Hello! Here's the next chapter for you all, I'm very eager to hear what you think. I hope you all enjoy this one, thanks for reading!

Chapter Eighty Three

"Alright Sof, let's do this." Matt spoke excitedly as he bounced the seven month old in his arms, Gabby watching on in amusement as Sofia giggled loudly, Matt continuing to play with their daughter while she got her food ready. "I know you've hated this so far, but I have a good feeling about today, baby. You've got this."

Gabby raised her eyebrow as Matt continued bouncing her gently, Casey holding onto one of her tiny little hands with his own, Sofia's laughs turning into excited screams, their baby loving this time with her father.

"Yeah, you're gonna do great with food today, aren't you Sof? I know you are. Momma and I both do." He continued, Gabby smirking softly as she grabbed the small jar of baby food, holding that and a little spoon in one hand as she walked towards her husband and her baby.

"Alright, enough playing. It's time to eat." Gabby interjected their fun, Matt smiling softly before giving her a nod, Matt walking the few steps towards Sofia's highchair. After some careful maneuvering, Matt got his daughter securely fastened in her chair, the baby still not quite used to the position as he worked on getting the bib around her neck, Sofia smacking her hands against the white tray attached to her seat.

"Yeah, you're ready to eat, huh?" Matt asked, pinching her cheek gently between his fingers as she continued to bounce up and down in her chair, Gabby preparing a small spoonful of food as Matt directed his attention towards his wife. "It's like every time we put her in here, she gets super excited, until she remembers what she's in here for and then she gets very upset." He told Gabby with a laugh, his words earning a slight scoff from her as she tapped the spoon against the rim of the jar.

"I think she's just excited because you get excited, but you're right, she won't like us here in a second." She agreed as she looked towards her happy baby, both parents knowing she wouldn't stay that way for long.

The process of transitioning Sofia over to solid food hadn't necessarily gone as smoothly as either of them hoped, the little girl putting up more of a fight than they anticipated. While she was intrigued by food, and enjoyed playing with it, eating it had been the problem. They had started slowly introducing her to solids a few weeks ago, shortly after they got back from their much needed getaway up at the lake, and to say Sofia wasn't a fan of food was putting it lightly.

They started easy, mixing a little bit of baby cereal with breastmilk, so there'd be some familiarity for her, but Sofia had been resistant. It was, as her husband had so eloquently described, breastmilk soup, and their baby girl didn't like it much. Every time they tried to feed her some, she'd immediately push it back out of her mouth, and while they knew that was a normal reflex at first, the first few times they tried she wouldn't eat at all. On separate occasions they'd tried to get her to at least eat a little bit of it, but she refused, Sofia only content to play with it as opposed to eating it, which had admittedly left Gabby a little frustrated. It wasn't so much that Sofia was resistant towards food, they knew this would take time, but it was how much breastmilk was being wasted because she wouldn't eat that was stressing Gabby out. For as hard as Gabby had worked to make sure she could continue providing food for Sofia, it was definitely a little maddening to see so much of it ending up in the trash. It had been a long and hard process, breastfeeding Sofia for the last seven months, but Gabby and Matt had come to the agreement that, for now, as long as Sofia wanted to nurse, they'd continue it. But just because it was easy for Sofia, didn't mean it was easy on Gabby, and seeing so much perfectly good breastmilk being wasted day after day had become very frustrating for the mom. So they quickly moved onto other options, Matt having been the one to suggest them trying other baby food when he saw how discouraged his wife was getting because of it.

But Sofia hadn't been much of a fan of anything they'd given her. They'd tried a bunch of different foods, some of which Sofia absolutely wouldn't even go near, and others their baby would end up getting a few bites of, but she was definitely nowhere near getting enough for it to be sustainable. They were still very much at the stage of the process where Sofia was getting used to food, while still getting practically all of her nutrients from nursing. Which was expected, they knew this wouldn't happen overnight, and that all babies go through these stages at their own pace, but all that mattered to them was that Sofia was making a little bit of progress. It wasn't much, but she did seem to come around to the idea more and more each time they tried to feed her.

But one thing they knew for sure was they couldn't force her into it. If she wasn't ready, she wasn't ready, and they didn't want eating to become something that she was scared of, or that would only cause more problems down the road, so they'd taken it slow. They would try for a while, and if she ate, then she ate, but if she was too resistant to it, and she'd reached her limit, they'd stop and either give her a bottle or let Gabby nurse her, the parents trying to walk the thin line of knowing they needed to get her to eat, and nudging her into eating. It had been a learning experience for all three of them, but overall the parents felt like they were doing pretty well, even though Sofia was still putting up a bit of a fight.

And while she wasn't the biggest fan of eating the food, playing with it, however, was something she very much enjoyed. It was messy, Sofia usually ending up being covered with whatever pureed food they'd try to give her, but they felt like it was helping her warm up to it. When they'd put a little bit of her food down on the highchair in front of her, her hands would immediately start smacking it, and while this little game usually ended with baby food not only all over their daughter, but on the floor and sometimes on them, Sofia would almost always end up eating it. She'd start by eating it off her hands, and then once she realized she didn't mind it, and that what her mom or dad were feeding her was the same as what she'd just been playing with, she'd usually feel inclined to eat a little more.

The parents weren't sure if that was normal, if a lot of kids needed time to warm up to food, or if their daughter was just a little strange, but regardless, they were slowly finding what worked for them and Sofia. Getting her fed and used to solid foods was the main goal here, so neither parent really cared about how they got there, as long as they did.

"Alright Sof, are you gonna be a good girl for Momma and Daddy today?" Gabby asked, her voice higher than usual as she spoke to her daughter, Sofia squealing in delight as she wiggled in her seat, her gummy smile widening when Gabby got closer to her. "Yeah, I know you're excited… Let's hope it stays that way." She added softly, Matt chuckling as he shook his head, watching on Gabby moved the spoon towards Sofia's mouth.

Sofia watched her mother's movements with intrigue, the baby continuing to smack her hands against the highchair. "Come on, Sof, open up."

The second Sofia opened her lips the slightest bit, Gabby put the spoon in her mouth, Sofia immediately shying away as she instinctively pushed the food out of her mouth, Gabby quickly using the spoon to wipe it off her face.

"Did she eat any?"

"A little, I think." Gabby replied, getting another spoonful ready to go, Sofia continuing to squirm as she slowly started to realize why she'd been constrained in the highchair.

Gabby fed her again, but the cycle continued, Sofia refusing to eat much of the pureed food being given to her, the baby starting to fuss as she reached her arms out towards her parents. This happened a few more times, Gabby trying to feed her but Sofia rejecting it, the little girl's mouth starting to stain from all the uneaten food that had touched her skin.

"Do the dancing thing." Gabby instructed her husband suddenly, Matt raising his eyebrows towards his wife as she shot him a similar look back.

"What?"

"The dancing thing." She repeated pointedly, Matt blowing out a heavy sigh. "C'mon, no one's here to see you look like an idiot, it helped last time." She added, Casey shaking his head.

"You told me I didn't look that stupid." He huffed out as he began walking towards the counter, grabbing Gabby's phone and putting in the password to unlock it before going to her music, pulling up the playlist of children's songs they had for Sofia. His words elicited a laugh from his wife, the memory of Matt dancing around and singing to their baby while they tried to feed her forever ingrained in her brain.

"I lied." She responded with a soft smirk, Matt shaking his head as he walked back towards his family. "But it was still really cute. Plus Sof loved it, and that's what matters." She added, Matt sighing softly before shuffling the songs, Sofia's spirits instantly being lifted as he turned the volume up.

"Yeah, you like music, huh?" Matt asked as he placed the phone down on the kitchen table, Sofia bouncing up and down in her seat from pure excitement.

Without needing any more prompting, Matt began dancing and singing along to one of the many children's songs that was now stuck in his head, Sofia giggling and moving along with her father as he grabbed her hands, gently moving them around.

Gabby knew she should be trying to get Sofia to eat, but she took a moment to just enough the view, Matt's terrible dancing and even worse singing bringing a joyful smile to her face as she watched her husband and daughter. There was something about the way Matt was so open and vulnerable with Sofia, how he'd do anything and everything needed just for something as simple as getting her to eat solid foods, that made her heart swell in her chest. There was a softness to him that had been present ever since Sofia was born, and there was not a day that went by where Gabby didn't feel so lucky to be able to witness this. Even if his singing could make her ears bleed.

But Sofia loved it, and that's what was important.

Once she'd had her moment to soak up the endearing view, Gabby waited for the right second to try and get Sofia to eat, the mom waiting until she had stopped laughing before putting the spoon in her mouth. But, despite this having worked last time, Sofia immediately spit the food back out again, Gabby sighing as she quickly wiped off her daughter's face.

"Come on, baby. Daddy's making a fool out of himself for you, the least you go do is eat."

"Hey!" Matt spoke, halting his terrible singing as he playfully glared at his wife, Gabby's smile widening when they locked eyes.

"It's not like I'm wrong, now keep going." She instructed, Matt blowing out a sigh before he continued dancing around, the movement gaining Sofia's attention once more, little laughs soon being heard from their baby.

But despite Matt's best efforts, Sofia still wasn't eating much, most, if not all, of the food either ending up on her face, or on her bib.

"Do you think we should just let her play with it again? I mean that's usually the only way she'll be interested in it at all." Matt asked once the third song had ended, the firefighter feeling a bit fatigued from all the dancing around he'd been doing. He could run into burning buildings all day long, but dancing and singing nonstop for ten minutes really took it out of him.

"I don't know, maybe." Gabby replied, pursing her lips together as she looked at her little girl, the baby's eyes moving back and forth between her parents. While that was usually the most effective way of getting her to eat anything, both of them really only like to use it as a last resort, at least until she was able to handle less messy foods.

"Come on, Sof, you gotta work with us here." Matt spoke, the baby continuing to fuss as Gabby got another spoonful of food. "It's really good, and I'm sure you'd like it if you just-"

Matt was cut off by his wife abruptly shoving the spoonful of baby food into his mouth, Sofia's fussing stopping immediately when she saw her dad eat the food, Matt grimacing as he turned to look at Gabby.

"What the fu- Oh God, that's disgusting." He groaned, Gabby kicking his leg immediately, Matt shooting her an annoyed look before forcing a smile onto his face when he saw his daughter watching him. "I mean... wow, that was so good!" He pretended, ignoring the gross taste lingering in his mouth as Sofia continued smacking her hands around.

"Eat it again." Gabby told him as she brought the spoon back to his lips.

"What? No, I don't-"

He was cut off again by Gabby forcing it into his mouth, Sofia beginning to giggle at the sight in front of her.

"Stop doing that." He spoke quickly, Gabby shaking her head.

"She's not crying anymore, act like you like it." Gabby bit out under her breath, Matt forcing another smile onto his face as Sofia started reaching out towards them again. "Yeah, you want some Sof? Daddy loves it." Gabby spoke, getting some more on the spoon and putting it up to her daughter's mouth, Sofia hesitantly taking it. But this time she didn't spit it back out, Gabby's and Matt's eyes both widening as they looked to each other.

"She ate it." Gabby said, even though it was obvious to both of them she hadn't spit the food out, Matt nodding with a soft smile.

"See if she'll eat more." He encouraged, Gabby nodding before feeding more to their daughter, Sofia swallowing it. She was still a little cautious with it, or stubborn depending on which parent you asked, but she was eating it, which was all they cared about.

After a few bites, Sofia started to reject it again, but once Gabby had, again, forcibly shoved the food into her husband's mouth, Sofia would begin to eat again, the sight amusing her as her and her dad shared the food.

"God, if I would've known it was this easy, I would've done this weeks ago." Gabby breathed out as she wiped a little bit of food that missed Sofia's mouth off with the spoon, the mother preparing another bite for her daughter.

"We're gonna have to figure something else out from now on, I'm not eating that again, that stuff is disgusting." Matt complained, Gabby shooting him a pointed look, both of them knowing that despite what he said, if it got Sofia to eat, he would in fact continue eating it, as well. But it made him feel a little better pretending he had some say in the matter. "What are we feeding her, anyway?"

"It's just carrots." Gabby responded with a laugh, completely ignoring his complaints.

"Well, those are the grossest carrots I've ever eaten." He breathed out, but there was a slight smile that pulled on his lips as he watched Sofia take another bite.

"She's eating them, that's all that matters." Gabby replied, Matt nodding in agreement.

"You're right… I just can't believe how stubborn she is." Matt breathed out, Gabby smirking as she continued feeding Sofia, the little girl taking the food relatively easily at this point, though she still hesitated every few bites. "I mean, clearly she likes it, she just wouldn't eat it."

"Considering who her parents are, are you really surprised she's so stubborn?" Gabby asked with a laugh, Matt pursing his lips together as he suppressed a chuckle, the father running his hand over his mouth.

"Fair point." He agreed, knowing both he and Gabby were two of the most headstrong people he knew, and when he took a second to think about it, it wasn't at all shocking that their daughter was the same way. "I'm sure she just sees this as some fun game, but I still don't understand why I'm the only one who has to look like an idiot while trying to get her to eat." He added, Gabby narrowing her eyes slightly as she turned to face her husband, Matt raising his eyebrows as he saw the less than impressed look covering her face.

"Okay, well considering I'm the one who's had a baby attached to my boobs for the past seven months, how about we just call it even." She replied sharply, raising her eyebrows challengingly, like she was almost daring him to fight back.

But he knew better, Matt flashing her his signature Casey grin as he took a step towards her, Gabby's glare never lifting. "...So, the next time we feed her, should we just start with feeding me baby food?" He asked with a smile, Gabby's face softening as he reached out to grab her hip, pulling her closer to him. "Or do you think we should still try the dancing thing?"

"Nice save." She murmured, Matt grinning from ear to ear before he leaned forward, placing a hard kiss on her lips, the force of his actions stunning her slightly as they separated.

"I love you. And you're incredible." He continued, stroking his thumb along her hip as they momentarily got lost in one another. "Everything you do for our girl… You're an amazing mom, babe."

"Mhmm." She hummed as her chest filled with warmth, Gabby pressing a much gentler kiss on the side of his mouth before pulling out of his embrace, returning her attention to Sofia as she fed her daughter another bite of food. "You're not so bad, yourself." She replied, watching with a soft smile on her face as Sofia smacked at her high chair, the little girl sitting happily while she ate. "I'm just glad she's starting to get the hang of this."

"Me too… although I never had any doubt, cause you're such a smart baby, aren't you Sof?" He asked his daughter, reaching out to rub his hand over her curly hair before leaning down to press a soft kiss on her forehead, the baby loving the attention. "Yeah, you're figuring this out."

"We all are." Gabby responded softly, Matt flashing her a bright grin before giving her a nod, the husband wrapping his arm around her waist as they stood in front of their daughter, continuing to feed her as much as she'd eat.

"Yeah, we are." He agreed, pressing a gentle kiss on Gabby's shoulder, the parents finding themselves thankful to be able to experience yet another moment like this with their daughter.

Gabby tightened her ponytail as she walked behind Brett and Foster towards the firehouse, the paramedics having just returned from dropping off their patient from their latest call, all of them hoping to get a few moments of downtime before being needed again out in the city. From the moment shift started, it had been non stop calls for ambulance 61, and all three of them were exhausted, as it was well into the afternoon now and they'd hardly had a moment to stop and catch their breath. Days like this didn't happen all too often, but when they did, they were brutal.

Dawson jogged to catch up to her friends as Foster held the door open for her, Gabby shooting her an appreciative smile as they walked into the firehouse, Gabby seeing most of 51 seated throughout the common room, but she quickly noticed one person in particular was missing.

"I thought I heard you guys get back."

Gabby stopped just outside the common room as she heard her husband's voice, a soft smile forming across her face when she saw her husband walking down the hallway, wearing a grin of his own as he moved towards her.

"Yeah, we just did." She replied, Matt nodding as he placed a quick kiss against her temple, wrapping his arm around her shoulders before leading her into the common room, Gabby's hands still resting in her pockets.

"How was it?"

"It was fine, nothing too bad. I'm a little tired, though." She breathed out, Matt giving her a nod as they moved towards the long table, Gabby slipping out of his hold so she could sit down next to Brett, Kidd and Foster having taken up residence across from them.

"I bet, you guys have been busy. Are you hungry? There's a lot of food left over from lunch."

"No, we ate while we were out." She replied, Matt nodding as he rubbed his hand over her back. "Thank you, though."

"Okay… Let me get you some water." He spoke, turning and walking away towards the kitchen before she could even respond, Gabby quickly hearing some snickers from her friends, the paramedic turning to find a bunch of amused looks watching her.

"Someone's awful attentive today." Foster joked, Gabby scoffing lightly as Kidd and Brett nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, what'd he do, Dawson? Casey in the doghouse?" Kidd added, Gabby shaking her head with a soft smirk.

"No, he didn't do anything… We had a long night with the baby." She replied, looks of understanding immediately covering their faces. "And with the busy day we've had, well, he's just being Matt."

"Is Sofia alright?" Sylvie asked, Gabby giving her a nod.

"She's fine, just teething." Dawson replied, Kidd grimacing slightly.

"I'm guessing that's not fun for any of you." Foster added, Gabby shaking her head as she leaned back into her chair.

"It's definitely not. But Matt and I are fine, I just feel bad for Sof." She breathed out, glancing to see Matt moving around in the kitchen. "She wasn't really able to sleep much, and she wanted to be held constantly. If we put her down, she'd scream until one of us picked her back up."

"That had to have been rough." Kidd spoke, Gabby shrugging softly.

"It was definitely a long night, a lot of things we tried weren't really helping her. The only thing that really helped was us massaging her gums." Gabby explained, Stella raising her eyebrows.

"Didn't that hurt?" She questioned, Gabby's head cocking to the side. "Aren't baby teeth like super sharp?"

"None of them have broken through yet." Gabby told her with a soft laugh, Kidd nodding in understanding. "So Matt and I took turns holding her and massaging her gums, between that, and letting her chew on our fingers, that seemed to help. When we'd do that, that was the only time she wouldn't be crying or fussing."

"Yeah, I've heard teething babies are bite-y." Foster said, Gabby blowing out a heavy breath.

"Oh, they are. I know it's because she's in pain, but she wants to chew on everything, and she does. That, and there's a lot of drool. But overall, she's doing okay with it, she's just uncomfortable and wants one of us to hold her." Gabby told them, earning a few nods from her friends. "But the gum massage thing helps a lot, and we've got this teething pacifier for her that is a life saver."

"Were you guys able to get any sleep last night?"

"Not much, Matt especially. He eventually got her to fall asleep while he held her in the rocking chair, so the two of them just slept there, but even Sofia didn't get much rest. She was very cranky this morning, so she'll either be passed out most of the day, or Becca's gonna have her hands full." Gabby breathed out, Brett shaking her head.

"Becca's a saint." Kidd replied, Dawson nodding immediately.

"She sure is."

Their conversation was interrupted by Matt coming back over to the table, placing a cup of water as well as a plate of fruit down in front of his wife, Gabby looking up at him with a raised eyebrow, to which he just shrugged.

"I figured a snack couldn't hurt." He spoke, Gabby flashing him an appreciative smile before popping a piece of fruit into her mouth, the paramedic soon realizing she actually had been kind of hungry, something Matt must've known even though she didn't.

"Thank you." She responded, Matt grinning before leaning down to press a kiss to the top of her head, rubbing his hand gently along the back of her neck and her shoulders.

"So I hear that not only are you husband of the year, but you're making your case for father of the year, too." Kidd spoke up as she leaned back in her chair, Matt standing up straight as he looked towards his firefighter.

"What?" He asked, clearly confused.

"We were talking about Sofia and her teething." Gabby supplemented, Matt nodding in understanding before a soft frown pulled on his lips.

"Oh, that… yeah, it's awful, my poor baby." He said while shaking his head, his words earning a few laughs from the women around him, Matt looking back and forth between all of them in question. "...What?"

"Nothing." Kidd replied, Matt raising his eyebrows as he glanced back down to his wife.

"You're just cute, baby. That's all." Dawson spoke, Matt huffing out a breath as he continued rubbing over her back, shaking his head slightly.

"So Dawson, teething baby aside, are we still on for Molly's tomorrow night?" Kidd asked, Gabby looking from Matt towards the expectant gazes from her friends.

Last shift, all the ladies from 51 had tentatively planned to have a night out at Molly's, the four of them never having got the chance to actually have that girls night they'd talked about well over a month ago. They had a good reason, the best reason, as shortly after they'd discussed doing that, the crazy psycho murderer stalking the Casey family had come to the firehouse, then showed up at their apartment, so their girls night definitely wasn't high on the list of priorities. But now that things were back to normal, and Dawson was doing well, they wanted to have a night to spend together, to let loose and have some fun.

"Yeah, we are." She replied, glancing back towards her husband, who gave her a supportive nod.

"And Jemma's still coming?"

"As far as I know." Gabby answered. "I'll call her here in a bit and double check, but last I heard, she said she'd be there."

"Excellent." Kidd responded with a grin, tapping her fingers against the armrest of her chair as her gaze moved towards Casey. "Hope you can handle watching the baby for one night, Captain." She joked, Matt scoffing lightly as he gently gripped the back of Gabby's neck, running his fingers along her skin.

"I think I'll be fine, Kidd." He replied, Gabby smirking softly as she leaned back into his touch.

"I hope so. I don't want any panicked calls to Dawson while we're out having fun, the girl needs a night to let loose." Stella continued, Gabby shaking her head as Matt raised his eyebrows.

"Oh, she does, does she?" He questioned, glancing down to his wife just as she looked up towards him, Gabby biting back a smile.

"Apparently… Or, according to Kidd, at least." Dawson replied, scrunching up her nose as Matt's smile widened.

"Well, I hope you all have fun." He responded, leaning down to capture her lips in a heated kiss, Gabby stunned momentarily as they heard hollers from around the common room.

"Easy Captain, we already know she's yours." Herrmann called from the couch, laughs being heard around the room as Matt pulled back, Gabby's eyes widened slightly.

"Yeah, get a room, you two." Cruz continued, Matt rubbing his thumb along the side of her neck as he looked back to Kidd, ignoring the comments from the firefighters around him.

"Just try and make sure she gets home in one piece." He told her, like his little, or not so little, show of affection hadn't happened, Gabby still trying to catch her breath as she felt heat flood to her cheeks.

"Don't worry, Captain, she's in good hands." Kidd promised, giving him a little salute as he began walking away from the table, Matt nodding in response.

"Although I'm sure he'd rather her be in his hands." Foster muttered under her breath, Gabby ducking her head as Kidd and Brett broke out into laughter, the sound causing Casey to stop as he got halfway towards Severide, his eyebrows raising in question.

"...Do I even want to know?" He asked, Gabby shaking her head as she partially covered her face with her hand, Kidd biting down on her tongue to keep herself from laughing any harder.

"Nothing you need to worry about, Cap." Foster instructed with a grin, Matt shaking his head before continuing towards the other table, Gabby shooting Foster a playful glare. "What? It's not like I'm wrong." She added with a chuckle, Kidd and Brett both nodding in agreement as Gabby shook her head, returning her attention back towards the food in front of her as she ignored the teasing looks from her friends.

"Herrmann!" Stella yelled from the table, Gabby wincing slightly at the loud volume of her friend's voice, the man in question looking up from behind the bar. "Another round, please and thank you."

"Do you really have to scream?" Brett asked, grimacing slightly as well from Kidd's voice, the alcohol in her system causing her to be louder than she normally would.

"Well, I got his attention, didn't I?" She asked before downing the last of her drink, Gabby watching in amusement before she took a sip of her own.

Dawson was still on her second drink while some of her friends were on their fourth, the paramedic deciding to take it slow since it had been awhile since she'd consumed much of any alcohol. For the first few months of breastfeeding, Gabby had continued to abstain from alcohol, the mom finding it easier than having to get rid of breastmilk that she'd rather be able to keep for her baby. And since she didn't really have any desire to drink anyway, she just continued to stick to nonalcoholic beverages. But recently she'd slowly started having a glass of wine here and there, or a beer at times, just whenever she wanted one, which wasn't often, but she always planned ahead, making sure there was more than enough breastmilk stored up for Sofia while she waited for the alcohol to leave her system. It was something she felt a little unsure about at first, drinking alcohol when she knew that was food wasted that her baby couldn't have, especially since breastfeeding had been quite taxing on her, but eventually she came to realize there was nothing wrong with her drinking every so often. That, as long as she made sure the alcohol had cleared her system before feeding Sofia, it wasn't something she should feel guilty or weird about. And, a night like tonight especially, she wanted to do this for herself, to have a good night out with her friends. But, even though she was more than ready to have some fun, tonight was the first time she'd had anything more than a glass of wine or a beer since before she got pregnant. And the last thing she wanted to do was get completely plastered after only having been here an hour, Gabby unsure of how well she'd be able to hold her liquor after not having had any in so long.

"You better speed up, Dawson, or I'm gonna take yours." Kidd spoke with a bright smile, Gabby shaking her head as she slid the full shot glass towards her friend.

"Go ahead, maybe I'll catch up later." She spoke with a laugh, Stella shooting her a look before downing the clear liquid, slamming the glass back down against the table.

"That is one thing that's changed about you since the baby, Dawson… You used to drink more than anyone I'd ever met." Stella said, Gabby raising her eyebrows as the women around them laughed. "Now you have one shot and tap out."

"Stella, we've been here an hour, I'm not done yet." She replied as Herrmann walked over with a tray of drinks, placing them down on the table. "But trust me, I can be just as much fun, with or without alcohol."

"Oh, don't I know it." Kidd spoke under her breath, shooting Dawson a knowing look before sipping on her beer.

Even with Kidd's insistence all night of trying to get her to drink more, Gabby had been having a fun night out with her friends. It had been too long since she'd had a chance to just hang out with them, with no baby and no husband to worry about for a few hours, and it felt nice getting time just for herself, especially after all the stress she'd been under the last couple of months. And it was especially good to be able to do it at Molly's.

Kidd had been the one to suggest her bar, and while Gabby couldn't be sure, she had some assumptions that Stella had decided on Molly's because everyone knew Dawson was comfortable here. It was something she'd noticed her first shift back at work almost three weeks ago now, that everyone had been handling her with kid gloves. She couldn't say she was surprised, and one thing she didn't know was if Casey had played any part in that or not, but everyone had been keeping a close eye on her since her and Matt came back to work. And the paramedic had a guess that Kidd's insistence that they do their night out at Molly's, instead of going around different places in Chicago as they usually would, was for her benefit.

But, regardless of the reason, she was having a great time here, and it was nice to be in some place so familiar, somewhere she felt at home. Since her and Matt's little getaway, she'd been doing a lot better. She definitely was feeling like her old self again, despite the few moments when she'd sometimes get overwhelmed. It didn't happen too often anymore, but her first few shifts back, there'd been a couple of times where everything became a little too much for her to handle, and she needed a minute to gather herself, usually in Matt's office with him with her. And it was something she hadn't really been able to hide from her coworkers.

It's not that she was embarrassed, at least not so much anymore, but she just didn't like the attention. She didn't like everyone worrying about her, especially when after a few moments alone with her husband, she was fine. But she knew their hearts were in the right place, and, to their credit, they never really approached her about it. They'd simply either check in with her, or usually Matt, to make sure she was alright, then they'd go on about their day as if nothing happened. She could tell they were trying to treat her as normally as they could, even if they were a little more attentive over her than they'd usually be. Foster and Brett especially, they'd been mindful of her on calls, doing what they could to keep her out of stressful situations, something Gabby knew for a fact that Matt had spoken with them about, even though he wasn't aware she knew. But overall, everyone had done what they could to treat her as they normally would, but they'd also been watching out for her when they felt they needed to, everyone just wanting to make sure their paramedic was doing alright.

While being looked after the way she had been lately wasn't her favorite thing in the world, it had eased up a bit over the last week, Gabby assuming all of them had seen that she was in fact fine, and didn't need to constantly be checked in on. They were still mindful of what all she'd been dealing with, but they tended to let her be and only check in if they felt it was warranted, and it felt good for things to be returning to normal.

And it really felt good for Gabby to have this night out with her friends, for her to have a chance to just, as Kidd put it, let loose and have fun, Molly's being the perfect place for her to do that.

"So, Dawson, it's been an hour and we've made it without any family talk," Kidd prefaced as she took a sip of water, clearly trying to even out her alcohol intake, "so I'll bite. How's the baby?" She asked, Gabby raising her eyebrow slightly.

"She's amazing." Gabby replied with a bright grin. "The teething stuff still isn't the most fun, but overall she's great."

"Good, good… and the hubby?" Kidd asked with a slight smirk, Gabby biting down on the inside of her cheek.

"He's amazing, too." She answered, catching the smiles from her friends. "Everything's as pretty damn close to perfect as it can get."

"That's good." Stella spoke, rubbing Gabby's back as they sat beside each other, Gabby catching Jemma's soft smile from across the table. "You deserve it, Dawson." Her sincere words caused Gabby's smile to widen, the paramedic giving her a soft nod as she reached for her glass.

"Thanks Stella… Tell me, how are you and Severide?" Gabby asked with a raised brow, Kidd matching her look.

"We're doing great, actually. Living together, it's an adjustment, but we're managing it. Honestly, I'm just glad we're past the 'being afraid of commitment' thing."

"Kelly's finally all grown up." Gabby joked, Stella nudging her shoulder before looking towards her other friends.

"What about you all, how are your alls love lives going these days?" Kidd asked, Gabby looking towards them as well.

"Nonexistent." Foster breathed out before downing her shot, Gabby suppressing a laugh. "I'm still managing to have some fun, but there's no one serious." She added with a shrug, Kidd nodding before looking towards Brett, everyone seeing the blonde avert her eyes down to the table.

"Uh oh, I know that look." Kidd spoke up, Brett's cheeks turning red as she looked towards her friends.

"What?"

"Sylvie's got a boyfriend." Stella teased, Gabby raising her eyebrows as Brett shook her head. "Oh come on, Brett, you're like the worst at hiding anything. Who is it?"

"I'm not seeing anyway, but I-" She cut herself off, Gabby's eyebrows furrowing when the blonde looked her way. "I've been talking with this guy, again, I guess."

"Who is it?"

"...Antonio."

Gabby's eyes widened in surprise as Brett watched her, everyone glancing back and forth between Dawson and Brett.

"Really?" Gabby asked, Sylvie giving her a slight nod.

"Wait, Antonio- as in her brother?" Emily questioned, Brett shooting her a knowing look.

"Yeah, he and I- we used to date. We were together for awhile, broke up, then got back together and then broke up again, but… we've been hanging out again." She explained, her eyes staying locked on Gabby. "I wasn't sure if he said anything to you or not, we're still just kind of finding our footing again… And I know you've had a lot going on, so we didn't really want to say anything, when it wasn't a priority."

"I think that's great." Gabby spoke up, Brett relaxing instantly.

"Yeah?" The blonde asked with a soft smile, Dawson nodding immediately.

"I do, I think it's awesome. You and my brother were always good together, I'm glad you all are trying to work things out." Gabby told her, Sylvie's smile widening. "I know you all had some problems to work out, but, I mean, look at Matt and I… if you love each other, and make each other happy, there's no reason you can't figure things out." She added, Brett giving her a strong nod.

"Thanks, Gabby."

"I can't believe you kept this from us." Kidd spoke up, shaking her head in amusement. "Although you have seemed a bit chipper lately, I should've known it was someone… But enough about that, what about you, Jemma?" Stella asked, everyone turning their attention to the youngest of the group. "I'm sure Dawson knows, but none of us know much about you, aside from the fact you're good as hell at your job… So, let's start with the fun stuff, you seeing anyone? Boyfriend? Girlfriend?" Stella asked, Jemma chuckling softly as she glanced towards Dawson.

"I have a boyfriend, his name is Marcus." She replied, unable to stop the smile that formed over her face when she simply mentioned him.

"How long have you two been together?" Emily asked.

"Almost two years now." She answered, Kidd raising her eyebrows.

"My God, I don't think I had anything close to that serious of a relationship when I was your age." She huffed out, Jemma laughing as Gabby nodded in agreement.

"Me neither." Dawson added before sipping her drink. "But the two of them are so cute together, Marcus is so sweet."

"Yeah, he's not too bad." Norris replied with a grin.

"Do you think he might be the one?" Brett asked, Jemma raising her eyebrows.

"Yeah, is he your Casey?" Kidd asked, Gabby nudging Stella underneath the table, the firefighter chuckling before looking back towards Jemma, finding the girl's cheeks tinted red.

"I'd like to think so." She replied honestly. "I mean, we've talked about it… settling down, and everything. I think we're both serious about our relationship, and we've talked about the future and everything."

"So marriage, kids, all that stuff?" Emily asked, Jemma giving her a nod. "Do you all want to have kids?" She continued, Jemma eyebrows raising slightly, Brett shaking her head.

"You can ignore her, she doesn't have a filter." Sylvie replied, Jemma shaking her head.

"No, it's fine… Uh, we've talked about it. We both want kids, at some point. We both want to get married. But we're still so young, we're not in any rush." Jemma answered, her eyes finding Gabby's.

"Yeah, Jemma's practically a baby herself." Dawson added, her words earning a few laughs. "And Marcus is, what, just a few months older than you?" Gabby checked, unsure of it she'd remembered correctly, Jemma giving her a nod.

"Yeah, he is. We're both still very young, I don't think either of us are ready to do all that yet. We're still getting settled into our careers and everything, I know there's no right or perfect time to have kids, but we aren't in any hurry." She told the group, her words earning a few nods.

"Can we see a picture of him?" Brett asked, Jemma nodding with a soft smile as she grabbed her phone from the table, quickly deciding on a photo of the two of them to show the three women who hadn't met her boyfriend.

"Oh, Dawson was right, he is cute." Kidd spoke up, Jemma's blush deepening as she glanced towards Gabby. "You two would make adorable kids."

"What about you, Stella?" Gabby interjected, Kidd handing the phone back to Jemma as she glanced towards her friend. "You and Kelly talked about that at all? Marriage? Kids?" She asked, smirking at the look of horror that crossed Stella's face.

"Oh, God no." She breathed out, Brett and Foster chuckling in amusement. "I mean, if by talk about it you mean that's something neither of us want right now, then yes. We have talked about it."

"So no baby Severide's will be coming anytime soon?" Foster asked with a grin, Stella scoffing heavily.

"Not from me." She was quick to reply, Gabby shaking her head as she laughed. "But it is funny, he's slid into that uncle role so well with Sofia, but sometimes when I'm holding her or playing with her, I'll see a flash of panic in his eyes… like he's worried Sof is gonna change my mind about wanting kids. It's pretty funny." She spoke with a laugh. "But no, I think living together is about as committed as we're getting right now. All the other stuff, I'm not sure if that's for us." She finished, Gabby giving her an understanding nod.

"I don't think kids are for me, either." Foster chimed in. "I can hardly handle a relationship, I don't think I could raise a child… and plus, all I've ever heard is that kids completely mess up the parents' sex life." She added jokingly, Gabby rolling her eyes as the women laughed. "I'm sorry, but selfishly I'm not ready to give that up yet."

"I'm sure Dawson could field that one." Kidd spoke up with a raised eyebrow, Gabby narrowing her eyes slightly. "What do you have to say about that, does having kids ruin your sex life?" She asked with a smirk, Gabby scoffing as she saw multiple pairs of expectant eyes on her.

"...All I'll say is that in my experience, that hasn't been the case." She replied vaguely, Stella giving her a knowing look before laughing, their friends joining in.

"I'm sure it hasn't." She replied with a chuckle, Gabby shaking her head as she took a sip of her drink.

"You know, Matt would be mortified if he knew we were talking about this." Gabby spoke, Foster waving her off.

"Well, it's a good thing he's not here." Emily spoke, earning an eye roll from Dawson.

"But speaking of sex and babies," Kidd interjected.

"Oh God." Gabby muttered under her breath, bracing herself for whatever was about to come out of her friend's mouth.

"Has that been something that's been discussed, Mrs. Casey?" Stella asked with a smirk, Gabby cocking her head to the side.

"What?"

"You and Matt planning on procreating any more?" She asked, Gabby raising her eyebrows at her friend's choice of terminology. "Any plans to add any more Casey's out into the world?"

"We've talked about it, yeah." Dawson answered vaguely, Kidd rolling her eyes as she nudged her friend with her elbow.

"You gotta give us more than that." She huffed out, Gabby catching Jemma's eye, knowing her former partner already knew of the answer to Stella's question.

"We do want more kids, yeah." Gabby told her, Kidd shooting her a soft smile before downing the last of her beer. "But I think right now we're wanting Sofia to get a little bit older before we actively start deciding how we're gonna go about it." She explained, the group sharing knowing, slightly worried, looks.

"Would you be able to get pregnant again?" Brett asked, Gabby catching her gaze. "I mean, I know how scary it was the first time, but I wasn't sure if it was still risky."

"Technically, I can." She told them. "The aneurysm and everything is gone, so that's not a concern anymore. All my scans have been good, but I'd still need to be watched kind of closely if I were to get pregnant again… It's just something Matt and I would have to decide on, how we want to have another baby." She spoke, all of them hanging on her every word. "But more kids is definitely a part of the plan."

"Good, that's good. I say the more little Casey's running around, the better." Kidd spoke up first, Gabby shaking her head in amusement.

"Yeah, I can't blame you guys for wanting another kid. I don't even really like children, but Sofia is like the most perfect child I've ever met." Foster added.

"If I were you two, I'd want a hundred more just like her." Stella continued, Gabby's eyes widening as Jemma and Brett both laughed.

"Alright, alright slow down a bit, you sound like Matt." Gabby replied, Stella grinning as she gave her a shrug.

"I'm just saying… It's not my fault you two made the cutest kid on the planet. Those Casey and Dawson genes man, they're something else." She said, shaking her head before moving onto her full beer.

"She has a point." Brett said. "Sofia is really the perfect mix of both of you, she's precious."

"She is perfect, I'll agree with you there." Gabby responded with a soft smile. "Although hopefully our next baby, whenever we have them, they aren't as stubborn as Sofia is." She said, all of the women laughing as Gabby shook her head. "I swear, I love that little girl but she's so stubborn-"

"So, she's you." Kidd joked, Gabby rolling her eyes before taking another sip of her drink, their conversation getting interrupted when she felt her phone buzz in her back pocket. Opting not to respond to Stella's shot at her, Gabby reached for her phone, soon seeing she'd just received two messages from her husband, one being a video, which was followed by a short text.

'Just because we missed you… and Sof is having a hard time getting to sleep.'

"I know who that's from." Stella's voice filtered into her head, Gabby looking up from her phone to see all eyes on her. "That's Dawson's 'Casey smile'. Is he missing you already?"

"Kidd, he misses her when we're on a call for an hour, of course he is." Foster responded with a chuckle, Gabby waving them off before unlocking her phone.

"What does he want?"

"I don't know, it's a video." Gabby replied, turning up the sound of her phone before she clicked the video, thankful that the noise in the bar wasn't too loud.

As she hit play, she could see Matt as he was clearly propping his phone up against something, Gabby able to tell he was in the living room, her husband waving to the camera before he situated himself on the ground. She could hear him talking to who she assumed was Sofia, Gabby's suspicions soon proven correct when she saw him lift their baby up, the little girl smiling widely as he held her in front of him. Matt was holding her under her arms, gently bouncing Sofia up and down as she laughed loudly, the baby completely enamored by the attention her father was giving her.

Though she couldn't see it in the video, the edge of the coffee table cutting off some of her view, she knew Matt was helping Sofia stand, the parents having been doing this for awhile to help their baby get used to the position, even though she was nowhere close to standing yet. But it was just another thing they got to do with their daughter that Sofia absolutely loved, the small girl's body being swallowed by her dad's hands as he continued bouncing her up and down, letting her feet move against the floor.

"Yeah, you love that, don't you Sof?" She heard Matt say, Gabby knowing that more than likely he'd momentarily forgotten he was even recording, considering how most every time he played with Sofia, it became like they were the only two people in the room.

"Oh my God, that's adorable." Kidd breathed out, the woman having leaned over to watch the video with Gabby.

"See? You're getting so big and strong. Pretty soon, you're gonna be crawling, and then you'll be able to stand all on your own, and then comes the big one… You'll start walking. But let's hold off on that for awhile, alright? I'm not ready for you to be that big yet."

Matt continued talking to Sofia before he'd lift her up, blowing kisses against her stomach, the baby clad in nothing but a diaper as she played with her father, Sofia's loud screams of excitement being heard by all the women at the table.

"Alright Sof, tell Momma bye!" Matt spoke with a grin as he positioned himself and Sofia towards the camera, gently grabbing the baby's arm and shaking it as if to wave to her mom. "Tell her that you'll see her here in a little bit, probably at some very inconvenient time, like two in the morning. But that's okay, isn't it? Yeah, you can't help it. We know you wanna be sleeping just as much as we do." He said, pressing multiple kisses on the side of Sofia's head before looking back towards the camera. "We love you, and we'll see you later!"

Matt had Sofia wave one last time before the video stopped, Gabby feeling warmth spread through her chest as a huge grin formed over her face.

"Oh, I know that look." Kidd spoke up, Gabby lifting her head towards her. "Dawson might be about to ditch us early, and go home to start working on baby number two tonight." She said, Gabby feeling heat rise to her cheeks as she ducked her head slightly, Dawson placing her phone down on the table. "I'm sure the Captain would be all for it."

"Whatever has you so obsessed about mine and Matt's sex life, you better not be bringing that up to him next shift." Gabby warned her, the group laughing as Stella shook her head.

"All I'm saying is if you break the news here in a few months that you're pregnant again, no one will be surprised." Kidd teased, Gabby raising her eyebrow challengingly.

"Well, I'll guess we'll find out in a few months then, won't we?" She responded with a proud smirk, Stella raising her eyebrows in amusement as Gabby reached for one of the many shot glasses Herrmann had brought over, Dawson downing the liquid quickly as she heard the laughter from her friends.

Casey yawned heavily as his gaze focused on the TV, the tired father doing his best to pay attention to the hockey game happening in front of him. The game had been played earlier in the evening, Matt just now getting the chance to watch it as he'd had some trouble getting Sofia down, the baby still in a lot of discomfort with her teething. But eventually, she'd gotten to sleep, and he'd managed to get her in her bassinet without waking her, Matt sneaking out of the room with the baby monitor as quickly as he could shortly after that.

Looking towards the clock, he saw it was nearing midnight, Matt's eyes feeling heavy as he continued to force himself to stay awake. He had thought about going to bed many times over the last hour, but not only did he want to finish watching the game to see if the Blackhawks won, he also wanted to wait up for his wife. He had no idea how long she'd be out, Matt knowing a night with her friends was exactly the kind of evening she needed, but he didn't want to be asleep when she got here. He wanted to make sure she got home safely before he went to bed, even though with every passing minute that was becoming more and more difficult, Matt doing what he could to fight off his exhaustion.

Just as his head had fallen forward again, Matt heard the back door open, his head snapping up as he sat up straight on the couch, the husband suddenly feeling very awake as he heard his wife come in.

"Babe?" He called as he heard her shut the door, his eyebrows lifting slightly as he heard what sounded like Gabby very much struggling with getting the door locked, Matt getting ready to push himself up from the couch before he heard the sounds of her walking through the kitchen. He could hear her dropping a few of her things as she moved, Matt unsure of what kind of state she'd be in when he saw her, but his question was soon answered as she came around the corner, Matt instantly able to tell that his wife was definitely a little tipsy. She wasn't drunk, he could tell she still had her wits about her, but she was clearly buzzed.

She smiled brightly when she saw him, Gabby kicking off her boots and shedding her leather jacket on the chair before walking towards him, her eyes glazed over as she got closer to him.

"Hi." He murmured, Matt taken by surprise when she didn't sit next to him, but instead chose to sit on him, Gabby placing her thighs on either side of his body as she straddled him, her arms resting around the back of his neck.

"Hi." She repeated as his hands instinctively moved to her waist, Matt rubbing along her hip as she relaxed into him. "And Severide says hi." She added, Matt knowing Kelly had been tasked, thanks to Kidd, with making sure all the women got home safely after their night out, Casey nodding with a soft smile.

"Did you have a good night?" He asked, although he was sure he knew the answer before she could even respond, Gabby giving him a quick nod, her carefree state causing his chest to fill with warmth.

"I did, it was fun. I'm glad we went." She murmured, her fingers tracing a lazy pattern along the back of his neck, Matt leaning forward to give her a quick kiss.

"Me too. I'm glad you had a good time." He responded, Gabby flashing him a soft smile.

"How's the baby?"

"She's alright, I just got her down a little while ago, but she was out… I'm hoping she sleeps for awhile." He told her, Gabby nodding before she moved back towards him for another kiss, Matt taken by surprise by the neediness of her actions. But he wouldn't question it, Matt groaning into her mouth as she pushed herself down onto him, his boxers giving him barely any protection against her movements.

He wasn't sure what had gotten into her, aside from the fact that she was always a little more frisky whenever she had some alcohol in her, Gabby maneuvering them as she practically fell down onto the couch, pulling him down on top of her in one swift motion. A sound of surprise left his lips, Gabby kissing along his jaw and his neck, any skin that she could find really, as she tugged at his t-shirt, Matt helping her as he sat up long enough to remove his shirt, tossing it haphazardly to the side. While they were separated, Gabby began taking off her shirt as well, Matt streamlining the process as he nearly ripped it from her body, leaving her upper half covered by nothing but a black lace bra that he'd seen a hundred times, his eyes darkening at the sight of her heaving chest.

Quickly, he moved back down towards her, capturing her lips in a heated kiss as his hand ran over her bare stomach, Gabby shivering underneath his touch before his hand continued further south, beginning to expertly work at the button on her pants, Matt getting them undone and the zipper slid down in record time.

"Wait… wait, wait." Gabby spoke quickly as she stopped kissing him, Matt pulling back instantly the second he heard her.

"You okay?" He asked, his eyebrows furrowed in worry as she nodded, Gabby running her warm hand along his lower back, keeping him from going too far.

"I'm perfect." She responded quickly, Matt nodding as he waited for her to elaborate. "I just need you to remind me that the next time I pump, I have to throw all that milk in the trash."

A soft chuckle escaped his lips, Matt raising his eyebrows before he nodded. He knew she wouldn't need the reminder, but there was something so endearing about her asking him that it brought a soft smile to his face, Gabby scrunching her nose up slightly.

"...I'm sorry, that wasn't very sexy, was it?"

He laughed again, Matt shaking his head in amusement as he ran his hand over the side of her face.

"I love you."

She could hear the complete and utter honesty in his voice, Gabby's wide, genuine smile causing his heart rate to quicken, Matt not having time to say anything else as she reached up and pulled his face back towards her, the couple picking up right where they left off, both of them eager to make the most out of the rest of their night together.