The Heart of this House

Follow the story of Andy Darden's younger sister and her relationship with Firehouse 51 and a certain Lieutenant. Naomi Darden is a surgical resident at Gaffney Chicago Medical Center (Chicago Med) but her heart is at Chicago's infamous Firehouse 51 where her family risks their lives every day. This is set across the entire Chicago franchise (so may turn into a PD/Med crossover)

Chapter 6 - Like I'm Going to Lose You

When Naomi walking into the gym the next morning, Antonio knew better than to ask. Her face was set in an expression that was usually reserved for her fights with Kelly Severide. As far as he knew, they hadn't spoken in months so this was something else.
"I need to punch something." She said shortly, throwing her bag down on the bench next to him and pulling her engagement ring off with such force, it answered all of Antonio's unspoken questions.

She started wrapping her hands, messily, huffing as she did. Each rotation around her hand was punctuated with a quiet mutter of "interfering cow" and "how dare she?", until Antonio couldn't watch any more. He placed his hand on hers.
"Let me."
Without saying a word, she allowed him to unwrap the mess that she'd started on her own hands and wrap them up again.
"You want to tell me what's going on or beat me up first?"
Naomi couldn't help but smile, "Grab the pads, I'd rather not hurt you."
"Oh that bad, huh?"
She laughed, replying with a sickly sweet tone that emphasised her anger, "I had a fight with my in-laws."
Antonio frowned, "Yeah, okay – I'll grab the pads."

Antonio tried not to correct her too much, but she was scrapping, her footwork sloppy and her emotions had gotten the better of her. He dropped the pad and grabbed her fist as it came flying towards him.
"Okay, Naomi! Take a break," He caught the other hand that followed close behind the first, "C'mon girl, what was that? It's been four years since you punched like that."
She let out an exasperated groan, peeling off the gloves and throwing them at the ground, "DAMMIT!" Her arms went above her head, trying to catch her breath and she walked away from Antonio, trying to hide the tears that were threatening to fall.

"Woah," He put his hands up in defeat, "You wanna tell me what happened or do you wanna just keep throwing stuff?"

She shook her head, "Antonio… I don't…"

"C'mon, Naomi," he'd heard from Gabby a few months ago that her relationship with her fiancé was struggling, because of her closeness to a certain squad Lieutenant, "Talk to me. Tell me what's going on."

Naomi leant against the ropes, still trying to catch her breath, "I almost ended my engagement last night." She cringed as she remembered the incident, dropping to the floor and waiting for Antonio to settle in next to her, "It was bad, 'Tonio…"

xxx

Naomi was flying; Kelly was back and she was tipsy. As she slid her key into the lock and watched him saunter back to his car, a sense of relief flooded over her. She didn't want to admit it because the state of her relationship with Harrison hinged on the presence of Kelly Severide in her life but there was a hole in her life that only he could fill. She needed Andy to tease and torment and Matt was always there for good advice or to help her with flat pack furniture, but Kelly…. Kelly completed her in a way that she couldn't explain. The rumours and suspicions of their families and colleagues were always ignored because she knew that it was more than that. In fact, she dismissed the romantic idea of Kelly pretty soon after she hit puberty and he started breaking the hearts of all her friends.

It was the way that she had a key to his apartment.
It was the way that he could be vulnerable around her.
It was the way that they could crawl into each other's arms after a bad day, no expectations.
The way that he'd squeeze her hand as he passed over a trauma victim or how she'd wipe soot off his face when she came to visit the firehouse.
It was the way that she could call him after three months and he was standing there in a bridal boutique without hesitation.
Any time, any place – it was the way that she knew he'd be there in a heartbeat if she called.

She knew she'd sleep a little easier now knowing that Kelly had her back.

The smile stayed on her face as she slipped into Harrison's house. Although she lived there now, it didn't feel like her home yet. She'd kept her own house with the view to rent it out when she had enough time to actually move all of her stuff.

"Naomi I've been calling you, where have you been?" Naomi jumped, as Harrison caught her a little too roughly for her liking.

"I went for a drink after my dress fitting…"

"I can see that…" Naomi wrapped her arms around her fiancé's neck and pressed her lips to his jawline.

"Uh, honey…"

Naomi trailed a few kisses up to his ear, "Hmm…"

He pushed her away slightly, whispering, "My parents are here…"

Harrison stalked into the living room as Naomi's mouth formed around the word 'what?'

"Naomi, how nice of you to finally join us."

"Mr and Mrs Archibald…." She turned to her fiancé, "Honey, what are they doing here?"

He walked over to the bar cart and quickly poured her a soda water, speaking through gritted teeth maintaining the smile that she hoped was also forced onto her face, "They wanted to speak to both of us."

She held his hand around the glass he was trying to hand her, "Right now?"

He nodded, leaving the glass in her hand and motioning for her to sit on the sofa opposite his parents.

Her mother-in-law leaned forward, glaring at Naomi with a disapproval that made her blood boil, "We need to talk about this wedding young lady."

"Excuse me…" Naomi retorted, trying desperately to keep her words from slurring. For good measure, she took a swig of her soda.

"You do not seem to be taking this seriously…"

Naomi hoped her scoff sounded vaguely ladylike, "I spent 3 hours today being prodded by your seamstress and her sewing pins."

"Yes, I spoke to her. Apparently you invited that man." Naomi hand found Harrison's knee to stop herself from lashing out at the woman's disdain.

Harrison reached for her hand to be reassuring, but stopped as he realised what his mother had said, "What man?"

"I called Kelly; it's no big deal," she spoke in an undertone, knowing that a fight was brewing.
"You're speaking to him again?!"
"Harrison, later please?" Naomi pleaded with her fiancé, not wanting to get into it in front of his parents.

Mrs Archibald seemed satisfied with the drama she was causing, "Yes, we will get onto the topic of that man later. There are far more important things that we need to discuss. Have you informed your boss that you are getting married?"

"I'm sorry, what do you mean, 'informed my boss'?"

"While we respect your position as a doctor, Naomi, it is hardly a suitable career for a wife and mother… There are expectations in this family, commitments and duties that we need to honour. The hours of a surgeon are just not conducive to our lifestyle..."

"Mother…?" Naomi's brain was still a little muddied with alcohol, so trying to comprehend how her Mother-In-Law was planning out the rest of her life.

"Well yes, you and Harrison are planning on having a family right away, aren't you? Now back to the wedding, the guest list that you sent me is hardly suitable."

"What's wrong with my guest list?" Naomi suspected she already knew the answer.

"For starters, that young man that was just here…"

"Kelly?"

"Yes, he hardly seems like a suitable guest."

"He is my family!"

"I don't recall you being related to a man like that."

"Like that?" Naomi frowned, "What exactly do you mean by that?"

"Honey…" Harrison's tone was warning, squeezing her hand, "I think Mother is just concerned that he'll cause problems."
Naomi's hands flew up, knocking her fiancé's away from her and she sat up straight, feeling suddenly very sober, "Okay, this has gone on long enough… You don't think I'm good enough for your son; you've made that very clear but Harrison knew who I was when he proposed to me. Like it or not, I am a surgeon… I'm not going to throw away 7 years of medical school and the best damn job in the city because you tell me I have to. It's the 21st freakin' century, I'm allowed to have a career and I'm not going to give it up for you. Harrison and I will have kids, when WE want to have kids… YOU do not get to put a schedule on my uterus. Am I clear?"

"Young lady… I…"

"I am NOT finished." Naomi hadn't intended on raising her voice, but suddenly found herself shouting, so she took a deep breath, "And as for Kelly. He is a damn fine firefighter who saves this city every single day and who I am lucky to have in my life and it would be an absolute honour to have a man of that calibre at my wedding. Quite frankly, if he isn't there then neither am I. Kelly is as good as family to me and it's past time that you accepted that he is in my life."

"Well, I never…" Mrs Archibald huffed, incredulously and looked between her son and husband, "Are you just going to let her speak to me like that?"
"Mother… just…" Harrison started, "Let's all just calm down. Honey, why don't you go get a cup of coffee?"

She sighed, pushing herself off the sofa, "Gladly."

Xxx

"Wow, okay. I understand the need to punch stuff now." Antonio squeezed her hands reassuringly, trying to release then angry little fists that were balled up resting on Naomi's knees.

Naomi returned his small smile with a look of sadness, "That's not even the worst of it."

Wordlessly Antonio got up and pulled her up with him, handing her the gloves she'd discarded earlier, "Spar with me? It'll make you feel better to punch a moving target." He reached for a helmet, "I won't have your Mother-in-Law coming after me if I bruise up that pretty face."

She couldn't help but laugh as Antonio geared up, "So you want to hear the rest of this story or not?"

"Punch me a bit first… It'll help."

Naomi was more than happy to oblige.

xxx

Naomi didn't realise that her hands were shaking until the pulled a mug down from the kitchen cabinet, so she gripped the edge of the counter while she waited impatiently for Harrison's obnoxious machine to present her with a cup of coffee. She could hear Harrison and his parents talking quietly in the next room but she tried to drown out their words.

After an age, Harrison ushered the intruders out of the front door and Naomi braced herself for the fight that was coming. He stood in the doorway to the kitchen with his arms folded as she sipped on her coffee.

"Do you want to tell me what the hell that was about?"

Naomi sighed, "I'm sorry. I don't know what came over me… I just…"

"Don't apologise to me Naomi; my mother wants me to call off the engagement." Harrison's words stabbed at her and she set down her coffee cup.

She broke the silence, her voice barely audible and shaking, "Is that what you want?"

He dropped his arms and crossed the kitchen in a few strides, coming to a stop right in front of her. Her gaze was on her steaming coffee and the hand that she'd placed next to it; she was too scared to look up at him.
"Naomi..." he replied, softly, lifting her chin, "Of course not, but you need to talk to me. You can't just go off at my mother."

She was chewing holes in her bottom lip, unsure of how to approach this conversation, "It's too much, Harrison. I can't handle it all."

"The wedding?"

"The wedding, the marriage, your mother…"

Harrison retorted quickly and his expression was immediately apologetic, "It's not like your family is a picnic…"

"This has got nothing to do with my family…" Naomi could feel her anger rising again and drew herself up to her full height. Harrison mirrored her stance and took a step back.

"What the hell is this about then?"

"US, Harrison. This is supposed to be a partnership. You're supposed to have my back and your mother just came into our home and attacked me."

"Don't be melodramatic, Naomi. My mother is just a little old-fashioned…"

"A little?" Naomi repeated, "She wants to turn me into a flipping breeding cow! And you just sat there, letting her dig into me – telling me that my career was unsuitable."

"Well I'm sorry, I guess I was still trying to come to terms with the fact that Kelly Severide was back in our lives." Naomi hated the venom that rolled off her fiancé's tongue with Kelly's name.

"And here we go again…" She muttered, not wanting to deal with his insecurity when it came to the firemen in her life.

"Don't give me that Naomi; how am I supposed to feel about the other man in your life?" They were both slowly raising their voices and Naomi hoped that his parents had actually left and weren't hanging around eavesdropping.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean, Harrison?"

"You know exactly what that's supposed to mean."

"Oh for God's sake, how many times do I have to tell you that there is nothing going on with Kelly and I?"

"Then why do I feel like I'm losing you every time he's back in our lives."

"That's your problem!" Naomi shrieked, "I don't know what you want me to do here, Harrison."

"Just meet me half way!" He shouted back and Naomi released her breath.

"Meet you half way?" She repeated, her voice shaking, "I'm putting up with this stupid big society wedding and the string quartet and the damn poofy dress and whatever else you and your mother decide we need to have. Your mother was just telling me that I have to give up my career so that I can produce perfect little Archibald heirs. I don't talk to Kelly for months because you're so insecure about him and you want me to meet you half way? Babe, I'm practically at the finish line and you're not giving me an inch." She could feel a tear threatening to spill over and she suddenly felt exhausted, "I can't… I can't fight with you like this anymore… I'm… I'm going to go sleep at my place tonight."

"Naomi…"

"No Harrison, this is just too much… I need to calm down." She reached up and kissed his cheek, "I'll call you in the morning."

Xxx

"Have you called him yet?" Antonio asked, dodging her jab.

She was lighter on her feet now and they'd fallen back into their familiar sparring patterns, working together seamlessly. She ducked under his arm, "No… I wanted to work out some of this anger first, otherwise we'd just get into it again."

"C'mon, keep those hands up." He warned, lunging for her and she quickly darted out of his way, "Do you know what you want to do?"

"I haven't got a clue, Antonio. Marriage is supposed to be about compromise though, isn't it? I feel like at the moment, I'm just giving up little pieces of myself and he's not budging… on anything. This wedding: it's ridiculous."

"Yeah, about that," Antonio poked, "I haven't got my invitation yet…"

"Ugh, don't… I'm still haggling with that bitch about my bloody guest list."

They both laughed, and for a moment the only sound was their gloves.

"Look, Naomi. I can't tell you what to do here, but it sounds to me like there's a lot that you guys haven't figured out. Marriage is a partnership and you're committing yourselves to one another for life, good times and bad."

"You seem to have worked it out."

Antonio laughed, "Yeah, and it hasn't exactly been a walk in the park. Laura and me, we have our problems but we work through them together. And we don't go mouthing off to the in-laws when things get tough."

"Yeah… I should probably apologise to her, shouldn't I?"

He tapped his gloves together, "That would be a good start."

Xxx

Naomi walked out of the gym as the rest of the world woke up and instead of the clarity she was hoping for, she had a million more questions. They all centred on the rock that she'd retrieved from the depth of her duffle bag and which she currently sat in her car staring at. There was one question that was screaming louder than the rest though… Should she return the ring to her finger…

Or to Harrison?