He's Young - Sevasey FanFic

Chapter 8

Back at the apartment, Kelly noticed the patrol car sitting across the street and hoped that Gregory wouldn't know Matt was here. Matt had retreated to the guest bedroom immediately, and both Brett and Kelly were nervous. Matt had spoken a few words, but those few words were traumatizing words. Kelly can't even imagine having your own sister die right before you and have her blood on you. He doesn't even know how old Matt was, but he is only nineteen, so whatever age that happened was young. Even listening to what he assumes is the fraction and more "clean" version of what Matt has been through was traumatizing enough. Someone like Matt didn't deserve that childhood. No one deserves that type of childhood, no matter what type of person you are.

"Hey," Shay said, walking up to Kelly, who was still staring out of their large window. "The boys are asleep, and Brett just checked up on Matt, who was sitting on his bed looking at nothing. I can't imagine what he is going through right now."

"I can't either," Severide said and then turned to her, confused.

"I read the cue cards and then got a rundown from Brett," Shay said, leaning into Kelly for comfort, who wrapped an arm around her. "She told me he was ten when Christie died. Ten years old when he lost the only person who ever cared about him and then the next eight years were spent in abuse and building bombs to fulfill some revenge fantasy for his psychotic father."

"I only hope he doesn't shut us out," Kelly said, but he already knew that Matt was going to do that. Sure he doesn't know much about Matt, but he already knows he already likes. He quickly learns that Matt blames himself for everything.

~~~

Hundreds of people died. Hundreds of daughters, sons, children, brothers, sisters, mothers, fathers, husbands, wives, boyfriends, girlfriends, partners, significant others, friends, enemies, future doctors, lawyers, artists, teachers, businessmen/women, or entertainers. Hundreds of people couldn't see what the rest of their life had in store for them all because of something Matt did when he was a child. A selfish decision. He didn't want to end up dead by his father's hand or worse, so severely injured that all he was good for was his hands and brain. He didn't know if dying or staying in that life was worse.

Matt found himself in a dark headspace, and as memories of the past and memories of the fire flashed through his mind after another, he didn't realize Sylvie walked into the room. He didn't recognize that Shay gave him some food, or Kelly came in to sit with him. He was stuck in this endless loop of horrible memories, and to him, it felt like he was watching the world's saddest movie and didn't know how to turn it off. He had jumped when something heavy was put into his lap, and he looked down to find a baby smiling up at him.

Matt smiled and looked down to the baby and moved his arms, so he was cradling it.

"His name is Ben," Kelly said softly, and Matt jumped again and turned to his side to find Kelly sitting right beside him with Griffin in his lap. "He's the youngest and the newest of the Darden family," Kelly informed him, and Matt smiled at him and then at the baby and started to bounce him a little. His smile grew when Ben let out giggles, and Griffin had climbed over Kelly's lap to look over.

"They're cute, aren't they?" Kelly asked as Griffin wedged himself between Matt's arm and torso. Matt smiled and nodded and rocked Ben until he slowly closed his eyes.

"B-boo," Griffin said, pointing to Matt's eyes, and Matt laughed and nodded. Griffin grinned widely when Matt had laughed and moved closer to Matt and rested his head on his shoulder.

"He doesn't usually warm up to people that quickly," Kelly pointed out, playing with the hair on the back of his head. Matt only pressed his cheek to the top of Griffin's head and saw his eyelids fall shut. He turned to the bedside table to find that it was already nine pm, so no wonder these kids were tired. Matt shifted as slowly and quietly as he could until he lay on his back with Ben on his chest and Griffin cuddled up to his side. He laid there staring up at the ceiling with both boys, and they laid in silence. He didn't mind that Kelly was still there or that he was watching them.