Here is a new chapter for you all! Thank you so much for all the nice reviews on the last chapter, it means so much! I hope you'll like this one!

I'll try to update again soon, but no promises!

Happy reading!

A-

Chapter twenty-four

Casey was at his desk, trying to fill the report of the last call, but his mind was completely in another place. He kept thinking about Gabby, he kept replaying their last conversation, and he couldn't forget the look on her face. It was a look of anger and disappointment, and he hated it deeply. He hated the fact that he was the one hurting her and disappointing her.

He had been angry and worried about Gabby. And he should have explained that to her instead of saying things he didn't mean one bit. He knew that everything lately was tensed again with them two, but he shouldn't have been so hard on her.

He hated the fact that their entire situation was bringing so much tension and discomfort between them. This is not how he ever imagined the process of getting pregnant. He always thought it would be an amazing time full of joy, love and intimate moments. But except for the intimate part, everything was pretty much the contrary. And that needed to change for sure.

Gabby was an amazing woman, with the biggest heart. She was always fighting for people, always tried to do her best to make a difference. That was what he loved about her, and it was the thing that made him fall in love with her years ago. She was and always will be an inspiration to him. And he couldn't help but love her a little bit more every day.

Gabby was a lot of things, but selfish wasn't one of them. She was always sacrificing things for others, like she did when she had feelings for him but never acted on them because she was too respectful of his relationship with Hallie. She always stood by him as a friend, because that's what he had needed. And that was how he fell in love with her. Noticing how involved and caring she was, how amazing and unselfish she could be for others. And he understood why she had wanted to go in this fire today. He didn't like it, but he understood. He had married a very strong and independent woman who fought for things she has to heart, which was not always something easy to accept…

She was not a firefighter anymore, and he knew the way he had reacted was a bit too harsh, but he wanted to protect her.

Hopefully he'd be able to talk to her and tell her what he wanted to say, but most importantly he wanted to remind her of how grateful he was to have her in his life.

Looking up from his desk, he noticed Severide in the bunk room who was talking with Kidd. Quickly, the blond lieutenant dropped his pen and stood up, opening the door and walking out toward the couple.

"Severide, can I talk to you?" Matt asked gently, feeling a bit bad for interrupting their conversation.

"Yeah sure" Severide replied, leaving a small kiss on Stella's forehead before they walked to Kelly's office.

Matt walked in first, followed by Kelly who closed the door behind them. "What's up?" Severide asked.

"I just want to talk to you about what happened on the call earlier today..." Casey explained, getting a nod from his friend

"Yeah, I figured"

"Actually… I wanted to apologize to you I realized that I've been acting like an ass on that call and I know that I shouldn't have talked about rank and all of that... We are both really good at our jobs and I know that you probably wouldn't have sent Dawson to that fire if you didn't think it was safe enough and I acted stupidly I'm sorry" Matt apologized sincerely not liking the way he had been acting.

"You know Casey, I can understand what you feel when Dawson is in the harm way, I know that you love her and she's your wife and she's your son's mother I understand that and I feel the same way with Stella every time she runs into a fire but I'm trying to keep it professional at work and it's none of my business but recently you haven't done that at all" Kelly said hoping not to upset his friend.

"I know it's just been a bit complicated lately, Gabby and I… It's a bit tense between us once again… Everything is fine for a little bit and the second later we're both snapping at each other, and I know we shouldn't bring this to work, and we've tried but…"

"Matt you're my friend and Dawson is my friend and I really want you guys to be okay, but you know that you shouldn't bring this at work." Kelly said patting Casey's shoulder.

"You're right. I mean after all these years you would think we'd actually be able to be professional… We suck at this."

"Nah, you've been good at it, but sometimes you can't help it… It's okay you know"

"To be honest… I have been thinking about maybe… Maybe I should ask for a transfer." Casey said clearing his throat, getting a shocked look from the squad lieutenant who had not been expecting that.

They had been working together for so long, they had started as lieutenant at 51 together. They had been through so much, from up and down, death, incident, and surgeries… They were brothers, and they loved working together, but Severide would never be able to imagine working with his brother. They made each other better, in every aspect of their lives, and they always challenged each other in their jobs, and that made them the best they could be.

Casey couldn't leave 51, it wouldn't be the same. Severide knew that, and he didn't want to see his best friend leave his job.

"You don't mean that Matt. You love 51 and you love working here with Gabby." Kelly said after a few seconds of silence.

"I know, I do, but…If it's what I have to do to make sure we can live our lives together, I am going to do it" Casey explained.

"Casey, Dawson would never let you do that, you two love working together, you're like the perfect team" Kelly said with a smile, remembering all the times he had seen them work together, as a team, in harmony.

"I don't know anymore, really…"

"Just stop thinking and don't make any decisions right now… But for what it's worth I accept your apology and I understand I mean I'm not in love with Dawson but I'm pretty sure if the shoe was on the other foot, I would feel the same way so in a sense your reaction was valid. Dawson is not a firefighter anymore but you should've been a little smoother than what you were" Kelly said with a smile.

Casey nodded, knowing he had been a bit too harsh. "Thank you I appreciate it Kelly"

"And… Hum… I don't want to be overbearing or anything… But if you want to talk about what's going on with Gabby you know you can talk to me"

"I know that but I'm not sure I know myself… I mean everything was fine and then she started getting angry again and we've been fighting and disagreeing on a lot of things"

Casey was so frustrated because he hated to see his wife so angry, and he hated fighting with her, but it seemed to be the only thing they were doing lately. But he loved her, so much, more than anything, and he'd do anything to make things better for them.

"You know what we should do? Go out and get drunk" Kelly suggested with a chuckle getting a roll of eyes from Casey.

"I remember that the last time I was fighting with my girl and you took me to a bar it didn't end well… So, I am not sure if it's a good idea… No offense buddy" Casey said, remembering that a few years ago, they had gone out and it was the fall out of his relationship with Gabby.

"Yeah but it was a while ago, I am sure Gabby won't remember and-"

"Trust me, she remembers. If I do, she does as well, and let me tell you, having to face your girlfriend who thinks you cheated on her is probably the worst thing ever, so I'll pass on the offer"

"You might be right. But you know, I am sure that you two can figure it out, you always do" Kelly trailed off having so much faith in his best friends couple.

"I just hope Gabby is not going to throw me out of the house for the way I've been acting with her and the way I've been talking to her" Matt replied with a sigh.

"Hey if you don't have a place to sleep the next few days you can crash in my place"

"I appreciate that" Casey replied with a chuckle but deep down really hoping that he wouldn't have to pack his bag and go sleep somewhere else. This thought making him feel so terrible.

"You know, I've seen you and Gabby grow and I know you went through a lot, but I also know that you two are better together than apart. I know how much you love that woman, even if she tends to drive you crazy sometimes"

"Yeah, she does, but I wouldn't have it any other way" Matt said before they were interrupted by a knock.

Both men looked towards the door where they found Chief Boden. Quickly Kelly opened the door for his superior. "Hey, Chief!" both men said at the same time.

Boden gave them a quick smile before walking a little bit further inside the room facing Casey. "Something's wrong chief?" Casey asked as he could noticed that his chief seemed worried. Boden often had a very solemn look when things were off. And Casey could definitely tell that something was off.

"Casey something happened with the ambo" Boden replied as he saw Matt's smile fall and disappear.

"What happened? Are they okay? Is Gabby okay?" He asked as a wave of worries suddenly came over him. He hated when his chief was announcing such things and even more when his wife was in danger.

"I don't have much info I just know that they were sent to Chicago med" Boden said.

"What do you mean? Are they hurt? Gabby? Is she okay chief?" Matt asked taking his phone out of his pocket not understanding why he didn't have any missed call from his wife.

He knew that him and Gabby were in a fight but if Gabriela was actually hurt, she would've sent him a message to reassure him which she did not do so he started to freak out.

"Chief I need answers!" Casey snapped not liking the silence that was taking place between the three officers.

"Brett called for an attack situation I'm not really sure what happened but both paramedics got to med. We can go, I put 51 off service." Boden explained as Casey took off quickly to the rig, yelling for everybody to move.

Kelly and Boden shared a worried look as they ran after Casey ready to go at 51.

Casey on the other hand was already waiting in the truck for his teams. He tried to dialed Gabby's number but every time he was sent to her voicemail. He cursed under his breath, really hoping his wife was okay.

Casey jumped out of the fire truck and ran inside the ER, looking around in a bit of panic, not really sure what he was looking for. Well obviously, he was looking for Gabby. But he wasn't sure where she was.

He noticed Brett sitting in the waiting room. And walked quickly to her. "Brett where is Gabby?" he asked worried.

Brett looked at Casey, seeing how worried he was. "She is okay" Brett replied quickly.

"What happened?" Matt asked not even noticing the gap on Brett's lip. He was so focused on understand what had happened to his wife.

"We were at the call and this guy had a gun… Gabby tried to help him but he was not having it, he hit her with the gun and then she fell in the water" Brett explained putting the icepack back on her lip.

"God… Where is she?" he asked then looking around for her. He noticed Will at the nurse station and took off without even waiting for Sylvie's answer.

He walked to the doctor as fast as possible, meeting his eyes. "Will, where is Gabby?!" he asked in a hurry to find his wife.

"Casey, hey, Natalie is the one who took care of Gabby and-"

"Will, I need to know where she is, she is hurt and… And I have to see her!" Matt said really not caring about any details expect for finding his wife. "I have to see her and make sure she is okay!" Matt continued.

Will put a calm hand on Matt's shoulder to calm him down as well. "Calm down Casey, Gabby is fine. She was in radiology I think she is back in room 5" Will said nodding towards the room.

Matt quickly thanked the ginger doctor and ran to the room, bursting inside, surprising Dawson and her doctor who had not been expecting for him to barge inside the room.

The firefighter let out a sigh that he did not know he was holding back actually grateful to see that his wife was awake. However nothing felt right as he saw his beautiful wife laying on the bed. She was surrounded by a very big blanket, her entire body was trembling and what was shocking him the most was the big bruise on her face.

When his eyes met hers, he wasn't able to let out another long sigh. He realized that she had been hurt and that was pretty terrifying. The entire left side of her face was covered by a big bruise. Her left eye was closed due to the bruising and there was an opened wound full of blood over her eyebrow. Matt hated this sight because he knew that someone had heard her. Someone had actually harmed the woman he loved.

"God babe… What happened to your face?" Matt asked coming closer, his eyes actually sad to see such a terrifying thing.

"I'm okay, you don't have to worry. It looks worse than it actually is" Gabby replied with a tired voice and shaky voice. She knew that right now any fight and any problem with Matt did not matter. What mattered was her health. And even if she was still mad at him for what happened earlier, she was also so relieved to see the man she loved right now.

Matt walked closer to Gabby and put a hand on her leg. "Gabby this is not nothing." Matt said gently. He knew that it could have been a lot worse and he was grateful that it wasn't as bad, but it was still a very impressive wound.

Natalie smiled and walked to the door. "Guys I am going to leave you a few minutes I'll be back with the results of your radiology Gabby"

Matt turned towards the doctor and smiled "Thank you so much" he said gently as they looked at Manning leave the room.

"I look awful, don't I?" Gabby asked bringing a hand to put a bit of pressure over her cheek bone as she let out a moan of pain.

"Don't say that you're still beautiful, so perfect. Does it hurt?" Matt asked pulling a strand of her hair behind her ear.

"Yeah, it does…" Gabby whispered feeling the headache that was starting to form behind her eyes. "How is Brett?" she asked then taking Casey a bit aback.

"I… I don't know… I mean… Was she hurt?" he asked. He had been so focused on his wife that he had not realized that maybe his colleague had been hurt as well but to be honest he didn't care really much, all he cared about was to find out if his wife was okay.

"You should go out and ask her if she's fine" Gabby said closing her eyes for a second, trying to prevent the light from hurting her eyes.

"No, I'm not going to go, I'm going to stay here and once the doctor say that you're perfectly fine then I'll see her but right now I'm staying here" Matt said firmly, definitely not wanting to start another argument with his wife, but he had been so worried, he didn't want to leave her alone.

"I'm not going to be able to convince you, am I?" Gabby asked with a sigh.

"No." Matt just answered looking at her bruised face. "Look at your beautiful face…" he said so angry to see that the face he loved so much was so beaten up.

"It's okay it's going to pass. I'll be good as new soon" she replied with a smile.

Matthew and Gabriella shared a smile and finally the room filled with a little bit of an awkward silence both remembering that a few hours ago they were still in a very difficult place. They had both been hurt by their fight, and they also both knew they needed to figure it out.

"Can you tell me what happen on that call?" Matt asked breaking the silence really wanting to have every details.

"There were two guy laying on the ground so Brett and I got to them and I wanted to take care of one of them and he pulled out a gun, I tried to keep him calm but he threw a punch at me with the gun in his hand and I fell in the water of the river"

Hearing this was not easy for Matt, he was well aware that his wife's job was a dangerous one and that she would always put herself into the harm way to help people, that she would put her life on the line every time she'd go on a call, but it didn't make it any easier even after years of being together and in love and sharing life together. It was probably even harder now, because they were a family, they had a little boy, they were married and sharing this life hoping for a future together. Matthew really hated the idea of losing her and not being able to live his life with the woman he loved by his side.

"That must've been cold" Matt said shaking these last thoughts out of his mind, wanting to focus on the fact that even though she was pretty beaten up, at least she was alive and healthy.

"Yeah, it was and I was kind of freaked out because I couldn't see anything, then the other ambo arrived and a police car arrived as well and they made sure that both men were taken care of. They help me out of the water and put me in the ambulance to bring me here" Gabby explained getting a nod from Matt who was looking at her with some sympathetic eyes.

"God I'm so grateful that you're okay. It could've been worse. You could have lost consciousness and… with the water you could have drown or… I mean the water must be around 0° right now… You could-" Matt was not able to finish as Gabby brought a hand to Matt's face, putting a finger in front of his mouth to prevent him from saying anything more.

"Matt, I am okay. Yeah, it could have been worse, but it wasn't, I am fine" Gabby said gently. She gave him a smile because she knew how worried he was, and she loved him this way. That was the man she loved, caring loving and worried about everything. That was the man that she married and even though he was upsetting her sometimes she loved him so much and was so grateful for him every single day of her life.

"Are you sure that you're fine?" he asked. Course he believed her when she told them she was OK but he couldn't help worrying about her.

"Please Matt, trust me. I'm okay and I'm probably going to be off work again for a few days but other than and a hard headache I am good!" Gabby promised getting a nod from her husband who knew he was once again overprotective.

Also Matt would probably not admit it but he felt a little bit guilty about how she was right now, he was aware that it was not his fault and that he had not been the one hurting his girl but maybe if he had not been so hard and harsh on her she would've been more careful on that call… But he would never know.

"Can we talk about what happened before?" he asked then. They had not mentioned their previous fight, but they both knew it needed to happen at some point. And the sooner the better.

Unfortunately, as Gabriela was about to answer Natalie came back in the room with Gabby's images. "Sorry to interrupt you guys, I've got your results Gabby" she said gently.

"So what's the prognosis?" Matt asked taking his wife's hand in his. It was not that he was worried, but he just wanted to show her that he was by your side no matter what and even though they were having a bit of trouble right now he would stand by her.

"Well, I've got some good news there's no orbital fracture, which is a good thing. There is no harm to your eye either and this scar should go away pretty quickly after I put you some stitches in." Natalie said getting two relieved smiles from the married couple. "However, Gabby I'm going to ask you to take off work for a week and make sure you go easy on everything. We were worried about your hypothermia because you fell in the water but I'm glad to see that there is nothing that seem to be wrong with you. Nevertheless, if you feel like something is off come back here"

"I'll make sure of that" Matt replied not letting much room for Gabriela to reply. But that made her smile knowing how involved he was when she was hurt. He was a really good husband. Not always perfect, but definitely caring.

After Natalie put the stitches on Gabby's scar and gave the discharge papers to the couple, she let them leave the hospital.

Obviously chief Boden left the house off-service and let everybody go home. Both Gabby and Brett were actually glad to be able to go home and have some rest after the last stressful events. Everybody was relieved to know that the two paramedics were okay and healthy.

Dawson and Casey got home after getting Louie from Bonnie's place. The little had actually been scared seeing his mother. He had started crying which had broken Gabby's heart who had ran off to the bathroom right after coming home leaving Matt to take care of Louie.

Matt had explained to his son what had happened to his mommy, without giving him too much details but after a little while Louie had understood and had apologized to his daddy for crying. Matt had chuckled and finally had left Louie to play in his room for a little while he got to the bathroom where Gabby had retreated.

He gently pushed the door and found Gabby facing the mirror, looking at the bruise on her face. Matt gently cleared his throat not wanting to startle her too much.

"Hey Gabby, you alright?" Matt asked really gently, seeing that she really seemed bothered.

"Yeah, I scared Louie" she replied in a whisper a bit sad that Louie had cried.

"It's not you Gabby it's the bruise… it's pretty… Impressive." Matt replied wanting to reassure his wife, knowing that Louie was still young. "He's a little boy and he was just worried about his mommy. He didn't like seeing the big bruise on his mommy's beautiful face" Matt continued getting a genuine smile from girl.

"I'm just hoping it's going to fade pretty quickly I don't want Louie to be scared of that" she said looking at herself once more in the mirror

"It's going to fade very fast, and you are as beautiful as before, even more beautiful. You look all sort of hot and badass" he exclaimed hoping to lighten the mood and also help release the tension between them.

Gabby rolled her eyes, not believing Matt's last words. She was definitely not pretty right now. Matt was not blind. He was just trying to make her feel good, and she loved him for that. But right now, she didn't feel beautiful. "Matt don't be silly I look hideous"

Matt walked closer to her and turned her around so she could face him. He took her hand and put it over his chest, on his heart's side. "Can you feel that?" he asked getting a nod from his wife. "That's how fast you make my heartbeat. Trust me, you're absolutely wonderful, even with a big bruise"

Gabby smiled grateful for Matt's words, he always knew how to make her feel better how to make her feel special and loved. He had his moments and even though he was not the most romantic man in the world she wouldn't change it for anything. The way he was always trying to make her feel the most beautiful woman made her fall for him so badly.

"Thank you, baby. But I'm still mad at you for earlier" she said then getting a chuckle from her husband.

"Yes, I know that. We'll talk about it later after we put Louie to bed is that okay?" Matt suggested, knowing right now they wanted to enjoy the evening with their son. They will be able to talk about it when he'd be asleep.

Gabby nodded and finally they got out of the bathroom ready to enjoy the night with Louie.

Later that night, Matt walked out of Louie's bedroom after putting his little boy to bed. The father had been patient with his boy as he had been pushing about reading a couple of stories. So after reading a couple of book Louie was fast asleep, already dreaming.

Matt walked back in the living room where Gabby was trying to read on the couch. He gently sat next to her as she looked up at him. "Is he asleep?" she asked gently putting the book on the coffee table in front of them.

"Out like a light" Matt replied with a smile. "Do you want to talk?" he asked. He knew that he was asking again to talk about what had happened between them earlier but he really wanted to have a conversation instead of just moving forward without addressing the problem.

"Yeah I'd like that" Gabby simply replied.

"So, first of all I need to apologize for the way I've acted with you on this call and how I've been talking to you after that. I am sorry" Matt said gently, really meaning his words. He knew he was an idiot and he had been disrespectful towards his woman, and he shouldn't have.

Gabby nodded, giving him a small smile. She had been hurt by the way he had acted, but she was able to understand where he was standing.

"And… huh… what I said about you not being a firefighter… It came out wrong. What I meant was that as a PIC you couldn't go inside. I… I'm always going to worry about you more than I worry about anyone else because of course there's a part of me that can't help being your husband on these kind of situations… but I'm really sorry that I wasn't able to put my feelings aside and be a bit more professional" Matt finished letting everything sink in.

He wanted to take his time and say things that he meant and not just throw things without thinking. Tonight, what he wanted was not to hurt his wife he wanted to figure everything out so they could move on and just get back to the good place they were.

"I have to be honest when you said that about me not being a fire fighter that really hurt me… I guess I knew that you didn't mean that the way you said it but at that moment it really hurt me… I know that I'm not a firefighter anymore and I know that I'm not supposed to be the one running into a burning building, but I wanted to help I really did and I wasn't thinking that it was wrong…" Gabriela explained getting a nod from Matt who understand very well what she meant.

"You know I'm really thankful for the sacrifice that you made about leaving your spot on truck and get back on the ambulance I know it was a hard choice for you to make and I know you did it for our family and for Louie and I never actually said anything about it because I didn't think I needed to and it was wrong from me but I should've told you how grateful I am every single day that you made that decision for us and I'm so glad they are still at 51 but a bit more safe."

Gabby smiled, she had never asked Matt to stop being a firefighter because she knew how good at his job he was and also how much he loved it. And obviously at the time when they first got Louie it was more Gabby's decision than it was Matt's and at the time it felt like she was imposing her wants and needs so it was pretty normal to her not to ask Matt to give up on something else.

"You know I would've taken a job at HQ if you had asked me…" Matt said after a few moments of silence, taking Gabby out of her thoughts.

Gabby looked at her husband, not really surprised, but not actually expecting him to say this. "I know. But I would never ask you to" she finally replied.

"Gabby, I need you to know that…" Matt started turning to face his wife completely, taking her hands in his. "You are an amazing PIC, and you were a great firefighter. You're probably the best candidate I have ever had and I have had a few of them. I've seen you fight for this and I'm so proud of you, and I'm even more proud because you decide to put something first before yourself and before what you wanted most that's pretty brave." He continued seeing that tears were forming inside her brown eyes. "I know I've been a jerk to you, and I shouldn't have been, and most importantly I should've told you that a long time ago, but I never did. I mean I thought you knew and that I didn't need to say it but now I know that I should've said for you to feel proud of yourself as well."

"It's okay baby, I know…" Gabby replied hating to see that Matt was beating himself up. She brought her hand to his face, caressing his face. "Thank you for saying that. You are the best lieutenant anyone you ever dream to have. I got the best" she whispered with a smile, making Matt grin gratefully.

"I am going to show you more… I should have. But I am proud of you." He said. "About the fire, we were both on the edge and I was very scared to be honest about seeing you get ready and be ready to run into this building that scared me. I snapped at you, that was stupid. I should've taking you to the side and explain to you professionally without yelling. And I shouldn't have said what I said when we got back to the firehouse"

"I agree, but you're right it's not my place to go in that fire weather I'm a fire fighter or not if you as an officer tell me not to go inside, I should've listen to you and I didn't because I was angry" Gabby replied.

Matt sighed, shifting a bit awkwardly, fearing the next question he wanted to ask. "why were you angry? Why were you so angry at me? Even before getting at the firehouse?" he asked.

Gabby bite her lips. "Because of that negative test" she replied disappointed.

Matt nodded, knowing that this was the reason they first got in a little bit of a fight. He squeezed her hand once more. "It's okay angel. It's just a negative test, and soon the test will come out positive, it doesn't matter how long it take us. Okay? Let's stop focusing so much on the tests" he whispered a Gabby nodded.

"Thank you Matt I love you" she said. Matt gently bend down, a put a gentle, loving kiss on her lips.

"I love you too" he replied back, planting a couple more kisses to her lips. "Let's just put all of this behind us what do you say?" he suggested with a smile. Gabby nodded and got closer to Matt, pulling her head over his shoulder, snuggling as close to him as possible.

"My head is killing me" she mumbled after a few minutes.

Matt sighed, hating to know she was hurt. "Do you want me to get you some aspirin?" he asked gently.

"Nah, it's fine." She replied back.

"I know a great way to release the headache" Matt whispered with a silly grin.

Gabby chuckled and patted Matt's chest. "Idiot" she said making Matt laughed as well.

"I was kidding baby" he replied, but Gabby's head snapped up. They shared a look, Matt was confused while Gabby just gave him a smile.

"I think I'd like that actually. Some us time" she said getting ready to stand up, but was quickly stopped by Casey who took her in his arms.

"Let's get going!" he exclaimed.

Matt walked them to the bedroom. Where he put Gabby down on the bed, climbing on top of her. Gently, he ran a hand over her face, making sure not to hurt her face in the process.

"It's a shame, such a beautiful face" he whispered as they just looked ay each other. He gently put a kiss to her lips so grateful that everything was left behind and that they could focus on them.

They needed this time, just to escape from reality and just appreciate being together, and in love. Matt would never take that for granted, he would never let her go.

They moved in sync, just enjoying being here right now, together, as one.

"I love you" he said getting rid of his shirt, ready to spend an amazing moment with the woman he loved.