"Alright, everyone," Boden addressed his men as they came in for shift, "Severide's given me the heads up he and Casey are coming in today. Remember what I told you, don't let on that you know anything, don't act any differently than you do any other shift. Understood?"
Everybody answered in agreement and tried to prepare for what was coming.
"So have you heard anything out of Severide?" Herrmann asked Otis.
"Not a word," Brian said, "guess it makes sense, doesn't want to risk Casey overhearing anything."
Cruz stood in the middle of the room with a worried look on his face. "Tell me again what I do when they come in."
"Just act normal, Joe," Brian said, then taking into account his friend's panicked expression, added, "Try and look normal too."
"So what do we talk about exactly so as to avoid the elephant in the room?" Mouch asked.
"Geez, whatever you usually talk about," Herrmann said, "all that union crap nobody cares about."
"Oh, good idea."
"Otis, you talk about those weird old movies nobody else watches," Herrmann said.
"Got it."
"Joe, you talk about...I don't know, the last time Otis's Babba came to visit."
Cruz nodded. "I can do that."
It wasn't often that anybody on Squad ever asked the opinion of anybody on Truck, but Capp asked Herrmann, "What should I talk about?"
"You just stand there and act clueless as usual," Herrmann told him.
"Huh?"
"Perfect," Herrmann gave him the 'okay' sign.
A couple minutes later, the two lieutenants walked into the firehouse.
"Hey Lieutenant, you look like hell," Herrmann said, taking in the sight of the partially healed cuts on Matt's face, "you going behind our backs and getting in bar fights somewhere else?"
"Something like that," Casey shortly replied as he walked on by to the locker room.
Severide stuck behind for a minute, and when they were sure Casey was out of earshot, he told them what was going on.
"He's going on like no sleep for the past two nights, guys," Kelly said, "keep an eye on him."
"How's he doing otherwise?" Brian asked.
"Trying to forget what happened, which isn't working at all," he answered.
"Do the cops got any leads on the bastard that did this?" Herrmann asked.
"Not yet. Now everybody please remember to shut up and don't say anything," Kelly told them.
"I don't know, Chief, he seems able to keep his mind on the job on shift, I guess that's something," Kelly told Boden a couple shifts later in his office away from any and all prying ears, intentional or otherwise. "Meanwhile he hardly eats, he sits up all night looking at the TV. He's not even watching it, his eyes are just glazed over. He won't go out, he won't see anybody..."
"Do you think he would benefit from staying home for a couple shifts?" Boden asked.
Severide looked to the side and shook his head, "Honestly, Chief, I'm worried about leaving him alone all day if you do. I mean he won't talk to me, and he tries to kill me if I get too close to him, but I can at least keep an eye on him."
"I could call in a temporary replacement for Squad while you were out," Boden told him.
"But you can't bump Casey from Truck without a reason, or he'll know something's up," Kelly said.
"Have you seen Casey lately?" Wallace asked. "He looks like he escaped from a Living Dead movie, anybody who looks at him can tell something's wrong. Sleep deprivation impairs a person the same as being legally intoxicated, I would not keep someone working here who was drunk on the job, how then can I in good faith keep a lieutenant on shift who has been up for 120 hours?"
"Okay, yeah, that would work as an official reason, but he's not going to sleep just because you send him home," Kelly said, "and it wouldn't explain why I'm staying home with him."
"He might be compelled to sleep if it meant the difference in keeping and losing his job," Boden said, "and you screwed up on your last Rescue mission, proper reprimands would be suspending you from Squad for the next couple shifts and bringing in a temporary replacement who knows how to play by the rules."
Severide slowly put together what Boden was saying and nodded. "That just might do it. I'm willing to give it a try if you are, Chief."
"Where's Casey now?"
"It's been a slow shift, he's in the bunk room."
"The bunk room?"
"I don't get it either, but I wasn't about to disturb him."
"Asleep?"
"Barely, he jumps up at any sound."
"And there is no shortage of those in a firehouse," Boden replied. "Let's see how long he stays asleep, I'll break the news to him at the end of shift, and you better get ready for the argument of your life to look convincing."
"Got it, Chief."
Severide walked over to the ambulance where Sylvie was doing an inventory check.
"Hey Brett, you got anything in there that can knock somebody out?" he asked as he folded his arms and crossed one foot over the other.
She giggled with a small smile, "Of course, Severide."
"Can I borrow some?" he asked.
She looked at him with a vexed expression. "What for?"
"Casey, if he doesn't start getting some sleep soon, it's going to kill both of us," he answered.
"How's that going anyway, Severide?" Cruz asked.
"You don't want to know," he answered as he shook his head.
"Have you heard anything from the police?" Otis asked.
"No...oh wait, they did call with the results on the DNA on Casey's clothes."
"And?" Herrmann asked.
Severide looked at all of them and slowly answered, "Casey's safe, the guy wasn't infected with anything."
Everybody let out a small sigh of relief at that.
"But do they know who it is?" Otis asked.
"No, apparently this guy never got arrested before," Kelly answered.
"I say if we find the guy first," Herrmann said, "we take him out behind Molly's, string him up like a pinata and take turns whacking at him with a couple Halligans."
"Casey...Casey!"
"Ah!" Matt's eyes popped open before he could even remember where he was. He half rolled on his side and then saw Brian standing next to his bunk.
"Otis, what the hell are you doing?" he asked.
"It's shift change, it's time to get out of here and go home," Brian told him.
"What?" Casey looked at his watch. "How long was I asleep?"
"Given the work we do, not long enough. It was a slow night, no calls," Otis said as Casey got up. "You got any plans for the weekend?"
"Nope."
"You uh, got any pressing construction work?"
"Nope."
"Well then, you want to come with Cruz and me to a midnight showing of "The Gorgon"?"
"No, and for that matter, why is Cruz going?" Casey asked as they left the bunk room.
"He's got nothing to do Saturday night," Brian said for an answer. "The guy's dating life is at a standstill right now. The only fact more depressing is the one that mine is equally nil that I've been around to notice it. So we thought we'd try a guys' night out."
The two of them were on their way to the locker room to change when they got in the middle of the guys from Rescue horsing around in the middle of the floor. Capp wasn't watching what he was doing and lost his footing and fell back against Casey.
"DON'T TOUCH ME!" Matt screamed as he blindly reached out and put Capp in a choke hold.
It took three guys to pry Casey off of Capp, and when they did he switched to trying to kill them, lashing out and still screaming at them not to touch him. Boden finally had to come out from his office and restrain Casey, who after a few futile attempts to break loose, finally lost the fight in him. When Wallace was satisfied that there would be no relapse, he let go of Casey, who struggled to catch his breath, and saw everyone looking at him like he'd lost his mind.
"I'm sorry," he told Capp, "I'm sorry."
"Lieutenant, my office," Boden told Matt.
"I don't know what happened, Chief, I'm sorry," Casey said. "I feel horrible about this."
"I know you do, Casey," Boden replied. "but I'm concerned about you. Is there something going on you want to tell me about?"
"No." Casey shook his head.
"Matt, I've been paying attention the last couple shifts. You look terrible, are you even getting any sleep?"
"I'm fine, Chief. I'm fine."
"Casey, you just tried to kill a man who's twice your size, who has worked at this firehouse for more than five years, because he bumped into you. Something is not fine. Casey, look at me...have you been having headaches again lately? Any memory problems?"
Casey's eyes widened. "Chief, I haven't had any problems with my head since I got cleared to go back to work."
"That's good, I'm glad to hear it, but something is wrong, and I'm not sure I can let you work next shift if there's a chance this could happen again."
"It won't, I..."
There was a knock at the door, Casey turned and saw it was Severide, looking like he was about to get his ass handed to him. "You wanted to see me, Chief?"
"Come in and close the door," Boden said. As Kelly did, Boden told Matt, "I'd planned on talking to Severide alone but...I guess what I'm going to say to him, it won't hurt you being present for."
"What is it?" Severide asked.
"Sit down."
He did. "What's going on, Chief?"
"Do you know a man named Charles Lafferty?" Boden asked.
"Uh..." Kelly shook his head, "don't think so...should I?"
"I got a call today, seems he's making claims that you beat him up in a bar fight two nights ago."
"What?" Kelly's eyes widened. "Chief, all due respect that's a load of crap. I haven't even gone out all week."
"Kelly, you are going to have to come up with a better story than that," Boden said.
"I'm not lying..." Kelly turned to Casey, "Matt, back me up here."
Casey nodded, "I can vouch for that, Chief, he's been staying at my place every night."
"Well that's one thing in our favor," Boden told them. "However the man is insistent and he seems to have some very convincing pictures of his alleged injuries. So far there haven't been any witnesses to come forward and say one way or another..."
"But we all know witnesses can be paid to lie," Kelly said.
"Mm-hmm, so can you think of any reason why this guy Lafferty might have it in for you, Severide?" Boden asked.
"No, I never heard of the guy, and I sure as hell didn't beat him up the other night," Kelly said.
"Well, in light of all the problems you've had before, I'm going to err on the side of caution," Boden said. "While the matter is being investigated, I'm taking you off active duty for the next couple shifts. It wouldn't look good for Squad or 51 if the public was under the impression we had a loose cannon leading Rescue."
"Chief, you can't do that!"
"Don't make me extend your leave, Kelly," Boden warned him. "And in the meantime I don't want you running around confronting anybody involved in the matter and making things worse."
"Chief, I don't do that, I get to the truth of the matter."
"Even so, that's what the investigators are for, and this is one time you need to sit back!" Boden screamed at him, "and let them do their job. The truth will come out, in the meantime don't make it worse for yourself."
Kelly looked like he was going to hit the ceiling. "This isn't right, Chief!"
"I know it's not, but I also know we have had enough bad press in the last few years, regardless of it all being false, that we don't need another major hit right now. So I want you off shift until the week after next."
"But..."
"Casey," Boden turned to the other lieutenant. "I regret having to do this, but I'm going to take you off shift until then too. Since Severide's still living with you, I want you to keep an eye on him for me and make sure he doesn't get into anymore trouble until this whole thing clears up, I don't want any surprises. I don't need any reports coming back to me that Severide confronted this guy Lafferty trying to get a confession out of him. Herrmann can fill in as acting lieutenant until you get back."
Casey wasn't sure what to make of that. But he slowly nodded, "Okay, Chief, I'll try."
"Chief, I don't need a babysitter," Severide insisted.
"And I don't need another replacement sent in for a full time position who then comes after my position because he doesn't approve of the way I run my house," Boden responded. "You know I don't make idle threats, you either do this, Kelly, or you're gone."
The look on Severide's face took Casey back to several years ago, when they learned Jones' father was transferring her out.
"It's gonna be like killing Bambi."
Oddly enough, he got the same feeling watching Severide now.
"Did I hear Chief right?" Casey asked as they left the station house. "I'm babysitting you?"
"Irony is cruel," Kelly said, "you know I didn't do anything."
"Well, not lately anyway," Matt replied.
"Hey Severide, what'd you do now?" Otis asked as he and Cruz caught up with the two lieutenants.
"Shut up, Otis," Kelly said.
"So does this mean that Severide's on like house arrest?" Joe asked Casey.
"Keep it up, Cruz, I'll jump the fence and pay you a visit in the middle of the night."
"Everybody just knock it off," Casey told them. "Chief's right, the truth will eventually come out and this whole thing will blow over, and we'll be back to business as usual."
"I wish we already were," Severide said as he looked at Casey.
