Prompt based on your recent post: Brettsey board game night🥺😭
Violet stared in disbelief; her mouth hung open and her eyes were staring holes into the dynamic duo that Cruz had warned her about. Beside her was Evan Hawkins, her date to the planned ‘Couples Board Game Night’ hosted by none other than Sylvie Brett and Matt Casey, and he too was also staring in disbelief.
Stella and Severide were not surprised in the slightest. They’ve been opposite of the couple at many board games, and at that point, they were practically expecting them to do a clean sweep.
Stella smirked behind her glass of wine as she watched the Asian woman start to throw around accusations.
“Are you guys cheating?” Violet asked in suspicion. Her eyes narrowed as she looked between Sylvie and Casey.
Sylvie met Matt’s gaze, and the two shared a knowing look behind some blush dusted on their cheeks. Stella and Kelly had known them the longest, and ever since they started dancing around each other, it was apparent, through various board games, that they were practically attuned to the same mindset. There were nights when both couples would have a little get-together at the loft, and they’d end up drinking too much and start to dive into their competitive nature through games fit for couples. Of the eleven times they’ve had such nights, Sylvie and Matt were undefeated in an astounding 11-0 record.
Casey looked amused as he shook his head. “We are not.”
Hawkins’ brows knit together at the Battalion Chief’s response. “I don’t believe you.”
Stella tried her best to hide her laughter. Severide looked thoroughly amused by the exchange in front of him because there was one night in particular when he searched Casey from head to toe on the assumption that he was cheating while Stella did the same to Sylvie.
Violet pointed at their spots on the couch. “Stand up. If you’re not cheating, then there’s definitely nothing hidden between the couch cushions.”
Sylvie and Matt both amused the couple by standing up to let them conduct their search.
While Hawkins searched between the cushions, Violet searched underneath them; together, the couple practically took apart the couch and found only a quarter, a penny, a capped pen, a queen of hearts, and some food-related crumbs.
After their search turned up empty-handed, Evan and Violet looked at each other with disappointed looks. They actually believed the couple was cheating or at least doing some sort of signing to give each other the answers because there was no way in hell that Sylvie and Matt were that good at Charades, Pictionary, ‘How Well Do You Know Your Significant Other’, and Code Names.
It was as if they were silently communicating with each other because a second later, Violet pointed at the couple and said, “Okay, start stripping. Strip search!” And Evan gave an affirmed nod thereafter.
Stella spit out some of her wine in her glass at the suddenness and almost choked on what was left in her mouth. She burst into laughter and rolled into her husband to try to hide her barks of laughter. Severide held onto his wife, making sure she didn’t spill her glass of wine, and gave a cheesy grin of his own.
Hawkins looked over at the other couple. “You guys seriously believe they aren’t cheating?”
Severide let out a breathy laugh and replied, “Trust me. We’ve been in your shoes before. Those two are not cheating. I don’t think they even have a bone in their body that would think of doing such a thing.”
Sylvie merely beamed at their friends as she and Matt watched them converse between themselves. During that time, Matt felt the love he had for his girlfriend blossom in his chest; he knew their ability to read each other so very well was one of his favorites but to see its advantage during their game nights never failed to grow the endless love he had for her. He wrapped his arm around Sylvie and pressed a light kiss to her temple. She beamed at the feeling of his soft lips against her skin and turned to meet his gaze. What she saw was literally ‘heart eyes’; he was giving her such a soft and loving smile and his eyes were a beautiful shade of blue. He always made her feel like she was the object of his affection and the person he reserved all his smiles and looks for, and if their friends weren’t in their living room, she would’ve kissed him senseless, tug at the buttons of his blue plaid long-sleeved shirt and then playfully pull him towards the bedroom.
Sylvie wrapped her arm around Matt’s waist and felt him tuck her against his side. Their closeness was something that was rarely seen at the firehouse since he was technically her superior, even though she was PIC. But, one of the things that she loves to see was how soft and loving he was when they were outside of work; all of the small touches in their apartment, his gentle kisses he’d trail along her exposed neck and shoulders, and the hugs he’d envelop her in when he couldn’t hold in his affection for her any longer.
“Okay, seriously, how else can you explain it?” Violet asked in exasperation.
Severide shrugged. “They just know each other that well.” It was obvious to him because he’d seen them in and out of the firehouse so many times. Violet and Hawkins had only seen the couple at Molly’s, which didn’t give a clear indication of how well they meshed together. Matt and Sylvie were practically two sides of the same coin, if not the same coin entirely.
Hawkins gave a sour look and then declared, “Then the only way to settle this is if we jumble up the teams.”
Violet gave a cheerful look at her boyfriend’s genius thinking. “Yes! It must be a rule moving forward that Sylvie and Casey cannot be on the same team.”
Sylvie gave an incredulous look. “So, ‘Couples Board Game Night’ has no meaning all of a sudden?”
Matt scratched the back of his head as the discussion between the three of them continued. Truthfully, he didn’t mind being on a different team than his girlfriend - he was just happy to be able to spend some time with her. Ever since he was promoted to Battalion Chief, he and Sylvie hadn’t been able to see each other as much as compared to when he was Captain. While he was primarily at Firehouse 51, he was also at headquarters and other Firehouses nearby. Even if he was at the firehouse, the Ambulance was almost always the one that spent more time outside rather than inside, and rarely did he bump into her in the common room or in the bunk room.
While Sylvie and Violet continued to discuss preemptive measures in detail about how they could make board game night fair, he occasionally beamed at his girlfriend. Her passionate and competitive nature was so adorable to see and while his love for her grew and grew, so did the hole in his boxer briefs in his drawer in their bedroom, because, in less than forty-eight hours, he was going to propose to her underneath the fairy lights at Molly’s patio. And he couldn’t wait to recite his speech to her on how so very well they were together and how they were made for each other with game nights being a prime example.
I'm still ugly crying over the finale and then came across this video in insta that I desperately need a Brettsey fic written of (if you're so inclined)
Sylvie and Matt loved their daughter fiercely. The moment she was born, they didn’t hesitate to share her with their beloved firehouse family. Everyone cooed and awed at the miniature version of the parents because with Sylvie’s blonde hair and Matt’s blue eyes it really wasn’t hard to tell.
Sylvie transitioned from maternity leave to paternity leave, wanting to be with their daughter as much as humanly possible before she was forced to go back to work. Their daughter, Olivia, wasn’t fussy and was normally very quiet, which was something they did not expect at all. During the late stages of Sylvie’s pregnancy, she and Matt dreaded the nights when they would be jolted awake by sharp cries but seldomly did it happen. After feeding, Matt would carry her against his shoulder and she’d fall asleep almost instantly. Sylvie spent every single second doting her husband from afar as he carefully lowered their daughter into her crib; it was when she noticed his tendency to linger at the peaceful sight of his sleeping daughter. (When she asked what he was thinking about, he told her, ‘Everything’. He was basking in the wholeness of his family and all the unconditional love that surrounded them. He felt so very lucky.)
On the days that Matt had to go to work, he spent at least ten minutes saying goodbye to his wife and his daughter. Their daughter would reach out to him, expecting him to hold her and carry her around the house, but since he had to leave for work soon, he couldn’t. He would eventually give in and carry her for a minute or two, but the moment he had to give her back to Sylvie, it felt like his heart was crumbling. As he drove off in his truck, he’d look in the rear view mirror and see Sylvie and Olivia waving goodbye at him. Knowing how dangerous his job was, he’d whisper his promise to return to them.
When Matt returned the next day, he would spend all morning with his daughter, telling her how much he missed her and how much he loved her. One day, after putting Olivia down for her afternoon nap, he confessed to Sylvie how much he missed them and how weird it was being at the firehouse while they were at home. She tried to do her best to console and reassure her husband, but she could practically see his heart break in two, so she did her best to cheer him up during his long shifts by sending him pictures of her and Olivia throughout the day.
.
.
.
When Olivia turned one year old, Stella and Violet thought it was a cute idea to see what type of firefighter she would want to be when she grew up. They put three objects on the table: a children’s firefighter helmet, a stethoscope, and a navy blue kids hat that said ‘Squad 3’. Even though it was just for fun, Matt and Sylvie vowed to support their daughter in whatever she wanted to do in the future. Before they brought Olivia to the table, their daughter’s eyes were already set on one particular object. As they brought her closer, Matt watched in awe as Olivia immediately reached for the small firefighter’s helmet. His heart absolutely soared at the sight of his daughter looking so happy in her new shiny red helmet, and when her sparkling blue eyes met his thereafter and the words ‘Dada’ excitedly left her lips, he teared up. It wasn’t until Sylvie cooed at how cute she looked and asked, “You want to be a firefighter like Daddy?”, did tears roll down his cheeks.
On a particular day, one that Sylvie used furlough for to give Cindy Herrmann a day off of having to watch their daughter, Matt spent his usual ten minutes saying goodbye. He kissed Olivia on the head, ruffled her hair a bit, and basked in her tiny giggles, and then he kissed Sylvie softly on the lips for a little longer than usual.
His gaze lingered on his wife and soon, a loving smile appeared. “I love you,” he said softly. There was a twinkle in his eye as his head lolled a bit to the side, almost silently hinting at another kiss. He loved Sylvie so much; while they were cuddled under the sheets and awaiting slumber, he’d often tell her how much he loved her and how thankful he was to have someone like her as his wife and as his daughter’s mother. His dream of having a family came true and he never failed to show Sylvie how lucky he felt.
Sylvie adoringly beamed at her husband. “I love you, too, Matt.” Their lips met a few more times before they reminded themselves of their tiny human between them.
“Wuw you, Dada!” Olivia squeaked with a wet smile.
Matt and Sylvie’s ears perked and then their eyes widened in shock. Up until then, Olivia had only said ‘Mama’ and ‘Dada’ and sometimes ‘Yeryer’ (her stuffed tiger that she often carried around).
“Did she just…?” Matt asked in awe.
Sylvie’s grin widened at the realization. “She did!” She smoothed out her daughter’s blonde hair and gave her cheek a kiss. “Can you say it again, Olivia?” Both of them held their breath as they watched closely in anticipation.
A moment passed before Olivia looked between her parents and happily repeated, ‘Wuw you!’.
She didn’t know what the words meant and almost looked confused why her parents were excitedly smothering her with hugs and kisses. Sylvie bounced their daughter in her arms as they celebrated her new words and when she returned her gaze to Matt, she felt her heart stop. Matt was smiling warmly at their daughter as love and affection seemed to visibly pour out of his chest. His heart felt like it was going to burst out of his chest, tears welled in his eyes, and he gasped a couple of breaths. He looked so incredibly happy.
He held his emotions behind pressed lips and almost choked out, “I don’t know if I can leave for work, Sylvie.”
Sylvie chuckled softly and moved closer to her husband so they could sandwich their daughter between them. Matt wrapped his arms around the both of them and kissed Olivia’s head.
“We’ll be here when you get back,” she reassured him.
Matt reluctantly left, but not without smothering his daughter in wet and sloppy kisses that he knew would make her giggle.
That adorably infectious bubbly giggling sound replayed in his head many times during his shift and it made him miss them that much more. Stella picked up on her Captain’s small pouts and frowns, and when she asked him if everything was okay, he practically gushed about Olivia’s new words. He confessed that he felt horrible for leaving afterward and continued to let out lengthy sighs. It wasn’t the first time she had seen Matt look so sad; his depressed mood was practically expected after entering fatherhood. So, she tried to think of a way to cheer him up, but truth be told, there was only one thing, or rather two things, that could cheer him up. Stella confided in Violet about her plan and together, the two called in a favor.
Later that same day, Truck and Ambo were called out to a small fire. What started out as a small grease pan fire turned into a full-blown kitchen fire. Thankfully, all that was needed was a good hosing from a fire extinguisher and some assessment from a couple of paramedics.
With the situation in the kitchen very much under control, Matt walked out of the house to see if Violet and the floater needed any extra help.
“We’re good over here,” Violet told him as they were wrapping up one of the victims.
Matt nodded in acknowledgment and turned around to talk to Stella about the situation in the kitchen.
“Any clean-up needed?” Matt curiously asked.
Stella shook her head. “The fire pretty much charred the walls and melted most of the surrounding appliances but the ceiling looked decent. They should definitely think about remodeling.”
Matt looked like he was about to smirk at her comment until something out of the corner of his eyes caught his attention. He did a double-take at the familiar red firefighter’s helmet and blonde hair. His heart fluttered and a beaming grin immediately spread across his face as he watched his daughter run up to him in sneakers, a lilac skirt, and a little white CFD shirt (Sylvie tried to mimic his white Captain polo), all while wearing her red firefighter’s helmet on her head.
His heart skipped and soared at the image of his daughter practically dressed like him (sans turnout gear). He looked so incredibly happy as he bent down to pick her up. “Hi, Sweetpea. What are you doing here? Did you already learn how to drive?” He turned to his wife that was cautiously trailing behind their daughter to make sure she didn’t fall and flashed a very surprised look. “Hi, Honey,” he greeted her with a grin that could only get bigger and bigger. “What are you guys doing here?”
Sylvie, dressed in a pair of faded denim jeans, a white blouse, and tennis shoes, mimicked her husband’s elated smile. “Stella and Violet said you were missing your family a lot, so they texted me when you guys got called out. They figured you could use a pick-me-up during your long shift.”
Matt’s eyebrows raised at the mention and gave Stella a curious look. Stella shrugged nonchalantly, as if the whole thing was no big deal, and replied, “We can’t have our Captain lose his morale, now can we?” She was honestly just happy to see her Captain smile again.
Sylvie looked on proudly as she encouragingly and gently asked their daughter, “Do you remember what we practice today, Olivia? Can you tell Daddy?”
While the red firefighter’s hat looked a little too big for Olivia’s head, she nonetheless looked up at her dad, who was wearing his own helmet, and said in a soft murmur, “Wuw you, Dada”. Matt gasped in awe; words nearly clogged in his throat as he hugged Olivia to his chest, despite his turnout gear, and replied, “I love you, too, Sweetpea.”
Stella watched Sylvie move closer to Matt as they privately basked in the overwhelming cuteness that was their daughter. She then offered to take a picture of the family and was soon handed Sylvie’s phone. If Stella could note one thing about her observation of Matt Casey and his daughter, it was that Olivia Casey had her dad completely and utterly wrapped around her little finger.
+ Prompt +
Matt holding onto Sylvie’s hand while she’s in the hospital.
Before Sylvie could even think of opening her eyes, she immediately noticed the pressure on her index finger, the heaviness on her chest, and a familiar grip on her right hand. And then she heard an annoying ringing in her ear combined with a consistent beeping. She had heard the sounds many times before as she often did when she was on the job and had to admit people into Lakeshore or Med.
She was in the hospital.
But, why was she in the hospital?
The last thing she remembered was coming back from a call with Violet. Did something or someone hit their ambulance? No, that’s impossible. She remembers reversing the ambo onto the app floor. She was certain of it, because when she climbed out of the ambo, she remembered hearing Capp and Cruz teasingly ask Severide where he and Stella were going to go for their honeymoon. After that, nothing.
She fought against the heaviness in her eyelids but before she could open them, a small whimper escaped her lips.
Whatever was attached to her hand was alerted to the sound because she felt it twitch and then squeeze.
“Sylvie? Honey?”
The voice was somewhat muffled but when her eyes did finally flutter open, she was happy to see someone she trusted, loved, and found comfort in. Someone familiar.
“Matt?” she asked, still trying to wrap her head around her surroundings.
Yup, she was in the hospital. There was no mistake about it; she saw the EKG machine to her left, the small tv mounted in the corner playing reruns of HGTV (she wondered if that was Matt’s doing), the unique smell of antiseptic combined with artificial scents and soaps, and the pulse oximeter clamped onto her finger.
His worried frown and overly fearful wide eyes immediately met her confused gaze. When he saw her cornflower blue eyes meet his slate blue ones, it was like a wave of relief had washed over him. His shoulders sagged, the crease between his furrowed brows disappeared, and the tight grip on her hand loosened.
“Hey, Babe,” he murmured sweetly. “How are you feeling?”
Sylvie’s eyes continued to scan the room. “I’m… not sure.”
He visibly tensed. “Not sure?”
She blinked a couple times and clarified, “I’m not sure why I’m in the hospital. Was I in an accident or something?” No, that couldn’t be it either. She didn’t feel any pain. She could feel her legs and wiggle her toes, move her arms and feel the scratchy hospital blanket beneath her fingers.
He shook his head. “You collapsed on the app floor.”
Sylvie blinked a few times in disbelief. “Collapsed?”
“Violet rushed you to the hospital. Severide told me what happened when I landed at the airport. I took the taxi straight to Med and the doctors told me you had low blood sugar, dehydration– Violet said you guys were out a lot and she couldn’t remember if you ate anything.”
Sylvie grimaced as she remembered with a slight nod of her head. “I didn’t get to eat much during shift and this morning, and we had a weird call where we had to wait for CPD to give our statements.” She remembered forgetting to bring her water canteen that she usually kept in the cupholder. On top of it all, she had been trying to plan a few things for when Matt visited and also scrambled to grab a reservation at a really good restaurant Foster recommended to her. It all might’ve added to her fatigue.
Wait.
Matt.
He was here in Chicago. That’s right. He was visiting and was supposed to land and take a taxi to her apartment.
She whipped her head at the remembrance. “How long have I been out?” she asked. Matt gave her a worried frown when she tried to sit up.
“You were in and out on the way to Med. When Violet brought you here, you slept for a good hour before I got here. It’s been about three hours total maybe.” He held onto her hand a little tighter in some panic when he saw her start to climb out of the hospital bed. “What are you doing?”
“I’m going to ask to get discharged,” she replied simply, but he kept her from moving any more than she should.
“Then I'll go find a doctor so he can reevaluate you,” he replied calmly. He noticed how uncomfortable she looked and how much her brows started to knit together. “Sylvie?”
She confessed her irritation, “I just.. I had all these things planned for your visit. We’re supposed to be half-way to Waterfall Glen right now. And I was going to pack us a lunch to eat there and relax so we could soak up all the time we have together.”
Matt looked puzzled as he jokingly asked, “Why do you make it sound like we’re never going to see each other again?”
He was right; she did sound a little out of sorts. “You don’t visit often and when you do, something always goes wrong. Last time, shift ran late and you had to take a taxi to the firehouse instead of my place. You waited an hour and a half for me to return. Before that, your plane was delayed for five hours. And before that, I caught a cold and you had to take care of me, which was probably not at all what you anticipated when you thought of visiting in the first place. I don’t want to waste your time.”
He sat back down on the chair beside her and held her hand. He laced their fingers together and softly placed his other hand on top of hers. His thumb rubbed soothing circles into the back of hers as he spoke.
“Honey,” he began. He sounded like he was more disappointed that she thought such things affected him in any way. He loved spending time with her, even if it involved cuddling with her in her bed surrounded by used tissues while she fought off a coughing fit. “Setbacks happen. Flight delays, viruses, and obligations to your job - they all happen, and I don’t blame you for any of it. Sure, it sucks when plans don’t go the way you want them to, but that doesn’t mean I regret any of it.”
He saw her disappointment start to dissolve as her conflicted expression softened.
“You don’t?”
“Absolutely not. Any time together is time well spent in my book, even if that means having to endure a screaming baby on the plane for six hours to make it happen.” He laughed at the remembrance of his obvious grumpiness after he landed. His eyes lit up as he finished, “It is all worth it. You’re worth it.” She bashfully looked away at his endearing honesty and felt his lips against the back of her hand. Her heart practically melted at the sweet gesture.
If it were anyone else, maybe even Harrison, she wouldn’t have heard those words. Harrison would’ve made her feel bad for getting sick in the first place and would’ve put salt in the wound by bringing it up for weeks. But, not Matt. Matt was so sweet, selfless, kindhearted, and loving. He knew she had a habit of beating herself up for things out of her control. He never blamed her or even thought of blaming her and instead lifted her spirits in as many ways as possible. How in the world was he her boyfriend? What did she do to deserve him?
“I’m going to go get the doctor and we’re going to get you out of here. And then we’ll get some lunch at your favorite cafe that has all those different kinds of salads you love so much. Sound good?” Matt asked cheerfully, trying to shift her mood a little.
That’s what she both loved and missed about him; she loved his ability to pick up on her little cues that alluded to how she was feeling and she missed how he knew exactly what to say to her to help her feel better.
“That sounds wonderful, Matt.” She was definitely giving him some intense hearteyes. “Thank you.”
“Of course,” he replied. He got up from his seat and leaned over to press a lingering kiss to her forehead. “I love you,” he whispered.
She leaned into him as she murmured, “I love you, too.” As soon as he pulled away, he caught her gaze and leaned in to press a chaste kiss to her lips. It was both in greeting and in thankfulness; a greeting that was long overdue and a thanks that she was going to be okay.
As Matt walked back from Boden’s office, he saw Sylvie near his office door; her gaze was outwards to the bunk room with a very concerned look on her face. He tilted his head a bit at the sight, unsure of what might’ve prompted her expression, and approached her.
“Hey,” he greeted her.
She kept the same frown as she briefly met his gaze and replied, “Hi.”
“Everything okay?” he asked with knit brows.
She kept her lopsided frown. “At this rate, I might just have to sleep on the locker room bench.”
Matt turned towards the bunk room and saw that all of the bunks were taken, some by their own shift but mostly by another shift from a different firehouse. The other firehouse had severe water damage from the sudden flooding that had happened a week prior and needed other firehouses to accommodate them.
Sylvie chewed at her bottom lip at the thought and instinctively rolled her shoulders a bit. She was definitely not excited about the impending backaches she was going to get.
“Maybe the app floor will be comfier,” she dryly added. When she met Matt’s gaze again, they shared a smile.
“Why don’t you sleep in my bunk?”
She raised an eyebrow at him. “And where would you be sleeping?”
He gave her a puzzled look. “Right beside you?”
She raised her eyebrows at that. “Wouldn’t that be unprofessional, especially when another firehouse is staying with us?”
He shrugged. “I’ve already cleared some things with Boden. He said some miscalculations happened and unfortunately his hands are tied. I also wouldn’t want my paramedics to get injured over a simple accommodation.” He affectionately bumped his shoulder against hers and continued, “Besides, it’s not like we’re hiding anything.” He flashed the gold band on his left hand that he vowed never to take off unless utterly necessary. Sylvie briefly beamed at the one on her left hand; she didn’t wear the actual wedding ring, but she wore a simple gold wedding band in its place. They’ve only been married for six months but the news seemed to travel fast as most of the Brass congratulated them in one way or another.
“That’s true,” she replied, still pondering his offer.
Before she could think about it any more, the bells rang out and called for Ambulance 61, leaving the blonde paramedic to relinquish all woes about her nightly accommodations.
She squeezed her husband’s shoulder. “I’ll let you know later? Thanks, Matt.”
“Of course.” He nodded as she started to walk towards the common room. “Be careful.” He saw her small promising smile and then disappeared behind the corner. Ever since they started dating, he’d tell her to be careful before she ran out to a call, assuming he was in the firehouse when they were called out. And she would remind him to refrain from doing any cowboy antics if possible. It became one of their things: a promise to come back to one another without saying it.
With ambulance 61 coming and going more often than the rigs, Matt didn’t see much of his wife; he saw her in the common room a couple of times but mostly to quickly get something to eat before they were called out again.
As the day winded down and neared midnight, he wondered if his wife really decided to sleep on the bench in the locker room or on the app floor. He told himself he’d check for her after he finished flipping through some of the furlough request forms.
Knock, knock.
He turned at the noise and happily smiled when he saw his wife. She looked exhausted and it was probably from all the running around.
“Hi,” he greeted her.
“Hi,” she replied before she covered a large yawn. “While I could definitely pass out on the bench or on the app floor at this point, I think my back would instantly regret it tomorrow morning. And I doubt you want to deal with a grumpy Sylvie Brett at home.”
He laughed and gestured to the bed. “I’ll join you in a minute.” He turned back to his desk and dimmed the lamp for her. He didn’t really need to because as soon as his wife climbed underneath the sheets and her head hit his pillow, she was out like a light. Sylvie wasn’t actually sure what made her fall asleep so fast; it was either her husband’s lingering scent on the pillow, the exhaustive shift, or maybe both. Either way, she fell asleep with a contented smile on her face.
When Matt finally finished his work, he shrugged off his jacket and hung it on the coat rack next to his wife’s paramedic jacket. He kicked off his shoes and slowly pulled back the sheets on his side. The bunk wasn’t exactly big enough for two adults, but they managed to make it work in the past through a lot of closeness and cuddling. When he slipped underneath the sheets beside Sylvie, it was like instinct took over because her body immediately scooted closer to his even though she was still sound asleep.
He beamed softly at the adorable gesture and draped his arm over his wife’s waist to pull her a little bit closer (and also to make sure she didn’t roll off the bed). She sighed comfortably against his chest and unknowingly nuzzled his collar. She slept with her hands resting between them and against his chest. With both their heads on his single pillow, he leaned in to press his lips against her forehead, silently and softly wishing her a good night’s sleep.
He wanted to laugh at the realization that their closeness was making his heart beat rapidly in his chest because after their two years of pining over each other, four years of dating, and a half a year of marriage, Sylvie Brett still had that effect on him.
He couldn’t remember the last time he felt so relaxed on a shift. He knew most, if not all, of it was attributed to his wife sleeping beside him which made him wonder why they didn’t do it more often.
Matt was called a little after midnight by who he thought was his girlfriend based on the caller ID, but it was actually Foster. When she told him that Sylvie was ready to go home, he knew exactly what had transpired. He grinned to himself as he heard someone in the back ask if it was him and then seconds later heard Sylvie’s bubbly and over excited voice.
“Hi, Babe! Did he hear that? Tell Matt I said hi. Oh, and tell him I love him. No! Tell him, I love him and can’t wait to take off his suit after the wedding so I can–” Sylvie’s words cut off, and some laughter and muffling could be heard.
Foster cleared her throat and laughed, “Sorry about that. So, that was your girlfriend.”
“She sounds like she had one too many drinks,” Matt replied as he walked around Sylvie’s bedroom to find his jeans and a sweatshirt. He rummaged through her drawers and found his jeans neatly folded in the bottom drawer.
Foster feigned offense when he heard the firefighter’s suggestive tone like it was her doing. “Hey, in my defense, she was the one that brought the drinks. I merely did my part and drank them. And I’m pretty sure the bartender gave us double the amount because we gave Stella a bachelorette tiara to wear.”
Matt laughed. It wasn’t too often he got to see Sylvie drunk. Sure, she drank a glass or two of wine, but she was hardly ever so drunk that she slurred her words or tripped over herself. He was almost excited as he told Foster he was on his way before he hung up to grab his keys.
When he arrived at the small club, the girls were already waiting outside. Stella looked tipsy but definitely not as drunk as Sylvie, who was hanging onto Violet’s side, whispering something into the woman’s ear and giggling right after.
When Matt parked his truck along the curb and got out of his car, he immediately heard Sylvie start to excitedly call his name. The blonde squirmed in Violet’s arms and Violet grunted as she tried to keep the woman from falling over. When Matt walked up to them, Violet shuffled her partner over to her boyfriend. A sigh of relief fell past Violet’s lips once the transition was successful.
Violet looked amused as she told Matt, “She is definitely a lot more squirmy when she’s drunk.”
Sylvie hummed in content when she felt Matt’s arm wrap around her to hold her up. There was a bit of swaying in her step as she shuffled closer to him to bask in his warmth. Matt almost looked worried when he felt how much she was leaning on him.
“How much did she have to drink?” he asked the women.
Stella readjusted her bachelorette tiara to keep it from falling off and replied, “Oh, she drank quite the amount. The bartender started making us special drinks after our second round.”
Violet grinned at the remembrance. “Whatever that pink thing he made us was really damn good.”
Sylvie let out a small giggle and chimed in, “Soooo fucking good.” She hummed contentedly at the memory.
Everyone’s eyes widened at the blonde’s words. It was like the rest of the world was stunned as well because the club doors closed thereafter, leaving everyone outside in muffled silence. Foster looked both surprised and baffled as she pointed at Sylvie.
“Did she just say what I think she said?” Foster looked at Stella and then Violet, both of which were wearing the same shocked expression.
“She did,” Stella replied as a wide grin covered her face. “Sylvie Brett actually swore.”
Matt was just as surprised and leaned in to make sure his girlfriend was okay. It was not everyday that Sylvie swore, much less cursed under her breath. Even when she stubbed her toe against the coffee table in the living room a few nights ago, she didn’t swear. A few strands were stuck to the apple of her cheek, hiding her contented smile, so he tucked them behind her ear.
“You okay, Honey?” Matt asked in what he thought was a whisper, but it was actually louder due to the music from the club that spilled out into the street whenever the doors opened.
“I’m sooo great!” Sylvie replied with a bright smile, one that made his heart melt. She was so smiley and looked so happy, and he loved seeing her happy. There was a bit of a moment between them as he basked in her happiness. Her smile and joy was always so genuine and real that whenever she was outwardly happy or excited, it was practically infectious.
Matt beamed at his girlfriend and held her a little bit closer against his side, loving every single second of drunk, handsy, and overly happy Sylvie Brett.
Handsy? Oh!
Matt quickly reached behind him to move Sylvie’s hand that was trying to search for his back jeans pocket just a little bit higher. His cheeks burned at Sylvie’s affectionate touches that Stella, Emily, and Violet had front row seats to.
Sylvie hummed contentedly and pressed her cheek against Matt’s chest, wanting nothing more than to cuddle up to her boyfriend and fall asleep to the sound of his heartbeat. “I love you.” She drew out the last word. “I love you so much. I don’t tell you I love you enough, huh?” He looked amused as she continued her adorable string of sentences. Sylvie glanced over at Stella and her eyes lit up at the sight of the Bachelorette tiara. “Oh! We should get married, too!”
Matt’s eyes immediately widened and his mouth parted slightly in shock. His stomach flipped at the mention because they hadn’t ever talked about it before. They hadn’t even crossed their first year together yet. Although, if he was being honest, it felt like they had been together for quite some time. Their journey together as friends to close friends to lovers made their relationship work so well and make so much sense.
He honestly didn’t know how to react to her, so he bashfully grinned at her and said, “You are not going to like your headache tomorrow.”
She replied sweetly, “But I get to wake up to you tomorrow.” Her grin plastered all over her face that easily spread to her eyes, and because she was hanging onto him so tightly, she was looking up at him like he had hung the moon and stars.
Matt was taken aback by how ungodly adorable she looked.
Stella gave a confused look after hearing Sylvie’s reply. “That was really cute even though it made no sense.”
Violet then asked, “Are we telling her tomorrow that she said the f-word?”
Foster laughed and then saw Sylvie’s right hand start to reach for the hem of Matt’s sweater that he was wearing. Her fingers lifted it slightly and his cheeks crimsoned when he had to grab her hand to stop her from going any further.
“Okay,” Matt announced. “I should get her home and give her some medicine and water to sober up before she really regrets it in the morning. Did you guys need a ride?”
“Kelly is picking me up and Ritter is taking these two home,” Stella replied. “Don’t worry about us. Just make sure our girl gets back safely.”
Matt nodded and carefully helped Sylvie climb into his truck. On the way back to her apartment, she leaned over the console to rest her head against his arm and he couldn’t stop his heart from melting over how clingy she was when she was drunk. Right before she dozed off, she murmured sweet nothings to him. With only the sound of the road in his ears, his mind started to drift to Sylvie’s outburst about getting married and soon he started to picture what it would like. Would they buy a house and would it be something they could fix up together? Would they have a big backyard where their children could run freely in? He could picture the swing set he’d build for their children and all the laughs they’d share as a family. He could see all of the backyard barbecues they’d host for their firehouse 51 family and all of the cigar chats he’d have with Severide on the porch.
When they arrived at her apartment, he turned off the engine and turned to look at his girlfriend who was still asleep. He beamed at the thought of building a life with her and didn’t mind it one bit.
“No, no, no. Don’t apologize, Matt. This is a great opportunity for you. I’m happy that you’ll get the experience.”
Sylvie asked Matt if he would be okay with her visiting him during her Birthday weekend and maybe take a trip together to a cabin in the mountains near Ashland, but he regretfully told her that he committed to helping out at the academy in Portland and teaching some classes. She was happy that he was helping out where he could and making a name for himself at his new fire department, and she didn’t want him to feel bad, so she encouraged him on his decision. However, the feeling still stung.
She spent her Birthday on endless calls with Violet. For some reason, everyone in Chicago decided to either injure themselves or start fires. The rigs were out almost as much as the ambo.
She was pleasantly surprised by a vanilla ice cream cake and lovely pastel candles as soon as Boden took them out of service for a much needed breather. Everyone took pictures and Sylvie soon received a text message from Matt wishing her a happy Birthday. She smiled softly at the message and gazed at it in some sadness; she really missed him.
Sylvie let out a long sigh of relief when she entered the locker room at the end of shift.
“So, what’cha doing for your Birthday?” Violet asked as she sat down on the bench to change out of her shoes.
Sylvie smiled as she replied, “I’m meeting Foster at the diner before we go to spin class.” She gave a confused expression as she continued, “And then she wants to watch a movie at my place, which is weird because she has a bigger place than I do and it’s closer to the gym.”
Violet raised an eyebrow and offered, “Maybe your couch is comfier?”
Sylvie pursed her lips in thought. “Maybe…”
When she asked if Stella wanted to join them, Stella told her that she promised Severide she’d help him with something. Usually she defined what that something was, but for some reason, this time she didn’t.
“Did you want to join us for breakfast?” Sylvie asked her partner.
Violet almost looked panicked at the question. “I’m actually going to go see Evan and, uh, helping him with… things.”
Sylvie looked at her weirdly. “Things?”
Violet slyly smirked. “I don’t think you want me to elaborate.”
Sylvie shook her head a few times when she saw the suggestive look. “No, no. Please don’t.”
“Maybe we can do something tomorrow, if you’re free,” Violet offered.
Sylvie’s eyes lit up at the idea. “Yeah, that sounds great, actually. I’ll text you later about it?”
“Sounds good,” Violet replied. She quickly changed out of her paramedic clothes and hastily made her exit. Sylvie didn’t think anything of it and guessed that she was excited to see Hawkins.
Foster met Sylvie at the diner; they talked animatedly about their new lives, Foster with her experiences at Med School and Sylvie with her Paramedicine program that Mouch helped her with. When Sylvie told her that Matt had plans so she couldn’t visit him, Foster gave a solemn expression.
“I’m really sorry, Syl.”
“It’s okay,” Sylvie replied with a meek smile. “I mean, we’ll always have opportunities to be together and see each other. It’s not like it’s the end of the world or anything. And besides, I’m sure he’s happy to be teaching some classes.”
Foster gave Sylvie a soft smile. “You’re always thinking positively, huh? It’s your Birthday. You’re allowed to be selfish on your Birthday, you know.”
Sylvie took a sip of her coffee and humored her, “Okay, you’re right. I will start my Birthday selfishness by ordering a side of bacon with my pancakes.” Foster laughed and turned to flag down the waiter.
After spin class, Sylvie double checked with Foster and asked if she was sure she wanted to watch a movie at her place. Foster nodded vehemently and informed her that her roommates were a little sloppy and she didn’t want to subject Sylvie to such a sight.
As Sylvie unlocked her front door with Foster behind her, she said, “Okay, I’ll make the popcorn and you can choose the movie.”
“Uh, no. You choose the popcorn and the movie. It’s your Birthday.”
Sylvie challenged her with a raised eyebrow. “And you won’t be mad if I choose a cheesy action film?”
Foster blinked a couple times, almost reeling from the idea. “It’s your Birthday,” she grounded out, reminding both of them that her hands were tied and she had no room to argue.
Sylvie let out a loud laugh and swung open the door, but as soon as she opened it, Violet, Stella, and Severide popped out from the corners.
“Surprise!” they all yelled.
Sylvie let out a small yelp at the sudden noise and looked visibly shocked. She stared at the three of them and slowly came to realize what was happening. A smile slowly spread across her lips as she walked towards them.
“What–” Sylvie was gobsmacked. “What are you guys doing here?”
Stella replied, “Surprising you for your Birthday.” As if it were a matter of fact.
Sylvie turned around to give Foster a questionable look and Foster knowingly smiled. “They all planned it. I was just supposed to distract you long enough.”
“So, the whole bit about your roommates being sloppy?”
Foster deadpanned, “No, no, that’s actually true.”
“Oh.” Sylvie then put two and two together and realized that Violet’s plans were probably a cover up, as was Stella’s. But another thing came to mind when she stared at her friends that were in her hallway. “Wait, how did you guys get into my apartment? None of you have the key.”
“That was me.”
As soon as Sylvie heard his voice, her heart stopped. Her eyes widened and her smile disappeared as she watched Matt walk out from behind Severide. He looked sheepish as he nervously rubbed his bottom lip with the side of his index finger.
She managed to get one word out. “Matt?”
Was she dreaming? She had to have been dreaming. She was probably back in the bunkroom snoozing away after such a long day of answering call, after call, after call. But, something about her boyfriend standing in her apartment wearing the softest looking dark green sweater and dark denim jeans felt all too real.
Sylvie looked incredibly confused as Matt walked towards her. “Uh…” She blinked a few times in disbelief. “What–what are you doing here? I mean, what are you doing in Chicago?”
“Surprising you for your Birthday,” he replied simply.
“What about volunteering at the academy?”
He almost looked ashamed as he replied with a wince, “I lied. I’m sorry. I actually planned to surprise you for your Birthday a month ago. I told Severide and Kidd, and we planned the whole thing. When you asked, I didn’t want to ruin it, so I had to think of a good excuse. I hope you’re not angry.”
“What? No, no. I’m not angry,” she reassured him and realized in all the surprise and excitement, she hadn’t looked nearly as excited as she felt as soon as he revealed himself. She beamed brightly at him and said, “You really planned all this?”
Matt mimicked her smile and nodded. “You visit me all the time and I wanted to do the same for you, and what better way to do that than for your Birthday?”
Somewhere in the middle of their conversation, Foster moved past them and dropped her gym bag off to the side. She assumed Sylvie and Matt would be tied up with each other for a few minutes longer, so she took the liberty of getting some drinks out from the fridge. Violet and Stella shared a knowing look after they watched the couple get lost in each other’s presence, so they joined Foster in the kitchen. Severide popped open the box of pizzas they brought and started searching for plates.
Sylvie’s heart seemed to burst at the seams, because the gesture was just too much for her to comprehend. Her mind was racing at the grandinuity of it all and practically launched herself at him. He laughed at the gesture and enveloped her in his arms. His hands rubbed comforting circles into her back as she buried her face into his chest and then his collar.
His warmth is what she missed, along with his love, kindness, selflessness, and softness. There were a bunch of things she loved about Matt, and they all seemed to manifest in one single gesture. And if she were being honest, she still thought there was a good chance she was dreaming.
His hold on her tightened and his cheek rested lovingly against the crown of her head. He kissed the spot before resting there again. “Happy Birthday, Sylvie,” he whispered. “I love you.”
She pulled apart ever so slightly and craned her neck to gaze lovingly at him. Her cornflower blue eyes held his slate blue ones as she basked in him, his underlying woodsy aftershave, his hair that was definitely longer than when she last saw him, and his heart that he wore on his sleeve.
“I love you, Matt,” she murmured, wearing the widest grin.
After she leaned in to meet him halfway for a kiss and felt his soft lips caress hers, she was happy to know that she was, in fact, not dreaming. Matt Casey really traveled two-thousand miles to surprise her on her Birthday.
Matt was used to his routine in Oregon. He would wake up early and start the coffee maker. He’d then take a shower, get dressed for work, go into the kitchen to drink a cup of coffee and then fill up his travel mug to take some to the firehouse, and then either eat a piece of toast or take it with him to eat on the road, depending if he was running late or not.
He’d work on reports before and after the morning briefing, and then calls would come in between. Drills were both spontaneous and planned and his new crew didn’t mind too much. Some inside jokes were established here and there, bringing some much needed relaxation and lighthearted laughs throughout the day.
He’d text Ben and Griffin, asking about their day, every few hours or so. Griffin almost always answered and Ben sometimes answered. Before he left shift, he’d go on a grocery run and ask the boys if they needed anything. Most of the time they’d compile a list and other times, it would be on the fly. Sometimes Matt would forego the grocery trip entirely and just pick up some breakfast or lunch on the way back home.
In March, that routine, the one Matt had been so used to, changed.
As Matt woke up the next morning, at the tail end of his shift, a beaming smile was plastered across his face. He held that same grin as he went into the co-ed bathroom to brush his teeth, as he filled out a few last reports and furlough requests, and as he packed his duffle and carried it to his car parked in front of the firehouse.
He skipped the group text with Ben and Griffin and the grocery run.
He parked his car in front of the Darden’s house and walked up to the front door. His grin grew impossibly wider when he heard faint laughter and then a couple voices. When he opened the door, he heard Griffin and Ben laughing about something on the television in the living room.
“Morning, Matt,” Griffin greeted him with a wide smile.
“Morning,” Ben said with a bit of lightheartedness in his voice right after.
“Morning you two,” Matt replied cheerfully. “Sunday morning cartoons?”
“Of course,” Griffin replied with utmost certainty.
“Ben, did you–” Matt was interjected.
“Yes, Matt. I did my homework and Sylvie is a witness,” Ben replied with some sass, but Matt decided not to press him about it. He looked suspiciously at the boy before he heard his girlfriend chime in from the kitchen.
“It’s true. I am a witness!”
Matt beamed at the sound of her voice and followed it. His eyes lit up when he saw her in a pair of black yoga pants and a gray tank top. Her hair was tied up, almost messily, with some short strands coming loose in some places. The urge in the pit of his stomach carried him to her and loving wrap his arms around her from behind.
“Morning,” Matt greeted her softly.
Sylvie laughed when she felt his lips on the back of her neck, a sensitive spot and one that would elicit more than a laugh if he were more daring. (Ben and Griffin usually exited the room at that point).
“Morning, Babe,” Sylvie replied happily. “How was work?”
“It was good.” He kissed her shoulder and then continued, “Surprisingly quiet. Was everything okay here?”
Sylvie’s bubbly reply made the butterflies in his stomach go crazy. “Everything was more than okay. Ben got a B on his pop quiz in Chemistry and we celebrated with some ice cream. Griffin started filling out his college applications. And then we watched some superhero show last night that had way more blood than I thought it would. We went to the grocery store to stock up and we got you some snacks to take to the firehouse. Oh, and I also bought some stuff to make brownies.” She then whispered, “I was hoping Griffin would take it to class tomorrow to give to you know who.”
Ben laughed when he heard Sylvie and poked fun of his brother and his hard crush on his classmate. Griffin painfully grinned and shook his head at him before yelling, “She’s not Voldemort. You can say her name.”
Matt chuckled against Sylvie’s shoulder at that (and the only reason why he got that reference was because they binge watched all eight Harry Potter movies the weekend prior). He hummed happily as he held his girlfriend in his arms and listened to her give him a list of updates on things that happened in the last twenty-four hours.
When she was done, she noticed he was rather quiet, so she asked worriedly, “Everything okay?” She craned her neck a bit to look at him.
He realized he was deep in thought when he heard her and replied with a small nod that turned into a nudge against the side of her neck. He kissed the spot and murmured affectionately, “I love coming home to you.”
When he came to Oregon, his thoughts were always filled of her and her support and encouragement, and her unconditional love. He really couldn’t have moved for the boys without her. Of course, he missed her, but they called and FaceTimed often. There were days when they missed each other like hell, but they voiced their fears and anxiety surrounding their long distance relationship and communicated their feelings to each other without any difficulty.
He was of course very, very happy when she told him she was going to be stay with him for a couple months. The moment she arrived, Matt wore the biggest smile and everyone at the firehouse noticed. They poked fun of him for days, and when Sylvie stopped by to meet everyone and bring them cookies she baked, they told her all kinds of stories about him, embarrassing or otherwise. While laughs were shared between his girlfriend and his new firehouse, Matt took a moment to relish the joy that swelled in his chest, because there wasn’t quite anything like it. He was watching two parts of his lives mold into one without any difficulty or adjustment. He honestly felt so carefree at that moment.
“What time are you leaving for the gym?” he asked.
She hummed in thought as she checked the clock above the kitchen sink. “Foster’s friend is doing a session in thirty minutes, so I should probably start leaving soon.”
Matt’s hands reached underneath her tank top and gently grazed the soft skin of her belly. “Should I wait for you to get back to take a shower?” he teased with a soft feather-like kiss against the spot behind her ear. When he felt her shudder against him, he grinned wildly and excitedly. He didn’t realize a small growl had reverberated in his throat.
She wanted to laugh at his teasing and gently nudged him with her elbow. “Hey, there are kids in the other room.”
And then they heard Ben yell, “And the kids can hear every word!”
Matt nearly choked on his own spit at that and then felt Sylvie’s hand press against his chest as she eased her way out of his arms.
“I’ll be home in an hour,” she informed him. Her eyes hungrily raked him from head to toe before her fingers played with the hem of his white Captain’s polo. There was a bit of darkness in her eyes as she continued lowly and seductively, “We are in a drought, right? We should do our part and save water.” She teasingly bit her bottom lip in anticipation and he stared at it longer than he should have.
He tried to suppress a smirk at her innuendo. “Yes, yes we should.”
She laughed at their playful exchange and kissed him happily on the lips. “Welcome home, Honey.”
I would like to read the scrapped version if you don't mind.
[Scrapped Brettsey Amnesia fic]
Enjoy!
(The beginning of the new version will have some similarities with the beginning of this scrapped version.)
It was an accident. A mother was running on empty after taking care of a newborn baby and briefly leaving the baby and her husband to take their seven-year-old son to school. On her way back home, she fell asleep at the wheel and ran a red light, and ended up t-boning a car at the intersection.
Casey was her emergency contact. He was woken up by a ringing on his bedside. He thought it was his alarm, but the more he tried to shut it off and failed, the more he realized someone was calling him. The call from Med was the start of the worst day of his life.
He rushed into the hospital, out of breath and shaken up and wearing the first thing he found in his drawers. A t-shirt he didn’t know if he’d worn it already, jeans he’d definitely worn already, and an old CFD zip-up of his that Sylvie wore often. He pleaded with the nurse at the front to tell him where Sylvie was and the time she took to retrieve the information he wanted was the longest forty seconds of his life. His hands shook with anxiety because he could very well hear a status instead of a room number.
“Dr. Halstead will meet with you shortly,” the nurse finally told him.
It wasn’t a status or a room number. It was an unknown and that made Matt’s anxiety skyrocket even further.
Was Sylvie okay? Was she hurt? Out of all of the people in the world, why her? Why did she have to go to spin class so early in the morning? Why didn’t he pull her back into bed against his naked torso and persuade her to spend the morning with him?
Was she even alive?
His nails dug into his palms, on the brink of drawing blood as his own questions pulled him into a bottomless hole. He kept falling and falling without any end in sight. And, for some reason, he blamed himself.
“Casey?”
Dr. Will Halstead’s voice pulled him out of his thoughts that were threatening to eat him from the inside out. The doctor ushered him through the double doors that led to the ICU and while they walked down the corridors, he filled Matt in on Sylvie’s status.
Sylvie lay on a hospital bed; monitors beeped around her and cords hung out of her hospital gown. She was unconscious but stable, as Will reassured him many times over. Cuts littered her arms, her collar, and her chest. Will disclosed the long bruise across her chest from the seatbelt that played a part in her safety but was currently covered by her gown.
“While her cuts and bruises are fairly minor and treatable…” Will paused and to Matt, it wasn’t a good pause. He met the doctor’s regretful gaze and he could tell some bad news was about to be passed along. “Her car rolled a couple of times but it was enough to toss her around which unfortunately made her head knock into the roof and the columns of the car.”
“Will…” Matt pleaded.
“Amnesia.”
Matt felt like the breath was sucked out from his lungs and a dagger was digging further and further into his heart.
“We had to stitch up a few small to large gashes on her head, but… there’s a possibility that she may have amnesia.”
“How much of a possibility?” Matt was finally able to ask. His heart never stopped pounding in his chest and his anxiety never dissipated. His eyes watered as he stared at the blonde, thinking about the worst possible scenario. Would she remember him? Would she remember how much she loved him? Would she remember how they fell in love at all?
“We won’t really know until she wakes up.”
Sylvie woke up three hours later and the first thing she saw was Matt’s worried and saddened look. He smiled when he finally saw her cornflower blue eyes, but even though he smiled, she could tell he was sad about something.
She looked around the room and noticed it was only her and Casey. She gave a confused look and asked, “Where’s Antonio?”
Matt blinked as the name ricocheted off the walls. Silence engulfed him as the nightmare he was living continued to torment him. “Antonio?”
Sylvie looked at him funnily, as if he had grown three heads. “My boyfriend. Gabby’s brother, Antonio?”
Matt let out small puffs of air as he felt like the wind was knocked out of him. She remembered Antonio, out of all people.
“Sylvie…” Matt furrowed his brows, confused and worried at the same time. How much did she remember? “...You and Antonio broke up.”
Sylvie’s smile fell at the news. “Oh. How long ago?”
“Almost a decade ago,” he confessed. “Can you tell me anything else you remember?”
Her frown became prominent as she replied, “Otis dying… I remember Cruz and Chloe got married.” She winced at the thought. “I vaguely remember Stella and Kelly getting married. Oh, and Tuesday, the dog. I also remember Amelia and Scott… And Julie.” She hummed thoughtfully before finishing. “And you and Gabby.”
A crease in the middle of Matt’s forehead appeared as he slowly broke the news to her. “Gabby and I got a divorce a long time ago, Sylvie.”
Her smile fell again and he hated seeing it. “Oh… I’m sorry... I didn’t…”
“No, don’t apologize,” he told her with a reassuring smile. He didn’t want her to apologize for having amnesia. “Do… do you remember anything about us?”
“Us?” Sylvie asked, confused. She took a moment to think. “You’re Captain of Firehouse 51 and I’m a paramedic.”
He stared worriedly. “Anything else?” He tried to fish for clues, but so far, much to his dismay, he was turning up empty. His fears got worse and worse as every hope of her remembering them and their relationship was slowly dying.
She studied him with narrowed eyes and a small smirk. Even though he was having the worst day of his life, her smile never failed to bring him some joy, no matter how small or large they were.
“You’re still a selfless, generous, and loyal man that I’ve grown to know and respect.”
He bit back his frown. There was nothing about love. There was no mention of how he proposed to her days prior. There was nothing. It was like their love disappeared along with her memories.
He was angry. He was angry at the world for taking another person he loved away from him. He was angry at himself for not doing more to keep her inside that morning. He felt like a cursed man and he wanted to slam his fists into the wall.
He could tell her; he could go into great detail how they fell in love and how they were still falling in love even after being together for so many years. He could tell her how he proposed to her, how they planned to get married in the summer, and then planned to have a child soon after. But, even if she knew, who was to say her feelings for him were the same? If she didn’t remember them, then it was possible that she didn’t remember she loved him or even remembered how to love him. And the thought of her not remembering she loved him was too much for him to stomach.
But, just as these emotions overflowed him, he could tell Sylvie knew something was wrong. Even though she didn’t remember them, she still had the innate ability to read him and know how he was feeling without it being said in words.
“Are you okay, Casey?”
Casey. She used his last name and it felt like the final punch in the gut.
“Yeah,” he choked out with a fake smile. “I’m okay. I’m going to go get the others. Everyone from 51 is in the waiting room to see you. They’ll be really happy to know that you’re awake and doing okay.” He didn’t see her saddened gaze watch him as he left her room. He didn’t punch a wall on his way out, but he did nearly crumble in Severide’s arms in the waiting area.
He lost her.
Matt moved out of their apartment and into the guest room at Severide and Kidd’s loft, giving Sylvie the illusion that their apartment was her own. She didn’t know about her and Matt, and Matt told everyone not to tell her, much to everyone’s rebuttal.
When Sylvie was released from the hospital a week later, Will gave Matt her belongings: cut-up and blood-stained clothes, an utterly smashed phone, a gym bag with some things in it, and an engagement ring. He took the ring and slipped it into his pocket, feeling his heart drop inside along with it. He swallowed back tears as he personally handed Sylvie her things.
He helped her back to her apartment (their apartment) and helped her get settled by buying some groceries for her and putting them away. He offered to cook her something, but she politely declined.
Something that struck her as odd was how fluid Matt moved in her kitchen. He knew where all the cups and bowls were, where the pantry was, and where the bottles of water were kept.
“You really know your way around my kitchen. Have you been here before?” she asked curiously.
His heart stopped as he paused his movements. “Yes,” he finally choked out. “I, uh, fixed your cabinets and your sink.” He lied. After they moved into the place, they tore out the cabinets and painted them together. It was a night full of laughs, kisses, and wine, and it was a cherished memory of his. But, in that instance, that memory seemed all but a dream.
He left as quickly as he could with a terrible excuse. He wasn’t sure how much his heart could take being around the person he loved the most who didn’t remember him at all.
Severide and Stella tried to get him to talk to Sylvie many times over. They both hated seeing him so down and in the dumps, but through a clenched jaw and grinding teeth he nearly yelled at them.
“Do you know how much it hurts to even see her!? She doesn’t remember anything about us! She remembers Antonio! Of all the lousy– Of all the people– Antonio!” This time, his nails that dug into his palms were drawing blood. “I proposed to her just a few days ago and she remembers him. I’m so mad I can’t even think straight. I’m just cursed. I’m a cursed man. I don’t deserve anyone apparently, because, with everything that’s being thrown at me my entire life, that’s all I’m hearing. First Hallie and then Gabby and now–” He choked through sobs as he couldn’t finish his sentence. Tears streamed down his face in front of his closest friends as he broke down. It hit him all at once that his life with Sylvie, the life they planned, was gone in an instant.
Sylvie was reevaluated a month later. She remembered almost all of her training and some weird calls here and there. The call that stuck with her the most was the one about a brother who overdosed because she remembered Casey being there with her. And for some reason, she remembered him staying at her place to make sure she was safe, but the place she remembered wasn’t the same place she was staying in.
She shook her head a little to get rid of the small headache that was forming. She had too many questions, but not enough answers. She could ask the man himself, but for some reason, Casey seemed to be avoiding her. Or maybe she was just overthinking it.
One thing she did enjoy from the job was the number of good-looking guys that she met during calls. There was a doctor visiting from out of state that she had to treat for a head injury (even though he reassured her that he could do it himself) and when he was released from the hospital, he visited her at the firehouse to ask her out.
Casey caught wind of it but nonetheless had to bite back his feelings. He wasn’t able to avoid the subject any longer when he walked into the common room looking to grab an afternoon cup of coffee.
He caught the conversation about the guy between Violet and Sylvie.
“He seemed nice though,” Sylvie said to her partner.
“Eh, I’m sure there are other guys better suited for you,” Violet reassured her, glancing at Casey a few times.
“I think you should go on a date with him,” Casey blurted out.
Sylvie furrowed her brows as she stared at the Captain. “Really?”
“Yeah,” Casey nodded. “If it doesn’t work out, then it doesn’t work out.” He shrugged.
Violet stared daggers at the Captain and thought, ‘Really!?’. She knew Casey was avoiding interacting with Sylvie on multiple levels, which she understood, but for him to encourage her to see other people was way too much for her.
Casey left as fast as he came, not wanting to touch on the subject any further. Violet told Stella and Stella told Severide, and the married couple cornered the man at the loft the night after shift, asking him what he was doing.
“If she wants to date other people, she can,” Casey replied, accepting how little his love life meant to him. “She doesn’t remember being with me, so it’s not cheating.” He was about to open a third beer until Severide snatched it from his hand.
“Casey, get your head out of your ass and do something,” Severide angrily grounded out. “You said she was the love of your life when I went with you to buy the ring, so fucking act like it. You can’t just let her slip away after all that you two have been through.”
Casey rolled his eyes at his best friend and went to bed after. Severide shared an exasperated look with his wife, while Stella watched in utter sadness as Casey shut his bedroom door. As much as they wanted to help their best friend, there was little they could do when the man himself pushed back at them.
Casey was all too thrilled when he heard the date with the doctor didn’t work out, but it kept happening: guys kept approaching her. And what was worse was that they weren’t bad-looking either. First, a guy at Molly’s asked her out and then another paramedic during a joint call asked her out.
The guy from Molly’s wasn’t her type, so she declined, but he overheard her giddily talking about her date with the other guy. Their second date was going to be the following week and all Casey wanted was a drink after hearing such painful news. It was painful because of how happy she sounded. And god damn it, it should’ve been him. It was him.
Five days later, Violet walked with Sylvie towards her car after shift.
“So, are you excited about your date tonight?” Violet asked reluctantly. She needed information to feed to Stella so she and Severide could push Matt to do something.
“Yes!” Sylvie replied happily. “He’s taking me to this nice restaurant downtown and then we’re going to walk around the park and have ice cream at one of these food truck stops.” Violet masterfully hid how much she hated seeing her partner dating the wrong person. Before Sylvie could go into more detail, she got a ping from her phone.
“The guy?” Violet asked curiously and with a slightly teasing tone.
Sylvie shook her head. “Phone repair shop. My phone was smashed in the car accident, so I asked around to see if anyone knew a good repair shop. I have a bunch of old photos of my birth mom and Amelia that I don’t want to lose. They’re just letting me know my phone is ready to be picked up.” She gave Violet a quick hug before she left.
When she got her phone back from the repair shop, it was practically as good as new. The man that helped her also taught her how to overlap contacts since she had only the essentials in her new post-crash phone.
She moved over her date’s contact and some pictures she took of them on their first date. As she was leaving the repair shop, she opened her messages and was about to text her date her new phone number until something caught her eye.
Odd. Why did Matt Casey’s contact have heart emojis next to his name?
And why was the most recent text message she received before the crash from him?
She opened up her messaging history with Matt and stood in the middle of the parking lot, in front of her car, reading message after message after message.
Her jaw slowly dropped as she saw all their love-filled messages, their cute pictures, and finally the picture of him and her showing off a bright engagement ring on her finger. And what made it worse was that she shared that picture with a group chat labeled ‘FH51’. Everyone at Firehouse 51 knew they were engaged. She quickly scrolled through everyone’s congratulations and a few of them said, “Took you long enough, Casey!”
A mixture of sadness and anger engulfed her as she recounted her memories. She began to hate herself when she finally noticed all of the signs that were being thrown at her: Matt was at her bedside the first thing she woke up, everyone tried to have her reconsider dating those guys she met, and the damn cupboards in her apartment and how Matt knew where everything was.
Her apartment.
She went back into her phone and scrolled through her photos.
She let out a shaky exasperated laugh as she landed on multiple pictures of them painting the cabinets together, all smiles and full of love and wine. And then she saw pictures of Matt laying on top of her on the couch, sleeping peacefully with one arm wrapped around her middle and his head pressed against her hip.
It was never her apartment. It was theirs.
Tears streamed down her face in utter sadness when she realized the life she had lived for the past month and a half we’re a lie, but she couldn’t tell if she was mad at herself or at Matt. He never once mentioned their relationship or their engagement. He avoided her at all costs and for what? She didn’t understand why he couldn’t just tell her they were together.
Anger led to her driving straight to the loft where she knew Matt was; the loft that he moved out of years ago to move in with her in her old apartment with lemon wallpaper. The loft where they shared many happy morning kisses right before they had to get ready for Severide and Stella’s wedding.
Instead of knocking like she planned to during her self-pep talk on the way over, she pounded on the door.
“Matt Casey!” she yelled angrily, not caring about Severide’s neighbors. Before she could pound the side of her fist on the door again, the door swung open.
Matt looked utterly confused. “Brett?” Even though it stung to call her by her last name, he forced himself to go through with it time and time again.
She pointed her finger at him and grounded out, “Don’t you ‘Brett’ me!” She barged into the loft, not like he would’ve stopped her, but he was still nonetheless stunned.
“Is everything okay?” he asked as he closed the door behind him.
He looked like he had just gotten home because he was still in his slacks and white Captain’s polo.
“You!” She stepped closer to him and still shook her finger at him. “You– I don’t know if I hate you or-or love you, so I’m going to go with both!”
He looked at her unexpectedly, because he never thought the word ‘love’ would come out of her mouth. “Love me?” he asked. There was some hope in his voice, but Sylvie’s unwavering tone warned him of the thin ice he was standing on.
She looked at him through wide saddened eyes and furrowed brows, silently pleading him to be honest with her. He’d seen that look before; it was when he was still stubborn and refused to let her in when he held onto his feelings with a vice grip. That look broke down his walls more times than he could count and he loved her for it. It taught him how to love freely and be loved without any fear of judgment.
Her tone came out softly as she blurted, “We’re engaged.”
His eyes widened and his brows lifted in surprise. He was at loss for words. Who told her?
“Yes or no, Matt,” she demanded.
“Yes,” he let out with a gasp. He still looked shocked
She kept her stern tone as she continued, “And we live together.”
“Yes.”
“We’ve been together for almost five years.”
“Yes, we have.”
Her angry expression dissolved into a heartbroken one. Her shoulders sagged at his admission and she pulled her lips between her teeth, unable to contain her broken heart.
Her voice cracked as she asked, “Why, Matt? Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Who told you?” he asked quickly, not quite ready to answer her.
“No one, because apparently, everyone was in on it. Everyone knew we were together, but no one wanted to tell me.” She was so angry, she cursed under her breath for what felt like the first time in her life. “All this time I was out dating other people not knowing we were engaged. And you! You encouraged me to go out with those guys!”
“Yes, I did, Sylvie, because I wanted you to be happy!” he finally told her, albeit louder than he realized. She kept her confused gaze on him as he continued. He looked out of sorts as he confessed everything he had been hiding for nearly two months. “You didn’t remember me. You didn’t remember our relationship. The first person you asked for when you woke up was Antonio. So, if forgetting me and dating other people made you happy, then I had to live with that. I’ve always wanted you to be happy, Sylvie.”
She was taken aback; he was telling her how he wanted her to feel like he didn’t have a say in the matter. But, he was wrong. If those pictures in her phone told her anything from the memories she lost, it was that she was without a doubt, utterly and truly happy. She remembered her relationship with Harrison and some of Antionio and Kyle, and if she knew herself, even though she had amnesia, she knew wasn’t happy with them. But, those pictures, she could tell there wasn’t an ounce of her that was unhappy. Her beaming smile in the pictures she took of her and Matt together were the happiest she had ever looked.
Her tone softened and her blue eyes grew, conveying her hurt feelings as she asked, “And what part of you thought I wasn’t happy with you?”
His voice cracked as his tone softened as well. “You forgot about us.”
“I didn’t have a choice, Matt. If I had a choice, I would’ve kept everything, because even those horrible memories, the ones where I wished I wasn’t so naive and stupid, shaped me into the person I am and the person you love. I loved my life and the journey I took to get there… because it led me to you.”
The crease between his brows ran deeper. And like a dam, everything poured out all at once: his feelings for her that he thought was lost into the void, his emotions that he kept to himself since her accident, and the anguish his heart endured when he thought he was never getting her back.
He was never good at his emotions and she knew that, so when she saw the tears that slowly rolled down his cheeks from the impact of his emotional turmoil, she softly smiled. She approached him and cupped his cheeks with her hands. She wiped the tears with the pads of her thumbs and pulled him down a little so his forehead pressed against hers.
Tears rolled down her cheeks as she wetly replied, “You make me happy, Matt Casey.”
He felt so relieved to hear her say those words and to be able to finally hold her like he wanted to when he saw her in the hospital. He closed his eyes, pouring the rest of his tears down his cheeks and met her halfway into a promising kiss that was long overdue. His arms wrapped around her and held her as close as possible, not wanting to let go any time soon, because if he did, he was afraid he’d never get her back.
Their kisses tasted of salt as tears continued to roll down Sylvie’s cheeks. Details of memories she lost started to come back. She smiled into kisses as she remembered their first kiss in front of Firehouse 51, the stolen kisses they tried to hide from their friends, and the kisses afterward when they eventually got ‘caught’. She remembered his lips on her forehead when she went to him after a few difficult calls and his soft murmurs of encouragement.
She remembered their not-so-secret-loving gazes at each other as their best friends got married. She remembered the night after the wedding when he thought she was asleep when he murmured how much he wanted to marry her.
She remembered how he proposed to her at Severide’s cabin. He planned to propose in front of the lake during the sunrise, but it unexpectedly rained. She could tell something was upsetting him and when she asked, he confessed his plan that was inevitably was ruined by the stormy weather. She remembered laughing and pulling him into a warm hug as she told him, “You could propose to me anywhere, Matt Casey, and I would still say yes.”
She remembered her reluctance to leave a couple of days after he proposed. She promised Olivia that she would see her at her spin class. Matt kissed her and sleepily asked her not to leave. She laughed under his lips and left anyways, promising him that she’d be back soon. She never made it back, of course, because before she even got to the gym, she was t-boned by a minivan that had run a red light.
