good/right/real

Chapter 55: Still Hurts

Summary:Matt gets home from work to find a surprise.

Matt arrives home around nine in the evening, surprised to find Shay and Sylvie huddled together with coffees on their couch.

There's no sign of Severide, which doesn't shock Matt in the slightest. Severide came by the house to pick up something he left in his quarters and Matt took a moment to show him Kidd's toasted turn outs -- Matt had to approve the order to replace them. Severide took one look at them and rushed out of the house. Matt wasn't even sure he got what he came back to retrieve. With Sylvie here, Matt assumes Kelly is with Stella at the girls' apartment.

Matt can't say he blames him. If he's right about Stella and Kelly then the 24th Street fire must have shaken his friend up pretty badly.

"Ladies," Matt greets with a nod. "This looks dangerous. Am I entering at my own risk?"

Shay chuckles. "Not dangerous. We're just celebrating that the baby we delivered made it. He's a happy and healthy five pound, 2 ounce wiggling, wailing bundle of joy."

"Finally, some good news," Matt says with a weak grin. "I'm happy to hear that."

His eyes drift to Sylvie and he realizes he never had a chance to tell her about what happened at Stilettos with Nesbitt. By the way her gaze lingers on him, he can tell she's as eager to talk to him as he is to talk to her. Shay, bless her, gets the hint.

"You know, I'm gonna call Kendra," Shay says. "Ask her what she wants in return for helping us visit Baby Morales tonight."

"I think that's a great idea," Sylvie agrees.

Leslie walks off toward her bedroom, leaving them alone, but Matt still doesn't want to talk out in the living room. Everyone knows a little about the case by now but Sylvie's the only person who knows everything and he'd like to keep it that way. Besides, there's at least one other thing he needs to talk about too and he doesn't want to risk anyone overhearing them.

"Can we talk?" He asks her. "Somewhere more private?"

"Of course," she replies immediately.

He gestures down the hall with a nod of his head and she follows without a single doubt about where he could be taking her. The only place in this apartment he knows he can get privacy is his room. So...that's where he takes her. Maybe not the smartest choice considering how he knows he feels about her, but there's not a whole lot of options.

He opens the door and motions her in first.

She smirks at him as she passes him to enter the room. "Never been in this room before."

He chuckles, despite the bad news he wants to share with her, and rolls his eyes. She has too. Just not this particular bedroom. "This is my only private space in the whole apartment. We might have been alone in the living room but sound still carries."

She nods and then sits herself down on his bed, with her back against his headboard and one leg tucked underneath her. "Then I guess I'll get comfortable," she replies with a teasing grin. She pats the spot next to her, which is obviously the side of the bed he sleeps on since there's a nightstand next to that side of the bed. He sits and presses his back into the headboard with his legs stretched out in front of him.

"What happened when you went to Stilettos today?" She asks, knowing exactly what he wants to talk about.

"The FBI had Jack in the club while they searched it," he tells her with a shake of his head. "He's gonna find that notebook and destroy it and he's gonna do it while the FBI watches too. It's bullshit."

"Sounds like it," Sylvie agrees.

"And then something else happened today while I was covering for the Lieutenant on third," he says with a thick swallow, looking pointedly away from Sylvie.