Here's an all new chapter for you. Writing this story is kind of therapeutic for me and I hope so is reading it.

Enjoy reading,

Miss Eliza

PS: Sorry, not sorry for the evil cliffhanger ;)

Matt

He closed the door of his wardrobe and put on his grey jacket, before he looked into the mirror to his right side. Matt sighed. Sure, he looked good in that jacket. It had always been Gabby's favorite. She had chosen it for him in the store two years ago. Gabby. Oh, how he missed her. Maybe agreeing to go on this date was a huge mistake. Maybe… No. He told himself not to go down that road again. She was gone and wouldn't be back anytime soon. He had to try to move on. But truth was, he couldn't. He couldn't give up hope that she would be back some day. That he would hold her in his arms again. He took one last look into the mirror to make sure that his hair looked okay and walked into the living room to grab his keys. There was a knock on the front door. "Open up, I know you're still home." Matt walked to the door and opened it. "What the hell are you doing here?!" He asked Severide.

"Promised Cruz to make sure you would actually leave your apartment and go on that date."

"Well, as you can see, I'm on my way." Matt was a little bit annoyed.

"I can see that. But you're not driving. I'm your driver tonight, so you can have a drink."

"Maybe I don't want a drink."

"I'm not asking." Severide took his keys and threw them back into the apartment. "Come on, I'm driving you to the restaurant."

Matt sighed and followed him to his car. After a 15-minute drive they arrived at the restaurant Cruz had chosen for the date. Matt got out and thanked Kelly for driving him. "Are you going to pick me up later?" He joked.

"No, you're a good-looking guy. I'm sure you'll find a bed to sleep in." Kelly wisecracked and drove off. Matt shook his head at his best friend and walked into the restaurant. Cruz was waving from a table on the left side of the room, next to a window.

"They aren't here yet?" Matt asked him.

"No, Chloe called me. They got stuck in traffic." Cruz was visibly nervous.

"Calm down, Cruz." Matt sat down opposite to him. "It's just a dinner."

"For you maybe." Cruz sighed. "I really like Chloe and I don't want to blow it."

"Then don't" Matt laughed. "Just be yourself and I'm sure she'll like you too."

"Maybe." Cruz looked at Matt. "Maybe it was a bad idea to take you as my wingman, Casey."

Matt was confused. "Why?"

"Well, how do they say?" Cruz grinned. "When you go to a double date, you should take your ugly friends?"

They both laughed. "Life is not a beauty pageant, Cruz."

Cruz wanted to answer something but when he looked up he saw Chloe and her friend approaching. He gestured Matt and he got up too and turned around. Chloe's friend was a petite blonde, dressed in high heels and a little red dress.

"Hi Chloe" Cruz decided to start the conversation. "So nice to see you again."

"Hi Joe, nice to see you too. This is my friend Kayla"

"Nice to meet you Kayla. This is Matt Casey"

"Hi Matt" Kayla shook his hand. "I see Joe chose well." She winked at him and Matt felt a little bit uncomfortable.

"Hi Kayla" He gestured towards the table. "Let's sit down and have dinner."

Gabby

"I don't have anything to wear" She complained in front of her wardrobe. "I left almost all my fancy clothes in Chicago."

"Oh, come on" Carol, who was sitting on Gabby's bed, said. "There are tons of clothes in there. I'm sure we'll find something." She got up, reached into the wardrobe and got out a fancy lavender dress. "This one."

"No way." Gabby shook her head. "I wore this dress on our last date night and…"

"Gabby!" Carol cut her short. "Stop it! Why are you going on a date when all you do is talk about your husband?!"

"Because I need to move on." Gabby was stubborn. "Our marriage is ruined and I don't want to think about that right now. I need something to distract myself."

"All right. In that case it shouldn't be a problem to wear that dress." Carol raised an eyebrow. "Right?"

"Give it to me" Gabby grabbed the dress from Carol. After she got dressed Carol helped her with her hair. "You look beautiful, Gabby. I hope you'll have a nice evening."

"But what you really want to say is that I'm making a huge mistake" Gabby laughed.

"Yep" Carol nodded. "It's just that I can see how heartbroken you still are and I really think going out on dates is not the right thing to do right now."

"Trust me. It is." Gabby put her keys and wallet in her purse.

"Okay. If you say so." They went into the living room. "I'll go now." Carol said. "Have fun tonight and don't do anything stupid."

"I promise." Gabby winked and they hugged. Carol left and Gabby waited for Mike Hunter to pick her up. Twenty minutes later, there was a knock on her door. When she opened it, she saw him standing on her porch. He was dressed in jeans and a black button-down shirt. Just like the one she had bought for…No, stop it! She told herself and smiled at Mike. "Hey, good to see you."

"Likewise," He took a step forward. "You look gorgeous."

"So, what are your plans for tonight?" Gabby asked him.

"I'll take you to dinner and drinks in Maria's bar and diner. It's a very nice place." He got nearer and took her arm. "Let's go"

"Sounds good to me." It felt weird walking alongside another man, holding her arm. It felt really weird, but she had to do this. She had to move on, right? At least that was what she told herself over and over again.

Matt

After dinner they went to Molly's for drinks. If you asked Matt, he would say dinner had been okay. Chloe and Joe really seemed to be into each other but he couldn't say the same thing for him and Kayla. In fact, she was a pain in the ass. They were sitting at a table for four but Kayla nearly was on his lap. She did everything to get his attention and it was very clear what she wanted.

"So, Matt" Kayla leaned over to him so her breasts were almost in his face. "You're one of the bosses at the firehouse?"

"Yep"

"That's hot" She licked her lips. "I bet you've worked a lot of fires"

"Um" He tried neither to look at her breasts nor her lips.

"What do you do when you're not working?"

"I have a construction business" He was really annoyed but he didn't want to go home because of Cruz. He seemed to have fun and he didn't want to ruin it for him and Chloe.

"Jackpot." Kayla laughed a little too loud. "Firefighter and Contractor." She got nearer and whispered into his ear. "Wanna get out of here? I think there's a fire in me you need to put out."

"Uh…thanks, no." He shoved her aside, grabbed his jacket and walked out of the bar. Unfortunately, Kayla followed him. "What's wrong with you? A hot chick wants to sleep with you and you just go home?!"

"What's wrong with you?!" Matt asked back. "Did I do anything that said "Jump my bones"? I don't think so. I went on this date, because Joe asked me. I just wanted to have a nice evening not a quick lay."

"And I just wanted to have some fun." Kayla was offended. "But you are a loser, Matt Casey!" She yelled and walked away. Matt got his phone out of his pocket and wanted to call a cab, when he heard clapping. Kelly was standing in the entrance of the bar. "Wow, Mr. Womanizer." He laughed. "That was a kick in the pants. She was hot, why didn't you go home with her?"

"Because she was annoying" Matt defended himself.

"She was hot. Like really hot." Kelly walked over to him. "Did you see her legs?"

"Maybe" Matt looked at his best friend. "Can you drive me home?"

"Sure. Just came here to watch the show." Kelly winked.

"Hope you had a great time" He said sarcastically.

"It was a great episode of How to repel a hot chick in less than 50 minutes" They got into the car and Kelly started the engine. "So why didn't you sleep with her? And the fact that she was annoying doesn't count. You don't talk while doing it."

"Kelly… I really don't want to talk about that" Matt closed his eyes and hoped that Kelly would stop asking but he wasn't lucky.

"You said yourself that you wanted to have some fun. What stopped you?"

"I don't know, okay?!" Matt was getting really annoyed. "I just wasn't in the mood."

"You haven't been in any mood since almost 4 weeks now. Stop beating yourself up." Kelly couldn't help it, he was worried.

"What do you expect me to do, Kelly?! Dancing on the table and having sex with every woman that comes along? That kind of therapy maybe works for you but not for me. I can't do that. Technically I'm still married and I would never cheat on her. Never ever."

"Matt, she left you. Maybe you should file for divorce, if that's what stops you from moving on."

Kelly's words caused Matt to blow up. "Are you completely insane?!" He yelled. "It's been 4 fucking weeks! Not four years! I can't stop loving her, it's not as easy as flicking a lamp off! What would you do, if Stella left you tomorrow?! Huh?"

"Good point." Kelly had to admit. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that. I'm just worried about you."

"Well then just stop it!" Matt was still pissed. "I just need some time. I'll be fine." Deep inside Matt knew that it was a lie. The date tonight had shown him how much he was still hung up on Gabby. All he had been able to think about was their last date night. How they had laughed and make jokes. How they got home after having ice cream at Navy Pier. How they had made love all night long. Only six weeks later his life was a complete mess. He couldn't even tell how they had gotten there. To this point where they were hurting each other, fighting like they never had before. Before he could lose himself deeper in his thoughts, Kelly stopped the car in front of his apartment building.

"Thanks for giving me a ride." Matt opened the door but Kelly stopped him from getting out.

"I'm sorry, man." Kelly looked him in the eyes. "I'm really sorry. I shouldn't have said the things I said and I definitely shouldn't have made you the butt of my jokes. But the truth is, I'm pissed at Dawson for leaving everyone behind without saying goodbye."

"I know." Matt had to admit that part of him understood the way Kelly acted. "I felt the same when she left for the first time."

"Well at least she came back and you two could talk things out."

"Yeah but it still hurts like hell and it's not really getting better." Matt sighed. "Guess it'll need more time than I thought it would."

"Maybe" Kelly felt really sorry for his best friend. "Do you have a construction job tomorrow?"

"Yep. Wanna grab a beer at Molly's tomorrow night? I should be done by three-ish." Matt got out of the car.

"Sounds good. See ya at 7 at Molly's?" Kelly asked.

"Yeah, see ya." Matt closed the door and walked towards the entrance of the apartment building. He unlocked his front door and got into his apartment. After he took out his fancy clothes and got dressed into lounge wear he checked the answering machine. No messages.

Gabby

Maria's Bar and Diner was a very nice place. It reminded her of Molly's. They sat on a table for two. Mike had ordered wine and Gabby was searching the menu for something that she liked.

"You found something yet?" Mike asked her and Gabby looked up from the menu.

"I think, I'll take a burger with fries."

"Wow." Mike was impressed. "Most women would choose a salad and the dressing on the side."

"I am not like most women." Gabby rolled her eyes. "You should know that by now."

"Oh, I do. You are special." He winked at her and wanted to say something but the waitress came back to their table and took their orders.

"What did you want to say?" She was curious.

"You aren't like most women. You are a badass, Gabby Dawson. You're a great paramedic and an okay building designer and that means something coming from an architect."

"Thank you." Gabby blushed. "I really needed a nice compliment after this crazy day."

"John Carter seems like a nice guy."

"Yeah, he really is. But it's all new for me and I'm scared that I'll screw up."

"Oh, come on, you won't. You know a lot about construction business. I have to admit, you surprised me. Where did you learn all that? Not in the CFD I guess?"

"No" Gabby shook her head. "I know someone who has a construction business back in Chicago. I learned a lot from him."

"Well then I should send him a thank you card for teaching you so well" Mike laughed about his little joke.

"Um…maybe not" Gabby tried to change the subject. "Let's not talk about work tonight. I did that all day"

"Fair enough." Mike took a sip of his white wine. "Did you hear about the jazz concert next week in the little piano bar around the corner?"

"Yes, I love jazz. I was planning to go." Gabby bit her tongue now he would probably want to go with her. But that was a good thing, right? Moving on was good.

"Me too" Mike confirmed her thoughts. "We could go together."

"Uh…yeah…that's a great idea." Gabby drank something of her wine but somehow, she didn't like it. "You could pick me up at 8?"

"Deal"

The waitress came back and brought their food. They had dinner and talked. Afterwards Gabby felt a little bit tired.

"You want a drink?" Mike asked her.

"No" Gabby shook her head. "I feel like going for a walk. What do you say?"

"Great idea. Let me pay for dinner and then we can go." He paid the bill and they left the diner. It was a beautiful evening.

"Look at those beautiful stars" Gabby was visibly impressed. "You don't get to see that in Chicago."

"No, there's too much light pollution." They walked alongside each other and Mike took her arm again and it felt weird again. "This is such a beautiful town. It's a shame that large parts of it are still destroyed."

"Yes, it is." Gabby looked at a building in front of them, that was missing its roof. "But it'll get better."

"Thanks to this amazing woman next to me" Hunter stopped and turned her around so she faced him. He took both her hands in his and leaned forward until his lips touched hers. When he started kissing her, Gabby suddenly felt weird. At first, she wanted to kiss him back but everything inside her was screaming to stop and before she could do anything she gagged, pulled back and emptied her stomach in front of him on the pavement. "Oh God, oh God, I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry." Was all she could say.

"Hey, it's okay" Mike as visibly worried. "Are you okay? I'll take you back to your apartment." Nobody said anything until they arrived at her apartment . Gabby searched her purse for her keys and unlocked the door.

"I don't fell so good." She said to Mike. "I think I'll lay down. Good night."

"Good night." Mike hesitated at first but then he hugged her. When she came in contact with his shirt and smelled his cologne, Gabby felt sick again. She pulled back and ran into the bathroom where she was nauseous once again. This time it was painful because there was nothing left in her stomach but biliary. She sighed. There was a knock at the bathroom door. Gabby turned around and saw Mike standing in the doorframe. "Sorry for following you but I was worried."

"It's okay" Gabby got back on her feet. "I think I have the flu."

"Get well soon" Mike said and walked to the door. "See you at work, when you're feeling better."

"Thank you." Gabby closed the door behind him and sat down on the couch. Suddenly she felt dizzy. Very dizzy. She grabbed her phone from the coffee table and called Carol.

"Hey Carol, I'm feeling very sick. Can you maybe bring me some meds? I don't have anything here."

"Yes, of course. What happened?"

"I don't know. I had a very nice time with Hunter and when we were walking back home from the diner he kissed me and suddenly I got sick and then again when he hugged me on my porch. Maybe it was his aftershave that gave me the rest but I've been feeling off for the last days. Guess it's the stress."

"Could be. I'll get you some meds and be at your place in about half an hour."

"Thank you, Carol. I owe you."

"Yes, you do. See you in a few minutes. Bye."

Gabby hung up the phone and laid down on the couch. She fell asleep very fast and was woken up by a knock on her door. She got up and opened it to let Carol in. "Hey, what did you get? Vomex?" She tried to grab the brown paper bag in Carol's hands but wasn't successful.

"No, not exactly." Carol closed the door behind her. "Gabby, I'll give this to you later. First I need to ask you something."

"Okay…" Gabby was curious. "What is it?"

"I think you should sit down." Carol walked around the coffee table and sat down on the couch. She patted on the free seat next to her and Gabby did as she was told. Carol placed the brown paper bag on the ground before she started talking. "How long have you been feeling off?"

"I don't know. Maybe a few weeks."

"Can you describe your symptoms?"

"Well, I was tired a lot and a few days ago I felt dizzy after waking up. Few hours ago, the dizziness came back after I talked to a friend from Chicago on the phone. And I couldn't stand the smell or taste of the wine at the diner, it made me nauseous just like Hunter's aftershave. Every time I got near him, I felt like puking and…oh…." Gabby looked at Carol with wide eyes. "You mean?"

"Maybe"

"No. It can't be." Gabby shook her head and for a few seconds she actually believed herself.

But Carol wasn't buying it. "Gabby, maybe I'm completely wrong but we need to know. When was your last period?"

"I… I…. Oh my God….seven weeks ago. But I was stressed."

"That could be the reason." Carol took her hand. "But we need to rule the other thing out."

Gabby didn't say anything. She just nodded. "I guess there are pregnancy tests in the bag?"

"Yep. Two of them and you'll take them both."

"I can't be pregnant." Gabby started sobbing. "I can't."

"It's okay" Carol comforted her. "Let's find out first before agonizing. Maybe it's nothing."

"Do I have a choice?" Gabby managed to ask.

"No" Carol helped her getting up from the couch and gave her the tests. "I'm pretty sure you know what to do. I'll wait here."

Gabby got into the bathroom and took both of the tests. Afterwards she washed her shaky hands and Carol set the timer on her phone. The two women were standing in the frame of the bathroom door, looking at the two pregnancy tests on the sink like they were some kind of strange animal. Carol could see fear in Gabby's eyes and prayed for her that the tests would be negative. This poor woman already had more than enough on her plate. Gabby couldn't think anything but that Carol wasn't the person she wanted to be here right now. When the three minutes were over, she turned the tests around to look at the results.

"And?" Carol asked her but Gabby didn't seem to hear it. She looked at those two stupid pieces of plastic and what she saw tipped her over the edge. She had trouble breathing and her chest felt tight. In fact, it was her heart. Her heart hurt like hell, because it was breaking once again.