baby come back to me
Maya Elizabeth Severide was the spitting image of her mother with her father's eyes and affinity for trouble. At just three years old she kept her parents on their toes, constantly getting into stuff, but they loved her more than anything. She'd had her parents, family, and all of her honorary aunts and uncles at 51 wrapped around her little finger the day she was born, and that affection only grew as she did.
There were very few things Kelly Severide loved more than being a firefighter: two of those were his wife and their daughter. There was nothing he wouldn't do for either of them. So, when Maya asked for a special Daddy & Maya day, Severide had no problem scheduling a day off work. Stella and the guys on Squad teased him about going soft when they found out, but he didn't care.
Two days later, after they both said goodbye to Stella as she left for the firehouse, Kelly and Maya left the loft for their Daddy & Maya day.
A mid-morning play date in the park with little Otis Cruz lasted until lunchtime. Kelly and Maya said goodbye to Chloe and Otis and headed a few blocks down the street to one of their favorite diners.
They were just a few feet away when their good day took a turn for the worst.
Out of nowhere, Kelly was bumped into from behind. Hard. Then, he heard Maya scream. The same man who had rammed into him had grabbed Maya's arm and was trying to take her.
"Hey!" Kelly yelled, grabbing Maya from the man and moving her behind him.
The second that Maya was out of the man's grasp, he pulled out a gun and shot Kelly twice—once in the abdomen and once in the side.
Kelly collapsed, the shock and pain overwhelming him. He tried his hardest to keep his hold on Maya, but his shooter used his weakened state to his advantage, grabbed Maya, and ran.
Bleeding and fading fast, there was nothing Kelly could do but watch as his shooter ran off, taking his baby girl with him. The last thing he saw before his eyes closed was Maya and her kidnapper disappearing down the street.
… … …
"Dr. Choi! Dr. Marcel! We've got incoming!"
The two doctors grabbed gloves and hurried over to the ED doors. Just as they arrived, the doors to the ambulance entrance opened and a stretcher was pushed in. The accompanying paramedics gave their assessment as soon as they made it inside.
"Male, early 40's, GSWs to the abdomen and side. He was semi-conscious when we arrived on scene but lost consciousness in route. BP is low but holding-".
The doctors joined them as they pushed the stretcher into an empty trauma room, but they'd stopped listening once they realized who their patient was. There, on the stretcher, unconscious and bleeding from two gunshot wounds was Kelly Severide. The two doctors weren't close friends with the CFD Lieutenant, but Ethan and Crockett both respected the man.
The doctors and nurses worked quickly to get Kelly stabilized and within 10 minutes of arriving at Med, Kelly was whisked off to the OR. The trauma room they left behind was a disaster, a perfect representation of how hard they had to work to get Kelly stable.
As other ED staff entered to clean and prep the room for the next patient, Maggie stepped away to the nurses' station to make the call and notify the next of kin. It was a task she'd been dreading since she first saw Kelly wheeled into the ED.
… … …
Second shift at 51 was experiencing one of their calmest shifts yet. They'd only had one call for Truck and Ambo, but it was an easy call and they were back at the station within 30 minutes.
Gallo had just finished cooking lunch and those who were eating (or just wanting to socialize) were seated around the long table in the common room.
Stella had just gotten her plate and was walking over to the table when her phone rang. Assuming it was Kelly since he'd been sending her updates and pictures all morning, she answered it without looking at the caller ID, a smile on her face. "Hey!"
Her smile dropped when she realized it wasn't Kelly calling. "Maggie? What's going on?"
That caught everyone's attention, knowing that the only Maggie that would call was Maggie from Med. They all turned their attention to Stella, who'd stopped in the middle of the room, plates of food long forgotten.
"He what?!" Stella asked, eyes wide. She listened intently as Maggie told her something else.
Hearing the barely concealed panic in Stella's voice, Casey got up from the table and made his way over to where she was standing. The second they knew it was Maggie calling, Ritter had gone to go get Boden, knowing that if Maggie was calling something was wrong.
Ritter and Boden had just returned to the common room when Stella spoke again. "What about Maya? Is she okay?" Stella's face paled as she listened to Maggie's response and her hands started to shake. "What do you mean she wasn't with him?! Where is she?!"
Whatever Maggie told Stella was the straw that broke the camel's back because Stella dropped the plate she was holding and her phone, both clattering to the ground. That spurred the other members of 51 into action as they all abandoned their plates on the table and gathered around Stella.
Someone pulled a chair over for Stella and she immediately collapsed onto it, burying her face in her hands.
Casey squatted down in front of her. "Kidd, hey, what's going on? What did Maggie say?"
Stella took a deep breath, ran her hands down her face, and sat up. She swallowed hard and looked at her shift mates—her family—before her eyes finally settled on Casey and Boden, who had made his way around the group of firefighters and was standing behind Casey, concern evident on his face. "Kelly was shot. Twice. He's at Med, they just took him into surgery."
There were gasps and mumbled swears from the firefighters of 51. Casey bowed his head, worried about his best friend. He swallowed back his emotions and pressed on. "What about Maya?"
"She uh—" Stella sniffled and cleared her throat. "Maggie said she wasn't with Kelly when he was brought in. She asked the paramedics who responded to the call, and they said she wasn't with him at the scene either."
A stunned silence filled the room, the tension in the air now thicker than ever. Their friend, lieutenant, and coworker had been shot and no one knew where his daughter, the little girl they all loved who he was supposed to be with, was.
Boden immediately pulled his phone out and was about to call Voight when Trudy and Hailey entered the room, serious, somber looks on both of their faces.
"Stella," Hailey started, looking at the firefighter sympathetically. "Is there somewhere we can talk privately?"
Stella stood from her chair. "We can talk here, it's fine. Is this about Kelly and Maya?"
"The officers that responded to the scene talked to the witnesses and got a description of the shooter," Trudy stated, straight to the point. Her voice softened as she continued. "A person matching that description was also seen running from the scene carrying a little girl."
Stella gasped, her eyes once again filling with tears. "So the person who shot my husband…also kidnapped my daughter?"
Trudy and Hailey both nodded. Hailey shared a little more information. "We got the security footage from a business near the scene. Whoever this guy is tried to grab Maya and when Kelly got in the way and tried to stop him, he shot him. Then he ran off with Maya."
Stella exhaled a shaky breath. She had suspected something had happened to Maya the moment Maggie said she hadn't been with Kelly, but she had hoped and prayed with everything she had that her suspicions were wrong. The reality, however, was far worse than she even dared to imagine.
All around her, her friends and teammates were experiencing the same emotions: anger, disbelief, denial, and fear. Their day had been going so well, no one could've dreamed about it turning into this.
Boden stepped away and spoke into his radio, taking 51 out of service. Casey put a comforting hand on Stella's shoulder and Brett moved to Stella's other side, enveloping her in a strong side hug. The others stepped closer, wanting to give Stella as much comfort as they could as well as draw comfort for themselves.
After a moment, Hailey spoke again. "Stella, if you can give us a description of what Maya was wearing this morning, how her hair looked, anything like that we can get an AMBER Alert sent out—get more people looking out for her."
Stella nodded, numbly. "Then what? Sit here and wait for news?"
Hailey and Trudy both stepped closer. Trudy spoke first. "No. You're going to go to the hospital and wait for news on that husband of yours. All available patrol units are out looking for Maya and Voight has Intelligence working the case too."
"We're going to find her Stella," Hailey added. "I promise. We're going to find her, we're going to find the person responsible and we're going to make him pay."
Stella nodded again, took a deep breath, and gave Hailey all the information she needed—what Maya was wearing that morning, how her hair was braided, her height, her weight, etc—all with her 51 family surrounding her.
When Hailey and Trudy had all the information they needed, they both reassured Stella again that they'd find Maya, then headed out.
As soon as they left, Stella almost broke, starting to shake as she fought the tears that threatened to fall and the fear that threatened to crush her. She refused to give in though, not yet. Not until Kelly and Maya were both safe and back with her.
Boden rejoined the group, placing a strong, comforting hand on Stella's shoulder and squeezing it before addressing the firefighters around him. His voice was gruffer than usual when he spoke. "I've taken the house out of service and Headquarters is calling in replacements and floaters to cover the remainder of the shift. Go. Get changed and get to the hospital. I'll meet you all there."
Stella was the first to leave the room, practically sprinting into the locker room. Brett and Violet struggled to keep up with her, but they didn't want to leave her alone for a second. Stella was as strong as they came but a seriously injured husband and a missing daughter were enough to crush anyone.
The other firefighters were a little slower to leave, many of them calling their own families just to hear the voices of their loved ones. It was not lost on any of them that it was something Stella might never hear again.
… … …
The wait at Med was agonizing. Even though she'd only been there for just over an hour, Stella felt like days had passed and she was trapped in a never-ending nightmare.
In the time it took for her to change out of her station gear and get to Med, the AMBER Alert for Maya had been sent out and the news about Kelly and Maya had spread. She could still hear the shrill notification sound that accompanied AMBER Alerts as if it was on repeat. It was a sound that would haunt her for years to come.
The only update Maggie had for them, before leaving them to wait in a private family room, was that Kelly was still in surgery and it was expected to last a while longer. She had promised to share any updates she could, and she had stopped by a few times, but the updates were always the same.
Others stopped by to check in as well—off-duty firefighters, Upper Brass in the CFD, Will, Ethan, Dr. Charles, and Mrs. Goodwin, the CFD Chaplain—all wanting to be there for Stella.
All of 51 had arrived, some with their wives, and the atmosphere in their waiting room was tense. There were some short conversations here and there, but even the most talkative firefighters were quiet, no one knowing what to say.
Just after the hour and a half mark, everything changed.
The door to the private waiting room opened and Voight and Trudy were the first through. Stella stood from where she was sandwiched between Casey and Brett, fear and anxiety coursing through her at whatever update they had.
All that fear went away though when the two sergeants stepped aside to let Hailey and Kim into the room. Walking in between them, holding tightly to their hands, was Maya.
"Oh my god," Stella gasped, tears once again welling up in her eyes. "Maya!"
Maya's eyed and attention immediately snapped towards Stella and her face lit up when she saw her. "MOMMY!"
Hailey and Kim smiled and let go of Maya's hands. The little girl launched herself into Stella's waiting arms.
Stella hugged her daughter tightly and buried her face in her messy little braids. With her little girl back in her arms, safe and sound, Stella finally let some of the tears she'd been holding back fall. She moved one of her hands to cup Maya's head and placed a kiss on the side of her head before whispering in her ear, "I love you so much".
Stella was sure she heard several sniffles from the people around her, but she was finding it impossible to focus on anything other than the little girl in her arms. She looked at the police officers still standing at the door, most of which also had tears in their eyes. "Thank you."
Hailey smiled. "Of course."
"Any word on Severide?" Voight asked, speaking for the first time since arriving.
Stella cleared her throat and adjusted her hold on Maya. "Still in surgery."
Maya, as if understanding that they were talking about her dad, perked up, lifting her head from where it was resting on Stella's shoulder. "Mommy, daddy hurt. Bad man hurt daddy!"
"I know baby," Stella comforted, pushing back some of the loose curls away from her face. "But the doctors are gonna make him all better, OK?"
Maya nodded and Stella smiled at her. With a look towards the door, Stella saw that Hailey and Kim had left, but Voight and Trudy were still standing there. Being a first responder, Stella had an idea about how things like this worked—she knew they needed to talk to her, and she had questions she needed answered.
Stella looked around the room and made eye contact with Casey, motioning him over. As he approached Stella turned her attention back to her daughter. "Hey Maya, can you go see Uncle Matt for a minute?"
"No," Maya whined, looking up at Stella. "Wanna stay with you."
"I know baby, but I need to talk to Sergeant Voight and Trudy quick. Just a minute and I'll be right back, OK?"
After a few seconds, Maya nodded, and Stella smiled at her. She placed one more kiss on Maya's cheek and handed her over to Casey, who immediately hugged his goddaughter. Matt carried Maya over to where the others were waiting. Stella watched them for a moment before walking over to where Voight and Trudy were waiting. The three of them step out into the hall.
"Please tell me you got this guy," Stella begged.
"We did, dead to rights," Voight confirmed. "Halstead, Ruzek, and Atwater have him down at the station."
Stella sighed in relief, feeling the mountain of anxiety still threatening to bury her get a little lighter. "Thank God."
"They're interrogating him now but even if he doesn't confess, we've got him on surveillance."
Stella nodded, understanding. "And Maya? What did he—what did he do to Maya? Where was she found?"
"The AMBER alert garnered some tips and sightings from Lincoln Park. A couple of my patrol cops picked her up near Lake Michigan." Trudy explained. "The location is about 30 minutes away from where Kelly was shot. Based on the timeline we've established from security footage and what little Maya said, it seems like the guy felt the heat and ditched her in the park."
Stella nodded and ran her fingers through her hair. She spared a look back into the waiting room to check on Maya and saw her sitting in Casey's lap being entertained by her honorary Squad uncles.
Stella smiled softly at the sight and turned back to the police sergeants. "Do we know who this guy is? Why he did it?"
"We're still trying to figure that out. So far, everything points to it being a random event." Voight answered. He locked eyes with Stella. "He's going away Stella. We'll make sure of that."
"Maya was checked by paramedics and given the all-clear. Not a scratch on her." Trudy stated. "We'll let you get back in there. Keep us updated on Severide."
Stella nodded her thanks and headed back into the waiting room. Everyone looked up as the door closed.
"Mommy," Maya called, holding her arms out.
Stella walked over and picked her up, holding her close. "Hi, baby."
"Everything OK?" Casey asked.
"Yeah," Stella confirmed. She moved one of her hands up to lay Maya's head on her shoulder, covering both her ears. "They caught the guy; Intelligence is questioning him now."
"Why'd he do it?" Boden asked, the stress of the day making his words more harsh than usual. "They have a motive yet?"
"Voight said it looks like it was just a random event, which doesn't make me feel any better," Stella answered, shaking her head. She sighed. "I'm going to take her to the ED, see if I can get Maggie or Dylan or somebody to check her out. Platt said they had paramedics check her out, but I just want to be sure."
"I'll come with you," Casey said, getting up from his chair. He and Stella walked to the door together.
Before she left, she turned back to face the group. "Call me if there's an update on Kelly?"
"Of course."
… … …
It was another hour after Stella, Maya, and Casey returned from the ED that they got the news they'd been waiting for.
Dr. Marcel entered the waiting room and the waiting members of 51 rose to their feet. They all subconsciously moved around Stella and Maya, surrounding them with support for whatever news they were about to get.
"He's out of surgery. He'll be OK."
The relief in the room was palpable. Their nightmare of a day had fully turned around and, no matter how much recovery time Severide needed, it was always better than what the alternative could've been.
"The bullet to his abdomen tore through his abdominal muscles and nicked his spleen before exiting out of his back. The second bullet entered from the side, tore through some tissue, and broke two ribs before lodging in a third. We set his ribs and fixed the damage to his muscles and his spleen, but we're going to be monitoring him closely to ensure there's no more bleeding." Dr. Marcel gave the group the full rundown. "He's in recovery now, but once he's been moved to a room, you'll be able to see him."
"Thank you, Dr. Marcel," Boden said to the group, putting a hand on Stella's shoulder. "We really appreciate it."
Dr. Marcel smiled. "Of course. I'll have Maggie bring you to his room when he's ready."
As Dr. Marcel left the waiting room, there were hugs and happy tears all around.
… … …
It was almost two hours later when Kelly made his way back to consciousness. At first, Stella noticed the hand she was holding twitch, but she didn't think much of it. Ever since she'd been allowed in his room over an hour ago, his fingers would twitch and she'd talk to him, urging him to wake up, but the combination of pain meds and anesthetic was too strong for his weakened body to fight against.
This time was different. Finger twitches turned to moving legs and—what really got Stella's attention—mumbles. Stella rose from the chair she was sitting in, keeping one hand firmly held in Kelly's while the other started carding through his hair. "Kelly? Can you hear me?"
His eyelids fluttered for a few moments before his eyes finally opened, locking on Stella. She smiled the second she saw the recognition in his eyes, then frowned as they blew wide with fear.
Stella quickly let go of his hand, moving her hand to his chest. "Hey, hey, you're Ok. You're safe."
"Maya! She—" Kelly choked out, his voice raw from the tube during surgery.
Stella shushed him, soothingly rubbing his chest. "She's fine baby, she's OK."
Tears welled up in Kelly's eyes (something that had happened far more frequently than he liked since becoming a parent). "She's OK?"
Stella smiled. "Perfectly fine, not a scratch on her. She's in the waiting room with the rest of the team."
"I need to see her."
"I know," Stella said, smile still on her face. "I'll go get her and we'll be right back, OK?"
Kelly nodded and Stella leaned forward and kissed him before she left the room.
The wait was agonizing. Kelly knew Stella wouldn't lie to him, especially when it came to their daughter, but he couldn't get the image of Maya being taken away from him out of his head. He needed to see for himself that his little girl was OK.
Thankfully Stella was back in the room after just a minute or two, holding hands with Maya.
The second the little girl saw her dad awake, a giant smile lit up her face. "DADDY!"
She immediately dropped her mom's hand and ran to the side of Kelly's bed. Maya grabbed the sheets and started trying to climb up.
Stella laughed and hurried over to her daughter, picking her up before she could hurt herself or Kelly. "Easy baby, daddy's hurt remember, so you have to be gentle. OK?"
Maya nodded and Stella placed her on Kelly's hospital bed. Kelly opened his arms and Maya crawled right into them, wrapping her little arms around his neck, and hugging him. He hugged her back just as tight.
Stella sat on the edge of Kelly's bed. Her family was together again after the worst day of their lives and, despite their reunion taking place in a hospital room, she was happy.
Kelly wrapped an arm around her and pulled her closer, bringing her into the hug. He placed a kiss on both Maya and Stella's heads. "I love you both. So much."
"I love you too."
"I love you thwee!"
… … …
In the hall outside of Kelly's room, their teammates and friends from Med were gathered. They watched with smiles on their faces and (for some) tears in their eyes as the Severides were reunited after a day from hell.
This was a day that was going to stick with them all for a long time, but they were a family, and they'd get through it together.
A/N: If you've read 'we could be the greatest team the world has ever seen', this might sound familiar to you. In an attempt to have all Maya-related one-shots in one place, so I can eventually put them in chronological order, I'm reposting (and editing them because YIKES the typos) them here!
this is the first Maya story I ever wrote, so I'm feeling very sentimental about bringing it back
