Hey there guys! I started this story before Chicago Fire came back from its break for the Olympics. I was really freaking out about Casey and the whole blood from his ears thing. That's really bad for you. Anyways, when they came back and they were all like, "Oh, you've cracked your skull, that's why you're bleeding", I was really unimpressed. He went to his regular doctor's? Psh. I would have rushed to the ER.

Anyways. This is how I played it out. Some chapters (like this one) are rather short, but they follow the natural pauses of the story. It's already all written, so there's no worry about me not updating it or anything.

Check back every Thursday for a new chapter!

Have a good day!

Casey stared down at the sink, his mind having gone blank. Blood….that's my blood. Something in his brain whispered that he was hurt- very hurt- and he should go find Gabby. But he just stood at the sink, mesmerized as the little crimson drops swirled down into the drain, gone forever.

Think, Matt. You have to think. This is wrong. Casey gripped the sink so hard his knuckles turned white. This is bad. You need to go tell Gabby. She'll know what to do.

"You're fine," he whispered to himself. "Stop overreacting. You hit your head again, and now you're just a little shaken up. It's nothing."

His hand shook as he finished washing up, terror in the pit of his stomach. He was scared, and something in him told him he was rightly so. But he just kept telling himself he was okay. He could remember telling his mother that- it always seemed to work. Convince yourself you're okay, because ninety-nine percent of the time, you were. If you could calm down and convince yourself of that, everything would get better.

The bed was so soft and looked so inviting that Casey didn't even bother to change out of his clothes. His head was pounding even more, and he felt sick to his stomach. All he wanted to do was sleep for days on end and never wake up.

It's okay. You're going to be fine. Don't freak yourself out.

Dawson pulled into the driveway and turned off the car. She was exhausted. That was the only way to put it. Tonight had been just one of those nights. She was glad she'd been around to help out when the power was out, but it was exhausting. She'd already been tired from a full day at the academy, and helping out at the house drained the last bit of energy she had.

Wind whistled around the car, but Dawson didn't move. She knew it would be warmer inside, and Casey would be there, but she was too tired to even think about getting up.

Mm, Casey. The mere thought of him sent a shiver up her spine. She didn't want to admit it- although, she wasn't sure why- but she was in love with him. She loved the way he made jokes, the way he laughed, and the way he was ready to put his life on the line for anyone.

She frowned, though, as she thought about that last part. When Casey had saved that baby, she hated to say it, but she wasn't proud of him at that point. Sure, later she was, but when it first happened, she was simply terrified.

He'd nearly died.

That was all she could think about. Him, collapsing on the ground, blood smeared all over his mask. Then the ambulance ride where convulsions racked his body and he'd barely breathed. She'd barely been able to breathe, either.

Suddenly, Dawson's cell phone vibrated, startling her out of her thoughts. She quickly answered it. "Hello?"

"Hey, Dawson, it's Severide."

"Oh, hey, Severide." Dawson looked down at her watch. It was nearly 9 am. "You down at the station now? I mean, I heard you nearly had your brains knocked out of you earlier."

"Yeah, that's kind of what I wanted to talk to you about."

She sat up straight, completely awake now. "Wait, you didn't get hurt, did you? Shay's gonna kill you! Well, maybe she'll kill that guy who tried to do it to you first. Okay, exactly where-"

"Dawson, I'm fine."

"Oh. Then what is it?"

"Did Casey tell you he hit his head again?"

"What?" Her stomach dropped and for a moment, all went silent. "What do you mean he hit his head again?"

"Casey saw the guy who was about to attack me, and jumped him. There was a struggle, and Casey hit his head again. He swore he was okay, but…"

Dawson tried to undo her seatbelt, but her hands were cold and shaking. "But what?" Finally, the button snapped open and she jumped out of the car. She needed to get to Casey, now. "Severide, was he really okay?"

"That's it, really, I'm not sure." Pause. "He seemed a little out of it, but swore he was okay. And then I had to go to the station, and you know. I figured he probably hadn't told you or anyone about it."

"Darn straight he hadn't." Dawson fumbled with her house key. "Okay, thanks for calling Severide. I'll check in on him and call you back."

"Okay, thanks."

She tore into the house as she hung up the phone. "Matt?" she called out, trying not to sound worried. "Matt, baby, where are you?" When there was no answer, her heart rate skyrocketed. "Matt? Are you home?"

The house seemed larger than normal, her voice bouncing. She quickly rounded the corner to his bedroom in hopes of finding him there.

"Matt?"

She sighed in relief. There he lay on the bed, eyes closed…almost peaceful looking. He was just sleeping. That's why he hadn't heard her. And by the looks of it, he had simply crawled into bed without a second thought. He was still even in his clothes.

Dawson took a few deep breaths in an attempt to calm herself down. He was okay. Matt had said he would tell her if anything was really wrong, and she wanted to believe him. She wanted to believe that so badly, but she was having trouble doing so.

But he was just sleeping, not dead, or lying on the ground having a seizure or anything. She scolded herself gently. Stop worrying. He said he'd tell you if anything was really wrong, and he will.

The bed looked so warm, especially with Casey lying in it, that Dawson quickly changed into her pyjamas and just crawled in beside him. The adrenaline had worn off and she was once again exhausted. She ran her hands through Casey's hair before closing her eyes.

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