Happy 2018 everybody : )
Chapter Twenty Five
"I don't know Chief. The debris looks pretty thick, and I'm not sure I can lift it all," Gabby heard Hermann say into his radio from where she lay, pinned down and trapped on the other side of a debris wall.
"Gabby, Gabby," Matt's frantic voice came through the radio before Boden had a chance to reply. She wanted to respond, to say something to him, but when she reached for her own radio, she found it didn't work. It must have bene damaged when the debris fell.
"Hermann, there's no time. You need to get out of there. Building's coming down," Boden's voice finally came through the radio. Gabby could hear the emotion in his voice. This clearly wasn't an easy order to give, and she felt bad for him. If only she'd been a bit quicker, maybe he wouldn't have had to give it.
"I can't do that Chief," Hermann replied.
"Hermann, it's okay. Listen to him," Gabby instructed. She couldn't let him sacrifice himself in a futile attempt to save her.
"Hermann, get out. I'm ordering you to leave the building," Boden radioed back.
In the background, Gabby could hear Matt screaming at someone to let him go. He'd clearly made it out of the building, but now she suspected all he wanted was to get back in and try to get to her. She hoped they'd be able to stop him even though she knew she'd be doing the same thing if their situations were reversed.
"Hang on Dawson. I'm going to try to get through this," Hermann ignored the Chief and turned his attention back towards her.
"Hermann, it's okay. Do what he says. I understand. Think of Cindy and the kids. You…you can't leave them. If you stay, you're just going to die here too. They don't deserve to have to have go through that. Think of all the things you're going to miss as they grow up. Think of Cindy raising five kids on her own. Go to them. Go to your family," Gabby wasn't sure she was sounding as calm as she wanted to, no as she needed to if she was going to convince Hermann to leave her behind. She was trying to keep the emotion and fear out of her voice, but the truth was she was scared. She didn't want to die. She wanted to get out of here and back to Matt. The thing was that didn't seem possible.
"Just give Matt a message for me," she continued. "Tell him that I'm sorry for how I've been acting. That I know he meant well and wasn't trying to hurt me or upset me or anything. Make sure he knows that I forgive him, and that I'm sorry I didn't tell him that to his face when I had the chance. Tell him that I love him with everything I have and that nothing, not even death, could ever change that. Make sure he knows that he's the best thing that ever happened to me and that being his wife would have been the greatest honor of my life. I'm sorry I won't get experience it."
"Gabby, you can tell me all that later," Matt's voice suddenly said. It didn't sound like it was coming over the radio either. Was he in here?
"Matt?" she asked.
"Yeah. I'm here. I'm getting you out of there baby," Matt replied.
"No," she called back. This wasn't what she wanted. Matt was supposed to be safe outside not die in here with her. "You and Hermann need to get out of here now."
"Gabby, I love you, and I'm not leaving without you," Matt insisted. "It's your call whether you stay and help or leave. I'm not going to order you to stay, and I won't hold it against you if you do leave. Chief did order you to get out, and you do have a family to think about."
He must have said that last part to Hermann. She didn't hear a response, but Gabby's gut told her that Hermann had chosen to stay. He had been arguing with her and Boden about it earlier after all.
"Gabby," Matt's voice came through the debris a moment later. "If things start shifting towards you, let me know. I don't want to hurt you or trap you further. Just need to get enough of this out of the way so that I can get to you."
"Matt," she wanted to protest, convince him to get to safety.
"I meant it Gabby. I'm not leaving you behind," Matt knew her too well. He wasn't even allowing her to get another word out. "If it comes down to it, I'd rather die in here with you than be out there and have to live without you."
"I don't want you to," she practically cried.
"I know. I know, but this is the one time, I don't care what you think. I need you," Matt told her.
Having no idea what she could say to convince him, Gabby tried to think of something while waiting for Matt to be able to get to her or more likely death to overtake them both. Suddenly, after what felt like an eternity but couldn't be nearly that long given that she was still alive, she saw an opening emerge in the debris.
"I think I can get through," Matt's voice was saying. "Not quite….Here let me try now."
Gabby just stared at the hole, and before she knew it, Matt was squeezing his way through it. He didn't have his helmet on or his turnout coat. Just his turnout pants, short-sleeved polo, and SCBA mask, the latter of which she was grateful he hadn't taken off. Fortunately, they weren't near the fire at the moment.
"Gabby, baby," Matt called as their eyes met for a brief moment before she noticed his shift as if he was scanning her.
"It's just what's on my leg. Pretty sure it's broken. Otherwise, assuming we get out of here, I'm going to be pretty sore but okay," she reassured him.
"Good," Matt simply replied as he made it to her. As soon as he was at her side, he tried to lift the debris that had pinned her down. When he couldn't do it, he was forced to change tactics. "Hang tight. This is gonna hurt."
"Arrrghh," Gabby screamed as Matt tried pushing the debris off of her. It was working too as slowly it moved until finally Matt was able to pull her out from under it. He scooped her up and carried her towards the opening he'd made.
"I need you to crawl through that passage okay. I'll be right behind you," Matt told her as he placed her down.
Gabby simply nodded before doing what she had been told. It really hurt though, and she found she had to use her upper body to pull herself forward more than she normally would have. Still, she had no choice but to move forward. If she stopped, she'd be trapping Matt behind her, and that wasn't an option.
"I've got you Dawson," Hermann said once she was far enough through for him to pull her the rest of way. He placed her down on the ground and then helped Matt make it out of the hole the two men had dug to get to her.
"Can you stand?" Matt asked as he crouched beside her.
She tried to get up, only to find herself unable to swallow the cry of pain that emerged as soon as she put weight on her left leg, the one that had taken the brunt of the hit from the falling debris. Walking did not seem to be an option.
"It's okay, I got you," Matt said as he once again scooped her up and carried her bridal style as he and Hermann made their way towards an exit.
As they were approaching the first floor, the fire getting closer and hotter, Gabby felt Matt wince as he held her. Looking down, she realized for the first time that he'd never put his turnout coat back on. The fire was too close, practically on his back. There was no way he wasn't getting burned.
"I can try to walk," she offered, worried that he was moving slower and making this worse for himself because he was carrying her.
"I'm good," Matt reassured her as he kept going. "You're in no condition to walk."
"I know you're getting burned Matt. You can't hide that from me. I'm just slowing you down," Gabby protested.
"Well, then you're going to slow me down even more if I put you down so you can try to walk," Matt countered. "I saw and heard what happened when you tried to stand up earlier. There's no way you can walk, and I'm not leaving you behind."
"Just try to hurry," she instructed.
"I think I see them. They're coming out," Gabby heard Mills call as they neared the entrance.
As quickly as they could, she and Matt emerged from the building with Hermann hot on their heels.
"Oh thank God," Shay exclaimed as she raced towards them ahead of Brett and the gurney. Her face was stained with tears. At least that's what it looked like to Gabby when Shay was a few steps away. As soon as Shay reached them, she threw her arms around Gabby, pulling her into a tight hug. It was somewhat awkward though as Matt had yet to put her down. "What were you thinking getting trapped like that? You scare us all half to death."
"It's not like it was intentional," Gabby didn't miss a beat, but at that moment Brett arrived with the gurney.
"Alright, let's get you two looked at," Shay said as she guided the couple towards the gurney, Gabby still in Matt's arms. When they got there, Matt finally put her down, only he didn't let go, keeping her in an embrace as he sat down next to her.
"I love you," he said, clearly not noticing or maybe caring that all the firefighters and paramedics on scene could hear him. Gabby certainly didn't notice.
"I love you too," she was barely able to get the words out before his lips crashed down on hers and his tongue was begging for access, which she gladly granted. Having thought that she was going to die just minutes ago, Gabby couldn't help basking in the feel of his lips on hers, of them moving in perfect rhythm with hers, and of his tongue sliding into her mouth and finding her own. For a few minutes, she forgot where they were and what had happened, even stopped noticing the pain in her leg, and simply enjoyed the fact that she was still able to make out with the love of her life.
"Mmmm Hmmm," the sound of Shay clearing her throat brought Gabby back to reality, forcing her to break away from Matt.
"As much as I'm sure everyone here is enjoying the show," Shay winked. "You both need to be checked out."
"Oh shut up," Gabby said before sticking her tongue out at her best friend. Matt meanwhile had shifted slightly so that he was facing Shay instead of her, and instead of having both arms wrapped tightly around her, only his right arm was draped over her shoulder. He was still holding her close though.
"Alright lover boy. I know you don't want to, but you need to let Dawson go and give me the space to examine her," Shay said after about a minute of unsuccessfully trying to take a look at Gabby's leg. "Besides, I want Brett to take a look at that arm of yours. You're definitely going to need a hospital, but we should do what we can here."
"Oh Matt," Gabby said as she finally looked down and noticed just how badly burnt his arm was. He'd clearly spent more time in the flames than she'd realized. While her turnout coat had clearly done its job, the fact that he hadn't had his, had left him way too exposed. The outer side of his left arm, was covered in a deep burn.
"I need to look at his back too," Brett said from where she stood behind him. "His shirt's burned so most likely his back is too. What happened to your coat?"
"Took it off so I could get to Gabby faster," Matt replied as if it was the simplest and most obvious answer the world. "And don't worry about me. Just focus on Gabby."
"Matt," Gabby almost scolded. "I've just got a broken leg. The burns could be more serious."
"How do you know you just have a broken leg?" Matt argued. "A ceiling fell on you. For all we know, you could be bleeding internally or have other injuries that we can't see. What if your leg needs surgery?"
"If my leg needs surgery, the time it takes for you be looked at isn't going to make a difference," Gabby countered. "As for the rest of it, I used to be a paramedic. I'm still certified as a paramedic. I think I'd be able to tell if something more serious was wrong."
"None of that really matters," Shay butted in. "There's no reason for Brett and I to both treat Dawson. If anything, she'd probably just be in my way if she tried to help. What's holding up my ability to examine Dawson is you Casey."
"Fine," Matt acquiesced as he placed a quick peck on Gabby's cheek before reluctantly sliding away from her on the gurney and offering his arm to Brett to look at.
"I'm sorry, but I'm going to need to see your back as well…can…can you take off your shirt?" Brett stammered, clearly not comfortable with having to make the request.
From where she was sitting, Gabby couldn't see how Matt responded, but she watched Shay lift her head up, taking her attention off of Gaby's leg and turning it towards her Brett and Matt, a frown on her face.
"Brett, why don't you take care of Dawson's leg," Shay calmly suggested. "I can treat Casey."
"Shay," Matt said. Gabby could tell he was going to protest, that he wanted the more experienced of the two paramedics treating her and as far as he was concerned, his own burns didn't really matter. She had to agree with Shay though. It wasn't so much that she cared about Brett seeing Matt shirtless. She understood that it was part of the job and why it was necessary. During her paramedic days, she had seen several firefighters shirtless for the same reason. Her concern was that Brett's awkwardness in the situation was going to interfere with her ability to treat Matt, and while if Brett was going to be successful in the long-run she was going to need to learn to get comfortable treating the firefighters she worked with without their shirts fully on, Gabby wasn't comfortable with her firefighter being the learning case. It was far better that Shay, who wouldn't care, treated Matt.
"How is everything?" Chief Boden's arrival prevented Matt from saying anything further. He was accompanied by Captain Woods and Chief Walker, who Gabby hadn't even realized was on scene. A sense of panic overtook her as she realized just exactly who had potentially heard her and Matt's declarations of love and witnessed their make out session, her soon to be coworkers and one of the white shirts.
"They both need a hospital, but at least on the surface, nothing looks life-threatening or even too serious," Shay replied.
"74 already took one of this place's employees to the hospital," Captain Woods pointed out.
Well, at least the medics she'd be working with weren't yet aware of that public display of affection, Gabby thought.
"I know it's irregular, but I don't see any harm in you taking both of them to the hospital, especially given the circumstances," Chief Boden said.
Chief Walker nodded, signaling his concurrence, and with that Shay started to get ready to bring them both into the back of the ambo.
"What about Chief Hatcher? Don't we need his approval?" Brett spoke up, clearly thinking about the rule book and afraid of what would happen for ignoring it.
"Sometimes when you're out in the field, you just gotta do what you think's best in the situation. Not that rules are meant to be broken, but they don't account for every situation and are often more about protecting the department. Out here, we don't always have the luxury of following them. Our judgement of what's best for our patients has to come first," Shay tried to educate her young partner. "Now, let's move."
Beth was sitting on the couch, drinking a beer and distractedly flipping through a magazine when the doorbell rang. She wasn't in the mood for company. Not when she should be trying to figure out her next move since all the time she was spending in her car outside Firehouse 51 wasn't getting her anywhere. It had been over two and a half months since she'd seen Matt, since she'd had him inside her. That was way too long. She needed him again. It was simple as that. The couple of guys she'd brought home a few weeks ago when she'd gotten frustrated and temporarily given up on seeing him again hadn't compared. She hadn't felt the connection or anywhere near the incredible pleasure she'd had when they made love. Never mind how bad she'd felt afterwards about betraying him. So she tried to ignore the doorbell only the person on the other side didn't seem to get the message as they rang the bell again.
Damn it. Why did the lights have to be on? She could have hidden from whoever was on the other side of the door if the lights were off. The sun had only just started to set so it wasn't like she would have been in too much darkness. Angrily she took a few swigs of her beer before getting up to try to make her visitor go away.
"What do you want?" she barked as she swung open the door.
"Is that anyway to greet family?" her visitor and ex-sister-in-law said.
"Lori?" Beth asked a little confused. She hadn't seen the woman since shortly after her divorce. When she and Pat first split, she and Lori agreed that they'd stay friends. After all, the two women had been friends first; that's how she met Pat. Things had gotten awkward though after she'd met Matt and started moving on. Matt. The very thought of him brought a smile to her face, one Lori misinterpreted as being for her.
"It's good to see you too," Lori said as she let herself in, annoying Beth. She needed to find some way to get rid of her.
"What brings you by?" Beth tried her best to be pleasant. Maybe if she feigned interest, Lori would state why she was here, they'd have a quick conversation, and then the other woman would be on her way.
"I'm worried about Pat. I was hoping you could talk to him. He needs you," Lori answered.
"We're not getting back together. Even if I wasn't with someone else, it's been over for a long time," Beth replied.
"I know. That's not what I mean," Lori clarified. "He's lost and he's hurting and he feels alone. He needs a friend. He needs to know that I'm not the only one who still cares."
"He has plenty of friends," Beth pointed out. She was done with Pat so why would she care anymore? Why should any of this be her job or concern?
"Most of his friends are from work and that's the problem," Lori countered. "He's in trouble at work, and he's not dealing with it. He's just drinking."
"That's what happened before. That's why I left. If I couldn't get through to him then, I won't be able to now," Beth hoped that would be in the end of it.
"This time you're part of the problem," Lori said.
"How am I part of the problem," Beth practically laughed.
"You couldn't respect the fact that he still loves you, that he didn't want your marriage to end," Lori replied. "You didn't just move on and find someone new. You moved on with another firefighter, basically telling him that he really just wasn't good enough. And it wasn't just any firefighter, but one who was working for him, someone he was seeing on a regular basis. Then to add insult to injury you made sure it got back to him and was shoved in his face."
"I didn't know that Pat had gotten a new command never mind the fact that they were going to be working together when we met. And where else was I going to meet somebody? A lot of my friends are still part of that community," Beth defended herself. How dare Lori come in here and blame her for Pat's inability to get his act together.
"You figured it out though, and you could have shown Pat some respect and ended things," Lori argued.
"Well, sorry if my not wanting to sacrifice my own happiness for the sake of your brother's ego offends you," Beth spat.
"Even if you weren't going to end it, did you really have to bring it into the firehouse where he could see you together?" Lori responded before pausing to catch her breath.
Beth was wondering if she should point out that Pat couldn't have seen them together at the firehouse because Matt hadn't been there with Pat yet, but before she could make up her mind, Lori had started up again.
"Did you really think he wouldn't lash out at your new boyfriend? I'm sure your lover has already told you about what happened so I won't bore you by rehashing it, and I get that my brother was in the wrong with how he handled things. But this suspension is destroying him, and he doesn't deserve that either," the woman continued.
Beth had been tuning Lori out. She didn't really care what had happened, especially since it didn't actually involve her boyfriend. Besides, Pat was nothing more than a part of her past, part of the road that led her to Matt. Still, the word suspension caught her attention. It explained why she hadn't seen Pat at 51 lately. If he was simply suspended though, that meant he'd likely be back. If he was lashing out at someone he thought was her boyfriend, how was he going to react when he met the real thing? Once she found Matt, she was probably going to need to get him out of that house. Maybe she actually should be paying attention.
"I've found him drinking at ten in the morning because as he put it he has no where to be so why should he wait til five o'clock. And of course any time I try to get him to stop, I just get a drunken rant about how it isn't fair," Lori continued. "The whole house if full of liars. Every last one of them was covering up the fact that the lieutenant and the comatose candidate are engaged or were engaged, he's not really clear on that part, and pretending that the lieutenant's out of town dealing with some family emergency when he's really been at her bedside in the hospital. And for their lies, they barely got a slap on the wrist while he only told one lie, and his career's probably ruined."
Beth smiled triumphantly. Things were finally falling into place. Matt had rushed out of her room that morning after getting a call. Someone had been hurt. His friend had said he was dealing with a family emergency. Then he'd said that Matt was back with his ex. That part had never made sense. They'd shared something special and real. They were meant to be. She knew he'd felt it too. Now though she understood why Matt hadn't been at work, and more importantly why he hadn't come over again. Matt was the lieutenant in Lori's story so his ex must be the candidate. He wasn't back with his her because he wanted to be but rather out of a sense of obligation and because he thought it was the right thing to do. It sounded like the woman had been seriously hurt, and he was at her side. He must think she needed him. Maybe she was still in love with him and he knew she still felt that way. How could the ex not still feel that way? How could anyone fall out of love with him? And he was a good man. She'd known that from the moment their eyes first met at the luau. He wouldn't just abandon a woman he'd once loved in her hour of need. That must be the case. It made so much more sense than any other explanation she'd come up with.
She just needed to make him understand that it wasn't the right thing to do. That sacrificing their happiness for the sake of his ex wasn't in anyone's best interest. In long-run, this woman would be better off moving on with her life instead of holding onto a fantasy. He could support this woman if he thought he needed to while still living his life. And if his ex disagreed, well, any woman who would deny him the chance to be with his true love didn't deserve his support no matter what condition she was in. What happened to this woman, awful as it probably was, was no reason for them not to be together.
She'd go to every hospital in the city until she found him. They'd talk and kiss, and he'd come to his sense and realize that his sacrifice wasn't worth it. Then everything would be as it should be. Once again tuning Lori out, she allowed herself to bask in the knowledge that by this time tomorrow, Matt would be the one here with her. She'd be in his big, strong arms as they finally admitted their love for each other and then once again showed each other just how much they meant it. Then they'd never be apart again.
Now she just needed to get her former friend and sister-in-law out of here. She had shopping and planning to do. She needed an outfit to wear to the hospital to remind Matt just what was waiting for him and how lucky he was. And it was only right that for their first time together as an official couple, she greeted him with something special, lingerie that she'd bought just for him, something no else ever had or would see her in, something that would show off all her assets and arouse him faster than he'd ever been aroused before. She was getting her man back, and she could practically feel the warmth pooling within her as she thought about just how incredible tomorrow would be. Despite Lori's presence, she closed her eyes, remembering the way his naked body looked and the feel of his hands and lips on her bare skin.
Author's Note: So I know it was short (at least for one of my chapters) and there was no real world Matt. For those reasons, I did contemplate whether or not this should be combined with what's coming up next, but in the end, I decided it worked better standing on its own. Hope you guys still enjoyed it.
As always, please hit that review button and let me know what you think. Until next time : )