"Are we ever going to be a family?"
"I just keep thinking about it ever since Louie left," she continued.
Matt cupped her face, caressing her cheeks with his thumb. Thoughts of the times when they were a unit of three floated through his mind but they, Gabby and him, had always been a unit of their own and that will never change. He looked into her eyes and saw the vulnerability in them. "We are a family." Holding her closer, he kissed the top of her head as she snuggled into the crook of his neck.
"Matt, Eva is coming over later today. She wants to interview me for one of her projects in school," Gabby called out to him from the kitchen where she was preparing lunch while he read up on the new proposal that will be presented at city hall at the next meeting.
"OK, sure. You want me to pop by the store to get her anything?"
"Thanks babe but I already went to the store yesterday while you were out. I'm making Grandma Dawson famous lasagne. You'll love it."
"Babe, Eva's on her way. I just got a text from her. She took the bus down. Antonio got to run back to the District. They got a new lead or something. If he cannot finish up on time to pick her up after dinner, do you think we can drop her home?"
"Sure thing babe."
It was about an hour later before the doorbell of their apartment rang. "That must be Eva." Gabby sprung up from the sofa where she was watching the repeat telecast of a Blackhawks game with Matt, excited that her niece is finally here.
"Eva! Look how much you've so grown since I last saw you!" The aunt and niece had a warm reunion hug after Gabby let Eva in.
"Hey, Tia Gabby. If you mean I'm growing sideways, I surely am."
"Oh, don't be so self-conscious. You are both beautiful and smart."
"Thanks, Tia. Hey Tio Matt," Eva greeted as she saw Matt coming around the sofa to get to the front door and greet her.
"Hey, Eva. How are you doing?"
"Good. I made the softball school team. We're having our first game tomorrow. Do you and Tia want to come and watch me play?"
"Ya, of course. We'll stop by. Good luck with your game kiddo."
Eva beamed happily as she followed her aunt to the dining area where she will start with her project before dinner. She was happy to have her aunt and her new uncle to herself for the night. She sees them less often now since her parents divorce and she miss spending time with her favourite aunt whom she really looks up to. Now that her aunt and Matt are finally married, she noticed a certain glow around her. They might think they were being discreet but Eva caught all the sweet glances they throw at each other and the small gentle touches between them whenever they are in close proximity. Throughout the evening, Matt and Gabby spent a great amount of time with Eva helping her to finish up with the school project before they sat down for dinner and traded stories on all the pranks their Firehouse 51 family played on each other and some of the kick-ass calls they've had. Without realising, Antonio was at the door to pick Eva up.
"Eva's a great kid." Matt said later that night as they got ready for bed. Pulling one end of the bedcover down, he sled onto the bed placing an arm underneath Gabby's head.
"Ya, she is. She takes after her mother more with her looks and brain. Things have been so hectic that I have not been spending as much time with her as we used to lately. Tonight was really great."
"Maybe you two can have a girl's night once a week or so. I'm sure Laura will be more than happy to have her spend time with her aunt who is a good role model to her daughter," Matt said with an eyebrow raised.
Gabby looked up slightly into Matt's eyes and poked him in the chest. "If you must know, Eva told me tonight that she wants to live just like me when she grows up."
Softening her voice slightly, she continued, "But thanks babe, you always know the right things to say."
"Phew. For once i said something right!" he replied wiping imaginary sweat from his forehead with his free hand. His action brought a giggle out from Gabby.
As the banter died down, Gabby sat up a little straighter so that she can look directly at him.
"Matt, about the other day...when I said about us being a family."
"Ya, what about it?"
"I want us to start trying again. I mean I know that losing our first baby was tough but I don't want us to shy away from one day having our own brood because we want to protect ourselves from another unsuspecting loss."
"I want kids of our own babe. I really do," she continued.
There was a long pause as Matt raised himself from his lying position to lean against the headboard, Matt felt himself getting into a cold sweat as he stared on the brown beauty before him. He remembered just as if it had happened the night before. The fear of losing what he loves the most in this world. The fear that he will never get to feel happiness again. The fear that he might never again have a whole heart. Closing his eyes, he focused on his breathing to slow his beating heart.
When he could finally get his emotions in check, he opened his eyes and look into his wife's eyes. Taking one of her hands in his, he replied in a voice barely above a whisper, "Part of me is afraid to take the risk of losing you while trying to bring our baby into this world. When they brought you in for surgery, twice, the last time, I realised that i can forgo everything that I own and all that I dream of if it means having you here with me. I don't want to lose you. I cannot imagine living without you beside me, Gabby. I just can't."
Gabby stared at her husband's pale face and the quivering of his lips. Taking hold of both his hand in hers, she gave it a tight squeeze. "I'd like to think that fate had it for the baby to bring us back together but we weren't fully prepared then to start a family. I like to believe that fate also brought Louie into our lives to prepare us for when we finally have a child of our own. And now i think it's the perfect timing for us. For our family."
Sliding one of her hands up his chest and around his neck, she leaned up to kiss him on the lips. "I love you and I'm not going anywhere."
Looking directly into the brown orbs of her eyes, he cannot deny the tugging in his heart to one day hold a little girl with the same beautiful eyes in his arms, to teach her all the good things in life, protect her from all the bad things and more importantly to call her his own. Cupping her face with his hands, he relented. "On one condition baby. Set up an appointment with your gynaecologist and find out everything we need to know. I'm not taking any chances."
Tugging her a little closer than normal into his chest, he kissed the top of her forehead as dreams of a complete family that he had always dream of float through his mind, his heart bursting with hope that it will come true one day.
Gabby smiled satisfied with his answer. She placed a kiss on his bare chest and snuggled against his warmth. "I love you."
"I love you too."
""Truck 81, Ambulance 61, Squad 3. Accident on freeway."
Not a moment later, sirens were heard blaring as the rigs left quarters to head to the accident scene.
"The driver is drunk, I swear it! He was swerving around and then suddenly he sped up and came straight at me."
Matt got hold of the panicked man's arms who had stumbled out from his vehicle which had crashed against a pick-up.
"Gabby, you got him?" he asked as he saw Gabby walking towards him pulling a stretcher behind her.
"Ya, I got him. Come with me to the ambo so that I can take a look at the gash on your forehead."
"It's not me you should be looking at! Go and tend to my girlfriend. She's trapped!" The man resisted as he started pacing incoherently, his face covered in a cake of blood from a large gash on his forehead. Although he was of average size and height, the paramedics of Ambo 61 didn't have the strength to restrain him to the stretcher for them to take a look at his physical injuries.
"Sir, the firefighters will get her out of the wreck and bring her to us. You need to let us look at your head. The gash looks pretty bad." Gabby tried to reason with him, her fuse running low towards his lack of cooperation.
"No! Go tend to my girlfriend! I feel fine!" He exclaimed angrily as he swung an arm towards her trying to block her from getting near him. Unfortunately, his elbow connected hard into Gabby's temple causing her to knock against the stretcher behind her before falling to the ground.
"Ow!"
"Gabby! Gabby! Are you alright?" Brett raced over to her partner who had fallen on her butt rubbing her sore head. A bruise is starting to form on her right temple. Chief Boden who had started running towards them when he heard the man shouting at the paramedics, witnessed the whole incident and grew concerned when Gabby looked a little pale.
Blinking her eyes repeatedly, Gabby tried to clear her vision and stand up but remained on the ground for a minute or two longer when a sudden wave of dizziness washed through her. Shaking her head slightly and using the stretcher to get her balance, she slowly rose from the ground, swallowing the bile rising up her throat.
"Yea, yea, I'm fine. Just a spin." she tried to give her colleagues, who had momentarily turned towards her, a convincing look to convince them that she was fine.
Chief Boden wasn't fooled. He had seen the pain that flashed through her eyes. His eyes met Matt and an understanding pass through them.
Despite being worried over his wife's well-being, he knows that the fastest way to make sure for himself that she is really fine is to get the job done quickly. Turning back to his truck guys, he called out to them.
"C'mon guys, let's get the girl out. Mouch, get the backboard!"
Truck 81 and Squad 3 got the victims out of the wreckage within the next few minutes and 2 more ambos arrived to bring the remaining 2 victims to the nearest hospital.
As Gabby and Brett got ready to transport the man who had finally calmed down and decided to cooperate to Chicago Med, Chief Boden walked up to Gabby and instructed her to do a health screen before returning to quarters.
"Chief, I'm fine."
"It won't take 30 minutes, Dawson. If all checks out, then you're good. No arguments."
Knowing that there is no point in furthering the argument, she disgruntledly replied "You got it Chief."
"We're wasting our time here. I'm feeling perfectly fine. I got hit on the head by some klutz and spin out a little. It's not worth worrying over." Sitting on the edge of one of the beds in the emergency room at Chicago Med, Gabby continued her grumblings to her partner who was standing beside her.
Brett turned to look at her as they waited for the doctor to come back with the blood test result. Everything else had checked out and Brett had to tolerate Gabby's whining over Chief's orders. She noticed that Gabby had not been usual self lately. She has been having extreme mood swings lately. Often when Gabby realised belatedly that she had been tough on Brett during the previous shift, she will try to make it up to her the following shift by bringing homemade cookies to make amends. She often will be in a good mood the rest of that shift but Brett is getting worried over Gabby's off behaviour. She wanted to talk it out with Gabby but she's afraid she could be having one of those days. She decided then that she doesn't want to come to work walking on eggshells anymore. She's going to have to speak to Boden about Gabby by the end of shift.
Trying to calm Gabby down, she said, "It's just precaution Dawson. You know how Boden takes care of his people. Plus, you won't be able to help others and do your job well if you're not 100%." Gabby gave her a sidelong look but before she could reply Brett spotted Maggie making her way towards them. She quickly interrupted to her, "Look, Maggie is coming our way."
Maggie came strolling a clipboard in her hand. "Why the frown, Dawson. I thought you'll be bursting with joy. I came to deliver the all clear personally so that I can congratulate you!"
"What..what are you talking about? What are you congratulating me for?"
"Your pregnancy Gabby!" Gabby looked at Maggie wide-eyed. Pregnant? She can't be, can she? She only stopped taking her birth control pills 2 months ago after she was given the all clear by her gynaecologist and Matt was finally convinced that her next pregnancy is not going to be affected by what happened before. She's pregnant, wow! She could not contain the big smile that was spreading across her face reflecting the swell in her heart.
"Wait, you don't know? Your blood test just came back. It clearly states here that they detected hCG in your blood," Maggie continued.
"Th..ank… you. I..I… didn't know I was pregnant. I just realised that I've not had my period for some weeks now. It's never regular since.. I.. didn't really.. Wow..i'm pregnant. Matt is going to be ecstatic."
The two women, happy for the loving couple, came forward to give her a hug. She let out a happy nervous laugh as she tried to figure out the best way to break it out to Matt.
The moment the ambo ladies walked into the room, Matt immediately stood up from his usual seat in the common room and went straight to Gabby to give her a hug.
"Hey, how was the health check? Did the doctor say anything? How are you feeling?"
Couldn't stop himself from rubbing it on his Lieutenant whenever the chance presented himself, Hermann nudged his elbow into Otis, seating beside him. "Look how protective our lieutenant is over Dawson. Wait until she gets pregnant. He'll probably bundle her up in a 20mm bubble wrap and make her stay in bed for the whole 9 months."
"Knowing how Dawson will try to free herself from it, he'll probably make us do sentry duties to make sure she don't run off." Otis cheekily continued.
Shaking her head at their antics, Gabby turned to Matt and gave his hand a little squeeze to convince him she's fine.
"I'm good babe. Doc gave me a clean bill of health."
"By the way, do you want to grab breakfast first before heading home tomorrow?" she asked just before she turned round the corner to leave the room to head to her bunk for a quick rest before the next call comes in.
"Yea sure, whatever you want. We can go to that pancakes place we've been going to for the tenth morning in a row."
"OK great! I'm still craving for their peanut butter, celery and strawberry pancakes."
As she turned to leave, everyone had a gross expression on their face.
"She trying to kill herself, Casey?"
"I don't know Hermann. I have learned not to question her eating choices. Nothing ever comes out right."
Hermann gave a loud laugh as he ribbed his lieutenant. "Welcome to the marriage club! You've mastered rule number one."
Matt gave his second in command a sideway glare but he cannot stop the smirk that appeared on his face. Marriage has taught him a lot of things about women or more precisely Gabby. The good and the bad. But he would not want it any other way.
"Do you want to finally try some of these, Matt?"
"No, that's OK. I'm good with my choice of traditional pancakes with maple syrup."
"Are you sure? But you've never tried it before. How will you know if you will like it or not if you've never tried it?"
Treading the waters carefully, Matt said, "Babe, you have good taste. You know what to wear, what colours to choose to decorate our home and most of the time you also have good taste in food. But I just don't share your preferred food choice recently."
"Just kidding, Matt. I know my taste has been a little weird recently. Do you mind making a detour on the way home?"
"Yea sure."
"OK, just park right there."
"A clinic? What are we doing here?"
"Can you come in with me? There's someone I want you to meet."
"Who are we meeting?"
"You'll see. You're going to fall in love with her."
Raising his eyebrows, he stepped out from the truck and followed Gabby through the glass door of the clinic.
While Gabby spoke to the receptionist, Matt found some empty chairs at the waiting area and took a seat. Not thinking about anything much from the odd visit, he took out his phone to reply to some messages.
"Gabriella Casey? Dr. Watson is ready to see you," the clinic receptionist called out a few minutes later.
Taking a hold of Matt's hand, Gabby led him in to the doctor's room.
"Hi, good morning Mrs Casey, Mr Casey. How are you both doing today?"
"Good. Call me Gabby and this my husband, Matt."
"Nice to meet you both. Alright now Gabby, I've read the notes. Can you change into this gown for me and lie on the table there? I'll be right back."
After the door was closed behind Dr Watson, Matt turned to Gabby puzzled over what is going on.
"Babe, did you bring me back in here to meet Dr Watson? Why did she ask you to change into a gown? Is something wrong baby?"
"No silly. You'll find out soon enough. Now, turn around while I get changed."
"Why do I have to turn around? I've seen you plenty of times without clothes."
"Just you know..this is a clinic and I don't want you to have any funny ideas if I change in front of you."
Matt gave her a devilish twinkle as his eyes roamed her body. Thoughts of just the previous morning came to mind. It was a good wake up routine they had going on for some weeks now. Gabby had been more than passionate lately and he is not one to complain. Although, he did have to hide the scratches on his back by making sure he is never topless at the firehouse or he will never hear the end of it from the guys.
"You're right about that. But you know, we've never done it in a clinic before."
Gabby laughed at the playful smile Matt was giving her. Although the thought is tempting, she is too excited to show Matt what they have created together.
"Another time, trooper. Turn around now."
"Party pooper."
"Alright, Gabby. Are you ready to meet the new addition to your family?"
Gabby smiled as she turned her head to look at Matt who was standing beside her. A small smile crept into her face as she replied, "Yes, yes, we are."
The way Matt's eyes averted from Gabby to the doctor and back again is enough to bring up a giggle from her.
"Gabby, are you…?"
"Yes, yes I am. And we are about to be introduced to her right about now."
"Oh my god." Gabby felt her left hand being squeezed by Matt who had glassy eyes as he observed the doctor preparing to conduct an ultrasound.
Moving the stick around her tummy, the doctor settled on a position and turned the screen towards them. Looking at the expecting parents, she pointed at the screen and showed them their creation.
"OK now, you see that? That tiny little blot, that's your baby. It has planted itself securely in its mother's uterus and receiving its required nutrients."
"Thump Thump.. Thump Thump.."
"Good strong heartbeat too."
"Looking at the size of the foetus, I will put it that you're at least about 5 weeks along Gabby."
Matt was speechless. Hearing the heartbeat as strong as his own, he could not help a tear that fell down his cheek. Looking down at his wife, he was not surprised to see Gabby's expression reflecting his own. It has been a long time coming for them.
Cupping her face with one hand, he could not shake the quiver from his voice. "Wow.. I I I don't know what to say. This is the best thing that has ever happened to me my entire life."
"It beats marrying me?" Gabby teased.
"You, marrying me, will always top all the best things that has and will happen in my life. You're my rock babe. I love you more than life itself and I cannot wait for our little sprout to be here."
"Sprout? Cute nickname! Look at you, the baby is not even out yet, and you have gone all mushy."
After the appointment, new ultrasound pictures kept safely in their pockets, they walked back to the truck hand in hand, as radiant as the summer sun.
"I love you. Let's go home. You need to rest." Matt said as he opened the passenger seat of the truck for Gabby.
"Oh no no no, Mr Casey. You are not going to start bubble wrapping me and keep me in bed until the baby's here."
"Gabby, I've known you for like what, almost a decade now? If I think for a second I could do that and be assured that you're not going to attempt to escape and give me a heart attack in the process, I'd rather be married to that statute there by the fountain."
Hiding a smile, he continued, "Although, i didn't say i wouldn't try."
"Don't you dare Matt Casey."
"I love you. Now get in."
"I love you too."
As Matt settled himself in the driver's seat, Gabby looked at this side profile. He is literally beaming with pride and she was happy because he is. They, the three of them, will make a great team. "Let's go home. Although, Daddy, I don't object to getting a free pass from all the household chores."
Turning to look at her, he said, "We'll make a deal. No household chores and no more shifts at Molly's and you'll get to work until you're ready to go on maternity leave."
"It's the 21st century Matt! I promise I will tell you if it gets too tough for me. How about that?" Gabby was not surprised that he will not let go of the topic of her working. She knows that if he has gotten it his way, she will be off her feet until the baby is born.
"Gabby, I already almost lost you once. I don't want to experience it again. It that means I'll be hovering over you until you get sick and tired of me, so be it. I'm going to do nothing short of making sure that you and sprout are safe for the next 8 months or so."
Gabby smiled lovingly at his protective instinct towards not only her but their unborn child. She is not going to start arguing with him now. Maybe later down the road when he is breathing down her neck. But right now, her heart is full. Looking at her husband, she took his free hand in hers and kiss his knuckles. She is one lucky woman, she thought. "You're going to be make a great dad, Matt. No doubt about it."