A/N: A little bit of the dialogue in this chapter comes from episode 3x12, "Ambush Predator," but even the scene taken from canon has significant changes. It's an AU world and Orlovsky's just crashing into it.
Despite Kelly's concerns, nobody mentioned the arson investigation at the beginning of their next shift. He noticed during the morning briefing that Dawson seemed subdued, slumping in her chair with a distracted frown. He thought about checking in to make sure she was okay, but decided his own shift would go better if he steered clear.
He bumbled around the firehouse for about an hour, trying to find something to occupy his mind. Casey and Capp each offered pages from their newspapers when he passed their tables in the common room, and he gave them identical pats on the head as he walked on by.
When he wandered into the bunk room and found Mills sitting forlornly on a bed, he almost turned around and walked back out. As he looked at the medic, though, his sense of duty as the kid's former Lieutenant outweighed his own desire to avoid the subject.
Quietly, he took a seat on the bunk beside Mills.
The young man briefly glanced up before staring back down at his hands. "Hey, Severide."
"Hey, Mills. How are you doing with all this?"
Brown eyes shot up to fix Kelly with a piercing stare.
"All what?" he asked, sounding more accusatory than confused.
Kelly leaned back, raising his eyebrows at his reaction. "Hey, if you don't want to talk, I respect –"
Mills shook his head quickly, looking apologetic. "No, no. Sorry. Yeah, I want to talk. I'm really asking, though. What are you asking me about?"
Kelly eyed the young medic for a minute. "I mean, I was asking about the arson investigation, but if there's something else you want to talk about…? Is it something with Lullo?"
Mills shook his head again. "No, it's not Lullo. What arson investigation are you talking about? Do you mean the storage unit fire from last shift?"
Kelly gaped. How does he not know? After processing that for a few seconds, he sighed. Damnit, Gabby. He knew they were planning to keep it from Shay for a while, but Mills? That was a terrible idea.
Well, it's too late now.
Swallowing nervously, Kelly nodded. "Yeah. There were some newspaper clippings along with everything else. Did anyone tell you about that?"
Mills nodded slowly. "Gabby said there were stories about fires all over the city, going back years."
Kelly bit his tongue, waiting to see if Mills knew any more.
"What does this have to do with me?" the medic asked.
As Kelly frantically brainstormed an answer, he was saved by the bell.
"Truck 81, Squad 3, Ambulance 61, two-car accident, West 17th and Halsted."
Mills grabbed his elbow as they left the room.
"You can walk and talk at the same time."
"You should have this conversation with Gabby," Kelly told him, continuing down the hall. "For right now, get your head in the game."
Mills sighed, letting go of his arm. "This isn't over."
Kelly broke into a jog, mostly to escape. Groaning with frustration, Mills followed.
Kelly stared blankly out the window as Tony drove to the scene. It was one thing to tell Mills to get his head in the game, but it wasn't exactly his own strong suit either. He could do his job like the professional he was, but neatly compartmentalizing was a thing of the past.
Underneath the L train tracks, an SUV had t-boned a sedan into a support beam. Truck 81 arrived moments sooner, and Casey decisively took command.
Casey stopped to check on the passengers in the SUV, so Kelly continued to the gold sedan. He listened with half an ear to Casey talking with the victim, noting that she was conscious but pinned in.
The driver of the sedan wasn't so lucky. He was slumped sideways in his seat with a bloody wound on his head. Kelly's eyes widened as he recognized the face.
No. Not again.
"Case," he choked out, taking a small step back. "Case."
Casey quickly walked towards him with an expression of concern. "What have we got?"
"It's… Chaplain Orlovsky," Kelly told him, slightly shaking his head.
His field of vision was starting to narrow, and he felt a bit faint. Not now. Not now. Don't you fucking dare. He tried to warn his brain that this was not the time.
Threatening himself never worked, so he followed up with slow, deep breaths. There's no danger. I don't need adrenaline. I need to focus. His heart rate slowed, and he looked to Casey for instruction.
Casey checked on the chaplain, noting that he was bleeding out.
"We can hook the Squad up to the SUV and pull the cars apart, pull them both out at the same time?" Kelly suggested.
Casey paused, taking longer to decide. Kelly edged towards his men, wanting to spring into action before panic got another hold.
"No," Casey said after several seconds. "The way she's pinned in, we need to stabilize her first."
Kelly shook his head. "The longer he's pinned in, the more blood he's going to lose. We have to –"
Casey cut him off. Although he spoke calmly, it was clear the decision was final. "I know, Sev. So we aren't wasting any time. Herrmann, Dawson, go get the jaws."
Kelly nodded, turning to give orders to his men. "Capp, Tony, we're going to start cutting the roof posts off so we're ready when they move the SUV."
Mills was already in the car treating the chaplain when Squad got started, stabilizing his spine with his hands and a collar.
"How is he?" Kelly asked softly, just as Casey yelled "Mills, status!" from the SUV.
Mills twisted to make eye contact with Kelly as he called out to Casey. "I got a pulse, but it's weak. He's lost a lot of blood from his head wound!"
He lowered his voice, speaking just to Kelly. "Collar's secure and his legs aren't pinned. Easy pull."
Kelly nodded. Squad got started on the roof, getting ready to peel it back. Kelly felt more like himself with something physical to do. He listened attentively to Casey's progress with the other driver, then gave Mills a hand climbing through the window when Truck was ready to get her out.
"I've got him," Kelly assured the medic. Mills left him with a slap on the shoulder and a nod.
Once the SUV was gone, Herrmann and Cruz stepped in to assist Squad. Kelly helped them get the chaplain onto a backboard, then backed up to stand with Casey as they put him on a stretcher and rolled towards the ambulance.
"Did he…?" Casey barely whispered as the ambulance pulled away.
Kelly shook his head. "No, he was out the whole time."
The fair-skinned man somehow looked even paler as he started to turn away.
"Hey," Kelly attempted to stop him. "Case."
"Not now," Casey said evenly. "Squad can go back to quarters while we clean up."
"We'll stay and help," Kelly offered. He couldn't openly comfort his boyfriend, but he didn't want to leave him yet, either.
Otis and Tony gave Kelly equally startled looks.
"Oh, come on, we do that sometimes," Kelly said defensively.
Otis smirked, shaking his head. "Come on, Tony, I'll teach you how to use a broom."
Matt tore his eyes from his paperwork at a familiar knock on his door.
"Hey, Lieutenant," Severide greeted him casually. "Just wanted to check in. I know that was a tough call."
Biting his lip, Matt looked out into the bunk room to see if anyone else was around. Nobody was there.
He slumped in his seat, resting the back of one hand across his stinging eyes.
"What would you have done?" he asked frankly.
His boyfriend closed the door and took a seat near the foot of the bed.
"I'm not sure, Matt," he said earnestly. "I'm glad I didn't have to make that call. If I'm being completely honest, I think I probably would have gone through with my first plan, even with the risk."
The weight on Matt's chest got heavier.
Severide quietly continued, "But Matt… It would have been the wrong call. The chaplain would be the first person to tell us that. That's what makes you a better leader than me."
He winked. "Don't you dare tell anyone I admitted that. But there's a reason you made Lieutenant while you still had zits on your face."
Matt was surprised to feel himself smiling at the joke. He hadn't been quite that young. But almost.
"You have this almost instinctive ability to look at a situation like this from all sides and figure out how to save the most lives," Severide continued. "We all trust you to make the right call in these dilemmas because you always do."
Matt nodded slowly. "Thanks… I just really hope he pulls through."
Severide sighed, looking down at the floor. "I believe he will. That old guy's a fighter. But even if he doesn't, Matt, you still did the right thing."
Matt sighed, relaxing slightly. Even though they were together, Severide wasn't much for lying to make him feel better. If he said that he supported Matt's decision, he meant it.
"Thanks, Lieutenant," he said with a wry smile.
"Anytime, Lieutenant," Severide grinned, squeezing Matt's shoulder as he left the room.
