Back with another chapter for you guys. I hope you enjoy!

But, real quick, I wanted to let you all know that the first chapter of my new Dawsey story has been posted! It's called "Whatever Comes Next" and I'm really excited about it. I hope you all like it as well.

Chapter Thirty Six

"Yeah, I promise, I've been taking it easy. Matt has made sure of that."

Casey overheard Gabby talking on the phone as he prepared their lunch, a soft chuckle escaping his lips as he cut her sandwich in half. It had been one week since Gabby's trip to the hospital, and she was currently on the phone with Dr. Tanner's office, following up as promised.

The past week had gone relatively well for the couple, the only sources of tension coming from Matt's refusal to let Gabby do much of anything. Any time she tried to even go and do the smallest thing, Matt would usher her back to bed or the couch, and complete whatever task she'd wanted to do. He'd become somewhat overbearing, and that mixed with Gabby's own frustrations of not being able to do anything caused her to become a little snappy, at times. But Matt took it in stride, knowing anytime she bit out a remark at him, it wasn't personal. He knew he'd be just as frustrated as she was if he was in her position, if not more so.

Her frustrations hadn't been helped by the fact that Matt still had not gone back to work yet. He got close to going to shift yesterday, but backed out at the last minute, not wanting to leave her alone. It wasn't that he didn't trust her to be by herself, he just knew she sometimes got ahead of herself and acted on impulse. He needed to see with his own eyes that she was okay, and being away from her for over 24 hours wasn't exactly conducive to that. So he decided to stay home another shift, even though he knew he was driving Gabby insane.

But he would take the moments of anger, because it meant she was okay. She was acting like Gabby. She'd always been a little hotheaded, at times, and part of him actually found it comforting to know she wasn't afraid to snap at him. It meant they were getting back to being themselves. They were acting like the couple they'd always been. So he would take that any day, because it meant they were just being them. And the times she did get frustrated with him were few and far between, Matt able to tell she didn't really mean it by her apologies that would follow almost immediately.

Aside from Gabby being forced to stay at home, this week had provided a sense of normalcy to them that had been missing lately. They had gotten back into the rhythm of being a couple again, which was something that had fallen to the wayside during the last few weeks. It was nice to just be Matt and Gabby again, neither of them taking that for granted.

"Yeah, the 26th, we'll be there." Gabby's voice broke through again, Matt grabbing both of their plates and heading for the living room, seeing her perched on the couch, her legs tucked under her as she held the phone up to her ear. He placed their food down on the coffee table, Gabby flashing him a thankful smile before speaking again. "Alright, thank you. See you next week."

Matt sat down on the couch as she hung up the phone, Gabby placing it down on the end table before turning her attention to him.

"Thanks for lunch." She spoke, leaning forward and grabbing one of the plates, settling in as she placed it on her lap.

"No problem." He responded, reaching for his own meal, leaning back into the couch.

They sat in a comfortable silence as they ate their food, both of their attentions focused on the show on TV. Matt had finished about half his food when he looked to her, his movements gaining her attention.

"So, I think I'm gonna go back to shift in a couple of days." He spoke, Gabby swallowing the bite she'd just taken, raising her eyebrow at him curiously. "I know you've been getting sick of me, and I know you're okay enough to be by yourself for a little bit. But that doesn't mean I still won't be checking up on you constantly." He spoke, Gabby smiling softly at him.

"I'm not sick of you, but yeah I could do without so much of the overbearing Matt that's been here recently." She spoke with a gleam in her eye.

"I haven't been that bad." He defended, Gabby looking at him unimpressed.

"You wouldn't even let me start my own shower." She replied, Matt blowing out a heavy breath.

"Okay, maybe you have a point. But I'm just worried about you."

"I know you are." She responded, bringing her hand up to caress over his cheek. "But you don't need to put your entire life on hold, especially when I'm fine. And if something were to happen while you were at work, you know I'd call you."

Matt nodded, taking another bite of his lunch, Gabby moving her hand down from his face towards his neck, playing with the short hairs there.

"And you can't stop avoiding your construction, too." She spoke, Matt turning towards her, a curious look on his face. "I've seen you ignore call after call, you can go and work Matt. I'm fine."

"Yeah, I know." He breathed out, "I just… I wasn't there for you when you needed me, I refuse to let that happen again." Matt admitted softly, a frown forming on her face. Gabby moved her plate from her lap, placing it on the table before leaning towards him.

"Matt, I promise you I'm okay. If I weren't, you'd be the first to know." She spoke, watching as his gaze flickered down, avoiding her eye contact. "And you need to let go of this guilt you've been holding onto." Gabby whispered, grabbing his chin to get her to look at him. "I know that's why you've been so overprotective. I mean, you always have been to an extent, but not like this. And I get it, I know I scared you and you feel responsible for what happened, but you've gotta let that go."

Matt nodded, releasing a soft sigh. "I haven't been meaning to smother you, it just makes me feel better when I'm here." He responded softly.

"I know. But you have to trust that I'm okay. I know everything could've been worse, but it wasn't. Both of us are alright." She murmured, running her thumb over his jaw. "I love you, I love how protective you are, but I'm okay to shower by myself, alright?" She spoke with a teasing tone to her voice, trying to lighten some of the heaviness in the room.

Her smile widened when she saw a soft grin appear over his face, Matt raising an eyebrow. "But that's not nearly as fun." He joked, Gabby smirking as she leaned forward to place a soft kiss on his lips.

"We can talk more about that when I've been cleared to return to normal activities." She spoke against his lips, kissing him again quickly before pulling back. "But until then, please promise me you'll get back into your life again. I mean, one of us should at least."

"I'll go back next shift." He assured her softly. "And I'll see if there's any small jobs I can do, like I normally would."

"Good."

"But if you're intent on kicking me out of the house, then expect constant texts and phone calls so I know you're alright." He responded, Gabby huffing out a breath.

"I can deal with that." She spoke, patting his chest before going back to her sandwich, Matt watching her for a few more moments before continuing his lunch as well.

Matt ran his hands through his shampooed hair quickly as he massaged out the product under the stream of water, steam filling the room as he showered. He continued going through his routine, lathering his body as he let the hot water fall down over his skin. He'd been caught up in his thoughts until he heard the shower door open, a cold rush of air hitting his skin as he turned to find Gabby standing there, Matt noticing she'd changed from her pajamas to a pair of leggings and a baggy t-shirt, her hair pulled up into a bun.

"I thought you weren't gonna join me?" He questioned with a cocked eyebrow, continuing to clean his body while she stood there.

"Don't get your hopes up, I just came to tell you that Jemma's here. I didn't want you walking out there without being decent." She spoke with a grin.

"Thanks for the heads up. I'll definitely try to make sure I have clothes on before coming out." He responded, washing the soap off his body, trying to ignore how cold he was feeling from the change in temperature. But Gabby saw him involuntarily shiver, a slight frown forming on her face.

"Sorry, I tried getting your attention but you didn't hear me."

"No, it's fine. I'm glad you're here actually, I got a call from Mr. Johnson before I got in, I guess some of his grandkids were messing around and they broke the two bottom steps on his deck that I fixed a few months ago. I told him I'd come over there and fix them."

"Well, hopefully you fix them better this time, if a couple of kids could break some stairs." She teased him, Matt putting his head under the shower head one last time.

"Funny. Except his grandkids are in their twenties." He defended lightly, turning off the water and spinning to face her. "But do you mind? I know this morning you were all ready to kick me out, but I wasn't planning on leaving today."

"No, I don't mind at all." She responded, handing Matt his towel and giving him room to step out. "I have Jemma to keep me company. And you can't feel nervous leaving, not when I have a trained paramedic with me."

"That's a good point." He muttered, drying his body before wrapping the towel around his waist. "I shouldn't be gone too long, but if you could just text me every so often, so I know you're alright."

"I will. Tell the Johnson's I said hi." She responded, Matt nodding before she placed a quick kiss to his lips. "I'm gonna get back to Jemma." Gabby moved to the doorway as she spoke, Matt following her.

"I hope you two have fun." He replied, Gabby flashing him a smile as she moved to the bedroom door, slipping out of the room and closing the door behind her.

When she turned to face the apartment, she found Jemma where she'd left her, the woman still standing at the counter in the kitchen. "Sorry about that." Gabby spoke, Jemma waving her off. "You want anything to drink?"

"Water's fine." Norris responded, Gabby nodding as she moved to the fridge, pulling out two bottles of water. After handing one to Jemma, she led her friend towards the living room, the two sitting down on either side of the couch. "You and Matt have such a nice home, Gabby." She spoke, taking a sip of her water.

"Thank you, we like it here."

"I'm sorry I couldn't get here sooner, I was just wanting to make sure you had time to get settled and everything."

"Oh, it's fine. I appreciate you stopping by. Aside from Matt, Severide, and my brother, I haven't had much company." Gabby responded offhandedly, Jemma furrowing her eyebrows at the statement. Seeing as how everyone from 51 had been glued to the hospital when Gabby was there, she found it odd no one else had come to visit, but she didn't dwell on her words.

"So how are you feeling? I've been checking in with Matt, he says you've been doing alright."

"Yeah, yeah, I'm good. Both of us are good." She spoke, placing her hand over her stomach. Jemma nodded with a soft smile, patting Gabby on the arm before taking another drink. Noise caught their attention as they looked towards the bedroom door as it opened, Matt coming out dressed in some thicker clothes, having planned for his afternoon outside.

"Hey Jemma." He greeted with a smile, walking towards the living room.

"Hey Matt, you headed out?"

"Yeah, I have a construction job this afternoon." He replied, moving towards Gabby, leaning down and placing a quick kiss to her lips. "I'll be back later, I hope you all have fun." He spoke, waving goodbye to Norris before heading for the back door.

"Be safe, I love you." She called after him.

"I love you too." He responded, grabbing his wallet and keys before disappearing through the door. Once she heard the door shut, she turned her attention back to Jemma, heat rising to her cheeks as she saw her friend watching her with a soft grin.

"Yeah?"

"Nothing, it's just you guys are cute." She responded, Gabby biting on her bottom lip as she looked down towards her lap. "I don't know that many married couples, but from my experience I haven't seen a lot of happy ones. Especially ones that have been together for as long as you and Matt have. It's just refreshing, seeing that there are happy couples out there."

Gabby's tongue poked out between her teeth, running over her lips as she thought over Jemma's words. "Well, I mean it definitely isn't easy. We've had a lot of ups and downs."

"I know you have, but you two are still together. I know you said you all went through a rough patch when you were doing your relief work, but it's not like you all broke up or anything. Whatever it was, you two got through it." She spoke, guilt flooding Gabby's body at her words.

When she first made the decision to refer to Matt as her husband at work, she did it because it was easier. In that moment, it was easier to just call him her husband rather than explaining the lengthy and painful situation to people she'd just met. But now, Jemma was one of her closest friends, if not her best friend, and she hated lying to her.

"It's just nice to see a couple like you two. It gives me hope for mine. My parents didn't exactly set a good example growing up, they hated each other. They only stayed together because of me, and ended up getting divorced when I was a kid anyway. Growing up, I didn't even realize that couples were supposed to be happy and in love, you know?"

Gabby's eyes fell closed momentarily, unable to shake the unsettling feeling in her gut. She didn't want to keep Jemma in the dark anymore. She didn't want to be afraid of saying the wrong thing, and have Jemma find out she's been lying to her since the first day they met. She didn't want her to be blindsided by it. It might not even be a big deal, in fact Gabby prayed it wouldn't be, but she wanted Jemma to know. And she didn't want Jemma to find out from someone other than herself.

"I need to tell you something." Gabby spoke up, breaking through Jemma's words, the young brunette looking to her curiously.

"What's up?"

"Matt and I… we aren't married." Jemma's face morphed into a look of confusion as the words sunk in, Jemma's eyes flickering around the room.

"Why did you tell everyone you were?" She asked, Gabby hearing nothing but uncertainty laced in her voice. Thankfully, she didn't sound angry.

Sucking in a deep breath, Gabby looked forward, avoiding her friend's gaze. "We were married, we used to be, before I left. We had been for over a year and a half. But then a lot of things happened, I went to Puerto Rico and, at the time, decided not to come back, so we got a divorce." She explained quietly, Jemma only more confused by her explanation. Before her friend could say anything, Gabby continued. "I'm sorry I lied, I just- when you asked me, I didn't know any of you. And Matt and I were back together, so I just figured it was easier than explaining everything that had happened to someone I didn't know."

"You don't owe me an explanation, I just don't get why you still called him your husband? I mean, you could've just said he was your boyfriend. It's none of my business, I know, I just don't understand, I guess." Jemma spoke, working through her thoughts out loud.

"I know, but he's so much more to me than that. It felt wrong, to refer to him as just my boyfriend. After everything we've gone through together, he's always been more to me. I don't know, it felt weird calling him that." Gabby explained the best she could, Jemma nodding. "But I should've told you sooner, you're my best friend and I should've told you the truth."

"It's okay, Gabby." She responded, wearing a soft smile. "Like you said, you didn't know any of us when you first got there, you had no obligation to share your life story when we'd just met you." Gabby released a breath of relief, Jemma furrowing her eyebrows, realizing how worried Gabby had been about this conversation. "You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. I'm just glad you're not mad at me."

"Why would I be mad? I mean, yeah, I don't really understand it, but I don't have to. And I'm sorry you all got a divorce, but as long as you two are happy, that's what matters. I don't know what went on, why you two ended things or why you got back together, it's none of my business. You had your reasons for what you did, there's nothing to be mad at you for." Jemma explained, hating that Gabby had been worried about her reaction. Sure, she would've liked to know that they weren't actually married, but when it came down to it, it really made no difference to her. She hadn't known them when they were married, or when they got divorced. In her eyes, Gabby had nothing to apologize for.

"Thank you, Jemma." Gabby responded, Jemma furrowing her eyebrows, her words only causing more questions to form in her mind.

"You don't have to thank me… but, uh, I do have one question, it's not really about you and Matt, well I don't think it is, it might be..." She started, Gabby nodding at her to continue. "You don't have to answer if you don't want to, but I've been kind of curious about it for awhile."

"What is it?"

"Did something happen between you and everyone from your old house?" Jemma asked, watching as something flickered in Gabby's eyes, something Jemma read to be a flash of hurt. "I just… there's a weird vibe there, anytime we see them, and it's always made me a little curious. But you don't have to tell me if you don't want to, or it could be nothing at all, I don't know." She rambled, shaking her head. "But hearing the way you talk about them sometimes, and you said no one's really been to see you… I've just wondered what happened there."

Both women sat in silence for a few seconds, Jemma watching as Gabby began fiddling with her hands in her lap, looking anywhere but towards her as she took deep breaths.

"You know what, forget I asked. I shouldn't have said anything. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset you."

"No, no it's fine. It's just… well it's a lot. There's a lot that happened, between everything with Matt and I and the fallout there, it kind of left things in a weird place between me and them." She spoke quietly, Jemma watching her with sad eyes. Gabby finally looked towards her friend again, flashing her a weak smile. "This is a pretty long story, you sure you don't have anywhere to be?" Gabby asked, Jemma shaking her head.

"I'm good. As long as you don't mind telling me."

"No, I don't. I just- no one knows the full story aside from Matt, and he experienced half of it, so you'll have to bear with me. I've never really told anyone the whole thing."

"That's fine, take your time."

"Well, uh, I guess the best place to start would be what happened that caused me to leave." She started, settling back into the couch, Jemma turning her body to face her. "About a month before I went to Puerto Rico, Matt and I decided we were gonna start trying to have a baby. We'd had some, uh, issues in the past when it came to expanding our family, so it was a big decision for us." Gabby spoke, taking to messing with the edge of her shirt as a distraction. "I was getting a little impatient, and decided we should go see my doctor, to make sure everything was alright. But when we went, I found out I had an aneurysm, and it- it makes it dangerous for me to go through a full term pregnancy." A frown formed on Jemma's face as she heard the news, her eyes flashing down to Gabby's stomach before moving back to her face. "That news really threw us, and it led to one of the worst fights Matt and I have ever had. We both said terrible things to each other, I was determined to still carry our baby, Matt didn't want me to, and we both just kind of blew up. After that, it left a lot of uncertainty between us. Things weren't good... I, uh, I wasn't sure if he still loved me, or if we could get past it, so I decided to go to Puerto Rico to get some space."

"Gabby… I'm so sorry." Jemma whispered, Gabby shaking her head.

"It's okay. When I left, it wasn't supposed to be a permanent thing. But once it was time for me to come back home... Matt and I, we weren't in any better place than we were when I left, and I got scared. We were both scared, we didn't know how to fix things, and it tore us apart. I got offered a permanent position, and decided to take it. I came back, asked him to go with me, but he didn't. So we ended things, and got a divorce because we felt like we had no other choice. Both of us were afraid that our problems weren't fixable, so we kind of just gave in. It was stupid, and both of us regret it because we still wanted to be together. But it felt like everything was too much for us to handle, so we just..." Gabby trailed off, trying to stop herself from rambling.

"Is that what caused problems between you and the rest of the house? The divorce?"

"I don't know, really. I kind of cut myself off from everyone here, not because of them but because everything was just too much, and I wasn't really dealing with it. I found it easier to forget about everything going on at home while I was there, and they never reached out to me after I first left either. When I told them what I was leaving to do, none of them seemed interested, and it kind of felt like I'd already left even before I had. I hadn't spoken to anyone except Matt and my brother while I was gone, and then after the divorce, it was just my brother. Matt and I, we weren't in a good place. He was angry at me, and I'm sure people at 51 picked up on that. I think they resent me for leaving, and for what it did to Matt." Gabby explained with a shrug. "And Brett and I, we got into this huge fight right before I left because of a call. I wasn't handling myself well, she said some things, and we never really talked before or after I left. We've smoothed things over, I guess, but it's still weird." She spoke, Jemma nodding in understanding. "I love everyone at the house, they were my family for so long, and I think things are definitely better. When I worked that shift, everyone was great. Well, aside from Foster, but that's another story. But once that was done… it's like they only know how to act around me when I seek them out. They're still hesitant to come to me. And I get it, I left and never reached out, but things are still just a little off. Especially between Brett and I. I'm not surprised you picked up on it."

"But you came back, shouldn't they be happy you're here?"

"They are, I think. But when I came back to Chicago and then decided not to come back to 51, I think they took that as just something else I'd done to them. How I came home, but chose not to come back to work there, I think that upset them."

"But hadn't your spot been filled?"

"Yeah, it had. I don't think they saw it that way, though. And it didn't help that when I first came back, I refused to really see anyone." She spoke, taking a steadying breath as she prepared herself for the topic that was coming.

"Why?" Jemma asked carefully, sensing Gabby's hesitation.

"I, uh... I never had any intention of coming back home. Even though I wanted to, and I missed Matt so much, I didn't come back because I didn't want to ruin anything else. I'd hurt Matt enough, I didn't want to come back just to throw a wrench into his life again. I thought he hated me, though when I came back I found out he never did. But at the time, I didn't know that. So even though I was unhappy, I wasn't planning on leaving."

"So why did you?"

"I… I was attacked, in my home." She admitted quietly, hearing Jemma's breath catch in her throat. "They broke in, destroyed the place, they threw me around." Tears welled in Jemma's eyes as she listened to Gabby, hating that her friend had gone through something so terrible. "I was pretty beat up, I had some injuries to my ribs and my shoulder, all the swelling, bruising, and cuts weren't pretty either. That's how I got this scar," She continued, tapping her finger against the mark on her forehead, "and I have a few other ones. They definitely did damage."

"Gabby, I-" Jemma was at a loss for words, unable to find the right thing to say to her friend. Instead, she leaned forward, wrapping her arms around Gabby tightly, holding on to her for a few moments as Gabby relaxed into her. "I'm so sorry that happened to you."

"It's okay, really it is." She whispered, Jemma wiping under her eyes as they separated. "But it's what made me decide to come home. I came back here, and Matt and I… we found our footing again, were able to work through the things that drove us apart." Gabby spoke, crossing her arms over her lap. "But, uh, the attack- I've had a lot of problems dealing with my anxiety since that happened. That's why I've had those panic attacks. Those guys who broke in, they did a lot more than physical damage." Jemma just nodded, not wanting to interrupt while Gabby was working her way through the story. But she placed her hand on Gabby's arm, rubbing softly over her skin, hoping to give her friend some comfort.

"Things are getting better though, for me and for Matt. I've gotten a better handle on dealing with my anxiety. And Matt and I, we're in a much better place than we were even before our fight. The last year, before I left, had been hard on us, but since I got back, we've been doing really well. The pregnancy kind of threw us though, it's made things difficult." Gabby spoke quietly. "I still have the aneurysm, there's a chance this baby could kill me…" Jemma forced herself to take a deep breath as Gabby continued. "And I'm struggling with coming to terms with that, but I couldn't get rid of this child. Not when Matt and I have lost two children already." Jemma's brows furrowed at the new information, Gabby not even realizing what she'd said until she saw her friend's reaction. Releasing a heavy sigh, she spoke. "I had a miscarriage, a few years back. And then about a year after that, Matt and I were fostering this boy, Louie. We were planning on adopting him, but… it didn't work out." Gabby shook her head softly as she thought of her lost children, forcing that hurt down as she continued telling her story. "So I made the decision to keep this baby. And Matt wasn't happy about it. He couldn't risk losing me, and before I collapsed, things had been really hard between us. Matt had been avoiding me, we were falling back into old patterns that had ruined us in the past, that's why I was kind of a mess every time you saw me. And that's why I freaked out when I found out I was pregnant. But we're okay now, we're better. It's not easy, but Matt's not angry anymore. We're getting through it."

"Wow… I- I don't even know what to say."

"Yeah, it's a lot. But that's everything. Everything that happened to make me leave, everything that's happened since. But, uh- no one from 51 knows about that. They don't know about the attack, or the aneurysm, we never told them." Gabby said, Jemma nodding in understanding. "Well, Kelly and Herrmann know about the attack, and, well, Foster does too, I guess. But that was an accident. And Kelly knows about the aneurysm, but other than that, they don't know anything. And I think that hasn't helped things, either. They know something happened to me, but they don't know what. So they don't know how to help."

"Have you ever thought about telling them? Obviously, it's up to you, but maybe it would help things."

"Yeah, that's what Matt and the Chaplain have said." Gabby mused, Jemma raising her eyebrows in question. "I've been seeing a Chaplain, Chaplain Orlovsky, since I started struggling with panic attacks. He's been helping me since I've been back. But both him and Matt have talked about me telling everyone, and I've thought about it. When I told Herrmann, I did find myself feeling better that someone else knew. But the thought of telling all of them is still kind of daunting."

"I get it. Well, actually, I don't. I can't imagine what all this has been like for you. But all that matters is that you're doing what's best for you. I'm just glad you trusted me enough to tell me."

"Of course I trust you, you're one of my closest friends." Gabby spoke, a soft smile falling onto Jemma's face. "You actually remind me a lot of my best friend, Shay."

"Really?"

"Yeah, you do. I mean, you're a lot more composed than she was. She was just- she was crazy. But you couldn't help but love her."

"She's sounds great." Jemma replied sadly, not missing how Gabby spoke of this woman in the past tense.

"She was. She- she was killed during a call, we all got caught in a building during an explosion, she didn't make it."

"I'm so sorry." Gabby just smiled sadly, taking a deep breath.

"Me too. But you two are a lot alike. She would've absolutely loved you."

"I wish I could've met her."

"You would've gotten along great, as long as you could get past her intrusive questions and brazen personality." Gabby joked, Jemma chuckling. "But enough about me." Gabby spoke, Jemma understanding she needed to change the subject from her fallen friend. "With everything going on, I really haven't been able to check in with you. How are you and Marcus doing?" She asked, watching as Jemma's face lit up, Gabby unable to stop the smile appearing on her face at seeing her friend so happy.

"We're great, he's great." She spoke lightly. "He's been busy working, but we're doing good. He actually stopped by the house earlier this week, I hate you weren't there to meet him."

"Maybe you two and Matt and I could go out to dinner sometime, you know once I'm cleared to leave the house." Gabby responded with a smile, Jemma's eyes lighting up at the idea. "It would be fun."

"That would be so much fun." Jemma agreed, perching herself on the edge of the couch in excitement.

"My appointment is on Tuesday, and hopefully I'll get cleared by Dr. Tanner to actually be able to be a person again. But once I get the all clear, we can set something up." Gabby spoke, Jemma nodding in agreement.

Both women settled into the couch, moving onto lighter topics of conversation as they caught up, having missed each other more than they realized over the last week.

Matt walked into their quiet home a little after eight, muttering curse words under his breath as the back door shut louder than he intended. There were no other sounds in the apartment, and all the lights were off except for the one above the stove, that one that Gabby always kept on for him if he was coming home late.

After locking up, Matt went through his normal routine, discarding his keys and wallet in the bowl, cutting through the kitchen to get to their bedroom. He stopped to get himself a glass of water before heading towards the room, turning off the remaining light as he went. Stepping inside the room, Matt smiled as he saw Gabby sound asleep in the middle of their bed, tucked under the covers, her body facing away from him. He had a pretty good idea she'd been asleep for awhile, Gabby having not answered the text he sent checking in on her an hour ago, and the one telling her he was on the way home.

Matt had been gone way longer than planned, and if not for the constant reassurances from Gabby all afternoon that she was fine, he would've left the job unfinished. But thankfully, he managed to complete his work, and he'd be able to spend all day with her tomorrow.

Placing his glass down on the nightstand, Matt turned on the lamp, Gabby still deep in her unconscious state as he began getting ready for bed. It was still early, way earlier than he'd normally sleep, but he was exhausted. And the only thing that sounded good right now was laying in bed with Gabby in his arms.

Within ten minutes, Matt had gotten ready to sleep, stripped down to his boxers as he moved back towards the bed, sliding under the covers and laying behind Gabby as he got himself situated. Turning off the lamp, he got comfortable as he slipped his hand under the sheets, sliding it over her waist and resting on her stomach, his other arm bent under his head. Holding onto her, Matt could feel the firmness of their child underneath his touch. She wasn't really showing yet, but he could feel the difference whenever he held her. Her abdomen had gotten maybe the slightest bit fuller over the last few weeks, but it wasn't anywhere near noticeable. The only people who could notice any physical difference at all were him and Gabby. But changes were definitely happening, Matt being reminded of that every time he touched her stomach.

"Hey." Gabby's raspy voice pulled him from his thoughts, Matt pressing his body into her as he leaned forward, placing a kiss on the back of her head.

"Hey. Sorry I was gone so long." He whispered into the darkness, Gabby relaxing her body into his.

"It's fine, did your job go okay?" She murmured, exhaustion still evident in her voice.

"It did. Took longer than I thought it would, but it was good. I didn't get snowed on, so I'll call that a success." He felt Gabby nod against him, placing her hand over his on her stomach. "I told Mr. and Mrs. Johnson about the baby." He whispered, Gabby humming in response. "They're really excited for us, said if we needed anything to let them know." She nodded at his words, Matt tapping his fingers lightly over her stomach. "And Mrs. Johnson wants to make you this little basket of, what she called, baby essentials. I told her she didn't have to, but I guess she did it for each of their kids when they were expecting, and she said she wants to do it for you, too."

"That's so sweet." Gabby mused, Matt able to hear how grateful she was despite her fatigue. "They're really nice people."

"Yeah, they are." He agreed, leaning to rest his head on her shoulder. "Did everything go okay here?"

"Mhmm." She hummed, a yawn escaping her lips. "Jemma and I hung out for awhile. I, uh, I told her everything."

"About the aneurysm?"

"Well, yeah. But I meant everything. Like everything that's happened to us, and me." She explained tiredly, realization soon hitting him.

"And how'd that go?" He asked softly.

"Surprisingly well. I'm glad she knows now. I hated feeling like I was lying to her." Matt placed a kiss on her shoulder as a silent response. "But after that we just sat and talked, and then she left after a while. It was good though, I'm glad I could see her."

"Me too."

"So, did you manage alright? Being away for so long?"

Releasing a soft chuckle, his rubbed his thumb over her stomach. "I did okay. I couldn't stop thinking about you, but that's not unusual."

"Such a sweet talker." She murmured, fighting off her exhaustion.

"But no, it was fine. I was worried, but I managed to get through the day with only calling you once."

"You texted me like ten times." She countered, Matt sighing.

"Baby steps." He responded, Gabby laughing before another yawn escaped her mouth. "But you should get back to sleep, we can talk more in the morning. I love you."

"Love you too." She whispered sleepily, it only taking a few minutes before he felt her body completely relax into his, her even breaths telling him she'd fallen asleep.

It took him awhile, his body not used to sleeping this early, but soon enough Matt was able to succumb to his own exhaustion, falling asleep to the steady rise and fall of her chest.

Matt tucked his white Captain's shirt into his pants, feeling Gabby's eyes on him as he moved around the room, turning to face her as he zipped up the blue material, clasping the button in place before beginning to work on his belt.

"And you're sure you don't need me to stay?" He asked for the fourth time this morning, glancing down quickly towards his belt, not seeing Gabby chuck a pillow at his head until it smacked him in the chest. "Hey!"

"If you ask me one more time I'm gonna strangle you with it." She replied, Matt sure she was only half-joking. "I love you, but you're driving me insane. I promise I'm gonna be fine. Antonio is stopping by later, Jemma's off today so she's gonna come by and have dinner with me tonight, I'll be in good hands." She assured him for what felt like the millionth time.

Picking up the pillow, he walked it back over to the bed, sitting down on the edge in front of Gabby, who'd been sitting up, her arms crossed over her bent knees. "You know I'm never gonna stop checking in on you, right?"

"Of course I do, but you gotta believe me when I tell you I'm alright." She said, reaching out to brush her fingers over his forehead. "I know you're gonna check up on me, I've given you every right to be worried. But when I tell you I'm okay, you can trust that."

"I do, I'm just feeling a bit… anxious, I guess, about leaving you. But I know you'd tell me if something was wrong. And pretty soon you're gonna be able to get back to work and everything, so I gotta get used to being away from you again. Just promise me you'll make sure to eat enough."

"I promise." She assured him, although her food and liquid intake hadn't been a problem since she came home from the hospital. But she knew he needed to hear assurance out loud.

Matt nodded, leaning forward to capture her lips in a surprisingly heated kiss, one much more intense than anything they'd shared since being home from med, really since before finding out about the baby. But Gabby welcomed it, urging him on as she leaned into him. When they pulled back, she was panting, her head cocked to the side as she saw the smug look covering his face.

"Trying to remind me of what I'll be missing?" She asked teasingly, Matt shrugging as he pushed himself up from the bed.

"Maybe. But before you get any more ideas, I'm gonna get out of here. Wouldn't want me to be late on my first day back, now would we?" He asked, leaning down to give her a much more tame kiss, Gabby smiling against him before he pulled back. "I love you, I'll talk to you later. I hope you have a good day with your brother and Jemma."

"I will, stay safe out there. You've got two people who need you and are waiting on your safe return home." She spoke with a gleam in her eye, Matt's eyes flickering down to her stomach, a light smile falling onto his face.

"That's true. I've got two very important people waiting for me." He responded softly, placing one last kiss against her forehead, lingering there for an extra second before he pulled back, being met by a soft smile from Gabby. The smile that made him fall in love with her. "Alright, I really need to go or I'm gonna be late. I'll see you tomorrow morning." Matt told her, heading towards the bedroom door, knowing if he didn't he'd be calling into work for a very different reason.

"See you then." She called, watching him until he disappeared, Gabby collapsing back into the bed with a content smile on her face.

"Hey, would you look who it is. Casey's back!" Matt heard as soon as he stepped foot inside the garage, his delay with Gabby this morning getting him here later than he planned. Looking up, he saw scattered members of 51 around the garage, his eyes finding Herrmann first, nodding towards the man after his greeting.

"Yeah, it's good to be back." He said as firefighters began to crowd around him. He did mean what he said, he missed being here. But, still, part of him would much rather be at home with Gabby.

"How's Dawson doing?" Otis asked, eager ears listening intently as all eyes were on Casey.

"She's doing good, feeling a lot better. You all could've stopped by, or called her. She would've loved to hear from you guys." He spoke, clearing his throat. He'd been surprised by the lack of contact people from 51 had with her since her stint in the hospital. For as worried and concerned as they'd been while she was there, it didn't seem to translate into them reaching out. Aside from Severide's frequent visits, Gabby's few phone calls with Herrmann, and him and Boden keeping constant contact, as far as he knew, no one else had checked in with her. There was still apprehension on their end, and he hated it, because of how it affected Gabby.

Although she hadn't come out and said it, he knew it was bothering her. She'd asked him a few times over the last week if he'd heard from anyone, and the other day when Jemma was there, he heard her comment about no one having stopped by to visit her. She'd never say it directly, but he knew the radio silence from members of 51 was upsetting her.

A thick silence filled the large room, Matt glancing around at his coworkers, seeing unsure looks on their faces. Thankfully, Severide quickly spoke up, breaking through the uncomfortable feeling that had settled around them.

"Whenever I saw her, she looked like she was feeling better. I'm kind of surprised you lasted this long without Gabby kicking you out, though. Especially the last few days, she'd had about enough of you." Kelly joked, Matt letting out a dry chuckle, earning similar reactions from the firefighters around them.

"Yeah, well, she'd been trying for days and I finally gave in." He replied.

"But really, we're all glad she's okay. She had us worried." Severide responded, earning agreeing nods from those around him.

"Yeah, me too." Matt spoke quietly, blowing out a heavy breath as his eyes met Boden's, the older man hanging back behind the group. Excusing himself, Matt stepped in between Brett and Foster, taking the quickest path towards the Chief as he walked towards him.

"Glad to have you back, Casey." He spoke, Matt shaking his hand.

"Thanks Chief. And thank you, for being so flexible with my schedule here lately. You don't know how much I appreciate it."

Boden nodded, his eyes flashing back towards the group that had since gone their separate ways, returning to the tasks they'd been doing before Casey came in. "Have you all decided anything? About when you're going to tell people?"

Clearing his throat, Matt nodded. "Gabby and I talked, we're still going to wait like we planned. I mean, I know there's a lot of people who know already, so there's a chance people will find out before, but Gabby still wants to wait." He explained quietly, knowing there were prying ears everywhere.

"Understood. But, for peace of mind, I did pull Brett and Foster aside after we got back from the hospital. I know you said they found out on accident, so I went ahead and made it clear that it wasn't common knowledge, and it wasn't meant to be."

"Thank you, Chief." Matt spoke gratefully, glad that Gabby had one less thing to worry about. He adjusted his bag on his shoulder, glancing down to his watch, realizing it was already a few minutes past shift change. "I need to get ready for shift, but I appreciate everything you've done for me and Gabby. And I know she does, too."

"Anytime. Like I said, you two are family." Boden replied, patting his Captain on the shoulder before the two men separated, Matt heading for the locker room to prepare for the next twenty four hours.

And there was another one. I know this one is a little shorter than normal, but this chapter was kind of a stepping stone into my next few storylines, and I didn't want to add more filler just to make it longer, you know? I'm looking forward to a few of the things I have planned for this, it definitely gets interesting. (Don't worry, there's no more Dawsey fighting. I think we've all had enough of that.) But there are some, challenges, let's say, that are gonna be popping up soon for one of them in particular.

But now, Jemma knows everything. Which is good. Gabby needs people in her corner who know what all she's been through.

Also, as I mentioned before, my new story is up, I got chapter one posted yesterday. It's on my profile if you want to check it out! It's very different from this one, but I'm enjoying it so far. I really hope you all are interested in it.

As always, thank you all so much for the continued support on this story, and the support I've already gotten on my new one. You all are seriously the most amazing people, I appreciate you all so much. You all keep me inspired to continue writing. Everyone who takes time out of their day to read my work, it means so much to me. I'm looking forward to hearing what you thought of this one!