Overwhelmed with the support for this one. Thank you all for the reviews and follows! I do love this pair (even though I put them through hell). Enjoy!
Erin opened her eyes awakening from a deep slumber...a sleep so hard a part of her didn't want to burst through the surface quite yet.
She saw the top of a head with short dark hair, sprinkled with gray, resting on her chest. She smiled rubbing the back of his neck, startled at her ability to move.
I was... shot? Yes. Jimmy, the gun, it all came rushing back in a series of images. That crack of a gunshot. The pain. In her head?
How can I be thinking all this if I was shot... in the head? Shit, maybe this is some out of body thing. Am I dead, she thought, feeling the coarseness of Kelly's hair run through her fingers. It felt real enough. She nudged him a little, pushing his head to the side.
"Aaahhh," he moaned willing his eyes to open. "Erin. Do you know who I am?" Her eyes were staring at him blankly.
"That's a stupid question," her voice croaked out hoarser than ever. No, definitely alive.
"Oh, God," he put his head back on her...so good to hear that voice.
"Look at me," she said. "I want to see your face."
He looked up, eyes glistening, small grin on his face.
"You look like shit," she whispered smiling at him, her own eyes wet in the corners.
"You look beautiful," he said touching her cheek, brushing his hand down the length of it so softly it almost tickled.
"You're such a liar. I think I'm bald," she suddenly thought that was the funniest thing ever. Her throaty laugh brought in two nurses.
Kelly joined in and couldn't stop... head pounding, but it still felt good to laugh.
No thought of Jimmy, of the struggle, of the hell that had occurred...just thankfulness. They would live to see another day, hopefully many other days. Together.
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The guys at 51 filed out little by little. Chief was one of the last to leave. Shay stayed in Kelly's empty room. He backed out of the ten minute promise he'd made with nurse Cassidy earlier...no surprise to anyone. There was no way he was leavin' Erin's side.
Clarke peeked in on Shay before heading home.
"You okay?" he asked pulling up a chair next to hers. "Let me take you home. Severide ain't comin' back in here tonight."
"Really? Geez, ya think?" she punched Jeff lightly in the arm. "No shit, Sherlock. I wanna be here when they kick him out of Erin's room."
"Want some company? I could sneak in some beers," Clarke suggested.
"Beers? Damn, I've got some good timing," said Casey smiling, poking his head in through the door... having the same idea as Jeff.
"Actually, you have some of the worst timing I've ever seen," laughed Shay.
"Can we just focus on the beers that Clarke's getting?" asked Matt sitting on the side of Kelly's bed. "So, is he camped out in Erin's room?"
"Of course. I know, I should go home. I wanna be here though."
"Makes sense. I'll stay too."
"Were we all joking about the beer run?" asked Clarke sheepishly.
"Hell no." Shay looked at him as if he had stupid imprinted on his forehead.
"A cold one does sound good." Casey agreed, giving Clarke a "you better get the hell outta here" glance.
"I'll be back in fifteen," called Jeff heading out the door, licking his lips.
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When Kelly was banished back to his room two hours later, he found three slightly drunk friends sprawled out on his bed like it was Molly's.
"I hate to break up a party, but we're gonna need that bed. Mr. Severide is going to rest and relax that pretty head of his. Isn't that right, sweetie?" Nurse Esther was no Cassidy, but she had a charm that was all her own.
She was large, but not in a sloppy way. She was older but not in a crotchety way. She was firm but not in a drill sergeant way. Yes, Nurse Esther was everything you'd want in a nurse...caring, compassionate, and knowledgeable. And she sure as hell wasn't putting up with any nonsense.
In her book, a man with a concussion wheeling all over the hospital was nonsense. It was comin' to an end...no matter how blue the eyes.
"Sorry, ma'am," said Clarke jumping off the bed.
Casey followed suit.
"Kelly, how's Erin?" asked Shay, hopping off to help the nurse get her friend back in bed.
"Good. She's talkin' and jokin', almost like she wasn't even shot. Damn lucky." He settled back, resting his head for the first time in hours. "God, Shay." Kelly's voice broke, the emotion of the night coming forward.
"I know, Kel. But everything's gonna be okay. You need to sleep." She rubbed his arm up and down, massaging his shoulder for a few quick seconds.
"I like this one," said Nurse Esther smiling at the blonde. "You are correct young lady. Mr. Severide needs to rest. You'll feel so much better tomorrow, sweetheart." she said turning to Kelly. "I'm going to ask that everyone go home."
Casey and Clarke knew there was no "ask" in her statement.
"Feel better, buddy," said Matt giving his friend a pat on the arm.
"You better do everything she says," whispered Jeff eyeballing the nurse. "We'll spring you tomorrow."
"I can hear you," whispered Nurse Esther smiling at Clarke.
"I'm going to have to stay. He'll sleep better if I do," stated Shay matter-of-factly, ready to go to battle to get her way.
"I will," Kelly agreed, eyes shut.
"Okay. Let me get him a little something. I'll be right back, sweetie." Esther shuffled out of the room quickly.
"I love you, sweetie," said Shay softly in Kelly's ear.
Kelly smiled keeping his eyes closed. "Shut up and let me sleep," he said feeling a gentle nudge on his arm and taking comfort in the familiar laugh that followed.
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Jimmy was sobering up quick sitting behind Burgess and Atwater in their cruiser. He knew if he faced Voight again he wasn't making it out alive. Not after what he did.
In his mind it was an accident. He hadn't meant to shoot his sweet girl. He needed her, wanted her...loved her. He knew he was the only one who'd see it that way though.
"I'm gonna be sick," he muttered, a gagging coming from the back of his throat.
"Oh, no. Oh, hell no," said Atwater screeching to a halt. He opened Jimmy's door and grabbed him by the arm.
The criminal emptied the contents of his stomach partly in the car and half outside on the street, arms cuffed behind his back.
"Aaahhh," he groaned. "Take me in there so I can wash up?" Jimmy asked nodding his head toward a small store across the street.
Atwater shook his head no.
"Let me take him in. I've gotta go. Besides, he smells like throw up. It'll just take a second." Burgess grabbed Jimmy by the arm leading him into the store.
"Don't even think about trying anything stupid," she said removing his cuffs.
"Do I look stupid?" asked Jimmy, giving the cop a wink on his way in to the men's bathroom.
Once inside, he knew he'd hit pay dirt. The small window leading to freedom was his savior. He'd get out of the Voight retribution he knew was waiting him at PD. Maybe not even PD. Probably some dark alley he'd never return from, or those damn docks he'd heard about.
That was not the way Jimmy's going out, he thought squeezing through the small opening before Burgess had even unzipped her pants in the restroom next door. Atwater was cleaning puke oblivious to what was going on.
Ten minutes later when the two cops realized they'd been duped, Jimmy was on a train heading out of his city, marveling in how easy that'd been. He didn't want to leave, but no choice. At least for now.
Burgess and Atwater knew they were in deep...Voight was going to have their hides. They were going on a Jimmy hunt before heading back to the station. They had to find the guy.
"We cannot show up empty handed," said Burgess, eyes wider than usual.
"That's the understatement of the century," lamented Atwater. "Let's put our heads together and figure out where that little shit would go."
Kim nodded her head yes, but she had the sinking suspicion that their man was long, long gone.
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"I'll stay another night, but I'm not movin' from this room," Kelly yelled to Dr. McKenzie. In his mind, it was just the way it was gonna be.
He'd moved into Erin's room about thirty minutes after waking up. The nurse on duty said she'd take him in for a "visit" if he ate some scrambled eggs. He swallowed them down in three bites and was off.
"I am not gettin' in that thing!" he called to her as she chased him down with a wheelchair.
Now it was another fight.
"I need you to calm down. You need bed rest right now. You got basically none yesterday. Do you understand your symptoms, that splitting headache, double vision, dizziness can last months? Months!"
"Bullshit! I'm fine. I had my bell rung so many times in football. This is nothin'."
"And that explains a lot."
Shay laughed at the doctor's joke with Kelly shooting her his death stare.
"Kelly, come lay with me," said Erin shifting herself to the far side of her bed. She'd watched all of this silently wishing her guy would just go home and sleep. He looked like hell, but she knew he wouldn't take care of himself until he felt like he was taking care of her.
They'd take care of each other she decided pulling back the sheet and making room for her fireman.
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"Make things a little clearer for me," said Voight, his voice barely audible. "I need to see what happened because right now I know I'm missin' something." His arms were folded across his chest, Atwater felt certain in an effort to prevent the sergeant from hitting something. Hitting them.
"Um, sir, we let the suspect out because he was vomiting in the car. Uh, then we thought we'd have him clean up a little..." Burgess was stuttering while Atwater gave her a "keep going you're doing fine" look.
"And you are just now telling me this information, why?!" Voight's decibel level went from zero to a hundred. "Because now our shooter, NOT SUSPECT, is all the way to Siberia! If you'd called immediately, we could've tracked him down!" Voight slammed both fists on his desk so hard they could hear it on the floor below.
"Sergeant, we are so sorry. We..." Burgess was about to ask about Erin.
"Get out of my face now!" Hank was shaking with anger.
"We will never let something like this happen again," said Atwater also about to ask about Erin.
"Go!" Voight motioned off Olinsky who was making his way to his friend in an effort to calm him down. "Not now," he warned Alvin.
Hank grabbed his keys deciding to make his way back to the hospital he never wanted to see the inside of again. Nothing for him to "take care of" here. He'd make sure Erin was doing everything she was supposed to. Not pushing herself. Not being Erin. He had to be in motion. The second he stopped, he had to face the harsh slap in the face that things could've been so much worse. Erin could be gone right now. She could be dead. Buried. Six feet under.
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"You're supposed to be taking it easy," complained Erin as Kelly carried her into her place, maneuvering her through the front door, around the dining room table and onto the couch in the living room.
"You weigh nothing," he said sitting down next to her. "Can I get you some water, tea, anything?" he asked jumping to his feet.
"No, sit. Please." Erin pat the space next to her. "I just want you next to me." She needed to rest her head on his shoulder, feel the strength in him hold her tight. The "incident" had scared her…more than she would ever admit. Having death stare you in the face, realizing that half an inch in another direction could've spelled gone forever…those are things that change a person. Facing her own mortality, coming so close to death had shaken Erin.
Seeing Kelly laying on the floor, maybe dead, had also put a chink in that Erin armor. She'd seen him almost die before, but that was the aftermath of the bombing. This time she watched him get hit by Jimmy and fall away almost in slow motion while she stood helplessly by. She replayed the scene over and over in her mind. Now, what she needed most was his strength. She needed to be told it would all be alright. She needed to feel safe.
"I'm not goin' anywhere," said Kelly pulling her back in towards him, letting her head rest on his chest. "I got ya. I'm here to stay."
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The next two weeks were rest and relaxation, the only stress came every time Voight paid a visit talkin' about his Jimmy hunt. Erin had to ban the topic of the escaped criminal, her former "friend," someone she trusted. She didn't want to think about Jimmy shooting her. Better to push that far, far away.
Her other stress was her hair. The doctors had to shave from her ear down to the base of her neck. They'd left a top layer of hair that sort of covered what was underneath. Sort of. As the shaved area grew over the fourteen days, it stuck out a little to Erin's chagrin.
"Jesus! I should just shave my whole damn head," she yelled at the mirror trying to find a way to put it all in a pony tail that wouldn't make her look like a punk rocker.
"Do it. You'll still look beautiful," said Kelly coming up from behind, wrapping his arms around Erin's tiny waist, resting his chin on her shoulder.
"I know I sound like an ungrateful bitch. I know how lucky I am. It's just...THIS..." she said pointing to the shaved area.
"You are gorgeous," reassured Kelly again, kissing her shoulder, working up to her cheek, her ear.
"Mmmm, stop that," whispered Erin closing her eyes. "I need to figure this out," she said turning to bring her lips to Kelly. She pushed back a little.
"You know I'm going back next week, and I feel like I can't catch any bad guys if I look part porcupine."
"So your hair affects your crime fighting?" laughed Kelly, pulling her back in.
"Yeah," she answered holding his face in her hands.
"You could just wait to go back till it's all grown back...probably take a few months," he said only half teasing.
The two weeks were almost perfect with Erin feeling closer to Kelly than ever before. Feeling closer to him than anyone else in her life. Boden had forced a two week leave on his lieutenant, and Kelly took it with pleasure. He wanted to be there for her in a way that no one had done before.
The only source of tension came when she mentioned her return to PD. She could feel and see Kelly tense up. He didn't say anything. He didn't have to. She realized it was because he loved her. She also knew that delaying a return was not gonna happen. No way.
"You know it wouldn't hurt you to take a couple extra weeks," said Kelly softly brushing a wisp of hair falling in her eyes.
"Why would I do that? I feel great, a hundred percent. I want to get back."
"Haven't these two weeks been good?" asked Kelly.
"Yes, but we're not going to camp out at my place living on love for the rest of our lives. You need your squad, I need my Intelligence. C'mon," replied Erin pushing away firmly.
Kelly knew he needed to shut his mouth. He knew this was a one way conversation to trouble, and yet...
"You could move in with me. You wouldn't have to worry about money, take some time..."
"Are you listening to me at all? I don't need some time. I need my work."
"I thought you needed me. All I'm sayin' is that you could take it easy for while. You could've been..."
"If you say killed...ugh. Just stop. Please stop." Erin picked her brush back up.
"You coulda been killed. I'm sorry it happened. But it did."
"So now we're gonna get into it now? That's what you want?"
"No. I want you safe. I don't want to lose you. The thought of you going back out there...it drives me crazy."
"So what do you propose, Kelly? Should I get a desk job? Maybe get coffee for the boys at PD?"
"At least you'd be safe." Kelly regretted those words the minute they flew from his mouth. Yeah, thinking before speaking, not one of his strong suits.
"You need to back it up right now. I'm going back next week. It's not like I'm ever giving up my career." Erin brushed her hair straight down giving up on the ponytail idea.
"Ever?" asked Kelly not backing it up or backing down.
The look on Erin's face was one he'd never seen before. She'd been pissed at him, furious, screaming in his face. But this was something different. He tried to bring her in for a hug, but she pushed him back hard.
"Maybe you should go home tonight."
"Erin, don't. C'mon. Let's drop it. I'll drop it."
"It's too late to drop it Kelly. You can't unsay something. We'll talk tomorrow. Just go home. Hang out with Shay."
Kelly wanted to say no. He wanted to say he felt more at home with her than at his place, that the past two weeks had been some of the best days he'd had. He wanted to confess that he thought about never going back "home."
Instead, he kissed her on the forehead and walked out.
I can see Kelly freaking out with her dangerous job and not seeing the danger in his own. He's got that sweet side, cares about those he loves more than himself. What do you think? Big argument coming or will he let it go?