Too Young

Ch 4.2

"Hey," Gabby smiled and slid a beer across the counter.

"No thanks," I kindly rejected the drink. "I don't feel great."

Gabby pulled the white towel from her shoulder and started wiping off the counter. "I'm guessing that's an understatement."

"Of course I wouldn't admit that. It's been a few days now. I've been avoiding beer and that seems to help, slightly. I'm just so sick of this fever. I feel like I'm going to throw up when I eat some of my favorite foods. I had something like this about a year ago. It was a mild fever that lasted a month or two, but it was so annoying." 

Gabby stopped rubbing the counter and slowly looked up. "How long have you had it? I mean, this specific fever?"

I crossed my arms over the counter. "I don't know, about two weeks?"

"Erin, I'm just going to say it. I've been in your position, and I also know all there is to know about medical health. Is there any possibility you're pregnant? Any at all?"

I tilt my head, slightly uncomfortable that she would ask me that. "No."

"Okay," she said quickly. "I was just wondering. I had similar symptoms once and despite being a medic I didn't notice them until I was three weeks in." She laughed but her smile faded just as quickly. She stared at the counter. "Seems like forever ago."

The bell above the door rang and I saw a face that immediately made me smile.

I reached over and put my hand over hers. "I'm here if you want to talk, Dawson. I'll be right back." I stepped off the stool and approached Jay, closer and closer until I was almost completely pressed against him. "Hey."

"Hey," he replied, taking my hands. "Fever cooled down yet?"

I shook my head. "Not really."

After a few comfortable moments in silence he twisted me around and walked me over to the counter. He accepted his beer from Gabby and tipped it against his lips. He swallowed and sighed, obviously relieved to be out of work.

"You guys ever think about taking a vacation?" Gabby slid a drink over to Severide and leaned over the counter.

Jay laughed quietly into his beer.

I shook my head. "I can't even imagine. Impossible freedom. It would be great, we could use it, but I don't see it happening."

"How come?" She asked, waving and smiling to someone who walked into Molly's.

"Voight," Jay mumbled, setting down his beer. "Maybe just the job in general. Too much to leave behind even for a few days. Especially with Intelligence. Patrol always has a substitute. Intelligence is too complicated."

"Aside from Burgess," Erin laughed. "She was always intelligent enough to come up. I think Hank was just waiting for the right time."

Gabby nodded. We all sat in silence for a moment before Gabby looked at me awkwardly. "Hey, you want to talk for a second?"

I suddenly felt the vague want to leave. "Yeah, why?"

"Just wanted to ask you something. And of course I want to get away from this so-called intelligent cop man."

Jay raised an eyebrow but said nothing.

I followed Gabby to a closet, where she strangely stepped in and motioned me to follow.

"Gabby . . ." I resisted for a moment, finding it sort of aggravating that she was probably wondering about a possibility of a pregnancy.

She flipped on a light. "Come on." She walked up some stairs and I reluctantly followed her. She opened a door with her key and held it open for me.