CHAPTER 35

Matt looked at his watch for what was probably the tenth time in the past twenty minutes. E had also scanned the area around where he had parked his truck, even though he had made arrangements for this meeting to take place in another neighborhood across town, far away from his home, his firehouse and his wife's place of employment. No one, not even his best friend Kelly Severide, could know about this. He felt like shit keeping this from them, but it was a necessary evil...at least until he knew the truth. He wasn't about to drop a bomb on Maddy if this ended up being all for nothing. Either way, it had to be done.

He gripped the steering wheel and flexed his fingers repeatedly, hoping to dispel the tension he was feeling while he sat there and waited for her to show up. He hated lying, especially to Maddy, but he had to know if what Gabby had told him was true, because if it was, it could change everything. If he was the father of the child she was carrying, he felt a certain responsibility to her. He also knew that he would have to tell Maddy everything and he wasn't sure he could handle that. They had worked hard on their marriage over the past few months and he didn't want to do anything to ruin that. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath in, trying to calm himself, when a rap on the driver's side window startled him. He opened his eyes to see Gabby standing next to his truck. He rolled the window down.

"Thanks for meeting with me, Matt. I really appreciate this," she said.

"Get in," he said, in a curt tone. He was in no mood for the perfunctory pleasantries of conversation. He wanted this clandestine meeting to be over with as soon as possible and there was no time for small talk. Gabby walked around the front of his truck and climbed up onto the passenger seat. She looked at him, her big brown eyes reminding him of an orphaned baby deer. Gabby had always been as tough as nails, but now she seemed like a frightened child who had let go of her mother's hand and was lost. Her baby bump was obvious, even under the down coat she was wearing.

"How have you been, Matt?"

"Fine. You?"

"Okay. Just tired, but the doctor said that's normal."

"Uh huh. Where is this clinic we're going to?"

"It's in Humboldt Park. You know that area?" Matt knew that Humboldt Park was one of the Hispanic neighborhoods that flourished in Chicago, rich with the cultures of both Mexico and Puerto Rico.

"I know it," said Matt. He turned the key in the ignition and started the engine. He stepped on the brake and put the truck in reverse. He backed out of the parking space and pulled out onto the main road, heading for their destination. Matt stared straight ahead at the road in front of him the entire time. They drove in an awkward silence for several minutes, until Gabby spoke.

"Aren't you even the slightest bit curious about my progress or the health of this baby?" She sounded annoyed that Matt hadn't asked more questions or shown any interest in the situation.

"Not until I have an answer," he said, referring to the results of the paternity test they were currently heading to.

"I'm thirty-four weeks along," she said, in a defiant tone.

"Maddy is thirty weeks," he said, getting his own shot in. Gabby's face went white.

"She's pregnant?"

"Yep. She's due in early May and it's another boy," he said.

"This baby is a girl. I'm thinking of naming her Isabella...Isa for short," she said, stroking her baby bump through her coat. Matt said nothing as he glanced in the rear view mirror. A little black car had been following them for several miles. He first noticed the vehicle as it pulled up behind him almost immediately after he backed out of the parking space. No one else knew about him meeting Gabby and he certainly didn't know anyone in the Humboldt Park area. He tried to shake off the feeling of paranoia, telling himself that it was just a coincidence.

"How much further is this place?" asked Matt.

"Not too far. Just a few more miles after you turn left at the next traffic light," she said.

"What does this test involve?"

"It's called a non-invasive prenatal paternity test...NIPP for short. They're gonna do a cheek swab on you and a blood draw from me. The test analyzes the free-floating fetal DNA in the plasma and compares it to my DNA profile. Once the baby's profile is determined, then it's compared to yours to determine paternity." He couldn't help but smile at her forensic description of the process. She had always had a love for medicine. She loved being a paramedic, but Matt had always thought she would have been a great doctor.

"How long does it take to get the results?"

"They told me it would take about a week," she replied. "Turn left here and the clinic is about a half a mile up on the right."

Matt followed the road until he saw a sign that read "Access Humboldt Park Family Health Center" and turned into the adjacent parking lot. He pulled into an empty space and jerked the truck into park.

"Let's get this over with," he said as he put his hand on the door handle. Gabby reached out and gripped his right arm.

"Matt...wait," she said, sliding over closer to him. "I don't need a paternity test to tell me what I already know. This baby is definitely yours." She suddenly straddled his lap and cupped his face in her hands. She placed her lips on his and kissed him. Matt sat motionless, unable to stop her. He wanted to push her away from him, but because she was pregnant he refrained. Instead, he grabbed her hands and pushed her away from him.

"Stop this, Gabby," he said without making eye contact with her.

"I love you, Matt.," she replied.

"But I don't love you. I love my wife. Don't you understand that?"

"How could you make love to me if you didn't have feelings for me?"

"We had sex, Gabby. We didn't make love. There's a big difference. I did what I did because I wrongly thought Maddy was sleeping with someone else. I didn't do it because I have feelings for you. I did it out of a sense of betrayal that I felt and out of revenge." Gabby slowly climbed off of his lap and slid back over to the passenger side.

"I see,' she said. She wiped her eyes with the sleeve of her coat and kept her head bowed down.

"Come on, Gabby...don't pretend that you didn't already know the circumstances of why I jumped into bed with you," he said.

"Of course I knew. I was just hoping that there was a little love for me left inside of you that would come out when I told you I was expecting your baby," she said.

"That's yet to be proven. Make no mistake here, Gabby. I love Maddy more than anything else in the world. She's my wife and the mother of my children. If the baby you're carrying is mine, I will do the right thing, but I belong to Maddy and no one else. Nothing will ever change that," he said.

"You certainly didn't make it seem like you loved her more than anything when you took me to the bed you share with her," said Gabby, looking in directly in the eye.

"That was a mistake that I will pay for for the rest of my life," said Matt. Gabby sat there, staring straight ahead through the windshield of his truck, trying to get the images of her and Matt having a life together out of her head that had been there since her pregnancy test came back positive. She nodded her head, but said nothing for several seconds.

"We'd better get inside," she finally replied. As they got out of the truck and walked towards the clinic, one thought pervaded her head.

"Oh yes, Matt Casey...you will definitely be paying..."