Disclaimer: I own nothing except my imagination.
A/N: Thanks so much for the wonderful reviews on the last chapter. Now I didn'T think I'd have time in the next few days to actually write but it came easily so here is the next part.
The car drove too quickly by for Adam to even contemplate taking a look of the license plate, his only concern was the safety of his daughter. He found her crying on the sidewalk with blood on her knees.
"Baby, baby, are you okay?" He looked at her for any other form of injury.
"Adam, she's fine." He looked up and noticed for the first time the person that was cradling his daughter in her arms.
"I was too far." He lamented. "I'm sorry baby." He gave his attention back to his daughter. "Did you manage to see some of the plates? He asked the question absentmindedly.
"It happened so fast. I barely made it to her in time." Kim was still panting.
"Does it hurt anywhere baby?"
"Just my knees daddy." Her tears were starting to slow down now, and she was still sniffling lightly.
"Are you sure?" He looked at every inch of her for any other trace of blood on her but even if he didn't see any apart from her knees, he still wasn't satisfied. He scooped her out of Kim's hands gently and went for his car. He looked across the street before he crossed, vaguely aware of Kim's presence behind him, his daughter his only priority.
"Adam slow down." He ignored her and kept going back towards his house. "Adam, stop." She put a hand on his forearm, but he whipped around and she could see traces of anger in his deep brown orbs.
"I don't have time for this shit Kim."
"You're in no shape to drive Adam. Give me your keys and I'll drive you to the hospital, so you can take care of her."
"Oh." That wasn't what he was expecting out of her. "Yeah, sure." Kim helped him settle Mackenzie in the back seat before he handed her his car keys.
"Med?" She questioned as she drove his car towards the center of the city.
"Yeah, Halstead's brother works there." She nodded and drove them there. Adam scooped her inside and she leaned her head against her dad's chest.
"Adam, what's going on?" Will had already seen them walk in and his met them there. "What happened?" He questioned.
"Some idiot was driving too fast in our street and almost killed her." He growled, setting her on the table in trauma 3.
"I pulled her out of the way as soon as I could, but I barely managed to avoid her head hitting the pavement." Kim suddenly started to feel her nerves threaten to break right there in front of everyone.
"It's a good thing you were there then." Kim could only silently nod.
"So, Miss Joy, can you tell me what hurts?"
"My knees hurt uncle Will."
"I'm going to clean those out so we can see what we're looking at okay?"
"Is it going to hurt?"
"It might sting a little bit, but we all know you're the bravest girl in Chicago." He winked at her. Kim stood and watched from the door as Adam held her hand while Dr Halstead cleaned her knees up. "Not bad, I'll just get you really big band-aids for those. How's your head feeling sweetie?"
"Hurts a little." She admitted but Kim couldn't take it anymore, so she turned around and left. Adam was aware of her leaving but he stayed with Mackenzie because she needed her. Will checked her out and decided that keeping her just for the night was the safe course to take in case she was concussed, and Adam agreed with him.
Kim watched from the door as Adam held Mackenzie's hand in his, his eyes locked on the monitor. Halstead repeated that everything was fine, but that a nurse would come check on them every hour for any signs of a concussion.
"Hey." She said softly as she walked into the room, two coffees in hand.
"Hey, I thought you were gone."
"Sorry I just bolted." She handed him a cup.
"Thanks." He smiled at her before taking a sip.
"How is she?" Kim stood a bit to the side.
"She's okay thanks to you." He looked at her with a smile, pointing to the other chair.
"What did the doctors say?
"Will said that she was lucky and that if you hadn't been there when you were, it could have been far more serious. They're looking out for signs of a concussion."
"Does the fear ever go away?" She suddenly asked, taking a sip of her coffee, her eyes trained on Mackenzie's sleeping form. After leaving the trauma room earlier, she had been filled with a sudden fear after the adrenaline had worn off.
"It doesn't but the space they take in your heart makes you keep going." He noticed his hands shaking lightly around her own cup of coffee. "Are you okay?"
"I run after crooks, rapists and the likes on a daily basis but when Dr. Halstead took a look at her, I thought I was going to empty my breakfast." She chuckled nervously.
"You kept your head when it mattered the most, I really appreciate that." He assured her. "I can't thank you enough for getting to her when I couldn't, she's my whole world." His eyes found Mackenzie's sleeping form again.
"I would have done the same regardless."
"Still." He looked back at her again. "I'll never be able to repay you for saving her."
"Don't even think about that."
"What were you doing in my neck of the woods anyways?" It had just dawned on him.
"I live a few streets down."
"I've never seen you around."
"Moved last week. It's my first free day with no boxes to unpack." She took another drink of her coffee.
"How about you come over to dinner tomorrow?" It was the only way he could think of thanking her for what she did for him today.
"Adam, I can't." She sat straight.
"Why not?"
"I don't want to take away your time with her."
"You won't. And I know she'll be happy to see you." Their talk was interrupted by the nurse coming to check on her.
"Text me your address with the time." She scribbled her cell number on the pad next to the bed.
"I will, thanks again." She gave him a nod and a smile and left, taking an Uber back home.
Adam stayed in the room while the nurse examined Mackenzie but as soon as she was gone, Atwater, Halstead and Voight came through the door.
"We heard what happened, is she okay?" Adam wasn't surprised that Will had called his brother to tell him about the near accident.
"Yeah, bloody knees and they want to rule out a concussion so he's keeping her for the night. I have to call Platt." He suddenly thought of shift in the morning.
"Don't sweat it, you're off the clock tomorrow."
"Thanks Sarge."
"What happened anyways?"
"She wanted to ride her bike because she wasn't tired so I let her because why not. She did what she always does and on her way back for the second time, I heard the sound of the tires but I was too far away."
"Did you get a look at the driver, or the car?" Halstead asked, the muscle in his neck threaten to burst from anger.
"Nothing." He sighed. "If it hadn't been for Kim, we probably wouldn't be having this discussion." He admitted.
"Kim, as in Detective Kim Burgess?" Atwater questioned.
"Yeah, she's the one who pulled Kenzie out of the way of the car."
"Damn, thank god." Kevin knew that Adam wouldn't be able to survive if he lost Mackenzie too.
"Yeah. Everything happened so fast, neither one of us saw more than Mackenzie so there's nothing more we can do about it."
"Just as long as she's okay." Voight said and the guys nodded too. "Take it easy." He put a hand on Adam's shoulder.
"I will, thanks." The three of them filed out and Kevin gave his shoulder a squeeze on the way out.
"Did I hear Uncle Jay, Kevin and grandpa Hank? Mackenzie asked with sleep in her voice.
"They just came to see how we were doing. Go back to sleep baby." He got up and kissed her forehead. "Daddy's going to sleep right here." She nodded as her eyes drooped shut again. HE watched her sleep a bit more before falling asleep in the chair next to her bed. He didn't care if he slept like crap, as long as Mackenzie was okay, when he woke up the next morning, Mackenzie was already awake, and the nurse was there to check on her. "How is she?" He asked, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.
"Everything looks good. Dr. Halstead called and he said he'd be there soon so you can bring Ms. Mackenzie home." She smiled at the nurse before she left them.
"Thanks."
"Oh no, I'm going to miss school daddy."
"It's okay Kenzie, you're staying with me today and I have a surprise for you tonight."
"What is it?"
"It wouldn't be a surprise if daddy told you would it?" They both looked at the door where Will just walked through.
"But daddy knows I love surprises." She pouted.
"You'll love it even more if I don't tell you what it is."
"You're no fun." She crossed her arms over her chest with a pout, making both of them laugh.
"I'll go make a call while you check her out if that's okay?"
"Sure." Adam closed the door by half and pulled out his phone and the number Kim had gotten him and texted her. He got a reply quickly and went back inside for Will's assessment.
"So, what's it going to be?" Adam sat on the side of her bed.
"Everything is looking good, you can take her home, but she needs to take it easy, no, schoolwork, just fun. Am I clear?"
"Yes." She cheered.
"Take it easy Adam and I see the two of you at brunch next Sunday."
"Thanks." They hugged and Adam got Mackenzie ready to head home. They spent the morning in front of some cartoons with cereal and chocolate chip cookies. He was just content with being with her, glad that she was okay. "What do you want for dinner?" Adam questioned as she came to sit at the kitchen counter for a snack later in the afternoon.
"Depends, what's my surprise?" She tried bargaining.
"I'm not saying." He chuckled, cutting up some apples for her.
"Not even a hint?"
"Not even a hint. So, what will it be?"
"Can we make our own pizza?" She asked hopefully.
"That sounds good, I think I even have everything we need right here." He rummaged through the fridge and started cutting some vegetables up for the pizzas. Kim was due to be in the next thirty minutes or so and he wanted to make sure he had everything.
"Are we missing anything?"
"No, we're all good, now eat up." He pulled some frozen pizza doughs from the freezer. "Maybe you'll be ready for your surprise when you're done eating."
"You're no fun." She grumbled but ate her apple.
"You might change your mind later." The doorbell rang as he dried his hands off.
"Can I go see who it is?" She slipped off her stool.
"Wait for me." When he knew it was one of the boys, he didn't mind her going alone to open it, but he wanted to see her reaction. She couldn't see the door because the window was frosted on it but.
"Who is it?" She whispered back at him loud enough that he was sure Kim had heard from the other side.
"I don't know, why don't you open it?" He stuffed his hands in his pockets with a smile.
She opened the door just a little bit and when she saw who was on the other side of the door, she squealed and opened it wider, literally pouncing on her. "Ms. Burgess." She wrapped her arms around her waist.
"Hi Mackenzie." She used her free hand to hug her and make sure she was real. She had gone back home the night before with her heart still thundering in her chest from the set of emotions she had lived through while they took care of Mackenzie at the hospital.
"Daddy said I had a surprise." She looked up at Kim.
"Oh really, what kind of surprise is it?"
"The best." Mackenzie pulled away and pulled Kim in the direction of Adam.
"I didn't know what we were going to eat but I figured you for a beer kind of guy." She raised a six pack to him, and he took it before Mackenzie pulled Kim in completely.
"You figured right." He chuckled. "Come on Kenzie, let Kim take a breath for a second.
"I'm sorry Ms. Burgess." Kim took a seat next to Mackenzie at the counter.
"Oh, it's fine, but you can call me Kim."
"Can I dad?"
"Sure."
"We're making our own pizza tonight." She announced.
"That's pretty cool." Kim smiled as Adam handed her a beer. "And I'm happy you're okay." She ran her hand on Mackenzie's back.
"It's because you pulled me on the sidewalk." She was already plucking some ingredients and putting them on her pizza.
"I didn't do that great of a job, your knees still got hurt."
"It's better than my head though." Kim could only laugh, Adam suppressing a chuckle.
"You're right about that."
"She usually is."
"So, tell me, what's good to put on a pizza?" Adam watch the two interact together and Kim was always so gracious with her answers and always patient with Mackenzie and suddenly her comment about being married to the job made him wonder more about her. They had fun over dinner, Mackenzie carrying the conversation for the whole time, Kim being so natural, and Adam was taking it all in. Kim was funny and engaging and Mackenzie was clearly taken by her as well.
"Alright, it's time for you to go in the shower Kenzie." Adam stood and started clearing the table. "Go get your pj's and I'll be right up."
"Leave the dishes, I've got them." She smiled at Adam.
"I can't have you doing the dishes, I invited you over for dinner."
"Come on Adam, you have a daughter to take care of, I've got it." She assured him.
"Ok." He didn't fight her further on it and went after Mackenzie to get her ready for bed. Kim cleared the table and started doing the dishes and cleaning the kitchen up. When she was done, she wandered into Adam's living room. She found pictures on the fireplace mantle and looked them over. They were mostly of his wife with Mackenzie throughout her first six years of life. The two girls looked very much alike, but she could see a little bit of Adam mixed in her as well. The last picture on the mantle was of them on their wedding day, the two cradling a barely there baby bump. "That was one of the best days of my life." Kim jumped lightly at Adam's return.
"You look happy."
"We were, so much." He returned to the kitchen and opened the freezer. "Ice cream?" He asked over his shoulder.
"Sure." He filled up two bowls of vanilla ice cream and she followed him on the back porch where he took his usual spot in Rebecca's chair and Kim settled in the one next to it, pulling her knees to the side. They ate in relative silence until Adam broke it.
"I know I've said it before but thank you for saving her, I don't know what I would have done if something bad had happened to her." Adam placed his empty bowl next to the chair and leaned back into it.
"You don't have to thank me, that little girl is amazing."
"She's all I have left." He didn't intend to get choked up like that. "She's my world." He closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
Kim reached across her chair and took Adam's hand in hers, running her thumb against his wedding band. "Tell me about her." She whispered. Adam looked at her in surprise and she nodded, giving him the encouragement to talk about Rebecca.
"She was such generous and kind. She took so much of my messed-up shit with Intelligence and she was so patient about it. The only time she got mad at me was when I worked the Arruzo case. I spent so much time trying to catch him that we got into a huge argument about me not being there for her or Mackenzie."
"You're a great dad Adam and I have no doubt that you were an amazing husband."
"I was all of those things because she made me like that, she made me better. Losing her nearly killed me and I've been trying to give Mackenzie the best life that I can and it's the reason I asked to be bumped back down to patrol. The hours were easier to work around her schedule with school and everything else. Our parents have been a great help in helping me adjust to life without her."
"She'd be proud of you Adam, the same way I know your unit is proud of you and I see the way you are with Makenzie and she'd be happy to see how the two of you love each other. It's a beautiful thing to watch."
"I miss her so much."
"She's right in here." She placed her other hand against his heart. "And if you let her love take root in your heart, it'll help you heal, I promise." He closed his eyes and let her words settle in his mind.
"Thank you." He whispered. Maybe the guys were right and maybe this is what he needed in order to finally move forward.
A/N: SO here you have it...I was teary eyed as as I wrote the end of this chapter so I hope you guys liked it. Please take a few seconds to review before you go, your thoughts mean a lot - Sarra