A Slow Burn // Brian 'Otis' Zvonecek // Chicago Fire ✔️

51 || SCARED

The wait for news on Otis felt long, too long. But at the same time it was like time had stopped. Like Riley was trapped in that moment forever as every time she blinked, every time she closed her eyes or every time there was a moment of silence, she heard that first gunshot followed by the worst words she'd ever heard in her life.

That Otis had been hit.

She paced up and down the waiting room of Chicago Med, the complete opposite of what Otis had been like when she was on the operating table as he couldn't bring himself to move, but for Riley, she just couldn't stay still.

Riley was antsy, impatient, her head filling with thoughts and worries over Otis's condition and she couldn't help but think about how Cindy and Donna were at the Drake Hotel right now preparing a wedding that would't be happening.

"I need to..." Riley began, suddenly becoming so overwhelmed with things she had to do and stuff that needed sorted out. Or at least stuff she thought needed sorted out as right now nothing mattered more than Otis. But she couldn't help it. "I need..."

Her words alerted the others, who all sat scattered around the room in deep thoughts of their own, and they looked up with furrowed brows when she spoke.

"I need to call Cindy and tell her to forget about the wedding... I need to call the florists and the-the-the caterers and-"

"Hey." Cruz said softly as he stepped in front of Riley, his hands on her shoulders stopping her from frantically pacing back and forth like she'd done for however long they'd been there. "Take a breath... That's it, in... and out."

Riley breathed... And she breathed... But it didn't make her feel any better. In fact, it made her feel worse as now she was made aware of the nauseousness in stomach as it knotted itself together over and over again.

"Don't worry about any of that." Cruz reassured her, knowing that she wasn't actually the least bit concerned about the wedding right now but that she just needed something to keep her mind off what she was really thinking.

That Otis wasn't going to make it.

"I'm so scared, Joe... I can't-" She whispered, her voice breaking as her body started to feel so incredibly heavy on her feet. "I can't lose him."

"You won't." Cruz said hesitantly, unsure whether to promise her something he couldn't keep. But he had to have faith that Otis would pull through, not only for Riley but for all their sakes. "Dr Choi is the best doctor here, you know that... If anyone can get Otis through this, it's him."

Riley nodded her head gently, trying to find some of that faith she always had in the doctors of Chicago Med. The doctors who saved so many lives, not just of strangers but of the people sitting around her. Of people she loved. They'd saved so many of the most important people to her but at the same time, all that hope was lost as she remembered the one person they just hadn't been able to save.

There had been too many similarities today with the day she lost her brother. From having Chief Grissom hold her back before she ran into the flaming wreck of the building. To feeling completely and utterly useless as she fell to her knees. It was all too familiar to her, and she just didn't have it in her to find that hope again.

That was until a door at the side of the waiting room opened, and Doctor Choi walked out, with a look on face that could only mean one thing. That he had good news.

"Is he okay?" Riley said the minute she spotted him, bolting from her spot in front of Cruz and all but crashing into Dr Choi who had to hold out his hands in case Riley fell over in her eagerness to get to him. "Is he-"

"He's out of surgery and he's in recovery." Dr Choi said gladly, especially when he heard the rather audible sigh of relief coming from Riley as her head fell forward against his chest.