Hello everyone! Here's the next chapter for you guys, I hope you like it. Thank you for all the great feedback you all left me on the last chapter!
Hope you enjoy!
TWENTY THREE
Gabby stepped into the warm bar, her eyes dancing around the packed room, soon finding her friend behind the counter, seeing her serving a few customers. Shoving her hands into her pockets, Gabby moved towards the blonde, Shay seeing her as she came to a stop in front of the bar.
"Hey girl." Shay spoke with a grin, her eyes flickering behind Dawson before meeting her friend's eyes. "No Casey tonight?" Her voice dropped when she asked the question, Gabby shaking her head.
"No, just me." She responded, perching herself up onto the barstool. "Can I get a drink?" She asked, Shay nodding as she reached for a glass.
"The usual?" Shay questioned, earning her answer in the form of a nod before she made her friend's drink, Gabby resting her arms on the bar top. "So… How have you been?"
"You saw me this morning, Shay." Gabby responded, the blonde shrugging her shoulders as she placed the glass down in front of Dawson.
"Yeah, and things could have changed since then." She replied, Gabby sighing before she took a sip of her drink.
"Well, nothing's really changed." Gabby confirmed, Shay nodding slowly. "Why?"
"No reason, just wondering." Shay spoke, tossing the white rag over her shoulder. "Is, uh, everything with you and Casey still going alright?"
Gabby's eyes narrowed at her friend, Shay watching her expectantly. "We're fine, Shay. What's going on?"
"What do you mean?"
"You're acting weird."
"It's nothing, I just wasn't sure if you'd figured anything out with all that.. With how you feel about him." Shay spoke quietly, Gabby drawing in a deep breath. "And I wasn't sure how to ask, because I know last time that conversation didn't go so well… But I just want to make sure you're doing okay."
"I'm alright, Shay." Gabby replied, the blonde eyeing her curiously, clearly wanting more information but not knowing how to ask. Blowing out a heavy sigh, Gabby moved her gaze down to her hands, fiddling with her fingers on the counter. "I'm still confused about everything, but I've decided to just leave it alone. Let things stay how they are."
Pursing her lips together, Shay ignored the second part of her friend's statement, choosing to focus on her first few words. "You're confused about how you feel?" She pressed, Gabby meeting her friend's eyes, shaking her head slowly side to side.
"No… I'm pretty sure I know how I feel." Her voice came out barely above a whisper, Shay's features softening. "I like him, Shay. A lot. But I'm confused about him." She spoke, the soft smile on the blonde's face falling.
"What do you mean?"
"I'm pretty sure he doesn't like me like... that. I don't think he sees me as someone he'd want to be in a relationship with."
"Did he say that?" Shay questioned, Gabby shrugging.
"No, we haven't talked about it specifically, but it's just the way he acts when the topic comes up, he gets all tense. Like the other morning, his mom was at the apartment when I got there and she called me his girlfriend-"
"I didn't think Casey's parents lived in Chicago." Shay interjected, Gabby narrowing her eyes. "I've only ever heard him mention a sister- you know what," The blonde stopped herself when she saw the annoyed look covering Dawson's face, "it's not important right now, I'm sorry. Continue." Shay finished with a sheepish grin, Gabby rolling her eyes before continuing her thought.
"Anyway, he got all weird about that, and then once she left he made sure to clarify he didn't tell her that, that he knew that's not what we were and how that's not what we want. It's like he keeps reinforcing that we're not that, like he wants to make sure I'm not forgetting." She breathed out, Shay frowning slightly. "But then the way he acts with me, it's completely different. Like when we're spending time together, or when we're…" Gabby trailed off, giving the blonde a pointed stare which Shay returned with a nod, silently telling Dawson she understood. "It feels like there's something there, like he feels something for me too. But what he says is completely different and it's confusing."
Shay's tongue poked out between her teeth, running over her bottom lip while she thought over Dawson's words, trying to decide which part to address first. The blonde glanced around, making sure they were still out of earshot of anyone who shouldn't be hearing this conversation before continuing.
"Do you think maybe the reason he's saying those things is because of you?" Shay questioned, Gabby raising her eyebrow, silently telling her to elaborate. "That maybe he's only doing that for your benefit, because he doesn't think you're wanting something more with him, or maybe he knows how you feel but he's not sure if you're ready for this yet after everything with Walker… I mean, you're the one who proposed the idea, you're the one who set those rules for you two, maybe he's only saying that because he thinks that's what you need right now." She countered, Gabby's eyebrows furrowing as Shay's words filled her head. "Actions speak louder than words. I know it's cliche or whatever, but it's true."
"I don't think so, Shay." She muttered after a few seconds, shaking her head.
"You won't know until you talk to him." The blonde reasoned, watching as her friend's demeanor visibly deflated.
"Yeah, well I have a good feeling of how that conversation will go…" She breathed out, Shay tilting her head to the side, waiting for Gabby to continue. "Guys like Matt… I'm not the type of girl they wanna be with."
Shay's face fell as the words left Dawson's mouth, the blonde leaning into the bar. "Honey…"
"It's fine, Shay. Really, it is. I mean, when I first got with Walker, I thought he was a good guy… we all saw how that turned out." She admitted quietly, the frown covering Shay's face growing. "And even before Bryan, I never really had the best luck with guys, and clearly I still don't."
"All those guys were assholes." Shay cut in.
"Yeah, but it's a pattern with me. No genuinely good guy actually wants to be with me, Matt won't be any different. I don't know, I guess it just feels like I don't deserve a guy like Casey, a guy like who I thought Bryan was." She spoke softly, Shay shaking her head angrily, hating how Gabby was talking about herself.
"But you do, Gabby." Shay spoke firmly, bracing her hands against the countertop, Dawson meeting her partner's gaze. "And I wish you could see that. You deserve someone good, you deserve an amazing guy. You're an incredible person, Gabriela Dawson, and I swear to God if you don't start having a higher opinion of yourself I'm gonna smack you." Shay threatened, Gabby's eyebrows raising, the blonde matching her stare. "You deserve the best, Gabs. I'm not saying Casey is perfect, no one is, but he's a great guy. A guy who's worthy of someone as amazing as you. And he's a guy who I think likes you as much as you like him." She spoke pointedly, Gabby sighing deeply. "A guy who, as far as I can tell, sees just how wonderful you are. And I'm not just talking about in bed." She added, Gabby huffing out a breath, shaking her head as a small smile graced her lips.
"You just can't help yourself, can you?" Gabby questioned, the blonde shrugging.
"It's who I am." She responded, Gabby nodding as she sensed the air around them turn serious once again, Shay glancing down the bar. Gabby followed her gaze, seeing her looking at Bryan, Dawson quickly returning her attention to her friend. "I know Walker did a number on you." Shay spoke, meeting Gabby's gaze once again. "And I have a feeling he's the reason why you think you don't deserve guys like Casey…"
Gabby remained quiet, her gaze flickering back to Walker, seeing him enjoying the presence of the woman by his side, Dawson biting down on the inside of her cheek roughly.
"But you do, Gabby. And I know it's terrifying to open yourself up to that again. You completely gave yourself to Walker, and he took advantage of that. But he never deserved you anyway. You can do so much better than him, I need you to believe that." Shay spoke honestly, Gabby nodding slowly as she clenched her hands together. "Whether it ends up being with Casey or not, you don't need to settle. You, my friend, are a catch. Whatever Walker did to make you think otherwise, he's wrong."
"Maybe…" Gabby responded softly, Shay shaking her head. She knew Walker had left Gabby with a lot of emotional wounds, some deeper than others, wounds that Dawson clearly hadn't dealt with yet. And Shay knew there was only so much she could say to help, that if this was something that had been ingrained in her, it would be a hard thing to break. "But even all that aside, I just- I wish this never happened." She shifted the topic, Shay's eyebrows furrowing.
"What do you mean?"
"This would've been so much easier if I never started liking him, everything could've stayed simple and fun, and I wouldn't be reading into every single thing he says or does. I wouldn't be driving myself crazy over things that he probably doesn't even realize he's doing... I wouldn't be falling for him." She replied frustratedly, Shay's eyes softening.
"You really do like him a lot…" She mused, Gabby biting down on her bottom lip, unable to stop the next words spilling from her mouth.
"I do, I really like him." She admitted softly. "Even the things about him that are annoying, or that infuriate me, I still like. Like for as clean and tidy as he is at work, he can be a complete mess sometimes. And he hates to be wrong, especially over little dumb stuff that would only matter to him. He cares way too much about the Blackhawks, I think he cares more than the team does… I've never seen someone yell at the TV as much as he does when they're playing. And don't even get me started on how he always has to get the last word in, because he knows it drives me insane." She rambled, Shay biting back the smirk on her face as Gabby got lost in her thoughts about Casey. "But even with all that, I wouldn't change it, because it's just Matt. It's part of who he is… I don't think I've ever met anyone as kind as him, or as funny as him, even though I'd never tell him that to his face because he'd never let me live it down. But, even more than that, he's just a genuinely good person. He has this way with people where he just can make anyone feel comfortable... he makes me feel comfortable." She continued, Shay watching her friend closely with a soft smile. "And he respects me, he's patient with me, which we all know isn't an easy task. He just- I don't know, he treats me like I'm his equal? I know that sounds so stupid, like yeah, of course, you should be equals in a relationship, or whatever, but with Walker… I wasn't used to that, especially towards the end." She breathed out, Shay's expression morphing into one of anger. "It's not something I've really experienced before, but with Matt it's just second nature. He's always checking up on me, making sure I'm okay, but not in an annoying way. He's not trying to be overbearing, or controlling, he just genuinely wants to know how I am and, I don't know- God, this has to sound ridiculous…"
"It doesn't." Shay assured her, Gabby meeting her eyes. "And it's not stupid, either. You're finally with someone, or whatever you want to call it, that treats you right. It's not stupid to want that."
Gabby nodded, glancing down to her clasped hands, swallowing the lump in her throat. "I really like him, Shay. I just wish it was easier." She admitted, the blonde nodding as she reached out, rubbing her hand over her friend's arm.
"I know. But if you want to be with him, you've gotta talk to him. Nothing will happen if you keep lying to yourself, and to him, about how you feel. You need to try and talk to him... You need to tell him."
Releasing a heavy groan, Gabby leaned over, resting her head against her forearm that was resting on top of the bar, her frustration evident. Shay shook her head, patting Dawson on the shoulder.
"I know you're right." Gabby's voice was muffled against the counter, but Shay heard her nonetheless. "But I still don't know if I'm ready for that."
"Gabby…"
"What's got Dawson so down tonight?"
Shay rolled her eyes as she turned towards the unwelcome voice, seeing Walker coming up beside Gabby's stool, Dawson lifting her head up just as he stopped beside her. Instinctively she leaned away from him, Shay not missing her friend's movement.
"What do you want, Walker?" Shay bit out, Bryan smirking softly as his gaze moved in between the two paramedics before ultimately landing on Gabby.
"Just came to see if I could get another drink, the service is pretty bad tonight Shay."
"Bite me." She shot back, Walker cocking his head to the side as he looked towards her.
"I didn't think I was your type?"
"Yeah, you're right. I don't go for egotistical, cheating jackasses." She responded with a fake smile, Walker rolling his eyes before he straightened his back, his movements causing his arm to brush against Gabby's.
"Can I just get another beer, please." He spoke roughly, Shay narrowing her eyes before nodding, Bryan turning his attention back to Gabby. "So, Dawson…" He started, Gabby swallowing the lump in her throat before looking up to him. "Where's the Lieutenant tonight?"
Her eyes widened in surprise before she regained herself, Shay's gaze narrowed on the man as he stood there with a smug grin.
"What?" Gabby questioned, Walker chuckling.
"I asked you where Casey was, you know since you two have become best friends all of the sudden. I figured you might know."
"I don't know what he's doing." Gabby replied after a second. Even though it wasn't the truth, the last thing she was going to do was admit to Bryan he was right, especially when she didn't know why he was asking her about Casey. "But you could call him and ask him if it really means that much to you." She responded sharply, turning herself back towards Shay, the blonde speaking up before Walker could continue.
"I'll get you your beer in a minute, you can go back to- oh wait, that's a new one." Shay commented as she looked towards the woman Walker had left by the bar, missing the eye roll Bryan gave her. "What happened to- what was her name, Jessica? Jennifer? I don't remember, but has that run its course already?" Shay questioned sarcastically, Bryan's glare zeroing in on the blonde.
"Like that's any of your business." He responded, Shay raising her eyebrows.
"You're right, it's not my business. But that doesn't seem to stop you whenever you try and figure out what's going on with Gabby, now does it? You seem to think everything she's doing still somehow concerns you." She replied harshly, Bryan releasing a heavy scoff. "So, did you and Jennifer, I think, break things off? Although, knowing your track record you two might still be together, there's no way to tell."
"Watch it, Shay."
"Ahh, I guess I've got my answer. She was too nice for you, anyway. Hopefully that's over, she's better off without you."
"You would think that."
"Yeah, I would." She responded quickly, their argument catching the attention of some of the other patrons in the bar.
"Oh please, we both know what this is about. This is about Dawson, and considering that if I never dumped her we'd still be together, you should probably keep your mouth shut." He fired back, Shay crossing her arms over her chest.
"You dumping her is the only nice thing you've ever done for her."
"Shay." Gabby spoke, trying to stop her friend before things escalated any further, the PIC feeling eyes from all over the bar focused in on them. But her voice fell on deaf ears.
"Yeah, like Dawson's better off without me." He replied with a scoff.
"You're right, she is." Shay responded without missing a beat.
Understanding this wasn't going to stop unless she intervened, Gabby pushed her stool back, standing up beside Walker, trying to get her friend's attention. "Shay, just leave it. Please. Walker, go back to your date, we don't need to do this."
"Oh shut up, Gabby." He snapped, before moving back to Shay. "She's not better off without me, I'm not sure what she's doing where she thinks she's got it so good now, but I guarantee whoring herself out isn't any better than the life she had with me." Gabby's head turned towards Walker as the words left his mouth, her eyes narrowing.
"Excuse me?" Gabby questioned angrily, her rage talking over as Bryan turned towards her, that same stupid grin she'd seen from him lately covering his face. Out of the corner of her eye, Shay saw Herrmann walking up to them, probably intending to diffuse the situation, the blonde only now realizing most of the bar was watching them.
"I said you spreading your legs for any guy who gives you the slightest bit of attention isn't exactly you being 'better off' than you were with me, but whatever makes you feel better." He replied harshly, Gabby's body flooding with anger. "God, Ramon and Camila must be proud."
Before she even registered her own actions, Gabby grabbed ahold of her glass, throwing her drink in his face, the liquid covering his skin and splashing down onto his shirt, the room falling into a stunned silence.
Gabby could feel the rage radiating off his body as Walker wiped the drink from his eyes, his glare burning into her head as he opened his eyes. Gabby stood firmly in her place, not willing to show him any regret or fear, Bryan's muscles tensing in anger.
"You bitch." He spat, before bringing his hands up and shoving Gabby roughly into the bar. She managed to reach out and grab ahold of the counter, able to stop herself before she fell completely, her side slamming into the unforgiving surface as she knocked into the stool behind her, sending it tumbling to the ground.
Herrmann had ahold of Walker in seconds, the older firefighter pulling him back away from Dawson while Shay hurried out from behind the bar as Gabby stood up straight, ignoring the stinging pain in her side.
"That's enough." Herrmann spoke roughly, blocking Walker from Gabby, Dawson seeing hatred burning in Bryan's eyes. "Get out of here, now."
"Herrmann-"
"Out!" He shouted, the room in complete silence. Walker scoffed, shrugging his shoulders as he headed for the door.
"Whatever, keep on protecting her." He muttered, slamming the front door open before stomping outside, leaving a stunned group of people inside.
"Are you alright?" Shay asked quietly, Gabby biting down roughly on the inside of her cheek before nodding.
"Okay, show's over people, go back to what you were doing." Herrmann called throughout the bar, cautious noise slowly filling the room again. The firefighter walked over, his worried eyes locked on Gabby before he bent down, picking up the stool that had been knocked over.
"You okay, kid?" He asked quietly, Gabby plastering on a fake smile as she met his gaze, giving him a quick nod.
"I'm fine, Herrmann." She replied, seeing the man glance towards Shay. "Thanks… for stepping in."
"No thanks necessary." He responded without hesitation, his eyes darting down, noticing Gabby still had a hand holding over her side. "Did he hurt you?"
"No, I'm alright. I'm good." She answered quickly, clenching her teeth together as she glanced around the room, seeing a few pairs of lingering, curious eyes on her. "But, uh, I'm gonna get out of here."
"Gabby-"
"I'm fine." She assured Shay quickly, grabbing ahold of her bag. "I'm just tired. But I'll see you guys later." She responded, giving them both one last quick smile before heading for the door, needing to get out of here.
When the chilly night air hit her face, she felt a little more at ease, Gabby feeling thankful to be out of that bar. But she didn't dwell on the feeling, Gabby hurrying to her car before she did anything else, knowing that there was the chance Walker hadn't left yet, and the last thing she wanted was a confrontation with him. With what he'd just done in a bar full of people, there was no telling what he'd do if he got her alone.
Once she was safely inside her car with the doors locked, Gabby let herself relax, Dawson just now realizing her hands were shaking in her lap. Forcing herself to take a few long, deep breaths, Gabby felt herself slowly calming down, her eyes focused on the quiet street in front of her.
She wasn't sure how long she'd been sitting there, her mind pulling her in a hundred different directions when she felt her phone buzzing in her pocket. Sighing deeply, Gabby pulled out the device, seeing Casey had just texted her.
'Hey, am I seeing you tonight?'
Gabby's eyes fell closed as she leaned forward, letting her head rest against the steering wheel.
Part of her wanted to go to Matt. A big part of her wanted to go see him, and let him distract her from what had just happened. But the last thing she felt like she could do right now is talk about this. The second he saw her, he would know something was wrong, and she didn't want to explain all this. Because if she started, she wasn't so sure she'd be able to stop.
Blowing out a sigh, Gabby sat back up, blinking tightly as she typed out her response.
'Hi. Sorry, I don't think so. I'm with Antonio, don't think I'll be able to get away.'
Casey read her message almost immediately, Gabby seeing he'd waited a few moments before responding.
'That's fine, I just wanted to check. I'll see you soon, have fun with your brother.'
Gabby opted to not send anything back, tossing her phone down into her passenger seat as she leaned forward once more, her hands gripping the steering wheel tightly, her mind consumed by the events of the last ten minutes.
This entire time, she'd held onto the belief that if she could just stay away from him alone, she'd be fine. That Walker wouldn't do anything to her if there were people around to see the man she'd known for the last three years. She held onto that, believing that the last thing Bryan would want would be for everyone to know exactly how angry he could get. But now, she wasn't so sure. He had no issue putting his hands on her in front of other people, in front of their coworkers. And that thought frightened her.
She had seen him like that more times than she'd like to remember, where there'd be flashes of anger that he couldn't control. But he'd never lost his cool to that extent around anyone else. But now, that had changed. He either slipped up, and didn't even realize what he was doing until it was too late to stop himself, or he didn't care anymore.
And it was the second one that scared her.
If he had no problem doing that with Shay and Herrmann around, there was no way to know how far he'd go when he got any time with her at all. All she did know was that she needed to be careful. She had to keep her guard up whenever he was around, and make sure to not put herself in any positions that might end badly for her. Because she couldn't handle being on the receiving end of his wrath another time. She just couldn't.
Matt closed his locker shut, securing the lock before stepping away and heading out of the room. With his hands in his pockets, he walked out into the hallway, making his way towards the kitchen, intent on getting some form of breakfast before shift got too hectic.
When he turned the corner, he saw Shay and Dawson walking towards him, a soft smile immediately falling onto his face. He wasn't sure what they were talking about, but it seemed important, and their conversation immediately halted when they noticed him.
"Hey Casey." Shay greeted first, all of them slowing their steps.
"Hey Shay, Dawson." He responded, his gaze staying on Gabby, watching as she gave him a soft smile that didn't really reach her eyes before she looked towards the ground, confusion flooding his body.
He hadn't seen Gabby since last shift. To most coworkers, that wouldn't be unusual, but for them, as of late, it was strange. For whatever reason, they usually spent most of their time together, but the same couldn't be said for the last two days. They hadn't even spoken since the night before last, and, at the time, Matt hadn't thought much of it, but seeing her now gave him some doubts.
"How are you guys?" He questioned, unable to keep his eyes off Gabby as she lifted her head.
"We're good." She responded softly, glancing to Shay, giving her a slight nod down the hall. Understanding the request, Shay flashed Casey a smile before continuing towards the locker room.
"I'll see you guys later." She spoke, patting Matt's shoulder as she passed, Casey waiting until she was around the corner before turning back to Gabby, seeing her eyes already on him.
"Hi." She spoke quietly.
"Hey… Is everything okay?" He couldn't help but ask, Gabby completely unfazed by the question.
"Yeah, everything's fine. Sorry I wasn't around much the last few days, I was busy."
"No, it's fine, it's not that. You just seem a little upset." He spoke quickly, Gabby shaking her head.
"I'm good." She repeated, giving him another smile, one he couldn't help but think seemed forced. "I'm just a little tired." She added, Matt nodding slowly, still unsure if he believed her.
"What, don't tell me you've found someone else to occupy your time?" He questioned teasingly, hoping to lift her dampened spirits a little, Casey relaxing slightly when he saw her laugh, Gabby shaking her head.
"Oh, definitely. Sorry, pal." She played along, Matt grinning softly, watching as she matched his smile.
The bells ringing throughout the house interrupted their conversation, Casey and Dawson listening on as they heard 61 being called out. Releasing a sigh, Gabby glanced back to Matt, seeing him holding out his hand.
"Want me to take that for you?" He asked, nodding to the shift bag slung over her shoulder.
"Yeah, sure. Thanks." She replied, seeing Shay come around the corner.
"Ready Dawson?" The blonde asked, Gabby nodding as she handed her bag over.
"Yup… Thanks Casey." Gabby spoke, Matt flashing her a smile before she rushed out to the garage, her and Shay soon disappearing out of sight.
Climbing up into the rig, Gabby winced as she twisted awkwardly, Shay not missing the look of discomfort covering her friend's face.
"Everything okay?" Shay questioned as she pulled out of the garage, Gabby giving her a nod.
"I'm alright, just a little sore."
"From Walker." Shay clarified, Gabby giving her a reluctant nod after a few long seconds. "That fucking asshole, I'm gonna kill him."
"It's not worth it, Shay." Gabby breathed out, focusing her gaze out the window.
"He hurt you."
"Yeah, I know. But he was drunk, or at the very least he was being stupid. Whatever it was, it doesn't matter. No need to dwell on it." Gabby responded softly, refusing to even look towards her friend.
Since the incident with Walker the night before last, Gabby hadn't done much else other than think over everything that happened, and she came to the decision that she wanted to just ignore it. As long as Walker left her alone, she'd be fine pretending it never happened. Despite her nervousness at the thought of being around him, she couldn't let it consume her. She refused to. She'd lived that way for too long, she wouldn't do it now.
But the only way she knew how to do that was to ignore it.
"Dawson, he shoved you into bar, that's not just a little thing. That's assault." Shay challenged, Gabby drawing in a deep breath.
"Can we please not talk about this." Gabby spoke quietly, her eyes still peeled out the window.
"But Gabby-"
"Shay." She pleaded, her voice much firmer as she looked towards her friend. "Please, can we not talk about this right now."
The desperation in Dawson's voice caused Shay to quickly glance towards the PIC, catching a quick glimpse of the distressed look in her eyes. It wasn't a look the blonde saw often from her best friend; she looked small, and defeated. And it was unnerving.
"Okay." Shay responded softly, focusing her attention back on the road. She didn't want to upset her anymore than she was already, especially not when they were almost to the call. She didn't want Dawson distracted, they both knew that could end badly. But she was worried.
This thing with Walker, Shay could see Gabby wasn't handling it well. Between Gabby doing what she could to avoid the topic when they walked into the firehouse this morning, and her behavior now, it was clear Dawson didn't want to think about it.
"Thank you." Gabby replied quietly, clenching her hands together in her lap as Shay pulled up to the scene.
Knowing she didn't have time to get anything else out of Dawson right now, Shay put the rig in park, glancing to her partner. "Are you okay to do this?"
Her question was met by a clearly forced smile, Gabby nodding before opening the door. "I'm fine, Shay. The thing with Walker's just not a big deal, that's all. But I'm good." She spoke as surely as she could, Shay giving her a reluctant nod before climbing down from the rig, the two paramedics focusing on the task at hand.
Casey sat at the desk in his office, tapping his pen against the stack of papers in front of him as he did his best to plow through some of this paperwork. It was seemingly never ending, and he didn't exactly enjoy doing it, but he knew it was just a part of the job.
Soft tapping on his open door pulled his attention away from the paperwork, Casey glancing back to see Shay standing in his doorway, a soft smile falling onto his face.
"Hey Shay."
"Hey there Lieutenant." She greeted, taking a step inside. "I'm not interrupting anything, am I?"
"Nope, just working on a little bit of paperwork. What's up?" He questioned, seeing the blonde paramedic glance out into the bunkroom before she took another step into his office, closing the door behind her. "Is everything okay?" He pressed, Shay nodding as she moved towards his bed, sitting down on the end of it, facing him as Matt turned his chair around.
"Everything's fine, I just wanted to check in… see how you and Dawson are doing."
Casey's eyebrows furrowed in confusion, the firefighter leaning forward, resting his elbows on his knees. "We're fine." He replied slowly, watching her closely.
"Good, that's good." She murmured. "So… this arrangement you two have, that hasn't been weird at all?"
"Shay, what is this about?" Matt straightened his back as he sat up in his seat, resting his hands on the arms of his chair, Shay catching his expectant gaze.
"I'm just curious." She responded with a shrug, Matt tilting his head to the side. "I mean, I know you two aren't together, or whatever, but I just want to make sure you two are still good."
"We're fine, as far as I know." He replied pointedly. "I haven't really seen her the last few days, so I mean, I think everything's good… Why? Did Gabby say something?" He questioned, Shay raising her eyebrows. "We haven't even spoken really, but last I saw her, we were fine."
"Calm down, lover boy." Shay cut in, shaking her head in amusement as he narrowed his eyes. "Gabby hasn't said anything to me, I'm just curious."
She saw him physically relax, the Lieutenant shrugging as he leaned back in his chair. "Oh, well yeah, her and I are good."
"And this is still just a casual thing?" She questioned, Matt meeting her eyes. Shay knew she had to be careful about how she spoke to him, knowing Gabby would absolutely kill her if she was the reason Matt found out about her feelings, but the blonde was curious to know where Matt was at with all this. She just wasn't sure how far she could question him before revealing too much.
"Yeah, it is." He replied slowly, his eyes narrowing curiously. "Why?"
"Just wondering." She responded casually, shrugging her shoulders. "I guess I just don't get how you all can do that... Be sleeping together and not have feelings for one another."
"Well, uh," Casey cleared his throat, trying to figure out how to respond to her. "We care about each other, we're friends-"
"Oh yeah, don't think I didn't hear about that, Casey." Shay cut in, Matt raising his eyebrows, waiting for her to elaborate. "You said Dawson was your best friend? After everything I've done for you." She replied jokingly, Matt releasing a soft chuckle.
"Sorry Shay." He replied with a laugh, shaking his head before moving back to her previous question. "But yeah, I don't know, I mean it's not that hard, I guess. We just like spending time together, and we're both happy not having to deal with the relationship part of things." He continued, Shay's face faltering slightly. "I guess I don't really have a better answer to your question, but her and I are both good, and we like where we're at right now."
Shay gave him a slow nod, Matt catching the strange shift in her demeanor. She had been so sure that Casey had the same feelings for Dawson that Gabby felt for him, but now there was a little bit of doubt in her mind. Maybe all this was for him was sex with one of his friends, and Shay didn't know what to do with that. After everything she told Dawson the other night at Molly's before the incident with Walker, she'd been sure Casey had feelings for her. But now, she wasn't as confident.
"What is it, Shay?" Matt questioned after a few seconds, Shay's gaze snapping back into focus.
"Hmm?"
"You look all confused, what is it?"
"Oh, nothing. Well, it's something I guess… I wanted to ask you-" Shay cut herself, debating whether or not to just come out and ask him. For Dawson's sake, she felt like she needed to know. But she knew Gabby would never forgive her if Casey figured out exactly why she was asking. Blowing out a breath, she shook her head, asking him the only other thing she could think of. "You said you hadn't talked to Dawson since last shift?"
Matt's eyebrows furrowed before he gave her a nod. "I mean, we texted some, but no we didn't really talk about anything. Why?"
"So you didn't hear what happened at Molly's the other night…" She spoke, Casey's confusion only growing, his body tensing slightly.
"No, what happened?" He questioned, Shay blowing out a heavy breath.
"Long story short, Gabby and I were talking at the bar, and Walker came over," Matt listened closely as Shay gave the details of what happened the other night at Molly's, his body flooding with anger as he heard what had been said to and about Gabby. "... he pretty much called her a whore, and said some other things and then she threw her drink at him." Matt's eyebrows raised in surprise, but they quickly fell. Knowing how feisty Gabby could be, he shouldn't have been that shocked. But he also knew Walker had always been a weak spot for her, he was just glad she stood up for herself.
But the grimace that soon covered Shay's face told him he wouldn't like what happened next. "But, uh, after she did that, he got really angry. He called her a bitch, and then shoved her into the bar."
Casey's hands clenched in rage, his entire body going rigid. "He what?"
"He kind of slammed her into the bar, she was able to catch herself, but her side hit the counter pretty hard. She said she was okay, but she left like right after it happened, and then I didn't hear from her at all, not until we got here this morning." Matt blew out a heavy breath, shaking his head. "She didn't really want to talk about it, at least not with me, but she seems a little shaken over the whole thing, I wasn't sure if she came to you."
"No, she didn't." He responded softly. "Is she hurt?"
"I think her side's hurting her, yeah. I've seen her wincing sometimes when she moves a certain way." Shay answered, Matt nodding before pushing himself up from his chair.
"Thanks for telling me, Shay." He spoke, the paramedic nodding as he stormed from the room, heading for the hallway as Shay followed after him.
Matt marched towards the common room, doing what he could to keep himself under control. He needed to keep a level head, he knew he did, but what Walker didn't wasn't acceptable, and he was going to make sure the firefighter knew that.
Stopping at the entrance to the room, Casey glanced around, soon finding the man he was looking for. "Walker!" All heads snapped up when they heard the angry voice of their Lieutenant, no one saying a word as Bryan met his gaze. "A word, outside. Now." He spoke roughly before turning on his heels, heading out into the garage.
Chuckling softly, Bryan pushed his chair back, walking around the table as he headed for the garage. "Ten bucks this is about Dawson." He joked, missing the scowl from Herrmann.
"Yeah, and if it is, you deserve whatever's coming." Herrmann shot back, Walker rolling his eyes as he moved into the hallway, his path being stopped as Shay stepped in front of him.
"What do you want?" He spat, the paramedic's eyes narrowing as she noticed Severide stand up from his seat in the common room, clearly unsure of what Walker would do.
"If you touch Dawson again, I swear to God I'll kill you." She spoke firmly, the room in a dead silence as her words filled the air.
"Oh, please. Like you-"
"If you lay another hand on her, I will kill you." She repeated harshly, her arms crossed over her chest, her intense gaze never faltering. Rolling his eyes, Walker scoffed before wordlessly bumping past Shay, disappearing into the garage.
"What's going on?" Capp asked cluelessly, but he never got a response.
Outside in the garage, Walker headed towards 81, shoving his hands into his pockets as he saw Casey standing by the rig, his arms crossed over his chest.
"You wanted to see me." He said, Casey's harsh glare finding him.
"I thought I made it very clear to you that you were to leave our paramedics alone." He spoke roughly, his voice dangerously quiet.
"Casey-"
"Lieutenant." Matt corrected, Walker clicking his tongue against the roof of his mouth.
"Lieutenant, what happened between Dawson and I happened off shift, I don't see how it really concerns you. And I'm not sure what sob story you heard from her, but-"
"I don't care where it happened." Casey cut him off, his voice rising with each word. "You hurting one of our paramedics, it doesn't matter where that happens, that's not acceptable. You shoved her into a counter, and you don't seem to see any issue with that."
"Well, in my defense, she threw a drink in my face, she kind of had it coming."
Matt's body flooded with anger once more, the Lieutenant clenching his neck, willing himself to stay calm. "There is no defense here, nothing justifies you hurting one of our medics. It doesn't matter what she did, you don't put your hands on her. I know you're smart enough to know that."
"Lieutenant-"
"I want you to stay away from both Dawson and Shay." Casey interjected, Walker's eyes widening.
"I'm sorry?"
"You heard me. You need to leave them alone."
"You can't be serious, you don't get to control who I talk to-"
"On shift I do." He responded instantly, Walker's eyes narrowing. "And on shift, unless it's work-related, you leave them alone. Both of them. I know I can't control what you do off shift, but trust me when I say I can make you pay for it at work."
"This has got to be a joke…" He huffed out, Matt's face hardening.
"Does it look like I'm joking?" He asked, his rhetorical question not needing an answer. "I warned you to leave them alone before, and you ignored it. So now there's consequences for that. You going around assaulting one of our own isn't acceptable."
"Oh please, I didn't assault anyone. She's fine." Bryan replied exasperatedly, Casey shaking his head in disbelief.
"Walker, I'm done talking to you about this. You stay away from both of them. That's an order." Matt spoke roughly, beginning to walk away.
"Why do you care so much?" Walker bit back, Matt's eyes narrowing as he stopped beside the man. "Honestly, why do you give a shit what Dawson and I do outside of work?"
"Because what you're doing outside of work is hurting your coworkers." Casey snapped, Bryan stifling an eye roll. "And, considering Dawson wants nothing to do with you, what you and Dawson 'do outside of work' is you harassing her. So, I'll tell you again. Leave Dawson, and Shay, alone."
Without another word, Matt continued walking away, but was stopped yet again when he heard Walker mutter something under his breath.
"Yeah, did Dawson tell you that before or after she sucked you off."
"Excuse me?" Casey nearly shouted, turning back around to see Walker now facing him. "What did you just say?"
It was clear by the look on Walker's face that he hadn't intended for his Lieutenant to hear him, but he knew there was no backing down now, Bryan's eyes narrowing as he crossed his arms over his chest. "You heard me. That's the only way you'd care this much, is if she was spreading her legs for you."
"Walker-"
"I can guarantee anything you're doing to her, I've already done."
"Walker!" Casey shouted, silencing the firefighter across from him. "I don't know what you think you're going to gain from this, but if you had any sense at all you'd stop talking. Dawson and I are friends. And I don't need to be sleeping with her to know that you're a complete asshole." He bit out, Walker's harsh stare intensifying.
"Lieutenant-"
"I thought I told you to stop talking." Casey barked, silencing his firefighter. "Now, I'm done talking to you about this. You're on bathroom duty, go scrub it down, top to bottom. I want it spotless." Walker opened his mouth to protest, but Casey shook his head. "Once you're done, you can do it again. Now go."
Without another word, Bryan stomped off towards the firehouse, Matt's hand coming up to rub over his mouth, barely even able to process what had just happened.
He thought Walker was done being a problem, he thought they'd moved past that. But he was wrong. If anything, things would only get worse.
And the last thing Matt wanted was for Gabby to get caught in the middle of all of it.
Gabby released a slow breath as she moved towards the exit of the firehouse, her eyes peeled for anyone from second shift. It was nearly thirty minutes after shift change, the paramedic having been hiding out in the bathroom most of the morning. She didn't want to risk seeing Walker, or honestly Casey for the matter, and she found it best to hide until she was sure everyone was gone.
This entire shift had been exhausting, partially from the calls but mostly from Gabby trying to avoid certain people. Walker was the main one, Gabby doing what she could to keep from seeing him at all over the past twenty four hours. But she also found herself avoiding Casey. It wasn't because of him necessarily, she just knew she wasn't in the right place to talk to him yet. After a quick comment from Shay during one of their calls, Dawson knew Matt had been made aware of what happened at Molly's, and she knew he wanted to talk to her about it. She just wasn't sure she could. She knew it wasn't something she could deal with on shift, so she tried to keep her distance, something she knew Casey soon caught on to. She hoped he didn't take it personally, she just didn't feel ready to talk to him.
But there was a small part of her that wanted to. She wanted to talk to him, to confide in him and tell him what happened. Tell him everything that happened. Not just at Molly's, not just the few times Walker had spoken to her over the last few weeks; she wanted to tell him everything. Everything Bryan did to her, everything she went through. Gabby felt like she needed to tell someone before she let it control her completely, and he was the person she wanted to tell. She felt like she could trust him, that she could lean on him and tell him what happened without judgement. But she was scared. She was scared to face it all again. She'd done everything in her power to push all those thoughts and feelings down for months, and if she touched all that again, she wasn't sure how she'd react.
The only thing she did know was that if she was going to tell anyone, it would probably be him. She just wasn't sure it was something she could face yet.
Sighing softly, Gabby walked down the driveway, flipping her keys in between her fingers as she moved towards her car, just wanting to get out of here. But her steps slowed when she got closer and saw someone leaning against her car, the man watching her with a smirk.
"I was wondering how much longer you'd be hiding out in there." Bryan spoke roughly, Gabby swallowing the lump in her throat while she kept walking, gripping her keys tightly, ignoring his comment as she continued towards her vehicle. "Oh, don't go all quiet on me now." He continued, stepping in front of her to block her path.
"What do you want?"
"I had a nice conversation with Casey yesterday." He ignored her question, Gabby's jaw clenching as she caught his gaze. "Any guesses as to what we talked about?"
"I don't care."
"He told me to stay away from you." He bit out, Gabby's eyebrows raising.
"Well, maybe you should listen to him." She responded roughly, stepping around him, moving towards her door. She quickly opened it, only for Walker to slam it shut, keeping his hand on it to prevent her from trying again. "Bryan-"
"He told me to stay away from both you and Shay, cause apparently I assaulted you." He continued, taking a step closer to her, Gabby's body tensing when she felt his chest touching her arm. "And, you know, I don't really remember it that way, but I guess that's what he got from whatever story you told him."
"I haven't even spoken to him. Whatever he heard, it wasn't from me."
"I'm sure." He replied, ducking his head down to speak softly into her ear. "You see, I know Casey thinks he can do whatever he wants, and he can order people to do whatever he wants them to do, and maybe on shift he can. But he's not here, we're not on shift anymore and he can't protect you right now. He's gone, and I don't give a damn what he wants me to do."
"Walker-" She started, but he cut her off, lifting his head back up as he spoke.
"Are you fucking him?" He asked bluntly, Gabby's spine straightening as she glanced towards him.
"What?"
"Answer the question." He spat, Gabby shaking her head.
"We're just friends, that's it." She replied as firmly as she could, Walker's eyes tracing over her face before nodding.
"Yeah, that better be all it is." He growled before taking a step back, dropping his hand from her car. Gabby quickly opened her door, throwing her things inside before sitting down. She reached for the door, but Walker held it open, leaning down to be eye level with her. "Because if I find out there's more going on between you two, you and I are going to have some real problems." He spoke roughly, Gabby shoving her keys into the ignition as he leaned back, Walker slamming the door closed. The force of it made Gabby flinch, Dawson hearing him smack the side of her car before she drove off quickly.
Her entire body was on edge as she drove, Gabby's mind running rampant while she moved through the streets of Chicago. Her hands were gripping the steering wheel impossibly tight, her mind hazy as she tried to focus on the road ahead of her, Gabby not even realizing where she was until she pulled up behind a light blue truck, her gaze moving towards his front door.
She wasn't sure how she ended up here, or what made her decide to come to him, but she did and she wasn't going to leave now. Even though she wasn't ready to talk, she couldn't shake the need in her gut to see him, Gabby not even bothering to grab her things as she ripped the keys from the ignition, climbing out of her car, barely remembering to lock it before she hurried to his front door.
Gabby knocked four times before shoving her trembling hands into her pockets, hearing movement on the other side of the door after a few moments.
He opened it quickly, an immediate look of concern mixed with surprise covering his features, Gabby blinking tightly.
"Hey Gabby." He replied carefully, clearly able to sense her distressed state.
"Hi… Uh, are you busy? I probably should've called, but I, uh-"
"No, it's fine, come in." He responded, stepping aside. "I've got a construction job but that's not for a few hours." He answered her first question, Gabby nodding slowly as he shut the door behind her.
Matt was shocked, to say the least, that Gabby had shown up here. After she spent practically their entire shift avoiding him, he didn't expect her to come here. In fact he didn't think he'd be hearing from her at all during their days off, especially not less than an hour after shift ended. But he could tell she was upset, he saw it the second he opened the door. And he knew why she was upset. He just wished he knew how to help her, he hoped she would let him help her.
"I, uh… I know you know about what happened at the bar." She murmured, meeting his understanding eyes, Matt nodding sadly. "But, I'd rather not talk about it, if that's okay. I just- I don't want to think about any of that right now."
"Whatever you need, Gabby." He agreed softly, the paramedic nodding as she wrapped her arms over her chest. "Do you wanna sit down? We can watch a movie if you want."
"Can we just go lay down?" She asked, her request taking him by surprise but he nodded nonetheless. "I'm exhausted... I haven't slept well the last few nights."
"Yeah, of course." He responded without hesitation, Gabby nodding before walking the familiar path to his bedroom, Matt following close behind. He watched as she quietly went towards his dresser, pulling out one of his t-shirts before she walked back towards the bed. From the doorway he watched as she began shedding her shift clothes, leaving them in a pile on the floor, Matt's eyebrows furrowing when he caught a glimpse of the discolored skin over her side.
Wordlessly, he walked towards her, stopping her movements of putting his shirt over her body as he lifted her arm, his eyes focused on the large bruise. "Walker did this." He spoke quietly, his expression unreadable when Gabby glanced towards him. Giving him a nod in response, Matt sighed deeply, his fingers lightly dancing over the bruised skin. Before he could do much else, Gabby shrugged out of his hold, putting his shirt on to hide the bruising. "Sorry." He murmured, knowing he'd made her uncomfortable.
"It's okay." She replied, pulling back his covers before climbing into bed, Matt beginning to shed his shift clothes as well. He'd only been home for a few minutes before Gabby showed up on his doorstep, he hadn't had the chance to change, and after being in those clothes for over twenty four hours he didn't want to stay in them any longer.
Matt moved to his dresser, pulling out a pair of pajama pants and sliding them on before walking back towards the bed, climbing in behind her. Her body was facing away from him, and he didn't like it. She didn't want to talk, and he wouldn't pressure her, but he would do whatever else he could to try and comfort her.
"Hey." He spoke softly, resting his hand on her arm. "Come here." He prompted, Gabby hesitating for a moment before she adjusted her body, turning towards him. The second they locked eyes, his face fell, seeing the tears welling in her brown eyes, Matt frowning as he lifted his arm, encouraging her to come to him.
Gabby wordlessly fell against his chest, sniffling softly as he wrapped an arm around her, holding her body close to his.
"It's okay." He murmured, Gabby wrapping her arm around his waist as he felt her body tremble against his. "I'm right here." He whispered, feeling her silent tears hit his bare chest.
They laid in a peaceful silence, Matt rubbing his hand gently up and down her arm as she held onto him. Casey waited for her to breakdown, he waited for her emotions to boil over into something she couldn't control, but that never came. She only laid there, occasional tears escaping her eyes as she rested against his chest, Matt never loosening his grip on her.
He wasn't sure if he was helping, if he was doing anything to comfort her after what he knew had been a hard few days for her. But when he soon felt her breathing even out, Matt glancing down to see her fast asleep in his arms, he knew she'd calmed down enough to be able to relax. Drawing in a deep breath, Matt laid their quietly, pressing a soft kiss to the top of her head as he listened to her breathing.
He wanted to do more, he wanted to help her more than this. But, whatever this was, whether it was just what happened at the bar or there was more going on, he knew he had to let her come to him. From getting to know her over the last few months, he'd seen first hand that if anyone pushed her before she was ready, she'd shut them out. And he didn't want that. So for now, he'd take things at her pace, knowing all he could do right now was hold her and let her sleep.
Well, how are we feeling? Walker is definitely escalating when it comes to Gabby, and Gabby is definitely not handling it well. What do you guys think, do you think she'll confide in Matt, or just continue to deal with this on her own? There's certainly a lot she needs to deal with, and she doesn't seem to be handling any of it right now. And there's a whole other part to this chapter, with Shay trying to get Gabby to talk to Matt. Shay's definitely starting to meddle a bit with them, we'll see how that goes.
As always, thank you guys so much for reading, I hope you enjoyed this one! I've loved getting to write Dawsey like this, it's been so much fun for me, I'm happy you all are liking it. See you guys next time!