Original subtitles

I cannot in good conscience put people's lives in your hands, McCaffrey. We've

got to cut you loose.

You have no idea who the hell you're dealing with.

His dad is currently a state senator.

What are you saying, Chief?

A job like this one, you can't have too many friends.

I should be getting better. It should be getting easier, but it's not.

So why keep torturing myself?

Because your family needs you. Your 51 family needs you, too.

All arsonists need a worthy adversary.

Galloway called you in because he knew you could solve this case.

Galloway, no!

That's the thing. Not sure I did.

Nice and steady, left foot.

Good, good.

Yes, keep your balance.

You got this.

Nice, well done.

Yes.

All right.

One step at a time.

How many to top yesterday's mark? Let's not focus. How many?

288.

I'm doing 300.

Go!

I got you. Let's go.

Not bad Not perfect But you'll get there.

What's the record? Don't worry about a record.

Y'all are working as a unit. That's what matters fall in

Gentlemen, your rotation here is almost over.

So pretty soon you're going to be on different rigs with different crews.

So just remember this.

This job, it is not about who finishes first.

It's just making sure that everybody does.

Good work.

Let's run it back. All right?

So Jacob finally asked you out. He offered to buy me dinner. A thanks for

handing him the psych ward story. The AP picked it up.

But you're going to dinner with him, right?

No, I said he could just buy me a drink in Molly's.

What?

Nothing. I just find it interesting how he keeps finding reasons to see you.

I mean, how it's always about a story, though.

Um, Novak, what happened with you and Vasquez? You haven't said a word about

it. Oh, yeah, I decided not to bring it up.

You're not even the slightest bit curious? I mean, I'm glad you told me

what he said, but... What does it mean he tried?

I put myself out there at Herman's Valrhona and he just let me sit there.

He had every opportunity to say something, anything, but he didn't.

Anyway, we cleared the air and things are finally not weird between us and I

would like it to stay that way.

Yeah. Besides, I'm kind of into karaoke guy.

Oh, go on.

Hey, Margaret McCombie. Who is that, your aunt?

No, that's my mom.

You keep... Her and your phone is Margaret? Uh, yeah, we're not close. She

lives in Boston.

Hey,

my new morning Qigong routine is really paying off.

I fit into my lean pants, not the holiday ones.

Oh, hell.

What fundraiser did I forget about? It's picture day, Herman.

Severide mentioned it in the last two morning briefings and sent out a

reminder email.

Didn't we just get her photos taken?

Five years ago. New policy.

They want them every two years. It was all in the email.

Well, they're going to have to use the last one I took.

It's not optional, Herman. Department requirement.

Which was also in the email.

Whatever happened to just posting the flyer on the corkboard in the hallway?

Now I get 1,200 emails, half of them go to spam, and that's supposed to be

progress?

Squad 3, truck 81, engine 51, everyone 61, police assist, 755, Hudson Avenue,

stage...

Hey, what do we got?

A dull male barricaded inside with his family, wife and two kids. We've been

talking for about 45 minutes now. He's armed, agitated, and making threats.

So what's the play?

Well, we had a dialogue going, but he's no longer responding.

This might already be over.

Just stay behind the perimeter for now. Hey, hey, hey.

Walk in nice and easy.

Hey, stop there. Drop to your knees.

Show us your hands.

Alex, I need to see your hands.

We gotta move.

One, two, three.

Let's get him on oxygen and graphene.

Engine, you lead out. Squad, run a primary search truck. Fed the roof, run

a ladder to the second floor. Copy. You got it.

All right, 81, give me a 38 on the B side. We got two kids in there. Move.

Copy that.

I'm gonna put some oxygen on you, okay? Try to stay calm.

On your six, okay?

Copy.

Pressure's dropping.

Stay with us, sir.

Give him a 300cc fluid bolus.

Copy.

Wait, wait, wait!

Do you hear that? Yeah.

Copy.

Kermit, Ballard, get to the roof. We got multiple victims coming down.

All right, copy that.

Hey, Burt, can you let me know what's going on? Copy.

Come on.

Three,

two, one. Move to the second floor.

Copy that.

He's radiating down.

He can't feel a pulse. Start compressions.

A few more steps, okay?

Nice and easy.

Nice and easy.

Watch your step.

Hey,

Bert, two more AMBOs just arrived. Will you take them to get checked out? All

right, copy that.

Counted for. Wife and kids.

Copy. Multiple firebombs on two. Unable to secure.

All companies evacuate.

Vasquez, what's your status?

Starting to vent.

Negative. Clear the loop.

Novak, let's call it.

There's nothing else we could have done.

Hey, now grab a black ball.

I swear that worked too.

Chief Tomlin's here.

I saw him.

Cruz!

What's up, Cap?

We heard you ditched the wheels.

Yeah. My legs finally got the memo.

Yeah.

Caught a rough one, huh?

What's the latest?

Uh, Dr. Archer, he, uh, did tell me about some specialized recovery centers

supposed to have a good reputation for getting first responders back onto the

job.

Might take a few more months, but I'm ready to put in the work.

Joe Cruz in the house!

Hey, are you teaching Zumba yet or what?

Come on, let's take it to my office. I got a few things for you to sign. Yeah,

sounds good.

I'll see you guys in a bit. Yeah.

So he told me that the good news is you always land on your feet.

Chief Tom.

I'll leave you to it.

That was some call this morning.

Now, there's a chapter for your memoir.

Could have gone a lot worse.

Yeah, that's why I'm here.

Look, you're CFD's busiest squad.

You're missing a limb.

You haven't been running a man down for, what, going on five months now? It's

temporary. Oh.

You and I have different definitions of temporary.

All due respect, Chief, what is this about?

Joe Cruz is a hero, plain and simple, but the vacancy in Squad 3 needs to be

resolved. This comes from high above.

You have a week to recommend a suitable replacement.

If you don't, headquarters will.

They can't just push Cruz out. There's got to be unit protection.

It's actually more of a gray area than you'd think.

Well, he made it sound like headquarters can do whatever the hell they want. If

they're convinced, he'll never return to suppression.

Well, that hasn't been determined.

Another way is if Cruz voluntarily accepts reassignment.

Ouch.

That's not going to happen.

Squad positions don't come up very often. Maybe Tomlin wants to move one of

his guys into that slot.

I don't know.

It feels like he's gunning for me.

All right, let me make some calls.

Hit up some old friends from my union days.

Do whatever you gotta do, just do it fast.

I'm on it, Kev.

Okay, next.

I hate my smiling photos.

What's the hate?

You just always look so forced.

Isn't it, though?

That's the whole point of having to say cheese.

No, no, that is how you end up looking like a serial killer.

Wow.

Next.

I blame Tyra Banks for convincing an entire generation that it's not enough

to just smile. Now you have to smile with your eyes.

You have to what?

Smile? Huh?

You have to think of something that makes you smile and then let your eyes

do the rest. It's happy but effortless.

I don't know what you're talking about, but it's just a smile. I don't know

what's so hard about that.

Next.

Can you go? Because I'm not ready.

Hey, Frank.

Next.

Chief Tomlin, sorry to barge in unannounced, but I had this lying around

and heard you were a fan.

Randall McCollin, Firehouse 51.

Let me guess.

Joe Cruz. Yes, sir.

I spoke with Union Council about line of duty medical leave, and they cited a

clause in our CBA. Article 18, Section 4.

I am familiar.

Did they point you to Section 36?

I know a four-person squad is standard, but Section 36 allows for... Four is

standard for a reason.

Come on, Chief.

There has to be a way for us to make this work.

I didn't think your captain was the type to play ball.

Well, that's why I'm here.

Give Cruz 90 more days before his occupational health eval and Severide

will personally come in, off-shift, and train all five of your truck companies

for technical rescue certification.

I don't care about all that.

But there is something that he can do.

Okay, you want to know who I really want to hear about?

Ryan Mercer.

Ryan Mercer, right.

Valedictorian, class president. My arch nemesis.

I heard he's currently in federal prison for investment fraud.

Oh my God, seriously?

He must have made some new friends at Stanford.

Hey, how come you didn't end up going there?

You got in, right?

Always the investigative journalist, huh?

You ever turn that off?

I'm really glad we reconnected.

Most people from high school I'd be happy to forget.

Yeah. But not everyone.

All right, buddy.

This is going to be a tough one.

What word is that?

There. Boom.

Good job. All right, let's run it again.

I may ask Jody to pick up the kids from school again tomorrow.

Okay. Yesterday, I sat in traffic for 38 minutes to move maybe half a block.

That's brutal.

I just don't have time to be sitting in traffic that long, not with so many

other errands and all my Zoom meetings.

Hey, buddy, why don't you go get ready to take a bath, huh?

I thought we talked about this. I need help, Joe.

Look, I know, I know how hard you've been working on your rehab, but when the

twins arrive... Mm-hmm, we will figure it out the way we always have. I don't

want to do this alone.

Who's asking you to?

Once you're back at work.

Oh, come on, Chloe, we keep having... Ouch.

Huh?

What's wrong?

Braxton Hicks?

Okay, okay. All right, we are not due for four weeks.

Ooh.

Oh, okay.

Okay. Uh, all right. Um, okay, boys, uh, this is not a drill.

Javi, grab the gold bag. Otis, forget the bath. Okay, honey. Breathe, breathe.

There you go.

Is mom okay?

Come with me.

Come and meet your new baby sisters.

They're so tiny.

Which one's which?

This is Sophia and this is Elena.

Come here. Let me take one of those off of your hands.

Sir. Oh.

I just need to sit.

Yeah, you've been on your feet all day.

I'm fine.

You're the one that just gave birth.

It's cool dad, I can help.

You're a big bro.

Chloe said she had to have twins

to even the score.

Poor Joe. He doesn't stand a chance. Those two little girls are going to have

him wrapped around those little fingers.

Check it out. We got him tiny socks hats.

Isn't Joe a Cubs fan? Yeah, he was furious.

Hey,

so rotation's almost over.

How are you feeling?

I'm feeling great, Lieutenant.

Ready to get out there.

Well, if there's anything that you want to talk through or any questions,

now's the time for that.

Thanks, Lieutenant.

All right.

Carry on.

Heard I just missed you at the hospital yesterday.

Hard to believe Cruz has four kids. Yeah, I think he's going after Herman's

record.

I also went down to headquarters, was able to steal a few minutes with Chief

Tomlin.

He's willing to give Cruz 90 more days.

What did he want?

For you to rescind your letter to the D.C. and have McCaffrey reinstated.

What? I know it's not ideal, but... No. No way. Not a chance.

He's willing to use Cruz as a bargaining chip.

I don't see another way And if we don't make the deal Tomlin already has someone

in mind for the spot I'm not putting McCaffrey back in the field

Maybe you don't have to

Damn, Hollis.

How hungover are you?

Nah, just not sleeping.

That guy burning alive.

I guess we'll get used to it, huh?

It's what we signed up for, man.

Doesn't mean we'll ever get used to it.

My first rotation...

We had a rollover on the Eisenhower.

The guy was slumped over the steering wheel, head split wide open, brain

spilling out.

Kendrick Lamar was, it was, he was playing on the radio.

Until this day, I still can't hear that song without going right back.

The Weeks.

Every time I closed my eyes, that's what I saw.

And eventually, one of the old timers just, he pulled me aside and he told me

I gotta find a way to get out of my head.

He told me to put a washcloth over my face, put on a white noise machine.

It worked for me.

Guess who got the proofs for our photo session?

What? What?

Ow. Well, it turns out that cranky old photographer is open to bribes, so for

50 bucks, he sent us a link.

You got taken. We don't get to choose.

Roman, he's the one who decides.

Plus, after my last photo fiasco, I am not leaving it to chance. Okay, let's

see what we got.

She's good.

Hey, it's me.

Remarkably consistent.

Well, I messed with the perfection.

Tony, lots of good options.

That's not terrible. These are all perfect.

What were you so worried about?

Yeah, I mean, I'm not mad.

Thanks, Herman. I took your advice, kept it simple, and just smiled.

All right. What about me? How'd mine turn out?

Oh, that is not the one.

Keep going.

Oh.

Huh. Ew.

You must have got in my head telling me to smizz smize, whatever you call it.

It completely threw me off. All right? Now, not one of those is frame-worthy.

Truck 81, Ambulance 61.

Water rescue.

Riverwalk access at State Street.

Over here. This guy, I think.

And these guys jumped in after him.

All right.

Everybody move out of the way. We got him. All right, let's get him out.

All right, on it.

How long was he under?

I don't know.

A while.

Ready. Grab a strap. Yeah.

Good job.

Grab his head. Grab his head. Got it.

Have we got no pulse?

All right, start compressions.

All right, guys, the medics are here. Okay.

You get pads on him, I'll bag him. Yep.

Okay.

Yep.

Okay. Check rhythm.

Hey, systole.

We're doing compressions.

Come on, kid.

Okay, Ivy's in. Go, Sheffy.

Come on.

Come on.

Okay, uh, let's intubate. Okay.

Okay, ready?

There we go.

Get him on his side.

We've got Ross.

Great.

All right.

There you go. All right.

Hey, Jansen, Burke, grab a stair chair.

Got it.

Sorry to interrupt.

I just want to say congratulations.

Thank you.

And you, welcome to the Girl Dad Club.

Thanks, Doc.

Good.

So I ran into your physical therapist this morning. Seems you've made such

remarkable progress in the last few weeks. She said that if you keep it up,

you'll be back on squad before you know it.

I'll keep pushing.

Come on guys, this is great news.

Javi, puppy.

Why can't somebody else's dad do it?

Yeah!

Yeah, sounds like it could be a really good fit. Let me confirm with both

parties, and I will get right back to you.

All right, thanks.

What happened?

Another rough call?

No, no, no, no. We saved the guy. He's going to be fine. It's just this photo.

I don't think I can resurrect it.

I sent it to Annabelle, the least awful one.

She ran it through some AI thingy, but I don't know.

It's like someone took a photo of your wax figure.

What? She fixed my smile, but I can't use this.

Yeah, it's a little heavy on the artificial.

Now, Frank said that he could do a reshoot for a hundred bucks, but that's

highway robbery. Herman, it's just a personnel photo.

Not for me. This could be my last photo in uniform, the one they use at my

retirement party, and the last one that, you know...

Cindy gets to frame.

Well, when you put it that way, a hundred bucks sounds like a bargain.

All right, listen up.

We've had a couple rough ones.

And we don't talk about this as much as we should.

But these things, they stay with you, whether you like it or not.

And we all have to figure out a way to get through it.

So me, I go for a jog.

I run until I am too tired to think.

Sometimes it works.

Sometimes it doesn't.

You can always talk to the chaplain or each other.

Mm-hmm.

Yeah, I mean, me, I hit up the shooting range.

It just gives me something else to focus on.

You just have to figure out whatever works best for you.

Before we begin, I'd just like to say I think there's a way we all walk away

happy. And maybe not completely happy, but that's the nature of compromise. You

know it's good when everyone leaves a little disappointed.

McCollum, quit shuffling and deal.

Right.

Okay.

I called an old friend of mine in equipment and supply.

Turns out they have an opening on the front desk. So if McCaffrey still wants

to search this... Equipment and supply?

Tell me you're joking. Get them back on the payroll with a chance to earn his

way back into the field. That wasn't the deal. It's the only way I'll do it.

Well, then this has been a giant waste of my time.

Gentlemen, please.

Chief.

With all due respect, it's not forever, but it's a way back in for the kid.

And we're not asking for much.

Just 90 more days for crews to get cleared by occupational health. And if

he is not ready by then, he'll be ready.

You're her mom again?

Yep. Wow, that's her third call today. She's really committed to the whole not

leaving a voicemail thing.

Yeah, she knows I won't listen.

You know you can talk to me, right?

Yeah.

I think it feels wrong complaining about my mom to you.

Well, you don't have to worry about that.

Trust me. If my mom were still here,

I would be complaining.

She always knew exactly how to get under my skin.

Honestly, I don't even know what she wants.

Well, maybe it's worth finding out.

For a hundred bucks, I better look like I'm on the cover of GQ.

Not a miracle worker.

Well, I'm not getting up until we get this right.

I may have created a monster.

I also may have flooded karaoke guys' phone with my headshots and asked him to

pick a favorite.

You need his opinion?

No. I just need him to see how amazing I look in uniform.

Jealous.

I don't think I didn't notice you finally fixed this. Well, somebody had

to.

Hey, you talked to Match? Yeah, yeah, yeah.

He filled me in on your deal with Chief Tomlin.

If you don't think 90 days is enough... Oh, no, no, it's not.

Dr.

Archer, he pulled some strings. He got me into that program I told you about,

so it should speed up my recovery some.

That's great news, isn't it?

Yeah.

I'm not coming back.

Look, I know these last few months have been a rough go.

It's more than that.

Just, you don't... Cruz, you don't have to decide right now, all right? Just...

Trust me, brother.

This is the hardest decision I've ever had to make.

And I know you fought for me, and...

Man, I'll never forget it.

I just... This house.

The job.

This family.

It lives in me.

You know, when I got my head back in it and I finally

started to hit the PT hard, I had one goal.

Get back on that squad And

then the twins came and it changed everything

This

uh this rehab center, it's uh, it's close to Chloe's parents in Minneapolis

And they're dying to help with the babies.

Chloe can work remotely, so... That's where we're headed.

So I can be there for my family.

We've been riding beside each other for 12 years.

I need you beside me.

They need me more.

Besides, you taught me everything I know.

You'll teach the new guy, too.

So that's it?

There was no talking him out of it?

His mind's made up.

Wow.

How do you replace Joe Cruz?

51 won't be the same without you, Joe.

How did Shepard take the news?

Oh.

Not great. He just needs time to process.

We all do.

Are you taking your French press with you, or...? I'll miss you too, Cap.

But he's not even cold.

What? He's the one who made me a coffee, snob. It's all yours.

Oh, my God. And he takes it.

That one's getting framed.

Don't go anywhere.

You know you don't have to do extra credit trying to impress me.

It helps me know where everything is.

Well, I just checked in with Hollis.

Found out you beat me to it.

Do you know why a cold washcloth works?

It activates the dive reflex.

I saw you last shift, shielding those kids from seeing their father's body.

He just knew exactly what they needed.

I figured they'd seen enough.

They don't teach that at the academy.

I think that you knew exactly what those kids needed.

Because somewhere along the line, you learn what happens when nobody cares.

Whatever happened before you joined the CFD, before you got here at 51, I can

tell it taught you how to survive.

You just got to learn you don't have to do it all alone.

You know, I remember when I first joined Squad, I thought you were gonna kill me.

Hope you don't mind.

It was Herman's idea, and for once, I actually agree with the guy.

I promise, when we're done, I'll put it back where it belongs.

So, uh, Cap said he promises he's gonna keep you looking sharp.

So Tony's on it.

I'll be with you always, brother.

Congratulations, Joe.

Come on, we can save these for later.

I think they're ready for us.

Come

on

and get in the middle, Joe.

All right, everybody here?

folks here we go looking good let's do this