Chapter Forty-Nine

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No, really . . . what have Grainger and Pelham been up to in Casey and Severide's absence? Well, inevitably, where 51 goes, an adventure is close behind. So, two lieutenants get sucked into a mystery, another lieutenant walks in due to circumstances, and in the end, all three lieutenants find themselves really wanting a pots and plants owner to get his just desserts. Sounds like Chicago Fire, doesn't it?

Enjoy "What Comes Next!"

***

"I can't believe the 126 still hasn't gotten their temporary assignments," Grainger huffed as he and Pelham made their way up the apron to the firehouse.

"And it's been, what, a week since the funeral for Captain Vega's husband?" Pelham frowned.

"Last I checked, yeah," Grainger nodded, looking at the date. "Yeah, that's right."

Pelham rolled his eyes. "You'd think with the good rep everyone at that firehouse has got, the brass would be wanting to assign them right away."

"Depends on how booked the other houses are, though," Grainger pointed out.

"Yeah," Pelham scratched the back of his head, watching Stella furrow her brow in concentration as she worked on inventory, AirPods in her ears. "Is she still listening to the audio recordings of all the books?"

"Yeah, she's been doing it ever since you and Boden rescued that one pair when the girl called the firehouse," Grainger nodded. "Hitting them hard, actually. Must have really kicked her into gear, studying for the lieutenant's exam."

Pelham frowned in confusion as they reached the bunkroom, putting their overnight bags away. "Wasn't that supposed to be this morning?"

"Sounds like the commissioner had the exam rescheduled," Grainger nodded. "Apparently entire firehouses are being picked for the event in Los Angeles this year, and considering some firefighters taking the exam might get their firehouse called . . . "

"Reschedule the exam so no one has an upper hand," Pelham nodded. "Makes sense."

"Yeah," Grainger nodded, then blinked. "What the hell is one of your guys wearing?"

Pelham poked his head out of his office, seeing Capp turn into the conference room. "A letterman jacket?" he guessed, following Grainger into the room.

Cruz was looking Capp up and down, amusement clear on his face. "What is that?" he asked.

"Me being generous," Capp answered. "It probably belongs in the Smithsonian, but I am a giving man, so I'm donating it to the garage sale."

Grainger turned to Pelham. "Did you know about a garage sale?" he asked quietly.

Pelham shook his head in response. "So your mom finally cleaned out your childhood closet, huh?" Cruz smirked.

Capp paused. "Maybe." Cruz grinned, clapping Capp on the shoulder as he moved farther into the room. Capp shrugged out of the jacket, handing it to Ritter and Gallo, who were organizing various items. "This is a big ticket item," he told them. "Do not lowball me."

"Uh . . . " Ritter looked helplessly at Pelham.

"I still haven't figured out how to rein them in yet," Pelham held up his hands defensively, making Grainger snicker. "Don't look at me."

"Ah, crud," Herrmann sighed, looking around at the items. "I thought that garage sale was next shift!"

"It is," Gallo nodded. "You were supposed to bring your items today so we have time to price them."

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