Please enjoy, sorry for the delay in updating.
Sylvie had been watching Matt out the window for a while until she noticed a bunch of younger children sat around a table in the corner of the room drawing. Hesitantly she moved away from the window and slowly approached the table feeling drawn to the joyful laughter coming from the children. She sat herself down on one of hard uncomfortable plastic stools. Instantly some of the children smiled broadly at her and began talking excitedly to her, they were . However one little girl seemed to huddle in on herself. Sylvie listened as the more confident children launched in to stories about their artwork. When the other children began talking cheerfully among themselves again She smiled at the small girl who was yet to utter a single word.
"Hi, that's a very pretty flower" she said softly as she looked at the brightly coloured flower decorated with bright pink glitter.
"Thank you" the girl replied timidly before returning Sylvie's smile.
Sylvie quickly understood why Matt loved the place so much. She loved being around kids but when it came to interacting with children during work it was often during an extremely tense situation, it was refreshing to be able to work with children without having to deal with the heavy burden of life or death.
"Are you a firefighter like Matt?" The little girl asked with a hopeful sparkle in her eyes. Before Sylvie could respond a little boy cut in.
"Girls can't be firefighters" he proclaimed loudly and something seemed to change in the girl, Her gaze became steely as she frowned at the loud boy.
"Yes they can!" she declared in a stern voice Sylvie didn't think possible for an adorable little girl.
"No they can't",
"Actually I'm a paramedic, I help make people better" cut in Sylvie calmly before the situation could escalate. Instantly a smirk appeared on the boys face,
"Told you so" he sneered before poking out his tongue causing the little girls frown to deepen.
"But my friend Stella is a firefighter", with those words the little girls eyes immediately lit up.
"She is" she gasped happiness evident in her tone. The little girls cheerfulness brought a warmth into Sylvie's heart.
"Yep and she's one of the best I know". The little girl who she now knew was called Charlie continued to ask her questions and Sylvie happily answered them. She adored the way Charlie's smile broadened with every story she told. she saved people daily but she'd never felt like a hero until Charlie looked at her in wonder, and declared she wanted to grow up to save people just like her.
"You're a natural they really like you" complimented Terri when she came over to help Sylvie tidy away all the arts and crafts equipment. Most of the younger kids had started to leave or had switched to less messy activities like reading.
"Oh I love looking after kids", she'd always been good with children, she may have not had younger siblings but she used to spend a lot of her time babysitting when she was growing up.
"You're good for him" admitted Terri as she looked over at Matt who was talking to a group of boys.
"I uh- thank you" Sylvie stuttered, she hoped Terri didn't notice that she was starting to blush. She'd never met any of Matt's family or close friends( apart from Kelly), Terri was the first person she'd met who wasn't from fifty one that meant a lot to Matt. She felt a need to earn Terri's approval, she wanted to prove to Matt how much she cared about him.
"I never met Hallie but I know how much she meant to him, I'm glad he's not alone anymore",
"Me too".
"Hey", a voice called and Sylvie turned to see Matt running towards her with a tense expression.
"Didn't think I'd ever get you back?" She laughed and Matt cracked a small smile but his tension didn't appear to ease.
"They're a handful but they're good kids". Sylvie opened her mouth but before she could speak Matt walked passed her. He moved with the same sense of purpose he did while working on shift.
"Hey Terri have you seen Parker?"
"No sorry Matt I think you just missed him" the woman responded softly with a sad smile that made Sylvie wonder if she knew something she didn't. As Sylvie watched Matt carefully she realised she'd heard the name Parker recently, she was pretty sure she'd treated a young boy recently on one of their calls. She watched helplessly as Matt dropped defeatedly onto a nearby stool and held his head in his hands,
"Damn it". Sylvie wasted no time in sitting down next to Matt and delicately reaching out and squeezing his arm. Slowly his tension began to ease and he looked up, his crystal blue eyes meeting hers.
"Parker, the boy from the house fire last week?"
"Yeah, he brings his sister Charlie here after school most days. But he normally goes off somewhere else and picks her up later in the evening", explained Matt and Sylvie felt relief run through her. They were finally at a point where Matt trusted her enough to share his problems, which was something she once feared would never happen.
"I met Charlie she seems like a really sweet kid",
"They both are, but this is only the third they've been here since the fire, and every time Parker takes off before anyone can talk to him", she could tell by the heaviness in Matt's tone that the blonde was deeply concerned.
"You think there's something going on?" She questioned as she gently rested her head on his shoulder.
"I know there is",
"What are you planning to do when you see him?",
"I don't know, at least try to persuade him to come inside"
"Have you tried contacting children's services?"
"They can't do anything based on a hunch, they need something more conclusive" the firefighter sighed. He sounded more worried by the second. It wasn't often the blonde let his emotions slip into his tone so easily, his concern over Parker was clearly stronger than she'd originally thought. She remembered the fire but she hadn't found anything about it suspicious, it had been a small kitchen fire that spread into the living room of the house; it was supposedly caused by someone accidentally leaving a tea towel on the stove, it was the sort of fire they encountered often. But if Matt believed there was something bad going on then she did too .
"Well if you don't mind I'd like to come here with you again, you're not on your own" she assured him and she felt her heart glow when Matt pulled her into a warm hug.
"I love you"
Matt wasn't alone anymore, Sylvie would always be right by his side supporting him however she could.