"How long has she been out?" Kelly asked quietly.

"I'm not sure, she was passed out when we arrived, and the paramedics said she didn't regain consciousness all the way here." Matt replied.

"I'll kill him." Gabby said, the paramedic pacing up and down the small space in the room, something she'd been doing since the moment they'd been allowed into see her.

"Dawson, all we can do is be there for her. Help her through this." Kelly said looking up at the furious woman, "The last thing she needs is one of us going to prison because of him."

The three first responders had been at the hospital for the past two hours and this was the first time any of them had uttered any words to each other. When the doctor had said they could come through to sit with her forty five minutes ago Kelly assumed Matt or Gabby would speak to him and tell him more of how they found her but nobody had said anything, in fact since they had come through only the beeping of the machines around them had made any noise, the constant beeping being the only sign that their friend was still alive. None of them altogether sure what had happened once she left Molly's earlier that night, but if they had to guess they'd say she had taken a rough beating almost the minute they'd got behind a closed door. The man responsible no where to be found after he'd left her alone and bleeding in the apartment. The only reason she was still alive being Matt and Gabby, the paramedic insisting they checked in on her all of twenty minutes after she'd left with him. Something within her telling her they needed to get to the apartment her friend lived in with her husband.

"She's got to wake up first." Gabby said sadly, "look at her Kelly, look what he's done to her."

"I know!" Kelly shouted, "I... it's my fault. I shouldn't have left her this morning. God damn it she's so stubborn at times, why didn't she just tell them everything this morning then his sorry ass would have been behind bars already, she wouldn't be lying there."

"Severide the only person this is on is him, this is Grants doing not yours and definitely not Stella's." Matt said firmly, and he meant what he said this was nobody's fault. Not one of them in this room had done anything wrong. "We don't know what happened when they got home, we don't know where he is or what he was thinking, all we know is that something obviously happened and that something has landed her in that bed, that something has left her with these injuries, some of which could change her life from what the doctors said."

"What happened?" Kelly finally asked, the question had been resting on his lips since he got here, he hadn't asked it yet for fear of what he may hear but he needed to know, he needed to hear what had taken place. Matt glancing at his wife as he described the scene they'd found upon entering her home only a few short hours ago. Gabby tuning their voices out as she continued to pace, the paramedic lost in her head, the scene at the apartment haunting her as she tried to process it.

"Matt we need to go check on her please?" she begged her husband leaning across the bar, "I don't know why, but something is telling me she needs us to go after her. Please Matt, we can't leave her alone with him."

"Woah Gabby we'll go check on her" he reassured, smiling at her softly. "Come on I'll drive" The blonde man could see the fear shining in his wife's eyes, and he had to admit he too was worried, the way Grant had dragged her out of here, he couldn't imagine what was waiting for her at home was going to be anything good, the truck lieutenant even more sure now than he had been on shift that her tardiness and apparent fall injuries were more than what they appeared on the surface. And he could see that Gabby wasn't going to rest until she checked on her but there was absolutely no way his wife was going alone. If Grant had no problem treating Stella like that in public he dreaded to think what he would do to someone else if he got the chance. Finishing his soda quickly he watched her speak to Hermann, who nodded in response before she made her way to him, the both of them exiting the bar quickly and climbing up in his truck. Gabby directing him through the darken streets to her apartment, the woman not even waiting for him to be fully stopped before she exited the still moving vehicle. The paramedic taking the stairs two at a time as she raced up to the front door, her body tensing as she notice that it was still ajar, her movements quickening as she reached out to open the door. The scene before her making her heart stop, the entire apartment was trashed, glass and broken furniture littered the floors, the evidence of more than an verbal argument taking place within these walls. She stood frozen in place as her eyes trailed around the room, taking in the once immaculate space, her eyes landing on something in the corner, the sight causing her to gasp loudly in shock, the sight of her friend slumped on the ground, her body crashed against the wall, blood covering almost all of her. Gabby making her way across the room quickly, stopping at her friends side and immediately checking for a pulse before screaming for Matt. The man rounding the corner moments later a pensive look upon his face as he too took in the scene in front of him.

"Call 911 NOW!" Gabby screamed, the fear lacing her words, as she lay Stella flat, looking over all her injuries. The firefighter before her never once opening her eyes, as Dawson check her head for any obvious injuries. The broken woman not responding to any of her cues, the deafening silence of her response or lack of telling Gabby just how bad this was, her mind screaming at her that her friend had been rendered unconscious by whatever onslaught had caused the mess around her.

"What do you need me to do?" Matt asked, kneeling down next to her.

"Grab some towels, the bathrooms through there" she said pointing in the direction of Stella's bedroom, the faint sound of sirens approaching as he moved, Gabby applying as much pressure as she could to as many wounds.

Before she knew it the small space had been filled with paramedics and police, everyone moving quickly to work on the broken body that was her friend. Gabby's body shaking as she watched them load her into the back of the waiting ambulance before speeding off down the road. Matt wrapping his arms around her as the police came to take their statements. The woman's only focus being getting to the hospital.

"Gabby"

"Huh" she said swinging round as his hand settled on her shoulder.

"I asked if you were ok?" Matt said gently, pulling her in for a hug.

"I'm... I don't even know what I am." she said, the tears tracing down her face once again, the brunette struggling to keep her emotions in check as her glazed eyes fell upon her friends limp body lying in the bed in front of them. The words she needed to describe how she felt not seeming good enough, her brain forming more questions than answers as she watched the numbers on the screen match the slow rise and fall of the woman's chest in front of her.

"Maybe we should go home, you're exhausted." Matt suggested gently, his hand slipping around her waist and pulling her closer to him.

"No!" She said firmly her tone shocking them all, "I want to stay, I'll just go get a coffee. Kelly do you need anything?"

"No I'm good." he said, the couple nodding as they headed out of the room. Leaving him holding her hand.

"So Kelly works here?" Stella Kidd asked as she linked arms with Dawson.

"Kelly? As in Severide? Lieutenant of Squad three and a real player?" Gabby chuckled, the two woman moving their way through the hallway of the house. It was the firefighters first day at fifty one, her old academy buddy showing her around, her candidacy had just ended at twenty one and she couldn't have gotten out of that place any faster, the bigots around that house making her skin crawl.

"Yes that'll be the one! So he works out this house right?"

"Yes. But Kidd seriously don't go there, that man I love him but god he has no idea how to treat a woman, let alone be in a relationship."

"Jesus Gabby, way to sell the guy."

Dawson scoffed loudly, "well I'm not trying to sell him to you. Look, Kelly, he's one of my best friends but him and relationships they just don't go."

"I think I can handle him." Stella shot back, her tongue running across her lips as she did, Gabby not missing the daring look in her eyes.

The two woman laughing loudly as they rounded the corner into the common room, being meet with several pairs of eyes on them. "Everyone this is Stella Kidd, Kidd is the new member of eighty one and one of my closet friends from the academy so be nice ok?"

There were nods and grunts of agreement throughout the room as everyone went about their business, most of the guys tucking into the breakfast spread laid out on the kitchen side. Both woman grabbing themselves a plate before joining the rest of the house in eating, Kidd easily falling into conversation with them all.

"Hey" his gruff voice spoke behind her, "welcome to house fifty one."

"Thanks" she smiled her eyes darting upwards to him, the two locking eyes momentarily. The action not going unnoticed by the paramedic sat next to them, Dawson clearing her throat loudly as Stella snapped her head round to face her. "Yes?"

"Nothing" Gabby said, rolling her tongue along her lips as a knowing smirk spread across her face. Stella rolling her eyes at her before pushing herself up and out of her seat, heading in the direction of the bunk room, Severide following closely behind. The man feeling the PIC's eyes on him all the way. Something telling him she was more than aware of his intentions.

"Shall we try that again" Kelly said his lips crushing hers the minute they were out of sight. Stella kissing him back, her arms reaching around his back as her body lent up against his. The contact making a warm feeling spread across her body.

"Hey" she smiled pulling back slightly, "Do you think they noticed?"

"Only one of them, but she can't really talk, she's married to Casey." He placed another soft kiss to her lips, the two only pulling back when the bells rang out around them calling truck out. "Go get um."

Kidd running off towards the apparatus floor and up into the truck for her first call with her new house. It wasn't a bad call, but it wasn't exactly good either, no call ever was. There was a saying at the academy, 'if we turn up it's usually the worst day of someone's life, it's usually because something unimaginable has happened, we are there to help them through it.' And help is what they did. When they pulled up to the scene the car was on it's side, the father already free but his son was trapped in the back seat, the flames were taking over the scene quickly and they knew they needed to move fast. Hermann jumping inside and freeing the boy while Kidd and Otis did their best to keep the flames at bay long enough. The older firefighter emerging from the wreckage just before the car burst into flames. Today had been that families worst day but they had made it better, Hermann having made a connection with the lad and it all ending well. But not every shift was like that, she knew that, she had, had her fair share of bad calls and she knew this house had suffered some bad ones too. Everyone at the academy had heard about how fifty one was more than just a firehouse, they were a family, and if you wanted to get put at any house it was fifty one. They had a reputation of doing things their own way but their way got the job done and that was what mattered most.

Returning to the house Stella couldn't help but smile, she was happy being here, she was happy to be able to work alongside him. She knew it could complicate things if they didn't at least try and keep it professional but for now she was just happy. He was waiting for her when truck pulled back in, his presence making itself known before she even looked up. His strong colon wafting across the apparatus floor as he made his way towards her. Between the smirk on his face and the smug look on Dawson's, she could tell she had been the topic of conversation while out. The two of them exchanging looks as her eyes fell upon them.

"What?" She asked almost immediately, strutting up to them both.

"Oh nothing" Dawson chuckled, "Just been having a pleasant conversation with our squad lieutenant here. Want to take a guess as to what about?" she pressed, her tongue poking out between her teeth as she did.

"I have my suspicions" she said eyeing the man stood next to her friend strongly, "What happened to not letting anyone know?"

"Oh please, she worked it out. She's like a human lie detector" Kelly scoffed, "Plus they are going to find out at some point."

Stella laughed loudly, hitting her hand playfully against his arm before muttering something about needing a shower. Dawson not missing the chance to throw in a comment about how she was sure she needed some help washing her back. Kelly's eyes widening at the not so subtle hint.

"Doc lay it out for me?" Kelly said, as he watched them all working around her.

It had been several hours since he'd got the call from Casey, telling him that something had happened and he needed to get to Lakeshore immediately. The tone in his friends voice telling him whatever it was, was serious. In the time he'd been sat here no one had been able to give him any answers, the only thing he'd been told was that her injuries were pretty bad but not life threatening. But he was starting to question if that was really the case, if she wasn't in any immediate danger then why hadn't she woken up yet. Surely something was preventing her from opening her eyes and waking up, he needed to know, whatever it was he needed to hear it.

"We aren't sure why she hasn't woken up yet." The doctor said, "we think she may have slipped into a coma but the reason for that is still unclear, we are waiting for her latest test results to come back. Once they are in we will have more of any idea of what we are dealing with. What we do know is that she has some pretty horrific injuries, her head must have been slammed into something repeatedly, there was a big gash that we've managed to glue but it's going to leave a nasty scar. I'm not sure yet if there was any damage to her brain but the results from the CT will let us know more, she has several broken ribs, and her arm is fractured in several places. Now it could be the extent of her injuries have caused her body to shut down, this happens sometimes when we've suffered immense trauma, our bodies are great at doing what they need to, to heal. But until her scan results are back we can't say for certain. She's going to need several surgeries and to be honest with you Kelly, if she has slipped into a coma then that may be for the best. The pain she would be feeling if she were awake would be unimaginable, the arm and ribs would be bad enough. But it looks like she has several old injuries that have never been repaired properly. Every sign I'm seeing here is that this woman has been abused for a long time."

"I can't believe I didn't see this earlier, all the signs were there. This should never have come to this, she shouldn't be in that bed."

"All we can do now is hope and pray she wakes up, and that the police catch him."

"Thanks doc" Kelly said, his eyes darting around the room as he looked towards his friends asleep in the chairs the other side of her bed, their hands entwined together as they sought comfort from each other even in their sleep, "are we ok to stay?"

"Of course, you can stay as long as you like. I'll update you when I know more ok."

Kelly watched as the doctors left the room, the man repositioning himself in the chair he had been occupying for the majority of the evening, his hand automatically taking hers in his as he watched the gentle rise and fall of her chest. The monitors beeping loudly the only sound breaking through his thoughts. He had meant what he said to the doctors and to his friends earlier, this was on him, if he hadn't have left her earlier, if he had made her speak to the police, if he hadn't let her leave Molly's with him this wouldn't be happening. He didn't know if now was the time for him to be feeling what he did but he couldn't help it. He was in love with her, he had been for a long time, sure he wouldn't act up on it, she was married. But after this he regretted not telling her, maybe if he had she'd have left him, maybe he could have protected her from all the pain that he had caused her tonight and god knows how many other times.

Knocking on the door alerted him to their presence, the officers that stood in plain clothes in the doorway were no strangers to the firemen and women of fifty one. Turning his head slightly he spotted Antonio and Erin, both of them wearing the same expression on their faces, the expression he'd seen from everyone that had entered this room over the course of the night and much of the morning, the expression he was sure he'd be seeing for a long time when it came to the events of the evening previous.

"Kelly" Antonio spoke gently, "if you're up to it we need to speak to you?"

"We can speak here" Kelly said, in answer to the silent question of him moving from her beside. "I'm not going anywhere, and Dawson and Casey, well anything you need to ask me you can ask in front of them."

Antonio looked towards his sister and brother in law, both of them nodding in agreement, both of them aware there was no getting the squad lieutenant to move from the position he'd spent most of the night and all of the morning in.

"Ok then" he said moving further into the room and sitting down. "We caught Grant."

"You did" Gabby asked, earning a nod from her brother.

"We did, he was hold up in a bar across town. But he's refusing to speak to us, he says he didn't do anything to her and he.." Antonio eyes darted between the people in the room, "he..."

"What is it?" Kelly asked his tone forceful.

"He is saying he wants to press charges against you for assault."

"What!" Kelly shouted, "You've got to be kidding me? Stella's in that bed because he did god knows what to her and here you are asking me questions about a little fight outside Molly's"

"So there was an altercation?" Erin asked carefully, aware that the subject was going to be a delicate one.

"Yes there was an altercation, he was dragging her about like she was nothing and I hit him."

"Kelly, man, I understand this is frustrating." Antonio started, his voice calm but strong.

"Frustrating, this isn't frustrating it's fucking infuriating! Have you seen what he did to her?"

"Severide" Matt began, but the harsh glare his friend gave him stopped him in his tracks.

"No! I'm not going to let him put this on me. Yes I hit the jerk, yeah I probably shouldn't have and yeah I probably could have dealt with the situation better. But I don't regret my actions and if he wants to press charges than let him, bring it on."

He turned his attention back to the still unconscious woman in front of him, ignoring everyone else in the room as he checked her skin temperature before pulling the blanket up over her. The man intent on making his friend comfortable. Gabby nodded her head towards the door, Antonio understanding the silent request as he followed her out into the hallway, leaving Casey and Erin to speak with the now angry man.

"Seriously?" Gabby asked crossing her arms over her chest, "You're really going to question him now, after everything we know Grant has done, you're going to let him try and bring Kelly down?"

Antonio pushed out a frustrated breath, he knew coming here this morning was going to be rough, he alone had seen the effects watching one of you're own be hurt could have but this was his job, he was only doing his job. And despite the fact they were all like family, that the woman in front of him was his family, he still had to do his job. "Gabs, I don't like it either but Grant has filed a report and I have a duty to follow it up."

"Well its bullshit" Gabby spat, her anger at the situation boiling over. "He's just deflecting, wasting time so you have to let him go. He's silenced Stella and now he wants to silence anyone that will speak for her. Who's next me, Casey, Chief?"

"Gabby..."

"No Tonio, you don't get to come in here and interrogate my friend, not when the man accusing him is the one who deserves to be locked up."

"Gabby I get it I do.."

"Then unless you're here to give us an update on what is happening to that piece of shit, I suggest you leave."

"Gabby you know as well as I do that I can't do that."

The younger Dawson's face flashing with anger at his words, "I said leave!"

"Gabby"

"Antonio!"

Their loud voices attracting the attention of many doctors and nurses around them, as they both stood staring the other down, the stubborn Dawson trait spilling out for everyone to see.

"I think it's best we come back later" Erin said, resting her hand on her partners arm. The action snapping the siblings out of their trances, "Come on, tensions are high and now isn't the time." She spoke firmly before pulling him away from his sister, "Bye Gabby."

"Bye" she spat, watching the two leave the hospital floor. The paramedic turning round to see both her husband and friend staring at her, both of the men behind the glass wearing the same confused and shocked look. Although Matt had seen Gabby and Antonio go toe to toe a fair few times in the past she'd never crossed the line into actively being an interference to his job. The woman making no mistake of letting her feelings known and telling him that he was not welcome inside the room she was now standing outside of. The man only trying to do his job, but under the circumstances he understood, Gabby was angry, angry at herself, at the situation, at the man who had landed her friend in that bed, at everything that had happen, had been happening. Just because they didn't know the full details, didn't mean they didn't have a good idea into what had been going on, and if the result of the latest tests were anything to go by they knew it had been going on for a long while. The doctor asking if any of them had knowledge of Stella breaking her wrist two years ago, none of them being able to recall anything happening that could have resulted in that type of injury, and Casey assuring the doctor that their was no mention of it in her transfer file. Granted she hadn't been at the house for that long, but Gabby had known her from her days at the academy and their friendship had always been strong, the two in almost constant contact since they went their separte ways. He got it, he did, she was angry at not spotting the signs before hand, they all were, out of an entire house of first responders not one of them had spotted the signs, not until recently anyway. And by then it was too late, she was too far in, he had too much of a hold, and any attempts any of the made at trying to reach out only caused her to close herself off more.

"You ok?" Dr Johnson said approaching the woman who had yet to move from the spot she'd been stood in since her brother and his co worker had left.

"I'm good" she said looking up to face her, "do you have an update?"

"I do, shall we go in?" she said opening the door and standing back to let the younger woman through, Gabby making her way straight to her husbands side, her hand taking his as she sat down. "So as you know we took Stella for some tests this morning, those results are back in now and it is confirmed she has suffered a bleed on her brain, now before you all ask me questions" she said taking in the questioning faces staring at her, "I need you to understand that we are learning as we go. We don't know exactly what happened in that apartment therefore we can only speculate as to what has caused the bleed. If I have to guess I'd say her head was slammed against something repeatedly causing her to develop the bleed, but saying that it could be that she fell and hit her head and that caused it." Kelly scoffed loudly, the man making his opinion known about what the doctor had just suggested. "But" she continued, "without knowing for sure I can not give you a reason as to the why, I can tell you how bad though. It is a grade two bleed and we have already started the medication to help reduce it, and we can now say for certain that she has slipped into a coma. In light of the findings we believe that the bleed is the cause of her slipping into a coma, and to be honest with you guys if she wasn't in one we would probably have induced one anyway. The best treatment for a brain injury is rest and putting someone into an induced coma helps the body naturally repair itself. Now we have some concerns that we have to keep a eye on, one being that she needs surgery, the fracture in her arm isn't going to repair itself, not properly anyway. But it's risky putting her under at the moment, the anesthetic could make the bleed worse and obviously we want to avoid that at all costs."

"So what now?" Kelly asked, being met with a blank look from the doctor, aware she needed to hear more about what he was asking before she answered his question. "What do we do now, we can't wake her up, you can't operate, so what do we do now? What's the plan?"

The doctor took a huge inhale of breath before answering, "For now we wait, we've got her arm in the best position it can be and the cast will help aid the healing in the right direction, leaving it another few days won't make much difference and we are hoping that she will wake up within the next few days, most coma patients are usually awake within seven days when the cause is that of a brain bleed. At that point we would deal with her arm first, but like I said there are a lot of unknowns and until she wakes up no one can tell you for sure."

"And the other injuries? You said that she has some old injuries that haven't been repaired properly, what do you do about them?"

"That'll be up to Stella, I can't imagine they are comfortable for her, the wrist alone has repaired itself in an awkward angle. But repairing them involves re-breaking and resetting the bone, it's painful, more painful then the initial break. She may not want to go through all that, but until she is awake we can't do anything. Not with those injuries anyway."

The doctor let all she was telling them sink in, taking the quietness as a chance to check on the woman in the bed they surrounded, giving them time to digest and process all she had just told them. Giving them the time and space to form any other questions they had about her condition but none came, no one spoke, no one made a sound as she went about her business, making notes in the chart that hung on the end of the bed before standing at the door. The stillness in her body giving them one finally chance to ask her anything they needed to.

"Ok then, well I'll leave you to it. We've got a physical therapist coming in shortly, she'll need the room for an hour or so. I suggest you all go shower and change, get something to eat and we will call you if anything changes." She watched them all give her a silent nod before heading out of the room, leaving them all sat quietly around the firefighters bed.