Christmas Presents
It was getting closer by the minute…Alyssa's due date. And Kelly couldn't wait.
For the last month or so she'd been going nuts with the cooking and the baking. Shay said she was 'nesting'…he personally didn't care what you called it. All he knew was he was working out for at least two or three hours a day so he didn't turn into the Goodyear blimp.
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He strolled into the common room and dropped two huge trays of cookies onto the table.
"Here you go guys. Have at it."
The men all jumped up and rushed to get their hands in there to grab whatever it was he'd just thrown down.
"Mmmmmm…" Hermann moaned as he sank his teeth into a peanut butter chocolate chip. "Oh, my God…"
Mouch grabbed one of every kind.
Dawson reached in and helped herself to an Amaretto brownie cookie.
"This is amazing…" she said as she bit into it.
"Yeah…Alyssa's been playin' with her cookie and brownie recipes…tryin' out different combinations." Kelly explained.
"Well, this one's definitely a 'hit'." Casey said with a mouthful of Turtle brownie cookie.
"When have you ever known Mrs. Severide to 'miss'?" Otis asked as he grabbed another Frango mint chip.
"Aren't you having any Lieutenant?" Mills asked as he reached for another cherry chocolate chip.
Severide just flopped down in his favorite chair.
"If I never see another cookie for the rest of my life I'll die a happy man." He said. "I just can't wait till Lyssa pops those kids out…then she won't have time for all this and I can stop workin' out like I'm training for a damn triathlon!"
"Careful what you wish for…" Hermann warned him. "After those babies get here, you'll be lucky to get dinner on the table. And I ain't talkin' 'bout none of that fancy stuff neither."
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Alyssa had always been an awesome cook. But since she had gotten pregnant she'd really stepped it up a notch or two. And the entire firehouse was reaping the benefits. At least once a week they had people over for dinner…especially the bachelors like Casey, Otis, Mouch and Cruz. And not to forget about Vargas…he loved dinners at the Severide house.
"Don't any of you dare tell my wife I said this…but what I wouldn't give for a pizza and a beer!" Kelly sighed wistfully.
"There'll be plenty of that…trust me." Hermann said. "The guy takin' your order's gonna get to know the sound of your voice. Believe me, Lieutenant…you're life's about to change in ways you prob'ly never even imagined!"
Kelly chuckled.
"I think I know what you're gettin' at, Hermann. That's never been a problem." He said.
"Just wait…just you wait."
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The Saturday before Christmas everyone gathered at the Mills family's restaurant for a holiday party.
Kelly helped Alyssa out of the car and wrapped a protective arm around her waist. It was really awkward for her to get around. Except for the gi-normous baby bump, she was still petite as ever. She said she was as big as a house…but Kelly thought she was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. He couldn't get enough of holding her and touching her…of feeling the babies moving inside her.
Suddenly Alyssa stopped right in the middle of the sidewalk.
"What?" he asked anxiously.
She took a deep breath and let it out slowly.
"Your sons aren't playing nice with one another. I'll be so glad when I can sit them in separate corners…"
Kelly moved around to the front of her and placed his hands on either side of her belly. Sure enough…the boys were going at it. He winced when he felt a particularly hard kick against his right hand. He could only imagine how much it hurt Alyssa.
"Hey guys…" he said to her belly. "I know it's crowded in there, but you gotta stop kicking your mom…"
His response was another hard kick that made Alyssa catch her breath.
Kelly grinned at her.
"They listen to their dad about as well as I listened to mine." He said.
Alyssa sighed.
"Let's just go in. I'm freezing."
"Okay." He told her as he slipped his arm around her again.
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The restaurant was strangely quiet when they opened the door.
"SURPRISE!"
Alyssa was so startled…that she actually jumped back about a foot.
"What the hell?" Kelly asked. "Are you trying to make her go into labor?"
"It's your baby shower!" Shay told him…like the answer wasn't obvious.
"I get that…but you oughta know better than to scare the crap out of a pregnant woman."
Alyssa had recovered enough by this point.
"It's okay…I think they're comfortable where they're at right now…"
But in response, she got a kick so hard that Kelly felt it standing next to her…
"Or maybe not…" he quipped.
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It took five trips to unload the car once they got home that night…
"That's the last of it…" Kelly told her as he set down the last load.
"Quite a haul…" Alyssa commented.
"I didn't even know we needed half this stuff…I didn't even know they made half this stuff."
"I'm so glad we got this house…" she said. "Can you imagine trying to fit all this in our apartment?"
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The house had been a totally unplanned purchase. But as Kelly pointed out…when had they actually ever planned anything since the day they'd met? Their whole relationship had been a series of unexpected twists and turns…and somehow it had all worked out for the best.
About three weeks before their lease came due, Kelly had gotten a call from Alyssa's brother Nick.
Nicky told him that a house across the street from him was about to be foreclosed upon…the owner had sunk a ton of money in on renovations and he was desperate to short-sale it before he lost everything. Maybe Kelly and Alyssa should take a look.
Kelly was hesitant…he'd never imagined himself a home owner…he knew cars…boats…but he didn't know the first thing about buying a house.
So immediately after shift he enlisted some "expert" advice.
And later that day he and Alyssa…and committee… went to check out the place. Nicky had come to grease the wheels with his soon to be former neighbor, Casey was on hand to look over the construction, and Otis came along…because he could wheel and deal like no other.
They loved the place.
Outside was a brick exterior like every other one up and down the street…but inside as a pretty open floor plan with more than a little nod to the "craftsman" design. The second floor had three bedrooms and two baths. It had originally been four, but the owner had combined two into a master bed and bath that took Alyssa's breath away.
They agreed on a price…and just like with their apartment, Kelly had thought the guy was undercutting himself by an obscene amount. He would have expected to pay double the asking price. It was too good a deal to pass up.
Mouch had helped him get a mortgage through the union…and they signed on the dotted line.
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And they moved in two weeks later.
All the guys from the house had pitched in to help…who needed movers when you had the CFD?
They were unloading the U-Hauls when Kelly noticed they had an audience.
The little old man and the little old woman next door were sitting on their little front stoop watching Kelly, Casey, Vargas, Mills, Otis and all the rest troop in and out with furniture and boxes.
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Alyssa came outside with a cooler full of water bottles for the men.
Kelly hurried over to grab it from her.
"You're not supposed to lifting something that heavy!" he told her.
She rolled her eyes at him.
"Kelly…I'm pregnant. I'm not an invalid."
But he worried constantly about her. She had never regained her full strength from before she was hurt…and she had lost about twenty to twenty-five percent of the function in her right arm. He didn't know how she'd be able to care for twins when he was on shift…
He set the cooler down on the front steps and took Alyssa by the hand.
Might as well go meet some neighbors…
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He crossed the driveway and approached the couple sitting outside.
"Hi…I'm Kelly Severide…and this is my wife, Alyssa. We're your new neighbors."
He held out his hand to the man…who was so thin and frail looking. His skin was practically translucent and he was getting oxygen through a nasal cannula.
Even though it was eighty degrees out, his hand was ice cold.
"Hank Garibaldi…" the old man wheezed. "And this is my wife, Gloria."
Kelly and Alyssa both shook their hands.
Mrs. Garibaldi was staring at Lyssa's obviously pregnant belly.
"You look like you're about ready to pop…" she said.
Alyssa smiled.
"Hardly…I've still got about three months to go. We're having twins."
Kelly barely heard the woman's response. He had zeroed in on something.
A CFD decal in the front window.
"Were you a firefighter?" he asked Mr. Garibaldi.
The old man nodded.
"Thirty-four years." He said proudly. "I joined the department back in '47."
"No kidding…I'm a lieutenant…Squad 3…out of Station 51."
He called over his shoulder.
"Hey! Guys! Come 'ere! We got a smoke-eater over here!"
The whole team stopped what they were doing and joined Kelly and Alyssa around the Garibaldi's front porch.
Kelly introduced the guys one by one…and the old man's eyes lit up. He hardly got out anymore…and to see all these young men…these "brothers"…did his old heart good.
Kelly glanced at his watch. They had to get the trucks back by six…break time was over.
"Listen…we still got a lot of stuff to unload." He said. "But if you ever need anything…you just give us a call…"
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Second watch had pulled duty Christmas Eve…
Kelly kissed Alyssa good-bye as he headed out the door.
"You just take it easy today…please?" he told her. "Don't be worrying about laundry and whatever."
"Just the baby stuff…" she told him.
He rolled his eyes and shook his head. Then he put his hand on her stomach.
"Hey, guys? Take it easy on Mom while Dad's at work, okay?"
He kissed his wife one last time.
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Whoever wrote that poem "T'was the night before Christmas and all through the house, not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse…" sure wasn't talking about Station 51.
Around ten that night they rolled out for their eighth call that shift. That had to be some kind of record…
"Oh, my God…" Severide groaned as they pulled up to the scene.
It was a Home Depot…and there was a frickin' forest fire blazing in the nursery. It had already engulfed the outdoor structure…and begun to spread to the store itself. The store with all the paint and paint thinner, varnishes, and propane tanks.
They were gonna be there all night…
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Lyssa had just walked in the door. She had been out at her brother Tony's home in Park Ridge and gotten a ride home with Nick and Kathy.
They were over at their house getting the boys to bed, and then Nicky would be over to bring in the presents she'd brought home for Kelly and the leftovers from their big Italian feast.
She'd been feeling strange all day…just off…and occasionally she'd get these cramps in her back. But she just chalked it up to being almost 37 weeks pregnant.
She took off her coat and headed for the bathroom. Sometimes she felt like she practically lived in there. That was one thing she wouldn't miss…needing to pee every ten minutes.
No sooner had she closed the door then…
It was like a dam had burst. There was water all over the floor…the rug. It was way too much to have been just pee.
She went to grab her phone.
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He was right…they were at the Home Depot all night.
When they got back to the house he stood under the shower…letting the hot water soothe his aching muscles. Then he pulled on clean clothes.
He took out his phone…but then he looked at the time. It was way too early to call Alyssa. She was probably still asleep.
He couldn't wait to get home…climb into bed…and hold her.
"Severide!" Chief's voice reverberated in the locker room.
Kelly looked up…
"Yeah, Chief?"
"There was message for you in the dispatch center…Alyssa's water broke last night. She had the babies around eleven."
"What?! It's too early!"
He had missed it…
"The message said everybody was doing fine…mom and babies were all healthy."
Kelly opened his locker to grab a jacket.
As he ran out the door he heard Boden call after him.
"We'll be by later…"
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He had had a hell of a time getting in to the hospital. Apparently six-thirty was too early for visiting hours.
And the security guard was suffering from a decided lack of Christmas spirit.
But after some fast talking…and what might be construed as a little threatening…he made it up to the maternity floor.
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Alyssa was actually awake…and she had the babies with her.
Kelly approached the bed slowly…
"Hey…" he said softly.
Alyssa looked up at the sound of her husband's voice.
Her eyes filled with tears.
Kelly quickened his steps and hurried to her side.
"I'm sorry…" he said as he leaned in to kiss her.
"What are you sorry for?"
"That I missed it…"
"Kelly…it's not your fault…you couldn't help it."
He tore his eyes from her face…and looked down at the bundles lying in her arms.
"Who do we have here?" he whispered.
Alyssa indicated for him to take the twin on the right.
Kelly reached down and carefully took his son in his arms.
"You are holding…Andrew Michael Severide…born at 10:57 pm…weighing in at five pounds, fourteen ounces."
Andy…
The tiny little boy opened his eyes…and Kelly stared into blue eyes exactly like his own.
"And this…" Alyssa said.
Kelly looked down at the baby in his wife's arms.
"Is Jesse Matthew Severide…born at 10:59 pm…weighing in at an even five pounds."
"They're so tiny…" he whispered breathlessly.
He had tears in his eyes…
He was a father!
"And they're okay?" he asked.
Alyssa nodded.
"They're perfect. Andy came out screaming like a banshee…and Jesse's managed to hold his own."
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They passed the babies back and forth all morning…and Kelly marveled as he counted tiny fingers and toes.
He had never seen anything so little…or so perfect in his life.
The team started arriving right after shift.
Leslie was first…of course. She was in awe as she held her tiny "nephews"…first Andy, then Jesse.
"Kelly…they're perfect…so beautiful…" she whispered.
"Hey…I did a little work here too…" Alyssa teased.
Kelly leaned in to kiss his wife.
"You did all the work, Baby…"
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Casey arrived…
He clasped Kelly on the shoulder…then went to kiss Alyssa's cheek.
Kelly handed Matt a twin…
"Andy…" he said.
Casey looked down at the tiny bundle in his arms.
"Andy…hey, Buddy…"
The little boy opened his eyes at the sound of Casey's voice.
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Mills and Dawson came…
"It's like holding a football…" Mills said as he held Jesse in his arms.
"Well…don't throw him." Severide quipped. "Don't you dare drop that "ball"."
The entire team instantly fell in love with the tiny little boys.
As Kelly sat on Alyssa's bed, holding his wife in his arms…watching his "family" greet its newest members…he couldn't help but feel there was someone missing. Someone who couldn't be forgotten.
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Later…the nurses took the babies back to the nursery so Alyssa could get some sleep.
Kelly leaned down to kiss her.
"I'm gonna run a couple errands…and grab a few things from home. Then I'll be back to stay with you tonight." He told her.
She nodded sleepily.
"I love you, Baby…" he whispered to her. "I love you so much."
"And I love you…" she whispered back.
He tucked the covers a little tighter around her…kissed her once more…then turned out the light as he left the room.
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He pulled his car to the side of the road…reached across the seat to grab something…then got out.
He crossed the lawn…skirting between the tombstones and grave markers…until he came to the one he knew so well.
He squatted down and brushed his hand across the stone…clearing the light dusting of snow that had fallen the night before.
Andrew Darden
October 30, 1976-August 2, 2012
"Hey Andy…" he said quietly. "Merry Christmas, Buddy. You're never gonna believe this…but I'm a dad. Talk about a Christmas miracle…twin boys…born at 11:00 last night. They're the tiniest things I've ever seen…but they've got all their little fingers and all their little toes…and they're absolutely perfect. I wish you were here to see them. I wish you were here to tell me what to do…'cause I'm scared shitless."
He reached into his jacket pocket and took out a picture…
"This is them, Buddy. The one on the left is Jesse…and the one on the right…his name's Andy. And I can already tell…he's gonna be a hell raiser. I think somebody up there's gettin' even with me."
He set the picture down on the stone…along with a six pack of beer. He took one…opened the bottle and took a drink.
Then he poured the rest on the ground.
"I really miss you, Andy." He said. "Nothing's the same without you."
He stood up…
"I gotta go…but I'll be back soon."
And he turned and walked back to the car.
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He headed up the front walk. And he stopped to take a deep breath. His stomach was turning cartwheels.
He slowly climbed the steps and rang the doorbell.
And waited.
Heather Darden opened her front door…and her face darkened when she saw who'd come calling.
"Kelly…" she said tersely.
"Hey, Heather…" he answered nervously.
"What do you want?" she asked.
In some corner of her mind…she still blamed him for Andy's death. Andy had always followed Kelly around…getting into trouble…barely squirming his way out…because of his friend's need to push everything to the limits.
Her husband was a good guy…a bit of a joker…but with a heart of gold. He didn't have Kelly's confidence and natural charisma…but he tried to keep up anyway. He never wanted to disappoint his best friend.
Andy had followed Kelly to the Academy and they'd both been assigned to Truck 81 initially…then Kelly had made the move over to Squad. That was the one time Andy didn't try to do everything Kelly did…he was content on truck. He was good at his job, and more than anything he had loved the camaraderie of the guys…the family atmosphere around the station. Nothing like having twenty brothers around, he used to say.
Now Kelly was standing on her front steps.
"What do you want, Kelly?" she said again.
"I wanted to show you something." He said.
He reached into his jacket pocket and took out another picture.
Heather held out her hand impatiently. She just wanted to get it over with and close her front door. There were just too many painful memories.
Kelly handed her the photo upside down. She took it and turned it over in her hands.
There were two tiny little babies…
They were beautiful.
"Who's are they?" Heather asked quietly.
"They're mine." Kelly answered. "Born last night."
She looked up in surprise. Kelly? A father? Then she noticed the ring on his left hand.
Kelly? Married?
"The one on the right…that's Andy." Kelly said. "And the one on the left is Jesse."
Andy? Kelly had named his son Andy?
Heather closed her eyes. It was almost too much to process.
She held the picture out to him.
"You can keep it…" he said.
"Thank-you." She told him.
Kelly turned to go…then he turned back.
"Merry Christmas, Heather. And tell Ben and Griffin I said 'Merry Christmas'."
And with that he walked back to his car.
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Kelly sat at the bar in a restaurant not too far from the firehouse. It was one of the few places open…
Benny walked in from the cold and let his eyes to the dim lighting. He saw his son sitting at the bar and approached him cautiously. He remembered the last time he'd met Kelly for a beer…
"Hey, Pop…" Kelly said. "Merry Christmas."
"Merry Christmas to you too…" Benny replied.
Kelly signaled the bartender for two beers.
The tired bartender set a bottle down in front of each of them. They were the only ones in the place.
They clinked the bottles together in a silent toast. Then Kelly handed Benny something wrapped in a white plastic bag.
"What's this?" Benny asked as he turned the flat package around in his hands.
"It's a Christmas present…" Kelly answered.
He raised his beer to take another sip. He saw out of the corner of his eye that Benny was unwrapping whatever it was…
Benny took out a picture frame with a picture of the twins already in it.
"Grandpa…" Kelly said with a grin.