A few weeks later Gabby was off shift and was returning from buying groceries and some stuff for the baby she had found and couldn't resist. She started putting the groceries away and walked to the room which Matt had been painting. As soon as Gabby pushed the door open and took a few steps in, Matt immediately turned around and gently pushed her out of the room.
"Sorry, Gabs, you know the smell is bad for the princess." He smiled and went back to painting. Gabby had noticed Matt getting more and more protective as her belly grew. At times it annoyed her but other times she felt warm and happy knowing he cared so much.
"You know, I forgot to tell you but I think I remembered something else." Matt began, halting his painting. "I had a dream about your first day I think. I remember you walking up the driveway, meeting all the guys and how you instantly connected with Shay."
Gabby grinned. "Yeah. God I was so nervous and worried about how I would fit in. I'm glad I got put at 51."
"There's something else though. In my dream, I mentioned someone named Hallie. Who is she?"
The small smile that was on Gabby's face fell. She knew Matt would remember her but now that he had, she wasn't sure what to say. She took a deep breath and leaned against the wall for support. "Hallie was your ex-fiancé. You guys were engaged when I first came to 51 and had been together for about ten years now. A few months after, you both split. She wanted to focus on her residency at Lakeshore and you wanted to start a family. You got back together and tried to work it out. One day we got a call for a massive pile up, one woman was on her way to the hospital to give birth but her baby was crowning already. You helped deliver her baby and you were so happy. I don't know much about what happened, but that night you went home and came back the next shift saying you and Hallie had split up again. A few weeks later we were called to the clinic where she worked. You found her in a room unresponsive and with burns on her arms and neck. When we got to the hospital, they declared her dead. The report came back saying someone had killed her and then started the fire to cover up their tracks."
Matt now had tears in his eyes and Gabby went over to him and pulled him into a hug. In that moment she didn't care about the fumes of the paint, she knew a few moments in the room wouldn't cause much damage. "Did she suffer? When they killed her?"
"No, whatever they hit her head with killed her instantly."
"Okay." He nodded. Matt went back to touching up the areas that needed paint and Gabby went to her room where she grabbed her laundry basket to start on laundry, knowing Matt needed a few moments alone. She had been so busy lately that she completely forgot about it until yesterday morning when she saw she had only one clean uniform left. After she started the laundry machine, she was walking to the kitchen when she heard something fall.
"Matt?" Gabby called out but got no response. She walked down the hall quickly and found Matt on the nursery floor seizing. "Matt!" She took her phone out and quickly dialed 911, she gave her address and Matt's badge number and told them to get here quickly.
At firehouse 51, Shay and Chout both stood up when the alarm called for them, but Shay froze when she heard the address. "Kelly!" She yelled, but he was already heading out with the rest of squad 3. When they arrived, Kelly immediately ran inside, breaking the door down knowing Gabby would be at Matt's side.
"Gabby! Matt!" He called out.
"In here!" Gabby yelled. Kelly walked to where her voice came from and froze at the sight. Gabby had an unconscious Matt cradled in her arms and tears running down her face.
"What happened?" Shay asked, looking over Matt and hooking him up to fluids.
Gabby watched closely, her hand still holding onto his. "I don't know. I was putting in a load of laundry when I heard something and I came in here, found him on the ground seizing. He passed out a few seconds before Kelly came in here." They loaded Matt in the back of the ambo and Gabby jumped, Kelly and his crew following behind them. "This is my fault."
"No, it's not!" Shay told her sternly. "You and I both know seizures are common in people who have suffered from an epidural hematoma."
"I was telling him about Hallie. He told me he had a dream about my first day at 51 and how he had mentioned Hallie. He asked me about her and I told him everything and a few minutes later he was having a seizure how is that not a coincidence?" Gabby cried.
"Stop." A mumble came from beside them. Shay and Gabby immediately turned to him.
"Matt? Can you hear me?" Shay asked, shining a light into his eyes.
"Gabby stop. Not good for princess. S'not your fault." He mumbled again.
Gabby chuckled. "Matt you just had a seizure and you're more worried about princess?"
"I'll be fine. Princess is more important." Matt used all the strength he could and squeezed Gabby's hand reassuringly.
They arrived at Med and wheeled him into the emergency room, Shay reading off his stats before he was taken. Gabby went to the waiting room and sat down as she was feeling a little winded. Normally she'd be up and about pacing while waiting for news, but Matt was right. Their baby was more important and she couldn't live with herself if something happened to her. Kelly and Shay joined her a few moments later, patting her shoulder reassuringly.
"So, just to be clear, this baby's name isn't princess right?" Shay asked after a few minutes.
Gabby laughed. "No. Matt's been calling her that ever since we started working on the nursery and now it's what we call her since we don't have a name."
"Oh, thank god." Shay breathed out, relieved. "I was about to write an entire essay on why that name choice is terrible and you know how much I hated writing essays while in school. So, Matt had a dream about your first day?"
"Yeah, he's been remembering a little more lately. He knows his mom's name but hasn't remembered much about her. The other day I made arroz con pollo picante and he said the name sounded familiar. And now he remembered my first day and now he knows a little about Hallie."
"See, I told you he would remember. Just give it time." Severide said. A few minutes later their radios called for them and they gave Gabby a hug before leaving. About half an hour passed before the doctor finally came out and Gabby stood up.
"How is he?"
The doctor cleared his throat. "The seizure didn't cause any damage, everything came back clear. Seizures are common with patients who suffered from an epidural hematoma. I've prescribed him some anti seizure medicine that he'll have to take once a day."
"Are these going to be a recurring thing now? Will he still be able to go back to firefighting?" Gabby asked, worried about how it would affect his career.
"Yes, with the medicine the seizures should disappear. We did an MRI scan that will show the area of the brain that caused the seizures, the medication will take care of that. He will be on it for about a month and in a month we'll schedule him for another MRI that will tell us whether or not the medicine worked." The doctor explained. "I can take you to see him now if you'd like."
Gabby followed the doctor further into the ER where Matt sat watching a show. She stood at the door for a moment, remembering the last time she had seen in the emergency room he had been covered in wires and tubes and was on the brink of death.
"—abby?" She blinked out of the memory and stepped into the room.
"Sorry, it's just uh, the last time you were here you were covered in tubes and wires and taken into emergency surgery."
Matt smiled sadly. "Well, today I am not covered in wires and tubes and I am not being taken into surgery. I'm okay, so stop worrying. When can I go home? I need to continue working on princess' palace."
"You are going to go home and rest. We've had enough action for today." Gabby replied firmly.
"Noo, mom." Matt whined to which Gabby shoved his shoulder lightly.
A knock on the doorway sounded and the doctor stepped inside. "Alright, Mr. Casey. Your MRI results came clear. You had no side effects from the seizure. I have prescribed you some anti seizure medication which you are to take everyday for a month. After that month is up you will be scheduled for a second MRI. With that said, you are free to go, if you could just sign your release forms. You should be able to continue on with your day just as normal although you may feel a bit drowsy from the IV fluids." Matt signed the papers and waited for nurses to disconnect him from the machines before walking out with Gabby.
"Will I still be able to go back to firefighting?" Matt asked as Gabby drove back to the apartment. "I forgot to ask the doctor."
"Yeah, you shouldn't have seizures after this and your next MRI will tell you if you are clear." Gabby told Matt who sighed with relief.
"Hey, the other day I thought of something. You love scrapbooks right? Why don't we make one for your pregnancy? I can be your stand in boyfriend or husband for the cute couple photos."
Gabby thought about it and then smiled. Matt's offer of being her stand in for the couple pictures was a great idea because even if he didn't know it yet, when he finally did, he would still be included in all of the pictures. "That's probably one of the best ideas you've had since i've known you. Let's make a quick detour and buy some supplies."
They ended up buying a lot more things than needed. Mainly being more stickers than anyone would need in their lifetime. Matt was like a little kid at the store. He would point at everything and throw things in the cart before Gabby had even seen what it was. She knew she shouldn't even try to look at it because she would give in to anything baby related. An hour later they were walking out of the craft store with a bunch of supplies but both had smiles on their faces and were excited to start their project. When they arrived at the apartment, they spread all of the supplies out on the dining table.
"So, what now?" Matt asked after they stared at the supplies for a few seconds.
"Well, now I need to go and print out pictures which lucky for you I took pictures of my stomach each week so we can stick them on."
Matt waved a hand dismissively. "Oh please, every pregnant woman takes a picture of their stomach each week."
Gabby chuckled and went to print out the pictures, looking at each of them fondly as she realized how much her stomach had grown. She took them back out and handed them over to Matt who had already been laying things out on the pages waiting for her approval. Afterwards, they wrote on the little chalkboard they had bought announcing they were having a baby and had a little impromptu photo shoot out on Gabby's balcony which was decorated nicely and contained a view of the city. Once they had gotten a few pages done, Gabby was beyond happy at how they had turned out. She reached over and hugged Matt, a few happy tears slipping out. When she pulled away, she was surprised to see Matt bend down a press a kiss to her belly, rubbing his hand gently over it.
"It makes me happy knowing that I'm here making you and princess happy, being able to help you through this and make it as exciting as I can. It makes me feel like I belong again and less like a burden." Matt confessed.
Gabby reached out and squeezed Matt's hand tightly. "You were never a burden, Matt. I was so scared I was going to lose you today. I thought I was going to have to go through this pregnancy alone."
Matt squeezed Gabby's hand back and shook his head. "I'm okay, Gabs. That's all that matters. I'm here, alive and breathing. We made a scrapbook and I didn't even know how to make one before this."
Gabby laughed and gave Matt a smile and a pat on his hand that covered hers. "Hey, Shay asked if I wanted to go do some shopping with her once she was off shift. Kelly offered to come over so you wouldn't be alone." She stood up and grabbed the scrapbook and displayed it on a shelf from the bookcase they had in the living room.
"That sounds great. What time would they be coming?" Matt asked as he began putting the craft pieces back into its packages and into the shopping bag.
"Their shift ended at 2, I think. They should be coming over soon." Gabby replied. "Matt."
"Yeah?" He turned to face Gabby, noticing how she suddenly looked nervous.
"Will you come with me to my 16 week checkup next week?"
"Of course. I'll go with you to all your check ups." Matt smiled at her and went over to give her a hug. He then bent down so he was at eye level to her small bump. "Hey, princess. It's Matt, mommy's friend. I may still not remember your mommy completely but I know she loves you so much and can't wait to meet you. Just remember to be nice to her while you're in there. She's keeping you nice and warm in this Chicago winter."
Gabby had tears in her eyes as she listened to Matt. When he stood up he looked at her and frowned. "I'm a pregnant hormonal woman right now so don't judge me if seeing you talk to her makes me cry."
Matt chuckled and raised his hands as if surrendering. "No judging here."
A knock on the door sounded and both of them turned around. "That's probably Shay and Kelly." Gabby said as she went to open the door.
"Hey, girl." Shay greeted and hugged Gabby. "I hope you have a ton of energy because we are about to make these stores run out of merchandise."
"I surely hope not because Gabby already had an entire home decor store in the nursery room." Matt piped in as he greeted Shay and Kelly.
Gabby shoved Matt playfully. "Hey, don't judge. We'll be back in a few hours, feel free to grab whatever from the kitchen. There's a spare key in the kitchen drawer by the sink if you two decide to go out."
Matt pulled Gabby in for a hug and let go after a few seconds. "Be careful and try not to buy too many things. You still have a lot more time to go shopping."
"He seems a lot more comfortable around you now." Shay pointed out once they were in the car.
"Yeah. He's been hugging me a lot lately. He did something different today though. He talked to the baby."
Shay gasped and turned to look at her. "Really? That's good isn't it?"
A goofy smile spread on Gabby's face. "It felt amazing, actually. He's going to be a great father to our baby. This morning he definitely gave me a scare though."
"How have you been? You know being pregnant and all."
Gabby groaned. "Shay, I have never been so sexually frustrated in my life before. I'm supposed to be like this for the next few weeks if not the entire pregnancy according to my pregnancy tracker app."
Shay cackled. "Gabriela Dawson sexually frustrated? Is Casey that good? I get you're pregnant so your hormones are a little wack but c'mon. I've seen you go months without having a guy in your life and you've been just fine."
A blush arose on her cheeks at Shay's indication of her and Matt's sex life. "Okay, yes, I miss being intimate with my fiancé. I'd be worried if I didn't miss it."
They caught each other up with how everything was going so far since they didn't get to do that on shift and soon they arrived at the store. Shay took advantage and parked at the spot designated for pregnant women and ignored the glare she got from another woman when she saw that Shay wasn't the one pregnant and then saw Gabby who's belly wasn't that prominent and didn't show through her big jacket. They entered the store and Gabby felt overwhelmed at all the things she saw as she suddenly didn't know exactly what it was she needed. Shay didn't notice and immediately dragged her over to the baby clothes.
"Okay, I'm warning you now. This baby is going to have more clothes than both of us have combined." Shay admitted.
"Shay!" Gabby exclaimed. "I don't even think the closet in that room is big enough to hold my clothes!"
"Well you better find somewhere to store all the clothes because I suddenly want to buy everything."
"We are going to be here all day." Gabby sighed.
Back at the apartment, Kelly and Matt sat on the couch watching an old Black Hawks game. "So how's the nursery coming along?" Kelly asked after a few moments of silence.
"So far I've only gotten to paint the room. I was doing some touch ups before, you know, I had that seizure. You can come take a look." Matt stood up and led Kelly to the nursery. Despite him being there earlier that day, he hadn't paid much attention to the room.
"This a good color. I knew Gabby would go for the neutrals. Don't doubt she'll want to make her own baby food as well."
Matt chuckled. "Whatever she wants, she'll have it."
"That right there is a dangerous statement, man." Kelly noticed the frown on Matt's face as he stared at one of the walls. "What's wrong?"
"I don't know. I'm happy to be here and helping Gabby. But I'm also tired of just sitting here doing nothing."
"What are you saying?" Kelly pushed, though he had an idea of where this was heading.
"I want to go back to firefighting." Matt finally admitted.
Kelly sighed. "Matt—"
"I know what you're going to say. I could wait until my memories come back but I don't know how long that's going to take. I'll go through everything all over again. If I have to sit through the fire academy classes all over again I will. I just want to go back to my old life. I thought about maybe doing construction instead, but it doesn't feel the same. I looked at my uniform and I know that's where I want to be. I want to help save lives again."
"Alright." Kelly nodded. "I'm with you. We can talk to Chief Boden and see what we can do. Maybe there's a way you can go back without having to go through the academy again."
"Thanks."
"No problem. How are you feeling since this morning?"
Matt sat back down on the couch, Kelly following as well. "Honestly, it's almost like it never happened. We left the hospital and next thing you know Gabby and I are at the craft store buying things for a scrapbook."
Kelly laughed and shook his head. The two friends spent the rest of the day talking and watching sports games. When the girls came back, they entered with bags filled to the brim with baby stuff. Kelly quickly jumped up and dragged Shay out of the apartment before she could take Gabby back out shopping.
"Make sure you tell Gabby about that idea of yours." Kelly told Matt before leaving.
"Just how tired was the cashier after scanning all that?" Matt grinned.
"Oh please, once you start looking through all of this I can guarantee you will want to keep everything." Gabby began taking everything out of one of the bags and Matt immediately felt his smile grow.
"Okay, I can see what you mean now." Matt said as he grabbed some of the outfits they had picked out.
"Wait, there's something else you need to see." Gabby then took out a mini Chicago firefighter and paramedic outfit. "I told myself I wasn't going to get anything related to our jobs but I just couldn't resist."
Matt grabbed the two clothing pieces from her and looked at them with a huge smile on his face. "This has to be the most adorable thing ever. How did you even find these?"
"We walked into a shop and were about to walk out since we hadn't found anything and that's when I saw them. I just had to buy them, they were too cute not to." Gabby gushed.
Matt stared at the firefighter outfit a little longer and then set it down. "Gabby, there's something I want to talk to you about."
Noticing the seriousness in his tone, Gabby took a seat and set the clothes she had in her hand down. Her mind immediately going to the worst. "Yeah, what is it?"
"I was talking to Kelly earlier and I guess he noticed something was wrong and I told him about it. It has nothing to do with the baby, just so you know. I've been thinking about it for the past few weeks and I decided I want to try to go back to firefighting. Sitting around doing nothing isn't really working anymore. I told Kelly I was looking at my uniform and I want to go back. I want to be out there saving lives. I don't need my memories to save a life."
Gabby's mouth opened and closed as she thought of what to say. She was terrified of Matt going back. What if he got hit in the head again and ruined his chances of getting his memories back. What if this time it actually killed him. Despite her worries, she knew she couldn't keep him coddled up in her apartment. "As much as I want to keep you here where I know you're safe and away from the possibility of getting hit in the head again, I can't. If that's what you want, then I support you. I'll be there with you helping you get through it."
Matt smiled softly at her and pulled her up into a hug. "Thank you."
A few moments later, Gabby pulled away from the hug and looked at Matt in the eyes. "Just promise me you'll be careful and will always come back to me. I can't do this without you. Princess and I need you. I need you."
Matt wiped away the few tears that managed to escape Gabby's eyes. "I promise I will be more careful and I promise to try to always come back to you." He leaned forward and kissed her forehead softly before pulling her to the couch. "C'mon, let's put a movie on and go through everything you and Shay bought."
The next morning Matt awoke with a start, taking him a while to realize he was in the living room. He looked down and saw Gabby peacefully sleeping on his chest, a blanket strewn haphazardly on her. He reached over for the tv remote and turned it on to the news but kept the volume low. He then began to run his fingers through Gabby's hair, smiling when he felt her relax further. Matt looked at her, taking in her features. He began to realize that he felt something for her. Them sleeping together, having her lay on his chest, it felt right. When he would kiss her belly or like when he talked to it, it felt like he was talking to his own baby. Over the past few weeks, Matt felt less like a guest staying at her apartment and more like someone who belonged there or has been living there for a long time. He was brought out of his thoughts when he felt Gabby stir.
"G'Morning, what time is it?" She mumbled.
Matt pressed a button on the tv remote and the time showed up. "It is seven in the morning." At his words, Gabby quickly stood up.
"I am going to be late." Was all she muttered as she took off running to her bedroom.
After watching Gabby take off, Matt also got up and went to take a quick shower. When he finished, Gabby was still in her room so he began to make them each a quick meal as well as some hot chocolate since it was extra cold outside.
"Hey, you coming with me?" Gabby asked as she walked out of the room.
"Yeah. I figured I could talk to the Chief about going back." Matt handed Gabby the breakfast sandwich he had made for her as well as the thermos with hot chocolate in it.
"Thank you. I'm sorry for falling asleep on you last night."
Matt shrugged and settled into the passenger seat of Gabby's car. "If i'm being honest, that was probably the best sleep I've gotten in a while."
Gabby turned to look at him and she smiled. "I'm glad."'
When they got to the firehouse, they both sat in the car, relishing in the warmth before stepping out in the icy cold weather. Matt gently held Gabby, wanting to make sure she wouldn't slip the ice. The walk up the driveway was always a tough one, especially since it was a little uphill. They were about to make it inside when they both slipped on a patch of ice. Matt quickly turned Gabby so she landed on top of him and then they both started laughing. The door opened and Severide and Herrmann both stepped out and helped them stand up.
"You two alright?" Herrmann asked once they were inside.
Gabby chuckled. "I'm okay, but I don't know about Matt."
"I'll be fine if I can change into warmer clothes." He stuttered out through his trembling teeth. His shirt, jacket and jeans were soaked from taking the hit for Gabby.
They led him over to the locker room where they knew he most likely kept clothes in his locker. Matt stared at the lock on his locker for a few seconds before he felt a pat on his shoulder.
"Sorry, forgot about the lock." Kelly said and went to get a cutter for the lock.
"Wait, let me try." Matt said with a determined tone. Gabby and Kelly both stood a few feet away from him and watched as he stared at the lock for a few more seconds before he was turning the dial. After a few long seconds, Matt pulled the lock, and to their surprise it unlocked.
"How did you do that?" Gabby asked.
Matt turned around and had a small smile on his face. "I don't know. I had like this vision or something and then I put in the numbers." Gabby rushed forward and hugged Matt while Kelly patted his back. Matt pulled away and grabbed some spare clothes he had in his locker and then went to the bathroom to change. After, he put his clothes to wash and joined everyone else in the common room.
"Hey, Lieutenant!" Cruz greeted. "It's too bad we didn't record that fall, it could've gone viral!"
"Yes, firehouse Lieutenant slips on ice and takes a tumble. What a great headline, Cruz!" Matt joked.
Everyone in the room laughed. "But! You saved a pregnant woman!" Otis jumped in, motioning over to Gabby.
"A firefighter on medical but still manages to makes a save. See that would've been a great video to go viral, Matt." Gabby joined in on teasing him.
Matt laughed and then put on a serious face. "I need to keep my tough Lieutenant rep." The room was sent into laughter and soon Chief Boden was walking into the common room, wondering what all the noise was for.
"Chief, you missed the best save our Lieutenant has ever done." Mouch spoke up. "Casey and Dawson were walking up the driveway and they both slipped but luckily Casey was able to catch Dawson and her precious cargo before they could hit the ground."
"Still saving lives, I see." Chief Boden said, smirking over at Matt.
Matt smiled, feeling a blush rising on his cheeks. "Just doing my job, Chief. Can I speak with you privately in your office?"
"Of course." Boden nodded and led Matt to his office while the rest of firehouse went back to doing their usual thing.