Me Plus You

I've Got You Now...

Broken light filtered through grungy windows casting an eerie pall over the building.
Casey pointed towards the left side of the building where there was a passageway. Severide moved silently, ears straining to listen out for further noise. Officers quarters were signposted, their doors open down one side. Another passageway led to the right. No one made a noise. A male voice sounded from a distance. The tone was harsh and angry but they couldn't make out the words.
But it was enough to give them a direction to follow.

Shivering, Stella was sitting half propped up. Starmer had forced her to remove her turnout jacket, and the subsequent chill had frozen her bones as much as his intent. She was sure there was a madness in his eyes. No amount of reasoning had worked. This was her punishment for a misspent youth. A youth she had tried to put behind her. The ironic thing was she hadn't supplied any drugs to Starmers brother. She had no knowledge of him although Starmer said they had attended the same school. Grant and her were not and had never been dealers. Although maybe Grant had got Mikey some dope? She guessed Mikey Starmer had become another example of the sad trend of Franklin Heights juveniles lack of hope leading them into the escapism that drugs and alcahol offered.

"We should have left you to die in that burning car." Starmer had spat at her.

She wished that he had too now. He was staring at her with cold contempt.

"Take off the pants."

Was he going to assault her? New fear had coiled itself around every cell in her being. She would die fighting him with the zero strength she had before that happened she told herself. Her body was the one thing that was still her own.

Stella didnt respond to his order and Starmer bent down and grabbed her to pull her up. Stella screamed from the pain in her arm and ribs.

"Shut up!" Starmer yelled.

"Let her go!"

Starmer's face froze with shock instantly loosening his grip on Stella.

She gasped, her tear blurred vision registering that there were figures standing inside the door. That voice. She would recognise that voice anywhere.

The laundry room wasnt big enough to allow Starmer to run to help himself. Stella had slid down the wall again into a heap on the floor. He bent down and grabbed her again making her scream with pain but this time she felt him pulled away from her, the sound of a fist smashing into his face. Stella heard Starmers grunt of pain, saw him falling to the floor and more punches being thrown.

"You fucking bastard!" Severides fist connected again with Starmers jaw and there was a crack.

" Severide! You'll kill him!" Was that Casey?!
There was movement and noise all around her. Hands reached around her. Gentle, caring hands.

"Stella?" Severide's face was above her, the bluest tear filled eyes staring at her with heartbreaking angst.
" Stella? Stella.... Where are you hurt? Where did he hurt you baby?"
The breaking softness of his voice, the gentleness of his hands reverently touching her face undid her.

"Kelly?" She went to lift her good arm to touch him to see if he was real but in that second the world spun around her, Kelly receded and darkness descended.

All of 51 were in the laundry room now. Most of them silent, taking in the horribleness of what they were witnessing. Their colleague and one of their family had been locked up and abused in this dingy cell. It was dark, oppressive and cold. They couldnt miss the empty bottle of water nor the bucket to one side. Boden looked at his team all in various forms of distress. Firefighters lived to save lives. And now they were seeing one of their own locked up and treated worse than an animal by one of their own. They couldn't compute it. Brett and Foster stood with their arms around Ritter, tearfully looking at Stella's unconcious body. Hermann and Mouch blinked away tears, and then stood guard behind Casey and Cruz to make sure Starmer went nowhere. And Gallo sat on the floor watching Severide tenderly gather Stella up. He had only ever seen Severide as a fearless hero. Someone who was never scared of anything. But today his face was drawn and agonised and that really shook Gallo.