Liv's brushing her teeth the next morning and watching the outline of Kelly's body behind the shower door. "Kell?"
"Yeah."
"Are you okay to work today? I mean you lost a student yesterday."
"I was a tad hard on her but I had no way of knowing that's where her head was at. Babe, I'm fine." He opens the door popping his head out. "But thank you for the concern and yes, I can feel you checking me out. You're welcome."
She almost chokes on her tooth paste when she laughs. "Cocky Bastard, I fucking love you."
Kelly laughed. "I motherfucking love you more."
-/-/-/-
Shay and Gabi go out on a distress call and the fire trucks aren't needed so he's checking his gear and equipment when a weeping girl runs up. "Can I help you?" she hands him the tiny baby nestled into the back pack she's clutching. "Make sure she's taken care of." And the girl runs off.
He stares down at the baby girl staring up at him big brown eyes blinking and she yawns. "Herrmann! Help someone handed me a baby!" he shouts and she starts to wail. "Hey now, none of that little one." He soothes the dark headed and olive skinned baby swaddled in a blanket.
The guys walk in. 'Help me!" He said as she cries harder. "You're doing fine Kelly, put her to your shoulder and bounce a little on the balls of your feet." Hermann advised. She turns her head and looks up at Kelly momentarily peaceful. "It worked! Hey little lady." There's something in the silent moment between them that clicked into place and knows just like he knew with Liv, she was his.
"I'll call social services." Bowden said.
"No, I'll take her to Livvy. If that's okay." He said in a rush.
"There's a car seat in the back of the battalion truck it used for demo but you can use it." Chief allows with a nods.
"Alright thanks sir. I wonder what your name is bug. You look Hispanic maybe its Esperanza? "Her tiny brows quirk. "No… we'll figure it out. You're a little cold. Casey can you put the seat in my car I want Liv to check her over."
-/-/-/-
"Sevvy, you're husband's here and he has someone's baby." A nurse hollers to her.
She puts down the Danish she's eating. "Don't call me Sevvy Hillman. Where is he?"
"Exam Six."
-/-/-/-
She watches him standing over the carrier leaned over making faces at a child she can't see. He sticks out his tongue. "Watch it babe, your face will freeze like that. Trust me I'm a doctor. You know if you really want a baby we can have one you didn't have to baby nap." She teases grinning.
"She's a safe haven drop." He states seriously sadness tugging at the corners of his clear blue eyes.
"Aww, okay let's have a look at the little love bug." She rolls up and takes the baby from the carrier. She's small…" she undresses her. Her umbilical stump is still intact she's no more than a week old Kelly." She shakes her head puts the ear pieces to her scope in her ear she warms the scope on her hand and listens.
"I never understood how someone can-"He rambles.
"Shh Kell, I can't hear… Damn it!" She curses with a deep frown.
"Sorry babe."
"Not you I hear a systolic murmur. Grab the closest person in scrubs for me love." She said looking up at him and then went back to checking her reflexes and neurological function which all checks out fine.
"Why?"
"I need a consult. Its fine, trust me Kelly I'll keep you updated since you found her but I gotta work." She said when he hadn't moved. "Sanders grab me an ultra sound and order an EKG. Page Holmby too for double assurance." She shouts to an intern passing by.
"Doesn't he have issues with your husband?" She said walking in and staring at Kelly with curious lust.
"Do I look like I care about the pissing contests they get in? No, Sanders I don't give a flying rat's ass just page the jerk before I lose my cool."
Kelly is still standing nervously over her. There's this odd look in his eye that she can't place but it makes her guts twist uneasily "Kelly, do you trust me to be the great doctor you always say I am?"
"Of course." He blinks seemingly boggled by the question.
"Then kiss me and go back to work, weren't you gonna check on Bloom?" She prompts trying to gently shoo his well-intentioned and very fine butt out of her exam room.
"I was but she happened." He strokes the baby's downy hair.
Liv can't help it she melts just a bit. "Your concern is sweet but I got it from here."
He stepped up and kissed her goodbye. "I love you Kelly, Be careful and I'll take care of your little other woman here." He smiles down at her before kissing her again,
"Thanks baby, you know I might just get the sound pattern of you saying "Be careful" tattooed on me. Save you some time." As he walks out the equipment she requested rolls in.
"Nope, I like saying it." She winked at him.
-/-/-/-/-
Erin sipped her water and watched her friends stab at her salad. "Erin you didn't see his face, I know him and I know that determined look he wants to keep that baby and we just got married and moved a month ago. You know how much foster adoption scares me. I want to adopt yes, but the thought of it being a reality frightens me." She said in perfect honesty that only they truly shared.
"You need to tell him." She laid her hand on Liv's "Stop that. You're stabbing that salad as though it's Kelly's
"And say what Erin?" her voice ratchets up in a way that let's Erin Know Liv's on edge.
"I'm not ready to grow our family yet." She answered plainly.
"I can't what if it's a deal breaker for him?" She voiced her worst fear.
"That's not a deal breaker Livvy, wanting to wait to be totally sure is your right. It's smart, he'll respect it but you gotta be honest." She said gently. She is more sensitive with than any other person her life because Liv never ever judges even when she should.
"I hate when you're right Erin. It just pisses me off." She rolled her eyes.
"Which is why I love it so much." She laughed.
-/-/-/-/-
She's doing her neonatal round and checking on Baby Jane Doe when she hears the nurses whispering at the station.
"He's so hot… whichever one of you handed him that baby is singlehandedly responsible for the spontaneous ovulation of the entire floor." One of them says lowly.
"Who is that hot? I wanna see. What I'm married I ain't dead." Liv horns in obviously curious.
"Holding station two. Doc." Olivia tries to be sly but stops dead in her tracks to see Kelly in his squad jacket. Radio in the floor at his feet. The baby cuddled into him taking a bottle. "You're making women's ovaries explode Baby." She states smiling as she wheels into the room.
He looks up. "Hey Livvy, your scrubs are different. You look pretty."
"I got puked on and was forced to change." She crosses her arms over her chest she's not a hundred percent sure but she thinks Kelly maybe sucking up.
"You look good in whatever shade of purple that is."
"It's lavender. Want an update on your rescue?" She smiles down at the baby in his arms.
"I sort of named her." He confesses and Liv's mouth drops open slightly.
"You named a baby that isn't ours." She asked in disbelief.
"Calling her Baby Jane makes me think of that creepy ass Joan Crawford movie." He justifies.
'Ok then what her name until social services comes?" She cocks her head at him eyeing him speculatively she knows her man and something is up.
"Klaire Katherine Eliza."
"You fully named her? Kelly?" she shook her head it was a lovely name but she wasn't theirs not by a long shot.
"Update me please?" he shifts her focus to avoid a fight she knows it but lets him do it anyway.
"She has an Ebstein's Anomaly and small Patent Foramen Ovale." She answers in doctor speak that comes as second nature to her as breathing.
"Small words Baby." He reminds her.
"Her tricuspid heart valve is displaced and she has a tiny hole in the wall of her heart. We're monitoring it for now she might need Dig and other meds at some point even surgical intervention to replace the valve entirely but for now we're monitoring it but there's not enough stress on her heart to warrant further treatment. It's a congenital defect but she shows no signs of prenatal drug addiction. So I'm guessing it was luck of the draw for your baby Klaire here." She leans forward and strokes her cheek to wake her back up so her feeding reflex returns so she'll finish the bottle.
"Dig?" he clarifies glancing up away from Klaire's face back to Liv's
"Oh I'm sorry babe, doctor speak for Digoxin it helps control and maintain the strength and speed of the heart beat."
"You know we could…" he tries to bring up the idea that's been his head the past day.
"Kelly she's sweet and I love that you want to help, but this isn't Bloom or Jones it's a helpless baby. We can't keep her she's not a puppy." Liv tries to be honest and let him down easy.
"Really is that who you think I am after all we've been through? I know she's not a fucking puppy Olivia. I thought you wanted a family? You love kids, I thought-"his radio crackles interrupting them. "I've gotta go. Keep me updated or don't because you obviously don't care. If it's not your perfect little vision of life then screw it right?" he hands her the baby yanks up his radio and leaves.
Liv looks down at the baby girl in her arms. "It's not you baby girl, I know I'd love you it's just me…" she said on the verge of tears.
-/-/-/-
"Thought you quit? Your wife she's pretty certain it's bad for you." Comes from behind him where he sits on the bumper of his car smoking a cigar.
"She's certain of a lot of things ViviAnne. Did she send you? Let me guess I made her cry again? I'm not sorry, I'm not wrong this time." He said exhaling cigar smoke in a cloud above their heads.
"No one sent me Severide, my girlfriend happens to work here." Vivi said dryly.
"She's out on a call you just missed her? How's that going?" he tries to shift focus again but it doesn't work on Vivi the way it does his wife. Her blue eyes just narrow at him in suspicion.
"Nope, no deflecting you're like Leslie that way. Say what's up or forfeit the right to bitch." She retorts.
"I love your sister above and beyond pretty much anything but she confuses the hell out of me." He answers truthfully/
"Yeah? How'd she confuse you now?"
"There was a safe haven drop today and I got her." At Viv's blank look as she hoists herself up to sit on the hood prompts him to elaborate. "Someone abandoned their baby today. Laid her in my arms and left and I felt this instant connection. I want to adopt her. Your sister who I know wants kids shut me down flat out." He stares out into the middle distance angry all over again.
"You want to adopt someone and just sprung it on her? Liv plans her life out the way I plan my parties." Vivi points out. Her sister is not someone cottons to surprise all that well/
"Exactly. It doesn't fit her perfect little idea or her timing plans so fuck it right?" He returns vitriolicly
"No Kelly, not just fuck it, when you adopt? You have a three month period where people can just take back their kids. Because they want too or they're clean or whatever the reason is, no questions asked, no goodbyes, they just take them away. I want you to throw out a guess how many members of my family have been given back in thirty years." Vivi tells him in attempt to show him Livvy's reasoning.
"Three." He states in speculation.
"Seventeen. I was returned twice before my mother was stripped of her rights. We lost Liam four times and he was addicted to meth the last time at thirteen." His stomach drops with the information no wonder Liv had been so unmoving on the issue.
"That's what you're asking Liv to chance." Vivi continued.
He sits there dumbstruck. Seventeen loses of people you love is enough to make even the most committed person shudder. "Would she have told me?" he asks because for once he thinks Liv might have kept something to herself.
"Foster kid thing, doubt it. She hates feeling weak or showing anyone the scars she carries. Livvy is mostly whole but she's got her stuff." Vivi's voice is strong but her eyes mist as she stares at the ember on Kelly's cigar.
Shay returns and walks over to them. She tilts Vivi's chin up. "What's this face for?"
"Old history." She kissed Shay "I'm fine I brought you some catering from the last party tonight." She took Shay's hand. "Think it all through you still feel the way return to it but give Liv time to adjust." She lets Shay pull her to her feet.
He nods deep in thought.
"Return to what?" Shay asked.
"It's not our business Leslie." Vivi tries to maintain her sister's privacy.
"It was obviously yours."
He states looking over at his best friend. "I want to adopt and Liv's skittish about it."
"Offer still stands." She adds.
He shakes his head no before replying. "I'm married and to be honest that plan fell through the moment I laid eyes on Liv and you know it. Our lives lead us in different places Shay and that's a good thing. I need you not to hassle Livvy about this okay?"
"Okay."
"I mean it Shay." He emphasizes
"And I said Okay!"
His phone rings. "I bought those tickets for Bloom's guys like you asked this morning. They just need to print out their boarding passes and they're good. I bought two tell me if you get the guys to cover more." Liv said in his ear.
"Babe, you didn't have too!"
"You asked Honey so I did it. It's the only way you'll reach a guy like Bloom. I should know I married one. You wake him up its money well spent. I gotta go, Mom's on the other line and I only have fifteen minutes left for lunch."
"Livvy, about earlier…."
"I can't right now Kelly I love you. Bye." She hurries to get off the line.
"I love you babe, bye."
-/-/-
"Hey Mama did Kelly's baby boom drop at the Grayne's yet?" She states staring at her chipped pastel pink nails.
"Yeah Ollie, ViviAnne called me." The rough timbre of her Dad's voice crosses the line.
"Daddy why're you using Mom's phone?" she shoves the phone between her shoulder and her ear and begins reorganizing the stock shelves.
"You answer her calls first and this seemed pretty important so I thought I'd help you figure it out."
"I'm scared." She said honestly shoving back a tub of IV tubing.
"I know you are but you have never let fear run anything in your life. Fear isn't a part of my girl at all. Your mother was afraid that she couldn't handle both you and Owen but you were my daughter from the second I saw you. I knew, and if he knows you should trust him and try even though you're scared to try because the only way to overcome it is to face it and walk through it." This information stops liv cold. Her mother had doubts but it doesn't hurt her feeling it makes her feel less alone but her father's undeniable certainty brings tears to her eyes.
She is silent for a long beat. "Livvy you there sweetie?" she nods even though he can't see her
"And if I fall in love with her and she becomes my baby and that girl who dumped her off wants her back then what?" she asked spelling put one of her deepest seated fears.
"Then your heart breaks and it hurts like hell but if she's yours then fate will play in your favor and she'll be yours forever. The only way to know is to try Olivia. The thing about loving people, nothing is guaranteed Darlin' you wait for one you'll be unhappy for a long time to come. Would you take back loving Kelly just because he might die in a fire tomorrow?" She said being her unfailingly logical Daddy. She gets her need to think life out from him. So the fact that he so easily follows his heart where his children are concerned speaks volumes.
"Never and please don't put that mojo out into the universe Daddy." She chastises.
She can picture him standing over the sink eating a sandwich, wire rimmed glasses smudged, and a serious expression painting his features.
"Exactly. It's the same thing you two don't live in the ifs don't start now. Trust him baby. Your guy and your God. It'll all be fine." She'd always thought she'd gained her ability to be a woman of science and faith from her mother but maybe not.
"Thank you Dad. "She said softly.
"Anytime Ollie Girl. Go back to work. I love you."
"Love you more and I'm really proud to be your daughter." She replied.
Once they hung up she wiped her eyes took a breath and let it out leaving the supply closet.
-/-/-/-
Kelly comes to pick Liv up at the end of shift and she's not sitting outside the ER entrance waiting on him. He parks and goes inside. He stops the brunette from Ortho Liv hangs with. "Jodi have you seen Livvy?"
She looks surprised he'd remembered her name but still answered. "She went up to Neonatology to check on the Ebstein's Anomaly baby. Good to see you Kelly."
"You too. I'm gonna go find Livvy. "
-/-/-/
She sits beside the crib with once down holding her tiny hand with her index finger and talking to the baby girl. "Kelly seems to think your name is Klaire. Do you feel like a Klaire? It reminds me of the girl from the breakfast club."
He listens leaning on the door way. "It's a combination of Kelly and Blair if you don't like it-"she jumps at his voice.
She looks over at him. "Be totally honest with me. Do you feel in your heart that she's our baby?"
"Liv I didn't mean to push you should've told me-"
"It's okay Kelly, there's no right or wrong answer but I need one. "She forces the issue.
"I connected with her and I think she's meant to be our child. So yes, in my heart I know that's our daughter."
She brushes at the girl's inky black bangs with a fingertip she takes a deep breath and forges on. "If they take her from us I'll need you to pick me up when I crash emotionally because I will."
He walks over and squats down in front of her. "Hey where'd my optimistic wife go? Liv you have more faith than anyone I know. Use it; I truly believe she was put in my arms for a reason. We pick each other up baby, that won't stop now." He takes her free hand the one not steadily tickling the baby into a nice slumber into his own and squeezes reassuringly.
"I don't mean to be so perfectionistic and anal." She apologizes.
"It's a part of you." He shrugged. "I'm sorry I was so obstinate and unwilling to ask your opinion."
"Obstinate? It's official I'm rubbing off on you." She gave him the brightest smile he'd gotten all day and even now a year later it makes his heart beat funnily in his chest.
"I still have no fucking clue what Omnipotent means or what a squishy is so you got a ways to go." He points out.
He leaned forward and kissed her. "When do we take her home?" the way this moment feels pushes out whatever fear clouds Liv's heart and mind. Now all she can feel is love and happiness. She kisses him back simply because there's nothing she hates worse than fighting with Kelly it messes up the way her world spins but everything's on track now.
"It takes a few days to get through the social services tape but I'm licensed in the event something happens to my parents and they have foster kids. We'll have to take the couples classes but they'll let us have her under my care until you're certified. A week tops. We need to buy a crib, changing table, baby gates for the stairs, socket covers, toilet and cabinet locks, a bouncy seat, play pen,-"
He laughs for the first time all day. He grins at her "baby, slow down she's a week old."
"They grow fast and move faster. Anal perfectionist remember?" she points to herself.
"Oh I remember trust me. Why would you lock the toilet?"
Three Days Later…
Liv rolls into the fire house with Rainey at her side, carrying Klaire in her carrier. "Hey y'all, where's Kelly." She whispers.
"He's out back making Casey help him put together a changing table. Why're you whispering? Is that her?" Cruz said. Rainey sits the carrier on the floor and Pouch comes over to inspect the odd creature in his Master's space.
"I'm surprising him; they signed her over to me today so I took the day off. We got her early. She grinned. "Back Pouch, sit buddy." She commands when gets to close and sniffy.
Everyone gathered around the baby. Shay taking it upon herself to pick the baby up. Inspecting her Ladybug coming home outfit and tiny black Mary Jane's "Hi niece." She looks up at Shay for a second before drifting back to sleep. Casey comes back to grab another tool and gets distracted himself.
"Yo, Casey abandon me why don't you? I still can't figure out the alphabetized pieces."
"It's Kelly proof." Liv teased and he looked over lighting up.
"What are you doing here?"
"Mama had us fast tracked." She points to Klaire.
He takes the baby away from Shay. "Hey Klairey, ok fine don't wake up for me or anything." He kissed her on top of the head and then belatedly remembered to kiss Liv too.
"Ninety days from the moment we start the adoption she's ours. So I set up a meeting with family adoption lawyer tomorrow at two so you can sleep a bit first." Liv stated in an excited tone.
"You have a family lawyer?" Otis asked.
"They adopted eleven people Otis." Kelly said dryly not looking away from Klaire as he strokes one of her chubby cheeks. She'd gained a lot even in the time she'd been under Liv's careful watch.
"Will you give her the Dig? I don't have the emotional fortitude to fight her today and she does better for you anyway." Liv asked
"I'm just more stubborn than she is." Her eyes open. "Oh you heard me talking smack huh?" He smiled. "Yeah, Miss Klaire's my little spit fire huh?"
"Will you measure out the digoxin for me Livvy?"
"Yeah, I already got the lasics down her."
"Is Mommy on the ball today?" Kelly babbles- he makes faces at her. "Hurry I can jab the squirter thingy in she's smiling." He sticks out his tongue and continues making faces at her. He takes the needless syringe and squirts in some medicine and tucks her chin up to close her mouth so she'll swallow.
She whines at him. "I know it taste like crap baby girl, I'm sorry."
"Come on, open up…" he coaxed trying to get the last bit in.
"She got wise to your game Severide." Mouch said. "She's a smart lady, right sweetheart?"
She yawns and he squirts in the rest. " Ha Ha! I win!" he blew a raspberry at her.
"Are you really gloating to a baby Kelly?" Liv shook her head.
"She loves me…" He kissed her cheek."
"Your face is scratchy stop it!" Shay admonishes.
"Your face is scratchy!" he retorts. "Who wants a turn?" he looks to the crowd around them.
"I do." Dawson spoke up for the first time. "I'm dying to hold her." Kelly hands her over.
"Be careful sometimes the meds come up."
"A little puke won't run me off. Guess who's gonna teach you how to be a proper Latina girl. Yeah, cause your Mommy no offense is the whitest white girl I know." She adjusts her polka dot and daisy decorated headband. In the center of the daisy are the words "My Daddy's A Firefighter "Pretty little one huh?"
"What's her name Severide?" Chief asks.
"Klaire Katherine Eliza Severide Sir." He answered proudly.
Here in this moment Kelly's sure he's never been prouder or happier.
Thank you all for reading and reviewing thus far. If you enjoyed please tell me. There are visual aids for the baby on my profile please go check out thanks again! -Meghan