Thank you for the reviews and follows! The story was slow to catch on, but so glad many of you have jumped on our little fanfic. Hope you enjoy this one! Drop us a note - reviews make for happy gals and happy gals write faster. :)
Kelly's shoulder tweak was now a full fledged injury he grudgingly admitted needed some attention, and quick. His appointment with the department's occupational health cancelled again when Erin took him to lunch, that homey Italian place with Nonna making him feel like he stepped into another world. Worth it, well worth it. He'd gotten a kiss with much more promised, maybe not with words but with the look in Erin's eyes. Yeah, definitely worth it, thought Kelly pushing in at the sorest part, trying to work some of the pain out.
"Severide. My office, now." The boom in Boden's voice said he was angry, the tone promising an ass chewing imminent.
"Shit," mumbled Kelly, head down, hand inadvertently going to his shoulder. "Chief," he queried sitting down in a side chair.
"Don't get comfy," Boden said with a beaming smile affixed to his face. He was not amused and the smile he was sporting had nothing to do with happiness. "Since you've been too busy to get that checked out, I made you an appointment." He tossed a card at his lieutenant.
Kelly picked it up eyeballing it furiously. He flicked it back to chief. "Thanks for the concern, but I got it under control." He got up turning to get out of there. Where does he get off? Not my goddamn dad, he thought enraged.
"Sit down, now!" Boden was standing at his desk. Who in the hell does he think he's talking to? "You can get the hell out of my house if you don't go to that appointment! Am I making myself clear, lieutenant?"
Kelly's head snapped around, his eyes flashing a storm that Boden thought might just come unleashed. Chief planted himself just in case.
They stood staring at each other for a couple of long seconds, drawn out by the testosterone in the room.
"Kelly, sit," Boden tried again, softer. "Please."
Severide plopped back in the same chair. Here comes the lecture, he thought. I know, I know. The house always comes first, the injury put everyone at risk. Jesus, he knew the drill. It wasn't like he had a choice. He wiped his hand across his mouth roughly, thinking for once before speaking.
"Chief, I know. I will get it checked out. I give you my word, man to man. I just can't right now."
"Why is that, Kelly? You are getting the same shifts off that everyone else is, but you come back in here looking like something the cat dragged in, tired, hurt." Boden paused looking at his lieutenant. "Please, talk to me."
Kelly didn't know if it was the look in chief's eyes or just that he was exhausted from holding the lie for so long, the weight of it crushing him and that hurt shoulder. He told Boden all of it, his mouth spilling the "undercover" work he'd done, the meets with Junior, the new Voight plan, every detail. He left out the names, omitted the lunch with Erin, really not mentioning Detective Lindsay at all
Kelly slumped in the chair feeling like he just went to confession, the weight lifted, one person not attached to PD in on the scheme.
"There is no way I'm letting my lieutenant, one of my best, hell best ever, go through with this asinine plan," Boden said shuffling through his old fashioned Rolodex. "Connie!" he finally screamed in frustration. "Get Sergeant Voight on the line!"
"You can't do that, chief. They can't know I told you." The cathartic moment was over, replaced with a regret. Shouldn't have told him, Kelly snapped to reality.
"And why not?"
Kelly told chief about the overdoses, how close they were to getting the drugs off the streets, how IU needed this bust and after everything Erin did for him with the Keeler thing, this was the least he could do.
"So, it's about a woman?" asked chief not believing his ears. He'd seen Severide with half the female population of Chicago, but this?
"No. It's about payback. I owe the CPD. I'm paying." Kelly wasn't backing down or out of the deal.
Connie said she had Voight on the line.
"Never mind," called Boden unsure of what he should do, giving in to Kelly. At least for a while longer. "Take off the rest of today. I'll call occupational health and have them slide you in. When's your next assignment?" he asked, now feeling some of the weight on his shoulders.
"Couple of days from now."
"Get the hell out of here then. And Severide."
"Yeah, chief."
"Be careful. That's an order."
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The clinic was packed looking like a factory of firemen, some sick, coughing their germs all over the place, others visibly injured, limping around, and others looking just fine. Kelly sat impatiently for over an hour, checking with the receptionist every so often to see how much longer, the smile he flashed not moving things along. She kindly reminded him that he didn't have an appointment and was being "worked in."
He saw a PA around 2:00 who wasn't good for much. Rotated the thing around a few times, said there was reduced mobility, swelling. No shit. He ordered an MRI saying that would tell them what they needed to know. Drug Doc's words. He did prescribe some better meds, so there was that, he thought grumpily. Kelly held the scrip greedily, not waiting to take a couple, downing them dry in his car. The relief he hoped for didn't come.
I am walkin' into the CPD for this pre-sting meeting, stayin' thirty minutes and gettin' out, he thought rushing brusquely through the front, barely a nod to the desk sergeant. Boden did not give me the rest of the day off for this crap.
Seeing the beautiful detective greeting him with a smile made him re-evaluate the word crap.
"Kelly. What are you doing here?" asked Erin not unhappy to see the fireman, but knowing this was an 'on shift' day. "You okay?" she asked giving him a light hug, drawing the attention she was trying so hard to avoid from her team. Small peck on the cheek she was contemplating definitely out.
"Boden gave me the day off but your boss must've sensed I would have five minutes of free time and called me in for some prep," he explained losing himself in her eyes a little, that smile, "I did go to OH, they checked out my chicken wing. It's good." He hugged her back quickly, sensing her hesitation.
"Hmmm," she looked at him doubtfully.
"Hmmmm, what?" he teased smiling, his blue eyes meeting her bright hazel ones, those dimples somehow making her sexier. How does that even work, he thought. Their stares drawing more looks from Erin's IU team.
What the hell is going on, thought Jay watching the chemistry blowing up in front of him. "Severide," he interrupted holding out his hand in between the two.
"Halstead," replied Kelly tersely sensing the overprotectiveness, the awkward silence hanging in the air as the three stared at each other.
"Severide. Let's go over this thing," barked Voight from his office breaking the stillness. They headed in… "No, just the lieutenant."
"What the…" began Erin in protest. What was her boss up to?
"I don't want any distractions," Voight said pointedly looking in Detective Lindsay's direction. "For his own good." With that, the sergeant slammed his door shut tight.
Voight would go over the plan a hundred times or maybe it was a thousand. Kelly was ready.
Couple more days on shift, he'd meet with drug doc, then this whole thing would thankfully be done.
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"Lieutenant, you surprise me," said Dr. Gerry Fleming reaching out a hand, warm smile spreading across his face. He couldn't believe that the fireman had killed to take over Junior's territory. Man's ambition had no limits, he thought, smile growing bigger.
Kelly remembered how that smile turned to ice the last time he was in this exact examination room. No way in hell the shirt's comin' off this time, he thought, also remembering old Gerry wrenching his shoulder back in ways it did not bend. The wire he was wearing also dictating that the shirt had to stay on.
"Did what had to be done," said Kelly glancing at the huge case the doctor wheeled in, thinking about the load of painkillers it held. It looked like one of those things lawyers would carry files in, a bunch of files. Yes, the operation was upped considerably from Junior's cardboard box.
"I like it. Tells me what kind of man you are," drug doc said letting his pleasant mask fall away revealing the steel cold within… a hardness that said emotion did not reside in the soul of that man, if he had a soul. Severide got the feeling there wasn't much this guy would not do.
"Let's quit the bullshit and get to it," Kelly reached for the case, flinching with the weight of it. The damn thing rolls he reminded himself.
Voight gruffly chuckled liking the fireman's style. "Perfect," he grumbled looking at Erin's worried face. "This is all gonna be over soon," he reassured.
"Did you want me to take a look at that?" offered Dr. Fleming reaching for the end of Kelly's shirt hastily.
The fireman turned away quickly, afraid Gerry would feel some tell tale sign of the wire. He'd skipped the normal T-shirt in favor of a button up… more bulk and hid the listening device better.
"Uh, no thanks. Got it taken care of," sort of, thought Kelly. "Here ya go," he said throwing a CFD backpack on the examination table. Gotta be breaking some regulation he thought staring at the red logo… drug money in my department pack. Perfect. Last damn time, he reminded himself.
Dr. Gerry took the money. This was it. I'm done. The cavalry is bustin' in.
"You know, I have one request." A long pause with drug doc looking, what? Nervous. Did he sense the cops were bustin' in at any minute. "My supplier, the head honcho wants to meet you," Gerry laughed nervously. "He's got some romanticized view of firefighters, cowboys, the whole American hero thing. He wants, actually demands to meet you."
"Gonna have to pass on that one," Kelly began with the sinking feeling that his cavalry was not comin.' When the hell did this chain of drug runners get so long?
"Not really a question. We'll have a drink, rub elbows and get out. Carlos Solano does not take no for an answer to anything. If he wants to meet a real live fireman, he's meeting a fireman." Dr. Gerry shuffled through the money absentmindedly not really counting it.
"Stand down! Everybody just stay in position and stand down!" commanded Voight smelling a bigger fish to fry. Erin knew this "last day" of Kelly's cooperation with the CPD was going to be extended. She hung her head, hanging on every word coming from the wire.
"Shit," she muttered under her breath.
Kelly shuffled through the inventory slipping a sleeve of his old favorites, a six blister pack of Vicodin, into his pocket while the doctor thumbed through the cash like it was a huge deck of cards.
He did it not thinking about the repercussions, not about the look on Erin's face if she found out … his only thought, that pain currently shooting through his shoulder and what he could do to stop it.
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Shay stormed into 51 throwing a huge bag on the common room table making an announcement with the boom of the bag that she was more than angry.
She shuffled through her sack doing a double check to see if she had what she needed.
"Goin' on vacation?" asked Mouch raising his eyebrows, peering at the blonde above his open newspaper.
"Yeah, a vacation at Dawson's. A vacation from all of Kelly's shit."
"Did someone start her monthly friend?" asked Mouch knowing he was getting something thrown at him. The bra sling-shotted his way was a nice surprise.
"Ugh! You men are disgusting! I'm done. With all of you!" she stated looking around the room, daring the firemen to say one word.
"Thought that happened years ago," Mouch added this time not looking up.
Severide came rushing in scanning the room, finding his roommate with her stuff now covering the large round table.
"What the hell, Shay? You don't wait for me now?"
"No I don't wait for you now! I cannot watch you do whatever it is that you are doing to yourself." Shay started throwing all her stuff back in the giant bag.
"I'm not doin' anything. You know what? Forget it! Take your crap and stay at Dawson's!"
"That's what I'm doing!"
"Good!"
"Good!"
They stormed off in different directions with the whole house watching the fireworks.
"I've read about this. Cycles syncing or something like that," Mouch commented going back to his paper after looking up briefly.
Kelly asked Boden for the rest of the shift off, again. He promised this was it. The deal going down tonight, how his other "last" deal had led to a high level cartel boss from Colombia. This would actually make a difference, would put a dent in the drugs running free in their city.
"I'm proud of you Kelly. You've seen this thing through to an extent I don't think any of us would've."
The younger man was at a loss for words, emotion not letting him trust his own voice. A proud chief was not something you saw every day. A quick nod of the head was all he could manage before taking off. Shay would have to wait. Everything was on hold until this last time was done. Kelly took a huge breath thinking that the next time he came on shift this whole CPD thing would be behind him.
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"That's the best damn news I've had in two months," said Kelly to an empty apartment, reading the text from drug doc that the Solana meet was postponed until tomorrow. The Colombian drug lord had unexpected business pop up that night, much to Voight's dismay and Kelly's relief.
The best damn news was trumped by better news two minutes later. A text from Erin Lindsay.
Can you talk?
Kelly called her anxious to hear the detective's voice. How the rasp could sound so sexy coming from her was a mystery, one he was looking forward to unlocking.
"Well that was quick," she answered, a smile obviously on her face, a teasing lilt heard in her voice.
"Wanted to hear that voice," he said honestly, "wouldn't mind seeing that face."
"Oh, you wouldn't mind it? You sure about that?"
"Come over," a sound of pleading in Kelly's voice. Lieutenant Kelly Severide didn't do pleading.
Erin knew the answer should be no, had to be no. "Yes," she answered instead.
She was knocking at his door, mind floating back to the wet, half naked Severide that greeted her last time. Is it wrong I'm hoping for a repeat performance, she thought.
Kelly opened the door his eyes taking her in hungrily. She barely placed one foot inside before he took the back of her neck in his hands, gently pulling her hair, drawing her in, their bodies touching. He didn't wait for a sign to go on...he went full speed ahead.
Erin's brain was screaming at her to stop, put the brakes on and stop right now. But the heart… that was another story. Her T-shirt was slipped over her head, jeans in a crumpled pile still in the kitchen… Erin launched onto Kelly, now straddling him around his hips, his hands supporting her ass. He was kissing her furiously up and down her neck while he carried her like this to his bedroom.
Throwing her on his bed, he stood over her like a bandit taking in the spoils of his debauchery, devilish grin on his face.
It was a sweet torture having him so close, but not moving in to touch her, watching her with those eyes.
"Now," she moaned, her hands moving across her stomach feeling it tense in anticipation, longing. She arched her back as he slowly, softly crawled on top of her, his weight resting on his arms.
"Kelly, now," she tried to command, but the breathless break in her voice sounding more like pleading. Detective Erin Lindsay didn't do pleading.
Until now.
I think I could write Linseride all day, every day. :) But the big meet with the big, bad drug lord who's holding out for a hero (ha, ha) is coming up. What do you think?