feel bad for not giving Molly's the business but I can't seem to care as I make my way to the bar down the street from mine and Shay's apartment. I sit down at the bar and I tell the bartender my drink order. He hands it to me and says "It's on the house, you have obviously had a rough day."
I then realize that I'm still in the clothes that I wore under my turnout gear. They still have some of Casey's blood on them and I smell like a fire. No wonder people have been giving me strange looks. I look like I'm a murderer or something.
I sit at the bar for a few hours. I am pretty drunk when I decide to leave. I pay my tab and walk out the door. Not wanting to drive I just stumble back to my apartment, it's only a couple blocks. I finally make it home and open the door and walk inside. Shay is sitting on the couch with a bottle of wine, crying. I go and sit next to her. We just sit there for a while and silently comfort each other. I guess I made it to my bed because the next thing I am aware of is my alarm going off. I get out of bed and register my vicious hangover. Two Tylenols later, I'm in the shower letting the warm water cascade over my shoulders. I am hoping that it was all just a dream, but I know it wasn't and that I need to face the day. I go down stairs and get my coffee. Shay wanders down and we get in my car to go to the station. The drive is silent and I can't help but wonder if Casey is better and that I wish he was leading truck instead of Hermann.
Casey
I am in the weirdest place. I wonder where I am. The purple trees and bubbles floating around are pretty cool. And now I am sitting on an orange elephant. How strange. I must ride this elephant for hours. I finally leave that strange place and I am now in an all-white room. There's nothing in here. Literally nothing, like it's empty. But I can hear a voice. Is that Dawson? I think it is. "Dawson, I'm right over here! Where are you?" She doesn't answer me so I start to pay attention to what she's saying.
"Oh Casey, don't worry I know that you'll wake up, there is no doubt in my mind that you will wake up soon. But you should hurry up because everyone is pretty upset, myself included. Mills is blaming himself for this. Casey please wake up."
"Dawson, I'm here. Why can't she hear me? What's going on?" Then I remember. The beam falling, falling through the floor and everything falling on top of me. And the pain, it was awful. Then I must have passed out because I can't remember anything else. Dawson can't hear me so I retreat back to the strange dreamland with the orange elephants. Other people come but I just block them out because I can't communicate back. Not only are there elephants but one day I get something better. My friend Andy. We talk and drink a couple beers and just hang out. After a while of that though he gives me a look and says "Matt, come on. You need to wake up. You need to start fighting fires again. You need to be a Lieutenant again. Come on Matt, I know that you're sick of this place."
I don't bother trying to argue because I know he's right. I also know that Andy's dead and that I don't want to leave this place. Because if I leave this place I return to a place without Andy and a place without Hallie. But he is right about being a Lieutenant, and I miss fighting fires. "Okay Andy I'll try to get back." I give him a hug and say "I miss you, so much you don't even know."
He replies "Matt I do know, I miss you and Kelly just as much, stay safe, I don't wanna see you for at least another twenty years." I pull away and start to find my way back to the white place of nothing.