Okay, I've written it to the end, but it's a small novel. Lol. I'm breaking it into two chapters. Do you want both posted tonight or should I wait a few days so you can take it in? This update ends sad - I know big shocker with my writing. What can I say? I like a good cry. The final chapter is not a downer, yay!

Thank you to my regulars who review! So let me know if you want it all now. Enjoy.

Shay, Casey, and Dawson were anxiously waiting for Kelly and Tom in the apartment. Gabby cooked a delicious chicken and shrimp fajita "welcome back" dinner with Spanish rice, guacamole, homemade tortilla chips, and a luscious flan for dessert. It smelled so good and tasted like a little heaven in your mouth. They'd sampled enough throughout the day.

Kelly and Tom walked in about an hour late, connecting flight delayed. They were laughing and talking as they entered.

A good sign, thought Shay. She really couldn't wait to get everyone out so it was just her and Kelly. That was when he always opened up, when they had their deepest heart to hearts.

She wanted to know how it actually went, not the canned response she was expecting him to say when asked about the memorial. "Went great. Everyone was nice. Glad I went." She could hear his answers in her brain before he even came home. She needed to know what was going on in that Severide head, if it'd helped him deal with any of the crap that went along with death.

"Kelly!" she said meeting him at the door and attacking him before he even got in. She was up in his arms hugging him. All he could do was laugh.

"I was gone for two days, Shay," said Kelly protesting but really happy with the greeting. Nothing like feeling loved, wanted. Yes, glad to be back.

"I missed you! Look what Dawson made!" she continued with her usual enthusiasm waving her arm majestically around the kitchen.

"I'm never leaving," said Tom heading straight for the stove for a little taste. At a certain age the conventions of "being polite" were kinda out the door. Tom felt right at home. Kelly just laughed again as his old friend ate three huge spoonfuls of the rice double dipping every time and started on the chips and guac.

"Save some for me!" Kelly headed to the stove. Dawson cut him off.

"The table's set. Get over there. You too!" she yelled at Tom.

Dinner was pretty quiet, the food too good for much conversation. When everyone just looked at their empty plates marveling at how much they ate, Casey decided to broach the subject.

"Um, so how'd it go?" he asked what they were wanting to hear.

"Good. Everyone was nice. Glad I went. Glad some old guy showed up," Kelly smiled at Tom and gave Shay a quick glance and wink.

"So no problems? Daddy Royce was okay?" asked Dawson knowing there had to be more. She knew Shay would get it out of him.

"Yeah, surprisingly, we came to a sort of a - an understanding, I guess," Kelly said looking at Tom.

Tom nodded his head. "I think he maybe saw a little of what Renee saw in you. What I see in you."

"Mrs. Royce was a sweetheart, as always. Still has a great hug," Kelly chuckled. "That damn hug gets me every time."

And that would be about all they would get out of their friend that night.

"There's a rumor that you made dessert," suggested Tom causing everyone at the table to laugh. He knew when to save Kelly, how to save Kelly. There was plenty of time for him to get a little Shay therapy. Tom knew his friend just needed a relaxing night, nothing heavy. Not tonight.

Kelly was so glad he hadn't taken off an extra day. Too much time to think, remember...

He just wanted to be busy. He got his wish and then some. The shift turned out to be nonstop calls, a pretty constant stream of emergencies from about 6:00 to midnight.

Truck, squad and ambulance needed at every one. Day started off with no fires...a one car accident. Elderly driver extricated by Kelly and Capp; he'd live. Next, a scaffolding collapse at an abandoned building getting renovated...luckily, only a few minor injuries from people below. The men had the scaffolding cleared in thirty minutes.

Back at the station, Kelly was heading for a shower when the next call rang out.

"What the hell?" he said throwing his sweaty clothes back on not believing they were at it again.

Things really heated up with this call. Fire in a brownstone, small really and someone injured inside.

Casey and Cruz led Shay and Dawson quickly up the stairs. Victim on the second floor.

"Stay close," Casey commanded leading the paramedics, checking for any instabilities in the stairs, hot spots in the walls. All looked good. Deceivingly so. Kelly brought up the rear with Shay right in front of him.

They saw the young woman as soon as they got up on two. She was sprawled out with blood seeping from her head, a small pool had formed.

"Severide, you see that wall?" asked Casey pointing to a wall down the hallway with a little stream of smoke seeping from it.

"On it!" yelled Kelly rushing to investigate.

He broke though the hotspot and was met with a rush of flames. He ducked in time and felt a little heat on the back of his neck.

"Severide!" yelled Casey rushing to his friend.

"I'm good!" Kelly called out. "It missed me, but we gotta get outta here. Now!"

They ran back to Shay and Dawson who were working frantically on their victim. She was unresponsive, but the pair were doing everything in their power to bring her back. They had a weak pulse and with it a little hope of her pulling through.

"We've gotta move!" yelled Casey with renewed urgency. "The fire's in the walls." The small fire had turned into a raging inferno.

Cruz and Casey grabbed the stretcher and began rushing down the stairs with the paramedics and Kelly following. They got half way down when their next steps were met with a crushing sound as the stairs collapsed before their eyes.

Kelly whipped around and led them back up to two. He passed the second floor and kept going to three, all the while snapping at Boden for a ladder to get them on three.

"Get a window open!" he instructed Shay knowing they had a few minutes at best. The terror in her eyes caused a calm to come over him. No way in hell he was letting anything happen to her. Not gonna happen, he thought.

"Hey, you're fine. You're gonna be out of here in a minute," he told her reassuringly, giving her a little peck on the cheek as he helped Casey and Cruz with the stretcher.

Really, thought Cruz.

Shay could see the ladder from below coming their way to rescue them and relief swept over her. Kelly pushed Dawson out first, and she booked it down the ladder. That girl could fly. Shay was next.

"Hurry up, okay," she told Kelly as she took her first few steps. He nodded resisting the urge to tell HER to hurry the hell up.

Cruz went out next waiting for the two firemen to start the arduous process of getting that stretcher down. Casey and Kelly held the other end, pushing it forward with Cruz grabbing the other end. It was a precarious climb down with the stretcher resting on the ladder. It kept swaying one way then the other with the three firemen using every bit of strength to keep it and themselves on that ladder.

Shay and Dawson tensely watched this balancing act, praying for a good outcome and hoping the woman was still alive.

They were halfway down, slow going, when the stretcher swung like a pendulum to Kelly's side hitting him in the knee throwing him off balance. He had about a second to react. He couldn't grab the stretcher; he knew that would send the woman face down to the pavement. Casey was also not an option; he was holding the stretcher barely keeping his own balance.

Kelly made a reach for the ladder, grabbing at the rungs, but feeling them slip through his fingers. Pavement was coming and quick.

Casey wanted to let go of the stretcher but held on only able to watch his friend fall. Cruz shouted, "Severide!" but also could do nothing but watch Kelly tumble.

As Kelly fell, he wasn't really scared. Yes, adrenaline rush, and he hoped he wasn't injured, but he knew it wasn't a fatal distance or anything. He could right his body, land feet first, and bend his knees. The force threw him to the side, his shoulder taking most of the second impact after his legs cushioned the first. His arms were up cradling his head. That's when he felt and heard a loud pop in his right shoulder. Yeah, he felt it alright. That unmistakable pain when your shoulder is dislocated out of its original position, out of its socket that holds it so well all of the time. Or most of the time.

Dawson began running towards Kelly as soon as she knew what was happening. She saw the stretcher hit him, and that's when she moved. Shay followed, her heart up in her throat.

He was sitting up cradling his arm trying not to move it at all the pain in his shoulder screaming at him.

He saw Casey and Cruz get off the ladder rushing the stretcher to the paramedics.

"I'm fine! Go. That woman's critical," said Kelly knowing Matt and Cruz would help him up in a minute.

Shay wanted to stay but knew he was right.

"Don't move! I mean it! Stay!" she commanded, reluctantly going to the lady who was still clinging to life. "Chief! Call for another ambo," she yelled out.

"Already done!" yelled Boden rushing over to Casey and Cruz huddled around squad's lieutenant.

"I'm fine!" repeated Kelly struggling to get to his feet, realizing no one was helping him.

"Sit your ass down!" barked Chief not allowing room for any arguing.

Kelly didn't take the cue.

"This is bullshit! Casey, help me up and pop it back in!" yelled Kelly looking directly at Boden.

Again he struggled to get up. Casey put a hand on his good shoulder and firmly pushed down.

"What don't you understand about 'don't move'?" asked Casey incredulously not believing his friend wanted him to just "pop it back in." Well, kinda believing it.

"Sit down or I'm gonna pop something, and it's NOT your shoulder," yelled Boden again giving Kelly one of his crazy eyes, don't mess with me looks.

Kelly stayed down.

The other ambulance pulled up and two paramedics rushed out straight to Severide. It was always priority number one when a firefighter was injured. They were glad to see him sitting up, looking pissed, no blood.

"What happened? Where do you hurt?" asked one of the paramedics. He slowly eased Kelly's arm down to gently take off his coat.

Kelly moaned in pain, so Casey answered for him.

"Fell off that ladder, 'bout halfway down, 20 feet maybe. Landed on his feet, shoulder took most of the impact, heard a loud pop. He hasn't gotten up yet, so check his legs too."

"Aaahhh!" yelled Kelly as one of the paramedics put a hand on the offending shoulder pushing down.

"Matt, just pop it back in and we'll get the hell outta here!" pleaded Kelly a look of rising panic in his eyes.

There is no way they are taking me to the hospital, back to that hospital, thought Kelly. He would never step foot in that place again. At least not while he was conscious.

Casey knew as soon as he looked in Kelly's eyes what was going through his mind. That fear wasn't about the injury, not about seeing a doctor, not about getting his shoulder fixed. It was about going to the hospital where Renee and the baby had died. Going back to the place where they had entered barely alive but left gone from this earth forever. Shit.

"Hey, I'm going with you. I'm gonna be there. Shay is already there waiting for you." Casey did just want to pop that damn shoulder back, but he knew Kelly had to be checked out. He could have a stress fracture; they could really damage the shoulder if they tried to play orthopedic specialist. No way around it. Severide was going to the hospital.

When Kelly saw Casey's resigned look of someone doing something he didn't want to do, he began to really freak out. He tried to get up again holding his arm so tight, pushing the hands on him away, gaining momentum.

Kelly was breathing heavily, sweating, his eyes darting around for an escape. He had the look of a caged animal trying to get away. Casey put his hand on Kelly's good arm trying to gently hold him in place. Kelly yanked back hard and felt a pain in his ankle he didn't realize he had. As he tried to limp away, Boden and the paramedics grabbed whatever limb they could reach bringing the lieutenant to his knees in pain.

Kelly was using everything he had to not get into that ambo. He was flailing his arms around, pushing back at the hands grabbing at him, all while still on his knees. Cruz just stood to the side, shifting his weight from one foot to the other nervously muttering to himself. He wanted to push them all out of the way and wrap his arms around the lieutenant, but he knew one more pair of hands in the mix would not be welcome.

Everyone from 51 was gathered around watching the miserable scene before them. Seeing the tough as nails Severide crumble before their eyes was too much. They were immobile, not knowing what to do, how to help.

Hermann thought he was gonna jump out of his skin. God, I gotta do somethin, he thought. He knew Kelly was Cindy's favorite, along with Shay. What the hell would she do?

Finally he ran forward yelling at the paramedics.

"Just knock him out! Put him down! C'mon, give him somethin!" Hermann screamed.

One of the EMTs rifled through supplies, filled a syringe with Versed, and plunged it into Kelly's thigh. Its effect was immediate. They used it on their most combative patients and had never had to use it on one of "the good guys."

Boden, Casey, Cruz, all slumped over feeling like they'd been hit with the sedative. Hermann helped the paramedics get Kelly on the stretcher and into the ambulance. Casey climbed in patting Hermann on the back, so thankful for his quick thinking.

Casey just looked at Kelly, so peaceful now, with the paramedic wrapping his arm and shoulder to keep it immobile. Then doing the same with his ankle. The EMT finally slumped back with a deep sigh and smiled at Casey.

"I'm sure there's a story behind this," he said thinking about how you could never predict the outcome of any call. He certainly hadn't expected this.

Casey just nodded his head.

Ending, part one. I know, I know, I keep saying last chapter. The next one is the last. Do you want it posted now or wait?