A Spark of Hope (Chicago Fire)

Chapter 11

I sat there frozen, unable to speak. Christi was dead. Eden's mom was dead.

"Grace, are you there?" Dr. Rhodes asked.

"Yeah," I mumbled.

"I'm going to give you some time to process what's going on. Come by Chicago Med in the morning and we can decided how to proceed with Eden. Is that okay with you?"

"Yes."

"Okay. Call if you need anything. Bye, Grace."

"Bye."

Severide came into the room a few moments after I hung up, Eden in his arms.

"Hey, you are awake. I thought I heard you talking to someone," he said.

I just stared at him, still unable to wrap my head around what all this meant.

"Baby, are you okay?" he asked, stepping closer.

"Christi is dead," I whispered.

Severide looked at me, his eyes wide. We just stared at each other for a minute, our minds racing. Eventually, our eyes turned to the baby in Kelly's arms. The room was enrobed in a heavy silence. Even Eden was quiet, sensing that something was wrong.

"I'm going to put Eden to bed now," I said, breaking the silence.

Taking the baby from Severide, I took her to my old room. Grabbing pajamas and a clean diaper, I settled her on the changing table. Once she was dressed, I laid her in the crib that now occupied part of the back wall. I kissed her forehead and turned off the lights, closing the door behind me as I left.

When I got downstairs, Severide was sitting at the breakfast bar, drinking a beer. He pushed a glass of wine towards me. I walked over and sat next to him, taking a long sip of the red liquid. We just sat there for a little while, drinking and thinking.

"I love you," he said quietly, breaking the silence.

"I love you too," I said.

He stood and pulled me into a hug. I buried my face in his chest, letting the scent of his body wash pour over me in a calming wave. As we stood there, holding each other, I slowly began to process what Christi's passing meant for not only me, but also for the man that was currently rubbing circles on my back.

"I'm scared," I admitted quietly.

"It's okay to be scared. We're in this together though," he reminded.

I nodded, pulling away so I could look him in the eyes.

"I'm really lucky to have you," I said.

"And I'm lucky to have you."

There was a knock on the door and I went to answer it. I looked through the peephole and saw that it was Dawson and Casey. I unlocked the door and pulled it open.

"Hey. What are you guys doing here?" I asked, letting them in.

"Dr. Rhodes called and told us what happened," Gabby said, pulling me into a hug.

"He didn't have to do that. And you guys didn't have to come over," I said, hugging her back.

"We know. But we wanted to check in and see how you guys were taking the news," Casey said, hugging me after Dawson moved to hug Severide.

"We're doing okay. A little nervous and scared, but we know we'll be okay in the end," I said.

"Have you told anyone else yet?" Dawson asked.