Walking into Firehouse 51, Casey breathed a sigh, not one of relief but one of dejection. Two weeks he'd been home alone, nearly daily visits to Gabby and Antonio, and lonely nights on the sofa because the bed was too big. Antonio had told Casey why Gabby hadn't wanted to stay with him and it made sense, he'd probably do the same if the roles were reversed but that didn't take away the fact that he was lonely and missed her.
Missed her a lot.
He missed her kisses, the passionate ones that caused a fire to erupt in his veins as well as the soft ones that she did when she was tired or comfortable. He missed the smell of her hair and perfume as she sprayed it lightly and subtly. He missed her caress in the middle of the night, the way they'd be snuggling and her hand would go through his hair, stroking and massaging.
He missed other things, but mainly he missed her. He just really really missed her.
#
"You sure about this?" Antonio questioned, eyeing the way his sister was fiddling with her hands nervously next to him in the car. "You have no obligation to go back." She nodded slowly, looking at the firehouse from across the road and being filled with a sense of familiarity.
"I need to do this." Antonio couldn't argue with her there, it was something he had mentioned to her last week, about going back and seeing if it helped. The doctor had mentioned trying to stick to familiar surroundings as much as possible but with her at his home, she hadn't been.
"Well, you have my number. Everyone who needs to know is aware of our situation so if you need anything, call me and i'll be with you as soon as I can." She pecked him on the cheek before getting out of the car and taking a deep breath as she stared at the building that supposedly held a lot of memories.
#
"So then I go to give Shay her soup but she'd gone and left her crutches in her doorway, like really, because that wasn't dangerous." She could hear the chuckles of her firehouse family through the open doors; she'd just passed the trucks and had just reached the doorway.
Not one bit of familiarity yet.
"The soup went flying all over her bed, luckily she'd hid her face under the blanket when she saw the disaster begin but it didn't stop me from falling onto the floor with a thump!" The group chuckled and Gabby felt a sense of comfort flow over her though she couldn't tell you who was talking or who's laughs was who. She sighed, rubbing her forehead. Was she ever going to get back to normal? She hated feeling like a handicap.
She kept walking, only stopping when she was in the doorway and looking into a room that was as familiar to her as her brother had been when she'd first woken up all that long ago. One long table was by the side of the room, seats on either side and at each end; a small kitchenette was placed at the back of the room with doors leading off on either side and a smaller table on the opposing side to the large table. There was a sofa placed in front of a tele near the door and an arm chair facing inwards to the small coffee table. People were scattered around the room.
She only knew their names and their faces.
"Hey!" Someone called, catching her attention and everyone else's. "Look who showed up." The voice's owner – Hermann? - walked towards her, arms opened for a hug which she accepted with a small smile. "How are you?" He asked once he'd pulled back and she nodded, fiddling with her bag strap.
"I'm good," she offered, knowing that she was far from it because everything was making her angry. He shot her a knowing look but stepped back regardless, leaving her open for a new person to hug. Otis. Mouch. Kelly. Peter. Capp. And so on.
She remembered each face and each name, which she considered an achievement since she'd barely seen them all since she'd left the hospital.
"Hey," someone commented – a voice that gave her shivers – walking up behind her. "I didn't know you were coming in." She turned her head, looking behind her at Casey and smiling sweetly. He looked like crap and she felt a sliver of guilt in her gut.
"I pestered Antonio until he agreed that familiar surroundings might help the ol' nogging." She rapped her knuckles against her head playfully, trying to diffuse guilt from her stomach that was spreading. It was making her feel sick.
"Yeah?" She nodded and he smiled. "I think so too."
I'm so disappointed with myself – not because I failed to update regularly – but more because I can't give you all longer chapters. I decided to write myself a plan when doing this story (really wise and helpful, I suggest it to those who don't do it) and normally i'm reaching 2,000 words but I can barely make 1,000 for you guys. However, I feel the shortness works best so hey-ho.
