"That was Cruz. Chloe and Otis are home now." Kelly hung up his phone and made the announcement to his fellow Squad members. Joe had called to give him the update and declare that he'd be back to work by next week. Squad 3 lucked out with a decent floater for the time being, but Kelly couldn't lie, he was excited to get his right hand man back on the rig.
"Great! Gotta remember to give him some celebratory cigars when he's back on shift!" Tony exclaimed with a smile. His eyes were focused on the sight before him, though. They were on their way back from a house fire and were currently only a few blocks away from the firehouse. Tony slowed his speed some and muttered an "uhhh" at the scene before him. A white Audi was parked haphazardly on the side of the road with a panicked woman standing behind it on the phone.
"Slow down." Kelly spoke as he looked closer out the window to see what was going on.
The woman looked up as she noticed the rig slow to a stop, still talking on the phone. Immediately, Kelly was enamored by the starriness of her eyes. They were mesmerizing, a sharp hook reeling him in. Brown pools he could get lost in. He was the first out of the truck, with the other members climbing out seconds behind him.
She gave a meek wave and pointed to her phone. "I'm already on the phone with animal control, I didn't want to move him and make things worse."
It was only when he walked closer could he see a small black dog lying on the ground, a small blood puddle beneath him. Looking back up at her, Kelly could see the sincerity in her worry as she closely observed the dog.
"What happened?," Squad 3's floater inquired.
The woman looked back up, "It came out of nowhere! I couldn't stop early enough to avoid hitting him. He's alive, I checked his pulse, but I'm scared to move him."
Kelly noticed the abrupt skid marks on the road and the careless parking on the side of the road and could tell she was being truthful. That and the genuine panic that was present in her features. She kept a level head but those hypnotic eyes of hers and twitching hands told another story.
He nodded to himself before giving a final look at the barely moving dog and the woman looking after him.
"Capp, go get a wooden board and the first aid kit."
Capp stood there in confusion for a moment, suspiciously shifting eyes with his three squad members. He didn't say anything, but walked back to the truck with a befuddled expression. Tony and the floater were also a tad puzzled at their lieutenant, but also didn't say anything. Tending to injured dogs wasn't really a Squad job and the woman was already on the phone with animal control, but that didn't stop Kelly from sliding the board under the Affenpinscher and holding a gauzy cloth to its lacerations.
"I can get him to a vet. You think he'll lie still if I put him in my backseat?"
Kelly mused on her question for a second before answering. He couldn't help looking at her again, drowning in her orbs. This time though, he took a wider glance at the rest of her. Pouty lips, brown skin, curly hair. She was dressed down in baggy activewear and white and metallic silver Air Force 1's. She was stunning. He knocked himself out of her trance to answer her.
"Front seat's probably better, just in case you make any other sudden stops. I can put him in for you." He left the statement open so as to resemble a question.
She nodded and he immediately set to lift the dog. She walked ahead closer to her car and opened the passenger door. As he lifted the dog into the car, he could hear Capp and the guys talking, more than likely joking amongst themselves about Kelly. He couldn't care less about getting jabbed at, for rushing to her aid. She had an aura that made him want to do anything to remain close to her.
The dog whimpered in pain as he settled on the wooden board on the passenger seat. Stretching back up, Kelly could see the sympathetic frown on her face as she studied the dog.
"Hey, accidents happen. Most people wouldn't stop to actually help the poor guy. You did good."
He couldn't help but rub her arm in assuagement. She smiled in return.
"Thank you." She looked behind me at the guys and with a nod, gave another "thank you."
With that, she closed the passenger door and hopped in on the driver's side. Tony was the first one back in the rig to back up some and give her the room to maneuver around. Kelly watched out the side rearview mirror as she drove off to the nearest vet's office.
Shift was over a couple of hours after his encounter with the woman. He slept for practically the whole day once he got back to his loft and woke up for an evening at Molly's with his 51 family. Even while enjoying beers with his crew, his mind couldn't find a way away from the woman's magnetic presence that morning. It'd been a long time since someone had had that effect on him. Severide was 51's notorious bachelor, opting for short flings rather than established relationships. He wasn't ever against being in one, but he simply preferred to stay out of them if he hadn't found a woman that captured everything he wanted. Unstable, dysfunctional relationships had been his life since he was a little boy. He wouldn't settle for anything close to that, having had enough of toxicity in his life. It rattled him that such a short encounter with the woman had brought all of this up in his head.
He realized how much it was unlike him to be so wrapped up the way he was. So wrapped up that he didn't even notice Casey joining him at the bar.
"You look far away, Sev. Everything alright?"
His best friend patted him on the back, drawing his attention away from his thoughts and back to the present. Before he could answer, Capp scoffed beside him. He just barely stopped himself from groaning at the impending antics.
"I bet he's still all heartstruck from the puppy girl this morning."
Kelly cut his eyes at Capp and hoped he wasn't blushing.
"Heartstruck?" Casey asked.
"Puppy girl?" Herrmann spurred on.
"We were driving back from that house fire on Coulter Street. A woman accidentally hit a dog. Severide made us stop and help and he hasn't said squat since. I think he's in love."
Kelly rolled his eyes and sat back in his seat, but still said nothing. It felt silly and a little embarrassing. He didn't even know the woman's name. In a city like Chicago, he'd probably never see her ever again, so how did it look to be so hung up on her? But then, he toggles up an image of her in his mind and thinks damn, how could anyone NOT be hung up on her?
Casey snickered and slapped at his pal's back again.
"Well, what's her name, man? You get her number?"
Kelly scoffed at Casey's question. Without even knowing, Casey just hit the nail on the head of the problem. Instead of answering though, Kelly just looked up at Herrmann.
"Let's get some shots going." He gestured to the three of them sitting at the bar, hopefully switching the subject.
With any luck, he'd be able to get rid of her face in the morning.