Author's Note: As always I'd like to thank my reviewers and those who have favorited and/or followed this story since Chapter 10. The response continues to motivate and encourage me. I had no idea what to expect going into this so the fact that I've gotten 100 reviews after 10 chapters really means a lot to me. I know my updates have gotten less regular lately, and I really appreciate you guys sticking with me. Hopefully, life will calm down and I'll be able to get back to more regular updates soon.
In the meanwhile I hope you enjoy Chapter Eleven. Please leave a review and let me know what you think.
Chapter Eleven
Over the past few days Matt had rarely willingly left Gabby's bedside, and it felt weird to be doing so now. Still, he couldn't let today go by without getting her something so he found himself making his way to the hospital gift shop. He knew he wouldn't be able to find the ideal gift there, but as far as he was concerned, leaving the hospital was not an option. Something had to be better than nothing, and as much as it pained him to admit it, he knew Gabby probably wouldn't even be aware that he was giving her a gift let alone why he was doing it.
Walking into the gift shop, he looked around. The selection was slim. There were some chocolates and other candies, and while normally that would have been an appropriate option for today, what was the point in getting Gabby food that she wouldn't be able to eat? There were a bunch of balloons, but they all looked cheesy and felt inappropriate. There were various necklaces and earrings next to the counter, but they all looked cheap, and it felt wrong to give Gabby jewelry that wasn't nice. There were books and magazines along the far wall, but while he was open to the idea of reading to Gabby, it felt too mundane for today. Besides he'd rather have Brett bring whatever Gabby had been reading to make it more personal. Next to the books there were cards, crossword puzzles, and other various games, but he'd want to be able to do those things with her, buying them would just be a reminder that he couldn't. There were also toys and Lakeshore Hospital branded items, but he didn't even need to think to rule those out.
When his eyes settled on the display of stuffed animals and flowers, he knew he had something he could at least work with. It may not have been as romantic as he had hoped, but he settled on a stuffed teddy bear, wearing a t-shirt that said "Get Well Soon My Love" and a colorful bouquet of flowers. It had roses, albeit pink and yellow not red, and white lilies, which were Gabby's favorite.
He picked out a card, and after writing a note on it, headed back to Gabby's room.
"Any change?" he asked as he walked back into the room. He was pretty sure he knew the answer; someone would have come to get him if there was any sign that Gabby was waking up. Still, he couldn't help asking the question, desperately hoping for some positive sign.
"No," Gabby's father said solemnly. "I assume you'd like some time alone with her."
"If you don't mind," Matt replied. Gabby's family had known he was going to the gift shop, and given the fact that he'd made the decision right after a nurse had mentioned that it was Valentine's Day, he was pretty sure they knew why so he wasn't too surprised by Gabby's father's comment. Moreover, he was just grateful that they hadn't said anything about the fact that he had needed a nurse to point out the day to him. The past few days had just blended together. He had no real sense of time. Maybe Gabby's parents were feeling the same way.
"Of course not," Gabby's mother said. "You two should have some time today. Maybe it'll help her."
"Thanks," Matt said. He hoped her mother was right. Some sign, any sign, that she was even starting to wake up would be the best Valentine's Day gift he could receive.
"I think I'm gonna head home for the night," Antonio informed them.
"Okay. We'll call you if there's any news," his father told him.
"Thanks," Antonio said before turning his attention to his sister. Squeezing her hand, he spoke directly to her. "Have a good night Gabs. I'll see you in the morning."
"We'll be in the cafeteria," Gabby's mom told Matt as Antonio left. "What should we get you?"
"You don't need to get me anything. I'm not hungry," Matt replied.
"Nonsense," Gabby's mother shot back. "You're barely eating. It's not healthy."
"I just haven't been hungry," Matt tried to explain. While he knew Gabby's mother meant well, she kept trying to force food on him, and it was getting annoying.
"Gabriella would want you to take care of yourself," Gabby's mother said.
"Just get me something. Doesn't matter what," Matt replied. He didn't really appreciate her using Gabby to guilt him, but he'd experienced enough over the past few days to know that if she was going there, she wasn't going to relent until he agreed to eat something. At least it was a sign that she saw him as part of the family, and if he still saw him that way, it was because she knew Gabby still wanted a future with him. That was something he could hold on to.
"Good. We'll be back later," Gabby's mother squeezed Matt's shoulder as she and her husband followed Antonio's lead and left the room, allowing Matt to turn his attention to Gabby.
Gabby was smiling as she made the appetizers that she and Matt were supposed to bring with them to Christmas dinner. There were stuffed mushrooms that she had made and pigs in a blanket that she'd bought in the oven, and she was almost ready to start frying the albóndigas. Next up was the veggie dip she was going to be making. She had bought the ingredients to make arancini too, but was beginning to worry that it would be too much given all the food that Laura and her mom were sure to be making. She'd check with Matt when he got home. She didn't actually know where he was; he'd left about twenty minutes ago, saying he had an errand to run but refusing to tell her what it was. While she was slightly annoyed with him because of it, it didn't change the fact that she was just so incredibly happy.
When she'd lived through this Christmas the first time a few months ago, it had really sucked. Antonio didn't have Laura and the kids for the first time in years, and she of course didn't have Matt. Her parents had planned on flying up the afternoon of Christmas Eve and staying through New Year's, but their flight had been cancelled at the last minute so they hadn't actually made it, leaving her and Antonio to spend a miserable Christmas by themselves. The siblings had spent Christmas Eve emptying Antonio's liquor cabinet after devouring the bottle of wine she'd brought to have with the dinner they barely ate, preferring to just try to drink their misery away. She then spent Christmas day curled up in a ball on Antonio's couch, trying to will one of the worst hangovers she'd ever had away.
This time around she had suggested her parents fly up a day earlier under guise of helping get ready for the holiday. She hadn't been able to see them yet as she was on shift yesterday, but at least this way they were able to make it. Plus, one of the differences she'd discovered between this world and the one she'd come from was that here Laura had never taken the kids and left Antonio. The best change of all though was the fact that she and Matt were still together and really seemed to be getting back on track.
She couldn't imagine making it through the last week without him, and in a weird way she was thankful that the attack at Molly's was unique to this world. If it had happened in the world she had come from, she was pretty sure that not having Matt by her side would have turned her into a complete mess. Instead she'd slowly gotten better as the week went on. At the beginning of the week, her nightmares had woken him up several times, but he never seemed to mind. Instead he just woke her up and held her close, reassuring her and promising that everything was okay. Even the time when she had been too asleep to realize that she was at home and it was just Matt so she'd punched him thinking he was attacking her hadn't fazed him. Fortunately, she had only gotten him in the arm, and while she spent the next day apologizing profusely, he kept insisting that she had nothing to be sorry for, telling her that her fight and ability to defend herself were two of the many things he loved about her. He could read her so well too, always able to tell when the attack was on her mind and she needed him or when she was thinking about something far less serious and he should let her be. While his construction job was still taking up a lot of his time when they weren't on shift, he was constantly checking in with her when he was there, and she got the sense that he had pushed back on the couple a little to make sure he could spend more time at home in case she needed him. It could have been suffocating, but coming from Matt, it just felt so loving. She'd only worked one night at Molly's since the attack, but Matt had been there and practically by her side the whole time, sending glares at any guy who wasn't a regular and got within two feet of her or said anything to her beyond simply ordering a drink. Surprisingly, no one from 51 had wondered what was up with that or if they did, no one said anything to her, and she knew Matt wouldn't have told them about what had happened.
Gabby was about to start in on the dip when Matt came home pulling her from her thoughts. He knocked on the wall that separated the kitchen from the living room, alerting her to his presence. Over the past week, he'd been careful to avoid anything that could potentially startle her after he'd inadvertently learned that she had become a little more jumpy.
"I got you an early Christmas present," he said as he approached her.
"They're beautiful," Gabby's smile got even bigger at the sight of a dozen red roses in his hand. "Let me just get a vase."
She grabbed one out of the cabinet, filled it with water, and placed it on the counter before taking the flowers from Matt and leaning up to kiss him.
"What did I do to deserve this?" she asked, hoping it had nothing to do with what happened last week.
"Do I need a reason to get my girl flowers?" Matt posed a question back to her.
"I guess not. You can be really romantic when you want to be," Gabby replied.
"I can, and this is technically our first Christmas together. I just wanted to make sure you knew just how glad I am to be spending it with you," he informed her.
"We spent Christmas together last year," she protested.
"As I recall, I was in the hospital recovering from brain surgery and had to kick you out of my room to go see your family for the holiday. If that counts as spending Christmas together, I guess we did," he said.
"Can you blame me? You have no idea how scared I was. I mean you were finally mine, and after less than a month, I almost lost you," Gabby hated the memory.
"There was no way I was going anywhere. Not when I had you to live for," Matt told her.
"Yup, definitely can be romantic when you want to be," Gabby laughed. "Seriously though, I really am happy to be spending Christmas with you. Although Christmas with the Dawson's, you have no idea what you're getting yourself into."
"Well, it's the first of many, and I'm really looking forward to it. You know I like your family, but even if I didn't, there's no one I'd rather spend Christmas or any other day with than you," Gabby couldn't help but blush a little at Matt's words.
At that moment a timer went off signaling that some of the appetizers were ready to be taken out of the oven.
"Can you get that?" Gabby asked him, wanting to return to gathering the ingredients for the dip.
"Sure," Matt answered.
"Oh I wanted to ask. I haven't started the arancini yet, and I'm a little worried that it's going to be too much. I know Laura technically put us or well me on appetizer duty, but there's no way she and my mom aren't going to decide they need to make some sort of appetizer. Plus, there's just going to be a ton of food there in general. Do you want me to make it?" she inquired.
"What's arancini?" he asked back.
"Rice and cheese balls," she informed him. "We had them as an appetizer when we took your sister out to dinner after the divorce was finalized. You really liked them and asked if I knew how to make them."
"I remember now. They were really good," Matt told her. "I thought you said you'd never made them."
"I hadn't but I found a recipe online. I was just looking for a special occasion to surprise you with them," Gabby told him.
"Special occasion, huh?" he teased.
"Yeah well, whether this year or last year counts as our first Christmas together, it is definitely my first Christmas as the future Mrs. Casey," she smiled.
"The future Mrs. Casey. Only way that could sound better is if you were saying that you were Mrs. Casey," Matt smiled back at her.
He moved towards Gabby, taking her in his arms and spinning her around so that they were facing each other. Based on the look on his face, she had no doubt that she had made him really happy referring to herself that way. What happened next surprised her though. Matt dipped his head down, capturing her lips with his own, and kissing her passionately. She automatically wrapped her arms around his neck, forgetting that she was still holding the spoon she had been using to scoop sour cream into a bowl until it made contact with his head. Matt seemed to either not notice or not care though as he just kept kissing her until finally the need for air became too great, and they were forced to break apart.
"Sorry," Gabby was slightly embarrassed.
"For what?" Matt asked.
"Your hair. I guess I just got caught up in the moment and didn't think about the spoon," she admitted.
"Don't worry about it. That was worth a lot more than some," he paused to look at the package on the counter. "Sour cream in my hair. I'll just hop in the shower. I have time before we have to leave, right?"
"Yeah, you do," she couldn't help but laugh.
"Okay then. I will see you in a few minutes," Matt turned towards their bedroom, calling out as he began to walk. "As for those rice and cheese balls, I'm not going to try to remember what they're called, it's your family so you've got a better idea of how much to bring than I do so it's your call. If you're really worried it's too much though, we could always have them when Severide and Shay come over tomorrow afternoon."
As she went back to the dip, Gabby knew she had a huge smile on her face. That kiss had been amazing. It felt so good to have Matt's lips on hers and his tongue intertwined with hers again. She really had missed that. She also was curious where that had come from but hadn't wanted to ruin the moment by asking.
When they got home after their last therapy session, she and Matt had talked some more about the research Matt had done that led him to believe that not having sex would be good for them and what Jessica had to say about it. One of the things she'd learned was that the reason it wasn't just sex that had been missing from their relationship was because Matt was worried he wouldn't be able to control himself if things started to get heated between them so he was doing everything he could to avoid those situations. He'd also told her that even though Jessica had told them that she didn't think they needed something like this, he thought that anything that could even potentially help make sure they made it was worth it, and he wanted to wait a few more weeks before they did anything. She had been hoping that Jessica's words would have gotten him off of this so she hearing those words had brought all her fears and insecurities about the situation back up, but Matt had managed to reassure her. Now she hoped that the kiss meant that he was at least beginning to consider changing his mind.
About an hour and a half later, Gabby and Matt arrived at Antonio's. Despite the fact that they were each carrying a couple of containers of food, Matt managed to ring the doorbell. A moment later, Gabby's mother was opening the door.
"Gabriella, let me help you with that," her mother said as she took one of the containers from Gabby's arms. The three of them made their way to the kitchen to drop off the food.
"Laura, why'd you even have me make anything?" Gabby asked when she caught site of the mini quiches and bacon-wrapped scallops that were sitting on the counter.
"Antonio, don't eat all of those. Someone else might want them," Laura snapped as Antonio used one hand to put a scallop in his mouth and the other to take a second off the platter, which Gabby now realized was only three-quarters full. "Sorry Gabby. I really didn't intend to make any appetizers, but as your mom and I were cooking everything else this afternoon, I just couldn't resist."
"You know one of these years, I'm just not going to bother," Gabby said before turning to Matt. "She does this every year. Has me make appetizers or a salad or something and then does it herself so we just have too much food."
"Now I can properly greet you. Come here Gabriella," Gabby's mom said once all the containers were on the counter, and then she pulled her into a tight hug.
"It's good to see you Mom," Gabby told her.
Gabby's mom then pulled Matt into a hug, kissing his cheek.
"I wanted to thank you guys for saying that my sister and niece could come," Matt said to Laura and Antonio.
"Of course. We're all family now," Laura replied. "What did they wind up doing anyways?"
"They went on a cruise," Matt answered. "I think with this being the first holiday season since the divorce, Christie just wanted to get away."
"That's understandable," Laura said.
"Your father and the kids are in the den watching TV," Gabby's mom informed them. "Antonio, Matt why don't you go join them?"
"Yes Mom," Antonio said with a laugh as the two men left the kitchen.
"What can I do to help?" Gabby asked once it was just the three woman in the room.
"I assume those need to be heated up," Laura gestured towards the food that Gabby and Matt had brought.
"Everything but the veggies and dip," Gabby told her.
"Can you put them in the oven then?" Laura asked. "I need to finish setting the table. Once that's all done, we can bring all the appetizers out and join the guys and Eva."
"Sure," Gabby said as she grabbed a cookie sheet and began emptying the containers. She put the food in the oven and then leaned against the counter, waiting for either the food to be all warmed up or at least one of her mother and Laura to finish what they were doing.
"It's a good thing you suggested we come up a day early," Gabby's mother said once she had finished filling an ice bucket. "The flight your dad and I were originally going to take was cancelled this afternoon. I'm not sure we would have been able to make it up here in time if we hadn't changed our plans."
"Lucky break," Gabby said. So that was something that hadn't changed, and she had definitely done the right thing suggesting her parents come up early.
"Table's all set," Laura said as she came back into the kitchen.
At that moment, the timer went off, alerting them to the fact that Gabby's appetizers should be sufficiently warm. Gabby took the food out of the oven, and while she and her mom plated it, Laura put the main course in the oven to keep it warm. Once that was all done, they brought the appetizers into the den. It required two trips, but after it had all be brought in, they joined the rest of the family.
"Antonio, let everyone else take some scallops first," Laura said as she put the platter down next to some paper plates that had been put out earlier.
Someone turned off the TV, and everyone got up and grabbed some food. Plate in hand, Gabby grabbed a seat next to Matt and leaned into him as the family ate and talked. Once they were both done with their food, she took Matt's empty plate and put it with hers on the coffee table before snuggling closer to him. Matt wrapped his arm around her, and she rested her head against his shoulder, only moving it when the conversation required her to do so. They stayed like that for nearly an hour, chatting with her family, until Laura announced that it was time for dinner.
"Things seem better between you and Matt," Gabby's mother told her as they brought some dishes into the kitchen. Dinner was over. Gabby and her mother were tasked with clearing off the dining room table before dessert while Laura washed dishes. Matt and Antonio had been sent to clean up the den, and the kids were off somewhere competing for their grandfather's attention.
"What?" Gabby asked confused. She hadn't told her parents about their struggles, not wanting to disappoint them or admit that even though this was by far the most important relationship she'd ever had, it was also just another one that she couldn't make work. Despite having only seen him a handful of times, she knew her parents really loved Matt and had begun to see him as a second son. In the original world, her parents hadn't known what was going on until she called her mom in tears from the car after she'd left their apartment for the last time. Since that had never happened here, she had no idea how her mom had known.
"Come on Gabriella. You may have been trying to hide it, but it was pretty obvious at Thanksgiving that you two were having problems. You barely spoke to each other, and there was a light missing from your eyes. It's back now though," her mother told her. "Your father and I have been worried about you, but it looks like we don't need to be anymore."
"Okay. Honestly, after a while, balancing work and home became a little more difficult than we thought it would be. Things got a little tough, and we were fighting a lot. We're learning to do a better job navigating it though, and things have gotten a lot better. We're going to make our way through all this and be fine. In six months, my candidacy will be over, and I'll transfer to another house. Then we won't even have to worry about this stuff anymore," she explained.
"I'm glad," her mother replied. "I don't think I've ever seen you as happy as you've been over the past year."
"That's because no one has ever made me as happy as Matt does. Losing him isn't an option," Gabby said before adding softly. "It never should have been."
"What was that?" her mother asked. She must have heard something, but hopefully, she hadn't been able to make any of the words out.
"Nothing," Gabby answered.
"You sure?" Gabby's mom prodded.
"Yes," she tried to reassure her.
"How much is left?" Laura asked as they dropped some plates and glasses off by the sink
"I'd say most of the glasses and about half the plates. There may be some loose silverware too," Gabby replied.
At that moment, Antonio and Matt came into the kitchen.
"Den is clean. Trash bag is in the garage," Antonio informed them.
"Great. Antonio can you dry everything that's in the dish drain?" Laura asked.
"Sure," he said although he didn't sound too happy about it.
"You need help with the table?" Matt asked, making Gabby smile. It was Christmas Eve. She wouldn't have blamed him if after cleaning up the den, he had just wanted to sit back and relax until dessert, but here he was offering to help her clean up. She really was a lucky woman.
"If you don't mind," Gabby replied.
"Not at all," Matt told her.
"Thanks babe," she leaned up to kiss him on the cheek.
They spent the next ten minutes clearing off the table while Laura put as much as she could in the dishwasher before starting it and washing everything else by hand. Antonio helped when asked but otherwise just hung around the kitchen, prompting Laura to ask why he couldn't be more like Matt, which made Gabby laugh. After the table was cleaned off, Matt and Gabby set the table for dessert while Laura got the dessert out and Antonio called the kids and his and Gabby's father.
"I don't know if Gabby told you Matt, but we have a tradition in this family that the kids each get to open one gift on Christmas Eve," Laura said once everyone had finished desert.
"Is it time?" Diego asked excitedly.
"Just give me a minute to put the leftovers in the fridge," Laura said as everyone got up and followed Diego, who ran excitedly towards the Christmas tree in the living room.
"Eva, what are you doing?" Gabby asked as she saw her niece examining every item under the tree.
"I'm trying to find the gift from you. Since you won't be here tomorrow, I thought I should open that one tonight," Eva explained.
"Here, let me help you," Gabby said since she knew exactly what the box looked like. She had dropped the kid's gifts off a few days ago, and didn't know exactly where they were under the tree, but she knew she would be able to identify it. "Got it."
"Is that the one you got Diego?" Eva pointed to a box next to the one Gabby had just picked up. It had the same wrapping paper and said Diego's name on the card.
"Yes," Gabby replied.
"Diego, open this one," Eva ordered her brother.
"Eva, he can open whichever gift he wants," Antonio scolded his daughter.
"Ready?" Laura asked as she joined them in the living room.
"Yes," Diego said enthusiastically, clearly not caring that Eva had chosen the gift for him.
Eva opened hers first. Gabby and Matt had gotten her a book of nail designs and a couple bottles of nail polish.
"Thanks," she said excitedly and then immediately started flipping through the book as she muttered to herself. "What do I want to do first?"
Diego opened his next. They had gotten him the first two Rocky movies on Blu-ray, and Gabby was a little nervous about it. He had been begging for the DVDs for years, but Laura had always said he was too young for them. This year Laura had relented and said that while she refused to buy them for him, someone else could so Gabby and her mom had talked and decided that Gabby and Matt would buy the first two and her parents would buy the remaining four. Now she just hoped Laura hadn't changed her mind. Looking at her sister-in-law, Gabby saw a smile form on the woman's face, allowing her to relax.
"Yes," Diego was clearly thrilled. "Thanks Auntie Gabby. Thanks Uncle Matt."
As Diego got up and hugged both her and Matt, Gabby was pretty sure she was beaming. It was the first time either of her brother's kids had referred to Matt as their uncle, and the title sounded incredible. As far as she was concerned it was another sign that she and Matt were going to be together forever.
"You're welcome," Matt was definitely smiling. Gabby could tell that his reaction to Diego calling him uncle was pretty much the same as hers.
About half an hour later, Matt and Gabby were getting ready to leave.
"Thanks for having us," Gabby said as she hugged Laura.
"Of course," Laura said back.
"Remember your dad and I are taking you and Matt out to dinner on Friday," Gabby's mom said.
"I know. Have a good night," Gabby said as she followed Matt out the door.
"I think I could not eat for a week and still be completely full," Matt said once the door was closed.
"I told you there would be a lot of food, didn't I?" Gabby replied.
"Yeah, but it was still a lot of food, and what was up with the way your mother kept insisting I eat more? Do I look unhealthy to you or something?" he asked.
"Nope. You look absolutely perfect," she told him.
Author's Note: So I know I left you guys hanging there by not showing Matt and Gabby's Valentine's Day. I promise you will see it. The truth is that this chapter and what's now going to be Chapter Twelve were originally intended to be one chapter except I completely underestimated how long it was going to be. After writing the dreamworld part of this chapter, I realized I had over 4,000 words and was maybe halfway done. Not wanting to take a month to update again or make you guys read an 8,000 plus word chapter, I decided to break it in two and wrote what was intended to be the first part of the real world section, figuring it really needed to be posted with this.
Please leave a review to let me know what you think (and if you've picked up on why the real world and dreamworld sections had to go together). Until next time, I hope you enjoyed the beginning of Christmas and Valentine's Day in July.