Tied to previous chapters especially 10 (we have Christie and her family here) loosely tied to chapters 7-9 too, happened around season 9.
Been getting asked to 'like' Brett and write about her. I like her, I do. I just can't write her deeply because I cannot imagine what she might be thinking or how she would react to a situation or conversation. I tried to write a serious conversation between her and Stella a few chapters back, and I was stuck for a couple days. I adore her, though. So if you're looking for Brettsey story, this is not one, but NOT because I do not like her. There are many stories out there for you. This is a Casey-Severide friendship story, with Stella here and there, a little Violet and Herrmann, a sprinkle of everyone, and as always, it's looooong.
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"Two weeks? Without pay!?" Severide's voice hollered in Boden's office.
"Effective immediately," said Boden grimly. He had tried to appeal to the higher-ups, but he got stuck. The HQ wanted someone to take the blame, and it was Severide.
"What happened to the CFD having our backs?" asked Severide.
"Sorry, Severide. This is the best I can do," said Boden.
"I can't believe it. Who gave statements? Aside from the victims?" asked Severide.
"Severide," warned Boden.
"No, I want to know. You weren't there. Who were at the hearing?" asked Severide while reading the report. When it occurred to him, he left Boden's office and rushed to Casey's quarter.
"You couldn't have told me directly? That you threw me under the bus!?" yelled Severide. He didn't care that there Gallo and Ritter were in the laundry room nearby.
"Kelly," said Casey.
"Don't 'Kelly' me. You blamed me when I ran things by you, Captain!" Severide spat. "And worst of all, I heard about it not from you. You, of all people, whom I thought have my back. You stabbed me in the back, and you have the nerve to still look at me in the eyes and told me you wished they went soft on me?"
"I didn't throw you under the bus! They interviewed me, I told them that the wind was blowing hard and it was raining, that it factored in," said Casey. Severide rolled his sleeves.
"This is the scar I got from that day, he stabbed me with a pen in his other hand. You saw me holding my hand, you asked me about it! The way they heard it, I didn't factor in weather before doing a save," said Severide. "You failed to mention that he was calm and suddenly squirmed when I got hold of him. You didn't say that he tried to hit Ambulance 99's paramedic—Mikami told us about that. What you said put the blame on me—and me alone. Congrats on getting away with it," spat Severide.
"Severide…"
"You got a commendation for it?" asked Severide venomously. "It didn't hurt as much when someone else did it. I'd expect it coming from some other officers. But you? What happened to being my friend, Casey? All along, I think of you as a brother, and you threw me like a ragdoll," said Severide.
"I'm so sorry, Kelly," said Casey.
"Don't 'Kelly' me, you have no right to call me that!" yelled Severide. "Maybe I think of this too highly. We fought, and we always said, that's what brothers do. Maybe we shouldn't hide behind the pretence of being brothers, if you talked dirt behind my back, and didn't alert me of what was coming!" Severide's voice got louder at the end.
"Enough!" Boden hollered. When they looked to him, they saw half the house were behind Boden. Ritter and Gallo were still in the laundry room, tried to hide themselves behind sheets. If it wasn't for the situation, their positions would be funny. Stella, Violet, Brett, Mouch, Herrmann, Capp, Cruz, and Sullivan were on the doors.
"Go home, Lieutenant," said Boden. The others seemed confused. "It was effective immediately. Meant, ten minutes ago. When you return, I expect both of you to be good examples for the house. Everyone in this house looks up to you," Boden waited until Severide walked the walk of shame to his locker, grabbed his bag, and left. "All of you, what you just saw was a embarrassing, disgraced behaviour from your leaders. Should any of you rise up the rank, under no ground you can behave like that, more so in the firehouse. Understood?" asked Boden. Murmur of 'yes, Chief' was heard around the room. "Dismissed," said Boden, then waited until everyone scurried away.
"Sorry, Chief," said Casey. He could see that Boden was fuming. Boden turned away.
"Casey?" he turned back.
"Yes, Chief?"
"Severide was right about one thing. It should've come from you, not from formal suspension report from headquarter," said Boden. Casey sighed and nodded.
"Okay, Violet, truly, we'd buy you a pint of ice cream this time. For real," said Gallo.
"If I got as much as a yelling, you'd buy me a gallon of ice cream," said Violet.
"Okay."
"And not the cheap brand, I want Haagen Dazs at least," said Violet.
"Deal," said Ritter. Violet grunted and took the plate, strolling to the bunk room.
"You two, you know Casey wouldn't yell at her. No one would," commented Cruz.
"Severide did, once," said Brett.
"What?"
"Her first rodeo with the volcanoes," said Brett. "She underestimated, and she got burned," she grinned. "Anyway, Stella, I'm gonna do ambo inventory. You want to join me?"
"Nah, I'll just stay here. I'm thinking about my strategy to avoid the volcanoes in the apartment. Should I call the cop from now?" asked Stella.
"Are they armed?" asked Cruz.
"Kelly has a halligan in his car. Casey has all the construction tools," said Stella. "I refused to be involved."
"Tell me if you need to be rescued. Or you can just go home with me, stay at my place," said Brett before leaving the common room.
"Captain," Violet knocked at Casey's office. She frowned when she peeked through the door because the light was turned off. Casey was sitting on his desk, his hand supported his head. He winced when he looked at Violet who poked her head in. "Your lunch… are you okay?"
"Thanks, just leave it there," Casey pointed at his bedside table away from him.
"Headache? May I check you up?" asked Violet.
"No tools, not alerting anyone," said Casey. Violet put the back of her hand on his forehead and felt his heartbeat with her fingers. He ducked when he saw Violet took a flashlight. "Okay, it's a migraine. No flashlight, I'll vomit on you."
"Rapid heartbeat, as expected, you're sweating. I'll take blood pressure cuff," said Violet.
"No," Casey said as firm as he could before wincing at hearing his own voice. "I don't want to create a scene."
"You'll create a scene when you collapse in a fire," Violet, as always, told it like it is. "Alright, alright. I'll grab aspirin and cold compress for you, that won't create a scene."
"Thanks," said Casey. Violet closed the door and walked back into the kitchen with a proud smile to Gallo, Ritter, and Cruz as she had 'fed the lion'. She pulled a cup of ice cream from the fridge, smuggling a cold compress and putting it into her jacket, grabbing a glass of water on the way out. She then took a detour to her locker and pulled out a bottle of aspirin, she had it there just in case since no one seemed to remember restocking it every time they ran out. She knocked softly on Casey's door.
"Here's the aspirin," she put two pills on the desk and the water. "And here's the compress," she pulled the compress from her jacket, resting the ice cream cup on Casey's desk.
"Ice cream?" asked Casey.
"It's for me. I needed a reason to open the freezer," explained Violet. "I really think you need to be checked thoroughly," she tried her luck.
"No," said Casey.
"If I tell the Chief, will I get yelled at?" she asked innocently. Casey sighed. As much as he couldn't be angry at the young paramedic, her persistence isn't something he wanted to deal with. But then again, that is the common factor of ladies of Firehouse 51.
"No, but you'll regret it. I'll think about how later, but you will," said Casey.
"Alright," said Violet, then slipped outside. She sat beside Stella, eating her ice cream. "Hey, theoretically speaking, if Casey threatened you something, would he go through with the threat?"
"What did he threaten you with?" asked Stella. "Just tell Mama Bear Brett, she'll eat whoever's threatening you."
"That's beyond the point," said Violet. "I think, regardless of the what happened this morning, you should check on Casey."
"Why? What happened?" asked Stella. Violet motioned to her to go and they walked to the bunk room.
"That's what he threatened me with. He has a migraine. Go, check on him, take him home, I'll talk to the Chief," Violet pointed at Casey's door. "Tell him I'm sorry. It's better to say sorry than asking for permission."
"You made me terrified," commented Stella. Violet had rushed out of the bunk room. Stella opened the door without knocking.
"Casey?" Stella was taken aback to see Casey leaned back on his chair; a cold compress was over his eyes. So that's why Violet looked like she just stole something from the fridge. It wasn't Brett's ice cream, it was a cold compress for Casey.
"I knew it," grunted Casey.
"Violet said, it's better to say sorry than asking for permission. How bad?" asked Stella.
"I've had worse," said Casey.
"Can you run into a fire?" asked Stella.
"No," Casey answered bluntly.
"Med or the apartment?" asked Stella.
"Neither," said Casey. He'd face Severide in the apartment.
"Okay, maybe the apartment isn't the best idea. Alright. Pick a place. Even if you don't go on calls, the alarm will split your head in two," said Stella. Casey didn't say anything. "Casey?"
"Christie's house then," said Casey.
"She's at home or do you need to call her first?" asked Stella.
"She should, it's Saturday," said Casey.
"Okay. Come on," said Stella. She half-dragged Casey to the locker room, texting Violet to talk to Boden. After Casey got his bag, she got Casey into the passenger seat on her jeep and drove to the direction of Christie's house. When she lost her way, she finally poked Casey's arm and asked for direction. Casey had lost all colours in his face when they arrived, so she had to walk him to the door and pressed the doorbell.
"Hey, Matt. What happened?" Ben, Casey's brother-in-law, opened the door.
"We're on shift, he has a migraine, and with the alarms at the firehouse… I wanted to drop him home, but there's a construction next door, so it's not a choice," said Stella.
"Of course. Christie and the girls are shopping, they'll be back in a few, but come in, Matt," Ben grabbed Casey's arm. Stella let go of him when she was sure Ben was supporting Casey enough for him not to fall.
"I have to go back to the firehouse," said Stella.
"Thanks, um… I remember you from the snowstorm," said Ben.
"Stella Kidd," said Stella. "It's alright. Get well, Casey," she patted Casey's arm before turning and driving to the firehouse. Ben guided Casey to walk to the guest room.
"Keep your eyes closed if you need to, I got you," said Ben. "Okay, sit. There's the bed." He gently pushed Casey down to a reclining position and took his shoes off. "Stay here, I'll get you some wet towel." He left the room.
"Here you go, lay down," Ben pushed Casey to lay down. He placed a wet towel on Casey's forehead and put another in a small basin filled with water next to him. "Beside you there's another towel in a basin, and a mug of ginger tea. This is Christie's migraine package. You need anything else?" asked Ben.
"Just dark room, thanks," said Casey. He smelled peppermint and wondered if that is included in 'Christie's migraine package'. It made his nausea lessened, though, so he didn't say anything.
"Oh sorry, I forgot," Ben closed the curtains. "Rest up, then. Just call if you need anything," he straightened the duvet and patted Casey on the shoulder.
"Thanks Ben," said Casey. He didn't know how long he laid there with his eyes closed, but his brain kept turning hard.
"Matt?" Christie sat beside him. "Ah, the infamous hereditary Casey migraine," she whispered. "You're supposed to be on shift. What is it?"
"Messed up at work," said Casey.
"That's the trigger," said Christie, massaging Casey's forehead. "Get rid of the migraine first, take care of that later. Tell me when to stop."
The next day, Casey went to the location of the scene. He looked around and saw a CCTV camera which faced the scene. He went inside the store.
"What can I get you?" asked a teenager behind the counter.
"I'm Captain Casey from the CFD. The CCTV outside, is it yours?"
"Yeah, my manager installed it when the neighbourhood gang hid there to throw paint balls at our store," said him.
"Can I see the recording?" asked Casey. "This is regarding the accident outside last week," added Casey.
"Ah, of course," said him. "Come with me," he turned the sign to 'closed' and walked to the back room. "I remember all the trucks outside. Two Mondays ago…" he mumbled when playing the records. "Here you go, that's the fire truck… Yeap, that's you!"
On the screen, Casey saw Severide hanging from the top of the building, reaching to the man who hang from the emergency stairs. The man seemed scared and inched away from Severide, but finally reached for Severide's hand. Then the man swung his free hand and hit Severide's hand before Severide dropped him and he fell to emergency stairs four stories below. That was how he broke both legs.
"What!?" the teenager yelped. "He stabbed his hand!"
"Can you zoom in?" asked Casey. In the zoomed version, he could see that the man stabbed Severide's hand with something.
"I swear, if I needed to be rescued, I wouldn't do that." The teenager looked at Casey in disbelief.
"I know, no one did that before. Can I get the copy of this?" asked Casey. "And your name."
"Tommy. Tommy Grant. Here you go. I copied 30 minutes video in here." He handed Casey the CD.
When Casey got home, Severide was sitting on the sofa. He glanced at the door when Casey entered.
"Hey," Casey tried. Severide walked past him outside and slammed the door. "Severide, hear me out. Hey," he rushed outside and grabbed Severide's arm. Severide snatched his hand away and looked at him in disgust. "I want to show you something."
"What? My suspension papers?" yelled Severide. He rushed forward and pushed Casey to the wall.
"Hear me out!" Casey yelled back. "Then you can decide what you want to do!"
"You don't get to yell at me, Casey! I got suspended without pay for two weeks. You're the only witness who testified. What do you want to say? My police charge?" yelled Severide.
"Hey!" Stella stood on the corner, clearly just arrived back from the firehouse. "Cut it out, not in the hallway!" she hissed. "And no, time out for 15 minutes. I'll be out of your hair," she said. Severide walked past her and rushed down the stairs, still fuming. Casey sighed.
"Nice timing," said Casey, half grateful half sarcastic. Grateful because Severide didn't end up punching him, sarcastic because Severide ran away.
"How's the head?" asked Stella.
"Huh?"
"You got migraine yesterday," reminded Stella.
"Ah, yeah. Slept the whole day, until this morning. It's alright now," said Casey. "Anyone knows?"
"No, no one dared to ask. It was an eventful shift anyway, we were busy. I'm grabbing my clothes and going to Brett's," said Stella.
"How eventful?" asked Casey.
"You don't know? There's a big fire in a club in Pilsen, most companies in the city were there. At least 10 Engines, don't even number the ambulances. Brett and Violet made 8 trips. Med, Lakeshore, and University were swamped," said Stella.
"I just emerged from the cave," said Casey. Stella walked to her bedroom, packed up a bag, and left.
"Captain Casey," Chief Pridgen were surprised to see Casey in front of his office when he arrived.
"Chief," said Casey. "I came with evidence to revoke Lieutenant Severide's suspension, also to clear some things that I might not make clear from the statement I gave last week."
"It was done, Captain. The CFD would face huge battle about negligence, a firefighter dropping a victim. Imagine the penalty imposed to CFD," said Pridgen.
"I know. That's why, this would change it," said Casey, holding a CD. He had made a copy of it for his archive, which was safely tucked in his drawer at home. "This is CCTV recording from the store across the street. They had CCTV facing the building because some gang members threw paint balls at their store."
Pridgen watched the video. Casey didn't see his screen, but he knew when Severide dropped the victim from Pridgen's expression.
"He stabbed Severide," said Pridgen.
"With a pen, if you zoomed in. I went to the emergency stairs. Here's the pen. It's been sitting there for two weeks, so the ink would be dry or ruined. However, you should find the victim's fingerprints in a stabbing position," Casey put the pen—which he wrapped in plastic—on Pridgen's table. "Those two should be enough to back the story that it is the victim's fault that he fell. Oh, and he tried to hit Ambulance 99's paramedic, Laura Fidell. This is her statement."
"You collected evidence on behalf of Severide," said Pridgen.
"I have my people's back. Besides, it should fall on me. I told him to do a quick rescue, because of the weather. He wanted to loop the victim using cable, I said based on the victim's built and approximate weight, he would be able to hold him. And he did, multiple times, to victims who have bigger built. He once held me hanging when the floor fell, and I was no doubt heavier than the victim."
"So, what are you proposing, Captain?"
"Revoke Severide's suspension, clear his record," said Casey firmly.
"I don't know how much you know about how things work around here, Captain. We'll use the new evidence against the victim's family, that's for sure. But the way you suggested wasn't failproof either," said Pridgen.
"Not suggested. I told him to do it. Based on the weight and built of the victim, and based on my knowledge of Severide's ability, I told him to do it. I am the ranking officer, I had the scene, he did what I told him to," said Casey.
"You're saying you're taking the blame?" asked Pridgen.
"That's correct," said Casey.
"That'll be in your record. It will weigh heavily on you in your consideration as chief, at least for two years," said Pridgen.
"My decision, my responsibility," said Casey. Pridgen grabbed a paper from his printer.
"Write and sign it," he said, then he dialled a number. "Carole, please call Battalion Chief Wallace Boden for me."
"Lieutenant!" Cruz exclaimed from the squad table. "You're back!"
"Got reinstated yesterday," said Severide. He sat at the squad table, glancing away from the door when he saw Casey approached the firehouse. Stella had been dodging the stray bullets by staying at Brett's, so Severide and Casey played the game of hide-and-hide for two nights. They avoided each other, stayed in their own rooms whenever possible, even though there was a Blackhawks game which they usually watched together on day off. Severide didn't feel like going to Molly's due to the questions—silent or spoken—he would get. To his surprise, Casey stayed at home, too.
"How?" asked Cruz.
"New evidence," answered Severide shortly. They didn't have time to do a morning briefing, because a call came in a minute into their shifts.
"Truck 81, Squad 3, Ambulance 61, Engine 51, traffic accident."
"The fuel is leaking," said Casey. "Herrmann, grab the extinguishers!"
Casey surveyed the scene. A car was on its side, balancing dangerously, at least two passengers were inside. Another car was halfway below it, the back side was below the flipped car. He walked to Severide.
"Ambo 61 requesting two additional units," Casey heard Brett said into his radio.
"What do you think?" asked Casey. Severide looked at the cars, then waved to call Violet who was nearby.
"This is my opinion, but your call. It's leaking, we risk lighting it if we pulled it down and drag it on concrete. But again, your call. You're a witness," said Severide to Violet. Violet's face turned annoyed and she walked to Brett.
"Gallo, you and me, put c-collar on the women in the flipped car," Casey waved to Gallo. Gallo went to Brett who passed him two c-collars. "Squad, enter the bottom car as soon as we are done. Brett, Mikami, ready to accept the first victim."
"Herrmann, cover us," said Casey. He and Gallo climbed into the hood of the trapped car.
"Ladies," said Gallo cheerfully.
"Get us out of here!" yelled the woman.
"We will, that's why we are here," said Gallo. "Stay still. You need to attach this before we can help you out," he added, waving the c-collar.
"Our spine is fine, we're just terrified," said a woman. "We're nursing students, about to graduate. We self-diagnosed."
"Humour me and put it on. You can put it on yourself, then," said Casey. The women put it on to each other. "Ready?" Casey cleaned the glass debris and reached to her. He lifted the first women out, Gallo's hand was on his suspender, keeping him from falling. He passed the victim to Stella and Violet, who sat her on the stretcher. When Gallo pulled the second victim, Casey felt a relief. They passed the second victim to Brett and Mouch. Just as Gallo hopped off the hood of the car, a flame went up from the hood, licking Casey. Without thinking, Casey jumped from the car and rolled on the asphalt.
"Casey!" For a moment, Severide didn't think about his tiff with Casey. He felt like he lost half blood in his head when Casey jumped, with a flame of fire on his back. Severide rushed to pat his turnout coat to put the flame out. Ritter already sprayed the extinguisher to the source of fire. "It's alright, it's out." He suddenly stopped. Casey and him were supposed to be not talking. He should think of Casey just like Herrmann, or Ritter. He cared about each member of 51, but not as much as he is worried about Casey or Stella.
"Hit it, Squad!" Casey yelled. Severide snapped back when Cruz and Tony started opening the door. When the manual tools didn't work, Severide put his glasses on and accepting jaw from Capp, opening the door. Small sparks fell to the fuel-soaked ground, but Herrmann and Sullivan sprayed them out before it erupted into flames.
"Here you go, Lieutenant," a paramedic from another ambulance passed c-collar to Severide. Severide attached it to the victim, and carried her out. He passed her to the paramedic.
"Wait, there's a baby in the back seat," said Severide. He climbed into the back seat and cut the strap of the carseat. He took the baby out, relieved to see that the baby seemed fine.
"We'll take the baby with us, he seemed fine," said the paramedic.
"He?" asked Severide. The baby was wearing red jumper, didn't exactly easily distinguishable as a baby boy.
"This means 'my precious son' in Chinese," the paramedic pointed at the baby's jumper.
"Zhao! She's breathing. Can you take her vital on the way?" asked the other paramedic.
"Yeah, sure," said Zhao, before following the stretcher into the ambulance, then left.
"Lieutenant, you have a sec?" asked Violet, knocking on Severide's door.
"Yeah?"
"Permission to speak?" asked Violet, and Severide knew it's serious. He nodded. "To be noted, I do not like being in a house where there's fights, yelling, long arguments. I learned to accept that those things exist in 51 and it was my decision to transfer here. However, I do not respect being treated like a recording device, which you can drag along to support your arguments when you need to," said Violet firmly.
"I'm not dragging you along," said Severide.
"Then you don't need a witness," said Violet. "One thing I would never do is testifying against people in my house, you should know that for future reference before you decide to put me in the middle of you and another officer."
"Noted, sorry," said Severide. Violet nodded and left the quarter. She walked to the common room, saw Gallo in front of the stove, and decided to join him cooking.
"Hey," Stella peeked into Severide's quarter. She brought a plate of food. "I guess you haven't eaten?"
"How do you know?"
"Because Violet's been in a mood, and when Gallo handed her your plate of food, she snapped, 'what am I, ubereats?'" Stella mimicked Violet's voice. "It's terrifying, really. Never saw her that annoyed. Brett's been poking the dragon since the call."
"You're gonna go back home tomorrow?" asked Severide.
"Depends," said Stella.
"Depends on what?"
"If it is a peaceful surrounding or it is a war zone."
"Cold war?" Severide grinned.
"Come on, Kelly, you got reinstated. You missed half a shift, and that's it, it was revoked. Put it behind you," said Stella.
"I am. Putting it behind, but what was said was already said," said Severide.
"Think about it. Casey's been putting his life on danger multiple times for you. You too. You're gonna throw those away because of one stupid case?" asked Stella.
"Let's talk about something else," said Severide.
"Severide," Casey called Severide with low voice as Severide was walking to his quarter. He hid in his quarter all day except when he needed a bathroom break, so Casey had been keeping one eye on him to ambush Severide once he went back from the bathroom. Casey waved two cigars. "Please?"
"Okay," said Severide. They walked to the front of the firehouse and lit the cigars.
"I'm sorry, Severide," Casey started. "I was stupid, I shouldn't mention anything irrelevant, about the weather. I'm sorry," said Casey.
"It happened," said Severide. "It was said and done, alright. We move on."
"We do?" asked Casey.
"I need space, though. I can't go back to where we were before this. We're officers in this house, we both live in the same apartment. That's that. I don't see us beyond that," said Severide.
"And there's no way we can undo whatever happened in the past few weeks?" asked Casey.
"Like I said, Casey. That happened. You're sorry for the report, I'm sorry I yelled at you here, that's that. I know we said no disagreeing in the firehouse, we thought we'd always come back from anything, but maybe we've been hiding behind the word brothers and throw everything under the rug. Maybe we need to undo everything, and act professional. We're both in 51, we just happened to be living in the same apartment, that's it. Nothing more," said Severide.
"Okay, whatever you say," said Casey.
"Thanks for the cigar," said Severide, then took his chair and went inside the firehouse. Casey looked at his cigar, the last cigar he would have with Severide—at least for a while. Closing his eyes in desperation, he felt reminded of his feeling when Christie turned her back on him at their father's funeral. Losing a fiancée and a wife was dreadful, but nothing compares to losing a sibling. He felt tears threatening to escape his eyes, and he did the only thing that came to mind.
"Yes, Matt? I was just about to go home from the office," said Christie as she answered her phone.
"Working late?" asked Casey.
"Yeah, it's the end of month. Reporting period," said Christie. "You're on shift?"
"Yes. I—"
"Ambulance 61, accidental poisoning."
"You have to go?" asked Christie.
"No, I don't. Listen, I need to ask something. It is out of the blue and it might bring old wound back," warned Casey.
"Shoot," said Christie. Casey waited until the ambulance was far enough so the siren didn't disturb him.
"When we weren't talking to each other, after how long you decided to come around?" asked Casey. Christie fell silent. "Christie, you don't have to answer if you don't want to. I'm sorry."
"It's okay. Now I don't… wait. What year did mum get out of jail?" asked Christie.
"2013," said Casey.
"Okay. It's probably… I think… we reconnected in 2010? I had been thinking of making amends for a couple years then. Probably when I got married, I realised I had no family," said Christie. Casey could hear the uneasiness in her voice.
"Thanks, Christie. Sorry to stir the memory," said Casey.
"What is it, Matt? It's so sudden, you okay?" Christie persisted.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Just suddenly wondering about that… it was a genuine curiosity. Nothing will come from it, I promise," said Casey.
"You remember that you can't lie to me? That works on the phone too," said Christie. Casey was about to give up and come clean.
"Truck 81, person trapped."
"Now I really have to go. Love you, Christie, be careful driving home," said Casey.
"Be safe, Matt. Text me after the call," said Christie. Casey muttered an okay, then hung up the call and rushed to the rig.
When Christie got married for the first time, Casey wasn't invited. He didn't know that Christie was married until one day she came to his house with a beautiful little girl in her arm—apparently, she followed him home from the firehouse. Violet warmed his heart instantly, and he still remembered the feeling when he first held his niece. When Violet called him 'Uncle Matt' for the first time, he cried right then and there, in front of his house. He didn't instantly warm up to his sister though, the sister who let him down when he needed her the most. Christie was the most doting sister growing up, so Casey wondered for 13 years about what did he do wrong that Christie turned her back on him, whom she declared love to on a daily basis when they were little. It took a little over a year for Casey to be assured that Christie would stay for good, and that was when another hindrance hit them: differences of their mum's parole status, which went on for two years. Once Nancy Casey went to live with her ex-cellmate, Casey and Christie tried to take Nancy's advice to be siblings again, to enjoy each other's presence again. Their relationship was further strengthened when Jim left, and Casey watched Violet quite often. When Gabby left, Christie took him in until he was ready to live on his own again, and he could barely remember what life without Christie was like. Their monthly get-together became weekly, and semiformal lunch turned into groceries and Violet's school performance.
Casey zoomed at the date on the bottom of Christie's wedding picture, the only one that he had, he snapped it from a framed picture in Christie's house back then. The original picture had since disappeared, along with one half of the then-happy couple, and got replaced by a new wedding picture, with Ben who very respectfully asked Casey for Christie's hand in marriage before he proposed. Ben who, last Saturday, took care of him when he was down with migraine. Casey hadn't seen Christie happier since Christie dated and married Ben, and the same could be said for Violet, who got a sister in Vanessa, Ben's daughter. Thinking back, Casey didn't think he would be that close to Christie if Christie was still with Jim.
2003. So Christie got married in 2003, and Gregory Casey died in 1997. It took Christie six years to think about reconnecting with him, and seven more years to act upon it. He mentally calculated six and thirteen years from now, as it is when Severide might come around and take him back as a brother. Frustrated, he threw his phone to the side and buried his head in his pillow. Sleep didn't come upon him.
He walked to the common room to grab some medicine to help him sleep. Of course, there's no sleeping pills in the firehouse, but he could grab some allergy pills. He saw that someone was in the common room, talking softly, almost whispering. When he walked into the common room, he saw Violet there, talking on video call. Casey rummaged the medicine cabinet and realised that someone had finished the allergy medicine without replacing it.
"Do you need anything?" asked Violet.
"No, it's alright," said Casey. Lying that he had an allergy would send the young paramedic into paramedic mode, and Casey certainly didn't want that at 11 pm. Casey opened the fridge, trying to find something to take to make him sleepy.
"Bye," Violet whispered to the phone, and she ended the phone call. "That was Lucas, he just lost a patient on the table," she explained when she thought Casey was waiting on an explanation why she was calling her boyfriend when she was supposed to be in the bunk room.
"Sorry," Casey grimaced. Losing a patient or a victim is not something they take lightly, and he sympathised with other first responders who ever lost one.
"Yeah, it's always hard. Anyway, are you looking for some medicine?" asked Violet.
"No, just wondering if there's something to help with sleeping," said Casey. "Probably slept too much the other day after the migraine, haven't returned to normal sleeping schedule."
"To help with sleeping? Tea. Chamomile tea, lavender, peppermint," said Violet. "I'm a grandma trapped in a young body," she shrugged.
"I can see that," said Casey with a hint of laugh at his voice. Violet walked to the kitchen cabinet and pulled out a little box filled with tea bags. She put it there for her own consumption, and basically whoever wanted it, but it's been safe there since she put it, a week after her transfer to 51. No one but her drinks tea, they just filled their bloodstreams with coffee.
"Laugh all you want, but you'll sleep after this. Guaranteed," Violet opened a bag of chamomile tea, poured hot water in a mug, and gave it to Casey. "This works even better than hot milk on a rainy day. Good night, Captain," she took her mug to the bunk room.
When he woke up in morning, Casey chuckled when he realised that he fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow after finished his tea. Even better, he felt refreshed, and for a while he forgot about the thing that weighed his mind. As they left the firehouse, Casey caught up with Severide and Stella.
"Severide, a word?" asked Casey. Stella stepped aside. "Just want to make sure. When you said you don't see us being past officers and housemates, you mean?"
"How would you describe where you stand with Herrmann?" asked Severide.
"I respect him," said Casey.
"Exactly. I respect you. I fight fire alongside you. We live in the same apartment. That's it. You don't hang out with Herrmann, do you?" asked Severide.
"I said sorry. A thousand times, if I can. What do I have to do?" asked Casey.
"Nothing. I'm not mad anymore, Casey. It's in the past, the suspension got revoked anyway. I just know better now, where we stand. Okay?" Severide's amiable tone meant nothing in Casey's ears. He could feel his hand shook as he nodded. Severide left with Stella, and he stood there in silence.
Two weeks later…
"Captain, the Chief wanted to talk to you," said Gallo as he knocked on Casey's quarter.
"Yeah, thanks," said Casey. He walked to Boden's office. Severide was there.
Since that day when Severide 'broke up' with him, Casey had been isolating himself in his quarter more often. He knew a few months ago, when Severide and him had their periodic fights and disagreement, the firehouse would tiptoe around them. It ended when Severide and him reached an agreement not to disagree in front of the others. Apparently, it only went for a couple months, since they had gone past the point of no return. Casey had succumbed to back to square one with Severide. Unfortunately, their square one was passing each other in the fire academy hallway. Only this time, there was no Darden to introduce them.
"Casey," Boden pointed at the chair in front of him. Casey felt like being called into principal's office.
"Chief," said Casey.
"I've been feeling animosity between you two since you two bit each other's head off the other day. I usually don't interfere, I know you have your own thing, you'll be fine in the end. But I have to ask this time," said Boden.
"Nothing happened, Chief," answered Severide quickly. Casey nodded, agreeing with him. Bringing the Chief to their situation was something he avoided.
"It's been two weeks, Severide's suspension ended in less than 48 hours, you haven't talked to each other since then, and it's messing with the whole house. This is like after Darden's death," said Boden.
"It's not, Chief. We were yelling at each other every day then. We don't now," argued Severide.
"Haven't seen each other a lot lately," reasoned Casey, which was an honest reason. He didn't dare to lie to Boden, one of the people who would recognise his lies.
"Okay. I want to see whatever this is," Boden pointed at the two of them, "resolved. I can't have a house divided or tiptoed around their officers. If this isn't resolved, I might have to transfer both of you out."
"Both?" asked Casey.
"I'm not gonna choose between you two, and I have a divided house to unite. So, if I have to, I'm transferring you both out," said Boden. "Dismissed."
They went their separate ways in front of Boden's office. Severide walked to the apparatus floor while Casey went to the common room. He already knew that he would steal chamomile tea from Violet's box later tonight.
"It's been weeks, is the problem still unresolved?" asked Violet after Casey wandered through the kitchen, opened the fridge, and left without taking anything.
"Nope," said Stella.
"And how are you doing?" asked Brett. "I can't imagine how hard it is for you. Officer or boyfriend? Which side are you on?"
"I'm Switzerland," said Stella.
"What?"
"I'm neutral," said Stella. "They don't outright fight, though. Not anymore. They had a cold war, nothing exciting. But Severide had been acting like he ran over a puppy."
"Casey looked like he just got run over by a truck," said Brett. Violet let out a small bark, and they giggled.
In the squad table, Severide watched Cruz and Capp argued over a card game. He wondered what happened that Casey avoided him. He wanted to act civil, just like he did Mouch or Ritter, but Casey turned back every time he saw Severide came. They talked on calls, they worked seamlessly together, but that was it. When they got back to their respective rigs, they went back to being strangers. In the apartment, Casey was mostly in his room. He still cooked, left food on the stove, but Severide didn't feel right eating it. Stella ate it, but he chose to cook his own or get takeout. Stella convinced him to eat it once, when—she said—Casey was brooding in the kitchen as he saw that half the food hadn't been touched, but Severide couldn't bring himself to eat it. How could he, when Casey wouldn't even talk to him.
"Chief," Casey knocked on Boden's door. "I would like to apply for furlough. I have quite a bit saved up, if it's okay with you."
"Of course," said Boden. "When is it?"
"Starting next shift," said Casey. He put the form on Boden's desk.
"Any plan?"
"No, just… clear my mind, spend time with family. It's overdue."
"Okay, I'll look for a floater."
"Thanks, Chief."
"Kidd!" Violet sat on the bar at Molly's. It was the day before the next shift.
"Hey, girl. What can I get you?" asked Stella.
"Hey, I need to ask you something," said Violet. Stella leaned forward. "No, not here," Violet whispered. Stella glanced at the bar which was half full.
"What?" she walked out of the bar, following Violet outside. "Outside? It's raining," argued Stella. Violet pulled her under the tarp.
"Captain Leone called me earlier. She said, Casey asked her about Captain Delaney's spot," said Violet.
"Where's Delaney going?"
"He's now in Fire Academy," said Violet. "Bless the future batches, he's tough. Anyway, so Delaney's spot at Engine 20 is empty. Firehouse 20 doesn't have a Battalion Chief in-house, so they need two Captains, not Lieutenants, therefore it's been hard finding his replacement. Leone's been having her hands full, and Casey suddenly asked her about the empty spot, about the firefighters on the rig… Leone said, it sounds like he wants to recommend someone for the spot," said Violet.
"Recommend who? No," Stella's eyes bugged out of their sockets.
"Wait, I don't say… Leone said, Casey didn't ask for himself, but she also doesn't know any captains looking for new placement. However, she's not exactly sociable, she might not be up to date," said Violet. "Besides, you guys had disagreement with 20 last time I remember."
"But not Casey and Leone. Every time there's a big fire, their reports would coincide… they work well together. And Leone wrote reports like a champ, Casey always praised her diligence," said Stella.
"I see. Okay, you don't hear it from me. I told nobody else. I just thought… you should know. You're Switzerland, right? I'm Mars here, I'm not even on the radar."
"Thanks," said Stella. She entered Molly's just when Herrmann started to look for her.
"Captain Casey's on furlough starting this shift. I didn't manage to find a replacement officer for this shift, so I'll be going with 81 to calls. Mouch, you take Casey's seat," said Boden. Severide glanced at Boden. No one dared to react to the news. "Other than that, there's no other announcement. Dismissed," said Boden. "Severide."
"Yes, Chief?" Severide followed Boden to his office.
"How's the situation with Casey going?" asked Boden.
"Haven't seen him around the apartment, not since last shift," said Severide. He asked Stella, but Stella didn't know where Casey was, and showed no interest in being messenger between the two men.
"I mean it when I said solve it, fast," said Boden. "I have no complaint on calls, but as you see," Boden motioned to outside his office, "everyone's feeling it. You lead by example. When you're acting like strangers, they are too. Squad barely came in to the firehouse except for meals."
"I didn't forbid them," defended Severide.
"Example, Lieutenant. They see, they do. I'm not sacrificing the dynamics of a house because two of my officers can't be in the same room together," said Boden.
"Copy that, Chief," said Severide. He left Boden's office and walked to his quarter, thinking back to his last interactions to Casey. When he was suspended, when Casey tried to make amends by offering him cigar, and finally, their short exchange in front of the firehouse. Casey had been moping around the apartment, avoiding eye contact with him, spoke only as needed to Stella. As a result, Stella had been gentler with Casey, not wanting him to feel ousted, sometimes having coffee or meal with him. Severide respected Stella's effort to remain neutral, after all, Casey is her officer, he couldn't expect her to fully take his side.
It was a slow shift, and after a call which took less than an hour at night, Severide grabbed a cigar from his drawer and walked outside the firehouse to smoke. He never smoked alone before, so it felt weird, but it gave him time to think how would he handle things differently, and whether he wanted to do it differently. He was deeply hurt by Casey's action which attracted the suspension, that he couldn't deny. However, he also yelled at Casey in the firehouse, which they promised would never do again. He ignored Casey's plea for forgiveness, basically cutting ties between them. What ties? he wondered. Were there ties between them in the first place?
His reverie was cut off by a chair being put beside him. He glanced and saw Herrmann sat beside him.
"You look lonely, and I can't sleep, so…" shrugged Herrmann after a while.
"Everything alright?" asked Severide.
"Yeah, you?" asked Herrmann. Severide knew he had fallen into Herrmann's trap. Casey once said, Herrmann was the lifeline of the firehouse. Casey looked up to Herrmann since he arrived, to this day, despite their difference in ranks.
"I don't know, things are pretty messed up right now," admitted Severide.
"Are you and Casey still speaking? At home?" asked Herrmann. Severide glanced at him and saw the genuine fatherly expression, and he felt like he was Lee Henry. He shook his head.
"When words were exchanged… I don't even know what caused it, but it felt like Casey was avoiding me," said Severide.
"Whenever you two fought, we never meddled. In fact, we put bets. Not whether you would make up, but when, because everyone knows it's just a tiff. This time, it's been going on long past the longest bet. Maybe what caused it doesn't matter anymore. What matters most is what will fix it," said Herrmann.
"I had a fire brother too, from my academy days. We were buddies, separated during candidacy, but I transferred to his house the moment there was a spot. He was in truck, I was in engine. He's Lee Henry's godfather, I was his best man. Fifth year working together, we fell out," said Herrmann. "I forgot over what, but I filed a transfer. And I got transferred to 51."
"I don't remember you being friends with anyone in 113," commented Severide.
"Yeah, there was this freak fire. He went inside despite warning, saved 20 people who got trapped. The structure was unstable, the building went down on him. When I heard, I went down there, didn't leave the scene until they recovered his body the next day. He died without us making amends," said Herrmann.
"I'm sorry," said Severide.
"You two reminded me of McCann and I. There's something about fire brothers, you know. I always thought I would make amends, make things right with him. Had dinner with him and his wife again. Instead, the next time I saw his wife, was after he was dead," said Herrmann. His eyes got teary. "You've been through so much together. Darden's death, all the truck vs squad things, with Mills, Rice. Hell, you've been there for each other when Hallie, Shay, Dawson, and all your troop of girlfriends happened. Don't overlook those and focus on one thing Casey did wrong," Herrmann squeezed his shoulder. "Brothers will always be brothers, Kelly. I found a new brother, Mouch, when I transferred here, but no one can ever replace McCann."
"Sorry you lost him."
"Yeah, me too."
"Thanks, Herrmann," nodded Severide. "For an old man, you're quite wise."
"Hey, this grey hair? Unlike your equally grey hair, this is from five children at home and many who act like children in the firehouse," Herrmann smirked, patted Severide's shoulder, and carried his chair back inside.
"You're sure about this?" Boden asked. He arrived home from shift to find Casey on his doorstep. He knew he threatened his two officers to transfer them out, but he didn't expect any of them to come voluntary to him with a transfer request.
"Yes, Chief. You don't have to miss me that much, I'll only be next door. We'll overlap at times," joked Casey.
"This is your decision? Entirely? Have you weighed it out?"
"Yes. As you said, I don't want to be the cause of a divided house. I'll pull myself out before I put 51 through it again. And Engine 20 needs a new Captain. I've worked with Leone before. She's no Severide and Herrmann, but we worked quite well together," said Casey.
"This is because her reports are very tidy and detailed?" Boden tried to lighten the mood.
"And fast, not like Severide and Herrmann's," joked Casey. "No, I think, all things considered, I'll be fine there. Delaney's no longer there, and the firefighters are quite capable."
"I know the manpower at 20, Casey. They're well-oiled. The medic has changed twice since Mikami left, but it's a good house," said Boden. "If you have to transfer, I think 20 is a good house for you."
"It's not 51, but it'll do. I'll still report to you, that's a win for me," said Casey.
"Likewise," nodded Boden. He extended his hand. "Sorry it came down to this."
"Nah, it's a necessary thing to do, Chief. I don't see how things with Severide ends well, and I know how much he loves being at 51. I'll step aside," said Casey. "Oh, can you file it immediately, but announce it when it's official? When I'm on my first shift at 20?"
"I'll do that. Good luck, Casey," said Boden. Casey left, headed to Christie's house where he had been staying for the past couple days. His plan for the day was to teach Violet and Vanessa to drive, which he had to admit, was a hard job. No wonder Ben and Christie looked relieved when Casey announced he would do that, and Ben even quipped that he'd pay for Casey's heart pacemaker after the driving lesson.
The next day, Casey went to the apartment to get his things. He had been looking for new apartment near Firehouse 20, and not many popped up. He moved in to Severide's place with a box of random things mixed with ashes from his old place. Now he moved out with few more things, but it didn't take long until two suitcases and one box were secured in his truck. He took a look around, left Severide's 'sexy pants' go-to cup on the kitchen counter along with a note, and turned to leave with the last bag.
"Hey!" Stella strolled into the apartment. "Where have you been?"
"Ah… I'm just heading out. See you," Casey walked past Stella.
"No, wait," Stella looked Casey up and down. Having been roommates for more than a year, she knew when Casey's lying. "I've been meaning to ask you something. For whom did you ask about the spot at 20 to Leone?" When Casey looked at the ground, she gaped. Her fear had been confirmed. "No, no, no. You're not going anywhere."
"I filed my transfer yesterday," said Casey. Stella gasped. "It has to be done, Kidd. You know it."
"There are ways to solve this, Casey, and they are not transfer, or…" she looked at Casey's bag, "… move. What's with 'brothers fight'?"
"Christie and I fell apart. We repatched it 13 years later. Maybe things will work out with Severide someday, but I'm not gonna spend the grace period in the same firehouse and apartment. It's not fair for everyone, for you. You've been caught in the middle because I'm your officer," said Casey.
"Are there no other ways? Anything?" asked Stella.
"Not that I see. Boden threatened to transfer both of us out. I don't want that happening, at least if I step back voluntary, Severide can stay," said Casey firmly. "Kidd, come on. Don't make this harder for me than it already is."
"Alright. Gonna miss you, Casey," Stella rushed forward and hugged Casey. She surprised herself when she felt tears fell down her cheeks.
"It's okay, I'll see you around," Casey patted her back.
"Yeah, you'll be at Molly's sometime, right? Bring Leone, she looks like she can drink," joked Stella while wiping her tears. "Thank you for… however many years, Casey. It's an honour being in your rig."
"Likewise. Proud of you. Hey, take the Lieutenant test. You'll make one hell of an officer," said Casey after she calmed down. "Oh, don't tell anyone just yet. Boden's gonna do it at the end of my furlough," he added. Stella nodded. "Alright, see you," he took his bag and left the apartment. Stella sat on the sofa and continued crying, to her own surprise. She didn't know since when she regarded Casey not only as her officer and Severide's best friend, but her own friend. When she moved in with them, she thought that she was okay with having Casey there, Severide and her just had to turn down the sex noise. In fact, she was not okay with the thought of Casey not being there.
"What are you watching that makes you teared up that much?" asked Severide when he walked into the apartment half an hour later. The most girly thing Stella watched is The Bachelor, and she usually yelled more than cried.
Stella pointed at the kitchen counter, where Casey left the note. She had read it and put it back, since it was addressed more at Severide than her. In it, Casey apologised once more, explained about his transfer and move. Severide paled as he read the note. He rushed to Casey's room, only to find the room empty, nothing that belonged to Casey was left there.
"When did this happen?" asked Severide.
"My tears haven't dried, so less than an hour," said Stella sarcastically. "Transfer had been filed."
"Boden didn't say anything," said Severide.
"I don't see how Boden needs to run things by you," snapped Stella.
"I messed up," Severide sat next to Stella. "I totally messed this up, didn't I?"
"You do," nodded Stella. She was pissed off at first, but became concerned when Severide's breathing became rapid and he was really pale, so she pulled Severide closer and calmed him down.
"This can't be happening," Severide muttered against Stella's shoulder. "He's my brother."
"I seemed to remember you saying otherwise," Stella reminded him softly. "It's alright, Kelly. It sounds like he will wait for you to come around. Mentioned that he repatched things with Christie."
Severide froze. How could he forget that Christie walked out on Casey, that when he first met Casey, Casey had no family. Mentioning family was forbidden. He knew Christie's existence when they were already at 51, as the long-lost sister. Casey never told him the complete story, but he knew it left a deep scar in both siblings. In Casey, it left fear of abandonment. And that's what he just did to someone he once swore was a brother. He cut ties, and he knew it brought Casey back to the moment Christie did so to him. He cursed, but grateful that at least now Casey had Christie to turn to.
"I'll call Boden," said Severide and pulled out his phone. "Chief."
"Yes, Severide," said Boden.
"I need you to hold on to Casey's transfer form. Don't file it just yet," said Severide. He heard Boden sighed.
"You repatched things with him?" asked Boden.
"Not exactly, but…"
"Then I need to hear it from him," said Boden.
"Chief, I know, I screwed up. I'll talk to him. Now, I'm gonna find him now," pleaded Severide. "I'm not gonna let him transfer out for me. Please. Return it to Casey, you'll have mine on your desk tomorrow."
"Unfortunately, I don't have it anymore. I was planning to keep it on my hand for as long as possible, however, headquarter had been talking about assigning a new captain to Engine 20. That's Casey's preferred house. I think I at least can make sure he goes to the house he wants, so I filed it in this morning. And your transfer is rejected, Lieutenant. I can't do with only one officer," said Boden. Severide shook his head in defeat.
"You said you'll transfer us both out though," Severide pointed out. "Alright, thanks Chief," said Severide.
"It doesn't make it okay though, Severide. You're still in the same district, make up with him," said Boden.
"Yes Chief," Severide hung up. "The transfer had been filed to HQ. I still need you to drive me to Christie's house, though."
"Why me?"
"I don't know where it is," reasoned Severide. Good point. Stella remembered the house, having just drove Casey there a few shifts ago.
"Alright. Let's go," said Stella. She texted Herrmann on the way.
"Is this the house?" asked Severide.
"Yeah. That's Casey's truck," Stella pointed out. "You're not coming? It's your business we're here," she said when Severide showed no notion of getting out of her car.
"Alright, here goes nothing," said Severide. He was relieved that it's a Wednesday, at least Casey should be home alone. He knocked on the door. Within a minute, the door was opened.
"Kelly," greeted Christie with no hint of friendliness in her voice.
"Hi, Christie," smiled Severide, which wasn't reciprocated.
"What do you want?" Christie closed the door behind her.
"I need to talk to Matt," said Severide.
"What about?" asked Christie harshly. Suddenly, Severide felt small. He always teased Casey for being overprotective towards Christie, turned out, it worked both ways. Christie Casey is a nice lady who brings food to the firehouse from time to time, but if her baby brother was disturbed, she'd come at you with look that could kill.
"You know," concluded Severide.
"Of course I know. Matt has been moping for weeks. Of course I know how bad he screwed up, he repeats that every day like a prayer. So, what do you want to talk to him about?" pressed Christie.
"I want to make things right. I know, I pushed too far. Please. You can even be there, making sure I don't say anything hurtful," offered Severide.
"How do you make things right?" asked Christie. Severide sighed.
"I don't even have a plan to come here this morning, so if you're looking for my written plan, or script, I don't have it. But first thing I need to get past you, talk to him," said Severide. Apologising silently, he pulled out a card he hoped won't hurt Christie badly. "You know that, Christie. You screwed up too, and you made things right. If any, I need advice right now." Christie's face softened.
"At least it doesn't take you 13 years," sighed Christie, and opened the door. "Second door to the left."
"Thank you, Christie. You want to be there?" asked Severide.
"No, but you know I have no hesitation to hurt you if I need to," warned Christie. She sighed when Severide went inside. "Boys," she commented to Stella.
"I'm sure Kelly didn't mean to hurt you with the last bit, he's just panicking," said Stella.
"It's alright. You want wine? I was working, don't think I can keep working," said Christie. "Haven't even had lunch, and I'm offering wine," she chuckled.
"Actually, I have something else to do. Can you make sure they don't kill each other?"
Severide peeked in the room without knocking. Casey was reading a floor plan spread on the bed, no doubt for his construction job. He turned to the door when he heard it was opened, fully expecting Christie to be there.
"Casey," said Severide tentatively. He closed the door behind him.
"You know about the transfer," guessed Casey. Severide nodded. Casey walked to him and extended his hand. "Thanks for everything, Severide. It was nice working with you," he said formally, although Severide could hear his voice wavered. "Sorry about how things ended, though."
"What end?" asked Severide. "No end, no. You're going to haul your things back to the apartment, and go to HQ to take back your transfer form. You're not going anywhere."
"You made it clear, that you're not mad anymore, so however much I apologised, there's no repairing this. I don't think I can be back to being strangers with you while having you around, or just two officers happen to be in the same house, like Leone and I will be. Either we're brothers, or not at all. You chose B," said Casey.
"A, Matt. Always A. You're my brother," Severide now had tears brimming on his eyes, fearing Casey turned the table on him. To his surprise, Casey walked forward, and held back.
"Can I hug you?" whispered Casey tentatively, looking scared. Severide enveloped him in a big hug, pushing Casey's head to lean on his shoulder while burying his own face in Casey's shoulder. Both of them were now sobbing, holding to each other as if their lives depended on it. Casey choked up some apology words in between, then stopped when Severide soothed him. For a few minutes, they took turn sobbing and calming each other down. After a while, they pulled themselves together, wiping their tears, still in each other's hug.
"Sorry, Severide. Really," said Casey.
"I think I'd like to stop hearing apology from you," said Severide. "I know you're sorry, I should've forgiven you long ago." He clapped on Casey's arms as they broke apart the hug.
"Sorry I gave up on you, too. I should keep trying," said Casey. "I just, I don't know. I feared rejection more than I feared losing a brother."
"It shouldn't take a transfer to solve this, though. I don't want you to be anywhere else but at 51, fighting fires with me," said Severide.
"I know," said Casey. He pulled Severide to sit on the bed and rubbed his back as Severide was still panting, trying to control his breathing and tears. "So, do we put this behind or what?"
"Yeah, behind. We'll go back to before the accident," agreed Severide.
"Alright. Do we agree not to talk about this anymore?" asked Casey.
"I'm gonna say this once, though. Sorry for… everything. For saying what I said, for breaking the ties, making you feel that transferring and moving were the only way out. It is never. I'd like you to move back in, if you want to," said Severide.
"My things are still in my truck," shrugged Casey. "Was about to look at apartments as soon as Christie's done with work today, guess that needs to be cancelled."
"Talking about Christie, I wouldn't want to be the kid who teased you in playground and faced Christie," said Severide, chuckling at the imagination. "Man, you should see how she dressed me down."
"What can I say? I'm her baby brother," Casey was beaming with pride. "No ill feeling, I hope. She's just being her. I told her everything, of course you're on her bad side. Regardless of who's right and wrong."
"Nah, it's fine. I might have rubbed her the wrong way too. I'll apologise," said Severide. "Hey, I gotta do what I gotta do to gain entry, she guarded the door."
"Wonder what Pridgen will say when I go to his office and demanded my transfer form back," said Casey.
"I'll testify that you weren't in the right frame of mind when writing that. Or I'll say that you were under threat," said Severide. Casey rolled his eyes.
"Nice idea, Kelly," he commented, then was taken aback. "I can 'Kelly' you now, can't I?"
"Of course," said Severide.
"Come on," said Casey, opening the door. Christie glanced up from her laptop. Upon seeing their swollen eyes, she stood up and walked to them.
"You guys okay?" she asked.
"Yeah," Casey glanced at Severide while answering. He smiled.
"Good for you," Christie clapped them at the shoulders. "See, Matt? Everything will be okay!" Casey pulled her into a hug.
"Not if we can't get to the HQ before they processed my transfer," said Casey. "I'll freshen up then we can go."
"Sorry for what I said, Christie. Didn't mean to salt the wound," said Severide.
"Nah, the wound is healed, salting it doesn't do anything anymore," said Christie. "You okay?" she pulled Severide into a hug gently.
"I am now," Severide choked up a sob. Christie rubbed his back and soothed him until he calmed down. Casey who just left the bathroom was taken aback.
"It's okay, Kelly," Casey took over Severide from Christie. "What is it?"
"No, just… relieved?" asked Severide. Christie smiled sadly, she was familiar with the feeling. Meeting her brother again after 13 years was overwhelming for her, and she couldn't control her tears for the next few weeks. It would not be as brutal for Severide, with the very different amount of time spent without a sibling, but she understood.
"Alright, wash your face," said Casey. Severide went to the bathroom.
"Is this your payback since Violet and Vanessa drove you crazy?" asked Christie.
"Yeah, Severide is equal to two teenage girls," said Casey. They heard Severide throwing up in the bathroom. "Kelly?" Casey walked to the bathroom, then opened it slightly and walked in. Severide was kneeling on the floor, having just threw up in the toilet. "What happened? Food didn't agree with you?" he rubbed Severide's back.
"Don't know," said Severide.
"We'll put it down to too much crying, and knowing you, alcohol," chuckled Casey, accepting a glass of water from Christie, then knelt beside Severide. "Rinse, spit."
"Don't have alcohol in my system," said Severide. He flushed and stood with Casey's support, and wet his face. Casey kneaded the back of his neck as he guided Severide to the living room to recline on the sofa.
"Sip on this," Christie handed him a glass of ice water. "Still feeling sick?" she asked. Severide moved his hand to motion 'a little bit'. Christie pressed a wet towel to Severide's forehead. "You two are staying for lunch, right? Kelly can rest here for a bit until he's feeling better," Christie said.
"We need to go to CFD Headquarter," said Casey. "After that, we'll return here. Either with good news or bad news."
"Okay, I'll cook something easy on the stomach," said Christie. "I'm assuming the apartment viewing is cancelled?"
"Yeah, I need to call the agent," said Casey. After Severide finished the drink and felt better, they got ready to leave. As they reached the front door, Casey frowned. "How did you get here, Kelly?"
"I…" Severide thought, but his mind was blank. "I don't know."
"You were with your girlfriend," suggested Christie, amused. "She said, she had somewhere to be, then she left."
"Ah, right," Severide walked out the door, then turned back to face the Casey siblings. "Christie, you read Harry Potter?"
"Yes, why?"
"You know the dog who guarded a trapdoor?" Severide grinned.
"Are you suggesting I'm a three-headed guard dog?" asked Christie.
"No, but that must be how they felt when they faced it," said Severide. "Joking aside, thank you, Christie. Sorry for bringing our problem to your doorstep."
"Nah, Matt's problem is my problem. You should know that going forward," Christie's tone was half joking, half serious. Casey pulled hir sister into a hug.
"We'll be back for lunch," said Casey.
"Bring Stella," said Christie.
As Casey drove away, Severide looked at his phone. "Stella went to HQ with Herrmann to intercept the transfer document," he said.
"Smart," commented Casey. "Why didn't you go there first, deal with me later?"
"Boden said, it's up to you. Not me," said Severide. "Let's hope Stella was fast enough."
Casey and Severide arrived in HQ a little before noon. As they ran up the stairs in HQ, they saw Stella and Herrmann sitting outside Chief Pridgen's office.
"Well?" asked Severide.
"Sorry, guys. It's been processed. Lieutenant McRolland is transferring in to 51, effective next shift," said Herrmann, looking sorry.
"How come it's so fast? And McRolland? I thought he was booted from 40," said Severide.
"That's why he needed a new house," said Herrmann. Severide groaned.
"That foul-mouthed, sexist, good-for-nothing? How come we get him? Didn't Boden have a say in this?" Severide stomped, upset.
"Sorry, guys. Didn't expect it to move that fast," said Casey. "Hey, Kelly. It's gonna be okay, though. You still have the whole house."
"Not you," said Severide. Casey put his hand on Severide's shoulder.
"I know," he said solemnly. He guided Severide to sit across Stella and Herrmann. "You'll be fine, Kelly." They missed Stella and Herrmann exchanging amused looks.
"Maybe I can join you at 20, Casey. McRolland and women firefighters… heard bad things about it," said Stella.
"Sorry, Kidd. Damn," cursed Casey. "Told Boden to file it immediately, but announce it later… didn't think he would file it that fast."
"Because HQ was about to assign someone to Engine 20, so Boden was worried you'd miss out on the spot," explained Severide.
"Ah, make sense. Alright. I'll tell Mouch and Gallo myself," he sighed. Stella and Hermann chuckled.
"Here, your welcome," Herrmann dropped an envelope on Casey's lap. It was Casey's transfer form.
"What?"
"It took a bit of convincing on Herrmann's part, to Carole there, and we peeled the document off Pridgen's desk, but we got a hold of it. It helped that he was visiting a firehouse, though," said Stella.
"So, McRolland?" asked Severide.
"Consider it our payback to you two, and I think it's not enough," said Stella.
"That's cruel," commented Casey. Severide looked relieved, he gaped and looked at Casey, then exhaled loudly and started laughing, clapping Casey's shoulder.
"Hey, Casey. Tear it," Herrmann pointed at the transfer form. Casey obeyed, tearing the form and chucking it into a rubbish bin nearby. "So, when are you back, Casey?"
"Still in two weeks, but at least you're not stuck with McRolland," said Casey.
"I'm sure Mouch would retire if so, and Gallo might poison his food," said Herrmann. They turned to the stairs when they heard footsteps approaching. Chief Pridgen looked perplexed when he looked at the crowd.
"Chief," Casey stood.
"Captain, Lieutenants, Kidd," he glanced and nodded at them. "You bring the whole firehouse with you to get your letter?"
"What?" asked Herrmann. Casey shook his head, perplexed.
"I thought Carole would ask you to come on Friday. Anyway, you're here. Wait," Pridgen went into his office and walked back out with a folded letter and a form. "This is your reprimand letter, and you need to sign this as a statement of acceptance that you'd be overlooked for promotion in the next year, at least, or three years, at most."
"You really have to say it in front of everyone, Chief?" Casey grunted, signing the form.
"You bring your troop, I thought it's okay," Pridgen replied. He stopped and looked at Severide. "You're lucky, Lieutenant. Not a lot of us have people who are willing to take the fall in the CFD. Now, if you'll excuse me," Pridgen went to his office.
"What did he mean?" asked Severide, snatching the letter from Casey's hand. Casey tried to grab it back, but Severide shoved his hands away while reading it. "What did you do?"
"I went to the scene, found CCTV recording of the victim stabbing your hand, found the pen, brought it to Pridgen, and asked for statement from Fidell, paramedics of 99," said Casey.
"No, it's said 'Based on subjective judgement, Captain Casey imposed a risky procedure to be carried out, opting for a quicker safe'," Severde gave the letter back to Casey.
"Boden once told me, you do what you have to do to protect your people," said Casey. "Not that I'd be a chief in three years anyway. You, on the other hand, are a step away from being captain. Next year?"
"I'm good where I am, but thank you," Severide clapped Casey on the back. "Let's get out of here."
"Herrmann, thank you," Casey shook Herrmann's hand.
"It's more for our sanity, Casey. I'm sure you'd do fine in 20," said Herrmann. "But I don't want to see this happening again. No fighting past midnight, no walking out."
"I believe those are marriage rules, Herrmann," said Stella. They all laughed.
"We'll try," said Severide.
"You two good?" asked Herrmann. They both nodded.
"Yeah, we're good. So, who won the bet?" asked Severide.
"I think the longest guess was Capp who put a week, and that's the closest to… what? Three weeks now?" said Herrmann.
"Give or take," said Stella. Herrmann waved and walked to his car. Stella looped her arms to Casey's and Severide's. "So, welcome back to 51, Casey. I believe, the apartment, too?"
"Yeah. Can't get rid of me, huh?"
"Poor my wasted tears, I cried for you," snorted Stella. "So, where are we going?"
"Christie's preparing lunch as of now," said Casey.
Casey was asleep at 2 am when he felt footsteps approaching his bed, then his bed dipped from someone sitting on it.
"No," he grunted. Severide didn't say anything, just slipped under the duvet. Casey peeked when Severide didn't answer. Severide was shaking and out of breath. "You okay?"
"Bad dream," answered Severide. Casey sighed. His sleep hadn't been restful either for the past few weeks, but as soon as he accepted that he needed to transfer out, he began sleeping well again. Turns out it's the other way around for Severide.
"What can I do?" asked Casey. Severide didn't answer. "Kidd knows you're here?"
"She sent me here," said Severide.
"Want to talk about it?" Casey turned on the bedside lamp. He saw the streak of tears on Severide's face. "Want something to drink?" asked Casey. Severide shook his head. "Okay, just go back to sleep," Casey turned off the lamp, sat on the bed and stroked Severide's head. He rambled about how he had been teaching Violet and Vanessa to drive, and Violet was surprisingly an okay driver, while Vanessa had two left foot and terrible hands-eyes-feet coordination. When he looked down again, Severide was already asleep, so he laid on the bed and drifted back to sleep.
"Kelly's still asleep?" asked Stella when he saw Casey on the kitchen, making coffee and breakfast. She skipped to the kitchen, smiling brightly because it felt like normal morning, not a cold war battlefield like the previous weeks.
"Yeah. What was that? You sent your boyfriend to my room to deal with the nightmare?" asked Casey. He didn't mind doing that, Severide and him took turns helping each other face nightmares in their early days of firefighting, result of bad calls and failed rescues, but it is nearly 20 years later, and one of them had his girlfriend sleeping with him.
"The nightmare was you being dead or hurt, and I couldn't convince him that it was a dream. So I told him to go to your room," said Stella. "Last week, you weren't there, he didn't go back to sleep until we went to shift."
"I see," said Casey.
"He went back to sleep okay?"
"Yeah. Go wake him up, eat before you guys need to go on shift," said Casey.
A few minutes later, Casey and Stella were having breakfast when Severide walked out of the bathroom. Severide grabbed a cup of coffee and pulled a plate, then joined them. They don't often eat before shift, but Casey prepared breakfast that day since he figured Severide might be hungry; he inhaled a lot of food during lunch after being sick in the morning and feeling relieved because everything turned out well, and skipped dinner because he wasn't hungry.
"Oh, you eat now? When it's pancake and I'm hoping you don't eat, so I can have everything?" asked Stella.
"I haven't eaten for weeks!" protested Severide. "If any, you two should donate the pancakes for me. And all the food for the following week." He referenced his aversion to eat Casey's cooking when they were quarrelling.
"Slept well?" asked Casey.
"Like a baby," said Severide. "What's the plan for today?"
"I have a construction job now, then driving lesson later. That'll be the theme for the following week. The nieces have driving license test next week," said Casey.
"I don't know which one's more terrifying, that or running into a fire," commented Stella. "Crashed my car when I was 18. My friends laughed so hard when I said I drove a fire truck now."
Two weeks later…
"Violet, you're on duty again today," whispered Gallo.
"What?"
"Casey's back," said Ritter.
"What? Today? Kidd, is that true?" asked Cruz.
"Yep," Stella nodded. "Oh, come on, I'm glad. Can't stand McRolland," she said, shot a dagger look at Herrmann. Herrmann jinxed it at the HQ by saying McRolland's name, as starting the next shift, McRolland was their floater officer. Stella swore she saw Gallo put excessive salt and pepper to McRolland's plate every meal and Violet emptied the coffee machine's carafe every time McRolland's was about to grab a cup of coffee, and poured it back from a container labelled 'lard' she kept nearby. She told their shenanigans to Severide and Casey at home with no remorse, because McRolland had been horrible to them all, and Casey promised he'd cook for the whole house when he got back.
"I'm glad too, but that means we're back to being in a cold war field," said Cruz.
"Positive thought, Cruz," said Mouch.
"Like what?" asked Gallo.
"Maybe now it's a different kind of war. Or friendly competition," chimed Brett. "Remember when Dawson and Mills competed to feed us with restaurant quality food? That was the best competition for me."
"Hey, we're offended, Brett. You don't think our pancake and taco battles were good enough?" asked Violet.
"Eh," Brett scrunched up her nose. "Not restaurant quality enough," she commented.
"Burger battle, next shift?" Gallo faced Violet, offering his hand.
"Burger? What restaurant do you have in mind? McDonald's?" asked Violet.
"Fancy burgers. Real meat, flame grilled, homemade sauce," said Gallo.
"Flame grilled? Doubt Casey will let you bring meat into the fire," said Herrmann.
"Deal," said Violet, shaking Gallo's hand. "I take Brett as my sous-chef."
"I'll take Ritter." Ritter frowned.
"Do I have a say?" asked Ritter.
"Nope, we don't," said Brett.
"Come on Ritter, we'll write the menu for the burger. You guys are gonna be so full, you'll roll into the fire," said Gallo enthusiastically.
"Are you planning to grill us, Gallo?" asked Mouch. "That's a really bad pun."
"No, but I have a secret recipe," said Gallo.
"Keep it for next shift," said Severide who strolled into the common room with a bag of groceries. Behind him, Casey carried a large cut of meat.
"Hey, Captain!" said Gallo. They all glanced at Casey and Severide who walked to the kitchen counter and unloaded the groceries. Everyone tried to guess the situation from their body languages. Stella and Herrmann grinned as they witnessed the observation, then as it sunk in, someone whistled. Severide laughed.
"Yeah, we're good," he laughed, clapping Casey on the back. Everyone cheered. They waited until the cheer died down. "Sorry guys, you know, brothers," he said.
"Took you long enough!"
"Oh they've been civil at home for the past week, how do you think I keep my sanity, with McRolland here?" said Stella.
"Pay up, guys," said Capp.
"You said a week," reminded Cruz.
"You all said less than three days," reasoned Capp. Money was begrudgingly passed to him.
"So, what's with the groceries? You guys cooking?" asked Herrmann.
"Because you survived McRolland, you're in for a feast this shift. Mouch, care to brief everyone?" asked Casey.
"I gained 10 kilograms when they were candidates and cooked every meal," said Mouch. "Corned beef?" Casey nodded. "Yes!"
"Casey spent two weeks furlough developing menu," said Severide.
"Don't let Gallo help, it would be over seasoned," quipped Stella.
"I'll pretend I didn't hear anything about it, or the lack of coffee available," said Casey to Gallo and Violet. They both grinned.
"It's full now," said Violet innocently.
"So, what did you really do on furlough, Casey?" asked Herrmann. Last he heard from Casey was in HQ.
"I cut my life a year by teaching two teenage girls how to drive," said Casey. "Teaching one is a heart exercise, teaching two—with the other one in the back seat—not healthy."
"Your niece?" asked Mouch.
"Nieces. Two. Two new drivers in Chicago, bless the city," emphasised Casey.
"All units, structure fire."
"Let's roll!" exclaimed Gallo, then jumped over the sofa and led the pack ran to the apparatus floor.
"That's very enthusiastic, unlike the past two weeks," commented Stella.
"Ready?" Severide put his hand on Casey's shoulder briefly as they ran out.
"Let's do this," nodded Casey.
"Welcome back," Severide ran to the squad rig, glancing at Casey and Stella in the truck rig as he wore his turnout coat. He couldn't imagine a better situation going forward.