A Slow Burn // Brian 'Otis' Zvonecek // Chicago Fire ✔️

54 || TOGETHER

"You know, in my whole career with the CFD, I've never once had to hold the same firefighter back from running into a burning building twice... Never once had to hear the same pained and gut wrenching cries for a second time. But the other day... I had to do just that." Grissom explained, noticing the way Otis was trying to shake his head as if to tell Grissom he didn't want to hear anymore.

But he was going to.

"Now I'll never forget those cries, never forget the feeling of Riley fighting against me. Fighting to run into that building to save your life. And I've come to terms with that, I've learned to live with it. But you know who definitely won't forget that moment? Who won't learn to live with it if she's left to do it alone?"

"Don't."

"Riley won't..." Grissom continued, ignoring Otis's hollow whisper as he needed to hear this. "I know she ain't ever gonna forget what happened. Won't ever forget the feeling of my fingers digging into her arms as yelled out your name. As she fell to her knees, broken and empty when she heard you were hit."

"Stop it."

"But what'll help her through it, what'll help her forget that day... is you." Grissom finished, pointing towards Otis who was all but crying. He knew he was being tough on the poor guy, that he didn't need to hear all this but he saw the way Riley was when he'd been hit and he knew how she'd be if Otis allowed whatever worry was clouding his judgment to stay. So he just couldn't stay quiet and allow Riley to endure this kind of heartbreak.

Grissom had had to see Riley's heartbreak once already, he didn't need to see it again.

"Riley loves you, Otis." Herrmann spoke up, deciding to be a little easier on Otis now as he couldn't imagine what was going through his head hearing all that. "She loves you more than anything. And I know you're scared. I know you don't want to burden her with all of this, but that ain't up to you to decide... And I know for a fact, that no matter what the outcome of this situation is, she ain't ever gonna leave you."

"It's too late, Herrmann." Otis breathed out, his lip trembling as his watery eyes looked up at the ceiling. "I already broke her heart, there's no way she's gonna take me back. There's no way she's gonna forgive me."

"Yes there is." Came a voice that Otis had never, ever expected to hear again so soon and when he did, it damn near broke his heart again. "Because Herrmann's right... I'm never gonna leave you."

Riley stepped slowly into the room, her arms folded across her chest to try and stop her hands from shaking. She'd left the house almost immediately after Herrmann did and she'd been waiting in the parking lot for him to arrive, wondering what had taken him so long. But once she saw Chief Grissom, she knew why Herrmann had taken longer than he should have.

Both Herrmann and Grissom took Riley's presence as a sign to leave, knowing that she and Otis needed privacy to work through things and they could only pray that they would. That things would have a better outcome than they had yesterday as the two of them were made for each other and if things didn't work out between them, then they knew that neither of them would ever recover.

"I'm so sorry, Riley." Otis whispered, wishing he could move his neck enough to fully look at her as she approached the side of his bed, cautiously as though she didn't know what to expect. "I never meant to hurt you... I-I wasn't thinking straight and I didn't mean any of the things I said... I'm so sorry baby."

"I know." Riley whispered, shakily reaching out to place one hand on the side of Otis's face, which almost had him break down beneath her when he felt her touch. "I know you didn't mean it and I know you're scared... And I know things are looking bad, but you can't make decisions about our future together by yourself." She added, a few tears already rolling down her face.