Well, this was gonna be awkward.

"Oh wow, the Peter Mills." Gentry smiled, extending her hand, "I'm Jennifer Gentry. You can call me Jenny. I've heard a lot about you." Her mind was racing as he shook her hand. The man before her was most likely the father of Dawson's child. Casey had mentioned something about that being a possibility, and Severide had filled her in on the history between the three of them. As emotional as Casey still was about this whole mess, things could get ugly very quickly. She needed to get to him before anyone else did and warn him about the potentially volatile situation.

Mills grinned, "Don't believe any of it unless it's good."

She laughed, "It's good, don't worry. You're sorely missed." She opened the door and motioned for him to go ahead, "C'mon, I'll take you to Dawson's office."

As he stepped into Firehouse 51, Mills took a deep breath and looked around. He missed this place. Badly. Being here now felt like he had just come home from a long trip. He'd gotten maybe ten feet into the bay before someone spotted him.

"Mills!" Otis exclaimed as he, Cruz, and Brett bounded over to dog pile the former medic.

Mills chuckled as he staggered backward, trying to wrap his arms around the trio, "I missed you guys, too!"

As the rest of the crews hurried over to greet their long lost friend, Gentry skirted the edge of the bay, searching for Casey. She was really hoping that he had gone to his office. That would be too easy, though. She spotted him just as he disappeared around the side of Truck. Dammit! Sprinting after him, she skidded around Truck's bumper…but it was too late.

"What're you doing here, man?" Cruz asked, taking a step back to join the crowd.

Mills beamed as he knelt down to pet Pouch, "I'm here to see the mother of my child."

That hurt. Oh, that hurt. Casey felt like he'd been slapped, kicked, and punched in the gut all at once. He'd guessed that Mills might be the baby's father, but still… Hearing it was just…overwhelming. He felt like his heart had been ripped from his chest. The only thing that had ever hurt worse than this was finding out that the baby wasn't his. He'd slipped a poker face on as soon as he'd heard Otis shout, but it was getting harder by the second to maintain that facade. He could barely breathe; it felt like someone had knocked the air from his lungs. Anger began to burn within him. He should be the one saying things like "mother of my child". That should be him "visiting" Dawson instead of avoiding her because it was still too painful to talk to her. He should be the one with a smile that big. He should be the one planning things like nurseries and play rooms. That should be him up there, not Mills. Dawson had been with him that night. When had she been with Mills? Granted, they were still technically "separated", and both of them had done their own thing during that time, and he'd had that whole torrid affair with Beth, but then that one night had happened… That one night that wasn't supposed to mean anything or change anything, but had meant something and had changed things…

Stunned silence filled the bay. One by one, disbelieving faces turned Casey's way. Severide put a comforting hand on his friend's shoulder. Casey maintained his calm demeanor by sheer willpower alone.

Mills' smile slowly faded as he stood, "She didn't tell you guys?"

"I didn't think it was anyone's business." Dawson quietly said, appearing behind Mills.

A cocktail of emotions swirled in a chaotic storm within Casey's mind and heart. He'd known this was coming, but damn, it hurt. The relationship with Dawson was done, but the prospect of a child had opened doors that he'd only been able to dream of before. Doors that had been subsequently slammed in his face. The anger rose higher at that thought. He wanted kids. He'd always wanted kids. He'd been positively ecstatic when Dawson had revealed her pregnancy to him. And now? Now, here he stood in front of everyone, looking like an idiot because some kid was really the father of what should have been his kid. That should be his future, not Mills'.

The anger boiled, mere moments away from become a rage. Logically, he knew that he had no right to be angry with anyone but himself for screwing things up. He should've tried harder, made it work, chased after her when she packed her bags and left. But he hadn't. He and Dawson were over. Period. And she had the right to see whomever she wanted to see, as did Mills. They were all adults here, after all. …That logic didn't make this situation any easier. That logic didn't make this situation acceptable in his mind. That logic didn't slow the fire that was threatening to consume him from the inside out. He clenched his jaws together, fighting to maintain control. He couldn't lose it here. Not in front of everyone. He'd lost it here once and made an ass out of himself; he could not do that again.

Warm, slender fingers suddenly threaded through his, followed by a gentle squeeze. It completely derailed his train of thought, which immediately caused his anger to fizzle out. He looked down at their hands, then up at the owner of the hand that had so carefully taken his.

Gentry.

She'd never taken his hand before. Never, not even in private. What the hell was she doing? Taking his hand in front of the whole house? Really?! Had she lost her mind? She couldn't do that here! Chief Boden would have a fit if he caught them! It was a thousand wonders that he and Dawson hadn't been written up. He really didn't want Gentry to get in trouble.

Smiling softly at him, she lightly rubbed her thumb along the side of his index finger. Wow, that was ballsy. Even small PDAs like this were supposed to be an automatic write-up. Boden had been very lenient last time. He probably wouldn't be this time. The look on Gentry's face, however, told Casey that she really didn't care about that right now. She was focused completely on one thing – him.

It meant a lot. A whole lot. Rumors would spread like wildfire now, but Casey didn't care. All that mattered right now was the fact that the two people whom he cared the most about were standing beside him, offering both strength and comfort in this most humiliating and uncomfortable of moments. Giving her a small one-sided smile, he squeezed Gentry's hand and gave Severide a grateful nod. "I've got a ton of paperwork to catch up on." he finally said, keeping his voice even and emotionless, "Good seeing you again, Mills." He gave Gentry one more tight squeeze before reluctantly dropping her hand and heading for his office.

…

Author's Note: So, yeah, I decided to go with Mills. I dunno – I just love the Mills-Dawson relationship. He's cute, she's cute, they'll make cute kids, you know the rest… Fair warning – expect some serious mushiness coming up. Thanks to Dawsey Forever, airmac, Sarrabr4, lizzy-marie0623, sarahmichellegellarfan1, and my guest reviewer for the reviews! Thanks to XXArmageddonXX, lee.j.p, lizzy-marie0623, and sarahmichellegellarfan1 for the follows/favorites!