Hey, guys! Thank you for your reviews, it means a lot : )
A few of you called my attention to the fact that you didn't get my idea with this story, so I have two notes for you:
NOTE 1: The setup for # dawsey here is not the same as CF had for them, that said I've done some changes to come up with a new plot. Matt is still a firefighter, in this second chapter you will know a little more about Gabby...
NOTE 2: The first 2 chapters will show you where are Matt and Gabby at their life right now.
I hope to respond to your other questions in the next chapters.
A few weeks later...
Gabby was a few feet from the scene, it wasn't secure for her to be so closer the burning building, she knew it. Firefighters told her to back off, but she didn't care about her well being, her only wish was seeing Shay being pulling out from that nightmare. Closing her eyes briefly she prayed the firefighters could break through the fire to rescue her beloved friend...
Nobody noticed when the smoke had started to fill the place, only after an explosion coming from the last floor people paid attention to their surroundings, then their natural reaction were run for their lives. There was so much smoke that wasn't easy for them to find the exit.
When everything blew out, Brianna was finishing her performance as Gabby was on the backstage getting ready, she was the next. So except for the loud music, the only other thing Gabby could listen to were muffled whistles and shouting of excitement, took her a few minutes to realize what was happening, after the explosion... Grabbing the curtains and pulling them aside Gabby saw people running and yelling for help at the top of their lungs.
The smoke had spread in every direction, then her first thought was going back to the dressing room. She though that some of the girls were oblivious to the accident. As soon she got there she warned the girls to get out and run to the exit, they asked her to go to with them, but she had to get Shay first...
The last time Gabby had seen Shay, she was going to the bathroom, not different from the other nights, she had been drinking a lot. As usually Shay wasn't having a good day, she had another discussion with her parents, asking her to to go back home.
When Gabby entered the bathroom, the fire was consuming part of the ceiling already, so she tried to be careful to not hurt herself. She checked each stall, however Shay wasn't there, she only could be at one place: the second floor. They usually went there to smoke some cigarettes, it was their way to have some privacy as well. Stilettos's owner, Jack Nesbitt, had an assistant called Dominic, he was always watching over the dancers and bartenders. Being on their necks every night, so the second floor became a refuge to them, they would go there alone or in pair to not get much attention.
Coughing a few times, she looked around to find her way toward the second floor. Although Dominic saw her and following her steps, he dragged her with him down the stairs, she fought him with all her might.
"I need to get Shay, she is upstairs...", Gabby coughed a couple of times.
"There is no one there,", he clasped her wrist, "... let's get out of here...".
"We need to get Shay", she screamed at him as tears welling in her eyes. "So, I'm not coming with you", Gabby pulled her wrist out of his grasp..
"You are gonna get yourself kill, idiot...", Dominic shut out, and gripped her arms harshly, hurting her.
"No, let me go, let me go..", Gabby hit his chest a few times until he loosened her arms and slapped her in the face, what made her hit her head against the wall next her.
"Bitch...", he said as watching her moaned in pain, "go save your little friend...", and he went away.
Seconds later Bryan, one of the bartenders, saw her sat on the ground, "Gabby, we have to get out of here...".
She hadn't force on her to fight him, feeling dizzy and her face warm from the slap, "Shay, I couldn't find her...".
"Maybe, she is outside already, come on...", he helped her to get up from the floor and they made their way out of the club as the firefighters were coming in...
After walking out, Gabby's eyes wandered around, not seeing her friend broke her heart, then she tried to walk back inside of the building, however one of the firefighters acted swiftly grabbing a hold of her, putting her away from the entrance, asking her to let them do their job. Sucking in a deep breath, she decided to stand still.
Seconds turned to be minutes... one paramedic gave her a blanket, with it wrapped tightly around her body, she continued to witness the flames blowing out the windows of the three floors building.
Approaching what seems the leader of the firefighters, she attempted to speak as he was talking to someone through the radio. "Sir, please my friend is still there...".
"Okay, Severide, do one last search and get out, copy?" Boden said as looking at the woman's pleading eyes.
"Copy, Chief", he replied.
"Miss, our firefighters are still there, so I ask you to stay with the other people out there", he pointed to the ambo 61, "It's not safe for you here."
"You're not listening... My friend Shay is on the second floor, you have to save her, please, I-I-", she was crying hard. "Shay said-she said she was going to the bathroom, but she wasn't there...", her hands gripping Boden's arms.
He gestured for Otis to come closer.
"Look, I can show you where she could be, she is only 22 years, she can't... she can't die like that-", she sounded hopeless.
"Otis...", the firefighter got close to them, "... take the lady to that area, she can't be here-".
She turned her gaze to Otis, wrapping her fingers on his hand, "No, please".
Boden, "Paramedics here,", he saw Casey coming out with a victim..
Following Boden's gaze, "Shay, Shay, I'm sorry...", she murmured as she viewed her friend being carried by a firefighter. She ran over in their direction.
"Miss, please stay back", eyeing her for a few seconds Casey scrunched his face at her, a feeling of acquaintance towards the woman before him, he dismissed it as the paramedics brought the stretcher to put the victim.
Carefully he laid down the unconscious victim, stepping back to give space to the paramedics.
"Shay, she is gonna be okay?", she asked to anyone particularly, she wouldn't bear out if Shay left her alone in this world. There were visible burns on her body.
Casey gave her a side-eye as shifting on his feet, she had ashes on her face and her hair was disheveled, even then he wondered why he had a feeling he has known her from somewhere. Gabby never looked at his direction more than one second, her attention was on her friend, so she was unaware of his staring as her eyes were locked on her friend.
"Casey, come on," Boden called out. He whipped his head around, missing when she went with the paramedics. The distraction putting that feeling behind his mind again within minutes since the first time he has seen her in that night.
...
A couple of hours later Casey was in his office trying to finish the report of the incident at the nightclub building and a domestic fire after that. He was pretty tired, yet different from his co-workers he decided to fill in the report before get some rest. Scrubbing his hand down on his face, he realized it has been a waste of time having some work done since his eyes were getting heavy.
Giving up from the task at hand, he stood up from his seat, lowed the blinds, then walked to the bed, sitting down on the edge he took off his boots, shifting slightly he reached for the pillow adjusting it where he wanted it to be, finally he laid down. When his head hit the pillow he sighed deeply as he moaned a little, his back was aching a little bit.
He closed his eyes as he clasped his hands together over his belly, legs stretched. "I just need a few minutes...", he mumbled.
Suddenly her face appeared in his mind. "Try to get some sleep", he murmured to himself, "you don't need that right now".
Taking a breath in he tried to relax again, still, her face lingered in his mind, his brain working on figure out who that woman was.
He opened his eyes abruptly, Gabriela Dawson, he thought, "it's her...", he mouthed incredulously, furrowing his eyebrows.
His eyes moved around his office for a moment as he thought over the few seconds he had been in her presence. "It can't be possible...".
Pleeeease, review : )