Hi Readers: And welcome back to another chapter. I know that the previous chapter was short, but that was all I could think to write for Chapter 5. Though, I believe I have compensated by having already written much more than I did in the original story. Hopefully, you guys continue to enjoy the story and let me know what you think…and if you have any ideas for the story, then let me know.
Chapter 6
Standing right outside the RV which they would be living in for the next couple months, Matt and Gabby both smiled as they hugged their friends as they said their (semi-emotional) goodbyes; especially when it came to Gabby and Stella. "I can't believe that I Just got you back, and now you're leaving again." Gabby agreed with Stella, well aware that she just got back…and now, she and Matt were leaving again. However, she also knew that her friend understood why she was leaving. "Stella, don't act like you don't know that this is what we need to do for the sake of our marriage." Stella agreed, as she did know that this is what they needed to do for the sake of their marriage. Still, that didn't mean that this was going to be easy. "Plus, I'm sure you can always come visit us; right Matt?" Gabby asked, truly curious as to whether or not Stella could come visit them at some point. "I mean, maybe. It all depends on how things are going and whether we have room." Gabby agreed with Matt, well aware that it truly did depend on that: whether they had room.
But, for now, it was just going to be the two of them; then again, that was exactly what they both wanted right now anyways, as they wanted to spend some quality time with each other. Time where they could relax and just work on their marriage together using the app that they found in the firehouse. "I think we first need to take time and concentrate on us and our marriage, which isn't something we can do with our friends on the RV with us." Andy agreed, as that most certainly was the truth. "Don't worry, you aren't going to hear from me asking to visit." Matt laughed. "Yeah. Just wait until you get into a fight with Heather, then you'll be begging me to come visit us." Andy shook his head. "I'll just go to your place." Matt shook his head. "You will do no such thing, as we're renting that place out as an Airbnb." Andy agreed, well aware that was the case. "Yes, which you put me and Heather in charge of; that means that we can go in there too." Turning her head, Gabby agreed with her husband's best friend. "That's true, Matt."
Turning his head, Matt was surprised that Gabby was taking Andy's side. "You do realize that money is going to be what allows us to stay on the road, right?" Gabby agreed, well aware that was the case. "I know. But, what's one night." Matt agreed with Gabby. "Well, Andy could always pay the fee to spend the night." Andy laughed, though Matt was being serious. "Oh, you're being serious." Matt agreed with Andy. "I transferred to OFI before taking leave so that you could have the spot on Truck 81 as a full lieutenant, rather than just an acting lieutenant. That means that you get the full salary of a lieutenant, rather than just that of an acting lieutenant…which is your base salary of being a firefighter, plus 50% of the difference." Andy agreed with Matt and smiled, as he appreciated him doing that for him. "Thanks, Casey. I appreciate that." Matt nodded, well aware that he appreciates that. "I know you do. Just don't go changing my truck." Andy laughed. "No promises, I'm going to take advantage of this time I have in power."
Matt agreed with Andy, only to turn his head and look at Stella. "Do me a favor and make sure that he behaves and doesn't act like a complete idiot. And if he does, then give me a call so that I can set him straight?" Stella agreed, as she could do that for her Captain; though, she's sure that Kelly will do it as well. "I have no doubt in my mind that Kelly will be doing the same thing." Matt agreed, well aware that was the case. "Yeah, I bet he will be. Should've thought about that." Stella nodded, only to walk up to him so that she could hug her de facto brother-in-law. "You keep my girl safe and have fun. Live a little and just relax. You guys need to take this time to get away and work on your marriage." Matt agreed, well aware that was the case; after which, he turned his head and smiled, only to see Boden come outside. After which, he decided to make his way over to him to thank him once more. "Listen, we're headed out of here in a minute, but I really want to thank you again for letting us do this, Chief. Me and Gabby appreciate it more than you'll ever know."
Chief Boden agreed with Matt, well aware that was the case. "I know that Casey, and you don't need to say it again. I'm just glad that you guys are going to have a chance to work on your marriage as you see the country. Just know that your spot will be waiting for you." Matt sighed, as he didn't know about that. "About that, there's something I've been meaning to tell you about why I've been at OFI since August." Boden nodded, as he was hoping to get an answer to that question. "Yeah, I've been meaning to ask. Are you okay?" Matt bit his lip as he looked at him. "The truth is, I've been diagnosed with PTSD." Taken aback, Boden was shocked to hear that he's been diagnosed with PTSD; only to have Herrmann proclaim how they both felt. "Say it ain't so, Casey." Matt shook his head, as that's the truth. "Yes, I have been diagnosed with PTSD over the summer; which is why I left the firehouse, as I didn't know what the future held for me." Walking over to Matt as she heard him talk about PTSD, Gabby grabbed his hand and held him close.
After all, she could tell that this is what he needed at the moment: for her to be close to him, giving him the support he needed as he confessed to Chief Boden and some of their friends that he's been diagnosed with PTSD. "I just…" Matt sighed. "I wanted to say something this summer, but it wasn't time for me to do so." Boden nodded. "Can I ask why?" Matt then turned his head to look at Gabby. "I wanted to tell Gabby first. It didn't feel right for me to tell anybody else, other than my best friend so that he could keep me safe, before I told my wife. And now that Gabby knows, I feel much more confident in telling you. I just hope that you won't hold it against me when I come back." Boden shook his head, as he understood why he didn't say anything sooner. "Casey, I completely understand why you did so. You wanted to make sure that you told your wife first. I'm just glad that you told someone here to keep you safe." Matt agreed with Boden and smiled as he went to shake his hand. "Thanks for everything, Boden." Boden agreed with Matt.
After which, he turned his head to look at Gabby. "Come back in the future. Speaking of which, how long are you guys thinking of being away?" Matt bit his lip, as he honestly had no idea how long they were going to be; neither of them knew. "Honestly, we have no clue how long we're going to be. We're just going to figure it out as we go, and it all depends on how our marriage is. We want to make sure that everything is all good when we come back." Gabby agreed, as she felt the same way. "I feel the same way, as I don't want us to have any bad blood between us for when we come back. Nor do we want to stress about when we need to come back, as we just want to concentrate on having fun for now." Matt agreed and smiled, as that sounds great. "And luckily, we're going to be able to support ourselves with our Airbnb income, as well as the income we're going to get from Molly's." Turning her head, Gabby looked at Herrmann. "I expect regular deposits into our bank account so that you can help us with our marriage." Herrmann agreed.
It was the least he could do, as he knew how much help the dividends from Molly's will be for them. "I promise, you guys will get your money when I do the dividend cheques." Gabby agreed with Herrmann and smiled, only to look at Matt. "You ready to get out of here?" Matt nodded and smiled, as he most certainly was ready to get out of here. It was everything he wanted to do right now, after all: he wants to get out of here and go see the country with the woman he loves. "Let's get out of here, then." Gabby agreed, only to turn around and smile as they both made their way onto the RV they rented so that they could make their way out of town and start this adventure they have planned for each other. An adventure which they both thought would be a lot of fun.
Rather than sit right down in her seat after getting into the RV, Gabby decided to walk towards the back of the RV; an action which confused Matt, as he had no idea what she was doing. "Gabby, where are you going?" Gabby smiled as she turned around to face Matt. "Oh, I'm going to change pants. I wore jeans to come here to the firehouse and have breakfast with our friends, but I'm not going to wear them while we're driving; they aren't comfortable, so I'm going to put my sweats on." Matt agreed with his gorgeous wife as he locked the door to the RV, only to walk over to their bedroom. "Care for some help with your jeans?" Gabby smirked as Matt asked her whether she wanted some help, as she most certainly did. "Come here, handsome." Smiling, Matt walked up to Gabby and placed his hands on her hips; meanwhile, Gabby placed her hands on his arms and smiled as she leaned in to kiss him softly. "I love you, and I love this idea that we have to get away with each other." Nodding, Matt moved his hand to her neck.
After which, he decided to pick his gorgeous wife in his arms, only to carry her to their bed so that he could help her get changed. "Oh, now that was hot." Matt agreed with Gabby and smiled as he carried her right over to their bed, only to lay her down and lean over her; after which, he smirked as he placed his hands on either side of her on their bed. "You're hot." Placing her hands on Matt's face, Gabby smiled as she leaned her forehead against his. Meanwhile, Matt moved his hand to her neck and smiled as he kissed her once more. "I love you, and I love our life together. I'm glad we're going to make sure that we have a long future with each other." Gabby agreed with Matt and smiled. "Here, how about you sit down, I want to talk to you about that." Confused, Matt decided to do as he was told. Meanwhile, Gabby got up and walked over to her bags so that she could grab some sweats. "What's wrong, Gabby?" Gabby smiled as Matt asked her said question. "Nothing's wrong. I just wanted to make sure you knew that I'm home for good."
Matt nodded and smiled, as he already knew that. "I already know that, Gabby; and I appreciate it too, as I know how much you enjoyed your time in Puerto Rico. However, I think that this is where you need to be right now. I mean, not just because of what happened and how you clearly need me to support you in the aftermath of the miscarriage; but, because this is where I need you as I try to figure out my PTSD diagnosis." Gabby agreed with Matt. "I'm glad you told Boden, by the way. That was probably hard to tell him." Matt nodded, as it was hard. "It was. Like you already know, that probably means the end of my career as a firefighter." Gabby agreed with Matt as she slipped her sweats on, only to make her way over to Matt and sit down in his lap; upon which, she wrapped her arms around his neck and stared into his eyes. "But you know that you're so much more than a firefighter, right Matt?" Matt nodded, as he did know that. "Of course, I know that." Gabby agreed with Matt and smiled, only to lean in and kiss him.
Upon doing so, she took things nice and slow with him so that she could remind Matt that she loves him for who he is, regardless of whether or not he had a disability or not. "God, I love you." Matt nodded. "And I promise that I'm going to show you just how much I love you every day." Gabby agreed with Matt. "Maybe we can stay in hotels or motels sometimes, rather than always staying in the RV." Matt nodded. "You know, I wouldn't mind doing that in Las Vegas, or even New York." Gabby nodded and agreed with Matt. "Wait, are we going to New York?" Matt shrugged, as he didn't know. "Honestly, I have no clue yet. I just want to take it one day at a time. We just need to figure out the route and see what happens." Gabby agreed with Matt, as that most certainly is the truth: they just need to take it one day at a time and see what happens. "We need to get on the road, too." Matt nodded. "Listen, how about you go set up the GPS? I'll finish back here, then come join you." Matt nodded and smiled as he got up, more than ready to leave.
Walking up from the back room in her sweats this morning, Gabby smiled when she saw Matt setting up the GPS which she bought for their trip, rather than just using his phone. "And you said that you were just going to use your phone when we tried to navigate." Turning his head, Matt snickered as he knew that he said that. "Yeah, I know." Walking up to her seat with her iPad and a blanket, Gabby went to sit down; meanwhile, Matt looked at her. "You want to help me figure this out? I'm trying to type it all in, but I don't want to go too fast. Yet, IF also don't want to stay here too long and get a ticket." Gabby nodded, as she knew that they could easily get a ticket since they parked quite close to the firehouse. "Yeah, good idea. Here, give me the GPS and then you can move the RV." Matt nodded as he gave Gabby the GPS, while also turning the RV on so that he could move it. "I may as well just drive to the interstate." Gabby agreed with Matt. "Ok. I already remember the first part of the route, so you can follow this. I-55 to Wilmington."
Matt agreed with Gabby, glad that she already knew the first part. "I'm glad we're starting on the interstate, as that means that I get more practice using the RV at speed." Gabby nodded. "Glad we didn't bring the car with us?" Matt nodded, as that was going to make the task of driving much easier. "Oh yes, because it makes it much easier to drive and maneuver. One less thing to worry about." Gabby nodded as she reached over and grabbed his hand. "And if you do worry about something, then you can just talk to me. I promise, we're in this together." Matt agreed with Gabby and smiled as he intertwined their fingers, only to lean over the center aisle and kiss the woman of his dreams. "I love you." Gabby nodded, as she loves him too. "I love you too, and I'm definitely ready to get out of here." Matt agreed and smiled as he let Gabby go, only to get to the task of driving the RV so that they could get out of here.
It was going to take some getting used to: driving the RV, as it was quite long; but, so far, Matt felt like he had the hang of it. And based on what Gabby was seeing through the rear-view mirror, she felt the same way. "I swear, you're doing a good job when it comes to this." Matt smiled, glad that Gabby felt that way as he reached for the Starbucks, they picked up on the way out of town. That way, he could have a sip of coffee. "Baby, I hope you're not already feeling drowsy." Matt shook his head, as that most certainly was not the case. "No, I just wanted to drink it while it's still hot. Don't worry, Gabby, I'm not drowsy." Gabby agreed with her husband smiled, truly glad that was the case as she placed her hand on top of his. "So, have we come to a decision as to where we're going to stop first? Or are we just going to drive." Matt shook his head, as they weren't just going to drive. "No, but I just like the idea of us going with the flow. When you want to stop, we can just stop. It's why I like the idea of going down Route 66." Gabby agreed, as that made sense.
Meanwhile, she liked it because of the nice scenery that she could see out her window. "It's nicer than driving on the interstate, as it means that you can see a lot more of the country. And not the country that you always see through the windows, but the real country." Matt agreed with Gabby. "Yeah, like the places you probably saw each and every day in Puerto Rico." Gabby sighed, as that most certainly was not the case. "Matt, I don't think you understand just how bad things truly are in Puerto Rico. It's a lot worse than what you see on the news, and people are just starting to get the water back now." Nodding, Gabby agreed with Gabby. "Is that one of the reasons why you were apprehensive to leave in the first place?" Gabby sighed as Matt asked her that, as she didn't know what to say. "I mean, you already know the other reason…me being unaware of what would happen to us, but also just the fact that it was so surreal to be there. It was a great experience; I wouldn't change it for the world. Well, other than have you be there."
Matt nodded, as he knew how much she would've enjoyed having him there. "I have no doubt that you would've enjoyed having me there, but you already know what my thoughts on the entire situation is, Gabby. I never liked you being there in the first place, as I always thought it was dangerous. But now, I think I could do it…. just not yet. I want to make sure that we're in a better place. Plus, I also need to check whether Andy is actually up to taking over permanently." Gabby looked at her husband, as she felt like he was still denying the reality which he needed to come to terms with. "Baby, I think you need to start thinking about what you just said. Matt, you have PTSD, and you just told Boden about it. You know what the CFD says about people who have PTSD and their eligibility to serve in the line of duty." Matt sighed, well aware of that. "I know. It's just…" Matt sighed, as he tried to think of what he could say. "It's just not sinking in yet." Gabby nodded, clearly able to see just how true that was. "And I understand Matt, I really do. Especially since I had to deal with that earlier this year." Matt agreed with Gabby. "You mean, how you may never be able to get pregnant."
Gabby nodded, as that was precisely what she was referring to. "Especially since, shortly after we learned the news, I felt like a failure." Turning his head, Matt was shocked to hear Gabby say that. How could she say that? What in the world did she mean?
"Gabby, what? I'm sorry, I just don't understand where you can get that. Can you please explain what you mean?" Gabby sighed. "Matt, in my opinion, it's my job as your wife to make you a father. So, that's why I felt like a failure: because I didn't make you a dad, and I couldn't for a while." Matt shook his head, as he hated the sound of that. It was truly the last thing he wanted to hear, though that didn't mean that he could just discount what she said. "Matt, please don't deny that I can feel that way, it's just how I feel. At least, it was how I felt until I got pregnant and then lost the aneurysm." Matt nodded. "Well, I'm happy to know that you don't feel that way anymore." Gabby agreed with Matt. "I know, I should've come back. I just hope you aren't mad about that."
Matt sighed, as he knew that it was now or never: he had to confess how he truly felt. "Gabby, if you want me to answer that question, then you need to promise me that you're going to hear me out and let me say what I need to say." Gabby nodded, as that was precisely what she was going to do: let him say what he needs to say. "What do you need to say, baby?" Matt sighed. "Gabby, I hate to tell you this but…damn straight, you should've come back. You want the truth? That's the truth. I've been biting my tongue since I learned how you felt at the time, but that's the truth. I wish you would've come back so that I could be here with you. Gabby, I hate to even say this, but did you even think about me when you learned that you were pregnant?" Gabby was confused, as she didn't understand what Matt was asking her. "Sorry, I'm not following." Matt sighed, as he soon asked her an important question.
"Gabby, what if you had died in Puerto Rico because of your former aneurysm? If that had happened, I would've had to learn about the baby you were pregnant with not by you having told me…but, by having to learn that I have to bury my wife and our son." And the moment Matt said that, Gabby felt absolutely horrible. How could she do that to her husband? So much so, that she ended up tearing up a bit. "Hey, are you okay?" Taking a breath, Gabby tried to compose herself. "Sorry, it's just…when you put it that way, it's hard to hear." Matt nodded, as he understood. "Hey, you wanted the truth." Gabby nodded, as she did want the truth. "Yeah, I did. And it's just hard to hear. I'm glad that you gave me the truth, though." Matt nodded. "And the same goes with how I feel about the aneurysm, how I thought that I would be responsible for killing you if it burst." Gabby nodded, well aware that was the case. "But, I'm just glad that you're still here with me, because that's all that matters at the end of the day." Gabby nodded and smiled.
Grabbing Matt's hand once more, she intertwined their fingers and held him close. "I swear, I am such a lucky woman to have you as my husband…even if we just got married at the courthouse." Matt snickered as Gabby told him that, as that was something which he always thought about: how he always wanted to give Gabby a real wedding. "Honestly, I always thought about that…how I always wanted to give you a real wedding." Turning her head, Gabby was surprised. "You want to give me a real wedding?"