An Unexpected Family Reunion: Book 1

Turnout

"Sadie I'm sorry!"
Kelly chased after his little sister, she came to a stop in the middle of the common room.

"Kelly, you didn't even let me defend myself. You didn't even try to take my side! You automatically assumed that I pulled that fire alarm!"

Everyone in the room had stopped what they were doing, watching the siblings argue.
Sadie noticed and retreated from the room out onto the apparatus floor.
Kelly watched her disappear from view before going upstairs to his quarters, closing the door behind him.

Gallow silently got up and walked out the way Sadie went. It took him a minute, but he found her in the back corner of the turnout room sitting on a pile of old bunk coats quietly crying.

"Hey, you ok?"
Squatted down in front of her. She shrugged her shoulders, wiping her face with her sleeve.
He shifted and sat down beside her, leaning back against the wall.

"You picked a good spot, this is where I come if I need a quiet place."
Sadie still didn't acknowledge him as she continued to cry.

"It's ok to miss her, Sades.Your mom?"

This finally got him a response
"You wouldnt understand."

"But I do....I lost my Mom when I was around your age. Left me alone."

"It's not fair."
Sadie sobbed

"It's not, and I know at times like this...all you want to do is talk to her."

She cried harder as he wrapped his arms around her. He rubbed soothing circles on her back.

"Does it ever stop hurting?"
She asked through tears

"No, but you do have something that helped me get through it."

"What's that?"
She sat up, fresh tears still on her face.

"A Firehouse family, that cares for you. And, even though he's a total pain in the ass 95 percent of the time, you got Severide."

This earned him a giggle, as she leaned in for another hug.