"I wonder what she's thinking." Kelly asked watching Klaire stare intently at him from her bumbo seat sitting on the table across from him.
"Well are you wearing anything shiny? Do you want more bacon?" Liv glanced back at him.
"Yes and My wedding ring why?"
"She's thinking I wanna chew the shiny thing on Daddy's hand. When I reach him you will be mine forever shiny thing."
"Ya think I wish we could ask her. Pop said one time. He asked what I was thinking I was three. He said I told him I was thinking about the time I let the cat lick himself, then lick me at which point I kissed my mom… he said I looked at him and laughed and said she'll never know."
Liv laughed. "That's disgusting Kell."
"Lucky for you we don't have a cat." He replied smirking at her and taking the bacon plate from her.
Liv ate standing up in her chair. "Listen babe, I'd love to take you to your first day back but I have to go before work to sign Klaire up for Mommy & me classes before my shift."
"Seriously? Mommy and me?" Kelly chuckled lowly.
"Jealous babe?"
"A little. Isn't there like Daddy Daughter class or I don't know Kelly Liv Time?"
"I'm sure we could find you guys a class and Kelly Liv Time is usually just called sex." She smiled. "We have that last family wellness check with DCFS tomorrow. Do not be late." She tossed her empty dish in the sink and sat down to roll over beside him and kiss him goodbye. "Pin me" she handed him a safety pin then slide off her rings placing them into his palm. "Thanks Babe," She picked up Klaire and kissed Kelly once again. "Call me after your first rescue of the day and please for the love of all that is fiery be careful! I love you!"
He caught her arm and pulled her back. "Nope Livvy. That was not a proper goodbye."
"Was too…"She cocked her head.
"You didn't even let me kiss my kid."
She turns back. "You may kiss her." He lifted her out of Liv's lap.
"I'll carry her and put her in the car for you." Kelly held her over his head.
"Do not toss her! She is not Hadley!" She said calling up the elevator.
"I was- okay I thought about it." He anchored her on his hip as thy loaded into the elevator. Kelly kissed her little neck rolls and the baby laughed.
"Who loves her Daddy?" he kissed her cheek. "Hmm, Klaire? He kissed her temple. She patted his chest.
"You're going to hype her up." Liv glanced up at them as the elevator landed.
"Yup I am."
"And stick her in my car."
"Yes's." Kelly grinned at her stepping into the foyer.
"Grrr, if you weren't so damned well ya know you."
"But I am me and you adore me."
"Yup it's all part of vicious cycle." She joked rolling away out the door. Kelly caught the chair and tilted her back for a kiss goodbye.
"Keep that up and you will make me late for work."
He just grinned. You got no clue do you?"
"What?" She asked loading into her truck. As he settled Klaire in.
"Not a clue how much I love you. Have a good day Livvy." He said coming around to her door. He leaned in and kissed her a final time.
"Thank you."
-/-/
About an hour into shift Liv receives a text.
Hubs McFireballs: I feel like a cheater, I rescue cheated.
She hits the icon to speed dial him.
-/-/-
She's my city lights…" his phone rang out
"Someone grab that for me." He shouted from the kitchen.
"Who's The Boo? She's hot…" Sylvie said picking up his phone.
"My wife." He said fixing his coffee.
"Severide's phone can I take a message?" Brett said putting on speaker mode.
"No you can tell me who the fuck you are and what he meant by rescue cheat? I will kill him and it will be very, very, painful I'm good with a scalpel." She snarled from the speaker .
"Whoa baby, cool your jets. "He made grabby motions and she tossed him the phone as all the guys laughed.
He clicked off the speaker knowing they could still get the gist of the conversation. "I no, Liv! Livvy! Listen honey, no that was Britt the new EMT that may have been the wrong phrasing to use Liv, I just meant the girl I saved literally had to jump into my arms and I carried her to safety, you're the last person I carried to safety, it felt oddly wrong of me. That is true, and yes they are." He paused lowering the phone. "Liv says hi, you should all stop eavesdropping and bring her Twinkies. Oh wait the last bit was for me. Hum yeah babe I will bring your Zofran and some Twinkies for scaring you. Okay I love you too always Babe, Bye."
"You really gonna go buy her Twinkies and nausea meds?" Brett asked.
"She's pregnant and I'm smart so yeah." Kelly said dryly as he walked past her to the chief's office.
Kelly stuck his head in the door. "Chief! Pregnancy demands, can Newhouse cover me for fifteen minutes."
Chief looked up. "You've been here an hour."
"I pissed her off she demanded food based restitution."
"Just deliver on your promises, fifteen minutes. No standing around and flirting her up because she's pretty and you like her." He retorted.
He nods and dials the pharmacy. "I'm going to pick a script, Olivia B. Severide."
-/-/-
Kelly finds Liv in one of the curtained off exam bay's. "Well sweetie, I hope the secret meeting in the woods with your non boyfriend, boyfriend was worth it. You have poison oak." He hears Liv say.
"You aren't going to blab to mom and Dad are you?" Her little sister responds.
"No, Rainey I'm not. There's the whole doctor sister patient thing and I imagine telling Daddy you have a rash on your Topanga would be mortifying for us both. You can sit up." Kelly burst out laughing he just can't help it.
"Noooo." Rainey whined.
"Hold on Rain," Liv whips the curtain back.
"I want. To die." Rainey says from behind her as a doubled over Kelly appears before them.
"Hello honey, stop that." Liv said.
"It's funny, "Kelly tried to catch his breath.
"Make him stop Livvy." Rainey whined childishly.
"Kelly…"
"Fine baby I'm going your Twinkies, Starbucks and Zofran are at the nurses' station. It has your name all over it. I love you. I hope the problem clears Rainey." He stepped up to kiss Liv on the top of the head and turned still laughing, and walked away.
"I know you're embarrassed but it's the first time I've heard him laugh in almost two months so, thank you."
Rainey sighed.
"You use a condom?" Liv asked scribbling on a script pad.
"Liv?"
"Did you? It's important to your health." She glanced up.
"Did you? With Kelly?"
"Yes, he's been with half the state."
She tore off the script and handed it to her. "Listen use this cream, and take Benadryl it'll go away, and when you have sex on a pile of odd shaped leaves, when you have sex period protect yourself and not just from pregnancy."
"I'm eighteen Olivia"
"I know, that's why I'm having this conversation. I was your age once."
"You were a virgin til you were twenty two." She snarled.
"I was selective, give it a try. I have to go."
-/-/-/-
When Liv comes home from work she hands Klaire off to Rainey and goes to bed thinking she beat Kelly home. When she wakes ten hours later with no sign of him she remains calm if only because Kelly had needed his space lately. When he doesn't come home that night her worry kicks into over drive.
"I can't find him Erin!" She said into the phone.
"Look, it hasn't been forty eight hours you can't report it."
"Right." She nods and tries to stay calm and goes looking for him unsuccessfully.
When she has to reschedule the DCFS visit she's more than worried she's angry. She tries his phone and gets no answer. Early the next day she goes by the firehouse and sees his bike at what should be the beginning of his next shift.
She goes inside. "Where's Kelly?"
"Liv, this is a work place."
She cuts her eyes to the older man. "Feed that line of bullshit to someone else Wallace and tell me where Kelly is now!" She orders.
Kelly walks from the back and into the common area. She picks up Matt's insulated coffee cup and pitches it at him and hot coffee splashes across his chest and down his right arm. "What the fuck Liv!"
"Did you happen to bail on something important? In case the reason you didn't home last night was that were black out drunk laying in a gutter let me enlighten you Kelly! Klaire! We had our last visit before we could adopt Klaire yesterday!" She shouts.
He starts. Livvy I'm-"
"I didn't need you for me I needed you for her. Do not lie and say you're sorry! Do you know how bad and incapable we look now? They could take her from us! How dare you make me think you were okay, how dare you make me think I had my charming funny, smart, flirtatious husband back! You aren't fine and that's okay Kelly, but don't lie to me and let me think you are."
"Olivia," He tries again calmly.
"If I lose my daughter because you couldn't pull your head out of your ass and get your shit together I will never forgive you! It'll be ten times worse than you not being able to forgive yourself for fighting with Shay and that's a promise you can count on Kelly. The fact that I love you only forgives so much and if you aren't careful, it'll run out." She said.
She rolls out and Kelly's eyes follow her like a kicked puppy. "Well go!" Bowden says.
Kelly runs after her. "Baby wait! Just wait! I got it, Okay; I got it no more fuck ups I got it! "He shouts across the parking lot.
She turns back to him shaking her head. "No, you don't! You don't have a goddamn thing under control Kelly! You're a damn good liar though. To me and to yourself." She returned throwing up her hands in frustration.
He walked toward her hands in his pockets and spoke softly. "I know I fucked this up and I never meant to hurt you or Klaire. You gotta know that. You're all I got Liv; don't give up on me please."
"I'm not but you seem really intent on ruining your happiness." She looked off into the distance refusing to look at him.
"How do I fix this?"
She glanced at him then answered. "I rescheduled the meeting just show up. That's all show up and lie, be normal. I got the rest."
"How do I make you not angry at me?" He whispered.
"You don't because I'm not mad." She replied sounding tired.
"You threw hot coffee on me. You're pissed." He gestured to his shirt.
"I'm disappointed, and let down not mad." Her voice shook.
"Liv, the way I am with you it's not a lie."
"Whatever. I'm tired Kelly I didn't sleep well, I thought you'd gone missing."
"I'm sorry, look, let's have dinner and talk it out okay?"
She nods/"Okay."
He leaned down and kissed her. "The fancy place from our first date."
"I kinda barely remember that." She points out.
"I'll leave you hints be ready Saturday eight o clock."
-/-/-/-
After looking up hopefully every time the door opens for an hour. Liv gives up on Kelly showing up and orders a piece of pecan pie and calls Erin.
"You okay?" Erin asked sitting across from her.
"Not at all, if I'm being perfectly honest." She shook her head.
"You look absolutely gorgeous Livvy. He'd love the Victoria Secret Bedhead thing."
"I- Thank you, Erin please don't say I told you so." She looked out the window refusing to cry.
"Why would I?"
"He's finally lost interest. You said he would." Her voice shook with unshed tears.
"That was when I didn't know him and only knew his rep. Before I knew he loved you as much as he claimed. This is just a bump in your road, big and rough and totally unfair but it's just a bump. You gotta keep going, keep trying." Erin held her hand across the table.
"He's never stood me up not once." She said quietly
"Well then he's paying for girl's night. You got his card?" Erin gave her a mischievous smile.
"That's wrong." Liv said trying not to smile back.
"It was wrong to stand you up too." Erin pointed out.
"So, you wanna go see that Nicholas Sparks movie and charge tons of Candy and popcorn to Kelly's card?" Liv replied.
Erin smiled proudly. "That's my girl. Nice tame revenge. My mom's trying to see me again."
"Throw it in reverse sister. What? When? Why?"
"She's engaged needs me to make her look like Betty Crocker or some shit." Erin stole a bite of pie.
"You gonna do it?"
She shrugs. "She's sober."
"Not the first time E."
Her phone rings. "I'm on call. Hold that thought."
"Go ahead."
"Hello. Herrmann? Yeah I'll come get him, I'm across town." Liv hang up.
-/-/-
She comes in and all eyes turn to her but Kelly's who's standing in a pile of beer nuts and pretzels.
"Come on, the rest of you don't see it?" He gestures to Brett.
"No, but they can all see me which is more than I can say for you lately." Liv said and he turns to her.
"Whoa, you look pretty." The compliment does nothing to appease her anger it only hurts her because it's a drunken one he'll forget slurring his way through tomorrow.
"What'd I forget now?" He said scowling.
"Just go get in my car. I'm too tired to fight with you."
"I was just having a few with the guys I just lost track of time."
She crossed her arms over her chest shown off nicely in a short little black dress. "I'm sure, why are you so insistent on hurting me? The one person you actually need. The one person who promised to never leave. Does it make me an easy target? I can throw all my pain, hate, rage, and general shitty attitude on Liv and she'll never leave me? Is that it?"
"Liv i-"He moves to her.
She glared at him with perfectly lined eyes. "You what Kell? You're sorry and you're being a really sucky husband right now? Yeah I got that."
She shook her head which was a mass of red curls because it it was Kelly's favorite style." You wanna know the worst part in all this for me? You make me want all things I never thought I'd have, marriage, babies, and a guy who puts me first and then the second shit gets tough you take it all away. Because you're scared someone is going to see how scared you really are. Scared to love anything that isn't totally out of reach, say a girlfriend who can't remember you, an abandoned baby, or your gay best friend? "She laughed tiredly.
"Look I am sorry Shay left you, but I'm still here and so is Klaire. I really wished you'd remember that because the guy who makes me want all those things I deserve, makes me feel good about myself. He'd never make me feel like the fucking crippled girl getting stood up time and again all over again." She wiped at the tears running down her cheeks turned and left with not another word. Kelly stood totally dumfounded.
"Go after her!" Herrmann said. "I didn't stay married twenty years by walking out when I had to fight for her! Go!"
-/-/=
Kelly walks outside and runs head on into Erin. She stopped him from moving toward Liv's truck with a light shove. "You and me we're pretty much the same person we'd have to be to be loved the way we are by her and I know you gotta deal with shit in your own way even if you push her away." Erin cocks her head and her eyebrows wing up and something in her expression frightens Kelly. "What you don't get to do is trample her heart in the process. Because that is my best friend and I will protect her from the damage you do. You wanna self-destruct fine by me but you'll do it alone. You're going to get in a cab and go home. Alone, just like you want." She said concretely.
"That's not- I didn't mean to do that. She was my best friend."
"And Liv is mine. She's staying with me until you can make her a priority." Erin said it gently but it felt like a stab.
"Fuck that! Liv Livvy! I'm sorry baby, come on. Come back inside, please…" She shouts drunkenly trying to get to her.
Liv rolled down the window. "So help me God Kelly you wake up this baby and I will kill you."
He asked confused. "Why is she in the car? It's late and…"
"And I'm staying with Erin until you need me instead of distance." She tried to be gentle but it came out snippy.
"Baby I need you…I just…" He leans in her window,
She brushed a hand down his face. "You need me but you don't want me not really."
"That's so not true Livvy."
"I love you Kelly. Goodnight. Erin get in, we're leaving." She sets the car in gear.
"Livvy, I'm sorry."
"I know but it's not enough. I called you a cab, get in and go home. Be careful at work. I love you. I'll see you later." She waits for him to back out of the trucks path.
Kelly watched her taillights disappear. "Did she just leave you?" Otis asked from the door.
"I'm not sure." He said and for the first time in what feels like forever that sharp pain in his chest has nothing to do with Shay. "I hope not." He whispered into the night air.
AN: Don't hate me…. Ok, I own nada but Liv and Klaire leave me your thoughts.