Joyriding is the sixth episode of the second season and the 30th overall episode of Chicago Fire.
Summary
While out on a jog, Severide comes across a secluded and empty construction site and encounters a young boy who has been trapped in a backhoe loader and is in dire need of assistance. Boden and McLeod continue to butt heads about the future of the firehouse and Boden breaks news about his future to Casey. Meanwhile, it's election day for the union presidency and Mouch and Greg Sullivan have a debate on Otis' podcast. With rival bar Game Day's future in peril, the finger is being pointed at Molly's.
Plot
The early morning silence is broken by a hungover Devon banging the coffeemaker in frustration. Annoyed, Severide flips the on switch for her and heads out for a quick jog. Benny's wife, Beth, ambushes Severide outside the house, demanding if he knows Benny's whereabouts - his children haven't seen their father in months. Severide assures her he'll look into the situation and immediately calls Captain Boden to inform him of family issues. Clarke can cover him until he arrives at the station. Parking his car and leaving his wallet and cell phone behind, Severide heads out for the most difficult run of his life...
Devon struts into the firehouse looking for Shay. Take a break with me, she pleads. A call comes in and Shay invites Devon to ride along. A woman on a bad bath salt trip is disturbing a small convenience store, a phenomenon Devon can't help but mock. The situation spirals out of control, forcing Dawson and Shay to pin the woman. Dawson shoots daggers at Shay, but to no effect. Their relationship is far from patched.
Source: NBC.com
Back at Firehouse 51, Boden signs his official resignation papers to save the house and preserve a sizeable pension. He is none too happy to discover that Benny is his replacement. Benny insists he didn't petition for the captain's position, but Boden refuses to engage. His firefighters will be informed of the change on his time... next shift. Firehouse 17 is definitely the closed station, thanks to Boden's sacrifice.
Today is voting day for union president and Mouch is a bundle of nerves. There's the all-important live debate on Otis' podcast between Mouch and opponent Greg Sullivan. Six hundred firefighters are pre-registered to listen. Isabella is ecstatic to learn Sullivan's being taken to court by his ex-wife for failure to pay child support again. Mouch is clearly uncomfortable with using personal leverage. During the live debate, Mouch almost pulls out the big guns when Sullivan insults Firehouse 51, but keeps his integrity. The debate is a total disaster and only an act of God can save Mouch's campaign. But no act happens - Mouch loses the union presidency.
Casey gives VIP guest Griffin a personal tour of the firehouse. He'll be an honorary firefighter today. Just as Casey shows the boy his sleeping quarters, a call comes in. Heavy metal sheets have slipped off a delivery truck, pinning a female bicyclist and crushing her chest. The firefighters' fluid teamwork and Clarke's quick thinking with the jaws-of-life make for a relatively smooth save. The bicyclist and her husband are jetted off to the hospital in no time.
Source: NBC.com
Dawson and Jay secretly meet to discuss the Game Day fiasco. The end of the investigation is close, but Jay wants Arthur provoked: refuse to pay up next time. Wary, Dawson agrees, but the encounter turns ugly. Arthur confesses to Game Day's fiery demise as he pours alcohol over Molly's counter. Once he throws the lighter onto the flammable alcohol, Jay's seen enough - he swings at the second henchman, taking him down but not before Arthur shoots Jay in the shoulder.
Arthur sets his menacing sights on Dawson, but Jay presses his gun to Arthur's temple at the last second and demands he drop his weapon. Dialing in his badge number brings the cops quickly and assures he can now work any department he wants. Dawson knows Jay loves undercover work, which makes it the end of the line for them. She won't make him compromise, but she can't date an undercover cop.
Running through a deserted stretch, Severide observes a one-man backhoe-loader behaving erratically - suddenly, it flips over! Severide races to the vehicle and peers inside to see a young boy trapped inside, a metal bar jutting through his forearm. Scrambling inside, Severide gently pulls the bar from the boy Nathan's arm, blood squirting everywhere. The bar hit an artery - the only way to stop the blood flow is by reaching inside Nathan's arm and pinching the artery closed.
A moment of hope is crushed when Severide sprints for Nathan's backpack, only to reveal a smashed cell phone. A truck drives past in the distance, but Severide is unable to get the driver's attention. The first break comes when Severide discovers and applies a binder clip from Nathan's bag - his hands can finally rest. Breathing a little easier, he asks Nathan why he was attempting to operate heavy machinery anyway. Sniffling, Nathan explains he wanted to show his absent, construction worker father that he didn't need him to teach him anything. Severide understands all too well.
Concerned at Severide's absence, Shay searches for him once she gets off her shift. Finding his car sends her down towards his normal running path. She arrives just in time to see the vehicle right itself, thanks to Severide's MacGyver-like engineering. Severide stumbles out with Nathan in his arms, and the three race to the hospital. Shay and Severide sit wearily in the waiting room, rewarded by a chipper Nathan and his grateful mother. The long run and grueling night were worth every moment to Severide...