Gabby's POV
Matt and I had just dropped Naia off at school and had arrived at 51 when yesterday's conversation with Naia popped into my head.
"Hey, Matt-" I was cut off by the alarms.
Truck 81, Squad 3, Ambo 61, teen down at 385 Henry Road
"I'll catch you later," I said and hurried to the ambo, followed by Brett.
"So was there something you wanted to talk to me about earlier?" Matt asked me as he approached me after the call. A teenager had tried to hang himself and a few moments later, he would have succeeded but Will told me he should be okay. I was still a little bit shaken up though.
I nodded, "Yeah, look, I talked to Naia yesterday and she said she was ready to move on without her parents. Quote unquote."
A smile started to form on Matt's face and I let out an exasperated sigh.
"What?" I asked and Matt smirked.
"Let me guess what you're going to ask." He said an I reluctantly nodded my head.
"You're going to ask if we can adopt Naia." He said and I rolled my eyes though I couldn't hide my smile.
Matt laughed, "Well, was I right?"
"Yes, you were right," I replied.
None of us spoke for a moment.
"Well? What's the answer?" I asked though I knew what the answer was from Matt's expression.
"Absolutely," Matt said and pulled me into a hug.
We stayed like that for a while, his arms wrapped around me, keeping me close to him.
"Do you think she'd want to be adopted by us?" Matt asked.
I thought for a moment, replaying the conversation we had yesterday again in my head.
"100%," I replied, nodding. "When we were talking, she told me she would never forget us."
Matt nodded, "And we will never forget her."
"That's what I told Naia," I said. "I think she was meant for us."
"I know she was meant for us," Matt smirked and I rolled my eyes before kissing him.
"How was school Munchkin?" Matt asked as Naia came walking through the firehouse doors. She shrugged and threw her backpack down by the couch before flopping down. She crossed her arms on her chest and stared off at the wall.
Matt and I exchanged looks, both unsure how to take this on.
"Do you have a lot of homework?" I asked and Naia nodded but didn't make any effort to take any of it out or elaborate.
We let Naia just sit there while we continued doing what we were doing before.
Ambo 61, man down at Jackson Park
I immediately got up and hurried to the ambo, following Brett who jumped into the driver's seat.
"Hey, can I ask you for some advice?" I asked Brett as she drove.
Brett nodded, "Yeah of course."
"So, I think Naia's had a bad day at school, but I'm not sure how to approach her about it," I explained. "I mean, should I just leave her or should I try and talk to her about it?"
Brett thought about her answer before replying. "I think you should talk to her about it but not with an audience. You'd probably have better luck with some privacy."
I nodded, taking in what Brett had said. "Have you ever thought of reconnecting with your biological parents?" I asked Brett. "I mean, you don't have to answer if you don't want to."
"It's not a secret that I was adopted, but it's not something I like to talk about I guess." Brett shrugged, "I mean, my parents are my parents and they always will be so I never felt like I needed to find my biological parents. You know what I mean?"
"Yeah." I replied, nodding, "So, what would you say if I told you Matt and I was planning on adopting Naia."
I looked over at Brett who had started to smile.
"I think she would love that, and I think you guys are perfect for her," Brett said. "Have you told her yet?"
"No, not yet. I'm not sure if this is something I should make a big deal out of or just ask her." I admitted, "You have any ideas?"
Brett laughed, "I mean, I feel like Google would have some good ideas, but if you want to be original..."
I joined in with her laughter as we arrived at Jackson Park.
"Let's go and get 'em," Brett said, making me laugh even harder.