Epiphany • Severide.

7| ONE, JUST ONE

─────❝7| ONE, JUST ONE❞─────

Sunshine spilled through the cracks between the curtains. The alarm was just a minute away from ringing when the brunette opened her eyes. She stretched her body, accidentally hitting the man beside her on the face. He groans in response to her actions.

"Sorry," she says, throwing the covers off her body and walking to the bathroom.

"Hey, Jo. I'm leaving. See you at work." And with that, the door to her apartment slammed close.

Jo sighed, running a hand through her damp hair. She was still contemplating ending everything with Severide after she made a discovery about herself: she broke rule number one of their agreement. She shrugged it off and decided that is a problem for future Jo Parsons, and the current one needed to be fast to get to work early.

It was an exceptionally calm day at work. She helped Shay and Gabby with some Halloween decorations for the trick-or-treaters and was waiting for them to get back with the candy so they could hide it from the hungry men at the firehouse.

The alarm beeped after Jo helped Gabby hide the bags on the top shelf of the pantry. "Engine fifty-one, truck eighty-one, squad three, ambulance sixty-one. Warehouse fire, sixty-six twenty. Oak Park."

The firefighters made their way fast to the location, arriving just in time with Chief Boden. The two lieutenants spoke with Boden before his voice came through the radio. "Engine fifty-one, give me a two and a half in the front door. Cover the search teams. Truck eighty-one, open up the back and vent the skylights."

Matt came towards them and started giving orders. "Cruz and Otis. Raise the aerial and take out the skylights. Herrmann, Mills, and Parsons let's open up the back and get in there. Let's go." They worked together to pry open the construction doors before going inside to search for victims.

"Fire department, Anyone here?" Jo heard a voice towards the back of the building. "Matt, there's someone in the back. Come on." They approached the people there, each taking one of the squatters and getting out.

Before they could go back inside to finish the search, Chief Boden gave the order for everyone to get out and back up from the building as it was seconds away from collapsing. Mills had a discussion with the Chief, it ending with a yell from Boden and a defeated Peter Mills backing away. Suddenly, it exploded, smoke getting everywhere. The fire was dissolved by the water cannons and then they were done.

———

"You see this crap?"

Oh, what a pleasure to listen to Christopher Herrmann's voice first thing in the morning. Jo just wanted a peaceful breakfast, where she ignored her peers and scowled at her phone rereading the numerous texts sent by him.

"Why is it crap?" Mills questioned, receiving dirty looks from everyone in the break room. "I just mean that that's what happened, isn't it?"

"Where is the headline about how we busted our humps and saved thee guys, huh?" Herrmann countered back.

Before the discussion could get heated between the two men, Chief Boden arrived with Severide, Vargas, and the rest of the squad behind him. "Okay everybody, listen up." Jo locked her phone, putting it away, giving all her attention to the Chief. "Today, our very own Jose Vargas transfers from truck to squad. As of now, he's officially a member of rescue squad three."

Applause rang through the room, congratulating their friend for the deserved transfer. Nicki came inside calling for Matt, ending all celebrations. "Hey, Lieutenant Casey, I just saw your car out front. Something happened to it." Casey frowned, looking at Jo before the two best friends walked out to inspect the damage.

"Matt, what the hell?" His truck tires were slashed and the driver's window was smashed. Jo inspected the hood to make sure nothing else was damaged and her friend could get it fixed fast.

"My gym bag got lifted." He looked beside where his bag should be and sighed. "And yours too." They always had a bag in each other's car for when they rode together and want to go to the gym to get a workout in and catch up. Unfortunately, having one there ended with the consequence of it getting stolen, too.

"Right in front of the station, too." Jo sighed, running a hand through her hair. "Should you call the cops and file a report? Call Dawson's brother?"

Matt looked at her with sad eyes, feeling bad for dragging her into this. "Yeah, I should."

The best friends went back inside when the alarm beeped. "Truck eighty-one, squad three. House fire, two twenty South Kilbourn." They hurried inside, gearing up and jumping into the truck, leaving for their destination. Before Truck eighty-one could get there, Severide's voice came, halting their way and coming back to the station.

Jo was doing laundry with Shay, folding clothes, and throwing others in when Nikki came to talk to the blonde. "I have a favor to ask you." Nikki then looked at the brunette, waiting for her to leave.

"You can ask me with Jo here," Shay replied, not looking up from the clothes. Jo smirked, sending Nikki a look before continuing her task.

"Can I borrow your house key? I just want to set a little something up for Kelly in his room." Good God, I do not need to know Kelly is sleeping with her. "Champagne, candles. I think my da showing up to your apartment maybe pushed him away."

"Yeah," Shay scoffed, "I don't think it's your dad showing up so much that's the problem as much as him announcing that you're engaged." Jo almost choked on her spit when Shay said those words. How can someone be so despicable as to cheat on their fiancé so carelessly?

"I wasn't hiding that."

Jo scoffed and looked at her hand. "Yeah, where's your ring?"

Nikki raised an eyebrow looking at her. "It's being resized right now." Nikki missed the convenient that spilled out of Jo's mouth but Shay caught it, sending her friend a pointed look. "So, can I have the key or not?"

"No." Was the only thing she answered before the alarm blasted and Shay left.

Jo chuckled, continuing to fold the laundry as she was, still feeling Nikki's presence next to her. "You think this is funny?"

"Hilarious actually."

"Kelly would never go for you, you know."

Jo laughed again. "What, are we in high school? I don't need anyone to go for me. I'm just folding the laundry." Nikki sent her a dirty look and started to leave. "By the way, he's been going for me for the past two years, so." She said, sending Nikki a smile before it turned into a scowl.

And that's how Jo Parsons does it.