A/N: I had some time this week to write a new chapter of this story and I really hope, you'll like it. And again: Thank you so much for your reviews and your love for this story.

Enjoy reading,

Miss Eliza

Chapter 10

Matt and Gabby crossed the bullpen. The door to the Chief's office was wide open. He looked up as he heard them. "Casey, Dawson, what can I do for you?"

Matt closed the door. "We have something to tell you, but we don't want anybody else to know. This has to stay here."

"Okay, now I'm really curious. What is it?" Boden looked at the couple in front of him and noticed the slightly afraid look on their faces. Gabby took Matt's hand again.

"Chief, I'm afraid, I can't be on full duty anymore." She took a deep breath. "I love my job. I really do. But it's not healthy for me to do all the heavy liftings."

"Dawson, are you sick? Casey told me you weren't feeling well this morning. Have you seen a doctor?" Boden was concerned. He considered his firehouse crew as part of his family.

Gabby nodded. "Yes, chief. I was at Chicago Med two hours ago and got checked out. That's why I came here. I wanted to tell Matt and he insisted on telling you." Again, she took a deep breath. "Chief, I can't be on full duty anymore, because I'm pregnant." Wow, this was real now. Gabby lifted her head and looked at Matt. There were sparkles in his eyes and a huge smile on his face. Chief Boden got up from his chair and surrounded his desk. "Gabriela Dawson, that's great news. Congratulations to you both." He took her in his arms and padded Matt on the back.

"Thanks, Chief." Matt said. "But we don't want the others to know yet. We want to wait until Gabby had her twelve-weeks ultrasound."

"That's fine by me." Boden turned around to face Gabby. "But since you can't do heavy lifting, I would really appreciate it, if you tell Shay. She's your partner, she deserves to know, so she can protect you if necessary."

Gabby didn't know what to say. "I… I don't know. I got the news about two hours ago. I still need time to let it sink in. Maybe I'll tell her next shift?"

Boden nodded. "Fine by me. You can still be on ambo, but it's a dangerous job. Please think about working at the bullpen or teaching classes at the academy."

"Really? I love my job and I'll do it as long as I can." Gabby frowned. "I don't want to do anything else."

"Baby, take some time to think about it." Matt had known that she would react like this. "You don't have to make the decision right away."

"Fine." Gabby turned around and left the office, slamming the door behind her. Boden grinned and looked at Matt. "Looks like you'll have a difficult time protecting her, Casey."

Matt sighed. "Yeah, tell me about it." He left the office too and went to the common room, where Gabby sat on the couch, eating ice cream with Shay. He kissed her on the temple and whispered in her ear: "Can we talk in my office?"

Gabby knew they had to talk about the situation but she felt hormones taking over. "I have nothing to talk. I made my decision." She took another spoon of ice cream.

"Maybe it's my decision too?" Matt whispered.

Suddenly it hit her. She was pregnant. She couldn't do her job anymore. Her whole life would change. Their whole life would change and she didn't feel ready for all this to happen. Emotions took control over her and she was on the edge of crying. She threw the spoon on the table and got up. "Your decision?!" She yelled. "It's my life that'll change completely! It's my career that's ruined. I don't want to talk about how miserable my life is right now, because I made one stupid mistake!"

By the look at Matt's face she knew that she should have chosen her words more carefully. He was visibly hurt. "Did you just call our relationship a stupid mistake?!"

"You know what I mean." Gabby was in no mood to give in.

Shay looked from Gabby to Matt and for the first time in her life she didn't know what to say. "Maybe you two should have this conversation elsewhere." She pointed at Hermann, Cruz and Severide who were just entering the common room. They looked at the scene in front of them. Tears were streaming down Gabby's cheeks and Matt looked like he got hit in the gut.

"Wow." Hermann was the first to speak. "You moved in together yesterday and there's already trouble in paradise? That's not how it's supposed to be. You two should be over the moon. After five kids and moving in with your in laws you look like this."

"Hey Dawson, you can always sleep on our couch!" Otis offered and Cruz nodded.

Gabby didn't say anything. She grabbed her bag and left the firehouse. In the driveway she realized, that she had no car, since she had taken a cab from the hospital. She covered her face in her hands and started sobbing. It was mid-November and really cold. If she walked home, she would be chilled to the bones. Gabby couldn't stop crying. Slowly she started to walk down the driveway. She didn't hear the door slamming and the fast steps behind her. She felt so cold and alone, when suddenly two strong arms were around her, pressing her into a comfy warm chest. Matt had followed her. He held her close and stroked her back. "It's okay, baby."

"No Matt, it's not okay. I'm so sorry. Of course, I didn't mean what I said. Our relationship isn't a mistake." She sobbed.

"I know, baby. I know, you're afraid and believe me, I am too. But at the same time, I couldn't be happier. I love you so much. Both of you." He placed his hand on her belly.

Gabby kissed him. "We love you too. I just need some time to adjust to the situation."

"Me too. You can always talk to me, you know that?" He kissed her on the cheek and Gabby leaned against his shoulder.

"I know. You're always here for me. That's why I came from the hospital straight to the firehouse." She shivered. "But now I'm really cold."

"I'll drive you home. Already asked the Chief for permission." Matt took the keys of his truck out of his pocket.

They got into his car and when Matt parked the truck in front of their apartment, Gabby turned to him and kissed him. "Thank you." She stroked his cheek. "Thank you for always being here for me. For us." She said again.

"Like I said yesterday: you're stuck with me now. I won't go anywhere." Matt opened his door and went around the car to help Gabby out of it. She grabbed her key out of her bag and opened the front door. After making sure, she was as fine as she could be right now, Matt had to left for the firehouse. "See you tomorrow after shift. I love you." He kissed her.

"I love you too. And Baby?"

"Yeah?"

"Keep your badge off the wall."

Matt grinned. "I will."

After he left, Gabby decided to watch a movie. She still wasn't feeling very well, although she wasn't nauseous, she felt strange. This day had been very rough for her. Yesterday they were just a happy couple who had just moved in together and now they were expecting a baby. In her dreams, she had always imagined Matt as the father of her children, since he had always wanted a family. But in Gabby's dreams they still had had time. Time for themselves as a couple, time for her to work on ambo a few more years. Time to get married. In her dreams, they always got married before having children. She knew it was stupid to stick to her dreams. This was reality and the 21. century. It was okay to have children without being married. But her family was catholic. Very catholic and for her mother her situation would clearly look like an unforgivable sin. She sighed and stopped the movie. She hadn't paid attention to it anywhere.

Gabby grabbed her phone form the coffee table and dialed a very familiar number.

"Hey sweetie. How are you?" Shay answered her phone.

"I'm…. okay." Gabby knew that Shay wouldn't buy a fine.

"So, you and Casey get along with each other again?"

Gabby laughed. "Of course. I was just stupid."

"You can say that again." Shay started laughing too. "You sounded like it was his intention to end your carrier and put you behind the stove."

"I kind of put me behind the stove all by myself." Gabby closed her eyes as hormones were taking over again.

"Okay. You owe me an explanation, sweetie." Shay was very curious now. "What have you done?"

"I can't work on ambo with you anymore." Tears were forming in Gabby's eyes.

"What the hell?! Why?! Did you do something wrong?"

"I don't know. Maybe it was fate."

"Sweetie, you're not making sense. You sound like I should come over to you."

"Shay, you're on shift."

"Well, that wouldn't be a problem. We got a third paramedic an hour ago. Turned out, Mills is trained as one. He can take over for me. I'll ask the Chief and if he's okay with it, I'll be at your place in about an hour."

Shay ended the call and Gabby decided to cook dinner, since it was almost 7 pm. When she had just started preparing chicken parmesan, she got a text message. It was from Matt.

"Tell her."

She smiled and answered. "I will."

Gabby continued cooking and had just put the meal in the oven, when she heard a knock at the front door. She went to open it.

Shay looked at her and frowned. "Okay, sweetie. Put up or shut up! What happened to you? Why can't you be my partner on ambo anymore?!"

"I'm pregnant."

"Oh, my god!" Shay gasped. "That's wonderful, isn't it?"

Gabby smiled. "Yes, a part of me is very happy but the other part… Shay, I'm afraid. What if I'm a terrible mother? What if this happened too fast? What if…" A single tear rolled down her cheek.

Shay hugged her. "Oh sweetie, stop it. It's okay to be afraid but you'll be a great mom and there's no such thing as moving too fast. You just jump in and either it works or not."

Gabby managed to smile. "Did you talk to Kelly? Because that's exactly what he told Matt."

Shay shook her head. "No. But he was right."

"I don't know. I can't imagine not working on ambo with you anymore."

"Do you have to stop right now?"

"No, but all the heavy lifting is not healthy and we both know how dangerous our job can be. I really don't want to, but I think it's the best for the baby. "

Gabby leaned her head against Shay's shoulder. "I'm pathetic."

Shay caressed her back. "No. You're not. It's okay to be afraid. But tell me, do you love Casey?"

Gabby lifted her head and looked at Shay. "Yes. I love him more than anything in the world."

Shay smirked. "That's great. And I know that he's madly in love with you. You two are meant for each other."

"Yes, it feels like that."

"See? There's nothing to be afraid of. Now let's stop the pity party and get to the details. How far along are you?"

"Nine weeks." Gabby headed towards the kitchen and took the chicken parmesan out of the oven and placed it on the dinner table.

Shay followed her. "Nine weeks, huh? Sounds like you two had some fun after our date at Molly's."

Gabby opened the cabinet and handed Shay two plates. "Yep. What do you want to drink?"

"Coke would be fine. And you're ducking. What happened?"

After taking a seat and handing Shay her coke, Gabby sighed. "I was drunk and I threw up and I had sex."

"The classic." Shay smiled. "But in your case I would say, it was fate."

"Fate or stupidity… who knows…" Gabby put some chicken and pasta on their plates.

"I can't see what's stupid about having a baby with the love of your life."

"Not being married first." Gabby swallowed. "I don't know how to tell my family."

"Oh. Your very catholic family. But what about Antonio? He likes Matt. Maybe he'll help you with that."

"Of course, he would do that. But I want to tell them myself."

"Or…" A sneaky smile appeared on Shay's face. "You wait until he proposed to you."

"Shay, stop it. We moved in together yesterday and I'm pregnant. We haven't talked about getting married yet and I don't want to push him. I'll figure it out. But not now."

After finishing their dinner, they went into the living room. "I'm feeling nauseous." Gabby laid down on the couch and closed her eyes. "Why do they call it morning sickness and not "puke all day"?"

"Because nobody would get pregnant anymore if they knew about it?" Shay suggested. "Do you want me to stay here? You don't have to be alone tonight."

Gabby shook her head. "No, it's okay. I'll take a hot bath and try to get some sleep."

"Okay, but call me, if you need me."

"I promise."Shay hugged her and left the apartment.

Gabby went into the bathroom and let some water in the tub. She got in and closed her eyes, enjoying the warm water against her skin. Shay was right. There was no reason to be afraid. Matt would be there for here and he would be a great father. Her heart swell at the thought of holding her little baby in about 30 weeks. She imagined a little boy, looking just like his father. She caressed her still flat belly. "Hey there, it's mommy. I just wanted to let you know, that I love you very much and that I'll do everything to protect you."

After finishing her bath, Gabby got dressed in yoga pants and one of Matt's old CFD sweaters. She got to bed and snuggled down in the sheets. She fell asleep instantly.

It felt like seconds later when she heard someone opening the front door. She opened her eyes and looked at the alarm clock on the night stand. It was already 9:00 am, she had been sleeping for almost 10 hours, but she still felt tired. Gabby could hear Matt in the kitchen, she reached for her cozy socks and went to join him. He was making coffee. She sneaked up behind him and kissed his neck. Matt turned around and took her in his arms.

"Morning, baby."

"Morning." She leaned her head against his chest. "We've missed you."

"I missed you too. Are you feeling better?" Gently he caressed her back.

"Yeah, but I'm still tired. I've thought a lot about everything last night and talking to Shay helped too. She made me realize, that I'm a very lucky girl, having you by my side."

Matt grinned. "Well, I could say the same about me. You make me a better person and I love you so much and for the record: I'm not going anywhere. You're stuck with me."

"I love you too and I'm very happy about the baby. I just couldn't realize it yesterday. It was too much. I can't believe, we'll be parents."

Matt's eyes were full of love as he kissed her. "It's amazing. You're amazing and you'll be a great mom."

"By the way, did I tell you about my very catholic family and that we have to tell them about my pregnancy?"

"Let's tell your brother first. I always got the impression that he approves me. Maybe that'll help."

Gabby grinned. "You're right. Antonio really likes you, he always told me I should be dating you instead of all the other 'losers'."

"Your brother is a very wise man." Matt lifted up Gabby's chin with his hand. "Don't look so afraid. It's great news, we'll tell them tomorrow, okay?"

"Okay, but be prepared. My mother will consider all this as an unforgivable sin." Gabby frowned, but Matt just laughed.

"I can live with that, as long as I have you by my side." He kissed her again and released her from his embrace. "Do you have any plans for today?"

Gabby shook her head.

"Great. I want to take you out for dinner tonight. I have a construction job today, but I'll be back around 5:00 pm. I made a reservation for 8 o'clock at Acadia."

Gabby's eyes grew wide. "Matt! That's a very fancy restaurant and way too expensive. You don't have to do that…"

Matt cut her short by kissing her passionately. "Would you stop it? I love you and I want to spoil you. Would you please let me do that?"

Gabby nodded and a wide smile appeared on her face. "Okay, but only dinner. I already moved in with you and I'm pregnant with your child, you don't need to convince me anymore."

"I know." Matt smiled too. If she knew….