Chapter 7 – Emergency Contact

(This chapter takes place during episode 9, "Never Forget I Love You")

Kim Burgess was furious. She ordered Roman to pull the patrol car over in front of the hospital. Before he came to a complete stop, she shoved the car door open and leapt out of the car. She didn't even bother to shut the door behind her. Kim raced through the automatic doors of the emergency room at Chicago Med. She stopped at the front desk, but no one was there.

"Hello!" She called.

"Can I help you, officer?" A nurse asked, walking up behind Kim. Kim didn't recognize her.

"An officer was brought in a little while ago," Kim explained. "His name is Adam Ruzek."

"I'll check the computer."

The nurse made her way behind the desk and began typing something on the computer. Kim began tapping the desk impatiently with her fingernails. Roman walked up behind her, presumably after he found somewhere to park the car.

"Is Ruzek ok?" Roman asked.

"I don't know."

"He's being treated by a doctor now," the nurse explained. "He's in room 103. I can have a nurse bring you to him when…"

Kim didn't wait for her to finish. She burst through the swinging doors that led to the back of the emergency room, knowing exactly where to go. The nurse shouted after her, but Roman calmed her down. Kim was on a mission and nobody was going to stop her.

Since she was familiar with the hospital, Kim found room 103 quickly. She was about to burst in the room when she saw Adam sitting on the edge of a bed, shirtless. A young female doctor was working on cleaning a gash on his forehead. Blood was oozing down his face. His ribs looked bruised. As Adam said something, the doctor threw her blonde hair back and laughed. Kim had seen enough. She stormed in.

"Adam!" Kim exclaimed.

"Kim," he replied, a little shocked. "Hey, what are you doing here?"

The doctor looked from Kim to Adam, obviously confused.

"What am I doing here?" Kim echoed. "What am I doing here? Adam, you fell off a second story balcony. You're hurt!"

"It's nothing."

"You're bleeding," Kim pointed out.

"And you are…" the doctor prompted.

"His fiancé," Kim stated through gritted teeth. She crossed her arms so that her engagement ring was clearly visible.

"Oh." The doctor actually looked disappointed.

"I'm fine, babe, really," Adam said.

"He will be fine. Adam has some minor contusions and a broken rib," the doctor explained. "He doesn't even need stitches. The head just bleeds a lot."

"I know that," Kim snapped.

"Right, of course," the doctor said. There was a long, awkward pause. Kim just glared at Adam. "Well, I'll come back in a few minutes to wrap up your ribs."

"Thanks," Adam said.

Kim was not happy with the smile the doctor gave Adam before she left. Kim put her hand on Adam's cheek, taking a closer look at his head wound. The doctor had put a butterfly bandage over the largest scrape.

"Adam, what the hell happened?"

"I fell chasing a suspect," he told her. "No big deal."

Kim took a step back. "No big deal? You jumped off a balcony!"

"I didn't jump. The suspect and I got into a physical fight. We both fell. I'm fine."

"You could have broken your neck! You could be dead!"

"But I'm not. It's just a broken rib and minor cut, babe. I'll be fine." Adam stood up and walked towards her. He was very familiar with the fire in her eyes. She was angry. "I just gotta take it easy for a few weeks."

"You didn't call me!" She shouted.

"What?"

"You jumped off a balcony and you ended up in an emergency room and you didn't call me!"

"I told you I didn't jump," he countered.

"That is not the point!" She yelled.

"Ok, look, I'm sorry. We're in the middle of an investigation. You know what it's like. I didn't even…"

"Think," she interrupted. "You didn't even think to call me. I'm your fiancé and you didn't think to call me when you ended up in the hospital."

"It's not like that, Kim. Things just get crazy when we've got a case. There's a lot going on. I didn't even want to come to the hospital. Antonio is the one who called the ambulance. Voight told me if I didn't get checked out, he wouldn't let me come back to work."

"So that makes it ok."

"Come on, don't be mad," he said approaching her again.

"Don't," she warned, putting her hand out as a warning.

"I don't know why you're so upset."

"Because you could have died!"

"We've been over this. We both have dangerous jobs. Do you know how many times I worry about you and wonder if…"

"This isn't about our dangerous jobs! This is about you not having the common decency to call your fiancé when you end up in the hospital. I only knew you were here because I happened to hear Antonio on the radio!"

"I'm sorry you had to find out that way. I didn't mean to…"

"Am I even listed as your emergency contact?" She wondered. Adam didn't answer. "I'm not, am I?"

"I just never changed the paperwork," Adam replied.

She sighed, putting her hands on her hips. "Of course you didn't."

"Kim, it's not a big deal. I'll just get the paperwork from Platt when I get back and…"

"Don't bother."

Kim turned on her heels and stormed out the door. Adam attempted to follow her, but after a few steps, he stopped from the pain. Taking a deep breath, he knew he was in trouble and he knew he had to do something to make it up to Kim.

Kim was standing in the locker room, pulling off her police uniform. She balled it up and threw it into her locker. Normally she hung it up carefully, but she was just so angry, she didn't care. Between what happened with Adam in the hospital earlier in the day and what happened with Roman shooting an unarmed man, Kim just wanted the day to end. She felt like she was losing her fiancé and her partner both on the same day and she couldn't take it.

Kim quickly slipped out of the white t-shirt she always wore under uniform. She grabbed a clean, black shirt from her locker and pulled it over her head.

"You're so sexy."

Kim whirled around, quickly tugging the shirt down. She was relieved that it was Adam who was standing on the other side of the lockers watching her and not somebody else.

"Flattery is not going to get you anywhere," she said, shoving the rest of her belongings in her locker. "I'm staying at my place tonight." She slammed the door and tried to make her way past Adam. Before she could get by him, he reached out and grabbed her arm.

"We need to talk."

"Not tonight."

"I heard about Roman shooting that unarmed guy."

"I said I don't want to talk!" She shouted.

"I'm sorry. I know it's been a rough day.

"You can say that again."

"Just talk to me." He paused. "Please…"

Kim didn't know why the 'please' got to her. It was like a magic word. Anytime Adam said it, she caved. She was tired of fighting. She sighed. Adam relaxed his grip. Kim sat down on a bench in the middle of the locker room. Adam straddled the bench, facing her.

"He's in trouble, Adam," Kim said.

"You were smart to call Voight."

"He shot an unarmed man," she stated, keeping her voice low. Even though she was sure the rumor mill already started about what happened, she didn't want to add fuel to the fire.

"Voight will figure something out," Adam assured her.

"I just want to go home, have a drink, crawl into bed, and hope that tomorrow is a better day."

"Come to my place."

"No."

"Come on, Kim. We can have a drink together and talk about what happened earlier today at the hospital. Then we can crawl into bed together, possibly naked." He grinned.

"You think this is funny?"
"Of course not."
"And do you really think I want to have sex with you tonight?"
"Look, I'm sorry. I was trying to make you feel better. Just come over tonight."

"So that I can hang out with Olinsky and Michelle?"

"No. I'll tell them to go out to dinner or something. Come over so that we can talk about what happened at the hospital."

"What happened is you don't think I'm important enough to notify when you get injured."

"That's not true and you know it. I filled out the paperwork with Platt today. You are officially my emergency contact person." He smiled when he said, but Kim wasn't smiling.

"Do you know when I changed my emergency contact form, Adam?" He shook his head. "The day after you proposed. I changed it because I thought it was important that if anything should happen to me while on duty, I wanted you to be the first one to know. Not my parents. Not my sister. You. Because you are the most important person in my life. Clearly we have different views about that."

"That's not true. And it's not fair. I just didn't think about it, Kim."

"I know. Just like you didn't think to tell me you were engaged not once, but twice before. Just like you agreed to push the wedding back."

"We've talked about all of this."

"It isn't supposed to be this hard, Adam."

"I think it is," he replied. "Relationships aren't supposed to be easy. If they were, there would be nothing to fight for. I love you."

He slid closer to her and cupped her cheek with his hand.

"I love you, too, but I don't like you right now," she said with a hint of anger still in her voice. She was not about to let him off the hook. She felt like she had been doing that a lot recently.

"That's fair enough. I'm sorry about this morning," he apologized. "I should have called you."

"Thank you for saying that." She paused. "How are you feeling?"

"I have a splitting headache and my ribs have felt better, but I'll be ok."

"I'm sorry I didn't ask earlier."

"It's ok." A tear rolled down Kim's cheek. Adam brushed it away. "Hey, hey, it's ok."

"I just don't know what I can do for Sean."

"Just be there for him. He's in for a long road, but I think he'll make it through. You just gotta keep being his partner."

Kim nodded. "I still don't like you right now, but, I don't want to be alone. Can you come to my place?"

"You don't even have to ask. The answer to that question is always yes."

"Thank you."

Adam leaned forward and planted a kiss on her forehead. He stood up and helped her to her feet. He pulled her in for a long hug. He wrapped his arms around her and she tucked her head under his chin. She squeezed him a little tighter.

"Ow…ribs."

She pulled away. "Sorry."

"Maybe you can…ah…play nurse when we get to your place?" He asked seductively.

"Sure you'd rather not have that hot, blond doctor from the hospital come over?"

"What hot doctor?" He asked with a smile.

"Good answer," Kim said. "I just need a minute."

She finished getting her things out of her locker and then shut it. After slinging her bag over her shoulder, she joined Adam in the middle of the room.

"You ready?" He asked.

"Yeah. You know, she was totally flirting with you."

"Who?" Adam wondered, feigning innocence.

Kim rolled her eyes. "The hot doctor."

"What can I say? I'm irresistible."

"What happened to 'what hot doctor'?" Kim retorted.

"Let's just go," Adam suggested.

He put his arm around her and they walked out together. Kim tried to release the anger so she was holding on to, but it was getting harder every time they had a disagreement.

Author's Note: I don't know why, but this was one of my favorite chapters to work on. I hope you liked it too!