Hello everyone. Here's the next chapter for you guys, I'm super eager to hear your thoughts on this one. I really enjoyed writing this chapter, and I hope you all like it. Also, I wanna thank you all for the kind words on the last one, it means so much to me.
Happy reading!
Chapter Seventy Eight
"Oh, you love the water, don't you? Yeah, I know you love showers, huh."
Gabby listened as her husband's soft voice filtered out of the shower, the tired mom relaxing in her bath as Matt took a shower with their daughter. Baby Sofia, now over five months old, was having the time of her life with her dad, the little girl giggling and nearly screaming at times, clearly excited to be spending this time with her father. It wasn't something they'd do all that often, taking their showers with Sofia, usually not unless their daughter wasn't feeling well, but recently Matt had started doing it whenever it was time to bathe their girl. He had done a few times over the last couple of weeks, and their baby girl absolutely loved it. And after their easy day at home, Matt decided to take a shower with Sofia before putting the little girl to bed.
From her position in the bathtub, the hot water surrounding her relaxing her muscles, Gabby had a perfect view of her husband and daughter, the glass boxing them in not very fogged up as Matt had kept the water at a very reasonable temperature for their little Sofia. And what she saw in front of her was a sight that would always warm her heart, Gabby watching as Matt cuddled their little girl to his chest, gently bouncing her up and down as she smacked her hands against him, sounds of excitement escaping her lips every few seconds.
He had already finished bathing her a few minutes ago, the two now playing together as the stream of water fell down on his back, Matt and Sofia off in their own little world as he continued talking to her, Gabby watching with a content smile on her face. Matt was doing all he could to keep their little girl occupied, the father knowing that at any minute Sofia would realize she was hungry and need to nurse, and Casey wanted to delay that for at least a few more moments, wanting to give Gabby a little more time to relax.
"You think smacking Daddy is funny?" Matt asked the baby, his voice light as his gaze focused on their baby, Sofia having moved to hitting her palms against his wet cheeks. "Yeah, I know you do. You think you're hilarious, your Momma's like that, too."
"I heard that." Gabby murmured, seeing Matt look to her through the wet glass, a shy smirk forming over his lips when they locked eyes.
"I love you." He responded quickly, Gabby shaking her head in amusement as a light scoff escaped her lips, Matt's grin widening.
"Mhmm."
"I do. And so does Sof, don't you baby?" He asked, turning his attention back towards the baby in his arms, Sofia giggling as her dad turned her around in his grip. The little girl's back was now resting against her dad's chest, Matt keeping an arm under her as they both faced Gabby, Sofia's squeals getting louder when she saw the glass in front of her, the baby immediately reaching out to smack her palms against it, the baby clearly amused by the sounds it was making. "Yeah, you love your Momma. How could you not? Your Momma's the best mom in the world."
"Real smooth." Gabby said, stretching out her tired arms in front of her, Matt keeping a firm hand across Sofia's chest as she continued to play with the side of the shower.
"Sof said it, not me." He replied without missing a beat, Gabby shaking her head before relaxing back into her bath, letting her eyes fall closed as she listened to Matt go back to entertaining their daughter, just as he had all throughout the day.
Their day at home had proved to be a relatively good one for the small family; as good as it could be under the circumstances.
It had been a little over two weeks since Matt's tires got slashed, and in that time Antonio and the Intelligence Unit had gotten no closer to finding the man who threatened Matt, or finding out anything in regards to who had vandalized his truck. Antonio was trying, both Matt and Gabby knew he was, but they only had so much to go on, and, whoever had done this, hadn't tried anything else since. Gabby assumed that the constant police presence around them had done the trick to deter whoever was doing this, but she also knew they couldn't live like this forever. She couldn't keep living her life nervous to leave her own apartment, but, unless they found this guy soon, she knew that wouldn't be changing anytime soon.
The only progress that had been made was Antonio ruling out Naomi as a suspect, the woman having an alibi for when Matt's tires were slashed, and there was no indication in her financial statements that led them to believe she hired anyone to do it either. Gabby knew from the start Naomi wasn't involved, that despite the weird timing, she didn't have anything to do with this. The surveillance footage of Matt's truck had pretty much told her that already, but Gabby was glad for the reassurance from her brother. But with Naomi being ruled out, that left only one person they could think of who would be doing this to them.
And without a full name, it was virtually impossible to even begin to find him.
Antonio had done what he could; he'd asked around the neighborhood where the crack house was located, he went back and interviewed everyone who was in the house that day that the police had on record, and he'd even reached out to Josh and Micah, trying to see if the young boy could remember anything else, but everything came up empty. The most they got was a nickname that a few different people corroborated, some people Antonio interviewed saying the man went by Nicky. And while it was new information, it wasn't exactly something that would crack this case wide open.
While they assumed it was short for Nicholas, that didn't really help them all that much, the common first name not doing enough to narrow their parameters. While putting the man's physical description and what they guessed to be a first name into their database had helped things somewhat, there were still way too many people to sort through. They had showed Matt a few possible suspects, some men who most closely resembled his sketch, but so far he hadn't been able to positively ID anyone. And since there was no guarantee this man was even in their system, or that 'Nicky' was anything close to his actual name, they hadn't been able to comb through every single possible man named Nick or Nicholas that fit the description. It was a tedious process, one that wasn't really getting them anywhere.
And everyone involved was getting frustrated.
It had seemingly been dead end after dead end over the last two weeks, and Gabby wasn't sure how much more of this any of them could take. Each time Antonio stopped by with some more photos for Casey to look at, and each time her brother would leave without any positive identification, it was like a little more hope was lost for all of them. It felt like with each passing day, they were getting farther and farther away from figuring out exactly what was going on, and they were faced with the harsh reality that the constant police protection and looking over their shoulders might be their lives for a while.
And it had not been an easy thing to adjust to. They weren't able to just go and live their lives, and it was becoming more and more difficult with each passing day.
Matt and Gabby couldn't do anything without first consulting whichever detail was on them at the time, they couldn't go anywhere without the police following along, Antonio insisting that there be at least two cops on them at all times. And while both Gabby and Matt felt more secure because of it, it had led to a fair share of logistical issues. There was no such thing as an easy task anymore, Matt just couldn't run out to the store to pick up a few things, everything had to be planned and everyone had to be on the same page. If any of them wanted, or needed, to go out for something, they quickly learned that meant they all had to go out. Either that, or wait for another police detail to get there so they could go with whichever parent needed to leave their home, while the other cops stayed on the apartment. It had become a logistical nightmare, which led to Matt and Gabby ultimately deciding to just spend most of their time at home, aside from work.
There were times it was unavoidable, times where they needed to go out, like for groceries or other errands. But every time they went out, they had cops with them. They were discreet, dressed in plain clothes and in an unmarked car, not wanting to raise any suspicion, but they were always there, one of them always going into the establishments with them, while the other stayed outside and kept eyes on their vehicle, being on the lookout for anything suspicious.
It was an ordeal, to say the least. Nothing was easy anymore, so they ended up just staying home whenever they could help it, the hassle more than it was worth most of the time to try and go out. But luckily, they had some amazing friends, friends who were more than willing to go and do little errands for them whenever they needed, Severide, Kidd, and Jemma having done whatever they could to make things a little easier on the family, but even that could only help so much.
Everything going on was definitely hard for them to come to terms with, and it seemed like with every passing day, they just became more and more on edge, the unknowns of all this weighing them down more than they could really understand. Gabby was struggling with this, as was Matt, both of them constantly worried for the safety of their baby, and for each other. It had been a very hard two weeks, and there were some days where it all felt impossible.
But Gabby knew the only reason she wasn't completely drowning was because of Matt. He was keeping her head above water while they navigated through this, her husband holding them all together even though he was struggling as well.
Despite her feelings towards him keeping this from her, she knew everything happening right now was in no way his fault. Even though he held onto the blame for it, Gabby never faulted him for this. Even at her angriest, she was able to understand that Matt telling them right after the call probably wouldn't have changed anything. This wasn't his fault, and she could never blame him for any of it. Especially when he was the only reason she was getting through this.
The first few days were rough, there was no denying that. Gabby was having a hard time getting past him keeping this from her, but the longer this went on, the more that anger began to fade away. He knew he messed up, she didn't need him to keep reminding him of that, and truthfully, even though she still had her moments, the last thing that would help them right now was for her and Matt to be at odds with one another. She didn't want that, she never wanted that, but especially not with everything going on. She was barely handling everything as it was, the last thing she could deal with on top of it was any weird tension between her and her husband.
Things between them had definitely gotten a lot better. And, to no surprise, Matt had been there for her every step of the way, even early on when she hadn't been very receptive to it at times. Despite his own struggles with everything going on, his only priority was Gabby and their daughter, Casey shifting his focus to making sure both his girls were okay. Even though it was clear one of them wasn't.
There were good days and bad days, for both Gabby and Matt, but Gabby seemed to have more of the harder ones than her husband did, her previous anger towards the situation morphing into worry and anxiety. She'd had a lot of hard days, so much so that about a week ago her and Matt had talked about her going back on her medication for her anxiety. It wasn't something she was exactly thrilled to be doing, in fact she shut him down the first time he brought it up, but it was something she soon realized she needed. That this would only get worse if she didn't do something to help herself. So, after some lengthy conversations with her husband, and a few calls to Dr. Tanner, needing the reassurance the medication wouldn't affect her breastfeeding or Sofia, she started taking her meds again.
She hadn't used them for awhile, Gabby priding herself on not needing them anymore, but the circumstances had changed, and for her to be able to function and be able to take care of her family, she needed them. And luckily, things for her had gotten better. It wasn't a complete fix, she wasn't magically okay with everything going on, but she was managing herself much better since being back on them. She felt like she had more control over herself, which was something she desperately needed during a time where it felt like she had no control at all.
And that was all she could do, was focus on the things she knew she had a say in. That was how she was able to keep herself together, was by focusing herself on the things she could control, things like taking care of their daughter. Sofia had been her number one priority, both Gabby and Matt doing everything in their power to keep things as normal as possible for their child, even though things definitely weren't business as usual for them. Sofia staying at the house had been an adjustment, but it was one their little girl took in stride, Sofia just happy to be around more people who loved giving her attention. Their baby girl had been handling things the best out of all of them, Sofia mostly oblivious to the severity of the situation. There had been a few times where she'd picked up on her parents stress, where Sofia had sensed the tension and it would cause her to become stressed out, but those times were few and far between. For the most part, she was just their happy little girl, and the house had helped tremendously with that.
It was clear to all of them that Gabby and Matt were having a hard time, that was no secret. So with Sofia being around while they were at work, everyone at 51 had made it a priority to help out however they could. Sofia was being held constantly, she was being entertained constantly, and, Kidd and Herrmann especially, loved helping feed her during the day. It had been an entire house-effort, everyone at 51 involved in making sure that not only was Sofia cared for, but that Gabby and Matt knew they had everyone's support. Unless they were out on a call, there were always multiple pairs of eyes on Sofia at once, and it was something that really helped both Matt and Gabby.
They never stopped worrying, and they knew they wouldn't until this man was caught, but knowing that every person at 51 had their backs, and were looking out for all three of them made them feel a lot better. And it only cemented the fact that keeping Sofia at the house with them was the right choice, even though at first it wasn't something they were sure they'd be allowed to keep doing.
The first two shifts where Sofia stayed with them had been fine. Sofia loved all the extra attention, and she'd handled being in her new surroundings relatively well. The house had been great from the moment they brought her that first time, no one having any issues with the littlest Casey being around. Everything had been going well, up until the third shift where they brought her.
Somehow, headquarters how caught word of 51's Captain having his young baby stay at the firehouse with them, and suffice to say, they weren't exactly thrilled with the arrangement. Gabby and Matt weren't sure how they found out, they knew no one from second shift would've said anything, and Boden hadn't said anything, either, so the parents had no idea how they found out. But they had, and they weren't on board with it.
That shift had been stressful for the family, to put it lightly, Gabby worrying that they wouldn't be able to keep Sofia with them anymore, and the thought of having to be away from her daughter that long had led to one of her weaker moments since this nightmare started, Matt having taken her and Sofia to his office for privacy while Gabby dealt with what she was feeling. That day had been a rough one at the firehouse, up until Boden came back later that evening with some good news.
The parents hadn't even realized he was gone, but Boden had spent nearly that entire morning and through the afternoon at headquarters, and by some miracle, their Chief had gotten them to agree to letting Sofia stay. Matt and Gabby weren't sure how, especially considering hours prior it looked like a sure thing that Sofia wouldn't be able to stay with them, but Boden had managed to get them to agree to it. They don't know what all was said, they don't know what Boden did to get them to allow it, but all they knew was that their Chief went to the mat for them. He made it known that Sofia wouldn't be anywhere else other than with her parents until this man was caught. Boden didn't say much of the actual conversation, just that he reminded the higher-ups that there was a man out there who had threatened the lives of one of the CFDs best Captains, and one of their most outstanding paramedics, as well as their child, and that the safest place for Sofia to be was with her parents. Obviously, there had been more to the conversation than that, if the sheer amount of time Boden had been gone was any indication, but, whatever he'd done, he managed to get them to agree to Sofia staying with them. And the parents were eternally grateful to him for that.
It had made this impossible situation a little easier for them to manage, Gabby and Matt knowing they wouldn't have to be separated from their daughter while all this was going on. Sofia and Matt were what Gabby was clinging onto, her family is what was keeping her afloat during all this; her husband and her daughter, as well as her firehouse family. She knew she wasn't handling this situation well, but she was trying, and she knew if not for everyone she had in her corner, and her not being able to be with Sofia, this would've been all the worse.
It hadn't been easy, none of it had been, but as she watched Matt entertain their daughter while in the shower, she couldn't help but feel like they'd be okay. She couldn't explain it, and maybe it wasn't logical when there was the chance that a psychotic murderer was coming after them, but something in her gut was telling her they'd be fine, and it was an instinct she was holding onto. Especially considering how well her and Matt were navigating this together. It wasn't that she was surprised by it, she knew that even though they'd had a few struggles with it in the past, her and Matt leaned on each other for support when they needed to. But she knew this was something that could easily tear them apart, that maybe two years ago it would have torn them apart, but now it wasn't. If anything, it had only made them stronger, and she couldn't help but feel comforted by that.
"You ready to get out, baby?" Matt asked Sofia, his voice bringing her back into the present as Gabby smiled at her family, seeing Matt turn off the water. "Yeah, let's get you all nice and warm- wait, Sof no, I'm not Momma." He spoke quickly, Gabby raising her eyebrows in amusement as she saw Sofia trying to latch onto her husband's chest, Matt looking up sheepishly as he did what he could to distract Sofia, the little girl eagerly trying to eat. "I think she's hungry, babe." He said, Gabby giving him a nod, her smirk growing as she began adjusting her position in the bathtub.
"Bring her over." Gabby instructed softly, Matt nodding as he adjusted the baby in his arms, Sofia crying as he turned her around, clearly frustrated her father wasn't letting her eat, Gabby watching on with a smile as Matt carefully stepped out of the shower.
It was a concept Sofia hadn't entirely grasped yet, that her dad couldn't feed her the way her mom could, the little girl just seeing a nipple and going for it. The parents figured that since both Matt and Gabby bottle fed her, and they both often did skin to skin with her while bottle feeding her, that she just assumed her dad could also nurse her as well, Sofia still too young to know any different. And though it didn't happen too often, it definitely wasn't the first time she'd tried to nurse on Matt, and they were sure it wouldn't be the last. But they always got a good laugh out of it, even though Sofia would fuss every time because, as she saw it, she didn't understand why her parents were stopping her from eating.
"Come on, Sof. You'll have much better luck with Momma, I promise." Matt spoke as he got to the bathtub, the little girl squirming around in his grip, desperate to eat as she was carefully handed to Gabby.
"It's okay, baby." She soothed, quickly positioning her daughter against her chest, the young girl needing little guidance once she got situated, Sofia latching on easily. "Yeah, that's better, huh?" Gabby spoke quietly, stroking her thumb over Sofia's cheek as the girl eagerly fed, her fist gripping onto Gabby's chest tightly, wanting to be as close to her mom as possible.
"I wonder when she'll grow out of that." Matt mused as he moved back towards the shower, grabbing his towel and beginning to dry off, Gabby looking up from their daughter to her husband.
"Who knows… I guess we should just be glad she hasn't tried it on anyone else." Gabby responded with a smile, Matt chuckling as he shook his head, tying the towel around his waist.
"That's a fair point. Although part of me wants to see her do it to Kelly." He spoke with a laugh, Gabby unable to stop her grin from widening at the image of that. "I swear, he'd be so freaked out. I don't know if he'd ever hold her again."
"Oh, I'm sure he would… just maybe away from his chest." She quipped, Matt shaking his head before moving towards the sink, continuing through his routine before bed while Sofia was feeding.
The couple fell back into a relaxed silence as Matt brushed his teeth, all of them winding down for the night, Sofia the most energetic of them all as she pinched Gabby's skin while she ate, the little girl still having way too much energy for as late as it was. Although it wasn't ridiculously late, it was already past her bedtime, both parents surprised she was still as alert as she was. But this was something that had been happening the last few nights, Sofia staying up later than she should, their little girl not quite ready to go to sleep. And along with that, with as much as the girl had napped today, Gabby figured she shouldn't be too surprised Sofia was still wide awake. With the family more often than not being cooped up in the house, they were running out of things to do, Sofia usually passing the time by sleeping throughout the day longer than she normally would.
Both parents wished they could get her out more, that they could at least go and take her on walks through the park, or something along those lines, just to get her out of the apartment, but neither of them really felt comfortable doing that right now. They didn't feel safe being so out in the open, not when they knew this man's weapon of choice was a gun. Even with the detail on them, Gabby wasn't sure if she could handle being that out in the open, not with her little girl. So, for peace of mind, they mostly stayed at home, and just tried to take her out whenever they could.
And that was just another reason both Gabby and Matt were thankful that Boden had gotten everything figured out, and they were able to keep Sofia at the house with them. It gave their daughter a change of scenery, it gave her new places to see, and more people to be around. It got her out of this apartment. And even though they didn't really take her outside while at 51, the building was much bigger than their home, and Sofia loved taking walks around the garage with her dad or with Uncle Kelly. The different surroundings were good for Sofia, and that was just one of the many reasons they were glad they were able to keep her with them.
"I'm gonna go change, are you good?" Matt asked as he placed his toothbrush back in its spot, wiping off his mouth before turning to look at his wife and daughter.
"We're good." She assured him, Matt giving her a nod before he disappeared into their bedroom, Gabby refocusing her attention on Sofia, the wide-eyed girl staring up at her mom while she ate. "Hi sweet girl." She murmured, Gabby seeing Sofia smile when she realized her mom was talking to her, the girl pausing momentarily before she continued to eat, her bright blue eyes shining back at Gabby, Sofia completely mesmerized by her mother. "...I love you so much, Sof. So, so much." She whispered, stroking her thumb along her daughter's cheek, Gabby feeling Sofia's grip on her skin tighten, the girl settled comfortably in her mom's arms, feeling completely safe and secure resting against her mother.
"She loves you, too." Matt spoke up, Gabby lifting her head to see him already having reappeared in the doorway, clad in a pair of boxers as he stepped back into the bathroom, his words bringing a soft smile to her face. He moved to hang up his towel before changing his path to the bathtub, smiling warmly down at his entire world. "We both do." He added, sitting down on the edge of the bathtub, resting his hand on her knee that was poking out above the water.
"You're not half bad, either." She replied with a lazy smile, Matt stroking his thumb along the inside of her knee, watching as Sofia held onto her mom.
"Is she getting sleepy at all?" He asked after a few moments, the family enjoying the peaceful quiet.
"A little… she's fighting it though." Gabby responded, rubbing her wet hand along the back of Sofia's head, Matt nodding before he bent down and grabbed a washcloth. Slowly, he dunked the washcloth into the warm bath water, wringing it out before carefully laying it across Sofia's body, wanting to make sure she wasn't getting too cold.
Matt kept his hand on his daughter's back, gently rubbing his palm along her skin, Gabby smiling as she looked up to her husband. "She got all excited when she felt you." She spoke softly, Matt's smile widening when his gaze moved to his daughter, watching as Sofia squeezed her mom's skin tightly in her fist, Gabby grimacing slightly.
"Okay Sof, don't hurt Momma." Matt said, moving his hand towards his daughter's, loosening Sofia's grip on Gabby, letting the baby hold his index finger instead of Gabby's chest. "Yeah, that's better." He murmured, feeling Sofia squeeze his finger tightly as she continued to nurse.
"Thank you." Gabby responded, Matt nodding, catching a glimpse of the red mark on her chest. "Pretty sure that one will bruise." She added, Casey wincing slightly.
"She definitely has quite the grip."
"Don't I know it." Gabby replied without missing a beat, Matt chuckling softly as he gently moved Sofia's arm around, the girl smiling as Matt entertained her. Gabby watched on with an amused grin for a few moments, Matt clearly enjoying the game as much as their daughter. "...Babe, we're supposed to be calming her down." She reminded him, Matt shooting her a sheepish grin, the firefighter ceasing his movements and resting his hand that Sofia was holding onto down against Gabby's upper chest.
"Sorry." He responded, ducking his head slightly. "...I got distracted." He spoke, Gabby shaking her head in amusement before looking back down to Sofia, the girl's eyes bouncing around, clearly not impressed by the fact that her dad had stopped playing with her.
"I know, I know, Momma ruins all the fun." She said, Matt grinning as Gabby adjusted the baby in her arms, her limbs a little tired from holding onto Sofia.
The family of three fell back into a comfortable silence, Gabby continuously running her hand along Sofia's back while the baby held onto her dad's finger, both parents coming to a silent understanding that it'd be better if they stayed quiet, hoping that would help their little girl relax. And it seemed to be working, Gabby seeing Sofia fighting more and more against her exhaustion, Matt feeling his daughter's grip on his finger loosen.
Within ten minutes, Sofia had finished feeding, the little girl barely able to stay awake as she unlatched from her mom, the baby resting her cheek against her mom's chest.
"Is she finished?" Matt asked, Gabby giving him a nod as she stroked her fingers through Sofia's damp hair, the baby nuzzling further into her mom's embrace.
"Yeah, she's done… I think she's ready for bed." Gabby responded, Matt pushing himself up from the side of the tub, turning to face his family.
"Alright, I'll get her down, you stay here, try and enjoy the rest of your bath." He spoke, Gabby nodding with a thankful smile before she passed off Sofia to her husband, the baby fussing when she was taken away from her mom. "I know, Momma's comfy." He said to his daughter, Gabby smiling softly as she watched Matt adjust their daughter in his arms before he moved to grab her towel off the counter. Keeping a firm grip on her, he managed to get the towel around her back, cradling Sofia to his chest before he moved towards the bedroom.
Relaxing back into her bath, Gabby closed her eyes as she listened to the sounds of Matt moving around their bedroom, getting their little girl ready for bed. He wasn't being very loud, but she heard him occasionally talking to their daughter, and she could hear him when he moved to the glider in their room, Matt rocking their daughter to sleep as they always did.
Their apartment was filled with nothing but a peaceful quiet, and she couldn't help but feel content in this moment, which was something that hadn't happened too often lately. With good reason, in fact she had the best reason, but sitting here right now, she felt at ease. She was sure this feeling wouldn't last very long, but she didn't care. For the first time in over two weeks, she felt okay. And she was gonna hold onto that for as long as she could.
"Sof passed out."
She smiled when she heard her husband's voice, Gabby turning her head towards the sound and opening her eyes, finding Matt walking back towards her, a soft grin resting over his face.
"She was asleep before I even finished getting her dressed. I rocked her for a bit, but she's out." He mused, Gabby giving him a nod as he got back over to her, resuming his previous position on the edge of the tub.
"Hopefully she will be for awhile… This is kind of late for her, so if we're lucky maybe she'll sleep well tonight." Gabby responded, Matt nodding as he rested his hand over her leg, giving her knee a firm squeeze.
"I think she will, she usually does." He spoke, Gabby shooting him a gentle grin before relaxing back into her bath, Matt rubbing soothing circles along her leg. "...How's my girl doing?" He asked after a few moments, Gabby opening her eyes to look at him.
"Your girl is sleeping." She replied lightly, Matt shaking his head in amusement, squeezing her leg again.
"I'm talking about my other girl… my first girl." He elaborated, even though they both knew who he was talking about. "How are you doing, baby?" Matt questioned directly, Gabby lifting her hand out of the water to rest over his arm, scratching her fingers lightly across his skin.
"I'm doing okay." She answered softly, Matt giving her a small smile. "Today was a pretty good day."
"Yeah, it was." He agreed, leaning down to press a kiss to her forehead. "Hopefully we'll have more of those." He murmured against her skin, kissing her head against before pulling back, seeing the content smile on his wife's face. "Well, I'll leave you alone, let you get some more peace and quiet before bed."
"Nah, that's okay… I'm ready to get out anyway. I don't wanna stay up too much longer with work tomorrow." She replied, Matt nodding knowingly as he stood up. "And plus if Sof's asleep, I want to be asleep." Gabby added as she straightened her back, leaning forward to pull the drain and empty the bath.
Without prompting, Matt held his hands out for his wife to grab onto, Gabby shooting him a thankful smile before grabbing ahold of him, Matt helping her up and out of the bath. Once she was firmly on the ground, he walked around her, grabbing her towel from the rack and handing it to her, Gabby wrapping herself up in the fluffy material.
With one last kiss to her forehead, Matt left her to go through her routine before bed, the dad checking on little Sofia who was fast asleep in her bassinet before he climbed into bed. He got himself situated, the firefighter letting himself relax down into the comfortable mattress, a heavy yawn escaping his lips as a bare Gabby walked out of the bathroom a few minutes later, her hair pulled up into a bun on the top of her head. Without a word, she moved towards their dresser, pulling out a pair of underwear and one of Matt's t-shirts, tiredly putting the clothes on her body. Just as Matt had, Gabby stopped to check on their daughter, Matt watching her with a soft smile as she walked around to her side of the bed, nearly collapsing down into it.
Silently, Gabby rolled over to her husband, Matt lifting his arm up for her to curl into his side, the exhausted woman resting her head on his chest as she relaxed into his embrace. "Goodnight." She murmured softly, her gentle tone bringing a smile to his face as he ran his hand over her back, Gabby resting her arm across his waist.
"Night baby." He replied, pressing a kiss to the top of her head as the cuddled together, both of them eager to get as much rest as possible before getting back to work tomorrow.
Gabby climbed down out of the back of the ambulance, rolling out her neck as she closed the door behind her, Brett and Foster coming up on either side of her before they began walking towards the common room, the three paramedics having just returned from their latest call.
"Do you think they saved us any lunch?" Brett asked as she shoved her hands in her pockets, Gabby shrugging as they navigated around the rigs.
"Well, we know Dawson has lunch." Foster started with a knowing smile, "Casey always makes her a plate. But we might be on our own, Brett." She added, Gabby rolling her eyes playfully as Brett laughed, the two paramedics enjoying teasing their partner.
"I'm sure there's food left." Gabby responded, Foster patting her shoulder as they got to the double doors, Brett entering into the firehouse first, Dawson and Foster following behind her.
"Yeah, but we'll probably have to get it ourselves." Emily continued, Gabby scoffing lightly as her eyes moved around the common room, her gaze soon landing on her baby. Sofia was currently cuddled in Herrmann's arms, the man sitting with her on the couch, holding the pacifier up to her lips.
"Hello ladies." Cruz greeted, Matt looking up from his spot at the head of the table, smiling softly when he saw his wife.
"Hello… you guys save us some food?" Foster asked, her question earning multiple nods from around the room.
"Like we'd want to face your wrath if we didn't? I don't think so." Mouch breathed out from beside Herrmann, Brett shaking her head as the paramedics continued into the kitchen, Gabby stopping beside her baby. She was careful to stay out of Sofia's line of sight, not wanting to be seen by her daughter when she was so content in the older firefighter's arms. If Sofia saw her, she'd immediately want her mom, and while Gabby wanted all the time with her baby she could get, she knew it would be much easier to eat while little Sofia was distracted.
Silently, Gabby placed her hand on Herrmann's shoulder, giving him an appreciative squeeze, earning a knowing nod from the man before she continued on towards the kitchen, seeing Matt had gotten up from his seat already and was moving around behind the counter.
"See Brett, I told you, Casey had already set aside food for Dawson." Foster spoke lightly, Matt glancing towards the paramedics with a sheepish look covering his face, the man waiting for the food to warm up.
"Well, I can't say I'm surprised." Brett played along, Matt finding Gabby's gaze, his smile widening when he saw her, Casey winking before reaching down to grab her food from the microwave.
"Sorry guys… I'll remember next time." He told them as he moved towards the fridge, Foster chuckling as she began preparing her plate.
"Yeah, we've heard that before." She mused, Matt grabbing a drink for his wife before heading towards the table, nodding at Gabby to sit down in her normal seat.
"You didn't have to do that." Gabby spoke, Matt giving her a shrug as he sat her food down in front of her, Gabby sitting down into the seat.
"I don't mind." He replied, pressing a kiss to the top of her head before returning to his own chair, Matt watching as she dug into her food. "How was the call?" He asked after a few moments, Gabby taking a sip of her drink before responding.
"It was fine… nothing too crazy." She responded with a shrug, getting another forkful of food ready. "How were things here?"
"Good, pretty quiet." He answered, his eyes moving towards the couch where his daughter was. From this angle, he could only see the top of her head, her curly hair peeking out from behind Herrmann. "Sofia's loved the attention, but she seems pretty happy with Herrmann over there." Matt added, Gabby smiling softly as she glanced over towards the couch.
"Has she eaten?"
"Yeah, she has." Matt responded. "Herrmann fed her, she finished her bottle about half an hour ago." He explained, Gabby nodding, sparing one last glance to her daughter before going back to her food, Matt returning his attention to his newspaper, the couple sitting in a comfortable quiet while soft chatter filled the room.
Gabby had just finished up her meal when Stella suddenly appeared by her side, the firefighter collapsing into the seat beside her, Dawson's eyes widening at the abrupt and unexpected appearance from her friend.
"Hi." Gabby spoke in amusement as she pushed her plate away from her, Kidd resting her elbows on the table as she turned to the paramedic.
"Hello." She responded, Gabby watching her expectantly, Dawson's eyes moving across the table, seeing Brett and Foster staring at her as well.
"...Do you all need something?" Dawson asked when none of the women said anything, all three of them eyeing one another before turning their attention to Gabby. "What?"
"Brett, Foster, and I were talking…" Kidd started, Gabby pursing her lips together.
"Oh, well that's never good." Gabby interjected, Stella narrowing her eyes towards her friend before she continued.
"We were talking, and we were wondering how you'd feel about a girls night." Stella suggested, Dawson's eyebrows raising, surprised by the suggestion. Seeing her immediate hesitation, Kidd was quick to continue. "I know there's a lot going on right now, and things have been hard on you lately- on the both of you," Stella spoke, eyeing Matt who was listening in on their conversation, "but I think it would be fun. We all do."
Gabby took a deep breath, wringing her hands together in her lap as she thought over Kidd's words. "...I don't know." She responded, uncertainty laced in her voice.
"Come on, I think it would be good for you, girl." Kidd encouraged, rubbing her hand over Gabby's arm.
"We've already talked a little bit about it," Brett started, Gabby meeting her friend's warm gaze. "We'd have to stay in, we know that. With everything going on, we couldn't really go anywhere, and there'd be some logistics to figure out, but I think it would be fun. We all do." Brett spoke softly, Gabby mulling over her words.
"Yeah, you know it would just be a fun night with your friends, let the husband take care of the baby for a night." Kidd said with a smirk, Gabby chuckling before glancing towards Matt, seeing him eyeing his firefighter. "...Respectfully, Captain." She added, Matt shaking his head in amusement before Kidd continued. "But really Dawson, I think it would be good for you to have a night for yourself. We could just relax, have some fun… Maybe drink a little wine." Stella suggested, Gabby's eyebrows raising slightly as she thought over the offer.
"That does sound nice…" She replied after a few seconds, Kidd smiling as she gave Dawson's arm a squeeze.
"There's my girl." She spoke, Gabby's eyes bouncing around between her friends, her tongue poking out between her teeth, running along her bottom lip.
"...We'd stay in?" She checked, Kidd nodding immediately as her eyes flashed to Casey, seeing the same look of apprehension in her Captain's eyes.
"We would. I've already told Kelly to expect to be kicked out." Stella assured both Gabby and Matt, knowing her friends were a little on edge as of late, with good reason. "I figured we could all just hang around our apartment, maybe Kelly could go and hang out with Casey and little Sofia."
The more Kidd talked about it, the more fun it sounded. For as nervous as she was to be away from Sofia, a night with her friends did sound nice. She knew it would be good for her to get a break, to have some time to unwind. And the only reason she was even considering it was because she knew Sofia would be with Matt.
Releasing a soft sigh, Gabby glanced towards her husband, finding his eyes already on her. "What do you think?" She asked, Matt shooting her a soft smile.
"I think you should do it, if you feel up for it. It'll be good for you… As long as you get her home in one piece, Kidd." Casey added, Stella laughing as she rubbed over Gabby's arm.
"I promise to take care of her." Stella promised, giving him a little salute before turning her attention back to her friend. "So what do you say, Dawson?" Kidd prompted, Gabby glancing between her friends, seeing them all watching her expectantly.
"Okay, what the hell. Let's do it." Dawson agreed, Brett clapping as Kidd shook her lightly, Gabby seeing the clear excitement radiating off her friends.
"Atta girl." Kidd spoke, patting her arm before looking around the room, her eyes landing on her boyfriend. "You hear that, Kelly?" Stella said, her voice loud enough to get Severide's attention, the squad Lieutenant lifting his head, confusion playing across his face as he waited for his girlfriend to elaborate. "Dawson's in, which means you're being kicked out." She voiced proudly, Severide shaking his head before glancing towards Casey.
"Yeah, I guess you've been banished to hang out with me and Sof." Matt added, Kelly's eyes flashing back towards Stella.
"As long as you all do it on a night where Casey and I have a hockey game to watch, I don't care." Severide agreed, Kidd waving him off before returning her attention to Gabby.
"Alright, we'll figure out a day here soon, but I'm so excited. I think it'll be fun."
"Me too." Gabby agreed, leaning slightly into Stella's side.
"You should invite Jemma, too." Brett spoke up, Gabby's eyebrows raising, glancing between them.
"Yeah?"
"Yeah, of course." Brett replied, earning nods from both Foster and Kidd. "She should come. That way we could complete the group."
"Okay, I'll invite her. I know she'll like that." Gabby spoke, Brett nodding with a soft smile.
"This is gonna be so much fun." Foster said, tapping her hands against the table.
"It sure is."
The sound of the bells going off interrupted their conversation, Sofia immediately fussing when the loud noise hit her tiny ears, the small girl still not having gotten used to the unexpected sound as all companies got called out.
"Becca…" Matt spoke as he got up from the table, the girl nodding as she was already on her way towards Herrmann.
"I got her." She assured him, Becca quickly getting Sofia and beginning to soothe her as the members of 51 filed out into the garage, both Matt and Gabby hanging back momentarily, watching as Becca cradled the girl in her arms, Sofia slowly calming down. "I got her, we're good." She repeated with a soft smile, the parents nodding before heading out towards the garage, knowing their little girl was in the best hands possible.
Casey walked around the common room, bouncing his daughter in his arms as he tried to get the little girl to quiet down, Sofia having been a little fussy over the last hour or so. The parents weren't sure the cause of it, they figured she might've just been a little tired, but they couldn't get her to go to sleep, so they had taken to walking around with her, that seemingly the only thing that would get her to settle. Or rather Matt had taken to walking around with her, the Captain unsure of where his wife was right now. He knew she was around here somewhere, everyone already inside the firehouse for the night.
Even though it was barely eight, all of 51's firefighters had settled into the house for the evening, everyone abiding by Boden's strict curfew. Though they weren't technically required to be in until nine, no one was hanging out in the garage much past sunset these days, Boden feeling better when he knew all of his first responders were safely inside the locked doors of the firehouse.
"She doing okay, Casey?" Herrmann asked as he stood up from the couch, moving towards the pacing Captain who was trying to soothe his baby, Matt sighing as he looked towards his friend.
"Yeah, she's fine, Herrmann… She's been like this for the last few nights, although she's usually not this fussy." Matt responded, grimacing as a louder cry escaped her lips. "It's okay, Sof. You're alright." He murmured, the young girl nuzzling herself into her dad's warm embrace. "I'm sorry about this, you guys." Matt addressed the room, knowing the constant sound of a baby crying wasn't the most pleasant noise.
"Nothing to apologize for, Captain." Mouch spoke from the couch, earning a few agreeing nods from around the room.
"Is she sick?" Herrmann asked, Matt shaking his head in response. "I mean, her being around all these people… She might've picked something up."
"No, I don't think so, she doesn't have a fever or anything." Matt replied, Herrmann giving him a nod. "She just seems a bit restless… Her sleep schedule has gotten a little messed up, and I think it might be finally catching up with her. And she didn't nap nearly enough today, that probably has something to do with it, too."
"Yeah, probably." Herrmann agreed, watching as Matt rubbed across Sofia's chest, the little girl starting to quiet down.
"I think I'm gonna go ahead and take her to my office, see if I can get her to go to sleep…" Matt started, his eyes bouncing around the room, still not seeing his wife anywhere. "If I can find Gabby first." He added, Herrmann's eyebrows raising. "...Has anyone seen Gabby?" Casey asked, raising his voice loud enough to where everyone could hear him, most of his coworkers shaking their heads.
"She went off down the hallway like ten minutes ago," Kidd spoke up from the table, Matt glancing towards her and Severide, "I'm not sure where she was going, though."
"Alright." He replied, his eyes moving around until he found Becca's gaze, nodding towards the hallway. "You mind to take Sofia to my office? Get her changed and ready for bed." Casey asked, Becca shaking her as she walked towards him.
"Of course not."
"Thanks." He responded, Matt carefully handing the baby over to Becca, Sofia's arms stretching out tiredly as she settled against Becca's chest, Casey surprised his daughter didn't put up more of a fight at being passed around again, but he wouldn't question it, the firefighter knowing how safe his daughter felt with her nanny. "I'm gonna go and find Gabby, we'll meet you in there."
Matt and Becca had both moved out into the hallway, but their progress was stopped when the all too familiar sound of the garage door opening filled the firehouse, Casey's eyebrows furrowing as he turned towards his coworkers.
"Is that…?" Herrmann asked, Severide standing up from the table.
"Why is the garage opening? We're all here."
"I don't know." Casey spoke, his eyes finding Kelly, giving him a nod before he looked back towards the garage. "No one should be-"
His words got cut off immediately when another noise coming from the garage filtered into the common room, this one unexpected, but unmistakable, the sound filling Matt with an immediate sense of worry and fear, his entire body going rigid when he heard the sound of his wife yelling.
Yelling out his name.
"Matt!"