For You, A Promise

Chapter 34. Final Chapter

Antonio arrives at the district after the nanny arrived. Her look of sympathy confuses him but he shrugs it off. Kate is still at the hospital, she said she'd be back at 6pm.

"Hey man" Atwater walks up to him, the entire district stands to look at him with sympathy. He doesn't understand what's going on. Why on earth is everyone staring at him in sympathy?

"You sure you're ready to work again?"
Antonio frowns as he stares at the officer, "why won't I be?"

Kevin keeps his mouth shut, it looks to him like Antonio is still in denial and he's not going to be the one to break the news.

"Nothing man."
Both walk up the stairs to the Intelligence office. Hank is the first one to notice Antonio as the rest of the team, minus Erin who is nowhere to be found, gets on their feet to welcome the detective.

"Hey brother. You know, you can go home. Spend some time with your children. They need their father now more than ever"

Antonio's face lace in confusion, "What are you talking about,  I'm fine."

"Look man" Hank steers his second-in-command to his office, away from the distraught team's prying eyes.
"I came back to work too soon after my wife died, and I ended up leading my team into a gang initiation where 4 of my people almost died. Go home, be with your family."

Antonio frowns as he ponders over his sergeant's words
When my wife died
When my wife died

"But" he croaks out, his heart falling to the pit of his stomach. Did he dream that she died or did he dream that she lived?

He suddenly doesn't know where he is. Hank's face goes blurry as Antonio relives the night that changed his life. He dreamt his wife lived, but she died. His wife died.

"Antonio, it's time."
He looks up from his wife's peaceful face as the machines continue to breathe for her.

The entire Chicago family is there. Gabby is crying in a corner while Erin keeps pushing Jay away when he tries to console her.

Chicago Med doctors and nurses surround the room.

"I don't want to do this" Antonio whispers. "We can take her to a long term care facility. She will get better"

"She wouldn't want that Antonio. You know she doesn't want to be a vegetable."

He cries as he looks at Maggie and Choi, both are trying to keep their emotions in check but it's getting difficult.
Kate was more than just a colleague. She was their family. She was every one's family.

"It's time"

Antonio cries as he kisses his wife's lips one more time and then with legs that feel like jelly he walks up to Hank and Adam.
"Goodbye Katelyn, we'll miss you forever" Maggie whispers as she unplugs the machines that keeps Kate alive. "Goodbye"

The only sounds in the room is silent sobs as they come to peace with the fact that she's dead.
But truth is, nobody will ever be at peace with that.

"Uh" Rhodes clears his voice, breaking the heart wrenching silence, "Molly's is open just for us to say goodbye to Kate. She loved it there"

Everyone agrees to go to Molly's as Erin and Gabby stay behind. Antonio has already stormed off. He doesn't want to see his wife like this. He can't.

"What are we going to do?" Gabby whispers as he presses her lips against Kate's forehead. Tears are shallow, her emotions are all over the place.

"I don't know" Erin replies. "But I do know that there's two kids who will need our help. Antonio... I don't think he can look after his kids right now"

"We take care of them"

"I had a dream, Hank" Antonio sits down on the chair in Hank's office as the older man crouches down in front of him, "I had a dream that she was still alive. It felt so real, I-I thought it was real. We were so happy."

Antonio swallows the tears, "What am I going to do without her?"

Hank keeps a heavy hand on the detective's shoulder, "You go at life one day at a time. She will always be in your heart and with your children. You lean on us Antonio, you lean on us."

"One day at a time"
"One day at a time"

****
Don't hate me. Don't hate me.
I knew Kate was dying since the first chapter...don't blame me, blame Nashville because Rayna dying gave me my inspiration.
(Nashville is amazing fyi...)
That is the final chapter of For You, A Promise.
I hope you all enjoyed it...read my new story Hold on to me.
Love you all. Thanks for reading!!!