The team were still there when Chimney and Maddie had arrived. He had made his excuses as to why he had to leave a few hours early – he had plenty of holiday time accrued anyway. He felt relieved when he could hear the distinct sound of Hen laughing and dishes being put away, as he and Maddie walked up the stairs, "Hey guys."
"Did you forget something?" Bobby looked at the two concerned, when he noticed the way Maddie had her hand tightly wrapped around Chimney's arm. Buck shot the two of them a grin, knowing exactly what was happening right then.
"No, not exactly… I just wanted to talk to you all together. We got some big news, well I guess two…" Maddie let him speak, finally letting go of his arm so he could step forward. Buck didn't know about their engagement but he did know about the baby, so he glanced at his sisters stomach at the mention of two. Maddie caught his reaction and quickly shook her head, before Chimney pulled her forward with him and held up her left hand so everyone could see the beautiful ring that he had placed on her finger a few days previously.
The celebrations started and Buck managed to get to his sister before anyone else, wrapping her in his arms as he hid his face in her hair. She knew he was crying – her brother wore his heart on his sleeve and wasn't ashamed of it, she liked to think she had raised him well. "I'm so happy for you." He whispered in her ear, finally pulling back to shake Chimney's hand, "If you hurt her, I will kill you."
Even if Chimney was his family, the words were serious. He hadn't been able to do anything about Doug and he had hurt his sister in the worst way he could think of, so at least now he could make sure she never suffered at the hands of the man who was meant to love her again. He knew his friend better than that but it needed to be said, and Maddie needed to hear him say it.
"Right," The man let out a nervous laugh and dropped his hand from his future brother-in-laws, "There is more though and I guess I prefer show and tell because here you go…" He pulled the scan photographs from Maddie's bag and placed them on the counter, the two were nervous, awaiting the reactions of the people they loved the most.
Hen was the first to speak, gripping onto one of the pictures before she let out a sob, throwing her arms around the couple. She was Chimney's best friend, and whilst she had always known what a good man he was and how he longed to be loved and feel love for a deserving woman, she had seen him pretend to be someone he wasn't in the hopes of gaining love too many time's before. Maddie was different, she had seen the way her best friend had learned how to be comfortable to just be himself, to truly love and feel as though he was loved for who he really was. He didn't have to pretend for her and Hen had been glad when she realised how perfect the two were for each other. Once they had gotten over their own demons in the aftermath of Doug Kendall.
"This is amazing, you're both going to be amazing parents." She grinned and pulled back to look at her colleague, "I'm so happy for you Chimney, this is everything you deserve." And then she turned to the woman he had fallen in love with, Buck's sister who had been through hell and back and still found it in her heart to love, "Thank you for making him happy, thank you."
Maddie could only give the woman a small smile as tears threatened to fall, she hadn't expected the celebration to be so emotional but she also knew how much her fiancé meant to these amazing people he worked with. They had seen him cheat death twice and she had a group of people surrounding her right then who cared just as much for his happiness as she did.
The hugs came quickly, Eddie welcomed his friend to fatherhood and Bobby told them to make the most of every moment, because it was going to be a wonderful journey.
"So, when are you due?" Bobby finally asked – mostly because he was happy for the two but also so he could start planning cover for Chimney (and probably Buck, he mentally noted) when necessary.
Maddie's smile got impossibly bigger, her hand falling to her stomach, "Christmas Eve." She knew better than to get her hopes up that baby Han would make an appearance right on the due date but she was still excited at the prospect. Chimney scratched the back of his head, "Yeah, sorry Cap... probably gonna save as much time off as I can." Bobby just laughed and shrugged it off, knowing they had plenty of time to deal with that when it came.
"Do I get Uncle leave?" Buck quickly asked, as he stared at the first glimpse he had of his first niece or nephew, a massive smile on his face. He wasn't sure how he could express to his sister how proud he was of how far she had come since the day she had ran away from Doug and Pennsylvania. He still remembered the day she had met Chimney for the first time (she still hadn't thanked him for introducing them) and how quickly they had fallen into a friendship. They were meant to be, and Buck wasn't sure he could be any happier than he was in that moment.
Bobby looked at the youngest team member, giving him a pat on the shoulder as he walked past, "You should be so lucky. This calls for celebration – there's pie in the fridge?" Sounds of agreement echoed through the loft and Maddie wrapped her arms around the man she was going to marry. His hands came to a rest on her stomach, their lips meeting in a soft kiss before she pulled back, "I love you."
"I love you too… both of you."
The excited father to be had insisted on taking a photograph of Maddie every single day since the twelve week scan. He had gotten the idea one night when he was looking through Facebook, excited as he thought about the amazing change Maddie and her body were about to go through. Luckily, she was happy to indulge him, especially when she saw the smile on his face as he set up a camera he had gone out and spent a fortune on.
Maddie lifted up her top and moved to the side, her hand placed on her still flat stomach as she looked down at what would soon become a bump (posed by her fiancé as he told her of his vision). This was their routine every night or morning depending on their shifts, one photo a day, every single day as he watched her stomach grow.
They both giggled as they looked through the photos every day, looking for any signs that a bump was starting to form. She was only fifteen weeks and she knew it wouldn't be much longer before she could feel the baby moving, she often found herself sitting on the sofa, staring at her stomach as she tried to remind herself to make the most of every moment. She had to be patient, but she still couldn't wait to meet the amazing human she and Chimney had made.
She jumped when she felt her feet being moved and a body sit in the space they had previously occupied. He raised an eyebrow as he looked at her, "Sorry, in a world of my own." The brunette laughed and then took the pear from Chimney's outstretched hand, "Um, thanks?"
"That's how big our baby is right now." He informed her as he bit into his own pear, his other hand gently massaging her feet. "Are you okay? You're quiet." He knew there was a lot going on right then – she was pregnant which came with its own stresses, but they were also moving into their first home together and still working. Alongside that, he was working more than usual so he could save up enough to spend as much time with her and the baby as he possibly could.
"I'm fine, just tired." She yawned, a well timed sign that she was being honest, as her eyes fell to a close for just a second. She tried to shake it off, pulling her feet from the mans lap, so she could curl into his side instead. "I've been packing up this place all day, I can't believe how quickly we managed to fall in love with a house." It was right in-between both their places of work, in a gated community with a great school just around the corner. The house itself needed some work, but nothing that couldn't be done gradually. And they were lucky enough that they had a whole team of friends willing to help them.
She could practically feel the concern radiate from Chimney, the paramedic in him taking over as he put a hand to her forehead to ensure she didn't have a fever. "I'm not sick, I promise." She mumbled, hiding her face in his neck, pressing soft kisses against the exposed skin there, "Just want to snuggle up on the couch with you." She felt him relax at the words, his hand dropping from her forehead so he could wrap an arm around her shoulders to pull her close.
It had been an exciting few weeks – their friends had hosted a proper celebration at Athena and Bobby's house with cake and a rather large photograph of the scan they had managed to swipe without either of the parents to be noticing. They had searched for and found their dream home and they had started to make plans, trying to figure out how much time off they could reasonably afford for Maddie to take with the baby. Maddie wanted as much time as she possibly could take but she was worried about how far their savings and Chimney's salary could go. Chimney also wanted her to take as much time as she possibly could but he worried less about the money, he had spent years as a single bachelor, putting money aside as much and as often as he could just in case.
Maddie still worried though.
"I've put next weeks schedule on the fridge for you… I'm taking a few days off for the big move, and then we can start getting settled. I know that's not easy when we are currently living in a bit of a dumping ground." He let out a snigger when he heard a gentle snore coming from the woman, quickly realising he was talking to himself.
"Definitely tired." He mumbled, letting his lips rest against her forehead, his own eyes falling to a close. It was the most simplest of moments, just being there with the woman he loved after a long day of work, but he couldn't imagine being any happier than he had been since the day he had kissed her in the firehouse.