Happy Endings (Chicago Fire FanFic)

Chapter Seventeen

"Sorry, sorry..." Amber gasped, running through Kelly's apartment clutching a bag of clothes as Shay laughed at her. "Give me ten minutes and I'll be ready to go."

She ran up the stairs, balanced precariously on her heels, before Kelly could actually respond. Shay turned at looked at him. "What time are you meeting Benny?"

He glanced at his watch. "In half an hour." After his father has stopped by the firehouse and the whole of 51 had told him about Amber, Kelly had little choice other than to reluctantly agree to take her to meet Benny for dinner. Amber had seemed excited at first, then she'd called him to say she was running late at work. He'd been expecting her to bail on him altogether but it appeared she was still coming.

Shay reached across and squeezed his arm. "It'll be fine, Kelly. She can handle him."

Kelly nodded although he wasn't entirely sure he agreed. He hadn't said much about his father to Amber and wasn't entirely sure what she was expecting.

Fifteen minutes later she reappeared, her hair hanging in loose curls around her face instead of scraped up in a bun as it usually was, wearing a pair of jeans and a floaty white blouse. Summer had finally arrived in Chicago and her Florida wardrobe was much more suited to this kind of weather.

"I'm so sorry." She bounded over to Kelly and quickly kissed him on the cheek. "I told them this morning that I had to leave on time today but you know how these things go."

"It's fine, really." Kelly forced a smile as he took her hand. "But we'd better get a move on."

"Have fun you guys!" Shay laughed as the two of them headed out of the door.

****

"You can relax, Kelly." Amber said softly as they sat in the car on the way to the restaurant. "It's going to be fine." She'd realised how nervous he was when they'd got in the car. He'd barely said a word to her, his knuckles turning white as he clenched at the steering wheel and she could see the tension in his jaw.

He let out a breath and his face softened slightly. "It's not you I'm worried about, it's him." He sighed.

"I'm pretty good at making small talk with patients I don't know and have nothing in common with." She reminded him. "Benny is going to be a piece of cake. We don't have to stay long either. I'm more than happy to fake some kind of work place emergency to get us out if you need me too."

He laughed this time. "I knew there was a reason I loved you."

She was pleased to see him relax a little. She had no idea why he'd suggested that they go to this dinner with his father if it was stressing him out. She was happy to go with him, but it wasn't like she was in any kind of desperate hurry to meet Benny Severide either. She'd heard a lot about him, mainly from Shay, and none of it had been all that complimentary.

Kelly went quiet as he parked the car, silently taking her hand as they walked towards the restaurant. She squeezed his hand in what she hoped was a reassuring way, although given the vice like grip he'd got on her hand she could hardly manage to move her fingers.

As they walked through the door an older man sat at a table by the window waved and Kelly pulled her gently towards him. Amber smiled in greeting as they reached the table, waiting for Kelly to say something. "Dad, this is Amber." Kelly said eventually.

"It's lovely to meet you Amber." Benny smiled. "I'm Benny."

"Nice to meet you." She smiled awkwardly, glancing over at Kelly who had apparently forgotten how to use his words.

"I've ordered us all some wine." Benny said, filling the silence when Kelly still didn't say anything.

"Amber doesn't drink." Kelly replied sharply, looking at his father properly for the first time.