The morning was slow for ambo 61. All three of the other companies were still out after their first call, having gotten a second as they were finishing the first, so Brett and Foster decided to cook up some lunch, despite it not being their turn. Foster mainly tackled dishes, as Brett was a woman on a mission and a much better cook.
They had prepared some turkey fillets, which Sylvie had stuffed with either bacon and provolone or spinach and feta, so the meat lovers and the health-conscious both had satisfying options. Foster put together a fruit salad, and Sylvie seasoned and cooked up some wild rice to go with the turkey. She also made a batch of plain mashed potatoes for the more picky eaters in the group.
Truck, engine, and squad rolled back in close to noon. After scrubbing down their gear, everyone filtered in from the apparatus floor just as Sylvie was pulling the turkey out of the oven.
"Perfect timing, guys!" Foster called. "Lunch is ready!"
"My heroes!" Stella exclaimed, pulling her friends into an exhausted hug. She led the line through getting food, and everyone was soon seated eating.
Many murmurs of appreciation could be heard throughout the room. Everyone loved when Brett cooked, though it didn't happen often. She was easily the best in the house.
Casey grabbed a plateful and kissed his fiance on the temple. "Have I told you lately how amazing you are?"
She grinned through a mouthful. When she swallowed, she returned his kiss. "Sounds vaguely familiar," she teased.
"Well, I'll have to tell you more," he said, taking another big bite.
"This is amazing, Brett. Your kid is gonna be so spoiled," Herrmann commented from across the table.
A few heads turned toward him.
Sylvie shot him a look, and he caught himself. He quickly tried to cover: "You know, someday, if - uh - if you two decide to have one or two or whatever." He tried to shrug nonchalantly.
Matt looked at Sylvie, an eyebrow arched.
She apologized with her eyes. "Later," she whispered.
Mouch, who was half-engrossed in the tele and had only heard part of Herrmann's statement, piped up, "You two are having a kid?"
The little bit of conversation between the other members of 51 who weren't already intrigued stopped on a dime. They all turned to look at Brett and Casey.
Sylvie sighed and bit her lower lip. If anyone had managed to buy Herrmann's backtracking, they didn't now.
"Well," Casey said, shrugging, "I guess the cat's out of the bag."
Brett swallowed the bite she'd just taken. "We were going to tell you all next week after we had a chance to go to the doctor," she explained. "But, yes, we just found out that we are expecting."
Nobody seemed to mind that Brett and Casey originally wanted to wait to tell them. They all took turns offering their congratulations to the beaming couple, then they returned to their plates and finished lunch quickly, hoping to have time to rest before the next call came in.
After some much needed rest, Matt grabbed two cigars and quietly left his office. He found Severide and held up the cigars in a silent question. Kelly rose from his desk and silently exited his office. Normally, they wouldn't do this in the winter, but it was an extraordinarily nice January day in Chicago.
As soon as the friends were outside and had gotten their cigars lit, Severide asked, "So, Dad, how does it feel?"
"Don't you 'Dad' me, Dad," Casey teased, glancing sideways at him.
"Okay, fair enough," Severide chuckled. "But really, how do you feel?"
Matt blew out a puff of smoke. "Excited for the most part. It feels like I've been waiting forever for this moment."
"Stella is thrilled that we're going to have babies so close together."
Matt nodded. "If all goes well," he said, taking another long drag.
He'd said it so quietly that Kelly almost didn't hear him. When he did hear it, though, a sympathetic look flashed over his face. He asked carefully, "Do you know how far along she is?"
Casey shook his head. "Sylvie said she missed a lot of the signs, that she put it up to stress after I got that stress fracture. A couple months, maybe, but I don't know." He paused, staring off at the Chicago skyline. "Gabby was almost three months when she lost the baby. We were so close to making it out of the danger zone."
"Stella is starting to relax a bit since we passed 12 weeks."
"Remind me how far you are now?" Casey asked.
"Our 12 week appointment was -" Severide trailed off, trying to remember. "Maybe a week ago? Shit, man, time just blends together."
"Don't I know it," Matt replied. "Imagine how fast it's going to go once those babies decide it's time to come out."
There was a small break in their conversation. The bells went off and they got ready to run back inside, but the page was just for Ambo. They watched as Foster and a slightly groggy Brett jumped into the rig and pulled out into the street, lights on and sirens blaring.
As they turned out of sight, Kelly looked back to his friend. Noting the look on his face, he said, "Hard, isn't it?"
"She's my girl. I can't help but worry a little," Casey said. "I know she can handle herself, but not being able to watch out for her on every call is going to be difficult to deal with, especially now."
Severide nodded empathetically. "Foster's feisty enough. She'll have her back."
Matt nodded. He knew Foster would have Sylvie's six, but she wasn't him. He wanted to personally make sure nothing happened to hurt her or the baby. He supposed it was something he'd have to get over soon.
Their conversation took a turn to the Blackhawks as they finished their cigars then went inside for supper.
The day of their appointment, Matt and Sylvie went out for lunch then headed off to their physicals. After a couple trips around the parking lot, they finally found a spot and walked into the clinic. The receptionist looked up as they approached the counter. "Name?" she asked.
"Matthew Casey and Sylvie Brett," Matt spoke for both of them.
"Okay, I'll tell the doctor you're here."
They sat down to wait. Nearly half an hour later, a nurse stepped into the waiting room and called Sylvie's name. Another nurse came out behind her and called for Matt.
The two held hands until they got to the doorway. "See you soon," Sylvie said. She gave his hand a quick squeeze before following the nurse leading her into one exam room while Matt was led into the exam room next to hers.
Matt and Sylvie were each asked all the normal questions before the nurses moved on to asking for a urine sample and taking a blood draw before they sent for the doctor.
Some fifteen minutes later, the doctor walked into Sylvie's room. "Miss Brett," she said, "I'm Dr. Isles. How are you today?"
"I'm doing well," Sylvie replied, "just a little tired. It's been a long day." She yawned and raised her hand to cover her mouth.
Taking notice of Sylvie's engagement ring, Dr. Isles said, "Planning a wedding must be exhausting."
"Yeah, and being pregnant on top of it -," Sylvie replied.
Dr. Isles smiled. "Congratulations. Who's the lucky dad?"
"His name is Matt. He's a captain at Firehouse 51."
"Is he working right now?"
"No, actually, he's in the next room over. We decided to make a date out of our annual physicals," Sylvie joked.
Dr. Isles chuckled, then turned to look over the nurse's notes. When she had finished reviewing the nurse's notes, she looked up. Gesturing at Sylvie's jacket, she said, "You're a paramedic. Which house?"
"51. I love it there."
"Same as your fiance," Dr. Isles observed. "That's great. When I was younger, I thought about pursuing EMS after graduating high school to save myself some time and money, but I soon discovered I could never do it. There's not nearly enough order to it." Dr. Isles quirked a smile.
"It is crazy," Sylvie agreed, "and I've had more than my fair share of scary situations, but it's very rewarding. Sometimes I wonder what it would be like working in a place like this. You never have to worry about traffic or weather or gunfire," she trailed off. "But I've found a whole new family at 51, and I wouldn't trade that for the world."
Dr. Isles smiled at her. "So, have you thought about what you're going to do when the baby comes along?"
"No, actually. We just found out last week. I'm planning on staying at 51 as long as I can, though."
"Based on the levels of your hormones, you appear to be about eleven weeks along, so you'll need to schedule prenatal appointments soon -"
"Sorry to interrupt you, but I'd really prefer if Matt could be in here to listen to this with me. Would you mind?"
"Of course," Dr. Isles responded. She stepped out to see if Matt's doctor had finished with him. She found him back in the waiting room and waved him over. She introduced herself to him. "I'm with your fiance -"
"Is everything okay?" Matt hurried to ask.
"Yes, everything's fine," Dr. Isles responded. "We were about to discuss the baby and she requested you join us."
Matt visibly relaxed and a smile crossed his face as he followed Dr. Isles back to the exam room. Once there, he took a seat next to Sylvie and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. She leaned into him and placed a hand on his knee as Dr. Isles advised them about what to do to help the pregnancy, referred them to an OB-GYN, and prescribed some prenatal vitamins.
As they lay in bed that night, Sylvie was unusually quiet. Her brow was furrowed and she was chewing her lower lip as lazily traced circles on Matt's bare chest.
He kissed the top of her head. "What's going on in that beautiful mind of yours?"
When she didn't answer him right away, he shifted so he could see her face. "Talk to me, Sylvie," he said softly, a hint of worry in his voice.
"This is all so crazy. There's so much to do," Sylvie said finally, looking up to meet his eyes. "We found out so late and, now, we're nearly a third of the way through. - It's just a lot, you know?
"Yeah, it is," he said candidly, "but we're in this together. Whatever you need - or want -, whenever you need it, I'm here for you - for both of you. I love you, Sylvie, and I can't wait to start this life with you."
"I love you too." Sylvie smiled and curled back into her fiance. Her shoulder tucked under his arm, which began rubbing her back, and she rested her head on his shoulder. Their hands folded together on the side of her abdomen.
After a beat, he asked, "Do you want a boy or a girl?"
"I don't really care - as long as he or she is healthy," she answered honestly, "Bonus points if he or she gets your nose."
"My nose?" he asked, laughing.
"Yeah!"she replied, wriggling loose the arm that was pinned between her torso and the bed. "You have a really cute nose!" She used her newly freed hand to poke said nose.
"Okay, whatever you say."
"What do you want it to be?"
"A healthy baby," he replied candidly. Then, mimicking her comment, "Bonus points if she or he gets your eyes."
She laughed "Matt, we have the same color eyes."
"Well," he said, nuzzling his nose into her hair, "yours are prettier."
Sylvie smiled and snuggled closer to Matt. He planted a kiss on her forehead, and the two were soon asleep.
A/N: Thanks for reading! There's going to be one more chapter in this story. It starts with a bit of a time jump, but if y'all want, I might go back and write in some one shots for whatever I gloss over. Feel free to message me with any requests - related to this story or not. :) I'm hoping to have the last chapter up Monday or Tuesday.