Disclaimer: I own nothing except my imagination.
A/N: I know I've been MIA on the Dawsey front from the stories don't come as easily as they used to BUT I've had a few ideas in the work and this is one of those. I'm not sure how many parts it will have but I wanted them to have a happy ending, hope you guys will like it.
Gabby was waiting not so patiently outside Chief Hatcher's office at headquarters. She had an appointment to get to and she didn't want to be late. Her morning had been chaotic to say the least and she was hoping to turn it around after her appointment. She was pulled out of her thoughts when the door to her right opened.
"Gabby Dawson, come on in." She stood and followed Hatcher inside.
"Chief Hatcher, what can I do for you?"
"I know we've had our past differences but I've always thought of you as the fiercest, battle tested paramedics of the CFD." He took his place behind his desk.
"Thank you Chief." Gabby couldn't believe her ears. The man had always had it for her since the beginning of her career in the department and he was now suddenly throwing flowers her way.
"So I'll get right to it. Puerto Rico is still in a bad way, there's a lot of people in need of power and assistance so we're sending a team of paramedics down there to help with the relief efforts and I need some volunteers."
"Oh." Gabby was taken aback by what she thought he was implying.
"You were the first person that came to mind."
"I'm a flattered." She tried to get over her shock. "It's just that it's not a good time."
"It never is but it's for an important cause."
"I appreciate all of this Chief, I do. It's just that I have a lot going on right now."
"Yeah no problem, I understand."
"Thanks Chief." She smiled, grateful that he had thought of her so highly but she just wasn't sure if the timing was right. She stood and shook his hand before taking her leave.
She couldn't believe that this offer was falling on her lap right now. Her head was spinning but she needed to get it on straight before meeting up with Matt at the doctor's office. She was finally ready to start trying for another baby and Matt had been ecstatic upon hearing the news and since then they had tried to get pregnant but to no avail. They were going to see if they had others options to consider. She parked her car in the lot and spotted Matt's truck which made her smile. She got out and saw him leaning against his door, his arms crossed over his chest, just waiting.
"Sorry I'm late baby." She jogged next to him and he smiled when he spotted her.
"It's okay, how did it go with Hatcher?" He pulled her close to him.
"He uh." She stuttered, not sure how to bring this up to Matt.
"It's okay, you can tell me." He pushed a strand of hair out of her eye.
"He says that they could really use me in a relief effort in Puerto Rico." She stopped breathing, waiting to find out what he was going to say.
"And what did you tell him?" She could see it in his eyes that he wasn't on board with it.
"I told him that It wasn't the best time for me, for us, right now."
"Okay." That really wasn't the reply she was expecting.
"You're my husband Matt and I can't just take a decision that important without talking to you about it." She felt the need to defend herself.
"Hey, Gabby, it's okay." He smiled at her. "How about we talk about this at home? We wouldn't want to go and be late to see the doctor." Gabby released a breath she wasn't know she was holding.
"Yeah, let's go." They walked into the building hand in hand and Gabby gave her name before they took a seat in the waiting rom.
"Babe, stop it, everything is going to be okay." He put his hand on her thigh to stop the bouncing of her foot.
"I'm just scared of what they are going to tell me in there. What if we can't have kids? You've wanted to be a dad for so long." She bit her bottom lip to try to stop the tears that were stinging her eyes.
"Hey, look at me." He moved to his right to face Gabby and took her face in his hands.
"No matter what happens in there, I love you more than anything and if we can't have babies of our own, we'll find other ways to be parents." His heart broke in million pieces at the thought of Gabby hurting so much and he wanted to make sure that he wanted her above everything else.
"I love you too."
"Gabriella Casey?" Both turned when Gabby's name was called and they followed the nurse inside the office. "You can go on and take a seat, the doctor will be with you shortly."
"Thank you." Matt guided Gabby inside the small room and she took a nervous seat next to him.
"Everything will be fine." He whispered to her ear before kissing her temple.
"Yeah." She said absentmindedly as she looked at the various pictures on the walls, Matt looking at all the babies that had been the result of the fertility treatments. It felt like forever before Dr West walked inside the room with her file in hand.
"Sorry to keep you waiting."
"Oh no it's okay." Gabby chuckled. They were in a good place and she was happy.
"I wanted to talk about your test results but first I want to do another ultrasound just to make sure everything is okay."
"Oh, okay." Gabby wasn't sure why they needed to do another ultrasound.
"Did the one you did last time not help?" Matt asked, worry lines appearing on his forehead.
"We did but we need to make sure we check all the boxes." Gabby put a hand on Matt's forearm.
"It's okay baby, it'll just take a few extra minutes right?"
"Promise." Dr West gave Gabby a blue gown and let her change before she came back with the machine. "Ready?"
"Yeah." Gabby was suddenly nervous and Matt held her hand in his. Dr West did the ultrasound and suddenly stopped when she saw something she hadn't expected. "Is everything okay Dr West?" Matt was starting to have a bad feeling about it.
"You see this?" She pointed to the tiny, fluttering spec on the screen.
"Yeah, what is that?"
"That is your baby."
"Our baby? What?" Neither Gabby nor Matt was precessing this new bit of information.
"It seems that you managed to get pregnant since the last time we saw each other." Dr West smiled at them.
"We're going to have a baby?" Matt couldn't believe his eyes but he couldn't stop the grin on his face.
"Congratulations to you both." She let the wand still as the expectant parents revelled in their happiness.
"So what now?" Gabby asked, a grin on her lips.
"There's actually something else I wanted to discuss with you." She printed a few copies and moved the ultra sound machine to the side.
"Sure." Both Gabby and Matt couldn't believe how lucky they were and nothing at this point could come darken their mood.
"So the last time you were in, we did all these different tests."
"Is everything okay?" Gabby sat down and looked at Matt and then back to the doctor.
"When we did the ultrasound, we noticed this." She turned the screen so Gabby and Matt could look at it. "It's an aneurism." And suddenly their hearts sank. "On the right Ilyac artery." Matt's heat was spinning but Gabby's medical training made so that she knew what that meant. "Most likely from the abdominal pregnancy you suffered several years ago.
"So, what does that mean?" She wanted the doctor to confirm her suspicions.
"It means that pregnancy adds stress on the vascular system and it creates the risks of the aneurism rupturing."
"And if it does?" Matt knew it was serious enough by just looking at the doctor's face.
"It could be fatal, for the mother." She moved her eyes from Matt to Gabby. "I'm sorry." They couldn't believe it. They had gotten the best news only seconds before and now they were getting another that could change their entire existence. "I wish I had better news."
Tears clouded her eyes and Matt held a stronger grip on her hand. They had been dealt two life changing news and neither of them knew how to wrap their heads around it.
"I know this is a lot to process so here's some things you might want to read before you make a decision." She had explained to them the different options they had but she could tell it was a lot for the expectant parents.
"Thank you doctor West." Matt took the leaflets she gave them and he helped Gabby off the exam table so she could change in the small bathroom.
"Call my office if you need anything at all."
"Thank you." Matt stared at Gabby as she just stood there. "Gabby, baby, let's get you home." It took her a few seconds before she moved and they made their way outside and to her car. "Come on, I'll drive you home."
"What about your truck?"
"I can come back later to get it with Severide, don't worry about that right now." He helped her in the passenger side and took the wheel. The drive was quiet and Matt kept looking at Gabby to make sure she was still with him and each time, he found her staring out of the window with her hand on her abdomen. "Talk to me Gabby." Talking was never her strong suit but he really needed her to tell him something, anything.
"I'm fine." But she was far from it. Her head was filling with random words and it all scared her and she didn't know how to deal with them.
"Everything will turn out okay." He didn't know that for sure but he couldn't afford to think like that, not after what they had just found out. She mumbled her response and it scared him. When they made it back home, he helped her to their room and they settled on top of the bed and Matt pulled her in his arms. They stayed silent for the longest time but Gabby was finally the one to break it.
"I can't believe we have to make a choice." Her voice was barely a whisper and she held her hand firmly on her abdomen.
"We don't have to make that decision tonight." He stroked her hair.
"You heard what she said Matt." She pulled herself away from him and propped herself on her hand, fire in her eyes and anger rolling off her shoulders. That's what Matt was waiting for and he was hoping that she would tell him EXACTLY what was going through her head right now. "I keep this baby, I could die. I don't keep it and we can never try to have a family ever again." She was now crying.
"She said the chances were small but I can't make that decision for you. No matter what you decide, I'll always be by your side." He took her hand in his and played with her wedding ring. "This is what this means." He couldn't help his own tears from clouding his vision. He loved her with everything he had in him and he couldn't live in a world without her in it.
"This is so hard."
"Nobody said this was going to be easy baby but I think the two of us are too emotional right now to take any kind of decision."
"There's only decision I can live with right now and that is turning down Chief Hatcher's offer for PR."
"We'll get through this together, I promise."
"Don't let me go."
"I'll always catch you." She snuggled back into his arms and they both fell asleep from exhaustion, all the emotions of the day taking over them.
A/N: So I really wanted to stay true to the SL in the show and not sweep it under the rug but I also wanted to put my twist on things so please take a few seconds to review before you go, I really want to know what you guys think of it. - Sarra