Hi Readers: Hope you guys are liking this new version of the story, and I hope you also like the new additions to the story that I add along the way. Now, I know that this story is fast paced; but, I'm hoping to slow things down when it comes to the conversations so that I can add more detail and content there. And that's precisely what I plan on doing right now.

Chapter Seventeen
He Needs Time (and So do We)

Things were pretty awkward during the entirety of the time they spent downstairs eating breakfast, as they didn't even speak as they normally do, which was a request made my Matt as he clearly needed to think things through, think about just what he learned. How he just learned that a man he saw as a surrogate father died recently of a heart attack, and that he only learned of it now. While, at the same time, he felt awful for even feeling this way due to the fact that it wasn't even his own father; rather, it was his best friend's father. The best friend he needs to make sure Chief knows that he needs a lot of time off. In fact, that's why he's currently on the phone with him at the moment. "Yes, Kelly and Stella decided to join us here for Christmas." Boden agreed with Matt as he said that. "I had a feeling that he was headed to see you the moment his dad died." Matt sighed. "I just hate that I didn't know. I had to learn in passing. He didn't come out and say it. So, that was hard." Boden agreed with is former captain, well aware that was the case.

He truly couldn't imagine how he feels right now. "I hope you know that I hate that I didn't call, I just didn't know how to deal with it. I mean, is this really news that you share over the phone?" Matt sighed, as that's the truth. "I know, believe me when I say that it's hard to swallow. Just how hard it was. Then again, I could've checked the obituaries in Chicago." Boden agreed. "Nonetheless, you're right that I should've told you; as you asked me to do that with the firehouse, and Benny was the firehouse by extension." Matt agreed with Boden as he said that. "Listen, I think that I'm going to keep him here for a bit. Maybe you can give me the right to judge if he's ready to go back to work or not? I can send him back to Chicago then." Boden agreed with Matt when he said that, as that sounded like a good idea. "I like that idea, that way you guys can take it easy and relax with each other. I think this will do Kelly some good, and you can help Stella study." Matt agreed with his Chief, well aware that was the case. "I promise, I'll get her set up for the test."

Boden agreed. "Listen, if you don't think Kelly should come back; then can you tell me sooner rather than later? I just want to know how long I need a floater?" Matt sighed. "Well, me and Gabby have been missing our best friends; so, you may want to get Cruz taking the Lieutenant's exam too." Boden agreed with Matt as he said that. "You think he's got what it takes?" Matt agreed. "He's learned under both me and Severide, so I think that he'd be a great candidate for Lieutenant; after all, he has experience which can be used on all the vehicles. Either that, or you can do Tony." Boden agreed with Matt. "Still has an unbroken streak. Never missed a shift for almost 2 years now." Matt agreed with Boden as he said that, well aware that was the case. "Listen, I'm going to let you go. We're just going to take it easy and relax here." Boden agreed. "Say hi to Gabby for us." Matt agreed. "Say hi to the firehouse for us." Boden agreed as well. "Talk soon, and Merry Christmas." Matt smiled. "Merry Christmas to you too Boden." Bodeen agreed, before hanging up.

Doing the same, Matt took a breath as he looked out at the ocean from the window in his room; that was, until he heard Gabby at the door to their room. "So, you decided to call Boden?" Turning his head, Matt sighed as he had a feeling this would be something he and Gabby would disagree about. "Do you disagree?" Gabby shook her head as she walked into their room. "I think it's the right thing to do, and it just makes me love you so much more." Matt was confused as he heard Gabby say that, as he wasn't understanding. "I don't understand." Gabby sighed as she looked at her husband; getting close to him so that they can talk. "I know that you saw Benny as a surrogate dad." Sighing, Matt agreed with the woman he loves; while also walking over to their bed to set his phone down and sit down, which is precisely where he and Gabby both want to be right now. They both want to be in bed as they take it easy, where they can cuddle and just hold each other close; just after Gabby asks him a question. "How are you feeling?" Matt sighed.

Looking down, he hated thinking this way. "I just hate that I feel like I'm grieving too, when he's not even my own dad." Gabby shook her head as she got close to her husband, as the last thing she wanted was for him to feel guilty about grieving Benny; especially not when he saw him as a surrogate father. And that's precisely what she was more than ready to tell her husband as she moved to sit down in his lap. "Baby, you saw Benny as a surrogate father; in your eyes, he was just as much your dad as he was Kelly's dad." Placing her hands on Matt's face, Gabby stroked his cheeks with her thumbs as she leaned her forehead against his and just held the man of her dreams close to her. Meanwhile, Matt placed his hands on her back and just held the woman he loves close to him; the woman who just bent down and started to take things nice and slow with him, which is precisely what he wants. He wants to take things nice and slow with his wife, as she makes him feel better. "I hope you know this isn't what I wanted for Christmas." Gabby agreed.

After all, she knew that was the truth. "Baby, of course I know that. Of course, I know that this isn't what you wanted for our Christmas; but, it's what we have. And we're still going to make this a great Christmas, because we love each other. And that's all that matters at the end of the day, that we love each other and have each other." Matt agreed with Gabby as she told him that, before leaning in and kissing her softly; while she ran her fingers through his hair as she enjoyed the kiss which Matt was giving her. After which, she placed her hands on his chest and smiled as she felt Matt move his hand to the back of her head. "I love you." Gabby agreed with Matt, as she loves him too. "I love you too Matt, and we have time now. Kelly and Stella are downstairs and taking it easy." Matt agreed with his wife as she said that, well aware that was the case. "What do you have in mind?" Gabby smirked. "How about we start by getting undressed?" Matt agreed with his wife, smirking as he grabbed her shirt and went to undo it.

And he did it very slowly, as he wanted to tease Gabby, which he most certainly did, while she did as well based on the bra she was wearing. "So sexy." Gabby agreed with Matt as she felt him move his hands to her back, while also leaning in and kissing her neck; after which, Matt started to suck on it as he threw Gabby's shirt onto the ground and picked her up. Turning around after picking her up in his arms, Matt smirked as he proceeded to lay Gabby down in their bed, while also hovering over her and placing his hand on her stomach. "God, I love this bra." Gabby agreed with Matt, smirking as she felt him run his hand down her body. After which, he grabbed her shorts and undid the string; while also bending down and kissing her stomach, which Gabby loved the feeling of. "God, so sexy." Matt agreed with Gabby as she said that, smirking as he threw her shorts down onto the ground with her shirt; after which, he stood up and went to take off his shirt for Gabby. And boy did Gabby love that sight, as she sat up and stared at the man of her dreams.

After which, she grabbed his shorts and tugged him close to her; while Matt placed his hand on her neck and stared down at her. "Now, that was sexy too Mr. Casey." Smirking, Matt bent down and proceeded to kiss his wife nice and slowly; the woman of his dreams, the woman he loves more than anything in the entire world. "I love you." Gabby agreed with Matt, as she loves him too. "I love you too…" Letting his shorts fall onto the ground, Gabby smirked. "…but I would love you more if your clothes were over there, and you were in bed with me." Laughing, Matt opened the covers as he looked at Gabby and helped her into bed; that way, she was comfortable while he did what he needed to do. "You already take a shower?" Matt agreed with Gabby, as he did (unfortunately). "I did, but we can take one later. Right now, I want to hold you close to me as we take it easy with each other." After which, he smirked. "By the way, how easy are we taking things?" Gabby smiled. "Come join me in bed, and we can talk about it."

Matt agreed with Gabby as he carried his clothes over to his dresser, before grabbing his deodorant and putting some on. "Are you tired? Because we can rest if you want, and I mean that babe." Gabby agreed with Matt, well aware that he means it when he says that. "Of course, I know you mean it baby, especially since you love me and always want the best for me." Matt agreed with his wife, well aware that she knew how much he loves her; how much he wants to treat her right and just concentrate on her right now. And that's precisely what he's going to do right now, even though he should also spend time with Kelly. "Listen, we need to spend time with Kelly later; so, don't assume that this is always going to happen." Looking at her husband as she laid down in bed, Gabby nodded. "How worried for him are you? And be honest with me?" Matt sighed as he looked at Gabby, while putting his deodorant on. "Do you mind if we talk about that for a bit?" Gabby shook her head, as she doesn't mind at all. So, she extended her hand.

After all, that was her signal telling Matt that he should join her in bed so that they can talk, while also telling him just that. "Come here, and we can hold each other close as we talk. Just like you were there for me when Shay died, it's my turn to be here for you right now; just like I would've been when Andy died." Matt agreed with Gabby as he made his way over to her in their bed, not having any doubt that her last statement was true. If they were together when Andy died, she most certainly would've been by his side helping him grieve. "I have no doubt in my mind that's the truth." Gabby smiled and agreed with Matt, more than ready to cuddle up to her man as they both held each other close and took it easy with each other in bed. However, they were surprised at just how easy they took things with each other. And just how easy might that be? Well, they ended up doing the exact thing they said they wouldn't.

Matt's POV: The feeling of my hand on Gabby's naked back was perfect, because this felt perfect and precisely what we needed after that long conversation about how I'm feeling after Benny's death; it was my escape and it made me feel much better, which is precisely how I feel at this moment. I feel better, as I run my hand up and down Gabby's back; while also turning my head and smiling at the woman of my dreams, as she wrapped her arms around my torso and cuddled up to me. Meanwhile, I turned my head and smiled as I pressed my lips to her forehead. And that was all I needed to do to let Gabby know that I was awake, because I didn't want to do anything else; I just wanted to hold her like this for a bit; that was, until I realized that Gabby was still fast asleep and just getting comfortable on my chest again. She does that sometimes when she's asleep, and it's a huge turn on for me; especially when I get to feel her chest against mine. So, I always make sure that I wrap my legs around hers as a way to make sure that Gabby stays extra close to me.

And that's precisely what I just did. I wrapped my legs around Gabby's to ensure that she stayed close to me, while also grabbing the covers and tugging them up on top of the both of us. After which, I pressed my lips to her forehead again to tell her that she can stay asleep, which is what I hoped she would do, but it couldn't because of what just happened. "Oh god." Turning my head, I was shocked when I saw Stella there; staring at us, as we just held each other close in bed. Meanwhile, I grabbed the covers and tugged them all the way up on top of us to make sure that we were hidden; and unfortunately, that woke Gabby up. "Hey, are you cold baby? Need to go to the washroom?" Starting to sit up, Gabby was about to reveal herself; that was, until I wrapped my arm around her back and held her down. "Hey, stay down. Stella's here." Turning her head, Gabby got nervous as she looked at her best friend. "God, I'm so sorry Stella." Stella just laughed, while shaking her head. "I should've expected this, I'll just go back to me and Kelly's room."

Looking at her best friend, Gabby went to protest. "No, we'll be right…" Stopping her, Stella smiled. "No, I was just coming to update you that Kelly is passed out and took a sleeping pill to get some rest. He hasn't been sleeping for a few days, so we're going to just stay down there. The truth is, we didn't do an entire shift yesterday; we did a partial shift as Kelly was tired from the night before, and then we left early to come here. So, we have a lot of reasons to stay in bed." I agreed with Stella. "So, you guys are going to stay in bed for the rest of the day?" Stella nodded, smiling at the both of us. "I'm glad that you guys are so happy. Now, see you guys tomorrow." I agreed with Stella when she said that, while watching as she closed the door; after which, I took a breath as I ran my hand up and down Gabby's back. Turning my head, I smiled at my girl, who sighed the moment we were both looking at each other, while also rubbing my chest and bending down to kiss it softly. A feeling which I always enjoy, as it's just so sweet and kind of sexy.

I love the feeling of her lips on my chest, which is precisely what I showed my beautiful wife by turning my head and kissing the side of her head. After which, I kissed her forehead once more. "Hey, take a breath and look up at me Gabby." Doing just that, Gabby smiled at me. "Babe, who cares what they say? This is our home, and I love the fact that we just made love to each other; I'm so glad that we're here with each other, and I'm very comfortable with you all cuddled up to me on my chest." Gabby smiled, nodding as she ran her hand down my chest. "I just feel like an idiot for not having locked the door." Gabby shook her head, as that was her fault. "I should've done it when I came upstairs." I agreed with Gabby, smiling as we both held each other close right now. "I'm just glad that we don't have to get out of this comfortable position, thanks to the fact that they want the day to relax." I agreed with Gabby, smiling at her. "I know, which makes sense since they're tired and need to relax." I agreed with Gabby, smiling as I placed my hand on her arm.

After which, I ran my fingers up and down her back as this is very sexy; she's very sexy and I am so glad that this is what we're doing at the moment. "I want to stay like this for a while, just hold you in my arms like this." Gabby laughed. "Don't we have things to do though? For the business?" I groaned as Gabby asked me that question, as that was the last thing that I wanted to think about when we're naked in bed with each other. "Seriously? You bring that up when we're naked in bed with each other." Gabby smiled as I asked her that question, before slipping up my chest and kissing me passionately; while I wrapped my arms around her waist and took things nice and slow with the woman of my dreams, the love of my life: Ms. Gabriela Casey. "I love you." Gabby smiled and agreed with me. "I love you too." Nodding, I smiled as I learned my forehead against hers; that was, until Gabby laid down on my chest again and just cuddled up to me. After which, I pushed the covers down and placed my hand on her back; before stroking it with my thumb.

And damn do I love this feeling, the feeling of my wife naked in my arms; as we cuddle up to each other in bed after making love to each other, regardless of the fact that there's other people in the house. I really don't care about that, as I'll always take her love if she wants to give it to me. And I have to say that I really love these pregnancy hormones. Turning my head again, I smiled as I stared into Gabby's eyes. "I hope you know that I truly love that we did that. I know, you didn't like the idea when Stella walked in; but, we're married Gabby, and I am so glad that we did that. This is our dream life, and I want to live it with you however we please. Please, don't you dare worry about how things look. We can take it easy and relax another time. Right now, we're going to concentrate on each other and just have fun. And that's precisely what we want to do right now." Agreeing with me, Gabby smiled as she moved onto my chest more; before slipping up my chest and moving her arms around my neck. Meanwhile, I placed my hands on her back.

Smirking at her, I leaned in and kissed the woman of my dreams softly. The woman I love more than anything in the entire world, which is something that Gabby already knows. She knows how much I love her, based on the way that I make love to her and due to the fact that I tell her that all the time. But now, we want to show each other love somewhere else, which is in the shower where we can get sexy under the water. But that means that I need to get out of bed, so that I can start the shower; only after I get another kiss, which is precisely what I stole from Gabby before speaking to her. "Listen, I love you; I really do. And I want to stay like this. But, we both know that I need to get up so that I can go start the shower for us. Or, I can run us a bath." Gabby smiled as I asked her that question. "I think I could go for a bath." I smiled as I agreed with Gabby, more than ready to go run a bath for the both of us. "Then, let me up and I can go run us a bath." Gabby agreed as she rolled off my chest, while I rolled over too and got up out of bed.

Grabbing my towel, the moment I was standing up, I smiled as I wrapped it around my waist and turned around to look at the woman of my dreams as she just laid there in bed looking extremely sexy. "Now, you look really sexy." Gabby agreed with me as I told her that, while also watching as I walked away to my dresser. "So, listen. What do you say today we do a movie marathon again, but I'm wearing a t-shirt and boxers?" Grabbing the sheets, Gabby sat up and looked at me. "The shirt is so that we calm down, right?" Bending down to grab a fresh pair of boxers after opening my drawer, I nodded as that was precisely why I was going to put a shirt on. "I mean, if that's what you want." Gabby nodded, agreeing with me as it was what she wanted. She wanted to just take it easy and relax after we take a bath. "I want to relax and just cuddle." I agreed with Gabby and smiled. "Then that's precisely what we're going to do." Gabby agreed with me as I told her that, smiling as I turned around and walked away to go start us the bath this morning.

Gabby's Thoughts: As I watched Matt walk away to go run us a bath, I smiled due to the fact that this is exactly what I want to be doing with the man of my dreams; how I want to hold him close and just take it easy with him whenever I get a chance to do just that. He truly is the only man that I have ever loved this way, and I just feel so grateful over the fact that Matt's my husband. The man of my dreams and the father of our child, something he's going to be amazing at. I can already see that being the case, as he's going to be such a great father. I mean, he's already a great husband; so, he's obviously going to be a great father. God, the way he loves me and just makes me feel so incredible is perfect. I truly feel like the luckiest woman in the entire world when I'm with him, and I hope that Matt knows that. I hope he knows just how truly lucky I feel to be his wife; because if he doesn't, then I'm going to need to do something special to show him that. And I'm talking about something other than sex, as I am not going to be that type of pregnant woman.

That type of pregnant woman who only wants to have sex with her husband, who is always craving him; though, that is the truth for me. I'm very hormonal, and I always crave Matt because of how sexy he is. But not just sexy when it comes to his appearances and let me explain that. He's also sexy when it comes to how he treats me, as he truly has the biggest heart. He is such a sweet man, and I feel so blessed that he's my husband. That he's the man I get to love each and every day. But now, it's not time to think about that; now, it's time for me to get up out of bed and make my way into the bathroom where Matt (and a nice bath) is waiting for me. A bath that we plan on enjoying with each other. So, I got up out of bed and put my robe on so that I could join him in the bathroom.