Sorry for the wait! Life got super busy, but I finally had some time to get this chapter out. I hope you guys like it :)

Severide put the last of his coins in the machine, hearing them clink as they collected in the coin bin before a whirring filled the air. Then, watching drowsily, he managed to stir a brief moment of excitement as hot coffee began to pour from the machine and into the cup waiting below.

While hospital coffee was close to what Severide figured toilet water tasted like, it had caffeine, and that's all that mattered.

Casey had gotten out of surgery over 5 hours ago, and since then, had been in and out of consciousness. Thankfully his fever was still down, remaining low grade, and the doctor was optimistic about his progress.

Severide had voiced his concerns about how out of it Casey still was. He hadn't had a coherent moment since he came back from the OR, but Doctor Burke had assured him that it was due to everything Casey's body had been through with his surgeries and that rest meant healing.

The last bits of his coffee sputtered from the machine, telling Severide it was time to get back to his chair in Casey's room.

Walking the halls, he walked through the familiar doorway where he found Casey sleeping, just as he had left him. Sitting down heavily, he grimaced as he took a long sip of his coffee before resting his head against the wall and closing his eyes.

What felt like seconds must have been way longer in reality, as when he reopened his eyes, the coffee in his hand, which he had somehow managed not to drop on the floor, was cold, and Casey was watching him silently, a small smile on his face.

"Hey, Case! You're awake," he said excitedly, leaning closer to him as he placed the cold coffee on a table nearby. "You should have woken me up."

"I haven't been up long," Casey replied, his voice slightly hoarse from the intubation tube.

"Here, let me help you sit up so I can get you some water."

Standing up, he raised the bed slowly so that Casey was at more of an angle, ensuring he wouldn't choke on the water.

Severide filled up a cup next to a jug of water that sat nearby, handing it to Casey, who took it in his good hand. He watched as Casey took a few sips before draining the cup, closing his eyes as the water soothed his sore throat.

"Thank you," he said as he reopened his eyes, his voice stronger than before.

Severide nodded. "Of course."

Casey shifted slightly and immediately winced, reaching for his heavily bandaged shoulder.

"Are you in a lot of pain? I can get the nurse. I should tell them you're awake anyway."

Severide turned to leave, but a hand on his arm made him pause. Turning back around, he saw Casey shooting him an exacerbated glare.

"Sev, sit down. I'm fine. It just hurt for a moment when I accidentally moved my shoulder." He paused for a second before a sly smirk fell across his face. "When did you become such a worrier? The lack of smoke-eating finally getting to you? Keep this up, and you might melt the next time you set foot in a fire."

"Interesting. I'll keep that in mind the next time I have to save your ass on a job." He bit back playfully.

He meant the remark in full jest, trying to play with Casey like they usually did with one another, but he saw that his comment had the opposite effect. Casey's face fell as he sunk back, lowering his head as he went quiet.

"Case, what's wrong? You know I didn't mean that. You're an amazing firefighter. Saved my ass more times than I can count." Severide said, trying to get Casey to face him.

Grasping his chin lightly, he pulled Casey's face toward him but was met with resistance. "Case, look at me."

There's a moment of hesitation, but Casey finally relented, turning his head so that his watery eyes meet Severide's.

Severide felt guilt engulf his chest, causing him to reel back slightly. "Woah, Casey, I didn't mean to make you upset. I'm sorry about what I said."

Casey shook his head, a few tears falling down his cheeks. "I'm sorry," he whispered, covering his face with his good hand.

Severide scooted closer, putting a comforting hand on Casey's knee. "For what?" he asks, thoroughly confused about the drastic turn their conversation had taken.

Casey stifled a sob before replying. "I don't even know why I'm upset," he starts, taking a deep breath to level his voice. "It's just… my injury and my career. It all came back. I may never be a firefighter again."

This time, he lets out a full sob, crying out as it jarred his shoulder.

Severide quickly moved in position, moving to his uninjured side, where he pulled him into a tight hug, careful not to hurt his shoulder further.

"Shh, don't worry about any of that right now, my love," he soothes, feeling Casey's body continue to wrack with small sobs. "The doctor is very optimistic about your recovery. Everything looks good right now, and there's no point in worrying about the future. All you need to do is focus on recovering now, in the present, okay? Work will come later."

He felt Casey nod from where he was smushed in Severide's chest. Then, after a few minutes, his sobs taper off, and Severide releases him, watching as Casey wipes his face.

"With all this crying I've been doing lately, I might just be the one who melts," he laughs slightly, sniffing as his emotions begin to come under control.

Severide laughed too before he leaned down and gave Casey a soft kiss. "All part of the healing process, Case. You're warranted a few years."

Things got happier after that. Doctor Burke came in, checked to make sure that Casey's fever was still low, his new incision site looked good, and then left. Not before reassuring Casey exactly what Severide had said earlier. Casey's prognosis looked good. He would have to stay in the hospital overnight and would be assessed again tomorrow to see if he could go back home, but other than that, everything was pointing to a promising recovery.

As the day wore on, they both kept each other from getting bored. Playing board games that the hospital had on hand and watching movies until it got late and time to settle down.

Severide was just about to suggest they turn off their latest movie and finish it some other time when he noticed that Casey had gone unusually quiet. Any time they watched a movie, Casey was always commenting about something. A fight scene breaking out, a comment a character made, or just anything that caught his eye. It was something that had annoyed Severide at the beginning of their relationship but had turned into one of the things he loved about Casey. A movie without his commentary didn't seem right to him. So now, taking in the silence that he realized had been there for a while, he felt a tinge of concern.

Turning toward Casey, he allowed himself to take in his features. While the room was mainly dark, the soft glow of the television provided enough light to see that most of Casey's face had gone pale while his cheeks were aflame, glowing red in the dark.

Heartbeat quickening, Severide got up and flicked the light on, causing Casey to squint.

"Hey, what did you do that for?" he mumbled quietly, blinking rapidly as his eyes adjusted.

Severide sat back down and paused the movie, his full attention on Casey.

"Your fever is up, Casey," he said softly, placing a cool hand on his hot face, confirming what he knew to be true. "Why didn't you say anything?"

Casey leaned into his touch, sighing softly. "I didn't know anything was wrong at first. But then I started to get hot and really nauseous. I was afraid to open my mouth in case I threw up."

Now that he was looking, Severide could see this too. The paleness of his face had a green hue, and he was barely opening his mouth as he talked.

Seeing that Casey could be sick at any moment, Severide rummaged around the room until he found the sick basin, handing it over to Casey.

Casey gripped it hard, swallowing, but didn't move to use it. It looked like he was going to say something, but Severide cut him off.

"Don't speak. I'm going to go get your doctor."

In the three minutes it took to find Casey's doctor, who was closing his rounds before he left for the night, Casey had lost his battle. Instead, they were met with the sight of him heaving harshly, spitting thick strings of bile into the basin on his lap.

Severide rushed to his side, rubbing his back as Doctor Burke checked his vitals.

"Fever's up to 101.5," he said, a slight frown on his face. "I'm going to give him something for nausea and up his dosage of antibiotics. We won't know for a few hours if this is just an adverse reaction to the surgery or if the infection is spreading, so all we can do for now is wait and see if he responds to the higher dose of medication."

Severide nodded, taking the bin away from Casey as he finished throwing up.

Casey sat back heavily; eyes shut as his energy ran out.

Doctor Burke finished adding the medication to his IV, pushing the button on Casey's bed that made it go flat.

"The anti-nausea medication will make him drowsy, so he should sleep for a few hours. However, his body needs the rest anyway to give the antibiotics a chance to work. I'll make sure to alert Doctor Lewis, my associate taking over my rounds during the night shift, of his condition. She should be in to check on him in a few hours," he explained.

Severide took a deep breath, glancing over at Casey's sleeping form. "Thank you, Doctor."

Doctor Burke nodded before exiting the room, leaving Severide alone with the thought that Casey's fear might actually be coming true, and there was nothing he could do to stop it.

Somehow things had gotten worse. As the hours went by, Casey didn't seem to be responding to the medication at all. His fever was currently at 104.2, and it didn't appear to want to go down anytime soon. Doctor Lewis had come in, checked the surgical site, and done a few tests. The result, if anything, made Severide feel worse. It confirmed that the infection deep in Casey's shoulder tissue had come back just as bad as before. While it hadn't spread past the shoulder, the threat was there. Surgery wasn't an option anymore either. There would be no point in keeping the arm if they took any more tissue. If the infection didn't clear away with the antibiotics, Casey would lose his arm. There was no question about it.

Severide had taken up pacing again. He felt so useless sitting in the chair, and the moving helped him think. If Casey lost his arm, he would never be able to be a firefighter again. Severide had promised that they would start a new life together, away from firefighting, but now that he was confronted with it, he felt torn.

He knew he was destined to be a firefighter from a young age. While having his dad, a renowned firefighter, constantly pushing him in that direction helped, Severide always felt at home in the field. He was good at it, and it was the one constant in his life that made him happy. Now that he was Squad lieutenant, he had found a place in the world. He knew where he belonged. But Casey. He knew that Casey felt the same way about himself. So, rising through the ranks himself, he had made lieutenant of truck at a young age, securing his place in the profession Severide knew he loved. To give that up, Severide was sure it would break a part of him that nothing would be able to heal.

And while Severide felt the same way, his love for the man in front of him burned brighter than any fire he had encountered. He would do anything for Casey, even if it meant stepping away from the job. There was no doubt in his mind. It was the right thing to do.

Severide stopped pacing to look at Casey, taking in his sweat-ridden forehead and bright red cheeks. I can only hope it doesn't come to that.

An hour later, Doctor Lewis came back in. She checked Casey's progress, saw that nothing had changed, and walked over to Severide with a severe look on her face.

"Don't sugarcoat anything," Severide said, crossing his arms in front of himself. "How bad is it?"

Doctor Lewis regarded him before she spoke, probably realizing that Severide would take nothing but the whole truth.

"He's not responding as we hoped," she said, confirming Severide's fear. "We've got him on a powerful course of antibiotics, but the infection is beginning to spread. If we don't do anything soon, it could spread to his heart, and that would be life-threatening."

Severide kept his face calm and his voice steady, although he wanted to do everything but. "So, that means his arm must be amputated."

There was a tense silence where none of them said anything, but it was enough to tell Severide everything he needed to know. Casey was going to lose his arm. Doctor Lewis must have seen the change in his face, the cracks that were beginning to form as his resolve dissolved and the world started to crumble around him.

"Well, not exactly."

Severide's head snapped up, a tiny blossom of hope stirring inside of him.

"What do you mean not exactly? Is there another treatment to save Casey's arm?"

She paused before levelling her eyes onto Severide's. "There is one last thing we can try. It's risky. If this treatment does not work, I won't lie to you; Matthew could be at great risk. The infection could continue to spread until it makes its way into his heart. And there's a very slim chance of recovery after that."

"But, if it works?"

"If it works," she started, "Matthew would have an excellent chance of keeping his arm and making a full recovery."

Severide felt renewed hope surge through him. Casey might be able to keep his arm!

Seeing his excitement, she rushed to keep things realistic. "I can't promise anything, Kelly. This procedure comes with a lot of risks."

Severide knew that Casey would want him to try it despite the risks. Losing his arm would be just as bad as death to him. But, he knew that he had to try.

"Whatever the risks, I know that Casey would want to take that chance. Now, what is it that you're going to do?"

Doctor Lewis explained the procedure. First, they were to stop all current antibiotics. Then they would transport him downstairs for hyperbaric oxygen therapy. While it wasn't a sure-fire way to treat such severe infections like Casey had, in many cases, it helped patients immensely and allowed their bodies to fight the infection ravaging their bodies.

For two hours, Casey would be taken to a room where he would be placed under air pressure three times higher than the normal air pressure. While this was occurring, he would be breathing in pure oxygen. If it worked, his body would carry the extra oxygen through his system and hopefully stimulate the elimination of the bacteria through the release of growth factors and stem cells.

While it sounded crazy to Severide, Doctor Lewis assured him it had helped many people in Casey's position before and that it would save his arm if it worked. Severide didn't even want to consider the consequences if it didn't.

After a quick prep, Severide gave Casey a hasty goodbye where he reassured him everything would be okay, kissed him on the forehead and watched him be wheeled out of his hospital room for what seemed like the one-hundredth time. The only thing that was keeping Severide going was the thought that, if this treatment worked, Casey's arm would be saved, and he wouldn't have to think about losing his job. He held onto that idea, keeping the image of them fighting fires again together fresh in his mind.

…...

Two painstakingly long hours later, Casey was wheeled back into the room. Doctor Lewis soon followed, keeping a neutral expression on her face.

"After his treatment, I can say that it seems to be doing what we would like it to do."

Severide felt a smile split his face, feeling the happiest he had had in a long time. The treatment had worked!

The doctor smiled. "His fever has gone down to 103, and the spread of the infection has stopped. I think that with more treatments and a resuming of his antibiotics, Matthew should make a full recovery."

If Severide could have kissed her, he would. But that would have been highly unprofessional and way out of line, so he resisted the urge. He was just so thrilled that everything had worked out that he felt like he was on cloud nine. For the first time since this whole mess had started, Severide saw the hope that he kept telling Casey to have.

He ended up shaking Doctor Lewis' hand instead. "Thank you so much for everything. Without you and Doctor Burke, Casey might have lost his arm. You have no idea how much that means to us." Severide said, still shaking her hand a bit too enthusiastically.

Despite his slight hysteria, Doctor Lewis remained professional. "No need to thank us for doing our job. Whenever we can help someone like this, giving them back their life is reward enough."

Severide realized he was still gripping her hand and quickly let go, flashing her an embarrassed smile.

She didn't say anything to her credit, just smiled slightly before turning to leave the room. Just as she was at the door, she paused, pivoting, so she was facing Severide again.

"Matthew will most likely sleep for the next several hours. So if you would like to go home and get some real rest, maybe take a shower, eat some food, I'm sure he will still be sleeping by the time you get back." And with that, she was gone.

Severide paused, lowering his head to sniff his shirt and immediately realized what she was hinting at. A shower would definitely do him some good.

Figuring she was right, Severide walked over to Casey, where he gave him a soft kiss on his forehead once again. "I'll be back, my love, don't you worry," he whispered, brushing back some unruly hair from Casey's face.

Satisfied that he was resting well, Severide grabbed his keys and made his way out of the hospital. He realized that he had quite a few things to do before returning. First, shower, shave, and food, and then he made a mental note to call the Chief and explain everything that had happened in the short few days since their last talk. He'd also make sure to grab Casey some fresh clothes for when he was released.

He finally reached his car, haphazardly parked in a spot, as he had quickly moved in while Casey had been rushed away into the hospital after their quick arrival.

Getting in, he took a moment to compose himself, brushing the few tears that fell from the emotional rollercoaster he had finally gotten off after everything they had gone through with the thought of Casey losing his arm. Eventually, things would be okay, and this time, Severide believed it.

To be continued! The next chapter will be the last and I'll try to get it out in the next few days :D