One Step At A Time - A Dawsey Story

Chapter 10 - "I will be just like him"

Hiiiii everyone 😊
Wow, okay, so, this is it. This is actually it. Wow.
In honor of my birthday - which is today - I am finally publishing the FINALE part of this fanfic 🙈
I have had SO much fun writing this story, I started after the finale of season 2 and now I'm done.
I know this is a quick ending and probably not quite what you expected, but I hope you like it anyway ❤️
Also, please leave me some reviews, one last time 😅😘💕
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Hope when you take that jump
You don't fear the fall
Hope when the water rises
You built a wall
Hope when the crowd screams out
It's screaming your name
Hope if everybody runs
You choose to stay

„Pete, get down there!", I shouted, waving my hand at him, but with very rare success. I sighed.
Shay laughed and jokingly boxed my shoulder. "Oh, c'mon Gabby, just let the kid play." She leaned back against Melanie's legs, who was sitting on the backrest of the park bench.
"Shay, I'm not trying to ruin his fun, but do you see anyone else run up the slide?", I asked, my eyes still surveilling Pete.
"I do, in fact", Leslie answered, "and as long as nobody complains, what do you care?"
I sighed again and crossed my arms.
Melanie, Shay's girlfriend, twisted one of her long, gold-brown curls around her finger. "You guys should have seen me as a child."
Shay turned her head 180° and grinned. „Oh, you must have been a little devil."
"You bet I was." Melanie smirked at Shay, then leaned down to press a quick kiss on her lips.

Hope that you fall in love
And it hurts so bad
The only way you can know
You give it all you have
And I hope that you don't suffer
But take the pain
Hope when the moment comes, you'll say

I laughed and looked back at the playground.
"Seriously?! Peter Gregory Casey!", I yelled at my 4 years old son, „if you run up that slide one more time, I swear, I'm never feeding you again!"
"But moooom", Peter cried, "up is much more fun than down!"
I got up from the park bench and started walking towards the slide.
"Easy, tiger", Shay laughed.
I turned my back to the playground, making sure Peter couldn't see my face, then I stuck my tongue out at Leslie and continued my way.
But just as I reached my destination, I suddenly saw Peter turning his head around, his eyes lighting up.
"Daddy!", he exclaimed, running past me.

I... I did it all
I... I did it all
I owned every second that this world could give
I saw so many places
The things that I did
Yeah, with every broken bone
I swear I lived

That's when I also noticed the firetruck that was pulling into the street. It stopped a few meters away and when the doors opened, Matt and Severide jumped out.
"Daddy!", Pete said again, running into Matt's arms.
Casey laughed. "Hey, buddy!" He picked his son up and lifted him above his head. "Is that just me or have you grown again?"
Pete giggled. „But dad, people don't grow within 3 hours!"
"No?", Matt wrinkled his forehead, "But I could swear you're bigger now!"
"Hey, you", I said as I reached them, followed by Shay and Melanie. "What are you doing here?"
"We're just coming back from a call, so we thought we'd stop by", Severide explained and wrapped one arm around Shay's shoulders.
"Wow", Melanie said, pulling a fake upset face, "I feel ignored here."
"Hey, Mel", Kelly responded to her joked complaint and playfully boxed her shoulder.
"Thanks." Melanie grinned.

Hope that you spend your days
But they all add up
And when that sun goes down
Hope you raise your cup
Oh, oh
I wish that I could witness
All your joy
And all your pain
But until my moment comes
I'll say

Suddenly Otis stuck his head out of the window of the truck. "Sorry to interrupt, but we should head back to 51!"
Casey turned towards me and quickly placed his mouth on mine.
"Euuggh!", Pete squealed and tried to push his little hand between our faces.
Matt and I laughed and he passed Peter on to me. "High five?", he asked him and the boy hit his flat hand against Matt's.
"Okay, I gotta go. See you guys tonight." With these words, him and Severide hopped back on the truck and it drove off.
I let Peter go back to the playground, and as he returned to his friends, I noticed them watching him with wide eyes.

I... I did it all
I... I did it all
I owned every second that this world could give
I saw so many places
The things that I did
Yeah with every broken bone
I swear I lived

One boy leaned over and whispered something into his ear.
"Yes, that's right", Pete answered, all proud, "my dad's a firefighter. When I'm all grown up, I will be just like him!"
I smiled to myself. Once again I felt this feeling of endless joy in my heart. The same joy I had felt the day Matt and I got married, and the day Peter was born almost exactly one year later. We had named him after Peter Mills, our friend who had lost his life in the explosion that had also changed our life's forever, and after Casey's father, who had been his biggest hero before his life ended way too soon.
Now in this moment, here at the playground, everything seemed perfect. Watching my son playing with his friends, seeing my best friend being happy with her girlfriend, and thinking about my husband, all this made me so incredibly happy. I lightly rested my hand on my stomach, knowing that tonight, when I'd tell Matt the news, this joy would grow even bigger. And I knew that I would never trade this feeling for anything in the world.
Never.