Hey everyone! Here is the next installment of Shots Fired, as promised! In regards to the update question, I will do my best to update daily or every other day for the next week or so. Then I'm going to move to updating Monday, Wednesday, and Friday! Thanks for all of the great reviews! They really mean the world to me! I hope you enjoy!
Hearing the angry discussion between the two lieutenants, Shay frowned. Kelly would regret his harsh words later. Something must've happened earlier, she mused. Severide had been fine when he'd left the apartment that morning, intent on checking on the younger lieutenant. Shrugging, Shay figured they'd work the problem out eventually; they always seemed to.
There was a sudden cacophony of pops and glass shattering. Shay instinctively dropped to the ground, recognizing the sound of gunfire. Glancing around, she was relieved to see most other members of the house. So far, everyone looked unscathed. Then she realized she could no longer see Kelly or Matt, as they were in front of the trucks.
Her heart leapt in her chest; there was no sign of either lieutenant. Suddenly, she heard Kelly's voice and breathed a small sigh of relief. The shots were too loud to make out the words but hearing his voice meant that he was alive. As suddenly as it had begun, the gunfire ceased, leaving behind an eerie silence. Seconds later, a voice broke through.
"Shay!" The paramedic froze momentarily. The voice was panicked and had tinges of fear, something rarely heard in Kelly Severide's voice. "Oh God…Shay!"
At the second call of her name, Shay was up and running, Dawson on her heels. Turning sharply at the front of Truck 81, she finally was able to see the lieutenants. Casey lay splayed out on his back and looked ghostly pale. A shirtless Severide knelt next to him, applying pressure to Matt's bloody shoulder.
"Oh my God…" she breathed, kneeling next to Matt's head. "Dawson, get the kit!"
"On it!"
"Kel," Shay started, trying to assess the situation.
"He got shot. Through-and-through, missed the collarbone and lung…still bleeding heavily, but conscious," Kelly rattled off, his eyes not leaving Matt's. "Stay with me, Matty…"
By now, the rest of 51 had begun to gather and Gabby had returned with the kit. Shay grabbed scissors and cut away Casey's shirt, being careful not to hinder Severide's pressure on the wound.
Noticing the anxious crowd of firemen, as well as their chief, Dawson spoke up. "Guys, we're going to need to room to work!"
"You heard her men, back up!" Boden complied quickly. "What else do you need, Dawson?"
"He's lost a lot of blood," Shay spoke up. "We're going to need to move quickly!"
Looking around, Dawson noticed the debris the gunfire had left in its wake. "Chief, we're going to need the glass and debris cleared from the ambo bay. We can't afford a flat."
Boden nodded, quickly sending Squad members to clear the bay in front of the ambulance. Mills and Herrmann moved to get the gurney from the back of the ambulance. Dawson, meanwhile, fixed an oxygen mask over Matt's face. Shay busied herself packing bandages and padding wound the exit wound to staunch the bleeding. Then she moved to check the fireman's vitals.
"Matt!" Kelly urged, still applying pressure on the entry wound. "Stay awake! You don't get to get yourself shot before we finish our discussion…"
"What… 'scussion?" the blonde mumbled. "Arg'ment."
"Yeah…" Severide admitted. "More of an argument. But you have to stay awake…Shay?"
"He's lost a lot of blood but he's stable enough at the moment. We're going to get him up on the gurney in just a second. But it'll be tricky," she explained.
"Why?" frowned Kelly, inwardly panicking.
"The pressure you're applying had begun to staunch the blood, helping it to clot. If we separate you two or jostle him too much, he could start bleeding more and Matt doesn't have a lot of blood left to lose."
"So what's the plan?" Boden asked, concern tinging his voice.
"Chief," Shay instructed. "You, Dawson, Mills, and Herrmann will lift Casey onto the gurney. I'm going to make sure the exit wound stays bandaged. Kelly, do not let up on your pressure at all. You move with them, okay?"
Severide nodded tightly as the aforementioned members of House 51 moved into position. With acknowledgements from all of them, Dawson spoke. "Ready? Lift on 3….1…2…3!"
On three, the three firemen and paramedic lifted their fallen brother, ignoring his groans. Shay kept a hand on the exit wound padding, as well as the oxygen mask. Kelly focused his everything on his blood-covered hands pressing firmly on Matt's shoulder. Once the truck lieutenant was safely secured to the gurney, Dawson moved to return the kit and start up the ambo.
Shay, meanwhile, made a split second decision. "Kelly, get on the gurney!"
"What?!" questioned Severide, looking incredulously at the paramedic.
"Straddle Matt, kneel on the gurney, and keep pressure on the wound!" she snapped. "No time to argue, Severide!"
Shay using his surname was alarming enough for Kelly to act without thinking. Keeping his hands firmly pressed against the entry wound, he maneuvered himself to kneel on the gurney, one knee on either side of Matt's torso. Had his best friend and brother not been bleeding out under his hands, Kelly might have thought twice about straddling the other lieutenant, each shirtless, in the middle of the firehouse bay. But now wasn't the time for modesty or embarrassment.
Seeing Kelly situated, Shay, with the help of Mills and Herrmann, popped the gurney up to its usual height. Then they rushed to the ambulance, carefully loading the gurney into the back. As soon as Shay and the gurney were both safely inside, the firemen shut the doors, giving them a thump. They were all eager to send it on its way to the hospital.
As they sped towards the hospital, Shay rechecked Matt's vitals. Noting the tension in both lieutenants, she sought to relax them a bit. The last thing they needed was for Kelly to slip or for his muscles to cramp out of tension and anxiety.
"You know, if Matt wasn't trying to die on us, I could totally snap pictures for a calendar," she quipped.
Kelly raised an eyebrow. "A calendar?"
"Oh yeah," she insisted, listening to Matt's lungs. "Hot, shirtless, firemen straddling one another? I could make a fortune selling a 12 month spread to the nurses alone."
Severide snickered lightly, in spite of the situation. "You hear that, Matty? She tricked me into straddling you for her side job."
"I'd b'lieve it…" Matt managed. "Sneaky Shay…"
"I think she'd go straight for us," Kelly continued, frowning as Casey's pale form shivered.
"In your dreams, Kel," Shay shot back, draping a blanket over Matt's chest. "You doing okay, Matt?"
"Cold…Sl'py…"
Kelly's brow furrowed as he stared down at his surrogate brother. Shay turned to Dawson. "ETA?!"
"3 minutes!"
"Step on it, Dawson!" Shay responded, taking Matt's pulse.
"Shay?" Severide questioned anxiously.
"He's in shock and suffering from blood loss… the sooner we get there, the better," the paramedic replied, hearing the unspoken question.
"Stay awake, Casey!" Kelly barked, causing the blue eyes to snap open suddenly.
"Kel, listen to me, okay?" Shay instructed quickly. "We're pulling up to the hospital in just a second. You're going to have to go with them, wherever they take Matt. Just stay calm and don't let up unless they tell you to. I'll be waiting for you, right outside, okay? Just focus on Matt."
Severide nodded tightly, his heart racing. He'd been in tense situations before, but nothing like this. Nothing like combatting his best friend's severe blood loss with his bare hands. "Shay? Do me a favor," he requested, seeing the hospital loom into view. "Give him my medallion…"
"Kel…" Casey spoke up, eyes widening.
"It's a loan. So don't you dare die on me or it'll be locked up in an evidence locker for God knows how long. And I'll kick your ass, dead or not!" Kelly insisted. Turning to Shay, he pleaded. "Do it!"
Just as the ambo came to a stop, Shay deftly removed the St. Florian's necklace from one lieutenant's neck and secured it around the other.
Then, the chaos began. Hospital staff yanked the ambulance doors open, a few nurses helping Shay maneuver the gurney out onto the asphalt. And then they were moving, rolling swiftly towards the ER entrance. Shay jogged along beside them, filling in a doctor.
"CFD Lieutenant Matt Casey, GSW to the upper right chest/shoulder, through-and-through, heavy blood loss and shock. Exit wound successfully staunched," she quickly explained.
"And the entry wound?" the doctor shot back, frowning.
Shay gestured to Severide, still firmly pressing against the bloody shoulder. "That is CFD Lieutenant Kelly Severide and his hands are the only thing stopping Matt from continuing to bleed out. He staunched the bleed and they haven't been separated since."
"Understood," the doctor quipped, carefully looking over the two firemen. "Prep OR 2! Take them to a prep room, but NOBODY touches them until I'm there!"
So what do you think? Will Matt survive? Will Kelly smother him with brotherly care during recovery? Will they ever discuss Heather? Review!