Second Chances (Chicago Fire)

Chapter 12

I groan as the phone rings and I have to get up off of the couch to grab it. I've stopped working now that I'm seven months into the pregnancy and the baby is also big enough that I can't move around like I normally would. It's driving me insane, and don't even get me started on the fact that I no longer have work to distract me.

I reach the phone just in time; put it up to my ear, and say, "Hello?"

The person on the other end then says, "Hello. Is this Ms. Severide?"

"Yes it is..."

There's a pause and then the man on the other end says, "Excellent. I'm Tom Olsen, the principal at your son Jake's school. Jake got into a fight during the lunch period and I must speak with you immediately about his behavior. Are you able to make it to the school?"

I sigh and reply, "Yes. I'll be there in 20 minutes."

Tom thanks me and then we hang up. I go up to mine and Kelly's bedroom as quickly as I can and throw on jeans and an oversize knit sweater with a black shirt underneath. I then go back downstairs, throw on a coat and shoes, and go out to my car.

After I've arrived at Jake's school I go to the office and am directed to a pair of chairs outside of the principal's office where Jake is seated. Once I've sat down beside him he says, "Quinn, I'm sorry. I told Mr. Olsen to call Kelly because you were pregnant and didn't need the stress right now. He said I should've thought of that before I fought Dustin. There was nothing I could do."

I shake my head and say, "Jake, my coming here should be the least of your concerns right now. You do not look okay."

He shrugs and says, "I've survived worse. It's just a couple of bloody knuckles, a cut lip, a small gash on my forehead, and maybe a black eye. I'll live, no need to go all paramedic on me."

I snort at his remark and then the door to the principal's office opens and a stocky, tall kid with only slight discoloration on the left side of his face walks out. Mr. Olsen appears in the doorway of his office and I see Jake tense up as he says, "Come in."

Jake and I enter his office and once we're all seated he says, "Thank you for coming down Ms. Severide. I am extremely disturbed by your son's behavior today. Dustin tells me that there was no apparent reason behind Jake's attack on him. Is this true Jake?"

I look over at Jake and he says, "Absolutely not. I was walking back to the mechanical shop when I saw Dustin beating someone up in the alley. As I got closer I saw it was a girl he was harming. I tried to ask him to stop but he said I either walk away and I forgot I ever saw this or we fight. I couldn't just leave the girl to fend for herself so Dustin and I started throwing punches at each other. The girl escaped and by the time she came back with someone Dustin was dominating the fight and had gotten in some solid punches while all of my efforts did practically nothing."

I sigh and then Mr. Olsen says, "Dustin is this school's star football player. He knows that both fighting and lying are unacceptable, which apparently you do not Mr. Summerfield."

Jake is about to reply when I jump in and say, "With all due respect Tom, you have the wrong mother sitting in your office with the wrong son. My son's behavior should not be under question as he did what any decent human being with a brain should and would. You obviously don't have the star football player you thought you did."

Tom clears his throat and says, "Ms. Severide..."

I hold up my hand and say, "You will not Ms. Severide me. My son did the right thing. He knows what being on the other end of that hand feels like and did the only sensible, humane thing. If you believe that liar over my son, then you have a very serious problem. Jake is of no fault here and I expect Dustin will receive some serious consequences for his idiotic, destructive actions. If I hear that Dustin is not punished but Jake is, I will be marching right back in here and you will have another damn thing coming for you. Have I made myself clear?"

Mr. Olsen nods so Jake and I stand and leave. He gets his things and once we're on our way home he says, "Well, regular Quinn is a force to be reckoned with but I had no idea that pregnant Quinn is even more of a force to be reckoned with."