Daddy's Little Girl
Get your motor runnin'
Head out on the highway.
Lookin' for adventure
And whatever comes my way…
Shay dug her phone out of her pocket.
Her ringtone for Kelly…the ring tone he absolutely hated. He'd been trying to get her to change it for years.
That's why she kept it.
She smiled as she accepted the call.
"Hey stranger…" she said.
"Hey…" Kelly's voice came through the phone.
"How's everything goin'?" she asked.
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Alyssa had finally…finally…had the surgery on her shoulder about two weeks ago…and Kelly was on FMLA.
That had been a big deal…when he first put in for it, his leave was denied. The president of the Union felt like he'd had too much time off…with his medical furlough two years before…then he took time off when he and Lyssa had taken in Lexi…their foster daughter...and again when Jesse had gotten hurt playing football...
But Kelly had threatened to quit. He had his twenty-five…he'd take his retirement.
The president had caved…and Kelly had four months to take care of his wife…and his family.
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"What're you doin' Saturday night?" he asked. "And please say 'nothing'."
"Why?"
"Cause I got this thing at Maggie's school…and the boys are having a sleepover at Nicky's…and I don't want to leave Lyssa alone with the baby."
Leslie could picture her best friend…her best friend for more than twenty years…pacing back and forth, running his fingers through his hair. That's what he did when he was nervous or stressed. Not that he had anything to be nervous about…but Kelly didn't like having to ask anyone for a favor. Having to ask for something made him anxious.
"I think my calendar's clear…." She said.
Shay could hear the sigh of relief at the other end of the line.
"What time is this 'thing'?" Leslie asked.
"It starts at five…but could you maybe come over a little early? Like maybe three?"
"Why so early?"
At his house Kelly was pacing again.
"Well…this 'thing'…it's kind of a Daddy/Daughter dance for Valentine's Day…" he said. "And Maggie's gotta get all dressed up…and you know I'm no good at that stuff."
Kelly loved being the dad of two daughters…and he loved playing with them…with their pink Legos…coloring in their Princess coloring books…he'd seen every Disney movie ever made. But when it came to dressing them up in ruffles and bows…forget it. Then he was strictly 'hands off'.
Shay smiled again.
"Three o'clock…got it."
"Thanks Shay…I owe you one."
"You owe me more than one…you're lucky I don't keep score."
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On Saturday Shay let herself in the back door and Maggie came running to meet her.
"Aunt Yes-yee!" she chirped happily. "Yook!"
The little girl launched herself into Leslie's arms and held her hands up so Shay could see her fingers painted Bubble Gum pink.
"Yook what Samantha did to me!"
"That's so pretty!" Shay gushed. "You look so grown up!"
Maggie's face turned up into a huge smile.
"I gonna be four!" she said.
"I know you are." Leslie told her. "I remember the day you were born, Silly."
It was surprising more of the firefighters at Station 51 didn't have kids…but that's the way things had worked out. So Andy and Jesse, Maggie and Lexi were kind of like everyone's kids.
Maggie was still chattering excitedly.
"I gots a pink dress! An' sparkly shoes!"
"You're gonna look like a princess!" Leslie told her.
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Kelly cane into the kitchen, carrying Lexi.
The eighteen month old girl was a child Kelly and Alyssa were fostering. She had been with them for almost nine months now.
The team from 51 had responded to a house fire where Lexi's older brother Mason was killed. Her mom…her birth mother…had started the fire. And now she was serving a life sentence in the Women's Correctional Facility down in Dixon Illinois.
Her parental rights had finally been terminated…and now the Severide's were starting the process of adopting Lexi.
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"Hey, Shay…thanks for comin'."
He leaned down and gave her a kiss on the cheek.
"You're a lifesaver..." he told her.
Leslie rolled her eyes.
"So whaddya need me to do?" she asked.
"I wan' a bubble baf'!" Maggie squealed. "With 'trawberry bubbles!"
"Strawberry...got it." Leslie said.
Kelly chuckled.
"Looks like you got your marching orders."
That was another thing Daddy didn't do. Bubble baths. He drew the line at strawberry scented shampoo.
Now if Alyssa was the one taking the bubble bath...well...then that was another story.
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Leslie carried Maggie into the dining room and set her on the stairs.
"You go on upstairs." She told the little girl. "I'm just gonna go say hi to your mom."
Alyssa was on the couch in the living room.
The surgery had been really rough on her...like all her medical procedures seemed to be. She had developed anemia, kind of as expected...and she had needed a transfusion. And it had taken longer than usual for her to come out of the anesthesia. Then she had been so nauseous that she couldn't eat for a couple days... she'd had to stay in the hospital.
But now she was home...and resting.
"Hey..." she said with a tired smile when Leslie came in.
Shay leaned down to give her a gentle hug...careful of her right arm in the immobilizer.
"How're you doing?" Leslie asked quietly.
"Comin' along..." Lyssa answered. "Thanks for coming...you know somebody's all thumbs when it comes to buckles and bows..."
Leslie grinned.
"We'll have all night to figure that out..." she said. "I'm gonna go get Maggie in the tub."
"Okay..."
And Lyssa settled back against the pile of pillows and with her left arm, drew the fuzzy blanket around her.
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In the kitchen, Kelly grabbed the milk out of the fridge, then set Lexi on the counter while he poured some into her yellow Princess sippy cup.
"Aunt Wes-wee?" Lexi asked.
"Aunt Leslie's gonna baby-sit you and Mommy tonight." he said. "While Daddy and Maggie go someplace."
"Wexie go too?"
"Not this time, Sweetie. This is a special thing at Maggie's school."
Lexi looked up at him with big blue eyes...and turned out her lower lip in the little pouty way Maggie always did when she wanted something.
Kelly chuckled.
"Daddy'll take you someplace special...just us two..." he said. "I promise."
Lexi's expression changed in about two point two seconds...and when Kelly picked her up off the counter she threw her little arms around his neck.
Two girls was gonna be the death of him...he thought as he carried his youngest back out to the living room.
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He set Lexi down to play and then sank down beside his wife on the sofa.
"You doin' okay, Baby?" he asked, as he carefully wrapped his arms around her.
"Umm-hmm..." she answered sleepily.
The pain medication made her tired...and she settled back against Kelly.
And Kelly felt his heart clench in his chest.
He hated to see his girl so uncomfortable. And he felt so helpless sometimes. Alyssa had almost a sixth sense when it came to how he was feeling. When he hurt, she always had some trick up her sleeve...something to ease his pain. But he didn't have that. All he could do was hold her...that and shovel meds down her throat.
He wished he didn't have to leave her tonight. Not that Leslie wouldn't take care of everything...but he wanted to be there too.
But they had signed up for this dance thing months ago. Back before they even knew the date for the surgery.
He placed tender kiss against her hair.
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Maggie squealed happily as she splashed in the tub.
"Hey..." Shay said as she dodged the spray. "Keep the water in the tub, Missy."
"I goin' to a fancy party!" the little girl said. "I goin' to a fancy party with Daddy!"
"Yeah, you are...and you're gonna have such a good time."
"Aunt Yes-yee?" she asked.
"Hmmm?"
"What we gonna do at da fancy party?"
Shay sat back on her heels...and searched back through the mists of time to the year she had gone to a Daddy/Daughter dance with her dad. She'd been just a few years older than Maggie. Her dad was a real "man's man" and it was the one time she had done something "girly" with him.
"Well...there's prob'ly gonna be stuff to eat...maybe dinner...maybe just snacks." she said.
"Cookies?" Maggie asked. "Ice cream?"
How could you have a party without cookies and ice cream?
"I'm sure there'll be cookies..." Leslie told her. "And there's gonna be music...prob'ly a DJ."
"What's a "DJ"?"
"That's somebody who plays the music." Shay explained. "And you'll get to dance."
"Like ballet class dance?"
Leslie bit back a giggle at the thought of Kelly doing anything even remotely in the same universe as ballet class. She wondered if Lyssa's brother Joey was going with his daughter Ainsley, who was in Maggie's class. She wondered if it was too late to bribe him into getting some video.
No...that wouldn't be nice...she told herself. Hilarious...but not nice.
"No...not like ballet." she said with a smile. "Have you ever seen grown-ups dance at a party or a wedding?"
"Daddy dance with Mommy at Mo-gan's wedding..." Maggie said excitedly.
Shay's eyebrows arched high as she digested that little piece of information.
Interesting...
"Well, that's the kind of dancing I'm talking about."
Maggie smiled and splashed a little more.
"Hey...IN the tub..." Shay reminded her.
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Downstairs Kelly was watching the clock...he was gonna have to go upstairs and get ready soon. Alyssa was half asleep against his chest...
Lexi was obviously amused by whatever she was doing...and she started to laugh at herself...that deep, all-consuming baby belly laugh she did that usually ended up with her falling over.
"Lexi..." Kelly whispered loudly. "C'mere, Sweetie."
The baby had the attention span of a gnat...and she immediately rolled over and popped up onto her feet. She came toddling over and tried to pull herself up onto the couch.
Kelly gave her a little tug from the waistband on her leggings...to help her out. And once she was sitting beside him...
"Are you gonna be a big girl and help Aunt Leslie take care of Mommy?" he asked.
"Mama got big owie." Lexi said in her most serious voice.
"Yeah...so you're gonna need to be super good and be a big helper...right?"
Lexi nodded.
"Big girl..." she said.
Kelly helped her stand up beside him and gave her a little kiss.
"That's my girl."
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Upstairs, Leslie was rinsing the last of the bubbles off the little princess before she dried her off and wrapped her in her pink bathrobe. Once that was done she sat Maggie on the vanity and dug in the cabinet under the sink for the hair dryer.
"I goin' to a party! I goin' to a party!" Maggie sang as Leslie ran the dryer on low over her strawberry blonde curls.
The little girl's excitement was contagious, and Shay couldn't help but smile as she lifted Maggie down and scooted her off to her room.
"Can I wear my crown?" she asked as she darted around to her dresser and started to pull open then bottom drawer to climb on.
"Whoa...whoa...whoa..." Shay said hurriedly. "Tell Aunt Leslie where it is."
The last thing they needed was to have Maggie fall and take a trip to the ER instead of her fancy party.
"Up 'dere!" Maggie said, pointing to the top drawer.
Shay opened up the tiny drawer where Lyssa put all Maggie's treasures...her Baptismal Cross, the heart locket Kelly had bought her, some ribbons and hair bows, and the little rhinestone tiara from her Cinderella costume.
Leslie looked it over and decided it wasn't too costume-y...not too tacky.
What would it hurt to let her really be a princess for one night?
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Kelly looked at his watch...a little after four.
He and Maggie were supposed to meet up with Joey and Ainsley at quarter to five.
He gently shook Alyssa awake.
"Hey...you awake, Babe?" he asked. "I gotta hit the shower."
Lyssa blinked her eyes and sat forward to let him get up.
"Want me to put your suit out?" she asked.
"No...you rest...I think I can handle it." Kelly told her with a little smile.
She was always doing something for him...or the kids...and it was high time she put herself first for a change.
"Where's Maggie?"
"Shay's gettin' her ready..."
Alyssa just nodded and settled back against the cushions.
"Are you gonna be okay down here with Lexi?"
"Yeah...we'll be fine."
Kelly was still hesitant. She could see that.
"Lexi..." Alyssa said. "Why don't you get some books and Mommy'll read to you?"
With three out of four Severide kids that was always the ticket to at least an hour of quiet time.
"C'mon, Daddy'll help you pick the books..."
And he followed Lexi back to the four seasons room to the pink bookcase that held all of her and Maggie's favorites. She handed him book after book...Snow White, The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast...Clifford...Corduroy...Biscuit...Nursery Rhymes ...till Kelly had both arms full.
"Okay...that's it..." he said. "I can't hold any more."
Lexi looked up at him with a funny expression...as if to say 'Yeah, right...' but then she went running back to the living room.
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Once Alyssa and Lexi were settled Kelly took the stairs two at a time. He had about fifteen minutes to get ready.
But he was a firefighter...no sweat.
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He stopped to look in on Shay and Maggie.
Leslie was wiggling Maggie into white tights with ruffles across the seat. And Maggie was chattering a mile a minute.
As he headed down the hall to his own room Severide just hoped Maggie didn't have to use the bathroom at the dance so he didn't have to fuss with the tights and whatever...
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He took a fast shower and shaved...then dressed in his black suit, black dress shirt...and reached for a black and white print tie he'd had for ages.
He was just strapping on his watch when Maggie came skipping down the hall.
"Daddy! I'm a princess!" she squealed as she ran over to the full length mirror and twirled around.
Kelly stopped to look at her.
She wore a pink dress with a big poufy skirt and a big bow tied in the back. She had on her sparkly silver shoes and shining from atop her curls...she had her little tiara.
She looked so cute...she was such a beautiful little girl.
He'd have to talk to Casey about building a tower...
"You sure are!" he told her as he swung his daughter into his arms. "Are you ready to roll?"
Maggie nodded enthusiastically.
Shay was leaning against the doorjamb watching the two of them.
Kelly had such a special relationship with Maggie...with all his kids really...sometimes she felt a pang of longing for a little of that for herself.
Severide smiled at his best friend.
"Thanks for doin' this..." he told her.
"That's what I'm here for..." she replied.
"Daddy?" Maggie chirped. "Can we go to da party now?"
Patience was not her strong suit...any more than it was his.
"Yes...we can go to the party now..." he said.
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A few minutes later , after hugs and kisses for Lyssa and Lexi...and Shay helping Maggie into her white Teddy Bear coat...she was strapped in her car seat and they were off to the dance.
Shay and Lexi watched them go.
"Bye-bye..." Lexi said as she waved to the car.
Then she looked up at Aunt Leslie.
"Pizza?" she said.
Leslie couldn't help but laugh.
"Let's go see what your mommy wants..."
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Over at St. Pasqual's dad's and daughters streamed into the grade school gym.
Good turnout...Kelly thought as he kept his eyes peeled for his brother-in-law.
The proceeds from the dance helped fund the Adventure Princesses circle the school sponsored at the local Y. Maggie would prob'ly get into that in kindergarten...that or Daisy Scouts.
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"Hey!"
He turned around to see Joey coming with his four year old daughter Ainsley.
The two little girls were closer than cousins...more like sisters...and they ran into each other's arms like they hadn't been together in a week...even though they had just had school the day before.
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Joe Boungiovanni slapped Kelly on the back.
"How's my sister doin'?" he asked.
Severide nodded slowly.
"She's still takin' a lot of pain killers...more than she wants to." he said.
And then Joey nodded. He knew his baby sister better than any of the brothers...and he knew she hated being dependent on anyone or anything. That's why she had kept her shoulder problems to herself for over a year.
But Kelly would make sure she did everything she needed to do in order to get better. Joe had seen it the very first time he'd met his sister's then-boyfriend...the night Alyssa was attacked. He'd watched Kelly pace back and forth across the waiting room outside of the OR lost in his own thoughts...not even taking coffee when his friends offered it to him. Those first weeks had been hell on everyone...and even though the rest of the brothers thought it was strange that Kelly had spent the whole night in the waiting room, then never come back to the hospital while Lyssa was in a medically induced coma, Joe got it.
It didn't matter what had happened in the past. From the time Lyssa woke up, Kelly was there. And he'd been there ever since.
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Kelly looked down at the two girls, still hugging the stuffing out of one another.
They couldn't have been more different...Maggie was petite and fair with her teal blue eyes and strawberry blonde curls...Ainsley was tall and thin with long, black curls and skin the color of cafe au lait.
"Ainsley?" Joey said. "How 'bout a hug for Uncle Kelly?"
Ainsley let go of Maggie and wrapped her arms around Kelly...and Joey scooped Maggie up.
"Look at you!" he said with a big smile.
"I'm a princess, Unca' Joey!" Maggie told him. "See...I gots my crown!"
"I see..."
He put his niece down and together the four went to check in for the party...
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Leslie spread a towel across the coffee table and she Lexi's plate with cut up bits of cheese pizza and a sippy cup of juice down on top of it. Then she picked up the remote and turned on Netflix. Soon the baby was caught up in a movie and Shay set a small veggie pizza box down on the couch and dished up a slice for Alyssa.
Lyssa took the plate and balanced it on her lap before she picked up her slice.
"I really appreciate you comin' tonight..." she told Leslie.
"No problem..." Shay replied with a wave of her hand, as she grabbed a piece of pizza for herself. "What I wouldn't give to be a fly on the wall tonight. To see Kelly at a school dance..."
Alyssa giggled.
"You're gonna have to explain to me how a man who runs into burning buildings without a second thought is reduced to jelly at the sight of little girls' panties..." Leslie went on.
Alyssa laughed even harder. So hard that Lexi looked up from her pizza.
And that set Shay off.
"Funny?" Lexi said over the roar of laughter.
It took a few minutes for the two women to get control of themselves.
"I was hoping you could explain it to me..." Alyssa said as she tried to catch her breath. "You've known him longer than I have."
"I guess that's just one of life's many mysteries..." Shay said with a sigh.
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Kelly and Maggie sat around a big table with Joey and Ainsley and a couple other girls from their class. He had tucked about a dozen napkins into the collar of her dress in a futile attempt to keep it clean.
The girls were munching on chicken nuggets while the dad's were served some kind of chicken in a sauce. Everyone had mashed potatoes and green beans...and so far Maggie'd managed to keep the potatoes out of her hair.
Thank God they had taken the pictures as soon as they came in.
And after cake and ice cream...and a trip to the rest room to wash Maggie's hands and face...she held onto Kelly's hand as they walked back into the gym.
They had dimmed the lights a little bit...and the DJ put on a slow song.
You're the end of the rainbow, my pot of gold.
You're Daddy's Little Girl to have and hold.
Kelly rolled his eyes. Talk about cheesy...
But that was what the whole night was all about.
"C'mon Baby Girl..." he said. "Come dance with Daddy."
He led his daughter out into the crowd and took her little hands in his. They rocked back and forth awkwardly for a minute...before he just picked her up in his arms.
You warm my day, you brighten my night
You're sugar, you're spice, you're everything nice
And you're Daddy's Little Girl.