The Language Between Us

Desperation

"Who is Zachary? Can I talk to him?" Kelly asked hopefully. Zachary is probably more able to communicate with them than Lina with her limited vocabulary.

"No. He is sleeping but not sleeping. You know."

"He is unconscious," Brett stated, "Lina. Here is Sylvie from the 51. Do you remember me? Can you tell me if he is hurt and what kind of injury he has?"

The phone went silent. They only heard her breathing and a soft sob. It was as if Lina was considering what to say or rather how to explain it.

"Lina?" Kelly asked worriedly, Lina you know you are allowed to make mistakes when speaking. You don't have to speak perfect English. As long as you talk to us at all."

"Uh, his leg is red."

"You mean he is bleeding? There is a lot of blood coming from his leg?" Sylvie asked.

"Uh yes?" Lina said.

"So there is a big wound on his leg? Lina you have to stop the bleeding to save your friends life" Sylvie explained.

"To stop?" Lina asked, "How?" her voice cracked at the end. The 51 can only guess that the young girl had absolutely no idea where she was or how to save her friend's life. They can only guess from her cracking voice that she must be terrified.

"You have to stop the bleeding. Take your jacket or something and press on the wound!", Sylvie explained.

It got quiet again.

Only now do Kelly and Stella realize that Mouch and Gallo are trying to contact the German telephone company, because Lina still had a German cell phone number. In the weeks that Lina has been living with them, they have never managed to change her number. They probably didn't want to put the child under any more pressure. But due to the time difference and the fact that it would have to be late in the evening there, they did not get to speak to those responsible person so that the smartphone could be located.

Meanwhile, Hermann's team was on the road with the fire truck in the neighborhood of the Severide family. With a picture of Lina on their smartphones, they asked local residents if they had seen the child.

"Do you come not?" there she was. Lina's voice. Kelly closed his eyes for a brief moment. Does his daughter really think they're going to let her down? On the other hand, he rarely felt so helpless. All they can do right now is to talk to Lina.

"We'll all come to get you and Zachary, but first we need to know where you are!", Kelly explained.

"I believe my phone battery is little" Lina continued talking, "I am helping Zachary but it doesn't help"

Kelly was now marching up and down the aisle. The battery is almost empty and they would lose contact with Lina. Not to mention the boy who bleeds to death in front of his daughter.

"We have to do something!", he got upset quietly to prevent Lina from hearing his desperation.

"Lina you have to help us find out where you are. Do you remember any funny houses? Have you been to an area where you have been with your father and Stella?", Sylvie asked.

"No. I never visit it before... I... I ran away... from Kelly and Stella"

"It does not matter right now, sweetheart", Stella said, "The most important thing is that we find you. So do you remember any special houses?"

"It's not a normal house. It looks like in-dust-ry"

"That's good. Great. That narrows down quite a few houses in Chicago," Stella said confidently.

Suddenly there was a loud crack on the phone as if something would explode. And suddenly it was very quiet again. This time they didn't even hear her soft sniffling.