A/N: I appreciate all of the follows and favorites I'm getting, but I would love it if more of you guys reviewed! :) It really fuels me to put the next chapter up quickly. But, I'm not going to force any of you, us writers just like to get reviews. I hope you guys like this chapter, and I'm already working on the next one.
Disclaimer: I still own notta.
Antonio's POV:
Voight was going well over the speed limit. He was maneuvering through traffic like a maniac and honking the horn at people who didn't get out of his way fast enough. Normally, I'd calm him down and tell him we'll get there when we'll get there - a few minutes wouldn't make a difference. But now, I don't think I would mind if he caused a car accident just so we could catch the son of a bitch who attacked our city and my sister.
But this wasn't the first lead we had today. A couple of hours ago while Sumner was reviewing the tapes, she thought she found a guy who looked suspicious. We had Jin run facial recognition, and it turned out that the man Sumner saw on the tape was one of the first people pronounced dead. He was a husband, a father of two children, and a cancer survivor. There was no way he could have blown up the hospital. He just had no motive to do so.
Not long after that, Ruzek was interviewing one of the bystanders who witnessed the bombing. She told him that she spotted a man in a dark hoodie, black winter hat, and couldn't keep his hands out of his pockets or stop fidgeting around. She was able to sketch his face, and Ruzek and Olinsky somehow managed to track the guy down, but it turned out he was just a cold man cheering on his son during the race.
And then twenty minutes ago, we caught our next big lead. This time, we were almost positive it was for real. Sumner had been looking at more tapes, when she saw a man only a street away from the hospital outside a local convenience store. He delivered a call at the time of the first bombing, and only looked up for a half second when the explosion occurred. He went back inside the store for a couple of minutes, then another man came out and delivered a call at the time of the second bombing.
It doesn't get any more suspicious than that.
So we loaded our guns, put on our vests, and left the district in search of that convenience store. Ruzek and Olinsky, who were still interviewing witnesses at the hospital, were also on their way.
As Voight continued to break several traffic laws, even with his lights on, I tapped my foot on the bottom of the car and sighed heavily. It was a long day, despite all of the chaos.
We chased several leads that all led to nothing, I waited the whole day for any news on Gabby or Matt, and now we were headed to a place that could be nothing but a disaster waiting to happen.
"Ruzek, Olinsky, what's your location?," Voight asked through the radio, keeping one hand on the wheel.
"About one minute out from our destination boss," Olinsky immediately replied.
"Don't do nothin' until we get there, got it?"
"Copy that," Olinsky answers, and Voight steps on the gas even harder, earning more road rage from other drivers. I look in our rear-view mirror to see Jay and Erin doing the same, with Sumner following them close behind.
My phone rings, and I dig it out of my pocket, getting a curious glance from Voight.
"Hello?" I answer, putting the phone up to my ear.
"Hey, it's Severide." I take a deep breath, hoping for some good news but after the day I've had, I expected the worse. And that's what I got. "I've got some news on Matt…" he trails off, and I close my eyes, dreading what was to come. By the sound of his voice, it couldn't be good. "A couple of minutes ago Herrmann and Clarke were visiting him...and he started to seize. Turns out the bleed in his brain came back and bigger than before. He's getting prepped for surgery now." I hear him cough, trying to keep his emotions hidden. "They told me..well uh, I guess technically they told Chief, that Matt has a twenty percent chance of surviving this surgery."
I swallow, hearing Voight ask me something, but not really comprehending anything. Casey had an eighty percent chance of dying. Today. Right now. Yeah, I had only known the guy for about two years...but I looked at him as if he was my brother. He made Gabby the happiest I have ever seen her, and the way Diego and Eva light up in front of him is something special. I lost Jules a few months ago, almost lost Diego in that same week, and now Matt is fighting for his life in some cold room with Gabby just down the hallway.
None of this was fair. The bombings, the deaths, the innocent lives on the line because of some asshole…
"You there?" Severide asks, and I open my eyes again to see Voight looking at me, almost worriedly.
"When will he get out of surgery?" I ask calmly, trying to have hope still, even after the day we've had.
"Dunno," Severide sighs. "If everything goes as planned, an hour. If something happens before that…"
"You don't need to finish," I assure him, sighing. "Just tell me when you hear something, alright? Have you gotten any other news?"
He takes a deep breath, and once again, I'm expecting the worse. "Remember Eric Whaley?"
"Uh, yeah, he used to work with you guys, right?" I wonder, trying to jog back my memory.
"Yeah," Severide says softly, his voice cracking. "He um, he was a Lieutenant of Squad Six. The hospital caved in on his crew while they were pulling out people from the rubble. Two of his guys died, the rest in critical condition. He had to undergo emergency surgery. He didn't survive."
Voight's POV:
For the second time while he was on the phone, Antonio's eyes close and he sighs heavily in defeat.
"What the hell is goin' on Antonio?" I ask, looking over at him worriedly. He ignores me again, and answers whoever he's talking to.
"Damn...that ain't right man," he says, shaking his head. "I'm sorry, but I promise you, we got a lead and we are going to get the son of a bitch who did this to Eric, to Matt, to Gabby, and to everybody else. Mark my words."
There was a long pause as the other person replied, and I try to focus on Antonio's reactions while I zig-zag through traffic.
"I know man...just hang in there, alright? Matt is strong, he's been through something like this before, and Eric is at peace now, he doesn't have to suffer through his injuries."
Whoever Eric was, I gathered, was probably dead now, and something bad happened to Casey..again.
I still don't know what to think about the great Lieutenant Matthew Casey. I've heard it from everyone, and I mean everyone, that he's a great guy and worth getting to know. Lindsay told me a few months ago that he saved Kelly Severide's life during the blackout, and a couple months before that, Antonio informed me that he was clinging to life after saving a baby from a fire. Jay has even said he's a good guy, despite the fact that he's dating Jay's ex-girlfriend.
But if any of them think that I'm going to forget what he did to Justin and I a year and a half ago, they're wrong. If Casey had retracted his statement, I wouldn't have gone after him, and I wouldn't have Internal Affairs on my ass every second of every day.
Antonio continues to promise the person on the phone things that he really shouldn't be promising, and soon hangs up. I glance over at him as he stares at his phone, gripping the sides of it until his knuckles turn white. I'm about to say something to him when he throws the mobile device at the windshield, no doubt leaving a crack or two, or probably much more in his screen.
"You wanna talk about it?" I ask hesitantly, but get a shake of his head in response. "Fair enough," I mumble, turning my eyes back to the road.
Almost two minutes later, we arrive with the rest of the unit (besides Jin) in tow. We park far enough down the street so nobody in the store would grow suspicious, and meet Olinsky and Ruzek waiting for us. I climb out of the car as Antonio does the same, both of us unholstering our guns.
"Alright," I say once everybody is gathered up. "Ruzek, Olinsky, and Halstead, take the back. Make sure you detect for a bomb before you break in. Dawson, you're with me in the front. And Sumner and Lindsay, cover the alley way in case they escape that way before we can get to 'em."
"Got it," Ruzek replies, nodding as Olinsky and Antonio grab bomb-detecting tools.
"Alright, let's go," I say, heading towards the store and ready to kick some serious ass.
Lakeshore, Boden's POV:
The room was once again covered in silence. Not that it ever was buzzing with excitement, but for awhile there, we had a steady string of conversations going.
But with the news of Eric's death, Casey's surgery, and no luck finding the people responsible for the explosions, everybody's hope was drained once again.
"So uh, what exactly happened in there?" Cruz asks, breaking the silence as he looks over at Clarke and Herrmann. Herrmann shrugs, keeping his eyes trained on the ground as Clarke lets out a sigh.
"He was laying still one second," Clarke answers, looking up at Cruz and everybody else. "And then the next second, his body was seizing and his machines were having a meltdown."
I wanted to find something to say...anything to lift their spirits somehow, but I had no idea what kind of words could possibly make this situation better. We could all hear Renee Whaley's cries from down the hallway, along with the rest of the Whaley family. I swallow and look down, at the same time Severide comes back in from his talk with Antonio.
We all look at him, waiting for something, anything.
"They're chasing a big lead right now," he says, nodding. "They're really confident in it."
I nod, glad for the good news. I look over at Shay, who was sitting next to Rafferty currently. "Leslie," I say, and she looks up instantly. I barely ever used her first name, even off the job. "Gabby is gonna need somebody when she wakes up again, why don't you go and sit with her?"
She nods and stands up, wiping her eyes as she straightens out her paramedic jacket. "Should I tell her about Matt?" She asks, and I slowly shake my head in response.
"Wait until we know how he makes out," I say, and she nods before walking toward Gabby's room.
"Today has been one of the roughest days of any of our careers, if not the roughest," I say, standing in front of everybody. "But we need to realize there is a light at the end of the tunnel. We may have lost Eric Whaley today, and yes, Casey is also not in the greatest of shape, but Dawson is going to be alright. All of us, here in this room, we are all alright and we have to be thankful for that. We can not only focus on everything negative. So convert every death wish you have for the people who did this into prayers for Casey and his family and Eric Whaley's family."
They slowly all nod, and I breathe a sigh of relief, glad I said something that finally changed their way of thinking a bit. Then, suddenly, Herrmann starts to laugh in his chair.
"What's so funny Herrmann?," Mouch asks, raising his eyebrows at his colleague and lifelong friend.
"I was just thinkin' about that time when Casey put a fake snake in one of the showers and told Mills to go clean 'em. Never heard a grown man scream the way Mills did that day," Herrmann reminisces, smiling as he chuckles. Some of the other guys join in on the laugh, including me.
"That was what, my first week with you guys?" Mills wonders, smiling. "Seems like it was just a week ago."
"Time flies by when you're with us, Millsy, don't you know that by now?" Cruz says, smiling at him.
"Oh, I know it, believe me." He answers, chuckling a little. "I won't ever forget the time that Mouch dropped gallons and gallons of water on those Canadians."
Mouch's face turns red and he scowls at Otis, who laughs at the memory. I also laugh, once upset by the incident, but looking back on it now, it was one of the best pranks the house has seen.
"You did what, Mouch?," Clarke laughs, shaking his head in disbelief. Otis starts telling Clarke and Rafferty about the prank he had set up over a year and a half ago, barely able to contain his laughter as he did so.
"One of those Canadians gave Casey the idea to bring Mills to see Sophie," Cruz remembers, his grin turning into a small smile.
"Yeah, I remember that," Mills says, nodding. "Without that visit to Sophie, I don't think I'd be here right now, with you guys."
"Alright, we don't need another speech about you being a firefighter," Herrmann jokes, trying to lighten the mood again as a few guys chuckle in response.
But the room grows silent again, all of our thoughts going back to Matt and Eric and remembering why we were here in the first place.
Antonio's POV:
I hold the bomb detection tool up the front door of the store, trying to be as quiet as possible. The small piece of technology beeps in response and produces a green light, letting us know that the building is clear for entry, at this side at least.
"Alright," I tell Voight, sighing a little. "The machine says it's clear, but no guarantees." I put the detection device back in my pocket and grab a good hold on my gun, looking at Voight for a go ahead.
"Let's go," He says, nodding. I take a deep breath and kick open the door, instantly being met by a large explosion and total darkness.
Ruzek's POV:
"Whoa!" I shout, hearing a loud blast from the front side of the building. The impact of the blow shatters the back windows and suddenly I'm flying through the air, being met with the hard cement soon after. I groan in agony as I try to get up, but because of the pain in my back, I'm unable to. Instead I turn to my side, seeing Olinsky's limp body not too far away.
"Alvin!," I yell, barely able to make out his body through the smoke and dust. He doesn't reply, he just lays there, limp, and I pray to the heavens above that he's just unconscious.
I turn on my other side, hoping that I'd find Jay or maybe even Sumner or Erin. All I'm able to make out is more smoke and dust, making me squint. That's when I notice the throbbing in my head, and I reach my hand up to my temple, immediately feeling blood. I sigh heavily and lay on my back again, the pain becoming more intense.
Erin's POV:
Everything hurt. I've been in pain in my life before, that was for damn sure, but this? This was a whole new kind of pain. I wasn't even sure if it should be classified as pain, something more like "torture" and "hell" sounded better. "Torturous hell" seemed to do it justice. Maybe. Probably not.
When the bomb went off (is that what it was?) Sumner and I were both blown backwards, our bodies crashing into the alley wall with an incredible amount of impact.
I groan as I try to lift myself up, but my body hurt too much. I could barely feel a damn thing except for the extreme agony.
I was flat on my stomach, surrounded by smoke so damn thick it seemed as if it was a wall. After being bounced around in between the alley like a rag doll, you would think I would get something in return, right?
I flip over on my back, screaming in pain as I do so. Damn, "torturous hell" definitely did not describe the agony I was feeling right now.
I turn my head to find Sumner a few feet away, slowly starting to blink her eyes. Alright, maybe I got something in return after all.
"Hey, Mia!," I yell to her, carefully rolling on my side as I clench my jaw in pain at the action.
She also rolls on her side to face me, squinting her eyes shut. Looks like I'm not the only one in pain. "What happened?," she groans, her eyes opening again.
"I'm guessing it was an explosion. This place was a trap," I tell her, sighing heavily. "Halstead!" I yell, hoping I'd get a response. I needed to make sure everybody was okay, over the last few months, all of these idiots have become my family. Of course, I've been close with Voight for years now, but I was oddly not too worried about him right now. He's always pulled through, no matter what. He'd never go out like this. "Dawson!" I yell again, my throat killing me with every syllable I sounded out.
"Erin!," somebody shouts back, and even though I wasn't totally coherent at the moment, the voice sounded a hell of a lot like Ruzek.
"Adam!" I answer, groaning out in pain as I angle my body towards the sound of his voice. "What can you see?"
"I can see Alvin!," he replies, his voice noticeably weak and hoarse. "He ain't movin' though! There's so much damn smoke I can barely see anything else!"
"Just hang in there, Adam!," I tell him. "I'm sure help is on its way!"
I get no answer. "Adam!" I shout again, louder this time. Nothing. "Dammit!" I yell, turning back towards Sumner. It was painfully obvious that she was losing consciousness.
"Hey, stay with me, Sumner!" I urge, crawling towards her. For the first time, I notice the blood coming out of her mouth and down her temple. I check her ears, seeing no sign of cerebrospinal fluid, which was a good thing. I check her pulse, finding it rapid and her skin cold and clammy.
Shock.
Shock was a problem all on its own, but it was also a symptom of heavy internal bleeding. I don't care if I've only known this woman for a few weeks, I was still worried for her and I didn't want her dyin' on me.
I didn't want anybody dyin' on me as a matter of fact.
A/N: Yes, I know, cliffhanger, please do not kill me! This chapter mainly focused on the Intelligence Unit, because I felt like I wasn't giving them enough spotlight before. If you guys would prefer if I just focus it mainly on the Fire guys, just tell me so I know for the future. :)
