Chapter Three
Gabby blinked. Her heart sunk in her chest. Her breath caught in her throat. Those four words replaying themselves over in her head, again and again. Do I know you?
"Matt" she hesitated "I don't find this funny"
His eyes were trained on her and she could tell by the look on his face, her usual joking and wise boyfriend, was being dead serious. She gasped as if someone had suddenly and physically grabbed her heart and squeezed it in her chest. Her hand went to her lips; he wasn't kidding.
His eyes fell, he looked like a lost puppy "I'm sorry"
Her hands were shaking. Her breathing was rigid. She didn't know what to do. Her eyes were welling up with tears. She looked down, wringing her hands together as she tried to steady her breathing.
"Oh my god Kelly" she heard Shay gasp "He's awake"
Shay and Severide rounded the corner into the small room. Matt's head turned towards them, instantly groaning at the sharp movement.
As Shay and Severide came into the room, they immediately knew something was wrong.
Shay looked at her best friend who refused to pick up her head and acknowledge her. She looked back to Matt. He was staring at them intently.
"Casey" Severide smiled "It's so good to see you awake man"
Matt stared at him "Thanks"
Shay glanced between Matt and Gabby. Her confusion growing. Her eyes settled on Matt as he looked between the three of them.
"Do you feel okay Casey?" Shay wondered
Matt took a deep breath "I'm really sorry, but I don't know who you are"
Shay's mouth fell open, the small take out container in her hand falling from her fingertips and hitting the floor with a thud.
Severide hesitated "Casey…Matt…you don't know who we are?"
Matt turned his attention to him, shaking his head slowly "No"
Gabby turned from them, taking off running out of the door. Shay watched her go and hesitated before taking off after her.
Severide watched them go and turned back to Matt. He took a deep breath and walked towards the chair next Matt's bed. He sat down slowly, rubbing his thighs with the palms of his hands. He took another deep breath and looked up to meet Matt's waiting eyes.
"I'm Kelly Severide. You can call me Severide or Kelly" he whispered
Matt nodded slowly "Okay"
Severide laughed nervously "It feels really awkward not knowing what to say to you"
Matt cleared his throat, sitting up straighter in bed. He winced slightly.
"Do you need me to get a doctor? Maybe they should know you're awake" Severide suggested
"No" Matt groaned as he settled himself "Not yet"
Severide nodded in response "Okay"
"Are we friends?" Matt paused "Brothers? Lovers? Am I gay now?"
Severide had to laugh as he looked at the clueless expression on his friend's face "Friends…best friends…at least we were"
"Were?" Matt questioned
"Um" Severide paused "Our best friend, Andy, was killed just over a year ago. Since then, our friendship has been strained and…I should stop"
"No" Matt protested
"It's a lot of information and we don't have to talk about it now" Severide told him "You've been through a lot Matt"
"How did Andy die?" Matt asked
"A fire" Severide responded
Matt stared at him "I'm a firefighter"
"Yes" Severide nodded "So am I, so was Andy. He died in the line the of duty. Do you remember? What do you remember?"
Matt shook his head slowly "A few things, but they're really foggy. I remember being a firefighter and my mom. She's in jail for killing my father and my sister Christie hates me"
Severide listened "Well it's a start. Your mom's out on parole now and Christie doesn't hate you. You guys have worked a lot of things out. You also have a niece now, Violet"
"How old?" he wondered
Severide shrugged his shoulders "I don't really know…7...8...9...maybe 10"
"It doesn't ring a bell" Matt whispered
"Do you have any idea how far back you remember? What's the last thing you remember?" Severide wondered
"I don't know" Matt hesitated "What I do remember is unclear and distant almost like it's not real"
"Okay" Severide replied
"Kelly…Severide" Matt sighed "What do you prefer?"
Severide smiled slightly "Severide"
"Severide" Matt paused "How did this happen to me? What happened to me?"
"It was an apartment fire. The building was starting to collapse, so our chief ordered us out. You went back for a woman's baby and on your way out, a beam collapsed. The blunt trauma caused a epidural hematoma and from what I got from Shay they had to go in and remove the hematoma to release the pressure on your brain and skull" Severide explained
"So is that why I don't remember anything or anyone?" Matt questioned
Severide shrugged his shoulders "I don't know man. I'm not a doctor by any stretch of the imagination. We were more worried about brain damage, amnesia really wasn't even discussed"
"The girls" Matt sighed "That were in here"
"Leslie Shay and Gabriella Dawson" Severide informed him "But don't call Shay, Leslie, unless you want another force of blunt trauma to the head"
Matt laughed slightly "Noted"
"Sorry, bad joke" Severide trailed off
"No" Matt shook his head "I lost my memory, I'm not a baby. I'm trusting you to not handle me with kid gloves, please"
Severide smiled "I can do that"
"So, the blonde is Shay and the other one is Gabriella Dawson" Matt stated
"Yeah" Severide nodded "She goes by Gabby or Dawson, usually Dawson at the house"
"House? Like the firehouse?" Matt questioned "Is she a firefighter too?"
"Paramedic, both Shay and Dawson are. And technically, you're a Lieutenant"
"Oh. Okay" Matt soaked it all in "And Dawson, she's my?"
Severide raised his eyebrows at his friend "That's a good question"
Matt eyed him "It's just when I woke up, she was here and the things she was saying as I was waking up…"
"Shay tells me she's your girlfriend now" Severide interrupted "That you guys have been keeping it pretty hush, hush the last month as it was still new and you work together"
"So were new boyfriend/girlfriend then?" Matt wondered
"Technically, if what Shay told me is true. But honestly even through Hallie and Mills and whoever. Everyone has always known it was Casey and Dawson" Severide trailed off
Matt licked his lips "Wait? Hallie? Mills?"
Severide sighed "I'm sorry. Um. Hallie is your ex-fiancé who passed away a few months back. Mills is a co-worker of ours, a fellow firefighter, he and Dawson dated for like 6 months"
"Wow" Matt breathed "I hope there won't be a quiz on this tomorrow"
"Casey" Severide stated "I really think I should go get a doctor to check you out, maybe they'll have some more Intel about your memory loss"
Matt nodded slowly "Okay"
Shay walked through the big sliding doors, her best friend standing a few feet in front of her. She walked up to her slowly, taking in the snow falling around them. Dawson had been outside a while, she had quite a bit on her clothes.
"I've been looking all over for you" Shay whispered
Dawson didn't respond as Shay came to stand next to her. She took in her tear stained cheeks, her eyes looking upwards toward the sky, her arms gripped tightly around her own body.
Shay reached her arm around her "Gabby"
Gabby let out a whimper as she turned her head to look at the blonde before letting her head crash against her shoulder. Sobs racked her body as she turned towards her and Shay completely enveloped the brunette in her arms. Her hands rubbed up and down her back slowly.
"I don't know what to do" Gabby sobbed
Shay held her head against Gabby's as she hugged her tightly.
"Your going to cry and let it all out because you need to" Shay paused "Then we're going to go back in there and figure everything out"
"How?" Gabby choked out "How can this be happening?"
Shay pulled herself back, taking her best friend's face in her hands "Don't you dare"
"Shay" Gabby cried
"Don't you dare" Shay repeated "Casey is alive and that's what counts. The rest will fall into place, it always does, and it will this time too"
She pulled her back into her embrace and tightened her grip around the shorter girl. Gabby shook violently in Shay's arms, so she tightened her hold on her. They'd figure this all out. Somehow.
Thoughts? Let me know what you think, please?
Thanks for reading!
- Britt
