4 MONTHS LATER

The click of her heels echoed as she entered the open building. The trucks were parked but there wasn't any noise which was unusual. With a frown, Andy walked in further. When she entered the kitchen, she found all the firefighters sitting at the table, their heads in their hands.

"Hey guys. Why do you look miserable?"

Nathan groaned before standing up. "Not now Andy. Please, just go home." Andy frowned before making her way towards him. He was standing near the tap with a glass on his hand.

"Baby, what's wrong?"

"I said to go, Andy."

"But-"

"Just go! No one wants you here right now. I don't want you here right now so for the love of God just get lost!" Nathan stormed away to his office, slamming the door behind him. Andy felt her neck burn in embarrassment as she put the tray down.

She cleared her threat before speaking. "I made some pasta bake for you guys. Vegetarian because I know Jess is trying to stay off the meat." She glanced around the room. "Where's Jess?"

"She...she went back for a person- well she thought it was someone," Tony started.

Before Andy could panic, Carr came to her side. "Don't worry, Andy, she's fine. Critical but stable. We would usually be at the hospital right how but visiting hours are over and the nurses on shift were a pain in the backside." He kissed the top of her head with a small smile. "Tony should know about that." Tony stuck his finger up before walking up to her.

"Listen, she's okay."

"What are the doctors saying? Head injury? Back?"

"She looks okay for now. Broken leg. Swelling in the brain so the doctors are worried about that. We can only know how much damage is done when she wakes up yeah?" He leaned over and kissed the top of her head. Andy smiled and quickly wiped away her tears. "For now, we pray for her- which Mo is doing right now- and we enjoy your lovely food."

"You guys eat. I'm gonna go home, okay?"

"Hey Andy," Mo said as he came in. "Going already?"

"Yeah. Listen guys, if Nathe asks- actually he won't." She shook her head with a sad smile. "Just tell him that I've got that inspector coming over to the cafe in the morning so I won't be home. That was kind of the reason I came right now. And please keep me updated on Jess. I'll see her tomorrow."

After saying goodbye to everyone, Andy walked out. She slowly walked to her car, running her fingers through her hair. Her hands skimmed the lacy collar of her blouse and she smiled. She had worn it to see whether Nathan would remember it as it was what she wore on the night he told her he loved her. She shook the thought away before getting into her car. He probably wouldn't have noticed anyways, she thought.

Nathan looked up at the sound of the knock on his door. He was expecting to see Andy but saw Mo instead. He lifted his hand and motioned for him to step in.

"Hey lieutenant, thought you might want something to eat. You haven't eaten in a while and we still got the rest of the night." With a smile, he took the play off him. Mo leaned against the cupboard, glancing at the wedding photo Nathan had on his desk. "Lieutenant, may I ask you a personal question? Well it's more of a statement."

"Shoot," Nathan said as he took his first bite. "Wait did Andy make this?"

"Yes. She's actually what I wanted to talk about. I've been where you are. Newly wed, still a firefighter. I have kids, lieutenant. Every time I run into a building, I always think of my wife and kids, making it my mission to get out so I get home to them alive." Mo sighed. "For years I felt as though I didn't need to talk to my wife. Years went by and I bottled it all up. I was brought up in a very male dominantated house so I was brought up to hold everything in. You can talk to her, lieutenant. She wants you to talk to her. I know you do for most stuff but you-"

"Mo-"

"Please just let me finish. She was embarrassed at the way you spoke to her. No one should have the right to embarrass anyone in front of anyone. I know, you were hurt and angry and I completely understand what you did and why because I did the same thing multiple times to my wife. Andy is a good woman. She understands. She listens to us when we talk to her. Believe it or not, she is the heart of this firehouse even though she isn't a firefighter. She has heart, lieutenant and all she wants is for you to talk to her. You'll feel better at the end as well. Trust me on that."

* * *

Nathan walked into the house. His ears shot up, waiting for the sound of Andy but nothing came. He popped his head into the kitchen but didn't see her. He dropped his keys into the bowl and that's when he noticed her keys were gone.

The sound of a car pulling up outside his house made him turn around. He slowly lifted the netted curtain to look outside and saw Andy waving at someone in the car. He quickly sat down on the sofa, putting his legs up on the table.

"Oh..." Andy quickly shut the door and stepped in. "When did you get home?" Nathan didn't say anything. He turned on the TV as she took off her shoes. She stood still for a few seconds, watching his tensed jaw. With a frown, she picked up her bag and walked up the stairs.

Nathan waited for her to come back down like she usually did. When it went past an hour, he turned off the TV that had just been playing in the background. As he walked up the stairs, he heard nothing.

"De!"

Andy looked up from her laptop. "In the room," she replied. Once he walked through the door, she smiled softly. "Hey..."

"Pumpkin, can I talk to you?" She nodded towards the bed and he sat down on the corner. She slowly got up and sat beside, keeping some distance. "I don't even know where to start from De...I just...I'm so, so sorry."

Andy shook her head. She shuffled closer to him, extending her hand out. "Nathe, it's okay," she whispered.

"Don't say that. Please don't." He lifted a hand up to her cheek, giving her a small smile. His heart beat was echoing in his ears as he leaned in. His lips brushed against hers and he felt his eyes close. His mind went back to the first time they kissed. She was covered in eggs and flour after they tried making pancakes on the morning after she stayed over.

His hands were in her hair, trying to pull her closer to him even though their bodies were pressed together. Her back hit the fridge and she let out a giggle before kissing him again.

Andy's hands at his buttons brought him back to reality. With his lips still on hers, he pulled her closer to him. His fingers slowly traced down her arms, causing goosebumps to appear on her skin. Andy let out a moan as a shiver ran down her spine.

Soon, Andy had successfully taken off his shirt, adding it to the pile of her blouse. With a giggle, she pulled his head down to kiss him again. She swung a leg over his thigh and he let out a groan before pulling her on his lap and pressing their bodies together.

"Wait," Andy mumbled as she pulled back from the kiss. Nathan pecked her lips before dropping his hands. She was sat on his lap, her legs crossed around him. "Sorry."

"That's okay. What's wrong? You not in the mood?" Nathan kissed her chin as he placed his hands on her hips.

"I am." She carefully got off his lap and walked to the door. "I'm just hungry."

He tilt his head back with a loud laugh. Andy stood by the door, admiring the creases beside his eyes. When he finally stopped, he adjusted his trousers and walked over to her. "Let me make you some breakfast. What do you want?"

"Eggs, bacon, sausages, some toast, beans for sure. I really want muffins. Oh and can you make some pancakes please? For breakfast dessert?"

"Pretty sure you made that up."

"Nope. You did." Andy walked ahead of him and ran down the stairs. "It was for our first year anniversary. You couldn't make it because you were working the whole day. You came by in the morning and told me you had pancakes."

"I did, huh?" Nathan reached out his arms and pulled her into a hug. His lips ran along her shoulder before leaving a kiss behind her ear. "I'm really sorry," he whispered. "About everything. Shouting at you and embarrassing you in front of everyone. And not talking to you when something was wrong."

"Shh," she mumbled. "You're gonna talk to me now aren't you? You know I don't like it when you keep things hidden. I see the pain in your eyes and it hurts me." She turned around. Her hands rested on his cheeks with a small smile. "We're gonna make breakfast together. We're gonna open a bottle of wine. We are gonna sit and talk for the whole day if we need to. Okay?"

"Okay," he said with a nod.

Andy smiled before leaning up to kiss him. "Okay."

Hey guys! Hope you enjoyed that. Let me know what you think below.

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