Chicago Fire (2012–…): Season 8, Episode 17 - Protect a Child - full transcript

Things get personal for Casey and Gallo in the aftermath of a suburban house fire involving a mother and her young son. Herrmann campaigns for more respect. Kidd has an idea for giving back to her community.

You coming to Molly's tonight?

Nope. Going out with Violet.

I knew you'd met your match
with her.

I'm not really feeling a
very supportive vibe right now.

What's she up to?

Captain Leone...

You do not want
to be on her bad side.

Matt Casey,
this is my birth mom, Julie.

Julie, this is Matt.

He's terrific.

How long have you two
been dating?



Oh, um, no, it's not like that.

We're just friends.

If you say so.

Okay, okay.

I saw you act like you were
gonna skip that candy bar.

Gordy, you're not supposed
to notice my purchases.

There's, uh,
clerk-customer confidentiality.

Your secret is safe with me.

- $3.49.
- Here you are.

Keep the change.

Hey.

What are y'all doing?

- You say something?
- Yeah.

How old are you?



No one trying to talk to you.

Well, aren't you supposed
to be in school

instead of out here on a corner
slinging God knows what?

Hey, I'm talking to you!

You should've seen them.

They couldn't have been
more than 14, 15 years old

and they just scattered right
as soon as I approached them.

Probably thought you were a cop.

- Well...
it's just so sad, you know?

And what am I doing about it?
Nothing.

I always say that I want to be
more involved in the community,

and then another week goes by
and what have I done?

Okay, despite whatever
the weather is up to today,

I still expect Firehouse 51
to be prepared.

- Yes, Lieutenant Herrmann?
- All right.

Well, thank you, Chief, for
addressing me by rank there,

because it cuts to the heart
of why I raised my hand.

I was wondering, you know,
about officer's quarters.

You see, uh, it's been over
a year since I made lieutenant,

you know, and, you know,
Casey and Severide over there,

they got their own officer's
quarters, you know,

down in the bunk room, and I...

We only have two
officer's quarters at 51.

Oh, I understand that
and I thought about that,

and that's why I would like
to request

the blue room
down in the bullpen.

I can be closer to you
and end up keeping...

No.

That was a little quick.

Blue office is for storage,
now and forever.

It's not gonna be
your officer's quarters

or a women's lounge

or whatever function you all
come up with by tomorrow.

Like a game room?

Oh!

Uh, but, Chief...

Truck 81, Ambulance 61,

house fire,
55 South Randolph Street.

Truck 81, fire looks like

a couple bedrooms burning
on the second floor.

Mouch, Kidd,
take the Charlie side.

Gallo, with me.

Clear upstairs first,
work our way down.

Engine... 105, drop two lines.

- Okay, we got two. Heard him.
- Copy that.

I knew something like this
would happen.

That woman in there,
she's unfit to be a mother.

- Gallo, find the stairs!
- Copy that.

Fire Department! Call out!

Captain, over here!

Ma'am, we have
to get you out of here!

- My son, Noah, is upstairs!
He's only six!

- Where?
- In the bedroom on the right!

- Gallo, go!
- Yeah.

Fire Department! Call out!

They'll get to your son!

No!

- Ma'am!
- No!

- You come with us!
- Come on, ma'am!

- Noah, Noah!
- I got you!

Fire Department! Call out!

- Noah!
- They'll get him!

Noah!

Noah! Call out!

Noah!

- No sign of him!
- Did you check the master?

Yeah.

Mom!

Hey, kid! Come with me!

Mm-mm.

I'll take you to safety,
I promise!

No!

Your mom's already
down there, come on!

- Come on.
- No!

Hey, hey.

When I was your age, there was
a fire at my house too.

And I hid in as safe a place
as I could find,

exactly what you're doing, okay?

But...

this place isn't gonna keep you
safe much longer, okay?

It's true.

So come on.

Come with me and we'll get you
to safety.

We'll get you to your mom, yeah?

Come on. Come here.

Here. Stay low.

Yeah.

Okay.

- All right, ready?
- Go.

Knock it down.

- Where are they?
They said they'd get to him.

What's your name, ma'am?

- Jenni.
- Okay, Jenni.

Can you help us
put this oxygen mask on you?

You took in a lot of smoke,
honey.

Oh, God. Thank God, Noah!

Noah!

- Mom!
- Not a scratch.

Thank you.

Let me just take a look at him.

- Okay.
- Come here, buddy.

Jenni...

there you go.

Brave what you did, ma'am.

Great. Okay.

No surprise this happened.

She can't take care of him.
She's paralyzed.

She could've gotten
that little boy killed.

- You saw.
- Hey.

You're not helping anyone with
that, so why don't you just...

All right, 81.

Let's help 105
rebed their hoses.

Hey, how was it?

Rolling.

Good save with a kid
hiding under the sink.

Oh, details.

So we get to this house...

Captain.

What's he doing?

Apparently, he's making
his own officer's quarters.

That is precisely
what I am doing.

If you guys want to get
something done around here,

you have to stop asking
for permission

to start
building your own future.

Voilà.

Okay, clap it up, all right.

Just know that where
preparation meets perspiration,

you have...

Constipation.

Innovation.

Okay, well, I'm gonna head
into my quarters

and get some paperwork done.

Yeah, same.

I believe I will too. Hmm.

Dude, no, no,
don't give me that, okay?

We were the last group

who had to raise
the 50-foot Bangor ladder

in under
a two-minute time limit.

But the instructors
flat-out told our class

we had the highest scores
and best times

they'd seen in, like, a decade.

They say that to everyone.

What are you two on about?

We're comparing academy classes.

They started making it way
easier after I came through.

I'm, like,
six months behind you.

Oh, did your class even go
in the smokebox?

Dude, don't.

Mm, question for both of you.

What percentage of each class
was women?

Not enough!

Hey!

Hey, what brings you by?

We had a call up Racine.

We're low on chem strips,

so Jody is raiding
61's supply cabinet.

- And you stopped in to say hi.
That is...

I came by to raid your fridge.

Ah.

But seriously,

we had, like, three women
in our entire class.

You know what?

I just... I just thought
of something.

Um, can you both
finish making sandwiches?

- Uh... uh, of course.
- Thank you!

- Chief, you got a second?
- More than that.

What's on your mind?

Okay, so I just had
some inspiration.

The short version is,
I gotta do more

for young women out there.

Whatever it happening
in the "women's movement,"

it's not happening on streets
like Marquette

or West Garfield
or South Ashland.

So what if I set up a program
where I recruit young women

from Chicago public schools
to be junior firefighters?

Sounds good.

Though I will say,

as with anything of this
nature at the CFD,

you're gonna need an abundance
of two things.

Okay.

Patience and persistence.

I got both those things.

I mean, I can when I need to.

Okay.

What you're gonna want to do is

call Owen Horton

in Community Relations
at headquarters.

And feel free to tell him

that you have my full support.

Thank you, Chief.

It's a terrific idea.

Truly.

- Hey.
- Hi.

I'll hit the supply room
for restock.

Great.

Julie!

Oh, Sylvie, oh,
I hope you don't mind me

dropping by unannounced.

No, not at all.

I was thinking I could get
your help with neighborhoods.

I mean, I know I can Google

"best neighborhoods
for new moms in Chicago,"

but I'd rather land
some insider knowledge

from someone who's
in these streets every day.

You've come
to the right place, trust me.

I am the go-to house hunter
at Firehouse 51.

Oh, hey,
there's a show called that.

"House Hunters."
Have you seen it?

I am the biggest fan
in the world.

I even roped my ex-fiancé

into marathoning
the whole series with me.

Wait, what? Ex-fiancé?

Oh, uh, yeah, no,
that's a whole nother...

Yeah, a whole nother
something I want to hear about.

Look, I know we have time,

but I will take
every Sylvie Brett story

that I can get.

Fine, but I'm gonna need
some coffee.

I just can't wait
to hear all about it.

Excuse me.

Could you please direct me
to a Captain Matthew Casey?

I'm Matt.

Oh, all right, well,
that saves me a few steps.

I'm Vera Gantry with the.

Department of Child
and Family Services.

Oh, okay.

Your name is on
an incident report

from a house fire this morning

involving Jennifer Davis
and her son, Noah.

The woman in the wheelchair?

Yes, sir.

I received an endangerment
complaint asking DCFS

to remove the child
from his mother.

Well, in fact,
there have been...

Five calls regarding negligence
of the mother before the fire.

Did they come
from the same neighbor?

- I'm not at liberty...
- She was a real piece of work.

Casey.

These are serious allegations.

Captain Casey, did you see
how the fire started?

It looked like an electrical
fire, but I can't be sure.

That would a matter for the
Office of Fire Investigation.

I can say
that the mother, Jenni,

turned over her wheelchair so
she could crawl up the stairs

and try to save her child.

Couldn't get up the stairs.

That's not what I said.

Were you summoned by
fire alarms inside the house?

I believe it was a 911 call.

- No alarms.
- Hey, what's your agenda here?

To protect a child.

It seems more like
it's a premade decision

in search of facts
to back it up.

Okay, that's enough.

You have my captain's
incident report.

Yes, I have everything I need.

Are you serious?

This woman came here
to check some boxes.

Didn't matter what I said.

- You're right.
I didn't like her attitude.

She wanted a few choice quotes

so she could take a boy away
from his disabled mother.

Doesn't sit right with me,
Chief.

Doesn't sit right at all.

Ritter, Herrmann wants
to see you in his office.

His what?

Hey, sit.

- Oh, yeah.
- Sit.

Yeah.

So, um, thank you for coming.

I just wanted
to let you know that

now that I got my own office

that you can come and knock on
my door anytime, day or night.

There is no door.

Eh, I know that this
is a little thrown together,

but as your officer,
I want you to know

that if you ever have
any suggestions or complaints

or you just want to get
something off your chest

that you can come to me here

and we can have
private conversation.

Uh, well, this area has an echo.

A what?

An echo.

You can hear
anything anyone says,

like, all over the bunk room.

That's why no one sat on
the sofa that used to be here.

It's true. I can hear you.

- Expired.
- Yeah.

Way expired.

I was told I could find
Stella Kidd in here.

Yes, you can, and yes, you did.

Owen Horton, CFD
Community Outreach Department.

Oh, um, hi.

I got your message.

I was running back from Manny's,

thought I'd stop by
and get the lowdown.

Well, firstly, thank you
for responding so quickly.

Okay, so like I said
on the message,

I'm calling it Girls On Fire.

What I'm thinking is,
high school girls...

Young women...
Can see that there is a career

for them in the fire service.

So we have them run drills,
spread hoses,

climb ladders,
ride in the trucks,

and hear from women who are
in the trenches every day

at the CFD.

You know, let these
teenage girls feel empowered.

What you're gonna want to do

is write me up
a formal proposal.

You'll find the guidelines
on the CFD server.

Get a female officer
to cosponsor with you

and email it to me
when you're done.

W...

Dana?

Yeah, I had a quick stop.
I'll be there in five minutes.

- W...
- Okay, thanks.

Um, a female officer?

All outreach programs require
an officer's full commitment.

His or her presence
at all meetings and events.

I think the only way this one
flies is if it's female-led.

Right.

Exactly.

I think he's into it.

I have to go print up a list
of female officers.

Ambulance 61, medical assist,

8106 West Roosevelt.

Did you boys call
for a medical assist?

- Yup.
- Where?

Full moon, 12 o'clock.

- Whoo, whoopsie-daisy!
- Oh, Lordy.

Ah! Whee!

Whoopsie-daisy, whee!

Okay, I'm sorry,
but this is a police matter.

No, no, no, no.

Clearly, this
is a medical assist.

- Look at that guy.
He could be dangerous.

We don't know.

- Do you see a weapon?
- I don't see much of anything.

Okay, I'm sure this would be

a big hoot down at the district,

but we're not treating this guy

until he's restrained.

No one's complaining
about a crime,

therefore no call to arrest.

Um, I am.

I just went to get some coffee

and now I can't
get back inside my office.

I mean, that's gotta be
some sort of crime.

No, this is a public
building, public space.

Unless he's committing a crime
right now, I...

- Public indecency.
That's at least a misdemeanor.

You guys just don't want
to deal with it.

- Listen, honey.
Give me your name.

I'll tell your supervisor
you refused a medical.

"Honey."

- Where's your body cam?
- It's right here.

Hi, I'm Emily Foster
from Firehouse 51.

And your officer...

Nesbitt

is an A-hole!

That's not necessary.

Let me show you something.

Hey, what the...

- Stop! Police!
- Whoo-hoo-hoo-hoo!

- Well, it's a crime now!
- Hey, stop!

I, uh,
guess I'll get back to work.

After I scrub that image
out of my brain.

- Oof.
- Um, excuse me.

Does your office
handle residential

or commercial listings?

Uh, both, actually.

Nicholas Winter.

Oh, Sylvie Brett.

- Hey, Chief.
- Yeah?

I'm gonna run by that
house fire from yesterday,

talk to the neighbor
who made that complaint.

What you mean, talk to her?

Talk to her.

I could go with you, Captain.

I really connected to that kid.

I'd like to come
if you don't mind.

Not at all.

Okay, don't do anything
to have headquarters call me.

Copy that, Chief.

I'll be home later.

I gotta stop by the academy
and meet with this lady chief.

All right, I'll see you later.

All right.

- Absolutely, I hear you.
It sounds like a great program.

SO you'll cosponsor with me?

I wish I could, Stella,

but you know I don't
put my name to anything

unless I can give it
my full attention.

In addition
to running a battalion,

I use my days off
to support the 100 Club.

- Oh, yes.
That's right, I knew that.

You said that before.

- Look, I'd love to help you.
- Help you with what?

Oh, um, it's...

Actually, Stella needs
an officer to cosponsor

- her Girls, um...
- Girls On Fire.

- Girls On Fire program.
- Sounds interesting.

It is, it is.

- Tell you what.
I've got breakfast free.

Why don't we discuss it
over coffee and pancakes?

Okay.

Okay.

Ma'am?

Arlene.

- I'm Matt Casey.
This is Blake Gallo.

We're with the Chicago
Fire Department.

I remember.

Are you the one who called
DCFS, filed a complaint?

The mother, Jenni Davis,

she can't take care of her yard.

Why would you think she can
take care of a little boy?

Her yard?

The woman has no respect
for the property line.

The roots of her trees
run directly into my yard,

ripping through my garden.

You mean to tell me

you called to have a child
taken away from his mother

because of some tree roots?

That woman
almost got her son killed.

Do you know what it's like
to have a son taken away?

'Cause I do, and what
you're doing is reprehensible.

You don't know half of anything.

I didn't know you
had a son, Captain.

Long story.

Let's take a look
at the second floor.

Maybe swing by the hospital,

let the mom know
what she's dealing with

in terms of fire damage.

That sounds good to me.

So I have houses in Hyde Park,

Old Town, and Wicker Park.

I'm more than happy to set
aside a day to drive around,

show them,
see what speaks to you.

We can talk about styles:

Traditional, craftsman, English.

We can talk about
school districts.

We can talk about work
or walking neighborhoods

or anything and everything

that's important
to you as a buyer.

That'd be great.

Will you be coming too?

- Oh, are you kidding?
I live for this stuff.

Well, then it sounds like
we're gonna have some fun.

Let me go grab my calendar
and we can set aside a date.

I'll be right back.

Thank you.

He just asked me out.

Well, yeah. He was into you.

You think?

He couldn't take his eyes
off you.

Oh.

And you should definitely
say yes.

Well, I'm not really looking
to date right now.

- Ugh, I knew it.
You're hung up on Matt.

No. I... no.

We're... we're friends.
Just friends, trust me.

He was married
to my best friend.

It's a whole thing.

- Okay.
- Julie.

Okay, I will leave it at that.

And so what I want
to show them, really show them,

is how responsibility
goes both ways, you know?

And when those bells go off,
you have to be fearless

and professional and ready.

The skills that they learn,
they can carry over

into their schools, their
families, their communities

whether they become
firefighters or not.

Girls can be heroes,
and they need to know that.

Mm.

- Anyways, that's it.
That's what I want to do.

Okay, yeah, yeah.

- There you go.
- Thank you.

So what do you think?

I mean, Girls On Fire, right?

Uh...

Not interested.

You're a schemer.

I don't work with schemers.

It's not as bad
as I would've thought.

- He's a general contractor.
- Ah.

Good news is,

most of the damage
is contained to the hallway

and a couple bedrooms upstairs.

And I have insurance,
including fire.

It's the one smart thing
Braden did before he left.

They stand up there

and they say,
"In sickness and in health,"

but those are just words
until spinal stenosis sets in.

Braden walked out on Noah
and me and never looked back.

Never called once.
It's been three years.

- Sorry.
Sounds like a terrible person.

Jennifer Davis, as required
by Illinois state law,

I'm informing you that

the Department of Child
and Family Services

is taking Noah
into state custody.

What?

Until such time
as a family court justice

can render a decision.

Now, a copy of your case report
has been given to your doctor...

No, no, you can't do this.

A copy of your case file
has been given to your doctor,

which he will share with you
when you are ready.

- You can't do this.
- Come on.

If you have any questions,

you can call DCFS
during office hours.

- Noah!
- Mom?

No, wait!

- Mom!
- Noah!

No! You can't do this!

It was awful, Chief, just awful.

I can imagine.

And this neighbor, Arlene,

she's a whole nother level.

Oh, she's disgusting.

I don't like saying that about
people, but that's what she is.

Okay, I understand and I agree.

It's an awful situation
and you feel helpless.

The way they treated
that mother was...

However, we have a shift to run.

I need you both focused.

We will be.

I will be.

Good.

And so that exhausts my list
of women officers I know.

The whole list could've fit
on a Post-it Note, anyway.

And, you know, I don't...

I don't want to cosponsor
Girls On Fire without someone

who's dependable,
enthusiastic, smart.

I know a woman officer
who's all those things.

Really? Who?

Wendy Seager.

The woman who threw vibes
at you right in front of me?

I'll text you her number.

Mm.

Nope. Not gonna get to me.

Ta-da!

Whoa, did you see me
play a spade?

Yeah.

Well, then you know
I'm out of hearts.

Oh.

Gotta pay attention
to what everyone is playing.

Speaking of paying attention.

Actually, you remember the guy

who helped us with the police
at naked guy call?

Mm, do I?

He was F-I-N-E, fine.

Go on.

He asked me out.

And you're just now telling me?

- I haven't answered him yet.
- Oh, girl.

I wanted to sleep on it.

I think that's smart.

You go to eager beaver
and they think,

"What problems
does this gal have

that she's jumping
to go out with me?"

Listen to Gallo.

Or maybe don't call a woman
a beaver.

Listen to Ritter.

I wasn't, I wasn't, I...

Wow.

No, I didn't mean it like that.

- Dude.
- It's a phrase.

It's like... it's like busy bee.

- It's like busy bee?
- Yeah, it's a phrase.

Help us!

Yeah?

- It's Graham.
The forklift just sort of...

- Show us.
- All right, this way.

I told him not to take
the corners too quickly

when the forklift's loaded up,

especially at the end
of the shift

when everyone's exhausted!

- Come on.
- Come on.

Guys, guys, back up!

Come on, guys, pull!

Hey, hey, guys!

Whoa, whoa, whoa!

Hey, hey, guys, back up!

Give us some space to work.

It won't budge!

Hey, hey, you did
what you could.

Back up. Let us do our job.

- Hey, Tony, Capp, Cruz!
- Yeah.

Grab airbags, struts,
and cribbing now.

- Copy.
- Gallo, Jaws of Life.

- Yeah.
- Ritter, Kidd,

start roping this shelving.

Forklift is wedged
underneath it.

I got you. You're okay.

- Hey, Casey.
- Yeah.

Think we can fit
the airbags in there?

We can try.

- Cruz.
- Yeah?

It's all right.

All right.

When you're ready,
bring 'em up, let's go.

Whoa, whoa, whoa,
whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.

The shelves are falling!

Hey, Cruz, Gallo!

Get those struts in!

Struts, go.

Watch out,
coming through, coming through.

- We're good.
- Good?

All right. Captain, he's out.

Hey, Captain.

Why don't we use the Jaws?

We'll put one prong
under the cylinder mask,

the other on the ground.

When we get him up, we pull him
out as fast as we can.

- Yeah, I like it.
- Yeah.

- Hit it.
- All right.

- Clear.
- Clear!

- Okay?
- Yeah. Yeah.

One, two, three.

Watch his arm.

Okay, got him.

Lungs are diminished
bilaterally.

- I feel crepitus.
He has a flail chest.

Okay. All right, let's go.

We're gonna race him
to Chicago Med.

You're welcome to follow.

Yeah, okay.

- Thank you guys.
Thank you so much.

- It all happened so fast.
- Yeah.

Hey, kid.

I have a stop I want
to make on the way home.

You got it, Captain.

Ms. Gantry?

Yes?

I'd like to talk with you
about Noah Davis' case.

More specifically, I'd like to
talk with you about his mother.

Is there a place we can talk?

This is fine.

Okay.

We just came from a call.

A 9,000-pound forklift cut a
corner too fast, toppled over,

and pinned a warehouse worker
to the floor.

Okay.

When we got there,

five of the biggest men
you've ever seen

were trying to lift that
machine to save their friend.

Couldn't budge it an inch.

All their strength, all
their strain, and they failed.

Over my years
in the fire service,

I've witnessed
all kinds of people

get overwhelmed by a fire
or defeated by an accident.

Strong, able-bodied people
in the prime of their lives.

Point is, Noah Davis
wasn't in any more danger

because his mother
uses a wheelchair.

The way she tried to
arm-crawl up the stairs...

I've never seen
anything like it.

The woman filing
this complaint, Arlene,

she's bitter because

she doesn't like her neighbor's
tree roots in her yard.

That's the kind
of person she is.

I don't know Jenni Davis well,

but I do know
character's defined by action.

And that woman puts
being a mother over everything,

including her own safety.

If that's not a fit parent,
I don't know what is.

It's a matter
for family court now.

It doesn't have to be.

I have a little experience
with DCFS.

Do you know Tina
at the West Lincoln branch?

I do.

I had a son once. Briefly.

Turns out, his real dad dropped
back into the picture and I...

We couldn't deny Louie
that love.

Tina pushed it through.

And I know that if you
put your mind to it,

you can tear up that report.

There won't be any need
for courtrooms or judges.

A mother and son can be
reunited not in a week,

not in a month, today.

What's this?

What is this?

Oh.

Did you plug a hot lamp
into the wall

right next
to a plastic shower curtain?

Well, see...

There was no officer's
quarters for me,

so I thought that, uh...

Report to the academy

for remedial
fire responsibility training.

Monday.

Yes, Chief.

Why does it smell like
burnt plastic in here?

Ugh, don't ask.

Stella, Lieutenant Seager
looking for you.

Thanks for coming by.

Happy to. And it's Wendy.

- Wendy?
- Yeah.

Hi.

I got your message,
and I'm intrigued.

I'm just gonna...

Severide's great.

But you know that.

I do, I do.

So the reason I reached out...

I have a program
I'm looking to start

that'll benefit young women,

and I need a female officer
to cosponsor.

I'm calling it Girls On Fire,
and the idea is,

I reach out
to public school girls

and show them what a career in
the fire service is all about.

It's hands-on, direct,
small groups...

Say no more.

Oh...

I'm in.

- You are?
- Are you kidding?

My classmates at South Shore
used to make fun of me

when I said I wanted
to be a firefighter.

- Yeah.
- "You're a girl."

"You can't lift
a bag of feathers.

It'll never work."

I heard it all.

So young women need
to see real role models at CFD,

know this is a career choice,
not just a dream for boys.

Exactly.

This program sounds badass.

Whatever you need, sign me up.

Nicholas, hey.

Um, yes. Yes, I did.

Um...

Hey, listen.

I just... I'm not... I'm not ready
to get social yet.

Um...

I've got some things
I need to sort out.

No, yeah, I'm sorry, um...

I know people say this,
but trust me,

it's me, it's not you.

Okay.

Yes.

Take care.

- Mom!
- Oh!

Noah, I missed you.

I missed you so much.