Chapter 4-Deadly Fourth
"Truck 81…Ambulance 61…Squad 3…multiple drowning victims…"
That was all he heard. Severide sprang from his bed…a water accident…Lake Michigan…the middle of the night…multiple victims.
Happy Fourth of July, folks.
He pulled on his dive gear in the back of the Squad; listening to the radio…hoping to get a better idea of what he was going into.
They were calling for Squad 1 too…whatever this was, it had to be massive.
Capp and Mills suited up as well. This was gonna take all of them.
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As he strode toward the water's edge the men got the inflatable skiff into the water. Chief gave him what few facts were known.
Two boats collided…one came straight at the other, no lights, nothing…going at full throttle.
"How many in the water?" Severide asked.
"Your guess is good as mine." Chief told him.
Great…nothing like having clear picture going in…
The men jumped into the skiff and powered out to the scen
CPD had two birds in the air…illuminating the area above the crash site.
"Okay…Mills take the port side…I'll go in on the starboard. "Hadley…you man Mills line, Capp you take mine. Be ready to get in the water if we need you. We're gonna need at least two more boats out here…no, make it three. And get Shay and Dawson out here ASAP!"
He and Mills tumbled over the sides of the inflatable craft and began to search for victims.
But the longer they were in the water…the more likely they were on a recovery mission, rather than a rescue.
Squad 1 had pulled in about three minutes behind and they put three men in the water. Capp got in too and between the six men they pulled nine victims out in about ten minutes. Coupled with the five who managed to stay in the boats…that made fourteen ambulances racing off to the various hospitals…Lakeshore…Northwestern…Stroger…Rush…they had a full scale disaster on their hands.
Kelly was down there for about an hour and a half…and it was obvious he'd done all he could do.
He pulled himself back into the skiff and stripped off his mask and his tank. He pulled back his hood and just let the lake breeze wash over him.
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He got in just as Alyssa was getting the kids breakfast. Andy and Jesse were already wearing their red white and blue t-shirts…and Maggie had on a little onsie with the words "Little Firecracker" stitched on the front.
"Dad! What time are we going to the picnic?" Andy said as he jumped down off his chair.
"Cool your engines, Buddy…it's only eight in the morning. The picnic's not till this afternoon." He said tiredly.
"Are we gonna see fireworks?" Jesse asked.
"Tonight, Jess…I promise." Kelly told him.
"Is Maggie gonna see fireworks?" Andy wanted to know.
"Prob'ly not…that's way past her bedtime."
"But she has to!" Jesse cried. "It's her first Fourth of July!"
Kelly sighed. All he wanted right now was something to eat…a shower…and a nap. Not necessarily in that order either.
Alyssa came and kissed him.
He wrapped his arms around her and tangled his fingers in her long, brown hair.
It was so good to be home.
"Rough shift, Baby?" she whispered.
"I'll tell ya later…" he whispered back.
He hugged her tight and leaned down to kiss her.
"Can I fix you something for breakfast?" she asked when their lips parted.
"Whatever you're givin' the kids is fine." He answered.
He pulled out his chair and sat down to a simple breakfast of toast and fruit and sausage patties. But the toast was thick slices of Alyssa's homemade cinnamon bread. And she made the sausage herself with a combination of beef and pork and some super-secret mix of Italian spices. It was the best sausage in the city…no question about it. She poured him a glass of fresh-squeezed orange juice…and set his coffee mug in front of him.
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They spent the day out in Park Ridge at Alyssa's brother Tony's place. He lived in a little house on a big lot…but with ten little kids running around…it seemed like everyone was bumping into each other.
But wasn't that what the holidays were all about?
Kelly went to grab another beer from the cooler and check the ribs on the grill. Alyssa had made eight slabs…and Kelly hoped it was going to be enough. Even though there was chicken and brats and burgers and hot dogs…as well as corn on the cob and a ton of other sides…he planned to gorge himself on those ribs.
Another thing that was the best in all of Chicago…
"Hey…were you out at that accident on the lake last night?" Tony asked as he basted the ribs with another layer of barbeque sauce.
"Yeah…it was a mess." Kelly said.
He really didn't want to talk about it.
"They just found two more people. They just said it on the radio."
"What?!" Kelly couldn't believe it.
"Yeah…two girls…nineteen and twenty. The one boat was full of college kids…prob'ly all three sheets to the wind…sorry, no pun intended."
Sixteen victims…
Alyssa found him off by himself…away from everyone.
"Kelly? Are you okay?" she asked, kneeling down in front of him.
He looked up…and she could see the pain in his eyes.
"Tony said they pulled two more bodies outta the lake."
"Oh…Honey…" she took his hand in hers.
"I was in the water for almost ninety minutes. How'd I miss 'em?"
"Kelly…I know you did everything you could." Alyssa told him. "Sometimes it just doesn't work out."
He pulled her up and into his lap. He wrapped his arms around her slender body and held her close. She knew him so well…and she loved him.
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But that wasn't the end of it.
The father of one of the girls…Becky Fischmann…twenty years old…a junior at U of I…was on every TV station…and on the front page of both papers demanding answers. He wanted to know how the divers could have missed his daughter in the water. The autopsy revealed water in her lungs…she had drowned.
Every channel rehashed the whole thing…over and over. Becky and her friends had been at a party…and eight of them got into a power boat. A boy named Jack Harper was driving…and his blood alcohol was over three times the legal limit. He had plowed into another boat…a small cruiser…with another eight people on board.
Harper's boat was totally decimated…he and three of his passengers had died…the rest were all seriously injured. One guy was on life support. The cruiser had fared better, being the bigger boat. Three of her passengers had gone overboard…and two were in serious condition.
Any way you looked at it…it was just bad.
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The team was back on shift on the sixth. The mood was somber. The one kid had been taken off life support the day before…and an eighteen year old girl was paralyzed from the chest down.
Suddenly there was a ruckus outside.
The men went out front. There was a huge crowd lined up outside Station 51. Dan Fischmann was there…and he brought a camera crew. Two...in fact.
"I'm looking for Lieutenant Severide!" he hollered out.
Kelly stepped forward.
"I'm Severide…"
"I'm Dan Fischmann…Becky's father."
"What can I do for you?"
"You can explain to me why my daughter died in that lake! You can explain to me how you pulled nine people out of the water…and left my baby girl to drown!" Fischmann yelled…as he took a step closer to Severide.
Kelly took a deep breath…and let it out slowly.
"I'm sorry for your loss, Mr. Fischmann."
"You're sorry?" the anguished man's voice broke. "You're sorry!? I don't want your sympathy! I want answers, damnit!"
"I don't know what you want me to say." Kelly replied evenly…trying to keep his temper in check and not get confrontational with this man who was obviously hurting so badly.
Chief stepped up beside Kelly.
"Mr. Fischmann…we're all sorry you lost your child…we did everything we could out there…"
"You didn't do shit! You left my baby in the water! My Becky would be alive right now if you…" Fischmann advanced on Kelly again… "If you had done your job!"
Kelly started to say something…but Casey put his hand on Kelly's shoulder.
"Walk away…" he said under his breath. "There's nothing you can say to this guy…just walk away."
Casey was right. There was nothing to be gained from getting into a fight with a grieving father. In front of a camera, no less.
Severide turned and headed back into the house.
"Get back here…you sonofabitch!" Fischmann hollered. "Don't you dare walk away from me!"
Chief and the other men closed ranks to keep Fischmann from following Kelly into the station.
"You need to go, Mr. Fischmann." Boden said evenly. "Go home…be with your family…there's nothing you can do here."
Boden took a step back…and his men followed him back into the firehouse.
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Kelly was pacing the apparatus room floor when Boden and the rest of the team filed back inside.
He could still hear Fischmann and some of the others screaming outside.
"Severide…" Boden began.
"How'd that guy get my name?" Kelly asked.
Chief sighed.
"He probably got a copy of the after action report from the city. He's just lashing out…he's grieving…"
Kelly wiped his hand down his face in frustration.
He'd gone over it in his mind a hundred times…and he felt for the man…honestly he did. But he had done his job. He did everything by the book. There was nothing more to say."
"We've all been there, Kelly." Chief said, laying a hand on Severide's shoulder. "It'll all blow over."
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But it didn't.
The next shift they worked, Kelly caught sight of a car…cruising past Station 51…slow…menacing…then speeding up.
He could have sworn it was Dan Fischmann.
In the morning he came out to find a brick through his windshield.
Alyssa wanted him to make a police report…but Kelly didn't want to make more trouble for the grieving father.
Then the phone calls started…in the middle of the night. At first they were hang-ups. Then they progressed to silence. And finally to a recording of a terrified, screaming young girl when he picked up the phone.
Now he was ready to call the cops.
But there was nothing they could do. There was no proof it was Fischmann. They made a half-hearted attempt to trace the calls…but they came back to an unregistered cell phone. Surprise, surprise.
Kelly was scared. Not for himself…but for Alyssa and the kids.
This guy had his home number…possibly his address. What was to stop him from showing up at the house while Kelly was on shift.
Benny started staying at the house the nights Kelly was at work.
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In the meantime, Fischmann was writing and calling every city official he could get a hold of. He held a press conference…and announced that he was suing the city…the fire department…and Lieutenant Kelly Severide for the wrongful death of his daughter.
Kelly met with Chief…and the city attorney.
"Can't we do something?" Kelly asked in frustration. "I mean…why is this guy going after me? It's not like I was the only one out there…"
"He's angry, Lieutenant." The attorney said.
"No shit…I get that." Kelly snapped. "But this guy trashed my car! He's got my phone number! What about my family?"
"You could always change your number…"
"That's not the point!"
"Lieutenant…I think what this man wants is an apology. He wants someone to say they're sorry for his daughter's death."
"I am sorry his daughter died!" Kelly said. "I've got kids too…I get it! But I'm not gonna say it's my fault! If he wants to blame someone, he should blame the guy driving the damn boat!"
"But he's dead…" the attorney pointed out.
"I know he is! I'm the one who pulled his body out of the lake!"
This woman didn't get it. He could sympathize with Dan Fischmann. If it were one of his children, Kelly knew he'd be out for blood. But he was not…no way in hell…was he going to say it was his fault…that he didn't do his job.
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One morning, Kelly opened his front door to go out and get the paper…and he found his front porch steps covered in red paint.
The bastard had come to his house…while he was inside with his wife and kids.
Alyssa came out to see what was wrong…and she gasped in horror when she saw the paint.
"Go back in the house." Kelly told her.
"Kelly…"
"Go back in the house, Alyssa!"
He put his arm around her and quickly went back inside.
He slammed the door…and threw the deadbolt.
He took his wife in his arms and held her close.
His body trembled…with anger…and fear.
"Kelly? What's going on?" Alyssa asked.
"Fischmann found out where we live…"
"What are we gonna do?"
Kelly took a deep breath. He had to think clearly. Obviously, Fischmann was sending a message…that Becky's blood was on his hands.
He searched Lyssa's eyes…full of worry…a little anger...a little fear.
"You're gonna pack…I want you to get the kids outta here…get outta the city."
"What about you?" she asked.
"I'll deal with it…I'll handle it."
"I'm not goin' anywhere, Kelly." Alyssa said emphatically.
Kelly held her at arm's length.
"Alyssa, this guy's come totally unhinged. I can't have you and the kids in this kind of danger!"
"Where are we supposed to go?"
"My dad can take you up north. He's got a buddy who owns a fishing cabin…"
"I'm not going out to the woods with a four month old baby and two seven year olds!" Alyssa said. "Kelly…we're a family…and if you're staying here…so are we!"
"Alyssa! This guy knows where we live! He may have been watching for a while! God only knows what's goin' through his head right now! We can't take any chances!"
Now it was Alyssa's turn to take a deep breath. She took her husband by the hand and led him into the living room to the couch.
She wrapped her arms around him and held him tight.
"I love you, Kelly. We're gonna take this slow. First, we'll call the police…and we'll call Chief Boden. We'll call Mouch…and your dad. We'll sit down and make a plan for what to do next." She said. "This man's grieving…he lost his daughter…and he wants someone to blame and for some reason he's chosen you. But we're not gonna just lie down and let him have his way. We've gotta get the upper hand here. And we're gonna do it the way we do everything…together. You're not alone in this, Kelly."
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Kelly stood in his full dress uniform in Chief's office.
The department had called a press conference of its own. The Commissioner was there…the top brass…even the Mayor was expected to make an appearance.
The media had only heard from Dan Fischmann…and now he'd gone too far. The CFD was going to put the facts out there…and let people know what had happened. Fischmann was going to get answers…probably not the answers he wanted…but he'd get answers.
Kelly looked at his watch.
Time to go.
He opened the door and nearly collided with Mills, Capp and Hadley…all in their dress blues.
"What are you guys doin'?" he asked.
"We were out there that night too, Lieutenant. I was in the water too. So was Capp. It's not fair that they're singling you out for this." Mills told him. "We're a team…and we're gonna stand with you."
"You don't have to do this." Kelly said. "I'm in charge…the buck's gotta stop with me."
"Mills is right." Capp said. "We're all agreed on this. Squad 3's gonna stand together. Show this bastard that you mess with one of us…you better be prepared to take on all of us."
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Out on the apparatus room floor, rows of chairs had been set up to accommodate the reporters and the camera men. Every news affiliate in town had somebody there. There were reporters from both the Times and the Trib…even some of the suburban papers had sent someone.
Dan Fischmann was there…with his wife and his three surviving children. The parents of two of the other victims…Rachel Weiss, the eighteen year old girl who would never walk again…and Douglas Streiff…the twenty-one year old man who'd been taken off life support two days after the accident…were there as well. All the families wore the same expression…raw, unbridled grief.
Alyssa came in carrying Maggie…escorted by her father-in law in his dress uniform. Right behind her the twins came in, each of them holding onto one of Morgan Craddock's hands.
Hollywood had just gotten into town on the redeye. He was due to start filming the first season of "Chicago Fire" next week, but when he heard about the press conference…he knew he had to be there.
The cameras turned on the little group as they made their way to the front row right in front of the podium that was set up.
Alyssa wore a black and white broomstick skirt…and a fitted black t-shirt that had the words "Proud Firefighter's Wife" embroidered on the front. Andy and Jesse wore matching t-shirts that proclaimed in big letters "My Dad is a Firefighter"…and Maggie wore a little bib…and if you got close you could see the words "My Daddy's a Firefighter…and I'm his Little Princess".
Flashes went off as the family took their seats…and the rest of the men and women from Station 51 took seats all around them…surrounding Alyssa and the children in a sea of blue.
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The top brass filed in…followed by the Commissioner…the Chief…and the members of Squad 3.
Chief Boden stepped up to the podium.
"I want to thank everyone for taking their valuable time to come here today. I want to start by expressing my sincerest condolences to the families who have had loved ones lost or injured in this tragedy."
He paused.
"The CFD has one job to do. We go where ever we are needed and we do our very best to protect every citizen in this city. We put ourselves in harm's way in order to try and save the life of another. In the early morning hours of July fourth, we responded to a call. Six fire companies, in conjunction with officers from the Chicago Police Department worked together to try and rescue the people injured in this horrible accident. I was the incident commander on the scene that night…and I can tell you here today, that every man and woman involved in those efforts did his or her job to the best of their ability."
The Commissioner got up next and basically said the same thing Chief Boden said…that he stood by the actions of his men and that the CFD had done its job and no one could ask for anything more.
The reporters started hollering questions…and Kelly looked around, trying to figure out where they were all coming from…where it was all going.
Then his eyes fell on his family…his beautiful wife, looking at him with pride and love glowing in her eyes. His sons…sitting up straight and proud…and his beautiful baby girl, giving him her famous big toothless grin.
He knew he was a lucky man to have them there. He felt for Mr. Fischmann and the other families…he really did. He knew what it was like to love someone so much that you'd do anything you could to protect them.
But sometimes bad things just happened.
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He stepped up to the podium.
He hadn't planned to say anything…but the sight of his family just moved him to speak from the heart.
"My name is Lieutenant Kelly Severide. I've been a firefighter for the city of Chicago for over twenty years…and I've been a member of Squad 3 most of that time. I've led this Squad now for over ten years…and these men are the best of the best…and I'm proud of all of them and the work we do together as a team."
He paused to collect his thoughts.
"Mr. Fischmann wants answers, he wants to know how this could have happened to his daughter. I'm sure the other families want answers too. Well, I can't tell you why this happened. I can't tell you what was going on in their heads that night…what they were feeling. What I can do…is tell you what my men and I encountered when we arrived at the scene. I can tell you what we knew, what we did, and how we did it. I don't know if that's what Mr. Fischmann wants to hear…but that's the best I can do.
"We got the call at two in the morning…and we were out the door in less than ninety seconds. We knew it was going to be a water rescue…and myself, along with Firefighters Mills and Capp, pulled on our dive gear in the back of the Squad as we headed to the scene.
"When we got there…it was pitch dark. CPD was scrambling to get helicopters and search lights over the area…but we didn't wait. We had no idea what we were going in to…only that two boats had collided. We didn't even know how many people we were looking for.
"We motored out to the middle of the lake. The water was real choppy…and there was debris everywhere. Mills and I got in the water first…and we began to search with underwater flashlights. Squad 1 arrived on scene about three minutes after we did. They were coming from further out…and we were already pulling the first victim out. We got some illumination as the helicopters got there…and I ordered Capp to get in the water. We had six divers in the water for a total of almost ninety minutes…and we pulled nine people out within the first ten.
"I don't know where Becky and the other girl were in all of this. I can only assume they were thrown far from the wreckage…we didn't know how many people had been involved. We searched for ninety minutes…and we truly thought we had found everyone.
"I'm very sorry for Mr. Fischmann's loss…and for all the victims and their families. I have a family of my own…and I can't even begin to imagine getting a call in the middle of the night or finding out in the morning that one of my children didn't come home the night before. I hope I never have to go through what Mr. Fischmann and his family must be going through right now…what you all must be going through.
"I'm sorry for your loss…but I'm not going to apologize for the way I did my job. My men and I did exactly what we were trained to do…and I promise you…no one was slacking off that night. Everyone gave one hundred percent. If the bells go off tomorrow and we're called on to do the same thing all over again…we wouldn't do anything differently.
"I don't know if that's what you wanted to hear. But that's the way it was. Again…I'm sorry for the families and the pain they're going through. That's all I have to say…"
There was a round of applause from the firefighters as they all stood up for their friend and colleague.
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And Kelly stepped around the podium and went right to his wife.
He hugged her as best he could while Maggie squirmed to get into his arms. Andy and Jesse ran up to him and threw their arms around his waist…hugging him with every bit of strength they had.
Alyssa just looked up at Kelly…tears of pride glowing in her beautiful brown eyes…as she gently place her hand alongside his face.
"I love you, Kelly…" she told him. "I'm so proud of you."
That was all Kelly needed to hear.
That's all he ever needed.