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Conflict

The barbecue had been great. Kelly felt so at ease, putting his arm around Lacey, acting like a couple. Lacey was happy now as well, able to relax and just let herself be happy with her boyfriend. No one had anything but nice things to say to Kelly, though Lacey was a different story. While Heather didn't come directly out to say it, she did cancel the plans she had to leave the boys with Lacey the next day. It stung, but Lacey hoped that she would get over it eventually.

While Kelly was thrilled that he got to start acting like Lacey's boyfriend in public now, he was also happy to finally get her alone that night. After stopping by her place to grab a few things and leave her car, Kelly drove them both back to his place which was still empty for now as Shay was still out with Corrine. He carried her bag for her up the spiral staircase, barely shutting the door to his room before he started kissing her.

"I'm happy we're out too," Lacey giggled between kisses as they fell back against his bed. She was glad that he was happier now, that their secret relationship was something that would no longer weigh on them both. Kelly smiled, leaning down to kiss her again as he held himself over her.

"Ah," Kelly winced, pulling back and reaching for his shoulder. His pain had been getting worse and worse since the accident; this had never been an issue before.

"Are you all right?" Lacey asked in concern, propping herself up on her elbows as Kelly sat up.

"Mmmm, yeah," Kelly said, though he continued to grimace as he massaged his shoulder. "I think I just pinched a nerve or something at the gym."

"Do you want some ibuprofen?" Lacey asked as she rolled herself off the bed, going over to grab her bag and rummaging through it.

"No, Lace, really," Kelly said as she continued to look through her purse; this wasn't how he had wanted to spend his night with her. "I'll be fine."

"That is so weird," Lacey continued, digging through every part of her bag before giving up. "I just bought a bottle of ibuprofen the other day." Kelly knew that, considering her now nearly empty bottle of medication was currently sitting in his locker down at the station. He had been taking the ibuprofen to help with the pain in between doses of medication from Shay.

"Maybe you left it in your desk or something," Kelly offered as she came back over towards the bed, concern still in her eyes. "Really, I'm ok Lace."

"Well," she said with a smile, trusting in what he told her. She kissed him once as she got back into bed with him, hinting for him to lay back. "Maybe you shouldn't put any weight on it."

"Whatever you say," he laughed, pulling her down into another deep kiss.

Shay was up the next morning, eating breakfast alone when Kelly came downstairs with his gym bag. It was Sunday morning, so he was going to let Lacey sleep in while he tried to go to the gym; she still wasn't having the best time sleeping at night. While she was able to fall asleep now, she continued to wake up with dreams about Andy. She hadn't told Kelly that some of them involved him too. Once she had one, she had a hard time getting back to sleep.

"Mornin'," Kelly greeted his roommate, dropping his bag by the door before coming over and grabbing a piece of fruit.

"Hey," Shay nodded back, finishing with her yogurt. "Lacey stay over last night?" Kelly nodded, wincing a little as he reached over to rub his shoulder. "Kelly-"

"Hey guys," Lacey smiled as she came down the spiral staircase. Kelly gave Shay a warning look before turning to smile at Lacey as she came over, giving him a quick kiss before she sat next to Shay at the counter.

"How's your shoulder babe?" Lacey asked him, pouring herself some orange juice.

"Better," he lied to her. "I thought you'd still be sleeping, I was going to head over to the gym for an hour."

"Are you sure you should?" she asked, sipping at her juice. "I mean, if you just pinched a nerve over there, should you be going back so soon?" Shay was giving Kelly a look, one that showed a bit of disappointment. Not only did Lacey think that this was a new injury, but she thought it was from going to the gym as well. How long did he think he could keep this from her, especially if he was only getting worse and refusing to get help?

"You know, Kelly," Shay jumped in. "My friend Kendra over at the hospital could look at your shoulder real quick. Give you a consult and everything. Maybe after our next shift?"

"Oh, that would be a good idea," Lacey nodded in agreement. Kelly shot Shay a look back, their silent communication in effect.

"Really, girls, it's fine," Kelly promised them both, though he knew Shay wasn't believing a word of it. "I'm gonna go, I'll be back soon." He went over to Lacey's chair to kiss her once. "Love you."

"You too," Lacey smiled as he headed for the door, grabbing his bag as he planned to leave.

"And I love you!" Shay joked, calling after him as he waved her off and headed out the door. Lacey laughed a little at what Shay said, turning back to her juice at the counter. As she set her glass down though, she became more serious.

"Is Kelly ok?" Lacey asked Shay.

"What do you mean?" Shay asked, concerned now as well. Had Lacey started to notice what was going on with him?

"I just," Lacey said hesitantly. "I know he was bothered by the whole Heather thing yesterday. He doesn't really talk to me about her, or Andy, or any of...that." She shook her head. "I think he thinks he'll upset me? But I'm just worried with how he's dealing."

Shay sighed, rubbing her forehead. She wasn't sure what to do. After all, she was getting really worried about Kelly who was refusing to get help for his worsening pain. Kelly was her best friend though and he didn't want Lacey to know about what happened to him. Was it really her place to tell Lacey about it?

"What?" Lacey asked once Shay had sighed, picking up that something else might be wrong.

"Kelly didn't hurt his shoulder at the gym the other day," Shay said quickly, getting it out before she changed her mind. Maybe Lacey knowing would finally force him to get the help for his shoulder that he needed because nothing she said to him seemed to make a difference.

"What do you mean?" Lacey asked curiously.

"He hasn't wanted to tell you," Shay continued. "It's like you said, he didn't want you to be upset. But...he hurt himself last month, um, in the accident."

"The one with Andy?" Lacey asked softly; Shay nodded.

"I'm sorry," Shay apologized, though she wasn't sure what for. She wasn't the one that had been keeping a secret from her. "And, really, don't be mad at him. He was just really worried about you."

"Mhmm," Lacey said, though she had rested her elbows on the counter, taking her face in her hands as she thought about what was going on. Kelly had been keeping a big secret from her for over a month. She understood why he did it, but it was dangerous for him to continue to be in pain like this. And, really, she wondered if she had been pushing him away, if he felt like he couldn't tell her. That made her feel even worse.

Going upstairs to change, she waited downstairs for him to come back, flipping through the tv channels aimlessly. Shay had gone out again for the day as she had plans with Dawson, leaving Lacey alone for when Kelly came back. It wasn't intentional, she certainly wouldn't take back telling Lacey because she knew that Kelly needed help, but she also figured that the new couple needed time by themselves to talk about what was going on with him. Kelly finally came back, having showered at the gym. He wasn't feeling much of anything right now, as he had just used the last of the medication Shay had given him after his workout.

"Hey babe," he greeted her with a smile, observing her in her deep blue sundress as he came over to kiss her. "Let me go change real quick, and we can go do whatever." He continued to smile since they got to leave the apartment for the day. He started over towards the stairs. "We can see a movie, or go down to the pier, or-"

"Why didn't you tell me about your shoulder?" Lacey cut him off, causing him to stop at the bottom of the stairs. Kelly groaned internally, dropping his bag. Shay. Looking over at Lacey again, she was giving him a look like she was expecting a really good answer, like she had been hurt that he was lying to her.

"I didn't want you to worry about it," Kelly said honestly, coming over to the couch and standing in front of her. "It's not that big of a deal Lace, I promise."

"Yeah, but this isn't a new injury," Lacey insisted, getting up from the couch now to stand. "This isn't just something you did the other day at the gym, this happened a month ago. And it's obviously only getting worse." She sighed, crossing her arms. "Why would you keep this from me?"

"Because Lace," Kelly said, his tone implying that it was obvious. "You think I don't notice when you're up all night, pacing around the apartment? I know you're still not sleeping, you still can't relax." Lacey opened her mouth to say something, but Kelly continued knowing that came out wrong. "And I don't blame you for that," Kelly promised. "I just...didn't want to add to it."

"Does it hurt you when you're at work?" Lacey asked.

"Lace, c'mon," Kelly complained, running a hand through his hair. "Don't do this, don't make yourself wor-"

"Well, I am worried," Lacey argued, knowing what he was going to say. "What if you're on the ladder, or carrying someone, or...God, Kelly, what if you fall or something because-"

"Lacey," Kelly stopped her. "Seriously, it's just a pain management thing. I didn't take anything last night, that's why my shoulder was bothering me." It wasn't a complete lie, he hadn't taken anything for the pain last night. However, it was more than just pain management as, sometimes, he was having trouble holding onto things, the numbness spreading through his arm.

"But Shay-"

"Is a paramedic," Kelly said with a slight smile, though he was less than thrilled that she had told Lacey about this. "It's in her job description to be worried about stuff like this."

"I'm your girlfriend," Lacey added. "It's my job too."

"I know, but babe," Kelly said, getting her to uncross her arms so he could take one of her hands. "Really, I promise, it's fine." He tugged on her hand to bring her closer to him as she had been a bit standoffish during this conversation.

"Will you go to the doctor?" Lacey finally asked.

"If it gets any worse," Kelly lied. He didn't plan to go to the doctor at all. What if it was really bad and he had to give up being a firefighter? He would rather just fight through it. "But, baby, really it's fine." He smiled as he put his hands on her waist. "Your guy's pretty tough." He studied her expression and she didn't seem totally convinced on the situation. "Lacey," he groaned. "C'mon, I promise it's fine. Let's just have fun today, all right? We can do whatever you want."

"Ok," Lacey nodded, though she was still skeptical. She would certainly be watching him more closely now, that was for sure. She didn't want to fight with him on this anymore today though, believing him when he said that he was fine. He wouldn't lie to her face after being confronted like this. Right?

"Ok," Kelly agreed with a grin, kissing her once before releasing her. "I'll go get ready, then we can head out. Want to crash at your place tonight?" Part of him felt bad that they never spent the night at her apartment, that she was pretty much only there when she needed a change of clothes. Another part of him didn't want either of them to be there when Shay got back, not needing this confrontation to have a part two.

Kelly and Lacey had a great afternoon out, especially once Lacey let that morning's conflict go. It was their first day out as a couple, just the two of them. They took advantage of it, indulging in a little PDA when they never could before. As he put his arm around her though, she couldn't help but think about what was wrong with his shoulder.

That night, it was apparent that what was going on was still bothering her. Kelly woke up in the middle of the night when he felt Lacey tossing in her sleep, mumbling at first but then she started talking more loudly. She was talking about him, or to him really, saying his name as her voice was filled with panic. Realizing that she was having a nightmare, Kelly tried waking her up.

"Lacey," Kelly said gently, trying to get her to stop tossing and turning.

"Mmm, no," Lacey protested. "Kelly..."

"I'm right here," he said, trying to wake her up still.

"Kelly."

"Lace," Kelly said, a little more loudly this time to wake her. Jolted from her sleep, Lacey snapped awake with a gasp, sitting up quickly. "Hey, hey, it's ok," Kelly immediately assured her as she looked around for him. He realized now that her nightmares weren't exclusive to Andy anymore as he was rubbing her back. "I'm right here." Lacey took a deep breath, trying to relax herself as she squeezed her eyes shut to try to get rid of the memory of her dream; it wasn't working.

"Kelly, I-"

"I know," he stopped her, already knowing what her nightmare was about as he kissed her head. "And, I'll go this week, to see Shay's friend. Ok?" If going to see the doctor would put her mind at ease, he was going to do it. He still planned to just fight through the pain, this doctor's visit was more for her benefit, but he was willing to do it.

"It's all right," Kelly promised, trying to get her to relax. She finally laid back down with him and he pulled her close, her head resting against his chest. He was careful not to shift her too close to his shoulder, the pain flaring up again but he ignored it for now. "Everything's fine."

Lacey wasn't convinced, remaining wide awake that night as she heard Kelly peacefully drift back into sleep, his breathing slow and rhythmic. She was used to having this kind of worry, having always been worried about her dad when she was a child. In elementary school, she had a few friends lose their fathers that way as she had been friends with most of the kids who's fathers worked at the same station. She worried about Andy as well when her father retired and Andy had just started, though that went away. None of the dreams she had were ever this bad or happened this often; they had been coming on more and more since the accident that claimed her brother. Now, they seemed to spread and be about Kelly as well.

"Hey," Kelly said the next day as he passed Shay in the hall on shift, this being the first he had seen her. He had left Lacey's that morning, with her looking like hell as she got ready to go to work. While he had gone right back to bed, it seemed pretty obvious that she hadn't fallen back asleep. "Thanks a lot Shay."

"I was just trying to help," Shay said back. "You obviously aren't going to get any help on your own."

"Well, you didn't help Lacey any," Kelly snapped at her. "She's sleeping even less now, if that's even possible."

"Kelly, I'm sorry if she's upset," Shay apologized. "That wasn't what I wanted. But you have to understand how dangerous-" She was cut off as the alarm started going off at the station.

Accident. Truck 81, Squad 3, Ambulance 61...

"Better get going," Shay said, though the two of them had already started moving.

Matt Casey knew it had to be a pretty bad accident for all three of them to get called, and he was pretty used to that. He wouldn't say that he was numb to these situations, they always got his heart racing, but it wasn't anything that was going to make his stomach drop on sight. At least, not until they pulled up first onto the scene of this accident and he saw who's car it was.

"Oh God," Casey murmured, recognizing the car immediately. "Cruz, park it this way," he motioned, having him park sideways so anyone coming up wouldn't see the accident.

"We're going to block off everyone else," Cruz said, though he obliged and parked that way anyway.

"That's the point," Casey said, hopping out of the truck. "You and Otis, focus on the other driver. Hermann, you're with me. You guys clear the scene. And, Mills?" He turned to the young, still inexperienced candidate. "You're going to have to keep Severide back, all right?"

"But, uh, why would I-" Mills started to ask, still intimidated by Kelly. In any case, why would he stop the head of the rescue squad from helping out at the accident, a head on collision involving a pick up truck and a white sedan?

"That's his girlfriend's car," Casey snapped at him, before turning to go without any other explanation. By now, everyone else on truck saw who it was, the ambulance just getting there. "Lacey," Casey said, going over to her car where she had already had her window rolled down.

"The other driver's fine," he heard someone saying as he reached to feel Lacey for a pulse as she was unconscious. Thankfully, she had one. There was no way he was going to be able to make another trip to her and Andy's parents like he had last month to tell them that they had lost their daughter now as well. Boden had gone to see Heather, and Kelly had gone to see Lacey. Being such good friends with Andy, he asked to speak to his parents, both of them knowing what happened as soon as they saw him on their front step.

"She just drifted over into my lane," the other driver, an older man was explaining, panicking a little because he was technically the one that hit her. "I don't know what happened."

"What do we have?" Dawson asked as her and Shay hurried over with a board, not seeing who it was at first.

"Oh my God," Shay gasped as the others opened Lacey's car door for them. The damage was mostly to the front of her car and the windshield as well, so the door was fairly easy to pry open. While she had a pulse, she still wasn't moving. There was blood on her, her dress, her seat as they removed her from the car... Shay and Dawson were careful as always, maybe even extra careful, as they got Lacey onto the board after putting her in a neck brace. As they were working, Casey could hear Kelly on the other side of the truck, arguing with Mills.

"What the hell is going on Casey?" Kelly demanded as Casey came back around the other side of the truck to talk to him. "Nice park job by the way."

"Severide," Casey tried to say, taking him a step to the side.

"Look, if you already have it handled, fine," Kelly shrugged. "But having your candidate block me off is really-"

"It's Lacey," Casey blurted out quickly. All of the color drained from Kelly's face, his eyes widening a little.

"What?" Kelly managed to say, his voice quiet. "You gotta let me-" As he was saying this, he attempted to move by Casey, who not only blocked him off but put a hand on him to stop him. All he managed to see was some of the wreckage, which was more than enough to make his heart race out of control. "Listen, if it was Hallie-"

"I'd want you to keep me out of it," Casey stopped him again. It was true, going over in this state Kelly wouldn't be helping anything, he would only add to the panic. While they normally kept calm in these situations, this accident was different for them. This was Andy's sister, Kelly's girlfriend. She was part of their extended firehouse family, just like everyone else's wives, girlfriends, and children.

"Casey, seriously," Kelly warned, seeing Shay and Dawson taking Lacey into the ambulance. He didn't really see her at a distance to know what kind of injuries she might have, but he knew who the brunette on the board was. "Get out of my way."

"He's right," Kelly heard Chief Boden saying, feeling his hand on his shoulder. He didn't say it, but Kelly being there was a huge conflict of interest. Had they known, he never would have been allowed on scene. "C'mon, I'll take you over to Lakeshore, all right?"

"Chief, she's-" Kelly felt like his heart was about to pound right out of his chest, feeling sick at the thought of Lacey being in the twisted wreckage behind the truck.

"In very capable hands," Chief Boden stopped him, both gently but firmly at the same time to show that he was very sympathetic but he wasn't giving in on this. "Let's get out of here."

thanks for reading! hope you liked the update though it was a bit of a cliffhanger there at the end lol please let me know what you thought! :)