Gabby and Matt sat in the waiting room of the maternity ward. Today was Gabby's 16 week checkup and she was anxious of what the scan would bring up. Matt on the other hand, seemed to be excited at seeing the baby on the ultrasound and hearing the heartbeat. The room was filled with women in various stages of pregnancy. Some had barely visible bumps while others had obvious protruding bumps that made Gabby a little scared knowing hers would soon enough be that big. Each time a couple came out with huge smiles on their faces, holding an ultrasound picture, Gabby felt her heart break a little knowing she wouldn't get to experience quite the same thing. She knew Matt would probably share the same excitement as all the fathers seemed to show, but he wouldn't be able to share it knowing he was the father of the baby. But each time, Gabby just kept reminding herself to be grateful that she still had Matt in her life.
"Gabriela Dawson." A nurse called out.
They both stood up and Gabby halted when she felt a hand slip into hers. She looked back and Matt smiled at her and squeezed her hand reassuringly before they both walked behind the door with the nurse. Gabby was beyond thankful Matt had agreed to come with her because her heart was beating a mile a minute and could feel herself shaking with nervousness. They walked a little further down before they stopped at a nurses station.
"Alright, Ms. Dawson, I'm going to take your vitals and make sure everything is where it's supposed to be and then I'll take you to your room." The nurse informed her as she set her clipboard down and led Gabby to a chair where they checked her temperature, blood pressure, and blood sugar levels.
A few minutes later Gabby and Matt were in a room waiting for the doctor to come in. Gabby had now changed into a hospital gown and was laying on the bed while Matt sat by her side, his hand still intertwined with hers.
"Are you more excited or nervous to see the baby?" Matt spoke, breaking the silence.
"Both. I'm excited to see how much they've grown but I'm also worried that something will be wrong." Gabby admitted. Matt opened his mouth to say something but was interrupted by a knock on the door. The doctor stepped in a few seconds later and smiled at both of them.
"Good morning, I am Dr. Rose, I'll be doing your 16 week ultrasound today. How are you feeling so far Ms. Dawson?" She greeted, shaking both Gabby and Matt's hands.
Gabby sighed. "I've only been experiencing a little back pain here and there but nothing too extreme."
Dr. Rose nodded and wrote in her notebook. She then set it down and turned on the machine and grabbed the bottle of gel. "Alright, today we're going to check on your baby's size, heartbeat and of course both of your health status'. Are you still taking the blood pressure medication you were prescribed?"
"I ran out last week and didn't bother to ask for a refill because I wanted to wait for this appointment and see if I really needed it." Gabby admitted. A week after she began taking the medicine she actually started to feel better but kept taking it just to be safe.
"Okay, your blood pressure seems to be back to normal. I am going to prescribe you another refill but I only want you to take that if you feel the symptoms arise again. Other than that, just remember to watch what you're eating, don't do anything too strenuous and check your blood pressure daily. Now, are you both ready to see the baby?"
Matt squeezed Gabby's hand which he was still holding and nodded. Dr. Rose dimmed the lights and began the ultrasound. Just a few seconds later the loud noise of the baby's heartbeat echoed off the walls. Gabby felt her eyes water at the sound of the heartbeat. Every time she heard it, it sounded more beautiful than the last. Knowing their baby was well and alive was a small weight off her shoulders. She turned over to look at Matt and saw he also had tears in his eyes which held an unwavering stare to the screen.
"Matt?" She asked worriedly.
He jumped slightly in his seat and looked at Gabby with a watery smile. "Sorry. I just, this is the first time I hear a baby's heartbeat. I never knew a sound like that could be this beautiful. And seeing the baby, my god, Gabby, you're carrying a baby! You're amazing!" A blush grew on Gabby's cheeks and she squeezed his hand a little tighter.
"Your baby is at normal size and growing at a pretty normal rate. I don't see anything alarming in this ultrasound, but do come in if you feel something is wrong." Dr. Rose placed the wand back into its place and turned the lights back on to their full brightness, giving Gabby a wipe to wipe off the excess gel. "I am relieved to tell you that since everything was fine, your miscarriage rate has gone down to one percent. Your blood tests showed no signs of diabetes or preeclampsia, but once again we will check for those during every appointment."
Gabby let out a breath of relief and smiled thankfully at Dr. Rose. "I did have a question, when do you think I should start my maternity leave?"
"You work as a paramedic, correct? Well, I would suggest starting your maternity leave a little before you start your third trimester. I know you know this, but I also know you first responders are stubborn, do not try to lift any patients into the ambulance. I don't care if you think the patient isn't too heavy, your body physically won't be able to handle it."
"Um, I have a question?" Matt blushed as both Dr. Rose and Gabby turned to look at him with surprised looks. "When will we feel the baby moving?"
Dr. Rose smiled. "Within the next few weeks Gabby will begin to feel the baby move and soon after you will be able to feel it as well. Be sure to schedule your next ultrasound."
Matt and Gabby had huge smiles on their faces as Dr. Rose walked out of the room. He helped Gabby off the bed once Dr. Rose had left and walked out to let Gabby change into her normal clothes. She walked out a few minutes later, tossing the hospital gown into the hamper. Gabby took out the ultrasound picture and smiled at it once more before handing it over to Matt.
"Here, I want you to keep this." She said softly.
Matt frowned and looked at her surprised. "Oh, why?"
Gabby smiled and shrugged. "Keep it as a memory of this fun adventure you're having with me." Gabby knew the real reason she was giving him the photo but she couldn't say it. They hopped into Matt's truck and the first thing he did was place the photo into his wallet.
"I found this picture of you in my truck the other day." Matt spoke, showing her the picture he had found. It was a copy of the picture the fire department takes of all CFD workers in their dress blues. She gave it to him when they first got together and since then he took the picture everywhere we went. Gabby herself also had a picture of him in her purse. Gabby stared at the picture and remembered a night he had a close call and she found him sitting on the bed with the picture in his hand.
"Matt?" She spoke gently as he looked at what was in his hand. She stepped out of the bathroom and went over to his side to find her picture in his hands. "Baby?"
Matt jumped and turned around to look at her. He smiled softly and gently pulled her so she sat in his lap. "Did you know I take this picture with me everywhere?"
Gabby shook her head. "No, why?"
"It's for days like today. When we get a call I take it out of my wallet and put it in my jacket pocket. If I ever get trapped in a fire, I want to be sure I remember exactly what you look like. I want you to be the last thing I see and not the fire in front of me." Matt set the picture down and looked up at Gabby who now had tears in her eyes. "I love you so much, Gabby."
"Hey where'd you go?" Matt asked a little loudly after he had called her name a few times.
Gabby smiled. "Sorry, I was remembering when I gave it to you."
"Oh yeah? Why did you give it to me?" He asked, curious.
"We had both gotten our pictures sent at the same time and I had teased you about how you looked in that picture. We were both young in them since the CFD doesn't usually retake photos unless you change rank. You teased me back so I took your photo and gave you mine so we could both look at each other's 'ugly faces' as you had said."
Matt chuckled. "Wow, we have such an interesting friendship."
When they arrived back at the apartment, Matt immediately went down to the garage to continue working on the crib. Gabby stayed upstairs in the kitchen to make hot chocolate. She felt the apartment grow a little colder and she wrapped a blanket around herself and headed downstairs to the garage.
"Matt?" She called out when she didn't see him.
Noise came from a corner of the garage and seconds later Matt's frame came into view. "I'm here!" He called out.
"It's getting colder out here, come inside and have some hot chocolate. You can work on the crib if it warms up later or tomorrow." Gabby said, shivering as a cold wind gust blew.
Matt nodded and once Gabby had gone back inside he began to put away all of his tools and sweep out the wood dust. He would've protested and stayed longer to work on the crib but admittedly it was getting colder by the second. As soon as he stepped inside, he let out a sigh and the warmth that enveloped him.
"You are one crazy man for staying out there and working." Gabby stated as she came over to him with a mug of hot chocolate. "How did that talk with Boden go?"
Matt swallowed the sip he had in his mouth. "It went well. He told me I can start the next shift. I got all my paperwork turned in."
Gabby hummed. "How do you feel about going back?"
"I'm nervous and excited about going back. Chief has me under Herrmann's command. I just hope it isn't too weird for the guys, their lieutenant working as a regular firefighter and following someone else's command." Matt chuckled. "I just hope that going back also helps my memories." Gabby nodded understandingly and excused herself to the kitchen.
Truthfully, Matt was more nervous than he was excited. He's heard from the others that he's a pretty good lieutenant and is good at his job, but he doesn't remember anything from his experience of being a firefighter. He's terrified of doing something wrong on a call that could end up getting someone hurt, or worse, killed. Rationally he knows if he listens to Hermann, the chances of doing something wrong are low. But there are certain things that get engraved into someone's way of doing things that could potentially come out in a call. Another part of him was worried about getting hurt again and losing the chance to get his memories back or possibly dying. He couldn't leave Gabby. Although he doesn't remember much about her, deep down he knows that she means something more to him. He doesn't know what it would do to her if something happened to him. The only thing he knows is that he doesn't want to leave Gabby and her baby alone.
Matt glanced over at her as she cleaned up around in the kitchen. A small content smile on her face as she subconsciously rubbed the small bulge of her stomach every now and then. For a while now, Matt had been thinking if he and Gabby were ever anything more than friends. He knew for someone who had no memories, he felt at home in her apartment and being with her. It could just be how good she was at treating guests in her home. But he had a feeling it was something more. Matt had seen the ring on her finger, but a man had yet to make his presence. Gabby never once mentioned anything about a fiancé nor had he seen any pictures of him around the apartment. So, Matt had concluded it had to be a simple ring with a deep meaning that she wore. The only thing he wondered was, if there really was something between them, why won't she tell him?
The following morning, Matt stood in his bedroom packing his bag. He felt nervous about going back to work but he was glad Chief Boden had allowed him to go back. He kept checking his bag to make sure he had everything he needed, going over the mental list he made over and over again. Once he decided he felt sure he had everything he needed, he went to change into his uniform. Seeing the standard firefighter uniform on himself felt weird after looking at all those pictures with his lieutenant uniform. A knock sounded on the door and he quickly put on his work pants and went to open it. On the other side, Gabby stood with a small smile. She faltered a moment, it was the first time she saw Matt as a regular firefighter. Matt had gotten transferred to 51 after he got promoted to lieutenant so not many of the guys other than Severide had ever seen him in that uniform.
After realizing she was starting, she shook herself out of it and smiled at him. "Hey, you ready?" She asked softly. Matt was usually good at making his feelings but right now she could tell he was anxious which was a strange look on him considering he was the most optimistic and confident man she's ever met.
"Yeah, I'm ready to get out and do something other than sit all day. Don't get me wrong, I love this apartmentant. I'm thankful you're letting me stay here, but sitting around trying to find things to do gets frustrating." Matt admitted as he grabbed his bag and walked out of his room. Gabby smiled at him but Matt could tell it was forced. "Hey, what's wrong?"
Gabby shut her eyes and shook her head, a hand coming up to her bump. She mentally cursed at Matt's ability to be able to read her really well. "It's nothing. I'm just worried about you going back to work. I'm scared that you'll get hurt again."
Matt sighed and set his bag down and brought his hands up to Gabby's face, cupping it gently. "I can't promise you that everything will be fine and that nothing will happen to me. But I can promise that I will always try to make it back to you, unharmed."
Both adults knew it was a dangerous promise to make. Being a first responder meant there's a high chance of getting hurt on the job. Gabby knew Matt had a higher chance of getting hurt than she did, but hearing him say he would try to always make it back to her always reassured her. Even if she knew that in reality at any given call, that promise could be broken.
When they got to the station, Gabby quickly went inside to the locker room so she could help Shay stock the ambulance while Matt stayed inside to catch up with the guys. Chief had decided that Matt was
allowed to come back but would be under Herrmann's command. It was strange to see Matt in a firefighters uniform instead of his Lieutenant uniform. But regardless of what he wore, they all knew he was still their Lieutenant and would still kick ass on the job.
Once Gabby had put her things up in her locker and had everything she needed, she headed out to the apparatus floor where Shay was. Usually at the beginning of shift, the two paramedics would always do inventory and organize everything that was unorganized from other shifts. "How was your check up?" Shay asked as she cleaned the gurney.
A small smile grew on Gabby's at the mention of the check up. "It was great, Matt got to hear the heartbeat and see the baby. He looked really happy to be there, he also asked when the baby would start moving. Pretty soon I should start feeling them move around and kick. I'll be feeling my boobs and back hurt too, and I'll be experiencing more dizzy spells."
Shay groaned. "Ugh, my want to get pregnant diminishes little by little each time you complain about something new."
Gabby threw her head back and laughed. "It'll be worth it in the end, I know it. As much as I hate all these pains and morning sickness, knowing that I have a little human being growing inside of me that Matt and I created, it's the best feeling in the world."
Shay was about to say something but was interrupted by the loud voices of everyone from truck 81 stepping out onto the apparatus floor. They all seemed to be teasing Matt about something given the red tint that was appearing on his cheeks. She watched as Herrmann set up drills that Matt usually set up for them. She could only guess that he was getting him to do some so he would be prepared for their first call. Gabby watched with a small smile as Matt performed the drills. Despite being away from work for weeks, he still did well on the drills. She watched with curious eyes as Matt practiced raising a ladder. And like always, he did it with no problem. Gabby has always enjoyed watching Matt work, whether it be here at the firehouse or at a construction job, he always had a small smile on his face.
It was two hours later that they got called to their first fire. Luckily for Matt, it was a house fire. He jumped out of the rig, immediately putting on his helmet and grabbing a halligan. Matt was about to rush into the house but paused when he realized he needed to wait for Herrmann's orders. He could see some of his crew looking at him expectantly and only looked away when Herrmann began giving orders. It seemed they too were also having trouble adjusting. Matt kept waiting for the fear of rushing into a burning building to set in, but it never came. Instead, he was desperate to get inside and help get people out. He looked over at Gabby who sent him a small, nervous looking smile. He couldn't help but wonder what she was thinking now that he was on a call. He sent her what he hoped was a reassuring smile and followed Herrmann when he called his name.
"Cruz, Otis first floor, Mouch, get on that aerial, Casey with me!" Herrmann ordered. The men scrambled into the house. It was a two story home which meant they had to be careful of the weakening floorboards. Gabby watched with frightful eyes as Matt took off inside. She thought she could handle seeing him running back into fires so soon but she could feel herself falling apart.
"Dawson, you okay?" Shay called out when she saw the look on her best friend's face. She walked closer to her and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.
Gabby shook her head and looked at Shay, her eyes glassy with tears. "I don't know, Shay. I thought I was ready to see him back on the job, but I'm terrified. I've been in this place before. I've seen him go back into fires after being hurt but I've never felt like this."
Shay smiled sadly at her friend. "It's because you know if something happens to Casey, it's not just you that gets left behind."
Gabby was about to reply but was interrupted by their radios crackling. "We got victims coming out." Tony's voice sounded.
Both girls immediately jumped into action, bringing the gurney closer to the house. The victims turned out to be a mother and a little girl. The mother seemed to be fine but the little girl was unconscious and had burns on her arms and chest. Gabby began working on intubating her while Shay worked on dressing her burns. Once they felt she was stable enough they loaded her up into the ambulance and took off to Chicago Med. Much to Gabby and Shay's relief the little girl, Emily, would be just fine, but had a long road to recovery. When they got back to the firehouse, the girls found the guys gathered around the kitchen table watching Casey cook.
"What are you lunatics doing?" Gabby asked as she shook off her coat.
Herrmann's head popped up. "I was already standing here and then it started smelling good and these goofs jumped up and joined."
"Uh huh, sure." Gabby chuckled as she walked off to the locker room. She put her coat in her locker and grabbed the water bottle she kept in there. Afterwards, she closed her locker and rested her head against it as some of the jitters from the call finally went away.
"Don't get mad at Shay, but she told me what happened at the call." Matt's voice sounded a few moments later.
Gabby jumped and looked at him. "She did?"
Matt nodded and stepped closer to her. "I told you, I will be fine."
She sighed. "I know. I guess I just thought I was ready to see you go back on the job but I'm really not. I'm terrified of something else happening to you. But I trust you, and I know you will be fine."
Matt stepped closer and wrapped his arms around her smaller frame. "Thank you. Now come on, you need to try what I made before the guys eat it all."
"Matt!" Gabby called out before he left, grabbing onto his hand. "How have you been feeling since the seizure?"
"I'm alright. I've been taking the medicine the doctor gave me. I think that seizure was a one-time thing like he said." Matt assured before dragging Gabby out to the common room.
It was a little later in the day and Gabby was passing through the bunk room when she noticed Matt sitting down on his bed looking through something very familiar. She stepped closer to his bed and the scrapbook came into clear view. "Hey, I didn't know you had brought that with you."
He looked up from the page he was on and motioned for her to sit down. "Yeah, I thought it would be a good idea to sit down and look at this while we have some down time."
Gabby sat down across from him and started looking through the pictures on the page. He had landed on the page she made when they were working on Molly's coming together. It had pictures of her and Matt looking for the door and of them working on it together and the picture of the both of them standing in front of Molly's with the finished door. "Well, this is when you and I went out looking for a door to Molly's. I had decided the door it had wasn't good enough and you being the construction master decided you would take me to look for doors." Gabby pointed to the picture that had her holding the door. "Which is where we found this gem. I absolutely fell in love with this door the moment I saw it. So we bought it and you did all the sanding and fixing and I did the staining. This was the final product." She pointed to the last photo on the page, which was of her and Matt standing in front of it.
"That's a beautiful door, I can see why you fell in love with it. It also looks nice and fits Molly's style." Matt said, looking at all the pictures on the page a few moments longer before closing the book and turning to look at Gabby. "You know, today I thought I would be scared to run inside that house, but I wasn't."
She grabbed the album from his hands and placed her hands in his. "You've always been a man who helps those in need. It's one thing I've always liked about you. Even if you don't remember much about yourself, that trait is embedded into you, that's probably why you weren't scared." Matt simply nodded in understanding but didn't get the chance to respond as the entire house was dispatched to a call.
"I am exhausted even though you and Squad had more calls than Ambo did today." Gabby yawned as she and Matt walked out of the firehouse. Today had been a relatively calm day for Ambo 61 which Gabby wasn't complaining because her energy seemed to be running low.
Matt chuckled. "You are doing more work than all of us in this firehouse."
Gabby looked over at Matt and scoffed. "I highly doubt that." She said once they were seated in Matt's car.
"You are carrying a baby, helping patients, which can be difficult sometimes, and working 24 hour shifts. So yeah, definitely doing the most work."
Gabby laughed and shook her head. "If you insist. Just get us home already, I am starving and tired."