Hello! I haven't posted a fic in literally years, so I'm not sure where this came from.
I think I've read every Gabriela Dawson fic out there at this point, so it seems the only option left is to write my own! This just popped into my head while rewatching an episode, so I'm interested if anyone recognizes that!
I am making absolutely no promises on a schedule for updates. It's just as likely I update this tomorrow as never again, so we'll all be surprised :)
The first thing the paramedics noticed when entering the house was that something seemed off with the way the patient was positioned, more like she had laid down on the floor than fallen. The man who answered the door was frantic, ushering them in the as he explained that his wife had fallen down the stairs. His worry appeared genuine, but the bloody nose and faint red lines on the young woman's neck were bizarre injuries to sustain from a fall down the stairs.
"Did you move her?" one of the paramedics asked the man.
"No, I just told you she fell! Are you going to help her or what?" the man responded shortly and waved his arms, gesturing again to the young woman. The two paramedics exchanged a glance as one assured the man they were here to help.
Before they had even reached the patient, the paramedics were interrupted as two officers approached the home. They also noticed an older woman trailing behind them despite the officers' clear directions to stay back.
"I told you people!" she continued rambling, waving her arms. "I told you there was something going on over here and you didn't do anything!"
"Ma'am, it looks like it's a good thing you called, but I'll ask you again to please step outside. I know you want to help, but we all need space to do our jobs in order to help your friend," one of the officers explained gently, the other ignoring the woman completely. The other officer stepped forward and looked between the patient, paramedics, and the man who was looking anywhere besides at the officer.
"So what happened here?" the officer asked the man who had called for the ambulance.
"My girlfriend, I'm not sure what happened, if she slipped or even passed out or something… I just heard a crash and when I ran over she was at the bottom of the stairs," he explained calmly and in a matter-of-fact manner, as though it were obvious.
"Mhm…" the officer nodded, looking back at the paramedics and raising his brow. "And what is your name sir?"
"Luis Ramos," he responded.
"And your girlfriend's name?"
"Gabriela Dawson."
The officer continued asking the man questions as the paramedics continued assessing the patient. They determined that while she was unconscious, she appeared stable with no critical or life-threatening injuries. As they began to stabilize her for transport, one of the paramedics noticed a smear of blood on the wall next to the staircase, in a location that made no sense if the woman had not been moved.
The paramedic looked over her shoulder and noticed the officer who had not gotten stuck talking the older woman off a ledge was standing above her.
"You may want to take a look at that before we move her," the paramedic suggested, pointing to the wall as they finished securing the woman.
The two exchanged a knowing look as they wheeled the unconscious woman to the ambulance.
Antonio Dawson was about to lose his damn mind.
"Erin, I swear if you don't stop tapping that pen you're going to have to arrest me for shoving it into your eye," he said, joking in his exaggeration but not his sentiment.
"Damn, Dawson, what's got you all up in arms?" Erin asked as she temporarily halted her tapping. "I'm just trying to speed up the clock so we can get our asses outta here and into a bar."
Antonio was about to respond when his phone started ringing. He answered it hastily and sat up straight as the person on the other side of the phone began speaking.
"Hi Mr. Dawson, my name is Mary and I'm calling from Indianapolis General Hospital. I have you listed here as an emergency contact for a Gabriela Dawson?"
Erin was staring at him and trying to catch his eye from his desk, noticing the quick change in the detective's demeanor.
"Yes, I'm her brother. What's going on?" he asked, trying to keep his voice steady.
His face paled as the woman explained that his baby sister was in the hospital, unconscious, with a potential head injury.
"How…," he began, wandering off as he tried to find the right words. "How serious is this? What are they doing to treat her?"
"I know this is not what you want to hear, but unfortunately I can't provide more information at this time. She is stable and they are running some tests, but you would need to speak to the doctor for more information."
Antonio went into autopilot as he answered the woman's basic questions about Gabby's medical history, irritated that her boyfriend, Luis, was apparently nowhere to be found. Antonio never hid his disdain for this boyfriend, creating a bit of a rift in the siblings' relationship that only deepened when Gabby chose to move to Indianapolis with Luis two years ago.
Antonio was already on his feet and gathering his belongings as he informed the woman he was on his way to the hospital, and demanded assurance she would call him with any significant changes.
He hadn't even noticed that Erin had stood up until he got off the phone and realized she was standing right next to him, a concerned look on her face. She didn't speak, clearly allowing Antonio to gather his thoughts as the question of what was happening seemed obvious.
"It's Gabby," he said tightly as he shrugged on his jacket. "She's in the hospital, unconscious, they're talking about maybe a head injury. Said something about a fall down the stairs and maybe some other injuries? I got the sense there's more to the story but I'm not sure."
Erin nodded as she picked up her own jacket.
"You want me to drive?" She asked, not bothering with asking whether he wanted her company and, more importantly, her support.
He began to insist it wasn't necessary, but with one pointed look from the other detective he simply nodded.
"I'll drive, but I won't stop you if you want to go on a road trip."
She nodded back.
Antonio attempted to keep his cool as he all but ran into the hospital and to the desk, Erin trailing behind him at a quick but less frantic pace.
"My sister, Gabriela Dawson, was brought in here earlier today. I'm her brother, Antonio. I got a call," he said quickly as soon as one of the receptionists turned his way. He barely managed to get out a "thank you" before nearly running as he followed the directions to her room, Erin following faithfully behind.
Antonio froze as he approached his sister's door, concern flooding his face as he took in her appearance. They texted often and spoke on the phone here and there – although significantly less than they used to – but he realized in that moment how long it had truly been since they had seen each other.
She looked so small and frail, although admittedly being in a hospital bed can do that, but it was clear to him that she had lost weight. She looked pale, almost lifeless, despite the nurse happily informing him that Gabby had regained consciousness but had been sleeping on and off.
His breath caught in his throat as he walked closer to her, taking in more of her appearance. In addition to the treated head injury, his mind went into overdrive as he noticed the marks on her neck, face, and a clear-as-day bruise on her arm that could only be from a forceful grip. He understood the hesitation in Mary's voice now about this 'fall down the stairs.'
Bile rose in his throat and it took everything in him not to turn around and punch a hole in the wall next to him. He knew he was assuming, but his mind immediately shifted to his sister's piece of shit boyfriend and he just knew he was to blame. Antonio was seeing red at this point, unsure if he was more furious at the son of a bitch who laid a hand on her, or at himself for not fighting her harder in an effort to preserve their own relationship despite the many red flags.
He didn't even flinch as he felt a hand lightly grip his shoulder, both of them standing in silence for a few moments.
"If she wanted you to know, she would have said something," Erin said softly, knowing where his mind was going. Clearly she had come to the same conclusion, and he was so grateful in that moment that he hadn't had to come up with the words. And despite initially denying her offer, he was even more grateful she was here with him.
"But I should have known," he almost whispered. "I'm her brother, I was supposed to protect her. I knew this son of a bitch was trouble from the first time I met him. I should have fought her harder, especially when she decided to move."
Erin nodded, unsurprised by Antonio's statements.
"I know she'll always be your little sister, but she's still an adult who makes her own decisions – and a very stubborn, independent one if you recall. You could have fought her, but you think she'd just change her mind? At the end of the day, there is only one person responsible for this and it is not you. And it is certainly not her."
Antonio nodded and silently made his way over to a chair as he lowered himself into it and scooted closer to Gabby's bed. He barely heard Erin announcing that she was going to get them coffee and something to eat as he grabbed his sister's hand.
Gabby groaned softly as she felt herself slipping back into consciousness. Immediately feeling a dull pain in her head, she went to bring her hand to the spot before registering that someone else was gripping her hand. Her eyes shot open as she went to pull away.
"Gabs, it's okay."
Gabby groaned and forced a slow breath as she felt her ribs jolt with the sudden movement. She looked back at her brother, confused and not quite sure whether this was real. Her brain felt like it was swimming.
"Antonio?" she croaked out, her throat unusually dry.
"Yeah sis," he responded. "You scared the shit out of me."
She felt him squeeze her hand as she slowly looked around. She vaguely recalled that she was in the hospital, although her mind felt foggy as she tried to process what was happening.
"You have a concussion," he explained, reading her mind.
She nodded, feeling herself becoming more alert as she took in this information. Antonio continued.
"According to Luis," he said, almost growling as he said the man's name, "you fell down the stairs.'"
Gabby remained silent and just stared down, refusing to meet her brother's gaze. She wasn't sure what he knew, and she definitely did not know how she felt in this moment. More than anything, she hated herself. She hated that this was the point she had gotten to. She hated that she hadn't been stronger, hadn't fought back harder, hadn't walked out that door after the first time.
In that moment, she mostly hated that her brother knew that she hadn't done any of those things. She was embarrassed and ashamed. She had no idea how she had gotten herself into this situation. She never imagined she would or could, and yet here she was. She didn't realize she was crying until she felt her brother gently wipe a tear away.
"No llores, hermanita. Todo saldrá bien," he said softly, something about the Spanish bringing a sense of comfort.
"Lo siento, 'Tonio," she whispered, tears continuing to fall despite her brother's gentle words. "I'm sorry you had to come all the way here."
"You have nothing to be sorry for," he said strongly, in a tone that was firm that meant this was not up for further debate. He wiped her tears like she was just a child again - like the time she broke her arm trying to follow him on her bike.
They sat in silence for a moment. Gabby wasn't sure what there was to say, and it seemed that Antonio didn't either. In this moment, she was just taking comfort in his presence. Having him near her brought a sense of peace, a sense of safety and security she had not felt in far too long.
Her mind was racing, and she was frustrated that despite the situation she was in right now, one of her first thoughts was how angry Luis would be. After a recent bad night, Gabby had decided, once again, that she couldn't do it anymore. She refused to ask for help, but she had packed a suitcase and planned to surprise her brother with the news of an amicable break up and a request to stay with him.
But based on the pain she was currently experiencing, her attempted exit had not gone to plan, and this had to be the angriest he'd ever been.
After over a year of pain, about 20 times nearly convincing herself to leave, and four failed and painful attempts, she knew it was now or never. She cleared her throat and looked up at Antonio.
"Can I stay with you for a bit?"