If You Knew

The Pain of the Past

"Yeah, um, listen Sylvie. About that-" Antonio spoke, " we looked into her, like I said, and it turns out that she's.." 

He broke off, not really sure how to bring himself to tell Sylvie the news. He knew from his... history with Sylvie, that she had a long background. Antonio didn't realize how long he'd gone silent, and now was hyper aware that Sylvie was staring at him, curiously wondering what he had to say.

"What, Antonio? Just tell me." 

Antonio couldn't help but let out a laugh. She was still that adorable girl, or at least part of her, that he remembered. 

" Alright, alright," he said laughing, then turning serious, "She's your mother." 

Sylvie almost wanted to laugh and throw up at the same time. It was as though someone had thrown a rock at her face. That's just how reality was, she supposed. But that woman, her mom? It didn't seem all that likely. Her mom had given her up when she was just a kid, and she'd always assumed that her mother was some kind of user; an alcoholic or a druggie. But that woman they picked up just seemed.... like normal woman. 

"Sylvie, you okay?" Antonio questioned, after seeing that Brett had gone silent, holding an expression that wasn't super easy to judge.

"Um, yes- yeah, I'm still here. It's just kind of a bit of a shock, you know?"

"Yeah I get it."

Because he did. In a way, his own family was messed up to, especially after his parents divorced, and Gabby walled him and Casey out, moving to Puerto Rico last year. 

The air surrounding the two of them was awkward, since they used to be lovers, and even this long later, things still felt a little odd between them. They had agreed that they were not right for each other, and agreed to take a step back from each other's lives. It had been mutual, yet neither could understand why it had been so awkward. 

Before the moment could get any more awkward than it already was, Sylvie heard Foster walk up, and she quickly turned around to face Foster. 

"Hey, you ready to go?"

"Brett, did you finish filling our the paperwork?" 

Brett glanced at Emily, then turned back at the paperwork that she had been working on, and shook her head.

"Probably not then," Brett said with a laugh, turning to Antonio, "Thanks, Antonio, and thank Jay for looking into this for me."

"Yes, of course, anytime, Brett. Anytime. And if you need any support with this woman, legal or- just in general, just feel free to call us at the district anytime."

Sylvie bobbed her head, and smiled in gratitude. She really loved the family that she had in Chicago. It was the family that was there for her, no matter what happened on the job, or otherwise.

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Casey was sitting in the common room when the ladies came back from their ambo run. Squad had been called out to another rescue call with a different ambulance, so it was only the truck and engine company in the house. 

That's odd, Sylvie thought. Matt Casey doesn't normally just plop himself down in the common room, ESPECIALLY not next to Mouch. 

"That's odd," Foster whispered to Brett, "He hates the sofa. Says Mouch hides all sorts of things in the sofa."

"Yeah, didn't he say that he would never sit on the sofa because it was so bad for your backs, or something like that?" responded Sylvie as she imitated Casey walking by him.