IN THIS SKIN -- CHICAGO FIRE

40;

The week following Greg Yates' trial had been more difficult for Marley than the build up to it. Nightmares plagued her sleep, and everytime she closed her eyes she could see him. Allowing Yates to be his own defense was damaging- especially when the prosecution had decided the best way to break him and disprove his story about them running to him was to show him the damage he had caused- which meant they had persuaded Marley to take off the makeup that covered her skin to show the bruises and scars that still remained on her body. That had made him start acting strangely- as he was questioning Marley about her mental health and previous issues. After her lawyer had produced photos of Nadia's body, he had been driven over the edge, lunging forwards and grabbing Marley's arm, almost pulling it out of its socket as he was wrestled to the ground by police.

Marley had been rushed out of the courtroom, with Voight, Jay and Erin leaving shortly behind her with Kelly and Matt following. Marley hadn't wanted anybody else from the firehouse to be there, as she knew she had to speak in detail about what had happened, and she didn't want everyone knowing. She was thankful that there were some people in her life that didn't know all the gruesome details of her ordeal, and she was insistent on keeping things that way.

Voight had reached her first, praising her on how well she had done, and how strong she had been, but Marley was frozen. Her skin was crawling and her mind was whirring. He had touched her again- and she had had to relive it all again whilst having him watch her.

Erin watched the teenager before her blank out. Voight was desperately trying to talk to her, not wanting her to go into shock, but his best efforts were failing. Jay had his arm around Erin's shoulders, whether this was to comfort her or hold her back, he hadn't decided. Erin and Marley hadn't spoken since Erin had shouted at her after they'd found her. Marley had desperately wanted to talk to Erin, but couldn't face seeing her knowing she blamed her so much for what had happened to Nadia. Erin took a deep breath, shaking off Jay's arm, who shot her an alarmed look.
"Let me do this," she spoke softly, both to Jay and Voight, both of whom nodded and moved aside.
"Hey, kiddo," Erin began, watching as Marley's eyes welled with tears, "I'm so proud of you." Marley couldn't hold back the sob that escaped her throat.

Kelly rushed to try and reach his daughter, but when he saw Erin and Marley embraced in a hug, he resisted. He had known how anxious she had been to see Erin, and this could've only meant a good thing, so he left them to their moment. Voight approached him, after a brief conversation with the lawyer who was representing Marley.
"Look, Severide," He said, cornering them away from the others as they spoke, "I know it's little comfort and it's going to take time for her to heal, for both of you to, but I've just heard word that he's got life in prison, he isn't going to see the light of day again." Voight said, placing his hand on Kelly's arm. Kelly smiled slightly, he hadn't always liked Hank Voight, but he couldn't deny how supportive he had always been of Marley, and for that he would be eternally thankful.
"Voight, I really appreciate it, thank you. I know Marley will too." He said softly, watching his teenage daughter smile with Erin and Jay, and hug Casey as he approached. Kelly nodded at Voight, turning away to go and talk to Marley.
"One more thing, Kelly," Voight said again, pulling him back. "Because of the ordeal in the court, the judge and lawyers have made a decision regarding compensation for both allowing Yates to defend himself in court, and for the contact between him and Marley." Voight began, pausing as if to make sure Kelly was following. Kelly nodded, his eyes trailing back to Marley who seemed to be looking for him too.
"Look, I'll let you get to her in a minute, I promise, I just need to give you this. It's from the courts and Yates' funds, as a way of apologising for the way the case was handled." Voight said firmly, handing Kelly a brown envelope. Kelly frowned in confusion. Why was this seeming like such a big deal? He hadn't even realised she would be receiving any compensation for it, thinking Yates' incarceration was enough. Voight raised an eyebrow at Kelly, he himself being unsure how much money Marley was going to be receiving, but being sure enough it was going to be large amount. Kelly pulled out the cheque and almost instantly his eyes widened as much as his smile did. Voight smiled at his reaction, watching as Kelly laughed.
"How much did she get? I heard it was going to be around three thousand dollars but I wasn't sure if she'd-"
"one point four million dollars." Kelly almost whispered. This shocked even Voight, neither of them being able to believe this.
"What? Does it say why?" Voight asked shocked. Kelly reached back in the envelope, feeling another piece of paper.
"'To the guardian of Marley Severide, we have reviewed the case of Marley Severide and Gregory Yates and the effects this may have had on the former's mental health. Given earlier issues the former had, it has been decided that we compensate efficiently for any medical help that this case may have left her requiring, as well as helping to secure any other investments she may wish to make. We apologise for how this case has been handled, and sincerely hope that this helps.' Oh my god!" Voight patted Kelly's arm as he grinned.
"She deserves this, Kelly. How has she been coping?"
"Better than I'd expected, I was so scared things were gonna go back to how they were with her, but she's been so strong. I'm so proud of her. I don't think she knows how proud I am to call her my daughter."

Voight watched as Kelly approached Marley, seeing her eyes light up as he embraced her into a hug. He nodded, as if responding to Kelly's previous statement.
"Trust me, she knows."