Fandom: Chicago PD / Chicago Med
Characters: Atwater!Sister x Kevin Atwater, Kim Burgess, Maggie Lockwood
Warnings: Gunshot mention, injury mention
Summary: Kevin gets hurt whilst out with Intelligence, and the reader is not happy about it.
You sat filling in your latest creation at the kitchen table, you carefully coloured in between the neat linework you had created of a fierce tiger with an open roaring mouth. Kim had even joked that it was so ‘freaking cool’ that she’d get it tattooed on her back, to which you had tried to make a crafty bet with her - unfortunately, it hadn’t landed, and you had a sneaky suspicion your tiger wouldn’t end up permanently inked to Kim’s skin. Yet, you still remained proud of your work, giving the tiger deep rich orange and brown tones on its fur.
It was a Friday night, which was usually, without fail, a pizza night with Kim and Kevin, and sometimes Jordan if he decided to stay home instead of going out to play video games at a friend’s house.
The trouble was, lately, Kim and your oldest brother had been invited more and more to work with a ‘special unit’, and though you didn’t know all the details you had gathered enough from overhead conversations, and little bits that Kevin did tell you, to know that this invitation was important.
After a lot of persisting in your line of questioning, and asking whether your brother was about to become a spy, Kim explained that ‘Intelligence’ was a special group of officers that helped take down really bad people. And that she and your brother had been occasionally requested to tag along and help out.
You had huffed in frustration when 5pm rolled around with no sign of Kevin, by 6pm your tiger was mostly coloured in and your tummy was full of pizza, with a little extra helping of cookie dough to really send you closer to a food nap. At around 6.30 pm you could sense Kim’s own restlessness, her subtle attempts to call and text your brother hadn’t escaped your notice. You were 14 after all, not 4.
Sighing you left your art supplies on the table mat, shuffling over to sit next to Kim on the sofa. Instantly she held out her arm so you could cuddle in, resting your head on her shoulder as you sighed. She squeezed you a little tighter.
“I know, kiddo. I’m sure we’ll hear something soon. If we don’t, I’ll ring around and ask some other people, alright?”
You nod timidly, the frustration you felt with Kevin had fully been replaced by worry.
Kim had been trying to give Kevin time to wrap up his affairs with Intelligence, she knew that the work day seldom finished when it was supposed to. It was like that with patrol, let alone Intelligence. She felt a gnawing worry, but she also didn’t want to interfere with Kevin trying to make a professional, good, impression on Voight and the others. Plus, she didn’t want to hear it from Trudy Platt about not being ‘a secretary for Atwater’.
By 7pm Kim gets a call from Antonio Dawson, and her stomach nearly falls out of her ass. She knew that Detective Dawson would have no good reason to call her at 7pm on a Friday. With a glance at you, she extricates herself from your dozing form, leaving the soft rumbles of the movie playing in the background.
“Detective?” She instantly queries, skipping the pleasantries.
“Burgess, you with Atwater’s sister?”
“He’s in the ED at Med, nothing too serious, a bullet grazed his arm. Took a few punches to the face. They’re just checking him over, patching him up. He’s gonna be on painkillers though, you think you can pick him up?”
Kim’s brain stalls for a moment before she stutters back into life, “Y-yeah, of course. We can be there in about 20.”
“Great. Listen, uh, I’d bring him to you but I gotta get back to the 21st so…”
“No, of course, I understand. No sweat, I’ll get Y/N and we’ll be there within half an hour.”
“Alright, see you then. Maggie Lockwood will be expecting you.”
“Right, see ya, Burgess.”
The line is disconnected and Kim exhales. She knew that even if what Antonio had told her was true, no matter how minor the injury, the fact that Kevin was in the ED at all would freak you out. If she was honest, it was freaking her out too. Kevin had become such an important presence in her life, just as you and Jordan had in the process.
Gently she shakes your shoulder, brushing stray hairs from your face,
Your eyes blink open, taking a moment to resurface from the foggy layers of sleep, licking your lips that had become dry at the mercy of the salty goodness of pizza.
“Kim? What time issit?” You wrinkle your face, yawning as you take a long drink of the water you had on the coffee table.
“It’s a little after 7. Listen, kiddo, I got a call from someone I work with. Your brother is okay, but he got a little hurt today, we have to go pick him up from the hospital.”
You nearly spit out your water, eyes going wide with worry.
Kim holds up placating hands,
“Hey, hey, it’s alright. He’s okay, we just gotta get him because they gave him some strong medication. But he’s fine, alright? They wouldn’t let us get him if he wasn’t.”
You sigh, biting your lip, but ultimately what Kim was saying made sense, and you trusted Kim.
Putting your sneakers on, and one of Kevin’s hoodies that you loved to perpetually steal, you bundled yourself into the front seat of Kim’s car, remembering to at least message Jordan about your brother.
Kim attempted to calm you by letting you choose the music, but you were too distracted wondering over and over if this would happen more now that Kevin had been picked for the special unit. You fiddled with the friendship bracelet on your wrist, it was identical to the one you’d made for Kevin.
“Hey, Y/N, you listening to me, sweetheart?” Kim’s voice is gentle, and you sigh, you know she’s trying her best.
“Yeah, I am, Burge. Just… scary, y’know?”
“Oh boy, yeah, I feel you on that.” There’s a beat of silence, and then she reaches out a hand to squeeze yours, eyes still on the road with one hand still on the wheel.
“It’s tough stuff. How about we smack him upside the head when we get there, hm?”
Kim knows how to get a laugh out of you, the two of you derived a lot of joy by driving Kevin and Jordan crazy with your shenanigans, you are thankful to have someone that you could see and have as a big sister figure.
When you arrive at Med you’re taken aback by how many officers were around, you were used to Kevin being in the company of other police officers now, but it still made you nervous to be up close with them. Silently you link your arm with Kim’s, keeping by her side as she walks you to the desk in the ED's waiting room. She glances at you with a reassuring smile, wrapping an arm around your shoulder to help you feel at ease.
“Ah, Officer Burgess. He’s just signing the discharge papers, I’ll let you through.” Leah recognised Kim immediately, this was certainly not the first nor the last time she’d been to Med, whether for herself or one of her colleagues and friends.
You glance at the lady at the desk, she officers you a warm smile and you return a timid one back, already trying to peep through the small windows of the double doors to see if somehow you could spot where your brother was.
Following Kim into the main area of the ED, you're struck by a varied and unsettling soundscape, of machines, patients in distress, and doctors communicating hastily… in the chaos stands Maggie, whom you’d met briefly before at one of the famous Lockwood BBQs. Her soft expression and warm smile are an oasis in the storm, and though Kim is already heading towards her you feel like making a beeline, desperate to be with Kevin now.
“Hey, Mini Atwater, how’re doing, hon? I hear you’re looking to get an art honour this year.” Maggie rests a reassuring hand on your shoulder, looking proudly at you. Kevin had obviously been hyping you up, he had an embarrassingly sweet habit of doing that.
“I’m- I’m okay, and uh, yeah… I’m hoping. Did Kev tell you?”
“He sure did, sweetie. He hasn’t stopped jabbering about you and Jordan, the medicine made him really chatty.” Maggie raises her eyebrows comically and it gets a laugh out of you, the worry melting off your face slightly, you were intrigued to see your brother hopped up on medication. You would definitely have to get a video for Jordan and Kim, for prosperity.
Kim gives you a look, and you keep giggling, both of you would undoubtedly get a kick out of Kevin saying cute and stupid stuff.
Maggie steps forward, nodding in the direction of a cubicle, “Come on, we’ve kept you long enough. He’s in T4.”
The sight that greets you when you enter the cubicle isn’t as bad as your mind had conjured, but it’s still enough to make tears quickly spring to your eyes. Kevin’s soft glazed-over expression goes from slight loopiness to sadness within seconds as he sees how upset you are.
“Hey, little queen, come here. It’s all good, I’m fine.” Kevin is sitting on the bed with his right arm securely bandaged, his lip is split and he’s got a colourful bruise under his eye, there are a few scratches on his cheeks and neck, but really all things considered he was okay.
Kim moves to one side, touched by the scene as she reads through Kevin’s case notes on the table beside him, trying to give you some privacy in your distress.
“Kev, please don’t get hurt anymore.” You murmur, your voice muffled by his good shoulder as you let yourself be cuddled. Your big brother always could make you feel safe, even though he was the one who was hurt.
“I’ll always be trying to stay safe, baby girl. They just surprised me, but the unit had my back, it’s all good.”
He presses a kiss to the side of your head, leaning back from the embrace to speak to Kim, still keeping a comforting hand on your arm. He had spotted you were wearing one of his hoodies again, but given the circumstances, he didn't have the heart to tease you about it.
“Thank you for coming, Burge. And for taking care of this one.”
“Anytime, partner. And she’s the best company out of the three of you.” Kim winks at you with a grin, and Kevin laughs, nodding.
“That’s truth, I can’t lie.”
“We good to go, are you feeling ready?” Kim queries, worried for her friend just as you had been, though it was no surprise to your observant self that she was better at staying calm, she was an adult after all. One of the most level-headed, cool, fun and put-together ones you knew.
Kevin nods, pushing up off the bed with a wince, you want to ask if he’s okay but you don’t want to smother him. So you just silently link your arm with his, supporting him even though you knew you’d never be able to hold your brother up. He was much too tall and strong, yet it still comforted you to at least be by his side. He smiled gratefully down at you, nudging you gently.
“I’m a lucky big brother, I ever tell you that?” His eyes twinkle with affection, feeling supremely tired after his day, looking forward to being home and safe with you, Jordan and Kim - who would undoubtedly stick around to help out for a bit.
You swallow the lump in your throat, not feeling ready to cry yet again, you smile in surprise at Kevin,
“No… but, I’m lucky too. You’re the best parent, I don’t need anyone else.” You sigh, content and relieved that he really did seem okay, walking him out to the parking lot with Kim. You had meant what you said, but you said it with such a casualness that you had just carried on walking, not noticing the silent tears of pride and love that escape from Kevin’s eyes.
He really couldn’t feel any luckier, even on a day where he’d been punched out and shot.
