A few days later, Gabby was sitting with the others eating breakfast and scrolling through her phone. Matt had come with her but was taking a nap since he said he was having a headache. It had been a little over half an hour when he came stumbling over to the common room.

"Who's Nancy?" He suddenly asked. Gabby and Kelly dropped their spoons and shared a look before they turned to him.

"What?" Gabby spoke.

Matt took a seat in one of the chairs. "I had a dream about someone named Nancy, who is she?"

Kelly cleared his throat. "Did you see her in your dream?"

"Yeah, she has curly hair, blue eyes and is shorter than me." Matt described.

Gabby took a deep breath and cleared her throat. "Nancy Casey is your mother."

Different emotions crossed Matt's face but finally one remained and it was anger. His eyes had darkened a little and he stood up roughly, shoving the chair he was sitting in, back under the table. "She's my mother and she didn't come visit me in the hospital? I nearly died and she didn't call or text? Did any of you even tell her I was in the hospital?"

The common room was completely silent. None of them knew what to say. They all watched silently as Matt stormed out of the firehouse.

"Matt!" Gabby yelled, following after him. "Matt, wait, just stop and let me explain!"

Matt stopped and turned around angrily. "I thought everyone here was supposed to be my friends, my family, but yet none of you told my own mother what happened!"

"It's not like that, Matt. This situation with your mom is more complicated than you think and I can't tell you about it just yet." Gabby explained.

"Why not? Why can't you just tell me?"

Gabby sighed. "Because I need you to remember on your own, Matt. There are things about your mom that I can't tell you because you don't know her. I will tell you everything you want once you remember more, trust me."

Matt nodded. "Okay. I think i'm going to catch a cab back to your apartment. I need some time alone right now."

"Alright. Let me know when you're there?"

"Yeah."

Gabby watched as Matt took off and wave down a cab, getting inside and take off. Part of her felt like she just lost some of Matt's trust because she wouldn't tell him the truth. The bell rang, startling her out her thoughts and she ran towards the ambulance. Shay looked over at her and noticed how Gabby looked upset, but didn't say anything.

After the call Gabby went straight to her bunk and checked her phone. The only notifications she had were a missed call from Matt and a text from him too.

Hey, I called but you didn't answer so I assume you're at a call. I made it back to your apartment. I'm sort of thinking it was a mistake now since I'm by myself and don't know anything. Anyway, hope you have a good rest of the shift.

Gabby smiled at the text and decided to give Matt a call since it wasn't too late.

"Gabby?" Matt's voice came through.

"Hey, I just saw your message and thought I'd give you a call so you wouldn't be so lonely." Gabby laid down in her bunk and covered herself with the blanket, a hand resting on her stomach as she listened to Matt's voice.

"Yeah, I got to your apartment and realized I didn't know what to do. I watched some TV and made myself something to eat, but that's about all I can do. I've never felt like this before and I hate it."

Gabby frowned. "Felt like what?"

"So out of place and like a burden to everyone. All of you at the firehouse know each other and understand all the jokes and stories you tell. I mean I don't even know who I am and doctors expect me to be able to remember 28 years of my life. What if- What if I don't remember anything?"

"Matt, don't say that."

"It's been almost three weeks, Gabby! The only thing I've remembered is some woman named Nancy who is apparently my mother and a bad one at that because she hasn't decided to come visit me once."

A sigh left Gabby. "What if I help you? We can look through photo albums and I'll tell you what the pictures are about."

"Okay, fine. Now get some rest, I'll see you tomorrow morning." Matt said before hanging up.

Gabby sat up and placed her phone on the side table, her head falling into her hands. She knew Matt was getting frustrated from not remembering anything. Gabby herself was beginning to lose hope as well, she was about three months pregnant and Matt still didn't remember anything about them. The only thing she could hold onto was the chance that showing him pictures might trigger something in him or help him remember faster.

"Hey, Dawson, you alright?" Kelly asked, startling her. He took a seat across from her and noticed the distressed look on her face.

She lifted her head up and her eyes met his and she shook her head. "I don't know. Matt is getting frustrated because he doesn't remember anything yet. I'm trying to think of how I can help him, but I'm also beginning to lose hope. I know it's only been three weeks but he should've begun to remember some things about himself. He suffered severe brain trauma and an epidural hematoma, I don't think he's going to remember much."

"Gabby, you're not doing this by yourself, remember? Shay and I are here to help too. I can take him to the academy and show him where we trained, I can take him to my dad's cabin where we've spent numerous weekends together just joking around doing what brothers do. Shay might not be as close with him but she can tell him about the hundreds of times he's given all of us heart attacks for his stubborn actions during calls or times you both have treated him after a great rescue. Hell, i'll tell her to write an entire book over every memory the three of us have of him. The whole firehouse can tell him about all the pranks we have between companies and the battle of the badges and the annual picnics. Don't lose hope, Gabby, you need to stay strong for your baby. I know you're probably tired of hearing us tell you that he'll remember, but it's because he will." Kelly wrapped his arms around Gabby and she held onto his shirt as she cried for what felt like the millionth time. This was what she needed right now, to be reassured that Matt would remember. Kelly pulled away and he gently rubbed her arms. "You should take the rest of the shift off, chief will understand."

After thinking about it, Gabby got up and went to the locker room where she changed back into civilian clothes and gathered her things together into her bag. Then she went to Chief's office where she sat down and explained why she wanted to go home which he happily agreed to only if she promised to be here next shift. Once all that was over, she got into her car and drove to her apartment. When she got there, Matt was sitting on the couch watching an old blackhawks game. He turned around and said hi to Gabby who went and sat down next to her.

"I thought you wouldn't be home until tomorrow morning? Did something happen?" Matt questioned, worried.

Gabby smiled. "I'm fine, Chief just told me to go home and get some rest. So, I said I would help you try and remember, do you wanna do that?"

"Yeah, sure."

She stood up and went to her room where she kept her box of photos. When she reached down to pick up the box, she felt a dull pain in her back causing her to cry out. Seconds later she heard Matt come running to her room.

"Gabby?" He called out, being respectful and not going inside her room.

"I'm fine! The box was heavier than I thought. Can you uh, come help me bring it to the living room please?"

Matt stepped into Gabby's room and found her standing by her closet door with a hand rubbing her back. He knelt down and picked up the box and was shocked Gabby had actually attempted to pick up the box because even he was taken aback by the weight of it. He set the box down in front of the couch and both of them took a seat. Gabby opened the box to reveal various photo albums, she dug through it and let out an 'ah ha!' when she found the one she was looking for. The photo album turned out to be a scrapbook and when she opened it, Matt saw various photos of everyone from the firehouse and the pages decorated with little firehouse and fire truck stickers.

"I'm sorry if I overwhelm you. Ever since I was little I loved making scrapbooks and I tend to go a little overboard. This one I made when I first started working at the firehouse so these are all just the first pictures I took with everyone there." Gabby explained, pointing at the pictures on the first page. She turned the page and there were a lot of pictures of all of them cooking and laughing. Matt could see they had turned their dining table into what looked like a cooking station.

"What's going on there?" He laughed.

Gabby laughed as well as she remembered the day. "Well, Shay had made a comment about my cooking, claiming it was the best food she had ever tasted. And knowing the guys, they all jumped in saying that it couldn't be true which turned into an argument between us. You came out of your office when you heard all the yelling and once you knew what was happening you suggested a cook off. Next shift I came in and this is what I saw."

Matt looked at all the pictures and shook his head. "I actually allowed my men to participate in a cook off?"

"Allowed? You were in it too!"

"No way!" Gabby turned the page and he could see himself standing next to Herrmann preparing his dish. "Let me guess, you won the cook off?"

"I did, but you came in second! Apparently it was the first time you had ever cooked for the guys and they were all so surprised. I gotta admit, the few times you have cooked for us you have made some pretty good dishes. I'm gonna give you a piece of advice though, if you go to the firehouse and see Cruz cooking, just turn the other way and leave."

"Is it that bad?"

Gabby shuddered as she remembered his chili. "It's that bad. Okay, I'll show you one more page, I don't want to overwhelm with so much." The next page turned out to be pictures of when Cindy had her baby and the party they had thrown them at the firehouse.

"Look at that, you'll be just like her in a few months." Matt pointed out, not seeing the sad smile that appeared on Gabby's face as she looked at the picture of Herrmann and Cindy with huge smiles on their faces when she had their son. That day was a hard one for Herrmann. He was held hostage among with the others on truck while his wife was in the hospital giving a difficult birth to their son. Luckily in the end, both Cindy and their baby boy were able to pull through.

"All right that's enough for today. Is there anything you want to do?" Gabby put the scrapbook back in the box.

Matt sat silently, thinking if there was anything he wanted to do. "I just want to remember. That's all I want. I feel so out of place and like I don't belong. I'm starting to think I should just give up remembering and start over. Maybe this is me getting another chance at starting my life over. I don't know what to do anymore, I'm going to be in my room for a bit."

Once she heard Matt's bedroom door closed, she let the tears fall freely. A few seconds later she grabbed her purse and wrote Matt a note before walking out the door. Today was one of the rare days Antonio had the day off so she drove to his house. Gabby was glad Laura was at the bakery and the kids were in school. She knocked on the door and Antonio opened the door, his smile falling once he saw Gabby's face.

"What happened, Gabs?" Antonio asked once they sat down at the dining table.

"Matt mentioned giving up and starting over. All he wants is to remember but he's never been patient and is getting frustrated. If I wasn't pregnant I would probably let him."

Antonio frowned. "Would you really be willing to let

him go after you spent years going after him?"

Gabby huffed. "If it would make him happy, yes. I'm doing this for our baby, Tonio. It would hurt too much to let him go and have him fall in love with someone else knowing that I am carrying his baby. I need him."

"Gabs, maybe you need to tell him that you guys are in relationship and that you're pregnant with his child. That could be the key to him remembering. It could motivate him to want to remember."

"I don't know, Antonio." Gabby sighed. "I should go back to the apartment. I just walked out after he told me because I didn't want him to see me crying."

"Hey, I know you're the most stubborn person on the planet, but if it becomes too much you need to tell someone. It's not just you that needs to be taken care of anymore." Antonio kissed Gabby's forehead and opened the door for her. "Take care, I'm here for you if you need to talk."

"Thanks, Tonio." She walked out to her car and sat in it for a few seconds before she took off back to the apartment. She expected Matt to still be sleeping but when she entered the apartment, she felt arms wrap around her and a kiss being placed on her forehead.

Matt seemed to realize what he was doing and he froze, taking a few steps back after he recovered. "I'm sorry. I don't know what that was. I just felt like I needed to do that for some reason."

Her eyes flooded with tears because that's exactly what Matt does whenever she comes back from shift or running an errand. He always greets her with a hug and a kiss to the forehead. "It's okay. Don't worry about it."

"Did I say something wrong earlier?" He questioned as Gabby set her purse down and went to the kitchen.

"What do you mean?" Gabby frowned.

"You left after I went to my room and I've been replaying the conversation in my head wondering if I said something to offend you."

Gabby could see that Matt had a self conscious look on his face and probably felt guilty. "Oh, no, you didn't say anything wrong. I just needed to talk to my brother about something. I'm sorry I left so abruptly but I didn't want to bother you."

"Oh okay. Are you about to make dinner?"

"Yeah, want to help?" Gabby grinned at him.

Matt went over to her side and began chopping up the chicken breasts that she had laid out. "So, chef Gabby, what is on the menu for today?"

"Today we are making arroz con pollo picante. One of my favorite dishes." Gabby saw Matt's chopping falter a bit. "Matt?"

"Nothing, that dish just sounds familiar."

Gabby smiled. "I've made it for you before. I had a window at one of my old apartments that needed to be fixed and my landlord wouldn't do anything about it. I told Shay about it and since you do construction she told me to ask you. In the end you came over and fixed my window, but you never ended up eating though, something came up and you had to leave."

A few moments of silence passed before Matt spoke. "So I guess my memories are coming back and I just don't realize it. They make it seem so much faster and easier in movies."

Gabby laughed. "They really do."

"Hey, isn't eating spicy foods bad for the baby?" Matt frowned.

"Yeah, that's why I'm setting a chicken breast aside and making the rest with the chili just for you."

"Oh, okay. I'm sorry if I made it sound like I thought you didn't know. I just remembered and was making sure."

Gabby stopped chopping and turned to look at Matt. "Matt, you don't have to keep apologizing for everything you say. If you say something that offends me or hurts me i'll tell you. I promise."

"Okay."

The two of them continued making dinner. It took a little longer because the two of them kept joking around but in the end made it with the kitchen only being a little more messy than usual. While waiting for the chili to be ready, Gabby showed Matt a few more pages in her scrapbook since he kept insisting. Afterwards they both sat down at the dining table and began to have dinner.

"This has to be the best dish I've ever had. This is amazing. I'll give you a ten chef Gabby." Matt said after he had finished his plate.

Gabby blushed and smiled at him. "Well lucky for you there's enough leftover for you to have tomorrow. I am seriously jealous of you right now. I can't wait to make it again and be able to eat it after I give birth."

"Speaking of the baby, have you thought of what you want to do for the nursery?" Matt asked.

"Well so far I only know that I want to paint the room a beige color. As far as the furniture and everything else I have no idea." Gabby admitted.

They both stood up and began cleaning up the dining table. "What if I build the furniture for you?"

Looking from scrubbing the dishes, Gabby shook her head. "Matt, no. I can't ask you for that."

Matt shrugged. "You're not asking i'm offering. If I'm living here with you might as well help you somehow. You could save money if I build the furniture and use it to buy something else for the baby."

"Okay fine." Gabby caved. "But only if I get to pay for the materials you need."

"Deal." Matt grinned. "Hey, I know this is none of my business, but, how come the father of your baby isn't here?"

Gabby felt her eyes water, she wiped her hands on the hand towel and turned around to look at Matt, wondering what she was going to say. "He uh, he didn't want anything to do with me or the baby."

Matt's brows furrowed in anger. "Just so you know, if he decides to show up and claim he was scared or any other bullshit, i'm going to kick his ass."

Before she even realized what was happening, she was rushing into Matt's arms which he wrapped tightly around her. "Thank you." Even though she knew that story was a lie, knowing he would protect her made her feel happy and almost like she had him back.

"I'm here for you, Gabby. I might not remember you, but I do know that I care about you and i'm here for you." Gabby raised her head from his chest and looked up at him. He was staring directly into her eyes, letting her know that he wasn't lying. When she felt his gaze go from her eyes to her lips she took a step back.

"Well, it's been a long day. I'm gonna go take a shower and probably head to bed."

A little confused, Matt nodded. "Okay, I'm gonna stay up and work on a little project."

"Alright don't stay up too late."

"Yes, mom." Matt grinned back at her.

"Real funny, Matt." Gabby smiled and walked to her room.

Matt also went to his room and took out the sketchbook he had found in one of the drawers of the dresser. He had taken a look at it before and found sketches of projects he assumed he was going to do or has done. Flipping to a new page, he began sketching various designs for a crib. His hand moved skillfully around the page, the crib coming to life as he sketched. Before he even realized it, half an hour had gone by and he had not only drawn sketches for a crib but also for a changing table and a rocking chair. Satisfied with his drawings, he set the sketchbook on top of the dresser and went to get ready for bed.

The next morning Gabby was up bright and early. She had decided she was going to clear out the second guest room to begin seeing how much space she had for the nursery. But first she began making breakfast for her and Matt. Gabby had finished making breakfast and was about to eat when she realized Matt still hadn't come out of his room. Worried, she went over to his bedroom door and knocked.

"Matt, are you okay?" A few seconds later the door opened and he stood in front of her.

"Yeah, sorry, I might've stayed up a little later than I expected to." He said sheepishly.

Gabby smiled, relieved. "It's okay. I was just making sure you were alright."

They both ate breakfast and when they finished, Matt excused himself to grab his sketchbook. "This is why I stayed up late last night."

Gabby grabbed the sketchbook and gasped as she looked at the drawings. She had seen Matt's drawings before but these were breathtaking. The crib she had fallen in love with had the most details. On the railings it had leaves drawn on it which she assumed he was going to carve into it. The back of the crib he had labeled it 'name', Gabby assumed he was also going to carve the baby's name into it once she has chosen one, it also had flowers drawn around it. The sides of the crib also had flowers drawn on it.

"I think we found a winner." Matt stated as he watched Gabby's gaze remain on one of the drawings. He had to admit it was his favorite too.

"This is beautiful, Matt. I just feel bad that I fell in love with one that's probably going to require the most work." Gabby let out a watery laugh.

Matt shrugged. "It'll be worth it in the end. Do you like the changing table and rocking chair like that? I could make it look like the crib so everything matches."

Gabby shook her head. "No, those are perfect just the way they are. I want the crib to stand out and be the main focus of the room."

"Well of course it has to be the main focus, it's where the princess will be sleeping." Matt grinned, causing Gabby to laugh. "So what are you doing today?"

"I was wondering if you would help me with cleaning out the other guest room? If you insist on building the furniture you'll need to see how big they should be and so I can visualize where I want things to go."

Matt nodded. "Yeah, of course. I need to make sure you aren't going to lift anything you shouldn't be lifting. Is it just going to be us two?"

"Do you mind if I call Kelly and Shay to ask if they want to help as well?"

"Why are you asking me? They're your friends." Matt frowned.

Gabby blushed. "I know, I just didn't want to make you uncomfortable. I'll give them a call."

Matt began cleaning up the table and washed the dishes while Gabby called Shay and Kelly. As soon as he was done, so was Gabby.

"Thanks for cleaning up. They'll be here in about half an hour. We can start now instead of waiting for them to come. I have a lot of stuff in that room just so you know." Gabby warned.

"I'm sure it can't be that much. I'm sure those people on TV who have an obsession with collecting things have more stuff." Matt huffed.

Gabby opened the room and Matt froze as he looked around. There was a wall with boxes stacked all the way up to the top and decor pieces were up against one wall and scattered throughout the floor. In all, it was way more than he had been expecting.

"Not to judge, but, did you move to a smaller place or did you go on a shopping spree and just tossed everything in here?"

"I moved into a smaller place." She lied. "I know it sounds crazy because most people want more space in their places. It just started feeling really lonely and too big for just me plus I was paying way too much. I got lazy to hang some of the bigger pieces and hung pictures instead after I got tired of looking at bare walls. The smaller pieces I just couldn't find a place for."

The real reason why she had so many decor pieces and a lot of stuff in that room wasn't because she moved to a smaller place. In reality, she had moved in with Matt. After she moved in with him, she put a lot of her books and other small knick knacks she would keep in her old place into boxes and decided they weren't necessary and kept them there. Some of the decor pieces were supposed to be hung throughout the apartment but because of their busy lives they never got around to it. Instead, she began filling up the walls with pictures because she started hating the bare walls. Some of those boxes contained some of Matt's things that he had put away when Gabby moved in. He had told her he wanted the place to feel like it was theirs everywhere and not just in the bedroom. Now, Gabby hoped Matt wouldn't go through any of the boxes that had any of his stuff because then she would have a bigger problem.

"Well, I guess that explains it. Now we just have to tackle everything here before we get to those boxes." Matt gestured to the stuff in front of the boxes.

They began clearing out the room, taking a few breaks every now and then so Gabby could have a breather or sit down when needed. Shay and Kelly showed up half an hour later while they were just finishing up everything that wasn't in boxes. Luckily, they had brought food and beer with them because Matt and Gabby were beginning to feel hungry. A few hours later the room was now empty and Gabby was happy and teary eyed because now she could imagine what the nursery would look like.