Hey everyone, thank you all for the reviews. I hope you all are enjoying the story. Please continue to leave feedback and reviews and as always, enjoy this chapter :)

CHAPTER 15

A few weeks later at work, it was business as usual. Call after call throughout the day. Brett had been distant towards Foster ever since Foster said that she was going back to med school. Foster felt bad that she would be moving out of the apartment that she and Brett shared but this was a second chance for her to become a doctor.

"Hey, can we talk?" Foster asked Brett.

"Sure." Brett replied.

"Look, I know things haven't been the same since I told you that I'm going back to med school, but Brett, this is a second chance for me to become a doctor." Foster explained.

"You don't get it, do you?" Brett told Foster.

"What do you mean?" Foster asked.

"If I have to explain it, then you really don't get it. I've got paperwork to do." Brett said as she left the bunk room.

Foster stood in the bunk room looking defeated.

"Hey, what's going on?" Casey asked Foster.

"Brett is mad that I'm going back to med school." Foster said.

Casey gave her a look before speaking.

"Listen, you have to understand something. Gabby, my ex and Brett's former partner, left without so much as a goodbye. Then Gabby came back after months of no contact, only to leave again. It's possible that Brett feels betrayed that yet another partner is abandoning her. Mills, Gabby, Chili, Borelli, they all left her in some way or another. There's also the fact that Julie just died and her biological sister and her stepfather moved back to Rockford. It's a lot for her right now and I don't want to sound mean, but you talking about living in the dorms and finally experiencing med school the way you want doesn't exactly help the way she might feel." Casey explained.

Foster stopped to think about what Casey had just said.

"Then there is the fact that Otis died and Cruz moved out right before he got married to Chloe." Foster said.

"Yeah. Look, right now, it's probably best if you don't talk about med school in front of her and if you do, maybe it's possible that in time, she'll come around." Casey said.

"Thanks, Captain." Foster said.

"No problem." Casey said as he headed to his office.

Foster took what Casey said to heart. She didn't realize that Brett had been through so many partners who just left her either all of a sudden or for other reasons. Foster went back to doing her thing. Brett was doing inventory for 61, trying to keep busy. Foster would be moving out of the apartment in a few days to move into the dorms at med school and Brett was struggling to figure out how she was going to pay her rent and her bills. Stress was taking a toll on her. She debated on taking some time off but with Foster moving out in a few days, Brett needed as much overtime as she could take to make up the difference in rent. Looking for two new roommates weren't going to be easy, especially since no one can replace Otis and Cruz.

"Hey Brett, do you have those reports from last shift?" Boden asked.

"Uh, yeah. I thought I turned it in last shift. I'll send it to you right away." Brett replied.

Boden gave her a small nod and headed towards his office. Brett finished inventory and then sent the report from last shift to Boden. She sat in the back of the ambulance working on paperwork from the previous calls that they had been on. Squad 3 and Truck 81 were out on a call together. Brett just wanted to hide from Foster and everyone else for the rest of shift. Next shift would be Foster's last shift before starting med school. About an hour or so later, Squad 3 and Truck 81 returned from the call they were on. As Casey headed towards his office, he spotted Foster in deep thought.

"Hey, how are you?" Casey asked Foster.

"As good as I can be. Brett is still mad at me." Foster said.

"She's not mad. She's just hurt. There's a difference." Casey said.

"Casey, I don't know what to do." Foster said.

"Just give her space. Don't mention anything about med school or moving out. Let her come to you. I know that she has a lot going on but give her until the end of shift. She'll come around but you can't push her." Casey said.

"Thanks." Foster said.

"Don't mention it. Speaking of Brett, where is she?" Casey asked.

"I don't know. Last I saw her, she was in the common room." Foster said.

Casey thanked her and then left. He looked everywhere for her and couldn't find her. He decided to text her.

"WHERE ARE YOU? - CASEY." the text said.

"HIDING. - BRETT." she replied back.

"WHERE?" Casey texted.

"SOMEWHERE." Brett texted back.

"HAHA FUNNY." Casey texted.

"61." Brett replied.

Casey took that and headed to the apparatus floor where he went to the ambulance. He looked in the front seat and then went to the back and opened the door.

"Nice hiding place. Why are you hiding here?" Casey asked.

"I'm not hiding. I'm just thinking." Brett half smiled.

Casey noticed the way Brett was acting was out of character.

"Hey, does this have something to do with Foster?" Casey asked.

"Uh, no. No, it's not that." Brett said.

Casey gave her a look.

"Then what is it?" Casey asked.

"I've gotta advertise for new roommates. I can make the rent alone for about a month or two but after that, I can't. I'm just trying to figure out what to do since Joe and Chloe got married and he moved out and with Foster going to med school and moving out, I'm just trying to figure some things out." Brett explained.

Casey didn't realize that Brett was under pressure about everything.

"Deep breath." Casey said.

Brett took a deep breath and then released her breath.

"How is it that you always manage to make me feel better?" Brett asked.

"I don't know." Casey chuckled.

Casey and Brett got out of the ambulance and as they walked in, Truck 81 got a call.

"So much for a break." Casey chuckled before heading to Truck 81.

Casey and the rest of Truck 81 left to go on their call and Brett headed inside, where she saw Foster.

"Hey, you got a minute?" Brett asked.

Although Foster was happy that Brett wanted to talk, she still was concerned about Brett.

"Sure." Foster said.

"So, the reason I've been distant with you is in part due to you going to med school but also because I am currently trying to figure out how to pay rent since both you and Cruz won't be there. I'm looking for new roommates but I'm also looking for a new place to live because I can't afford the apartment on my own." Brett explained.

"I didn't even realize that you had a lot to deal with. I shouldn't have waited so long to tell you about med school and I should have tried to help you find a new roommate. I'm sorry I haven't been a friend to you lately." Foster said.

"That's just it. You have been a friend to me. I guess I decided to push you away because Gabby left without so much as a goodbye and then randomly showed up out of the blue and left again without a goodbye. There's also the fact that Otis died and Joe and Chloe got married. Then, Julie died and with everything going on, I just felt overwhelmed." Brett said.

"Girl, you know Stella and I are always here for you. I may be gone to med school, but I am only a phone call and visit away. You need me, just call." Foster said.

"Thanks." Brett chuckled.

"AMBULANCE 61. POSSIBLE CARDIAC ARREST. 6254 CLARK STREET." the dispatcher said over the intercom.

"Let's go!" Brett yelled.

Foster followed behind her. After she and Foster were in the ambulance and started to pull out to go to their call, Truck 81 were pulling back in. About an hour or so after being on the call, Brett and Foster finally managed to make it back. Shift was finally over and all Brett wanted to do was soak in the bathtub.

"Hey, I won't be home tonight. My parents are wanting to get together before I go back to med school and I'm gonna stay with them." Foster said.

"Alright. That's fine. I'm probably just gonna go home and soak in the bathtub. Tomorrow night, girls night with me and Stella?" Brett asked.

"You got it." Foster smiled.

Foster and Brett were in the locker room and after changing clothes, Foster left. Stella came in and changed clothes and then left with Severide. One by one, everyone was leaving the locker room to go home. Brett was taking a shower when Casey came into the locker room. He had already changed clothes and heard the shower running. He saw what looked like Brett's clothes sitting on the bench by her locker and smiled. That meant that Brett was the one taking a shower. He heard the water stop running and went into the men's restroom in the locker room. Brett came out with her towel wrapped around her, grabbed her clothes, and then went into the women's restroom area of the locker room and changed clothes. Casey quickly made his exit from the locker room and when he thought it was clear, he came back into the locker room. He had actually forgot his duffel bag but he also just wanted an excuse to see Brett.

"Hey, I thought you left already." Brett said with a smile.

"I did and then I realized I forgot my bag." Casey chuckled.

"How long did it take you to realize that?" she joked.

"About the time I got in my truck and leave." he chuckled.

He noticed she was almost ready to leave.

"Got any plans for tonight?" he asked.

"Not really. I was just gonna go home and soak in the bathtub full of warm water." she smiled.

"Any luck on finding a new roommate?" he asked.

"Not unless you have someone in mind." she said.

"I'll keep my eyes open." he said with a smile.

He grabbed his bag and left. She checked and made sure she had everything and then closed her locker door. She headed out to her car, where she noticed that one of her tires was flat. Upon further inspection, it appeared that someone had slashed all of them.

"No, no, no, no, no, no. This can't be happening." Brett panicked.

She started to freak out a bit before calling someone.

"Hey, it's me. Is there any way that you can come get me from 51? Someone slashed my tires." Brett said over the phone.

"Are you ok?" the voice asked.

"Yeah." Brett answered in frustration.

"I'll be there in about twenty minutes." the voice said.

Brett hung up the phone and as she began to unlock the door to her car, noticed that the driver side window was busted and that someone had ransacked her car. While waiting on the person she called to show up, she made another call. She called the Chicago Police Department and spoke with Desk Sergeant Trudy Platt, Mouch's wife.

"Hey Trudy, it's Sylvie. Someone broke into my car and slashed the tires. The driver side window is completely shattered and I'm afraid to touch anything." Brett said.

"I'm gonna tell Voight. This might be in connection with one of the cases that they are working on. Whatever you do, do not touch anything." Trudy said.

Brett and Trudy said their goodbyes and hung up the phone. Brett paced around until she saw a familiar truck appear. Casey got out of the truck and greeted Brett. He saw her car and the look on her face. Brett informed Casey about calling CPD and it didn't take long for Voight and Burgess to show up.