The pressure between the Gabby and Matt continued to grow in spite of them both trying their best to manage the balance between work and home life. The latest incident was when Gabby took off her protective gear after being instructed to keep it on at a chemical spill. Matt had instructed everyone to keep their protective gear on when in the spill zone per protocol. Without asking permission from Matt who was distracted Gabby had disobeyed his orders, taken off her gear and hopped into a truck to pour sand over the affected area to contain the spill. The Battalion commander had noticed Gabby's lack of gear and questioned both Casey and the Chief on the disciplinary lapse for a candidate. It had looked bad for both Casey and Bowden at the scene and had called attention to 51 and painted them in a very bad light. As soon as they were alone Casey reprimanded Dawson for the lapse to drive home the point of how serious the situation was. However, Gabby brushed off Matt's rebuke by bragging. Matt knew that Gabby was nervous and wanted his approval since bragging was normally out of character for her. He also knew she wanted and maybe even needed his approval right now not as her Lieutenant but as Gabby's fiance. But Matt, as her Lieutenant wanted to make it clear how serious bringing bad attention to them was right now. Bowden and the other men who knew about Gabby and Matt had their lives and their careers to think about since they were all looking the other way in order for Gabby to continue work at 51. The kind of rebellion that had made Gabby a great PIC could get them all in trouble or worse even get one of them hurt or killed. Casey had to be a leader to Gabby more than a lover or fiancé. He hated it that Gabby didn't seem to realize the impact that she could have by not listening or paying attention. After his reprimand he had seen the hurt in Gabby's eyes but he ignored it to make his point. Matt wanted to make Gabby think twice before disobeying him on a call again. Later, she had tried to talk to him yet again but Matt avoided talking to her remarking that he could not separate work and home right now. Again Matt tried to make that indelible impression on Gabby about how serious this really was so he had refused to talk to her. At that moment he felt like the world's biggest asshole when Gabby looked at him and asked to talk but he refused.
Later that night he went to grab a beer from the refrigerator when he saw a picture of he and Gabby. In that moment he decided to go to Molly's to talk to Gabby and maybe even have a beer and a dance after closing hours as a way to make up. Matt smiled as he grabbed his keys and headed out thinking of Gabby's warm body pressed against his as well as the smell of her vanilla perfume that drove him crazy. Meanwhile, Gabby was closing up and running the last few days with Matt through her mind. She knew that she screwed up but Gabby needed Matt right now. Gabby felt as if she was in free fall with no one to talk to since Shay was dead , Antonio preoccupied with his own problems and Matt refused to talk to her. So instead she decided to confide in Peter Mills, after all they had been friends way before they were lovers. Gabby didn't love Pete but he was the closest thing to a friend she had right now. Just as she had confided in Mills that outside of work she and Matt were having problems, they both turned to see Matt standing silently watching their exchange. Gabby's heart sank into her stomach as she read the look of betrayal on Matt's face. She called out his name but Matt kept walking out the door of Molly's without a glance back. She had messed up badly and knew it.
Matt heard the words that made him want to be anywhere but Mollys. Hell, Matt had been in blazing fires that shook him less than what he had just witnessed. Gabby had just told her ex lover that she and Matt were not working and that she didn't know what to do. What did that even mean? Was it an open invitation for her and Pete to be lovers again? To Matt this was a huge betrayal since he had put his entire career on the line for Gabby's sake. He was rocked to his core as he had been when Halle died and maybe even worse because there was no place to retreat from Gabby. Matt thought even through everything that Gabby understood he was here for the long haul- no matter what. In fact, Matt had slipped the ring on her finger to make her feel more secure. Instead of trusting that Matt would come around and talk to her, Gabby had went running back to confide in Peter Mills, her last serious relationship. All Matt thought was, "Gabby doesn't want me.. She is leaving me after I tried to show her I am in this until the end with the ring. I gave her everything I have."
Matt – " I thought she loved me and wanted to be with me. Now nothing makes any sense. Where the hell do we, no where do I go from here? "
Gabby " I love him. I need him. But I need him to open up to me since I feel lost and insecure. Doesn't he know that we are everything? How do I get back to where this all started going wrong."