Hey there readers!

I hope you liked the last chapter haha I know, I did a cliffhanger (again), but I love this and there will be (maybe) another one (or maybe more).

So I had a lot of reviews asking me ''WTF? You killed Matt?" - Yeah, I'm a little crazy! I said I didn't know where the story could go, so maybe yes maybe no (Réponse de Normand, ~translated as ''Normand response'' because in France it's a ''cliche''). Anyway, I hope I will have some reviews again!

Bonne lecture!


CHAPTER 4: Always in trouble

The doctor was so used to explain to families that their loved one had died on the operating table, but it was much harder this time.

"You didn't let me finish, I never said he was dead".

All stopped what they were doing, meaning for most of them crying.

"What did you just say?"

"He isn't dead. I only used the past because my work is done".

Kelly gave him a look... It was filled with anger and hatred. The surgeon had made them believe the worst, when it wasn't the case.

"May you sit down please? I will explain everything".

Nobody wanted to move an inch, and the doctor nocited it after one minute. Then he sighed and began his explanation.

"As I started to explain, your friend had an aortic rupture and this led to a massive hemothorax. His left lung was punctured, his heart didn't work properly, so we had to drain and stop the bleeding without stopping his heart".

"You should have put him on bypass", Shay said trying to stay calm.

"If we did, he should be dead by now. He lost a lot of blood, and his heart wouldn't have supported a stop. I confess, it was dangerous but I had no choice".

"So... So he will get better?"

The doctor closed his eyes.

"Unfortunately not yet. He lost a lot of blood, and the speed at which he was hit, combined with the aortic rupture and the hemothorax, his diaphragm ruptured too. This happens when the pressure in the chest is too high, as in a collision with a car at full speed. We were able to repair the damage without much problems. His sternum and six of his ribs were fractured, and one of them has even perforated his stomach. That's why he complained of stomach pain. We repaired the damage as well, and there is an orthopedic surgeon in the OR to repair his fractured bones".

"And... He also complained about his head and neck. You know something?"

"No at all, but during the operation, a neurosurgeon was there to monitor his brain activity. I didn't quite understand what he was saying because it's not my specialty, but he seemed worried. I can't say anything more, because I know nothing more. He will come to see you after the end of the operation".

The doctor left them in the waiting room, all the firefighters and Antonio were speechless. They were still crying, in shock. No one could move, they were totally paralyzed. They had thought that Matt was dead when he wasn't. Not yet.

"I... I have to go to Lakeshore... See... See how is Gabby".

Antonio had so much difficulties to speak.

"I... I'm going with you".

Shay stood up and began to follow Antonio out of the waiting room, but Kelly grabbed her left wrist.

"You... You will call me... Right?"

He had sadness in his eyes. He was lost, eyes full of tears. Shay knelt in front of him and feigned a smile.

"I will. Gabby will be fine. Just... Hope".

He closed his eyes and nodded. Hermann put a hand in his shoulder, desperately trying to comfort him in this dark day. Shay and Antonio left the firefighters and went to Lakeshore. At the reception, they asked about her, and to be sure to be heard, Antonio grabbed his badge and showed it to the receptionist.

"Gabriela Dawson, I'm her brother. I want to know where is she and if she's okay".

The receptionist raised a hand, motioning him to stop talking while she was on the phone. Antonio was deeply annoyed, just like Shay. He couldn't do it anymore. He turned the chair, made her get up by the collar of her shirt and began to lift her, and Shay didn't stop him. She knew Antonio, when he was angry, it was impossible to stop him.

"Listen to me dirty bitch! You're going to drop that phone and you'll tell me right now WHERE IS MY SISTER!"

Three doctors turned their head and saw the scene. Initially they were totally paralyzed, and then they came to help their colleague. Shay stood there, motionless while Antonio fought the three doctors. And he had the upper hand: being a boxer, it had its advantages. He kept punching until the fury gave way to sadness. A terrible sadness invaved him suddenly.

"I want... I just want to see my sister... And know... Know that she's okay..."

He had his hands over his eyes, weeping bitterly. No one had ever seen Antonio in such a shape, not even when his son was kidnapped by Pulpo, not even when he had been shot.

"Tell me she's okay... Just tell me she's okay".

He had collapsed to the ground, supported by the three doctors he had punched. They knew in which distress he was. His little sister... Shay finally moved to catch his arm and help him sit on a chair. His legs were shaking as never, just like his hands. The receptionist stood up, researched something on her computer, then approached Anotnio carefully.

"Mr. Dawson? Uh... Your sister... Your sister is out of surgery. A doctor will come here soon to explain everything".

Antonio lifted his head, and startled the woman with this sudden movement.

"Thank you", he managed to whisper.

She smiled a little, still in shock about what had happened but she was relieved to see this man a little relieved too. Shay and Antonio waited five minutes before a doctor enter the waiting room.

"You're family of Gabriella Dawson?"

Antonio jumped, he was still in his thoughts.

"Yeah, uh... I'm her brother..."

"No, stay here on the chair. Ma'm, you may have a sit?"

He signed to Shay to sit and the doctor sat too.

"I'm doctor Sevenson and I'm working on the case of your sister".

"How is she? She is okay?"

The doctor stayed still, with a sad face.

"She's not, but she's alive."

"Alive? Just... Alive?"

Anotnio tried to stay calm but couldn't. He stood up and punched the first wall he found. With so much force that he broke his hand.

"She... She was conscious when the paramedics brought her here!" Shay explained.

"It's right, but I have a question: was she hit by something?"

Antonio turned to the doctor, grabbed his tablet and handed it to her. She pressed play and saw what had happened. Her face turned pale after the first impact. Then almost passed out after the second.

"It explains her injuries. How is the man who pushed her?"

"Aortic rupture, huge hemothorax, diaphragmatic rupture, punctured left lung and stomach. They are worried about his head and neck. We don't know anything yet".

The doctor nodded and went back to Gabby's injuries.

"The vestibular system of your sister was severely affected by a powerful shock in her right temporal lobe and right inner ear. To be honest, it's almost completely destroyed. She has several broken ribs and one of them punctured her right lung and her spleen exploded. We struggled to stabilize her because of the amount of blood she lost but we were able to save her. She also has a swelling in the auditory cortex region".

"She is deaf?" Shay asked.

"I didn't say that. We ran some tests, and she isn't deaf don't worry. But the fact that her right vestibular system is damaged..."

"What? What is it?"

"Your sister has to relearn how to walk. This part of the inner ear helps to balance and walk without feeling like being in a fog or without be dizzy. She will have to learn to balance her body with a single vestibular system, and this will take time."

"How long?"

"Mr. Dawson, I can't predict, it depends on the damage, but in her case... The compensation period will last a few weeks, but she will keep a lifelong motor deficit associated with the destruction of the vestibular system. Generally this isn't a major problem, but there will be crises, some times when the system can no longer do the job for two, and she will need a lot of help for daily tasks".

"You mean she can no longer do her job?"

"I didn't say that, it depends of the profession".

"She's the PIC of firehouse 51 and she should have passed the test to be a firefighter".

"Mh... Firefighter is out of question. Paramedic probably, it will take time for her to get back to work, and it will have to adapt to her disability".

"How can we adapt?"

"The destruction of the vestibular system is a motor dieficit. This means that it can no longer communicate with the inner ear, eyes, and also parts of the brain controlling movements, but also the central nervous system that analyzes ''data sent'' and allowing balance. She can walk, this part of the brain wasn't affected by the impact, but the balance isn't functional anymore".

"She has to learn to walk without balance?"

"If we remove a cerebral hemisphere, you can continue to work properly, but with compensation. There are some things you can't do as before, or can't do anymore, but the brain is very clever, he can compensate when something is wrong. In the case of your sister, she will have to trust in her body and especially her left hemisphere. Your sister is left-handed or right-handed?"

"Uh... Right-handed, but why this is important?"

"Left-handers unconsciously use their right hemisphere, and vice versa. If she had been left-handed, it would have beena serious problem because it is the right hemisphere that is affected. The fact that she is left-handed is good because instinctively, she uses her left hemisphere over the right, and so her left vestibular system".

"It ... It will help her rehab?"

"Yes it will. But some times, daily tasks will be hard to do. As I explained, her brain will brownout, times when she can't properly maintain brain function to compensate the injured parts. In those moments, even sitting will be something complicated because of dizziness. I'm sorry".

Antonio was still holding his fractured hand, crying about what he had heard.

"I need to see her. I have to see my sister".

"Not before being x-rayed and casted. But after this, I will take you to her room. But I must warn you, she's not out of the wood yet and due to the puntured lung, she will stay hooked to a ventilator during at least two days".


During the emergency surgery, Matt could hear a loud noise in his ears... So loud that he became deaf. He could feel he was standing. He didn't open his eyes, he didn't have the courage. Not the courage to see what was around him. But he had to. Because this noise, he knew it. He knew it so well. And mixed with it, there were others. People who spoke. With words that he didn't even understand, but that he had heard somewhere. He didn't know where. He didn't know when. He couldn't remember anything. Everything was so blurry. When he began to open his eyes, they began to burn. Burn so hard, he had to close them instantly.

What is this nightmare?

His ears were ringing as never before, even after his head injury few months ago.

"Damn... He still bleeding too much. Spend another A+ bag on the rapid infuser".


In the waiting room, they were still there to the ground, not moving. Shay had called them and gave them news of Gabby. They hadn't even thought about it, about this kind of injuries. If she was hurt like this, then Matt... Matt would be in a very critical condition. Hours passed, and finally, a doctor came to see them in the waiting room. For the first time in hours, they got up.

"You're family of Matthew Casey?"

"How is he?"

The doctor jumped a little. This wasn't his job to go find the family and explain them how was the patient.

"May have a sit?"

He signed to all of them to sit, but only some of them did it, Kelly still faced the doctor.

"I'm doctor Riley, I'm the neurosurgeon who's working on the case of Mr. Casey".

"Matt".

"What?"

Kelly gave him a look filled of anger. But this time, mixed with sadness.

"His name is Matt so call him Matt".

They glanced at each other, trying to know who would win, but Kelly was too strong.

"Matt is then. Matt is out of surgery but not out of the wood yet. He had a large bleeding in his brain, specificly at his occipital lobe, above his neck, and with a significant swelling. We had some trouble to stabilize him and stop the bleeding. He coded twice".

Kelly closed his eyes and passed his hands through his hair again.

"We revived him, and we stopped the bleeding with some difficulties. We had two choices: either we stopped the bleeding but not the swelling so Matt could potentially suffer no major damage, or we stopped the bleeding AND the swelling but there would have been permanent damage".

Kelly's jaw dropped.

"And?"

"We have some medecines to reduce swellings and let his brain some time to heal properly. So we chose the first option. I didn't say there won't be any damage, but the percentages are low. But if we had chosen the other option, there would have been a lot of damage for sure".

"So... If there are damage... What sort of damage he could have?"

"Blindness, visual defficiencies, difficulties controlling his feelings mainly".

Kelly wanted to cry. Why his little brother was always in trouble...