Chicago Fire: Strike a Match

Eternal Flames

Chapter 41: Fire Back

"You're doing remarkably well, Miss Callahan," the physical therapist said as Cailin finished up her last set of exercises.

"Don't sound so surprised, Adams, and that's Detective Callahan," came a familiar voice behind her.

Cailin turned her head over her shoulder to give Antonio Dawson a smile, "come to show me up again, Dawson?" she asked. For the past couple of weeks they had run into each other in PT daily, both anxious to get back to some sense of normalcy. "Just remember you don't still have a bullet stuck in you and can walk without crutches, 'Tonio," she teased.

"Yeah, well, you don't have a wife nagging you to take a desk job," he shot back.

"Nope, I don't. I have a Marine, who pushes me a hell of a lot harder than this pansy stuff, Adams. Come on, I've got my eye on a badass cane from the abandoned property cage," she said, winking at the PT.

Adams studied her carefully as she balanced on the bars, looking for any hint of pain on her expression. Though she was so good at hiding it, he usually didn't know when to stop pushing her. Said Marine usually stopped by close to the end of their sessions and pulled the plug, somehow able to see something none of the PTs could. "Fine, one more set, but then you are doing hydrotherapy."

"Such a sacrifice, having to hang out in a hot tub. I'll cry a river for you," Antonio said, getting to work with his own PT.

"At least you got to set foot in the precinct, Helling informed Platt I wasn't even allowed in the door without a doctor's note."

He made a noise, though Cailin wasn't sure it was from the weights he was working with or about the 2-1. "Platt is as far as I got, Voight wouldn't let me upstairs, was worried I would fall out on him if I came back too quick."

"Must be nice to have a CO that actually wants you to come back," Cailin huffed. While Helling wasn't technically in charge, had never been able to pass the Sergeant's exam, he made sure one of his old cronies got put in charge of VCU and made it known that Cailin was a 'bad apple'.

"I told you, just say the word and I'll talk to Voight, we still got budget for another spot."

She surprised herself by not protesting as she had the first couple of times he mentioned it, instead saying, "didn't he just move Atwater up there?"

"Could still always use another woman. Especially one with seasoned UC experience."

"Seasoned? What am I a skillet? You better not be calling me old," she teased, finishing up her last set, knowing she had pushed herself a little too far judging by the stabbing pain down her entire right leg.

Cally knew he was talking about Burgess, that the younger woman was desperate for the spot. She knew from talking with Erin that Voight hadn't moved her up there because of something going on with Ruzek, but they had gotten sidetracked in their discussion. Plied with enough wine, and distracted by something Erin wouldn't open up about, Cailin had gotten quite a bit from the other female detective. The women had spent a good amount of their visit talking about dating as a female detective Much of the conversation about Severide shutting down after the boarding school fire, including the rift between him and Shay. This led Cailin to open up more than she would have ever thought about the Nansenko case and Doyle, and even a little of her and Jeff's similar struggles of not letting others in.

While she hated being on medical leave again, this time it bore little resemblance to two years earlier. Instead of being a zombie trying to hide from the world, she had been able to build stronger friendships. Instead of pushing her family away, she was able to connect with them. And instead of feeling like her heart was shattered and could never be repaired, this time she had Jeff trying to make her healthy and whole in every way.