Disclaimer: I don't own Chicago Fire or any affiliated shows, or the characters thereof. This is just for fun.
I hope that you like the latest chapter of An Occupational Hazard.
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Chapter Three
When Kelly was wheeled back into the hospital room, Stella and Matt were quick to get to their feet, and meet Kelly.
"Hey there, how are you feeling?" Stella asked in concern.
"Tired," Severide replied, then adding, "I'm alright though. What are you doing here, Casey?"
"Last time I heard of you taking time off was when Shay... Well, I figured something was up."
"You look exhausted, Kelly," Stella interrupted. "Rest up, and we can talk more later."
Unfortunately, 'later' came much sooner than Stella or Casey might have wanted. Severide rested for less than an hour before be broached the subject again. "So, does everyone know?"
"...No, well I don't think so," Casey replied. "Do you need anything? The doctor said you could have something for the pain once you woke up."
"I'm good," Kelly replied, ignoring the searing pain in his chest.
Knowingly, Stella subtly pressed the call button for the nurse to bring pain medication.
"I can leave if you want..." Casey said uncertainly.
"Nah, it's okay. Stella brought a deck of cards in, but she has the worst poker face."
The uncertainty of waiting for the results of the biopsy was by far the worst time mentally for Severide and Kidd. Kelly was released from the hospital after having a couple of days to recover from the procedure itself. Now, there was nothing to do but wait.
The day after he was released from the hospital, Kelly ignored Stella's protests, and went to his shift at the firehouse. Thankfully, Boden was quick to spot him, and call Kelly in to his office to talk.
"So, are you going to tell me what happened on that call, Severide?"
"Walking pneumonia," Kelly lied. It seemed plausible enough to him.
"Really? I've never heard of pneumonia causing someone to cough up blood," Chief Boden rebuked. "You can talk to me, Kelly."
Kelly hesitated, but Boden held firm. "Fine... When they scanned my lungs, they found something. I had a biopsy, and we're still waiting for the results, but..." Kelly couldn't say it, and he didn't need to.
"Cancer?" Boden asked with a heavy heart.
"It's probable. And the doctors say it looks advanced."
They sat in silence for a moment. "I'm so sorry, Kelly. If you need anything-"
"I know. Right now, I just want to work though."
Boden sighed. This conversation was going from bad to worse. He couldn't have a firefighter under his command working in such a condition. "Kelly... You should go home, take some time to process what is happening."
"With all due respect, Chief, I need to work. I had plenty of time to think in the hospital."
"You're not hearing me, Kelly. I can't let you work until you get your test results, at least. It's too much of a risk to you and everyone else here. You need to take some time off, effective immediately."
After Severide was officially placed on a medical furlough pending medical clearance, he reluctantly headed back to his apartment.
And so, Kelly soon found himself laying in front of the TV watching old movies Stella was at work. Kelly would have given anything for a decent distraction at that point. Turbulent thoughts flooded his mind at every chance. One way or another, Kelly just wanted an answer.
That answer came two weeks later.
Kelly received a phone call from the oncologist's office informing him that the specialist had his results, and wanted to discuss them personally. Kelly felt his heart sink as he heard that, doctors don't tend to call patients into the office to receive good news.
Kelly had promised Stella that he would take her along to the appointment, so he headed for the firehouse, subconsciously attempting to delay the appointment, but Stella was already waiting at the end of the concrete apron for him, and soon the couple were on their way back to the hospital to see Dr McNiccoll.
The couple knew as soon as they sat down that the news was bad, as the doctor's expression was saddened, and a small pile of pamphlets on lung cancer and similar topics were stacked on the edge of his desk.
Dr McNiccoll wasted no time with pleasantries as he grimly broke the news to the couple. "The biopsy has confirmed that you have a type of cancer called non small cell lung cancer or NSCLC for short, which has already spread throughout your body, which means we consider it to be a stage four cancer. I'm afraid that the outlook is not promising. We can use various treatments to give you some time and alleviate some of the symptoms of the disease, but there is no way to cure it at this stage."
"What are you saying, doc?" Kelly asked in shock. Stella brought her hand to her boyfriend's shoulder in an attempt to comfort him, even though she felt as though her entire world had just caved in.
"You have terminal cancer, Kelly. I am very sorry," The doctor reiterated. He then pressed on, "We do have options though. With a combination of chemotherapy and radiation I think we could give you at least six months longer than would be realistic if you forgo treatment. That said, you may decide not to undergo treatment, some people find the side effects of treatment worse than the disease itself."
Stella looked to Kelly nervously, she knew him. And she knew that he wouldn't want the treatment, that he wouldn't see a reason to prolong this process, but still as she thought of the tiny human growing inside her, Stella had to try to talk him around. "Please, Kelly... Will you at least try the treatment? We need you," Damn, she slipped with her wording, and Kelly clearly noticed.
Ignoring the presence of the oncologist, Kelly asked, "We? Are you..."
"About ten weeks pregnant, yes. So please have the treatment, because we really need you."
"What does this treatment involve?" Kelly asked, turning back to look at the oncologist. They would discuss the pregnancy later, but for now, there was no way that he wasn't going to try to buy more time.
"Well, I would recommend that initially we try several rounds of chemotherapy alongside targeted therapy, which is another form of medication that can be very beneficial. I'm not going to sugarcoat it, this regimen will most likely make you feel quite unwell at times, but we will do everything possible to minimise the side effects."
"What kind of side effects are we talking about, doctor?" Stella piped up.
"There is a wide range of side effects, they include everything from a compromised immune system, nausea, vomiting, and hair loss to digestive issues and skin reactions. I'll provide you with some brochures on what to expect in more detail." Dr McNiccoll paused, "The treatment regimen that I have planned is aimed at keeping Kelly feeling as well as possible for as long as possible. It will consist of two chemotherapeutic medications, Cisplatin and Pemetrexed. There are also a few supportive medications that we use in conjunction with these chemotherapy drugs to minimise the side effects."
"How long?" Kelly hardly recognised his own voice as he spoke.
The oncologist felt that he knew what Kelly was asking, he had seen it too many times. "With successful treatment, I'd say twelve to eighteen months. But I've seen patients with poor prognosis live far longer than expected before. You might prove me wrong."
"Twelve months? You're saying that even with treatment I could be dead in a year?"
"It is possible."
Kelly looked to Stella, then back to the doctor. There were no words for what Kelly felt in that moment.
Eventually the doctor broke the silence, "I would like to refer you to our palliative care team. They naturally have had a lot of experience in these situations, and I think that you will find their assistance beneficial."
"Look doc, if you think that meeting someone else for a chat is going to make this better, you're wrong."
"It's not just about talking, Kelly. The palliative care team are experts in supportive treatments, and making certain that at the end, you are as comfortable as possible. I know that they can explain what their role is a whole lot better than I can, so can I please make the referral so that they can meet with you both?"
This time Stella locked eyes with Kelly as he glanced around the room, and when their glances broke apart a moment later, Kelly nodded as he quietly agreed to the doctor's request. "Okay."
As they drove back towards the firehouse, the couple were quiet, each lost in thought. It was only as they pulled up out the front that Kelly spoke, "I've got to tell Boden."
"Alright. Do you want me to come with you, or...?" Stella trailed off.
"Nah, it's okay. You get back to work, I'll see you at home."
"If you're sure..." Stella said uncertainly, before allowing Kelly to kiss her gently on the forehead.
"It'll be okay, Stel," Kelly said with far more confidence than he felt, before he turned, and began making his way towards the Chief's office.
To be continued...