Warning: The story contains spoilers for season 3, 2 and 1
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters or the plot of Chicago Fire and Chicago PD. I do not own the lyrics of the songs used. I do not own the text taken directly from the show. This story is intended for fun only and I am not making any money with it!
Chapter 12
"You sure? I guess your lady friend has not yet told you that your imaginary arsonist's case's just gone cold." Hadley rattled out, turning around to leave, as asked.
A cold wave of panic went through Kelly's entire body, paralyzing fear overwhelming him when Hadley disappeared out of his sight. CPD had promised him to send the ex-firefighters back to where they belonged, Erin had given him her word, and now the system was letting two cold-blood murderers live happily…His mind screamed for him to go after Hadley and end his life once and for all…
Ordering his uncooperative legs to move, Kelly ran after the man he hated so much, catching up with him outside the diner. "Hadley!" Kelly yelled and Kevin stopped dead on his tracks, enjoying his small victory. "You're free! What else do you want?!"
"You…I want you to suffer." Kevin stated, his tone calm and even, every second of torturing the Squad's Lieutenant making him happy…
Inside the diner, Casey and Scott placed the hash brown they'd been fighting for on Erin's plate, their conversation heading in the direction of football, Lindsay finding the topic boring. Listening to them curse one of the players, she finished her burger and looked up…Her heart skipped a beat when she distinguished the silhouettes of the two males on the sidewalk in front of the window.
"Crap." She muttered, jumping to her feet before Casey and Scott had the chance to glance through the window.
"Damn it." Casey muttered and ran after the CPD detective, Scott behind him. The few seconds it took them to get outside felt like an eternity…
"You sick son of a bitch!" Kelly's angry growl was heard by all of his friends. He balled up his fists, but Erin grabbed his right arm before he could use it to break the teeth in Hadley's mouth.
"No." Matt grumbled, his wide open, glaring eyes moving from Kelly to Kevin, his eyebrows pulled down together to express the anger and hatred he was feeling. Lindsay pulled Severide aside and blocked his way, Kelly grinding his teeth to stop himself from giving Erin a piece of his mind.
Pointing a finger at Hadley's chest, Casey had to focus on his own breathing not to lose control and strangle the man in front of him with his bare hands. "Go!"
"Okay." Hadley shrugged with a grin on his ugly face. "See you soon, lieutenants."
None of them said anything else until Kevin got lost behind the corner of the diner. But when their enemy couldn't be seen anymore, Kelly turned to face Lindsay. She was taken aback by the mixture of pure anger and betrayal displayed on his face, her brain quickly figuring out what Hadley had just told the Squad Lieutenant.
"We've not given up!" She wanted to explain before he had the chance to speak his mind, words he was going to regret later.
"The case's closed!" He raised his voice, Scott and Casey staring at him without understanding what was going on. "You promised - "
"Kelly, where's Logan?" Scott interjected, looking around frantically, having just realized that his son was not there.
"Men's room…" Severide mumbled, hurrying after Rice and Casey.
Matt stormed into the men's room, a few heads turning in his direction. "Logan!"
"Logan!" Scott yelled, but his son was not there.
Lindsay knelt on the floor, looking under each cabin door, earning a few disapproving looks from the men in there. "CPD!" She barked, no need to say anything else.
"A skinny boy, five-six year old, brown hair, blue shirt?" Rice's heart almost came to a stop when a mid-aged men described his kid.
"Yeah!" Kelly nodded firmly.
"I knew it! Found it weird that the boy cried so hard when the man got him."
"What man?" Casey snarled, but the look on Severide's face told him he knew the answer.
"Said he's a firefighter, a colleague of the boys' father - "
"And you did nothing to stop him?!" Scott shot an angry glance at the man, panic evident in his voice.
"Can you describe that man?" Lindsay's voice did not leave place for a negative answer.
"His height and weight." The man looked at Matt who was standing next to Kelly, worrying what his friends' reaction would be. "Light brown hair, around thirty-five, wearing a dark blue hoodie and jeans."
"Spellman!" Kelly uttered, the man whose face he had not distinguished at the restroom's door flashing in front of his eyes. "He…walked past me…Hadley must have wanted me to follow him outside…DAMN IT!" His shoe connected with the nearest paper bin, its content flying to the floor. Shaking his head, he rested his palms on the sink, closing his eyes for a second.
"Sounds like Spellman." Matt confirmed, standing close to Kelly with a paper towel as the Squad Lieutenant splashed cold water on his face.
"Sir, you need to come with me and give us a detailed description." Erin's words came out as an order. She pulled her phone out of her pocket, pressing one of the speed dial buttons. "Voight…"
Xxx
It was four in the morning when Casey, Kelly and Scott got to Matt's place, Dawson waiting impatiently for them on the couch, to hear what was going on. They'd spent over five hours with Voight's team, Scott giving the detectives some recent photos of Logan, Kelly telling them what had happened when he had taken the child to the men's room, describing the man who had walked past him, revealing his whole talk with Hadley.
Voight had won jurisdiction over the case and had sent a majority of his team out to talk to the witnesses and get the tapes from the surveillance cameras at the diner. Erin and a woman from the forensic sciences department had talked to the man who had seen Spellman, another woman had sketched him based on the description…a portrait that was going to prove what they already knew.
"Any news?" Gabby's gaze darted between the three firemen, Matt shaking his head, afraid to say "no". She glanced upon Scott, who was standing motionless next to the coffee table, his face pale…Gabby was glad Matt had invited Rice to stay with them…together they were stronger. "They'll find him."
"Yeah...just like they kept their other promises." Kelly muttered and shoved past Casey, slamming the door of his bedroom after he disappeared inside.
Casey left Scott with Gabby in the living room and followed Severide, trying to figure out what to do to make things better for his friend. He knocked gently on the door before walking inside, then sat beside Kelly on the bed.
"Not now, man."
"You know Voight and Erin won't stop - "
"I don't!" Severide snarled, letting his tired frame fall on the bed, his back resting on the fine sheets covering the mattress. "I've heard their promises too many times already and Hadley's still out there!
"CPD's got Spellman's description. It's a matter of time before they find him."
"Tell that to Rice…he needs you more, Casey." Kelly uttered, wanting to be left alone.
Casey could tell when he had a chance of talking some sense into his fellow lieutenant and that wasn't one of those moments. He pushed himself upright, shooting one final gaze at Kelly. "I'm taking you to meet Doctor Shaw tomorrow at nine. Not up for a debate."
"Fine." Severide responded curtly, then rolled over and buried his head under the pillow. Matt sighed quietly, covering his friend's frame with the blanket that was on the bed before leaving the dark room.
Xxx
As the morning sun lit up the small living room of a familiar apartment, the people currently living there having gone on a month long trip in Europe, Spellman sat beside Hadley on the couch, a teddy bear in his right hand. "He's terrified." The ex-firefighter was talking about the boy in the other bedroom, the boy they had kidnapped…Logan.
"You feel sorry for him?" Hadley shot him a glance, starting to feel irritated with the constant moaning of his partner, who had already told him a few times that Logan was just a kid, an innocent boy, who reminded him of his youngest daughter…the daughter who meant the world to him.
"He's not done anything wrong…" Spellman uttered, feeling Kevin's hatred.
"Yet…With Scott Rice and Kelly Severide as role models - "
"You're sick!" Spellman hissed, getting up with the intention to check on the boy and prepare him something to eat. But he had barely made a step forward when Hadley grabbed him by the arm, twisting his hand behind his back. Spellman grimaced in pain.
"You want everyone to suffer, right?" Kevin whispered in his partner's ear.
"Yeah…"
"Then focus on the plan! You know what to do!"
Xxx
After the exhaustion had taken its toll on the Squad's Lieutenant, he had fallen asleep under the warm blanket, but his brief moment of peace was once again disturbed by nightmares of Kevin Hadley, his mind reminding him that he had fallen into a trap for a hundredth time, and the price could be the life of an innocent boy.
Severide rolled out of bed, cursing his stiffened legs, and shed the jeans and shirt he had fallen asleep in on the floor. Grabbing a clean towel on his way, he stormed into the bathroom and spent the next half an hour under the warm water, trying to forget about the meeting with the shrink…he knew Matt was determined to drag him to Doctor Shaw's office no matter what, and truthfully, he had come in terms with the idea of talking to the psychiatrist after Rice's lecture, but Hadley had ruined everything once again.
Kelly walked into the living room just as someone knocked on the door. Casey let Lindsay in, Scott quickly shortening the distance between them, quickly realizing that she had no news…neither good, nor bad. Rice ran his fingers through his hair in desperation and collapsed back on the couch, not hiding his trembling hands.
"You've closed the case, again?" Kelly grumbled, starring at Erin as if she was the only person in the room.
"It's not fair, Kelly." She grabbed his hand before he could step back, pulling him closer to herself.
"Lots of things aren't fair - " His voice died out, a huge lump forming in his throat. He wanted to yell, to get it all out of his chest, but instead she pulled him even closer to her warm body and his head rested on her shoulder, his burning tears sinking through Lindsay's top all the way to her soft skin.
"Olinsky and Ruzek traced the car Spellman used last night. He's abandoned it near Oakbrook Centre. Antonio's checking the security cameras there now, if we're lucky we'll find out if he's changed cars - "
"When?!" Rice snapped, tired of hearing "Ifs" and empty promises.
"We've not stopped all night! Olinsky's trying to track Hadley down. Halstead, Voight and a team of forensic scientists are with the car! We'll find him, Scott, I promise!"
Rice raise his hand in desperation and headed for the bathroom, the only place in the crowded apartment where he could find some privacy. Kelly pulled away from Erin's gentle hug and followed him.
"Kelly, we need to leave in fifteen." Matt said after his friend, shaking his head when there was no reply. "If that shrink doesn't help - "
Xxx
"I'm going in alone, Casey!" Kelly repeated what he had just said, Matt not taking his eyes off him. They were inside Casey's truck, parked on the street in front of the building where Doctor Shaw's office was.
"Okay." Truck Lieutenant backed off. "I'm gonna be in the park over there." He turned his body halfway around to look at the small green area next to the building, consisting of some grass, two benches and swings. "Come and get me when you're done."
"Yeah." Kelly uttered before leaving the car. He was scared…terrified even…every fibre of his body was screaming at him to turn around and help Scott find his son…to find the boy, missing because of him…to get Hadley and send him to hell.
He got to the entrance and stopped dead in his tracks, his heart pounding in his chest. Kelly was about to walk away when he felt a strong hand rest on his shoulder, the corners of his eyes catching a glimpse of the face of his fellow lieutenant…
Unfortunately somebody else was watching both of them from a pickup across the street…evil eyes.
"Come on." Casey urged, waiting patiently for his friend to start moving again. The two of them walked inside, stopping at the reception, asking for Doctor Shaw. Two minutes later Matt spotted the middle aged psychiatrist exit the elevator and it was his clue to leave the building, granting the receptionist with a smile.
When Kelly and the psychiatrist reached the office, the later motioned for Severide to take a seat on the leather couch in the small room. Shaw pulled up a chair and sat in front of him so that they could have eye contact. Kelly's eyes darted around the office, falling on the Doctor's certificates displayed on the wall, a photo of him, his wife and his twin granddaughters standing on his desk, a drawing of his whole family next to the photo.
"Lieutenant - "
"Kelly." Severide snarled.
"Kelly. I've been doing this job for over twenty years, how many people in your shoes you think I've seen?"
"I don't really care."
"I know you don't." Shaw stood up, walked to his desk, poured two cups of water and handed one to Severide, then sat back on his chair. "But I want to find out why this is."
"You already know everything about me…you were at Hadley's trial, you've read stuff about me, you can draw your own conclusions."
"What I've heard is what other people think. You know, everyone has their own point of view – take Hadley, or your best friend Lieutenant Casey, or the woman who has certain feelings for you, your friends from the firehouse…I want to hear yours now, it's the only one that matters. I need to know what you think, what you believe in, what you want from life, then I can help you. Contrary to what you might think, you weren't sent here as a punishment for what happened in that court room. I was there to assess your mental state, yes, but I saw a man who's broken from the inside, not a psycho. The judge is a good friend of mine, we talked, we agreed that even if police had to take you, you were coming to see me…I was sure your friends wouldn't let it happen though."
"What do you want me to talk about?"
"Whatever's in your mind right now." The Doctor shrugged. He turned around and reached for the small plastic jar of jellybeans on his desk. "My granddaughters love them…they are quite good I have to admit." He smiled warmly, then offered some of the candy to the firefighter…Shay had loved jellybeans, the green ones. Kelly lifted his hand, grabbed two and stuffed them into his mouth.
Yeah, Doctor Shaw had worked with a lot of people going through traumatic experiences. He could tell when a patient was ready to talk…Kelly Severide was. He had walked in the office unwillingly, terrified, mad for being there…but the firefighter had let his body lean back and had made himself comfortable, actions that spoke volumes to the experienced psychiatrist.
"My friend's kid…he's your granddaughters' age…Hadley kidnapped him last night!" Kelly confessed, a volcano of yet unspoken words coming next. "I wish he could just finish me off…me, not…not the people I care about! And Spellman…I get it he hates the whole firehouse, but helping Hadley? Killing innocent people…Shay, the Herrmann's, now a kid…why -" Kelly chocked on his words, not able to hold his sobs anymore.
"It's okay, Kelly."
"You know what doc…there's not been a day without me crying since…since they killed Shay! That damn building…it could have been anyone…me. I was closer to the propane tanks, and yet I didn't even need stitches. Shay was downstairs…when I regained consciousness I thought she was safe, felt…relieved she was down there….Should have been me - " Severide's voice died out when the spare phone Matt had given him buzzed. Kelly just ignored it, not able to stop the words once they'd come. "My whole life's been just that – one disappointment after another…when I met Shay, it all felt right…had the job I've always dreamed of, had my best friends, had her…still remember the day Hadley came on Squad…I thought we could be friends, he could fit into our group - " Kelly's phone buzzed again. His hand flew into his pocket, no id of the caller displayed.
"Take it…we've got plenty of time." Shaw encouraged him, coming to the conclusion that whoever was pestering his patient would not stop. Kelly mumbled "okay", stood up and walked out of the office, to the empty corridor.
"Severide." He barked.
"Can't save them both."
"What?"
But instead of an answer a soft click sounded. "Hey?!" Kelly snarled, glancing up at the display…Even though his hand was trembling, he couldn't take his eyes off the screen…two videos running simultaneously, real time videos, each taking half of the screen, one of Logan, tied up to a chair, a creamy wall behind him…the other one even more shocking, of a man whose nose was bleeding, a bruise on the cheek, tied up to a pipe with his hands behind his back, a pipe inside what could be every abandoned building in the city. It was hard to tell if the man was conscious or not…
"No…Casey…" Kelly uttered, the content of his stomach rising up…
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Ooooops, damn you Hadley, what have you done?! So yeah, he's in kidnapping mood now, but we all know he also loves fires…hmmm, not good. I hinted a few chapters back that Matt was going to be their next target, but hope I've managed to surprise you at least a little bit now…
And with Casey being one of the victims, Kelly's going to need Erin on his side more than ever, like for real…He's definitely not happy she didn't tell him about the case, but how could he stay mad at her? xD…more troubles coming.
Would love to hear your thoughts on Scott's story and Logan being the second victim, and on Kelly opening up to Shaw.
Sooo, please review before you go Thanks!