good/right/real

Chapter 20: Foundation

Summary:

Brett and Casey meet with Gus and Stella and Sylvie have a girls' night.

She was glad Matt volunteered to go with her to meet Gus. She didn't want to go alone but she didn't want to tell Pete her plan either. He probably already thought the worst of her. What kind of first responder suggests killing a patient? There's no way in hell she can ever look him in the eye again. She'd rather pretend they could still be friends. She doubts someone as truly good as Peter Mills would want to keep seeing her after that.

The meeting goes well even if she has no idea what she's doing or what kind of criminal Gus actually is.

Gus says she'll be hearing from him soon and then they part ways. She rides with Matt to the hospital to visit Donna and Chief while they wait for word on little Terrence.

Only two people are allowed in Donna's room at a time so they spend most of the afternoon camped out in the waiting room with a continual rotation of other people from 51. Severide joins her and Matt after they've hung around for a couple of hours and sits in the empty chair next to her. She's sandwiched between both Lieutenants and she can feel them alternating between staring at her and staring at each other.

Finally, Matt speaks.

"So, listen, we know you're beyond capable of looking out for yourself but considering what happened today we thought you might not want to be alone," Matt begins.

Severide nods and takes over. "So, you're welcome to come to our place for the night if you want. I just got off the phone with Shay and she says you're welcome to her room. She'll be calling you in an hour or so, by the way."

She smiles warmly at both of them but shakes her head. "You're very sweet to offer but I shouldn't. Stella's coming over to stay the night and to help me finish packing. I'll be fine."

Matt's brow furrows. "Packing? Where are you going?"

Her eyes widen as she realizes she never told them. Once she found the new apartment she had to act fast. "Oh! With everything that's been going on I forgot to tell you! I found a new place! It's smaller and the interior isn't as nice but it's in Wicker Park! I have movers coming tomorrow morning so I need to have everything packed and ready. I told Shay about it but with her going out of town I guess it got lost in translation."

"Thank God," Kelly says loudly. A few people in the waiting room turn to glare at him but he doesn't notice. "About damn time."

"We're helping," Matt declares decisively. "What time are the movers coming?"

"No, no, no!" She protests. "I'm not telling you to ask for help! I've got it under control. You don't have to—"

"He's right," Severide agrees. Ignoring her completely. "We're helping. If you don't tell us the time then we'll get it out of Stella somehow."

Sylvie snorts derisively and motions from Kelly to Stella. "Be my guest, Severide. Getting the information from Stella would mean you would have to talk to her and since you need practice at that...I'm not telling. You can go ask her."

Matt laughs softly and smirks at him. "You walked right into that, man."

They look across the room at Stella just in time to see her check her phone and heave a sigh. There's a crease between her eyebrows and an angry frown on her face. She stands from her chair and storms out of the room.

"Uh," Kelly stammers with a shake of his head. "Seems like a bad time. Maybe later."

Sylvie feels her lips purse and her eyes narrow as she watches Stella worriedly. "I wonder what that's about?"