Disclaimer: Some of the dialogue might resemble some of the episodes from Chicago Fire and I give credit to NBC and the show itself for it. I did try my best to change some things around and add on to some of the dialogue to change it a little bit. I do not own the characters. This fanfic is just for fun and that's it. I hope you all like this chapter.
CHAPTER 23
"So when do you pick up your rental car?" Stella asked as Kylie and the other girls were doing drills.
"Would you mind driving me after? I mean, I would like to get it before the place closes." Brett said.
"Sure. No problem." Stella said.
An hour later after the girls left and Stella and Brett had put everything up, Stella drove Brett to the car rental company to pick up her rental car.
"Are you sure you're ok to drive? I mean, you have that concussion and you're really not supposed to drive." Stella said.
"Yeah, I mean, I'll be ok. Do you wanna follow me after to make sure I'm ok?" Brett asked.
"Yeah, I'll follow behind you." Stella said.
Brett went inside the building but was told that the car wouldn't be ready until the weekend to pick up. Disappointed, Brett returned back to Stella's car.
"So, the car won't be ready until the weekend so there's that." Brett complained.
"Hey, why don't I take you home and you get some rest." Stella suggested.
"Sounds good. I think I may skip Molly's, but it depends on how I'm feeling." Brett said.
"That's understandable." Stella said.
Stella pulled up to Brett's apartment and both of them noticed that Casey wasn't there. Stella walked Brett up to her apartment. Although Joe Halleck had been caught, Brett still couldn't get the image of him holding a gun to her out of her head. She wanted to crawl into bed and just forget the day happened. She opened the door and the two of them walked in. Brett saw a note that Casey had left that said that he was at Severide's watching the game and that he would be at Molly's after.
"So that explains where Casey is." Brett said.
"Where is he?" Stella asked.
"With your boyfriend." Brett chuckled.
"Figures. I know Kelly wanted Casey to help him with something after shift but I have no clue what it was." Stella said.
"He didn't tell you?" Brett asked.
"No, but he's been acting a bit weird lately." Stella said.
"Hmm...I wonder what's going on." Brett said.
The two of them talked for a few more minutes and then Stella gave Brett a hug and then left. Brett locked the door behind her and went to her bedroom. She changed into her pajamas, set her alarm to wake up to go to Molly's, and as soon as her head hit her pillow, she fell asleep. A few hours later, Brett's alarm went off. She woke up, grabbed a shower, and got dressed to go to Molly's. She wore a long sleeve black turtleneck shirt with green and red stripes on it. She also pulled her short hair up into a messy bun and put on very to little make up, namely a little light eye liner and eyeshadow. She put on a pair of her favorite blue jeans and shoes and then grabbed her greenish brown looking coat and put it on. She grabbed her keys, put her black mask on, grabbed her wallet, and then locked the door behind on her as she left. The Uber car she had was waiting outside her apartment. She got in and told the driver to take her to Molly's. Within minutes, she was at Molly's. She paid the Uber driver and then got out of the car and headed inside the bar. After entering, she took her mask off and went up to Cruz and Chloe.
"Hey Brett." Cruz smiled.
"Hey Sylvie." Chloe smiled as well.
"How's Mackey?" Brett asked.
"That accident has her pretty shook up. I talked to her after shift but she's not sure if she's ready for a busy house." Cruz said.
"I get it. We've both been through a lot today and it was her first day. I just wish there was something we could do. Thanks for trying to reach out to her. I appreciate it." Brett said.
"No problem." Cruz smiled.
Brett gave a warm smiled back to the both of them and then walked down a little ways to where Stella was bartending. Brett placed an order for a chardonay and then headed out back to the new Molly's Patio that opened. She met Casey, Gallo, Tony, and Capp at the table. After sitting down, Gallo goes into the story about how Casey jumped out of the truck to get to Brett and Mackey. Brett and Casey exchanged small, flirty smiles at each other as Gallo finished the story. It finally dawned on her why things were weird between them and it wasn't because she told him that it's always been him. She realized that her feelings for Casey were a lot stronger than she thought and it was something that she couldn't explain. After hearing about what Casey did, she knew that there was something more between them. Brett immediately stood up and grabbed her jacket.
"I'm sorry. I just remembered that I have this thing at my friend Olivia's and I promised her that I'd be there. I'm...I'm so sorry. I'll see you guys at work." Brett said as she quickly took off.
Gallo looked confused and Casey stood up to try to stop her.
"Did I say or do something wrong?" Gallo asked.
Casey stood there with a confused look on his face.
"No, it's not you. Uh, excuse me." Casey said as he headed after Brett.
He headed inside of Molly's to try to catch Brett, but she had already left.
"Hey Kidd, have you seen Brett?" Casey asked.
"She just left. What happened?" Stella asked.
"I'm not sure." Casey replied.
"I wish I could help. Sorry." Stella said as she went back to doing her job.
Casey went back out to Molly's Patio and told the guys goodbye. He knew that Brett was bound to be at the apartment and figured that he had a better chance of asking her what was wrong than to wait. He left Molly's and headed to the apartment. He arrived but found no traces of Brett anywhere. He tried texting her but still no answer. Turns out, she did go to Olivia's and she spent the night on Olivia's couch after explaining what happened. Olivia always knew that Brett and Casey were meant for each other. The next morning, Brett got ready and and headed home. She called an Uber and it was waiting on her. Olivia had already left for work and told Brett to lock up behind her once she was done. Across town, Casey was already at the firehouse. He was pacing the whole firehouse, nervously waiting on Brett to show up but then remembered that Brett was work for two days. Severide noticed Casey pacing the floor in his office.
"Hey man, what's with the pacing?" Severide asked.
"What pacing?" Casey asked.
"Dude, you've been pacing your office since you got to work. You only pace the floor when something is on your mind." Severide said.
Severide knew his best friend well enough to know when something was bothering him.
"It's Brett, isn't it?" Severide questioned.
"I don't know what's wrong. We were at Molly's Patio last night and Gallo was telling the story about me jumping out of the truck to get to Brett and Mackey. Next thing I know, she got up and left. She made some excuse about having to go to a thing at her friend, Olivia's place." Casey said.
"That's weird." Severide said.
"She didn't come home. I called her and got her voicemail. I sent her a text and got no reply. I'm just a little concerned about her. I don't know what to do." Casey said.
"She probably just crashed at her friend's house. I mean, she's off work today and tomorrow, right?" Severide said.
"Yeah, you're right." Casey said.
Severide left Casey's office. It was a long shift. Casey missed seeing Brett at work. He was counting down the hours until shift was at the apartment, Brett had packed another bag. She was going to stay at Olivia's until she went back to work. Two days later, Brett returned to work. She had cut off communication with everyone, including Stella and Mackey so she could think. Cruz and Brett arrived at the firehouse together.
"Any luck with Mackey?" Brett asked.
"I haven't heard from her. I'm sorry." Cruz said as he walked fast to the front door of the firehouse.
Brett looked defeated until she saw Mackey.
"You're here!" Brett said in excitement, surprised to see Mackey.
"Yeah. I'm here to stay. No quitting. I got your back, partner." Mackey smiled.
Brett smiled and then headed towards the front door to the firehouse. As she walked by the apparatus floor, she gave Casey a small look and then walked passed him, ignoring him. She went to the locker room, changed into her work clothes, and then grabbed a bite to eat in the common room. Back out front, Severide came pushing the old 61 driver's side door on the pulley.
"Is that?" Casey asked.
"Yep." Severide replied.
Mackey noticed and couldn't help but say something.
"Leslie Elizabeth Shay. Did she ride on 61?" Mackey asked.
"Yeah. She's part of this firehouse. She died in the line of duty during a call. Not a day goes by that I don't miss her." Severide explained.
Casey glanced over at Brett who showed up as Severide was telling Mackey, Gallo, and Ritter about Shay. Brett glanced at him and then looked away. Severide finished telling the story about Shay and how important she was. Then he looked at Mackey and pointed to the memorial in memory of Otis.
"Mackey, you see that memorial over there?" Severide asked.
"Yeah." Mackey replied.
"Brian Zvonecek, or Otis as we called him, was a member of this house who passed away from a call we were on. He was Cruz's best friend and was always making us laught. He would give you the shirt off his back if you needed it. He really was a brother to all of us here at 51." Severide explained.
Brett started to tear up. Her eyes were becoming watery and it was a bit hard for her to hold back the emotions she was feeling, not only because of her newly formed feelings for Casey, but also because she was missing Otis. After Severide was finished talking, Mackey, Gallo, and Ritter went back to work, while Brett gave Casey one last glance before heading back inside the firehouse. Severide noticed the two exchanging looks.
"What's that look?" Severide asked.
"What look?" Casey asked.
"That look right there." Severide teased.
"There's no look." Casey said.
"Yeah, alright. Keep telling yourself that. I'm gonna have a cigar later. When you figure out what that look is, let me know. I'm just saying that I could see the tension between you and Brett." Severide noticed.
"I'm not sure what's going on anymore." Casey said.
"I think she's just a bit shook up from the accident. I wouldn't read too much into it." Severide answered.
"Yeah, you're probably right." Casey said.
Casey and Severide went back to doing their job. Casey had some paperwork to work on and Severide was with Stella in his office. Casey wanted to talk to Brett but that day was hectic. Call after call and hardly any time to talk. Brett avoided him most of shift, only speaking to him when necessary. After shift ended, Brett called an Uber and left before Casey could stop her. She decided to go back to the apartment. She knew she couldn't avoid Casey forever. As soon as she got home, she went straight to her bedroom. She had hoped that Casey wouldn't realize she was home. Casey was a little disappointed when he realized that Brett had already left without him. He pouted on the way home, wondering why Brett was avoiding him. Things had been going great between them, so what changed? His thoughts were all over the place. Why was she pushing him away and avoiding him? What happened? He wasn't sure but he needed to know. He had been thinking about Brett a lot over the last few months. Gabby hadn't really crossed his mind at all. If he was being honest with himself, Gabby was out of his mind for good. He arrived home and saw no sign of Brett. Either she wasn't home or she was in her bedroom. He went to his bedroom, changed clothes, and then knocked on Brett's bedroom door, hoping she would answer.
"Sylvie? It's me." Casey said.
She opened the door.
"You have been avoiding me all day, more like since the accident. What's going on? Did I do something wrong?" Casey questioned.
Caught off guard, she wanted to avoid it but knew that this was the moment she dreaded. Does she go for it? Does she finally tell him why or does she show him?
"No, it's nothing like that." Brett quietly said.
"Talk to me, Sylvie. What's going on. Why were you avoiding me?" Casey questioned.
"I was avoiding you because I didn't want to do this." Brett said as she kissed him.
Casey quickly returned the kiss and then Brett pulled away. After looking at her for a minute, taking in the breathtaking site of her face, Casey leaned in and kissed her. Both returned the passionate kiss and the next thing that they knew, Casey was now inside Brett's bedroom. He picked her up and carried her to the bed, where he gently placed her and then kept kissing her. She returned each kiss with more passion but then it hit her as to why this was wrong and she needed to come clean with him about everything.
"Wait." she whispered as she tried to catch her breath.
"Do you want me to stop?" he asked.
"No, it's just I've wanted this for such a long time." she said as she looked into his eyes.
He looked into her eyes and gave her a slight smile.
"Me too." he whispered in a deep voice.
They continued to kiss. He dove into Brett's neck, making sure to taste her in every possible way. Brett then pulled away again.
"What's wrong?" he asked, concerned that he did something wrong.
"I need to know something before this goes any further." she quietly said.
"Alright." he answered.
"I need to know, if Gabby were to show up here right now asking you to go with her to Puerto Rico and give her another chance, would you go?" she asked.
It was a question that caught Casey off guard. Why did she have to bring up Gabby?
"I haven't seen or talked to Gabby in a really long time." he answered.
"Matt, that doesn't answer my question. I need to know, if Gabby came back, would you leave with her and take her back?" she asked again.
"It's not that simple. It's complicated." he replied.
No sooner had he said those words, he regretted saying those words. Brett, feeling hurt and upset held back her tears.
"At least you were honest. I asked and you answered. I just...I think it's best if you left." she said.
Not knowing what to say or do, Casey got up off the bed. He gave her a sad look, almost as if he were disappointed and then left her bedroom. He didn't want to hurt her anymore than he already did. He instantly regretted telling her that his relationship with Gabby was complicated instead of telling her that he's over Gabby for good. What an idiot he was being. He could hear her crying softly in her room. He went to his bedroom, closed the door, and sulked. Why did he do that? Why couldn't he just tell her that she had been the only one on his mind these last few months? Why didn't he tell her that she was the only one he's thought of? He went to bed, not realizing that Brett had packed a small bag, called Olivia, and decided to stay with Olivia for a little bit, at least until she could figure out her next move.
She quietly left the apartment without him knowing. The next morning, Casey got up and noticed that it was extremely quiet. He knocked on Brett's bedroom door but she didn't answer. Not sure if she was awake or not, he gently opened the door and realized that she wasn't there. Her bed was made and he noticed that some of her things were gone. He checked his phone and saw a text from her.
"I'M FINE. STAYING WITH A FRIEND. - BRETT" the text said.
Casey read that text a few times. He felt like an idiot. He really needed to talk to her but did she want to talk to him? The next morning, he got ready for work and then left. He arrived at work and saw Brett with Mackey. He stared after her for a few minutes before heading to his office. Brett headed to the locker room to grab something out of her locker. Casey followed her and startled her just a little bit.
"Hey, can we talk?" Casey asked.
"Yeah." Brett quietly said.
Casey left to go to his office. The look of dread crossed Brett's face. She closed her locker and then headed to Casey's office. She walked in and Casey closed the door to his office.
"Listen about last night..." Casey started.
"It's my fault." Brett said.
"It was on both of us. I just want you to know that I don't regret what happened." Casey said.
Brett took that as he didn't regret the kiss and he didn't regret what he said.
"I think it's best that we just stay friends. I don't want this to ruin our friendship." Brett said.
"I don't want it to ruin our friendship either. Sylvie, my feelings for you are real, regardless of Gabby." Casey admitted.
"There is no regardless of Gabby. Don't you get that?" Brett said.
"No, I don't. Explain it to me, Sylvie." Casey pleaded.
"Matt, if I have to explain it, then you really don't get it. I just...I need some space." Brett said.
Before Casey could reply, they got called out on a call. Brett quickly bolted out of Casey's office and ran towards the ambulance.
"Why did you let her go?" Casey said to himself as he followed right behind.
On the way to the call, Casey was spaced out, thinking about Brett and their conversation. It wasn't until Stella spoke to Casey that he snapped out of his thoughts.
"Severide, you guys take the back. 81 will take the front. Herrmann, take the side and be ready with the hose." Casey called over the radio.
"Copy that!" Severide said.
"Copy that, Captain!" Herrmann answered.
Truck 81, Squad 3, Ambulance 61, Engine 51, and of course, Chief Boden, all arrived on the scene at the same time. Squad 3 went inside the building to get as many civilians as possible. Herrmann and the rest of his crew waited outside and started setting up the hoses to get ready for Casey's order to turn them on. As Squad 3 rushed as many civilians out of the building as possible, Casey, Gallo, and Mouch were setting Truck 81 up so that Casey and Gallo could climb the ladder to get to the civilians trapped on the roof. Mouch locked in the ladder but during the call, the ladder moved, which in turn, knocked Casey off. Casey was struggling to hang on. Brett noticed and locked eyes with Casey. Casey's eyes locked with Brett's as well and in that one look, they both said a million words. Gallo quickly stepped in to help Casey and pull him back to safety. After rescuing those trapped on the roof and bringing them down to safety, Casey gave Mouch an angry look.
"Mouch, what happened? You were supposed to have locked it in?" Casey fumed.
"Captain, I did..." Mouch said before being interupted by Casey.
"I don't want to hear any excuses." Casey said as he walked away from Mouch.
Mouch was hurt and upset. He knows he did everything right and still, it pained him that Casey, of all people, was mad at him. Casey was greeted by Brett.
"You got cut. Let's get it bandaged up." Brett said.
"It's nothing. I'll be fine." Casey hatefully said.
"It's not too deep. Just gotta clean it and put a bandage on it." Brett said.
"You don't have to do that." Casey said with a grumpy tone.
"We're done." Brett said.
"Hey Captain, glad you're alright." Mackey said.
"Yeah, thanks." Casey said.
Brett closed the back doors to the ambo and then drove to Med. Things were pretty tense between Casey and Brett. Their conversation left Casey more confused and hurt than anything. After returning to the firehouse after leaving Med, Brett and Mackey headed inside the firehouse. Things were tense the rest of shift. Olivia picked Brett up and took her to the rental company so that Brett could get her rental car. After getting her rental car from the rental company, Brett headed to Olivia's place. Within thirty minutes, both she and Olivia had pulled into Olivia's parking lot.
"Thanks for letting me crash with you for a few days." Brett said as she got out of her car.
"No problem. You can stay with me anytime." Olivia said.
Brett smiled and the two of them headed inside Olivia's apartment and then sat down on the couch.
"So, what's been going on with you and Matt? You haven't really exactly told me much." Olivia said.
"Oh, where do I start?" Brett sighed.
"All you have told me is that you both kissed but then things got weird." Brett said.
"What happened after you guys kissed?" Olivia asked.
"I stopped it. I had to know if Gabby, his ex-wife and my former best friend, came back and asked him to leave with her, if he would go with her. He first told me that he hadn't talked to her in a while and then when I asked him again, he said he didn't know and that it was complicated." Brett explained.
"And I take it that she used to be your friend and so..." Olivia said.
"And so I was there for their whole relationship and I saw how much they went through. Yeah, she's an issue when it comes to Matt and I dating. We can't because he's still in love with her." Brett explained.
"Did he say that he was still in love with her?" Olivia asked.
"He didn't deny it." Brett replied.
"So, he didn't say yes but he didn't say no. Hmm." Olivia noted.
"What's that 'hmm' for?" Brett asked curiously.
"Nothing. I've told you over and over again, you and Matt belong together. I saw it that night you tried to set us up. Brett, he seems to be crazy about you." Olivia told Brett.
"If he really felt that way about me, he wouldn't have said what he did." Brett cried.
Tears were falling down Brett's face. She tried to hold them back but she just couldn't anymore. Olivia gave her friend a hug and then pulled away.
"Alright, enough with the tears. So, if Matt can't see what a wonderful person you are, then that's his loss." Olivia said.
Brett smiled and the two women ordered take out. Meanwhile, Casey was back at the apartment he shared with Brett. Casey noticed that Brett wasn't home. He tried to figure out what was wrong with her but for the life of him, he couldn't figure it out. He called Olivia.
"Hey Olivia, it's Matt Casey, is Sylvie there?" Casey asked over the phone.
Olivia hesistated for a minute and made some excuse to Brett.
"I have to take this. It's work." Olivia lied.
Olivia stepped into her bedroom and closed the door.
"Hey Matt, um yeah, she's here." Olivia said.
"How is she doing?" Casey asked.
"Matt, she's hurting. Just give her space. I am gonna say this, you need to figure out what you want. I gotta go." Olivia said as she hung up the phone.
Casey was left even more confused than ever before.
"Figure out what you want. What is that supposed to mean?" Casey asked himself.
Casey wasn't sure what to make of what he was told. The next morning, things were a bit weird. Casey greeted Brett with a small smile.
"Good morning." Casey smiled.
"Captain." Brett replied in almost a cold tone and then walked away.
Casey was caught off guard with Brett's response. Before Casey could do anything, the house received a call.
"TRUCK 81. AMBULANCE 61. CAR ACCIDENT. 920 WEST RAVEN STREET." the dispatcher said over the intercom.
It didn't take long for Truck 81 and Ambulance 61 to arrive at the scene. A redheaded woman was trapped inside her car as a billboard from the truck had fallen onto the car.
"Mouch, turn this thing off. Gallo, struts. Kidd, check the driver with me." Casey ordered.
The woman started screaming in a panic.
"Ma'am, you need to stay calm." Stella said.
"Mouch, how are you doing with the billboards?" Casey questioned.
"Captain, I can't get them to shut off." Mouch answered.
"Keep working on it." Casey ordered.
"Gallo, do you have any snips I could borrow to cut this with?" Mouch asked.
Gallo reached into his pocket and pulled out a small pair of pliars. Mouch cut the wires and was able to turn the billboard off. Casey and Stella began working on getting the woman out of the car.
"I need the jaws!" Casey yelled.
"On it, Captain!" Stella yelled as she went to the truck to grab the jaws.
She returned and she and Casey began to cut the car's door so that the woman could get out of the car. Meanwhile, Brett and Mackey were checking the driver of the billboard truck out to make sure he was alright. The man was fine but the woman was still in the car. In order to keep her calm, Casey began talking to her.
"What's your name?" Casey asked.
"Sydney McMillan." Sydney replied.
The two began a conversation to keep Sydney's mind off of what was going on. She joked about working at the strip club the billboard truck was advertising and even began flirting with Casey. Casey and Stella managed to get the door to the car opened and Casey was able to help Sydney get out of the car. Casey and Stella walked Sydney over to Brett and Mackey.
"Hey, are you good to handle this one by yourself?" Brett asked Mackey.
"Yeah, if you think I'm ready for that." Mackey replied.
"I think you're ready. Remember, check her lungs, heart rate, blood pressure, and ask her questions about what is hurting her. I'll be right here. You're gonna need to know how to do this in case I'm not here and you have a new partner, alright." Brett said as she watched Mackey treat the patient on her own.
"Mouch, Gallo, Kidd, let's get this place cleaned up!" Casey ordered.
Engine 40 had arrived on the scene and one of the firefighters was Mouch's old rival and coworker.
"Hey Captain, we were passing by. Need a hand?" the lieutenant asked.
"Uh, yeah. Can you keep your rig blocking traffic and maybe get one or two of your men to help clean up the scene?" Casey asked.
"You got it." the lieutenant said.
"I need you to move the rig to block traffic and I need you to help with the clean up." the lieutenant ordered.
The driver of Engine 40 moved the truck in order to block traffic while one of his firefighters assisted in the clean up. There was one firefighter, however, who was carrying a box of donuts in his hands and started to banter with Mouch. The two apparently had history with each other.
"You good here?" Brett asked Mackey.
"Yeah." Mackey smiled.
The could hear the arguing between Mouch and the firefighter named Rutledge from Engine 40.
"I'm gonna see what's going on." Brett said.
Mackey nodded her head and Brett walked over to see what was going on. Brett was a bit amused by the conversation. The lieutenant from Engine 40 walked over and stood beside her, taking in the arugment that Mouch and Rutledge were having.
"I'm not entirely certain, but I'd say they have some sort of history." Brett joked to the lieutenant.
"I think you're right." the lieutenant chuckled.
"Let's see what happens with them." Brett said as she gave him a small smirk of a smile.
He looked at her and before he could say anything, Mackey interrupted them.
"Hey Brett, let's get her loaded and sent to Med." Mackey yelled.
"Tell me how it ends." Brett joked to the lieutenant and then walked away.
The lieutenant was smitten with Brett and Casey took notice of it. This was bound to be an interesting day for both Firehouse 51 and Engine 40. The prank wars were just getting started between Mouch and Rutledge.