Tied in to Chapter 6, after Benny's death. As in Chapter 6, it happened after Stella and Severide broke up, and Casey already moved in to Severide's apartment. For the sake of consistency with Chapter 6, Stella and Severide broke up before Benny died, and Violet and Gallo instead of Foster and Otis.
.
"Didn't see you last night at Molly's," commented Casey when Severide walked out of his room and went straight to the coffee maker.
"Yeah, didn't exactly have a reason to go there," said Severide.
"Do we ever need a reason to go to Molly's?" asked Casey.
"Alright, I'll rephrase that. Had a reason not to go to Molly's," said Severide. Casey nodded.
"Kidd?" he guessed.
"Tired too. I cleaned up Benny's house. Want to put it on the market soon," said Severide.
"You can ask for help, you know. Not that I have anything better to do," said Casey. Truth to be told, he was worried. One of the reasons he decided to move in with Severide was to keep an eye on him when he broke up with Stella. When Benny died, he was grateful that he already lived there. He expected Severide to recover from grief soon, but it's been more than two weeks after the funeral and Casey still sometimes heard him pacing around the apartment at night or crying. On the first week, Casey sat with him until he calmed down. Then, he started to realise that Severide tried to hide that he was crying, so he pretended not to hear. It pained him that he couldn't do anything to comfort him, but he let Severide deal with grief in his own way.
"Nah, it's okay. Not much to sort out anyway," said Severide. "Not hungry. I'll eat in the firehouse," grunted Severide when Casey handed out a piece of toast.
"Alright, let's go," said Casey. "Hey!" He flicked his fingers in front of Severide's face. "You okay, Kelly?" Before Severide had the time to react, he pressed his hand to Severide's forehead.
"Yeah, sorry," said Severide. He sighed, then picked his bag and followed Casey to the parking lot. Casey's phone rang as he drove. After glancing at the caller ID, Christie, Casey picked up the phone and put it on speaker.
"Christie, you're on speaker, I'm driving to the firehouse," said Casey.
"Oh. I'm also driving Violet to school. Who's with you?" asked Christie.
"Kelly. What's up?" asked Casey.
"Uncle Matt, you're coming tomorrow to my drama performance?" asked Violet.
"I didn't know you do drama," said Casey.
"I do. That's why, you need to come and clap when I go on stage," said Violet.
"I will. What part are you playing?" asked Casey.
"I'm one of the sisters. You'll see tomorrow," said Violet.
"Okay, I'll clap and yell that I'm your uncle when you appear on stage?" teased Casey.
"I'm not sitting with you then," interrupted Christie. "Five pm tomorrow, you'll see me there or pick me up?"
"I'll pick you up," said Casey. "See you, then."
"Bye!" said Violet.
"Stay safe, Matt. You too, Kelly. You two are magnets for trouble, aren't you?" chided Christie.
"He is. I'm very cautious," said Casey, glancing to see Severide's reaction. "Bye, see you tomorrow." After hanging up, he flicked his fingers. "Kelly!"
"Sorry, didn't pay attention," said Severide.
"Anything on your mind?" Casey asked gently.
"No, I'm good," answered Severide automatically.
"If you say so," said Casey as he parked near the firehouse.
"What's that supposed to mean?" asked Severide. Casey went around the car and clapped Severide on the back.
"It's okay not to be okay, Kelly. Saying that you're okay doesn't make it true," said Casey.
"You don't need to look too deep into it, Casey. I'm okay. Don't need you to play psychologist on me," said Severide. "Sorry, that came out too harsh," he quickly retracted.
"Okay, I'll back off," said Casey. "Just, if you need anything, you can ask, you know that right?" Severide nodded.
"Thanks," said Severide. Casey clapped him on the back before they entered the firehouse.
"Any other victim, Chief?" asked Casey into the radio as they searched the house.
"Yes, one more," said Chief. "One minute and then evacuate!"
"Negative, Chief!" said Casey. "I'm climbing to second floor. It's rolling in here!"
"I'll cover you!" Herrmann and Ritter were behind him with a hose.
"Severide, report!" yelled Boden. "Squad!"
"We're in second floor, north!" yelled Capp.
"Evacuate now!" Boden yelled on the radio. "Evacuate!"
The floor creaked. Before they had time to react, the chimney fell on the house.
"Casey! Severide! Herrmann! Report!" yelled Boden.
"I'm with Herrmann and Ritter, we're good!" yelled Casey.
"Severide, report!" yelled Boden.
"Severide, where are you? Severide!" Severide didn't answer Casey and Boden's calls. The three of them walked into a room where the chimney fell. Sure enough, Severide's lower body was below the chimney. Cruz walked in behind them.
"Severide!" Casey rushed to him and checked his condition. His mask broke, but he was responsive. Casey placed his fingers on Severide's neck, feeling his pulse for his own peace of mind.
"The victim is in the room across," said Severide.
"Check that room!" Casey pointed to the room across them. Severide's PASS alarm blared. "Chief, I found Severide! He's stuck, he saw the victim!"
"Found one victim, I'm taking him out!" yelled Mouch.
"I'll pull you out," said Casey, started pulling Severide. He didn't budge.
"Alright boys, one, two, three!" Herrmann, Ritter, and Cruz tried to lift the chimney. Stella and Tony walked into the room.
"Kelly!" she yelled. The floor creaked again.
"The floor's too soft, Captain," said Herrmann.
"We're too heavy. Kidd, Ritter, out," said Casey. "Squad, try balloon. Pump it, Herrmann and I will grab Severide." He knew he should send one of squad out instead of Stella and Ritter who are lighter, but he needed squad to free Severide.
"We're ready, Captain. Get ready to pull him out," said Tony.
"One, two, three!" yelled Cruz. The chimney still didn't budge. Severide screamed when Casey tried to pull him.
"Hey, Kelly, you think it's spinal?" Casey's blood ran out cold. He placed his hand below Severide's head.
"Don't know. Cruz, put balloon on one side, cribbings on the other end!" said Severide. Squad quickly rearranged.
"One, two, three!"
"Nothing, stop!" Herrmann yelled. "The balloons are going to fall through the floor, it's getting softer," he warned.
"Alright, Tony, Capp, out! Herrmann, you too," said Casey. Herrmann looked like he wanted to protest, but nodded.
"I'm leaving you the hose," said Herrmann.
"Cruz, let's try the balloon in the middle," said Casey.
"No, you cannot do that. The balloon will explode, and it will crush me further," said Severide. The floor creaked under them. When Cruz stepped to the side, his boots went into the floor. Casey knew they were out of options.
"Alright, Cruz. You too," said Casey.
"What about you?"
"I'll cover Severide with my body, we'll make a stand," Casey pushed his mask to Severide's face.
"Go, Case," Severide tried to shove him.
"What? You'll both die!" said Cruz. "Get ready to pull him out!"
"Cruz, wait! You'll go straight through the floor!" yelled Casey.
"I don't care. Go!" Cruz groaned loudly as he lifted the chimney by an inch, which gave Casey the opportunity to pull Severide. He dragged Severide as far as possible, and nearly backed out into a wall when Cruz dropped the chimney.
"Go!" yelled Casey. Without even checking Severide's condition, he hauled his best friend over his shoulder, carrying him down the stairs. Cruz led him to the front door, and they exited the house a few seconds after two loud explosions were heard on the second floor. Casey lowered Severide to the grass.
"You okay?" asked Casey as Severide went into a coughing fit. He reached out and rubbed Severide's back as Severide spitted on the ground.
"Yeah," said Severide. Casey pulled him up.
"Engine, drown it!" yelled Boden. Casey guided Severide to the ambulance where the victim was being treated. Violet walked to them, and Casey pushed Severide forward.
"Come on, you should come with us," said Violet.
"I'm okay," said Severide, looking at Casey then Boden for back-up. Boden nodded to Violet.
"Don't play doctor on yourself, Lieutenant, let the real doctor check you up," said Violet gently but firmly, then taking over Severide from Casey. She guided Severide climbing into the ambulance behind the victim, then closed the door behind them. Brett grinned at Casey and Boden, proud of how Violet handled the situation and defused Severide's rejection quickly.
"I'll ask Mikami to talk Kelly's ears off after this to avoid arguments," said Casey.
"She's a paramedic, not an officer. You do, but avoid arguments. I'll have some words about not answering his radio, but you talk to him first," said Boden.
"I think he answers to you, Chief," said Casey.
"I don't think it's a chain of command thing, Casey. It's personal," said Boden.
"Lieutenant, we're going back to the firehouse. You're coming with us?" asked Violet while peeking in the room. Severide was lost in reverie, and when she walked into his direct line of view, he looked at her.
"Huh?"
"Brett's restocking the ambo. Monique said they cleared you?"
"Yeah, yeah," Severide nodded. "Why didn't I move?"
"Sorry?"
"I didn't move when Chief said evacuate," said Severide.
"You heard that? We thought you didn't hear him in the radio," said Violet.
"I heard him, but I didn't answer. I didn't move," said Severide.
"Wasn't it because you saw the victim?" asked Violet.
"No, I was already down when I saw the victim," said Severide. "Why didn't I move?"
"I don't know," said Violet. Severide sighed then hopped off the bed, wincing when he did. Violet's hand was automatically on his arm when he swayed. "What hurts?"
"Whole body?" suggested Severide. "Up until just now, I didn't feel anything."
"What do you mean didn't feel anything?" asked Violet. She released her hold on Severide but stayed close, ready to catch him if he falls.
"I felt numb. Didn't know why I was taken here," said Severide.
"Because you were coughing and limping," said Violet. She softened her voice. "From my experience, traumatic events sometimes made us unable to feel something from other senses. It might be the adrenaline, or our mind is protecting us. Given what just happened in the scene, and, in general, in your life… maybe, that's what happened," said Violet gently. Severide rubbed his eyes with his fists. Violet frowned. "Were you given IV?" asked Violet, pressing her hand to his forehead.
"I was bruised, why did I need an IV?" asked Severide.
"Are you okay?" asked Violet concerned.
"Yeah," said Severide. Violet's looked at him sceptically. "Okay, I feel drowsy, and more tired than I'm supposed to."
"Wait here, sit," said Violet. She went to the vending machine and got a bottle of orange juice. When she entered the room again, she shoved it to Severide's hand. "Sip on this."
"Huh?"
"Haven't had breakfast?" asked Violet. Severide shook his head. "You wanna get checked…"
"No," Severide cut her off.
"Okay. Come on, Brett's waiting in the ambo." They walked to the ambulance bay. Violet's hand was on his back, and she hovered in case he faceplanted.
"You wanna sit in the front?" asked Violet when they arrived at the ambulance bay.
"No, it's okay," Severide climbed to the back of the ambulance, wincing when he hauled himself up the ambulance. Violet closed the door then sat beside Brett.
"You're okay?" asked Brett. It took Severide a couple seconds to realise that she was talking to him.
"Huh, yeah, all good," said Severide.
"How's the breathing?" asked Brett.
"Got oxygen, it was okay," Severide sipped on the juice and felt his drowsiness lessened.
Severide was still a bit drowsy when they rolled back into the firehouse that he didn't reject Brett's outstretched hand when he was about to jump out of the ambulance. Then, Violet guided him to his quarter. He didn't even realise that the apparatus floor was empty. Violet made sure he was already flat on his bunk before she left him. She resisted fussing about him, like she most likely would do to other members of the firehouse. However, she told Casey the prognosis, and Casey agreed to take a look at the wounded lieutenant. Severide braced himself to be told off when Casey entered his quarter. After all, he did almost harm them both in the process. He winced, realising that without his father, he had one less person mourning him if the worst happened. However, Casey… he remembered Christie and Violet's voices on the phone in the morning.
"Lunch or ice packs first?" asked Casey. It was 3 pm and as far as he remembered, Severide didn't join them for lunch.
"Ice packs," said Severide. Casey disappeared. He was back a couple minutes later with ice packs and a bag of food. He closed the blinds in the quarter.
"Where?" asked Casey. Severide reached for the ice packs and placed them on his stomach and thighs. "Eat. You finished that?" Casey took the orange juice bottle and looked satisfied that it was empty. "You didn't eat breakfast and lunch, so," Casey gave him a banana. Severide looked at him and decided to do what was asked while avoiding Casey's eyes. He thought Casey would scold or yell at him, so delaying that is good enough.
"Good. Now this," Casey ripped a package of crackers and pulled out a jar of peanut butter. He dipped the cracker in the peanut butter and gave it to Severide one by one. Severide didn't care that Casey was a step away from hand-feeding him. After Severide finished a pack of crackers, Casey closed the peanut butter jar.
"There's spaghetti in the kitchen. You want some?" asked Casey.
"A bit," said Severide. Casey disappeared behind the door and was back in a minute with a plate of spaghetti. It's smaller than the normal portion, which Severide was grateful for. Casey didn't say anything while he ate, but he felt Casey's stare on him.
"Out with it," he said.
"We'll talk after shift," said Casey, his voice was bordering cold. Knowing him, Severide knew he was holding back his words to keep the peace. "Are you good to be on shift or do you need to be sent home?"
"I'm good. Sore, but good," said Severide.
"Right," Casey strode to the door.
"Casey," Severide called, unsure what to say. "You're not mad?"
"Oh I am, believe me. But I'm more worried than angry, so that can wait," said Casey.
"Sorry," said Severide.
"Just rest, text if you need anything," Casey patted Severide's shoulder, then left. He just started writing his report when Stella appeared at his quarter.
"Casey," Stella asked tentatively. "How is he?"
"Sore," said Casey. Stella sighed. "Kidd, you're clearly still carrying torch. Go talk to him."
"No, I don't. He talked to you?" asked Stella. Casey shook his head. "Then, why would he talk to me?"
"I don't know," said Casey. "I haven't talked to him too, not sure I can hold back some choice words."
"Truck 81, Ambulance 61, traffic accident."
"Come on. Head in the game," warned Casey as they ran to the apparatus floor.
"Kelly," Casey slipped into Severide's quarter. "How are you feeling?" He picked up the melted ice packs and put them on the desk.
"Okay, I guess," said Severide. He winced when he sat. "I'm running drills," he said, walking past Casey. Casey sat in his quarter, burying himself with paperwork. An hour later, Severide walked in without saying anything and threw himself on the bunk.
"Well?" asked Casey.
"What?"
"Why are you here?" asked Casey.
"Change of scenery," said Severide. Severide just started to snooze off when Herrmann knocked.
"Hey, Casey," Herrmann was taken aback seeing Severide on the bunk. "Aah, Severide. You okay?"
"Yeah, perfect," said Severide. Herrmann patted his foot lightly.
"What is it, Herrmann?" asked Casey.
"Have you filed the report from last shift's fire? I forgot to put in a detail," said Herrmann.
"I put it on Chief's desk this morning," said Casey.
"Alright, I'll catch it there," said Herrmann.
"I'll go with you," said Casey. Once they walked a safe distance from his quarter, he turned to Herrmann. "What do you think happened?"
"About he not answering his radio?" asked Herrmann. Casey nodded. "You don't think it is a radio mishap?"
"The walls are thin, there's no concrete in the room he was in, and given what happened, I don't know," shrugged Casey.
"Is he sleeping? He looks like…you know this TV Lee Henry's been watching, The Walking Dead," said Herrmann.
"I don't think so. One day he was crying, the other day he stayed in front of the TV until late, next day he paced around… he's been cleaning Benny's house," said Casey.
"Remember Shay's death? Wandered around drunk…picked up fights, ran away to Vegas. You keep an eye on him, make sure he doesn't do anything stupid this time." Casey nodded. Then, he was preoccupied with Gabby's grief that he wasn't there for Severide in the beginning. Now, he had all the time to keep an eye on Severide. "How is he? From this morning?"
"Bruised all over, but overall okay. Blood sugar is suspected to be low, he was drowsy. I don't think he ate last night and this morning, but I made sure he ate lunch," said Casey.
"Good. Do that every meal and you'll have a healthy boy," Herrmann grinned. "Tried and tested, five times!"
"Room for a sixth one?" asked Casey.
"Trade with Kenny James?" offered Herrmann. Casey laughed.
"Thanks, Herrmann. I don't do parenting, and now I suddenly have a full-grown adult to worry about," said Casey. Herrmann stopped walking in front of the common room.
"Hey, worry about him like you're worried about your sister, don't hover and treat him like Kenny James," said Herrmann.
"Yeah, Christie doesn't yell at me," quipped Casey. "Thanks, Herrmann."
Severide was in and out of sleep for the next hour as Casey wrote his report. After Casey put his report in Boden's office, he walked to the common room. Gallo and Ritter were cooking.
"Violet!" Gallo called as soon as Violet and Brett entered the common room after a call. "Go, duty calls."
"I swear when I first offered, I didn't know it would become a duty," grunted Violet. She accepted the plate from Gallo and took some food. "Ah, Captain. Lieutenant duty, you or me?" she asked. Gallo and Ritter looked startled witnessing Violet's innocent question.
"Do you mind?" asked Casey.
"No," said Violet.
"He's in my quarter," said Casey. "Don't ask." Violet nodded, then walked to Casey's quarter after stopping at her locker. She knocked.
"Lieutenant," she peeked. Severide was lying with his eyes closed, and looked at her as she entered. "Room service," she put the plate on the bedside table.
"Thanks," said Severide, wincing when he sat.
"How are you feeling?" asked Violet.
"Better."
"Any dizziness, drowsiness? Sorry," mumbled Violet before putting her hand on Severide's forehead. "No longer clammy, that's good."
"No, good to be back on call," said Severide. "What caused the drowsiness?"
"Do you have diabetes, Lieutenant?" asked Violet. Severide shook his head. "Family history of diabetes?"
"My dad died of stroke, not diabetes," shrugged Severide.
"When was the last time you ate?"
"Lunch," said Severide.
"You didn't have breakfast. Did you eat last night?" asked Violet. Severide thought and shook his head. "I think that's it, although I'd suggest you to check it. You didn't eat for a prolonged period, so your blood sugar became low, that's why I gave you juice. However, don't take my words. Go get yourself checked up by a doctor," said Violet.
"Yeah, maybe," said Severide.
"For now, we'll go with starvation… have a go," said Violet, handing out the chocolate bar. "Then, eat your dinner," she said. Severide handed back the chocolate bar after eating a piece. Violet snapped it in half and left the rest on the bedside table. "Suggestion, if I may?" she asked.
"Shoot," said Severide.
"Don't skip meals," said Violet. "Uhm, even if you don't feel like eating, or you think you can't stomach anything, if you skip more than one meal, your body might think you're going into starvation mode… if it happens repeatedly, that caused low blood sugar, which resulted in drowsiness, shaking hands, clammy skin… in the long run, that can cause harm too."
"Noted. Thanks," said Severide. "Hey, what you said… with traumatic events… how long did it take for things to get to normal?"
"I don't know," Violet sat on the foot of the bunk. "I was five years old, and my grandparents and I got into a traffic accident. I was relatively unharmed, got some stitches, my grandma too, but my grandpa was in a wheelchair for three years. For a couple months after the accident, I sometimes zoned out, when playing in the park, being in kindergarten, eating dinner, it felt like a third person view, I stopped responding when called. A month later I hurt my knee badly, got many stitches, blood was everywhere, but I didn't feel it. Like you said, the pain was delayed. Because I was little, I didn't know how long it took to heal, or at what point. However, 5 or 55, the trauma is real," said Violet.
"You think I'm 55?" asked Severide amused.
"No, but my grandma was 55. She experienced trauma too, went to counselling. Maybe it's not my place to say it, but loss of a parent is a traumatic event, too. Just because you don't have a wrecked car, doesn't mean it's to be taken lightly, especially with a dangerous job," said Violet gently. "And a chimney fell on you, that made it justified too, I think. Go easy on yourself."
"Got it," said Severide. "Thank you."
"Yeah," said Violet, then left the quarter. Kidd was in front of the door. "Kidd!" Violet gasped. Stella's eyes widened and she pulled Violet away, shushing her on the way.
"How is he?" asked Stella.
"Okay, I think," said Violet. "He's eating. You can go in."
"No, I can't. I'll unravel that can of worms if I do," said Stella.
"I know how you feel. However, you can always be friends. Or anything in that spectrum," said Violet.
"Not everyone can jump back to being friends as easy as you and Gallo," grumbled Stella. Violet and Gallo had become easy friends once they were past their awkwardness the first week Violet was in 51.
"Well, you're in the same firehouse. It's either that or getting back together," smirked Violet. Stella sighed. She knew that Violet is right, but it's not easy to admit it.
"Kelly, can I come in?" asked Casey from the door. It was past 8 pm, and it's been a slow shift so far.
"It's your quarter," said Severide. Casey took the dirty plate and ice packs back to the kitchen. He came back within a minute and sat on the end of the bunk. Severide sat on the bunk facing Casey.
"Are you okay?" asked Casey softly.
"I froze," said Severide.
"What do you mean? I was talking about you didn't answer the radio," said Casey.
"I didn't answer because I froze," said Severide. Casey's blood ran cold.
"So you were under the chimney because you froze," repeated Casey. Severide nodded. "We nearly died because…"
"I didn't ask you to stay!" defended Severide.
"Yeah, because if it was me, you'd leave me to die," spat Casey sarcastically.
"Casey," Severide exhaled loudly.
"Truck 81, Ambulance 61, Squad 3. Home accident."
"Come on," said Severide, rushed past Casey out the door.
"Wait," Casey held on to Severide's arm. "You're gonna be on my hip the whole time."
"Casey, I'm not a candidate," said Severide.
"Can't have you freezing again, Kelly. I won't say anything, but you're glued beside me. Send Cruz for dangerous stunts," said Casey.
"Fair enough," said Severide, then rushing ahead of Casey.
"What's home accident? I think this is my first time," said Gallo.
"It can be anything. Knife cut while cooking, domestic violence, kid trapped in bathroom," said Casey.
"Had a woman locked out of her room after bath," said Mouch.
"Your favourite call to date, Mouch?" asked Kidd.
"No, not really. It must be the modelling agency fire," said Mouch.
"Wasn't Trudy there because it was not accidental?" asked Casey, smirking.
"Yeah, but she didn't say anything when I had two models clinging on to me," shrugged Mouch.
"What happened?" asked Casey to the child in front of the house. She was around four.
"Mummy…" she cried. Casey ran to the house. Gallo squatted in front of her.
"We'll go inside, you stay here, two ladies will see you in a minute, okay?" said Gallo. When she nodded, Gallo ran inside.
The scene was as gruesome as Gallo had ever seen. A lady was hanging on her neck on the second floor railing, one of her hands was holding the railing and the other has a knife stabbed across her arm, her blood was dripping from her hand.
"We hold on to her, tie her up, cut the bars, pull her up?" asked Casey to Severide.
"Tony, Cruz, get the saw!" said Severide.
"Mam, we're with the CFD. Stop moving, hold on. Kidd, up with me. Gallo, prop her up. Mouch, get the rope," said Casey. They all rushed upstairs while Gallo placed himself below the woman.
"Mam, I'm standing below you. I'm going to touch your legs and put them on my shoulders. You can step on my shoulders," said Gallo. When Brett entered the house, her eyes widened seeing Gallo with legs on his shoulders. Mouch ran past them with the rope.
"Casey, you want us to deal with the hand now or later?" asked Brett.
"If you can do it in three minutes, now!" yelled Casey. Brett looked at Violet.
"I can. May I?" asked Violet.
"Go ahead," said Brett. Violet and Brett dragged a cabinet and placed it next to Gallo. Violet climbed the cabinet.
"Mam, my name is Mikami, I'm a paramedic. I'll wrap your arm with bandage. You need to stay still so we don't cause further damage, okay?"
"Gallo, loop the rope around her, carefully!" yelled Casey, passing a rope down.
"I'll loop it under my feet, Captain," said Gallo.
"Be careful," Brett pointed at the woman's hand and helped Gallo looped the rope under his feet.
"Violet, let the rope pass through," said Brett.
"Clear!" said Violet.
"Captain, you can pull the rope, it's clear!" yelled Gallo.
"Be careful, Violet," said Brett. "How deep is it?"
"Touching the bone. Should we do tourniquet?" asked Violet.
"Good idea," said Brett.
"Mam, this will hurt a little, okay? Stay very still," said Violet before pulling the tourniquet. "Brett, Gallo, clear the drop area."
"Be careful, Violet. Don't step back," reminded Gallo to Violet. Brett passed her the gauze and Violet bandaged the arm with gauze.
"The rope is secured, Captain!" said Mouch.
"Alright, you can take your hand off," said Stella who laid on the floor to be on an eye level with the woman.
"Squad, saw the bar here and here," said Severide, and they quickly worked to cut the bars. Casey took off his turnout coat and put it over the woman's head.
"Kidd, take cover," said Casey.
"Hey, tell me about your child," said Stella, trying to get the woman's attention away from the work around her as she crouched down below Casey's coat.
"Clear!" said Severide.
"Mikami, how many more minutes?" asked Casey.
"30 seconds, Captain," said Violet. "Scissor." Brett passed her a scissor then she finished the bandage. "We're done down here. Be careful, don't jostle it pulling up."
"On my count. Three, two, one! Kidd, watch the arm!" said Casey.
"Brett! Need the stretcher!" called Stella.
"Go, I can jump," said Violet. Brett got the stretcher.
"If you're hurt, I'm not rolling you into Med, Violet!" said Brett as she ran up the stairs. Violet crouched down, getting ready to jump when Gallo stretched his arms.
"Come on, I got you," said Gallo. Violet jumped down and Gallo caught her on the waist, then lowering her slowly.
"Thanks," said Violet, then ran upstairs. When they arrived, the woman was already halfway up, her arm was secured, and Casey and Severide pulled her up and put her on the stretcher.
"You're safe, mam. What happened up there?" asked Casey while Brett checked her vital.
"My husband… ex-husband now, threw me down the railing," said the woman. "Elise, where is Elise?"
"She was outside, waiting for us," said Gallo.
"Vital is normal. I'll put in IV," said Brett. Violet passed her the equipment. "Push in Versed."
"Pushing Versed," said Violet.
"IV is in. Help carry her to the ambo," said Brett. They carried the stretcher down the stairs.
"Mummy mummy!" Elise who sat at the door ran after them to the ambulance.
"Elise! Go to Grandma," said the woman.
"You have her number?" asked Violet.
"My phone's gone. But she's my emergency contact," said the woman.
"We can't take her with ambo," said Brett, fumbling with Stella and Mouch to load her to ambulance.
"Hey, Elise. My name's Violet. We need to take your mum to the hospital. You're gonna see her again later, okay?" Violet crouched down in front of her. Elise hugged her and cried.
"We'll bring her to 51," said Casey.
"This is my friend Blake. We have a dog in the firehouse. Do you like dogs?" said Violet as she carried Elise to Gallo. Elise nodded. "Be brave for your mummy, okay? Can you go with Blake to our house, while I get your mum to the hospital? Promise, I'll see you later," said Violet. Elise nodded. Violet passed her to Gallo. Once Gallo held Elise, Violet jumped into the back of the ambulance. "We'll tell the grandma to go to the firehouse," she said, lowering her voice to talk to Casey. "Contact CPD, she has a lot of bruises."
"You okay?" asked Casey as he clapped Severide on the shoulder.
"Yeah," said Severide.
"I don't think I'll ever get married again. Domestic violence…" Stella mumbled under her breath as she, Brett, and Violet entered the common room. Gallo, Ritter, and Elise were sprawled on the floor, Tuesday was between them.
"I will. Not the violence though. See what comes out of it," Violet squealed at Elise before joining them on the floor. Elise crawled to her lap and nestled there.
"I know, you wish for her enthusiasm," said Brett to Stella.
"She's young. Don't poison her. We can be nuns together," said Stella.
"Go to sleep, you two. You're delirious," commented Herrmann. "That's what Cindy said when she was 20. Boom, five kids!"
"Gallo, grandma is picking her up in 30 minutes," said Casey.
"Okay. We'll wait for her," said Gallo. Violet giggled because both Elise and Tuesday were on her lap. She was soon sprawled on the floor with them.
"Right, I'll hit the bunk," said Brett and dragged Stella to the bunk room, joining some of the other firefighters who went to bed before him. Soon enough, only Gallo, Ritter, Violet, and Elise were left.
"You hungry, Elise?" asked Violet when she heard Elise's stomach grumbled.
"A bit," said Elise.
"What do you usually eat before sleep?" asked Violet.
"Milk," said Elise. Violet looked at Gallo pointedly, who poked Ritter. Ritter went to the kitchen and came back a minute later with a small glass of milk and two cookies, bless Annabelle Herrmann for sending those.
"Here you go," said Ritter. Elise started munching the cookies and drinking the milk. A few minutes later, she fell asleep on Violet's lap.
"She's asleep," whispered Gallo.
"Aaw," Violet stroked the little girl's hair. "I'll take her to the bunk room," she said. She carried Elise to the bunk room, put Elise on her bunk, and was ready to leave when the little girl cried, calling for her mum.
"Sssh," Violet climbed on the bunk and held her, rocking her slightly. Elise calmed down instantly. Casey appeared beside her bunk.
"Gallo will tell you when the pick-up is here," said Casey in a low voice, since Brett and Stella were asleep in the nearby bunks. Violet nodded.
"Your grandma's picking you up soon, Elise," she whispered.
"Sorry you got roped into this," said Casey. Paramedics tend to have more calls during shift, and they had to constantly restock the ambulance, so usually the junior firefighters deal with these kinds of stuff.
"What do you mean? Anytime there's a kid here, call me. Kids have that calming effect, all problems are gone if we have kids around," said Violet, laying Elise on her lap, sighing with relief when she didn't budge.
"Glad to hear that," said Casey, then left to his quarter. He sat on his desk, thought about what could he do to help Severide deal with his grief, and laughed bitterly when he realised that he had lost so many people in his life, but he hadn't figure that out.
Violet's soft knock on his door brought him out of his reverie. "Captain, Elise's grandparents are here," she whispered. Behind her, Gallo was carrying Elise, but Elise's hand was curled around Violet's fingers. Casey followed them to the apparatus floor.
"I wanna take her home, she looks so innocent," said Violet. Casey snickered. He couldn't resist patting Elise's head. His touch woke Elise up, who looked at him sleepily, then squirmed and buried her face in Gallo's shoulder.
"Hey, Elise, grandma is here," said Violet. Elise reached to her, and Gallo passed her to Violet who smiled with triumph.
"I'm hurt," whispered Gallo. Violet stuck out her tongue. Casey rolled his eyes. Only those two would compete for a toddler's affection.
"Oh, there she is," Elise's grandma is a lady in her 60s, and a man around her age was behind her.
"Mrs. Burke? I was told by CPS to ask for ID," asked Casey. Elise's grandma showed her ID. "Thanks. I'm Captain Casey, these are Gallo and Mikami, they've been taking care of Elise. How is Elise's mum?"
"She's in surgery. Michael has been beating her for years now… and Elise too, to the point that Elise didn't want to be near men," said Mrs. Burke.
"We're sorry," said Casey. "We looped in CFD."
"They've sent out his picture and, I guess, traced his phone, he got caught outside Chicago," Mrs. Burke seemed emotional. "How is Elise?"
"She's fine, no injuries, well, no new ones," said Violet. "You wanna…"
"Oh," Mrs. Burke received Elise from Violet. Elise woke up.
"Bye, Elise," Violet waved at her. Elise reached for her and hugged her tightly. Violet kissed her cheek. "You can come to play with Tuesday every three days."
"Who's Tuesday?" asked Mrs. Burke.
"Our dalmatian, Elise played with her earlier," said Violet.
"She loves dogs. Michael ran over the last dog with his car… that maniac. Therese stopped getting dogs since then," said Mrs. Burke. "Hopefully this is the new beginning for them. Thank you," Mrs. Burke held Violet's hand. "Thank you, Captain. And you too. Don't take it personally if Elise is hysterical around men, it happened all the time."
"She didn't, well, she preferred Violet, but I carried her from the house to here, she didn't let go," said Gallo.
"Oh, thank God," said Mrs. Burke. "We'll get going. Thank you." They waited until the grandparents left, then returned to the firehouse.
"She didn't resist me, that's good enough," said Gallo to Violet.
"Maybe because you're more like her friend, as in, her age," mocked Violet.
"I can vouch that," nodded Casey.
"Captain," protested Gallo.
"You two did good with her," said Casey. "Go to sleep."
"Ambulance 61, accidental poisoning."
"Alright, so much for sleeping," Violet ran to the ambulance, waiting for Brett.
"Sit. That'd be more comfortable than the chair," Casey pointed at the sofa once they walked into the apartment. Severide knew what that means. They're going to have the dreaded conversation about him freezing on the call.
"Matt, that's not necessary," said Severide. Casey didn't say anything, moved around the kitchen to set up the coffee machine. He toasted four pieces of bread and divided them among two plates, handing one to Severide.
"Egg or jam?" asked Casey.
"Jam," said Severide. Casey grabbed a jar of jam from the cabinet and brought it in his armpit, balancing two coffee mugs on both hands. They ate in silence.
"Still sore?" asked Casey.
"A little bit," said Severide. "Okay, out with it."
"I don't know what to say," admitted Casey. The previous day, he had too much he wanted to yell to Severide, that he was worried if he'd say something damaging. However, after sleeping on it, he no longer knew what should he say, or if what he said would matter. "Just tell me what happened."
"You heard what I said. I froze on the scene," said Severide.
"And you also think there's a possibility that I'd leave you alone in there," said Casey.
"If it comes to it, I think you should," Severide insisted.
"If it's the other way around, you'd leave me to die?" challenged Casey.
"Of course not. You have people worrying for you, you have plan with Christie and Violet," reasoned Severide.
"Oh, so just because your plan is with Benny's empty house, it makes it okay for you to die?" asked Casey. "You need plan to make an effort to survive? We'll make plan then," said Casey.
"It's not that… Benny's my family. Well, there's my mum and Katie, but Benny's been a constant lately. Even though he's being a pain in the ass, but I know it matters to him that I'm alive," said Severide.
"It matters to me, you know it," said Casey quietly. Severide was taken aback.
"I know, sorry, it came out different than I intended. Point is, I have visibly no family left," said Severide.
"Remember back in the academy, I said I had no family? Darden said 'you have two now'. Just because Christie is back in my life, doesn't mean you're not family anymore, Kelly. Things I'd do for Christie, I'd do for you too. You don't have to be a ghost to know that I'd be devastated if anything happened to you," said Casey. His voice wavered, and while he's not one to tear up easily, he's also desperate to get the point across to Severide.
"Yeah, I… I know that. I forget about it at times, though," said Severide.
"I trust you with my life, but more than that, there's no one else whom I trust to watch your back than myself. I want to make sure you escape every call. And you hadn't been making it easy lately," said Casey.
"I know, sorry," said Severide. "And I know you wouldn't leave me, it's just… I couldn't imagine what Christie would say if anything happened to you in that fire."
"Imagine what I would say if anything happened to you in that fire," Casey said, looking down. "Sorry, it's not about me. But I can't stop thinking that something bad is gonna happen. You didn't hear the radio this time, what's next?"
"I heard it. It was just very far, and it was like watching a movie. I suddenly forgot that I have to answer the radio, call for victims, break doors, dodge falling items. And I didn't feel the pain until dr. Choi was done treating me," said Severide.
"You know why?" asked Casey softly.
"Mikami said it might happen after traumatic events, that one sense or more can't feel anything. That's what my life is now, Casey. Traumatic events. One after another," said Severide.
"That makes sense," said Casey. "Not the one after another traumatic events… but feeling numb."
"Have I reached my breaking point? Like you said, saying that I'm okay doesn't make it true."
"So, acknowledge it. Ask for help. One way or another, I can't keep my eyes on you all the time on the scenes, Kelly. We can't afford to lose one more firefighter. I can't, especially you," pleaded Casey. Severide was touched by Casey's moving speech. He knew Casey valued his friendship, but they don't talk about it often.
"I don't know what to do," Severide's wall finally crumbled. "Either I stayed awake, or I had nightmare. Including in the firehouse, I never slept during shift. Every day I thought, this is the last time I have a nightmare. It didn't happen."
"What can I do to help? And don't say nothing. I wanna help, please," said Casey.
"I don't know. We went to Michigan the other day, it helped… while we were there. Then, when I'm back, I snapped back to reality. And then Benny died… I thought the nightmare was going to stop after a while."
"Probably talk to someone… I know you're not one to talk, but the other day, when you took me to the cabin, it was a turning moment. I got free from Gabby's ghost, and met the old couple," said Casey.
"How can we find them?" asked Severide. "No, no cabin."
"Or there's somewhere you can escape to… when I was staying at Christie's, I had a new routine that I forgot what life with Gabby was like," said Casey.
"Yeah, I'll pass. Where would I go to? Katie?" Severide chuckled. "I'd freak her out if suddenly I appeared, weeks after Benny's death."
"I get it. We'll look for other ways."
"Sorry I made you worried," said Severide.
"You've past your worry quota, Kelly. Too many," sighed Casey. "You've used up 20 lives to this point." He clapped on Severide's shoulder.
"What are you gonna do today?" asked Severide.
"Construction job, then Violet's school performance. Come on, I can use some help," said Casey.
"As long I as I don't need to squat? I'm still bruised," said Severide.
"Got it."
"I don't know what should I do to help him, Christie. It's getting frustrating," said Casey as he sat on the sofa. Violet just left them to go to her room after dinner, and Casey just told Christie about Severide while they cleaned up.
"I have no idea. However, you can do what you do best," said Christie.
"What's that?"
"Persisting. When I told you things were good, with Jim, you didn't back off. Why did you back off now?" asked Christie.
"I didn't, I just asked you how to help him," said Casey.
"You said he still have nightmare, but you let him cry all night. That's called giving up, and that's not what you do," said Christie.
"Well, that's one thing. I still have no idea what would help him, to get him to eat again, or not freezing on calls again. It's dangerous, and I can't keep him on my watch all the time," said Casey.
"After dad died, I was busy with school, so I didn't know if I did something as a distraction. However, after Jim left, I had so many things to do. The trials, I started working again, and I joined Violet's school committee… I didn't really have time to mourn."
"Can Kelly join a school committee?" asked Casey.
"Maybe become an alderman," teased Christie.
"Shut up."
Casey purposely didn't sleep that night, but instead waited for any noise from outside his room. He knew Severide would either go to sleep, but got nightmare and cried, or avoided sleep and paced the apartment.
Around 2 am, he heard soft sniffles and he knew he was faced with option A. He walked to Severide's bedroom and took in the view. Severide was curled on his side, clutching his duvet, and buried his head in his pillow. Casey tried not to jostle the bed as he climbed beside Severide and leaned on the backboard, rubbing Severide's back while making soft shushing noise. Back in candidacy, when both of them just learned about the reality of firefighting, saw some of the most brutal scenes they weren't ready for, they were sharing an apartment and took turn comforting each other. Since they grew up, they never really did it again, until the night of Benny's funeral two weeks ago.
"It's okay, Kelly. We'll get over it," Casey said, prying the duvet out of Severide's fist and spreading it over him. He kept shushing until Severide's cry gradually died down. He knew the other man wasn't sleeping, his uneven breathing proved it. "Can I get you anything?" he asked. Severide didn't answer, so he considered leaving. However, just before he hopped off the bed, Severide shuffled closer to him until his head touched Casey's hand. Casey stroked Severide's hair until he heard even breathing, making sure Severide was already asleep. He slipped below the duvet and drifted to sleep, keeping his hand on Severide's head.
When Severide woke up in the morning, he felt refreshed. Tired, as that's how he had been waking up lately, his throat was dry and his eyes were warm, but he felt calm. When he opened his eyes, he saw Casey sleeping beside him. He saw the lines on Casey forehead and the worried expression and knew he was the cause of those.
"Sorry, Casey," he whispered, remembered what they talked about the other day. It was overwhelming for him; they don't talk about their feelings, except anger when they spat out words that they both would regret. He always thought that it doesn't need to be said, they know they're important to each other, they're practically brothers. Hearing Casey saying it out loud multiple times told him that Casey really thought that he took it lightly. He drifted back to sleep. His sleep was light, though, because he could feel when Casey moved.
"You feel better?" asked Casey.
"Yeah," said Severide.
"You remember early days in candidacy? After every bad call…" Casey remembered the candidacy days when he had his first failed rescue and he witnessed a suicide, Severide climbed into his bed after he cried in his sleep. He was ashamed in the morning, but returned the favour a couple months later when Severide's victim was burnt to crisp.
"Yeah. We used to get those bad calls," said Severide. "Are we getting stronger or we have less feeling now?"
"We've seen the bad side," deducted Casey. "If we have no feeling, you wouldn't get a nightmare last night," he said softly. When Severide avoided his eyes, he added, "it's alright. You have many things happening at once, it's normal to have a breakdown. And to ask for help." He brushed his hand on Severide's forehead.
"Yeah? At this age?"
"I don't know at your mature age, but a couple months ago, after Dawson left, Christie tucked me in to bed. You tell anyone, I'll leave you in a burning building," said Casey, taking a jab at the fact that Severide is a year older.
"Yeah?" asked Severide.
"Yeah. Ask if you need help, no judgement. At least, from me, although I think everyone will understand," said Casey. Severide sighed and nodded. "I know what we should do today."
"Construction job?" guessed Severide.
"Nah, we were done yesterday, benefit of an extra set of hands," grinned Casey. "You'll see. I need to make a call," said Casey. He got out of bed to go to his room.
"Hey, Case, thank you," said Severide.
"Yeah," said Casey. He went to his room to grab his phone, then prepared breakfast.
"Med? What are we doing here?" asked Severide as he followed Casey. He was worried for a second that Casey followed up on what Violet said about getting checked for blood sugar, but Casey didn't walk to the ER.
"We are volunteering in paediatric unit. You are going to read stories to the kids," said Casey. He shook Ms. Goodwin's hand. "Thanks for this, Ms. Goodwin."
"I'm the one who thank you. We really need help in the long-term care unit. The kids are happy whenever someone comes," said Ms. Goodwin as they peeked from the window to the play room where around 10 kids were playing. "They are between 4 to 12. Most of them have been here for over 2 months. Sierra, the one with red shirt, has been here for 6 months."
"And what should I do?" asked Severide.
"Read stories to them. Talk to them. Let's go," said Casey.
"Ms. Goodwin, are the kids even allowed to be near me?" asked Severide.
"Of course, Kelly. I think the kids will like you," said Ms. Goodwin. They entered the room. "Hi, everyone. Today, we have two very special guests. Say hello to Kelly and Matt," said Mr. Goodwin. Chorus of 'hi, Kelly' and 'hi, Matt' were heard around the room. "Kelly will read if you want to hear a story, and Matt will help with your craft."
"How was it?" asked Casey as they left Med. Before they left, Severide surprised him by leaving his name and number in the volunteer pool.
"Didn't think I'd enjoy it, but I already can't wait to be back," said Severide. "Aaron's getting discharged in about two weeks, he said he'll visit the firehouse."
"Nice," said Casey. He had to admit, volunteering was very uplifting. He came to keep Severide company, but he left feeling grateful for the encounter with the kids that he, too, registered to the volunteer pool.
"What gave you get the idea? And why not… since we first joined CFD? Of all ways to cope with the bad things we see on shift, all the alcohols… this is one of the best ones," said Severide.
"Remember the hanging woman rescue? We brought the kid to the firehouse, and Gallo and Mikami took care of her? Mikami said playing with kids calmed her down, I thought being around children might do the same for you," said Casey.
"Those two calm each other down," smirked Severide.
"Huh, Kelly Severide's gossiping. Anyway, I figured you need to stay busy besides teaching academy… besides, those cute faces? If you think the littles in the firehouse are amusing, what about 10 really innocent kids?" shrug Casey.
"Huh, I knnw you recruit Gallo not only because he is a good firefighter," said Severide.
"I told you he'd lift the house," said Casey.
"Kelly, you still awake?" Casey called from the living room that night. A grunt told him the answer. He opened the door. "You okay?"
"I'm getting there," said Severide, giving an honest answer for the first time in two weeks.
"Good. Remember, anytime you need help, ask away. Promise, I'll try my best to help," said Casey.
"Wake me up if I had nightmare? Like, slap me, or punch or whatever?" asked Severide.
"You got it. Come on, I'll tuck you in," said Casey.
"I'm not 10," protested Severide, but shuffled inside his duvet and let Casey tucked the duvet around him. "I'll reject that goodnight kiss, though," he joked, but he didn't refuse when Casey patted his head and didn't leave until he fell asleep.
Casey left Severide's room and made himself comfortable in the sofa, intending to quickly come in if Severide woke up. He stayed in front of the TV until past 3 am, snoozing on and off. However, he didn't hear any cry from Severide's room, nor did Severide walked around the living room. At 3.15, he tiptoed to Severide's room, opened the door and peeked. He smiled to himself when he saw Severide curled up under the duvet, his face was peaceful. He couldn't resist coming inside and patted Severide's head softly.
"You're gonna be fine, Kelly. I know it," whispered Casey, then left the room and retreated to his own room to catch the little sleep he could before shift began.
.
This is a hard story to do due to Foster's part in the actual story, and substituting all her part with Violet was simply not doable, because in this story Severide and Stella already broke up, and I just couldn't see Severide and Violet being somewhat friends like Severide and Foster did. However, I still include her a lot, just because.