5.) The Incident (as everyone now called it) had been tough on everyone at 51s. It wasn't every day that a fireman's sister's crazy ex-boyfriend kicked in a paramedic's door and assaulted said sister and paramedic, getting a baseball bat to the skull for his trouble. Three months after it happened, John was back up and at work, and Chet had been back for about two months. At the station, both men pretended there was nothing wrong, that they were perfectly fine, that they weren't hurting, but Mike knew better. It was why he quietly suggested each man go see the department shrink, why he made it well known to them that he was always there if they wanted to talk or have a beer or go to the beach or whatever. John had Roy, though, and if was going to open up to anyone, it would be Roy. Chet, on the other hand…
Chet, as Mike had come to discover, was one of those people who would let something eat at him until he was so full of negative emotions he would unleash them in destructive ways, usually alcohol-related. More than once over their two-and-a-half years together, Mike had picked Chet up from some dive bar or went to his apartment to make sure he wouldn't die of alcohol poisoning overnight or choke on his own vomit. Once he was called by Vince to pick Chet up after a fight at a bar, and Mike was none too happy to see Chet bruised and bloodied (no matter how bad the other guy looked). He wanted to avoid a repeat of that scene altogether.
So one day at around that three-month mark, Mike suggested to Roy and John that maybe Chet's sister Charlie would enjoy spending the day with them, Joanne, and the kids, just to get out and about with familiar faces. Roy and John got both Kellys to agree, and on that day, Mike called Chet to see if he would like some company and was pleased to receive an affirmative.
"You know what happened, I guess?" Chet asked as they settled on the couch.
"Cap got copies of all the police and medical reports," he replied, confident Chet would know that it meant Cap had told him everything that happened.
"Then I'm not sure what else there is to talk about."
"There's Charlie. How's she holdin' up?"
Charlie was the primary source of Chet's worry and anxiety. She had come out of the Incident relatively uninjured but was by no means unscathed. Mike watched Chet chew his lip under his moustache, knowing the younger man wanted so desperately to lie. A long moment passed before Chet scrubbed at his face and mumbled, "It's… it all went to shit, Mike."
Mike said nothing, and Chet continued, "It's been three months now, three months since me and Roy went over there and-and found Charlie and John hurt… but it still feels like it was yesterday. Charlie tells me she's fine, but she can't even sleep through the night without at least one nightmare. Always wakes up screamin' and-and cryin' and takes forever to go back to sleep. She gets all uptight at the smallest noises, won't go anywhere without me or Roy or John or Joanne. My baby sister is a wreck, just so scared and upset… and I can't fix it. I-I don't know how to make it better."
Chet's voice was thick by the end of it, and he looked to Mike with wet, pleading eyes. His expression was one of helplessness, one Mike had never seen there before and hoped to never see again. Mike tried his best to help. He tried every trick in his book. He explained why he'd been to see the department shrink (the Oaks Manor Apartment Fire of '62), suggested Chet take Charlie to see the shrink with him, let him further in behind the curtain than anyone had ever been, eventually saying, "I'm here because I wanna help you out, 'cause you're having a hard time of it right now, and I really think I'm helping, so… so there."
Chet just looked at him, his blue eyes filled with tears he was refusing to let fall. Mike took a long moment, chose his next words carefully, and quietly told Chet, "Look… I dunno about anything your brothers told you or your dad or mom or your friends or the Army… but… well, I consider the men I work with and protect my brothers, and that definitely includes you, Chet. As your brother, I'm telling you it's not good to pretend everything's alright 'til you're alone, to hide how much you're hurting from us. And I know that from experience, though I sure as hell wish I didn't. Sometimes, you just want your brothers to listen, so I'm here to listen, and I don't care what it is you wanna do, if it's yell or scream or talk or cry. I'll listen… and I won't think any less of you or repeat anything I see or hear. I just… you're not alone, Chet. There are people who care about you and-and wanna help you… so let me help."
A long moment passed between them… then it happened.
Chet blinked, sending a pair of tears rolling down his cheeks. He sniffed loudly, his lip trembling, and put his face in his hands. Mike reached out and laid a hand on the back of Chet's head, just at the base of his skull, murmuring, "You're safe here, Chet… please, just let me help."
And that was all it took. A sob burst past Chet's lips, opening the floodgates. He just wept, his whole body shaking from the heart-wrenching sobs. Mike said nothing. He simply kept his hand in constant contact with Chet, leaving it rest at the base of his skull, running it gently up and down the younger man's back, letting his thumb stroke at the back of his neck soothingly. Chet's been so busy being strong for Charlie, he hasn't given himself the time he needs to take care of himself. He gave the lineman all the time in the world, letting him cry into near exhaustion, until he slumped back against the couch, his face wet and red and splotchy. Mike brought him a damp washcloth to clean up his face and went into the kitchen to make lunch, though he found nothing and paid for a pizza instead.
"I… thanks, Mike," Chet muttered when they finished their pizza, "There's… I'm not even sure I can ever really thank you, honestly."
"You'll make it up to me one day, so don't worry about it for now."
"Don't take this the wrong way, but I really hope I never have to."
"Honestly, I hope you don't, either," Mike replied softly, not voicing the but you will one day that tacked itself on the end.
They shared the silence for a moment before Chet found a bowl game to watch, which they did until Roy dropped Charlie off and Mike excused himself so they could talk.
"Everything alright?" Roy asked him as they walked out of Chet's apartment building.
"No," Mike answered truthfully, "but it will be."