He knew he was too harsh but he was so tired and everything hurt. He literally had no strength to argue with Severide and he had no doubt that the conversation would end that way. His friend was too stubborn to really admit that he could be wrong so all of this was just to show his rightful anger once again and Casey had had enough of this.

He curled up on the couch. His outburst took the last ounce of strength he had and now he couldn't even make himself get up and go to his bedroom. Well he even had no strength to care about that. He closed his eyes and lost himself to dreamless sleep.

Casey wake up to knocking at his door. At first he thought it was his mind playing with him recalling how it all started with Severide but then he heard the voice, very familiar one and definitely not Kelly's. He thought about getting to the door and making his visitor go away but while he had been going through it in his head the door opened and Clarisse came in. The next thing he knew he was covered with a blanket and she was rummaging through his cupboards preparing him breakfast. She hadn't asked anything but he knew it was only a matter of time.

"Thank you but you don't have to do this." He tried to stand up to help her but she gently pushed him back.

"Not a problem at all. Look at it like my training before having to care for the baby."

"I was called many things but not a baby for training." He chuckled and immediately winced.

"Sorry" She sat in the chair across from him. "I know it's not my business and you will have your share of questions when Shay comes but what has happened to you?"

He looked at her and knew that she would take no for an answer. But he needed someone to talk to and she was here. He wondered when this woman turned from Shay's girlfriend to his friend.

"It's really nothing."

She simply rolled her eyes.

"Okay it's obviously not nothing but the matter is over." He didn't want to worry her even more considering her pregnancy and all.

Casey wasn't sure what Shay told her about the shooting so he decided to withhold the fact.

"I found out that drugs were being hidden in the hydrants and went to talk to the gang about that."

"What?!"

Now thinking of it Casey could see that it might have been not his best idea.

"Well, I'm here in one piece and alive. And I'm sure that they got the hint and there won't be any stash in our equipment anymore."

"Okay, I'll play the good cop and tell you that I understand your reasoning, at least partially."

"When will I get the bad cop?" Casey tried to joke.

"Oh, that's an easy question. Right after the end of the shift. I called Leslie and she asked me to stay with you before she gets here."

"Somehow, I think that I'd prefer going to those guys again."

"Well, it's good then that you have no choice in this. Now eat. The more rest you can get before the end of her shift the better."

Casey wasn't going to sleep on her but he didn't even notice how his eyes closed. And then he was again in that room.

Semidarkness of the place where the brightest thing was the monitor with some shooter played on, few posters on the walls, a lot of booze on the table. And all eyes were on him, wary and menacing. The silence around him was suffocating. He physically needed to say something but he couldn't and they kept looking at him. He knew what he wanted to tell them, went through it few times during his drive there so he tried once again to fight through this strange resistance.

"I'm Lieutenant at the firehouse 51 down the street."

"So?"

"You hide your drugs in the hydrants, don't you? I'm telling you, you hide it in the hydrants it's gonna get flushed."

"You done?"

It was like talking to a wall. He tried to get through and they just smiled at him and he knew where it was going. But he had to make them understand because without working hydrants buildings on fire could burn down. And it would be his fault that there wasn't any water in their hoses.

"Like it or not we all gotta coexist here, right? Or someone might be killed."

One of them stepped forward and Casey knew that he was out of time.

"We are working to protect this neighborhood every single day."

The next moment he was punched hard in the gut. He tried to get his breathe back but they didn't give him time. Few more blows to his face and he was on the ground absolutely helpless and they laughed.

"How could you protect someone else if you couldn't protect yourself?"

Then the beating continued. He wished he would lose consciousness but he wasn't that lucky and he felt each blow and heard each mocking word.

"You were there. You let him. You put him through that window."

"It was all because of you. He said something about you and I couldn't let him do this to you."

"You failed them, all of them, it was your fault. And it is your punishment."

"Matt! Matt!"

He opened his eyes still groggy from the nightmare.

"Are you okay? You were tossing and moaning." Clarisse looked at him worriedly. "Maybe we should get you to the doctor? Check your head…"

"No, it was just a bad dream. Happens with my job, you know." He sighed. It was time for him to take a grip on himself. The way he was falling apart was absolutely unacceptable.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"No, I'd prefer to listen to you. Is everything ready for the baby? And how does Shay manage?" He sat up.

"Okay, if that's what you want to talk about." Clarisse paused gathering her thoughts then smiled. "Never could I imagine that Leslie would be like this. It's like she tried to make a cocoon for our baby. You know there's almost nothing in the flat that remained untouched by her."

"Well, you know, because you were the one making most of the repairs." She said as an afterthought.

"Yeah, I had never seen her so excited." Casey nodded with a smile happy for his female friend. "And what about you?"

"Honestly?"

"Of course. I'm sitting here weak as a kitten. I'm sure you can trust me right now." He joked.

"I'm scared. I love her very much and raising the baby with her is like dream come true. But there is still the father and I can't stop thinking that he may try to get the baby away from me. I'm not as strong as you guys."

"Then we'll be strong for you. Don't worry I'm sure everything will be okay and if not, well, then we'll have to talk to your ex. I don't know anyone who could keep fighting after meeting with the steamroller named Leslie Shay."

"Point taken."

"Good. Then relax and enjoy your pregnancy."

"What do you think you're doing?" Shay asked Severide.

"Going with you of course."

If there was anything wrong with Casey he had to know and then God save those who did this to his friend because he desperately needed someone to pour his anger on.

"No chance."

"What? I told you it wasn't me"

"And I believe you" She took his hand. "I know you care very much but you have to wait. He has never been the most open-hearted person and right now with your quarrel I don't think that you being there helps the situation."

He knew she was right but it was unbearable to stay away and not know what was going on with his friend.

"Called me immediately when you knew what happened."

"I promise." Shay nodded. "And you go home and rest a bit."

He promised Shay not to look for problems but he couldn't simply sit on his couch when his friend might be in danger. After all going to the police department wasn't anywhere near asking for troubles. He was just going to ask few questions about Voight and that shooting. Antonio should have known something. He failed his friend and he was going to do all he could to fix that.

"Hey man, what are you doing here?" Antonio was surprised to see Severide.

"Do you have time to talk?"

"Of course just give me a minute to get these files upstairs."

"Okay" Severide nodded sitting down and preparing to wait.

Few minutes later he felt that someone was standing right beside him. He looked up smiling expecting to see Antonio but his smile disappeared immediately turning into shock because there in front of him was the only man he never wanted to see again.

"Firefighter in the police department, that can't be good" Voight smirked and all Severide could do was looking at him dumbfounded.

"You're Benny Severide's kid, right?" Voight continued. "Old Benny…"

It was so unreal. This man should have been in prison not wondering around all by himself. And now it appeared that he knew his father pretty well. Damn Benny with all his secrets.

"I'll be seeing you around." Voight said not getting anything from Severide. And that was it. Kelly had no intention in seeing the bastard again ever, especially not after the hell he put his friend through.

"I don't plan on making it out to Myrtle Beach anytime soon." Severide snapped finally. He wouldn't let Voight threaten them again.

"Neither do I, I just got reinstated." With that Voight left and Severide stood there fuming.

Not only those idiots got him out but they let him back to the job. What were they thinking about?!

"Let's go, man." Antonio called startling Kelly out of his thoughts. "What do you want to talk about?"

"What the fuck is going on?" He yelled but then paused. Antonio was a good cop and he didn't deserve this. "I've just met Voight. He said he was reinstated. Is it some kind of joke?"

"No joke there, unfortunately." Antonio sighed.

"You mean you knew about that? You should have told us."

"I was going to. Found out myself just this afternoon."

"Shit!" Severide muttered. "What now?"

"I'm going to keep an eye on him. He'll get back to the prison at the first hint of something illegal, I promise you that."

"Yeah, and what if you won't be able to prove his connection? He had already tried to kill Casey before. And then there was the shooting. What if it's his doing?"

"Most likely the shooters were from local gang."

"Okay maybe not this one but…"

"I got it Severide. I don't like it either. But there's nothing we can do right now, except for waiting and be careful."

A/N: Here we are, Voight is back and Kelly is in his protective mode.

Just few comments about the chapter. First of all I decided to tell about Casey's misadventures through his subconcious and dreams because surely all of you knew the episode plot and there was no sence in repeating it. Second, I caught myself on the fact that Clarisse slowly became an OC (well I can pinpoint which character from my other favorite show she's like but the fact is I inadvertently changed her). My only excuse was that I needed someone calm and gentle to help Shay look after the boys and I really wish for Shay to have such a partner.

Thank you for all your reviews. Your opinion is important for me, but you should have already known that ;)

Me, good that I managed to surprise you.

Guest, thank you for being truthful. It helps to know how it looked from other points of view. Sorry if you thought that I tried to break Severide and Shay's friendship. I love them too much for that. It's just what I like in Shay is that she can tell people around her when they're wrong and that was what Severide needed at that moment.