Hi Readers: Quick update on some things I want to cover before we continue our story. I've decided that from here on out, I am going to try and do it where three chapters will equal one day. In the future, I will try and cover more hours of the day each chapter; however, I just didn't feel like I had the ideas to do so at the moment. So, I'm going to go back to the plotline already established.
Pilot, Part 7
Darden Home – October 11, 2012
Matthew Casey's honorary nephews had a request for him: they wanted him to come over and play with them, as their father wasn't fun for them right now. And when Benjamin and Griffin Darden come calling, everybody knows that Matthew Casey comes running. And that's precisely why he and Gabby were currently on their way over to the Darden home. But hey, at least Gabby gets something out of it too: a bit of girl time with the only other young, married woman at the firehouse. After all, she can't really relate to Cindy Herrmann (who is married to one of the men on Matt's truck, Christopher Herrmann) due to the age gap in between them. It's honestly shocking that there's truly only three married couples at the firehouse: she and Matt, Andy and Heather Darden, and Christopher and Cindy Herrmann. However, they are the odd ones out in one way; they're the only married couple at the firehouse who doesn't have kids. Though, they most certainly are going to start working on that soon, as it's what they want to do.
They want to have kids more than anything, but Gabby just wants to wait a bit longer; until Matt is in a better headspace, rather than just have to deal with the grief that he's still dealing with. And that's precisely what she decided to tell him. "Now, I don't want you to start talking to me on our way home from here asking me to try for a baby. As much as we both want one, we know that we need to wait a bit." Matt agreed with his wife as he held her hand with their fingers intertwined. "Let me guess, you have a reason for that?" Turning his head, Matt smiled due to the fact that his wife always had reasons for things. "We both know that you always have reasons for things." Gabby agreed. "Yes, and it's due to the fact that you still need to finish dealing with the stuff related to Otis; and because you just started a new candidate. Once you're done dealing with the stuff related to Otis, and the new candidate has been broken into the house; then we can talk about us having a baby." And, as expected, Andy decided to weigh in on the conversation right away.
Though, he did so in a joking manner. "So, you're going to make me wait even longer to no longer have to share my sons with their favorite uncle?" Matt laughed as he heard Andy say that. "Oh, we're just going to wait until I'm done with the CFD." Matt said, as he let go of Gabby's hand and went to hug his best friend, who got worried based on the way Matt said that, which led him to think that he was going to be quitting the CFD soon. "Oh, god. Are you thinking of quitting the CFD?" Pulling back from the hug her was sharing with his best friend, Matt laughed. "Oh, you're not getting a Lieutenancy that fast!" Andy snickered. "Listen, I'll explain when we're inside and I can let this one explode." Turning his head, Andy was confused when he heard that Gabby wants to explode. "What's he talking about?" Gabby smiled. "He means with gossip. I want to hear about what's been going on with your kids since I haven't seen Heather in a while." And that's when Andy's wife made her way over. "Then come with me, you can help with the salads." Gabby agreed.
After which, she looked at her husband. "Here, how about you give me the wine and I can bring it to the kitchen?" Matt agreed with Gabby as he gave her the wine they brought along, only to wrap his arm around her prior to bending down and kissing her softly. "I love you." Gabby agreed with her husband, prior to walking away to go help Heather in the kitchen, which led to Andy smirking. "Oh, Heather. Can I talk to Gabby for a minute?" He said, while letting the Caseys in their home prior to closing the door; meanwhile, Heather looked at her husband confused. "OK?" She said, prior to walking away and calling for Ben and Griffin to come downstairs. "BEN, GRIFFIN! Matt's here." Matt laughed, as he knew precisely what was going to happen; so, he just got ready. Meanwhile, Gabby walked away and smiled at her husband. "I'll go help Heather make things the right way." Hearing that from the kitchen, Heather was not happy. "HEARD THAT!" Matt and Andy both laughed as they heard Heather say that. "Gabby, wait." Gabby then looked at Andy.
After all, she just remembered that he wanted to speak to her for a minute. "Is there something I can do for you?" Andy smirked, as she already knew the answer to that question. "Oh, no. I am NOT getting involved in that! You want a baby? Convince your wife on your own! I already had to push my dreams of having a baby back a couple months!" Matt smiled as he heard Gabby say that, as he was glad that she did that; something he decided to show her by grabbing her hand and stroking it with his thumb. "Thank you for doing that." Gabby smiled, well aware that he was happy that they decided to push back their dream of having a baby. "Hey, I get it. You have a lot to deal with right now. You have to deal with the CFD a lot, and you have a lot of stress on your mind. We need to do it at the right time, on our own schedule. We do not need to rush this when we have years ahead of us." Matt agreed with his wife, as they most certainly do; so, he wrapped his arm around his wife and smiled as he leaned in and kissed the woman of his dreams.
After which, he pressed his lips to her forehead. "I love you." Gabby agreed with her husband. "I love you too. Now, I am going to go talk to Heather and see how she's been doing. I know that she's been annoyed by you for a while, like every wife is." Matt just looked at his wife as she said that. "Oh, not me. You already know why Heather's annoyed with her husband." Matt laughed, well aware of what she was talking about. "Yeah, I get what you're talking about." Gabby agreed with her husband and smiled as she proceeded to walk away to the kitchen so that she can help Heather with some supper. Meanwhile, Matt looked at Andy. "You want to head out back and start the steaks?" Andy agreed. "Go out there. The boys should be down in a minute. I may have to go get them since they clearly didn't hear me." Matt agreed with his best friend. "Want me to get the grill ready? You know that you always screw it up." Andy sighed, as that was the reason why he was doing steaks on the barbecue. "Heather told me we can only do it since you're here."
Matt laughed as he heard Andy say that, only to take off his shoes. "Go get the boys. I want to see my godsons." Andy agreed with Matt, prior to turning around and going to run upstairs to get his sons. Meanwhile, Matt walked through the house with his bag of goodies that Andy saw. "Oh, and make sure you hide those." Matt agreed with Andy, as he knew what to do, which is why he was surprised that Gabby didn't grab them herself, though she did come eventually as he started to make his way towards the kitchen. "Oh, I was just going to come grab those." Matt agreed, well aware that his wife as on his way to grab the desert they brought. "Yeah, we need to hide it." Laughing, Heather already knew what they brought for desert already as she made her way to the door to the kitchen. "I can only assume that I already know what you brought for desert." Matt agreed as he walked up to Heather, prior to hugging her. "How are you? You glad that Andy's back at work?" Heather groaned, as she was very happy he was at work again.
It meant that she didn't get bombarded as often when it came to having another baby. "God. I swear, I am not happy with him. I know that he wants another kid, but I am not sure if I want to go for it again." Matt agreed with Heather, well aware that was the case. "Do you want me to talk to him for you? Or are you still considering it? If you want me to tell him to stop, then you need to tell me. But, if you're still considering it, then you better tell me so that I can help you out before I get busy again." Gabby laughed as she pushed her husband to the side. "I swear, you're almost as bad as Andy." Matt smirked as he heard Gabby say that. "I've stopped since Otis died!" Gabby agreed with her husband, well aware that was the case. "I know, you're right. Now, how about you grab those steaks there and go start working outback? I want you to make some good steaks. You know that Andy isn't the best when it comes to steaks." Matt agreed with his wife, well aware that was the case. So, he walked away so that he could go start the steaks out back.
Waiting until after Matt went outside to go start the steaks to speak to Heather, Gabby smiled as she got herself and Heather some drinks. "You want something to drink Heather?" Heather laughed. "Depends, can you watch my sons for me tonight?" Gabby laughed, as that wasn't the type of drink she had in mind. "I was thinking more water, rather than alcohol. Though, I'm sure that you need some at times." Heather agreed with Gabby, as that's precisely what she needs at times. "I swear, Andy drives me nuts at times." Gabby nodded as she walked over to Heather with some water. "You want me to make the bread? I see it over there." Heather shook her head. "Not yet. The boys hate it when it's dry. I bought it fresh today when I did groceries. We always make sure to get the steaks same day, they taste better." Gabby agreed with Heather, as she already knew that based on what Matt's always told her: if you want to have steaks, then you need to buy them either the day before or the same day. "Me and Matt do it the day before as well."
Heather agreed, while Gabby went to go wash her hands as she wants to help as much as she can. "I want to help you cook, so don't say anything. Matt always cooks when we're at home, so I need to help here if I want to cook." Heather laughed. "Wow, talk about a gentleman. Andy would never be caught dead cooking for me." Though, Andy didn't think that way. "Last time I checked, I cook for you on our anniversary, Valentine's Day, your birthday, and any other date night we do at home. You aren't the only one that cooks." Heather agreed with her husband, well aware that was the case. "Right, sorry." Andy agreed with his wife and smiled as he made his way over to her, only to place his hands on her hips and smiled as he leaned in and kissed her softly. That was, until they heard the boys come downstairs grossed out. "MOM, DAD! Gross!" Turning their heads, Andy, and Heather both laughed. "By the way boys, what do you think about having a baby sister?" Ben groaned as he heard his dad ask them that. "I like being the youngest!"
Griffin then played with him. "And you whine like the baby of the family because of it!" That's when Matt decided to come in. "If you guys want me to make my steaks MY WAY, then you better stop fighting; or else, I'll make them the way your dad makes them." Griffin got nervous when he heard his godfather say that, making a face since they didn't taste good, which led to his father placing his hands on his hips and glaring at him. "Excuse me?" Ben sighed. "Dad, you cook it the way you like it. You cook it way too long! You know that me, mom, and Griffin like it pink on the inside!" Andy then turned to look at Heather, as she's never told him that before. "Is there a reason why you've never said that before?" Heather sighed. "Because you're always so proud when you do a good job making the steaks the way you like them." Andy agreed with his wife as she said that, well aware that was the case. "Ok. Well, looks like I need to learn from Matt." Hearing Andy say that, Matt laughed. "How about you come out here with the beer and I can teach you to cook!"
Shaking his head as he heard Matt say that, Andy turned around and proceeded to make his way outside so that he can learn how to make a steak. Meanwhile, Heather looked at the boys. "How about you guys go outside and get some of that energy out? You guys need to run around. Maybe you can give Matt a dose of reality of what it's like to have kids?" Gabby smiled, as she liked that idea. "I like the way you think Heather!" Heather smiled, well aware that was the case, which led to her turning to look at all of the boys in the house. "Boys, outside. The women need some girl time. We need to gossip!" Casey and Darden both put their hands up when they heard Heather say that. "I'm out!" They then both turned around and walked outside to go make the steaks for supper. Meanwhile, Gabby laughed as she made her way over to the fridge. "What type of salad do you want to make?" Ben and Griffin both looked at their mom. "Not having any." Heather just looked at her sons. "If you want to go to the firehouse tomorrow before school…"
Ben and Griffin both smiled, as that's precisely what they want. "Matt, do you think we can ride on Truck?" Matt sighed. "Boys, we aren't going to be celebrating tomorrow. Tomorrow, we're going to be honoring our late friend. Remember, the funeral we went to a few weeks ago?" Ben and Griffin both agreed, while starting to calm down into a more somber mood. "So, that's why you guys are coming to the firehouse. To honor our late friend. The mayor is going to be there, and we're going to remember our friend. Then, we're back to work. If you want to come though, we do have a babysitter for you." Darden laughed, as he knew precisely who he was talking about. "You want to talk about him? How he did on his first shift?" Matt agreed. "Yeah, let's go outside and finally start those steaks. Boys, come outside and we can play out there." Ben and Griffin both agreed as they went outside with their dad and godfather to get some energy out, while Matt and Andy just looked at each other prior to making their way outside to work on the steaks.
Standing at the barbecue on his best friend's back porch, Matt smiled as he laughed a bit. "God, your boys are growing so fast. I still remember when I was there at their baptism as their godfather." He said, as he turned his head and looked at the two boys playing in the backyard; while Andy did the same and just smiled. "Yeah. Still can't believe that Griffin's almost eight." Matt agreed with Andy as he said that. "And Griffin's almost five. Five years older than my kid." Andy laughed as he looked at Matt. "Oh, calm down, you know that you guys are going to have kids soon." Matt agreed with Andy. "We're trying,. I can already tell. But, me and Gabby both agreed that we'd just wait and see what happens. We need to take it easy and relax, anyways. I need to concentrate on my job right now. God, this is just brutal. You have no idea how much stress I get from my job." Andy laughed as he heard Matt say that. "Let me guess, you aren't happy over how Cruz and Kelly are feuding." Matt sighed, as that most certainly is something that was on his mind.
As much as he was trying not to concentrate on it, he was. "Yeah, it is. I mean, this is just hard because you and Kelly are like the brothers I've never had, but Cruz is a member of our truck. So, I either need to defend Kelly, or I need to defend Cruz. There's no good answer, due to the fact that I'm screwed either way. Either I get in trouble with members of my truck for not defending Cruz, or I get in trouble with my best friend for being against him. But, with you…I just feel like you know me, and you aren't going to give me shit. You know that I'm trying my best to keep the peace, which is something that isn't easy to do." Andy agreed with Matt as he went to turn the steaks. "Oh, I know exactly what you mean. We both know that you have a lot on your mind." Matt agreed with Andy. "It's a hard part of being the Captain. You aren't just the head of a company, you're the head of a firehouse. I'm basically like Boden, but just for the firehouse." Andy agreed with Matt, as that makes sense. "I know, it makes it hard on your marriage too." Matt sighed.
After all, that most certainly is the truth. It is hard on their marriage, especially when he's Gabby's superior. "Yeah, it is. I'm her superior at work, and I am not proud at times when I need to yell at her. But, somehow, we still make it work and we're happy with each other, which is all that matters at the end of the day, that we're happy and married." Andy agreed. "Let me tell you this, there's no way that you and Gabby are going to break up. You guys are too strong and too in love to end things. I just know that you're worried that you're spending too much time at the office." Matt agreed. "I've been at headquarters every couple days, even when we wanted to mourn. So, it's been hell. And, at the same time, I'm trying to concentrate on my marriage and making sure that we're strong at the end of the day." Andy agreed with Matt, well aware that was the case. "And you and Gabby will always be strong, you already know that." Matt smiled. "Now, are we putting any flavoring on these steaks?" Andy agreed with Matt.
After all, his family loves steak seasoning. So, that's precisely what he brought out. "The boys love steak seasoning, and so does Heather. So, it's a must when it comes to steaks in my family." Matt agreed with his best friend, well aware that was the case. "Same thing for me and Gabby, she always wants steak seasoning." And speaking of Gabby, she popped her head out of the patio door. "Yes, I do want steak seasoning. I just wanted to make sure that you guys don't drink too much. We're here to spend time with friends Matt, and I want you to be sober." Turning his head, Matt agreed with his wife as he wants to do that as well. "Believe me, I'm going to set this down right now. Now that the steaks are cooking, I'm going to play with the boys." He said, as he went to turn around and walk down to the backyard to play with Andy's sons. "Hey, you guys playing soccer?" Ben and Griffin both smiled as they turned their heads to look at Matt. "Yeah, come join us." Matt agreed as he ran over to them to play with them this afternoon.
Meanwhile, Gabby came out and just smiled due to the fact that she just loves the smile that's on her husband's face when he plays with Ben and Griffin; after which, he turned his head and smiled at Gabby. "I think we both know that you need to give him kids soon Gabby." Gabby laughed, well aware that was the case. "I know, but we already told you the truth. Heather said the same thing anyways, and we all know that Matt isn't ready to have kids. He needs to take it easy and relax as he grieves the way he needs to grieve." Matt agreed with his wife and smiled as he made his way back over to her, as he wants to give her something. And he did just that, just as soon as he placed his hands on her hips and brought her close to his chest. "I love you." Placing her hands on Matt's chest, Gabby smirked as she leaned in and took things nice and slow with the man she loves. "I love you too. Now, you talk to Heather?" Hearing Matt ask Gabby that question, Andy turned his head. "Yeah, am I going for a daughter?" Gabby looked at Andy.
After all, does he really think that she's going to push Heather into that. "Andy? I am not going to push her into doing anything that she doesn't want to do. If you want to have kids, then you need to convince her yourself. And you need to think about just how much work it'll be when you work 24 hour shifts every 48 hours." Turning his head, Matt agreed with Gabby. "Yeah, I think that's something you do need to think about Andy." Gabby smiled as she looked at Matt. "Can you talk to him and make sure that he understands that?" Matt agreed with his wife, as he most certainly can do that for his wife. "I promise. Just go concentrate on the salad." Gabby agreed with her husband as she turned around and went to go back to making the salad. Meanwhile, Matt walked up to his best friend. "Andy, did you hear my wife? You need to think about that. 24-hour shifts, every 48 hours." Andy agreed with Matt. "I can say the same thing about you, as you need to think about that when you guys have kids." Matt smiled and agreed with his best friend.
However, they need to consider something else. "Me and Gabby also need to consider the fact that there's a chance I may move up in the ranks, which means that we need to figure out when the right time to have kids is. And then, we need to figure out what it means for our work schedule." Andy agreed with Matt. "Believe me, it's hard at first; but, you eventually figure it out when you get to work on it." Matt agreed with his best friend, as he would know what he's talking about. "I think you're the best person for me to ask this since you know what you're talking about as you're a dad already." Andy agreed with Matt. "Who else are you going to go to? I mean, you hate your brother-in-law, and Kelly isn't a dad. The only other one you can talk to is Herrmann." Matt agreed with Andy as he said that. "I think Boden has a stepson he still talks to and helped raise." Andy agreed with Matt, as he thought about that. "Yeah, you can talk to him to. But, be honest, you really only want to talk to me about it." Matt smiled. "Yeah, because you're my brother."
Andy agreed with his best friend. "Which is why you chose me to be your best man, rather than Kelly." And that was when Kelly came out through the house, as he was invited to join them as well. "Still don't get how he got BOTH of your sons, Andy." Turning around to face him, Matt was surprised as he didn't know that Kelly was coming. "I didn't know that Kelly was coming for supper?" Andy agreed. "I wanted it to be the three of us. We haven't done it in a while, and it was long overdue. Plus, we need to get this anger out of us. It's what Boden would want." Matt agreed with Andy as he said that. "I swear, they better pick you to be the next Lieutenant at Firehouse 51." Andy laughed. "Yeah, I'm going for Squad first." Kelly shook his head. "Do I need to remind you what I said? I told you that you make Squad the day I'm no longer in charge!" Matt agreed with his other best friend, while also watching as Ben and Griffin ran over. "KELLY!" Smiling, he bent down to hug them. "Seriously? How come I get a worse welcome when I'm your godfather!"
Andy laughed. "They were probably on their tablets." Matt shook his head. "I am not getting my kids tablets." Andy laughed. "Yeah, believe me. We said the same thing. Then, we realized how helpful they were when we're in the car on a road trip. God, it just shuts them up right away and makes things SO MUCH easier! They can each watch their own movies, listen to their own music, play games, and never need to interact with each other unless they're playing a game with each other." Matt thought about it and smiled. "Well, that does sound nice. By the way, I got your text about you scheduling something for December for you and Heather to go on a date?" Andy agreed. "Yeah, she wants to go to a concert. First weekend of December. I think it's December 4th." Matt laughed. "Well, looks like Kelly's babysitting then." Turning their heads, both Kelly and Andy were confused. "Excuse me?" Matt just looked at them. "Anniversary weekend! I'm already working on our anniversary. We're taking the 4th and 5th to ourselves!" Andy agreed.
After all, he understands how important it is for a husband and wife to celebrate their wedding anniversary. "Trust me, I know what you mean. I still hate my anniversary." Both Kelly and Matt were confused when they heard him say that. "Why?" Andy just looked at them both. "Our anniversary is September 8, 2001." Matt sighed as he heard his best friend say that. "God, that sucks." Andy agreed with Matt. "I still hate it. I mean, we need to celebrate our anniversary in the shadow of 9/11. And then, there's always the mandatory ceremony that we have to go to with our CFD Uniforms on, which means that I don't get to celebrate really with Heather until a few days after our anniversary." Matt agreed. "Me and Gabby both agreed that we would do it when he can, within 48 hours of our anniversary. Just like we plan on doing this year, hence me not being able to babysit." Coming out with the mushrooms that she wanted Andy to cook on the barbecue, Heather was confused when she heard Matt say that. "And why can't you babysit?"
Turning to look at Heather, Matt sighed. "Because I'm not watching your kids, on my anniversary weekend. We work December 3rd and 6th. I already work on my anniversary; I am not watching your kids in between our shifts when I need to celebrate with Gabby those days." Heather agreed with Matt, as that made sense. "Yeah, that makes sense." Matt agreed with Heather. "Thank you. Now, don't you dare talk to Gabby about this, as she'll volunteer us to do it. If you want someone to watch your kids, get Kelly and Shay to do it. You can trust them to do it together." Heather agreed, as she truly does believe that they could believe Kelly and Shay to do it together. "You know, if Shay didn't play for the other team, I always thought that you and she would make a good couple Kelly." Kelly was surprised when he heard Heather tell him that. "Why does everybody say that?" Matt snickered. "Because it's true. You guys are so compatible. It's why you guys are like brother and sister." Kelly agreed with Matt. "Which is all we'll ever be."
Andy smiled as he heard Kelly say that. "Speaking of which, how's your shoulder?" Walking over to some of the seats the Dardens have on their deck, Kelly sighed. "Still hurts." Matt agreed as he looked at Kelly. "Speaking of which, we cool now? Or are we still feuding?" Kelly sighed. "I think I may as well stop. I feel like an idiot doing it now." Matt agreed with Kelly, as he is an idiot. "That's because you are an idiot dude. You really think I would do it on purpose?" Kelly shook his head, as he knew that was the case. "No, never." Matt agreed. "I already told you this, but my life has been so busy of late. I'm still dealing with the CFD. But, you already know that, and I don't need to tell you again. All you need to know is that I am tired of the drama. All of it." Kelly agreed with Matt, well aware that was the case. "And, you want a break, before you get Gabby pregnant and start having to deal with the hormones." Matt smirked as he proceeded to take a sip of his beer. "That's if I get a chance to get her pregnant." Kelly was confused.
After all, what does that mean. "What does that mean?" Matt sighed. "I'm only going to say this one more time." Kelly agreed.
She decided to offer to cut up some vegetables for Heather, as she knew that she was going to want her sons to eat some with the meal; something which the mother appreciated. "I swear, you're going to make a great mom someday Gabby." Gabby smiled. "We aren't talking about that Heather, as I am not ready to have a kid yet. Matt is too busy, and we just need to take it easy and relax at the moment. Is that understood?" Heather agreed with Gabby, as she did understand; especially since she knew that she's stressed out as well. "And it's not good to do it while you're stressed. Speaking of which, have you spoken to Matt about how scared you are when it comes to what the disciplinary board can do?" Gabby sighed. "Yeah, I did. I mean, mostly. I want to tell him more, but I also don't want to overwhelm him. He has so much on his mind, and I want to make sure that he's okay, especially with his mom's parole in a few months." Heather agreed with Gabby. "And if she gets paroled, what does that mean?" Gabby smiled. "She moves in with us."
Turning her head, Heather was a bit surprised. "Really?" Gabby agreed. "I already told Matt that she can, as his sister is not really in favor of her getting released. However, Matt is so I already knew that I didn't really have a choice." Shaking his head as he walked in to set his beer bottle down, Matt took a breath. After which, he put his beer bottle in the recycling on his way over to Gabby; only to place his hand on her hip and bring her body back against his chest to hold her close to him. "Hey." Turning her head, Gabby smiled as she looked at Matt. "Hey. You heard that?" Matt agreed with Gabby. "Gabby, you know there's a choice if she moves in with us. We're married, and that means that you get a say when it comes to my mom moving in. I'm not going to force you if you don't want to do it." Gabby smiled as she heard Matt say that, as that just made her smile. "I have the best husband in the entire world, and I hope to god you know that." Matt agreed with Gabby and smiled as he was very happy. "Listen, we'll eat in a bit. Maybe later, we can talk?"
Gabby agreed with Matt, as that's something they most certainly can (and will) do. They'll talk later when they get home. But, for now, Gabby turned around and wrapped her arms around him. Leaning in, she smirked as she kissed the man of her dreams softly. "I love you." Placing his hand on the side of Gabby's face, Matt agreed as he loves her too. "I love you too, forever." Gabby agreed, smiling. After all, this is precisely what she wants to do right now: take things nice and slow with her husband ahead of them having supper with their friends. "Ok. Outside, go get supper ready." Matt agreed with Gabby, before turning around and walking away to go help with supper once more. Meanwhile, Heather just looked at Gabby. "You may not have a choice as to whether you're going to be pregnant soon Gabby." Gabby laughed, well aware that was the case as she made her way back into the kitchen to help with supper some more. That way, they can eat sooner rather than later. "Now, did you see the entertainment news recently?"
Heather smiled, as they returned to gossiping ahead of supper this evening.
They decided that Kelly was going to be the one to interrupt their wives. Interrupt the gossiping session they were enjoying in the kitchen, just so that he can get a plate which they can use for the steak. I mean, he's the single one who doesn't have to deal with it all the time, e.g., whenever they get together as a group. It's as if Gabby and Heather are sisters, as they even fight like sisters at times; though, that's due to the fact that they're with them so often as Andy is Matt's best friend. The true person that Gabby can consider a sister is her paramedic partner, Shay. And that's precisely why Matt likes to call her his sister-in-law, because he has to treat her as such if he wants to stay in his wife's good graces; something he always wants to do. Just like he wants to dig his teeth into these delicious steaks. "I swear, these steaks look delicious." Looking at them, Andy agreed as they most certainly do look delicious. "Tell me about it. I am so glad that you came here to make some for me." Matt agreed with his best friend. "I'm getting one of these for leftovers."
And that was when Kelly came back outside with the plate. "Not a chance. I'm single and would rather not cook if I need to." Turning their heads, Matt, and Andy both looked at their friend. "And I'm the Captain…" Meanwhile, Andy added on. "And I have two sons who love to have steak sandwiches for lunch." Turning his head when he heard Andy say that, Matt smirked. "God, those are delicious. Wait, ketchup or mustard?" Andy laughed. "Ben gets mustard, Griffin gets ketchup." Hearing his father say that, Griffin came up the stairs to the deck to complain a bit. "Yeah, that's until you screw it up." Turning his head, Andy looked at his son. "Hey, uhm…Matt asked me for the leftovers, and I said that you wanted them for lunch. You want your steak sandwiches for lunch?" Griffin nodded, as that's precisely what he wants. "Good. Then shut up, go get your brother, and help your mom set the table." Griffin groaned as he heard his dad say that, which led to Matt shutting him up. "Griffin. Either hush up, or you don't sit on Truck." Griffin got nervous.
After all, that's precisely what he wants to do after the memorial tomorrow. "Yeah, that gets your attention. Go, do what your dad told you to do, or else I ban you from Truck 81 until you pass the academy." Turning his head, Andy smirked before fist bumping Matt. "I like the way you think." Griffin just looked at Matt. "But I'm your favorite godchild." Matt just laughed when Griffin said that. "Oh, that's a nice one Griffin." Turning his head, Andy looked at his best friend. "Excuse me?" Matt just looked at Andy. "Uhm, my niece is my goddaughter." Nodding, Andy agreed with Matt as he knew that his boys could never surpass his niece. "How are things between you and your hot ass sister anyways?" Looking at Kelly when he said that, Matt was not happy. "She's married, has a kid, and she's my sister! So, not happening." Kelly agreed with Matt. "And for what it's worth, we're working on things. She's not the biggest fan of me supporting our mother getting paroled." Looking at Matt, Andy was disgusted. "Does she know what your dad did to you?"
Matt sighed. "It's hard to talk about it. Hell, it took me three months to even tell Gabby…and we've known each other for years before we started dating. So, it's hard to talk about." Andy agreed with Matt, well aware that was the case. "Yeah, I can get that. I think I read somewhere it's even harder for men." Matt agreed. "Yeah. It's why I want to make sure that I have my head on straight before we have kids. It's hard for me to think about the idea of me doing that to our kids, just because I'm frustrated and stuff. Right now, I'm just…I'm not in the right headspace yet. There are nights where I still wake up in the middle of the night just to think about what happened and what I could've done differently." Andy sighed, as that wasn't what he wanted to hear his best friend say. "Matt, you can't do that to yourself. Believe me when I say this, you need to enjoy the sleep you can get while you can still get it. When you have kids, everything is going to change, and you'll never be able to sleep the same way again." Matt smiled as he heard Andy say that. "I want that."
Kelly laughed, as he thought he was joking. "I'm serious. I want to be a dad. I want to have kids. Just seeing you raise Ben and Griffin has made me want to have kids more than ever. You're great with them, and I love being with them. I mean that Andy." Andy smirked, which led to Matt just knowing what he was going to ask him. "And NO! I am not watching your kids, just so that you can have sex with your wife." Andy was surprised when Matt said that. "I wasn't going to…" Matt just looked at Andy, as he most certainly WAS going to ask him to take his kids so that he and Heather can have sex. "Oh, don't even go there when we both know you better than anybody. I get that you trust me more than Severide with your sons…" Kelly just looked at Matt when he said that, as he was offended. "OH! It's true!" Kelly thought about it and (reluctantly) agreed with his best friend. "…but I want time with Gabby right now. Time where it's just the two of us, holding each other close as we take it easy. I don't get much time to relax during the day, unlike you lazy firefighters."
Looking at Matt, Kelly was very offended. "Are you calling my firefighters lazy!" Matt nodded. "You said it, not me." Kelly just rolled his eyes as he heard Matt say that. "My firefighters are much more fit than yours." Matt just looked at Kelly. "Mine go out more often." Andy agreed with Matt. "Yeah, we do." Kelly just shook his head. "Yeah, because you're the generals, we're the muscle." Matt just shook his head. "Actually, I'm a general. You're still below me Lieutenant!" Hearing things get a bit heated between the firefighters, Gabby took a breath as she came out to try and calm things down. "MATTHEW!" Turning his head, Matt looked at Gabby. "I don't want drama tonight. Is that understood?" Matt agreed with Gabby when she asked him whether he understood that she didn't want drama. "Of course, dear." Gabby agreed with her husband, glad that he understood her orders; so, she turned around to head into the kitchen. Meanwhile, Kelly took a sip of his beer as he laughed. "Dear." Turning his head, Matt looked at his best friend. "Seriously?"
Kelly smiled as Matt asked him that question. "Dude, take a joke." Matt sighed. "Kelly…do you realize how hard this past month has been on me? For the first time in a while, I've wanted to be social and come out to see Andy." Andy agreed with Kelly. "Yeah, it's been a while since he's been here Kelly." Matt sighed. "Kelly, I'm still struggling with the fact that I sent a guy into that house and killed him. You think that's easy for me to deal with when he literally died right in front of my eyes?" Kelly just got quiet when he heard Matt tell him that. "Kelly, you may not believe me when I say this, but I hate that we lost someone. And I hate that it's caused drama in the firehouse. But, it's the reality sometimes. Sometimes, you make mistakes in judgment because the situation was fluid. But, I would rather not have to carry it home all the time when I instead want to take time and concentrate on my new wife; the woman I want to be thinking about when I'm at home, rather than thinking about work." Matt said, prior to walking away to take a moment alone.
Meanwhile, Andy took a breath as he looked at Kelly. "Kelly, I wanted this to be a chance for us all to come together and fix things between the three of us, rather than have it tear us apart. We're best friends, and I can see how much this is eating Matt up. He has a lot on his shoulders. Remember, he's a Captain now and in charge of the entire firehouse." And that's precisely what Gabby was going to tell Kelly. "And that's precisely what I was going to tell you Kelly, because I just saw Matt walk through the house without saying a word to me. So, what happened?" Sighing, Andy decided to fill Gabby in. "Matt finally told Kelly about how hard things have been on him over the past month, about how Otis died in front of his eyes. How he died as a result of his judgment. And I think it's really starting to hit a nerve with him." Taking a breath, Gabby looked at Kelly. "You couldn't just leave it alone, eh Kelly? Couldn't just not push Matt's buttons, when you know that he has a lot on his mind as a Captain. We invited you here to make things better."
Kelly agreed, as he knew that was why she and Heather invited him here to supper. "And now, you just made things worse for Matt. He's stressed out enough as it is. You have no idea just how stressed he is, especially when he also wants to spend time with me; being the husband he promised he'd be to me before this happened. But, that's hard when you have to do work that's related to someone dying. It's brought his whole mood down, and it's put him on the verge of being depressed. And honestly, all the attacks on him do not help at all. What he said is true. This is our first time being social in a while, and I'm glad that he even came out. I wasn't sure whether he would come tonight, or whether he would chicken out of it. But, he came and we're here to have a good time with all of you. So, please, don't screw this up for us." Kelly agreed with Gabby. "Now, I'm going to go talk to my husband and make sure that he's okay." Kelly nodded, well aware that Gabby needed to do that right now: she needed to go check whether Matt was okay right now.
This was the last thing that Gabby wanted to have happen. She didn't want drama to happen tonight, but it did happen. And the way her husband was looking as he sat on the front deck of their friend's home just let her know that she was going to need a minute. So, she turned to look towards Heather to speak to her. "Do you mind maybe setting up on your own Heather? I'd love to help but…" Looking at Gabby as she said that, Heather nodded and smiled. "I know, I saw the way Matt walked through here. And I heard what you said outside. Has it really been that bad for him?" Gabby sighed. "Yeah, it has. He's been stressed and he really needs a break." Heather agreed. "Do you want to make supper to go, or are you staying?" Gabby shrugged, as she had no clue what they were doing yet. "I need to go talk to Matt to see what he wants to do. Though, I have a feeling he's going to want to stay. He wants to spend time with you guys, I know that for a fact. But, it may be better if we leave. I don't know what'll happen though." Heather smiled.
After all, she wanted to show Gabby that she understood. "I get it Gabby, and just know that we're here for whatever you need." Gabby agreed with her friend as she said that, prior to continuing her journey through the house to the front porch where her husband was sitting. And based on the fact that he was leaning forward, she could just see that he was starting to rethink whether this was a good idea: whether them coming here to hang out with Andy and Heather was a good idea. And that was precisely what Gabby was thinking, which is why she needs to go out and talk to her husband. She needs to know whether he wants to go home, or whether he wants to stay; something she wants to let him chose because of how much she loves him. And she showed him that by wrapping her arms around his back and kissing her back. And let's just say that Matt loved the feeling of Gabby wrapping her arms around him. "You regret coming to Andy's place?" Sighing, Matt turned around to look at the woman he loves.
After which, Gabby got close to him once more and wrapped her arms around his waist to make him feel better. Meanwhile, Matt wrapped his arm around her shoulder as he pressed his lips to her forehead. "You know I'm on your side, regardless of what happens." Matt agreed with his wife as he pressed his lips to her forehead once more. He then looked down at the woman he loves and just smiled due to the fact that he loves her so much. So, he bent down and kissed the woman he loves softly. "God, I love you so much and I am so glad that you came out here so that we can take things slow with each other." Gabby agreed with Matt, well aware that was the case. "I told Kelly that you have a lot on your mind and told him that he needs to stop pushing your buttons." Matt smiled as Gabby say that, liking the fact that she defended him to his best friend. "Thank you so much." Gabby agreed with Matt. "However, Heather also offered to make us a to-go bag if you want to head home." Matt shook his head. "Kelly will leave if we need to leave."
Gabby agreed with her husband. "Though, we can leave too if you want to. We can go home, take it easy and just relax. I can hold you in my arms ahead of shift tomorrow. You need to rest baby and just take it easy." Matt sighed as he thought about it. That was when he heard Heather come outside. "You want leftovers? Or are you going to eat with us? I was about to set the plates down on the table since the boys forgot to do the plates." Matt just looked at Gabby and sighed. "Honestly Heather, I'm not sure whether it's a good idea for me to be here. There's still so much drama between me and Severide, that I just need to take it easy." Heather agreed with Matt, as that made sense. "I'll make you some food to go." Matt smiled, as he appreciated that.