Thank you again for all the reviews! Your kind words make my day. If you love Kelly drama check out the new one, Lt. Sweetride by CavalierQueen. It's Severide with an OC and the name alone is hilarious. I love it! Hope you enjoy this chapter of mine.
Kelly knew he heard something...a part of his brain awoke to the semi-conscious realization that a loud sound rang out. It was a noise he'd heard before. What was it? He cracked his left eye open and the light bore straight to his forehead.
"Aaahhh," he groaned trying to bring his hand to his face. He forced both eyes open a little and saw he was on the floor.
He was looking at a pair of boots in front of him. Small, black, similar to his.
Erin's boots.
It took another minute for him to fully see what that meant.
"Erin," he called, bringing his hand to his forehead and feeling something wet. He looked at the red covering his palm in a fog.
"Oh God. Erin," he called louder willing himself to roll on his side, then up on one knee. The room swam in a circle, Kelly feeling a nausea rising in his stomach.
He crawled to the figure beside him, leaning over it.
"Erin, Erin!" he tried to scream not reaching for his phone, not doing anything except touch the oozing red coming from the back of her skull.
Kelly dropped his too heavy head on Erin's stomach, saying her name over and over. He knew he should be doing something but didn't know what it was. He heard footsteps running up the stairs, felt himself being rolled over.
I'm gonna be sick, he thought. He snapped back to a cloudy thought of Erin. Wait, that was Erin?
He said her name again while someone flashed a light in his eyes. He heard their voices.
"Erin," he said once more before darkness swarmed over him.
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Hank Voight rushed through Lakeshore like a force of nature.
"Detective Erin Lindsay was brought in here." The sergeant's voice was a raspy whisper. There was something new in it. Fear.
The nurse on duty directed him to a waiting area telling him she was up in surgery...didn't know anything yet. Assured the cop that she'd update as soon as she found out Erin's condition.
Leslie Shay got up to meet Voight at the door.
"Did you hear anything?" she asked hoping the badge had some kind of miracle pull.
"No. Nothin'. Did you see them? What did the paramedics say?"
"Kelly has blunt force trauma to the head. Erin..." Shay's voice broke.
"Tell me," Voight demanded.
"She was shot. I really don't know..."
"Where?" the cop interrupted. "Where was she shot?"
Shay hesitated. "The head."
Voight hung his head. "Damn," he muttered barely audible.
Leslie instinctively stepped forward putting her arm on his clumsily. She didn't think about the motion...it was pure Shay. She saw someone hurting and had to step in.
Voight accepted the gesture stiffly. They'd had some interactions, hell, she'd even been to his house a couple of times. But he needed his team right now... Olinsky, Antonio. Instead he had some frigid stares comin' at him from a lieutenant sitting in one of the chairs in the corner, a dark haired paramedic at his side, and the chief at 51. Yes, this was as good as it was gonna get till his people got there. When Shay leaned her head into his shoulder, he took it. His hand even went up to the back of her head, stroking it once. Fear could connect people, make them hang on to each other...hold each other up, just so they wouldn't break.
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A doctor entered the now packed waiting room causing both sides to jump up like soldiers at attention.
"Family of Kelly Severide." The cop half of the room slumped noticeably.
"Yes," Shay stepped forward, eyes wide. "His father's on his way. I'm his emergency contact."
"He's going to be okay," began the doctor smiling, knowing to cut to the chase. "He's got one helluva hard head."
"You're tellin' us," chimed in Clarke from just behind Shay.
"It finally came in handy," added Casey, his arm around the blonde.
"He's got a pretty serious grade three concussion. We're keeping him over night, maybe two depending on how he does, but I expect a full recovery."
An audible sigh escaped every member of 51.
"Now I need someone to go in and calm him down. He's trying to get out of bed. He's asking about an Erin. He's worked up, and he needs to be still right now."
At the sound of Erin's name, Voight was in the doctor's face, pushing past Shay.
"Do you have any information about Erin Lindsay? Detective Erin Lindsay?"
"I'll see what I can find out. Sit tight." The doctor turned toward Shay. "Let me take you in to your friend first."
"Sit tight," Hank rumbled to his team. "Where the hell else would we go? Jesus Christ." He dumped himself back in the seat he'd been keeping company with for hours.
"You heard him. He's finding out how our girl's doing. She's fine. That's what he's gonna say." Olinsky believed the words he said to his friend. He had to.
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Kelly was half out of his bed, trying to untangle the web of wires attached to his arm, his chest.
"Lieutenant! You need to get back in bed, or I'm going to sedate you." The doctor pushed the fireman back against the pillow.
"I need to find Erin," Kelly protested, now looking at Shay.
"Kel, please." Shay was by his side holding his hand tightly. "Dr. McKenzie's checking on Erin now. Right, doctor?"
"Don't talk to me like I'm three. I need to see her. Shay..." Kelly's voice broke. She stroked his shoulder moving her face next to his.
"Shay, I didn't do anything. I didn't call for an ambo, I didn't stop the bleeding..." His voice broke again.
"Kelly, you were hurt. You couldn't think. Please just calm down."
"Calm down? Erin had a hole in her fucking head and I just sat there! Is she dead? She's dead and you don't want to tell me!" Kelly pushed her hands off of him, throwing a leg off the side of the bed.
Shay and Dr. McKenzie caught him before he hit the floor hard. The doctor had motioned for a nurse.
Kelly could only watch as a shot entered the top of his arm. He didn't want to calm down. He needed to get up, to find Erin.
"No, no," he cried out. "Erin. Please Shay. No. Don't do thi..." Shay was helpless also...powerless as she looked at her best friend, tears on his cheeks, fighting the pull of the drug. Her own tears dripping onto Kelly's bed as her heart broke.
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Burgess and Atwater stepped into The Flamingo and saw him immediately.
"Turn around, asshole!" Atwater yelled, gun drawn, looking for any excuse to fire.
"Settle down, deputy dog. Let me just finish this one off and..."
Atwater slammed Jimmy's head into the bar, the glass he'd been drinking from shattering on the wood floor. Burgess was behind him, cuffing him roughly. She grabbed his arm, pulling him toward the door.
"You have the right to remain silent..."
"Yeah, yeah, I know the drill," Jimmy slurred.
Atwater slapped him on the back of the head.
"Shut up!" he barked.
In the cruiser, Burgess radioed in, "We got him. Any news?"
Their drunken perp in the back of the car perked up.
"Did you hear anything? Been callin' all night." Jimmy slurred.
"Shut your mouth before I break it. You don't get to speak. You lost all your rights when you shot Detective Lindsay." Atwater wished the guy would make a break for it, even pull a gun. Today was not his lucky day.
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"You are the reason this happened!" Voight was pointing at Olinsky's chest, screaming at his oldest friend.
The hours of waiting taking their toll.
"If we'd taken care of Jimmy like I wanted to, we wouldn't be here right now!" Hank needed a scapegoat, someone to take out his frustrations on.
"You're right." Alvin said softly.
The firemen sat watching from across the room. Boden wearily got up to intervene if needed.
"Doctor 'slow as fuck' left over thirty minutes ago, and he hasn't come back!" yelled Voight.
"I know," said Olinsky.
Voight walked to the door, changed his mind and stomped back. "Why didn't you let me take him to the docks? Why?" He was screaming again and shaking.
Alvin grabbed him roughly bringing him in, not letting go despite the resistance. He didn't give a shit about the eyes on them. He knew how deep this cut.
"Erin Lindsay," Dr. Arata called out looking around the waiting room full of cops and firemen.
Voight broke free of Olinsky giving his face a quick wipe. He was in front of the doctor in two strides.
"She's a lucky woman."
Relief. Voight felt it wash over him.
"The bullet did not penetrate her skull. It traveled under her skin the length of her head down to her neck. Didn't hit her vertebrae. It lodged in between the clavicle and scapula... a real bugger to get out."
"Where is she?" Voight was heading to the door.
"She's in recovery. Give it an hour. I'll be back."
"Excuse me, doctor." Chief Boden rose wearily. "Can you check on my lieutenant? Severide. A Dr. McKenzie said he was going to be fine... Shay, one of my paramedics went back. We haven't heard anything."
"Will do. Give me ten minutes." Dr. Arata shook Voight's outstretched hand before taking off.
The bloody mess that arrived had turned out so much better than he thought possible. Damn lucky cop. It was a good night, he thought, heading to the nurse's station to check on a fireman.
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Shay knew there was a roomful of men waiting to see Kelly for themselves. She didn't care. She wasn't leaving her best friend. No way.
She held his hand, stroked his arm...kept having to remind herself to avoid touching his bandaged forehead, not rub his hair back like she did so often.
His eyebrows were fixed in a scowl. The sedative had knocked him out, but it hadn't calmed him down. Not really. Shay could see the unsettled look even in his unconscious state. She wasn't moving. She'd be there when he came to.
Dr. Arata entered quietly. He'd gotten a report from McKenzie but wanted to look for himself before reporting back to the waiting firemen.
"How's he doing?" he asked grabbing Kelly's chart.
"Upset. Hurting. Worried about his girlfriend."
"I'm Dr. Arata," he said extending a hand. "I performed the surgery on Miss Lindsay. She's going to be just fine."
"How? Really?" Shay now couldn't wait for Kelly to wake up.
"Bullet didn't go through her skull. She's extremely lucky," he put down Kelly's chart. "There's a roomful of men waiting for me to update them on this one. Dr. Mckenzie should be back soon."
"Thank you. Tell them I'm sorry, but I can't leave right now."
"Will do." Dr. Arata took off knowing his ten minutes had turned into twenty.
"Mmmm..." Kelly groaned, fighting the drug...willing himself to wake up.
He opened his eyes. Shay's smiling face was waiting. He tried to smile back.
Erin. It started to come back to him, but he wasn't fully coherent. It was like trying to think while your brain was wrapped in cotton.
"Erin's fine," Shay whispered.
"Really?"
"Yes, I promise. The bullet didn't go through her skull. She's okay, really."
"Take me to her." Kelly knew he'd need help to get to her. But he also knew he had to see her. A part of him didn't fully believe Shay.
"Okay." Shay didn't bother arguing. Instead, she went to the nurses station in search of a friendly face.
She smiled broadly at the cute nurse behind the counter.
"What are the chances we can take my friend to see Erin Lindsay?"
It took a little convincing, but Shay wrangled a wheelchair and a comrade in arms, or a comrade in a super secret mission to get her guy to his girl.
"I am so fired if Dr. McKenzie finds out," whispered Cassidy, Shay's new bestie, at least for another fifteen minutes.
There was something mischievous in her eyes...it was what gave Shay the courage to approach the young woman with her plan.
"Ten minutes. When we get you up there, you have ten minutes with her. Then you're going to rest and do exactly what we say. Deal?"
Kelly looked at the demanding young thing and felt his head get a little worse. But he agreed.
"You sure you're up for this?" asked Shay noticing the sick look on his face.
"No, but I have to see her, Shay. I have to tell her I love her."
Cassidy was sure she'd made the right decision. Her fairy tale imagination was eating this up.
"Dr. McKenzie will be making his rounds soon. We've got to move." She was working quickly, removing every IV, easing the fireman up slowly.
"I'm gonna be sick," said Kelly once up to sitting with his legs hanging over.
"Here." Cassidy shoved a plastic kidney dish in his hands.
Shay grabbed one arm, the nurse the other... depositing Kelly in the wheelchair with one quick swoop. He tried to put a hand to his head, but it only made the pounding worse.
"You sure?" asked Shay again.
"Yes, I'm good," he answered gritting his teeth together, taking a deep breath.
The two women wheeled Kelly rapidly into a waiting elevator, up to three, and into the room Erin was now occupying.
Her head was heavily bandaged, no sign of hair peeking out. She was so pale...Kelly immediately thought of a viewing at a funeral. He wiped the tears that came the second he saw her. God, she looks so small. So weak. So not like Erin.
Shay put a steadying hand on his shoulder as they wheeled him to her bedside. He reached for Erin's hand, relieved at the warmth in it. It held the heat of a living person, confirmed that she was okay. It was his Erin. More tears came, Kelly letting them fall. He lay his head down on her chest listening to that pounding within. He wanted to stay there all night, to hear that reassuring sound, that strong drum indicating life.
"I love you, Erin. I love you," Kelly whispered letting the weight of his head fully rest on her chest, the heaviness lessened now. "Don't do that again. I need you. You got that? I need you," he breathed out, the words not audible to anyone else. Just the two of us, he thought.
The two of us. Till the day I die.
I had to have Kelly check on Erin no matter what. I can so picture that happening on the show. What did you think?