Title: Chasing the Future
Chapter 7 – Sending a Deadly Message
"I can't thank you enough for this," Kelly told Trudy as he folded up the new items for himself and George and put them into cotton shopping bag. "He uh…hasn't had anything new in a while."
"Kelly…"
"Yeah?" He asked as he looked up with a small frown to see Trudy give him a concerned expression. "I just don't know how to tell her."
"How about, hey Erin, I have a son," Trudy said flatly as Kelly's lips pursed.
"Has she said if she ever wants kids?"
"You have to ask her."
"That's fair," he groaned as Trudy crossed her arms over her chest. "I will. I just…I gotta work out a few things first."
"Well trust me when I tell you that women don't like to be surprised by things like this."
Kelly looked at George who looked up from his new toys and a contented smile. "I gotta put him first now. That's all that matters."
"What matters is the truth; to him, to Erin and to yourself. Erin's a pretty straight shooter. But I'll tell you, you break her heart because you held this secret back, you'll have me to contend with."
With that Trudy gave his hand a squeeze, kissed George on the head and then took her leave.
Kelly slumped down onto the edge of the small couch beside his son and looked down at a small Dalmatian stuffie and then felt his heart sink. He rested his elbows on his knees and hung his head in his hands and remained that way until he felt his son's hands tugging at his and looked up to see a large set of eyes looking at him in wonder.
"Time to go get some sleep," Kelly whispered as he pulled his son and placed him on his lap.
"Miss grampa."
"Yeah…me too," Kelly huffed as he put the little toy dog into the bag and then hoisted his son into his arms and headed back outside into the cool night air. As George started to fall asleep on his shoulder, Kelly's mind raced with an overview of the busy day's events.
What if I tell her and she doesn't want him? Will I have to move again?
XXXXXXXX
That same night, Erin lay in bed, her mind mulling over all that Kelly had told her. But even still, she felt that he hadn't told her everything. What was he holding back? "What isn't he telling me?" She whispered as she pushed herself out of bed and wandered over to her computer and flipped it on.
A few moments later, her fingers were typing in the search bar for 'philly first responders killed in the line of duty'. The top search results came back with the most decorated and long term members serving in any first responder position in the Philadelphia area but nothing that connected back to Kelly Severide or his father.
"I need sleep," she groaned as her body finally started to feel the effects of the day tugging at her for some real sleep. But just before she was about to close the internet search window down, the very bottom result on page one had the name 'Severide' in the few line synopsis and that instantly filled her with an extra dose of energy.
"Paramedic killed in the line of duty," Erin read the webpage title before she clicked into it and waited for the full page to load.
"Lesley Shay, paramedic at Firehouse 27 was killed in the line of duty…tragic loss…" Erin muttered as she read the article and then quickly stopped when she rested on Kelly's name. "Looks like arson. We'll know for sure once the AI team has had a go at it, but whoever did this will pay to the fullest extent of the law," squad leader, Kelly Severide vowed with thick emotion in his tone. Erin continued reading as her stomach started to tighten. "There is much emotion to go around the tight-knit firehouse in the wake of Shay's untimely death."
Now that she had a name of the person killed, Erin started a targeted search on Lesley Shay. "Death is ruled suspicious," Erin read the next headline as she quickly opened up the article. "Detective Mackenzie Lester partnered with Benny Severide to help locate the evidence needed to rule the death a homicide and start the search for those responsible."
"Damn Kelly…what is the connection…" Erin muttered in an undertone as she exited that article and went on to the next.
"Funeral was a somber affair, clouded with misery and mystery," was the next headline she read. But as she clicked into it, she noticed a few pictures of the funeral and then stopped when she came to one of the gravesite where Kelly was at the head of the coffin, looking very handsome in his dress blues but completely devastated at the same time.
"She meant a lot to him. But how much? And in what capacity? Did he love her?"
Erin leaned back in her chair and stared at Kelly's downcast expression as her heart drooped even lower; her arms folded across her chest. "What's this all about Kelly…"
Eager to find more about the case itself and the reason behind Lesley Shay's death, she closed out the page before she scrolled lower and would have seen a write up on Lesley and a picture of her son and her son's father – Kelly Severide.
"Death still shrouded in mystery…"
But as Erin clicked into the last webpage of the night, her eyes started to droop lower and she knew she had to put this to rest right now and get some real rest.
"Wonder what Hank has found…"
XXXXXXXX
"Charlie. Hank Voight."
"Voight? How the hell are you?"
"Doing fine. I need some help."
"Last I heard, you were in Chicago. You have a case come out this way?"
"Benny Severide."
Silence
"Charlie you still with me?"
"Hank…what the hell's going on? Why are you asking about that?"
"Because I can't reach the lead detective and you're the only one I can trust out there. I could start off by asking about who really killed Lesley Shay, but let me save you the connection. It's the same guy who you suspected killed Benny Severide. Am I right?"
Silence again
"Shall I read into that? Where is Lester?"
"I can't tell you much on the phone. Lesley Shay's death wasn't an accident and you are right about the connection to Severide. What's your connection to this case Hank?"
"How about you and I meet, and we each tell each other what we can't tell each other over the phone?"
"I'll be there in the morning and Hank…"
"Yeah?"
"If this case means something to you, you'll stop digging after we talk."
"I make no promises. See you tomorrow."
Voight hung up the phone and then leaned back in his chair and looked up at a picture of him and Erin taken at a picnic event a few months ago. He reached for the small photo frame and clutched it in his grasp and felt his brow furrow heavily.
"What the hell's going on," he mused to himself as he looked down at the file he started on Kelly Severide.
XXXXXXXX
Just as Kelly neared the shelter, George asleep on one arm and a stuffed bag on the other; he quickly stopped and noticed two men about to get into a fight. One of the men had a knife and the other, a middle aged man with his hands up, was trying to tell the other with the knife, that he had no money.
"Give me your damn wallet!"
Kelly's mind raced with turmoil to protect his son or get involved and risk his life. But he hated to just stand by and see any man taken advantage of.
"Hey! Cops are on their way!" Kelly shouted as he neared; George now stirring awake.
Without warning the guy turned and sneered at Kelly before he lunged in his direction.
"Daddy!" George shouted as the man rushed toward them with the knife in the air.
Kelly quickly turned his body, so that if any damage would be done, he'd be the one to bear the brunt. He felt the knife open a small slice on some part of his body, but thankfully it wasn't anywhere near his son.
"They'll find you!" Kelly shouted as he watched the punk, turn and give him the finger, before he disappeared into the dark.
The older man rushed up to him and gently touched the shoulder that George wasn't on. "Sir…"
Kelly looked at him a kind smile as he tried to bite back a wince. "Are you okay?"
"Yes, yes. Fine. Are you? Is the boy okay?"
"We're fine. This isn't the area you want to walk around by yourself in the dark."
"You're alone. With the boy."
"Used to danger," Kelly gently smirked. "You sure you're okay?"
"Yes fine. I have no money. I was just out to see an old friend at the shelter."
"Do you need a cab home or something?" Kelly asked in haste, not wanting to get into another personal discussion.
"No, no I have a car over there. Not much, but she gets me from here to there. Do you and the boy…live here?"
"Just for now," Kelly replied with a small smile as George shifted on his shoulder. "You have a good night now."
"Joe's a good man. If you need anything, you know money or something that he can't provide. You tell him to ask me."
"I can't do that. We'll be fine but you make sure you get some safely."
Before the older man could say another word, Kelly picked up the duffle bag once more, offered the older man one final smile and then headed toward the entrance to the shelter. Just before he headed up to his room, Kelly watched the older man get into his car and head away.
"Kelly? That you."
"Hey Joe. Was there an older guy in here tonight?"
"Maxwell. Yeah he always comes by to give a generous donation. What happened? I was putting the girls to bed and came down and heard some shouting?"
"Some punk trying to prove a point. He took off when we neared."
"Looks like you got a good haul tonight."
"We did. Thanks again," Kelly said as he turned toward the hallway that would take him to his temporary room.
"Kelly?"
"Yeah."
"I know you fell on hard times and I don't need to know the details but if you ever need any help, you just let me know."
"I just don't want to get you and your family involved. You've already done more than enough. You're a good man Joe. See you tomorrow."
"'night."
Kelly entered his room and then put his sleeping son on the bed, the duffle bag on the floor and then headed into the small bathroom. He could only offer a small curse as he lifted his t-shirt and spied the long ribbon-like cut on his lower chest. He didn't want to wake his son again to go out and get proper bandaging, so he quickly cleaned the wound and ripped his t-shirt and made a wrap to stop the minimal bleeding. He knew it was crude, but told himself that it would have to do until the morning.
As he eased himself down into the cramped bed, his son snuggled beside him and his mind started to ponder what Trudy had told him about being honest with Erin about his son.
'If she doesn't like you both, she's not worth your time,' Shay's voice resounded in his head as his lips offered a small grunt when he shifted and the cut yelled at him to just remain still.
XXXXXXXX
Erin arrived early the next morning, hoping to talk to Voight to see what he had found but only her partner in the Intelligence office.
"Hank sleeping in?"
"Said he had to meet some guy about some case," Jay replied as she neared. "Is this about Kelly?"
"I actually don't know. He didn't tell me."
"Erin…"
"Jay, I don't know."
"You know, Hailey has some really good contacts in Vice. We've used them before."
"For local stuff. I just don't want a bunch of people snooping around for something that could get one or more people hurt."
"She can be discreet. So can Kim. Just saying they are a pretty bad-ass resource in that department," Jay said proudly.
"I don't doubt that. Bet the perps don't know what to expect when those two come at them."
"Got that right."
"I'll text him and see what's up. But in the meantime, we do have our own case to work. And I think…"
"Erin?"
She quickly turned to see Kelly standing at the top of the stairs to the entrance of the Intelligence area. "Kelly? Hey…"
"Hey Jay."
"Hey," Jay nodded as Erin pulled away and headed toward Kelly in wonder.
"What's going on?"
"You uh…got a sec? Glad you're in early. I…I need to tell you something."
"Is it…serious?"
"Yeah…it is. It's important you hear from me first," Kelly admitted as he looked up to see Jay in the distance and then back at Erin with a heavy frown.
"What's going on? Is this about your dad?"
"It's…no. It's about me. I need to tell you…" he said just as his phone buzzed. Joe was the only one who had the number to the temporary phone and he said he'd only call Kelly if it was serious. "Sorry…hold on," Kelly said as he answered in haste. "Joe? What's going on?"
"THE BUILDING'S ON FIRE! HURRY! I'LL TRY GET THE KIDS OUT! BUT WE'RE TRAPPED! HELP US! HURRY!"
"WHAT?" Kelly replied with a half shout as he looked at Erin in a panic before he turned and raced back down the stairs.
"Kelly!"
"What's going on?" Jay asked as he hurried after Erin, who was now rushing after Kelly.
"I heard something about the building's on fire. I think it's the building of the family he's staying with and they're trapped! We have to follow!"
Kelly didn't turn around to see Erin and Jay following him as he raced down the street and then hopped into the nearest cab.
"A cab? Jay asked in shock as they got into their police issue sedan and sped after the cab. "Erin, what's going on?"
"I honestly don't know," she said with a frown. "But he wanted to tell me something important about him."
Her mind could only race with wonder as they followed the cab a short distance and then she could only gasp in horror as they stopped short of a building on fire; fire truck sirens a few moments away.
She could only watch in horror as Kelly jumped out of the cab and rushed into the burning building; not waiting for his team to arrive with backup or protective gear.
"KELLLYY!" Erin shouted as Jay reached her.
"What the hell in there could be so important that he's willing to risk his life over?" Jay asked in haste.
"I don't know…" she huffed as Firehouse 51 pulled on scene and Matt rushed toward them. "But I'm going to find out."
A/N: yikes! Ah you know I love my angsty danger and tension! But hmm how will this one play out? Please do review before you go as that would be golden to get the encouragement to keep us going and thanks so much!
