The Good and the Bad

Retaliation Hit

Chapter Fifteen

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"Got any news for us, Pete?" Scout asked the candidate as she, Gaby, Shay, and Tara joined them on the scene.

"A worker backed a forklift into the shelves and the whole thing came down on top of him," Peter caught them up.

"Well this is gonna be fun." Scout sighed as they started to weave their way through the mess to get to where Matt and Otis were working on uncovering the man himself.

"Hang on, man. We're gonna get you out," Matt promised the man as the women joined them. Scout offered the man a smile when they reached his side, instantly noticing the piece of metal shelving that was impaling his lower leg, just above his ankle.

"Hey, can you tell me your name?" Gaby asked the guy.

"Phil," his voice shook slightly. "Phil Manfreddi."

"Okay, hi, Phil." Gaby smiled down at him as Scout moved around his head to get to his other side, trying to get a better look at his leg.

"Okay, Phil, I want you to breathe slow and easy for me, okay?" Scout spoke calmly to the man as she pressed her gloved fingers against his ankle underneath the wound, checking for a pulse.

"You see his nail beds, how blue they are?" Gaby aimed her question at Tara. "What's that mean?"

"Shock," Tara answered easily. "He's in shock."

"Very good," Gaby nodded in approval. "We're gonna keep his c-spine nice and straight. And we need to warm him up. Okay, I'm gonna lift your head, hun."

"Let's get the spreaders," Matt told Severide.

"Forget the spreaders," Severide shot the idea down. "Get the torch in here. We need to cut this beam."

"Copy that," Capp nodded before he hurried back out to the squad to get the torch.

"Wait, why-- why don't we try and lift it?" Peter asked.

"It's too unstable. Anything shifts, and it'll all fall on top of him," Severide told him.

"Scout," Shay tossed one end of the blanket to the brunette over Phil's body. Scout grabbed it with ease, helping cover Phil's body to try and help him retain body heat.

"Is there anything flammable in these boxes?" Severide asked one of the employees standing nearby.

"No, sir," the man shook his head.

"Phil, you're gonna need to hold still as much as you can." Scout advised the man as Severide took the torch from Capp, not wasting any time in getting to work. Seeing the fear and panic swirling around in the man's eyes, Scout gently took one of his hands and held it between her own, letting him squeeze as tightly as he needed to.

"Severide, kill the torch!" Matt yelled.

"What?" Severide asked as the flame shifted. The sparks flew, catching on gas that had leaded underneath them. No one had any time to react as the flames followed the trail, setting off the tanks a few feet away.

"Matt!" Scout shouted her brother's name as he got blown back a couple yards from the small blast. The others jumped into action, grabbing fire extinguishers and going to work on putting out the flames. "Matt?"

"I'm okay," Matt assured her as he started to help the other guys, not letting the blast faze him.

"Is it out?" Severide asked as he eyed the pile where the flames had started.