Chapter 7
It was a long and painful week. Everybody was on edge. The twins were anxious because Kelly was hurt again. This time was different than the little things during the summer…where Mom had to wrap the bandage around Dad's leg and put ice on his knee after he worked out or ran around the neighborhood. She did all that this time too, but she also got his crutches out of the basement…and for three days he didn't walk at all.
Then he started to…but still with the crutches…for a couple days…then they went back down in the basement.
Maggie didn't know what was going on. She'd never seen Daddy like this. He didn't pick her up and swing her around till she laughed…he didn't give her her bath at night…and Mommy had to put her in her crib. Daddy didn't want to play…he just laid on the couch with Mommy next to him.
Alyssa was anxious. Kelly didn't want to see a doctor…any doctor. She wanted to call Dr. Burda, the orthopedic surgeon who'd repaired his torn ACL six and a half…almost seven years ago. She tried to get him to go to the ER…and she knew better than to suggest going to the Occupational Health clinic. But she suggested it anyway.
But Kelly could be stubborn as all hell when he wanted to be. He didn't want this on his medical record with the department. He already had a file as thick as the phone book. He was forty-five…and he had twenty three, almost twenty four years with the department…twenty two of them on Squad 3. That was positively ancient…most guys couldn't keep up with the physical demands of the job much past their thirties.
So he and Alyssa just doctored it at home…with rest, ice, wrapping it and keeping it elevated. He called in sick for two shifts…the maximum he was allowed before he was required to get a doctor's note to return to duty.
It was a long and painful week…
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When he went back…and he made up some story about getting some bad sushi when he and Lyssa had gone out with her brothers. But when he was alone in the locker room he pulled up his pants leg to adjust the brace he wore on his knee.
It was a blessedly slow shift…and Kelly was sitting out in the apparatus room in the big, ugly green recliner somebody had hauled in there years ago. He was texting Alyssa…letting her know everything was going okay…that he was okay.
It was unseasonably warm for the first week of December…in the upper-sixties. Of course next week would probably be damn near freezing…and all the idiots would have to get out their space heaters, which they'd put too close to the beds…and the blankets would catch fire. It was the same story every year.
But for now they had the doors open and a light breeze was blowing through…bringing in a few leaves and whatever…they'd have to be swept out…but that's what Candidates were for.
Kelly glanced up from his phone to see a guy in a wheelchair coming up the drive. A girl was pushing him slowly…and the guy was holding a little baby in his lap.
It was Daniel…the guy from the warehouse accident. The guy Severide and Casey had spent about three hours trying to free from the rubble after a boiler had exploded and brought the whole place down like a house of cards.
The young man had a severe spinal injury…it had only been his third day on the job…and now he was in a wheelchair for the rest of his life.
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Kelly pushed himself up out of the recliner and stood for a second to shift his weight just right before he walked toward the door to see their visitors.
Casey and the Truck guys had seen Daniel from the window of the common room and came out to see what was going on.
Daniel had a huge smile on his face.
"Hey!" Kelly said. "Good to see you , man!"
He put out his hand to the young man in front of him.
"Good to be here!" Daniel said.
"When'd you get out of the hospital?" Casey asked.
"Got outta rehab about three weeks ago. I still gotta go back every day for therapy…but…" he looked back over his shoulder and smiled at the young woman pushing his chair. "At least I get to go home to my family."
He introduced his girlfriend.
"Guys…this is Beth." He said. "Honey…these are the guys who saved my life…Lieutenant Severide…and Lieutenant Casey."
Casey held out his hand…but Beth launched herself at Matt and gave him a great big hug around his neck. Then she did the same to Kelly.
This wasn't anything that hadn't happened before. Once in a while there were people who got a little emotional. But they were truly grateful to the firefighters for saving their loved ones.
It was one of the best things about the job.
"And who's this little guy?" Casey asked.
He leaned over to tickle the tiny little boy in Daniel's lap.
You could tell right away it was a boy. He had a whole head full of dark hair like Beth…and huge brown eyes that took in everything around him.
He had a little jean jacket on…and under that, Kelly could see the fire truck on his shirt.
Boy, did that ever look familiar.
Kelly leaned over to get a closer look.
He sure was a cute little guy. But then again, all babies were…
"This is our son." Daniel said. "He's four months old today."
"Hey, Buddy…" Kelly said as he stroked one finger across the baby's little fist.
Quick as could be…the little boy grabbed onto that finger and started trying to bring it to his mouth.
Kelly chuckled.
"He's got a helluva grip."
Casey got in there…
"What's your name, Buddy?" he said…like he expected the baby to answer.
"His name's Kelly Matthew…" Daniel said. "Without you two, I might not be here…I might never have gotten a chance to hold my son…to be a dad."
Kelly blinked in surprise…Casey was shocked too. He actually took a step back.
Neither one of them had ever expected anything like that. People sometimes sent cards or letters…once and a while they brought a cake or cookies…but naming your kid after the firefighter's who pulled you out of a wreck? That was something none of them had experienced in all their years with the department.
"I don't know what to say…" Kelly was still stunned.
"You wanna hold him?" Daniel asked.
Kelly reached down and took little Kelly Matthew from his dad…
This was something else…he thought as he held the tiny baby…and he couldn't wait to tell Lyssa. She'd be just as shocked as he was.
"Okay…let somebody else have a turn." Casey said as he reached out for the little boy.
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Kelly sat on the bench in the locker room of the gym.
It was his first workout since his ill-fated handball match…and he didn't want to over-do things.
"I thought you mighta changed gyms or somethin'."
He looked up and saw Darren Chesnick come around the corner.
Kelly rolled his eyes and groaned inwardly.
This was the frickin' last person he wanted to see.
He shot Chesnick a dirty look.
"I haven't exactly been up to exercising…" he said as he adjusted the brace on his knee.
He still had a lot of hard feelings…
There was an uncomfortable silence…then Chesnick changed the subject.
"Did you see that piece in the Trib? About all the fires in those little stores?"
"Some of 'em weren't so little…" Kelly said pointedly. "Ten people are dead…another dozen burned…nothin' little about that."
Chesnick didn't seem to hear that.
"I can't believe the cops are so fuckin' stupid. They can't find a damn piece 'a evidence…or they don't know what to do with it once they find it." He said. "Prob'ly couldn't find their ass with both hands and a map!
"I'll tell ya…if I was the one runnin' this investigation…first thing I'd look at was the wiring…and the gas lines. Hide a little C-4 in a plastic casing…plant it by an outlet…or a gas line…could be there for weeks and weeks and nobody'd ever guess.
"Cell phone detonator…make a call from anywhere…and boom! But the fuckin' cops are too stupid. They should let the fire department handle it…a firefighter'd know how to do it."
There was something about the tone of his voice…the hard edge…the way he was getting all worked up…the veins in his neck were bulging and Kelly could literally watch the guy's pulse pounding. It turned his stomach.
Was Chesnick bragging…or maybe making a confession?
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Kelly yanked open his locker. He had to get out of there. He couldn't stand to be near this guy for even one more second.
"Where ya goin'?" Chesnick asked. "You didn't even work out…"
"I gotta go…I don't think my knee's ready for this yet. I think I better give it a couple more weeks…"
He grabbed his stuff and shoved his street clothes into his bag. He didn't even want to take the time to change. And he hustled out the door as fast as he could without being too conspicuous.
But what he really wanted to do was run like hell.
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He came in his back door and shut it tight behind him…and threw the deadbolt for good measure.
Alyssa came out of the kitchen when she heard the sound.
"Kelly…what are you doin back so fast?"
"I just…needed to come home…I wasn't…"
She quickly closed the space between them and he reached out for her.
"What's wrong, Baby?" she asked…her brown eyes clouded with worry. "Are you okay? Is your knee okay?"
Kelly just hugged her tight. He didn't want to tell her what he had just heard…what he now suspected. She was already so mistrustful of Chesnick. He couldn't burden her with this. Not till he had a chance to think it all through and figure out what to do.
"Kelly?" she asked again.
He released his hold…a little bit anyway.
"Yeah…it's my knee…" he told her. "It feels like it's gonna give."
He leaned heavily on her shoulder and let her help him into the house.
They slowly made their way to the living room and the huge sectional couch.
Kelly felt just a little guilty as he let Alyssa fuss over him…propping his leg up on the pillows…sitting down to comfort him.
Something was bothering him all right…but right now his knee was the least of his worries.
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The next morning he hauled himself out of bed…he'd barely slept at all. He had to talk to someone…but Boden and Casey and the rest of the guys didn't know Chesnick. And he knew he couldn't go to the cops with just a hunch.
He pulled on jeans and a long-sleeve t-shirt. He had a lot of work to do today. He'd noticed some overgrown branches in the big tree in the yard. If they got a good snow…those things would break in heartbeat. He didn't want to take a chance on one hitting the house…or one of the kids when they went out to play in the snow.
He grabbed a fleece jacket out of the closet and headed downstairs.
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Alyssa was in the kitchen getting the kids breakfast. He kissed her…then leaned over to kiss Maggie's little head…and muss up the boys' hair a little.
"How you feelin', Baby?" Alyssa asked.
"Better…" he answered. "I'm fine."
He went to grab a mug and pour himself some coffee.
"I'm gonna take care of those overgrown branches today." He said.
Alyssa looked up from what she was doing.
"Are you sure that's a good idea? Why don't you just rest today?"
"I can't…I've got a shift tomorrow…and it's supposed to snow this weekend." He told her.
"I'm just worried about you over doing things…"
"I know…but I'll be fine."
"Can't you ask Jose to take care of it?" she suggested.
Kelly set his mug down.
Maybe he'd laid it on a little too thick yesterday…letting Lyssa think his knee was bothering him.
"Fine…" he agreed. "I'll see if Vargas can help. You better plan on linguini and clam sauce for dinner…"
That was Vargas's favorite…
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That afternoon they were up on the ladders cutting away the overgrown branches on the oak tree in the back yard…and Kelly told Jose about Chesnick. Well…he told him some of it anyway…the disastrous dinner…the handball game…the two-ton chip the guy had on his shoulder.
"I know how the guy feels…" Vargas said. "I mean…most days…I feel totally fine. I take my medicines…and I got no problems. I can still do everything I used to…'cept the one thing I loved the most."
"But you moved on…" Severide said.
"Eventually. But I was real bitter at first. I was pissed at the whole goddamn world." He told him. "I was pissed as hell at you."
"Me?" Kelly was taken aback.
"Yeah…when you an' Casey told me…and you were sayin' it was a good deal…take it. You were hidin' that shoulder injury…" Vargas went on… "You were tellin' me to do exactly the opposite of what you would do. I thought you were a hypocrite...at first."
Kelly looked away. He didn't know what to say to that.
"But it's all good." Vargas said. "I got over it…and I think everything worked out the way it was supposed to."
"How do you figure that?"
"Well…if you had cashed it in back then…you might have never met Lyssa…never got married…had the kids."
Vargas looked Kelly in the eye.
"You meetin' Lyssa changed everybody's life. Not just yours. If you hadn't met her…and had that surgery…we might both be as angry and bitter as Chesnick."
Well…since he put it like that…
"It's sad the guy can't move on…but we don't need people like that…none of us." Vargas said.
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Kelly thought about that…later that afternoon as he lay on the couch in the living room.
Alyssa was fussing over him again…still…but now he was just relaxing, inhaling the smell of linguini and clam sauce coming from the kitchen. And watching Vargas play with the kids on the floor…splitting his time between the twins and their Lego city. They were trying to put together…what else? The fire truck. And Maggie's pink and purple Lego princess castle…
He watched Maggie crawl over Vargas like he was a mountain…and smiled as she squealed with laughter when she got tickled.
Jose was right…it was all good now. Even if it might have sucked at the time…everything had turned out the way it was supposed to.
