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CHAPTER 4
After Matt, Sylvie, her mom, and brother had finished eating their dinner, Hope made her way over to the table.
"Elaine, any news on Patrick?" Hope asked.
"No. The doctors haven't came out yet." Elaine answered.
"If you need anything, please let me know." Hope said.
"I will. Thank you." Elaine said with a half smile.
Hope walked over to where Kyle was sitting. Sylvie noticed how smug Hope was acting and it really annoyed Sylvie, but she focused her attention back on her family. One of the doctors who worked on Sylvie's dad, Patrick, came out to greet the family.
"Mrs. Brett?" the doctor asked.
"Yes." Elaine said.
"Mrs. Brett, your husband coded twice during surgery, but we were able to stabilize him. We found several blockages that we were not expecting, which is why the surgery took so long, but we were able to take care of it. He is critical but stable. He should make a full recovery but we are going to keep him here for at least two weeks due to the complications that occurred." the doctor said.
"Can we see him?" Elaine asked.
"Yes, but only two of you can see him. He needs to rest." the doctor said.
"You go. I'll stay." Evan told Sylvie.
"Are you sure?" Sylvie asked.
"Yeah. Dad has been wanting too see you and so has mom. I've missed you sis, but go see dad." Evan insisted.
She grabbed her purse and followed the doctor and her mom to her dad's room. Her dad was groggy but awake.
"Daddy?" Sylvie asked as she entered the room.
"Sylvie, is that you?" Patrick Brett asked his daughter.
"Hi, daddy. How are you?" Sylvie asked.
"I feel like a ton of bricks hit me." Patrick answered.
"That's to be expected after open heart surgery." Sylvie said.
Sylvie, her father, and her mother chatted about her life in Chicago and how things are going.
"How's Chicago?" Patrick asked.
"It's great. We get several calls a day and it stays pretty busy but everyone at the firehouse considers each other like family. When one of us is hurt, we all hurt. When we lose a member, we all grieve together. One of my friends from the firehouse, Matt, he drove me here. He's gonna stay here with me for a few days until we know how you are doing. I told him that he could stay with us at your house. I hope that's alright." Sylvie told her parents.
"Sweetheart, that's alright. So, tell me more about the firehouse you work at. Is it big or small and what do you guys do?" Patrick asked.
"Well, I work as a PIC, you know, Paramedic In Charge, on Ambulance 61 with my partner, Emily Foster. We treat patients as best as we can on the scene before transporting them to the hospital. Some days are worse than others. Uh, my friend Matt, that I told you about, he works on Truck 81. He's the captain. Then there's Squad 3 and Engine 51. We have a Battalion Chief who is ultimately our boss of the whole entire firehouse." Sylvie said.
Sylvie went into detail about what Truck 81, Squad 3, Engine 51, and the Battalion Chief do. She and her parents talked for a bit and then she left, walking back into the waiting room to send Evan back there to see their dad.
"Hey Evan, since dad is doing alright, I think I'm just gonna have Matt take me home. Tell mom and dad that I'll see them tomorrow." Sylvie said.
"I will. Love you, sis." Evan said.
Sylvie gave her brother a hug.
"Love you, too." Sylvie said as her brother hugged her back before heading to see their father.
Hope and Kyle were still there.
"Sylvie. Matt. How's Patrick?" Kyle asked.
"He's stable. He's got a long recovery but it looks like he'll make a full recovery." Sylvie said.
"That's good." Kyle nervous replied.
"Sylvie, I was hoping we could get coffee and catch up." Hope smiled.
Sylvie gave her a look.
"Maybe some other time, Hope. I'm exhausted. Matt and I were stuck at the firehouse with the others all night with no power or anything. We are tired and need some rest." Sylvie nonchalantly answered.
"Oh ok. Cool. Uh, I'll text you later and we can figure something out." Hope said.
Sylvie nodded and gave an awkward smile before she and Matt left the hospital.
"I can't deal with them right now." Sylvie said once they were outside of the hospital.
"I know. It's been a long day. When you're ready, you can talk to them." Matt said.
"I don't know what I would have done if you weren't here." Sylvie teared up.
Matt pulled her into a hug and she returned the hug.
"Look at me." Matt said as he and Sylvie pulled away from the hug.
Sylvie looked up at him with her blue eyes.
"You are one strong woman, one of the strongest that I have ever met. You also have a big heart. That's one of the many reasons we all love you. Sylvie Brett, you can do this." Matt reassured her.
Sylvie was glad that Matt had brought her to Fowlerton. She wasn't ready for this week, but she had Matt with her and that help her a lot. Sylvie and Matt got into his truck and headed to Sylvie's parent's house. It didn't take them long to get there, but Matt was surprised to see that it looked like a farm.
"It looks like a farm." Matt noticed.
"We have horses." Sylvie smiled.
There was that smile that he loved so much. Sylvie grabbed her keys from her purse. Matt parked the car and they got out of the truck. He grabbed her suitcase. He always kept a change of clothes in a duffel bag in his truck for emergencies. It's a good thing he remembered to pack it the other night before the storm came. Sylvie unlocked the door to the house and they walked in. The living room was decorated in pictures of Sylvie and her little brother from when they were younger. Her parents had pictures of her brother from when he was born, but not of her.
"Where's your baby picture at?" Matt asked curiously.
Sylvie was caught of guard. How does she tell him about her adoption. It wasn't any secret but she never liked to talk about it. She was a lot like Matt in that way. He didn't like to talk about his family.
"Oh...um..." Sylvie stumbled.
Matt could tell something was wrong. Sylvie walked over to the mantle and handed Matt a picture frame.
"Here." Sylvie softly whispered.
Matt looked at the picture frame, confused by the contents at first. As he read the contents of what was in the picture frame, he realized the reason he didn't see any baby pictures of Sylvie, but only of her brother. He sat down on the couch and studied Sylvie's expression.
"You were adopted?" Matt asked.
Sylvie sat down on the couch next to him.
"Yeah. I was six. I never knew my birth parents. I got put in the system when I was only two months old. I bounced around from foster home to foster home. I didn't have the greatest childhood, at least not until I was adopted. My parents struggled to have a baby of their own for years and after my brother was born, my mom couldn't have any more children. She and my dad became certified foster parents and adopted me. They wanted to give my little brother a sister. Evan took to me immediately. He became my best friend and the fact that we were so close in age, really helped a lot. So that certificate of my adoption with the picture down in the corner is my first family photo. I never called them anything other than mommy and daddy. That's who they are. They are the only parents that I have ever known and I wouldn't change that for the world." Sylvie teared up.
Tears formed in her eyes and started running down her face. Matt reached his hand up her face and tried to wipe her tears away.
"No wonder you are such a strong woman. You have been through more than most people should ever have to go through." Matt softly said.
"So have you." Sylvie retorted.
Matt and Sylvie sat on the couch looking at each other. Matt's hand was now resting on Sylvie's knee and her hand was on top of his. They were interrupted by the sound of the door opening.
"Hey sis, you home?" Evan called out.
"Yeah. In here!" Sylvie yelled.
Evan made his way towards the living room where Matt and Sylvie were.
"Hey, so mom is staying at the hospital with dad and Hope is coming over with Kyle." Evan blurted out.
"Wait, what? Please tell me that you're joking." Sylvie said.
"Sis, you can't avoid them forever. You might as well get it over with." Evan said.
"So, how long do I have before they show up?" Sylvie asked.
Just then, all of them heard a car pull into the driveway.
"Uh, like two seconds." Evan joked.
There was a knock on the door.
"You invited them here, you answer the door." Sylvie said.
Evan walked over to the front door and answered it. As Hope and Kyle came into the house, Sylvie walked into the kitchen and Matt followed.
"You ok?" Matt asked.
"Not really. Hope betrayed my trust when she came to Chicago. She played me for a fool and even had me and Stella fighting and the last time I was here in Fowlerton, was with Kyle. She was all over Kyle in his office but I trusted him, but I can't trust her." Sylvie said.
"Look at me." Matt said as Sylvie looked him in the eye.
"I'll be right beside you. Just squeeze my hand like I told you earlier. Just breathe and just talk to them." Matt said.
Sylvie agreed. Evan knew where Sylvie and Matt were and went to the kitchen.
"Sis, what are you doing in here?" Evan asked.
"Well, since you only gave me like a two second warning about them showing up, I came in here to get myself together." Sylvie explained.
"I'm sorry. I should have called and gave you a warning but they are here now, so..." Evan trailed off.
Sylvie gave her brother a hug.
"I know. Let's just get this over with." Sylvie sighed.
Matt, Evan, and Sylvie walked into the living room where Hope and Kyle were sitting on the couch.
"Hope. Kyle." Sylvie said.
"Hi." Hope and Kyle said at the same time.
"So, what brings you both here?" Sylvie asked.
"We need to talk to you. Not at the same time, but we do need to talk." Kyle said.
"Alright. Well, uh, you and I can talk outside on the porch." Sylvie said.
Sylvie looked at Matt and gave him a nod to let him know that she would be alright. Kyle and Sylvie stepped outside on the porch to talk.
"So, uh, you and Matt?" Kyle asked.
"Oh, no. He's just a friend." Sylvie said.
"I miss you, Sylvie." Kyle said.
"I miss you, too." Sylvie said.
"Then why don't we give this another chance?" Kyle asked.
"Because...I've moved on. Don't get me wrong, I'll always miss you, but I could never be the woman that you want me to be. I can't be a stay at home house wife with no job. That's not me. You're a great guy, but I don't want to live in Fowlerton. You do. I left this town to better myself. I love Chicago. My home is in Chicago." Sylvie said.
Kyle knew that no matter how hard he tried to beg Sylvie to give him another chance, she wasn't going to leave Chicago.
"Are you sure? We can have a great life here." Kyle said.
"Kyle, you're a wonderful man but after my first engagement ended with my fiance leaving me and then our engagement ending because you deserve more from a woman who actually wants the same things you do, I'm sorry. I just can't be with you. You're a great friend and I really did love you, but I all I can ever be is a friend to you." Sylvie said.
"Who did you move on with?" Kyle asked.
"No one. I just meant that I've moved on with my life. You're part of my past, not my future. Chicago is my home and that's where I want to be." Sylvie explained.
Kyle knew that he was defeated and that whatever he and Sylvie had, it didn't amount to how she felt about Chicago.
"Can I give you some advice as a friend and as a Chaplain?" Kyle asked.
"Sure." Sylvie said.
"I see the way he looks at you and the way you look at him. Don't make the same mistake Gabby did by letting him go." Kyle said.
"Well, I could say the same thing about you and Hope." Sylvie countered.
Kyle gave her a funny look.
"Don't give me that look. You have had that look on your face ever since you met Hope. She's your person. I may not like her, but if she makes you happy, then I say go for it. Just be careful." Sylvie said.
"Thanks." Kyle replied.
After getting closure with each other, they headed back inside the house.
"Hope, can I talk to you outside?" Sylvie asked.
"Sure." Hope said as she got up.
The two women headed outside to talk.
"Hope, I want you to listen to me and listen to me carefully because I'm only going to say this once." Sylvie said.
"Alright." Hope answered.
"I trusted you when you came to Chicago. I believed in you and the second I turned around for one second, you betrayed me and the trust I had in you. I don't care that you were in an abusive relationship. You stole from my friend, my friend who tried to warn me about you and I should have listened to her. You have this attitude as if you are better than everyone. You even flirted with Kyle right in front of me. Why? Why did you do that? Why did you do any of it?" Sylvie asked.
"I don't know. I guess because I was jealous of you. You have this perfect life. A mom, dad, and brother who loves you. I envied you ever since we were kids. My parents couldn't be bothered with taking care of me. They were always working but you, you have this family who actually cares and loves you. I guess I was just jealous about the fact that you somehow managed to get out of this small town and actually move to Chicago like you have always wanted to do. I wanted to be you." Hope explained.
"But you're not me. Yes, I have a very loving and caring family but my life isn't perfect. Do you remember the first time we met?" Sylvie asked.
"Yeah, we were about six or seven. Why?" Sylvie asked.
"Think about that. You knew my brother before you knew me. Why is that?" Sylvie asked.
Hope thought about that for a minute.
"I don't know." Hope said.
"It's because I was in foster homes before my parents adopted me. So before you say that I have a perfect life, take a step back. I do forgive you, but I can never trust you again. I've given you chance after chance and you prove me wrong every time." Sylvie said.
"I know and I'm sorry." Hope said.
"I forgive you but like I said, I can never trust you again." Sylvie said.
They talked about what led Hope down her dark path and how she could betray Sylvie's trust like she did and afterwards, they made amends, with Sylvie and Hope both agreeing that if they see each other, they will say hi but that's it.
"So, we're good?" Hope asked.
"We're good. One more thing, before you go. If you like Kyle and want to be with him, tell him. Don't let him go." Sylvie said.
Hope smiled.
"Thank you." Hope whispered.
Sylvie and Hope walked back inside. Although it was a bit awkward for everyone, Sylvie had to put her past behind her and focus on only her family and her friends, along with her future. She needed the closure between her and Kyle and between her and Hope if she was going to move on. After Hope and Kyle left,
Evan went upstairs to bed, while Matt and Sylvie stayed up a little longer.