A/N: I know many of you had guessed that the reason Gabby was in Chicago was that she was pregnant, so I hope you're not too disappointed in this twist. Hopefully the Dawson/Severide friendship fluff this story will have will help make up for it! I feel like their friendship didn't get nearly enough attention on the show.
Kelly paced the floor of his apartment the next morning, waiting for Gabby to call. He'd barely slept, having lain awake most of the night thinking about Gabby. Why hadn't she told anyone? How long had she known? How long had she been in Chicago? He'd debated about whether or not to call someone and tell them but decided against it. He didn't know anything for certain yet, and he wanted to have more information before telling anyone else. Even though he was confident that the conclusion he'd come to yesterday was correct, he didn't want to worry anyone until he had confirmation.
Finally, around noon, Kelly decided he'd waited long enough. Gabby had looked terrible when he'd left her yesterday, and he was worried about her. He couldn't just sit around waiting for her to call. He grabbed his keys and headed out the door.
When he reached the motel where Gabby was staying, he pulled into a parking spot in front of her door. He hesitated for a moment before getting out, unsure of whether he'd made the right choice by coming here now rather than waiting for her to call. He didn't want to wake her up if she was still sleeping, but he also wanted to make sure she was okay. His concern won out, and he got out of the car, walked up to Gabby's door, and knocked. He waited several minutes without an answer before knocking again, louder this time.
"Gabby? It's Kelly," he called.
This time he heard movement inside and a few minutes later he heard the lock click before the door opened to reveal an extremely pale Gabby. "Kelly? What are you doing here?"
"I came to check on you," Kelly stated. "I was worried when you didn't call."
"I know I said we'd talk today, but can we do it another time?" Gabby asked tiredly. "Sorry; I'm just not feeling up to it today."
"It's cancer, isn't it?" Kelly blurted out, unable to wait any longer.
Gabby sighed then nodded her head slowly. "Yes," she confirmed, knowing there was no use in trying to lie to him. She stepped back, opening the door enough that Kelly could come in. "You might as well come in," she told him.
Kelly glanced around the room when he stepped inside. There was a small kitchenette in one corner, as well as a bed, dresser, and a small table with a chair. On top of the dresser was a row of pill bottles lined up neatly. It was obvious from the state of the room that Gabby had been living there for a while.
Gabby sat down on the edge of the bed and motioned for Kelly to take the chair. "What do you want to know?"
"How bad is it?" Kelly asked, although he wasn't sure he wanted to know the answer.
"It's ovarian cancer," Gabby informed him. "Stage three. I found out a little over two months ago. They're doing chemo first to try and shrink the tumors, and once I finish chemo, they'll do surgery."
Kelly felt like someone had punched him in the gut. This couldn't be happening. Not to Gabby. "Why didn't you tell anyone?" he asked, fighting to keep his voice steady. "You could have called me. Or anyone from 51. Brett, Herrmann, Boden, Mouch, Cruz…"
"Because it wouldn't be fair to you," Gabby insisted. "I don't want to be a burden to anyone."
Kelly ran his hand through his hair, feeling frustrated over her stubbornness. "Come on, Dawson. You're our friend. You wouldn't be a burden. We want to help." He waved his arm around the hotel room. "You shouldn't be staying here. You shouldn't be going through this by yourself. What are you planning to do when you have surgery? You'll need someone to help you."
"I hadn't thought that far yet," Gabby admitted. "This…it's been a lot, Kelly. Antonio died, and then less than a month later I found out I had cancer. I haven't even had time to process everything yet."
Kelly felt bad for letting his frustration show. He hadn't even done the math to realize how soon after her brother's death Gabby had found out that she had cancer. In less than a month, her entire life had been completely upended. "I'm sorry," he apologized. "I'm sorry for all of it. Antonio. Your cancer. Getting upset. But mostly, I'm just sorry that you've been doing it alone. That we all distanced ourselves so much that you felt like you had no one to come to without feeling like a burden."
"It's not your fault, Kelly," Gabby insisted. "The phone works both ways. I could have just as easily picked up the phone and called any of you. It's just…after I left Chicago, I felt disconnected from all of you. And I didn't want to make anyone feel like they had to choose between me and Matt. So, I just stopped trying."
"Nobody would have felt like that," Kelly assured her. "You're family just as much as Casey is. Let us be there for you, Gabby. Let us help you. Please."
Gabby shook her head. "I'm not sure I'm ready for everyone to know yet, Kelly."
"Then let me be there for you. Let me help you," Kelly pleaded. "No one else has to know until you're ready. But you can't keep doing this on your own."
Gabby sighed. She knew Kelly was right. As much as she didn't want to admit it, she knew she couldn't keep doing this by herself. The chemo was taking more and more of a toll on her body, and when she had surgery, the hospital would require someone to be there. "Okay," she said hesitantly. "As long as you promise not to tell anyone else."
"I promise," Kelly replied, relieved that she hadn't put up more of a fight. "As long as you do something for me in exchange."
"What's that?" Gabby asked hesitantly.
"Move in with me," Kelly answered. "Stella's gone right now with Girls on Fire, and who knows when she'll be back, so it's just me. No one else will know."
"Kelly…" Gabby hesitated.
"It's either that or you move to someplace safer than this," Kelly informed her. "Those are your two options. And moving in with me makes the most sense."
Gabby sighed. It would save her money if she lived with Kelly. She couldn't deny that. And she would need someone to help after she had surgery. "Okay," she agreed finally. "I'll move in with you."
Kelly helped Gabby pack her stuff, taking notice of just how little she had with her. He made a mental note to ask her about the rest of her stuff later, but for now, his focus was on getting her out of this dump.
By the time they got back to Kelly's, Gabby was exhausted. "I think I'm going to lie down for a while," she informed Kelly apologetically.
"Go ahead," Kelly told her. "I'll be here if you need anything."
Gabby laid down in the guest bedroom; the bed was miles better than the creaky motel bed she'd been sleeping on for the past couple of months. As much as she hated to admit it, she was actually glad that Kelly had discovered her secret. Out of everyone in Chicago, she couldn't think of anyone she'd rather have by her side through all of this. Kelly had always been there for her in the past whenever she'd needed him.
As Gabby slept, Kelly sat in the living room, trying to wrap his mind around the past 24 hours. When Brett had first told him that she thought she'd seen Gabby at Med, he'd assumed she'd been mistaken. He wished she had been because it would have been better than reality. He found himself regretting his promise to Gabby that he wouldn't tell anyone about her being back in Chicago or her cancer, as he could really use Boden's advice and reassuring words right now. And Casey…not being able to tell his best friend that his ex-wife had cancer was going to be difficult. Even though Casey had moved on with Brett, Kelly knew that his friend still cared about Gabby and would be devastated by the news. He just hoped that Casey would forgive him for keeping it a secret.