Chicago Fire: City of Heroes

Chapter Sixteen:

"So, girlie, I saw you at Molly's with that smoking hot lieutenant from Firehouse 13," Stella grins, taking a seat at the round table while staring at Alex, who is in the middle of cooking breakfast.

The twenty-three year old feels her cheeks warm at the memory of herself and Carson drinking a beer at Molly's for the third time. Gabby and Sylvie share a glance and lean closer to join the conversation.

"Come again?" Gabby asks, setting her cup of coffee aside.

"Yeah, Lex was hanging out with that Carson guy. That's three times I've seen you two laughing and having a good time in two weeks," Stella elaborates.

"Aw... The one of the few times I'm not at Molly's," Gabby growls.

"I thought you hated him," Sylvie comments.

Alex bites her lip as she continues to scramble the eggs, "He's not as bad as I remembered him. He's actually sweet..."

She trails off upon hearing the boys enter the common room.

"Yes! Lex is cooking today!" Joe beams, snatching a plate.

Chris rolls his eyes and grabs a small handful of grapes.

Otis raises an eyebrow, "Oh, that's it? No eggs? No sausage?"

Chris shakes his head, "Nah. Cindy got it in her head that we should try Ethiopian last night. 'Expand our horizons,' she says. She expanded something, alright... something inside my gut."

"Keep an eye on that. Indigestion's one of the first signs of heart failure."

"Relax, Doctor Oz. I'm fit as a fiddle, okay?" Chris retorts, sending a small glare at Mouch.

Mouch takes a bite of his eggs, "Dawson, I'm right, aren't I? Back me up."

"I don't know, Herrmann. You feeling fatigue? Cold sweats? Shortness of breath?" Gabby inquires.

"No."

"Then I wouldn't stress."

"Ambulance 61. Gunshot victim. 19th Street and Wolcott Avenue."

Gabby drops her fork, "They're playing my song."

"Wait, Wolcott? Wasn't there a shooting there last shift?" Joe questions as the two paramedics rush out of the common room.

"It's a turf war. The Western Posse's beefing with the 21 Naturals," Otis proclaims, only to receive strange glances from his colleagues. "What? I follow the Drill Rap scene. Sue me."

A phone ringing breaks the silence, and Alex answers it. She leaves the common room in a hurry. With her focus on her private conversation, Alex bumps into Kelly, who takes notice of the brunette's unreadable expression.

"Thanks, Hank. I'll see you later today," she mutters, ending the call.

"What's that about?"

Alex's face falls, "Um... They pushed my father's parole hearing to this afternoon."

She rubs her forehead, trying to think of ways to settle her nerves.

"Hey, take it easy," Kelly begins. "You still have a few more hours. I'm sure that Chief will understand if you need to take off."

"I don't care if it's been five years. I still don't think I'm ready to face him."

Kelly places two fingers under her chin to have her look at him, "You got this, Lex. Show him what everyone here knows: you are a fighter. Show him that he didn't break you."

Alex wraps her arms around his neck, hugging him tight.

"Thank you," she whispers.

A cough interrupts the duo, having Alex and Kelly peer up at the entrance to the common room.