Chapter 9
Kelly strode into the firehouse just after roll call.
"Wait an minute…" Otis said. "I'm confused. Aren't you supposed to be on medical furlough?"
"I'm gonna go over some stuff with Hollywood." Severide told him.
Otis, Cruz, Hermann and a couple of the others looked at one another in disbelief…not sure they heard right.
"You're voluntarily helping Hollywood?" Otis asked.
"Who are you and what have you done with Severide?" Hermann cut in.
Kelly rolled his eyes.
"Turns out he's not that bad…" he said. "Turns out he's really serious about wantin' to do this right."
"We're talkin' 'bout the same guy here? Right?" Hermann asked.
But there wasn't a lot of time for talk…the bells went off and everyone was pulling on gear and rolling out the door.
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Craddock showed up at ten minutes to ten…and truth be told, he was nervous. He'd gotten used to Severide's brusque, no-nonsense, "watch and stay out of the way". Spending the day with the family…seeing the Lieutenant with his sons…was like seeing a different side to the man. And watching his wife take care of him…Craddock saw a vulnerability that he never would have imagined was even there.
He walked into the common room and found Severide making himself a cup of coffee.
"Am I late?" he asked. "Where is everybody?"
"They're moppin' up a traffic accident." Severide said with a twinge of longing.
He wanted to be out there…but he was on the bench for two more shifts, at least.
"Ready to get started?" he asked Craddock.
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They spent the morning with the gear…Kelly teaching Morgan how to get into his turnouts…what tools he carried on him…how to use the radio…how to put on a mask.
"I really appreciate you takin' time like this…" Morgan said.
Kelly nodded.
"I'm sorry I came off like such an ass...I'm glad to know you're takin' this seriously."
"I am." Craddock told him. "This is such a great opportunity. There's so many things about this character…he's got so much room to evolve…"
"That bio you wrote…who told you all that stuff about Andy? Darden, I mean…"
Morgan looked at him strangely. Casey had told him Darden was a firefighter who died in the line of duty. The Google search had turned up a few details about how he died.
"Lieutenant Casey told me he was a firefighter at this house. He told me he was killed in the line of duty…but that's all. I figured since you named your son Andy he must've been pretty important…so I came up with that back story."
"Well, you were right on the money…" Kelly told him. "Andy was my best friend since I was a kid. We were like brothers from another mother."
"What was he like?" Craddock said. "If you don't mind me askin'."
Kelly smiled.
"Andy was like the glue that kept everybody together. He was a joker…but he always had my back. And he loved bein' a firefighter…" Kelly said. "It's still hard to believe he's gone…even after all this time."
He got a little misty just thinking about it.
He squeezed his eyes shut against the still painful memory…and wiped his hand down his face.
"What about you?" Kelly asked. "What made you wanna be an actor?"
"I never did…at first." Morgan answered. "But I'm the oldest of four boys…I grew up in Huntington, West Virginia. My dad worked in the coal refinery…and he was a hopeless drunk. My mom worked two…sometimes three jobs to put food on the table. But anyway…my dad took off when I was fifteen. Then when I was about seventeen I had a job in the mall…at the GAP. Some lady came in and said I could be a model. I thought it was bullshit…but she came back again…and I decided what the hell. So I did this photo shoot…and things took off from there. I was able to help my mom…and help my brothers pay for college…"
"Wow…I had no idea." Kelly said.
"The acting was just a natural second step…but I kept getting cast as the dumb jock or the dumb boyfriend…I just wanna show people I can do something besides take my shirt off."
Kelly laughed.
"Well, from what I read in that pilot, you're still gonna be doin' plenty of that!"
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After lunch the new actor arrived at Station 51.
Chief escorted him into the common room.
"Everybody…I'd like you to meet Dylan McEwan…he's gonna be hangin' out with us…ridin' along on Truck…"
"Hey, everyone…" Dylan said with a smile and a slight wave.
The team stared at one another in disbelief as the words rolled off his tongue in a thick, Irish brogue.
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He came back home that afternoon.
Andy and Jesse came running in from the kitchen.
"Daddy! Did you bring Morgan back to play with us?" Andy asked as he threw his arms around Kelly's waist.
"Yeah…did you?" Jesse said. "We got a lot more stuff to show him."
Kelly messed up the boys' hair…
"No, not today…we can't hit him with everything all at once…"
"Yeah…he might just turn around and head for the hills…" Alyssa said with a big smile as she followed the boys out of the kitchen.
He opened his arms to his wife…just glad to be home.
She noticed the grimace on his face as he hugged her tight.
"What's the matter, Baby?" she asked quietly.
"It's kinda sore…" he said just as softly, indicating to his bandaged arm.
"Did something happen?" Alyssa said as she led him across the living room to the sofa.
"I might have picked up a K-12…to show Morgan how to hold it…" he admitted sheepishly.
Alyssa's eyebrows raised slightly.
"You might have?" she asked.
He flopped down onto the couch.
"Do you need something?" Lyssa asked him.
He nodded…and she went to get it.
She came back with some Ibuprophen and a glass of water…and he swallowed it down.
He set the glass on the end table next to the couch and reached for Alyssa's hand. She sank down beside him and he settled deeply into her arms.
They were quiet for a while…Alyssa gently rubbed his back and his shoulders and they watched their sons playing with their firehouse.
It was all so peaceful…Kelly thought he just might nod off for a little bit…then suddenly Alyssa giggled.
"What?" he asked.
She carefully took his right hand…and brought it to rest on the left side of her tummy.
And after a few seconds, he felt it…the baby moved!
He looked up with a huge smile on his face…
The baby moved!
"Hey guys…" he said. "C'mere…"
Andy and Jesse got up from their game and ran over to the couch.
Kelly took Andy's hand, and Alyssa took Jesse's and put them on her belly.
"What was that?" Andy asked as he felt something move against his hand.
"That's your baby brother or sister in there…" Kelly told him.