Things can't be smooth sailing in the romance department forever...that would be boring. Right? Drama, but you know I'm fully Linseride. I like it when they give each other a hard time. Enjoy! Again, thank you for the reviews from my faithful and the follows blow my mind. You all are the best!
Beyond the boat excursion, beyond the days in of doin' nothing beyond watching movies, beyond sleeping in till ten, the thing that got Erin back on track was Kelly... he turned out to be just what the doctor ordered.
They both lived for their jobs, firefighting and police work filling their days, filling a hole in each of their hearts. The time off made them realize that they could sit around and not do a damn thing. And be happy. The hole filled in.
The lovefest came to an end when Erin returned to work. 51 had their lieutenant back days earlier, but Kelly made it a point to stop by the apartment several times, texting when he wasn't free, calling when he was. Erin's sabbatical was over, and she was ready. She was strong and confident. She had this.
Kelly wasn't so sure.
"I don't feel good about you goin' back," said Kelly trying one more time. He knew a fight was inevitable, but he didn't care. Or as he reasoned, he cared too much.
"What do you propose? I stay home? In the kitchen?"
"You do look good bent over that stove."
Erin punched him in the arm. "I'm not dignifying those Neanderthal comments with an answer." She decided the second he started in, it wasn't going to lead to a fight this time. The days off had been too heavenly. Kelly had been there and stepped up and in...it had been the most perfect days in a far from perfect life.
"I'm serious, Erin," Kelly tried again putting on his serious face. She was in such a good mood, it was hard to break through.
"Let's sit. You tell me your concerns and I'll tell you why all of them are crazy." Erin smiled broadly, continuing her teasing. She pulled out a chair and motioned dramatically for him to sit.
"I worry about you. You're job is so damn dangerous. More dangerous than mine."
"Oh, no. You are not pulling that one. We could argue for another ten days over that one." Erin kissed him on the forehead, on the lips, on each cheek before grabbing her boots.
"That's it? We're not talkin' about this?"
"We just did. Your job is dangerous. You get more little owies than anyone I know at PD. On a good day, you've got a bruise here," she kissed his forearm, "a cut here," she kissed his shoulder. "I'm bruise free. Now I've gotta head out. I don't want Voight on my ass my first day back."
Kelly gave her a wan smile resigned to the fact that she was walkin' out in about a minute. He took a deep sigh knowing he should be puttin' on his boots too.
"No sad looks, hero. I'll see you when you're off shift. Now you be careful. Love you."
"Love you too," Kelly muttered to the empty apartment wishing Erin had a love of collecting stamps or gardening.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Voight had been warned twice by a certain firefighter from 51. He'd laughed in the lieutenant's face the second time, but he had to admit the guy had titanium balls...to be threatening me like that? His admiration for Severide grew. The guy would do anything for Erin, and Voight liked that. He'd taken a bullet for his girl, and the way he didn't move from her side when she was shot...Hank wouldn't soon forget any of it. Sometimes he would even admit to himself that the best part of the whole relationship crap was that look on Erin's face. It was a look Voight never saw when she was a teen. It was a new look for her. Contentment, maybe? Yeah, that was it.
"You done sittin' on your ass?" he asked Erin when she strolled in acting like she hadn't been gone one day. He grabbed her bringing her in for a tight hug. Antonio was next, Olinsky even had one. Jay was last hanging on so tightly she had to pry herself free.
"Did you guys go soft while I was gone? Who's gonna get me up to speed?"
Voight waved off Jay. "Follow me." He led her to his office to show her the file on their latest bad guy, or in this case, girl. Hank detailed the Russian beauty's checkered past and how she was making a serious move in his city. He made it his mission to ship this one back to Mother Russia or Siberia before she could become a major player.
They sketched a plan of action to snare the wayward Russian, Voight glad to have his girl back. By the time they fleshed out the scheme, Hank was second guessing his decision to add Atwater to the Intelligence team. He thought the young man had potential, but it still left Erin as the only female on the team. He didn't like the idea of her going undercover so soon. He knew a firefighter who'd wanna have his ass for it. He also knew Erin would be all in.
Yeah, no office romance on his team. Burgess could stay on her beat and far away from lover boy Ruzek. If they were gonna start somethin' it wouldn't be on his time. Voight looked at Erin, the daughter he'd never had, feeling appreciative she was back, all the way back. He wasn't the type to get sentimental but sometimes you just had to thank your lucky stars, or God, or whatever. He decided this was one of those times. He hugged Erin one more time before he let her call the team in for a debrief.
She looked at him quizzically, smiling at his show of emotion.
"Love you too, Hank," she said stepping out to call in the guys. "And damn it feels good to be here," she added walking into the thick of an argument between Olinsky and Ruzek. "Damn good," she repeated looking at the pair go at it like a long married couple.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Kelly volunteered for an extra shift...better to keep his mind off Erin undercover again and another fight.
What made me think there would ever be a last time. There was only a next time. Voight and Jay heeded his warning and didn't contact her about cases or any official PD business during her time off. They sent a couple of texts checking on her well being, ignored by the fireman. After what happened? He had no desire to talk to those two.
Now, he wished he'd sent a response. When she didn't answer his texts because she was deep under, he could always count on Voight or Halstead to respond. He may have burned that bridge. Didn't think that one through. He was reminded of not thinkin their last conversation, another fight, all the way through. Or partially through. Or using his brain at all.
He hated leavin' it like that with both of them taking off in a huff, mad... no "I love you" out the door. Stupid, Severide.
"And we're right back where we started!" Erin was growing exasperated with the circular motion of their fight...Kelly right back to where he started.
"I worry about you! Don't want you goin' undercover. Ain't there another girl they can get? You're the only damn one?"
"You know I am the only damn 'girl' on Intelligence! Why do you have to go rushing into a burning building? Why are you the last one out? Oh, wait...it's your job!" Erin had to get out of there. She didn't want to leave it like that, not after everything they'd been through. She also knew if she stayed they were going to say things that couldn't be taken back.
"Don't you ever think of Jules? What happened to your friend? She left behind her husband! Her kids! Is that what you want?"
"You did not just go there?" Erin had a look in her eyes Kelly hadn't seen before. A year of dating, arguing...loving each other, and he'd never seen it.
"No, I didn't. I'm sorry. Forget I said that. I know you think of your friend. Shouldn't have brought it up." Kelly was fumbling now, grasping at words to fix that look. None were enough.
"Once you say something, you can never unsay them, Kelly. You said it. You must've meant it," Erin grabbed her keys, tears stinging her eyes.
"No, no, no." He blocked the door standing in front of it. "I can't take 'em back. I can say I am sorry. Erin, please." He put his hands on her shoulders trying to stop her.
She swung her shoulders away roughly, pulling back from his hands that tried to touch her arm.
"Kelly, don't ever bring up Jules to me again. We're not the same. You're right. She had a great husband, kids."
Kelly tried to bring her in again with her brushing off his hands more violently.
"I'm nothing like that. I don't have or want any part of that!"
Erin pushed past Kelly running out the door and down the steps, leaving him with a look to match her own.
Hurt.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Now here he was stuck with Red shift pulling extra hours.
The shift turned into one of the longest of his career. He tried to call Erin several times. Nothing. His texts unanswered...his stupid words burning in his brain. He was sure still burning in Erin's.
Call me, he texted again.
No response. He called and left a voicemail. "Erin, call me. You got me worried shitless over here."
Nothing.
I've said a lot of dumb things in my life, but this? Kelly knew he'd screwed up. Jules. Damn stupid. It would be okay, he told himself. After everything they'd survived, comin' off ten days of bliss, he'd get through to her. He had to.
She called after letting him stew for a few hours.
"What?" she asked when he picked up.
"You okay? I thought you had the big undercover thing tonight."
"And if you knew I had my big undercover thing happening, why would you text and call nonstop?"
"Was worried. And sorry. Wanted to say sorry again."
"Sorry for what? For hating my job? For making me feel guilty for loving it?"
"For using Jule's death like that. For bringin' it up like that."
"Kelly. I don't want to fight."
"Now that's somethin' we can agree on," he said breathing for the first time.
"I think it might be better if you stay with Shay for a couple of days. We need to cool off. I need to cool off."
"You're kiddin' me, right? This is one fight, one fight, Erin, and you're ready to throw in the towel?" Kelly's volume went from calm to Boden decibels in three seconds.
"Whoa! I'm not saying anything about towel throwing. I just want a few days to..."
"You're pissed, so now I'm in Shay timeout?! That's it, right? To punish me? Erin, this is one fight in a long string of fights to come. Hopefully, many fights over many years. I'm in it for the long haul..."
Erin's turn to interrupt. "I am not punishing you! I want you to think about if you even want to be with me. I'm not quitting my job. Ever. It's who I am."
"Now you're being crazy. I love everything about you, and I'm not goin' anywhere. I'm not stayin' at Shay's now or next week or next month. I'll see you when I get off shift."
"Fine..." Erin could hear a familiar call ring out at 51. "I guess you have to go."
Truck 81...Ambulance 61...Squad 3... Structure fire...Halsted and...
"Yeah, sorry. We'll talk later. I love you and I'm stupid and I worry." Kelly was already running to squad's truck.
"Okay. We'll talk later."
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
The night had been one call after another shuffling in like bills in your mailbox...you got one paid and there was another showing up, needing attention.
The structure was a three story abandoned building that the city had been trying to get torn down for ten years. Looks like it was comin' down this night, thought Kelly looking at his vibrating phone. New text. "Love you too."
"Severide, you okay?" asked Shane, the older lieutenant of Red shift's squad, noticing how distracted his counterpart had been all night.
"Good. How do you wanna handle this one?" Another reason Kelly wished he hadn't signed on for this shift...he wasn't in charge. He was takin' a backseat and it wasn't a comfortable one.
Shane outlined his attack, instructing Kelly and candidate Luis to check the basement. Vagrants had set up shop..lookin' at the building as a free hotel. It'd been happy to serve for ten years.
"Luis, you stay on my heels. I'll show you their favorite places to sleep. In and out." Kelly knew the old building didn't have long, just enough time to get everyone out. Maybe.
He pushed his way in, flying down the stairs to the suffocating heat and smoke of the basement.
"Fire department! Call out!"
They found two homeless men sleeping on thin blankets unaware of the fire that was about to devour them both. When one thanked Kelly, it became obvious why.
"Okay, old timer. Don't speak, your breath is gonna turn into a flame thrower," joked Kelly with Luis chuckling as he pushed him up the stairs and pointed him in the direction of the exit. The next guy stumbled out after some prodding by the candidate.
A loud crack snapped Kelly's gaze up to the ceiling.
"That's it. Let's go!" He waited for Luis to run up the stairs, following closely behind.
The young firefighter made it up, double timing it to the door that spelled safety.
"Aaaah!" the candidate heard right before touching the handle, turning around, unsure of what to do. He rushed back to Lieutenant Severide seeing him struggle with his foot being swallowed by one of the steps, shards of wood acting as teeth. The candidate's eyes grew wide as he reached his arm out to grab Kelly's hand.
Another loud crack sounding like a clap of thunder rang out from above. Both heads cocked upward not liking what that noise meant.
Kelly twisted free, relief sweeping over him. He had a whole new understanding of what an animal in a trap felt like. Luis turned back around to have another go at that exit.
A huge cracking sound echoed from below Severide now. He had just enough time to feel those stairs giving way, feel his body become weightless as it fell downward, crash to the floor with such force it reverberated through his chest causing him to bounce up slightly then back down again.
Luis watched in horror, yelling at Shane, "Mayday! Mayday! Stairs gave way! Severide's down!"
Three members of Red shift were back in the building with their lieutenant barking orders. Two were eased down by a hose to their fallen man, strapping him into a harness with little concern for injuries or treatment. This thing was comin' down...no time for usual protocols. Luis unhooked him, flinging him over his shoulder like a small child, the strapping candidate had enough brawn for the profession he hoped would have him for years to come. He gave the sign of the cross as he traipsed through the exit door depositing Kelly on a waiting gurney.