A\N: This chapter is dedicated to Fire Fighter 13 and her friend "J" they're both going through a lot right now and when I wrote this chapter I was thinking of them. This is my first time writing a fire rescue scene without any help so it's probably not perfect but I'm proud of it none the less. Italics are song lyrics and thoughts.

Disclaimer: I do not own Chicago Fire, NBC, Global, the Lullaby "Hush Little Baby,"or the movie "Ladder 49."

Warnings: Talk of sex.

Spoilers: None

Separation Anxiety

Gabriela got Lakeshore Hospital at four o'clock at night. Rushing up to the Pediatrics Unit she found Antonio and Dani sitting in a waiting room.

Seeing her sister in-law Dani taped Antonio on the knee and stood up, "I'll let you two talk." She spoke as she walked out of the room.

"Look Antonio I-" Gabriela begin to explain but Antonio cut her off.

"I shouldn't have yelled at you like that….or at last known the facts before I did."

"How's Carla?"

"She's in with the doctor now. It turns out it wasn't rape, it was consensual," Antonio mumbled the last few words as he looked down at the floor.

"Well that's good," Gabriela reached out to touch his shoulder but he pulled away.

"Carla's okay but that still doesn't excuse what you did! You should have called us the minute she called you!"

"And let you give her the fifth degree? You're a great father Antonio but you treat Carla like she's a criminal."

"She's my daughter! You have no right to tell me how to raise her!"

"I'm not telling you-" Gabriela took a few deep breaths, "All I want for Carla is what you and Dani want."

"No, I don't want you to see her anymore, in fact you can stay away from all my children."

Gabriela was taken aback, "Antonio don't you think that's a little extreme?"

"No I don't."

"Look Antonio-"

"I don't have anything else to say to you."

"Fine," Gabriela turned around and walked out of the waiting room.

"So?" Matt turned stood up from the kitchen table as Gabriela walked into the kitchen.

"Antonio doesn't want me to see them anymore," Gabriela walked towards him.

"He what-" Matt stood up, making sure to keep a close eye on the twins who were finger painting.

"He doesn't want to see me anymore," Gabriela was forced to smile, as Michael looked at her with a big half toothless grin.

"He's just upset, he'll come around," Matt sounded confident.

Gabriela sat cross-legged on the floor so she was at the height of the twin's small table.

"Ma," Michael pointed proudly to his mixture of red, blue, yellow and green paint that was smeared over a piece of white paper.

Gabriela kissed her son's cheek, "Very good sweetheart, I love all your colours. Now lets got you all cleaned up," She picked him up and sat him on the kitchen counter and whipped his face and hands.

Michael laughed as Gabby washed his face. He had begun to laugh at almost any contact and Gabriela and Matt were perplexed as to why.

"Come here chuckles," Matt scooped his son into his arms and hung him upside down.

"Yay!" Michael squealed with delight as his father flipped him upside down. "Hdsf," He stretched out his hands and his fingertips touched the floor.

"Was that fun?" Matt flipped him back upwards and held him close.

Michael nodded.

"Good, well let's get you changed and then Daddy has to go to work."

Serena stopped panting and looked at her father with a pout. She held her arms up and bent her fingers.

"You want to see Daddy too?" Gabby quickly cleaned Serena's hands and face and handed her to Matt. Once in his arms Serena pressed her face into his neck and held tightly on to him.

"Something tells me she's starting to separation anxiety," Gabriela sighed.

Serena franticly shook her head. It was ten o'clock at night and the thirteen month old was still up. Barely eating and spending half the night sobbing her eyes were swollen and red.

"Sweetheart I tried to call Daddy but Daddy wasn't at work." Gabby tried to soothe her daughter but to no avail, all she wanted was her Daddy."

More tears poured from Serena's brown eyes,

"Let's try calling Daddy again," Gabriela reached for her cell phone and found Matt's number easily and then pressed the speaker button on the phone. Calling Matt would be pointless if Serena couldn't hear his voice.

"Hey sweetheart," Matt's sleepy voice responded after the second ring.

"Da!" Serena immediately cheered up when she heard her father's voice.

"Serena," Matt recognized his daughter's voice, "What are you doing up?"

"She refuses to sleep. She missed her Daddy."

Gabriela could see him smiling through his tiredness.

"Okay baby girl, one song and then Daddy has to go."

Serena began to whimper.

"Matt don't say that!" Gabby gave an exhausted sigh, "That only makes it worse!"

"Okay, okay," Matt, replied in a frustrated huff.

Hush, little baby, don't say a word.

Papa's gonna buy you a mockingbird

And if that mockingbird won't sing,

Papa's gonna buy you a diamond ring

And if that diamond ring turns brass,

Papa's gonna buy you a looking glass

And if that looking glass gets broke,

Papa's gonna buy you a billy goat

And if that billy goat won't pull,

Papa's gonna buy you a cart and bull

And if that cart and bull turn over,

Papa's gonna buy you a dog named Rover

And if that dog named Rover won't bark

Papa's gonna buy you a horse and cart

And if that horse and cart fall down,

You'll still be the sweetest little baby in town.

"She's fast asleep," Gabriela whispered into the phone after Matt had finished singing.

"Good," Matt ruffled his hair.

"You okay?" Gabby noted the agitation in her husband's voice.

"I just got back from a pretty rough call."

"Wanna talk about it?" Gabriela picked up her cell phone and a sleeping Serena in her arms.

"Not right now."

That's good, he's not saying he doesn't want to talk about it. "Hope you don't have any more calls. You sound pretty tired."

"Yeah me too," Matt pressed end on the call but just as he pressed his head against the pillow the call button alarmed and the lights turned on in his room.

Standing up he hurried out of his room and ran down the stairs.

"I have a feeling its going to be a long night Captain," Donnie Steven's commented as he drove the fire truck into the night.

"Lets hope not," Matt responded.

When Matt saw the scene he gulped. It was a huge where house fire that looked like it had come straight out of the movie 'Ladder 49'."

"States report!" Matt yelled as he jumped out of the truck.

A young uniformed officer scurried to face him as he flipped nervously through his notebook, "Twenty workers were able to get out. Ten sustained injuries. The foreman said there's twelve still trapped inside the building. Including a young boy."

Matt was not expecting that.

The officer continued, "One of the workers was picking up some paperwork and he brought his son with him. Figured it would b easy, get the paper work and leave. According to the foreman the man and his son had left his office twenty minutes before the fire started.

"Where does he think the fire originated?"

"The boiler room."

"You get that Ross?" Matt called to his Engine Lieutenant who was standing meters away.

"Yes, Captain!" He began ordering his men to get equipment.

Quickly surveying the team Matt made a quick decision, "Captain Casey to Dispatch."

"Go ahead Captain."

"I'm at a 10-50 Where house fire requesting more medical units and rescue squad.

10-4."

"Millowski, your guys are with me!"

"Yes Sir."

As Matt led the way into the flames he was careful to avoid the falling debris. Of all the fires he had been in this was so far one of the worst and he had a sinking feeling someone wasn't going to make it out alive.

When they got to a crossroads, Millowski spilt up her team. "O'Conner, you take the left, Steven's the right."

Both med nodded their heads and made their way in their assigned directions.

"HELP! HELP!" A distant voice screamed muffled cries. "HELP! HELP!"

"Up the stairs," Casey bolted the metal stairs two at a time in an effort to try and locate the voice.

"HELP! HELP!" Millowski turned to hear the voice coming from a area completely engulfed in flames.

"PLEASE HELP MY SON!" Jessica Millowski saw a very injured man through the flames.

"Where's your son?" Casey asked.

"Over there!" The man weakly pointed to the fair wall.

Lieutenant Millowski stepped into the room to attend to the man and his son.

"Captain we found the source of the fire, it's going to take awhile for us to control though." Lieutenant Ross informed his boss through his radio

"Keep me updated!"

"Yes Sir," Ross responded.

Just then an explosion sent Casey flying. Struggling to get up he attempted to see if Jessica and the casualties were okay. The room spinning the last thing he heard was multiple voices.

Matt squinted his eyes and closed them again. Attempting to move his arm he felt a sting and then probably the worst pain he'd ever felt in his life.

"Mattie," Gabriela lifted her head, "Thank goodness!" She reached over and engulfed him in a hug, "Do you have any idea-" Her voice trailed off as stinging tears escaped from her eyes.

"Matt squeezed her hand as again his arm seethed with pain.

"Don't move your arm too much," Gabriela released her grip, "They think you have a torn shoulder muscle. All they could do was wrap it up while you were unconscious.

Matt hardly remembered anything about the accident; he did however remember Jessica going into the room that blew up.

"How-How's Jessica?" Matt dreaded hearing the answer he knew was coming.

"I'm sorry Matt, she dies instantly so did the father and his son."

Matt shook his head tears falling from his eyes, "What about her husband and son?" Jessica had a husband named Mark and a one-year-old son named Caleb.

Gabriela wasn't sure what to say. When she had seen Mark only a few hours earlier the man was trying to hold it together but failing miserably.

"What day is it? How long have I been out for?"

"Almost eleven hours. And before you ask the twins are with Christie."

"You told her?" Matt's voice hitched.

"I had to! I wasn't about to bring two one year olds to the hospital!"

"Right," Matt had momentarily forgot she and Antonio had had a fight.

"I'm going to go and get the doctor see if he can schedule you an X-Ray and MRI."

As soon as Gabriela was out of sight Matt broke down into tears. If he had only stepped into the room while talking to Ross he might have died instead of Millowski. She didn't deserve to die, no one did. But it was Matt's job to protect his crew and he felt like he had failed. He had spent a few months away and then a few weeks on desk duty after his stint with PTSD. In those months he had lost perfect opportunities for team building activities. He knew that if he wasn't off this might not have happened. Jessica dying was his fault and h would never get over it.

TBC

A\N: Please review and tell me what you thought.