"Roll call time!"
"Lieutenant Casey?"
"Present."
"Lieutenant Severide?"
"Present."
"Hermann?"
"Present."
"Otis?"
"Present."
"Cubby?"
"Present."
"Elmo?"
"Present."
"When did Elmo join 81?" Matt asked his youngest son, Luca, as he walked into the living room where his son was playing. Three-year-old Luca had his toy fire truck, stuffed animals, and the family dog, Cubby, lined up for morning roll call on the couch.
"Elmo's the new candidate on truck!" Luca replied excitedly as he placed a plastic firefighter's hat on the head of the fluffy, red stuffed animal.
"Congrats, Cubby! No longer a candidate! Who knew you had it in you, buddy?" Matt said, giving the black Labrador retriever mix a belly rub.
"Woof!"
"Of course he had it in him, daddy! He was saved from a fire! By you!" Luca said, joining in on the belly rubbing for the beloved pup.
Matt flashed back to the events leading up to his adoption of Cubby almost a decade before.
Matt had saved Cubby long before the Caseys were a family of five. It had been soon after Matt was elected as alderman. Matt had been heartbroken when Gabby had basically told him that she wasn't interested in getting married in the near future. The future he had imagined with Gabby and a house full of kids flashed before his eyes during Mouch and Trudy's wedding, and he feared that it would never become a reality.
Just a few days after that, Truck 81 and Squad 3 were called to a fire at an abandoned house. No one had been inside except for a frightened black puppy with a patch of white on his chest. Matt had carried the dog out of the building, and he refused to leave the lieutenant's side after that. Animal control took the dog away, saying that they would try to find the dog's owners and take him to a shelter. Matt had instantly grown attached to the dog but knew that he'd never see him again. Back at Firehouse 51, Matt gave the house's beloved dog, Pouch, some extra love, attention, and treats. He couldn't understand how anyone could leave a dog behind when everyone at 51 loved their dog so much.
By the next shift, the dog from the fire was still on Matt's mind. He had gone to the pet store and picked up some of Pouch's favorite treats. He may never see the dog from the fire again, but he still had Pouch to love and spoil. Pouch's tail practically wagged off of his body as Matt waved the bag of treats in front of him. The brown and white pup followed Matt out to the apparatus floor and dutifully performed some of his best tricks in exchange for the treats. Gabby rolled her eyes as Pouch gobbled up his third treat from Matt's outstretched hand.
"Pouch is going to need to go on a diet after you're done with him. That dog from the call last shift really left a mark on you, huh?" Gabby said.
Matt nodded. "That dog looked so scared and alone. He deserves a family like Pouch has at 51. I can relate to that."
Gabby gave a slight nod and walked away. She knew that what Matt said hadn't been intended as a remark about their different stances on marriage and starting a family. But of course, that's how it felt. Clearly, Matt felt that he could have a family with an abandoned dog from a fire before he could have one with Gabby. She wished she had just been up front with him about the whole thing, instead of brushing it off at Mouch and Trudy's wedding. She didn't want to get married soon because she loved her job on 81 and was happier than she'd ever been. Instead of saying all of that, she had set up yet another rock and a hard place situation in her and Matt's relationship.
She was about to walk back inside after talking to the guys at the squad table when she saw a kind looking older woman walking into the house- with the dog from the fire! Matt dropped Pouch's bag of treats and followed the dog to where the woman stood with the other dog. The dog practically jumped on Matt and sniffed and licked him up and down. Gabby, Severide, and the others from squad walked over to see what was going on.
"Hi there, I'm Patsy Neville, from Chicago's Animal Friends. You're the lieutenant who saved this guy the other day, right?"
"Umm, yes, yes, that was me. Matt Casey, Lieutenant on Truck 81." Matt replied, using one hand to point to his truck and the other to shake Patsy Neville's hand. The dog from the fire and Pouch sniffed each other and Matt.
"Since when is Casey a dog whisperer?" Severide said as he walked over to greet the dogs.
"Nice to meet you, Lieutenant. Alderman as well, correct? My husband and I voted for you!" Patsy continued, giving the dog's leash a tug so that he didn't run off with Pouch.
"Alderman, yes. Thanks for the votes. So what brings you here with the dog from the fire? I thought Animal Control said they were going to find his owners." Matt said.
"Unfortunately, they didn't have any luck. Looks like this poor boy was left behind in that abandoned house. He's at our shelter now, and we're about to start the process of finding him a permanent home. But before we do that, I wanted to make sure that he came by to thank his heroes at 51. He's lucky that you found him in that house!"
The dog let out a few friendly woofs, and then went back to licking Matt, Gabby, and Severide. Capp had walked off to find Pouch's bag of treats to share with the dog.
With barely a moment of hesitation, Matt asked, "Can I adopt him?"
Gabby's jaw dropped, and Severide couldn't help but laugh.
"Are you sure about this?" Severide asked.
"I know a firefighter isn't an ideal job for a pet owner, but he could stay at the firehouse when I'm on shift. It looks like he's already getting along great with our house's dog. I'll fill out whatever paperwork I need to, pay the adoption fees, whatever it takes. I want a family and this guy needs one." Matt said to Patsy, as well as to his friends and coworkers standing behind him.
Within days, the dog was Matt's, and he spent their days on shift playing with Pouch at the firehouse. Their days off were spent at Matt's construction gigs and at he and Sev's apartment watching Cubs and Blackhawks games. The dog particularly enjoyed Cubs' games and watched attentively while Matt and Kelly gave him belly rubs. His love for the Cubs inspired his name, Cubby.
Meanwhile, Matt and Gabby were still at a standstill over the marriage issue. They were still technically together, but avoided the marriage issue like the plague and didn't spend much time together off shift. Cubby, however, loved Gabby and the walks she took him on around downtown Chicago.
Cubby was probably the happiest of all of their friends and family when Matt and Gabby finally decided to start their lives together. After a few more ups and downs in between, Gabby decided that she couldn't imagine her life without Matt or everyone at 51. She convinced Cruz to go back to Truck and arranged a deal between him and Otis that they would drive the truck every other shift. It was all part of her big plan.
After an intense and emotional shift and a rescue that had left both Matt and Gabby in danger, she looked into Matt's eyes and knew that she had to tell him her news that day. She made sure that he wasn't in his office, walked in and placed three things on his desk- her completed application for squad, a picture of the two with Cubby and a caption on the back that said, "We're already a family," and…an application for a marriage license.
Matt smiled as he flashed back to the present day. Luca giggled his adorable giggle as he chased Cubby around the living room. The toddler had a mess of light brown hair, his dad's blue eyes that made it almost impossible for anyone to tell him "no," and both of his parents' love for firefighting and 51.
Jake, their five-year-old middle child, hopped down the stairs wearing his Chicago Fire Department sweatshirt, his backpack slung around his shoulders. Of all three kids, he looked the most like his mom. He had curly, dark brown hair, big brown eyes, and a smile that could light up any room. He told anyone who asked, or didn't ask, that he wanted to be one of the following when he grew up- a firefighter, a paramedic, a detective, or a boxer. Clearly, the kid was highly influenced by his family.
Gabby and their oldest, seven-year-old Mia, were next down the stairs. Mia looked like the perfect combination of both Matt and Gabby. She had her mom's brown hair, dad's blue eyes, and a stubborn nature and big heart that they could both take credit for. Mom followed behind daughter spraying hairspray on her braided pigtails. Mia held Gabby's iPhone out in front of both of them, which she was using to FaceTime her Uncle Antonio and wish him a happy birthday.
Most days, Matt had to pinch himself to make sure he wasn't dreaming. That night at Mouch and Trudy's wedding when he thought his hopes and dreams for he and Gabby had vanished forever seemed like a lifetime ago.
"Good morning, Mia Shay! Morning, Jakey!" Matt called to his two oldest, as he wrapped them up in a group bear hug.
He kissed his wife and handed her a fresh cup of coffee.
"I love you, Gabs."
"I love you too, baby," she said with a smile. "Now, let's get these crazy monkeys to school and you to 51 before everyone's late!"
"Happy birthday, Uncle Tonio!" all three Casey kids shouted at once into Gabby's phone.
Everyone headed for the front door and pet Cubby one last time before heading out. Matt and Gabby convinced Mia and Jake that April in Chicago was still winter coat season. Then, they avoided a meltdown from Luca as Cubby walked down the hall with one of Luca's rain boots in his mouth. Luca wouldn't go anywhere without his Truck 81 baseball cap, black and yellow firefighter raincoat, and black rain boots with "Fire Chief" written on the front.
Carrying one kid in his arms, with the other two and his wife trailing behind, Matt led the way to the family's SUV. Off to another shift at 51 for Matt. For Gabby, off to a meeting for the 100 Club, a charity she works for that raises funds for families of first responders who have lost their lives in the line of duty. She still taught some classes at the Firefighters' Academy and worked at Molly's, but being a mom was the most important job to her. She hated the idea of something happening to her or Matt on the job and leaving the other behind with the kids. Even Matt took on less shifts and spent more time on construction jobs and with his family.
For the kids, the prides and joys of Matt and Gabby's lives, off to school and preschool.
For the entire Casey family, off to many more years of chaos, craziness, and love in their hometown of Chicago.
