•
dean had been home for a week and a half, and he had his niece and nephew stay with him since sam and quinn didn't want their brother to be alone which was true since dean was always bad when he was alone, cause he'd overthink about things he shouldn't be thinking about.
dean was folding his and his niece and nephew's clothes talking to chimney and hen as sam had taken his kids out to the park, "i got stabbed, and it totally sucked, but then i remembered something a wise man once said, life moves pretty fast, if you don't stop and look around once in a while you could miss it," he folded his clothes.
"a wise man of history," hen looked at her best friend, "aristotle, solomon, dr king, bueller, bueller," dean rolled his eyes playfully, "don't mock me, i'm convalescing, anyways,"
dean let out a sigh, "ferris bheller only had one day off, i have weeks of free time and i'm determined to make the most of it," he tells his friends, "last time i almost died, i didn't get to have any fun at all,"
hen and chimney looked at dean, "is that why you're turning all your and your niece and nephew's clothes into index cards?" hen asked as dean looked at her, "not all of them,"
dean stared at the same white shirt he wore for his and maddie's first date, "is that—" his mind flashed back to when he had gotten stabbed, "um—" he got out of his daze when chimney had taken the top from his friend's hand, "how did you get this? this is evidence,"
dean cleared his throat, "i know, but it is also my favourite shirt," he claimed to his friends as chimney looked at dean, "the same favourite shirt that you got stabbed in by maddie's now dead ex husband?" dean looked at chimney, "good thing he's dead, cause i know people in prison,"
"okay, criminal mind,"
hen said playfully throwing one of dean's not done up shirts to him which he caught, "so i guess—maddie still sparks joy?" dean didn't even have to think about that, as he looked at hen, "always," hen and chimney smiled at that.
dean spent his day once again in his apartment after taking his niece and nephew to their class what was at the firehouse, the specific firehouse that he worked at, "dean, hey,"
buck said looking at his friend who came into the firehouse with his niece and nephew, "what are you doing here—?" bobby stopped the question leaving his lips after seeing his two favourite students charlie and rikki, "i'll pick you both up after school, okay?"
the twins nod their heads going to their friends as dean smiled watching them interact with their classmates, "this the first time you've left your apartment?"
dean looked at his captain, "normally sam would argue with me about who's gonna take them to school but today, sam and alyssa both had a meeting so..i got to," he said smiling, "which is good because i have been stuck in my apartment for a week and a half,"
buck looked at his friend, "charlie and rikki are both staying with you?" dean looked at buck, "every other day since sam said he misses his kids, to what i said to him, just make more with alyssa," buck and his captain both laughed at that making dean hum, "i miss being here,"
"how long until i can come back?"
bobby pats his lieutenant's arm, "i know you want to come back, but until the doctors allow you, until then it's bed rest, so.." dean sighed, "okay, if i don't come and pick them up, sam or alyssa will," bobby and buck both nod their heads as dean walked to his car.
dean matthews didn't realise how boring staying home could be, but at least he got paid to stay home which he didn't mind.
though normally dean never had enough time to clean his apartment but since he's been on bed rest, he's cleaned his apartment fully about twenty times and has woken up at the same time he'd usually wake up to go for his shift at the one eighteen.
"okay," he turned on his television seeing the news come on as it said about the dispatch had a system outbreak, "this might be a better show,"
as all of these fires happened, dean had seen all of them from right from his living couch on the television, as he also been messaging maddie about their second first date.
he walked down to receive his mail when he had seen a man helping his pregnant wife in the lobby when her water had broke, "hey,"
dean had come straight to the couple, "my name's dean, i'm a firefighter and paramedic," he said after setting the women down onto the floor, he looked to the lobby receptionist, "get me some towels, now!"
he got his phone from his pocket calling maddie knowing that calling 9-1-1 wouldn't work due to the system outbreak, "maddie, hey.. it's me," he said on the phone, as the receptionist handed him towels, "i need an ambulance to 550 san vicente apartments, i have a pregnant lady here,"
maddie spoke to him on the phone as dean had his phone pressed against his ear using his shoulder as he put another towel on the women's legs, "where the hell have you guys been?"
dean moved letting his firehouse team, "we are fighting a system outrage, sir, we apologise for the delay," bobby looked to his paramedic, "hen, you're up,"
"eddie and chim, start fluids,"
bobby looked to dean who stands up, "her name is sonia, she's thirty nine weeks pregnant and she's thirty eight years old," dean told his captain, as he sees hen helping the women, "they're my neighbors,"
"okay," bobby moved dean back, "thank you for doing what you did dean, but you need to be on bed rest," dean knew that his captain was right, "okay," he sighed, "just tell me when they get to the hospital, okay?"
captain nash nods his head at his lieutenant, "all right dean," the matthews male did as promised going back to his apartment not wanting to interfere anymore with the emergency.
as promised when the one eighteen had gotten to the hospital, bobby had informed dean that sonia and roger had a beautiful baby boy.
maddie and josh were discussing dinner ideas that she could do for her and dean, "uh, right here, great little tuscan spot, had a garden that's not really a garden, so you still feel like you're sitting outside, also string lights,"
"mm, that's sounds intimate,"
the russo male furrowed his eyebrows at maddie, "i thought you wanted intimate," maddie shooo her head, "no, i want special," josh looked at her, "rachel mcadams special or reese witherspoon special?"
maddie looked at him confused, "i don't think i know the difference," josh looked at her, "fun and flighty or serious and heartfelt?" maddie once again shakes her head, "no, i don't want serious," josh looked at her shocked, "oh, then what do you want?"
dean once again was watching the news where he sees no firefighter stations were being called to doheny park what had multiple explosions that have been reported, "now, we're not sure what's causing these explosions and we're still waiting for the first responders to arrive at the scene,"
his hands come through his brunette hair, before taking out his phone and calling buck who immediately answered his call straight away, "yea, buck, where are you guys?" buck claimed that their firetruck was crossing robbertson for the three hundred and twentieth time, "get over to doheny park, man, the whole damn neighbourhood's on fire, looks like it's a gas main break,"
"you heard it on the scanner?"
dean shook his head, "no, man, i'm watching it on the news right now, nobody's over there, buck, not a single unit," he tells his friend who puts on his headphones telling his captain about the gas main break at doheny park to what they responded to.
chimney messaged his friend about how they are going to the destination he said as dean ran a hand through his hair seeing that they don't have enough water, "uh...they have no water, they got no backup,"
"who else is there?"
an idea popped to mind as he called one of his buddies that owed him a favour, "hey, tommy," he said to the phone claiming about how the one eighteen need water at doheny park.
dean hated how much he couldn't help as he watched everything happen over the news seeing eddie go into the house from the roof, "what is he doing," he said worrying about his friend.
"incoming! everybody, take over!"
dean prayed that the water could stop the fire at the neighborhood building where he sees on the news that the plane had taken out of all the fire where he sees a figure coming out the house making him smile looking up, "thank you," he said, "thank you god,"
maddie and dean were dinner at dean's apartment who knew that maddie was stressed because if everything that happened today with the whole system outage at the dispatch centre so he decided to make dinner for them.
he looked over at maddie, "guess maybe next time i should pick the restaurant, huh?" he said chuckling, "i'm so sorry, i meant to make a reservation,"
dean leaned over the table holding her hand, "that's okay, you had, like, a really crazy first day back, so—" maddie looked at dean with a smile, "not as crazy as my first day there, but yea,"
she played with her food, "so, i think it's supposed to start raining tomorrow, probably through the weekend," maddie nods her head, "that'd be nice," she sighed, "we could just stay at home and catch up on some sleep,"
dean frowned, "you're not sleeping okay?" maddie looked at dean's frown, "no, i-i am," she looked down, "all i want to do is sleep," she said with a tired look, "i just want to put the covers over my head and-and wait until the world makes sense again,"
dean understood that as he nods his head, "but i know that i can't do that, i have to get up, and go to work and m-move forward,"
she said making dean look at her, "i-i'm not okay, neither of us are," he clarified knowing that both of them weren't sleeping properly, "but i wanted to be, i wanted, uh—i wanted this date to be perfect, to make up for the one we didn't get, but i think that's asking a little too much of a bowl of pasta,"
maddie leaned forward, "i hate my apartment building," his smile faltered, "i hate—" she looked at him, "just walking out of my front door, and i tried coming home, because every time i—" she stops, "i just see you laying there,"
she blinked away her tears, "yesterday, i uh went to get my mail, and one of my neighbors came up behind me," maddie looked at him, "i'm not sure which one was freaked out more, me or him,"
they both chuckled, she moved her hair from her face, "this isn't going to be the same, is it?" dean moved his hand from hers at that, "whatever it is that we were about to have, we're—" he looked down, "we're never getting it back,"
his eyes looked at her face, "no," at each feature and expression she had after he said that, as she stands up, "i should go,"
maddie moves and stands up going towards dean's apartment door, "hey, hang on a second, hang on," maddie turnt back to face the man she was starting to like who wore a red polo shirt that fitted his arms perfectly.
he looked down, holding her hand, "we're not saying goodbye," he told her honestly, "we just need a minute," dean told her truthfully knowing that maddie needed that reassurance from him, "yea,"
she nods her head as dean's hand moved to her cheek, as he leaned in and pressed his lips against maddie's soft chapped lips tasting the saltiness from her tears that were coming down her face after they pulled apart, his thumb comes out and wiped a tear away, "just a minute," dean said to her.
dean watched as maddie now moved her hand from dean's hand going to his apartment door opening it looking back once more at dean who gave her a sad look before she went out closing the door behind her as dean sighed staying in place after his apartment door closed.