Forever Chicago (Chicago Fire 2)

It's a little early for cake, you know that right?

Ever since she had returned to Chicago, Emily have been staying at a hotel on the far side of town. Jay and Will would have offered to have her stay with them, but they where already tight on space as it is - so having their sister there wasn't going to work out well. It wasn't until Emily ran into Connor Rhodes at Molly's and he offered her his spare room, that she actually started to feel like Chicago was becoming her home again. At first she thought that staying with Connor would be a little weird, especially since he hadn't long broken up with Hayley - but it wasn't. She actually found living with Connor quite relaxing. 

That morning marked Emily's 30th Birthday, and happily she had been left alone. Connor had gone to work early since he had a surgery that he needed to prepare for, but not before he had given Emily a hug and wished her a happy birthday. It surprised him at the siblings where all only a year apart in age, especially since they where all so different. Connor had described Jay as being thick skinned, but Emily told him that Jay wasn't thick skinned but hard headed. Will was described as being the Halstead sibling that was more rational, when Emily said this - it made Connor laugh. But compared to his brother and sister he was the rational one. While Jay and Emily wouldn't think twice about doing something without thinking it through, but Will liked to think of every outcome there could be before acting on something. 

Connor had gifted Emily with a new watch, before leaving. Her breakfast was already made and left on the table by her host, and this made Emily smile. She sat at Connor's dinner table before her phone starting ringing from a facetime request from Grant, this made her smile as she finally answered the call. "Hey" She said happily as Grant's face popped up on her screen and she brought a spoon full of porridge to her mouth.

"Porridge for breakfast? Really Em, it's your birthday. Try something more exciting" Grant said, teasing her a little bit, this was something that they both did a lot. Ever since they met they had made a point of teasing each other, it was something that made them both laugh and kept them as friends towards each other as well as lovers. "Happy Birthday" Grant said to her, picking up a party popper and firing it towards the phone so Emily could see. "What's your plan for the day?" He asked her, taking a sip of the freshly poured coffee that sat in front of him. 

"I'm spending the day on my own, my plan is to relax as much as I can before anyone remembers that it's my birthday" Emily told him, she watched as Grant gave her a look that was filled with sympathy. Not that he felt bad for her, it was more like he felt guilty that she was spending her birthday alone - well, alone without Grant. This hurt them both a little, since they had been together - they had always made a point of being together for any holidays or birthdays. Even bank holidays. "I wish you where here though" Emily said, sighing a little as she spoke before taking another bite of her breakfast. 

"I wish I could be there with you, if I was there I'd make sure you weren't spending your birthday alone" Grant said to her, sipping his coffee and moving the phone a little just so he wouldn't drop the coffee all over it. 

"So, I wouldn't spend my birthday relaxed then" Emily said, laughing a little as she spoke. Grant also joined in with a laugh while he shook his head. Emily opened her mouth to speak, only to be cut off by a knocking on the front door. "Can I call you back in a minute?" Emily asked, Grant nodded before Emily hung up the phone and wondered to the front door. When she opened the door, she smiled a little when she saw Gabby standing there in front of her with a birthday cake in her arms. "It's a little to early for cake, you know that right?" Emily asked, moving out of the way so Gabby could walk into the apartment. 

"It's the first birthday we have had you back" Gabby said, excitedly. She walked into the kitchen and placed the cake onto the counter, in one move she was able to turn and pour a cup of coffee and pick up the last remaining piece of bacon on Emily's plate and put it in her mouth. When she turned and noticed Emily's expression she stopped chewing the food and looked at her. "Weren't you finished?" Gabby asked. Before Emily could answer, Gabby spoke again - telling her friend to get dressed because they where going out. This made Emily sigh, she knew what was likely to happen when she went out with Gabby. They where probably going to get hammered before making a fool of themselves. "And wear something nice" Gabby shouted to Emily as she wondered into the spare room.