Forbidden (Kelly Severide)

Chapter 7

The atmosphere at Firehouse 51 was its usual blend of camaraderie and light-hearted banter as the team went about their duties. Ivy Casey had just finished stowing away some equipment in the Squad 3 truck when she noticed Otis approaching her, a curious look on his face.

"Hey, Ivy," Otis called out, waving her over. "Got a minute?"

"Sure," Ivy replied, wiping her hands on her pants as she walked over to him. "What's up?"

Otis glanced around before lowering his voice. "So, Kelly borrowed some ibuprofen from me earlier. A pretty hefty dose, too. He didn't say what it was for, but I thought you might know?"

Ivy frowned, concern immediately rising in her chest. "Ibuprofen? How much did he take?"

"Enough to make me wonder if something's wrong," Otis admitted. "I didn't want to push him, but you know how stubborn he can be."

Ivy sighed, nodding. "Yeah, I know. Thanks for letting me know, Otis. I'll talk to him."

Otis gave her a supportive pat on the shoulder before heading off to join the others. Ivy watched him go, her mind already spinning with worry. Kelly was tough—too tough sometimes. If he was in enough pain to need that much ibuprofen, something was definitely wrong.

Without wasting another moment, Ivy made her way to Kelly's office. She knocked lightly on the door before pushing it open, finding him sitting at his desk, hunched over a stack of paperwork.

"Hey," she greeted, trying to keep her tone casual despite the worry gnawing at her. "Got a minute?"

Kelly looked up, a smile touching his lips when he saw her. "For you? Always. What's up?"

Ivy closed the door behind her, leaning against the frame as she studied him. "Otis told me you borrowed some ibuprofen from him earlier. Said it was a pretty big dose. Are you okay?"

Kelly's smile faltered for just a second, but it was enough for Ivy to notice. He sighed, leaning back in his chair. "It's nothing, Ivy. Just a little pain in my shoulder. It's been acting up lately, that's all."

"Kelly," Ivy said softly, crossing the room to stand in front of him. "You know you can't just ignore stuff like this. Your shoulder is important. You need to get it checked out."

He looked up at her, his expression torn between stubbornness and the knowledge that she was right. "I know, but I don't have time for that right now. We've got too much going on."

Ivy reached out, gently placing her hand on his shoulder. "Please, Kelly. For me? Promise me you'll go get it checked out."

Kelly sighed, his resolve wavering under the weight of her concern. He placed his hand over hers, giving it a reassuring squeeze. "Alright, I promise. I'll get it checked out. Just not today, okay? We've got a shift to get through."

Ivy nodded, relief washing over her. "Thank you. I just don't want you getting hurt any worse."

"I know," Kelly said, pulling her into a brief hug. "And I appreciate you looking out for me."

Just as they were pulling apart, the firehouse alarm blared, signaling an incoming call. They both moved instinctively, the moment of vulnerability pushed aside as they prepared for whatever awaited them.

"Let's go," Kelly said, his voice back to its usual steady tone as they headed to the apparatus bay.

The team assembled quickly, gearing up and climbing into their respective trucks. As they sped toward the scene, the dispatch information came through, and Ivy's heart sank.