Malia Ryland has just arrived in Chicago and is starting her first shift as a nurse at the Chicago Medical Center while waiting for a vacancy in one of Chicago's firehouses as a paramedic.
Warning : some chapters contain scenes with sexual content.
...
At the end of my first shift, which is only the next morning at 10 o'clock, I stop in front of Severide's room. He is surrounded by his fellow firemen and I also see two paramedics including Gabriella. She sees me so I give her a smile and turn to go to my car.
I have already taken a few steps when I hear "Malia waits!". I turn around and I see Gabriella, "Oh, hello Gabriella, happy to see that everything is fine" I say. "Yes, the whole team came by to see Kelly. He's just gone back to sleep. He's going out tomorrow morning normally and he'll be back in two weeks. Dr. Choi told us that it's certainly thanks to your reactivity that he did so well", says Gabriella. "I just did my job like anyone else would have done", I say all embarrassed. "Nonsense, you're too modest. Do you want to come into the room? The rest of the team would love to meet you", she says. I say "I wouldn't want to disturb them". "There's no problem", Gabriella says, taking my hand.
Once in the room, she introduces me "everyone, this is Malia Ryland. Malia, meet the team from 51". Then they all come to introduce themselves one by one, shaking my hand and thanking me for what I have done for their friend. In the end I don't know where to put myself. As I'm leaving, one of the firemen, Hermann I think, says to me "we have a bar called Molly's if you want to come and have a drink one of these days, it will be for the house to thank you for what you've done for Severide". I thank him for his proposition and then I leave. I get back in my car and drive straight to my apartment.
Once at my apartment, I take off my shoes directly, then quickly go to the shower. While I am showering, my fingers stop on my 20-year-old burn on my left arm. My right index finger outlines my tattoo on the outside of my left wrist. "Kel" is marked on it in memory of my best friend from childhood without whom I would certainly not be here today but whom I haven't heard from for 20 years, I don't even know if I will be able to recognize him. The proof is that I don't even remember his name but just the nickname I gave him.
Once I get out of the shower, it doesn't take long before I fall into bed.
I end up waking up around 5:00 pm. I spend the evening quietly at home watching a movie on TV. The next day, I have my shift at 4 p.m. This one is much quieter than the first one. Most of the patients are not serious cases and I don't attend any operations. I get my schedule from Maggie on my last shift of the week. It consists only of 24-hour shifts followed by 30 hours of rest except in exceptional cases. All of my following shifts go very well with fortunately very few serious cases that come our way.
On my first shift of my third week, I was at the emergency room desk filling out paperwork when I saw Gabriella Dawson and her colleague Sylvie Brett leaving the emergency room with a stretcher. I guess they came to drop off a patient. I continue to do my paperwork when I hear my name. I turn around and Gabriella walks towards me, "Hi, I hope you're okay! Just to let you know we're having a little party at Molly's tonight for Severide's return. I don't know if you'll still be on duty but you can come by if you want". "I finish at 10pm so I might drop by but I won't stay long" I answer her with a smile. "Here's my phone number, you just have to send me the address", I tell her by handing her a piece of paper with my number. "All right, let's do it that way, see you tonight then!" she says to me before leaving the emergency room.
8 hours later, after finishing my shift, I go home, get in the shower, get dressed and get into my car after looking at the address Gabriella sent me. I easily get to the bar and park out front. I take a deep breath and push the door open. As soon as I come in, I see Christopher and Gabriella behind the bar. I go and sit down on one of the stools surrounding the bar.
"Hey Malia! You came" says Gabriella. "I thought that I'd drop by and see this famous bar that everyone's talking about", I say, laughing. "What can I get you, it's on the house, I remind you", Hermann says. "Just a lemonade, thank you", I answer. They all look at me with big eyes. "Hey, don't look at me like that, I just got off duty and I drove all the way here so no alcohol for me tonight" I smile.
Christopher's making my lemonade, "so Malia, how long have you been at Chicago Med? Because some of your colleagues come here from time to time but we've never seen you before". "In fact, it's been just over a month since I've been back in Chicago. It was my first shift on the day of the explosion", I say with a faint smile. "Back?" Gabriella asks me. "Yes, it's a complicated story, but it's been 20 years since I've been here", I say as I scratch my burn through my sweater.
To change the subject, I say, "How are things going at firehouse 51?". At that moment, Stella Kidd comes next to me and says "you're coming after the storm, believe me. We had a new person in charge of the administration and she gave me a big hand. I don't know if it's because I'm roommates with Severide and she had a crush on him. Finally, she's gone and that's the main thing". I look at her sympathetically, "On a better note, tell me the station stories, there must be a few little couples between you, right?".
"So Hermann is the proud father of five siblings with his wife Cindy, Chief Boden has a little boy with his wife Donna, Mouch is married to Trudy who is a sergeant in District 21, Stella dated Severide for a while but now it's over and I've been married to Matt since last year", Gabriella says proudly. "Congratulations!" I exclaim with a smile. "What about you? A boy on the horizon?" Stella asks me. "Me? No, there isn't one, and I'm not looking for one right now. My goal for the moment is to try to find my best..." I don't have time to finish my sentence. Indeed, Christopher exclaims "and here is our returning hero, Kelly Severide".
I turn around while everyone applauds and I see the fireman at the entrance of the bar. I continue to drink my lemonade as I find myself alone as Gabriella and Hermann are serving people and Stella has left to greet Severide with the rest of her colleagues.
Soon after, Sylvie Brett comes and sits down next to me and asks me for news. As I am about to leave being tired, she asks me "so did you get a chance to talk with Severide?". I answer her while putting on my jacket "no, but it's not very important and anyway he seems very busy". She puts her hands on my shoulders and says "no way you're leaving without him meeting one of the people who saved his life!". I wanted to protest by saying that it wasn't really me to thank but she was already calling him "Severide! Come over here, I have someone to introduce you!".
I turned around and when I saw him coming towards me, I got stuck on his eyes which were looking familiar. "Malia, this is Kelly, Severide, this is Malia, the nurse who saved your life with Dr. Choi", says Sylvie. I reach out my hand to him and as he goes to shake it, he says, "Malia like Malia Ryland...". And for a few seconds my brain can't function until I whisper "Kel?".
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
