This is the second part, continuation from Chapter 7. This happened in the following shift.
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"I cannot locate Severide!"
Cruz' voice came through the radio, cutting through the chaos of that midnight rescue. Casey who was depositing a victim to the triage froze for a millisecond. Not again, he thought. He knew that Severide was a magnet for trouble, but this is too often even for him. Two in two shifts? He must have had such a luck.
"Chief, I'm coming in," Casey announced to the chief once he securely got the victims to safety.
"You have three minutes," said chief. Casey ran inside, calling out both for victims and for the others who were inside.
Stella turned around when she heard a small whimper. She checked the area throughly, and under the sink she found a woman crouching.
"Mam! We gotta get out of here!" she grabbed the woman, who toppled over. Stella's eyes widened when she saw the woman was unconscious and holding a baby. "One female victim, unconscious, and one infant! Need help in the bathroom, south side!" After repeating, she realised that her radio was static. The structure of the building was mostly thick concrete, and it had been messing with their radio. Looking at her two victims, she quickly made a decision and slipped her halligan into her turnout pocket. She pulled the zip of her turnout coat down, hauled the woman on her shoulder, adjusted her balance, picked up the baby, shoving the baby into her coat, and made her way to the door. She met Casey on the way.
"Casey, there's a baby in my turnout," she said. Casey crouched in front of her and pulled the baby out of her coat, shoving the baby into his, and walked with her outside.
"Radio not working?" asked Casey.
"Damn concrete," said Stella. Casey gave the baby to one of the paramedics from 148 and ran back to the building.
"Put her down here," said Brett, pulled out a stretcher.
"I got one victim!" called Cruz.
"Everyone's accounted for. Find Severide, evacuate!" yelled Boden.
"Chief, I'm… I'm in the third floor. No way out. Repeat, no way out!" said Severide.
"I'll get to you!" Herrmann's voice was heard. Stella shook his head.
"Not again," she muttered. "This can't be happening again."
"No, the stairs were gone," said Severide.
"Mouch, get the aerial to third floor!" called Boden.
"Everyone, evacuate now! Casey, Capp, Herrmann, evacuate! Severide, can you get to the window?" asked Boden.
"I can, but… if I break the window, it'll become the vent," said Severide. Stella whimpered as the others walked through the front door and looked up at the window. With Brett and Violet busy treating victims and sending them away with other ambulances, Stella walked towards the window. Casey looked for her and, once spotted her, he stood beside her, shoulders touching.
"This is mad," Stella muttered. Casey put his arm around her.
"Chief, I can break the window when I jump, can you get the aerial to cushion my fall?" asked Severide.
"Positive," said Boden.
"I'll go halfway up, chief," said Casey. He patted Stella's back then ran to the truck. Violet and Brett had finished with the other victims, transported them with another ambulance, and now had pulled out the stretcher closer to the area.
"Alright. Clear the fall zone! Severide, you ready?" asked Boden. "The aerial is straight ahead of you."
"In a bit," Severide panted, then continued after hesitating, "Stella, I'm sorry. I love you, you know right?" Stella didn't realise that her tears had brimmed until Brett appeared beside her and put her hand around her, just like Casey did previously. Violet slipped her hand to Stella's.
A sound of glass crashing was followed by an explosion, and Severide leaped out of the third floor window. They all watched in horror when he grazed the aerial with his foot, crashed to a tree nearby, and fell all the way to the ground. Everyone ran to him, Brett and Violet ahead. They turned him to face up.
"Engine, kill the fire!" shouted Boden.
"He's unconscious. Pupils unresponsive. I got rapid pulse," said Violet.
"No sound on the left lung," said Brett. Some of the guys came around them and turned on their flashlights. Violet attached c-collar then took off his mask. Stella gasped. At that point, Gallo appeared beside her and put his hand on her back.
"Pneumothorax, I'll do chest tube," said Brett. She quickly ripped off Severide's turnout coat and jacket, cut through his t-shirt, and cleaned the area using alcohol. Violet passed a needle, and Brett took a deep breathe before putting in the needle. Stella turned her head, unable to watch the procedure. Gallo gently guided her to turn away, shielding her from the view.
"He's stable for now. We'll get him to Med," said Brett. Cruz and Casey helped lifting him to the ambulance, and Gallo pushed Stella to the ambulance.
"No, no, I can't," said Stella. "Casey…"
"I'll go," said Casey. He looked at Stella. "I'll let you know as soon as I know something, okay?" Stella nodded. Casey climbed into the ambulance with Violet, and the ambulance sirene blared through the night.
"81 and Squad 3, pack up, we're going to Med," said Boden.
"Kidd, let me," Mouch stopped her before she climbed into the driver seat. Stella just nodded and went to Casey's usual seat. She cried silently, until she felt Gallo's hand on her shoulder. She usually isn't into physical affection, being the only female in a male dominated field. But this time, she found it comforting, and she took Gallo's hand and squeezed it.
Once they arrived at the hospital, Casey, Violet, and Brett were nowhere to be seen in the waiting room. They sat in the corner. Gallo put her hand on Stella's back. Stella buried her face in her hands. After a while, Violet, Brett, and Casey walked out.
"How is he?" asked Boden.
"Internal bleeding. They're taking him to emergency surgery," said Brett. "He crashed in the ambo, we got here just in time."
"Oh, God…" Stella shook her head. "This shouldn't be happening," she walked out the door. Brett was about to walk after her, but Casey stopped her.
"Let me," said Casey. He walked outside and found Stella cradling her fist with her other hand, panting. "What's the pillar's fault?" he asked when he approached her.
"This. What did he mean with 'I love you', like it was a last word?" asked Stella, agitated. "Why was he up there alone? Why is there's no stairs? Why is he attracting all these crazy accidents, like he has nine lives?" Stella's tears were falling freely from her eyes, and Casey kept a safe distance from her. "We were supposed to be making up, talking about what went wrong, why he ran out of me… he promised me that this morning. And then…." Stella leaned to the pillar she just punched.
"I have no answer," Casey stood beside her. "But I know, this is exactly how he was when you were in there," said Casey. "You fought. He is fighting right now, we have to trust that he'll come out of this well."
"How come you are so calm?" asked Stella.
"I'm not. I want to punch the innocent pillar as much as you. But I've watched him recover from a broken neck, from another free fall jump, that I know that he will fight with all he has," Casey grabbed Stella's shoulder. "You should trust him, too. Then when he recovers, we'll chain him to the kitchen counter, to preserve the rest of the nine lives he has." They chuckled. "Now let's take a look at your hand. Your opponent seems fine," Casey glanced at the pillar. Stella's hand was bruised.
"It's not fractured," said Stella, flexing her fingers. "Just some bruising….it'll be fine." Upon seeing Casey's face, she relented. "Okay, okay, I'll get it looked at later."
"We're in a hospital. We have two paramedics," Casey motioned to the waiting room.
"Brett's gonna ask question and comment. Can't I just do it myself? I got EMT certification."
"Mikami, and that's it," said Casey. "Come on." When they were inside, Casey gestured for Violet to walk to them. "Check her hand, don't ask."
"Got it. Come on, let's get to the ambo," said Violet, then they walked to the ambulance. She opened the back door, then motioned for Stella to sit. She took Stella's hand and checked it. Her face was curious, although she held any comments and questions.
"A pillar was insulting me, so…" said Stella, knowing that the younger girl was dying to ask. Violet smiled.
"I don't see fracture, but the bruising around the knuckles needs to be treated," Violet cleared Stella's knuckles. "Next time, try aiming at a spot and don't graze it."
"Do you think I think?" asked Stella amused, but chuckling after she said it.
"Alright, next time come see me again," said Violet. "Elevate your hand and put this on to reduce swelling," she gave Stella some cold compress and two Tylenols, which Stella dry swallowed.
"Thanks, Violet," said Stella. Violet patted Stella's arm and closed the ambo door. They walked back to the waiting room.
Three hours later, a doctor walked out the door.
"Kelly Severide's family," said the doctor. They all stood. "I need to talk to Mr. Casey, his medical proxy. Is he here?"
"That's me," Casey said.
"And your relation to him?" asked the doctor.
"He's my brother," said Casey without missing a heartbeat.
"Can I talk to you about his prognosis or should I say it to everyone?" asked the doctor.
"Anything you wanna tell me, tell us all," said Casey.
"I've suspected so. So, he had three broken ribs, one puncture his lung, an small internal bleeding, and went into shock just before surgery. We performed thoracotomy and also managed to repair the lung in the surgery. He's a fighter, he crashed once during surgery, but pulled through. He also has a concussion, as well as dislocated shoulder, which we have put back in place. I'll take you to him," said the doctor pointedly to Casey. Stella put her head in her hands, Violet and Brett sat on her sides.
"Casey, keep us informed," said Boden. Casey nodded. They walked past the nurse station to the ICU and stopped at the door to Severide's room.
"We put him on induced coma to let his lung heal. We'll reassess in 12 hours, we hope we will be able to take him off the vent tomorrow. This is the necklace we took off him before the surgery," said the doctor, handing Casey a small zip bag. "You can sit with him, talk to him. I'll ask for a more comfortable chair, even if not much. Chicago heroes priviledge."
"Thanks," said Casey. He sat on the chair, placing his fingers on Severide's neck. He felt heartbeat, and he was relieved. Even if he wasn't out of the woods yet, but he's still there. He didn't look alive aside from the beeping heart monitor, and Casey immediately got a flashback to the ER bombing a couple years back. "Hell of a week for you, Kelly. Toxic inhalation, got the flu, and now this…. I'll chain you to the apartment once you get out of here." A small sofa was being brought in, which he could see himself sleeping on for the night. Casey brushed his hand on Severide's head. "You need to make amends with Kidd. She's just as insufferable as you," he chuckled when he remembered how Stella responded cynically to Gallo's offhanded comment about lovers earlier in the day. It was intended to Ritter and Eric, but Stella was ticked. She immediately retracted the statement, but they all knew better.
Brett texted her saying that she and Violet would go back to the hospital after shift since Stella refused to leave the waiting room, and asked if he needed anything from the firehouse. An hour later, he overheard a conversation from the room next door and an idea popped out.
Casey put his phone in his pocket and walked to the nurse station.
"I wonder if his… fiancee can sit here instead of me," Casey glanced at Severide's room.
"But you're his medical proxy," reasoned the nurse.
"Yeah, it was new. He hasn't had time to deal with paperwork," said Casey.
"Alright, she can come during the day. But we need you here too in case we need a decision," said the nurse. Casey thanked her and walked to the ICU waiting room. Stella was seated in the corner, holding a bottle of drink that obviously someone gave her, head bowed down.
"Kidd," called Casey. "Psst!" Stella didn't respond, so he came to her. Two steps away from her, he realised that she was sleeping. He knelt in front of her. "Hey, where are the others?"
"They went back to the firehouse. 61 had a call," said Stella. Casey pulled her standing.
"Come on, you can sit inside," said Casey. He pulled her to the ICU. "Oh, if anyone asks, you two got engaged last week."
"What?" Stella stopped in her track.
"They allow fiancees inside. I remember when Gabby…" Casey left his sentence hanging. "I'm still his medical proxy, but you are his fiancee."
"Can't believe I miss my own proposal," snorted Stella. She suddenly stopped at the sight of Severide and the machines surrounding him, and Casey guided her slowly to the door. "Oh my God…" Her tears streamed down her face. "Casey, last thing I said to him…"
"You will make up, don't worry," Casey's words were not comforting even to his ears. He walked inside, and had to physically pull her inside. Stella choked on her own sobs, hearing Severide's injuries were nowhere near the same as looking at him with her own eyes. Casey put his arm around her shoulder. "He'll be okay, he'll come home," he consoled her.
"I don't… oh God, I've been…"
What she had been to Severide, Casey wouldn't know as she crumbled in his arms. He caught her and lowered them both on the small sofa, rubbing her back until she stopped crying.
"Sorry, Casey," sobbed Stella.
"It's okay. That's how I feel too," Casey chuckled. He wriggled out of the sofa and went to the nurse station, picking up some wipes. "You still have soot on your face." Stella wasn't coherent, her hands were trembling as she tried to wipe off her face.
"I… I," whimpered Stella.
"Let me," Casey took the wipes from Stella and wiped her face, reminding himself that this is what Severide would've done if he wasn't lying there unconscious. He sat beside her, a little tight for both of them, but he felt he needed to be there for her, to keep her grounded.
"Thanks, Casey. I…" Stella lifted her hands and showed the tremble. Casey just realised that after the soot was gone from her face, she was really pale. Casey pulled out the bottle of drink she hastily shoved in her turnover gear earlier, relieved to see that it's a bottle of overly sweet drinks Stella somehow likes and keeps in the loft. He uncapped it and pushed it to Stella's hand.
"Don't want you to pass out," said Casey.
"This is so messed up," mumbled Stella.
"I know," said Casey. Once Stella was finished halfway with her drink, she started crying again. "For what it's worth, he said he would talk to you after shift." It only made Stella cried harder. She fell against Casey who felt like crying himself.
A couple minutes later, or even longer, Stella calmed down and fell asleep. Casey tried to move his hand, but Stella trapped his hand between her shoulder and the sofa. He did not have the heart to wake her up or move his hand by force, in fear that she would wake up.
An hour later, Violet peeked into the room with two cups of coffee on her hands and two paper bags on her wrists.
"Captain, can I come in?" she whispered. Casey gave sign with his hand to come in, accepting a cup of coffee from her. She put another cup of coffee on the chair Casey sat previously. "There she is. We panicked when she wasn't in the waiting room. Brett's with a consult in ER, some paperwork mishap. I slipped here to give this," she waved two paper bags. "We picked up Kidd's clothes, snack from her locker, some food for you both. There's some t-shirt for you to change into, and a blanket."
"Thanks," said Casey.
"How is Kidd doing?" asked Violet, glancing at Stella who curled up to Casey, sleeping. Casey's arm was still around her, and he had lost all feeling in his arm. "I thought only you're allowed here."
"I told them she's his fiancee," Casey smirked.
"We weren't going to leave her here, but we had a call five minutes before shift ended," said Violet. "She said she was going to be okay, so…"
"It's okay. She cried to sleep. She needs to sleep, though, so..." Casey motioned to Stella.
"She had sign of mild dehydration earlier, and refused to drink. Has she?" asked Violet.
"This," Casey picked up the half-drunk bottle of drink. "She looked like about to faint before." Casey wriggled his fingers which were trapped behind Stella.
"You need help freeing your hand?" asked Violet. Casey nodded. Violet lifted Stella's body slightly so Casey could slide his hand out.
"Thanks," Casey stood up and moved his fingers. They carefully positioned Stella to be more comfortable on the sofa. Violet took an ice pack and applied it to Stella's hand and spread the blanket over Stella. "How did you get in here? This is ICU not ER."
"One of the residents on shift is my ex-boyfriend," Violet's face reddened. Casey peeked outside. "Don't look," Violet hissed.
"The blonde one or the other one?" asked Casey, teasing her.
"Not gonna answer that," smirked Violet. "Let us know if you need anything."
"Us as in you and the ex? You have to tell which one." Casey pursued.
"Us as in Brett and I. We live the closest, we'll be here if needed," said Violet.
"Yeah, thanks," said Casey. Violet left the room and talked to the doctor with black hair in the nurse station, and Casey knew the answer straight away when he saw the doctor leaned on the counter and talked to her with intense focus.
Casey opened the paper bag Violet set down on the chair. There are a wrapped bagel, two doughnuts, another box of dessert, two packs of takeaway boxes which he suspected as lunch, two bottles of water, and some snacks in a plastic bag which must come from Stella's locker. There is also a crossword puzzle book. Guessing that Brett intended the doughnuts for Stella—there's something about ladies and sugar—he picked the bagel and sat on the chair.
A nurse came in to take Severide's chart and put an ice pack on his swollen shoulder. He asked her if Severide's condition had changed. The nurse only gave him a knowing smile and told him to be patient, before retreating outside. He picked up the puzzle book to kill time.
A couple hours later, the resident Violet talked to—the ex-boyfriend, Dr. Lucas Phillips, walked in with the older doctor, Dr. Chen. They were monitoring Severide's airway closely since they wanted to take him off vent since he had a concussion as well. His temperature and all other vitals were good, and they assured Casey that that's the best scenario possible for the time being. Thanking them, Casey glanced at the clock. It was almost 2 pm, and Stella was still deep asleep. He considered waking her up, she needed to eat and drink as evident from her condition before she slept. However, she also needed to rest. Convincing himself that it would be more of a problem if she got sick, he gently shook her shoulder.
"Kidd, wake up," he shook Stella's shoulder and shielded her eyes from the light. Stella just stared at him.
"Casey?" Stella frowned. "Ouch," she held her back when she tried to sit. "Ah, right…" she suddenly realised that she was in the hospital, and the reason Casey was also there is Severide was lying unconscious on the bed.
"Sorry I wake you up, but you need to drink, and eat. It's 2 pm," said Casey.
"Are we on shift?" asked Stella. Her voice was hoarse.
"No, it ended this morning. You haven't had anything since dinner," Casey passed water bottle to her.
"How's Kelly?" asked Stella.
"Doctor said, he's better than expected. They're hopeful that his lung is strong enough to get him off vent," said Casey.
"Did I…. cry on you?" she asked.
"You did, and you fell asleep," said Casey.
"Oh gosh, I'm so sorry," said Stella. She tried to stand, but fell back to the sofa.
"Don't worry about it, it's very justified. Drink, and eat. You have coffee, which has gotten cold," said Casey.
"Yeah, I have a pounding headache. Definitely need that coffee," said Stella. Casey gave her the coffee. "Wow, how long have we been here? Why do you have a picnic in here?" she asked when Casey took out the takeaway boxes and doughnuts box.
"Brett and Mikami dropped all these earlier. Well, Brett didn't come here, but she was in the hospital somewhere doing something. Mikami came here, apparently she has a free pass to the ICU," Casey smirked. "So, that is your breakfast, that you obviously skipped. Lunch is… fried rice or pad thai?" asked Casey.
"Either. You choose," said Stella.
"I'll have pad thai then," said Casey. "You can have the breakfast too."
"I'll go straight to lunch," Stella took the box from Casey. "We can share the doughnuts later."
"I think they put something else here," Casey looked inside the paper bag. "Yeap, cookies and some healthier choice, apples."
"Very thoughtful," said Stella. They ate in silence. "What if when he wakes up, he kicks me away?" asked Stella.
"Then I'll smother him with pillow and we'll make it look like an accident," Casey smirked. Stella snorted, but worry remained in her eyes. "No, he won't."
"You don't know. Last shift… he pushed me away. Twice. In front of Violet," said Stella.
"Chided him about it already. Do you want to hear the answer from me or hear it on your own from him?" asked Casey.
"No, it's okay. I'll wait if he finally able to communicate like an adult," said Stella. "I mean, who shoved their girlfriend when she's worried about him? You wouldn't, would you?"
"I don't know. I mean, Gabby… she'd be the paramedic if that happened back then. So, I cannot answer that. But I know being seen like that might not be something he was thrilled about. Sometimes I'd rather be left alone in misery then have someone hovering upon me," said Casey. Stella chuckled. Once Casey was ill and he locked himself in his room until Stella and Severide threatened to open his door with halligan. Even then, he only allowed one of them in his room at once.
"I know. I'm just shocked. I thought I imagined it, but it happened twice, and Violet saw it too. All the while she was holding Kelly upright, he literally leaned on her," said Stella.
"Did he tell you he was sick between shifts?" asked Casey. Stella frowned. "I came back, thought you guys went to bed already. I didn't hear anything for hours, so I checked. He had a temperature, soaked with sweat, headache, chills. I think he just slept all day until when you stopped by. He was fine at night, though."
"That's why you made the soup. It was tasty, by the way,"
"Yeah, it was his. I'm not saying he was right, I addressed him about it too, when we finally talked," said Casey.
"You men and your emotional range of a teaspoon," muttered Stella. Casey just chuckled.
"Hey, he is better about it already. Cut him some slack," said Casey. A nurse poked her head in. Stella and Casey tried to hide their mini picnic, which obviously failed.
"Doesn't happen often, but we sometimes look the other way for police and firefighters and let them camp here. As long as family of patients next doors don't see you eating. They have to take theirs outside," she said, pulling half the curtain close. "I'm Donna, by the way."
"Thanks, Donna," said Stella.
"Dr. Chen said they will reassess tonight. But seeing his vital, I think he's healing well," said Donna. "Let me know if you need anything." She changed Severide's ice pack.
"Will do, thank you," said Casey.
"Speaking of, when's the girl that was here coming again?" asked Donna. "Young, pretty, asian."
"Oh, I don't know. Anything you need from her?" asked Casey.
"No, no reason. I didn't get to meet her earlier, that's all," said Donna, then retreated outside.
"What was that about?" asked Stella.
"Oh, I haven't told you about how these all got here," Casey motioned to all the food and goods around them. "The resident doctor is Mikami's ex-boyfriend. That's how she visited and not exactly smuggled food. He flirted with her earlier."
"So our existence here depends on her flirting?" Stella asked, amused.
"Yeah. Just, don't tell Gallo. Got enough tension from you and Severide, don't need another in the truck," said Casey. Stella just chuckled.
After they ate, Stella went in search of the bathroom to freshen up. Upon coming back with comfy clothes, she couldn't help but notice Casey's weariness. "Okay, it's my time to keep watch. You are going to sleep," she poked Casey's shoulder and pointed at the sofa. Casey didn't object, he fell at the sofa and curled with the blanket.
"Wake me up if something happens," he slurred.
"Yeah," said Stella, then dragged her chair to Severide's bedside. She took Severide's hand and kissed it. "Please get healed, Kelly. We need to talk. I'll be patient, promise," she whispered. She looked over at Casey and saw that he had drifted away to sleep. She traced Severide's hand and linked it with her.
The next time Violet appeared was around 8 pm, carrying a backpack. Without words, she pulled out a big container from her backpack and set it on Stella's lap who was sitting on the chair.
"It's warm?" Stella lifted the disposable container.
"Courtesy of Cindy Herrmann. And Brett brought you this," she took out a Cheetos bag, "and this," she took a box of strawberry. "They met me in the waiting room, they cannot come here. And this… I baked apple pie. This is for you… Be right back, bribing the resident and nurses," she stuffed everything back to her backpack and skipped outside the room.
"Well, Donna gets her wish," commented Stella.
"What did Cindy get us?" asked Casey.
"Looks like pasta bake," said Stella. "This feels oddly familiar… Kelly hiding, no one can see him, and Violet brings some food."
"Had she not transferred in, we had to cast lot on a lot of occasions," chuckled Casey. Two doctors walked into the room. "Dr. Chen, Dr. Phillips," Casey stood up and greeted them, Stella followed suit. They did some exams on Severide. Violet slipped inside and they all waited.
"Lung sounds good. We're going to start weaning him off the ventilator, see if the lung is strong enough. Usually people don't start getting lungs function this soon after surgery, but considering he is a firefighter, he has stronger lungs. Firefighters, scuba divers, swimmers, you are all one of a kind. I will be back around midnight, but the system will alert us if oxygen level is below 95. In that case, we'll put him back on full vent," said Dr. Chen.
"Anyone will be staying overnight?" asked Dr. Phillips.
"We both will," Casey looked at Stella. Stella nodded.
"Right. If the alarm goes off, don't panic, it's most probably the oxygen level," said Dr. Phillips.
"Thanks, doc," said Casey. "What about the concussion?"
"We can only tackle the concussion once he wakes up," said Dr. Phillips.
"Once he got taken off vent, he should be moved to observation room. Hopefully tomorrow. He progressed beyond our expectation," said Dr. Chen. "Hope he is not as stubborn a person as his body is." Casey and Stella scoffed and exchange looks.
"I knew that attitude of his is gonna pay off sometimes," said Casey. "Thank you, doctors." As they left, Dr. Phillips shot a smile to Violet, who smiled back.
"What?" Violet asked when noticing Casey and Stella's teasing smile.
"Adorable," commented Stella.
"What? He's the way to get in here," said Violet. "The nurses like him, so they are mostly gonna let it slide."
"Yeah, Nurse Donna wanted to see the young pretty asian girl," teased Stella.
"Just met her, bribed them all with apple pie," said Violet.
"So, spill," said Stella, taking out two forks and settling the pasta container between her and Casey, splitting it in the middle. "Hey, you've had dinner?"
"Yes, go ahead," said Violet. "What to spill? Nothing." Her face reddened.
"How did you meet him?" asked Stella.
"He…. was in the ER when I delivered a patient. Back when I was still in 20. That's it. Nothing exciting," said Violet.
"And Gallo knows about him?"
"Yes… but he doesn't know him. Hey, I bring you this too, to kill time…. and probably you want to damage your friendship. Not the best card for two, but it's all I have," Violet took out a deck of UNO Card from her backpack. There was a knock on the door.
"Hi," Dr. Phillips walked in. He checked Severide's monitor, took note, then turned to Violet, looked unsure.
"Oh, Lucas, this is Captain Casey and Stella Kidd, from Firehouse 51. Captain, Kidd, this is Lucas," said Violet. Lucas shook their hands.
"My shift is ending, but I will be here again tomorrow morning. Dr. Chen is on shift overnight. If you need anything, just ask the nurses," said Lucas.
"Thanks for the leniency," Casey gestured to all the food.
"No problem, as long as other patients don't protest. From one first responder to another. And, someone asked nicely and bribed with coffee and food," said Lucas.
"That's all I can do," said Violet.
"You can stay too, you don't have to leave during the night. I've told the nurses that Lieutenant Severide has two people staying. As long as it's not obvious to the other carers. Just, don't go in and out of the ICU too often," said Lucas.
"You got it," said Stella.
"Right, I shall do my last round, and go home. So I figure you'll be here tomorrow?" asked Lucas.
"Maybe," said Violet. Lucas smiled at her, and he left. Violet turned to hide her face from Casey and Stella, both wore a teasing smile.
"He seemed cute, and nice. Why did you break up?" asked Stella.
"Because…. the pandemic," said Violet. Stella frowned. "He nearly didn't leave the hospital. He was in the covid ward when the virus spiked, which means he was high risk. Night outs became facetime calls… and I got left with a two-word texts once a day. No bad blood, just bad timing. Texted him again this morning," she shrugged.
"So this happened after Gallo," said Stella. Casey chuckled. "What?"
"If this how girls grill each other on girls night?" he asked, amused.
"Believe me, this is nothing," said Stella. "You are joining ours soon, Violet. Your love story seems fresh compared to Brett and mine."
"She doesn't want to hear you and Severide's problem, Kidd. You'll scare her," said Casey. Stella stuck her tongue out. She finished what was supposed to be Casey's last bite. "Hey!"
"It's more fun than your and Kelly's cigar chats, Casey," pointed Stella.
"I think I'm gonna leave, it's getting late," said Violet. She unloaded her backpack, pulling out all the food she brought and a sleeping bag. "For whoever lost the sofa battle," she stated, giving it to Stella.
"Nah, I'm a gentleman," Casey pulled the sleeping bag from Stella. "Thank you, Mikami. You're the lifesaver," he gestured around the room.
"Don't worry about it, Captain," she hoisted her bag. Stella pulled her into a hug.
"Text me when you get home?" said Stella. Violet nodded. "I'll walk you to your car."
"It's alright, I parked near the ambulance entrance, it's not dark," said Violet. "Keep strong, yeah?" Stella nearly teared up. Violet squeezed her arm and left.
"Ah, I like that girl," said Stella, wiping her tears and sat near Severide's legs.
"You thought she was a jinx," reminded Casey. Stella chuckled. She sat on the chair and grabbed Severide's hand. "See, Kelly. Even when you're holed up here and not your quarter, she still came to feed people." She stroked Severide's hair.
The night was uneventful. Stella and Casey took turn watching the monitor and sleep, and it stayed above 95%. When Dr. Chen came at night, he reduced the oxygen from the vent further. At 3 am, suddenly the beeping went loud and alarm was blaring. Casey who was taking watch ran to the nurse station and called the nurse. Two nurses ran inside, and checked the machine. After they altered the machine, it finally stopped blaring.
"We increased the oxygen level a bit," said Nurse Donna before leaving.
"Thank you," said Casey. Stella was already awake. "The oxygen level dropped, they increased it," said Casey. "It's alright, go back to sleep." He suddenly remembered something, and reached into his pocket and took Severide's necklace. He looped the chain around Severide's palm, making sure the St. Christopher pendant was in his clench, then gripped Severide's arm and casted a quick prayer.
"Hey, Casey," said Stella after a while. Casey honestly thought she had fallen back to sleep.
"Huh?"
"You've known him since ages ago," Stella started. "Has he ever been serious with a girl?" asked Stella. Casey turned the chair he was sitting at to face Stella.
"Yeah, you," said Casey after a while. "He nearly moved to Spain to follow a girl, but… when it didn't happen, either he didn't sweat about it, or he did and I didn't know. But we saw what happened with Anna. The only time he was as devastated as that… was when Shay. And you, when you broke up," said Casey.
"I came with baggage, Casey. Lately I've been thinking, what will it take for him to realise that and leave," said Stella.
"Don't we all come with baggage?" asked Casey. "He's changed for the better since he was with you. He's an idiot, but he loves you. And as you know…. He doesn't say it lightly."
"Only before he jumped out of a 3-story window," chuckled Stella.
"Yeah, only him," said Casey. "Sleep, Kidd. Don't overthink it. You're good for each other. Take my word."
At 6 am, it was Stella's shift to be on vigil, and Dr. Chen had come a couple times to check and adjust the oxygen level. He said nothing every time, just wrote something in his notebook.
"Knock knock," someone said softly from the door. Stella looked over and noticed Will.
"Dr. Halstead," she kept her voice down, putting her finger in front of her lips and pointed at Casey who was asleep on the floor.
"Sorry I haven't had time to visit, it's been really busy. How are you holding up?" He handed Stella a paper cup.
"Thanks. Tea?" Upon sipping it, Stella realised the content. "I thought you doctors live of coffee."
"Trying to cut down," said Will. He looked at Severide's monitor. "Good, he's mostly breathing on his own already,"
"Really?" asked Stella. She tried to read the numbers.
"Yes, see, it says 33. It means, the machine currently supplies 33 percent of his oxygen. Dr. Chen is reducing the oxygen supply gradually. Eventually he will fully breathe on his own," said Will. "What happened?"
"He was trapped in a house fire, jumped from third floor," said Stella. Casey chose that time to stir and wake up. "Hey," said Stella.
"Hey Matt, nice sleep?" asked Will.
""Will. Of course not, it's hospital floor," said Casey.
"You're not usually grumpy in the morning," commented Stella. In the morning, she was usually the grumpiest in the loft, followed by Severide.
"Again, hospital floor," said Casey. "How are you, Will?" He wriggled out of the sleeping bag and walked to Severide's bedside. He put his fingers to feel Severide's pulse, then rested his hand on Severide's forehead. Stella felt her heart warmed witnessing them; he knew Severide would do the same for Casey if the situation were reversed, probably even more since he was very protective towards Casey, something she noticed Severide passed on to her a bit. From what Stella could understand, it started in fire academy when Severide and the late Darden took Casey under their wings. If Severide and Casey weren't at each other's throat, they would be busy looking out for each other and defending each other to the higher-ups and subordinates, that's something she understood and accepted when she and Severide started dating.
"Same old, busy shift. Just have time to come visit. How are you holding up?" asked Will.
"You should know, you also have a trouble magnet brother," said Casey.
"Tell me about it," Will chuckled.
"What?" asked Casey when he realised that Stella had been staring at him.
"Ah, no, nothing," said Stella.
"Dr. Halstead," Dr. Chen walked in.
"Dr. Chen," said Will. "Kelly is a friend," he explained.
"My initial target was 25% of ventilator oxygen at 8 am. Looks like he manages to surpass my expectation," said Dr. Chen. "I'm turning it to 25." The oxygen level dropped to 94 and the alarm blared for a couple seconds, before climbing back to 97.
"He's gonna be sore when he wakes up," said Will, motioning to Severide's shoulder.
"Three broken ribs, dislocated shoulder, and a concussion," said Dr. Chen. "I'll be out, but Dr. Phillips will be here in a few hours. In the meantime, I'll have someone change the catheter."
"Thanks, doc," said Casey.
True to her words, Violet appeared at 7.30 am, dumping a backpack on Stella's lap. "Cindy Herrmann's breakfast, Chloe Cruz' cake pops, Trudy Platt's lunch," she announced.
"Trudy what!?" asked Casey. There's no way he's eating something out of Trudy Platt's kitchen.
"Kidding. Cindy's lunch," said Violet, giggling. "That was fun, sorry Captain. Herrmann said I should say that." She saw the monitor, fixed her hair, and headed back to the door.
"Hey hey hey, where are you going?" asked Stella.
"Breakfast," grinned Violet, then walked out.
"Have fun," said Stella. "It must be with the doctor."
"What did Cindy send?" asked Casey who was in the middle of munching on apple pie.
"It looks like some muffins and egg. I feel like Annabelle Herrmann," said Stella.
"We eat better in the hospital then home. If only the sleep is not the trade off," smirked Casey.
A little bit after 8, Dr. Phillips walked into the room, Violet and a nurse in tow.
"Good morning. How was he overnight?" asked Dr. Phillips.
"He was okay, alarm did go off once," said Casey.
"Oxy is at 25, I'm reducing it to 20," said Dr. Phillips. "If he continues to breathe on his own, we are hoping to pull the vent out later today."
"Okay. Thanks,"
"We'll try to reduce the oxygen to 10 in a couple hours," said Dr. Phillips. "He'll be in the clear by then. You two want some coffee? In the ICU we bring our own coffee beans, I promise it's not the famous hospital coffee."
"That'll be great, thanks," said Casey. Dr. Phillips left.
"Where did you go?" asked Stella to Violet.
"Breakfast downstairs with Lucas," Violet smiled, eyeing Dr. Phillips. "I wanted to bring back coffee, he said ICU coffee is better."
"I want to say you don't have to keep coming, but our livelihood in the ICU apprently depends on you," sighed Casey.
"It's alright, Captain," said Violet.
"So he's in the ICU all the time?" asked Stella.
"His residency is in ICU, and also Dr. Chen took him under his wing, he's in pulmotology specialisation. Hence he was in covid ward during the worst of the pandemic," said Violet. "He said Dr. Chen seemed to recognise you, you've been a patient?" asked Violet to Stella.
"He didn't operate on me, but yes, I've been a lung patient here," said Stella, reminded of her own lung injury a couple years back. Ironic, she and Severide would have matching scars.
"Maybe a consult," said Violet. Dr. Phillips came balancing three paper cups on his hands. Violet quickly grabbed one from him. He gave the other two cups to Stella and Casey.
"Thanks," said Stella. "I agree, this is definitely better than even the firehouse coffee."
"So, Mikami told us you worked the covid ward? What was it like?" asked Casey.
"I did. No longer now, but in the rise of the pandemic, when no one really had idea how severe it was. It was… life-changing. People dying without their family, other patients had to witness that and felt like waiting for their time… when I decided to go into med school, it wasn't in my worst nightmare," said Dr. Phillips. "We were swamped. I think my personal record was 24 intubation in a day."
"Wow, that must be rough," said Stella.
"We stopped non-covid consult for a while. When the number started dropping, we restarted regular consult, I got pulled out of covid ward. Volunteered there on new year's eve though, no one wanted that schedule," said Dr. Phillips.
"Glad you stepped up when needed," said Casey. "Thanks for all these, you're definitely welcomed at the firehouse anytime."
"Thanks. Heard about her transfer, but haven't had chance to catch up," he glanced at Violet. Violet smiled at him. "Alright, I need to make rounds," he stepped outside the room before peeking in again. "Violet, a minute?" Violet stepped out and talked with him before walking back in, blushing.
"What?" asked Stella.
"He asked me to dinner tonight," said Violet. Stella laughed.
"Way to go," she commented. "Hey, leave some for me," he said to Casey who already started on the muffins.
Casey hitched a ride to the firehouse with Violet to go home and take proper shower and grabbed things from the apartment. He and Stella had agreed that after Severide was coherent enough to make medical decision on his own, he would go to shift and Stella would stay in the hospital with Severide. Stella had been anxious to be left alone with Severide, considering he did push her away previously. But Casey reassured her that it was the time to make amends, that Severide would not push her away or snap at her. He also took his paperwork to do in the hospital, also cooked dinner for Stella and him as well as informing Herrmann that Cindy did not need to send anything. When Severide is moved to observation room, they would have more liberty to go in and out whenever they wanted, without having to play hide and seek with other patients' carer. When he came back, Stella was bouncing excitedly to what Dr. Phillips said.
"We've turned off the ventilator completely, and his oxygen level is consistently more than 95%... we'll extract the tube and stop the sedation. He can wake up anytime," said Dr. Phillips. A nurse was to his side, helping him. "We're doing the extraction now so he won't feel the pain later," he explained, while moving to Severide's side and got ready to pull the tube. Stella looked away. "And I'm done. When he wakes up, please alert us. He would have a massive sore throat," said Dr. Phillips.
"Will do. Thanks," said Stella. For the next hour, she sat by Severide's bedside and kept his hand in hers while Casey sat on the sofa and wrote his report. After more than an hour with no response, Stella became bored. She walked to the bathroom to change her clothes which Casey brought from the apartment.
Casey was deep in thought when the heart rate machine suddenly became uneven, and he ditched his report and rushed to the bed. When he got a clear view of Severide, he smiled. Severide's eyes were partially opened, and he elicited a small whimper.
"Hey, Kelly. Welcome back," Casey rubbed Severide's good shoulder. Severide moaned in pain. "Don't talk, you're okay. We're in Med. We've been missing you," he patted Severide's hair. Severide moved his hand, and Casey quickly caught it. "Kidd is gonna be pissed, she sat here and waited for you to wake up, and you chose the time when she was outside. You wanna pretend to be asleep again to wake up when she's here?" asked Casey, chuckling slightly.
"Nice try, Casey," said Stella. Casey laughed and moved to give room to Stella. "How are you doing, Kelly?" Stella bent down and kissed his forehead. "Don't talk, just…" Stella glanced at the monitor. "Casey, call the nurse?" Casey walked outside. "Glad to see you, I've missed you."
After the nurse performed a couple tests and told them that Dr. Phillips was in emergency situation next door, she left them. Stella kept her hand on Severide's, tears fell from her eyes. It took Severide all but two minutes to fall asleep.
When Dr. Phillips finally came, after successfully resuscitating the patient next door, Severide woke up again.
"Lieutenant Severide," said Dr. Phillips. "I'm Dr. Phillips. Can you try to take a deep breath?" He checked Severide's pupils, poked his feet and hands, and tests his pain level. "You have a puncture to your lung, three broken ribs, concussion, and dislocated shoulder. Your throat will be sore for a while from the tube we inserted. Let me check your gag reflex. I'm gonna put water in your mouth, let's see if you can swallow it." Upon swallowing the water, Severide spitted it out weakly. The nurse wiped his mouth. "It should come back shortly. Refrain from talking for the moment. I'll come back later. In the meantime, you can try putting a bit of water in his mouth every now and then. It needs to be moistened."
"Understood," said Stella. After they left, she and Casey took turn pouring a spoonful of water into Severide's mouth. Despite gagging through the first few spoons and spitting the water, he began to receive the water quite well. After a while, he tried to talk.
"What day…" he asked hoarsely.
"It's the next day. 37 hours after you fell. Do you remember what happened?" asked Casey. Severide nodded. He turned to Stella.
"I'm sorry," he said. Stella grabbed his hand. Casey left for the sofa, pretended he wasn't listening to the hushed one-sided conversation.
"For being a jerk or for saying goodbye before you jumped?" asked Stella.
"Not..goodbye," whispered Severide.
"You said 'I love you' before jumping, that's practically a goodbye, Kelly. I've never been so terrified in my life," said Stella, kissing Severide's nose. Seeing Severide winced and huffed before opening his mouth to speak, she stopped him.
"We'll talk later, after you recover," said Stella.
"Who…here," said Severide.
"Casey and I," said Stella.
"Ca..y."
"Casey," called Stella. Casey walked to the bed.
"Hey, buddy," said Casey. "You feeling better?"
"Nurse…cute," Severide smirked, his voice was hoarse but they could hear the teasing.
"Pssst. Kidd is right here," Casey laughed. "First thought when woke up from a coma is a cute nurse," he shook his head, then dripped a spoon of water to Severide's mouth. He brushed Severide's hair with his fingers.
"Fo.. you, dumbass," said Severide.
"Alright, easy there, cupid boy," said Casey.
"Tired," said Severide.
"Sleep. We'll be here when you wake up," said Casey. Severide reached his hand to him, which he grabbed. He kept one hand on Severide's head. Stella sat on the chair and leaned her head on Severide's bed.
"Knock knock," Violet poked her head into the room. Even though he had been moved into observation room, Severide was not up to visitors since Dr. Chen hadn't cleared him yet to receive social visits, hence he was confused when Violet strolled into the room. "Good to see you awake, how are you feeling, Lieutenant?" asked Violet. She was dressed nicely with make-up and styled hair.
"Perfect," said Severide.
"He can't talk too much, throat is still sore, and they're still keeping an eye on the concussion," said Casey.
"Hey, where's your date?" asked Stella.
"Clocking out as of now," said Violet.
"Where are you going to?" asked Stella.
"Just grabbing something quick, it's quite late already and we both have shift tomorrow. Both of you are taking day off tomorrow?" asked Violet.
"Just Kidd. I'll go in, it'll be difficult for Boden to find two replacement officers and one truck floater, I'll spare him one trouble," said Casey. There's a knock on the door. Dr. Phillips had changed out of his scrub, now in nice outfit.
"You're ready?" asked Dr. Phillips. Violet nodded. "Dr. Chen will check on you, he's in ER but will be here shortly," he said.
"Yeah, thanks," said Casey.
"I'll see you tomorrow at the firehouse then, Captain. Glad you're awake, Lieutenant. Kidd, if you need anything tomorrow before shift, just tell me or Brett. We live the closest, we can swing by," said Violet.
"Yeah, thanks," said Stella.
"I'll be in tomorrow morning too, I can bring you coffee from the ICU again," said Dr. Phillips.
"That would be very appreciated," said Stella. Violet and Dr. Phillips turned to the door.
"Hey, doc," called Stella.
"Yeah?"
"Take good care of her," said Stella. Casey also put on his serious face. Violet looked sheepish.
"Of course," said Dr. Phillips, then opened the door for Violet. Casey and Stella snickered.
"What was that about?" asked Severide.
"Turned out Dr. Phillips is Violet's ex-boyfriend. He allowed her into the ICU to bring food, he brought us coffee, even the nurses turned a blind eye on both of us staying overnight and camping in ICU," said Stella.
"And they are dating again?" asked Severide.
"She said just a dinner," said Stella.
"He seemed like a nice guy," said Casey.
"Since when you are both playing parents on her?" commented Severide.
"Yesterday. Only she could visit us, it was a nice entertainment teasing her about the cute doctor," said Stella.
"Kidd's entertainment is teasing twenty something couple since she forgot how it felt being that young," mocked Casey. "I do puzzles, and reports. It was a productive day for me," said Casey.
"How did you get puzzle book?" asked Stella.
"It was in the bag Mikami brought yesterday," said Casey. "So, what do you say about a round in UNO?"
Severide looked at them gleefully playing UNO, looks like Stella was in the lead. He had a slight worry when the three of them started living together, with Casey being Stella's ofiicer. Turned out, he didn't have to worry, as they are good friends above all. Stella shares his worry whenever Casey managed to get involved in a complicated political matters in the higher-ups, and Casey always checks on Stella if she got too much on her plate.
"What are you eating?" asked Severide seeing Casey opening a container, splitting food between them like it's the most natural thing.
"Enchilada," said Casey.
"Cindy Herrmann?" asked Stella.
"Matt Casey," said Casey.
"We've been living off Cindy's food deliveries," explained Stella to Severide.
"Yeah, I told Herrmann not to worry about that. I cooked when I went home earlier, brought your breakfast too for tomorrow," said Casey to Stella. Stella nodded.
"You're staying tonight, right?" asked Severide, wincing when he felt pain from his shoulder.
"Yeah… I'll go straight to shift tomorrow," said Casey. "Hey, what's wrong?"
"Sore," gritted Severide. Casey left the room to get an ice pack and applied it on Severide's shoulder. "Thanks, Case."
"How's the head?"
"Eeeh. It's okay considering a concussion," said Severide.
"When you get home, we're chaining you to the kitchen counter. So you don't get in trouble in calls," said Casey. Severide nodded lazily, closing his eyes.
"Whatever you say, Captain."
In the new room, they got a bigger sofa which could be converted into a bed. It was barely 10 pm when Casey nodded off on the sofa. Stella glanced at Casey and decided to bite the bullet, having the dreaded conversation with Severide. She sat on Severide's bedside.
"I owe you apology," Severide reached for Stella's hand and kissed it. "I ran out on you, and I pushed you away. It didn't take me almost dying to realise I was an idiot, but I just got chance to say it."
"Care to elaborate?" asked Stella. "Why, Kelly?"
"Freaked out thinking about Benny and his almost dozen marriages. I know my track record all but confirmed that was my path, and I don't wanna be that guy. I don't want you to think that… but also, I don't want to say things to you I'm not ready about. So like the stupid man I am, I ran," said Severide. His voice became hoarse, and Stella gave him drink.
"Where did you go?" asked Stella.
"Cabin," said Severide. "Listen, Stella… I always come short at communication. Never able to get my points across, especially when it comes to feelings. I cannot promise you I'll be perfect on it, but I promise, I'll work on it." Stella nodded. Her tears brimmed.
"And don't shut me off? Just tell me, you aren't ready to talk, tell me when you'll be ready. Don't just say 'nothing' to me," said Stella.
"And not shutting you off," agreed Severide. "I love you, I really do. I don't want to lose you again," he tugged at Stella's hand. Stella kissed him. When they pulled away, both had misty eyes.
"And I love you too. It's nice to hear it when you're not about to jump from third floor windor," said Stella.
"I love you?" offered Severide. They chuckled. "Sorry for making you worried."
Stella glanced at Casey who curled up in the sofa under the sleeping bag. "Yeah, my first. I think for Casey this is the umpteenth time? He was worried, but he was like, 'I've done this before'," she chuckled. "I hope I won't get used to this."
"I hope not," said Severide.
"Kelly?" asked Stella after a few moment of silence.
"Huh?"
"You remember what happened on the shift before last? When your mask broke and you inhaled paint?" asked Stella.
"Yeah," said Severide. "Vividly, but yeah."
"You pushed me away when I wanted to help you. Like, shoved me. You remember?" asked Stella gently.
"Not really… I was in and out. Blind, my ears and throat hurt. But Casey gave me an earful about it already. I remember that I didn't want you to see me like that, I'm sorry," said Severide.
"Everyone saw you, Kelly," said Stella.
"I didn't want you to hover upon me, to be worried about me. That's it. I didn't mean to hurt you. It takes a lot for me to be in a needy position. Like now, bedridden, you and Casey doing everything for me, even getting my drink from the table, I hate this," said Severide.
"I know. I guess… Casey explained too. Remember he locked himself sick in his room?" Stella chuckled. Severide smiled, remembered Stella took halligan from his car and fully intended to break Casey's door after hearing him sick multiple times. "Yeah, he said, it might be the same thing. Which is true."
"More, it's you. For him, you're a friend. For me, you're a girlfriend. I don't want to look weak," said Severide.
"How about I say you'll never look weak for me, and God forbid next time that happens again, you at least let me hold your hand? I'll let Violet rub your back," said Stella.
"Deal. Shouldn't you say it shouldn't happen again?" asked Severide.
"You're trouble magnet, even Casey won't say it since he knows it'll end in vain," said Stella.
"Yeah, well… I'll be more careful then," said Severide. They stayed silent, looking at each other's eyes for some times. Finally Stella broke eye contact and leaned her head to the bed, Severide caressed her curls.
"Sleep, Stella," said Severide, pointing at the sofa. Stella hesitated. "I'll be fine, really. I'll wake you up if I need anything."
"Really? You're not afraid of looking weak?" teased Stella.
"Maybe I'll wake Casey, you're a heavy sleeper anyway," joked Severide.
"Night, Kelly," said Stella. She kissed Severide's forehead and lips, and made sure he was comfortable before laying down on the sofa next to Casey, which in another situation would be weird since he is her officer as well as her boyfriend's best friend, but in that moment, both keeping vigil over Severide, sleeping on the same bed was something neither of them bat an eyelid about. She pulled the blanket Violet brought from the firehouse. Her movement woke up her bunkmate.
"What?" asked Casey groggily while stirring.
"No, nothing. All good," Stella answered quickly, patting the sleeping bag where Casey's shoulder is.
"Good," repeated Casey half delirious, snuggled deeper into his pillow. Stella glanced at Severide who had an amused smile on his face. She replied the smile.
All good. For the first time in days, Stella believed that it was all good.
.
And that's it, continuation of the previous chapter. Again, excuse the medical incorrectness. The idea was more Casey-Severide in last chapter, and more Stella-Severide in this chapter. I like soft side of Stella I tried to potray here.