Chapter 10

It was a long shift.

With Mills and Dawson trying to stay at opposite ends of the firehouse...and the rest of the team running interference.

It was a huge relief to go out on a call...to throw on the gear and do what by now was second nature to them. Not having to think about anything.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Between that and the revelations about the fire and Jaclyn Fisher's past, Kelly was glad when it was over. He just about ran for his car...he couldn't wait to get home to his family. If he had his way, he'd lock the doors and not even poke his head out for the next forty-eight hours.

Of course, it wasn't possible. The kids had school...and Joey and Emma Lynn were coming home tomorrow and Alyssa had been cooking for the past two days, making meals they could freeze and reheat.

And the kids were chomping at the bit to meet their new cousin.

Maggie wouldn't be the baby anymore...and Kelly wondered how she was gonna take it once it finally sunk in. It should be interesting...that was for sure.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Ever since Joey and Emma Lynn had announced that they were having a boy...and that Kelly and Alyssa were to be the godparents a steady stream of packages had been arriving at the Severide house.

And this time it wasn't Lyssa doing the shopping and giving their credit cards a workout.

Kelly had gone online to all the websites where Alyssa used to order the boys "My dad is a firefighter" shirts...and bought little onsies and bibs that proudly proclaimed "My Uncle is a Firefighter"...and "Future Firefighter", "Firefighter in training". He and the boys picked out all the little baby firefighter toys...the soft terry cloth fire truck, the little crib doll dressed in turnouts. They bought a little fleet of fire truck and ambulance rubber tub toys...and he couldn't resist the hooded bath towel with the flames around the edges.

It brought back all kinds of memories.

He took Maggie to Barnes and Noble and found all the fire truck board books...and of course he dropped a bundle on fairy tale and ballerina books for his little princess as well.

Finally Alyssa had said enough.

But it was okay. He had a big box...and the twins had their baby gifts. Maggie had a pile of books for Baby Trevor. They were all set.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Laden down with their gifts the family rang the bell at the apartment building two blocks from their house that this particular branch of the Boungiovanni family tree had called home for the last two years.

They trooped up to the second floor and once the packages were set on the dining room table the kids shed their coats and ran off to see the baby.

"Don't be pawin' all over him..." Kelly called behind them. "You didn't wash your hands!"

He shook his head and smiled. His kids were impatient. That's for sure.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"So how's it goin'?" he asked his brother-in-law.

Joey looked at him with tired eyes.

He looked almost punch-drunk...

"It's good..." Joey said cautiously. "I just keep gettin' up to check on him..."

Kelly chuckled. He remembered the first few weeks after the twins came home. He was a nervous wreck...constantly checking to make sure they were breathing. Mostly Jesse...'cause Andy woke up to eat every two and a half hours like clockwork. Jesse might sleep three or four hours at a stretch. And he usually fell asleep again midway through his bottle.

"It'll get easier..." Kelly told him. "Just make sure you sleep when he sleeps."

"Wanna tell that to the other three?" Joey quipped. "Hey! I didn't tell you the good news!"

More good news?

"What's that?"

"We got a line on a house! It's on Boyle...on the other side of Meade."

About a block west of Kelly and Alyssa...and the rest of the family.

"It's four bedrooms...two and a half baths...full basement...laundry room off the kitchen." Joey told him. "It's a little more than I wanted to spend...but I think we can make it work."

"Talk to your Union Rep..."Kelly said. "That's how we got our mortgage. Shaved off a couple points."

That was one perk in working for the city. Good unions that took care of their people. And Joey had almost twenty-five years in as a city mechanic.

"I'll do that...thanks for the tip."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

After Alyssa had stowed about two weeks worth of meals in the freezer and put the Cheeseburger Mac she made for dinner into the oven the kids tore into the pile of presents the Severides had brought for Baby Trevor.

Joey and Emma Lynn got a good laugh over all the firefighter shirts and toys...

"Are you tryin' to tell us somethin'?" Joey asked.

Nearly all the boys in the family wanted to be firefighters...Declan was already on his way as a first year Candidate at the CPFTA. And the almost seventeen year old had already secured his summer internship placement...at Station 51. Andy and Jesse had wanted to follow in their dad's footsteps since they came out of the womb...and Aiden, Connor and Dylan were right there with 'em.

It was a running joke in the family...especially between Kelly and Nicky.

"Hey...I gotta make sure the department's in good hands, right?" Kelly replied.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

After dinner the Severides had to tear themselves away from the baby...this time it was Alyssa who didn't want to give him up.

"What...I finally got a chance to hold him!" she said. "Somebody's been "bonding" all night..."

She gave her husband a pointed look...and he put up his hands in surrender.

Guilty as charged.

As they made their way down the stairs Kelly put his arm around his wife's shoulders.

"Now what do think about havin' another one of our own?" he asked, pitching his voice so only she could hear.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Back at home they got the kids settled for the night...and Kelly's phone went off just as he and Lyssa were getting ready for bed themselves.

"Antonio?" he said.

What the hell was Detective Dawson doing calling him at home at ten-thirty at night?

"I just thought you'd wanna know...we charged the mom with first degree murder." he said. "We picked her up this afternoon..."

"What happened to the baby?" Kelly asked.

"Social Services took her. The mom just about went apeshit. I swear her head spun around at least three times. It was like somethin' outta "The Exorcist"."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

They talked for a minute more and Kelly clicked his phone off.

He sank down onto the side of the bed, and a moment later he felt his wife's arms around him.

"Kelly? What was that about?" she asked.

He sighed and reached out to hold Alyssa.

"Remember that fire over on Laramie?" he said. "The one where the little boy died...and that woman just was standing there?"

Lyssa nodded.

"Well...no surprise, the fire was deliberate...and they just charged the boy's mother with first-degree murder."

"My God!" she whispered.

The thought was too horrible to even think.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Kelly hugged her tight. He knew she'd react this way. Alyssa was such a devoted mom...there was nothing she wouldn't do for her kids...and God help anyone who tried to get in the way of that. Of course she'd be sick at the idea of a mother harming her own child.

"I know, Babe..." he said quietly. "Every time I hear something about it I think 'It can't get any worse'. But then it does."

Slowly he began to tell her everything...she knew about the attempted rescue and the woman standing there in her coat holding the baby watching her house burn down. Now he told her how it looked like the woman was a serial arsonist...and how she may have started a dozen fires over the past two decades. He told her about his conversation with Mr. Hewitt and how Jaclyn Fisher was pissed off that her son wasn't perfect. He told her that DCFS had been called in twice before and nothing came of it.

Then he told her about the baby...Lexi. She was six months old.

"What's gonna happen to her?" Lyssa asked.

"I don't know..." Kelly answered. "I guess they'll try to find someone to take her...a relative or something. But for now Social Services's got her."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

They were quiet for a minute...both of them lost in their own thoughts.

Alyssa was as upset as he was, Kelly could see that. His wife had the biggest heart of anyone he knew. This was tearing her up as bad as it was him.

"Lyssa?" he said. "What if we try to get Lexi? What if we offer to take her in...at least for now?"

"I don't think it's that simple, Kelly." she told him.

"Antonio can help us...he'll have some ideas." Kelly said. "Lyssa...I know it's crazy. But I was in that house. I knew as soon as I got in that room what had happened. I held Mason in my arms...I carried him outta that hell. And I couldn't save him."

"Kelly..." Alyssa whispered. "You did everything you could."

"I know...I just keep praying he never woke up...that he never knew what happened." he said. "But Lexi...we can help her. I know we can."

Alyssa moved closer to Kelly and tightened her grip on him. He was her hero...and she loved him more than anything in the world. She could see how this was tearing him apart inside. She knew it had been eating at him ever since that night.

And she found herself agreeing with him.

"Okay..." she said. "Let's do it.