So I hit over 100k words with this chapter and that's so crazy to me. I never expected to write this much with the little thought I had in my head for this story. When I first started this, I thought maybe I'd write like ten chapters, at most. But now it feels like the story has only really just started, and I'm so excited for the storylines I have coming for this. I hope you guys are too.

Thank you all so much for the continued support, it means more than you could ever know. I hope you all enjoy this one!

Chapter Seventeen

Gabby stood by Matt's bedside at Chicago Med, watching his chest as it moved up and down steadily. He'd been asleep off and on for the past hour, Gabby having not left her spot since she arrived. April had come in about 15 minutes ago, dropping off the medication they prescribed him to help with nausea, as well as a a mild pain killer. Dr. Rhodes had assured her it wasn't much stronger than tylenol, but it would help a little better with the headaches he was bound to have in the upcoming days.

While standing there she'd been alternating between running her hand through his hair and holding his hand tightly in hers, Gabby feeling the overwhelming need to keep physical contact with him. She wasn't sure exactly where the strong desire was coming from, she figured it probably had to do with how long she'd been left dealing with the uncertainty of his condition. But, whatever the reason, she found herself not wanting to let go of him.

Matt clearing his throat pulled her from her thoughts, her eyes moving to his face, seeing him looking back at her, squinting slightly as he adjusted to the light. They'd turned down the lights in the room considerably, to help with his headache and to let him sleep, but it still took some adjusting every time he woke up.

"Hey sleepyhead." She spoke softly, moving to grab his cup of water and holding it out for him to take. She watched him slowly down a few sips, before he placed it back on the table.

"How much longer am I here?"

"Well, it shouldn't be that much longer. I've got your medications, and they went ahead and gave you some nausea medicine while you were sleeping. I can go find Dr. Rhodes, see where we're at." She spoke, Matt giving her a soft nod. Leaning down, she placed a light kiss to his lips, intent on pulling back but Matt held her to him as he moved his arm around her waist, kissing her deeply. Smiling into the kiss, Gabby reciprocated his actions.

Someone clearing their throat broke them apart, both of them looking to see Kelly standing in doorway with a smug smirk on his face, his arms crossed over his chest. Beside him was Herrmann, who seemed much more uncomfortable around the clear display of affection between the two. "Get a room." Severide joked, stepping closer to Matt's bed, Herrmann following behind.

"We tried." Matt replied back, Gabby feeling heat rise to her cheeks as they stopped on the other side of his bed.

"April came and told us you were gonna pull through," Severide said with a light, teasing tone to his voice. "Maybe next time you're feeling a little sick, don't go inside a burning building." Matt opened his mouth to respond, but Gabby's voice stopped him.

"I'm gonna go talk to Dr. Rhodes, I'll be back in a bit." She spoke to Matt, him nodding as she headed for the door.

"But really man, you scared the hell out of us. Don't do that again." Were the last words Gabby heard from Severide as she exited the room.

Looking around the busy emergency room, her eyes spotted Dr. Rhodes over by one of the computers, talking with Maggie. She made her way over, standing back a few feet until they were done talking.

"Hey, I heard you were back Dawson." Maggie spoke with a smile, the warmth of her voice putting Gabby at ease.

"Yeah, just got back a few weeks ago." She replied, accepting Maggie's hug as the woman came to to stand in front of her.

"I heard about everything you were doing down in Puerto Rico, that's really amazing Gabby." Maggie said, Gabby giving her a small smile.

"Yeah, uh- it was very fulfilling work." She tried to hide how uncomfortable to topic made her, but she could tell Maggie and Connor sensed it.

"Did you need me, Dawson? Casey still feeling okay?" Dr. Rhodes shifted the topic of conversation, Gabby releasing a grateful breath.

"Yeah, he's okay, just tired. I was wondering how much longer you think he needs to be here? He's getting a little antsy, I think he just wants to go home."

"I'll go check him over one more time, but he should be fine to leave. I'll get started on the discharge paperwork."

"Thank you." Her voice was soft as she gave him an appreciative smile.

"I'll be in there in a few minutes." He said, Gabby giving him a nod before walking away, saying a quick goodbye to Maggie. She headed back towards Matt's room, but stopped short of the entrance when she saw Matt in light conversation with Severide and Herrmann. Deciding not to interrupt, she chose to head to the waiting room, wanting to let Antonio know they'd be leaving soon. She also knew everyone would want to know how Matt was doing. Even though she still felt uneasy around them, she knew she couldn't avoid them forever.

Turning the corner to the waiting room, Gabby's progress was halted as her body crashed into another, a shooting pain moving through her ribcage as the other person's body weight hit her square in the ribs. A gasp of pain immediately left her lips, a grimace covering her face as she instinctively brought her hand up to hold over her side. Hands came out to steady her, Gabby looking up and being met by the worried eyes of Boden.

"You okay, Dawson?" His deep voice met her ears, Gabby's eyes flickering between Boden and Brett, who was standing just behind him, both of them wearing a look of concern.

Clearing her throat, she removed her hand from her ribs, the sharp pain dulling considerably. "Yeah, I'm good." She spoke, giving what she knew to be an unconvincing nod.

"You sure?" Boden eyed her for a few seconds, removing his hands from her arms. She gave him another nod, her eyes darting to the ground away from them. "How's Casey feeling?" He asked, deciding to move on from questions surrounding her, knowing she wouldn't share anything regarding herself.

Neither Boden nor Brett missed how the tension left her body at the question, a genuine smile finding its way to her face. "He's doing okay, he's tired but he'll be fine. Just needs some rest. I was actually on my way to update you all." She spoke, continuing her path to the waiting room, sensing Boden and Brett following behind her.

When Antonio saw his sister approaching, he shot up from his seat, his movements gaining the attention of the rest of the firehouse.

"Hey guys," Gabby spoke, seeing everyone's eyes on her. "Matt's doing fine, he's tired but overall he's alright." She saw their bodies relax at her words. Even though they knew the medical side of what happened, hearing that he was doing alright had to put them at ease.

"So it was just the concussion?" Otis asked, Brett moving from behind Gabby to come and stand in between Foster and Cruz.

"Yeah. I guess during that explosion, he hit his head pretty hard. But he only ever dealt with the burn. He's been having headaches, and some dizzy spells, but he ignored them." She explained, trying to push down the uncomfortable feeling she felt with everyone's eyes on her. "Dr. Rhodes thinks him going back to work put too much stress on him, and eventually his body just shut down."

When no one said anything, she continued. "But he's okay, he just needs to rest for awhile, take it easy. He'll have to be off work for a little longer, but he'll make a full recovery."

"Thank god." Cruz murmured, similar musings being spoken around the room from the fellow firefighters.

"Can we go see him?" Mouch asked, Gabby nodding.

"Yeah, that's fine. Dr. Rhodes is planning on getting him out of here soon, but I know he'll be glad to see you." She spoke honestly, the group nodding. "But, uh-" she said, stopping their path as they were heading for his room. They all turned to face her, Gabby glancing around the group. "Try not to talk too loud, he's still having some pretty bad headaches." She warned them, being met with understanding nods as they left the waiting room.

As the group left, she couldn't help but notice Foster's lingering gaze on her. She wasn't sure why the woman kept looking at her, or what she wanted. Gabby had no idea what all Foster had heard about her, but she could only imagine it was less than pleasant.

"Gabby?" Antonio's voice broke through her haze, her eyes snapping into focus as she looked over, seeing her brother and Boden standing beside her. Everyone else had gone to visit Matt, leaving the three alone in their area of the waiting room.

"Sorry, what?" She asked, seeing Antonio's worried gaze waiting for her.

"I asked you how you're doing."

"Oh," Her eyes flickered to Boden quickly, plastering a smile on her face. "I'm fine, just glad he's gonna be okay." Antonio knew she was more shaken up than she was showing, but decided against pressing her on it here. "So, uh, Dr. Rhodes said he'd need a couple shifts off, that he just needs to take it day by day." Gabby shifted the conversation to Matt, wanting to take the focus off her. "He'll have to be cleared before going back, it's kind of up in the air as to how long exactly he'll need off."

"That's fine Dawson, just keep me updated on how he's doing, okay?"

"Of course, yeah I will." She assured him, Boden giving her a small smile.

"I'm gonna go see him before he gets sent home. It was really good to see you, Dawson. We're all glad you're back." He spoke sincerely, Gabby nodding at him before he walked away, leaving just her and Antonio.

"So how are you really?" He asked her, leading her to the closest chair, the siblings sitting down. Releasing a shaky breath, she leaned over onto her knees, holding her head up against her palm.

"I'm fine, I just- god Antonio, I thought I was gonna lose him." She murmured, feeling Antonio's hand come up to rub soothingly over her back.

"I know how scared you were, but he's okay Gabby."

"I know he is." She agreed, forcing herself to sit back up. "All of this will wear off, I think getting out of the hospital will help. Make me feel a little better." He gave her a sympathetic smile, Gabby pushing herself up out of the uncomfortable chair. "I'm gonna go back there. Once everyone else leaves, you can come on back. Matt shouldn't be here much longer." Antonio nodded, standing up and giving her a supportive hug.

The two broke apart, Gabby heading back for Matt's room, stopping short when she saw how full it was. She could see the backs of a few firefighters who were stuck in the doorway, the room too small for all of them, but they squeezed their way in anyway. She hung back, leaning against the wall to stay out of the way, not wanting to interrupt their time with Matt.

It was only a few minutes later when they started filing out of the room, seemingly getting kicked out. Gabby gave them a small smile as they began walking past her, most of them not really knowing what to say to her. She didn't know what to say either, so she was kind of glad for the lack of conversation. It wasn't until Brett, Severide, and Herrmann exited that someone spoke to her.

"Take care of him, kid." Herrmann spoke, pulling her in for a hug. "I'm sorry for not calling. That wasn't fair to you." He whispered in her ear, Gabby blinking back the tears that sprung in her eyes, hugging him tighter.

"I'm sorry too, Herrmann." She whispered, feeling him place a quick kiss to the side of her head as they pulled back.

"Don't be a stranger, okay?" He encouraged, rubbing over her arm. "I wanna hear about all that amazing work you were doing in Puerto Rico." Nodding, Gabby pulled him in for another quick hug, whispering a quiet 'thank you' in his ear before they separated again.

Herrmann walked to stand with the rest of 51, Gabby looking between Brett and Kelly. Severide could sense the uncomfortable tension that had settled in the air, Antonio's words of Gabby and Sylvie's fight bouncing around his head. He opened his mouth to speak, to try and clear the air, but Brett beat him to it.

"It's good to see you again, Gabby." She said softly, Gabby giving her a small smile, one that didn't quite reach her eyes.

"It's good to see you all, too."

Brett gave her a nod, the two exchanging a few more awkward smiles before Brett walked away, Gabby blowing out a soft breath as the blonde left. Her eyes moved back to Kelly, seeing him glancing back and forth from her and Brett's retreating form, an uncomfortable look covering his face. When his eyes settled back on Dawson, he gave her a reassuring smile.

"Things will get better, Gabby." He spoke truthfully, moving to wrap an arm around her in a hug, his other arm occupied as it was holding Matt's turnout gear. "Matt talked to them all today, to try and get them to understand why you left. They'll start to come around." He told her, squeezing her lightly before pulling away.

"Yeah… everything's just weird now." She sighed, "I know I caused it, but, I don't know- I'm not sure if things will ever go back to where they were." She gave him a sad smile, a frown forming on Kelly's face from her words.

"Just give it time, Dawson. It'll be fine." He assured her, the two pulling away.

"Thanks Kelly. I'm gonna get back to him. I'll let you know when we get him home."

"Thank you." He spoke softly, pulling her in for another hug before the two separated, Gabby taking the last few steps to Matt's room, seeing Dr. Rhodes in there with him.

"There you are." Matt said, a smile lighting up his face when he saw her.

"Yeah, I'm back." She gave him a smile of her own, moving to his bedside.

"Can I finally get out of here?" Casey asked, his impatient nature getting the better of him.

"Yup. You're good to go." Dr. Rhodes said, handing the discharge papers to Gabby. "I know Gabby knows all of this, and I'm sure you do too, but I'm serious about taking it easy for at least for awhile. The most I want you exerting yourself is walking from the living room to the bedroom. You have to be careful." He warned the firefighter, knowing from past experience how stubborn he could be.

"I know. And believe me, Gabby won't let me do anything."

"I know she won't. Why do you think I'm letting you get discharged so early?" He spoke with a smug smile, Gabby smirking down at Matt. "I'll see you next week, alright?" Matt nodded, Connor patting him on the shoulder. "Take care of yourself, Casey."

"I will."

Dr. Rhodes left the room, Gabby turning her attention fully towards Matt. In the time she'd been gone, all the monitors had been taken off him, and his shirt had been put back on. Aside from needing his jacket, he was ready to go.

"Please get me out of here." Matt begged jokingly, Gabby bringing her hand up to the side of his face, stroking his cheek softly.

"Okay, take it easy, Antonio has to get the car first."

"When is he doing that?"

"When is who doing what?" Antonio asked as he walked in the room.

"Matt wanted to know when you were getting the car." She spoke with a grin, Antonio stopping at the foot of his bed.

"I see you're ready to get out of here, Casey." He chuckled, Matt nodding. "Okay, I'll go get the car. I'm glad you're okay, man."

"Thanks Antonio." Matt gave him a nod, the older Dawson leaving the room, April coming in seconds later, pushing a wheelchair.

"Are you serious?" Casey groaned, Gabby laughing as she patted his chest lightly.

"Those are the rules, Matt. Now come on, let's get you into that chair."

It took longer than they thought getting Matt up and out of the bed to the wheelchair, Casey feeling more soreness in his body than he was expecting to. The headache he'd been feeling for the last few hours had dulled, but was still present, and he was feeling more effects from his passing out than he thought he would. His body still felt weak, but he couldn't be more excited to get home.

Once he was settled, Gabby said a quick thanks to April before pushing him through the emergency room, careful to not move to fast, not wanting to jostle him too much. Her speed was met with some complaints from Matt, but she simply smiled, placing a kiss to the back of his head, ignoring his complaining. Soon enough, they got outside, seeing Antonio leaning against his car waiting for them.

"Took you too long enough." He teased, opening the passenger side door for Matt as Gabby wheeled him over.

"Yeah, well I don't move as fast as I used to. And your sister was moving two miles an hour, I'm pretty sure I saw a turtle lap me back there." Matt responded, Gabby rolling her eyes and muttering something under her breath as she locked the wheelchair. With Antonio's help, Matt stood from the chair, the older man helping to maneuver him into the car, Matt grimacing as his body adjusted to the new angle. Antonio made sure he was as comfortable as possible, while Gabby quickly went to return the wheelchair. Once Gabby was back and buckled in the backseat, Antonio pulled away from the hospital, doing his best to drive as steadily as possible.

It took nearly an hour before Matt got settled at the apartment. From the time it took to get there, to the near 15 minutes it took to get from the curb to the bedroom, and the time it took Gabby to help him into more comfortable clothes and get ready for bed, more time had passed than any of them originally thought.

"You sure you don't want anything to eat?" Gabby asked him one more time, sitting on the edge of the bed in the dark bedroom. It was well into the evening, and the only light in the room was that coming from the lights in the kitchen.

Unscrewing the lid of his pill bottle, she got the correct dosage before placing it in his palm, handing him the glass of water she brought in. She watched as he swallowed the medication, Gabby taking the glass from him and putting it back on the bedside table.

"I'm fine, Gabby." He assured her with a small smile, Gabby softly running her fingers over the side of his face. "I'm just gonna try and sleep. Doctor's orders." His smile transformed into a wide grin, Gabby matching his smile.

"Good. I'll come back to bed in a little bit, I just wanna make sure Antonio gets out okay."

"Thank him again for me, I know he didn't plan on spending most of his day at the hospital."

"I will. Now get some sleep. If you need anything, call me." She spoke softly, leaning forward and placing a soft kiss to his lips. He nodded, slowly scooting further into the bed, trying to get comfortable. Gabby stood up, waiting until he was situated to lean down and place a kiss to his forehead. "I love you." She murmured against his warm forehead.

"I love you too." His soft voice broke through, Gabby pressing another kiss to his skin before pulling away and leaving the room, closing the door softly, leaving it cracked against the doorframe. She walked towards the kitchen island when Antonio was waiting, Gabby blowing out a shaky breath as she met her brother's eyes.

"How is he?"

"Good, he'll be out soon if he's not already." Antonio nodded, taking a good look at his sister. She looked beyond exhausted, the bags under her red eyes prominent.

"I spoke to Kelly, we're gonna get Matt's truck and his stuff situated tomorrow after their shift is over, so you don't have to deal with it." Gabby nodded in appreciation, reaching for Antonio's hand and squeezing it tightly. Antonio stayed silent for a few moments, letting Gabby gather herself, knowing all she needed from him right now was his presence.

"Thank you for everything today." She spoke quietly, Antonio patting the back of her hand comfortingly.

"You never need to thank me for that. I'm just glad he's okay, that you're both okay." He spoke, Gabby catching the double meaning behind his words.

"I'm fine, Antonio. I was such a mess this morning because I was worried about Matt, and now I know I had every reason to be." She explained, Antonio nodding. "But now that I know what's wrong with him, I'm feeling better. And selfishly, I'm a little glad he can't work for awhile. I just feel like every time he walks out that door, I'm holding my breath, and I can't breathe until he gets back." She rambled, the words flying from her mouth faster than she could register them. After she was finally able to take a breath, she glanced up to him, seeing him watching her with worry. "I promise, I'm fine. Just stressed out, and tired."

"I know. I'll go, let you get some sleep." He told her, coming around the island and placing a kiss to the side of her head. "Call me if you or Matt need anything, alright?"

"I will." She agreed, giving him a hug before walking him to the door. After letting him out, she locked up, checking around the apartment to make sure the other door was locked, as well as closing the curtains and turning off the lights aside from one small light in the kitchen. She knew she probably needed to eat something, but the thought of putting anything in her body right now made her nauseous. Pushing open the bedroom door, she was able to make out Matt's sleeping form through the darkness. She was glad he fell asleep so easily, knowing rest was the absolute best thing for him right now.

Gabby quickly and quietly went through her routine, changing into one of Matt's larger shirts before climbing into bed. Before she even had the chance to get comfortable, she heard the all too familiar sound of Matt gagging by her side, Gabby instantly reaching across him to grab the wastebasket she put by his side of the bed. By the time Matt realized what was happening, he was already throwing up what little he had in his stomach into the bin Gabby was holding.

"It's okay, Matt." She soothed, rubbing up and down his back as he started coughing. She kept the bin close to him until he moved back, Gabby placing it on the ground before getting out of his way so he could lay back down. "It's okay." She whispered again, rubbing over his chest as he cleared his throat.

A groan escaped through his lips, Gabby frowning as she continued her movements over his chest.

"Do you need anything?" She asked quietly, Matt shaking his head as he tried to once again get comfortable in the bed.

"No, I'm okay." His voice was raspy as it left his mouth, his eyes falling closed again as he breathed in through his nose.

"Try and go back to sleep." She murmured into the quiet air, placing a soft kiss against his t-shirt covered chest. "I'm here if you need anything, just try and rest." She coaxed, Matt giving her another nod before drifting off.

Gabby kept an eye on him momentarily, making sure he had fallen asleep before she moved a few inches away from him, not wanting to overcrowd him and make him get too hot in his sleep. She knew this was a process, that some of his symptoms would last longer than others, but she couldn't wait until this particular one stopped.

Kelly sat quietly in his office, the small lamp on his desk illuminating the small space as he leaned back in the chair at his desk. His eyes flickered out into the dim bunk room, seeing the sleeping bodies of his coworkers, before he turned back to face the wall, glancing to the clock and seeing it was well after one in the morning.

He knew he needed to get some sleep, but he felt wired. He'd tried on multiple different occasions to lie down and fall asleep, but each attempt failed. He couldn't stop thinking about Casey, about finding him lying unconscious in that house. He also couldn't stop thinking about Gabby, and look on her face. He knew Matt would be fine, and that Gabby was fine, but the entire situation shook him up more than thought it would. He's been there before, when Matt's gotten hurt, and no other time had it affected Kelly this much. He didn't know if it was because it wasn't the call that injured him, or if it was having to be there when Gabby found out what happened, but for some reason he was unable to shake the bad feeling in the pit of his stomach.

Hearing from Antonio a few hours ago that they'd gotten Matt home made him feel a bit better, and he knew seeing him tomorrow morning would probably help the discomfort he was feeling towards the situation. He just wanted this to all be over. Both Matt and Gabby had been hit with curveball after curveball, they were still trying to move past everything with Puerto Rico, and now this, the two couldn't catch a break. One they both so desperately deserved.

Soft tapping on his door pulled him from his thoughts, Kelly turning his head to see Herrmann standing there on the other side of the glass. Severide nodded the older man in, Herrmann opening the door and stepping inside, closing it back quietly behind him.

"Any update on Casey?"

"They got him home, as far as I know everything's still good."

"Good, good." Herrmann mused softly.

Seeing the older man standing there uncomfortably, Kelly raised his eyebrows as he spoke. "Need something else, Herrmann?"

"You know, don't you?" He asked, Severide looking at him in confusion, waiting for him to elaborate. "You know what happened to Dawson over there."

Blowing out a sigh, Kelly sat up straight in his chair, one of his hands coming up to run over his jaw.

"I know you keep saying you don't know anything, but somehow I don't believe that." He pressed, raising an eyebrow in Kelly's direction.

"Herrmann…"

"I'm just worried about her, Kelly. Seeing her today, she's not the same woman I remember. She seemed scared, and not just because of what was happening with Casey. She seemed scared because of us." Kelly brought his bottom lip between his teeth, Herrmann continuing on. "And that scar on her forehead? I'm gonna take a guess and say that didn't happen on the job."

"I don't know what you want me to say, Herrmann."

"I wanna know she's okay." When Kelly stayed quiet, Herrmann continued. "And Brett said she thinks Dawson hurt her ribs? That she seemed hurt today at the hospital, I don't know exactly what happened there but Brett seems to think she'd been hurt."

"Look, Herrmann, whatever I do or don't know, it's not my place to share. She's okay, but things aren't the same as they were before." Herrmann gave him a pointed stare, but Kelly stood his ground. "She's not the same Gabby she was before she left, a lot has happened… but all you can do is show her you'll be there for her. She's weary around everyone here, and honestly she has a good reason to be."

"Yeah, I know she does." Herrmann murmured quietly. "I didn't really understand much of what Casey was talking about until I saw her. I didn't understand what he meant, saying she didn't want to come back. But after everything today… it gave me some perspective." Kelly wasn't sure what to say, so he let him continue. "We messed up, by not calling her. By not reaching out to her after everything, I get now why she might not feel comfortable coming back here."

Kelly nodded slowly, glad to see at least one other person in the firehouse was starting to realize things with Gabby weren't as simple as they seemed.

"Yeah, I know we didn't really see it at the time, but we essentially cut her off. Everyone was so focused on Casey, no one stopped to think about Gabby in all this." Kelly supplemented, Herrmann agreeing with a slow sigh.

"We need to fix this, I don't want her thinking she has to deal with everything on her own. I know she has Casey, and her brother, but we're still her family."

"Herrmann, all I know to tell you to do is to make sure she knows that. Because if my conversations with Casey are any indication, she doesn't." Severide said, a small frown forming on Herrmann's face. "Just talk to her. She's still Gabby. Yeah, she's not the same person she was before she left, but after everything she went through..." Kelly trailed off, not realizing the weight of his words until they left his mouth.

"So you do know what happened to her."

"I know some of it." Kelly gave in slightly as he released a sigh, knowing Herrmann wouldn't drop it. "But even if I knew all of it, I wouldn't talk about it when she's made it clear she doesn't want everyone knowing." He spoke strongly, Herrmann leaning back against the door frame. "Look, just show her you're still there for her, that she can rely on you like she used to. That's all you can do, Herrmann."

"I know, I just wish I'd done a better job of that before this all happened." He mused, shaking his head slightly.

"I know what you mean." Kelly agreed instantly, "But we can't focus on that now. Just show her you'll be there, and she'll come to you if she needs to. Just like she would before." Herrmann nodded, understanding the conversation had come to an end.

"I'll get out of here, try and let you get some sleep." The older man spoke, making a move for the door but he stopped suddenly, turning back to face Kelly, the squad lieutenant looking at him with a raised eyebrow. "Just… Casey at least knows what happened, right?" Kelly couldn't help but blow out a sigh as Herrmann refused to drop it. He opened his mouth to reply, but the older firefighter cut him off. "I just want to know she's not dealing with it alone. Whatever happened to her over there, she doesn't need to hold onto all of it by herself."

"Casey knows what all happened, so does Antonio." Kelly assured him, understanding his irritating curiosity was coming from a good place. "Matt's got her," He said forcefully, "he and Antonio are making sure she gets past all this. You don't need to worry about that, Herrmann."

With one last nod, Herrmann left the room quietly, Kelly leaning back in his chair as he watched the door shut against the frame, silence yet again filling his office.

Gabby rested on her side as her eyes stayed locked on the body beside her, watching the slow movement of Matt's chest rising up and down with each breath his sleeping body took. Her eyes flickered to the clock, seeing it now just past five, before they moved back towards the man she loved more than anything.

It had been a long, rough night for the couple as Matt's symptoms had hit him full force. He'd wake up with either debilitating nausea, a pounding headache, or he'd need to gag into the bin by his bedside, his body trying to expel contents that were no longer there. Gabby felt like she hadn't slept one second. Every time he woke up, she woke up, his condition leaving her unable to fully fall asleep. And when he was sleeping, she found herself waking up every ten minutes or so, needing to see with her own eyes he was still okay. She eventually gave up the repetitive process and decided to stop trying to go back to sleep half an hour ago, so now she laid there with her eyes locked on him, afraid that if she looked away or closed her eyes she'd miss something.

She knew that even though this night had been hell for her, it was worse for Matt. She could only imagine how uncomfortable he felt and what all his body was going through, she just prayed that he'd stay asleep for awhile. It had been over an hour since he last woke up, that being a new record for the night, and all she wanted was for him to stay asleep a little longer. His body needed the rest to recover.

Unfortunately, it was only a few minutes later when she saw him start to shift around, Gabby watching him slowly come into consciousness. She sat up on her elbow, watching him closely, waiting to see if he what kind of state he was in. But as far as she could tell, he seemed relatively okay.

Matt rolled towards her slightly, his eyes slowly opening as he adjusted to the darkness around him, it taking a few seconds before he was able to make out Gabby's form beside him. As he gathered his bearings, he was surprised to not feel that sudden wave of nausea that had accompanied the previous times he'd woken up through the night, and that the formerly pounding headache present in his skull had dulled considerably. Feeling like he'd finally woken up, the first thing he noticed was the concerned look on Gabby's face.

"What's wrong?" His voice was raspy, but she heard the confusion in his words as he saw her sitting up in bed, watching him.

"Nothing," She responded softly, "just making sure you're okay." She saw him smile through the dark room, Matt reaching out for her and slowly pulling her into him, Gabby carefully resting her head on his chest. "This isn't hurting you, is it?"

She felt him chuckle, the soft noise filling her ears. "No, no you're not." He assured her, placing a soft kiss to the top of her head. Hesitantly, she cuddled into his side, feeling his arm wrap tightly around her back.

"How are you feeling?" She asked quietly against his chest, her hand coming to rest against his collarbone, rubbing her thumb gently against him.

"Decent." He murmured, Gabby feeling his hand slide down to her waist, moving under the shirt covering her to caress her bare skin. "I don't feel like I'm gonna throw up any time I talk, which I'd call an improvement." She nodded at his words, finding herself focusing on his warm hand moving up and down her back, the feel of his skin against hers relaxing her. Her eyelids were drooping slightly, Gabby finding she had to force herself to stay conscious. "My head still hurts, but not as much as it did yesterday." Matt continued, his voice jolting her awake.

"Maybe you're past the worst of it." Gabby replied quietly, her voice barely above a whisper.

Matt glanced to the clock, seeing how early it was. Knowing how tired he was from waking up so frequently throughout the night, he could only imagine how tired Gabby was. Even in his haze, he knew that every time he woke up, Gabby was by his side, ready to do anything he needed. And if her being wide awake when he woke up was any indication, she didn't get much sleep while he was resting either. Moving his free up to the side of her head, he lightly ran his fingers through her hair, smiling when she hummed in contentment at his actions.

He continued rubbing up and down her side, alternating between running his fingers through her hair and cupping her head in his palm, rubbing over her temple with his thumb. He could feel her slipping from consciousness, but every time she got close to sleep she would force herself to wake back up.

"Go to sleep, Gabby." He spoke against her head, feeling her dig herself deeper into his hold. She gave no verbal response, aside from a slight moan that he took to be compliance.

He found himself fading as well, the feeling of Gabby's steady breaths against him lulling him back into his slumber. Before he let himself go completely, he made sure she was sound asleep. He knew how hard the last day had been on her, he knew how exhausted she must've been. In all the fuss around him, he knew no one had been taking care of her, including herself. Even though it wasn't much, he would do whatever he could to look out for her. And as he let himself start to drift, he thought about how he would spend the rest of his life doing just that.

First off, can I just say thank you so much for the overwhelming support I got on the last chapter. To know so many of you enjoy this story and want to see it continued makes me so excited about the plans I have for this. I'm beyond grateful for each and every one of you who continue to read this story.

Also, there's an idea that's been stuck in my head for months for another dawsey story, and I kind of want to start writing it and see where it goes. It's an AU one, kind of. Would anyone be interested in another dawsey story? I would definitely still be continuing this one, I just can't get this other idea out of my head and I think it would be a fun to write. If any of you would be interested in another story, please let me know!

I can't wait to hear what you all think of this one, thanks for reading!