Hi, how are you doing?
Thanks for your responses on the previous chapter. The second part of getting closure would be the next chapter in which Matt will go to the hospital for talking with Phil. What will happen?
Thanks to: Love2dance2017, KaMB, Jaenine71, Justicerocks, Camila, LaJoyMechell, Sarrabr4, Gaellicious89 and to the guest who let me a review. I also want to say thanks to my wonderful beta reader thanks to her this chapter is easier to understand =)
I hope that you like it and let me some reviews.
Chapter 19: a snitch in the house
Casey and Dawson put some space between them as soon as they saw the blonde standing up in front of them with her mouth slightly open. Their checks turned red and they were panting. Shay had caught them in the middle of a kiss something that could not mean anything good.
"it is not what you are thinking," Casey began
"I called it" the blonde said happy "I knew you two were made for each other"
"What?" Dawson gave her a look
"Come on. Do not act so silly. Everyone knows that you are made for each other. And, I am okay with this. You are so damn cute together, you know that?"
"We are not ready to tell everyone yet," Gabby said afraid that Shay could tell someone that her and Matt were together.
"Don't worry my lips are sealed" She said with a wide smile
"You sure you can keep our secret?" Casey asked a little skeptical since everyone knew that Shay was a bigmouth. She always had the tendency to tell secrets to the guys of fifty-one.
"Hey. I can keep a secret" she said hurt and slapped his shoulder "By the way" she took a seat on the side of the bed and looked at the couple with a dumb smile "Have you ever thought about having a trio? In case you do, I am the one" She started to laugh hysterically as Casey almost chocked by her comment "Come on. Don't be so shy Casey. It could be funny. You, Dawson and me" She pattered his shoulder again as Gabby rubbed his forearm. After a few seconds, he could catch his breath again "Alright. I think that I am going to go back to the waiting room to let you guys consider my offer" She jumped out of the bed and walked out of the door.
"You okay?" Gabby said laughing
"How can you be with her in the ambulance and not want to kill her?"
"You get used to her with time" She sat where Shay was and placed her hand on his inner thigh "is not the first time that she suggested doing something like that with me" she teased him
"Do I have to be worried about something, Dawson?" he said looking at her seductively. She loved how her name sounded on his lips.
"Not for now" and she crashed her lips against his.
/
Gail McLeod was sitting in her office finishing some paper work. She was not used to be working late in her office but, she needed to meet somebody and it would be better if it were after office hours so nobody could hear the conversation. What she was going to propose to the person that she was waiting for was not politically correct. She could not do something like that but, nobody will know it so, who cares?
There was a knock on the door and she raised her eyes from her paperwork to look at the person who was standing in the doorframe.
"You wanted to see me, ma'am" the person said
"I was thinking that you were never going to come," she said funny "come in and take a seat" McLeod said pointing to the two chairs that were just in front of her desk.
She closed the folder with the papers that she was filling out and put it on a drawer at the same time that she took another folder from the same drawer of her desk.
"Like you already know, you are going to join truck 81 the next shift as their candidate" she began
"That is correct"
"I was hoping that you could be my eyes and ears over there" The mysterious person moved on its chair like if the conversation was making it to feel uncomfortable "Do not worry. It's nothing shady," McLeod promised
"I'm sorry I," The unknown began
"It's just a bit of a problem house" McLeod ignored the words and continued saying as she opened the folder and took some paper to show them to the person sitting in front of her "There are prescription drugs missing off the ambulance, there's a sexual harassment claim, all of which are massive liability risks. And, I heard rumors that that one of the Lieutenants tried to kill himself, twice" Finally she took a report that she filled in a few days ago after talking with a witness who told her everything about the person in question.
"I don't know anything about that, ma'am. I do not even know any of them until next shift"
"No, no, no. I did not expect you to. But it would be very helpful if you could just check in with me once a week and let me know what's happening in that firehouse"
"Do you want me to be your snitch?" The person said angry and got up of the chair ready to walk through the office's door.
"Call it whatever you want" McLeod shrugged "But, I am the only who will be able to help you in the future? Take some time to think about it. I will wait for your call," she said as she placed one of her cards on the desk.
/
Matt had signed his release paper and was walking through the hallway. Gabby was close to him, helping him walk. His burned leg was a little sore now that the painkillers that the doctor gave him hours ago disappeared from his organism. Luckily, he could take another one right before going to bed so he could have a solid rest.
"Matt" his mother said walking up to her son "How are you? Your friends called us and told us what happened" She cupped his face with her hand to be sure that he was fine
"Mom" he said ashamed since his friends and coworkers were in the hallway looking them "I am fine. I have a first-degree burn in my left leg. My hands will be fine tomorrow morning"
"Baby" she said. She was so worried about him when chief Boden called her. In the past, she could never go to the hospital when he was hurt during a fire since she was in prison so she had never experienced that feeling before.
"He is fine and he is gonna make a full recovery" Gabby said. Nancy looked at her and gave her a grateful smile
"Did you hear anything about Mr. Thomas?" Matt asked to Boden
"No. But I heard that you do not want to press charges against him," Boden began
"It is not fair what is happening to them," Matt interrupted him "They are having a rough time and I do not want to add fuel to their situation. It is not fair for Mrs. Thomas that she lost her daughter one month ago and now she could lose her husband because of me. It is not fair"
"It was not your fault," Boden said concerned about him blaming himself of what was happening "Mr. Thomas was doing something that he already knew was wrong"
"Matthew?" a voice called him from the behind.
Matt turned around and saw Mrs. Thomas on the middle of the hallway. Her eyes were wet and red and looked so pale. She was afraid of getting closer to Casey since he was surrounded by his family and friends.
"Margaret" he took a few steps towards her "How are you? And Phil? is he alright?"
"I am sorry" was all that she could say before bursting into tears. He got closer to her and held her in his arms "I did not know what he was doing this to you. I am so sorry. Please forgive me"
"There is nothing to forgive," he said softly, "It is not your fault"
"Of course it is. I knew that there was something wrong with him but, I never could have imagined that he was threatening you" She wiped her tears with her hand "A police officer told me about the notes that he sent you. All the awful things that he said about you" she said with broken voice
"it does not matter" he said "The important thing is that he gets some help and you too, Margaret. The past is the past"
"Thank you for not pressing charges against him. I will make sure that he gets help"
"Good to hear"
"And we will pay the bill of your truck"
"I appreciate it," he said smiling "Can I see him?"
"He is sleeping right now and the doctor has strongly recommended that he should rest. He has a second-degree burn on his back. But you can come back wherever you want"
"Okay"
"If it hasn't been for you, he would have been dead," she said grateful. She kissed his cheeks and went back to the ICU unit, where her husband was.
Boden stared Casey and though about what he said about not pressing charges against Phil Thomas, he might have been right but only time will tell them if it was the right call or not.
"You made the right call," he said proud of his Lieutenant. He placed his hands on his shoulder "Not only in this situation but also during the clinic fire" he needed to be sure that Matt understood his message. He was so proud of him not only and as the Lieutenant that worked under his command but also as the man that he was.
He gave him a nod "Thank you, chief"
"You ready to go home?" Gabby asked placing her hand on his shoulder
"Yeah. I am ready"
"Do you want me to spend the night with you in your house, Matty?" His mother asked "or you can come with me to my house if you want. I don't mind at all"
"That is not necessary. I will be fine"
"On your own?" Christine said a little skeptical "Sorry to say it, little bro, but you are a disaster" she joked laughing
"Come on, give me some credit"
"Come on?" she said repeating his words "you think that eating pizza for breakfast is healthy"
"What?" their mother asked shocked. Nancy looked to her younger kid waiting for an answer "Tell me that you never did something like that" While they were kids, she taught them to keep healthy eating fruits and vegetables.
"After a twenty-four hour shift? Of course pizza is healthy," he said in his defense
Gabby was laughing looking how little by little Matt was being the old Matt that he used to be before he swallowed the pills. There was a long road ahead but he was going to make it. He was going to be the old Matthew Casey again.
/
Gabby was sitting on her bed zapping through the channel of the TV looking for something to watch. It has been an hour since she and Matt came back home from the hospital. Matt walked out of the bathroom; he had just finished of taking a quick shower.
"You okay?" Gabby asked. He was drying his wet hair with a towel
"Yeah" he left the towel in the bathroom and joined her on the bed "I am so glad that I could convince my mom not coming home with me tonight," he said smiling "It would have been a really long night"
She nodded and switched off the television "Did you take your painkillers?"
"I have them right here" he took a glass of water and swallowed the pills "it is funny, you know," he began "All of this started because I swallowed some pills one month ago and now, the doctor prescribes me painkiller for my wounds" He laughed "it is funny how life works sometimes"
"I know" she brushed his dirty blonde hair and kissed him on his forehead "You know that I am so proud of you, right?" she said making his cheeks turned red
"Come on, let's go to sleep" he lied down on the bed and got her closer to him "You are on shift tomorrow"
She rested her head on his chest and said "Sleep well"
"You too baby" he said with tired voice
/
The following morning Matt, ignoring Gabby's words, went to the firehouse. He did not want to skip another shift. His left leg was a little sore but it was nothing that he could handle. He entered the common room and saw Boden, who was pouring himself a cup of coffee.
"I think your doctor has not given you the all clear yet" he greeted him
"Yeah, about that, I am feeling great," Matt begun
"I will get Herrmann to cover for you. Go home"
"That is not necessary. I am telling you. I am fine"
"Casey," Boden began approaching to him
"Are you chief Boden?" a voice asked from the lobby interrupting the conversation
"That is me" Boden said looking to the two person who were in the lobby. One of them was a man and the other one was a young woman. Both of them were holding a duffel bag with the CFD logo on it.
Seeing that Chief Boden was busy with the two persons that had just arrived, Casey took the opportunity to walk to the locker room to get ready for shift. He did not want to spend another minute in his house without anything to do.
"Jeff Clark" The man said getting closer to Boden for offering him a handshake
"Clark" Boden greeted him and fixed his gaze on the woman
"Rebecca Jones, the new candidate of Truck 81" she said as she offered him a handshake too.
"Nice to me you. If you follow me, I will show you where the locker room is" he led them through the firehouse "These are going to be your lockers. The rest of the people will arrive soon. The briefing room is at the end of this hallway, be there in five minutes"
"Yes, sir" both of them said
Rebecca walked to one of the lockers and opened it for letting her duffel bag inside. She took some time to get used to the idea of finally being able to be in a firehouse. It was her dream since she was younger and saw her father coming home every morning smelling like ash and smoke.
Suddenly, some laughs came from the common room. She turned just in time to see two women entering the locker room. Rebecca greeted them with a shy smile feeling relieved not being the only woman the firehouse fifty-one. Sometimes, it was easier to talk to another woman rather than to a guy.
"Hi" one of them said walking through the room and stopped in front of a locker in which the level of the door could be read "Shay"
"Hi. I am Gabriela Dawson. The PIC of the ambulance 61" The other woman said offering her a smile "Nice to meet you. This is my partner Lesley Shay" Gabby said, pointing to the blonde with her jaw. Shay waved her from her locker
"Nice to meet you. I am Rebecca Jones, the new candidate of truck 81"
"Good luck, you are gonna need it" Shay said laughing closing the door of her locker
"Do not mind her. They are nice guys but, they are guys, after all" she joked
"I know. I have three brothers. So, I'm no delicate flower" Rebecca said as she closed the door of her locker
"Come on, let's go to the briefing room. We will introduce you to everyone," Shay said taking her by her arm
/
After talking with the crew for a few minutes and introducing them the new two additions, Chief Boden walked to his office for finishing some paperwork.
"Chief" Connie said from her desk, "Gail McLeod is waiting you in your office"
"Thanks Connie"
Boden entered in his office and closed the door right behind him. Gail McLeod was sat on a chair checking her mails on her Blackberry.
"Miss McLeod" Boden greeted her sitting behind his desk "How can I help you?"
"I know you're anxious to get back to your work, so I will keep this as brief as I can" she said placing her blackberry inside of her purse "Like you already know, my name is Gail McLeod. And, I've been hired by the state fire marshal's office to review the distribution of state money to the Chicago Fire Department" She took a folder of her purse and gave it to Boden "Now, I have been charged with creating a more streamlined and automated CFD, and reduce expenses by 10%. So, first we will be installing and training you on a system that we're calling, "The Wizard"
"The Wizard?" Boden said incredibly since the name was ridiculous
"I know, great name, right? But The Wizard will monitor things like apparatus fuel efficiency, man power distribution, overtime approval. That alone will save this department nearly 4% a year" She said like if it was a big amount of money.
"Yeah, we save 4%, but we lose the ability to make the best decisions for our men" Boden said
"What makes you think that you make the best decisions, Chief?" She said in her defense
"Have you ever run into a burning building, Ms McLeod? 'Cause I have. Last week, we barely saved one of our own" he made a pause before continuing saying, "In fact, have you ever grabbed a burned victim? Tried to pull him to safety, but had the skin of his arm come off in your own glove? 'Cause I have"
"No, Chief. I've never done any of that. But, I do have to make very, very difficult decisions. Like this morning when I told Firehouse 33 that it was closed, permanently. Now, to cover the additional, I need to close down two more houses and your house is on the short list" She said with a threatening look
/
Mouch looked to the new addition of truck 81, who was sat on the couch not knowing what to do. Nobody was paying too much attention to her and, she was feeling as if she did not belong to that firehouse. It was her first day there and she really wanted to fit in but she didn't know how
"So" Mouch said sitting on the coffee table breaking the silence of the common room "Jones, eh?"
"Yeah" she said looking to him
"Are you related with Deputy District Chief Jones by any chance?" he asked curiously
"Yeah. He is my father"
"I knew it" Mouch said getting up of the coffee table going to the bunk area
"Listen, I know what you guys are thinking" she said facing to everyone "A woman on Truck? What is the world coming to, right?"
"That's not at all what we're-" Otis began
"Yes, you are. And I don't blame you. Women can be a pain in the ass. And I'm not expecting any special treatment, all right? I just want to be a firefighter just like you"
"Jones-" Herrmann began "having a woman around is really gonna change things"
"Oh, gee, thanks" she said hurt
"You know what I mean. Having a woman in the Truck? You don't know what goes on in there" he explained himself
"The jokes we crack"
"The smells we produce. We stink of smoke after each call" Cruz joked
"I can imagine"
"Nope, you can't" He said and everyone let the common room letting her alone with her though again. She was never going to fit in that firehouse. They did not like her and who could blame them? After all, she was the Deputy District Chief's daughter. However, it did not mean that they shouldn't give her a chance to show them what she can do. Sadly, she doubted that they were going to give it to her.
Without losing a second, she got up from her spot on the couch and walked to the locker room. She needed to make a phone call. With her phone in her hand, she walked to the toilet for having some privacy. She dialed the number of the card that McLeod gave her the day before and waited for McLeod to pick up.
"I am in" was the only thing that she said before hanging the phone.
What is going to happen with Jones? Will the guys of the truck 81 accept her on their truck? Will she cause any problem to them? And Who tell to McLeod that Matt tired to kill himself? You will find more in the next couple of chapters.
Like you can see, I decided to use part of the plot of the first part of the season 2. I hope that you like it and let me some reviews with your opinion.
Thanks
Namine Redfield