"Hey Chief. Any news about Casey?" Severide asked the moment he reached Boden. They all still had a job to do before they could go visit their friend but that didn't mean he couldn't ask.

"I called them but they didn't want to tell me anything." Severide added at the arching brow of his boss.

"Okay. I'll call them later." Boden nodded understanding his lieutenant very well. "You remember the rules, right? You are thinking only about the case while on the shift. If you can't do that, you better tell me now."

"I can Chief. I'm just worried."

"We all are. But we have to keep going."

"It had never been that bad, even during your cold war." Shay sighed looking around. It was like all cheerfulness was sucked out of the room leaving only grim and tired people.

"But you know he'll be back in no time, right Kelly?" She added when he didn't react.

"No, I don't. And don't start with that 'everything will be fine' crap. Because nothing is fine in our lives. Nothing was fine when Andy…" He choked. "And nothing is fine with me." He finished quietly.

"Your hand? It's getting worse. You have to go with the surgery Kelly, you know that."

"Not now Shay!" He stopped her sharply. "Not when Casey may need me."

"He wouldn't want for you to cripple yourself."

"Well, then it's good that I haven't done much of what he wanted lately." Severide muttered bitterly making Shay flinched.

"Oh, I get what it's about. You're punishing yourself instead of actually doing something to make up to Casey." She was pretty annoyed with his stubbornness. "You should…"

"It's none of your business. Drop it." He growled walking away from her but he managed only few steps.

"Ambulance 61, Squad 3"

They arrived to the scene of a man desperately trying to keep himself and his friend from falling. Severide climbed up to them and secured the latter leaving it to the team to get the guy back down safely. But while doing this he missed that the rope keeping the first one in place was too close to be torn. Few seconds later he found that he was the only thing keeping the man from falling to his death. There was nothing he could do but holding his hand and waiting for someone to get to them. He knew they wouldn't waste a second but they still needed time and the man wasn't light and it was the wrong hand and it hurt so much.

"I'm going to fall. God please, get me out of here, I don't want to die, please." The man was crying hysterically while Severide struggled with the pain in his hand.

"Damn guys, fasten there a little." He growled.

"Hang on, boss. Already there." came the reply.

"Ah" He clenched his teeth.

Severide knew soon enough his hand would fail him he just hoped Capp would be there before that. But how long before it won't be long enough? How long before someone dies because he failed to help, he thought.

"It'll only be getting worse."

"If you can't do that you better tell me now."

"There was a fire in the building. Casey tried to save a man but waited for too long and had to jump out of the window"

Severide almost could see himself on that ladder trying desperately to help his friend with his hand failing him. He held with all he had but it wasn't enough, never had been.

"He couldn't pull himself on the ladder and fell."

He watched him falling and this time it was his fault, entirely his fault.

"Hey, man. You can let go now." He was startled by Capp's voice.

There was no fire and Casey had already been in the hospital and not because of him. But he couldn't forget the despair and helplessness of his vision. He was losing it big time now.

"Everything alright?"

"Yeah, just peachy" Severide smiled humorlessly. "Just get him down already."

Of course the moment he stepped out of the truck to enter the firehouse Shay was right in front of him with a worried expression. He knew what she was going to say and she was right but he couldn't hear any of that not now.

"What happened there" she started.

"Is just an ordinary call. I have no intention to discuss more than necessary." He walked away from her.

"Damn that stubborn ass." She muttered. Why couldn't the man use his brain for once?!

"Leave him. He needs time to cool out." Shay looked at Dawson with pure shock.

"I know I'm not the most patient person but maybe I should try that with all the problems I got for my caring." Dawson told.

"It didn't go as Mouch hoped?!" Shay asked with compassion.

"An understatement of the year."

"I'm sorry Gabs."

"Yeah, don't worry. It's nothing comparing to …" Dawson paused. "Anyway Severide is too worried right now to be sensible."

"Really? By this logic, he's too worried all the time."

"Girls come in. Chief has some announcement." Otis called to them.

"It had to be about Casey" Dawson whispered.

"Stay positive. Most likely it's just an update from the hospital and you'll see your prince charming soon enough."

"There's no time for jokes. He's not my anything and you know that."

"Okay, he's not but that's because you do nothing."

"Just stop it."

"Now you sound exactly like Kelly." Shay muttered following Dawson inside. If she learned anything from that incident with Casey it would be that time was too precious to waste but it looked like her friends didn't get the same message.

"Okay everybody. You all know what happened to Lieutenant Casey and that police officers are investigating the fire."

"Doing nothing but talking" Hermann muttered loud enough for Boden to hear but he ignored it. He understood their feelings with Antonio being the only one who really tried to help.

"I just got a call from Antonio, Detective Dawson. The one in the hospital confessed. He's ready to testify against Voight."

"Finally! Great news."

"Don't let your hopes up. There is still a lot of work to do. And Voight as hell would try to fight and probably provoke you. Don't let him. We can win this fight. Casey won't need to think about it anymore."

"Yeah. The sooner the bastard gets behind the bars the better." Hermann nodded.

"We'll do anything for Lieutenant." Cruz added. "Can testify against Voight too, right?"

"Probably but we'll think about that when we get there. Just do your job now and let Antonio do his." Boden looked at the smiling faces all around him knowing that next part of news wouldn't be that good.

"Now about Casey himself." He started getting everyone's attention back to him. "I was notified by the hospital that his condition worsened during the night due to his head injury and they had to perform one more surgery. Right now he's under meds but they're planning to get him off them tonight to evaluate his condition."

"Oh" The strained silence fell on the room.

"I know you were going to visit him but you'll have to wait until he got better. Right now the only non-medical staff allowed to be around him is officers guarding him. "

He could see there were a lot of questions but unfortunately he had no answers.

"There's all I know for now. I'll tell you immediately if anything changes."

"Hey Gabs. I heard you made a scene in the hospital." Antonio said to his younger sister. He knew about her feelings and did his best to solve the case as fast as possible but he wasn't a magician and he couldn't make things fine for Casey immediately.

"I know he has to be guarded but it shouldn't mean for him to be alone Antonio. It isn't right to be alone in his condition."

"There is nothing you can do for him that his doctors can't. I'd think you understand that better than most."

"I'm not talking about treatment but about being there for him. If not letting me at least tell his family about this. He has sister and then there's Hallie…"

"I don't want new people involve in this. Voight is still free, I don't want to risk. Casey wouldn't be happy with me if I did."

"But"

"That's how it is for now. Nothing to discuss." He knew she didn't like that and if he knew his sister she'd try something stupid.

"All I can tell you. He's not alone. He's with someone he knows and if not the closest one for him, someone he trusts enough."

"Okay but the minute things change you tell me."

A/N: I know you want more about Casey but I felt like it became too much like House M.D. story so here we are with one little call and a chance for not only House but Severide to think about few things. Also it has some hints about the whole Voight thing, tried to make it real but not too long. Anyway the next chapter is back with my favorite characters Greg and Matthew (it's so strange to call them that, lol.)

Me, you know you're not the only one mentioning Chase saving Casey, it'd be funny, but I'm sure House is capable enough to do things himself.