Keeping It in the Family (Linstead)

Chapter 65

Adam Ruzek ran into the ER at Chicago Med, where he was confronted by a nurse he didn't recognise.

"Sir, slow down..."

"Kim Burgess. Where's Kim Burgess?" he demanded, cutting her off.

Hearing the commotion, Will Halstead appeared in the doorway of one of the closest rooms. "In here, Ruze. She's fine."

Adam rushed over there. He saw Kim sitting on the bed, with a nurse part way through stitching a cut on her left cheek. Dried blood had mostly, but not completely, been cleaned from her face.

"Hey," Kim said tiredly. She looked totally drained. "I'm fine, Adam, honestly."

"Jesus Christ, Kim." All Adam wanted to do was grab her in a hug and never let go, but given the situation all he could do was go over to the bed, take her hand and kiss her on the forehead. "What the hell happened?"

"Sorry I couldn't call you, don't have my phone. Had to get that paramedic to do it once we got here."

"I didn't mean about calling me," he said, squeezing her hand.

"Where's Alex?" she asked.

"I took him to Sylvie Brett's place. That's where Purrazzo was when I called her. They're going to look after him for us."

"Can I finish this, please?" the nurse asked gently.

"Of course, sorry," Adam said.

"Maybe we should step outside for a minute?" Dr Halstead suggested. Reading between the lines, Ruzek gathered that meant 'I want to speak to you.'

"I'll be right outside the door, Kim," he said protectively, then stepped outside with the doctor.

"If you can, go a bit easy on the questions," Will said quietly. "She's been through a very traumatic experience, and she's in a state of shock. As you probably tell, I gave her something for it. The shock might get worse or it might not, depending how she reacts to continuing to process it all."

"Right. Don't worry, I'll be there for her. Can I take her home when the nurse is finished?"

"I don't see why not. Apart from that nasty cut we're working on, she only has a few other minor ones. Physically, she's okay."

"Thanks, Doc," Adam said. He went back into the room, while Will headed off to see to other patients. Sitting down on a cheap plastic chair next to Kim, he took her hand again. Right now, he didn't know what had happened or how she had ended up in the thick of it. He had received the news of the shooting the same way millions of other people had, via the TV news. It had felt like his heart had stopped when he had seen Kim's picture, dried blood on one side of her face, being talked to by senior police and being described as the officer who had killed the two active shooters. The whole situation was bewildering to him, so he was not surprised at all that Kim was in a state of shock.

The only sounds in the room for a few minutes were those made by the nurse as she worked. Just when she was finishing up, Kevin Atwater appeared at the door. Just like Kim's personal partner, her professional partner's first reaction to the news had been to get to the hospital as fast as possible.

"Kim! Are you okay? Ruze," Atwater said, coming into the room.

"Hey, man," Adam said.

"I'm alright. Thanks for coming, but I'm fine," Kim said, her voice rather vague thanks to whatever meds were in her system.

"What happened?" Atwater asked.

The nurse spoke before Kim could. "I'm all done. It'll take a while to heal, but shouldn't scar. I'll have Dr Halstead come by and give you the all clear to go home."