Hi everyone! Here's the next chapter for you all, I'm sorry it's a bit late. But I hope you enjoy it. Thanks so much for coming back for another chapter, and to everyone still reading this story. It means the world to me.
I'll see you all next week, have a great New Year.
EIGHTY
The man stood over the sink in the dingy motel bathroom, the dull buzzing of the flickering lights above his head enough to nearly give him a headache as he finished drying off his face, the routine similar to what he'd gone through each day as of late as he hadn't seen much outside of these poorly painted walls. And it was becoming repetitive, to say the least, as every day he woke up and mostly stayed inside this room, the former firefighter not stupid enough to leave unless necessary, as this is what his life had become.
He still found it absurd, and being cooped inside this run-down motel was enough to drive him crazy, but it was something he knew he had to do for the time being, as Antonio saw to it that nearly all of Chicago was out looking for him. Though considering he'd been here for a couple of weeks, and no one aside from the occasional random hookup had come through those doors, the detective's efforts clearly weren't enough to locate him as Bryan had done all he could to stay as under the radar as possible.
And staying under the radar started with this exact motel, the same one he was getting quite tired of.
He'd come here before a handful of times, the run-down place just a mile or two out of the city. But it was far enough away to where no one knew him, as the only reason he was aware of this place to begin with was he'd started using it as a meetup spot for women a couple of times back when he was with Gabby.
It wasn't all the time, as he mostly would go to their place, or occasionally be gutsy enough to bring them back to his and Gabby's apartment, but on the rare occasion there was nowhere for either of them to go and he couldn't get Gabby out of the house, he'd bring women here. When he needed time and space, this was a good place to lay low, and the bar a few blocks down the road had been an easy spot to find women to help him forget about all those issues he and Gabby used to have. But he hadn't been here in a while, as it wasn't necessary once he broke up with Gabby, meaning it wasn't likely anyone who was a more frequent guest here would recognize him.
And on top of that, the best part about this place was that, to his knowledge, Gabby had no idea about it. With them never getting into many of the gory details of his multiple affairs, he never had to explain to her that he'd take women back to motels when necessary, and their lack of communication with that was coming in handy now as it gave him the perfect place to lay low in a time like this. And it wasn't as if he went around sharing his indiscretions with the firehouse while he and Gabby were together either, no one from 51 even knowing of this place, let alone the fact he'd spent a fair share of his time here, so it truly was the best place from him at the moment.
But even with the anonymity he had here, his patience was starting to wear thin, as Bryan wasn't sure how much longer he could keep his life on pause, not over something as unnecessary as this. Because that's exactly what this was; all this running and hiding, it wasn't necessary. He shouldn't have ever been in this position in the first place, and everyone knew it, as they'd made him out to be the bad guy when he wasn't one. He became the fall guy for this entire thing, when Dawson was just as much at fault as he was, and that was probably one of the most infuriating parts of this, was that everyone just took Gabby's word for what happened without even talking to him about it.
That's how he landed up here, how he ended up with that restraining order that never should've existed, because Gabby got scared and said things she shouldn't have, to people she shouldn't have, and turned this into something more than staying just between her and him. And as the days ticked by it was becoming harder and harder for him to be able to forgive that.
But he would. Eventually he knew he would, because he loved her. Because despite what she'd said and all she'd done, she loved him, too.
She wasn't herself right now, he could see it. Even from the minimal interaction he'd had with her over the last few months, he knew she wasn't doing well. And he could only assume it was because he'd been away. That was the only thing that made sense. So while her initial reaction to seeing him at Molly's hurt, and frustrated him more than anything else, once he had a few days to think it over, he began to understand it.
She was freaked out, and hadn't expected to see him, and it threw her. Instead of saying what she wanted, she fed him all the lies and bullshit he was sure Casey had been putting into her head for months, and that caused him to act out. Which, looking back on it, he knew he'd probably messed up there. Though it was certainly warranted, with the position they were in he was sure he'd scared her off a bit, which also wouldn't help his desire to get her back.
But he wasn't gonna give up. He hadn't up until this point, and he wasn't going to start now. Because if all of this had shown him anything, it's that he was still in love with her. That he made a mistake leaving her the first time, and not staying to work through their problems. To driving her into Casey's arms, and letting him play a part in ruining what they had. He regretted every decision that led to where they were now, and being stuck in this room for the better part of two weeks had given him plenty of time to think about that. It had given him time to think about everything.
And as a result of all that thinking, a plan was starting to come together in his mind of just how he was going to fix things between him and Gabby. How he was going to get the time with her he needed, though he knew it wouldn't be easy. From the few times he'd tried to get somewhat close to her since going to Molly's, he was painfully aware of just how many people Antonio had on this, so his options for getting close to her were severely limited. Which is why it had taken him so long to figure out what his next move would be, and even know he was still a little unsure of himself. Because it was risky, he knew by doing what he had in mind he was taking a big risk, and with Gabby's obvious hesitance towards letting him back into her life, it just made him that more uncertain if he were doing the right thing.
But deep down he knew he was, cause he and Gabby belonged together, they always had, and he just had to prove that to her. If he could do that, he knew she'd come back to him. If he could just get her to believe he still wanted her, and have a chance to remind her of how good they were together, he knew he could get her to drop that guard she put up around herself. He could get her brother to back off, and let them finally be happy like they used to be before things started going downhill. Before the spite, and the anger, and the hurtful words he'd say to her, ones he didn't mean but said anyway because she'd make everything so difficult. Before them breaking up and going separate ways, when that wasn't what either of them wanted, even though he thought so at the time. And before he said all those terrible things to her after they broke up, things he would take back if he could.
If they could get past all that, and if he could get her to quit lying to herself about what she still felt for him, he knew he could get through to her. That they could talk things out, and get back together once and for all.
But to do that, he had to get close to her. And that's where his newly devised plan came in.
He could only just hope it went the way he expected, Bryan knowing if it did, that here soon the two of them would be back together, with everything going on now nothing but a soon-to-be distant memory as they would continue on their lives together like they always planned.
All he had to do was wait for the right moment.
Gabby laid peacefully in the bed she'd called her own for the last couple of weeks, her body slowly coming into consciousness as she heard the soft thumping of her boyfriend's heart underneath her ear, the rhythmic sound the same one she'd fallen asleep to as the warmth of his hold soon flooded her body. She wasn't sure what time it was, though considering their alarm hadn't gone off yet she figured it to be early, Gabby barely moving an inch as she kept her eyes closed. But Matt knew she was awake, as his hands began sliding over her back and up her side, a low groan escaping from the back of her throat as the warmth from his hands seeped through his t-shirt covering her body, Gabby instinctively burying herself deeper into him as she felt him chuckle beneath her.
"Good morning." He murmured into the quiet air, Gabby groaning once more as she refused to open her eyes, his body heat far too comfortable as she didn't want to make any moves to get up quite yet.
"No." She muttered back, Casey laughing once more as he lightly ran his hand along her arm, the boyfriend cautious about applying too much pressure to her body as he knew she was still a little sore from the events of last shift.
"No?"
"Yes… No, not good morning." She continued to grumble, Matt's smile widening as he glanced towards the clock on his mother's nightstand, seeing they still had a few minutes before their alarm was supposed to go off. "I want to go back to sleep."
Her words were partially muffled as her face was tucked into his bare chest, Casey giving her waist a light squeeze as the smile on his face only continued to grow, her antics leaving him a bit amused. "Well, unless you want to call into work, I don't think you have much time to get more sleep, babe." He responded, Gabby groaning one last time before she slowly lifted her head up, her body shuffling around until she was in a position to get a better look at him as she laid partially on her stomach. And the second they locked eyes with one another, a small smile graced her lips, Matt reaching his hand up to brush a few strands of hair behind her ear before he began stroking his thumb along her cheek.
But before either of them said anything, his gaze flashed towards her opposite cheek, Matt looking over the healing scrap across her skin, the once jagged small cuts slowly starting to smooth over as it'd had a few days to heal. With the injury being pretty superficial, she hadn't had to keep it covered for very long, meaning Matt had a very visual reminder of the close call she'd had. The one he hadn't been there for, the firefighter having a bit of a hard time letting that go. But despite all his worry, she was fine, Matt well aware of the fact that he seemed to be more bothered by what happened than anyone. Even more so than Gabby, as she pretty much shook the entire thing off soon after it happened, her sore body the only lasting effects from the whole ordeal.
"Anything hurting this morning?" He asked softly, breaking their silence as he met her gaze once more, Gabby giving him a small smile before shaking her head.
"No, not really. Just a little sore, but I'm good."
"Alright." He responded after a slight pause, Gabby nodding slightly before she leaned up to capture his lips in a gentle kiss.
Their movements were soft and slow, Matt smiling into her before he began kissing her back, his hand moving to cradle the back of her head while using his other hand to move her closer. His efforts were innocent enough at first, but Gabby soon felt him slide his hand down past her waist, his palm grabbing her before hoisting her body on top of his in one easy motion, a surprised squeak escaping her lips as she was now straddling him.
But that sound soon morphed into a much more concerning one, as Gabby quickly sucked in a bit of air, the gasp of discomfort causing him to pull back immediately as he felt her shifting her weight to one side. And before he even had the chance to ask, he knew, Matt wincing slightly as he watched her continue to lean more to her right.
"Sorry." He nearly whispered, regret laced in his voice as he moved his hand back up to her waist, Matt beginning to rub her back before she shook her head.
"It's fine, my arm just turned a weird way and I put a little too much pressure on it, but I'm good." She told him, Casey nodding slightly as he other hand came up to lightly rest over her sore shoulder, the smile on her face giving him a little more assurance.
"I know you are, but I still should've been paying more attention… Got caught up in the moment, I guess." He told her, the sheepish look on his face only deepening as her sweet smile turned into a sly grin.
"Well, I can't say I mind that… And I much prefer this position, anyway." She spoke lightly, her voice smooth as Matt raised his eyebrows.
"Oh, I'm sure you do." He replied softly, Gabby's smile never faltering until she leaned in to kiss him once more, their movements much tamer than moments prior as he lightly ran his hands over her body, both of them content like this as she rested her hand over his collarbone.
But it wasn't long until they were forced apart, the sound of their alarm going off causing them to stop before Gabby let out an annoyed groan against his lips, Matt merely smiling in amusement as they pulled away from each other, Casey reaching out to silence the alarm. While he completed the simple task, Gabby kept her eyes on him, their proximity making it easy as his one hand continued to mindlessly run up and down her side, the covers that were once shielding their bodies now down past her hips as he soon looked back towards her.
Before saying a word, that small smile reappeared across his face once he caught her watching him, Matt's eyes flickering down to her mouth before meeting her gaze once more, her face turning hot under his stares as his hand came up to cradle the side of her head, Casey's thumb brushing along her bottom lip before he pulled her in for another quick kiss.
"I guess we should probably get up." He murmured against her, Gabby nodding as much as she could in the position they were in before stealing another kiss.
"Mhmm." She hummed, though she made no effort to get up as their lips met once again, Matt not entirely in any hurry either as he held her as close as he could, the warmth radiating off of both of them helping them feel completely content, until the sound of Casey's phone dinging pulled them apart once more.
Another unsatisfied groan escaped her lips as he reached over to grab his phone, the constant disruptions a sign they knew they needed to get up as Gabby balanced her weight over his chest, Matt's eyes focused on the screen in front of him as he read over whatever text had been sent to him.
"Who is it?" She questioned after a few seconds where he had yet to say anything, his furrowed brows telling her he was slightly confused by whatever he was seeing as she lightly tapped her fingers against his chest.
"Severide." He replied simply, Gabby's spine straightening as that was the last person she'd expected him to say, Matt feeling her reaction against him as they locked eyes once more.
"He texted you?" She asked, Casey nodding in response as he put his phone down on the mattress beside them. "What about?"
"We need to get to shift a little early, Boden wants to talk to him and I… Something about some new regulations or something, I'm not sure." He explained, Gabby releasing a soft breath before she nodded.
"Oh…" She told him, his head falling to the side slightly as her sudden change in demeanor was hard to miss.
"Everything okay?"
"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine… I just thought-" She stopped herself, Matt rubbing his hand over her hip before giving her body a gentle tap.
"What is it?" He pressed, Gabby breathing in deeply before speaking up once more.
"I thought maybe he was texting you just cause… That maybe you finally talked things out." She told him, Casey now being the one to sigh softly as Gabby never took her eyes off him.
This was a conversation they'd had a couple of times over the last day or two since their last shift, Gabby doing all she could to push Matt in the right direction and help him fix this rift between the two best friends. But with as stubborn as her boyfriend was, it wasn't an easy task. Especially with all the deeply rooted emotions around the reason for him being so upset, Gabby not wanting to take that lightly as she knew how hard this was on Matt. But she also knew Kelly wasn't the person who deserved his anger, so she was doing all she could to try and smooth things over as best she could, including telling Matt of her conversation with Severide in the bathroom last shift. And since hearing that, she knew that had opened Casey's eyes at least a little bit, Gabby able to sense that her boyfriend wanted to speak with Kelly. He just hadn't yet.
"We haven't, no." He finally answered, his voice pulling Dawson from her thoughts before she nodded, Gabby offering him a weak smile.
"You really should talk to him, baby." She replied, her soft tone hitting his ears as he gave her a slight nod of his own.
"I know… I need to, and I will, I just… I'm trying." He breathed out, Gabby giving him an understanding look as she ran her hand over his chest. "And honestly, I'm just more concerned with making sure you're alright than anything else right now." He told her, though his words weren't much of an admission as she knew better than anyone where his head had been at lately. "And I know you're okay, and that you're handling all this the best you can, but still I- Nothing else seems as important as you being okay." Matt finished with a soft sigh, Dawson taking in his words for a moment before she spoke up.
"I know. And I love you for that, you know I do, but fixing things with Kelly is important, too, Matt… And I think you know that." She responded, his face unchanged as he listened to her speak. "This whole thing, Walker…" Gabby trailed off, Matt instinctively tightening his hold on her body as she continued. "All of it has just caused so many things to change for us, but what I don't want is this ruining your friendship with Kelly… Especially when we both know this isn't his fault. It's not anyone's fault." She added pointedly, Matt well aware she had done that for his benefit. "It's no one's fault by Bryan's, and I don't want this affecting you and Kelly anymore than it already has… So please, for me, talk to him. I told him all I could, but I think he needs to hear it from you."
Her words hung in the air for a few seconds, the newfound quiet around them allowing him to really take in what she had said. And the longer he sat with it, the more he knew she was right, even though he'd known that for awhile. He just hadn't wanted to deal with it, and a part of him still didn't, as it was easier to continue on the way he had than dealing with the real issue. But he knew that wasn't fair to Severide, and truthfully it wasn't fair to any of them, Matt finding her gaze once more before he nodded.
"I'll talk to him…" He eventually replied, Gabby cocking her head to the side slightly as a small smile formed over his face. "I promise, I will." He assured her lightly, Gabby matching his grin before nodding once more, the two meeting for another sweet, yet quick, kiss before she rolled off of him. Matt missed her warmth instantly, the man huffing out an annoyed breath as she moved out of his reach, his eyes staying on her while she sat on the edge of the bed and looked back towards him.
"Thank you… Now we really need to get up, or we're gonna be late." She reminded him as he sighed once more, Gabby standing up while he tossed the covers off of himself and began to follow after her, the couple knowing they didn't have much more time to waste before getting ready for the day.
"Alright 81, let's finish this up and get back to the firehouse."
Casey's voice filled the busy street as his firefighters continued working on putting out the vehicle that had been on fire just moments ago. When truck 81 and ambulance 61 pulled up to the scene maybe five minutes ago, they weren't entirely sure what they were dealing with, as all they'd known coming into this was that a vehicle was on fire. And when they got here, that's exactly what they found, the car seemingly torched as it was already up in flames in the minutes it took to arrive. But luckily, no one was inside, leaving Dawson and Shay to stand back on the sidewalk as their services weren't exactly needed, while Casey oversaw everyone working on getting the fire out.
It was pretty bad, as far as car fires go, and from his experience, the extent of the damage done in such a short amount of time told him that this wasn't an accident. For whatever reason, whether some personal vendetta or just some kids being stupid, Casey knew this car had been purposefully set on fire. But thankfully, whatever the reason behind it, no one had gotten hurt, and at the end of the day that's what they were worried about.
"I think we got it, Lieutenant." Herrmann called from near the front of the car, Matt looking in that direction before giving the man a nod.
"Okay guys, let's pack up, and once the cops get here, we can roll out." He instructed, his command earning a few more nods from his firefighters before they got to work, while Casey glanced over towards the two paramedics. Though his eyes were focused on mainly one of them as Gabby stood with her arms crossed over her chest, her eyes watching him as well while she listened to Shay talk about something Matt hadn't heard enough of to follow. But when she stopped, that's when Gabby spoke up, the small smile on her face growing as Matt stood a few yards away from her with his hand over his radio.
"Hey Lieutenant?" She called, her soft voice bringing a grin of his own to his lips as he turned his body towards her, Shay's face turning up in disgust as she looked back and forth between them. "You think it would be alright if Shay and I went ahead back to the station?" Gabby asked, Casey raising his brows slightly as her teeth ran along her bottom lip.
"That's fine, Dawson." He replied, their gazes lingering for a moment as they had a silent conversation only they could understand before Matt winked at her, the gesture causing Shay to pretend to gag.
"Oh, you two are gross." She huffed out, Gabby nudging her side harshly before looking back towards Matt. "What? You are. Get a room."
"We're fine here." Casey continued on, content to ignore the blonde paramedic's words as he knew she was just being Shay. "We'll meet you back at the house."
"Thanks Casey." Gabby responded, Matt giving her another nod before she began walking back towards the ambulance.
"Yeah, thanks Lieutenant." Shay teased, Casey rolling his eyes as Gabby pushed her forward, the movement forcing Shay towards the ambulance before she regained her balance. "Hey, easy there."
"Oh, you're fine." Dawson told her, not missing the gesture she got from her friend before they went to their separate sides of the rig, Gabby watching as the cops assigned to them began to pull away from the curb, clearly ready to follow them back to the firehouse.
"I'm just saying, you and Casey should keep it in your pants out on calls." Shay continued on as she got the rig started, Gabby shooting her a look before she began to drive away. "You keep getting Casey distracted like that, he won't be able to do his job."
"Casey does just fine, Shay."
"Yeah, when you two aren't making eyes at each other." She joked, Dawson shaking her head as she focused her eyes out onto the road, a soft laugh leaving Shay's lips before she continued. "You know I'm just messing with you, Gabby. You and Mr. Dawson are very adorable, I won't deny that." She spoke lightly, Gabby unable to stop the smile from returning to her face as she glanced back at her friend, just as Shay spared a quick look at her.
"You just love calling him that, don't you?"
"What? It's accurate… He's Mr. Dawson. Has been pretty much from the moment you two started sleeping together." She responded, an unimpressed look covering Gabby's face before she shook her head. "But it's cute… And I won't lie, it's nice to see you two like that again, both of you in a good mood. I'm not sure what the reason is, but whatever it is I'm glad for it. Especially Casey, he's been so gloomy and moody lately… for a good reason. But still, it's nice to see. You both acting like yourselves."
"Yeah, it is." Gabby agreed softly, Shay's lips soon turning up into a smirk as they came to a stop at the light.
"I mean, and at first I just figured it was because he got laid. But whatever the reason, it's a nice change." She joked, her words earning a scoff before Gabby reached over to lightly punch her leg.
"Yeah, believe me, it wasn't that. It's not anything, really. It's just been a good day." She replied, Shay nodding happily before starting to drive again.
"I'm glad… You all deserve more of those. You know, days where Casey isn't worried out of his mind, or days where you don't get nearly blown up." She spoke, Gabby tilting her head to the side as she watched her friend.
"I don't think I'd call last shift me nearly getting 'blown up'." She countered, Shay waving her hand in the air in response.
"It looked pretty scary from where I was standing, though your cheek does look better." She told her, Gabby nodding in agreement. "But regardless, I'm glad you two are having a good day. I'd say it's warranted after everything that's been going on. And maybe if we can be at the house long enough for Severide to see that, he'll ease up a bit too." She finished, a look of confusion covering Gabby's features.
"What do you mean?" Dawson asked almost as soon as Shay stopped speaking, the blonde a bit thrown by her friend's urgence, but she didn't question it as she replied pretty quickly.
"He's still a little freaked after what happened last shift, you almost getting hurt- or getting hurt, I guess." Shay answered her, her words causing Gabby to release a soft sigh as her eyes moved to look out the windshield. "That's part of why I was constantly checking in on you the last few days, even though I knew you were alright, because Severide kept asking me how you were. It would've been sweet if it hadn't become kind of annoying… Though I think the reason he was so freaked out had as much to do with Casey as it did what actually happened." She mused, Dawson shaking her head slightly before running her hand along the side of her face. "You know, since lover boy kind of hates him right now."
"Matt doesn't hate him." Gabby defended, though by Shay's tone alone she knew her friend wasn't entirely serious. But she still felt the need to anyway, her partner nodding before she spoke up.
"I know that, and I think Severide does too… Or at least he's working on believing that. But still." Shay replied, Gabby drawing in a deep breath as she began fiddling her hands together in her lap. "I mean you know Severide, he would've been worried regardless with a call that close, but all this Casey stuff…" She trailed off, Shay unable to voice the thoughts running through her mind as Gabby pursed her lips together, the PIC taking a moment to collect her own thoughts before she eventually replied.
"...Did Severide tell you we talked?" She questioned, Shay's eyebrows furrowing slightly as her words caught her off guard, the paramedic slowly nodding.
"He did." Shay replied, Gabby glancing towards her. "He told me when we got home, and it seemed to help, your conversation with him. But, you know… He's Kelly. And he worries."
"I know. But I've been talking to Matt- working on Matt, rather." She corrected herself, the soft tone to her voice keeping their conversation lighter as Shay chuckled quietly. "He said he's gonna talk to him."
"Thank God." Shay breathed out, Gabby raising her eyebrows in near amusement as her friend's quick response. "Sorry, but I'm tired of Severide moping around all the time, too." She continued on, Shay clearly joking around as she was trying to defuse some of the severity of their heavy discussion.
But it didn't work as well as she hoped, Dawson blowing out a heavy sigh as she looked down towards her lap, the other paramedic waiting for her to say whatever it was that was on her mind. "...I feel bad." She spoke softly, Shay's eyebrows furrowing as they continued driving down the busy street.
"This isn't on you, Gabby." Shay replied without a beat of hesitation, Dawson biting down on her bottom lip to keep herself from disputing her words. "And honestly, it's not on Casey either. It's just the situation… The shitty situation Walker put you in." She continued, Gabby beginning to press her hands together tighter in her lap. "Regardless of how Kelly's feeling right now, no one faults Casey for being worried about you, or how he's reacting. Especially Severide." Shay spoke pointedly, the woman doing all she could to try and help this situation between her friends. "I mean, we all know Casey. You matter more to him than anyone, so him being angry and pissed off, and blaming people who don't deserve it… I'm not saying it's right, but we understand it. We all just wish this wasn't happening in the first place."
"Yeah… me too." Dawson agreed softly, Shay's lips turning down into a frown before she reached out one hand to grip Gabby's leg, the action causing the PIC to look at her.
"Everything will be okay, Dawson… Your brother is gonna find Walker, Casey and Severide will work this out. And here soon things will be back to normal." She told her, her strong tone telling Gabby she truly believed the words she was saying.
Dawson just wished she had that same belief.
"Yeah… I hope so."
Shay could tell she wasn't entirely sure of her words, but before she could try and help her feel any better, Main radioed through to them, alerting them to a call a few blocks away of a person in distress, the blonde sighing softly as Main rattled off the address.
"Yeah, 61 here, we'll head that way." Shay replied after picking up her radio, Gabby drawing in a deep breath while Shay got the sirens going before skillfully turning the rig around. "Well, I guess it'll be a little bit before we get back." She breathed out, her eyes focused on the road as she went as fast as she safely could, Dawson nodding in agreement. "Though hopefully Casey and Severide will have worked things out by the time we're done… save me the headache." She added lightly, Gabby forcing a weak smile as she glanced towards her friend.
"I hope so." Dawson replied, Shay reaching out to pat her leg once more before a calm quiet fell over them, both medics just trying to prepare themselves for the next call as Shay navigated her way through traffic.
It didn't take them too long to get close to the call, 61 not far away to begin with as they'd only been about halfway back to the firehouse. But when they approached the street, they heard their radios come to life once more, Gabby's eyebrows furrowing as a familiar voice filtered into the rig.
"61?"
"Yeah Rogers, what's up?" Shay asked the man on the other end of the line, the voice of one of the patrolmen detailing them one they'd recognize anywhere as they'd heard it a lot over the last few weeks.
"We got in a fender-bender back at the light." He spoke, Gabby adjusting her body to look back through the side mirror, the PIC just now realizing the cop car that was always with them suddenly wasn't behind them anymore. "Everyone's fine, but we have to stay and take care of this… Dispatch already has two more patrolmen en route to the address you all are going to. But you'll probably beat them there. I know you have to take care of your patient, but just be careful… They're on their way."
"Alright, we'll keep an eye out. Thanks guys." Shay replied before letting her radio fall back down against her chest, Gabby breathing in deeply as they pulled up next to the curb, the two paramedics immediately getting out and heading for the back. "Well, first call alone in a couple weeks… Let's try not to get into too much trouble." She spoke lightly, Gabby scoffing in response before they grabbed their things and headed towards the door.
But as they walked up the sidewalk, Gabby's eyebrows furrowed as she took in her surroundings, a wave of familiarity washing over her when she began looking around.
"You okay, Dawson?" Shay asked when she noticed Gabby's steps slow down, the PIC shaking her head lightly before her vision snapped back into focus.
"Yeah, yeah I'm good… Have we been here before?" She questioned back, a look of uncertainty covering the blonde's face before she glanced back towards the apartment. "Like on a call or something."
"Uh, I don't think so. Why?"
"Just feels familiar." She replied, Gabby giving her a slight shrug before they continued towards the door, the paramedics walking inside. "What apartment is it again?"
"1C, looks like it should be down here." Shay told her, the women walking down the hallway, it not taking them long at all to find the place they were looking for. But as they got closer, their steps slowed down when they noticed the door was already wide open, the paramedics sharing a look before Shay took the first step forward. "Hello?" She called into the empty apartment, her eyes darting around the home to try and see anyone who might've needed their help. But from her vantage point, there was no one around, Shay glancing towards her partner as the complete quiet left them both feeling a bit unsure.
"Did someone call for a paramedic?" Gabby spoke up, her voice a bit louder as they waited to see if anyone responded. But there was nothing.
"Well, what do you wanna do here?" The blonde asked as she looked towards her partner, both of them well aware there were protocols in place for this sort of thing. All of which usually went back to the PIC. "Maybe they're in the bedroom or something."
Breathing in deeply, Gabby took a slight step forward into the furnished apartment, her eyes peeled as she tried to find whoever had called for an ambulance, Shay following closely behind her as the only sounds to be heard were faint noises coming from the neighbors. "Chicago Fire Department, did someone call for an ambulance?"
Walking further inside, they came to a stop in the living room, the paramedics now having a better vantage point of the entire layout of the home. But still, they weren't able to find anyone, Shay huffing out a breath as she tightened her grip on the ambulance bag.
"This is kind of creepy." She spoke, Gabby shooting her a look before releasing another sigh.
"I don't think anyone's here… Maybe they sent us to the wrong address. Let's just call it into Main and-"
Gabby's words were cut off by a sharp thump that came from over by the bedroom, the PIC's eyebrows furrowing before she slowly walked that direction, Shay releasing a heavy sigh before following after her.
"Did you hear that?"
"Yeah, it was creepy." Shay replied quickly, Dawson waving her off as her eyes focused across the room.
"Hello?" Gabby called out again, the paramedics walking through the kitchen towards the door to the bedroom that was left slightly open. "Chicago Fire Department, is anyone here?" She continued, Dawson doing her best to push aside the gnawing feeling in her gut that she recognized this apartment and focus on the task at hand.
When they got to the door, Gabby hesitated for a moment before pushing it open, the slight creaking of the hinges like nails on a chalkboard as the door slowly swung back towards the wall, the paramedics met with nothing but the sight of an empty room.
"Yeah, I really don't like this." Shay told her, though Dawson could tell by the tone in her voice that she was at least partially joking, Gabby straightening her spine before she continued into the room. "Gabby…"
"Let me just check the bathroom, then we can go." She replied, Shay huffing out a breath before she nodded, the blonde taking a few steps inside while Dawson continued across the room to the bathroom, her eyes focused on her friend until she was out of sight. "...Anyone in there?" She asked after a moment, Shay's gaze plastered on the door to the bathroom as she waited for a response. But she didn't get one. "Dawson?" She called, taking another step forward into the room, Shay's body starting to tense as Gabby had yet to say anything. "Gabby? You okay?"
Shay continued towards the bathroom quickly, but her abrupt steps were stopped when Gabby hurried out of the smaller room, the two almost running into each other as Shay reached out to steady her, her hands coming to rest on her shoulders.
"Whoa, whoa, you okay? What's wrong?" Shay questioned quickly, seeing the near panic in her friend's eyes as Gabby sucked in a quick breath. "Is someone in there?"
"No, no one's here. But we need to go." She spoke, her voice showing how shaken she was as Shay only became more concerned.
"Dawson, what's going on?"
"I know why this place was so familiar… Because I've been here before." She told her, Shay's head falling to the side as she was doing her best to follow what her friend was saying, this realization clearly spooking her friend. "I was here once, his friend- this is his friend's apartment, we need to go."
"What are you talking about? Gabby-"
"Walker."
The second that single word left her lips, Shay froze, the all too familiar feeling of dread filling her body as Gabby stepped passed her.
"One of Bryan's friends lives here, we need to go." She repeated as she moved towards the door, Shay following close behind her as she was starting to fully realize just why Gabby was reacting the way she was. "I don't know if he has anything to do with this, but we need to call it in, hopefully those others cops are outside and we-"
Dawson didn't get a chance to finish her thought as her and Shay moved through the kitchen, her words getting caught in her throat when she was stopped dead in her tracks, her eyes focused on the person now standing across the room from them. The person who hadn't been here moments before, the same one who shouldn't be here at all.
But he was, Gabby's body going numb as Shay stood frozen by her side, neither woman able to think straight as they were now face to face with Bryan Walker, that familiar, smug grin forming over his face as he took a slight step forward.
"Hi Gabby."
Casey huffed out a soft breath as he stepped out of the bathroom and began heading down the hallway, the firefighter and his men having just returned back to the house after that strange car fire. But it wasn't something he was really dwelling on as he tapped his hand against the side of his leg, his steady pace getting him to his destination of the common room rather quickly. But before he could turn into the room, he caught sight of Severide through the windows, the man coming down the opposite hallway from the bullpen, Matt slowing his steps down before making the split second decision to head that way.
When Severide came around the corner, his eyes widened slightly when he almost ran into Casey, the man clearly processing there was a person in front of him before he realized who exactly it was, Kelly stepping to the side out of the way as he gave him a nod. "Sorry man." He spoke simply before continuing past him, Matt releasing a soft sigh as he turned around.
"Kelly, wait-" Matt told him, Severide's steps stopping quickly before he turned back to face him, the men standing in the open hallway as Casey saw the slightly surprised look on his friend's face,
"...What's up?" He questioned cautiously as he stepped back towards him, Matt drawing in a deep breath as his eyes flickered back towards the common room towards their friends before meeting Severide's gaze once more. "Everything alright?" He pushed when Casey had yet to say anything, the squad Lieutenant not entirely sure what to expect from Matt as they didn't do much talking these days.
Though Casey hadn't been as cold to him since everything that went down last shift, they also hadn't seen each other much, and Kelly wasn't even sure where to begin in finding out where he stood with his best friend. But by the look on Casey's face, Severide got the idea that this wasn't going to be a hostile conversation.
"Yeah, everything's good… Well, under the circumstances everything's fine." He corrected himself, Severide nodding as he crossed his arms over his chest.
"Dawson's alright?"
"She's fine… Doing well, actually. Her body's still a little sore, but other than that she's, uh- she's having a good day, as far as I can tell." He responded, Kelly knowing his words had a much deeper meaning than just how she was feeling physically.
"That's good." He told him, Matt nodding this time as Severide's head cocked to the side. "So what'd you want to talk about?"
Drawing in a deep breath, Casey took another step forward towards him, Severide trying to prepare himself for whatever was about to be sad as Matt met his gaze, before shaking his head lightly. "I… I'm sorry." He spoke abruptly, Severide's eyebrows raising slightly as Casey continued on. "I'm sorry for blaming this on you, for how I've been acting. I've- I took this out on you when I shouldn't have, and I'm sorry for that." He told him, his sincere words earning an equally genuine nod from Kelly. "This whole thing has just-" He stopped himself, Matt lifting his hand up towards his hand before pressing deep into his skull to try and ease the growing headache forming behind his eyes.
"I know." Severide replied once he saw his friend was struggling with what to say, Matt sucking in a slow breath before he nodded, the two standing in silence for a moment before Casey spoke up again.
"I, uh- I know you talked to Gabby." He told him, Kelly giving him another nod in response as Casey pursed his lips together. "So I don't really need to go into all of it, because what she told you was pretty much the extent of it, but I've been blaming the wrong person and taking this out on you when it wasn't your fault, and I'm sorry Kelly. I am… I know you didn't want this to happen, or think it would happen. And I'm sorry for acting like you did." He breathed out, an understanding look covering Severide's face before he continued to nod, the man a little unsure of what to say. "And, uh, also I never really got a chance to tell you how grateful I am that you saved Gabby last shift."
"Casey, you don't have-"
"I do." He cut him off, the soft tone to his words resonating with Kelly as he understood just how thankful the man was. "I do need to thank you, I should've done more to thank you, because had anything happened to her, I don't-" His words got caught in his throat, Matt shaking his head roughly as if he were trying to get the mere thought of it out of his mind. "I don't know what I would've done. So thank you."
"You got it." Severide replied without hesitation, a small smile forming over Casey's face before Kelly matched his look. "...And we're good." He added, Casey raising his eyebrows as Severide nodded. "We're always good." He finished, Matt's smile widening before he nodded once more, the man reaching out to clasp his shoulder as the two friends had finally cleared the air between them.
"Firehouse 51! Anyone!"
Their moment was interrupted when they heard Shay's panicked voice come through the radios sitting over on the desk underneath the windows, Matt and Kelly both immediately tensing as they'd recognize the fear in her voice anywhere.
"Casey! Severide! Anyone, please!"
Before she could even finish her words, they were racing over to the radios, her loud pleas filtering into the common room as a few of the other firefighters got up as well and came out into the hallway, Matt being the first one to reach their destination as he all but ripped the radio up from its usual home on the desk.
"What's wrong? What happened?" Casey questioned quickly, the time for pleasantries long gone as the tone in her voice was enough to worry all of them.
"It's Walker!" Her voice choked out, all the color draining from Matt's face as he looked towards Severide, the entire firehouse going quiet as they slowly came to realize their worst fears were coming true.
"...Walker has Gabby!"
