good/right/real

Chapter 67: Out of Sight

Summary:Sylvie's first shift at 105.

Matt's mood is thunderous by the time he arrives at 51 the next morning. One look at Shay, Kidd, and Severide confirms they're all in the same annoyed state of mind as him. Boden calls an officer's meeting and includes Shay. They all know it's about Brett.

They've barely been in the house ten minutes and it's already eerie without her.

"I want my partner back, Chief," Shay demands as soon as Boden enters his office.

Boden sighs tiredly and nods. "I want Brett back on 61 too. But right now no one's budging. Hatcher and I are still working on it. He'll be swinging by 105 today to meet one on one with Brett and Chief McCall."

"Who decided on 105?" Matt asks through gritted teeth.

He's trying very hard to keep a professional hold on his temper but the idea of Sylvie being at 105 with no back up against the people who gleefully tried to ruin her reputation is pissing him off.

"Chief Riddle recommended the location. It seems Ambo 95 had an opening that needed to be filled. Which is my own doing," Boden answers with a shake of his head. "Chout came to me and requested to transfer to first shift at 51. He said he was in a bad situation with the PIC they brought in to replace Mills and I know he's a good medic so I requested to place him permanently on our first shift."

"Which means Brett got dropped into the same bad situation you pulled Chout out of?" Severide asks with a scowl. "That's what that means, right?"

"Maybe. Maybe not. It may have just been an issue with Chout. After speaking with him it may have been clashing personalities," Boden says, hopefully. Before giving Shay an amused glance. "You've worked with him. You know how he is."

"Sure. He's annoyingly upbeat, but Sylvie is upbeat too. She's just less persistent about it," Shay points out. "Who's to say she and this PIC won't clash too? Who's the PIC on 95 now, anyway?"

"Jessica Chilton," Boden replies. "You hear anything about her?"

Shay shakes her head. "Doesn't ring a bell."

"Chief," Matt says after he takes in a deep calming breath. None of this is good news. "Brett cannot stay at 105. You know that's the house that was actively trying to ruin her reputation and it's a house that's known for sexual harassment—"

"That's why headquarters cleaned house over there a while back. How do you think a spot opened up for Welch in the first place?" Boden says sternly, cutting off Casey's concerns. "They've placed a female chief in that house to put a stop to 105's bad habits. I have worked with Chief McCall before and she is excellent at her job. She was the one who suggested Hatcher come by so that they could meet with Brett one-on-one. She's whipping that house into shape. Between her and Lieutenant Welch I firmly believe Sylvie is in safe hands while we work this out."

He shakes his head for a lingering moment before finally meeting Boden's eyes. "If you say so, Chief."

"I say so," Boden states firmly. "I will keep you all up to date on the situation as we make progress. But for now, we need to talk about how we're covering Brett's vacancy."

"I don't want anyone permanent," Shay insists. "Whatever floater you can get is fine."

"I actually had a different idea. I don't want to stir things up around the house right now by bringing in a new face so, Casey," Boden says, turning toward his Truck Lieutenant. "Your candidate has his EMT certifications, last I checked. I want to move him over to ambo until I get Brett back on 61. Can you operate 81 without your candidate?"

"Absolutely," Casey agrees. "As long as I get him back sooner rather than later."

"You have my word," Boden promises. "I'll talk to Borelli when we're done here."