Chapter 14

A/N: Short chapter, I'm sorry. I've been unconscious in the ICU but on the bright side, I've had some pretty vivid dreams of where this fanfic is going plus another couple circling that could be awesome. In other words, I'm a lot better and reviews motivate me ;) I'll update as much as possible (and I apologize that this chapter is fairly short)

Sylvie woke to a surprisingly un-aching body which, knowing Stella's reputation, was the pain killers that she had specifically said no to. However, she also knew that everyone was going back to work today so in complete-Sylvie polite manner, she would always try her best to be on her best behavior.

The smell of food made her nauseous but she knew that Chilli had spoken with everyone about her eating and she knew that Gabby and Stella were both taking it seriously.

Throwing on a sweater, Sylvie slowly walked out to the kitchen to find both Gabby and Stella eating breakfast and fully changed into their uniforms. They had set up a cup of coffee without any food for Sylvie which the blonde was definitely grateful for.

"Hi…"

Brett was nervous, to say the least, but having Gabby and Stella there helped.

Brett took a sip of her coffee before trying to break the ice. "So who "roofied" me during the night?"

Gabby and Stella exchanged a glance before Dawson nodded at Kidd. Stella hesitantly raised a hand. "Guilty. But only because we wanted you to get some sleep."

"Well, thank you. I know that I told you no meds but I did sleep well."

It was clear that Sylvie was lying but both Gabby and Stella "bought" it.

A knock at the door made both Sylvie and Gabby jump but luckily Stella knew who it was and how to keep them calm. "It's just Cindy. I called her earlier just in case."

Sylvie knew the "just in case" was for her but she honestly was thankful for Cindy. The Hermmans were always there when you needed them.

Stella opened the door and none of them were surprised when Cindy immediately hugged Brett. Sylvie gave in- besides Stella and Gabby, Cindy was the only one she truly trusted.

Both Gabby and Stella stayed later than they were supposed to but Boden had already arranged with them that it was okay. Cindy had just finished making brunch for the two brunettes by the time they eventually had to head to work. Of course Cindy was doing her "mom" thing and making sure they were fed before they left. She kept a close eye on Sylvie too whom was on the sofa "watching" some cooking show.

After the two brunettes had eaten brunch under Cindy's watchful "mom" eye, they hesitated before saying goodbye to Sylvie. Gabby went first, silently placing her hand on Sylvie's knee to grab her attention. "We have to-"

"-go to work. I know." Brett forced a smile, hugging Gabby goodbye. "Thank you for staying around today. I can't say how much I appreciate you both for it."

"You're more than welcome, lady." Stella came up and hugged Brett from behind. "You know that we would stay longer if we could…"

Sylvie smiled sincerely, hugging two of her best friends before standing up slowly and forcing a smile goodbye. She nodded over to Cindy whom was doing dishes like the classic she was, hinting that she was going to be okay for the day.

"I think we've got it."

"You're sure?"

Sylvie smirked. "Would I ever lie to you?"

Stella couldn't help but smirk alongside the blonde, wrapping an arm around her. "Sylvie Brett lying? Now who could ever believe that?."

Sylvie smirked at both Stella and Gabby before unwrapping Stella's arm's from her. "Go on. There are people in need."

Stella and Gabby exchanged a glance before Sylvie spoke up again. "Go! Seriously, I'm fine. There are people who need you, and I've got Cindy Hermman batting on my side."

"She's the best."

Brett nodded, smiling. "Yeah, she is."

"Let's get going, shall we?"

Cindy always knew how to pull her strings.

Cindy buckled Annabelle and Luke in before opening the passenger side for Sylvie. She was thankful that the other kids had different lessons on today to keep them busy and that Lee Henry was old enough to stay home alone.

It didn't take long to get to the firehouse and both Cindy and Sylvie thanked God that the kids ran in first, allowing Sylvie time to get out herself.

Annabelle made it in just before Luke and immediately jumped into her dad's arms. Luke was more "mature"- hugging his dad after Annabelle, and after Cindy led Sylvie inside.

"What are y'all doing here?" It was Stella whom spoke up first.

"Well, Miss Annabelle here wanted one of her favorite aunts to braid her hair for her and obviously show it off to her dad so here we are."

Sylvie forced a smile to prove that it was okay with her being there. Honestly, as "rough" as the Herrmann children were, she really did love spending time with them all and especially with her secret specialty of braiding Annabelle's hair. Besides that, the only thing that was keeping her there at the moment were the watchful eyes of Gabby, Stella, Shay and Chilli.

Gabby and Stella hugged Sylvie quickly, only to make sure that the blonde was okay.

"What'd you think, Herrmann?" Sylvie held up Annabelle's proudly-presented braids. He was proud, for sure, but not so proud with the Junior Police uniform that Trudy had presented her with and she was doting.

Capp, on the other hand, started a slow clap only to stop a few seconds later when no one else jumped in. Brett couldn't help but smile; Capp always made her laugh.

Sylvie took a seat next to Gabby and winced slightly when Annabelle jumped on her lap. She didn't want it to be obvious that she was in pain but was more than thankful when Herrmann lifted Annabelle off her lap and placed her in "Mouch's spot".

There were only a few calls for Engine and Squad amongst the shift but Cindy hung around to cook and Sylvie managed to make it through almost the entire shift with the constant check-ins. Eventually, once Boden noticed she was too tired, he nodded to Gabby to take her home.

"Hey, lady." Gabby walked up beside Sylvie and looped her arm. "Let's get out of here, okay? Boden told me to take the rest of the shift off so what do you say to a milkshake and a walk, just us two?"

Sylvie smiled sincerely, nodding and gripping on to Gabby's arm tighter. "I think that's a great idea."

It was almost a whisper and Gabby knew that it was because Sylvie was exhausted. Gabby nodded to the common room and silently let the blonde know that she would meet her outside after telling the others that she would be taking off early.

It was way too clear that Sylvie was etching to get away from the firehouse when both Gabby and Stella came out after a few minutes. Gabby stayed back whilst Stella said goodbye, gently hugging the blonde but not putting too much pressure on her. "Call me if you need me, girl."

Sylvie nodded against Stella's shoulder but pulled back quickly to grab Gabby's hand.

Dawson nodded to Kidd signalling that she would take care of Brett for the night. Gabby led her to her car and opened the passenger door, helping the blonde in.

They drove in silence for a few miles before Gabby settled on the same bridge Shay loved. She knew Sylvie loved it too but mainly on St. Patrick's Day when they turned the water green. Shay simply loved it everyday.

Gabby pulled over after the bridge in an actual parking spot- that was the one thing that sucked not driving the ambo. Instantly, she took Sylvie's hand- not really sure of how possible it was going to be for her to cross the bridge on her own.

They made it half way across the bridge before Sylvie stopped, looking down at the water. Gabby grabbed her arm just a little bit tighter.

It took a few minutes before Sylvie spoke. She gripped the bridge bars for a few minutes before whispering.

"Gabby… I'm late."