A/N : So, don't ask me why or how, but here I am, back with a little story. I don't know if this is going to be a one-shot or a slightly longer story, I'm just going to let my fingers guide me. I watched a few scenes these last few days, a little nostalgic for Dawsey apparently, and I had a few ideas that sat in my mind, ideas that I have to write down otherwise I'll never think of anything else haha.
For context, we are at episode 6x17, after Casey discovered that Dawson and Cordova had a thing years earlier and that she had hidden it from him. Matt comes home, leaving Gabby in the middle of the street, and the next day he ignores her. The ambulance gets a call for a gang shootout, and here we go!
I hope you like it!
G.
Molly's was crowded. It was a usual night at the bar, where cops, firefighters, and regulars mingled for a pleasant evening. Gabby was behind the bar, Matt was chatting on the other side with Mouch and Boden when Cordova entered through the famous door of the bar. Matt hailed him, telling him to join them and that he would buy him a drink to congratulate him on his good work and his integration into the team despite a few difficult first days. Gabby turned to serve him a beer, and it was at that precise moment that the atmosphere quickly changed.
« Is that Jake Cordova? » a customer stood up and came up behind Matt and Cordova.
« Reimers. You still at 93's house? » Cordova greeted him, visibly knowing him.
« I thought you didn't come to Molly's, » Reimers said as he approached.
« Oh, I live across town, » Cordova lied, uncomfortably.
« No, no, that's not it. You said you didn't come here 'cause you used to bang one of the owners, » he said, pointing his beer at Cordova. The atmosphere immediately became tense. Cordova didn't know where to look, his gaze frozen, before looking at his captain and Gabby. Mouch and Boden witnessed the scene, Mouch immediately turning his face to Gabby, having immediately made the connection, just before Matt realized as well. He began to stare at Gabby with a startled look, and the look on Gabby's face only confirmed what he feared. A heavy feeling settled in the air around them. Matt stammered a few words before grabbing his jacket and quickly leaving the bar in which he was suffocating.
« We dated a nanosecond like a decade ago, and I didn't want you to have a bad impression before he had a chance to establish himself, so I didn't say anything, and then you said that you were getting rid of him! » Gabby tried to justify herself as Matt paced in the cold Chicago night.
« How long was a nanosecond? » he finally turned towards her.
« I don't know… Like—like a few weeks, I don't even remember! » Frustratedly, she threw her arms up and down in the air in exasperation. « Babe, please, just put yourself in my shoes, » she begged him.
« Put yourself in mine! » he got annoyed. « You really think I'm going to ding a guy just because of something happened before I even know you? » he questioned her dryly.
« Wh—Wh… » she couldn't even answer, she didn't know what to say anymore to make him understand.
« I just don't understand why you didn't tell me! » he finally conceded. Communication had never been their strong point, but the more time passed, the more he felt that she was hiding things from him or at least failing to tell him some, and that hurt him deeply. This lack of communication, the fact that she leaves him outside of her secret little world. « I'm heading home, » he simply add, disappointed, turning to his truck.
« Matt… » she reached for him, but he didn't pause or turn. « Matt, please! » she tried again to hold him back, but he was opening the door of his truck. « Matt! » she tried once again, desperately. He continued to ignore her, getting in his truck and driving off, letting her alone in the middle of the street. She watched him reach the end of the street before turning and get away from her.
After Matt left her in the middle of the street, Gabby went back inside Molly's. They were all here, watching her. They knew that Matt was gone when they saw her enter alone in the bar. She resumed her service as if nothing had happened but, she struggled to blink away the tears that threatened to spill over. She closed the bar around 1am and headed home. She entered an apartment plunged into darkness. The lights were off, the TV too. She spotted a bottle of beer on the coffee table as she sat on the couch to remove her boots and her coat. She sat there for a moment in the dark, she rested her elbows on her thighs and plunged her face into her hands. She took a deep breath to calm herself and her pounding heart. She tried to think about what she could tell Matt, how she could be forgiven. Thousand thoughts invaded her mind. She raised her head and stared at the door of their bedroom. She ran her hand through her hair, took a deep breath and stood up. She walked slowly to the bedroom, she gently opened the door and she saw him, lying on his side of the bed, facing the opposite wall. She admired his muscular back and noticed at his breathing that he wasn't asleep. She sat on the edge of the bed, and whispered a discreet « Hey, » stroking lovingly his arm, but he didn't answer. She pursed her lips so as not no let out the tears that threatened to sink. She stood up, closed her eyes, and asked him with a trembling voice: « Can I sleep here, or do you prefer that I sleep on the couch? ».
A deep sigh was finally heard. « Don't be silly, you're not going to sleep on the couch, » he just murmured, annoyed.
« Okay, » she simply said as she headed to the adjoining bathroom to get ready for bed. In the shower, she let her tears fall harder and harder. She came out a few minutes later, cleansed, in her nightgown. She checked that their alarm was well-timed for the next day, although given the time and the circumstances, she knew very well that neither of them would sleep easily. She settled on her side of the bed, brought her pillow closer to Matt's, she couldn't sleep if he was too far from her, if she wasn't in his arms. She put her hand on his arm again, and leaned over to kiss his shoulder, but he didn't dare to turn around, didn't even give her a look, a caress, a kiss, not even a word. She fell back on her pillow, and let out a few sobs. « I'm sorry, Matt, I'm really sorry, I should've said something the minute he showed up at 51, I just didn't know how or what… I love you, you know it, and I'm sorry. I'll tell you as much time as you want, I'm really sorry, Matt, » she said before turning around, and setting the time for the rest of the night that they spend back to back.
The next morning, Matt got up before Gabby, She had finally closed her eyes a few moments before the alarm clock. He let her sleep a little longer, and went to make coffee. She joined him in the kitchen a few moments later, barefoot, her black nightgown covered with a cardigan to protect her from the cold early morning. He was pouring coffee when she entered the kitchen, and passing behind him, she stroked his back, and murmured a timid « Good morning, » but Matt was silent, he didn't answer. He settled on his stool at the counter and stared at his plate, not really angry.
« Are you going to give me the cold shoulder for a long time? » Gabby finally asked, annoyed. She understood that he was sad and disappointed, but it wasn't by ignoring it that the situation was going to miraculously improve.
« Uh? What? » Matt simply answered, massaging his temples.
« You left me in the middle of the street. You haven't talked to me since last night, you didn't even kiss me to say good night or good morning, » she put down her knife and looked at him, sad.
« Everything is fine, let's hurry up, we're going to be late! » he said, getting up and making the effort to drop a chaste kiss on her head before going away. Gabby watched him, helpless.
The road to the firehouse had been a heavy silence. Matt didn't leave his eyes from the road, Gabby was lost in her thoughts and watched the city pass before her eyes. Matt parked nearby, and they walked the rest of the way, next to each other, but more distant than usual. He didn't put his arm around her shoulders, he didn't take her hand in his. He just walked in front of her, he had the closed face, hands in his pockets.
« You sure everything's all right? » she asked, worried that he was too tired to work, not focused enough to do his correctly and in security.
« I'm sure, » he replied curtly, before rushing into the apparatus floor.
« Okay, » Gabby shouted after him, shrugging her shoulders. The shift was going to be long, she knew it. The calls were one thing, but not being on good terms with her husband, who was also the captain, brought a tension that she would have preferred not to have to deal with, especially knowing that everything is uncertain in this job, one bad call can destroy everything in a matter of time.
« Hey, captain.I feel like I need to explain, » Cordova was in the locker room when Matt entered. « I never meant to put anyone in an uncomfortable position, I'm sorry! » Cordova tried to justify himself.
« It was a long time ago, I don't care, » Matt answered. « Gabby's my wife now, and I'm your boss. It's not gonna get in the way of my job. So it better not get in the way of yours, » he explained in a firm tone.
« No, of course not, » Cordova said.
« Good, » Matt set his bag down on the bench in the locker room. Then, with one last glance at Cordova, he added, « I'm gonna get some coffee, » his way of saying it had been a long night and the day ahead was announced to be even longer.
«Ambulance 61. Male injured. Cause unknown. 257 W. Kamerling Ave.» sirens announced within Firehouse 51. The men from Truck 81 and Engine 51 continued to go about their business here and there, those from Squad 3 played cards at their usual table on the apparatus floor. Gabby joined Brett at the foot of the ambulance: « That's our song they're playing! ».
When they arrived on scene, the paramedics quickly realized that the situation was far from what the dispatch system had described. Two victims were on the ground, apparently with gunshot wounds.
« I'll call a second ambo, » Brett informed her PIC as Gabby grabbed the first aid bag and ran toward the victims.
« Hey buddy, what's your name? » Gabby joined one of the victims, lying on the ground, coughing, his hand on his abdomen to cover a gunshot wound.
« Savion, » the injured man managed to answer, out of breath.
« What happened? You and your friend having a duel? » Gabby questioned him, kicking away the gun he still held in his hand to avoid any further incident.
« Screw that punk! » he began to yell, lifting his torso.
« Hey! Stay still, you have two bullets in your stomach! » Gabby gently pushed him back to the ground.
« All right, one to the chest, one to the abdomen, no exit wound. The pulse is weak! » Brett examined the second injured man.
« Good! » Gabby's patient rejoiced.
« Hey! » Gabby got annoyed.
« Fix me, not him! » he became threatening. « I can't move my damn legs! » he added.
A second ambulance arrived on the scene, a private ambulance. « Oh, not what we thought it was! » the woman said as she got out of the ambulance.
« What the hell does that mean? » Brett asked.
« We thought this call was from a couple blocks over! We're not allowed to take high-risk patients, » Greg replied.
« High-risk for what? » Brett argued with them, not understanding.
« No insurance! » Gabby, she, knew the answer.
« Well, you're already two, so… » the private paramedics quickly walked back to their vehicle.
« Hey, you can't leave us here! We have multiple victims! » Brett stood up to try to get them to stay as men from rival gangs crept up near the scene of the shooting and gunfire began to be exchanged from all sides.
« Watch out! » Gabby started screaming as she tried to protect herself while Brett was protected by the private ambulance. « Uh.. Oh… Oh… » Gabby tried to lie down on the ground, shielding her head with her arms to avoid the bullets, while trying to treat the wounds of the man beneath her.
« Dawson! » Brett screamed as the private ambulance sped away. Panicked, she hid between the ambulance doors, helplessly watching the scene in front of her. She had abandoned her patient, but more importantly, her teammate. When she saw that her teammate had a new moment of getting cold feet, Gabby couldn't help but was strongly annoyed. She was alone, with two men wounded by gunfire, left to her own devices as the sound of gunfire echoed through the streets during the shooting spree.
« Need a 10-1 to 257 W. Kamerling Ave. We got an active shooter situation! » Gabby yelled into her radio to sound the alarm and get back up while trying to avoid the hail of bullets.
« Yeah! » the man she was trying to treat added, clearly finding the situation amusing. Rapid gunfire came from all sides, from behind trash cans, from behind cars. « Yeah, Yeah! » he continued to add while trying to get up and moving in all directions.
« Hey, do you want to die? You got to hold still, ok? So I can bandage you to take it to the hospital, » Gabby tried to reason with the young man as the bullets continued to rain down and the screams of other men grew closer and closer.
In the distance, the sirens and horns of the fire truck grew louder and louder, drawing closer to the scene. The truck was preceded by the chief's buggy, which was speeding to the scene at full speed. « Come on, let's move, they're going to call the cops! » one of the shooters, located behind the dumpster, yelled to his buddies as they continued to shoot. Boden quickly got out of his vehicle, yelling a ceasefire. « We're here to help you! Hold your fire! » he shouted from his side as Truck 81 pulled across the road to try to protect the paramedics and victims. « Hold your fire! Hold your fire! » Cordova jumped out of the truck, put his arms in the air and tried to scare the shooters away, but it was a few moments before they fled and the shooting stopped.
« You okay? He heard your 10-1! » Casey panicked as he got out of the truck, as he saw Brett finally ran back to his patient who was starting to deteriorate significantly.
It was at this precise moment that Gabby suddenly collapsed face first against her patient who began to scream with what little strength he had left « Heyyyy! What's going on? Move on, girl! » drawing all the attention to him. With all the commotion, no one realized she had been shot.
« Dawson! Dawson! My god! Quick! » Hermann yelled. At the sound of those words, Matt felt a sense of panic sink in. He was rooted to the spot as he watched the scene unfold before his eyes.
« Gabby, » he whispered, frozen in place, before realizing the seriousness of the situation. « Gabby! My god! Gabby! » he took the few steps that separated him from her, and knelt down opposite Hermann, and they turned her over and laid her on the ground on her back. Blood was flowing through her thick jacket on the right side of her abdomen, but also at the level of her hip and thigh.
« She was shot! » Hermann noted, frightened for the one he considered his daughter, while trying to apply pressure points to limit the bleeding.
« Shit! Gabby, baby! Can you hear me? » Matt took her face in his hands, but she didn't answer, her eyes trying to stay open in vain. « Gabby, please, answer me! » Matt sobbed.
« Hey, hey! What about me? Do you not give a damn anymore or what? » Gabby's patient screamed to remind them of his presence.
Matt's blood boiled, he turned around abruptly, ready to jump on him if it wasn't for Hermann, who abruptly held him by the forearm. « Casey, he's not worth it, especially not now! » he was also moved.
Behind other ambulances arrived on scene. « Uh, um, alright! Cordova, Mouch, you take this patient and you put him in the ambulance 61 with Brett's one. You take them to the hospital, we'll catch up with you later! » Boden pulled himself together and gave his orders and missions to his men, while the paramedics of ambulance 73 arrived running to take care of Gabby.
Matt could no longer speak, he contented himself with stroking her hair and whispering sweet words to her: « Everything is going to be okay, baby. I'm here, Gabby. I'm not going anywhere. Fight my love... Pl- please, fight, for me, for us, » he placed a kiss on her forehead while Boden and Hermann gave the first information to the paramedics who quickly got into action. One of them began to cut off her jacket and the top of her pants to observe the extent of her injuries while the other took out the necessary equipment.
« A bullet pierced her abdomen, there's another impact at the hip and a last one at the thigh, » the paramedic made the first observations.
« She must have been crouching to treat the man on the ground, » his colleague added.
« Oh my god! » Matt panicked when he saw the extent of his wife's injuries. « She's bleeding out! » he whispered, almost inaudible. The paramedics did their best to limit the hemorrhaging and stop the bleeding, they were each applying pressure bandages to the wounds to secure them in order to transport Gabby to the hospital as quickly as possible.
« Her pulse is weak, she's lost a lot of blood! » the paramedic took her vital signs again.
« Put her on oxygen, and we're going, there's no time to lose! » the second added. « Let's move, now! » he added, with a serious tone, while preparing the stretcher.
Matt was paralyzed, petrified. Helpless, he watched the scene, knees on the ground, hands on his thighs, he could no longer move while the paramedics, with the help of Hermann, lifted Gabby and placed her on the gurney. Boden helped Matt to get up, his legs were shaking, he was on the verge of fainting but he had to pull himself together. « Go with her, Matt, go! » Boden spoke to him but he didn't hear, he was in a fog. Boden then slapped his cheeks, « Matt, Matt! Pull yourself together! She needs you! Now go, go with her in the ambulance, we'll join you! ».
« It's now or never! » the paramedic yelled at him, and regaining self-control, Matt ran quickly to the ambulance. « Good! Go, Johnson! Quick! » he said to his colleague, telling Matt where he could settle down so as not to interfere with him. Matt kept a low profile, just taking Gabby's hand in his, her hand was freezing. He couldn't tell if it was due to the freezing cold of Chicago or the fact that her body was giving up. Tears streamed down his cheeks. Gabby, his wife, his life, was seriously injured, and they had, once again, let unspoken words take over and had left for their dangerous job without reconciling first.
The ambulance was speeding toward the hospital, followed by Boden and the mostly amputated truck 81. The tension in the truck was palpable, the silence heavy. Gabby was a daughter, a sister, a friend to them. Hermann, as acting lieutenant in replacement of his captain, tried to regain his wits and senses, and while swallowing back tears, said a few words to his team: « She's strong, she'll make it. We're talking about Gabby Dawson, right? » He also tried to reassure himself at the same time. He turned to Kidd who was behind the wheel, and she gave him a small nod, unable to open her mouth.
Ambulance 73 arrived at Chicago Med in record time, they were expected by Maggie who paged Dr. Rhodes and Dr. Choi immediately before opening the doors of the ambulance. That's when she saw Matt and she understood immediately that it was someone from firehouse 51. She knew it was another gunshot victim from yet another shooting, but she didn't expect to see Gabby lying motionless on the stretcher. « Gosh, » she murmured, in shock, but she quickly pulled herself together, got Matt out of the ambulance, squeezing his forearm for support, and asked the EMTs for the first assessment as the doctors arrived. « Tell me what you got! » she said, running through the narrow corridors of the emergency room towards a free box.
« Female, 31, multiple gunshot wounds. Right abdomen, right hip, right thigh. Abdomen swollen, suggesting infection in the abdominal cavity. She has lost a lot of blood. Pressure bandages on site, oxygen on. Pulmonary pulse, » Johnson summed up the situation.
« 1, 2, 3! » Maggie instructed Gabby to be moved from the gurney to the hospital bed. The nurses swarmed around her, while Rhodes and Choi performed the initial tests.
« Severe bleeding in the abdomen. Gastric fluid in the abdominal cavity. There appears to be serious damage to the internal organs. Infection is indeed already underway. We need to operate quickly! » Rhodes announced, looking serious.
« The bullet in the thigh doesn't seem to have done too much damage, no blood vessels affected at first glance, but we need to be able to check quickly! » Choi said in turn.
« Yeah, we're not underestimating! » Rhodes replied. « What about the hip? » he asked his colleague, while continuing to inspect Gabby's abdomen.
« I have the impression that the bullet is lodged in the bone and it's likely that it's hit sensitive nerves, but I can't see very well, there's too much blood! » Choi replied.
« Okay! Let's not waste any more time! We avoid moving her too much, especially at the hip to avoid any risk of paralysis, and we take her to the operating room, now! » he gave his instructions, while Matt was behind the window, his hands on the pane, his forehead resting on the glass, helpless. Boden simply placed his hand on his shoulder in comfort, he was also at a loss for words, especially since he had witnessed the scene the night before at Molly's. He didn't know what had happened between them since then, but something was bothering him about the way his captain was behaving. Of course, he would have been just as affected, sad, stressed, anxious if nothing had happened the day before, but there was something else, something different in him. Guilt.
Rhodes and Choi quickly left the box to go prepare to operate. Rhodes stopped quickly in front of Matt.
« Tell me, » Matt simply said, seeing the doctor's serious expression.
« I'm not going to lie to you, Matt, it's serious, but nothing irreparable, it's just that we need to go see the extent of the internal injuries, » Rhodes started to explain quickly before being interrupted.
« Internal injuries? » Matt questioned him.
« Yeah, she lost a lot of blood, and it's hard to see right now, but the damage caused by bullets is not limited to the exact place where the bullet enters the body, the bullet could have moved and caused other injuries, » Rhodes explained to him in simple language.
« The bullets… » Matt corrected.
« Yes, the bullets, » Rhodes stated simply. « From a rough estimate of the damage, we think the bullet to the abdomen hit the internal organs, which started an infection. As for the thigh, nothing alarming. And for the hip, the bullet looks like it's lodged in the bone... I won't know more until I go in and see, I'm sorry! » Rhodes places his hand on Matt's forearm.
« Do what you have to do to save my girl, » Matt said simply, his voice trembling. Rhodes simply nodded, giving him a small smile, and turned quickly towards the elevator to go up to the operating room while the nurses and caregivers pushed the stretcher Gabby was on, taking care not to tangle the IVs, the cables of the machines she was already connected to, or even the blood bags. Maggie felt her heart clench as she saw Matt, still supported by Boden, and the other members of the firehouse who were starting to arrive into the already overcrowded emergency room. « C- Can I? » Matt asked, his voice frail. He knew time was running out, but he needed a moment with his wife. Maggie exchanged a quick glance with Rhodes.
« A minute, no more! » he replied. Maggie and the medical staff stepped back for a moment to give them some privacy if that was possible in the crowded space and constant hubbub.
« Th- Thanks, » Matt managed to say. He leaned over Gabby, one hand in her hair, the other holding her hand. « Gabby, I'm sorry, » he sobbed, placing a soft kiss on her forehead. The apology didn't go unnoticed by Boden, confirming that they hadn't parted on good terms before this call. « I'm sorry, I love you more than anything. Fight, and come back to me. Remember, we promised to always come back to each other, » he sobbed harder and harder, remembering the words exchanged a few months ago in a similar situation.
« It's time! » Rhodes announced. Matt stroked his wife's hair one last time, imprinting her image in his memory, she was pale, her eyes still closed. He hadn't seen her eyes since this morning, and even then, he hadn't taken the time to admire them, too angry with her. He closed his eyes, and let the medical team move her away from him.
A/N : I was thinking of doing a one-shot but I think we'll do it in several parts, it will encourage me to get back to my word processing. I hope you liked this beginning. For Brett fans, I warn you she will be a villain in the story. See you soon! G.