''Look at you.''

''What?'' Matt said confused as he stopped singing with the radio and leaned back in the car chair, looking at Gabriela. She chuckled as she parked the car close to the station. He got out of the car, still looking with a questioning face.

''You are glowing.'' She said as she grabbed his arm and walked next to him. The cold blizzard brushed over their faces and Gabriela shivered.

''Oh no you are not glowing at all because of the c-cold.'' Teasing he poked her in her side. Her face was a little red as it usually became when it was cold and she grabbed his arm again.

''You are glowing from happiness. That is different.''

Close to the station she let go of his arm and they walked inside next to each other. They didn't want to force their relationship on the other man in the station, even though everybody knew they were together and respected it. Although they were really in love, living together had made it easier to be less affectionate in public. As soon as they entered the guys from truck greeted him and Cruz even hugged him.

''I am really happy you are back.''

''So am I.''

''When is his initiating?'' Otis smiled and Casey walked to the truck, looking at his helmet that was laying there. The lieutenant sign was gone, but he felt at home, even though he not a lieutenant anymore.

''No iniating. We just wanted to see you in a bikini.'' Cruz laughed and Matt turned back to them.

''Yeah, Matt in a bikini is way to good for humanity.'' Severide joined them and Matt walked to the locker room with Severide. Severide frowned.

''What are you doing with Clarke's locker?''

''Oh'' Matt said with an apologizing smile as he walked to his locker, which wasn't the one he had been using before as it had been cleaned out but the new one. He pasted some pictures on the inside door and laid some clothes in.

''Does it feel foreign?''

''No, I just n-need some time to get adjusted.'' Matt shrugged and he closed his new locker, smiling at Severide. Adjusting was what he had been doing since the accident and he started to get really good at it, he realized now.

He changed to his CFD clothes and it felt good to be back. It was almost like he had never gone away although he knew a lot had happened the last months.

The alarm immediately called for their help and he ran back to the truck.

Finally back.

''Still giving you a hard time?'' Hermann walked to the truck, which the young candidate was still cleaning and he felt kinda bad for Casey. The truck didn't need cleaning, they just wanted to see how far they could push the boy to make him do things like this. He felt bad because the boy was trying to hard and he seemed really motivated. Sure, they had all been doing the chores they got asked int he beginning, but he was worried Matt would still be cleaning everything in two years if he didn't stand up for himself now.

''More work?'' Matt sighed, tired and he threw the cloth he was using to clean to the ground.

''Nah, just going to sit here for a while.'' He sat down on the ground close to Matt and Matt wanted to carry on cleaning.

''Whoah, sit down for a second.'' Hermann nodded with his head aside. Matt sat down next to him.

''You know, when I was a candidate I didn't do shit for them. When they needed something like this to be done I told them to do it theirselves. You should do that too.''

''That is not good for your career, being a candidate.'' Matt said, shaking his head.

''That is what they tell you, but it doesn't change anything. I didn't do everything they asked, neither did Kelly Severide and he is moving to squad soon, as I heard.''

Matt finally nodded and he stood up.

''Where are you going?''

''The common room.''

Hermann walked after him as Matt grabbed the bucket and the cloth from the ground and walked into the common room. Lieutenant Young arched his brows as Matt walked past him, emptying the bucket in the sink.

''Done already?''

''Yeah.'' Matt mumbled, cleaning the bucket and he pushed the cloth in the lieutenants hands: ''If you want it any cleaner, you should clean it yourself. Everything, actually.''

Like nothing had happened, Matt sat down in a chair and Hermann nodded at him from the other side of the table. Matt was going to make it far, he was sure of that and Hermann was going to make sure he would.

''I am sorry.'' Matt wanted to turn around int he doorway. It was so stupid some things he hadn't done in months were so deep into his system he kept doing it. Now he almost walked into an offfice that wasn't his anymore.

''Hey, wait!'' Hermann waved him to come inside and Matt sat down on the bed, looking through the office. Hermann turned around on his chair so he could look at Casey. Then he opened the drawer of the desk and grabbed something out, handing it to Casey.

''This was still in the drawer, figured you wanted it back.''

Casey looked at the picture of Hallie.

''Thank you.''

For a second he pictures how different his life would have been if he still was together with Hallie, but he didn't want to think about it. He was happy now.

'''This feels really wrong.'' Hermann sighed. ''I wish this was still your office. I wish you were still commanding. Now this feels so wrong.''

''It doesn't feel that wrong. I made a d-dumb decision and I am glad that I am still here.'' Matt smiled, but his smile was crooked. He knew it wasn't a dumb decision and he would do the same if he got the decision again.

''Besides, you should have been the lieutenant from the s-start, not me.''

''Nah, you were more ambitious than me.''

''Without you I would s-still be cleaning the truck.''

''You know, everybody needs a small push in the back sometimes.''

The alarm went off again and Matt and Hermann left the office, running to the truck.

About an hour later the truck pulled back into the station and the man sighed as shift was over in five minutes. He walked back to his locker - the right one this time - and he looked as Gabriela popped up beside him. He took the picture from his pocket and laid it down in the back of his locker. He wanted to keep it close to him but it reminded him of a life that seemed to far away now.

''He lives.''

''Don't act so s-surprised.'' Matt laughed as he grabbed the stuff he wanted to take home. Together they walked out of the station and to the car.

''So, how did it suit you to be back mister Casey.'' She said as they sat back in the car.

''Good, really good.'' He smiled and he kissed her on the cheek.

''Thank you. I couldn't have d-done it without you.''

''Not just me, you had a lot of people supporting you...me...Kelly...the other guys...your mother...in her own way.'' Gabriela added.

''Oh yeah my mom always had her own way with t-things.'' Matt laughed as they drove home.

At home she laid down in bed.

''I am going to take a nap.'' She said as she undressed herself and laid down in bed.

''I am...'' He wanted to say he was going to join her but then he looked at his running shoes in the corner of the room.

''I am going for a run.''

''Matt...'' She said worried.

''I am going to do it, I promise.''

It went batter than the last time he had gone a run and he knew that after running one block. But he kept on running and running. He wasn't going to faint again but he was going to do it today. He started running his old round as much as possible and he knew he ran the same distance as before. A month ago he had still trouble walking and now he was running, almost as before.

He was running so hard he didn't even acknowledge the cold as he felt warmer and warmer inside.

A four months before that he had been in a hospital, in a coma and he hadn't even known he was alive. Gabriela had been there and had kept him strong. Music kept blasting through his headphones but he hardly heard it as he kept running, only stopping for traffic lights, to keep running again after them.

Five months before that he saved a life, nearly losing is own. He had had a lot of regrets before, but now he knew he had done the right thing. He was a fire fighter again and although there was lasting damage from the accident, a little girl would grow up now. That was worth it.

As he ran back up the stairs and into the apartment he pulled the headphones out of his ears and panted, leaning against the kitchen counter.

''Babe?''

He walked to the bedroom, started to undress himself and checked his phone for the results of the running.

''I did it, I ran f-five miles.'' He sighed as he looked at his phone, laying it aside then.

''I know. I knew you would.''

Tenderly he laid against her, wrapped his arms around her as they fell asleep. He was finally back.

NOTE: Well, Matt had his first shift again and it went well, so he is finally reaching his goal to get back to work. Oh the positivity - and no this time nothing bad is coming their way for the next chapter!

The story will have about 5 more chapters...so it is coming to an end.

Anyway, I hope you liked this chapter! Thank you for reading and please tell me what you thought of it.