EITHER UNAUTH OR UNCOORD RWY XING.

Narrative

MISUNDERSTANDING WITH GND CTLR. HEARD TAXI CLRNC AS -- TAXI TO 13CX. TAXIED FROM GATE TO CROSS 22L ENRTE TO 13C. WHEN ABOUT TO CROSS 22L SAW ACFT Y ON FINAL; AND SLOWED TAXI AS ABOUT TO CROSS; TO FIRST CHK WITH GND CTL. AT THIS MOMENT GND SAYS EXPEDITE TAXI AND CROSS. THIS XING OF ACTIVE LNDG RWY (22L) WAS CLOSER THAN USUAL (UNCOMFORTABLE XING). WHEN CLR I ASKED CTLR WHAT HAPPENED; AND WHAT WAS ORIGINAL TAXI CLRNC TO CHK IF THERE WAS A COM BREAKDOWN. HE THOUGHT HE GAVE ME OTHER INSTRUCTIONS. ALL TAXI CLRNCS WILL BE READ BACK EVEN IF IT APPEARS CLR. IT WAS A SLOW TIME OF THE EVENING! CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO. CLARIFIED THAT RPTR THOUGHT THEY WERE CLRED TO TAXI UNRESTRICTED FROM GATE TO RWY 13C. HE VERIFIED THAT WAS CLRNC AS HE UNDERSTOOD IT. RPTR STATED TYPE OF OTHER ACFT INVOLVED IN POTENTIAL CONFLICT. HE SAID THAT MDW ARPT IS VERY DIFFICULT ARPT TO TAXI ON OR OPERATE INTO AND OUT OF. TWR CTLR GAVE XING CLRNC BEFORE THEY CROSSED HOLD LINE. DOES NOT REMEMBER WHAT CLRNC THAT CTLR THOUGHT HE HAD GIVEN. SECOND ACFT WAS AT ABOUT 1.5 MI FINAL AS THEY CROSSED RWY 22L.