Love, Dad | Joe Cruz

Chapter 9: A Drone Pilot

Tati goes back to school Monday She wouldn't say she was excited. More nervous than anything Annabelle told her she heard on the playground Trish and Lena making fun of her still. Annabelle of course went hard and screamed at them and almost got herself detention but she was quickly stopped by one of her friends. Tatia is spending the last weekday of her suspension at 51. She sits at the squad table playing on her switch when Boden comes over.

"Gentleman! I'm gonna need to move the ambulance supplies to the cabinets along the east wall. So please give me a hand, empty 'em out. No rush, just by the end of the shift." He says.

"Copy that, Chief," Cruz said as he wal

"Yes, Chief." Capp and Tony say before looking back at the video game Tatia was showing off.

"Since I'm not a firefighter you think that includes me?" Tati asks her uncle.

"It doesn't. But you can still help us." Cruz says.

"No thank you."

"I wasn't asking," Joe says giving her a look as the bells go off for 81. Tatia looks down the apron watching 81 drive off before noticing Dawson standing there.

"Gabby!" She exclaims jumping from her chair to run down the apron, Gabby meeting her halfway.

"Tatiana!" Gabby grins as the 9-year-old collides with her. "Shouldn't you be at school? And what happened to your eye?" She lifts Tatia's face by the chin to get a better look at her eye

"I got suspended for a fight. I go back on Monday though." Tati shrugs.

"A fight? Did you win?"

"Teacher stopped it before I could." She says as Joe and the rest of squad walk down the apron.

"Hey, Dawson." Cruz hugs her.

"Hey Cruz, Capp, Tony." She shares hugs with all three men. "I saw the monument Cruz it's beautiful," Dawson says softly.

"Yeah." Cruz smiles.

"Okay I know truck's out on a call but where's Herrmann, Brett, and Severide?"

"Severide got detailed to OFI. Brett and Herrmann are inside though. Tati go get them." Capp smiles as they all walk up the apron. Tati grins and runs inside happily.

"Herrmann Brett! Chief! Dawson's back!" She shouts.

"Dawson's back?"

"Who's Dawson?" Ritter asks.

"Paramedic she left a little bit before you joined." Herrmann says as everyone gets up and hurries outside. Brett running ahead, practically barreling into Gabby.

"Dawson! When did you get here?"

"A little bit ago." She hugs her before giving Herrmann one. "Look at you, Lieutenant Herrmann."

"It was about time." He shrugs as Ritter comes out. "Oh Dawson this Ritter, Ritter Dawson."

"Hey."

"Hey, Dawson." Chief comes out smiling hugging her.

"Gabby do you have any stories about my dad that I haven't heard?" Tatia asks. She asked almost every person who's ever known her dad this same question.

"Yeah, I got a few stories. I can tell." She begins telling a story putting her arms around Tatia's shoulders while Tatia stans in front of her facing away. Gabby gets through two stories before 81 pulls on during her third. "A few years ago Otis asks for my help getting a girlfriend. So I tell him "Otis if you wanna get a girlfriend you gotta lose the goatee," right? So, he does, and he looks about 12, people are giving him strange looks when he's with Tati so I'm like, "Grow it back, grow it back!" She barely finishes before Stella and Mouch hug her Tatia stepping forward and out of the way.