The firefighter's smile

Chapter Eleven

"I hope you are ready to move your ass!" Charly exclaimed, walking in the room of the wounded firefighter not noticing the presence of Mary, the sweetest nurse of the whole floor.

This latter was changing the bandage which covered the chest injury of Severide who was wincing in pain.

"Erm... I..."

"You can stay. I've finished!" Mary smiled.

During the time she walked away, an awkward silence took place between Kelly and Charlotte. Even if Smith appeared motivated and all, she was, in reality, scared.

"Your jokes are still as bad as before" Severide chortled.

"Oh come on!"

" 'I hope you're ready to move your ass' whereas I can't move from the waist down"

"Okay, I admit that was a bad word game" She laughed. "Seriously, are you ready?"

"Don't really have the choice"

"Where the hell went your motivation Lieutenant?" His doctor replied before Charlotte could.

"I tried to make him laugh but apparently..."

"It's not an appearance Charly, it's a reality. Your jokes are as bad as your cooking" He retorted.

"Well, I suppose that you're the one who will accompany him during his 'physical therapy' journey"

"And the one to kick his ass when he will be too lazy, with the support of a whole firehouse of course" She added.

"Well, let's go!"

With the help of his Doctor and Charly, he managed, with the leftover of strength in his arms, to take a sit in the wheelchair waiting for him.

"I swear I hate his thing" he mumbled.

"It's not permanent" Charly retorted.

"You can be sure"

"It's not with this mood that you will succeed" The doc added.

"Yeah, no offense but you aren't the one that could run in burning buildings in the morning and that can't even crawl at the end of this same day" He shouted angrily.

"I think you have enough for today" his doc said after more than an hour of physical therapy.

"No, I want to try the parallel bars" He replied.

"Okay," Charlotte smiled. "It's a one-shot"

Putting herself, in front of him in order to be able to help him if needed, she let him put himself on his feet, in support of the bars.

"On foot, after another" the doc ordered

Kelly never thought until today that walking was that hard. Focusing on his feet, ordering themselves to move, he stayed a long time not moving to the extent that his arms were shaking.

"You will try again tomorrow."

"No, I can do it!"

"Lieutenant, it doesn't work like that."

"Go to hell!" He yelled again.

Eventually, he was able to take a single step and would have fallen if it hadn't been for Smith to catch him up.

It's with a little bit of satisfaction but exhausted that he let them wheeled him back in his room where he was greeted by his Squad's members. They didn't give a hand to help him back in his bed, knowing that he's not the kind of person who wants any help. After talking with them for five minutes, he couldn't help himself to fall asleep.

"Is he alright?" Cruz asked, concerned.

"He is exhausted and it's normal. Physical therapy took him all his energy."

"How does it go?" Capp added.

"He reached to take a step. But, I swear that he will be back in no time kicking your ass, and racing into danger" Charly continued.

"How are you doing?"

"Don't know. It's a little bit weird to be the only one that he wants whereas I barely remember him. Sometimes it feels like I know him and other time he's like a perfect stranger who likes yelling on his doctor."

"That sounds like Severide." Capp jokes. "He is grumpy and we all know that. If you need anything, call us."

"Sure."

When he woke up from his long nap, the room around him was turning and his head was pounding. Cold sweat running down his face.

"Severide?" Matt, who came right after his shift, asked.

"Hmm..." He mumbled.

"Kelly?" He continued, putting his hand on his forehead.

Noticing the growing fever, Severide's best friend pushed the call button. Two nurses rushed in it, quickly joined by Charly who had gone to the vending machine.

"Page his Doctor, now!" Mary ordered. "Both of you need to leave."

After some tests and some drugs, he was back in the arms of Morpheus. The fever was under control and the source of the latter also.

Mary was the one to go reaching the family of her patient.

"He seems to have developed an infection that we achieved to control" She explained. "He will be fine."

"Physically, yes, but... mentally. I'm not quite sure" Charly retorted.

The young nurse frown slightly.

"I went the same road as him" she tried to explain. "The hardest part is to keep the faith."