Disclaimer: I own nothing except my imagination and Abbey
a/n: Thanks to everyone who is supporting this story. I know it's an OC story and all but I really apreciate everyone who review(or don't) but read it and also those who follow and favourite it, it means the world to me. There are only a few chapters left to this story before I end it so I'm going to try to finish it before the summer is over. This chapter will have a few flashbacks and those will be in italic. I hope you enjoy it.
Abbey's POV
It had been two weeks since Matt had agreed to move in with me. I kept working hard in PT and making regular visits to the house in hopes of keeping Brett from spiraling into a black hole of dispair from working with McCauley. After a particular bad shift, Matt had returned exhausted from a sleepless night filled with calls and had told me the whole thing. Brett was at a breaking point.
"Hey." I called from the kitchen as I heard the door open and close slowly. Matt showed up in the doorway, dark circles under his eyes, hair in every direction.
"Hey baby." He kissed my cheek and leaned against the counter, running his hand over his face and exhaling sharply.
"Rough shift?"
"Rough night. We had a call at a school, took us all night, we almost lost one."
"Sorry." I quickly finished making breakfast and we ate in silence before going to lie down in bed. Matt had his face burried in the crook of my kneck, breathing heavily. "I'm here if you want to talk about it." I didn't want to push him to talk but I knew big calls like that involving children were always harder on him.
"It was so hot in there Abbey and there were so many scared kids." It had been in the dormitory part of the school and from what he was telling me, it was an electrical fire in a socket that had started it all. "We found one, under his bed, while doing seconday search early in the morning, he was barely breathing when Severide found him and took him to Brett. And McCauley, he was his normal self, always seeing the bad. You should have seen her work on him. She had tears in her eyes but she kept pushing to try to save him and all she could hear was McCauley saying negative things and she snapped. She yelled at him and left to Lakeshore with Shay instead."
"I'll text her so she can come over for a little girls night."
"That's good." Matt had fallen asleep quickly, an arms wrapped lazily around my waist. I quickly found my phone without waking him and texted Sylvie, knowing she was probably sleeping before I snuggled closer into Matt's embrace before falling asleep too.
Brett came over in the evening with wine and it had ended up with tequila shots and girl talk, mostly her to evacuate it all. Matt had used boxing up his things as an excuse to leave us alone between girls and Brett had fallen asleep wasted on the couch. I pulled a comforter over her body and let her rest.
I had a doctor's appointment after my PT session in the morning so he could assess my estimated recovery time so I could return to 51. Mark made me work extra hard today, knowing I wanted to go back sooner rather than later and I showered before Dr Taylor wanted to see me in his office.
"Mark has been telling me that you've been working extra hard in there."
"I just want to go back to work as quickly as possible." Although I knew the time off was what was best for me right now, I was starting to get anxious to get back. Spending days at a time alone at home were driving me crazy even though I had regular visits from Mills and Gabby as well as random visits from the rest of 51 to keep me from going completely insane.
"Well I'd like to take an x-ray of your leg to see if everything is good. Then we'll know a bit more going forward."
"Ok." A nurse came in shortly after to prep me for my images before I moved along the halls of the hospital behind her with my crutches. It took about fifteen minutes before I returned to the office, waiting for the results of the images. The nurse had instructed me to wait a little bit because he had gone for a consult somewhere else in the hospital. I looked around the walls at his credentials before I turned around at the sound of the door but Dr Taylor wasn't the one coming in.
"What are you doing here Matt?" I asked as he slipped through the door.
"We just came from a call and I remembered you had PT and your appointment so I figured I'd stop by to see how things are going?
"Pt went well, Mark is pushing me more and now I'm waiting to see what doc says about the x-rays." He kisses me as I sit down.
"Nervous?"
"A little. I'm hoping that it's going to be good news. I miss 51, Brett on 44 and I miss you and me." I took his hand in mine and started playing nervously with his fingers.
"You know I don't mind waiting." He expressed what was really on my mind.
"I just want it all back."
"Patience baby." He kissed my lips as Dr Taylor came through his door.
"Lieutenant Casey, I didn't know you'd be here."
"Good timing I guess." He smiled and shook his hand.
"Well your timing is perfect because I was coming in to give Abbey the good news."
"Finally." I exhaled.
"I took an appointment for you in two days to get the cast removed."
"And when can I get back on active duty?"
"You'll have to have PT with Mark for a little bit to get your left leg stronger and as soon as he tells me you're strong enough I'll give the all clear for light duty." I closed my eyes, willing all this time to go faster. Matt squeezed my hand, knowing more time off wasn't what I wanted.
"Listen Abbey, I know you don't like this. I know what it's like to have an injury that sidelines you for a long period of time but we want to do this right. If I send you back to work too fast and you get injured, I can promise you that it won't be just a coulple of months off from the firehouse, it could do permanant damage to your leg."
"I know that. I'm just going stir crazy at home."
"I understand. I'll see you in two days so this can move along." We both stood up and shook his hand before leaving his office.
"Hey, at least the cast is coming off." Matt tried to be optimist for me.
"Yeah, I'll be lighter that's for sure." We both walked out of the hospital, him to 81 that was waiting for him and me to my mom who was waiting to bring me back home.
Two days later - Matt's POV
I walked through the hospital halls with Abbey since today was the day her cast would come off. We made our way towards orthopedics and were immediately placed in a room.
"Nervous?"
"No, excited maybe." She smiled at me. Removing the cast would be a big step for her and was one step closer to complete recovery. "I'll finally be able to see my leg again." She chuckled.
"And I definetely can't wait to see your leg again." I wiggled my eyebrows.
"Shut it." She swatted my arm. "You were the one who said you didn't mind the wait." She teased.
"And I don't. I just want you up and about so you can help me move in with you." I smiled.
"How's the house sale going?" I remembered the day I had put my house on sale.
So what comes next?" Abbey asked me as we lay in bed later that evening after I had agreed to move in with her.
"I have to put my house up for sale, sell my furniture because you're all set AND box up the rest of my things that I want to bring here." I kissed the top of her head, my arms wrapped around her shoulder, my fingers playing with loose strands of hair on her shoulder.
"You don't have to sell all your furniture." She looked up at me. "If there's something you want to bring in you can."
"Trust me, there's nothing I need to bring over except the chest that is in my room, it was my grand father's. All I need is right here." I leaned down and gently pressed my lips to hers.
"I had a few visits while I was on shift and there's going to be an open house this week end, we'll see how it goes." I was hoping not having to make it to the open house but it was a process and I had to go with it.
"I hope someone buy's it. You did an amazing job in there."
"I hope so too. I want this to be done with so we can go on with the rest of our lives." I squeezed her hand as Dr Taylor came in.
"Are you ready Ms Mitchell?"
"Yes." She looked at me and stood up, following Dr Taylor to the examination room adjacent to his office.
Abbey's POV
Once I was seated on the examination table, he asked me to lie down so it would put less pressure on my legs as he cut it. He started explaining what he was going to do but I stopped him.
"I'm all good. I've had a cast before, I know how it works."
"I won't make you wait any longer then." He laughed. I propped myself up on my elbows while Matt looked in, leaning against the doorframe. He turned on the saw and started cutting on each side of the cast to get the hard part of it off. Then he cut the inside so he could separate it and take it off completely. I sat up straighter and ran my hand along my leg. It had lost muscle mass but not as much as I had first expected and a light fuzz had grown on my leg. I knew all these things from my EMT training and what I had been told as a kid but just the feeling of having air on my leg after all that time felt great. I moved my toes and it tingled all the way up my leg. "So Mark can see you tomorrow to work with you on making it stronger." He checked to make sure my motor functions were good before I asked my next question
"And the crutches?"
"You keep them today and tomorrow, Mark will give you more instructions. I will send today's update to Chief Boden so he knows what to expect."
"Thank you."
"I won't keep you here any longer. I'll let you enjoy the rest of your day with this new found freedom." He gave me a warm smile and I smiled back, making Matt happy behind him.
"Thanks doc." I shook his hand and grabbed my crutches, walking out with Matt.
"So what do you want to do now?" Matt asked as he helped me in his truck.
"I want to go home with you and just relax, enjoy this." I drummed my fingers on my now exposed knee. We drove back to the house in comfortable silence, my hand never stopping the constant touching of my new found leg again. I tried going in with only one crutch, helping myself with my hand on the side of the house, Matt following closely behind. I finally put my foot down on the living room carpet, feeling it again for the first time in months with my left foot. "I'll go take a real shower."
"You need help getting up there?"
"No, I'm good thanks."
"I will start lunch then." I hobbled my way upstairs as he went in the kitchen to fix us lunch. I walked in the bathroom and took everything I needed out. I shaved my left leg for the first time in what seemed like forever, removing what had grown there under the cast. I stepped in the warm water of the shower and let it run down my body, holding myself up with my hands. I carefully watched my leg before rinsing and stepping out of the shower. I untangled my hair with my fingers and went to sit down on my bed, applying lotion to the itchy and dry skin of my leg. I changed in some shorts and a tee, not wanting to restrict my leg in something again for the day. I made it down the stairs with a little more difficulty before making my way to the kitchen.
"Feeling better?" Matt looked to his right where I now was, putting a piece of turkey in his mouth as he closed a sandwich.
"Much. Need some help bringing this to the table?" I pointed to our food.
"No but I was thinking of enjoying this lunch outside. What do you think?" We enjoyed the warm weather outside for the rest of the afternoon, only going back inside when the sun was starting to set. Later after dinner, we sat on the couch, my legs on his lap, his left hand running up and down my left leg. I was leaning against the arm of the couch, deep in though about wanting to ask him something but didn't know how it feel about it. Mills and I had always wanted to do a little work in the house but never had time or the resources to do so.
"The shower is killing me Abbey." Mills complained coming down the stairs, putting his t-shirt on.
"I know Pete but we don't exactly have the money to redo the bathroom." I argued, my head in my books for my EMT certification. "And we don't have any time to do some renovations." Pete had just started his candidacy and I was still studying, making our ideas have to wait a while longer.
"Lieutenant Casey has a construction job on the side, maybe he could help us for less."
"No, I can't ask you to do that, you just started Pete." I looked up at him, feeling frustrated.
"It doesn'T hurt to ask." he argued back.
"I said no Pete, we'll find another way." I went back to my books, letting the discussion unfinished.
"Abbey, you with me?" I snapped out of my thoughts at the sound of his voice
"Huh? Yes, totally with you." I smiled at him.
"Try that one more time?" He chuckled.
"Well I was half with you." I blushed lightly. "I was actually thinking about a discussion I had with Pete when he started at 51."
"Discussion about what?"
"About getting some work done in the house. The upstairs bathroom always pissed us off and I figured with you moving in, we could do something about the master bedroom, make it more ours than mine?"
"How about you give me your ideas tomorrow and I can see if it could work for the bathroom and our room is perfectly fine the way it is." He smiled at me, his hands still moving on my legs, suddenly giving me shivers. "Are you cold baby?"
I couldn't trust my voice right now, heat starting to rise in me, my head shaking in a negative motion. He ran his hand up my leg again, all the way to my thigh, making me close my eyes and breathe slowly.
"Is that a little better now?" He was doing it on purpose, enjoying watching my body react to his touch. The moan that escaped my lips was all the answer he needed. He lifted my legs off of his lap and placed them back down on the couch, positioning himself over me, placing his lips on mine, my arms going directly around his neck. He deepened the kiss as I raised my good leg against his side. His hands were sitting on my waist and he brought his leg up, applying friction to where I wanted him the most. It had been months since we had been really intimate and every small touch and kiss was setting me a light.
"Matt." I moaned as he kissed his way to my neck, heat radiating off both of us now.
"I promise I won't make you do anything strenuous." He whispered. I could feel his hot breath against my skin, making me lift my body to meet his.
"Bring me to our room." I breathed out, barely coherent. I missed his body as soon as he pulled away to take me in his arms, his lips claiming mine again in a tender kiss. He never broke the kiss as he made his way upstairs, my arms wrapped around his neck so I wouldn't fall. He gently placed me down on the bed and he kissed me again. His lips were soft and the kisses gentle, his fingers brushing against my thigh, pulling my lower body to his. "Matt." I groaned.
"We don't need to rush." His lips made contact with my neck, my fingers gently pulling on his short hair. As promised, he took his time to make me feel loved, like it had been the first time between us. We lay in bed hours later, I was on my stomach with my arms tucked under the pillow, my eyes closed and Matt was propped on his arm, his fingers were drawing lazy patterns on my back.
"What are you thinking about?" I didn't need to look at him to know that he was smiling.
"How an amazing boyfriend you are." I smiled, finally opening my eyes. "You've managed to lift the weight I had in my heart since my father passed away. Everything seemed hopeless then but coming to 51 and meeting you, the future just seemed brighter." He stopped his hand movement over my lower back, rubbing it gently.
"I'm just grateful to have you, alive. I love you." He leaned down, his kiss soft and tender.
"I love you too." He shifted so he could snake his arms around my waist and pull me to him for a kiss. Our bodies became one again as we made out, legs becoming tangled together and Matt's hands running through my hair. We snuggled as close as we could and I listened to his heartbeat lulling me in a deep sleep.
"Do you think he'll like his present mama?" We were ready to bring Matt breakfast in bed for father's day.
"He is going to love what you did for him buddy." Andrew smiled up at me, Matt's eyes looking up in mine. I grabbed the tray full of breakfast goods and Andrew took his present in his hands so we could go upstairs where Matt was still sleeping. I gave him a smile that he returned and we entered the room, Matt stirring awake.
"Happy birthday daddy." He jumped on the bed, making Matt smile sleepily.
"Morning bud. It's not my birthday though." He said making me smile as I pressed a kiss to his lips and put the tray on the bed while he pulled himself up at a more seated position.
"Miss Katie said it was daddy day today." He smiled at his father. It always amazed me how much he looked like Matt.
"That's true, I forgot." He winked at me and smiled.
"I made you a present." He pulled out a cardboard fire truck from behind his back, placing it in front of Matt. It was as accurate as it could be for a five year old art project and the numbers 81 were on the side of the truck.
"Wow, this is pretty cool bud. Is it supposed to be daddy's truck."
"Uh huh. Miss Katie helped me put them."
"I love it." They smiled at each other while I looked on. I couldn't be happier of the family I had created with Matt and we ate breakfast together in bed, our son talking about how he had made the truck.
My eyes fluttered open and when I ran a hand over Matt's side of the bed to find it empty, I exhaled sharply, running my hands over my face. I had consistant dreams about the son Matt and I shared or rather that we would maybe share in the future since coming home from the hospital. I hadn't talked to him about it, worried I would freak him out if I did. I turned around and closed my eyes again, my body now on Matt's side.
"Stealing my side already?" I faced him and smiled.
"Maybe I like your side better." I teased, making him laugh. "What's in the tray?"
"I thought we could eat some french toast in bed and lazy this morning away, you telling me what ideas you had for the bathroom."
"Sounds great." I smiled before he sat down next to me, putting the tray between us. I sat up, wrapping the sheets around my chest, Matt clad in nothing but black boxers.
"So what did you have in mind for in there?"
"Well I was thinking of having a old tub, on legs and a glass shower and I'm not sure we'd have enough space in there for a double vanity." I told him my plan for the en-suite because I wanted a space where I could relax after long shifts. He looked in the direction of where I was talking while eating, clearly thinking.
"I think it could work but I'd have to check. What about the one in the hallway? Something special you want in there?"
"No I just think the pipes need fixing and put in a new bath and shower combined but I don't know anything about plumbing." I put some food in my mouth and we finished eating. Matt took the tray back down and came back, coming back in bed with me.
"I have to tell you that the kind of bath you want is expensive, how much are you prepared to put in there?"
"I know that what I want might not be realistic but if you have an idea that could lower the cost and still look nice." I trailed off, knowing that I didn't have a ton of money to get that done.
"Well I know this place where they sell vintage things, maybe we could see if we can find something and I'm not a plumber by trade so I'll call my plumber, he ows me a favour."
"That would be great." I moved closer and kissed him.
"We might be able to pay less than you thought."
"We are not going to pay for this, I am." I didn't like where he was going with this. This wasn't his problem to fix.
"No, we are moving in together and we are doing renovations to our house." He insisted.
"You are not going to let me win this are you?" I cocked my eyebrow at him and smirked.
"Absolutely not."
"Fine, I know of another way I can pay you back for it." I straddled him and let the sheet fall from my body. Matt's eyes never leaving my body and his hands wrapping around it to pull me closer to him for a kiss and share more tender moments that morning.
Two days later, Matt's POV
Abbey had gone back to see Mark the previous day for PT and he had given her a new set of exercises for her left leg along with a new accessory, a cane. It took her a few hours to get used to it but it was much more practical than the crutches. If all went well in the next week or two, she'd be able to return to light duty at the firehouse, making her even more excited.
I was back on shift and we just returned from a particularily tough call, having two victims in pretty bad shape. Both ambos were at Chicago Med while we returned to the house. I pulled my phone out of my pocket as it rang, it was one of the two calls I was waiting for. I went into my office before answering it.
"Tell me you have good news Greg." I called in a favour with one of my suppliers and they were able to find it for me. They'll be able to deliver it at the adress you gave me tomorrow when you get off shift. "You are a life saver, thanks again." Tell you what. Help me with my garage and we'll call it even. "Perfect. I'll call you when I'm done at my place." I finished the call and placed my phone on my desk so I could start the report of the fire before it rang again as I was about to start writing. It was the second call, I hoped it was good news.
"Matt Casey." I answered just as Abbey appeared in my doorway. I smiled at her and motionned for her to come in. She sat on my bunk as I turned to face her. I have some great news for you Mr. Casey. An offer came in for 10k over your asking price. They wanted to make sure they had it. "That's great. Just make it happen, I want this to be done quickly. Alright, I'll get all the paperwork done and I'll stay in touch. "Thank you." I smiled before hanging up.
"What was that about?" Abbey was as excited as I was even without knowing what was going on.
"This was my agent, my house was just sold." This was the best new I had today. Now we could move forward together.
"That's amazing baby, congratulations!"
"And I have a surprise for you when shift is over."
"Give me a hint?" But before I could answer, the commotion coming from the common room caught our attention. "What the?" She got up and we both went to see what was going on. We came in to Brett and McCauley arguing. He was saying something about her not making the right decision and she was saying she was PIC and she was the boss.
"McCauley enough." I looked at Abbey, surprised she was interfearing. I had never really heard her use a big voice but she looked as annoyed with McCauley as I was. Everyone stopped and looked at her. She moved closer to the two arguing EMT's and slightly positionned herself between the two, placing a hand on his chest chest and taking a hold of her arm. "Where do you get off having a go at her huh?" She finally squeezed her body between the two, her back facing Brett in a protective manner. "The way I see it, you're a guest in this house, maybe you should treat your PIC with a little bit more respect."
"Abbey." Boden was standing in the common room doorway. She just looked at him before glaring at McCauley and going for a walk. The whole house had become quiet at Abbey's outburst and everyone looked in her direction before I ran out after her.
"Abbey stop." I gently grabbed her by the arm and turned her around to face me.
"I'm fine." Were the first words to come out of her mouth.
"I know. I just wanted to make sure."
"He infuriates me that's all. That guy could probably bring a house down if he stayed long enough in one place."
"51 is strong, you have nothing to worry about." I chuckled.
"I know." Her lips finally curled in a smile. "I'm going to go home. Text me when you go to bed and I'll see you tomorrow?"
"As always." I kissed her tenderly before she left. She was able to drive now, making it easier for her to get around. I walked back into the house where The girls were hurdled together, McCauley nowhere to be seen, probably having a word with Boden. When I walked to my office and looked in that direction, that's where he was, Boden clearly giving him a piece of his mind by watching his body language. I sat back down at my desk and started on my paperwork.
Abbey's POV
I drove back home, trying to take my mind off the argument between Brett and McCauley but clearly it wasn't working. I did the exercises Mark had given me, I needed to get back sooner rather than later if I didn't want Brett to jump down McCauley's throat. It hurt for the first few sets but then it felt much better. I decided to make diner and then baked up a storm to keep my mind clear. I made apple pie, a chocolate cake and chocolate rolls before I took a glass of milk and a slice of cake and sat on the couch, browsing through channels, looking for something interresting. I settled on some DIY home reno show and I raised my leg on the coffee table to rest it. Later that evening, my phone dinged on the end table, waking me up from my light sleep. I miss you, it's slow tonight. - I made some cake, it's really good, I miss you too. - You are such a tease, my bed is calling me. I'll see you in the morning. I love you. -I love you too. I answered before turning my phone off and going up to bed. I had taken a habit of sleeping on Matt's side since my injury while he was on shift and I settled in after washing my face. I hated being in the house by myself and I always worried something would happen to him on shift but I was tired and sleep didn't wait
I woke up the next morning to a sweet text from Matt saying they were waiting for first watch so he could come home so we could brag some breakfast. I smiled at my phone and got out of bed. My leg was stiff and a shower was the only thing that could help in the morning. I cleaned up and massaged my leg before getting dressed and slowly going downstairs so I could slowly start to cook breakfast. I was cutting up vegetables when the doorbell rang. I put the knife down and went to answer the door, wondering who it could be so early in the morning. I opened the door and came face to face with a delivery man.
"I have a delivery for a Matt Casey?" He looked down at his pad to get the name right.
"He's not home yet, I can sign for it." He handed me the pad and pen and I quickly scribbled on it before giving it back.
"Where do you want us to put it?" I didn't even know what it was so I wasn't sure where it should go. I gave him a look of confusion before he laughed and explained.
"Mr. Walker wanted us to deliver the tub before eight, said it was a special order."
"Oh." So this was the surprise Matt was talking about. I gave him the direction towards Peter's old bedroom that was mostly empty. The guys left just as Matt walked up the stairs and put his bag down next to the door.
"Surprise." He grinned.
tbc..
a/n: Alright so I'm really not sure about this chapter AT ALL. It was starting to get long because I had to write more of Abbey's recovery in there so I decided to cut it and make it a part 1 of 2. I hope that you like it none the less and you'll take a few seconds to leave a review.
Next up: Matt and Abbey do some work in the bathroom and things don't go the way they expected and they have a little bit of fun.