Okay so yeah this is the longest chapter I've written so far, it's well over 7k words. Please enjoy, maybe get a snack.
Chapter Nine
When he got to the door, he reached for the handle, opening it slowly, watching as a soft smile fell onto her lightly bruised face. He stood silently, watching as her healing busted lip fell between her teeth, the gentle wind of the cold November night blowing her hair over her shoulders. He slowly blinked again, opening his eyes to find her still planted directly in front of him, her chest rising and falling with each slow breath she took. But it wasn't until her soft voice filled his ears, that he finally believed what he was seeing.
"Hi Matt."
Gabby stood there stoically, a chill running through her body as the winter wind picked up around her. But the goosebumps rising on her skin, and the slight shiver that she felt course through her core came from Matt's piercing blue eyes locking with her own.
He hadn't moved since he opened the door, his body rigid since his name left her lips. She watched as his eyes moved around her body, his stare tracing every outline of the figure he hadn't seen in three months. Fighting the urge to cross her arms over her chest, she found herself becoming self-conscious under his gaze. Normally his eyes on her wouldn't illicit that type of reaction, but she couldn't help it. They weren't them anymore, she knew that. And his continued silence caused more anxiety to rise within her body. Out of all the reactions she'd anticipated he might have, complete silence wasn't one of them. She thought there might have been some anger, maybe him throwing something or slamming the door in her face. Selfishly, a part of her hoped for a much more civil greeting, that they might even have an actual conversation. But in all the scenarios she imagined her head, complete and utter silence wasn't expected.
But as she stood there in the quiet that surrounded them, his eyes finding hers again, she realized she shouldn't have had any expectations at all. Not when she left him, not when she abandoned their life together. She had no right to expect anything from him, she shouldn't even be here. Of course he wouldn't want to see her, she wasn't sure why she ever thought this was a good idea.
"I know I probably shouldn't have just shown up here," She broke the silence, her shaky voice snapping Matt from his trance, "I should go, I'm sorry." She turned away from the door as she whispered out an apology, swallowing the lump in her throat, willing the tears welling in her eyes not to fall.
She was shocked when she felt Matt's hand reach out and grab ahold of her forearm, effectively stopping her from leaving. Turning back to face him, she watched him intently as he took a step forward, his body now in the doorway. He hadn't said a word, but his grip stayed firm on her arm, Gabby watching as his throat bobbed up and down as he swallowed thickly. She'd known him long enough to know he was trying to figure out what to say, so she stayed quiet, not wanting to rush him.
His eyes trailed over her body again, almost like he couldn't believe she was standing in front of him. She felt his hold on her tighten, in a way that told her he was trying to keep her here, like he was afraid she would disappear out of his sight if he let go. Apprehensively, she took a step towards him, their eyes locking again, their gaze never separating this time. She saw the tears that had welled in his eyes, and in that moment all she wanted to do was comfort him. Slowly, she brought her free hand up towards his face, giving him a moment to pull back if he wanted, before she placed her fingers gently over his cheek. Her thumb softly ran across his cheekbone, a small smile finding its way to his lips as he subconsciously leaned into her touch.
"You're okay." The first words he'd spoken were filled with emotion. She heard the worry, the desperation, the relief consuming his few words. Her eyebrows furrowed, Gabby confused as to what he said and why he said it, until the realization washed over her. He knew.
Taking a deep breath, she plastered a smile on her face, trying to look as reassuring as possible. "I'm okay."
Barely a second passed before he pulled her into his arms, wrapping her up into his embrace without another thought. The reunion was short lived when an involuntary gasp of pain escaped her lips, a sharp stabbing pain coursing through her body when his weight pressed against her ribcage. His body was off hers in an instant, worry filling his face as he pulled back, putting his hands over her shoulders lightly.
"I'm okay." She immediately assured him, trying to wipe the concern from his eyes.
"Gabby-"
"I'm okay." She said more forcefully, initiating the contact this time around as she wrapped her arms tightly around his waist, feeling his arms circle around her body. She could feel his apprehension, his arms ghosting over her figure, afraid to hold her too tightly. Ignoring the pain her body was feeling, she held onto him tighter, burying her face in his neck as she deeply breathed in the scent that was entirely Matt.
Once he was sure he couldn't hurt her, she felt him tighten his grip, holding her body tight to his, his head falling down to lean against hers, his lips landing on her covered shoulder.
As Matt stood there holding her to him, he couldn't help but think how part of this still didn't feel real. It felt like this was all some dream, and in a second he'd wake up to discover her still missing. That she really wasn't standing here with him right now. But then he'd feel her chest move against his as she breathed. He'd feel her arms tighten around his back. He'd feel the stitches closing the gash above her eye rubbing against his neck. And he knew this was real. She was here, she was safe. And he had no intention of letting her out of his reach ever again.
After placing a soft kiss to her shoulder, he pulled back from her, feeling her pull from his hold as well. The shock of her arrival was slowly starting to wear off, but the concern he was feeling had only grown, which he didn't know was possible until this very moment. The worry of finding her was gone, but seeing the state she was in had only caused his fear to skyrocket. Seeing the nearly faded bruises and cuts covering her body scared him enough, not to mention the ones he couldn't see.
"Let's get inside," he finally said, "it's cold out here." He took a step inside, giving her room to enter, watching as her eyes roamed the apartment from the doorway, a cautious look on her face.
"Are you sure?" That was the last question he'd ever expect to come out of her mouth. He couldn't understand why she'd be so afraid of her own home, until it hit him that she probably didn't think of this place as her's anymore. The thought was unsettling. This was her home, it would always be her home, he'd just have to make sure to prove that to her. But that was a worry for another time, right now he was just trying to get her through the door.
"Of course." He settled on, holding out his arm as another invitation inside. Nodding slowly, Gabby walked in.
She wasn't sure what she expected to feel, stepping into this apartment again. But it didn't feel like home. Glancing around, it felt like she was a visitor. Which, she supposed she was. Most of it looked the same, but it felt cold. Maybe it was how every ounce of her had been erased from the space, but this didn't feel anything like the home they'd shared. She couldn't fault him for that though, she never would. Why should he have to live with reminders of her when she left him. She knew he'd move on with his life, she knew he had moved on with his life, but she never expected stepping back into this apartment again would send a sharp pain through her chest.
When she walked past him, that was when Matt first noticed she had nothing with her. Glancing back outside, he saw no signs of any luggage. That bit of information only caused more questions to join the thousands swimming in his mind about how she got here, and where she'd been, but he didn't want to overwhelm her. He decidedly closed the door, turning the lock before focusing his attention back on her.
She had turned around to face him after her look around their former home, an unreadable expression written across her face, until her eyes fell down to his arm. This must have been the first she noticed the white bandage covering his skin, as her eyebrows furrowed, her gaze meeting his as she wore a clear look of concern.
"What happened?" she asked him softly, taking a step towards him, carefully inspecting his arm.
"I got burned in a fire today, there was an explosion-" He stopped himself when he heard her breath catch, Gabby not able to tear her eyes from the bandage. "But I'm okay, it's just a burn. I'll probably have a scar, but that's it." He did his best to assure her, the look covering her face breaking his heart. It was a look he'd seen countless times before, a look he never wanted to see, but one he couldn't promise would never reappear because of the job. But in this moment, he'd be lying if he said he wasn't comforted by it. While he didn't want to give her any reason to worry about him, to know she still cared like she used to warmed him in a way he couldn't explain.
"Brett checked it out, Chief made me go get it checked at Med," he explained further when she hadn't given him a response. "I just have to keep changing the dressing, but I'm okay."
She gave him a slight nod, wrapping her arms over herself as she dropped their eye contact. He couldn't exactly place what caused the immediate change in her demeanor, but he saw it. She was closing herself off, and he didn't know why.
"Do you want anything to drink? Or eat?" He figured that was a safe place to start, but when she shook her head 'no', he knew that hope for a conversation starter was gone.
As they stood quietly in the back entrance of the apartment, Matt's eyes weren't able to keep from running over the bruises and cuts tarnishing her perfect skin. He'd seen them when she first showed up, of course, but this was the first time he was really looking at them. The slight discoloration around her right eye was barely visible, a sign of an older injury. But left behind with it was a small scratch underneath her eye. The day she got hit. There was a newer, deeper purple and yellow marbling that covered more expanses of her face, the bruises obviously healing but still prominent enough to be seen on first glance. The busted lip she was sporting, joined by her slightly swollen upper lip. Looking at the gash that had been sutured above her left eye, he found himself feeling thankful she had gotten medical attention, but that knowledge only further confused him. Where had she been that she had access to a hospital, but she had been unable to contact them? It wasn't making sense, but he knew only Gabby had the answer to that question, and the dozens of others that had kept him up at night.
It was clear these injuries hadn't just happened, but they were recent enough to leave damage. He felt his stomach sink, as he thought of how badly she had to have been injured to still be showing this many signs of an attack. Looking her over, his heart felt heavy, unable to imagine what she must have gone through, anger rising within him as he thought about how this never should've happened to her. But it wasn't until his eyes fell to her neck, and he saw the faint outlines of handprints wrapped around her skin that he truly felt like he could kill someone. He wanted to find whoever had put their hands on her, and destroy them.
But when his eyes trailed back up to her face his anger softened, seeing the self-conscious and weary look in her eye. Giving her as gentle of a smile he could muster, he nodded off towards the living room. "Wanna sit?" He was a little surprised when he was met with no hesitation on her part, her agreeing nod coming instantly.
The pair walked side by side into the living room, Matt sitting down on the couch first, Gabby sitting down next to him, leaving a foot of space between them. Her hands fell down into her lap, Gabby wringing them together as she looked around more of the apartment she hadn't been able to see before, her eyes darting anywhere except towards his gaze.
"How have you been?" Gabby startled him by being the first to speak up, "I'm sorry, that's a dumb question." She immediately apologized, Matt shaking his head.
"That's not a dumb question." He responded immediately, Gabby's eyes plastered on the ground. "Gabby, look at me." He spoke softly, waiting until she reluctantly looked up at him and met his eyes before continuing. "You don't have to be afraid to talk to me." His voice was barely above a whisper as he spoke, reaching his hand out and resting it on the couch in between them, a small smile falling onto his face as she extended her own hand, clasping it within his. "I know things between us are hard, but believe me when I say none of that matters to me right now. You being here, me knowing you're safe, that's all I care about." He spoke honestly, tightening his hold on her hand.
Matt felt her body tense slightly from his words, and he could only imagine what all was going through her mind right now. He knew how hard it must've been for her to come to him, but he was glad to be the one she came to. After everything they've been through, everything he said to her, she still chose to seek him out. And he wouldn't make her regret that choice. He'd do everything in his power to show her she still had him, that he'd be there for her, always. He'd done a bad job of showing that to her lately, even before she left, and he was determined to never let her down again.
"But to answer your question, I haven't been doing great these last few weeks, I've kind of been going crazy." He told her honestly, moving his thumb softly back and forth over the back of her hand. "When Antonio told me what was going on, or at least what he knew, I felt like my entire world collapsed in front of me."
Matt took a deep breath, pausing to collect himself before he said anymore. The last thing he wanted to do was make this about him, because it wasn't.
"But when you showed up here, it was like I could finally breathe again. Like this giant weight was taken off my chest, because you came home. Because you were okay."
He saw the tears that had been welling in her eyes the past ten minutes since she arrived finally spill over, sliding slowly down her cheeks, Gabby not bothering to wipe them away.
"I'm sorry, Matt." She whispered, the emotion in her voice betraying her.
"You have nothing to be sorry for." His own voice betrayed him as well, the words shaky as they escaped his lips. "This wasn't your fault." But she shook her head.
"Not that... I'm sorry for everything. I'm sorry for how I acted before, and for leaving you. You deserved so much better than that... I'm sorry for ruining us." It was as if he could actually feel his heart shattering in his chest as the tears spilled over, both of them letting go of emotions they'd been holding onto for far too long. "I'm so sorry, Matt."
He watched as she broke, the weight of everything finally hitting her as her soft cries turned into sobs. Gently sliding over to her, he wrapped his arms around her shaking frame, pulling her body into his in a secure hug. Her arm wrapped around his waist as she dug herself into the safe and familiar warmth.
"It's okay, Gabby." He soothed, placing a lingering kiss against her forehead.
Feeling her trembling body deep within his grasp, he knew tonight was not the time to get the answers he needed. His desire to know what happened meant nothing compared to Gabby and her needs. And what she needed right now was him. This was his first chance at starting to make things right, at fixing what had been broken. And he wasn't gonna take it for granted.
"We'll be okay." He promised quietly, his fingers moving gently up and down her arm, praying he was able to provide her at least a bit of comfort.
Gabby opened her eyes, squinting as light from the windows was peeking in through the curtains. Adjusting her head on the pillow, she took a moment to gather her surroundings. She wasn't waking up on the uncomfortable couch that had recently been her bed, in an unfamiliar apartment in Puerto Rico. She was lying in her bed, her old bed, her body resting on the side that had always been Matt's. She didn't remember how she got here, the last thing she recalled was sitting on the couch with him. He must have brought me here.
Sucking in a deep breath, her eyes glanced around the room, seeing it virtually looking the same as it had the day she was last here, when she packed up her bags and left. Not much had changed, with the exception of the photos of them missing. But other than that, it was the same.
But deep down she knew it wasn't the same. Because she knew if she looked deeper, there'd be sure signs that it was in fact different. Her clothes wouldn't be folded neatly in the dresser, her dresses wouldn't be hanging up in the closet, there'd be no trace of any of her things in the bathroom. It definitely was not the same.
But there might be traces of someone else, traces of the woman that answered his phone.
She suddenly felt sick, knowing he'd had another woman here. She wouldn't blame him for it, she couldn't. She's the one who left him, she had no right to hold it against him for moving on. But it didn't mean she didn't feel a stabbing pain in her chest at the thought of him being with someone else. Of another woman waking up next to him in this bed, of someone else getting to spend their days with him, in the place they called home, knowing that used to be her. How it never should've stopped being her.
But it was all her fault. She gave up on them, leaving him even though he was the center of her entire world. She couldn't resent him for finding comfort in someone else, she could only resent herself. And she did. She just wished it didn't hurt so damn much, she wished she could go back and do things differently. But she couldn't. And she had to deal with the consequences of that.
The comfort and warmth she'd felt when she first woke up was now gone, knowing she was not the last woman that had been in this bed. Instead of feeling at peace, she felt sick. So she threw off the covers, getting up as quickly as her aching body would allow. Sitting on the edge of the bed, that was the first she noticed her appearance had changed slightly. She was still wearing the pants and shirt she'd come in, but her jacket had been taken off, as well as her shoes. Looking around the room, she saw the items sitting over by the chair in the corner, her jacket lying across the back, her shoes placed neatly on the floor in front of it. Matt.
When she stood up from the bed, she heard a loud crash come from out in the kitchen, followed by the sound of Matt swearing under his breath. As she walked towards the door, she heard him fumbling around the kitchen, clearly trying to clean up whatever he'd just dropped. Opening up the door immediately made her presence known as she saw Matt's head snap up towards her, their eyes locking instantly.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you." He spoke with a sheepish look on his face.
"You didn't," She assured, "I was already up."
"How'd you sleep?" He asked, standing up with pieces of the broken mug he'd dropped in his grasp. Her eyes followed his figure as he walked through the kitchen, dropping the broken glass into the trash.
"Good." She replied, Matt looking up to her and giving her a soft smile. "Thanks for, uh, bringing me to bed. I didn't mean to fall asleep on you."
"It's fine Gabby, I know you had to have been exhausted."
She gave him a slight nod, not knowing what else to say. A suffocating silence filled the air around them, neither knowing how to act around the other. Or at least Gabby had no idea how to act around him. She had no idea what was going on in his head right now, whether he was still as glad to see her as he had been last night, or if that feeling had worn off.
"Gabby?" Matt spoke a little louder, her eyes snapping into focus as she saw him staring at her, a concerned look covering his face. The same look that had been there since last night.
"Yeah?"
"Did you hear me?" His voice was soft, as he started walking back towards her as she stayed planted in the doorway. She shook her head side to side, Matt coming to a halt in front of her.
"I said I called your brother last night, after you fell asleep."
"Oh..."
"He's on his way home but he won't get here until tonight, the earliest flight he could get was this morning." Gabby furrowed her eyebrows as he spoke, her head tilting to the side slightly.
"Flight? Where was he?" Matt's face now mimicked hers, as he thought over what she just said. It only took a few seconds for her confusion to make sense. She wouldn't know they'd been in Puerto Rico looking for her, how could she have? Wherever she'd been, she was not in a position to get into contact with them. She'd have no way of knowing that there were people out there searching for her.
"Matt?" Gabby asked when she got not response from him.
"He's, uh, he's coming back from Puerto Rico." A dozen emotions played over her face as she processed Matt's words, Casey watching her intently, trying to gauge what kind of reaction she'd have. "Him, and Voight, and Burgess and Ruzek have been in Puerto Rico for the last ten days, trying to find you." He watched as she swallowed thickly, seeing tears clouding in her eyes as a result of what Matt was telling her.
"I didn't-" she cut herself off, clearing her throat. "I didn't realize you all had been looking for me...that you knew-" She stopped herself again, willing herself to stay calm, but she wasn't having much luck.
"It's okay." Matt whispered soothingly, his hands finding her shoulders as he felt her anxiety starting to rise. He could feel the nerves radiating off her body, and he wanted nothing more than to be able to make this better for her. He glanced down, seeing her hands trembling slightly as they hung to her sides. "Let's sit down." He led her back into the bedroom, sitting her down on the bed, placing himself next to her.
Matt wanted to give her the time to work through this, to feel comfortable enough to open up on her own. But he also just wanted to help her, and he didn't know how to do that when he has no idea what happened to her.
"Gabby, you gotta talk to me." His voice was barely above a whisper, watching as she slowly turned to look at him. "I want to help you, I really do, but I don't know how to." They maintained eye contact as he spoke, both carrying an unimaginable amount of pain in their eyes. "What happened in Puerto Rico?"
Tears continued welling in her eyes, one falling as the sincerity of his words hit her, the emotions showing in his features making this that much harder.
Taking a deep breath, she did everything she could to gather her emotions before she started speaking.
"I don't know what all you guys know, but…" She paused momentarily to figure out where to start. Sensing her uneasiness, Matt reached for her hand, intertwining their fingers and letting their conjoined hands fall into her lap. She gave his hand an appreciative squeeze, the simple action calming her instantly.
"Don't worry about what I know, that doesn't matter." He spoke soothingly, Gabby nodding. "I wanna hear it from you." He wasn't sure if he was helping the situation or not, and he definitely wasn't sure if he was handling this the right way. But he liked to think he still knew her. Before, he never had to do much thinking when it came to Gabby. Everything between them acted on impulse, both of them always knowing what the other needed in any given situation, and he knew that Gabby usually needed prompting before opening up completely.
"So, uh, a couple weeks back, we were beginning work on a new hospital." She started softly, her eyes glued to the floor. "Everything up until that point had been hard work, but it felt so rewarding. I really was loving what I was doing." Matt watched as a small smile fell to her face as she spoke, and he couldn't stop himself from smiling as well. No matter what her work over there meant for them, he never stopped being proud of her.
"We'd had a few issues along the way," Her voice pulled him from his daydreaming. "It wasn't anything too bad, but there were times things got a little intense. We were told when we first got there that violence from gang activity had been pretty bad, luckily we weren't subjected to most of it. But there were times when us working on a new development pushed them out, and I'm sure you can imagine, they didn't take too well to that." She had almost started rambling, her words coming out quickly. It was something she did when she got anxious, she always had. Trying to center her, Matt rubbed the back on her hand that was still clasped in his, moving his free hand to her knee, rubbing soothing circles over the cloth covered area.
"Nothing ever got too bad, just some empty threats on their end, towards all of us, no one in particular. But then when we started up with this new hospital, things got worse. At first it was nothing out of the normal, there was the usual push back from them, but that always stopped after a few days. But this time, they weren't giving up. The threats became more serious, more centered around individuals instead of us as a group." Casey couldn't stop his body's involuntary reaction of tensing beside her as he digested what she was saying. The thought of anyone threatening her made him sick, and he had to push down the guilt eating away at him as she continued. "My last day at work, they were all there when we showed up, talking about how they weren't gonna let us take over their territory again. How they could 'kill us all' without leaving a trace, and a lot more unpleasant things. But then they started going after this woman's daughter." Matt frowned, hearing the shift in tone in her voice, the memory clearly upsetting her. "Most of the local's there had been great, and a lot of them were there, ready to pitch in. But this one woman, Marianna, she had this little girl. She couldn't have been more than seven or eight, her name was Anna. Both of them were so thankful to everyone who gave up their lives to come help. They'd be there with us every day, always wanting to help out however they could. Anna, she didn't know any English, so once she heard me speak Spanish, she was pretty much attached at my hip." Gabby spoke with a smile, Matt's heart filling at the thought of Gabby and that little girl.
"They were there, my last day. And when those men started threatening Anna, saying what they were going to do to her, how they were gonna-" Gabby cut herself off, swallowing the lump in the throat before starting over. "I lost it." She said. "I started threatening him, all of them really. I know it was stupid, but I was just so angry."
"You were protecting that little girl." Matt spoke, Gabby's head lifting up, their eyes meeting for the first time since she'd started talking. She saw the tears shining in his eyes, but he was wearing a small smile. There was a look of pride covering his face, a look that made her feel safe.
Nodding at his words, she continued, keeping her eyes locked on his. "I don't regret doing it, but that is what caused all this mess. The guy, I guess I cursed him out one too many times, because we weren't talking very long before he hit me."
Matt's jaw clenched, his tongue pushing forcefully against the roof of his mouth as he tried to stay calm. He already knew this happened, Antonio had told him it happened, but hearing it from Gabby made it all the more real.
"I'm guessing you knew that part already." She spoke quietly after seeing his reaction, but Matt shook his head.
"All I knew was that you'd been hurt." She nodded, before continuing.
"That was the night I called you the first time…" she trailed off, looking away from him as she stared towards the ground. "I know you said not to, but everything was becoming too much and I just thought- I thought if I heard your voice, it would make things a little easier."
A single tear rolled down Matt's cheek as she talked. He would've given anything to be able to talk to her that night, maybe things would've played out differently if he had.
"But, uh-" she cleared her throat, still refusing to look at him, "you were busy." Matt's stomach sank at her words, knowing exactly what she was referring to.
"Gabby-"
"It's fine, really." She gave an unconvincing smile, one that didn't meet her eyes as she had briefly lifted her head up. "I just thought if I talked to you, things wouldn't seem so hard…" She trailed off again, trying to find the right words to say. "But it was selfish of me to do that, to come to you for comfort, after you asked for us not to talk anymore."
"No." Casey said immediately. "It wasn't selfish." Gabby's eyes ran over his face, trying to find any sign that he wasn't telling her the truth. She found none. "And even if it was, I don't care. I'm glad you called me, that you kept calling me. I wish I could've spoken to you the first time," She saw something flash in his eyes, a look of guilt. "I'm sorry I wasn't there for you. But don't ever apologize for that, I'm the only one who should be apologizing."
Swallowing the lump forming in her throat, Gabby nodded. She knew there was a different conversation they needed to have, but she couldn't focus on that right now. She just needed to get through this. Clearing her throat, she kept the conversation moving forward. "But, yeah, that's why I kept calling. When you did answer, just hearing your voice calmed me down. It helped, that's why I kept doing it." She explained, not giving Matt a chance to respond before she continued.
"During my time off from work, everything was pretty normal. Except me being bored out of my mind, nothing really happened." Matt got the sense she was holding something back, he just wasn't sure what. "But then there was the night we talked…"
Matt squeezed her hand as he heard the shift in her tone. He knew that whatever had happened to her, it happened that night.
"I, uh- when I called you, I really didn't have any intention of saying anything. I figured if you knew it was me, you'd stop answering all together."
"I wouldn't have." He whispered, Gabby giving him a small nod.
"But then I heard how annoyed you were, and I thought you might stop answering when I called, so I figured I didn't have anything to lose." She explained quietly, Matt frowning as he listened to her words.
"Gabby, I… you have to know how much I regret what I said to you, the last time we talked. I was angry and said things I shouldn't have."
"It's okay, Matt-"
"No it's not. You didn't think you could come to me, you thought if you called me, I'd ignore you. And that's not true." He spoke regretfully, sighing deeply. "I'm so sorry for how I treated you, Gabby."
"I didn't make it easy on you, Matt. I started all this, I'm the one who left. You don't need to blame yourself." She said, but he wasn't believing a word she was saying. He was to blame for this, at least partially. He was just as at fault as she was.
"But anyway, you know how the conversation went." She continued, Matt pushing back his thoughts and focusing his full attention back on her. "When we hung up, that's when I heard some noises outside." She went quiet for a few moments, Matt giving her all the time she needed to gather her thoughts.
"I don't know how they found where I lived. I don't know if they followed me, if they had been following me, but-" she sucked in a sharp breath before continuing, "three of the gang members, they broke in. I tried calling the police, but they, uh, got to me before I could." Matt clenched his eyelids shut, his mind filling with images of what had happened to her, the photos he saw from the apartment overtaking his every thought.
"They destroyed everything, they stole a lot of my stuff, anything that was worth any money... They took my wedding ring." The last sentence escaped her lips in a soft whisper, like she was afraid to say it, Matt's eyes snapping open at her words. He watched her closely, the pain she was carrying across her features mirrored by the look on his face.
"They roughed me up pretty good." She said shakily, internally debating on how much detail to go into. She could see how much Matt was blaming himself over what happened, and although she didn't want to lie to him, she didn't want to make him feel worse than he already did. But she knew no matter how painful it would be, he'd want to know. "They landed quite a few punches." She spoke quietly, knowing she just had to say it. "This came from them throwing me into the coffee table." Gabby pointed to the gash above her eye as she spoke, Matt blinking back the tears threatening to fall. "That's also what hurt my ribs and my shoulder, that's what was hurting me, when you first hugged me last night. " She explained, Matt nodding in understanding.
"There's more marks, some bruises and cuts, but that's all. They didn't-" she cleared her throat, only able to imagine where all Matt's mind had been taking him about what was done to her, and she didn't want him thinking things were worse than they were. "That was all that happened, they didn't do anything else to me." She knew he understood her when he realized a deep breath, in what she could only think to be relief.
"They left me in the living room while they destroyed the place, I'm not sure why one of them didn't stay, but I don't know exactly what their plans were. If they were just there to scare me, or if they were serious with their threats and were going to-" She stopped herself, every muscle in Matt's body tensing as he thought of the second scenario she said. He didn't know either, what their intentions were, but he was beyond thankful they would never have to find out. "...and when they went to go through the bedroom, that's when I was able to get away." She finished, Matt nodding slowly.
They sat in silence for a few minutes, Gabby trying to give Matt time to process this. In the two and a half weeks since the attack, Gabby had processed what happened to her as much as she was going to. She'd had time to come to terms with it, and even though there were still visible reminders on her skin, she'd like to think she was handling what had happened relatively well. But Matt was just now learning exactly what had happened to her, he hadn't had the same time she had.
"Where did you go?" Matt finally spoke after nearly five minutes. They hadn't moved from their spot beside one another, their hands still entertwined in her lap, Matt having been staring straight ahead the entire time.
"When I left my apartment, I only got out of there with the clothes I was wearing, and I was too scared to try and go back. So I went to my friend's place." He looked at her, nodding softly. "Taylor, is her name. She came from the midwest, she's a part of another task force there. She's a doctor, so I knew she could help me." Gabby explained. "And as far as I knew, those gang members had no idea she even existed, or at least they didn't know we knew each other. So I figured it'd be safe." Matt hadn't said a word, so she kept going.
"Honestly, there were a few days there that kind of went by in a blur. She got me stitched up, and let me stay with her while I healed up enough. I didn't tell her much about what happened, thankfully she didn't ask a lot of questions, but I'm grateful to her, for letting me stay there and helping me." Matt nodded in agreement. He found himself feeling thankful for this woman too, he was glad Gabby had someone to help her when she needed it.
"But I do need you to know that I'm sorry." The change in direction of the conversation confused him. "I didn't know people were looking for me, I didn't know you or Antonio knew what happened. I would've called, if I knew. I should've called."
"Gabby…" But she shook her head.
"I know it's not my fault, but I still should've called you, or Antonio. It's not an excuse, but I didn't even realize how long I'd been hiding out until a few days ago, every day had just been blending together. "
"You don't owe us an explanation. You're safe. That's all that matters." He spoke, Gabby nodding as she blinked back the tears in her eyes. She felt as if she did owe them at least an apology, but decided against pressing any further. Sucking in a slow breath, she continued on.
"A couple days ago she started asking me what I wanted to do, and I didn't know what to say. She kept talking about me being healed enough to get back to work, and all I could think about is how I didn't want to." She admitted, their eyes meeting. "I didn't want to be there anymore." Her voice was barely above a whisper, Matt bringing his free hand up to cup her cheek, brushing his fingers over her skin lightly.
"I wanted to come home." She spoke honestly. "So she helped me get a plane ticket, she helped me get out of there, and I came here."
"I don't know if I should've just shown up here like I did, but I didn't know where else to go. I-"
She was cut off by Matt bringing her body into his, wrapping his arms around her in a tight hug. Her guard dropped completely as she settled into his embrace, wrapping her arms around his waist, the feeling of comfort overwhelming her.
"I'm glad you came here." He whispered into her hair, running a hand up and down her back. "I'm glad you came home."
A smile covered her face at his words, digging herself deeper into his hold. Her head found a comfortable home on his shoulder, neither of them wanting to let go of the other.
The precious moment between the two of them was short lived when they both heard someone knocking on the door, the sound bouncing through the otherwise silent apartment. Releasing a sigh of frustration, Matt pulled back from their embrace.
"I'm gonna see who that is, I'll be right back okay?" He assured her, running his fingertips over the side of her face gently, a smile resting on her lips.
"Okay."
Giving her a nod, Matt stood up, his body feeling cold as he stepped away from her. Nothing could replace the warmth he felt whenever she was in his arms, and he wanted to get back to that as soon as he could. He was hoping whoever this was, it would be a short conversation.
Walking through the apartment, he got to the front door, turning the deadbolt before opening the door, his eyebrows furrowing as he saw who was standing in front of him.
"What are you doing here?"
So, I have a question for you all. When I originally planned this story, it wasn't going to go much past Matt and Gabby's reunion. I had an ending all planned out, and there would only be a few more chapters after this one. But while I've been working on this, so many different ideas for this story won't leave my head, ideas way past my original endpoint. I don't want to give too much away, but they're ideas like how they'll work through the issues they've had, issues that have been there since before Gabby left, and how they pick up the pieces from everything they've gone through. But first I wanna know if anyone's interested? I'm not sure if I'd do it as a sequel, or just keep it all within this story, but I'd like to know if you all would wanna keep reading that? Because it definitely wouldn't be the mystery-type story that this has been so far. And also I don't wanna prolong this story if it's not needed. So if you could let me know your thoughts on that, I'd really appreciate it!
I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. I really wanted to get it right, seeing as it was Gabby and Matt's reunion. This chapter was the one I was most excited (and nervous) to write, and I hope I did it justice.
One final thing, as I said in the last chapter, I very much want to keep writing Dawsey (even though Brett and Casey are severely testing my patience), and I just want to thank those of you who encouraged me to do so. It meant a lot, and it makes me all the more determined to keep writing. So thank you.