ELEVEN

Gabby sat beside her friend and looked at her nails. "You know what I think?"

Stella didn't answer back.

"I think when you're out of here, we're doing a girls spa day." She smiled and shook her head. "Girl, your nails look horrible and we can't have people thinking that the ladies of 51 don't take care of themselves."

Turning Stella's hand in hers, Gabby held it between her hands for just a moment. The temperature read out was still high, a bit over a hundred and five, but it had been going down steadily. "I know the problem," she told her friend, "you were sitting next to Kelly and that fifty shades of red weren't doing you a bit of good."

"You know it's true." She looked back up at Stella's face. "Don't argue with me. You can say it over and over again, but you're not just hung up on Kelly, you're in love with him. And given the mess he's been since you ended up in here, he is too." She waited for a few moments and then let her gaze drift over the readouts. "Not that he's said anything, because Kelly Severide can be one stoic… you know what."

Gabby heard footsteps coming down the hall and she turned to look, but it was one of the nurses passing by.

Turning back to Stella she stood up and walked to the side of the bed by Stella's head. She smiled down at her friend. "How about I make you a deal." Thinking it over, Gabby let out a long breath. "Here's the thing. I'm ready to do some serious matchmaking, ok? Think of all the double dates we could go on… think of all the jealous women out there when we take out men out on the town? So you wake up, 'cause you being quiet is kind of unnerving, and then when you're up and around I intend on shoving you and Kelly into a closet until you guys get it together.

"Everyone at the house know you two are crazy for each other. And really," she sighed, "I've got money on the pool and almost a week before I lose. So help your girl out, okay?"

"Gabby-"

She squeezed Stella's arm and turned around to look. Matt and Kelly were standing in the doorway, Kelly had a duffle over his shoulder. "Moving in?"

Kelly looked down at the bag and met her eyes with a rueful smile. "It'll save me having to ask someone to go get me stuff from home."

He moved past her and dropped the bag in an unused corner of the room. "Any changes?"

"Her temperature is down. The new antibiotics are doing their job, but you guys came back when we were in the middle of planning a girl's day."

Kelly and Casey shared a look. "You were planning something with Stella?"

Gabby looked at her husband. "You and Kelly go out and smoke, Stella and I need something to do while you're out."

"Okay?"

She gave Kelly a look. "Don't worry. I'm not talking about strippers or anything like that, maybe a hot masseuse? It'll be my gift when she gets out of here."

Casey looked back at his wife. "We should probably go home, Gabby."

She looked from one man to the other. "You think I'm crazy, but I'm telling you, there will be facemasks. There will be wine. There will be a hot guy or two to do Stella's bidding. She's going to love it."

Matt shook his head. "We are not having this at the apartment, I don't think Kelly would-"

"We're not having it at our apartment, babe."

Breathing out a sigh of relief. Matt smiled at Kelly.

"We're doing it at Kelly's apartment. You've got more room." She grinned. "You two can go to a game and leave us to our fun."

At the stunned look on Kelly's face, Gabby moved to his side and pressed a kiss on his cheek. "Everything will work out, just believe."

Once they left, Kelly was alone with Stella again, shaking his head. "Well that was fun."

He looked at Stella hoping for some kind of reaction. Nothing.

"Good idea. Some peace and quiet."

Peace and quiet only lasted a few minutes into the new shift. A soft knock at the door. Kelly turned in his chair and met Anna's concerned gaze. "Hey."

"Hi." She leaned her head on the doorframe. "I thought I'd find you here."

He nodded. "Stella's doing better. Temperature is down-"

"That's good." She smiled. "You still look tired."

Kelly rubbed his hand over his face. "Yeah, but this will all be over soon. Stella's going to wake up and things are going to go back to normal."

"Normal," she didn't sound very interested in that.

"Yeah," he smiled, "once we get her out of danger and home. Back to the House." He shrugged. "Then everything will be okay."

He watched her think through his words or maybe her own. "I'm not so sure."

Getting up from his chair, Kelly met her in the doorway and walked past her into the hall. She followed behind him until he stopped, still within eyesight of the room. Then he turned to look at her. "What's going on?"

She met his eyes and then looked away, taking a big breath before she looked up at him again. "When we… got together… it was," she grinned and her face was transformed, "a fairy tale. I was dying and you," she tilted her head to the side to grin up at him, "you rode in like a knight in a shining armor and saved my life. And you had this amazing way of lifting my spirits. All of our talks and," she blushed, "other things… were so amazing. And that's why I wanted to give this a chance."

"Anna," he reached out and set his hand on her shoulder, "this is just a matter of timing. When you were in the hospital and I was waiting for the donation procedure-"

"When you had the concussion-"

"Yeah," he smiled, "Stella waited for me. Got things that I need or just things she'd thought that I'd want. She was there for me while I was trying to be there for you."

"So you're just returning the favor."

Kelly took a breath and nodded. "She's my friend and she was there for me."

The look she gave him made something pinch between his shoulder blades.

"I don't think that's it, but," she gave him a rueful smile, "but I think that's what you believe."

He narrowed his eyes at her, struggling to understand. "What are you saying?"

She bit into the corner of her lip and looked up at him with a funny lop-sided smile. "I'm saying that what we have is just that. It's a fairy tale. And it's a great one. Wishful thinking, a romance with a hero and a damsel in distress."

"Anna, come on-"

"Kelly, stop. When are you just going to admit it?"

He sighed and pressed his fingertips to his temple. "Admit what, Anna?"

She grabbed his wrist and lowered it so she could meet his eyes without anything between them. "Admit that you're in love with Stella."