Best Friend To The Very End

Mon Amour

Everyday for the past six weeks Hannah walked past Firehouse 51 on her way to and from school. Not once did she stop and say hi even though heart told her to.

It had been eight years since she last set foot in the house. Back when she was six she would spend more time there than she did at home, helping her dad and climbing in and out of the squad truck and bossing everyone around at the squad table. More than once she went on call outs with her dad in the squad truck.

She would tell herself each day 'I'll go, say hi' but she couldn't. She knew her mum would find out and not be happy with her. But she knew today was the day. She knew her dad would be there because she saw his car out the front that morning.

The school bell rang. Hannah quickly got out of her chair and made a b-line for her locker. She got out her bag and walked out the door. She was going to see her dad today and she couldn't contain her excitement. It was the first time she'd been back in Chicago for seven years and for the first time in two years she would be able to hug him again and hear him tell her he loves her. Today she didn't care about what her mum said, six weeks was enough.

As she walked down the road towards the firehouse and watched as the trucks arrived back in the house. As she got closer she could see two people talking out the front as the large roller doors closed. She waked up to the two talking out the front, still in their fire uniform.
"Um, Hi. Is a Kelly Severide here today?" Hannah asked
"Yeah. Does he know you're coming?" The girl asked
"Not really"
"Right?" She questioned
"Sorry you don't know who I am right"
"Yeah" They both replied
"I'm Hannah. Hannah Severide"
"Severide?" The guy questioned
"Yeah. I'm his daughter"
The two looked at each other, confused
"Come with me" Said the girl as she walked up to the firehouse
"Kelly!" She called out
"What Dawson?" He replied as he turned around in his chair
"When were you gonna tell us about Hannah?" She asked as Hannah stood next to her
"Hey dad"
Kelly froze for a second "Han?" He questioned
Hannah smiled
Kelly got out of his chair and ran up and hugged his daughter.
"How long have you been back?" Kelly asked
"Not long" Hannah lied "So did you keep me secret?"
"Maybe" He joked
"Uh Lieutenant, explanation please" Cruz asked
"This is Hannah, my daughter"
"Yeah we gathered that, but how?" Asked Otis
"You miss that lesson Otis" Replied Herrmann
"Very funny" Otis replied
"Her Mom and I went to high school together"
"You sly bastard" Herrmann laughed
"Hey Han come with me, I've got something to show you" Kelly said walking to the kitchen with Hannah not far behind
"What?" She questioned
"Candidate. You seen Casey?"
"He's in his quarters I think" Borelli replied
"Thanks"
"Dad what are you doing?"
Severide knocked on the glass door to Casey's quarters
"Yep" He called out
Severide opened the door "Look who Dawson found out the front"
"Hannah?" Casey questioned
"Uncle Matt" She said hugging him
"Hannah last time i saw you you were what? Five?"
"Six-and-a-half"
"What are you doing back here?" Casey asked
"We moved back from Phoenix"
"For good?" Severide asked
"Hopefully, It depends about moms job, if they want her to move again"
"Phoenix to Chicago. You're crazy, leaving there for the cold here"
"I'm used to it" She joked

"So why'd you guys cut off contact for the last two years" Severide asked as Hannah sat on the edge of his bed in his office while Severide lent on his desk
"You know that was mom, not me"
"Yeah"
"I don't know why, her new boyfriend is a bit weird"
"As in how?"
"Over protective"
"Does your mom know you're here?"
Hannah bit her lip
"Hannah" He asked sternly
"No" She said quietly
"Why?"
"Because if she knew she wouldn't be happy"
"What do you mean"
"It's not mom that's the problem, it's Cooper"
"The boyfriend"
"Yeah, he just has this thing about other men. He's worried he'll lose mum to you"
"Well we do have a kid"
"Yeah and that's the problem"
"How?"
"I dunno, but it doesn't matter" Hannah said trying to change the subject "So you're still working with Casey"
"Yeah"
"How longs that. 14 years" Hannah asked "Surprised you to can still stand each other"
"Why do you think hes on truck and I'm on squad" Kelly laughed
Hannah laughed "What about Darden, you guys scare him away?"
"He died, about 18 months ago"
Hannah went quiet "I'm sorry dad"
"It's OK, it was an accident"
Hannah's phone began to ring in her pocket
"Mom" She said pulling it out of her pocket
"Answer it" Said Kelly
"She's gonna kill me" Said Hannah before she answered the phone
"Hi mom" She answered
"Where are you Hannah?"
Hannah looked at Severide. He raised his eyebrow
"At 51"
"The firehouse"
"Yeah, with dad"
"You stay there, I'm coming to get you" Katherine said hanging up the phone
"What'd she say?"
"That she's coming to get me"
"She sound happy"
"Nope" Hannah said as she forced a smile
"What aren't you telling me Han?" He said sitting next to her
"You're gonna find out anyway" She said "Mom put in for a transfer back to Chicago but she told Cooper that they were making her come here"
"Why?"
"Well nan and pop aren't getting any younger, and pop hasn't been too well lately but Cooper doesn't like Chicago"
"Because of the history you guys have with here"
"Yeah, and now Cooper's pushing for a transfer for mom to go back to Phoenix"
"How? How can he do that"
"He's some hot shot lawyer that mom worked with. He's the biggest prick in history"
"I'll pretend I didn't hear that"
"Trust me, you put up with him for 5 minutes and you'll be saying the same"
Kelly laughed
"You know mom hasn't gotten over you. She says if she didn't have to move to Phoenix in the first place she probably would have said yes" Hannah explained "But she didn't want you to give up on what you worked hard for"
"I probably could have got transferred firehouses"
"Yeah but you just made squad, you made history at 23" Hannah smiled "I don't hate either of you for it"
There was a silence
"Besides the four weeks I got to spend with you each year were the best part of the year"
Kelly laughed "Remember when we spent a week next to the lake in the middle of January"
"Yeah and you only brought three tins of propane, the small ones for the cooker"
"Hey I wasn't the one who dropped half the blankets and matches in the lake"
"I wasn't the silly one who put them in the same bag, you usually had a lighter anyway, and you gave it to an 8-year-old"
"That was freezing that week"
"Tell me about it, surprised I still have all my toes"
"Yeah then you spent the next week with the flu"
"Yeah mom wasn't impressed when I got home"
"Is she ever"
"She has a good poker face, what do you expect from a paralegal. That's her thing"
There was a knock at the door
"Yeah" Said Severide
Casey opened the door "Katherine's here to get Hannah"
"Thanks" Severide replied
"Great, gonna get my butt kicked. The joy of living with two lawyers"
"A paralegal and a lawyer"
"Yeah but you know mom" Hannah joked
The two of them walked out the the AP floor where Katherine was waiting
"Hannah" She said "Get in the car"
"See you dad" Hannah said hugging Severide
"I love you" Said Severide
Hannah walked over to the car
"So were you gonna tell me you were back?" Kelly asked
"We weren't, Look we didn't expect to be here any longer than 6 weeks but well be going back in about a month, hopefully less"
"I this is not what you want, you hated anywhere over 100 °F"
"I learnt to deal with it"
"I know you put in for the transfer here, and Cooper is forcing you to go back"
"Hannah" Katherine said unimpressed
"At least let me keep seeing Hannah while you're still here. Please"
Katherine nodded her head "OK, But I'm sorry we have to leave"
"Alright then, but can things go back to the way they were?"
"I dunno" Katherine replied "Thanks Kelly"