Warning: sickfic, not graphic..
Happened around Season 9, but Baby Cruz is born already...
"So, how long is this conference?" asked Stella as Severide packed his bag before they went to the firehouse.
"One night, I'll be back the next day," said Severide.
"And tomorrow CFD is operating without squads, what would happen if there's any need for lake rescue?" asked Stella.
"Eeeh, the Truck Captain can dive," Severide smirked to Casey who was on the kitchen counter, drinking coffee.
"Leave me out of that," said Casey.
"Only the Squad officers, and not Chicago, but all Illinois," said Severide. "You have your Squad certification, Casey. You can dive with the boys."
"That was more than 10 years ago, I believe it had expiry date," said Casey.
"And why is that? Why did you not do Squad?" asked Stella. The boys exchanged looks.
"Are you sure we'll discuss that? It can get ugly," said Severide. Casey tensed, remembering the animosity between them after Darden's death, that included mocking each other's company. Severide clapped him on the shoulder.
"No, I need peace around here," Stella quickly retracted when she caught on their body language. She didn't know what happened between those two before she came around, but she knew it nearly destroyed their friendship that they tried not to talk about it. When they did, it usually was heavy and she stayed out of it.
"He's happy ordering you around," said Severide. "Let's go," he hauled his overnight bag to his shoulder.
"Brett's still in that kind of mood? I thought Mikami is off only for two shifts," Severide commented as Stella and him walked into the firehouse.
"Maybe McAuley did something," said Stella. "Brett!"
"What?" asked Brett.
"I thought Violet's back this shift," said Stella.
"She's supposed to fly back last night, but her flight got cancelled. I swear, if I have to spend another shift with you-know-who, I'll run barefeet to a burning building. Or throw him into one," she added quickly.
"Wow, easy there, shift hasn't even started," said Severide.
"Yeah, you acted like Violet transferred out and not out partying in New Orleans," said Stella.
"Don't remind me. You know, McAuley messed with our reorganisation! And now Harris complained because she couldn't find extra c-collar!" Brett groaned.
"Am I in trouble?" Violet asked from behind Severide, a cabin bag on her side. Brett jumped from the ambulance and ran, shoving Severide aside, crashed into Violet. The two girls squealed and jumped while hugging each other.
"Aaah, so sweet. Where can I get an officer who cried with joy when I am back from furlough?" asked Stella.
"Be careful what you wish for," said Severide.
"I heard that," said Casey who appeared behind Violet. "Clearly someone's in a better mood today," he joked seeing Brett who had been sulking for the past two shifts now happy.
"Oh I miss you, but I'm still mad at you," said Brett. "Next time you're taking furlough, I'm taking one too. I can't go through another shift with McAuley."
"And tagging along with me? I wished you came, you'd like my brother," Violet winked. Brett groaned. "What? I made it clear that I want you as a sister-in-law," she winked.
"Oh totally still mad at you. I had to go see Chief Hatcher last week, with McAuley. Hatcher asked about you, by the way," said Brett. "You said the last flight got cancelled!"
"I took the first flight. Landed less than an hour ago, came straight here," said Violet.
"Where can I get a firefighter with that dedication?" mocked Casey to Stella. Stella laughed and followed Casey and Severide inside, leaving the paramedics on the apparatus floor.
"I bring you this, straight from the plane," Violet took a box from her bag. Café du Monde's beignets. Brett's eyes widened.
"Okay, forgiven," said Brett quickly, sitting on the back of the ambulance. "Oh, I'll call Stella."
"There's another one for her, that whole box is for you. I brought the baking mix, will make it later for the whole house," said Violet. Brett poured the sugar on top of the beignet.
"Oh, perfect," she closed her eyes and sighed as the she bit into one.
"Right, you enjoy that, and I'll go find Kidd," said Violet. She found Stella in the locker room. "Hey, a little sugar boost. That's for you, I have another one for everyone," she said, handing the box to Stella.
"Thanks!" Stella grinned seeing the box. "You gave Brett one, right?"
"Of course," said Violet before opened her locker and grabbed her paramedic uniform.
Stella went to the ambulance, joining Brett now that she knew her friend is in a good mood and not sulking like the previous two shifts.
"Hi honey," Chloe Cruz strolled into the common room and hugged Cruz from behind.
"Chloe, what are you doing here?" asked Cruz.
"Uh, before we got married, you were happy if I came," complained Chloe. "The babysitter bailed on me, so I'm working from home. Needed to drop off a few documents at work, so I stopped by," said Chloe.
"And Brian is…" Cruz looked around the common room. Baby Brian was on Violet's hip, and Brett and Ritter cooed on him.
"Cruz, I know Chloe didn't marry you for your look, but you two made the cutest baby," said Herrmann.
"I know, oh, can I slip him in my jacket when I go home?" Violet squeezed the baby. "Oh, the cheeks. So soft, squishy… I think I can eat you up."
"Hey, hey, that's my baby, not a doll," warned Cruz. Chloe laughed.
"Violet, don't you babysit often? You can babysit for him," said Brett. Chloe's eyes grew bigger.
"You babysit? Oh, perfect!" Meanwhile, Cruz shook his head in fear.
"Yeah, once you're two, we'll have a lot of fun, little man," Violet patted the baby's cheek before passing him to Ritter.
"Well, he's three," said Chloe, "months old…. But he seems to like you," she added when Brian cried and reached for Violet again.
"Aaah. I know, that's how I feel last shift," teased Brett. They got called in for morning briefing and Cruz kissed Chloe goodbye. Violet handed Brian back to Chloe. Before they even had the chance to sit, the alarm rang.
"Ambulance 61, Truck 81, Squad 3. Person trapped."
"What the hell?" Violet exclaimed when they arrived. A teenager was hanging out on a rope between two windows in opposite buildings. One end was tied to the window, the other end was held by another teenager. They knew it won't be long until either of them lost their grip. He was in tight space between buildings, makes raising the aerial impossible.
"Squad, free that kid," Casey pointed at the teen who held the rope. "Gallo, with me. We'll go to his friend's place and hold the rope. Ambo, go to the unit below his."
"Copy," said Severide. "Capp, let's go."
Freeing the teen holding onto the rope was more difficult than Casey expected. He was terrified of letting the rope go in fear of dropping his friend even after Casey explained that he had put a stake in place and the rope was securely tied. At the end, Casey let him kept his hold, but he and Gallo took all of the weight.
"Severide, we're in place," said Casey. Gallo was talking with the boy about a video game he saw was on in the living room. Grateful for the distraction Gallo provided, Casey pried the rope from his hand. Gallo kept his hands on the rope, and Casey looked outside the window to see Severide and Capp rappeled down the building. They touched the rope and moved gently until they got to the middle part, and they tied the victim to a harness.
"Casey, loosen the rope, he's in place," said Severide.
"Loosening it," said Casey. He could see Violet and Brett in the unit below the victim's, ready to pull the victim in.
"Got him. You can cut the rope or let it go," said Severide when the victim was securely tied to him, Capp's hand keeping him in place.
"Copy. Brett, Mikami, get ready," said Casey. He tapped Gallo's shoulder to loosen the rope.
"Copy," said Brett. They all let out a collective breath when Severide, Capp, and the victim were pulled inside the window.
"How's he?" asked Casey as they arrived downstairs. The friend insisted on coming, and Casey decided that he could get checked too.
"Shaken up, cold, we'll take him to Med as precaution," said Brett.
"Check him too, he held the rope for a long time," said Casey.
"Will do. Come on," Brett ushered him to sit on the ambulance door.
"Truck, Squad, let's go!" Casey yelled.
"Squad 3, Truck 81, structure fire."
"Fire started from the front. Squad, enter from the back. Truck enter from the front. Engine, cover Truck. Two victims inside," said Casey. "Kidd, take point on Truck. Mask up everyone!" He stayed in front of the building, waiting for Boden to come.
"Got it Captain! Boys, two lines!" yelled Herrmann.
They entered the building to search two employees of the restaurant.
"We got one victim!" yelled Severide. A small explosion was heard.
"Severide, Kidd, Herrmann, status?" asked Casey. Boden arrived by his side as well as Ambulance 61.
"Floor is getting soft, Captain!" said Herrmann.
"We're good. Cruz is coming out with a victim," said Severide. "We've finished all the back room, going to second floor now."
"Two people at most, Severide!" said Casey. Boden nodded.
"We found the other one, Captain!" said Stella. She and Gallo attempted to pull the victim from near the refrigerator, but fire spreaded fast that they both got fire on their turnouts. Stella patted Gallo's arm to put off the fire, and they pulled the victim out. "We're clear!"
"Everyone out!" said Casey. "Engine, drown the fire!"
"Copy!" Herrmann and Ritter ran back from the building and took a stance with their hose. "Hit it boys!"
"Let me see," said Brett as Stella and Gallo put the victim on the stretcher. "We'll take you to Med, sir," she said, putting on oxygen mask. Gallo grimaced, holding his hand.
"Hey, let me see your hand," Stella pulled Gallo's hand gently. She gasped seeing that Gallo got burned in the exact same place he did a year prior. "That gotta hurt."
"I'm okay," said Gallo. Casey looked at Violet pointedly, there was no use for him to tell Gallo to go to the hospital, Violet would do so.
"Come with us, I'll look at it on the way," Violet gently guided Gallo towards the ambulance.
"I'm okay," said Gallo.
"Let the doctors be the judge," said Violet. "Come on," she softened her voice, putting her hand on his back and followed him hopping into the ambulance. Casey nudged Severide.
"Guess no one can resist that, especially Gallo," Casey said.
"Makes my job so much easier," said Brett before hopped in to the front seat and drove away.
"After 10 and we already did two scenes? Dang," said Severide. Beside him, Stella coughed and put her hands on her knees. "Out of breath?"
"It spread fast, hence Gallo's hand," said Stella. Severide patted her on the back.
"Hey," Severide whispered, bending down beside Stella's bunk. It was 5 am, and Severide needed to go since the conference was held two hours outside of Chicago. "I'm hitting the road," he added when he saw Stella opened her eyes. He kissed her forehead.
"Be safe," Stella tapped her fingers on Severide's cheek. Severide slipped out of the firehouse. Stella rolled on her bed and went back to sleep.
When she woke up around two hours later, he saw Violet was changing Gallo's bandage in the locker room.
"How is it?" asked Stella.
"Clean bandages until it dried out and it should be good," said Gallo.
"Be careful, ladies don't dig it anymore if you have too layered of a scar, that's terrifying," said Stella.
"You use your scar to charm ladies?" asked Violet.
"Yeah, you don't get charmed?" asked Gallo. Violet laughed dryly. "So, Lucas has any scars?"
"I'll leave it to your imagination," said Violet. Stella just laughed and walked to the common room. Casey was already there, drinking coffee.
"Hey, very early," said Stella.
"One of these days I'm gonna murder Severide in his sleep," gritted Casey.
"Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed," commented Stella. "What did you two get into this time?"
"He sneaked into my quarter, trying to steal my phone charger. It was 5 am,"
"He woke me up too, I wasn't offended," said Stella.
"Yeah, I don't date him, I don't need a goodbye kiss." Casey continued reading what Stella knew as manual book of Engine.
"Engine?" asked Stella.
"Just brushing up," shrugged Casey. Violet and Gallo walked into the kitchen and started making beignet from the baking mix Violet brought from New Orleans. When the others entered the common room, they were surprised.
"Beignet? You youngsters… you're trying to make me get a heart attack? Look at the sugar," asked Herrmann.
"I'll eat your share, Herrmann. Have some oatmeal," said Stella.
When Casey walked into the loft later in the day after doing construction job, he was surprised to see the loft silent, no sign of Stella. He thought Stella was at home, but apparently he was wrong, so he was alone. Not that he planned to do anything other than getting groceries then going to Molly's later at night. He was sorting the fridge when he heard a pained groan. He peeked to Severide and Stella's bedroom, which looked like it had been slept in. No one was there, so he checked the bathroom. It was closed, so he knocked.
"Kidd?" He heard a retch from inside. "Hey, you okay?" No answer. "If I cannot come in, say something. Otherwise, I'm coming in." After waiting for a minute, he finally turned the doorknob. Stella was sitting on the floor, her head rested on the rim of the toilet. It took him a couple seconds to decide his course of action. He stepped around her and flushed the toilet, took a towel and wet it and gave it to her. When he realised she wasn't coherent enough, he helped her lift her head and leaned to the wall then wiped her face with the wet towel.
"You seemed alright at the firehouse," said Casey.
"Had breakfast with Suarez in the deli at the corner of 40. He's sick too," said Stella hoarsely.
"How many times had you thrown up?" asked Casey.
"Didn't count. More than 10," Stell closed her eyes. "Lucky though, haven't had diarrhea. Touch on wood." Casey smirked a little. Only her could say she was lucky in between vomiting from food poisoning. And on the night Severide was not home. Casey knew it would be a long night for both of them when Stella latched back onto the toilet and heaved. He rubbed her back, remembering a reversed situation a couple months ago. When she was done and reached to flush the toilet, he grabbed a glass of water and knelt behind her, brought the glass to her lips. She rinsed her mouth and slid back to laying on the floor.
"And you didn't tell me you're sick because?" asked Casey. Stella didn't answer, so he didn't push. He also didn't tell both his roommates when he got down with flu a couple months prior, so he understood her.
"You have no intention to move to the sofa?" offered Casey. Stella shook her head. "I'll get you a blanket." He took a duvet from the cabinet and laid it on the floor next to Stella. "Okay, scoot in," he said. Stella dragged her body to lay on the duvet, and Casey wrapped her in it. After throwing up two more times, she was in and out of consciousness. Sometimes she felt Casey's hand on her shoulder, sometimes on her neck checking her pulse and temperature, sometimes wiping her face with wet towel. He coaxed her to drink by slipping a straw to her mouth.
"A sip," ordered Casey. Stella dutifully drank half sip, the most she could. Finally, Casey shoved her phone to her hand and held her shoulder.
"I'll go grab groceries, you text or call if you need, okay?" his voice was firm, no longer the roommate tone but the captain tone. Stella nodded slowly. "I'll get you something too for this. Any comfort food when sick?"
"No food," said Stella. Casey chuckled. "Can you turn off the light?"
"Of course." Stella felt he moved, then the front door clicked. She slipped into sleep.
When she woke up again, she heard Casey talking on the phone about fever and taking liquid. She waited until Casey walked into the bathroom. When she felt Casey's hand on her forehead, she accused softly, "you told Kelly."
"No, that was Brett. You caught fever, which comes with dehydration, I guess. I asked whether to bring you in to the ER. She wanted to come check on you, but she's in Fowlerton."
"Don't need. Don't tell Kelly," said Stella. She winced when she felt a sharp pain in her stomach. She wriggled out of the duvet, hauled herself to the toilet bowl and heaved. Casey rubbed her back and helped her lay back down after she was done, then squeezed himself on the floor beside her, gave her a thermometre. Her temperature was 38 C, which she expected with how often she threw up and the fact that she hadn't had more than a sip since it started. When she started shivering, she felt Casey's hand on her shoulder, tightening the blanket around her.
"You don't need to stay," whispered Stella. Casey didn't answer. "What time it is?" she asked.
"7.30," said Casey. "You can't sleep here, eventually you'll have to move." Stella shook her head. "Are you ready to drink?" asked Casey. Stella shook her head again. "Try a little sip," Casey put a straw to Stella's mouth again, and Stella obeyed. She fell asleep not long after, and she felt Casey wiping her face with wet towel. The last thing she heard before she fell asleep was a knock on the front door.
Casey opened the front door and saw Violet standing with a bag on hand. "Hey."
"Brett sent me," said Violet. "A bit late, though… half an hour ago, I could bring an actual doctor."
"Dr. Phillips is on shift?" asked Casey.
"Night shift. But he equipped me with supplies," she lifted her bag. "Where is she?"
"Bathroom," Casey pointed to the end of the hall. "She had food poisoning from breakfast, she and her friend who ate together. I came home around 5, she said she's been sick more than 10 times. Since then, around 5 times. No diarrhea, just vomiting," he said.
"You gave her anything yet?" asked Violet.
"Water," said Casey. "Like, three sips. She's still nauseous, sometimes either sleeping or unconscious."
"You have ice cubes?" asked Violet, shrugging her jacket off and left it on the front door.
Casey went to the freezer and put a couple in a mug, giving it to Violet. "See if she needs to go to the ER."
"I'll take a look at her," said Violet, putting on gloves and walked to the bathroom. She slid down to the floor and put her hand on Stella's forehead. Stella frowned when she felt a gloved hand touched her skin.
"It's Violet," Violet recognised Stella's confusion. "How are you feeling?"
"Gross," said Stella.
"Can I assess your condition?" Stella shrugged. It was an illusion of choice, Violet was going to treat her anyway. "If I move you to a sitting position, how likely are you to vomit on me?"
"50%," said Stella.
"I'll take the chance," Violet stood and lifted Stella to a half-sitting position, leaning on the wall. She checked Stella's temperature, looked at her eyes, hands, mouth and took a stethoscope, placing it on her chest.
"When was the last time you peed?" asked Violet.
"At the firehouse? No, around noon," said Stella. "Casey called you?" asked Stella.
"Brett is in Fowlerton, her parents' wedding anniversary. She sent me," said Violet, gently helping Stella lay down before sitting beside her again. "I'm gonna feed you ice cube, sip on it. It shoud lessen the nausea as well as helping water intake." Stella sipped on the ice cube, and she was surprised that it was refreshing. She didn't realise how dry her mouth was. She started shivering again, curled up tighter in the duvet. Violet stroked her hair. "More?" she offered ice cube again. Stella nodded. She moved her head to rest on Violet's legs.
"How was New Orleans?" asked Stella.
"Warm," said Violet. "I saw Casey has ginger ale and Gatorade outside, you're up for those or you'll keep having just ice cubes?"
"Ice," said Stella.
"Has the nausea gone or at lease lessen?"
"Lessen a bit," said Stella. "Think I passed out before… I don't know."
"You did," said Casey who stood by the door. "So, what's the prognosis?"
"She's dehydrated, obviously from the constant vomiting and lack of water intake, but I don't think she needs IV for now, or ER. She can handle sipping ice cubes, which is good. Let's wait a bit, then you can try drinking something more substantial. When you can move without feeling nauseous, you should shower, it'll make you feel better," said Violet. She massaged Stella's shoulder.
"Apparently you missed the doctor by minutes, Kidd," said Casey. "I'll cook something so you have something to eat later."
"Don't talk about food," Stella tried to glare.
"Alright," Casey closed the door and left the two girls inside.
"What did you eat to earn this?" asked Violet.
"Ham sandwich," groaned Stella. She chuckled, but her eyes were misty. Violet kept her hand on Stella's back and the other hand was typing message to Lucas.
"Let me know where. I'll blacklist it," said Violet. "Brett said drink a lot of fluid as soon as you can."
"Easier said then done when your stomach is twisted," grumbled Stella before suddenly hauling herself up to the toilet to retch.
"Let it out, don't force it, don't fight it," said Violet, rubbing her back before cleaning her up and laid her down again on her legs. Stella silently cried. "Anything hurts? Talk me through."
"Stomach felt like just swallowed thorn. Throat too. Hot and cold. Drowsy," said Stella. She felt embarrassed to cry, but it is better to cry in front of Violet than Casey. Violet held her hand and rubbed her back. When Casey peeked into the bathroom, Stella had tears running down her face and Violet stroking her hair. He retracted, feeling as if he just witnessed something he shouldn't, while being thankful that he didn't have to deal with it.
"More ice?" Violet offered. Stella nodded. They sat there until half an hour later, Stella had fallen asleep and Violet had lost feeling in her legs. She called Casey on her phone. The captain appeared on the door within seconds.
"I think it's safe to move her to the sofa," whispered Violet. "It's getting colder."
"Of course," said Casey. "Need help?" Violet nodded. Casey slowly lifted Stella's upper body so Violet could slip out of there. She stretched her legs. "How do we move her?" asked Casey as he pulled Violet standing. She stretched her legs as she stood.
"Least movement will be dragging the duvet," said Violet. Casey nodded, agreed. They dragged the duvet slowly until they reached the sofa, then they lifted the duvet and placed Stella on the sofa.
"So, she doesn't need to go to the ER?" asked Casey as he put a rubbish bin nearby. Violet wrapped the duvet around Stella tightly.
"No, not unless she continued being sick… although last time was nearly 35 minutes ago. I'm considering putting IV in or waking her up to drink," said Violet.
"Are you allowed to insert an IV?" asked Casey.
"I am, under supervision if not on duty," said Violet. "Not from you, from a doctor," she waved her phone. Casey chuckled. "If I put the IV in, Lucas will sign it off, we'll report it as a home call."
"I don't think you can get her to drink that much water," said Casey. He felt Stella's forehead. "Still too warm to my liking." Violet grabbed a wet towel and put it on Stella's forehead. "You had dinner?" He pointed to the kitchen.
"I won't say no to food, Captain," said Violet. Casey handed her a bowl of chicken noodle soup.
"Made a big batch for her meals tomorrow, hopefully she can stomach it," Casey sat on the other chair in the living area. Violet sat near Stella's feet. She sent message on her phone.
"How many hours has she been sick?" she asked.
"Since 5 pm until you arrived, 5 times that I know of. Ten times before 5 pm… At least from 3 pm? Or before?" guessed Casey.
"How much did she drink?" asked Violet while typing.
"Eeeh, like three small sips. I believe it went back up already," said Casey.
"Same then, four ice cubes," said Violet. She texted back and forth, measuring Stella's heart rate and blood pressure at some point. "Lucas said to just put the IV rather than risk waiting for her to drink on her own," she said. "He'll call in a few minutes, I'll do it over video call." She grabbed her bag and brought it to the sofa.
"Ok," agreed Casey. They continued eating until Violet's phone rang. She answered the video call.
"Hey," said Violet.
"You have something on your…" Lucas pointed at his lip. Violet grinned.
"Sorry, I was eating. So, this is the IV bag, I'm setting it up now. Captain, can you…" Violet handed Casey her phone. Casey took it and shot Violet who was connecting the IV bag to the drip chamber and tube. "Putting the needle now."
"Is she unconscious?" asked Lucas.
"Sleeping. I will wake her up for consent," said Violet as she made sure the needle had been inserted to the connector. "Hey, Kidd," she shook Stella's shoulder until she opened her eyes. "I'm gonna put IV on you, yeah?" Stella just mumbled. "Verbal answer, or a nod or shake of head," said Violet firmly. Stella nodded, half asleep. "Consent gained. Sanitising the area and preparing plaster now. Captain, can you hold her arm in place? Yeap, thanks. Alright. Needle is in," Violet stuck the plaster to secure the needle. She raised the IV bag and set the clamp, then read some numbers after she set the dripping speed. "So, we're done," said Violet.
"Nice work," Lucas smiled proudly. Casey handed the phone back to Violet. "Let me know when it's done."
"Will do. Thanks, Lucas," said Violet. Casey was still holding Stella's arm. She didn't even flinch when she was poked with the needle. Five years working together in truck, a year living in the same apartment, this is the most helpless he ever saw her in. They have a unique relationship, him being her commanding officer at the firehouse, but they slipped in and out of roommate and line of command modes fairly easily. They act professional at work, but once they're home, they're friends. She had been sick before, a little cold here and there, but Severide was always there to take care of her. He would be helping in the background, never on hand.
"Okay, see you tomorrow," said Violet before disconnecting the call. "It should be done in 45 minutes. You have anything to hang it from?" Casey dragged coat hanger to the sofa and Violet hung the IV bag. She pulled out a book from her bag and set it on the table, and she sat on the floor. "I have recertification coming up," she explained to Casey.
"Right. Coffee?" offered Casey.
"I'm good, thanks," said Violet. When Casey put a piece of brownies and a glass of water in front of her 10 minutes later, her face lit up. "You bake, Captain?"
"Let's just say I cook more often then Severide and Kidd combined," said Casey. "And a sole baker in this household."
"I seem to remember you cook once in the firehouse," said Violet.
"Yeah, it used to be more often, before paperwork buried me every shift," said Casey. "Hey, thanks for coming. It's a huge help."
"No problem. I… you all welcomed me to 51 easily, it's nice being a part of a really tight group," Violet bit into the brownies.
"You already knew everyone before you joined. Of course it's easy."
"Because of Gallo," Violet grinned. "He talked highly of Kidd, he said she looked after him since he joined. A good mentor."
"The best," agreed Casey.
"Yeah, anyway…" she looked at the IV bag. "I'll stay until the IV is finished. Then if she wanted to take a shower, I'll keep her company. It's dangerous for her to shower alone, and I guess you're not up to the job."
"You guessed right," said Casey. "I'll clean up in the bathroom, probably take a shower myself." He went to his room. Violet continued studying, leaning on the sofa. After some time, she felt Stella moving behind her.
"Hey, how are you feeling?" asked Violet, quickly holding Stella's hand, worried that she is one of those people whose reflex is to grab the IV port.
"Still gross," said Stella.
"After the IV is done, let's see if you're strong enough to shower," said Violet, pointing at the IV bag.
"You put that in?" asked Stella.
"Yeah, I asked for your okay. Maybe you were too out of it," said Violet. "Nausea, from scale of 1 to 10? 1 is you can eat greasy food, 10 is you're about to vomit on me now."
"5," said Stella.
"Strength?" asked Violet. "1 is you can't lift your arm, 10 is you're ready to run into burning building."
"5 too, maybe? Don't know if I can stand up properly."
"You're definitely more coherent now though. Can I offer you some ginger ale?"
"I'm actually a bit thirsty," said Stella. Violet went to the fridge and grabbed a can of ginger ale.
"Don't worry, it's sign that you've improved," said Violet. "You want to sit? Or I'll just prop your head up."
"No, no sit," said Stella. Violet stuffed a couple cushions behind Stella's head and gave the ginger ale.
"Is it enough? Oh well… just be careful, I didn't see any straw. And don't overdo it," said Violet, realising there's no straw. She sat near Stella's feet. Casey walked out of the bathroom.
"Nice to see you back to the land of the living," said Casey. "Feeling better?"
"Not about to vomit at any second anymore," said Stella.
"After that settled in, you can try drinking broth, then proceed to more solid food if all goes well," said Violet.
"Not in the near future," Stella grimaced, feeling her nausea increased. Violet took the can from her hand and rubbed her back. Casey crouched down beside her, putting his hand on her shoulder.
"Kidd, breathe," he said. "Deep breathe. In, out. Good. In, out," Casey commanded. After a while, Stella felt her nausea subsided.
"Yep, definitely no food for now," she huffed. A phone rang. They all looked around but couldn't find the phone, until Violet opened the duvet fold and found the phone near Stella's legs. "You didn't tell Kelly I'm sick, did you?"
"No, figured you'd wanna tell him yourselves," said Casey.
"Yeah, tomorrow when he's back," said Stella. "Hey, Kelly. No… no, I left my phone at home. Yeah, alright. No, just got home too, I was with Girls on Fire then went on a run. Right. See you tomorrow. Love you too," she hung up.
"Went on a run. With an IV on your wrist," mocked Casey.
"I'll come clean tomorrow," defended Stella.
"Speaking of IV, it's almost done. I'll take it out. Captain, can you help taking video? Lucas is in surgery, he said to just take a video and send to him for the record." Violet gave her phone to Casey and removed the needle from Stella's wrist, putting on a plaster over the needle mark.
"So, what's this IV thing? You're not allowed to put it in so you uses his name, or what?" asked Stella.
"I'm allowed to, but when I'm off duty, it has to be signed off by a doctor. He watched via video call earlier. It's going in the record, by the way, as a home call," explained Violet.
"Tell him thanks. And you too," Stella reached to grab Violet's hand.
"No problem, glad I can help. I'll take your vital again, and then you want to try showering?" asked Violet. She took her tools and checked Stella out, then jotted down everything on her phone. "Reporting to doctor," she explained.
"I don't even know if I can walk. Earlier I couldn't move without puking," said Stella.
"Try sitting, then standing," said Casey. Violet pulled her sitting up.
"Now, shall we?" Violet stood and helped Stella standing. She swayed at first, but after a while, she was able to stand firmly. "Yay, now, walk towards me," said Violet. "Funny, I did this with my baby cousin two days ago." Casey and Stella laughed.
"I need to grab clothes," Stella hobbled to her bedroom. Violet hovered near her until they got to the bathroom. "Right, I'll sit here, call if you need anything. You can sit on the floor when you shower if you feel weak, rather than slipping and falling."
"I wanna wash my hair, but I don't think I can stand long enough for that," said Stella.
"I can help washing your hair in the sink, you can sit," said Violet. "Just shower, and out."
When Stella showered, Violet grabbed a chair from the kitchen. Casey was doing laundry and putting new sheet on the bed. After Stella showered and felt more like herself, albeit still sluggish, Violet sat her down and washed her hair in the sink. If last year Stella was told that Gallo's girlfriend from Firehouse 20 would be her caretaker and wash her hair when she was unable to, she would laugh. She cringed inwardly when she remembered that she cried herself to sleep in front of the younger girl, then grateful that it was Violet and not Casey. Having Casey taking care of her was embarrassing enough as it was, but she remembered she gave Casey lecture about it when the table was turned a couple months ago. Her headache slowly dissipated as Violet massaged her scalp and rinsed it with warm water.
"You're a pro," commented Stella.
"Worked part time in my parents' hair salon," said Violet. "You want a blowout hairstyle?"
"Please, the only person I will see tomorrow is Casey," laughed Stella. "Just dry it quickly."
"You still feel okay?" asked Violet. Stella nodded.
"Hey, thanks for all this. I should be embarrassed, but I'm relieved you're here."
"It's alright, yeah you should be relieved. Can't imagine Casey doing this, can you?" giggled Violet. Stella swatted her thigh weakly. Violet toweled her hair and swiftly made her turn, letting her lean to the backrest, then dried her hair. Violet humoured her by giving her a blow dry, even though not prominent, but she looked like she just got back from an event and not just peeled herself off the bathroom floor. By the time she was done, Stella felt alive and refreshed, more than she had been in a while, and definitely more than earlier in the day. Violet followed her to the bedroom and tucked her in.
"Try having some water? I know you feel better, but you still need to replenish all the lost liquid, or you'll feel it tomorrow," coaxed Violet. Stella nodded. Violet went to the kitchen to get ice cubes. Casey followed her to the bedroom.
"Look alive," commented Casey from the door as Violet gave an ice cube to Stella. He put a water bottle beside Stella, then pressing his hand against Stella's forehead. "And no fever."
"Feel alive too," said Stella.
"And looks ready to party," chimed Violet.
"She styled my hair, can you believe it?" asked Stella in disbelief. Casey smirked at the younger girl's shenanigan.
"Call me if you need anything? Try to start sipping on broth tomorrow, then eat bland food. Don't eat grease just yet. And if you can't go on shift, don't," said Violet.
"Oh I'll make sure of that," assured Casey.
"Thank you," Stella grabbed Violet's hand.
"No problem," said Violet. Casey followed her to the door.
"I'll walk you to your car, it's not the safest place in Chicago. There's a shady bar down the street and sometimes it can get rowdy," said Casey. "Thanks, though. For real. I'm sure Brett praises you daily, but she sure picked the right partner."
"No problem, Captain. Glad I can help."
"When Severide was in hospital too, you helped a great deal," said Casey.
"You three have something special, Captain. I don't see Captains Leone and Delaney being friends, guess it's a fresh view of going up the rank in the CFD. You can still be friends while being officers," said Violet.
"Leone and Delaney weren't academy friends," said Casey. "Severide and I were a batch apart in the academy. His childhood best friend was in my batch. We shared apartment since academy, that makes a difference then suddenly meeting each other in the firehouse," he explained.
"Still, not many people have real friends in the CFD. In 51 all of you are friends, family, that makes me want to be part of the family too," said Violet. "This is my car. Good night, Captain," said Violet, then drove away. Casey walked back to the apartment. He peeked to Stella's room and found that she was already asleep. Deciding no harm in doing so, he put a rubbish bin near her bed, then slept on the sofa in case Stella needed something at night.
Stella woke up the next day feeling thirsty, her throat hurted and her head ached. The memory of the previous day came back to her: ham sandwich, camping in the bathroom, Casey and Violet taking care of her. She turned to her side and remembered that Severide was in squad conference. She took out her phone and saw a text from Brett asking about her condition as well as from Severide which contained a picture of new squad tools, he and some of the squad lieutenants took them to the lake in the early morning and tried it.
When she stepped out of the bedroom, she saw Casey sleeping on the sofa with a manual book opened on the table. He had been pondering over the engine manual book for two days now. Stella looked through the book and Casey's notes on the side. Casey stirred and rubbed his eyes as he sat up.
"You're shooting for Herrmann's job?" asked Stella, not missing the fact that Casey slept there to aid her if needed.
"Yeah, and Mouch will take over me. Gallo would give him another heart attack for sure," said Casey. "So, how are you feeling?"
"Weary," said Stella, sitting beside Casey and leaned to the cushions. "Was like a dream."
"More like a nightmare, you passed out in the bathroom," said Casey. He eyed the water bottle Stella was carrying. "Have you tried drinking?" Stella shook her head, then uncapping the bottle and looking at it suspiciously. Casey got the rubbish bin closer to her.
"Stop," said Casey after Stella got two gulps in. "Let it settle in."
"I think I'm good," said Stella after a while.
"Eat?" offered Casey.
"Probably later," said Stella.
"Try to eat, at least nibble on it," said Casey. Stella walked to the kitchen and grabbed a piece of bread and toasted it. She started biting the corner as she sat on the other sofa. She put the toast on the table and made a face. "Too early?" asked Casey. Stella nodded and sipped on water. A couple seconds later, she ran to the bathroom.
"Yeah, too early," she commented as she walked back from the bathroom and curled up on the other sofa.
"Sorry," said Casey, grinning with a tinge of guilt.
"Didn't have a lot to bring up anyway," shrugged Stella.
"Ice cubes?" offered Casey. Stella shook her head. She watched Casey pored over the Engine manual book, her question about why remained unanswered as he deflected her question twice. A couple minutes later, she slipped back to sleep. She woke up when she heard her stomach rumbled. Casey heard it too.
"Well?" asked Casey.
"Hungry, but can't eat," said Stella.
"Try drinking broth? I made a batch yesterday," Casey offered. Stella nodded weakly.
"If I throw up, no offense?" asked Stella when Casey gave her a mug of clear broth. She spent ten minutes sipping it, and to her surprise, she actually enjoyed it with the amount of ginger and herbs in there.
"Huh, should I be flattered," said Casey when she put the mug on the table.
"Even when sick, I know good food," said Stella.
"When it settles, try the noodles. You gotta have something solid in," said Casey. Stella just nodded.
By the time she went back to bed around lunch, she had inhaled the soup, even dared to try a couple pieces of the noodles. Casey left to do construction job, and she stayed on the sofa, catching up on TV show. When evening rolled, she bit into the toast she left earlier, and it was enough to make her gag. When Casey got home around dinner time, he cooked his own dinner, and to Stella's surprise, she wasn't bothered by the smell, even though she knew Casey purposely made pasta which smells mild. Severide got home when both of them was watching Blackhawks on TV.
"How was the conference?" asked Stella.
"Good. Got some new toys, need to train the boys once the toys arrived," said Severide. He walked to the kitchen and saw the pot of soup. "Aha. Which one of you got sick?"
"Guess," said Casey. Severide smelled the soup and guessed without looking at them.
"Stella," he took a spoonful of soup and ate it.
"Why is that?" asked Stella.
"Casey cooked," Severide laughed, then walked to Stella and put his hand on her forehead. "What do you come down with?"
"Food poisoning. It was… brutal," said Stella, cringed when she remembered that 24 hours ago, she was on the bathroom floor crying.
"Yeah?" Severide kissed the crown of her head. "What did you eat?"
"Ham sandwich, after shift. Let's just say I hope I can magically erase Casey and Violet's memory. And mine," said Stella. "Brett was in Fowlerton, she sent the little tornado to play nurse," she explained
"Didn't go to ER?" asked Severide.
"Of course no. Got my IV though, it's all good," said Stella.
"You're going into shift tomorrow?" asked Severide.
"No, she isn't," said Casey pointedly. Stella glared at him. "Kidd, the only thing you can eat was soup. You're still not 100%. I'm not having you running into fire. I've put in request for a floater."
"I can be 100% tomorrow," sulked Stella.
"Yesterday you couldn't even walk. You just dragged your feet walking across the apartment," argued Casey. "Even if I didn't know all that and I saw you like this tomorrow, I'd send you home."
"Kelly, would you send Capp home if he looked tired?" asked Stella.
"Leave me out of this," Severide walked to their bedroom.
"You can't force me to not come into shift," said Stella to Casey, half pleading and half angry.
"I can and I will. End of discussion," said Casey. Stella walked to their bedroom and slammed the door. Severide sat on the bed, looked at her with disbelief. A couple seconds later, they heard Casey's bedroom door closed.
"What?" asked Stella. He took her hands and sat her down.
"How bad was the food poisoning? Honestly. I called last night and you were fine," said Severide.
"I was on IV when you called," admitted Stella. "It was bad… I think I must've thrown up 15 times or more," said Stella.
"When did you start eating again?" asked Severide.
"This morning. I finished half a pot of soup," said Stella.
"Water and a bit of noodle, the soup nearly had no broth left," elaborated Severide. "If it was Gallo, what would you say to him?"
"To… rest at home?" offered Stella.
"And what makes you think you are built differently?" asked Severide.
"That Casey said that just because he was here yesterday, he saw me in misery," said Stella.
"Don't you think that because he saw your condition, he can judge fairly?" asked Severide. "Did he assess your condition or he just heard you got sick and concluded that you're unfit?"
"He stayed with me in the bathroom until Violet came. He said I passed out in the bathroom," said Stella.
"If I knew Capp was sick multiple times, passed out, gotten IV, couldn't stomach anything, I'd told him to stay at home too," said Severide. "Casey is responsible for your life on the scene. The more he knows about your condition, the better. Be it from being roommate or your honesty."
"So basically, I was an asshole," said Stella. Severide opened the door and gestured for her to walk out. Stella took a deep breath. Severide's eyes softened.
"You know he cares, don't you?" asked Severide. Stella nodded.
"I hate when you're right," said Stella, then walked to Casey's room. After taking a deep breath, she knocked. It took Casey a while until he opened the door. "Can we talk?" Stella glanced at the kitchen. She sat on the kitchen island, Casey stood opposite her.
"I'm not going on shift tomorrow," said Stella. Casey nodded. "Sorry. You were right. I wasn't being respectful. You're my captain, I shouldn't argue with you."
"You should understand that I won't risk you passing out or slowing down in the fire. If I do, I'm compromising Gallo's, Mouch's, or your life. We need to be on top of the game when we walk into shift. Understood?" asked Casey. Stella nodded. "Good." His voice was cold, it was his captain voice.
"I don't like being sidelined," Stella looked down. "I want to be dependable in the job, guess I was blinded by that. Sorry." She looked up and could see Casey's eyes soften.
"You are dependable. You were sick, that doesn't make you any less," said Casey. "I'm not sidelining you. But you need to recover before you're ready to charge to a fire."
"Got it," said Stella. "We made it this far without you captaining me here. Sorry I messed up."
"Eeeh, sorry it came up. I tried not to, but I needed to draw the line. You haven't even eaten real food. Just soup," said Casey.
"Thank you. For taking care of me," she said, hopping from the stool and hugged Casey. He was taken aback, then returned the hug.
"It's alright. Glad you're better," said Casey.
"I was in and out, but it means a lot that you kept me company yesterday. I should feel embarrassed, but I felt safe instead," said Stella.
"Nothing to be embarrassed about, your words," said Casey.
"Are we good?" asked Stella.
"Yeah, of course," said Casey.
"You better not used to the floater driver tomorrow," said Stella.
"I won't," smiled Casey. He cleared the dining table and peeked into the soup pot. "Is this enough for tomorrow? I'll add more broth."
"Yeah, it should be," said Stella. "Thanks, Casey. I'm not used to being taken care of."
"Same. The three of us can learn together," said Casey. "Night, Kidd." He squeezed Stella's arm and walked to his room.
"Yeah, night," Stella turned off the light and walked back to Severide and her room. Severide was sitting on the bed. "Now can I get my kiss?" asked Stella, pouting.
"See, you two can get along well," said Severide, pulled her to the bed.
"We always get along well. You two, on the other hand…" said Stella.
"Hey, we've gotten better at it!" laughed Severide. "Sorry I wasn't here when you were sick."
"Nah, it's okay. Got those two taking care of me. I think it's the sickest I've been since before fire academy," said Stella. She turned in Severide's embrace to face him. "I believe I'll sleep well tonight."
"You better."
"You're riding with me?" asked Casey when he saw Severide walked out of his room. He just finished adding broth to the chicken noodle soup, and left it on the stove.
"Yeah, two minutes," said Severide, went to the bathroom to wash his face.
"Kidd's still sleeping?" asked Casey as they left the apartment.
"Pretty much dead," snickered Severide. "Didn't even move when I woke up. Hey, thanks for taking care of her."
"What do you mean?" asked Casey. "Let's go."
"I mean it," Severide followed Casey walked out the door.
"I mean it too," said Casey. "I don't know what do you mean. Of course I took care of her. Not on your behalf."
Severide nodded. When Casey's apartment got burned and he offered a place to stay, he didn't expect that he would live for a long time with his friend again. And when he asked Stella to move in, he figured Stella and Casey would be just like another roommates. He suspected him being hospitalised a couple months before had something to do with their closeness. It was probably a blessing in disguise. Because now he couldn't imagine them not living together and being friends. He knew that it might sound weird, he was nearly 40 and still living with his best friend, but he considered himself lucky that, as he overheard Casey saying last night, they can learn to take care of each other.
"What do you say we stop at the deli? Cruz is cooking breakfast today, I don't think I'm eager to eat anything he cooks," said Severide.
"Reroute to bakery. Don't want to land on the same boat as Kidd," said Casey.
"Ah, that's wise," nodded Severide.
Sickfic isn't usually my favourite, simply because it is hard to balance between not being too graphic but somehow potray the misery Stella was in, but I actually enjoyed writing this one. Hope it isn't too graphic or triggering, but I want to do one where Casey and Stella mixed up the roommate/commanding officer business and Severide refused to get involved! Also, I don't know if Chicago paramedics are allowed to put IV off-shift, so it might not be accurate.