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The raging inferno seems to surround them on all sides, but at last the final worker is accounted for. Cruz and Otis have an arm each wrapped around the worker, leading them outside to safety, when Boden’s call comes in.
“51! Evacuate now! I repeat, evacuate now! The roof is about to collapse!”
As if on cue, there’s an almighty groan from above them, and then steel and ash begin to fall. The two firefighters immediately jump for cover, protecting the worker with their own bodies. There’s a crash, thunderous in their ears, and then nothing but the sound of flames.
They take a second to account for themselves and the worker, and then they’re moving again.
“51 report!”
“We’ve got the last worker chief!” Otis yells into his radio. “Coming out now!”
They pass a heap of twisted metal, thankful the ceiling collapsed away from them, and then Cruz stops, straining his ears. “You hear something?”
“I…” Otis starts, but then they both recognise the faint sound they can hear.
The dreaded wail of a PASS alarm.
Cruz is in action immediately, passing the worker to Otis and telling him to go. Then he’s circling the wreckage, trying to find the source of the noise. “Mayday! Firefighter down!”
“Cruz!” Boden’s voice in sharp in his ear.
“Chief, I think the ceiling collapsed on one of ours! I can hear a PASS!” He’s getting closer, the wail louder and more frantic, and then he sees a boot, a leg, and the edge of a turnout coat. His eyes are roaming the wreckage then, focusing on what’s pinning them down, and what equipment he needs. “I’m gonna need inflation bags and cribbing! Maybe a ten blade!” He eyes the fire licking at the walls only ten feet away. “And a hose!”
“On its way!” Boden calls back. “Who’s trapped, Cruz?!”
Cruz can’t see the name on the turnout coat properly; it’s obscured by a wooden beam and large piece of corrugated steel. He pulls at the edge gently, trying to at least get a glimpse. His heart freezes as he sees the letters ‘eride,’ cursing into his radio,
“Cruz!”
“It’s Severide or Buck, Chief!”
Outside, Boden’s trying his hardest to keep a cool head. These are the worst moments any Chief dreads, but being so close to his teams, Boden always fears them.
“It’s Severide or Buck, Chief!” Cruz’s call has his blood freeze as he sees the elder Severide jog out of the burning building with another worker.
He swallows thickly, mouth suddenly dry. “It’s Buck.”
He can hear Cruz curse again, and asks him to relay his position.
“Capp! Tony! Cruz needs help in the southwest corner! Firefighter down!”
As the two head back inside, Boden is thankful that Cruz’s call only came to him. He can’t keep the situation from Severide entirely, but if they can get Buck out and he’s okay, Boden would rather tell him them.
Unfortunately Severide both heard the call to his Squad and wondered why Boden wasn’t sending him in; he was the Lieutenant after all.
“Chief!” He calls, jogging over. “What’s the situation?”
Boden can’t look at him directly. “Firefighter down in the southwest corner. Roof collapsed. There’s a team inside to free him.”
“Damn it.” Severide hisses. “You need me to go in?”
“It’s fine, Kelly. They’ve got it.”
There must be an inflection in his voice, or maybe it’s the way he uses Severide’s first name, but he’s then looking at him with such intensity that Boden can’t help but meet his gaze.
“Southwest… That’s where I sent Buck…”
Boden grabs for his arm. “They will handle it.”
“Chief…”
“You’re too close, Kelly. Stay here.”
Cruz is thankful when the equipment arrives, Otis and Kidd handling the hose while Capp and Tony help him with Buck. They slide the air bags under the steel roofing panel first, setting them to inflate, before cutting and removing the wooden beam with the ten blade. Sliding the cribbing under the now raised steel, they count three and try to pull Buck out.
Thankfully, they manage to free him in one swift move.
“Buck?” Cruz calls to him gently but Buck’s eyelids don’t even twitch. His helmet has been knocked clear, mask broken, and there’s the clear brightness of blood matted in his hair.
“Chief! We got him, but he’s out cold. Signs of head trauma. Considering the weight of everything, I don’t want to move him any further. Can we get Brett in with a backboard and C-Collar?”
“Understood.”
Brett is there within minutes, placing a C-Collar carefully around Buck’s neck and then transferring him to a backboard. “On three!” She calls, and then they’re lifting Buck, bringing him out of the warehouse.
Kelly’s by his side in seconds. “How is he?”
Brett squeezes his hand for a moment before she and Chili are manoeuvring a stretcher underneath Buck; the firefighters lowering him down onto it. “We’re checking him out now.”
She’s peeling back Buck’s eyelids, shining light onto his pupils, testing his pressure points, while Chili is hooking him up to the monitors and an oxygen mask. Brett looks to Boden and shakes her head. “We gotta get him to Med.”
“Go.”
He doesn’t even need to tell Severide; Kelly just climbs into the back of the ambulance with them. As they speed away, the rest of 51 are left to finish fighting the fire from the outside, just hoping that Buck will be okay.
They call ahead to Med. When they arrive, a trauma team are already on standby at the doors. Brett and Chili unload Buck from the ambulance, pushing him inside while reeling off his stats. “28 year old male firefighter, injured in a roof collapse on a call. GCS 10, negative LOC, no movement detected. O2 levels are good, but pulse is thready. BP 98 over 65. Heart rate 100. 16 gauge in both arms. No outward sign of trauma except for a head wound.”
“Let’s get him into Trauma 2!” Halstead calls from the head of the stretcher. “On three!” They slide Buck onto the bed, roll him, and get the backboard out. “Get O-Neg hung! Check and stem the head wound. Then get him into X-Ray and CT.”
Brett and Chili are stood with the backboard, Brett’s hand on Kelly’s elbow. The Squad Lieutenant is pale, and Brett’s concerned he might collapse, his eyes focused straight ahead on his brother. As if on cue, Jeff Clarke appears, helping to pull Severide into the waiting room. “I’ll keep you guys posted,” he promises before leaving presumably to help with Buck.
Severide is shaking as he sits in the cold plastic chair, head in his hands. Brett wants to comfort him, feels like she should, but knows it probably won’t do much. Kelly was in the ambulance with them, could see how still Buck was, and just heard her readout of his stats. He knew it didn’t look good. So she just puts her arm around him and prays.
When the rest of 81 arrives, Matt is the first one over to Kelly, pulling him into a tight embrace. Kelly just shakes, head buried in Matt’s shoulder, and it breaks all of their hearts to see the proud Lieutenant reduced to tears. They turn away when Matt starts whispering to Kelly; pretend not to notice the kiss Matt presses to his head. It’s not their business, and not one of them would begrudge Kelly the comfort right now.
An hour passes before Clarke appears, and everyone’s heads shoot up. Kelly’s voice is gruff as he asks. “How is he, Jeff?”
Clarke sighs; this is the part of the job he hates. “So, there’s good news and bad news. The good news is that beyond the head wound and a severe concussion, he doesn’t have any other injuries. His heart rate is strong, and he’s breathing without assistance. The bad news is he’s still not moving. We can’t rule out paralysis yet, and medically speaking, he’s in a light coma.”
Kelly shudders, one hand gripping the seat arm and the other holding for dear life onto Matthew Casey. “Can I see him?”
Jeff nods. “Of course.”
Buck’s room is small but airy, with a single window to one side. The door clicks softly open, revealing Kelly and Matt. Kelly’s eyes go straight to Buck; pale and unmoving, with a bandage across his head. Kelly breathes sharply, trying to disguise a sob. Matt just rubs circles onto his back as he helps Kelly sit down in the chair beside Buck’s bed.
Kelly takes Buck’s hand, squeezing it tight, and gives Matt a weak smile. “I’ll be okay.”
Matt frowns. “You sure?”
“81 can’t be without both Lieutenant’s.”
“Kelly… If you need me, you know I’m here.”
“I’m good.” Kelly swallows, turning his eyes back to Buck. “He’s gonna wake up. He’s gonna wake up.”
Matt sighs, pressing a kiss to Kelly’s forehead. “Call me if you need me, Kel.”
“Yeah.”
The door clicks shut behind Casey, and Kelly finally lets a sob loose, squeezing Buck’s hand tighter. “You gotta wake up.”
The hours seem to pass in a blur, but Buck makes no movement that Kelly can see. Some of 81 come after their shift, checking in on Kelly and telling Buck to get better, bringing cards and food. Matt stays with Kelly until visiting hours are over, even though Kelly himself refuses to leave. The nurses reluctantly allow him to stay, even bringing him a blanket, so Matt kisses his boyfriend softly and tell him he’ll be back in the morning.
Kelly barely blinks.
It’s maybe 3am, alone in the silence of the hospital, the room too dark to see anything but the reassuring numbers on Buck’s monitors, when Kelly starts to speak.
“You know, when the marriage first happened, and we became the Buckley-Severide’s, I didn’t understand how much my life would change. I was 28, same age you are now, and I thought I had my life all mapped out. I’d just started the academy, and I didn’t need a shadow. Deep down though, I’d always wanted siblings; someone to teach, help grow. Maddie was Maddie, you know, but you… you were mine. My little brother.” He pauses, drawing a hand over his eyes to wipe away the building tears, a shaky breath escaping. “You needed me, I was there, no questions asked. You looked up to me like no-one else ever had, and I knew… I just knew it was my job to protect you. Now look… twice in three months, Evan… and both of them… that’s on me…”
He’s on his feet then, brushing stray locks from Evan’s eyes, and looking down on him, just praying for his eyes to open; praying to see him smile again. “You gotta wake up, Ev. Please… Please, wake up…”
Kelly Severide sinks to his knees and cries.
Morning dawns and with it, no change or improvement. The doctor’s say it’s good; that his body is likely just coping with the trauma. But Kelly can see it in their eyes; they’re not saying everything.
Matt arrives, as promised, but Kelly manages to head him off when asked how much he slept. He doesn’t want Matt to worry. Instead he takes the offer for Matt to watch over Evan so Kelly can stretch his legs, slipping into the hallway with his phone.
His hand trembles as he dials the number. He can’t even comprehend how he can say what he has to say.
The line picks up. “Diaz.”
“Eddie… It’s Kelly.”
“Hey, what’s up?”
Kelly swallows, taking a shaky breath. “I… uh… I don’t know how to tell you this, but… Buck’s hurt… He’s in Med.”
There’s a pause as Eddie comprehends what he’s being told, then. “How… How bad?” He knows Kelly wouldn’t be calling him otherwise.
“I don’t know.” Kelly admits. “Knocked his head pretty hard. He’s… He’s in a coma… Doc’s say they can’t rule out paralysis yet.”
A strangled sob comes from Eddie then. “I’ll… I’ll be there soon…”
“Be safe.” Kelly tells him, because despite everything that happened on their last – and first – meeting, he’s come to care for the man his little brother loves.
“You too.”
As soon as he hears the audible click of the phone disconnecting, Kelly feels his legs turn to jelly, and he hits the ground, curling into himself. He stays there until Matt comes.
Eddie arrives maybe six hours later, and Kelly’s thankful. Maddie’s with him, and Kelly has never needed his sister’s embrace more than at that moment.
They’re both shocked to see Evan’s current state, but while Maddie lets her tears free, Eddie is more reserved. Kelly can see the emotions in his gaze though, as he asks him what happened.
Kelly tells them that it was on the job, that he’d been the one to send Buck to that section; that it was his fault. They’re both quick to tell him otherwise, that it was an accident and nothing more. Kelly hadn’t known how much he needed to hear that from the two people besides himself who were closest to Evan. His guilt ebbs, though it refuses to disappear completely.
All four of them stay until visiting hours are over. This time, Kelly reluctantly lets Matt take him home, in favour of letting Eddie stay with Evan. The lure of a shower and a warm bed is strong, but he presses a kiss to Evan’s forehead before he goes, telling him again that he needs to wake up.
Then he lets Matt’s strong arms guide him away, never more thankful for his boyfriend’s unwavering support.
It takes a week for Buck to wake up, and it’s the longest week of Kelly Severide’s life. He’s alone in Buck’s room, and it starts with the twitch of a finger. The movement is so unexpected that it has Kelly jumping from his chair, slamming the call button.
“Evan? Evan, can you hear me?”
Evan’s hand curls weakly around Kelly’s own, and Kelly squeezes it in response. “That’s right buddy.”
His eyelids are fluttering then, the slightest gap appearing, and Kelly’s heart thumps in response. “Hey there.”
A soft but audible groan follows. “K-Kel?”
“Welcome back.” Kelly grins, just as the room is flooded by Halstead and two nurses. Kelly’s ushered outside, where Eddie and Maddie have just returned from the cafeteria, their faces pictures of concern.
“What happened?” Eddie sounds frantic, but Kelly shakes his head, smiling.
“He woke up.”
It’s about a quarter of an hour before they’re allowed back inside, but the sight that greets them is beautiful.
Buck’s sat up in bed, eyes half-lidded but alert. A small smile creeps onto his face as he watches them come in. “I feel like I missed somethin’”
Eddie takes his hand, smiling against the tears on his face. “It’s okay. You’re here now.”
Maddie takes his other hand, resting her head against it. “I’m so glad you’re okay.”
Kelly’s still stood near the door. Despite his initial elation, a part of him doesn’t know what to say. Maddie and Eddie’s words had helped alleviate a lot of his guilt, but it didn’t change the fact that Evan was hurt on his watch; in his squad. Again.
Buck notices, frowning, and beckons Kelly forward. “Wasn’t your fault.” His voice is soft, but Kelly hears him perfectly.
“Buck…”
Buck shakes his head. “I heard everything you said… while I was sleeping…”
“You did?”
“Wasn’t your fault.” He repeats. “You’re the best big brother I could have asked for. No questions asked.”
Kelly sniffs, running his hands over his face. “I let you down.”
“No, you didn’t.” Buck shakes his head. He’s tired, weary, but the conviction in his voice is strong, and it cuts through Kelly’s self-loathing like a knife. “It was the job, Kelly. Lieutenant. It was the job.”
Kelly’s at his side in a second then, hugging him tightly. “I’m so glad you’re okay.”
“I am.” Buck offers a brief, tired smile. “Docs gave me a clean bill. Said something about post traumatic rest or something… Body just shut down to heal. But I’m okay.” He pushes Kelly back softly, forcing the other man to meet his gaze. “I’ll always be okay.”
Kelly just hugs him tighter.
“You know.” Buck continues with a yawn. “If you keep being like this I might just have to go back to L.A. and save you the worry.”
“Not a chance.” Kelly mumbles, pulling back with a smile. “You’re staying where I can keep an eye on you.”
“I won’t be responsible for all those grey hairs, Kel.”
“Shut up.”
“Another six months, you might be bald."