Quinn was sat with Gabby at her house glass of wine in hand. She had brought back Gabby's dress and had accepted the invitation to stay.
"He is the sweetest boy" Quinn told her taking a sip of wine.
Gabby had brought home a little boy she had rescued and was fostering called Louie.
"I know" Gabby said stroking his head as he lay asleep.
"It's so great they're letting him stay with you" She said "You'll make an amazing foster Mom"
"I hope so" Gabby replied "We didn't really talk about it fully"
"Matt's a good guy" Quinn told her "You guys will work it out"
"Speaking of good guys" Gabby said raising an eyebrow "What's going on with you and Jay?"
"Things are good" She replied unable to hide her smile.
"How did you meet again?" Gabby asked.
Quinn ran a hand through her hair shaking her head. She curled her legs under her on the sofa and got comfortable.
"I spent a summer here when I was 17" She replied "I was going through kind of a wild phase, I met Jay and Will. Will was like a brother to me. Jay, I took a little longer to warm to, but I think that's just because I liked him. We kind of had a summer romance, just a little less Sandy and Danny and a little more Rizzo and Kenickie"
"I always thought of him as more of a Johnny" Gabby laughed "I cannot picture you in a bad girl phase though"
Quinn turned around and pulled her shirt up.
"Oh my god is that Ryan Seacrest?" Gabby asked getting a closer look.
Quinn dropped her shirt as the door opened and Matt walked in with Kelly.
"You can't tell anyone" She laughed "I told Will I got it removed"
"Jay hasn't seen it?" She asked in disbelief "It's huge"
"Well he was there when I got it" She said shaking her head "But I cover it up"
"Cover what up?" Kelly asked grabbing a beer from the refrigerator "Does anyone want one?"
"Could you grab another bottle of wine?" Gabby asked "Quinn was telling me about her bad girl days"
"I'll put him to bed" Matt offered lifting a sleeping Louie and taking him through to the travel cot set up in their room.
"Bad girl Quinn?" Kelly asked raising an eyebrow "What you do skip school one time?"
"Dyed my hair pink, got a tattoo, took up smoking" She replied "Total cliché"
"The hair I would love to see" Gabby told her "What was teenage Jay like?"
"Those pictures are under lock and key" She said shaking her head as Kelly filled up their glasses "Thank you"
"You knew Jay when you were kids, I didn't think you were from around here?" Kelly asked.
"Ohio" She said "But my Mom married Connor's Dad, so I spent my summer here, she wanted me to finish out school in Lima"
"So, you stayed with your Dad?" Gabby asked.
"No" She replied shortly feeling a little caught off guard "I stayed with a friend"
"We understand strained family relationships around here" Kelly said.
"It's a universal experience" She said raising a glass.
"He's fast asleep" Matt said kissing Gabby's cheek and picking up the beer Kelly had left out for him.
"How was the game?" Gabby asked.
"Eugh we lost" He groaned.
"Are you a hockey fan?" Kelly asked.
"Surprisingly yes" She nodded "Apparently they kick you out of Chicago if you're not"
"Don't let them ruin our girl's night" Gabby said throwing a pillow at Kelly.
"What were you talking about?" Matt asked.
"Ryan Seacrest" Gabby shrugged earning herself a glare from Quinn.
She shook her head and pulled out her phone. She hadn't heard from Jay all day. He had told her sometimes he would be off the grid, but she couldn't help but worry.
"Don't tell me you watch idol?" Kelly laughed.
"I prefer bachelor in paradise" She shrugged.
"Oh god no" Gabby groaned "That's all Sylvie talks about"
"She has great taste" She said with a grin.
"I don't know how you watch that crap" Gabby replied shaking her head.
"What I do to wind down is my prerogative" She said.
Quinn felt her phone vibrating. She checked the caller I.D it was Connor. She excused herself and headed outside. She pulled her jacket a little tighter in the cold night air.
"Hey Connor" She said, "What's going on?"
"Hey, are you free tomorrow night?" He asked.
"I might be" She said warily.
"It's not a parent thing" He reassured her.
"It's you" She mused "So still maybe"
"I want you to meet Robin" He laughed.
Quinn had heard a lot about her but never met her. It was rare to hear Connor speak about anyone the way he spoke about her.
"I'd love to" She told him.
"You should invite Jay" He said.
"He's been radio silent all day, but I'll ask" She said.
"I'll book the table for four and you can let me know" Connor said "I've gotta go, I'll talk to you tomorrow"
Quinn decided to text Jay. He was supposed to let her know about New York as well.
'Hey, Connor invited us to dinner tomorrow, let me know if you're free, did you speak to Voight? – Q x'
She put her phone back in her pocket. Gabby and Matt really did live in a nice area. The street was surprisingly quiet. She was glad she had Gabby as a friend.
"Seriously, you need your space with Louie, having me here makes it harder for a permanent placement, I'll find somewhere" Kelly said.
"I feel bad" Gabby sighed "But they did say it being this unconventional could count against us"
"I'll find somewhere no problem" He said with a smile "you guys will be great at this"
"I've got a spare room" She Quinn offered closing the door behind her.
"I can't let you do that" Kelly told her "But thank you"
"Why?" She shrugged "I'm barely home, there's a perfectly good spare room, well more of a Den, it's just used for storage"
"You know he brings home women?" Gabby asked raising an eyebrow.
"You know I lived with Connor?" She laughed "It's honestly fine if you're looking for a stopgap"
"I might take you up on that" He nodded.
"I'm working tomorrow but I can give you a key" She told him "I'll be out after work, I'm away at the weekend, so you'll have it pretty much to yourself"
"Thanks" He told her with a smile "That actually sounds perfect"
"No problem just stop by the hospital" She said.
Gabby followed her through to the kitchen as Quinn placed her empty glass on the side.
"Do you want another?" Gabby asked.
"I can't" She replied "I really should be getting home, thanks for tonight though it was really nice spending time with you"
"You too" Gabby said pulling her into a hug "And thank you for that, Kelly's a good guy, but I really need this to work with Louie"
"If you and Matt swear by him, I don't doubt it, and of course" She replied "Besides it helps me out and I'm never there"
"Jay won't mind?" Gabby asked.
"What's he got to mind?" She shrugged.
Quinn cleared out the Den when she got home. It wasn't as bad as she thought. It was a decent size for a bedroom really, she had cleared out one of the storage closets as well. She struggled getting to sleep because Jay still hadn't replied to her message but at some point, she must have drifted off because the unwelcome blaring of her alarm clock woke her.
She groggily made her way through to the kitchen to switch on the coffee pot before jumping in the shower. It was absolutely a hair up in a high pony kind of morning. She had avoided them like the plague since her cheerleader years, but she didn't have the energy to do anything else with it.
She put her coffee in a travel mug and made sure to pick up her spare key. Jay still hadn't replied. She was tempted to Call him, but she didn't want to wake him if he had gotten home late. She was starting a 6 am shift.
"I heard its your last week with us down here" April said pulling a sad face.
"You know I'm not moving hospitals, right?" She laughed.
"I know" April said.
"No coffee this morning?" Will asked.
"I didn't sleep well" She replied shaking her head "Have you heard from Jay?"
"Yeah he came over last night" Will said walking through to his locker.
"So, he was with you?" She asked raising an eyebrow.
"He'd been on a case all day" Will explained "I was talking to him about the engagement party, It was really late when he left, he probably didn't want to wake you"
"As long as he's ok" She nodded.
"Aww are you worrying about my brother?" He teased.
"Shut up Halstead" She sighed.
"Quinn you're in trauma two" Maggie called through the door.
Her morning had flown by. It never ceased to amaze her the things people would swallow and insert into their bodies.
"What is wrong with people?" She asked Maggie shaking her head.
She had just been dealing with a teenager who had tried some skateboard stunt he'd seen online.
"I'll never know" Maggie laughed "Kelly Severide is here to see you"
Quinn looked out to the waiting room.
"I'll be right back" She told Maggie and walked out.
Kelly took her out to the coffee cart for a coffee. She picked one up for Maggie and April while she was there.
"I can't thank you enough" He told her taking the spare key.
"Please It's barely a room" She shrugged.
"You're really helping Gabby out too" He said with a smile "Just take the compliment"
"You're welcome and thank you" She said giving in "I'll be back after work but then I'm out again, so maybe see you later?"
"Sure, see you later" He said holding up the key.
Quinn headed back inside and handed out the coffees ignoring the questioning looks from Maggie and April.
"I have work to do" She said walking off.
"Your patient is up in CT" Maggie pointed out.
"Then I should go and check on him" She retorted.
"What's going on with you and Kelly?" April asked.
"Nothing" She replied "I'm just giving him a place to stay because Gabby and Matt need to show they've got a stable household for fostering Louie"
"I'd watch it with him" Maggie warned her.
"He's a good guy" April reassured her.
Quinn just rolled her eyes and went back to work. She knew it would be blown up into a bigger deal than what it was. She knew what it was like to have no place to stay and having a place to go while you looked for somewhere to live was helpful. No one needed that kind of stress.
She noticed she'd had a missed call from Jay and decided to call him back, so she walked through into the staff room.
"I'm so sorry I didn't reply last night" He said picking up the phone.
"It's ok" She said, "Are you ok?"
"Just buried in a case" He replied. "I won't be able to make tonight"
"Ok" She said, "Were you working last night?"
She hated herself for being so paranoid, but she couldn't help but feel like something was off.
"I was with Will" He told her "We were going over the party details, he's kind of nervous about all the planning"
She knew he would be honest; the insecurities were all her own. Jay was a good guy and he had a demanding job just like she did.
"Oh, I told Kelly he could stay at mine while he finds a place to stay" She told him.
"Ok" He said cautiously.
"Matt and Gabby are trying to make sure Louie stays with them and it doesn't look great them having a roommate" She explained "I'm always here, or with you, so it made sense for a temporary solution"
"Always helping people" He laughed "you know you're gonna have a string of women in and out of your apartment"
"So, I've been told" She replied, "Did you talk to Voight about this weekend?"
"It depends how this case goes" He told her "I've gotta go but I'll try and stop by tomorrow"
"Ok" She sighed "Stay safe"
Jay had already hung up the phone. She knew he couldn't talk about the job just the way she couldn't talk about her patients.
Kelly wasn't around when she got home. She threw her keys on the kitchen counter and called Connor putting her phone on loudspeaker while she grabbed a bottle of water from the refrigerator.
"So, what's the plan for tonight?" She asked when he picked up the phone. "And please don't say it's some pretentious overpriced place"
"I'm buying" He laughed.
"So, I'm going to leave hungry" She sighed rolling her eyes.
"You'll love it I promise" He told her "8 pm, I've sent you the address, I've got to go"
She picked out a simple black shift dress seeing as she had no idea where she was going and put on a pair of heels. Curled hair and a red lip worked for almost any occasion. She had liked Ava but she was excited to meet Robin.
"You look nice"
Quinn looked up from putting her earring in to see Kelly sat on the couch.
"How are you settling in?" She asked
"Great thanks" He replied "All set up"
"What are you doing tonight?" She asked switching her keys over to a smaller purse to match her outfit.
"I was thinking I'd find a game to watch, get an early night" He shrugged.
"Why don't you come to dinner?" She suggested "Saves sitting home alone"
"You're not taking Jay?" He asked.
"He's working and it's booked for four" She replied "Besides it's on Connor's credit card"
"I don't wanna impose" He replied.
"It's roommate bonding, I'm basically a third wheel anyway" She told him "I'm meeting Robin for the first time, but I know Connor, he'll be all over her"
"I'll go change then" He said.
Quinn was right about Connor's pretentious choice of restaurants. The five-course tasting menu was basically five tiny bites of food spread out over almost two hours. She was also right about Robin though. She knew she'd like her.
"Babe I hate to tell you this but we're going to have to stop for pizza later" Robin told him.
Quinn couldn't resist giving him an, I told you so look.
"Did she tell you to say that?" He accused.
"Like you're not starving" Quinn laughed.
"Maybe a bit" He muttered.
"I'm just glad I'm not the only one" Kelly sighed "Why don't I get the pizza"
"I knew I liked you for a reason" Connor told him.
"So, Robin, please tell me what you see in Connor?" Quinn teased.
"He's just always there for me" Robin replied taking Connor's hand.
"He never shuts up about you" She told her.
"Really?" Robin asked tilting her head to the side with a smile.
"You're enjoying this aren't you?" Connor said shaking his head.
"Just a little bit" She shrugged.
"So, Connor told me you went to Yale" Robin said saving Connor from further embarrassment.
"Impressive" Kelly said.
"I try" She joked "It was nice to move to the other side of the country"
"What about you Kelly?" Connor asked, "How long have you been a firefighter?"
"Feels like my whole life" Kelly replied "My old man was a smoke eater; it was all I knew"
"And you're said you're a lieutenant?" Robin asked, "Aren't you a bit young for that?"
"Second youngest person to make Squad" He nodded.
Quinn could see the pride; it was obvious he really loved what he did. That was what she loved about being in emergency services. Everyone she met really did love their job and wanted to help people.
Of course, the conversation went to Quinn and Connor's teenage years. He had looked like the angel child when she had taken over as the problem teen. But then Quinn had turned things around. Connor had taken a little longer. They'd always had each other's backs since they met. She might not have met him until she was 17 but he really was family. Seeing him so in love and content was just perfect.
True to his word Kelly had taken them out for pizza after. Chicago's best deep dish no less. Quinn had been sold as soon as she saw bacon on the toppings list.
"It's a real problem" Connor had warned Kelly.
"I saw the stuff you ate when you were travelling" She rolled her eyes.
"We should get going" Connor said taking Robin's hand.
"See you later" She said giving them both a hug.
"Get home safe" He told her.
Quinn was so happy to get into her sweats when she got home, hair piled up on top of her head.
"You look like a pineapple" Kelly told her.
"Just for that I'm catching up on bachelor in paradise" She told him poking her tongue out.
"I should have gone with Capp's couch" He laughed opening a beer.
"Thanks for coming tonight" She told him.
"Thanks for inviting me" He replied.
Quinn found her recording and got comfy on the chair while Kelly stretched out on the couch.
"So, wait?" Kelly asked when she switched off the tv "He's really just going to take her on a date after everything he said to Rebecca?"
"I told you" She shrugged "Great tv"
"I've got shift tomorrow" He said standing up "Night Q"
"Don't worry I won't tell anyone" She called after him "Goodnight"
Quinn was off the next day but really did need to get some sleep as well. She'd been up since about 4:30 am. It was a long day. She decided to text Jay even though she hadn't heard off him.
'Thinking of you, stay safe! Love Q x'
She was just drifting off to sleep when her phone pinged.
'Love you too – J x'
