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𝐬𝐢𝐱𝐭𝐞𝐞𝐧: 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞
 𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐯𝐞.

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"You know what, boss." JJ says, his voice filling the silence in the car. "I find it absurd that you dropped everything to follow a boy."

"Hm?" Maddie hums, shifting her attention to the driver's seat.

The day had finally ended and Maddie practically sprinted out of the building. Luckily, JJ caught her and offered to drive her over to Chicago Med. They stopped by a donut shop to give to the hospital staff and first responders that had been working since morning (all Maddie's idea). 

JJ could tell his boss was distracted. Her eyes looked unfocused and her legs kept bouncing from the passenger seat. 

If his Cecilia was still alive, JJ would tell her that Maddie Severide was the daughter he had pictured for them. In the years they had been married, Cecilia had difficulty getting pregnant so the couple turned to adoption. Bryan Boyle, their son, was somewhere in New York chasing a story. 

JJ repeats his statement and Maddie smiles fondly. 

"Oh, he's not just a boy, JJ." She tells him, "He. . .he makes me feel like I'm not pretending to be somebody I'm not. Kelly is a simple man and I like living simply."

"Why is that?"

Maddie puffs and shrugs her shoulders. "All my life my parents had groomed me for the family business. Business meetings, fancy parties, meeting important people. I hated it." 

JJ guesses there was more to the story since Maddie's smile had vanished. Replacing the smile was a frown that showed disappointment. 

"I may have lived in a mansion but the walls were so thin. I heard my parents argue almost every night. From what the seven year-old Maddie gathered, I think they had disagreements about money. At one point, I think they might have even considered divorce."

"So, why is the business called MOH Construction?"

Maddie gives a dry laugh before answering, "MOH stands for Maddie-Ophelia-Helen──my little sister and mom."

"That's lovely." JJ comments, "You miss your dad?"

"Yeah. . .he was a workaholic and he argued with my mom a lot. But, he was a good father." 

Maddie didn't even notice it but JJ had already parked the car. 

Outside, she spots Truck 81 with Otis and Mouch slumped with tiredness. Chief Boden was conversing Cruz who was the first one to see Maddie exit the car. They wave hello to each other before Maddie goes into the back-seat to gather the five boxes of donuts. 

To her surprise, JJ had already grabbed the other three. "Oh, JJ, you don't have to. I can ask some of the guys for help."

"Don't sweat it, boss." 

They walk towards the hospital with Maddie stopping by the vehicles of Firehouse 51. Mouch hugging her and jokingly declaring that she was the true hero of the day. This temporarily made Maddie forget why she wasn't having her reunion with Kelly right at this moment. 

Hospitals still made Maddie nervous even though it had almost been a year since she had been in one. Maybe it was the stench or the white walls or the fact that her father spent one of his last few days in one. 

As they enter the torn up Emergency Department, Maddie makes a move to pry the boxes from JJ's hands. 

"I can handle the last of these boxes, boss." He tells her as a matter of fact, "I need to see one of my buddies here anyway. Go see your boy." 

JJ expected her to nod and scurry off. But, what Maddie did took him by surprise. 

She had wrapped her arms around him, engulfing the senior citizen in a hug. "Thank you." 

Maddie felt like an idiot because she was walking around with no idea what room he was in. Luckily, after ten minutes of peeking at treatment rooms, she bumps into Sylvie.

"Sylvia!" Maddie exclaims as she gathers the blonde into a hug. "Are you okay? Well, of course you are."

Pulling away, Sylvie laughs. "It was. . .a stressful day, Maddie. But, we pulled through it."

Maddie squeezes her friend's hand. "You always do, my little fighter."

"He's in Room 2B, by the way." Sylvie informs her, "Rumor has it someone brought donuts so. . ."

"Of course." Maddie waves, "You've had a long day. You deserve it." 

Blowing a kiss to her friend, Maddie scurries off to the second floor.

Words couldn't explain how she felt seeing Kelly──her Kelly──laying on a hospital bed all torn up and bruised. She had seen him jog a few miles while still keeping a grin on his face or do push-ups on the floor or carry heavy boxes when they were just moving in effortlessly. Never had Maddie seen him so hurt and fragile. 

Kelly turns his head to the sound of footsteps. He feels better at just seeing Maddie standing even though there was a worried expression on her face. 

"Hey." He greets her, "You can come in, you know." 

Timidly, she walks inside and sits on the plastic chair beside his bed. Under the covers, Maddie finds his hand──a small proof that he was still alive and breathing. "You had me so worried." She tells him. 

"I know. I'm so sorry, Maddie."

"Can you promise me that you won't jump at madmen with grenades in the future?"

"I'll try."

"I guess that will suffice."

She closes her eyes and takes a deep breath. "Kelly, I'm sorry. For over-reacting about your ex-girlfriends."

"It's okay. I understand where you're coming from." He replies and remembers what Shay had said, "I think there hasn't been a girl in Chicago that I haven't plowed."

"Er──that's not exactly helping, mahal ko (my love)."

"I just. . .my dating history isn't exactly a topic that I enjoy. Contrary to popular belief, I'm not proud of it."

Maddie brings his hand to her lips. "But, can I just say that I'm extremely proud of you today? You scared me to death but I'm proud nonetheless."

Chuckling, Kelly moves to the side to make space for her on his bed. "Scoot your cute butt over here, Mrs. Severide."

Maddie carefully lays beside her husband. She rests her head on his chest and listens to his steady heartbeat──another assurance that he was living and breathing. When Kelly positions his hands around her waist and his chin right on top of her head, they looked like two puzzle pieces fitting together.

"Kelly?" Maddie says, "Tell me a story?"

Instead of starting a story, Kelly reaches for his phone and opens a video. He hands Maddie the phone and while she gives him a confused look. He explains, 

"There was this call once at a construction site and I met an old man named Peter. His leg had internal bleeding and the only way to get him out was to cut it off. The whole thing was collapsing and Peter had realized that he wasn't getting out alive so he asked me to record a video message for his wife. It's still here." 

"Why do you still have it there?"

Kelly shrugs and kisses her forehead. "It's a little reminder for me to keep my promises to the grave."

"Oh." The video was already starting and she sees a man similar to JJ's age on the screen. "Will this make me cry?"

Relaxing into Maddie, Kelly tells her it probably will.

The video starts and Maddie is stunned into silence. 

Georgie, my love. God, I wish I were better at this. I made a lot of promises to you over the years. Some were harder to keep. I promised you a house in Provence. I'm sorry we never made it there. You worked hard on that French.

But every promise that I ever made about you──about how you were the final piece to my puzzle──those I kept until today. Every day. 

And if it weren't for Kelly, I would have never had this chance. To say goodbye.

Oh, my love. Do you remember that I made you promise me that you'd let me die before you? Well, thank you, my love. 

Because I couldn't live a day in this world without you. 

AUTHOR'S NOTE
bonus points if
you remember
which episode
the video is from ;))