Disclaimer: I don't own Chicago Fire or any of it's characters. I only own my imagination
a/n: Ok, Here is the first chapter of an old/new story. I had written this on my personal computer with no intention of sharing it because I was terrified of putting it on here. Now that my first story "Coming Home" is on and doing well, I decided to man up and post this one. This is a very long first chapter but I hope you like it.
Abbey's POV
Firehouse 51 was always the dream. My name is Abbey and I'm an EMT in training. My father was chief of firehouse 51 as I was growing up. Ever since my best friend Peter Mills and I visited with our fathers at the firehouse, we knew we wanted to be part of that. His father was lieutenant of squad 3 and before becoming chief, my father was lieutenant on truck 81. They were also best friends for as long as I could remember. I remember being overly impressed when I stepped foot into that place and stars could almost be seen in my eyes. And then, I saw them: the EMT's. That's when I knew that's what I wanted to be. I couldn't stop talking how what they were doing was so important and great and how I wanted to become exactly like them. As soon as I was in a position to chose what I would do with my life; that is what I chose to be. As I started taking classes to become certified, I was also working at the family restaurant owned by both my mother and Peter's mother. Not long after I started taking my class and by a strange set of circumstances, both my father and Peter's dad had perished in the same fire, my father trying to save his life, under the horrific sight of the present chief in command of firehouse 51, chief Boden. As soon as Peter had finished his class at the fire academy, he became candidate at 51 on truck 81 under the command of lieutenant Matthew Casey. I knew his end goal was Squad but we both knew that could take a long time before happening. I was almost done with my certification and I applied for an internship with 51's EMT's. With a bit of pushing from chief Boden, I got the job. All I had to do after that was past both written and practical tests.
I walked in firehouse 51 on my first day of internship as nervous as if it was a first day of class even though I knew that place like the back of my hand. I walked down the hall all the way down to the chief's office that was empty. I put my bag down and took in my surroundings. I hadn't set foot in this place since my father past away. Of course, all traces of his presence were erased by the new occupant of this office.
"Abbey" I was pulled out of my thoughts by chief's low, booming voice.
"Chief Boden." I smiled as I turned around.
"How are you feeling?" It's as if he could read my mind.
"Overwhelmed and nervous." I smiled again.
"I know how hard it is to step into this place after what has happened. It took me some time to get used to the space not being your father's." He took my shoulders and gave them a small squeeze. "Come on, I'll introduce you."
"Lead the way."
"As if you need anyone to show you around this place." He laughed, easing some of the tension
"Guess not." I chuckled. We walked back to the common room where everyone was just hanging out waiting for the next call.
"I'd like to have your attention." Every single set of eyes were on me now. "I'd like you all to meet Abbey, she's going to be doing her EMT internship with Shay and Dawson. She's Frank's daughter and I want you all to treat her like she is part of this family. Is this understood?" They all nodded in agreement.
The only mention of my father's name was enough to tense up my whole body and send a wave of tears; which I know didn't go unnoticed to Mills who was standing behind the stove. I took slow breaths to steady myself before falling apart in front of everyone.
The two girls were the first to come up to me and say hi. Then all the other guys came to say hi and I was hoping my brain would be able to remember all of their names.
"Casey, Severide, in my office." Chief asked both his lieutenants. They passed by me saying hi as both Shay and Dawson took me to the ambo to make me comfortable with what was in it. I turned around just in time to see the door to the office close. I had a little idea of what that meeting was about.
BODEN's POV
"Sit down."
"So Frank's kid." Severide said obviously.
"Yes, Frank's daughter. I've already briefed Dawson about this but I want all of us to be on the same page."
"Yeah, no problem." Casey said. He didn't need the chief to spell it out for him.
"She hasn't been here since it's happened so just keep an eye on her to make sure it doesn't become too much for her during this first week."
"Sure." Kelly agreed.
"Mills will also keep an eye on her as they are best friends. She'll also take care of cooking duties with him while she's here."
Both lieutenants stood up and were out the door.
Abbey's POV
After Dawson and Shay had given me the necessary information about what my internship would consist of, we were back in the common room where lunchtime was nearing. I had minimum eye contact with the rest of the group that was doing random things; which I was thankful for. I took out some stuff to get pasta sauce started when I felt a familiar hand on my shoulder.
"Here there friend, how are you feeling?" Mills asked concerned.
"Honestly? It comes and goes." I lifted tear filled eyes at him. " I didn't think this feeling would overwhelm me that much."
"No one expects you to be as if being back here doesn't affect you."
"It's not just me, it's you too. I know we've talked about if before but how do you do it?"
"I wake up every day thinking it's going to get better and it does. You just have to remember the good times we had here and not think of how this place changed our lives. Just give it some time." He bent down and I lifted myself up on my toes to meet him for a hug. He could always make everything better.
"Let's get this lunch done, like old times."
"Like old times." I held my fist up and he bumped it with his as we laughed. I turned around and put the pan on the stove to get the sauce started.
"So the two of you, how long have you known each other?" asked the guy sitting on the couch in front of the tv.
"Mouch right?" he smiled, one down I thought. "Pretty much our whole lives. Our dad's were best friends."
"And the cooking thing?" asked Otis, or was it Brian? Was he the same?
"Our moms own a diner." Mills revealed. "Her mom is the best cook on the planet." He emphasized.
I swatted him on the arm. "As if your mom sucks you doofus."
"What's for lunch?" asked Capp, he was on squad.
"Frank's famous pasta sauce." I smiled. Mills pulled me to him and squeezed. I started the recipe just as dad had taught me and it was starting to smell great.
"What smells so good?" Came Hermann from the cots where I know he was crashed.
"Frank's famous pasta sauce." Several of the guys exclaimed together. I put the water to boil and started taking out plates for everyone. I also did small bowls of parmesan flakes if anyone wanted some. Making food was always a way to calm me down.
"Food's ready." I yelled as the guys were watching football on the tv and making so much noise. It took about half a second to stop what they were doing and make a line to grab some food. As they all sat down at their respective tables: squad on one side and truck on the other, I filled a plate for myself and sat on the counter to eat. I took that opportunity to look at the whole lot of them. At the squad table, Kelly Severide was leading the discussion and they all seemed to hang on his every word. He was very charismatic and very good looking. They seemed very relaxed, without a care in the world. At the other table, a few of the guys were joking around and goofing off. Then you had Hermann and Mouch that were a bit more serious than the others. Next to them, both girls were in serious discussion mode but you could see they got along great together. And at the very end of the table sat Matt Casey. He was reading the paper and eating peacefully, not paying too much attention to what was going on around him. He was also very attractive but so different from Severide. He was blond and had short stubble on his face with the most piercing blue eyes I've seen in my life. He must have felt me staring because he took his attention from his paper and stared straight at me. He smiled at me, which I returned and went back to his paper. And next to him was Mills. I knew he had been watching me and reading my body language so he got up and leaned on the counter next to me.
"You ok?"
"Yup, I'm good."
"I'm impressed."
"Impressed about what?"
"It's not often that this room is quiet, even during lunch."
"Then I guess I'm good." I laughed. Giving him a nudge.
I finished eating and put my plate in the sink just as almost everyone finished and handed me their plates.
"This was really amazing." Hermann smiled at me. "It's even better than Mill's sauce." He winked.
"I'm offended." Mills joked.
"Sorry kid, just giving this beautiful girl here her due." His comment sent red directly to my cheeks. Hermann was one of the few that were friends with my dad while I was growing up.
"Thank you Christopher." I smiled.
"My pleasure." And he walked off. The rest of the guys gave me their plates and I just had time to put them all in the sink that the alarm went off and everyone stopped to listen.
Truck 81, squad 3, ambulance 61, battalion 25. Apartment fire, 125 Forest street. Everyone was on business mode and we quickly made our way to the garage to respond to the call. I was somewhat nervous about this first ever call. Everything seemed to have gone in the blink of an eye and we were already back at the station. I was physically exhausted, not because of the nature of the call but probably due to the whole day. Coming back here, being in my dad's office that wasn't his anymore and just being here in general. Chief showed me to my locker in the locker room. I took some tape and plastered it on the door, uncapping a black marker and scribbling my last name on it. MITCHELL. I sat on the bench and just looked at it, I looked at it hard and long. Then, my eyes came to level with the number of the locker. 04. It was his. I was given the same locker as my father back when he was still lieutenant. And then it happened. The tears slowly started invading my eyes and my fingers started to gently shake. Breathing slowly made nothing for me this time. The tears didn't disappear and the shaking didn't subside, they only intensified. And then, what I had prevented from happening all day happened: I broke down crying. I never really realized I had an audience until I felt some arms around me. I didn't recognize them as being Mills's but something made me let them comfort me. I leaned into him and kept crying until I was fresh out of tears.
"It's ok Abbey." It was Hermann.
"It hurts so much." It was my turn to wrap my arms around his waist and a fresh round of waterworks came flooding me.
"It takes some time but I promise it gets better." He gently sat me back straight and wiped the tears from my eyes.
I shook my head at him meaning I understood because I wasn't sure how much I could trust my voice right now.
"It was a huge first step coming back here today."
"I didn't want to be anywhere else but here." I chocked up.
"That's perfect because we wouldn't want you anywhere else but here." He smiled.
"Thanks. It means a lot to me to hear you say that."
"Anything for you. Come on, let's get you somewhere you can sleep a bit, I know you're tired."
"It's ok, I got Mill's cot." I wiped the rest of my tears and smiled at Hermann. "Thanks again for the pep talk." I got up and went straight for Mills's bed. I crashed as soon as my head hit the pillow.
MILLS POV
I saw Hermann come out of the locker room but Abbey wasn't with him. I stood up quickly from my chair and was headed towards her when Hermann stopped me.
"She's ok Mills, I sent her to get some sleep. She's done good."
"What happened?"
"Chief gave her her dad's old locker."
"I should have gone after her if I had known." I had a huge feeling of guilt to have not been there for that difficult moment.
"You're a great friend Mills."
"I'm just worried she came back here a little too soon."
"Whether she came back now or later would have been too soon for her. She has to go at her own pace. This first week will be the hardest." He patted me on the shoulder and went to join the others. I couldn't stay here while I was worried about her so I went to the sleeping area and sat at the foot of my bed, just watching her.
Abbey's POV
I don't know for how long I was sleeping but I felt a bit better. My eyes were still closed but I knew someone was sitting with me.
"You do know it's creepy what your doing right? Watching me while I sleep." I opened my eyes to Mills at the end of the bed laughing.
"A little bit. I was worried about you." I sat up in bed and held onto my knees.
"I'm better now thanks."
"Do you want to go home? I'm sure everyone would understand."
"Nope I'm good. What time is it anyways?"
"Almost supper time. You doing the cooking or am I?"
"In your dreams, this is my shitty day I'm cooking." I sat on the side of the bed and slipped on my shoes before getting up and heading for the common room. I started getting the stuff ready on the counter and when it was time to start the stove, nothing was working.
"Stupid piece of junk." I cursed under my breath, pulling the damn thing from the wall.
"Let me help you." I didn't even process who's voice it was before snapping.
"Get off it I got it!" And it came with one swift motion. When I looked up my face must of changed colors. "Sorry lieutenant."
"No problem." He smiled at me and went back to what he was doing. Matt Casey let it rolled off his back as if nothing happened while I cursed under my breath for what I'd just done. I lifted my head just in time to see him motion Mills to follow him.
"Fuck." I couldn't dwell on it, all these grown men would be hungry eventually. I'd just have to ask Mills about it later.
MILLS POV
"Close the door." Casey's voice was never loud but always firm.
"What's up?"
"How is she doing?" it was concern for her that he had, not anger at the attitude she had just given him.
"I think she's holding a lot of it in, trying to stand up to her name and who she is."
"You're a great friend to her Mills."
"Thanks. I'm just not sure how I can help her through this."
"Just keep doing what your doing, be there for her when she needs you to be."
"I just wish I could protect her from all of this." I really had no idea how to approach that situation. "I mean we've known each other forever and I was here my fare share of time but she was always here more than I was. There are memories in every single corner of this firehouse."
"We're all there to keep an eye on her, she'll be ok." He smiled. "She's got some attitude on her I can tell you that. She reminds me of Dawson when she first got here."
"Sorry about that." I didn't want him to have a bad opinion of her because of that.
"It's ok, it just makes me want to know more about her."
"Trust me you won't be disappointed. She's fierce, she's loyal and knows more about cars that you and me put together. And she's an even more amazing cook. She always gives 200% on the job like she does in life."
Matt was laughing candidly now. "I can't wait to get to know her like that." And then there was a knock on the door.
ABBEY's POV
I finished cooking the food and Mills was still not back so I ventured in the back to Casey's office where the both were still talking. I gently knocked on the window and showed them the two bowls. Mills opened the door to let me in.
"Sorry I didn't want to interrupt you. Food's ready."
"It's ok we were done." Mills exited the office and as I was about to leave, Casey stopped me. That was it; I was in for it.
"Yes lieutenant?"
"Close the door."
"Listen, before you say anything I'm really sorry about snapping at you earlier, it won't happen again." I put my head down waiting for it.
"Apology accepted. But that's not why I asked you to stay put. How are you doing?"
I raised my head surprised. He wasn't mad, just concerned. "I'm ok now. Christopher and Peter are helping a lot."
"Hermann?"
"Yeah, he and my dad were old friends. He's always looked out for me."
"I'm glad to hear that. You know my door is always open if you want to talk. I've been in a similar situation before."
"Thank you. It means a lot to me that you're not all acting weird around me. I know a lot of you knew my father."
"Yeah, I worked a couple of years with him as a candidate, he was a great man."
"Oh before I forget, this was for you." I handed him the bowl of food.
"Thanks." He took one bite of it before I was dismissed. "Now get out of here and get some of this great food for yourself."
"Thanks again lieutenant." I walked out of his tiny office and went to look for a spot on the couch so I could get a small bite. I wasn't very hungry but I figured working on an empty stomach wasn't good for anyone. The rest of the shift was fairly slow with one other call for the night. I quickly changed in jeans and a t-shirt with my leather jacket and ran into Mills before leaving.
"Where are you headed?" he asked me.
"Thought I'd go have a drink at Molly's, wanna come with?"
"No I'm good, I have a squad class in an hour, rain check?"
"Yup, see you at home later." And we fist bumped before I went out the door.
I drove the short distance between the firehouse and the bar. It was Hermann's and Dawson's night off so Otis was going to tend bar tonight. Since I saw no one of interest to sit with, I grabbed a stool at the bar.
"Hey Otis, I'll take a beer and a tequila shot please."
"Coming right up." And he poured me that drink.
I quickly downed the shot and the liquid was burning down my throat.
"A man's drink, I like that." I turned around at the sound of Casey's voice.
"Thanks." I smiled and quietly took a sip of my beer. I wasn't much in the mood to have company but since I had been such a bitch to him during the day that it would be way beyond rude to turn him around.
"Thanks again for today."
"Like I said, anytime."
"Otis. Tonight is on me."
"Thanks."
"It's the least I could do for being a complete ass to you today."
"It's all good. That stove has been driving Mills crazy for a while now." He laughed.
"Why don't you get it replaced then?"
"Because it's expensive and we don't have additional funding for things like that."
"That sucks, maybe I can look at it, I'm generally good at fixing stuff." I took a pull of beer.
"So I've heard. Mills speaks very highly of you."
"That's just him sucking up to you. I'm not all that." I drank again.
"I'll be the judge of that." Otis placed a beer in front of him without having to be asked.
"Where's Mills? You two seem to be glued to the hip."
"Squad class tonight. He's very dedicated."
"I know. Did he always want to be on squad?"
"As far as I can remember. When we were kids, he would keep saying over and over again that he wanted to be on squad, just like his father."
"And what about you? Was being EMT always the goal?" he drank some more beer.
"Since I was seven or eight maybe. It was the first time my dad took me to see 51. I remember being so impressed with the big red trucks at first. He let me see everything, let me go on the aeriel and he even led me in the driveway with the hose. He let me put my hands on it while they made it work. I must have jumped a feet in the air I was so surprised. But then, he took me to the ambo and that was it for me. I did a few ride-alongs on smaller runs and from then, he couldn't shut me about them." I remembered fondly. I asked Otis for another shot, tears were starting to sting my eyes and I'd have enough for one day. I downed it as soon as it was in front of me. "What about you lieutenant? Got a girl? Kids?" I questioned. They all knew far too much about me and me so little about them.
"No kids, but would love to have some one day and had a girl but she didn't want any so we went our separate ways." Funny thing, he ordered a shot then so I figured he'd said what he had to about the subject.
"What about parents? Siblings?" again, he knew who my mom was.
"My father passed, estranged mother and a sister, Christie. She's married and has a little girl named Violet."
"Sorry about your parents, cool about your sister."
"Thanks. But what is this? Twenty questions?" he chuckled.
"Something like that." I smiled and took the last sip of my beer before asking another one. "Last one I promise. Firefighter?"
"It was always the dream since I was little too. Well it started as a kitchen accident." He laughed and drank his beer. "Christie must have been twelve when she decided that cooking was a good idea. She started a kitchen fire and didn't know what to do so she called 911. I was ten and a thorn in her side. Her reaction was so funny I was laughing hysterically. And then the firefighters arrived to put the fire out and that was it for me."
"That's funny."
"I always thought it was. Christie seems to have a different opinion about it, even to this day." He drank more beer.
"I think I was maybe that old when I started cooking with my mom. I always loved eating and she's so good at it that it came naturally to me too. We used to kick my dad out when it came time to make food. He didn't mind though. He would just grab a beer and watch us work."
"And the fixing things?"
"If I wasn't in the kitchen with my mother, I was doing handy work or working with him on his car. Apart from Mills, that guaranteed me a very small circle of friends. While they were playing outside I would get grease on me."
"I always said good friends are hard to find and great friends even harder."
"Plus I figured I didn't need a thousand friends to be happy."
"That's wise." I looked at my watch and it was already ten. Time had flown by really fast in good company but figured I needed some shut-eye before tomorrow's early shift.
"It's starting to be late, better head home for some sleep. Thanks for the company." I pulled out my wallet and put some money on the bar for our drinks and smiled at him.
"Thanks for the drinks. I'll see you bright and early." He smiled back before I turned around to leave.
"I'll be all sunshine." I called back at him before chuckling and heading out the door. I drove the short drive back to my place and lights were still on so I figured Mills was studying. I quietly opened the door and found Peter on the couch, sound asleep, with maybe five books scattered around him. Between work, work at the diner on his days off to his intensive squad classes, he was exhausted. I hung my jacket to the wall and started picking up around him. I carefully piled the books on the coffee table not to lose his pages and shook him lightly. He only grunted.
"You fell asleep with all your books." I whispered. He mumbled something about being dead and he squinted his eyes at the time.
"You're home late. Party at Molly's?" he questioned straightening up.
"No, ran into Casey and we had drinks and talked. It was fun."
"He's a great guy."
"Yeah I know. Let's get you in bed, we have an early shift tomorrow."
"I'll see you in the morning." He got up and went straight to his room.
"Good night."
"Goodnight to you too." I laughed. He was practically dragging his body up the stairs. I went to the kitchen and found the apple pie I had made two days ago on the counter. It was too hard to resist. I took it out from under the glass cover and put a slice in the microwave before grabbing a glass of milk. I quickly ate it before going to bed and setting my alarm for five the next morning. I fell asleep from the food, the booze and todays emotions as soon as my head touched the pillows. I had a rather peaceful night until I could hear the faint buzzing of my phone.
a/n: Here is the first chapter of my new story. It's quite long compared to what I normally write but this story was written as a "text" before I decided to put it on here. I will have a few chapters after i'm done editing my 38 pages of story on my computer. I hope you like it and please leave a review so I know if i'm doing something right.