It had been a long day and he was exhausted.
Howard didn't say a word as he walked through the door, relieved when he saw his girlfriend sprawled out on the couch. His heart skipped a beat as it always did when she looked up and smiled, but he didn't return the gesture. Instead, he walked over to her and dropped to his knees beside the couch, his head moving to her stomach as his eyes closed.
She was quick to pick up on the mood, her fingers moving through his hair as she bit down on her lip, "Rough day?" Maddie knew the answer, but she hoped the question would be enough to prompt Howie to at least say something, anything. It did the job, she felt him shift slightly and his hand moved up to grip at hers.
"Safe Haven." He muttered, "I knew it would happen someday… I just, I don't know if I would have handled it better if you weren't pregnant. But she was so tiny and I just couldn't understand how anyone could leave her." His voice cracked and even though she couldn't see his face, she felt the tell-tale sign of tears on her t-shirt.
She didn't say anything, she couldn't judge another mother for doing what she felt was the right thing. Perhaps Maddie would have found herself in the same position had she ever fell pregnant – surely a baby would be safer away from Doug all those years ago when Maddie hadn't felt capable of leaving. "All I could think about was how lucky we are to have each other and know we want this baby but the mother… whoever she is… must have been so terrified and alone that the only option was to leave the baby at the fire house."
When he finished speaking, he finally looked up at the woman he loved so much. He'd give her the world if he could, he'd give her and their baby everything and anything they needed so they felt safe and loved. "You're a wonderful human being, Howie." In the moment, Maddie couldn't think of anything else that needed to be said. She was continually astounded by the level of care and affection that Howie showed, not only to her, but the rest of the world.
For a moment, they both just stared at each other, before Howie broke the silence, "Will you marry me?" It was sudden and unexpected, and by the look on his face, Maddie knew it wasn't exactly planned, even he was shocked at the words that had just left his lips.
Slowly, Maddie sat up, "Howie…" God, she wanted to say yes more than anything, she wanted to kiss him and wrap her arms around him and say yes a thousand times over. But the look on his face stopped her, "It's okay if you didn't mean to say that. I promise." She moved a hand to his cheek, an attempt to pull him from his own thoughts, her thumb gently grazing over his cheek. "You've had a long and stressful day, we can just order take out and watch Mission Impossible it whatever you want."
Still, there was silence on the other end.
Suddenly, he stood up and shook his head, "No, I just… I meant the words but that wasn't how I planned on asking. I had this massive, romantic plan but that all seems silly now. I want to marry you more than I've ever wanted anything in my life. I realised it about six months ago, you were fast asleep and I was just watching you, I brushed some hair from your face and you woke up, and you smiled at me before you closed your eyes again. I felt as though my heart was going to beat out of my chest and I knew right then that I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I want to wake up next to you every single morning and see that smile. I-I have a ring… two seconds."
The brunette had tears running down her cheeks as she watched him run off in the general direction of their bedroom. Maddie had always had something to say, her entire life, she had voiced her opinions and feelings but Howie had a way of leaving her speechless. The way she felt about him was like nothing she had ever felt before. She'd had a few boyfriends as a teenager but Doug had been her first serious relationship and she loved him, of course she had loved him or she wouldn't have stayed as long as she had. But it was a different kind of love, the kind she felt for Howie was beyond anything she could describe, she felt it so deeply that she never questioned that she was going to spend the rest of her life with him.
She moved to stand up when he walked back in the room with a box in his hand, "Howie." She tried to get his attention but he was focused on the task at hand, as he dropped to the ground for the second time that evening. "Howie…" She repeated again, moving her hand to his hair as she tried to get his attention. He looked up at her, fumbling to open the box, completely misreading the look on her face.
"Oh." He gulped and slowly moved to stand up, "I understand if you don't want to get married." His voice was a deflated but he still managed to smile in the reassuring way that made her feel as though she could be open and honest with him no matter what words were about to fall from her lips.
"I do, I want to marry you more than anything, I just wanted to kiss you." She gently pressed her lips to his, a small moan escaping when he responded without hesitation, the ting forgotten for just a second as he wrapped his arms around her waist.
"Wait," He mumbled, "You need to put this on." With a confidence he wasn't showing before, he opened the box and took the ring out. Maddie gave him her left hand, admiring the ring that he slipped onto her finger – it wasn't anything too fancy or expensive, it was perfect. Once the ring was safely placed, he pulled her body close to his and gently brushed his nose against hers, one of his hands moving up to her cheek to gently wipe the tears away. "It's so beautiful, thank you."
Her voice was quiet, the tears still fell but the smile on her face was wide and she couldn't imagine ever stopping. Right then, she wasn't sure she had ever been happier than she was, standing in the living room of the apartment she shared with the man she loved.
It was only a few days later that Howie found himself bursting into a room at the doctors, five minutes late and not able to offer any of his colleagues an excuse for why he had to leave straight after his shift. He'd explain later, he was sure everything was going to be perfect.
"This is my fiancé, Howie." Maddie laughed as she tilted her head over to look at the breathless man, still in his uniform. "We haven't started, don't worry." She assured him, before she looked back at the woman who was preparing to finally show her their baby. Maddie'a top was lifted, exposing her stomach as the screen was turned on.
Howie gripped at her hand when he got to the side of the bed and he took a deep breath, "I don't think I've ever run that fast in my life." The woman scoffed at him, shuddering ever so slightly when the gel was applied to her stomach, her eyes moving towards the screen. She was nervous, everything was going so well at the moment, she half expected something awful to happen.
"There we go, looks as though you were correct, you're around thirteen weeks along. I'd say you are due on the 24th December." Howie could already feel Maddie's excitement – she adored Christmas as it was but to find out she was having a Christmas baby, that made the holidays even more magical. "Baby looks healthy, heartbeat is strong." It was the assurance the couple needed in that moment, just to know their baby was okay and most importantly, they could finally announce it to the people they loved the most.
Just twenty minutes later, with several pictures of their unborn child, the two walked out of the hospital with massive grins on their faces. "Okay, we can swing by the firehouse first, and then we are having dinner with Mr and Mrs Lee tonight, and then I'll talk to Josh, Linda and Sue tomorrow." It was a plan, the paramedic nodded in agreement, moving to open the car door for the woman, not able to express his excitement for finally being able to tell his family that there was a new member of the Han family to come along.
"This is going to be the best Christmas ever." Maddie proudly announced as she held up the scan picture, once he got into the drivers seat.
"It really is." He agreed, already planning how he was going to make sure they had the most amazing Christmas of either of their lives, starting with explaining to the captain he wasn't going to be working over the festive period.