Hi Readers: And welcome to a new story I hope to write for you guys. Though, I need to warn you that I am still dealing with some writer's block. And while I hope to promise that this story will stay published, I truly can't make that promise as I have no clue what the future holds when it comes to my stories when I first post them. But, for now, I hope you guys enjoy the story as it is right now.
Chapter 1
Part 1: Halstead Home, Chicago
December 22, 2018 – She was up much earlier than he expected her to be this morning; after all, today was the first day of his Christmas holidays. Their first as husband and wife, which is why Jay Halstead thought that his gorgeous wife (emphasis on gorgeous) would still be in bed with him when he woke up this morning. When he woke up to the feeling of her sexy body right against his chest, more than ready to have him roll over on top of her and give her some of what he wanted last night; but alas, she wasn't in bed with him when he woke up. Though, she was still nearby, in the shower of their home, which is precisely where Jay was about to join her (and her delicious body) this morning so that he could figure out just why she was awake so early…and maybe even get a bit of attention. But first, he turned his head to look down at his Jack Russell Terrier, Jack (who he has for his PTSD), to get him to leave. "Go, out to bed boy." Barking, Jack agreed with his master when he said that, prior to running away. Meanwhile, Jay sighed as that was the last thing he wanted to hear.
His little dog barking, as it was going to give away just what he was hoping to do with his gorgeous wife, Alexandra "Alex" Casey-Halstead, this morning. And if the name Casey sounds familiar to you, it's due to the fact that Alex isn't just Jay's wife; rather, she's also the sister of Captain Matthew Casey of the Chicago Fire Department. Who, in turn, was the entire reason why she was awake this early in the morning in the first place. That reason being due to the fact that yesterday was her brother's last shift as a firefighter in the CFD, something which Jay forgot as he took off his towel and hung it up next to that of his gorgeous wife's, only to open the door to admire her gorgeous body. "I would be much more turned on than I am right now, if you were naked in bed with me; rather than in the shower, where it's not as easy to get you pregnant." Snickering as she turned her head and looked at her husband of six months and thirteen days, Alex shook her head. "And I would've gladly done that if you were up on time this morning." Jay was confused.
After all, he was up on time this morning; in fact, he was up early for a Christmas vacation Saturday morning…just three days before Christmas. "First of all, I'm on holidays from work; second, it's Saturday; and lastly, it's Christmas holidays." Alex sighed as she turned her head and looked at her husband. "Either come in here to wash me or close the door and go make me breakfast. I need to be at the firehouse at 8:30." Yes, it was that early in the morning. In fact, it was currently 7:45 in the morning, which was on purpose due to the fact that Alex didn't want to have to worry about the snow, which is always bad around here due to the fact that they live downtown near Lake Michigan. "Sorry, the firehouse, what?" Alex just sighed as she turned around and looked at her sexy, naked husband. "Just get in here, so that I can explain all over again. You know, like I told you last night when I told you to set your alarm." Jay nodded as his wife said that, prior to stepping into the shower with the woman he loves this morning; the woman he wants to enjoy in bed.
But, it seems like this is the only place he's going to enjoy her for the moment; so, rather than waste this opportunity to do so, Jay placed his hands on her hips and brought her gorgeous body against his chest. Meanwhile, Alex placed her hands on her handsome husband's toned chest and smirked as she rubbed it while staring into his gorgeous eyes. "God, you are such a hunk." Smiling, Jay agreed with his wife as he bent down and kissed her softly; only to have Alex wrap her arms around his neck as she started to kiss him nice and slowly. "I love you." Jay agreed with his wife, as he loves her too. "I love you too. Now, what's this about the firehouse?" Alex sighed as she placed her hands on her husband's toned chest. "Babe, yesterday was Matt's last shift at the firehouse." Jay then realized that. "Oh, right." Shaking her head as she moved her hand to the back of Jay's head, Alex brought her husband close to her; only to kiss him softly as they held each other close in the shower. Something which is very sexy, especially since she's hormonal.
So hormonal, that she'd easily have sex with her husband here in the shower if he wanted to, which is most certainly did as he bent down and kissed her neck. "Oh, baby." Smirking, Jay placed his hands on Alex's hips and started to suck on her neck as a way to turn her on; something he was doing quite easily due to the fact that he's such a hunk. "I'm sorry babe." Turning her head, Alex agreed with Jay as she knew that he was sorry. "Don't worry, you can make it up to me. I invited Matt and Gabby to come over and stay the weekend through Christmas with us." Jay looked at his wife when she said that. "You did what now?" Alex sighed when her husband said that. "It's their first Christmas with their daughter Sofia. She's a week old, so they're going to be tired. I thought it'd be nice of us to just host them and allow them to rest, while we take care of them. Plus, I want to spend some time with my new niece before we have to start travel again in January for work." Jay sighed, as he knew that was the truth…as they had business in California in January.
Alex then wrapped her arms around his neck and smiled as she kissed him softly. "I'm coming, so don't worry. I'll be there with you, where we can have fun in the sun. Emphasis on the fun." Jay smirked as Alex said that, as that sounds like a lot of fun. The two of them having fun in the sun, as they take it easy and have some sex. "You want to have some fun right now?" Alex agreed with her husband, as she did. "Of course. But first, how are you doing? Only three days before your first Christmas as both my husband…and without your dad." Jay sighed, as that was something he was still dealing with: the fact that his dad just died in October, which meant that this was the first Christmas where neither of his parents were around to celebrate Christmas. "I'm dealing with it as well as I can, I promise. I promise that I'm going to be happy, because I have you. It just hurts that our kids will never meet my parents." Alex agreed with her husband, well aware that was the case. "Speaking of kids, I am ovulating." Jay smirked and nodded, only to kiss her slowly.
After which, he picked her up in his arms once more and started to give her exactly what she wanted: him in the shower, making sweet love to her as they took things extremely slow this morning. And right now, that was precisely what the couple were doing; they were taking things nice and slow with each other, as they took a nice shower ahead of them going to her brother's retirement breakfast.
He came out of the washroom wearing the boxers he brought into the washroom with him prior to joining his wife in the shower, only to have her leave before him; right in the middle of them enjoying each other. Though, that was fine as he knew that they would have many more times to enjoy each other going forward now that he was on holidays. Plus, he had stuff to do in the washroom anyways; more specifically, he had to shave before coming out of the washroom. And let's just say that Jay loved the sight in front of him when he came out of the washroom: his wife, wearing some very sexy lingerie for him as she prepared to put on her dress for the day. However, that was the last thing Jay wanted her to do at the moment, as he wanted to touch her first. "Are you really going to put that dress on, before you give me a chance to touch you in that lingerie?" Turning around when she heard Jay's voice, Alex smirked as she most certainly wasn't going to do that (now). "Oh, not anymore." Smirking, Jay agreed with Alex as he walked over to her.
Throwing his towel down onto their bed as he did so, Jay smirked as he just knew that this was precisely what the both of them wanted this morning. They both wanted to hold each other close, while sharing a sexy kiss in each other's undergarments. And that was precisely what Jay started to do the moment he was standing in front of his gorgeous wife, and she was against his chest after he tugged her against it. "God, you are so damn sexy." Placing her hands on Jay's toned chest, Alex nodded as she felt the same way about him. He's so muscular and sexy, that it turns her on whenever he's shirtless (as he is right now). "I feel the same way about you. Just the way you look when you're shirtless like this makes me so hormonal." Jay nodded as Alex said that, prior to leaning in and kissing his wife softly; only to move his hand to her neck as he whispered to her. "I hope you know that you're getting me later when we're home since you're wearing that lingerie." Alex smirked when Jay said that, as that was precisely what she wanted anyways.
She wanted to have her husband all to herself, as they take it nice and easy with each other in the comfort of their bed. "Oh, I never doubted that I would have you in bed anyways. We both know that you're addicted to me and my body." Jay snickered as Alex said that. "And you aren't addicted to me and my body?" Alex shook her head. "I never said that, because I most certainly am addicted to your body; I always will be, my sexy military veteran." Jay smirked as Alex said that, as that most certainly is exactly what he is. A military veteran of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, which led to him having PTSD. PTSD, which is so bad, that he needs to have a service dog; the dog you already met, Jack. "So, should I bring Jack to the firehouse or keep him here?" Biting her lip, Alex placed her hands on Jay's back as she wrapped her arms around him. "I would bring him, as he needs to get exercise anyways." Jay agreed with his wife, as that most certainly is the truth. "Yeah, I know." Jay then smirked as he kissed Alex softly. "I love you so much."
Alex agreed with her husband as she went to kiss him once more, only to have her phone interrupt her; so, she turned her head and sighed when she saw that it was her sister Christie. "Sorry, I have to get this. It's Christie." Jay agreed with his wife as he let her go, only to walk away to his dresser so that he could grab some pants. "Go ahead. By the way, jeans okay?" Alex agreed, as that was more than okay. "Yes." Going to grab her phone, Alex smiled as she answered her sister's call. "Hey sis." Christie agreed with Alex when she said that. "Good, it doesn't seem like I'm interrupting your child-making time with your husband." Alex laughed when Christie said that. "Oh no, that's already done. But yes, we need to get on that before Matt and Gabby have a second kid." Christie agreed. "Speaking of their kid, is it today that we're going to see her? Or is it tomorrow? I forget." Alex smiled. "Today is the breakfast at Matt's firehouse, then they're coming over for Christmas. We're hosting." Christie laughed when Alex said that, while Alex decided to put her phone on speaker.
After all, she did need to get dressed; so, if the phone was on the bed, she could do that much easier. Little did she know, Christie was going to make a comment which offended her husband. "I can only imagine that Jay is going to love that. Last time I checked, he's going to hear that baby crying. It's going to drive him nuts, especially when he wants to have a kid with you." Jay then went to speak up, letting his sister-in-law know that she was on speakerphone. "Hey Christie." Christie then realized that she was, indeed on speakerphone; while Alex went to grab her dress and started to put it on. "I'm on speakerphone, aren't I?" Alex agreed. "I'm trying to get dressed so that we can go to the firehouse for breakfast." Alex said, prior to tugging her dress up and going to put it on over her shoulders; while Jay finished doing his pants up, only to make his way over to his wife so that he could help her for a moment. And just how did he help her? He grabbed the zipper on the back of her dress, prior to doing it up like the good husband he is.
After which, Alex turned around and smiled. "Thanks babe." Jay agreed as he stepped close to his wife, prior to placing his hands on her hips and kissing her softly. "Want me to make a bit of breakfast?" Alex shook her head. "Just put your shirt on and then go take Jack out. We're having breakfast at the firehouse with my family." Jay agreed with his wife, prior to kissing her one last time ahead of him walking away to his closet where he had to get a shirt; meanwhile, Alex returned to the conversation she was having with her sister. "You guys are so next to have a baby." Laughing, Alex agreed with Christie. "By the way, you do know why Matt is retiring, right?" Christie agreed. "Yeah, I know. PTSD. I mean, that's just horrible." Alex agreed. "Especially when he has it from his time with dad. I mean, that's even worse now that he and Gabby have a kid." Christie agreed. "I love that they have Sofia. She's adorable and I call dibs on holding her first!" Alex sighed. "Christie, you do know that mom is coming, right?" Christie then realized that.
Of course, their mother was going to be there. "And that reminds me. You're in charge of picking her up and driving her when you come to our place. Matt and Gabby are going to stay here over Christmas, so that he can get the rest he needs after working. They have a newborn, and I offered to take care of them over Christmas. That means that me and Jay already have Matt and Gabby here, while you need to get mom for us. She's coming here, and that's final. And if you ruin Christmas by fighting with her, then you're gone. And I don't care if you like my indoor pool, you can go to one of our gyms and swim there." Christie agreed with her sister. "I've been going to the Lakeshore one. The one you guys created with part of Lakeshore Hospital. By the way, why did you do that?" Alex laughed. "The clinic was already created, as well as the rehab center. We just had to build the athletic parts of the building. Was cheaper. Apparently, Jay wants to do that more. Buy an old hospital, put the health stuff in the old hospital; then, just add on athletics."
Thinking about it, Christie agreed as that was quite smart. "That sounds smart. I like that idea." Alex agreed and smiled, until she heard Jay yell out for her. "ALEX, YOUR MOM'S HERE!" Confused, Alex was surprised as was Christie. "Mom's there?" Alex bit her lip. "Apparently. Listen, I need to go sis. Make sure that you're there on time. See you later." Christie agreed, prior to hanging up. Doing the same, Alex went to grab her phone and then looked around. "Oh, I'll just leave it here. Have to do my makeup anyways." Alex said, prior to throwing her phone down onto the bed so that she can go see just why her mom is here and whether she's okay.
Coming downstairs this morning, Alex was surprised when she saw her mother there with some of her bags. "Mom." Looking up at her younger daughter, Nancy smiled. "Hi Alex." Alex smiled when her mom said that. "What are you doing here? I thought you weren't coming until later." Nancy nodded. "I thought about that, then I realized that it'd just be easier to come before the breakfast. I know, it's early. But, I have my things and I just didn't want to lug them around when we're all going to want to spend time with each other." Alex agreed with her mom as she walked over to her. "Well, at least we can give you a ride." Jay agreed with his wife, who soon turned to look at him. "Jay, can you take the bags to my mom's room?" Biting his lip, Jay realized that he forgot which room that was, which led to Alex reminding him. "The one by the laundry." Turning her head, Nancy looked at her daughter. "Excuse me?" Alex sighed. "The one with the private bathroom and shared balcony. The other ones have a Jack-n-Jill bathroom. I'm leaving that for Christie and Vi."
Nancy agreed with her daughter, as that was smart. "Very smart." Alex agreed with her mother, as that was exactly why she did it. "Yes, I know. Plus, it means that you don't need to deal with Violet late at night. You know, her and her iPad." Nancy agreed with her daughter, as that made sense. "Such a smart woman I gave birth to." Alex nodded, well aware that she missed out on a lot of things while she grew up. And that sentence was precisely how she explained that. "I promise, we're going to make up for that over the next couple years; just like we did when you walked me down the aisle to marry Jay." Nancy smiled as she agreed with her daughter, only to hug her. "Here, want me to help you with your jacket?" Nancy shook her head. "Aren't we just headed to Matt and Gabby's?" Alex sighed. "We're actually about to head out. I know, you probably want to sit down for a minute. But, we just need to put…" And that was when Jack came running over to Alex and Nancy, prior to barking. "Hi Jack, you want to say hi to grandma?" Alex smiled.
After all, that's precisely what she is to Jack right now. And right now, grandma was about to say hi…until Alex saw something. "Oh, mom. Don't touch him." Confused as she was crouching in front Jack, Nancy turned her head to look up at her daughter confused. "Jack is wearing his jacket right now. You see?" Turning her head once more, Nancy saw that Jack was in fact wearing his special jacket. "Right. PTSD." Alex agreed with her mother, as did Jay. "I think I can make a quick exception." Sighing, Alex looked at her husband. "Jay, that's not what the trainer said." Jay sighed. "Maybe I put it on too early." Getting up, Alex agreed. "Take it off for a bit." Alex said, as she walked over to Jay and then patted his chest. "And make my mom some tea? I'll take her bags to her room." Jay then looked at his wife. "it's easier if I do it, so that they're in the right room. Just make her tea, I'll finish with my makeup, then we can go." Alex said, as she placed her hand on her husband's cheek; only to kiss the other one softly as she whispered to him. "I love the cologne you chose."
Jay smiled as Alex mentioned that. "I knew you would. Now, go so that we aren't late for breakfast. Didn't Gabby say that she wants us there on time so that we can help with Sofia?" Nancy smiled. "No, that's my job. It's why I need a ride with you guys. Though, I hope it's not a bother that I'm staying here?" Alex shook her head, as it most certainly wasn't. "Matt and Gabby are coming here after. We're hosting Christmas, and they're staying. Just makes it easier for them and Sofia." Nancy agreed, as it most certainly does. "Are they going to her parents at any point?" Alex sighed. "Mom, I have no idea. I literally spent the past couple days getting things ready." Which is when Alex remembered something. "Oh, Jay. Please, do me a favor and go make sure that the grocery order is confirmed. Then, get that turkey out of the basement freezer and put it in this one up here. I made space in there especially for it, so that it can stay cold but not too cold. Mom, make sure it doesn't go in the fridge because I bought it at Costco and it's a really big one."
Nancy agreed with her daughter, prior to watching her walk away; meanwhile, Jay let out a sigh as he knew how stressed his wife was. "She wants to make sure that the first-time hosting Christmas goes perfect." Nancy agreed with her son-in-law, as that was her daughter. "That's my daughter for you. Now listen, you do what you need to do…and I'm going to talk to my daughter; make sure that she knows that, as long as we're together as a family, it'll be a perfect Christmas." Jay smiled and agreed with Nancy, only to hug her. "Thanks mom." Nancy agreed as she hugged him, only to place her hand on his face. "How are you doing, by the way? You know…" Jay sighed. "I'm okay. I think us hosting will be good, not just because it'll give Matt and Gabby a break. It'll distract me and allow me to just take it easy at times." Nancy agreed with her son-in-law. "Just remember that I'm here to help if you need it. It's why we're coming here. And don't worry about trying for a grandchild, I want one from you guys." Jay shook his head and snickered at his mother-in-law.
After which, he admitted something to Nancy. "You do realize that this was really Matt's request? Did he not tell you about his diagnosis?" Nancy was confused when she heard Jay say that. "What are you talking about?" Jay sighed. "It's not my place. You can ask Matt when we're at the firehouse." Nancy then looked at her son-in-law once more, not impressed. "Fine. It's about the reason why Matt is retiring from the CFD." Nancy was confused. "I thought it was because you were offering him a new position at your company related to firefighters?" Jay nodded, as that was part of the truth. "You'll have to ask your son when you see him. It's about his health." And let's just say that really set Nancy off. "Tell my daughter that I'll see her at the firehouse. I'm going to talk to my son." Nancy said, prior to turning around and walking away to go to the firehouse before them; after all, she clearly needs to speak to her son about something he didn't tell her. The real reason why he's retiring from the CFD…something related to his health, which scared her.
Part 2: The Firehouse
20 Minutes Later – Firehouse 51, Blue Island Avenue – She arrived at the firehouse like the worried mom she was. Then again, could you blame Nancy Casey? She just learned that her son was retiring from the fire department. And from what she learned from her son-in-law; it was related to his health? That was news to her, and she wasn't very happy with her son over the fact that she wasn't made apprise of this prior to her daughter and son-in-law. After all, they had the closest of relationships out of all her children. He was there for her when she needed defending against his father, there when he basically saved his younger sister's life; and he was there for her once again when she got out on parole. Yet, she had to learn second hand the fact that he was retiring from the CFD? And that was precisely what she planned on talking to him about right now, as she walked through the firehouse. Though, there was just one problem; she had no idea where her son's office was. That was, until someone got up and looked at her. "Hi, can I help you?"
Turning her head, Nancy looked at the woman who stood up; only to smile at the paramedic who made her way over to her. "Yes. Sorry, I guess I should've called ahead of time. I'm here looking for Captain Casey? This is the right firehouse, right?" Nodding, the paramedic agreed. "Yes it is. Who might you to if I need to tell him who's here?" Nancy smiled. "His mom, Nancy." Nodding, Sylvie agreed with Nancy. "Well, I'll go tell him. I'm Sylvie by the way." Sylvie said, as she placed her hand on her arm; only to have Nancy realize just who was trying to touch her. After all, she knew all about what she did to her son and daughter-in-law…who was pregnant at the time. So, she decided to pull her arm away and slap her across the face; only to have another member of the firehouse walk over. "Excuse me, ma'am. I would…" Nancy then yelled at Sylvie. "How dare you try and touch me after what you did to my daughter-in-law! Especially while she was pregnant with my granddaughter!" And that was when Matt came out of his office. "Mom."
He said, having heard his mother's voice. "What are you…" Nancy then pointed to Sylvie. "You ma'am have messed with the wrong family! My son was abused by his father, and you did the same to his wife, who was pregnant with my granddaughter! Shame on you!" Matt then sighed as he looked at his mother. "I know mom. Please, just take it easy. Relax. We're going to deal with that in the new year, I promise. Listen, just go find Kelly and we can talk there." Nancy agreed with her son. "Yes, we do need to talk. Where's your office?" Matt sighed. "Over there, the one with the boxes." Nancy agreed with her son, prior to walking away; after all, she needed to talk to her son. Meanwhile, Matt needed to talk to Sylvie. "Sylvie, I wish I could say that I was sorry for that. But, I don't blame my mother for what she did." Sylvie just looked at Matt. "Excuse me?" Matt nodded. "Sylvie, you abused Gabby. You threw the ambo bag at her! Why do you think you're not becoming PIC?" Sylvie just looked at Matt. "I'm not?" Matt shook his head. "Chief will talk to you."
Sylvie gulped, nervous about what that meant. Meanwhile, Herrmann just looked at Matt. "Do I need to make sure that doesn't happen again or?" Watching as Sylvie walked away, Matt sighed as he got close to Herrmann. "No. But, she deserved it. She threw the ambo bag at Gabby while she was pregnant with Sofia. So, believe me, I've been waiting to do something like that for a while." Herrmann agreed with Matt when he said that, as that made sense. "Well, I'm sorry that you guys have to deal with that. And I hate that this is leading you to quit. What's next for you, anyways?" Matt sighed. "That's not the only reason I'm quitting. Gabby and my sisters are coming for the retirement party, which will explain everything." Herrmann was shocked. "Retirement?" Matt sighed as he got close to Herrmann. "I just got diagnosed with PTSD." Taken aback when he heard Matt say that, Herrmann was surprised. "Keep it quiet? I'm not saying anything until later when everybody's here. My family's coming for breakfast, I think." Herrmann agreed.
However, he had a question first. "Does Severide know?" Matt was a bit perplexed. "Which part?" Herrmann just looked at Matt. "What parts are there?" Matt sighed. "Sylvie, or the PTSD? Which are you talking about?" Herrmann then realized, maybe he should ask about both. "Both, then." Matt sighed. "Yeah, he knows about both. Me and him have been talking of late. By the way, promise me something?" Herrmann nodded. "What is it?" Turning his head to look at his friend through the window, Matt then spoke to Herrmann. "Look out for him? He's still dealing with his father's death, and I'm not ready to have to attend another one of my brothers' funerals. With me and Gabby having just had Sofia…I'm in this state where I know that Andy's dead since I watched him die in front of my eyes; yet, on the other hand, I'm still thinking that he's going to just come out of hiding so that he can watch me experience fatherhood with Sofia." Getting close to Matt, Herrmann went to hug him. "I'm sorry Matt." Matt agreed, nodding.
After all, this is a hard time for him. "Oh, by the way. Don't you dare think this means that you can book me and Gabby for shifts at Molly's. I already have a new job." Herrmann was surprised. "You moving to HQ?" Matt shook his head. "No, I'm uhm…I'm going to work for my brother-in-law. He's looking into providing more PTSD services. Right now, he mostly concentrates on PTSD in military veterans and police officers; however, he wants to expand it to help more people. I'm going there to help him expand to firefighters, paramedics, and survivors of domestic and sexual abuse." Herrmann was surprised when he heard Matt say that. "Matt, that sounds like a really noteworthy cause for you to help out with. I always knew you were a leader, which was established by what you do here each and every day; but that just sounds groundbreaking." Matt agreed with Herrmann. "Add in the fact that I intend on bringing awareness to male victims of sexual assault…and I hope that makes a world of difference." Herrmann smiled at Matt.
After all, he most certainly is going to make great change in the world. "I swear, you're still making me proud. Though, do me a favor and make me Captain first?" Walking up behind Matt, Kelly laughed. "Yeah, I don't think so Herrmann. You're a Lieutenant of two months. I'm a Lieutenant of eight years. If anybody is moving up, it's me." Matt then turned to look at Kelly. "No, I am not making any recommendations. Honestly, if I had it my way; we wouldn't be having this breakfast, and I would be at my sister's place relaxing." Kelly agreed with Matt. "Let me guess, you want to see Sofia?" And just then, Gabby came in with Sofia. "Did someone say they want to see Sofia?" Smiling when he heard Gabby, Matt soon made his way over to his wife. "Hey, what are you doing here?" Matt said, as he walked up to his girl; only to wrap his arm around her and place his hand on her neck, kissing her in the process. "I'm here for breakfast. Your mom here already?" Matt agreed. "Yes. Here, how about you come with me? She's in my office."
Gabby shook her head. "No, you take her to your mom. I'm going to stay here and talk to the firehouse for a bit. Plus, I need to make some breakfast." Matt shook his head. "No, you just gave birth 8 days ago." Turning his head, Matt looked at Herrmann. "If she tries to make me breakfast, then sit her down." Herrmann agreed with Matt, only to look at the time. "Got it, former Captain." Matt agreed with Herrmann, only to realize what he said. "Excuse me?" Herrmann then looked at the time. "We're off the clock. You said you're leaving. You're a former, now." Matt sighed, prior to looking at Gabby. "Here, how about you take Sofia and sit with Herrmann. Herrmann, do me a favor and keep an eye on the woman on the couch. I don't want her anywhere near my wife or daughter." And that was when Stella came out. "Oh, don't worry Matt. Her bodyguard just got here." Gabby smiled when Stella said that. "Hey girl." Stella agreed, smiling as she walked up to her and then went to hug her. "Let's go sit down. I want to hold Sofia for a bit."
Gabby agreed, prior to looking at Matt who had this look in her eyes. "Stella, can you go set me and Sofia up at the end of the table near Matt? I can see that he needs to talk to me." Stella was confused, but just agreed. "Got it." Going to grab the stroller, Stella pushed it away so that she can bring Sofia to the end of the table. Meanwhile, Gabby looked at her husband. "Spill.. What's going on?" Matt sighed as he looked at Gabby. "My mom knows about me retiring. I was going to talk to her today when we were at my sister's place, but I guess they told her?" Gabby sighed. "By the way, I have all of our bags in the car. And I brough you these. You can change into them if you want before we go." Gabby said, as she gave her husband a gym bag with some clothes he can wear to Jay and Alex's place. "Thanks." Matt said, as he leaned in and kissed his beautiful wife softly. "Maybe we can ask my sister to watch Sofia at some point, and we can have a bit of time together in our room there?" Smirking, Gabby loved that idea. "To try for our little Andy."
Matt sighed when Gabby said that, prior to wrapping his arm around her and whispering to her. "My office, after you say hi to my mom? We need to talk about that." Gabby agreed with her husband, only to feel him grab her hand and intertwine their fingers. "Be back soon guys." Everybody agreed with Matt, prior to watching him and Gabby walking away to his office. But first, Gabby spoke to Stella. "If she needs me…" Stella nodded. "I'll be right there. I promise." Gabby agreed, prior to following Matt to his office.
Matt's Office, Firehouse 51 – Walking into his office with Gabby, Matt took a breath when he saw his mother looking at the pictures he was packing up. "I have to say, this has to be my favorite one in here Matt. You, Gabby, and Sofia together." Smiling, Matt agreed as he felt the same way. "I feel the same way. Nothing like me and my girls in the same picture." Gabby agreed and smiled as she walked in ahead of Matt, while he closed his door behind them; after which, Nancy turned to look at her son. "Ok, you're closing your door. What's wrong?" matt sighed as he looked at his mother. "Mom, I need to talk to you first. Gabby, how about you take a minute and rest. That's why I asked you to come. Let the house take care of Sofia, you just get rest. You took care of her all night." Gabby agreed, prior to going to sit down on his bed. Meanwhile, Matt looked at his mother. "Now, mom. I need to say this. What you did to Sylvie was unacceptable." Nancy just looked at Matt. "Excuse me? After what she did to your wife?" Matt sighed as he looked at his mom.
After all, he was still on the clock. "Mom! How about first you look at the time? It's only 8:15! I'm still on the clock for another 45 minutes! That means that, if she makes a complaint to headquarters or the city…you're putting me in a hard spot. Yes, you're my mother and I understand why you did that. But…I'm also liable, because it happened on my watch as Captain. And right now, I have a clean record. And according to Chief, I've met the requirements to retire with honors and merit. That's extra money in my pension. If there's a report about this on my last shift, then that could screw me over. Mom. That's tax-free income, which I can use to pay off my mortgage, my loans, and then invest in Sofia's education. Because, I'm not going to need to live off my pension. I'm going to have my salary from Jay. So, that money is tax-free savings for me. And I love you, but please refrain from doing anything until I'm off shift. Then, have at it. Believe me, I want to mom. I do." Matt then went to look at Gabby. "I mean it Gabby." Gabby agreed with her husband.
After all, she knew how hurt he was over what happened; and how bad he wanted to punish Sylvie for what she did to her in May, especially since she was pregnant at the time. "Mom. Think about this. She did that to your daughter-in-law. But me, she did it to my wife, who was pregnant with our daughter at the time. You don't think I want to yell at her and give a piece of my mind? She could've killed Gabby and Sofia! And I'm sorry to yell at you, but please don't screw me over! I'm already dealing with enough. I have PTSD, and I'm trying to keep it together." Matt said, as he went to sit down; after which, Gabby just looked at her husband. "What's wrong, baby?" Matt sighed. "I'm missing Andy a lot of late, now that we have Sofia, which is why I had to retire in the first place…" Gabby sighed, as she knew what he was talking about. "Let me guess. You thinking about Sofia and Andy has been activating your PTSD more often?" Matt nodded, as that was the truth. "That's the entire reason I need to leave, as it wasn't safe for me. Hell, I…"
Matt then looked down. "Things have been hard for me of late. This year has been one of the best and worst for me. My dreams are coming true, yet others are ending. Mom, this was my dream career. I always wanted to be a firefighter. You think I wanted to retire? That I wanted to leave this job? That I want to voluntarily work in the private sector?" Going to sit down with Gabby, Nancy sighed. "Mom, I love you. And I get that this a shock for you. But for me, this is a lot worse. Hell, the reason why we haven't had you over is because I've been in a dark place recently. And Gabby can attest to this…I've gone there. I've had the nightmares in the middle of the night. Me not coming home, leaving her and Sofia to fend for themselves; me committing…" Taking a breath, Matt couldn't even admit this to himself until now. "Me committing suicide because it was all overwhelming. The way I failed my wife, the way I spoke to her in May, the way I couldn't protect her from Sylvie. Other than when I was abused by dad, I haven't been in such a dark place before."
Taking a breath, Matt looked down. "And that's hard for me to admit." Getting up from the bed, Gabby walked over to her husband and then crouched down. "Hey, don't even go there. You're okay Matt. Everything's okay. We're going to get through this." Taking a breath, Matt agreed with Gabby as he stared into her eyes. "I hope you know that I mean it every time I say that I'm sorry for what I said. I mean it Gabby, I just…" Getting up, Gabby went to hug her husband and just held him close. "Hey, it's okay. Everything's good." Matt agreed with his wife and just took a breath, while Nancy looked at her son. "Matt, I had no idea that this was going on in your life. I just wish you opened up to me." Matt just looked at his mother. "Mom, I hate to tell you this but…we still don't have that relationship. Hell, you missed me and Alex's weddings! You only came back when you learned that me and Gabby were having a baby. And while I want you in our lives, it's hard for me to open up to you as you weren't there for me when I needed you."
Nancy nodded, as that was the truth. "I mean, where were you when Hallie died? Not to bring this that far back. But, you had to hear that my fiancé died? I told you when the funeral would be. Yet, you were gone. You didn't come. And even if you didn't like Hallie, you still didn't come to support your own son. Gabby had to bring me out of that hard place in my life. She was the one that brought me out of that dark place. Mom, I had to watch two people I love…Andy, my brother-in-arms, my childhood best friend; and Hallie, my fiancé. The woman I thought I was going to marry. I had to watch them both die in front of my very own eyes within 8 months of each other. I get you were in jail when Andy died. But, you couldn't have come back when Hallie died? After what I did for you? How I alienated myself from Alex and Christie, just to help you; when neither of them wanted to be the ones to put you up in a house? Mom, you could've helped me in my time of need. Oh, and when me and Gabby lost our first child. You didn't even contact us."
Gabby agreed with her husband, as that was the truth. "Yeah, and don't even mention our wedding. Hell, we didn't even want the firehouse there at first. But, they came and that was all that mattered." Matt agreed with his wife, as that was the truth. "So mom, there is so much that you don't know. Mom, I just found out like three weeks ago. In that time, we had Sofia, I decided to quit my job and join Jay's company, I've been tired, my wife's been recovering in bed, and you haven't visited much. So, sorry if calling you to tell you that I have PTSD and I've decided to quit the CFD wasn't on the top of my priority list. I had to figure out what having it meant. Whether I could feel safe at the CFD anymore, which I don't; especially after what happened between Gabby and Sylvie. So, I decided to quit and find a new job; then, I found one with Jay. Oh, and during this time…I needed to make sure that I still had money to put food on the table and take care of my newborn daughter in the middle of the winter. Mom, that's a lot on it's own. Don't you get it?"
Seeing that her husband was quite frustrated at the moment, Gabby sighed as she looked at her mother-in-law. "Nancy, how about you go sit out there and spend some time with Sofia? I want to talk to Matt for a minute." Nancy agreed, only to look at her son for a moment. "I'm sorry Matt." Matt sighed and agreed with his mom, as he knew she was. "I know mom." Nancy agreed with Matt as she got up, prior to walking out of his office. At the same time, Gabby got up and looked at Matt. "On the bed." Matt agreed as he got up, prior to walking over to his bed so that he and Gabby could lay down with each other for a moment (just like they needed to).
Climbing onto Matt's chest after he laid down on his bed, Gabby sighed as she laid her head down; meanwhile, Matt wrapped his arm around her and took a breath as he turned his head and kissed the top of his gorgeous wife's head. "Did I go too hard on my mom?" Shaking her head, Gabby looked up at Matt as she didn't think he did. "No, I think you did okay." Matt sighed as he pressed his lips to her forehead. "I think that it's just all hitting me now just how much of an impact the firehouse has had on my life. Both positively and negatively." Gabby agreed with her husband when he told her that. "What are some of the highlights?" Smirking, Matt looked down into Gabby's eyes. "I met the love of my life where, who became my gorgeous wife and the mother of my beautiful daughter Sofia, who is the spitting image of her sexy mother." Gabby smiled as Matt said that, prior to wrapping her arms around his torso. "By the way, I went to look at that place you showed me was for sale yesterday." Matt agreed, as he kissed her forehead.
Looking down, Matt smiled. "What did you think of it? Is it somewhere we can live, rather than stay in your mom's basement?" Gabby sighed. "I think we need a bit more space. That was really small. The bedroom is tiny. I measured it out, and it's just too tight with the measurements that we have. My mom is getting that new bedroom set from me and Antonio as a birthday/Christmas gift. So, I was going to take hers since it's nice and we don't need new yet." Matt agreed with his wife. "Yeah, I get that." Gabby sighed. "Add in the crib, the changing table, and the rocking chair; and that's just way too tight. By the way, I asked my mom to wait to give me those Christmas gifts. I said that I wanted them when we find a place. Right now, we just…" Sitting up, Gabby looked down at Matt. "Matt, can you talk to Jay today and try and give you time to find a new place? I think that…before you start work at his company, we need to figure things out for our family. Whether that be us renting a place, or us buying a new house. I just want to be settled first."
Matt agreed with Gabby. "Yeah. And I want to go to the doctor first. I want to get a mental health check." Gabby agreed with her husband. "The suicide stuff scares me Matt. I love you, and I know that you're dealing with a lot. But, I need you to hold on." Placing his hand on the back of Gabby's head, Matt brought her forehead against his and nodded. "Gabby, you risked your life to give me Sofia. I'll hold on forever, because I want to be with you guys forever." Gabby nodded as her husband told her that, well aware that was the case. "And I'm going to do it again when we get pregnant again in the future, that's happening." Matt smiled as he agreed with his wife, only to feel her lay down and cuddle up to him once again this morning. Meanwhile, he wrapped his arm around her back and smiled. "You know, I could always ask my sister to move in with them. They have more room for us." Gabby laughed. "Yeah, not with that dog that could wake Sofia up." Matt agreed with Gabby. "By the way, Andrew is a nice name for a son in the future."
Gabby laughed as Matt said that, well aware that he wants a son, which was when she heard a dog bark, meaning that someone else was here. "I think we both know who that is." Nodding, Matt agreed with his wife prior to kissing the top of her head. "Jay and Alex are here. How about you go out there? I need to go get changed, then I'll come see everybody." Gabby agreed with Matt, prior to getting up and smiling as she went to get up. After which, she went to adjust her clothes. "Later." Matt agreed with his wife, as she most certainly will get him later. "Oh, most definitely." Walking out of his office, Gabby smiled as she went to go find her in-laws. Meanwhile, Matt sighed as he took one last glance around his office; after all, this was the last time he was going to be in here due to the fact that this was no longer his office. Rather, it was going to be another officer's office come next shift. And even though he knew that he was doing the right thing for himself and his family, that didn't mean that there wasn't part of him that was scared.
Scared of the future, and just what the future held for him now that he was no longer a firefighter, which was previously his entire identity (other than being a husband and now, a father). This was his entire life for the past decade-and-a-half. And that was why he wasn't in the right mental space to really work yet, he just hoped that Jay understood when they spoke to each other about it.