Matt Casey's nieces and nephew

Chapter 25

A/N: This chapter gets a bit jumpy because I wanted to tie up some loose ends and work in some major points from the first episode. The next chapter should flow better. Enjoy!

"We can't wait for her anymore." Jake said, annoyed as him and Grace stood in the kitchen. "She's made us late the last two days. If we're late again we get detention which means I miss practise."

Casey sighed. "Just go, I'll drive her."

Grace and Jake nodded and headed for the door with Casey following him. "Ellie you're going to be late, again." He yelled up the stairs but she didn't respond. "Ellie?" Grace hesitated in the doorway, waiting for her answer but it never came. Instead, they heard a loud bang and they exchanged a look. "Ellie, are you okay?" Casey called again before running up the stairs with Jake and Grace right behind him.

Casey rounded the corner of the hallway, he went to her room but it was empty. He turned and noticed the bathroom light was flooding into the hallway. He opened the door the rest of the way to find Ellie sitting on the floor against the bath tub, clutching her stomach. Casey noticed that she had knocked over the shampoo and conditioner bottles; it was a smart thing to do considering she was in so much pain she couldn't call for help.

"Ellie, what's wrong?" Casey said as he dropped to the floor beside her.

"Uncle Matt," She mumbled through the pain and the tears. "Something's wrong."

"Can you get up?" He said as he tried to help her up but it only made it worse. He turned to Jake and Grace. "Call 911 , now." Jake nodded and ran back downstairs to get his phone.

"Don't leave me." Ellie said after a moment.

"I'm not going anywhere." Casey confirmed.
Jake and Grace stayed on the phone with 911 until the ambulance arrived. He opened the door for Shay and Dawson as she rushed up to the house. He noticed Severide was with them and Jake was glad to see him.

"Where is she?" Dawson yelled as she ran up to the door.

"In the bathroom." Grace stepped back and watched them run up the stairs before Jake turned to Severide.

"I heard the dispatch call. We all heard it." Severide explained. "Sixteen year old female with severe abdominal pain, and then your address," Severide shook his head. "What happened?"

Jake shrugged. "I don't know. Elle can't get up. She was holding her stomach and she screamed when Matt tried to get her to stand. Whatever it is, it can't be good."

Severide put a comforting hand on Jake and Grace's shoulders and pulled them away from the stairs as they were coming down. Severide noticed how pale Ellie was and she was still holding her stomach, her face twisted in pain with tears still falling. "Is she okay?" He asked Shay.

"I don't know." She responded quietly as she passed him.

"Meet us at the hospital," Casey said to Severide.

"Uncle Matt," Ellie called from the doorway.
"I'm right here sweetheart," He said as he walked out the door behind Dawson.

Casey was talking with the doctor when Severide Grace and Jake showed up at the hospital. They waited a few feet away until their conversation ended before approaching him. "Is she okay?" Grace asked.

"She has appendicitis and they're taking her to surgery now." He said. "She should be fine so maybe you should go to school."

"No way," Jake frowned. "We're staying."
Casey smirked. "Alright, well in that case I have to call the school."

"I'll call the fire house and give them an update." Severide said as Casey nodded.

The doctor returned about forty-five minutes later and Casey quickly stood up as he approached. "Elle's fine. The appendix wasn't ruptured so her recovery should be quick. We'll monitor her today and overnight and if there is no sign of infection she'll be released tomorrow morning."