So here is my new story. It has been really hard to write, but I have decided to start this new story, and I hope that you like it so far! As you may notice the chapter is a lot longer than most of my chapters are usually. There will be longer update, but they will most likely be less frequent! Please let me know what you think and if you want to see more of this story.
They had just been called to a fire alarm in a company building as the truck rushed down the Chicago streets.
Casey looked in the rearview mirror, looking at his wife witting in the back of the truck. Wanting to go back on truck even though she liked being a paramedic, they had pulled a lot of strings. Since a month she had been under him and it had been hard to balance their marriage and the job, but he saw how happy she was to be back on truck, and that mattered a lot to him.
They arrived at the building and he ordered them all around, lastly looking at Gabby then.
''You stay here, help people as they come out.'' Casey told Gabby and she nodded, looked after him as he walked in. Lately he had been doing this a lot and even though she knew that it was because he did not want her at the frontline.
Later, back at the station, Gabby wanted to sit down and have lunch, but thought about what Matt had just done.
She looked as he walked past the common room on the way to his office.
''What the hell was that at the call, why did you sideline me?'' She asked as she walked after him.
''What?''
''At the call!'' She said as she followed him to his office.
''I needed you at the door, there were lots of people walking out and I needed somebody there to tell them where to evacuate!'' He said.
''It felt like you didn't want me to even be there!''
''Stop it Dawson. I had to make a call and I did.''
''Matt!''
''Don't Matt me here. I have never treated you any different than the rest of the crew.'' He said angry as he closed the door.
''Oh yeah, really seemed you were trying to protect me back there?'' She said mad.
''Dawson, I am not even going to argue about this with you. If you are not happy about leadership, you should transfer to another house. You know we have been under fire enough about all of this.'' Matt said as he sat down.
''Yeah, and I don't agree how you treat me sometimes. I am just as capable as the others.''
''I don't doubt that, or you would not be on my crew!''
There was a knock on the door and Mouch peeked into the office.
''Should I call a divorce la-''
''Get out!'' They said in unison.
''And you get out too, if you want to throw this shit on my plate at home, that is fine, but for now I am lieutenant, and you deal with my orders.''
Gabby turned around, so mad that he was worried the glass was going to break out of the door when she closed it and walked off.
At the end of shift, she drove home, while Matt walked. They had not talked to each other the rest of this shift. She was mad with him. They had promised they could make working on the same truck work, but now she was not so sure anymore. Sometimes she wondered if she was just imagining it, but now she was sure he was treating her differently.
She had just come home and put her stuff away after shift when Matt came walking in. Every time they had had a fight at work, it was hard to come home. There was barely any time they were not together, and it made their marriage a lot more work than most couples.
''I'm off to the doghouse.'' Matt said, swinging his bag over his shoulder.
''Yeah, we should talk tomorrow.'' She said mad. It was probably for the best they spend some time apart now. They had yelled at each other at work, and they knew if they talked about it now, they would only make it worse. There was no way around each other and even though she hated seeing Matt leave, she knew that it was for the best now.
He closed the front door behind him and walked to his car, driving over to Kelly's.
His friend opened the door for him. Even though he knew Matt and Gabby were a great couple, it was probably for the best now. He couldn't imagine sharing a house and the job with his wife. Honestly, he couldn't even imagine having a wife.
They sat down on the couch, Matt's place for the night as Kelly put on the football and handed him a beer.
''So, no talking today?''
''She screams at me, and I scream at her, and we never talk it out.''
''Well coming here is not going to make it much better, you know that.''
''Oh hold up, I just want to watch the football, not talk relationships with you.'' Matt said.
They were silent for a few minutes, looking at the football.
''You know what, maybe I sometimes do treat her differently, but she is my wife. I don't want to, but I worry you know.''
''That is not really fair of you, Case.''
''I know, I know. But it is also not fair of her to dissect all my orders to see if I treat her differently. Sometimes I have to make decisions.''
''You need to talk with her about it, maybe say that it is better if she moves to a different tru-''
''You want me here as a permanent resident?''
They both chuckled for a bit, Matt looking down at his bottle as he was scratching some of the label off.
''I love her, and I don't want to lose her. I thought it would be easier to have her serving under me, but it is not easy.'' Matt admitted. ''I've been so happy to be married to her, and I am scared something is going to happen, and I know it is stupid, but I just want to make sure that she is okay.''
''Well you two better work it out, because I am not going to let you stay here every night.''
''I wasn't planning on it.'' Matt said, looking down at the bottle again. He was longing to go home, and be with his wife again.
The next morning, he left the couch behind and made his way back home.
Gabby was already up, making breakfast in the kitchen as he walked in.
''Hey.''
''Slept well?'' Gabby asked as he walked a bit stiff, and she was sure that Kelly's couch had not done him much good.
''not really.''
''Me neither.''
They both sat down by the table, a stack of pancakes in the middle but neither of them really felt like breakfast.
''I am sorry I got so mad yesterday, I know you are my lieutenant and I need to listen to you. But I just don't want you to treat me differently.
''I am sorry Gabby but please realize that I don't do it to make you look bad, or because I think you can't do it, I tis just that I am worried about you.''
''I love you.'' She smiled then.
''I love you too.'' He said back, and they kissed, finally having breakfast. Even though they were so happy together, their marriage also took some work and even though it never took long before they made up, she knew that it was still something they had to work on for their marriage.
''I figure you want a shower after sleeping on that unholy couch of Kelly's.'' Gabby smiled a bit mischievous as he got up.
''oh, you care to join me?''
''Yeah.'' She giggled as she ran after him.
A little later, they laid in bed together. He had his arm around her as she was laying close to him.
''Do you ever regret getting married?'' Matt asked a bit worried, even though both of them worked really hard to make it work at the firehouse and be good spouses at home, he sometimes worried he was making her unhappy by being her lieutenant.
''I have not regretted it at all. Not since day 1.''
''Me neither.'' He smiled, kissing her on her forehead and they laid together, glad they had talked it out and hoping that the next chapter would be better.
The next shift came around and as soon as he came walking in, Casey was called into Boden's office.
''please sit down.''
Casey got a bit nervous, not sure what to expect. Even though he and Gabby had had some troubles, he was not sure what he did wrong to get berated by Boden.
''I heard that there are some concerns in the crew that you are treating Dawson differently.''
''I uhm – I try not to chief, but I also recognized that I made a call last shift that was not fair to her.''
''You know it was hard enough to get you on the same shift.''
''I know chief, and I really appreciate that, I am really sorry.''
''Won't happen again? I can let you off with a warning now, but it would mean that you might be moved to different firehouses in the future if it happens again.''
''Won't happen again chief.''
''Goo-''
Before they could finish their conversation, an alarm came in and they ran to the trucks.
They were called to a large apartment building on fire, and the fire seemed to be on the top floor.
Gabby looked as her husband ran to the top floor with Hermann. She was scared because he had been called to Boden's office, but they had not been able to talk yet.
''Fire department, call out!''
She walked into the first apartment, together on the floor with Otis.
Otis went to the next one as she walked into the bedroom. There was a woman, crying.
''You need to evacuate!''
''I am scared.'' The woman cried, and Gabby knew there was no way she was going on her own.
Gabby laid her hand on her arm and started to walk down the stairs with her. Otis came by, said it was cleared and went to the next story to help out.
Gabby was just at the entrance with the woman that she had found when there was rumbling above her.
''Top floor collapsed!'' She heard over the radio.
She brought the woman to the others and walked back in, knowing that her husband was still up there.
''Hermann are you still up there with Casey?'' She radioed.
''I am on my way down, Casey ordered me to.'' Hermann said over the radio. She sighed relieved, it meant that Matt was okay. She took her radio in her hand, switching to Matt.
''Matt?''
''I am here.'' She finally heard on the radio.
Matt was sitting up against some of the rubble. Looking aside he saw some rebar sticking out of his hip. He tried to get up, but just managed to muffle his grunt as it really hurt and he sunk back on the floor.
''Are you hurt?'' She asked worried, putting her foot on the stairs.
''I am fine.'' He lied as he tried to get up again, surprising the screams as he held the wall, slowly making it to the stairs.
''I am coming for you.''
''No, I order you to stay outside.''
''There is enough time.''
''No.'' He just said calmly. ''More could collapse, I can't have anything happen for you. If Boden deems it safe squad might come in.''
Angry she looked up the stairs, thinking of running back up. He was there, he was right there, her husband and she thought about a second for neglecting his orders.
''Matt, please, I am right here, I am only a few stairs away.'' She cried through the radio then, hoping that her husband would take back what he had said, hoping that he would let her go in to go after him, but it were orders.
''No, I gave you my orders.'' She heard on the other side of the line. There were still some sounds, and she figured he was moving, and she kept looking, hoping that he would still walk out in time.
''Matt, I am doing nothing here! I can come in and help you.''
''I don't want anything to happen with you. The others are on their way out, and I don't want you to come back in.''
Inside, Matt held the radio down, slumping down on the stairs.
''Matt?''
He brought the radio up to his mouth again.
''Gabby, you need to get out.''
''I am at the entrance, but I can still find you.'' She said through the radio, sounding desperate.
''Dawson, I order you to get out of the building right now.'' He finally said.
Gabby stood there, a few floors under him, holding the radio in her shaking hand. The last few months, he had always called her dash Casey, jokingly, but now he was using her maiden name again.
''I hate you, how can you do this to me!'' he heard through the radio then, the words hurt him even more than his hip did now, and he turned the radio off.
''You are giving me orders again, just me, just because you want to protect me! It's like you don't trust me or respect me. I hate you! Matt!'' She realized he had switched his radio off.
Frustrated, Gabby threw the radio against the stairs and it bounced off.
Tears welled up in her eyes as somebody grabbed her arm, dragging her downstairs.
''Dawson, the building might collapse.'' Hermann yelled as he was dragging her outside. Boden came walking their way once they got outside and after the dark building, the light blinded her for a second.
''Where is Casey?''
''He is on the top floor, I tried to get back up –''
''I was trying to give you orders.''
''He ordered me not to come up to help him.'' Dawson said, looking back at the building, crying.
''he blocked the radio by talking to you.'' Hermann said, and he was pretty sure it had been Casey's plan so that his orders could not be overruled by Boden.
''I need to go back in!'' She said, wanted to walk there.
''It's too late now, I am sorry Gabby.''
She screamed, she just screamed, she had been so sure Matt was going to walk out and be okay, and there was nothing.
The guys were holding her back, she tried to get back in, she wanted too, she wanted to find him, but then the door opened, and Matt came stumbling outside.
She felt the guy letting go of her and she ran his way.
But way before she could reach him, the building gave in, and she saw Matt disappear in the smoke and rubble.
Thanks for reading, please let me know what you think!
