A Spark of Hope (Chicago Fire)

Chapter Eight

We got to the firehouse at the same time as Casey and Dawson.

"Where is everyone? Shift starts in ten minutes," I said, looking around the common room.

"I have no idea. Let's just drop our bags off and head to roll call," Kelly said, already heading towards the locker room.

I followed him, hanging my bag in my locker and grabbing my favorite sweatshirt. Severide, Casey, Dawson and I walked towards the meeting room, the hallways as quiet as could be. I opened the door to the meeting room and was greeted by everyone else. There was a handmade sign that said "Welcome Back, Dawson and Everly!"

"Did you know about this?" I asked Severide.

He nodded and pulled me into a tight hug. Chief Boden joined a few moments later and we all sat down for the morning meeting.

"Dawson and Everly. It's good to have you back," he said, a small smile playing across his face.

"It's good to be back," Gabby said.

"Even though Andrew is locked up, I still want everyone's eyes open at all times. If you see anything suspicious, tell me. Got it?" he asked.

We all nodded. Chief Boden dismissed us and we all stood up to leave. Most of Squad 3 headed out to their table on the apparatus floor, but Severide stayed in the common room with the rest of us. I sat next to him at the table, stifling a smile when his hand made it's way to my leg.

"Hey, Everly. We've got to do inventory," Gabby said with a smile.

"Okay, I'll be right there," I said as she headed out towards the ambo.

I squeezed Severide's hand gently before standing up and following Gabby.

"When are you going to tell everyone that you're dating?" she asked, handing me the clipboard.

"We haven't actually put a label on anything, Dawson. Right now we're just seeing where things go. It's our thing and we aren't ready to splash it across the front page of the daily news," I explained.

"That's fair. Matt and I won't say anything. Just make sure you're careful," she reminded.

"I mean, it shouldn't be a big deal if we were to tell everyone, would it? We don't work on Squad or Ambulance together. You and Matt aren't breaking any rules now, right?"

"No, it shouldn't be a problem. Matt and I couldn't get married initially because I was working under him on 81. As long as you don't suddenly go off and get squad certified, you should be good," she said with a smile.

"Who's getting squad certified?" Otis asked, walking over to us.

"Maybe you should," Dawson said, looking at him.

"Nah. I like Truck better," he said, sitting on the gurney.

We all talked for a few minutes while Dawson and I did inventory. I had just finished the checklist when the alarm bells went off.

Truck 81, Squad 3, Ambulance 61. Person trapped.

Otis jumped off the gurney and jogged over to Truck 81 while Dawson and I quickly put the last of the items away and got into the front seats. The drive to the scene was quick. When we arrived, we found a red pickup truck halfway in the first floor of someone's house. There were a group of people standing around and one of them had their phone pressed to their ear. When they saw us, they hung up and came running over.