A/N: This is just a little something that came to me today that I couldn't resist writing out. I haven't written or posted anything in years, so I'm still trying to get back in the saddle and Chicago Fire is just too good to not write about!
As Kelly sat on the small sofa beside the window, his knees drawn slightly up, he gazed down lovingly at the tiny little bundle in his arms. He smiled when a pair of crystalline blue eyes peered up at him, the lieutenant slipping one finger into the newborn's palm. Tiny fingers wrapped reflexively around the digit, causing Kelly's heart to melt.
"Hi baby girl," he whispered, convincing himself that her quiet little gurgles were her way of greeting him in response, as opposed to her displeasure at being forced out of her dark, warm living space and into the world. "You look so much like your mama, you know. The boys are gonna be all over you some day," he joked, brushing a finger through a tuft of her soft blonde hair. He looked up when he heard blankets shifting on the bed beside them, a soft, sleepy voice speaking out moments later.
"Are you planning on sharing her at all?" Matt asked, chuckling lightly as he sat himself up and adjusted his body in an attempt to find a comfortable position.
"You mean I still have to share her with you even though you've been carrying her around the last nine months?" Kelly teased, slowly standing and coming over to the bed to place their newborn daughter in her mother's arms.
"I just went through 18 hours of labor and delivery on top of nine months of morning sickness and back aches and swollen ankles in order to give her to you. You bet your butt you have to share," Matt snorted playfully, stroking her cheek gently with one knuckle.
Matt and Kelly both looked up when they heard a light knock at the door, trying not to laugh when they saw the entirety of Station 51 crowded around the doorway, some of them on the verge of throwing elbows in order to get in to see their newest member first. When they were welcomed in they quickly engulfed the room, forming a circle around Matt's bed.
"This is Ava Grace Severide," Matt murmured, shifting the bundle in his arms and pulling her blanket away slightly to reveal her to the crowd.
"She's beautiful," Gabriella smiled, everyone pulling out their phones and cameras to snap pictures of the little one. After a few minutes, Hermann stepped forward, offering Matt and Kelly a sheepish little smile.
"We, uh, we all went in to get you guys somethin' a little special," he noted, passing Kelly a pink gift bag as Matt swaddled Ava in her blanket once more.
"You didn't have to do that. You already gave us so much at the shower," Kelly noted, reaching into the bag. He pulled out a tiny onesie and a baby blanket, both pink and emblazoned with the station's emblem.
"Thanks you guys," Matt beamed, moving to wrap her in the new blanket and swaddling her tightly before her fussing escalated. "Anybody want to hold her?" he asked, Chief Boden almost instantly swooping in to pluck the infant from his arms. She spent the next half hour being passed from person to person before she finally was back in Matt's arms. She seemed at ease as her cheek pressed to his warm skin and she picked up his scent, tucking right down in and dozing off.
The crew took their leave at that point in order to let the new family rest, many of them promising visits on their way out. Once the room was quiet again, Kelly looked over to his husband and daughter once more. He smiled to find them both sound asleep already, kissing their foreheads before settling into the chair beside the bed. It had been a long day and he knew the coming weeks would be filled with more long days and sleepless nights, but it was worth it. He wasn't willing to trade what he had for the world.