Chicago Fire s09e11 Episode Script

1 You deserve to be with whoever you want to be with, no compromising.
You two had something, didn't you? It's a long story.
I like Violet, but the way things ended between us was awkward.
Just wanted to let you guys know, I'm full time at 51 now.
You're gonna have to pull yourself together.
You know that, right? Buddy of mine, he's had some issues.
Head injury a while back, then started having headaches, and some tunnel vision.
I'd recommend your friend see a neurologist immediately.
You don't mess with head injuries.
Wind up laying across your shoulders, so watch.
Shoot your arm between the victim's legs, you grab their wrist to lock them in place.
It's as simple as that.
All right, your victim's gonna be waiting for you at the top, Mercer, you want to lead the way? Sir, yes, sir.
All right, let's go.
Move.
Wiegand, what do you do if you start to lose balance? Take a knee and protect your victim.
Once you load it up, start back down.
Nice and easy, free hand on the rail.
Slow down.
Mercer, slow down! Oh, d Whoa! I just I don't see how this relationship can survive if every time I reach out, she swipes at me.
Should have her declawed.
I'm pretty sure that's abuse.
No, that's abuse.
Well, it's definitely better now.
- See you later.
- Thanks.
Look at you two, spending the night together.
No, we didn't.
We just had breakfast.
You're anti-sleepover? No, no, it's just Waking up in someone else's place, with all their stuff I do like being around my own stuff.
Me too.
My stuff is the best.
But sharing it can be fun.
I know, and things are really good with Greg.
I'm just not quite there yet.
Morning.
Morning, Captain.
I wanted to let you know, with respect to our conversation last shift, that you don't need to worry The headaches, all that? Stopped.
That's great.
Yeah, and I talked to Will Halstead over at Med, so it's all good.
What's all good? I, uh Had a couple bad headaches last shift, but, uh, it's all cleared up.
Oh.
I'm glad you're better.
Thanks.
I don't do virtual dinner parties.
C'mon, it's a great time.
Trudy sends out recipes, main course and dessert.
I'm sorry, it's a hard and fast rule.
Ritter, what about you and Eric? Eric and I broke up a couple months ago, so What? How did we not know about this? Lockdown took a toll.
Too much time together in a small apartment.
Yeah, I'm real sorry to hear it.
But a catch like you will not be single for long.
It's okay.
I'm actually enjoying the time alone.
No one touches this, okay? I can read.
What is it? Bread dough.
I didn't know you baked.
Of course I bake.
Baking, just like cooking, is all chemistry.
Right now, the amylase is breaking down the starch to maltose, then it'll use maltase to break down the maltose to then Truck 81, ambulance 61, person trapped, Grant and Noble.
What have we got? Down here, hurry! Make a hole, coming through.
Excuse us.
Excuse us.
Is there another way down there? Inside, the back stairs.
Let's head down to the cellar.
Violet, get her out of the way.
- 81, prep the sked.
- Copy that.
We'll haul him out the same way he went in.
Got it, Captain.
Ma'am, I need you to come out of there so we can help him.
What's his name? Robbie.
He's my husband.
How's he look? A little banged up, but the main thing is his arm.
How'd it happen? I don't know.
We got a delivery, I went inside while Ronnie was taking it all down, - and then I heard him scream.
- Okay.
Make way.
Ready for that sked.
Coming to you.
C'mon, folks, give us some room.
Thank you.
Is he badly hurt? I don't know yet, but we'll take care of him.
- Let's hold him in place.
- Yep.
Okay.
This might hurt.
- Put him down.
- I got him.
Okay.
- Roll him over a little bit.
- Yep.
- Easy.
- Watch his arm.
Okay, let's turn him.
- Ready, Mouch? - Yep.
Up.
All right, take him up.
Violet, get ready for him.
On it.
All right.
Ronnie, are you okay? I think my arm's busted.
We're gonna take him to Chicago Med.
- You want to come with us? - Yes, please.
Mike, can you lock up the deli for me? Of course, Patty, no problem.
Hey, come on.
These are good.
I got somebody to set you up with.
Oh.
No.
That's not necessary, or even a good idea, but thank you.
Wha no, he's in Cindy's book club.
Let me guess.
He's the only other gay friend you have.
Uh, it's possible, but that doesn't mean that he's not the right guy for you.
I mean, you know, you probably even know him.
You think all gay people in Chicago know each other? No.
My point is, is that, you know, Andy is a great guy, and I think you two would hit it off.
Yeah, what's the harm in meeting him, Ritter? There you go.
Grabbed the ones off truck and engine, found two older units in storage.
That's plenty.
I only need six.
How's the class? Couple promising up and comers.
Then there's Jacob Mercer, who gives it his all, but scares the hell out of me to see him in a CFD uniform.
Drop the hammer.
You think? It's still pretty early.
This is no job for wannabes.
Me and Darden went through the academy with a guy named Mazzuca.
It was one red flag after another with him, but, somehow, he made the cut.
Then, in his first year riding engine, he drops his line, bails out on his team, and puts one of them in the hospital.
We either have the firefighting gene, or you don't.
What's your take? My take? Well, uh, I mean, Girls On Fire isn't exactly the academy, but, in my experience, there's a lot of raw talent out there, and with encouragement and a little support, you'd be surprised how some people can rise to the occasion.
Case in point.
Hey, Kylie, what's up? Uh, Lieutenant Severide, Chief asked if you could join him in his office.
Ah, Severide, come on in.
Want you to meet an old friend of mine, Chief Gary Mercer.
Kelly Severide, I've heard a lot about you, from Boden, and from my son.
- Jacob? - That's right.
Mercer and I, we served together on engine 93.
Saved me from more scrapes than I care to remember.
More of the bar brawl variety than anything else.
Yeah, don't you listen to him.
Anyway, Kelly, I just wanted to meet the man who's shaping my son's future.
I appreciate you keeping an eye on him.
He's a great kid.
He's wanted to be a firefighter his whole life.
He's a hard worker, always first to volunteer for a drill.
Well, that's good to hear.
Yeah, uh gonna finish setting up.
Yeah, go on, get out of here.
Nice to meet you, Lieutenant.
Chief.
Hey, this was on the squad table.
Who's it from? No idea.
It's just sitting there.
Maybe it's something from the start paperwork.
Hmm.
What? "That fall wasn't an accident.
" It was on the table when you came out of the firehouse? Yeah.
No idea how long it was there.
You didn't see anyone coming in or out? No one.
Hmm.
Well, it has to be referring to Ronnie, the deli store owner, right? I guess so, but why is my name on the envelope? Maybe we should stop by Med and talk to Ronnie.
He's the only one who can tell us exactly what happened.
Damn.
One sec.
Hey, Gallo, we have to run out, but my bread needs to go in the oven.
Yeah, I'm in the middle of something.
Losing at Hold 'Em.
As soon as the oven reaches 500 degrees, put the bread in, turn it down to 450, and bake for 20 minutes.
And don't forget to turn it halfway through, so it heats evenly, okay? Yeah, sure.
She thinks she's the boss of me.
Hmm.
Okay.
Oh? There's a wrench in the oven.
- Literally? - Yeah.
That's mine.
If the beds seem uncomfortable, I wouldn't worry.
You won't get much sleep, not on shift, not with all the snoring and the alarm bells going off all night.
A lot of firefighters sleep with their boots on at night to save time.
All right, then.
You guys learn anything? - Yes, sir.
- Thanks, Chief! You're welcome.
Good luck to you all.
Listen to this man.
He knows what he's talking about.
Okay, one quick drill before you go.
Over there, we have some thermal imaging cameras.
Somewhere in this firehouse, we've hidden a pipe wrench that's been heated up to a couple hundred degrees.
First one to find it gets to sit out next time we hump high rise packs up the stairs.
All right? Let's go, move it.
Oh.
Is that Mercer? Mm-hmm.
Not a lot of method to that madness.
Where'd you hide the wrench? I guess they don't realize they won't get a reading through solid doors? I didn't want to make it too easy.
Oh Look.
Oh-ho! I got it, I got it! Ow Ugh.
And that is why we never forget to put our gloves on.
Come on, let's get some water on that hand.
Okay, that may not have shown the best instincts on his part.
Hey, Will.
Hey, guys, what's up? Um, we're looking for our victim from this morning, extrication from a cellar.
He's your patient, right? Yeah, but we discharged him about a half hour ago.
Did he say anything about how he fell? Uh, wasn't sure.
Yeah, he said he might have passed out, first time happening.
Yeah, CT was negative, but his heart and respiratory rates were a little low, so we did a full work up, checked for opioids, even though he said he hadn't taken any.
That was negative too.
Yeah, besides a fractured radius, he's healthy.
Okay, yeah.
Good to know, thanks.
Yeah, you got it.
Ah, I see you still have the attack cat.
Yeah, this scratch just doesn't want to get better.
Well, let me know if it swells up.
I'll write you a scrip.
Yeah, you're like the official 51 doctor now.
First, Casey and now me.
Casey? Yeah, the headaches thing.
Yeah, he told me a friend was having issues after a head injury, I recommended he see a doctor right away.
Oh.
Um, sorry, I must have misunderstood.
Anyway, thanks for all your help.
Sure thing.
They are confusing, though.
Yeah, no, I know, it's like, if I could have sourdough Hey, so, uh, Cindy she talked to Andy, and he's up for dinner.
Whoa.
Whoa, I didn't agree to this.
And I sure as hell ain't doing dinner.
Come on.
Coffee at most.
Great, okay, so hey Here's his number.
He is waiting for your call.
I think that this is gonna turn into something really special.
Yeah! Blind date.
Do I smell something? Burning, yeah.
Oh my God, I'm a dead man.
Oh I remember that café owner from earlier.
He seems really interested in how bad the victim was hurt.
Yeah, what do we do about this, chief? It seems a little premature to get the police involved.
Who do you suppose sent you this? There were a dozen people hanging around the scene this morning.
It could have been any one of them.
Yes, but why'd they address it to you? Violet's name might have been the only one they heard.
I know I called it out once or twice.
"That fall wasn't an accident.
" Might be worth going back to the deli.
Absolutely.
Go ahead.
So uh, this happened.
I'm really sorry.
I forgot to turn the oven down.
But there was a pipe wrench in there, so you can see how someone can easily get confused.
Well it's good to see you back on your feet so soon.
Let me know if you need any help.
Yeah, yeah, I'll be fine.
Hey, look who it is.
How you feeling? Like I got hit by an I train, but I'll be okay.
Here you go, hon.
I made a fresh pot for you.
Uh-oh, what happened now? We were just out and about and thought we'd stop by and see how Ronnie's doing.
He refuses to take it easy, but I told him, "No more lugging boxes down to the cellar.
" Yeah, what happened there? How did you end up falling? I don't know.
One minute, I'm loading carrots on a conveyor, next, I'm ass over elbow down the stairs.
I don't know if I slipped or tripped or what.
Was there anyone out there who might have seen what happened? Or maybe even bumped into you? Bumped into me? I guess anything's possible.
Hmm.
Well, maybe ask around? Seems like you have a lot of people looking out for you.
What? This guy? He's such a phony.
He just wants to buy me out so he can expand his café.
He's always plying me with free muffins.
I told him a thousand times I'd never sell, never.
Hey.
Promising class you've got there.
It's not too bad.
You get a look at Chief Mercer's boy? Yeah.
Still got some puppy dog in him, doesn't he? Yeah, that's one way of putting it.
Seems like he's got a lot of heart, though.
Yeah, he does.
But he's not a firefighter.
No.
He's a recruit.
It's your job to turn him into a firefighter.
That's why it's called training.
I can teach him how to kick in a door, or to use a thermal camera.
I can't teach him firefighter instincts.
I can't teach him common sense.
I know you and Chief Mercer go way back, so I Severide, you're the instructor.
You're the only one qualified to assess Jacob Mercer's performance.
I'll back you up, whatever you decide.
Thanks, Chief.
Hmm.
So wait, you are gonna give this Mercer kid another chance? Yeah.
Boden's not pressuring you, is he? I didn't think so, but then why? Because, I don't know, maybe there's a firefighter in there somewhere, trying to get out.
Why not make an extra effort to see? Because if I do bounce him, it's gonna make trouble for Boden.
Mm.
Yeah, that's a pretty tough spot you're in.
But I know you well enough to know that you will find the right way through.
Hey.
Hi.
Sorry to interrupt.
Nah.
I saw Will today at Med, and he mentioned that when you asked him about the headaches, you said it was for a friend.
Yeah.
I didn't want to make a big deal of it.
Plus, since we're friendly, he might feel obligated to bring me in for an exam.
Yeah, that's his personality.
He likes to help.
And he said it was important to see a doctor with symptoms like that.
Right.
But then the symptoms went away.
I'm fine, Sylvie, but thanks for checking up.
Of course.
See ya.
Yep.
- Thanks.
- Yeah.
I don't usually do set-ups either, but the Hermanns are great people.
They are, yeah.
So far, I have to admit, I'm glad I did.
Yeah, me too.
- Hi.
- Hi.
There are two of us.
Sure, follow me.
Uh no what's wrong with that one over there? Oh, sorry.
The large tables are reserved for larger parties.
We're only allowed 40 percent capacity, so That's ridiculous.
Come on.
Uh I'll get him back to the table.
Just forget it.
I don't need the drama.
I hate those kinds of arbitrary rules.
It's not really arbitrary.
I mean, now that group at the entrance has to wait.
Uh, hi.
Can we get two coffees and two OJ's? Mm-hmm.
I'm good with just coffee.
Trust me, it's better to get both.
You're that Andrew.
What? You dated Eric before me.
Eric? Oh, Eric Woodruff.
Sure.
Easy to forget.
And from what I heard, you were controlling and critical and put him through hell.
I promise you, Eric was no picnic to deal with either.
Eric is the kindest, most thoughtful guy you'll ever meet, and you didn't deserve a single day you got to spend with him.
What do you think, Ruzek? Well, you have an anonymous letter that makes a vague accusation that may or may not posit that your victim was shoved down a flight of stairs by the muffin man next door? And even your victim doesn't think that's what happened.
I got that right? Look, we're not imagining things.
This letter showed up at our firehouse.
That has to mean something.
Yeah, but what? I mean, Sylvie, if you thought someone was in danger, wouldn't you offer more details? And why not go straight to the cops? Why go to some paramedics? There were no cops at the scene, and maybe they don't have all the details.
Maybe they're just hoping we'll look into it and find out.
Or maybe somebody's just trying to stir up trouble.
That's always a possibility.
My advice? Don't take the bait.
Greg is here.
Thanks for the input, Ruzek.
Yeah, I'll send you a bill.
- Hi.
- Well, hello.
I have a question for you.
Intriguing.
Do you have any interest in spending Friday skiing at Crystal Mountain up in Michigan? Oh, wow, I haven't been skiing in years, but that actually sounds really fun if you promise not to laugh at me when I fall.
You know, I can't promise you that, but I will help you get back up again.
It's a deal.
Awesome.
Well it's a little over 5 hours driving.
I got to work this shift before, so we'd have to spend the night if we want to get a full day in.
But my buddy Carl, he's got a great place there.
He's working all month, so we're welcome to stay.
That sounds perfect.
Once inside the smokebox, I want you to conduct a left hand sweep for victims.
Visibility is gonna be close to zero.
Just remember to stay low and keep in contact with your partners.
All right, Carr, Martinez, you guys ready? - Yep.
- Head up.
Go.
All right, Wiegand, Burke, you guys are next, start double-checking your SCBAs.
Mercer, how's the hand? Okay.
Just glad I can still be useful.
Lieutenant, my air smells weird.
Smells like diesel exhaust.
Mercer, what the hell did you do? I don't know.
These tanks are filled with carbon monoxide.
Hey, hey Hey, come on, hey Hey, breathe can you breathe? Take a breath.
Hey, Wiegand, give me a hand.
You guys go get help, now.
Mercer, open up all the doors and windows now.
Mercer, vent the smoke room! Hurry.
Breathe, breathe.
Here you go.
Breathe, just breathe.
You okay? Here we go.
Give it to me.
Right here.
He refilled the air bottles while there was an engine company idling next to the compressor.
Diesel exhaust got sucked into the air intake.
There was a warning sign right on the machine: "Do not use near exhaust fumes.
" It's been drilled into them.
The CO alarm it didn't get tripped? Oh, it did, but Mercer didn't realize what it was, so he overrode it.
He's lucky he didn't kill anyone.
I should have trusted your instincts.
No, this one is on me.
I I was trying to avoid a tough decision.
Damn, those cadets are lucky Severide was there to get them out.
Yeah, but I know that he blames himself for not acting on that Mercer kid sooner.
I'm gonna go see if he's done with the chief.
I'd feel the same way if anything happened to you.
How do you mean? I backed off too quick the other day when you said you were fine.
A head injury can be serious.
We both know that.
You can't just sit around, waiting and hoping that nothing goes wrong.
You need to do something, Matt.
I'll think about it, I promise.
Hey, hey, hey, hey wait up, how'd it go with Andy, huh? It was, without doubt, the worst date of my entire life.
What? No Cindy said he's real smart, that he picks great titles for the book club.
Yeah, and I bet he picks every title.
The guy is a narcissistic know-it-all.
He used to go out with Eric.
Uh-huh, so you did know him, huh? You got all offended by that.
Maybe not the salient point right now, Hermann.
Umm, Ritter? Hey.
Hey.
Hi.
I heard you had a date with Andrew.
I had no idea it was him, believe me No, I know.
He told me what happened and how you went to bat for me.
He's something.
I just wanted to come by and say thanks for doing that.
Oh, you're welcome, of course.
And that I miss you.
Yeah? Yeah.
Well maybe we should do something about that.
Hey, Violet.
I feel really bad about ruining your bread, so I did a little research, and I, um I made this for you.
You made bread dough? It's actually a bit more complex and subtle than yours.
I used what they call a pre-ferment process.
Oh, is that what they call it? Anyway, you just let it rise overnight, and you can bake it tomorrow.
Okay, sure.
Kelly Severide.
Where do you come off blaming that incident on one of your recruits? You're responsible for their well-being.
It's your job to teach them the safety protocol.
So if they failed, it's because you failed.
You're not passing the buck on this one, pal.
I called Tiburg.
Say goodbye to your cushy side-gig at the Academy.
Your teaching days are done.
I want to be the one to tell you.
Wow.
Ambulance 61, person down, Grant and Noble.
That's the deli.
I don't know what happened.
- I just found him like this.
- Here, come on.
Another fainting spell? That doesn't track with Halstead's workup.
His body temps feel normal.
- Let's check his vitals.
- Okay.
Heart rate and BP are low.
Pupils constricted.
He's exhibiting all the same signs of an OD again, but they checked for opiates at Med.
Brett, let's push Narcan.
But if if he's not on opiates Please, trust me.
Okay, pushing Narcan.
Oh, Ronnie, Ronnie, are you okay? Oh! Toxidrome.
He wasn't pushed down those steps.
He collapsed because he's being poisoned.
No one can touch that muffin.
That's evidence.
It can't be disturbed.
Ronnie, what happened? Is he okay? We need to get him to the hospital.
Step aside, please.
Of course, yeah.
Patty, don't worry about the store.
I got it.
Just go.
Actually, it's a little more critical than last time.
Patty, I can't let you ride in the back with him.
Can you drive her to Chicago Med? Uh, oh, uh yeah, sure.
Great, let's go.
Call Ruzek.
Way ahead of you.
Hey, Cruz just told me about the dressing down that you got from Chief Mercer.
Why didn't you come to me right away? Because it's not your problem.
Another battalion chief comes into my firehouse to jam up one of my officers just for doing their job.
That is absolutely my problem.
And I will take care of it.
I promise you that.
I don't want you to lose an old friend over this Old friend, hell.
He crossed the line.
He's gonna pay for it.
It's my mess.
I'll clean it up.
You need to check him for tetrahydrozoline poisoning.
It can mimic the symptoms of opioid overdose.
We administered Narcan.
He responded right away.
What do you think he was poisoned with? Tetra Tetrahydrozoline.
Common eyedrops.
Harmless when used as intended, but potentially lethal when ingested.
You need to send someone back to the deli to collect a half-eaten muffin to test for it.
Here he comes.
I'm gonna head back now, okay Where you going, muffin man? I have a few questions for you.
For me? What about? Your neighbor in there From what I heard, he's been standing in the way of your big plans.
I didn't do anything.
Well, let's go down to the district.
We can get to the bottom of it, okay? Wai I'm not the one you want.
Violet, it's not me, please.
You wrote the letter.
Yes.
It's her.
I think she wants him dead.
What? She came to me behind her husband's back, said she wanted to sell the deli, and that I didn't have to worry about Ronnie.
That's that's not what I meant.
There's a simple solution to this.
Have your people test the muffin and Ronnie's mug.
She makes the coffee for him.
But wait No.
We need to talk.
What the hell you want? I wish my dad had my back the way you have Jacob's.
You want the best for him.
I can respect that.
He deserves it.
He's a good kid.
But he's not a firefighter, and if you come at this like a chief instead of a father, you'll see that.
You wouldn't send your men into a burning building with someone you knew who wasn't up to snuff.
And you're right to blame me for what happened at the Academy, but the mistake I made was giving Jacob too many chances.
I should have cut him sooner.
I'm sorry it didn't work out, but he'll be okay.
He'll land on his feet wherever he ends up because he has a father who supports him.
Hey.
How's your deli owner doing? He'll make it, but the prognosis on his marriage isn't so good.
So, the bread you gave me turned out okay.
Mostly since I didn't burn it.
That was my first attempt.
Seems like I'm already kind of better at it than you.
Please, you wouldn't know the difference between gluten and a polysaccharide.
You mean a polysaccharide like xanthan gum, produced by bacterium that provides a similar elasticity to gluten? Um Maybe? Been hitting the books.
Hey, Hermann, can I get two more beers? Sorry, I should have asked.
Um, do you want another one? Yeah, thanks.
Aww, see? I told you that date was gonna lead to something special, didn't I, hmm? Yeah.
You're welcome.
- Hey.
- Hi.
I just got word.
Chief Mercer backed off.
My academy gig is safe.
That's great.
Well, it's a relief, that's for sure.
I'm really proud of the way you handled a super tricky situation.
Yeah, well, couldn't have done it without you.
All I said was, "You got this, Kelly Severide.
" No, you gave smart advice too.
Just like Casey, you brought your leadership and experience.
Hey.
- You have a sec? - Sure.
Thank you, for, uh, pushing me the other day.
You're right.
I was too quick to move on when the headaches stopped.
I can't help thinking.
When I got that head injury a few years ago, the doctor said if I get another bad hit, it could mean the end of my career.
Or worse.
Okay, hold on.
There's no need for you to go there yet.
All you need to do right now is make an appointment and get checked out, the sooner the better.
Yeah.
I'll go with you.
No, no, you don't have to do that.
I know things have been weird between us lately, but you were always there for me when I needed it most.
Please let me do that for you.
That'd be great.
Okay, yeah, I'll, uh, make the appointment for Friday? After shift? Friday, um If you have plans, I can handle it solo.
No, I can reschedule it.
I'm going with you, Matt.
That's that.
Okay.
Thanks, Sylvie.