A/N: I loved Peter Mills and constantly wish that they'd bring him back, at least for a visit, so I couldn't resist the chance to add him to this story. It was also kind of fun to think of everything that had happened since he left and imagine what his reaction would be to it.
Kelly and Gabby walked hand in hand through the cemetery until they reached a small grave. The headstone read Brooklynn Elizabeth Severide, November 2, 2021, Our arms will forever ache to hold you. The headstone was new, placed only a couple of weeks before.
This was the first time they'd visited Brooklynn's grave. They hadn't been able to bring themselves to come here before. But today, they had come. Today would have been Brooklyn's due date.
Gabby knelt in front of the grave, laying the bouquet of white roses that she'd been carrying on the grave before standing back up and leaning back against Kelly. He wrapped his arms around her and they stood there in silence for several minutes, both lost in their own thoughts and grief.
"I like to imagine that she had your blue eyes and my brown hair. And of course, your smile," Gabby spoke finally, breaking the silence. She wiped away a tear that had slipped from her eyes and was beginning a path down her cheek.
Kelly kissed the top of her head, holding her tightly in his arms. "She would have had your skin tone," he added to Gabby's mental picture of their daughter. "And of course, she would have been full of spunk and fight, just like her mom. We would have had our hands full with her, but she would have had us wrapped around her little fingers, along with the rest of the firehouse."
Gabby smiled at the thought, even as tears continued to trace their way down her cheeks. "I hope she knows how much she was loved. And wanted."
"She does," Kelly whispered, his voice rough with emotion. "I know she does. I'm sure she could feel your love for her. And of course, I'm sure her Aunt Shay and Uncle Otis are up there taking care of her and telling her all about us."
"We've lost so many people, Kelly," Gabby murmured. "Andy, Shay, Otis, Benny, Brooklynn. Sometimes I wonder how much loss one person can take."
"It doesn't seem fair, does it?" Kelly agreed. "But I tell myself that I've been lucky to have so many people in my life that have meant so much to me." He paused for a moment, gathering himself, before continuing. "Something my mom told me when Benny died was that it was the start of my life without my dad, and how I live it is what would define me. I've tried to remember that ever since.
"When the doctor told me that we'd lost Brooklyn, I wanted to scream and shout and punch something. I wanted to yell about how it wasn't fair for you to lose two babies, how it wasn't fair that the very thing that brought us together had been ripped away. But then I remembered my mom's words. I didn't want my grief, my anger to define me. I wanted to be the man that Brooklyn would have been proud to have called her dad."
Gabby turned around in Kelly's arms, wrapping her own arms around him, holding him as he cried and their tears mixed together. They remained that way for a while before slowly making their way back to the car.
When they got back to Kelly's apartment, they found a bouquet of flowers waiting outside the door for them. Gabby pulled the card off of it and read it aloud: "Even those that never fully blossom bring beauty into the world. We're thinking of you both today. Please know how much we all loved Brooklynn. Love, Your Firehouse 51 Family." She looked up at Kelly with tears in her eyes. "They remembered," she whispered.
The rest of that difficult day was spent together, reminiscing on the short time they'd had Brooklynn in their lives as well as talking about what might have been, had things turned out differently.
Three days later they were back on shift. No one mentioned a word about that day to them, no one wanting to be the one to bring any more pain to the lieutenant and paramedic. Gabby was thankful, as she wasn't sure she would have been able to hold it together had someone mentioned it.
Ambulance 61. Person in distress. 1838 North Halsted.
When Gabby and Brett arrived on scene, they were met by an elderly neighbor of the victim. "Please help her!" the woman exclaimed. "It's Nancy! I heard yelling from inside her apartment, so I went over to check to see if everyone was okay. She has a restraining order against her ex, so I was worried about it. She didn't answer the door, so I went back to my place to get the spare key, and when I let myself in, I found her lying on the floor! There's so much blood!"
Gabby and Brett rushed into the apartment the neighbor directed them to and found a woman who looked to be in her 30's lying on the floor in the kitchen. Gabby grimaced when she caught sight of the amount of blood.
"Her pulse is barely there, Dawson," Brett murmured, not wanting to panic the neighbor any more than she already was.
The woman's face was beginning to bruise, and she had finger marks around her neck. The blood was coming from a stab wound to her stomach; judging from the knife lying on the floor nearby and the back door, which stood wide open, it appeared Nancy had been stabbed and the perpetrator, likely her ex, judging from what her neighbor had said, had taken off.
The two paramedics worked quickly to treat the woman and get her ready for transport. Gabby jumped in the back with the victim, and Brett closed the doors behind them before rushing around and jumping into the driver's seat.
"Come on, Nancy," Gabby murmured, keeping pressure on the woman's wound while keeping a close eye on the monitor. "Stay with me."
They had only been on the road for a couple of minutes when the monitor flatlined. Gabby placed two fingers on the woman's neck, feeling for a pulse. "Shit," she muttered, as she began administering compressions. "Brett, I lost her pulse!" Gabby called. "I'm beginning compressions now, but hurry."
"Get out of the way, you idiot!" Gabby heard Brett yell from the front, and the ambulance jerked as Brett applied the brakes, presumably to avoid hitting someone who had pulled out in front of them. Gabby fought to maintain her balance while she continued compressions.
"Gabby, someone's following us," Brett called from the front. "They came out of the alley behind the apartments. He keeps trying to get beside us."
Gabby glanced out the windows at the back of the ambulance to see a black SUV following top close behind, a man behind the wheel. "See if you can lose him," Gabby instructed. "It could be the ex. Call it into Main."
"Emergency, this is Ambulance 61 requesting a 10-1." Brett had just completed the call for help when the SUV hit them from behind, sending Gabby flying.
"You okay?" Brett called from the front, her voice betraying her fear.
Gabby quickly got up. "I'm fine," she replied. She'd definitely be feeling that later, but she thankfully wasn't injured. "I still don't have a pulse!" she called. She had just resumed compressions when she heard Brett scream, "He's going to hit us!"
Gabby barely had time to brace herself before she felt something slam into the side of the ambulance, knocking it to the side. "Brett!" Gabby called as she felt the ambulance start to tip.
Brett jerked the wheel and had almost managed to right the ambulance when the SUV hit them again. "No!" she screamed as she felt the ambulance tip over the side of the bridge they had just started across.
Gabby felt panic rising in her chest as the ambulance hit the water. "Brett!" she called again, feeling the water start to rise.
"Gabby!" The younger woman sounded as terrified as Gabby felt. "Gabby, my seatbelt is stuck!" she cried.
Gabby tried to stay calm and assess their situation. They'd obviously ended up in the river; the ambulance had landed on the passenger side, which would buy Brett a little bit of time, but Gabby knew they didn't have long before the entire ambulance would be filled with water. She knew it was pointless to waste energy trying to open the back doors of the ambulance, as the pressure from the water would keep them from opening until they were entirely submerged. "Keep trying, Brett!" she called, reaching for her radio. She keyed the mic, "Mayday, mayday!" she called, but she immediately knew it was pointless. Her radio was already soaked. Their only hope now was that someone had seen them go over, and that help would get here in time.
Cruz heard the emergency call come in over the radio and immediately headed to the bunk room, hoping his lieutenant was in his quarters. Thankfully, he was. "Severide, Ambo just called in a request for a 10-1," he informed his lieutenant. "Brett sounded scared."
Kelly looked up from the report he'd been working on. "Get the guys; tell them we're going on a ride," he ordered, getting to his feet.
Cruz nodded, rushing out of the bunk room as Kelly quickly jotted down the address of 61's last call before running for the squad. "Ambulance 61, what's your location?" Kelly called into his mic. Silence. He tried again, "Ambulance 61, this is Squad 3. What's your location?" Still no response. "Damn it!" he muttered, hitting the dash.
"We'll find them, Lieutenant," Cruz assured him from the back. "I'm sure they're just busy with the patient."
They'd only been out for a couple of minutes when a call came in. Truck 81, Squad 3. Vehicle in the water. West Division and North Halstead.
Tony glanced over at Kelly as he hit the siren. That wasn't far from Ambulance 61's last call. He hoped he was wrong, but he had a feeling they'd find their missing paramedics there. Tony just hoped they wouldn't be too late.
They were nearly to their destination when Boden's voice came over the radio. "Squad 3, come in."
"Chief, it's Severide," Kelly replied.
"Severide. The vehicle in the water in Ambulance 61."
"Damn it!" Kelly yelled. "Tony, get us there. Now."
"Roger that, Chief. We're almost there," Kelly replied, trying to keep his voice steady. He knew if he showed even the slightest hint of panic, Boden would try to pull him off of the call.
"There!" Capp shouted from the back, spotting the side of the ambulance sticking out of the water still.
Tony had barely stopped before Kelly was out of the squad, already opening the compartment containing their scuba gear. "Lieutenant, we've got this. We'll get them," Cruz promised him, hoping to convince Kelly to stay back and let the rest of the team do the dive, but Kelly shook his head.
"I'm going in," Kelly replied in a tone that left no room for argument.
"It's sinking!" Capp called from the other side of the squad where he and Tony were gearing up, as well.
They'd just finished putting on their diving gear when Truck 81 rolled up. "Boden and Engine are on their way," Mouch informed the Squad crew as he jumped out. "How can we help?"
"We need a ladder down there, now!" Kelly ordered. "Have backboards and c collars ready to go." He paused then added, "And make sure Main has a couple of ambulances on the way."
"Brett," Gabby called, struggling to talk through her chattering teeth. "How are you doing?"
"The water's getting really high in here," Brett replied nervously. "I'm almost through the seatbelt." She'd found some nail clippers in her pocket and was slowly working on cutting her way through the seatbelt. "My hands are shaking so bad I'm afraid I'm going to drop the nail clippers," she admitted.
"I know," Gabby replied. "Just keep going. Help will be here soon," she encouraged her friend, hoping she sounded more confident than she felt. If no one had reported their accident, it was possible that help would take too long to get to them.
Gabby had just finished talking when the ambulance shifted and more water came rushing in. The back of the ambulance was now lower than the cab area. "Shit," she whispered. She was now forced to tread water, as she could no longer touch any part of the ambulance with her feet and still keep her head above water. A few more minutes and the entire back of the ambulance would be filled with water. "Brett," Gabby called, her voice breaking. "The water's coming in fast. I have to tread water now."
"It's getting really high in here, too," Brett replied fearfully. "I'm scared, Gabby."
"I know; I am, too," Gabby admitted. "And cold. This water is freezing."
"I can't feel my feet anymore," Brett admitted. "They're too cold. And I'm getting tired."
"You need to hang in there, Sylvie You can't fall asleep!" Gabby urged her friend. "You have to stay awake!" Gabby knew hypothermia was setting in for both of them. It was February in Chicago, which meant the river water was freezing. "Talk to me, Sylvie. You need to stay awake."
"I think Matt's giving up on us," Brett admitted. "The long distance relationship hasn't been easy for either of us, but we both said we'd make it work. But now, it just feels like he's given up."
"That's not possible," Gabby replied. "He's head over heels in love with you."
"I know, but he's been so distant lately. It feels like he's been avoiding my calls," Brett informed her.
Gabby tried to push down the panic that was rising in her. The water was getting higher, and she only had another minute or two before the back of the ambulance was completely filled. "Brett, I'm running out of air," she finally decided to inform her friend. "I only have another minute or two before I'm completely submerged." She paused and then added, "Sylvie, if I don't make it, tell Kelly that I love him."
"No, Gabby," Brett cried. "Hold on! Help's coming; I know it is. You're going to tell him yourself."
"Sylvie…Matt's trying to move the boys back here. I wasn't supposed to tell you, but Christmas was a trial run to see how they'd do," Gabby said, shivering. "You two are going to make it; I know you are."
"Gabby!" Brett screamed. "Don't you give up, you hear me?" She waited a few moments, waiting for a response. "Gabby! Answer me, Gabby!" Water began pouring into the cab then as the ambulance sank the rest of the way below the water. It landed on the bottom with a thud, and Sylvie gulped in one last breath of air as the cab quickly filled with water. Just as it did, she saw a light floating towards her in the water and spotted the familiar red suits of squad's scuba gear.
Boden stood anxiously on the shore, watching as the crew of Squad 3 dove beneath the water. He prayed it wasn't too late; the ambulance had completely disappeared just as he'd arrived on scene and Squad was entering the water.
"They'll be okay, Chief," Herrmann assured him with more confidence than he felt. "Squad will get them."
"Someone's coming up!" Mouch shouted. "It's Cruz. He has someone!"
"Get a line ready!" ordered Boden, and Gallo and Ritter rushed to the ladder, a line at the ready.
Boden anxiously watched as Cruz neared the shore. He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that the younger man had Brett in his arms as he reached the ladder.
"She's not breathing!" Cruz yelled as he spit out his mouthpiece. "I think she took in some water."
Gallo and Ritter quickly dropped the line to Cruz and pulled Brett up once he'd given the okay. "Severide, Capp, and Tony are still down there," Cruz called up to the waiting firefighters as Mouch, Gallo, Ritter, and Pelham carried Brett to one of the waiting stretchers. "They're trying to get into the back; Gabby wasn't in the cab, so they think she's back there."
Boden stared at the water as Cruz dove back under, hoping and praying that they'd be able to get to Gabby before it was too late. After what seemed like forever, he finally saw two more of his men surface, the other two right behind them, one of them holding Gabby and the other holding someone that Boden could only assume was the victim that had been in the ambulance.
"Thank God," Herrmann murmured next to him.
Cruz scrambled up the ladder first before reaching back down and pulling Gabby up as Kelly and Capp lifted her from below, none of them bothering to take the extra time to wrap the line that had been lowered to them around Gabby.
"Medics!" shouted Boden, knowing that the sense of urgency his men were showing was definitely not a good sign. "The victim?" he asked Cruz, who shook his head.
"It looks like she was already dead," Cruz informed his chief.
Mouch and Pelham were there suddenly, helping as Boden and Herrmann took Gabby's body from Cruz and Tony, carrying her to the waiting stretcher.
Boden's shoulders sagged as he watched the waiting paramedics work on Gabby as the other ambulance took off, sirens wailing, for Med.
"Gabby!"
Boden turned around to see his Squad lieutenant running towards them and reached out to stop him. "Kelly. Let them work," Boden ordered as Kelly fought against him.
Cruz and Capp, who along with Tony, had been right behind their lieutenant, reached Boden and helped him restrain Kelly as the paramedics worked on Gabby.
"I've got a pulse!" one of them yelled. She glanced at the members of Firehouse 51 that had gathered around. "We're taking her to Med," she informed them.
"I'm going with you!" Kelly insisted, wrenching himself free and scrambling into the back of the ambulance.
The rest of 51 watched as the ambulance took off for Med, all of them hoping and praying that their two paramedics would make it.