"My head is killing me." Casey lifted his head and was relieved to see a defeated Cyra. She shifted a little, but her face showed immediate regret. "Scratch that; everything is killing me."
"Oh, thank god. You scared the crap out of me."
"Scare you? Never." She smiled before closing her eyes and leaning forward.
The nurse entered and looked unhappy. "Lie back. Are you in pain?"
"Oh yeah. That's an understatement. I feel like I was hit by a truck."
"I'll get some more medication to ease the pain." She left once again, and the cousins stared at each other.
"What the hell happened?" Casey asked.
"I remember being in an alley. Then I woke up here." She avoided making eye contact with him.
He immediately noticed. "Why do I feel you aren't telling the whole story?"
"Why are you so suspicious?"
"You like to hide things from me. Which hurts deep down."
"Okay, so what? I get in fights in bars sometimes. No big deal." Casey's phone rang, and he looked at the screen in confusion. He answered and put it on speaker so Cyra could hear.
"Hey. Herrmann here. I was driving by your place and saw three dogs wandering around your street."
"What? Do they have tags?"
"What color are they?" Casey looked at his cousin in confusion.
"I think one is a Rottweiler."
"Great. Yeah, those are mine. Jonathan must've left them out there."
"These things look nasty. Are you sure?"
"If you call them by their names, they'll settle down. Vince, Bruno, and Axel." They could hear Herrmann calling their names.
"What do I do with them?" Cyra bit her lip, unsure what he could do with her dogs.
"Put them in my yard." She looked at Casey, confused.
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah. I'm going to force you to move in any way. Someone has to take care of you every time you get hurt."
"Oh, I can't. That's your space. I don't want to invade."
"Please. You got it, Herrmann?"
"Yeah. I'll talk to you guys later." He hung up, and Cyra smiled.
"Thanks. For everything you've done."
"I would do anything for family. But don't think I'm ignoring your fighting habit."
After three weeks, she walked in for her first shift since her attack. Everyone applauded when she walked in. She hushed them and laughed. "Feels good to be back."
"I was about to say the same thing." It was Severide. Shay first reacted by hugging her best friend while everyone else just stared. The man looked at Cyra intensely.
"Awk." Birch glared at Otis. He mouthed sorry, and she left the room with the apologetic firefighter in tow. "Dude, I'm really sorry. I shouldn't have said that." Otis stopped following her, the worry that he irritated her evident on his face.
"I'm not mad at you." She assured him.
She nearly collided with Capp as she rounded the corner. "Sorry there, boss."
"Severide is back. You should probably go welcome him." She went into her quarters and sat on the bed. There was a gentle knock on her door.
"Can I talk to you?" It was Severide.
"Yeah." She avoided eye contact with the former squad lieutenant.
"So. I know this is kind of weird with me being back and all. I was wondering if I could have my squad back."
"I'm glad you're back and with your friends, but Squad 3 is my squad now. You are welcome to become a squad lineman."
"You can't actually think I'll give up my position."
"If you want a job here on this shift, that's the only thing available."
Severide shook his head. "You are making a big mistake. You think you can do what you want because you and your cousin are so high and mighty at this station. I'm here to remind you that you can't. I will get my job back. You'll see." He left, and she knew exactly where he was going. Birch kept sitting on her bed, staring at the wall.
Severide took the position as squad lineman reluctantly. During the first few runs, he kept trying to make calls, but Cyra would interrupt him. "Guys! We need to get the Jaws of Life!"
"Capp! Halligan now!"
"What are you doing?" He grabbed her arm.
"You've lost your touch. There is fuel leaking." He stood in disbelief.
It didn't stop after shift either. Severide stopped by the Casey and Birch residence to continue his long list of threats. "You will slip up, and when you do, I will be right there to scoop up that job."
Cyra crossed her arms, not impressed with him. "Please, you aren't even qualified for that job anymore. It would go to Capp."
"I have connections." Matt walked in with the dogs. They snarled at the stranger. The Doberman Pinscher and Rottweiler bared their sharp teeth while the Polish Hunting Dog crouched as if it were going to pounce on him. "Whoa." The usually fearless man faltered.
"Meet Vince, the Doberman, Bruno, the Rott, and Axel, the Pole. They're mama's boys." Casey took off the leashes, and the dogs walked over cautiously to their owner and sat at her feet.
"Do I need to mention your family's criminal background to the board?" Despite the three dogs staring at him, Severide tried to keep a brave face.
"They haven't fired Matt yet. I don't know why they would do anything different for me." She crossed her arms and shook her head. "This obsession with getting your old job back will bring your downfall. Just don't drag everyone else down with you."
"Do they trust you? Like really trust you? When it comes down to it, are they willing to risk their lives for you? And are you willing to do the same?"
"Shut your mouth. I think you forget I can get you fired. Until you calm down and act mature about this, get out of this house."
"It's not yours; you can't tell me that! Isn't that right, Casey?"
"You should leave." Severide looked shocked that his once friend now sided with his enemy. He left, slamming the doors behind him.