A/N: Hey! I'm pretty nervous about posting this one since I usually write strictly Upstead, but I'm happy with how it turned out, so I hope you like it :) It's an 8x13 speculation oneshot sort of…mostly playing off of the promo with Kim needing to pick someone to take care of Makayla in case something happens to her.

Kim slowly walked up to the bullpen after her morning meeting with the social worker.

A co-custodian. If something were to happen to her, where would Makayla go?

There was no way in hell she'd go back in the foster system. That was a fact. She refused to let that happen.

Kim slipped off her coat and caught sight of the picture of her with her sister and niece on her desk. Nicole was a good mom, but she was already a mom. Was it fair to hand her another kid randomly in place of her own death?

Kim sighed and sat down. When she was first hired, she had needed to fill out paperwork about her funeral and how her family should be notified of her death, but she didn't have a kid at the time.

Now she did.

Things needed to change. Her world was bigger than just her and she loved it more than anything. A bigger world just meant that her world also got a little scarier with the idea of risks and playing with death.

She placed her phone on her desk and the screen lit up from the movement. She'd changed her lockscreen to a selfie of her and Makayla at Navy Pier and it made her smile. Makayla had never been and while it was pretty busy, it was a lot of fun.

Adam had gone with them too. It had been before everything went to hell.

Kim flipped her phone over in an attempt to ignore that memory.

She missed him more than she could really put into words, so it was hard to image raising Makayla without him, but she needed to right now. She needed to force herself to move on and focus on the task at hand: choosing a custodian for Makayla.

Jay coughed across the bullpen at his desk. Kim looked up to see him eating an Italian sub with one hand while clicking away at his computer with the other. He was a good man. He was steady. He always connected with kids when they were involved in a case. Makayla had liked him enough; he made her laugh and let her wear his hat when they ran into him and Hailey at the park the weekend before because she refused to wear the earmuffs Kim bought her.

Which reminded her: giving Makayla to Jay meant also giving her to Hailey.

Kim wasn't stupid. She knew they were dating. It wasn't that it was super obvious, just that it was clear to someone who'd known them for so long. Gone were the days of hiding blushed cheeks and soft laughs. Now, they easily touched each other's back or arm and openly talked about getting dinner together after work. They were a package deal.

Kim shifted to watch Hailey pull her hair up in a ponytail as she listened to Kevin's story about some dog he was thinking of adopting. Hailey, like Jay, was steady under pressure. She was determined and a solid female role model for any young woman who stepped foot within spitting distance of her. Makayla told Hailey that she had a pretty smile which just made Hailey's face light up even more before she gave Makayla a dozen compliments in response. That night, Makayla had said Ms. Hailey was a super nice, super pretty police lady.

But again, giving Makayla to Hailey would mean also giving her to Jay. It could be a lot for a couple starting out in their relationship and did they even want kids? It wasn't like she was planning on dying any time soon at all, but she needed to look at it from all angles.

Which led her to Kevin still animatedly telling Hailey about the golden retriever he wanted to adopt – her best friend Kevin who already raised two kids. Makayla loved him; they got along amazingly well. In a way, he was the clear, obvious choice.

And yet, she couldn't do it.

She wasn't meant to raise kids with her best friend and patrol partner. She knew it in her gut.

She was meant to raise kids with the man currently reading through an old case file to help with their current assignment. He was the same man who made her laugh harder than anyone else and who also made her feel more loved than anyone else ever had. He loved cooking her dinner and running errands with her. He could always find a way to make the most mundane or boring moment fun.

She just couldn't find it in herself to look at him right now. She had hurt him. He was questioning her trust and she knew from life experience that trust takes a long time to build back up. What she didn't know was if she had enough time to build up that trust before the adoption paperwork needed to be filed.

So she swallowed her pride and focused in on the three other people in the bullpen. This was a multiple-choice test in her mind: Which of the following would be the best option as a custodian for Makayla?

It was open note and she had the rest of the day to make the final decision. Easy. She could do it.

A) Jay Halstead

Kim approached Jay in the lounge once he was alone staring at the pot of coffee.

"Hey," she said and opened the fridge.

Jay glanced up, "Hey."

Kim grabbed out a bottle of water, "Tired?"

"Uh," Jay rubbed his face, "Yeah, rough night."

Kim smirked slightly and glanced out the door toward Hailey.

Jay rolled his eyes, "No. Funny though."

Kim put a hand up and leaned against the counter, "Sorry."

Jay grabbed a mug off the wall, "How's Makayla doing?" He spun it slowly in his hands, "She have any nightmares about what happened?"

Kim took a deep breath, "Um, sometimes. She's strong, but she does get scared every once in a while."

Jay nodded and set the mug down without looking at her.

Kim bit her lip slightly as she remembered something Adam had told her long ago about Jay and walking in on him when he'd had a nightmare here on the couch just six feet away from where they stood.

"Any advice?" she asked quietly.

A hint of a smile crossed Jay's face and he looked up at her, "Yeah. Always remind her where she is. She's with you now and it might feel obvious, but she could use that reminder. It'll help pull her out of her head."

Kim nodded, "Thank you."

Jay poured his coffee, "Chocolate helps too. I don't know your stance on nighttime snacks, but a piece of a Hershey's bar won't kill her."

Kim laughed, "I'll keep that in mind."

Jay smiled back and started walking out.

"Jay," Kim said before he could cross the door. When he stopped and turned back to her, she asked, "Have you thought about having kids?"

Jay chuckled and his mouth opened to respond. He hesitated slightly then nodded, "Yeah. Yeah, I've thought about it. It's something I think I'd like to do someday." He turned back slightly toward the bullpen and Kim noticed him watching Hailey as he said, "I think I'd be pretty good at it."

Kim smiled and nodded, "I think you would be too."

Jay laughed softly and shook his head, "Thanks, Kim." He lightly hit the doorframe before heading back to his desk.

Kim breathed in. It was a pretty solid start to her test.

B) Hailey Upton

"Well that didn't go as planned," Hailey breathed and pushed the headphones down to her neck, "Dammit."

Kim sighed and kept her eyes on Adam and Jay on the computer screen until she was positive they were safe back in their car. She ran her hand through her hair, "I'll drive us back."

Hailey nodded and climbed into the passenger seat, "Thanks. I should call Kev and let him know we don't need the extra eyes anymore."

"Sounds good," Kim sat in the driver's seat and started the van back up.

As she drove, she listened to Hailey finish her call with Kevin. Hailey then quickly typed out a text before relaxing in her seat. She smiled at whatever the fast response was and looked out the window just when Kim passed a park filled with kids and their parents.

"How's Makayla?" she asked.

Kim smiled, "She's good, thanks."

"Hey," Hailey turned in her seat, "I found this chocolate cake recipe the other day and have been wanting to try it out because it has coffee in it. Would you mind if I brought some over for her? It's not enough coffee to give her a buzz, it's just supposed to do something with the cocoa."

"She would love that," Kim laughed, "I just introduced her to chocolate covered strawberries and she practically died."

"I can't blame her," Hailey smiled, "Chocolate covered strawberries are amazing. The other day, Jay-" She blushed and looked down at her hands.

Kim looked at her amused, "Yeah? What'd you and Jay do?"

Hailey weakly laughed, "We, uh, we just had a night in and he brought some over and actually bought a bottle of wine too. It was fun."

"That's really great," Kim said, "Really, Hailey, I'm happy for you both."

"Thank you," Hailey rested her head back. She played with her phone in her hands, "I'm happy and it feels really good."

Kim set a hand on her arm, "And you deserve that."

Hailey's cheeks turned a soft shade of pink again, "Thanks."

"Course," Kim slowed to a stop at the red light.

"You deserve to be happy too," Hailey said as Kim started driving again, "It can't be easy taking care of Makayla alone, so if you ever need a hand at all like a night out by yourself or you and I can get drinks, whatever, just call me. I'd be more than happy to watch her or I know Jay would if you and I are going out. She's a really sweet girl."

Kim smiled, "She is. Thank you, that's nice of you."

Hailey squeezed Kim's arm, "You do make it look easy, though."

Kim laughed softly, "Feels anything but easy sometimes."

Hailey shook her head, "I can't imagine."

"Have you...have you ever thought about kids?" Kim asked.

"Um," Hailey took a deep breath, "I have. I'm not sure I'd be a great mom, but I would try really hard and love them – I know I would do that. I think...if it happens and I get pregnant, it means it was meant to be. I'm definitely not ready to have a baby though. I want to figure some of my own stuff out first."

Kim pulled into the parking lot, "I understand, but Hailey."

"Yeah?" Hailey took her seatbelt off.

"I have no doubts you'd be a great mom," Kim smiled a little then slipped out of the car. She watched Hailey pull herself together in the car before stepping out herself.

"Come on," Hailey said softly, "I think the guys are already back." She hid her flushed face with her hair and hurried inside the building.

Kim let out a breath and followed her. She felt bad; she hadn't meant to upset Hailey in any way. She just needed to figure out where she stood for her test.

C) Kevin Atwater

Kevin grabbed his coat off the back of his chair and nodded toward Kim, "Walk you out?"

Kim tore her gaze from watching Adam and Jay talking with Voight, "Sure."

Kevin raised an eyebrow with a glance toward Adam.

Kim shook her head and walked around him to the stairs.

"Burgess," Kevin said and jogged after her, "Hey, I didn't mean anything."

"I've told you, I don't want to talk about it," Kim zipped up her coat.

"Then we won't," Kevin reached over to open the door for her.

"Thank you," Kim breathed.

Kevin walked with her to her car, "How's Makayla?"

Kim closed her eyes, "Everyone keeps asking me that. She's fine!"

"Okay," Kevin crossed his arms, "We're going to talk right here. What's going on?"

Kim looked around and dropped her arms to her sides, "I...I have to choose someone to have custody of Makayla if something happens to me."

Kevin nodded.

Kim pursed her lips, "Do you have thoughts?"

"What thoughts would you like to hear?" Kevin asked.

"Thoughts like how interested you would be in splitting custody with me," Kim shrugged.

Kevin chuckled, "You're not serious."

"I am," Kim said, "Would you be Makayla's custodian?"

Kevin watched Kim stand nervously in front of him for a minute. He cracked a smile and hugged her, "No."

Kim's eyes widened and she pushed back from him, "No?"

"No," Kevin nodded, "You don't really want to raise a kid with me. If you did, we would have had this conversation this morning when you came back from that meeting. It's why you got mad when I asked about Makayla. You want to raise her with Ruzek."

Kim's hands shook and she wiped them on her jeans. She couldn't say anything because she knew he was right. She knew all along what the right answer to her multiple choice test was.

"I know you two are going through a rough patch," Kevin continued softly, "But we all know you two are meant to be a family with that little girl. I love you, but because I love you, I can't do this with you."

Kim swallowed against the lump in throat and nodded.

"You're a badass mom," Kevin smiled, "And you know what the right answer to this question is. I have no doubt that Hailey and Jay would love that little girl with everything they had and I know I'd love her too and, hell, I bet Platt would even have fun, but it's always been you and Adam."

Kim smiled slightly and rubbed her hands over her face.

Kevin lightly punched her shoulder, "Go home, Burgess. Go hug that little girl and get ready to finalize that adoption. We're all cheering for you."

"Thank you," Kim whispered. She hugged Kevin quickly then unlocked her car, "Goodnight."

"Night," Kevin tapped the top of her car and watched her drive away.

Kim gripped the steering wheel as she drove in the direction of her apartment with Radio Disney in the background still on from dropping Makayla off at school that morning. She was really doing this. She was really adopting Makayla. She just needed this last step.

She stumbled to pull her phone from her coat pocket and easily called Adam. It went to voicemail right away and she took a deep breath.

"Hey," she said, "When you're done with Voight and Jay, do you mind stopping by? I want to talk. Thanks."

She tossed her phone to her passenger seat and tried calming down her nerves.

She was following her gut right now. It was the right choice.

D) Adam Ruzek

Final answer.