Hello there everyone! I've got the next chapter for you all, and I hope you like it. I know I stressed some of you out with the last one and I apologize for that, but we're definitely gonna see at least some resolutions in this one. So I hope you enjoy, and I'll see you next time!

ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY TWO

A white noise filled Casey's head as the bright lights above him nearly blinded his sight, the man moving his head back and forth in a desperate attempt to try and clear some of the haze his mind was in. He could feel the reverberations of dozens of footsteps running the halls around him, some of them crouching down by his side while he laid there on the hard, cold floor. But he wasn't really able to focus on that. Not on them, or the words they were saying that sounded so far away, Matt having a hard time adjusting to anything happening in this hallway as the ringing in his ears and his blurry vision had his head spinning, his mind really only able to to recognize one thing.

And that was pain.

The pain from being shot.

He felt the bullet hit him before he'd fallen to the ground, Casey just doing all he could in that moment to keep Gabby from slamming into the floor as well, as he tried to make his body absorb all the impact. And from the weight he was slowly beginning to register on top of him, he hoped he'd accomplished that, his arms still holding onto his wife as tightly as he could while he gradually tried to force himself to focus.

With every second that passed, he felt himself becoming more and more aware of his surroundings. Of the shouting and people rushing around him, of the few blurry faces hovering above him and the few sets of hands he felt on him, like they were searching for his injuries, Matt's ragged breathing sounded louder and louder in his head while his arms instinctively tightened around Gabby.

"Casey, you're hit." One of the voices said in a panic.

It sounded like Boden, but he couldn't be sure, Matt's eyes tightening shut while his heart rate began to spike, before he coughed out the first words he could.

"Gabby." He nearly choked on the air in his lungs, forcing his eyes to open before he started to blink faster, the movement helping to clear his vision enough to where he could finally see Boden leaning over him.

"Casey…"

"Get.. Gabby." He coughed once more, running on pure adrenaline while he tried not to focus on the searing pain flooding his body.

The feeling was coming from his leg, his calf maybe- or that's at least what he thought. But it was hard to know anything for sure right now. All he did know was that he'd been shot, and so had Gabby; and she needed to get out of here, now.

"The shooter is down." Casey heard an unknown voice say from a few feet away, followed by more comments and direction from whoever was in charge. But those were all instructions he soon blocked out.

"Casey, you've been shot in the leg." Boden then spoke up once more, confirming the Lieutenant's suspicions as Matt swallowed hard in an attempt to clear some of the heaviness from his throat. "We need a medic in here!" His boss then shouted, most likely into his radio before he turned back to Casey.

"Chief-" Casey tried once more, as Boden looked frantically between his firefighter and the unconscious paramedic in his arms. "Get Gabby out of here." He managed to get out, his voice as firm as he could muster under the circumstances. "She needs help."

"Get a gurney!" Boden yelled once more, before reaching down towards Dawson to feel for any sign of a pulse. Which thankfully, he found almost instantly. "Squad, Truck, Shay… We're clear."

His boss continued to say a few words, Matt unsure of if he was talking into their radios or to people around him but the Lieutenant was doing his best to stay as alert as he could, despite the pounding pain he could feel down in his leg.

"They got the shooter?"

It was another voice, one Casey recognized seconds later to come from Severide.

"They did… But Shay, I need you out here. Casey's been shot."

"What?"

"What happened?"

"Is he okay?"

A rush of concern flooded out through their radios, Casey swallowing tightly once more as he put all the energy he had into focusing on Gabby.

"It's his leg, he got shot."

"I'm fine, just- help Gabby." He got out quickly as there was more chaos starting to happen around him.

His brain was in a fog so he couldn't make out much, but he thought he saw a few paramedics crouch down beside him, while Shay's voice finally filtered through the radio.

"I'm on my way, Chief."

She spoke, just as Matt began to register the movement on top of him where Gabby was, like she was sliding down off of him. But it wasn't Gabby who was doing it, Casey's eyes snapping into focus just as he saw two paramedics he didn't know lifting her off of him, his grip on her slipping while they pulled her away.

"Wait, wait-" He protested, his mind pulling him in many different directions as he couldn't separate his desperation for her to get help, and his need to be with her. "Wait.."

"They're helping her, Matt." Boden soon stepped in, pulling his arms down as they got Gabby off of him before placing her down on the spine board. "They're gonna help her, it's okay." He added on, the Chief then looking over to where his PIC laid motionless on the ground, the two medics beginning their workup while they tried to help her as best they could.

"Gabby…" Casey cried out, his eyes locked on his wife as they were now a few feet apart, Matt slowly reaching his hand out towards her.

"Get her to Lakeshore. Now." Boden ordered, one of the paramedics glancing up at him before he nodded, Matt then watching on helplessly as they got his wife up onto the gurney and rushed her out of the building as quickly as they possibly could. "They got her, Casey… They're gonna help her." He promised while he watched Matt's head collapse back down onto the ground, his Lieutenant so consumed with worry and fear for Dawson that Boden was sure he wasn't even thinking of himself right now. "They've got her, but now we need to take care of you."

"I'm fine." He said, shaking his head a bit before slowly starting to push himself up, Boden's eyes widening in a panic before he reached out to try and stop him.

"Casey, you were shot-"

"I'm fine, it's just my leg." He tried again as he managed to get upright, his body thankfully responding to him more than it had been earlier. Though Boden did have to help him a bit once he realized his Lieutenant wasn't going to listen. "I'm okay, I just want to get out of here… I need to be with Gabby." He finished, just before a familiar voice hit their ears.

"Casey!"

Boden looked up to see Shay rushing towards them, Severide and the rest of squad not far behind as they'd all clearly come to help Matt.

"Is he okay?" Severide asked again before they got to Boden and Casey.

"Where's Dawson?"

"They took her.. To the hospital." Casey managed to respond, while his leg continued to throb in pain. "And I'm fine, I just-"

"You're not fine, you got shot." Severide spoke as he crouched down beside him, Shay doing the same as she went down to his injury. "There's a bullet hole in your leg, man." He added on, Matt shaking his head in response while his body involuntarily leaned back against Kelly. Like he couldn't keep his weight up on his own, but Severide was there to support him.

"Dammit, Casey…" Shay murmured seconds later, a deep wince covering her features as she began to rip open his pant leg, before seeing the steady rush of blood coming from his wound.

"Shay-"

"You should've stayed inside." She spoke quickly, Casey grimacing as she applied pressure on his leg in an attempt to slow down the bleeding.

"I.. couldn't." He responded through deep breaths, Matt doing his best to fight off the haze he felt slowly returning to his mind. "Gabby, she- I had to help her… I had to get her out." He reminded her, Shay's face falling while she continued to work, Casey forcing in another breath before looking back to his friend. "Kelly, I had to.."

"I know, man." He assured him with a weak smile, while still holding up the bulk of his weight. "I know, you were trying to help Dawson. I know." He repeated, Matt nodding slowly before he looked back down at his leg, where Shay had successfully slowed down the bleeding. Enough to get his leg wrapped up.

"How's he looking, Shay?" Boden questioned as there was now a crowd of firefighters forming around Casey.

"I don't see an exit wound, so the bullet must've lodged in his leg… Probably from having to go through his gear. Which might be helping him right now, in terms of the bleeding. But once it's removed, he should be okay." She responded after a moment, Boden giving her a nod before the blonde looked up at him. "...How was Dawson?" Shay asked quietly, seeing her boss purse his lips together before he spoke up.

"I don't know." He answered honestly, while Shay's face remained blank. "She was unconscious when I got here, but she had a pulse… I had them get her to the hospital as soon as I could."

The paramedic nodded once more, Shay then forcing herself to push down all her worries for her friend- at least for this moment, before returning her attention back to Casey. Who, from what she could tell, was in some serious pain but was trying to hide it.

"We need to get him looked at, Chief." She told him, Boden looking between her and the bandage now covering Casey's leg before he nodded sternly.

"Alright, yeah.. Let's get him out of here-"

"Lakeshore." Casey cut in, his teeth clenched as he felt another wave of pain rush through him. "Take me to Lakeshore… I want to be with Gabby."

"We will, Casey." Shay assured her, while the Chief nodded in agreement. "We'll take you to Lakeshore." She finished, Matt allowing himself to take another steadying breath before he nodded, while Boden glanced over towards his uninjured firefighters.

"Severide…" He spoke, his one word enough for the squad Lieutenant to understand what was being asked of him as he began to adjust his positioning beside Casey.

"I've got him, Chief." He promised, hooking Casey's arm up over his shoulders while getting up to his knees. "Tony, get his other side." Severide instructed, before his firefighter moved to help.

And within a few seconds they had managed to get Casey up off the ground, Matt grimacing and gasping in pain the entire way. But he was up, and desperate to get out of here.

"Shay, can you get him there?" Boden asked, while Severide and Tony began to help a limping Casey out of the building, Kelly doing his best to shield Matt from view of the dead man still lying just feet away from them.

"I've got him, Chief." She spoke with a strong nod before following after Severide and Casey, Shay trying to ignore the tremor she felt in her hands while they made their way out of the nightmare that had just occurred inside this building.

"Man, could today get any crazier."

Hallie looked up from her chart as she stood at the nurses station, her eyebrows furrowing in slight amusement while she watched her fellow colleague, Dr. Lewis, collapse down into one of the chairs, clearly needing a bit of a break.

"You realize today's just gonna get even worse now, right?" One of the nurses- Evie, spoke up, the other doctor huffing out a breath before she waved her off.

"Eh, I don't know how much I believe in all that stuff."

"Well, I'd hope not." Evie joked, before glancing up towards Hallie. "...You need help with anything, Dr. Thomas?" She asked, Hallie offering her a soft smile before shaking her head.

"I think I'm fine for now, Evie. I was just checking over a patient of mine." She explained, the younger nurse mimicking her look before smiling back at her.

"Alright, well let me know if that changes… And I've been meaning to ask, how's your husband doing?" She questioned lightly, as Hallie's smile widened. "It's been, what- a month or so since the accident?"

"It has, yeah… And he's doing well. Him and Henry both are." She responded. "His rehab is taking a little longer than he'd like, but you know how firemen are… He never wants to be told no." She added on lightly, while her friends and colleagues chuckled in response. "But he's doing really well, and should be back to one hundred percent here soon."

"That's great to hear."

"Yeah, it is." The other doctor echoed, while Hallie gave them both a gracious nod. But she didn't get the chance to say anything back before another nurse soon darted past them, running straight for the ambulance bay.

"What's going on?" Evie asked, loud enough to get the woman's attention.

"We have incoming… Someone opened fire at the recreational center." She informed them, Hallie's spine straightening a bit as she shifted back into doctor mode, the woman placing her chart down before heading over towards the doors.

"What?" Dr. Lewis asked, clearly in shock. "What happened?"

"I don't know, I just heard the call from some paramedics on the way… I'm not sure how many survivors there are, or how many victims we've got. All I do know is they're on the way right now with a gunshot victim." She continued to explain, while the doctors and nurses headed outside, the sounds of sirens in the distance getting louder and louder with each passing second.

"Do we know anything about this victim?" Hallie asked while sliding her gloves on.

"They're a paramedic." She explained, Hallie grimacing as she took in the news. It was hard enough to deal with things like this on a daily basis, but when it happened to other first responders it always hit a little closer to home. "I think they were shot in the upper chest- the shoulder, maybe. I'm not entirely sure. I just know she's in rough shape… But it's them, and a firefighter got shot also."

"Oh my God…"

"Yeah, I'm not sure about his condition. They didn't have him in their ambo." She finished just as the ambulance came flying around the corner before screeching to a stop just outside the doors.

"What do we have?" Hallie asked just as the paramedic jumped down from her seat up front. "Is this the paramedic?"

"Yeah, it's her." The medic answered before pulling the back doors open, Hallie and her colleagues soon being met by the sight of the unconscious paramedic lying on the gurney.

Her face was covered with an oxygen mask, her shirt cut open with many different wires attached to her chest, while her shoulder was being tended to by the second paramedic, the man clearly doing all he could to help her.

"Was it just one bullet wound?" Dr. Thomas asked as they began to unload her gurney, the doctor desperate to get a closer look at this woman's injuries once they got her on solid ground.

"As far as we know… She's been unconscious this entire time, but responsive. Which I'd say is a miracle for how much blood she lost, but she needs help." The medic explained once they'd secured the bed, Hallie pushing down the unsettling feeling in her gut before she started to look over the first responder, Dr. Thomas needing a better understanding of what she was dealing with.

But the second she saw the woman's face, her entire body froze, Hallie's eyes widening in shock as she recognized exactly who it was lying on this table. Who was lying here, covered in her own blood, with a bullet hole in her shoulder.

And it was a realization that nearly made her sick.

"Oh my God." Hallie murmured, her face full of shock as her coworker looked at her.

"We didn't have time for a full workup, it was crazy over there." The paramedic continued on, like she hadn't heard Dr. Thomas. "But her name's Gabriela Dawson.. She's the PIC over at Firehouse 51."

The other doctor across from her stopped when she heard the name, everyone pausing for a moment as they looked down at Gabby's unmoving body here on this gurney.

"Wait- you said Gabby Dawson?" Dr. Lewis questioned, the uninjured paramedic wearing a bit of confusion across her features as she nodded, before the woman turned towards Hallie; who had yet to look away from Gabby's blood-covered face. "Dawson, isn't she Matt's…"

"Wife." Hallie answered for her, feeling all of the eyes around them on her as she swallowed thickly. "She's Matt's wife."

It got quiet, making it easier to hear the sound of more sirens in the distance as Hallie kept her worried eyes locked on Dawson.

"Dr. Thomas." Evie spoke up after a moment, her eyebrows furrowed together as the other doctor kept her eyes on her colleague. "...Hallie." She said when she had yet to respond, the sound of her voice then breaking Hallie from her thoughts as she finally looked up at her.

"What?" She responded with a somewhat distant look on her face, the nurse pursing her lips together as while she knew they didn't have much time to waste, she had to do what was best for their patient.

"Are you okay to do this?" Dr. Lewis pushed before the nurse could say anything, Hallie blinking quickly a few times before she began to force the shock from her system. "Because if we need to get someone else-"

"I can do it." Hallie interjected, her voice strong as she looked between them. "I'm fine, I've got this… Let's take her to trauma four, now." She instructed, Dr. Lewis giving her one last hesitant glance before she nodded and began to pull the gurney inside towards the trauma bay, Hallie with them every step of the way.

There were a million thoughts running through her mind, so many questions and worries she had about the woman lying on this bed. But none of that mattered right now. It couldn't matter. She had to put all of that aside, and think like a doctor above anything else.

That's what Dawson needed from her, and she owed Casey that much.

Which meant she would do everything in her power to help Gabby.

"Casey- man, slow down." Severide chastised as they rushed into the emergency room at Lakeshore, the firefighter shaking his head roughly while he continued to limp his way through the doors. His steps were surprisingly fast for a man who couldn't put practically any weight on his injured leg, but it was like Matt wasn't even focused on the pain he was feeling as the second they pulled up to the hospital, he was fighting his way out of the back of the rig, Casey not even slowing down to let anyone help him while he hobbled his way inside.

"You need to sit down." Kelly tried once more, but Matt wanted none of it.

"Casey, he's right." Shay added on.

"I'm fine." Casey replied gruffly as they got into the emergency room, the man's eyes bouncing around the busy room while he searched for any familiar face he could find.

"No you're not fine." Severide shot back, as he reached out to grab ahold of Matt the second he slowed down, knowing that it couldn't be good for him to be putting this much weight on his injury. "You've been out of it since we got you from that hallway, and there's a bullet in your leg, Casey. You need to sit down."

"I'll sit down once I see Gabby… Can someone help me?" He called out through the ER, the sound of his voice gaining the attention of a few of the nurses while more of his weight leaned into Severide's side, the movement not going unnoticed by Kelly. But he continued to hold him up regardless. "Please, I need help."

"What's wrong, sir?" One nurse asked, as she'd hurried over as soon as he spoke.

"He's been shot." Severide replied before Matt could get a word in, the woman's eyes widening before she glanced over to Casey. "In his leg, he was shot at the recreational center." He added on, seeing a sad yet knowing look of realization cover her face while she nodded.

"Okay, we need to get you in a bed-"

"No, no I don't care about me." He rushed out quickly, waving his free hand around in the air before looking around once more. "I need to know how Gabby is, is she alright?"

"Sir…"

"Where is she? Is she okay?" Matt continued on frantically, using every ounce of strength he had left to push through the pain he was feeling. "Just please tell me if she's okay."

The woman glanced towards Severide and Shay, who put her hands up in defense. "He won't go anywhere until he knows how she is." The paramedic responded, seeing the nurse let out a soft sigh before she took a few steps over towards the counter and grabbed a tablet.

"What's her name?"

"Gabriela Dawson." Matt was quick to answer, another grimace appearing over his face as he could feel blood slowly trickling down his leg. "She's my wife, she was brought in from the shooting, too."

The woman gave him a sympathetic look while going through her charts, before finally finding the one she was looking for. "Alright, yes the paramedic that just came in. I'm afraid I don't have any news for you yet… She just was admitted. But we have a few of our doctors with her now." She told him, but that wasn't good enough for Casey as a worried sigh left his lips. "Dr. Thomas and Dr. Lewis are examining her in one of our trauma rooms, and I can guarantee you she is getting the best care possible- Sir, wait."

She was cut off by Matt's abrupt movement past her, the firefighter limping his way towards the trauma rooms as he was desperate to find his wife.

"Sir!" The nurse tried again, but he wouldn't listen as Casey kept up his fast, yet painful, pace, his body on fire while he continued to put weight on his hurt leg.

"Casey, Goddammit." Severide breathed out before chasing after him, Shay right on their trail as the first responders moved further into the emergency room. "You have to stop."

But Matt ignored him, his eyes peeled as he looked around all the rooms he could find.

"Casey, he's right." Shay pushed once more, while grabbing onto his arm.

"You're gonna fuck up your leg even more, and if that happens Dawson will kill me." Severide continued on, Casey shaking his head a bit before he finally stopped his movements. Though by the look on his face, Shay and Kelly could both tell he didn't want to.

"I need to find her." Matt said again, the hints of fear and panic evident in his words while he shook his head. "I need to know if she's okay."

"I know you do, which is why you're at least gonna let me help you." Severide replied firmly, forcing Casey to stay in one spot long enough to put his arm back around his shoulder for support, before they continued on with their steps through the emergency room in their search for Gabby.

Though they didn't have to look for very long as movement from the end of the hall soon caught his attention, Matt turning to see a very familiar figure exiting the trauma room, before a hospital bed followed out behind her.

"Hallie!" The woman spun around just as Casey started rushing towards her, his steps being aided by Severide while they got closer. "Oh God- Is that Gabby?" He choked out as he saw them continue to push the bed down the hallway, Hallie giving her colleague a nod to keep going before she looked back to Casey.

"Matt, it's okay." She said, taking the last few steps towards him as they stopped a few feet shy of the door. But his focus wasn't on her, he was looking past her, Casey no doubt trying to see his wife before the nurses disappeared with her around the corner.

"What's going on? Where are you taking her?"

He was frantic, the tears in his eyes hard to witness as Hallie gave as firm of a nod as she could, her emotions currently pulling her in a few different directions. She wanted to assure him, and give him whatever updates she could on Gabby's condition. But she also couldn't help but notice that something was wrong with him too, and it worried her.

"Is she alright?" He tried again, his desperation evident as he tried to take another step forward. Like he was wanting to follow after Gabby, but Kelly stopped him.

"She's okay, but we're taking her to surgery." Hallie spoke, those words nearly knocking him over as Severide tightened his hold on him, Casey's mouth parting in concern before he started forcefully shaking his head. "The bullet nicked an artery in her arm, she's still losing a lot of blood. And because of her injury, all the blood we've transfused ends up just bleeding back out. So we're taking her to the OR to fix it."

Her words were clinical and precise, Hallie knowing that's what was needed right now as Matt had to hear what was going on, in a way that kept emotion out of it.

"The tourniquet that was applied helped," She continued on while glancing towards Shay with a pointed look, like she knew that was the work of the blonde paramedic. "And probably saved her life, but right now we're focused on getting in there and fixing her shoulder."

"But once you fix that, she'll be fine?" Shay was the first to ask, her shaken demeanor easily noticed as Hallie took a deep breath in response.

"We're hopeful." She started carefully, hearing Casey's breath catch in his throat before she continued on. "As of now, we can't find any other issues aside from the injury to her shoulder. Our goal is to take care of that and get the bleeding under control, then we'll go from there." She told them, Shay nodding slowly back at her. Though the doctor could tell her words weren't very comforting.

"Okay." She replied after an unsettled pause.

"So she'll be okay." Casey cut in, his nerves rising with every second as he was doing all he could to stay composed. But given the situation, it felt impossible. "You'll fix her shoulder, and she'll be okay." He repeated, the three first responders watching as Hallie's eyes fell closed for a moment while searching for the right words to say. "Hallie, please."

"Matt, I… I can't promise anything." She admitted, Hallie sure she had just seen Casey's heart crumble into a thousand tiny pieces the second she spoke. But she couldn't give him any more than that. "You know that, I can't make any promises here. But we're gonna do everything we can to help her."

Casey forced a deep breath into his lungs, the man nodded slightly as he started to take a few limping steps backwards, Severide reaching out for him in an instant before being able to steady him.

"Casey, Casey- Hey." He said quickly, Severide and Shay both attempting to hold him up while Hallie watched on worriedly. "We really need you to sit down, man."

"Is he okay?" Hallie questioned, her eyebrows furrowing deeply as she looked down at his appearance for really the first time since he came back here. She'd seen him limping and leaning on Kelly for support, and that something was wrong with him when he came in, but with her mind on helping Dawson she hadn't been able to put it together.

But once she noticed the cut in his pants, and the uncomfortable amount of now dried blood covering the fabric and parts of his leg, realization began to wash over her as a picture of what happened today came together in her mind.

The firefighter that had been shot.

When Dawson was brought in, one of her nurses said something about a firefighter getting hit, but in all the chaos of Gabby's arrival she'd forgotten about it. That was until now, as she was beginning to see how Matt was the firefighter she'd been talking about. And that thought made her stomach turn.

"Matt, were you…"

"He was shot." Severide answered, Hallie grimacing deeply before she looked past the three of them.

"Can we get a wheelchair over here!" She called out, the orderly closest to her nodding before he ran off to find one.

"He got shot in the leg," Kelly continued on, regaining Hallie's attention as he held up his friend. "...The guy shot him when he was trying to get Gabby out."

An unreadable expression flashed over her face, Hallie swallowing the lump that had settled in her throat before she nodded, just as the orderly came up with the wheelchair.

"Thank you.. Sit Matt, you need to sit." Severide repeated to his friend before he and Shay both helped him down, Casey not putting up nearly any fight as he could feel his body starting to give out on him.

"Does he have any other injuries?" Hallie asked, her voice back to its clinical tone as Severide kept his hand on Matt's shoulder.

"Not that we know of, just his leg." Severide replied, as Hallie nodded. "We couldn't find an exit wound, though. So I'm pretty sure the bullet is still in his leg."

The doctor winced once more, her eyes moving down towards his injury before she spoke up. "Okay, we need to get him looked at. Now." She responded firmly, Severide nodding back at her in agreement before he stepped behind Casey to hold onto the chair. "I need to get back to Dawson, but he needs to be admitted."

"Just tell me where to go." Kelly replied.

"Take him back to the front desk, tell them I sent you and that he needs to be seen right away." She instructed, as Severide gave her an understanding look.

"I want to be with Gabby." Matt spoke up seconds after she finished, his pleading tone unmistakable as Shay's eyes fell closed, while Severide sucked in a deep breath.

"Matt…"

"I don't want her to be alone, just let me see her." He nearly begged, Hallie sure she had never seen him like this before. Him looking so… helpless, in all the years she'd known him she couldn't remember ever seeing him this way.

And if she had, she knew it would've had to have been because of Gabby.

"You can't be with her right now, Matt." Hallie said softly, shaking her head a bit as he opened his mouth to put up a fight. "You can't be in the OR, there's nothing you can do for her. All you can do now is take care of yourself, and let us do our jobs." She reminded him, though he didn't like her answer.

"But-"

"Casey, you need to stay here." She said again, his voice strong as she looked him right in the eye. "You can't do anything else for her… You helped get her here. You got her out of that building, that's all you can do. Now you need to let me do my job, okay?" She reasoned with him, Matt's head falling forward a bit while he thought over her words, before he slowly nodded.

"Okay." He gave in, Hallie giving him an assuring look before she took a slight step backwards, while Severide started to turn him back towards the entrance. "But Hallie," He started, his voice causing them all to stop as the doctor glanced to him, instantly seeing the desperate look in his eyes.

"Please, just… help her." He pleaded, a slight frown tugging on her lips as he was near tears. "Help her, I can't lose her. I can't." He repeated over and over, Hallie blinking quickly as Severide squeezed Matt's shoulder as supportively as he could. "Please, Hallie."

"I've got her, Matt." She said before she could stop herself, seeing a look of what she could only describe as relief filter through some of the pain and concern he was feeling, before Matt gave her a slow, somewhat hesitant nod. "...I've got her."

Casey's hands twitched in his lap as he sat in the uncomfortable hospital chair, his eyes facing forward towards the double doors while he waited for anyone to come through and give them an update, as the last hour of sitting here had been nothing short of miserable.

It was noticeably quiet around him, while the entirety of firehouse 51 sat spread out in the waiting room off the surgical wing, all his coworkers having arrived as soon as they could after finishing up at that horrific scene. And ever since then, they'd all been here, waiting around for any news on Gabby.

Just like Casey had been after they finally let him leave his hospital room.

Which, even though he'd been admitted for far too long if you were to ask him, he was just glad to be out of there once they'd done all they could to help him.

After getting looked at, they'd quickly decided to remove the bullet from his leg and get him sutured up, the doctor making sure to tell him multiple times how lucky he was that this wasn't worse. As not only did the bullet stuck in his leg keep him from losing too much blood, but he'd also managed to avoid any extensive damage around the wound. And with some rest, and staying off his leg for a bit, he'd heal up fine, the man giving him some pain killers and a pair of crutches- insisting he use them over the next week or so while he healed, before sending him on his way.

And ever since then he'd just been waiting around, Matt too scared to move in case he missed an update on his wife.

"Should I go check again?" Severide asked softly from beside Casey, though his words weren't directed towards him as he was turned to Shay.

"I don't know." She replied softly, before bringing her hand up to wipe underneath her eyes, her leg shaking quickly up and down as an endless amount of nervous energy coursed through the paramedic. "It's been awhile, so maybe… But if they had any updates, they'd probably tell us." She added, Kelly sucking in a deep breath before he nodded, his eyes then moving back to Casey who was still sitting paralyzingly still in his chair.

"You doing okay?" He asked his friend, but he got no response as Casey's eyes stayed trained on the doors leading to the OR. "...Matt?"

It took a few seconds but the Lieutenant finally heard him, Casey shaking his head a bit before he glanced over towards Severide.

"Yeah?" He questioned, his voice rough from lack of use as Kelly gave him a sympathetic smile.

"I was seeing if you were alright." He repeated, Matt blinking a few times before he slowly nodded.

"I'm fine… Just wanna know how Gabby is." He responded, Severide nodding weakly in understanding.

"I know you do, man. I was gonna go and check again, see if they know anything." He explained, Casey's ears perking up a bit.

"Alright, yeah.. I'll go with you."

"You sure?"

"Mhmm." He hummed after clearing his throat. "I should get up for a bit anyway." He added while grabbing his crutches, Severide simply nodding as he watched his friend carefully get up from his seat, before following his lead.

Their friends stayed quiet while they strode across the room, Matt's crutches against the tile the only sound to really be heard before one of the doors across from them opened, the pair stopping suddenly when they saw Hallie come into view.

She was a bit surprised to see them so close to her, but Casey wasn't paying attention to that as he crutched the rest of the way to her before speaking up.

"How's Gabby?" He questioned instantly, his voice layered in concern as Severide came up beside him, the rest of the house slowly standing as well. "Is she okay?"

"She is." The doctor answered, Casey letting out a heavy sigh of relief before his head fell towards the ground, every ounce of worry and fear he'd been holding onto all day rolling off of him as he felt tears gathering in his eyes, Severide patting him on the back while Hallie nodded. "She's doing well, we've got her in a room and we're monitoring her."

"Thank God." Casey breathed out, a few tears starting to slide down his cheeks as he gripped tighter onto his crutches. "Thank God she's okay."

"She's okay, man." Severide repeated his words, before Shay came over to give him a one-armed hug, everyone in the room beyond grateful to know their PIC was alright.

"She is." Hallie said again, Casey finally looking back at her to give her a clear view of all the emotions he was feeling. "Her surgery went well, and I can go over more of that here shortly, but I figured you'd want to see her?" She asked Matt, the man immediately nodding before he took a step forward.

"I do, please." He said, Hallie giving him a small smile in return.

"Okay, I can take you to her." She said, before looking around the rest of the room. "I can only allow family back there right now, I'm sorry… But are her parents here, or anything?"

"I called them, they're on their way." Boden explained, Hallie giving him one last nod before returning her attention to Casey.

"Alright. Well, for now, I'll let you see her, Matt." She said, Casey smiling thankfully as he started to walk towards the doors, Severide patting his back before he and Hallie made their way down the hallway.

There was a heavy quiet between them, the pair walking at a somewhat slow pace given Casey's injury while they crossed the floor to Dawson's room. Matt was emotional, Hallie could tell, and the last thing she wanted was to overwhelm him and push too much, so she stayed silent for the time being. It wasn't until they had gone past the elevators that either of them finally said anything, Matt being the one to speak up first.

"You, uh… You said you had more to tell me about the surgery?"

Her eyebrows raised as she glanced towards him, seeing that little bit of light starting to return to his eyes now that he knew his wife was okay, before Hallie gave him a nod.

"I do, yeah. I basically just wanted to give you the rundown of everything, and how her surgery went. If you're up for it." She prefaced, Casey nodding in response before she continued on. "Alright, well.. As I said, her surgery went well. Very well. Her vitals were stable the entire time, she did well with the blood transfusions. And while the damage to her shoulder was rather extensive we were able to repair it." She told him, Hallie pausing to make sure he'd taken in what all had been said before speaking once more. "My colleague, Dr. Lewis, was able to repair the artery that was hit, as well as some surrounding damage from the bullet. The bullet was through and through, so there was some tearing that needed to be fixed. But overall, we think she should have a good recovery… She'll be pretty immobile for a while, and her shoulder will need time to heal. She will likely need some sort of rehab, depending on how long it takes for her to start using her shoulder again. But all of that is more things to worry about once she's awake. For now, it's best to just focus on her being okay."

Casey took a few slow breaths as he took in all her words, the amount of information coming at him a little hard to process given what all had happened today. But he made sure to listen to all of it, Matt then giving her a nod before he replied.

"...So she hasn't woken up?" He asked, Hallie's face falling a bit before she shook her head.

"She hasn't, not yet." She told him, watching him suck in another breath to steady himself before they calm to a stop outside Gabby's hospital room. "But that's not uncommon after sedation, and what her body's gone through. Seeing how she was unconscious when she arrived, with all the blood loss… This is to be expected. But she'll wake up in her own time." She assured him, Matt catching her gaze for a moment before he ultimately nodded.

"Okay." He replied, his eyes then moving towards the closed door in front of them, Hallie watching him for one last moment before she continued.

"I think that's all I have to go over with you right now, but if you have any questions all the nurses on this floor are up to date on her condition, or we can get Dr. Lewis in here to go over more of it with you. Whatever you want… But for now, Gabby's inside, so you can head in and sit with her." She instructed, Casey pausing for a moment before he took a step forward while Hallie pushed the door open for him.

But before he got inside, her voice stopped him one last time.

"Oh, and before I forget," She started, Matt glancing towards her as she reached down into her pocket. "I wanted to make sure you had this."

His eyebrows furrowed as he watched her pull a familiar wedding ring out of her pocket, one Casey would recognize instantly to be Gabby's before he looked back up at her.

"We had to remove it for surgery, but I didn't want it getting lost." She explained, Matt's face softening as she held out the wedding band to him. "I thought you might want to hold onto it for her."

He took the ring into his palm, the metal feeling cold against his skin as he started to nod a few times.

"Thank you, Hallie." He spoke quietly, as the doctor merely shrugged.

"It's no problem."

"No, I meant.. Thank you. For everything." He clarified, Casey glancing up at her once more as a gradual look of understanding crossed her features. "For helping her, I know you didn't have to be the one to do that, but thank you… For helping save her." He finished, Hallie giving him a small smile before she responded.

"You really don't need to thank me for that, Matt. It's my job to help, and she didn't deserve what happened to her." She told him, as Casey drew in a deep breath. "And besides, you were there to help me on the worst day of my life, it's only fair to return the favor." She added, earning nothing more than a weak smile from him. "But really, there's nothing to thank me for… I'm just glad she's okay."

There was a sincerity in her tone that Casey wasn't expecting, but he appreciated it nonetheless as he gave her one last nod before stepping into the hospital room, Hallie then closing the door behind him to give them some privacy.

The room felt cold, and a little lifeless, the loud beeping from the monitors all that could really be heard as Casey slowly made his way around the curtain, before finally coming face to face with his wife again.

Fresh tears instantly sprung to his eyes at the sight of her, Matt not bothering to hold back the soft, somewhat quiet, sob that escaped his throat as slowly made himself look her over.

There was an oxygen mask on her face along with many wires coming out from under her hospital gown, her arm covered by a sling while she slept in the middle of the hospital bed, her entire body looking peaceful despite the situation they were in as he gradually continued towards the bed. Her color was already better, Matt able to notice that easily while he took her in, before he sat down in the chair beside her bed and reached for her hand.

A few more tears escaped his eyes when he felt the warmth radiating off her skin, knowing that was something he hadn't felt from her for a while as he got as close to the bed as he physically could, while refusing to let go of her hand.

"Hey, baby. I heard you did so good in surgery." He told her, while quickly wiping away a few of his tears. "And I know you need to rest after everything that happened, but I'm here." He murmured, before pressing a soft kiss to her skin, his vocal promises as much for him as they were her, as for the first time since that awful call he felt like he could finally let himself relax.

"As long as you need, I'm right here… And I'm not going anywhere."