Burned (Chicago Fire Fanfic)

Adrenaline

Severide's POV

"Shit, Lace!" I cried out as I carried her to the ambo. "Wake up!"

She didn't move at all. Her head just bobbed up around as I ran her to the paramedics.

"Get her some air!" I barked at Kathleen, who was approaching me with a stretcher.

"Lay her down." Kathleen barked.

I did and Kathleen slipped a oxygen mask over Lacey's face.

"I'm coming with you." I said sternly to Kathleen.

"Fine." She replied stiffly and pushed Lacey's stretcher into the ambulance.

I jumped up in, praying that she would wake up.

"BP and Pulse rate are normal." Kathleen told me confidently. "Respirations are high and shallow though. I think he trachea might be a little burned from the heat of the fire. She didn't have a mask on."

"Fuck. I should've gave her my mask." I rubbed my hands up and down my lap nervously. "I shouldn't have let her leave the station. Fuck!" I slammed my fists.

"Liutenant!" Kathleen snapped. "You need to calm down!"

I looked at her and froze. The only thing I could hear was Lacey struggling to breath. Her chest heaved and her gasps for air got louder.

"What's going on with her?" I asked, my heart rate increasing from the sudden panic.

"Shit." Kathleen moved to Lacey. She pulled her mask off and shined a light in her mouth. "Her airway is closing. Grab me a kit." She sounded so calm.

I reached over to the blue bag Kathleen pointed to. I grabbed it and passed it to her as fast as possible.

Kathleen took it and pulled out some plastic tube. She grabbed the light and intibated Lacey quickly.

"I'm in." Kathleen confirmed then started pushing air into Lacey's lungs. "She's stable."

I let myself breathe.

"We're at Chicago Med." Brett called from the driver's seat as the ambo stopped.

We got out and rolled Lacey into the hospital as quickly as we could.

"Collapsed airway and smoke inhalation." Kathleen told the ER doctor as we rolled her in.

"Okay." He took over pumping air into her.

Kathleen gave him the stretcher.

"Are you stupid?" He asked her, sounding like a complete dick.

"Woah!" I stared him down. "You don't talk to my paramedic like that. You hear me?"

"Maybe if your paramedic could tell the difference between a collapsed airway and a collapsed lung!" He shot back, stethoscope in his ears.

"What?" I asked, stunned.

"That's right, fireman." The dickhead doctor said smugly. "Your girl here has a collapsed lung. Don't worry, we'll take care of it." He then rolled Lacey away.

"How did you miss a pneumothorax?" I asked Kathleen in disbelieve.

She ran her hand over her head. "I-I don't know." She sounded like she couldn't believe it.

"She's going to be okay." I assured her then pulled her into a friendly hug. "Lacey is going to be fine." I said again, this time, convincing myself.

*************************

"How did this happen?" Chief Boden asked as we all sat in the ER waiting room, waiting for Lacey to get out of surgery.

I shrugged. "I don't know. She was fine one minute, then the next, she went limp and unconscious."

"I shouldn't have let her ride along to help. I didn't think she would do something like this." Chief contemplated with himself.

"What, like save my life?" I asked sarcastically.

Chief sighed heavily. "I just thought that your brothers would do something like that."

"She jumped into a blazing vehicle that was about to blow to save me because she loves me, Chief. It was a death trap and my guys knew that. I'd rather them be alive instead of both of us dead, still in that van." I told him calmly.

"I understand that, but when you're not even suppose to be working, how can I explain that she got injured on the job?"

"I don't know!" I told him with irritation. "She's hurt, that's all I know. Let's just hope she's okay first."

"Kelly Severide?" The nurse called from the doorway.

I stood up quickly, as well as everyone from Firehouse 51.

"She told us to ask for you." The nurse explained shyly. "You can follow me."

I walked toward the nurse and followed her to recovery.

"What happened?" I asked as we walked down the white hall way.

"Her lung was punctured. There was a shard of glass we pulled out of her. She said she was in a van fire. We assumed it happened when she jumped in the van to save the person trapped. She didn't feel it because of the adrenaline." The nurse explained the text book procedure. "We didn't have to put a chest tube in, so we're just going to keep her overnight on oxygen and make sure she stays stable."

"Thank God." I muttered as we turned into a room.

She was laying here, oxygen tubes in her nostrils and wearing a hospital gown. She was clean now. No soot on her at all.

"Hey, Lace." I said quietly. "How're you doing?"

She opened her eyes and smiled. She was obviously tired. "I'm good. I bet Boden's pissed off. I wasn't suppose to do anything except help, nothing dangerous." She chuckled.

"Baby, you have danger written all over you." I laughed too as I leaned over and kissed her forehead. "I'm just glad you're okay."

"I'll always be okay." She assured me, locking eyes with me.

"I know." I smiled then kissed her lips gently.

"They can come see me too." She mumbled between kisses. "I'm only allowed  three at a time."

"Alright. I'll tell them." I grinned and kissed her again, thankful that she was completely fine.

I walked out to the waiting room. "She's good guys. Just staying over night to make sure that nothing happens." I announced to all of them.

"What happened?" Mills asked, visibly still worried.

"Her lung was punctured. She got a piece of glass from the window frame in her. She couldn't feel it because of the adrenaline." I put a hand on his shoulder. "She's going to be fine."

Mills dipped his head up and down thankfully. "Is she allowed visitors?" He asked.

I nodded too. "Three at a time." I said happily then sat down in the chair. Tomorrow I would pick her up from here and hopefully everything would go back to normal.