Little Shay

Chapter 2

Sitting in the waiting room Shay couldn't help the constant stream of thoughts that were running through her head. She couldn't imagine living in a world without her baby sister, the one person who was always there for her and never stayed mad at her for more than 24hrs.

If Mackenzie didn't survive she couldn't imagine who she would be able to pour her heart out to 100% and not be judged. She didn't know who she would be able to watch re-runs of Gilmore Girls or who would be able to convince Kelly to watch the re-runs with them. Shay couldn't imagine who would order a burger with the works and then eat each part individually. She didn't know how she would ever survive without her baby sister.

Walking back into the waiting room Kelly could sense the inner turmoil that was going on for Shay and took a deep breath. He, just like Shay, couldn't imagine a world without Mackenzie. Since he had met Shay he had seen the bond between the two sisters and since he had moved in with them, he created his own bond with the incredible girl. When they say that when you have a daughter and they get you wrapped around your little finger, he had no doubt that Mackenzie had him firmly wrapped around his little finger and he would literally do anything for the hyperactive, mini-me of Shay.

"Shay, she's a fighter. If anyone can pull through this it's Mackenzie," Kelly said as he stood and walked over to where Shay was sitting. Shay looked up and sighed. She knew that Mackenzie was a fighter, always had been but this just seemed like a lot of fighting and she didn't know how much fight she was going to have left in her.

"Have you seen the scar on her stomach?" Shay asked quietly. Kelly nodded his head not really sure where the story was heading but knew that there was a reason for Shay telling this story.

"She was 8 when she got it. I was looking after her and she was at the park. She fell off the monkey bars and when she landed she landed on a broken branch. It went straight in and I was only 16. I didn't know what I was supposed to do but I knew that if I took it out then it could be worse. Another woman at the park called 911 and I took Mackenzie into my arms and I remember telling her how much I loved her and she kept telling me she was cold or she was tired. So I told her to fight it and she looked up at me and told me that she would always fight for me as long as I asked," Shay said her voice quiet and shaky as tears flowed down her cheeks.

"I didn't ask her to fight Kelly. I didn't ask her to fight," Shay said before leaning into Kelly and breaking down. Kelly felt his own tears and couldn't help but let them fall. They needed an update and badly. They had finally been told that Herman was going to be okay and now he just needed to know that Mackenzie was going to be okay.

Chicago Fire

Shay had cried herself to sleep and Kelly was thinking about everything that had happened. He saw Mackenzie's doctor walking towards them and gently shook Shay awake before nodding in the direction of where the doctor was. Shay quickly stood and met the doctor halfway down the hallway.

"How is she? Is Mackenzie okay?" Shay asked quickly when the doctor stopped to talk to them.

"Mackenzie has made it through the surgery and she's being moved to recovery as we speak," the doctor said pacing her hand on Shay's shoulder. Shay couldn't help the relief that washed over her hearing that her sister made it through the surgery. She was still alive and being moved to recovery.

"That however doesn't mean that she is out of the woods. We repaired the damage to her lung and set one of the 3 broken ribs. The other two were not as badly broken and they should heal by themselves with time. The bleed on her brain was located and stop and only time will tell if there is any permeant damage done," the doctor explained.

"What about her spine?" Kelly asked wanting to know if Mackenzie was ever going to be able to walk again or not.

"There was no fracture or break but some pretty bad swelling and bruising. She should regain full movement but it's going to take a lot of physical therapy and time. She's just going to have to be patient," the doctor said. "I can take you to see her now if you would like."

"That would be great. Thank-you. Kelly, can you tell everyone?" Shay asked looking at him. He nodded his head with a smile before kissing her forehead.

"Of course. I can't imagine that there won't be a waiting line to see her, Kelly said with a smile before walking off towards where he knew everyone else was spending time with Herman. Shay followed the doctor towards the recovery room where Mackenzie was. She looked through the window and had to take a deep breath.

Mackenzie was on a ventilator and seeing the tubes going to down her throat was something that she wished she never had to see. The white bandage around her head blended in to her pale skin that was usually tanned. She could see the wires connected to the machines going under her gown.

"She's only on the ventilator until she wakes which should be in a day or two. We want to keep her out for a bit to help her heal. She's going to be okay though Leslie. She's strong," the doctor said while patting her shoulder before allowing Shay to walk into Mackenzie's room to be with her baby sister.

Walking into the room Shay couldn't help the tears that slid down her cheeks. She carefully placed a kiss on Mackenzie's forehead, on a spot not covered with bandage before whispering in her ear.

"I love you so much Mac and I am so sorry. Thank-you for fighting through this. I love you," Shay said before kissing her forehead again and sitting down in the chair provided. She carefully took Mackenzie's hand and gave it a small squeeze. It was going to be a long road to recovery but they we get there. All of them. As a family.

Chicago Fire

Kelly walked into Herman's hospital room and received a cheer from the man they had all helped to save. Kelly smiled as he shook Herman's hand and gave him a pat on the back.

"How are you feeling Herman?" Kelly asked. Herman nodded his head.

"I'm okay considering," Herman said with a nod of his head. "Thanks to all of you. How's Mackenzie?"

"She's come through the surgery. Still got a very long way to go but she's made it through," Kelly said with a deep sigh of relief. A cheer sounded from all the men around them and Gabby smiled with relief. Mackenzie was family to them all and losing her would have cause a downward spiral for them all.

"Shay would be relieved to hear that she made it?" Cruz said looking at Kelly.

"Ah yeah. She was pretty relieved to hear that she made it through the surgery. She has a long way to go through," Kelly said with a small sigh. Mackenzie was going to go nuts having to take it easy and recovery.

"How bad was it all?" Casey asked.

"Ah, they stopped the bleed on her brain and set one of her ribs but don't think that her other two needed to be set. They repaired the damage to her lung. She doesn't have a break or a fracture in her back, just some bad swelling and bruising. She'll be able to walk eventually but it's going to be a long journey for her to get back to where she was," Kelly said.

"At least she's going to be okay," Herman said with a small smile thinking about still having Mackenzie in their lives. The world was a better place with Mackenzie in their lives and there was no one that could ever dispute that the girl didn't make them laugh and smile when they needed it the most.

Chicago Fire

Cruz, Mouch, Mills and Otis had made their way towards Mackenzie's room after they got kicked out of being in Herman's room so that he could rest. Now they were standing outside the room looking through the window at Mackenzie looking tiny in the hospital bed with Shay holding her hand, half asleep leaning against Kelly while Gabby and Casey sat on the other side of the bed.

"So Mackenzie is Shay's sister?" Mills asked trying to figure everything out. Cruz nodded his head. "How long has she been living with Shay and where are her parents?"

"She's been living with Shay since she was 12 I think. Their dad was in the army and died when they were young and then their mom died of breast cancer. Those two are the only biological family each other has," Otis said with a small sigh.

"You guys are all like a family right? This must be hard for all of you. I'm really sorry to add to it all by being the new guy," Mills said before grabbing his coat off a chair. "Just let them know I'm thinking of her. I don't really want to intrude." Mills said before he turned to leave.

"Candidate!" Mouch said before he could leave. "We're all family at 51. We bust balls but we look at for each other. That includes you." Mills nodded his head.

"We're probably going to swap some stories of Mackenzie's shenanigans if you want to learn a little about her?" Cruz said nodding his head in the general direction of the seating area just up from Mackenzie's room. Mills gave them a small smile before turning back and following them. If he wanted to fit in, he guessed being able to get into Mackenzie's good books was a good way to go.

"Oh has anyone called Spencer? He was visiting his sister's right?" Otis said looking around the room.

"I assume so. I mean, he would be pissed to have not been told," Cruz said.

"Okay so Spencer is?" Mills asked.

"Spencer Samuels. 18 years old and the person that has held Mackenzie's heart for the past 2 years. They're probably going to be high school sweethearts the way their going," Mouch said.

"They're good for each other. Spencer is an orphan as well. He has two sisters who moved from Chicago after their parents died so he spends a lot of time with Mackenzie and Shay and all of us I guess," Otis said explaining to Mills a little about Spencer so he could be prepared for that as well.

"Do you remember the first time Kelly busted Spencer in Mackenzie's room? How worked up he was when he came to 51?" Cruz said thinking back to when Kelly had come in absolutely fuming after finding Mackenzie and Spencer watching a movie in her room.

"He came into work and was literally going nuts. We were all sitting in the common room and he just went nuts!" Mouch said with a smile remembering the day.

FLASHBACK

"SHAY!" Severide yelled as he walked into the common room. Shay turned from where she had been talking with Gabby.

"What?" Shay asked almost frightened for the response.

"Do you know where Mackenzie was this morning when you left?" he asked standing in front of where she was sitting.

"In her room watching a movie. Why?" Shay asked looking up.

"Did you know Spencer was there?" he asked angrily.

"He stayed the night. What is your problem?" Shay asked getting defensive.

"HE STAYED THE NIGHT! SHE IS 15 AND HE IS 17!" Kelly yelled. Shay stood up and walked around the table so that they were facing each other. "WHO KNOWS WHAT THEY WERE DOING IN THERE!"

"OH MY GOD! ARE YOU SERIOUSLY DOING THIS NOW?" Shay yelled back.

"THEY COULD BE HAVING SEX SHAY! DO YOU NOT CARE ABOUT THAT?"

"How can you even say that? Of course I care. Mackenzie knows right from wrong. She knows how to protect herself and frankly, I would rather them do it somewhere that I am aware of. I would rather know about it than have her turn up pregnant so you can just SHUT YOUR MOUTH AND BACK OFF. I CARE SO DAMN MUCH ABOUT THAT GIRL AND YOU DON'T GET TO TELL ME I DON'T!" Shay yelled before storming out of the room.

"Nice. You do realise that Mackenzie spoke to Shay and I about this. She's a smart girl Severide. You telling Shay she doesn't care about her only biological sibling…not the best idea," Gabby said before walking out after her best friend.

"SHE IS 15! You cannot all seriously expect me to be happy about this!" Severide said looking around.

"It's not that we wouldn't feel the same way, we probably just wouldn't have had it out with Shay in front of everyone," Casey said patting his best friend on the shoulder before heading towards his office.

END FLASHBACK

"He blew up at Shay?" Mills asked in disbelief after being told the story.

"Okay seriously. That's the story you tell? Of all the good stories you could tell," Kelly asked as he and Shay walked out of Mackenzie's room.

"It's the best story to tell. Looking back now, hilarious. At the time, world war 3!" Cruz said with a chuckle. Shay couldn't help but laugh. He was right.

"You guys can go home. Mackenzie won't wake until probably tomorrow mid-morning at the earliest. Go home get some sleep. I will send a message if she wakes any earlier," Shay said as she looked around at them all.

"How's she doing?" Mouch asked.

"She's getting colour back and her doctor said her vitals are improving all the time. She won't be taken of the respirator until she wakes and they won't know the damage of the bleed until she wakes," Shay said.

"Waiting game. Shay, whatever the outcome, we're going to always be here for you and for Mackenzie," Otis said as they stood up and gave Shay a hug and kiss before leaving the hospital for their own homes, setting their phones on loud so they would know when Mackenzie woke.

Chicago Fire

It was 11:15 when Mackenzie Shay felt pain in her back, her chest and felt a massive headache. She tried to take a deep breath but could felt like she was suffocating and quickly opened her eyes in fear. She went to move her hands but both were restrained and when she looked down she saw why. Shay was holding one while Gabby was holding the other. She yanked her hands and that quickly gained the attention of her companions.

"Mac just take it easier. KELLY! GET HER DOCTOR!" Shay yelled over her shoulder. Kelly was out of the room in no time. "You're on a respirator. The doctor will come and take it out in second. Breathe through your nose. You're okay." Shay said as tears rolled down her cheeks. Gabby used her thumb to swipe some tears of Mackenzie's check trying to help keep the girl calm.

The doctor was in and soon Mackenzie they were kicked out for some testing to be done. They were allowed back in 15 minutes later when the doctor thought that Mackenzie was going to need their support when she learnt of her injuries. Shay instantly went and took her baby sister's hand and kissed her forehead.

"Why can't I move my legs?" Mackenzie asked softly looking up at Shay then Gabby and Kelly before letting her eyes rest on the doctor.

"Mackenzie, when you fell you landed very awkwardly. You have some bad swelling and bruising around your spine. It will heal but it will take some time and a long road of rehab ahead before you're able to get back to everything that you use to be able to do," her doctor said.

"How long can it take?" Mackenzie asked tears rolling down her cheeks thinking about Nationals for gymnastics and if she would miss it or not.

"It could take anywhere between weeks or months for the swelling and the bruising to be gone. Then you will have to strengthen your muscles and everything again to be able to walk for longer than 5-10 seconds at a time," her doctor said softly. Mackenzie started to cry harder and Kelly picked up her other hand and kissed it.

"I'm going to miss nationals," Mackenzie said before beginning to sob. Shay carefully wrapped Mackenzie in her arms and let her cry into her shoulder, her own tears threatening to fall. Once Mackenzie's sobs had finished Shay realised that she had cried herself to sleep and gently lay her back against the pillows.

"She seems to have to long last effects from the bleed. She has some memory loss from before the accident and I don't know if she will regain them. She's going to be frustrated but she just needs to be supported. I can't imagine that once she starts walking that it be long before she's back at gymnastics doing what she loves. Call me if you need me before I come back to check up on her."

"She's awake. She's okay and we will help her get through this Shay. Neither of you are alone. I'm going to get Spencer from the airport and bring him here. You going to be okay?" Kelly asked. Shay nodded her head.

"I've got Gabby and Casey. Can we not message the boys yet and just wait until after Spencer has been able to spend some time with her. I know I said that we would let them know but I think that Spence will need some time with her," Shay said. They both all nodded their heads in agreement. Spencer was going to want to smother Mackenzie in kisses and they were all going to give him some space with her before letting everyone know that she was okay.

End Chapter 2

A/N: So I had some good response to this and decided to post the next chapter. I am not a doctor nor do I know much about anything. So if the medical stuff is wrong I apologise.

I also wanted to let you all know that I don't know when the next update will be as I am currently in year 12 in Australia doing my VCE which means in about 3-4 weeks I have my exams and that's going to be a hell of a lot of work but by mid-November they're all over and I will be able to update more frequently. I am going to try and keep updating but just in case I don't that's the reason.

Threw in a flashback scene, not the greatest but I plan to throw some more in here and there to show some insight into the relationships with Mackenzie and ALL of the boys and girls at 51.

Hope you enjoyed. Let me know what you think and if you still want me to continue!