Hello hello hello everyone. Here's the next chapter for you guys. It is a little shorter, but I think the content makes up for the lack of length. I literally just finished revising this chapter a few minutes ago, I usually never cut it that close but I wanted to make sure everything in this chapter was the best it could be.
Remember in the last chapter how I said we were very close to baby Casey? Well… We're even closer to meeting baby Casey. We are very, very close...
Happy reading.
Chapter Fifty Eight
"You're sure you don't mind?" Casey asked as he stood in front of their bed, looking down at a heavily pregnant Gabby as she lay propped up against their pillows, the firefighter tucking his white shirt into his pants that were hanging off his hips.
"I would throw this pillow at you if it wouldn't take me forever to get comfortable again, yes I'm sure." She assured him firmly, Matt chuckling as he buttoned up his pants, beginning to work on his belt. "You've been working for the past two weeks, today isn't any different."
"Yes, but I specifically remember us talking about how last shift was going to be my last."
"No," She corrected, tilting her head to the side. "You said how you thought that last shift should be your last, and I said no." She reminded him, Matt chuckling as he walked towards the bed.
"Is that how that conversation went?" He asked teasingly, Gabby rolling her eyes.
"Yes, that's how that conversation went." She replied, Matt smirking as he leaned down, pressing a passionate kiss to her lips, Gabby bringing her hand up to grab the back of his neck, keeping him close to her. Gabby pulled back first, her lack of oxygen proving to be an issue as Matt smiled at her, focusing on the feeling of her fingers running through his hair. "Now, I want you to go to work, and be careful."
"I'm not going anywhere until your dad is here." Casey reminded her, Gabby rolling her eyes.
"He'll be here any minute, nothing's going to happen in that time."
"Yes, nothing will happen because I'm not going anywhere." He replied, kissing her again quickly before sitting down on the edge of the bed, placing his hand over her large stomach.
"You're gonna be late."
"They'll understand." He responded quickly, Gabby shaking her head before relaxing back into the pillows, placing her hand over Matt's.
At almost 37 weeks pregnant, Gabby was definitely feeling the effects of her body being taken over by another person. Even though their little girl was on the smaller side, she was still taking up as much room as she could, Gabby having paid the price for it. But with only a little less than two weeks left to go, Gabby also just wanted everything to slow down. She wanted to enjoy the last little bit of this pregnancy, and enjoy as much time as she could with Matt and her family, before everything changed.
"We still have your appointment tomorrow, right?" Matt questioned, earning a swift nod from Gabby.
"Yeah, at nine." She replied, Matt rubbing his thumb over her stomach. "Hopefully everything will still be the same… As much as I want to meet her, I'd like her to stay in there a little bit longer."
"I'm sure everything's fine, nothing's changed since we left the hospital, I think you'll make it to the day of your c-section." He responded, Gabby nodding in agreement.
In the week and a half that Gabby had been home, they'd pretty much finished up all the preparations needed for their little girl. Well, Matt had gone out and done all the hard parts, Gabby giving him specific instructions from the comfort of their bed. It took a lot of Facetime calls, and double and triple checking things while he was at the store, but they managed to get everything just how she wanted it. They were all ready to bring their girl into the world, they just wanted her to hold off a little bit longer.
Matt stole a quick glance to his watch, seeing that even if Ramon showed up in the next ten seconds, he'd still be late for work. But he didn't care so much about that; Gabby was his priority here, and she wasn't supposed to be left alone. He refused to leave her alone.
"What's the schedule for today?" Casey asked, looking up to meet her eyes.
"Well, my dad is supposed to be here until around lunch time, then Jemma's coming to stay with me until Antonio gets off work, then he'll be here until you get back from shift." She relayed to him, Matt giving her a nod.
In the time since Gabby had been home, Matt had yet to miss another shift of work, only because of everyone who had been willing to help them out. It was mostly Jemma and Antonio, with Ramon working his way into the mix when he could. But along with that, Brett and Foster often stopped by the apartment to come visit Gabby, Matt appreciating that more than he could say. He knew how helpful it was for her to have her friends around and be around people, so he appreciated anyone who took the time to come see her. It was harder to do so on shift, but off, Severide had been by the apartment multiple times a week, along with Herrmann and Kidd stopping by often. Gabby had plenty of visitors, and Casey knew it helped her deal with being confined to this bed.
"You really can get going, Matt. I'm sure he'll be here soon." Gabby spoke again, Matt shaking his head, opening his mouth to respond. But he was cut off by a loud knock on their back door, Casey flashing her a grin.
"I bet that's him."
Matt pushed himself up from the bed, walking out of the bedroom, seeing Ramon standing at their back door, Casey going to let him in.
"I'm sorry I'm late, Matthew. I know you need to be getting to work."
"Oh it's fine, don't worry about it. Uh, Gabby's in there, she's already had breakfast, she'll probably nap here soon. She said Jemma should be by around lunch time, and I'll probably be by to see her at some point, but I don't think I'll be back before you're gone."
"Sounds good." Ramon replied, Matt nodding.
"I'm gonna go say goodbye to her real quick." He told his father in-law, the man nodding before Casey disappeared into the bedroom. "Alright, well I'm out of here." He spoke, pressing a kiss to the top of Gabby's head once he got to her.
"Be safe."
"I will, I promise." He assured her, giving her another quick kiss before pulling away. "I'll try and swing by at some point this afternoon, but just call me if you need me, alright?"
It was the same conversation they had every morning before he went to shift, Gabby giving him a nod. "I will, I love you."
"I love you, too." He spoke, flashing her a wide smile before walking back out into the apartment, finding Ramon where he left him. "I'll see you later, pops. Thanks for helping out."
"No need to thank me, be safe out there." He reminded him, Matt smiling as he moved towards the back door.
"I will." He repeated, saying to Ramon what he'd already promised to Gabby, Casey giving him a wave before heading outside, hurrying to his truck.
By the time Casey pulled up to the firehouse twenty minutes later, it was a quarter after shift change. Although he always hated being late, and prided himself on his punctuality, he knew his tardiness couldn't be helped. And the second he left the apartment, he messaged Boden, letting him know he'd be late.
Once he grabbed his bag and locked up the truck, Casey began jogging up the driveway, seeing all of the rigs still parked in place, telling Matt he hadn't missed any calls. When he got to the garage, he slowed his pace, seeing all of squad sitting sat their table, Matt grasping onto the bag resting over his shoulder.
"Look who finally decided to show up." Severide called when he saw his friend, standing up to match Matt's stride.
"Hello to you too, Kelly." He replied, nodding towards the other firefighters before he and Severide headed for the double doors. "Did you all finish role call?"
"Yeah, a few minutes ago, Boden let everyone know you'd be late." He answered, Matt nodding as he stepped into the firehouse, seeing Boden standing in the common room, talking to Herrmann.
"Hey Chief." Casey greeted, Boden patting Herrmann's shoulder before moving towards his Captain.
"Hey Casey, is Dawson okay?"
"She's fine, her dad was just late getting to our apartment, and I couldn't leave till he got there." Matt explained, earning a nod from Boden.
"But she's still doing okay?"
"She is. She's sick of being stuck in bed, but she's alright. We have another appointment tomorrow, just to make sure everything's still good, but so far it's looking like we'll make it to our scheduled delivery date."
"That's great, Casey." Boden spoke, clasping him on the shoulder. "Is today still your last shift until after the baby?"
"Yeah, it is." Matt confirmed, Boden giving him another nod before heading for the hallway.
"I'll make sure headquarters knows, I hope you have a good last shift."
"Thanks Chief." He responded before the man disappeared around the corner, Matt looking back towards his friends.
"So, little baby Casey will be here soon, huh?" Herrmann spoke up, Matt nodding as he felt eyes around the room on him.
"Yeah, she will be."
"Have you two decided on a name yet?"
"Oh, good Lord don't get me started on this." Kelly breathed out frustratedly, Matt rolling his eyes as he smacked the back of Severide's head.
"What's wrong, Severide?"
"I've been trying to get him to tell me the kid's name for weeks, and he won't."
"That's cause we haven't decided yet." Casey responded, Kelly waving him off.
"Yeah, but you've narrowed it down and you won't tell me what they are." He replied, falling down onto the couch next to Herrmann.
"You'll find out when we do, Sev."
"How many do you have it narrowed down to?" Herrmann asked, Matt directing his attention to the older firefighter.
"Well, we had it down to four, each of us had two we really liked, but then we each chose one of those. So now it's down to one, her choice and my choice."
"Do you know which one you're leaning towards?"
"No, not really. We keep going back and forth."
"Well, you two will figure it out. If anything, when you see that little baby, you'll know."
"Really?"
"Yeah, you will." Herrmann replied, flashing the Captain a smile.
"You and Dawson are making this way too complicated." Kelly interjected again, Casey narrowing his eyes.
"We're naming a person, Sev. It's not just something you decide on a whim." Matt replied, Kelly putting his hands up in defense.
"No, but it also doesn't need to take months. I'm tired and I just want to know if I approve of my goddaughter's name or not."
"You'll either like it or you won't, your opinion won't change it." Casey countered, Kelly rolling his eyes.
"Well, it should." He muttered, Casey raising his eyebrows.
"Do you really want to know the two we've narrowed it down to?" Matt asked, Kelly's ears perking up.
"Yes."
Their conversation had gotten the attention of the entire room, everyone waiting eagerly to hear the choices for the name of baby Casey.
"Alright, well… Gabby's choice is…" Matt slowed down his words, Kelly waiting impatiently for him to continue. Before Casey could, the bells rang out, calling truck and ambo to a car accident, Matt smirking towards his friend. "Oh, would you look at that."
"Come on." Kelly groaned, Matt sliding his shift bag down off of his shoulder, throwing it at Kelly.
"You'll find out when everyone else does, Sev." Casey replied with a grin before heading out to the garage, leaving an annoyed Severide in the common room.
Gabby grimaced as she slowly came into consciousness, the dull cramp in her side pulling her from her slumber. Moving carefully, Gabby sat up as much as she could, her eyes narrowed as she adjusted to the light flooding in through the curtains, her mind foggy as she tried to figure out how long she'd been asleep. Glancing at the clock, she saw it was almost three, confusion and shock filling her body. The last thing she remembered was her dad bringing her lunch around noon, then she must've passed out soon after that.
"Hello?" Gabby called out, hearing the TV playing softly from out in the living room. Pressing into her side, Gabby looked towards the doorway, waiting to see if anyone was here. Within seconds, Jemma appeared through the door, wearing a soft smile on her face.
"Hello there." She greeted, coming to stand beside the bed. "How'd you sleep?"
"Good, I didn't think I'd be asleep this long." She replied, Jemma nodding as she sat down on the edge of the bed.
"Well, you need the rest. I switched off with your dad around one, I checked on you a few times but you were passed out every time- Are you okay?" Jemma asked, seeing the wince on Gabby's face.
"Yeah, I've just got a cramp, but I'm alright." Gabby responded, Jemma looking over her form before nodding. Gabby slowly reached over to the nightstand, searching for her phone. Seeing her struggling, Jemma quickly stood up, grabbing the phone and handing it to her, Gabby shooting her a thankful smile.
Her eyebrows furrowed when she saw she had no messages or missed calls from Matt; that definitely was unusual for days he was on shift.
"Have you heard from Matt?" Gabby asked, looking up at Jemma, seeing the woman nod.
"Yeah, I texted him when I got here, and then we talked about an hour ago. He's good." Jemma assured her, Gabby nodding as she felt another cramp in her side. "Do you need anything?"
"Can you help me to the bathroom?" Gabby asked after a second, Jemma smiling softly as she nodded.
"Of course." Jemma stood up from the bed, pulling back the covers and holding out her arms for Gabby to grab onto. Slowly they managed to get Gabby to her feet, Jemma carefully leading her to the bathroom. It was a slow process, but within ten minutes Gabby was back in bed, resting on the freshly propped pillows. "You still feeling okay?"
"Yeah, yeah, I'm just a little more cramp-y than usual today. I might try and sleep some more."
"It couldn't hurt." Jemma agreed, situating the covers over Gabby, knowing that despite the heat outside, the temperature in the apartment was kept in the mid-60s to keep Gabby cooled off. "I'll get you some more water." She offered, Gabby nodding as she relaxed into the pillows. "I'll be right back."
"Thanks Jemma." Gabby replied, smiling softly at her friend as she left the room, Gabby trying to ignore the uncomfortable cramping in her stomach.
"Casey, you don't have much time. I give you about ten minutes, then get out." Boden relayed to his Captain as Matt prepared his firefighters to enter the burning building, Casey giving him an understanding nod.
"Got it. 81, with me." Casey spoke, Boden watching his firefighters enter the building just as squad and 61 rolled up, having come from another call.
"What do we got, Chief?" Severide asked as he climbed down from his rig.
"Not sure the cause, but the building's gone up. 81 went to the top floor."
"61, do you copy?"
Boden and Severide looked over towards Brett and Foster, hearing Main calling out to them over their radios.
"We're here." Brett responded.
"We need you to head to another call, 61. I've got backup sent to your building fire, we've got an emergency call about two blocks from you."
"Alright, we'll head there, where is it?"
Everyone stopped dead in their tracks when they heard Main rattle out the address, Severide's eyes widening as he turned to Boden.
"Isn't that…"
"You've got a 36 weeks, almost 37 weeks pregnant female going into labor. She's on bed rest, and doesn't think she can get to the car."
"We've got it, Main. We're on our way." Brett spoke quickly, running back towards the rig, Foster following closely as Sylvie jumped into the driver's seat, the paramedics leaving within seconds.
"We gotta get Casey out of there." Severide spoke as he masked up, Boden taking a deep breath.
"Casey, what's it looking like in there?" Boden asked through the radio, holding up his hand signaling Severide to wait.
"Not good, Chief. We've got a family up here, Otis is coming down with the father but we can't find the kids." Casey replied, Boden taking a deep breath.
"Chief, let me go in and tag him out."
"Casey, how much longer?" Boden asked, ignoring Kelly's statement.
"I don't know, Chief. We're spreading out, trying to find these kids."
"Chief, if we don't get him out of there and he misses the birth of his kid… he'll never forgive us. Especially if something happens to Gabby." Severide spoke firmly, Boden pursing his lips together as he nodded, sending Severide and squad in.
"Casey, where's your location?"
"Top floor, east side of the building in the last room."
"Severide, did you hear that?"
"Heading there now." Kelly replied.
"Casey, Severide's coming to cover for you, you need to get back out here now."
"What? Why- What's going on?"
"Dawson went into labor."
Casey stayed silent on the other end of the line, Boden drawing in a deep breath, waiting for a few more seconds before speaking up again.
"Casey?"
"What- When did she- She's not even due for another month, how did she go into labor already?"
Boden could hear how frantic Casey was on the other end of the radio, Chief knowing there wasn't much he could do to keep his Captain calm.
"Brett and Foster are on their way to go and get her, they're taking her to med. Get down here, and we'll get you there, alright? It just happened, 61 just got the call a few minutes ago." Boden replied as level-headedly as possible, not hearing anything in response from Casey.
"I just got to him, Chief." Severide's voice filled the air. "He's coming down right now."
"Got it." Boden replied, flipping his radio over to 61. "Brett? Foster? Any update."
"We just got to Dawson, she's definitely in labor." Foster responded first, Boden blowing out a heavy breath. "We're getting her loaded up soon-"
"Where's Matt?"
Boden heard Gabby's distressed voice in the background, Chief gripping his radio tightly before responding.
"Dawson, we're on a call, but I'm getting Casey out now and he's gonna meet you at the hospital." Boden spoke firmly.
"We're taking her out now, we'll see you guys at the hospital." Foster spoke, Boden sighing before flipping his radio back over.
"Where's Casey?" Boden spoke, knowing more than enough time had passed for him to get out.
"He's not down yet?" Severide questioned back quickly.
"No, Otis is down here, but he's the only one who's come out."
"I've got him." Kidd spoke into the radio, Boden's eyebrows furrowing.
"What happened?"
"Part of the ceiling fell through when I was coming down, I'm fine." Casey's hoarse voice came through, Boden releasing a heavy sigh.
Within a few more minutes, Casey and Kidd appeared through the doorway, Matt stumbling towards Boden.
"Are you okay?"
"I'm fine." Matt coughed out, ripping his mask from his face, Boden grimacing as he saw soot and a few scratches covering his Captain's face. The man was walking with a slight limp, but he didn't seem to care about that. "What's going on with Gabby, she went into labor?"
"She did, Brett and Foster are already on their way to med. Do you need to get checked out?"
"No, I need to get to the hospital." He spoke roughly, Boden nodding as he grabbed Casey's helmet and mask from him.
"Kidd, take him to med." Boden ordered, nodding towards his vehicle.
"Got it, Chief."
"I'm fine, I can drive." Casey argued but Boden shook his head.
"Kidd will take you. You're hopped up on adrenaline, you need a second to calm down." He spoke, Matt nodding as his eyes darted around, Boden gaining his attention once more. "Now get out of here, and go meet your daughter." Matt gave him another nod before jogging towards the car, Kidd climbing into the driver's seat.
Kidd peeled away from the scene, sirens blaring as she took the familiar route to the hospital, Matt's entire body on edge, his legs shaking in his seat, Casey reaching for his radio.
"Foster? Brett?" He called through the radio, impatiently waiting for their response. "Hello?"
"Casey." Foster's voice came through the radio first, Matt blowing out a heavy breath.
"How is she? Is she okay?"
"She's doing alright, we just got her dropped off. They took her straight upstairs."
"Okay." He responded, dropping his hand from the radio, Casey forcing himself to take deep breaths.
This wasn't supposed to happen, she wasn't supposed to go into labor yet. It was too soon. He didn't feel ready to be a dad. He didn't feel ready to do this. It was all happening too soon and he felt like he couldn't breathe.
He wasn't ready for this.
He wasn't ready for the possibility of losing Gabby.
"You okay, Captain?" Kidd asked softly, pulling him out of his thoughts.
"I just wanna get there." He answered, Kidd nodding in response, knowing there wasn't much else she could say.
Within the next few minutes, Kidd pulled up outside the hospital, Casey practically flying out of the vehicle before she even came to a stop, Matt not slowing down as he ran towards the ER doors. The second he got in, his eyes flew around the room, soon finding Brett and Foster in the waiting room.
"Where is she?" He spoke, ignoring the pain in his leg as he moved towards them.
"They took her upstairs, Jemma's with her. I'm not sure where." Brett responded, Matt barely registering her words before he jogged towards the nurses station.
"April!" He called, the woman looking up from her computer. "Where's Gabby?"
"She's upstairs on the fourth floor in labor and delivery." She spoke immediately, clearly anticipating his arrival.
"What room?" He questioned, his eyes darting around as April looked up her room number.
"4087." She told him, Matt running towards the elevator the second he got the information.
His impatient nature was getting the best of him as he waited for the elevator, Matt having to fight the impulse to just take the stairs, knowing his sore body would be even more angry at him if he tried to climb four flights of stairs. Now that he'd had time to calm down, he was definitely feeling the effects of his body slamming into the wall and getting hit with part of the ceiling, and even though he needed to get to Gabby, he knew he shouldn't try and climb all those stairs.
After what felt like an eternity, Matt got to labor and delivery, his eyes darting around as he tried to find his way in this unfamiliar section of the hospital.
"Can I help you, son?" An older nurse approached him, seeing his clearly frantic state.
"Yeah, um I looking for my wife? She just got brought here."
"What's her name?"
"Gabriela Dawson, she's in room 4087."
"Just straight down that hall, her room is on the left."
"Thank you." He responded before running in that direction, his eyes scanning the room numbers as he passed, finally getting to hers. Matt pushed the door open quickly, soon finding Gabby lying on her side in the bed, Jemma standing beside her. She was already changed into a hospital gown, and he could tell by the look on her face she was in pain. "Gabby." He breathed out, Gabby's eyes snapping open at the sound of his voice.
"You made it." She cried out in relief, Matt hurrying to her side, grabbing ahold of her hand.
"Of course I did, I'd never miss this." He responded, Gabby lifting her head slightly, Matt leaning down to kiss her, feeling her tears hit his cheeks. "Are you in pain, are you okay?"
"Only when I have a contraction, but they said they'll be back in here soon to give me the epidural." She responded, Matt nodding as his placed his hand over her head.
"What happened?"
"I woke up with some cramping. I got up to go to the bathroom, that helped a little but then when I was in bed it started again. Jemma went out into the kitchen to get me a drink, and that's when my water broke…. I kind of left behind a mess." She told him, Matt chuckling softly.
"It's okay, that doesn't matter." He assured her, rubbing her head.
"Then Jemma called 911, because I wasn't sure I could get to the car."
"No, I'm glad you called, I'm glad you got here safely." He told her quickly, watching as her body tensed, a grimace covering her face as she squeezed his hand tightly, Matt realizing she was having another contraction. Gabby groaned in pain, Matt pressing a kiss to her forehead, ignoring the numbness he was feeling in his hand from her unrelenting grip. "It's okay, baby." He whispered, stroking his thumb over the top of her head as he felt her relax a few moments later, Gabby forcing herself to take deep breaths.
"God, those really suck." She spoke quietly, Matt smiling softly before pressing another kiss to her head.
"I'm gonna get out of here, let you guys have some time." Jemma cut in, earning nods from both Dawson and Casey. "I'll go get everyone rounded up, let them know they can come to this floor."
"Thank you, Jemma." Gabby replied, Matt looking up.
"Yeah, thank you for getting her here."
"Of course. Do you need me to do anything else?"
"Can you call my brother and tell him what's going on? And ask him to call our dad?" Gabby requested, earning a nod from her best friend.
"Yeah of course, anything else?"
"No, that's all. Thanks Jemma." Matt responded, the paramedic flashing them both a smile before leaving the room, closing the door behind her.
Once they were alone, Matt focused his attention back on Gabby, seeing her eyes closed as she took steady breaths.
"Do you need anything? A drink? Or some ice chips? I don't know what good those do, but I always see people getting them in movies." He rambled nervously, earning a soft chuckle from Gabby.
"I'm okay… what happened to you?" She asked as she looked up at him, clearly only now registering his smoke-covered and scratched up face.
"Had a run in with a burning building." He replied, concern filling her features.
"Matt…"
"I'm fine, babe." He was quick to assure her, shaking his head. "I was leaving after I heard you were in labor and part of the ceiling fell, but I'm good. I'm not the one we're supposed to be worried about right now." He reminded her, giving her hand a gentle squeeze, Gabby reluctantly nodding just as the door opened once again, a whole group of nurses walking in.
"Hello Miss Dawson." One of them greeted, Matt standing up straight. "We're gonna get you all prepped for your surgery, alright? Is this the father?"
"Yeah, this is my husband, Matt." She spoke, Matt flashing them a smile.
"Well, congratulations to you both. Gabby, we did get in contact with your doctor, she's on her way, she told us to go ahead and get you ready because as soon as she gets here, she's going to deliver your little baby. So we're gonna get you all ready to go, if that's okay." She spoke gently, Gabby nodding in response. "Alright, good. Sir, you can stay if she doesn't mind, but we'll just need you to stay further up by her head." She instructed, Casey nodding as he glanced down to Gabby, feeling her grip on his hand tighten.
"I'm right here." He reassured her, Gabby nodding as he moved out of the way, keeping her hand in his, and his other on her head. Soon enough they had gotten her prepped and ready, Matt focused on keeping Gabby calm while they worked, letting her squeeze his hand extra tight while they did the epidural.
"Alright dear, we'll be back when it's time to take you to delivery. Just call if you need anything."
"Thank you." Gabby murmured, focusing on the feeling of Matt's fingers running through her hair as the expectant parents were left alone.
"You okay?" He whispered after a few moments of quiet, Gabby nodding as she slowly opened her eyes, a frown forming on Matt's face when he saw her holding back tears. "What's wrong?" His tender voice brought more tears to her eyes, one escaping down her cheek as Matt leaned down, pressing continuous kisses to the side of her head, Gabby wrapping her arms around him. She held him to her, silent tears streaming down her cheeks as she kept him tight within her grasp, not wanting to let go.
"I'm scared, Matt." She whimpered, his heart dropping into his stomach when he heard her words. "I don't want to die."
Tears clouded his own eyes, Matt pressing another kiss to her head, his lips lingering against her hair as he forced down his own emotions, knowing he needed to focus on her.
"It's gonna be okay." He whispered.
"But-"
"You're going to be okay." He repeated, pulling back far enough to meet her eyes, seeing fresh tears waiting to spill over. "You're gonna be fine. The both of you are." He spoke firmly, Gabby blinking furiously before she nodded, pulling him back down to her.
The position was uncomfortable, especially with the beating his body had taken less than an hour ago, but he didn't care. This was more important; she was more important.
"I love you." She breathed out into his ear, tightening her grip around his neck. "I love you so much. I love you more than anything else in this world, and nothing will ever change that." Her voice was soft, Matt fighting against his own emotions as tears threatened to spill over. "You are everything to me, and I need you to know you make the happiest woman in the world, Matt Casey. I'm gonna love you forever, no matter how long that is."
A single tear escaped down his cheek, Matt pressing continuous kisses to her skin, releasing a deep breath. "You are my entire world, Gabriela Dawson, or I guess it's technically Gabriela Casey." He spoke, his words bringing a bright smile to her face. "You are my life, and I'm the luckiest guy, getting to be married to you. And getting to love you, and be loved by you. I love you more than anything, you always have been and always will be the greatest love of my life."
"Until our daughter." Gabby cut in softly, Matt releasing a watery chuckle.
"You two are both the greatest loves of my life." He corrected, Gabby smiling before pressing a kiss to his neck. "But I love you so much, I need you to know just how much I love you, and how much you mean to me. I'm gonna be spending the rest of my life making sure you never forget it. You are everything to me too, baby."
Fresh tears slid down her cheeks, Gabby squeezing him tighter before pulling back, Matt feeling her movements and lifting his head away from her shoulder. Before he could say anything else, Gabby's lips were on his in an instant, kissing him passionately and intensely, holding him to her. Both of them relished in the feeling of one another, knowing there was a chance this could be one of the last times they ever got to experience it.
They pulled away only when necessary, Matt leaning his forehead down against hers, both breathing heavily.
"I love you." She murmured, Matt smiling softly before kissing her again, this one much more tame.
"I love you, too."
Their peaceful moment was interrupted by the door opening, Matt pulling back to see Dr. Tanner come in the room, already clad in scrubs, clearly ready for this delivery.
"There are the expectant parents." She spoke softly, Gabby nodding as she came closer to the bed. "How are you feeling?"
"Scared… and nervous. And excited." Gabby breathed out, Dr. Tanner nodding understandingly.
"I know, and that's okay. But just remember what I've told you from the beginning, I'm gonna do everything I can to get you both through this. Despite some challenges, this has been a very healthy pregnancy. You have a beautiful, healthy baby girl. And I'm gonna do what I can to make sure everything goes smoothly." She promised, Gabby and Matt both nodding. "Now, I know we're not quite at the 37 week mark, your girl is a little premature, but she should be fine. We gave you that medication while you were in the hospital to help progress the development of her lungs just in case, which will definitely help us now. She's already on the smaller side, but she should grow just fine. This isn't premature to the point where you can't hold her before we take her to the NICU, I want you to know that. As long as she's doing okay, you two should be able to have a moment with your girl before we need to get her checked out." She told them, a soft smile falling onto Gabby's face.
"Now, we're gonna get you in there soon. I will warn you, when you get in there, everything may look kind of intimidating. We've got the room set up for emergency surgery, just in case. Hopefully that's not anything we'll need to worry about, but if we do, we'll be ready. All I want you focused on is your little girl, alright?" She warned them, both Gabby and Matt nodding. "Alright, well we're gonna get you down there in a few minutes. Matt, you'll need to get gowned up. And I suggest cleaning yourself up a little bit." She spoke, earning a nod from Casey. "Okay, well I will see you both down there soon."
After some quick goodbyes, a nurse brought in the paper gown and mask Matt needed to wear to be in the delivery room, Casey reluctantly leaving Gabby's side long enough to strip out of his turnout gear and clean off his face, Matt tying the gown around himself and putting on the mask, letting it sit under his chin.
When he came back out, Gabby was all ready for transport, her eyes finding Matt's the second he exited the bathroom. After placing his gear down on the chair, he resumed his position by Gabby's side, holding onto her hand as they waited for her to be taken to the delivery room.
"You ready?" Matt asked, Gabby nodding slowly before they began wheeling her out of the room, Matt staying close behind her as they moved through the halls.
When they got to the delivery room a few minutes later, Casey was instructed to wait outside while they got her situated, those few moments feeling like hours as he sat impatiently. After what felt like an eternity, he was called in, Matt putting the mask over his face before he entered, seeing Gabby all ready to go in the middle of the room. She was surrounded by so many people, her lower half obstructed from his view as he was led to her, but he caught a glimpse of what appeared to be Dr. Tanner doing one last ultrasound, Matt reaching out and placing his hand on her bare shoulder.
"How are you doing, Gabby?" Dr. Tanner asked from down by her belly a few minutes later, Gabby focusing on the feeling of Matt's hand cradling her head.
"I'm okay, a little cold."
"I know, I'm sorry." She replied before looking towards Casey. "Make sure to just focus on Gabby until I tell you otherwise, Matt." She warned him, Casey nodding as he looked back to Gabby, giving her a supportive smile. "We're about to get started here, Gabby. You shouldn't feel any pain or anything. It'll be weird, you'll feel some things moving around, but nothing should hurt."
"Okay." She responded, wishing more than anything she could just reach out and grab Matt's hand, but she was unable to with her arms spread out on either side.
The process started going by in a blur, Gabby trying to focus more on the feeling of Matt's comforting hands than on the weird sensations that were happening further south. Dr. Tanner was right, it didn't hurt, but it felt strange. And with every move that was made, Gabby was just waiting for something to go wrong. She had never felt more anxious than she did in this moment, but she was doing what she could to stay calm, willing herself not to think about the various ways this could go wrong, how this could be some of her last few moments here with Matt.
"You're doing great, baby." Matt spoke quietly, Gabby nodding as she gave him a weak smile, trying not to focus on the dark thoughts filling her mind.
"We're getting close, Gabby. You're doing great, okay?" Dr. Tanner echoed, Gabby barely registering her voice.
It felt like this was never ending, that they'd been in here for hours, until suddenly they heard a loud cry fill the air, Matt's head darting up towards the sound.
"Oh my God." Gabby cried out the second she heard it, her tears spilling over as she listened to her daughter.
"Here's your baby girl, she's beautiful." Dr. Tanner spoke after a few seconds, two nurses dropping down the divider, leaving only a clear plastic sheet in between them, giving Matt and Gabby a view of their girl as Dr. Tanner held her up.
"She's here." Matt breathed out when he looked at her, his heart swelling as he heard her loud cries, Casey looking down to see happy tears continuously streaming down Gabby's cheeks. "She's here, baby." He repeated, leaning forward and kissing her, Gabby letting out a sob against his lips. "God, I'm so proud of you." He murmured, tears pooling in his eyes as he kissed her again before pulling back, both eagerly awaiting the moment they got to get a better look at their daughter.
It took a few minutes, but she was soon brought over to them, another sob leaving Gabby's lips as their now somewhat cleaned up daughter was placed against her chest. The cries of their little girl was like music to their ears as Gabby brought up her hand to rest gently over their daughter, the action causing fresh tears to fill her eyes as she felt her baby's skin against hers.
"She's beautiful." Matt choked out, their girl looking even smaller next to his hand as he carefully stroked the top of her head. "She looks just like you."
"She's perfect." Gabby spoke through her tears, another sob escaping her lips when their daughter gripped her finger with her tiny hand. "God, she's absolutely perfect."
"I love you." Matt spoke in Gabby's ear, pressing a kiss to her head. "I love you both so much."
"I love you, too." She whispered, kissing him softly before looking back at their daughter. "Hi, little girl." She murmured, having to continuously blink back the tears welling in her eyes, most of them falling down her skin. "I can't believe you're finally here." Gabby pressed a kiss to her daughter's forehead.
Matt pulled back a few inches from Gabby, stray tears falling down his cheeks as he took a moment to really look at his daughter, and he was sure he'd never seen anything more beautiful. She was small, small enough that the thought of holding her made him a little nervous. Small enough that it seemed like she would just disappear once she got in his arms, but for what she lacked in size he could already tell she would make up for with her personality. The second she got her parents attention, her loud cries quieted down a bit, Matt unable to stop the watery chuckle that escaped his lips as he watched her move around against her mom's chest.
Their moment was interrupted by Dr. Tanner, Matt unable to tear his eyes away from the image of Gabby and their daughter while she spoke.
"We need to get her to the NICU, just so she can be checked out since she is premature. But she looks great. You two seem to have a very healthy baby girl."
The parents spent one last moment with their daughter before the nurse took her away, Matt and Gabby both missing her the second she was gone, Casey watching closely as they got her ready to leave the room.
"Go with her, Matt." Gabby spoke, Matt looking back and forth between his two girls, unsure of what to do. "Please, go with her, I'm okay. I don't want her to be alone."
Reluctantly, he nodded, pressing a firm, longing kiss to her lips before pulling back. "I love you, I'll see you soon, alright?" He told her, earning a nod from Gabby.
"I love you too." She responded softly, Gabby blinking quickly a few times as Matt stepped away from her side, heading for the door.
"Dammit."
He heard that single word just as he got to the exit, Matt turning around as he registered the sound of Gabby's monitors starting to go crazy, his eyes widening when he saw a previously alert Gabby now barely conscious on the table.
"Gabby!"
"Get him out of here." Dr. Tanner spoke, Matt nearly vomiting when he caught a glimpse of all the fresh blood on the doctor's hands.
"What happened? What's wrong?"
"Her aneurysm ruptured, we've gotta get this under control, now." Dr. Tanner wasn't speaking to him but he heard her words, thick tears filling his eyes as he watched them put an oxygen mask over Gabby's face, her body now completely limp, Matt fighting against the nurses trying to get him out.
"Gabby!"
"Get him out of here!" Dr. Tanner yelled, Matt being forcefully shoved from the room into the hallway.
"Let me back in there, I need to be with her!" He shouted, but he was unable to get back in, a large male nurse holding him back, pushing him further from the door.
"They're doing everything they can for her, you can't be in there right now."
"But I need to- I need to be with her." He replied defeatedly, his hand coming up to rub over his mouth, tears falling from his eyes.
"Mr. Casey there's nothing you can do for her. Just go, go be with your daughter. She's the only one you can help right now." He reasoned, more tears escaping down Matt's cheeks as he looked back to the door separating him from Gabby. "Go be with your daughter."
Nodding slowly, Matt quit fighting, the firefighter taking a few steps back from the door, his breathing labored.
"I'll take you to her, okay? I'll take you to your daughter."
Wordlessly, Matt let this man lead him down the hallway, his mind unable to form a coherent thought as he tried to wrap his mind around what just happened. How what should've been the best day of his life was turning into a nightmare.
His worst fears were coming to light, and there was nothing he could do about it. The thing he'd been so afraid of was now his reality.
That the day his daughter came into this world would be the day his wife left it.
You all knew this was coming right? But hey, no matter what happens, at least Gabby got a chance to meet their daughter. Yay for little baby Casey!
I really enjoyed writing the birth, though I had to keep stopping because I'd get so emotional thinking about this happening on the show, and how we were robbed of that. God, I'm always gonna be upset over it. But at least I got to experience it this way, it's better than nothing I guess. I just hope I did it justice.
Also, I have a question for you guys, I want to know what you all are thinking. I'm not sure how much longer to keep this story going, or how much longer you all want me to keep it going. Do you all want to see Matt and (hopefully) Gabby raising their daughter? Or should I just wrap this up within the next few chapters? I believe I asked you all this awhile ago, but I just want to see what you all are thinking now that we're here, so if you could let me know that'd be so helpful. Thank you.
I'm super excited to hear your thoughts on this. Thank you so much for reading! The next chapter is gonna be… well, you all will see soon enough.
Thank you for all your continued love and support, it means everything.