A/N: To those of you who are reviewing: thank you for your kind words! For those of you following, favoriting, or just reading along: Thanks for being here!
This scene is really short, but I hope you all enjoy regardless!

15 April 2022 - Stella (27 weeks pregnant) warns Sylvie (21 weeks pregnant) about taking her bump out in public.

"I need a drink," Stella groaned as soon as Sylvie let her into the apartment.

"There's some tea in the kitchen," Sylvie offered.

"Not strong enough," Stella groaned, plopping herself into the rocking chair.

"Don't I know it," Sylvie sighed. "What's on your mind?"

Stella snorted. "More like what's on my stomach."

Sylvie furrowed her brow.

"I went grocery shopping today."

"Swollen ankles?"

"I wish that were all," Stella huffed. "All these women kept coming up and just touching me."

"That's awful! Why do total strangers think they can just do that?"

"Sylvie, I almost punched an old lady today because she hobbled over to me and put her hands all over my belly. Then - if that wasn't enough - she proceeded to give me the entire story of when she was pregnant with each of her five kids."

"Oh no."

"Oh yeah. God, I wish I never would have gone without Kelly. He would have shut that down in a heartbeat," Stella said, flopping her head back in exhaustion. "You're lucky, Sylvie. You don't even look pregnant."

"That's not true!"

"Coulda fooled me," Stella scoffed playfully.

Sylvie sat up a little straighter and smoothed her tank top over her stomach. "I can't even wear normal pants anymore!" she pouted.

Stella squinted at her. "Barely," she conceded. "You barely have a bump."

"I told you!"

"But!"

"But what?" Sylvie sighed.

"I wouldn't be able to tell that that -" she lightly poked her friend's abdomen - "is a baby bump if I didn't practically live with you."

"But all of my shirts are tight. I have to rob Matt's closet if I want to have room to breathe."

Stella chuckled. It was hopeless trying to convince Sylvie Casey of anything she didn't want to believe. If anything, this pregnancy had made her more stubborn.

Sylvie took Stella's laugh for what it was, shifting the conversation to instead try solving Stella's problem without having to drag Kelly on the domestic shopping trips which he hated to go on. "Maybe we should coordinate our shopping schedules. If people see us talking, maybe they won't interrupt to invade our space."

"It might work," Stella thought out loud. "If nothing else, we can use whatever we're talking about as an excuse to just ignore people."

The two agreed to give it a try, then their conversation turned to the final bits of planning for the Easter gathering they were hosting for their firehouse family in two days - including a last minute grocery run the next morning.