Hi everyone! Here's the next chapter for you guys, I hope you like it!
EIGHTEEN
Hallie stood partially frozen in her spot as she watched Dawson walk away, her hands resting over her stomach as she thought over Gabby's words.
Part of her knew the paramedic was right, that it would be better for Matt if she didn't go and talk to him, but she needed to know he was alright. Had Dawson not left, she probably wouldn't be doing this. She wasn't even sure if Gabby would've let her in the room if she tried, but now that Hallie knew Casey was by himself, she was going to take the opportunity to check in on him.
Continuing her walk to his room, she moved slowly through the hallway, Hallie stopping at his door, looking in to see him lying on the bed with his eyes closed. She couldn't imagine he was asleep, Gabby had only been gone for a few minutes, but he looked peaceful, like he'd been sleeping for awhile.
Slowing, she pushed the door open, stepping inside the dim room, letting the door fall closed behind her. She was only a few feet inside when she saw him turn his head towards her, the relaxed look on his face hardening in an instant, the man looking away from her quickly, turning his head towards the window.
"Matt." She spoke, Casey refusing to look at her.
"I thought I made it clear that I didn't want to see you." He spat, Hallie taking a few steps forward, stopping at the end of his bed.
"I just wanted to make sure you were okay." She spoke, Matt rolling his eyes.
"I'm fine, you can go."
"Matt, please." She spoke, the firefighter looking back towards her, an unreadable expression on his face. "Can I sit down?" She asked, his eyes flickering to her round stomach, the man ultimately nodding before looking away from her again. Despite how much he didn't want to talk to her, if she was insistent on staying, he wasn't going to make her stand there the entire time when she looked like she was days away from giving birth.
"Can you at least look at me?" She asked, Matt's eyes narrowing as he turned back towards her, seeing her occupying the seat Gabby was just in. And he couldn't help but wish it was still her sitting there, instead of Hallie.
"I don't know why you're here. What could you possibly have to say to me?"
"It doesn't need to be like this, Matt." She spoke, earning a scoff from the man in the bed. "I know a lot has happened, and it's my fault, but I never stopped caring about you. And I don't want to see you hurt."
"You never stopped caring about me, even when you were sleeping with one of my firefighters behind my back?" He responded sarcastically, shaking his head. "Save the bullshit, Hallie. Whatever this is, I don't want it. You did a shitty thing, and we're done. I don't want to hear whatever apologies you have, because they don't mean anything. They didn't mean anything when I found out the first time, when you said it would never happen again and then not even a week later you went back to sleeping with him."
"I never meant for any of this to happen. You have to know that."
"I don't believe you." He responded, ignoring the stabbing pain he felt in his side where his injury was. "Had it happened only once? If you were drunk, or even just upset, then fine. Maybe I'd believe you. But it happened over and over again. You were in more of a relationship with him than you were with your own husband. And you never had the decency to tell me that you wanted out."
"I'm sorry.. I don't know what else you want me to say."
"I don't want you to say anything, I want you to leave." He bit out exasperatedly, Hallie drawing in a deep breath.
"Matt-"
"Are you still with him?" He asked roughly, swallowing the lump in his throat.
Hallie bit on her bottom lip, her eyes falling down to her lap, giving him all the answer he needed.
"Well, I hope you two are very happy together. Just maybe try not to cheat on him… Or I guess hope that he doesn't cheat on you. Although maybe you two don't have any problem with that, considering how you got together." He spoke bitterly, Hallie looking back up to him.
"Matt, I know you're pissed at me. You have every reason to be, but you and I weren't happy anymore. We hadn't been for a long time, and I think we're both better off now."
"That's funny, because I had no idea you weren't happy anymore. In fact, I thought, for the first time in a long time, you and I were both on the same page." He spoke honestly, a frown forming on her face. "But I guess that's just because when you were sleeping with my coworker, you didn't really care about what was going on with us, you were too busy focusing on your relationship with him."
"Matt-"
"And, for the record, you not being happy doesn't excuse what you did. Nothing can justify that. You should've talked to me, instead of fucking some guy behind my back, and getting pregnant with his baby, after you continuously told me it was over."
"I know it doesn't excuse what I did, I'm not saying it does. I just want you to know I'm sorry."
"You weren't sorry enough to stop. You weren't sorry enough to tell me the truth." He snapped, holding his hand lightly over his injured side.
"I know you don't want to hear anything I have to say, and I don't blame you for that." She breathed out, shaking her head. "But I am sorry. I know you don't think I am, but it's true. I regret what I put you through, I should've come to you when I first realized I wasn't happy. Maybe we could've fixed it, maybe we couldn't have, but regardless, you didn't deserve that. I should've never done what I did, but I am glad to see you've been able to move on. I just want you to be happy, Matt."
"What do you mean, move on?" He asked with narrowed eyes, Hallie flashing him a smirk, which admittedly only agitated him further.
"You and Dawson." She responded, Matt sighing.
"We're not-"
"Yeah, she said the same thing." Hallie cut him off, Matt pursing his lips together. "But I know you, Matt. And, granted, I don't know Dawson that well, but I saw how she was today when you got brought in, how upset she was, and then how relieved she was when she knew you'd be okay." She spoke, Matt blinking tightly. "I'm glad you have someone who loves you."
"My relationship with Gabby isn't any of your business." Matt interjected, ignoring her last sentence. "But we are just friends."
"If you say so, but I don't think I've ever seen someone who's just a friend be that protective over someone else. She looks out for you, and even the small interaction her and I had today, I can tell you mean a lot to her… She even told me not to come in here, which, seeing as how much you don't want to see me, I can't blame her." Hallie breathed out, Matt blinking tightly as he tried to ignore the growing pain in his abdomen. "But before she saw me, I saw her face when she came out of here.. you make her happy. And I can only assume she makes you just as happy. I'm glad you've found someone, Matt."
He remained silent, hardly able to focus on her words as the pain in his side became overwhelming, Matt feeling the gown under his hand turning damp. Lifting his hand from his side, Matt saw red spreading across his hospital gown and his sheets, his blood partially covering his skin on his palm, Matt's head beginning to spin.
"Matt?" Hallie asked, his eyes widening as she saw him bleeding through his gown, Hallie standing up, pressing the button behind his bed. "Hey, it's okay. You're gonna be fine."
But her words fell on deaf ears, Matt's head lulling to the side as he struggled to stay awake, the blinding pain in his side soon causing the firefighter to fall unconscious, not registering all the nurses rushing into his room.
Gabby climbed into the rig as her and Shay walked out of med, having just finished up dropping off their patient.
"So, we're stopping by the firehouse then heading back to the boy?" She asked, Gabby raising her eyebrows before nodding, pulling her seatbelt across her body, locking it into place.
"Yeah, I need to get his stuff to him." She replied, Shay pulling out of the parking lot.
They sat in a comfortable quiet for most of the drive, Gabby's gaze focused out the window as they passed the busy streets of Chicago, her mind elsewhere. She wasn't able to get her mind off Matt, and even though she'd only been gone for a little over an hour, she couldn't help but worry if he was still okay. Rationally, she knew he was probably alright. Since he'd gotten to the hospital, he hadn't had any problems, and he looked fine when she saw him. But there was a sinking feeling in her gut that she didn't really understand, all she knew was that she wanted to get back to the hospital sooner rather than later.
"Okay, so are we just going to ignore the elephant in the room?" Shay broke the silence, Gabby's eyebrows furrowing as she turned to look at her friend.
"What?"
"How I've done an excellent job for hours of not commenting on the fact that you, Gabriela Dawson, are a slut." She spoke with a gleam in her eye, Gabby's confusion only growing.
"I feel like I'm missing something." She responded, Shay's smirking widening.
"Oh, no we're not playing that game, we were all here when Casey talked about how you had him pin you up against the wall in the shower and take you from behi-"
"Jesus Christ, Shay." Gabby cut her off, the blonde breaking out into a fit of laughter as Gabby rested her forehead against her palm, the PIC's arm resting on the door.
"What?! You two are the freaky ones, not me."
"One, I can guarantee you Matt doesn't realize you heard that, so you won't repeat it again. To anyone. Not even me." Gabby started, the blonde poking her tongue out. "And two, that wasn't exactly what happened. He's the one who turned me around, I just… encouraged it." She replied sheepishly, Shay shaking her head in amusement.
"You two are both dirtier than I thought. You, you're not so surprising, but Casey? I wasn't expecting that. Some of the things you've told me, I can only imagine how wild that ride is." She teased, Dawson raising her eyebrows.
"He's lying in a hospital bed right now and all you're thinking about is sex?" Gabby asked, her words turning serious as she shook her head.
"Oh please, it's not like he's dying. He's fine." Shay responded, Gabby drawing in a deep breath. "And, considering how upset you've been all day, I figured talking about more pleasant times would make you feel better. I know you're worried about him, I don't blame you, but you can relax. He's okay." Shay's voice became firm, Gabby glancing back out the window, biting down on her bottom lip. "I know this freaked you out, I'm just trying to lighten the mood a bit. Especially because he's alright."
"No, I know, I'm sorry." Gabby responded, sighing deeply. "I just- he scared the hell out of me today, Shay." She admitted, her partner grabbing her leg, giving it a comforting squeeze, Gabby refusing to look at her.
"I know." Shay replied softly. "But he's fine, Gabs."
"Yeah." She spoke, shrugging her shoulders as Shay pulled into the driveway.
"Let's make this quick, that way we can get back to the hospital so you check on him." Shay told her, knowing the time for teasing was over, watching as Gabby nodded while the blonde put the rig in park
Shay was a little surprised at how hard Gabby was taking this. Obviously, everyone in the firehouse was worried, they had been up until they were told he was going to be fine. But then, once they knew he was alright, their fear had dissipated. Gabby, on the other hand, had only seemed to get more upset as the day progressed. She had kept herself level-headed up until now, focusing all her energy on Casey. But it was like now that she had a moment to breathe, she was finally feeling all the emotions she hadn't allowed herself to deal with throughout the day, and Shay was worried.
But Gabby's behavior the last few hours had only cemented the belief in Shay's mind that there were deeper feelings between Gabby and Matt than either of them wanted to admit to, and she couldn't help but wonder if after the events of today, Gabby was starting to realize them, too.
Shay silently followed Gabby into the firehouse, the paramedics getting bombarded with questions the second they stepped through the double doors.
"Whoa whoa whoa, one at a time, boys." Shay spoke loudly, effectively silencing the noise around the room.
"How's he doing?" Severide asked again, the blonde glancing to Dawson.
"He's doing well, all things considered." Gabby replied, the tension in the room lessening as the words left her lips. Although they were told earlier that he would be fine, hearing it from one of their own made them all feel a little better. "He has to stay overnight, but when I last saw him, he seemed to be in good spirits."
"So you did see him?" Herrmann asked, Gabby nodding.
"I did. He's definitely a little beat up, but he should make a full recovery." She told them, earning a few nods from around the room.
"Good, that's good." Herrmann replied.
"Dawson and I are gonna get his stuff and then head back over there, so if there are any messages you'd like us to relay to him, now's the time." Shay spoke, Gabby stepping away from the group and moving out into the hallway, letting Shay take over with everyone else while she went to go gather Matt's things.
Her first stop was his office, Dawson glancing around to see if there was anything worth taking for him, Gabby grabbing the jacket she knew he wore here this morning off the back of his chair before turning off the lights and heading for the locker room.
Getting to her destination, she stopped in front of his locker, pulling out her phone before putting in his combination, thankful when she got it on the first try, Gabby yanking it open.
She hadn't really looked inside his locker before, but she wasn't surprised to see it was very neat, and nearly empty. Aside from an extra uniform, his toiletries, his shift bag, and a thicker coat, it was completely bare. There were no photos or anything, really. And she wasn't exactly surprised by that. Especially considering his apartment was the same way.
She noticed early on that Matt didn't have many personal belongings around his home, and the more time she spent there, the more obvious it was. He had his furniture, he had the necessary items one would need for living in an apartment, but there was hardly anything there that showed who lived there. Aside from some random Blackhawks memorabilia, there was hardly anything in his apartment that gave any insight into him at all. She couldn't remember seeing one photo of him in the place. Nothing with his family, or any of his friends, there was nothing that showed him having any other relationships with people outside of this firehouse. And the thought made her heart fall into her stomach.
Gabby knew things had been hard for him before coming to 51, but she hadn't realized just how isolated he'd been. He never spoke of any other friends, he never spoke of his family, Gabby wasn't even sure he had people he'd consider friends before coming to their firehouse. All she knew was that he had a sister, but even that was something he never talked about, and there was no evidence to them being close. In fact, it seemed like the closest relationships he had before coming here were the ones with the random women he'd pick up from bars.
As far as she could tell, Hallie had been his family. And that made what she did to him all the worse. She betrayed him, she left him alone, and Gabby couldn't help but resent her for it.
Gabby noticed movement out of the corner of her eye, the woman being pulled from her thoughts as she saw Walker come into view, the man clearly surprised to see her. She saw his eyes flicker towards the locker, Gabby knowing the name on the door was visible to him as she stood there. But he said nothing about it, Bryan glancing back towards her.
"I didn't realize you were here." He spoke, Gabby suddenly realizing he hadn't been present in the common room with everyone else. She hadn't really paid attention to much when they first got back, Gabby not having checked to see who was or wasn't there.
"Uh, yeah. We just got back."
"Are you going back to the hospital?" He questioned, eyeing Matt's locker, Gabby nodding in response.
"Yeah, we are. We're gonna take Casey his stuff." She answered, grabbing Matt's duffle bag from the locker, her eyes bouncing around the small space quickly, grabbing his phone and his truck keys from the top shelf before shutting the door, locking it back in place.
"How is he doing?" Walker asked after a few silent moments, Gabby slinging Matt's bag over her shoulder, pocketing his keys.
"Uh, he's alright. It could've been a lot worse." She replied, Bryan nodding as he crossed his arms over his chest, his eyes moving to the ground.
Gabby hadn't seen him since this morning when he stormed out of the garage, but he seemed to be less angry than he was earlier, although she figured that had something to do with the events of today. Having one of your own get hurt put things into perspective, and she could only hope he realized he had no right to be upset at her for moving on with her life.
But she could tell there was something he wanted to say, and she had a feeling she knew what it was. She knew he wanted to ask her about what he'd heard Shay say this morning, but he wasn't able to get the words out before the blonde paramedic walked into the room, Gabby seeing her come up behind Bryan, clearly confused to see him there.
"Hey, uh, Gabby, you okay?" Shay asked, eyeing Walker cautiously as the man let out a scoff, glancing back towards her.
"She's fine, Shay. What do you think I'm gonna do to her?" Gabby could see the second his guard went back up, Bryan's face hardening.
"I don't know, why don't you tell me?" She asked, narrowing her eyes. Walker huffed out a breath, shaking his head as turned to leave, bumping past Shay as he left. "You good?"
"I'm fine." Gabby breathed out, flashing her a small smile.
Even though she hated to admit it, being alone with Bryan still made her nervous. She wished she didn't feel that way, she wished she could get past it, but it was hard. And, though she'd never say it out loud, she was glad Shay had come in when she did. Had her and Bryan actually started having that conversation, she knew it wouldn't have gone over well.
"You ready to get back?" Shay asked, noticing how Gabby visibly relaxed once Walker was out of the room, the PIC nodding.
"Yeah, let's go."
The paramedics barely got out of the locker room when they were stopped by one of their civilian employees, the woman calling out to Gabby, Dawson turning to look at her.
"There's a call for you from Lakeshore," The woman spoke, Gabby's body tensing, swallowing thickly as she walked towards her. "A Dr. Thomas called asking for you."
"Shay, can you take this, I'll be right there." Gabby told her friend, handing Matt's bag and coat to her, Shay taking it without hesitation.
"Yeah, of course. I'll go get the rig started." The blonde replied, grabbing the items from her partner before Gabby took off down the hall, anxiously following behind the woman.
They soon got to her desk, Gabby taking the phone from her, putting it up to her ear quickly.
"Hallie?"
"Dawson, hey. I'm sorry for bothering you, but are you planning on coming back to the hospital?" Hallie asked, Gabby's eyebrows furrowing.
"Yeah, Shay and I are heading there now… Is everything okay?" She asked apprehensively, her concern growing when she heard Hallie take a deep breath.
"Everything's fine, Matt's sleeping now, but his wound started bleeding pretty badly soon after you left." She spoke calmly, Gabby's lips pursing together, her hand coming up to press against her forehead. "Some of his stitches pulled, and the wound reopened. He passed out, but-"
"He passed out?" She cut in worriedly.
"He did. But he's fine now. He woke back up soon after it happened, but he was in a lot of pain so they sedated him while they fixed his sutures. But they took him off the meds, he should wake up any time. I just wanted you to know what happened."
"Yeah, okay thank you. I'll be there soon." Gabby breathed out, waiting for Hallie's goodbye before she hung up, saying a quick thank you to the woman who got her before heading for the garage, her body moving quickly through the firehouse.
When she got out to the garage, she saw Shay perched up against the ambulance, her door open as she waited for her friend.
"Everything okay?" She asked, Gabby drawing in a sharp breath, Shay seeing the clear nerves radiating off her body. "What happened?"
"He's fine, I think. His wound reopened and started bleeding, I didn't get much more out of Hallie but she said he's okay." She spoke quickly, Shay nodding.
"Okay, well I'm sure everything's alright." Shay replied calmly, knowing for as concerned as Gabby had already been, this only made things worse. "Let's get going." She told her, the two women climbing into the rig, hurrying to the hospital.
Gabby stayed quiet the entire time, gripping Matt's coat tightly in her lap as she stared out the window. Shay didn't try to make small talk, knowing Gabby wouldn't be very receptive to it anyway, the blonde focusing on getting them back to Lakeshore as quickly, and safely, as possible.
The second Shay pulled up to the entrance, Gabby hopped down, Matt's belongings in hand as she shut the door, hurrying inside towards the elevators. The ride to Matt's floor seemed to take forever, Gabby tapping her finger against her thigh as she waited to get to the fourth floor, Gabby sliding past the other people inside the elevator when the doors opened, her body taking her straight to Casey's room.
Stopping outside his door, she released a heavy breath when she saw him asleep in his bed. His head was turned to the side, his arms resting over his stomach as he slept peacefully. He looked exactly like he had when she was here early, like he hadn't moved an inch, but she knew that wasn't the case.
Slowly pushing the door open, she let it fall closed behind her as she quietly moved towards the bed, placing his bag down on the ground, draping his coat over the back of the chair. Moving as close as she could, her eyes looked over his sleeping form, seeing his chest rise and fall steadily with each breath. Before she could stop herself, she brought her hand up to his head, running her fingers through his hair, seeing him turn into her touch, Matt releasing a soft groan.
The action brought a smile to her face, Gabby having seen him like this a few times before. Mornings where she would wake up before him, she'd do that exact same thing and he'd react as he just had, Matt always waking up with a bright smile on his face.
And the same thing happened this time, a soft grin falling onto his lips as he opened his eyes, blinking quickly to help Gabby come into focus, his smile widening when he saw her.
"Hi." He croaked out, his voice hoarse.
"Hi… I heard you had an eventful afternoon." She commented, stroking her thumb over the side of his head before dropping her hand, reaching for his water.
"Yeah, I guess I did. I don't really remember it." He replied, Gabby bringing the cup up to his lips, Matt taking a few small sips, the liquid wetting his throat.
"I leave you for a couple hours and you pull a stunt like this…" She joked, trying to distract herself from the worry that wouldn't seem to leave her system. "Seriously Casey, there are easier ways to get more attention." Her words caused a light chuckle to escape his lips, the firefighter shaking his head lightly.
"I'll keep that in mind." He responded, Matt beginning to cough deeply, his hand resting over his side as the movement hurt his sore body.
"Are you okay?" She asked quickly, her eyes darting to his abdomen before looking back up at him, Matt nodding as his coughing soon subsided.
"Yeah, yeah I'm fine." He answered, clearing his throat. "It's just anytime I move, it hurts." He responded, Gabby frowning as she sat down on the edge of the chair, her hands resting on his bed.
"They've still got you on pain medication, right?"
"I think so, I don't know." He responded softly, his eyes tracing over her face, seeing her clearly distressed. "Are you okay?" He questioned, her eyebrows furrowing.
"This isn't about me." She replied, Matt raising his eyebrows.
"You seem upset." He commented, ignoring her previous words.
"Yeah, well you've had me worried today." She spoke, releasing a heavy breath, a frown covering his face.
"I'm sorry."
"It's fine, it's not your fault. I'm just glad you're feeling better." Gabby responded, Matt placing his hand over hers, giving it a gentle squeeze. "So you don't really remember what happened?"
"I remember Hallie being in here, she wanted to talk." Gabby nodded, Matt catching her gaze. "She told me you asked her not to come in." He told her, Gabby ducking her head sheepishly.
"Yeah, I probably shouldn't have done that… I know it's not my place, but it had already been a hard day for you and I knew you didn't want to see her."
"No, it's fine. I'm glad you did, even though she didn't listen… I appreciate you looking out for me." He spoke, a soft smile coming to her face. "Although I guess it ended up being a good thing she was in here, because someone was here when my wound opened, but I could've done with the conversation." He breathed out, Gabby nodding slowly. She was curious to know what they talked about, but it wasn't her business, and she wasn't about to ask. "But I remember the pain, and feeling blood on my hand, but then the next thing I know, you're waking me up. Everything else is kind of blank." He told her, Gabby's tongue running over her bottom lip.
"But you're feeling better now?"
"I am." He assured her, picking up her hand off the bed and grasping it in his.
"Good." She replied, leaning back into the chair. "I got all your stuff for you, aside from your truck. But I figured I'd get Shay or my brother to help me get it to your place sometime tomorrow." She told him, Matt nodding.
"Thank you, for taking care of that."
"It's not a problem." She responded softly, feeling him run his thumb over the back of her hand. A soft yawn escaped through his lips, Gabby watching as he did his best to keep his tired eyes open, an amused grin falling across her face. "You should get some rest."
"But we're talking." He mumbled before yawning again, Gabby biting down on her bottom lip as she shook her head. Though she'd never admit it out loud, despite all the bruising and cuts blemishing his skin, she found him quite adorable in the state he was in right now. Barely awake but fighting off his exhaustion, there was something so endearing about it to her.
"And we're gonna have plenty of time to talk when we're stuck in the same apartment." She joked, Matt smirking sleepily. "Go to sleep, Matt."
"How long are you staying?" He murmured, squeezing her hand.
"I'll be here until we get a call, now sleep." She ordered, Matt nodding as he closed his eyes, letting his exhaustion take over, Gabby never dropping his hand as he quickly fell asleep.
Shay pushed herself up from the chair in the waiting room, glancing at the time on her watch as she moved into the hallway. Her and Dawson had gotten back to the hospital almost two hours ago, and Gabby hadn't left Casey's side since. Shay stopped by his room earlier after she'd gotten the rig parked, Gabby having stepped away from his bed to fill her in on everything, but Shay hadn't stayed very long. She was glad to see Matt was alright, but she didn't want to be in there while he was trying to rest, and she knew he was in more than capable hands with Gabby.
The blonde was quite surprised that they had managed to go this long without getting a call, but she figured that Boden might've had something to do with it. He knew they were staying at the hospital, and while he said nothing, Shay got the feeling he caught on to just how upset Gabby was about what happened today. Shay was aware that Boden always knew more about what went on in his firehouse than he let on, and it wouldn't shock her if he had some idea that there was something going on between Dawson and Casey. But after Chief practically encouraged her and Dawson to stay here with Matt, she knew he was probably responsible for the lack of calls they'd gotten this evening.
Rolling her neck, Shay stretched out her back as she walked down the hallway, her steps slowing as she noticed someone standing outside Matt's room. It didn't take her long to figure out who it was, the large belly being a dead giveaway.
As she got closer, Hallie noticed her, the doctor tearing her eyes away from the room, glancing towards Shay, the paramedic's face hard. Silently, Shay stopped beside her, looking to see what Hallie had been staring at.
Casey was sound asleep in the bed, the lights turned off as he laid leaned towards Dawson. At some point, Gabby had fallen asleep as well, her friend curled up in the chair, her head resting on her arm on the edge of the bed. Shay couldn't see her face, but she could see Gabby and Matt's intertwined hands resting on his chest, and a content smile on his face.
"So what is the deal with them, anyway?" Hallie spoke up, Shay glancing to her, seeing the woman's gaze still focused on the scene in front of them. "They both are so adamant they're not together, but clearly…" She trailed off, waving her hand in the air to show something she couldn't vocalize.
"I don't think that's any of your business." Shay responded coldly, looking back towards her friends.
"You don't really like me, do you?" Hallie questioned, crossing her arms on top of her stomach.
"Why would I? What you did to Casey... I have no reason to like you." She spoke, earning a sigh from the woman.
"I don't know what all Matt's told you, I'm sure it's the truth, but there's a lot that went on between us… things in our relationship weren't good and-"
"Nothing excuses what you did." She interjected, raising an eyebrow.
"I'm not excusing it, all I'm saying is I had my reasons." Hallie responded, Shay scoffing.
"You have your reasons for ruining his life?" She questioned, Hallie's eyes falling closed. Shay thinking over her next words before continuing. "I'm assuming you know what all is said about him."
"...I've heard a few things."
"Yeah, things I'm sure you never bothered to correct." Shay spat, trying to control her anger. "Things that ruined god knows how many things for him, that got him kicked from house after house, that made him nearly have a breakdown when 51 found out because he was worried it was all happening again." Her words stunned Hallie, the doctor shaking her head.
"I didn't… I didn't realize all that had happened."
"No, of course you didn't. Cause I'm sure all you were worried about was making sure you didn't look like the bad guy. He went through all of that, and probably more that I don't know about, all because you didn't have the decency to just be honest with him." Shay spoke harshly, Hallie biting on the inside of her cheek. "You ruined his life, and you nearly ruined his career. This bullshit gets held over his head when it's not even true. You and your little boyfriend wrecked his entire life, and now all he's asked of you is to leave him alone. And you can't even do that."
"Shay-"
"The only reason I'm not kicking your ass right now is because of that baby, and because of Matt. But just leave him alone, Hallie. He's made it clear he doesn't want to see you-"
"How did you know that?"
Shay narrowed her eyes, shaking her head before continuing. "He doesn't want to see you." She repeated harshly. "He's fine without you, he's happy. Him and Gabby are happy, and I don't want you ruining that."
"What do you think I'm gonna do? I'm not trying to wreck him, or them-"
"Yeah, you better not. Because Gabby is my best friend, there isn't anything I wouldn't do to protect her. And Casey's become one of my closest friends. I love them both, they've both been through hell and I don't want you messing with them. I don't know what your intentions are by essentially stalking him in his room, but they don't need whatever this is you're doing."
"I just wanted him to know I'm sorry, that's why I came to see him earlier. So I could apologize, again. And make sure he was okay." She spoke, Shay sighing.
"So you've already told him you're sorry, what are you still doing here?" Shay asked expectantly, Hallie glancing back to Matt and Gabby. Dawson had shuffled closer to him in her sleep, her head up against his hip, both of them still sleeping peacefully.
"I… I loved him for a long time, I just need to know he's gonna be okay. I still worry about him."
"He has an entire family at fifty one who looks out for him, he doesn't need you for that anymore." Shay responded bluntly. "He has someone worrying about him, he's not your obligation anymore. He has people… he has Gabby. There's no reason for you to be here."
Clicking her tongue against the roof of her mouth, Hallie nodded, glancing to Dawson and Casey one last time before starting to walk away, Shay stepping into the spot she had occupied.
But the doctor only got a few steps down the hallway before stopping, Shay looking to her as she turned back around.
"Do you wanna know why him and I were never going to work, Shay?" Hallie asked, the blonde's face remaining blank as she tilted her head to the side.
"Because you fucked one of his firefighters?" She questioned sarcastically, her voice harsh.
But Hallie took it in stride, shaking her head as she shoved her hands into the pockets of her white coat.
"Because in the thirty seconds I saw him with Dawson this afternoon, he looked happier than he ever did with me."
Without another word, Hallie continued down the hallway, Shay's eyes narrowing as she watched her walk away, the blonde shaking her head before returning her attention to her friends, seeing them still fast asleep.
The entire reason she'd come here in the first place was to try and make Gabby get something to eat, Shay knowing the paramedic hadn't really been taking care of herself today, but her partner looked so peaceful, she didn't want to disturb her. Especially after how hard the day had been on both Gabby and Matt, Shay figured there was no harm in letting her rest a little longer.
Gabby released a heavy sigh as she pushed open the front door to her brother's apartment, pulling her key from the lock before letting the door close behind her. She dropped her shift bag on the ground, stretching out her sore back before stepping further into the apartment, Gabby heading straight for her room.
When her and Shay had gone back to the hospital yesterday after what ended up being their last call, she never intended to spend the entire night in Matt's room, let alone spend most of her time leaned over his bed, asleep. But nothing yesterday had really gone according to plan, and she didn't feel right leaving him alone in the hospital. She just wished she had picked a more comfortable position to sleep in, because now her body was paying the price.
As Gabby began packing up for her days at Casey's place, she couldn't help but think over everything that had happened the last twenty four hours. His accident had scared her, more than she expected it to, but spending the night with him ended up being as much of a comfort to her as it was to him. Despite him trying to get her to leave multiple times, she assured him she was fine, that if she wasn't sitting here, she'd just be sitting in the firehouse.
Luckily, Matt had gotten a lot of sleep throughout the evening and most of the night, his body needing the rest to kickstart his recovery. He would wake up every time a nurse or doctor came in to check on him, but he would soon fall back asleep when he and Gabby were alone again. And aside from an hour span around 2AM where he got a sudden burst of energy, he never spent more than ten minutes awake, not until her and Shay had left the hospital to get back to the firehouse before shift change.
During the night, it hadn't occurred to her much, but as they were driving back to the firehouse Gabby realized they hadn't been on any calls through the night, which prompted Shay to explain how she was pretty sure Boden had taken them out of service so they could keep Casey company. Although it had been mostly Gabby that spent time with him, Shay stopped by a few times to visit and make sure they were both okay, the blonde focusing more of taking care of Gabby while the PIC focused on Matt.
Refocusing her attention on the task at hand, Gabby began looking through her drawers, trying to figure out what to bring. Not knowing how long she would actually be staying with Matt, she ended up overpacking a bit, but she tried to limit what she could, knowing she could do laundry if needed. Her main priorities were making sure she had everything she'd need for work, as well as her everyday essentials, Gabby trying to avoid having to come back for things unless she absolutely had to.
After she had finished packing, she decided to take a quick shower, wanting to wash away her hours spent in the hospital. She showered for all of ten minutes bathing before getting out and quickly getting ready to head back to the hospital, changing into a pair of jeans and a long sleeve shirt.
Noise out in the living room grabbed her attention, Gabby slinging her duffle bag over her shoulder, grabbing her laptop off the desk before heading out of her room, seeing Antonio standing in the kitchen.
"Morning sis." He spoke sleepily, his eyes narrowing in confusion when he saw her appearance. "Didn't you just get back from shift, where are you going?" He asked as he poured himself a cup of coffee.
"Well, there's actually something I need to talk to you about." She prefaced, Antonio placing his mug down, glancing towards her with a worried expression covering his face.
"What happened?"
"Casey got injured on call yesterday." She replied, Antonio's eyes widening.
"Is he okay?"
"He will be. He's not burned or anything, thank God, but he got pretty beat up, he bruised some ribs and has a pretty bad cut on his side. He's still in the hospital, but he should be getting discharged later today." She explained, Antonio releasing a heavy sigh.
"I'm sorry, sis." He breathed out, shaking his head. "But I'm glad he's okay."
"Me too. But, uh, his doctor told him he would need some help for a few days, so I'm not sure how much I'll be around the next few days." She told him, Antonio biting his tongue as he nodded. Despite the many teasing comments flooding his brain, he knew now wasn't the time.
"Alright. Tell Casey I'm sorry, and that I hope he feels better."
"I will."
"Do you need me to do anything?" He questioned, Gabby's head tilting to the side as she bit her bottom lip, Antonio's eyebrows raising. "What do you need?" He asked expectantly.
"It would actually be a lot of help if you could come with me to get Casey's truck at the firehouse. I don't wanna leave it there for however long he's gonna be off shift."
"Yeah, it's no problem. Are you wanting to do it now?" He questioned, glancing down to his pajamas.
"If you can. I'll probably have you follow me to Casey's place first, so I can drop my car off, then we can go to the firehouse."
"That's fine, just let me change then we can go, alright?" He told her, Gabby nodding as he walked out of the kitchen, pressing a kiss to her forehead before heading to his bedroom to get ready.
While waiting for her brother, Gabby dropped her bag by the door next to her one for shift, giving one last glance around the apartment, wanting to make sure there was nothing obvious she was forgetting before she left.
Gabby shoved her hands in her jacket as she stepped out of the elevator, feeling Matt's keys in her pocket as she walked down the hallway with a light smile on her face. It was a little after ten in the morning, Gabby feeling refreshed after her few hours away from the hospital. And she could only hope getting Matt out of here would have the same effect on him. Even though he will have only spent about 24 hours here by the time they leave, she could tell he hated being cooped up here, and that he would feel much more comfortable at home.
Getting to his room, she was glad to find his door open, Gabby walking in to see Matt sitting up in bed while a doctor spoke to him.
"Oh, sorry." She spoke sheepishly, stopping in her tracks as Matt caught sight of her, a weak smile forming over his face.
"It's okay, you can come in." He replied, Gabby hesitantly taking another step forward. "Dr. Martin, this is Gabby Dawson, one of the paramedics who got me here yesterday." Matt spoke, recognition covering the man's face.
"Yes, I remember. Sorry, it took me a second without the uniform." Dr. Martin responded, Gabby waving him off.
"It's fine."
"Gabby's gonna be the one helping me out for a few days." Matt spoke, Dr. Martin's smile widening.
"That's excellent. Actually, I feel better sending you home knowing you'll have a paramedic looking after you." He spoke, grinning between the pair. "Now, Ms. Dawson, as I was telling your boyfriend here, he needs to be very careful over the next forty eight hours." Heat rushed to Gabby's cheeks at his terminology, Matt blushing as his gaze flickered to her, neither of them saying anything as she simply nodded. "And, I'm sure you know how to tend to stitches, but I do want him keeping them covered for the next twenty four hours. I want you to wait at least that much time before showering, Mr. Casey, and make sure you have help." He told them, looking between the two, both Matt and Gabby nodding. "Since you've already had an issue with your sutures opening, I don't want that happening again. Make sure you don't strain yourself."
"I'll be careful."
"Good. Now, I do have some papers for you to take with you, essentially that highlight the basics of how to care for your stitches, and it touches on your limitations, but just be smart. I've dealt with firefighters before, I know you all can be stubborn, but I don't want to see you back here."
"Understood." Matt replied, Gabby biting back a smirk.
"Alright. Well, someone from the pharmacy should be by with your prescription here shortly, and I want to look over your scans from this morning one last time before you leave, just to make sure. It'll probably be around an hour or so, but you can go ahead and get ready if you like. I'll stop by in a little bit to give you the all clear to leave."
"Okay. Thanks doctor."
"Of course, I'm glad to see you're feeling better. It was nice to meet you, Ms. Dawson." He spoke, Gabby nodding with a smile as he left the room, closing the door behind him.
"Hi." Gabby greeted, coming around to the side of the bed.
"Hey." He responded, Gabby's eyebrows furrowing as she noticed his somber mood.
"Everything okay?" She questioned, Matt meeting her gaze. "You're not in pain or anything are you?"
"No, nothing like that."
"Then what's wrong?" She asked, coming to stop by the edge of his bed.
"It's nothing, I'm just… I'm ready to get out of here." He breathed out, Gabby's lips turning down into a slight frown, her eyes tracing over his face. "I feel like I've been here forever."
She nodded slowly, reaching her hand out to rest on his arm, giving it a gentle squeeze. "Soon." She replied, flashing him a supportive smile. Matt nodded, swallowing thickly as he looked back down to the bed sheets, his strange behavior causing worry to settle in her gut. "You can talk to me, if something's bothering you." Gabby spoke, Matt nodding.
"I know.. Maybe when we get back to my place?" He offered, looking back up at her. "I'm fine, though. It's just been a lot… the last day." Matt spoke vaguely, but Gabby knew exactly what he was talking about, the paramedic nodding immediately.
"I know it has." She responded, moving her hand to brush over the side of his face, getting him to look at her. "But I'm gonna get you out of here soon, and then you can spend your time abusing the fact that you have my help." She joked, her smile widening when she saw him grin, Gabby running her fingers through his hair.
"Oh, I am definitely going to." He spoke lightly, Gabby shaking her head, silently grateful to see his mood lifting.
"I figured." She replied. "So, you got more scans done this morning?"
"Yeah, I did. Dr. Martin just wanted assurance that everything was good, that there was no internal bleeding or anything that came up." He explained. "And when I got back from my tests, Severide and Boden were here." He told her, Gabby nodding. She knew Kelly mentioned something about stopping by to visit him, but she wasn't sure if he had.
"How'd that go?"
"It was good. Chief told me to take off all the time I needed, he's already put in a request for a temporary Lieutenant, but I don't want to be gone too long if I can help it."
"I know you don't, but I don't want you overdoing it. We don't need you hurting yourself more."
"I know, and I won't. I'm just not looking forward to sitting around for days. But I won't do anything stupid, you'd kill me if I did." He teased, Gabby scoffing.
"Maybe." She responded. "Just don't give me a reason."
Matt rolled his eyes, throwing the sheets off himself as he slowly moved to sit up, Gabby's eyes widening as she placed her hands gently on his shoulders, stopping him.
"Whoa, excuse me sir, what do you think you're doing?"
"Going to the bathroom." He responded, Gabby eyeing him skeptically. "They took out the catheter an hour ago, so unless you want a mess on your hands." He spoke with a chuckle, Gabby narrowing her eyes before easing up her grip.
"Alright, but you've got to let me help you." She told him, Matt shaking his head.
"I think I can pee by myself."
"Help you to the bathroom, dumbass." She muttered, Matt gripping onto her shoulder as he slowly eased himself to the edge of the bed, the firefighter laughing.
"You really should work on your bedside manner." He joked, carefully getting up with the help of Gabby, a slight hiss leaving his lips as he stood up straight.
"You okay?" She asked, all teasing gone from her voice as she looked up at him, Matt giving her a nod.
"I'm good, just sore." He replied, beginning his slow steps to the bathroom, his arm wrapped around Gabby's shoulders as his other hand rested over his sutures, Gabby moving at his pace.
It was a process, but she managed to get him positioned in the bathroom, Gabby stepping out to give him his privacy until he told her he was done, Gabby coming back in to help him get to the bed.
"See, I'm not too bad at this." She spoke lightly as she helped him sit down on the edge of the bed.
"No, you're not. Not that I had any doubts." He responded, smiling softly at her as she stood in front of him, his words bringing a small grin to her face. "Do you, uh… do you mind helping me get changed?" He asked, Gabby shaking her head.
"Nope." She responded without hesitation, knowing he felt uncomfortable asking. Even though they both were aware that this was just the beginning of things he was going to need help with over the next few days, she knew it couldn't have been easy for him to ask for help with the simplest of things. She didn't want to give him any reason to feel nervous coming to her.
"I've got some sweatpants and a shirt in my bag." He told her, Gabby moving to grab his shift bag that had been relocated to the corner, placing the item on the bed beside him. Before starting the process, she went to pull the curtain closed around the bed, giving Matt privacy.
She pulled out his sweatpants and t-shirt, placing the items of clothing down beside him.
"How do you wanna do this?" She asked, Matt shrugging softly.
"I don't know."
"Already making me do everything." She teased, her words easing some of the nerves from his body as Matt chuckled softly.
Gabby grabbed the sweatpants, crouching down to the ground, patiently helping him get his feet into the clothing, pulling them up until they were bunched above his knees, Gabby standing back up. She nodded at him to stand up, Matt using her for support as he moved, Gabby beginning to take off his gown, sliding the thin material down his arms, placing it on the bed. She let him put on his sweatpants the rest of the way, Gabby averting her eyes until he was covered. Even though she'd seen him without clothes plenty of times, this was something different. She knew he was feeling vulnerable, and she didn't want to take advantage of that.
With his pants in place, Gabby met his eyes again, flashing him a comforting smile before reaching for his shirt, her eyes catching a glimpse of the large bandage wrapping around his side.
She knew the laceration was significant, but she hadn't actually gotten a good look at it, and seeing the size of the bandage was a little alarming.
"Enough of the free show." He spoke lightly, Gabby rolling her eyes as she put his shirt over his head.
"If I really wanted a free show, we should've kept your pants off." She joked back, Matt smirking as she helped him get the shirt on, Matt adjusting it as it rested on his body before sitting back down on the bed, Gabby getting his things together.
They were only left waiting for around half an hour before getting the all clear to leave, Gabby spending that time helping him with his shoes and his coat, as well as packing up his papers and his medication. The nurse had just come in with the wheelchair, Gabby helping him down into it before placing his bag on his lap, tapping his cheek.
"I'm gonna go down and get the car, if you're good?"
"I'm fine." He assured her, Gabby nodding.
"Alright, I'll see you down there." She spoke, mindlessly pressing a quick kiss to the top of his head, missing the soft grin from the nurse helping Matt as she left the room.
"You two are very cute." The older woman spoke as she carefully wheeled him through the doorway, Matt's cheeks turning red as he cleared his throat.
"Oh, uh.. thank you." He responded, unsure of what to say as she slowly pushed him down the hallway, starting their long trip to the exit.
When Gabby pulled his truck up to the curb ten minutes later, Matt was surprised, to say the least, as she climbed out of the driver's seat, the nurse pushing him towards the passenger side.
"You drove my truck?" He asked, Gabby chuckling.
"I sure did." She replied, opening his door as the nurse locked his wheelchair, Gabby slowly helping him up, Matt eyeing her with an amused expression. "It's not like I wrecked it or anything." She spoke, Matt raising his eyebrows. "Plus, I figured it would be easier for you to get in and out of, as opposed to my car. Now sit." She ordered, Matt slowly maneuvering his body into the truck, Gabby making sure he was settled before handing him his bag and shutting the door, saying a quick thank you to the nurse before walking around to the other side.
Casey watched her as she climbed in, a soft smile resting on his face as she buckled up.
"What?" She asked, a smile forming across her lips as she noticed him watching her.
"Nothing." He responded, looking ahead. "I'm just looking forward to being home." He told her, Gabby nodding as she put the truck into drive.
"Well, lucky for you, we'll be there soon." She replied, squeezing his leg gently before pulling out of the parking lot, driving towards Matt's apartment.
And there's another one. Matt's out of the hospital, away from Hallie, and ready to be home, with Gabby's help of course. Also, not gonna lie, I really enjoyed writing Shay and Hallie's scene. Shay has been so much fun to write, and, from your reviews, I know you all are liking her in this story.
I really hope you all enjoyed this, I'm eager to hear your thoughts on everything, and how you think Gabby taking care of Matt, and Matt having to step back and let someone help him, is going to go. I always am so excited to read your reviews, thank you all for the support!