Disclaimer: I own nothing except my imagination.


A couple of weeks later.

Matt's POV

Gabby and I Stepped out of my truck just as Haley walked up to the house.

"Morning you two lovebirds." She smiled and walked in sync with us.

"Morning." Gabby smiled wrapping her arm around my waist.

"Morning Hales. How was your week end?"

"I slept and I ate. I haven't been able to do that in forever. Plus I popped in a few movies and ate some popcorn, pretty boring stuff. What about your guys? Do anything interesting?"

"Spent some quiet time at the lake, recharge the batteries.

"Watching you two smooch in your truck this morning, I'd say there was more going on up there than just recharging your batteries. She laughed out loud and walked ahead of us leaving Gabby red faced and me chuckling.

"That isn't funny Matt." She swatted my arm.

"it is a little bit baby." I squeezed her against me as we continued our walk to the firehouse. "Are you telling me that Shay wouldn't have said something like that?"

"Well when you put it that way." She removed herself from my embrace before we walked through the doors. Everyone in the house knew we were engaged but that didn't mean that we had to be all over each other during shift even though I could rarely keep my hands off her. I grabbed a cup of coffee and headed straight for my office to finish some reports.

Haley's POV

I quickly changed into my clothes and went in the kitchen for some much needed caffeine fix. Even though I had slept most my week end away, I was still completely tired and our day was barely started. I barely had time to eat half a toast that the overhead paging system sounded off.

Truck 81, Engine 51, Squad 3, Ambulance 61. Police assistence at the corner of Addission and Quincy.

It took us less than twenty minutes to get to the scene. Herrmann and I were on breaking down the door duty and as soon as this was done, the CPD went bareling in. We walked in closely behind them just in case there was a fire and that's when it came. Someone rammed straight into me and into the closest wall.

"Aaaahhhh!" I screamed out in pain. My back was sending pain signals all the way to my brain and I had to wrestle with my attacker for a few minutes before two officers hauled him off me.

"Are you ok?" Herrmann helped me back up as I stumbled a little bit.

"I think so, let's get out of here."

"Dawson, I'm bringing Reed to you for a check up." He called through his radio. While supporting some of my weight on him.

"I'm fine Herrmann. I don't need to be checked out." I claimed as Matt made his way to us.

"You're not fine." He countered. " Dawson will take you to lakeshore for an x-ray." He was firm in his request.

"I swear Matt I'm fine. I don't need to go to Lakeshore." I argued.

"It's lieutenant Casey." He was angry at me and pulling rank because he knew I couldn't and wouldn't dissobey a direct order. "You are going to lakeshore and that's the end of it." He helped me lie down on the gurney in the back of the ambo.

"Copy that lieutenant." He turned around and Shay gave me an apologetic look as we closed the doors and Dawson drove us away to lakeshore.

"I hate it when he does that." I growled once the ambo started moving.

"He's just looking out for his team and your his best friend Haley. I don't think he'd forgive himself if he didn't make sure you were one hundred percent ok."

I huffed in response. Casey knew me to tell the truth when I was ok but then again he was my lieutenant now, he couldn't let our friendship get in the way of him doing his job right. We got to Lakeshore approximately ten minutes later. Shay helped me stand up as Dawson opened the door.

"Come on, let's get you checked out." She helped Shay walk me dow the back as my tender back objected to the movement.

We got me into trauma one and the doc ordered some xrays to make sure everything was in order. As soon as that was done, I changed back into my gear and pulled the curtain open while I waited for the doc to come back. Shay and Dawson came and waited with me. The doc came back about another ten minutes later with the images of my back.

"So what's the verdict doc?" I was hoping nothing was broken because that would mean being off duty and I didn't want that.

"Nothing is broken, it's just a severe bruise. I'll give you these to take if the pain becomes too much but you should feel better in about 48 hours." I took the painkillers she gave me and thanked her before going back to the house with Dawson and Shay. Dawson parked the rig and we got out to an empty apparatus floor, which I was thankful for. I figured I'd go take a couple pills and a nap to help ease the pain away from my body but someone else had something in mind as soon as I walked through the common room doors.

"Casey, Reed and Dawson my office." Chief requested. I knew Matt had put him up to this because he knew that in house, I wouldn't tell the truth about my condition.

"What did the doctors say?" Chief Boden asked as Dawson shut the door.

"It's just some bruising I am fine." I saw the look Boden and Casey shared and I rolled my eyes. Casey wasn't believing me.

"Dawson."

"She's telling the truth. Nothing is broken, just some heavy bruising that should feel better in the next 48 hours. Doc gave her some painkillers in case the pain became too much." She gave me a small smile that I returned.

"Fine but i'm putting you on light duty until the end of shift Reed which means no running into burning buildings."

"Oh come on chief I'm fine. I can do my job!" I wanted to argue so much but untimetely, the look in his eyes matched his final words.

"That's an order Reed." His voice was steady and firm.

"Yes chief." I was mad but couldn't show it so I just turned around and walked out the door.

Chief's office, Matt's POV

"Is she always like that?" Boden asked Casey while Dawson took her leave as well.

"Unfortunetely yes. She doesn't like being sidelined for any reason. She's worked too hard to get here." I Had always supported her to become a firefighter but it never stopped me from worrying about her.

"I do respect that. It's not easy being a female firefighter and she does a damn got job of it too."

"She always said she needed to give her 200% to get everyone elses approval but I never doubted her capacities to be one hell of a firefighter."

"Your a good man Casey, she's in good hands." He extended his hand and I shook it before taking my leave too.

"Thanks chief."

Dawson POV

"Haley wait." I jogged behind her as I left chief's office

"I'm not in the mood Dawson." She was walking towards the common room as Shay was coming in our direction do she made a b line for the bunk area instead but I followed her with Shay right behind us.

"Come on Haley, he's just doing his job." i tried to argue.

"I know and that's what irritates me." She huffed holding her still tender back. "He knows me too well so he knows how to ambush me. He knows I hate being sidelined and knows I would do anything not to be so that's why all four of us were in Boden's office." She sat down on her bunk and took two pills and swallowed them with the water bottle on her night stand. Both Shay and I looked at each other smirking which warrented a dath stare from Haley.

"Come on sweety, don't be mad. How about we hang out just the three of us tomorrow evening?" Shay suggested.

"How about sushi night at my place? No roommate to kick out." Haley did make a good point.

"I'll bring a bottle of wine." I suggested.

"So will I." Shay added and all three of us laughed together.

"Come on, let's go back out there and hope we get a slow shift." I pulled Haley from her bunk and we all went and grabbed some lunch.

Haley's POV

All three of us chatted some more about our evening during lunch. i asked them if they had allergies and told them i'd be making the food and we were lucky enough to have a slow shift. My back was starting to feel better and no calls meant no extra frustration of not being able to go in burning buildings so my back started feeling better faster. We went to bed and were lucky enough to have an uneventful night. I took one pill before going to bed and when I woke up, i went straight to the bathrooms to inspect the bruise because the pain had mostly gone away. I left the firehouse and went straight to the store to get everything I needed for tonigt along with something to drink while I prepared everything. After lunch, I proceeded in cooking most of what we needed before I started putting the different kinds of sushis together. I didn't look at the time until the doorbell rang. I looked up and it was already 5. I Walked to the door and opened it to find both Dawson and Shay on the other side.

"We come bearing gifts." They both held up their bottle of wine and I laughed letting them in.

"Wow, nice place Hales." Shay whistled looking around.

"Matt told me your mom helped you score this place?"

"Yeah, don't know how she managed to convince the landlord to rent this place out to me without so much as a glance at me. You girls want a beer while I finish up in the kitchen?"

"Sure." I pulled three out of the fridge and handed them each one.

"Sooo." Shay started as I was setting the table. "Adam Ruzek." She took a sip of her beer and the rest insued.

"Shay!" Gabby exclaimed as she looked at her with bulging eyeballs.

"I'm going to kill him." I took the last sip of my beer and slammed it on my counter. "Nothing happened. For crying out loud it was a hand shake."

"Ok in his defence, I had to pull it out of him. He was acting weird after that shift."

"Fine and I know that you and Shay are best friends but what's your excuse?" I pointed to Gabby.

She looked at Shay who smiled back at her. "Fine. I think he's a good guy and also cute. That's what I told Matt." I placed the sushis on the table and we sat down. Gabby poured the wine and i drank my glass in one shot and poured myself another one.

"Look, I'm pretty sure it was just the fact that I was at a police station that gave me that electricity shock when I shook his hand." Putting a sushi in my mouth.

"Electricity huh?" Shay said snickering.

"That's not police station stress sweetie." Gabby took a sip of wine. "I think that's a connection."

"Look girls, i know you mean well and all but I don't think i'm ready for a relationship. Plus I can guarantee that Matt will try to put a cabosh on that."

"Who says anything about a relationship?" Shay added. "Besides, it's the CFD/CPD annual BBQ soon, why not start by getting to know him?"

"And I can take care of Matt." Gabby says. "I think you deserve some happieness and if your happy he'll be happy too."

"Thanks girls." I raised a glass and toasted our new friendship. I never had a lot of friends and they were mostly guys so I was glad I had some girl friends for these kinds of things now. We spent the rest of the evening driking some more wine and trading various stories. The girls texted Matt and Severide to tell them they would crash at my place because we had opened a third bottle I had here and we were pretty wasted.


A/n: Next chapter will be the CFD/CPD annual BBQ and we'll see a real interraction between Haley and Ruzek. Stay tuned