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1
Brett saw Casey, Severide, Gallo, and Kidd emerge from a burning house with two victims, and the first thing Brett noticed was the long trail of blood on Casey’s cheek.
With worry already settled in her expression, she furrowed her brows and wondered why he was bleeding in the first place. Severide and Kidd approached the ambo with the two victims where Brett took one and Violet took the other.
Before Severide could leave, Brett called after him.
“Severide, can you tell Casey to come over here?” she asked, occupied with one of the victims. She didn’t see his teasing grin.
“Yeah, sure,” he replied.
A few minutes later, out of the corner of her eye, she saw Casey approach the ambo. Before he could say anything, she handed him a disinfecting wipe.
“Here,” she said and gestured to his cheek. He frowned and started patting his cheek with it. He looked surprised at the red blotches on the wipe and kept wiping.
When she was done assessing one of the victims, she turned her attention towards Casey and noticed that despite his best efforts, there was still a little bit of blood left. She chuckled to herself and approached the Captain. He gave her a slightly confused look when she took the wipe from his hands.
She wiped at his cheek, trying to ignore the incredibly adorable puppy look he was giving her. She wondered if he meant to. A while ago, Violet pointed out how he always looked at her differently - softly, even. And ever since then, Brett couldn’t stop noticing.
“Thanks,” he said.
She replied tenderly, “Of course.”
As she wiped his cheek, her gaze slowly drifted to his.
There was a clear distinction between Captain Casey and Matt Casey; their mannerisms, tones, and gestures were different, but with a few similarities in between. Ever since they got together, she could easily tell the two apart, and whenever it was just her and him at work and in the same space, it was rarely her and Captain Casey.
“It’s not deep but you should still change out the bandaid later tonight,” she told him as she applied the bandaid on the cut on his cheekbone.
He nodded. “Okay.”
She eyed him and challenged him with a knowing smile. “Are you going to actually change it?”
He beamed at her. “I will. Thankfully, I live with a paramedic who would kill me if I didn’t.”
She wanted to laugh at his antics, but instead, flashed a grin. “Lucky her.”
“Oh, believe me, I’m the lucky one,” he replied, right before he squeezed her shoulder. “Thanks, Brett. See you and Violet back at the station.”
She nodded and watched him walk off towards Gallo and Kidd, who was talking to Severide and Capp. When she turned back around to pack up her jump bag, she caught Violet’s sly and knowing smile.
“What?” Brett asked, eying her partner.
Violet gave her a smug look and simply replied, “Nothing.”
“Oh, just say it and get it out of the way. I know you’re trying to hold it in.” Brett waited for Violet to hop out of the ambo before closing the doors.
When they both climbed into the ambo, Violet finally confessed, “You guys are so cute.”
Brett bit back a smile and then shyly looked away.
2
Brett was in the middle of packing up her things in the locker room when she heard Casey call out to her. She looked behind her and saw him approach her from the bunkroom.
“Hey, you busy?” he asked.
She shook her head and curiously asked, “Just about to head out. What’s up?”
He held up the back of his hand. “Cat scratched me,” he replied with an annoyed look.
She eyed him, puzzled and amused at the same time. She took his hand and gently ran her fingers along with the scratch. “Um, how did this happen exactly?”
He tried not to get wrapped up in the way her fingers softly held his hand. Instead, he got lost in her blue eyes that held onto his slate gray ones.
He blinked as he mentally tripped over himself. “Uh, it was from the call we just got back from.”
She looked puzzled for a second and then reached for her jump bag that was already packed up. “I thought that call was about a kitchen fire,” she asked as she unzipped the bag and grabbed an antiseptic wipe and a large rectangular bandage.
“It was,” he confirmed. “Afterwards, as we were heading back, we were flagged down by a woman. Her cat was stuck in a cardboard tube in her living room.” He saw Brett’s face scrunch up with concern. “Yeah, it wasn’t the ideal call, but we couldn’t just say no and leave. And we thought it would be quick, so...”
She tore open the antiseptic wipe and began to gently clean the long scratch. “Who helped you?” she curiously asked.
Casey winced as he replied, “We all helped.”
Brett suppressed her want to laugh by biting her bottom lip.
He deadpanned, “That’s not funny. You remember Veronicat. Corralling a cat, much less pulling them out of a cardboard tube, is no easy task.”
She laughed this time. “Okay, okay. I’m sorry. How did you guys end up getting the cat out?”
“Well… I drew the short straw and had to grab the cat by its scruff, while Gallo and Kidd pulled on the end of the tube.”
Brett raised an eyebrow. “How did you get scratched then? That’s like the off switch for a cat.”
“Once we freed the cat from the tube, I released her. I guess she had some sort of vendetta against me and decided to attack my hand. It was like one minute she was the devil and the next she was an angel leaping into her owner’s arms.” He blinked in surprise and shook his head, trying to suppress the memory. “Anyways, now I have a battle scar to prove my bravery.”
She laughed and tore open the bandaid. “My hero,” she playfully added. She spread the bandaid on the back of his hand and kissed it.
When she tried to let go of his hand, he held onto hers and squeezed lightly.
He beamed at the gesture and tilted his head to the side. “Do you always do that?”
“Only when they really need it.” She laced their fingers together. “I can’t let you think all that heroism was for nothing.”
He smiled and was tempted to lean into her for a small kiss until they were both interrupted.
“Oh, c’mon, you guys!” Herrmann cried as he entered the locker room. “I thought we had an agreement. No PDA in the common areas. Take it to your office or something!” He gestured with a few flicks of his hand.
Brett tried not to laugh and regretfully let go of Casey’s hand. She grabbed the trash from his quick patch up and closed her jump bag. “I’ll see you later tonight?” she asked.
Casey nodded. “I’ll bring wine.”
3
It started out as a small makeout session in the entryway.
He came over to her place for lunch in between a couple of construction jobs. As always, he greeted her with a kiss, but that kiss soon turned into two and then four, and then hands started to wander.
She helped remove his sweatshirt and he helped remove her sweater. With their lips still attached, he pulled her in by her hips and then picked her up. She wrapped her legs around his waist as she moaned lowly against him.
He opted for the bed this time and carried her to her room. He dropped her on top of the bed and helped pull off her shirt. She did the same with him as they smiled into every kiss.
He leaned over her as her hands reached his belt. The sound of his buckle being undone rang in his ears as he trailed kisses from below her ear, down to her collar, and then finally on her shoulder.
With his buckle finally separated, she tugged on one end of his belt before completely pulling at it. When he felt the tug on his hip, he went with the motion and leaned further into her, pushing her back onto the bed with him on top.
Right before she was going to toss his belt to the void of her bedroom, she heard him yelp.
“Oh god,” he sputtered and forced his eyes shut.
She stopped and gently kissed his cheek. A worried frown settled on her face. “What’s wrong?”
His eyes widened from disbelief and the sheer audacity that something like that would interrupt their moment. “Uh, I think I pulled something.”
At first, she let out a throaty laugh, and then, a moment later, she chuckled. She was forced to suppress her laughter with the back of her hand.
“I’m glad you find my pain so amusing, Babe,” he deadpanned.
“I’m sorry. I forgot how much of an old man you were,” she playfully replied. She felt a pinch on her thigh and yelped.
“Is it the spot below your shoulder blade, again?” she asked and kissed him.
He nodded. “Same spot.”
A week ago, Matt suffered from the same injury while he was on one of his construction jobs. Sylvie dutifully massaged the muscle and made him ice it for a bit. Even though he tried to wave off her doting, she nevertheless became his unofficial nurse for a few days.
“Maybe we should go easy on the sex, Matt. I don’t want to kill you,” she said with a regretful smile. She moved out from underneath him and gestured for him to lay down on the bed. He slowly, and somewhat painfully, began to lay on his stomach.
He nearly cried when he felt her massage the offending spot. His cries eventually turned into muffled grunts.
“Is that it?” she asked.
He nodded and replied with a small moan, “Yes”.
They, unfortunately, had to forego their heated plans and do what Matt actually came over to do: eat lunch. He, however, didn’t stop to kiss her every chance he got.
4
“Sylvie Brett?” the receptionist called out.
Sylvie quickly pocketed her phone and approached the front desk. “Yes, I’m Sylvie.”
The brunette Latino woman quickly checked her computer and asked, “You arrived with Matthew Casey?”
Sylvie nodded. “Yes, I did.”
“Okay, he got out of surgery ten minutes ago, so he’s just chilling in one of the waiting rooms. The doctor will be out to give you the order sheet to pick up his prescription and all the instructions you’ll need to take care of him,” the woman informed her with a pleasant smile.
Sylvie replied, “Okay. Sounds good.”
The doctor came out a couple of minutes later with a few pieces of paper. Her name tag read ‘Dr. Jamie Turner’. She was blonde with brown eyes and wore circular glasses. “Sylvie Brett?”
“That’s me,” Sylvie replied. “How’s he doing?”
“He’s doing great. There were no complications with the surgery. It was a very easy and straightforward operation,” the doctor replied with a grin. She handed Sylvie the papers and continued, “The last one contains his prescription for pain medication. The CVS a few blocks from here will fill it for you. He should only take those every six hours and only as needed if he’s still feeling pain. No solid food for at least a week. No hot foods and no straws, as well. I’ve heard ice cream and jello are quite popular choices. Until his next check-up, I’d like for him to avoid foods such as popcorn, seeds, nuts, et cetera. Anything that could get lodged behind his molars.”
She started walking behind the receptionist’s desk and gestured for Sylvie to follow her. Sylvie did a quick read on the pages that the doctor gave her as they walked.
“If you have any questions or concerns, there’s a number on the first sheet,” Dr. Turner informed her.
They walked down a hallway and then turned left to another hallway. As they passed by the various doors, Sylvie could see the families that were going through the consulting phase and some patients that were patiently, and somewhat anxiously, waiting for their turn to get their wisdom teeth removed.
Dr. Turner stopped in front of a door that was mostly just a pane of frosted glass and opened it.
Sylvie curiously stepped inside and tried her best not to laugh at her boyfriend.
He was laying down on a table in his blue long-sleeved shirt with a bit of drool trailing down the corner of his mouth. He had this spaced out look as he stared up at the ceiling.
“He may be all mumbles for a while. There’s still cotton in his mouth from the procedure, but you can remove them before his next meal,” the doctor informed her. “He’s also still under anesthesia, so it’ll be a little while longer before it wears off.”
Sylvie came up to his side and affectionately carded her hand through the front of his hair, as it was a little ruffled. It was one of his favorite gestures from her.
He turned to her, still a little spacey.
“Hey, you. How are you feeling?” she gently and affectionately asked.
He stared at her and started to smile. “You’re really pretty,” he managed to reply, even with cotton in his mouth.
Dr. Turner didn’t try to hide her smile. “We gave him the really good stuff, by the way.”
Sylvie chuckled and patted her boyfriend’s shoulder. “Don’t worry, you’ll be home in no time.”
Dr. Turner then asked, “Do you have any questions? Otherwise, I can get one of the ladies to come out the back with a wheelchair and help him into your car.”
Sylvie turned to the doctor and gave her an appreciative smile. “No questions. Thanks, Dr. Turner.”
The doctor nodded. “I’ll see him back here in a week for his check-up.”
As soon as the doctor left, Sylvie turned back to her boyfriend and reached for his hand that was laid out on his side.
“You doing okay, Matt?” she asked. She felt his fingers curl around hers.
“Can I marry you?” he asked, a bit slurred.
Sylvie laughed and kissed his shoulder. “Well, since you may or may not remember this, I did your laundry last week and saw the box in your dresser. So, I’d say you can, but let’s keep it a secret between loopy-Matt-Casey and I, until the sober-Matt-Casey asks, okay?”
He stared at her in awe as he replied, “Okay.”
While Matt was utterly knocked out in the passenger seat of her car, Sylvie quickly ran into the CVS to grab jello and his prescription. She then went to a nearby grocery market to pick up mashed potatoes, some chicken broth, and a tub of ice cream.
Later that night when Matt was a lot soberer, Sylvie asked if he remembered anything after the procedure.
Matt scratched the back of his head as he tried to think. “I don’t remember much, actually. One minute, I was being asked to count back from ninety-nine and the next, the sun is missing and I’m drooling in our bed.” He eyed her and asked, “Did I say anything weird?”
She shook her head and kept her knowing grin to herself. “Nope.”
5
“Mayday, Mayday! Captain Casey is down!” Sylvie heard Severide shout into everyone’s radios.
Sylvie’s eyes widened as her heart started to pound loudly and endlessly in her chest. She grabbed her radio and quickly asked, “What’s the situation, Severide?” She didn’t realize her hand was shaking.
“We just got to him. He’s unconscious and without his mask. He gave it to one of the kids that was trapped in one of the offices,” Severide replied. “The kid is okay, but Casey isn’t responding.”
Sylvie swore under her breath.
After a few seconds of hearing nothing but her own heart in her ears, she let out a breath she didn’t know she was holding.
It wasn’t her call. While she felt every ounce of urge to run in there, she couldn't.
“Mouch, we’re in the South end. Take the first hallway all the way down and then go right. We’re all the way at the end. Cruz is going to take one of the kids. I need you to take the other,” Severide ordered.
“Copy that,” Mouch replied.
Sylvie watched Mouch quickly run into the double doors of the office building that was currently leaking black smoke.
Sylvie felt a sting in her heart when she saw Cruz come out with a child in his arms. And then she saw Mouch and a child. She uttered pleading words to herself as she expectantly waited for Severide and Casey.
As if on cue, Severide came out, maskless, and carrying Casey over his shoulder, who was using Severide’s mask.
Sylvie immediately called for Violet to bring out the gurney.
Severide set Casey on the gurney and worriedly looked on as Brett pulled off the mask, opened his turnout coat, and put a stethoscope to his chest.
She fought back the tears as she focused on his heartbeat.
“Passed out due to lack of oxygen. A lot of smoke inhalation. He's breathing, but it's faint. We’re going to rush him to Med.” She strapped Casey onto the gurney and Severide helped her push it into the back of the ambulance.
Severide quickly tugged on Brett’s sleeve. “Let us know if you hear anything, okay?”
A tear rolled down her cheek as she nodded. “I will.”
Matt woke up a few hours later to a very worried pair of familiar blue eyes, but they were also bloodshot. The machines in his hospital room beeped around him as he marveled in her beauty, even after such an emotional experience.
“Hey,” she greeted him with a worried smile. “How are you feeling?”
He coughed and groaned. “Light-headed.”
She reached over him and grabbed a cup of water from his tray. She slowly tipped it into his mouth and he didn’t stop drinking until it was all gone.
She smiled warmly at him and squeezed his hand. “I’ll go get you some more water.”
He held onto her hand and pleaded, “Stay.” His voice was raspy and deeper than usual. “Have Will get it for you.”
Sylvie grinned at his light hearted comment. “I’m pretty sure that’s not his job.”
“I’m sorry I scared you,” he confessed with a sleepy and weakened look. “I know you told me never to do that, again…”
With her lips pressed together, she smiled. Seeing him look so vulnerable made her want to cry. She leaned in and kissed his cheek. “I told you never to swing from the aerial, again, but I guess I can add this one to the list, too.”
He laughed, but those laughs soon turned into coughs. She worriedly rubbed his shoulder as he tried to slow the coughing.
He was able to get discharged the next day, but not without withstanding all of Severide’s head shaking and teasing comments about his ‘self-sacrificing selfless ass’.
The moment Sylvie and Matt got home from the hospital, they both climbed into bed and cuddled into each other, thoroughly enjoying each other’s comforting presence and warmth. Sylvie couldn’t remember the last time they stayed in bed for so long.
6
Matt had suffered many injuries in his time, but he couldn’t quite grasp how painful it was when he sustained a particular one in the bedroom.
Matt and Sylvie were fooling around and as they made their way to the bedroom, he bumped into the bedpost hard . He grunted and yelped, and regrettably had to stop kissing his girlfriend. He doubled over and groaned as he tried to suppress the pain.
Sylvie, being Sylvie, quickly jumped to his side and asked him if he was okay. To her surprise, he shook his head. That wasn’t a good sign . She expected him to say he was ‘fine’ and try to continue where they left off.
It turns out, however hard he knocked into the bedpost actually did a number on him. He grunted in pain whenever he moved and any twisting motion worsened it.
She told him to go to the hospital, but he refused. He didn’t want to have to explain to Will why he was there in the first place.
Thankfully, the pain at his side was considerably better by the time they got on shift. Nonetheless, she kept a watchful eye on him during calls and after calls. She even made sure to ask him every now and then on how he’s feeling, and each time, he reassured her that he felt great.
Things were looking good until they were running drills on the driveway. Gallo bumped into Casey a little too hard and nearly knocked him off his feet, not from the bump itself, but from the staggering pain of what felt like a dagger being plunged into his side.
Brett was in the common room looking for something sugary when Mouch ran in from the app floor with a panicked expression.
Brett ran out to the driveway with Mouch and saw everyone circling around Casey, who was kneeling on the pavement with his hand holding his side.
She flashed a saddened look when she heard his familiar cries of pain. She gave Severide a nudge and asked, “Can you tell everyone to clear out for a bit?”
Severide nodded and told everyone to go back to the drills. Everyone looked worried as they walked away, Gallo especially. Brett made a quick note in her head to make sure Gallo knew it wasn’t his fault.
She kneeled in front of Casey and put her hand over his that was still holding his side. “Hey, you okay?” she softly and worriedly asked.
He nodded; his eyes were still shut as he tried to concentrate on suppressing the pain.
‘A good sign, all things considered,’ she thought. She smiled and gently stroked the back of his hand. “Can you stand?”
He nodded again and, with her help, was able to get on his feet.
She gently ushered him towards the ambo. “C’mon. I’ll get a better look at it over there.”
He gingerly followed her, but not without suppressing his pained hisses and grunts along the way. She stopped him at the back of the ambo and, with the lack of prying eyes, was able to peel off his turnout coat and then help slip off the suspenders of his turnout pants. She lifted his shirt and saw an angry and throbbing area at his side below his ribs.
She touched it gently, heard him grunt a warning, and then quickly pulled away. “Okay, okay. I’m sorry.”
“Holy shit, what the hell happened to you?” Severide worriedly asked.
Casey and Brett’s heads both whipped around and saw Severide’s utterly shocked expression.
“Is this from one of your construction jobs?” The lieutenant asked, now visibly concerned.
Casey grunted out, “No, it’s not.”
Severide then looked at Brett, who, he thought, looked all too familiar with whatever kind of injury it was. He looked between the two and suddenly realized he might’ve walked in on a private moment and saw an injury from an even more private moment.
“Ah,” Severide said with a sly and shit-eating grin. “I know what that’s from.” He has been on the receiving end of them in the past.
Casey shot him a look. “Shouldn’t you be doing drills?”
Severide chuckled and took his leave. “Sure, sure.”
Casey glowered at his best friend knowing full well he wasn’t going to hear the end of it later on.
Brett tried not to smile at their encounter. “I’ll go get you an ice pack from the freezer.” She turned around and ran off into the kitchen.
She came back a minute later, and was carrying an ice pack in one hand and a towel in the other. She wrapped the towel around the ice pack and gently pressed it to his side. He let out a surprised hiss and then comfortably sighed.
“Keep it here for fifteen minutes and then take it off for an hour. Off and on, off and on…” she trailed off as he nodded along with her.
She frowned as she noticed the mental exhaustion behind his eyes. She shuffled a little closer to him and he weakly smiled at her.
“I’ll be fine, Sylvie,” he murmured.
“Are you saying that, because you don’t want to see a doctor?” she teased.
It was those little moments between them, playful, carefree and subtly intimate, when he truly felt at peace.
“Dr. Brett seems to be doing just fine for me,” he replied, right before he rubbed the bottom of his lip with the side of his finger and grinned knowingly.
She narrowed her eyes at him. “I should start billing you.”
His smile instantly flattened. He looked betrayed. “You wouldn’t.”
“Oh, I would,” she pointed out. “Don’t think I won’t just because we’re dating, Captain.” He gave her a disapproving look, but before he could continue their playful banter, the alarms blared and Engine was called out.
Sylvie helped Matt out of his turnout gear that was still pooled around him and made sure he made it safely back to his quarters.
7
With Severide and Kidd at the cabin for the weekend, Matt thought it was a good idea to invite Sylvie over for a proper wine and dine.
They weren’t able to do much the past month and a half due to the busy schedule with his construction jobs and her trip to Rockford to visit Scott and Amelia.
He settled on wearing a black button-up and a pair of dark jeans, and Sylvie’s notably favorite cologne. He kept the hair gel to a minimum since she had an adorable habit of soothing him by carding her fingers through his hair.
He was in the middle of pan-frying a couple of pieces of filet mignon in butter, garlic, and rosemary when he heard a knock at the front door.
“Come in!” he shouted.
The door opened and he looked over his shoulder once to make sure it was actually his girlfriend.
“Hey, dinner is almost ready,” he said.
He did a double-take when he saw what she was wearing.
Sylvie was dressed in a strapless burgundy dress that stopped halfway down her thighs and hugged her figure just right. Her make-up was done lightly and she wore a similar shade of lipstick. Her hair was curled lightly and stopped right above her shoulders.
His mouth hung open as he stared at her exposed neck and collar and shoulders, her dress, her legs, her adorable small, yet bashful, smile - her everything.
A crackle and pop of oil pulled him out of his thoughts as it splashed onto his hand.
“Ow, shit!” he swore as he quickly switched off the burner and backed away from the stove.
Sylvie immediately went into PIC mode and rushed to his side. He heard the clicking of her heels get closer and closer to him as he held onto his hand. He hissed as he felt a warm, long and throbbing pain.
“It’s okay. You’re okay,” she murmured as she carefully removed his other hand to take a look at the burn from the oil. It wasn’t bad. It was actually very minor. She pulled him over to the sink and turned on the faucet to the lukewarm setting.
She brought it hand underneath the water and instructed him, “Keep it here for ten minutes.”
He nodded. He took a moment to fully process the situation he put himself in and then he chuckled. They were still impossibly close to each other, even after the ‘oil fiasco’. He could smell her mesmerizing perfume and she could smell her favorite cologne.
“Hi,” he bashfully added.
She beamed at him. “Hi.” She thought he looked incredibly handsome in his attire.
He leaned in and softly kissed her in greeting.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to…” He looked at his hand that was still under the running water.
“Stare?” she asked with a knowing grin.
He winced. “Was it obvious?”
She laughed, cupped his cheeks with her hands, and deepened their kisses. “You know, I’m really contemplating skipping dinner,” she teased with a small sigh.
He gave her a regretful look and then looked at his injured hand. “Give me eight more minutes. A paramedic told me I have to keep my hand like this and she’ll get angry if I don’t.”
She raised an eyebrow and gave him a look. “Just a paramedic, huh?”
“Paramedic in Charge,” he corrected himself. His breath got caught in his throat when he saw the hooded look she was giving him. “Definitely in charge.”
He wrapped his good arm around her to pull her closer to him and she laughed. After they exchanged a few more kisses and Sylvie assessed the minor burn on the back of his hand, they were finally able to enjoy their much-needed quiet night together.
8
The number of times Sylvie had to patch up Matt on a call was becoming more and more frequent, and while she knew he was only doing his job and the injuries he sustained were just the cherry on top, she still felt uneasy with his nonchalant way of dealing with them, which only made her become more and more visibly agitated and upset.
He sat down on the back of the ambo with his turncoat open and his helmet and mask off. His boyish looks were showing as his hair was in disarray.
She was inspecting a long cut on his neck.
“How did this even happen?” she asked, befuddled.
He shrugged. “I’m not sure. The minute I took my helmet off, Severide pointed to my neck and told me to get it checked.”
She sighed and started to look for an antiseptic wipe. “I’d ask you to be more careful, but knowing you, you wouldn’t.” She ripped open the package with more force than normally and nearly slapped it on his neck.
He flinched at the sudden sting and looked up at her with concerned eyes.
“Ow, shit, Brett--” he stopped when he noticed the exhaustion behind her normally bright and cheerful blue eyes. “You okay?” he asked pointedly.
“Yup,” she curtly replied.
“Sylvie,” he murmured, trying to get her to look at him. This time, he asked more softly and personally, “Hey, what’s up?”
“Forget it, Matt,” she replied, clearly upset and teetering towards anger.
“Sylvie--” he began again.
This time, she snapped.
“Yesterday, there was a cut on your arm,” she began exasperatingly. “The day before, it was a cut on your leg. The day before that, something fell on your head and we both know how that scare ended. And the day before that , there was a massive bruise on your shoulder from when you fell through the staircase at that abandoned home that someone lit on fire. Today , it’s a cut on your neck, and we both know you were wearing your gear. So, how this happened is beyond both of us. God forbid whatever did this to you was a centimeter to the left.”
His eyes widened at her sudden outburst. Luckily, it was just between her and him. His eyes drifted to the figure behind her that was peeking out from the corner of the ambo and saw Violet’s worried and frightened look that was directed straight at him, silently asking him questions he wouldn’t be able to answer.
Okay, so it was between her, him, and Violet.
Before he could say anything else, Brett was ripping open a pad of gauze. She pressed it against his cut and started putting tape on it. “It’s shallow. You don’t need stitches. Change it tonight.”
She turned away, hoping he would get the hint and leave her alone to fume, but that wasn’t something the Matt Casey she knew would do. As she expected, she felt him tug on her sleeve.
“Sylvie,” he cautiously said, clearly worried.
She turned slightly but didn’t look at him. “We’re done here, Casey. You should go see if Kidd and Mouch need help with the clean up.”
He looked at her expectantly but ultimately sighed when she still refused to look at him. As he passed her, he gave Violet an apologetic smile. The first thing he was going to do when he got back at the station was to talk to his girlfriend.
Eight minutes later, Violet climbed into the passenger seat of the ambulance and expectantly saw Sylvie in the driver’s seat. Her elbow was propped up against the bottom of the driver-side window with her hand holding up her head and her other hand in her lap. It looked like she was annoyed and angry, yet contemplating all of her actions prior.
“Everything okay, Brett?” Violet quietly asked. She immediately doubled back to make sure her partner knew she wasn’t trying to pry. “You can just shake your head or nod, and we can leave it at that. We don’t have to talk about anything you don’t want to talk about.”
Sylvie let out a long, regretful sigh and stared out the windshield. “I shouldn’t have snapped at him.”
Violet frowned; she admired her partner’s awareness. Normally anyone would be ready to work on releasing all the built up anger through a quick trip to the gym. She figured Sylvie’s confession was an invitation to a more personal conversation. “Why did you?”
She replied with all honesty, “Because I’m tired of having to see him bleeding and bruised. There are so many moments when the cuts are small, but they could be longer. Or, the injuries are shallow, but there’s a chance it could’ve been deeper. He runs into burning buildings, and then things happen for twenty minutes, things I have no idea about, and then… all of a sudden, I’m stuck dealing with the aftermath.” She let her head fall back onto the headrest. She tiredly closed her eyes and muttered, “It was a lot easier when we weren’t together.”
Violet smiled; despite what Sylvie confessed, she saw the complete opposite. She saw a woman that was so worried about someone she loved that she acknowledged the simpler times. “Isn’t that why you love him though?”
Sylvie didn’t need to think about it; she instantly bit back a smile. “Yep.” She popped the ‘p’. “I love everything about that courageous and selfless man.”
“That’s why you also fell in love with him, right?” Violet seemed to be asking all the right questions.
There was no bone in Sylvie’s body that thought otherwise. She slowly fell in love with him; every single charming smile, every single encouraging and supportive word he gave her and others around her, and every single act of selflessness he gave to the people around them… She fell in love with everything that defined him, even his flaws.
Ambulance 61. We have an injured person three blocks from you. Are you able to answer the call?
Sylvie sighed and picked up the radio. She replied with her professional, PIC voice, “Dispatch, Ambulance 61 is available. Send us the address.” As she listened to the address, she put the ambulance in drive and started to slowly make their way out.
There was a notable silence between the two partners as they got closer to their next call.
“Thanks, Violet,” Sylvie said with a small genuine smile.
Violet endearingly beamed at her partner and replied, “Anytime. All I ask is that you include me in your vows.”
Sylvie bashfully laughed.
Between the calls for Truck and Ambo, Matt wasn’t able to pull Sylvie aside for a talk until Ambo rolled back into the app floor closer to midnight. When he passed by Violet, she gave him an encouraging and reassuring smile.
He took her smile as a positive sign and continued his approach to the vehicle. He reached the driver’s side of the ambo and caught the blonde paramedic right as she climbed out.
She looked up and froze when she saw Matt.
“Hey,” she softly replied.
Another positive: it didn’t sound like she was angry at him anymore.
“Hey,” he murmured. “Can we talk?”
She nodded and she gestured to the front of the app floor. He followed her, but kept his distance. He respected her boundaries.
She let out two meditative breaths and quickly went over what she was going to say. Between calls, she thought about it extensively, but whenever she was finally ready, one of them was just about to leave with the other one having just come back from a call.
“Matt,” she began right as she turned around to face him. “I’m sorry I snapped at you.” He looked surprised. “I was way out of line and I should’ve come to you and talked to you off calls and not on a call. I was just so wrapped up in the thought of something even worse happening to you. Every single time you got hurt, I always balled up my fears and shoved it in the back of my head, hoping I’d forget they existed. But, when I see you at the ambo, they come right back out and--”
“Sylvie,” he softly interjected. He reached for her hands and squeezed them tight. “It’s understandable that you feel that way, and to be fair, I shouldn’t shrug off my injuries like they’re nothing, because they’re not nothing to you .”
She still had that regrettable and embarrassed look on her face. She was still feeling like an idiot for how she treated him.
He frowned and pulled at the pockets of her CFD vest. She reluctantly shuffled towards him and allowed him to hug her.
“I’m sorry, too, Sylvie,” he murmured into her ear. He wrapped his arms around her middle and pressed a long kiss to the spot below her ear.
She fell into his warmth and wrapped her arms around his neck; she buried her face into his neck as she replied, “You shouldn’t be.”
“No, I should.” He gently massaged circles into her lower back. “You’re already kicking yourself for harboring it all by yourself and letting it out when you couldn’t hold it in any longer. I know what’s bothering you and why it’s bothering you, and I need to do my part to make sure it doesn’t bother you ever again.” He briefly pulled away and saw the apologetic, yet loving, look in her eyes.
She searched his eyes for regret, anger, and annoyance, but she didn’t see any. The softened look in his eyes told her that he’d already forgiven her.
“You really know what to say to make me feel better about nearly biting a CFD Captain’s head off.” As she watched his small smile grow into an incredibly affectionate one, she couldn’t help but think how much she lucked out with him.
He gave her this impossibly charming smile. “It might have something to do with how much he loves you.”
She fell into some laughter that he hoped he’d never stop hearing. “I love you, too, Matt.”
9
Matt and Sylvie bought a house together; it was a fixer-upper that was previously owned by an older couple that wanted to move closer to their grandchildren. It was exactly what they both wanted: a house that needed a few renovations where they’d be able to shape it into a home of their own.
Besides the carpet and some of the walls, the kitchen was the first major area that was completely gutted and removed.
On his off days, Matt would go to the house and work on the renovations while Sylvie would go to the store to pick out what they needed. After she chose the kitchen countertops and the paint colors for the cabinetry, she asked for Matt’s opinion, to which he agreed to almost all of them (for any disagreements, they met in the middle).
With the countertop already installed, one of the last things they needed to do in the kitchen was to install the cabinet doors. He asked Sylvie if she could hold up the doors for him while he drilled the screws into place and she happily said yes.
He picked up one of the cabinet doors and checked the sides to make sure it was the right one. He then checked to see if the holes aligned with the soft closing hinges Sylvie was absolutely adamant about.
He held up the door and gestured for her to come over. She came up beside him and grabbed the door with both of her hands. The angle was a bit odd until he shuffled her over a bit so she was able to get a well-balanced grip on it.
“You got it?” he asked.
“Yup,” she replied with the utmost certainty.
He looked to his right to grab his drill and the correct screw bit. As he turned around, he was more preoccupied with inserting the bit into his drill that he didn’t notice her strained grip on the door.
“Oh, shi-- Matt!”
Alarmed by her sudden shout, he looked up and was immediately smacked in the head with the door.
“Ow…” he grunted. He lifted the door off his face and rubbed his forehead. “...Jesus.” He grumbled as he slowly moved the door to the floor where it wouldn’t hurt anyone.
He felt hands cup his cheeks and saw her eyes search for any visible injuries.
“I’m so sorry, Matt.”
He winced and continued to rub his forehead. “Shit, that hurt,” he replied honestly. He rubbed his forehead again and then he felt her hands brush his away. She examined his forehead and saw a small pink spot from where the door hit him. She gently carded her hand through his hair in an effort to soothe him further.
“You okay?” she softly asked.
“Yeah, I’ll be fine,” he replied with a short smile.
She looked down at the door that was on the floor and Matt’s eyes followed hers. “Maybe I shouldn’t help you with the cabinets. I think I’ll stick to the sanding and painting. I can’t hurt you with those, right?” There was a little bit of panic in her voice.
He chuckled and pulled her closer to him in an attempt to reassure her. “Sylvie, I’m fine. Really. I’ve had worse head injuries before, remember?”
She winced at the mention. “Not something I want to remember, but yes, I do.”
“Sorry.” He frowned; it wasn’t his intention to make light of it. “How’s about I help you hold up the door this time.”
“Nope,” she said abruptly, already hating the idea of sitting in another room and anxiously waiting for MRI results. “I don’t want to have to explain to Will at Med how you got another head injury.” She tried to pull away from him, but tightened his hold on her.
“This is the first time you’ve hurt me, you know?” He looked at her proudly. “You’ve taken care of me many, many times before. This is just one injury out of the many that you helped me through.” He affectionately squeezed her waist. “So, don’t beat yourself for what happened, okay?”
She couldn’t help but smile at him. Of course, he knew exactly want to say to her to quell her guilt. She reluctantly replied, “Okay… thank you, Matt.”
“Always.”
He kissed her and she lovingly, and slowly, kissed him back.
“Don’t think a door to the face is going to stop me from wanting me to be with you,” he murmured against her lips.
She chuckled against his chest and pulled him in for another kiss. She caressed his cheeks and traced his cheekbone with her thumbs, willing him to kiss her deeper. He followed her lead and stepped into her, settling his leg between hers. His hands pulled at her waist and pressed her flush against him. She moaned lightly as she felt his hips cant, wanting to go further than a simple makeout session.
“I know what you can help me with,” he murmured lowly.
Her lips inched closer to his as she played along. “What?” She nearly squealed when he decidedly picked her up.
He brought her on top of the long kitchen island and felt her legs frame his waist. He kissed her again before he finally said, “You can help me christen the counter.”
Her happy laugh was caught in her throat when she felt his lips brush against hers and felt his thumb search for the button of her jean shorts.
10
Stella ran into the bunkroom in panic. “Brett!? Brett!”
Brett furrowed her brows for a moment when she heard her name. Worry settled when she realized it was Stella and that she sounded really scared.
She turned in her spot on her bunk and locked eyes with her best friend. “Stella?” She watched the brunette approach her. “What’s wrong?”
“It’s Casey,” she blurted out with wide eyes and a scared frown.
Casey? Brett blinked as she heard a heartstopping ringing in her ear. “What do you mean?”
Stella pulled her to her feet and led her through the bunk room and towards the common room. “We were on a call and he got injured -- I’m not really sure what happened. Severide said he got hit hard in the stomach by something. Casey told us over and over that he was fine, but the moment we parked the rig and he climbed out, he immediately doubled over in pain.” She paused as her voice housed a higher pitch tone. She sounded really worried. “I-I’ve never seen him like this before.”
Hearing Stella panicked made her panic. As they rushed towards the doors that led out into the app floor, she did her best to think positively. She ran through a list of things that he could be potentially suffering from with bruising as ideal, broken ribs as less than ideal, and internal bleeding trauma as the absolute worst.
It’s probably a really bad bruise or broken ribs, she told herself.
When the doors opened, all heads turned to her and Stella. The fact that everyone from firehouse 51 surrounded Casey with scared and worried looks did not help her usual positivity.
She searched everyone’s eyes and Severide’s especially. Severide looked scared and that was enough for her to finally admit that she was scared herself.
She kneeled next to Casey; he was on his knees, doubling over and hugging his middle. She saw his fingers grasp at his own shirt. That’s not a good sign . He was still in his turnout gear with his turnout coat open, so she wasn’t able to pinpoint the source of his pain.
“Matt,” she murmured as soothingly as possible. She brought one hand to his shoulder and one to his folded arms at his stomach.
“Hey, Matt. What’s wrong?” she worriedly asked. He didn’t answer her with words, but with a guttural cry that sounded like he was in immense pain. “Is it your stomach?” she asked. “Stella said you got hit pretty hard there.”
He clutched harder at his middle and groaned again. His eyes were forced shut as he felt the area around his stomach throb.
Sylvie looked increasingly worried, as did everyone else. She gently reached for his wrists and did a very small tug, hoping he’d let her examine his injury. “It’s okay. It’s just me,” she muttered as her stomach dropped at the sight of his vulnerability.
He slowly unraveled his arms and she froze when she saw him reveal a small black, velvet box.
She stared at it, bemused, and then met Matt’s softened gaze. He no longer looked like he was in pain. He now looked like the same charming, boyish, and incredibly affectionate Matt Casey that she woke up to that same morning. The same one that said sweet nothings into her ear before he effortlessly coaxed her into having really good morning sex.
She swallowed thickly as nervousness and worry clashed; nervousness that was caused by what she knew was in the box and worry that was caused by Stella’s previous string of panicked words.
He smiled warmly at her before he opened it.
Her eyes widened at the large diamond that sat on top of a clean white gold band that had another four smaller sets of diamonds.
She was finally able to let out a shaky breath. “Please tell me you’re actually hurt, Matt.”
He breathed a laugh as his eyes started to water a little.
The worried expressions that were once on their friends’ faces were replaced with warm and incredibly happy smiles.
A tear rolled down Sylvie’s cheek when he didn’t answer her. Shocked, and still trying to sort through her panicked feelings of her boyfriend being hurt that mixed with her elated feelings of him proposing, she covered her mouth with her hands. She still couldn’t believe what was happening.
“Please tell me you’re hurt,” she repeated.
He laughed a little louder this time and finally replied, “That’s the first time you’ve said that to me.”
Another tear rolled down her cheek. He was actually proposing to her.
“Sylvie Brett,” he began. Tears welled up in his eyes as he remembered the lines that he rehearsed. The words took him back to the very beginning when their journey together started out as a friendship and slowly turned into an unconditionally loving relationship. “You’ve been there for me in some of my darker times and some of my worse times. I’ve watched our friendship start small and grow into something incredibly meaningful, and if someone told me back then that we’d end up together, I wouldn’t believe them, because you are so incredibly good and kind and selfless.” Tears rolled down his cheeks as he paused. “I don’t know what I did to deserve you. You’ve taken care of me, saved me, loved me unconditionally, and accepted everything about me. I love you, Sylvie Brett.”
Tears effortlessly fell along her cheeks.
Stella bit her lips as she willed herself not to cry. Instead, she leaned her head against her husband’s shoulder and hugged him tight. Severide tucked his wife against his side and widened his grin as he watched his best friend finally propose.
At long last, Matt asked her, “Will you marry me?”
Herrmann murmured under his breath, right before he let out a sniffle, “Please say yes already so I can stop crying.”
Sylvie let out a wet laugh and silently nodded. “Yes, Matt Casey.” She sniffled. “Yes, I’ll marry you.”
He beamed at her and immediately enveloped her in his arms. He felt an impossible warmth blossom in his chest. She held onto him and buried herself further into his embrace when she heard the claps and cheers from their friends - their firehouse 51 family.
“Where are the damn tissues?” Stella asked as she wiped her tears away with the back of her hand. Mouch handed her some from his pocket, as he too was tearing up.
When the newly engaged couple pulled apart, Matt took the ring out of the velvet box and slipped it effortlessly onto her left ring finger.
“I love you, Matt Casey,” she confessed through a trembling voice. He beamed at her before caressing her cheeks in his hands and kissing her soundly.
When they pulled away, she then murmured, “Do you realize how scared you made me feel when Stella came to find me?”
He let out a nervous laugh and asked, “Am I in trouble?”
“You bet your ass you are.”
She then looked around at their friends and asked, “Were you all in on this?”
Violet was the first to reply, “You have no idea how long I had to keep this secret from you.” Ritter and Gallo both laughed beside her.
Stella chimed in, “It definitely wasn’t easy.”
Severide hugged his wife from behind and said, “Casey was being too particular about the moment. I had to beg him to ask you already before we all imploded.”
Matt helped his fiancé up and immediately tucked her into his side. “I wanted it to be romantic,” he confessed. He turned his head to Sylvie and then continued, “And then I realized, all I wanted was to propose to you in front of the same people that were there for us during every part of our relationship. The up’s, the down’s… all of it.”
Nearly everyone cooed, “Awww.”
Casey started to feel embarrassment settle, so he dismissed their excessiveness with a wave of his hand, and Sylvie hugged him even tighter.
1
Sylvie woke up with a small gasp; she blinked at the darkness around her and briefly wondered where she was and where he was.
“Matt?” she murmured. Her voice was very soft and hushed, but there was also a bit of urgency.
She immediately turned around and saw Matt sleeping on his side of the bed. He was facing her and softly snoring with a bit of drool coming out from the corner of his mouth. He looked impossibly younger with his softened features as he slept.
She smiled proudly at his boyish features and matted hair, but that smile disappeared when she remembered why she woke up in the first place.
A couple of weeks ago, there was a really bad house fire call.
Matt, Severide, and Kidd ran into the building to rescue two kids that were trapped somewhere in the house.
Severide and Kidd emerged with the kids, but Matt was still inside, and as luck would have it, his radio stopped working midway.
Sylvie’s heart was freefalling in her stomach as tears welled in her eyes. Her stomach churned as she listened to the unmistakable faint white noise in their radios. It was then covered by the crackling and roaring of the fire, and then the sound of wood collapsing. Kidd wrapped her arms around Sylvie and held onto her, comforting her as Severide made the difficult call for Engine to hose it down. Sylvie desperately held back the shaking sobs that turned into a painful ball of uncontrollable emotions in her chest.
Severide leaned against his rig and covered his face with his hand, trying to hide his anguish. The fire was reflected in the tears that threatened to escape.
When the fire was done with and the hoses were turned off, everyone was finally able to fully process their loss. Some of them stood still with a look of distress on their faces and some silently cried. They all felt the loss in the pit of their stomach, but no one could find it in themselves to look at Sylvie, Severide, or Kidd since they all knew those three were feeling it a thousand times worse.
Gallo was so angry, he wanted to punch something, but it was Violet’s hand on his shoulder that stopped him. When he looked back at her, he noticed she was looking off to the side between the other neighboring houses.
“Um… isn’t that…?” she curiously asked.
When Gallo followed her gaze, he saw the turnout gear and the man that wore it.
“Holy shit,” he laughed, completely belated. He pointed and shouted, “Hey! It’s the Captain!”
Everyone’s ears perked up; their eyes fell onto Gallo and then followed the direction of his arm. Sure enough, Casey emerged from the back of a neighboring house and he looked exhausted.
Casey had never been hugged so much in his entire life. When he saw the pained, yet relieved, look on Sylvie’s face, he made sure to make it up to her a hundred-thousand times over. He withstood a good yelling at later on as well from both Severide and Sylvie, but he knew it was out of love.
He told his story of how he was trapped in the basement and fled to the bathroom, filled the tub with water, and hid in it. When most of the fire was gone, he managed to crawl out of one of the side windows. Since the side gates of the house were blocked, he had to jump over a couple of fences in order to make it back to them.
A different version stayed in Sylvie’s subconscious; it was the one that emerged when she fell asleep. In her nightmares, Matt never came back out. She would see him running in and she’d be shouting his name, trying to call him back, but he’d never return.
...
Sylvie let out an uncontrollable yawn as she filled her mug with whatever coffee was in the pot in the common room.
Stella eyed her with a smug smile as she sidled beside her, “Someone had a good night last night.”
Sylvie blinked, still trying to fully wake up. “I actually slept early last night. I’m hoping a call or two will help kickstart things.”
Stella looked concerned. “You know, this is the third time you’ve come to shift looking really tired. Everything okay?”
Sylvie sarcastically chuckled. “That’s another way of saying I’ve been looking like shit.” Sylvie then shrugged. “I’m not really sure if things are ‘okay’.”
Stella looked beyond worried now. “What’s up?”
Sylvie and Stella sat down at the long table. Oddly enough, everyone else was doing their own thing, so it was just them in the common room.
“I’ve been having nightmares lately,” she confessed.
Stella raised her eyebrows. “Nightmares?”
Sylvie sipped on her coffee and nodded. “Yeah, I think… ever since Casey got trapped in that house fire and we all thought he was… you know…” She saw Stella nod, understanding where she was coming from. “...It’s like a part of me still thinks he’s not really here.” She blew out a sigh before shaking her head at herself in disbelief.
Stella smiled compassionately, knowing full well how the blonde paramedic was feeling. “I told you how I felt after Severide was trapped in that boat in the ocean. How you’re feeling about the whole thing... and the nightmares… they’re valid, Sylvie.”
Sylvie tiredly looked at her best friend and smiled. “Thank you, Stella.”
“I think you should talk to Casey though. It might help with the nightmares.”
Sylvie looked hesitant. “I’m hoping they’re just something temporary. I’m sure they’ll be gone soon.” Stella eyed her with a worried frown.
They soon shifted gears and fell into a much happier conversation.
...
Another nightmare, another shift that she came completely exhausted to, only this time, Casey was the one to notice, but she nonetheless chalked it up to the lack of her usual morning coffee. He didn’t think anything of it at the time.
The night before their next shift, Casey came home a little later than usual from one of his construction jobs. He toed out of his work boots and hung his jacket on the coat rack. When he walked into the living room, he noticed Sylvie asleep on the couch with a blanket draped over her lower half. HGTV reruns ran softly in the background as he quietly approached her. He turned off the TV and gently shook his wife awake.
She fluttered her eyes open and then softly smiled when she saw the slate gray eyes she loved so much. “Hey,” she mumbled sleepily.
“Hi,” he replied happily. He gently ran his hand through her hair as she began to wake.
“Did you just get home?” she blinked a bit and sat up.
“Yeah,” he replied. “Feel like heading to bed early?”
“Did you eat something?”
He nodded. “I had a quick bite to eat with Severide on my way back.” He gently grasped her hands and helped her up from the couch. “C’mon, sleepyhead.” He heard her chuckle and then quietly followed him with their hands still intertwined.
That night, they both fell asleep in each other’s arms. His arms were loosely wrapped around her with her head resting on his shoulder. It took longer than usual for him to fall asleep that night, which led to him witnessing her have a nightmare.
He was woken up by her mumbles and slight twitches. When he opened his eyes, he observed her closely; he smiled, thinking it was one of those times when he’d stare in awe as she slept, but it quickly turned into something worse when he realized she was murmuring his name and in quick panicked breaths.
“Matt…” Her brows knitted together and then she began to writhe a little in her sleep.
Before he could rouse her awake, her eyes widened and she gasped out loud. She looked scared and full of anguish; he felt every emotion she was going through in his heart, because he saw that same look whenever he’d come out of a burning building, only this time, it looked a lot worse.
He sat up and sat closer to her as his hands rubbed calming circles into her back. He saw her blink back tears.
“You’re okay,” he murmured. “You’re okay, Sylvie. I’m right here.”
She leaned closer to him, seeking out his warmth, and felt his thumb brush away the lone tear that had rolled down her cheek.
He enveloped her in his arms and kissed the crown of her head. “I’m right here…”
After a minute of holding her, he craned his neck to see if she was starting to feel better. When he saw her features soften and relax, he asked, “Are you okay, Sylvie?”
She wordlessly nodded.
His stomach dropped when she didn’t say anything further. “Talk to me, Babe.” He brought his hand back up to her cheek. “What’s wrong?”
She shook her head as she willed away the last remnants of the nightmare. “I’ve been having these nightmares.”
He looked at her, bemused. “Been having? For how long?”
She tiredly blinked. “Almost two weeks.”
Guilt started to swell in his chest as he wondered why he hadn’t noticed. That’s when he remembered seeing the tiredness behind her eyes during shift and off shift.
“What kind of nightmares?” he worriedly asked.
She contemplated telling him, but she couldn’t outright lie to him like they haven’t affected her at all. She recalled Stella’s advice. “These… nightmares... “ she began and he listened intently. “...They’re from when you were trapped in that house.” She let out a breath she had been holding. “The one where we all thought…” she trailed off. She was pretty sure he knew which one she was talking about. “Those fifteen minutes were the scariest minutes of my life, Matt.” She willed herself not to cry as she confessed, “I really thought you were gone.”
He felt a pang in his chest at her confession and then saw the distraught look behind her normally bright and joyful blue eyes. “I’m right here, Sylvie.”
“I know,” she quickly replied. “I know that and I know you’re not dead, because you’re right here with me, but a part of me keeps worrying that you’ll run into another burning building and I’ll never see you again.” Her voice strained as she finished the last of her sentence. “It’s really stupid.”
“It’s not, Sylvie,” he said, concerned. His hand grasped onto one of hers while his other continued to reassuringly rub her back. “I will never stop fighting to make it out alive to see you. I’ll fight through hell if I have to. And know that I’ll always try my damn hardest to go home with you after every shift and fall asleep with you every night.”
He hugged her tight against his chest and kissed the side of her head. With her familiar warmth mixing with his, he muttered, “I’m never leaving you, Sylvie Brett. I promise.”
There were a few silent moments between them.
“Pinky promise?” she asked lightly, muffled against his nightshirt.
He laughed at her request and began to fill with relief. “Pinky promise.”
That night, they cuddled impossibly closer; she rested her head on his chest and wrapped her arm around his middle. She fell asleep to the sound of his breathing evening out and to his heart beating in his chest.
With some effort on both their parts, the nightmares soon stopped, but even afterward, Matt always made sure she knew that he’d come home to her.