Hello there everyone, I'm here with the next update for you guys. I don't have much to say ahead of this one, just that I hope you enjoy it and I'm eager to hear your thoughts!
Have a great rest of your week and happy reading, everyone!
ONE HUNDRED AND THIRTY FIVE
Gabby took a slow sip of her coffee while her eyes were focused down on the book in her lap, the story completely captivating her as she sat in a chair in the quiet living room of her and Matt's apartment, Dawson only looking away long enough to place her mug back down before her attention returned to the page.
She'd been out here for maybe half an hour or so, ever since she'd managed to drag herself out of bed after her and her husband spent their fair share of time together there this morning, Gabby slipping on nothing but a tank top and a pair of Matt's boxers before coming out here to start her day, while Casey stayed back in their bedroom to get ready for his. He'd be gone most of the afternoon for a construction job, like he seemed to be most of the time these days, but Gabby didn't mind it. Not when she knew how important this work was to him, and how much he enjoyed getting to get into his construction again. And, even though she missed her husband whenever she wasn't with him, it was nice for her to do her own things, too.
Which, for right now, consisted of nothing much more than Gabby relaxing for the rest of this morning. And that's exactly how she liked it.
As she turned to the next page of her book, she paused momentarily when she heard soft footsteps coming up behind her, Gabby looking up towards the windows just as she felt Matt lean down beside her. From where the furniture was positioned in their living room she couldn't see him, Matt placing his hands down on either arm of the chair while his head stopped beside hers. A soft smile was already forming over her face before he could say anything, the familiar scent of his body wash attacking her senses as he was clearly just fresh from his shower. Though she'd be lying if she said it wasn't one of the most comforting smells in the world to her.
"Hi." He spoke up after a second, the smile on her face growing while she leaned back into the low back chair, not stopping until she ran into his body.
"Hi babe." She replied, practically able to see his smile as a content breath escaped his lips. "How was your shower?"
"Lonely." He answered without missing a beat, prompting Gabby to scoff before he pressed a soft kiss to her cheek.
"What? You didn't get enough this morning?" She teased him, alluding to their very long and energetic morning in bed.
"Never." He replied back just as quickly, while Gabby couldn't help the way her shy smile grew.
"If I had joined you, you definitely would've been late for work." She countered, feeling him shrug from behind her before placing another sweet kiss to her skin.
"Would've been worth it, I missed you." He spoke sweetly, Gabby then shaking her head in an effort to combat the warmth she felt spreading through her stomach.
"I'm not sure that's possible after what we did earlier." She told him, Casey letting out a deep chuckle while he lifted one hand up to run over her bare arm, before Gabby started to shift the subject. Knowing if she didn't, she likely didn't have the willpower to not drag him back to their bedroom. "Are you working all day?" She checked, Matt pausing momentarily before he nodded.
"Most of it, yeah." He answered her, though they both were aware of how she already knew the answer. "What are your plans for the day?" Matt asked her while his hand continued to move gingerly up and down the side of her arm.
"I'm not sure yet, I thought about going to see my dad. Mama's working over at the church today, so I might go spend some time with him."
"That would be nice." Casey murmured, as Gabby nodded.
"Yeah… And then I thought I might look around at some listings, see if there's any homes I like." She added on slowly, Matt biting down on his tongue while he thought over her words.
It was only last week when the two of them decided to take a step back from the home buying process, once it was clear how unnecessarily stressful this had become on his wife. During that time, they hadn't stopped things completely, but they also hadn't gone to go see any more homes. They'd look at places here and there online, talk over a couple of them, but they hadn't seen anything that they both really loved. Nothing that genuinely stuck out to them, so they'd move on instead of wasting their time on something they didn't want.
And while that had slowed down things considerably in their search for a home, that was exactly why they were doing it. Because as far as Matt was concerned, they'd find their house when the time was right. Rushing it wouldn't accomplish anything except stressing out Gabby, and he refused to do that. So if she was wanting to look at places, he encouraged it, but never forced it, Matt perfectly content to take all of this at her pace as he knew that's what she needed.
"That would be great." He replied, Gabby relaxing a bit more back into him before she nodded. "You'll have to let me know if you see anything you like."
"I will." She assured him, letting her head fall to the side ever so slightly to rest against his. "And remember, I'm also working at Molly's tonight."
"I remember." He echoed with a gentle squeeze of her arm. "You work till ten, yeah?"
"Mhmm… Are you still gonna meet me there?"
"That's the plan. You'll probably be busy, but I'll text you when I head over there. Hopefully it won't be too late." He replied, Gabby nodding before she turned her head to the side so she could face him, Matt moving back the smallest bit so he could see her better before she leaned towards him to press a soft kiss to his lips. One he reciprocated instantly while moving his hand down to her waist.
Neither of them wanted to pull away, but they ultimately did after a few long moments, Matt drawing in a deep breath as Gabby slowly opened her eyes.
"I guess I should get going." He said, almost regretfully, that gentle smile returning to her face before she nodded.
"Yeah, you're cutting it a little close.. Your lunch and water are on the counter." She instructed, his grin brightening before he moved to kiss her again.
"You're the best wife ever." He spoke against her, feeling her laugh until they separated.
"I know." She replied easily, Matt smirking in amusement before giving her side a squeeze. "I hope you have a good day."
"I will." He answered, Casey then moving down to wrap his arms around her in a hug, the feeling warm and secure as Gabby held his forearms while he nuzzled his face against her neck. "I love you."
"I love you, too." She breathed out, as he lifted his head. "Now go." She instructed gently, Matt giving her another smile and one last kiss before he walked away from her.
Gabby watched him the entire time as he gathered up the last of his things, Casey grabbing his lunch, phone, and wallet, before he headed towards the exit, stopping just before he went into the foyer where he could still see his wife.
"Bye babe." He said one more time, her face softening into a small smile as she nodded.
"Bye." She repeated, earning a wink from her husband before he moved to their door, Gabby listening as he went outside and shut the door behind him, securely locking her inside their apartment before Dawson went back to her quiet morning while Matt headed off to work.
"I've never been this bored in my life."
Gabby suppressed a chuckle as she finished wiping off the beer glass in her hands, her gaze moving towards her friend before she placed the cup down and reached for another one to repeat the process.
"Do we even need to be open? There's six people here; three of which are you, me, and Herrmann." She continued to complain, Gabby suppressing a laugh while finishing up the last of her glasses. "This feels like a waste."
"Matt should be here in a bit… And isn't Severide supposed to be coming?" Gabby challenged back, Shay scoffing in response before waving her hand in the air.
"They don't count, they're always here." Shay responded quickly, Dawson then rolling her eyes before she turned around to face the bar, the lack of patrons in front of her somewhat proving Shay's point. It was a slow night out at Molly's, for sure. And had been ever since they opened.
But in this business, that happened sometimes. And even though it wasn't great for their profits, nights like these always gave them the chance to catch up on some behind the scenes things that needed to be done at the bar.
"Well, I don't know what to tell you, Shay." Gabby replied as she started to walk past her, feeling the blonde tap her hip as she moved. "If you're really that bored, I'm sure Herrmann has plenty of stocking you could do in the back." She added on, raising the sound of her voice so Chris could hear her from down the bar. Which he evidently did, after lifting his head up and looking over towards them with an amused grin on his face.
"Don't even think about it, Herrmann." Shay spoke before he could, the older man letting out a laugh before waving her off. "I'll find something else to do, thank you."
"Uh huh, we both know you won't." She told her, slinging the rag in her direction after grabbing the notepad she needed from the other side of her friend. "Just at least try to look busy while you're standing here."
"You're not the boss of me." Shay said back, earning a knowing look from Dawson.
"Actually, she kind of is." Herrmann called from his spot down the bar, Shay narrowing her gaze his way before she shook her head.
"See?" Gabby replied proudly, Shay releasing a playful scoff before leaning her weight back against the bar.
"You two are no fun." She responded, causing Dawson to laugh while she began counting over the bottles open at the back of the bar before writing the corresponding numbers down.
She continued on with this for a few minutes, Shay merely standing there watching her work as the slow night at Molly's continued, before the blonde ultimately got sick of the quiet and spoke back up.
"So, where is Casey tonight?" Shay asked, Gabby glancing over her shoulder before she went back to work.
"Finishing up at his construction job." She said, missing the knowing look that covered Shay's features.
"Oh, right I remember you said something about that." She replied as Gabby nodded, Shay pausing for a moment before continuing on. "Although I probably could've guessed that anyway, cause it seems like that's all he's been doing nowadays." She added, pulling a lighthearted breath from her friend.
"Yeah, he's been busy… But he's had a lot of job offers come in, and gotten some work lined up. It's good for him." Gabby told her, a smile then forming over her face while she thought of her husband. "And he loves it so much."
"He seems to." Shay responded softly, before a smirk began to tug on her lips. "And I'd say the extra money doesn't hurt while trying to find the perfect Gabby-approved home." She joked, Dawson then rolling her eyes before writing down a few more things on her notepad.
"Yeah, I don't know if that perfect home exists." She muttered under her breath, Shay's teasing nature beginning to diminish once she registered Gabby's words.
"You all are still taking a break from that, yeah?" The blonde questioned, her voice turning more serious as she knew that the details of why they were pausing their house buying efforts weren't exactly something to be joked about. Not after Gabby had confided in her how she was feeling about all of this.
"Kind of.. We've been looking at places online. Still haven't really found anything we both love." Gabby replied with a shrug, turning around just in time to see her friend begin to nod understandingly. "Or that I love, I guess… Matt's a lot more open-minded about some of the places we've seen."
"It's the construction part of his brain, he sees a house and automatically thinks of all the ways he can fix it." Shay was quick to interject, her light words bringing a slight smile to Gabby's face before she nodded.
"Yeah, you're probably right about that." She replied with a soft laugh. "He definitely thinks that way… It would be easier if I did, too. Maybe then we wouldn't still be searching through dozens of listings trying to find something." Gabby breathed out, Shay picking up on a bit of lingering frustration that still hadn't seemed to go away. That had been there last week when Gabby told her that she and Matt were taking a step back from this.
"You can't make yourself love a house." Shay reminded her, gaining Gabby's gaze before she continued. "This is a big thing, and I think you both knew this wasn't something that would happen overnight."
"No, I know. I just… feel bad about it." Gabby admitted, not missing the frown that returned to her friend's face. "That I got so overwhelmed by all of it, and nearly had a breakdown in some random house."
"You can't help if you feel that way." Shay reasoned.
"I guess, yeah. But I don't like where it's put us. Where it feels like Matt's almost hesitant to talk to me about it, that he doesn't want to push me. And I appreciate it, because all of this was stressing me out, but… I don't know, I feel like I messed all of this up." She told her, Shay's eyebrows furrowing immediately in confusion. But Gabby ignored it. "That I've put a damper on something that was meant to be good for us."
"It still is good for you." Shay was quick to reply, Gabby letting out a soft sigh forcing the woman to shake her head. "I'm serious. You needing a break doesn't change how great of a thing this is for you two, it won't make finding your home any less special.. All it means is that you got overwhelmed and need some time, it happens." She reminded her, getting Dawson to look at her once more. "And besides, you really think Matt would want you to just go along with the first house you found? That he wanted you to live somewhere you don't like?" Shay asked her, Gabby mulling over her words before she began to shake her head.
But clearly, that wasn't enough for Shay as she reached out lightly poke her side until she responded.
"Alright, alright.. No, he wouldn't." Gabby gave in, as Shay pursed her lips together.
"Exactly. You know he wouldn't, because he's Matt. He's your Matt, and right now he's just doing what you need him to. Like he's always done." She continued, before Gabby pursed her lips together. "You told me what he said to you that day when you realized you needed to slow this down.. That he doesn't want you to be overwhelmed and upset about finding a house, and I can guarantee he wouldn't want you feeling this way now; feeling guilty about needing a break. You know he'd never want that."
Gabby crossed her arms over her chest while listening to her friend go on and on, knowing she had a point. A pretty damn good one, as logically she knew she had no reason to be holding onto any guilt over this. "...Yeah, I guess you're right."
"Of course I am." Shay replied without missing a beat, while Dawson rolled her eyes. "But really, Gabby- if you need to talk to him about this again, to hear it from him, do it. He'd want you to. But, as someone who has seen your all's relationship from basically the beginning, I promise you that the only thing he cares about in all of this is you. All he ever cares about is you… I mean, hell, this is the same man who took a bullet for you." She spoke strongly, Gabby taking a deep breath while Shay reached out to rub over her arm. "So I think that gives us a pretty good idea of what his priorities are, and they've always been you. And what's best for you… And if what's best for you is a break from this, that's what he wants. So really I don't think you need to keep working about this, Dawson. Not with Matt." She finished, the younger woman taking in another steadying breath as knew that, once again, Shay had been right.
"Thank you, Shay." She eventually replied, Shay's face softening before she moved to wrap one arm around her in a hug.
"Always babe. You know I've got you." She said while moving away from her, but not before giving her ass a light tap. "Not as much as Casey, however. But a close second." She added on teasingly, Shay knowing just how to lighten the mood back up again as Gabby let out a soft laugh before she swatted her side, the two sharing another smile before they gradually started to go back to work.
Casey released a heavy sigh as he pulled up outside Molly's, putting his truck in park before he looked up towards the bar. After what ended up being a rather long and somewhat unsettling day for him, he didn't really feel like being here if he were being honest. But he'd promised Gabby he would come, and he wanted to see his wife, that desire trumping everything else as he killed the engine before getting out and locking up his truck.
The streets were relatively empty as he walked up to the front door, the warm May air washing over him while he climbed up the few steps before heading inside. For as quiet as the neighborhood was outside, it was more of the same in the bar as there were only a handful of people here, his eyes moving over the few patrons before they traveled behind the counter, where he saw Herrmann, Shay, and Gabby.
His body relaxed a bit the moment he saw his girl, all his tension seeming to wash away just for a second as he started to walk towards her.
"Hey, there's lover boy." Shay greeted as she was the first to see him, Casey offering her a weak smile as Gabby looked his way.
"Hey baby." She said with a bright grin, one Matt tried to reciprocate after he came to stop directly across from her.
"Hi babe." He replied before leaning over the top of the bar to give her a kiss.
"How you doing, Casey? You want a beer?" Herrmann offered while tossing the bar rag in his hand over his shoulder.
"I'm alright for now, Herrmann. Thank you, though." Matt said after he and Gabby separated, her hand staying on his chest while he met her gaze once more.
"How'd your day go?" She questioned, the soft glimmer in her eyes unmissable. "I didn't think you'd be this late."
"Yeah, sorry about that. I ran home to take a shower." He explained, Gabby giving him a soft nod while she looked over him, the smile on her face beginning to dull considerably when she took in his demeanor. She couldn't place it exactly, but the longer she stared at him the more she realized something seemed off. She just wasn't sure what it could be, when she knew he'd been fine this morning as well as the few times they'd talked throughout the day. But now, for whatever reason, that had changed.
"That's fine, babe. I'm just glad you made it." She replied after a moment, her eyes tracing over him as she could help but notice how exhausted he seemed. But it wasn't just that she was picking up on; he almost looked worried. And that didn't sit well with her. "You okay?" She finally asked, Matt soon snapping out of his almost glazed over look before offering her a small smile. One that didn't really reach his eyes.
"Yeah babe, I'm fine." He responded, though Gabby still wasn't entirely sure. But with Shay and Herrmann's watchful eyes on them she decided not to push it right now, Gabby merely smiling back at him before rubbing her hand lovingly over his chest.
"Okay, good… So your job was okay?"
"It was fine. Long, but fine. I got some good work done." He told her, earning a knowing nod back just as the door opened, and a rather loud, and large, group of guys came in, Herrmann letting out a heavy breath before he started walking further down the bar.
"Dawson, can you help me with this?" The man asked while nodding towards the group, Gabby giving him an agreeing look back before she stepped away from her husband.
"I'll be back in a minute."
"Take your time." Casey told her, the two exchanging one last loving glance before she followed after Herrmann, leaving Shay and Matt alone at the end of the bar.
But they weren't in silence for very long, as pretty soon Shay's narrowing eyes were focused on him.
"What's wrong with you?" She asked bluntly, Matt pausing for a moment before he shrugged.
"Nothing."
"Uh huh." She replied, clearly not believing him but not bothering to push further. "Anyway, enough about you. I think you need to talk to Gabby." She prompted rather quickly, Casey's eyebrows raising as he wasn't sure what she was talking about. "And maybe remind your wife that you don't care about her needing a break with all this house stuff."
His back tightened, all the previous thoughts crowding his mind now long gone as he paid sole attention to what Shay was telling him.
"I mean, I know you've told her that already. But I think you need to say it again."
"Why? What's the matter?" He pressed, his eyes flashing down the bar to his wife who was currently filling up beer glasses.
"She feels bad about it, needing some time." Shay explained, Matt's face falling before he slowly began to shake his head. "Feels like she ruined you all looking for a house."
"She didn't ruin anything, there's nothing to feel bad about." He replied instantly, hating the thought of her holding onto those feelings. Especially when she didn't need to. "She doesn't need to feel bad about being overwhelmed."
"I know, that's what I told her. And that's what you've told her, but I think she needs to hear it again. From you." Shay responded pointedly, Matt drawing in a deep breath before he nodded.
"Alright, I'll talk to her… Thanks for letting me know."
"You're welcome Mr. Dawson." She deadpanned, Casey shooting her a look before he nodded behind her.
"Just get me a beer, would you?" He asked, Shay smirking back at him before turning around to get his drink, the two soon moving onto a different topic of conversation while she sat the glass down in front of him, the two friends not paying much attention to what else was going on around them until the front door opened once more a couple minutes later.
"Well, what do we have here?" Shay asked as an amused gleam started to form in her eyes, Matt glancing up at her before he turned around to see what she was looking at, his own grin widening when he saw Severide walk into the bar. But he wasn't alone, as there was an unfamiliar woman walking in right behind him.
One Casey could only guess to be Stella.
"I guess Sev must've changed his mind about making things official." Matt commented as he turned back to the bar, Shay tightening her gaze while her mouth parted slightly. "Did he tell you about her?"
"Kind of. I knew something was going on and he didn't give names at first, but he finally told me a few days ago that he was dating her. What about you?"
"Last week." Matt answered, causing Shay to scoff while shaking her head.
"Fucker." She muttered, Casey letting out a dry laugh just as Severide came up to them, with Stella by his side.
"Hey guys." He greeted, placing his hand on Casey's shoulder as Matt gave him a nod, before offering Stella a welcoming smile.
"Hey Sev."
"Hi." Shay added, smiling knowingly between the two of them as Kelly gave her a look, before clearing his throat.
"I'd, uh.. like for you to meet Stella Kidd. My girlfriend." He introduced them, Shay's grin widening before she reached her hand out to shake Stella's. "Stella, that's Shay." He added, Stella's own smile growing before she began to shake her head.
"Oh Shay, the roommate and paramedic, yeah. I've heard so much about you." She greeted brightly as they dropped hands, Shay beginning to nod at her.
"Well, if you heard them from Kelly they were probably lies." Shay joked, Stella letting out a laugh.
"Don't worry, they were all good things." She replied, before turning to look towards Matt. "And you must be Matt Casey, the Lieutenant." She said, reaching out to shake his hand as well.
"That's me.. It's nice to finally meet you."
"You too." She agreed. "It's nice to put some faces to names, and see some of the places Kelly's always talking about."
"Yeah, if only he brought you around sooner." Shay piled on lightly, Severide glaring her way while Kidd and Casey both laughed.
"Yeah, yeah." He replied, waving her off before nodding back towards Casey. "Then Dawson, you've heard me talk about her," Severide spoke to Stella, waiting for her nod before he continued. "She's around here somewhere… Oh, there she is." He spoke after glancing further down the bar, Kidd following his line of sight towards the woman standing there holding out drinks. "Her and Herrmann are both here, I'll introduce you. But yeah, that's Gabby."
"My partner, Gabby." Shay interjected, Matt huffing out a breath while Stella raised her eyebrows. "We work on 61 together."
"She means my wife Gabby." Casey cut in, Kidd glancing back and forth between them with an amused gleam in her eye. "Who is also our incredible and talented PIC at 51." He boasted.
"Oh brother." Shay pretended to gag under her breath, while Severide shook his head.
"They do this, fight over who Gabby loves more.. You'll get used to it." He told his girlfriend, Stella nodding after letting out a soft laugh.
"Well, if you all love her this much then I'm sure she's an amazing woman." Kidd replied, causing Matt to smile brightly in agreement. "I can't wait to meet her. Officially."
"Yeah, Dawson's great." Severide echoed, as Shay nodded.
"So, Severide tells us you're a firefighter?" The paramedic continued on, wanting to know more about the woman who had seemingly stolen her best friend's heart.
"I am… Or, trying to be."
"She is." Severide replied with a supportive look. "Stella's gonna be on truck, she just passed her firefighter's exam at the end of last week." He proudly told them.
"Hey, that's awesome!" Shay spoke genuinely.
"Congratulations, Stella." Matt added on, the woman giving them both an appreciative smile as she moved a step closer to Kelly.
"Thank you all, I really appreciate it."
"Do you know where you're headed yet?" Casey questioned, seeing both her and Severide shake their heads.
"No, no word yet… But I'm excited, wherever I end up."
"I'm sure you'll do great." Matt told her, Stella smiling back at him just as Gabby came up to join the group, clearly a little surprised by the extra person standing there with Kelly.
"Hey, there's Dawson." Shay said as her friend came to a stop beside her, Gabby offering them all a smile before her focus landed on Severide and Kidd.
"Hey guys." She replied.
"Dawson, I want to introduce you to Stella… My girlfriend." Severide said, the words coming out much easier this time around as a wide, knowing smile broke out across Gabby's face. "Stella, this is Gabby."
The women exchanged pleasantries, Gabby reaching across the bar to shake her hand before she settled back in her spot beside Shay.
"I'm so glad Severide finally brought you by, and he did it at a good time… Less of our crazy coworkers around." She joked, the group laughing in response as Kelly nodded.
"Yeah, she's got a point about that. Some of them are a bit… eccentric. But they're sweet."
"Well, I can't wait to meet them… And it was so nice to meet all of you."
"You too."
"I'm gonna show her around the rest of the place a little bit, and let her go meet Herrmann." Severide told them, his friends nodding as he wrapped his arm around Stella's shoulders. "We'll be back in a bit."
Gabby offered Stella one last welcoming smile before she and Severide walked further down the bar, the group of three waiting until they were a little farther away before Dawson spoke up.
"So that's Severide's mystery woman." She commented, Casey's eyebrows knitting together as his gaze moved to his wife. "She seems really nice."
"Yeah, and hot." Shay replied shamelessly, Gabby letting out a heavy scoff before shoving her side.
"You stay away. He seems to really like her." Gabby chastised, Shay merely waving her off.
"He does, to an almost nauseating degree." The blonde replied, earning an amused look from Casey while Dawson gave her a glare. "What? I'm just saying."
"You're not wrong, Shay. But wait," Matt cut in, while looking towards his wife. "You knew about Stella?" He questioned, watching her head tilt to the side before she responded.
"I knew he was seeing someone, but Shay told me it wasn't serious." Gabby answered him.
"Yeah, cause he told me it wasn't serious, that liar." Shay interjected, Dawson shaking her head before looking back to her husband.
"But yeah, I didn't know her name or anything. Shay said he was staying quiet about all of it… Did you know about her?" Gabby asked inquisitively, her lips then parting in surprise after Matt nodded.
"I did, yeah. He told me about her last week." He answered, as Dawson's eyebrows raised.
"You knew?" She questioned back quickly, her tone almost indignant as she reached across the bar and lightly tapped his arm.
"Ow! What was that for?"
"Oh, that didn't hurt you big baby." Shay teased him, before Gabby kept on.
"Why didn't you tell me that Severide had a girlfriend?" Dawson asked, Matt narrowing his eyes in amusement before he left out a laugh.
"You already knew." He challenged back with a grin.
"Yes, but not from you." Gabby replied, Shay now smirking at the exchange as Casey began to realize he'd backed himself into a corner. Even if it wasn't the most logical one.
"Rookie mistake, Casey." Shay told him, Matt responding with nothing more than a quick gesture before returning his gaze to his wife, who was obviously joking about the entire thing. But she wasn't going to drop it just yet.
"You're right, I should've told you." He played along, as Gabby smiled at him. "Even though you knew for a lot longer than I did, and didn't tell me."
"That's not the point." Gabby was quick to reply, causing Matt to release a loud laugh before he nodded.
"You're right, you're right. I'm sorry babe." He told her, reaching out for her hand before she gave him to him willingly, Matt squeezing her palm tightly as they shared soft, loving smiles.
"You two are gross… Can you go back to fighting, please?" Shay requested, shaking her head in disgust before she started to walk down the bar towards Herrmann, Severide and Stella, leaving Gabby and Matt on their own for just a little while longer.
"God, I'm exhausted." Gabby breathed out as her and Matt stepped down onto the sidewalk, the quiet street comfortable for them while they exited Molly's for the night. It was only halfway past ten, but since Gabby didn't have to close tonight they decided to head out a little early due to them being on shift tomorrow, Casey regaining hold of his wife's hand before they walked down the street towards her car.
"Yeah, me too… But we should be able to get some decent sleep tonight." He replied, Gabby giving him a nod before she curled herself into his side, holding onto his arm tightly while they started to move in silence.
They'd had a nice night tonight, as far as Gabby was concerned. With the bar being so slow, they'd been able to spend a lot of time together with their friends, as well as get to know Stella better. And from what they could tell, not only did she seem great, but Severide really liked her, the two of them just glad to see their friend so happy. And other than that, it had just been a rather typical night out for them.
But during that entire time, Gabby would be lying if she said she hadn't been thinking about Matt, and whatever had been on his mind when he first got here earlier in the evening. She'd dropped it at the time, but she never forgot about it. She couldn't, especially not when he seemed to be all over the place most of the evening.
When he was distracted, he was fine. Like there was nothing bothering him at all. But if there were ever any moments where he had the chance to get caught up in his head, he was suddenly thousands of miles away, clearly stuck on whatever he was thinking about. Gabby just wasn't sure what was causing it.
But she wanted to know. If anything, because if something was wrong she wanted to help him, just like he'd done for her countless times in their lives.
"Babe?"
Gabby looked up when she heard his voice, suddenly realizing they were already to her car before she moved her gaze to him. "Sorry, what'd you say?"
"I said are you ready to get home." He repeated himself, her features softening as she nodded.
"Yeah, I am. Sorry." She said again, causing him to shake his head.
"It's fine." He assured her before leading her out into the otherwise empty road to her driver's side door and unlocking her car. But before he pulled the handle he stopped himself, Matt drawing in a deep breath before looking back at her. "Hey Gabby?"
"Yeah?" She asked again, staying right by his side while their eyes locked on one another.
"...You know I'm not upset with you about all this house stuff, right?"
Her eyebrows knitted together at the unexpected statement, Gabby feeling as if his question came a little out of nowhere. But when her earlier conversation with her friend started to gradually filter back into her mind, she understood what prompted this, Dawson drawing in a deep breath before she answered him.
"Shay talked to you, didn't she?" She asked back a few seconds later, Matt nodding immediately as he had no reason to hide that from her.
"She did, and I'm glad she did. Because I don't want you feeling that way." He spoke sincerely, while lifting his hand up to rest on her arm, Gabby biting down on her lip before meeting his gaze. "I need you to know that I'm not mad, I'm not upset. And I don't want you to feel bad about it either, okay? You didn't mess anything up." He told her, as he could see in her demeanor how badly she needed to hear this from him. "Us buying a house, that's for us. And only us. Which means we're going to do it in a way that's best for us… I'll tell you as many times as you need to hear it, I'm fine taking this at whatever pace you need." He promised, Gabby letting his truly words sink in before she slowly started to nod.
"Alright… Thank you." She murmured, Matt offering her a soft smile before he placed a kiss to the side of her head.
"You're welcome." He said back, giving her another kiss before he stepped away to pull open her door, Matt moving far enough to give her room to step past him and get in. "Now let's get out of here, I'll follow you home." He added on while she stood in front of her open door, Gabby nodding slowly before she took a step forward to the vehicle.
But she never got in, her mind still racing not only from the conversation they'd just had, but the ones they hadn't, as Gabby knew that whatever was bothering him earlier couldn't have been her worries about their home. Not when he hadn't even seen Shay before coming to Molly's, it had to have been something else. And now she couldn't help but want to know what that something was, as after he'd just done everything he could to help her, it was her chance to return the favor.
"Can I ask you something?" She questioned suddenly, Matt letting his head fall to the side as she turned her body back around to face him, Casey standing there protectively while she was between him and her car.
"Of course, what is it?" He replied back without a thought, Gabby drawing in a slow breath before she answered him.
"What was going on earlier?"
His brows furrowed. "What?"
"Earlier, when you got here… You seemed upset about something. I could tell." She pushed on, seeing his face change almost instantly before his throat tightened.
And it was then she knew she'd been right. That she wasn't seeing things, or making something into a bigger deal than it was; something was bothering him. And she wanted to fix it.
"What happened, Matt?"
He grimaced for a moment, shaking his head back and forth as his hand came up to rub over the back of his neck.
"...I was gonna wait and tell you this when we got home." He prefaced, Gabby no less confused by what was going on, all she did know was that it left an unsettling feeling in her gut.
"Tell me what?" She asked, watching him release another heavy sigh.
"When I was at work, I got a call from Boden today." He started, confusion immediately covering her face as regardless of how she had no idea what was going on with him, she didn't expect that.
"Alright…"
"He told me that Chief Hayes, the District Chief-" Gabby nodded. "He's requested a meeting at headquarters tomorrow, during shift." He breathed out, frustration and uncertainty coming off him in waves before he met her eyes once more, Gabby understanding that whatever the next words were to come from his mouth, they weren't gonna make this feeling any better.
"He wants a meeting with Boden, me… and you."